Thanks so much for continuing to read! Hope you like this chapter. I think this and the next few chapters will just be them getting to know each other and all that lovey dovey stuff that comes with a new relationship. Thanks again for reading.
Sometimes they'd make love to nothing but the background noises of the park, cars driving past. Doors slamming, a child laughing, an occasional bird chirping. Other times they'd turn up the stereo system loud, drowning out everything in the outside world. Of course, Eddie would have one of the best sound systems available. When it was turned up the windows shook.
Eddie expressed himself through music; the music he wrote, the music he played, the music he listened to. He was a hardcore metalhead to most people that knew him. When it was just him and Chrissy, he wasn't afraid to show a softer, gentler side of himself.
An older record, Lynyrd Skynard's Second Helping scratched on the turntable today. The song, I Need You soulfully blared from the speakers today.
Ain't no need to worry
Ain't no use to cry
'Cause I'll be comin' home soon
To keep you satisfied
Oh baby, I love you
What more can I say
Oh baby, I need you
Eddie wound his arms around Chrissy's waist, pulling her against him, a hand drifting over her ass, squeezing the back of her upper thigh, lifting his chin till their lips met. She leaned into him, her arms wrapped around his neck. Hands moving to cup her ass and in one swift motion, he lifted her and shifted around, lowering her to the bed.
Well ,you know that I need you
More than the air that I breathe
And I guess I'm just trying to tell you, woman
Oh, what you mean to me
She lay before him, face flushed, hair fanned around her head. Pupils blown, He'd heard somewhere that a person's pupils dilate when they're looking at someone they love. She told him she loved him. Part of him, a large part, couldn't believe it. He just wasn't that lucky.
He straddled her hips, leaning over he kissed her while his hands crept up her ribs, inch by inch, baring more soft skin. The fact that his hand was still in a sling didn't slow him down. The constant dull ache in his shoulder was easy enough to ignore when they were together like this.
He sang along with the lyrics, making her close her eyes, listening to his roughed quiet voice.
I try to tell you I love you
In each and every way
I'm trying to tell you I need you
Much more than a piece of lay
Fingertips, light as a feather, rifted over his chest down his belly to his belt buckle. Working the belt she slipped the leather strap through the loop and unsnapped his jeans. Her hand worked its way into his jeans. He had to stop. Try to breathe. To not embarrass himself.
He reached over to the nightstand, picking up a lighter and a fatly rolled joint from the ashtray. He held it up, asking if she was up for it. He didn't want her to ever do anything she didn't want to do, that included smoking. She nodded her agreement and he lit it, taking a few puffs. Leaning down to her, face to face, he exhaled the smoke into her mouth, his tongue moving with hers. She closed her eyes, inhaling the smoke.
They each took a few more hits while undressing each other. It didn't take long since she was only wearing the Hellfire shirt and he was only in jeans. Quickly they found themselves naked in the dim afternoon light, her legs parting as he sunk down in between them.
After putting out what was left of the joint in the ashtray, he melted into her. Easily sliding into her, their separate bodies melding into one. Taking a minute to soak up every sensation that the innermost part of her body offered up to him.
He gazed down at her as he braced on his elbows, staring for a second longer than he should have because she smiled sweetly, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "What?" She asked, already slightly breathless.
"I just…" he stalled, his mind cloudy from the weed and preoccupied with how her body felt. "I love you." His thumb traced the outline of her exposed ear. "I just wanna make sure you know that."
He felt it was lame, not enough, but her smile grew and she appeared appeased by his words. "I know," she whispered and she lifted her head, kissing him hard. Her body began to move under his.
His lips traced down her neck, over her right breast, sucking, bringing it to a hard point before moving to her left breast to do the same. She arched her back, threading her fingers through his hair, tugging lightly, wrapping her long legs around him, pulling him deeper into her - where, by some sorcery he didn't pretend to understand, it felt like he belonged.
He tried to go slow, exiting fully before plunging back in but neither would allow it. It felt too good to go slow. He picked up speed without realizing it and soon all he could focus on was her body and how good it felt. Her body led him where she needed him to go, guided him on what he needed to do. His hand slunk down between their bodies, finding her clit slick and swollen. He began applying small pressured circles.
The world floated away. All feeling with no conscious thought.
He'd been with other girls. He freely admitted it didn't mean anything to either him or his partners. This concept of sex with feelings was a whole other experience and it was blowing his fucking mind.
"Eddie, wait," she moaned breathlessly.
His hand froze, his body froze, his mind sped up, knowing for sure he'd messed this up somehow. "What? What is it?" All she had to do was say so and he'd stop.
"Nothing." He relaxed marginally, his thumb rubbing lazy circles again. Slowly. Steadily.
"It feels like my head is gonna float away," she giggled uncertainly, releasing him and placing her hands on either side of her head.
"It's okay," he reassured, whispering in her ear, kissing the tender skin just below it. "Probably just the weed. It's stronger than you're used to."
