by Unknown
“I want you to understand that I’m not happy about this at all, Andy. This is scary, and you’re in really deep here. I’m going to go take a bath while you finish up dinner here so that I can calm down and process all of this. Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.” Melanie kissed Andy on the cheek and drug her feet on the way to the bathroom.
As she busied herself grabbing a towel and a rag, getting everything she needed ready, she felt her body going painfully slow. It was like it was dragging behind her. She couldn’t make her brain think about the implications of everything Andy had just told her. Instead, she just slipped her clothes off and hopped into the bathtub, pouring in some bubble bath for good measure.
She leaned back and closed her eyes as the warm water pooled around her. She found herself wishing she had thought to grab her MP3 player before she got in, but she didn’t feel like getting out. In fact, as long as the water was warm she was sure she’d stay there forever.
She could just barely hear the sounds of Andy whipping up the feast he had bought for her. He sounded like he was really throwing himself into it. Maybe that was his way of dealing with the situation. She needed a calming bath, and he needed to cook. She hoped that meant it would be a good meal.
She heard the clicks and crashes that sounded like he was done. He would have to wait to start, though. She was not anywhere near done in the bath. In fact, she found herself feeling afraid of walking back out there, like everything changed in the last few minutes. Maybe it had.
Suddenly, the lights went out in the bathroom, and she jumped looking around to see what happened. In the dark doorway, she could just make out Andy’s silhouette as he lit a candle he kept in the bathroom. The smell of pumpkin spice filled the room, and she realized in the flickering light that Andy was completely disrobed.
Melanie sat there, looking at his shadowy body as he approached her. He had gotten a little thinner, his body looking a bit like a Roman god rather than some bad ass motorcycle guy. She couldn’t help but ogle even though she knew she was still upset over the gun and the fact he’d kept everything a secret.
She didn’t dare say a word as he approached, blocking out the light of the candle from her line of vision. She played with the idea of letting the whole thing go, forgetting about the fight they’d just had. And then, as he bent down to give her a soft kiss on the lips, her mind went numb.
CHAPTER SIX
Melanie let Andy drown her with kisses. She didn’t want a chance to breathe, a chance to think. She just wanted him.
She reached her arms up around his neck, and he lifted her up out of the tub, setting her down on the floor. She was dripping wet and had suds all over her body. His hand slipped down to the curve of her back and kept going until he reached her left ass cheek, squeezing it with all his might. She could feel the lust blooming between them in the darkness.
She ran her hands gently up and down his back before digging her nails in a little, just enough to send a wave of pleasure through his spine. She felt him shiver beneath her as instincts began to take over.
He picked her up so quickly and gracefully, she almost didn’t known what was happening until they ran into the wall, and she could feel his hard shaft slip inside of her slick center. Her whole body was still dripping wet just like her insides, and it made her slip easily up and down as he used the wall to help support her along with his hands which were still on her ass cheeks.
She bounced up and down, the wall scraping against her back, her breasts slapping up into Andy’s face. He caught one in his mouth and began to suck on it, flicking his tongue on the nipple and teasing it with his teeth.
She scratched at his back and pulled at his hair, feeling a bit like a wild animal in heat. His cock was penetrating her deep and slamming into her while she bounced up and down until Andy carried her into the bedroom which was even darker.
He threw her down on the bed, her neck hanging over the side. He yanked her legs apart and forward as he stood above her like the man in charge she loved him to be. It made her remember why she wanted Andy so much, what made all the complications so worth it.
He smirked down at her as he stroked her body up and down with both his hands. She moaned and pouted, feeling tortured. She wanted him back inside of her right at that instant or she would explode.
Melanie thought she was going to have to beg as he hiked her legs up and wrapped them around his body but refused to enter her pussy again. Instead. He bent down, kissing up her bare stomach and then up to her chest. When he landed at her neck, her body was folded up to its limit, and Andy began sucking her neck and biting as if he were a vampire in need of her life blood. She was sure to have bruises the next day, but it felt so good she didn’t care.
Then, finally, he decided to satiate her hunger, standing back up and pushing into her as slowly as he could make himself. She could feel the desire in him, radiating off of him. She could tell how hard it was for him to hold back so that he could tease her. He wanted her so badly, and knowing that made her want him even more.
Melanie bucked her body forward, forcing him in the rest of the way. His shaft impaled her, going deeper than ever before. She wanted him to bang her so hard it would hurt for days after, reminding her of how it felt for him to be inside of her.
She could feel the intense connection forming between them, melding them together forever. She didn’t know how she could have ever been so angry or so hurt by this perfect creature. She called out to him as he slammed into her, at first saying his name and then a string of loud nothings. She arched her back as her body began to shake under his grip, and she tightened the hold she had around him with her legs.
He thrusted faster and faster, feral sounds coming from his throat as he climaxed with her, solidifying their relationship, branding them as belonging to one another.
