Chapter 21 Polaroid Picture

The next time I woke up I was surrounded by paramedics,”Ma’am? Ma’am, can you hear me?”

“Her BP is dropping, we need to….” It was as if my heart had suddenly stopped beating and all the blood had run down into my shoes. My mind swirled, as my breathing became shallow until I blacked out again.

My mind when to a safe place.

My very first memories are like a stack of Polaroid pictures. The colors are hazy; none of the scenes are in themselves, a full memory. I remember talking to my mother as a child, painting, my dad’s favorite rocking chair, a Christmas tree…

Safe familiar things.

My eagerness to please, kind smile and trusting attitude helps me make a lot of friends but also leads a predator like Trey to my door.

Whenever anything went wrong, Trey blamed me. He took every opportunity to belittle me. When in a temper, he often hit me but never on the face. He would still knock me down, shake me, and push me into walls.

Anything he could think of to make me feel small.

I put up with it because I loved him. I thought I deserved it because I was withdrawn and a bad girlfriend – that’s what he kept saying. I used to worry that while I was asleep Trey could hit or even kill me.

But Trey is only one blurry picture in my mind. An insignificant polaroid I was ready to tear up and throw out.

I used to think of myself as a victim. And I am. But I am not Trey’s victim.

And he dose not control me.

I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. Being in this room is like walking into an expensive New York coffee shop. There are flowers, beautiful paintings, leather chairs and soft music. On the wall is a plasma screen. I let my hand fall to the cotton sheets, clean, stiff, functional. I was connected to a EKG machine from the IVs in my arm.

“Hey”, I turned to see Oliver jumping up from a nearby chair. Sara and Elisabeth were asleep on a nearby couch.

“Hey”, I said feeling stiff. “What happened?”

Oliver kissed the top of my head before grabbing my hand.

So soft.

“Well…a couple of things”, He winced.

“O no, it’s that bad?”.

“It all worked out in the end. Umm, the resort had to get the authorities involved. You told the paramedics you thought Trey was going to kill you so that was enough reason for them to take him away. But, before the police could throw his ass in jail. Sara took it upon herself to give him an unholy beat down. So, she went to jail for one night until we could get her out. And then the resort decided they didn’t want us as guests anymore. So they kicked us out. Your parents are your emergency contacts and they are very worried about you”.

I didn’t know which problem to tackle first. It seemed like the world collapsed in, in the time I blacked out,”How long have I been asleep?”

“Two days”.

“Well…” I didn’t even know what to say.

“How are you feeling?”Oliver said clearing his throat.

“Better. But I guess that’s to be expected after two days of sleeping”.

“Did he hurt you?”

“Mostly just scared me”, I said not wanting to worry Oliver. Trey push me down and twisted my arm but I was tough. It’s not like he broke my arm or gave me a black eye. “But I’m better now”.

“I swear to God the next time I Trey I’ll kill him”.

“Get in line”, I smiled.

“Soph, he could really hurt you”, Oliver cautioned.

“He’s just pissed I won’t give him the time of day and probably because I brought you. Honestly, it’s been years since I’ve seen Trey and he hasn’t given me the time of day since the last time I saw him. He’s just fixated right now because things didn’t go the way he planned”.

“And that makes him dangerous”.

“As soon as we get off the island I guarantee you Trey is not going to come back into our lives”.

“He better not”, but just in case I should probably invest in a gun. Or maybe a very sharp knife.

“Sorry, you had to put up with all this craziness”.

“What’s a vacation without some crazy?” Oliver kissed me softly and in his kiss is the promise of years and the sweetness of waiting for real love.

Hhmmm, so good.

“I missed our date”, I muttered.

“I can think of a couple of ways you can pay me back”, he teased.

In that moment of the kiss we are in each others protective cocoon.

Okay…so everything about this has fallen apart. But, I had my friends and Oliver. Things had to get better.

Right?

Chapter 22 The Bubble

“We’re going to get shot”, Sara said refusing to get out of the van taxi with Elisabeth.

“We are not. It’s not…that bad”, In the hush of deepening blue comes evening to the city, ever lit, ever awake, ever with pulsing heart. If you want to see the real effects of the money-nexus, of the harm stress does to the body, brain, society and the environment… welcome to the Hostel Newstead Reef. The tan building was covered in graffiti with bars on the windows. People stood idly by on the corner drinking and trash was littered everywhere.

“Get back in the car!” Elisabeth panicked as Shane climbed out of the car to collect their bags.

“Honey, there’s no where else to go. Just try it for the night?” Oliver did the same following behind Shane.

“It’s just two nights and we’re gone”.

“If we survive the night”,Sara stressed.

“It’s a little… different but charming in it’s own way?” I said.

“As charming as a stray bullet”, Sara said shaking her head.

“It’s this or the streets”, Oliver said with both our bags.

“We’ll all be in the same room. And we won’t even be here in the day. This is just a place to rest our heads”, I said trying to be optimistic. “Come on let give it a shot. On the inside it could be—“

“A trap”, Sara interrupted.

“We won’t know until we try”, I said grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the car. “You too, Elisabeth”.

Elisabeth shook her hand with wide eyes. “I promise you. We’re not going to let anything happen to you. We stick together and we can make it back home”.

“We can make you have another panic attack and then we can stay at the hospital for two more days”, Sara said sarcastically taking her bag from Shane.

“Or we can pick a fight and stay in the jail”, I added as we all filed into the hostel. The foliage of the lobby rises in organic swirls, relaxing to eye and soul. The hotel lobby has a clean efficiency, yet is welcoming all the same. There was a small area filled with chairs and games and a small television that played static. On the other side was a small group of older men playing chess quietly.

Was it the best looking place? No, but it was a roof over our heads and they even had a vending machine that was in a steel cage I had never seen anything like that before. Towards the back of the room was a small desk where the caretaker was passed out of sleep. And judging by the bottles of tequila on the table he had an eventful night.

“Excuse me?” I said softly trying to wake up the man. “Hello?”

“Wake your ass up!” Sara shouted startling the man. He woke up in such a panic he knocked over his tequila. The burly man was not happy to be woken up and he would have had some choice words if Sara was by herself. Elisabeth and I try to much gentler approach which only got us buzzed into the back and rudely flipped off. The main sleeping area was divided in half with twin beds on each of the long peeling blue walls.

Since it was so late the majority of the beds had been taken. But we found a couple free bed towards the back near the bathroom.

“Let’s just try and get some sleep”, I mumbled to myself. The lobby look clean, but I was not sold on these thin mattresses with equally thin covers.

“Soph, do you have spray?” Hell yeah. I quickly Lysol my bed and Oliver’s down before handing the can off to Sara. It look like everyone had claimed their spot. Shane was next to Elisabeth who was next to Sara. Oliver and I were on the other wall directly across from them. There was no way you could squeeze two adults into these tiny beds.

“And if anyone needs blankets, soap, conditioner or shampoo I have so many bottles”, I said stripping my bed down and putting on the sheets I brought from home on.

“Did you rob the hotel?” Oliver said kicking off his shoes and throwing himself on his bed. He didn’t even bother changing out of his sweats.

“I wouldn’t call it robbing. I made money back”, I answered.

“I’ll take a stolen blanket”, Sara said.

I went to my bag and threw her one of the white blankets I had found at the resort. I grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top and then realized there was no place to put your bags. I figured the safest place to put them was under my bed. And I kept my purse in my bed. I slipped out of my shoes and throwing the comforter I had brought over my head I changed under the sheets. There was no way in hell I was going to use that bathroom.

“Good night everyone”.

“Does anyone have a phone charger?” Elisabeth asked.

“I do”, I dug into the bottom of my purse and tossed her the battery pack I brought.

“Thanks. Night”.

It wasn’t long before we all settled in for the night. I laid on my side facing Oliver who was facing me.

He held up his phone and motioned for me to get mine. I easily found my phone and started texting him.

What’s got you up?

I asked.

A beautiful woman who should be in my arms.

We’d break the bed lol

That’s the point😛😉😈

I smiled. I don’t think a man has ever lusted after me like this. Normally, it’s me doing the lusting.

Naughty boy. And with all these people to see.

I’ve done a weirder. And no one would know you just couldn’t scream my name when I make you cum.

I wish I didn’t blush so fast, that I had some ability to keep my emotions to myself. In an instant my cheeks are rosy.

Was it just me or was it hot in here?

Nothing quite says take me I’m yours like screwing on a twin bed.

Lol a body like you’re needs to savored and enjoyed slow.

I think that’s my line😂

I watched as Oliver quietly got out of bed. He pointed to the door and I didn’t need to be told twice. I slipped back on my tennis shoes and followed Oliver back to the lobby area.

The space was empty and the only light in the room came from the TV that was still showing static.

“Can’t sleep?” I said coming up behind Oliver.

“I can’t miss my show”, he joked taking my hand and walking me over to the beaten down green couch. As I sat down Oliver pulled me on to his lap. I liked that Oliver liked to cuddle.

I settled against his chest listening to his strong heartbeat,”O this is the best part”.

“I never would have saw it coming”, he chuckled.

“Don’t you just hate it when they leave you on a cliffhanger?”

“I never would have guessed it was the snow”, he added making me laugh. We sat in silence for a moment and I soaked in every second as Oliver ran his thumb up and down my thigh.

“Sophia?”

“Hmmm?”

“We should go out tomorrow. Just us”.

“I don’t think that’s going to fly with the group”, With the way this vacation was going we would split up and somehow end up in Europe without a passport just as World War III was starting.

“It’s the last day for us to be a normal couple”.

What did he mean by normal?

My brain got excited at the word couple. I sat up and straddled Oliver’s lap making sure my legs opened as wide as they could,”Are we a couple?”

I could tell by the way his eyes widen Oliver was not expecting that,”I hope so”.

“I do to”.

“Then let’s just get away tomorrow”, Oliver said grinding his heartening erection exactly where I wanted it. He held me tight his body and I knew I was addicted to his touch.

“Okay”, I bleamed. Sara and Elisabeth weren’t going to be happy but it was just a day. “Are we staying on the couch tonight?”

“I’ll stay anywhere as long as we get to stay in the bubble”, Oliver said squeezing my ass.

“What bubble?” I questioned.

“The bubble we’re in right now. In this moment, everything is great we’re good”.

“Do you not think we’re going to be good once we go home?”

“It’s going to get complicated… dating”, he stated.

I didn’t know what to say. Things were going to get complicated between distance and Oliver’s job. We were kind of in a bubble with a knife just waiting to drop and destroy everything.

Originally, I was apprehensive but we could make this work. I wanted to make this work,”We should talk about that?”

“Yeah”, Oliver said softly.

“When you dated other girls how does it normally work”, I asked Maybe we didn’t have to reinvent a wheel that already existed.

“Not well”, don’t say that,”Sometimes I didn’t tell them. The ones that were okay with it we normally came to the conclusion of just being in an open relationship”.

No.

“I don’t like that”.

“I figured. It doesn’t work out anyway”, He admitted letting go of my waist.

“Is bitchy to say keep work at work ?”

“No”.

It felt wrong,”But, if you have a bad day or just need to vent of course I would want to hear about”.

“Okay”, Oliver grinned.

“Also, still not trying to be a bitch. But, if you follow my financial plan you probably wouldn’t have to work as much. Once you get that scholarship school, books room and board would be paid for—“

“Room and broad?”

