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Post by slyn11 on Apr 23, 2014 15:56:16 GMT -5
This chapter has been kicking my butt...just will not act right. I have rewritten it three times already. The first part of it that I am posting today is fine, but the rest....ugh. Maybe it is because life and work has been crazy busy for me...that time of the year....so my mind is having a hard time entrenching itself into Philip's romantic dramas. However I remain confident I will survive and get past this obstacle, somehow I always manage to make it through.
Oh and Samcedes are back together on Glee - and that has to be harbinger of good things to come. Love stories where the pretty popular boy falls for the "unconventional" girl - sort of like Teen Phloe or Philip/Melanie.
Thanks for reading and commenting and sticking with me through all my fits and starts. I appreciate it. Thanks to my beta team as well.
Steam from the shower hit her face as she stepped into the warm bathroom. Philip was behind the fogged shower doors humming a tune Melanie now recognized as by Barry Manilow. A smile came to her face. At least she had gotten one thing right with him, she’d managed to give him that Manilow for his birthday. Finally she might have celebrated his birthday without a hitch. Then she remembered Chloe showing up and Philip finding out about Parker and all the pain and turmoil that surrounded him as the night came to a close. Maybe without a hitch was an overstatement, but at least they had all survived, except for Chloe. Melanie thought about the phone call she had received from her, the anger still simmering.
The gall that woman had to call her before the sun even came up, demanding to talk to Philip, violating the haven she and Philip had created in their bedroom. She should have hung up right away, but her need to tell Chloe off wouldn’t let her stop talking. Wrapped in a blanket, the scent of Philip all over her, she could still feel his touch on her skin. It was wonderful to feel that alive and that wanted again, then Chloe called and all that was taken away, her dreamy glow fading with each word exchanged between them.
Apparently Victor had come through and had Chloe taken off the streets, exactly what Melanie had wanted, except Chloe calling trying to involve Philip in her problems was not part of the plan. She had expected Victor to shuffle Chloe off in the cover of night, stuff her in a van and speed her back to the mental ward, not have her put in police custody where she was allowed one phone call. Now Chloe expected Philip to help, to come racing downtown and bail her out, and she wanted Melanie to just step aside and watch it happen. That’s the last thing Melanie wanted to do, but did she even have a choice? She couldn’t just not pass on Chloe’s message and let the woman rot in a jail, could she?
“Hey. Did you come to wash my back?” His voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Uh no,” she said, her cheeks warming when she took him in, wet hair flat against his head, dimples bold on his face. “I came to bring you a towel.”
Her eyes drifted down to his chest shining with a hint of soap. Philip was beautiful even with his thinner build. A wet hand touched her face.
“You could join me if you want.”
Melanie’s stomach did a little flip, and the fire that always burned for him flared up. Showering together, that was something they had never done. Usually they exchanged damp kisses as she handed him something or when she interrupted his normal marathon length showers to remind him of the time, but never had they taken things any further. Maybe they would have one day, if they hadn’t been robbed of their blissful future.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We might start something we can’t finish.”
“Oh I’ll be sure to finish.” He pulled her closer by the nape of her neck to gain access to her lips kissing her softly. He tugged at the tie on her lilac robe, letting it fall open. Melanie sucked in her stomach awaiting his next move. Tilting his head to the side, he watched her as he stroked his wet fingers down her bare stomach, going lower with each pass.
“You make it hard to say no,” she said closing her eyes letting the sensation of his fingers on her body overtake her.
“That’s the plan. I’m hoping that you find me so irresistible that you step in here with me.” As he pushed the robe off her shoulders, she moved closer, the warm mist of the shower hitting her face. Philip spread kisses along the curve of her neck then down her shoulders, across her chest, his wet head soaking her skin. “Were we always like this?” he asked between kisses.
“Like what?” Between dream and wake she leaned into him subtly inviting him to explore more of her chest with his mouth.
“Like this intense, so hot for each other. It doesn’t make sense that I still want you. I should have you out of my system by now.”
Melanie tensed, straightening up and backing away. Philip looked up seeming confused by the abrupt change between them.
“I think I hear Parker,” she lied readjusting her robe and tying it shut.
“Oh,” he said with what sounded like relief. “I’ll be out soon to help you with him. Okay?”
“Take your time. I’ve got it under control,” she said before turning and heading out the door.
Once in the bedroom she unraveled, harsh realities hitting her full force. Somehow in the short span of time she had allowed herself to get so caught up in Philip that she had forgotten the real reason he was there – all because of Chloe. It was bordering on obsessive how much Chloe consumed her thoughts these days. Philip was in their bathroom soaking wet and sexy inviting her to join him and instead of jumping at the opportunity she was sitting on her bed worrying about Chloe Lane. Chloe wasn’t even there, she was safely locked away downtown and still she managed to intrude on their lives.
