The M Word by Beverly Farr

checked the impulse, not quite ready
to take the plunge.
    He watched her closely as if he thought she
was going to say something.
    She said, “I don’t want a happy resolution
and then have the heroine croak.”
    “You don’t like Romeo and Juliet,
either.”
    “Not really,” she admitted.
    Marius brought a piece of popcorn up to her
lips. She obediently opened her mouth and he dropped the piece
inside. “All right,” he said. “For you --” He tapped the end of her
nose with his index finger. “I'll rewrite the ending. Violetta will
recover from tuberculosis and they will live happily ever
after.”
    Brenda laughed. “No, it’s okay. I’ll watch
the original version.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Yes, I can handle it. I’m tough.”
    He pressed the play button on the remote
control and the film resumed. This time, Brenda focused on the
story and the music and the way it made her feel.
    Later, when the credits rolled, she turned
away to hide her tears.
    Marius turned the movie off. “Brenda?” he
asked gently.
    She didn’t speak; she was embarrassed to be
caught crying. Her brother would have teased her. She wiped her
face with her hands and looked around for a box of tissues, but
couldn’t find one.
    “Brenda,” Marius said again.
    She sniffed. “No.”
    “Look at me. Please.”
    She looked at him, knowing that she probably
looked terrible with her eyes all red and her mascara smeared.
“Yes?”
    Marius’ eyes were so kind, and focused
completely on her. He was not laughing at her.
    He reached out and cupped the side of her
face with his large hand. His thumb caressed her cheek. “So sweet,”
he murmured.
    Brenda leaned in towards him, closing her
eyes. Kiss me , she thought.
    He kissed her closed eyelids, then the salty
tears on her cheeks, and the tenderness of his touch, made her give
a little shuddering sob.
    He pulled back, concerned, and she opened her
eyes, looking straight into his. “No, it’s okay,” she said softly.
“I want you to kiss me.”
    This time their lips met and they kissed
once, then twice. It felt right. Brenda touched his face,
fascinated by the faint rasp of his evening stubble, then wove her
fingers into his dark curly hair. She wanted him closer.
    “Brenda?” he asked.
    “Yes,” she said and kissed him again. She
undid a button on his shirt and kissed the base of his neck.
“Yes.”
    She felt him breathe in sharply. “Is now the
time?” he asked.
    Brenda smiled up at him. “Yes.”

CHAPTER NINE

    Marius was nothing like Steven, and nothing
like any of the other dozen or so men she’d slept with. He was not
in a hurry. He took time to pay attention to her and her responses.
Brenda supposed it was the difference between having sex and making
love -- there were obvious similarities, but she felt different.
Perhaps it was knowing that she was legally married before God and
man, and that their relationship was going to be permanent. She
didn’t have any guilt or regret. She felt safe.
    “Good for you?” she asked quietly.
    He lay with his hands behind his head,
exposing the broad expanse of his chest. Funny how he didn’t seem
too hairy now, she thought. Everything about him seemed just right.
She wouldn’t even mind if he regrew the beard.
    He smiled at her. “Very good.” He rolled over
and kissed her briefly. “Thank you for marrying me.”
    “Thank you,” she added seriously.
    She lay in the sheets, thinking about their
hasty marriage. “Let’s keep our relationship simple and straight
forward, like it is right now.”
    “Meaning?” His voice was husky.
    “Alfredo may have loved Violetta, but it was
too much. Too intense. He jumped to conclusions. Then he could have
gotten killed in a duel. I don’t want all that drama. I want us to
stay friends. No matter what happens.”
    He nodded. “I agree. No duels.”
    He sounded sleepy. She should know better
than to have a serious post-coitus conversation. Brenda smiled,
then had a wonderful thought.