Saving Her

by Mia Ford

  “What are you doing?” I laughed as he dragged me to the center of the pub.

  “We’re going to dance, Andrea Canfield,” Andy yelled.

  ***

  Andy got me home at ten, as promised, with a quick hug goodbye that I partly wished could have included a kiss. He waited until I was at the door and opening it before he pulled away, and I stood there watching his car disappear down the road.

  What the hell are you doing? You just ran away from a toxic relationship, and you’re doing what exactly?

  I had no idea. The only thing I was sure of was that I felt safe around Andy. I hardly knew him, true, and there was still so much I was trying to figure out for myself. Let alone worrying about Dennis coming after me and the constant need to look over my shoulder just in case. Was this denial? Was this my sick way of trying to pretend that everything was normal, when nothing really was? I had no idea. All I knew was that I felt a strange attraction towards Andy, and it made butterflies flutter inside me.

  You’re married.

  No, I wasn’t. I stopped being married a long time ago, and it was a little scary how quickly I was accepting it. Like I hadn’t just been speeding out of Manchester two days ago, obsessively checking my rearview mirror in case Dennis was coming up behind me. I wondered if there was anything logical about what I was doing, and quickly realized no, there wasn’t.

  “Andrea?”

  Bobby was waiting for me in the living room, half asleep on the couch, the TV still on. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, stretching as I walked in and slumped down on the chair in front of him.

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  “Ten, dad,” I teased.

  He gave me the finger and ran a hand across his face. “I have to do a double shift tonight and tomorrow morning. You should get some sleep but I’ll back in the morning for a while and then I’ll be dropping you off at Jane’s, on my way.”

  “I can take my car,” I said.

  “I’d rather you’d not,” Bobby replied. “Andy was telling me we should probably park it in the garage anyway. It’s like a beacon for Dennis the way it’s parked outside like that.”

  I thought about that for a second and decided that it probably would be for the best. “Is Andy babysitting me again tomorrow?” I asked.

  Bobby looked at me, his eyes searching mine. He stayed like that for a few seconds before saying, “No, he’s on the morning shift, too.”

  “Oh.” I heard the disappointment in my voice and noticed that Bobby had to.

  “Andy’s my best friend,” he started, “but that also means I know a lot about him. I love him like a brother, but I have to warn you. He might not be someone you want to get too hooked up on.”

  “I’m just enjoying his company, that’s all.”

  Bobby eyed me. “Just be careful, okay? I trust him to keep you safe, but that’s pretty much as far as it goes when it comes to Andy and women.”

  He got up, stretched, and made his way outside, leaving me alone in the living room to think about what he had just said.

  Chapter 8: Andy

  I drove home feeling like a million dollars.

  Andrea was like a breath of fresh air. For the first time in a very long time, I actually felt good around someone. I didn’t feel like I had to put on some show, make a spectacle to impress, or up the macho to swoon. I felt like I could be myself, completely and utterly me, and still have a fucking good time, too. I even caught myself whistling as I made my way upstairs, already running through possible things to do the next time I saw her.

  I liked her. A lot. And even though that feeling was foreign to me, it didn’t scare me. I had always expected that I’d be the type of guy who shied away from a relationship. At least a real one. Crazy nights, a different girl every time, and dodge Hannah as much as I could until she lost interest in me. Then probably grow old and die alone. And I was okay with it.

  Andrea made me reconsider that.

  You know that her interest in you would only be rebound, right?

  Probably. She had run away from an abusive marriage, was hiding from her husband, and was pretending to be okay. I was willing to bet that beneath the whole bravado was a terrified little girl. Getting involved was going to mean nothing but trouble. Add to that the fact that she was Bobby’s sister, and you had a recipe for disaster. The right thing to do was just keep my distance and help out whenever they needed me to.

  But I couldn’t help feeling like I wanted more.

  I walked into my apartment, closed the door and was halfway to the bedroom when the doorbell rang. I frowned, guessing that one of the neighbors had probably been waiting for me to come home just to bitch and moan about one thing or the other. Sometimes I hated the fact that I hadn’t just sucked it up and kept the house. It would have at least spared me the agony of dealing with these people.

  The doorbell rang again, and I flung it open angrily, ready to rain verbal abuse on the idiot who had dared to bother me.

  Hannah pushed past me. “Close the door.”

  I fought back the anger and tried my best not to snap at her. “Come right in.”

  “Close the fucking door, Andy,” she said, kicking off her heels.

  She was already halfway down the hall before I did as she said and followed her to the bedroom. “This really isn’t the best time, Hannah,” I said, standing at the door to my room and watching her close the blinds.

  She turned to me and began unzipping the side of her cocktail dress. I had no idea where she had been, but she reeked of alcohol, and the way she looked at me made it very clear that she expected a hard-fucking tonight. I wasn’t up for it, but at the same time didn’t feel like getting into a fight, either.

