by Raquel Belle
“Trust me on this, Mark,” Neil said. I couldn’t help but to get excited. At heart we were just a group of coders who wanted to push our limits and see what else we could create.
We reached our lockers, and I put my water bottle in the gym bag before slinging it around my shoulder. “Same time Thursday?” I asked. Neil and I shook hands and embraced in a brief hug.
“Yeah, hopefully things work out with Steph. Otherwise I can give her another talk,” he joked. I chuckled, and we parted ways at the gym’s entrance. When I got home, after showering, I dove into Jimmy’s program, soon finding out that Neil hadn’t been exaggerating. I didn’t realize how much time went by until my eyes started to burn, and my cell phone rang.
When I picked it up, Stephanie’s face lit up the screen.
“Hey,” I said, then quickly double checked the time. It was nearly three in the afternoon. I’d been staring at the computer for six hours straight.
“Hey, how are you?” she asked. Steph sounded mildly stressed, and her voice was at a higher pitch than usual. I leaned back on the couch, and my living room slowly melded back around me as I returned to Earth.
“I’m good, I’ve just been checking some of Jimmy’s work. He’s starting this crazy new program,” I said and stopped myself while I was ahead. I didn’t want to launch into an info dump of my ideas if she had something she wanted to talk about. “How are you, how was your day?” I asked instead.
“It was good…I’m good…” she said. There was a long silence, my lips stretched into an amused smile.
“Okay,” I said.
“I love you too, Mark,” she admitted, then sighed as if she’d gotten a huge weight off her chest.
“I never doubted that,” I said, smiling.
“Really?” she sounded genuinely surprised. That gave me pause. I stood up and paced to the patio sliding door with my hand in my pocket.
“Um …well I…” I hesitated and she let me sweat for a little while before she started laughing at me. “That’s not cool,” I said, the relief was almost dizzying. I ran my fingers through my hair and paced back to the couch. We talked about our days, and I filled her in on Jimmy’s new program. Joy had filled my chest like helium in a balloon. Steph loved me too. Holy shit, we were back on track. Which meant that maybe I could ask her to marry me again. How would that even go?
“Hey, remember I mentioned Neil’s boat? Would you guys like to go fishing on Friday? The weather is supposed to be nice, and he said I could take it out whenever,” I said.
“Yeah, that’d be great! But, remember he and Leena had been talking about going fishing, so we can all go together, I guess,” she said.
“Leena, huh?” I mumbled and walked to the kitchen to pour myself some juice and figure out what I was going to eat for a late lunch.
“Not so fond of her?” Stephanie stated as a matter of fact. I shrugged and shut the fridge without really looking for anything. My next stop was the pantry.
“She hates me,” I said bluntly.
“She doesn’t hate you. She just has to be convinced that you aren’t going to break my heart again,” Steph insisted. I found a bag of nacho chips and grabbed an unopened jar of salsa, and then sat at the breakfast bar.
“She wanted to tear my head off at the mixer, so admit it,” I said. Steph laughed again.
“That’s not true,” she said.
“Yeah? Then why are you nervous-laughing so much? Are you sure that once we’re all on a boat in the middle of the ocean that she won’t try to throw me overboard?”
“Mark, stop. She’d never do that. No one else would know how to drive the boat,” she said.
“I was going to hire a captain,” I said.
Stephanie paused, “Wait, why? Mark you don’t constantly have to spend money on us or me,” she said.
I popped open the jar lid and scooped some of the salsa with a chip.
“Stephanie, I’ll spend how much I want when it comes to you because I love you,” I said. I could hear her smile over the phone.
“Whatever … dork,” she said.
***
Neil’s boat was a small yacht, really. He and Jimmy opted to come along for the fishing trip, and Neil steered us out to the Puget Sound where we dropped anchor with Seattle’s skyline still visible in the distance. The sky was a light grey, and the water was pretty calm. It was a great day to fish.
“But isn’t the water too cold? Don’t you think all the fish swam south by now?” Stephanie asked. I stood on the side deck with Joe, Leena, and Steph. Jimmy was still attaching bait to his fishing pole in the cabin.
