Rose 2.36: Free spirit

     Willow! I mentally exclaim, stand up straight, and spin around to face her.
     My heart beats fast. All of a sudden, it's like I'm once again a college freshman, ready to take on the world and sample everything it has to offer as I watch her walk towards me.

     "Willow?" I ask, still wondering if she really stands in front of me. She looks...grown up.
     Her violet eyes sparkle with her teasing smile. "You remembered my name!"
     I snort out a short laugh. "How could I ever forget your name, Willow?" I have so much I want to ask her! To tell her! But first, I have to convince myself she's real. "What brings you here, Willow Godfrey?" I ask, being sure to put in her last name.
     A short-lived smile hits her face before disappearing. "It's Willow Viccini now."

     "Wait...Viccini? You're the one thinking about selling property?" She's married?! I think in shock, hating my instant regret and mild jealousy. Then I remember, Well, so am I.
     A ghost of a smile now lifts the corners of her mouth. "Yes. I wondered if it was you. I realized it could've been one of your brothers."
    "You've been living in Monte Vista?" I ask incredulously.
    "No," she says, shaking her head. "But my husband has land here he no longer needs."
    "Is he here?" I want to meet the man that took Willow.
    "Umm... no. He's still back in Lucky Palms."
    "What?" I ask, my hand going up to my head, which is spinning.
     A more real smile brightens her features. "I would say you haven't changed, but you have."

     She takes half a step towards me and reaches up to touch my jaw. "Where did this come from, Don Robles?"
     I chuckle, doing my best to remain in control from what her touch does to me. "Just trying to look the part."
     Her eyes move from my lips, where they'd focused, to my eyes as she takes that half-step back and laughs happily. "And you do! How many hearts have you broken in Monte Vista, Don Robles?"

     "I don't break the hearts; I fill them," I respond, not exactly sure what I mean, but I like the sound of it. "And I don't have time to break the hearts. I married Tiffany. We have a son."

     She takes a breath and gets a faraway look. "Yes. Yes, that sounds about right." She looks for a moment like the young, carefree Willow I'd known years ago.
     I can't stand it any longer. I have to know!

      "Willow, why did you drop out of university?" I ask, hoping my voice doesn't sound desperate for the information. I've had that dream a few times more.
      "Be...cause my father said I didn't need it. Because Troy didn't want me to," she answers cryptically.
      Troy. His name is Troy Viccini. I've never heard that name before, yet he owns land around here?
     "What?" I request with a whooshing 'wh' sound, unable to believe what I just heard.
     "I don't need it, the degree," she finishes, but she lets pain escape her eyes for a split second.
     "Willow...That is ridiculous! You should finish your degree! We were seniors!"
     "It's so good to see you again, Donovan!" she says happily and jerks me into a tight hug.

      She is trying to distract me. She doesn't want to talk about university. And it's working. I close my eyes, allowing myself a few seconds before I force myself to push her back.
     She pulls away before I have to. "Let's have a seat, shall we?"
     We decide to go upstairs to sit on the terrace. At first, she stays all-business, and I watch her describe the amount of land they're willing to sell and how much they want for it. Her eyes dart from mine to everywhere else over and over again until her face falls, and she puts her forehead in her hand, crying.

     "Willow!" I gasp, instantly concerned.
     "I'm s-sorry," she tells me in between the crying.

     "What is it?" I beg gently.
     "He's not interested in selling. He thinks I'm on a vacation. I'm interested in selling," she admits with little hiccups.
     "Tell me what is going on," I ask her, hating to see her cry. I've never before seen her show how hurt she can feel. I always thought she kept her real feelings locked away.
      She takes a deep breath. "I hate him. The land I'm talking about is his old family property. He gave it to me for some crazy tax scheme. If I sell it out from under him, it'll be the sweetest revenge." Before I can ask, she continues, "Revenge for taking what was left of my young life. I was so happy at university! But my father backed me into a corner and ordered me to marry Troy, furious I'd broken it off with Denis like I had. Now, it's all stiff social functions and 'behave yourself, Willow. don't embarrass me' and hitting me across the face should I talk back."
     Are we living in the dark ages? "How could your father force you?"
     She sniffs. "Oh, Donovan, not everyone has it great like you did growing up. Dad wasn't going to pay for me to go to school if someone like Troy wanted me. I always did my best to never make it look like I was serious about anyone for fear he'd do just that. If I hadn't married Troy, he'd have thrown me out on the streets."
     I want to shake her. "WHY did you not come to me?!"
     "You were busy with your own life. I didn't want to bother you."
     I can't sit still anymore, so I get up and pace. As I do, I rant. "So you should've let him throw you out! You are smart! If you didn't want my help, you could get a student loan and pay it off when you have your own job! Why did you let him do that to you?!"
    "He's my dad," she offers meekly while the sun dips lower.
    "And a terrible one." I pause, stopping my pacing as well. "This makes no sense to me still, Willow. Why did you let this happen?"
    She shakes her head no. "I don't know."
    "Not good enough," I snap. "That's not the Willow I know, or I thought I knew! The Willow I knew was a strong, independent young woman that looked at the world and wanted to take it on, see and do everything it had to offer. That is what drew me to you." I, probably stupidly, sit right next to her on her chair and lift her face up from her hand, turning her to face me.

     My action startles her so that she almost falls out of the little chair, so I reach around to hold onto her. This is a bad idea, but I must get her to see, to snap out of what she's done to herself, what she's let others do!
     I swallow and try to pick back up my rant. "That drew me to you," I reiterate.
     "I wanted to be that person," she whispers.

     I answer her in a normal voice. "You are that person. You were so carefree, so...free! I wanted to be that! I admired that so much. You looked at the world and thought, 'I'm young. Let the worries of the adult world wait just a little longer because they'll be here soon enough. I will fully live this part of my life while I still can!'" Warning alarms sound in my head. This is too close...but I don't want to let go!
     Her hand reaches to thread itself into my hair. She shakes her head no. "I tried to only think like that. I did! Then, I met this fantastic redheaded man that embodied everything I wanted to be. I was reminded that I still had a long way to go. The person you just described is you, Donovan!"

     Our lips meet in a passionate reunion. My breathing sounds loud to me as I quickly breathe through my nose. My mouth is busy kissing Willow like she is the air I need.

     A groaning whine escapes me. No! I must stop! Willow makes me feel like the man I used to be.
     She shudders and lets out a sad cry before holding onto me in a determined way as if to say, 'I know I should let go, but I don't want to!'
     Right after her sad cry, a strange clicking noise reaches me, and a slight movement in the shadows catches my eye.
     Willow must've heard it too because she turns in its direction before gasping out a 'no.' She quickly stands up, but the man darts away.
     Our panicked eyes meet for a split second before I get up and dash after the intruder.

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