Here is another chapter…

It was easy to travel during the day; we eliminated their day driver but that would only hold them up for so long. I was driving as the three-sleep gazing straight ahead, only half-aware of a world outside the claustrophobic comfort of the car, my hands stroking the wheel, the almost soundless changing of the gears and restless sounds of sleep. I trying to figure out if Nick was connected to the girl that snacked on his ass, but for now, I let him sleep. He wasn't my man and that was confirmation that I had no right to ask.

A simple road trip turned into this life-altering journey, Nick said he traced his infection to this guy, but something was nagging at me, could he have been wrong. I prayed he wasn't, but most people's cups are half-filled or overflowing where my cup was stolen and empty. The music was low as my mind was being pulled in however many directions it would allow, school, wedding, family, Sean, vampires, blood, following us, Nick, his real past, and my own. In a low mood, you can connect strongly to the parts of yourself that need healing and get a real sense of how the deeper self needs to feel loved, by you as much as by others. And it seemed Nick liked me for me and nothing more, not family money, being smart enough for them to get by in school, but he was turning and I will be a meal, was it worth the pain he would cause?

On their own my eyes find him, his face was not hard his eyes opened and looking at me, smiling. "Good afternoon, or early evening. We need food and gas,"

"A town is about forty minutes away. Sean wakes up she has been driving for hours," but it didn't bother me as I asked. "You think we bought us some time?"

Nick gave me a look, "I do, that girl was dead before morning, an orgy and a meal. We might have two days on them, first, they will have to get a new driver and find us and we took a different route than we would have," he had been doing this much longer than us.

Megan was awake, "Should we keep driving through the night?"

"No, we need sleep and food. Nick, we need holy ground, we need to make a stand there," Sean was right, my head nodding but poor Megan looked terrified. I can only imagine what she has been going through, "Megan, we going to get a room where you can bathe and I have some clothes so you can get out of those dirty ones. I have lotions and stuff too," she looked happy.

"I would appreciate that, Noelle. I haven't bathed or eaten in a week, maybe more," she had this light silvery tone, a slight accent that might be from Alabama or Louisiana. The restaurant was not full. I looked around at the busy tables. An old couple eating side by side, one glass of wine each, studiously bent over their meals. A group of young women in their thirties collapsing with helpless giggles as a stern woman dining alone nearby looked on and frowned. Truckers in their flannels lighting up cigars. American tourists, trying to decipher the menu. A family and their teenage children. The noise level was high. The smoke level, too.

Sean grinned at the smiling hostess. "Four," she just leads us to a back booth and both guys shove us in first taking the outside seats. My voice trying to cut over the noise, "Can I get a cherry coke," each ordered their drinks, my body was sore and tired, my ass was numb from driving and keeping myself in the same position, hope a sore was not present when I showed.

Nick let his arm go around the back of our booth, his eyes concerned "Are you okay?" I was fine, but it was nice someone who wasn't Sean was concerned about me. "I am just tired, and hungry. I get bitchy when hungry," the words leave my mouth and Sean laughs. "Once we were at a mutual friend's house and his parents went out to dinner, we had a sitter who was taking her sweet time ordering pizza. Noelle, stole the girls debit card and ordered some racy things to be delivered to Kylie's house. Now, understand her dad was the town Pastor, she was never seen again got sent to Hill House a girl's school,"

They all laughed, Megan laughed as if it were a natural spring, the water deepening the hue of the rocks. "Wow," she said, "That was so genius it was music," she paused, softly doubling over with a gentle pat to her right leg. I liked her. 'I like you, Megan. So are we getting one room with two beds or two rooms,"

Sean answered fast, "Nick had my fucking wallet, so two rooms,"

"I found it while hitching, I left everything and planned to give it back. But I agree with two rooms,"

I played their game, "Awesome, Megan and I can have a little girl time," my tone final as I sipped my drinks seeing the boys staring at the other, our waitress was bubbly, to say the least. "I will take the huntsman platter, please no onion.," I loved fries, and a nice burger would be good, the mac and cheese looked delish in the picture.

