Twelve Tiny Truths

by M Dauphin

  "Morning, Blue." I grin, pressing my cock against her opening until she spreads her legs and lets me slip inside her. "I love you." I kiss her neck as she moans, gripping my shoulders.

  "I love you, Travis," she gasps, digging her nails into my shoulders and raking them down my arms. "Oh God, yes."

  I slam into her, dipping my head to latch my teeth onto her tit until she's arching up, moaning and pulling with need, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold off.

  "You gonna come again, Blue?" I grin, sitting back on my heels, taking her with me as we switch positions.

  "Oh shit," she moans, biting down on my shoulder as she rocks on top of me. "Oh God, Travis." Her voice is muffled in the crook of my neck and her hands tighten on my forearms as she pumps harder and tightens around me. "Fuck yes!" Her body starts to shake and her breath becomes ragged as she lets go.

  Watching her come around me, I can't hold back anymore and I let go as she rides out the final seconds of her orgasm. I wrap my fingers in her hair and pull her down over me one last time, grunting as I finish inside her.

  It takes her a minute, but she slides from my lap, spent and trying to get comfortable in bed again like we're taking a nap. Slapping her ass, I get off the bed as she gasps and sits up.

  "Get up, Blue. We need food. We're going to eat everything we can so I can make you fat and happy." I kiss her jaw and start pulling her from bed toward the bathroom.

  "I won't be happy if I'm fat, Travis," she grumbles, back to her sleepy state. When her stomach growls loudly I laugh and she sighs in defeat. "I guess I'm pretty hungry though."

  "Let's get you fat." I bite her shoulder and turn on the shower that's not big enough for both of us, but we'll manage.

  When we head out, I keep my arm around her as we walk down the street so she doesn't get hit by the dozens of tourists that we're in the mix of. The day consists of food, shopping, more food, and lastly, just enjoying the sights and sounds that Charlie has taught me to appreciate more than I ever have. By late afternoon, we take a break and sit on a hill taking in everything surrounding us. It's amazing the things she notices that I never would. She's pointed out three different sounds I would never hear because I'm too busy just watching.

  Forcing her up, I want to get her somewhere a little less touristy.

  "Where are we going?" She laughs. "Why are we walking so fast?"

  "There's a ton of people. And it's a secret. Close your eyes." I chuckle and she nudges me.

  "I'm not walking around with my eyes closed, Travis." She giggles.

  When we arrive, I pull her closer as we walk into Caves Des Abbesses. "Watch your step."

  She pauses just inside the door and takes a deep breath, smiling wide. "It smells amazing in here."

  We find a table at the back in the corner and a waiter walks over immediately because it's only us and two other people in here. My French…well, isn't, so I have a few blunders trying to order. I can't read the damn menu to Charlie anyway, so I order for her by pointing to what we want.

  "What'd you order?"

  "I don't know. Let's hope for the best," I mutter. "I think cheese. Well I know for sure cheese. Then some other…stuff. Wine. I ordered wine. I think it's wine." I bring the menu closer to my face like it's my eyesight that's misunderstanding the French words. "Yeah…we got stuff."

  She lets out an infectious laugh and shakes her head at me, the smile not leaving her face as we wait for our food. "I want to go to the Eiffel Tower tonight. Right after this. Can we go there right after this?"

  "Right after this." I stare at her across the table before reaching over and taking her hand that's sporting the ring Bev gave us and I rub my finger over it.

  "Is Bev divorced?" she quietly asks.

  "Uh, no." I smile. "Her husband died in the Vietnam war. Love of her life." I smirk.

  "Well I think it's beautiful that she gave it to you…for us." She smiles softly. "Thank you for bringing me here. I couldn't have imagined a better place or a better way to propose, you know. You've kind of blown every other man in the history of ever out of the water."

  "With my good looks? It's my good looks that snagged you, isn't it? Well, first it was my dick. Then had to have been my looks." I link our fingers right before the waiter comes with a spread of cheese, bread, and something green. While he pours me a glass of wine, I feel my smile falling because I don't drink wine but Charlie's grinning in excitement as she waits.

