Photo Shoot

“Tia! Where are you?” Orlando looked around the barn. He could hear her crying. He looked up and could hear that she was up in the loft. He climbed the ladder up and saw her lying down on a bale of hay. Almost sobbing. He quietly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Drawing her in close to him. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Orli, let go of me.” She cried.

“Not this time love.” He said. Brushing her hair back from her face. He sat up, pulling her with him. He kept his arms tightly around her. And every time she tried to pull away, he would tighten his hold on her. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong Tia. I can’t stand to see you cry. You know that.”

“That article, everything in there was right.” She said between sobs. “Everything that you read was right on. You and I both know it.”

“It was just an article love. Do you honestly believe everything you read?” Tia sat up to look up at him. He wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. The gesture so gentle, it made her heart ache even more.

“Orli, you were my rock. And I didn’t trust in myself enough to trust in you. I shattered the rock that you were and I can never forgive myself for that.” Orlando looked at her. He was confused by her words. He reached up to cup her cheek.

“I’m still your rock. If you’ll let me love.”

“It’s not that easy Orli.”

“Why isn’t it? I still care about you. A lot. You know that.”

“You’re involved Orli. Do you think that I haven’t forgotten that? Knowing that you love someone else?” Tia stood up and walked over to the door that was open. She could hear him behind her.

Orlando reached up to touch her shoulder. She knew he was there.

“Orli, don’t. Please.”

“Why did you leave?” His voice soft. Soothing. Tia closed her eyes.

“Didn’t Sam tell you?”

“She told me that you left because you said that you couldn’t love me anymore. That you didn’t love me.” Tia sighed. That was what she had told Sam. But she knew that Sam knew it was a lie. Something else had been going on. But Tia was too scared to tell her the truth.

“If you don’t love me any more Tia, then why does this house look the way it does? Why do the flowers look the same as they did in England? Why do you have pictures of us all over your room?”

Tia turned to look at him. Her mouth open in shock.

“You were in my room?”

“Yes. When I was looking for you earlier. The pictures of us at mum’s. Pictures of us in New Zealand. Pictures of me in our flat. If you don’t love me, then why keep them?” She turned away from him once again. He reached up and spun her around to face him. “Answer me Tia! For once don’t run away!”

She didn’t respond. She could only stand there. Her heart aching for the man in front of her. The only love of her life. The only love she would ever have in her life.

Orlando reached out and pulled her to him. His hands in her hair. His lips on hers. Their tongues dancing with each other. As quickly as he kissed her, he pushed her away from him.

“Don’t tell me that you don’t love me anymore. Because if you do. You are lying to me and to yourself.” Orlando turned away from her and went back down the ladder. Tia watched him go. New tears formed in her eyes.

She sat down and remained there for almost an hour. He was right. He was always right. She went into the house.

Tia went up stairs. She noticed the light in his room was on and she was about to raise her hand to knock on his door when his light suddenly switched off. Her heart dropped and she turned to her own room. She changed into a sleeveless white eyelet nightgown and lay down in her bed. She could hear the crickets chirping and she could feel the summer breeze blowing through into her room. She tossed and she turned until she could stand it no longer.

Knock knock. She slowly pushed open his door. His back was to her, but his bed was illuminated with moonlight.

“Orli?” she said. Her voice a whisper. He turned at her voice. “Will you please just hold me tonight?” He didn’t speak. He moved over in the bed and pulled the covers back. She slowly walked over and crawled in next to him. Clothed only in a pair of boxers, Tia could feel his bare chest against her back as he pulled her tightly to him.

“Orli.”

“Shhh. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” Tia sighed and closed her eyes. Savoring his arms around her.