by Ami Snow
Ezra was standing on the bank, his eyes wide. He watched as Tegan trudged forwards and climbed out of the lake, his eyes darting all over her slick, wet body. He watched the globes of her breasts swinging side to side as she bent over to pick up her clothes, his eyes zoning in on the large, light pink areolas protruding, dripping with water. He grabbed her arm firmly, his eyes narrowed and seductive, chewing on his bottom lip.
“Don't.”
“What?” gasped Tegan, trembling.
Her clothes dropped to her toes. Short, jagged breaths shot out of her parted mouth, blood coursing in her ears. Ezra licked his lips as he watched her step nervously towards him, her breasts and the soft curve of her full stomach jiggling lightly. The stiff pole between his legs jabbed against his thigh. Slowly, he skimmed his lips against hers; Tegan melted into the shape of his firm chest.
“Wait,” rasped Ezra, breaking free, “Are you sure you want –”
“Please,” breathed Tegan, a soft moan of desperation escaping her lips as she licked gingerly behind his ear, “I want this. I want you to fuck me. Please.”
The hairs on his arms rose at the sound of her begging. Without another word, he stripped, exposing his sculpted chest and the delicious trail of dark hair on his stomach. She gasped at the length of the dark, gleaming cock between his hands, her thighs rubbing as she fidgeted nervously.
“Turn around and bend over. I want to see every little bit of you.”
Hesitantly, Tegan obliged, bending over, her hands scratching against a large rock. Ezra grabbed on to her hips and smacked her loudly against the cheek, gritting his teeth in excitement as he watched her supple cheeks rippling. Tegan threw her head back, moaning loudly in pleasure.
“You're so fucking sexy.”
Tegan quivered at the word, her knees buckling as a gush of her juices slithered down the insides of her thighs. He spat into his hand and rubbed it against the dribbling folds of her crevice, pulling her cheeks close and apart, watching as the moist holes contracted. Slowly, he guided his throbbing cock into the warmth of her crevice, his groans echoing across the clearing.
“Fuck yes,” Tegan's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she felt his length inside her, “Fuck me hard, Mr. Mathis.”
“I like it when you call me Mr. Mathis with my dick all up inside of you.”
The pace of his thrusting quickened, the wet slapping of his sack against her wet folds ringing through the air. His back arched as he felt himself coming close, his knees quivering.
“I'm close –”
“Please, Mr. Mathis – I want you to come in my mouth.”
Ezra pulled out of her, shoving his cock, drizzled with her juices, into her wide, eager mouth. Her round, pale blue eyes fixated on his, she jolted slightly as she felt a hot, sticky liquid spurting down the walls of her throat. Ezra pulled his cock out of her mouth, sighing and slightly shaking from the aftershock. Grinning, Tegan turned around to reach for her clothes. She stopped, noticing the glint in the corner of her eye. She picked up a tin can that had fallen out of Ezra's pockets. As Ezra got dressed, she popped open the tin, gasping.
“What the hell is this?”
Chapter Six –
“What the hell is this?” repeated Tegan, her eyes flashing, handing the tin back to Ezra.
Ezra pocketed the tin hastily, avoiding eye contact. He collapsed onto the floor and crossed his legs, burying his head in his hands. Tegan sat next to him quietly, uncertain of what to say next. Wordlessly, she leaned against him, nuzzling against his shoulder with the tip of her nose. He snaked a hand around her shoulder, a small smile creeping onto his face. After a few moments of silence, he lay on the ground, his head resting against folded arms. He stared up at the blanket of glittering stars against the obsidian night sky.
“Come here.” Tegan nestled her head against his chest, peering up into the sky.
“What are all those pills?”
“All kinds of uppers. Whatever I can get my hands on – mostly speed and bennies.” Ezra's tone was metallic.
“Why, Ezra? And when?”
“Goddamn,” breathed Ezra, “it's a long story. It started when I was away at Macau all those years. I mean, you gotta understand the stress I'm under – I was assigned as the lead structural engineer for a resort-casino project –”
“Six years?” blurted Tegan, “Does my dad know?”
