Crossroads (24 page)

“I thought you said you were going to the gym,” Em says, shutting the door behind her on Monday night.  She places her keys in the green glass bowl on the table near the door.  She’s dressed in black slacks and a cream coloured blouse, looking very business-like, and worn out from a day at work after a near-sleepless night. 
We were really busy last night, ‘til all hours - caveman style. 
I walk over to her and push her back against the wall.  She gasps and drops her handbag on the floor.

“I
was
at the gym.”  I undo the top button of her blouse. “But now I have another workout in mind.” 

“Oh you do, do you?”
 

She smiles at me cheekily
, then bites her bottom lip. I steal it out from her teeth with my own.  My hands continue to undo her buttons and hers make their way to the button on my jean shorts.

“Shit!  Kat’s
gonna be here soon.”  She tries to pull away from me.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“I’ll just call Kat and cancel,” she says, with a giggle, reaching down for her bag.  I push her back against the wall and continue with her buttons.

“No
don’t do that.  I’ll make myself scarce for a while.  Let you have your girls’ night.”

“But-”

“You need your friends Em.”

She doesn’t argue, because she knows I’m right.  She’s going to need the support of her friends when I leave.  She may be putting
on a brave face but I now know she’s going to be almost as heartbroken as I am.  I push her blouse open and tug it down her arms tossing it over my shoulder.

“Kat will be here soon,” she whispers in a sad attempt to ward me off
, at the same time offering me her bare neck and pushing my shorts down to my ankles.

“Let’
s make it quick then,” I reply.

She lifts my t-shirt over my head and I undo her pants and push them down.  I’m naked and she is in a white lacy bra and knickers.  Her face is slightly flushed and she is breathing heavy.  Her eyes are drowning with desire.  I put my fingers in the sides of her knickers and slowly drag them down her thighs, bending d
ownwards and looking up to her when I get to her ankles.  She steps out of her underwear and unhooks her bra, adding it to the pile of clothes.  I kiss my way slowly up her leg.

“I thought you said you’d be quick,” she teases, grabbing my hair, not to stop me
, but to pull me closer.  I make my way up to the sweet spot between her legs and lap at her juices.  She grinds into my face as I hold onto her thighs and drink her in.  “Mmm… Nick.”

“Say that again,” I
growl against her mound.

“Nick…
” she pants, flexing her muscles. “Nick… yes, Nick.”  I’m hard as a rock listening to the sound of her voice and tasting her sweet nectar.  I lick her gently and slowly until she pushes me closer and says, “Faster.”

Before long
, she is trembling and calling my name louder as she goes over the edge of climax.  I stay on my knees, kissing her navel and propping her up against the wall with my hands covering her hips.  When her breathing slows, I stand and lift her up so her legs are wrapped around me.  I drive myself into her with long, slow strokes against the wall.  Her hands grip my shoulders tightly, while I bury my head in her neck and my cock inside her body.

I can’t stop the loud guttural groan escaping my throat when I pour myself into her.  She clasps my head to her chest and we
catch our breath.  I can feel Em’s heart against my cheek going as fast as mine.  I kiss her there on her heart and I make a silent vow in that moment to reclaim that heart of mine one day.

Em belongs to me and I’m going to find a way to keep her.

“So Em, how’s that
casual relationship working for you?”  April asks.  Yes, it seems April will be a regular addition to our Monday nights now. Not that I’m complaining - she did bring vodka so it’s all good.

Nick left the apartment not long after giving it to me hard and quick against the wall.
  I had time for a shower and to make
a fair sized dent in a bottle of wine, before Kat turned up with April.  I had been trying to keep the conversation light, in fact I have been avoiding the topic of Nick all night.  April is relentless though, and Kat’s not much better, and now that I have some vodka in me too, I might just answer their questions.

“I’m not much of a drinker,” I say totally off topic as I lean towards
April on the couch.