“You don’t have a car and The University of Florida is like two hours away from us. That’s where you’re going to be 70% of the time. Doesn’t it just make sense to just get a affordable apartment?” I asked.

“And what about my house?” He brought up. By the way he stiffened his body this was not a conversation he wanted to have.

“I know it’s not ideal but it’s temporary to get you through school”.

“I’m really not going to like it, am I?”, Oliver said leaning back.

“Probably not. But you’re going to have to use your greatest asset. Which is also the thing that is costing you the most every month. You should be renting out your house. $11,000 is a lot of money. And if you rent your place out for let’s say $3,750 a night it would only take three nights for you to pay your mortgage and still have a some spending money. At least that way, you get to keep your house and make a profit off of it. Your schooling will be taken care of by the scholarships. Your house will take care of itself and your job would fill in everything else food, credit card debt, extra spending money, a car, savings, health insurance and most importantly car insurance”.

I could tell in the half light, Oliver wasn’t crazy about my idea. “I’ll think about it”.

“That’s all I ask”.

“You would like my place”, Oliver said transfixed on the ceiling.

“It’s a mansion on the beach. There’s not much not to like”, I grinned.

“Since we’re completely popping the bubble. When will we see each other?”

That was one of my questions. I’m sure we could make long distance work. Oliver would be at school, and I would be at work. We couldn’t see each other every day but maybe on the weekends and like he said phones exist,”When we have free time? We can always text each other and FaceTime”.

“And you’re going to be okay with a romantic zoom call every night?”

“I’ll cry myself to sleep until I hear your voice”.

“Promise?” He smirked lifting his head up.

“Absolutely”, I kissed his neck and rested my head back on his chest,”And I get you on holidays”.

“Wwweeeelllll….”

“What do you mean well?”

“Holiday are cash grab days”, he explained. “Lonely, people who don’t want to be reminded they’re alone; especially on New Year’s and Christmas”.

“I could care less about New Year’s because I’m normally in bed asleep. But Christmas I’m not going to budge on”.

“Ok. Half day on Thanksgiving, then?”

Did I really want that? No. But this was a compromise. If he could do dinner with my parents I could probably do a friendgiving with with Sara or Elisabeth. “I’ll allow it”.

“Halloween?”

“I will definitely be dressing up and going out with Elisabeth’s kids. Then probably having drinks with Stephan”, It’s pretty much become a Hallmark event.

“Who’s Stephan?”Oliver said with peaked interest.

“He’s just a friend”, I defended. “We have literally moved from temp job to temp job together”.

“So you have a history with him?”

“Yes”.

“Have you slept with him?”

“Yeah. But, it was years ago. Probably on my first real assignment in the real world. We joke about it now, and I’m the best he’s ever had… Emotionally“, I stated.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I can get you off and make you cry after you cum with repressed memories of your ex”.

“Damn, that’s… I don’t know if it’s magical or cursed pussy”.

“I like to think haunted with the memories of the disappointments you carry in life”, I laughed to myself. The amount of times guys have cried after having sex with me was ridiculous. I was the only common factor so there had to be something going on with me that triggered that emotion.

“I think I have the cure for that”, he said pushing me down onto the couch and crawling on top of me

“O, do tell”.

I can hear my heart beating faster and faster but it seems as if time has slowed down. Time slowed, spun on its axis and toppled off the perch. I could feel the warmth of his mouth as he explored the curve of my lips, smelled the golden scent of him as our tongues slid across each other. I moaned softly, sliding my hands into the thickness of his hair, holding his mouth on mine. He broke the kiss, but not the contact, sliding his lips along my jaw line to my ear, which he nuzzled. Silvery lights popped behind my closed eyelids as his tongue traced the delicate curve of my ear, and then his mouth traveled down the side of my neck. I pressed closer, arching back and neck to expose more of myself to his touch and feeling my breasts, already tender and aching for touch, crush against the musculature of his chest.

Oliver made quick work of my shorts and panties. His tongue slips between my pussy lips, tasting deep inside. He presses harder with his thumb and flicks his tongue inside of me, tickling my inner walls. I buck against his mouth, crying out loud at how good it feels. So he presses harder, pinching my clit roughly for a second before stroking it in slow, light circles. Oliver slides his tongue out and once more laps at my lips, drinking in every bit of moisture that escapes from within. Then he sucks my clit into his mouth, suckling roughly for a second before pushing two fingers inside my hole. I shriek at the twin sensations and grab the back of his head, holding on for dear life.

“Oh god, yes!” I scream, writhing under him, focused on his mouth and hands while trying desperately not to fall off the couch.

As though sensing my dilemma, he abruptly releases me and rises. He gently slides his arms under me and draws me down to the carpeted floor. Covering my body with his, his mouth meets mine and I can taste myself on him as he pushes his tongue between my lips. I suck on his tongue, savoring the taste and knowing that he is even more turned on by that.

His hand drifts down my body, squeezing a breast and massaging my abdomen lightly before pushing between my damp curls. His fingers deftly tickle my clit and I wrench my mouth from his to gasp in pleasure. But his other hand rises to capture my face and hold me under him as he ruthlessly shoves his tongue into my mouth again. I wriggle underneath him, so close to climaxing that I’m unable to lie still.

And I want to feel him inside me as I come.

So I reach down between us, searching and exultant when I find the hard cock throbbing between our heated bodies. I stroke him, feeling and loving each bump and vein. He jumps in my hand, just a little and I grin against his lips, knowing that I do to him what he does to me.

His hand moves from between my legs to circle mine over his erection and together we stroke him, our tongues matching the movements until we’re practically on fire.

“Now,” I moan against his lips. “God, I need you inside me now.”

“Fuck yeah,” he agrees roughly and together we draw his cock towards my dripping hole.

Condom you stupid horny bitch!

“Condom?” Oliver licks along my jaw, tasting all of me.We kiss with an unrestrained abandon until the pressure builds up too high that I can’t stand it, and I pull away to say.

“You’re killing me”, I’m killing me too in this moment. “Are you not on the pill?”

“For all the sex I haven’t been having?” I responded.

Oliver laughed into my chest like the peeking sunlight of dappled woodland, bright and playful. “Something to add to the list for tomorrow”.

He raised his head to kiss me and moved his tongue in and out of my mouth as if he was fucking my mouth. I tried to get away from his mouth as it was slowly bringing me closer to the edge, but he only followed my movements and stayed right with me. Reaching a hand down to my breasts, he softly caressed them, causing me to take a sharp intake of breath.

“You’re just dying to make me cum, aren’t you?” I asked him.

“Oh yeah.”

He covered my mouth with his and wrapped his arms around me. I knew that he wouldn’t let me go until I came. So I gave in and kept making out with him until I felt myself start to cum. As my breathing sped up and I started to pant, I pulled my mouth off his and put my head down on the floor next to his. For a few minutes, I lay like that, eyes closed, just resting beside him.

When feeling started coming back into my body, I moved myself so that I was laying next to him.

No matter what happens outside of our bubble we would be okay.

We will make this work.

Chapter 23 First Date

I’ve never kissed a man that was so good with his tongue that it made me cum. That’s exactly what Oliver did. And boy did he do it.

I just wanted to fall asleep after the fireworks that went off in my body. But we couldn’t stay on this couch. No one should probably be staying on this couch but in this moment I didn’t care. I felt like I slept for only a minute but the next time I open my eyes it was day. And beams of light were shining through the windows that were high up on the concrete wall.

I frowned as I twisted my body away from the light into Oliver who was running a finger up and down my waist lazily,”Hey”.

“Go back to bed”.

“We need to get back in there or you’re friends are going to have some questions”, He reminded me kissing my neck.

“Ask away”.

“You don’t have any pants on”.

“Sometimes the sleep is so good you don’t need pants”, I said grinning to myself opening my eyes. “How aren’t you tired?”

“I’m taking in this lovely view”, Oliver was too sweet because I knew for a fact I look like roadkill when I woke up. I slept hard and deep.

“You’re to sweet”.

He kissed me slowly making me drunk off of just his touch,”After a taste of you there isn’t anything sweeter”.

He might as well have said open your legs and let me put a baby in you. Because that was what my body was craving.

“I have a surprise for you he said cupping my breast”.

Dick?

Shut up, brain!

“Breakfast?”

“Even better”, Oliver said making me stand up. I quickly put on my shorts and we headed back to sleeping area. I flopped down on my bed and sat cross legged as Oliver came and sat down next to me. He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and showed me two tickets to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

“Really!?” I gasped trying to contain my excitement.

“Yeah, you wanted to go”, I was going to go until my mind literally had to shut down after Trey.

“You want to see the aquarium?”

“Not in particularly. But I know you do”, Oliver said nudging my shoulder.

My heart melted.

“What’s something you’ve been dying to do on the island?”

“Other than you”, he said with a sexy smile.

“That’s tonight”, I promised. “But, really what do you want to do?”

“Just to stay in the bubble for as long as possible”, he said softly.

“We will. Even after we leave the island”,I kissed his arm. “Okay?”

“Yeah”, he said still with not a lot of confidence. It couldn’t be that hard. Oliver was a good person and we would figure out what works best for us. Sure, it may take some time but any relationship does.

I knew we were supposed to stick together as a group. But, I wanted alone time with Oliver. Things are going to be easy right now because we were in this bubble. Why shouldn’t we enjoy it. I quickly reached inside my purse and wrote a quick note for the other so they didn’t think we just disappeared.

---

Gone to explore the island with Oliver. Be back later.

~Sophia H

---

I set the note down on Elisabeth’s nightstand. Everyone was still dead to the world. It took nothing for Oliver to get dressed in a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a perfectly fitted black dry fit t-shirt. I took a little bit longer so Oliver went to go get us some breakfast As I tried to dress under my covers. The bathroom was still disgusting and you couldn’t pay me to go in there. I decided to treat this like a real date and went for the outfit I was going to wear to the wedding a silky green wrap slip dress paired with a small gold watch and a small golden necklace with a seashell charm. Once I had my clothes on I was still fumbling around in the dark. I had to use the mirror I carried in my purse to do my hair which I just gave up on and threw my hair up into a semi sexy bun. There’s not much I could do with makeup so I just went with some eyeliner, my normal shade of pink natural lip stain and mascara. I figured we would be walking so a pair of brown sandals would do the job.

It wasn’t my best look but it would have to do for today. I made my way out of the sleeping area and into the lobby with my purse on my shoulder. The man we had so rudely woken up last night was back at his desk fully engrossed on a small TV as he popped a can of beer open.

Oliver was waiting by the door with the brown paper bag. “Ready?”

“Yes”, hand in hand we made our way out onto the street and casually walked. The streets didn’t seem so scary in the morning sun. There was no one around for it to even be threatening. In the early morning the hues of the world bloom anew is if each were a tiny flower reborn. Daylight unwraps the hues of the world with a soft cooling breeze. Oliver handed me a bagel from the brown paper bag. And I happily accepted. I couldn’t quite remember the last time I ate.

“Thank you”.

“Can’t have you hangry”, he said handing me a small container of cream cheese. I spread all of the topping onto the bagel. But before I could enjoy it I offered some to Oliver. “I ate mine already”.

More for me. I greedily enjoyed my bagel as we walked in silence. “So I know the aquarium isn’t your thing. If you weren’t with me, what would you be doing right now?”

“Working most likely”, He shrugged.

“For fun”.

“Sitting on the beach or playing video games. Maybe drive to Tampa”.

“To see friends?” I asked.