“Well, no – roughly around four years ago, the stress started taking its toll. I started popping a few pills every now and again to deal with the stress, took different pills to help me sleep at night. Didn't get hooked on the shit till Rhonda passed. And no, your dad doesn't know, he'd be worried sick about me. Too much of a straight-edge.”
“I'm sorry,” said Tegan, her voice hushed, “I don't know what to say, I can't even begin to imagine.”
“Right.”
“It would break Aaliyah if she found out –”
“Right again –” snapped Ezra, “that's why she can't find out.”
Tegan cowered at the sudden animosity in his voice, pulling away. Ezra relented, immediately softening as he kissed her on the forehead. He pulled her head back to his chest. Tegan was silent, her head rising and falling with the rhythmic heaving of his chest.
“I'm sorry.”
“That's okay.”
“No, it's not.”
“Ezra, it's fine,” insisted Tegan, sitting up, “I think we both need to get some sleep. It's a long walk back to the original site.”
The Sunday morning sun rolled out from behind the clouds, its glorious rays cascading down their tents. Asher was the first to rise, and was roasting sticks of thawed sausages he had found in one of the coolers. Tegan crawled out of the tent she shared with Aaliyah, followed by a drowsy, sour-tempered Aaliyah, rubbing her eyes. She walked over to Ezra's tent, ruffling the fabric in a lethargic attempt to wake her father. Ezra finally joined the group, taking a seat next to Ezra and Aaliyah on the log across the campfire.
“That smells pretty good,” said Aaliyah sluggishly, yawning as she stretched. Asher's eyes darted to the quick glimpse of her sparkling navel.
“You wanna come get this sausage?” smirked Asher, grinning lopsidedly.
“Fuck your sausage,” jeered Aaliyah, turning away, “Way too early in the morning for your crap, white boy.”
“Shut the hell up, asshole,” barked Tegan, her eyes narrowed into slits.
Before any of them could react, Ezra lunged forward, gripping Asher's collar, his hot breath pounding against Asher's pasty white face. He snarled through gritted teeth, “You fucking talk to my daughter like that again and I will end you. I couldn't care less who your daddy is.”
Aaliyah and Tegan tugged on Ezra's arms pleadingly. He loosened his grip, shoving Asher to the ground. He stepped aside, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. Asher pushed himself off the ground, his knuckles whitened from the intense clenching of his fists.
“Fuck all of you, man! You fucking pill-popping, pill-snorting motherf–”
“Shut the hell up, Asher!” hissed Tegan, clapping a hand against her mouth in shock.
“Daddy? What the hell's he talking about?”
“No – screw you, Tegan, screw you Aaliyah, and screw you Mr. Mathis. I saw yo daddy grinding up and snorting pills like a fucking fiend is what the hell I'm talking about!”
Asher's glazed, demented eyes were wider than Tegan had ever seen them. He paced back and forth like a madman, muttering to himself under his breath. Ezra looked down on the ground, silent. Tegan turned to Aaliyah, but before she could say anything, she had already disappeared into a cluster of trees.
Chapter Seven –
Tegan walked towards the assemblage of willow trees, stopping at a clearing at the sound of a subdued sniffing. Aaliyah was slumped over on a tree stump, her convulsing head cradled in her arms. Tegan approached her, and sat down on the ground next to her. She reached over and slithered her fingers between Aaliyah's, squeezing her hand. Aaliyah squeezed back, her silent we
eping now audible, gasping wails, wafting past the trees.
“Come on, baby girl,” whispered Tegan, “I got you. Talk to me.”
“This– this is fucked up,” blubbered Aaliyah between wheezes, “What the hell's my dad doing?”
“Unbelievable. I should've seen this coming,” continued Aaliyah, “Got his head all messed up on drugs like we some damn stereotype –”
“Honey, no, you have to understand – he's under a lot of stress,” explained Tegan, rubbing Aaliyah's arm gently.
“Stress, my ass – wait, what? How would you know?” Aaliyah's whimpers dissipated, her tremors now a trembling rage. Her eyes locked on the jittery blue eyes of her best friend of over a decade.
“I – I meant – I was only guessing,” stammered Tegan, her fingers laced around a strand of her hair.
