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  <title>Auburn_Ashes</title>
  <subtitle>The Other Side of this Life</subtitle>
  <author>
    <name>auburn_ashes</name>
  </author>
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  <updated>2007-11-12T23:17:02Z</updated>
  <lj:journal userid="13664944" username="auburn_ashes" type="personal"/>
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  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:auburn_ashes:2749</id>
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    <title>auburn_ashes @ 2007-11-12T18:15:00</title>
    <published>2007-11-12T23:17:02Z</published>
    <updated>2007-11-12T23:17:02Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Broken Promises and Restored Hopes&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;mcaddex_fan&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;Thanks to &lt;b&gt;Suz&lt;/b&gt; for beta reading and the idea for the title&amp;lt;3&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Their families had gone out to brunch so they could leave Kate and Alex to sort out their issues.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate made her trek up the seemingly endless staircase and into their bedroom. She saw Alex holding a towel to his nose and a black eye already forming on his skin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How many times did I ask you if anything was going on between you and him? Hmm? And your answer everytime was ‘nothing, we’re just friends. ‘Just friends’ doesn’t cut it anymore Kate. The way he was holding you this morning made me livid. The sight of you right now makes me physically ill. I don’t ever want to see you again. I just want to know two things. Did you ever love me?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was sobbing now and the look of hurt in his eyes pained her heart. Choking through the sobs, she replied, “Of course I loved you and I still care about you. Somewhere along the line though, I fell out of love with you. You will always be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. You deserve someone so much better than me. I’m not good enough for you. You are one of the smartest, most compassionate people I’ve ever met. That is what attracted me to you. It’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’m still the same person Kate. I haven’t changed.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I know you haven’t. I have. I changed when you started staying at work more than you were at home. I missed you and I felt lonely. At the beginning of our relationship, you were always here and it made me feel safe and whole. Then work became your top priority and I fell second. It made me so upset, so I reached out to someone else. Keisha was never home either and Justin understood what I was going through because he was dealing with the same thing. There was a certain level of comfort that I needed to feel and he gave that to me when you wouldn’t. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. You have to believe me.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I want you to be completely honest with me when I ask you these questions. Can you at least give me that?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She nodded her head in response.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How long have you been having an affair?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She didn’t answer him right away. Instead, she looked down at her hands which were shaking, and just stared at them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Kate ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The sound of his raised voice made her jump back in fear.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How long has this been going on? ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Since my birthday.”&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;“Has he stayed overnight here before?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She didn’t say anything but rather cried harder and nodded her head.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Damn it, Kate.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I know. I’m so sorry. I never wanted this to happen. I would have never married you if there was even the slightest possibility that I might have feelings for another man. I would have never wanted to put you through that much pain. You’re amazing. You have been nothing but nice to me and I never should have lied to you when you asked me if anything was going on between me and Justin.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex had a look of pure rage in his eyes and Kate thought for a minute the he might get violent. She took a few steps backwards, away from the bed, just to be safe.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You can have the house.” Kate suddenly blurted out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You think I want to stay here knowing that my wife has had another man sleep with her in my bed?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“For what it’s worth, we never slept in our bed.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh great. There are other surfaces of our house that have been contaminated. That’s just perfect. Maybe he took you on the couch, or the living room floor, or god forbid the dining room table where we ate dinner last night.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She didn’t know what to say except that she was sorry. Kate knew those words weren’t going to make it any easier for either one of them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No Kate. You keep the house. I don’t want anything that reminds me of you. The pure sight of you makes me sick. I hate you. You have hurt me beyond belief and I will never forgive you. No, the only thing I want from you right now is a divorce. Until then, I’m leaving town. If you need to reach me, leave a message with the office.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was reduced to choking sobs by now. Alex got off the bed to leave but before he made it out the door of their bedroom he looked directly into her bloodshot, tear-stained eyes and told her he never wanted to see her again. Kate reached out to touch his shoulder, but he just shoved her hand away and walked out the door.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She heard the front door slam shut and crawled into the bed wondering if she had done the right thing and how the talk with Keisha and Justin was going. Picking up her cell, Kate texted Erin and told her to keep the family out as long as possible because she just needed some alone time. Then she set her phone on vibrate and fell asleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;JKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJKJK&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Justin walked in through the back door because Keisha had barricaded the front door with a table. He sighed out his frustration and slid open the glass door. Keisha had sent the kids to her their neighbor’s house and then retreated to her living room. He found her clinging to a bottle of vodka, their wedding picture and a picture of the girls from Kate’s bachelorette party in Vegas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How could my husband and one of my best friends betray me like this and I didn’t even see it? You were right under my nose the whole time and I never noticed. How blind and stupid could I have been? It all makes sense now though. The late nights and you always running to her if she called. Always meeting for lunch and dinner. Going out partying with each other. It was so obvious. All the signs were there and I just didn’t see them. Maybe I didn’t want to see them. Maybe I didn’t want to believe that my husband would ever do something so terrible.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keisha broke down while voicing that last line. Justin walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. She immediately turned to face him and began to hit him as hard as she could in his chest. He knew it would bruise but he deserved it. If a few bruises was all it took for her to let out her anger, he would have to deal with that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I wish I could tell you how it happened but I can’t. It’s just that you were gone and I was going through a rough time and I needed someone, so I reached out to Kate. She’s been one of my closest friends for so long and Alex wasn’t there for her either. We turned to each other and found ourselves getting lost in something we could no longer control. I never wanted to hurt you. I love you. I always have and I always will, but somewhere along the line, I fell in love with her. It had nothing to do with my feelings for you. I’m so sorry for what I’ve, what we’ve put you and Alex through. Neither of you deserve this. You’re amazing and I ruined what we had together. I will never forget what I’ve felt for you all these years. And our children are my world. I will never stop caring about them or loving them. They need their father. Please don’t take them away from me forever. I can’t survive without them.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“But you can survive without me now? How dare you think that I will let you see our children when you’re cheating ass will be with her. I’m taking the kids and we’re going away for a while. If I do allow you to see your kids ever again, she better not be anywhere near them.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“The children adore Kate. You can’t just take them away from her.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I don’t want them anywhere near the cheating bitch. And if you don’t cooperate with me then you won’t ever see them again either. What you have done is unforgivable. I never thought I could hate anyone as much as I hate you right now. I don’t want to know when it began or how many times it has happened. You’re disgusting and I never want to see you again. My lawyer will be in contact with you about the divorce.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Justin just nodded his head and walked away from the couch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You can have the house Keisha. I’ll find someplace else to stay.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I don’t want the house. I don’t want to be reminded everyday of how much you’ve hurt me.”&lt;br /&gt;Keisha got up off of the couch and said, “I’m going to get the children. We are leaving tonight. I’m not telling you where we’re going but if it is an absolute emergency then my mother will be in contact with us. Don’t try to call my cell. I’m having the number changed.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And with those parting words, she did as she had said and left the house. Justin just broke down and cried on the couch. He took the untouched bottle of vodka and downed some of it in a few gulps. He picked up his cell and called Kate like he had promised.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He could tell she had been crying by the sniffling of her nose on the other end of the line.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey. Are you okay. Did he hurt you?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No, no I’m fine. I need you. Can you come over?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay. Drive safely.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Always. Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After they hung up, it took Justin less than ten minutes to get to her house and he took the stairs two at a time to get to her. He found her on the bed, curled into a ball and sobbing. Walking over to the side of the bed, Justin knelt down beside her and stroked a piece of hair behind ear and off of her flushed, tear-stained cheeks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey sweetheart. I’m here now. It’s going to be okay. We did the right thing.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Are you going to leave me?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What? No&amp;nbsp; I’d never leave you. You’re the love of my life. I’m here forever now so like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She gave him a weak smile and asked, “Promise?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I promise. I won’t ever leave you”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Justin kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed behind her, wrapping his arms across her stomach and pulled her against his body. Kate wrapped her arms around his and asked, “You really don’t think we made a mistake?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He considered his answer carefully and replied, “I think that if we are together, nothing can stop us. You’re my soulmate. I’ve always known it deep down, but I was married and had children. It took these past few months for me to realize that you and I were meant to be together. We should have listened to our hearts in Japan. We can’t turn back time no matter how much we wish we could. So from now on we are going to focus on our future together rather than our past apart. Okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She pulled his arms closer to her and whispered, “Okay.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Justin kissed the back of his lover’s head and said, “I love you Katie.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I love you too, Justin.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate knew her family would be back soon but for now, she and Justin drifted off into a light sleep in the comfort of each other’s arms.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:auburn_ashes:2327</id>
