Kate's POV
I felt myself wake up, feeling drowsy. It Was one of those moods where I just wanted to get back to sleep and not worry about the day. But that wasn't an option, and every part of me knew it. I felt my tongue curl up as I yawned, squeezing my eyes shut as I stretched. Once I was satisfied I turned to my right to see Rick still asleep. I rolled over easily to not wake him, and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. He had a slight reaction to it that was cute to me, I wonder if he would be willing to go through everything today. It was gonna be rough. I sat up completely now. I thought about how today would possibly go and curled up, resting my chin on my knees as I looked out the door. I scanned the room seeing that our clothes were tossed all around and remembered last night. There was a reason I felt just a tad bit more relaxed than usual. I went to check to see if the fur on my vagina was stiff from the night before, it was but it would come out with a quick shower. I sighed and slid off of the bed and began to look for where Rick had tossed my pants. I eventually found then in front of the dresser and picked them up only to get my phone out of my pocket.
When I opened it up I saw that mom had messaged me multiple times throughout the night, asking me if I got Rick, and if I was okay, or where I was. I felt bad for leaving her without a response and quickly messaged her that me and Rick were at his house and would probably be going through things today. I sent the text and began to fold my clothes, it was only when I took two steps that I noticed my panties still dangling around my foot. I giggled and tossed them with the other clothes on the bed. While I was at it I gathered Rick's as well and then went to the shower. It wasnt long, but it was enough to wash away the scent of sex and various fluids that had dried up on me over night. Once all was said and done after that I left the bathroom to turn to my left and look at the sad sight of Angel's now abandoned room. It still seemed so off putting just knowing that she would never be in there again. I felt my heart ache and finally went to put some clothes on. Entering the room though I saw Rick laying on the bed now awake. He was laying on his side and looking up at the picture of our night at the boardwalk.
"Morning," I said with caution. Rick looked at me and then back at the picture.
"Hey" he said. I sighed and began going through my bag that I had thankfully left there when I came to take care of Rick. I picked out some blue jeans and white T-shirt, along with a red and black checkered flannel which of course for my taste went unbuttoned. I put the flannel on and then pulled my hair over my shoulder, making sure I still looked somewhat presentable.
"So I Know last night got a little intense, but I kinda wanted to know if you were still going to try" I said. I stopped kneeling to stand up and then sit on the edge of the bed next to Rick, and lay my hand on his upper side.
"Yeah… I made you a promise" Rick said. I nodded.
"Thank you… I know it's hard, and I wanted to give you more time. But apparently we've been cut short" I explained. Even though he already knew all of this. I guess I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page. Rick nodded and kept looking at the picture. I felt bad watching the sight but there wasn't really anything that I could do. I felt my phone vibrate and checked it, taking my hand off of Rick to see that it was mom.
M. well I'm glad to know that the two of you are okay. Why didn't you answer?
K. sorry, things got really intense last night, and I had to make sure that Rick was in a good place.
M. is he?
K. no
Right when I sent that, it was only a few moments before I got a call from her. I sighed again and answered the call, putting the phone to my ear.
"Hey" I said.
"Hey Kate, is Rick with you right now?" mom asked. I looked down at Rick.
"Yeah, he's right next to me," I answered.
"Can you go downstairs for a moment? I don't want him to hear me" mom requested.
"Yeah, just give me one moment okay?" I said softly. Mom said nothing in response. I stood up off the bed. "Be right back," I told Rick.
"Am I wrong?" Rick suddenly asked. Again I looked down at him, this time however frozen. Imputed myself in the call to answer his question.
"Wrong for what?" I asked.
"My family… they just passed and… I should be thinking about them, remembering them, but instead I'm fucking like a dirty dog" Rick said sadly. I was again kneeled over, this time getting eye level with him.
