The One

by Holly C. Webb

  As I made my way across the bar to where Callie and Seth were, I sighed when I realised Jared had joined them too, I knew talking to him was inevitable. I just wish it didn’t have be with Seth and Callie as an audience.

  “Sav,” he said, as he stood up, giving me a nervous smile. “How have you been?”

  “Good,” I replied, giving him a smile in return, before I briefly glanced at Seth. The look on his face was almost unreadable.

  “I um… I was hoping we could talk,” Jared said, pulling my attention back to him.

  “Jared,” I sighed, rubbing my tired eyes. The last thing I needed right at that moment was another argument with Jared. We were done, he needed to accept that. “I’m tired…”

  “Please,” he begged as he reached out for my hand. “I could drop you home.”

  “I guess so,” I sighed, feeling the last piece of fight I had inside me fade to dust. Jared just held my hand tighter, and for the briefest moment, it offered me the comfort I needed.

  Seth gave me a strange look, and I knew he was bothered I’d agreed to talk to Jared. But I didn’t feel as I had much of a choice.

  But then he offered Callie a ride home, my heart almost stopped dead in my chest. He glanced at me, but I tried to appear as unfazed as I possibly could. But right at that moment, I just wanted to cry.

  “Can we just go,” I said, desperate to get out of the bar as quickly as I possibly could.

  By the time we reached the car, hot salty tears were burning my eyes.

  As I climbed into the car and waited for Jared to get into the driver’s side, I watched Seth and Callie walk to his car. As he had two weeks before for me, Seth opened the car door for her. My heart sank as Callie smiled up at Seth, then leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

  I closed my eyes and pushed the tears back down inside. I knew I couldn’t fall apart just then. I needed to hold it together at least till Jared dropped me home.

  The drive back to my apartment was a quiet one, and if I was honest, I was grateful for the time to pull myself together. By the time we reached my apartment, I had managed to calm myself down enough so I could at least talk without crying.

  “So,” I said when he turned off the engine. “You wanted to talk.”

  “I miss you, Sav,” Jared whispered, without even looking at me and my heart felt sad. I hated that I’d hurt him so much. That was the last thing I’d ever wanted to do. But I knew I also couldn’t give him false hope.

  “Jared,” I said, searching for the right words to say. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “Then please,” he said, finally looking up at me. “Give us another chance. I know you love me Sav, just like I love you.”

  “I care about you, Jared,” I sighed, wishing I could give him the answers he wanted. “But I don’t love you. Not in the way I should.”

  “Is there someone else?” He asked, his eyes now filled with hurt. “Is that what this is?”

  “What if there was?” I blurted out, unable to hold back the question. “Would that help you move on?”

  “It’s Andy, isn’t it?” He said, surprising me with his comment. “You’re fucking him.”

  “Have you lost your mind, Jared Walker?” I hissed back. “Andy is with someone! They are having a baby! What kind of girl do you think I am?”

  “THEN WHO?” He yelled, making me jump with fright, and for a moment I thought he was going to hit me.

  My mind flashed back to my father and the beatings I took from him as a child. I swore I would never let a man hurt me like that again and I meant it.

  “This conversation is over,” I said as I reached for the handle on the door.

  “Sav, I’m sorry,” Jared blurted, but it was too little, too late.

  “Jared, we are done,” I said as I climbed out of the car. “It’s time to move on.”

  Without waiting for a response, I slammed the door shut, then turned and hurried up the steps to the front door of my apartment. As I slipped my key into the lock, I half expected him to come after me, but instead, the engine of his car roared loudly as he tore off into the night.

  When I climbed into bed twenty minutes later, my heart was broken, but I refused to cry. Instead I lay there, staring at the ceiling, praying the sleep would claim me and I could forget about this horrible night.

  I thought about Seth and Callie. I wondered if she took him home with her. Knowing Callie as I did, I think it was probably very likely. That thought made my stomach heave and my heart ache more than I’d thought it was even possible.