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    <title>auburn_ashes @ 2007-11-12T18:10:00</title>
    <published>2007-11-12T23:14:42Z</published>
    <updated>2007-11-12T23:14:42Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happy Thanksgiving: Part III&lt;br /&gt;(sort of...)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;mcaddex_fan&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 1. Only thing that’s mine in this chapter are Erin and Alex’s sister’s name.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Suz &lt;/b&gt;beta read this because she is amazing!!!!! Thanks girl:) She also beta read chapters 3, 4 and 6&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate had gone straight home, changed, and climbed right into bed. She had also conveniently locked her bedroom door. Alex came home right after her and had heard the door slam shut upstairs. He knew he was sleeping in a guest room tonight, and there was no use arguing with her. It would only make matters worse. So he went into the guest room next to theirs, fell into bed, and fell into a deep sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She heard him come inside and go into the room next door. She was still crying softly, realizing that no matter how much she loved him, he would never be the man she needed him to be. That thought made her cry harder and she got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Thoughts racked her brain. Thoughts about their marriage, their love, their habits and quirks, both good and bad, everything you’re supposed to know about a person before you marry them. Kate thought a little longer about all these things, not being able to remember the last time she learned something new about him or vice versa, and there was still so much more to learn.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She loved Alex, but maybe she loved the idea of him more. With him, it’s just settling. It wasn’t that wholesome, out of this world type of love she felt when she’s with Justin. Something had to be done. These thoughts and feelings were hindering her ability to sleep. Her family, as well as Alex’s, were coming into town tomorrow and sleep was a necessity. So for now, those thoughts would be pushed to the back of her mind and she would spend what was left of the night in blissful sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The next morning, Kate woke up to the smell of food being prepared downstairs. She smiled to herself at the fact that he was trying to make up for what happened the previous evening. Putting on a robe, she padded downstairs and sat down at the kitchen table.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He noticed her sitting at the table and walked over to kiss her cheek.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Good morning.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Mmm. Good morning to you too. What are you cooking?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Eggs, bacon, and Belgian waffles. I also have fresh strawberries and some whipped cream.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“God that sounds amazing.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Good I’m glad. Listen, about last night, I just want to say I’m sorry. It was insensitive of me to assume anything going on between you and Justin. I’m sorry.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The guilt completely washed over her. What she and Justin were doing wasn’t fair to their spouses and it had to be handled soon.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to call you or your feelings insignificant. It was rude and unkind and I didn’t mean it.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“So your favorite color is green?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes. It is green. I have too many favorite songs to pick just one and the same goes for movies, but if I had to pick just one movie, it would have to be Notting Hill. My favorite band is Rascal Flatts. My favorite flower is an orchid, but I’m hoping you knew that already.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She winked and smiled at him before taking a sip of the juice he had placed in front of her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well, I guess I should be paying more attention to the little things. Does that make me a horrible husband?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No of course night. I do know plenty of things about you though. I know that your favorite color is red, especially when I wear it. You’re ticklish on your feet but nowhere else. You love anything by Duran Duran and were ecstatic when we saw them at the after party. You secretly have an affinity for tuna, but you hate any other kind of seafood. And you have a closeted affection for Disney movies. I don’t ask questions about that one.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He laughed and pulled her up from her chair. He held her close for a few minutes before asking, “You know all those things? How could you possibly know all those things?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I pay attention to you. You’re my husband. You’re supposed to be my best friend, my rock. You’re supposed to pay attention to me. And you do. Just not to the little things. The important things. That is what I got so upset about last night.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Baby I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I was being so distant. Work has been so hectic and the late hours have been keeping us apart. What do you say we make up for some lost time?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Getting up from his chair, he went and turned off the stove and walked back to her. She looked up at him and took his outstretched hand. He picked her up and spun her around so she was sitting on the counter. His hands were on her thighs and travelling upward and her hands were in his hair as he kissed the life out of her. Just when his hands made it to the tie in her robe, the phone rang. She sighed and looked at the caller ID and picked up the phone. Alex continued kissing her neck but stopped rather suddenly when she said, “Hey mom.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She looked at him with apologizing eyes and he went back to making breakfast.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You’re flight was early? You’re here now? ”&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I just have to get dressed.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She hung up the phone and turned to Alex.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“So clearly that was mom. She and my brother are at the airport. I have to go get them. I’m sorry.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“At least take some bacon with you. You have to eat something.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She scooted closer to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Do you have to work today?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Unfortunately I have a few meetings this morning and in the afternoon. I should be home in time for dinner but if not I will call you to let you know. I called ahead for a limo to pick up my mom and sister so you shouldn’t have to pick them up. They will call when they get in town.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay sweetie. Sounds good. Let me go get dressed.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Do I have to?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Only if you want to keep your job and make it to your meetings on time.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Fine fine fine. I love you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was already off the counter and in the doorway of the kitchen when she shouted back, “I love you too ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;About half an hour later, she pulled into the airport parking garage and called her mom. She found out that they were in terminal F and told them to meet her at the south end of the garage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her mom walked briskly into the parking garage and found her daughter waiting by the car.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey mom ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hi Katie. How are you?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The two exchanged hugs and kisses and then Kate turned to her brother.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Joe ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Katie. How’s my favorite little sister?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’m fine as always.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She leaned in a little closer and whispered, “You and I need to have a talk later. I need some advice on a few issues and it’s definitely not something I can talk about with mom.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay sweetie that’s fine. Are you okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just need a few answers that’s all.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah okay then.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Good.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Turning back to her mother, she asked if she was ready to go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I sure am. Joe can you be a dear and put my bags in the car?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course mom.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;About 20 minutes later, they pulled into the driveway. Alex’s car was gone, so Kate just assumed he had gone to work already. Joe got the bags out of the car and Kate and her mom walked up to the front door to unlock it. When they got inside, the house was spotless. The kitchen was clean, the guest bedroom where he had spent the night was perfect, and he had even bought another vase and put fresh orchids in it to replace the one he broke.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“He cleaned.” she said a little more to herself than anyone else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well of course he probably did sweetie. You had family coming. You don’t want your house to be a mess with family coming to town, do you?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No mom, of course not. Follow me and I’ll show you where to put your things. Alex’s mother and sister are coming as well but we’ll have plenty of space.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay honey. What time are they arriving anyway?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They should be here soon. Alex said they would call but I haven’t heard anything from them yet. Anyway, you’ll be staying in here” as she led her mother into one of the guest rooms downstairs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I figured it would be easier if you didn’t have to climb the stairs everyday.”&lt;br /&gt;“Thank you sweetie. That was thoughtful.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate smiled and helped her brother with the bags. Then she turned around and led her brother to the room across the hall.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“And here is your room. You have your own bathroom, so you don’t have to worry about sharing with mom. I thought that would be nice.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh you’re a doll sis. Thank you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You’re welcome. Well I’ll let you two get settled in and then you can meet me in the kitchen for some lunch if you’re hungry.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her mother suddenly noticed something was missing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Kate, where’s Erin?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh she probably had to do something for school. She’s been really busy with that lately. And she’s picked up a babysitting job with Justin. You remember Justin right mom?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course I do sweetie. I always liked him. It’s a shame he was married so long ago. You two would have been perfect for each other. I can sense these things. Don’t get me wrong though. Alex is a dear man. Well what do I know, I’m just an old woman.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her mother smiled at her, as if secretly sensing something that was going on between her daughter and this ‘perfect’ man. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate just smiled back and walked down the hall to the kitchen to found a note on the refrigerator from Alex.