Jamie thought rekindling his sex life would ease the hyper-sexuality that had continued, even with the reduction of his meds, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. There was an electricity in his veins that he’d never felt before, an almost singleminded need to fuck his brains out. Fortunately, Kelli seemed to have the same intentions.
Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the other shoe was waiting to drop. After that first event, with the silence and the flashes of light while they had been making love, there had been repeated incidents, after which he always had the dreams.
They weren’t always the same, just similar in mood - a feeling of dread, and then, cold terror. Visions of the man with the icy blue eyes came at him from the shadows. He’d wake with a start, relieved to find Kelli’s arms wrapped around him in the dark, the wind whistling on the other side of the building’s concrete wall. He held her tighter on those nights, nearly clenching his teeth as he squeezed his arms around her. It was a sense of calm he hadn’t realized had been missing in his life.
He’d read articles about people in constant pain, ones who’d had surgery to remove tumors, or cancer, and felt a relief they’d never known they needed. He knew pain. Knew how it felt to have something intruding in your body. He lifted his hand to his head. They say pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Are nightmares the same? His body was still cooperating with him, but he had the feeling he was fighting off confusion. Things were still going well, but he sensed that it was taking a bit more concentration for him to keep his thoughts in order. He considered seeing Dr. Price over vacation, but he wasn’t yet sure there was a reason to do so.
The night crept by slowly, with that strange sense of drifting in and out of sleep. When light started filtering in through the blinds, crawling across the floor toward him, Jamie couldn’t tell if he had slept at all, wasn’t sure if he had even closed his eyes. He could hear people’s alarms going off; they’d stop, then go off again nine minutes later. Clearly a floor fond of its “snooze” buttons. Eventually, doors began opening, and bare feet trod down the hallway to the bathrooms.
Jamie heard Will’s voice as he called something to Sandi; he’d taken to flirting with the girl after he first saw Kelli leave Jamie’s room the previous weekend. Things were strange among the three of them. The guy had never really spoken to him, so Jamie couldn’t honestly see a difference, but both Gabe and Kelli noted that Will seemed genuinely pissed off. They tried to stay at her place more frequently, but dealing with Christie and Joe seemed like an unnecessary annoyance, and as he argued, they couldn’t let someone else’s feelings come into play with their decisions. Personally, he thought Will was a pain in the ass; it bothered him to see Kelli so upset by the tension it was causing.
He sat and watched her, lying on her side with her face buried in the pillow. A door slammed in the hall and her eyes flickered open. She looked up at him.
“Fuck you.”
“What?!” Jamie asked, pleading innocence.
“You know I hate it when you watch me sleep.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Yes you can.”
He took a breath and fell back against the mattress. Kelli closed her eyes again, then let out a frustrated grumble and got up, shivering in the cold as she pulled on one of Jamie’s sweatshirts and opened the door to the hallway. Jamie watched her slip out the door, then turned his head when he heard the latch click shut. He lay on his back, looking up at the sky through the upturned blinds. It looked cold. He was still staring out the window when he heard her return and lock the door. He didn’t turn his head to look at her.
“Do you have to go?” he asked.
She walked over and kissed him on the temple.
“You know I do.”
“You could stay here and have Christmas with me and my mother.”
“I think that might be a bit premature.”
“Then come for dinner this weekend.”
“All right.”
“And then stay…”
“How about this?” Kelli said as she ran her hand down his chest, slipping her fingers under the edge of the blanket. “I come to your house for dinner this weekend--” She brushed her fingers against him as she kissed him on the lips. “Then I go home for Christmas--” She slid one leg under the covers, straddling him. “The next day, I take the train up from New York-” She hesitated for a moment, then lowered herself down over him “and we spend New Year’s and the rest of the break here in the dorms, just the two of us.”
Jamie ran his hands down her back, wrapped them around the back of her thighs, and stood suddenly, lifting her with him. Kelli laughed as he pressed her back against the wall.
“Do you like that idea?” she asked him.
Jamie kissed her eyes, and held her gaze when she opened them again.
“Sounds fantastic.”
***
The floor threw an improvised Christmas party on the last day of classes. Fritz took a portion of the activities money from student housing and bought an eight-foot sub sandwich from Dibella’s, along with some cakes and soda from Wegman’s. A few people brought gifts and exchanged them in the corners. As they sat around the room eating cake and talking about their Christmas plans, Will came over to Kelli, quietly asking if he could see her for a moment. She glanced at Jamie, then walked down the hall with Will. Gabe walked over as Jamie watched them turn the corner.
“You live here in town, right?” Gabe asked.
Jamie turned to him, his attention split.
“Yeah, I’m from Rochester.”
“What are you doing for the break?”
“Uh,” He turned to Gabe, not wanting to seem jealous as Will and Kelli disappeared around the corner. “No plans, relaxing at home, might come back a little early and hang with Fritz.”
