Love Bites
By
James Doyle
Chapter Ten: Together at Last
But little Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
--From To a Mouse by Robert Burns
From the memoirs of Jackson Stewart:
I don't remember a whole hell of a lot from high school English class. But for some reason, that particular poem always sticks out in my mind. The reason is pretty obvious: Very little in my life has ever gone the way I planned it. On March 10, 2012, Lilly Truscott's nineteenth birthday, that stanza proved more true than ever. All of it, that is, except the last two lines.
My dad had called in a number of favors from old friends in the Nashville music scene, and managed to finagle a couple of tickets to a charity ball. It was there that I would wine and dine Lilly, then literally sweep her off her feet, and declare my love for her on the dance floor. It all seemed so perfect. In retrospect, I'm glad it never had a chance to fail.
Instead, it came about the same way the same way this whole thing started: Getting stranded off of I-40. We checked into a modest, but comfortable motel room, and Lilly's birthday dinner consisted of a frozen beef stroganoff and a can of soda. And then we faced the prospect of sharing the room's solitary queen-size bed. I just couldn't handle that. My desire for her would kill me. If we couldn't be together, I'd sleep on the floor.
It wasn't the elegant, romantic, dream-like setting I'd envisioned. Nonetheless, I knew the right moment was upon me. I sucked it up, and I told Lilly that I loved her. Understandably, she didn't know what to say. So I made it abundantly clear that the ball was in her court. I made a promise never to abandon her, and I would stay true to that no matter what. Given her answer, I guess I said the right thing.
She loved me back! I could hardly believe my ears. And yet, she still wasn't sure we could be together. Never in my life had a girl considered herself unworthy of me. Not only that, she thought having relationship with me would jeopardize our friendship. As many times as I'd been dismissed with a similar line, I knew that wasn't Lilly's intention. Whatever the outcome, it wouldn't do to have her think that. So I set her straight, letting her know that I didn't want our friendship to end; I wanted it to grow as deep and intimate as it possibly could. At that moment, Lilly and I became lovers, sealing our bond with a kiss.
Of course, it didn't stop there. Kissing turned into making out, and making out turned into heavy petting. Our passion escalated to the point where we needed to be as close to one another as was physically possible. Fortunately, I didn't need to be the one to broach the subject, as Lilly followed the three magical words we'd exchanged earlier with four equally magical words:
"Make love to me," she begged.
"Are you sure?" I asked. I knew she'd only ever been with one other guy. I didn't want to push her farther than she was ready to go.
"More sure than I've ever been of anything," she confirmed.
"I love you so much," I declared, wanting her to know that this would be as special for me as it was for her.
"I love you more," she answered.
That sounded to me like a challenge. "We'll see."
I won't compare Lilly to any of the three other girls I'd slept with. It's like comparing the flight of a leer jet with the flight of an eagle. The mechanics are similar (which I won't get into, lest I read like an eighth-grade sex ed textbook), but the meaning and essence of the exercise are incomparable.
I will make make one comparison: Unlike Lilly, none of them had ever cried. At first, I thought I was hurting her. I'd never been with a girl I truly loved, and who truly loved me, so I didn't understand until then just how overwhelming giving physical expression to those kinds of feelings can be. Knowing that, it's a wonder I didn't cry myself.
My first sight of Lilly's naked body made me feel just a dollop of sympathy for Morris. I still thought he was a putz, but I completely understood why the sight of her frustrated him so. For most of the act, however, I stayed focused on Lilly's face. Having seen anger and sorrow in her face so many times lately, it brought me indescribable joy to see her so happy. A happiness she'd never before experienced. She would later tell me she had experienced her first orgasm with a partner that night.
There wouldn't be any pillow talk that night. Our lovemaking had been the culmination of a day that had itself been the culmination of many years of anticipation. The effect of unleashing that much passion at one time was sheer and utter exhaustion. Within minutes of finished, we fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning, the ringing of the landline rudely interrupted my dreams of Lilly.
"Yeah," I groaned as I picked up the phone.
