Chapter Sixteen
~~~~~*~~~~~
Something fluttered gently across his lashes and Gary stirred
swiping sleepily at his face. Pesky fly! He mumbled. He frowned
and turned over on his stomach and drifted back to sleep.
A tickle on his ear, again, he brushed at his face, murmured
something incoherent about the cat and fell back into a deep sleep.
This time there was pressure on his lips, although gentle,
it was enough to awaken him, and his eyes fluttered open.
Suspended in that strange state somewhere between
sleep and consciousness his eyes were open, but not
really focused on anything.
"Morning." A soft voice greeted him.
He blinked trying to make out of the blurred figure sitting
beside him. The clean scent of lemon blossoms surrounded
him as his brain struggled to connect with reality. Through
sleepy eyes, he watched the figure for a moment. Maybe it
was----an Angel.
The 'Angel', holding the cat smiled at him.
"I hated to wake you." she said, "You were sleeping so
peacefully"
His brain starting to connect, Gary realized that he was
on his stomach and turned painfully over on his back.
Running his fingers through his hair, he did a quick survey of
his loft. Why was he on the sofa? He leaned his head back
against his pillow his eyes settling on the woman sitting
next to him, and then he remembered.
"Morning." He murmured hoarsely.
April smiled. She had studied him sleeping peacefully, and
with gentle fingers had traced his face, thick brows and dark
lashes. His lips were more than she could bear, and while
he slept, she kissed them.
Hair tousled across his forehead, Gary lay there
peering at her through sleepy eyes, everything still hazy.
He figured she must have taken a shower because
her hair was still damp, and she was wearing his bathrobe
which was a couple sizes too big for her and had slipped
a little off her shoulder revealing soft skin. He drew in a
breath. She smelled good, like the fresh morning of spring.
The sun streaming in through the window shone brightly
on her face which had been scrubbed clean. The tiny diamond
studs in her ears twinkled whenever she moved and at that
moment Gary thought she looked more beautiful than ever.
Sun.
"We have sun?" he asked raising his head slightly to squint
towards the window.
"For a little while anyway." April laughed nervously,
turning around to look. She was glad that he had broken
the silence.
For a moment both of them sat quietly, enjoying their
brief ray of sunshine. But as the sun faded subtly, so
did their smiles, both of them realizing that there was some
explaining to be done. Biting her lip, April turned slowly
back around to find him already watching her.
She glanced down at her attire."I hope you don't mind,
I-I borrowed your robe," she said tugging nervously at
the oversized robe. She was trying to stall for time and
didn't exactly know where to begin.
"Oh no-thats...that's okay." Gary assured her.
"I-I sort of ... borrowed the key too, " she confessed,
tucking a wet lock of hair behind an ear.
Tom's key. So she did take it.
Gary ran a hand through his hair, this time he simply nodded.
Rising slowly, April placed the cat on the
floor and walked towards the large window
to peer out. Gary averted his eyes quickly
to avoid a shapely leg and thigh that flashed
briefly as she moved. He cleared his throat
and sat up "I..I meant to call you last night.
I ahh, fell asleep. I'm sorry."
April turned around and smiled. Her clear blue
eyes searching his face. "You must have been
very tired."
"A little." He chuckled, reflecting on everything that
happened last night.
"Thanks for the...bed." she said sounding slightly
embarrassed.
Gary blinked. "You're welcome."
"Meow" Cat purred, slinking gracefully around April's
bare feet. She bent down to pick him up, the robe slipping
slightly off her shoulder again.
Oh boy!
More leg flashed through the slit where the robe tied in front as
she straightened.
"She's adorable." April cooed rubbing her face on Cat's soft fur.
"He." Gary corrected, scratching his head.
April glanced up, her eyebrows raised. "He?"
Gary nodded hesitantly feeling suddenly foolish for making
a big deal about it.
April smiled cuddling the cat closer, "Well he's adorable,"
she said tickling the cat under the chin. She glanced over
at Gary. "And so are you Gary Hobson."
