CharismaticCrowe59f5

Lurching up, he stubbed his toe on the nightstand which elicited more swearing as he quickly sat back down on the bed, jerking his leg up and rubbing his big toe. He sat there, dragging on his smoke, and when he finished, he stumbled into the shower. The warm water enlivened him a bit, but as he remembered the shower he had taken the morning before, he leaned against the back of the enclosure. She danced through his mind, teasing him with remembered pleasure.

He swore again as his member swelled with his thoughts. He jerked himself off, all the while thinking about how the aimless images in his head were a poor substitute for the flesh and blood woman. He wondered how long it would take for him to stop thinking about her, if ever. He dried himself off, and pulled his clothes on quickly, becoming desperate to get away from Austin.

A knock on the door stirred him from his unhappy reverie, and he heard his assistant's voice from beyond the door. "Russ, you awake in there, mate?" He opened the door, and Matt strolled in. "Mate, this place is a fuckin mess. Did one of those Texas tornado's sweep through here?" Matt laughed, and was surprised when Russell didnt.

'Must be in a hell of a bad mood.' Matt thought, and forebore to make any more jokes. He said, instead, "Everythings in order, mate. All you have to do is get on that plane. Got the SUV waiting for you downstairs. Ready to go?" he asked. Russ nodded and picked up his carry-on bag. The sooner he got out of here the better off he would be. He headed out the door, leaving Matt to get the rest of his things ready to go.

He arrived at the airport just in time, and as he boarded the plane, all he could think of was that Austin would never be the same to him. She played through his head, and he couldnt escape her. They stopped in LAX, and he boarded the plane to Oz, numbed and empty. He slept a great deal on the flight, and couldnt stop the dreams of her. When the flight ended in Sydney, he met up with Sandy and some of the other cast. He tried to go back to the business of being an actor and celebrity again, but he found himself thinking of her constantly. For once, he was unable to shake the utter despair that had settled itself upon him.

Back in Austin, Tasha opened her eyes to a new day, one that was strangely gray and gloomy. It was as though all the color had been sapped from her life. She wandered around her apartment, playing with her dog, and missing his smile. She called Kristen, and made plans to have dinner over at her place. She showered and put her hair in a ponytail, ignoring the makeup, and took Maggie with her. She had a nice quiet dinner with Kristen, Jake and their little son, who giggled and climbed all over her. The feel of his sturdy little body in her arms made her think about what it would have been like to have children, and for a moment she almost pictured herself having children with Russell. She stopped dead in her tracks, and put Luke down.

She excused herself, with Kristen watching her strangely, and went to the bathroom to splash her face with some cold water. She was aware that she had fallen for him, she just wasnt sure how she was going to deal with these constant aimless mental wanderings. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment or two, before opening the door to come face to face with Kristen, who said "Something is going on and I want to know what it is right now, girl. Spill the beans!"

Tasha looked at her feet, and sighed. "Kristen, I'm not sure I really want to talk about it."

"Nonsense, it's bugging you so get it out right now."

Tasha sighed again, and said, "Well, you know I dont want to kiss and tell." She smiled wanly, sitting down the lid on the toilet seat, and plopping on it. Kristen sat down across from her on the rim of the tub.

"Is this the same person I saw you with at Stubb's Friday night?" When Tasha nodded, Kristen continued. "You fell for him, and now he is gone, right?" Again, Tasha nodded.

"Well, give yourself a few days and you'll feel better. Let me just say how envious I am, though!" They both giggled, and Kristen hugged her. "You'll be alright, honey. In a few weeks, you'll look back and remember the past few days with a smile."

Tasha smiled sadly and said, "I'm sure you are right. Thanks for being such a great friend." They both stood, hugged, and soon Tasha was out the door on her way home.

The next few weeks went by in a blur, work taking up most of her time. She was employed at a local company as an administrative assistant, and her boss had been traveling a lot of late, so much of her time was spent working overtime to keep the office functioning. She was on the go most of the day, talking on the phone, setting up appointments, and things like that. She would get home late in the evening, and sit in front of her tv, watching but not really paying attention. Russ took possession of her mind, and she found herself just going through the motions of day to day life.

Today she was closing up shop in the office and in a particularly dreary mood. She didnt look forward to returning home to an empty apartment, complete with her empty life. She locked the office door and as she walked down the boulevard her mind rebounded to the very first moment she had met him. She wondered if he was thinking of her, wherever he was.

As she neared her apartment, she stirred from her unhappy thoughts to gaze upon a massive Harley Davidson parked in her small driveway. Her jaw dropped as she beheld the man who was banging on the door, and saying "Tasha, love I need to talk to you!" in his throaty Aussie accent.

She stood, tongue-tied and shocked for a moment before clearing her throat and saying, "I'm over here, Russell." His head snapped around to behold her with widened eyes, hand still held before the door. In less than 2 seconds, he strode to her, throwing his arms wildly about her waist and lifting her up to meet his lips.

As he kissed her, all thoughts dissipated and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly to her. Moving from her mouth, to her ear, he murmured, "Love, I'm such a fool, I'm such an idiot, can you ever forgive me for running off like that?"

He was holding her tightly, pressing her body into his. She whispered, "I just cant understand why you left without saying Goodbye, or left me any kind of message at all. I thought it was because you didnt care, that you had your fun and were ready to leave."

"I got scared Tasha. I was honestly afraid of my feelings for you. Afraid that I was bringing trouble into your life. Afraid that things wouldnt work out. I'm was just a scared arsehole. I will never do that to you again. You mean more to me than just a night of fun, and I want you to know that I care about you very deeply. These last few weeks have been sheer hell for me."

He pulled his arms from her waist, setting her down and taking her face in his hands. "Please forgive me, love. Please dont be angry with me. I couldnt think of anything else to do. I honestly thought that I was doing the right thing."

Tasha smiled through the tears streaking her face and replied, "I will forgive you. Indeed, I cant help but forgive you. Just dont do it again!" She laughed, and he joined in her laughter.

His face grew serious again. "We need to talk. About how we are going to work this relationship, with me being so far away. It's not going to be easy at all, love." Tasha nodded, and propelled him toward her front door.

"Let's talk then."