Afflicted

by Sophie Monroe

  “Please.” The voice pleaded, and I knew right away that it was Cole. “I just want to apologize, then I’ll leave. I promise.”

  Moving my feet off the side of the bed I stepped onto the plush carpet and stretched my arms over my head before standing and heading to hear this dreadful apology. It seemed like that’s what our relationship consisted of anymore. Fight, apologize, get back together, then fight some more. I was almost relieved that Blake pulled me out of the hem and haw of it. I think my sanity needed it. When I made it to the end of the hallway, Granny was standing there holding up a kitchen knife threatening man parts if he didn’t scoot, making me chuckle.

  “It’s okay, Granny. Let him say what he came to say, and then he’ll leave.” I said, my voice strong.

  She nodded reluctantly and took a seat at the table giving Cole a death glare. She knew him his whole life, and though she too understood what he was going through, she didn’t find it excusable either. Cole took a step toward me, and I stepped back wanting to keep as much space between us as possible because as much as I hated to admit it he still made me weak.

  “Piper…” He said solemnly. “I needed to do this face to face, and I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but I need to apologize. I lost it when I realized that I lost you. You were the one constant in my life, my sunshine and now that you’re gone it’s dark all the time. I went on a binge and was angry, and hurt, so I guess I wanted to hurt you too and took it out on your, well our stuff. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get my shit together, and you deserve so much better than what I’ve given you since I got out. I’m just so fucking messed up right now that even I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” I noticed that his hands were starting to shake, and he was visibly upset.

  It broke my heart.

  I took a step forward and wrapped my arms around his torso.

  “Just get better, Cole. Do it for yourself.” I pulled away as he lingered in the embrace for another moment.

  “I love you, Piper. I hope one day maybe I’ll be enough again.”

  “I’m with Blake now.” It just came out, and I immediately felt sorry once it came out since he already had so much on his plate. “Take care, Cole.”

  I went back to the spare room and closed the door. Granny told him he needed to leave and not to come back because no matter how much he begged she wasn’t going to let him see me. A couple minutes she knocked on the door and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “I know you’re hurting now, but you’re strong, sweetheart. You’ll get through this. Sometimes life throws you limes and you have to make margaritas.”

  “Still sucks.” I grumbled.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SIN WITH A GRIN

  Piper

  Three days of having Blake be a permanent fixture at the tattoo shop thinking Cole was going to come back and lose his shit again later, we were finally on a plane headed to Arizona to meet Blake’s family. I was excited and nervous about what his family was going to be like, and if they would accept me. Once we were airborne he pulled out his iPod and handed it to me, pressing play. It was an acoustic song with just a guitar playing low in the background.

  A sinful voice started singing, and I immediately recognized it.

  “Every time I close my eyes it’s your face I see

  When I see my future it’s with you next to me

  You’re exactly where I want to be

  Somehow with you I’ve found my home

  Hard times, broken hearts, pain and destruction, can’t keep us apart

  Because together we’re an unstoppable force

  Ready to take whatever get’s thrown our way

  We’ll knock it out of the park because

  There’s no place I’d rather be than with you next to me

  Say we’ll never part ways because a life without you isn’t a life worth living.”

  I looked at him in awe. “I think you have a greatest hit on your hands.”

  He turned the iPod so I could see the name of the song,

  ‘A Song for Piper’.

  Leaning in and kissing me gently. “I wrote and recorded it for you the other night when you were at Granny’s.” He said proudly.

  The rest of the flight was uneventful, except for the skanky girl sitting across from us that was practically having sex with Blake in her head the entire time. She was so obvious that I almost felt sorry for her, but he was oblivious to anything except me. Leaning over and stealing kisses constantly with his sexy dimples made me forget all the bad shit that went down this past week. I just wanted to focus on him and us getting to a strong place.

  When we touched down in Arizona, he led me over to baggage claim where a tall, slender woman that had a strong resemblance to Blake stood bouncing from foot to foot trying to peek around the crowd. As soon as she caught Blake’s eye, he let go of my hand and practically took off running to her.

