Catch My Breath

by Wendy L. Wilson

  My heart slams in my chest in anticipation, but a familiar snapping sound of my doorknob is the only warning I have before, “Hey man, are you asleep? I need to talk toooooo ….” Evan’s voice calls out and I immediately tear the sheet up over me and Alyssa’s bodies.

  Luckily I manage to get us both mostly covered before roaring at my friend for his interruption. “Damn it, Evan! Could you knock?!” I spit out, completely annoyed with him. Any other day, any other time, but not tonight!

  I glare over my shoulder at him and see a smirk cross his face as he looks to the bottom of my bed. Oh perfect! Keep your mouth shut, Evan, Please!

  I’m silently pleading for him to keep quiet, because I know the last person he will think I’m with is Alyssa, but of course Evan stays true to himself.

  “Hey, it’s about time! Hell, I thought you were going to join a monastery and take a vow of celibacy. Good to see you’re finally moving on!”

  Great … no, no, no! I just know he is thinking I brought Tiffany back here, or Candy, or geez … maybe even Bethany. I have to defuse this before he says any more.

  Just as my mouth opens to cut the conversation off and get him out of my room, Alyssa pushes the covers out of her face so she is in plain view. Evan’s face immediately lights up with disbelief as he looks from her to me. “Well cool! You got her! Way to go!” My fear of him saying the wrong thing diminishes and my chest swells with pride as he carries on. “I was just kidding about the whole moving on comment,” he says, getting comfortable like he plans to hang out in my room all night. Not gonna happen.

  “Get out, Evan!” I holler out, desperately wishing for one time, just once, that he would choose not to drive me nuts.

  Another ornery ass grin spreads across his face. “Oh yeah, I guess you guys are busy, huh?”

  No, I just wanted to spend my morning laying here naked with a beautiful girl that I just happen to be completely in love with … Not busy at all!

  I open my mouth, fully intent on unleashing all my venom until he leaves but then I think I may have the perfect way to drive him insane tonight; all night in fact. A small smile rises onto my face, but I try my best to sound irritated as hell.

  “Yes! We are! Would you leave?!”

  “No problem.” The door shuts and for a minute I think he’s gone, but that would be way too easy. “So are you guys going to be making lots of noise?” he says, peeking his head back in.

  I’m going to choke him, I really am! “Yes! Now leave!” I plead with him

  “Ok, I’ll go take a drive for an hour or so. You guys have fun; go nuts; get crazy,” Evan says, pumping his fist in the air to root me on like I just threw the winning pass in a game.

  The door finally snaps shut and I hear the front door click as well. Turning my attention back to Alyssa, I pull the sheets further down away from her face and flash her a smile. Oh revenge is going to be so sweet!

  “I guess I forgot to tell you that Evan is my roommate.”

  Giggling over him walking in, she shifts beneath me and I know getting Evan back is going to be exhausting but well worth the effort.

  “Well it just wouldn’t be normal if he wasn’t included in this reunion,” she jokes having no idea what I’m thinking, yet she is so on track with my thought. Invited … no, but I’ll make sure he’s aware of our reunion.

  Deciding to let her in on my evil scheme, I ask a question I already know the answer to, “Are you staying all night?”

  “I don’t have my car with me so I guess I’m your hostage for the night.” I widen my eyes in excitement at her use of words then laugh.

  Slowly trailing my lips down her neck, a shiver rolls through her and I have no doubt that I can keep this up all night.

  I pull my mouth away for only a second, “Then he is going to be real disappointed when he gets back in an hour because I don’t plan to let you get any sleep tonight,” I say then sneak another kiss in along her jaw.

  Shifting my body, I’m hit with a wave of sensations. I gulp down a deep breath and look into her eyes. “I say we don’t hold back. Let’s be noisy, all … night … long.”

  She giggles through heavy breaths and I try to smile, yet it’s as though my brain has already shut down in anticipation of the sheer bliss that will be engulfing me in no time. We move together with a flawless harmony, our hands and lips exploring each other and leaving not a single trace of skin untouched.

