by Katie Wright
"I didn't, you chose that asshole," she pointed upstairs, "over me and how I felt about him."
"It doesn't really matter Sarah you didn't know the truth. Lucy lied to you. They were never as serious as she made it out to be. Beside you know Lucy always wants what other people want. She knew I liked Casey and so did you and yet everyone allowed her to pursue him."
"Well you didn't stop her Heath that was your problem. I thought maybe seeing Lucy with Casey would have given you the gumption to finally tell him how you felt about him." Sarah took her coat off and started raiding the fridge.
"I'm hungry and I don't want to talk about this now Heather. You're love life isn't that important to me."
Her cold tone sent a chill up my spine. But I couldn't go back upstairs with Casey and not have this resolved. "Wait so you wanted me to do something about Casey?"
"Well I thought you had at Halloween so that's why when he was still with Lucy I thought he was just trying to get some ass. I didn't know if he really cared about you. Why would I want my sister with some asshole that hooks up with anything he can get?"
There was a creak behind me and I heard Sarah mutter, "Don't let me keep you two."
She started to walk past me but then I heard Casey say, "Sarah I'm sorry if you don't trust me. But I do care a lot about your sister."
I looked at both of them looking at one another; neither of them willing to let the other look away.
Finally Sarah spoke, "Why did you string Heather along for so long then?"
Casey looked at me almost guiltily and then looked back at Sarah, "I was wrong, I thought she didn't care about me. I thought I had really lost her after what I did with Lucy. But Lucy knew we were never a serious couple. She sought me out all the time. I never wanted to hurt Heather. I care a lot about her."
"Yeah well don't hurt her again," on that note Sarah abruptly left the room. It almost sounded like a peace offering but I knew better. Sarah would be keeping a strict eye on my relationship with Casey.
He shuffled over to me and grabbed my t-shirt and looked me straight in the eyes, "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you again. I care," he paused briefly, "I care a lot about you."
I nodded affirmatively, "I know."
A couple hours later after Casey left I showered and left for the mall. Jane and I were planning to go out that night and decided it was time to update our wardrobe.
"So after Sarah left what happened?" Jane shoveled a few more cheesy fries in her mouth as she waited for me to answer.
"Casey told me he'd never hurt me and then he kissed me and then we went upstairs and you know," I trailed off.
"Oh Miss Heather you didn't! Even though Sarah was home!" Jane looked giddier than I had.
"Well it's not like we're having sex, I'm waiting."
"For what? Oh wait I know, I almost forgot." Jane could not hide how she felt about premarital sex, hey wait, wasn't everyone doing it?
"Yeah I know," I didn't coward, "I'm waiting till I'm married."
"Heath, you know I don't care it's not my business anyways. God knows you never judged me for doing it when we were what, 18? Plus sometimes I wonder if it would have been worth it to wait," She looked off as if wondering what her life would have been like if she had. I couldn't imagine how different it would have been. "No," she shook her head, "sorry Tristan Little was just too damn cute and despite his last name not so little."
We laughed at that and after I finally taking a breath I looked at her, "Yeah but you know it's really hard. And I really want to and Casey just won't let it happen."
"Well does he know you're waiting?"
"Um, no, I've been changing my mind."
Jane looked shocked, "No Heath! Don't change your mind for the pleasures of the body!"
I tried to hold my laugh because I knew she was serious.
She continued, "I think if you did you'd regret it. Why change your whole way of thinking for some guy. Well okay not some guy. But don't just have sex to fill some needed pleasure. You're just not like that and I know you'd hate yourself for it later."
I needed to be honest with someone at this point or I was going to burst, "Jane you know how I feel that it's acceptable to do that if you've been with the person a long time and you love them?"
She held that questionable look on her face but nodded as if inviting me to continue.
"Well I guess I've become more partial to that idea."
"Yeah but you and Casey have only been serious for a month at least," she cut in.
"Well I think my feelings are deeper for him than I thought."
Jane's mouth went slack jawed, "Oh my God you love him!"
I stuttered, "I gue-guess, so."
"Has he told you he loves you?"
She was practically screaming and I could feel people's eyes in the food court turning to look at us.
"Jane jeez, if I knew you were going to be so blunt and loud I would have told you in the car."
"Woops," she looked around and flushed in embarrassment.
"To answer your question, no, he hasn't."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Don't know."
"You're right maybe you should wait," Jane said as she began to clear our table and get up and walk over to the trash can.
"Why do you think I should wait?"
I followed Jane out of the food court to commence our shopping.
