Safe With Me, Special Edition

by Shaina Richmond

  "No."

  "Wally, the man in the wheelchair?"

  "No." It was so random, it almost made me laugh. "How many more are there?"

  "I know of at least a dozen."

  A dozen? "Was it anonymous every time?"

  She nodded. "Every time. But it's a small town. People talk. I think a lot of people know, but she tries to keep it a secret. Otherwise everybody would be at her door with their hand out." Rosita rushed toward me. She put her arms around me and hugged me, even though she only came to about six inches above my waist. "I will say many prayers for you. Susanna needs someone good in her life. She's all alone here."

  "But she seems happy this way."

  "I told you, I'm no fool. A woman like her, living in this big house all alone.” She shook her head. “She may have friends but she needs a big, strong, handsome man around." She reached up and pinched my cheeks.

  I smiled. It gave me comfort to have her approval for some reason.

  The front door creaked open. Rosita quickly stepped away from me and bent down to reach into a bucket of supplies.

  "That was my uncle Mark," Susie said. "He just wanted to catch up for a minute. So, you ready to get some breakfast, Ty?"

  "Yes." I turned to Rosita. "It was very nice to meet you, Rosita."

  "You too, sweetie," She reached out to shake my hand again. She put both of her hands around mine and winked at me.

  "We'll be back around noon," Susie said.

  "Make it one o'clock. This place is dirtier than it looks. I can tell.” Rosita tossed her head back and laughed.

  "Thanks a lot!" Susie’s hands were on her hips.

  Rosita stopped laughing and looked serious. "And make sure you both wear a jacket. It's cold outside. "

  "We will.” They hugged again before we put on our coats and walked out the door.

  "What an interesting lady," I said.

  "Yeah. I wish she would've waited til next week to come over. You wore me out last night. I could sleep til this afternoon.”

  I put my arm around her as we walked to my car. I hoped it might be a good day to sneak the 'so are we dating or not?' talk into our conversation. The only reason I held back was because Joan and her sister told me to. But I couldn't imagine Susie wasn't feeling something for me after the way she acted with me the night before, outside the bar in McMurraysville.

  I unlocked the passenger side door for Susie. She reached out for the handle without giving me a chance to open it for her. As I walked around the car, I saw her inside, throwing her body across the seat to unlock my door.

  “Thanks.” I got inside and started the car. “So, where to?”

  “It depends. What are you in the mood for?”

  “Hmm... well, I'm always in the mood for you, you know.” I briefly thought about pulling the car over already.

  She gently patted my thigh. “I think maybe we need some coffee and food before we get started on that again.”

  “Yeah, you're probably right. So tell me where we're going.”

  “I really don't care. We could go back to the truck stop. Or anywhere else. I want a lot of caffeine and maybe some scrambled eggs.”

  I was about to offer a suggestion when Susie's phone rang.

  "Shit!" She reached into her purse for the phone. "Sorry. I have to answer this."

  Susie took a deep, groaning breath before she answered. "Hello." It sounded like more of a statement than a greeting. She paused. "Yeah." I heard her exhale. "I already told you, yes." She paused. "Can I call you back later? I'm busy.” Her head was turned away from me for the rest of the conversation. "Okay, that's fine. Just email it, alright?" Pause. "Yes. I know that. Look, I'm not her, okay? When have I ever done that?" Long pause. "Yeah, yeah. I know. It's fine. I'll be there. You don't need to ask me again." Pause. "Thanks. Bye."

  She put her phone in her purse. "Sorry about that. So, where are we eating?"

  "Who was that? Are you okay?" I felt I was within my rights as her friend to be worried about her.

  She threw her head back against her seat. "It's not a big deal. It's just something I have to deal with once in a while. Can we not talk about it?"

  To say I was conflicted would’ve been a colossal understatement. I knew I shouldn't pry but I couldn't help it. "Susie, are you in some kind of trouble?"

  "No, it's nothing like that. It's just an annoyance I have to put up with. Please don't ask me again."

  We sat in silence for a few blocks until I saw Milton’s Diner. I pulled into the parking lot without asking for her approval. I mostly just wanted to end the awkward silence.

  The parking lot was crowded. Milton’s was open 24 hours a day and was within walking distance of several dorms and apartment buildings. My roommates had informed me it was a great place to stop and nurse your hangover before completing a walk of shame.

  “Is this okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I like this place.” Susie’s tone was flat as she stared out the windshield.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that you had this weird phone call and it got me a little concerned, you know?”

  She nodded.

  I put my arm around her shoulders. “Hey,” I said, trying to sound gentle. “Don’t be upset. We're gonna have a great day.”

  Susie turned from the windshield to me. A slow smile spread across her face. I thought I saw tears form in her eyes. “Yeah, you're right.”

