Second Chances – Chapter 53 February 10, 2010
Once they were out of costume and makeup, the two actors drove back to Ondovi for dinner. Peter had prepared another amazing meal for them and Beth was able to enjoy it even though she was tired. Rob had seemed not quite himself all day. Somehow he seemed like he was wrestling with his thoughts.
Later that night, Beth wanted to go for a walk with Rob through the land again. Even though she was tired, she still had a lot of energy left over from filming. It was nice that they were able to spend some time alone, no one watching them. No cameras, no assistants, no fans, just the two of them.
They walked in silence for a while, Rob holding her arm around his, keeping her close. When she turned her head, he could smell that lavender perfume that she always wore. It was light enough that if he hadn’t of been so close to her he would never get a whiff of it. Once, he had smelled it when she was not on the set, but every cell of his body was expecting her to appear, like out of magic.
Beth rested her head on his shoulder and stifled back a yawn.
“It’s getting late. I should get you back to the hotel,” he said.
“I’d like to stay a bit longer if that’s okay with you. We don’t have to be on the set until three. I don’t think I could sleep anytime soon, my brain is still racing. Today was amazing.”
“Yes, it was. You were perfect.”
“Perfect? All I did was walk,” she said.
“No, there was so much more,” he said quietly.
“Rob, what’s the matter? Is there something bothering you? Did I do something to upset you?” she asked concerned.
“No, no, you could never upset me. I guess I’ve got a lot on my mind. In a few days I won’t be working with you every day and soon I’ll be holding a machine gun instead of you.”
“But I’ll be here when you get back from Prague,” she told him, trying to assure him.
“You will?”
“Yes, Rob, I will. How could you doubt that and sound so surprised that I would? I would like to continue all of this when you get back, that’s if you want to.”
“Beth,” Rob said as he stopped walking and faced her. “I have enjoyed all of this, every moment with you…”
“But?” she asked, getting nervous.
“But, in all my days I have never found a person like you and I know I never will. I would be a fool to let you go.”
“You don’t have to let me go if you don’t want to. What has been bothering you all day? It can’t be just the end of production and you going to Prague for a few months. What are you trying to say?”
“It’s just that… I have no idea what I’m saying. You make me loose myself. You are so young and have so much ahead of you. But, I guess what I am trying to say is that I don’t want to make you feel like you need to wait for an old man like me.”
“What if I want to wait for you?”
Rob looked up at the stars, as if he was looking for strength, and then looked back at her. “I just don’t want you wasting your time, your youth on me.”
“How could I do that? I love being with you,” she said as she kissed him gently, almost afraid she was going to scare him off.
Their lips parted and Rob’s head was spinning. He felt almost as if he was drunk, drunk with the beautiful Elizabeth. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, afraid to let her go.
“My darling Elizabeth, how could I ever make you as happy as you deserve to be?” he whispered into her ear.
“Just by being with me,” she replied.
A look of joy came across his face as he took her face in his hands and kissed her. There in the moonlight, without the voyeurs surrounding them, the two held each other, kissing each other, enjoying their time alone. That night Rob pushed away all of his guilt and doubts in himself to share this special moment with the very special woman.
Filming wrapped up, on schedule three days later. It was a little sad for Beth, her first film completed. It would be the first of many; she hoped and knew she did have to get her head out of the stars and into her new project that was to begin in two weeks. Rob was to leave in a week, only a day after they were to present together at the Academy Awards. The idea of him leaving for three months made her sad, but she knew they both had to work and she was going to busy as well which should make the time go even faster. One thing was certain, Beth had every intention of taking advantage of the time they had left.
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