by Jolie Day
She made her way to her room to change into pajamas. What she needed was a glass of wine and comfortable clothes. She threw on her pajama bottoms with overly smiling cats on it and a tank top and made her way back into the kitchen for the glass of wine that consumed her mind at the moment.
“Melly…hello dear. How did it go, why are you so late? Is everything ok?” She sat down at the table where Amelia had landed and they chatted about the day.
“Ooh was he cute, Melly?” Her mother got a dreamy-eyed look on her face. “I always thought your father was so handsome.”
“I don’t know mom, he was all tattoos, muscles and eyes.” She took a sip from her glass and leaned her head back against the chair. “He is picking up the car in the morning.”
“Did I tell you your father had a tattoo?” she giggled.
“Get out of here! No. Oh wow!” she giggled with her and the two of them popped some popcorn to settle in for a movie. As they settled into the couch, she felt her mother’s hand cover hers.
“You know Melly, I want you to find a nice guy and settle down. You shouldn’t avoid love just because I am here. I can live anywhere, you know? I want you to find some happiness before you get too old and miss how wonderful it can be.” She looked back at the television as if she hadn’t said a word and Amelia gave her a smile.
She wasn’t avoiding anything; she just didn’t have time to worry about those kinds of things. Life was about working hard and that was her focus, plus her mother was the most important thing in her life. She would never do anything to hurt her and if that meant waiting for love, so be it. It certainly wasn’t going to show up in tattoos and a baseball cap. She turned to the movie and enjoyed her night.
*****
Luke was in a very similar situation. He had managed to sneak into the lower level of the house and up to the kitchen where his mother now sat asking him twenty questions about the “girl” he went to dinner with.
“Mom, it was nothing, she is sweet.” He patted her hand as they sat on bar stools in the kitchen.
“Just be careful Luke, I hate the way women throw themselves at you. Money will get you anything you want, but be careful for those money grubbers” she said it all with a huff that amused him.
“Don’t worry mom, she doesn’t know I have money.” He gave her a smile and told her how they met.
“I don’t know if hitting someone’s car is a good way to meet girls, dear, but then I am getting old, so who knows how it’s done now.” She threw her hands up dramatically and smiled at him.
“I didn’t hit her mother, it wasn’t even my fault.” He looked over his glass at her.
“Well if it happened like you said, sounds like it was your fault to me son.” She turned to stand up from the stool. Just don’t be afraid to love son. Not everything ends badly. I want some grandchildren, you know. I’m not getting any younger over here,” she said it as she made her way out of the room and to her own.
She wasn’t wrong. He didn’t want to be like his father. Deep down, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to handle a family life. His father hadn’t. What if he was more like him than he thought? He sat there for a few moments and thought about Amelia. Just thinking about her made him smile. He enjoyed the game with her. She didn’t know anything about him other than he was an artist. He liked watching her squirm under his watchful eye. Tomorrow he would ask her out again. For now it was just fun, and he found her exciting. He would be lying if he said he didn’t want her…he did. He wanted to run his hands down every single inch of her curvy body, to be honest. She was shaped perfectly for him. He thought about her as he headed for bed. She was such a puzzle and he would enjoy unlocking every single piece.
Ten o’clock came early for her. She had stayed up too late watching late-night television and feeling bad about herself. Not so much her, but her career. She wanted to be successful, but maybe she was just in the wrong field. Whatever it was she would work on some ideas at home. Something unrelated to work. It would help her get some skills and allow her the creative freedom to see how far she could take things. She had been putting together ideas for over an hour when someone knocked on the door. She grabbed her robe and made her way down the stairs. When she opened it, she gave the side of the wall facing the inside a whack.
“Doorbell gets stuck, sorry. Come on in.” She opened the door wide and he came in. He was smiling at her as she made her way to the kitchen.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted some coffee maybe? I know you needed to get the keys from me so I made some just in case,” she smiled at him.
“So, she does smile? Yes, I would love some, please. Black is fine. Oh, I like your kitty.” He took the cup she offered him and took a sip of the strong brew. Good woman; she likes it strong. He looked at her red face and pointed to her pajama bottoms. “Kitty.”
“Oh yeah…well, I didn’t think I’d still be wearing this when you got here.” She scrambled to cover herself more with the robe.
She was going out of her way to seem as unappealing as possible and it only made him want her more. Today she was all loose and free. Her hair was like a yellow cloud flowing down her back and her chest was more than he had hoped for. Her breasts were large, but perfectly fit her curvy frame. She was rounded in every right place and he could imagine what her skin would feel like under his fingers. She was totally unaware just how beautiful she was.
“You’re beautiful, Amelia,” he said it bluntly. He wanted her to know even in her pajamas she was beautiful to look at.
“Luke, don’t be ridiculous.” She moved into the kitchen to get her keys and she turned around to meet him face to face. He was so close she could feel his breath on her. He moved with slow deliberation as he ran his right hand under her head and slowly, and methodically, lowered his head to hers.
