The Touch Series Box Set

by t. h. snyder

  "Well then I guess you will be happy to know that I got you a little something." She says taking a small box and envelope out of her purse.

  "What is this? It isn't my birthday." I say unsure why she would be giving me a gift.

  "Well let me start by saying that you’ve made me the happiest girl in the whole wide world in a short amount of time. I never thought I could fall in love again. I dreamed of having my happily ever after like Chloe and Derrick and now here you are in front of me." She says tears swelling in her eyes.

  "Oh Char. Baby don't cry." I tell her wiping the tears from her cheeks.

  "I am so happy Riley and I don't know how this is all possible. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks and already I can't stand the thought of being away from you."

  "I know baby, I feel the same way." I want to make sure she knows I am in this for the long haul with her.

  She gets out a tissue and dabs at her face, careful not to mess the makeup she spent hours applying.

  "Any who, I wanted to give this to you. Open it."

  She hands me the box and envelope.

  "Which should I open first?" I ask weighing both in each hand.

  "Um, let's see, how about the box." She says clapping her hands with excitement.

  "Ok!"

  I begin to remove the paper from the box and inside is a ball. But this is not just any ball. This ball has signatures on it from the entire Red Sox baseball team.

  "Holy fuck Char, do you realize what this is?" I ask knowing very well she does.

  "Of course I do, now open the envelope." She demands.

  "I am a little star struck at the moment, give me a second."

  I inspect the ball and it has every single player's autograph. This is fucking amazing. I’ve never received a gift like this before.

  I tear into the envelope not ready to see what’s inside. I pull out five tickets to next week's game.

  "Holy shit Char, this is unbelievable babe."

  I get out of my chair and make my way over to Char's. I pick her up and twirl her around. I can't believe she went and did this.

  "You have no idea how excited I am right now." I tell her kissing her all over her face.

  She giggles that sexy noise and says, "Oh I can imagine."

  "I can't wait to get you home and thank you properly. You have just made me the happiest guy in all of Boston."

  "Well I highly doubt that, but I appreciate your enthusiasm." I say with a chuckle.

  Last night was a little off after we got home from dinner. Riley got a mysterious call and didn't really mention much about it when he got off.

  Instead he just suggested that we call it a night and snuggled up in my bed.

  This morning I was woken by a loud noise. Not sure what it was I got up and saw that Riley was gone.

  After a few moments of panic I discovered where he is and what the noise was coming from outside.

  Now I’m doing something I never thought I would.

  This very moment I’m sitting on the back of a Harley, which could be stolen, setting off into the sunset with an amazing guy. His strong muscular form is driving and the vibrations of the motor shiver through our bodies.

  I recall the past few years I’d spent with my ex-boyfriend, Marc. I close my eyes and rest my chin on this man’s back. It’s easy to remember the heartache and the pain of loneliness. I can still sense the tears I shed for Marc. My ex never cared for me the way I loved him. I was in love with Marc for years; he played my family and me for fools. Marc stole my heart and stomped on it the day I found him in bed with my best friend Natalie. That day I lost Marc and I lost a huge part of me as well. I told myself I wouldn’t give my heart to another man again.

  The wind ripping through us feels cool against my body and it’s tangling through my thick, wavy, brown hair. I scan my eyes looking along his powerfully built chest and see my arms wrapped around his waist for fear that I may fall. The mere thought of falling in love scared me for too long.

  My eyes move over his broad left shoulder and I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the side mirror. The twinkle in my big-brown eyes and the smile across my face bring out an emotion as if I’m a little girl just waking up on Christmas morning.

  I have a sense of freedom that I haven't experienced in a long time. I never imagined emotions this strong would consume me again.

  The past few weeks are nothing I ever imagined. This man in front of me is the one who allows me to be me. He loves me for the person I am, not the woman he wants me to be.

  Riley turns into a little restaurant along the side of the road. We’ve been driving for about an hour or so and I really have no clue where we are or whose bike just got us here.

  He hops off the motorcycle with the grace of an avid rider. I reach for his hand and he helps me get off without knocking the whole thing over.

  "So, what did you think?" He asks looking at me and my now wind-blown hair.

  "Well, nothing at all like I expected." I say with a confused expression.

  "Why are you giving me that look babe?" He asks.

  "Ha, I got to tell you Riley. I’m bit out of sorts here. I wake up this morning and you’re gone, then out of nowhere you show up with a motorcycle in the front of my apartment."

  "Oh that, yea I can see where that would be a bit odd." He laughs and kicks at the dirt along the parking lot.

  I move toward him and take his trembling hands in mine.

  "Come on Riley, fill me in. I mean don't get me wrong the ride was fun, but what’s going on here."

  "Ok well the motorcycle was one of the things Emma found in the storage lot. It was pretty much the only thing I wanted, but didn't know how to get back to Boston. Initially Emma called a guy and he said he could have it here by this afternoon, but lucky enough he delivered it last night to Derrick's place."

  "So this is yours?" I ask walking around the bike.

  "It is now, this bike is ours!" He says with such excitement in his voice.

