Any recognizable characters or places are the sole property of their respective owners, no copyright infringement is intended. This plot, however, is all mine.
RPOV
I actually had two nights in a row without a nightmare after spaghetti night. Consequently, I was feeling lighter than I'd felt in a long time, having actually slept. Monday night was pretty brutal though, but not for the same old reasons. For the first time in a long time I'd had an incredibly sexy dream, but it was the realization of exactly who my partner was that had me wide awake and unable to even shut my eyes against the onslaught of images that flashed through my mind.
I took my usual drive. Sitting outside her darkened house for a while, debating whether to use the key she'd told me about. She'd meant for me to use it if I was having problems, not because I'd suddenly become… attracted to her. She was so supportive and caring, but she was also beautiful and incredibly desirable. There had been some moments after dinner when I could feel something crackling between us. She had bent down to pick up the baby from my lap and her face brushed against mine. Her proximity making my breath catch. She gasped and pulled back slightly, locking eyes with me, frozen until Alex called her name and she hurried away. I sat on her couch, stunned. It had been a long time since I'd seen anyone in a romantic light, but damned if she didn't make my pulse pick up. I decided leaving was probably the best idea after that, not knowing what to think of what I was feeling.
The level of trust she showed in me, telling me where her spare key was and offering a bit of a safe haven was remarkable. I didn't even stop to think before I pulled her close, tangling my hand in her thick curls. I caught myself thinking about kissing her, so I detoured and kissed her forehead instead. The feeling of her warm skin on my lips was indescribable. Before I knew it I was hugging her tight. I'd been thinking about her so much over the last few days. It was really no wonder I had dreamed about her.
I put the car in reverse and backed away slowly. Not ready to think about what this all meant.
As Tuesday rolled on, I started to find the banality of my work far too fascinating to leave the office. I could feel my heart rate multiply in direct correlation with the clock ticking down to appointment time. My anxiety wasn't unwarranted, we talked about some really, really bad shit. I was so grateful I had skipped dinner before going there. I was so fucking nauseous by the time we finished that there was no doubt in my mind that my stomach would have vacated any contents.
There was definitely a feeling of heaviness when I left. The only thing I had to look forward to was the promise of some type of physical exertion when I got to Stephanie's house. She had texted me yesterday to say that there was some dripping pipe in the basement that could use some attention. When I pushed open the office's lobby door, I saw that the gray, brooding skies that had loomed all day had finally decided what they were going to unleash on us. Fat blobs of sleet had started to pelt down, already making the sidewalk slick. I hurried to my car and made my way to Stephanie's.
By the time I pulled up behind her newly fixed car, it was coming down even heavier. I grabbed my bag from the back seat and hustled up the porch steps, feeling drops of icy cold slush drip down my neck. She must have seen me pull up and already had the door open with my little buddy Alex on her hip.
"Hey! Come on in." She smiled brightly at me.
"Hi." I bent and kissed her cheek…mmm she smells good…and high fived Alex.
"Oh! Your head is soaked! Let me get you a towel. You look nice by the way." She turned and I followed her into the kitchen. She reached into a basket of folded laundry and came up with a soft, white towel. Handing it to me as she set Alex down.
"Do you have something to change into? I don't want you to ruin your suit working in my creepy basement." I held up my bag.
"Is it okay if I use your bathroom to change?"
"Yeah go for it, top of the stairs, to the left."
Closing the baby gate at the top of the stairs, I saw three open doors, the bathroom, Alex's room, Steph's room and a closed door. Maybe a guest room? I could see into the nursery. All white wood furniture and a comfy looking chair. Above the chair was a framed Medal of Honor. The blue ribbon blending with the blue paint on the walls. I backed out of the doorway and went into the bathroom. Unsure what to think of the placement of that medal. It was the top honor a serviceman or woman could receive, yet she had put it in her son's room.
I quickly changed into clean gym clothes and headed back downstairs to the kitchen, where Alex was busy shoving cheerios in his mouth.
"Where is the pipe you want me to look at?"
"Just give him a minute and I'll take you down there. Did you want something? Are you hungry?"
"Coffee would be good." She nodded and fired up the keurig. We chatted while Alex finished eating. I'd noticed the other day that she wouldn't directly ask me about my session, but she definitely left the topic open for me to jump in and unload. She did the same today. Not overtly hinting, but casually dancing around what she obviously wanted to know.
