by S. C. Adams
I know I should try to cheer up, but nothing makes me happy anymore. My happiness is all the way in Sunnyside, two and a half hours away from here. My feet scuffle against the concrete as I brush past members of the student body. I haven’t made a single effort to make any friends this semester, nor have I gone to any frat parties with beer kegs. All I want to do is be alone and away from any college age boys who think they might stand a chance with me. There’s only one man my heart desires, and that man is Mason.
“Tessa,” a familiar voice calls out to me, sending chills down my spine. I recognize that baritone voice immediately; it belongs to the man I love. Is my mind playing tricks on me again? I quickly turn in the direction the voice came from and find the most handsome man in the world standing in front of me. A haggard Mason lingers on the sidewalk with a bouquet of pink tulips in his hand. His chiseled chin is covered in a rugged beard, and he looks like he hasn’t slept for days, but the man is still absolutely gorgeous. My heart races as I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. A smile takes over my face once I realize I’m wide awake. I charge toward the drained-looking man and jump into his arms. He hoists me into the air without batting an eye. God, it feels so good to be in his arms again.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as he twirls me around. The brawny man sets me down on the ground gently.
“I had to see you,” he confesses. “Being away from you was starting to drive me crazy. I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t eat.” The burly man does look like he might have lost a few pounds.
“Me either,” I admit. “I’ve been depressed here without you, Mason.” I place my head on his chest. “I want to go back home and be with you.” I listen as his heart pounds in his chest. I know he wants the same thing, but he would never ask me to leave college to be with him.
“I’m here now. Let’s try to focus on that,” he says as our eyes link, creating a force of static electricity between us. Whoa, I can literally feel the sparks flying. How in the world does he do that? He’s right; in his arms, nothing else matters. I get lost in his eyes, and for a second, I forget that we’re standing in the middle of a bustling college campus. I shy away from being intimate with him out in public, but then I remember Sunnyside is miles away, so I can be as affectionate with my lover as I want right now. We canoodle in the quad, and my knees turn to jelly as he lays one of his infamous forehead kisses on me.
“I can’t believe you drove all the way to Manhattan just to see me,” I say as I entangle my fingers with his. I missed these hands so much, and I longed for his touch every day we were apart.
“I couldn’t stay away any longer. Being without you is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” I can see the agony written all over his face, and it makes my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. I knew he missed me, but I didn’t know he was suffering this bad. This isn’t healthy for either one of us; we’re both in agonizing pain.
In his arms, I feel safe, and I can’t imagine ever being away from him that long again. It was only two weeks, but it felt like an eternity of damnation. I got through freshman year just fine, but that was before I felt his love pour all over me. I was already contemplating not coming back to Trinity at the beginning of the summer, but falling so deeply in love with Mason had sealed the deal. This isn’t where I want to be; I want to go back to my small town and be with him.
“It shouldn’t have to be this way, Mason,” I say with my ear still pressed against his heart. The soothing sound of its beat drowns out the noisy Manhattan streets, and for a second, I almost feel like I’m home again.
“It won’t always be this way, baby, I promise.” He’s right, and I know it, but I’m so scared about what’s going to happen next. When he leaves, I’ll be all alone again here, and the pain will feel like I’m dying. When he leaves this campus, he’ll be taking my heart with him, leaving behind a hollowed chest. I won’t be able to survive without him. A tear streams down my cheek, and with haste, he brushes it away with his thumb. The protective man is quick to catch my tears before they completely fall. His gentle caress on my cheek is exactly what my body has been craving, a simple touch from the man that I love. He flashes that contagious pearly white grin, and soon, I find myself smiling through my tears.
“Let’s go inside,” I say as I pull him toward my housing complex. He follows me without hesitation; I’m starting to believe he’ll go anywhere I go just so he can be with me. I knew since the first day I laid eyes on him that we were drawn to each other like magnets, but now our connection has grown deep. We’ve formed a bond that no one can break.
