Running Rings

by Ruth G Juliano

  Brock laughed, “Yeah, well, I told them I could handle it. I told them I’d do it my own way and not to interfere. It wasn’t easy for them. Marian would tell me when you were going to lunch and where else you might be going, but I told her to butt out. They love me. I’ve been their one-track minded fifth wheel for a while now, and they were hoping we’d be together just so I’d shut up about you.”

  Verity laughed and they squeezed each other’s hands. “I’ve had that effect on a few people too talking about you. Oh, also, I got the job,” Verity said, as they walked down the library steps.

  “I know,” Brock replied.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because they offered me the job first,” Brock said with a shrug.

  “I knew they would. You’ve always been just that little bit better than me at absolutely everything. Did you turn it down?”

  “No, I told them that this would be a great job for two people and that they should consider hiring both of us.”

  “Did you ask them if they had a policy on office romances?” Verity asked, hugging him.

  Brock shook his head, and touched under her chin, “I told them you were my fiancée and we’re a great team.”

  Verity smiled, “How presumptuous of you, Mr Vale.”

  “Hmm, is it? I see you’re still wearing the ring I gave you for your twenty first birthday.”

  Verity looked down at her right ring finger, “Only because I can’t get it off.”

  Brock laughed, “See how easy this is? It’s meant to be, Verity. No time has passed. We get to take everything we learned and just pick up where we left off.”

  Verity closed her eyes and sighed. She had learned a lot of things and felt things that she had never expected to feel. She knew that Brock and she were meant to be together forever, but along the way she had made some wonderful friends. She wasn’t sure whether she would have to give them up or how things were going to proceed. She couldn’t imagine not having Adrian’s friendship. She wanted him to come to her wedding, and to still be friends when he got married so she could go to his wedding too. After everything Adrian had done for her, she didn’t want to lose him or hurt him, but there were selfish and unselfish elements to that.

  Chapter 44

  Brock and Verity had held hands all the way there in the taxi and up in the elevator. Now they were at her front door. Verity threw the mail on the table with her keys and gestured Brock inside.

  “It smells like you,” he smiled.

  Verity pulled him closer by his jacket and kissed him on the lips. “Is this a dream?”

  “No, this is a happy ending after years of hell.”

  “I remember how nervous I was every time we had sex,” Verity said, “I’m nervous right now.”

  “We’re having sex?” Brock asked.

  “I thought you would want to,” Verity replied, now feeling embarrassed.

  “I do, I absolutely do, but I thought you’d need to wait until it was dark or something.”

  Verity laughed, “I’m game to do it with the lights on if you are.”

  “Wow, now I’m nervous. But it’s a different kind of nervous. I wanted to please you but I had no idea what I was doing, just pumping away there on top of you as quietly and carefully as I could. There was more I wanted to do, and things I wanted to try, but we didn’t get the chance. We should have snuck off campus and got a hotel. We don’t have to have sex at all though, it’s not important. I’m happy to just hold you and kiss you and listen to you rave on.”

  “Thank you, but I want to have sex with you. I wasn’t any kind of lover. I just lay there doing nothing, because I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. Carole had no idea how to be a mother and to tell me things I needed to know. I’ve learned a lot and I think I could please you. I don’t know what kind of sex this is going to be but I’ve been waiting a long time to give you a real physical expression of my feelings for you,” Verity said, taking his hand and leading him though her apartment.

  Brock looked around Verity’s bedroom and took off his jacket. He threw it on the bed and picked up the framed picture. He looked at Verity and smiled, then looked back at the picture. He ran his finger over her face. “I didn’t have any pictures. They all got destroyed. I had to draw my own.”

  Verity laughed, “You drew pictures of me?”

  Brock nodded, “I have them in my apartment. I’ll show you when you come over.”

  Verity took the picture from him and put it back on the bedside table. “I have all your pictures your family sent you at university and I made them into a book.”

  “You did? So, you have photos of me and my family too?”

  “Our family,” Verity said. She lifted her dress off over her head and ran her hands down Brock’s arms.

  He looked down at her body and back up to her face. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he whispered. He blinked and a tear fell on his cheek.

  Verity kissed the tear. She had always been too shy to let him see her naked, or even in her underwear. She hid under the blankets or wore a nighty or it had to be dark. He’d felt her but never seen her. She wanted to give him this. She wanted to show him that she could do this for him. She turned her back to him and undid her bra and then slid her underwear down as she squatted. She stood up with her back to him, and looked over her shoulder.

  “You’re really here, and you’re really doing this. You have an amazing derrière, by the way. It always looked so good in your jeans or your shorts. It’s divine, Verity, you’re beautiful,” he said, “Clothes, no clothes, it makes no difference. I love you.”

  Verity gave a little laugh and turned around. She moved her hands across her abdomen and down over hips. “Here I am.”

  Brock looked down to her feet, up her legs, over her middle and admired her breasts. “They always felt good and I wondered what they looked like. They look so very, very good.” He looked up to her face. “I love you.”

  Verity was touched at how emotional he was. She knew he felt the same way that she did. There was a deep, old-fashioned love between them that had transcended time and distance. Verity could feel the warmth of it in his eyes and his voice. ”I love you, Brock Vale. Hold me.”