  I released a long, frustrated breath, as I turned over and buried my head in my pillow.

  Suddenly the buzzer from the intercom, echoed around my silent apartment, almost making me jump out of my skin. I pulled the covers over my head, hoping whoever was at the door would just go away.

  Two minutes later it sounded again, but this time the buzzing didn’t stop.

  “ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS SHIT!” I yelled as I kicked back my bedclothes, climbed from the bed, and marched out of the room, and down the hall. “Whoever you are, you sure as hell better have a good excuse for being a dick right now.”

  When I reached the intercom on the wall, I took a deep breath before I pressed the button to speak.

  “What!” I said sharply into the speaker on the wall.

  “Savannah, it’s me,” Seth voice came through the speaker, completely flooring me that he was here.

  “Seth,” I said as instantly tears pooled in my eyes once more. As much as I wanted to see him, I couldn’t have another conversation that ended in him telling me that we could never be together. “I’m not feeling very well, now is not the best time.”

  “Savannah, please,” he begged, and I knew he was not going to just leave me in peace. “I can’t do this anymore. Please let me come up and talk to you. I need to see you. I hate that you’re so mad at me.”

  “I’m not mad at you,” I lied, not wanting to argue with him anymore. “I just don’t feel well, and I really want to go back to bed.”

  “Open the door and let me see you, please,” he begged once more. “Just for a few minutes.”

  I didn’t reply for a moment, knowing that nothing I said was going to make him leave.

  “For a few minutes,” I sighed as I reached up and pressed the button to let him in. Then I quickly wiped my face with the sleeve on my pyjamas and took a deep, calming breath.

  A few moments later, there was a soft tap on the door to my apartment. I took another deep breath before I walked to the door and opened it.

  When I did, I found Seth standing there, looking almost as bad as I was feeling.

  “What do you want, Seth?” I asked, as tears pooled in my eyes once more.

  “You,” he breathed out as he stepped forward, slamming his lips against mine as he wrapped me in his arms, and kissed me harder.

  For a moment I didn’t respond. If I was honest, I wasn’t sure if it was real. Maybe I was having a dream, and I was so scared if I moved, I would wake up and he would be gone.

  But finally, I returned his kiss as he slowly moved us both back into my apartment, closing the door, before he turned us, and pinned me against it.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed out softly as his lips parted from mine. “I tried to do the right thing. I tried to be the good friend, but I can’t live without you. I know this is a mess, and I know that people are going to get hurt, but the only thing that makes sense to me right now is you. I love you so much, Savannah. Please tell me that you love me too.”

  “I love you too, Seth,” I whispered as my heart raced in my chest so fast, I could hardly breathe. “I love you so much, it scares me.”

  “I promise I will figure it out,” he breathed against my lips before he kissed me again. This time his kiss was slow and perfect. Everything I wanted it to be.

  I slipped my arms up around his broad shoulders, as our bodies became one, and our kiss grew deeper.

  Seth pulled back once more, and smi
led down at me, but there was a look of uncertainty in his eyes.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” He asked, his lips almost touching mine, his warm breath sending a shiver down through my entire body.

  “Yes,” I breathed against mouth, as desire filled every inch of my body. I gave him a hungry smile, my eyes telling him exactly what it was I wanted.

  He slammed his mouth against mine once more, as he scooped me up into his arms, then turned and carried me down the hallway towards my bedroom.

  Setting me down on the bed, he pulled his t-shirt over his head before he climbed over me, his lips finding mine once more. I reached for the belt on his jeans and pulled it open, and the longing to have him make love to me almost consumed me.

  Reaching into the front of his jeans, I allowed my fingertips to brush across the head of his smooth, rock hard cock. The moment I touched him, the moan that escaped from deep inside him almost made me climax then and there, it was the most erotic, almost feral sound I had ever heard.

  I wanted more. I wanted it all. I quickly pushed his jeans down further, freeing his cock as he made short work of the pyjama top, I was wearing.

