by Autumn Sand
“Mom, Dad. We should get going. We have to meet with the dean before the ceremony,” Favor interrupts, giving me another look.
“Yes, you’re right. The car is just up the street,” Mr. Hollister replies.
“You're riding in your parents’ car?” I ask.
“Yes. I can pick my car up later.”
Time to look like I’m a good boyfriend by pulling out the charm. “I’ll take your car back to campus. I’ll park it in your usual spot.”
She smiles at me and hands me her keys. Stepping closer to me, she places a loving kiss on my lips. Score. “Thank you. I’m parked across the street.”
Favor and her parents walk down the block to her father’s car. When they are out of earshot, I look to Regan. “What the fuck kind of stunt was that?”
She smiles and shrugs at me. “What? I tripped?”
She is lucky that she isn’t a guy, or I would lay her out. “The fuck you did. That was on purpose. Did you plan this whole thing?”
“How would I know when Favor and her family would come out of the hotel?” Her eyes widen, as if that would help proclaim her innocence more.
She might have a point, but I don’t trust it. It’s too much of a coincidence. “Well, guess what? Your little stunt just cost you a ride back to campus. Hope your cell phone is working, so you can make that phone call.”
“But...”
“No buts. Egon, here are my car keys, and don’t let this fucking bitch in my car. I’m going to take Favor’s car back to campus. Can you just follow behind me, so I can have a ride to the dedication? I can’t be late.”
Egon takes the keys from me. “Sure, no problem.” We both walk away, leaving a stunned Regan behind.
I arrive at the dedication ceremony on time, and take my place with my team in the front row with the cheerleaders and faculty. Various people give speeches about Trevor Hollister, Favor’s brother. Kyne Hollister gives an emotional speech towards the end of the dedication. You can see the genuine pain in his eyes. I don’t believe a parent ever recovers from the death of a child. That is a pain that you will always carry with you, and it is evident in both of Favor’s parents. In spite of how everything went between us yesterday, I wouldn’t wish that on them, or anyone.
When I found out who Favor’s family was a few weeks ago, I asked her if she would be giving a speech at the ceremony, and she told me that it would be too hard for her, so she wouldn’t. That’s why my jaw dropped open when her father finished his speech, and she stood and walked to the podium. Her mother and father both look shocked, and Favor has a haunted look on her face. Was she staring at something? I turn around in the direction she’s staring. Wayne Anderson. He stands in the back, close enough to hear but far enough not to be noticed. He looks disheveled, as if he hasn’t slept.
“Hi, I’m Favor Hollister,” she begins, using her family surname. “Many of you may know me as Favor Fontaine.” She takes a deep breath before proceeding. “Trevor Hollister was my older brother.”
She pauses momentarily. I will her to look at me, so I can give her the strength to carry on. She does, and a silent message passes between us. We’re so in tune with each other, words are no longer needed. I wordlessly tell her she has the strength to do this, that I’m here if she needs me, and that I love her. With a slight nod, she proceeds. “I listened to the many speeches that were given today in honor of him, and I couldn’t be prouder of how loved he was by all.” She turns her head and nods behind her at the people who gave speeches, smiling gently.
“He had a caring and giving personality, one that generated warmth, and people just naturally gravitated to him.” She looks in the direction Wayne is standing.
“But one thing that I did not hear about my brother today, that I would like to point out, has to do with forgiveness. Trevor had the wonderful ability to forgive.” Her hands tremble at the sides of the podium.
“When we were kids, my brother had a toy that he loved. One afternoon, when he was out with friends, I snuck into his room to play with it, and I accidentally broke it. I cried and cried when my brother came home, and I tried to apologize. He was upset at first, but he ultimately forgave me. He told me he could always get another one, and that it wasn’t worth my tears.” She chokes up at the memory and breathes through her grief.
