Forever Yours

by Lisa Evans

  “Clark… Clark… Clark…” she moans, and digs her fingers into my shoulders. “Oh yes… Clark… CLARK…”

  Pushing her down hard on my cock once more, I force her to come. Howling out loud, she collapses on top of me, hunched over my left shoulder. And I hold her, I hold her down tightly on me as I come deep inside of her.

  “I love you Alicia,” I whimper as my climax takes hold of me.

  Together we sit here, rocking back and forth in the aftermath of our lovemaking. I’m still nestled in the depths of her, and I love the sensation of her tightness around me.

  It’s like no other feeling in the world.

  It’s otherworldly.

  Later that same day, she tells me she’s leaving. It breaks my heart, but I know she’s got to go. She’s standing in the hallway, wearing that cute red dress again, which I washed this morning along with her underwear. Her hair hanging free, it frames her gorgeous face perfectly once again. And seeing her like this is bittersweet. Because I know she’s got to go, but I want her to stay.

  “When can I see you again?” I demand, feeling antsy about not being in complete control any longer. Once she’s gone, I won’t be able to know what she’s doing, or who she’s talking to. But I know that she needs her freedom, and that I need to let her roam free. If she really loves me, she’ll come back to me.

  “I don’t know, tonight?”

  “Tonight? Yes, tonight’s great.”

  “I really just need to get home and change clothes, and maybe call Janelle.” She’s twirling a curl of her hair between her fingers, a sure sign of nervousness. Standing here before me, she looks good enough to eat. Damn, why can’t I make her stay? Why do I have to let her leave when I don’t want to? She’s mine, and she belongs here with me. Always.

  “Janelle, huh?”

  “Yeah, I kind of just left without saying anything at all to her last night. She… She might be worried.”

  “I guess,” I say, and run my hand through my hair. It’s a good thing, I think to myself. That she’s got friends and stuff to do to keep her busy. At least I’ll know where she is while she’s gone.

  “And also because, you know, Janelle and I are moving in together in a couple of weeks.”

  “You are?”

  “Yeah, we’re renting a place down on Main Street. Just opposite of the diner.”

  “You don’t say?” I tell her, and smile widely at her.

  “Yeah, Janelle worked her magic and somehow made it happen.”

  “What a wonderful friend you have.”

  “Yeah,” she says, and glances to the side. “She’s a great friend.”

  “Come here,” I say and pull her close to me. “Let me at least have a goodbye kiss.”

  “Always,” she replies, and then leans in to kiss me. Our kiss is hungry, and intense, and I wonder if I’ll be able to stand letting her leave so soon. Alicia moans into my mouth while I kiss her, and it awakens all of my inner passions once again.

  “I really should go,” Alicia says, and wriggles her way out of my grip.

  Sad to see her go, I reluctantly walk her to the door. The cab is already there waiting for her, and as I watch her head towards it, I think about the secret I’m harboring. I wonder how she’ll react when she finds out about it. Hope she’ll be happily surprised. If not, too bad. There’s nothing she can do about it. Not a single thing.

  The man in front of me looks at me with astonishment on his face. What’s the matter with this guy? And what’s the matter with this whole town? How come everybody’s always sticking their noses into other people’s business?

  “That’ll be $8,500 in total sir,” the man tells me hesitantly. I bet he’s worried I’m gonna pull out of this purchase right now, but he’s wrong.

  Dead wrong.

  He’s got no idea what I’ve got planned. And neither does anyone else.

  Smiling at him, I gladly hand him my credit card. Once the transaction has been finished, I take my goods and leave the place behind.

  Getting in my car, I feel good about this. I know it’s the right thing to do. It might sound odd that I, a small business owner is able to splurge a significant sum just like that – almost on a whim – but it ain’t. Truth is, ever since I managed to move some of my funds around and purchased those pieces of property a while back, things have started looking up for me. And it was all thanks to Alicia. Without her, I never would have attempted to find a way to increase my income. I bet I’d still be hauling my ass to work every morning, instead of having been able to hire some staff. Sure, I check in every once in a while to take a couple of shifts when my employees need some time off, but mostly it’s my sister Suzy running things over there at the old joint.

  Speak of the devil. Soon as I’ve finished my thought, Suzy gives me a call.

  “Hey sis’,” I say, answering my phone.

  “Hey bro’, how you doing?”

  “I’m good, actually.”

  “Well you sure sound chipper, what’s going on?”

  “Ah, nothing. Just in a good mood today, I guess.” I don’t want to reveal anything to her about Alicia, not yet. For the time being, Alicia is my little secret.

  “Anyhoo,” Suzy says, which gives me the chills. The only time she begins a sentence like that is when she’s got some bad news. “We need to talk.”

  No shit. Figured as much.

  “Uh-huh. About what?”

  “About… Some things. I don’t want to talk about them over the phone like this. It’s better if we meet up.”

  “Alright,” I say, sighing. I don’t know why I bother. I should have seen this coming a mile away, Suzy’s been acting a little off again lately, not coming in to work on time and canceling her shifts without practically any notice at all. “When?”

  “Tonight. Let’s talk tonight. You could come over for dinner and we’ll talk.”

