Forever and Almost Always

by Bennett, Amanda

  Before I had the chance to over analyze anything else, I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him, rough and ferociously. While I was busy engaging his mouth, his hands reached down, wrapping them around his waist. Suddenly I could feel his excitement for me, and this only intensified our kissing. I moved my hips against his erection to let him know what I needed, and without having to say a word; he did exactly what I had wanted him to do all along.

  His fingers rubbed against my clit through my bikini bottoms, and I threw my head back in pure pleasure. As if that wasn’t hard enough to take, he then moved my swimsuit to the side and thrust his fingers deep inside of me. Causing me to cry out, as he muffled the sound with his mouth. His tongue began moving in sync with his fingers. I could feel myself getting closer, but I wasn’t ready to be done yet. I needed some more time. Unfortunately, Dax had other ideas.

  His fingers slipped in and out of me with ease because of the water, and the faster he moved them, the closer I got. I dug my nails deep into his shoulder blades, leaving tiny trails of red across the parts I could see. My walls tightened around his fingers, and as they greedily sucked him back in, he quickly replaced them with his rock hard erection. Without warning, he thrust deep inside me, as I cried out his name. A few minutes later, he was right there with me joining in on the amazing orgasm I was experiencing. He whispered my name so quietly that I almost missed it, but when he said it, I smiled. It was a first for me, and I was hoping it wouldn’t be the last.

  Dax pulled his head back from my shoulder, and my body instantly went cold. I shivered only once, before Dax was carrying me out of the water and over to my chair. He wrapped my towel tightly around me and then ran back to gather my bikini top from the ground. He motioned for me to turn so he could tie it back on for me, and my heart soared. As his fingers grazed my skin, they left small heated trails over ever piece of exposed skin that he touched. When he was done, I turned back towards him and found him sitting with a wide grin, lighting up his entire face.

  “What’s with you?” I playfully slapped his leg, as I turned in my chair to get more comfortable.

  “Nothing.”

  “Well I’m not going to force it out of you.” I leaned back and closed my eyes, letting the sun soak up the tiny droplets of water that were left on my skin.

  I heard a noise come from Dax’s mouth, like he was about to say something when the sound was cut off by Trevor and Taylor making their presence known, as they walked in our direction.

  “What are you two doing?” Trevor shouted.

  “Trevor, I know the radio is on, but fuck you are loud.” I teased.

  “Oh please. So what are we doing? We going swimming or what?”

  Dax and I shared a knowing glance and tried our damnedest to not laugh. “We just got out for a minute, but you guys are more than welcome to hop in.” I answered for the both of us.

  “Nice. Let’s go Taylor. Get your fine ass into that bikini and let’s do this.”

  Taylor looked at me hesitantly, and I knew exactly what was bothering her. Since the birth of her daughter, she was having a hard time losing the weight, but I thought she was crazy. Taylor stood at about five ten, and had always been this tiny, skinny as shit thing. She never had to work out, and even though she had gained some extra weight with her daughter, she still looked phenomenal. The girl was crazy always thinking she was fat.

  “I have a different suit, if you wanna borrow it.” I offered.

  “No, it’s okay.”

  She slowly slipped out of her cover up, and then jumped into the pool before anybody else could see her. I just shook my head and went back to soaking up the rest of the afternoon sun. I felt Dax’s fingers graze my arm. It was almost as if a volt of electricity shot straight through me. I didn’t open my eyes though, just relished in the amazing feeling of his fingers touching me.

  I could faintly hear the conversation that was going on in the pool, when my eyes suddenly shot open. I glanced over at Taylor, who just shrugged her shoulders. Did she seriously just tell Trevor about Katie? Taylor rarely ever told any guy about her daughter, and given the fact that she was making such a big deal out of needing to tell Aaron, I was flabbergasted that she just blurted it out to Trevor.

