Castles Burning Part One

by Nicole Ryan

  Castles Burning

  Part 1

  Nicole Ryan

  The following is a work of fiction and a product of the author’s imagination. Any semblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. This work contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without express written consent from the author. ©Nicole Ryan 2012. All rights reserved.

  As I sat in the waiting area for my plane I felt overwhelmed. The last eight months of my life had been a whirlwind. Hell, the last two years had been. I was twenty one. I had graduated with a 3.5 GPA in High School, not perfect, but not bad, and immediately enlisted into the United States Navy. I left for Great Lakes Illinois, the fall after I graduated High School. After boot camp I was sent literally across the street for more training and schooling, then to a duty station working with new recruits. I’d gone home on Leave as often as I could afford, but being stationed back home, was weird. I wasn’t sure what to anticipate with my parents, would they want me to move back home? Or with my boyfriend…was he still my boyfriend? We’d been sort of on when I came home and off when I left, both dating other people. I loved him more than anything, but we both agreed that the distance and time were too much strain to place on our relationship, and if seeing other people in the meantime would save that, well then it was worth it to us.

  “Excuse me?” I heard quietly from the woman standing at the check-in desk, I looked behind me to see her smiling widely at me; I grabbed my cover and walked up to her. Why I decided to fly home in my dress whites is beyond me, but it turned out to be in my favor.

  “Yes?” I asked her, she was very short, maybe in her mid thirties, with a beautiful Hispanic look to her.

  “I noticed your whites.” Again she smiled hugely at me, “My little brother is in the Navy, we have plenty of space, I’m going to bump you up to first class.”

  “Oh, wow thank you.” I said, looking at the empty waiting area.

  I’d never sat in first class before. While I place my things in the over head compartment I noticed a bald man, shaved, not like he’d lost his hair, maybe early forty’s who was sitting in the seat next to mine. He looked friendly so I smiled at him as I sat down. He returned the smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and I noticed how terribly sad he looked. Taking my seat I popped two Tylenol PM and swallowed them with my ginger ale, the baldy snapped his magazine closed. I swallowed hard before placing my soda down and looking over to see him grinning. I returned his smile awkwardly, not wanting to be rude, and wondering what was so funny.

  “I’m always sat next to the sick girl.” He said with a wink.

  “Oh, I won’t be sick, maybe snoring, but not sick.” I laughed nervously, I truly was afraid of flying, which was my main reason for joining the Navy and not the Air Force.

  “Well, that’s nice for me then. Thank you for your service.” He added nodding at my uniform. He smelled of strong, woodsy aftershave.

  “Oh, uh… thanks for the thanks.” I said awkwardly.

  I’d never been very good at accepting compliments. He placed his magazine down and looked at me finally, and I noticed his right eye had a thin, barely noticeable scar that stretched from his temple to the side of his mouth. I wondered what had happened to him as I watched his eyes rove over me briefly.

  “How long have you been away?” He asked me.

  “Almost two years.” I replied, taking a sip of my drink. “Well, aside from visits now and then.”

  “Oh? A lot can happen in two years.” He said, returning to his paper.

  “Yes, it can Sir.” I sighed.

  An odd look flashed in his eyes, and my stomach flipped, realization setting in, it was not often that I meet a man who was this clandestinely Dominant. Usually I could spot them, but this man was quite good at hiding it, of course now I noticed his clenching right hand, which was furthest from me, and not a hair was out of place. I grinned inside as he adjusted in his seat, crossing his legs. I was reminded of my training sessions with Aden, and my insides nearly caught fire at the memory, it’d been so long since I’d seen him, I missed him dearly.

  The fasten seat belts sign lit up, and before I knew it we are ascending into the air and I was gripping the bald man’s hand. He tried to console me at first, but then he laughed at what I can only assume must have been a look of sheer horror, maybe constipation. Once we were flying high and I could close my eyes, my mind drifted to my fond memories from before boot camp, it seemed like decades ago.

  ***

  I woke up about seven thirty, my mom and dad were at work, the house was empty, I reached over to turn my alarm off and immediately checked my phone. One new text and it’s from him, Aden Stone.

  Wanna hang out today? 7:02am

  I have work at two. Can I come over before? 7:34am

  Yes. Soon as u can. 7:34am

  I flipped my phone closed.

  Since the first day I clamped eyes on him, back in the eighth grade, I’d had a huge crush on him. The gorgeous, brooding boy with huge blue eyes and black hair, who sat down by himself on the bus, and just stared out the window looking lonely.

  Over the years we became very close friends, always talking on our hour long ride to school and the hour long ride home. He would call me nearly every night on the phone and we would talk for hours, while he played his guitar in the background; I would lie on my pillows and close my eyes, pretending he was there with me. Sometimes he would sing short sweet melodies to me, sometimes I would pull out my Casio and play along with him, each on other ends of the phone, at opposite ends of the town, but I felt so close to him. I told him nearly everything about my life, my hopes, and my dreams. He shared all of his hearts desires and imaginings, his poetic soul capturing my heart completely. We talked about our adventures we’d have, and how he would be famous, we dreamed together of traveling to Ireland and London, playing small pubs, all from our small rooms in this tiny town.