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate~&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Just wanted to let you know that my mom and sister won’t be in until later tonight. They called right after you left and their flight got bumped. Something about engine trouble. They told me not to worry and assured they will call before they leave and as soon as they land. Love you and hope your family made it in safely. See you tonight. xoxo&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; ~Alex &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She smiled and put the note next to the phone on the counter. Just as her mother and brother walked into the kitchen and she scouted the cabinets for something to eat, Erin came bursting through the door.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sorry. School ran a little late. Where’s mom?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Erin, honey your mom couldn’t make it.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh. Well she’s probably off jet-setting with her new boyfriend. It’s ok though. I have you all right? At least for right now. Then after this school year ends I have to go find a job because my college years will be over. I don’t even want to think about that right now though. Let’s just enjoy the holiday.” &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her grandmother walked over to her and hugged her close.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course you have us honey. Your mom is just getting some things straight in her life right now. She’ll come around. I love you sweetheart.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Thanks grandma. I love you too.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate noticed how sad her eyes appeared. The light that was once there was now masked with shadows. She looked empty; like someone had sucked the life right out of her. Food was always good comfort, she thought.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What would you all like? We have anything you want. Just name it.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her brother spoke up first. “How about some sandwiches. It’s easy, clean, and quick.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sounds good to me. Mom? Is that all right with you?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’ll have whatever you all are eating.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Erin, honey, is that all right?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah, Aunt Kate. That sounds wonderful.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate turned around and opened the refrigerator door to grab some lunch meat and cheese. Soon they were all enjoying their lunch in her living room, watching the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy. It was a lot easier to watch the show now that she wasn’t a part of it anymore. Watching the show made her a little nostalgic and she had to walk away for a few minutes to compose herself again. She missed her friends and their schedules conflicted so much that they could rarely find time to go out and have a little fun. Erin noticed her sudden change in demeanor and decided to ask her about it some other time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Later that evening, Alex’s family called Kate and told her they were on their way. They arrived shortly after that and she settled them into their individual rooms also. She had ordered pizza because it was the easiest thing for a big group of people with not a lot of time to prepare anything. Alex came home around 10:30 after everyone, including Kate, had gone to bed. He made his way upstairs and crawled into bed behind his wife, kissed the back of her neck and told her goodnight. She rolled over and placed an arm across his chest, told him goodnight, and fell right back to sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The next morning, Alex woke up first and went downstairs to prepare breakfast for everyone. They all were roused by the smell of something wonderful in the kitchen and met there for some coffee and food. Kate’s and Alex’s families already knew each other from the wedding and began conversing like they were old friends. The happy couple watched their parents and siblings catching up and smiled at each other.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I think we need to get started on that turkey if we have any hope of getting dinner finished on time. The women are going to be in the kitchen all day which means any male presence is forbidden so you better take a cooler of beer wherever you plan on going today because you are not allowed to step foot in this area. Are we clear?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes ma’am.” he jokingly shot back. “I had planned on asking Joe if he wanted to go to the USC game today. We do have season tickets and it would give us something to do while you lovely ladies prepare dinner.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“He would love that. That sounds wonderful. We don’t want boys here today anyway.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He smacked her with a hand towel and she scooted over to the kitchen table.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Ladies, today we cook. The men will leave us while we pretend to prepare dinner, but really we will be getting belligerently drunk and whoring ourselves around the town. Sound good?”&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;All the women smiled and nodded their heads in agreement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“And when they get back, dinner will magically appear on the table and they will graciously thank us for doing such an amazing job. Then we will secretively smile at one another because we will have used the money from whoring ourselves to buy a dinner that has already been prepared by professionals who know what the hell they are doing. So let’s get started, shall we?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex looked at her and just shook his head and laughed. She turned back to the group and broke out into the most contagious laugh. Just then, her cell phone rang and broke up the laughter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Katie. Listen I know it’s Thanksgiving and your family is there, but I have a problem hat I’m hoping you can fix.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sure, what wrong?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well let’s just say that our first Thanksgiving is a bust.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Why? What happened?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Um, Keisha broke our oven. We can’t cook our turkey.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How in the hell did she break your oven?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“She let the door drop open and the hinges broke. It was an accident, but it’s still broken.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well why don’t you have Thanksgiving with us?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex heard her say this and it piqued his interest. Who else could she be inviting over to dinner?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Katie I can’t impose on you and your family. It’s your first Thanksgiving together. I have a wife and five children to feed. I was going to ask if we could use your oven?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well let’s think about this for a minute. If you are using our oven, how are we going to cook our turkey, hmm?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh. Right. Sorry.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Justin, just bring the family over and eat with us. If you bring all the food you were gong to prepare, I’m sure there will be plenty. Come on over.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Katie, I can’t do that to you. I...”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Look, today is a day for giving and being thankful. I’m extending to you the gift of friendship and you should be thankful to have a friend as good as me. Now you are going to come here and spend the holiday with us. Is that understood?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Let me ask Keisha. You really are amazing, you know that?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’ve been told a time or two. Just call me back. Or text me. Either one works.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Thanks sweetie. Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As she hung up the phone, she turned around to notice the entire family staring at her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They had nowhere else to go. What was I supposed to do, just let them starve? I’m not that kind of person, okay? So they are coming here to eat. Erin can you keep an eye on the children?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course, Aunt Kate. Those kids are the best.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah they are great kids.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate noticed her mother smiling and realized that the woman knew something was going on. She was a very insightful woman, after all. Still holding her cell phone, she looked down at it for a minute before looking back up at the family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They are coming over here. They are an amazing family that you all will adore. The children are amazing and extremely polite not to mention Keisha and Justin have always been nothing but kind to us. It is the least we can do for them. Okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The whole family nodded their heads, terrified of the fiery redhead standing before them. They had never seen her react like this before. And no one had even said anything. Alex looked at his wife and asked if he could see her in the other room.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“We don’t have enough food for seven more people. And I don’t want children running around the house. This was supposed to be our first Thanksgiving together. With our family here...”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They are my family too, Alex. This isn’t just your house and you don’t get to make all the rules. If I want to invite another friend over for Thanksgiving and he happens to bring his family, then that is fine with me. He has been like family to me for years and I am not going to leave my family alone on a holiday. I’m a kind person and they called us because they needed us. Now we are going to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with no arguing and absolutely no jealous remarks. Got it?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Fine. But I still don’t like the idea of kids running around the house.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well it’s nice to know where you really stand on the issue of having children. Guess I can toss that dream out the window.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They aren’t our children Katie.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Don’t call me Katie. Only my mom and brother call me Katie.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Whatever. I’m going to the game with Joe, so I don’t know what Justin is going to do because I am certainly not inviting him with us.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Wow you really are a shitty friend. No that’s perfectly fine. Justin would rather help us anyway. He’s like that you know. Caring and helping. You go and enjoy your football game with my brother. I’m sure you’ll have a blast.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With that said, she turned on her heel and went back into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Justin returned the call and said they would graciously accept her invitation on one condition. That she allow Keisha and Justin to help prepare and clean everything. Kate gladly agreed and the Chambers family was out the door.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After a food fight with some flour and water between Kate, Erin, and Justin, the food managed to be set on the table. Everything looked amazing. Angela, Kate’s mom, chalked it up to good parenting skills. Everyone laughed at that little remark. All throughout dinner, Kate and Justin would steal glances at each other and the only other people who noticed were their spouses and Kate’s mother. Keisha and Justin cleaned up as promised and the adults soon found themselves in the living room. Alex sat extra close to Kate, which rubbed Justin the wrong way. He didn’t like how overprotective the man was of his wife. Kate caught him staring and smiled. He was jealous. Who knew?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I think it’s time for alcohol. Who’s with me?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everyone raised their hands except for the mothers and Erin. Erin took the girls to bed and the mothers decided to go to bed a little early. So Kate, Justin, Keisha, Joe, and Alex’s sister, Sarah, all found their liquor of choice and carted throwing back shots like there was no tomorrow. Once again, Kate caught Justin looking at her and she mouthed the words ‘stop drinking’ to him. It took him a minute to catch her drift, but as she looked around the room, his eyes followed hers and he noticed that everyone else was about to pass out from drinking so much. They looked back at each other and he winked at her to let her know he understood. It took longer than she thought, but about an hour later, Alex and Keisha had passed out on the couch, Joe on the big chair in the corner, and Sarah on the double chaise lounger on the edge of the couch.