"It's not that." She licked her lips. "Well, that might be part of it. I feel… I don't know. Out of control." A line creased between her eyebrows and she closed her eyes like she was concentrating.
He rose up on his elbows again, smiling down at her. "That's a good thing. You've planned every second of the last few years of your life, probably more than that, it's okay to let go… to let what you're feeling in the moment take over."
"I don't know how to let go," she breathed out a laugh. "I'm afraid. What if I let go and float away?"
"Don't worry," he reassured. "I'll keep you from floating too far."
After their first time together at the hospital, she told Eddie she and Jason had been having sex almost the whole time they were together. She said it was just easier to go along with it than to fight him about it. It made a fire ignite in Eddie's gut every time he thought about it.
She confided in Eddie, fifteen minutes every couple of days, she figured, no big deal. It was expected of her, she thought. She could deal with it even if she never fully enjoyed it, even if she never came.
What made Eddie truly angry was Chrissy thought there was something wrong with her. She didn't seem to understand that if Jason really cared about her, he would have made it feel good for her too, or at least tried to. Eddie wanted to spend the rest of his life making up for the two plus years she wasted on Jason.
And though she'd been close, she'd yet to come with Eddie. He'd been gentle with her. Making sure she was okay with every move he made. Made sure it felt good. He was willing to put in the work to get her to the point where she felt comfortable enough to let her body lead her. Today, it just might pay off.
"Eddie," she whispered this time, his name impassioned agony like she didn't have the strength to speak out loud. His name on her lips was almost enough to make him lose it.
She moved her hands to his shoulders, grasping for some sort of leverage. Her body moved with his fingers. "I'm…I'm…"
He buried his face in her neck, hot breath against her skin. Moving in and out, adding more pressure to the small circles massaging her clit. It was an awkward position but he didn't notice. Didn't care.
"It's okay, baby. Let go."
They hadn't talked about graduation or her parents or Jason though he was sure Chrissy must be feeling some sort of way about his arrest. He left it up to her, she'd bring it up when she was ready Once they were naked, the last thing wanted to think about was any of that nonsense anyway. And yes, it was all nonsense when they were naked.
The weed along with the mind-blowing sex and Chrissy's warm, naked body wrapped around his, beat out any synthetic sedative he'd ever tried. Their arms and legs were intertwined, their heads dipped toward each other, sharing his pillow. A wonderful lethargy weighed him down.
They had just begun to doze off when a banging on the trailer's door shook him awake. Chrissy whined, shifting her body closer to his.
"What the hell?" He questioned. It wasn't unusual for people to drop by unannounced looking for him and the drugs he sold. It never occurred to him to mind until now. Just because someone was looking to score, didn't mean they were necessarily dangerous. But one time out of ten, they could be.
Chrissy was there with him more than she wasn't, he was inadvertently putting her in danger. It was a risk he didn't want to take.
"Who's that?" Chrissy asked, coming fully awake with the second wrapping of fists on the fiberglass door.
"I don't know," he told her. "Stay here, I'll get rid of 'em."
She sat up and made a grab for the discarded Hellfire shirt. "I mean it," he said a little harsher than he meant to. "Just stay in here, okay? Until I find out who it is."
He slid out from under the blanket and hurriedly dressed before leaving the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Pulling the shirt over his head he peeked out the kitchen window above the sink. Shit. He recognized the car parked next to his van, pulled up haphazardly onto the lawn.
"Well damn, 'bout time," the woman with bleached blonde hair and a tank top said around a cigarette hanging from her mouth when he finally opened the door.
"Hello to you too, Ma'."
Chrissy heard voices muffled through the thin walls but couldn't make out what they were saying. Judging by the inflection of voice, the person that came knocking was a woman.
She waited five minutes and Eddie still wasn't back. It didn't sound like the conversation in the living room was ending anytime soon, so she stood and slipped her shirt back on. The only source of light was that of a neighbor's yard light filtering through the towel hanging from the window. Looking around the dim room she couldn't find her jeans, remembering then she left them in the bathroom.
She very well couldn't walk out of the bedroom half naked to retrieve them. Scrounging around she found a folded pair of gym shorts in Eddie's dresser. She doubted he ever took gym class. Smiling to herself at the idea of Eddie in gym class, she slid them over her legs.
She peeked out of the bedroom and a woman was sitting on the couch. Eddie was perched on the recliner. Both were smoking, only cigarettes for now, and the dark room was shaded in a hazy glow from the lamp on the end table.
The woman spotted Chrissy first.
"Eddie! You didn't tell me you had company," she bellowed, her voice harsh from years of smoking. "Don't be shy sweetheart, come on out."
She padded barefoot through the kitchen, eyeing Eddie. He ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated for some reason, before he smiled at her, reaching a hand out. As she drew closer, familiarity sparked in the woman's face.
"You're the girl," she pointed, smiling as she flicked the ash from her cigarette into the plastic ashtray on the coffee table. "From the bar."
Chrissy smiled and sat on the armrest next to Eddie "Yes. And you're the bartender." Chrissy felt the tension in the room. If there was one thing she was good at, it was smoothing over tension with friendliness.