"Rick, there is nothing wrong with what we did last night, things got emotional and heavy, and we needed some way to deal with it. If you asked me we both deserved it, you deserved it… you can't be sad forever…" Rick's eye darted to me as I said what I said, making me question if it was the right thing. "Believe it or not it's a normal response when people are in a bad spot emotionally, they do those types of things. Don't feel bad about it, we just needed a moment of happiness, even if it was only for a few minutes" I added.
Rick's eye darted back towards the bed. I patted him on the shoulder and then gave behind his ear a quick scratch. After that I left the room and went down the stairs, putting the phone to my ear again and unmuting myself.
"I'm back," I said.
"Alright, I looked over the letter and it says that he has about four days to get out of the house. I cant believe they're willing to take the house back that quickly. From what I read the house is in his dad's name, and now that he isn't here anymore the bank wants it back, so the only way Rick could have the house is if he buys it again" mom explained.
"That's bullshit" I said enraged.
"I know, it's not worth it either. But I have an idea" mom said.
"Oh yeah? What are ya thinkin?" I asked. Mom sighed.
"It might take some getting used to, especially for your father. But what if I came over to help you two clear everything out, and Rick can pack his things up and… he can come live with us…" mom offered. I'll admit I felt a bit excited at the idea, but it was wrong. This wasn't a happy choice, this was no other choice. Normally this would be a boyfriends dream come true, but for Rick, I don't think the price would have ever been worth it.
"I'll… I'll have to talk with him about it" I replied.
"Well where else is he gonna go? I don't think he has a choice. You and him can share your room, and if he wants he can put his things in storage if there isn't enough room, or better yet in our basement. You'll just have to be quiet during the night" mom joked making me snicker, but the feeling of laughter was extremely short-lived.
"I'll convince him, he already made me the promise last night that he would let go of the house, I just wish he had more time with everything" I said.
"Yeah… we all feel for him, listen I can be there in one hour, but if Rick is not up for it just yet let me know and I'll come later okay?" mom said.
"Alright, I'll text you" I replied.
"Okay, love you" mom said.
"Love you too" I told her. I hung up the phone and looked over to the stairs. I guess I should get this over with. I walked back up and into Rick's room. Rick hadn't moved and was still staring down at his bedsheets. I took a seat next to him again and scratched his ear to calm him. "Hey" I said.
"Was that your mom?" Rick asked.
"Yeah… yeah that was her… she has an offer for you" I told him. Rick looked up at me curiously, looking almost like a puppy with his curious eyes.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Mom thinks… that since you have to leave here… that she'll help me and you pack up here, and you can come stay with us" I explained. Rick's expression didn't change, although I did see something in his eyes, it seemed like… hope.
"For how long?" he asked.
"As long as we want… I told you that I'm not leaving you" I reminded. Rick slowly reached for my wrist as I continued scratching his ear and grabbed it softly, bringing my hand to his lips so he could place a soft, warm kiss on it.
"I'd really like that," he said. I smiled warmly at him. That was easy. Did I finally do something right?
"So you'll come?" I asked.
"I'd go anywhere with you" Rick smiled. I couldn't help myself. I leaned down and pressed my lips against his softly, scooping up his tongue with my own and giving it long licks. We shut our eyes blissfully, taking in the taste of our sweet kiss. My heart fluttered as I felt that we had gotten one step closer to not only recovery, but our future as well. Angel would have been so happy for us. I broke the kiss and opened my eyes to look in his. His light blue eyes stared back into my eyes and I felt as if we were connected again.
"I love you" I said.
"And I love you" Rick replied. We gave each other another peck before the kissing intensified. Rick pulled me on top of him and was giving me those bedroom licks that I had more than fallen in love with as well as feeling up my body which made me melt, but we couldn't do it, nor should we have right now. I broke the kiss and looked down at him as we both panted, my legs were spread for Rick's to be in between as I raised my upper body up against his, and since he was still nude, I could feel his erection hotdogging my butt. "What?" Rick asked.