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They were the only two awake. They had been talking for a little while and had just now realized that everyone else was heavily drunk and passed out. She grabbed his hand and opened the sliding glass door to the patio. They walked across the lawn and into her pool house, which doubled as a guest house. She led him to a rather large chair and pushed him down on it. They were both drunk, but sober enough to know what they were doing and just how quiet they needed to be. Kate straddled him in the chair and began to slowly remove his sweater. His hands were at work on her top as well, watching the are of exposed skin grow bigger with each movement of his fingers. She shrugged off the blouse and it pooled on the floor near his feet. They were now completely bare-chested, her bra finding its way next to her shirt just a moment ago. She pushed her upper body into his and the skin-on-skin contact made them both groan in pure pleasure. She looked him directly in the eyes for a second to make sure that he wanted this, then cocked her head to one side and leaned in to kiss him. It was sweet at first, but tongues were begging for entrance and access was granted. His hands found themselves on her thighs, working their way up and around to her ass, bringing her closer to him. She broke from the kiss and moaned at how hard he was underneath her. Her palms that were once flat against his chest, now wove their way through his hair as she arched her back and pulled his mouth to her throat. He sucked that sensitive spot there that he had discovered on their second ‘first’ time together. She ground her hips into him and he bit a little piece of skin near her left breast. Sliding off of him, her nimble fingers undid his pants and dropped them to his ankles. Before she could even climb back into his lap, his hands grabbed her hips and he moved his face to her stomach, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses from her bellybutton to the waistline of her jeans. Her hands were once again in his hair, not wanting to lose any contact. He slid her jeans and panties slowly down her legs and she stepped out of them. She pushed him back into the chair and sat on his lap once again. They looked into one another’s eyes as she took his hands into her own and away from her body. Interlacing their fingers on both hands, she used this as her leverage as she slowly sank onto him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I want this to be slow. I just want tonight to be for us. I want you to make love to me.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I would give you the world if I could. I love you so much.” He leaned in and kissed her so hard, she ran out of breath rather quickly. When they pulled apart she responded,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I love you too.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She barely got that choked out before they started moving together, rocking their hips against the other. They only lost eye contact once when she slammed her eyes shut at the intense feeling coursing through her body. He actually felt her entire frame shudder when she came, sensing that she wanted so badly to scream his name but couldn’t for fear of being caught. They kissed until she came down from her high and only then did he allow himself his release. She gripped his shoulders and her fingernails dug into his skin. She removed herself from his lap and they made a few, barely audible noises at the loss of contact. Reaching for his hand, they made their way over to the bed in the other room. Pulling down the sheets, they climbed inside and made love until around four in the morning. Exhausted from all the activity, Kate and Justin slowly got dressed and made the bed. She grabbed a blanket and some pillows off the couch in the living room of the pool house and took his hand, walking outside to the hammock she and Alex had decided to erect between two trees. They threw the pillows at one end of the hammock and climbed in, wrapping the blanket around themselves. She snuggled into him and noticed how perfectly she fit against his body.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Would you ever want more children?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“If I had the chance to have a child with you then certainly. But I don’t want another child with anyone else.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She smiled as she envisioned their lives 10 years from now, both working on some new show that has come along and their children coming home from school everyday. A girl and a boy. One with brown hair, the other receiving the blond gene.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What are you thinking about?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How our children would look if we ever had any.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh and what did you come up with?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“A girl and a boy. The girl would have my height and fantastic legs, but your eyes and hair color. And the boy would look a little more like me, except he would have blond hair and your smile.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Do you have names picked out yet?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Lily for a girl and Cameron for a boy. I’ve always loved those names, ever since I was a little girl.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They sound beautiful. You know what?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hmm?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“We could have just made Lily or Cameron. Did you think about that?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She smiled and replied, “No I didn’t. But now I am. Oh god. What if we did? How do we tell Keisha and Alex? What would happen to our careers?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Shh. Katie don’t worry about that right now. Let’s just enjoy our time together before everyone wakes up and realizes that we’re out here. Once that happens, all hell is going to break loose so for right now I just want to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet with you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They swayed back and forth from the motion of the hammock and he placed soft kisses in her hair and the back of her neck.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I don’t want this to end.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“It doesn’t have to. I just don’t know how to tell my wife that I’m in love with someone else. I’m going to do it, I just need to find the right words, that’s all.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I know. It’s the same for me and Alex. He’s actually been really suspicious lately, but I keep telling him there is nothing to worry about. That you and I are just friends. I don’t know how much longer I can keep lying to him. He’s going to have the ‘I knew it’ bragging right forever. And he could ruin my career. I need this right now. This job with ‘Practice’ is amazing and I don’t know when another opportunity will come along like this one. But for now let’s just try to get some sleep. We need to get up before everyone else does so nobody notices we’re out here. Okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“All right sweetheart. Goodnight. I love you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Goodnight baby. I love you too.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She turned her head to face him so he could kiss her goodnight, then returned facing the pool.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Katie?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah baby?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Happy Thanksgiving.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She grinned and moved her body closer into him, bringing his arm even further around her waist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You too honey.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They had been asleep for 6 hours and didn’t plan on waking anytime soon. They were exhausted from their previous evening together and apparently their biological clocks weren’t working. People began to stir and wondered where the Kate and Justin could be. Alex and Keisha got up first and looked all around the room for any sign of their spouses. Nowhere to be found, Alex got off the couch and went upstairs, thinking they might have passed out in the bed, but he found an empty room. Keisha called him from downstairs to look outside in the backyard. He went to the window facing the back and saw the pair curled up together in the hammock. Anger and rage boiled in his body as he traipsed down the stairs and out the back door. Walking directly over to the sleeping couple, he reached out and grabbed Kate by the arm, effectively pulling her to the ground. She winced in pain as her body hit the cold earth and looked up to see her husband glaring at her. By now, Justin was awake and fully aware of the situation. He leaped out of the hammock and punched Alex directly in the nose. Alex fell to the ground as well and began bleeding profusely.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Don’t you EVER touch her again like that, do you hear me? She is a woman and deserves to be treated like one. If I ever find out that you have hurt her in any way, I will kill you. I swear to God.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex rose from the ground and went to take a swing at Justin, but he ducked just in time and the tree felt the full brunt of the hit. He screamed out in pain and ran into the house to wrap it up. Justin helped Kate up off the ground but she recoiled at his touch before realizing that he wasn’t going to hurt her. She sobbed into his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting to let go. Her mom and Keisha were just standing there, in awe of everything that had just happened. Keisha watched the whole exchange between Justin, Alex, and Kate and stormed back into the house, grabbed her children, and left. Angela walked over to her daughter and led her away from Justin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Looking at Kate she said, “Honey, I never believed that Alex was the one for you and I still don’t. But just now, seeing that man over there act the way he did for you, that is the one. I didn’t want to say anything because there are large families involved here, but you love him. I can see it in your eyes and I see it in his also. Sweetie, normally I would tell you to go for it, but he’s married and has children. You can’t be mixed up in a relationship where there are always going to be the children that were hurt. It isn’t fair to them or his wife.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You can see all of that? Is it really that obvious?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes sweetie. To someone who is looking for it, it is.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh god. What am I going to do? How am I going to tell Alex? God I’m such a horrible person. I don’t know why I’m doing this to him. Alex is a good person. Jealous, but good. He doesn’t deserve this. He’s going to want the truth and I’m going to have to tell him aren’t I?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I think it would be a wise decision.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate turned back to Justin and walked over to him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’m going to go upstairs and tell Alex everything. He doesn’t deserve this and neither does Keisha. We need to tell them.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah you’re right. Keisha suspects something anyway and from the way she left I think she knows. I’m only worried about the kids.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“They’ll pull through this just like we will. And they will still see you all the time. I don’t think Keisha would take the children away from you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Ok. Do you think they went home?”&lt;br /&gt;“I’m sure they did. I will call you later this evening okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay sweetie.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He kissed her cheek and began to walk away when something suddenly dawned on him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Katie?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Her mother turned around from walking back into the house when she heard him call her that. He is the one, she thought.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I don’t have a car. Can I borrow yours?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sure, the keys are on the table.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Thanks.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Welcome.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now only time would tell if they could be happily together or if their significant others would stand in their way. Kate prayed that Alex would let her go as she walked up the long staircase to their bedroom.&amp;nbsp;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:auburn_ashes:2128</id>