She heard the breath leaving her lungs in quick gasps as if she had just run a marathon. She had definitely worked up an appetite; they both had. Perhaps it was a good thing he had bought so much food.
***
Sunday night was upon Melanie as she went around gathering the dirty laundry that was laying all over the floor of the apartment. She had forgotten after living by herself how messy men were. Andy had gone off to hang out with his friends like he did most Sunday nights now. It was her night to do chores since she got Saturday nights with her friends usually.
It was a nice arrangement, and it felt almost like they were a married couple sometimes. It made her feel hopeful and happy about the future, especially now that Andy was being completely honest with her.
She smiled to herself about it as she started throwing the laundry into the washer. She had at least two loads of clothes and one of towels to wash, and she really wanted to get down in time to relax and read a book. It was something she hadn’t gotten to do in a long time. But now that she was sober, employed, and had a nice routine going with Andy she was determined to pick it back up.
Melanie felt something drop on her foot as she threw a pair of Andy’s jeans into the washer and shut the lid. She rolled her eyes at the fact that he didn’t take whatever it was out of his pocket. What did he ever do without her? He probably washed thousands of dollars over the years.
She bent down to pick it up and instantly realized it was not money or anything of the sort. It was a plastic bag full of white powder. She didn’t know of many things that looked like that, and unless the Colombians were all of a sudden dealing in chemical warfare, there was only one thing that made any sense. And it sent her into a terrible rage.
After all they had gone through, after she had given him every opportunity to spill his guts, that’s what he was doing behind her back? She couldn’t believe he had stepped foot into Addicts Anonymous with her knowing full well he had fallen off the wagon. How long had it been going on?
Whatever the answer was, she was going to find out. Not caring that she was in a T-shirt and sweats, her hair tied up in a ponytail, she grabbed her purse and keys, r
unning out the door. She knew exactly where to find him, and she was going to let him have it for doing this. He was going to answer her questions, and then she was going to call Martin for help. They would intervene.
As she drove down the mostly empty road to the warehouse district he’d taken her to before her mother had her fall, she had to reassure herself over and over. It was going to be alright. She’d tell him she knew and that she wanted to help. Martin would know how to handle him. Andy would come willingly, and maybe he wasn’t that far gone. Maybe it hadn’t been going on that long.
She took a deep breath as she pulled up to the warehouse that was the hangout for his motorcycle gang. Sure enough, she spotted both his and Frank’s bikes parked outside. She was almost apprehensive to go in now that she was there. What would she find? What would he say?
Knowing she had no choice but to continue, she walked right in and stood frozen. She spotted Andy immediately. He was dancing with some young girl who must also be a member of the gang. She could see Frank sitting at a table, snorting a line, and at least two others were smoking crack. As Andy spun the pretty girl around and caught Melanie’s eye, she could see by the wild look he had and the way his eyes were that he was high as a kite. How many Sunday nights had he spent that way?
The girl was cackling as Andy left her to walk over to Melanie, but she remained stiff even as his arm wrapped around her waist. There was nothing he could do to stifle the pain she felt in that moment knowing he had hidden something from her again.
She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to get him off of her. “Please, let go, Andy. I need to leave. I can’t do this.” She pleaded with him over and over in a whisper, but it didn’t work. He was lost to her. She looked around the room for a friend to help, but they were all wrapped up in each other. The only one she recognized was Frank. Even he was full of betrayal.
Then, like a miracle, Rebecca emerged from the bathroom, and she was sober. She calmly walked up to them and started coaxing Andy off of Melanie. “C’mon, Andy. Let’s go get some fresh air, alright? Melanie needs to talk to you. Maybe you can take her home.” Rebecca looked at Melanie and nodded for her to follow. Melanie could tell that Rebecca knew how she felt at that moment.
It made her wonder how long the same thing had been going on with Frank. The best couple she knew had a huge problem, a huge rift between them. Did Rebecca stick around because she was addicted to being with Frank? It didn’t seem too far-fetched at the moment. Everyone must be addicted to something or someone. Was that all there was in life; addictions and obsessions? Or would people like her and Andy ever find peace?
They made it outside, and Rebecca propped Andy up on his bike. Melanie could tell that Andy was beginning to sober up. She’d heard cocaine highs didn’t last very long, but the thought of facing him after sobering up was worse. She knew there was no choice, though.
“I’ll be right inside if you need me, Mel, okay?” Rebecca patted Melanie on the back and then headed inside, leaving her and Andy alone in the cool night air.
“Andy?” Melanie asked slowly, approaching him. He looked like he was crashing, like someone who had just worked a 24-hour shift and couldn’t stay awake any longer. “Andy, I found cocaine in your things when I was doing laundry. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. How long has this been going on?”
Andy looked up at her and quickly bowed his head back down. “Since the run I got the call about. The Colombians made me do it to prove my loyalty; me and Frank. I thought I could handle it, but I can’t.”
