by Joey Bush
“That was unexpected. Sorry about that. I should have told you which way we were turning. I’m so used to being alone out here that I didn’t think of it. I had visions of being like the castaways on Gilligan’s island. I would obviously be the professor. You would have to be Ginger or Maryanne.”
“Um, I have never really seen Gilligan’s Island. How about I be Jenna Walsh?”
“Jenna Walsh sounds just right.”
When we made it back to shore it was still raining, but it was warm and I didn’t mind. I unstrapped my life vest to reveal my soaking wet white tank top. My tits were standing at attention.
“I didn’t know there was going to be a wet t-shirt contest today. Nice rack.” Ryder whistled.
I grinned. I didn’t mind the comment since he was the only one around to see me. Plus, Ryder’s blue shirt was plastered to his body too. His hours in the gym had paid off. His muscular torso and wasp waist were magnificent. Staring at him was impossible to avoid. We were both out of breath from laughing and our adventure on the lake. Ryder had both life vests in his hands. I might as well have been standing before him naked. My drenched clothing left nothing to the imagination. He dropped the gear to the ground and grabbed me tight with both hands. He flipped off my hat and kissed me firmly on the mouth.
“You are beautiful, Jenna,” he breathed against my mouth.
“You are not bad yourself, Ryder.”
He kissed me again as the rain continued to fall.
It was the perfect end to an enchanted day. Ryder drove me back to campus. We said little as there wasn’t much to add. He dropped me off at Leach Hall and I floated back to my room.
Chapter Eight
I was exhausted. I opened the door to my room and the first thing I saw was my pink golf bag. Regardless of where I looked, reminders of Ryder were present. After golfing with Ryder at Westlake and spending time with him on the kayak, I felt confident in what we had. I could think about Ryder and look forward to knowing him more as opposed to fantasizing like a schoolgirl.
There was no sign of Kelly. She was a great roommate because she wasn’t around too much but she was a good sounding board when she was. She was a lot like Max in that way. I had my plans for Max and Kelly put aside in my mind. It was good to have a diversion, but I did not need or want to be diverted from thinking about Ryder.
****
A week later, I lay on my bed, hoping to take a short nap after class. My phone was alerting me that there was an incoming text.
Ryder: Never got to watch a movie when you were here. Dinner at 6 PM. Pizza. Okay?
Me: Be there
Ryder: Careful driving
Me: J
I didn’t have any time to shower since it was already afternoon and I needed to drive back home. I decided I would shower at my mother’s house. The fact that Ryder lived on Lewis Avenue was convenient. I would find something in my old closet to throw on and wear.
I hopped in my green car and pulled onto the highway. I had the drive ahead of me to breathe.
When I made it onto Lewis Avenue, I parked in my mother’s driveway. The home I had grown up in looked smaller than it had before. I walked up the steps and passed by the porch swing. I laughed because I knew so little about Ryder the last time I had swung on that swing. There was still a great deal I did not know about him, though. Maybe I would soon discover his deepest darkest secrets…I hoped.
I walked inside and shouted, “Hey, Mom! The place looks great. Wow, it looks cleaner than I left it.”
“I haven’t had you around to do everything for me. I decided to get off my ass and do it myself. I even started to put my resume together. I wasn’t buried with your father. It is about time I stopped acting like I’m six-feet under.” My mom looked great and, for the first time in a long time, she did not smell like booze.
“Fantastic, Mom. I wish I had time to chat but I came back this way to see Sayler. I will be late, so don’t wait up for me. Who knows, I may crash at her place,” I said.
I retreated to my old room and rummaged through my closet. Ryder was used to seeing me in jeans so I was going to change it up. I pulled out a casual black dress. I had forgotten that I had it. It was simple, classy, and as comfortable as a t-shirt.
