7.
~ Time got away from them. She was surprised to see that night had fallen over the city as Arthur took his own shower and prepared for bed.
Ariadne looked over her computer. It was the nicest piece of technology she had ever seen. It was sleek and thin, and the programs all ran very fast. She could have spent years on the rendering software alone.
"Having fun?" Arthur asked as he came into the dinning room where she had set up her work space.
"Oh..." she muttered distractedly as she pined and repined designs. "Yeah. I think some of this is coming back to me. I remember how to use these programs."
"So you're remembering things. That's good." Arthur said hopefully.
"Well, some things." Ariadne said with a shrug. "About our life, I guess."
"Tell me."
"Well, I remember a foot. I remember a tiny little foot and I remember thinking I loved that foot more than anything." she confessed with a smile.
She shook her head.
"I know it sounds silly." she admitted.
"No, it's not silly." Arthur assured her. "It's Dominic's foot you're thinking of."
She watched him as he made tea, and brought it to her.
"When you were pregnant with him, he would kick you all the time. Always the same foot." he told her. "Then, when he was born, he kicked that same foot out all the time."
Ariadne felt her eyes well up slightly.
"That's nice." she said as she shut off her little computer.
"What about the other boy. David." she asked.
"Daniel." Arthur corrected her.
"Daniel. Sorry." She said feeling bad for not knowing her own children's names. "What was he like when he was born?"
Arthur looked uncomfortable.
"We had moved to New York to live for a year. My father, the man who raised me, his company was in trouble. So, we moved to America to try and save it. It was stressful with the move and the hours I had to put in. It wasn't as joyous as it should have been." he told her.
She looked at him worriedly.
"I'm sorry." she said feeling in some unaccountable way she was to blame.
"It's not your fault." he told her taking her hand.
Ariadne tried to picture herself in New York. Tried to think of a life there. She could see Darcy and Dominic at that age, she could even picture herself expecting. Then, something was wrong. Something wasn't right with the the baby, Daniel, and she wasn't sure what.
Arthur was worried, and she was angry about it. She felt a jolt of unease at picturing her life in New York.
"What about... um... Drew? Is that her name?" she asked hoping the story would be better.
"Yes, Drew." Arthur laughed.
She smiled as she sipped her tea.
"Well, we had Darcy of course and the two boys were into everything all the time. Cobb and his wife had just had a little girl and I told you I wanted another baby. A girl of our own. You told me I was crazy, and we fought about it for a long time." he said looking at his hands.
"We fought about having her? I didn't want her?" Ariadne asked.
"Oh no. That wasn't it. You weren't even pregnant then. I'm ashamed to say I... sort of tricked you into getting pregnant." he admitted.
"How?" she asked without thinking.
Her face burned a deep red as she realized he must have seduced her. If their time in the closet meant anything, she gave into Arthur easily.
He didn't answer.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." she said not looking at him.
They said nothing for a long time.
"I'm I a good mother?" she asked him. "I mean, do I take care of them?"
"You're a wonderful mother." he assured her.
"I still can't imagine being someone's mom. I mean, to me, I just finished high school." she told him.
"I'm hoping that once you see the kids again, you'll remember." He whispered.
Arthur suddenly stood up.
"It's late, you coming to bed?" he asked.
Ariadne stiffened.
"We sleep in the same bed, don't we?" she said meekly.
"Yes. I never sleep in a bed without my wife. You're being in the hospital was a rare exception." he informed her in a business like way.
She stood and followed him into their bedroom. Her stomach was a jumble of nerves as she watched him prepare for sleep.
She covered herself up with the luxurious bedding and glanced at her night stand.
"What is this?" she asked holding up a strange device.
"It's your e-reader. You like to read when you have the time." he told her as he snapped off his night stand light and made himself comfortable beside her.
Like her computer, she knew exactly how to work the device. She couldn't explain why she wasn't more shocked to see the print jump on the screen.
"It's been a long day." Arthur whispered to her as she looked over her reading lists.
"Oh, I'm sorry." she said and snapped off her table lamp.
Their room in darkness, Ariadne felt odd at sharing a bed with this man.
"Arthur?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"This is weird for me. Being in bed with you." she confessed.
"Aw come on now, my wife won't be home for a few more days." he told her. "We should live it up."
She let out a giggle and didn't protest to his hand roaming up her belly. She was growing very fond of his hands.
"I'm sorry for being so... ungentlemanly in the closet before. I just missed you." he explained.
"Are we like that... I mean, are we like that often?" She asked him as his fingers roamed up her belly, tickling her skin.
She moved closer to him; liking the way his hands moved over her.
"Oh yes." he said with a smile. "Not as much since the kids came along. But, we have our fun."
"This is just new to me." she admitted.
"So, it will be like the first time?" he offered as he rolled on top of her. She wasn't sure why she didn't protest. His movements were so fast, so self assured, that she was under him in a matter of seconds. Her body powerless to fight back against this man.
She was breathing harder as her small hands roamed up his bare chest.
She didn't know how to do this. How to touch him or be with him, or any man.
"First time is always the best." he told her. "It was when we were together." he said as his hips forced her legs to part and his lips moved over hers.
Her body melted at the contact of him. Loving the way his weight felt on her.
"I don't... I don't remember how." she whispered as he slowly began rocking over her.
She was startled to feel a hard bulge rub obtrusively over her. Her pajamas protecting her from the invasion of man.
Arthur was smiling that way she liked again. His eyes crinkling and his hands brushing her hair free from her face.
"You'll remember." he told her gently.
"Tell me, about the first time we were together." She asked.
He smiled.
"You were adorable. We were stuck in the same hotel room together and you didn't have a change of clothes. You had to wear my night clothes and you looked... wonderful in them." he told her.
She caught her breath at the feel of his hardness wanting entrance into her.
Arthur stayed polite however, his eyes looking at her with affection, and nothing more.
"What happened then?" she asked. Her body liking the feel of him.
"I was going to sleep on the chair, but you told me I could sleep in the bed with you." he explained.
"So I started it?" she laughed.
"Oh, yes. I didn't want to admit I wanted you, but you called me out. After that, we couldn't keep our hands off each other." he told her.
She realized she wanted him to take her. His lean body was moving in a hypnotic rhythm over hers and she wanted him to make love to her.
"Did I... I mean, was it... was it okay?" she asked feeling her cheeks heat up.
"It was wonderful. First time is always wonderful." he told her.
She nodded. Waves of want and pleasure were racing through her blood.
"Do you want to make love, Ariadne?" he asked.
"I'm not sure." she whispered.
He nodded, and kissed her sweetly.
"No rush. You've had a busy day. We should take things slow." he told her as he rolled away from her.
She wanted to cry out. Wanted that warm body of his back on hers. She could have slept peacefully with him resting on top of her. But she said nothing.
"Arthur?" she said into the darkness.
"Yes?"
"I... I liked what we did in the closet. I liked that a lot."
She could sense he was smiling.
"I did to."
"Arthur?"
"Yes?"
She bit her lip; afraid to say anything.
"Tell me about our first time. Tell me... everything." she asked.
