Chapter 24
It had been a bit over a week since the incident with Kensei. Hoagie had become even more protective of Abby than ever, if that was even possible. He didn't want Abby walking around lonely areas on her own, be it day or night. If she wanted to stay over at their apartment after school, he wanted to pick her up. He had an overwhelming sense of foreboding; he just couldn't shake the feeling. Abby had tried to reassure him, and for her sake he pretended to let the whole thing go. He didn't want to worry her after all.
The brown haired young man was awakened by Whitney Houston's singing. Hoagie was never into her music, but he had soon come to learn that she was one of Abby's best singers. The song that was currently playing was one of his girlfriend's favourite tracks. So it was slowly starting to grow on him, especially because every time Abby listened to it she couldn't help herself; she had to dance. He loved watching her dance.
Hoagie threw the duvet aside as he got out of bed. He looked down at the floor searching for his slippers but he couldn't find them. He walked barefoot to the door and opened it just a crack. He spied his girlfriend in the kitchen. Her back was to him. A smile spread across his face as he saw her dancing as she prepared breakfast.
So when the night falls, my lonely heart calls
Abby was busy chopping tomatoes as she danced to the beat. She had already chopped the onions. She always chopped the onions first. 'Best to get the tears over and done with as soon as possible', she always said. When the chorus of the song approached, she became giddy and threw a tomato into the air as she twirled her body before catching it in her hand again. She put it down on the counter and shook her tush as the chorus began:
Oh I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
She threw her hands in the air and jumped from side to side as she sang along:
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
Just then, she felt arms snake around her waist before her back made contact with a broad, bare chest. She smiled and melted into her boyfriend as she lifted her arms to hold the back of his neck. He pushed aside a few stray locks that had escaped the bun her hair had been tied in as he brushed his lips against the left side of her neck. She stopped dancing and shivered slightly, which made Hoagie feel like such a stud to know that he had that kind of effect on her. He planted little butterfly kisses along her neck before giving it a little bite. She shivered again, and he chuckled.
"Hi," he said as he nuzzled her dainty neck.
"Hey baby," she said weakly, surprised at how breathless she was.
Somebody who, somebody who
Somebody who loves me
"You're wearing my slippers," he said into her neck, his warm breath giving her goose bumps.
Abby angled her head to one side to give Hoagie more access to her neck as she responded with a smirk, "It's more like they're wearing me." She began to dance again, all the while being held in his warm embrace.
I need a man who'll take a chance
On a love that burns hot enough to last
So when the night falls, my lonely heart calls
She jumped with excitement when the best part of her song came around again:
Oh I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Hoagie turned her around as she danced and lifted her onto the kitchen island. She shivered as she felt the cold surface under her thighs since her legs were bare; she was only wearing pink panties with her little white vest. That's something else that Hoagie had come to learn about his girl. She wore minimal clothing to bed, usually just her panties unless it was a cold night. In the latter case she'd wear a t-shirt as well.
Yeah I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
Abby continued to move around as she did her best to dance in her sitting position. Her boyfriend stood between her legs as he came in for a kiss, his hands on her hips. There was a dull plop as the oversized slippers she was wearing fell to the floor. She held his face in her soft hands and kissed him fervently as she danced. She could feel him smile as she deepened the kiss.
Don't you wanna dance, say you wanna dance, don't you wanna dance?
Don't you wanna dance, say you wanna dance, don't you wanna dance?
Don't you wanna dance, say you wanna dance, don't you wanna dance?
Uh-huh, with somebody who loves me
She ran her fingernails along the length of his bare back, and he involuntarily arched towards her as he felt a jolt of electricity shoot down his spine. A little laugh escaped her mouth at his reaction, and he retaliated by running his fingers along her long shapely legs. He did have a lot of leg to work with, after all. He abandoned her lips without so much as a warning before trailing kisses along the inside of her thigh. She gasped and he looked up at her with a naughty smirk on his face. "Who's laughing now?" he asked huskily with a low chuckle. She returned his smirk and pulled him back up to her lips. She ran her fingers through his brown tousled mane and he sighed blissfully. He loved it when she did that.
The song ended and there were about five seconds of silence before the track began again. Hoagie pulled away but Abby hang on as she bit on his lower lip. She finally let go as he asked, "It's on repeat?"
"Oh yeah," she drawled seductively as she ran a finger down his chest to his abdomen. "We can go on all day," she said as she bit her lip, "or until the battery dies, whichever comes first," she continued as she looked deep into his mesmerising blue eyes.
He smiled mischievously, his gaze matching hers as his eyes reflected her intentions. "Awesome!" he said as he pulled her closer to him and recaptured her soft plump lips with his, his tongue probing her gently; patiently.
Down the street from their apartment, the lovers had no idea that their every gasp, sigh and moan was driving someone crazy. Kensei sat in a navy blue van listening to headphones that were attached to some equipment he had recently acquired. After making copies of Abby's keys, he had bugged her apartment two days ago with the hopes of hearing her voice whenever she spoke. But now all that he heard was pissing him off:
Abby: You know what?
Hoagie: What?