“Yeah I can see that.” 
April laughs and hands me a glass.  “You may want to pour that into here,” she says motioning to the vodka bottle in my hand.

“Oh how did that get there,” I say, surprised to find the bottle in my hand in the first place.  I don’t remember picking it up. 

“What’s gotten into you tonight?” Kat asks.  “Has something happened with Nick?”

I snigger but don’
t reply.

“Em?”
Kat puts her arm on my back and gives it a rub.

“
Oh Nick and I are no longer doing that whole casual thing,” I slur, looking at her through hazy eyes and maybe even swaying a little in her direction.

“Oh?” Kat says
, swiping the bottle from my hand.  “That’s great!”

“Yeah great!”
I say loudly and sarcastically, trying to grab the bottle back off her.  She pulls it further out of my reach and I slump back against on the couch.

“So why are you drinking yourself into oblivion?”

“You know he lives here now, right?”  I ignore her question and ask one of my own.

“What are you talking about?” Kat says with mixture of concern and confusion on her face.
  She glances at something over my shoulder.

“I mean, I asked him to move in.  And he did.”  I start to cry.  “And
I like living with him so much.  Now… now I’m fucking fantasizing about marrying the guy and having his fucking babies… and he’s leaving!” I sob, suddenly overcome.  “And I will probably never ever see him again!”

Kat’s arm comes around me and I bury my head on her shoulder, instantly soaking her t-shirt with
the tears that are now streaming down my face.  She rubs my back soothingly and I completely let myself go, wailing loudly, my body shaking.  After a while, I feel Kat pulling away and a different set of arms come around me, stronger, more masculine ones.  My tears start to dissipate with the realisation that it’s Nick who has come to my rescue.  He continues to rub my back as I calm down more.  As my shaky breaths subside, I hear Kat and April whispering and I turn my head in their direction, catching Kat’s eye in the process.  She takes a couple of steps towards me.

“We’re going to h
ead off Em, let you two talk.”

I nod my head
at her.

“Bye Em,” April says coming up beside her.

“Bye girls,” I mumble, turning my head back into Nick’s warm chest and burying my face against his shoulder.  He kisses the top of my head before running his hand over it, smoothing my hair back.  I hear the door close and then the only sound I can hear is my stuttered breathing and Nick’s heart beating against my ear.

“Em,” he whispers, again rubbing my back.  “I’ve been thinking…” he trails off, the room once again fills with silence.  I sniff and wipe at my eyes, pulling back to look at him.  “You know how I’m spending the month with Yiayia in Greece?”  I nod.  “Well, instead of travelling on, I think I should just fly back with her.  Come home.”

“What?”  I sniffle, frowning at him.

“
Well you say you won’t come with me and I heard what you said to your friends-”

“I don’t care what you heard!  You are not changing your plans because of me.”

“Did you really mean what you said, about marriage and babies?”

He looks at me warily and I want to deny it, I want to take it back, lie and say I didn’t mean it. 
Even though I did.  Ever since I saw him at his parents’ place playing with his little niece, I’ve wondered about a future like that with him.  However it wasn’t until earlier tonight that I actually started to believe it could happen.

Nick ducks his head into the bathroom that is now filling with steam from the shower I’m having.

“I’m going to go visit Maria for a while, so you and Kat can do your thing.  I’ve got to get a few more hugs in with Natassia before I leave.  She might not even remember me by the next time I see her.  Kids grow so fast don’t they?”

I can see how much Nick’s eyes light up as he pictures that little
niece of his with the dark curly hair.  It’s sweet and so are his sentiments.  It makes me wonder what he will be like when he is more than just the uncle.  He would make such a doting father.  I can picture it now, him running around the backyard playing tiggy with our kids.  A boy and a girl.  The vision is so real, it’s almost like a memory.  Then I blink and it’s gone. 
Our kids.
  What on earth am I thinking?

The shower door opens suddenly and pulls me from my daydream.  Nick leans his head towards mine.