  “You know, Andy, whether you’re up to it or not really doesn’t matter,” she said, letting the dress fall down around her feet before she stepped out of it. She wasn’t wearing a bra, her breasts beckoning me to her like a moth to the flame. She walked towards me, only wearing a pair of lace black panties, and looked into my eyes hungrily.

  “I think I can make sure you’re up to it.”

  She fell to her knees in front of me, her fingers quickly tugging at my belt and zipper, and pulled my jeans down. My boxers quickly followed, and I closed my eyes when her hand wrapped around my cock, gently stroking it to attention.

  “At least someone’s happy to see me,” she whispered, her breath hot against my cock, her tongue gently flicking across the head.

  I braced myself against the bedroom door, my breathing becoming just a little heavier with anticipation, the feeling of her hand moving up and down quickly making me hard. Although Hannah was volatile, she definitely knew how to work me to the point of no return, and when her lips wrapped around my cock, sucking me into her mouth and almost swallowing me completely, I had given up on fighting this completely.

  I dug my fingers into her hair, holding her head as she slid me in and out of her mouth. She quickened the tempo, and soon I was rocking against her, fucking her mouth as she dutifully swallowed every inch of me. Her hand cupped me, playing with my balls until I was ready to completely blow my load in her mouth. She could sense how close I was, and despite the fact that I was holding her in place, she pushed back and let my cock slip out of her mouth. She pumped me with her hand some more, just for good measure, the whole time looking up at me with a devilish smile on her face.

  “What do you say, fire boy?” she teased. “How about we make this thing to good use?”

  I grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up, her lips pressing against mine and her tongue exploring the inside of my mouth. My hands found her ass and squeezed, hard, and I slapped one cheek just the way she liked it. Her lips found my ear, kissed the sweet spot there that she knew would drive me crazy, before nibbling on the lobe.

  “Fuck me, Andy,” she whispered, pressing her crotch against me. She was gushing, the panties like a second layer of skin. I could feel her pussy lips embracing me through the thin, wet fabric. “Fuck me ha
rd and make me scream.”

  I pushed her back, grabbing her by the arm and turning her around. She pushed her ass against my cock, grinding slowly and seductively, making me want her more. My hands found her breasts and squeezed. She snaked an arm behind her and around my neck, pulling my head down where she expected me to kiss her. Her grinding intensified, and I quickly pushed her down so that she was bent over the side of my bed, ass up in the air, waiting for me.

  I pulled her panties down quickly, my fingers burying themselves between her pussy lips, drenched in her wetness. I pressed them against her clit, earning a very satisfied moan, before I slipped two fingers into her. I bent over her, grabbing a breast with one hand while pumping my fingers in and out of her. She was moaning in pleasure, grinding against me.

  “Stop teasing me,” she gasped as my fingers fucked her. “Give me what I want. Give it to me, Andy. Give it to me hard!”

  I pulled my fingers out, positioned myself so that I could get a proper balance, and pushed inside her with one quick thrust. I felt my cock slide in with such ease, it was almost as if her pussy had stretched just for me. She was so wet, it wasn’t even much of an effort. She cried out when I penetrated her, and before I could fully pull back, she was pushing her ass back against me, forcing me back in again.

  “Hard!” she screamed. “Hard and fast, just the way I like it.”

  I fucked her with everything I had, pulling just slightly out before thrusting my cock back inside her. She was screaming like a banshee, throwing her ass back against my hips, the smacking sound barely audible over her cries of pleasure. I grabbed her shoulders, placing myself in just the right angle, and rammed even harder. With every scream I quickened my pace, until her pleas for more were staccatos of moans with every thrust.

  When I reached around her and played with her clit, she was coming in seconds. Legs shaking, screams echoing through the room, she collapsed onto the bed and pulled me down with her. We lay like that for a few minutes, catching our breath, before she turned me onto my back and straddled me.

  “You’re a good boy,” she cooed, sliding her wet pussy across my cock. “You’re a very good boy. You make me so happy.”

  I grabbed her hips as she moved, wanting to end the teasing and have her ride me. She giggled, grinding some more.

  “You’re such a good boy,” she teased. “You want my pussy, don’t you? You want to go back in there, don’t you?”

  She leaned down, her massive breasts inches from my face. I pulled her closer, swallowing her nipple into my mouth, sucking and biting it at the same time. She shifted above me, grabbed my cock, and slid it back inside. My hands found her ass, pushing her down more, forcing myself deeper.

  She rode me like a bronco, beautiful breasts bouncing up and down as she moved, her hands scratching at my chest. No matter how many times we did this, I couldn’t get enough of seeing her like this. I squeezed her breasts, pinched her nipples, and watched as she rode her way to a second orgasm. She kept going, though, locking her eyes onto mine, quickening the pace as she smiled wickedly at me.

  She knew I was close.

  “Fill me up,” she begged. “Be a good boy and come. You want to, don’t you, Andy? You really want to. I can tell you want to.”

  My hands clasped onto her hips, and I pushed myself deeper inside her one last time before I exploded. I came hard, enough to make my head spin, groaning like a Neanderthal.