"Good morning," greeted a female voice. "This is the front desk. May I speak to Jackson Stewart?"
"That's me," I croaked.
"Mr. Stewart, I just spoke with the state emergency management coordinator. He informs me that local roads will likely remain closed until tomorrow afternoon. The agency has contracted with us to provide shelter in the interim, so there will be no charge to your credit card."
"That's good," I said. "Did you hear anything about Tennessee University?"
"I believe I heard on the radio that they're closed tomorrow," informed the clerk.
"Thanks," I said.
"You're very welcome," said the lady as we hung up.
I turned to face Lilly, whose smile made my rude awakening worthwhile. I took a moment to take in her sea-green eyes, her long, messy blonde hair, and her bare shoulders just above the sheets.
"I don't know how much of that you heard," I said.
"All of it," answered Lilly with a yawn. "Those hotel phones are pretty loud."
"I don't think your boss will holler at you for missing work tomorrow," I speculated.
"I hope not," replied Lilly.
After that, we gazed into one another's eyes, and her smile returned. She pulled my face to hers and kissed me hard.
"I love you, Jackson Rod Stewart," declared Lilly as she ran her fingers through my hair.
I stroked her hair as well. "And I love you, Lillian...just what is your middle name, anyway?"
Lilly laughed. "I actually don't have one."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah, if you hand me my purse, I'll show you my driver's license," offered Lilly.
"I'll take your word for it," I declined, deciding, for the moment, it was farther away from my beloved than I wanted to be right now.
"Oh yeah," I remembered. "I never even got the chance to wish you a happy birthday."
Lilly giggled. "I'll let it slide this time, only because you gave me a really grawsome present."
"Grawsome?" I asked.
"Yeah, portmanteau of 'great' and awesome," explained Lilly.
"Yeah, not feeling that one," I commented. "It sounds too much like 'gruesome.'"
Lilly sighed. "Miley didn't like it either. I thought I'd try it out on you."
"Yeah, gotta agree with her in this case."
Lilly changed the subject. "I can't believe it's been two years."
"Since what?" I asked, thinking she and I couldn't possibly have the same event in mind.
"The day you saved my birthday," elaborated Lilly. "That's when I first realized what a wonderful guy you were."
And there it was. My dad, Miley, Oliver, and even Rico had all unwittingly conspired on Lilly's seventeenth birthday to plant the seed that would eventually blossom into our love. It was a day which left Lilly and I with no one to lean on except each other. Just like the day we renewed our friendship. Just like the day we became lovers. Lilly's birthday would always be a special day for us.
"Happy two-year anniversary, baby," I said as I gently stroked her cheekbone.
"Happy anniversary to you, too," she replied before leaning in for a kiss.
Our activities the previous evening had worked up quite an appetite, so Lilly and showered quickly and bundled up as best we could before heading outside. As we left the room, we found that the front walk had been shoveled, but the cars were barely recognizable as such, buried under almost two feet of snow.
As it turned out, our timing couldn't have been better. As we made our way to the lobby to see if the vending machine had anything left, a snowcat pulling a sleigh arrived. The four National Guardsmen announced their arrival over a bullhorn, then approach the motel on snowshoes, pulling sleds carrying large boxes of self-heating meals and flats of bottled water. Already at the front of the line, Lilly and I received ours and headed back to our room.
"Better or worse than the stroganoff?" I asked as we ate our self-heating chicken booyah.
"Eh, about the same," said Lilly as she chewed. Most guys would be grossed out by that, but I actually found it endearing.
"When this is over, I'll take you out for a real dinner," I promised.
Lilly put down her fork and took my hand in hers.
"Jackson," she said, "I'll be happy if this is all I ever eat. As long as I'm with you."
"So you're saying you don't want me to take you out to dinner?" I teased.
"I never said that!" Lilly quickly responded.
I smirked. "Didn't think so."
We were about to get frisky when my cell phone rang.
"Hey dad," I answered.