“You’re gonna get all wet!”  I squeal.

“I don’t mind a bit of water.  I need to kiss you Em.”  He kisses me on the lips.  “I love you,” he says gazing at me for a moment. 
“I’ll be home in a couple of hours.”

All I can do is nod and watch him leave.  The familiarity of his farewell takes me back to my daydream and the future I can now see clearly.
I squeeze my eyes shut at the pain it causes.  How can we be saying goodbye, when we’ve barely said hello?  How can life be so cruel?  To dangle something so precious and sacred and then just take it away?

Eventually the water runs cold and I have to turn it off.
  Once I’m dried and dressed I head to the kitchen and open a bottle of wine.

“Em?”

“Yes,” I say, barely a whisper.

“I’m not ready for marriage and kids,” he says sadly.

“Oh I know, neither am I.”  I swallow hard as the effects of the alcohol seem to be fading.  “But I am ready for bed.  Please take me to bed Nick.”

***

I hear Nick’s alarm go off at 5:30 am.  I’m wide awake already.  Nick rolls over to face me after turning the alarm off.

“Sorry babe, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he mumbles sleepily.

“You didn’t.”  His arm circles my waist and he tucks his head into my neck.  “I was awake.  I never sleep well after too much alcohol.  And I’m afraid I did have a little too much last night.”

“True.”  He snorts into my neck.

“Nick, can you please promise me something?”  I ask, my fingers playing with his hair.

“Depends on what it is.”

“I need you to please promise me that you won’t cancel your plans.”  He lifts his head and opens his mouth to speak but I put a finger to his lips to silence him.  “Hear me out.  I know the situation isn’t ideal.  But we can try to make it work.  I’ll be here when you get back.  I promise.  I don’t want anybody else.  You need to do this, you need to have your adventure and I need you to know that I’ll still be here.”  His blue eyes appear darker in the barely light room.  “I’ll wait for you.”

“You will?” he asks, his voice hopeful.

“Weeks, months… but don’t leave me waiting for years, will ya?”

“Absolutely not.”
  He kisses me.

“And I’m sorry about last night.  I was an emotional mess
. I shouldn’t have had so much to drink.  I don’t expect babies and marriage, I truly don’t.  I’m not ready for either.  Please don’t be scared off by what you heard.”  I sigh.

Even in the dim light of the room, I can see that she is red with embarrassment.

“You couldn’t scare me off if you tried.”  I kiss her again and shiver when her hand lightly trails down my naked back. 
I should be getting up.  I’m going to be late for work.
  Her tongue enters my mouth and my body covers hers.  Her hands find their way to my arse and she squeezes me gently, urging me closer.
I’ve only got four days of work left anyway.
What are they gonna do, sack me? 

The sound she makes when my mouth moves down to just behind her ear is insanely sexy.  That coupled with the fact that she said she w
ould wait for me, has me wanting her now more than ever.

She’ll wait for me.
  That’s all I needed to hear for my heart to almost burst.

***

I skipped my morning shower and somehow managed to open the kiosk right on time.  A couple hours in and I feel Em’s presence, again before I see her.  Looking up from inside the booth, I see her walking towards me.

“My head hurts,” she says with a pout
when she stops at the booth. 
God she’s sexy like that. 
“Remind me not to drink ever again,” she grumbles causing me to chuckle.  “You don’t happen to sell Panadol here do you kind sir?”

“Why yes we do my sweet customer.”  I turn to the shelf on my right and grab a box
, sliding it across the counter top.  “And all it will cost ya is a kiss right here.”  I lean forward, poking my head out towards her and point to my cheek.  She stands on her tiptoes to kiss me and at the last second I move my head to capture her lips instead.  My hand reaches out to cup the back of her head and my tongue leisurely enters her mouth.  We kiss for probably a minute or more, me straining to reach her and her on the tips of her feet.  Then the train pulls in and I reluctantly let her go.