Hi! I apologize for the delay, because I've really wanted to post this sooner, but the internet was giving me a hard time.
+ School's back, holidays are over, so that means a lot of exams, which means a lot of grades to get and they have to be good, and all this means I won't be able to write much. If we're lucky, I'll post a chapter each week.
So this chapter is fictional Sunday. I hope you like it, because I really tried to do this right.
CHAPTER 7: IT RAINED SO HARD IT FELT LIKE SNOW
'Katie, wake up.' Someone shook her shoulders and she slowly opened her eyes to see her father standing next to her bed.
'Mornin', dad.' Jim smiled and nodded.
'Good morning. It's 10 AM, honey.'
'So?' Her father shook his head and opened the blinds. The sun was already up high on the sky and it made Kate sigh.
'I told you yesterday that me and your mom are going to go to the spa today. You sure you don't want to come with?'
'Mmm, no. I think I'll just stay home, hang out with the girls.' By girls she meant Lanie and Jenny, of course. Who else would she be hanging out with?
'Okay, then. We already have everything packed and we're gonna go now. Want to come and say goodbye before we go?' Kate sat up in bed and nodded. No matter how many times she thought that her parents are stupid, she really loved them.
'Yeah, I'll come in a second.' Jim smiled and went downstairs.
She stood up and changed from her pajamas in a blue shirt and light-blue jeans shorts. She quickly combed her hair, pulled it back in a messy bun, went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She wiped the drops of her face and hurried downstairs.
When she walked in the living room, she saw her parents kissing.
'Seriously, guys?' They broke apart and grinned at her as she rolled her eyes and opened the fridge to pull out a bottle of milk.
'Kate, there's apparently a storm coming to Berkeley, it'll be here in the afternoon. So be home until 3 PM and then stay in, okay? We'll be home somewhere around midnight.' Kate took a sip of milk and nodded, putting the bottle down on the counter and pushing her parents through the front door, hugging them in process.
'Go, have fun.'
'You too sweetie, we love you.' Kate rolled her eyes once again and waved.
'Yeah, love you too.' They rode off and she went back inside to make herself a sandwich.
After finishing her breakfast, she went back into her room and saw that Lanie was calling her. She answered the phone and plopped down on her bed.
'Hey, Lanie.'
'Hey, girl. I called you three times, why didn't you answer?'
'I was sleeping until 15 minutes ago when my dad woke me. He and mom are going to the spa.'
'Ooooh, so that means you're home alone?'
'Yeah.'
'Awesome! Listen, I'm spending the day with Javi, but you're welcome to join us.'
'Oh no, thanks. I think I'm just gonna go run for a while and then call Jenny to see if she wants to hang out.'
'Um… Yeah, about that… Jenny called earlier, told me that she and Kev are going to his parents' cabin up in the woods. They're not coming back until early tomorrow.' Kate sighed and closed her eyes. Well, there goes her plan of hanging out today.
'But, Kate… You could always call Rick and ask him if he wants to.' She opened her eyes and bit her lip.
'I don't know, Lanie. He probably has plans, it's not like he doesn't have any friends besides us.'
'Oh my God Kate, you're making terrible excuses, just call him and ask him if he's up for a drink or something.' Kate suddenly remembered their bet and smirked.
'Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks Lanie, have fun with Javi and say hello to him.'
'Will do and you too, girl.'
They hung up and just as Kate found Rick's number to call him, her phone rang. It was Rick. Damn, he really could read her mind.
'Yes?'
'Hi, Kate, it's Rick.' She felt butterflies in her stomach as soon as she heard his voice.
'Hi.'
'How are you?'
'I'm fine, you?'
'Me too. Did you get any sleep?' She laughed.
'Mmm, yeah. I woke up 20 minutes ago.' He laughed too.
'Well, that's quite a lot of sleep.' She nodded and then realized he couldn't see her.
'Yeah.'
'Listen, I've been thinking about that bet. You remember?' She laughed again. This was getting seriously creepy. The way he knew what she was thinking.
'I was thinking about that too, actually. Can you read minds or something?' He chuckled.
'Not yet. Anyway, would you want go out with me today? I know this amazing little café down at the docks that I forgot to mention to you yesterday when we were there.'
'Um… Of course, sure, yeah.'
'So, when do you have time?' She bit her lip.
'All day, all night.'
'You have no other plans?' She rolled her eyes and told him the story with Lanie and Jenny.
'Oh, that's a shame. Well, not really, now I get to have you all to myself.' He let out an evil laugh and she chuckled at his childishness.
'Looking forward to it?' She heard him take a deep breath.
'You've no idea.' She swallowed and felt the blush on her cheeks.
'I gotta go, mom's having some problems with her clothes here.' She laughed.
'Yeah, sure, go help her.'
'But I'll see you at noon?'
'Yeah, at noon.'
''Kay, see you. Bye, Kate.'
'Bye, Rick.' She threw her phone on her nightstand and touched her forehead with her hands.
She was going out with him. Again. She chuckled at herself and stood up, made her bed, then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
She heard the doorbell rang and she quickly grabbed her little brown purse, left the couch cushions to go open the door. He was standing there dressed in black shorts and a white t-shirt with his hair a little disheveled, probably from the helmet he was holding in one arm. He grinned at her and stepped closer to hug her. As they pulled apart she curiously eyed the black helmet.
