Saving Us

by Ashley Johnson

  “What do you have in mind?” she says.

  I look at her and grin trying to contain my excitement. “Let’s go bowling today.”

  She looks at me and laughs and then her laughter fades when she realizes I’m serious. “I’ve never really been bowling. I suck at it.”

  “So what. It’ll be fun. Trust me.” I say hoping she will decide to go.

  She studies my face and then lets out a sigh. “Ok, I’ll go but you can’t laugh at me.”

  “I can’t promise you that, babe.” There I go calling her babe again. I don’t mean to, it just slips out. She blushes profusely and begins to stand. I stand beside her and smile.

  “If you laugh at me, I’m walking home.” She says.

  “I’m not going to laugh at you. Come on, let’s go. I’ll drive.” I reach for her hand and she stares at me for a moment before placing hers in mine. I lead her out to the truck and open her door. She climbs in and puts her seatbelt on. I shut the door and then head to my side.

  The truck roars to life and I turn down the radio so she doesn’t go deaf. She immediately bursts out laughing and I glare in her direction.

  “Is something funny?” I ask.

  “Were you seriously listening to The Beastie Boys?” she asks.

  “Sybil, don’t make me throw you out the truck. Don’t judge, ok. Everyone loves their Licensed to Ill album.” I say with a straight face.

  She rolls her eyes and laughs out loud. “Wow Cory, I never would have pegged you for a Beastie Boys fan.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Sybil. I even like Bruno Mars. Are you going to laugh at me for that too?”

  She doubles over laughing and I almost have the thought to pull the truck over but I keep driving. “Wow, Bruno Mars, huh? Tell me do you like Britney Spears too?”

  I glare at her and then turn my head back to the road. “It’s on Sybil. I’m going to whoop your ass in bowling and laugh the entire time.”

  “Yeah, ok Cory. I’m not scared of you. Tell me what your favorite Britney song is?” she jokes.

  “Screw you, Sybil. And I’d prefer Christina Aguilera over Britney any day.”

  “Please stop before I pee my pants!” she begs laughing harder than before.

  I love her laugh. It brings light to any situation and it just shows that she’s getting more comfortable with me. I’d do anything in my power to keep her smiling and laughing like this all the time.

  “What? You asked! I’m just telling you. Don’t judge me, you probably listen to Justin Bieber.”

  “Hell no, I prefer One Direction.” She says with a smirk.

  “Dork,” I say as I pull into the bowling alley. She leans over and punches me in the arm and I kinda have to wince in pain. She hits hard.

  I park the truck and walk to open her door. As she steps out, I can’t help but laugh and she glares at me. “What’s your favorite One Direction song?”

  She hits me again and I bust out laughing. I turn to walk towards the entrance and she follows close behind me. I pay for a few games and we get our shoes. She follows me close to pick out her ball. She settles on an eight pound lime green ball. I set up our screen and then look at her.

  “I’ll be right back, I’m going to get us a pitcher of beer. Maybe this way you won’t suck so badly.”

  She glares at me and crosses her arms over her chest. “Whatever, asshole.”

  “Chill Syb, I’ll be right back.”

  Moments later, I return with a pitcher of beer and two cups. I pour hers first and hand it to her. She reluctantly takes a few sips before looking at the screen. Her name is first. She takes a deep breath before walking up to grab her ball. She walks up to the line and does her best to look like a pro. Unfortunately for her, the ball goes straight to the gutter.

  Before I can say anything, she turns and glares at me. “Don’t you say a word.”

  I laugh as she goes straight for her cup and downs the rest. She pours herself another cup and then drinks half of that. I shake my head and laugh as I pick up my blue ball and walk up to the line. I let the ball slide off my fingers and it rolls smoothly down the middle knocking down every single pin. I just got a strike. I smile widely as I turn to face her. She downs the other half of her beer and refills the cup for a third time. She stands and brushes past me, just enough to send chills through my body. She grabs her ball again and steps back up to the line. She lets the ball roll and manages to knock down four pins. She almost gets a spare but misses two of the pins. I have to fight my laughter as she looks at me pissed.