"Well I think you should wait for him because if he doesn't reciprocate then what are you going to do?"
"Don't you think it'd be hard for him to say that to me? Maybe he's thinking the same thing. Maybe he's waiting for me to say it."
Jane stopped and looked at stream line dress in black, "I think the man should say it first, that way you know he means it."
"Okay well what if he never does?"
"Well then you better get out of the relationship."
We finished our shopping excursion a good three hours later. The sun was starting to set and I waved a goodbye to Jane as she went to the other side of the parking lot.
I stated walking to my car when I heard footsteps coming towards me but when I looked up I didn't see anything or anyone. I quickened my own footsteps and jumped inside the car throwing my bags into the passenger seat.
When I returned home I sighed in relief as I saw Casey's car parked in front of the house.
I tried to unlock the door in one hand and hold five bags of clothes in the other.
The smell of sausage engulfed my nostrils as I entered the foyer.
"Casey!" I yelled as I dropped my bags unceremoniously on the floor.
Casey's lean figure appeared in the hallway before me. He was wiping his hands into one of the kitchen towels as he started walking towards me.
He leaned down and kissed my lips subtly and then pulled away, a grin planted on his face.
"Hi," he said.
I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks. I held my breath trying not to giggle at the serious moment. The little girl in me couldn't help but imagine that I was coming home from a long day of work greeted by my "oh so loving" husband. The thought in itself made me instantly want to turn my face away as though Casey would have been able to read my thoughts.
"Hi," I meekly replied after a pause.
"I made food," his smiled widened and without letting me take off my coat he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen.
He removed my coat and placed it on one of the chairs. "Sorry," he began, "I used your mom's dishes but I'll clean it up."
I laughed, "Well what else were you going to use?"
He shrugged and sat next to me. We ate dinner and enjoyed one another's company. However my mind was somewhere else. I kept thinking to myself to hurry up and eat so that we could go somewhere else, specifically my bedroom. So when we finished I offered to wash the dishes while he went and found us a movie to watch.
Once I was finished I went upstairs and found Casey watching television. He looked at me and I flicked off the l
ight.
I jumped onto my bed and lied next to him. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer placing a kiss on my forehead. I turned up to his face and kissed his cheek. His response was to kiss me back on my lips. We exchanged small kisses for some time before I heard a low growl and suddenly I was lying on my back smothered by Casey's mouth.
"I was waiting to get through dinner for this," Casey spoke hoarsely, "and I was wondering half way through it why I decided to make a three course meal. We could have gotten to this so much faster." As he spoke he was also removing my top and bra.
It seemed as though in seconds we were both lying nearly naked groping and kissing one another as though we couldn't get enough. And I knew that it had to be hard for him to hold back because it was hard for me too. But then I knew that since I had never experienced it fully that I didn't have it as bad. I also had the preconceived notion that guys just needed it more than women.
We were nearly there when there was a loud crash from the downstairs. Casey's head immediately looked up. He leaned over me, "Stay here."
He jumped up from me and pulled on his pants. Just as he closed the bedroom door I grabbed my top and pants and put them on.
I opened the door but didn't see anyone. In fact I couldn't see much of anything because the lights in the entire house seemed to be out.
"Casey," I whispered. I walked towards the end of the hallway reaching the top of the stairs and peered down. I saw nothing and then possibly a glimmer.
I hadn't heard a noise so I started to walk down. Every light was out and immediately my instincts knew something was wrong. Now like most stupid heroines in a horror movie you tell the dumb bitch to run back and call the police. You don't yell at her to go downstairs but I wasn't as scared as you might think. I kept thinking I need to know what's going on maybe I can do something about it.
Once I reached the bottom of the stairs I looked over and there in front of me was someone. Someone who could have been Casey and I prayed it was but I knew it wasn't. They had seen me and I made a motion to move my foot but felt something. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw someone lying at my feet.
It was Casey and the person in front of me started forward. I walked backwards and finally turned around to run up the stairs when I felt a hand grab my ankle. The hand belonged to the person I hoped to forget months ago.
"Dan," I breathed.
"Wow that was original," he laughed.
I pulled my ankle a bit but I felt the tips of his fingers squeeze. I tried not to cry out but I could feel his nails drawing blood. All he had to do was pull and I would be down on my back and helpless. I thought about another way to entice him.
"Dan, I don't know why you're doing this. You know what will happen if you do anything to me."
He did the one thing I hope he wouldn't. In a moment I was on my back against the stairs. His hand still clutched to my ankle dragging me down to the bottom.