'You ride a motorbike?' He nodded and ran a hand through his hair, started walking with her to the curb.
'Yeah, uncle Richard learned me how to. Is it okay with you?' She nodded, smiled and he grinned back in response.
'I know that Motorcycle-Boy, I mean Josh, rides a motorbike, but trust me, this beauty here is something else.' He pointed at the black and blue motorbike parked in front of her house and told her, 'Her name is Kate.' She snapped her eyes up to look at him, mouth opened.
'Excuse me?' He laughed and pulled out a helmet from under the seat, handed it to her.
'Just kidding. She doesn't have a name, actually. You can choose it for her if you'd like, though.' He winked and she smirked.
'I like Kate.' His eyes widened and he grinned.
'Okay then. Here, so you won't be cold.' He handed her a blue cardigan with white stripes and zipped it for her.
They put on their helmets and Rick sat on the motorbike, looking at Kate. She smiled, even though he couldn't see her through the shade on her helmet and she sat behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist. Her chest pressed into his back, her hands rested on his abdomen and as he drove off, she felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement travel through her body.
They rode down to the docks and he parked the motorbike there, pulled his helmet off and looked back at her, just as she got rid of her own.
'So, did you like it?' She smiled, combed her hair with her fingers and nodded.
'It wasn't bad.' He stepped off the motorbike and stood next to it, helped Kate get off, too.
'Wasn't bad?' She handed him her helmet and he put it under the seat, then grabbed her hand, twined their fingers together as they started walking down the shore.
'No, it was awesome, actually. Don't worry, you're a pretty good driver.' He feigned shock and said, 'Just a pretty good driver?' She stopped walking and looked him up and down, slowly dragging her eyes up his body, saw him swallow really hard.
'Well, amazingly good driver, then.' He tugged on her hand and started walking again, laughing.
'So, how's that café of yours called?' He looked at her and smiled.
'It doesn't have an official name. But it's been here since 1960.'
'Seriously?'
'Yeah, the owner is Italian and his father first started with bussiness here,' he said and then told her Pietro's story.
'That's amazing,' she said after he finished the story and he nodded at her.
'Yeah, pretty much. I met Pietro when I was 6. I got lost and he led me into his café, gave me a cup of tea and then drove me home. My mom was really grateful and we visited him and his family once a year. When I got older and my mom got busier, I started to go there once a week. I spent some of the best moments of my life in that little café.' He looked at her as she squeezed his hand.
'That's really sweet.' He grinned, then looked up and his whole face lit up.
'We're here.' She looked in the way where his finger was pointing and they crossed the street, opened the door and walked in. She gasped and looked around.
Light-brown walls were covered with brown stains, like someone spilled coffee over them, wooden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, round oak tables and chairs giving the impression that everything in here is really old.
'It's beautiful.'
'Yeah, it is. But it can't compare to you.' She looked away from the ceiling to look at him. His smile was so tender, his eyes so loving, that she thought she was gonna fall apart with the energy that he gave her with his intense gaze.
'Thank you.' He brushed his knuckles over her cheek as he saw her blush and grinned.
'Ricky!' Their heads turned around to look at the little girl running over to them, her red hair waving behind her. Rick picked her up and spinned her around, laughing.
'Alexis, sweetie. How are you?' He put her down and she said, 'I'm fine, thanks. And you?' Kate and Rick laughed and he replied while looking at Kate, 'I'm great.' Alexis turned around and extended her hand to Kate. She shook the little girl's hand and grinned.
'You're Kate, right?' Kate opened her mouth in surprise and looked up at Rick who was blushing.
'Yes, I am.'
'Ricky told us a lot of good things about you.' Kate laughed as Rick rolled his eyes and picked Alexis up. Kate crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.
'Did he now?' Alexis nodded eagerly and said, 'He likes you a lot.' Kate's eyes widened and she bit her lip, saw Rick open and close his mouth twice, in the end keeping it closed and smiling sheepishly at her.
'He does?' Alexis nodded again, serious as she asked the next question, 'Yeah. Do you like him too?' Kate looked back at Rick and tilted her head to the side, let out a little chuckle.
'Yes, I do.' Rick's eyes lit up and Alexis wriggled out of his hold to jump in Kate's arms. Kate laughed and ran a hand through Alexis's hair.
'I'm Alexis,' the girl said as she pulled her head back to grin at the teenager.
'Nice to meet you, Alexis.' The red-headed girl replied, 'You too.' Kate smiled and looked at Rick who was watching them happily and she couldn't help but smile a little wider.
'You have really pretty hair.' Kate chuckled as Alexis played with her curls, her little palms brushing the soft waves.
'Thanks. So do you.' Alexis's cheeks turned pink and she grinned at her.
'Thank you.'
Alexis jumped out of Kate's arms and grabbed her hand with one of hers, the other one reaching to hold Rick's.
'Come on, grandpa will be so excited to see you!'
She led them down to the family part of the house where Rick was just three days ago.
It was lunch time and the whole family was seated in the dining room.
'Grandpa, grandpa, look who's here!' Pietro looked up from his plate and stood up as soon as he saw Rick and Kate.
'Rick! What a pleasant surprise!' The man hugged him and asked, 'How are you?'
