Animate Me

I see Brooke’s eyes spark hopeful with my words.

“Yes, we do, Son,” replies Dad. “And clearly she loves you too.”

“Well, congratulations, Nathan, it seems you have a really good woman.” He clears his throat. “Tomorrow, we will messenger over the final paperwork for you to sign off on. So now there’s just one other issue.”

“Yes?” I ask, curious.

“Do you want your old job back? They fired you unlawfully since they didn’t fire Ms. Tobin at the same time for the conference room situation. You could demand your job back, and at this point we would probably win.”

I think about being at Sketch Republic, in the same building with Arnold, and yet Brooke nowhere near.

“Absolutely not,” I say with no hesitation. “My days at Sketch Republic are over. It’s time to move on to bigger things.”

“Yes!” agrees Dad. “Much bigger things.”

“Okay, then. We’re done here. Time to celebrate your victory.”

“Thank you, Walter. Thank you, Mom and Dad,” I say with emotion in my voice.

“We’re just so happy, Nathan,” Mom says. “And we’re very grateful for your help, Walter.”

“My pleasure. Now go on and make B-Girl a resounding success, Nathan. That will be your ultimate victory,” says Walter.

“Yes, I will.”

I look at Brooke, overwhelmed with love and gratitude. My B-Girl, my Wonder Woman, saved me after all. She gave up everything for me. How do I tell her what that means to me?

“Brooke Tobin,” I whisper.

“Yes, Nathan Evans?”

“How can I ever thank you?”

She shakes her head in disbelief. “Thank me for picking up the pieces after almost destroying your life and career?”

“No, for saving me…for loving me.”

“Saving you? It’s the least I could do. Loving you…how could I resist? What choice did I have?” She teases, but yet there is something so earnest in her gaze.

“Come here,” I demand, holding my arms out.

She gets up and, blushing like a schoolgirl, sits down on my lap. I nestle my head into the crook of her neck. My arms wrap around her and I smile as she relaxes into me.

“Morgan gave you the sketchbook, so now you know I’ve always loved you, Brooke.”

She pulls back and looks at me, tears in her eyes. “Our storyboard romance that you drew,” she says softly and sighs. “It’s the most special gift…the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me. And it gave me hope.”

“I wanted to explain from my heart why I did the things I did. I hope you know that I didn’t intend to lie to you, Brooke. I just made some bad decisions because I would’ve done anything to be with you. I guess I didn’t believe in myself enough to know you could love me just the way I am.”

“And I do.”

I grin. “And you still love me?”

“Of course,” she says. “More than ever.”

“Can I ask you something?”

She looks up at me and nods. “Anything.”

“So why did you want to meet at Starbucks? Part of me was worried that you chose here so you could break up with me and make a quick getaway.”

She shakes her head slowly.

“You know we kind of got started thanks to Starbucks.”

“Anything else?” I ask, convinced there’s more to it.

“Actually, I was thinking you may have needed a neutral setting so that you could make the quick getaway.”

“So we’re both fools,” I point out. I reach toward her and gently run my thumb over her lips. She looks at me with such longing in her eyes that I disregard where we are. I take her face in my hands and pull her close. As our lips co

“This,” I say as we part and gasp for air. “This is what I’ve held on for. This is what I’ve been living for.”

My fingertips curve around her waist just as I’d remembered. My touch ca

“Take me home,” she whispers, soft and unsure. I can tell she doesn’t trust herself….trust her need for me.

“Are you sure?” I ask, lowering her feet to the ground and standing up against her.

“Yes, but I’m scared I’ll get too emotional. This has all been too much for me,” she admits. “Less than a week ago we were on top of the world, and then it all came crashing down. Honestly, I’m still a mess from all of this drama.”

“A mess?” I ask gently. She does seem so fragile. I wish I could make her see how strong she has been despite everything.

“I know you hate it that I blame myself for all of this, Nathan, but I still feel raw from all the devastation and humiliation. I’m afraid if we make love I’ll end up sobbing or losing it from all my pent up emotion. I can’t bear to hurt you any more than I already have.”

Oh, Brooke

“I’ll go slow, so slow,” I offer. “I just need to hold you and talk this out. That can be enough for now.”

“Really?” she asks, unsteady.

“We have a thousand days and more for the rest, Brooke. I’ve waited a long time for you…a little longer is no big deal.”

“You’re unbelievable,” she says, shaking her head.

“This is our begi

“But…”

“No. I can’t go through that again. Whatever you were going through, and whatever you will go through…we can go through it together.”

Her head drops for a moment and then lifts up as she faces me. It’s as if she’s searching in my eyes to understand the source of my strength so that she can learn to build her own resolve.

“Together? Okay, I promise.”

She reaches for her cup as I step away from the table and toward our cars. I walk several paces, but turn back when I realize that she hasn’t joined me. She’s paused, and is gazing at her cup again with new regard. Her resulting joy makes me smile.

I reach out for her, my hand beckoning. “Come on, B-Girl,” I tease. “Your presence is greatly anticipated at the house of woo.”

She grins and steps forward, until our hands meet and fold together.

“Ready?” I ask.

She nods. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes bright.

We are wounded soldiers finally reunited from our separate battles. We move slowly and with purpose, knowing that each step away from our past takes us closer to our future…together.

Animate Me / Chapter Thirty / Making Magic

Hey, Sulley, I’m baring my soul here. The least you can do is pay attention! ~Mike Wazowski xxix

Once we arrive at my house, we wander around trying to figure out where to sit and talk. It’s becoming abundantly clear that it was a bad decision not to have a couch.

“Why don’t we sit on the bed?” I suggest. “We can angle the back up.”

She looks at me with raised eyebrows.

“I promise, I won’t try anything…just talk.” I’m relieved when she agrees.

After I adjust the bed with the remote, Brooke climbs on and holds one of the pillows in her lap like a security blanket. She still looks broken.

While I wait for her to say something, I act casual, taking a long sip of my still-full cappuccino before setting it on the nightstand. I can tell by her expression that she still isn’t sure where to start.

“Brooke?” I finally ask gently. “Can you tell me about the meeting with Arnold? What did you do to make him give up the fight?”

She nervously smoothes the wrinkles of the bedspread out in front of her and takes a deep breath. I suddenly worry I shouldn’t have started there, but she surprises me with her first seemingly random question.

“Do you remember Bob Emerson at Sketch Republic?”

“Was he that executive that left last year?”