Chapter Four: Warm Sheets

"One of these days, you'll miss your train and come stay with me
We'll have drinks and talk about things, any excuse to stay awake with you
You'll sleep here, I'll sleep there, but then the heating may be down again
at my convenience
we'd be good, we'd be great together."

It was the third week in January, and the weather had just begun to get frosty. The trees were bare, and some had icicles hanging from their branches. The wind was bitter, and burned your eyes if you stared straight into the white air. Peter liked winter; he liked the cold, just as much as he liked the warm. He liked how you could see your breath when you breathe, and he liked it when your fingers got so cold they got tingly. But the thing he loved the most… was how Susan's cheeks would turn such a pretty shade of red. They would become rosy, and her lips would look bright red naturally, without lipstick. Her hair would become slightly frizzy which made him laugh inside. He knew that Susan loved snow, so when he saw some of her old spirit come back, even if just for a second, he felt like the happiest man in the world. He would watch her out of his window playing with the snowflakes. She almost acted like her old self when she was alone, but he always felt like there was something holding her back. He also saw when she would sit by the big tree and cry. He had to stop himself from crying himself when he saw tears stream down her face. She would let them freeze, and after a while, she would get up, and pretend like nothing happened. He wanted to make her warm, he wanted to hold her close, but he wasn't even sure if he'd get the chance again.

Most of the time Peter would sit outside, or in his room, rarely ever leaving the house. He occasionally had visitors, and some of the time he would be happy to see them. Then there were the girls that Susan had tried to get him to go out with. It just made him sad at the thought that the woman he had the strongest of love for was trying to set him up with another girl. Most of the time, during the date, Peter wouldn't even look at the girl. He would stare into space or just stare blankly at his plate, only half listening to what the girl had to say. He didn't even catch their names, and didn't even try to make conversation. He knew that it wasn't fair to lead them on, so he didn't... He never saw the same girl twice.

Even though he never brought a girl home, Susan persisted. He didn't know why, and even she herself didn't know why she kept pushing girls on him. Susan would smile when she introduced him to all of them, and she would always smile more when he saw Peter's blank expression of disinterest. There was one girl that Peter went out with where he let his guard down. Her name was Rachel Herring, and the only reason that he talked to her was because, she reminded him of Susan. She wasn't as wonderful as her, but she certainly was the closest. Her hair was dark brown, elbow length, and mostly straight with slight curls at the bottom. Her lips were full and a natural pink color, but the biggest thing that was wrong was her eyes. They were hazel, and Susan's were a piercing green. That's why Peter never looked at her straight in the eyes. When Rachel came home with Peter, and when Susan saw them outside together, Susan grinned, walked away from the window satisfied, and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"So, Peter, I've heard so much about your love for reading. I myself am an enthusiast. What are some of your favorites?" Rachel asked as she brushed off the snow from her jacket. Her cheeks were rosy, and there were pieces of snow embedded in her hair. Peter shrugged.

"Well, I don't really remember the titles." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "I just sort of… pick one up and begin to read it." Rachel nodded, and laughed.

"Yes, I've done that before." Peter didn't bother to show her the rest of the house, all he wanted to do was sit in his room, in front of the fire. He didn't really want Rachel to come along too, but the outcome was inevitable.

Peter sat down on the brown sofa in front of the fire, and Rachel sat down next to him. She stared into the fire for a while, before either of them had begun to say anything. Rachel ran her fingers through her hair, and placed her hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter turned at the feeling of someone's hands on his shoulder; though he didn't look at her in the eyes.

"You know… Peter. We have so much in common." Rachel said as she inched closer near his face. Peter didn't say anything, and the only thing in his view was her hair, and her lips. She looked so much like Susan it was unbelievable. "And I can't help but feel like we have this unspeakable connection…" Rachel's lips softly touched Peter's, leaving him confused, and recalling that day he cherished the most…

"Peter!" Susan yelled as Peter threw her to the soft, cushiony snow. Peter brushed the hair away from her face, and kissed all around her face. Susan laughed. "PE-TER!" Peter began kissing her neck and Susan continued laughing. He knew that her tickle spot was on the front of her neck. Susan managed to get away from Peter's grasp, and then out of no where, she stopped in the middle of the yard, staring up at the sky. A snowflake had fallen on her nose. She looked to Peter, and smiled. She loved snow. "It's snowing Peter!" She exclaimed as she twirled around and around. Peter slowly walked up and wrapped his arms around her.

"… I know." He gently kissed her cheek, and Susan returned the favor by kissing his lips. She pulled him close to her body, letting his hands go all up and down her back. He guided her to the ground, and brushed her hair back from her rosy cheeks. He fiercely kissed her, pushing her head into the snow. They began to take quick pants between kisses, and Susan ruffled her hands through his hair. Both of them started acting quicker, their hormones taking over. That's when Peter stopped and looked into Susan's eyes. He didn't want it to happen out of lust, he didn't want their first time to be because they couldn't stop themselves. Luckily, they both loved each other enough to slow down and stop. Peter continued to stare into Susan's eyes longingly.

