Work Text:
When Gerri woke up in the morning she was disturbed and startled by the light in her eyes. She saw an early body with his back turned to her... Quickly pulling the red satin coverlet over her, the man next to her woke up and she couldn't swallow back, his face was familiar.
before the night
Gerri wore a red mini-length dress and her hair in a loose style with thick curlers. After talking to Marcia on the phone, she hung up and put on her pearl earrings. She took one last look at herself in the mirror and liked what she saw. It was for Marcia's birthday, and because Marcia was her roommate, it was hard to hide the gift from her. She had teamed up with Susan, Marcia's girlfriend. Susan had taken Marcia to the party venue early and when Gerri came out of the house she saw a familiar face on the street.
"Roman... You again?"
Roman gently buttoned his shirt and smiled at Gerri.
"I want to meet you again tonight, Gerri, if you'll let me?"
Gerri was surprised, part of her wanted to accept it, but part of her clung to the truth. And that night she wanted to break her chains and give Roman a chance and she gently took Roman's outstretched hand and they got in the car without speaking so they could talk the whole way.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Marcia and Susan met them at the door. Marcia was surprised to see Roman, but she didn't show it. When Roman came in, Marcia pulled Gerri aside.
"Quick, girl, what's going on? What's Roman doing here?"
Gerri was pleased but did not show it, she shrugged her arms with a mischievous expression.
"I only know what you know, Marcia... When I left the house, there he was, he told me he wanted to meet me again tonight... I mean, I liked it... And, didn't you invite Roman?
Marcia was surprised.
"I only talk to Shiv from the Roy family, and that's to see her daughter Karla. I had poor communication with Roman even when I was married to Logan, so I didn't call him... But if it works for you, we can count it that way."
They laughed.
"You're a bad girl, Marcia."
Marcia came in laughing, followed by Gerri and entered the venue.
(Music : Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love)
Susan stood up and asked Marcia to dance. At that moment Gerri and Roman locked eyes. It had been three years since Logan's death and they hadn't seen each other. Under Tom's leadership, Roman continued to work at the company and Gerri had taken over as a counsel for Catherine Fox hospitals. And in the process, she and Marcia had become roommates and Marcia had become the media consultant for Catherine Fox hospitals. And at one point Roman stood up and came over to Gerri. Gerri locked eyes with Marcia who was dancing with Susan and Marcia smiled and whispered.
"Come on."
Gerri looked at Roman for a moment and stood up.
"Tonight, I'm all yours, Roman."
Roman was surprised by this answer and he locked eyes with Marcia and whispered.
"Thank you."
Roman took Gerri by the hand and brought her to the dance floor. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, their eyes locked. Both of their breaths were hitting each other. "I miss you."
Both of them were being daring tonight.
"I agreed, but not that fast, Roman."
"Haven't we wasted enough time?"
Gerri was mesmerized. It was like a completely different Roman in front of her. "You've changed."
Roman smiled. "And hopefully in a positive sense."
"You've matured, Roman."
With a sudden movement Roman swung Gerri out of his arms and when he pulled her back to him, Gerri's blonde wavy hair fell over Roman's shoulder, Gerri smiled, surprised by this movement.
"I had to grow up Gerri... And I have to win you back, because I can't breathe without you."
Gerri had a moment. She stroked his cheek. "Some things are not so easy Rome... Believe me, there are things bigger things than us... But, thank you so much for tonight, you made me feel good."
Roman was surprised, he grabbed Gerri's hand on his cheek. "Tell me, tell me what is it hard?"
Gerri pulled her hand away. "Don't make it difficult Roman... We had a nice night and it's over, that's all."
When Gerri ran out without turning around, Marcia and Roman locked eyes. Marcia asked Susan's permission and came over to Roman.
"What happened all of a sudden, is Gerri okay? Did you have a fight?"
Roman was tired, you could see it in his eyes. "I don't know, I don't know what to do to win her back, Marcia."
Marcia took a deep breath in distress. "Okay, you did what you had to do, it won't be easy, Roman, we both know that. Gerri needs more time... We don't live in a fairy tale, we've all been through hard things... Injustice is the biggest wound... Now give her some space, I'll take care of it... I'll let you know, but now you go, okay?"