I took a long, warm shower, layered on some lily-of-the-valley body balm, and applied scented oil. I blew my hair dry and threw on some silver jewelry. I was satisfied with my reflection in the mirror
After bidding my mom good-bye, I hopped in my car and parked it next door in Ryder’s driveway, which was behind a hedge. I didn’t know why I continued to lie to my mother. Perhaps I thought the story was long and I didn’t have the time.
****
I knocked on Ryder’s door. The butterflies in my stomach were throwing a party. He opened the door.
“You made it.” Ryder smiled and kissed my lips. “You look stunning.”
Ryder was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. I was way overdressed compared to him.
“You look great too. Have you been working out?”
“Yoga and meditation. It really helps with…all sorts of stuff. If you ever have the time, I will show you what works for me. It is an individual pursuit but it helps to have someone lead you down the path.”
I kicked off my sandals and headed for the kitchen.
“Make yourself at home,” Ryder said jokingly.
I laughed. “I will.”
“I got pizza with green peppers, chicken and pineapple. Did I choose okay?” Ryder cornered me in the kitchen and squeezed my arm muscles. He wanted to check on my work-out progress I’m sure. That’s what I told myself anyways.
“Actually, no.”
“No I can’t touch you or no you don’t like the pizza?” he asked.
“I hate green peppers. I went to Philly once and had a cheese steak with green peppers. I drank too much and puked my guts out. Sayler was with me and she almost took me to the ER. Since then I can’t eat green peppers.”
“That’s an easy fix. I will just pick them off for you. And what about the touching?”
“That is a yes, only if I can touch you back,” I said and Ryder smiled.
“I will pick out a movie,” Ryder said.
“No, you won’t. We will choose a movie.”
“My house, my way.”
“Ryder, I’m the guest. Guests get to choose.”
“We’ll see,” he responded.
We ate pizza. Ryder nibbled off my green peppers.
“I feel like we’re an old married couple. We’re barefoot in my kitchen. It feels right.”
The word couple surprised me and the word married shocked me.
“Ryder, you just said a word that confuses me. Only one of us is old here.” The words were harsh but my tone was playful.
“Ouch, you know how to hit a guy where it hurts.”
We went to the media room and we both went for the clicker.
“Ah, my pick, remember.” I grabbed the channel changer from his grasp.
“Only for you, J.”
“J?” I asked while raising an eyebrow.
“Just trying it out. Now pick a movie.”
I clicked through the movies and arrived at a romantic comedy we could both enjoy. It had a holiday theme, but it also had a bit of everything. I pressed play and we started to watch Love Actually.
We reclined on the large cushiony couch, only occupying a small portion. I curled my body into his. We moved as if we had been in the same position before. I never would’ve imagined that we would’ve come so far. The same hand that I pricked with my toothpick at the country club was touching me. He ran his finger along the curve of my body. He paused when his hand reached my breast and with a feather touch he traced my nipples. Eventually, warmed by his body and lulled by the cadence of his breathing I closed my eyes.
I woke up, forgetting where I was for a moment. I was relieved to find out that I wasn’t dreaming. I was in Ryder’s arms. I slowly released my body from
his. I lifted his arm to look at his watch, which glowed in the dark. It was only 11pm. I was parched, so I stretched a bit and crept into the bathroom for a drink of water.
I was putting down the glass when I noticed Ryder’s collection of amber pill bottles. I remembered them from when he was only the mysterious hot neighbor. I tried to fight my curiosity but I lost. I expected supplements but I found something very different. I read the label on eight of the bottles. They were familiar medicines because they had been in my father’s medicine cabinet when he was dying…of cancer. Some were anti-nausea medications and others were pills, which accompanied chemo. Ryder had cancer. I dropped one of the bottles on the floor.
“Shit,” I said.
“Jenna, where are you?” Ryder called out.
I quickly picked up the bottle, returned it to the shelf and turned out the light. I walked out to the hallway where Ryder was walking towards me. I wanted to cry but I didn’t. I hugged him tightly.
