Crazy Thing Called Life

by R. P. Fischer

  "Then be who you are, Colin. Take your girl and don't look back."

  Colin is on his way to pick me up for a date in downtown Houston. I have no idea what we're doing, but he told me I could dress casually and bring an extra jacket. He wanted something fun for us to do after the drama the other day.

  The doorbell rings. Crap, I’m still getting ready.

  Leena's screeching voice travels upstairs, "I got it!"

  Then all I hear after is more screaming, “OH MY GOD, Colin Shaw! You're at my house! Did I win a date with you or something? Taaarraa‼! Colin Shaw is in my house!"

  Ahhh crap.

  I race downstairs with one shoe in one hand and my purse flapping against my side.

  When I get to the living room, Colin is standing arms crossed tightly with a hard look on his face as Leena and Tara try to take a selfie with him. Tara's hands are on him a little too long for my liking, and Leena won't stop bouncing. The light blue of his shirt holds a small sense of irony with it being such a happy color to me against the repulsed look on his face.

  He catches me looking, and I can't control my laughter at how miserable he probably feels next to them. Especially Tara being all over him. I'll make it up to him later since I know he hates Tara after the bar night. He peels himself from their hold and walks next to me.

  "Excuse me, ladies. But I'm actually here to pick up Natalie." He gives me a little smirk. "My girlfriend."

  Leena's jaw drops as hard as Mimi's did when I first showed her his picture. I'm gonna have to carry bibs with me when I introduce him to my family.

  When? No no, if.

  Tara's face holds a look of contempt, but I can't find a part of me to give a shit about her feelings. Colin's mine, and she's gonna have to realize that. And respect it.

  "Colin, this is my roommate, Leena. Leena, this my boyfriend, Colin." I flick my hand toward my least favorite person.

  Blandly, I say, "You've met Tara."

  Leena starts jumping up and down like it's Christmas morning. "You didn't tell me you were dating Houston's hottest player! This is sooooo cool!"

  Colin grabs and pulls me into his beautifully sculpted body and nuzzles into my hair. He really likes that apple scented shampoo I use. The fabric of his shirt is thin enough that every plane of his abs is just a focused glance away. I would gladly focus on his abs any day of the week.

  He bends down further to give me a kiss on the cheek where I'm getting turned on simply being next to him.

  "We're not just dating. She's my never-ending touchdown and Super Bowl ring all in one. She's the chase that never ends."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tara acting like a spoiled kid, crossing her arms in a huff, stomping her foot, and clomping back into the kitchen. I guess she was hoping Colin had tracked her down and wanted to hook up with her.

  Gross.

  I'm going to have to bleach my brain with that imagery.

  I look up at him and my heart bursts at the look on his face. It's possessiveness mixed with lust and caring. I'm so falling fast and hard for this man.

  I hope he will catch me.

  "Don't ever worry about me not catching you. If it's one thing I'm good at, it's using my hands to hold onto what I want."

  He makes me lose my train of thought most of the time that I still say them out loud. He squeezes my body with those hands and winks at me. The reminder of his hands on my body makes me want to drag him to his truck and find a secluded spot to make use of those hands again.

  And feel that tongue piercing.

  And that cock.

  Before I can jump his bones, his voice tingles in my ear. "Are you ready to go, babe?"

  I nod and he laughs before asking me again, "Are you sure? You're still not wearing one shoe."

  I look down at my hand and realize that I never put my other shoe on after I ran down the stairs. He takes the shoe from my hand and gets down on bended knee to help me slide it on.

  My brain can't stop the fantasy of another time he could be on bended knee. He's nothing close to Prince Charming with his wicked tongue and tattooed body, but he's definitely my prince.

  I forgot that Leena is here even though she's salivating to the point of rabies foaming on her mouth.

  "I cannot believe you are with him! Oh em geeee!"

  Pulling on Colin's hand, we attempt to make a break for it, and the questions I've been dreading begin now.