Gary raised his eyebrows. "Me? Oh...well ..I-I'm kind
of.. a mess m-most mornings--"
"I-I've never met anyone like you before," she said, interrupting
him. Her expression turned thoughtful, "I..I mean you're so
caring, and sweet and gentle---" she paused. "I know that
I have some explaining to do and that taking that key was
wrong."
"It's okay." he assured her softly.
"I-I needed some place to go. I couldn't think of any
place else to go...."
Gary studied her for a moment. "Were you having those
feelings again?" he asked.
She nodded. "But it was more than that. I had the strangest
feeling someone had been in my apartment, going through
my things." She stopped abruptly and turned to face the
window again, "I-I'm sorry, my coming here was wrong--I
shouldn't have come here." she stammered.
" W-We could get the police."
"No." April said quickly. "I-I mean...I think I should go." she
said placing the cat on the floor.
What had he said wrong? Untangling himself from his blanket
Gary scrambled quickly over the back of the couch and
stepped in front, both hands held up, "W-Wait a minute" he
stammered confused. "Wh-Where are you going?"
Looking distressed April shook her head. "I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't
have come here"
"I-I don't understand..look..talk to me April."
I mean, first you break into my apartment
and then say that you are leaving? Don't you think that you owe
me an ex---"
"Okay." April said cutting him off. Looking up at him, her eyes
full of hurt, then tears registering in them as she began slowly
untying the robe, the shoulder slipping down off of
her shoulder even further.
Gary frowned, his expression confused. "W-What are you
doing?"
"It's what you expect...isn't it? " April answered curtly.
"No!" Gary shot back, "I mean, no--what are you saying?"
"It's what most men expect from me." April answered, the robe
completely undone now.
"W-Well I'm not most men!" Gary said, angrily. He reached over
pulling the robe gently back onto her shoulder. "Don't...don't do that.
You misunderstood what I was trying to say."
April paused looking up at him her eyes tearful. She reached
up wrapping her arms about his neck and held on gently, but
firmly, as if her whole life depended on it.
"I'm sorry Gary." she cried softly.
Stunned, Gary stood with his arms out, totally unprepared for
this response. He didn't know what was bothering her but
whatever it was, it certainly had her acting irrational.
He reached up to pull her arms gently down by her sides
to look at her.
"W-What is it? What's bothering you?" he asked.
Her answer was a tender kiss upon his lips, again, catching
him off guard. Gary was stunned, not knowing what her intentions
were accepted the kiss, but didn't return it. The sudden knock at
caused April to jump slightly and she pulled back, her eyes wide
with worry.
"S-Somebody's at the...ahh...I-I'll get it." Gary, stammered clearing his throat.
Still reeling from the kiss, he moved unsteadily towards the door,
while looking back at her.
He opened the door to find Marisa standing outside with a
worried look on her face and the paper in hand. Gary glanced
back at April, then at Marisa again.
"Everything okay?" he asked. Now he was worried.
"Gary." Marissa said sounding relieved, "Yeah...everything's fine.
I just came up to see if you were all right. It was after eight and
you hadn't come down."
Gary ruffled the back of his hair. "I-I ah, kind of over slept."
"Are you all right?" Marissa inquired, sensing something
wrong in his tone and demeanor.
"Yeah...I-I'm fine Marisa." Gary answered knowing that she could
read him like a book. He glanced back again at April standing
there clad in nothing, he had discovered, but his bath robe.
"Ahh, April's here Marisa." He stammered, "You remember
April don't you?"
There was an awkward silence before Marisa responded.
"Oh?" she swallowed, her tone mingled with both surprise and
embarrassment at the same time. It wasn't like Gary to have
female company overnight. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude--"
"Of course you're not intruding." Gary scowled, running a hand
across the back of his neck.
"Hi" April said softly.
"Hi" Marisa smiled. "Nice meeting you again."
"Nice meeting you again too." April smiled back.
