Under the Stars

by Chelsey Nichole

  Colton undressed and stepped in the tub, sitting behind me. The music was soft, but I didn’t want to interrupt it, I wanted to hear every word like I had a million times.

  Colton picked up the washcloth and began washing my back, letting the water cure my aching muscles. Running as often as I had been lately was doing a number on my muscles, and I hadn’t been stretching like I knew I should. I was paying for it.

  “Your skin is like silk,” he whispered. He began kissing my neck, causing me to moan audibly. His lips felt amazing.

  “I love you, Khlo,” he whispered.

  That was all I needed to hear. Tonight we were going to show ourselves what true love was.

  THE ALARM NEXT TO me blared in my ears. I opened my eyes and started slapping around on the nightstand, searching for the off button. After I finally got it to shut up, I turned my head to notice Colton wasn’t in bed.

  I sat up, yawning and stretching as the sheet fell down, revealing my naked body. I got up out of bed, wrapping the sheet around me. My feet were warm on the hardwood floor and I smiled. I needed to thank him for the heater for his floor.

  I walked downstairs and found Colton sitting at the bar in the kitchen with his iPad in hand, a cup of coffee sitting next to him, and a plate of food in front of him. His back was to me, which allowed me to further appreciate him. I stood still, noticing he only wore a pair of slacks, no socks or shirt. I never wanted to stop looking at him.

  “Good morning,” I said as I walked towards him.

  He set the coffee cup down along with his iPad and turned the barstool around, looking at me. “Well, good morning, love.” I sat on his lap, receiving the kisses he poured down on me. “I love what you’re wearing.” He smiled.

  “You too,” I said, getting up and sitting at the barstool next to him.

  “I made you some coffee, toast, and laid out some fruit.” He picked back up his iPad.

  “Thank you.”

  After I’d finished eating, we both returned upstairs to get ready for our workday.

  “I’m so glad it’s Friday,” he said, kissing my head.

  I slipped on a modest black dress that hugged my body. Colton caught my eyes in the mirror and turned around, drinking me in with his eyes.

  “Do you have to look that sexy to go to work?” He grinned.

  “I think I look professional,” I said as I walked into the bathroom. My toothbrush, hairbrush, and straightener were already unpacked. He must have done all this while I was sleeping.

  I quickly brushed my teeth, fixed my hair, and put on a little make-up. I spritzed on some perfume before I walked back to the bedroom. Colton wasn’t there anymore. I put on some nude heels, grabbed my purse, and made my way downstairs.

  Colton was back in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes as I checked the time on my phone. I had fifteen minutes before I had to be at work. Just enough time.

  “All right, babe. I’m off.” I smiled. This seemed so natural. I could absolutely get used to this.

  He turned around and looked at me. “You ready?” he asked as he shut the sink off and walked towards me. He had on a matching suit jacket and a red tie which hung down. If I had more time, we’d go back upstairs.

  “Yep.”

  “All right. Dinner tonight?”

  “Of course,” I said as he placed his lips on mine ever so gently. I closed my eyes, drowning in his kiss.

  “I love you.”

  It took me a minute to catch my breath after he pulled away. He made me weak at the knees and took my breath away. I knew that was common in sappy love novels. And now it was real in my world.

  “Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed his briefcase by the door, slipping his iPad into the side zipper, then grabbed his keys. He grasped my hand and led me down to my car. “I’m gonna miss you,” he said as he opened my door.

  “I’m gonna miss you, too.”

  “I love you,” he whispered, leaning down, giving me another soft kiss.

  “I love you, too,” I breathed as he closed my door. It took me a minute to catch my breath before starting my car and making my way to work.

  I parked my car and walked inside to find Marie sitting at her desk with her cup of coffee. “Good morning, Khloe.” She smiled.

  I turned on the light in my office to find a dozen light pink lilies on my desk. I smiled as I set my stuff down and grabbed the note.

  “So, who’re the flowers from?” Marie asked, appearing in my doorway.