  "Merci." I nod to the waiter then clear my throat and lower my voice. "There's something green. I don't know what it is. You try it first." I glance behind me as I scoop some onto a piece of bread and put it in her hand. She slowly brings it to her nose, scrunching it when she sniffs then shakes her head.

  "It's green?" She giggles. "And you're making me the guinea pig just like that? What if this is cow brains or something!"

  "It's definitely not brains." Before I can say anything else, she pops it in her mouth without a second thought. Her face turns to a frown as she chews then she shakes her head quickly.

  "No." Her mouth’s full of bread and green goop. "Not okay." She manages to swallow then finds her wine glass and chugs almost the whole thing.

  "Oh!" I blurt as I watch her annihilate a forty-five dollar glass of wine. "Blue!" I laugh. "You just drank fifty bucks in under four seconds."

  "You made me eat fish eggs…or something! I probably just ingested a bunch of smooshed up baby fish. The wine was worth it. What else do we have on this plate?"

  "People pay hundreds of dollars for fish eggs, Chuck. It's caviar. But that was not caviar…it's like green Jello…anyway. Cheese." I cut her a piece. "And nuts." I gently place her hand on a walnut.

  She spends the next ten minutes tasting everything on the plate like she's in love. If only I could get her to make this face when her tongue is on me. It's close…okay, maybe it's not.

  "That was amazing," she sighs, holding tight to my elbow as we leave the café. "It's almost like I can enjoy it more without being able to see it. Like, the smell and taste of everything was so great, but I'm not sure I would have tried it had I seen it. Especially that green stuff." She shudders. "Glad I tried it, new things and all, but it was nasty."

  "I'm glad you were the guinea pig too." I kiss her temple and chuckle as she bumps me. "Let's go to the tower before it's too dark. I kind of want to get you in a bed before midnight."

  "I agree, for so many reasons." She smiles and gives me a nudge as we make our way through the city.

  As we approach the tower, I look up in awe, and I almost remember being a teenager, like when I saw it last. I don't want to think about back then though, so I focus on Charlie, kissing her head.

  "We're at the tower, Blue."

  She pauses, taking in the sounds of the crowd around us. A crying baby, a couple laughing. There's a tour group nearby and the leader is talking about the history of the tower. All these things I would have never picked up on before Charlie.

  "Tell me about it. Can we touch one of the legs?" She squeezes my hand, excitement filling her voice as a smile spreads wide across her face.

  I guide her through the throngs of people, keeping her close before we reach the structure. I guide her arm out and smile as she grins, reaching for it. Her fingers dance across the cold metal and over every ridge and bump of the joints. Both her hands reach out and her smile brightens.

  "Is it as huge as I'm picturing it?"

  "Remember when you said that about my dick?" I step back before her swinging hand hits me then wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her head. "Yeah, it's big, Blue. Almost a thousand feet of metal."

  "You did your research, I see." She laughs, grabbing onto my arms that are wrapped around her.

  "There's actually a plaque right in front of us that says it."

  "Really?" She looks skeptical.

  "No." I chuckle, nibbling her ear. "I should have waited to get you here to propose. I almost proposed on the plane five times, but that moment in
the hotel room." I close my eyes a second and remember the sun shining in on her. "That was the right time. Sorry there wasn't anything elaborate."

  "I'm happy it was just the two of us. Something like that isn't meant to be shared with strangers, Travis. And an elaborate proposal isn't necessary at all." She smiles and takes my hand as we walk the perimeter of the tower. "Your timing was perfect too. Being in the room was a lot less stressful than being out here with all these people. Plus, the sex after would have been awkward."

  I laugh and pull her closer, out of the way of a crowd of kids. "I’ve been following up on your dating site." I smirk when her eyebrow quirks up. "And you guys stream these huge, elaborate proposals and I tried to get ideas but they were all so…bad." I laugh with a shake of my head at these pathetic saps that try to buy a girl's engagement. One thing I love about Charlie, she's easy to woo. I'm not saying I'm lazy about it, but she got teary eyed when I once brought her a cherry that's shaped like a heart.