Megan got the same, while the boys ordered bigger meals. We talked and got to know Megan and Nick a little better, they got to know us and it was like we clicked with each other.

The fries, drenched in tomato sauce, lie on the table and across the platter that he carries towards me. The soft crunchy texture of the fries brushes past my lips, the salty flavor never leaving my mouth. The burger was just as good, the bacon was battered and fried, two kinds of cheese, two patties flame-grilled, might just be the most fabulous burger of all time. Even the mac and cheese was good, you could tell it was fresh, it was cheesy but overboard, I hated that.

Nick was devouring his food, the roast chicken looked yum though. I glanced over the menu since I saw thick pies in the glass cage. "Hey, can I get a slice of your blueberry pie, with two large scoops of vanilla ice cream. You all want something?" Sean got apple, Megan a chocolate peanut butter silk, and Nick wanted the peach and blackberry cobbler. All very good choices as I let her hand me the white foam carton for the rest of my food, I had eyes bigger than my belly, but always saved room for a sweet treat.

But even the pie was massive, but I was never wasteful. Nothing beats the sweet taste of fresh pie, someone worked hard on these, they didn't look perfect, but the taste was perfect. "I like a girl who can eat," Nick winked.

"I was starving, and normally don't eat this way unless I go too long without being fed," shooting back raising my hand with my debit card, "Sean you get the rooms," his lean body moved as Megan was setting his leftovers into a carton, Nick finished everything and so did Megan.

The room was not bad had a lodge feel to it, I turned to pull Megan in and slamming the door in their faces. I stated, "Give one of them about an hour before they come knocking and asking to switch rooms," she had a faint smile as I pulled a nice pastel purple sweater out, a pair of black jeans, undies, bra, and socks all lined up for her. Next was my travel kit, shampoo, conditioner, scrubber, and a blackberry sugar scrub, last was my milk and coconut lotion. "Here you go, knock yourself out," her icy blue eyes looked thrilled as she smiled. "Thank you, so much. Would it be too much to ask of you to maybe sit in there with me,"

"Say no more, I understand and have no problem sitting with you,"

The tub was a good size as the water ran, rash the clothes,' I speak up seeing her trying to figure out where to place the ugly things. In the trash, they went as I tossed her the bottle if bubble bath. Megan slid down into the water, letting it block out the sounds. Soapy glistening bubbles cascaded. The bubbles were pink, which was a surprise - although it figured, with a name like Princess Pixie. The color shimmered and whirled inside each bubble whenever it caught the lighting. "You think your family is looking for you,"

I wanted to ask but felt terrible seeing her face grow paler, "No. I was an only child, my father was Military and died overseas and my mother turned into an alcoholic, she passed three weeks ago," she was alone.

I lean my back against the tub, finishing my dinner. "You have us now, so don't worry," we could help her get back on her feet after she was cured along with Nick. "I'd like that," bet she would, Sean was easy on the eyes.

"Come on let's get some rest,"

"I feel like nothing could kill me, the best but knowing what I am turning into. What I did due to that, I am disgusted,"

"Not once were you able to control what happened and knowing my cousin he is already planning an airtight alibi for you. No jail," but our conversation is cut off by double knocks on the door.

Checking the time, "Fifty-eight minutes, see Megan," together we stand in front of the open door. I asked, "Yes,"

Nick was blunt, "I in no way want to share a bed with Sean, you, on the other hand, are the one,"

Megan bless her blushed, "I don't mind sharing with Sean," bet she didn't it was clear as day she rather be snuggled up to his bony ass. "Fine, Nick you can sleep in her, and Sean you can bunk with Megan," my tone exasperated as if this was costing me so much. Girls are girls and guys are guys and getting to know the other gender was key.

