by Amy Polino
“No, I like it. How do I use it for my background?”
She laughed. “You want a picture of me for your wallpaper?”
I nodded. “Yes. Why not?”
“Well... if it’s really what you want.” She proceeded to show me how to set it up, and then there was that beautiful photo of her behind all my little icons. I loved it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You can change it when you get tired of it.”
“I won’t get tired of it.”
“You’re sweet.” She twisted her neck and kissed me on the head.
I wanted her so much and there was just nothing I could do about it. I reached for my wine and had another drink, almost finishing it off.
Susan sat up and pressed her mouth near my ear, whispering. “You want a little more wine?”
I thought about it and quickly nodded. It was making me feel terrific, and my father had already been dealt with effectively.
She smiled and stood up, grabbing her glass and the empty bottle. “Come on.”
I carried my glass and my new phone into the kitchen and watched as she tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin and pulled another one out from the refrigerator. She held it up for me to see. “How about some red? Or do you want to stick with white?”
“Either one is fine. I don’t know enough about wine to be able to tell the difference.”
“Well, the white we just had was sweeter. The red I have here is burgundy, which is kind of dry and not nearly as sweet.”
I honestly didn’t care which kind we had. “We can try the red, since you have it chilled.”
She smiled. “Okay.” I watched her as she worked the corkscrew into the top of the bottle, marveling at the way the taut muscles in her arms contracted Everything about her was so sexy. She was a treasure, and my father sat in the other room, oblivious of her. I wanted to step up to her and hold her and kiss her all over her lovely face; it was such a sad predicament it made me want to cry.
When Susan had the bottle open, she poured us each half a glass. “I don’t want you to have a hangover,” she explained.
“You’re very thoughtful.” I took the glass from her and we toasted again. “Thank you for a perfect birthday, Susan.”
She beamed. “I’m so glad you like your gifts.”
“I love them. The dinner, the cake, the presents. The wine. You. Everything. Thank you so much.” I took a small drink. It was very tart and dry, but good.
Susan took a sip of hers and smiled at me. “How is it?”
“I like it. Thank you.”
She took another drink, a big one. “You’re welcome.” She poured a little more wine into her glass and then added a small splash to mine. “A little birthday bonus.” She then set her glass down and re-corked the bottle, returning it to the refrigerator.
I looked around the room, at the presents and wrapping paper all over the table. My birthday was pretty much over. At least it had been a good one, overall. “I should clean up in here.”
“Let me do it,” she said. “Why don’t you take your wine and your phone into your room, and give me a call? We can see if it works.”
I kind of liked the idea, but at the same time I was reluctant to leave her. I hated leaving her. I was falling deeply in love with her all over again. “Okay.” I remembered the promise I’d made to myself earlier about giving her a hug. “Can I hug you goodnight?”
She smiled. “You sure can. But we’re really not saying goodnight just yet. Why don’t you go into your room and call me, sweetheart?”
I wasn’t sure what she had in mind, but I was suddenly very intrigued. “Alright.” I took another sip of wine, returning her peculiar little smile. Then I slowly made my way out of the kitchen and went to my room.
My father didn’t look up as I passed him.
* * *
When I got to my room, I left the door partway open and had another sip of wine. Then I set the glass down on my bedside table and began studying the phone, trying to remember how to use it to make calls. Susan had programmed her number into it, along with her name, and after a few moments of searching I figured it out. I pressed the call button and held the phone up to my ear, waiting for her to answer.
It didn’t take long. “Hello?”
I grinned at the sound of her voice. She made me so happy. “Hi Susan.”
“Amy?”
I giggled. “You guessed it.”
“Hi! How are you?”
“I’m okay. How are you?”
“Oh, I can’t complain. I’m just straightening up the kitchen and having a little glass of wine. What are you up to?”
“Nothing much.” I lay back on my bed. “I just called to thank you for all the nice things you gave me today.”
“You’re very welcome. Did you enjoy the books?”
“Believe it or not, I didn’t get a chance to read them yet.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get to them.”
“Oh! By the way... Happy Birthday!”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, listen.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you doing anything later? Say in about five minutes?”
“No. Why?”
“Maybe I could stop by. Just a little visit.”
“That would be wonderful. I’ll leave a light on.”
She laughed. “Okay, good! I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too!” She hung up the phone and I glanced at my display to see a message telling me the call had ended. I turned the phone off and set it aside, then sat up and reached for my wine. I drank a little, and I could feel the alcohol starting to play with my head.
After putting my glass down I leaned forward and unlaced my sneakers. I pulled them off and tucked them under the bed. I was going to look at the new books Susan had given me, but then I remembered I’d left them in the kitchen. I picked up my phone instead and started examining some of the things I hadn’t seen yet. The picture of Susan in the background made me smile and I started feeling really excited about her upcoming visit.