  I glanced over at Dax, but he looked to be sound asleep. I made my way over to the edge of the pool and slid down into the water between the two of them. I looked over at Trevor who was talking about how much he loved kids, and that any guy who cared that she had a kid wasn’t worth her time anyway. My mouth dropped open as he went on and on about how he had dated a single mom before, and that he really didn’t care either way. I wasn’t sure of Trevor’s age, but I knew most guys wouldn’t be okay with everything that he seemed to be okay with. Before Taylor could react to what he was saying, I decided to jump in.

  “So Trevor, do you ever want to have kids of your own?”

  “Most definitely. I mean not right now, but someday for sure.”

  “And you’re okay with the fact that Taylor has a daughter? A baby that takes first priority over everything else in her life?”

  “Jeez Charlee, give him a break. It’s not like we are going to run off and get married tomorrow. He knows I’m talking to Aaron, we were just talking.”

  I looked over at Taylor, “I know, I’m just looking out for you. You have a different lifestyle than most other people our age. I’m just curious why he’s so okay with it all?” I looked back over at Trevor, who was now playing with water in his hands.

  “Speaking of Aaron. Look, I’m not trying to dissuade you from anything you want to do, but you should know that Aaron gets really weird about dating girls with kids. It’s basically a deal breaker for him.”

  I was instantly shocked at Trevor’s omission, but what shocked me even more was what came out of Dax’s mouth as he jumped in the pool behind me.

  “Dude, that’s so not your place to say. Maybe you should let Aaron make that choice.”

  “Look guys, let’s just drop it. I’ll talk to Aaron about it when the time is right. If that’s not something he can deal with, well then, we won’t work out.” Taylor laughed, but I knew what Trevor had said hurt her feelings. The look on her face was one of hurt and almost disgust in the fact that Aaron could be such a dick.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Dax

  The next two weeks flew by quickly with dates, sleepovers, and plenty of house parties that eventually turned into a private party for two in my room. I was unbelievably happy with Charlee, and I found myself wanting to spend practically every waking minute with her. She started staying at my house regularly. And every morning that I left for work and she was still there, I would leave her small notes around my room and usually on the bathroom mirror.

  We were learning more and more about each other everyday, and the more I learned about her, the more I was starting to love her. Charlee was so different from any other girl I had ever dated, and it was refreshing to finally be dating somebody who wasn’t all about the drama and drugs.

  I hadn’t had anymore run ins with Rachael, but I knew she wouldn’t just disappear, even though that’s exactly what I wanted her to do. I wouldn’t care that she was around, but things with her hadn’t ended very well, and unfortunately, she knew more about me then I cared to share.

  It was finally Friday again, and tonight we were having a big shindig at our house. Everybody was going to be there, but I couldn’t wait to see one person in particular. I pulled into the driveway twenty minutes later and realized that the party had obviously started a little bit early. Granted it was almost eight o’clock, but damn I couldn’t even find somewhere to park. Knowing that I hadn’t met Charlee’s mom yet, might cause a problem if I parked in their driveway, but I was willing to take the risk.

  I parked next to Charlee’s car and ran across the yard to my house. When I swung open the door, the sight I saw was a first for me. There on the back of the couch sat my girl, braiding Wilton’s afro. I instantly started busting up laughin
g, when everyone looked up at me.

  “What the hell do you have my girl doing to you Wilton?” I made my way over to the both of them, planting a kiss right on my girl’s mouth. “Hey there.”

  “Hi baby.” She smiled.

  “What the hell are you doing, baby?”

  “Wilton said he wanted braids back in his hair and I know how to do them, so I offered.” She was so fucking adorable.

  “Well alrighty then. You want anything to drink? I’m gonna go grab something.”

  “A beer please.”

  “Done.”

  I walked over the tons of people scattered across the floor and couches, as I tried to make my way into the kitchen. I grabbed a few beers from the fridge, and then started making my way back out to the living room. I was almost close enough to plop myself down next to my girl, when a blur of brown hair flashed in front of me.

  “Rachael, why are you here?”

