Love of Truth

by C. T. Oliver

  “You had the other half of my sandwich on the drive back,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief at the sheer volume of food that guy can eat.

  “That was over an hour ago. What took you guys so long?” Cory asks as he starts to gather the bags. He takes a big sniff of the SUV and screams, “OH MY GOD! Elephant ears!”

  “Those are Amelia’s! Don’t you dare eat them,” Craig says in a stern voice

  I laugh at the blissful look on Cory’s face. “It’s okay, maybe it will hold him over until dinner’s ready. Just don’t ruin your appetite.”

  “I won’t,” Cory mumbles around a mouthful.

  “And share with Ben, please,” I holler after him.

  Craig chuckles and gives me a peck on the cheek. “You sound like my mom.”

  My eyes widen in shock. “I sound like your mom?”

  “Yes, my mom is the best.” Opening the door Craig cradles me in his arms and carries me into the house while Larry trails behind Cory.

  In the kitchen, I blend tomatoes and herbs for the red sauce, season the cheese and meatball stuffing, and soak the noodles. I give the guys the task of making the salad and the garlic bread. I put all the ingredients for the stuffing in a big bowl and mix. I love putting together a home cooked meal. This one is one of my favorites, but can only be made in a big batch. Whenever I make this dish I usually end up eating it for a week.

  Cory has Larry in his lap and is staring at me intently from across the kitchen island. “Shorty, what are you doing?”

  “Mixing the stuffing,” I say, feeling shy since all the guys are staring at me. “Is there something wrong? Why is everyone looking at me?”

  “Why are you using chopsticks to mix everything up?” Cory asks, focusing on my hand.

  “I always use chopsticks. I use them for everything in the kitchen pretty much.”

  “Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use a spoon?” Craig asks, standing next to me at the island.

  “No, it doesn’t break up the meat and blend the cheese in as well,” I say, looking around at everyone.

  “How are you so coordinated with them?” Ben asks, still eyeing my hand closely.

  I take a long look at them for a moment and smile to myself. “You guys do know that I’m half Vietnamese, right?”

  Ben looks confused as his eyes take careful note of my face. I turn to Craig to get the strange feeling of Ben’s eyes off of me only to see the intrigued look on Craig’s face. I chance a look at Cory to see how he’s taking the news. He looks as if he’s trying to figure out a really hard math equation. After what seems like an hour, but in reality is only seconds, Craig flashes me his sexy grin and a wink before going back to his task. Ben still looks like he’s either contemplating or constipated.

  “I guess I can see it,” Ben says minutes later, after tilting his head back and forth as he closely exams my features.

  “Oh my GOD!! You can make pho!” Cory yells out of nowhere.

  I laugh nervously at the look of lust on his face. “Yes, I can.”

  I’m not surprised they weren’t able to tell I’m half Asian. Most people can’t tell unless they’re really looking for Asian features. Though my hair and eyes are dark, they are more of a dark brown then they are black. Of course, my height is a reflection of my Asian heritage.

  “Oh my God, an endless supply of pho,” Cory sighs contentedly.

  “You haven’t even eaten the meal she’s making for us now. Besides, you’re not going to take advantage of Amelia.” Craig gives Cory a withering look.

  I laugh at their banter. I should feel angry having someone speaking for me, but I don’t. “It’s fine. I don’t mind making pho sometime. It’s been a while since I’ve had some.”

  “Amelia, you’re not going to cook for us the whole time you’re here. You’re here for your vacation, not catering to us,” Craig says sternly.

  Oddly, I feel a little turned on by his stance. I turn to wrap my arms around his waist. “How about I make you pho and Cory and Ben can have a few bowls?” I ask, looking up at him through my lashes with a small smile on my lips.

  Craig sighs heavily and pulls me closer for a tight hug. “We’re cooking for you tomorrow, and you can make pho the next day. BUT, Cory is going to get the ingredients for you and we’re all helping you.” I bite my lips to hide the laugh threatening to break free from his mock sternness.

  “Okay, deal.”

