Writer's Block

When you see the best in people, you just might find love.

    “Excuse me, is it ok if I sit here?” someone said to me, while I was looking down at my book writing with my meatloaf sandwich.

    “Sure,” I said not even looking up.

    “You must either be new or an intern, or have no life at all,” he said.

    “What?” I said, looking up at him. That’s when I realized that Allen Daniels was talking to me. Not only was he a well-known writer, but he was also a constant target of my boss, Sasha, who hated him for some reason.

    “Oh. I’m sorry,” he said. “How bold of me. I’m Allen Daniels. You’re Sasha’s intern right?”

    “Yes,” I said. “I really enjoy your writing.”

    “Thank you,” he said. “I figured you were an intern. They are the only ones who write to improved their skills and because love writing.”   

    “I definitely love writing,” I said. “Im Rose Marx by the way.”

    “Beautiful name,” he said. “I see you also brought your lunch.”   

    “Yes,” I said. “I really wanted these leftovers.” He laughed.

    “That’s funny,” he said. “You probably need some relief after working with Sasha. And Nancy. I’m surprised they haven’t made you one of them.”

    “What do you mean?” I said.

    “Well, if you are wondering why Sasha hates me so much, it’s because she says that I ruined her marriage.”

    “Did you?” I asked curiously.

    “We had a relationship. Then I found out that she was married. I apologized to her husband and he divorced her. I was 21, fresh out of college. I knew nothing about life. That was four years ago. Honestly, I think she might still want me but I am so over her.”

    “That explains a lot,” I said.

    “Well, it’s time for me to be getting back,” Allen said. “It’s nice to finally talk to you, Rose. I’ve been seeing you around and I’m glad I got to formally meet you.”

    “Why did it take so long?” I asked.

    “Well, mostly Sasha,” he said.

    “What made you stop this time?” I asked.

    “Anyone writing with a meatloaf sandwich is worth getting to know,” Allen said. “Here’s my card. I’ll see you around Rose.” And he was gone.

    For the next three months, I slowly got to know Allen. He was totally different from how most of the girls described him. I imagined he’d be a womanizer with a lot of charm. He was a gentlemen who texted me, called me, and ate lunch with me alot.

    The first time Allen came up to where I was working was kind of funny. Even so, I didnt notice anything negative about him. Just silly.

    “Hello Nancy,” he said, going over to her desk. “You’re looking well today. Is Sasha here?”

    “No, Sasha is in a meeting,” Nancy said. “What do you want, Daniels?”

    “Well, I need her to look at some of these articles,” he said.

    “Leave them with Rose,” Nancy said.

    Allen came right over to my desk and stood behind me, smiling.

    “Hi Allen,” I said, smiling at him.

    “Hi Rosie,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “How are you?”

    “I’m good,” I said, trying to look busy.

    “Great,” he said. “I read that short story you sent me. It was really good.”

    “Thanks,” I said, trying not to smile. Nancy was looking like she was completely shocked at what was unfolding in front of her.

    “So I was wondering if you want to go out to dinner with me. I mean, it’s totally ok if you don’t want to right now, I’ll ask you again,” he said.

    “You and your nonchalantness,” I said, giggling. “Yes, I’d love to.”

    “Great. I have the perfect place,” he said, excitedly.

    “Ok,” I said. “Looking forward to it.”

    “Is tomorrow night ok?” he asked.

    “Yes,” I said.

    “Ok. I’ll pick you up at 6,” he said.

    “Ok,” I said. He kissed my hand and then he was gone.

    I must have been smiling really hard. Nancy just sat there looking at me. When Sasha came back, Nancy practically ran into her office, likely to tell her what happened while she was gone.

    Before I left that afternoon, I went out into the courtyard. Not shockingly, Allen was sitting out there too.

    “Hey,” I said. He looked up from his phone.

    “Hi,” he said. “Are you off yet?”

    “I’m taking my last break,” I said.

    “Have you ever seen the waterfall?” he asked.

    “No. I’ve heard about it, but I can’t find it,” I said.

    It was true. It wasn’t a secret, but it was hard to find. Allen got up and held my hand as we walked through the courtyard. It wasnt anything special, but it made me feel special.

    We finally got down to the waterfall. It was beautiful. I was so mesmerized by it.

