"Rory?" Celeste called out as she returned from their run, hoping she was already downstairs, Logan trailing a some five feet behind her. After Logan had told her what happened, she'd showed her support naturally. But after she'd realized Logan had hid this from everyone, they'd spent the whole way back, walking not running, and bickering like an old married couple - the topic, however, being far from dividing up household chores or that sexy secretary of his. Clearly Celeste had insisted he tell Rory, which he still was reluctant to do, but she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, clearly seeing the man suffer hiding this. And on that note, he couldn't disagree. She'd thrown argument after another at him of all the reasons he should tell Rory, and he was on the verge of caving - by now it almost seemed like the easier thing to do, the relief from having told one person, already making this whole thing so much easier for him. But was that really in Rory's best interest - he wasn't sure.
"In here!" Rory called out from the parlor, glad to hear the voice of another adult who wasn't offering her more food, like Maya usually was when she was home with her - something about her eating for three.
"God, I feel like a kindergarten teacher," Celeste huffed at Logan, feeling like he needed to drag the two together to get him to tell her the truth.
"What?" Rory inquired, propping herself up to sit, instead of lying on her side yet again. She was beginning to hate the couch, and her bed.
"Celeste, I'll tell her, okay," Logan agreed, asking for some privacy without saying it.
"I'll be upstairs, text me if you need me," Celeste added, not even sure which one of them she was supposed to sympathize with, and headed upstairs to shower.
"Tell me what, Logan?" Rory said, her posture, as much as possible while sitting down and in her condition, getting a little defensive. She felt like crossing her arms across her waist but clearly that was not an option. Even the one-size-fits-all flowery wrap dress she was wearing, not at all her style but as one of the few things she'd found amongst Celeste's maternity clothes that fit her, made it very challenging to appear stern.
"Listen... something happened and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you straight away, but I didn't want to add to your stress," Logan said, with a deep sigh, and sat down on the couch. He still thought that telling her was selfish in a way - it was probably going to make him feel a little better, but he was scared what kind of effect this would have on her. Even he'd registered the occurrence in a wide range of emotions - initial shock, his pride being hurt, self-blame, guilt, fear, anxiety, anger, slight obsessiveness about certain things and the distrust of strangers, just to name a few.
"Logan, what?" she inquired impatiently, her mind already beginning to go through all the worst case scenarios.
"I got mugged," he exhaled, only realizing as he'd said it out loud for the second time, that that in itself was nothing he needed to be apologizing for.
"What? When?" Rory inquired anxiously, looking him over from head to toe to check whether he was okay. "It was the knee, wasn't it?" she quickly connected the dots. She had noticed him being a little distant too, but she hadn't really caught on to it something being as serious as this.
Logan nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me, Logan?" she asked, tilting her head, shifting towards the edge of the couch. She wasn't mad, more concerned and confounded. Why would he hide being a victim of a crime?
"I… I don't even know, Ace," he sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I kept telling myself that you had enough going on and you worrying about this wouldn't change anything," he said. "But I guess… in a way it just messed with my head, I wasn't thinking clearly," he admitted.
"I'm just glad you're okay..," Rory replied, resting her cheek on his shoulder.
"I just keep going over that morning in my head - the time I went out, what I wore, what I had with me, the route I chose - like it was my fault or something - I know, rationally thinking, it wasn't, but just… it's like it was my error in judgement, my poor reflexes that almost endangered me from being there for you, and our kids. And I guess I am just ashamed that I hadn't thought of things this way before…that I wasn't more cautious," Logan explained.
The only other time he'd ever been this clearly reminded of his mortality had been when he'd been in the hospital after the parachuting accident, and he couldn't believe how easily he'd forgotten, gotten cocky, almost feeling that he was invincible again like he had for most of his younger years. And clearly he wasn't. The problem was that it was no longer just his person that he needed to think about - people depended on him. And these things could not be replaced by money.
"It's not your fault," Rory pointed out the obvious, but she felt like he needed to hear that - even if it meant saying it over and over again.
It was then Rory noticed his watch, the wristband being of different color.
