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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 21:07:19 GMT -5
He remembered that night, remembered it like it was yesterday. Eighteen and having made choices already that changed the course of his life and she had walked into and made him want to take them all back when he knew it wasn't possible. "You walked in and were the only person in the room," He admitted, if he closed his eyes he could envision it now, some party his parents had dragged he and Brooke Lynne to and he'd found a piano and started tinkering. When he'd looked up he'd seen her and her eyes had radiated, face like sunshine and he knew he'd never seen anything as beautiful.
"You radiated, even then, baby doll," He lifted his hand to cover hers on his arm for a brief moment, allowing the pressure to linger. The memories will still fresh, so many years had passed, but still he felt in some ways like it was just yesterday.
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 21:16:09 GMT -5
She looked over at him as she was lost in the memory, it was like no one else existed back then. Just them and the music, she'd lost her heart at eighteen. And she never wanted to let it go, no matter what happened after that memory and the music. She would hang onto them for the rest of her life. Her fingers moved to twine with his, if only for a moment as she got lost in the memory.
"And you were so far out of my league, Bryce. Honestly, you still are.."
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 21:30:39 GMT -5
"No, baby doll, you were out of mine," Bryce replied, giving her fingers a little squeeze and allowing the touch to linger. They had talked that night, after he'd finished playing when he could find his voice to approach the beautiful girl with the radiant eyes. Talked until bleary eyed members of London's upper class had begun to bleed out of the room and his parents had sent Brooke Lynne after him.
There was so much that Naomi didn't know, things that had happened after she had left, things that he wasn't proud of. He didn't deserve her love, he never had but he didn't know how to tell her everything, open himself up the way he had in their too brief time together before.
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 21:35:45 GMT -5
Hours and hours, they'd spent the night talking and she'd bared her soul to a man she barely know. No lies, no pretending. She was honest with him like she'd never been honest with anyone else in her life. And they'd bonded and connected, and then he'd told her to go home. So many things had happened that she didn't know about and now, she felt the weight he was carrying.
"And yet, I don't... think I ever stopped loving you for a moment." it was an admission, just like the night they'd met when she'd never once lied to him like she had always been in the habit of doing. Naomi had always been a good story teller but she could never lie to Bryce. It made her heart ache to think about it.
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 21:43:37 GMT -5
"Oh Naomi," Bryce breathed out, looking down into her eyes and wishing that maybe he could go back to that night when they met. But it wasn't possible and so much had happened, so much had changed and it was difficult to imagine that what they had built thing still lingered now. "We were so young..."
One week, a few stolen kisses and then Bryce had come to his senses. The life he was going into was not a life for her, so to protect her he'd sent her away: broke his own heart to save her life.
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 21:46:42 GMT -5
She let out an almost hurt laugh and looked away from him, not knowing what he meant by that. "You're right.." they were so young and so many years had passed from that time to this one and yet her feelings for him hadn't changed. It wasn't just a feeling of nostalgia, it was something that made her heart ache, and her eyes tear up thinking that she'd let it slip away again. Because she always let him take the reigns. God she only wished, she could go back and she'd told him she wanted to stay more fervently.
Instead she'd done as he'd asked when he pleaded.
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 22:01:20 GMT -5
"I asked you to leave because I cared about you," Bryce said softly, sensing her pain at his comment and he stopped walking, stepping in front of her so he could take both of her hands in his and look down into her eyes. "I asked you to leave because if the life I chose had hurt you, I'd have never forgiven myself, Naomi. It killed me to do it, but I had too." It had been the right thing to do, he believed that as firmly now as he did when he'd done it before. Keeping her and Brooke Lynne and his parents as far away from the life he and Kevin had choose had been a priority; he couldn't risk any of them.
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 22:57:18 GMT -5
She looked down at his hands and tried not to yank away, she'd never realized that the wound was still raw after all these years. She let out a sigh and she shook her head, "And I said I would go because you wanted me too. I did what you wanted and look at us now? We're almost standing in the same place we were then, just across the ocean in a park.." Not at a boat dock where he was making her get on the boat, making her go back to America where she would be safe.
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 23:01:38 GMT -5
"Yes, look at us now," Bryce repeated, tightening his grip for a moment before dropping his hands, he'd never intended to hurt her, but it couldn't be helped at the time. "We are here, the both of us. What chance would we have of that if you had stayed?" His career had been to dangerous he had the scars on both his body and his soul as evidence and no matter how painful, he couldn't be sorry he'd put her on that boat.
"You can be angry with me, Naomi...but I'm not going to apologize for doing what I know was right," Bryce insisted, crossing his arms over his chest.
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 23:08:32 GMT -5
Damn it, she hated when he was right but they could have made it work. She could have fought, but she'd given in like she so often did where Bryce was concerned. She frowned and folded her own arms and turned her head to brood for a moment. People were staring but she didn't care, she really wanted to stick her tongue out at them like she would have done when she was younger. But she resisted.
On a sigh she looked back at him and met his eyes as he folded his own arms, "I can be angry with who ever I wish, Bryce, but I'm not angry at you for sending me away. I'm angry that I didn't get a chance to show you I was willing to fight for what we had. We were young, but I was still willing..." to give him everything.
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 23:17:39 GMT -5
"I know you would have fought, Naomi," Bryce said, reaching up a hand and touching her cheek for a brief moment. "And that's exactly why I had to send you a way. Before we both got so tangled up with each other. I was already headed down a dangerous path and I couldn't bring you into that world, you know that." He'd told her also this before, explained his reasons what felt like a thousand times. Each time something happened, every moment that danger reared it's ugly head; he was glad for what he had done.
"Watching you get on that boat was the hardest thing I'd ever done," Bryce said, softening his face for a moment as he looked down at her. "But I'd do it again if it meant you'd be standing in front of me seven years later alive and well."
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 23:32:01 GMT -5
She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, letting him touche her face even though she wanted to fight. He knew her well, and she-- she knew him. Her hand reached up and took his from her face holding it in her hands. "I am, who I am now because you put me on that boat but I don't know if I can walk away again. I'm not strong enough for that, Bryce.."
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 23:35:16 GMT -5
"I don't want you to walk away," Bryce said after a long moment, lifting his hand to bring hers to his mouth and brush his lips against her knuckles. "I promised you I wasn't going anywhere and I meant it. I just...I need some time, baby doll." He looked into her eyes and knew there were reasons they never lied to one another, only honesty in their relationship. "Seeing you again sent me reeling."
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Post by Naomi Talbot on Oct 3, 2009 23:43:05 GMT -5
She had to laugh and shook her head, "Seeing you again turned my world upside down, Bryce." she'd shut people out for her own reasons, only let a few in and she lied all the time. About who she was, where she came from. But never to Bryce, she couldn't cross that line with him. Her heart was in it to deep with him. "I-- I didn't realize that I was still in love with you.."
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Post by Bryce Andrews on Oct 3, 2009 23:53:35 GMT -5
Bryce wasn't sure how to respond to that admission, he'd spent so much time trying to talk himself out of being in love with Naomi, certain that he'd never see her again and yet here he was standing in front of her telling her she was still in love with him. He glanced around the park, at the people moving around them and felt suddenly aware of all of them as he looked back into Naomi's eyes. "Time, Naomi. Please."
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