I’m a bit nervous for him to see my dorm room. I’ve been so depressed without him that I haven’t even bothered with unpacking my suitcase. My walls are barren, with only a calendar that I used to mark the days until he and I are reunited hanging on them. And my pillow is probably still damp from the teardrops I cried all through the night and into the morning. I unlock what has felt like my own personal dungeon and flick the light on, revealing how pathetic the mini apartment looks. He doesn’t seem to mind how bleak and bare the dorm room is, though; in fact, I don’t think he even notices. Ever since he spotted me on the campus sidewalk, he hasn’t taken his eyes off of me. He eases over to me and swaddles me in his arms and his love. His arms are the safest place on this planet; with him, I feel like no harm can come to me.
“God, I missed you,” he whispers almost as if he didn’t mean to say it out loud.
“I missed you too. I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Mason. Every day gets harder and harder,” I confess.
“Baby, you can do it. You’re strong enough to do anything.” He believes in me, but I don’t have the same faith in myself. Everyone keeps telling me that this is what’s best for me, but I know it’s not. I know what I want in life, and although I was scared at first to go after it, now I’m willing to take the risk. I don’t want to be an accountant, and I don’t want to wait for the gawking teenage boys to mature, like Mom said. The Big Apple isn’t for me; my heart belongs to Sunnyside, and that’s where I belong.
“I want to tell my parents about us,” I blurt out, shocking Mason. “I wasn’t ready before, but I’m ready now.”
“Tessa, your parents won’t approve. They’ll think I brainwashed you.” Suddenly, he’s the one who thinks we should keep things under wraps. My parents won’t approve and will probably freak out, but I don't care. They should want me to be happy, and Mason brings me joy like I’ve never experienced before.
“They’ll get over it; everyone will. And then we can finally be together without worrying about getting caught all of the time,” I say.
“It’s not that easy, Tess. What about my job? The Board of Education won’t approve of me dating a former student. How will we survive if I lose my job?”
“We’ll find a way. Our love is strong enough to withstand anything.” Maybe I sound young and naive right now, but I honestly believe that Mason and I can make it through anything. Once people see how truly in love we really are, they won’t judge a softball coach for falling for his former student.
“Tessa, I don’t know,” he says as doubt trembles in his voice.
“Don’t you love me?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
“Of course I do. I love you more than anything else in this world,” he professes.
“So be with me, and anything that comes our way, we’ll get through it together.” I can still see the doubt in his piercing eyes as he becomes speechless. My thumping heart is about to beat out of my chest as I wait for him to say something. Anything. He can’t give up on me now; we’re too deep in this.
I seize the alpha male like Joan of Arc, ready to conquer the man that I love. I pull him close to me and hold him in my clutches, ready to change his mind. My hands gently caress his big, strong back as our lips fervently touch. Our intense kiss shakes the Earth, and I can feel mountains moving. Passion pulsates through us as our hearts beat in sync. My jelly knees can’t hold me a
nymore, and I swoon, nearly descending to the ground, but my valiant man catches me in his brawny arms. I retract my lips to see if his mind has changed.
“I know you felt that,” I declare. A kiss like that only happens once in a lifetime. His sparkling eyes look straight into my soul, seeing past every doubt and obstacle that may come our way.
“I felt it, Tessa.” His lips brush against mine as he strokes my hair. “I felt every bit of it.”
“Please, we have to tell them,” I plead. Silence fills the dormitory again, and a knot forms in the pit of my stomach. Time seems frozen as I wait for him to open his mouth. Once my parents find out the truth, we can be open about our relationship, and then it won’t seem suspicious when I take the train back to Sunnyside every weekend to stay with Mason. This is the only way our relationship can work, so I need the man to at least give me a nod so that I know it’s alright to tell them. He takes a deep breath as I brace myself for his answer.
“Okay,” he says, as time finally resumes. “I’m ready if you’re ready.”