“Trevor was taken from our lives too soon, and it has left a hole in our hearts. But I believe my brother is staring down, begging us to forgive, and make peace with his death. If we can each find it within ourselves to forgive, it will give us all the ability to move forward.”
She straightens to her full height and, with determination in her voice, she says, “I’m doing that today, right now. I forgive Wayne Anderson for that night. He was my brother’s best friend, and I remember many summers he would spend at our house. Wayne was a good person then, and I believe him to be so now. My brother would want this, I’m sure. Let’s stop holding back our own personal growth as individuals, and learn the art of forgiveness. Thank you.”
She pauses, gripping the podium as if she’s too weak to make it on her own back to her seat. Her mother and father sit, dumbfounded at her speech, unmoving. I see Favor look so frail at that very moment, and I’m on the move before I know it. I climb the stage steps and walk over to her, still gripping the podium. Standing behind her, I place my hands over hers. She tenses at first, but slowly releases the podium. Leaning into my chest, she is trembling. I lift her into my arms and carry her off the stage. A thunderous applause rips through the audience as I hold the woman I love in my arms, and carry her into the building behind us. I sit her down on a bench and kneel in front of her. Looking at her haunted eyes, I grab her and lay her head on my shoulders.
We sit there for long moments as she cries into my shoulder, releasing all her pain. My heart is breaking for her, and I want to make it better, but I don’t know how. At that very moment, I know she is my everything. She is my heart, and my soul. Nothing is worth having without her.
“I love you,” I say into her ear as she sobs on my shoulder.
Lifting her head, she looks at me. She wipes the tears away from her eyes. “I love you too.” She smiles gently at me, and I feel as if I just melted into a puddle, and was reborn.
“Your speech was amazing.”
“I wasn’t supposed to give one.” She sniffs. “But when I saw Wayne yesterday, I promised myself I would let it all go and forgive him. But it was seeing him at the dedication ceremony that convinced me I had to say it in public.”
A wide smile spreads across my face. “You’re an incredible woman, do you know that?”
“Well, I’m sure I’m not looking very incredible.” She smiles.
“You’re right, you’re not looking very incredible at all. You look stunning.” I kiss her gently.
“Well I don’t feel very stunning, but I’ll take your word for it.” Her eyebrows furrow with worry.
“My parents are going to be pissed by my speech, but I don’t care. It needed to be said.”
“Well, I’m standing behind you, no matter what.”
She kisses me. “I’m lucky to have you. You helped me to face my demons in ways that you don’t even know.”
“I will always be there for you,” I promise her.
“What was that about, Favor?” Jameson asks, as he walks towards us.
“This is not the right time, Jameson.” I stand and block Favor from his view.
“The fuck it isn’t. Her parents are beside themselves at her little speech.”
“Too bad. It needed to be said. She’s right.”
“Favor. You need to speak to your parents.”
“Tell them I’ll see them at dinner tonight. I need to be alone with Brice.” She stands and holds my hand.
He stares at us in disgust. “Fine. I’ll go tell your poor mother, who is sobbing right now, that you don’t have time to see her because you are too busy getting ready to have sex with your boyfriend.”
I punch him in the
face for his remarks. I’m sensing a pattern with me and Jameson. He speaks, I see red. I hit him, and he usually ends up on the ground, as he is now. “Get out of my sight, Jameson. I mean it.”
Jameson stands and adjusts his suit jacket, walking away. I wait until he is gone and I turn back to Favor. “Do you want to go and check on your mother?”
She shakes her head. “My father will just rip into me, and I don’t have the strength. Let’s just go back to your dorm.”
I kiss her forehead. “Okay, baby. Let’s go.”
Alone, back at my dorm, I just hold her because I’m a kickass boyfriend, and it isn’t always about the sex.
“What time is dinner tonight with your parents?”
“Eight. We can meet them at the restaurant.”
“Do you need to go back to your dorm to change?”
“No, I think I can just wear this,” she says, linking her fingers with mine.