Something about the defeat in his voice and the way he seemed to be accusing others of his fall back into his addiction made Melanie feel furious. Besides, if his job was ruining his life like that it was time to quit. He could be a respectable man at a respectable job if he wanted to. Why did he insist on doing this job if it was hurting him?
“Then, you should have gone to AA. You should have asked for help,” she snapped back at him. The only response she got from him was a nod. Her anger once again took a turn for despair. She couldn’t let herself ball her eyes out in front of him. She had to get out of there, fast.
“I don’t know what to do about this, Andy. You need help, and I don’t know if I’m the one that should do it. I have to go now.” She rushed to her car, feeling the tears begin to sting as they ran out. She needed comfort that Andy could no longer give her before she lost it.
So, she headed straight for Jude’s without a second thought, hoping to find Caleb there. There was no way she could hold it together over the phone.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Tell us everything from the beginning, Mel. We’re here for you.” Irene patted Melanie’s shoulder as her mascara ran down her face. After she’d made it to Jude’s she couldn’t find Caleb at all, and she ended up having a couple of drinks and dancing until he found her and took her to his place. She assumed they were staging another intervention. Irene had come over after work the next day, and Caleb had canceled a date to stay there with her. It was a bit embarrassing, but she really needed her friends. She had no idea what to do with herself.
“Andy’s been acting really strange lately, and he kept just telling me it was work stress and it would pass. Considering his line of work, I believed him. Then, I found …. Something in his belongings that shouldn’t be there when he missed breakfast with my mother. I confronted him about it. He admitted to what the real problem was at work and said he hadn’t wanted to worry me. I was upset, but I thought that was it. That he had told me everything. I let it go because he had planned this romantic dinner and asked me to move in you know, officially?”
She stopped for a moment, feeling a sob coming on thinking of how great it should have been, how amazing that night was and how quickly it turned to crap. She looked to her friends, and they nodded her on.
“But when I went to do laundry a bag of cocaine fell out of his pocket. It seemed to explain everything, but I couldn’t believe he didn’t tell me or somebody. But I couldn’t judge him considering my situation. I knew he needed help, so I went to find him and bring him home so I could call someone else from AA to help us. But when I got there he was high and dancing with some girl from the motorcycle club. Even his best friend was doing it with him. I couldn’t handle seeing him that way. It was terrible, like he was a stranger. So, I took off and went to Jude’s hoping I’d find you, Caleb.”
Caleb wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and Irene let her chest rise and fall in a heavy sigh. She could see they were thinking something as they looked to each other. Melanie found herself feeling a little afraid at what they could have in mind. “Honey,” Caleb began with pure sympathy in his eyes. “I know how you feel about him, I really do, and I trust your judgment in men. But as you said, he is not himself like this. He can’t be trusted like this, and you know as well as anyone that an addict cannot be helped until the exact moment they want to be.”
Melanie looked up at Caleb with sad eyes. She was afraid she knew exactly what was coming next. “What are you saying,” she questioned them, stupidly.
“We’re saying you need to get out of there, leave him. It’s not going to do you any favors living with him in this state. He may or may not quit, Melanie, and you don’t need to wait around messing with your own recovery for it. We’ll help you get your stuff out if you just tell us when.”
Melanie swallowed nervously as she thought about what they were saying. Of course, they were right, but was there really no hope? All she could do was keep a place of hope locked in her heart for if and when he decided to snap out of it. “Okay,” she agreed. “He leaves for work again in a few days. We can go get my stuff then, just the things I need right now like my food and clothes. I don’t really want to deal with furniture. I just can’t face him for this. I’m sorry if that makes me a coward.”
Melanie looked up at the two of them for approval, and they both smiled affectionately at her. “You’re not a coward, Melanie, you’re heartbroken and still in love with
the one that did the breaking.” Irene rubbed her back again before standing up and grabbing her purse. “Well, I’d love to stay, hon, but I’ve got a date that I really can’t cancel. The new guy is meeting my dad and all.”
“It’s okay, Irene, have fun.” Melanie tried to look happy for her because in truth she was even if she was also a little jealous. Irene was finally getting serious with someone. It was amazing, and there was no way Melanie was going to ruin it. They wave goodbye to each other, and Caleb headed to the kitchen to whip up some dinner. The great thing about staying with Caleb is never wanting for great food.
But as she sat there alone, she thought about what Irene said about being in love with Andy. She found herself thinking that she really hoped that wasn’t the case because she didn’t think she could survive losing him to addiction if she really was in love with him. And if she was in love with him, was he in love with her? Now, she would never know.
***
Melanie felt like a hurricane ripping through the apartment that she and Andy had shared for such a short time. She found herself second guessing her knowledge on when his run was as she ran through the house throwing things in duffel bags and backpacks that Irene and Caleb had helped her scrounge up from all three of their places. It would be enough to hold all of her clothes, her food, and anything small she had brought with her. The chair and the dining room set she had brought would have to stay, along with the toaster oven.