"Oh, thank God you're okay!" exclaimed Dad. "I heard Tennessee done got both barrels from that snowstorm. Mamaw said y'all left yesterday afternoon and didn't check in. We were worried sick!"
"Yeah, sorry about that," I apologized. "Lilly and I are snowed in at a motel in Agnew Lake, but we're fine."
"Glad to hear it," said Dad, obviously relieved. "Sorry the weather put the kibosh on your big date."
"Actually, that turned out better than I thought," I revealed.
I handed the phone to Lilly.
"Hi, Mr. Stewart," greeted Lilly. "I'm doing great, how are you...glad to hear it...yes, that's right, we're together...yeah, it's pretty exciting...that's a little premature, don't you think...don't worry about it; I'm excited, too...yeah, I'd prefer to tell them myself...I think Jackson would like to be the one to tell Mamaw...you can tell Rico. You can't possibly over-stress the fact that I'm off the market...aw, thanks Mr. Stewart...good times, good times...yeah, I'll talk to you later. Here's Jackson."
"She's such a sweet girl," declared Dad as I got back on the phone.
"Yeah, she really is," I agreed.
"Now, son, I know anything an old-fashioned hillbilly like me has to say on the subject is gonna go in one ear and out the other," pontificated Dad, "But whatever you do, be careful."
"What are you talking about?" I deflected.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," argued Dad.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her," I assured.
"I know you will, son," said Dad. "And I couldn't be happier for both of you. Now give your Mamaw a call and let her know you're alive."
"Will do," I agreed.
After hanging up, I called Mamaw and let her know the situation. She congratulated us, as well. Unlike Dad, however, she didn't hesitate to lecture me, in graphic detail, about safe sex.
"I can't believe they knew what we were up to," I noted after I hung up the phone.
"They were young adults once, too," observed Lilly, before changing the subject. "So I guess we're stuck in this shoe box for at least another day."
"Look on the bright side," I argued. "We probably won't have this much time alone together for awhile."
Lilly grinned as she put her arms around my neck. "Now that you put it that way, I have a few ideas on how to pass the time."
With that, she attacked my lips and pushed me down onto the bed. Suffice to say, Lilly and I got to know one another very well that afternoon and evening.
At about one o'clock the following afternoon, the plows came through, and the state cops reopened the road. I talked to the local emergency management coordinator, who informed me that the University would remain closed until Wednesday, but we had a clear path between Agnew Lake and Magdeburg. Lilly and I were starting to get stir-crazy, so we quickly packed up and headed out.
As we drove down the Interstate, I thought back on Lilly's conversation with my dad.
"I don't mean to pry," I inquired, "But what were you and dad talking about when you said 'good times?'"
"Oh, that?" answered Lilly. "Yeah, he was just reminiscing about the days when I used to ride through your front door on my skateboard."
"That was pretty cool," I admitted. "Speaking of which, there's an amateur half-pipe tournament the week before finals. You should sign up."
Lilly laughed. "What, so you can amuse yourself watching me wipe out?"
"Wipe out?" I asked. "Come on, Lilly. You're better than that."
"I was better than that," corrected Lilly. "Jackson, I haven't been on a board in years."
It was then I remembered yet another realization I'd had on our special day two years prior: The cute skater girl my dad had mentioned had become a woman. A woman I loved more than life itself. And yet, I missed the girl she was. I hoped that girl was still in there somewhere.
The day after we returned to Magdeburg, we helped my landlord take away the two single beds he'd loaned Morris and me. In exchange, he helped us bring in our new queen size bed, on which we'd gotten a really good deal at the thrift store. It barely fit in the bedroom, and we had to move a few pieces of furniture into the living room. Still, it felt good not to sleep in the living room anymore. It felt even better to be able to wake up to Lilly's beautiful face every morning.
The rest of the semester was pretty uneventful. Lilly worked, I studied, and whatever free time we had, we spent together. It seemed like things would be smooth sailing from here on out.
Unfortunately, the Bard of Scotland's immortal words would ring true yet again.
End of Chapter Ten
Buckle up, readers! It's going to be a bumpy ride! Stay tuned!