Even in slow motion Amelia couldn’t stop the kiss, she welcomed it more than she should have and she shivered as she felt his other hand under the other side of her head. He raised back only once searching her face and seeing no resistance, he kissed her once more. This time deeper, longer and more demanding. She felt him cup the back of her head to tilt her towards him as the kiss intensified and it wasn’t until she heard her mother clear her throat that she snapped back to reality. She turned towards the sound and smiled at her mother.
“Mom, this is Luke. Luke, this is my mother.” He had recovered swiftly and shook her hand. He asked her about living in VA and she chatted about the weather. It was soon apparent that Luke had a way with the ladies…of all ages. She made more coffee while the two of them chatted away and clucked like hens. Amelia hid her face, still trying to recover from the kiss. She had to get a hold of herself before things got carried away. She didn’t know anything about him, he could be dangerous for all she knew. She looked over at her mother’s laugh and his smile and knew that wasn’t possible. It was something awesome to watch as they talked. He made her mother smile, which helped to erase much of her earlier judgment of him.
“Melly, did you hear that? Luke’s mother lives with him too, and she plays bridge. Can you imagine that? It’s been a long time since I’ve played.”
“Well, you will have to come over some time Mrs. Carrington, you and…Melly.”
She glanced up at him sharply, now he knew her grandmother’s pet name for her. She gave him one of her most formidable looks before answering.
“That would be great mother, perhaps one day.”
Luke said his goodbyes and she walked him to the door. He could tell she was upset and he understood why. He had meant to give her a simple kiss, what had happened had been anything but that. She had felt so good, so right in his arms. He had wanted more…wanted her. He usually could rein it in when necessary. She made him crazy and that was that. He turned to look at her.
“About earlier, I’m sorry. If I had known your mother was here I would have never…well, I wouldn’t have let it get so carried away.”
“She can be so quiet when she wants to.” She fol
ded her arms across her chest.
He wanted to kiss the tops of each breast right now more than anything, but he knew she would run for the hills if he tried anything like that. Besides that wasn’t his style.
“Well then, have a good day, Melly.” He turned to leave. She gritted her teeth and went back inside.
A few hours later she got a text from him.
Your car is done, if you want it back you have to promise to go on a date with me Friday night…a real date.
Ok, yes.
She frowned. She hadn’t even thought about it, she simply said yes. What was wrong with her?
Her car was delivered by rollback a few hours later, looking better than it had prior to the accident. What had been a fender issue looked to have been much more now that she could see the improvements on it. She would have to talk to him about this and figure out how much she owed him. It wasn’t right that he paid out of pocket for all of this. He probably lived paycheck to paycheck like she did. Monday came and with it life went back to normal. She did her usual filler work while creating elaborate plans at home. She would get random texts from Luke. He would tell her about the weather or about the moon’s rotation. Often he would simply send her jokes or funny stories. Whatever it was between them, it was becoming a regular part of her day despite the warnings she gave herself when she felt that familiar feeling about him. Friday was soon approaching and she would be on a date…a real date with him. Not some forced afternoon after work situation.
*****
Luke was swamped with work himself. He had four pieces that needed to go out by the weekend and they had to be just right. He was very particular about the details. By Wednesday, he was down to one and it would take much more than he could give in one day. He decided to go out on a limb and ask Amelia out for lunch. She made him feel a sense of normalcy that his regular life didn’t and he needed that right now.
I know it’s cheating, but the work has been rough this week, want to meet me for lunch?
She thought about it long and hard for all of 20 seconds.
Yes, mine sucks too. Genos? It’s close to my job and I only have an hour.
See you at noon then, Melly.
She frowned, he was either charming or getting on her last nerve. The day seemed to drag on slower than usual. Finally, at 11:40 she made her way out of the building. It was as stuffy as always in there, today she needed to breathe. She made her way to the restaurant and found him in his usual booth in the corner. She dropped down into the seat across from him and, as usual, found him watching her.
“Don’t call me Melly, it’s just weird,” she shed off her sweater as she said it.
“What can I call you then?” he smirked at her.
It was then the waiter took their order and they chatted about things. She was surprised to learn that he had moved his mother into his home as well. They shared that in common.
“She is always on my case about settling down and staying away from ‘bad women’,” he smiled at her. “So are you, Amelia…a bad girl?”
She felt the heat rising up her face and the fire spread across her stomach. “I…well…”
“I think I have hit just the right question for you, Amelia. In the short time I’ve known you, you have never been speechless.” He smiled at her frown and changed the subject.
“Your mother is very sweet. We should set them up for bridge one night, it would do them both some good.” He twisted his spaghetti around as he spoke.
“Is that really a good idea considering?” she hated to say it but there it was.
“Considering what, Amelia?” he stopped and looked at her intently.
“Whatever this thing is with us, this attraction. What if something does happen? What happens when it ends or worse, we hate each other? I don’t want my mother to lose a new friend because of me.”
He leaned back into the booth watching her intently. She was so beautiful it was painful.