  “I was invited. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you.” She winked, and then walked out back.

  Sure she wouldn’t. Lying bitch. I plopped myself down on the couch next to Charlee and Wilton. “Hey where’s Taylor? She decided not to come tonight?”

  “She’s out back with Aaron.” I could sense the irritation in Charlee’s voice immediately.

  “I’ll be right back.” I snagged both beers and started making my way out back. There were even more people outside, than there were in the house. I glanced back and forth, not seeing Taylor or Aaron anywhere. I moved past the crowd and into the rocks that led to Charlee’s house. I caught a glimpse of Taylor in the corner, but Aaron was nowhere to be seen. I was about to walk away, but then I caught a glimpse of a stray tear falling down Taylor’s face, before she turned back towards the wall. I really didn’t want to get involved, but honestly did I really have a choice?

  “Taylor, you okay?” She turned at the sound of my voice, but quickly turned back around when she noticed it was me. “Taylor, please talk to me.”

  “Your friend is an asshole.”

  “Okay, you’re going to have to narrow that down a bit. Which one?”

  “Aaron. Who do you think? All I did was try to be honest with him. I mean, we’ve been hanging out for a few weeks now and I decide to tell him about my daughter. He straight looked me in the face and said, he doesn’t deal with kids. It’s too much baggage for him to handle.”

  I foresaw this happening, I swear I did. I even tried to warn Charlee about it. Hell, even Trevor tried to warn Taylor himself. Stubborn ass women, I tell you what. “Look Taylor, Aaron is only nineteen. He has no clue how to even be an adult half of the time. Trust me when I say, you’re better off. He wouldn’t have made it two days around a baby. But I am sorry that he was a dick about it.”

  “Thanks, Dax. I really appreciate it.”

  “Your welcome. So, you wanna come back inside?”

  “Sure.”

  As I turned to start walking back inside, Taylor’s arms were wrapped around me, rendering me immobile. I wasn’t sure how to react, and I sure as hell wasn’t sure how Charlee would react if she saw us. I gave Taylor a quick squeeze and then turned out of her embrace. I looked back once to see if she was following, but she was still a few steps behind me. I lit up a smoke as I reached the edge of the porch, and took a long pull off of my beer bottle. Taylor walked right past me seconds later, and I was grateful that this didn’t turn awkward.

  I started a mundane conversation with some random people that I didn’t know very well, and tried to steer clear of the house for a little bit. My girl was busy doing my roommates hair, her best friend just hugged me, and all I wanted to do was pull my girl into my room and bury myself deep inside of her. Instead, here I stood, smoking and drinking with strangers.

  About an hour later, people started heading home and the house became less and less crowded. I was about to go back inside, when a very angry Charlee came walking out the sliding glass door.

  “What the hell, Dax?”

  “What?”

  “Seriously? I haven’t seen you in over an hour. You couldn’t come back inside and at least say hello or hang out with me?”

  “You were busy.” This, apparently wasn’t the answer she was looking for. “I’m sorry, baby. I came out and found Taylor, and then got distracted talking to some people. Forgive me?” I pulled her into my chest and held her tight.

  “I guess so.” She whispered. “You going to be ready to go to bed soon?”

  “You read my mind, although sleeping wasn’t what I had on the agenda.” I whispered softly into her ear.

  “Maybe I’ll just sleep at home tonight.” I could hear the disdain in her voice, only I wasn’t certain what I had done to put it there.

  “What? Wait, why?” I pushed her back from me a bit, so I could get a better look at her.

  “I’ve been here almost every night. I just want to sleep in my bed tonight. I’ll see you in the morning though, I’m sure.” She placed a chaste kiss to my lips and turned to walk back inside.

  Before I could even think of anything to say, to stop her or make her change her mind, she was already heading out the front door. I watched through the glass as she closed the door behind her, and didn’t look back once. I was completely and utterly confused. I gathered up all the empty beer bottles and cans, and hauled them inside to throw them away. Wilton’s door to his room was closed, but I could still hear music playing, so I stopped and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  I walked into Wilton’s room, and found him lounging across his bed as he watched TV. “What’s up, bro?”

