by Eve R. Hart
I nervously handed over the small, wooden platypus with the nubby leg and the big bill and the weird eyes.
“Is that…” her words trailed off as she grabbed it and ran a slender finger over every part of it. “Oh my God, he’s so cute. I love it.”
She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I didn’t hesitate to do the same to her. She held on for a long time and I didn’t mind one bit. I could tell that she was a little emotional and maybe it meant as much to her as it did to me.
Before, I never imagined she would be like this. I honestly wasn’t really sure what she’d be like, but this definitely knocked me off my feet. She had this presence about her that was just refreshing and beautiful. It drew me in and rendered me speechless inside. It made me feel like a teenage boy and a strong man all at the same time.
I cleared my throat as she began to pull away. Her lips landed softly on my cheek before she stepped back, the sad looking platypus clenched delicately in her hand. I could sense that she was a little unsure of her outburst. I could have said something but I got the feeling like she needed time to collect herself and filter the things that were swimming around in her head.
“I’ll see you, sweetness,” I said as a way of goodbye. Then I kissed her, taking a few moments longer than I should have.
The drive wasn’t that long, but it felt like it was. Every mile seemed to tick on with a wider distance. I didn’t rush the job, because I’d never do that, but I didn’t stick around long after. I went in, did what I was paid to do, cleaned up, then hit the road again as fast as I could. I really had no reason to complain, it was a pretty easy and smooth job. But those kind of things took time.
Maybe it was a bit sappy and silly, but all I wanted to do was get back to my place. I didn’t think she’d bolt on me but that was still a nagging fear in the back of my mind. I chose to take it as a good sign that everything went as smooth as could be expected and I was on my way as quickly as possible. That it was maybe the universe’s way of telling me things would work out the way they were supposed to.
I drove as safely as I could, you know, with a lead foot against the gas pedal. I couldn’t recall a time I’d been as eager to get somewhere as I was right then.
I didn’t have the first clue what I was going to do with my little psychic, but I knew I needed to figure something out. As I thought about it, the fact that I called her that for so long seemed a bit ridiculous. And now that I knew everything, well it was almost like breaking this illusion I’d had for so long. But in a good way. The very best way. Deep down I had known that she wasn’t really a psychic, but back when I knew nothing about her, it helped me to feel less crazy to think of her that way. And once the name popped into my head, it kind of just stuck.
Just a few more hours, I told myself as the sun started to light up the sky in front of me. And I smiled, because I felt like it.
-19-
The Day The World Exploded
Lucy
Okay. So I didn’t go and check out the store or whatever that he told me about. I could have, sure. Maybe. Alright, the thought of stepping out of the front door had me sweating and even shaking a little. Could I do it? Sure, I could have if I really took the time to focus on my breathing and calm myself down. The thing that sucked was that I knew it was all in my head. Even with that, I had no idea how to explain what it really was. It was like I was blocked. Silent fears whispered into my ears but they didn’t have a specific face. It wasn’t like I thought I’d get hit by a car. Or get mugged. Or somehow get trapped inside of a burning building. And I didn’t have the extremes going on either. Like, oh, you know, the apocalypse was coming at any second. Or the air outside was poisoned. Or if someone touched me they could be carrying some kind of X virus and I might get infected. Then naturally, I’d be turned into a zombie or a giant human or something.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t making fun of people that legitimately had those fears. I understood enough with how I’d become to see how people could get trapped in their head and not see what was real and what wasn’t. So, no, I wasn’t brushing those fears off as a joke. I just didn’t have them. I honestly couldn’t explain what it was that I had. It was there. It very much felt real. I panicked at the thought of going out into the real world. The idea of having to interact with people made me break out in a cold sweat.
I eventually gave up trying. And I did my best to push it out of my mind because fretting over something as simple as trying to fight off an attack over stepping foot outside of this condo, eventually wore me down. I bordered on depressed because of it and that wasn’t good given the compounded emotions I was already going through.
I cleaned. Funny right? Given that it was Clean’s place and all. The place was in decent shape. I really didn’t find much more than a thin sprinkling of dust on a few things. Like maybe it had been a little while since he’d been here. I didn’t go snooping. I could have and maybe I thought about it once or twice, but I didn’t want to learn about him from the things I found when he wasn’t looking. I wanted him to be the one to share his story with me. Maybe we’d get there. Maybe not. But I had a strong need to hold out hope.
Odd as it might have been, I carried that sadly adorable little platypus around to every room I went. While I was surrounded by Derrick’s things, being in his space and all, I didn’t really feel him around me. This little guy though, it was all Derrick. And the love and thought and time he’d put into it made my heart flutter. I wanted to ask so many questions but held them back. Not like I could have really spoken then away because I had suddenly gone all emotional girl. I kept the tears back but they were there. It was a simple thing, but it hit me in the biggest way possible. I yearned to know if he thought of me when he made it. But I guessed he must have, being that it was my idea and all. I never thought he’d actually make the thing when I had suggested it. Hell, I didn’t actually think he was serious about taking up woodcarving. I wondered if he’d been carrying it around with the hope that he’d one day give it to me. I guess none of that really mattered now. But I still itched to know about the man and how he thought.
