The Hours In Between by Olivia Barry

Author:Olivia Barry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Olivia Barry

No two days are the same anymore. Some days I feel almost normal, but on days like today, I feel out of sorts. It’s still dark outside and I can’t help but think about my life in New York. I miss the city. I miss the noise. The people. And when I reach out for Sam, who is sleeping peacefully next to me, I find myself thinking about Pete. The young Pete, the one who loved me.

I dismissed that thought and gently touched Sam’s tousled salt-and-pepper hair. It’s odd lying in bed with a man who appears utterly familiar and like a stranger all at once. I know very little about this man. I know he’s a divorced veterinarian who loves dogs, has no kids and was born in Laguna Beach.

He stirred. I didn’t want to wake him, but I also wanted him to be awake. I wanted to look into his eyes. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to be close to him. (What’s wrong with me? Am I going insane?) I wanted to hear from him that everything will be fine, although I know it won’t.

I kept replaying last night in my mind. We had cooked dinner together––spaghetti with tomato sauce, arugula salad and chocolate cake that Sam had bought earlier with vanilla ice cream. Afterwards, we talked deep into the night.

Sam shared with me that his ex-wife had been a caring and compassionate woman.

I had to ask, “Then why…?”

“We wanted different things,” Sam said.

“Such as?”

“I wanted kids, and she wasn't interested. She claimed that having dogs was fulfilling enough. Not the same thing.” He smiled. And our conversation made me think how much I love my kids. It’s a special kind of love.

“What’s her name?”

“Clara.”

“I like that name. It’s warm.”

During our talk, Sam told me about all the places he would love to see with me, and then he looked at me like no other man ever had before. Once again, I felt like a liar pretending that all his dreams would come true one day, well knowing that they wouldn’t.

His eyes locked with mine for what seemed like an eternity, and in that very moment, I understood that I had never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him. He must have sensed it because he got up and swept me into his arms to carry me around the house.

“And here, Ms. Taite, is a comfortable living room with a wood-burning fireplace. The living room leads out into a beguiling garden.” He hummed some soft tune and whirled around with me in his arms until we got back to the bedroom. I was dizzy from all the spinning, and all my many thoughts dissolved. In bed, our hands moved along our bodies, while our eyes stayed on each other as we made love. It wasn't rough or eager; instead, it was thoughtful, slow, and fulfilling. I took my time taking in every stroke, every movement, and all my mixed feelings of joy and sadness.

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