"As Fate Would Have It": Chapter 14

There’d be no sweeter gift

If I could win your heart … If you’d let me in your heart

= Thursday 09 March 2000 =

"Zoë should sleep the whole time, since she didn’t have a nap this afternoon," Diana instructed. She seemed to be reluctant to leave her baby with someone still mildly unfamiliar.

"We’ll be fine, you guys just have a good time," Laurel assured Diana as Mackenzie pulled his mother out the door.

"Bye, Laurel," the little boy chirped as she closed the door behind them.

"Okay," Laurel spoke the word almost with a sigh. "Peace for a few hours." She gazed out the lounge window and could see the large rented van pulling away from the hotel and into the busy New York traffic.

"Did you say something?" Isaac materialized in the doorway, the sound of his voice causing Laurel to leap out of her skin.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with your family." She tried to swallow in a meager attempt to get her heart out of her throat and back into her chest.

"I wanted to stay and talk to you. My parents know I’m still here, if that’s what you’re worried about," he seemed to be teasing Laurel in her role as babysitter. He ambled into the lounge and seated himself on the couch, munching on an apple he’d found in the kitchen.

"Sorry about sounding accusatory again. That’s the second time today now," Laurel may have sounded amicable, but she kept a noticeable distance between Isaac and herself.

"And for the second time today, you need not apologize. It seems to be due to you being nervous around me. May I ask why?" Isaac hoped this would open the conversational door he was interested in.

Laurel felt her spine stiffen. "What — what do you mean, nervous?" she stuttered.

She sat on the floor across the room from him, and drew her knees up to her chin.

"Stammering when we talk, for starters," he noted. "And, if I may be honest?" He waited for her nodded approval before continuing, "It feels like you’ve put a wall between us, a wall of ice." He didn’t mean to, but Isaac shivered as he mentioned it.

Laurel merely lowered her gaze to the floor in front of her. "I’m sorry." She spoke slowly to purposely omit the stammer Isaac had pointed out. "I guess I’m not fully used to being around you yet. It’s not every day that I run into people of your public status."

Isaac tossed the apple core into a wastebasket and joined Laurel on the floor, but made sure not to come too close. He was slowly learning how much space she needed to have around her. Bite the bullet, man. "Forgive my bluntness, but there seems to be more to it than that. I’ve heard you working with my brother without half as much trouble as a conversation with me seems to cause you. Is there something I’ve done to offend you?"

Am I that transparent? "No," she said, too quickly.

"The speed of your response implies the contrary."

"It’s nothing you’ve done, really. But I admit that it’s difficult for me to be around you."

"And why would that be?" The most innocent of questions, yet so difficult to answer.

"Because … Just because."

"That’s only half an answer." Persistence was a crucial part of Isaac’s strategy.

Laurel felt cornered, as though she’d been backed up against the wall. In truth, she’d been the one who did so to herself. Isaac was being insufferably gentle with her, despite pressing for the truth. Even now, as he waited for her response, he showed no sign of impatience, only curiosity.

She labored to come up with an answer that neither revealed too much of the truth nor sounded weak. "I’ve felt like you …well, like you want more from me. More than what there is now, I mean."

Isaac gave thoughtful consideration to his words before dispelling them. "You’re right, I won’t lie. I care for you very deeply, despite what little time we’ve spent together. Sunday night when we made eye contact, I felt something pass between us, and I’ve been wanting to know what it was that you felt."

"I don’t know what I felt. Confused, mostly. I’ve never experienced anything like that before…not genuinely," she added as an afterthought, and one which intrigued her companion.

Wanting to know what she meant, but too gentlemanly to ask, Isaac merely studied her expression until she squirmed.

"I should check on Zoë."

"She’s sound asleep; I just peeked in about ten minutes ago. You’re avoiding me. Why?"

"Well, you just out of nowhere said that you care about me and I have no clue why you would. I’m not the greatest of people. Not to mention, we hardly know one another."

The temptation to say ‘And whose fault is that?’ was great, but Isaac held his tongue. "Give yourself credit, Laurel. You’re a wonderful person. I admit I don’t know you well, but I want to. Will you let me have a chance? Could you find it in your heart to feel for me the way I feel for you?"

"What do you mean?" Laurel knew full well what Isaac meant, but she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to hear it.

"I mean that I love you," he said softly, "and I want to know if — if you could ever love me. What is it that you feel for me?"

I — I can’t. Not him. Not this. Not love. But how do I put that into words?

Isaac received a wordless questioning stare that said ‘what do you want me to say?’. Standing, he said, "Come here." He offered a hand to help Laurel up, and reveled in minor victory when she did not refuse. Not wanting to scare her, though, he then let go, and directed her to the piano.

Sitting down, he thought for a moment, then began to play. Isaac made a point of making eye contact with his angel as he sang: "If I could win your heart / If you’d let me in your heart / I’d be so happy, baby / Just for these arms to be / Holding you close to me / There’s nothing in this world I won’t try / No limit to what I’d do to make you mine, ‘cause / I’d climb right up to the sky / I’d take down the stars / Just to be in your arms, baby / I’d go and capture the moon / That’s what I would do / Just to hear you say that you love me / Just to hear you say that you love me…"

Astounded, Laurel said, "That’s a song by—"

"By Diane Warren," Isaac joined in unison as she completed the statement. Laurel fell silent as he continued, "I know. I did my homework the day you mentioned liking her songs." He’d not stopped playing as they spoke, and then began the second verse with an air of shyness. "If I could taste your kiss / There’d be no sweeter gift / Heaven could offer, baby / I want to be the one / Living to give you love / I’d walk across this world just to be / Close to you ‘cause I want you close to me, yeah / I’d climb right up to the sky / I’d take down the stars / Just to be in your arms, baby / I’d go and capture the moon / That’s what I would do / Just to hear you say that you love me / Just to hear you say that you love me…"

Laurel knew the duet well and filled in the harmony parts from the bridge on, as Isaac continued to sing "For the rest of your life / Love me for the rest of all time / Just say the word / And I’ll give you my world / There’s nothing I won’t do / Baby, just to be with you …"

"… I’d climb right up to the sky / I’d take down the stars / Just to be in your arms, baby / I’d go and capture the moon / That’s what I would do / Just to hear you say that you love me / Just to hear you say that you love me, baby / Just to hear you say that you love me / Oh, I need to hear you say that you love me, baby / Just to hear you say that you love me / Just say you love me / Just say you need me / Just to hear you say that you love me …"

As the song came to an end, Laurel realized what she’d done. She had allowed herself to think of past lies as reality, and let Isaac believe that it was him that she loved. His next words further proved her correct.

"Do you really feel that way? Will you love me the way I love you?"