I had just finished downloading a new free game when I heard a tapping on my door. “Come in.”
The door pushed slowly open and Susan stepped in, carrying several boxes. “I brought your presents, honey.” She bumped the door with her hip, closing it most of the way.
“Thank you.”
She glanced around the room, looking very beautiful in her simple black dress. “Where would you like them?”
“On my desk is fine.”
She put them on my desk and I saw she was also carrying her glass of wine. It was almost empty. She took a sip and then set that down, too. She smiled at me. “Can I sit with you?”
“Of course. Always.”
She sauntered over and gently lowered herself on my mattress. I sat up and moved over, arranging myself so that I was right beside her.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing. I just thought I’d come tuck you in for your birthday.”
I giggled. “Tuck me in?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“You’ve never done that before.”
“You’ve never turned eighteen before.”
“Oh, so now that I’m eighteen you’re going to start tucking me in?”
She grinned. “Perhaps.”
The idea of it thrilled me. “Alright.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Why would I mind?”
She studied me for a moment, very thoroughly, as if trying to decide something. Then she slid her phone from her pocket and turned it on. As I watched, she set it to the camera application and held it up. “Would you smile for me, sweetie?”
I did. It was easy to smile for Susan. She took my picture and then appraised it for a minute before making it her wallp
aper. “You’re really going to have a picture of me as your background?” I asked. I was more than a little surprised.
“Why not? You’ve got me as yours.”
“Yeah, but...”
She turned her phone off and put it away. “But what?”
“That’s different.”
“How do you figure?”
“Because...” I didn’t want to say it. I didn’t want to ruin this nice moment between us. “I don’t know.”
She was studying me again. Then she reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair away from my eyes and tucked it behind my ear. The gesture was so amazingly intimate that I felt myself blush. “You’re such a little sweetheart, Amy. I’m so glad that I have you for a friend.”
God, I loved her. “I’m glad, too.”
She smiled. “You’re so beautiful.”
My heart began pounding. What was this? “No. You are.”
“So are you.”
I shrugged. I didn’t know what to say. I was confused and a little bit nervous. I was also thrumming with love and desire. I decided to just wait and see what was on her mind.
She was still staring at me. She was still smiling, too, but I could see a hint of sadness in her deep blue eyes. She was hurting. “How about that hug?” she asked.
I nodded and slowly stood up. “That would be wonderful.”
She took my hand and pulled me toward her. “No need to stand up, sweetie.” I sat back down beside her and she put an arm around my shoulders. She leaned back, and I leaned with her. Then she shifted on the bed, trying to arrange herself lengthwise. I followed suit, and soon we were lying together on my bed, her arm around me and mine around her. It felt so nice to be lying there with her like that, and just as I was about to say so she rolled toward me, getting on her side and wrapping me up in both her arms. I did the same and suddenly we were embracing. It happened just like that, as if we’d done it a dozen times before. We held each other and I could feel her heart beating through her chest, right there next to mine. They were both pounding.
Her face was nestled into the hollow of my neck and I could feel her warm breath on my skin. Her subtle perfume filled my nostrils and I felt like I was in a dream. She felt so soft and warm, her thin dress almost nonexistent. I hadn’t held anyone like that since Dianne, and memories came flooding back. Wonderful memories.
We held each other for several minutes without speaking. Then Susan shifted in my arms and looked into my eyes. She smiled. “Thank you, Amy.”
“Thank you.”
Her smiled widened. “I’ve been wanting to hold you like this for a long time.”
I could no longer think straight. Susan was in my arms, in my bed, and my father was in the next room. What was this? “You can hold me whenever you want,” I whispered.
“Be careful. I might actually take you up on that.”
“Susan...”
She ran a hand up and down my back, caressing me. “Yes?”
“I’m not sure what’s going on.”
She sighed, very deeply. I wanted to kiss her so badly that I was almost shaking. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No! That’s not what I meant. I just...” Abruptly, I hugged her to me, very tight. “The way I feel about you... I mean... God, Susan, I’m completely in love with you.”
“I know,” she whispered.
I wanted to cry. Why was she teasing me? Didn’t she know what she was doing to me? “This is... breaking my heart.”
She pulled slightly out of my embrace so that she could look at me again. “Amy. That’s not my intention at all, honey.”
“What is?”
Her sad smile was back. “Do you think about me a lot?”
I nodded. “All the time.”
She kissed the tip of my nose. Dianne had done that once, in her bathroom. “What would you say if I told you... that I think about you too?”
My pulse quickened so much that I thought I might pass out. “You... what?”
“I think about you, Amy. More and more, all the time.”
“But... you’re not...”
She slipped a finger between our lips, which were very close together. “Shhhh.”
“Susan...”