  I go back to the bowl and look over at Cory to give him a wink. Cory sits back on the stool with a huge grin on his face. “Have I mentioned how much I like her?”

  I stuff the boiled Rigatoni and put all the ingredients together as casseroles. I have to admit, for such manly men, these guys really know their way around the kitchen. Craig is constantly cleaning up after me while Cory makes the homemade dressing for the Italian salad he put together and Ben makes cheesy garlic bread with enough cheese to induce a heart attack. These guys were taught well.

  While the Rigatoni casseroles bake, I slap together my favorite cookies. It’s a French peanut butter shortbread cookie, but for this batch I add the caramel and chocolate chunks I got from Annie this afternoon.

  The guys set the table while the casseroles cool. Cory mixes up a pitcher of salty pineapple margaritas just for me. I look around and can’t believe how happy I feel. In such a short amount of time I’ve made some really cool friends and an even more special friend. Deep down I know my happiness comes from being around other people. I have always been a people person and now being surrounded with new friends and laugher, I once again realize how lonely I’ve been the last few years.

  I join them at the table after popping the cookies in the oven. Craig plates my food for me and pulls my seat closer to his. He leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for making us dinner, Amelia. Everything smells great.”

  Cory and Ben both nod with their mouths overstuffed with pasta. How their tongues aren’t burning from the hot pasta I have no idea. While eating, they talk about Ben’s dad being a better cook than Craig and Cory’s mom, and how she would always challenge him to a cook off. Craig talks about memories of all the dinner parties the two families have had over the years. The stories make me long for such memories, but there are none of those in my life. Only lonely ones.

  “Ohhh, my God, I’m so full. Please don’t make me eat another cookie,” Cory whines, letting out a loud burp.

  “No one made you eat anything, you pig,” Ben says.

  “I can’t breathe and my bellybutton hurts,” Cory moans as he pushes his plate out of the way. He puts Larry on the table and lays his head next to Larry’s body.

  “No wonder. You inhaled nearly an entire casserole,” Craig says, shaking his head.

  “I was hungry!”

  The guys cleaned out both casseroles, except for my one piece, the whole salad, all the bread, and the three-dozen cookies I made. I should be in shock at the amount of food they ate, but the feeling of having other people eat and enjoy my cooking brings me more contentment.

  Sitting close to Craig is nice. Besides his sexy scent, his warmth is a bonus. The sun is set and since the windows are open, the room is a little chilly. I snuggle into him as he wraps his arm around me.

  “Where did you learn how to cook like that?” Ben asks before taking a sip of his scotch.

  “A little from my mom, some from my aunts, but mostly I just cooked food for myself,” I shrug.

  “So you liked to cook at a young age?” Craig asks.

  I look down noting how pretty the shades of blue and white are on my dress. “No, I like to eat and so I had to cook food to eat.” I’m not trying to be vague, it’s just talking about this is really uncomfortable for me.

  Craig must have sensed my discomfort and stands to clear the table. “Come on guys, Amelia cooked so we clean.”

  As the guys clean, I lounge in the yard with a glass of wine and watch as Larry rumbles about the yard. It seems he’s gotten most of his energy back today. I pull into myself
as a breeze sweeps by.

  “Here you go.” Craig steps out of the glass door with the crocheted afghan from the living room. He sits down next to me and pulls me into him as he covers me with the afghan.

  I lean into him. “Thanks for coming over to help with dinner and then cleaning up. It was very sweet of you.”

  “You’re silly. Thank you for the awesome dinner. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen Cory full in a long time,” he chuckles.

  “Oh really? When was the last time?” I turn, leaning my head on his shoulder.

  “Hmm, I think maybe a little over two years ago. We were at a buffet in Colorado, on a snowboarding trip. It didn’t end well for him that night.” He chuckles but then stops and makes a sour face.

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Let’s just say that a ‘stomach flu’ cured him of his hunger for a while.”

  “Ouch,” I laugh.

  Craig sighs. “Good times. But it was not good sharing a hotel room with him.” He pulls me closer to him, rubbing his hand up and down my arm to keep the chill away. “The guys went back home. I was thinking we could watch a movie or something on TV.”