  “Colton,” I breathed.

  “You never told me what happened with you and Ben.”

  I took a deep breath, putting the card down. “Just wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Is that the best answer I’m gonna get?” she asked, taking a drink from her coffee mug.

  I nodded. I didn’t want to relive that time again. I had spent so long trying to get over it and move on, bringing it up would only bring up those old, raw feelings again.

  “Well, if you ever need to talk, chica, you know where my desk is.” She smiled, turning around to go back to work.

  I dove right into my work, wanting the day to move fast so I could go back to spending all day in Colton’s arms.

  “Where’s Miss Preggo at?” I heard the familiar voice from the lobby area a few hours later.

  Shit! I hadn’t told anyone I was pregnant yet.

  “Khloe. Y’all look at me like I’m crazy. She’s pregnant.” Excitement poured from her voice.

  “Oh my gosh! I had no idea!” I heard Marie squeal as I got up and walked into the lobby.

  “Because I hadn’t told anyone yet, loud mouth.”

  June covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes got big. “Oh my gosh, I had no idea! I’m so sorry!”

  “Ahh, Khloe is having a baby!” Marie squealed again.

  I nodded as I grabbed June’s hand and practically dragged her back to my office, shutting my door as she sat down across from my desk.

  “What is wrong with you?” I asked, sitting down in my chair.

  “Khloe, I’m so sorry. I thought you would’ve told her.”

  “Why would you think that? I don’t share a lot of my personal life with anyone but you, June. You know that.”

  “Yeah, but I thought you would at least tell Marie,” she whispered.

  “Ugh!” I leaned back in my chair.

  “Khloe, seriously, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine, June.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “So, why’d you come here? Just to tell people? Should I be worried you’ll put it on a billboard too? I wouldn’t put it past you.” I laughed.

  “No, seriously, I wanted to see if you wanted to go to lunch.”

  As soon as she mentioned lunch, my stomach growled. “Sure.”

  I grabbed my purse and we headed across the street to Mimi’s Cafe. We both ordered, then chatted while we waited for our food.

  “So, how’s everything with you and Colton now?”

  “Good so far. I mean, it’s only been one day.” I laughed.

  “I know. But how was last night?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

  I blushed. “Amazing.” I couldn’t help but swoon.

  “That’s it? Just amazing?”

  “June, I’m not telling you about our sex life. Just know that I’m completely satisfied and happy. That’s all you need to know.”

  “You’re such a prude!” She took a drink of her water. “Let’s talk about Mr. Hotbooty then, shall we?” I rolled my eyes and smiled. “We’re going to his parents’ cabin down in Florida next weekend for the fourth of July.”

  “What?” I almost spit out my iced tea. June was not a commitment type of person. This was unheard of in June land that was for sure.

  “Shut up! It’s nothing.”

  “I’m sure. When have you ever gone anywhere with a guy?”

  “When the sex is the best ever, I’ll follow him to the ends of the earth.” She smiled taking a drink of her water.

  A waitress came and set down our
sandwiches. “Everything look okay?”

  “Looks perfect,” June replied.

  The waitress smiled as she walked off.

  “Gah, June. I didn’t need to know that.” I picked up my sandwich and took a bite.

  “Hey, you asked. You know I only speak honestly.”

  I rolled my eyes, chewing my food. “Are his parents going to be there?”

  “Yeah, I’m meeting them.”

  With that, I started coughing as I choked on the last bite in my mouth.

  “You act like this is such a big deal, Khloe.”

  “June, this is unheard of! I’m waiting for God to come back … or maybe for Hell to freeze over.”

  “Well, it’s nothing, really.”

  “Mmm hmm, I’m sure.”

  Colton: Hey sexy, I miss you.

  Me: Hi! I miss you too. How’s your day?

  Colton: Better if you were here. Lots of meetings. How’s your day?

  Me: Good, just got done with lunch. About to head to the courthouse for the remainder of the day.

  Colton: Be careful. Love you, see you at home.