  Three games in and five pitchers of beer later, I’m feeling amazing. Sybil is almost drunk. I can tell because her cheeks are rosy red and she’s laughing uncontrollably at everything. So far she’s gotten lucky and made one strike and the rest have been mostly gutter balls. She downs the cup of beer in front of her and gets ready to refill but the pitcher is empty. She frowns and pushes her lips out as she begins to pout.

  “Cory, we’re out of beer. How can I beat you with no beer?” she asks with the sexiest voice.

  “Have you been watching the scoreboard, babe? Because I’m pretty sure you haven’t won a single game.” I laugh.

  “You’re wrong, babe, I won at least one game.”

  “No, Sybil, you haven’t.”

  “Check your eyes, Cory. My score is higher than yours.”

  “I think you’re drunk.” I say laughing.

  “Maybe I am.” She grins. “Maybe I just want to win.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” I laugh at her.

  “You’re mean.” She pouts. “I want to win.”

  “Sybil, you actually have to make it down the lane to knock down some pins.”

  She has one more turn and walks confidently up to the line and she lets the ball go. It rolls perfectly down the middle and I see her hands fly up to her mouth. It’s going straight towards the pins and in one swift movement all the pins fall down. She turns to face me wearing the biggest grin on her face. Before I can blink, she runs right up to me and jumps into my arms. I catch her and her legs wrap around my waist.

  “I did it, Cory! I beat you!” she says right before her lips land on mine. I don’t have any time to think about what just happened, I just kiss her back long and hard. When she breaks the kiss, she looks me dead in the eyes. “Let’s go home.”

  I want to argue that we haven’t finished the game but I’d be a damn fool to tell her no. We turn in our shoes and walk straight to the truck.

  ***

  Sybil

  My brain is fuzzy but seems to be working just right. Cory probably shouldn’t be driving, but he gets us home safely. I laugh as he opens the door for me and scoops me right into his arms. I expect him to set me on my feet when we get inside but he sets me on the counter. The same counter we seem to be in front of every time something happens. He gazes at me with hooded eyes and his lips softly land on mine. I kiss him back like he’s the only man left on this earth, like he’s all I need to survive.

  He lets out a moan as I reach around to pull him closer. I need to feel him closer. My hands move under his shirt and I can feel his toned, muscular body. The same toned chest I felt the night before, oh man he is amazing. I tug the fabric of the shirt and he moves his hands from me to lift the shirt over his head. This is the first time I’ve seen him without a shirt and I feel like my jaw is on the ground. Cory is pure perfection. I run my hands down his chest before bringing my lips back to his.

  My body is on fire for him. I want to feel him touch my skin. I want to feel everything he has to offer. Cory puts his hands under my shirt and looks at me waiting for his permission. I give him a lazy grin and before I know what’s hit me, he scoops me up and carries me to his bedroom. My shirt is taken off and thrown onto the floor and my bra soon follows. I’m lying exposed in front of Cory and yet in this moment, I don’t feel ashamed like I thought I may. He gazes upon me with hungry eyes and licks his lips before feathering kisses down my neck. When he
lands by my breasts, he sucks in a deep breath before taking my nipple into his mouth.

  I moan as he sucks and caresses it in his mouth. God, I feel like I may orgasm just from this. He hasn’t even touched me and I’m already losing control. My hand slides down to his jeans and I begin to fumble with the zipper. He raises his body enough for me to unzip them and soon after, the button is undone too.

  His pants slide down and I reach to take his cock in my hand. Gently, I stroke him up and down. He moves from my breast and comes back to my mouth. I take him greedily, kissing him long and hard. His hand caresses my breast before moving down to my stomach. I suck my breath in waiting and when his hand dips to my waistband, I feel every nerve in my body ignite. Oh my god, I want this so bad.

  I buck my hips upward as he continues to kiss me. My pants unbutton quickly and soon meet his on the floor. He breaks the kiss and looks at me with need in his eyes. “I need to taste you, sweet Sybil.”

