Take the Leap

by April Fire

  I had never felt this way about anyone before. Sure, I’d met some cute guys in the time that I’d been reporting, and some of them I had even reporting on- but I had been dating that entire time, I wasn’t looking for someone to date. I couldn’t tell what was just me focusing in on the story, searching out the narrative of the piece I was putting together. I needed some time to figure things out, needed to get to know him outside of the rink and my Dictaphone. But how could I do that?

  I decided to head out for a drink- I had spotted a chic-looking bar on one of my drives about town, and I needed a beer just to help clear my head. Counter-intuitive? Probably, but I would deal with that later.

  I walked through Kingstown, appreciating the hustle and bustle around me- I loved to people-watch, and, as people left their day jobs and others started their night shifts, I had a great opportunity to squeeze some in. But, instead of making me feel better, it just made me feel more alone- back in the city, the people around me reminded me of my friends and family, the people I grew up with and loved. When I looked at the people here, I was reminded just how far I was from home, and just how little I knew anyone or anything about this place.

  I arrived at the bar after a few minutes’ walk, and, as I walked through door, I felt myself relax slightly- yeah, I was still far from home, but I could recognize a fancy cocktail bar when I saw it, and this place was about as fancy as I would find in a town like this. I wondered who’s idea it was to open a bar like this-all polished wood, neutral colours, and light jazz playing in the background- but dismissed the thought at once. Stop overanalysing, and just have some fun.

  I ordered myself one of their most expensive craft beers, and took a long sip-well, as long as I wasn’t playing city-prices rent, I might as well spend my money on something a little more exciting. I closed my eyes as I drank-mmm.

  “I haven’t seen you around here,” A voice came from beside me. My eyes flipped open, and I found myself staring into the face of a kindly-looking older man of about fifty or sixty.

  “I’m new,” I replied by way of explanation. “I’m doing a story on the Crows so I’m only here for a few months.”

  “The Crows!” The man’s face lit up and he shook his head. “Damn, it’s been a long time since I thought about them.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, leaning forward with interest. Yeah, I knew I was meant to be here to have fun, but when a tantalising little titbit like that dropped into my lap I couldn’t really ignore it.

  “I used to play for them,” the man spread his hands widely with a big grin of his face, obviously proud of his announcement. “When I was in college.”

  “Really?” I cocked an eyebrow, and wished that I had brought my Dictaphone with me.

  “Oh yeah,” he nodded. “In fact, I played for them for a few years.”

  “What was it like?” I asked eagerly.

  “Back then?” The man took a sip of his drink. “Not much. We had a good time, but it was barely more than an amateur league that we played in. I think most of us were more in it to find drinking buddies than we were to win any trophies.”

  “What do you think about the team now?” I continued, trying to take mental notes of everything he was telling me.

  “I haven’t been to see them in a long time,” he admitted with a shrug. “I left town a long time ago, I’m only back here tonight to visit my sister and her kids.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “That’s why I quit the team in the first place, actually. Because I wanted to get out of here and that was the only thing keeping me tied down.”

  “That’s interesting,” I mumbled, half to myself, and suddenly wished Sam was here. If he could hear what this guy was saying…

  “But those new kids, I bet they get to travel all over the place,” he perked up. “All over the state, I’d wager!”

  “Yeah, I think they go a bit farther afield now,” I agreed then looked back at my drink.

  “I’ll leave you to it,” the man bowed his head, as if sensing my need to have a think about what he’d just said. “Let me know if I you think of any more questions for me!”

  “I will!” I smiled as he made his way to a small booth on the opposite side of the room, glad to be back in my own head once again.

  Everything that I heard in this place, added on to my own experiences, made me want to go to Sam and beg him to get out of here. There were better things to do with his life- no matter how much he liked this place, no matter how much he thought he wanted to stay, he must have known as well as everyone else did that if he remained in Kingstown then nothing would change.

  I finished up my drink and ordered another- I knew I was probably going to get a little drunk that night, but it was fine as there was no training the following morning. I might go for a drive to the local library and see what they had on the Crows, but in the meantime, I planned to get pretty fucking drunk to try and fix all the memories that were parading around my head non-stop. My life back home, whatever was happening with Sam, this place, my last place- not to mention where I would go when this was all over. The reality of the situation was beginning to set in, and it frightened me- serving as a reminder that not everything got wrapped up neatly by the end of the episode.

  By the time I got home, I was staggering on my feet a little- as soon as I was through the door, I reached for my Dictaphone and put on the last interview that I had done with Sam. I listened to his voice echo through the room, with mine intercutting every now and then to ask for a clarification or point him in the direction that I knew I needed. I still cringed every time I heard myself speak. I did my best to focus in on Sam, and found myself lost in the excitement in his voice, the enthusiasm, how much he loved this and how much he needed it. He couldn’t just stay here. There was more to him than that. There had to be.

  I reached for my phone impulsively, and pulled up his number. Was I really going to do this? I stared at it for a few seconds, and then dumped it back down on my bed. No, I wasn’t. Because I had already tried my best, and it hadn’t worked. He needed to come to the conclusion himself, and it was clear that nothing I could do was going to convince him.