I stood on my tippy toes, kissed him and asked softly, “Are you ready for bed?”
“Oh, so you have decided to stay the night?” Ryder laughed.
“Of course.” I led him to the bedroom where I reached up with my back arched and kissed him again.
I removed his shirt slowly, only losing sight of his eyes when I pulled the cloth over his head. The intensity of the moment took over.
Chapter Nine
I had never felt so confident in what I was doing. Every movement was innate. I finished removing his shirt and explored his angular muscles with my mouth. I moved slowly as I went down to his navel and back up to his lips. Ryder was gazing into my eyes as he fought to take control and ravage my body.
I chose to prolong the inevitable. We moved next to the bed. I slowly removed my dress to reveal my red bra and panties. I was wearing a lace thong and red sheer bra with black lace details. He moved his hands to touch me and I pushed them back. I ran my hand up my inner thighs, stopping briefly at my crotch as I curled my mouth into a smile. I continued to feel my body up, paying special attention to my hard nipples.
“Oh my God,” Ryder said as he grabbed my face and kissed me. He thrust his tongue into my mouth.
Ryder threw me down on the bed and ripped off my bra.
“My turn Jenna. I believe I have a favor to repay.”
He shoved his hands inside my thong and pulled them off, revealing my wet pussy. Ryder kissed up my inner thighs until he arrived at the lips of my vagina. He found my clit immediately and licked it rapidly. I did not realize the human mouth could move so quickly. I was in a place I had never been before. He forced my legs open wide and spread open my pussy with one hand while penetrating me deeply with the other.
When his hands were busy, he looked up at me.
“I want to make you scream Jenna. You’re so fucking wet. Come on.”
I started to pump and moan uncontrollably. He took his fingers out and revisited my body with his glorious tongue.
“Suck me like I sucked your dick,” I moaned.
I was going to a place from which I could not return. He twirled his tongue around and around my clit while sucking all the other skin into his mouth. After a while I found myself calling out in ecstasy as wetness dripped from my pussy.
I lay on the bed shaking. We were quiet at last. It was 12 am and I knew I would be unable to move until the morning. “That is the best I have ever had…by far. You must have a lot of experience. You have a magical tongue and your fingers…unbelievable.”
“I have a book on the female orgasm,” he said and kissed my lips.
“I should have known.” I laughed and pulled up the sheets. I snuggled it tight as I enjoyed the warmth of his body. I wanted him to fuck me but for the moment, I was satisfied. I fell asleep to the beat of his heart.
THE NEIGHBOR #3
Chapter One
Ryder’s bedroom was awash in sunlight the next morning. It occurred to me that I had never spent this time of day in the bedroom with him. Last time it was so early the sun wasn’t even rising yet. It was heavenly.
“Afterglow,” he said with distinct pleasure in his voice. “I have never basked in it like this before. I have certainly never experienced it with a woman like you. One of my favorite albums is So Much for the Afterglow by Everclear. I just made myself look old again since they’re a 1990’s post-grunge band. I think I’m babbling, which I do when I’m relaxed,” Ryder said.
I wasn’t paying attention to a word Ryder was saying. He was going on about music while all I could think about was that I was naked in bed with Ryder Curran again…my human sexuality professor, my golf instructor, my boyfriend/partner—and a person who had cancer. It wasn’t the easiest thing to wrap my mind around.
His king bed could have been a twin and we would have ample space; our bodies were twisted around each other in a sensual embrace. I took a good look at his head in the direct sunlight. The cancer, the scar—everything was starting to make sense. He had not lost all his hair but it was clearly a worry. It must have been why he liked to wear a cap all the time. I laid my head on his shoulder, wrapped my arm around his neck, and fingered his scar with my forefinger.
“Stop.” Ryder shot up making me jump.
“It’s okay,” I said.
He eyed me suspiciously for a moment, and then spoke in an angry tone. “You know I have cancer obviously since you’re so damn curious about everything. How did you find out?” Ryder asked.
