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Never Far Away

Page 5

by Marysue Hobika


  My mind immediately wandered to Teddy. In high school he tutored underclassmen in math and chemistry. I wondered if it was him that Aidan was talking about. I couldn’t imagine him getting anything less than an A. He was brilliant. It was one of the things I loved about him. I took a sip of my water. This was wrong. I shouldn’t be sitting here thinking about Teddy while I was on a date. I wanted to smack myself for even going there tonight. And it didn’t matter if he was the tutor because it wasn’t like I’d tag along on a study session. “You should go for it.”

  “I’ll ask him next week. He sits behind me in class.”

  I almost choked on an ice cube. What were the odds that in a city this big the boy I’d spent the last year running from sat behind the boy I was currently dating? I didn’t have proof, but I knew it was true. I felt it in my gut.

  The waiter brought our food and we talked while we ate. I pushed Teddy to the back of my mind and focused on Aidan. He was kind and sweet. And I realized I trusted him. He wouldn’t hurt me. He listened to me talk about my next project and even offered his help again. He paid the bill, refusing to let me contribute, and held the door open for me as we walked out onto the street.

  “What do you want to do now?” he asked. It was early, especially in a city that never shut down.

  I looped my arm through his and we began to walk. Aidan had been the perfect gentleman so far, and I was ready to put my past behind me. We hadn’t even shared a real kiss. I knew he was giving me time like I’d asked and was waiting for me to make the first move. “Do you want to go back to your place and watch a movie?” Aidan had an apartment with his own room, while I had a dorm room with two roommates. It was a bold move, but felt right.

  The corners of Aidan’s mouth turned up. “As long as you don’t mind my roommates.” He looked at his watch. “They’re home. They never go out until after eleven.”

  “You have your own room, right?” My face got warm. “I mean, can we hang in your room and watch a movie?” There, that sounded better. I didn’t want Aidan to get the wrong idea. I only meant that we could be alone, not that I wanted to jump into bed with him.

  “Yeah.” He chuckled good-naturedly. “I usually watch movies on my computer. I downloaded a new movie earlier today we can watch. Do you like comedies?”

  “Yes.” A movie that would make me laugh sounded safe.

  At Aidan's apartment, his roommates were watching a game on the flat screen.

  “Hi guys.” Aidan walked to the kitchen and grabbed two beers.

  “Hey, man. Hi, Stella,” said Pat. “How’s Lena?” They were still going strong.

  “She’s good. She’s on track to finish her sketches by Monday. I saw a few of them and they’re amazing.” Lena was a fashion design major and her first project was due next week. She wanted to design clothes while I wanted to photograph them. It was no wonder we got along so great.

  “Cool. I’m sure she’s going to blow them away.”

  Trevor, Aidan’s other roommate, waved. He was quiet and that was one of the reasons why things hadn’t worked out between him and Tori. She needed someone loud and funny like her. Not to mention that neither one had been looking for anything long term. They’d gone out twice and then called it quits.

  Aidan returned with the beers, handing me one. “See you guys later.” We walked to his room while the guys went back to watching the game.

  “Wait here a sec. I gotta make sure it’s presentable. I didn’t think we’d be coming back here.” I smiled. It made me happy to realize that he hadn’t expected anything. I didn’t care if his room was messy, but I thought it was cute that he did.

  I waited in the hall while I imagined him running around his room tidying it up, shoving clothes under the bed and stashing dirty magazines in the bottom of his underwear drawer. I didn’t have any brothers, but I knew every guy jerked off to porn. In high school Charlotte had shown me Teddy’s secret library and he caught us looking through one. His face had turned as red a tomato and he mumbled the excuse that every guy used—he’d bought them for the articles. He looked comical trying to grab the magazine out of Charlotte’s hands. I covered my mouth with my hand to stop from laughing out loud at the memory.

  Fuck! My fists clenched. Why did I have to think about him every few seconds? Everything always came back to Teddy. We were never even a thing! I had to get him out of my system. And finally there was a way. Aidan. He opened the door and I stepped into his room.

