Waves Of Passion

Chapter 7

It had been a week since Justin came back to the West Coast and he had taken every chance to wine and dine Eliza. She loved what real romance truly felt like.

“You’ve been having a real spring in your step ever since you and Justin got together,” Christina said when Eliza walked into the locker room. She looked at Christina over her shoulder before she turned back to stuff her bag into her locker.

“You make it sound like I came in all low and droopy when you first saw me,” she said and Christina laughed.

“I wouldn’t use those exact words but you did come in looking like you had the weight of the world on your shoulder. It was like there was a cloud following you everywhere you went and it was practically impossible to get a smile out of you.”

Eliza smiled as she pulled her swim suit on. Christina was right.

“And there was that weird guy who stopped by that night we had the barbecue party,” Christina went on and Eliza sighed loudly.

“Yeah, that.”

“Yes, that.” Christina looked at her as she pulled a t-shirt over her head. “To be honest I am dying to know what the story is there since you never seem to want to talk about it which is all okay because I believe in the whole bygones being bygones thing but I am dying to know what it was that got you like this. I mean, even after cozying up to Celia, she didn’t breathe a word about it.”

Eliza shook her head.

“I am not sure I want to talk about this.”

“See, that is what you always say. Those are the exact same words you always use,” Christina said. “And I know, I have only known you for a few weeks but I know for a fact that a problem shared is a problem half solved.”

“Gee, Christina. How many Hallmark quotes do you have packed under there?” Eliza asked.

“For starters, that’s not a Hallmark quote or even a proverb. It’s an idiomatic expression,” Christina said as she sat on the bench in front of Eliza’s locker. “And secondly, there is a mountain of truth in what I have just said.”

Eliza shut her locker and turned around to look at Christina. She was leaning against her locker as she fumbled with the whistle hanging from her neck. She knew that Christina was right. She had never really talked about the real reason why she had to up and move from Philadelphia to the West Coast mostly because she did not want to rehash the past. Nothing good could come from that.

“I know you are probably thinking that there is absolutely no way talking about a painful past will help but if it makes you feel better, I’ll tell you this. I am not perfect,” she started and Eliza shook her head.

“What?” she asked.

“I lived a lie for the better part of the last ten years and for some reason, I never really bothered to come clean.”

Eliza crossed her arms over her chest.

“What are you talking about?”

“I was married for a really long time but I never really had any real feelings for my husband. It was a circumstantial thing…and I had an affair.”

“Oh,” Eliza started.

“It gets worse.”

“What could possibly be worse?” was the question she wanted to ask but she couldn’t really say the words. After all, she did not want to sound like she was being judgmental or something like that.

“I cheated on him with his best friend and even though I wanted to tell him…we both did but it never seemed like the best time. Though to be honest, I don’t think there was ever going to be the right time…and when he finally found out it almost broke him. And we had this crazy back and forth trying to hurt each other until just recently when we decided to just sign the papers and call it quits for one last time. A whole two years later.”

“Are you saying that you recently got divorced?” Eliza asked and Christina nodded.

“Officially, yes.”

“That’s so weird. I met a guy the other day at the Hump Bar…maybe a couple of weeks back who literally just got divorced. He looked really sad…I got him a drink on the house. I know it didn’t help but maybe his whiskey served neat is the only way he had to get over the pain…coincidence, yeah?” Eliza sat next to Christina.

“Whiskey, neat?” she asked and Eliza nodded.

“Yeah, why?”

“That was Rob’s favorite drink.”

“So, you are telling me that I served your ex-husband?”

“Did he have this gray hair, kind of Anderson Cooper look? Still wears his wedding ring?” Christina asked and Eliza nodded.

“Yeah, you just described him to a T.”

“So that was why you came to the bar that night….ordering chardonnay and tequila?” Eliza asked and she nodded before she forced out a laugh.

“I know he looked like a really good man, huh?” she asked and Eliza nodded. “Well, he was. He is. And I was an ass.”

“So I met your ex-husband. Interesting.”

“What is really interesting is how you listened to something that I have been holding in. Even Chrissie doesn’t know about it but it has been eating at me…” Christina shook her head. “It feels good to just say it out loud.”

Eliza sighed loudly.

“I am not sure it will make me feel better.”

“Well try. That’s all you have to do.”

Eliza took a long deep breath and sighed again.

“The man who was here….my ex, Allan, I was with him when I lived back in Philadelphia. He first saw me when I was working an extra job at a modeling agency and life was amazing at first. But after noticing a few things amiss I came to know that I was nothing more than the pretty girl you bring to a poker game so she can blow on your dice.”

Christina raised an eyebrow over the other.

“What?” she asked and Eliza bit her lower lip.

“Ever heard of Allan Rowland Enterprises?” she asked and Christina nodded.

“He is that Allan?” she asked and Eliza nodded. “Wow.”