  He scooped her up off her feet as she playfully swatted at his back, beaming brightly. Taking a deep breath I slowly made my way over as he placed her back down and reached his hand back out for mine. She was beautiful and polished with the same brown hair as Blake, cut into a bob and caring, blue eyes. She wore a pair of white shorts and a navy blue peasant blouse that showed off her slim figure.

  “Piper, this is my mom, Sandy. Mom this is Piper.” He said gesturing between us.

  “It’s so nice to finally have a face to place with the name.” She smiled and pulled me into a small hug, which I returned awkwardly.

  “You too. Thanks for having me.”

  “Please, we’re delighted to have you.” She gushed.

  Leading us out to her silver Acura SUV, Blake tossed the suitcases in the trunk and climbed into the back next to me. I looked out the window at the city sites as we drove toward suburbia. Eventually, we pulled up to a terracotta bi-level in a picturesque neighborhood with manicured lawns. Gathering the luggage from the trunk Blake led me toward the front door hot on his mom’s heels. As soon as she opened the door I gathered why. She must have been cooking for days pending our arrival. The entire house smelled like a 5-star restaurant.

  The entry way branched out into two rooms, one being the living room and the other being an expansive kitchen and dining room area. The colors were mostly soft earth tones while the living room was painted a pale blue with orange accents and plush cream colored furniture. It was inviting, and I felt myself relax a little realizing that it was just a house, and they were just people too.

  Sandy told Blake to show me to his room so we could freshen up while she finished getting everything ready. I was thankful that we’d be sharing a room since I was becoming used to sleeping next to him, and I felt safe as long as he was next to me. As soon as we rounded the corner he pressed me up against the wall and claimed my mouth with his, prodding his tongue against mine.

  Lifting my arms around his neck, he hoisted me up wrapping my legs around his waist and carrying me up the stairs, making me forget everything except him. He was feeling the wall for doorknobs until he reached the one that he wanted toward the end of the hallway. He opened it, refusing to stop kissing me even for a second and placed me down on the bed crawling between my legs and grinding against me.

  “I love having you here.”

  “Blake.” I rasped, breathless. “We can’t have sex right now. Your mom is downstairs, and she’s expecting us to be back down in a couple minutes, not hours.” Reminding him of how carried away we got when we were together, not to mention loud.

  Groaning audibly, he pulled away and moved to his side. As I turned I noticed his excitement making my mouth water. Knowing that I couldn’t very well leave him with a case of blue balls I unzipped his pants and started pumping him gently, slowly picking up the pace. He was starting to get close, so I lowered my head, taking him in my mouth rolling my tongue around the tip and grazing my teeth down his shaft. He exhaled in a moan before shooting his hot load into the back of my throat. Swallowing down ev
ery last drop I sat up with a grin on my face. Smiling at me with his adorable dimples he kissed me passionately. The fact that he wasn’t grossed out left me seriously turned on, but I knew he would find a way to get in my pants before the night was over and it would be well worth the wait.

  After cleaning up, he led me back downstairs where the table had been set and his dad sat looking at Blake with a knowing smirk. He was tall and built with brown hair starting to gray around the sides while still looking youthful. He had the same jade green eyes as Blake.

  “You must be Piper. I’m Dennis, Blake’s dad.” He said standing.

  “Pleasure to meet you, sir.” I said shaking his hand.

  “Please, just Dennis is fine. We’re glad you finally got this knucklehead to venture back home to see his old folks.”

  They were hardly old. If I had to guess I would say early fifties, though Sandy could easily pass for being in her mid-forties. Blake pulled out my chair while his mom worked in the kitchen filling plates up with food.

  “Shut up old man. I’m here, aren’t I?” He ribbed.

  “So, how’s the new album coming along?” Dennis asked proudly. It was apparent that Blake and his parents were close, and they were extremely proud of him.