"Moms on her way, we can't… but it's good to see that you're feeling good enough to want to" I said. Rick sighed, making me give him one more kiss before getting off of him. "You should shower before she gets here, brush your teeth and stuff, you still smell like last night" I said. Rick sat up and turned his body so that his legs hung off the bed.
"Alright…" Rick said, looking sad. Again I sat next to him.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I almost did it again," Rick said.
"Hey… things have gotta get back to normal at some point right?" I asked. Rick nodded.
"Yeah… I guess" he said. He gave me one last look and then stood up to go shower. I watched him leave the room before letting mom know through text that she was still good to come over now. As he showered I went downstairs to see if there were any trash bags. Eventually I found them under the kitchen sink and brought them upstairs. I thought about throwing away the blood dried clothes in the hamper away but decided against it for now. Honestly I didn't even really know where to start.
After Rick's shower he began packing his room up, he started with the easy things which to him was his horror collection. What was perfect was the suitcases that were in his parents room for when they went on vacation. He placed each DVD and box set in the cases carefully, as I went to simply move his clothes in the dresser from there, to another suitcase. After Rick was done with all of the movies, he started packing pictures. Starting with the one on his nightstand, and then other smaller ones around the room. Some of them in which were collectables such as signed photos of his favorite actors which I never knew he had gone to meet, but that was a story for another time.
"Hey, what do you want to do with the dresser and desk and stuff?" I asked. Rick shrugged.
"Where would I put it?" he asked.
"Hm, we can put it in our basement, and then maybe when we move out of there we can use them then" I suggested.
"We?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, we'll live together at some point" I told him. Just as Rick started to smile the doorbell rang. "I'll get it" I told him, knowing it was my mom. I made my way down the stairs and looked out the window to confirm. I saw my mom's car in the driveway. So my next move was to go and open the door for her.
"Hey" I said as I opened the door.
"Hey sweetie" mom greeted as she stepped inside. I went to close the door but mom held her hand out. "Don't shut it, just shut the screen door, Lilly's in the car" mom added.
"Huh?" I said, confused as to why or how Lilly was here.
"I thought maybe she could find something in Angel's room to remember her by or something. We're just gonna donate the rest most likely" mom said. I sighed at the thought.
"Yeah, it just seems so… wrong" I said. Mom nodded.
"I know, but it has nowhere else to go, might as well give it to someone that needs it. We can put other material things on ebay or something, I'll get your father to do it" mom explained.
"Yeah, sounds good I guess. Is Lilly coming?" I asked.
"Oh she needed a second, can't say I blame her… God, how did you guys stay here for so long? It's so depressing, '' mom said.
"Rick didn't want to leave his home, still doesn't" I said.
"Did you talk with him about coming to live with us?" mom asked.
"Yeah, I convinced him," I answered.
"Oh thank God, I don't know what we would have done if he said no. I told you that he loved you. Where is he anyway?" mom asked.
"Upstairs. We've been packing up his room since I messaged you. What are we gonna do with the furniture?" I asked.
"Well I'll be honest. I may take a few things but for the rest I guess we could just leave it here. Was there anything Rick wanted to take?" mom asked back.
"Just the furniture in his room, we can bring that down. I just don't know how we're going to carry it" I said.
"We'll figure it out, right now I just want to get started. But first I want to speak with him" mom said. I gestured over to the living room where the stairs were.
"He's in his room" I said. I followed her through the house and up the steps, eventually making it to Rick's room where he was laying all the clothes from the closet on to the bed.
"Oh, hey Eve," Rick said.
"Hi Rick" mom said sympathetically, pulling him into a hug. "Are you okay honey?" she asked.
"Yeah… sorry about last night" Rick apologized.
"Oh it's okay, you've been through so much. I'm just glad your okay" mom cooed. Rick hugged her back.
"I uh… I wanted to thank you for the offer to stay with you guys. It really means a lot" Rick said.