“Steph, this is the perfect spot and time for catching some salmon,” Joe said. Leena held onto her fishing pole and was looking over the railing at the deep blue water.
“I can feel them down there,” Leena said. Stephanie rolled her eyes. I smirked and wrapped my arm around her waist. She didn’t want to fish, which was fine with me. She looked good wrapped in a blanket with her steaming cup of coffee in hand.
“Alright, we’re set,” Jimmy and Neil stepped out with their poles and cast lines into the sound.
“If I catch one, are we grilling?” Leena asked. Joe snorted beside her. He peered into the water as well, as if trying to spot where the fish were.
“Of course. Hey, Neil, you’ve got a grill on the boat, right?”
“Yep and a small range in the cabin too,” Neil said proudly. Steph rolled out of my hold and held up her coffee mug.
“I need to warm this back up,” she said and walked to the rear deck where the cabin’s entryway was. Below deck were two bedrooms. If it were just us on the boat I’d take her down there in a second. But I didn’t want to be disrespectful to Joe, so I stayed put on the deck and waited for her to come back out.
“Mark, you aren’t gonna check your line?” Joe asked. I’d propped my pole up on the railing near the bow of the boat and wedged it between two tarp weights Neil had on board.
“I’ll check it in a minute, I said. My pole was a few feet from everyone else, and it was colder near the front of the boat too.
“I only ask because it looks like it drifted back to the boat,” he said. I walked over and reeled in the line. My bait was missing too. I took the pole into the cabin and opened the bait box.
“Did you catch something?” Steph asked, her tone eager. The microwave chimed and she took her mug out.
“No, there’s some smart fish out there. It somehow snatched the bait off of my hook,” I said.
Steph shrugged. “See, I doubt anyone’s going to catch a fish,” she said. “We’re all just on a boat, freezing our asses off.”
“So you love the outdoors just as much as Joe, huh?” I asked.
Steph stuck her tongue out at me. “I do when it’s not freezing,” she said. Leena called Steph outside, and she huffed before leaving. I opened up the container of smelt and hooked a strip of it onto my line. Joe stepped into the cabin with his fishing pole then opened up the container of roe.
“You and Steph seem good,” Joe said.
I glanced through the cabin windows to the deck. She was looking over the railing with Leena and Jimmy at something in the water. “Yeah, I love her,” I said, unable to keep the grin out of my voice, “and she loves me back.”
Joe smiled at me and nodded his head. “I knew you’d make things right again. So you guys taking it slow, or will you pop the question again?” Joe speared a bundle of roe onto his hook and tied it on to secure the eggs.
“I was thinking about asking her again. Just have to wait for the right time, you know?” I said. “I don’t want to rush things now that we’re good again, but I don’t want to waste time on the same token.”
“Yeah, I understand. Even though you already asked her once, asking someone to spend the rest of their lives with you takes a lot of guts and good timing,” Joe said. “When I get back to Portland I’ll send you her mom’s engagement ring. She’s always admired it,” he said.
It took me
a second of polite nodding to realize what he’d just said. Joe spoke so nonchalantly sometimes, that he could be revealing the secrets of the universe, and no one would realize. “Wait, are you sure?” I asked. “You don’t have to part with it, Joe. I can buy a ring for Steph,” I said and glanced outside again. Steph was talking to Neil while Leena and Jimmy kept pointing into the water and adjusting their lines.
“I’m sure, but it should be passed down. I debated giving it to you the first time you asked her, but I was sentimental. Steph was still in college and about to graduate, and then she got engaged. She was growing up so fast, and things were about to change completely … you know, old man sentiment, I guess,” he said.
“No, that’s—you don’t have to feel obligated to give it to me just to ‘pass it down.’ But if you’re ready to part with it then—” I paused. Steph poked her head into the cabin, and she looked at us both suspiciously.
“What’s taking you guys so long?” She asked. “Leena and Jimmy think they’re about to catch a fish,” she added, “and supposedly there’s a whole school coming.” She rolled her eyes and pushed her hair over her shoulder.
