by Amy Brent
When the hell had it all gone to shit?
“Here,” Kylie said. “Let me know if I put too much sugar in it.”
“I’m sure it’s great,” I said.
“Communicate with me, Adam. Let me know.”
I brought the mug to my lips and sipped it. The drink was a little too sweet. She never put sugar in her coffee so she never knew how to gauge it. But the look in her eyes was almost desperate. She was desperate to get something right.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was wrong.
“It’s perfect,” I said. “Thank you, Kylie.”
“Good,” she said with a smile. “Want to sit down?”
The two of us took a seat on her couch, and I watched her stare into her untouched coffee. I knew she wouldn't drink it. She’d sit right there with it in her hand until I left. Then she’d pour it down the drain. She’d never been someone to put sugar in her coffee. Kylie had never been a sweets person period. No chocolate. No caramel. It had made Valentine’s Day very hard over the past four years. She’d rather munch on chips and miniature pretzels then delve into a candy bar. Or gummies. Or chewing gum for that matter.
“What are you smiling at?” Kylie asked.
“You,” I said. “I’m smiling at you.”
Her cheeks flushed as her eyes danced between mine.
“I’m sorry, Kylie.”
“For what?” she asked.
“For the hospital. For always fighting with you. I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”
“We aren’t fighting,” she said as she turned her body toward me. “Not even sort of.”
“I know you want children, and I know my answer didn’t make you happy.”
“I’m not worried about it,” she said. “Really, Adam. I’m so young. Both of us are. We’ve got plenty of time to think about kids in the future.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s true.”
I’d come prepared to tell her the truth, to sit down and tell her that I didn’t ever think about them, that I didn’t want to ever think about them. That children weren’t in my future no matter if it was next year or the next century. I’d come prepared to face the demise of my relationship with her, to tell her I didn’t want children and I wasn't willing to compromise. I didn’t want to do that to her. I didn’t want to make her a stay-at-home mother.
If my production company took off, I’d be filming, traveling, commissioning work and hiring actors and actresses. She’d be stuck at home with a brood of children and a want to work but no possible way to work. And she could throw out all the solutions she wanted—hiring a nanny, day care, all of us traveling together—but I knew none of it would make her happy. I knew none of it would really, truly make Kylie happy.
“Are you still happy with me, Adam?” she asked.
Her question ripped me from my trance as the blood drained from my face.
“Why would you think I’m not?” I asked.
“I wonder sometimes. I know you know things aren’t the way they used to be between us, and I wonder if you’re still happy. Are you? Because it’s okay if you’re not.”
Was I happy with her? Of course. Did I love her? Yes.
Were we right for each other’s futures? That had yet to be determined.
“I am,” I said. “I’ve always been happy with you. Are you happy with me?”
“Of course I am, Adam. I love you. There’s a light you bring to my world that no one else has ever brought to it. And I’m so scared of losing that. Of losing you.”
I set my mug of coffee down the second her eyes filled with tears. I plucked her mug from her hands and set it down as well, then wrapped her up in my arms. There had only been two other instances I’d ever seen Kylie cry. The first was when Alyssa had been hit by that car on campus and put in an ICU room, and the second was when she had looked out into the crowd on her graduation day and hadn’t seen her parents.
But none of those moments compared to the tears she unleashed on my shoulder. And it broke my heart.
“It’s okay,” I said as I smoothed her hair. “Shh, shh, shh.”
“I don’t want to lose you, Adam.”
“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” I said.
“We can wait to have kids. I don’t want them for another three or four years anyway. It could be five, or even six. Or if we don’t want to do natural kids at all, we could adopt. There are so many kids who need parents who don’t have them. We’d be wonderful parents to those kinds of kids.”
I closed my eyes and tried to block out her words as she pushed herself into my lap. She straddled my hips, her knees planting into the cushions of her couch. Her tears drenched my shoulder for the first time ever in our relationship, and it ripped the breath from my lungs. Kylie was hurting inside, confused, and it was because of me.
I needed to tell her the truth, but the idea of compounding her sadness made me sick.
“I think we need a vacation,” I said.
“What?” she asked with a sniffle.
“I think a lot has changed and we need to get away for a little bit. You’ve taken this job with my father, which I’m very proud of by the way—”
“You are?” she asked.
“I was an ass about it. My outburst and the tension it brought down on us was wrong. And I’m sorry, Kylie. This job obviously makes you happy, and I’m glad you took it.”
The smile that crossed her face lit up my world.
“We’re also moving, and I think that’s putting pressure on us. Things are escalating with the test audience, and I’m about to be thrown headfirst into a round of edits I didn’t think we’d have to address.”
“What happened?” she asked. “When was that screening?”
“A couple nights ago. It was pretty rough. None of the people in the audience liked the ending, so we have go to back and reshoot some things.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Daisy happened and everyone was so happy about it. I didn’t want to ruin the moment.”
“You have to talk to me, Adam,” she said as she cupped my cheeks. “You’re shit at it.”