  "Yeah, some are lame." She chuckles. "I help the guys, or girls, with whatever they want when proposing, but that's not me. I've never been a huge fan of elaborate displays like that. Small, private, and simple is much more meaningful in my opinion."

  "Good, I'm glad we both agree only Bev and Gus need to be at the wedding." I kiss her lips before she can cut me off.

  "And Frankie," she says against my mouth, grinning. "And Kevin. And my parents…probably. Maybe. Or we can just get married here!"

  "If it keeps Frank out of our wedding, I'm all for it." I jump when she pinches my side. "Blue," I whisper as I pull my eyes from the tower and focus on the glow in her face. They may not work, but her eyes always have a light in them when we're together. One of the best feelings in the world is being confident the woman you love, loves you just as much. "Let's go back to the room." I kiss across her jaw.

  "Austin, you home?" Violet yells through the house and I jump up from bed after carefully removing Charlie from my chest. I quickly pull on sweat pants and storm to the door.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" I growl after closing the bedroom door.

  "Chill out, dude." She chuckles. "I'm going home tonight. It's boring as shit here."

  I glance back toward the door and hope Charlie's still asleep. "Is your brother there?"

  "Yeah, but I don't want to stay here anymore. Your couch sucks."

  "I don't think it's a good idea, Violet." I look at her scarred lip.

  "Anyway…" She mumbles. "So did you propose? Bev said you were going to."

  I smirk and walk to the kitchen, getting Charlie's coffee ready. "Yeah." I glance her way and she squeals.

  Grinning she says, "She totes said no, didn't she?"

  I chuckle and shake my head at her. "I really don't think it's a good idea for you to go back to your house. Let me talk to your mom first."

  "Fuck that. I don't think it's a good idea you lie to Charlie, but I'm not butting into your business."

  "I'm not lying to Charlie," I quietly snap.

  "Yeah, okay." She rolls her eyes. "So then you told her you're name's not really Travis?"

  "My fucking name is Travis, Violet. Just shut the fuck up."

  "Nooo… Your name's Austin and you've been lying to her. Have you told her you're in witness protection?"

  "Violet!" I shout and when I look up from the coffee pot I see Charlie standing in the hallway, leaned against the wall. I have no idea what she just heard. "Blue." I round the island and blow past Violet.

  "I didn't know you were here," Violet quickly says and rushes to the bathroom.

  "I'm making coffee," I blurt at Charlie, taking her hand to guide her to the kitchen but she yanks away. Her normally bright features look like she just heard every damn word Violet said.

  "You're in witness protection?" Her eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head. "I…" She pushes off the wall and walks past me, slowly making her way to the living room. "Who are you?" she whispers, turning toward me with confusion on her face.

  "What the hell do you mean?" I take her hands but she yanks back again. "I'm Travis. You know me, Chuck."

  "But that's not your real name?" She crosses her arms and takes a small step back.

  "Fuck," I groan and look down the hallway feeling hatred toward Violet when this wasn't actually her fault. The look on her face when she saw Charlie makes me believe she didn't realize she was here. "Fuck, fuck." I sit and she takes another step back as my leg touches hers. "Sit down," I insist while I try to think of a way out of this. The truth is the only way out of it.

  "What's your name, Travis?" Her voice is shaky and the look on her face is killing me. "Answer me!"

  "Goddammit! Sit down!" I grab her hips and yank her to the couch so we're touching. "Listen to me. Fuck." I huff and rub my face. "I'm in witness protection. My name's fucking Travis. Everything you know about me is who I am now. Travis Austin Burr. I wasn't born with the first name of Travis, it was Austin. But I'm not Austin anymore. I'm Travis. Your fiancé. This shit ain't a joke, Charlie. People aren't supposed to know this shit. It can put everyone in danger if my new identity is blown. You understand that, right? I didn't willingly tell Violet. She snooped my place and found some shit I should have never kept. That's why she knows." My palms are sweating as I hold her hands, not letting her pull them away.

  Her silence is like a knife in the gut. She takes a deep breath and squeezes her eyes closed before finally whispering, "I think I need to go home now. I…I agreed to marry a man I don't really know," she scoffs before trickling out a laugh. "I think I just need to go home." With a firm nod she pulls her hands away and stands.