'I'm fine, Pietro.' Pietro nodded and pulled back, looked at Kate, shook her hand.
'You must be Kate.' She laughed and said, 'I wonder how much Rick has told you about me that you recognized me immediately.'
Pietro grinned and said, 'He's told us a lot of good things about you and if my first opinion is correct, then I agree with him.' She smiled at the old man.
'My name's Pietro.'
'Nice to meet you, sir.'
'Oh, no sir here, just me. You can call me Pietro.' He winked at her and she laughed as she nodded. He released her hand and his wife took his place, introducing herself to Kate. After her, Kate met Marco, Dante, Ashley, Victoria, Laura and Jacques, even talked a bit in French with him.
She just stopped talking with Jacques as a little older boy came to shook her hand.
'Hi, I'm Paolo. Rick's been telling me this whole time what you look like, but even he and his words didn't do you justice.' She laughed and said, 'Thanks.' She noticed that she didn't blush when Paolo complimented her, but everytime Rick told her that she's beautiful she felt like a freaking potato. She flicked her eyes to look at Rick who was laughing with Marco and Dante and she smiled.
'Bro, I want to meet her too, you know.' Another guy stopped in front of her to push his brother away and shake her hand.
'Hi, I'm Bernardo.'
'I'm Kate.' Bernardo grinned and dropped her hand.
'So, I've heard you've been going out with Rick?' Kate bit her lip and nodded.
'Don't worry, he's a good guy.' She smiled and looked at Rick who was looking at her. He winked and she let out a laugh.
'Yeah, I know.' Bernardo stepped back to allow Luca and Elena to meet her. Kate talked with them for a while, until a pretty girl with light-brown hair came to her and extended her hand for her to shake.
'I'm Lena.' Kate smiled and noticed that the girl looks a little bit like her.
'I'm Kate.'
'It's very nice to finally meet you, I must say. Rick has been telling us such great things about you. I believe that you have clearly fascinated him.' Kate felt the the blush on her cheeks and she smiled.
'Um… Thanks?' Lena laughed and looped her arm through hers.
'Come on, I gotta scold Rick for not bringing you here earlier.' They walked over to Rick and he turned to look at them, grinned. Lena punched him in the arm.
'Ow! Seriously?'
'How come you didn't show her to us before? She's great and you were keeping her from us,' Lena pouted and Rick laughed, hugged her when she let go of Kate's arm. He pulled back and took Kate's hand, knotted his fingers through hers, making her blush again. Lena watched this with amusement and raised an eyebrow when Rick finally looked away from Kate.
'I only did that because I knew you'd all want to have her for yourself and she's mine, so forget about it.'
She felt her blush deepen at his words, her breath caught in her chest, her fingers twitching in his. Did he just claim her?
'Oh, come on. You can't do that.' They all laughed and soon the whole Di Lenardo family plus Rick and Kate were seated at the table, eating lunch and talking, laughing, having a good time.
When it was 2 PM, Rick and Kate decided to go and they said goodbye to everyone, promised they would come back soon. As soon as they got out of the cafe, Rick grabbed Kate's hand again, smiled at her, kissed her temple. She smiled back and then looked up at the sky as they heard thunder somewhere high in the clouds. Kate looked back at Rick as a lightning ripped the sky.
'Yeah, um… My dad said I should be home by 3 PM, 'cause the storm's coming.'
'I heard about the storm, but I thought it was gonna come later.' Kate shrugged and felt a raindrop hit her nose. He laughed and wiped it off with the sleeve of his jacket.
'Come on, I'll drive you home before it gets worse.' She nodded and they quickly put the helmets on and sat on the motorbike. He drove slower than before, careful because he didn't want to slip and crash.
When they finally arrived to Kate's house the weather outside was a real downpour and the lightning wouldn't stop tearing up the whole sky, the thunder so loud that it sounded like a war was raging on the streets. Rick parked the motorbike on the curb and ran after Kate to the porch. They took their helmets off and she unlocked the door.
'Come in.'
'No, I'm just gonna go home. It's not that bad anyway.' Another lightning showed up in the sky and it rumbled just a second after.
'Rick, you can't go home in this weather. Just stay at my place until the storm ends.'
'Are you sure?' She nodded and started pulling him in with her.
'Your parents won't mind?'
'They're at the spa until midnight so I don't even care. And if they were home, they'd probably force you to stay here, so don't worry.' He nodded and closed the door behind him, then remembered.
'Oh, wait. I have some dry clothes under the seat. I have to go get them.' Before she could stop him, he ran out and came back 5 seconds later with a pile of clothes in his hands. She smiled and took them out of his hands, placed them on the kitchen table, grabbing the helmets and placing them in the bathtub. She came back a few seconds later and found Rick taking off his soaked t-shirt with his back turned to her. She bit her lip and had to remind herself how to breathe.
'Hey Kate, where can I put this?' He turned around and saw her watching him. He grinned and walked to her, his muscles moving, drops of water resting on his chest.
'You okay?' She looked up in his eyes and nodded, felt the hotness on her cheeks.
'Yeah, I'm great.' He laughed and held out his wet t-shirt.
'Can I put this in the bathroom?' She nodded and led him he emerged he had blue shorts and a clean white t-shirt on and she bit her lip again, remembered how he looked without the latter.
