“I found it, Veronica,” Frank said and drew in a tired deep breath. “The ring. It fell out of your purse in the study, maybe when we were stripping our clothes off each other. I found it when I came back down to turn off the lights after you were already in bed,” he continued.
Veronica could do nothing but stare at him, her mind had stopped functioning.
“It’s a beautiful ring and I suppose congratulations are in order!” he added.
“Frank, I…” Veronica tried to formulate the words but he only waved his hand away like he didn’t want her to bother with an explanation.
“Like I said, Veronica, I respect your decision. You’ve decided to marry him, and that’s fine. What I am concerned with is that you kept it from me and then proceeded to have sex with me, knowing fully well that you now officially belong to another man,” he said and turned away from her with a jerk, to pour himself another drink.
Veronica stepped towards him when his back was turned, in the hopes that she might be able to find the words to explain it to him better. She wanted to get closer to him.
“I wanted to, Frank…I really did,” she muttered and he turned to look at her again.
“But you didn’t, did you?” he said and Veronica noted how completely calm he sounded, despite the anger she could see in his eyes.
“You told me that you didn’t want to hear the details then, not before we made love first,” she argued in a strained voice and Frank sighed and shook his head.
“When your first words weren’t - it’s over between us Frank, I assumed that there was no reason for us to not continue as usual,” he said, his voice rising a little but within seconds he had calmed himself back down. “I had no reason to believe that anything had changed. I asked you to spare me the details of an awkward date with an ex boyfriend, not spare me the most important detail; that you are now engaged to the man I thought you were going to break up with,” he said and with a huff he shook his head, as though there was something funny about that.
Veronica stared at him, her dark eyes widened, her breathing going heavy.
“I’m not engaged to him, Frank,” she said and suddenly the sarcastic smile from his face dropped.
“What was the ring for then? It certainly looks like an engagement ring to me,” he said and took a swig of his drink.
“Yes, Calvin did propose, but you should have asked me first Frank, instead of just assuming things,” Veronica said and now it was her turn to fold her arms over her chest. Frank followed her movements and she noticed the way he gazed for a few moments at her breasts before looking away. Despite the conversation they were having, Veronica was well aware of the existing sexual tension in the room.
“I haven’t given him an answer. He forced me to take the ring with me, to think over my decision. But last night, when we had sex, I wasn’t and am still not engaged,” she said.
A silence hung between them for a few seconds. Frank was breathing hard. She could see how his knuckles had turned white as he gripped the glass tightly in his hand. It was like he didn’t believe a word of what she was saying.
“Frank…” Veronica said, taking a few steps towards him. Thankfully he didn’t move away this time, but neither did he reach for her.
“I didn’t say yes because I’m torn, don’t you see that?” she said and he clenched his jaw.
“But you didn’t say no either,” he said and Veronica could only stare back at him.
In a flash he had slammed the glass down on the counter and taken two long steps in her direction. She was in his arms and Veronica let out a sigh of relief. She had spent the whole day yearning, craving for his touch and now finally she could have it.
“I’m sorry, Veronica. For losing my temper at you. I don’t want to push you to make a decision, that was not my intention,” he said and she looked up at him.
“I thought you didn’t care about me any more. That you were suddenly bored of me,” she said with a quivering lip. Frank lowered his face so he could kiss her. Their kiss this time was soft and meaningful. His hands remained on her arms, keeping her close to his chest. When he pulled away, Veronica looked up at him again.
“I haven't made my decision yet, because I don’t want to lose you, Frank,” she admitted and he nodded his head.
“But Calvin is the right choice for you, isn’t he?” he asked, and she noticed the change in his tone.
“We have a history together,” she said and Frank nodded his head.
“And no baggage,” he added and Veronica looked away from him.
He had tightened his grip on her arm and she could now feel his heart beating against hers.
“I don’t know what to do, Frank. I’m so sorry that it upsets you. I don’t mean to keep you hanging like this,” she said and Frank hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head so that he could look down at her face. A soft, encouraging smile had formed on his lips.
“You’re not keeping me hanging, Veronica. You’re only filling my life with joy. I was afraid of losing you too, which is why I got angry,” he said and she bit down on her lip. It was getting harder and harder for her to control the feelings of arousal that were coursing through her veins.
“You haven’t lost me yet, Frank,” she said, almost in a whisper and he smiled. His fingers found their way down, and then under her blouse till he found the snap of her bra. She felt her bra straps sliding down her arms. Frank helped to pull them off and they fell to the floor.