ME: Who is this?
UNKNOWN: Oh, I'm so sorry! This is Kristin, Todd's big sister. I swiped your number from his phone when he slept over at my house.
I take a big sigh of relief. I know I'm the one that broke things off with Todd, but a storm of jealousy just breezed through me.
ME: Is everything okay? I heard about your dad. My parents and I send our condolences.
KRISTIN: Thank you, Amelia. Todd told me a lot about you, and he was right. You are very sweet. I actually have a favor to ask...
Uh-oh. My heart picks up slightly, wondering what she needs and if it has anything to do with Todd. I really don't want to have to explain mine and Todd's whole messy backstory to her. I stare at the phone for a minute before typing a response.
ME: Okay. How can I help?
I stare at my phone for a full five minutes before I dare look away, and start eating my salad again. I immediately toss my fork down, too riddled with anxiety to finish eating. An excruciating thirty minutes later, she finally responds.
KRISTIN: Sorry, I had to put Daniel down for a nap or he'll turn into a monster. Todd stayed with us for the last two nights, but insisted he go home today. He's trying to hide how upset and sad he is about Al. I can see that he's torn emotionally, and I'm really worried about him. I practically begged him to stay with us longer, but he insisted on leaving.
My heart gets heavy thinking about all the thoughts and feelings he must be experiencing.
KRISTIN: I was hoping you could go over to the house and check on him. Maybe even talk with him or just...I don't know. I've been taking care of him for so long, but I need help with this one. He hasn't seemed to listen to anything I've said. Can you go check on him? He said he wasn't going to work, so I think he's at home.
Her request for help paces through my mind. The answer becomes crystal clear.
ME: Yes, I'll go when I get off work this evening.
KRISTIN: A million thank yous! I can see why he talks about you so highly. My baby brother really likes you.
My heart flops around in my chest when I read her words. I wonder if he still does really like me. More than anything, I really want to make sure he's okay.
I think I need to close the studio up a little early today.
I slowly drive through Todd's neighborhood, littered with little bungalow style houses and trailers in various conditions. The butterflies in my stomach have been flying around since I got in my car. I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm going to say, but I round the corner to turn on his street, and slow down once I see his house on the right. Immediately my heart drops at the sight of the house, and of Todd.
The house has ripped yellow police tape hanging from the front door. Under the portable carport is Al's run-down old truck with Todd's bike behind it. Todd is sitting on a dirty plastic lawn chair with a beer in his hand. His elbows rest on the tops of his knees and his head hangs low. I rumble up the dirt driveway, and it's not until I climb out of my car and close the door that he notices my presence. He sits up right away, his expression unreadable. My heart starts pounding.
We don’t lock eye contact until I'm right in front of him. He doesn't even bother hiding the fact that he was crying. His eyes are red and droopy, and a frown paints his face. If he's surprised I'm here, he doesn't show it.
"You know," he states as a fact and not a question.
I tilt my head looking at the state of his large body in the small chair. I never knew an entire body could frown. "Yes," I reply. He continues to stare up at me while he chugs, and finishes his bottle of beer. He sets it next to him, and I count the empty bottles. Eight. He doesn't look completely drunk, but I know he doesn't drink that often anymore.
He grabs my waist and pulls me into him until his head is buried against the soft fabric of my t-shirt on my stomach. As if I've been doing it all my life, I lace my fingers through his dirty hair. He reeks of beer and sweat, and it's clear why Kristin wanted me to check on him. I knew he'd be upset, but I didn't think it would be quite this bad. He’s not upset; he’s heartbroken and I’m guessing he’s confused about it.
"I miss you," he mumbles. "I need you, Amelia." He lifts his head, and looks up at me with watery desperate eyes. I cradle the side of his face, my hand grazing his light scruff that's grown.
