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The party was winding down and everyone was coming down from the excitement. Spencer was not ready to call an end to this pretend date with the girl of his literal dreams, Trina Robinson. She looked so pretty and smelled so good, and when they danced together...she fit so perfectly in his arms. It was a struggle to remember it was all pretend. That this wasn’t really a date...that it was all to catch a killer. His heart sank when Trina took his hand and signaled that she was ready to call it a night. He followed her, not annoyed, but confused.
“I’m not complaining, but why are we back out here again? Weren’t you cold before?” Spencer voiced his confusion.
“The more PDA, the better. Right?” Trina slowly approached him. Trina knew it was pretend, but she couldn’t help but find small excuses, just to be close to Spencer. There was something about his chest. It was her most comfortable spot to cuddle...not that she had any rights to that, but...as long as they were pretending to be a couple, why not take advantage?
Spencer smiled, his arms seemingly ready for her. “Again. I am not complaining.”
Trina rested her head against his chest and he happily wrapped his arms around her, just allowing himself to forget that she wasn’t really his. That they were indeed together.
“We were convincing with the act, weren’t we?” Trina rambled, unlike Spencer, not daring to forget that it was pretend, reluctant to let go of that part of her heart that she had such a loose grip on. If he tugged just a bit more, she knew that she’d lose it to him, and right now...she couldn’t allow that.
“Mm-hmm”
“Do you think people suspect...that we’re more than friends?”
“Well, Maxie certainly does. Did you see how she looked at us? And I saw a few double takes when we went inside.”
“Me too,” Trina pulled away, her eyes wide with excitement. She had to admit, there was a thrill to this pretend dating. Heck, there was a thrill just being with Spencer. It had always been that way, ever since the moment he had approached outside of the Savoy under the guise of Victor. “And the GH crew was here and my mom says that they LOVE to gossip, so I’m sure that someone will be spilling the tea about Trina Robinson getting close to the infamous, recently jailed, Spencer Cassadine.”
Spencer laughed, loving the light in her eyes. How excited she seemed. She was a bright light in the fog, showing the way. “Along with that photo that ran in the invader, the two of us along with my grandmother.”
“Right.”
“And the post you made of us from the party. Before you know it, people will think we’re a couple.”
“Well, our interest is in a party of one,” He didn’t want to bring her up or say her name, but she was the reason they were here after all. “Esme.”
.
The name struck them both silent for a minute as they turned to watch the fireworks. He stood behind her while she stood at the railing.
“Wow, you can still see the fireworks from here. Maybe not up close but...still.”
“Lucky us. We have the deck all to ourselves,” There was a tension that had Spencer on edge. The world seemed too closed in...too much like the world was just the two of them. He had to pull himself back to reality...he couldn’t let himself forget that she wasn’t his. She may never be. He stepped away a little, needing a bit of space from the headiness of just being close to her. “It’s too bad that Brit’s not here. She’s really having a blast in there, huh?”
Trina laughed and turned to face him. “How can she not be? That party was fun.”
“It was right up Brit’s alley. It was over the top. It was outrageous, no apologies…”
“I can see why you guys like each other.”
“Yeah. When my father and Brit were engaged, I was thrilled. Brit seemed to me like the perfect stepmother. She wasn’t motherly by any stretch of the imagination, but she was like the world’s coolest friend. She never talked down to me. She got me. She still does,” Spencer paused, turning contemplative, the way he always seemed to do when talking about his past...and his father. “In a way, I’m glad that my father and Brit never made it to the altar. It would have hurt too much when they inevitably broke up.”
Trina’s heart hurt as she realized something. It was in his face, the heartbreak of a young boy who wanted a mother but was denied, even when the potential mother was someone he loved so much. It hurt to know that he hurt in ways she never did. “You never expect anything good to last, do you?”
Her beautiful brown eyes seemed to look deep into him and touch the most private parts of his psyche and it made him...have to walk away a little...put a small amount of distance between them. Trina Robinson had a way of bringing down his walls effortlessly, and once down...he couldn’t put them back up. Not with her.
“I know that I’ve lived a life of privilege. I have had every material thing just for the asking, so I’m not expecting you to feel sorry for me.” He loved her, but he didn’t want her pity. He wanted her heart, but he didn’t think he could gain it. He had messed that up...but he still wanted to be someone she could respect.
“Don’t worry. I don’t,” She didn’t pity him. She just felt for him. There was something about Spencer Cassadine that touched her heart in ways that it had never been touched before. She could never seem to turn away from him and she didn’t understand it...a part of her was afraid to, but there was another part that craved that connection….that wanted more. One thing was sure. Spencer was more than a filthy rich prince. He was so much more than a handsome face...and that’s what drew her in and refused to let go.
“I’m not making excuses, Trina. But my mother died the day I was born and my father has been inconsistent. People have come and gone from my life. People I care about and who I wanted to count on. The only person who had stayed was my grandmother, and she has been nothing short of wonderful. But aside from her, nothing good has ever really lasted.”
Trina again felt her heart constrict. She wanted more for Spencer. She wanted only good things for him, and she wanted them to last. He deserved it...that one good thing that lasted. That gave him hope and happiness. “Just because it’s been that way up to this point, doesn’t mean it’s going to be that way forever. You can still find something good to hold on to.”
Looking into those gorgeous Disney princess eyes of hers, Spencer found himself believing that. Drawn to her like a magnet, he stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers. “Well, when you say it, I almost believe it.”
Gazing into her eyes, Spencer felt his heart skipping a bit. Trina was that something good...that something good that he wanted to hold onto so badly...but could he, or would she slip through his fingers as well? Maybe she wouldn’t...maybe she could be held on to.
Trina felt the pull between them. She wanted to give Spencer that something good so badly. Maybe tonight...tonight will be the night she gave him that something good...gave him the heart that was already his, even though she had yet to admit it.
She closed her eyes as he got closer and closer...the moment they had both wanted so badly, yet kept missing was just about to happen when there was a loud noise and suddenly, it wasn’t just them on the deck anymore.
As always, Esme was there, once again pulling them away from something that was inevitable and would happen one day soon. Unfortunately, that soon wasn’t that night. But it would happen and when it did, their worlds will never be the same.