  “Real good. I think it’s going to rival the others. We’re not kids anymore, so the songs on this album are more about life instead of drinking and getting laid. Hopefully that will broaden our audience.”

  “We’re so proud of you, Blake.” Sandy beamed. “Do you have anything planned while you’re here?”

  “I’m gonna take Pipe to the carnival later.” He said, taking me by surprise.

  I guess every year the town goes all out for its fall carnival held at the high school. Something about the rides and the food made me feel like a kid again. Blake always came up with the unexpected, even if it was just going to a dive bar. It was one of the things that I adored most about him.

  “Tell us a little about yourself, Piper.” Sandy smiled.

  “There’s not too much to tell. I’m an only child and a daddy’s girl. My parents moved a couple hours away when I graduated to be in the country and travel since my mom is an archeologist. I don’t see them as much as I’d like, but we’re still close, and I talk to them a couple times a week. I really like to draw, which led me to becoming a tattoo artist. I work at a shop in town.”

  “I saw your work when Blake sent us a photo of the tattoo on his arm, which he said you free handed. Very impressive.” Sandy said, looking delightedly between Blake and me.

  “Thanks.” I said, feeling embarrassed.

  “I think it’s great that you get to do something that you love, so few people actually like what they do.” Dennis said.

  “Has Blake been treating you well, or do I need to break out the wooden spoon?” Sandy asked playfully.

  “Blake is perfect.” I said with little butterflies taking off around my heart making me feel fluttery.

  Squeezing my knee under the table I knew Blake was happy and right now that was the only thing that mattered. We finished our late lunch before going to get changed and leave for the carnival. I dressed quickly picking out a pair of dark, denim jeans and white t-shirt. I grabbed a gray hoodie since Blake said it got a little chilly once the sun went down.

  Blake came out in a pair of low hung, black jeans. I giggled when I saw his white shirt with a pin-up holding her hand out to reveal black writing reading, “INKed & Awesome” for the TruInk line that I designed for the shop where I worked. Shaking my head, he grinned at me.

  “What? I happen to love this shirt, and I heard the designer’s pretty fucking hot. Any chance you can put in a good word?” Walking over and wrapping his arm around my shoulder he laughed into my hair as I elbowed him in the ribs, hurting myself in the process. His damn abs had abs.

  “You’re such a wise ass.” I said as I breathed him in. He always smelled so good like Chanel and man making heat pool at my core.

  As if he could sense what I was thinking, he leaned down and kissed my lips tenderly. A couple minutes later he pulled away and led me downstairs where Sandy was waiting with a camera in hand. It felt like prom, all over again.

  “Alright you kids, it’s picture time. Smile.” Sandy said, clicking away.

  I gave Blake a pair of bunny ears as he pretended to eat my face. I decided we were a couple of knuckleheads as if that news came as a shock. Sandy was laughing at our immature behavior and told us to have a terrific time. Blake led me out to his dad’s 4Runner and opened the door, helping me climb in.

  We drove 10 minutes to the high school and pulled into the already half packed parking lot. Walking hand in hand up to the gate Blake bought us each a wristband, and a cup full of game tokens so he could win me an “outrageously large, stuffed animal,” his words not mine.

  We went over to where the rides were set up and picked the Tilt-A-Whirl first. After the click of the door was in place Blake put his hand on the wheel and started rocking the ride from side to side with a boyish grin on his face. One hard swing to the right and I crashed into his side with a thud. He wrapped one muscled arm securely around me, kissing my temple and using the other to continue rocking the ride.

  Once each car was filled the ride started going round and round. It was almost like I’ve spent my whole life waiting for moments like these, the two of us tucked away in our own little world. I leaned into his ear as the ride came to an end.

  “I-” He looked intently at me out of the corner of his eye for me to finish. “Have a crush on you.”

  “I’m glad, ‘cause I’m crushing pretty hard on you, too.”

