by NM Facile
Mary didn’t want to hear what Faith had to say, because when it came down to it, she didn’t want to question Ty. She had known Faith most of her life, and knew that Faith was just looking out for her. She would have done the same for Faith, but it wasn’t what Mary wanted. She wanted someone to understand, and to commiserate with her. The snide comments and straight-out lectures had Mary questioning not only her relationship with Ty, but her friendship with Faith, as well. Both girls wanted to make everything right, but even after Faith stopped commenting, Mary kept her distance.
It was not so easy to avoid Ty. He called with promises of cool rides with the top down, or air-conditioned public places where they could just talk. If she turned her phone off, he would meet her after school with icy drinks and offers of gelato. Ty begged, he pleaded, he promised change. He vowed there would be no more mysterious texts or phone calls. If she would only stay with him, he would make everything right.
She finally decided that it might just be better to get it all out, so she agreed to go for a drive with him.
“You need to tell me where you really went that night and why.”
Ty let out a heavy sigh. “I told you the truth. I really did go see my parole officer.”
“Why would he threaten to take me in, too? Am I in some kind of trouble?” If that were the case, how dare he bring her into his shit?
“I don’t think he would have. He was trying to get me to hurry up, and not blow him off.”
Mary watched him as he answered her. She couldn’t read what was in his eyes, because he kept them on the road, only flicking little glances at her. He sounded as if he had practiced the lines.
“What did he want?”
“He wanted to know about a guy I did time with.”
“What about him?”
“Fuck!” Ty ran a hand through his hair and turned to stare hard at her. “I told you, there are some things I can’t tell you. Believe me, you are much better off not knowing the shit I know.”
She didn’t reply, just absorbed what he had told her. Her brain worked overtime trying to figure it all out. She was beyond upset with him, yet was willing to trust him. As the evening wore on, she agreed to stay with him but she kept her eyes open and the next day, she installed a newer-model bullshit meter on her heart.
As if the tension between her and Faith and the turmoil with Ty weren’t enough, Mary got a call from her mom. Jen was back home now, but had been admitted to the hospital for a couple of days. Mary suspected that things with her mom were not as fine as she claimed. All of that, mixed with a broken air conditioner, made for long, restless nights. Lack of sleep pushed her nerves to their limits. She was a dormant firecracker and the fuse was heating up.
Her frazzled mood didn’t get any better when Ty came to get her on the Fourth of July for the Red, White, and Boom! celebration. She was determined to enjoy the day, in spite of everything. She had always loved the Fourth of July when she was a kid. It was a holiday free from obligations and church services, a day where she didn’t have to explain or excuse her family’s oddities, like why they didn’t celebrate with big dinners and the usual traditions. It was a day she often spent with friends instead, either at their houses or in the park for the town celebration. Independence Day meant fun and freedom.
When she met Ty at the door, she slipped past him stiffly, careful not to touch him. Still, he thought, she was as beautiful as ever in a gauzy, pale-blue tank top tied at her chest and a faded denim mini skirt. Her gorgeous hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail to keep the heat off of her neck. She was just as stunning in casual summer wear as she had been in the red dress. He took the picnic basket she carried, and led her to his car.
“I thought we could park somewhere near Riverplace,” he offered as they got to the car. “We can wander down and see all the booths, then head closer to the bridge and find a place to watch the fireworks.” His hands brushed over hers as they both reached for the door handle. She pulled away from the shock he sent through her. He felt it, too, and backed off slowly. He missed those sparks.
The car ride was awkward, but intense. She had been snapping at him and trying his patience all week, but he had decided before he got there that he wasn’t going to let her get to him today. He tried to give her the space she wanted, while at the same time letting her know that he was sorry. He attempted to pull her next to him in the car. She slid in next to him just as seamlessly as she always had, and when he squeezed her tighter she stiffened up, but didn’t pull away. He kept his hand on her the whole way, rubbing slow circles over her hip.