His arms come around me pulling me flush against his chest, "How is it that I care more about you than anyone, three days and everything changed for me,"

I offered, "One night and your world changed, maybe after you're cured you will not feel as such. But honestly, I understand, there is something about you that holds me so firmly and I am not talking about these arms," even I could hear the confusion and emotion I laced into each word. His arms got tighter if possible, "I am going to shower, I feel grimy," needing a second to compose myself around him, he oozed sex appeal.

I needed some tunes as I turned on the same radio in the bathroom, an older song came on -Klymaxx-I'd still say yes started and my father loved this song, it mixed with the water that fell in thousands of small drops as the shower started, the steam rising as I was in my dirty clothes on the sink.

I calmed myself, hell he was going to vanish after he was cured, I had no real luck with men in general. All the reasons not to do this come flooding in, as if my body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation. I feel the soft panic that can grow or fade depending on what I do next. It will fade if I back away, but then I have to do this all again another time. It will grow if I let these thoughts swirl into a vortex of stupidity, eating their tail. Or I can breathe real slow, let the thoughts leak into the ether and be the real boss of me. I called out, "NICK," my voice going over the sound of water, I could hear him barreling in. "You okay,"

I steeled my nerves; I was the boss of me. "You want to join me?" a simple question, only the sound of his belt is heard, and it was my answer as well. No asking if I was sure, it was him getting naked that was given. A sudden and brief blast of chilled air was my indicator he was now behind me, all he could see was my backside, not a bad thing either.

"Can I have some hot water?"

"No, this was not in the plans," but with swift movements, I was spun faster than possible and now the spray was hitting us both. But now we could see each other, every insecurity was hitting me. I never showered with a male and was nearly jumping into a pool of panic. Something flashed beneath the surface of his hardened expression, his face moved a little too slowly, as he was taking in my body more than anyone else. Then he grinned. As he did so the temperature of the room raised little. Even in the dim light of the bathroom, I saw his bared teeth. It was a Cheshire grin of sorts, the kind that was so wide it was more as if he wanted to eat me rather than say hello.

I was trying to not glance at his body too much, just trying to give small casual glance's/ But he winked. "Are you going to look or just be shy," his tone amused as I snapped. "Not all of us were whores, this is my first time in a shower with the other gender, gosh you assume I do odd shit," his face paled in his moment of clarity.

His hands touched my hips pulling me into him making sure my head was nestled into him. "Honestly, you are so stunning and yes I thought you had boyfriends and stuff,"

"I have had one, and we never hit the level of sex or showering," I was a social Pira.

He kissed me, shutting my rant down and making my body burn with heat. Humans are part of only 3-5 % of mammals that pair bonds. The neural basis for monogamy comes from the neural network we develop as babies when we are being mothered, perhaps that is why we often call our lover, "baby." But here comes the interesting part, if you are physical with anyone you aren't sure you want to stay with for the rest of your life, then you damage your ability for your pair bond to last a lifetime... you start to learn how to break that bond, or perhaps, even worse, that love isn't good. So, learn from the animals that pair bond for life, sex forms the pair bond.

So, let the physical part of love come from a relationship with a best friend, someone you want to spend your life with. Then even if you change and mature, you love each other in the way a mother loves her child, unconditionally... and you can stay together. We can, of course, need to end relationships at times and suffer the pain of losing our pair-bond, and pain it is. There can be real reasons to move on and begin anew and we should show empathy when that arises. However, we can minimize this by respecting our basic biology, being careful and choosing wisely whom we give our physical love to. And for me that was Nick, and maybe he didn't feel the same and most don't, but tonight everything clicked.

Sex

He whispered my name as our bodies touched

Slowly, we became entwined

our hearts fusing into one, while our bodies move

to the rhythmic sounds of the murmurs of sweet nonsense in our ears

His tongue carved every inch of my body like a chisel

His kisses were long and deep

I gasp for air

We moaned… louder

He thrust…. Deeper

We moved…faster

Lost in time

Then without control, our bodies exploded

Leaving us limp while we lay still

Arms and legs tangled

Listening to the satisfying sounds of the beating of our hearts

Deep into the silence of the night

Hmmmm….

Sizzling….

A new beginning.