“No just to drive. I don’t really have friends”, okay…

“You have Shane”.

“Probably won’t see him again after this trip”.

That was kind of flabbergasted by his response. Not everything had to have such a hard break,”Well I’m going to start seeing Elisabeth more. So I’m sure Shane would like to see you too. And then you guys can play xbox or whatever”.

“I could get his @handle and we could game online”, Oliver said thinking out loud like the thought had never occurred to him.

“I think he would like that. He’s in a house full of girls so I’m sure some male company is always welcomed”.

“I’ll think about it”, I didn’t want to push him to do anything he didn’t want to do. But, I also didn’t want Oliver to be alone. Before this trip was acutely aware of my singledom. But, I was never lonely. I had friends, family and a job I liked with people I really like working with. If I didn’t have that support I probably would be lonely. And maybe I’m projecting onto Oliver, but it sounds like he lives a pretty lonely life. No family, no friends and a job that makes you hustle and dime everyone. “I can see the wheels turning in your head”.

“…well… They kind of are?”

“About?”

“I’m just curious to know when you have a bad day who do you turn to? When you just want to lay on the couch with another person and just watch a movie who do you call? You know like if your car breaks down who do you call?”

“Probably AAA”, He chuckled. With no insurance.

But that’s beside the point.

“AAA isn’t going to come over and watch a movie with you or listen to you complain about a rough day at work”.

“I just deal with it. I always have”, and that was sad.

Not anymore.

“If you want someone to listen to your day. I’m here. If you just want to veg out on the couch I’m here for that too. And if you need help with your car I don’t know anything about cars. So, I’ll be calling my dad to help us both. But I’ll give you a ride anytime”.

“I’ll hold you to that”, he smiled And lowered his head to me as if for a kiss. But instead of meeting his lips to mine I felt his tongue lick the corner of my mouth,”You make even cream cheese sweet”.

I was a pile of jello at his touch.

Before I could even react more. We were coming up on the aquarium. Since it was so early there was no line at the booth and we just walked in through the gate. The aquarium was towards the back of the zoo.

As we made our way through the wide path up a hill we settled into light conversation. Oliver was easy to talk to. And I didn’t feel like there was any topic we couldn’t bring up.

We passed by the giraffe exhibit. The baby giraffe leaned its long neck over toward its mother, resting its head against her silky fur and half closing its eyes in bliss. I was mesmerized by their shape, so elegant, beautiful. Their pattern was like a rich chestnut painted on golden cream and their heads were art. We watched them, ears like cuddly toys moving according to their mood. I couldn’t quite get over their legs, so stretched looking but strong at the same time. Then as if right on cue the smaller giraffe looked our way, its eyes a rich brown.

“It looks sad”, Oliver said hooking arms with me.

“He probably is. Even though it’s a baby it still knows it’s not supposed to be here. Or it could just be waiting to be fed”.

“We’ll go with the ladder”.

“It’s for the best”, I agree as we made our way further into the zoo. The path was both light and deep, the spring sun interwoven with the shelter of the trees. Trees and different exhibits line the pathway. We walked lazily stopping to admire a few of the animals before continuing on.

“Are we still being a 100% honest?”

“No, lie to me”, I joked. “Let’s ruin a good thing”.

“I thought so”, he bantered.

“Ask me anything”, I said as we walked under a thicket of trees that were gently swaying in the wind.

“Why were you single?”

“The sweet answer is I was waiting for you”, Oliver laughed richly,”The real answer is… I was healing, figuring out who I was, what I stand for, what I want and just focusing on me. I mean, I didn’t want to date someone when I felt I was broken and didn’t deserve love. I wouldn’t want to put another person through the Hell I was putting myself through. So that took time and while I was figuring my shit out It’s not like I didn’t go on dates or hook up with guys. I just wasn’t ready for anything serious”.

“Okay, that makes sense. So when we get back to Florida I’m not going to find out you have an old folks fight club ring in your basement?”

“I don’t even have a basement. We do fight club in the backyard every Tuesday”, I joshed.

“So Tuesdays you’re busy”.

“And Wednesdays me and Satan have a pretty intense bunco night”, we came up on a bench and sat. It was a quiet spot, nestled just off the side walk. “What else?”

“Nothing right now”, he said placing his arm around my shoulder. “I don’t think it’s healthy to try and find issues that don’t exist”.

“I promise you, I’m normal”, with the asterisks of Trey.

“Normal in all the right ways and extraordinary in the best”, he said gently running his hand up and down my arm slowly. “You probably have questions”.

“A couple. But they’re not important it’s just me being nosy”.

“Ask away”,he encouraged.

“Do you still talk to your foster parents?” I could tell by the way he paused he was not expecting this question.

“Umm…yeah a little. Maybe four times in a year. And they always send a Christmas card inviting me to their place for the holidays”.

“Have you ever gone?”

“No”, He answered quickly. “I always figured I would go back to Jane and Chris once I “made it”. So I’ll probably be paying them a visit in the next 8 to 9 years”.

“I hate to be harsh but they could be dead by the time you think you’re a success. And then all you’re left with is wasted years”.

“I don’t think they’ll be dead. They’re still fostering kids. They move from Florida up to New York probably around the time I was aging out of the system”, he confessed.

So it has to have been at least 10 years since he seen them last. And they still reach out to him. I didn’t know these people but they sounded like saints.

“Never wait for tomorrow for what could be said today. Tomorrow’s not guaranteed”, I said sounding just like my mom.

“I didn’t know you were a philosopher too”.

“Oh yes it’s from the proverbs of my mother”.

“That’s a wise one”, he added.

“She likes to think”, I was going to have a lot of explaining to do when we got back to Florida. On the car ride to the hostel I called her and let her know what was going on. But mainly to let her know I wasn’t going to be at the wedding. She immediately knew something was up. And decided not to go to the wedding. Lots of explaining on that one to come.

“Come on let’s keep moving”, Oliver said standing up and taking my hand with him. I was comfortable with our slow pace. And I like just talking to Oliver. He had an air about him that just made me feel safe and wanted. When we finally made it to the aquarium section of the zoo it was everything I hope for and more. Oliver happily listen to me ramble on about the fish and he even got us tickets to a dolphin show.

The stadium was pretty empty and we sat high up not wanting to get splashed. In water more blue than any ocean the dolphin leaps high into the air. From his shiny grey topside and whiter under belly fly water droplets, cascading down, bejewelled in the light. His body arcs and tail flips and down her goes with a splash. The thin audience claps and the trainer continues her dialogue. Under the water the dolphin turns sharply to avoid the sides of the tank. The below ground watchers gasp and soak in the information about this animal, how he was rescued and restored. We feel good, almost as if we rescued him ourselves. The dolphin quickly returns to the surface for fish, open mouthed for more “ooohs” and “ahhhs.” He clicks in the way dolphins do, but these fish throwing bipeds don’t understand.

The show ends and it’s time for us to go to the next place Oliver had planned for the day. As we leave our seats I feel a drop in my stomach as I feel unwelcomed eyes on my body.

Like something isn’t right.

I looked over my shoulder and I don’t see anything unfamiliar or out of the ordinary. But the feeling of being watched stayed.

“Ready for lunch?”

I whip my head back to Oliver,”Yeah”.

No one was watching me. I would be able to see them if they were. I was just nervous because this date was going well. I didn’t need to make a problem where there wasn’t one.

There was nothing to worry about.

I hoped.

Chapter 24 Mine Right Now

It’s a bar, but everyone is attempting to appear proper in their high end suits and attire. Sophia and I, we’re the only ones that look normal… but I guess ‘normal’ is relative, right? It’s a fancy place alright, a sort of minimalist-classical, but that’s okay for us. We were born to stand out and the bourbon here is pretty darn good. I soaked in the laughter and the smiles, dance upon each octave in microscopic disco shoes.

Sophia was different and I liked it. Most people would have 100,000 questions about my job. But, they really didn’t come up with her. She just wanted to know about me and I didn’t have much to say. I pretty much just keep to myself and I like it that way. People normally disappoint you if you have any expectations of them. So, why not just cut out the middle man and just get to the point, was always my philosophy. But with Sophia, she was just a nice girl. Sexy as hell and a genuinely sweet person.

I didn’t want today to end. After lunch we kind of just idled around town with no purpose just enjoying each other’s company. We spent all day together and I still didn’t want it to end.

And I definitely didn’t want to ruin it with tonight. We went to a convenience store and got a box of condoms but I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to use them.

Should I wait?

But if I waited would she think we just should be friends or that I wasn’t into her?

I was still playing it by ear as we sat at the bar. I enjoyed my bourbon and Sophia was working on her second mojito,”I’m never going to get my money back for those curtains”.

“What?”

“The curtains I bought for the wedding… I should have just did cash like Elisabeth”, She mumbled to herself as she fanned herself.

Maybe sex wasn’t even going to be an issue because she may be drunk. Which would add up she drank at lunch, dinner and now we’re having a late night cap. “Soph, are you drunk?”

“Nooooo”, She said with a hiccup. “Maybe a slight bit tipsy”.

Since sex was off the table now. I didn’t have much to worry about. Then I could probably ask her anything and she’d give me a bluntly honest answer.

Okay, Sophia, let’s see what kind of drunk you are. What skeletons do you keep in the closet?

“Maybe I’ll just give them to my parents as a Christmas gift. Or maybe my boss… I’ll gift them to someone”, She said sipping on her mojito.

“Hey, I have a question”, I said pulling her stool closer to mine.

“Yes?” She said with a wide smile.

“If you could build the perfect boyfriend/husband what would they be like?“

“And it could be anything?“

“Yes be as outlandish as you can. He has to drive a Maserati, make six figures, be over 6-ft tall, worship the ground you walk on, have no kids, blue eyes, blonde hair whatever”, what’s your desire.

“Uumm…I just wanted someone who is kind”, she said putting her drink down on the bar counter.

“And?”

“That’s it. Just be good to me. Everything else will work itself out”, she said softly with shrug.

Her answer was simple. And something most people just assume come with a relationship. Sophia deserves so much more than someone who was just kind to her. Her bar was on the floor and I wanted it to be higher. At least then I could justify not being good enough for her. But that wasn’t the case.

“What about you? Build your dream girl”, she said waving down the bartender.

“She could probably go for a nap right about now?”

“Hhmmm, a nap sounds nice. But then the day would be over”, I pulled out my phone and checked the time and didn’t realize it was this late. It was almost three in the morning. The day had long been over and we had a flight to catch in six hours.

The day was over, the bar was closing and it was time to leave the bubble.

“… I ruin the moment ’cause I picture the end…”, Sophia’s starting to hum along with a slow song beening played on a digital red chrome jukebox.

She swayed with the song and finished her drink,”Do you want to dance?”

“I have two left feet”.

“It’s a good thing I’d be leading then”, I said taking her hand and pulling her to a small space next to the jukebox. I pulled Sophia close and swayed to the music. I could try and use this moment to impress her with the ballroom skill I picked up. But in this moment I didn’t need to. We were comfortably perfect.

That was when I decided to let ago. Right here, right now I was living. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore; I allowed Sophia to lead a little to take me anywhere she pleased on this dance floor. She went right, I went right. She sped up, I sped up. We became one with the song, with the dance and with each other. We continue like that until we had to separate, though I was sad to be away from her warmth.

Was it because I was falling in love with her The warmth between us grew more powerful by the second. My heartbeat was growing steadily along with it. Our dance was perfect; everything from our breathing to how our feet moved stayed in sync. And just as soon as the song had started it ended too quickly”

“We should get back to the hostel?”