When Alex was done, she scooped him up and took me downstairs.
"Tools are over there." She pointed to a work bench in the corner. "If I don't have what you need, I'll go pick it up at the store."
"I'll make do, it's getting really slippery out there."
"If you're sure. Let me just go and put this little guy in bed and I'll come back and help you out. Say night Alex."
"Na-night." He said with his head tucked into his mom's neck.
I rubbed the silky baby curls on the back of his head.
"Night buddy." He gave me his four-toothed grin and closed his eyes.
Steph was back in a few minutes and set the baby monitor on the workbench.
"Okay, what do you need me to do?"
"Nothing, I got it under control." I said as I got to work.
We were quiet for a while, me, trying to ignore the fact that she was just a few feet away in a little tank top and tight work out pants, and she, seemingly waiting for me to start talking.
"So," I said, finally breaking the silence. "I'm almost done here, you'll have to find something else for me to do on Friday night. I have another session with Dr. Rossoli."
"Oh yeah, how did it go today?" I guess she got tired of waiting for me to start talking.
"It sucked to be quite honest. I'm going to have to get used to talking about this stuff, but Christ, it wasn't fun."
She stepped closer and put her hand on my arm. "It'll get easier Carlos. I promise."
"I know." I swallowed hard and looked down at her hand on me, enjoying the feeling of warmth she seemed to be able to instill in me.
"Are you going to that retreat you were talking about?"
"Yeah I'm going to leave first thing Saturday morning. It's about a three hour drive."
"You nervous about it?"
"Not yet. I'm sure I will be when I go."
"We could drive you out there and come pick you up if you want. That way you wouldn't be alone." She offered with a look of genuine concern.
"I can't ask that of you. I don't think 6 hours there and back in two days would be good for you or the baby. I'll be alright."
"You'll call if you need me, right?" She asked worriedly.
"I will." I couldn't help but smile at her worry. "You really are a good person, you know." She blushed a bit and mirrored my grin.
Changing the subject she said, "Are you hungry? The least I could do is feed you."
"Nah, I'll grab something on the way home." I said as I finished up the pipe. "I think that should do it."
"Thank-you, and don't be ridiculous. Come on I'll make you a sandwich or something." She pulled the pipe wrench out of my hand and set it down.
I followed her up the stairs, paying far too much attention to how those pants fit her. She spun around to say something, as I moved forward and we collided, my hands automatically catching her waist, steadying us both. We just stared at each other for a second.
And…there's more of that tension.
She backed away slowly and opened the fridge, busying herself with making a sandwich. I went to the sink and scrubbed the grime off my hands, thoughts swirling like the soap suds circling the drain.
"C'mon in the living room Carlos, we can sit there while you eat."
I followed her again, this time keeping my eyes resolutely on the back of her head. She set my sandwich down on the coffee table and moved to peek out the window. I could hear the faint plinking of ice against the glass and stood next to her to see what the weather was doing.
"Shit, there's got to be at least an inch of ice out there." I muttered. "I'll be right back." I slipped my jacket on and carefully stepped outside, immediately getting pelted by thousands of tiny little balls of ice, and surveyed my car. Every door was frozen shut and there was already three inch icicles forming off all the bumpers and door handles. I slipped and slid all the way back up the stairs and shivered my way back into the living room, where Stephanie had the local news on.
"They said it's a state of emergency!" She said looking alarmed. "No one should be on the roads but emergency personnel. It's not going to let up until 9 or 10 in the morning!"
"Jeez, I hope the power holds out." Her eyes widened a bit more.
"I'm not letting you drive home in this. You pick, the couch or there's a small bed in the spare room."
"Stephanie, I can't stay here. I have to go to work tomorrow."
"No you don't," she huffed, "they just said all government buildings will be closed tomorrow. That would include you right?"
"I don't know, maybe."
"Pick one, couch or spare room." She demanded.
"Couch, I guess, but I really should go." I called after her as she went up the stairs.
"No you shouldn't." She argued back. She hustled back in in a few minutes, arms laden with pillows and blankets. Dropping them on the floor, she gave me a watered down glare and said, "You're not going to fight me on this are you?" Standing there, hands on hips, looking like a petite drill sergeant, I had to look away before I laughed and made her even angrier.
"No ma'am." She quirked a brow, but relented.
"Eat your sandwich lieutenant." She growled.