  I laugh, looking up at him. “Are you trying to make out with me?”

  Craig sighs. “You know me too well.”

  Larry waddles up from the yard to Craig’s legs and asks to be held. “You, little man, are so spoiled. But you know that already, don’t you?”

  Craig and I settle in the couch and he starts flipping through the channels. He stops at a true crime channel, one of my favorites. “Is this okay?” he asks.

  “Yes, I love this channel. Sometimes I will watch this show before bed and freak myself out because the case is unsolved. I go around for days looking over my shoulder thinking the murderer is after me because I know who they are,” I laugh to myself.

  “Well this time, I’m here to protect you.” He pulls me closer to him.

  I look up at him. “How do I know you’re not a murderer and watching this show to see if your case is shown?” I ask jokingly.

  “You won’t, because good murderers wouldn’t have cases. There wouldn’t a body or evidence lying around to incriminate them. They wouldn’t be very good at murdering people if there were,” he says in a stern tone with a serious look on his face.

  I laugh looking up at his face. “Craig, I hope your lawyer face is better then your murderer face”.

  His smile breaks through the stern look. “You’re the only one not scared by my serious face.” He kisses me on the cheek.

  “I like your smiling face the most.” I give him a peck on the lips, running my hand down the side of his face. My heart melts at how his face softens when he looks at me.

  He takes the remote from me and mutes the TV. “Can I ask you something? It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

  “What?” I ask shyly.

  “Earlier, when we asked you how you learned to cook so well, you kind of faded a little. Why did you have to learn to cook for yourself?” Craig asks.

  I sigh heavily. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll tell you more, one day. I’m scared my answer is only going to lead to more questions.” I can’t seem to look him in the eye, but Craig tilts up my chin with his finger and gives me a quick soothing kiss that coaxes me into open up a little. I look into his eyes and take a fortifying breath. “I learned to cook for myself because I’ve been living on my own since I was fourteen.”

  A shocked look crosses Craig’s face. “What? Why? Fourteen?”

  I can’t believe someone who has only known me for a few days has such concern for me. I run a hand down the side of his face. “See? I told you. More questions.”

  “I’m sorry, but Amelia, you were so young. What happened to your family?”

  “They were around to help take care of me,” I assure him. “They just weren’t living with me. It’s a long story and I think I’ve told you enough for today. Let’s save this for another day, okay? I promise I’ll tell you one day.” I give him a reassuring look. “Just know that I was fine and grew up to be the person here today, with you.”

  Craig sighs and pulls me into his lap. He holds me tight, wrapping his strong arms around me. “Okay, but I want to know this story.”

  “Deal.” I sigh and relax the tension in my shoulders. God, I can just lie in his arms and be blanketed in his warmth all day. “Craig?”

  “Yeah, baby?” He nuzzles his nose in my hair.

  “There’s a TV,” I lean back and kiss him on the cheek, “in the bedroom,” then his nose, “want to make out in there,” finally his lips. I lean back and look at him through my lashes. I trust him to let me set the pace of this relationship, making me feel confident enough to have him in my bedroom.

  Craig’s eyes widen as he takes in a quick breath. “You know I can’t say no to that,” he smirks.

  Chapter 12

  Amelia and I settle in the bed next to Larry, who’s cuddling up with his hippo. Snuggling with someone has never been one of my favorite things to do. With ex-girlfriends, I would do it because it was expected in the relationship. With Amelia, it is the most satisfying feeling ever. She is so small that she fits right under my arm so when she snuggles in her hair isn’t all over my face smothering me. She’s warm and soft. Whenever she sighs a sound of contentment, it is the most satisfying sound.

  The only discomfort I have is the aching hard-on I’ve been sporting practically all day. I’m surprised there isn’t a hole in my shorts already. It seems everything about her is a turn-on for me, from the way she eats to her laugh. Even the littlest thing with her, such as watching a documentary, is intriguing. In a short amount of time, Amelia has come to mean a lot to me and I don’t want to mess this up by not being patient. I’ll just have to deal with the ache until she’s ready.