"Oh, man, they got the watch I got you, didn't they?" Rory grumbled, angrily, noticing a tiny but almost insignificant detail in all of this. She was more angry at the people who had done this to him, than him. She felt a little betrayed but in some way she did understand, but she needed to say it nonetheless. "But you should've told me! What if you'd been hurt more than this, what - were you just going to hide that too from me? Sure, it's scary, but you tell me what's going on! You tell me… if you're in trouble, whatever kind of trouble that is, it's not fair to keep me in the dark. The good and the bad," she said and continued to ramble along the same path, and he let her. He deserved the scolding, and she needed to do it to process this.
It was finally as said, "I could've lost you, Logan," with tears falling down her cheeks, she finally got what realization he had been trying to protect her from. Her hormones added their own two cents to the lot. It was that feeling of a near miss - of just for a split second imagining her life without him, that had done it.
Celeste was pissed. Pissed at Logan for hiding something like this, for not reporting this. She had a strong sense of justice, and this whole thing - Logan's thought process included - just made want to go find the jerks, who to her were just essentially bullies, and punch them for damaging a man beyond his monetary value. She wouldn't do that of course and simply headed for the shower, slamming the door half by accident behind her. She undressed hastily, leaving her sweaty running clothes on the floor and stepped into the shower.
The water had ran down her face and shoulders for a good few minutes, washing off her sweat and at least some of that upbuilt anger. She didn't even bother with shower gel or shampoo at that point, but simply stood under the spray allowing the water to run down her face and body.
She let out a small yelp, having not heard him enter, as his fingers touched her skin.
"I thought you were asleep," she noted, clearing the water out of her eyes.
"I was. Now I am not," Jess replied, stepping under the water with her. He'd woken earlier as she'd headed out, but soon enough gone back to sleep, now being woken again by the sound of the door.
"And here I was thinking you were hung over," Celeste commented, the corner of her mouth raised, seeing quite clearly that his body had other ideas.
"It's not my first rodeo. The juice, a few hours ago, helped, I'm as good as new," he chuckled, thankfully.
Celeste wasn't sure if she was in the mood for this, the situation still swirling in her mind. What would she have done? What would she be feeling if this had happened to Jess?
He pulled her close, laying a wet and heavy kiss on her lips.
"I'm sorry, Jess. I don't know if I'm feeling this right now," she apologized, her face showing that she was upset. While she liked this prospect very much, it was difficult to snap out of that line of thinking.
"Did something happen?" Jess asked, not releasing his grip just yet.
"Ah.. I'm just pissed at the world," she began, but realized as she'd said it that she really had no control over any of it.
"Being angry at the world can lead to pretty hot sex…," Jess smirked, not quite wanting to give up on it just yet.
He made another effort to kiss her, this time with more tongue, his fingertips stroking the outline of her body at the same time, just the way he knew made her feel the most sexy - long appreciative strokes, followed by a tad possessive squeeze of her buttocks.
"Fine," she muttered, beginning to soften under his touch.
"I'd like to hear some more enthusiasm than that," Jess requested, with a frown.
"This feels good," she murmured to his ear, not wanting to give him all the dirty talk she could straight off the bat either. It did feel good, his hard arousal pressed tightly between them, against her abdomen, making her insides do backflips just at the thought.
He pulled apart slightly, maneuvering his member to slid between her legs, this way with each slight movement teased the other as well as it ran across her lower lips. The kiss continued, her hands trailing down his muscular neck, shoulders and arms. He nudged her nipples with the back of his hand, as if half by accident, turning her nipples harder with each stroke.
Her body squirmed, as if trying to position him so he would already enter her, but just as she got close, he pulled back just a little, teasingly.
"Where's the hurry?" he whispered into her ear in a low tone. He could see she was still a little distracted, and he really didn't want her to be. He wanted to drive her crazy with desire instead.
So instead of touching her again where she already so badly wanted to be touched, she took the shower gel and began soaping her body down with it, making soft massaging motions in the process.
Celeste stared at him with a perplexed gaze, wondering what he was up to, but as he reached her thighs and ass with those movements she could tell. It felt really good, teasing, massaging, caressing, but not quite touching.
"You're mean," she purred, as she leaned her forehead and forearm against the wall.
He didn't say anything, just smiled smugly and continued upwards giving some more attention on her breast again.
"Say it," he demanded, playfully.
She shook her head in disbelief, biting her lip.
"Fuck me," she pleaded.
"What - no more foreplay, really?" Jess teased.