"I'll be damned. I told her," she was speaking to Eddie now, pointing to Chrissy. "I told her you had it bad for her. Singing that song you wrote."
"Ma!" Eddie chastised, his cheeks growing pink. "You did what?"
Chrissy's eyes shot to Eddie, but he was avoiding her gaze. "Ma? This is your mom?"
She barked out a hoarse laugh. "He's ashamed of me. Tries to ignore I exist."
"That's not true," he said and placed his hand on Chrissy's bare knee, smiling up at her apologetically.
"I just didn't know. Neither of you said anything." No one thought to tell her the woman behind the bar was Eddie's mother. Although when would Eddie have found the time to tell her.? She ran out of the bar and then promptly took off after he kissed her.
She had no right to be mad, but then why did irritation prick in the back of her mind? He could have told her any time between then and now.
When Eddie didn't say anything and the silence expanded, she filled in. "I'm Chrissy. It's nice to meet you… again."
"Ain't she adorable? So polite. I'm Martha. How old are you, honey?"
Eddie looked like he was trying to find a way to disappear into the chair. She wasn't sure why. You didn't get to pick your own parents, being ashamed of them was pointless. Did he forget how her own parents acted at graduation? "Eighteen."
"Just a baby. Did you graduate today too?"
"Martha," Eddie spoke in a tone Chrissy had never quite heard before. A warning of sorts.
"It's fine, Eddie." Chrissy tried to smooth over. "I don't mind." She wasn't sure what she didn't mind. It was nice to meet someone from Eddie's life. She had no idea how his family dynamic worked but was growing more curious as the time stretched out.
Martha put up her hands in defense. "Just trying to get to know the girl better. I mean, obviously, you all are serious. Right?" She nodded her head toward the back of the trailer where Eddie's room was.
"That's not your business," he said point blank.
"Eddie," Chrissy whispered, pressing her shoulder into his. He was right, it wasn't this person's business but why was he being so short with her? She seemed friendly enough. Maybe a little bit too curious, still… This was his mother.
"Hey, uh, why don't you go back to bed? I'll be there soon."
She nodded. It was late and she didn't have the energy to drive back home and was still slightly buzzed. She was apparently staying the night so she went back to bed to wait for Eddie.
"Sorry 'bout that," Eddie said when he joined her in bed again after Martha left. She listened as her car roared to life a few minutes later.
"Bout what? Your mom? There's no reason to apologize. Remember meeting my mother earlier?" She laughed and laid beside Eddie, her head propped up on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her back, fingers dancing lightly over her arm. "But why didn't you tell me about her?"
"You didn't ask."
She was taken back by his chipped tone and pulled away. "That's not fair. I thought you didn't have anything to do with your parents. Or I guess I assumed since you live with your uncle."
He pulled her close again. "I'm sorry. It's not something I talk about. Like ever. With anyone."
"I kind of hoped I'm not just anyone now." She traced idle circles over his heart. "Tell me. I want to know about her. About your relationship. Why do you get so mad when she's around."
"I'm not mad," he said, then looking at Chrissy, reading her expression he laughed. "Okay, maybe I get frustrated when she's around."
She waited him out. She wanted her questions answered. Without those answers, she wouldn't know how to navigate this situation the next time it came up.
He sighed, placing a kiss to her forehead. "There's not much to tell. My dad ditched me when I was a baby. Martha tried to be a mom for a few years I guess. She dropped me off here occasionally with Wayne."
Chrissy gasped. "She just left you?"
"Yeah." Eddie sighed, yawned into his hand as though it was no big deal. "I can't imagine what that was like for Wayne. He's never been married. Doesn't have kids. All of a sudden he's got a rugrat to take care of. But he'd take care of me until she got back. Then when I was about four she dropped me off and when she showed back up six months later, Wayne refused to hand me over."
Chrissy didn't know what to say to that so she snuggled closer into him.
"She didn't put up much of a fight. Anyway, Martha is not a part of my life. Just pops up once 'n a while. Usually at the worst times. I guess I get frustrated because she's just a reminder of who I really am."
"Of who you really are?" Chrissy asked. She was used to the hyper, goofy Eddie. This softer, serious side was just as appealing and she ached for the little boy he'd been.
"Yeah," he gestured with his hand. "A trailer park drug dealer in Indiana with no future."
She leaned up on her elbow. "That's not true."
"Tell me what's not true about it," he asked of her. "Listen, this isn't a woe-as-me kind of thing. I'm just not afraid to say how things really are."
"I'm sorry," she said for a lack of something better to say.
"Don't be sorry. Please. That's the last thing I want."
"Okay," she said, making sure to leave any traces of sympathy out of her voice. "What do you want? We can change the future into anything we want. It's up to us. Not our past, or our parents. Us."
His fingers traced her chin, brushed past her lips before cupping her face. "You. I want you."
She smiled. "Well, that's easy. You got me. "
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment, I love to read what you all think.