"Oh of course honey of course. You've always been such a sweet boy, I just want you to have somewhere that you can go" mom explained. Rick sighed comfortably as he relaxed into the hug.
"Thank you" he said again. I smiled lightly at the sight and then turned around to walk down the hall. I took a peek in Angel's room for the first time in days, picking up her scent and almost crying as I did. I had no clue how Lilly was gonna do this. I noticed something on the bed that stuck out, I walked inside to pick up what was halfway in the covers. Amityville 4 the evil escapes the cover read. I guess Angel borrowed it from Rick and never got the chance to return it. I popped the cover open and sure enough there was no disc. I walked over to her TV and pressed the eject button on the dvd player. The disc slid out and I grabbed it, putting it in the case and then walking back to the room where my mom was walking out.
"I'm gonna get started on his parents room, and work my way down okay?" mom said.
"Okay" I replied. Mom nodded and stepped past me. I went back into Rick's room and held out the cover to him, making him stop what he was doing.
"I don't think she got a chance to give it back to you" I said. Rick connected the dots and then sadly reached for the box. He took it and then stared at it for about five seconds.
"Thanks" he said before unzipping the suitcase with the DVDs and tossing it in.
"Is there anything specific that you want me to pack up?" I asked with my hand folded. Rick's eye turned to me as he froze once again.
"Just… talk to me, you don't have to do anything else, just talk to me" Rick requested. I felt bad not doing anything but if that's what he wanted.
"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" I asked, looking around the room. I then realized that I could take down the posters. I began taking them down, making him lookup or a moment before going back to packing.
"How about… when you said we would live together, how soon do you think that will be?" he asked. I managed to get the poster down and began rolling it up.
"Uh, maybe when we graduate high school. I don't exactly know what college I'm gonna be going to, but it doesn't have to be a dorm or anything" I said.
"After graduation, that's pretty soon…" I noticed Rick stop again which made me stop as well.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing, it's just… always thought about going to Angel's graduation… I guess it just… it isn't gonna happen" Rick cracked before wiping his eye. Another wave of sadness passed through me as my ears flattened. "Sorry, I keep bringing the mood down, '' he said.
"No no no, it's okay. I don't expect you to think about much else. Don't feel bad about it Rick, really" I said. I put the rolled up poster on the bed and moved to the next one. I would have to get a rubber band or something to hold it together. Rick also went back to his clothes, beginning to put them in another suitcase.
"Your family has really been doing a lot for me, I don't know what to say" Rick said.
"Don't say anything, it's the least we can do. And besides, it's not my family. It's yours too" I said, looking back at him to smile. He gave me a small smile in return and then went to the clothes again.
"Hey guys" I heard a familiar voice say. I turned to my right and to the doorway to see that it was Lilly. She stood looking as if she was doing better but not by much. Definitely better than Rick though.
"Hey Lills," I said, wrapping my arms around her. She hugged me back for a moment and then broke it, walking over to Rick.
"Rick I…" she started. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this"
"Don't be, nothing about this could have been helped. What are you doing here though?" Rick asked confused.
"Oh I forgot to tell you, mom brought her here to help" I said.
"Lilly, are you sure you want to do this? It's not gonna be easy" Rick warned. Lilly Sighed.
"Yeah I know. But no one is hurting more than you, so I figured it was time I help" Lilly said. Rick nodded.
"Just… if you need a break or something you take it okay?" Rick instructed, making Lilly nod.
"I will," she said. She then turned back to me.
"You know you don't have to do Angel's room" I said.
"No, it's the one that I should do," Lilly replied. I held out my hand, offering it to her.
"It's gonna be hard to be in there, let me go with you" I said. Lilly accepted my gesture, taking my hand. I looked to Rick.
"I'll be right back," I said.