  “Tonight.” Clenching my jaw, I wonder if I ought to find another time. But if I know Suzy right, it’s best to just accept her proposal and get things over with sooner rather than later. Besides, I won’t be able to focus on anything else until we’ve had our little talk.

  “Yeah, say around seven?”

  “Whatever.”

  “See you then bro’.”

  “See you.”

  Hanging up, I white-knuckle the wheel. Now I have to let Alicia down gently and put off our next meeting. I don’t like it. Not one bit.

  Turning on the engine, I step on it. Tires screeching, I drive away with a stomach full of black, gnawing worry.

  I hate this.

  I hate having to do this to Alicia.

  Chapter 9

  ALICIA

  STARING AT MYSELF in the mirror, I look at the woman in the reflection. She doesn’t really appear any differently than she did yesterday, but I sure do feel a lot different. Placing a hand on my belly, I wonder if there’s already something growing inside of me. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Maybe it’s too soon to happen.

  The doorbell rings, pulling me out of my head. Rushing to answer the front door, I’m excited. It’s Janelle, and I can’t wait to see her because I’ve decided I’ve got to let her in on what’s happened between Clark and me. It’s the only secret I’ve ever kept from her, my crush on him, that is. I wonder what she’ll think. She’ll probably be surprised to hear it, naturally, but I hope she’ll be happy for me. Just like I’m happy that things appear to be going so well between her and Jerome.

  Opening the door, I let her inside. Hugging her, I want to tell her about Clark first thing, but I’m also kind of nervous about telling her, so I stop myself. I’ve at least got to let her inside the house before I tell her my big news.

  “How are you?” I ask, closing the door behind her.

  “I’m… Great. I’m great,” she says, smiling and blushing.

  “Really? I guess things didn’t go so bad last night then, I take it?” I say as we head towards the kitchen.

  “Ha ha, you’re right.” Sh
e’s giggling, but then suddenly stops herself. “Your parents aren’t home are they?”

  “No, like I said. They’re out of town and will be back late tonight. So you can speak freely,” I tell her, and it makes us both laugh.

  Grabbing some ice tea, we then move over to the living room where I press her for all the details. Not that I have to force her into it, she’s willing to tell all about her date with Jerome.

  “So, did he kiss you?” I ask, wanting to get straight to the point.

  “No… But I kissed him.”

  “You did not.”

  “I did,” she says, and gives me a high five. We both start laughing again, and I feel so happy for her.

  “So things are going real good between the two of you then? I’m glad.”

  “I guess they are,” she says, and draws in a deep breath. “Sometimes it just feels like this is too good to be true. I mean, he’s both handsome and sweet, and he’s got a career going and everything. Sometimes, I catch myself thinking do I deserve this? Am I good enough for him?”

  “You are, Janelle, you shouldn’t be thinking such things. The only real question is does Jerome deserve you?”

  “I know, I know, but I guess what I’m trying to say is I like him. I like him a lot. You know, he just might be the one…” Her voice goes quiet, and her cheeks turn red again. “Do you think it’s too soon to be saying stuff like that?”

  “No, not at all.” I don’t want to steal this moment in time from her, so I don’t tell her about Clark and how I believe I think I might have found the one for me as well. “If that’s how you feel, then there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “Thing is,” she says, and glances down at her fingers. “He kind of already told me that he thinks I’m the one.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet.”

  “Yeah, and… Oh, this is just too difficult, Alicia…” suddenly, her eyes start to well up.

  “What’s the matter, Janelle? Why are you crying?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

  “He kind of… He asked me to move in with him.”

  My heart jumps in my chest. What?

  “Did he?” I ask, and sense a pit growing in my stomach. Noticing that I probably don’t sound as happy for her as I should, I change my tone. “I mean, wow, that’s awesome. Aren’t you happy about it? What did you tell him?”

  “Well,” she says, and turns around in her seat. “I… I told him the truth. That you and I have just signed a lease for this place downtown and that I’m kind of afraid the landlord – who’s a bit of a grump – won’t let us get out of it. I mean, a deal’s a deal. And you and I already agreed to moving in with each other. That’s what I told Jerome.”

  “Oh sweetie,” I say, stroking her cheek. “But what do you want?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Look at me, Janelle. Do you want to move in with him? Because I can handle that. And I’m sure I can figure out a way to pay rent without you. I’ll find a roommate or something. It’ll be fine. You shouldn’t make your decisions based on me. You need to focus on yourself, and do whatever makes you happy.”

  “Really? You think so?” Her face shines up.

  “Really, I do.” Hugging her, I tell her that I’ll always be her friend and that we shouldn’t let these things get between us. “We’ll figure it out,” I tell her. “You go on ahead and tell Jerome you want to move in with him.”

  The sound of my cell phone buzzing in the kitchen calls for my attention. Our hug ends, and I say, “I better get this. It might be mom and dad. Be right back.”

  “Sure,” Janelle says, and mouths a big ‘thank you’ at me while I rush towards the kitchen.

  Picking up the phone, I answer it expecting to hear mom’s voice.

  “Hello?” I say happily.

  “Alicia.”