“Yeah…we should”, I agreed. Sophia set up on her tip toes and closed her eyes. I didn’t need any more cues on what she wanted. I gladly and greedily kissed her. In that moment, of the kiss our chemistry becomes an ever-bright flame. I had to stop myself before I just took her against the jukebox in a fit of lust.

She gave me a painful hard on that no amount of shifting was going to hide.

We found her purse and made our way into a taxi back to the hostel. The second Sophia lay down she was out like a candle. I picked her up and laid her back down under the covers. I took off her shoes and let her rest.

I went to my bed just across from hers and didn’t even bother changing for the night. It’s not like I was going to be able to sleep anyway. Sunday was here and it was time to go back to the real world. But I would not forget the time I spent with Sophia. Because for a moment, everything was perfect and she was mine. I just hope it stayed that way once we got back to Florida.

Chapter 25 What’s Up

“…o Sophia? Wakey wakey”, I Heard a voice too damn happy in the morning. Go away, Elisabeth.

“No”, I said with bass in my voice.

“We have a plane to catch. Get up”, Sara said pulling the covers off of me.

“We let you sleep as long as we could. We even got breakfast”, Elisabeth said holding out a cup of Starbucks coffee to me.

“I’m up. I’m up”, I said with a pounding headache.

“Good, the taxi’s going to be here in like 20 minutes”, That’s a shock of adrenaline through me. As I quickly changed into the first things I saw a white button-down t-shirt dress with a brown belt that made my waist look thinner than it was and sandy brown flip flop.

I didn’t even bother changing under the covers. Fuck modesty. I was not going to miss this flight. Ten minutes later I was ready to go.

I thanked Elisabeth for the coffee. And guess today she was dressed as The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland with her black top red cardigan and checkered yellow black and yellow skirt. She even had a crossbody red heart-shaped bag on her hip. Sara was more pragmatic with long black pants and a short sleeve silk top that tied at the neck.

“Where’s my big suitcase?” I said ready to have a panic attack.

“Oliver has it”, Sara said pushing me forward.

“Shane and Oliver took all of the bags up front”.

“It gave them an excuse to bond. I think they’re becoming friends”, Elisabeth happily added.

Just as we made it into the lobby area Shane was coming back inside to grab one last bag,”I was just coming to get you. The taxis is here”.

Shane didn’t need to say anymore we all filed into the minivan taxi quickly. Shane and Elisabeth, sat in the middle row seats with Sara while Oliver and I sat in the back.

“Good morning”, Oliver chirped, as he scooted over, closer to me. We briefly kissed.

“Good morning, you let me sleep in?”

“I was going to. We can always take a later flight”, He said as I put my seatbelt on.

“No one wants to be stuck here longer than what they have to. This whole trip has been a disaster”, Sara said firmly annoyed.

“I wouldn’t say that”, I beamed quietly resting my head on Oliver shoulder. The taxi took off and it wasn’t long before we were on the highway heading to the airport.

Elisabeth turn her head back to me and with a word gaze looked over to Sara. She didn’t need to say it. One look was all it took for me to understand something had happened and we needed to talk,”Everything okay?”

“I’m great”, Elisabeth said speaking up for herself and Shane.

“Uhhmmm”, Oliver said with a deep rumbling in his chest. That made me want to just permanently exist the sound he just made.

“Sara?”

“I’m fine”, she snapped.

Okay… Clearly, she wasn’t.

The rest of the car ride was spent pretty much in silence. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before we pulled up to the front of the airport drop off location. We quickly collected our bags and headed inside. We had an hour before our flight was supposed to leave which was cutting it way too close for me. We checked our bags, got through security, which took forever, and found our gate with 20 minutes to spare.

Sara stormed over to the waiting area by our gate and flopped down on one of the metal chairs and plugged in her phone. I turned to Oliver,”Can you give us a second?”

“Yeah”, he kissed my cheek and before he could even straighten up Shane was right behind me. Wanting to see if Oliver wanted to check out a Slot Machine we had passed.

The guys had a activity and we had a friend in need. They took off and we went over to Sara flopping down in the seats on each side of her.

“What’s up?” I turning my body completely towards her as I let my arm hang off the back of the chair.

“Nothing”, she said focus on her phone.

“Yeah we’re not buying that”, Elisabeth stated,” You’ve been angry since yesterday”.

“I just have a lot of work to go back to. It’s a little overwhelming—“

“Bullshit”, I said cutting her off. “You love your job. If anything it was more painful for you to leave”.

“You know you can tell us anything. We’re not going to judge you”.

“And you certainly can’t suck or punch us like Michelle did”,I added.

“I know we’re not as close as what we used to be in college when we saw each other 5 days a week for close to three hours. But we’ve always been friends”, Elisabeth said.

“You should just tell us because it’s a long flight with an even longer layover”, I stressed.

Sara through her phone in her purse and crossed her arms and legs as she exhaled hard.

Did she kill someone? It must be bad if she couldn’t even admit it out loud.

“I kept the video”, she admitted.

“O no”, Elisabeth gasped.

I didn’t need to ask. But I needed the confirmation,”Did you send it?”

“… yes”, Sara muttered.

“Well… It is what it is”.

“How did Mason take it?” Elisabeth asked.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t know I sent it”, She confessed. “I woke up before Shane and Elisabeth and I went to a convenience store to get something to eat. I just saw a rack of phones and before I could even think I was buying a donut and a prepaid phone. I charged it, activated it and sent the video and pictures. I just… Couldn’t let it go. Why should Michelle get everything she wants when it’s hurting an innocent good man. Why should he have to find out 5 years from now when she decides to cheat again… Because she will cheat again, that she’s a horrible person”.

“You don’t think you’re projecting just a tad bit”, Elisabeth said with more balls than what I had. I guess we’re going there.

“I know I am. If this weekend has done anything it’s shown me, me and Zach were never meant to be together. I just wish I knew it seven years and one mortgage ago. If I could save someone else from that kind of pain. I’m glad I did”.

I sighed,”Weather for putting our cards out on the table. I’m glad you said something. Trey is a touchy subject for me. And I don’t use my best judgment when it comes to anything dealing with him”.

“I know”, Sara said. “I looked you guys up. I was just practicing doing background checks, and I had all the access in the world. I saw the restraining order. I read why the judge granted it”.

“You never said anything”.

“You never told me”.

“It’s not something I just go around telling. I pretty much have blocked out that whole part of my life”, I mumbled.

“She never told me either”, Elisabeth confided. “I only found out because we shared a dorm”.

“Always knew Trey was trash”, Sara divulged.

I wish someone told me that. “So what happened with Mason? Did the wedding happen?”

“I don’t know. He never responded to my text. I’ve been stalking Michelle and Mason’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. I haven’t seen anything”.

“Well, did they put up wedding pictures?” I asked.

“I don’t see him going through with the wedding if he knew Michelle was cheating”, Elisabeth hypothesized.

“If I spent over 30 grand on a wedding. You best believe my ass is getting married even if it is to a cheater. We can get a divorce tomorrow but we’re having a wedding today”, I said making everyone chuckle.

“We don’t know. We may never know. But you did the right thing just not in the most tactful way”, Elisabeth said.

“I hope so”, She said with worry her voice.

“There’s nothing else we can do. Whatever happened with Michelle and Mason it’s up to them now. I am worried about you going back to Chicago with Zach. Is there any hope in your heart to save this relationship or is it dead in the water?”

“Soph!” Elisabeth explained. “Like there’s a way to ask”.

“I just did. Do you want to stay married to Zach? What’s your game plan”.

“No, I really don’t. And I don’t have a plan”, she admitted.

“Step one is to get a lawyer. A damn good one. You should know lots of attorneys that can help you with this. You take him all the way to the bank for everything he has right down to the shirt on his back”.

“Right to my bank. Zach hasn’t worked in 3 years. He used to tell me there just wasn’t any work for digital artists and that he was always on the break of getting that next big contract. He just didn’t want to work”, she stated rubbing her templates.

“No, you really need a lawyer”,Elisabeth chimed in.

“Does that mean you would have to pay him alimony?”

“Pretty much. It’s almost cheaper to stay married”.

“But you want your freedom. And isn’t there like some kind of a loophole if you can prove he’s cheating. Then he gets nothing. You’re the victim”, I added.

“It’s highly unlikely that the court will take adultery into account when making a decision on the financial aspects of the marriage. It doesn’t matter if he cheated”.

“What if you sold all of your stuff to us. Then once the divorce goes through you don’t have any assets. Zach isn’t expecting you to serve him with papers. Slowly move your stuff out and we’ll hold it”, Elisabeth added.

“I was watching something on Lifetime with my mom. And it was like some douchey lawyer who wanted to screw over his wife. So like he quit his job and started working at McDonald’s or something and then his wife only got money from McDonald’s”.

“That’s manipulation of the law and they’ll send you to jail for that”.

“What we’re saying is we’re not lawyers. But definitely fuck Zack”, I clarified.

“And you don’t have to go back to Chicago. You can always stay here with us”, Elisabeth said.

“I have two guest bedrooms”.

“You know my brother is a lawyer He could probably connect you with whatever up-and-coming law office is around. We know it’s not as fancy as Chicago but at least you’re with friends who care”.

“And you always have a roof and food over your head with me”, I offered.

“I love you guys”, Sara said pulling us in for a hug.

“We love you. And don’t think for one second that we won’t beat Zack’s ass with a bat. I have a weekend self-defense class and I’ve been dying to use it”.

“I have a gun”, Elisabeth added. She said it’s so light-heartedly it was almost menacing.

“Whenever you need to do to make sure you come out ahead do it. Just know we’re here for you if you need anything”.

“Why don’t you just stay with one of us and work remotely?”

We separated from our hug,”I have a couple things I need to get figured out. But I will most likely be taking you both up on that offer of staying for a while”.

“Belle and Aurora would be so happy to see you. You haven’t seen them since they were tiny babies”.

“Thank you”, she whispered.

We were here before Zack and we would be here after. We may have lost Michelle but we found each other again. I don’t think we’ve ever had a more open and honest conversation than the one we just had. We may not see each other as often as we want, and let life get in the way. But at the end of the day we were friends.

And nothing was going to change that.

Chapter 26 Well Welcome Home

It was evening before we arrived back in Florida. Sara had a connecting flight so she could get back home to Chicago. She was dead set on going back. But promised she would keep us updated on what was happening as far as the divorce. Elisabeth and Shane offered to give Oliver and I a ride to my house but we politely declined. They were tired and wanted to get back to their kids. They didn’t need to ferry us around.

Besides I was going to see Elisabeth this Friday for a girls night in. Which probably meant we would just be watching Disney movies and gorging ourselves on popcorn and wine. Which sounded like my kind of Friday evening. I figured I was going to need the distraction. We were back in the real world and I’m sure Friday nights were busy for Oliver.

I called an Uber as we made our way out of the airport to the collection site,”Do you want to come over to my place or do you want to go back to your home?”

“Do you want me to go back to your place?”

“If you want to”.

“Well if you insist”, he said making me smile.

“Come on, I’ll make us dinner”, I said Is Oliver took both of our bags and dragged them behind him.

“Hmmm, what are we having?”

“Pasta and whatever meat I have in the deep freezer”, If I had known I was going to be entertaining after this trip I probably would have went to the store and got something nice. I ate a lot of pasta, seafood, bread and cheese.

