(Once) Again

by Theresa Paolo

  I guided Kat over to the couch and I pulled my shirt over my head to wipe the blood from her face. She climbed into my lap, her arms linked tightly around my neck.

  “We’re going to need to get statements from the both of you,” an officer said, holding a pen, ready to write. These people didn’t waste any time, did they?

  Kat nuzzled into me more, shaking her head. Her hands tightened around my neck and I glanced over the officer’s shoulder to the older officer from that first night. The look on my face must’ve been enough. Officer Sully walked over and patted the younger man on the back.

  “Why don’t you give them a minute?” Sully said.

  “You shouldn’t be talking to them until we get both their statements,” the officer said to Sully.

  Sully said something in his ear and the officer nodded and walked away.

  “Are you guys okay?” Sully asked, kneeling down beside us.

  I nodded.

  “I told you we’d keep her safe.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Are you going to get in trouble?” I asked. He hadn’t given Bryan a chance to surrender.

  “He engaged his weapon. It’ll be a ton of extra paperwork and I’ll be on desk duty for a while, but she’ll never have to worry about him again.”

  I nodded, and the officer smiled before going back to his superior.

  “Is he dead?” Kat sniffed.

  “Like Sully said, you’ll never have to deal with him again. You’re free.”

  “He was going to kill you,” she said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I’m so sorry I yelled at you.”

  “Shh. I’m just happy I didn’t listen to you or my mother. I can’t even imagine if I had. I could’ve lost you. Are you sure you’re okay?” I took her face back in my hands and studied every freckle.

  “He didn’t touch me. He came in the den and I fought him off. I tried to run into the bedroom and lock the door, but he kicked it open.” I cringed at the scene playing out in my mind. “Darren would be proud of me. He taught me all the moves. But Bryan grabbed me and had me pinned face down on the bed. Then he heard the front door open and ripped me up by my hair and pointed the gun at my head.”

  If I’d been a second later . . . I shook my head to rid the thought from my mind. There were no what ifs this time. I wasn’t too late. I made it. Kat was safe. She was warm—except for her hands— in my arms, and other than the tears on her cheeks and the fear in her heart, she was fine.

  A few minutes later, we gave our statements. Cops and crime scene investigators walked in and out of the house. The body was covered by a black tarp before they finally took it out in a body bag. Every time the door opened, blue and red lights bounced off the walls.

  Sully came back over to us, holding a notebook. “I have a few more questions for you and then you can go home.”

  “I am home,” Kat said.

  “Tonight, you’ll go to my home,” I said and kissed her temple.

  “Did you guys take a road trip recently?”

  “Yeah why?”

  “Where’d you go?”

  “Back to Springfield. To my college and to see someone nearby.”

  Sully held up the notebook. “It looks like he was following you. He has a record of all the places you stopped with the dates and times.”

  Kat’s eyes widened and she squeezed my hand.

  I turned towards the men’s room and bumped into a guy who had at least three inches on me. He was in desperate need of a shower and a shave. Long car rides would do that to you.

  “Watch it,” the guy said.

  “Oh my god. I bumped into him at the rest stop.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kat asked.

  “You were mad at me and stormed into the rest stop and I went in and I bumped into this guy who was a real jerk. It was him.”

  Kat slumped against the couch. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I don’t know how I didn’t realize it until now. What the fuck!”

  My privacy felt violated in the worst way. Was he there when Kat and I walked home from the frat party? Did he hear her sing to me? Holy shit, was he at the party hoping I’d leave Kat’s side for even a second?

  I was the one shaking now, but not with fear. The fear was gone.

  I bit down on my cheek to keep from screaming. My hands curled into fists, and I tried to push away the rage surging through me. Kat slid her cool fingers over my hand and the tension began to dissolve.

  “It’s over,” she whispered. “It’s over now.”

  I held my hand up and she laced her fingers through mine. I kissed her knuckles and said, “Can we get out of here now?”