She heard him laugh again and she walked in her room, heard his footsteps behind her. She went to the window and closed the blinds, turned her desk lamp on. She saw him staring at her, standing by the door.
'You can come in, you know.' He grinned and walked in, looked around, stopped in front of her.
'So, this is your room, huh?' She nodded.
'I like it.'
Her walls were painted blue, brown closets standing in the corner of the room and a brown desk in the other corner. Her mahogany bed was the biggest piece of furniture in the room and his eyes lingered there a bit before he looked at her again.
'So, what do you usually do when there's a storm outside?' She shrugged and sat down on the bed, looking up at him.
'Don't know. You?'
'Me neither.' They both laughed.
'So how'd you like the Di Lenardo family?' Kate exhaled and scrunched her brows.
'They're… Something.' He laughed and sat down on the bed, right next to her.
'I mean, they're really nice and funny, but the way Paolo and Bernardo were looking at me was kind of weird.'
'Well, you're hot and really pretty and did I mention hot?' She laughed, her cheeks red.
'And you have this amazing personality and your heart is just… You're perfect, so I'm not surprised.' She took his hand and smiled at him.
'Thanks.'
'No problem. I had to make it pretty clear that they can't flirt with you, though. Even if that's gonna be a little tough, they know that you're mine.' He let out an evil laugh, like earlier today and she had to laugh, slap his chest with her hand, just to hold it there for a little while longer, just to feel the play of muscles under her touch.
'What? I'm only telling the truth. You're mine, I'm yours, how does that sound?' She laughed and shook her head, bit her lip.
'You're being childish now.'
'I am not!' She dropped her hand from his chest and stood up, rolling her eyes in process.
She walked to the stereo and asked him, 'What kind of music would you like to listen to?' He contemplated his answer for a moment, then said, 'What do you got?'
'Come here and look for yourself.' He stood up and walked over to stand behind her, his chest touching her back, feeling her shiver. He looked down at her iPod over her shoulder and immediately saw just what he was looking for. He pressed the album and picked a song, grinned and stepped back. Kate turned around as the song started to play.
'Yellow? So you're a Coldplay fan now?' He shrugged and smiled even wider.
'Guilty as charged.' She laughed, but stopped and listened when he started to sing.
'Look at the stars, look how they shine for you and everything you do, yeah they were all yellow. I came along, I wrote a song for you and all the things you do and it was called yellow. So then I took my turn, oh what a thing to have done and it was all yellow.' He pulled her in his arms, swaying softly, and started singing again while looking at her.
'Your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones turn into something beautiful. You know, you know I love you so, you know I love you so.' She gasped, her eyes widened and then closed as his breath came closer to her face.
'I swam across, I jumped across for you, oh what a thing to do, 'cause you were all yellow. I drew a line, I drew a line for you, oh what a thing to do, and it was all yellow. Your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones turn into something beautiful. And you know, for you I'd bleed myself dry, for you I'd bleed myself dry.'
He leaned his forehead on hers, heard her sigh as he brought one hand to curl at her neck. She put both her arms around his neck and one of them teased the hair on the base of his neck.
'It's true. Look how they shine for you, look how they shine for you, look how they shine for, look how they shine for you, look how they shine for you, look how they shine. Look at the stars, look how they shine for you and all the things that you do.'
As he sang the last verse their eyes locked and when the song ended their eyes closed, their faces came closer.
Their lips locked and Kate let out a sigh, so happy that it finally happened. She felt her stomach flip as she realized that they have just kissed. He pulled back slightly, just enough to see her eyes, but was rewarded with a more beautiful sight. She had her eyes closed, a little smile on her face as she slowly opened her eyelids.
'God, you're so beautiful.' She closed her eyes again, couldn't help herself, pulled him closer, touched her lips to his one more time. They kissed slowly, just slight presses of his lips to hers, their hands stroking, caressing, fireworks behind their closed eyes, butterflies in their bellies.
They pulled apart and she blushed as he gave her a chaste kiss on her rosy lips.
'Wow…' She nodded, agreeing with him, bit her lip.
'Yeah.' She realized that the next song was already playing on the iPod. Having it on shuffle it started to play Arizona by Kings of Leon. It seemed like he figured it out too because his eyes widened as he opened his mouth.
'You said you didn't know Kings of Leon!' She laughed and massaged his scalp with her fingers.
'Mmm, I may have downloaded all their albums on my iPod after you mentioned it.' He gaped at her and she kissed his chin, pulled back but was stopped when he used one of his hands that was in her hair to pull her closer.
He kissed her again, the rhythm of their lips now more familiar to them as they pressed even closer. His tongue touched her lips and she moaned, let him in. The kiss deepened and she was relying on him to hold her tight, because she was sure that she wasn't able to stand on her own two legs.
They pulled apart for air, their breathing ragged.
'Just… Wow… I… Yeah…' She laughed at his speechlessness and pulled away from him, dropping her hands to her sides as his remained on her jaw, pulling her back in, his lips brushing hers.
'Where are you going?' She chuckled and whispered, 'To the couch.'
'Don't.' He kissed her again and when she pulled back, she said, 'Come with me,' then took his hand, led him to the living room and the couch. She sat down and turned the TV on with the remote as he settled himself on the couch too. She leaned back against his chest when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lifted her head to kiss his neck softly.