  I don’t say anything, I just nod my head. Cory feathers kisses down my body before stopping by my thighs. He plants a kiss on each thigh before assaulting my clit. He sucks it and my hips buck forward as I try to control my body. My breathing is out of control as he continues to rock my world. He inserts one finger and then another as he brings me to climax. My whole body shudders around his fingers as I come and I’m left breathless.

  He looks up at me as he kisses back up to my mouth. I almost don’t kiss him but I can’t resist him. “I want you to see how sweet you taste,” he says before softly kissing my lips.

  I can feel his cock between my legs and my body aches to feel him. “I need to feel you Cory, please.”

  “Are you sure Sybil?” he asks carefully. “We’ve already crossed so many lines. I need to you know you really want this.”

  “I want you Cory.” I say confidently.

  He crushes his lips against mine once more before reaching into his nightstand for a condom. He slides it onto his cock and it’s in this moment, I finally look at him. He’s huge. How the hell is that going to fit in me?

  “Please go slow, Cory.” I plead.

  “I’m not going to hurt you Sybil.” He says and I believe him.

  His tip presses into me and slowly he slides inside. I moan as he slides deeper and when he’s fully inside, he slowly begins to move. Slowly, he thrusts in and out. God he feels amazing. My nerves are on end and I’m positive I’ve never felt this way before.

  “God Cory, you feel so good.” That’s all I have to moan for him to thrust harder and my body responds immediately to him. I match him thrust for thrust as he brings my body to orgasm after orgasm.

  “I’m about to come, Sybil,” he pants. I nod at him giving him the go-ahead. He already knows I’ve come at least twice but I’m nearing my third and my body begins to convulse around his cock and he thrusts one last time into me.

  Cory collapses onto me breathing heavily. “God Sybil, that was amazing.”

  “It was, wasn’t it?” I ask.

  We lay there a little longer taking each other in. I never thought I’d be able to feel so good again and I was just proven wrong. Cory and I crossed the ultimate line and there’s no going back.

  Chapter 31

  Cory

  Our bodies stay intertwined as we both eventually fall asleep. This isn’t how I imagined this to happen between us but damn it was amazing. Her breath evens out as she succumbs to a peaceful sleep. I look at her and kiss her head before closing my eyes. She said she wanted this, I believe her.

  The sun peers through the window and a groan escapes my lips. I don’t know what time it is, but I don’t care. Sybil is still laying on my chest but soon begins to stir. Slowly she raises her head up. She takes one look at me and then at herself naked beside me and her eyes grow wide. Fuck, this isn’t good.

  She grabs the sheet and throws it over her. She moves so quickly, she nearly loses her balance. I reach for her, helping to steady her and she blushes as she stares back at my chest. Her actions are proving what I feared. She’s regretting last night.

  “Cory, what did we do?” she asks timidly.

  “Tell me you remember Sybil, please.”

  “No, no, I do remember. This feels awkward right now.” She says. No, I don’t want her feeling that way at all but I don’t know what to say or do to change that.

  She stands quickly and walks out the room with my sheet before I can say anything to stop her. The bathroom door shuts and the shower comes on. I drag myself out of bed and put on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I don’t regret a moment of last night and I wish she didn’t either. I walk out to the kitchen and start a pot of coffee. She hasn’t emerged by the time the coffee is finished so I take it upon myself to fix her cup and I set one of her chocolates beside her cup. I sit down in front of my laptop and begin to work on a paper for one of my finals. I’m about a page in when I finally hear her footsteps.

  I look up to see her standing beside the table. Her eyes are on the cup of coffee and the chocolate. She mutters a thank you and picks up the coffee. She still looks troubled and I hate myself for that.

  “I shouldn’t have overreacted Cory. I’m sorry.” She says finally.

  “No, don’t you be sorry. I never would have gone through with it if I’d known you would be upset.”

  “I told you I wanted it though.” She states. Thank God she remembers. I was so scared for a moment that she didn’t remember anything. “What scares me is, I’ve never felt more alive in my whole life.”