  I recognize his somber voice immediately. It’s so deep, and masculine, I’d recognize it anywhere.

  “Clark?” I whisper, hoping Janelle won’t hear me.

  “Hey honey, look. I called to tell you something’s come up. I won’t be able to see you tonight.”

  “What? What happened?” The pit in my stomach I thought had vanished, now returns with full force.

  “It’s Suzy.”

  “Oh,” I say, wondering what’s going on. “Is she alright? Did something happen?”

  “No, nothing happened. She’s fine. She just… I gotta go see her tonight. So I can’t come see you. I wanted to tell you that myself instead of texting you.”

  “Oh, okay,” I say, feeling disappointed. Frowning, I sense worry burgeoning at the back of my mind. What if he doesn’t need to see her at all tonight? What if he just got what he wanted from me and is now trying to find a way to get out of it?

  “I’ll call you tomorrow, alright?” he says, sounding like he’s in a hurry to hang up.

  “Okay,” I say, sensing tears in my eyes.

  “I love you,” Clark says as we hang up.

  “Bye,” I say, and end the call.

  What if he doesn’t want me anymore? And what on earth could possibly be so urgent that he needs to see Suzy tonight when him and I already made plans? He did sound a little secretive, didn’t he? Like there were things he didn’t want to divulge?

  All these thoughts are running through my head, driving me crazy. What if this is it? What if I won’t ever see him again? I’m glad I didn’t tell Janelle about Clark and what happened between us last night first thing, because now I all of a sudden don’t feel like telling her about it at all.

  Now all I want to do is lie down in bed and cry.

  Later in the evening, after Janelle and I have had dinner together, and Jerome has picked her up in his car, I lie in bed. Wide awake, I toss and turn, unable to fall asleep. I’m glad Janelle stayed for dinner, keeping me company, because I didn't really think about Clark all that much while she was here. But now, now that I’m all alone in this house again, I can’t stop thinking about him. How could I? It feels like I gave him everything and he just… Ripped my heart out of my chest.

  Checking my phone to see if he’s texted me, I realize he hasn’t. All I have is a message from Janelle stating that she told Jerome that she’s changed her mind about moving in together, and that he was elated when she did. Smiling to myself, I send her a brief message telling her how happy I am for the two of them, before checking my other messages. When I do, the phone starts ringing. Hoping that it’s Clark, my hopes are downcast immediately.

  “Hi Alicia, are you still up?”

  It’s mom, and she sounds worried.

  “Yeah, mom. What’s up?”

  “Our car just broke down on our way home, so we decided we’re going to check into a motel for the night. We’ll be home first thing tomorrow morning instead.”

  “Are you two alright?” I ask, feeling somewhat shocked. Getting up, I walk over to the window. Opening it, I let some of that sweet summer night air into my room, before returning to bed.

  “Yes, dear, we’re both alright,” mom says. “Don’t worry about it. The man said he’d get our car up and running by sunrise.”

  Telling me that’s she’s got to go and that she loves me, she lets me go.

  Here I am, lying in bed, all alone in this big house. Wondering if I should text Clark or not, I decide to sleep on it. I can always send him a message in the morning instead. I’m sure he’s just trying to do right by his sister and that he’ll tell me all about it soon enough.

  As soon as I think these things, I start feeling less tense. And soon enough, I start drifting off to sleep.

  Something brushes against my cheek and it pulls me out of my dreams. What is that? I think to myself, and sense my cheek being touched again. Touched?

  My brain wakes up, startled, and I realize somebody is actually touching my cheek. Opening my eyes, I see nothing at all in the darkness of my bedroom, and it frightens me. My heart starts running a mile a minute, and though I want to scream, I can’t. It’s like I’m choking on m
y own voice.

  “Hey, kitten,” a deep voice whispers. “Alicia, it’s me. Clark.” Hushing me, he tips my chin up and kisses me. Although I’m still worked up from being awakened in the middle of the night, I feel elated that it’s him. “I’m sorry,” he says as our kiss comes to an end. “Did I scare you?”

  “A little,” I say, hugging myself in an attempt to calm myself down. “How… How’d you get in here?”

  “You left your window open, sweetie. You really shouldn’t do that. Anybody could come in here and… Let’s just say I’m glad I found you here before anybody else did.”

  “I am too.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes. Come,” I say, and invite him into bed with me.

  “I just stopped by to tell you that I love you.”

  “I love you too. But please, don’t go. You can stay, if you want.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “Don’t worry, they won’t be home until tomorrow. Please,” I plead. Because I don’t want him to go now that he’s here. I’ve been yearning to see him ever since I left his house this morning. He’s my lover. And I need him.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “It is. I’m really tired, and I feel so much safer now that you’re here. Please stay.”

  “Okay, baby. Don’t worry about it. I’m staying.”

  Undressing himself, he gets into bed with me. I never imagined him ever crawling into this bed with me, in the room where I grew up. But it’s nice. I like it.

  “I love you Alicia,” he whispers into my ear. Holding me tightly, he spoons me until I fall asleep. All I keep thinking about is how I’ve never felt so safe and secure as I do around him.

  And that I love him.