  I knew more about him than I did my best friend, Christie. She used to tease us that we might as well be dating. But I always knew he wasn’t interested, no, not the most gorgeous boy in school, he could never be attracted to the chubby girl with braces and glasses. But he was kind, so kind and caring. He never turned his back on me in school, never pretended not to know me….always there when I needed someone to talk to about family drama, or boy trouble. When he went through his first break up, I was sitting beside him on the bus, rubbing his shoulder as he held his coat over his head. I remember thinking how much I loved him then, how I could never, ever hurt him, if he’d only give me the chance, I could show him that not all girls were mean, superficial creatures. I remember one particular bus ride home after a long week of finals.

  “I’m sorry Aden, you don’t deserve this.” I told him, after he told me about breaking up with yet another cheer leader. Trying to figure out what to do, how to comfort him, I placed my hand on his knee, he jumped a little and when he lifted his head, his coat fell down, and revealed his face. I was mesmerized. His red rimmed eyes were brilliant against the dazzling blue. His lips were red and swollen; there were blotches on his cheeks. He looked so….vulnerable.

  “Don’t.” He said, never taking his eyes from mine. I removed my hand, as I felt pure heat burning into my eyes, and something else….something I didn’t recognize. I started to apologize, but he stopped me.

  “No, it’s not like that, I just….” He trailed off, and when he moved his leg away from me I saw the perfect outline of his penis nuzzling against his thigh, it was the first time I had ever seen any of the boys from school with a hard on and it stirred things inside me that I
had never felt before. I withdrew my hand immediately, and the feelings vanished just as quickly as they had come, replaced with sheer embarrassment.

  “I’m sorry.” I said quietly, looking down at my hands in my lap.

  “Me too.” His voice broke, he sounded humiliated.

  I’d written a note to him once, desperately wanting to understand this reaction, which he found in my backpack on the bus once… I remember fighting furiously for it, having changed my mind at lunch when I went to the bathroom and took a long hard look at myself in the dull, anti-shatter mirror.

  My phone buzzed as I brushed my teeth, bringing me out of my memories.

  on ur way? 8:51am

  almost out the door 8:52am

  k 8:52am

  I rushed to my car after showering and putting on a little makeup.

  Tossing my barista apron into the passenger seat of my old Toyota I fired it up, waiting a few seconds for the engine to catch up and start purring before I pulled out of my parent’s driveway, the gravel crunching beneath my tires. Aden’s house wasn’t far from mine, he and a friend had their own place, they moved in right after graduation. I pulled in behind Aden’s car and made my way up the walk way to the front door I heard music playing inside, but not loud. I knocked, but Aden didn’t hear me, so I opened the door a crack and called to him.

  “Hey Aden? I’m here, can I come in?” The smell of cleaner greeted me.

  “Yeah come on in.” He called.

  I opened the door and stepped up and into the unfinished and unfurnished house. Aden was cleaning the kitchen counters, he wore only a backwards baseball cap, and gray sweat pants, perfectly showing off his thick, muscular body from playing football his entire school career. I felt my cheeks flush a little, but the burn died down before he looked directly at me.

  “Just finishing this up really quick, we had a party last night and there was some Goose spilled on here.” He glanced at me and grinned before going to the sink and rinsing the sponge.

  “Oh? Thanks for the invite.” I teased.

  He laughed and started down the hall; I followed him to his bedroom, my heart racing with my excitement. He flopped down on his bed, still messy from the night before, he looked amazing lying on his stomach and looking at me. I opted for the computer chair across from him, and glanced around the room, his guitar was in the corner next to his bed, along with a nightstand and a small lamp. Behind me was a small desk with a computer, speakers and printer.

  “So? How was the party?” I asked.

  “It was ok, no girls. That’s why I didn’t invite you.” His eyes twinkled with mischief as he reached down to adjust his pants, his firm behind lifting ever so slightly off the bed as he did so…I desperately tried not to blush, and shifted my eyes to my hands.

  “Want to come hang out tonight?” He asked quietly, taking his cap off and tossing it onto the desk behind me. His black hair was lighter than it usually was, more of the red had been brought out by the sun, and his blue eyes gleamed brighter against his summer tan.

  “Can’t.” I sighed.

  “Why not?” He asked, his chin propped on his stacked fists.

  “My parent’s would be pretty upset. Even though I’ve graduated, and I’m eighteen, they still want me to follow the rules until I move out.”

  “What’s the difference between you being here now and then after work?”

  “We could have sex at night.” I said with mock horror, laughing. He reached for my hand, bringing me to sit on the bed with him.

  “What’s saying we couldn’t right now?” He asked holding me against his side, pinning my wrists in my lap. I laughed as he squeezed my side a couple times with his free hand. It felt marvelous to have his attention, all of it, and not just over the phone. We’d never been this physical before, and I reveled in it.

  “You’re right, I know… I don’t know why they make these rules. It’s just how they are I guess.” I began to feel uncomfortable, sitting this close to him, the proximity made me feel over heated.

  “Where’s your bathroom?” I asked him.