  "This is great, its amazing Riley. So it was your Dad's? Did you know he rode a Harley?"

  "Nah, neither Emma nor I did. That’s why I wanted it so bad. It’s like they had a secret life and now you and I get to live it again for them."

  "You know I’ll follow where ever you go babe. I like the idea that we can just hop on the bike and ride off into the sunset."

  "Kind of like we just did?" He asks with a huge grin.

  "Yea!" I giggle.

  "Char, I have a feeling we will be escaping a lot into the sunset looking into our future."

  Last night Derrick called to let me know that the motorcycle had been delivered a day early. After Char had given me my surprise, I wanted to be able to do the same for her today.

  Leaving her this morning to come get the bike was hard; especially when she looked so beautiful and peaceful sleeping in her bed.

  But I would never take back a moment of my journey that has gotten me to this point of my life with Char.

  We took a nice long drive today into the sunset with Dad's bike. Now as my girl is behind me on our way back to Boston I feel a huge sense of relief flood through my body.

  A lot of things have been thrown at me over the past few months and it all is starting to make sense.

  My parent’s death was all too sudden and I miss both of them every day that they are gone. But even when they were here with us, they still led a life that we didn’t know that much about.

  I don't know how or when they would’ve told me about signing the business over to me. I don't really understand why they kept it from me and Emma either.

  Then there is the bike and the boat. Who would’ve thought my conservative parents were Harley folk, surely not I.

  The few things I gave them while they were alive were not nearly enough to thank them for all that they provided to me. One thing is for certain that they loved and supported me more than I could ever deserve and for that I am grateful.

  If it was not for their death a
nd our loss I would never have met the love of my life. I may not have ever known that I had a business. I may never have been able to take Char for a ride on this motorcycle.

  I now know, better than anyone that everything happens for a reason.

  My reason for moving to Boston wasn’t to meet an incredible woman, but I did and she has changed my life for the better.

  No matter what, Char is my future.

  No matter what, I need Char in my life.

  No matter what, I cannot live without Char's touch.

  "Jesus Christ Char, how much shit did you have stored in that little one bedroom apartment?" Derrick asks with a pout.

  "Let's get a move on it Wendy the Whiner!" Daddy says pushing past Derrick with a chair in hand.

  "Look pal you’re the one that offered to help us move, so you have no one to blame but yourself." Riley says while passing Derrick by with an arm load of boxes.

  "That’s because I thought you would pay to have movers come and move all this shit." Derrick adds while sitting down on our front steps.

  "No way, Char and I were perfectly content making this move on our own. Plus we don't need to pay some assholes to move Char's underwear down the street." Riley says while wiggling his sexy eyebrows at me.

  "Wait which box holds Char's underwear because I sure as hell don't want to grab that one." Daddy says with a nervous laugh.

  "Don't worry Daddy, my underwear are not in the moving truck. You’re safe."I say with a silly laugh.

  "Come on deadbeat, there really isn't that much left in the truck. The faster you move the quicker we can all eat the lunch Char and Teresa made for us." Riley tells Derrick.

  I have to laugh at these three men, they are a huge part of my world; especially that tall, handsome, and sexy as hell one entering the house. He is gorgeous and he is all mine. I can hardly believe four months have gone by and here we are moving into our first home together. 137 Front St will forever be a place for us to make new memories and create our future together.

  We didn't pick the best time of year to buy a house. Considering it’s a week before the holidays and 20 degrees outside, but I am grateful for the help of my family. I’m also so excited to spend my first Christmas with Riley in our new house. We won't be going overboard with crazy decorations this year because of our trip to visit Chloe for New Year's Eve. Still we will have everything we need right here in our home; just me, Riley, and oh Manny of course.

  Some may think we are taking things too fast, but you know what I have to say to them? To hell with ya! A lot of drama has hit us since we first met, but we have proven to ourselves that our relationship can stand the test of time. Riley and I have a bond that no one will ever break. We have a connection that runs deeper than the touch of our skin. The two of us truly are soul mates and meant to be together forever. I can't wait to spend my future with him.

  Today we start our new beginning.

  Tonight we make love in our new bed.

  Forever I will be able to say to my love, touch me, and those words will mean more than anyone will ever know.

  Halo by Beyonce

  God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton

  Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars

  Treasure by Bruno Mars

  Come on Over by Christina Aguilera

  Lego House by Ed Sheeran

  Don’t You Wanna Stay by Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean

  Say by John Mayer

  Love Somebody by Maroon 5

  Angel of Mine by Monica

  Madness by Muse

  Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips

  1, 2, 3, 4 by Plain White T’s

  Someone once told me everyone has a special someone they are meant to be with forever. A man who will be my world, my partner in life, and the one person I can grow old with and always be by my side.

  Maybe I never found that right person to begin with.

  No! That can’t be right. I had my person and I was too wrapped up in my own little bubble to realize what was right in front of me.

  He was the one.

  He was my forever.

  I screwed it up over my own damn selfish needs.