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    <title>auburn_ashes @ 2007-11-12T18:09:00</title>
    <published>2007-11-12T23:09:56Z</published>
    <updated>2007-11-12T23:09:56Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happy Thanksgiving: PART II&lt;br /&gt;(sort of...)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;mcaddex_fan&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The morning after her night out with Justin, Kate woke up feeling less than fantastic. Alex was off to work already so once again she was alone in their oversized bed. She figured that once she got married, that feeling would go away, but she was wrong. The only time she ever felt whole anymore was when she was with Justin. She crawled out of bed and into the shower. While letting the water run over her body, she decided to go to her yoga class today, hoping that might make her feel better. Just as she was getting out of the shower, a rendition of ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ rang out through the air and she laughed out loud at the irony. She went to her cell phone to see Alex calling. That ringtone was set for unknown callers, which explains why she didn’t recognize his work number right away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hello?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey honey. How was dancing last night? Sorry I couldn’t go with you. I hope it wasn’t too awkward with just you, Keisha, and Justin.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Actually, Keisha fell ill too. So Justin came and picked me up and he and I went out for drinks and dancing. We had fun though. We went to Opera. You remember when we went there a few months ago?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yea I do. It’s a nice club. I’m glad you had fun. So I’m working a little late again tonight. Do you want to grab a late dinner at The Ivy?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sure that sounds good. Do you want me to call and make reservations? I don’t want to be out too late though because our families come in tomorrow morning and I don’t want to greet them looking like I have the hangover from hell.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Haha. Just call ahead and make the reservations for 7:30. Is that okay with you?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sounds perfect to me. Are you just going to meet me there?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah is that all right?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Absolutely. I’ll see you at 7:30 then.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay. Love you baby.”&lt;br /&gt;“Love you too. Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She looked at the clock. The yoga class she had planned on attending had already begun, so she opted for shopping. Browsing through her wardrobe, she picked out a pair of dark blue jeans and an off-white sweater. She paired the outfit with her Ugg boots and was out the door in about an hour. She parked her Range Rover along Rodeo Dr. and began her usual shopping rounds. As she finished up at Kitson, the doors opened and she was met with the faces of Keisha and Justin. She didn’t really see them at first, but she was the first thing he spotted. Keisha turned to him and asked if that was Kate and he nodded his head.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Kate ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She turned around at the mention of her name to see Justin and Keisha walking towards her. Her eyes locked with Justin and he returned her gaze with reassurance that Keisha was still oblivious to anything that might be going on between them. Keisha walked up to her first and wrapped her unsuspecting arms around her husband’s mistress.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Keisha. Are you feeling any better?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Justin walked up to her and kissed her cheek. The contact of his stubble against her smooth face made her arm erupt with goosebumps.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I still have a headache, but I insisted on Justin here to take me shopping. I needed to get out of that house and away from the children for a few hours. Justin told me you guys had fun last night. I’m glad to hear that. There was no sense in him staying home when he could still go out and have a good time with friends.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Haha. Thanks for letting him out of the house. We did have a fantastic time. Next time you need to feel better so we can all go out.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah we definitely all need to go out dancing one night. You got to try out my husband, it’s only fair I if you let me return the favor with yours.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She glanced nervously at Justin who looked as confused as she did at the moment. She turned back to Keisha and stuttered out, “Wh...what?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Dancing. You got to see how well Justin dances. His mother made him take dance classes when he was younger. It paid off, didn’t it?” Keisha said as she turned at and patted her husband on the chest.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate smiled and replied, “Yes. Those dance lessons certainly paid off quite nicely.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well where are you headed? Justin and I were just about to go grab a bite to eat. Care to join us?”&lt;br /&gt;She glanced at Justin who just smiled at her as if to say ‘This could be fun’.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’d love to. Where are you going to eat?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“There’s a diner just down the street on the left hand side. Why don’t you finish up in here and we’ll go get a table. Sound good?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sounds great. See you in a few.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate tried on a few more things that had caught her eye while she was talking to Keisha and Justin, then paid the store clerk and headed for the diner.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She walked down the street, clearly being hounded by paparazzi, and made it into the diner without them following her inside. The management had a strict ‘No Cameras Allowed’ policy that she was incredibly grateful for. She found Keisha and Justin sitting at a round table in the corner, obviously trying to avoid any contact with fans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As she sat down, she felt her phone vibrate in her purse, signaling that she had received a text message. She greeted them both and sat down to look at her phone. It was a text from Alex.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You look beautiful right now&amp;lt;3&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She looked around the restaurant and finally spotted him sitting with some clients at a table across the room. She smiled at him and turned back around to her phone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You don’t look so bad yourself. Although you don’t seem too happy right now.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’d rather be sitting there with you, Keisha, and Justin, trust me. But I will stop by before I leave to say hello and I can’t wait to see you at dinner tonight. Love you xoxo&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aww okay. Sounds good sweetie. Love you too xxoo&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She set her phone on the table, apologized for being rude and told them Alex was there and they all turned around to wave at him. He politely waved back, but secretly couldn’t stand the fact that his wife was sitting in such close proximity to the man he despised most in the world. He gritted his teeth and kept glancing at their table all throughout his meeting. Finally it was time for him to leave and his stride was twice its normal length as he briskly walked over to Kate’s table.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He leaned down and kissed her just under her ear and whispered ‘hello’ to her. Justin saw this and clenched his fist a little. That was his spot. Kate immediately sensed the tension between the two men and spoke up to mask the mood.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey sweetie. I was just enjoying some lunch with these two. Care to join?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No thanks. I have to get back to work. It’s very nice to see you both again. Keisha, you’re looking stunning as always.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Why thank you. Justin just picked me up from the spa.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“That’s good. Everyone needs a spa day, right baby?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course. Oh and by the way, I made the reservations for 7:30 just like you asked. I will meet you there. Love you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Love you too. Bye Justin, bye Keisha.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They both said goodbye in unison and with one final kiss to Kate, he was out the door. Keisha had noticed Justin’s reaction to Alex’s affection towards Kate and decided to call him out on it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sweetie, you seemed awfully tense when Alex came over. Are you two okay? Did you get into a fight I don’t know about?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He was certainly caught off guard by her interrogation and had no idea how to respond.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What? No. He did seem a little angry towards me though didn’t he. I’ll ask him about it later. Right now, let’s just enjoy our lunch okay baby?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The entire time, Kate had been watching the exchange carefully, hoping that Justin wouldn’t hint at anything. He recovered quickly and when he looked over to her, she nodded her head in agreement before taking another bite of her salad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I could say something to him at dinner if you’d like.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No that’s quite all right. I’m a big boy; I can handle it on my own.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay. I was just offering to help. But I’m sure you are more than capable of handling everything on your own. After all, you are a big boy.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She smiled when she knew he had caught her double meaning. He slyly winked at her from across the table while Keisha was looking down to take another bite of her food. Kate wanted so badly to reach under the table and just start messing with him, but she knew it would be way to risky with his wife sitting right there next to him. She decided instead to run her leg up the inside of his, earning a little jump from him. Keisha abruptly looked over at him and asked if he was all right.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes I’m fine. Just got a chill that’s all.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kate gave him her best ‘wow, I’m impressed’ face and when they eased into another conversation, her foot found its way against his calf. She is a risky one, I’ll give her that, he thought. He slowly closed his other leg around her foot so she was trapped and now he dared her to make the next move. Her eyes darted back and forth between them, trying to keep up with the conversation and attempting to wrench her foot free from its current confines. She finally braced herself against the table, not too much to make it obvious, and slid her other foot right near a very sensitive area on his body. He knew that, yes she would go there, and he reluctantly released her foot. She smiled at her victory and returned to the conversation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Keisha knew she was being ignored. Kate and Justin had this bond that, for some unknown reason, she couldn’t break. It was almost eerie how they could finish one another’s sentences and, just with simple eye contact, know what the other was thinking. She and Justin used to have that, but he had been quite distant lately. Keisha was going to get to the bottom of it sooner or later, but for she would continue to play the role of ‘unsuspecting victim’.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After fighting over the check (Justin won), they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Kate turned around as she was walking down the street and yelled out, “Happy early Thanksgiving ” and they both turned around and said, “you too ” She figured that would be the last time she saw Justin for awhile. Oh how wrong she was...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7:30 rolled around a lot sooner than she had expected and she was a few minutes late to their dinner. He was already seated when she arrived and she apologized profusely for being late. He just kissed her cheek and dismissed her apology. They enjoyed a nice dinner, but his odd behavior at lunch had been bugging her all day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“So at lunch today you seemed a little tense. Is something wrong? Did you and Justin have a fight that I don’t know about?