  “Does that mean you’re not upset with me?”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her smile faded slightly. “I’m not mad at you. Let’s go eat.”

  “Okay.” I put my hand under her chin and turned her face toward me. Then I leaned down to kiss her. She didn’t stop me. In fact, the way she received my kiss told me she wanted it as much as I did. I felt her arm creep inside my jacket to rub my back.

  I’m so in love with this woman. It was all I could think about as her tongue ran circles around mine. The protectiveness I felt only increased my feelings.

  Susie moaned and breathed loudly the longer we kissed. I thought about taking her someplace where we could be alone. But I knew we needed to eat. I was determined to make sure we didn’t make that mistake again.

  I slowly pulled myself away from her. “What is it?” she asked.

  “We just need to eat. Believe me, I’d rather be in the backseat with you.”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah…. Yeah!” It looked like she was giving herself a pep talk to convince herself she was telling the truth. She reached for the door handle. “Let’s hurry. It looks crowded.”

  A half hour later, Susie and I sat at a booth, talking and gulping down iced coffee as fast as possible as we waited for our food. The waitress finally sat the pot down in front of us and brought us several huge glasses of ice.

  “You know,” I said, “I’d really rather sit beside you on one side of the booth but I know how dumb that looks.”

  “Oh! It’s so gross when people do that.” She took my hand across the table. “But I can’t say I’d complain about being so close to you.”

  Our eyes met. Okay, do you like me or not? I hoped she could hear my question screaming at her from my thoughts.

  The light streaming in through the window made her flawless skin look even softer than usual. We’d gotten out of bed too late for her to spend much time on her makeup. “You look beautiful like that,” I said.

  “Like what?”

  I realized I could easily put my foot in my mouth. Choose your words carefully. “You’re not wearing as much makeup. I like it.”

  “That’s sweet of you. What about this mop of hair? I barely brushed it.”

  I laughed. “It does kinda have that ‘sex hair’ thing going on.”

  “Gee, I wonder why?” She laughed. “How much longer do you think it’ll be before you're tired of making my hair look like this?”

  I put my elbows on the table and leaned forward. I
spoke slowly, trying to make sure there was no way she could misinterpret my words. “Now, why would I ever get tired of you?”

  Susie stared back at me silently. I thought she was going to say something but her attention quickly turned to our waitress, who had suddenly appeared with our food.

  We inhaled our breakfast without speaking. She avoided all eye contact with me, even though I barely looked down at my food as I stabbed at it with a fork, trying to get her to look my way as I chewed. What I really wanted to do was shake her until she admitted she liked me.

  Susie finished before I did. She was handing her plate to the waitress when I heard a familiar voice.

  “Tyler?”

  I looked up. Kate Burnette, one of our classmates, stood at the end of our table.

  “Hey. How’re you doing?” I asked.

  “Hi Kate,” Susie said. “Good to see you.”

  “Uh huh,” she said. She barely acknowledged Susie and turned her full attention to me. “I’m great. You look hungry this morning.” She laughed, motioning toward the three half-empty plates sitting on the table in front of me.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I need food. I’ve been working hard this weekend.”

  Susie stifled a laugh. I hoped she wouldn’t mind me saying that to Kate. She was so weird about keeping me a secret.

  I wanted a chance to elaborate but Kate changed the subject. “So how'd you do on that Finance test? It was terrible!”

  “I got a 95. What about you?” I asked.

  It was oddly tense between Susie and Kate. Kate acted like Susie wasn’t even there and I had no idea why. I had flirted with Kate a little bit at the beginning of the school year and briefly thought about asking her out. She was a thin, petite brunette. Definitely the type I was attracted to at the time. But I'd lost interest and forgotten about her.

  “I got an 84. How’d you get such a good grade? Wanna study together for the next one? We should start soon. It sounds like it’s gonna be worse.” Kate groaned dramatically.

  “Well, that girl right there,” I paused to smile at Susie, then turned back to Kate, “is the only reason I did so well. We studied together for a whole day. Didn’t we, Susie?”

  “Yep.” Susie grinned. “All day. Nothing but study.”

  “Uh huh.” I laughed, thinking about how the day ended on Susie's couch. “That’s the secret. So, Kate, maybe Susie could help you study next time, too.”

  Susie eyes narrowed. I knew I'd opened my mouth wide and jammed my foot in up to my ankle.

  “That’s not what I meant, sweetie,” I said, taking Susie's hand across the table. “I just meant we could all hang out at the Cellar and study.”

  Kate cleared her throat. “Yes. Let me know when you guys study and I’ll meet you there.”

  “Well, Kate,” Susie said, “you know you’re always welcomed to study with all of us.”

