Love of Truth

by C. T. Oliver

  Turning around to meet his lip with mine, I move to straddle him, but he stops me with his hands roaming over my breasts and then down my stomach. When I think he’s going to reach where I want it most, a strong hand comes down my left leg, slowly kneading and messaging it. I gasp and break away from his lips.

  “Tease,” I growl in frustration as his laugh rumbles through my chest.

  I am dressed and presentable after some fooling around in the tub with Craig, but I ache everywhere and the soreness in my leg still lingers. I struggle to take the stairs with Craig hovering nearby keeping a close eye on me.

  Everyone is in the kitchen. Pen and Ben are making breakfast. Whispering back and forth a conversation. Blu is messing around with Cory’s hair while Cory plays with the puppies. Blu looks me in the eye and smirks.

  Blu sniffs dramatically. “You guys smell that?” He sniffs and pauses for affect. He gasps dramatically. “They had sex!”

  Cory bursts out laughing. “Is that why Shorty’s walkin’ funny?”

  I narrow my eyes at the guys. “Shut. Up. It’s been a while since I’ve worn heels and I got a charley horse this morning.” I flash Blu the bitch-you’re-dead glare.

  Blu snorts. “Heels?” He lets out a laugh. “I’m sorry, Mel, that’s hard to believe when you can run marathons in heels and still have a perfect pedicure, try again please.” He sits back into his chair and folds his arms in front of him with his own I-know-what-you-did-last-night-bitch glare.

  Well, HA! Little does he know it was technically morning. Specifically at 4:12, 5:32 and 7:08. Don’t ask me why I have a tendency to look at the clock before doing it. Maybe it’s so I can remember that I actually got some.

  Craig is no help at all with the, I-got-some grin smeared across his face.

  I ignore Blu and walk as gracefully as I can into the kitchen with my head held high while the pain shoots up my leg. It’s not that I care if everyone knows Craig and I are sleeping together, I’m just afraid that they’ll find out how frequent and strong my itches for him are. Such as now, while he’s reaching for my mug, a flash of his tanned stomach muscles show from under his shirt and I want to get down on my knees and lick that strip of skin then follow his happy tra—

  “Jesus! There are people trying to sit down to breakfast here, Mel.”

  “What?” Blu startles me out of my wet daydream.

  “You’ve been trying to put that piece of bread in the toaster for the last two minutes.” Blu’s eyes crinkle up as he starts to laugh. “No pun intended.”

  “Oh,” I look down seeing the slice of bread in my hand is about four inches away from the toaster and I let out a snort.

  Craig wraps his arm around my waist as his chuckles vibrate through me when he pulls me to him. “Amelia, go sit and I’ll make that for you.” He gives me a peck on the cheek and ushers me towards to the table.

  I hobble over and sit across from Blu who still has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. “How was dinner?” I try for a subject change.

  “Mary asked about you. Wanted to know why you weren’t there to have clam chowder,” Blu says with a sarcastic tone. “Told her you were showing Craig your own private clam shack.” Blu barely finishes the statement and Cory has milk coming out of his nose. I don’t have to look over to know Ben must be doubled over and Pen hiding her laughter.

  I look at Blu with a grin on my face. “Mmm, and it was a good shack, wasn’t it babe?” I look over at Craig with a dreamy look and a wider grin on my face. If you can’t beat them, join them.

  Craig walks over to me with satisfied grin on his face and gives me a kiss that expresses how good of a clam shack it was. “Sure was, baby.” He sits down next to me with my toast and hands me a banana with a wink. Craig looks over to Blu with a cocky grin on his face.

  Pen and Ben come over to the table with Pen’s loaded omelets. Pen makes the best eggs with whatever she can find in the fridge. Today that happens to be smoked salmon, spinach, and they are topped with a sour cream and chive sauce. Our breakfast is finishes off with Ben’s spicy bacon hash browns.

  Looking around the table I feel a little emotional being surrounded with my closest friends and for the first time in a long time, someone I’m starting to fall in love with.

