tiger_lily_5

Here's an evening update for you ladies.

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Two Samurai, Chapter 10

Las Vegas, NV
March 1991


After Kevin left the room, Whitney sat down on the bed, pulling her knees in to her chest and preparing to be scolded like a child.

Anna started in on her immediately. "Talk to me! What are you thinking?"

Whitney shrugged, her brown eyes looking defiantly into those of her assistant.

"Not only are you involved with a married man, which is never, ever a good idea, but he's your soon-to-be costar, plus you're in another relationship! Whitney, everyone knows who these men are, and they obviously all know who you are too. I can't possibly put a positive spin on a scandal like this if anybody finds out!"

"That's why nobody's going to find out." Her voice was soft, and she enunciated every word clearly.

Anna sighed. "You're not getting the point. This doesn't need to be happening. Can't you just chalk it up to a crazy one-night stand and end it?"

"This isn't a one-night stand." Whitney's voice was growing louder, and more argumentative. She shifted her weight, tucking her feet underneath her. "I don't think you get it. I'm crazy about him, Anna. I fought it for a long time and I'm not going to fight it anymore. I've never been this happy with anyone before."

"What about Bobby?" Her hands were gesturing now, asking the obvious question.

Whitney sucked a breath in, fighting the urge to close her eyes and cry. Anna didn't understand. There were so many things she hadn't told her, even though she was the closest friend she had. Heated arguments, late night fights, knowing there were other women but not being able to do anything about it. Wearing long sleeves even when it was warm, to cover the evidence. Things had gotten worse than she'd admitted, even to herself.

"What about him?" The words barely came out of her mouth.

"Well, are you going to break up with him?" Anna's voice was near-frantic.

Whitney looked away. She truly hadn't even thought about it. Tour had kept her so busy, and anytime she was with Kevin, she didn't think about much else. "I... I don't know," she finally answered.

"I'm urging you not to, Whitney. I know you're an adult and you make your own decisions, but you need to really think about what you're doing. Bobby doesn't deserve you running around on him like this."

The hell he doesn't. "Yeah. I guess not." Her voice was far from confident. "Can I just... I need to go downstairs. Kevin's waiting for me."

Anna threw her hands up in questioning defeat as Whitney left the suite, closing the door firmly behind her. Her hands were trembling as she stepped onto the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby and taking a couple of deep breaths. She didn't need a decision about Bobby on her plate right now; she didn't want to think about him at all.

The doors opened, and Kevin was waiting for her in the lobby, relaxing in a green vinyl chair. He smiled when he saw her, and it immediately lightened her mood. He was so handsome, and so sweet. She smiled back.

"Sorry I took so long," Whitney said.

"No problem. Is everything okay?"

A slight pause. "Everything's wonderful," she replied, slipping her arm into his and heading to the limo waiting out front.

***************

A couple of hours later, they were eating pizza at a rooftop restaurant -- Kevin's choice. Whitney smiled as she took a greasy bite, thinking about the afternoon they'd spent together. They'd mostly just driven around downtown, taking in the lights of the strip, getting their photo made with a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and joking about getting married at an Elvis chapel. It had been a blast, but that last part made her heart catch in her throat a little. The thought of marrying Kevin was sweet, if a little dizzying, and she almost wished he hadn't been kidding. Back to the real world, Whitney, she thought, finishing the hard crust of her pizza.

Kevin's phone rang, and she watched as he flipped it open, then listened to his side of a conversation with Simon, his publicist.

"Yes, I'm here with her now." ... "Mmm hmm." ... "Yes, I'll tell her." He placed one hand over the receiver. "Simon says hi."

"Tell him hey." She tilted her chin down, her mind still on their fantasy wedding.

After Kevin hung up, he seemed to notice her head-in-the-clouds demeanor. "What are you thinking about, beautiful?" he asked, reaching up to wipe a spot of pizza sauce off of her cheek. She smiled at the gentle touch.

"Oh, nothing really," she lied. "What about you?"

His blue eyes turned suddenly serious as he set his pizza down on the plastic plate. "Honestly, I was, umm... I was wondering if now is a good time for me to say I love you." He glanced down for a split second, then right back up into her eyes. "Because I do."

Whitney froze, feeling her heart pick up speed. She couldn't catch her breath for a second, then finally she smiled, big and bright. "I love you too." It felt so good just to say it aloud.

He beamed back at her, the sunlight catching his eyes. They finished their lunch in near-silence, just enjoying each other's presence.

It was harder than she'd imagined to say goodbye to him later that evening. He held her on the balcony of the suite, his arms wrapped tightly around her. She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry.