  "Can I see your tongue ring? Is it true about your penis? Do you have a brother? Can I meet your teammates?"

  Colin's face pulls tight in anger before he plasters on a professional and extremely fake smile that Leena barely notices. "I'm sorry, but the tongue is off-limits except for Natalie, and my lower regions are also only for her. My brother is happily married with a child and another on the way. If my teammates want to meet you, they can do so on their own time. Natalie and I have plans. You have a good day, ma'am."

  He's honest almost to the point of being rude, but he's making his point as he sees fit, and I will respect that.

  Leena's shocked face is enough to make me need to hide behind Colin so that she doesn't see me holding back my laughter. No one ever talks to Leena like that.

  In the ten years I've known her, I still don't start any confrontation with her.

  Our drive into downtown is busy and still bright from the holidays. Some places have already started decorating for Valentine's Day, even though it's still a few weeks away. As any normal woman would, I imagine having a romantic night planned with Houston's hottest. I would take him with just a cupid's headband and nothing else. Such a vision in my brain.

  I'm thinking a red-lace shopping trip is in my future to enact a fantasy or two.

  Through the tinted windows of the truck, I spot some of the small boutiques that I could look into in the next few days. I roll the windows down to feel the cool Houston air in this overheated truck. I'm blissfully content that I don't need to say anything right now.

  Feeling the air on my face, I'm reminded of how the weather has been so unpredictable this year. January's chilly, but not downright cold, which is how we've managed to do a lot of outdoor activities. One of the biggest things Colin and I have in common is our love of the outdoors.

  As much as he hates the lack of privacy when we're in public places, he knows most places would accommodate him if he asked. He'd rather be treated like a regular guy and not this diva that the media portrays him to be.

  Thankfully, no one really bothers him since he's lived here his whole life, but occasionally he gets asked for pictures and autographs when we're out in the busier or touristy areas. I love that he never says no to little kids, and I would never hold that against him. It's the groupies I could do without, and I'm a little scared to find out if he acts on them whenever he's out of town for away games and meetings. I have to trust that since he pushed off both Lauren and Tara that he wouldn't do anything when he's out of state.

  My eyes are glued to my surroundings to see he has pulled up to "Ice" at Discovery Green.

  "We're going ice skating?"

  He gives me that drop dead sexy smile of his, which seems brighter against the offseason beard he's still sporting. Oh how I loved the feel of the beard and the tongue ring down below. I squirm a little in the leather seat to ease the friction of my jeans, and it does not go unnoticed by Colin.

  "Baby, are you having some issues over there?"

  I scooch myself closer to the center console and pull Colin's neck to bring him closer to me. "I'm just thinking about that beard and tongue ring combo you have going on and how much I'd love to feel it again."

  Colin's beard tickles against my cheek with the soft hairs sending signals to rest on my skin, and the tongue piercing sneaks out to massage along my jaw.

  "Oh, Colin. You're mean. I need more."

  Our faces fuse together in a hungry kiss with hands everywhere. I'm happily picked up over the center console a placed in Colin's lap. Definitely an advantage to being short if he can
do this! His extremely gifted cock is nestled right against the spot I need him most.

  His talented hands start kneading into my breast and with as much self-control as I can muster, I pull back. "Colin. We're in public. Someone could see."

  He trails the ring across my neck before kissing under my ear. "Baby, my windows are double tinted, and it’s dark out. Plus, I parked on the side so there's no foot traffic. A little fooling around will be fine."

  I scratch along his beard before attacking his face again. Steam starts to build on the windows, and I couldn't give two shits about the people around us. The ache inside my jeans is getting worse, and I need some relief. I start grinding my center deeper and deeper.

  "Colin. Please."

  His fingers graze along my drenched center to the brink of sexual insanity. I grab his shoulders as he easily unbuttons my jeans and pulls them low enough that I stay as tight as possible while he works his magic.