He chuckled and she felt it more than heard it, shivered with the realization that they kissed and are now cuddling on her living room couch.
'You cold?' She shook her head and scratched her nails over his chest, fisting the fabric of his t-shirt between her fingers, warming him up.
'No, I still have your cardigan on, remember?' He pulled away a bit to look at her and sighed.
'You know, it looks way better on you than on me.'
'Really?'
'Yeah, I think I'm going to have to force you to wear my clothes for the rest of your life because you look so damn good in them.' She laughed and rubbed her hand over his heart.
'I wouldn't mind.'
'Of course you wouldn't. They smell like me and you said that I smell, and I quote 'really, really good'.' She laughed again and closed her eyes, inhaled his scent once again.
'Yeah, like rainbow.' He laughed and she chuckled, looked up at him.
'What, it's true,' she pouted and then closed her eyes as he kissed her softly.
He pulled away and said, 'You are adorable. No other word for it.' She chuckled and closed her eyes again, felt him press his lips to hers one more time. He sighed and then pulled her legs over his lap, so that she was more comfortable.
'You know, I kinda like storms.' He opened his eyes and looked at her biting her lip, her eyes looking as though she was reliving old memories, memories of better times, of when she was just a little girl in a white dress, running in the garden and being happy, not worrying about anything at all.
'Why?' She shrugged and played with a string of her/his (it seriously didn't matter anymore) cardigan, wrapping it around her fingers then releasing it, only to repeat the motion again.
'I don't know. It's just that it seems as though all the negative energy is released and all your worries and problems disappear for that one brief moment when thunder and lightning rip the sky. And it just repeats over and over again and it feels like you're surfing on this gigantic wave and when the storm stops you just fall.' She looked out the window to the street. The trees looked like they were thrown into a washing machine because of the wind.
'It sounds a little crazy, but I know what you mean. It feels the same to me.' She looked back at him and furrowed her brows, said, 'Yeah.'
After a minute of silence, he spoke up, 'When I was 10 years old, we went to Los Angeles to a carneval or something. We came right when the storm was raging. It was so loud and the lightnings so bright that I thought that this is where it ends. That this is where I find my end. But it wasn't really that bad. We survived without being hurt at all, but I was afraid of storms for 3 years after that.' She squeezed his hip with her hand and kissed his shoulder.
'Now it's fine. Sometimes I still get a fright, but it doesn't happen often.' He looked at the TV and pulled Kate closer to him, kissing her head, her temple, her cheek. She chuckled and pulled her head back, stared at his lips.
'This felt strangely familiar before, but now it's even more,' she told him and brushed her thumb over his adam's apple, felt him smile against her forehead.
It really did feel familiar. Like they have been doing this for a lot longer than they really were. And it wasn't that she minded. She really didn't. She liked the thought of being wrapped in his arms and the kissing part definitely wasn't bad at all. It was just that she was afraid of where this would lead to. Her mom told her that it's okay to be afraid, but if you're too afraid, then you're never going to move forward. You'll only be backstepping all of your moves, trying to figure it out. Trying to let go of the fear. But sometimes, in just the right quantity, that fear could be helpful. It could help you make decisions based on your feelings. And even if it sometimes felt strange how she could communicate with him, with just facial expression or a look in his eyes, she knew that it was meant to be. Somehow, they were meant to be.
'I know.' His voice startled her, pulled her out of her thoughts and she jumped a little.
'You okay?' he laughed and she nodded, pulled herself up so that she was sitting eye-level with him.
'Mhm, yeah I'm fine.' She leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss, sealing her mouth over his, the temptation so strong that she couldn't resist it.
They pulled apart as the thunder broke their explorations, both of them wincing. They chuckled and their lips met once more, the room getting too hot, even with the extremely high level of dampness outside.
His hand dropped her brown curls to rest at her hip, squeezing as her hands cupped his face, angled it the way she wanted it to be. The nails on her hands pressed against his cheeks, travelled down to his neck, his collarbone and he couldn't supress a shiver, couldn't hold back a groan as she chuckled into his mouth, her tongue touching his teeth.
Suddenly, a phone rang and Kate tried to pull away from his searching mouth, even as he dropped his hands to her back and pressed her closer.
'Don't move.' It sounded like an order. He definitely wasn't pleading with her, and she most definitely didn't want to move, but the call could be important. It was worth pushing him away. Right?
'What if it's my parents?' The words were whispered against his lips and he took her breath in, pulling her with it, her mouth descending over his.
'Don't care,' he stated and grabbed one of her thighs, pushed it on his left, so that she was now straddling him.
She broke the kiss, chuckled and leaned back to pick up the phone from the coffee table. The screen said it was her father and she immediately pressed the Answer call button.
'Hi, dad.' She looked at Rick and saw him close his eyes slowly, most probably concentrating on finding his breath again.
'Yeah, I'm fine. I was out with Rick, but we got home just as it started to pour. We were a little soaked, but yeah… Of course I made him stay here.' She smirked at the boy looking at her and mouthed, 'I told you.' He grinned and squeezed the curves of her hips, kissed her neck.
''Kay, see you, bye. Love you too.' She ended the call and threw the phone to the far end of the couch, pulled Rick's head away from the skin on her neck.