"…You, sure?" Peter asked as he propped himself up with his hands. Susan took in a deep breath, and without hesitation, replied.

"Yes."

Peter picked Susan up into his arms, and carried her into the house. The two didn't talk as Peter swung the door open and walked up the stairs. When they got into Peter's room, he placed Susan on the bed, and smiled. Susan never separated from his gaze. They had waited so long for this moment that it seemed natural. They both knew they had to wait for the perfect time, and the perfect time… had come.

Susan was sitting on the bed, her dark-chocolate brown hair draping her shoulders. Snowflakes were still in her hair, and on her clothes. She gracefully slipped off her winter jacket. Peter followed by taking off his winter coat and his red wool sweater. He took a step closer to Susan. Susan pulled off her shirt, which revealed a nude colored bra. Peter glanced towards her chest, but pulled his eyes back up to Susan's quickly there after. Peter took off his shoes and his pants. He was left standing in his long boxers, and his white undershirt. Susan smiled, as tears formed in her eyes. She quickly slipped off her brown skirt, and her clogs, as Peter stepped towards her. They backed up to the back of the bed, and Peter was lying on top of her. Peter brought his hand towards her face, and wiped away her tears. Susan held his hand, and kissed his lips. Peter ran his fingers through her hair, and kissed her gently. They were going slow, they wanted to cherish this moment forever.

Peter pulled off his shirt and Susan touched his chest with her hand. He flinched when he felt her cold fingers on his chest, but he continued to stare into her eyes. He pulled her up so that she was sitting, facing him, and unhooked her bra, leaving her chest bare. He massaged her breasts with his hands and Susan let out a small whimper. Peter layed her back down on her back again, and began to kiss her. He started on her lips, and had a small trail of small kisses down her chest. He kissed all the way until her underwear line, and sat up. Susan stretched out her legs; Peter took off the stockings on each leg, and tossed them behind him. Susan smiled, and he carefully removed her white underwear. He then, removed his own underwear, and Susan pulled him back down.

The two exchanged fierce, yet gentle kisses before Peter arched into her, Susan gripped his back with her fingers, and bit her lip. Both of them were awkward in their own way, going at different paces, and Susan was closing her eyes because of the small pain she was feeling. Peter stopped and pulled out of Susan. He didn't want to hurt her, Susan knew this, and as she opened her eyes. She leaned up and kissed him so passionately that his heart felt weak. That was all the reassurance Peter needed. The two rocked back and forth in unison, Peter still staring into her eyes. The feeling was starting to turn from pain into pleasure as Susan wrapped her legs around Peter. Peter kissed Susan's neck, making her let out a small laugh. Peter was now going at a much faster pace, but he was still maintaining eye contact with Susan. He tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, and kissed her lips. Susan put her hands behind Peter's neck, and each time Peter thrusted into her, she pulled him in, keeping him close. Susan opened her mouth, and moaned softly, saying Peter's name. Peter heard Susan and it only made him go faster. As the two reached their climaxes, Peter fell onto Susan, and kissed her lips softly. Susan stared into Peter's eyes, and reached for his hand; she never wanted to let go. Peter loved her so much, but he didn't need sex to realize it. He wanted to stay with her forever until they were parted by death.

Hazel.

Peter quickly sat up, and stared in front of him in awe. Rachel was below him, with only a bra and her underwear on. He himself only had his boxers on. Peter quickly got off of her.

"OUT! NOW, GET OUT!" He yelled as he started gathering her things. Rachel was so confused, but she complied.

"…Peter what's wrong? Tell me!" Rachel said as she caught the garments Peter was throwing at her. "PETER!" She yelled. Peter turned to her, tears streaming down his face. Rachel was taken aback; she had never seen a man cry before.

"I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN MYSELF TO YOU! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME! JUST GET OUT!" Rachel quickly put on her shirt and her skirt as she began crying. She didn't know what she had done. Rachel picked up her shoes, and ran out of his room tears rolling down her cheeks. "…leave…" Rachel hadn't done anything, Peter had. He had betrayed Susan. He couldn't believe he had just done that. He sat on the bed, wiping tears from his face. He felt so guilty, he wanted to punish himself right there. He lay on his back, pulled up the sheets, turned off his light, and closed his eyes.

In Susan's room, she heard Peter yelling, and started taking deep breaths of amazement. She slowly got out of her bed, picked up her blue robe, and started walking out of her room. Her delicate feet softly touched the hardwood floor as she walked to Peter's door. She nudged it open, and saw Peter lying on his side, in his bed. Susan walked in, and closed the door behind her. She let her robe fall to the floor and slowly got beneath the covers. She stared at Peter, but stayed on her side of the king sized bed. She rose up, kissed his cheek, and turned back around to her side, her back facing towards his.

Peter opened his eyes, and stared into the wall. Susan was here… in his bed… The cold that he always felt at night was now gone. His sheets were finally warm.