"I miss you, too." I sniff, realizing that my own eyes are blurry with tears threatening to spill over. My heart aches as I sit on his leg and wrap my arms around him tightly. "Come on," I tell him as I pull away, grabbing his hand, and pulling him out of his chair. Everything about him looks tired and defeated. I squeeze his hand as I lead him inside the house. I step in, and I imagine the house to be in the exact same state as it was days ago when Al died. There is clutter everywhere, a crooked coffee table, a bag of aluminum and glass bottles of beer and liquor. The smell of stale beer consumes the house like the morning after a frat party.
"To the right," Todd instructs me to his bedroom.
We stand in front of his en-suite bathroom door. "Shirt," I demand with my hand open in front of me. He obliges, and he pulls his shirt over his head and hands it to me. "Pants." He fumbles with his button a few times and quits, putting his hands back down by his side. Without thinking twice, I unbutton his jeans and squat in front of him before roughly yanking down his pants. It takes a very long second before I realize he was going commando and not wearing his usual boxer briefs. My face is dead even with his...um, slightly excited...package.
43
–– Todd ––
Her blush starts at her cheeks, but quickly rises to her forehead and down her neck. Her reaction hardens me even more, and I can't help but grin even in my morose state of mind. I shouldn't be turned on considering she only dragged me to the shower because I look and smell horrendous, but I can’t help it. She looks up at me, her face flashing from embarrassment to serious in seconds. The sight of her on her knees in front of me makes me feel the most alive I have since she rejected me. I'm snapped out of my budding fantasy when she slaps me hard on the shin.
"Ow!"
"Go shower. Now," she demands, as she stands and points behind me toward my bathroom. I flash her another grin over my shoulder as I catch her eyes drifting down to my ass. Damnit, I love her sweet, innocent side as much as her sassy side.
I hadn't showered in two days even though Kristin tried her hardest to break through to me. I've been a zombie since I found Al, just watching the world spin around me. As the dark water runs off me and down the drain, I take a deep breath. More than just cleansing my skin, the shower is also the much-needed cleanse fort he fogginess in my mind, and it helps to sober me up from the beer I spent half the morning drinking. I have always been determined to not be like my dad, yet here I am just days after his death: dirty, disgusting, and well on my way to being passed out drunk. Thank god Amelia showed up. Amelia. My Amelia. I hurry to finish my shower so I can get back out to her.
I open the bathroom door and a flurry of steam billows out behind me. Amelia stands up quickly as if I caught her sitting on my bed without permission. Her eyes roam down my chest and linger on the bulge underneath my towel. I love the way she looks at me as if I don't notice it. When she meets my eyes, I raise one eyebrow and the corners of my mouth turn up. She bites her lip as I stalk toward her. She’s wearing that pencil skirt I love and the softest t-shirt I've ever felt. As soon as my hands wrap around her she states, “We have to talk.”
Her words hit me like a wet blanket, and the fire in me is immediately put out. I drop my hands from her sides, and reluctantly nod my head.
I realize it's no mistake that Amelia is directing me away from The Café and to our local Denny's instead. Clearly we have a lot to talk about, and one of those things is Justin. The thought of him being with her makes my chest tighten. If she came over just to tell me she’s with Justin now, I wish she would have just left me drinking at the house.
Since I'm driving, I put her car in park and race around to open her door. "Thank you," she say
s as I offer her my hand. Once inside and seated she suggests, "Let's make this fun. How about I'll order for you and you order for me?"
The news can’t be bad if she wants to have fun...right? I give a hint of a grin, already knowing what I have in mind. "Deal. This is easy." The young waitress comes to take our order. She's very petite with dark circles under her eyes like life's already run her down. It's something I can relate to right now. I point to Amelia so she can order first. She orders me “Moons Over My Hammy” with a short stack of pancakes on the side, and I order her a club sandwich with cheese fries and a slice of cherry pie. Judging by her shining eyes and my grin, it's safe to say our orders were spot on.
She casts her eyes down, and I brace myself for conversation. "How are you doing?" She reaches across the table and laces our hands together.