“Whatever you make. I will gladly eat”, Well now I really wanted to impress him. We met our Uber outside and through our bags into the back trunk. Once we were settled into the back seat we took off. I was still trying to wrap my head around exactly what I was going to make Oliver. I didn’t know what his favorite foods were so I figured I would play it safe with spaghetti, garlic bread and Tuscan Butter Shrimp.

While I went back and forth with myself on what I was going to make we arrived at my house in record time. We collect our bags out of the back of the Uber. I checked the mail and found nothing. My parents probably came by and got it. I led Oliver up the pathway to my condo. As I pulled out my keys I felt Oliver’s hand slowly make its way down my back and rest firmly on my ass.

I opened the door and let Oliver taking my space,”Make yourself comfortable”.

I kicked off my shoes and grab my bags I made my way through my house into the long hallway that led to the back where the master bedroom was. I was just going to throw my bags in there and then get started on dinner.

I open my bedroom door and screamed,”Well welcome home to you too, Missy”.

“Mom! What are going?!” I said throwing my bags down not believing this was happening. She had set up shop in my bedroom with an ironing board and a pile full of clothes neatly folded clothes

“Well, Dad’s sraying for spiders. You know it’s that season. He doesn’t want to get a phone call at 3:00 in the morning because someone sees a creepy crawy”, she grinned. I love my mother, she is the best person on Earth right down to her floral pink dresses that always felt warm and inviting. Everyone says we look exactly the same even though I can’t see it. My mother has much lighter skin than me and short black hair. She was also 5’11 and thin as a board. I didn’t get any of the height gene. And thankfully the Minnesota accent stayed only with her.

“What happened?!” Oliver said in a panic coming up behind me.

“Who’s this?” Mom asked with a brightening smile as she put down the iron

“Mom, this is Oliver. You would have met him at the wedding”, I didn’t have any other explanation. Mostly because I didn’t think I would have to come up with one this quickly.

It’s a good thing one of us was on our toe. It took nothing for Oliver to turn on a charm switch. He crossed the room for a handshake but my mother was a hugger. So that’s exactly what he got. “It’s nice to meet you, Oliver”.

“The pleasure is mine, ma’am”.

“Oh no, just call me Cara or Mama Harper. Or Sophia’s mom, Elisabeth still calls me that”, It was too easy to sweep my mom off her feet. All Oliver had to do was smile and she was ecstatic. “Did you two have fun on your trip? I know there was a bit of drama. And Soph, you got sick. I told you don’t drink the water down there. I told you to take a couple of water bottles just in case. But you said no water is water. But look what happened made you sick”.

“The water?” Oliver said turning around to face me with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes”, I stressed. Did I want to give my mother a heart attack by letting her know Trey almost assaulted me again? No. So it was the water for now.

“Probably a mixture of the heat too”, he said sitting down on the white end-of-bed bench.

“You know Sophia used to have terrible nosebleeds in the summer. We send her to summer camp in a white shirt she’d come back looking like horror victim”, mom laughed holding Oliver’s undivided attention. “The heat was never Sophia’s friend”.

“I bet you have a hundred stories”, Oliver said eagerly.

“O yeah, you know bless Sophia sweetheart, you just have Grandma’s luck… speaking of you need to call Grandma. I told her about the wedding, she just about flipped out of her walker”.

“I will call, Grandma”, I promised,”Do we want to take this conversation into the living room? Dining room? kitchen?” literally anywhere else but my bedroom.

“I got the Wheel of Fortune up. Can you bring it up in the living room? Took me a whole 20 minutes to figure out this TV setup thing. Me and Dad were on the YouTube”.

“Yes, I can”.

“Are you going to take care of the laundry? I went through your closet and saw all the clothes your cousin’s got you for Christmas still have the tags on them. Those were nice work clothes, Sophia. You haven’t even worn them and they’re somehow as wrinked as an elephant’s derriere”, My mom couldn’t be any more of a mom than she was in this exact moment. And it was spiraling me back into a 14-year-old who just wanted to scream get out of my room.

And while I was dying a little bit from embarrassment Oliver was having the time of his life taking in the conversation,”Mama Harper, I would love to set up Wheel of Fortune in the living room for you”.

“Aren’t you sweet. Tell you what, I’ll tell Dad you got company. He can fire up the barbecue. Get a couple weenies going—“

“Mom, I was going to cook”.

“Nonsense, Dad never gets to cook on your grill. And you never have company”, just shoot me now. Now that my mom had a new mission she rushed out of the bedroom for a moment before coming back,”and Sophia if you’re not going to use those clothes then donate them to the Goodwill. There are lots of less fortunate folks that could use them”.

“I will”, Mom was happy with that answer and she made her way down the hallway and out the front door to find my dad somewhere in the yard. “I’m starting to think we should have gone to your house”.

“Your mother is a gem that needs to be protected at all costs”, Oliver said leaning back on the bench.

“I didn’t know that they were coming by today. I don’t blame you if you want to—“

“I want to stay”, he smiled as he picked up a pair of lacey black underwear.

“Okay Mr pantyraid. Put those down”.

“I have a strong visual in my head”, said focusing hard on the black string.

He could have the actual visual if the world wasn’t trying to cock block me.

“Sophia go take Dad some water. It’s hot as the dickens out there”, Mom shouted back to me.

“Coming!” I shouted. I quickly kissed Oliver. He did not sign up to meet my parents today. But he didn’t seem to mind that they were here.

“Thank you”.

“You’re welcome”, and I’m his sweet smile is all the love I’ll ever need.

Chapter 27 Bzzzzzzzt

I loved Sophia’s mother. She had a story for everything and an analogy that was just as far fetched to go with it. Nothing she said was boring.

We were currently standing in the middle of Sophie’s living room. And everything seemed so homie and cozy. It was very much Sophia’s personality. The couch looked Victorian inspired but it was comfortable and modernized with golden paint in the white woodwork. She even had two matching chairs and a loveseat to go with the set. The floor was hardwood but she covered up the living room area with a tan soft rug and a glass coffee table held a couple of magazines a tablet and the remotes. I was mostly surprised by the flat screen 75-in television she had mounted just above the fireplace. That didn’t seem cost effective.

Flagging the TV was two bookshelves that seemed to be built into the wall. They were covered with books, photos, candles and just about anything else Sophia could put on the shelves. The whole place was neat and clean.

I had no problems bringing up Wheel of Fortune for Sophia’s mom. But she treated me like I had just discovered the cure for cancer,”Aren’t you just so smart. You’d give Einstein a run for his money”.

We sat down on the couch and Cara had me take my shoes off and put them by the door. “So Oliver, how did you and Sophia met?”

That was a fair question.

And I had to be careful with the answer I gave her. Sophia and her mother were close and if things didn’t start to add up I was going to have problems.

“At work”, I answered.

“At the unemployment office?”

I know Sophia said she worked in a law office too. And she had the accounting scale to work at a bank. But I wasn’t sure when she had these jobs. If went back too far it would be odd that I’m just now being mentioned.

“Dad said thanks for the water. But he wanted a beer”, Sophia said coming through the door just in the nick of time to save me

“He ain’t getting to beer until he comes inside. I don’t want him passed out on the lawn. What will the neighbors think?”

“That he’s the only one that cares about the lawn”, Sophia said going to sit I’m one of the armchairs but I caught her waist and pulled her down on my lap.

“Aww, I like that. Let me take a picture”, her mother said standing up as she went into the kitchen. I watched her as she dug through a Prada purse to find her phone. Mama Harper definitely was not Sophia. I couldn’t imagine Sophia having a bag that could easily cost over $1,800.

“Mom you don’t need a picture”, said trying to get up but I kept my hold around her waist.

“I want a picture. This is a moment. Now smiled”, Mama Harper then pulling out her glasses from her dress pocket and she snapped a picture with flash on. “O that’s nice. That’s a keeper. I’ll send that to you. And one to Grandma and Grandpa”.

“Mom!”

“What?” Mama Harper said sitting down on the couch as she looked at her phone like it was ancient hieroglyphics. She hit the screen so hard I was surprised she didn’t crack her iPhone. “Grandma and Grandpa can’t know about your friend?”

“Boyfriend”, I corrected and watched as Mama Harper lit up like the 4th of July.

“See Soph, he’s not afraid of titles. And you don’t care if Grandma and Grandpa know”.

“Scream it from the mountain top”, I encouraged.

“That’s wonderful. I want all the details how did you two meet?”

I would let Sophia take the lead on this question. Whatever she said I would back her up on. But she knew her mother way better than I did. And I wanted to stay in her good graces,”We met at work. Uummm remember when I was working for JP Morgan?”

“O when you were doing the accounting?”

“Yup, Oliver worked there”, she explained.

“I don’t remember you bringing them up. I remember Stephen”, and so would I.

“I worked with Stephen. We didn’t actually work there we were just temps. Oliver actually works there”, Sophia clarified.

“Oooo, that a good company. I still don’t remember you bringing him up”.

Okay, now I could jump in,”I don’t think Sophia was interested in me when she was working there. Even though I did everything to try and catch her attention. She was just there to do her job. So once it was time for Sophie to leave, I put all my cards on the table and asked her out. She said yes and we’ve kind of just been flirting between the line of friends and more than friends. It just changed to more than friends this weekend actually”.

“O, okay, I gotcha”.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Mama Harper’s phone vibrated and flash as an incoming call came in. She answered the phone without even checking the caller ID,”O hey, mom…no I got time… Did you get the picture?”

“The whole family is going to know now”, good.

“… it’s still new…. Sophia’s not the one that’s gay mom. That Lin’s son, Irwin… He came to last Christmas…. Christmas…”

“This could take a while”, Sophia said standing up.”Do you want anything to drink”.

“Whatever you have, I’ll have”.

“Wine it is”, she turned to her mother,”Mom, do you want anything to drink?”

“I’ll do a bottled water”, she smiled and then immediately got back on the phone. “Lin mom, not Ben, we don’t know a Ben”.

“Come help me open the bottle”, she said taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen. I liked how open everything was and Sophia’s house. It reminded me of mine. She pulled a bottle of red wine from the black fridge and came over to the kitchen island where I was standing,”She’s going to be on the phone for a long time. Might as well just let her talk it out”.

“It sounds like you have a big family”.

“My mom is from a litter of ten. And my dad is the youngest of six. So, It’s absolutely crazy when we all get together”, Sophie pointed to the cabinet behind me. And I opened the tan one doors and found her wine glass set. Sophia put the bottle on the table and went back to the fridge to get her mom a bottle of water. She handed it off to her and came back into the kitchen and found the wine opener. She handed it to me and sat down at the kitchen island. With ease I popped the cork and poured us some wine.

I came and sat down next to Sophia and we clinked glasses before enjoying the sweet wine. “Thank you for being so understanding. This is not the way I planned the evening to turn out”.

I knew that.

I planned on carrying Sophia to the nearest bed and making love to her until my cock wanted to fall off from pleasure. “You don’t need to thank me”.

“Still, I want to”. Sophia didn’t know this, but this is the first time I ever met someone I was dating parents. With clients that happened all the time. But it never organically happened with my partners. “And if your around tomorrow afternoon I would love to make you dinner”.

So she wanted to see me again so soon.

“I’d liked that”, I lived off of frozen meals and fast food. So anything home cooked was a blessing.

Bzzzzzzzt, Bzzzzzzzt, Bzzzzzzzt

That was me.