  “You’re free to go,” Sully said.

  “Would I be able to grab a few things for the night?” I asked.

  “From where?”

  I pointed. “The bedroom, right there.”

  Sully glanced over his shoulder and nodded. “You’re lucky. If he was shot ten feet in the other direction I wouldn’t be able to get you in there. Hang on.”

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back,” I said to Kat and stood from the couch.

  “Medino,” Sully called to a short, stocky officer in the corner. He walked over. “Can you escort this gentleman to the bedroom so he can grab a few things?”

  Medino nodded.

  Investigators surrounded a puddle of blood to our far left. I wondered if Kat would let me sand the floors and stain them. I’d get Justin to help me. Teach him a few things. If not, we were going to have a reminder of tonight every time we walked to the bedroom because I knew damn well she’d never sell her parents’ home.

  I approached the room, and my eyes settled on the bed. I snapped them away when visions of that sick bastard ripping Kat up by her hair and pointing a gun at her head popped into my mind.

  I grabbed the duffel and Medino held up his hand. “You can’t take the bag. Get what you need out of it.”

  I took out our clothes and left the towels behind. I had some in the truck. We needed the toiletries so I wrapped them in a shirt and placed them on top of the other clothes.

  Medino stood with his arms crossed in the doorway, watching my every move. “I’m good,” I said, walking towards him. He stood aside to let me by. “Thanks.”

  Kat was on the couch, her legs pulled into her chest. Tears stained her cheeks and by the blank gaze in her eyes, I knew she was going over the attack in her head. I also knew, that there was nothing I could do to make the visions go away.

  “You ready?” I asked.

  “That was fast,” Kat said, eyeing the clothes in my arms.

  “I packed it this morning after you left. I had plans for tonight.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry. I still have plans for tonight. Come on. I’m driving.”

  Sully said the crime scene investigators would be there for a few more hours and would lock up when they left.

  Kat called Darren and gave him a rundown of what happened, assuring him she was fine and in good hands. Then she called Justin. I called my parents and my sister to let them know before they heard it on the news.

  Mom wanted us to go straight to her house. But I convinced her we were safe and just needed a night to ourselves.

  “Where are we going?” Kat asked.

  She still had blood streaked on her face, and I just wanted to get it off. Rid her of all the evil. I wished I would’ve booked a hotel room instead. But Kat and I didn’t do hotel rooms. We spent our nights in the back of my pickup on the beach, and that’s exactly what we were going to do tonight.

  I turned onto the familiar path to our spot and her teeth slid over her bottom lip, a smile tugging at the corners. Her hand cupped mine over the gear shift.

  I took it slow on the rugged path and pulled off when we reached the end. I grabbed the shampoo and took her hand in mine.

  I led her out onto the beach. The sand made it even harder to walk, but I didn’t think about tha
t. I thought about getting to the water.

  “Let’s clean you up,” I said as we crossed over to the damp sand.

  “That water is going to be freezing.”

  “I’ll keep you warm.”

  She cocked an eyebrow at me and shook her head. “Not happening.”

  “Kat, you still have . . . you still have blood on you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she stripped out of her clothes right down to her underwear without even a second glance of our surroundings. “I don’t want any of him on me. Get it off.”

  “I will. We’ll be fast.” I tugged my shirt over my head and let my pants fall to the ground. I took her hand and guided her to the water.

  I took a sharp inhale of breath as the cold water splashed my feet. I ignored the temperature and focused on Kat.

  She let out a squeal when the water reached her and did a little dance. I grabbed her, pulling her to me.

  “Wait. Should you be going in the water with your wound?” she asked.

  “You tell me. You’re the professional. I’m just the patient.” I was happy she was able to think about something other than what just happened. She would be okay.

  “It’s scabbed over, finally. I think you’ll be fine.”