  After five minutes of giving Craig my worst angry stare, he only leans in and kisses the pout off my lips.

  “I said no. You are not going for a run. What if you pull something and it ends up getting worse?”

  “Craig, this happens all the time. I’ll run and get my muscles warmed up and blood will flow and everything will be fine. I would really like to get some exercise.” I raise my hands to my hips as everyone at the table stares at us.

  “Blood flow?” He raises an eyebrow and smirks at me. I like what he’s thinking. “How about some yoga?”

  What? Yoga? “You’ll do yoga with me?” I smile at the thought of his sexy lean muscles straining and stretching in front of me.

  “Um…no,” Craig looks a bit uncomfortable. “I was thinking you and Pen.” Craig looks hopefully at Pen. “You do yoga, don’t you? I can take you two to the studio in town.”

  I laugh as Pen’s normally radiant face turns sour at the thought. “Umm, I do, but I prefer not to go there.”

  “Why not?” Craig asks.

  Blu snorts a laugh as the memory hits him. “The owner doesn’t like Pen because she’s better than all the instructors there. Plus, that woman takes granola-eating-armpit-hair-growing-o-nat-tur-al to a whole new level. And she likes to whip it around so others can have a taste. It’s like a nuclear BO bomb up in there. Shit’s so intense it lingers in your nose hair and taste buds all day,” Blu laughs at his own description.

  I laugh at Craig’s disgusted look and reach out to hold his hand. “How about this, Pen and I will go into town and get some stuff for Blu’s party tomorrow. You guys do whatever. I’m okay. It was just a charley horse, babe.”

  Craig looks over at Pen and then back at me. “Are you sure?”

  I can tell he really cares, but the last thing I want is to have Craig wait on me all day. “Yes, please go surf while you still have the ocean in your backyard. Then get your hair cut with Blu. We’ll be fine.” I roll my eyes at them. All morning the guys have been talking about getting a few minutes so Blu can cut their hair. Little did they know that it takes Blu anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to give a men’s cut. Perfectionist, that one.

  I drive the SUV away from the house with the sight of Craig standing on the porch looking at us in my rearview mirror. On some level my insides melt that he’s so caring, but since I’ve been on my own and caring for myself for so long, having someone care so much gives me mixed feelings.

  “Wow, he’s still looking at us,” Pen says, leaning forward with Larry and Mozart on her lap to look into the passenger side mirror.

  “Is it weird that he cares so much? I honestly felt like I was his child back there.”

  “I can understand what you mean. At the same time, I think it will be a good change for you. It’s about time you have someone who cares for you in this lifetime, babe.” Pen looks over at me with a sweet smile that only she can give. “Besides, I think that you can only react that way if you really have strong feelings for someone. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t pay attention so…hint, hint.”

  “Way to be subtle there, babe,” I quickly glare at her.

  “I call it how I see it. I think he has major feelings for you.”

  “Speaking of calling it how we see it. What were you and Ben talking about when I came in the kitchen this morning?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

  “Don’t change the subject!”

  “YOU don’t change the subject!” I exclaim, turning the SUV into the downtown area. Looking for a parking space, I go into hunting mode, a skill I’ve developed from living in the city.

  “What are we, five?” Pen makes a face at me.

  “Fine, I have strong feelings for him, too. I’m scared I m
ight, you know, ‘L’ him already,” I say as I turn my body to parallel park perfectly in front of the grocery store.

  Pen takes in a fortifying breath. “Fine, I like Ben and you’re right he’s super smart and amazingly sexy! Like, shut your mom’s back door sexy.” Pen hops out of the SUV with both the puppies in hand.

  “There, how does that feel?” I ask, grabbing my purse and meeting her in front of the SUV.

  “I wish I was five, when feeling like a fool doesn’t faze as much as it does at twenty-four,” Pen whispers, leaning down to let the puppies walk.

  “Yeah, I know. But why do you feel like a fool? Just because you like Ben?” I ask as Pen and I maneuver around the puppies.

  “He’s so smart and intense. Last night we talked about books until four in the morning,” Pen says, her eyes growing wider with every word.