"Gary you forgot your paper." Marissa said handing him
the paper. It wasn't like him to forget that paper either,
she thought.
"Thanks." he murmured.
April smiled, motioning towards the bathroom, "Could you two
excuse me for a moment. I should get dressed.......er....I mean--"
she paused biting her lip. "Excuse me please." She said shyly then
headed for the bathroom.
Marisa smiled, nodding as April walk past. An uneasy silence
filled the room as she stood staring blankly at Gary the corners of her
mouth drawn up in a knowing smile. Gary waited until he heard
the click of the bathroom door closing before he spoke.
"It's not how it looks!" he whispered irritably.
"I didn't say anything." Marisa whispered back innocently.
"Yeah but you were thinking it!"
"Thinking what Gary?"
"Th-Thinking....wh-whatever it was you were thinking!"
"Uh-humm" Marisa smiled crossing her arms her
eyebrows raised.
"Now w-what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing Gary. I-I mean you're a grown man, and if you choose
to have a woman over for the night then...that's your business"
"I didn't have her over the night--I mean--" he stopped abruptly
frustrated that he felt compel to confide everything to Marisa.
He watched as Marisa felt her way carefully around the sofa
patting it cautiously at first before taking a seat on the arm.
"I hope you slept soundly." She remarked, with a smile.
"Huh?"
"This sofa can be pretty hard on the backside sometimes"
she said, lifting his blanket.
"Yeah ... well when I woke up early this morning, sh..she was here,"
he whispered.
"What?"
"April. Sh-She was already here. I think it was around 3:00 O'clock
in this morning. "Gary stammered. " Right here. In the loft."
Marisa's look turned serious as she thought about Tom's missing key.
"Tom's key?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Wow." She said, reflecting on the dream she had had a couple
of nights before. She hadn't mentioned it to Gary, feeling it was
nothing and didn't want to upset him. Either April *was* trouble,
or she was in a lot of it.
"Gary," she stammered, "I think we should talk."
To be continued.....................................
~~~~~*~~~~~
Something fluttered gently across his lashes and Gary stirred
swiping sleepily at his face. Pesky fly! He mumbled. He frowned
and turned over on his stomach and drifted back to sleep.
A tickle on his ear, again, he brushed at his face, murmured
something incoherent about the cat and fell back into a deep sleep.
This time there was pressure on his lips, although gentle,
it was enough to awaken him, and his eyes fluttered open.
Suspended in that strange state somewhere between
sleep and consciousness his eyes were open, but not
really focused on anything.
"Morning." A soft voice greeted him.
He blinked trying to make out of the blurred figure sitting
beside him. The clean scent of lemon blossoms surrounded
him as his brain struggled to connect with reality. Through
sleepy eyes, he watched the figure for a moment. Maybe it
was----an Angel.
The 'Angel', holding the cat smiled at him.
"I hated to wake you." she said, "You were sleeping so
peacefully"
His brain starting to connect, Gary realized that he was
on his stomach and turned painfully over on his back.
Running his fingers through his hair, he did a quick survey of
his loft. Why was he on the sofa? He leaned his head back
against his pillow his eyes settling on the woman sitting
next to him, and then he remembered.
"Morning." He murmured hoarsely.
April smiled. She had studied him sleeping peacefully, and
with gentle fingers had traced his face, thick brows and dark
lashes. His lips were more than she could bear, and while
he slept, she kissed them.
Hair tousled across his forehead, Gary lay there
peering at her through sleepy eyes, everything still hazy.
He figured she must have taken a shower because
her hair was still damp, and she was wearing his bathrobe
which was a couple sizes too big for her and had slipped
a little off her shoulder revealing soft skin. He drew in a
breath. She smelled good, like the fresh morning of spring.
The sun streaming in through the window shone brightly
on her face which had been scrubbed clean. The tiny diamond
studs in her ears twinkled whenever she moved and at that
moment Gary thought she looked more beautiful than ever.
Sun.