“Okay. So, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is dinner going to be tonight?” I already have a feeling, but I want to hear her say it.
“Hmm, ten being the worst? I would say it’ll be at least a hundred.”
Dayum. “Shit, do I need to bring a crucifix and holy water or something?” I semi-joke with her, but try to figure out the closest church, just in case.
“You might, just in case my dad’s head begins to spin around, and he spits out pea soup.” Looks like my girl and I are both on the same page.
“Yeah, this is going be great for the digestion system.”
“You know what works wonders for the nervous system?”
“What?”
“This.”
She sits up on the bed and slowly takes off her dress. Remember when I said earlier that it isn’t just about the sex? Yeah well, scratch that. It’s all about leading up to this moment, and making love to the woman who completes me.
My eyes follow her every movement as she unbuttons my pants and pulls them off, along with my boxers. My body stills when she unbuttons my dress shirt, seductively kissing my chest for every button that she undoes.
Straddling me, she continues to trail her lips across my body, and I feel her moisture on my shaft. And then I wonder how she would feel going bareback, though we’ve never approached that conversation before. Reaching over to the drawer next to my bed, she grabs a condom. Rolling it over my more than hungry cock, she positions herself over me, and I hold her waist as she begins to lower herself on to me inch by delicious inch. When she is fully seated, I give her a minute to adjust.
The sunlight shining through my window hits the top of her head, and for a moment, she looks like an angel sent here for me. I wonder where she hides her wings?
I close my eyes momentarily because the sensations of her touch have me wanting to explode prematurely. “Babe, you feel so fucking good.”
She throws her head back. “Oh, my God, Brice, so do you.” Her voice is breathless, and it turns me on even more.
Lifting herself slowly and lowering back down, I buck my hips with a little bit of a swivel to give her the deeper penetration that I know she likes. Who knows how to satisfy his woman?
Her nipples are hard and begging me to have a taste. I place my hand at the small of her back, so she doesn’t fall, because the need to have her breasts in my mouth is overwhelming. I sit up, deepening our connection, and she gasps.
“Brice.” Her voice is like a whisper.
I take one perfect nipple into my mouth, and I suck while playfully pinching her other nipple. She wiggles and squeals her delight, and I realize that I’m content with just making her happy. Holding her tight against me, I push inside her with short quick thrusts.
She places her hands on my shoulders and gives a gentle push. I lay on my back, never losing our connection. With the grace of a dancer, she places her hands on either side of her on the bed and builds up momentum, to a tune that she has created. Arching her back, her breasts the size of large grapefruits push out, and the sun's beams shine on them like a spotlight.
Her pace picks up as I feel her walls contracting around me, and I feel the pressure building in my balls.
Taking complete control, I roll us over without breaking connection, and place her on her back. Lifting one of her legs in my hand while placing kisses on the side of her calf, I place it on my shoulder and then repeat with the other. I thrust the tip of my penis in and out a few times before deepening from tip to scrotum. Releasing one of her legs back onto the bed, I hold her other leg with my arm as I begin deep thrusts into her that earn me screams of pleasure. Letting go of her other leg, I brace on to the headboard and give her everything I have. She screams out her orgasm, which is music to my ears. I lean over to kiss her and, with a few more thrusts, I shoot over the edge.
I lift her up so she can lay on my chest, both of us panting as I stroke her hair. We stay like this until our breaths finally even out. “Baby, how would you feel about going bareback?”
She sluggishly lifts her head. “I’ve never done that before.”
“Neither have I, but I would like to with you.”
She smiles at me. “Me too. I’m on the pill, so no worries on that end.”
“Good. I’ll get tested. Once I get my results, we should be good to go.”
“I’ll do the same. We can go to the clinic together.”
I kiss her again. Thoughts of dragging her to the clinic right now goes through my head. But no, I won’t spoil the moment. I’ll drag her tomorrow instead.
“We need to get ready for dinner. And now, it seems I’ll need a shower after all. I smell of sex.”