There’s time, I whispered to myself having this deep, gripping feeling that we weren’t going to separate any time soon. He seemed like he really wanted me to be here when he got back and it left me with a sense that this was far from over.
I sat around. I watched TV, finding myself falling in love with shows I didn’t even know were out there. In a way, I was catching up on all the things I’d missed. I tried to sleep, but I just ended up tossing and turning for a few good hours before I got back up.
I found my laundry, dry but still sitting in the dryer. I should have been embarrassed that he’d gone through my things and even touched my undergarments. But it didn’t bother me one bit. I folded my clothes and waffled for a few minutes on where I should put it all. There was tons of room in the closet, but I felt like that might have been overstepping. In the end, I decided to leave them in a nice pile on the chair in the corner of the bedroom.
Then I showered, feeling the need to take a moment to relax. I enjoyed the hot spray as it pelted my skin. When I was done, I dressed, choosing to put on a black bra and matching panties. I wasn’t even aware that I’d packed them. I mean, when I had originally left I knew I wasn’t going into something where I’d need anything sexy like that. Maybe future me was somehow watching over me while I had been frantically packing. I didn’t even think twice as I slipped on one of his shirts.
I was in the kitchen trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. It was sometime in between breakfast and lunch and since I’d forgotten to eat this morning, I wasn’t sure what to call it. A snack maybe? I shrugged, figuring it really didn’t matter as I bent over to dig something out of the fruit drawer at the bottom of the fridge.
“Honey, I’m home.” His voice hit my ears and I didn’t even flinch. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard him come in.
I closed the drawer, straightened, and then turned on th
e balls of my feet to face him. There was a witty remark hanging on the tip of my tongue, but it got lost as I met his eyes.
There was fire there.
Yes, like the hottest of heat as he looked at me. His eyes did a slow scan from the tips of my toes upward, lingering a beat longer on my chest where I knew he could see my black bra under the white fabric.
He visibly did a hard swallow before bringing his eyes to meet mine.
“I…” His voice sounded low, thick, and raw. It sent a shiver down my spine the moment it hit my ears and I felt my flesh prickle all over.
I felt more exposed than I really was. And that was saying something because I was currently wearing just three things. I had no doubt that he had gotten a view of the dark moon as he walked in seeing as I had been bend over and all.
Heat hit my cheeks as I held his gaze, both of us seemingly frozen in some kind of trance.
“Oh, fuck,” I said not really meaning to say it out loud.
He was still wearing what he’d left in. Or so I assumed. I didn’t see any blood on him so who knew? Maybe he’d changed at some point before he’d headed back. But regardless, he looked fucking hot in that button-up shirt and black slacks. So hot it set my body on fire.
And I was moving to him before my brain was even aware of it. His arms wrapped around me tightly, grippingly, as I crashed into his body. Our lips were on one another’s in the blink of an eye. And while the kiss still held that sweet tenderness that I’d come to know in such a short time, this went deeper. There was need and want and desire. I was sucked in instantly and I didn’t want to pull away. As his fingers tangled in my long hair, I guessed he didn’t want to either.
The kiss went on for minutes. Hours. Eternity. That was what it felt like anyway. Then his hand grabbed a firm hold on my ass and he lifted me up with ease. The coolness of the counter on my bare thighs caused my body to shiver.
When he did leave my lips, he continued to trail kisses across my jawline and down my neck. I moaned because I couldn’t help it. I wanted more. I needed all of him. Right then, right there. Filthy from a dirty job and surrounded by the cleanliness of the kitchen.
His fingers began to slowly work the buttons of my shirt. I was rid of the shirt a lot quicker than I thought I would be given the lingering caresses to my bare skin between each button. I was free, I was bared to him in more ways than one. The shirt slid down my arms and he broke away. His eyes greedily raked over every part of me. My chest heaved, my heavy breasts pushing against the fitting cups of my bra with every deep inhale.
“You are…” His words trailed off like he couldn’t even think of the right one to describe me. It made me feel some sort of beautiful on a whole different level. I felt tears in my eyes, but it wasn’t because I was sad. “Everything,” he whispered like he was so lost in what he was seeing.
“Derrick,” I whispered, strangely choked up.
I maybe couldn’t have begun to explain what was going on between us. But I knew how he made me feel. He lit me up from the inside. He made me want to break down walls. He made me want more out of life than trapping myself in a room and hiding away.
He made me want love.
He made me feel like I deserved love.
And that was the most important thing. Even beyond grasping that feeling alone.
It hit me then. Love wasn’t about what you had in common. It wasn’t about matching visions for the future. It wasn’t about what you thought. It was about what you felt. What your heart and soul cried out for. It was about seeing yourself through the other person’s eyes and being hit with a magical feeling so deep it wrapped your soul in warmth.
His mouth was on mine again. He nibbled my bottom lip, just barely. He licked my seam, slowly. He tasted my tongue, caressingly. He made love to my mouth while his fingers dug into my back like he was holding on for dear life.
He pulled me to the edge, my core brushing up against his firm, hard length that was straining to bust out of the confinement of his black slacks. I wanted to free him. I wanted to see him. Stroke him. Feel him inside of me.
