Consciousness fought to be recognized while the darkness inside Jondy's
mind also clawed at her for dominance. Her eyelids felt like they weighed
fifty pounds each, sharp pains streaked across her forehead and around the
base of her hairline, and Jondy struggled with trying to escape the vortex
of confusion she was sitting in. At least she thought she was sitting.
A small fragment of realization entered her confused state, and she managed to open her eyes a slight bit before slamming them closed again when light hit her pained eyes. Her forehead furrowed with pain as she raised her stiff neck and pulled her chin away from her chest. It was probably one of the most painful things she had ever done as the muscles screamed out in protest, but finally she managed to hold her head upright. It remained there for a few moments before she groaned and it fell heavily against her left shoulder.
Her tongue slipped between her teeth to wet her dry and cracked lips, and the coppery flavor of blood greeted her. Her teeth raked over her bottom lip, and the movement of her sore and bruised jaw caused her to groan again. The pain was enough to remind her that she was no longer unconscious, but it took several moments before the memories of why exactly she was there to begin with dawned to her.
Her head slowly came upright and she fought against the pain of light hitting her eyes to slowly open them and focus on her surroundings. She relaxed by degrees when she realized that she was in her bed. Maybe it had all been a dream, but she knew it wasn't.
She moved her shoulders to release some of the pressure she felt on her joints and wasn't shocked to find that her arms were pulled above her and joined together, secured to the headboard. Her arms were numb from the elbow down, but she pulled against the rope that secured her wrists together anyway. When that proved to be hopeless, she pushed with her legs and found that they were tightly secured together as well.
Her head fell back with a pitiful cry of helplessness, and even she didn't recognize the animalistic twinge to it. She looked down at herself and saw that she was half naked, just as she knew she would be.
She leaned up a little to get a good look at the bindings on her ankles, but higher she tried to move the more pain shot through her arms, her head fell back onto the pillow and sighed loudly. Her eyes began to burn with tears of pain and fear, but she took several calming breaths to regain her composure. Losing her head and freaking out was going to get her hurt. There was never a more important time for sanity than at that very moment.
She cried out again with frustration and fear, and pulled as hard as she could against the ropes binding her to the bed. This isn't what she had been dreaming and silently wishing for. After yanking on them a few more times, she began looking for anything that might aid her plight, but she froze completely still when she looked to her left and spotted him. He was casually flipping through her notebooks. The site warmed her heart and managed to frighten her all in one big wave.
"You cut your hair." And he grinned when recognition flashed through her eyes.
"Where have you been?" Jondy turned away from him and stared at the ceiling.
"That is a great question, because I'm not quite sure myself."
"Where's Alec?" Jondy shifted and winced at the pain it caused.
He stood, stretched, and tossed the notebook into the empty chair. "And Alec would be the new boyfriend?"
Jondy chuckled. "No. Why did you tie me up?"
"Why wouldn't I tie you up?" Ben walked to the front of the bed and released her arms. "You acted like a crazy person last night, bad trip?"
Jondy chewed on her bottom lip and rubbed at her wrists. "Ben, I've been clean for awhile now. Not that you really care."
His eyebrows rose and he looked up at her from his bent position at her feet. "What makes you think I wouldn't care?"
A warm hand touched her forehead and Jondy smiled at the gesture. "I've missed you."
He petted her hair back from her face and leaned in to whisper again. "Missed?"
"Yeah." Jondy gave him a look of confusion. "Are you okay?"
His arm wound around her waist and he snuggled his face into her neck. "I've never been better."
When he nipped playfully at her neck, she pushed against his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
He smiled against her skin and trailed his lips along her neck, around her ear, down her jaw, and finally settled them on top of hers. The kisses were soft and quick, nibbling and testing, and she could already feel her restraint and confusion slipping away and this was nothing more than a few innocent little kisses. Jondy pushed him away and shook her head.
"You can't just do that and expect everything to be better."
Instead of answering with words, his lips fully claimed hers for the first time and her arms immediately came up to gather him as close as she could. It was strange how breathless his kisses could make her in such a short amount of time. But there was something about the texture of his lips, the strength of his body against hers, his warmth, and the skill he had using those lips of his that made her lose her breath to the point of dizziness.
His left hand was slowly running up and down her stomach chest in a slow and steady caress that drove her senses wild, especially since he was kissing her almost fiercely at this point. Just when she thought she had figured out his rhythm and could keep up, he slowed down or sped back up so all she could do was lean into him and hold on.
She could feel his warmth spreading through her body. She tried to move over to give him more room but her efforts were met with failure, he deepened the kiss and slowly lifted her and moved her. She expected his arm to reach back around her, but he ran his hand slowly down her bare leg and back up again. Each time his hand made its journey down her skin, he would pull her closer to his warmth and his lips maintained contact against her.