  The first brush of his finger against my heat sends shock waves throughout my whole body. He's moving the pad of his thumb up and down in a soft motion, and I’m at the point where I just might take matters into my own hands. I grind myself along his finger until his thumb slips inside my wetness, massaging inside my walls.

  He flips to his index finger, and the rubbing feels absolutely phenomenal!

  "Oh good lord your fingers."

  He adds a second finger inside of me and starts adding more pressure against my clit, sending me over the edge faster than he can run for any touchdown.

  "Right there, Colin. Don't stop! I'm coming!"

  He growls, "That's it, baby. Give me everything you got!"

  Each and every inch of me is lit up with this out-of-body pleasure. He holds me tight as I come down from my orgasm high and flop my head onto his shoulder.

  He pulls his two fingers from inside of me and in my haze, I watch him slowly suck on each digit, and the sight of him enjoying my release is enough to get me going again.

  "Mmmm sweet as honey."

  I don't know who starts it first, but our kiss is full of hunger and promise for a future I had a hard time imagining at first. I look around the windows of the truck that have become so steamed up, and I trace a little heart with our initials in it before wiping it off in a fit of giggles.

  I horribly attempt to hop back over to the passenger seat to fix my jeans, but I fall over the console, giving Colin a close-up view of my ass. A little smack almost makes me hit my head on the window, and I push myself to the seat and get myself somewhat back to normal.

  Once I'm all settled, Colin roams around the truck and helps me down before throwing his hoodie over his head. His shirt opens a little at the bottom, pointing out his abs before they're rudely covered by the thick fabric.

  My eyes lower at the bulge that is visible even in the dark of night. My laughter is incessant when I think about how I didn't get a chance to return the favor, and he must be in pain right now.

  I grab onto his elbow. "You know, I think you might need to sit down on the ice for a few minutes to help the situation you have going on down there."

  He pulls his elbow back and spins me around back and forth to him before draping his arm over my shoulder as walk to the rink.

  "My ass might eat the ice more than you think. I suck at ice-skating, but I thought this is something new that you and I could experience together. Besides, I think the cold will help cool us both down, or I might toss you back in the truck for another round at my house."

  If anyone ever questions Colin's sweet side, they obviously haven't taken the time to get to know him. He has shown me more sides to Houston in the last few months than I've never encountered, and I've lived here for ten years. One thing I love is diving deeper into the sports community.

  He's dedicated to making sure he's the best athlete and role model he can be despite the obstacles he faces. Watching him workout and practice, I finally saw what he meant by being aggressive versus determined. He won't let anything keep him down.

  When springs rolls into Houston, his schedule picks up a little more between conditioning, team meetings, sponsorship meetings, and community events.

  After everything going on the last month, my brain is on overload. I haven't seen Colin in a few days because Celeste has been sick and I picked up some of her hours. I have a key to his house, and he said I'm welcome anytime I want. Since his place is actually closer to the clinic than my place is, I pretty much drop into his bed every night. It's become a soothing habit to trace his tattoos as I fall asleep. He's usually asleep before me since he wakes up at five every day to go to the gym.

  One thing he's been loving about me staying over is all the food I've been making for us. The family recipes definitely do not go to waste when it comes to Colin. I leave food and little notes for him around the house so that even when I'm not at his house, he can still have a part of me there.

  It's been difficult finding time to spend together for more than a couple hours and I find myself missing him, even though I still feel him pull me into him almost every night. My heart is with this man, but I've been in a funk. The anniversary of my mom's passing is coming up, and I know that's weighing heavily on my heart. I lie to myself thinking the extra working is to help Celeste recover over distracting myself. Colin can tell I'm distant, but I find little ways to remind him how much I love him even if I haven't said the words. He takes care of me even when he doesn't realize it.

  I'm helping Dr. Schultz get a pebble out from a guinea pig's nose because a nine-year-old thought it was hilarious to stuff in there. Its button nose started to bleed a little from being dry, and I truly hope this child's parents ground him for this.