    “You like it?” Allen said as we stood in front of it.

    “The photos do it no justice,” I said.

    “It was made to inspire us. Mostly to help with writer’s block. Some people come down here to do their pieces or for a moment of peace.”

    “I can see that,” I said.

    “It’s a lot like you,” Allen said, wrapping his arms around me. “You appreciate the simple things in life. And you inspire others too.”

    “I dont know about inspiring others,” I said.

    “Well, I’m inspired by you,” Allen said.

    Allen walked me all the way back to my desk, where Sasha and Nancy were talking.

    “So, what are your plans for tonight?” I asked.

    “Nothing really,” he said.

    “Do you want to just hang out?” I asked.

    “Of course,” he said. “I’ll go get my stuff and meet you back here in 10 minutes.”

    “Ok,” I said as he left quickly.

    “So, Allen has got you under his tricks,” Sasha said, coming from out of nowhere.

    “No. I’m not easily fooled,” I told her.

    “Neither were the others. He’s a player. Do you honestly feel like you are any different than all the others?” Sasha said.

    That made me a little uneasy. Like she’d seen the cycle before. That made me wonder. Not only about what would happen, but about my feelings. Was I just a special challenge? Did the last three months mean anything to him? All of this swirled around in my head as I waited for him.

    “What’s wrong?” he said as soon as he saw me.

    I wanted to tell him everything, but I didn’t. He went into Sasha’s office, then came out and we walked out to his car. He tried to hold my hand, but I didnt let him. The look on his face shattered my heart. He looked so sad. Like maybe this had happened before. That made me think about his high relationship turnover rate. They all thought and sounded like Sasha. Which made me come to the conclusion that Sasha influenced these girls like she tried to do to me. She probably wanted him back, like Allen said and sabotaged all of the girls so she would be the only one left. That hurt me.

    When he opened the door for me, he still smiled at me. I smiled at him and his face lit up. And I lost it. I broke down crying. At first, he was shocked, but then he wrapped his arms around me. He kept telling me that it was ok. I stood there for a few good minutes crying into his chest.

    “Hey, it’s ok,” Allen said.

    “It’s not ok,” I said. “I let her get to me. And you have been nothing but great to me. I’m so sorry.”

    “No I’m sorry,” he said. “I know how Sasha is. I put you in this situation. I shouldnt have asked you out in front of Nancy. I just really like you.”

    “I really like you too,” I said.

    “The last thing I want to do is hurt you,” he said, holding my hands. “Out of all the ones that got away, I dont want to mess this up.”

    I smiled again, which made him smile too. He kissed my forehead. We went back down to the waterfall.

    “So, what did you have in mind for this evening?” Allen asked.

    “Well, my world isnt very exciting,” I said. “But my imagination is another story. Take out your camera.”

    I took off my jacket, my sweater, my purse, and my shoes and jumped into the waterfall. The water was super deep and naturally big.

    “You are crazy,” he said.

    “Come on in,” I said. “The water is fine. And it’s deep.”

    Allen gave me a look. So I gave him a look. He took off his clothes except his underwear and undershirt and jumped in too. He made a huge splash. He came back up laughing.

    “I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said.

    “Well, you just have to get out there and do it sometimes,” I said.

    I stood up closer to the edge and my pink dress clung to me. I was soaked, but I didnt care. He stood up too and pulled me close to him and kissed me very sweetly on my lips. His lips were so soft and he smiled so big afterward. We got out, put our clothes back on, and walked back to his car.

    Before we actually did anything, he stopped by his house and got some extra clothes. I guess our waterfall dive made him want to be prepared.

    After that, we went to my place. My place was a studio apartment not far from the office with a patio on the second floor that overlooked the neighborhood.

    “Wow,” he said coming inside. “This is where you live?”

    “Yup,” I said. “I’m very simple. I don’t need to clutter my life.”

    “That’s cool,” he said. “As stress free as possible.”

    “So, what do you want to do?” I asked.

    “I’m here in your world tonight,” he said. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.”

    “Well, I didnt really have anything in mind,” I said. “I just want to hang out here.”

    “Ok,” he said, a little puzzled.

    So I put on one of my long nightgowns and started cooking dinner.

    “Do you need any help?” he said coming into the kitchen. “I’m a pretty good cook.”