He hated lying to her. It was obvious she knew that he was, but, despite her anger, she was there; she was accepting his lies for now. It both confused and relieved him. He didn’t let go of her when they arrived. Despite the humidity, they wandered the paths with his arm wrapped around her, their clothes sticking to them.
Before the night of the ballet, she would have suggested they go back home and take those sticky clothes off. The part of her that still wanted to suggest it was being beaten into submission by the reasonable side.
At one booth, Ty suggested they pose for a caricature artist. The man quickly sketched Mary as a wide-eyed princess, while Ty was depicted as a fanged beast, standing behind her and licking his lips lustfully. Ty tucked it away, embarrassed at how accurately the artist had captured his feelings. He felt like he was preying on an innocent girl. Ty paid the artist, turned them away from the stand, and draped his arm around Mary again. One last booth, and Mary had had enough of the crowds and the trinkets.
“How about we go find a place to sit and listen to the bands,” she suggested.
Ty nodded, and they found a spot in the shade. He went to buy them each a cold beer, and came back to find her setting up the picnic.
She spread the blanket and unpacked the basket, a simple snack of sandwiches and Ty’s favorite chocolate cupcakes. She nervously watched Ty as he approached with the beers. He was looking at her with an expression much like the one the caricature artist had drawn. It could have frightened her, but instead it called out to her own need for him.
By the time they finished eating, the first band had taken to the stage. They were far enough back to just enjoy the music without dealing with a crowd of people around. Mary wished she were closer, so she wouldn’t feel the need to talk. She couldn’t really relax and enjoy the music until Ty pulled her back to rest against him. She leaned against his chest, feeling every heartbeat vibrate through her. Every so often, he would place his lips to her ear and whisper the lyrics to a song. At one point she tilted her head, and he left little kisses along her neck. The shivers spread through her left side until she offered her right side for the same treatment.
Ty pulled out every trick he could think of to melt her. He’d had enough of the waiting. It had been a long couple of weeks since they had shared the gelato. He missed the taste of her sweetness, and the exquisite longing she stirred in him. His dreams had been filled with her lips, and the way they moved over him. He wanted that again, and he was determined that before the night was over, Mary would want it, too.
His persuasion tactics weren’t lost on her; she received them loud and clear, and she was powerless to resist them. She began to slowly shift against him, encouraging his hands to seek out more of her.
By the time the fireworks started, Mary felt as if she were ready to explode right along with them. There were pops and whistles bursting into fountains and pinwheels of magnificent purples and brilliant emeralds, finishing with sparkling crackles of pure white light. With each burst, Mary felt her heart jump or her breath hitch. Ty’s hands squeezed her hip with each crack.
The sparks landed down around them like the worries and resentments that encircled her heart. After the fireworks, Ty would have kept her there on the blanket had it not been for the impending storm warnings.
The hot and heavy air now had a hint of a breeze, bringing in the acrid smell of burnt chemicals. In a smoky haze, they
gathered the bag and the blanket and headed to Ty’s blue baby. Families around them were carrying sleepy toddlers, or calming excited children. Teen boys debated about the different kinds of fireworks. The girls whispered to each other about the boys, throwing glances at the ones they liked the best.
Ty thought about how he and his mom used to find a building where they could sneak up on the roof to watch the displays. They could be up there most of the night, with people shooting fireworks off long after the city-approved light shows had ended. He had spent last year on his own roof with a six-pack, watching them until he fell asleep. He wondered whether Mary would like to watch the unofficial displays.
“Mary, can I take you to my place? I have something to show you.”
She wanted nothing more than to go with him. Every cell screamed for Ty’s touch. All evening, his kisses had called out to her, begging her to let go with him.
They got to his place, and Ty opened her door. He was still apprehensive about bringing her there. He had heard the warning, but he could keep her safe. Just a little bit longer now, he could feel it. It was all coming together.
She followed him blindly as he led her up a set of stairs. The pressure change hit them as they came out onto the rooftop.