"It's uh–um...confusing, I guess." She nods her head as I search for the words to explain what I'm going through. "It's honestly been a rollercoaster. One minute I'm pissed he's gone, and I don't even know why. Other times I'm sad because it feels like he left me, like he abandoned me just like my mom did. I know that probably sounds stupid." She shakes her head back and forth. "When I'm not mad or sad I'm...almost glad that it happened, and then I get mad and sad and it's this never ending circle." My eyes sting, and a lump starts growing in my throat.
"Why glad?" She wonders out loud, peering at me with her large, now watering, brown eyes.
"I just–" I struggle to explain. "He was so miserable, Amelia. He hated life, and he hated himself. Now I think he's...found peace, and it's what he needed. Shit, it's what I needed. He raised me, and despite his often shitty efforts, I hate that I won't see him lying on the sofa, but at the same time I'm relieved I don't have to deal with him anymore. It's complicated, and I'm sure it makes me sound like a shitty person." I drop my head, and squeeze my eyes shut. I was not expecting to get so emotional, much less emotional in public. It's the first time I've been honest with myself and admitted my thoughts and feelings out loud.
"You are not a shitty person, Todd." She squeezes my hands to reassure me. "It is complicated, and everything you feel and think right now is completely valid. If you keep talking to me, and to Kristin, then things will get better, but you can't bottle it up inside and numb it with alcohol. I don't want this to weigh you down. Just promise me you won't shut me out."
I nod. "I promise." My heart flutters (yes, flutters) at the fact there’s still a chance for us to be together.
The waitress comes back with our plates full of food. Two giant bites into our meal, I decide to change the topic. "So, I saw you kissing Justin."
She stops mid bite and her eyes get wide. "What? How? I mean–it–it wasn't like it looked like," she stammers.
"At your art show. I'm not going lie, Amelia, it killed me. I need you tell me what's going on with him. If it wasn't what it looked like then tell me what it was," I demand as I shove a huge bite of pancakes in my mouth. I'm not angry exactly, but I do need to know what happened, if anything, for my own sanity. I need to know the truth even if it hurts to hear it. "Be honest. I know that's why we're at Denny's tonight and not The Café."
She nods, confirming my theory. "You're right. I was afraid Justin would be working. Nothing happened other than that kiss. He wants to be more than friends, but I told him I'm still in love with you,” she spits out quickly. My eyebrows shoot sky-high. “He's such a good friend, but I think it's too hard for him to spend time with me now that he knows he'll always just be my friend and nothing more."
“Did you just say you still love me?” I’m holding my breath, hoping I didn’t just imagine it.
She nods and looks up at me. “Yeah, I did. I do.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Sweet Cheeks, you have no idea how happy that makes me. I was so afraid you had moved on. Amelia, I love you. You have no idea how sorry I am. I should’ve pushed Becky off, and told her we were together right there in the store. I swear she and I were never together after you and I became real. Please, believe me."
"I believe you. I can’t help loving you, Todd. The heart wants what it wants," she explains. The way she looks at me with a damn twinkle in her eye makes me instantly hard. "Todd, I want to be with you," she firmly tells me.
I smile with pride. "I want you too, Sweet Cheeks."
"No," she counters, looking down at my mouth before coming back to my eyes. "I mean I want you. I don't want to wait anymore. I'm ready. I want you to make love to me," she admits with a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. The straining in my jeans is becoming unbearable. I jump up, and toss forty bucks on the table. Amelia giggles and allows me to guide her back outside to her car. I swear I've never driven so fast in my entire life.
“As hard as this is for me to say,” I start as I rapidly unlock and push open the door. “I don’t think we should have sex right now.”
“What?” She asks with a flash of panic in her eyes. “Did I do something wrong? I mean, the Justin thing wasn’t even a thing–”
“No, no, you’re perfect. But we just got back together, and I want you to be really sure and not jump into it just because we’re dating again. I don’t want you to think you have to. I may want to round some bases though if that’s okay.” I kick the door to my bedroom closed out of habit.
“Oh, um, okay. Are you thinking...third base again?”