I chuckled before she brought my lips to hers to kiss. I tasted the salted sadness of her tears on the tip of her tongue. My hands smoothed up and down her thighs as she rolled her hips into me. What started out as a small kiss blossomed quickly into an inferno threatening to burn down her apartment. I whipped her around and tossed her down on her couch as breathless giggles fell from her lips.
“Come away with me,” I said.
“Where do you want to go?” Kylie asked.
“One of the state parks. We could get a small cabin or something, a hotel room that overlooks one of them. Anything that gets us out of Portland and away from the chaos of our changing lives for a second.”
“I’d love that,” she said. “But I do have a meeting Monday morning that your father really wants me to be at.”
“Then talk to him. Ask him for a couple days to yourself.”
“I just started, Adam. I can’t do that.”
“He’ll understand. Tell him you’ll take some work with you. And you’ll have your phone in case any CPA-like emergencies pop up.”
“A couple days away does sound nice,” she said.
“Then come with me,” I said. “Come away with me and let’s coexist in peace for a little bit, without worries or stressors or anything else breathing down our neck.”
I encompassed her lips with mine and felt her hands fist my shirt as she pulled me closer.
“Okay,” she said in a whisper. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Wonderful. I’ll get on my phone first thing in the morning and book us a place. No filming, no offices. Just you, me, a beautiful view of the state park, and no clothes.”
“Mmm, none at all?” she asked.
I slid my hand up her shirt, making it all the way to her naked breast just in time to feel her nipple pucker.
“Don’t even pack them,�
�� I said.
Kylie
I woke up the next morning to the feeling of something hard pressing into my back. I felt Adam’s arms tighten around me and smiled as I pressed my hips back into his. His face fell to my neck. I felt him nuzzle deeper before he drew in a deep breath. Then his breathing steadied back out as he fell into a slumber once again.
I rolled over in his arms and planted a kiss on his nose. His eyes opened for a split second as my hand traveled down his bare chest. I felt every ripple of his muscles as he sighed at me and smiled. I pressed my hand into his chiseled abs before dropping my bare palm to his boxers.
“What do we have here?” I asked.
“Mmm, good morning to you too,” Adam said.
I slipped my hand underneath the band of his boxers and palmed his cock. It was rock hard and pulsing, ready for me to play with it. I stroked it slowly, reveling in the droplets of precum that rose to the top. Adam’s lips captured mine as he pulled his boxers down his legs, freeing himself so I could access whatever I wanted.
“Kylie,” he said breathlessly, “that feels so good.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve woken up like this,” I said. “Why don’t we change that?”
I rolled him over onto his back and straddled him with my naked body. My heat beat against his pelvis, and I watched as his eyes widened. I guided him into my body, sinking down onto his girth as I sighed into the room. I planted my hands on his chest as he fisted my hips, running his palms up and down my thighs.
“Holy shit,” he said with a groan. “Yes, please.”
I rode his cock, waking myself up to the caffeine flowing from his dick. He helped me roll my hips as his eyes grew wider and more alert. I curled my nails into his chest before he flipped me over, settling between my legs as his hands laced with mine.
He pinned them above my head and rocked into me, keeping a slow and steady pace as whimpers left my lips.
“Oh, Adam. Just like that. Don’t stop, okay?”
“Never. I’ll never stop, Kylie. I love you,” he said.
He dipped down and captured my lips, landing his hips against mine. His cock filled me to the brim, pressing against my walls and stoking a fire in my gut I couldn't ignore. I planted my heels into the mattress and rolled into him, trying to get him to move the way I wanted him to.
But instead, he only smiled into my lips before gathering me in his arms.
He scooted to the edge of the bed, his arms cloaking my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held myself close to his firm body. I rolled into him, slid up and down his cock, felt his hands all over me as I kissed every bit of him I could find. His hands fisted my ass and ran up and down my back. He tangled his hands in my hair and brought my lips up to his to kiss. I nipped at his neck and traced the muscles of his shoulder with my tongue. I felt my body trembling against his as I tensed, unleashing my pleasure onto his skin as juices flowed from my body.
“Adam. Shit. Yes. Oh my gosh. Oh yes. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.”
My pussy throbbed around him, sucked him deeper into my body. He buried his face into my neck and kissed me repeatedly, leaving marks behind with his lips. I leaned back, feeling him cradle me in the palms of his massive hands. It pressed him farther into me, my toes curling as he struck a spot he’d never touched before.
“Oh my gosh,” I said with surprise. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Adam asked.
I leaned back farther, pressing him into me as he rolled his hips. I jolted so hard I almost fell off his lap as euphoria crossed my vision. Everything darkened as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. My body filled with fire—a fire I wanted to stoke. Adam gathered me back into his arms and held me close, then got up and laid me back down on the bed.
My legs were tossed over his shoulders and his hands fisted my ass. The second my hips leveled out with the rest of my body, I felt it. A searing bolt of pleasure ripped through every vein in my body, and I jumped, clinging to the sheets of my bed while Adam chuckled.
“Oh, this is new, and it’s going to be fun.”