“I thought maybe you’d like to see more.” Ty held up his palm, motioning towards the bursting colors in the distance. “As long as the weather holds out, I guess. There’s a great view from up here.”
The night sky was enveloped in an ominous dark haze, lightened only by the eerie glow from the lights of the city around them. Every once in a while, a flash of color would appear, but Mary’s attention was pulled to the mist rising from a distant parking ramp as Ty set her up on the edge of the raised half-wall of the roof. The ledge couldn’t have been more than a foot wide, leaving her legs dangling over the side. She sat rigidly and held her breath as she perched there. One small move and she could fall the six stories to the concrete below. Ty’s strong arms held her in place, assuring her that she was safe; he wouldn’t let her fall. The city was spread out before them, rectangles and squares merging in the shadows, illuminated by the life within.
Despite the amazing view, Mary was acutely aware of Ty’s body pressed against her back. She didn’t mind the added warmth; the night air had cooled down significantly after the oppressively muggy day. Shards of lightning splintered across the sky, turning their world into a nebula; way more impressive than the fireworks could ever be. The distant growl of thunder had grown closer and louder than it had been when they left the festival.
The wind picked up, and a gust blew across them, lifting Mary’s hair to tickle Ty’s jaw. He brushed it aside and rested his head on her shoulder. A sense of wildness surged through them both, as if every cell in their bodies were linked directly to an electrical current. It stirred up primitive urges from deep within, as Mary sat on that ledge looking out over the semi-still city with the beginnings of a thunderstorm frantically building above them. The clouds churned, colliding with force, producing a jagged crackle of lightning, followed by exploding thunder.
Mary felt Ty’s breath whisper over her ear as he motioned to the city before them. “Mary, nothing out there can ever compare to what I have with you. You have taken over my world.” She shivered from the sensation of his words, as they swept past her ear and settled in her heart. She knew he meant them. She was his world as much as he was hers. She felt the anger begin to ebb.
His lips followed, placing light kisses just under Mary’s ear and along her throat. She raised her arm, reaching back to tangle her fingers in his hair as she tilted her head to offer him more. She clenched and trembled as he worked his way up to her lips. There was no way to describe what his mouth could do to her. She felt weak of body but fierce in will. She wanted more of him.
The first few heavy drops hit the roof and the pavement below, a fitting accent to the staccato beat of their hearts. The slow drips of rain, like his kisses, started out innocently but increased in speed and intensity until they were unleashed in savage proportions.
One of his hands glided from her hip to her breast, caressing gently. She marveled at the perfect fit of his hand, and melted back into him as the heat spread through her body, contrasting with the cool rain. Mary followed Ty’s gaze, mesmerized by the tenderness of his touch. His other hand traveled down her outer thigh, brushing over her knee. His fingers climbed up under her skirt, along her inner thigh. She moaned as he lightly traced the edge of her panties, up one side, across the top, and back down the other. He teased her with the edge of his fingernail running down the inside of her left thigh. She squirmed and bit lightly down on his lower lip. She felt his lips curve into a smile.
Ty’s hand trailed down from her breast, over her hip and up under her wet shirt. One hand pulled at the tie between her breasts as the other slowly pushed her shirt up, breaking their kiss as he pulled it off, exposing her to the cool water. He nuzzled into her neck, breathing deeply. She trembled as his fingers floated over her collarbone and down between her breasts, barely touching them, following the path of the rain that trickled over her nearly naked front. He continued drawing swirls and figure eights over her bare stomach with one hand as the other reached between her legs. He teased her mercilessly, running a finger slowly over her center, which longed to be loved, over and over.
His voice was low and rough as he whispered. “You are a goddess up here, with the world laid out before you. The heavens part for you.”
Mary glanced up at him to see if he was seriously using a line like that, but the raw emotion in his eyes told her more than his words ever could. A powerful flash of white-hot light revealed the lustful obsidian depths of Ty’s eyes in perfect, soul-shattering clarity. Mary tugged at his hair, pulling his mouth to hers. The kiss was urgent, pressing, electric.