And I knew exactly who it was.

“Soph, come say bye to Grandma”,her mom said from the couch.

“I’ll be right back”.

“I have to take this”, I said.

She paused ever so slightly as she got out of her chair,”Yeah, umm use my bedroom”.

“Thank you”, I kissed her cheek and excused myself to the back. I quietly said the door and answered Ivan’s call. “Hey”.

“This a good time?” He said with gruff in his voice.

“It always is. What do you have for me?”

“You walk away with $2,400. The job is an old lady, Imogen, who wants the boyfriend experience. You have dinner in one of the suites at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota”, that was a little over two hours away. The Uber alone would cost me a fortune,”If you ask me it’s pretty easy money for someone not looking to get blown. She wants you six to six”.

“Yeah, I’ll take it”, wasn’t the way I wanted to spend my evening. But, it was relatively easy money.

“I’ll text you the details”, he said hanging up.

I signed.

Bubble popped.

I made my way down the hallway and back into the living room where Sophia and her mother was. I came up behind on the couch just as they finished their byes with with Sophia’s grandmother. “Hey”.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Sophia asked turning around to face me.

“Yeah, it’s just work”, I answered.

“On a Sunday, shame on your boss”, Cara added.

“He can’t really control it, mom”, Sophia said defending me.

“Right, so as much as I want to stay for dinner I have to…go”.

And now would be the time for Sophie to ask me anything she wanted. But she couldn’t exactly do that in front of her mother.

Sophia stood up and came to my side,”Just be care”.

“O yeah, the roads are crawling with speed traps”, Cara stated.

“Do you need a ride?” She asked.

“I’ll just call a Uber”.

“O no you won’t. I heard on the Dr.Phil show that women are being kidnapped by these drives. Their killing them left and right. It’s not safe”, Mama Harper said. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, Sophia, don’t be using those car apps. You’re getting into a stranger’s car”.

“Are you sure Dr Phil just didn’t scare you with a sensationalist headline? You’ve gotten into taxis before an Uber isn’t any different”, Sophia responded.

“O, just take Soph’s car. That way no one ends up dismembered”.

“I don’t want to take your car. It’s probably going to be an all-nighter”, I stated trying to give Sophia as much information as possible without flat out saying it.

“We’ll take Sophia to work tomorrow “.

“And I’m fine with it. It’s safer this way”, she acknowledged going over to the key rack by the door and handed me the spare. “Just out the back kitchen door leads to the garage”.

“Now, you get going. You don’t want to leave the boss man hanging”, Cara said rushing me out the door. “And you tell him you should get a raise”.

“I’ll text you when I get there and when I leave”.

“Okay”, she said softly with a nod. I kissed Sophia as gently as possible. I pulled away from her lips and I felt like I needed to say more. But I didn’t have the words.

“I’ll be back”.

As I turned I felt like that wasn’t the right thing to say. We would talk this out as soon as I got back.

Chapter 28 What If?

Dinner went by fast without Oliver. My parents were visibly disappointed. And I didn’t have any answers to give them about him. My dad respected the fact that Oliver was a “white collar businessman”. While my mom was just disappointed not to have him at the table. I promise them we would try and do this again. But I had no guarantees that Oliver wouldn’t have to run out the door soon as we set a date and time.

After dinner I called my parents and Uber to my mother’s dismay. Because they had walked to my house despite the heat. My mom promised she would call once they made it home which would be in 3 minutes so we could talk some more. She did and we didn’t have any more to say to each other other than good night.

So here I was lying in bed with my mind racing with questions and worry.

I wasn’t his mother but I was still worried about who he could possibly be meeting up with.

What if they tried to hurt him?

What if they mugged him?

What if he gets sex trafficked?

What if they don’t respect the word no?

And on and on my questions spun like a thick web that only suffocated me the more I thought about it.

He’s done this for 5 years and hasn’t had any problems to my knowledge. Oliver didn’t need me worrying about him. I put my phone on the nightstand and turned up the volume so I could hear Oliver if he called or texted me. I rolled over to the far end of the bed determine not to pick up my phone. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep. But 5 minutes later I was reaching for my phone pulling up my car app and seeing where he was at.

He when home.

Okay.

And now he was at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota.

I shouldn’t be invading his privacy like this. I knew what I was getting into when I said I wanted to be with Oliver.

At least he was somewhere nice.

That’s enough research, Sophia. Go to bed.

I put my phone back on the nightstand and try to get comfortable for bed.

Maybe I should take a melatonin?

Then you’re not going to wake up in the morning. And you’re certainly not going to wake up if your phone rings.

Maybe I can just look up pictures of the hotel?

Just to see what it’s like. I grabbed my phone again and quickly started flipping through reviews and pictures of the hotel. It was a swanky place.

That cost $1,000 a night.

Jesus.

Okay, you know where he’s at, you know what it looks like. Put the phone down.

Vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzztttt

My heart jumped has my phone vibrated. I expected it to be all over but strangely enough it was Sara.

I was up so I might as well talk to someone. I answered putting her on speaker phone,”Heyyyy”.

“Hey, do you want to buy a 55 inch tv?”

“Umm, sure if you need me too?”

“It’s a dollar”, she said as I I heard the sound of heels clicking on hardwood floors.

“It would probably cost a fortune just to ship it here”.

“I’m liquidating my assets. You and Elisabeth get a truck and take whatever you want. You can’t beat a dollar on everything”, she explained.

“So you’re going ahead with it?!”

“Fuck yeah. I talked to a couple of divorce attorneys. In the best way for me to come out of this is to have nothing to enter it with. I don’t care about this shit. I don’t even care about the house. I just want to make sure Zack doesn’t screw me over. So I’m in this for the long haul”.

Good.

“I don’t have anything planned for this weekend”.

“Yes, you do. You’re bringing your ass to Chicago”, she laughed. Instead of having a girl’s night in with Elisabeth we could drive up to Chicago. Between my full size SUV and Elizabeth’s minivan. We could probably get a shit ton of stuff packed away. And if we needed to we could just get a little extra storage addition from UHaul.

“I don’t know about Elisabeth. But I will definitely be there”, I checked my calendar and it was perfect. It was 4th of July weekend. I probably wouldn’t have to go into the office on Friday and Monday.

A long weekend in Chicago.

Look at me having plans.

“And you make sure to bring Oliver”.

“Beg pardon?” I asked.

“You two were basically eye fucking the entire trip. Tall, blue eyed sex pistol”, I had forgotten how bad Sara’s potty mouth was. She only censored herself in Bermuda because Elisabeth literally cringes at curse words. “He can come get some of Zack’s shit”.

“Where the hell is Zack?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. So I’ll see you Friday?“

“Around midday probably. I’ll be driving”, I admitted.

“Let me know when you’re close. I’ll be home most of the day. All right I’m getting in a elevator so I’m about to lose you.”

“Be careful with how you’re doing this. We don’t want you to end up on the back of a milk carton”.

“Because of Zack? If anything I’m the one who’s going to kick his ass. My Louis Vuitton’s were made for stepping on the backs of the weak. Bye”.

“Byeeee”.

Maybe it’s a house rewarming gift I could give Sara the curtains I was going to give to Michelle. And maybe while she was throwing everything out I could find some Christmas gifts.

I looked over at my clock and saw it was 10:30 at night. And I was still wide awake. I wasn’t going to bed anytime soon so I might as well make myself useful and finish Oliver’s personal essay and his financial plan. At least this way I could be productive while my mind raced with what he could possibly be doing.

Chapter 29 Harold

I knocked on the white hotel door as I straighten my tie. I texted Sophia once I was in the parking lot that I had arrived. I was halfway expecting her to call to get details. But she didn’t. She just texted back be safe with three heart emojis.

The door unlocked and a small, thin woman, with Snow White hair pinned in a bun answered the door. Imogene wore a dark blue floral Midi Dress with 3/4 Sleeve paired with slow heels.Her eyes were piercing blue, and still held youth behind her wrinkled face. With a warm smile she straightened out her pearls and spoke with a voice that seemed to be coated with honey,”Russell?”

“Imogene”, I said taking her hand and kissing her knuckle. I knew exactly what Imogene wanted after reading Ivan’s half-ass description.

She blushed like a school girl and waved me inside the suite.

Dinner.

Dancing.

And I was done. I wasn’t 100% sure why I was staying the night if she didn’t want anything else. But she paid for it so I could probably watch TV after I entertain her.

Stepping inside the suite, white living room I saw only sophistication and comfort. I could hear the waves crashing from the open private furnished balcony as I stepped into the living room. This suite was bigger than Sophia’s condo with a stunning panoramic ocean view. The space also included a service entrance and pantry, study, fireplace, dining area, wet bar and half bath. Soft, refined color palettes and organic textures evoke the oceanfront tranquility in the space.

“Can I get you a drink?” Imogene asked coming up behind me.

“Water would be lovely”, I answered as emotion for me to sit in the captain’s chair in the living room. I sat on the white over plushed chair and listened as her heels clicked against the marvel flooring over to the bar to pour me a drink. The sound of pouring water was the main source of sound in the room for the seconds that it lasted and Imogene brought the tall glass of water over to me with a gentle smile on her face. She placed the glass down on the coffee table with a simple floral coaster under it.

“Thank you,” I thanked her softly and lifted the water up to my lips for a sip. Imogene had brought a glass over for herself as well.

“It is no trouble. I should be thanking you for spending the evening with me, Russell,” Imogene smiled at me with the kind warmth that only a woman of Imogene’s age could sincerely muster up.

It was silent for a brief moment as I placed my glass back down onto the coaster. I turned my body to face Imogene. I always made sure that in my line of work, I managed to keep my body language open and receiving. It made the women feel more at ease, whether it was their first time with a escort or if it was their twentieth time. It didn’t matter. What mattered the most was keeping myself amicable and friendly to all of the women that hired me.

Though, I was still a bit baffled by the fact that Imogene simply paid for my nightly hours to be spent here, on her couch, in conversation. I wasn’t going to complain about it though. It was just a bit odd. She was paying a premium price. If all she wanted was conversation she could have gotten a day rate.

It wasnt until we were comfortable that I really took in the lovely dark blue floral Midi dress that she was wearing. Today had to be a special occasion for her to be dressed up so finely.

“If you don’t mind my asking. What might the occasion be tonight? You are dressed so beautifully this evening, so it must be something very special.”

Imogene’s smile was still warm when I asked, but as the question lingered in the air for a bit, her expression sobered into something more sorrowful.

“Mmm… yes. Today is my sixtieth anniversary to my husband. He died quite a few years ago, but…” She chuckled a bit, “Once you hit sixty years of marriage, living or otherwise, the date is one that becomes something like a birthday. You can never forget it. Ever. But that is why…” Imogene reached over and picked up her own glass of water and took a sip of it. “Every year has its own degree of… difficulty to get through.”

I immediately sobered myself up and grounded my senses on the fact that this woman was still so in love with her husband, even after the years of his passing.

Something about that was so pure, and all she really wanted was to just have company.

“Well…” I began to speak up again, slowly, “What did you and your husband used to do on your anniversary?”

“We would always cook together and go dancing afterwards,” Imogene smiled as she gazed off at the distant memory of those olden days, “Much like what I requested us to do tonight.”

I smiled at her and took her hands into mine. The gesture alone was gentlemanly and charming enough to bring that flushed color back to Imogene’s cheeks. “Then let’s do just that. I want this night to be as special for you as possible, so I think it’d be best if we didn’t sit on this sofa all night,” I nodded towards the kitchen, “Let’s cook together.”

