Stay: Odd Jobs #1

by Alexander, AJ

  25

  COLE

  It’s been almost three months since I last heard anything from Addison. Wyatt and I drank ourselves stupid the last night I saw her, but reality called the next morning, and life returned to usual. I started having my assistant walk Delilah and Sampson, so I’m not tempted to try to see her, but Heather called me after a few days and told me Addison was gone. The ache in my chest intensified after that day. To know that she left without giving me a second thought was painful, but I pushed forward.

  True to my word, I immediately got a restraining order against Vickie. She tested me a few times, but the first time I called the police, and she was thrown in jail. She now knows I’m serious. Once upon a time, Vickie meant the world to me, but the girl I once loved is no longer there, or maybe she was never there to begin with. After that last altercation, I haven’t seen or heard anything from her. Heather told me she saw her packing up a car a few weeks ago like she was moving. I’m sure she’s running home with her tail between her legs.

  As time passed, I thought missing Addison would get easier but my dreams are plagued by visions of Addison every night, which has led to many sleepless nights. Wyatt and Heather keep telling me to have faith, that she’ll come back when she’s ready but after a month of no contact, I’ve lost hope that I’ll ever see her again.

  Heather lost it when I told her I was going to try to start dating, yes dating. Since I met Addison, I know what I want in life, a partner. Someone to share my hopes and dreams with, that I can come to when I have problems. I may not be ready to settle down any time soon but having someone to at least share my life with is a start. The time I shared with Addy was brief but meant a lot to me, I hope that whatever she’s doing or where she is that she’s happy.

  My thoughts are interrupted by Wyatt slamming a beer mug down on the bar top. “How was your date last night?” he asks.

  “She was nice,” I respond taking a swig from my mug.

  “She was nice. Cole, you need to snap out of it, buddy, she isn’t coming back,” Wyatt says matter-of-factly. I know he’s right, but I haven’t found that spark with anything like I had with Addison.

  “I know man. I know.”

  Wyatt and I have been meeting up for lunch a lot lately. If it isn’t him, it’s Heather, I have a feeling that both of them are checking up on me. Who would’ve thought I’d turn into a pussy-whipped pansy? Which is funny considering that I haven’t had any, in what seems like forever.

  “Have you tried calling her? Something? I can’t take this moping around anymore. You’re worse than a Hallmark commercial at Christmas time.”

  “I’m not moping! Just because I’m not out humping every woman in town like I used to doesn’t mean that I’m moping. I want her, yes. But it has been three months, obviously, she’s never going to forgive me, so I need to get back into the game.” I take another swig of my beer before slamming it down on the bar. The beer swishes slightly over the top of the glass.

  “Look, man, I’m not trying to gang up on you, but you need to take the first step. I know she was mad at you, but you have to admit slugging her ex and telling her dad off is a big deal. Heather may say she wasn’t mad about that, but a text saying, ‘I’m sorry’ can go a long way.”

  I sit and contemplate what Wyatt said for a minute. She never asked me not to call her, I naturally started avoiding anywhere she might be until it was too late.

  “You’re right. I need to do something. I put all of this on her when I was the one in the wrong, at least partially. I should try and call her or something, she has had more than enough time to cool down.” Paying out my tab, I head back to my apartment, so I can head out for a run. Running always helps me clear my head, plus maybe I can find someone to help get Addison off my mind. Who am I kidding, no one compares to Addison.

  After I change, I head out on my usual route, pushing myself a little harder than usual hoping exhaustion will set in and stop the dreams of Addison from coming tonight.

  As I approach my apartment, I can’t help but notice the beautiful brunette sitting on a bench struggling with a golden retriever puppy. Thoughts of Addison instantly invade my mind, shaking my head, I focus on the task at hand. Turning on the charm, I head toward the pair to offer my assistance. I tap her lightly on the shoulder as to not startle her when I speak.

  “Hello, my name is Cole. I’m the owner of Promener Le Chien. If you’re ever in need of a dog walker, give me a call. I’d be glad to help.”

  “Is that how you pick up all the ladies?”

  My face immediately breaks out into a smile. “I didn’t know you were back, Addy?”

  “Well, I have this puppy that will need to be walked since I’m at school teaching all the time. I hear that there’s a very nice dog walker in the area that may be able to help me,” she says shyly. I’m not exactly sure where she’s going with this, but I’ll play along.

  “That’s me, and who is this little man right here?”

  “Well, right now his name is Cole, I named him after someone that I care about very much.”

  I look into her bright green eyes and see nothing but honesty.

  “It just so happens that my name is Cole, maybe it was meant for us to meet today. What do you say we head over to my apartment and talk about a walking schedule for little Cole here?” I can’t help but reach out and place my palm against her cheek. She nuzzles into it immediately.

  “I missed you,” I whisper.

  “I wasn’t gone for very long. I had somethings I had to take care of first, but I’m back now.”

  I drop my hand and take a step closer, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and pulling her into my chest. “Any amount of time away from you is too long.”