"We have sun?" he asked raising his head slightly to squint
towards the window.
"For a little while anyway." April laughed nervously,
turning around to look. She was glad that he had broken
the silence.
For a moment both of them sat quietly, enjoying their
brief ray of sunshine. But as the sun faded subtly, so
did their smiles, both of them realizing that there was some
explaining to be done. Biting her lip, April turned slowly
back around to find him already watching her.
She glanced down at her attire."I hope you don't mind,
I-I borrowed your robe," she said tugging nervously at
the oversized robe. She was trying to stall for time and
didn't exactly know where to begin.
"Oh no-thats...that's okay." Gary assured her.
"I-I sort of ... borrowed the key too, " she confessed,
tucking a wet lock of hair behind an ear.
Tom's key. So she did take it.
Gary ran a hand through his hair, this time he simply nodded.
Rising slowly, April placed the cat on the
floor and walked towards the large window
to peer out. Gary averted his eyes quickly
to avoid a shapely leg and thigh that flashed
briefly as she moved. He cleared his throat
and sat up "I..I meant to call you last night.
I ahh, fell asleep. I'm sorry."
April turned around and smiled. Her clear blue
eyes searching his face. "You must have been
very tired."
"A little." He chuckled, reflecting on everything that
happened last night.
"Thanks for the...bed." she said sounding slightly
embarrassed.
Gary blinked. "You're welcome."
"Meow" Cat purred, slinking gracefully around April's
bare feet. She bent down to pick him up, the robe slipping
slightly off her shoulder again.
Oh boy!
More leg flashed through the slit where the robe tied in front as
she straightened.
"She's adorable." April cooed rubbing her face on Cat's soft fur.
"He." Gary corrected, scratching his head.
April glanced up, her eyebrows raised. "He?"
Gary nodded hesitantly feeling suddenly foolish for making
a big deal about it.
April smiled cuddling the cat closer, "Well he's adorable,"
she said tickling the cat under the chin. She glanced over
at Gary. "And so are you Gary Hobson."
Gary raised his eyebrows. "Me? Oh...well ..I-I'm kind
of.. a mess m-most mornings--"
"I-I've never met anyone like you before," she said, interrupting
him. Her expression turned thoughtful, "I..I mean you're so
caring, and sweet and gentle---" she paused. "I know that
I have some explaining to do and that taking that key was
wrong."
"It's okay." he assured her softly.
"I-I needed some place to go. I couldn't think of any
place else to go...."
Gary studied her for a moment. "Were you having those
feelings again?" he asked.
She nodded. "But it was more than that. I had the strangest
feeling someone had been in my apartment, going through
my things." She stopped abruptly and turned to face the
window again, "I-I'm sorry, my coming here was wrong--I
shouldn't have come here." she stammered.
" W-We could get the police."
"No." April said quickly. "I-I mean...I think I should go." she
said placing the cat on the floor.
What had he said wrong? Untangling himself from his blanket
Gary scrambled quickly over the back of the couch and
stepped in front, both hands held up, "W-Wait a minute" he
stammered confused. "Wh-Where are you going?"
Looking distressed April shook her head. "I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't
have come here"
"I-I don't understand..look..talk to me April."
I mean, first you break into my apartment
and then say that you are leaving? Don't you think that you owe
me an ex---"
"Okay." April said cutting him off. Looking up at him, her eyes
full of hurt, then tears registering in them as she began slowly
untying the robe, the shoulder slipping down off of
her shoulder even further.
Gary frowned, his expression confused. "W-What are you
doing?"
"It's what you expect...isn't it? " April answered curtly.
"No!" Gary shot back, "I mean, no--what are you saying?"
"It's what most men expect from me." April answered, the robe
completely undone now.
"W-Well I'm not most men!" Gary said, angrily. He reached over
pulling the robe gently back onto her shoulder. "Don't...don't do that.
You misunderstood what I was trying to say."