    “No,” I said. “I’m just going to put this in the oven from an hour. Can you make drinks?”

    “Absolutely,” he said.

    “Well, after dinner, you can make the drinks with dessert,” I said, putting the meatloaf in the oven.

    “Ok,” he said. He just stood there looking at me smiling.

    “What?” I said.

    “You are so beautiful,” he said. “Just inside and out.”

    “Well, thank you,” I said kissing him on the cheek and going back in the living room to crash on the couch.

    Allen come back in and we watched stupid movies until the timer for the oven went off.

    “That is not at all what I expected,” he said as we ate. “I guess after jumping in the waterfall, I expected more adventure. Not that this hasnt been great.”

    “I’m very adventurous,” I said. “But honestly, that was more poetic cliche. I love my quiet life. But it’s nice to have company.”

    “Well, I like your quiet life,” he said. “And your meatloaf.” We finished eatting and afterward I did the dishes.

    “Let’s go have drinks and dessert on the patio,” I said.

    “Ok,” he said as he was making the drinks.

    We went out on the patio and just talked for a while. It was a warm night.

    “So, you’ve always loved to write,” Allen said. “I only started to love writing when my mom got sick.”

    “That’s normal,” I said. “My aunt raised me. My mother died when I was four. I dont remember much about her except that she was a photographer. I started writing captions and stories behind her photos and then I just started writing. I’m more of a story writer. Not really that into magazine writing, but it’s a start.”

    “Yea,” he said. “You are one who writes with your heart. Have you been given any articles yet?”

    “No. I just edit,” I said. “I love editing. And there’s never a shortage of work on that front.”

    “Ok,” he said. “So, were you born here?”

    “Were you?” I asked facetiously.

    “No,” he said. “Ohio.”

    “Me neither,” I said. Wilmington, NC.”

    “So, you’re a beach girl?” he said.

    “Yea,” I said. “I lived there up until I moved here.”

    “Not too far away,” he said. “Would you move back?”

    “In a heartbeat,” I said, thinking about my aunt and uncle that I love and miss so much. “I miss my aunt and uncle. They still live there.”

    “Well, that’s good that they took you in,” he said. “Oh wow. Look at the time.”

    “You don’t have to go,” I said.

    “What do you mean?” Allen said.

    “You can stay if you want to,” I said.

    Allen looked at me kind of shocked.

    “Really?” he said. “Like that’s not weird for you? Have a man sleepover?”

    “No,” I said. “If it makes you nervous, you don’t have to stay.”

    “No, I want to stay,” he said.

    So, we went back inside and pulled out my bed, which was a very non-traditional, super comfortable sofa bed. I got in and he got in and he wrapped his arms around me.

    “Are you comfortable?” I said.

    “Oh yes,” he said. He kissed my cheek. I turned over so that I was facing him and he kissed my forehead. “Good night.”

    “Good night,” I said. As he drifted off to sleep, with me pressed up against his chest, something about that moment made me never want to sleep without him again.

    “I love you Allen.” I dont know if he heard me or not. I snuggled back up next to him and went to sleep.

    The next morning, I woke up to a big smile and his big brown eyes looking at me. I half-expected to wake up alone in my bed. Just seeing that he was still there made me smile.

    “Hi Allen,” I said. He kissed my nose. “How long have you been awake?”

    “I don’t know. You are so beautiful, I lost track of time,” he said. He leaned over and kissed me very sweetly on my lips. And then he kissed my neck.

    “We should get ready for work,” I said, stopping him before I didn’t want to. “You want breakfast?”

    “No I’ll pick something up,” he said.

    “Great, cause breakfast is not my thing,” I said, getting out of bed. He laughed.

    I folded up the bed while he showered. I wanted to peek, but I didn’t. THen I went to take a shower and when I came out, he was buttoning up his shirt.

    “So, we’re still on for tonight right?” he asked.

    “Of course,” I said, putting lotion on my legs.

    “Great,” he said.

Allen came up to me and kissed me. Like a real passionate kiss. Like he ended up pretty much on top of me.

“See ya later,” he said right before he left.

I got dressed and went to work and the whole office was brighter. It was Friday, so it was a heavy editing day, but I smiled through the whole day.

Right before lunch, I got a text message from Allen.