He broke away, both of us panting hard.
“Are you sure?” he asked as he searched my eyes for any signs that I was hesitant.
He wouldn’t find any, I could tell you that.
I answered his question by taking a firm hold of his shirt and pulling it apart. Buttons ripped off and flew in all directions making tiny, little noises as they hit the counter and floor.
I guessed that was as much of an answer as he needed because the next thing I knew, he was lifting me off the counter and carrying me down the hall. My legs instantly wrapped around his waist as I kissed him again.
I felt the coolness of the comforter hit my back as he laid me out on the bed. He watched me, unblinking, as he shucked his pants. Then he was over me, covering my body with a comforting weight. My nails dug into his skin ferociously. My lips met his hungrily. My body responded desperately.
I was so lost in the feeling of his body against mine that I completely missed him unclasping my bra. I wasn’t even aware until he was pulling it from my body. I hadn’t been this exposed to anyone in a long time. And while I felt a little unsure, it was only because I had no idea if I was going to be good at what was to come. Maybe part of me didn’t even care. Seven years of being a monk, in a way, had started to hit me hard.
His mouth covered my nipple. He sucked. He licked. He owned. Yeah, he did. I couldn’t deny it, he owned me at that moment. And I was sure that feeling was only going to plant itself more firmly into my soul the moment he actually slid inside of me.
It was a slow dance. A graceful waltz. But it had the fire of an Argentine Tango.
Moments passed. Minutes ticked on as he continued to lavish every inch of my skin with love. Like he was making a map, tracking every line with his tongue.
“Derrick,” I said in a strangled moan because I couldn’t take another moment of waiting. My nails raked over his stubbly scalp as he licked along the line of where my panties met my skin. “I need you. Please.”
Clearly, I wasn’t beyond begging.
“Patience, sweetness. I want to savor every moment of this.”
How the hell could I argue with that?
Well, I fucking could. Because this foreplay shit had gone on way too damn long. Yeah, I got that I shouldn’t have been complaining. This man was loving every inch of me. Every flaw. Every ripple. Every scar, visible or not. I would have been a complete idiot not to want that, but at the same time, I just needed him inside of me already.
My panties slid down my legs at the pace of a snail. I wiggled and writhed until they were free. I didn’t even care where the hell the went after they left my body.
I must have been too lost in a lustful haze to even realize that he’d freed himself as well. Because the next thing I knew, his body was covering mine and his thick cock was brushing over my drenched core and sliding through my folds, hitting my clit and making me feel like I was about to come.
His weight shifted as he reached beside the bed. There was the knowing crinkle of a condom wrapper as he ripped open the package. I was glad one of us was thinking because I hadn’t been on any kind of birth control in a long time. But strangely, part of me didn’t care. Which was so fucked up. And I wasn’t going to think about it right now.
My legs came up, wrapping around his waist once he had us protected.
“Luce,” he whispered against my lips as he slowly pushed himself inside of my heat.
I was so wet and ready for him. His eyes stayed locked on mine as he continued his slow, torturing movement. Once he was buried inside me until our pelvises were pressed together, he let out a long breath. He was so big that I could feel everything. I wished I’d been able to get a glimpse of his magnificence before he’d taken me. Then again, I was good and damn ready for this.
He didn’t pound into me. Sure, part of me wanted that. But what he gave me was so much better. He brought me to the edge so slowly th
at I would have sworn days had passed. It was only once we were dripping with sweat and both of our bodies were begging for release, did he start to really give it to me. His body retreating slowly, then slamming back inside of me. I felt every inch of him. My body tightened, my pussy quivered like it was on the verge of weeping to come.
My legs pulled him in with every retreat and my nails dug into his back.
“I need…” It came out as a moan and I couldn’t even finish the words because I was hanging right there at the edge.
“I’ve got you, sweetness,” he said, his breath fanning over my mouth and I wanted to swallow it down.
He kissed me as he slightly changed angles. Then, holy fucking shit! He was hitting something inside of me that made me come like a fucking rocket.
I crashed over the edge.
Again.
And again.
I lost all sense of reality. Of time. Of every-fucking-thing. And I stayed floating even as I heard him call out my name in a smooth tone. Even as I felt him swell inside of me and fill the condom that was between us. Even as he lightly collapsed on top of me and placed sweet kisses along my sweaty skin.
Oh.
My.
God.
What the hell was that?
I mean, deep down, I knew what that was. But holy hell. I couldn’t think. I could barely breathe. All I knew was that I didn’t ever want to leave this man. Hell, I didn’t even want him to leave me right then. I just wanted him to stay buried deep inside, his weight on the verge of crushing me as we shook, shuddered, and came down from our euphoric high.
I let him up, only because I knew he must have been having a hard time doing his best not to crush me. I could feel his arms shaking. I could feel his whole body shaking, actually.
He pulled back slowly, the feeling of his softening cock leaving my heat made us both sigh with a tinge of sadness. He rolled off the bed, but seemed like he needed a moment to regain himself before he did anything else. Then he was moving out of the bedroom and I assumed to the bathroom.