There was so much going on and there still wasn't enough. She had certainly kissed him before, she had touched him and he had touched her many times before as well, but it had been so long. It was if he knew exactly what she had been needing and his body was there for the means to give it to her. When she needed to feel more of him, he would be all around her. When she felt uncertain or even overwhelmed, his touch and kisses slacked off and turned into very gentle caresses that made her yearn for more.
She wanted to push him off her so badly. She wanted to yell and scream and make him feel like shit for leaving her. But he was here now and she was lost in a delirium of need. Jondy tightened her arms around him and he pulled away from her lips and rested his against her forehead as they caught their breath.
He kissed her deeply a few times and almost lost himself in her again. "How did I get here?"
Disappointment flooded her, and a bit of anger as well that she had the right to feel. "You tell me."
He rolled over on to his back and stared up at the ceiling. Swallowing hard, he nodded and absently wound his fingers into her hair. "I don't know. I don't remember Jon."
"Ben, what are you talking about? You left me, alone.it's been almost two years."
His eyes slowly closed and he reached up with both hands to rub his face with a groan. He sat up on an elbow and looked down at her hurt expression. "Two years? I've been gone for two years?"
Jondy stared up into his eyes. He looked utterly confused. "You left me in New York. That was almost two years ago."
Ben nodded. "Yeah, I remember us going to New York."
Jondy sighed and climbed off the bed, ignoring the pain that shot through her body. She rummaged in the dresser and pulled out a tank top and was about to pull it over her head when she felt Ben's fingers sliding over her back. She jerked away from him.
He glared at her with a smile. "Those scarred well."
"Fuck you Ben."
"You talk to me like that now, huh?" Ben brushed past her and chuckled.
She looked down at floor timidly. "I'm not fucked up anymore Ben."
Jondy felt her anger rise as she pulled the tank top over her head and slipped into a pair of jeans. She gathered up her notebooks that were lying around the chair and shoved them into her pack and set it against the wall. Cautiously she walked into the living room.
"Alec?" She poked her head into his room and frowned. He must have left for work already.
"I've missed you too."
Jondy jumped and leaned into him. "Things aren't the same anymore."
Ben's eyes narrowed. "They will be."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Okay, okay, okay I know you may be confused, but as always there is a method to my madness. You may think this is far-fetched right now, but everything will come to light in the next few chapters, and I hope you understand why I'm starting to get at as well.
A small fragment of realization entered her confused state, and she managed to open her eyes a slight bit before slamming them closed again when light hit her pained eyes. Her forehead furrowed with pain as she raised her stiff neck and pulled her chin away from her chest. It was probably one of the most painful things she had ever done as the muscles screamed out in protest, but finally she managed to hold her head upright. It remained there for a few moments before she groaned and it fell heavily against her left shoulder.
Her tongue slipped between her teeth to wet her dry and cracked lips, and the coppery flavor of blood greeted her. Her teeth raked over her bottom lip, and the movement of her sore and bruised jaw caused her to groan again. The pain was enough to remind her that she was no longer unconscious, but it took several moments before the memories of why exactly she was there to begin with dawned to her.
Her head slowly came upright and she fought against the pain of light hitting her eyes to slowly open them and focus on her surroundings. She relaxed by degrees when she realized that she was in her bed. Maybe it had all been a dream, but she knew it wasn't.
She moved her shoulders to release some of the pressure she felt on her joints and wasn't shocked to find that her arms were pulled above her and joined together, secured to the headboard. Her arms were numb from the elbow down, but she pulled against the rope that secured her wrists together anyway. When that proved to be hopeless, she pushed with her legs and found that they were tightly secured together as well.
Her head fell back with a pitiful cry of helplessness, and even she didn't recognize the animalistic twinge to it. She looked down at herself and saw that she was half naked, just as she knew she would be.
She leaned up a little to get a good look at the bindings on her ankles, but higher she tried to move the more pain shot through her arms, her head fell back onto the pillow and sighed loudly. Her eyes began to burn with tears of pain and fear, but she took several calming breaths to regain her composure. Losing her head and freaking out was going to get her hurt. There was never a more important time for sanity than at that very moment.
She cried out again with frustration and fear, and pulled as hard as she could against the ropes binding her to the bed. This isn't what she had been dreaming and silently wishing for. After yanking on them a few more times, she began looking for anything that might aid her plight, but she froze completely still when she looked to her left and spotted him. He was casually flipping through her notebooks. The site warmed her heart and managed to frighten her all in one big wave.
"You cut your hair." And he grinned when recognition flashed through her eyes.