  Her body shuddered against mine and I took her face in my hands. “On the count of three, we’re going under.” I kissed her gently then let my hands fall to hers. I squeezed her hand and with my other counted off. “One. Two. Three.” We took a deep breath and went down.

  We both emerged. Goosebumps covered her skin, so I rubbed my hand up and down her arm before holding her close. Her teeth chattered against my chest, and I tightened my arms around her. I kissed her forehead, then took the shampoo I’d brought and squirted a half dollar amount in my hand.

  My fingers ran through her hair, suds forming beneath my touch. I massaged my fingertips into her scalp. Her head fell back and I kissed her neck.

  I rubbed small circles around her hairline, making sure not to miss a single strand. When I was confident there was no blood left, I looked into her eyes. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.” On three we both went down.

  We resurfaced, and I turned her around to make sure all the suds were gone. Her body quivered as I took the soap and rubbed it into her shoulders, down her back, and over the curve of her breasts.

  Kat held her hand out and I squirted some into her hand. She turned and ran her hand down my chest and back up to my shoulder blades, around to my back and up to my neck.

  “One. Two. Three.” We went down a third time and when she popped back up to the surface, I took her in my arms. She linked her arms around my neck, and I placed my hand on her ass, pushing her up. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and we made our way to the shore.

  When we were out of the water, I stopped and buried my head into her neck. I kissed her shoulder and then the spot below her earlobe. “I love you so much,” I said against her ear, and she rubbed her cheek on mine.

  “I love you. I’m so sorry for everything.”

  I laced my fingers through her hair, pulling it out of her face. “Don’t be. It’s all in the past now.”

  Kat shivered, and I tugged her towards the truck. “Leave the clothes. I’ll salvage what I can in the morning and toss the rest.”

  She smiled and pressed against my side. We walked back to the pickup truck, and I grabbed two towels from the bedbox. I wrapped one around my waist and the other one around Kat before running my hands up and down her arms to warm her up.

  When the droplets had mostly absorbed into the towel, I took her hand and brought her to the truck. I pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and helped her into them. Then I grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her onto the bed of the pickup, making sure to keep all my weight on my good leg.

  I dusted her feet clean of sand and jumped up beside her and did the same to my own. “Stay here. Don’t turn around until I tell you to,” I said, and left her facing the water while I went to the bedbox and retrieved all the blankets and pillows I had stashed earlier.

  “What are you doing?” she asked and started to turn towards me.

  “Not yet. Patience.”

  I set the last blanket in place and moved to Kat, resting my hands on her shoulders. I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her neck. Feel her skin beneath mine. Smell her cotton candy scent and look into those beautiful eyes.

  She turned and when her eyes settled on the bed behind us she leaped into my arms, knocking me over. My back hit the softness of the pillows and her cold hands rested against my chest. I trembled at her touch, but as cold as it was, it was the warmest I had ever felt.

  Having Kat in my arms, especially after what had transpired, was a miracle. Thinking back to that day when we ended things and all that lost time in between made me want to make up for every second.

  We had gone through more than any two people should ever have to endure. But we were stronger because of it. I knew if I ever felt weak, Kat would be my strength, as I would always be hers.

  I propped my head against a pillow and tucked Kat close to me. A warm tear fell on my chest, and Kat began to shake. “Don’t cry,” I said, cradling her head against me. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

  “I . . . I almost lost you.”

  “But you didn’t. I’m right here.”

  “I’m so sorry I threw Nia in your face.” Kat sat up and shook her head. “I never should’ve said that. I don’t know why I did. I just . . . I was so mad. But after tonight, I know what you went through that day. The fear. The regrets. All these emotions you just can’t put into words.”

  She broke down. Uncontrollable sobs racked her body. “I’m so sorry I made you experience that again.”

  “Don’t,” I said, taking her face in my hands and forcing her to look at me. “Don’t blame yourself. You had nothing to do with what happened tonight. Do you understand me?”

