by S. E. Law
At one point, I see her phone and notice someone named Abigail has called a bunch of times. She calls again, and this time, I answer.
“Tammy! Thank God you finally answered! Where in the world are you?! You haven’t been to work for days. Do you even care about this job?” This must be her boss. Tammy has told me a little bit about her. Mainly that she’s quite demanding and very unappreciative.
“Hi, this isn’t Tammy.”
“Okay, who are you?”
“I’m her boyfriend. Do you need something from her?”
“I’d like to talk to her. She hasn’t been coming into work or answering any of my calls. If she doesn’t want to get fired, I’d suggest she find her way to the phone.” This woman is asking for a lot and not even wondering if Tammy is okay. Shouldn’t that be her first question if her employee hasn’t shown up for a week?
“I’m sorry, but she can’t come to the phone right now. There’s been a family emergency, and there’s a chance she won’t be coming in for a while. You might even want to start looking for someone to fill her position.”
“Wait!” I was about to hang up, but her plea stops me.
“What is it?”
“Is she quitting?”
“Look, there’s just a lot going on, and working at the shop is not a high priority anymore. Sorry for not contacting you sooner, but that’s the truth. Good luck with everything, though.”
“Oh, okay. Well, um,” she starts to stumble with her words. It seems that Abigail has lost whatever fire was in her belly. “Just tell Tammy I hope things work out then. Bye, I guess.”
“Yeah, bye.”
“Wait, sorry, one more thing. Could you let Tammy know that I really do appreciate all of the work she's done for me? I've never told her that, and if she ends up not coming back, I just want her to know that I did like her.”
“I'll tell her.”
“Okay, thank you. Bye.” Abigail hangs up, and I put Tammy's phone down. I can't believe I didn't think to call Tammy's job. Of course she would have to call out. This is the most disorganized I've ever been.
Something needs to change. Maybe it's time to change this routine we’ve gotten ourselves into.
I'm about to go into the bedroom to see if I can convince Tammy to talk, but she emerges all on her own. She's wearing a white t-shirt of mine and a pair of panties. If she were anyone else, I would be sick of looking at her by now – and maybe even a little resentful – but all I want is for Tammy to get back to her old self.
“Hey,” I say. A bit anticlimactic for a greeting, but it's all that comes to mind.
“Good morning.” It's not morning, but I don't really care enough to correct Tammy on her mistake. “What day is it?”
“Um, it's Wednesday.”
“Oh wow.” She seems genuinely surprised. I've never seen someone so thoroughly check out from reality before. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shut down like that.”
“Don't worry about it. It's just nice to hear you finally talking.”
She stands there looking at me for a few moments. It's like there’s something she wants to tell me, but she can't quite bring herself to. I don't want to sit in the silence anymore, though, so I break it.
“Are you hungry?”
“Hmm?”
“Would you like something to eat?” Tammy looks like she is about to say no, but then her stomach lets out a loud grumble.
“Sounds like I don't really have a choice in the matter,” she smiles. It's the first one I've seen on her face in days. I take it as a good sign.
“Come into the kitchen. I'll heat something up for you.” Tammy follows me, and I get some leftovers from the fridge. I've been ordering food. I assumed Tammy wouldn't want anyone else in the apartment, so I gave my staff some paid time off. I've had some time to cook but not a whole lot. Plus, I've been working from home. Add that to taking care of Tammy, and I've been under quite the time crunch.
I pass the heated food to Tammy, and she devours it. I'm not surprised. She has been eating these past few days, but not a whole lot.
“Do you have any plans?” I ask once she's done. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I'm going to see Mamie. I also have to go talk to my boss at the flower shop. I'm sure she's fuming that I haven't checked in for a week.”
“I actually spoke to her this morning.”
“You did?” Tammy's eyes go wide. “She was mad, wasn't she?”
“Actually, she wanted to know if you were okay. Even asked me to tell you that she values you as an employee and as a person.” Tammy deeply furrows her brow, looking at me like I'm crazy.
“You're lying. Abigail would never say that. Not unless it was under threat of death, and I'm sure, even then, she'd be reluctant.”
“It's what she said,” I shrug. “I don't know what else to tell you.”
“Huh, weird,” Tammy mumbles to herself. Her gaze turns to the window, and she stares at the tree line. She's lost in her own world again. I want to break in and reach her, but I don't know how.
“I'm going to go take a quick shower.” Tammy looks over at me when I talk. “You'll be okay?”
“Of course. I'm a big girl, Brick. I can look after myself.”
“Okay. I'll be done soon.” I leave her in the kitchen. I'm not sure whether or not to be worried about Tammy. Yes, she's finally out and about, talking again, but something is still off.
But I'm not about to solve all of our current problems right now, so I go to the bathroom, get completely undressed, and step under the hot spray of the shower. I audibly sigh, the tension in my muscles partially relieved by the heat. I'm so caught up in my shower that I don't notice Tammy has come into the bathroom until she pulls open the shower curtain.
“Hey,” she smiles up at me.
“Hey.” My eyes skim down her naked body. It's been a while since I've seen her like this. Confronted with the delectable sight of her nude body, I realize just how much I've missed it.