  Alyssa’s whimpers grow louder with each movement and before long the ripples of pleasure start to build inside of me, making my hips move in a frantic pace. With one hand firmly wedged beneath Alyssa, I clamp down on her shoulder and run the other hand up into the palm of her hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. My grip on her hand tightens and I push them into the pillow beside our heads as I slowly begin slipping, diving, plunging and falling over the edge.

  Just as an animalistic sound claws its way up my throat and out of my mouth, I hear Alyssa’s strangled breaths turn into a loud moan mixed with what sounds like my name. I drop my head into the curve of her shoulder and take in a deep, exaggerated breath to calm my racing pulse.

  The smallest of movements from her has me nearly coming unglued from the sensitivity and spasms that keep rolling through me.

  She lets out a content, satisfied sigh against my shoulder as her velvety, soft fingertips make soft steady strokes from my waist to my shoulders, creating another spasm within me. Tilting my chin, I look at my clock and see its only 2:37 am. We still have the entire morning ahead of us. Who needs sleep?!

  On that thought, my lips take over and Alyssa falls right into step; both of us staying true to our plan to make this reunion last all night.

  Hours pass and we are utterly exhausted and drained of energy, but somehow our vigor and excitement for one another never dies. With the exception of a few loud thuds on the wall coming from Evan’s room, we both stay lost in our own perfect little bubble, reveling in our desire for each other.

  “What time is it?” Alyssa says against my chest through heavy, sleepy breaths.

  Rolling my head, which takes more energy than I have on supply, I look at the nightstand clock and lazily cradle my head back into the comfort of my pillow.

  “A little past six,” I mumble out to the ceiling, my eyes growing heavier as the seconds pass.

  Alyssa blows out a laugh, her breath heating up my already sweat soaked skin.

  “Have we really been up all morning?”

  Closing my eyes, I murmur a quiet “Mmmhum,” before letting sleep carry me away.

  A loud clanking startles me and has me snapping my head in the direction of my bedroom door. Rapidly blinking my eyes to work out the hazy, sleep deprived feeling from my head, I see that my door is still closed, but I can make out the sounds of movement in the other room. I quickly glance down at the door knob, annoyed that my bedroom door doesn’t have a lock on it, then over to the clock that reads 8:41. What the hell is Evan still doing home? He was supposed to be at the site over an hour ago.

  A part of me wants to crack up, knowing I may be partly to blame for his tardiness, but then I look down at my chest and see Alyssa. He can get over it … It was totally worth it.

  Her small frame still lies completely draped over my body with one leg wedged between mine and the palms of her hands hugging my sides as if she is staking her claim. One look at her and I instantly start to get aroused. I didn’t even know I had anything left in the tank, but I’ll take it.

  Carefully sliding out from beneath her, she curls up on her side and nuzzles into my chest, making me feel guilty for wanting to wake her up. I guess I should let her sleep, but then my ears pick up on a tiny content whimper moving over her lips as they curve into a hint of a smile. Something about seeing how worn out she is makes me feel satisfied and accomplished. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to focus on controlling my arousal so that she can get a few hours of sleep before we leave. I’m driving, so actually I should be sleeping too, but I can’t.

  Ope
ning my eyes, I gaze at her beautiful, angelic perfection and repeat that thought again. No way can I sleep. I’d be happy with just staying awake all day and watching her sleep, I think as I breathe a sigh of relief that I am not waking up from a dream. Another sound comes from the other room and this time it sounds like a crash or something falling. I sneak a quick kiss on Alyssa’s lips and decide it’s time to investigate.

  “I’ll be back,” I whisper so quietly against her lips, immediately getting another soft moan as a reply.

  Sliding off the bed and into my jeans, I head for the door and nudge it open, careful to not make a sound until I am out of the room. Spinning around to face the kitchen, I am met with a grumpy, rundown Evan slumped over a bowl at the kitchen island.

  “Why aren’t you at work?” I ask, trying to control the smirk that is threatening to take over my face.

  With heavy eyelids and an etched on frown, Evan looks up at me and it’s very clear that my method of payback worked.

  I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh.