"Yes ma'am." I gave her a salute, making her laugh.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be pushy. I'm just not willing to let you drive home in that." She pointed to the TV, where some poor reporter was standing outside, teeth chattering, telling everyone how treacherous it was.
I munched on my monster sandwich while we watched the weather report. Apparently we could look forward to a record breaking string of below freezing temperatures. I looked over at the fireplace, there was a small stack of wood sitting next to it, but the grate was spotless.
"Do you ever use the fire?" I asked her.
Her eyes had been focused on the TV. But she seemed to have been very deep inside her head. "What?"
"The fireplace? If you lose power from the storm, you're going to lose your heat."
"Oh! Sorry I was just…my dad had the chimney cleaned, but I haven't used it. I've been worried about Alex getting too close and getting hurt."
"Is there more wood? What you have there isn't going to last long."
"Yeah, there's a huge pile in the shed. I'll go get some more if we need it."
"I'll get it. Is the shed locked?" I stood, grabbing my empty plate.
"Yes, but there's no light in it." She jumped up and grabbed her coat from the coat-stand. "I'll grab a flashlight." I opened my mouth to tell her to stay inside, but she was already through the kitchen, opening the back door with a huge Maglite in her hand. I caught up with her and we made our way carefully across her backyard that was quickly turning into an ice rink. I was a relief to stand in the dark, dank little shed, just to be out of the weather for a second. I had her put as many pieces of wood in my arms as she could and followed her back inside. She slipped her coat off and turned to help me put the wood on the hearth. I nearly dropped every log I was holding. She was still only in that thin little top and I could very clearly see how cold she still was despite the warmth in the house. I dragged my eyes upwards to her bemused face.
Oh yeah, she saw you staring at her nipples. Good going…
"Sorry." I mumbled stupidly. She drew in a breath to say something, but seemed to change her mind at the last second, opting to ignore what just happened. She simply unloaded the wood. As soon as she was done I whipped off my sweatshirt and handed it to her. She slipped it on silently and went into the kitchen, coming back in a few minutes with some coffee for us.
"Thanks." I said quietly, accepting my mug.
"Sure." She said and curled up in her chair. I feigned interest in the news channel for a while, waiting for her to bring up my wandering eyes or change the subject. I felt the weight of her stare and turned to see her smiling slightly.
"It's alright, you know."
"What is?" She rolled her eyes at my dodge.
"I would've looked too. No big, okay?" Her smile grew and before I knew it I was grinning too. "Just don't make a habit of it. Friends aren't supposed to do that."
Friends…right.
"You have my word." We lapsed into silence then and I was getting more and more sleepy. My eyes slid shut a few times before I stood and stretched.
"Is it okay if I use your bathroom again? I can't keep my eyes open."
"Of course. Oh! You know what? My dentist keeps giving me toothbrushes every time I go for a check-up. I'll grab you one." She led me upstairs and rustled around in the cabinet for a second, producing a hot pink toothbrush wrapped in plastic.
"Sorry, it's not a manly color, but it'll still do the job, right?" She laughed quietly as she scooted out to let me do my thing.
She was closing Alex's door as I came out of the bathroom.
"He's a little restless tonight." She moved closer and whispered. "I'm going to head to bed now in case he has trouble sleeping later. Are you sure you don't want the spare room?"
"No, the couch is fine." I insisted.
"We'll probably both end up down there with you if we lose power. It gets cold pretty quickly if the heat goes out."
"Okay, goodnight then." I stepped up to her and held my arms out. I was becoming quite addicted to our hugs and was pretty sure she enjoyed them too. She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck and I circled her waist, drawing her in close. That warmth I usually felt around her, swelled and grew until it suffused every inch of me. Filling me with a sense of well-being and self-worth. She must have felt the rapid tattoo of my heart against her cheek, but she stayed there for a minute more before pulling away. Who knew that affection would be so therapeutic? I dropped a kiss on her head and made my way downstairs. Leaving a few lights on, I made up the couch and crawled under the heavy blankets. They smelled faintly of fabric softener, like her.
I had no trouble falling asleep that night.
AN: No joke, here in NJ, we've had the worst winter that I can remember. Seriously, it's April and I don't think it was supposed to go over 50 degrees today! We had so many State of Emergencies this winter that I decided to give one to these two.
I promise to try to get them out of the house next soon, if not next chapter, then the next one.
Love,
EA xoxo
P.S. let me know what you thought? If you do maybe I can send the Lieutenant to "Fix" something for you.