“I was hoping I could join you,” she quietly voices.
“Yeah, of course.” I move so that Tammy can easily step inside. She does, stepping into the shower to face me.
“I've missed you,” she whispers.
“I've missed you, too.”
Her hands come up my chest, resting on my shoulders.
“You feel nice,” Tammy comments.
“You—”
“Shh,” her quiet command silences me. “I just want to feel you.” Her lips go to my pecs, softly kissing my skin before her tongue darts out to flatten itself against my nipple. Her mouth moves up my body until she reaches my lips. I dig my fingers into her hair, pulling her into me. My engorged penis hits her belly. I want to be inside of her so badly.
I can't hold onto my resolve anymore. I spin Tammy around, pushing her into the shower wall. Her hands go up to catch herself.
“Fuck me, Brick. I want you to come inside of my pussy.”
Hell yes.
I don't waste any time positioning my head at her opening. I push into her, falling into the ecstasy of her body.
She's pushed forward by the force of my thrust, her breasts squeezed by the wall. Her shriek of pleasure bounces off the walls and right into my ears. I snake one hand up her body, fitting it between her front and the wall. My fingers dig into her breast.
“Brick,” she breathes. I begin moving my pelvis, crashing my hips into Tammy. She reaches back and grabs my ass. Together, we rock back and forth, our bodies getting reaccustomed to one another after so much time apart.
I feel Tammy's walls start to quiver around my shaft. We keep moving in harmony, our rhythms perfectly aligned.
“Brick! I'm close!” I don't stop, wanting to push Tammy over the edge. Going this long without her has been torture, and now every inch of me is enflamed.
Tammy tenses up as an orgasm racks her body. Modifying my stroke, I slow down a little before my own stomach drops and cum shoots out of me and into Tammy's throbbing
pussy.
As our bodies relax, I hold onto her, the water dripping down my back.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Better.” I wait to see if Tammy has anything else to say, but she stays quiet. I remove myself from her, and we finish our shower. Something feels disconnected in this encounter, even though the sex was great. I'm not sure sex between us will ever not be good, but right now, we aren't our usual post-coital selves.
Once we are both dressed, she grabs her purse.
“I'm going to head out to see Mamie.” I wasn't expecting such an abrupt exit. I thought she might want to tell me what's been going on with her these past few days.
“Oh,” I respond, surprised.
I won't stop her from going. Even though I'd rather she stay here, I know seeing her best friend will do her some good.
“How are you going to get there?” We never went back to pick up Tammy's car. The Thompsons made it very clear that neither one of us was welcome back.
“I’m going to take an Uber.”
“No, don't do that. You can use my car.” I'm surprised she planned on paying for a ride. I told her I wouldn't mind getting her whatever she needs. Maybe she forgot.
“What will you drive?”
“I have more than one car. It's fine. I'll be fine. Take my car.” I go to the bowl where I keep my car keys and hold out the ones to my Volvo. “There's a valet downstairs. They'll know where it's parked.”
Tammy looks down at the keys in my hand as if she is afraid to take them.
“Here,” I take her hand, making her accept the keys.
“Thanks. Um, I'll see you later.” And with that, Tammy leaves the apartment.
After she leaves, I go sit in the kitchen. What just happened has me very confused. I thought things between me and Tammy were about to go back to normal, but then she just bolted out of the apartment. She didn't seem to want to spend any time with me.
Maybe the blowout with her parents has Tammy rethinking our relationship. I thought we would come out of this situation closer than ever, but maybe I was wrong.
I do know that Tammy and I need to talk. Once she gets back from Mamie's, we'll have a real conversation. I will not give what we have up without a fight.
22
Tammy
I'm on my way to Mamie's apartment. I needed to get out of Brick’s place. Things between us are deteriorating. He hasn’t said as much, but I can feel it inside of me. It’s totally my fault that our relationship is falling apart. After that fight with my parents, I was so sad. I still am, but initially, I fell into a deep, dark place. I didn’t want to do anything, and I didn’t want to go anywhere. I basically laid in bed every day, all day. I only got up when it was absolutely necessary.
And I found a lot of reasons for things not to be necessary.
Brick basically took care of me for a week. I didn’t bear witness to everything he did for me, but I woke up every day with a bed to sleep in, food if I needed it, and Brick making sure I was still alive. He let me have my space while also keeping an eye on me. I don’t think he went to work all week either. He put his life on hold for my breakdown.
And now, I’m not sure where we go from here. He probably resents me for the bullshit I’ve been dragging him through. I have no idea whether or not my dad has made good on his threat to quit. I know that if he does leave, it won’t damage Brick’s career or reputation. I fully believe Brick intended on firing my dad before we got together.
What I’m more worried about is how my dad chose to make his exit, if he did in fact make it. The level of anger he displayed the night my parents caught us was explosive. I’m not sure if that anger carried on for days and how it could affect everything else in our lives.
There’s too much going on, and I need my best friend to talk me through all of this. When I finally checked my phone, I saw that Mamie had texted me a few times. The last few messages sounded a little worried, and there were even a few voicemails. I really just sat through the last few days and ignored every obligation and responsibility I had.