Clearly she had to give Philip the message. She couldn’t keep something like that from him. He would be so angry if he ever found out. Yet on the other hand, Melanie could take Philip’s anger, his temper had reared many times in their relationship, like a tornado blowing through town destroying everything in its path leaving a chilling calm behind. Melanie could weather another bout of hurricane Philip if it meant that Chloe would be out of their lives for good, or at least for the time being. Although Philip would probably find out about Chloe’s arrest from some outside source, it was inevitable in Salem. He couldn’t be kept in this information sealed bubble forever.
And he did have the right to know, Chloe was Parker’s mother, and whether Melanie liked it or not a part of his world. Who was she kidding? Chloe was his entire world. If anyone were an intruder in this scenario it was her, the unwanted wife, the obligatory ball and chain he was forced to hang on to. Last night and this morning though, he seemed very interested in keeping her around. If he had gotten his way they would have had yet another round in the shower. But that was just sex, nothing to do with how he felt about her, or more likely how he didn’t feel, and like he said he was trying to get her out of his system, work through his lust and attraction through repeated sexual encounters. Maybe Philip was onto something, maybe if they had enough sex she could get over him too and finally she would be free of all the pain that tangled with loving him.
With that Melanie spun around and headed back into the bathroom. Moistening her lips, tousling her hair, and taking a deep breath she opened the shower door to find Philip with his head resting against the blue tiles letting the water hit him in the face.
"Parker's not awake," she announced. Philip opened his eyes seeming not surprised to see her there.
"He's not?" he asked.
Melanie shook her head. "No. I just said that because you took me by surprise. We've never done this before. The whole showering together thing."
Philip raised an eyebrow at her. "Is it something you want to do?"
"Do you still need me to wash your back?"
He nodded in response, yet Melanie didn’t move. It was now or never. She had spent the night making love to him so why did this feel so hard? Maybe it was because they were out of bed, under the harsh lights of the bathroom, fully exposed. What if Philip saw her now and had regrets? Not about how she looked physically, though that could be a possibility, but about what they had done together. Showers give a person time to think, especially ones as long as Philip liked to take. Still it was his idea for her to join him so clearly he wasn’t regretting anything, yet that is.
"Are you coming in? Water is getting all over the floor."
She untied her robe and slowly took it off, folding it into a neat square before placing it on the counter behind her. She tried to ignore that Philip was watching her and focused on the steady stream of water in the shower. Then he touched her startling her from her hypnotic trance, running his hand from her elbow along her lower arm until he reached her hand. With a gentle tug he pulled her in the shower with him, the thud of the glass door behind her sealing her fate.
“Is the water too hot?” he asked.
Melanie looked up at him when she heard his voice, he seemed almost as nervous as she was, and something about that made her relax.
“It feels good.” She turned and got under the water. letting it wash over her body. “Hand me the soap I’ll do your back now.”
Philip handed her a bar of soap, French milled with a light herbal scent just as he liked it. They were quiet for a bit, only the sound of the water filling the room. His back was crisscrossed with angry welts and crescent shaped indentations, the startling evidence of her intense attraction to the man. Next time she’d kiss every inch of his back, an apology for the pain she must have caused this time. That is if there even was a next time. The sun was bringing a new day and so swiftly everything could change between them.
“Thank you for coming back,” he said, barely loud enough for her to hear.
“It’s hard to resist a naked man in my shower,” she joked. “Especially one as handsome as you.”
He faced her, putting his hand on her cheek, hint of a smile on his face. “Your turn now.”
This was all she wanted for the rest of her life, him with that smile, looking at her this way. Melanie rose up on her toes, her chest skimming his as she brushed a soft kiss across his lips. His smile widened as she backed away. If only he would always look at her the way he was now, like she was the only woman in the world he wanted, and with her was exactly where he wanted to be. Glimpses of the way he used to be before the crash, passed over his face, like the sun being covered by moving clouds. If only she knew what he was thinking as he continued to watch her, drawing his fingers through her wet hair. Melanie was certain she was blushing, feeling so exposed, like her every emotion was revealed before him in the small space of the shower. Not that there was anything in her heart left to hide. Philip knew how much she loved him.
Melanie hadn’t even noticed he had taken the soap from her hand until she felt the bar glide along her body. As he touched her all over, a feeling of calm overtook her, lulling her into a peaceful bliss where there was just his hands and the water. A few times he brushed kisses across her shoulder, or he nipped at the back of her knees as he continued to give her such careful attention. This wasn’t the passionate encounter she had expected when she first stepped under the water beside him. Instead of sex she was getting something that felt a little bit like love, an inconceivable and surprising notion since Philip felt nothing close to that about her. Still she let herself enjoy the illusion, knowing that all too soon it would be gone and he would be back to his confused and guilt ridden explanations about his feelings for Chloe.
Needing him closer, she put her arms around his neck, urging him down to her level, and he came without resistance, the soap falling from his hand as he pulled her flush against his body.
“I’ve never done this before either, the whole showering with someone thing,” he admitted, eyes closed and shivering. “Once I lost my leg I got sort of shy I guess, but with you it feels right.”