At that note, she repositoned herself, guiding his member against her entrance, gyrating her hips just a little. She needed to make him crave that feel just as badly as she did so he wouldn't tease.
Her center was slick, and definitely very effective, as he made no attempt to step away or continue the torture. He almost hadn't planned it, but she tilted her hips just a little, allowing his tip to slip in, then keeping perfectly still.
"Trying to beat me at my own game, are you?" Jess replied, his tone being a little hoarse.
"What if I am?" she smiled at him over her shoulder, allowing her hand to stroke his hip invitingly.
At that motion he thrust with force, almost making her yelp at the motion, soon followed by a low moan. But then he stood completely still.
She moved her hips just a little herself, wanting to feel him move inside her again.
"Is it more of this that you want?" he teased.
"Yes, I want more. I want more of you, Jess!" she demanded impatiently, speaking over the sound of the shower.
"You asked for it," he replied, the next second thrusted inward as deep as he could, making her groan, and at each penetration that followed.
Jess held her by one of her arms as balance as she leaned her upper body lower, allowing him to alternate between angles. It was rough, hasty and a much needed pounding to wipe her mind completely clear of the anger, and just give in to the urge. As he attempted to slow down a little, she wouldn't have it, being just so close herself, she kept moving her hips herself, slamming into him. He soon realized there was no more point in delaying it and with a few more deep thrusts he drove her over the edge, his own release soon following as her walls clenched around him sucking out every last drop from him.
"I did need that," she breathed heavily with a satisfactory smile as she turned, clinging to his panting body.
"I told you," he smirked, kissing her once more.
After they'd finished showering, for real this time, they were getting dressed. They'd turned the apartment's living room into a livingroom-bedroom combo, so they could have another smaller separate room for Evie - not wanting to rob any more bedrooms from Rory and Logan for their personal use. They only really had a small selection of clothes in this apartment, the closet space being scarce, but especially for summer time, it was enough.
"So what was it that you were so angry about before?" Jess inquired, watching her slip into a mustard yellow halter neck dress, himself just pulling on his denim shorts.
"Ah just Logan. We went for a run this morning. And apparently the guy was mugged on one of his runs, almost a week ago. And he hadn't told a soul," she explained, the anger returning.
"I'm sure he just didn't want to worry Rory, I mean it's not like replacing the stuff is a big deal for him," Jess replied, beginning to sense that he'd just said the wrong thing by the look on her face.
"I mean sure you tell your wife, but in Rory's condition - is there really much point to worry her? Sure you go tell a friend or the police, but it's not like Rory can do a whole lot about it. And muggings happen all the time, sure it sucks, you begin to avoid some places, keep a more watchful eye, but you just go on with your life, right?" he added.
"You say that like it's so normal. Are we just supposed to accept that things like that are normal? No way!" she argued, deciding to let the part about telling Rory go - clearly both guys had in their sentiment meant well - and Rory already knew - so there was no point in continuing that part of the conversation, even though she disagreed.
Jess pulled on his army green plain t-shirt.
"Well statistically it is normal. I've been mugged in New York, what, like three times? Not recently, but when I was younger. I'm not saying it should be normal, but you adjust, you become more resilient," he added.
"Three times?" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
"I used to live in pretty sketchy neighbourhoods, it really was pretty common. I sometimes kept my key in my shoe if I moved around when it was dark. Never had more than twenty bucks in one place. You just give them what they want - muggers are not after getting charged with assault, so really you just give them what they want as quickly as possible and they leave you be," he explained.
"You reported them at least?" she asked.
"The first one, but it was such a hassle, honestly I didn't bother afterwards," he said. "But that was a different time, very different neighbourhood," he added.
"Logan hasn't either," she sighed.
"Well that's up to him," Jess replied.
"But..," Celeste wanted to argue, but could see that there clearly was a shift in the understanding about these things. Jess had lived a life very different from hers where bullying and unfairness had been the norm. She suddenly recalled some of his earlier books, several bits of those were really quite graphic and rough, and it was only then she really began to grasp that most of those parts probably were written from experience, hence she let it go.
"Maybe you could talk to him? I probably shouldn't be saying this, but he's going through some anxiety or something - maybe you could just assure him that it'll pass?" she suggested, not knowing what else to do. At least Jess seemed to know to some extent what he was going through. Maybe that was what Logan needed?