“Amelia, let me be clear. I am not looking to get married or settle down or any of those things. What I do want is you, damn near all of the time to be honest. I can tell you want me too and I imagine the time will come shortly when we will find ourselves in a ‘situation’ as you put it. Unless you're still turned off by my tattoos and whatever else you were so against in the beginning, I plan on making love to you very soon…and at length. Our mothers will be fine.” He very casually went back to his food.
*****
He was serious. That was the first thought that struck her. She swallowed her water down quickly, trying hard not to look at him. He noticed and smiled. He loved getting her riled up and nervous like this. It brought the real person out in her, the one she tries to hide.
“I don’t, you know…” she whispered.
“You don’t what, Amelia?” he said it demandingly and she looked up at him.
“Mind the tattoos, they have grown on me,” she went back to eating but didn’t miss the smile.
They talked about their mothers for a while longer and Amelia noticed the time with a frown.
“Don’t go back…call in sick or something and spend the afternoon with me.” He looked at her. “There is an art gallery in D.C. I want to go check out. Come with me,” he was almost sweet in his delivery.
She had never called out before, work had been a driving force for her. It was only half a day anyway. She made her way to the bathroom and made the call. There was something bad and wonderful about it. She felt almost liberated by forcing them to find someone else to do their paperwork. She made her way back to the table and walked with him outside.
“By the way, you fixed way more than my bumper, Luke, and I insist you let me pay you back. I will have to do it over time, of course.” She said.
He felt her pride in her declaration and agreed, although he never had any intention of taking her money. She climbed into his car and they chatted about life in the capital as well as their early years. He touched on his father leaving, but didn’t elaborate and she didn’t ask. She shared with him about her life with her mother and the struggle to make it all work. He was easy to talk to and she liked that about him. The differences in their jobs or life didn’t matter when they spent time together like this. She had long since shed her opinion of how he dressed or looked. He was a good person deep down and he loved his mother, which made him endearing to her. He surely could understand her frustration, he was in a similar situation himself.
“It’s not that I don’t like my place, it’s just too much right now. I am thinking of moving to an apartment in the city. Closer to work and everything else. Plus, it’s cheaper. I live right in Virginia so if I take the leap then it will save me commute time too. I’ve heard of some places in the Heights.”
“The Heights? No, Amelia you can’t go there,” he said with such finality that she was instantly on the defensive.
“I didn’t ask for permission Luke, I was sharing with you a possible plan. I thought we were friends?” She jumped out of his car and he went after her. Once he could, he grabbed her arm lightly.
“I lived there, Amelia, there are a lot of bad things that happen there. I just don’t want either of you hurt, that’s all.” He ran a hand through his hair and let her go. She looked up at him and noticed the sadness that came over him. It was obviously a sore subject so she decided to let it go. They turned towards the gallery and didn’t speak again as they went inside.
Luke was angry, more at himself than anyone. What was he thinking, saying something like that? More importantly, why did he do it? It shouldn’t matter to him where she lived, but it did. He was developing feelings for her and the sooner they actually got together the better. Then he could put her out of his mind. He felt a sense of panic about her moving. She couldn’t go to the Heights, she would be eaten alive and he couldn’t live with that. He swallowed over the lump in his throat. He felt a tremendous amount of guilt for not being honest with her. He knew she would have never shared so much with him if she knew the truth. He woul
d have to soon, before anything else happened. What had started out as fun was evolving into something he couldn’t handle. He would show her the truth before their date on Friday.
The gallery was beautiful, she moved through the area gasping in delight over pieces that spoke to her. She found a darling painting of a little boy and his mother and she brought him over to look at it. They stayed that way looking at the strokes of the paintings, the lines and curves carefully done. As they moved on he was lost…he had fallen for her more as she exclaimed more over the art than he had up until now. She marveled in the pieces and they talked about them, exploring the hidden meanings. It was the best afternoon he’d had in a long time. They ate a quick dinner at a café on the trek home. He was unusually quiet and it concerned her. Maybe she had said the wrong thing. As he pulled up to her house where she had left her car he came around to help her out. She felt him pin her to the car, stretching her back along the slope as he crushed his mouth to hers. Fire rushed through her veins. He did something, brought something out in her, she couldn’t explain. He let her go long enough to put one hand in her hair and pull her even closer to him. His other hand feeling its way down the length of her body. She didn’t stop him when his hand slipped under her shirt and up to cup a breast delicately. He felt an ache deep down he knew that she could fix.
She kissed him back eagerly and he shuddered as he felt her nipple harden under his fingertips. He wanted her…and now. He never broke off the kiss as his other hand went around her and he undid the clasp of her bra breaking the glorious mounds free. He cupped one in each hand brushing his thumbs over each nipple. She moaned into his mouth as he did it.
“Not like this,” She whispered, and he agreed. He forced himself to breath as he pulled away from her and straightened her clothes. She could still feel the hard length of him, pressing against her and she trembled at the thought of him leaving her completely.