  My heart fluttered. Home. That sounded good rolling off my tongue. This could definitely work out.

  THE WEEKS SLOWLY TURNED into months. We had gone to a few doctor appointments for the baby and he or she was doing great. I had been spending most of my time at Colton’s house as we got to know one another again. Twelve years was a long time to spend apart, so we had a lot of catching up to do.

  June was getting prepared to leave for Florida with her boyfriend, who she still swore was not her boyfriend. I was happy for her. She deserved to settle down and be happy instead of just jumping from guy to guy.

  I was at work, getting the last minute things done before I left for my week vacation. Colton and I had decided to take a trip to New York. We wanted to get away. No work, no friends or family—just us. But before our vacation, we had one last work commitment. I had to meet Colton at a fundraiser his company was a part of.

  Looking at my watch, I realized I was running late and quickly started to gather everything. I grabbed my purse, and pulled out my keys. I’d have to lock the office since everyone had already left. Damn, I really had lost track of time. I had just enough time to rush to Colton’s to change.

  I sent him a quick text letting him know I was on my way as I walked to my car. As I looked up, I noticed two men standing in front of my car door wearing grey hoodies.

  “Can I help you?” I asked as I gripped my phone in my other hand, ready to call 9-1-1.

  Neither one of them spoke as they slowly looked up, revealing more of their faces. I immediately noticed tattoos, and attempted to commit them to memory in case this all went bad … fast. I had a very bad feeling about this.

  “Our office is closed, but I’m sure if you come back after the holiday we can help you with whatever it is you may need.” I tried to sound confident, even though I was shaking like a limb in a wind storm.

  “We don’t need nothin’ with your office,” one of the guys said.

  “Our beef is with you,” the other guy said, pulling his hand out of his hoodie pocket and revealing a large black gun. He pointed it directly at me, and I raised my hands up in front of me as I pressed 1 on my phone, speed dial for Colton. I prayed he’d answer and hear what was happening. “If you want my purse or my car, you can have it.”

  “I do like your car, but that’s not why we came.”

  Before I felt anything, I heard the pop. In slow motion, he pulled the trigger and I instinctively curled my arms around my stomach as I felt the ripping of my flesh. I heard another pop as I fell to the ground, my head hitting with a loud thud.

  I thought of Colton.

  I thought of our baby.

  Dying was easier than the pain that ripped through my body.

  My life had never been easy, or in my mind worth it. There was always someone or something that messed it up. But now, I finally had purpose and it was all being taken away from me.

  I heard Colton crying in the background and I so desperately tried to hold on to that, to pull me out of the darkness but I couldn’t hold onto his voice hard enough.

  I wanted to tell him I was okay; that he didn’t need to worry. But my eyes wouldn’t open no matter how hard I willed them to.

  I finally gave in again and let the black fog take me under. It was easier, and I knew Colton was strong. I knew he would be okay and that he would be happy again with our baby.

  The beeping of the monitors were the first thing I heard.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  I slowly lifted my eyelids. The room was dimly lit, but I felt something—someone—on my hand. I tried to wiggle my fingers, but the weight on them was too much.

  I tried to move my head, but something held it tightly in place. The beeping machine got faster as I started panicking. I tried to talk, but my throat was so dry it hurt. My body hurt. I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t flow.

  “Baby?”

  COLTON!

  I wanted to cry out for him, let him know I was okay. Oh God, please don’t let this be a dream.

  We made eye contact and I tried telling him through my eyes how panicked I was. I wanted him to tell me I was okay, that everything was okay.

  “Oh my god … Nurse! Someone!” He yelled, squeezing my hand. “Just hang on, baby, calm down okay. You’re fine. I’m right here.”

  In a moment, a nurse and a doctor came flying through the door, quickly turning up the light. I shut my eyes; it was so bright. Brighter than any normal light, that was for sure.

  “Khloe, can you hear me?” a female voice asked as they began poking and prodding on me.