  I thought I had chosen the path in life that was best for me, but I seem to have lost my soul mate along the way.

  Waiting to board a plane back to Boston, I sit here wondering if I made the right choices in life. Did I follow the path that would take me in the right direction? Could I have done something different that would change the outcomes I’m faced with right now?

  I haven’t seen or spoken to him in four months. Four long, torturous months dealing with what I did to us and our happily ever after. I know I’ll run into him soon, but when I do I’m not sure how he’ll react. He could accept me in an embrace or turn the corner and run the other way.

  What did I do?

  The choices I’ve made changed my life in only a short period of time and I fear I may have lost him forever.

  At one time he was all I ever knew. The two of us were so in sync with the other no force field could tear us apart. I can hear him whisper in my ear. “Chloe you and I will stand the test of time because I was touched by you and only you.”

  I, Chloe Taylor, am faced with a decision I may not like myself for in the next few hours. Only time will tell what is meant to be and for now I have a much bigger weight on my plate than that of my love life.

  I sit under the giant weeping willow tree at my parent’s house, waiting for him. This is our meeting spot, the place where we can be together and no one can bother us. We’ve been meeting up at this exact tree for years and now it’s the last time he’ll come and meet me as my high school boyfriend.

  I’m leaving for college tomorrow.

  I’ll be moving to New York to attend NYU with a few friends and my cousin Lucy. This is a huge opportunity for me. I’m more than ecstatic to start a new chapter of my life, only if the distance from my boyfriend wasn’t making me have second thoughts.

  Derrick and I have known each other since the first grade when his family moved to Boston. Since that time we’ve always been friends, but we never shared our true feelings for one another until our junior year of high school.

  I sit back on the bench under our tree and remember like it was yesterday.

  It was the day before our junior prom when I had my very first emotional melt down in front of Derrick.

  I was asked by quite a few of my classmates to go to prom, but I kept saying no in hopes that Derrick would ask me.

  It’s the day before prom and I sit in my room crying for hours.

  How is it possible that Chloe Taylor is going to miss prom because of a guy?

  Derrick climbs up to my bedroom window and asks me what’s wrong. I’m so upset, so embarrassed. I don’t think I can pull up the courage to tell him that he’s the reason I’m having an emotional breakdown.

  “Chloe what’s wrong, why are you crying?” He asks.

  “It’s nothing I can talk to you about Derrick.” I reply in between sniffles.

  “Come on Chloe, you know you can talk to me about anything. We’re damn good friends and I won’t judge you if that’s what you’re worried about.” He tells me in his Dr. Phil voice.

  I let out a giggle. Derrick always knows how to make me laugh when I’m sad. He’s been here for me for years and I’m always too afraid to tell him how I feel. My god, what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me. Could I deal with the rejection of Derrick Peters? I’m the most popular girl in my school and here I am swooning over a guy that may not like me more than just a friend.

  “It’s just…ugh…god Derrick it’s so embarrassing.” I tell him with my hands hiding my face.

  “Look, I’m not going to ask you again so if you want to tell me fine. If not then I’ll just climb back out of your room and leave you be.” He says in a pissed off tone.

  “No please don’t go Derrick. I’m sorry for being all girly with you. I’m just really upset that I don’t have a date to prom tomorr
ow.”

  I remove my hands from my face and look up into his baby blue eyes. He’s hysterically laughing at me. What the hell is wrong with this guy and why do I find myself so attracted by the fact that he’s making fun of me?

  “Whatever asshole, this is exactly why I wasn’t going to say anything to you.” I respond to him and begin to stand moving across my bedroom.

  “Stop it Chloe. I’m not laughing at you. I just find it odd that over a dozen guys asked you to prom and yet you still don’t have a date. Why is that Chloe?” He asks while he walks over to me and begins staring at my lips.

  I look up into his eyes and see my friend, but as I begin to look a little deeper I see something I never noticed before. I see his desire for me.

  “I guess I was just waiting for the right guy to ask me.” I say biting my thumb nail in a nervous gesture.

  He’s looking down at me intently and I can tell the wheels are spinning in his head.

  “Well if you had someone in mind why didn’t you just ask him?”

  I let out a laugh.

  “Oh come on Derrick that’s just not right. This is prom and it’s customary for the gentleman to ask the lady.” I tell him.

  “Well the way I see it, if you would’ve broken the custom and just asked the guy you wanted to go with you wouldn’t be in this predicament. Now would you?” He asks moving closer to me.

  I begin to feel nervous, anxious that Derrick Peters is coming so close to me. I’m not sure what he’s up to, but with the look in his eyes I can tell that any friendship I share with him is about to be thrown out the window.

  “Derrick?” I ask in a whisper.

  “Yes Chloe.” He replies

  He’s so close to me in this moment. I can feel his warm breath and the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand. I know that I’m attracted to this guy, but I have no idea what game he’s playing with me.

  “I was wondering.” I tell him.

  “Wondering what Chloe?” He asks.

  He is seriously standing only inches from me. I can feel the heat of his chest radiating onto me. I want to grab hold of his polo and pull his body against my own.