“Happy birthday, sweetheart.” Her finger slid away and then her lips were on mine. I was so stunned, and so thrillingly stimulated that I completely lost track of everything else. All I knew was Susan and her soft, silky mouth pressed against my own. I hadn’t been kissed in so long that I’d forgotten what it was like. She sucked my lower lip into her mouth and ran her tongue along it, causing me to gasp. I squeezed her with both arms, holding her tight and losing myself in her presence. When she slipped her tongue into my mouth I almost wept with joy. I sucked on it eagerly and then slid my own tongue into her mouth.
Susan moaned and rolled over on top of me. She kissed me deeply, our lips locked and our tongues sparring. Her dress had pulled up slightly and I pulled it up even more so than I could slide my hands under it and run them along the soft, smooth skin of her back. I spread my legs to allow her to nestle between them, and as our kiss lingered on I lifted my feet into the air and wrapped my thighs around her, holding her securely against me.
She broke the kiss for a moment and shifted above me. Her hip slid along my crotch and the friction of it almost caused me to come. I was so close, and my pants were still on. She seemed to know exactly what had happened and smiled at me, biting at my lower lip and then running her tongue along it again, this time on the inside. Shifting again, she rubbed her hip against me over and over.
I mashed my mouth to hers, squeezing her in a fierce embrace. The passion I felt was enormous, almost overwhelming. I moaned loudly and squirmed on the bed beneath her. As she continued to rub against me I plunged my tongue deep into her mouth, tasting her, and then I was coming.
“Oh, Susan!” I gasped into her mouth as my orgasm ripped through me in wave after wave of blissful release. She held me tightly in both her arms as the tremors worked their way through my body, leaving me panting. Then I was still, almost paralyzed in the aftereffects of my climax.
She smiled down at me and gently kissed my mouth. “Did that feel good?”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure if I could speak.
“Good.” She kissed me again, on the cheek.
“Susan...”
“Yes?”
“I’m confused...”
“So am I, honey.” She rolled off of me, pulling me with her so that we were lying on our sides, our arms still around each other. We lay still for a little while, just gazing into each other’s eyes. Then she gave me another little kiss, very gently. “I’m sorry about this, if it’s not what you wanted.”
“It is. Don’t be sorry. I just... I’m not sure what we’re doing.”
“Neither am I. I just thought, that since I know you like me...”
“I love you.”
She smiled and gave me another kiss. “I just thought we’d give this a try. We don’t have to do it again.” She ran the back of one hand over my cheek. “Or, if you want to... we can.”
Her words sent shivers of excitement through me. Of course I wanted to do it again. I wanted to do it again right away, without my pants on. “What about you? What do you want?”
She cuddled closer, holding me and burying her face in the crook of my neck. “I’d love to do it again. Do it... for real.”
I thought my heart was going to explode. They say you should be careful what you wish for, and I thought back to my birthday cake and the wish I’d made before blowing out the candles. It was coming true. “What about my father?”
“What about him?”
“The two of you are married.”
She lifted her head and nodded. “I know. And I feel guilty about doing this. But...” The sadness was back in her eyes. “He doesn’t really want me. He’s very odd. He seems to like it better when I leave him alone.”
“Re
ally?” I was surprised. I’m not sure why.
“Yes. I’m not even sure why he wanted to get married. Maybe he didn’t.”
“Did you?”
“I thought I did.”
I leaned forward and kissed her. “I’m sorry, Susan.”
She smiled. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She reached down and found my hand with hers, lacing our fingers together. “Anyway, I’m going to leave this up to you, Amy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, this thing between us. I know you’re confused. And I know I am, too. But I want you to know that... I like you a lot.” She smiled and kissed me again. “And I’d like to be with you sometimes. Like this. Just the two of us. It doesn’t have to mean anything. Or it could, if you want it to.”
“My god, Susan.” Something occurred to me. “I didn’t think... that you liked girls.”
“I like you.”
That warmed my heart, and the love I felt for her seemed to multiply. “If it was up to me, you’d be in here with me every night.”
She giggled. “I don’t think that would work. But maybe sometimes...”
“Yes?”
“Whenever we can. Whenever you want.” She smiled. “Kissing you just now... that was the most sensuous thing I’ve ever experienced. It was very special to me.”
I held her, loving her. “I want you as much as I can possibly have you.”
“Then it seems as though we’re going to be a lot closer than we’ve been.”
* * *
We lay together for a little while longer and then Susan kissed me again and said she needed to get back to the living room. She didn’t want my father to become suspicious.
After she left, I lay in bed thinking about her for a very long time. I felt happy and excited, but also a little apprehensive. I had the chance to be with her now, sort of, but only in secrecy. It was a blessing and a curse.
I tried to read that night before going to sleep, but I was unable to concentrate. My mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of Susan. I hoped that her thoughts were of me; I had a feeling they would be, and that made me happy.