Roman remained silent, nodded his head in agreement and went out.
When he came out, he locked eyes with Gerri, who had just lit a cigarette. They both smiled at each other, and when Roman got into his car and drove away, Marcia came up to Gerri.
"Marcia, please, don't ask anything."
Marcia remained silent.
"I don't recognize myself, Marcia, I don't recognize myself next to Roman."
"That's what we call love in the language, beautiful."
Gerri looked at Marcia's face for a moment, she was right. “Is that how you feel about Susan?”
Marcia smiled. "Exactly yes... And for years I thought I liked men, and I still do... But love is a very different thing, Gerri, and we can't choose who we fall in love with, no matter how strong we are. Love isn't a curse, you're not flawed and neither is Roman... And believe me, you don't have to be so perfect, there's no perfection in love... You can fall in love, it's not a sin, it's not forbidden... You can't be perfect by depriving yourself of the happiness, you deserve... Believe me, Roman is the one for you... I can't tell you what a blessing it is to wake up every morning with Susan... She saved me after years of holding on to the wrong hearts. Don't punish yourself with perfection. You can fall in love with Roman and still be perfect and right."
Gerri smiled. "I'm glad you're my best friend, Marcia..."
Marcia smiled at her too. "Go and fight for him... Because he fought for you."
Gerri hugged Marcia. "Happy birthday, without you my life would be very colorless, don't forget your gift at home."
"Your getting the love you deserve will be the greatest gift to me, go on."
Gerri and Marcia smiled at each other and Gerri got into her car and drove to Roman's hotel.
Susan hugged Marcia from behind, making her laugh. "So the great reunion has taken place, my darling."
Marcia giggled, kissed Susan on the lips. "Come on, then, let's go home and reunite." They laughed again.
When Gerri arrived in front of Roman's hotel, she locked eyes with Roman.
"It's so cold, are you crazy? Why didn't you go in?"
Roman laughed. " I was sure you were coming, so I wanted to meet you."
"You're crazy, Roman. And how so sure of yourself?"
"Yes, because I'm your madman."
A tear fell from Gerri's eye. "You're changing me, Roman. I hate it when I close my eyes and you're in front of me."
Roman approached Gerri and stroked her blonde hair. "We've fought enough, don't we deserve some love?"
Gerri kissed Roman on the lips, surprised herself and him, both their breath hitting each other's skin. "I'm so tired of fighting with you, Roman."
"Then let's not fight."
"We hurt each other, you know that, right?"
Roman returned Gerri's kiss. "To deprive us both of this passionate kiss, that's what it means to do harm... Don't do this to us Gerri."
(Music : ZAYN - PILLOWTALK)
They both entered Roman's hotel with synchronized steps. When they got to the elevator, Roman grabbed Gerri by the hair in a sudden movement and pushed her against the mirror, Gerri's hands were glued to the mirror and they both started kissing passionately. Roman quickly picked Gerri up and squeezed her breasts, and in a moment the elevator came to the floor where Roman's room was and they both quickly packed up. Roman entered the room first and Gerri came running after him.
"This is insane."
"We're already crazy, Ger."
Gerri knew deep down inside that something was wrong, but she had experienced enough to put life on hold. There was no Logan anymore, there were resentments, yes, but she wanted to experience love. Roman felt good and Gerri wanted to know herself, to see herself from his eyes. She wanted to be just Gerri the passionate lover, without Gerri the mother and without Gerri the wife. And in her battle with Roman, she had lost to him after so many years. Now, she just wanted to scream with orgasm. With quick movements, she took off Roman's shirt and Roman unzipped Gerri's skirt, their eyes met.
"Is this a dream? God, I'm making love with Gerri, it's better than my dreams."
"Roman, shut up, don't exaggerate."
Roman grabbed Gerri's blonde hair and pulled her to him. "I am absolutely not responsible for what I do now, ma'am... God, what a woman you are."