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh believe me, I’m sure if Justin and I had a fight, you would most certainly be the first to know.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was beginning to feel the need to get a little defensive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh and why is that?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Because you’re little friend tells you absolutely everything. He dotes on you and you just let him.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“He definitely does NOT dote on me. We are friends. That’s it. We have a connection that is very rare in a friendship and I treasure it. It’s not something I am going to apologize for nor that I need to feel ashamed about.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well I’m just telling you that Keisha sees it too. You two have this freaky connection that neither of us has. We’re your spouses. We should be able to have that connection, that rare bond you talked about, but we don’t and I don’t seem to know how to break through that wall.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Do you know me? I mean really know me.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course I know you. I’m married to you. I love you. I just wish that sometimes instead of running to him, you would run to me. It’s makes me feel insignificant as a husband when you don’t ask&amp;nbsp; for my help or advice.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I just want you to answer me this one question okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What is my favorite color?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What? What does that possibly have to do with anything?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Just answer the question. You say you really know me but when have you ever really taken the time to get to know me. You’re always working. I wake up every morning to an empty bed. Do you know how alone that makes me feel?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Fine. If you’re going to get into one of your pissy moods then I’ll answer the damn question. It’s blue all right&amp;nbsp; You’re favorite fucking color is blue. Are you happy now? You completely ruined our dinner.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You know what? Fuck you and your insignificant feelings. I don’t give a damn right now how you feel or how much you think you know me. You don’t know me. You may see me, but you don’t actually notice me. We were so perfect for each other. What happened to us? You have become this monster that I don’t even recognize anymore.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She began to softly cry as she got up and left to call a cab. Before she vacated the table she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and quietly spoke, “It’s green. My favorite color is green.”</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:auburn_ashes:1805</id>
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    <title>Happy Birthday: Chapter 3</title>
    <published>2007-11-12T23:07:44Z</published>
    <updated>2007-11-12T23:07:44Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happy Thanksgiving&lt;br /&gt;(sort of...)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;mcaddex_fan&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Disclaimer&lt;/b&gt;: Refer back to chapter 1.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;______________________________________________________________________________&lt;br /&gt;3 days before Thanksgiving&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It had been almost four weeks since she had last seen Justin. Actually, it had been four weeks since she last spoke to him as well. That just seemed like too long. Just as she was finishing up cleaning her kitchen from breakfast, her cell phone began to vibrate on the counter. The caller I.D. flashed ‘Katie’ and she smiled to herself when she noticed that it wasn’t actually Katie.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Why hello there stranger. Haven’t heard from you in awhile. Thought I would call and see how you were doing.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’m doing well. I’m actually in the middle of cleaning my house. Our families are coming here this year to celebrate the holiday. What about you? What are your holiday plans?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I think Keisha and I are having a Thanksgiving of our own here. We’ve been married for 12 years and have never done a Thanksgiving at home with just us and the kids. So I think we’re staying here.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“So we’ll both be in town for the holiday.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes. We will won’t we.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I was actually calling to see if you and Alex wanted to meet me and Keisha for a drink tonight at Opera. We wanted to go dancing and since you’re practically the only ones still in town we thought we would invite you. What do you say? Want to go dancing tonight?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There was that sexy tone of voice again. There was no way she could resist that and he knew it. She wanted to go dancing so badly, just not with Alex or Keisha. It could be fun though.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’ll ask Alex and call you back in a few. Sound good?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sounds fantastic. By the way, thanks for introducing us to Erin. She is officially our new babysitter for as long as she is here.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She laughed at that and said he was welcome before they hung up the phones.&lt;br /&gt;Alex walked into the kitchen, interrupting her cleaning again. He greeted her and gave her a quick kiss before asking who was on the phone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“That was Justin. He wanted to know if you and I wanted to go out tonight for dancing and drinks with him and Keisha. I would really like to go if you want to. You want to go?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sure, sounds like fun. What time?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I told him I would call him back with your answer so I’m assuming he’ll tell me details then.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay well I have a meeting at 4:00 and it is going to be a long one. Probably about 3 hours. So you’ll have to text me if anything changes okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He grabbed her waist and started kissing her neck. She really needed to finish cleaning and although the distraction was a welcome one, she felt a little guilty for letting him kiss her like this in the same spot against the wall where Justin had done the same.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay baby. I love you and trust me this is a very welcome distraction, but I really need to finish cleaning if the family is coming in town tomorrow and we’re going out tonight.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Fine fine. I’ll let you finish, but later you’re joining me in the hot tub with a bottle of champagne. Deal?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes baby it’s a date. Now let me clean ”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He released his grip on her and she finished up what she was doing in the kitchen. As she moved from that room to the living room, her head began to spin a little bit and she felt sick to her stomach. The cleaner she was using had a strong bleach odor to it, so she figured it was the fumes getting to her. She sat down on the couch and took a quick break from cleaning to watch some t.v. She could hear the shower starting upstairs and noticed that it was about 2:30 in the afternoon, so Alex must be getting ready for his meeting. She decided to call Justin back after Alex left for work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Half an hour later Alex was out the door and Kate picked up her cell to dial Justin. He didn’t pick up so she left a message telling him that they were coming and asking what time they needed to arrive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He called back around 5:00 and said that they would pick them up if she liked and to be ready to go around 9:00. She said that sounded great and tried to occupy herself for the next 4 or so hours.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She got in the shower around 7:30, figuring that would leave her ample time to get ready. Alex still wasn’t home yet and she was beginning to worry. She had tried calling him right before she got in the shower and when she reached his voicemail, she didn’t leave a message but just hung up frustrated.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stepping out of the steaming bathroom at around 8:15, she heard the front door open and Alex stumbling into the house. She walked out of their bedroom to the top of the stairs and just stared over the railing at him. He was hammered. She observed him as he fell into a vase Justin had bought her in Japan and screamed when it began its slow motion descent to the marble floor.  He looked up to find her running down the stairs in nothing but a towel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey there gorgeous. Looks like you already did all the work for me.” He said as he reached for the towel. She pulled away instantly and smacked him right across his cheek.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“How dare you come into our house, drunk off your ass, break a vase that honestly meant more to me than anything else in this house, and expect me to have sex with you  You can’t be serious  Keisha and Justin are picking us up in 45 minutes to go out and you’re already drunk. Care to explain?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“First of all, don’t you dare ever slap me again. Secondly, it’s just a vase. You can buy a new one. It’s not like you don’t have the money. And third, we closed a deal on a new movie and the guys wanted to go out to celebrate. I got a little drunk so they drove me home. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go tonight.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay, first it was not just a vase. It is irreplaceable and you just broke it. Second, don’t worry about getting ready. I wouldn’t even let you if you wanted to go. You look and smell terrible and I don’t want you around my friends like that.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Baby, come on. You’re not being reasonable. I just had a few drinks with the guys. I’m perfectly capable of going out again with you and your friends. It’s not like we haven’t all seen each other drunk before anyway. Hell, your picture ends up in every tabloid if anyone even sees you with a drink in your hand and you’re automatically labeled drunk.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;His words were slurring together and his eyes were so bloodshot she couldn’t even see anymore white in them. She didn’t want him going and that was final. Just then, she heard her phone ringing upstairs and ran back up to get it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As she was running up the stairs, she yelled back down for him to clean up that mess.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hello?” she asked before looking at the I.D.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Katie. Keisha isn’t feeling well, but she told me to still go out and have some fun so if you and Alex are still up for it, I’d still love to go.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God he has perfect timing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well that’s kind ironic because Alex isn’t feeling well either. Actually he celebrated with his friends from work a little too much and is sleeping it off in bed. So I would love to go, but Alex is staying at home. Is that okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Just you and me going dancing? I believe that is more than just okay.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She giggled at the thought of just how dirty and close they could dance now and her cheeks instantly flushed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh you’re a funny, funny guy. I’ll be ready at 9:00 like we agreed on and I’m assuming you’re still driving?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“If you’d like. Or I was thinking that now maybe we could call a limo and have some privacy.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hmm. I like your line of thinking. That sounds great. See you at 9:00.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay Katie. Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After she hung up she started thinking that someone up there must really love her because this will honestly never happen again. She went into her closet in search of the perfect outfit. She had only 20 minutes to finish getting ready. She could do it, she was a master at getting ready quickly. She chose a silver sequined min-dress and matched it with a pair of 3-inch black Jimmy Choos. She knew it was cold outside so she brought a short trenchcoat jacket, but wanted to leave her legs bare. Her phone rang again at 9:00, signaling Justin’s arrival. Alex had long since passed out on the bed so she didn’t say goodbye. As she got downstairs she noticed that he had cleaned up the shattered vase, but now there was this empty space where it had gone. Her heart broke at the thought that she could never get it back, but she shook it off and walked out to the waiting limo. She met him at the door of the limo and the pair exchanged knowing glances and she climbed right in, he following suit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Before he even had to time really sit down, she was straddling him and kissing his neck. His hands immediately went to her ass and he pulled her closer. He then moved his arm from her ass to around her waist and the other hand tangled in her hair as he kissed her. Their tongues met in a dance for dominance and she won of course. She suspected he let her win but she wasn’t complaining. He untied her coat and dropped it to the floor as her fingers began to unbutton his shirt. She didn’t want it off, just open. He reached for the buckle and zipper of his pants btu her hands quickly stopped him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He looked at her with questioning eyes, and she replied in that sexy lower register of hers, “I wanna do it.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That turned him on more than anything and he leaned in to kiss her again as she went to work on his pants. With one quick movement his pants were around his ankles and he was inside of her. She’s good, he thought. She gripped onto his shoulders for leverage, her nails digging into his skin a little, but not enough to leave a trail that she had been there. He met her with a thrust every time she came back down. She moaned in his ear and by now he knew that a moan meant faster. He started moving his hips a little harder into her and she gasped at the sudden shift of pace. She began to tire a little so he flipped them over so she was now lying on the seat and he was kneeling in between her legs. He slipped inside of her again and started moving at the same pace. He grabbed her hips and angled her up towards him a little and as soon as he did that she let out a tiny whimper. For a second he thought he had hurt her so he stopped, but when she shot him a ‘what the hell are you doing’ look he smiled and continued. She was close and he could feel it. He leaned down and kissed her neck just below her ear and whispered into it, ‘Let go’. And that is exactly what she did. At while she came it took two more thrusts for him to meet her in complete bliss. He moved to her lips and left a gentle and caring kiss there, silently telling her that at some point this wasn’t just going to be about sex. He stayed inside of her for a minute before realizing that they were going to be at the club soon and they couldn’t get out of the car half dressed. He grudgingly got dressed and turned to her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey. Look at me.” She turned around after tying her trenchcoat and met his eyes. He reached out and touched her face with his hand and she tilted her head into his palm.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I don’t want you to think I’m using you. This isn’t just about sex for me. I want to be with you, it’s just going to take a little time for me to figure out how to make that happen. Okay?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She had tears in her eyes from his confession and crawled over to him to kiss him. She had waited to hear that her entire life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay. I’m going to need some time too. You’re not the only one who’s married now remember?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He smiled at her and gently stroked her cheek. “Yea. I remember. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the evening to ourselves and worry about everything else after the holiday, all right?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay.” She thought for a minute on whether or not she wanted to tell him just yet.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“ Justin?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yea baby?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I never stopped loving you. If you thought I did, I didn’t. I just wanted you to know that.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He looked at her with tears in her eyes and it was the most honest thing he had ever seen in anyone. He kissed her with everything he had and said, “I never stopped loving you either. I don’t think I ever will.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They pulled around the back of the club and went in that way to avoid the paparazzi. After having a few drinks a piece, they hit the dance floor, shamelessly grinding into one another. His hands never left her hips and her arms were never apart from around his neck. They were comfortable with each other. They both knew it was a bad idea to be seen like this in a public place and there would certainly be questions to answer in the morning, but for now it was just them. The DJ put on the song ‘Bed’ by J Holiday and they got hot from it, they decided to leave just so they could enjoy another rendezvous in the limo before they had to part ways. They arrived at her house first and neither wanted to say goodbye. They kissed for a good few minutes &lt;br /&gt;before he finally let her go. She got out of the car but was spun around when he didn’t let go of her hand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I love you Katie.” That was all he needed to say. She bent down and kissed him passionately before replying, “I love you too, Justin. Happy Thanksgiving.” With that, she turned around and walked up the steps to her front door.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She walked inside quietly and was so giddy from their confession that she didn’t notice the shuffling of feet upstairs from the front window back to the bed...</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:auburn_ashes:1729</id>
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    <title>Happy Anniversary (I Know Things)</title>
    <published>2007-10-24T03:56:52Z</published>
    <updated>2007-10-24T03:56:52Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happy Anniversary&lt;br /&gt;(I Know Things...)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;mcaddexfan&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Continuation of the previous oneshot because you asked for it:) Takes place a few weeks after her birthday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Disclaimer: The usual...creative license is about all I own;) Oh. I made up Erin...so I guess I own her...unless Kate actually has a niece named Erin, in which case I don’t.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alex was gone promoting another new movie and tonight Kate was feeling particularly lonely. It was November 1st, her two month anniversary with Alex, but he chose not to be there. She decided to try and curl up in bed in attempt to finish the book she had been reading for about 3 months now. About four pages later, she was bored again. She heard Lucy barking at the back door so she went downstairs to let her inside. When she turned around, a picture hanging on the refrigerator from her birthday caught her eye. It was of her and Alex dancing, but in the picture she noticed her eyes were darting another way. It was just now that she remembered at whom she was looking. Justin, who isn’t in the picture, is standing in the exact spot her gaze is falling. This picture was taken right after she danced with him. She smiled when she thought about how that evening ended. She found herself unconsciously reaching for her phone and dialing that all too familiar cell number. If she couldn’t spend her anniversary with her actual husband, she might as well make the best out of it with someone else.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She was actually quite sneaky about the numbers in her phone. When he called her, the ID lit up as ‘Katie’, just in case Alex got suspicious one day. She knew it was a terrible thing to do, but it lowered their chances of getting caught. She knew he always had his phone on him for this specific reason and there was hardly ever a chance that his wife would pick up the line. It rang twice before she heard his voice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey there” he said in a very sultry way that made her want to jump him right then and there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey yourself. What are you doing tonight?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Is that an invitation? Because I know things...things about today...”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Oh yea? What things do you know?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“That today you have been married for two months and your husband doesn’t even have the decency to stay with you and celebrate.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A silent tear ran down her cheek as she responded, “You do know things.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I’m coming over to you because no one should ever be alone when there are things to celebrate.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No, you don’t have to come over. I just wanted someone to talk to because I’ve tried calling Alex and he won’t answer his cell or return my calls and it’s making me a nervous wreck.” By now she was audibly crying and it broke his heart. He was in the middle of getting dressed when he realized no one was there to watch the kids.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey Katie, is your niece still in town?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yeah why?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Well I have five children that I can’t leave alone. Would she babysit?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sure she would. I’ll call her and send her your way.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay, bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She hung up and dialed her niece’s number.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Erin I have a job for you. Could you babysit for Justin tonight? He was going to meet me for some drinks but he has his kids and Keisha is out of town.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Sure Aunt Kate. Just give me directions and I’ll be there.” Erin was her favorite niece. After all, Erin was named after her. After giving her directions they chatted for a minute before finally saying their goodbyes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Thanks sweetie. I owe you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No problem. I love you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I love you too. Bye.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An hour later, Justin was knocking on her front door and she wasn’t even done getting ready yet. She rushed downstairs after putting on the last thing she held in her hand and opened the door.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I brought you flowers. Happy Anniversary sweetie, even though I’m not the one you need to hear it from.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You do just fine. They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek before walking into her kitchen to find a vase.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Are we going out? Because you look stunning.”&lt;br /&gt;It’s true. She was glowing. She got to spend the evening with one of the most amazing guys she’s ever known.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“No we’re not going out. I’m making dinner. I just wanted to get dressed up a little. I should be going out to a restaurant, but I would rather make dinner here, for us.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Why don’t you let me cook you dinner. That way you can sit back and enjoy the evening.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You would do that?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Of course I would. I’m not cruel. I know you and I know you would rather me cook dinner because it’s your anniversary and you should be relaxing.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You think you know me? You may know me, but you don’t really, really know me.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Yes I do. Listen. I know that you tell people your favorite color is blue, but that’s only because it looks the best on you. Your favorite color is truly green because it brings out the slightest of green that is permanently in your eyes. I know that eyes change color with your mood. They’re blue when you’re happy and green when you’re upset. You say that your legs are your favorite feature about your body, but you really don’t have a favorite feature because your body is damn sexy and you wouldn’t change a thing. You’re more ticklish on the right side of your stomach an just above your knees. Your biggest turn on is when a guy comes up behind you, his hands on your hips, and places an open mouthed kiss just under your ear then turns to whisper in it. I did that to you on your birthday. Do you remember?