Everything Your Heart Desires by Cheryl ([email protected]) and Kristy ([email protected]) Chapter 46 An exhausted Cheryl finally locked the door to her office at ten o�clock. She wasn�t so sure she wanted to go to the dark, empty condo. Rather than turn right at the second stop light, she opted to go left and half an hour later found herself parking her car in Howie�s driveway. Cheryl let herself in the house with the key her boyfriend had given her and flipped on the light. Conducting a systematic search, she turned the air-conditioning up a notch as she walked by the thermostat then headed toward the master bedroom. Once there, she shed her khakis, blazer and shirt opting for Howie�s wine-colored silk pajama top. She crawled into the queen-sized bed realizing how large it was with only one person laying on it. Closing her eyes she inhaled the sweet scent that still lingered on the sheets. A single tear escaped her eyes. "I�m sorry, Howie. I�m so sorry," she whispered into the dark room. *~*~*~*~* Howie awoke the next morning feeling no better rested than he had the night before. �Damn, how the hell am I supposed to perform tonight?� He jumped into the shower allowing the warm water to relax him. He tried � although not successfully � not to think about the restless night. It was all that tossing he had done overanalyzing the fight with Cheryl. "I need to remember that she has her own life to lead. I can�t expect her to give up on her life and dreams to be with me 24/7. Why do I have to love her so much? How do I show her that I want her to be her own person and show her how much I love her at the same time?" At breakfast, the others noticed the torment in Howie�s brown eyes and deduced the cause. "D?" Howie glanced up to see A.J.�s concerned look. "You okay?" The older man sighed, "As okay as I can be." "I wondered if you wanted to hit the shops in the Village today? Kev and Kris are coming but I need my shopping partner. I can�t stand to be alone with those two making bedrooms eyes at each other all day." Thinking that getting out might help him forget, he agreed. "Sure, Bone. Just let�s get back in time for me to take a nap before the show." *~*~* Cheryl awoke to the doorbell at nine that morning. She quickly donned one of Howie�s robes and said a silent prayer in the hopes that it wasn�t a fan. Opening the door, she was surprised to find Pollyanna there. "Morning, Cher. Oops, looks like I woke you. Sorry." "It�s okay. I should be up anyway. Come on in, P.A." "Looks like you had a rough night. Are you okay?" "Yeah. Had trouble sleeping." "I�m sorry, C. Listen, why don�t you go take a shower? I�ll make some coffee and I brought bagels. We�ll spend the day together." Cheryl managed a sleepy smile. "Thanks." *~*~* A.J., Howie, Kristy and Kevin hopped out of the cab in the heart of the Village, where only the heterogeneous group of shoppers rivaled the variety of boutiques. As the four wandered around looking for their first place to pillage, Kristy recognized the irony of the situation and smiled broadly. "Okay, what is that for?" Kevin asked "What?" "The smile. As much as I like to see you smile, there�s something about this one that makes me wonder what�s going on in that pretty head." She motioned to the two men walking in front of them. "It�s a fan moment. Before we met you, Cheryl and I talked about how much fun it would be to shop with A.J. and Howie. That segment on the In Concert special had us both laughing no matter how many times we watched it." "So this is a dream come true then?" Kristy snuggled closer and squeezed his hand. "Somehow a lot more dreams have become a reality since I met you." Kevin kissed her temple as he felt his heartbeat race at her words. "There they go again," A.J. huffed. "Would you two stop? I swear, I feel like I�m playing chaperone on a high school field trip." Kevin, Kristy and Howie had to laugh at his remark, remembering the time that Tim and John had a made a similar observation when the two couples had just met almost three months ago. Three months that seemed like a lifetime. A short time later, the four friends wandered through a small specialty shop. Kristy browsed the racks of dresses while Kevin implored her to try on some. A.J. was stalled by the accessories � most notably the wide selection of hats. Howie, meanwhile, found himself in the jewelry annex. The sight of the sparkling gems, gold and silver brought his thoughts back to one person � Cheryl. His brown eyes traveled over each exquisite piece as he passed by the glass cases. Some of the jewelry looked to be antique while others were obviously newer. As he strolled toward the third case, Howie felt his heart skip a beat and his eyes were drawn to the necklace in the middle. He blinked � disbelieving for a moment what he was seeing, then realized that destiny had played in his favor once again. That a Higher Power had led him here to answer the questions he�d posed this morning. He knew that Cheryl wouldn�t be bought by gifts, but this one wasn�t just any gift. This