Imogene laughed softly to herself. She was thoroughly amused and touched by my efforts to appease her needs for the evening. She probably thought this was just something guys like I did in our line of work, and though she wasn’t wrong, I wanted to assure her through my actions that I was taking her situation into very deep and heartfelt consideration.

“Alright then, come along, Russell,” Imogene began to lead the way for us to the kitchen. Our hands were still intertwined as we moved along, and once we made it to the kitchen, Imogene had asked me if I liked Italian food. Apparently, it was the best thing that Imogene knew how to make, and it was her favorite thing to make with her late husband.

The chicken parmesan that we made together actually came out very nicely. I had offered to make the garlic bread, but it got a tad bit burnt for the extra minute that it was in the oven for. It wasn’t something that was impossible to eat though.

I had apologized for the way it came out since the chicken parmesan that Imogene had taken the liberty of leading came out so lovely and flavorful. She waved off my apology with well-meant whimsy and smiled at me as it seemed like nonsense to her for me to even apologize.

“Don’t apologize, Russell, the garlic bread is delicious. I’ve always liked it this way anyhow,” Imogene insisted as we ate together at the quaint kitchen table. There was soft music playing in the background while we ate, as it was something that I had put on for us to better enjoy the evening.

“You enjoy your garlic bread burnt?” I humored her while I ate some of it too. It actually wasn’t that bad. I expected it to be worse, honestly…

“It’s just another thing that you’ve done tonight that reminds me of my late husband,” Imogene laughed out joyfully. Her smile, even at her age, was just as youthful and radiant. She must’ve been such a gem when she was a younger woman, much like how she still is now.

“I was the chef in the household, he insisted. He told me that if he didn’t have me, he’d even burn a bowl of cereal. Can you imagine that?” She laughed to herself at that silly memory.

I hadn’t expected myself to, but I had found myself laughing at that idea too. It was literally impossible to burn cereal, though if I wanted to be a sarcastic and sassy lover and husband, I suppose I’d say that to my significant other too.

The music was still playing even after we finished eating our dinner, and Vera Lynn came on through the spotify Bluetooth that I had set up for us just as the both of us were almost finished washing the dishes. That was where all the music was coming from. The technology was so impressive to Imogene, but once she heard Vera Lynn’s classic and timeless voice come on through the speakers singing “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square”, her eyes lit up and she placed a hand over her elderly heart.

“Oh my stars,” She sighed out dreamily and placed a hand over mine, wet and covered lightly in suds from the soapy water, “This song… When I first met my husband, I was at a little party with my friends back in the early 40s, just as the young men were being drafted to the warfront. She was so popular, so she invited me and many other seniors from our high school at the time, and it was a sort of going away party for the boys”, she paused and a soft smile spread across her face.

“This song was playing when Harold walked up to me, told me that he had always had eyes for me but never had the courage to say until… well, until that very moment! He told me that if he died overseas that at least I would know that he felt something for me. It’s true, I had never thought of any boys romantically until that moment, but when he stepped up to me and said what he did… suddenly I felt like he and I were the only ones at that party. Perhaps it was love at first sight, but I thought it was cruel that I fell in love with him just as he was leaving for the war. So we exchanged letters.”

Imogene turned back to the sink and went right back into washing the dishes while Vera Lynn’s exquisite vocal performance filled the room. It had that classic vintage ring and, for a moment, I felt like I was standing back in that early 40s time period of ongoing war and the shifting of political climates. It was like I was in a time capsule and it didn’t feel bad. It was nice.

“I prayed for his safe return every night and every Sunday when my parents and I went to church,” Imogene handed me the last dish to dry and added, “Never have I felt closer to God than in those days. And He heard me. My Harold did come back to me, safe and sound.”

The song had ended and in its place, Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon” came on. I took Imogene’s hands into my own and rested my hand on her waist. This lithe woman was still a dancer at heart, and she seemed to absolutely enjoy being swept off her feet into a waltz. It was moments like these that I was so happy that I had taken those dancing lessons. It made these moments feel more natural in their dream-like state of fantasy for my clients.

Most of the women that hired me were always romantic at heart and Imogene was the same in that regard, but she was different in the fact that this moment was so much more. The role I had to play for her tonight was much more significant in the case of her well-being and happiness.

I spun her around gently and she laughed, happy and enjoying herself while we danced to Frank Sinatra.

The night was beginning to near its end and with as it did Imogene did not seem to want to keep me longer than I had to be there. “I don’t mean to say this and bring the mood of the evening down to a sad note,” Imogene began to say with an apologetic tone, “But sometimes when you get old, you have these moments of being at peace with having people come and go out of your life. At some point, good-byes are just inevitable and must be had. Sometimes you’re okay to have them, but then there are other times that…” She trailed off after she finished buttoning up her nightgown behind a bifold Shoji divider and walked out from behind them.

She smiled, happy to see that I was still there. Of course, since it wasn’t that sort of job for me tonight, I gave her the company and the privacy while she got dressed behind the Shoji divider.

“There are other times that, when you get older and more prone to loneliness, you don’t want to see people go. You close your eyes to sleep tonight and you open your eyes again to remember that you’re the only one in your bed. It’s a sad feeling.”

“I can only imagine… Do you really want me to be here until you fall asleep? You won’t see me in the morning,” I felt compelled to remind her as gently as I could, especially with that lingering comment of hers.

Imogene walked over to her bedside and started to climb into it carefully. I stayed at her side and watched over her like a guardian angel of sorts. Once she settled in and laid herself down, I helped her by pulling the comforters up and tucked her in neatly. She didn’t have anyone else here to do that for her, so this must still be a considerable treat for her, I supposed.

“I’m sorry,” Imogene apologized to me again, “Don’t think too deeply on what I just said. Yes, please, stay with me until I fall asleep.” Her voice was soft and riddled with the need for sleep, so I did as she said. I never left her side; instead I pulled up a chair at her bedside as quietly as possible and sat down next to her.

My work hardly ever allowed me to do something this nurturing for my clients, so to look over her while she drifted off to sleep was so much more tranquil and relaxing. It was a breath of fresh air.

She took my hand into her more wrinkled yet a lot softer hands. She just held my hand and steadied her breathing as her piercing blue eyes fluttered shut for a few beats and then opened gently again so she could see that I was still there. I smiled at her, as if to say that I wasn’t going to go anywhere.

Her smile grew sincere and she whispered to me, “You remind me a lot of my late husband, Harold. You were so sweet and charming, much like how he was. Thank you so much for making this anniversary a memorable one for me, Russell.”

I felt warm inside from her words and I just rubbed my thumb against the back of her hand. If I was so much like him, then I wondered if he used to rub her knuckles like this too. “You don’t need to thank me. You’re tired, Imogene, you should get some rest now.”

She simply smiled at me and gently closed her eyes. I sat there for about fifteen minutes, and once I heard her gently begin to snore, I slipped my hand out of hers and silently left her room for the night.

Chapter 30 You Haven’t Asked

I was unusually comfortable in my bed. I felt relaxed, warm and wrapped in strong arms. I rolled over to see Oliver freshly showered and snuggled up against me. My brain was working as slow as possible as I blinked away sleep.

“Hey”.

“Go back to sleep. I just laid down”, Oliver said with his eyes closed. Oliver pulled me close to him and I could feel every inch of his hard body pressed against mine. He was naked except for his underwear. And he was making himself comfortable buried in my breast as he held me tight.

“Do you want some breakfast?”

“Sleep”, He said muffled. Poor thing was exhausted.

“Rough night?”

“No”, He said raising up his head,”It was actually pretty standard. Just another lonely soul”.

Did I dare ask what he meant?

I wanted to ask a big question. The elephant in the room.

Oliver was exhausted. This didn’t feel like the right time to ask. And should I even be asking to begin with? Just as I was about to drop the whole topic my eyes glanced over at the clock it was 7:50 a.m. And I was supposed to be at work at 8:00. My heart jump started. I leap out of bed, grabbing my phone and threw on the first clothes I saw which was a pair of black business pants and a green v-neck silk-like t-shirt. As I hopped around my room I slid on a pair of black slats and threw my hair up in a messy bun. I quickly brushed my teeth while simultaneously calling my mother to see why she didn’t come pick me up!

“O mornin’ Soph, are you watching the new?”

“Why didn’t you wake me up! I’m going to be late for work. You said you were going to come by and take me!” Normally, anytime I needed my parents to give me a ride especially to work we went out to breakfast beforehand.

All of that was shot to hell.

“I didn’t think you were going to work. What with all the happenings”.

I had my teeth brush I grabbed my rain jacket and started rushing out the door only to come back to my bedroom to find my purse. Oliver sat up on his elbows with a heavy look of confusion as he watched me dart around my room. “Why wouldn’t I be going to work?”

“The bomb, for one”.

“What?!” Oliver and I both said in unison.

“Yeah, its all over the channel 4 news”, my mom explained as I flipped on the new. “Was that Oliver I heard?”

“Yes”, I said more focused on the bomb threat. I flopped down on the storage bench at the front of the bed. I quickly texted Stephen to see if he and everyone else was okay.

Are you okay?!?!?!?

Call me! ASAP!

“Morning, Mama Harper”, Oliver said now fully awake. I listen to the news broadcast trying to figure out exactly what the hell it happened.

“O, good morning Oliver. How did it go with your boss?”

“It was interesting”.

“Never a dull day in finance”, my mother laugh.

“Exactly”.

As Oliver and my mother got caught up I listened to the news report as the anchor woman gave up breaking news update on the developing situation,”… agency that oversees unemployment benefits was besieged with a bomb threat and shooting threat. Local authorities evacuated the surrounding area shortly after 7 a.m. after an anonymous tip to the Orange City police station…”

I felt Oliver’s arms wrap around me and pull me back into bed. “No work today”.

“I wish”, office or no office I still had a job to do. “Mom, thank you for letting me know what’s going on”.

“O no, problem Sophia. Now since you have the day off you and Dad could change your oil and put in that fancy door ringer aunt Margaret told us about”.

“I changed your oil”, Oliver said hovering over me. He leaned down and kissed my neck.

I wanted to explode into a orgasm,”You did?”

“Hmmuuumm, you let me use your car the least I can do is return it better than I got it”.

“That’s right, Soph. Ollie was rised right”, my mom confirmed.

“Barely”, he with a rough harshness.

From what he had told me, even barely was too generous.

Vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzztttt!

“I have to get that”, I said wanting to kick myself as Oliver easily found every sensitive nerve on my body.

“Do you?” He whispered like the perfect tease.

“Mom, I have to take a call but I’ll call you back”, damn me, for being responsible. My mom and I quickly said goodbye and I answered the incoming call.

“Well this is some bullshit”, I said immediately recognizing Stephen’s voice.

“What is going on?” I kissed Oliver’s forehead and put Stephen on mute. “I’ll let you sleep and make you some breakfast. Do you want anything in particular”.

“Yeah, you naked in this bed”.

“We have all day for that. I have some things I have to get done today. And with this nonsense I’m pretty sure that the FBI will be reaching out for a interview”, the joys of working for the state. “And I finished your essay and budget plan. You should look at them”.

That made him roll off me and pull the white duvet over his head. That was such a kid like reaction I couldn’t help but smile.

