“Did you write it for me?” Ally asked coyly, tossing her long sandy hair over her shoulder.
“You know I did,” I replied, putting my guitar down gently and moving toward her. “Everything I write is for you.”
I could tell that pleased her, and my heart began to pound in my chest as I watched her lay back on my bed, her hair fanning out around her. It was really humid this time of year in North Carolina, so she was barely clothed in short shorts and a soft pink tank top. I could see her small, pert breasts straining against her shirt, and eagerly crawled up on the bed to cover her body with my much larger one.
“I love you, Alison,” I murmured as I lowered my head.
“I love you too, Jake,” she sighed as she opened her mouth in invitation.
This was a much better way to spend a morning than sweating my ass off in English class. With my dad off doing God knows what, we’d come back to my place rather than going to school after I’d picked her up that morning. We knew we couldn’t skip a lot or we’d get caught, but sometimes the temptation to be alone with her was too great.
A few months ago, we’d taken that next step in our relationship and had sex for the first time, and ever since that day I’d been like a man starved. I couldn’t get enough of her feather-soft skin and sweet-smelling body. I hadn’t known what I was missing until the day our bodies became one, and now there was no place I’d rather be than in my bed with my girl.
I knew she felt the same way, and although we were only seventeen and her parents would flip if they knew we were having sex regularly, we didn’t care. We loved each other, and I knew she was the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
No one understood me the way she did, and I treated her with all of the love and devotion a girl like her deserved.
I rolled the condom on, no longer the fumbling idiot I’d been the first time I’d put one on, and closed my eyes with pleasure as I slid inside of her.
Heaven.
That’s what we shared when we were together.
I opened my eyes and saw her staring up at me, a soft expression of love on her face. I placed my hands on the back of her knees and lifted, filling her more fully and hitting her in just the right spot. Her head tilted back and she bit her lip, and I knew she was caught up in the moment with me.
Although I was ready to come at any second, I’d figured out how to make myself hold off until she came, before letting go. After the first time, when I’d come so fast I’d barely got one stoke inside of her, I’d done some research online and learned how to distract myself with unsexy things to make our time together last longer.
The first time Alison had come with me inside had been a mind-numbing experience and I made it my mission to make sure we both got off every time.
When she called out my name, I opened my eyes and turned off my brain, letting my other senses take over. I inhaled the musky smell of sex and dragged my eyes down her body, taking in the flush of pleasure that was there, before stopping to watch myself thrust in and out of her. That did it every time, and before long, I was lost in my own pleasure.
I was barely coming down when Alison patted my butt, causing me to open my eyes. She must have been trying to get my attention for a few moments, because she had a rueful smile on her face.
“What?” I asked, still a bit hazy.
“Your phone has been ringing off the hook.”
“Oh, shit, I hope it’s not school.”
I slipped out of her and slid the condom off, careful not to make a mess as I tied it off and threw it in my bathroom trash.
Mental note to take that out later…
I found my phone in the pocket of my discarded jeans and slid it out, frowning when I saw it was my grandmother calling. That was weird … I spoke to her every Sunday, but she usually never called during the week, especially during school hours.
I turned away from the bed, the idea of looking at my naked girlfriend while I talked to my grandma too freaky to even consider and pressed the accept call button.
“Hey, Grandma, what’s up?” I asked, hoping my voice sounded normal, and not like I’d just blown my load.
“Jake,” she said, the tone of her voice setting off alarm bells in my head. “She’s awake, darling … your mother’s awake!”
My legs gave out and I fell to the floor, barely registering the fact that both my grandmother and Alison were shouting my name.
My mother had finally woken up from the coma that had kept her from me for the last five years.
Two
Sean
The smell of coffee filled the air, reminding me I’d not yet had a cup today, so I wove through the stacks of books toward the coffee bar in the back of the store. Escape in a Book had been Kelly’s dream, and over the last five years it had become a thriving reality.
Bookstores were becoming extinct in the age of eBooks and tablets, but we’d managed to stay alive in our tourist-filled coastal town.
The counter offered pastries in the morning, and soups and sandwiches at lunch, along with assorted high-end coffees and teas. And there was a small, bistro-style seating area for those who wanted to partake.
In the corner of the shop we had a wonderful, vibrant children’s section, with children’s furniture and a few stationary toys to keep the kids amused while the parents shopped.
The store itself was styled with quotes in script on the walls, stacks of every sort of book, and large oversized chairs for those who wanted to take a moment to relax.
When Kelly’d been hurt, she’d only been in the planning stages of the store, but after a few months of not knowing whether or not she’d wake up, I’d taken over the plans with a gusto, needing to occupy myself with something other than worrying.
An accountant by trade, I’d never imagined I’d enjoy running the bookstore as much as I did, and I had to admit, living inside Kelly’s dream kept her closer to me than visiting her in that hospital room.
“Can I have a tall coffee, Carl?” I asked the barista when he had a free moment.
“Sure thing, boss.”
Having a great staff was another key to our success. In the beginning it seemed like I’d spent every breathing moment here. I’d bring Jake along and he’d sit in the corner playing his hand-held video games while I worked. I can’t even recall how many meals had been spent between the stacks, but in my mind, it was all worth it.
Unfortunately, I’d been getting the feeling lately that it wasn’t the case for Jake. He’d become more and more distant over the last couple years, spending all of his time with his girlfriend and strumming on his guitar.
I’m afraid I’d allowed the distance, even though I could have done something about it … But he was so much like Kelly, it sometimes hurt to look at him.
“Here you go, Sean,” Carl said, handing me a ceramic mug full of steaming black coffee.
“Thanks.”
I was walking toward the front of the store to check on my cashiers, when a petite blonde stopped in front of me with a serene smile.
“Good morning,” she said, leaning in and offering me her cheek.
I appeased her by kissing it, even though I thought the ritual to be terribly old-fashioned. That was Madeline though, prim, proper, and old-fashioned.