"It's only goodbye for a few months," Kevin whispered, putting one hand gently under her chin and tipping her face up toward him. "We can get through this, Whit. I'll see you in July for the costume fitting. Remember?"

She nodded, blinking. "July is four months away, though. That's practically forever."

"I know." His voice was soft and soothing, not drawing attention to her sad hyberbole. "And then it's four more months until I see you again...but then after that, we'll be seeing each other every day for months and months. I literally cannot wait." He smiled softly at her, looking deep into her eyes.

"Me neither," she replied, leaning in for a kiss; their last one for a long time.

A few minutes later, she watched from her balcony fifteen stories up, brushing away a tear as Kevin got into a cab headed toward the airport.

***************

Charlotte, NC
May 1991


Whitney entered the stage for her three-song encore, hot and sweaty, looking forward to changing into lounge clothes and hopefully talking to Kevin after the show. They had spoken on the phone most days in the two months since Vegas, but hadn't been able to sync up their schedules enough for a visit, and it had been three days since she'd last heard from him. She had him deeply on her mind as she launched into "You Give Good Love," bringing the crowd to their feet halfway through the song.

From side stage, Anna's cell phone vibrated in her pocket for the second time in twenty minutes. "Enough is enough," she mumbled, turning the phone off without answering it. Kevin had called her several times a night for the past three nights, saying he was unable to reach Whitney on her own line. She hadn't passed along any of the messages, telling him each time that she was much too busy to take his calls.

After the final song, the curtain closed, and Whitney smiled. Another show in the books; another day closer to home, and filming the movie with Kevin. She slipped off her heels, walking barefoot over to her assistant.

"Hey -- has Kevin called on your phone?" she asked, her eyes curious. "I think something is wrong with mine."

"Nope," Anna lied, her expression not flinching. "I'm sorry, hon," she continued softly as Whitney's face fell.

***************

Kevin hung up the phone, his mouth drawn into a thin line.

"Still no answer?" Simon asked.

Kevin shook his head. "No."

"We've been through this before with them... or have you forgotten?" He tried to get a smile out of his employer, referencing their attempted contact with Whitney and Anna a couple of years prior.

"I know, but everything is different now. I didn't really know her then, and now I truly can't imagine my life without her." Kevin wiped his forehead with his hand, looking defeated.

"She'll call," Simon stated. "Give her some time. I'm sure she's busy."

"Yeah," came the soft reply. "I'm sure she is."

***************

Santa Monica, CA


A week later, Whitney stepped into her house, exhausted from the late night flight, and ready to fall into bed. She left her big suitcases by the door, carrying only her small toiletry bag upstairs with a slight frown on her face. She had the next four days off before the next leg of tour, and Bobby was supposed to be here to meet her.

"Hello?" she called out on her way up the stairs.

"I'm here," his voice called, sounding completely bored and not at all excited to see her.

Whitney rolled her eyes. I haven't seen him in months and he can't even be bothered to walk down the stairs?

She opened the door to her bedroom, finding him lying in bed in the dark. At least he was alone.

"Hi," she said, sounding annoyed. "Nice to see you too." She flipped on a bedside lamp, slipping off her shoes.

"Hey baby," he said, not moving. "You in the mood?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Are you joking? No, not really. I just got off a six-hour flight, straight from a show. I just want to sleep."

"Figures," Bobby muttered, flipping off the light that she'd just turned on, then rolling over.

Whitney grabbed the cordless phone, making her way out of the bedroom and loudly back down the stairs. She hadn't talked to Kevin in ten days now, and she needed to hear his voice; a voice that wouldn't berate her. She paused for a moment, considering the late hour, then decided to call anyway. It had been too long. The phone's buttons made tones as she pressed them, and she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Whitney, who the ufck are you calling at 2:30 in the morning?" he asked gruffly.

"Kevin," she replied without thinking. Siht. Shouldn't have said that.

"Umm, I don't think so." He snatched the phone from her hand, hanging it up with a loud beep. "In fact, I don't want you talking to him at all until you start that piece of siht movie later in the year."

"We're friends. Nothing else." She scratched her forehead. It felt terrible to lie, even though she knew it shouldn't.

"Friends don't call friends at 2:30 in the damn morning. Do not talk to him again. Do you understand me?" His eyes stared into hers, not blinking.

"Yeah," she conceded, looking down at the floor. "I understand." She could feel her heart breaking into a thousand pieces as she listened to Bobby walking back upstairs, the phone still in his hand.