  Dr. Schultz leaves as I'm cleaning up the little animal's nose and put him back in his cage for the family to pick him up later today after we make sure the bleeding doesn't start again. Before I turn around fully, Dr. Schultz pops his head in.

  "Hey Natalie, Colin is here, and I'm officially ordering you to take the rest of the day off. Have some fun away from work."

  He slaps on the door post before disappearing again. I wash my hands and quickly try to tame my hair before walking out to the front.

  It's the same reaction I have every time I see him. My breathing becomes faster and my heart starts pounding. He's back in a plaid button down, much like the first time he came in here, but this time there's no dried puppy blood in his hair or face.

  I put my hand on my hip and use the same rebellious pose I give my dad. "Babe. You know I have hours to finish right?"

  He walks up to me and lifts me up into a tight hug. "We both know you are already done with your hours toward graduation, so don't even try that with me. I'm kidnapping you and you'll love it."

  The look he gives me is not one of his usual faces. It's a look of love and care. "You and I need this day, baby."

  When he guides me to his truck, I see a few shopping bags on the back seat, and he grabs a blindfold from the glove compartment.

  Squirming in my seat, I ask, "Should I be worried about these tricks you have, Mr. Shaw? A blindfold? Secret shopping bags?"

  He grabs the blindfold and ties it around my eyes. "You like my tricks. Don't worry, you'll like what's in the bags, too. Now just sit back and relax."

  The drive doesn't feel that long, and I just listen to the sounds of the radio station. I try to not let the nervous energy get the better of me, and as long as we're not heading to an airstrip, then I won't smack him.

  The rumble of the truck slows to a stop then I'm being lifted out of the cab. I use my sense of smell to try to figure out where we are. The scent of manure hits me like a Mack truck.

  "We're at the stables?"

  Untying the blindfold, Colin holds me as my eyes adjust to the scene around me. I gasp at the beauty of the land surrounding us. Lush green trails of vines lead for miles with bright and vibrant grapes growing all around. I make a small circle to see everything about the place Colin has brought us to. A large, bright red barn sits o
n the edge of the vineyard with an elderly man holding onto the reins of two horses.

  I look up at Colin. "You did this? For me?"

  He stretches his hands across my neck and kisses me slowly. "I wanted you to do something today that you love. You mentioned how much you miss riding Starlight and that your mom's passing anniversary is coming up. I wanted you to know that I'm here for you, in any way you need me."

  I can't help the few tears that fall from my eyes. Colin's thumbs quickly dry them up. I burrow myself into his body and kiss his chest through his shirt. "This means more to me than you will ever know."

  He kisses the top of my head before smiling that bearded smile at me. "Wait right here, okay?"

  He walks to the truck and grabs the shopping bags from the backseat. Bringing them to me, he holds them open. "I got you new riding boots and some clothes for today since I didn't take you home to change first."

  Holding the bags in one hand and intertwining our fingers in the other, he walks us over to the kind looking gentleman.

  "Mr. Barrett? I'm Colin Shaw. We spoke on the phone."

  The man smiles so big that it reaches deep into his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, son. This must be your lovely young lady."

  Colin pulls me closer to him. "Yes, sir. This is my girlfriend, Natalie. Thank you for letting us do this today."

  Mr. Barrett gazes at me. "Young lady, welcome to Barrett's Winery. I've actually had the pleasure of meeting your aunt and uncle on a tour of Napa Valley. The honor is mine to have you visit us today. Mr. Shaw here said you had a horse back home, and we are more than happy to let you ride through the vineyard. There's a changing room in the back corner of the barn."

  More tears build in my eyes at the happiness I’m feeling right now. I walk up to one of the horses and nuzzle into its nose as I would Starlight. This horse is a beautiful cream with a lush brown mane and tail, but with the same soft demeanor as my Starlight.

  I turn around and run back into Colin's arms. I kiss him all over this face and neck. "Thank you so so much. Let's get riding."