“When does he come back?”
“Two days before classes start. I guess RAs have to get back early in case anything comes up.”
Gabe nodded his head, taking a pensive bite of his cake and looking away, as though contemplating the great responsibility of the resident advisor.
“Where are you from, Gabe?”
“Me? Long Island.”
Jamie nodded, inexplicably stumped for conversation. He looked back down the hall and saw Kelli returning. She was carrying a paperback book in one hand and a crumpled up wad of wrapping paper in the other. She dropped the paper in the trash as she walked over to Jamie.
“Everything okay?” Jamie whispered in her ear.
She nodded her head bruskly. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
“What did he give you?”
She held up a copy of A Prayer For Owen Meany.
“Oh,” he started. “Can I look at it?”
She lowered the book to her side. “Maybe later.”
Will walked back down the hall, ducked into his dorm room, and walked out a moment later, coat in hand. He glanced at them dejectedly and left.
“What time you guys wanna leave?” Fritz asked as he walked over, slapping Jamie on the shoulder.
“Any time you’re ready.” Jamie replied.
Fritz had offered to drive them to Jamie’s house. Jamie would drive Kelli to the station the next morning. He wasn’t looking forward to it.
He turned to Kelli. “You all set?”
She nodded her head.
“I’ll just make sure I have everything.” He replied as he headed down the corridor.
The sounds of the party faded as he stepped into his room. He was already packed, but needed a moment to himself. He glanced around, looking over the prescription containers lined up on the dresser. He’d all but stopped taking them the last week, hoping it might clear his mind, but he was having the same daydreams and hallucinations as the previous summer -- his mind continually slipping into fantasies, his attention wandering, but his body behaving perfectly. He hadn’t told Kelli anything, and so far, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual in his behavior. Still, he was growing concerned.
He’d have to ask Dr. Price about it, but was afraid he’d be reprimanded for messing with his dosages. That was something Price did not take lightly. Who knows, maybe drug fluctuations in his system were causing the problems, or maybe he was just extra horny lately. He doubted it though. He was still feeling good, but different somehow. He’d have to talk to Price. Probably better to take the meds with him. He ran his hand over the dresser, scooping up the containers and slipping them in his duffel bag.
Kelli slipped into the room. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest, kissing him on the neck.
“You okay?” he asked again.
“Yeah, I just feel bad. You know…?”
Jamie turned and kissed her again. “There’s nothing to feel bad about. This stuff happens.”
“Would you be saying that if you were in Will’s shoes?”
Jamie hesitated, started to speak, then stopped himself.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
Kelli knodded her head. “Absolutely.”
CHAPTER NINE - CHRISTMAS
The snow scrunched under their feet, the crackling sound of bitter cold.
Jamie turned to Fritz, who seemed unnaturally quiet.
“What ya doing for break?”
“I don’t know, man. Catch up with some of my high school buddies. Bang some honeys.”
“Pig,” Kelli cut in. “No ‘honeys’ want anything to do with you.”
Fritz made a hissing cat noise, swiping at the air with a gloved hand.
“You really don’t like me, do you?” he replied.
“If I gave you any thought, I probably wouldn’t.” Kelli said in her best Bogart voice.
“Huh?”
“Would you two stop?!” Jamie interrupted.
They walked on silently.
“What day do you think you’ll be back?” Jamie asked.
“The thirtieth. You guys still coming back early?”
Jamie nodded. “Looks like it.”
“That’s cool.” Fritz said, shooting Kelli a wary look.
“We can all hang out,” Jamie continued. “Give the two of you some time to work out some of your issues.”
Neither one of them responded.
***
The car finally started to warm up just as they were pulling in the drive to Jamie’s house. It was dark out. Kelli looked up at the moon through the passenger’s window, then turned her eyes to the sheet of ice glazing the snow on the front lawn, over which the moon reflected in a bright white line. The house was lit up warmly in the background. It looked enormous.
“Shit man,” Fritz whispered. “You live in a fucking palace.”
“It looks bigger than it is, trust me.” Jamie replied from the backseat.
“Yeah, sure it does.”
Fritz lowered his head, peering out the window as they drove up the hill and curved around to the front walkway. The car stopped in front of the house, and Kelli opened the door, holding the seat forward for Jamie to get out.
“Did you wanna come inside?” Jamie asked.
Fritz looked at him, then over at Kelli, who leveled him with an icy look.
“Nah. Thanks, though. I wanna get back to the floor.”
“You sure?”
Fritz nodded his head. “Yeah. Thanks for the invite though.
Jamie leaned in and slapped him on the back, then gave him a strong handshake.
“Have a good Christmas, man.”
“You too,” Fritz replied. He waved a hand to Kelli. “Merry Christmas babe.”