Melanie held him tighter, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, and to suppress the building tears behind her eyes. He had said the same thing when he tried to convince her to marry him, that it felt right with her, not that he remembered, but the way he said it, the inflection in his voice, took her back to that moment when her heart disconnected from her head and she took a leap of faith with him. And now amidst the steam of the shower, fate was whispering in her ear once again urging her to take another chance with him.
"You said that before, that it feels right, the night you proposed to me."
"What else did I say?" he asked his head falling against hers.
Philip reached behind him with one hand to shut off the water, his eyes never leaving her face. Melanie wasn't sure what had come over him this morning he had a strange intensity since she got into the shower with him.
"You said what you felt with me, you had never felt before."
Philip had taken her by surprise that night, zero to one hundred in the span of a few hours. Never would Melanie have believed that Philip would actually admit to loving her let alone tell her he thought they were destined to be together forever. It felt like a crazy dream, a Christmas miracle she never even dared to ask for, because despite all of her wishing and hoping, she knew that Philip Kiriakis would never end up with someone like her. He proved her so wrong that night.
"It was like that for me in the hospital. I was never so instantly drawn to someone in my life. I was starting to think something otherworldly was going on," he replied, almost laughing but not quite.
"Things between us always felt otherworldly for me. Sometimes I think I dreamed you up as a little girl wishing for a hero to ride in and save me." She smiled remembering the first time she saw his face, so confident and sexy at Chez Rouge restaurant. Somehow she knew that he was the man that she had been waiting for.
"Save you from what?" he asked, visibly concerned.
She rubbed his head coaxing him to relax. She didn’t want to talk about the past now. That part of her life was over.
"It doesn't matter now. You came and you changed my life. Do you know how much I love you?"
A frenzy of kisses, when before there had only been looks and touches. Whatever dam that had been keeping Philip's passionate impulses at bay broke in a rush of lips, fingers, whispered words. Melanie was swept up in him, struggling to catch her breath, as he continued to pull her under. Kissing Philip had always felt like this, all consuming, blocking out the rest of the world, her attention only on him and the taste of his lips. Just when it felt like there could be no more left to give, both their mouths bruised and battered, he kissed her again, pushing them to an even greater level of pleasure.
"I love kissing you," he said against her lips, soft and low, but still she felt it.
Melanie's legs started to give way at his statement. This was the closest he had ever come since waking up to saying those three little words. Granted he was referring to kissing, probably just a prelude to sex in his mind, but to Melanie it meant so much more. It meant possibility. It meant hope. If he could love kissing her, then maybe one day he could love even more about her. It felt like one small hurdle cleared in this endless race to regain his heart.
The words hung between and for a moment Melanie thought he might take them back. His face started to fall and his smile dropped, but that look in his eyes, the same mysterious mix of longing and confusion that had been there all morning, remained.
“You’re going to haunt me forever aren’t you? Your beautiful eyes are going to follow me wherever I go,” he sighed, kissing her on the forehead, gently, lingering before folding her into an embrace. Melanie snuggled against him, his warm damp skin, heating her entire body. There was such intimacy being with him this way, more than when they were having sex, because now there was nothing between them but the sound of their hearts. “It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. You and I were just supposed to collide and then burn out, but that’s not going to happen is it?” he asked against her hair.
“Philip you’re not making sense.”
He leaned back to look her in the eyes, brushing the wet hair out of her face. “Was it always like this between us? Did it always feel like this? The way it feels now.”
He’d asked her almost the same question in the hospital when they had gotten so close that morning they spent together, but that time he had no idea who they were to each other, now he knew and still he felt it. Her heart sped up and her throat felt dry, another reason to hope, their connection had survived, this moment was evidence of that.
“Yes,” she whispered, tearing up. “It was always like this.”
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but there were no words, just blue eyes, red rimmed and wide, searching her face. Philip stepped back, letting go of his hold around her waist. With a finger he traced her lips, his eyes on her mouth as if he might kiss her again, but he didn't.
“What’s wrong?” she asked hugging herself now that she was no longer in the warmth of his arms. She didn’t understand the sad turn things had taken now that the water was off.
Melanie shivered, not from the cold, but from rising dread that was growing inside her. She’d done it again, let him get too close, what little armor she had constructed around her heart since he woke up not remembering her had been shed last night when she opened herself up and gave him her body. Where had her self-respect gone? Never would she have imagined herself in this position with him again, the scratching post for his sexual desires. She thought she had learned that hard lesson when he was with Stephanie, but apparently she needed to live through things multiple times before they really sunk in. This was a mistake, she should have stuck with her first instinct and never joined him in the shower. Raw and exposed she shifted away from him, stepping around him to reach for the towel on the bar outside of the shower. The bathroom seemed too small for them now, when minutes before it was a warm cocoon for two.
“Melanie wait,” he said grabbing his own towel with one hand and her arm with the other. “I think we need to talk.”
Here it comes what she had feared all night, the part where he realizes that things had gone too far and regret filled his eyes along with the realization that he slept with a woman that he didn’t really want. Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced herself for yet another blow.
TBC
Glad I let that go...now if only I can do the same with the last part of this. I think I might have commitment issues. LOL Anyway...love to hear what you think.
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