“Hey, I’m not complaining. I kind of like your possessive side,” she said, petting the scruff of my jaw. “Want to tell me about your dream?”
It wasn’t that there was anything terrible about the dream; it hadn’t been a nightmare. But it felt real, and that freaked me out a little bit. I needed time to process it for myself before I shared it with her, if I ever shared it with her. No use in freaking her out, too. So however noncommunicative it might have been, I shook my head, choosing to hold on to the dream for myself a little while longer.
Just then the alarm clock on the bedside table went off, its deafening screech piercing through the silence of the room and effectively ending the moment. Lanie pressed her forehead to my chest and we both groaned in protest, knowing it was symbolic of our separation. I had to go to work, and she had to go be with her family. Neither of us was happy about it, but it was what we had to do until we could be together on a more permanent basis.
I smacked at the alarm clock, shutting it the fuck up as it fell to the floor with a thud. We didn’t need the reminder, but it was there, looming like a guillotine in front of a prisoner on death row. Because that was what it felt like. To be without her would be just like having my head severed from my body. Or maybe having my heart ripped out would be a more apt description, because she was definitely taking it with her.
“I love you,” she mumbled into my chest as I rubbed the satin skin of her naked back.
“I know,” I answered, kissing the crown of her head. “I love you, too.”
She looked up at me, her eyes set on mine with a look of conviction. “I know,” she said, and the weight of the world melted away as we sealed our declaration with a kiss.
It wasn’t a kiss to say goodbye, and it wasn’t a kiss meant to arouse each other, although I was most certainly sporting a hard-on of epic proportions. That kiss was a promise. It said we knew we’d be together, that we meant all the words we’d uttered, that we were in love, and that we would overcome any and every obstacle that stood in our way, no matter what life threw at us. Because however fucked up things between us might have started out, from mud and murk the red flower would bloom.
I finally got it.
6: Busted!
Lanie
I did my best to hold the tears at bay as I finished packing up the last of my things. I knew I’d be back, but it was still hard. I had made yet another trip into the closet to get the last of my jeans when the white shirt I’d worn the night Noah decided to have me for dessert caught my eye. I let my fingers dance along the sleeve, remembering the look on his face when I’d walked in wearing nothing but that. I’d hated him at the time, but even I couldn’t deny the sexual attraction that hung thick in the air between us. The Cooch fully agreed and encouraged me to swipe the shirt off the hanger and pack it, too. I did. Noah would never miss it. He had a ton of clothes, and to him, that one shirt was like a single snowflake among an avalanche of others. To me, it was priceless.
Noah came out of the bathroom wearing a V-necked T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers. His hair was still wet from our morning shower, sticking up in every different direction. He’d obviously decided to forgo the shave, but I wasn’t complaining. I loved his scruffiness.
“A little underdressed for the office, don’t you think?” I smiled at him as I stuffed his shirt and the last of my clothes inside my bag and zipped it.
He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and hugged me close. I could smell the light scent of cologne and body wash, and I inhaled deeply, committing every little nuance to memory. Like I’d ever forget.
“Yes, but it’s the perfect attire for taking my girl back to her folks’ house.”
I covered his arms with mine and turned my head to look at him. “You’re playing hooky?”
“Mmm-hmm.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I want to spend every last second I can with you. They can do without me for another day.” Noah rested his chin on my shoulder and looked down at my bag. “How in the world did you manage to fit all of your clothes in there?”
“I didn’t pack everything,” I said with a shrug. “Fancy clothes aren’t exactly a necessity in Hillsboro. It’s just a little town. We don’t even have a mall. Can you see me walking around the grocery store in spike heels and a short skirt?”
Noah hummed dreamily and pushed his hips into my backside. I took that as a yes, as did the little hoochie between my legs. The Cooch purred and tried like hell to get me to rub up against his cock like a kitten searching for attention. He would’ve given it, too, which would have been counterproductive to ever leaving the bedroom again. Not that I had any qualms about having yet another round with the Wonder Peen, but my mother needed someone at home to help out, and my dad deserved the break.
“We’re never going to make it out of here if you keep doing stuff like that,” I warned.
The Cooch was all, Yeah that’s sort of the point, dumbass. Scrogg his ever-loving brains out for Christ’s sake!
Realizing that I really hadn’t packed much, and wanting to mess with Noah a bit, I exaggerated a sigh. “I will eventually have to go shopping, since you discarded all the things I brought with me originally.”
Noah buried his face in my neck and groaned, which made me giggle. He clearly felt like a jerk for doing it, which I happened to find incredibly cute. I turned in his arms and cupped his face in my hands.
“I love you,” I reminded him.
Noah looked at me adoringly. “And I’ll never get tired of hearing you say those words. Here,” he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. He plucked a little black metal card out and handed it to me. “I want you to have this for clothes or anything else you might need or want.”
“A credit card, Noah? Don’t you think you’ve given me enough already?”
“Hey,” he said, taking my chin in his fingers. “I thought we already went over this. You’re my woman to take care of, and I intend to do so quite thoroughly. I don’t want to hear any complaints about it.”
He gave me a chaste kiss and then grabbed the strap of my bag and hooked it over his shoulder. Holding his hand out for mine, he said, “Ready?”
I took his offered hand because I always would. I had no idea what was ahead for us, but I knew that as long as he was holding my hand, I’d follow him through the darkest of nights, because somewhere at the end of our journey, there would be light.