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By now he had effectively backed her up against the wall between her kitchen table and the bar. He breathing had become hitched and she couldn’t find any words to answer his question so she just parted her lips slightly and nodded her head. He was getting to her. Her knees began to shake a little as the heat rose in her cheeks, among other places. That was the moment he chose to lean in and place on hand on her hipbone and the other against the wall right next to her face. He pressed his body against hers and they stood like that for a few seconds before he finally whispers in her ear, “What do you want for dinner?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She could have killed him just then. Here he was being all hot and sexy and all he could ask was what she wanted for dinner?  He pulled away just enough to look into her eyes and see the first and passion behind them. He smiled at her when she just looked at him, huffed, and furrowed her brow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You’re going to grill me something. Take your pick. There is plenty of whatever you want in the freezer.” She said as she wiggled her way from under his arm. She walked around him to pour them a glass of wine each and then walked out onto the patio and sat in her double chaise lounge chair.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He just smiled and shook his head while walking over to the freezer to pull out two filet mignons.&lt;br /&gt;After they enjoyed the steak and a salad she had quickly whipped up in the kitchen, they retired back to the chaise outside and were just talking about everything that had happened this past year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“It’s been a crazy whirlwind year for you. And yet you are still so grounded. How do you do it?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She giggled and replied, “Gee. I don’t know Ms. Walters.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“God Katie. You’re incorrigible. You’ve been doing pretty well for yourself. How is the show anyway. I know you miss us over on the set. But you’re delegating your life, which you’ve always been good at as long as I’ve known you.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“It’s what I do best. If I didn’t delegate, my life would be a living hell right now. The show and the cast are amazing. I have everything I’ve ever wanted and more.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As she said that last line, she looked up from her wine glass and found his intense gaze on her. He reached for her wine glass and set it next to his on the table behind him and returned his attention to her.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Katie, what are we doing here? Is this just a casual thing that will eventually go away? Or are we already in too deep?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I don’t know Justin. I just got married and I’m already having an affair. To be honest, I never thought I would be that woman. The one who gets married and convinces herself she is happy but really she wants more. I never in a million years I thought I would be having an affair with anyone, let alone you. You and I have been friends for so long and I don’t want to ruin that, but you have to admit we are good together. Very, very good together. And yes, the first time we slept together all those years ago when we were modeling in Japan, we were drunk and young and it wasn’t the best decision, but there hasn’t been a day since then that I didn’t wonder what it would have been like if we had actually gave it a shot. Do you ever think about that?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I think about that night all the time. Right after I met Keisha, I still pictured you when we were in bed together. I still do. And now that we’ve recently slept together again, it only refreshes the memories I’ve tried so hard to suppress. I wanted my marriage to work, I really did. But it didn’t help that all I could think about was you. Do you ever think we’re together again for a reason? Like God wanted us to find each other all over again.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“After we left Japan, I thought to myself that we were so perfect together, but now we’re not together anymore. That must mean we’re not meant to be. Now I really believe for some reason that all these feelings are resurfacing for a reason. Maybe getting married to Alex was a mistake. Maybe we are meant to be with each other. But that just seems so crazy. God, when I found out that I was working with you I almost had a heart attack. I didn’t think we would be able to do it but we did. We didn’t sleep together until last month. Justin, we held on that long. I held onto my feelings for you for that long. That has to stand for something right?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She looked down for a second and wondered when their hands had become joined during their discussion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“God Katie, I’ve never wanted someone as badly as I want you right now. Do you have any idea what you do to me? When you’re near me I can’t even think straight. Those scenes where I had to get near you, especially in the end, they were driving me insane. I know you noticed how insane you made me on quite a few occasions. Sorry about that by the way.” He gave her a halfhearted laugh before continuing. “I want to be with you tonight in every way. And I want to make love to you everywhere in your house except for your bed. I don’t want to go near your place with him.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I would go anywhere in the world right now as long as you were by my side.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She squeezed his hand and planted a fierce kiss on hips lips before he could even respond. He immediately parted his lips and deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body on top of his.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;They enjoyed a couple rounds on the couch in her living room, and a few memorable times in her hot tub and heated pool before finally passing out on the chaise lounge with a blanket wrapped around them, sated and spent in one another’s arms. &lt;/div&gt;</content>
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  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:auburn_ashes:821</id>
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    <title>Happy Birthday (J/K fanfic)</title>
    <published>2007-10-17T23:51:19Z</published>
    <updated>2007-10-17T23:51:19Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happy Birthday&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;i&gt;mcaddex_fan&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;She was joking around with Sara and Katie who had just arrived when the doors opened again to reveal the person she most wanted there right now. He stopped and looked around the room clearly searching for her and when he finally spotted her she was already gracefully making her way across the room towards him with a million watt smile plastered on her face.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey” she said while giving him a hug.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Hey yourself birthday girl. How has the day been treating you so far?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I can’t complain” she giggled. She greeted Keisha and politely excused herself to go meet and greet other guests. She told them to enjoy themselves and left.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After about an hour, he spotted her sitting at a table and decided to ask her to dance. She happily obliged and he led her onto the dance floor. It was a slow song and he pulled her close to his body. It felt so nice to be against him again and she knew the song was going to over way too soon before she got enough of him. Who was she kidding? She could never get enough of him. He could see her husband out of the corner of his eye watching them intently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Your husband looks like he is going to murder me right now.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“It’s ok. He knows we’re close. He’s just jealous that he isn’t dancing with me right now. I wouldn’t worry about it.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Okay. If you say so.” He went to pull away a little but she held him in place and said, “Don’t you dare pull away. I haven’t been able to be this close to you since Grey’s. I need this. I know you need this. So just stay here for one more song. Please?”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“You’re right. We do need this. I’ve missed dancing with you.” When the first song they danced to was over, Alex walked over and cut-in. She gave Justin an apologetic look and when she went to kiss his cheek to thank him she whispered “balcony, 20 minutes” in his ear. His eyes said he heard her loud and clear and would be there.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Twenty minutes went by in a blur and before she knew it she was out on the balcony, the wind from the hills blowing her hair.&amp;nbsp; He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips while planting a chaste kiss on the back of her neck sending chills down her spine. She leaned into him and silently thanked God that the balcony was not in plain sight of the party. She crossed her arms around her own body and met his hands on her hips and turned around in his embrace, interlocking their fingers. Their eyes locked and they knew that they needed this, needed each other to survive. He caressed her face for a second before pulling her it closer to his so their lips met. She melted into him, instantly feeling the heat their bodies created and it was almost too much for either of them. She deepened the kiss and her knees started to give way. Sensing he wasn’t going to be able to hold her up much longer, he pushed her back into the wall behind them so now even if someone looked onto the balcony, they couldn’t be seen. As soon as her back hit the wall her legs immediately wrapped around his waist. They both knew this had to be quick so before she could say anything, his hands were under her dress sliding up her toned thighs. She effectively bit his lower lip a little bit which drove him over the edge. She didn’t even have time to think before he was pushing two fingers inside of her. She gasped at how good and familiar it felt and when he curved his fingers ever so slightly, she almost screamed but he cut her off with his mouth. His other hand was now on her hip again, his thumb gently rubbing her hipbone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She opened her eyes for a split second and saw him watching her and the combination the look in his eyes and the passion she felt between her legs was way too much and with one more thrust he pushed her over the edge. She threw her head back against the wall and screwed her eyes shut as she came. The claps of thunder coming over the hills served as the perfect muffle to her screams and pants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The wind was picking up outside and they knew it was going to storm. They didn’t care. These few minutes alone together were worth braving any storm thrown their way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She barely had time to recover before his lips were attacking her neck and his hands were in her hair. Her fingers were instantly sliding down his chest and fumbling with his zipper because she wanted more. Once she freed him, he slid into her with ease and let her adjust for a second before beginning to move again. She took his hands and interlocked her fingers with his and he moved their joined hands above her head. Their fierce kisses matched their pace and pretty soon they were tumbling over the edge together. They stopped kissing for a minute, just breathing against one another’s lips. Her hair was a mess and he was now sweating through his shirt, but they couldn’t care less. Their bodies were still flush against each other and their hands were still intertwined. She knew that once her feet reached the floor, this dream would be over and they would have to go back into her party and pretend nothing happened. They just stared into each other’s eyes for a few minutes wishing that this never had to end. They were lost in their own world, never wanting to face reality again. The thunder was getting louder and it shook them from their thoughts. He kissed her passionately once more before their breaths finally slowed to normal which when, and only when, did she allow her feet to touch the ground. He gathered himself and she tried her best to unwrinkle her dress. Before they went back inside, he grabbed her hand and turned her around to face him.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Happy birthday, Katie.” That was his nickname for her. She only let him and her family call her that. Not even Alex was allowed to call her that. He gave her a smile and squeezed her hand before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She returned his smile with her own and whispered “thank you” into his ear. She disappeared through the French doors of the balcony and back into reality.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;She found Alex and when he asked where she had been, she just shrugged her shoulders and said, “A storm is coming.”</content>
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