Terry and Gene 20

Light filtered in through her eyelids and she could feel the warm blankets wrapped around her. She stretched her right hand out, searching for Gene, but she discovered that she was alone in bed. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked myopically around the room. She was running her hands through her hair when he walked, naked, into the room.

Embarrassed, she looked down and pulled the blankets around her. Gene laughed a little and crawled into bed with her. He pulled her down next to him and laid on his side, facing her.

"Can we talk about last night?" he asked.

Terry turned her head away. "OK."

Gene sighed. "You can't look at me?"

"No."

Silence.

"You do still love him." Gene stated.

"No. But I did once. And when he comes around, it opens up all the old scars. I just need time to sew them up again. It's not a process I really want you watching, you know?"

"So why were you crying all the way here?"

"Seeing him torture himself hurts me. Seeing you angry hurts me. Having him make rude comments because he drank his filter away hurts me."

"Not because you still love him."

"No." Terry finally turned to look at him. "You don't believe me."

"I want to. I'm thinking I suffer by comparison."

Terry sighed. "There's no comparing you. You're almost total opposites."

"Almost?"

"Well, like Jason, you've been around."

"What?"

Terry rolled her eyes. "I might not be all that experienced, but I know when I'm being handled by an expert."

Gene smiled sheepishly, but only briefly.

"Anyway, Jason's like fire. Moving fast and consuming everything in its path. I was in his bed within two weeks of meeting him. If it had been all up to him, it would have been two days.

"You're like water. Surrounding me, supporting me. If Jason hadn't shown up last night, we wouldn't be here right now. I think you just wanted to mark me for your own." she teased.

Gene looked away from her. "Maybe you just wanted to get him out of your system by sleeping with me."

"We're gonna fight about this, aren't we?"

"I want you. Body, mind, heart and soul. Long term. I want you to want to get rid of that painting. Without me asking."

Terry's eyes teared up. "I'd do anything you asked me to do. If you want that painting gone so badly, I'll get rid of it today."

"No. You're missing the point. I want you to want it gone. I don't want you to do it for me."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is how you feel about me and how committed you are to our relationship."

Terry stared at him, open-mouthed. He smiled a little at her and kissed her bottom lip. "Sorry. I'm getting serious on you. C'mon. Let's grab a bite and I'll drop you off at the gallery."