“Bullshit – I know when yo ass lying. Twirling your goddamned hair. Unbelievable. How the hell'd you find out before I did?” Aaliyah clapped her hands shut, staring down at Tegan, her nostrils fuming.
“I'm – sorry,” said Tegan timidly, unwrapping her fingers around her hair, her hand dropping to her side, “Baby girl, he told me last night.”
“Last night?” Aaliyah cocked an eyebrow, scowling.
“Yes – we were just talking. I just – look, honey. I love you and I know your dad loves you more than anything in the world.”
“What the hell happened in Macau?” said Aaliyah, exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air.
“He had an important job – you know his –”
“No, not that,” snapped Aaliyah impatiently, “Why the pills? The project was a success.”
“Yes, but dealing with all of that he picked up some bad habits. He was away from home and had trouble functioning, so he started using. It didn't get too bad till...” Tegan's voice trailed off, once again reaching for Aaliyah's clenched fists.
“Till my mother died?”
“Yes, honey, I'm sorry.”
“I was hurting too,” croaked Aaliyah, fresh tears rolling down her already stained cheeks, “why couldn't he just talk to me?”
“I'm sorry, baby girl. I'm at a loss for words. All I know is – I'm here for you. Always.” Tegan wrapped her arms around Aaliyah's shoulders. Aaliyah relaxed in her embrace, sniveling into the beryl blue cotton of Tegan's blouse.
“I've already lost my mom. I don't want to lose him too,” said Aaliyah softly, breaking away. She shuddered, her lip quivering.
“You won't,” assured Tegan, her voice firm.
“I love that man. It's Daddy. I want him to get help – I need him to get clean. He's got too much going for him, I don't want him to mess it up – I don't even know how the hell he skirted around the damn drug tests –”
“Whoa, chill, baby girl. It'll be fine. I'll talk to my dad. You're not going through this alone. I'm here for you, Aaliyah.”
“Thanks,” sniffed Aaliyah, wiping away at her cheeks, “Great, now my face is all swollen.”
“Naw, girl, you're beautiful,” said Tegan, giggling.
“Love you.”
“Love you too, hon. Now go on and take a chill pill or something –” Tegan gasped.
“Poor choice of words, baby girl,” said Aaliyah, snorting.
“Sorry, hon. I meant go on and relax, but stay away from Asher. I'm gonna go check up on your dad.”
“Alright, girl, I'll see you later.”
Tegan walked towards the general direction Ezra had taken off in, squinting her eyes as she hollered his name, her voice echoing through the woods. She walked towards Murphy Lake, making her way towards the special spot they shared the previous night A slight smile spread across her face as she caught sight of Ezra, his back turned to her as he looked out into the calm, clear lake. He picked up a piece of rock from the ground and hurled it towards the water, the slab skimming the undisturbed surface, leaving fluttering ripples in its path. Tegan watched as his hand slid into his back pocket, quickly popping two tablets into his mouth. Ezra turned around, a glint of manic in his bugged out eyes, his jaw dropping as he saw Tegan. Tegan turned around, stomping off.
“Tegan, wait –”
Chapter Eight –
Ezra chased after Tegan, heavy huffs of air expelling from his flared nostrils, his feet pumping against the dirt beneath the rubber soles of his sneakers. He grasped her arm, tugging at her until she came to a stop. Tegan whipped around, turning to face him, her cheeks a comparable shade to her fierce red hair.
“Tegan, I'm sorry –”
“What were you thinking?!” roared Tegan, stunned by the fury of her own voice, her wrath evident through the fire in her eyes.
“I wasn't thinking,” admitted Ezra, tracing the flesh of her palm with the tip of his long, slightly calloused finger.
“Give it to me.”
“What?” His forehead wrinkled.
“This stops – right now,” Tegan extended a quavering palm.
“Tegan, please –” stammered Ezra, his voice dropping to a hush.
“You're an addict. You need to stop. It's that simple.” Tegan's voice was steady and assertive, a complete reverse to the tumultuous storm gathering internally.
“You're hurting Aaliyah,” continued Tegan, “and if my dad knew, you'd be hurting the man who stuck by you through thick and thin all these years, and you know what else, Ezra? You're hurting me.” Her last word dwindled into a squeak.