“You mean it?” My eyes swell with tears as my voice cracks.
“Yeah, it’s time. I don’t want either of us to suffer the way we have over the last two weeks ever again. I’d rather put it all out there and see what happens. Like you said, whatever comes our way, we’ll get through it together.” He gently kisses my hand, and a swarm of butterflies travels throughout my body. He lures me to the stiff mattress, and we climb onto the twin-sized bed together. It’s tight, but that just makes it easier to press my body against his. I inhale his intoxicating cologne as we cuddle on the cot, and I can honestly say this is the most comfortable I’ve ever been in this bed.
I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get back to Sunnyside, but I know that Mason and I can weather any storm together. He’s my rock. He keeps me grounded, and he’s strong enough for the both of us. It won’t be easy, but I know deep in my heart that it will all work out. A love like this doesn’t happen every day, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. This dauntless man captured my heart when I was sixteen, and he’s held it in the palm of his hands ever since. His eyes gleam in the dimly lit dorm room, promising a bright future ahead of us. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
Epilogue
Mason
Christmas lights twinkle on my roof as we pull into the driveway. Tessa gasps at the spectacle of decorations splayed in the front yard and hanging from the top of the house. I know how much the holidays mean to her, so I wanted to go all out and surprise her with her very own winter wonderland.
“Mason, it’s beautiful!” she cheers.
“I’m glad you like it,” I say.
I fling the door open and grab hold of Tessa’s delicate hand to help her out of my pickup truck. She takes her time, but I can’t complain. I threw salt down on the icy driveway before I left to pick her up from Trinity, but the driveway still might be a little slippery. I don’t want her to fall, especially while she’s toting around a swollen belly.
Her protruding stomach was a surprise to both of us, but it’s one we don’t regret for a second. She took the pregnancy test in my master bathroom, and we both sat on the tile floor as we waited for the results. The positive test made us both jump for joy. I’m finally going to be a daddy.
The last few months have been heaven, but we have faced some obstacles. When we finally told Roger and Elaine about our love affair, they were enraged and accused me of corrupting their precious baby girl. And then, it didn’t help that suddenly their teenage daughter was knocked up. I was so sure they were going to drag my name through the mud, but Tessa had managed to calm their rage. They still have their doubts about our relationship, and Roger won’t even look me in the eye, but Tessa thinks all of that will change when they meet their grandchild. I hope she’s right, and I really hope our baby is just as beautiful as her mother.
I was able to keep my position as the athletic director at Sunnyside, seeing as how the Board of Education couldn’t prove that I had actually done anything wrong. Tessa is an adult now, and nothing happened between us when she was still a minor. But I do hear whispers every now and then when I’m out grocery shopping. Hopefully, after our baby is born, the gossip will die down.
I cuff her hand in mine as we walk past the lawn decorations. She admires the reindeer and elves prominently displayed in the yard, which makes me feel appreciated. I never feel like my efforts go to waste when it comes to her. Her bright grin makes it all feel worthwhile.
“Careful,” I say as I help her up the front porch steps. She only recently started showing, but I still want to keep her and the baby protected. I’m probably driving her crazy with all of my safety precautions, but I can’t help it. This is my first baby, and I don’t want to mess anything up. I’ve always wanted to be a dad, and now, it’s finally happening. Tessa has made me the happiest man on Earth.
I follow her closely into the house, carrying her suitcase. She has temporarily dropped out of college because of the pregnancy, and now she’s going to stay here with me. Her parents aren’t thrilled about that either, but she is grown and can make her own decisions. I’m ecstatic that I get to come home to her every single day now. We’re starting our life together, and it feels so good.
“I have something to show you,” I say with a grin on my face.
“What is it?” she asks curiously.
“It’s a surprise. You have to close your eyes.” Her eyes light up before she even knows what the surprise is.
