Chapter 102

Liz walked into her house, looking through the mail. “Stupid bills,” she grumbled, shutting the door behind her as the phone started to ring. She dropped the stack of envelopes on a nearby table and rushed to pick it up, secretly hoping it was Lucky. Two weeks had passed since she returned to Port Charles, and they had only spoken twice. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed him.

“Hello?”

“Hey darlin, you okay?” Luke asked. “You sound like you just ran a marathon!”

She smiled and sank onto the couch. “I’m fine. I just got home, that’s all. What’s up?”

“I just thought I’d call to see how you’re doing. You holding up okay?” He knew she was probably fine, but this was his way of making sure she didn’t forget about her marriage to Lucky. Plus, he was starting to get the feeling that she wasn’t acting quite as much as she used to when she would say she missed him.

Liz chuckled softly and shook her head. He never gave up, even when Lucky was gone. “Really, I’m fine. I miss him, but it’s only one more week. I think I can make it.”

“You know you can call Laura and me anytime.”

“I know. Thanks, Luke.”

“Ah-ah, what did I tell you about that?” he scolded, trying not to laugh.

Liz rolled her eyes and sighed. “Sorry. Thanks, Dad.”

Luke laughed softly. “That’s better. Hey, if you hear from the cowboy, tell him his mother misses him.”

“I will. I’ll tell him you do, too,” she teased.

“If you must. Hang in there.”

“Bye, Lu- um, Dad.”

“There ya go. Bye, darlin.”

Liz hung up and reached over for the stack of mail she had dropped earlier, sorting through it to see if there was anything interesting. She knew Luke meant well, but his constant calls were starting to get tiresome. Sometimes she wished she could just tell him she knew that he knew the truth about them, so she could stop pretending, but she had promised Lucky she would go along with his plan, so she was stuck playing the lonely wife for another week longer.

“What’s this?” she muttered to herself, coming upon a small padded envelope near the bottom of the pile. She set the rest of the mail next to her and studied it. It was addressed to “Elizabeth Spencer”, but had no return address, aside from a Miami postmark.

“I don’t know anyone in Miami...and no one there knows me as a Spencer!” She tore it open and emptied the contents into her lap. There was a short letter and a cassette tape. She picked up the letter and started to read it.

Dear Liz,

It was wonderful meeting you after the AMAs. I’m sorry you had to leave so soon, I hope that you are feeling better now. I realize how hard it is to be separated from the one that you love, especially for as long as you will be while Lucky finishes his tour.

I just completed a new song, and thought it would perfectly suit your situation, so I am sending along a copy to you in the hopes that it helps to raise your spirits. I’m sure Lucky is missing you like crazy as well, so just hang in there and you will be back together before you know it.

I’ve known Lucky for a long time, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen him as happy as he was with you in New York. He is certainly living up to his name, and I wish you both every happiness.

Lots of love,
Miguel Morez

This world don't turn when you're not in my arms
The sun don't shine whenever I'm without you
And there's an empty space inside my heart
When you're gone
And whenever you're gone, it's too long
And the waiting is driving me crazy
Baby, I'm not alive
Till you're here by my side, oh

I count the minutes
I count the hours
I count the seconds
Till you're here by my side again
And every minute
Goes on for hours
Until you're with me
Till I look in your eyes again
And time is standing still till you're here with me
I need your love to set me free, set me free

Each night's a lifetime when I'm not with you
And every day just seems to take forever
I'm missing when I should be kissing you
I can't wait
'Cause I live for the love that we make
I can't breathe till I feel you beside me
And I'm lost in the dark
Till you're here in my arms, oh

I count the minutes
I count the hours
I count the seconds
Till you're here by my side again
And every minute
Goes on for hours
Until you're with me
Till I look in your eyes again
And time is standing still till you're here with me
I need your love to set me free, set me free

~*~

I can't wait a minute more
Just to touch you
'Cause I love you baby
Don't make me stay away from you too long
'Cause this waiting is driving me crazy
Baby I'm not alive
Till you're here by my side
Here by my side

I count the minutes
I count the hours
I count the seconds
Till you're here by my side again
And every minute
Goes on for hours
Until you're with me
Till I look in your eyes again
And time is standing still till you're here with me
I need your love to set me free, set me free

Lucky shut off the stereo and leaned back against his headboard. Miguel had sent the package to the concert hall he was playing at last night, but he had been too exhausted to even open it until now. After a few interviews that morning, he finally had some time to himself, so he had opened the letter, hoping it would help take his mind off of Elizabeth.

As long as he kept himself busy, he managed to distract himself enough to keep from missing her too much, but it was these times when he was free to be alone that really got him. He had been fighting the urge for days to call her, not wanting to crowd her or make her suspicious of his feelings. She had made it perfectly clear that she just wanted the divorce to be over with, so he tried to ignore the fact that he was falling in love with her. It wasn’t working. Every day felt like an eternity, and there was still one week left of the tour before he could return to Port Charles and see her again.

Listening to Miguel’s song just made things worse. He sighed and looked at his watch. It was late afternoon, so either she’d be at work, or she’d be getting home from the morning shift. Deciding to take a chance, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. She answered right away.

“Hello?” she said after sniffing quickly. Her voice sounded like she had been crying.

“Elizabeth, are you okay?” Lucky asked, instantly worried about her.

She smiled, suddenly feeling much better. Miguel’s song had gotten to her more than she cared to admit, but hearing Lucky’s voice quickly cured her of that. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m surprised you called. Is everything all right?”

“I guess. I’m starting to get tired of this tour, though. I miss...” he caught himself and thought of a fast cover-up, “...my vacation. I had forgotten how hectic touring is. I’m looking forward to coming home next week.”

Liz smiled, happy to hear that, even if his reasons weren’t the same as hers. “Me too. I mean, once you’re back, Luke will stop calling me all the time to see if I’m okay. I was wrong to think this would be a break from our act. Every time I turn around, someone’s watching me, expecting me to be all depressed because you’re gone, so I feel like I’m working harder at this now that I was when you were here!”

Lucky laughed softly. “Don’t worry, I have to do the same thing. Reporters keep asking me if I miss you, and Charisma’s constantly trying to cheer me up. It’s driving me crazy.”

“At least I feel better knowing you’re going through the same thing,” she sighed, looking at the letter from Miguel, which she was still holding. “I talked to Alexis yesterday, she’s almost done with the paperwork.”

“Oh, well, that’s good, right? I mean, it’ll probably be ready by the time I get back.” He tried to sound happy about the news, but wasn’t sure if it was working.

“Yeah, probably,” Liz said, wishing he hadn’t sounded so happy. No matter what she did, she couldn’t stop wanting him to share her feelings, to tell her that he had fallen for her. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen, but nothing she did could stop her from feeling the way she did about him. She figured it was just one more reason to hate him when this was all over with.

“I guess I better let you go,” Lucky sighed. “I’m sure you have better things to do than talk to me, and Charisma’s not here, so there’s really no reason for me to have called you.”

“Then why did you?”

“I don’t know, I guess I got bored.”

“Oh, well, I guess I’ll talk to you later, then. Bye, Lucky.”

“Bye, Elizabeth. I lo- um, I’ll see you later.” He hung up and covered his face, embarrassed that he had almost told her that he loved her, especially after admitting that no one else was in the room. He sighed and reached for his guitar, figuring he might as well kill some time by working on some new songs. At least that would keep his mind off of her, or so he hoped.

[Song Credit: “I Count the Minutes” by: Diane Warren, © 1999 Realsongs. From Ricky Martin’s album, “Ricky Martin”]

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