  Brock smiled and stepped close to her. He put his hands on her waist and moved them over her back as he kissed her. Verity remembered his gentle touch and the exact size of his hands on her skin. His touch felt comforting and familiar, and relaxing. His tongue knew her mouth and every kiss told her how much he loved her.

  “Verity, your skin under my hands feels so good. I craved it so much. I touched myself imagining it was you but it never felt the same. I’ve lost all those years with you, and I want you, I do, but if you’re going to push me away again I don’t think I’ll make it.”

  “I was hurt, and you were hurt, and I didn’t know what to do or what to think. That’s probably because I needed you to tell me what to do, but at the same time I wasn’t listening to you. Anytime I didn’t know the answer, you did. This is what I want.”

  Brock nodded, “We made a promise to each other to be together forever. No matter what was wrong with us. If we became blind or we couldn’t walk or whatever, we promised each other that we would be there for each other. Do you intend to keep that promise?”

  “I do. Do you?”

  Brock picked his jacket up of the bed and put his hand in the inside pocket. He turned back to Verity and smiled. He got down on one knee in front of her and took her hand in his. “I know we only just met, and you’re completely naked, but I’m in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me, Verity Kate Sharpe?”

  Verity nodded and a tear ran down her cheek. Brock stood up and opened the ring box. He took her left hand in his, kissed her on the lips, and slid the ring on. “It’s a perfect fit.”

  “It’s beautiful.” She took a tissue from the box near the bedside table and wiped her face. She opened the top drawer and took something out. She th
rew the tissue in the bin near the dresser and stood in front of Brock. She dropped down to one knee and took his hand in hers. “Dearest Brock, I want you to know that despite all the horrible things I’ve been through, you were always a reason to smile. Every happy memory you ever gave me is sitting right here in my heart. I want to spend the rest of my life making happy memories with you. Will you take on the challenge of growing old with this slightly damaged version of me?”

  “Yes, beautiful, naked, woman who just said ‘yes’ when I asked her to marry me, I will absolutely do that.”

  Verity laughed, “Thank you.” She used his hand to help her stand up then opened the box to show him the contents. “I bought this for you as a graduation present, and because I wanted to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me.”

  Brock looked in the box and back at Verity’s face. “We could have done this months ago.”

  “I suck,” Verity shrugged.

  Brock laughed and pulled her close, “I love that you suck. I love that you’re honest. I love you.”

  Verity kissed his lips, “I’ve never a kissed a man with a beard before I kissed you.”

  “I think it means I have something to hide,” Brock said.

  “Yes, your chin,” Verity said, kissing his lips again.

  Brock looked at the ring and smiled. Verity took it from the box and put it on his finger. He took Verity’s hand in his. “I also have some scars, emotional and physical. I worked on the emotional ones but I can’t do anything about the physical ones. I don’t want you to freak out when you see them. They look a lot better now than they did when I first got them.”

  Verity nodded. Brock nodded too and lifted his shirt over his head. Verity gasped and put her hand on his chest. “Are you okay?” Brock asked, putting his hand on her hand, “I know they’re confronting.”

  “My name is tattooed on your heart,” Verity whispered.

  Brock laughed, “Oh that. Didn’t notice the scars, huh?”

  “What scars?” Verity asked, moving her fingers over the white lines, “Look how strong your chest and arms are. You’ve stayed fit and strong.”

  “You look fit and strong too. You look beautiful. I’m sorry about my body. I have more scars,” he said, “My legs are worse.” He took her hand from his chest and kissed the back of it. He undid his belt and kept looking into her eyes. Verity maintained her eye contact, despite being very curious about what was happening below his waist. His eyes were exactly the same. No matter what else had changed on him physically, his eyes were exactly the same. Verity heard his pants hit the floor and moved her hands onto his shoulders. She kissed him and pressed her body against his. His hands moved across her back and over her bottom.

  “Wait, Brock, I know what we just said, and about our promises but there’s something I have to tell you,” she said, and kissed his neck. Brock nodded and Verity put her arms around his shoulders and whispered in his ear.

  He pushed her back a little, holding onto her upper arms, and gave her a big smile. He wiped the tear from her cheek. “I’m in exactly the same position. I guess it’s just meant to be. I’ve already come to terms with it. Have you?”

  Verity nodded and smiled, “That’s a relief. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  “You never have,” Brock replied and kissed her again. They moved onto the bed still kissing and stopped in the middle between the two pillows. Brock hovered above her, taking in her appearance. He moved his hips towards hers slowly, looking into her eyes. They both took a deep breath and sighed. “Verity, whoa, I waited so long for this. I hoped every day I could be this close to you again. I love you so much.”

  It was exactly how Verity wanted it to be. He kissed her neck and her face and moved his hand on her breast. He moved with her, above her, under her, behind her. For more than an hour they made love slowly in every position they could think of and couldn’t get enough of each other’s touch.

  “Wow,” Brock said, resting on her, “Wow, Verity. That was something else. I was so excited I thought it would be over in two minutes.”