  “What the hell, man! You look awfully chipper for not getting one minute of sleep … all night!” Evan rolls his eyes and I can’t hold back my laughter. “But then again, I guess I’d have a smile plastered on my face too if I had an all-night-sexathon with the girl of my dreams.” Evan whirls his fingers in the air to emphasize his sarcasm.

  I burst out laughing, throwing my arms around my waist as I stare at the bland, ticked off expression on his face.

  “Oh and yeah to answer your question … I’m not at work because I … didn’t … sleep … all … night!” Evan raises his voice in annoyance and I quickly stop laughing, glancing back at my bedroom door, hoping that he is not waking Alyssa.

  With no sound heard from beyond my bedroom door, I make my way over to the bar and take a seat at one of the barstools. Snickering, I fold my arms across the island and look at him.

  “Payback’s a bitch, huh?”

  Evan's head snaps up and there is a mischievous gleam in his eyes that tells me I may regret challenging him.

  "Oh! Oh!" He points over to my bedroom, a huge grin painted on his face. "So that was revenge for me busting in on your play day?" He throws his head back and laughs, holding his belly for emphasis. "Oh it is sooo on! I can play this game!" Evan points at my face clearly amused.

  "Great," I grumble, knowing full well that Evan does not back down from a challenge. “Let’s not make this too disgusting, ok? I really don’t want to know about your sex life and every time you bring a girl home,” I chuckle, “Last night we did get a little crazy and … loud …”

  Evan’s eyes widen, “Ya think? I thought the walls were caving in on me and Ho-lee shit, your bed frame slamming into the wall … you seriously need to move your bed to the other wall or something. I seriously stuffed cotton in my ears, held the pillow over my head until I was damn near suffocated and still all I could hear …” He looks at me amused and ready to deliver. I grin, enjoying the replay of what was heard from the other side of the wall. “… Oh Judd, Oh … Oh, Judd … Oh, ah, ahh, oh, mmmm … Judd until I really just wanted to gouge my ears out. Oh and your grunting … Oh my …”

  I quickly cut him off knowing he isn’t going to shut up otherwise. “… but that was just sort of a onetime thing.”

  He looks crazed for a minute, “Bullshit … that is not a onetime thing.” He points to my door, “You have her back now, so this is going to be a nightly occurrence.”

  I hold my hand up to stop him, “We will keep it down from now on, plus we are going to be at her parents this weekend, so you will have plenty of time to catch up on sleep.” I shoot him a goofy grin then stand up, stretching my arms over my head.

  “Her parent’s house, huh? Judd, I really don’t think her parents are going to stand for all that racket.”

  I squint my eyes and cast him a shut-the-hell-up glare.

  "Ok, so we are going to hop in the shower and then we’re headed to Fairview for the night. I'll catch you later!"

  I jump up and take quick strides to my bedroom so that I can wake Alyssa and hopefully relish in another shower. This time clothes will not be involved. I'm really beginning to love showers.

  Evan’s eyes widen and he nods his head.

  "Holy shit, man! Do you guys ever come up for air when you are together?! I mean seriously, what was that four times last night … five … six?"

  I raise my eyebrows, feeling a sly grin sneak onto my face.

  "Not if we can help it and I’m really not sure, I wasn’t counting," I chuckle as I grab the door knob to my room and open it slowly, careful not to wake her. I have plans on how I want to wake her up.

  Before I sneak inside, I hear the rattling of Evan’s keys as he grabs them off the counter.

  "Well, I'm off to work, only two hours late. Have fun shaking the banana tree and whatever else you plan to do."

  I squint my eyes at him and laugh. He thrives on getting under my skin. The front door closes and we are alone at last.

  “YOU’RE RIGHT, WE ARE never going to leave if you keep attacking me,” I laugh as I place warm kisses down her neck and back to her mouth.

  “Me!” She giggles, trying her best to act like she is trying to worm away. “You jumped on me no sooner than I took my towel off.”

  As soon as we were out of the shower and back in my room to get ready, I slipped into my jeans and sweatshirt, then patiently proceeded to watch her dry her hair in nothing but her towel. That’s just torture. Once the towel hit the floor, I pounced.