“Hello? Tammy!” I connected my phone to the Bluetooth in Brick’s car. I felt weird taking his car, but he was being so insistent, and I didn’t want to get into an argument with him. Getting out of that apartment was my main worry. Everything else could be dealt with later.
“Mamie, hi. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“Oh my God, I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay? Is everything okay?”
“I’m on my way to your place. Can we talk once I get there?”
“Of course. It’s just… I tried calling your parents, but—”
“We’ll talk when I get to your apartment, I promise,” I cut her off. I don’t want to talk about it while I’m in the car. I can’t begin to predict what my parents may have told Mamie regarding my absence. What I do know is that hearing about it while I’m driving isn’t going to make me feel any better.
“Yeah, we’ll talk when you get here. That’s fine. See you soon.”
“Bye.” I hang up. At this point, all I can do is get to my friend’s place. I’m sure Mamie will know all the right things to say.
I’m standing right outside of Mamie’s front door. It clicks and swings open, revealing my best friend.
“Tammy, come inside.” She ushers me into her home and closes the door behind me. The minute I am in her house, I start crying, unable to hold back the tears any longer. They’ve been welling up inside me ever since that night. “Oh no, Tammy.”
Mamie brings me into an all-encompassing hug, wrapping her arms around me.
“Let it out, just let it out. It’s okay. I’m here for you.” She rubs my back, letting me cry for as long as I need to. These sobs are ugly and loud and full of snot. While it’s painful, it also feels good to finally let out all of my sadness.
After a while, I’m able to calm myself down. I pull back and look Mamie in the eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I apologize, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I didn’t mean to do that,” I sniffle, doing my best to keep my face from getting even more disgusting.
“Don’t ever apologize for being sad. You have feelings, and sometimes they have to be let out. Do you want to tell me what happened? I tried talking to your parents, but all they would tell me is that you weren’t staying with them anymore. It was really weird. What’s going on?”
“Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you everything.” I motion toward Mamie’s couch, and the two of us sit down. I lean back, resting my head, and take a deep breath before launching into the whole sordid tale. “My parents found out about me and Brick.”
“Found out?”
“He was picking me up, and they saw us and put two and two together, you know. Figured out we were dating. They were absolutely devastated. My dad was yelling; my mom was crying. It was crazy.” I pick up my head to look at my friend. “I knew they might not be super happy about the fact that Brick and I hid our relationship, but Mamie, they fucking lost their minds. I couldn’t reason with either one of them.”
“Really? What did they say?”
“They kept going on and on about how I was being taken advantage of, and Brick was some kind of predator who went after a young girl. It’s like the fact that I am twenty-five, a full adult, was lost on them.”
“They probably still see you as their little girl. It’s hard for parents to admit their kids have grown up.”
“I know, but you don’t understand, Mamie. The anger coming from them was more than I’ve ever experienced. They kicked me out of the house because I wouldn’t break up with Brick. They actually gave me an ultimatum. I never thought my parents would ever do something like that.”
“I’m so sorry, babe. They definitely overreacted.” That is an understatement. “What did you do after they kicked you out?”
“Brick took me to his apartment. For the past week, I’ve basically taken one long depression nap. He took care of everything, I guess. I’m not really sure since I
was barely present.” Thinking back, Brick stepped up to the plate while I was spiraling.
“That's really sweet.”
“I don't know, Mamie. I don't know.” I collapse into my friend's side, all of my feelings hitting me like a ton of bricks again.
“What's wrong?”
“It's just so embarrassing. I was in his house, all depressed on his bed. I was in that bed for days. He must hate me now. Everything is exploding, and Brick is out there trying to avoid getting hit by all of my shit.” I can’t even begin to imagine how sudden this all was for him. I became another responsibility on his plate. I’m not sure if I can face him again. Not after all of that crap.
Having sex in the shower was amazing, but it was the afterward that made me feel weird. I got all up in my head and quickly decided that I needed to come see Mamie.
“I don't understand, Tammy. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is our relationship is different now. I feel like I've been forced into his life. Does Brick even want this? Does he want me?” These thoughts have been rattling in my head all week. It's part of the reason why I’ve had such a hard time getting out of bed. Sure, part of it was the whole argument with my parents. That truly messed me up more than I expected it to. But then doubts about my relationship with Brick started to crowd my mind.
Those doubts are what pushed me to the edge. Getting into the shower with him was partially a test to see if he still wanted me. Seemingly, he did, but afterward, it had felt so odd.
“Oh my God, Tammy!” Mamie yells loudly. I jump in my seat, surprised by her sudden change in volume.
“What?” I have no idea why my friend has started shouting. She’s always such a playful person. Even when she’s worried out of her mind, her voice doesn’t rise with such ferocity. This sudden turn has me very worried.
“Tammy?”
“Yes?”
“Look at me.”
“Yeah, okay,” I nod. I’m looking directly into Mamie’s eyes.
“Seriously, Tammy. Look at me.”
“Okay,” I repeat.