'My dad said you have to stay here until the storm ends.' Rick chuckled and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.
'I have no problem with your dad's logic.' She grinned and nodded.
'Me neither.'
He dragged his hands up her thighs and back down, looking at her face, watching her blush.
'Can I ask you something?' He nodded, smiled.
'You really don't know your father?' His smile faltered and he shook his head.
'No. He left my mom when I wasn't even born. Whenever I ask her anything about him or try to get her to tell me his name, she tells me that it's better if I don't know.'
Kate ran a hand through his hair and down his neck, squeezing lightly, urging him to go on.
'Sometimes I imagine him playing baseball with me or telling me all kinds of stories, sometimes I imagine how it would feel if he woke me up in the morning.' Kate closed her eyes, remembered how her father woke her up this morning, realizing that Rick never had that. She was angry with his father for leaving him and his mother. All he wanted was a dad to joke around with, to talk about girls with. But he doesn't have one and he may never know what that feels like. And that was just wrong.
'But it's quite okay. He has to be a bad guy if he left my mom when she was pregnant without a second thought, right?' She nodded and brushed her thumb over his temple.
He leaned into her, kissed her softly.
'You know, you don't just smell really, really good, you taste that way too.' He laughed and pressed his lips to her cheek.
'Like rainbow?' She chuckled with him as she nodded and they stayed like that for quite some time, his chin on her shoulder, her nose pressed into his skull, both with their eyes closed, their bodies pressed together.
'You asleep?' he murmured after 10 minutes of silence and she shook her head, drew back to look at him. She almost fell asleep, though. Apparently her new schoolmate also made a very good pillow. She smiled at the thought and placed a barely-there kiss on his lips.
He let out a breath and asked, 'What are you thinking about?'
'Nothing. Just that I'm not feeling my legs anymore.' Straddling him for 15 minutes wasn't such a good idea after all. She could already feel her sking throbbing, like someone was sticking needles into it.
'Oh, sorry.' He let go of her thighs and allowed her to fall back into the couch.
'Now it hurts.' She frowned and he grinned at her, skimmed one hand along her leg to curl at her knee.
'Want me to kiss it and make it better?' She chuckled and winced as she felt the blood rushing back to her feet, her veins pulsing with energy and life.
'You okay?' She closed her eyes and waited for a couple of seconds until the stinging subsided and she could move her legs without them actually hurting.
'I am now.' He nodded and leaned into her personal space, used his teeth to tug her bottom lip in his mouth. She sighed and he pushed her backwards until she was lying down on the couch, her head resting on a pillow. Their legs tangled, looking pretty much the same as their mouths and tongues in that particular moment.
She felt heat rushing through her body, his own easing onto her, pressing down. She chuckled in the kiss as she felt something vibrate in his pocket.
He leaned back, looked at her curiously. 'What?' She wedged one hand between their bodies, found his pocket even as she heard his sharp intake of air, pulling his phone out and showing him the screen.
'Someone's calling you.' She desperately tried not to laugh when she saw him blush and answer the call.
'Hi mom… No, I'm with Kate… At her place… Yes, we're both okay… No, I'm not leaving here until the storm stops… I know… I don't know… Yeah, somewhere around then… I'll make sure… It's outside… Mom, seriously! Yeah, we'll be fine, bye… You have fun too.' He threw his phone so that it landed next to Kate's.
'My mom is seriously annoying.' Kate laughed.
'No, your mom is awesome.'
'You don't know her.'
'Not yet.' He saw her eyes widen, her fingers twitch at his shoulder blades. She just said that she wants them, this thing they have, to last because seriously, how many teenager couples last that long that they know each other's moms that well? Oh, God. She's a mess. A mess in love. But she didn't have to think about that yet, did she?
'Are you saying that you're hanging out with me only because of my mother?' he feigned mock offense and she sighed, relieved, had to let a smile shine across her face.
'No, I'm actually an alien robot and am waiting for the right opportunity to kidnap you and your mother. That better?' He gaped at her, mouth falling open as he breathed deeply.
'The girl who spins crazy theories about aliens and robots… Oh my God, that is just so sexy.' His voice dropped low at the end of the sentence and he kissed her fiercely. She pushed him away and laughed, felt his mouth resting on her chin, his eyes laughing too.
'You seriously have problems, Richard.'
'And you seriously have to stop saying my name like that,' he stated as he closed his eyes and gulped. She hummed in his ear, the sound catching him off guard, making him jump. He looked at her, eyes slightly darker than usual, the smirk decorating her gorgeous face.
He swallowed and kissed her again, his mouth insistent, dragging his toungue over hers, his hands wandering in her hair. She brought one hand up to find its way into his hair, kept the other one low at his waist, gripping him tight. She moaned and as the result felt his fingers fist in her hair, making knots there, but she couldn't care less, really.
He broke away, panting, tried to speak but all that came out of his mouth was a low growl. He closed his eyes shut, licked his lips, tasting her on his lips, on his tongue, in his own mouth. The mouth that has just kissed hers. Passionately.
His eyes opened as he breathed, 'Houston, we have a problem.' She arched an eyebrow at him, saw him reaching down between their pressed bodies as he said, 'My pants are too tight.' She laughed, breathless, watched him try to make his lower body feel more comfortable, pulling the fabric of his shorts away from the small bump that had formed there and had Kate suspiciously licking her lips.