“Okay!” she says with her eyes shut. I place my hands over them just in case she tries to sneak a peek. We slowly walk up the stairs, carefully taking each step. I take a deep breath at the top of the stairs and gently kick one of the bedroom doors open with my hands still covering her eyes.
“Are you ready?” I ask nervously.
“Yup!” she chirps.
“Okay.” I take my hands off of her eyes. “You can look now.” She gasps as she looks around the decorated nursery.
“Oh, Mason,” she says as she places her hands over mouth. It took me hours to paint the walls pink, and I nearly lost a limb trying to put that damn crib together, but it was all worth it just to see her reaction. She looks around the room in astonishment. “There’s even a rocking chair to put her to sleep in and books to read her at night.” Her eyes fill with tears.
“Don’t cry, baby,” I chuckle. But it’s too late; tears are running down her plump cheeks.
“It’s perfect,” she sobs. I hold her in my arms and wipe away every single tear.
“Anything for you and our baby.” I kiss those soft lips and feel the sparks fly between us. If she wasn’t already pregnant, this kiss alone would make me want to put a baby inside of her. Our kiss turns from an innocent peck into a steamy smooch as she makes it impossible to keep my hands off of her. She presses her body against mine, sending a flow of blood to my manhood. We used to have sex every day, but I’ve backed off recently because of the pregnancy. My cock is pretty huge, and I don’t want to do anything to hurt the baby. Tessa insists I won’t, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
“Come on,” she says, pulling me out of the nursery. I know what she wants – it’s written all over her face – and I want the same thing too. Her hips hypnotize me as I follow her into our bedroom. Thanks to the baby, they’ve spread out a little more. I’m so aroused that I can barely wait until we get inside the room. I want to bend her over right here in the hallway and stroke her insides until she moans my name as she comes.
She starts to undress as soon as she walks into the bedroom. I admire her figure as she strips naked. That poochy belly adds to her natural sexiness, making me want her even more. I seize her in my arms and carry her naked frame to the bed. She’s soaking wet already, and I can’t take my eyes off of her glistening cunt. Her dripping flesh is ready to feel every inch of my dick stroking it.
She grabs my hand and uses my fingers to rub her swollen clit. Sweet symphonic moans slip fro
m her lips as she delights in the sensations I’m giving to her. Her pretty, pink clit is calling my name, begging me to lick it until a waterfall gushes from between her legs. I give in, but I never really could resist anyway.
I gently push her legs back, trying my hardest not to bump them against her stomach. I spread her lips open, completely exposing the pink sliver of flesh. She watches me with delight, anticipating the moment I tongue her pearl. A river has already started to flow between those juicy thighs, and I can’t resist tasting her cream. I wrap my lips around her clit and suck the flesh, causing her body to jerk.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I back away.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she says, pulling my head back between her legs. “Don’t stop.” I listen to her command and continue to lick, switching the direction my tongue moves as I stroke her clit. She moans louder than I’ve ever heard her moan before as her body quivers in my hands.
“Do you like it like that?” I ask in between licks.
“Yes,” she moans. The sounds coming from her mouth remind me of an angel playing the harp, heavenly and divine. She runs her fingers through my hair as her body shakes in the palm of my hands. She plays with her tits, flicking her nipples in sync with my tongue strokes.
“Mason, I’m about to come,” she moans. My pulsating cock eagerly waits for climax. I apply more pressure with my tongue and lick her kitty a bit hard. It drives the girl insane, and she claws my upper back and shoulders. Her throbbing clit is ready to burst; I can feel it. She’s almost at the peak of her mountain, and I want to take her there. Her moans intensify, and I feel her body trembling as she finally climaxes. I suck the fruity juices out of her dripping cunt. She catches her breath as she comes down from her high. The moon illuminates her body in the still winter night. Her curves still drive me crazy, and her newest ones make my giant heart melt. She looks absolutely beautiful, yet she has no idea.
“What?” she giggles, noticing my stare.