  There were no dirty clothes on the floor and the bed was hastily made. He’d done a decent job of cleaning up. The room was small and there was just enough space for a bed and a dresser.

  “It’s not much, but make yourself comfortable.” Aidan swept his arm wide and I sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Aidan studied me for a second and then said. “Hey, why don’t I give you a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants to wear. You look gorgeous in that dress,” I felt his eyes rake over me approvingly from head to toe, “but you’d probably be more comfortable in something else.”

  I hadn’t really thought this through when I’d suggested coming here to watch a movie. This dress was kind of tight. “Thanks, that would be great.”

  He turned and pulled some clothes out of his dresser and handed them to me. “They’re going to be big on you, but it’s the best I can do. I’ll give you a few minutes to change.” He slipped out the door.

  I set the beer down and quickly changed into Aidan’s clothes. They were huge on me, but comfy. I tried not to think about my favorite sleep shirt that I’d left behind at home in Scotia. I refused to go there again tonight. I moved my head to the side and breathed in. The T-shirt smelled like sheets hung out in the sun to dry. That’s what this was—a clean, fresh start.

  A few minutes later he tapped lightly on the door carrying a big bowl of popcorn. “I can’t watch a movie without popcorn.” He blushed and my insides turned to jelly. He was sweet and adorable. I loved popcorn with a movie too.

  We laid in the middle of the bed, with our backs propped up on the pillows, the laptop and the popcorn between us. Our bodies touched as we watched the movie. It was hard to concentrate on what was happening. I was glad it wasn’t a complicated story line or I would’ve been lost. I enjoyed the feel of the left side of his body pressed up against the right side of mine.

  The movie ended and Aidan placed the computer and the empty bowl on the floor. Now there was nothing between us. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” His voice sounded shaky. It was sweet that he asked and my heart sped up at the idea. I’d been waiting all night for this moment and I was nervous too. This wasn’t my first kiss ever, but in some ways it felt like it. I nodded my head yes.

  He pulled me onto his lap and lowered his head, lightly brushing his lips against mine. It was soft and tender, stealing my breath away. He held my head with one hand while the other hand rested on my hip. He took his time and I relaxed. He made me feel important and special, like I meant more to him than just a good time.

  My hands found their way to his hair, and I pushed his head closer. His tongue teased mine and he traced my bottom lip. I was completely caught up in the moment as he pulled my tongue in his mouth and sucked on it. Kissing Aidan was incredible. It stirred feelings I didn’t think I was capable of anymore. I was gasping for air when he pulled his shirt off over his head, showing off his rock hard stomach. My hands moved across his chest, and I took pleasure in gliding my lips across his skin. My shirt, or rather his shirt that I was wearing, came off next and joined his on the floor.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful. I can’t wait to see all of you.” His voice was raspy and heavy with lust, and it had the same effect on me as throwing a bucket full of water on a fire. It pulled me from the daze his hot kisses had created. It had been marvelous, but I wasn’t ready for more. Suddenly the room felt small and closed in.

  I placed my hands on his chest to stop this from going any further. “I’m sorry, Aidan. This is moving too fast.” I sounded breathless. I
wasn’t ready to have sex with him and I knew if I didn’t stop things now we were headed that way.

  “No, I’m sorry.” He sat back against the pillows and pulled me against his chest. My head rested beneath his chin. I heard his heart beating erratically. “I told myself not to get carried away and I did. We can go as slow as you want. There’s no hurry.” He lifted my chin up with his finger until we were looking at each other. I could see that he was telling the truth. “We have time.”

  He was turning out to be exactly what I needed. Sweet, kind, and understanding. How did I get so lucky to find him? He didn’t act like a jerk or make me feel like it was my fault that he’d probably end up with blue balls tonight. “I’m not trying to be a tease.”

  “I know.” He held me in his arms and rubbed circles on my back.

  “Can we go back to kissing?”