  And then, the phone rang.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I took my time getting back into town, and even once I arrived, I had no damn clue what I was going to do with myself. I knew I needed to talk- knew I needed to share with someone the revelation I’d had stuck in traffic on the way back from that diner. I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.

  I’d tried Johnson, but he didn’t pick up-probably out on a date with his wife, and revelling in some time to himself. Between us and the kids, he spent a lot of time cleaning up other people’s messes. I couldn’t really talk to any of the rest of the team about it- at least, not yet- and there was only one other person who knew about what was going down. Emily.

  It took me a long time to pluck up the courage to turn up at her door, and even once I had, I sat there for a while before I could even think about calling her. It was late, and she was probably in bed- or out, doing something more fun than interviewing hockey players and typing it up on that tiny computer of her’s. But I needed to talk to her. Needed to tell her what had hit me. Because I was pretty sure it was the conclusion she had been guiding me towards this entire time.

  Finally, in a rush of blood to the head, I grabbed my phone and, with frigid fingers, dialled her number. I held the phone to my ear for a few seconds and waited as it rang- no answer. No answer. Maybe she didn’t want to hear from me? Maybe-

  “Hello?” Her voice came down the line at last, and I practically let out a gasp of relief.

  “Emily?” I asked stupidly, then shook my head. “Sorry. I’m, uh, I’m outside your place. Can I come up?”

  “Sure,” she sounded surprised. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  She hung up, and a few seconds later appeared at her door. She waved me in, leaning up against the frame as I got out of the car and made my
way towards her. She was dressed down, in jeans and a slouchy t-shirt, and she looked good.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked, looking up at me and standing in front of the door. She didn’t sound mad, just baffled by my appearance here- but it was clear she wasn’t letting me in till she knew what my motives were.

  “I need to talk to you,” I replied, staring down at her, trying to convey to her the seriousness of what was happening. “Just talking. I promise.”

  “Whatever you say,” she sounded a little disappointed, but nonetheless stepped aside to let me in. I hurried inside and towards her apartment, glad for the heating inside.

  “Sorry for the mess,” she muttered as we entered her place, kicking the dirty clothes and scattered pages of notes off the bed so we could sit down. An image of us last time we were here flashed through my mind, and I had to fight the urge to pounce on her right there and then- but no. I was here for a reason, and it wasn’t that. No matter how much I wanted to.

  “No problem,” I sat down at the edge, giving her plenty of space to make it clear that that wasn’t what was on my mind. She curled up next to the pillows, watching me carefully.

  “So what is it?” She asked after a pause. I took a deep breath, exhaled it, and then finally spoke.

  “I’m leaving,” I replied, the words sounding foreign in my mouth. It was the first time I’d admitted it to anyone, even though I’d sort of known it for a long time already.

  “What?” Her eyes widened, and before she could stop herself, an enormous smile broke across her face. “But why? Why now?”

  “I was in a diner out of town this evening,” I began, the words falling from my mouth uncontrolled. “And even though I didn’t know anyone from that side of the county…I got recognized.”

  “So?” She leaned forward, waiting for me to deliver the punch.

  “So I realized on my way back that all of this is too easy,” I admitted. “I could stay here, but I’ve already reached the pinnacle of how good it’s gonna get if I stick around Kingstown. I don’t want to be limited in…how much I can do. And how far I can go. You get it?”

  “Of course I do,” she shook her head in disbelief. “I just can’t belief…shit, I can’t believe you came around.”

  “Me neither,” I shook my head, feeling a bubble of emotion rise up and burst in my chest as I realized what I’d just done. “I just needed to say it to someone before I chickened out.”

  “And you chose me?” She raised her eyebrows, incredulous.

  “Well…yeah,” I shrugged. “You were the one pushing me towards this, anyway.”

  “Was I that obvious?” She shook her head and looked down at her hands, which were clasped in a tight ball in her lap. “I just…I wanted you to do something beyond just this town. I’ve seen you play. I know you’re suited for something bigger than this.”

  “I can’t…” I blew a long puff of air out of my mouth, trying to get myself in check. “Thank you. For pushing me. I needed this.”

  “Anytime,” she examined me carefully, as though trying to figure something out- but the expression dropped away from her face after a second or two, and her smile returned.

  “So, when do you go?”

  “No idea,” I admitted. “I’ll have to talk to coach, and take it from there.”

  “Well, thanks for giving me the perfect place to end my story,” she teased.

  “Oh, so you were only doing this for your article?” I shot back, faux-hurt. “So callous.”

  “I am a journalist,” she pointed out. “We’re not exactly known for our decency.”

  “Well, you must be the exception to the rule,” I remarked softly, and realized that I was leaning towards her; the gap between us was closing, and she was inching towards me, both of us all too aware that we were alone in the tiny place with only a bed to share for the night. She let herself fall forward on to all fours, and crawled towards me across the bed- her t-shirt hung low on her body, and allowed me a glimpse of her gorgeous breasts under the fabric. And then, finally, our mouths met once again.