“Correction. You smell of good sex.”
“No, you are wrong. I smell of mind-blowing sex.”
“Damn. That just might have earned you a quickie before dinner.”
“I sure hope so.” She smiles, and guess what, it does.
Chapter 15
Favor
Walking hand and hand with Brice towards the restaurant to meet my parents, my heart is so full of love for this man who has become my rock. He knew exactly what I needed today after the speech I gave. And I am not talking about the sex, but just holding me, letting me cry and talk through my pain. We stop in front of the restaurant's door, knowing that once we walk through, all hell will break loose at the table. I take a deep breath and look at him. “You ready?” I hope one of us is.
“I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. It’s not me I’m worried about, you know. It’s you. I never want to see you hurt. I want to shield you from everything. Having to sit across the table from your parents while they tear you apart is hard. But I’ll give your parents the respect, and not say anything.”
I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his lips gently. “I love you for that.” He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my fingers lightly. Opening the door for me, I step into what I know is going to be the depths of hell. The maitre d’ shows us to the table where my parents, and of course, Jameson, are already seated.
“Nice of you to show up,” my dad says in a brisk tone.
Wow. I didn’t even get a chance to order before the jabs start. “Nice to see you too, Dad. You know Brice already,” I say as Brice holds my chair out for me.
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Hollister,” Brice replies, with not a hint of anger. “Hello, Jameson.” Wow, he was even nice to Jameson. Jameson, on the other hand, just scowls at him.
The waiter hands us our menus.
“So, you caused quite the scene there with your speech earlier,” my father scolds.
“Favor? Whatever possessed you?” my mother asks, as Jameson tries to stifle a laugh behind a napkin.
“Well Mom, I thought it was time. Wayne used to be Trevor’s best friend. Hasn’t he suffered enough? He’ll always go through life knowing that he was the one who was driving that night. Why add to his pain? I think Trevor would have been proud of me.” My words come out of my mouth, as a sense of calm goes through me. In my heart, I know this was the right thing to do.
> Slamming his hands down on the table, as patrons seated near us jump, my father argues, “You had no right. You should have discussed this with us before.”
“The decision was spur of the moment. I had no idea I was going to do it.” My voice shakes slightly, but I am able to steady it in the end.
My father looks at me as if aliens just deposited me from their spacecraft right in front of him. He closes his eyes, exhaling loudly, before looking across the table. “So, Jameson, your team is almost to the Championships.” My father deliberately says this, knowing full well that the Cougars making it this far is riding on Brice’s shoulders. His tactic is to try to hurt Brice, knowing it will destroy me. I bristle at his comments.
“Dad, as you know, Brice is the starting quarterback that brought the Cougars out of their slump,” I point out, as Brice smiles lightly at me. “Jameson doesn’t get the playing time he used to anymore.” I add that in there for my own amusement.
“Favor, that was rude. How could you say such a thing?” my mother asks in a shocked tone.
“Was that rude? Oh, I’m sorry, Jameson. I thought I was just stating the obvious.” I lift my glass of water to hide the blatant smile on my face.
Jameson’s entire demeanor goes rigid. “Yes, it is true I do not get the playing time that I used to, but I’m training harder than ever to regain my spot.”
Brice, to my astonishment, did not even give him a response in return. I’m proud of him for that. I mean, what for? We all know it is just a pipe dream for Jameson. The crowd loves Brice. The team loves him, the coach respects him, and he has the skills and the talent. Jameson never had any of those qualities because he relied too heavily on his family’s name, rather than putting in the time and effort that was needed to earn that type of respect.
“I can give you some pointers, if you like,” my father says.
“That would be greatly appreciated, sir,” Jameson says as he stares directly at Brice.
Brice just rolls his eyes and twists his water glass around on the table.
“So, Brice, where are you from?” my mother asks.
He jerks his head up at the sudden question directed at him. “I’m from Philadelphia.”