  Hand in hand for most of the evening, we went on the Ferris wheel, bumper cars, played with the water guns and the strong man competition where he won me a stuffed monkey. Taking a break we decided to eat some yummy old-fashioned carnie food.

  Blake piled a tray with funnel cake, popcorn, cotton candy, a pretzel and a giant cherry slushy. Taking a seat on a nearby bench we fed each other bits of each. He bit down on my thumb after giving him some cotton candy sending a lightning bolt to my core. I let out a small moan as he tugged me to my feet towards the fun house. He stopped dead in his tracks when a petite blonde started toward us making me slam into his chest.

  “Blake, I didn’t know you were back.” She cooed.

  “Rowan.” He said flatly.

  Then it dawned on me that she was the ex. Shit, she’s gorgeous. Long, tan legs, perfect hair, and a killer smile to boot. She could easily be glossing up the cover of Victoria’s Secret. Feeling self-conscious, I wanted to run into the fun house and hide. She was also eye fucking him like there was no tomorrow.

  “You look good.” She enunciated each word in her musical voice.

  “Um, thanks.” He said looking at his shoe. “Rowan this is my girlfriend, Piper. Piper, meet Rowan.” He said unenthusiastically.

  “Hi.” I said. I would have said something like, ‘nice to meet you,’ but it would have been a lie.

  “I didn’t know you were back in the dating scene, Blake. I thought after the last time in LA that you weren’t into that scene anymore.” She winked.

  “Things change, Rowan. We’re actually getting ready to go. I’ll see you around.”

  “Not if I see you first.” She smirked, making my stomach turn.

  Blake looked at me with an apologetic look on his face, and I tried not to let the little run in ruin our night, but something about her just made me feel unsettled. I could never compete with someone like her on looks alone. Plus, they had history, and a lot of it. He could get bored and drop me like a bad habit and run back to her to have beautiful babies. She would make a perfect rock star wife, too.

  My thoughts were jumbled as we entered the fun house that seemed anything but fun right now. Blake tried making me laugh by doing goofy faces and dancing in the mirrors, but I couldn’t shut my brain off.

  I thought about Cole, and how I always felt secure in our relationship. Even when he was leaving
constantly, I knew he wouldn’t cheat on me. He was doing just about every other thing that I wasn’t happy about, but I knew at the end of the day he’d always be there for me. More than anything I wished I could have the same secure feeling about Blake, but his previous reputation still made me a little apprehensive. He was trying extremely hard to be a good boyfriend, and so far excelling, but for how long? I wanted to keep my already black and blue heart protected.

  “What’s the matter, babe?” He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “Sorry, just thinking.” I tried to reassure him.

  “Are you upset about Rowan? I didn’t know she was going to be here, but I guess I should have figured as much.” He shrugged.

  “I’m good.” I lied.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” He said pushing me up against one of the mirrors and lowering his mouth to mine. It was as if he was trying to tell me, “I need you, please stay.”

  I kissed him back feeling drunk on his salty carnival kisses. He was such an incredible kisser, but tonight there was an edge to his kissing that brought it to a whole new level. He pulled away biting down gently on my lip before landing one last peck and heading to the exit. Leading me away from the carnival over to the football field he took a seat on the bleachers. I learned that he actually played in high school, which surprised me. He told me about his first kiss, his prom and other high school memories before telling me about him and Rowan and their tumultuous history.

  He went on about how he proposed, and she declined thinking he wouldn’t be able to support her and her needs, leaving him heartbroken. Part of me wondered if that’s why he tried so hard to succeed so that he could prove her wrong. I hated that I was feeling jealous when he clearly stated that he felt nothing for her anymore. He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere that he liked to go to think, and I agreed since I needed to do some sorting out of my own.

  Driving up a winding road I leaned into him, breathing him in. He pulled off when we reached the end of the road and backed into the spot. There was a river flowing about 10 feet away from us illuminating in the full moonlight. He looked at me with a carnal expression making me wanton for him.