  After the true crime show, she picks an episode of How I Met Your Mother, deciding we should lighten up the mood after such a serious and horrifying hour. Images flash across the screen but I don’t notice; I’m perfectly happy and calm just being beside Amelia. Until one of her hands start to slowly wander. I’m restless and try to control my breathing, as I reach out to hold on to her hand.

  “Baby, if you keep that up, I’ll be forced to pick up the pace.”

  Amelia turns to look up at me with her wide bottomless eyes. “Let’s speed it up then.” She wraps her arm around my neck to pull me down to her lips. The second our lips touch, I’m on fire. I pull her up to me, shifting her so she’s straddling my hips. Unlike our previous kisses, this one is fierce. Amelia opens her lips to me and I’m holding nothing back. My tongue takes entrance to roam and taste her.

  Her hands are everywhere. It’s like she can’t touch fast enough. Trailing her hands across my chest and down my stomach, she reaches under the hem of my shirt and rakes her fingers across my skin. Every muscle in my body tightens to her touch.

  I can’t get enough of her skin, so soft and smooth. She’s rubbing her warm center up and down my erection while I my hands run up her bare legs to her thighs under the hem of her dress. I move my hands up her bare thighs until both hands grab on to plump bare cheeks of her bottom. Jesus, she’s wearing a lacy thong. I let out an approving moan as I run a finger under the thin material.

  Amelia’s hands roam the skin on my chest and stomach, and then head south. She breaks away from my lips and nips her way down the side of my jaw and down my neck while her hand frantically tries to unbutton my shorts.

  “Ugh, why do you have to have so many buttons?” Amelia growls.

  I chuckle at her frustration.

  “Seriously babe, these are hindering me!” she says with a smoldering look as she makes her way to the last button.

  Amelia leans back to my lips while her hand goes back to touching under my shirt. Her touch takes away any control I have left. I run a hand under her thong and I groan my satisfaction deep in my throat. Her bare lips are so fucking
wet. The moment my finger touches her clit, her hips move back and forth frantically, giving her the pleasure she seeks.

  One of her hands snakes its way under my boxer briefs and rubs up and down the underside of my erection. She breaks away from my lips and move down to straddle my legs. Taking her soft sweet opening away from my hand.

  “Baby, what are you doing? I was enjoying myself,” I pout.

  She leans back to give me a peck on the lips and flashes me a sensual smile. “I think you’ll enjoy this more.”

  She pulls down my boxer briefs and shorts and my erection springs up. She takes me in her hand and tightly rubs me up and down as her smile widens. I swell larger at her touch. Her eyes widen a she leans down to lick the slit on the head my penis.

  “Babe, you’re so big, I can barely grip you with one hand,” she stares are me with a look of excitement in her eyes.

  I’m breathing hard, trying to control the tightening of my balls and the tingling feeling in my lower back. “Baby, you’re making me crazy,” I grip the sheets to try to hold on to some modicum of control.

  She laughs softly and leans in to run the tip of her tongue from the base of my erection to the slit before taking me into her warm, sweet mouth. She shields her teeth with her lips and grips me hard as she moves her mouth up and down my shaft. Whenever she gets to the tip she takes a few seconds to suck and lick the head, making me see stars underneath my eyelids. Her hand grips me at the base where her mouth can’t get to, while her other hand is rubbing my scrotum. My skin feels too tight for my body and I’m going to involuntarily convulse. I’m so close.

  “Baby, I can’t hold on any longer, come up here.” I sit up to pull her to me, but she groans her protest. One of her thumbs and rubs at the center of my scrotum, while she gives a hard suck on the head of my penis. All I see is white lights. My arms and legs tingle uncontrollably. The rush of my orgasm flows through me as my penis jerks in Amelia’s warm mouth while she frantically sucks me off.

  I lie limp as I try to control my rapid breathing and calm my pounding heart. I feel Amelia crawling her way up my body and snuggling herself under my chin. I wrap my arm around her body, pulling her closer to me.