was a symbol of their love and their life. *~*~* After fortifying themselves with breakfast, Cheryl and Pollyanna drove to the Florida Mall. "Now we have to formulate our plan of attack," Howie�s sister said as they wandered the first floor. Cheryl smiled. "What?" "I�ve never heard of anyone planning a shopping trip so detailed before." Polly seemed aghast. "It�s the only way to get the most out of it. You use the same general rules of planning a day at Disney World. I�ll teach you all about it. You�ll need to know these things because my kid brother can shop with the best of them." The duo�s strategy included plenty of time in each store to model dresses. Polly knew that Cheryl would need some cocktail dresses and evening gowns for the approaching holiday parties and awards ceremonies. A slick black and green number for the Grammys. A more casual though still classy long lavender sheath for the Billboards. They finally broke for lunch grabbing a bite at the food court�s Chinese offering. "So, Mom and Dad want you to come to dinner at the house tonight," Polly mentioned as they bussed their trays. "Dinner at the Doroughs? Can�t pass up Momma D�s homecooking." "See, you�re learning." Cheryl touched Pollyanna�s arm. "I can�t thank you enough for today. It really helped keep my mind off �things�." The older woman smiled. "That was the plan. I know how hard it is being a BSG � even if I am only an honorary member." Cheryl sighed. "It is tough to adjust, but all I have to do is think of him. I get this feeling inside. It makes it all worth it. I love him so much, P.A. Sometimes so much I hardly believe it myself." Polly saw the glow on Cheryl�s face and read the love in her eyes. There was no mistaking what the redhead had just said as anything but the truth. And to Polly�s best knowledge, someone in New York felt the same way. *~*~*~*~* Kristy walked out into the room to model her latest outfit for the most fashion conscious members of the group. "So?" she asked, twirling slightly in a deep red bias-cut skirt and fitted bodice. "Nice," A.J. said. "You've said that about every dress so far," Kristy said with a roll of her expressive eyes. "Kev?" Kevin shrugged. "You look beautiful, but the dresses have only been okay." She kissed him slowly to thank him for his compliment - and his opinion - then turned back to the dressing room, with Kevin following her. She paused and placed her hand on his chest. "And where do you think you're going?" Kevin gave her a seductive smile. "I thought you might need some help getting undressed. And, you know, I've gotten pretty good at getting you out of your clothes." "Good God, Kev! You're worse than me lately!" A.J. exclaimed with a shake of his head. "Why'd you two even bother leaving your room?" Kristy blushed and gently pushed a grinning Kevin back down into his chair while she tried the next dress on. She re-emerged from the dressing room a few moments later in a sapphire blue strapless gown that hugged her frame. A gauzy drape in a lighter, sparklier material fell behind her from the back of her dress at the shoulders. Kevin froze as she glided out into the room, while A.J. whistled appreciatively. Kevin walked up to her and kissed her sensually. "I don't even care how much it costs... I'm getting you this dress." Kristy grinned up at him. "You like?" "I love!" Kevin replied before kissing her deeply, referring not just to the dress. *~*~*~*~* Kevin, Kristy, Howie and A.J. made arrangements for their purchases to be sent back to the hotel. After leaving the Village, the group made their way to the Garment District and visited some of the famous designers there. Each of the guys had his own very distinct personal style, but were all able to find many things they liked while there. With her "fashion consultants� help, Kristy selected a few more formal dresses for the array of upcoming social events she would be attending with Kevin. Kevin also helped her pick out a couple of new business suits and several other items to add to her wardrobe. "You're spoiling me, you know," Kristy said with a shake of her blond head as Kevin instructed the sales clerk to ring up the entire content of Kristy's dressing room. "I thought you always said you're only spoiled if you don't appreciate what you have," A.J. reminded Kristy with a grin. "In that case, I'm very appreciative!" she laughed. "HOW appreciative, exactly?" Kevin asked as he pulled Kristy close, a smile tugging at his lips. "Mmmm, VERY appreciative," Kristy replied before kissing him deeply. "Oh man, they're at it again?" Howie chuckled as he joined A.J. "Again? They haven't stopped! From now on, I don't want to hear any crap from you guys about MY one-track mind!" A.J. rolled his eyes as Kristy and Kevin ended their kiss but continued to whisper and flirt. "Horny One and Two, let's get a move-on! We've still got a couple of places to hit... then you guys can lock yourselves in your room for the rest of the weekend and the rest of us won't have to deal with you." Next: Chapter 47 -FanFics -Home