“Stephanie, why did you come if you’re going to be so supportive?” Joe asked. He walked towards her with his fishing pole.
“I’m supportive! I hope one of you do catch a fish so that we can grill,” she said sarcastically. Joe shook his head at her and walked outside to try and get a catch. Steph walked towards me cautiously.
“So, what were you guys talking about?” she asked.
“We were talking about how to hook roe onto a fishing hook. When are you going to stop being suspicious every time Joe and I talk?” I asked, mostly teasing. But Steph’s eyes widened with panic for a second then she quickly fixed her expression.
“I’m not suspicious, I just wonder what you guys talk about … is all …” she said, awkwardly. Steph turned around and walked back to Leena. If her hair was up, I was sure the tips of her ears would be red. I had no idea what that was about though.
“Mark, you should cast your line over here. Some of the fish are jumping towards us,” Jimmy said. I joined him and Neil and cast my line in the water. I could see the fish swimming in our direction, a small school of them.
“With this many of us, we have to catch at least one. Otherwise that’s just pitiful,” I said.
“Yep, that’s correct,” Stephanie said.
“Oh hush! You’re a hater, Steph,” Leena said. Joe tried to hide his laugh in a cough. The deck got quiet then, with everyone focused. I had my eye on one fish that was coming straight for me. It wasn’t the biggest fish in the water, but it was something.
They’re close, they’re close!” Neil said.
“Get one!” Steph yelled. Joe shushed her, as he steered his line towards one of the fish. I did the same. I was wondering to myself how fishing could be so exciting when Leena screamed and started pulling on her pole and reeling the line in.
“You got it, Leena!” Joe encouraged her.
“Oh, shit, I got one, too,” Jimmy said. He reeled his line in and pulled his pole up. None of the fish came my way. It’s like they purposefully went around my line. By the time the school passed, only Leena and Jimmy had caught fish. They weren’t the biggest salmon, but they were big enough to feed four of us.
“So … can we go back to land now? Maybe even pick up another fish and make dinner?” Steph asked. Leena laughed at her.
“Sure, Steph! Leena you don’t want to learn how to scale a fish?” Joe asked. She shook her head vehemently. After they pulled the fish over the railing, Leena wanted nothing to do with the fish.
Neil hadn’t given up, and Jimmy was trying to catch another. Joe walked to the starboard deck, just outside of the cabin, to put the fish on ice. I pulled my line up to find that the bait was missing, yet again.
“What’s up with these fish?” Neil laughed at me.
“Maybe you’re putting the bait on wrong,” he said. I huffed and walked back to the cabin to try and get roe on the hook. Of course, I kept failing miserably and had to call Joe for help.
“Anyway, back to what we were talking about earlier. You still have my blessing and all that, plus, I want Steph to have her mother’s ring, and I want you to give it to her,” he said.
“Thanks, Joe,” I said and shook his hand. Leena and Steph passed by the cabin. Steph glanced at Joe and I curiously. “Hey, Joe, uh, do you ever get the feeling that Steph doesn’t want us alone together, or something?” I asked.
“Yeah she doesn’t want me to talk about something with you,” he said bluntly.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Joe sighed heavily and my heart dropped a little. Joe was blunt and never kept anything on his chest. If he was keeping some sort of secret for Steph, then it had to be big, …right?
“It’s just that—there’s something you ought to talk to Stephanie about,” he said. “There’s something she never told you that happened a while back, when you two split.” Joe handed me my fishing pole. “That’s all I’ll say about it,” he said. He left the cabin, and I watched him go, wracking my brain for what could’ve happened. Obviously, if Steph hadn’t come to me about it yet, maybe she wasn’t ready to face whatever it was. Or maybe it was nothing at all. I took a deep breath and decided to let her come to me with it. I didn’t want to have anything between us, and if she never wanted to bring the thing up, then I was okay with that.
