A/N: Pretty hot stuff in this chapter. For mature audiences only.
Chapter 6
Helga awoke the next morning with a splitting headache. Groggy and grainy-eyed, she massaged her temples gently and tried to fully wake up. She started to get up and head to the bathroom when she realized she was on the wrong side of the bed. All her life, she had slept on the left and today she was on the right. She frowned slightly. As she looked around the room, her frown grew. She didn't have a bedroom like this. That was when she saw Arnold sleeping next to her. Still slightly groggy, she tried to remember what had happened the night before.
Arnold continued to kiss her passionately, exploring her mouth whith his tongue. Helga moaned and began to unbutton his shirt. Groping around her back, Arnold finally managed to find the zipper on Helga's dress. Sliding it down, he began to pull down her dress as Helga removed his shirt---
The flash of memory stopped for the time being, and Helga went into the bathroom. There she splashed cold water in her face and located a robe to put over herself. Until she arrived in the bathroom, she hadn't realized she was naked. She used the toilet and then left the bathroom, heading for the kitchen. She was pouring herself a bowl of Wheaties when more flashes of insight into the night before hit her.
Arnold leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "Are you sure you want this, Helga?" he asked in an almost whisper. "More than anything. Now stop talking or I'll roll us over and then I'll take the top!" Arnold grinned. "Sounds like a win-win situation." He kissed her again, only more forcefully. In mid-kiss, he pushed himself into her, causing her to gasp in his mouth. He began thrusting, establishing a pace for both of them to follow. Minutes later, Helga could feel herself nearing the edge. In another minute, she completely shattered, causing Arnold to come inside her. They both moaned loudly and shared another kiss, which they held until their orgasms slowly wore off.
Helga stopped chewing for a moment, contemplating the events that had transpired the following evening. She'd slept with Arnold. But what did that mean? Was it just a one-night stand or would there be an actual commitment involved. Typically, she wouldn't have worried too much after such a thing as this. If the guy wanted to commit, more often than not, she'd break off the relationship herself. But this was Arnold. They had such a history together. And frankly, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to dodge commitment this time.
"Morning, beautiful." The sound of Arnold's voice startled Helga out of her thoughts and she dropped her spoon into the bowl with a loud 'clang'. "Good morning, Arnold. Sleep good?" Helga asked as she put the bowl and spoon into the sink. Arnold sat down, clad in an old T-shirt and boxer shorts. He was red-eyed and slightly scruffy-looking, having not shaved yet, but still looked positively delicious. To Helga anyway. "I slept alright. How about you?" he answered. "Fine. Just fine. I'll make us some coffee."
Arnold sat there quietly as she made the coffee. Upon waking up, he had remembered everything that had taken place the night before. He knew that after an event like that, he was one hundred percent certain that he was in love with Helga. He wanted to start over again. But did she? After all, it was a big step in their lives.
His thoughts were interrupted by a blue cup of coffee landing in front of him, meeting the wooden table with a 'clack'. Helga sat across from him at the round kitchen table and sipped her coffee. The clock on the wall ticked and tocked seemingly louder than usual. Outside, a golden retriever barked at a taxi speeding down the street. The Jolly Olly Man's twenty year-old son drove up and down the street, peddling ice cream to a musical chiming that radiated from the speakers inside the truck. A bird flew into the kitchen window, momentarily startling the coffee-swilling couple. Water dripped in the sink faucet.
Just as Arnold grew certain that he was teetering on the brink of his sanity due to the conflict of the silence and turbulance in his world, Helga spoke. "Arnold, about what happened last night. It was really incredible, but…is that where we're going to leave it? It was just a one-night thing, wasn't it? Or do you feel differently? What's going on?"
Arnold closed his eyes briefly, trying to gather his emotions and put them in an intelligible arrangement of words and sentences. "Helga, I don't want it to just be a one-night stand. I don't know if I'm quite ready to start a whole new serious relationship yet, but I don't want you to walk out that door. Not like this. We can't run away from each other like we did twelve years ago. Something wonderful happened last night and we need to face up to it."
Things got quiet again as Helga took everything he said into consideration. Once again, Arnold became acutely aware of the incessant menagerie of noises just outside his kitchen walls. Right as he was finding that brink again, Helga spoke up again.
"You're right, Arnold. We can't walk away from this. Pardon my cliché, but this is bigger than the both of us. I don't want to leave you behind again. Not when there's so much…affection in my heart for you."
Arnold smirked. "Affection, Helga?"
Helga smiled. "Alright, I'll admit it. I love you. And not in the goofy teenage way either. I mean I really love you and everything you've brought to my life since I've known you."
"Like what?"
"Friendship, goodness, compassion, stability, and pain. But no rose is without thorns, and sometimes you need rain to make a flower grow. God, would you listen to me? Any more of this gooey crap and I'm gonna cut my own tongue out!"
Arnold grinned. "Better get used to it, Helga. I'm thinking there's gonna be a lot more 'gooey crap' between us in the future." He leaned across the table and kissed Helga warmly. They broke the liplock and looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Life seemed to make more sense when reflected in the other's eyes.
"Now, what say you take me in that blue bedroom of yours and apologize for makin' me spout off all that uncharacteristic sentimentality?" Helga asked, or rather, commanded. A hint of mischief and seduction glinted in her eyes and suddenly he couldn't feel his toes…or his calves…or thighs for that matter. Helga winked at him and all missing feeling in the lower half of his body returned with a vengeance. Leaping up from the chair, he grabbed Helga's hand and together they ran into the bedroom, Helga giggling and Arnold panting.
Life was good…and getting better all the time.