  Kat stared at me, tears pouring down her cheeks, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Do you?”

  She nodded and I pulled her face to mine, pressing my lips to hers. Her fingers trailed up my neck and into my hair. Desperation surged between us and I needed to be as close to her as I could be.

  I lowered her body to the comforter beneath us, tracing a line of kisses down her neck, into the curves of her breasts. All the bad shit ceased to exist as Kat pushed into me. My hand followed the arc of her back, and I lifted her shirt over her head. Hating the distance it created between us, I tossed the shirt aside and pressed her into me. Skin to skin.

  I dipped my head and kissed the spot by her earlobe, creating a path down her shoulder to the hard peak of her nipple and back up. A moan rose in her throat and fell from her lips and I was undone.

  My fingers trembled as I reached up to cup her breast. I rested my head against her forehead and took a moment to calm down.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “You get me so worked up.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No. It’s a very good thing. I have all these feelings inside of me. All these wants and desires and they’re all coming together at once. You’re the only one who’s ever done this to me.”

  Kat leaned up and captured my lips with hers, swiping her tongue teasingly across my bottom lip before dipping into the crease. I accepted her invitation and parted my mouth to deepen the kiss.

  I reached into the pillowcase and pulled out a condom. Kat cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “I want you to know this was put in here before everything. We don’t have to. Not tonight. We’ll have a million nights together.”

  “No. I want you now. Please. You’re the only thing keeping me from crumbling. I need to feel you. All of you.” She took the condom from my hand and put it back into the pillowcase. “I haven’t missed my pill since that last time. Make love to me. Please.”

  “God, I love you,” I said, and she undid the towel from my waist. I kissed her forehead and her eyes fluttered shut, so I
kissed each one before moving to her nose, then her mouth.

  I hovered above her and stared deep into her eyes. My intention was to go slow, to savor every single touch, but desire took over and I thrust into her.

  Her head dropped back and her eyes fluttered shut again. I wrapped my arms around her and held her into me, dragging my hand down her front, kissing the freckles sprinkled across her shoulders.

  Kat moaned and I pulled back, feeling like I was looking straight into her soul. She held my gaze even as her breathing quickened. Despite everything we had been through, a glow still radiated from her skin. She was a beautiful angel.

  My guardian angel.

  Her fingers snaked into my hair, curling into fists as she tightened around me. She screamed out and it drove me over the edge. I thrust into her one last time and collapsed against her.

  She breathed against my ear, and I rolled to my side, pulling her to me. She rested her head against my chest, and I brushed the dampened strands of hair on her forehead away. Her skin was bright against the moonlight. Every freckle was like a star in the sky. Unique and beautiful.

  Everything about her was perfect. Perfect for me.

  I placed my finger under her chin and tilted her to me and kissed her. “Thank you,” I said against her lips.

  “For what?”

  “For coming back to me.”

  “If you remember, I tried running away from you.”

  “Once again.”

  She bit her lip, the corners of her mouth turning upward. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that it wasn’t the first time you ran. But just like last time, I caught you.”

  “This time I promise, I’m not running anywhere.”

  “Good, because I’m not as fast as I used to be.”

  “For now. But you will be. I have faith in you.”

  “That’s all I ever needed.”

  Kat curled up into my side. “We’ve already been through hell tonight and somehow you managed to turn it into something nice, so I hate to bring this up. But I need to know. Are you going back to school? Because I mean it. I’m not going anywhere. So if you want to go back, don’t let me be the reason you don’t.”

  I tucked her hair behind her ear. “When we went I realized how much I missed it. The parties. The chaos.” Kat nodded in understanding. “But today when you slammed the door in my face and my mom told me to let you cool off, I’d never missed anything or anyone so much. I wanted to run after you. I wanted to call you. I couldn’t think about anything other than you. Even though I’ll miss Springfield, I’d miss you more. So I’m going to enroll at Farmingdale State next semester and commute.”