CHAPTER 17 - AND SO IT BEGINS

Finally, Saturday morning dawned; the past few days had been long for Bobby and Alex. Bobby rose early and went to the market. When he had finished his shopping, he headed home to ready for the evening. He tidied up the apartment and when he finished, he stood back and eyed the results; yes sir, his D.I. would have been proud. His next stop was the kitchen; he measured, marinated, chopped and chilled in preparation. About two hours before Alex was scheduled to arrive, he showered and shaved. True to his word, he dressed down in jeans and a tee.
Meanwhile Alex had been mulling over a very pleasant dream she had last night. She thought about Bobby’s comment on staying in and she had to admit she was a little nervous but a whole lot excited by the thought. She was not sure where the evening would lead but if it took the path she thought it would, she would happily follow. When she started to dress, she remembered Bobby’s directive to dress casual. She smiled and added her own touch-something comfortable and easy to slide on (and off).
Alex arrived right on time. At her knock, Bobby opened the door and gave her a hello peck. “Mmm! Something smells good,” she commented as she followed him to the kitchen. “It’s Ma’s pot roast recipe,” he hesitated, then chuckled, “This was my specialty, Frank never got past spaghetti; both of us learned to cook at an early age.” Alex nodded but her heart ached; Bobby was still suffering intensely from his losses.
About thirty minutes later, they sat down to Chef Goren’s specialty. Bobby anxiously waited for Alex’s first taste. “This is delicious! Absolutely delicious!” A faint blush colored his cheeks as he thanked her. The dinner conversation was relaxed and a bit playful at times. Suddenly things got very quiet. Alex looked at Bobby and saw he was a thousand miles away. “A penny for your thoughts,” she whispered. He looked at her, “I’m sorry, Alex. I was just thinking.” She raised her eyebrow in question. Bobby smiled weakly, “Do you ever feel, uh, do you think I could ever be like Brady?” “Never Bobby; never in a million years,” she whispered. He nodded, “I just wondered, I mean I wanted to know if you ever thought about me and-” his voice trailed off. Alex smiled, “I do think about you.” This time it was Bobby’s turn to raise an eyebrow and her turn to lean in; she kissed his cheek, “However, my thoughts are much more pleasant.” He grinned and stood pulling Alex up with him and guided her to the living room.
Bobby dropped down on the couch pulling Alex down in his lap, “Now, what should we do with the rest of the evening?” Alex grinned mischievously, reached around Bobby and grabbed the TV remote from off the end table, “We could watch a movie,” she said as she clicked on the TV. Bobby looked at her in disbelief just as the evening’s feature was announced-“Household Saints.” Alex exclaimed, “Ohh! I’ve always wanted to see this movie!” Bobby caught the feigned excitement in her voice, “Seen it. Lousy movie. The male lead needed acting lessons,” he poked back. In one smooth move, he removed the remote from her, clicked off the TV, stood and held it high over his head. “No fair!” Alex exclaimed as she made a futile swipe at the remote. Bobby snickered, “All’s fair in love and war.” Alex stopped dead still and eyeing him responded, “War?’ Bobby playfully taunted, “Yeah. War.” He turned to walk away from the couch, “Let’s just put this right up here,” and pointed to the top of a high bookcase. With a loud whoop, Alex launched herself off the couch and landed on Bobby’s broad back. And the tussle began. They landed in the floor where they rolled, tumbled, tickled, grabbed and grappled; both laughing so hard they were gasping for breath. Alex was definitely giving the big man a fine run for his money. Bobby finally landed flat of his back, Alex pinning those magnificent shoulders with her forearms while straddling his hips. Suddenly the tussling stopped. The laughter ceased. Only their labored breathing could be heard. Bobby and Alex stared into each other's eyes. Slowly Alex slid her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips. “Is this more like what you had in mind?” she asked innocently. “Mmm,” Bobby responded while slowly snaking his hand under Alex’s blouse, his other hand on her butt, pressing her to him. She leaned in again and gave him an award winning exploring kiss. When he came up for air, he pushed her back a fraction and managed to gasp, “Bedroom!”

By Lynn.