He sighed out of frustration and untangled himself from her, stood up. She raised herself up on her elbows, her hair falling like a waterfall around her shoulders and he really, really wanted to lie down on top of her again, but he was having some major problems right now. He was wearing the wrong kind of shorts, definitely too tight for something like this and it hurt just a little bit. She rolled her eyes at him when he lifted one of his knees and put it back down, repeating the same thing with the other.
He saw her stand up and pull his hand away from his hips to lead him in the kitchen. She let go of his hand and filled a glass with water, passing it to him.
Cold. Yes, he needed cold. Definitely needed cold after that make out session. He swallowed the icy liquid, accepted the fact that it burned its way down his throat.
'You better now?' He looked at her, saw her staring at the area of the most sensitive part of his body. He gulped and said, 'Yeah, good - I'm good.' She laughed and shook her head at him.
'Want to drink something more tasty now that you took care of your problems?' He grinned and nodded, coming to stand beside her, but leaving 3 feet of space between them for his own good.
'Juice? Cola? More water? I think we have Dr Pepper.' She opened the fridge and rummaged around, looking at the cans and nodding.
'Yeah, Dr Pepper is here.' She turned her head to look at him, her eyes questioning.
'Um, just juice, thanks.' She closed the fridge, dragged her fingers across the silver surface as she walked over to the counter, grabbed his abandoned glass and poured some orange juice into it.
He smiled as she handed him the glass and poured herself a glass of juice, too. They drank in silence, staring at each other like they have just met. When she finished her drink, she came to him and took his glass from his hands, clearly ignoring the fact that he hasn't drunk it all yet. She put both glasses on the counter, sliding them towards the other end, looking back at him. Her bottom lip found its way between her teeth as Kate rubbed his chest with her hand, dropping it lower until it hit the area of his navel, pressing a little. He forced some air into his lungs and grabbed her shoulders with his hands.
'Kate… You… It's gonna hurt again.' She laughed, threw her head back, then dragged her hand slowly upwards, sliding over his neck, her fingers finding home behind his ear, her thumb at the strong line of his jaw. He leaned forwards and tried to capture her mouth but she moved back, angled her head so that he kissed her hair when he tried again. He huffed and pouted, 'This is not fair. You can tease me, but I can't kiss you?' She chuckled and nodded, winking at him.
He should probably really step away from her right then. But he just couldn't. No matter what, because she was driving him into her, pulling the invisible strings that she tied around his neck the first moment he looked into her eyes.
He didn't pull away. Did quite the opposite, actually. Groaned, wedged a leg between hers, pressed against her, pushed her into the counter, kissing her, his hands travelling up at her sides.
She gasped as his thumbs touched the sides of her breasts. Even though she was wearing a bra, she could feel the hotness travel from his fingers to her skin, burning her.
'Rick, I-' He shut her up with his lips, softer now than before.
She could feel his heart thumping wildly under her hand and felt her own traitorous heart joining his.
'God, Rick, just wait.' He pulled away, his lungs grasping for air. She dropped her forehead on his shoulder, waited until her breathing became less ragged. Better safe than sorry, right? If she would speak with the husky voice it would only made him kiss her again, she just knew it.
'I think the storm's over.' She drew her head back up as she said those words, saw him frown.
'Yeah, it looks that way.' She rolled her eyes and kissed his neck, the skin hot under her mouth.
'That doesn't mean you have to go, you know?' Her head lifted to see his expression and found a child-like delight in his eyes.
'Really?'
She laughed. He could seriously be such a child sometimes. Not that it bothered her, though. It was kind of hot, actually.
'Yes, Rick, really. Unless you want to go, of course.' He didn't waste any time, kissed her soundly, pulled back just enough so that he could speak.
'Are you kidding me? I can't think of one place I'd rather be than right here.' She let a grin spread out on her face, felt his responsing one against the line of her upper lip.
'We should consider going back to the couch. I'm not too fond of spending the whole afternoon here.' He laughed and extracted himself away from her, leaving her some room to finally breathe normally. She had a feeling that she was breathing rather shallow these last few minutes.
'It's almost evening.' She looked up at him as she plopped herself down on the couch, tucking her legs under her.
'What?' He sat down next to her, pointed at the wall above the TV. The clock read that it was already 5 PM. Geez, the time passed by so fast.
A few minutes and one make out session later, they lied down on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder, their legs entwined.
'Kate?'
'Hmm?'
'Do you mind if I fall asleep for a while? You kinda worn me out yesterday and today.'
She chuckled and kissed his collarbone, closed her eyes and sighed.
'No, you go ahead. I think I'm gonna doze off, too.' She felt him smile in her hair as he kissed it.
'Have a nice nap, Kate.' She yawned and smiled to herself. He's worn her out, too.
'You too, Rick.'
It was only two hours later that they woke up as they heard the voices behind the locked door. They shot up, Kate realizing it's Lanie and Javi, fumbling for her keys as Lanie's voice called her, told her to Come and open this damn door already.
He tried to look as innocent as possible, shuffling through TV channels when Lanie and Javi walked into the living room, both of them noticing Kate's messy hair and rumpled clothes, still wearing his cardigan. Wait. He thought he threw that on the other side of the room when they kissed before falling down and dozing off.