  I nodded as I placed a hand on my throat, hoping she’d understand I was desperate for a drink. A moment later, a hand was leading mine to a cup. “Please, be easy. You haven’t really had anything in your stomach for about three weeks and I don’t want you getting sick.”

  I nearly spit out my water. Three weeks? I was out for three weeks?

  “Can you open your eyes, Khloe?”

  I slowly opened my eyes. The lights were a lot dimmer. There were two nurses and a doctor standing around my bed. Colton stood next to me.

  “Khloe, can you try and talk for me?”

  I looked at her as Colton grabbed my hand, putting it to his cheek. His cheek felt so good. His skin was soft but wet. Had he been crying?

  I opened my mouth, prepared to ask this question to Colton … but no words came out. I closed my mouth and whipped my head around to Colton, my eyebrows scrunched together.

  “It’s okay, Khloe. Just breathe, okay. “Can you tell me your name? Where you are?” He asked, moving my hand up and down on his stubbled cheek.

  Of course, I could answer those questions. My name is Khloe Williams, and I’m obviously in a hospital. I relaxed and took a deep breath. I opened my mouth, but once again no words came out. I felt the tears slide down my cheek. I didn’t understand. Why couldn’t I talk?

  “It might take her a little bit to start talking again. The scans of her brain are still coming back normal, so we just have to be patient. We will do some more scans in the morning to see how the brain is looking.”

  “She will be able to talk again, won’t she?” Colton asked, concerned.

  “I have full faith she will make a full recovery. She may need a little therapy, but I think when it’s all said and done, she’ll be back to normal, with a few scars, of course. Khloe, I know you can’t talk, but do you remember what happened? Can you act out with your hands if you do?”

  I peeled my hand away from Colton’s face. I raised my hand up like a gun.

  “Good. Yes, you were shot. The police want an official statement from you. Once you’re able to talk again, do you think you’ll be able to do that? Describe to them what happened and help identify who did this to you?”

  I nodded. I remember walking to my car and getting gunned down. I remembered what t
hey looked like and what they were wearing. The tears started again as I turned my face toward Colton. I put my hand up to his face and wiped his tears. I wanted to tell him it was okay. We were going to be okay. My heart broke into a million pieces seeing him like this.

  “Khloe, there’s one more thing.” The doctor looked at Colton before returning her gaze to me. “Unfortunately, the baby didn’t make it. I’m so very sorry.”

  Sobs erupted from my throat.

  “Babe, I know.” Colton leaned his head on mine. “Just breathe, okay. Shh, it’ll be okay, love.”

  No, it would NOT be okay. It would absolutely not be okay!

  “I have already spoken to Colton about this, but there is a grief counselor I can send you to. You need to talk about this. Talk about how to live with this loss.”

  Why hadn’t I died? Why was I still here? Two pregnancies and no baby to show for them.

  After a moment, she lightly patted my hand. “I’ll give you two some time. If you need anything, please let me know,” the doctor said before walking out of the room, closing the sliding door behind her.

  I screamed, squeezing my stomach. The pain was unbearable. Colton laid himself down next to me, careful not to pull at the IVs. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest as the tears flowed down my cheeks into his gray shirt. My body was trembling. I was shaking as he held me, kissing the top of my head over and over again. We now shared this loss, together. This unbearable, unthinkable loss.

  The doctor returned, but I didn’t acknowledge her as she connected a syringe to my IV and pushed some liquid into it. “There, honey. This will calm you down,” she said, rubbing my forehead. “Shh, just sleep now.”

  I didn’t want to sleep, I wanted to scream, but my damn head wouldn’t allow me to talk, to verbalize my feelings. After a moment, the liquid was cold in my veins as it traveled up my arm. My eyelids got heavy and the tears slowly stopped. I saw the blackness just within reach, and I hoped that once I stepped over, I wouldn’t return.

  When I woke, everything was the same. Colton was on my hand again, and the lights were dimmed. I blinked my eyes open as I saw the sunlight stream through the sides of the curtain.