(Music - Michele Morrone - Watch Me Burn)
The curtain fluttered in the wind and the wind hit both of their skin... Roman danced his tongue down Gerri's neck and leaned between Gerri's legs... Gerri grabbed Roman's hair tightly and began to dig her nails into Roman's back... Everything was moving in slow motion, but also happening fast... Gerri moaned passionately and they locked eyes again... The last piece of Gerri's dress fell on the white carpet, now they were both completely naked. They had seen each other after years, and after years their skin had begun to speak instead of words. Gerri knew she was going to be in for a big battle in the morning, there were so much to talk about, but she preferred to be lost in the moment, in the passion, lust and orgasm. Roman picked Gerri up again and laid her on the bed, Gerri's blonde hair now covering the white pillow. Their eyes met and they kissed passionately again.
Roman began to kiss Gerri's neck passionately as Gerri ran her fingers through Roman's hair... Gerri's legs had joined Roman's back and now they were both kissing passionately while cuddling tight. Both of them had sweat running down their necks and dripping down their chests... Moans and ragged breaths hit the walls of the room... Roman sniffed Gerri's hair, kissed her.
With a quick movement Gerri took Roman under her. Roman dug his nails into Gerri's back and passionately grabbed Gerri's blonde hair again.
Now it was Roman who had Gerri underneath her in rapid motion, the sound of passion and orgasm rising. They were eye to eye and they were at the height of lust.
When Gerri craned her neck back they were back in an embracing position and their lips met passionately again. They got out of bed and made their way to the shower, their steps synchronized again. Gerri's hands were now resting on the cold shower and she moaned as Roman moved quickly towards Gerri's core...
"Go on... Fuck... Go on Roman."
Roman quickened his movements and they locked eyes again, water running down both of their bodies.
They locked eyes again and kissed passionately. "I love you, Gerri."
Gerri paused for a moment, it was too much for her, for a moment images and voices blended together. It was a split-second state of anxiety and she smiled so as not to offend Roman and quickly latched onto his lips. Roman realized that this was too much for Gerri and this was Gerri's way of shutting him up and this was one more ingredient to add to the battle in the morning. They both realized in that moment that their fears were not easy and learning about each other was going to be much harder than they thought.
They continued kissing passionately and a big question mark remained.
When they got out of the shower, lay down on the bed.
The romance and passion had ended in an instant and the truth had collapsed in the middle of the hotel room, but Gerri would not run away this time, there was a lot to talk about, but this time Gerri would get the love she deserved.
In the morning, Gerri's head was pounding like an elephant in the room, her head was pounding terribly, when she looked around, there was a real war going on... The night's glare began to flash rapidly in her brain... Gerri felt a tightness, a heaviness in the center of her chest. It wasn't regret, but the anxiety of not knowing what to do, of a woman who for the first time in her life had chosen herself... Roman smiled and turned to face Gerri.
"Thank God it wasn't a dream, you're still here."
They had both awakened from passion to reality, and the calm before the storm prevailed in the hotel room Gerri remained silent.
"You regret it, don't you?" Roman's voice trembled for a moment.
"For God's sake, Roman, you're not going to cry, are you?"
Roman was stunned, he pulled himself together.
"What are you trying to do? For your information, I'm not a child, and this is not child's play. I'm not a Band-Aid, and I'm not a sex toy. You're not being mean to me right now, you're being mean to yourself.... Why are you doing this, Gerri? We had a wonderful night... For God's sake look at your face, you're acting like we've committed murder."
Gerri stood up nervously and quickly pulled the satin cover over her.
"I saw too much last night of your body, don't worry."
"Don't be rude, Roman."
Roman stood up in anger.
"You don't run my life... You came to me with your own feet, you wanted me Gerri... I've wanted you for years but last night you wanted me. I didn't put a gun to your head... I didn't kill a man, I don't deserve this much punishment.
I know I'm not on cloud nine, I don't expect it, but I've done my time, it's been my curse all my life not to be loved, but you can't play games with me, Gerri. Last night we made love in sweat and lust. Now you can't look at me with a white face, disgusted, like it was a one-night stand."
Gerri was surprised by Roman's reaction and realized he was hurt.
"Roman, please calm down... I don't regret it but-"
"But what? There's always a but in your life Gerri, what is the but this time?"