Ty sensed her need, and helped her turn to face him, with her back to the city. She tugged at his shirt, needing to feel his skin against her own. He brushed her fingers aside, only to withdraw from her lips; he yanked at his shirt, quickly pulling it over his head. Mary’s hands tangled in his dripping hair, gripping it as if he were her stronghold. Their kiss was deep and exacting, sending shudders through her as his teeth scraped her bottom lip. Her legs rested on either side of his. She hooked her feet beneath his knees and pulled him to her. His length brushed up against her and she moaned into his mouth. Ty had one hand wrapped in her hair, holding her lips to his, and the other trailed down her back, spreading out once he reached the small of her back, pushing her against him.
Mary dropped her hands to caress his arms. She felt the electricity course through his limbs as his hard biceps quivered under her touch, making her smile into the kiss. He shifted his hips, and the stiff denim rubbed against her barely covered heat. She pushed forward, searching out the friction she so desperately craved. Ty matched her movement and groaned, pushing her body further into the tempest that was surging up around them.
The hand that had been tangled in her hair moved to unlatch her bra. She let it slide off of her arms as she nibbled along his jaw, reveling in the chafe of his stubble against her already tender lips. His hand circled around her waist, steadily moving up to cup her breast. He stroked its side as his finger and thumb sought out her nipple, gently teasing it to an even stiffer point. His lips traveled over her throat once more, as he slowly moved his fingers from her breast to her back and brought his other hand up, tormenting her with his skilled fingers.
The rain dripped off the tips of Mary’s breasts, and Ty caught a few of those drops on his tongue before closing his mouth over one. She was submerged in the luxury of his warm lips drawing her into him. The sweet, sensual suction of his lips had her arching her back, offering him more. Without removing his mouth, he slid one hand back up under her skirt, pushing it up and tugging at the top of her panties. His other arm tightened around her as he lifted her slightly to remove them, exposing her to the sting of the concrete roof and the rain. The drops mingled with the effusion
of her body, allowing his fingers to slip inside of her easily. The pace was excruciatingly delicious, as he slowly coaxed her need out through her soul. Her cries were drowned out with the roar of thunder.
They were both drunk with the power of the passion that held them. His hands briefly left her to shed his jeans. Again the sky was split with a blinding light. The barbed finger stroked the earth somewhere nearby, shaking the ground and charging the air around them. Mary’s eyes widened momentarily with surprise at the fierceness of the raging storm.
“You know we’re just taunting God to strike us down.”
Ty cupped her face lovingly, stroking her cheek. “God would never strike down an angel like you.”
He closed the distance, and captured her mouth with his. She could feel her body pulling at the seams. The incessant urgency of his mouth on hers was undeniably potent. His body was as tempestuous as the elements themselves. Thunder crashed as Ty pushed into her, filling her. Her eyes closed, lost in the savage beauty that echoed throughout her body, a memory she would carry for days. Their tempo increased as they shifted into a perfect rhythm of countering strokes.
He supported her completely as she arched back, breathing deeply, letting the downpour flow over her, cooling her body from the outside as Ty heated the inside. There was something erotic and raw about the way the zephyr kissed their skin, and the rain washed over them. It only added to the frenzy building within her. Each thrust brought her closer to the peak. She felt herself climbing, her blood rushing, her heart racing. Ty let out a low guttural sound that rivaled the thunder in its ferocity. Mary shuddered, falling apart around him. Her limbs tightened before turning into a quivering mess. In the throes of impossible passion, Ty wrapped his arms around her to steady her as she rocked back from the brink of bliss.
The clouds swirled above, exploding in a celestial climax. The flashes of lightning illuminated Ty’s perfectly exquisite face, thrown back in the sweet agony of euphoria. His grip tightened. He crushed her body against him as the aftershocks began to fade.