  I stop and stare at her taking her words in. Fuck, if only I could tell her I feel the same but I don’t speak. She blushes and goes back to drinking her coffee. I close the laptop and push it to the side. I can’t concentrate with her words playing over and over again in my head. Her coffee cup is set softly on the table and she walks over to me. I freeze not knowing what to expect from her.

  She stops beside me and places her hand on my cheek. Turning to face her, I see the look in her eyes. She’s scared and I understand that. “Cory, I know this changes things.”

  “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way Sybil,” I interrupt her. “Please, don’t shut down on me. I know things have gone completely crazy but I can’t help the way I feel about you.”

  Her eyes widen as I pull her onto my lap. She tenses for a moment but relaxes when I give her a gentle squeeze. “What’s supposed to happen now, Cory? I mean obviously we can’t change what happened. I just want to know if you regret it.” She says quietly.

  I cup her face and she stares at me. “Sybil, I don’t regret anything about it. If anything, I do regret us being drunk when it happened. I would never ever take advantage of you.”

  “I know,” she smiles leaning down to kiss my cheek. “Thanks for the coffee by the way and the chocolate.”

  “Of course. Do you have any plans for the day?” I ask.

  “No, just going to finish some things up. Why?”

  “I was going to go see my mom today. It’s been too long and I’m overdue for a visit. She’s probably going to fuss at me. You know you can come right? You don’t have to but I wanted to ask.”

  “Oh,” she says. “I think I’ll just stay here, Cor. Thank you though.”

  I smile, “Your loss Sybil. She makes a mean buttermilk pie.”

  “Then, you better bring me a piece back.” She says with a smile on her face. There’s that smile that I’m getting so accustomed to.

  “Says who?” I ask playfully.

  “Me,” she says planting a kiss on my cheek. I can’t resist her for anything. Of course I’ll bring her a piece. Hell, I’d bring her the whole damn pie if I could.

  “And you are?”

  “I’m Sybil Hayes and you Cory Fuselier, you like me.”

  “I do like you. You’re a smart girl. Sure you don’t want to come?”

  “I’m sure.” she says pulling me back in for a long, hard kiss.

  ***

  Sybil

  Cory left thirty minutes ago to dri
ve to his parents’ house. His family lives only a few minutes away but since he hasn’t been over in a while, I’m assuming he’ll be gone all day. I sorta miss having him around. I finally manage to pull myself off the couch and decide to clean up a little bit. On the mantle, there’s a picture frame that’s knocked over. Carefully, I pick it up and nearly drop it when I look at the picture. Inside the frame is a picture of Megan. She’s smiling and it looks like she’s smiling directly at me. Tears spring forward but I don’t let them fall. I try my best to smile back at the picture before setting it back face down. Oh Megan, I hope you really don’t hate me now. None of this was ever supposed to happen. But I remember talking to Caleb’s mom and her telling me that what’s done is done and there’s nothing we can do to bring them back. I try my best to shake her picture out of my mind as I dust around the frame. I can almost imagine her and Cory arguing over his so-called feelings for me and it makes me sad. Once I’m satisfied with how everything looks, I change my clothes and decide to get out of the house. A little shopping will do me good.

  I drive to the mall and park in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, everyone has the exact same idea I do, seeing as this place is packed. I wander aimlessly through the mall only entering a few stores. I’m shoe shopping when I get that same eerie feeling that someone is watching me. I set the pair of heels down carefully and slowly turn around, observing everyone around me. No one looks out of place and there seems to be nothing worth being alarmed over. Then why do I feel this way? I shake the feeling and pick up the shoes again, deciding I want them. I pay and walk quickly out of the store, not looking back.

  I haven’t heard from Cory since he left this morning and I’m thinking about texting him until my phone goes off. In my state of panic, I nearly jump when I hear it. Although I tried to shake the feeling, it’s still sitting in the back of my mind.

  Cory: Mom has pie. Told you she would and damn it’s so good.

  Me: Well, I have shoes and they look so good. Looks like we’re tied.