  “Yeah. I know.” Kate smirked. “I might do that. It’s been a while.” She slightly turned her body to face Susie. “So where’s your food, Suz? Are you waiting for your second or third course? I know you’re probably still really hungry.”

  “Yes. How’d you know?” Susie looked straight at her and smiled.

  What the hell is going on?

  Susie and Kate glared at each other. I held Susie’s hand tightly to let her know I was on her side. I wanted to stand up for her but I wasn’t sure what was happening.

  “Well, I guess I’ll go now,” Kate said. “See you soon.” She patted my arm before she walked off toward the door. I saw two other girls waiting there for her.

  “What the hell was that?” I asked.

  “It’s not worth talking about.”

  “I don’t like how she treated you. Didn't she see me holding your hand? Was she trying to flirt with me?”

  Susie's eyes rolled. “Skinny girls think they own the world. She was trying to prove she could steal you away from me if she wanted.”

  “Well, she couldn’t.” There was no way I could go back to the skinny women of my past after getting used to the supple, soft body of the gorgeous blonde sitting across from me. That body had given me pleasure I didn't know existed.

  She met my gaze for a few seconds and smiled weakly. “That's really sweet.”

  I groaned in frustration as she turned to look out the window. It felt like she'd do anything in her power to keep me at arm's length.

  Tyler's Point of View

  Tuesday October 12, 2010

  “Damn!” I said out loud as I looked at my cell phone. It was already 5:13 p.m.

  “What? You need to be somewhere?” Cyrus asked. “Sorry, man. I didn't know it'd take this long.”

  “It's okay. I just gotta make a phone call,” I said.

  I'd spent most of my afternoon with my roommate, Cyrus. He left me a frantic voicemail while I was in class that afternoon because his car wouldn't start. I loved to work on cars and I especially loved to help my friends. It was a blessing and a curse, because that day I would've rather been at Susie's house, spending some quality time with her before she left the next day. She hadn't invited me over but I planned to show up at her door and hope for the best.

  “Shit, Ty! I don't know what you did to this truck, but it ain't never sounded this good before!” Cyrus yelled as he hit the gas.

  “No problem. It's what I do.”

  I waved at Cyrus as he peeled off down the street. I got in my car as fast as I could, wondering if I should go home to take a shower or just stop in at Susie's house. Maybe she'd offer me a shower...

  I'd taken Cyrus' car to a nearby shop – Leroy's Quality Repair. I occasionally did work for the owner, Leroy Jenson, when he was short-staffed. In return for giving me such consistent short notice when he needed me, he let me have personal use of the lifts at his shop if they were available. I took Susie's Crown Victoria there to do a tune-up a few days earlier when the shop was closed. Cyrus was lucky Leroy was having a slow Tuesday or it would've had to wait a while. The truck needed a new water pump. I had to practically tear the engine apart to get to it, which led to my discovery that Cyrus' truck needed a lot more work - four hours worth. And he only had to pay for the parts. He was about to take a long trip over midterm break and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be driving 200 miles to work on it again because he broke down somewhere.

  I dialed Susie’s number before leaving the parking lot.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sexy. What're you up to tonight?”

  “Well,” she exhaled loudly into the phone. “I had some unexpected company.”

  I heard noise in the background. It sounded like laughter and bottles clanging together. “Damn. I hoped I'd be your unexpected company tonight.”

  She giggled. “That would've been nice. You can stop on over if you want. It's just Michael, Corbie, and Jacinda. They're playing this drinking game. But,” she paused for a few seconds, then whispered. “I really need them to leave. I have to finish packing.”

  “Oh. So I guess it's too late for me to come over? I need a shower. I just spent four hours fixing my roommate's truck.”

  “Whoa. You're a nice roommate.” She whispered again. “Just come over when you can. You can use my shower but I'll have to stay downstairs.”

  I took a deep breath, trying not to show my irritation. “You know, sweetie, if you weren't so into keeping secrets you could take that shower with me, no matter who's downstairs.”

  Susie groaned. “Don't get me started.”

  I chuckled, for lack of a better response. “Okay, fine.”

  About five minutes later I knocked on Susie's door. She answered immediately. I heard laughter from inside as she opened the door. I also caught a whiff of what I thought was pizza and garlic bread. I hoped she had leftovers. I hadn't eaten since noon.

  “Hey Tah-ler.” Her southern accent was a bit more prominent than usual. I knew right then I’d have to figure out a way to get her to myself for a little while. “Come on in,” she said.

  I looked pas
t her as she stood at the door. “Where are they?”

  “Living room.”

  “Good." I bent my head down to kiss her, trying not to touch her with my greasy hands. She wildly licked my lips and tongue. Then I felt her fingers touch my dick through my jeans.

  “Hey now! I still have to walk past everyone to the shower," I said.

  She giggled as she pulled away from me. “Sorry. I’ve really missed you."