  She giggled, slid off of me and collapsed onto the bed beside me.

  ***

  “I really thought I’d find another skank here.”

  Hannah was standing in front of the window, pulling her cocktail dress up around her shoulders and fumbling with the side zipper. I had almost fallen asleep when she spoke up for the first time since we had collapsed in bed, spent and breathless, without the energy to even mouth how good the sex was.

  “Excuse me?” I asked. I was naked, lying on my back with my arms crossed under my head, staring at the ceiling and contemplating what the hell I was going to do about all this. Bobby was right, Hannah was poison, and I had to find some way to get her out of my life once and for all.

  “I saw you at Pub 32,” Hannah said, squinting at her reflection in the window as she played with her hair, trying to get it to look at least a little decent and not like she had just had the fuck of a lifetime. “I followed you when I saw you leave with that girl. I thought, there goes Andy again, taking another college girl home and thinking he could slip her past me.”

  She turned to me and winked. “Lucky for you, no one was here when you opened the door for me.”

  That was it.

  I was furious. For starters, I didn’t need to explain myself to someone who had explicitly made it clear that we weren’t supposed to be exclusive. Secondly, following me home was just creepy, and bordering on sociopathic. What was she going to do next? Buy night vision goggles and follow me around town?

  This had to end. Now.

  “Get out,” I hissed, although not loud enough to sound the least bit convincing. The rage was eating me up, and it was taking every ounce of strength I had to reel it in and keep it under control.

  “What?”

  “You heard me, Hannah,” I said, rolling out of bed and pulling my boxers on. I grabbed my jeans and pointed out to the hall. “I want you out of my house. Now!”

  She smiled, a quick look of confusion plastered across her face. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Following me?” I spat. “Seriously? At what point did you actually think that following me home was a good idea? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  The confusion left her face and was quickly replaced with a scowl that mirrored just how insane she could get. “You did this,” she said. “If you’d keep your cock in your pants, I wouldn’t have to follow you around making sure you weren’t sticking it in places it shouldn’t be.”

  “You don’t control where I stick my cock and when!” I yelled. “I do. Only me. Me!”

  She walked up to me and stabbed my chest with her finger. “You gave up that privilege the minute I spread my legs for you,” she hissed. “You don’t have a choice anymore, you hear me?”

  “Get the fuck out, you crazy bitch!” I yelled, stressing on every word I let out. “Get out of my house, out of my life, and leave me the fuck alone!”

  She took a staggered step back and glared at me. “You’re ending this?”

  “There is no this to end! We’re not a thing, Hannah. We’re two single people who like to fuck, and we just happen to be living in the same town. Other than that, you mean absolutely nothing to me, do you understand?”

  Her eyes were wide in shock, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The vein in her forehead was popping out the way it always did when she was too furious to express her feelings in words and would much rather grab something and hit me with it. Luckily, though, I was looking right at her, and was ready for anything stupid. If she even tried to reach for anything, I’d have her by the arms and throw her out myself.

  “So that’s it, huh?” Hannah seethed. “You want to be free to fuck around, pick up slutty college girls and show them a good time. Well, you know what, go ahead! You’re never going to be satisfied. The only way you’ll ever get off properly is with me, and none of those girls is going to fill that need the way I do.”

  “If getting rid of you once and for all makes me want to screw every living thing in a ten-mile radius, then I’m all the better for it,” I shot back.

  “You’re going to regret this, you son of a bitch!”

  “Hannah, I’m going to say this one last time,” I replied, pointing at the door again. “Get. The. Fuck. Out!”

  She glared at me, her hands balling into shaking fists that I knew she would use if given the chance. She was just as furious as I was, and that made me just a little bit more satisfied. I wanted her to go home thinking about how I kicked her out of my house, and hopefully it would drive her crazy enough to drive h
er car into a tree. Then the whole world would be rid of the craziness that was Hannah Baker.

  I was half expecting her to attack me, try and maybe claw my eyes out, but she surprised me. Her anger seemed to defuse, her fists unclenching and the vein in her forehead disappearing completely. A sudden calm fell over her, and she just stared at me, a look that scared me a lot more than when she had been outraged.

  “Screw you, Andy,” she said. “I’m going to make damn sure you pay for this.”

  And with that, she stormed past me. I watched her grab her heels, open my front door, and slam it hard behind her. I let out a sigh of relief.

  That went pretty well.

  I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the last I saw of her, though.

  Chapter 9: Andrea

  I couldn’t get Andy out of my head.

  He had called me before work, much to Bobby’s discomfort, and we had agreed to meet after I was done with my shift at Jane’s. I had been thinking about him all morning, seeing him everywhere I looked. It was distracting at first, and I’d catch myself smiling just at the thought of meeting him later. I felt like I was back in high school waiting for the final bell to ring so I could hook up with the star quarterback behind the bleachers. I was happy, and it was strange to be feeling this way, as if somewhere across the years I had somehow convinced myself that I didn’t deserve to be.