‘Hi Rose. Lunch?’ It made me smile.

‘Aren’t you tired of me?’ He sent back a smiley face.

‘I couldn’t get tired of you.’

‘I’m down for lunch.’

“So, Rose,” Nancy said. “I heard through the grapevine that you and Allen jumped into the waterfall yesterday.”

“We did,” I said, thinking about it smiling.

“How did he convince you to do that?” she said.

“Actually I did it,” I said. “He just followed.”

“Looks like the player has met his match,” Nancy said.

“No. He’s just misunderstood. He’s just a nice guy looking for a special girl,” I said.

“Well, from the look of it, he may have found her,” Nancy said going back to her desk.

“Hey,” he said coming into our section. “Are y’all having a good day?”

“Yes,” Nancy said. “Well, we were.”

“Very funny Nancy,” he said. “You ready for lunch?”

“Yup,” I said grabbing my purse.

“So are you allergic to anything?” he asked as we walked out to his car.

“Nope,” I said.

“Good,” he said. “Because I’m going to cook for you.”

“Well, lead the way, Chef Daniels,” I said grabbing his arm.

His place was only around the corner from the office also, but it was totally different from mine. His was a one bedroom loft. It was awesome though.

“I love this,” I said looking around.

“Thank you,” he said. “It’s great. I really love this place.”

Lunch was fun. We ate tacos and laughed a lot. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would believe Sasha’s claims that he is a womanizer. He had always from the beginning been a sweet and wonderful, gentle man to me. And I believed that that’s all he could have been.

“I will pick you up at 6,” he said, kissing me on the cheek when we got back to my desk.

“Looking forward to it,” I said.

“Same old Allen,” Sasha said. “He always was a sweetie.”

“Yea,” I said.

“You love him, don’t you?” Sasha asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I didn’t think I would.”

“Yea, me neither,” Sasha said. “Seeing him with you has really made me think. And I owe you an apology for what I said. He needs a girl like you.”

“Thanks Sasha,” I said, turning on my computer.

The rest of the day was very pleasant. Sasha and Nancy were super nice to me and I was busy with last minute Friday edits. Kept me occupied.

           When I got home that night, I went through my whole wardrobe looking for something to wear. I finally found a pink dress that I had not worn in a long time. When I put it on, I felt like the whole room lit up. I couldnt tell if it was the dress or thinking of what his face would look like when he saw me.

At 6:00, his little sports car pulled up and he got out. I was putting the last touches on my eyes and a twirl.

When I opened the door, Allen was standing there with a single yellow rose looking very nice.

“Hi Allen,” I said. Allen gave me a kiss and handed me the rose.

“Rose for a rose,” Allen said. “You look … amazing.”

“Thanks,” I said. “You clean up very nicely.

“You ready for my world?” he asked.

“Yup,” I said. He smiled and we were on our way.

We went to a nice fancy restaurant where he was very well-known. It was so beautiful. And the food was great. It wasn’t what I was used to but it was so fascinating for me.

“How do you like it?” he asked.

“I like it,” I said. “I like the atmosphere here.”

“It’s interesting quiet, like you,” he said.

“How did you find this place?” I asked. “And how does everyone know you so well?”

“I used to work here,” he said. “When I was in college. It was a great place to work. Most of the servers and cooks have been here over 10 years. I still come in here a lot. I sang a little and washed dishes mostly.”

“That’s great,” I said. “No wonder you come here all the time.”

“Yup,” he said.

“My first job was a camp counselor,” I said.

“You don’t seem the type,” Allen said.

“I love kids. Always have,” I said. “They are uncensored and fun. Especially five and six year olds.”

“Do you want any kids?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “If it ever happened, I wouldn’t be upset.”

“I would love to be a father,” he said. “A little girl to spoil and be her protector. Or a little guy who’ll grow up to be like me.”

“That’s so beautiful,” I said. It was at that moment that I realized the effect that Allen had on me. I thought about him holding our little girl who looks like me. And me hanging out with a rough and tumble AJ. Allen Jr…

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said. “Maybe I’ll be a regular now too.”

“Maybe,” he said. “So, you tired yet?”

“No,” I said.

“You have a bag with clothes in it, right?” he asked again.

“Yes,” I said again.