  “Are you going soft on me?” she says as she lifts her chin. I see nothing but mischief dancing in her eyes.

  “There’s nothing soft about me, babe.” I press my cock into her.

  “You’ve kept me waiting too long, Cole.” Addison begins to pull away, turning to head toward my condo. Little Cole following happily behind her.

  “You kept yourself waiting, princess. You knew all along what you had to do.” I walk behind her, watching her tempt me with the sway of her hips.

  Without missing a beat, she spins on her heels and marches back toward me. When she’s close enough, she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls herself up, so she can whisper in my ear, “Please.”

  I immediately grip her around the waist pinning her to my body, bend down and pick up the puppy. Handing Cole to Addy, I tell her to hold on tight and make a beeline for my condo. I hope Cole is potty trained because it is going to be a little while before either one of us will be in any position to take him for a walk.

  ADDISON

  Waking up in Cole’s arms is something that I can get used to, but we can cross that bridge later down the road. Right now, there’s something very small jumping up and down on my bladder.

  “Cole, your son needs to pee.” I sit up and stretch as I place puppy Cole on his chest.

  “When did the puppy become my son?” he responds as he climbs out of bed, giving me another peek at his delicious ass.

  “When I decided to name him after you, Cole Jr.,” I say with a giggle.

  “Well, I guess Cole needs a sister. We can name her Addison.”

  “Slow down there KoJack, one thing at a time. I gave up my entire inheritance, started teaching, and I’m looking for a place to stay as we speak. I need to get some things settled first, then we can talk about more fur babies.”

  In our bubble of bliss, I almost forgot about the mess that I‘m in by calling my father out on his bullshit.

  “You can’t just say things like that and leave me hanging. Let me go walk Junior here and then you can explain to me what’s going on.”

  Cole heads out the door, and I get up to make us some coffee, it doesn’t take long for them both to get back.

  “Now explain to me what you’re talking about,” Cole says as
I hand him a cup of coffee.

  I take a deep breath and begin the story. “You remember how I told you my parents were slightly controlling during our twenty questions the night we went out.” He nods in response before I continue, “Well that’d be an understatement. My father has been having me followed while I’ve been here.”

  “Wow, that’s a whole different level of control,” Cole says while taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Yea, well you should also thank him. His need to follow me is how I discovered that the bimbo sucking off your lips that night was Vickie. He had a ton of pictures of her all around your apartment and her hanging all over you. Apparently, it was his way of getting me to come home and behave.”

  “Wait, your dad was following me too?” Cole is just as surprised as I was at my father’s antics.

  “He was none too happy about me being around you. The guy that you decided to use as a punching bag was my ex-fiancée, Preston. He was handpicked by my father to be my husband, I won’t lie and say that I didn’t care about him as well. My father figured that if he could find some dirt on you, I’d come running back home to him.” I shake my head; my father knows nothing about me. Yes, I needed some time to clear my head, but I‘d never have given up my dream for Cole.

  “Well, lucky for both of us, it was all a misunderstanding.” Cole places his cup on the counter and wraps me in his arms.

  “Yea, I guess. That’s why I had to leave, I wanted to settle things with both of them once and for all. There’s a reason why I immediately thought the worst of you, you reminded me of Preston.”

  “How the hell does all this remind you of that bastard.” Cole motions down his exquisite body. I can’t help but laugh in response.

  “Not in looks, trust me you have him beat tenfold but in attitude. You see Preston was using me to get to my father, just like almost every person in my life up until that point and I foolishly fell for it. Not only that, he made me believe that he loved me. I found out he was cheating on me one day when I got out of class early a few months before graduation. I was so embarrassed that I applied for teaching jobs as far away from home as possible and packed up to head here right after graduation.”

  Cole wraps me in his strong arms and squeezes. “Any man that’s dumb enough to treat you as anything less than the goddess you are, deserves to get the shit kicked out of him.”

  “Defending my honor, I see.” I giggle and place a kiss on his cheek before continuing. “I went home to New York to confront my father and tell him what happened with Preston, the whole story. The cheating, the fact that he wanted nothing more than to be part of my father’s hospital, needless to say, that didn’t go well at all. He basically didn’t give a shit about what happened and demanded I come home, which wasn’t going to happen. So now, he has frozen my trust fund until I can be trusted again. Basically, meaning until I do what he wants me to do.” I melt into his embrace. “The money I have saved up is slowly running out. School has recently started, but I was hoping to be able to use my trust fund to secure an apartment, at least before he cut me off.”

  I have no idea what I’m going to do, but something suddenly occurs to me.

  “I never apologized to you for being such a bitch, did I?”

  Cole gives me his patented smirk. “You can drop to your knees and apologize right now if you like.”

  “Seriously Cole, you’re thinking about a blow job at a time like this.”

  “Addy, I’m always thinking about your lips wrapped around my cock.”

  I pull away from him and head toward the room to get dressed, I need to head back to Heather’s and figure out what I’m going to do.