"Do you think I care what the fuck you think? Where the hell have you been? You ruined my life. You fucked this loser. All of my research! "
As Dan was dragging me across the floor next to where Casey was laying helpless my I could feel my anger growing.
My mouth began to have a mind of its own, "Do you really think I'd be with you instead of Casey! You fucking psycho. You really can't let go can you? You weren't doing research you were stalking me!"
I felt heat against my face and then the stinging pain like a thousand needles stabbing my cheek.
"You asshole!" I screamed. Dan swung my whole leg so that my whole body flew hard into the wall. My right shoulder took most of the impact. I clutched onto it and tried not to yell. I didn't know what Dan had plan for me and Casey but I knew if I didn't do something that I would be dead.
Then I felt the shifting movement of someone on me.
Dan's face was over mine breathing rancid breath in my face. I wanted to scream but instead held my breath.
His hands slid up and down my body and he whispered, "What about we let your little boyfriend watch? Not that'll it matter he's out cold, stupid fuck. I am stuck in a predicament. Oh you little whore. Last time the other boy stopped me but this time I don't think so. Why couldn't you just go out with me, huh? You're pretty but not that pretty. What, did you think you were better than me? Let's face it, you didn't have much of a future anyways. I don't think your presence will be missed very much."
As he continued to spew things I wouldn't dare listen to I closed my eyes and tried to remove my mind from my body. If what I expected to happen next was going to then I would need to just leave before I was aware of what was happening to me.
Then something moved in the corner of my eye.
"Dan, I'm sorry," I began, "I didn't mean to hurt you." I thought that if I took pity on him that maybe he'd take pity on me. That maybe he wouldn't notice that we weren't the only two now conscious of what was happening.
"I don't give a," Dan paused and almost turned around when he was struck.
I pushed my self back with my hands far into a corner of the hallway as the two men struggled in the dark. In moments it was over and there was only one person left standing above me.
His hand outstretched, "Come on Heath."
I touched the palm of Casey's hand and allowed him to pull me up. I didn't let go of his hand for the rest of the night or even after the police left after the nightmare seemed to be over.
Chapter 28
"You don't look so bad in a sling."
"Shut up asshole!"
He grinned and tickled my side.
"Ow, stop that!"
He moved his hands around my waist and held me close. He whispered into my hair, "Heath, I'm joking. But you still look adorable even in this." Casey lightly touched my right arm which was hanging in a sling due to the injury it sustained when Dan threw me into the wall.
The nightmare, as I refer to it, was finally over. Court dates remained but I knew this time there'd be a better chance of staying safe.
Casey and I were sitting in the park against one of the tall oaks completely immersed with each other and our surroundings.
In the past few months I thought about my future and not only with Casey but in general. I looked up at Casey, who was surprisingly already looking down at me.
"What," I asked.
He just shook his head, "Don't ask me what, what are you thinking about?"
I shook my head, "Just stuff in general. Like what I have been doing for a year."
"You mean besides this little dance we've been a part of this past year?" I could feel his chest heave as he chuckled.
I rolled my eyes in response, "Besides that."
Nodding he returned, "I know, like your career. Weren't we here when you defended history and the importance of it and I tried to counter you but you were being such a bitch…"
"You jerk," I responded as I attempted to struggle out of his grasp.
"Hey," he laughed, "stop, I'm kidding, kind of. You were being a bitch to me that whole day. I don't even know what I did wrong."
"To be honest I don't even remember now; maybe your cocky attitude?"
He nodded in the affirmative, "Most likely. But still there was no need for it since I was just trying to impress you."
"Impress me?" I was somewhat shocked by his admission since I had no sense that's what he had been doing.
"Yes, impress you. I was trying to hold a conversation with you about something you liked and the next thing I knew it turned into a full on debate."
"Well I tend to get defensive."
"Yea I noticed."
"Hey," I meekly tried to defend myself, "that's not a bad thing."
"If you say so," was his sarcastic reply.
"Okay at times, yes, I am a bitch. I'm sorry I try not to be but I am."
Casey kissed me on the head, "Its funny recently you haven't been. Even with everything that has happened you seem calmer or something."
"I think I'm digesting everything that has h
appened. Maybe I'm in shock."
Casey turned me around and allowed me to straddle his lap.
He looked at me with such seriousness I didn't know if I should ask what was going through his mind.
"Heather, I need to know what you plan on doing."
Confused I asked him to explain further.
"Well," he continued, "what are you planning on doing career wise. Are you planning on going back to school or continue working at the law office."