"Oh sure, sure, go for it. I'll be here" Rick said, having me on. Me and Lilly walked out of Rick's room and down the hall, turning to Angel's room while also taking a peek inside of Rick's parents room where by the looks of it, mom was putting clothes in trash bags and on the bed, I sighed and then turned into Angel's room where I saw Lilly take a few steps, letting go of my hand and then taking a few sniffs in the air.
"It smells like her still" Lilly said as her ears flattened on her head.
"Yeah… are you okay?" I asked. Lilly turned to me with a somewhat saddened depression and nodded.
"Yeah, I think I'll be okay," Lilly said. I nodded and then gave her another hug. She hugged me back and that was that. I left the room but as I passed my mom I was called in.
"Hey Kate?" mom said. I entered the room, curious to know what my mom wanted.
"Yeah mom?" I answered.
"It's… it's really none of my business but… could you ask Rick what he wants to do with this?" mom asked, holding up the handgun with two fingers as if she didn't want to touch it. I slowly walked over, kind of afraid to touch it, but grabbed it by the top. "Careful with that, '' mom said.
"Yeah, I got it, '' I said. Mom let go, giving me full control of it before speaking again.
"I know your father and Rick's father used to go hunting, so this wouldn't be the only one in our house. But if Rick doesn't want it then I'll let Winston know" mom explained. I nodded and then left the room, leaving to ask Rick what he wanted to do with the gun. The gun had some weight to it, giving me some flashbacks of when I was thirteen and dad wanted to take me hunting. At first I liked the idea, but as I thought about it I ended up rejecting his offer after realizing that I would have to shoot an adorable deer. It just wasn't something that I wanted to do. Thankfully he didn't force it and understood.
"Hey Rick?" I said, walking into the room. Rick placed the suitcase down as he was finished up with the clothes in his closet and looked up over at me. I held the gun up in front of me. "What did you want to do with this?" I asked. Rick winced and then came over to carefully take it out of my hand.
"I guess… I'll just hold onto it" Rick answered. He unloaded the clip and then made sure that the chamber was clear. It was. He tossed it in one of the bags like it was no big deal and then sat down on the bed. "Have you ever shot a real gun?" he asked.
"Yeah. dad used to take me shooting" I answered, taking a seat next to him.
"How's Lilly doing in there?" he asked next.
"So far so good" I told him. I looked down at my thumbs as I twiddled them, and then took a glance to my right to see Rick with a light smile. "What?" I asked.
"Nothing you just… you look really cute in that outfit" he complimented. I Giggled and gave his cheek a kiss, pulling his head closer to me for just a second by using my other hand to gently guide him. My licks lightly smacked against his cheek and then I pulled back.
"So your computer and stuff, what do you want to do with that?" I asked.
"Well, we can tie down the desk and stuff on the end of my truck and just toss my computer and shit in the back" Rick planned.
"Sounds good, want to get that stuff done now since your clothes are all packed?" I asked. Rick nodded.
"Sure" he said. We spent the next half hour taking things down the stairs, and over to Rick's truck. We didn't get any of the actual furniture yet, but most likely we would deal with all of that last. At one point I went to check on Lilly, who had been fiddling with Angel's laptop. I guess she was seeing what she could find on it. Part of me wanted to poke fun at her for it but decided against it. Instead I poked my head into the next room to see what mom was up to. From the looks of it she had gone through all of the clothes, picked out what she wanted, and put the others in trash bags to donate. It felt wrong, taking something as if that's all you cared about this whole time, but at the same time it had to go. The saying really was true. You can't take any of this shit with you.
Rick and I eventually were done. His room had been packed up. All that was left were the furniture. Rick took another seat on the foot of the bed, giving me the idea to sit next to him again.
"We're leaving the bed aren't we?" he asked.
"Yeah… probably. Why did you want it?" I asked. Rick didn't respond, I rubbed his back up and down. "When we move out of my place we probably won't take my bed either. We'll probably just buy another one that's bigger for us" I explained.