“Merry Christmas, pig,” she shot back with a smirk.
Fritz revved the engine, spinning out the tires as he tore off down the driveway. Jamie put his arm around Kelli’s shoulder as they headed for the house.
“Why do you hate that guy some much?”
“I don’t hate him. He just bugs me. Intensely.”
“Okay. Well then, why does he bug you so intensely?”
Kelli just sighed. “If I have to explain it, then there’s really no point.”
They walked up the steps to the front porch and pushed opened the heavy wooden door.
“Hello?” Jamie called inside.
There was no response. Kelli noted that his voice almost echoed back to them.
“Mom, you home?” he called again.
They stepped into the front entryway. Kelli looked around the room. Deep red carpet covered the floor around them, then curved and ran up an arched staircase to the next floor. Lamps and wall sconces filled the room with pools of warm light. It took her a moment to adjust to the posh surroundings. She’d forgotten about Jamie’s father. Of course he and Jamie’s mother would be rich. The thought simply hadn’t crossed her mind. Jamie set their bags at the bottom of the stairs, then walked through a doorway and out of sight. Kelli heard him calling hello again. He returned a moment later.
“She must be out. I can take our stuff upstairs and show you around.”
Kelli nodded her head. “This place is amazing.”
“Yeah?” Jamie began, then trailed off. He picked up their bags and started up the stairs. “Anyway, she’ll probably be back any minute.”
Kelli followed him up the wide, curving staircase, which came out on a landing halfway up. A staircase on the left ran up to a third floor. A plaque at the bottom of stairs read Come On Up – Everything else has gone wrong.
Kelli stared at the sign.
“Wasn’t that the title off one of--?”
“Yeah,” Jamie interrupted her. “That’s my father’s office.”
He switched on a row of lights that ran down the length of the red carpeted hall. A series of large, boldly colored paintings hung on the walls. Kelli studied them as Jamie whisked them down the corridor.
“Did you paint these?” she asked, breathless.
“Yeah.”
“They’re amazing!”
Jamie was slow to respond. “Thank you.”
They stopped at a bedroom at the end of the hall. Jamie turned on the light and set their bags on one of two twin beds.
“Is this your room?” Kelli asked.
“No, mine is upstairs. I thought this one might be better--”
“I want to stay in your room.” Kelli interrupted him.
He hesitated. “All right.”
“Will your mother have a problem with that?”
“My mother?” he started to say. My mother was sleeping with rock stars and snorting cocaine when she was my age, he thought. “No,” he continued. “She won’t care.”
He switched off the light and led her around the corner to a dark, narrow corridor. Kelli walked behind him as they slipped into the shadows, heading towards a doorway at the end of the hall.
“I’m sorry it’s so dark,” Jamie said over his shoulder. “The wiring in this hallway’s been burned out for years.”
Kelli reached into the darkness and put her hand on Jamie’s shoulder. The door opened with a gentle squeak as they slipped inside. Jamie set their bags on the bed and crossed the room. Kelli watched his silhouette in the darkness.
“Just let me turn on a light.”
“No, don’t,” she said. ‘I like it this way.”
She watched him stop in the middle of the room as she walked towards him. The room was dark and warm. She could just make out the outline of his face in the moonlight. She slipped her hands around his waist, pulled him towards her, and kissed him gently.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He started to speak, but she brought her fingers to his mouth to quiet him. She reached down with her other hand, pressing it against the front of his pants, held it there, slowly rubbing her palm against him. She felt him getting hard - kissed him again, slower, biting his lip. She slid her hand under his t-shirt, felt the course hairs running down his abdomen. She tickled the skin softly, then brought her hands back to his waist, fingering the button. He caught his breath as she unfastened his pants, slowly slid down the zipper.
Jamie fe
lt her hands sliding over him as she pulled his cock out into the open. The air was cool on the delicate skin. Kelli’s warm fingers were around him, stroking up and down, teasing the head. Her eyes looked up at him, sparkling wickedly, as she went down on her knees in front of him. Jamie held his hands on the back of her head, twirling her hair in his fingers. He leaned his head back, heard the blood pumping in his ears. He wouldn’t last long. Her mouth was so warm, and…
Jamie closed his eyes, and it happened, the flashes of light, the whirring hum, and the silence.
He came suddenly, his hands tensing at the back of her head as she held her mouth against him. She pressed her hand to his back, holding him in place as he tried to pull away. Then he was still. After a moment, she pulled her head back, closed her lips, and looked up at him. She stood, staring into his unblinking eyes as she wiped her mouth, smiled wickedly, then kissed him on the neck. He wrapped his arms around her, led her slowly to the edge of the bed. Kelli pressed her head against his chest.
They lay in the darkness.
“I’m gonna miss you,” he said finally.
“I’ll miss you too.”
***
On/Off - A Jekyll and Hyde Story Page 13