  His answer was to touch his lips to mine. An hour later, I’d changed back into my clothes and Aidan walked me out. He’d asked me to stay, offering to sleep on the couch, so that I didn’t have to go home by myself so late at night, but I wasn’t ready for that either. I needed to take all aspects of this relationship slow. He hailed a taxi for me and I promised to text him as soon as I got back to my dorm.

  My roommates were asleep when I crawled into my bed. I could hear their soft breathing. I reached down between my legs and touched myself. It had been a long time since I’d taken care of myself. Guys weren’t the only ones with needs. Aidan’s kisses turned me on. I thought about his mouth on my neck as I moved a finger in and out of my wet folds. I was sure not to make a noise when I came. I fell asleep and dreamed of Aidan.

  Theo

  Pat came through like he promised. He set me up to tutor his buddy who was in one of my classes. We were meeting out in front of the library and then we’d find a vacant study room. Thankfully the guy was right on time. I valued punctuality. I recognized him right away—he sat behind me in class.

  “Hey, man. You’re Pat’s friend, right?”

  “Yup. I’m Aidan.”

  “Theo.” I shook his hand. “Are you ready to do this?”

  “Yeah. Pat says you’re smart and I need to ace this course. Think you can help me?”

  “Yes.” I was confident in all areas of my life—especially academics. My lowest grade last year was an A-.

  “Cool.”

  I led the way to an empty study room and we began. I didn’t like to waste time. Time was money. And I always made sure people got what they paid for. I charged $30/hr.

  Time flew by and soon the hour was up. “That’s it for today.” I closed my notebook.

  “Shit! That went by fast, but I think I got the hang of some of this stuff. Can we meet every week?”

  “Works for me.” I could use the money. And I could even arrange to tutor him more than once a week if he thought it was necessary.

  “Excellent.” We packed up our stuff and headed out the door. “Hey, I almost forget, Pat wanted me to tell you there’s a Halloween party coming up next weekend at his buddy’s house. He said you should come.”

  “Is it a costume party?” Extreme dislike filled my voice and Aidan gave me a strange look.

  “What—you got a problem with costumes?”

  “Yeah, they’re for little kids.” I stopped trick-or-treating when I was ten years old. I hated getting dressed up in a costume. I didn’t see the point in going house to house asking for candy when my mom bought my favorite candy every year and I could stay home and eat it right out of the bowl.

  “Dude, are you kidding me? Have you seen what people, and by people I mean hot chicks, wear to costume parties these days?” I shook my head no. Last year I avoided Halloween altogether and stayed in my room debugging code, but I didn’t say that out loud. “Well, let’s just say the bunnies aren’t the sexiest costumes out there anymore. Even Raggedy Anne was hot. She had on a super short dress with red and white striped socks that went over her knees.” He let out a deep breath. “You should go.”

  “Tell Pat thanks for the invite. And I’ll think about it.” I thought about it for all of two seconds, then pushed it out of my mind. I’d rather debug code again. “See ya.” I walked in the direction of my next class.

  Stella

  “Damn, girl, you look hot.” Lena watched me pull my hair into a bun. I’d temporarily dyed my locks red to go with my Halloween costume. Aidan and I were going to the party as Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

  “So do you.” Lena and Pat were going as Betty and Barney Rubble. Lena designed and made the costumes, adding her own personal flair. I never watched The Flintstones as a kid, but I now understood the attraction. Prehistoric rocked. Our dresses were sleeveless and fringed at the bottom. She made the guys’ costumes too. We were going over early so that they could get changed.

  “Have fun, you two.” Tori waved from her perch on the couch. She sounded terrible and was staying in.

  “Are you going to be okay here by yourself?” I asked. Her nose was bright red and Kleenex littered the floor.

  “Yes, I’ll be just fine. It’s just a cold. I’ll be feeling good as soon as the NyQuil kicks in.” She held up the bottle. I laughed. I took it once and it had the opposite effect on me than it was supposed to—it made me jittery and kept me awake all night. But Tori swore by it.

  “Feel better soon.” Lena closed the door behind us.

