Shit...that is a shitty way to start a weekend...for them and us readers, lol.

Author's Response:

Hi there!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Right, on all counts.

Much more on the way,

XO

Ooooh my....

Ok, first of all if I could just say Beth is using the oldest tricks in the book and is an incredibly annoying character to say the least... Grrrrrr.... What's more annoying though and even more disappointing is how Rob is reacting to her.

Your Rob's right in that what Sean did to Sarah is between them. Of course it is. But he's wrong to try and twist this around and somehow use what happened to Sarah as anything in this conversation. I understand he's supposed to be young and he's probably never been in a serious relationship, and a long-distance one at that, especially with someone who is independent, doesn't fawn over him like a fangirl and appears to have a solid life of her own outside of him.

However someone who has been hurt like Sarah has, someone who has placed their trust on a person for years and has had that trust shattered and stepped on and ridiculed will be wary, to say the least, of giving pieces of their heart away in the future. And while that may be true and very obvious to the readers who are privy to Sarah's internal monologue and how she really felt during the whole Beth debacle, and while it's true she did hold her emotions in check and did hold back regarding what she shared with him and how this made her feel; it is not in any way true that a person with half a brain would not realise just how important it would be to her to not shake her trust in them on this particular subject. Rob did not need a degree in rocket science to figure out, from what Sarah did share with him (and share she did to an extent), that this was a very sensitive subject for her and it was crucial that he behave like someone who loves and cherishes her and would never walk all over her heart and trust. 

I think it's obvious Sarah has trust issues and that's very clear. It's also something she has been honest about from the get-go. It's also true that she has been trying to maintain her trust in Rob even through this Beth chaos and it would probably be true that if he had behaved like someone deserving of that trust, it would have been helpful to Sarah in the longterm too, in how she behaved and in rebuilding what Sean stomped on.

There are two awful parts in this chapter. And when I say awful I just mean very painful to read and I imagine painful to write too. The first one being how Rob used sex to deflect the conversation after throwing "doomsday" hints all week and how Sarah must feel afterwards when he finally starts the conversation with them in bed, naked and Sarah exposed and vulnerable to him literally and metaphorically speaking. And the second being that in some ways, for someone like Sarah, kissing Beth is a lot better than sleeping next to her as sleeping with her shows a level of intimacy that, frankly, would be highly disconcerting even if one hadn't been cheated on by their husband previously.

The fact that Rob acted so thoughtlessly is upsetting and a definite faux-pas in his part, but I suspect he didn't grasp just how upsetting his actions would be to Sarah until she laid it out for him. I sincerely hope he goes back to fight for her, although Sarah's walls might be up with a vengeance if he doesn't return asap and she gets a chance to recover from the state she's in and re-group.

I hope your Rob and Sarah find a way through the dark! But even they don't, can someone conk Beth on the head with something?!?! A saucepan? A giant blimp?!!

Can't wait for the next chapter!!!!!!!

Author's Response:

Hi hun!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

I think you are the first one to say that Rob is right in saying that Sean is standing between them, so thank you for noticing that. It's something she doesn't want to admit-see, Rob's not the only one who has made mistakes.

Your insights are wonderful. I love each and every one of them. Yes-Sarah has shared, to an extent, her trust issues with him and he should have been thinking about that. You're also right about the awful parts of this chapter and I'm so glad you picked up on them. You're right, kissing Beth is one thing, falling asleep with her is quite another.

You're also right about him not grasping just how much this would upset her. Having not gone through something like she has, its difficult for anyone to understand how your ability to trust is completely and totally ruined and it takes a very long time to recover.

*Hands you saucepan*

Hope you continue to read and review! I absolutely love your insight into these two!

XO

Les

Oh my.... that was, awful.  I have no words for how badly Rob just screwed up.  I feel so badly for Jen -- and the boys are going to be crushed, too.  But I totally get where she's coming from.  If you don't have trust in a relationship, especially a long distance one, it will never work.  

Poor Jen, I think we both need a hug.  ;(

Author's Response:

Hi there hun!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Yeah- he's screwed up- he's not perfect. Trust is required - from both sides

Sends *hugs*

XO

YOU!!!  You...suck! lol, I really thought Rob was at the door. I even read the line twice and I could see him in my mind standing at her door, hot as hell.  Freakin' dreams!

Author's Response:

Oh dear... I suck? Hmmm - yeah, dreams get in the way sometimes.

Lots more on the way.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Cheers,

Les

Damn, I thought he caught The Red Eye, and was w/ her.  HE SHOULD BE.

Author's Response:

Hi there!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

HE SHOULD BE--- yes! He should! Hmmm - let's see what I can do to make that happen.

XO

Les

OMK Les!

This chapter must have been hard for you to write, because it was surely hard for me to read. Such worry and insecurity for Sarah! And for Rob, too!

I can imagine the feelings that tore through Sarah when Rob told her: "She kissed me." The heat and tinglin' that spread from head to toe and the loss of breath and then the shakin' and buzzin' in the ears. The brain cryin' out "Noooo!" Not a good feelin' at all! All in just a few seconds. Then she takes a deep breath and is able to talk, barely. That's what I felt as I read those first few sentences.

I'm peplexed by Rob's reactions to Sarah's fearful questioning. If he's so in love with her, how can he even consider keepin' Beth, even as a friend, knowin' how Sarah feels about her. I know that she hadn't made her feelin's clear about this latest stunt, but he knows about her feelin's about the past shennigans.

She tells him to find Beth, talk to her and then call her, hangin' up in tears. After that traumatic phone call, Sarah lets all the past come back and slap her in the face, causing her to doubt...not Rob and his love for her...the viability of their relationship. When he doesn't call for over 24 hours, she begins to totally shut down, goin' through her routine by rote. Then he doesn't answer her text right away, and she sinks even lower.