"Where have you been?" Jondy turned away from him and stared at the ceiling.
"That is a great question, because I'm not quite sure myself."
"Where's Alec?" Jondy shifted and winced at the pain it caused.
He stood, stretched, and tossed the notebook into the empty chair. "And Alec would be the new boyfriend?"
Jondy chuckled. "No. Why did you tie me up?"
"Why wouldn't I tie you up?" Ben walked to the front of the bed and released her arms. "You acted like a crazy person last night, bad trip?"
Jondy chewed on her bottom lip and rubbed at her wrists. "Ben, I've been clean for awhile now. Not that you really care."
His eyebrows rose and he looked up at her from his bent position at her feet. "What makes you think I wouldn't care?"
A warm hand touched her forehead and Jondy smiled at the gesture. "I've missed you."
He petted her hair back from her face and leaned in to whisper again. "Missed?"
"Yeah." Jondy gave him a look of confusion. "Are you okay?"
His arm wound around her waist and he snuggled his face into her neck. "I've never been better."
When he nipped playfully at her neck, she pushed against his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
He smiled against her skin and trailed his lips along her neck, around her ear, down her jaw, and finally settled them on top of hers. The kisses were soft and quick, nibbling and testing, and she could already feel her restraint and confusion slipping away and this was nothing more than a few innocent little kisses. Jondy pushed him away and shook her head.
"You can't just do that and expect everything to be better."
Instead of answering with words, his lips fully claimed hers for the first time and her arms immediately came up to gather him as close as she could. It was strange how breathless his kisses could make her in such a short amount of time. But there was something about the texture of his lips, the strength of his body against hers, his warmth, and the skill he had using those lips of his that made her lose her breath to the point of dizziness.
His left hand was slowly running up and down her stomach chest in a slow and steady caress that drove her senses wild, especially since he was kissing her almost fiercely at this point. Just when she thought she had figured out his rhythm and could keep up, he slowed down or sped back up so all she could do was lean into him and hold on.
She could feel his warmth spreading through her body. She tried to move over to give him more room but her efforts were met with failure, he deepened the kiss and slowly lifted her and moved her. She expected his arm to reach back around her, but he ran his hand slowly down her bare leg and back up again. Each time his hand made its journey down her skin, he would pull her closer to his warmth and his lips maintained contact against her.
There was so much going on and there still wasn't enough. She had certainly kissed him before, she had touched him and he had touched her many times before as well, but it had been so long. It was if he knew exactly what she had been needing and his body was there for the means to give it to her. When she needed to feel more of him, he would be all around her. When she felt uncertain or even overwhelmed, his touch and kisses slacked off and turned into very gentle caresses that made her yearn for more.
She wanted to push him off her so badly. She wanted to yell and scream and make him feel like shit for leaving her. But he was here now and she was lost in a delirium of need. Jondy tightened her arms around him and he pulled away from her lips and rested his against her forehead as they caught their breath.
He kissed her deeply a few times and almost lost himself in her again. "How did I get here?"
Disappointment flooded her, and a bit of anger as well that she had the right to feel. "You tell me."
He rolled over on to his back and stared up at the ceiling. Swallowing hard, he nodded and absently wound his fingers into her hair. "I don't know. I don't remember Jon."
"Ben, what are you talking about? You left me, alone.it's been almost two years."
His eyes slowly closed and he reached up with both hands to rub his face with a groan. He sat up on an elbow and looked down at her hurt expression. "Two years? I've been gone for two years?"
Jondy stared up into his eyes. He looked utterly confused. "You left me in New York. That was almost two years ago."
Ben nodded. "Yeah, I remember us going to New York."
Jondy sighed and climbed off the bed, ignoring the pain that shot through her body. She rummaged in the dresser and pulled out a tank top and was about to pull it over her head when she felt Ben's fingers sliding over her back. She jerked away from him.
He glared at her with a smile. "Those scarred well."
"Fuck you Ben."
"You talk to me like that now, huh?" Ben brushed past her and chuckled.
She looked down at floor timidly. "I'm not fucked up anymore Ben."
Jondy felt her anger rise as she pulled the tank top over her head and slipped into a pair of jeans. She gathered up her notebooks that were lying around the chair and shoved them into her pack and set it against the wall. Cautiously she walked into the living room.
"Alec?" She poked her head into his room and frowned. He must have left for work already.
"I've missed you too."
Jondy jumped and leaned into him. "Things aren't the same anymore."
Ben's eyes narrowed. "They will be."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Okay, okay, okay I know you may be confused, but as always there is a method to my madness. You may think this is far-fetched right now, but everything will come to light in the next few chapters, and I hope you understand why I'm starting to get at as well.