The usual disclaimers.
CHAPTER 14
"So what happens now?" Hopper asked as he buckled his pants.
Joyce looked up from tidying the bed.
"What do you mean?" she asked for the second time that afternoon.
"With us. We can't go back to the way things were. Can we?" he added worried that he'd said the wrong thing.
He didn't want to put any pressure on her, push her into something she wasn't ready for or not even want. Just because she liked having sex with him, didn't mean she wanted anything more. That thought made him feel sick to his stomach. But if ultimately that was she wanted, he'd have to accept it, no matter how painful it was.
"No, we can't go back to the way things were." Joyce admitted. "I don't want to. But I don't know where we go from here. I care about you a lot Hopper, and the sex" she sighed. "The sex is out of this world. But everything's so messed up at the moment. The boys are really upset. We're the talk of the town. And there's Bob. God only knows what he's gonna do next." her voice got higher and louder.
Recognising the signs, realising she was building to an anxiety attack. Hopper rushed over and put his arms round her.
"Hey, it's okay!" he said softly, dropping a kiss on top of her head. "We don't need to put a label on it, or tell anyone, or do anything if you don't want to."
Joyce had been resting her head against Hopper's chest, allowing herself to be soothed by his heartbeat. Her eyes popped open at the last thing he said. The idea of stopping what they were doing was unthinkable. Every fibre of her being cried out against it. She pulled away from his embrace.
"No" she said firmly. "I want this. I want you. I don't want to stop. But I don't want to tell anyone" she paused trying to find a way to put her feelings into words.
"I want it to be just us for a while, our secret. Can we do that?"
He smiled and quickly kissed her on the lips.
"We can do whatever you want?" he assured her. "Whenever you want?"
She kissed him, hard.
"I want to fuck you so bad, right now. But.." she trailed off and looked over her alarm clock.
"You have to pick Will up from school" Hopper guessed.
"Yeah" she sighed ruefully.
"They'll be another time." he also sighed. "I'd better go before I drag you back to bed and make you late."
Joyce walked with him to his blazer. Outside the door they stopped dead.
"What the hell!?" Hopper exclaimed.
All four tires on his blazer had been slashed.
"Who could have done this?" she asked in shock.
Their eyes met, and they knew.
"Bob!" they said in unison.
END OF CHAPTER 14