I Heard it Through the Grapevine
The gentle crash and hiss of waves on a pebbly beach accompanied by the shrill, piercing call of seagulls filtered through the open window of a small room. The room in question was just big enough for a double bed, a dresser, and a washstand. Bright morning sunshine filled the room with a rosy glow, but the man sitting on the side of the bed failed to notice all these signs of dawn.
Despite how comfortable the bed looked, it remained nearly as pristine as when he entered the room. Only the wrinkles from him sitting on the edge marred its appearance. He had spent all night in a stupor, unable to bring himself to actually climb into bed. His thoughts and emotions had been in too much turmoil to allow him to sleep anyway. He looked up at the sound of the doorknob turning.
“Where were you last night?”
The question was simple and he already knew the answer, but he wanted to give his lover the chance to be truthful.
“Out and about,” the red-haired beauty shrugged as she closed the door behind her and locked the latch. She balanced on one foot and removed the boot from the other, then repeated the process for the other boot. Smiling, she approached the man sitting on the bed. She straddled his lap and caressed his face. “What did you do last night, Ivan?”
He pushed her away and stood to his feet. “I know where you were and what you were doing, Scarlet.”
She stepped back for a moment, then tried again. “Whatever you think I was doing, you’re wrong. I had business to attend to, that’s all.” She reached up once more to caress his face, trying to calm him.
“Scarlet, enough!” He took her by the hands and held them firmly in his, “Do you even wonder how I knew about your plans to make me blue? There’s some other guy that you knew before, but baby, you know I love you more. Gotta say I was surprised when I found out yesterday night. I thought you were different, that you’d be loyal.”
At the last statement her green eyes flashed in anger, “Loyal? Did you think I was yours exclusively? When did we agree to that?” She pulled her hands out of his and went over to the window to gaze out to sea.
A man ain’t supposed to cry, he reminded himself, but he couldn’t hold the tears inside. He sighed and walked up behind her, “Losing you would end my life. That’s how much you mean to me.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him, “You could have told me yourself, Scarlet. Instead, I heard it through the grapevine that not much longer would you be mine.”
She looked up at him, “People say to believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Have I given you cause to doubt me? Why would you even listen to rumors if you love me so much?”
He sighed and returned her gaze, “I can’t help being confused. If it’s true, please, just tell me, dear. Do you plan to let me go for the other guy? I’m about to lose my mind over this. I need to know for sure.”
In answer, Scarlet raised up on her tiptoes and kissed him fully. “That’s not a promise to stay, Ivan, but you need to stop listening to the grapevine.”
He looked at her in doubt for a moment longer, then scooped her up in his arms and kissed her while carrying her to the bed. They had a whole night to catch up on.
((Note: there are numerous lines from the song “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” as performed by Marvin Gaye used or referenced in this story. Virtual cookies for whoever can tell me how many I used, just catch me in chat or something. Extra virtual cookies if you don't have to look up the lyrics to answer how many I used.))