“You forget that my father had cancer. I learned a lot about it. I saw the pill bottles in the bathroom and I was especially familiar with the anti-nausea medications and the Tropisteron. When my father was ill, we had to administer it through his IV drip. I was surprised to see it as an oral med.” I had a great deal of cancer information stored in the back of my mind.
“Since you think you’re so smart, can you tell from the drugs what type of cancer I have?” Ryder asked. I wasn’t sure if the question was antagonist or curious in nature.
“Since your head has been cut open I assume you have—or had—brain cancer. And I’m aware it’s not contagious, so lay back down with me.”
He stared at me for a moment and then spoke. “For a little while, I liked to say I just had a malignant tumor. It sounded less dire. After all I have been through, you would think that I would’ve made peace with the cancer.”
“So…you’re in denial?”
“Something like that. I’m not going to make friends with cancer. Some have told me that I should consider it the enemy. I’m not going to do that either. I just throw a cap on my head, take the pills and let the pros stick me with needles, and then I ignore it.”
Ryder was finally opening up to me. “You must think about it when you’re puking your guts out,” I said referring to our first night together. It wasn’t the alcohol, which sent him running to the bathroom. “You shouldn’t be drinking alcohol, Ryder, and you should start focusing on your diet because it matters most. Cancer or not, it prolongs your life.”
He sighed and threw his hands in the air. “This is why I conceal my disease. I want to enjoy life. I’m not going to live in a plastic bubble or live life eating twigs and seeds. You can save the climb and put your soap-box away,” Ryder said.
I understood where Ryder was coming from, but I thought he was being an ass. I should have chosen not to push him on the issue at that point, but I wasn’t going to stand by and see a man I cared for, die. This was new to me and I wanted more information. I relied on my instincts to know when I probed too deeply.
“What is the Keppra used for?” I had seen the bottle next to his glass of water, so I assumed it was something he was currently taking.
“Why? I think you know all you need to about what’s going on.“
“So you’re not going to tell me?”
He grunted. “Keppra is just an anti-seizure medication okay? I’m at a greater risk because they rearranged shit inside my scull.” Ryder was defensive.
“Good to know in case you spazz
out while your head is in my crotch,” I joked as Ryder seemed like he had enough. I was still worried because I didn’t know if he was getting better or worse.
I rubbed Ryder’s chest and felt his heart beating. I was becoming attached to the heart. I wondered if I would have fallen so fast and so quickly if I had known Ryder was ill. When my father died, he had been sick for a long time. He was never a particularly healthy person. Ryder appeared vital and it would be unfair for him to die during the prime of his life.
I moved towards him and kissed him gently, as though he would break. I had to try hard to treat him the same way I had the day before. If I didn’t, Ryder would notice. I untangled myself from his sheets.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving,” Ryder said in a sleepy and very sexy voice.
I got up. I felt the effect of Ryder’s feasting from the night before.
“I’m going next door and to get a change of clothes. Thanks to you, my panties are ripped. It would be ideal if you were right where I left you when I get back,” I said and then kissed him on the lips. “I will bring you some coffee and fruit for breakfast. I saw some on my mom’s kitchen counter yesterday. I will tell you more about my mom later.”
I found my black dress sticking out from beneath the bed. I slipped it on without undergarments. It was a wrinkled mess and my hair was disheveled. I was set to take the walk of shame.
“You are beautiful Jenna Walsh,” he said as he stared up at me.
“You’re pretty great yourself,” I returned. “I honestly don’t know how long we’re going to be able to keep this thing up.”
Ryder reached up with his hands and pulled me closer to him.
“Say hello to your mom. I will count the moments until your sexy ass returns,” Ryder said.
I grinned. “I will be back. Use the time to take the necessary meds.” I wanted to pull those words back the moment they left my lips. I had to resist the temptation to baby Ryder.