The invitation to go out with the team from the office has her callin' Anne to join them. She needs her best friend. I agree with Anne that Sarah needed to tell Rob exactly how she was feein' at the moment, let him know that she is shaken. 

Sean is a complete ass!

Finally he calls!

Aww, poor Beth cries when Rob tells her he can never love her the way she wants him too, tsk tsk! Rob FINALLY realizes that Sarah...and everyone else...was right about Beth! DUH!!!

Then he gets all possessive and jealous when Trav tries to get Sarah to go with him and Anne. But when he comes back with this:  "She started it, for the record" I cringed. Oh, no Rob!! This causes Sarah to start imagining the worst. 

Sarah runnin' into the parkin' meter kind of defuses the tension and she promises to call him later, after she gets home. That call, although still a bit tense, starts them both back to where they need to be. she finally tells him how she feels and admits that she's scared and doesn't want to lose him. They redeclare their love and are finally able to talk rationally. He finally helps her to sleep by stayin' on the phone. 

I really thought that he had bitten the bullet and flown in to her and when it was a dream, I just sighed.

Okay, now that I've written a synopsis of this amazin' chapter...with a few observations thrown in...I want to say how much I enjoy your imagination and style. You are simply awesome at putting the reader right into the heart of the story! Thank you, Les, for sharin' with us! 

So, darlin' I amd (im)patiently waitin' for MORE PLEASE! ASAP.

Love you!

Ellen xx

 

Author's Response:

Hi Ellen!

Oh, my dear, how I love you and your reviews. I'm always so excited to hear your take on these two.

You've captured exactly what Sarah was feeling when he said those words. And Rob-well, he has a long history with Beth and he definitely has some groveling to do! Men screw up from time to time-unfortunately for Rob, Sarah may just have a harder time with this than he realizes. It's difficult to understand how insecure she actually is if you haven't gone through something like she has yourself. Sean (you're right, he is a complete ass!) took everything from her and while she has started to rebuild herself, that pain is real.

She doesn't want to lose him, you're right about that, and her admitting that to him is another massive step for her.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review. Your words and support mean the world to me.

I hope you continue to enjoy these two; although, I have to tell you, their road may not always be a smooth one.

XO

Love, Leslie

 

Well, this one was tough to get through. I feel worn out! Was it hard to write? I think he should just forget about keeping Beth as a friend. He can see his other friends when she is not around. He is not home much anyway!

Author's Response:

Hi there!

Oh, no! I wore you out? Sorry about that! It was very hard to write, for sure-there's a lot of emotions in this chapter and I hope they all came through.

It's going to be hard for him to forget about Beth. She's part of his inner circle of friends, and that means, she's not going away any time soon.

Lots more on the way.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.

XO

 

I can understand why she is so stressed out.  They are really going to have to be on top of the communication if they want things to work.  I don't think I could be around Beth without clocking her ass.

Author's Response:

Hi there,

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

LOL-Oh! There's a line forming for wanting to harm Beth.

You are so right, they are going to need to talk about this, and soon!

Lots more on the way.

XO

AUgfgdjhgjhhjgjhbhh!! Beth kissed him!!!

Gah, poor Sarah. Her old insecurities boiled to the surface so quickly. Even though she knew Rob loved her, she couldn't help but worry and let her defenses go up again. And why wouldn't she? Beth is a clever girl. Grrr!

Phew, I was so relieved when he finally called her. Even if she was drunk and big muscly Travis was there. But eeek, "She started it", Rob!? I'm with Sarah. What does that mean!? Uh-oh!

Ooh, the last part of the chapter nearly killed me. He's here!! Yay! Oh wait, no he's not. Boooo. Sigh, such a roller-coaster of emotions. You wrote this chapter so well. I can't wait to see what happens next... Something tells me it might not be good! Eeeek!

Sorry for my rambling review. I think I need to process the chapter a bit more. Loved it though, thank you! x

 

Author's Response:

Hi hun!

dlfjeojfald;fmad;sfkasfjdfn Yes! LOL

I love your reviews. I just love them! It's exactly how I felt when I wrote it-a full range of emotions for her and for him.

Oh, these two need to have a talk... that's coming up... (*whispers more EEEKs may occur*)

Lots more on the way.

XO

Les

Oh Sarah, please don't begin to doubt what you have with Rob.  I knew Beth was going to be trouble, turning up out of the blue like that.  Has she gone home already, Rob didn't say and Sarah never asked, I would have done, ask that is.  Sarah and Rob really need to talk more about this, Sarah needs to tell Rob exactly how she feels. 

I feel it's getting to crunch time and they really need to sort out if they are going to be committed to each other (Rob's already mentioned marriage and how Sarah might feel about it) how this is going to work out further for them, whether Sarah feels that she can move herself and the boys to LA or whether they continue with the long distance relationship.

I'm glad that Sarah has her best friend Anne to talk to, she always seems to tell her straight.  Looking forward to the next chapter.  Jane x

Author's Response:

Hi Jane!

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing.

You are right- they need to talk about this and hash it out before they can move forward.

Lots of decisions to be made by both of them and not easy ones.

Anne is a godsend to Sarah-always telling her like it is!

Lots more on the way.

XO

Leslie

Oh no, don't leave me hanging like that!  You've got me way too invested in this relationship :-)

Author's Response:

Hi there!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Oh, you know I love to leave you hanging!

Lots more on the way for these two.

XO

love it

Author's Response:

:)

So glad that you are loving it!

XO

Hmmm ... I think I need another update, that one hurt too much!!

Author's Response:

Hi there,

Hmmmm... update is on the way.

Hope your not too hurt.

XO