'Looking much at home there, Mr Rodgers.' His head snapped up to look at Lanie holding her hands on her hips with an arched eyebrow and a grinning Javier standing next to her. He grinned and stood up.
'Hello to you too, Lanie. Javi,' he offered as he nodded to his friend, grinning.
Lanie pulled Kate to the kitchen by her elbow and began with her interrogation, of course. She wouldn't be Lanie if she didn't.
'What happened between you two?'
'Nothing, why would you think that?' She panicked a little, tried to remember if he held her hand or kissed her in front of Lanie and her boyfriend. He didn't. Did he?
'Oh, please. Your hair is sticking out from all places, as is his. Your clothes are all rumpled and his look the same.'
'It's not what you think, we just fell asleep on the couch.'
'Yeah, right. And you did only that,' she said sarcastically as she stared Kate down.
'Okay, so we might have, um… Kissed a little.' Her friend squealed and clamped her hands over her mouth.
'Seriously? Wait, just a little?' Kate bit her lip and shook her head and that was really all the answer Lanie could get.
'Oh my gosh, you two are so adorable, this is so sweet.'
'Lanie, calm down, it really isn't that much of a big deal.'
'Are you kidding me, girl? You two were eyesexing before you even knew each other's names.'
'Lanie.'
'What? Tell me if I'm wrong.' Kate shook her head again, her smile breaking free.
'Come on, let's go back to the living room.'
They came back and found Rick and Javi talking about a video game.
'Guys, can you drop that fangirl chat and talk about something in English, please?' The boys grinned at Kate and Lanie pulled Javier to the door.
'Where are you going?' Rick asked as he saw them move like a lightning bolt across the room.
'We're going back to Javi's place. Just came to check up on you, but it seems like you're better off without us, so see you tomorrow, bye, have fun.' The words tumbled from Lanie's mouth as she proceeded in closing the door behind them.
They were left alone, standing in the living room.
'Well, what do you want to do, now that the intruders have come and gone?' he asked and she looked at him, smirked.
'I have some ideas that include you, me, the couch and our mouths. You in?' A sly smile spread slowly across his face as he grabbed her waist and pressed her into him.
'When am I not?'
She broke the kiss, panting, lying on top of him. He was as breathless as she was, but he still kept kissing her neck, her collarbone, everywhere he could reach with his greedy mouth.
She stopped him with a hand to his chin.
'You should really try and breathe sometimes, hopefully you won't faint until then.' He shook his head, kissing her mouth.
'I don't care if I never breathe again, I just need you.' She giggled – Wait… She giggled. Oh well, might as well just accept it. He's probably going to make her do it again. And then again. And again. And again. And again.
'Maybe it would do you good if you'd stop being so romantic and start thinking practical. You're barely breathing, Rick,' she told him as she squirmed on top of him, tried to get off, give him some air. He pulled her closer to him instead, dragged his hands up and down her back under her t-shirt, kissed her again.
'Still not caring.' She sighed and pushed against his chest, her elbows coming up to force her body to stand up, move away from him. She felt his loud exhale, followed by a deep inhale as he finally got the air safely inside his lungs, his breathing calming down with the mad beating of his heart.
She was looking down at him, standing next to the couch with her arms crossed against her chest, still having difficulty breathing. After their breathing calmed down, she pulled him up from the couch and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently.
'I will never ever get tired of kissing you.' She chuckled and kissed him back eagerly.
'Good. 'Cause I'm not planning on stopping kissing you.' He laughed, looked up at the clock.
9.01 PM. Was it really that late already?
He sighed and closed her eyes, then, just because he could and because she let him, kissed her lips again.
'I have to go,' he said once they broke apart.
'So soon?' He laughed and kissed the frown off her face.
'It's 9 PM. And you need sleep. We both need it.' Another kiss.
'But the storm's not over.'
'It is, look outside.' The weather was really fine, actually.
'Oh well, there goes my excuse.' He laughed and pulled her with him to the bathroom, took his stuff and the helmets in his hands. He walked out to his motorbike and checked his pocket for his phone, realizing that he must have put it back in.
He dumped the clothes under the seat, Kate's helmet coming to rest on top of them as he shimmered his jacket on. He turned towards her, trying to hug her but found her already there, nipping on his lower lip. He smiled and kissed her softly.
'Sleep tight, Kate.' She nodded and hugged him, hands pressing into his back, her breath tickling his neck.
She stepped back after a minute, watched as he put on his helmet.
'Good night, Rick.' His eyes twinkled.
'Until tomorrow, Kate.' She grinned in amusement.
'Can't you just say good night like everybody else?'
'Until tomorrow sounds more…hopeful.' He winked and sat on the bike, turning the key in the ignition.
'Until tomorrow, then.' He nodded and dropped the shade on his helmet, took one last appreciative look of Kate, then rode off into the sunset. Literally. So cliché.
Kate turned around on her heels, grinning uncontrollably, running her hands through her tousled hair. This day was one to remember.
How'd you like it? Although I really really love swordplay, I couldn't resist getting them together. Seriously, they just have that spark that could quite certainly light the whole story on fire if they wouldn't kiss in this chapter.
Let me know if I did the right thing.
Ariela