My grin becomes a full-blown smile. She bites her lip and smiles like I’ve never seen her smile before.
“Why are you smiling like the cat that ate the canary?” I suspiciously wonder.
“Because...um, yeah...I really, really liked that. I want to do it again. Pretty bad actually,” she admits brazenly, and my jeans tighten ever more.
“Then you’re going to love what I have in mind,” I promise.
I grab her hips and pull her tightly against me, my growing bulge pushing against her. She lets out a squeak before I cup her face and kiss her hard. She acts surprised for half a second then sighs into me, her mouth opening, granting me permission. Our tongues collide, and my hands wrap around her skirt until they land on her sweet ass. I squeeze her cheeks, and grind my hips into hers. Her arms wrap around my neck tightly, and her determination to not let me go has pre-come already leaking out my cock.
I break our kiss, and she immediately lets out a protest whimper. I sit down on my bed as she stands fully clothed in front of me. Tugging at her pencil skirt, I ask her, "Baby, do you trust me?"
She nods with lust-ridden eyes and replies, “Yes.”
I slowly start to pull her skirt down with her panties. She steps out of her clothes, and peers down at me with curiosity. I slide one finger through her wet folds, lightly brushing her clit with each faint stroke.
I slip one finger inside her, and her legs open more for me. I methodically move it in and out before I slip another finger in. Her eyes close, and her body relaxes.
"I miss your taste," I state before licking up her center. She gasps and grabs my shoulder to keep her steady. I moan into her causing her clit to vibrate, which makes her release a loud moan.
“Yes,” she breathily lets out.
I leave her body, and take my shirt off. I lie down on my back and guide her knees to rest on either side of my chest. "Baby, I want you to ride my face." Her eyes widen, and I nod in response. “Trust me.” I scoot further under her body and wrap my arms under and around her thighs. My tongue spreads her folds, giving way for my mouth to suck hard on her clit. She lets out a short scream and instinctively starts rocking her hips against my mouth and chin. I moan in approval, which causes her to lose her inhibitions and move quicker. Before too long she is leading an all out conquest, working towards her climax. She screams out in pleasure as the sweet release hits her hard, then slows down, riding out the rest of her orgasm.
She collapses to her thigh beside my face. She shakily states, "Oh my God, that was life changing." Before I can even process how that was, without a doubt, the best experience of my life so far, she i
s frantically pulling my pants off. Within seconds, her hot mouth is wrapped around my impossibly hard cock. She positions herself off the bed to better take me in. I wrap my hand in her hair, and can feel the sweat coming off of her. She moans as she feasts on me.
"Baby, don't stop. That feels incredible." I see a bead of sweat slowly trickle down the side of her neck, and it sets me off. I move my hips until I feel the back of her throat on the tip of my cock. I never stood a chance of lasting more than five minutes. I haven't jerked off in days, and this is by far my most incredible sexual experience--and I’m not even inside her. "I'm gunna come." I groan out as my come slides down Amelia's throat. "Holy shit," I pant, as I pull her back on the bed and into my arms. "Please don't leave me again. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything or anyone, Amelia."
She wiggles around until she's facing me. She has smudges of makeup under her eyes, and a swell of pride fills my chest knowing that I'm the one that made her makeup run in the best possible way. She brings her hand to rest on the side of my face. "I go back to school in two days, Todd. I don't want to give you up. I do want to be with you...if that's still what you want. I know I'll be over an hour away so if you don't want to do long distance, I get it." She casts her eyes down, shyly. Gone is the girl who just came all over my mouth, and back is my sweet girl.
"Sweet Cheeks, I will have you any and every way you let me. I just want you. I love you," my words float out effortlessly.
"I love you, too," she replies sincerely. Then she matter-of-factly informs me, "I have to pee." She sits up and starts to stand, but falls right back down. I chuckle as she elbows me playfully. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's see how weak your legs are when you try to get up."
I move to stand and sure enough, my legs are wobbly. She laughs, then lets me help her up.
Wrong Place, Right Time Page 21