  “You paused at all the right times,” Verity laughed, “Look at you, Brock. It’s really you. I remember this face looking down at me as we made gentle love by candlelight or moonlight. Now we’ve finally tried some other positions, and we were naked, and I was so comfortable and happy in your arms. I was starting to think it would never happen.”

  “Me either. I really get to spend the rest of my life doing this?” he asked, kissing her neck.

  “Yes, we should move in together today. Your place or mine?”

  Brock laughed, “I don’t mind. Wherever you are is home.”

  Verity’s lower half was tingling and ticking away as the muscles began to relax, and she smiled up at him. He was really here, and they were still in love, and she could have wonderful sex with him. She moved her hands over Brock’s arms and shoulders. “Why does it feel like no time has passed between us?”

  “I guess because we never stopped thinking about each other or loving each other. And I do, Verity, I really do. The last few months have been the worst in a way, to be so close to you but so far away.”

  Verity sighed, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I hate being wrong. I should have stood up and kissed you in the café the first time. I should have let you buy me a coffee and talk it over right then and there. I was so overwhelmed by seeing you that I didn’t know what to do.”

  “When I asked Marian who you were, because I thought it was you from that far away, and she said ‘Kate’, and I knew it was you, I was almost annoyed. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to see you were okay, but I thought you’d changed your name to Kate and that’s why I hadn’t been able to find you, like you were hiding from me.”

  “No, Brock, no, I wanted you to find me. I wish the nursing home had told you I was there and gave you my number.”

  “I still can’t believe you really saw my dad,” Brock said, moving from between her legs.

  “I did,” Verity replied, rolling over and opening her top drawer. She took out a stack of pictures and handed them to Brock.

  “That’s my house,” he said, “and the nursing home, and the gardens, and the pictures of us from the walls, and look, it’s you and my dad.”

  “I got his permission to take that,” Verity said.

  “Look how big his smile is,” Brock said, “You almost can’t tell the left side of his face isn’t coming up. It looks like he was really happy to see you.”

  “He called me ‘Kate’.”

  Brock laughed, “Oh, that’s what he was saying. He kept saying ‘kay’ and I wasn’t sure if he was saying he was okay or he wasn’t okay, or what he meant. He meant you. Shoot. He was trying to tell me you’d come to see him, and maybe asking me about you. I’ll have to call him and tell him we’re back in each other’s arms again.” Brock continued to look through the pictures and smiled. “You always took so many pictures. I want a picture of you and me together every single day so we can look back and watch our hair getting greyer and our wrinkles forming. I love these pictures. You really were thinking about me and trying to find me.”

  “I really was,” Verity replied, “You were always so kind, Brock. You always let me eat the last one. You always let me go first. You always did what I couldn’t be bothered doing. You have to put yourself first sometimes. I always bossed you around, and you always put up with me. You always managed to beat me by at least one mark, and you were always quietly right when I was loudly wrong. You should have said ‘no’ to me and put me in my place.”

  Brock slid his arm under her and pulled her on top of him. “This is your place. This is where you belong, Verity. You belong on top of me, and I will always put you first. I let you tell me what to do because I know you needed to feel that control over your life, and I didn’t. Even when you asked me to do things for you, I often started and then you took over. I let you go off on your verbal rants because you needed to vent and I found it amusing. You always came to
your senses. You must know that I’m only a pushover for you. Everyone else sees ‘Brock the Brave’ and you get ‘Brock the crazy in love with Verity.’ Just you.”

  Verity smiled and kissed him on the lips. “I’m going to treat you so well, Brock the Brave. I’m going to give you everything your heart desires and never let you down.”

  “Everything my heart desires is in my arms.”

  As those words sunk in, Verity felt hollow. “I don’t deserve you,” she said, moving off him and getting off the bed. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. He was Mr Perfect. A little scarred, a little heartbroken, but he was perfect. He was everything he used to be and more. He’d become successful and brave, and her name was signed on his heart. Verity looked down at her naked body and put her arms across her chest. She’d been sexually brutalised more than a hundred times, and she had strong feelings for another man, but Brock hadn’t been intimate with anyone else since her. She couldn’t look herself in the eye as tears ran down her face. Everything she needed for her happily ever after was right there in her bedroom, but she didn’t deserve it.

  She was startled as hands slid slowly around her sides and across her abdomen. Beard hair gently tickled her shoulder, followed by warm lips kissing her shoulder then her neck. “Whatever the wounds are, Verity, I said I’d lick them. We can lick them together. You deserve me, so please don’t say you don’t. You do realise that I’m no one special, except to you, don’t you? I am one of the most ordinary people in existence. I was an inexperienced seventeen year old when we met. I was a goofy embarrassment of a guy to most people, but you loved me.”

  “I always did,” she whispered, “So much.”

  “I thought you were crazy when I met you. You were an uptight city girl from a private school, who was fiercely independent and unreasonably confident. You thought you knew everything and if you didn’t get things right it became someone else’s fault. You blew me away, Verity. You are so smart, and so pretty, and you always understood me. You always laughed when no one else did. You always listened when no one else would. You taught me things I didn’t know about or understand. You took my advice and you grew for me.”