  “Umm…still not seeing the fool part here. Where were you guys?”

  “On the phone. And we only stopped because Cory yelled at Ben to shut up.” Pen giggles and a slight tint crosses her cheeks. “But that’s just the thing, he’s so smart, he’ll get bored and then move on. I don’t want to just hook up and develop feelings. Then there will be a mess when he ends things. I just want to focus on getting the business in order,” Pen says, with a sober look on her face.

  “Well, I guess I can understand that. He’s so nice though.” I look over to see a wistful look on her face and then it’s gone.

  “What about you? Why do you feel a fool?” Pen smiles looking over at me. We make our way down a block and I’m scanning the windows. You can never have too many scarves is my motto.

  “Well, you know. I just—I don’t want to be taken advantage of again. You know how I tend to get. What if I trust him too much and I’m really happy and get blindsided and then he takes it for granted, then—and then he just leaves,” I shrug, looking down at the puppies sniffing everything in sight.

  “Babe, not every guy is like Trey. Besides, the great people, they stick around and I think those are the ones you should have in your life,” Pen smiles brightly.

  “Not talking about yourself are you?” I ask dryly.

  Pen giggles and leans down to scoop up Mozart. “Come on let’s go get him a hippo of his own. He kept crying last night because Larry took his hippo with him into Cory’s room.”

  “I’m sure he was crying because he didn’t get any sleep with you talking up a storm to Ben.” I can’t help but laugh a little as Pen flushes three different shades of red.

  Two hours of window and grocery shopping later, Pen and I step into the house with two very happy puppies and our arms full of groceries for Blu’s party and hopefully enough food to feed Cory for the next few days.

  “Whew, who needs yoga when all you have to do is schlep enough food to feed the US Army from the driveway into house,” Pen says as she plops on the couch catching her breath.

  I drop down on the floor next to Pen’s dangling feet. “Maybe we should have done multiple trips. I think I have a hernia.” I stretch out my sore body.

  Mozart and Larry come running back to show us they can behave now that Mozart has a lion stuffed animal of his own. I look up at the sound of shuffling feet coming down the stairs to see Craig and Ben charging at us.

  “Why didn’t you call me? I would have carried those in for you. How’s your leg?” Craig is talking and moving bags out of the way to get to me. I can see off to the side Ben is giving Pen a smile and it’s as if it’s a secret code. Pen gets up and follows Ben into the kitchen without a word.

  “Craig, I’m fine.” I look up, smiling at his handsome face. How is it that within the last two hours, I have come to miss this face? But not just his face, I missed him. The things he would say and do. Damn, I have it bad.

  “Jesus, if you keep looking at me that way, I’m going to push you up against the wall and not care who walks in.” He places a kiss on my forehead before cradling me in his arms and carrying me into the kitchen. I wrap my arms around him and give him a scorching kiss that has me doing a few Kegels before sliding down his body. Making sure to rub a certain area before I step away from him. Craig adjusts himself a bit with a pleased smile on his face before stepping back in to living room to grab the rest of the groceries.

  It seems Ben and Pen have disappeared somewhere since exchanging smiles. Those two are so crushing on each other. I start putting away the food when Craig comes back with the last of the bags.

  “Oh, you still haven’t gotten your hair cut?” I ask.

  “No, Blu has been in your bathroom with Cory for the last hour. Is he sharpening his scissors after every snip or something?”

  “No, he’s just very particular,” I laugh.

  “Oh, I see you stopped by Annie and Phillip’s,” Craig says as he starts to unwrap an Oreo cookie caramel apple.

  “Craig?”

  “Hmm?” he mumbles around a mouth full of buttery chewy caramel.

  “Did Ben mention Pen at all this morning?” I ask as I arrange my baking ingredients on the counter.

  Craig stops mid-chew. “Amelia, we talked about this. Just let it be, okay?” He comes over and wraps an arm around my waist. “They’ll work it out.”

  I nod, but I feel there is something going on. “Okay.” I tilt my head back to give him a peck on the cheek. “Are you still planning on heading out to the water?”