  "You do fucking know me! The guy before jail is the one that's a fucking stranger! You can't seriously be pissed I tried protecting you from a really dangerous situation, Charlie. I'll take you home, but this conversation isn't fucking over," I snap and grab my shoes, slipping my feet into them without socks. I follow her down the hall and watch as she grabs her bag. "Please don't be fucking mad," I quietly beg.

  "I'm not mad." The grasp she has on her bag tells me she is. "I'm hurt. I'm confused. I have a lot to think about and I'd rather not do any of it here. With that girl still hiding in your bathroom."

  "For fuck's sake, Charlie." I throw on a shirt then jog behind her as she rushes to the door. When I try to help her with her coat, she yanks away from me. "Violet is only a friend. Bev cares a lot about her. You know you have nothing to worry about with Violet," I say while she storms out of the house like she's been lying this whole time about her eyesight.

  "From where I'm standing, she knows more about my fiancé than I do," she snaps. "She's an outsider and seems to know more about our relationship than me! I just need some space to think."

  "Space. Yeah, fine. Space. And Violet's not a fucking outsider," I snap as I get into the car. "She stays at my house, she eats my food. I'm practically taking care of her like she were my sister, Charlie! She's not an outsider and I'm sick of waiting for you to accept that. I fucking accepted Frankie!"

  "How would you feel if I had a guy living at my house, Travis? Living there, sharing everything with me? What if that guy knew all my secrets that I was holding back from you? Huh? Be honest, how would that make you feel? Add on top of it, finding out those secrets are fucking huge? Like, the type of huge that tells me I don't really know you? But you let her in!"

  "First of all!" I shout over her. "If you had a little kid, much like Violet is, living at your house, I wouldn't give a flying fuck! You know there's nothing between us except friendship and I'm trying to be a positive role model in her life! Secondly, you're fucking welcome I didn't tell you something that could get you fucking killed! Damn, Charlie! I didn't fucking tell Violet either. She did a bitch thing and snooped and started finding shit out about my past. Before she ran to tell you she discovered my birth name isn't Travis, I had to tell her why she needed to keep her mouth shut. I didn't confide in her to get us closer!"

  "You know what," she huffs. "It's fine. This isn'
t about Violet, I know she's not to blame here." She shakes her head. "I just can't wrap my head around something so bad that you couldn't tell me. What the hell did you do, Travis? Or should I call you Austin? How the hell can someone like you, someone that seems to be a good guy, have that bad of a past?"

  "Don't fucking call me Austin," I grit. "Ever. You can use it as my middle name, but don't call me Austin. I'm Travis." I exhale a deep breath then reach over and take her hand. "You knew I went to prison, Blue. I tell you all the time I was a bad ass kid. I did bad shit and got involved with really bad people."

  "I need to know everything," she whispers, taking her hand from mine. When her fingers start twisting her ring, I start to panic. "Everything, Travis. Every detail. If we're going to make this work, I need to know everything."

  "If I could tell you everything, Charlie, I would. I don't want to put your life in danger. Are you hearing me?"

  "My life apparently is already in danger, Travis," she hisses. "The minute you decided to wrap your life in mine, I'm probably already on someone's radar! And, I know your name, and I know you're in witness protection. There's just about everything I need to know that already has me in danger, so what's it going to hurt sharing the honest to God truth with your fiancée?" She huffs. "I need to know everything, Travis. I swear to God, if you don't tell me, I'm getting out of this car when we get to my apartment and not looking back. I'm not growing old with a man I don't know."

  I exhale a shaky breath wondering how much I should tell her. "Don't say that shit, Charlie," I snap at her. "I was selling drugs. Not some pot I grew in my backyard on the corner to kids. I was selling heavy shit for Mexican cartel. Me and my crew had to do the dirty work when someone didn't pay up. There was a frat that owed close to thirty grand, they weren't paying so me and my crew went to collect. I got busted."

  "Have you ever killed anyone?" Her eyes are cast out the window and her hands tight in her lap.

  "No. Not me. I've stood by while other guys in my crew did fucked up shit." My hands grip the steering wheel tightly.