"Bigger? I kinda like being in a tight spot with you" Rick said.
"Hey, just because the bed is big doesn't mean we still can't cuddle. It will just give us more room to fool around" I smiled. Rick smiled as well, but it faded quickly as he began looking around his room again. Now it looked empty and odd.
"I'm really gonna miss this place" he said. My smile now faded as well. I started to feel that guilty feeling again, something that I couldn't control.
"I know… it's gonna take some getting used to, but what were you gonna spend your whole life here anyway?" I asked.
"I already have..." Rick said before taking an extremely long pause. I regretted what I had said as I watched a tear fall down his face. "This just isn't how I wanted to part ways with it" he said, beginning to break down. I expected this, and in turn had prepared for it. I wrapped my arms around him and brought him close, letting him cry into my shoulder.
"Hey hey hey, it's okay. Do you want to head out for a while? Why don't we take a break? Leave and come back" I suggested.
"A-and go where?" Rick asked. I thought for a second before a lightbulb went off in my head.
"How About our happy spot" I suggested. Rick sniffed as he hugged me back.
"The boardwalk?" he asked.
"Yeah, remember how much you said that place meant to you? We can go there for a bit, come back later and finish up for the day" I planned. Rick sniffed again.
"Okay" he said sadly.
"Okay… just head to my car and I'll be right down" I instructed. Rick broke the hug, keeping his saddened expression, and nodded. I pulled his head in one more time to give him a soft kiss on the forehead. He accepted it and then stood up and walked down the stairs. I sighed and got up myself, walking over to where mom was down the hall. Once there I saw her organizing some of the bedside lamps and stuff.
"Hey mom?" I said.
"Yeah sweetie?" mom replied.
"Rick… isn't doing so well so I'm gonna take him out for a bit. Would you mind if we came back in a bit?" I asked.
"Of course not. As long as Rick is doing okay, that's all that matters. Just let me know if anything changes alright?" mom said.
"Alright… I'll… I'll be back later" I said. Mom didn't reply as she went back to her task. I walked down the steps and outside after putting my shoes on to meet Rick who was standing by the car. "Sorry" I said as I unlocked the car, realizing I had forgotten to do that.
"It's fine," Rick said. I sat in the car and put the key in the ignition. Rick looked outside the window and towards the house, making me feel bad again. I worked through it though and turned the car on, pulling out of the driveway and heading to our destination which was about a forty minute drive, but if it helped Rick out even somewhat, it was worth it.
As we got closer to the ocean I could smell it, the saltiness of the water being the only real thing that I could smell. I rolled down the windows for some of that beach air, making my hair fly back a bit, but it didn't matter for looks anyway. Even if it did, Rick told me that he liked messy hair and thought it was cute. I did still straighten it a bit though when we parked. Running my hand through it as I looked in the mirror about five times before we stepped out and began walking.
"Hungry?" I asked, picking up on some places nearby. Rick shook his head.
"No, are you?" he asked, still not wanting to eat while also making sure that I was happy.
"It can wait. Did you just wanna go straight there?" I asked. Rick nodded. I nodded back as we walked on the boardwalk and then over to where the benches were. We managed to find the place that we sat last time. Of course this time it was daylight out and people were out and about. But still we took a seat and started out into the ocean. This time we could see a boat out there, slowly making its way across as the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filled our ears with their relaxing sounds. We could have sat in the gazebo-like extension right next to us which was basically just a huge gazebo shaped extension to the boardwalk with more benches. But we liked this spot so it was where we sat. The shore wind blew on us, moving my clothes and hair just a bit. I shivered making Rick scoot a tad bit closer to me. I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder.
"What about this place makes it so special to us?" Rick asked curiously.
"I don't know, but I really like it. Maybe it's just relaxing" I suggested.
"If that was the case though, then we could just sit here ourselves… it wouldn't be the same then" Rick pointed out. Our tails brushed together again as they dangled behind the bench just like last time. I smiled as mine wrapped around his, giving off a romantic sensation in me.