  “Savannah,” he breathed out, as his mouth found my breast. He grabbed my hands, and held them down on the bed, as his tongue teased my nipple, before he sucked it into his mouth.

  “Oh God!” I cried out in pleasure, longing to feel him inside me. But Seth was taking his time. He seemed determined to taste every part of my body.

  After teasing my other nipple, he began to work his way down my stomach, each lick, each gentle bite sending shockwaves throughout my whole body.

  He finally reached the waistband of my pyjama bottoms and looked up at me from beneath his beautiful, long lashes, he smiled before he eased the bottoms down my legs, discarding them on the floor as he leaned back up on his knees, taking in my naked body.

  “Your body is even more beautiful than I imagined,” he whispered as he smiled down at me. “And believe me, I’ve thought about nothing else since I’ve met you.”

  I could feel myself flushed with embarrassment and longing in equal measures.

  Seth smiled once more, before he leaned back down on the bed, this time pressing his lips to the inner side of my thigh.

  “I need to taste you,” he breathed against my skin, as my body clenched with anticipation.

  Pushing my legs open further, his mouth quickly found its goal, and his tongue pushed through my sensitive folds, finding my swollen bud.

  I gripped the bed clothes beneath me as his tongue continued its sweet torture of my body. I tilted my hips up to meet his mouth, I longed for my release.

  Suddenly Seth grabbed hold of my hips, pulling me close to his mouth as his tongue pushed me higher and higher.

  “SETH!” I cried, as pleasure rolled over my body, almost taking my breath away. “OH, GOD. YES!”

  I came apart as my whole body shook with pleasure.

  I lay there gasping for breath, lost in sheer euphoria. I didn’t even notice that Seth was gone, until I felt the bed dip once more, as he climbed above me again. This time he was completely naked too.

  He smiled as he looked down into my eyes.

  “God, I love you,” he said, as he pushed into me, filling me with one thrust.

  I held my breath, once more afraid this was all just some kind of dream, but the moment he pushed into me for the second time I knew it was real. Just like I knew I would never love another human being the way I loved Seth Reynolds.

  I wrapped my arms and legs around him tightly, giving myself over to him completely as he claimed my body as well as my heart.

  “Savannah!” He cried, and I knew he was close. His pace quickened and another orgasm began to thunder through my body.

  “YES! YES!” I cried as my body came undone, but Seth didn’t slow. His mouth found mine once more as he slammed into me one last time, erupting deep inside me as he cried out in pleasure too.

  We both crashed to the bed, covered in sweat and gasping for air. Neither of us spoke for the longest time. We just held each other, like we never wanted to let the other go.

  Finally, Seth lifted his head and smiled at me.

  “I know that was wrong,” he said as his smile widened. “But my God, it felt so right.”

  I didn’t reply, instead I just smiled. I knew that Seth had so much more to lose by choosing to be with me, and right in that moment, I didn’t want to ruin it by saying the wrong thing.

  “I will figure this out,” he said as he pulled me into his arms. “Just promise me that no matter what happens, I will never lose you.”

  “I promise,” I whispered as I rest my head on his chest.

  “Then I know that everything is going to be okay,” he sighed as he pulled me closer to him.

  I didn’t reply once more. Instead I just allowed the man I loved to hold me until I drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

  Chapter 16

  Seth

  “That’s the last of the boxes,” Jared said as he walked back into my apartment carrying the last box from his car. As he set it down, his phone started to ring. He pulled it from his pocket and sighed. “I need to take this.”

  “Sure,” I replied, but he was already gone.

  I looked around the apartment and smiled. It was a mess, with boxes and stuff everywhere, but it was mine.

  I was surprised it had taken the two cars to move everything from Sylvie’s, but then it had taken me a few trips to Mom’s to collect all of mine and Jolie’s things.

  Mom, I thought to myself realising I hadn’t thought about her in days. It was Jolie’s birthday in less than a week, and I wondered if Mom would even remember. I doubted it.