  “No, its high tide now. I’m just waiting around for my hair cut,” Craig pouts.

  Is it possible that a grown man can get sexier when he pouts? Yes, panty dropping sexy. I laugh at my own thought. This must be what happens after great sex.

  “Then you can help me make the desserts for tomorrow.”

  Craig is a great help in the kitchen. He sifts flour, can melt chocolate on the double boiler, and it doesn’t hurt that when he rolls out dough, his butt tightens. When it’s finally time for Craig’s haircut, most of the pastries are done and are cooling off. I decide on a break to watch Blu work while Pen and Ben cook dinner.

  I have always admired what Blu can do and the patience he has for his job. I could never randomly gossip with people while morphing their hair into something they think they want. That is the trick Blu tells me. People never really know what they want their hair to look like, so it’s his job to sell them what they want.

  I sit on the edge of the tub with Larry and a cup of coffee and watch as Blu drapes a salon cape around Craig. He walks back and forth while staring at Craig’s head. He stops once in a while and parts Craig’s hair a certain way and then goes back to looking at it.

  “Oh come on, sometime today, Blu.”

  “Do you do this for a living? No, you don’t! So don’t mess with me.” Blu goes over to his kit and rambles on. “Woman tryin’ to rush me. You don’t see me going into her lab and messin’ with her little chemicals, molecules, and laser piercing people’s eyes out and shit…”

  I look over and grin brightly at Craig and he just shakes his head and laugh. “I hope you didn’t piss him off. I really don’t want to walk out of here with a gangster design on my head,” he whispers over to me.

  I sit back scratching Larry’s baby soft belly and watch my two favorite men interact with each other. I take a second to let the happy feeling of being with Craig to sink in. In just a few days Craig and I have shifted into being a couple. I’m comfortable with him and I trust him, but what will be next. How is this going to work when we go back home?

  Chapter 22

  After sitting in the chair for what feels like half my life, I walk out with a pretty decent haircut. I can see why Blu has repeat customers. I shower and head downstairs to Amelia.

  I have always respected the love mom and dad have for each other, but never really understood how they can be together for so long and seem to love each other more and more each day. I have always thought that they made it work because they work at it and I thought that’s how it’s supposed to be. But when I look at Amelia, my feelings for her grow more and more each time. I guess w
hen it’s the right person it will be a little less work, I hope.

  Downstairs everything is set for dinner. Pen’s seared tuna salad has my stomach growling while Ben brought out the big guns with his dad’s five-pepper meatloaf. I can feel my eyes watering thinking about biting into that. I sit next to Amelia and pull her a little closer to me. She is breathtakingly beautiful as she looks at me with a brightest smile. Now I know why dad is always pulling mom’s chair close to his as possible.

  “You look so handsome, babe.” Amelia runs her hand through my hair making me sigh contentedly.

  “Don’t mess with my work! Just let it dry to perfection,” Blu admonishes with a stern glare.

  Amelia raises her eyebrows at Blu. “It’s hair!” she says dryly.

  “I’ll remember that the next time you call me to help tame your asfro,” Blu smirks at Amelia.

  “Asfro?” Cory asks as he digs into his food.

  “Her Asian afro. You think her hair is that naturally silky smooth? Puhhlease, there’s probably enough chemical in her hair to make a bomb,” Blu says smugly.

  I laugh and lean down to give Amelia a peck on her warm cheek. “You’re adorable no matter how your hair looks, baby,” I whisper.

  “Thank you.” I can see she’s starting to believe and trust in me more. Especially when I give her compliments. “This is so good, Pen. You always make my favorites.”

  “I thought we could use something light when I found out what Ben was putting in his meatloaf,” Pen smirks at Ben.

  Did Ben’s eyes just dilate?

  “Well, there are some who can’t handle the heat and there are some who just give into it,” Ben smirks back.

  “Oh my gosh, this is good, but so spicy. I think I need another beer,” Amelia says in an odd croaking voice. She probably senses the sexual tension radiating between the two.