“I know. This ain't as easy as you think –”
“No, it's not easy,” shot Tegan, once again finding her voice, “What we're going through is just as fucked up – Aaliyah shouldn't lose both parents – not like this.”
“I wouldn't want her to.”
“Of course you wouldn't. And I don't know if this means anything, but I'm here for you, and I don't know if what we did last night was something you wanted to forget –”
“Ay,” breathed Ezra, snaking an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Ezra tilted his head, kissing her gingerly on the lips, the barbs of his slightly overgrown beard prickling against her chin. He breathed in a twinge of lavender as his fingers tousled the back of her hair, her arms locked tightly around his broad shoulders. Tegan loved how petite she felt in his embrace, a foreign, almost tranquilizing sense of security washing over her. He broke away, his fingers grazing the line of her jaw, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
“No, Tegan, you're wrong. It meant something to me too.”
“I – I – what do we do?” Tegan sputtered, confounded by his words, once again feeling the color rise in her cheeks.
“I don't know. This is complicated – I'm so fucked up right now I can't even think straight,” said Ezra, rubbing his temples as he sat down on the dirt beneath him. Tegan joined him, stroking his leg gently.
“You're not alone. You'll never be alone again. I promise,” whispered Tegan, leaning her head against his arm.
Without another word, Ezra broke down, huge, choking sobs pouring out of him, the tremors of his tensed shoulders quivering erratically. Tegan silently placed an arm around him, holding him close to her. Mindlessly, she traced her fingertips across the flaky, nearly healed scars that dotted his misshapen knuckles as he heaved into her chest.
“I'm gonna go get clean,” announced Ezra, clearing his throat as he rose from the ground, “I'm going to check myself into rehab.”
“I'm happy to hear that,” said Tegan simply, her stomach knotting at the end of his statement, “How long will you be gone?”
“As long as it takes – this is something I gotta do,” said Ezra softly, squeezing her hand.
“I know, and I want you to. This is the right thing to do.”
“This is the best thing for all of us. I could never be the man I need to be if I don't get kick this, If I don't do this now – not to Aaliyah, not to Henry, not to you.”
“I know.”
“You need to promise me you're gonna take care of Aaliyah for me when I'm gone. And you're going to take c
are of yourself. You know you're beautiful, you don't need to be reminded everyday.”
“I know, Ezra.” The broad, genuine smile lit up her face.
His eyes brightened at the sound of his name, loving how it sounded out of Tegan's lips. He pulled her in once more, kissing her passionately. Before making their way back to the group, they stopped by the bank of Murphy Lake. Ezra hurled the tin into the water. Hand in hand, the pair made their way back, leaving a soft plop behind them.
With the sun bidding farewell to the pink and apricot streaked horizon, the group finally made their way back towards the parking lot. Henry leaned against his car, his arms folded across his chest as he waited for their arrival. He gave the group a spirited wave, beaming from ear to ear as he rushed to help them with their copious amounts of gear straddled across their hunched backs. His smile faltered at the sight of their solemn faces.
“Hey guys, how was the trip? Y'all had fun?” Henry chirped, his forehead wrinkling as Asher pushed past him and locked himself in the backseat.
“It was great, Dad,” smiled Tegan, “Don't mind him, he's in a shit mood, per usual.”
“It was great, Mr. Mathis. Wish you had joined us,” said Aaliyah, leaning in to give him a polite peck on the cheek.
“How'd the China market fiasco go down? Is everything alright?”
“Ah yes, we ended up working in agreement with the company and delayed the payback for the loan a few months,” said Henry cheerily.
“Hey, that's great news.”
“Hope they weren't too much of a burden, Ezra –”
“Henry, let's talk for a minute.”
Tegan watched as Ezra placed a hand behind his back, guiding him over to the side. Aaliyah and Tegan watched as they exchanged inaudible words, Ezra leaning over with a hand on Henry's shoulder as Henry listened intently, his fist against his mouth. Henry wrapped his arms around Ezra's shoulders and pulled him close, whispering something in Ezra's ear as he rubbed at his eye. The two men broke apart and separated to their cars.
“Alright baby girl, I'll call you later,” said Aaliyah, extending a fist. Tegan pumped it, and gave her best friend a swift hug.