Gerri's eyes welled up and she shouted. "I'm afraid to fall in love with you, idiot."
They were both silent for a moment, Gerri threw herself helplessly on the bed, Roman was still up and bewildered.
"Yes, I came willingly, I made love willingly, but last night, for the first time in my life, I chose myself, I chose my life... And to be in such a passionate love, I'm too old for that, Roman."
Roman laughed nervously, put on his shirt and answered Gerri as he put on his pants.
"Please don't play this old card with me... I know you, I've been in love with you for years... Love is not something to be afraid of and run away from... I told you once, don't fight me... I assure you it's harder to fight... You're not angry with me, but why this look of fear on your face? I don't deserve this after a wonderful sex, and I'm sure you don't deserve it either... Please know yourself and be confident. I told you, I said I will fight for you, but I won't stay in a heart where I'm not wanted Gerri... Be sure Of that."
Gerri was surprised, she had to admit that she had not expected this maturity from Roman. "Roman, I'm here, I don't regret it, I'm not afraid, I'm not running away... But I... Look Baird was different, I loved him... But with you I remember my womanhood, I feel the blood in my veins... Last night was different... I'm surprised because for the first time I feel happy."
Roman sat next to Gerri and held her hands tightly. "Then let us live each other, Gerri, let us live each other... For the first time in our lives there are no barriers... No secrets, no furtive glances. No other people's wisdom, just you and me... Let us see each other, let us hear each other... If we feel sad, let us feel sad together, let us make love... Let us fall in love... I deserve this from life now Gerri... Nothing happens fast because for years I have wanted and deserved you from life... Please let me be happy in this damn life"
A tear fell from Gerri's eye, she placed a kiss on Roman's lips and squeezed his hand tightly. "Okay... Let's try"
Roman let out the breath he was holding, a tear fell from his eye and he smiled
He kissed Gerri's lips passionately.
"I have to go now, Roman, but we'll talk again... This time I'm not running, I'm not hiding. I'm here... I'm ready... I'm with you."
Roman smiled happily. "I'm with you."
Gerri felt butterflies in her stomach as she left the hotel room.
When she got home, Marcia and Susan were out of the shower and Gerri closed the door quickly.
Susan and Marcia laughed. "You can come, Ger."
Gerri gave them both a mischievous expression. "Looks like you girls had a good night."
Susan smiled. "The lady who is speaking is not so different from us."
They laughed. Susan got dressed and kissed Marcia and left.
Marcia handed Gerri a cup of tea and she took a sip and lit a cigarette. "Spill the tea, sister."
Gerri giggled. "We made love."
Marcia clapped her hands in triumph and laughed. "Thank you for my birthday present."
Gerri laughed. "You're crazy, Marcia."
"Yes. Now, I want all the details."
"It was a dream night... Roman has changed so much, matured... And Marcia... He was incredible... Don't ask me any more please... God, it's so hot in the room."
"It's your fire, ma'am, because it's freezing... Besides, your eyes are shining, you don't need to explain, everything is clear."
Gerri covered her face with her hand as if she was embarrassed. "For God's sake, Marcia, please stop."
Marcia smiled. "I'm so glad you're happy, sweetheart... You finally got the love you deserved... Now give it time and trust your love... I have to go or I'll be late for work...
Susan is staying with us tonight, you know... I love you."
Gerri and Marcia hugged and Marcia left quickly.
Gerri threw herself on the bed, all the emotions swirling around her like a roller coster. She found herself smiling for a moment, she had seen Roman after so many years and last night she had met a different Gerri, a Gerri who was not afraid, a Gerri who put herself at the center of her life... She liked it, she was startled by the message, it was from Roman.
Roman: Thank you Gerri for last night, for everything, for your presence - I love you (I know you're scared but that's one of the things you have to get used to hear.) get some rest, we'll talk again.
Gerri replied back smiling so wide.
Gerri: You're so stupid, Roman. You get some rest too, stupid boy... Joking aside, I had a great night too. Thanks Roman.
I love you was a big word, she was scared, but she liked hearing it from Roman.
And their flirtation began.