  We took the subway to the guys’ apartment. It got expensive to take cabs all the time. However, it was a little scary tonight because it was the Saturday before Halloween and lots of people were dressed in costumes, or at least I thought they were costumes. I wasn’t too sure about the guy next to me. He looked like he wore shredded jeans and eye makeup every day. I felt his eyes on my bare skin and I shivered. He reminded me of Reed, only with makeup. I tried to pull the dress down, but it was useless. It barely covered my ass. I began to wonder if we should’ve waited until we got to the guys’ apartment to change. Scary dude got off at the next stop without saying anything and I berated myself for acting like a frightened little girl. Nothing would happen to me. I was going out with my friends and the guy I adored.

  We got to the apartment without incident and I leapt into Aidan’s arms. “You look beautiful, Wilma.” He teased, setting me on the ground.

  “Thank you. Lena brought your costume.”

  A few minutes later he came back out into the living room as Fred Flintstone. He wasn’t as broad or thick as the real Fred, but it was easy to tell who he was supposed to be. I loved Halloween. My heart swelled. He was being such a good sport.

  “What can I get you?” Aidan leaned over to steal a kiss.

  “I’ll have a beer.” He went and grabbed two.

  We settled on the couch opposite Lena and Pat. They were so busy sticking their tongues down each other’s throats that I didn’t even think they knew we had joined them. Lena didn’t hold back the details either. She’d told Tori and I that they’d had sex after the third date. And she had enjoyed it, that much was obvious. The details made me blush.

  Aidan and I weren’t there yet. We were taking things slow. He was a sweet guy who made me laugh. He was always doing kind things for me like pulling out my chair or calling to wish me luck before a quiz. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he gave me a quick squeeze. I was happy I’d found him. I knew he was ready to take things further whenever I gave the okay. The question was: am I ready? I thought I might have been.

  “You have a room down the hall,” Aidan joked.

  Lena and Pat pulled apart, but to their credit neither one looked the least bit embarrassed. “I was just saying 'hello' to my girl.” Pat grinned.

  “We can see that.”

  “Where’s Trevor?” I hadn’t seen him since we arrived.

  “He’s going to meet us there.”

  We listened to music and hung out for an hour before leaving. I drank a couple more beers and was surprised that I felt buzzed when I stood up. I hadn’t been buzzed in a long time and it felt good. My
step was light and carefree as I linked arms with Aidan. The four of us headed down the street.

  A few blocks later Pat stopped in front of a house. “This is it.” Loud music spilled out. I was surprised no one had called the cops. Then again, this was New York City. I’d learned anything was possible.

  Inside, the sound was deafening. A band was playing somewhere and the floor vibrated and the windows rattled due to the heavy bass. Alternative rock wasn’t my thing, but Lena immediately got into it. Her body gyrated to the beat. The guys shouted that they were going to get drinks, leaving Lena and I standing in the front hall.

  “Come on. Let’s go check out the band.” Lena pulled me toward the music.

  People were everywhere. Lena squeezed her way to the front, dragging me behind her. The alcohol in my system helped me get into the mood. Lena was a better dancer than me but I held my own. My mom had signed me up for more dance classes over the years than I was interested in. But there were times like these that I was glad that she’d made me.

  The guys joined us and Aidan handed me a red cup with beer. I trusted him enough not to spike my drink and gladly took a sip. It felt good to let go. It was proof that I’d moved on. The four of us stayed on the dance floor having a good time.

  It had been a long time since I’d had so much fun. I was hot and sweaty when we finally took a break. After searching around, I discovered the only thing to drink was beer, so I said “what the hell,” and refilled my cup. I downed the whole thing at once, so that I didn't have to hang onto it the whole time.

  “Holy shit, Stella.” Aidan’s hazel eyes grew wide and he smiled. He’d never seen me drink more than a beer or two, so I wasn’t sure if he was cool with me chugging a beer or not. He was nice, but kind of protective, which I found comforting most of the time. However, right now I didn’t care what he thought. I was finally letting my hair down and having fun for the first time in a long time.

 

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