Chapter Sixteen
Stephanie
Our fishing trip day was exhausting. Mostly because my dad had to be King of the Fish and Fire when we convened to grill at Mark’s house. Thankfully the guys all indulged him teaching them the best way to grill fish and whatnot. After we all ate and hung out, everyone went their separate ways. Mark came with me and Joe to the apartment. By the time I flopped back on my bed, it was almost nine o’clock at night.
“I feel like today lasted thirty-six hours,” I said. Mark closed my bedroom door quietly and locked it.
“It was alright. I had fun,” he said. I propped myself up on my elbows to see his face. Mark looked like he had something on his mind.
“You had fun, but …?” I asked. He looked at me confused and shook his head.
“But nothing.” Mark finally reached the bed, and he put his hands down on either side of me. He leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips to mine lightly. I tilted my head back to see his eyes.
“You sure?” I asked. Mark smirked and then nibbled on my neck, just under my ear. His fingers were already pulling my sweater up. I took that as his answer and let him undress me. He tossed the sweater aside and unclipped my bra. Mark knelt between my legs and massaged my breasts in his hands. He kissed me again, that time with more passion, and he bit my lip before he swept his tongue along mine, while his fingers pinched and rolled my nipples.
My sex clenched, sending a thrill of sensation through me, hardening my nipples even further and flushing my skin with heat. I slipped my hand under his sweatshirt and gripped his waist to pull him closer. Mark quickly took off his top and crawled over me, onto the bed. He pressed his hips to mine, and we ground against each other, making out like teens.
He squeezed my breast in his hand and ran my nipple between his teeth. Sharp pleasure shot down between my legs and another gush of moisture wet my folds. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. Mark slid down the length of me and trailed kisses along my waist and belly. He kissed my cleft as he settled his shoulders between my legs. I licked my lips and held his gaze as he rubbed my clit with his thumb. Warm pleasure flooded my belly and my pussy clenched impatiently.
“Please,” I whimpered. Mark smirked and kissed my inner thigh before he flicked his tongue against the sensitive nub of my clit. My head fell back against the pillow and he pressed his tongue on my clit with the perfect amount of pressure. My hips rolled automatically and Mark held me down with one arm while he slid two fingers into me. He sucked on my clit and pulled it gently between his teeth.
/> I pressed my lips together to stifle my moan. I tugged my pillow down and moaned into it as he pumped his fingers into me and nibbled softly on my clit. Pleasure built and swelled in my core. I grew impossibly wet and hot, everything was heightened because we had to keep quiet. I couldn’t keep still anymore and rubbed my sensitive folds on Mark’s lips and tongue while whimpering into the pillow.
My sex clenched tight and my body jerked when the orgasm broke over me. I combed my fingers through Mark’s hair and rubbed my clit on his tongue until my body stopped trembling. Mark wiped his mouth on my thigh and he sat up on his knees.
“Turn over baby,” he whispered and turned my hips until I settled onto my stomach. Mark gripped my ass in his hands and pushed slowly into me until he filled me completely. I squeezed the sheets in my fists and Mark kissed my neck before he settled on top of me. His warmth enveloped me and he started to pump his hips. We moved the bed as his thrusts got faster. He pumped deep and hard into me and I had to bite the pillow to keep from crying out as I was caught in the onslaught of pleasure. My toes curled and my pussy gripped his cock tight. Another orgasm rolled through me and Mark pushed in deep as my pussy clenched and quivered around his cock.
“Turn over baby, I want to see you,” he said gruffly in my ear. I did, and he laced his fingers with mine as he sank deep into me. His eyes were hot and filled with pleasure as our hips moved in unison. We both breathed hard, I gripped his hands tight as my body tensed with another building orgasm. “Go ahead, let go for me,” he whispered. Mark dropped his head and slid his lips against mine. Our tongues intertwined as my body trembled, another orgasm crashed through me and Mark drank up my soft whimpers and moans. He thrust in deep and held himself inside me as I milked his cock, his release felt hot inside me.
“Shit,” he whispered and chuckled. I laughed faintly, my body felt liquid and weak, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to get up or walk. Mark pulled out of me slowly and he kissed me again. He took the time to clean me up, as he always did, and then we settled in bed together. I rested my head on his chest and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.