  “Down the hall, second door on the right.” He said, taking his arms off of me, I felt myself take a deep breath; I didn’t even realize I’d been holding it.

  In the bathroom I took off my jacket to keep my armpits from sweating with my nerves. It was a little chilly this morning, June isn’t necessarily a warm month in the Pacific North West, but it was a pretty day, sunny out with barely any breeze. I looked at myself in the mirror, my dark brown hair was about shoulder length, my eyes a matching dark brown. I tried to cover my freckles up with powder this morning, but I was never able to fully succeed. My lips were my best feature on my face, full, thick, with a nice splash of natural color to them. I was wearing my most flattering top, providing accent to my huge boobs while letting out to not show off my huge hips, there was a fair amount of cleavage which made me feel better.

  I remembered back in the eleventh grade when Aden once put his arm over my shoulders as I was taking my seat in the cafeteria, and deliberately looked down my shirt. He leaned in to my ear and whispered, “Amber, you have a really great rack.” I flushed so crimson I thought my eyes might start to water. I smiled at myself and the memory, my confidence boosted, I quickly used the toilet and washed my hands, as a last thought I took some tooth paste out of the tube and rubbed it around in my mouth. I’d brushed them before I left the house but the sudden case of dry mouth I had left a bad taste in my mouth. I rinsed with water and smiled at the mirror, silently thanking my parents for the year of braces, my smile was another thing I like about myself, now that the braces were off.

  When I returned to the bedroom Aden was sitting at his computer, a nice acoustic song playing quietly. I sat on the bed quietly, and watched him as he removed a CD from a big stack and placed it in his computer tower. Even small, unimportant movements were graceful when he made them; it made no sense for a man of his size to move that way, that gracefully, it seemed to defy the laws of nature.

  “I’m gonna burn you some songs.” He said.

  “Oh sweet. That’d be great.” I said, not really too excited to get the cds, I knew I’d listen to them over and over again while I was away.

  “Want something to drink?” He asked as he stood up, his navel was at my eye level, I could smell his skin.

  I looked up at him demurely through my eyelashes, my heart beating a little faster, and watched his jaw muscle clench, as he gazed down at my wide eyes. I muttered a quick answer before pulling out my phone and fiddling with a text message, a feeble attempt to distract my eyes from the dark hair that trailed from his navel to below his pants. When he left the room I took a deep breath, trying to calm my jitters, I looked around, baseball trophies, basketball trophies; pictures with girls, guys, at parties, at prom, all smiles, great memories. It felt incredible to be surrounded by all of this. I felt weight on the bed behind me, and Aden handed me a soda, I cracked it open and took a small sip before setting it down on the desk, he doesn’t know I stopped drinking soda to get rid of my acne. I smiled at him awkwardly again, and pulled my hair behind my ear, because I didn’t know what else to do with my hands.

  “You look so different.” He said.

  “Really?” I asked nervously.

  “Mmmhmm. Even at graduation I noticed, you’re prettier each day.” His face was close to the back of my head, the feeling almost gave me goose bumps.

  “You, are crazy.” I laughed dismissively.

  “You’re the one who’s crazy. Do you know how many of my friends have asked me if you were single?” I felt my scalp tingle as some of my hairs moved slightly beneath his fingers.

  “Oh really? Then why didn’t I get asked to prom?” I teased him, barely able to breathe the words out.

  “I don’t know, you’re… intimidating. You always seem so sure of who you are, and what you want, so much older than other girls, maybe they were just afraid you’d say no. Jamal wanted to ask you.” He said as he moved his fing
ers through the ends of my hair.

  “Well, it’s too late now.” My eyes were cast down at my hands again, hoping for a change in subject, high school was not a fun time in my life and I was happy it was over so I could move on. Aden’s weight shifted slightly, he was closer to me, his leg against my lower back, and suddenly I could feel his breath on my neck.

  “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known, you always have been, inside and out.” It was barely audible; I closed my eyes, drinking in the words I’d longed to hear from someone for so long. His fingers came up and pulled my hair that escaped over my shoulder behind my neck and to the other side, trailing his fingers down my arm, to grasp my elbow.

  “Aden…” It was a warning, more for myself, than for Aden, because I actually wanted him to be doing this, but I wasn’t exactly sure what this change in him was, or where it came from, he had never shown an interest in me these last 5 years….why now?

  His lips came to softly brush my shoulder and I nearly jumped off the bed, but his other hand was sitting on my waist, and it tightened at my movement holding me still. I thought I heard a growl escape his throat; it reminded me of when I was young and fed my kitten, then started to take his bowl away to add more food to it, he grabbed my hand with his little paw with such ferocity, such need. My breathing quickened as Aden’s lips moved up to my ear, his shallow breath tickling me, intoxicating me.

  “I’ve wanted you since the first day I met you.” He trailed more kisses along my neck. I had never in my life experienced anything more erotic before this point… Never had I even experienced a simple kiss that was enjoyable. Any other boyfriends I’d had in school the kisses never excited me, they more made me feel uncomfortable, like I was the one who was supposed to be in charge, I didn’t like it. I wanted a man who had more experience than I did.

  “Alex isn’t home and I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, just let me kiss you.” He said as he rested his hand on my knees.