  Speaking between kisses against her neck, I say in an amused tone, “Is that how that happened? I’m pretty sure I remember you jumping me.”

  She laughs some more but once I swipe my tongue just below her earlobe, her breaths pick up and all giggling stops. Her legs slide up the sides of my thighs and wrap around me, igniting a trail of goose bumps over my skin. I have to laugh at how fast the tables can turn.

  “You’re right, we’re going to be late, huh?” I say pulling my face up so I can look at her.

  Her eyes widen and I seriously do not think I have ever seen this expression on her face. She looks like someone just stole her ice cream cone. I crack up, quickly planting a hard kiss on her lips. Pulling away, I look at her again and lick my lips. Her eyes flick down to watch and I immediately have to give her another kiss, this time slower. We eventually come up for air and get on our way.

  Thirty minutes later, we are headed down the interstate and my nerves are wound up.

  “Ok, so they know you’re coming,” Alyssa says, scooting a little closer to me.

  The movement of her hands in my peripheral vision catches my attention and I glance down. She places her phone in her lap then reaches over, wrapping her arm around my bicep.

  “What did they say?” I ask anxiously.

  I snap my eyes over to her and chuckle as she covers her mouth with a shocked expression. What is she doing?

  “Are you super nervous?” she asks, sounding somewhat amused while the contents of my stomach feel as though it may come up and make an appearance at any given moment.

  Looking back and forth between her and the road, I shrug my shoulders as she slowly settles back against the seat, nestled tightly to my side.

  “Judd, you have absolutely nothing to be worried about. Like I said, they are going to love you.” Her grip on my arm tightens and she presses her head to my shoulder, instantly putting my nerves at ease.

  “It’s not that I’m afraid they won’t like me. I guess I just haven’t had a whole lot of experience being around a family,” I tell her not really wanting to admit all the emotions that stir within me with the thought of being around a Mom and Dad. “I just have a bunch of mixed emotions. I’ll be fine,” I say, waving my hand above the steering wheel.

  “You don’t regret coming do you?” Her voice comes out in a worried tone and immediately has me looking over to her.

  Her head lifts off my shoulder and I catch a trace of sadness in her eyes. Hol
y crap! That did not come out right.

  “No, not at all!” I spit out quickly, guilty that I made her think that for even a second. “I am excited to meet your parents, like I said. Seriously, I am fine, Alyssa. I meant mixed as in excitement, nerves and is your dad going to pull a gun on me, all blended together, that’s all.”

  I laugh and manage to get a laugh out of her as well. She lets out a sigh and nuzzles against me so close that all I want to do is turn the truck around to head back to my apartment. How did I make it three months without her? I should have raced up her driveway and stole her back that day I watched her from the street. I think if I would have introduced her douchebag ex to my fist that day, it would have corrected his assumption that he was her boyfriend.

  Right then, it dawns on me that Alyssa and I have some things we need to talk about, plus there are things that I need to get off my chest. This isn’t the best timing, but honestly there are things I should have said before we ever even fell back into step with where we were before.

  “Alyssa, hey … I need to tell you something …”

  She instantly leans away, looking at me.

  “You don’t want to go, do you?”

  I swing my eyes over to her for a brief second.

  “No, I seriously want to meet your parents,” I assure her while glancing back and forth between her and the road, afraid this whole topic is going to blow up in my face. “But I’m not sure if you’re going to want me to after …” I lower one hand to my lap, nervously fidgeting with the seam of my jeans. Her hand covers mine and melts every hesitation in my body. “So this summer when we were apart, I went on a date with someone …” I get it out and wait.

  “Did you sleep with her?” she asks me slowly, her voice laced with concern.

  My eyes widen with her question and I steer the truck to the side of the road, right outside of Fairview. Once the truck is in park on the shoulder, I turn, grab her hand in mine and pull her close.

  “No way!” I gulp, knowing I need to tell her everything. “Ok, I went on a date with a girl named Candy, but nothing happened. I took her home and she tried to kiss me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” I cannot stop my rambling at this point. “Then Tiffany, my kind of ex, started coming over. We kissed and that was it. I kept thinking about you. I wanted you and I couldn’t …”