Abby: I love you. I love you so freakin' much, I just can't believe it. Sometimes I think all this is just a dream; like it's just too good to be true...
Hoagie: Nah, baby, it's real. You're real *smooch*and I'm real *smooch* and we're real *smooch* and we will always be together *smooch* coz *smooch* I *smooch* love *smooch* you *smooch* with all of my heart, and all of my soul. And if you want, I can love you with all of my liver too.
*giggle*
That was the last straw. Kensei removed the headphones and threw them against the walls of the van as he screamed an expletive. He got out of the van's back door, slamming it shut in frustration as he imagined the look on Abby's face at that moment. He kicked the side of his vehicle savagely, drawing looks from passers-by. He was so mad he wanted to kill somebody. He walked around the van and got into the driver's seat. He pulled into the lane without checking the side mirrors for traffic. A horn blared at him as he sped off in anger, unaware of the accident he had just caused behind him as he carelessly vacated his parking space. The only thing on his mind at that time was that he needed to put his plan into action.
xxx
It was a quarter past noon when the church service was concluded. The congregation shuffled out of the building in a somewhat orderly manner. When they were out in the grounds, Hoagie and Abby walked one behind the other as they tried to pass through the groups of family and friends that were crowding the compound. Hoagie being taller than his girlfriend could see over most shoulders of the faithful. He thought he spotted someone familiar, and bent slightly to share the news with Abby. He pointed ahead of them, slightly to the right, and she squinted as she focused her eyes in that direction. Through the crowds she saw her father walking towards one of the car parks. She gave her man's hand a little squeeze in gratitude as she ran to her dad.
"Daddy," she called as she approached him.
He turned in surprise when he heard his daughter's voice. "Abigail," he said with a smile, "how are you, sweetheart?" He held her in a one-armed hug.
She smiled back at him. "I'm good. How 'bout you? How are things between you and Mama coming along?"
He wrinkled his face slightly before he replied. "Well, things won't improve overnight. But that's to be expected. At least she makes time to see me when I ask. She may not talk much during the sessions, but she's making time." He sighed. "Jamie hasn't spoken to me since I showed up. He doesn't even look at me." He laughed under his breath and looked at the dissipating crowds. His jaw muscle jerked. "He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you," she reassured. "Trust me, he doesn't hate you. Heck, I tried to hate you." He gave her a look of shock and hurt. She shrugged at him. "I'm here, ain't i? He's just hurt. Give him time. Mama too," she added.
"Yeah, I'll just have to keep at it. And keep my head up," he said quietly as he thought of Genviéve.
xxx
The year was 1985. David Lincoln was a senior who was madly in love with his girlfriend. But she did to him something he swore he would never ever do. She betrayed him, and he felt his heart shatter into several little pieces. He had wanted to surprise her. He had been really busy of late with his med exams coming up, and so he had not managed to see her in a week, even though they went to the same campus. But he had missed her, and he wanted to take her out to dinner that evening. Besides, it was their three year anniversary.
David had bought a ring almost four months ago, but he had chickened out, and hadn't given it to her in all that time. He wanted to finally give it to her. He felt sure he could do it. But he needed some encouragement. So he went over to Chuck's dorm for a little pep talk. His heart was beating so hard and so fast as he imagined giving his girl the ring. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought he was having a heart attack. He knocked and waited at Chuck's door. He heard a giggle inside, and David guessed that his best friend was inside with some girl. Which girl though, he couldn't have guessed. He's best friend was such a stud muffin. The girls were pretty much throwing themselves at him.
The young African American man with a small fro was shell shocked when the door was finally opened. Chuck had been smiling at the person behind him but his face turned ashen upon laying his eyes on his best friend. The young Caucasian had opened the door wide open. He was wearing his pajama bottoms and nothing else. David's gaze lay beyond his friend. His eyes were set on the girl in Chuck's bed whose face was masked in horror. She had quickly covered her naked body with a sheet when she saw her boyfriend at the door. His face was hard and stern as a rock, but his eyes revealed despair and heartbreak. She had cheated on him. And to add insult to injury, it was with his best friend.
David turned around as he walked away from that room without uttering a word.
"Dave–,"
Chuck probably wished he hadn't spoken his best friend's name because the second he opened his mouth David had turned and descended upon him with a rain of blows. The dark skinned man would have easily beaten his friend to a bloody pulp if other guys from neighbouring rooms hadn't heard the scuffle and come to investigate. Not even the screams and tears of his girlfriend could have saved the young white man from David's wrath.
As he was restrained by his schoolmates, David shot a nasty look at his girl who was now standing in the middle of the room, the sheet still wrapped around her. "I swear," David yelled at her, "I swear, if I could I would have beaten the shit out of you too!" He had never wished he had the power to change people's gender. But at that moment, he wished he could turn that girl into a guy, just for five minutes, so that he could use her as a punching bag. But that would never happen, and he could never hit a woman, so he aimed a kick at Chuck's ribs as he lay on the floor.
David then shrugged off his restrainers and walked out of the dorm building. He couldn't be there, in school. He didn't know where he would go, but he couldn't be there at that particular time. As he walked along the footpath, he threw the ring that was in his pocket into a bin.