  “Hey, what’s going on with Charlee? She seemed fine when I first got here, but she went home tonight.”

  “She may have overheard me saying something to Rachael about you.”

  “Holy shit, Wilton. Why didn’t you fucking say something to me?”

  “I couldn’t find you. I’m sorry, man. I really am. I promise you, Rachael will never come back here again.”

  “Thanks. Alright, well I’m headed to bed. See ya in the morning.”

  “See ya.”

  I closed Wilton’s door and made my way across the house. When I closed my door, I collapsed onto my bed, and that’s exactly where I stayed until morning. At least while I was sleeping, there would be no drama for me to deal with.

  Chapter Twenty

  Charlee

  I had a hell of a time falling asleep when I first got home, but after four cigarettes, a few laps in the pool, and a half a bottle of vodka, I was damn near ready to pass out where I stood. I had been staring out the kitchen window towards his house for at least an hour now, but he never showed. The lights never came on and there was no inclination that he was thinking about me too.

  Around three in the morning, I finally walked the twenty feet to my bedroom and curled up in a tight ball beneath the covers. As much as I had wanted to stay with him again, my heart just wasn’t willing to deal with the consequences the next morning. Wilton had made it perfectly clear last night who exactly Rachael was, and why she was at their house. And as much as I wanted to give Dax the benefit of the doubt, it was starting to look grim, after what I had heard.

  I shook the remaining bad thoughts of the two of them from my mind, and hustled into the shower. I had quite a few errands to run before my mom got home, and if I didn’t have them done by then, she would have my ass. I didn’t even bother glancing over at Dax’s house, as I left the driveway. There was no need to. I knew that if he wanted to see or talk to me, he knew where to find me.

  When I pulled up to Home Depot just around the corner from my house, I noticed a tall tattooed guy standing against a white car, hitting on some poor girl. Immediately I recognized it was Trevor. As much as I wanted answers to my questions from anybody who knew Dax, this wasn’t the right guy. I quickly made my way past the car and Trevor, and then let out a long breath. I was just thankful that I didn’t have to stay and talk to him, he-.

  “Hey Charlee, wait up.”

/>   Shit! Of course he would notice me regardless. How could I have expected anything less from a guy who would never learn to walk away from a set of boobs. I kept walking, slowing my pace just a tad, so he was able to catch up to me by the time I went inside.

  “Charlee?”

  I turned slightly, just enough to see his face. “Oh hey, Trevor. I didn’t realize that was you. What’s going on?”

  Trevor draped his arm over my shoulders, pulling me close into his side. “Nothing much. What are you up to? I figured you would be shacked up all day with my boy.”

  I playfully rolled my eyes at him, “And what gave you that idea?”

  “A little birdie told me.” He whispered against my damp skin, sending goose bumps all down my spine, but they didn’t arouse me in the way that Dax’s did.

  “Well that little birdie slept alone last night. Just in case you were wondering.”

  “I wasn’t, but thanks. So did he tell you yet?”

  This caught me off guard, “Tell me what?” Confusion must’ve been written across my face, because Trevor was now looking at me the same way.

  “Oh shit, sorry. Never mind.”

  “No, not never mind. What are you talking about?” I turned into Trevor and gave him my best puppy dog eyes, hoping he would play right into them. And sure enough, he did.

  “Him and Wilton have to move out. They only have a month left to live there. No biggie though. I think Dax has already found a place.”

  I nervously began fidgeting with my hair, and kicking the ground with the toe of my shoe. “Where did he find a place at?”

  “In Mesa, I think. The apartments that his buddy Ernie from work lives in.”

  Doesn’t that figure. I tried to keep my expression as stoic as possible, not wanting Trevor to know how much this little bit of news affected me. Why would he move so far away? Apparently, I had seen us moving forward far more than he did.