April paused looking up at him her eyes tearful. She reached
up wrapping her arms about his neck and held on gently, but
firmly, as if her whole life depended on it.
"I'm sorry Gary." she cried softly.
Stunned, Gary stood with his arms out, totally unprepared for
this response. He didn't know what was bothering her but
whatever it was, it certainly had her acting irrational.
He reached up to pull her arms gently down by her sides
to look at her.
"W-What is it? What's bothering you?" he asked.
Her answer was a tender kiss upon his lips, again, catching
him off guard. Gary was stunned, not knowing what her intentions
were accepted the kiss, but didn't return it. The sudden knock at
caused April to jump slightly and she pulled back, her eyes wide
with worry.
"S-Somebody's at the...ahh...I-I'll get it." Gary, stammered clearing his throat.
Still reeling from the kiss, he moved unsteadily towards the door,
while looking back at her.
He opened the door to find Marisa standing outside with a
worried look on her face and the paper in hand. Gary glanced
back at April, then at Marisa again.
"Everything okay?" he asked. Now he was worried.
"Gary." Marissa said sounding relieved, "Yeah...everything's fine.
I just came up to see if you were all right. It was after eight and
you hadn't come down."
Gary ruffled the back of his hair. "I-I ah, kind of over slept."
"Are you all right?" Marissa inquired, sensing something
wrong in his tone and demeanor.
"Yeah...I-I'm fine Marisa." Gary answered knowing that she could
read him like a book. He glanced back again at April standing
there clad in nothing, he had discovered, but his bath robe.
"Ahh, April's here Marisa." He stammered, "You remember
April don't you?"
There was an awkward silence before Marisa responded.
"Oh?" she swallowed, her tone mingled with both surprise and
embarrassment at the same time. It wasn't like Gary to have
female company overnight. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude--"
"Of course you're not intruding." Gary scowled, running a hand
across the back of his neck.
"Hi" April said softly.
"Hi" Marisa smiled. "Nice meeting you again."
"Nice meeting you again too." April smiled back.
"Gary you forgot your paper." Marissa said handing him
the paper. It wasn't like him to forget that paper either,
she thought.
"Thanks." he murmured.
April smiled, motioning towards the bathroom, "Could you two
excuse me for a moment. I should get dressed.......er....I mean--"
she paused biting her lip. "Excuse me please." She said shyly then
headed for the bathroom.
Marisa smiled, nodding as April walk past. An uneasy silence
filled the room as she stood staring blankly at Gary the corners of her
mouth drawn up in a knowing smile. Gary waited until he heard
the click of the bathroom door closing before he spoke.
"It's not how it looks!" he whispered irritably.
"I didn't say anything." Marisa whispered back innocently.
"Yeah but you were thinking it!"
"Thinking what Gary?"
"Th-Thinking....wh-whatever it was you were thinking!"
"Uh-humm" Marisa smiled crossing her arms her
eyebrows raised.
"Now w-what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing Gary. I-I mean you're a grown man, and if you choose
to have a woman over for the night then...that's your business"
"I didn't have her over the night--I mean--" he stopped abruptly
frustrated that he felt compel to confide everything to Marisa.
He watched as Marisa felt her way carefully around the sofa
patting it cautiously at first before taking a seat on the arm.
"I hope you slept soundly." She remarked, with a smile.
"Huh?"
"This sofa can be pretty hard on the backside sometimes"
she said, lifting his blanket.
"Yeah ... well when I woke up early this morning, sh..she was here,"
he whispered.
"What?"
"April. Sh-She was already here. I think it was around 3:00 O'clock
in this morning. "Gary stammered. " Right here. In the loft."
Marisa's look turned serious as she thought about Tom's missing key.
"Tom's key?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Wow." She said, reflecting on the dream she had had a couple
of nights before. She hadn't mentioned it to Gary, feeling it was
nothing and didn't want to upset him. Either April *was* trouble,
or she was in a lot of it.
"Gary," she stammered, "I think we should talk."
To be continued.....................................