I unmuted Stephen and threw on a pair of sweatpants because we were working from home today. Without secure laptops…or any files…

I started making Oliver and I breakfast. If it’s nothing fancy just waffles, eggs and bacon,”…going to Malcolm’s”.

“What?”

“Are you not listening to me?”

“I’m doing a couple of things at once. But, I’m listening”, I lied.

“Uhhmmm, Well if you were listening you would know Malcolm invited us to his house so we could all work together under one roof”.

“I’m not driving all the way to St. Augustine”.

“Same. See you on zoom?”

Vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzztttt vvvvzzztttt

I looked down at my phone to Elisabeth calling

“As long as the terrorists don’t hack my WiFi”, I responded. “Call me if you need anything”.

“All the drugs in the world can’t fix this day”.

We survived unemployment during the pandemic. We could definitely handle a bomb threat,”You’re stronger than you think”.

“I don’t want to hear that”, He said hanging up the phone like the drama queen he was.

I answered the phone again to hear a panicked Elisabeth,”Don’t you work for the unemployment department?! Because I just dropped Aurora off at school and all the radio stations are talking about this bomb”.

“Hi Sophia!” A tiny adorable voice said.

“Hi Belle!”, I answered,”Yes, I do. But, I am safe. And nothing has happened so far”.

“They called in the FBI!” She said in a panic state I could tell she was in her car with the windows down from the wind that was bouncing off of the car.

“I think that’s normal for any kind of bomb threat. The only thing that has affected me is I don’t have to go into work today which is a good thing because I overslept”, I admitted as I popped the bacon in the oven and started pulling out bowls to make waffles.

I put my phone down on the kitchen island and put Elisabeth on speakerphone. “That’s not like you”.

Exactly. I’m an in bed before 9:00 type of girl. And then I wake up at 6:00 a.m. every single day since the time I was in grade school. I didn’t even really need an alarm clock. But I guess the stress of worrying over Oliver took over my cicadium rhythm.

And the fact that I finished his essay and financial plan around 3:00 in the morning. “Well, had a lot of work I had to get caught up on”.

“Be happy it was working and not ‘Mommy, I potty in the bed’ potty training was not this hard with Aurora”.

“When you got to go you got to go”, I said pouring in the waffle mix with two eggs and some water. “And why is it Mommy? Daddy could do it?”

“Yeah, he could. But Daddy has work in the morning. All I have to do is take Aurora to school and then me and Belle get to go back home and go to bed”.

“No”, Belle giggled like that was the furthest thing from her mind.

“I know”, Elisabeth said.

“Hey, what are you guys doing for the 4th of July weekend?”

“Going to Shane’s parents cabin up in Colorado”, she answered.

“Can I tempt you with a girl’s weekend to visit Sara?”

“My in-laws would literally kill me. Why what’s going on this weekend?”

“Sara’s selling a bunch of Zack’s…sh…..stuff”, I said catching myself,”Apparently she found a divorce attorney and she’s trying to liquidate her assets. She’s selling all of his stuff for like a dollar. I figured between my SUV and your minivan we could get a majority of her stuff down here”.

“Any other weekend I would. But I can’t not show up and give them another reason to hate me”, I never understood why Shane’s parents never liked Elisabeth. If anything she was a perfectly doting wife. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. So I didn’t understand what the problem was.

“I get it. Are you in the market for anything. Maybe I can bring you back something?”

“Twin girl sheets”, she responded as I finished mixing my waffle batter and poured it onto the waffle iron. Since that was cooking, I started on the eggs.

“I don’t think they have those kind of assets. I’m mostly going to buy his ….. Stuff…. and give it away as Christmas gifts to people in the office”.

“You’re already Christmas shopping!”

“Girl, I started Christmas shopping the day after Christmas when everything went on sale”, I admitted.

“I hate how efficient you are but love it at the same time. I got most of my shopping done 3 days before Christmas and it was the most stressful thing I had ever done to myself”.

“That’s because you’re trying to make magical moments. If Mom isn’t stressed out around the holidays she’s not doing it right”, I joked.

“Wait until you start having your own little munchkins. We’ll have no idea how true that statement is”,Elisabeth exhailed hard before I continuing”Well I was just calling to make sure you weren’t blown up. Please be careful I didn’t know people got so crazy about unemployment”.

That was the understatement of the year.

“I will. And send me pictures of this weekend”, I added.

“You too”, She said before we disconnected the call.

I finished with my eggs and put them on a big red plate just as my waffles finished cooking. I had a few more minutes on the bacon. So I started making a pot of coffee. That was going to be the only thing getting me through today. I went into the pantry and got my coffee grinds and as I turned around I walked right into Oliver’s arms. He made me jump by how silent he moved.

“Jesus!”I gasped as I dropped my bag of coffee.

“Just me”, Oliver said picking up the coffee.

“I was going to bring you breakfast in bed”, Oliver smiled and pulled me into his arms. I loved the way his bare body felt against mine.

“You don’t have to do that”, He said resting his forehead against mine.

“I want to. Plus you changed my oil on zero sleep”, I couldn’t even do it with my dad standing over me giving me directions.

“I actually got a full 4 hours and then decided I needed to start doing stuff. So I cleaned your car, put windshield wiper fluid in—“

I stood up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips gently to his,”Take me, I’m yours”.

Oliver laughed richly,”O, is that all it takes?”

I nodded yes.

“Then you were going to lose your mind when I tell you I filled up your gas tank”.

“I love it when you talk Acts of Service”, I said fully ready to fuck Oliver in the middle of my small kitchen.

“Is that your love language”, he said picking me up by my ass making me wetter.

“Mmmmhhh”, I said feeling my back being pressed against my stainless steel refrigerator,”What’s yours?”

“You”,His mouth came down hard against mine as I explored every inch of Oliver. I grinded my hips into his desperately needing the friction of his body against mine.

Oliver found the hem of my shirt and pushed his hand past it to caress the small of my back. His thumb rubbed back and forth, ranging lower, until he’d slipped down past the waistband of the sweatpants and let his hand

come to a rest on my hip. I wanted this, wanted his touch more than anything right now. All she cared about were his hands on my body.

He stilled abruptly and pulled away from the kiss. Turning his head to the side, he closed his eyes and swore under his breath.

“O-Oliver? What’s wrong?”

“Fuck it,” he murmured, then his mouth closed over mine again and he eased his fingers further down past the waistband of the sweatpants in the back… and found out I wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“Hell, Sophia,” he growled as he cupped my bare behind, delving his fingers between my cheeks and making me squirm against him and gasp. “You trying to kill me?”

I gasped into his mouth and jerked in surprise at the intimate contact.

Oliver stilled, his hand warm against her mound. “Let me touch you,” he murmured the spell he’d woven over me and the way my body responded to his kiss, his touch… I was too far gone.

I nodded, breathing hard.

“Come on,” he groaned. “Open for me. I want all of you.”

My breath caught in my throat and a heady combination of adrenaline and sexual need filled me. It made me wonder if this was all some out of control dream. I spread my thighs a little wider for him.

“That’s it.” His fingers touched my folds, sliding through my wetness. “Oh, yes, you feel so good.”

I sighed, and he slanted his mouth over my, catching the sound of it on his tongue. He stroked my labia and eased the pad of his finger over my clit. It plumped under his attention, growing so sensitive that every brush made pleasure pulse through my body.

His other hand slid to the nape of my neck, then fisted gently in my hair. Oliver used it to tilt my head to the side, baring the length of my throat for him. He trailed his sensual lips over my jawline and down my neck as he worked between my thighs. He touched me with patience, rubbing my clit over and over, until he’d skated me to the edge of a powerful climax.

Oliver pressed his middle finger against my entrance, breached it, and slid inside. My breath whooshed out of me as all those nerves flared to life. It had been a long time since a man had touched me there. Oliver shuddered against her, pulled out, and thrust back in. I’d creamed readily for him, and his finger slid in and out easily.

“Sophia,” he breathed against my throat. “You’re so hot and tight. Like silk. Silk and honey. Damn. I want my cock here.” He added a second finger to the first, making my breath hitch.

“Oliver,” I whispered raggedly.

He thrust his fingers in and out of me, rocking me against the refrigerator behind me with the movement, and rubbed the heel of his palm against my swollen clit that he’d coaxed to such exquisite attention. My whole world had become his hand stroking my sex.

Oliver ran the tip of his tongue from just below my earlobe to the place where my neck met my shoulder.

“Do you like the way I’m touching you?” he drawled in a low voice.

“Y-yes.”

“Are you going to come for me?”

“Uh, huh,” I breathed.

Oliver bit me gently, right where my neck met my shoulder. It was an act of dominance, possession. As though he meant to mark me in some primal way. I shivered and dug my fingers into his upper arms. At the same time, he increased the thrust of his fingers, rubbing purposefully against my sensitized clit. The first skitters of an orgasm rolled through me, increasing in strength as Oliver thrust into me. The pleasure I felt intensified, exploded, shattered through my body. I climaxed against his hand, my soft panting and sighs filling the air between us. The muscles of my sex pulsed and contracted around his pistoning fingers. He thrust gently into me until I calmed and the waves of my powerful climax had faded, then he released his mouth’s hold on my skin and laid a soft kiss. Oliver was breathing as heavily as I was as he withdrew his hand from my sweatpants.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sound of my oven going off snap me back into reality. “That’s your breakfast”.

“Uhhmmm”, Oliver said slowly putting me down.

I would do just about anything to stay in this moment. But it had to end. I stepped out of Oliver’s arms and went over to the oven and pulled out the tray of bacon. I started to play everything as Oliver took a seat at the kitchen island,”Thank you”.

“You’re welcome”, I said sliding a plate in front of him. I went into my covers and pulled out a glass cup and went to the refrigerator and pulled out my carton of orange juice. I placed the items down in front of Oliver and started making a pot of coffee.

I grabbed a waffle ready to take it with me to my office/ Guest bedroom when I heard,”You haven’t asked”.

I stopped dead in my tracks then turned around. “Do I need to ask?”

“No. But if I were you I would be wondering. Nothing happened last night. I got to spend the evening with a 80 plus year old woman who just wanted company on her wedding anniversary”, he said smothering his waffles in syrup.

I came back into the kitchen and sat down next to Oliver,”What happened to her husband?”

“I don’t know. He died a few years back. They were together for 60 years. I think she picked me because I may look like him”, he explained.

“Ooo, poor thing”, I said imagining how hurt she must have felt yesterday. She spent basically her entire life with one person. And now he’s gone and she can’t let go. If it were me I wouldn’t be able to let go either.

“Yeah”.

“At least you made her happy”.

“For a moment”, he added enjoying his breakfast.

“Thank you… For telling me”.

“The only way this is going to work is if we talk. And I want this to work, so we’re going to talk…a lot”, he said planting a sugary kiss on my lips.

“Okay”, I smiled. “I have to work. But I want you to say as long as you want”.

“Okay”, He was fine then as I leaned in and kissed him.

“I have your budget and your essay done. You should look at them”.

“We were having a good time and you have to bring in work”.

“Look at them”, I jumped out of my chair and kissing Oliver’s neck,”I promise I’ll make it worth your while”.

“Hmm? Are you seducing me?”

“Depends is it working?”, I said pressing my breast against his arm.

I saw a small smile creep up in his face as he turned his attention back to his breakfast,”You have no idea how much it is”.

“Good. You can use my laptop to look over them”, I felt like I was giving him homework but in the long run he would thank me. “The pin is 0725 my birthday”.

Now that we got all of that out of the way I had to go to work.