"You know… since that night I think about this place often, it's wherever I go when I need a good thought… and you're always there with me" I explained. Rick reached over and gently grabbed my hand as it rested on my lap, I didn't even realize it was there. But we now sat there holding hands, relaxing in the moment.
"It wasn't too long ago, but I've been doing the same thing," Rick replied. I nuzzled his shoulder to get more comfy, and then stared out to sea again.
"You know… whenever you need to, we can always come down here. Just let me know and you won't have to think about it" I offered. Rick sighed and leaned his head on top of mine as mine was on his shoulder.
"That sounds great Kate," he said. I closed my eyes for a moment. Even with all the people walking by I still felt relaxed enough to close my eyes. The wind blew again, but this time I didn't shiver. I felt warm and safe knowing that the love of my life was right here. I hadn't felt like this in awhile. It felt as though everything was so wrong lately. Not that it wasn't but I… I just really needed this for my own state of mind. Thinking of this place was healing but not as much as actually being here. I opened my eyes again to look out into the ocean. It was a beautiful sight. We sat looking at it for some time. It wasn't until an hour passed that me and Rick finally went to find something to eat.
We ended up choosing a pub place that was dark on the inside, but that was the style of it. Some type of sports bar. Me and Rick both agreed on pub food however so this was perfect. It was one of our favorite places that also had its spots on the boardwalk along with stands. But this was the main building there. After discussing it we shared a basket of fries and boneless wings, and decided to get my mom a crab cake sandwich and more boneless wings for my sister.
"You know, I'm really glad that that place is as special to you as it is to me" Rick said before taking a sip of his root beer.
"Yeah, I fell in love with it the second I sat down that night. But again, it wouldn't have been as special to me if you weren't with me" I explained.
"Yeah, I'm the same way. Whenever you picture it, is it night or day?" Rick asked.
"Uh… night" I answered. Rick nodded.
"Same" he said. It Was right when he said that when our food had come out. Together we ate the food, and then got a bag for the rest. Walking out of the restaurant I saw that the time was three o'clock.
"Ready to head back?" I asked.
"Sure… sure, yeah" Rick said unconfidently. I felt bad, but decided it was best to get going anyway. It was about a ten minute walk to the car from here, so I decided to start a conversation as we walked back holding hands.
"I'm really glad you're eating again, you had me worried when you weren't" I explained.
"Well… you weren't exactly eating either" Rick replied.
"Fair enough, as long as you're doing well enough to move passed this and accept what-"
"What?" Rick asked, cutting me off. We stopped walking and stood by the railing of the boardwalk. Rick let go of my hand and looked at me not exactly with anger, but more of a are you kidding me way. My heart stopped as I felt that I had just ruined the moment and progress, furthermore I didn't want him to be mad at me.
"I… I just thought that… you seemed happier is all" I said nervously. Rick continued to stare at me, studying me as he thought of what to say next.
"I may have healed somewhat. But I will never accept what happened. I'll never accept that she's just gone… that they are all gone…" Rick explained. I thought of what to say next very carefully.
"Rick… you can't feel this way forever. It's not good for you" I said.
"No, I get that you're trying to help, and I'm not mad. I still love you, but don't expect me to just accept that my sister and parents are just fucking dead… it still kills me to eat, to act like everything is even remotely normal. And what you said this morning is true, but I feel disgusted at myself for even thinking of moving on so fast" Rick explained. More staring from the two of us, me trying not to cry.
"Rick… it's what they would want-"
"I… I know… but I can't do it… I'm sorry for getting like this but… please… don't expect me to just accept that they're just gone… forever…" Rick said.
"Okay" I said defeated. I couldn't imagine what he was going through, but he still wasn't in the right state of mind. He would have to accept what happened sooner or later and come to terms with it, but that wasn't something to be pushed. Rick saw that I was upset and placed the paper bag of food on the ground to pull me into a hug.