“Do you have to be home tonight? Or in the morning?” he asked.

“It’s Friday night, I have no plans other than being with you,” I said.

“Great,” he said. “Let’s go.”

So Allen and I got in his car and started driving. I never did ask where we were going, but it didnt matter. We just drove.

After a while, signs started looking familiar and I realized that we were headed towards my hometown.

It was midnight when we got to Wilmington.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked.

“Well, tonight, I have rented a pretty little house on the water. And tomorrow, we’re having lunch with your aunt and uncle,” Allen said.

“My aunt and uncle? Why?” I asked.

“Just felt like it was a good time,” he said.

Allen and I got to the little beach house and I was very shocked. It was a beach house that I knew very well.

“Allen? What the heck?” I said.

“You are a life writer,” he said. “I followed your short story.”

“But why?” I asked. “Why go through this much trouble?”

“Let me show you,” he said, holding out his hand to me. I took it and we went down to the water. “Look up.”

We looked up and all we could see were the stars. He put his arms around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder.

“Are you sure this is your world?” I asked.

“We are a lot more alike than you think,” he said.

All of a sudden, music started playing. It must have been coming from his phone.

“Will you dance with me?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said. He held my hands and I leaned on his chest. There couldn’t have been a more perfect moment straight from my heart.

We went inside and the first thing I did was take a shower. It just felt like the right thing to do. The water reminded me of dancing in the rain, which was one of my favorite things. Surprisingly, when I came out of the shower, it was raining outside.

    “It’s raining,” Allen said coming into the room.

    “I see,” I said.

    “Let’s go play in it,” he said. I put on my nightgown and he picked me up and took me out into the rain, laughing the whole time. I was kinda glad that I had brought two nightgowns. We ran around and got incredibly wet between the rain and the ocean.

    “You just love being wet, dont you?” I said.

    “Yes,” he said. He kissed me and didnt stop. So we were standing in the rain on the beach making out.

    When we got back in the house, I went in the bathroom to change and dry off.

    “You are so beautiful,” he said, looking at me smiling.

    “Really?” I said. “With my dripping wet hair.”

    “Yes,” he said. “Inside and out.”

    “Thanks,” I said. Allen came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. Looking in the mirror at the two of us made me smile.

    “I love you Allen,” I said. “You are just … so wonderful. You have exceeded my expectations many times over.”

    “Well, you make it easy,” he said. “Haven’t had a woman have so much faith in me and not just trust what Sasha has said.”

    Out of nowhere, I kissed him. And the light switch must have come on, because he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom and laid me down on the bed. He took my nightgown off and starting at my neck, worked his way down my body. He was so gentle and every motion was so innocent, not aggressive. Then when I thought he was going to go all the way, all of a sudden he was back up at my face, leaving a hickey on my neck and chest.

    “I love you Rose,” he said. “And I don’t want to be one of those guys.”

    I knew exactly what he meant. As far as he had gone in that one night, he didn’t want to actually have sex.

    “You’re not,” I said. “You could never be.”

    “So, you’re not disappointed?” he asked.

    “Of course not,” I said, kissing him again.

    Allen laid his head right on my chest, above my heart and closed his eyes as I wrapped my arms around him.

    “Your heartbeat is so calm,” he said.

    “You’re right,” I said. “We are more alike than we realized.”

    “What did I do to deserve you?” he asked as his eyes started to close.

    I kissed the top of his head and watched him fall asleep. I knew that after this night, I would never feel the same sleeping alone in my bed again.

    The next day began just like the one before it and ended with a locket and my aunt and uncle happy that someone had found me.

    Allen wasted no time. He proposed to me about two months later and we got married two months after that.

    “The joy in her eyes and the love it reflects tells a love story. She lays her head on my chest to listen to my heartbeat sync to hers. And I kiss her lips and then her belly as it grows from the love we have made. A double order of love that will laugh and love us too. My heart, my strength, my inspiration will always be this woman, this lady, this lover of mine who made me a Daddy.”

    “That’s beautiful,” I said, gently rubbing my growing baby bump.

    “So are you,” he said, kissing my baby bump.

    “What did I do to deserve you?” I said, laying on his chest.

    “Give me a chance to love you,” he said.

    “And now here we are, at the beginning again,” I said, smiling at my husband.