  Maybe it was the giddiness of the situation, maybe it was the adrenalin that was already pulsing through my body, but when we touched, it felt as though something had seized up inside of me. I reached for her, catching her face in my hands and kissing her hard- I pushed my tongue into her mouth and wrapped an arm around her waist, hoisting her onto my lap. She moaned slightly into my mouth, and I moaned back, happy to give myself over to the relief of this release. She parted her legs and straddled me, grinding her hips down against my rapidly-growing erection, while I slid my hands down the back of her pants to grope at her gorgeous ass.

  “I thought we said we weren’t going to do this again,” she murmured in my ear breathily, and I turned to kiss that spot where her chin met her neck. She shivered in my arms, and I replied.

  “That was before,” I pointed out. “Besides, are you complaining?”

  “Far from it,” she replied, and I flipped her on to her back, clambering on top of her. She slid a hand down my chest, and grabbed at my cock through my pants; I groaned, already aching for her touch. What the hell was it about this woman? She had an effect on me unlike any woman had had before. It was unnerving in the best possible way, like I was spinning out of control on the rink, right at that moment before I crashed into the wall or put away a goal.

  Before I knew it, we were both naked, and she was sitting astride me once again. My mind was full of the memories we’d made the last couple of times we’d done this, and how much I wanted to make more; my cock ached as she kissed me again, her breasts laying against my chest. And then, she began to move down- first kissing my cheek and my chin, and then my chest and my stomach. And then, finally, she knelt between my legs- she planted a kiss on that line between my hip and my stomach, and I silently thanks all the long hours of training I had done to put it there.

  Emily took her time as she wrapped her hand around the base of my cock, squeezing lightly and watching my face for a reaction- this was her all over. Analytical, in-control, totally fucking hot. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she leaned down and flicked her tongue out against my cock a couple of times, lapping up the drop of precum that had oozed to the surface since we began. I closed my eyes and gave myself over to her, my hands clenching into fists next to me as she enveloped my entire cock with her mouth in one motion.

  Her tongue flicked out against the underside of my cock, fluttering down to the base and then back up again- shit, that felt good. I opened my eyes to look at her, and reached down to shift a strand of hair away from her face so we could make eye contact- she stared up at me intently, my cock deep in her mouth, and I bit my lip hard to keep from grunting with pleasure. She pulled off the top of my cock with a small “pop”, and kissed down the seam until she reached my balls. My toes curled as she paid them both loving attention, sucking carefully on each one, running her tongue across the sensitive ridge in between-I noticed her hand slip between her legs as she did so, my dick growing harder in response. She was certainly thorough- there could be no arguing with that.

  She turned her attention back to my dick, sliding her tongue up and down a few times before engulfing me once more. Her mouth was warm, her lips soft- and all it made me think of was how much I wanted to be inside her at that moment.

  “I really need to fuck you right now,” I murmured, and she looked up at me again, eyes wide. Then, she pulled off me again and smiled.

  “Fuck, yes,” she murmured, and climbed back on top of me. She reached into her drawer and pulled out a condom- hey, those were new. Had she got those since last time I was here? I didn’t have time to pick apart what their appearance meant, as she quickly tore the packet open and rolled the condom down over my erection. She lightly gripped me once more, and hovered herself over me for a moment- before she seemed to change her mind. Her face flashed with something deviant, and she leaned forward and kissed my ear before whispering:

  “From behind?”r />
  I didn’t need asking twice. She flipped over and pushed herself up on all fours, arching her back so that her gorgeous pussy and her ass were presented to me like all my birthdays had come at once. I placed my hands on her hips, my cock at her pussy, and slowly eased myself inside of her.

  She let out a small squeal of pleasure as I pushed into her- the kind of noise that would forever be engraved on my memory. I reached down and put my hand between her legs, playing with her clit as I eased myself all the way inside of her. Fuck, she felt even better like this-I could see her chest rising and falling as I held myself inside her for a second, enjoying the feel of her cunt flexing to accommodate me. And then, I began to fuck her.

  It was the kind of hard, fast screwing that only happens when everything else has dropped away- all the pretence, all the game-playing, everything that came with the beginnings of a tentative relationship like ours. Our moans and groans melded in the air around us, meshing with the sound of our bodies connecting. She pressed her hips back against me, and I thrust as hard and as deeply as I could. We were constantly groping for more, nothing ever quite turning up as enough-until I suddenly felt her pussy clench hard around my cock.

  I hadn’t realized how close she was until that moment, when she stopped making any noise whatsoever beyond a small, single gasp. I paused inside her for a second, revelling in the sensation of her pussy milking my cock urgently, and thrust one more time. It was all that I needed- knowing I’d made her come, knowing I’d pushed her over the edge, that was all I needed. I let out a strangled cry, and slowly withdrew from her. I flopped down on to my back with a gasp, and a few seconds later, she appeared next to me and put her head on my chest.

  “So,” she asked after a couple of seconds silence. “What now?”

  Epilogue