  “I can think of another way you can apologize… stay here with me.” He pulls me back into his embrace and places a soft kiss on my forehead.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I pull back from him so I can look into his eyes. I see nothing but sincerity.

  “Nope, dead serious. You’re going to be spending most of your time here anyway, well at least I plan for you too.” He winks before continuing, “This way you can stay here with me and save up for your own place. If you hate living with me, you can move, but when you love it, you don’t have to worry about moving.”

  “Do you ever not get your way?” I ask with a smile.

  “Not usually, but there was this girl once that made me work really hard for it. It was worth it in the end.”

  I think about it for a moment. “I’ll move in, on one condition.”

  “Anything,” he eagerly responds.

  “Beg.” We both begin to laugh.

  Our story didn’t start out conventionally, but who would’ve thought that a simple interaction at my aunt’s front door would change the course of my life forever.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  COLE

  I wait impatiently for Addison to get home.

  This has to work.

  Addison and I have been living together for months now, but it was always supposed to be temporary. She has been trying to hide it from me, but I know she has been looking for apartments to rent. The thought of her leaving me has me gripping at my chest. Everything has been great! What’s an even bigger surprise is that we haven’t killed each other yet! I know, shocking, right?

  Trying to calm my nerves I start to pace the apartment. Suddenly my cell phone begins to buzz across the table. Bolting to the other side of the room, I grab it and answer without checking the caller ID.

  “I know you’re freaking out, take a god damn deep breath and chill. Everything is going to be fine. We planned this night perfectly, not even you could fuck this up,” Wyatt says into the phone.

  “Easy for you to say. You haven’t even labeled your and Heather’s relationship! It wasn’t that long ago that I was sticking my dick in anything that looked remotely interesting,” I grumble into the phone.

  “You’re such a drama queen! Man up and ask her. Light the candles in about five minutes, I heard her and Heather yapping on the phone.”

  “Man, what if she says no? I mean she has been looking for an apartment, she probably wants to move out.”

  I can’t help but wonder if all of this has been a mistake. I love Addison with everything that I am and although I don’t want her to move, if this is what she wants I’ll gladly help her pack.

  “I doubt that. Just ask her. The worst she can do is say no. You know as well as I do that girl loves you to death. Why else would she put up with your bullshit?” Wyatt says. “Now man up! Heather is coming back inside, we don’t want her to know that there’s something up. That girl would latch onto this like a dog with a bone.” I hear him chuckle before he hangs up.

  Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I put my phone in my pocket and begin the final checks on our evening. I ordered dinner from the restaurant I took her too for our anniversary a few weeks ago. Don’t seem so surprised, I can be romantic when I want to. Even though we’ve only been together for a year, it feels like it has been so much longer.

  I head into the room to fill the bathtub, the brand new one I bought a few weeks ago. It came this morning to be installed. Addison has been begging for one of those massaging soaker tubs for the past few months. I know she must be checking out apartments that have them. Since we already had a giant soaker tub, it was no big deal to get one with all the jets. Another thing I have up my sleeve to ensure she doesn’t want to leave anymore.

  As the tub fills, I add a small amount of bubble bath, lavender oil, and rose petals to the water. This is what chicks do when they come home from a long day at work, right? I hope this helps her relax some, I mean if I can get her relaxed enough, she’ll say yes to just about anything.

  After I double check and ensure everything is perfect in the bathroom, I head into the dining room where I have set up the perfect romantic dinner. Candlelight fills the room as I go around lighting every candle we own. I want this to be perfect. I’m heading to the wall to turn the lights down as I hear Addison come
through the door.

  “Cole, what the hell is going on? Why is it so dark in here?”

  Realizing that all the lights are off in the condo, not just the dining room I give a shout to let her know where I am. “Nothing to worry about, just drop your stuff and head into the bedroom. I drew you a bath and have everything laid out for you. Go and enjoy while I finish up dinner.”

  Heading back into the kitchen, Addison pokes her head in as she passes. “You aren’t dying, are you?” I can see confusion in her features.

  “No, I’m not dying. I wanted to do something nice for you. Now go before I change my mind.”

  “But babe, you don’t cook,” she says with a serious tone.

  “I ordered from Top of the Market,” I deadpan. It’s a damn shame when your girl wants to call you out on your weakness. I mean damn, I’m pretty much perfect. I have to have some kind of flaw, don’t I?

  “Ooh, did you,” she starts but I cut her off before she finishes.

  “Yes, I got you the cilantro lime pacific mahi-mahi. Now get your ass into the bath before the water gets cold.”

  She gives me a mock salute before continuing down the hall to the to the bathroom. I hear the door shut gently behind her, releasing the breath I didn’t even know I was holding. This is it, the moment of truth. Let’s hope I get the answer I’m looking for.

  ADDISON

  “Girl, this is it! There’s no way that Cole went out of his way for no reason!” Heather squeals into the phone.

  I’m sitting in the tub of my dreams, soaking after a long day at work. Cole didn’t pull any stops when he got this tub. I reach over to turn the jet ups a little more, as the speed increases, I can feel the bubbles relaxing my aching muscles.