"I'm sorry," he said. I hugged him back.
"No, I'm sorry… I just don't want you to get mad at me" I said.
"Never… I could never be mad at you… I love you…" Rick said before breaking the hug, picking up the food, and holding his hand out to me. I wiped a tear from my eye and took his hand and then together we walked back to the car. The ride back was very silent.
When we got back we didn't go too much into what happened. Not that we were asked, but mom and Lilly were surely happy about the food. They both took a break to eat in the dining room as me and Rick got back to it, opting to come back for the furniture another day, and moved onto another room after grabbing the photo albums and placing them in my car. We didn't do the whole house, but we did a good amount. Around seven was when we decided to go home. After I pulled into the driveway and turned the car off, I went to open the door when Rick said something, making me stop and look over at him.
"Huh?" I asked.
"I said thank you… for everything" Rick answered. I looked down, feeling guilty about earlier.
"Of course," I replied. I went to get out again but he spoke.
"Wait" he said. I sat back down. "I just… I'm sorry about earlier" he apologized, even though he already did.
"Rick… it's okay, really. I know you haven't been you lately. And I also know that it's going to take some time before your you again. But partners are supposed to be there for each other, and trust me, I'll never leave your side" I explained. Rick smiled lightly.
"I just… I don't wanna lose you. I love you so much, I'ce loved you ever since I laid eyes on you… if I lost you or… even made you sad I couldn't… I wouldn't…" Rick started but I laid my hand on his leg to comfort him.
"Do you remember what I said the first time we made love?" I asked.
"That I would never hurt you?" Rick asked.
"M-hm, I still know that. And I wasn't just talking about physically, I don't think I'll ever understand just how much you love me, but I know it's a lot and I promise you, I love you just as much. That's probably why we do it so often, but I know that you wouldn't say or do anything to hurt me. Did it sting earlier? Yeah. but I know that wasn't you. You haven't been yourself this entire time, but that's okay. You more than deserve your time, I just want you to feel good again, but I know it won't happen overnight. And if something happens that might trigger you, that's fine. I see how much it's bothering you now and I know that you wish you could take it all back. But trust me, it's okay. Before this nothing got between us, and I feel as though it's the same way even now. We're fighting hard, but our love is strong and I think we both feel it. My point is, is that no matter what we say or do in the moment, I know how we really feel about each other, so nothing's gonna stop me from loving you, nothing… and you can put your life on it" I explained. Rick smiled warmly.
"I really do love you Kate… I just… I don't know how I can explain it, I just…" Rick started but I leaned across the car and caught his lips with my own. They pressed against his tightly. I felt his breath through his nose as he exhaled and relaxed. I raised my hand to cup his cheek as we kissed, once he felt my hand he raised his own which gave me the confidence to open my mouth a tiny bit. Rick opened his and not long after our tongues collided, mixing our saliva in a soothing and familiar taste that made me feel in love. I sighed lovingly in the kiss and tilted my head to get more comfortable. Rick moved his hand from my cheek to my ear, brushing through all the fur to rub behind it making me sigh again. The kiss didn't intensify or anything but it didn't need to, sometimes I like just a soft, loving kiss that reminded me of what I already knew.
Bright lights shone in the car for a moment, making my heart drop and break the kiss. It was only mom's headlights though as she pulled in and shut the car off. I watched Lilly and her get out and begin walking over to the house with bags. I sighed, this time normally.
"I guess that's our que" I said.
"Yeah… I guess" Rick replied, looking up at me again. We both made eye contact and I felt the urge to lean over and scoop his tongue up again. Instead though I leaned over to give his cheek another kiss and then stepped out. Rick hopped out as well and followed me up to the house. We got to the door just as my mom and Lilly were done opening it. Once inside mom shut it she gave Rick a pat on the shoulder.
"Welcome home," she said.