  Even though Jolie rarely mentioned her, I knew she was worried about her just turning up again. It wasn’t so much what she said. It was the look in her eyes in those moments when she was quiet.

  I was still curious about what Mom had said to her that night in the hospital to scare her into dropping the charges. I had tried to talk about it a couple of times, but Jolie just closed up, and I knew she wasn’t ready to tell me. I wondered if she ever would be. I had no idea what could be so bad that she would hide it from me.

  I watched her unpacking one of the boxes in the kitchen at the far side of the open plan apartment. I wondered what she would say if she knew about Savannah and me. I knew that Jolie loved her, I just hoped that she would accept us as a couple.

  I smiled as I thought about Savannah. I hated leaving her that morning, but I knew Jolie and Jared would be waiting on me to help me move into my apartment. I promised her I would call by her place later that evening, and it was all I could do to stop myself from counting the seconds

  I picked up one of the boxes and headed down towards the room that would be my bedroom.

  “Seth,” Jolie called from the kitchen. “Where do you want your coffee maker?”

  “I didn’t know I had a coffee maker,” I laughed as I walked back out of the bedroom, then walked across the living room, dropping down onto one of the stools at the island that divided the kitchen from the living room.

  “Sylvie had an old one,” Jolie replied as she held up the battered looking coffee maker. “She gave you lots of things to get you settled until you get a chance to buy new ones for yourself.”

  “Great,” I replied and gave her a grin. “I guess on the counter somewhere.”

  “I need to go,” Jared said as he hurried back into the apartment.

  “But we’re not finished unpacking,” Jolie said, giving Jared an impatient look.

  “I know, Jolene, but something’s come up,” he replied as he walked around the island and pulled her plait then laughed. “I have to bounce. I’m sure Seth understands. I’m a busy man.”

  I glanced at him, as the argument he had with the girl in the hallway came into my mind. Jared was up to something, that much was clear. I just didn’t know what that something was.

  “Jared, you promised you’d h
elp him,” Jolie said, not backing down. “This was your idea, and now you’re leaving?”

  “I told you, something’s come up,” he shrugged, and this time I caught something in his voice. Something he wasn’t saying, and I knew exactly where he was going.

  “It’s fine,” I said, feeling more than a little pissed off at my best friend. “If he needs to go, let him. I’ll take you for a burger and a milkshake when we’re done.”

  “Awesome,” Jolie said as giving me a big smile.

  “There, it’s all settled,” Jared jumped in giving Jo a smile before he grabbed his keys from the counter and headed for the door without even saying goodbye.

  “Jared is being so weird lately,” Jolie sighed as she stared at the door Jared had just vanished through. “I mean, I know he and Savannah broke up, but he was acting weird even before that happened.”

  “Jared will always be weird,” I said, giving Jolie a big grin. I knew she wasn’t wrong, but right now I didn’t want to think about Jared. “But at least I get to spend more time with just you and me.”

  “Actually,” Jolie said, giving me a nervous look. “I was thinking, we could stop by Sav’s and ask her to come with us.”

  My heart almost stopped dead for a moment. That was the last thing I’d expected her to say, but I couldn’t help the smile that danced on my lips.

  “Maybe she’s busy,” I said, unsure how Savannah would feel about joining me and Jolie.

  “We could ask,” Jolie replied, giving me a hopeful look.

  “I guess we could,” I laughed as I grabbed my wallet and car keys.

  Ten minute later, they were pulling up outside Savannah’s apartment building. Jolie was almost bouncing with excitement. I could see that she loved Savannah so much. I just hoped she would understand when she found out that I love her too.

  “Well come on,” Jolie squealed excitedly as she pushed open the car door. “Let’s both go.”

  “Okay,” I laughed as I pushed opened my door too.

  When we reached the door, Jolie pressed down on the intercom, before she turned to me and gave me a broad smile. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but I was.