The obscenities that poured from my mouth shocked even myself. I was no longer in control of my body, no longer in control of my mind. He pounded into me, gripping my ass and holding up my body weight. I arched my back as fire burned in my gut and cries of ecstasy fell from my lips.
“Adam, yes! Oh holy fuck. More. I need more. Harder, Adam. Please. I love you. Make me yours. I love you so much it hurts. Fuck that pussy. Play with my clit. Can I play with my clit?”
Before he answered, I slid my hand between my pussy lips and let my body loose. I opened my eyes and watched Adam watch me, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. My toes curled as my clit throbbed against my touch. His hips slapped against mine as his balls tapped my ass cheeks. I was soaring, flying, floating in space as my body climbed that ascent. My legs shook violently as his hips began to stutter, and beads of sweat formed at the nape of my neck.
“Come with me, Kylie. Do it. Squeeze that cock until you scream.”
“I’m coming, Adam! I’m coming! Yes! Oh, fucking shit!”
I exploded, spraying him with juices as he stroked that spot in my body one last time. My jaw unhinged and my eyes rolled back so deeply it gave me a headache. My hand fell from my pussy, dropping to the bed as Adam spilled himself inside me, grunting and groaning as my walls massaged his dick.
He collapsed on top of me, pinning me to the bed as his soaking wet skin draped across mine.
“Holy hell, Kylie. What was that?” he asked breathlessly.
All I could do was shake my head. I had no idea what the hell that had been.
Once the two of us could move, we cleaned ourselves up and went to go get coffee. But even with the caffeine, neither of us were alert enough to have a conversation. I peeked at him over my coffee mug, and he smiled at me with that boyish little grin of his, the one that always told me his appetite had been satiated. Pride burst through my veins as we finished up our morning cup of coffee. Then I hopped into the car with him and he took me to the set.
It had been a long time since I’d been on set with him, and I figured it was a great time to rectify that situation.
“So, what’s this small horror flick about?” I asked.
“It’s a good one. It’s set in the eighteen seventies. A man comes upon a mysterious woman who lives alone in his house on a hill, and he’s taken with her. But he soon comes to find that the reason she’s shunned by the entire town is because she’s Patient Zero.”
“Wait, you mean—?”
“Yep,” Adam said with a proud smile. “It’s an origin story for the zombie apocalypse.”
I could tell he was proud of his idea, and I had to admit that origin stories for the zombie invasion or whatever were a little rarer to find. But in my opinion? Zombies as a horror flick, in general, were outdone. Overdone. A little outdated in the horror world. I wasn’t going to tell him that. I didn't want to diminish the pride he took in his work. But it did make me wonder if him sticking to all these overdone tropes was the reason his production company wasn’t making any headway in the independent film world.
“Kylie, could you come help me with something?” Adam asked.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“You’ve always had a good eye for costumes. Do you like the black dress on her or the cream-colored one that looks almost like a nightgown?”
“What’s the scene?”
“It’s the first time the leading man meets her. I don’t know if she should be caught off guard in her nightgown or if she should be formally dressed.”
“If she’s being seen up close, definitely formal. If she’s being seen from a distance, definitely the nightgown.”
“I knew you’d have the answer,” he said with a smile. He kissed me on the top of my head, a soft reaction that always made me feel appreciated in his presence.
He turned away to talk to the leading actress about the dress, and I wandered of
f, taking in the background sets and the props lying around. Nothing I saw made me think this film would stand out from all the other zombie flicks out there. I really hoped Adam had hired some great actresses and actors. He was so excited about this project.
“Kylie!”
“Yeah?”
“Can you come here a second?”
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Too much fake blood?” Adam asked.
“Stab wound or gunshot?”
“Stab.”
“Which direction?”
“From the front going down.”
“Then you need less on the wall and more on the floor,” I said.
“I knew you’d have the answer.”
And again with the kiss on the top of my head.
Overall, it was a great day on set. We got a lot accomplished and Adam walked away with a smile on his face and multiple ideas he kept chattering on about in the car. It had felt good to be on set with him again, to see him in action and see that passion in his eyes. It was that kind of passion I’d fallen in love with. That was the kind of thing that had drawn me to Adam in the first place. And seeing that it hadn’t gone anywhere both relieved and worried me at the same time.
Because it was rare for that passion to exist without us talking about his company.
“Today was great,” Adam said as we walked into my apartment. “And you were a massive help. All those decisions? Sometimes I have a hard time making them, so we have to shoot it both ways so I can see it. But you, Kylie? It’s like you see everything in your mind’s eye. It’s astounding you know.”
“It really was a good day,” I said. “We make a good team on your sets.”
“We always have,” he said. “You know, we still could.”
“Sure. Yeah. That sounds good. I can come to set with you on the weekends and maybe when your father doesn’t need me,” I said.
“I mean we could be a good team on set like that all the time.”
I panned my gaze around to him as I stood in my sorry excuse for a kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “I’ve got some snacks here, or some chicken I could cook up.”
