Categories > Original > Romance > Our Story
Two weeks later, September
“So, when are you coming over?” he asked quickly as he walked by me in the plant.
“I’m just going to run home and grab a bag first.” I looked at him, not really handsome in the classic Adonis way, but… the auburn hair, cut short with the fuzz in the back where I could play with it… the beautiful blue eyes that said so much to me… the reddish stubble that was already visible at lunch around the full lips that were cocked in that crooked grin….
He nodded and walked away, leaving me with a smile. We stayed professional at work, nearly ignoring each other in the plant, all just to prevent those gossipmongers from getting us split up at work.
Living in Virginia, every summer there was the chance of a hurricane finding us. Now there was one headed for us. Only a category two or three, but it was my first one. I had made a comment about being nervous, and being a gentleman, he offered to let me stay with him. That’s what I told my parents anyway. Of course, I told them I’d be sleeping on the couch… and who knows… maybe I’d doze off in a movie or something so I wouldn’t be a liar. I was glad we weren’t out of the yards yet. It meant a couple days off to recover from the storm rather than going underway to avoid it.
After work, I retrieved my bag, checked the tape on my windows and locked my doors. I went to his apartment and was greeted with a kiss.
“I missed you,” he said into my ear, holding me close to him.
I giggled. “It’s only been an hour and a half since you saw me last, silly.”
“Well, let me make up for that hour and a half,” he grinned. He lifted me off my feet easily by the waist and set me down on his lap as he sat on the couch, taking my breath away with a kiss that I thought I could feel in my toes. One hand ran over his shoulders and his back while the other caressed the short hair on the back of his head. He put his arms around my waist and pulled me so close that he was nearly squeezing what little breath I had regained right back out.
“Jason,” I sighed into his lips. Jason, my love, I thought… Jason, my own Greek god… Jason, my tormentor.
He stopped for a moment, kissing my cheek once. “Yeah?”
I was confused for a moment. I hadn’t realized I’d actually spoken any of that aloud. “Nothing…” I smiled, shifting off his lap, instead pushing him down across the couch. “Nothing at all.” I laid over him, pressing my lips to his, feeling him rake his teeth across my bottom lip. I moved my lips down to his jawline and his neck, moving my hands down over, then under, his t-shirt. I heard him whisper once… “I love you,” soft as the breeze.
It was what I had wanted to tell him, what I ached to tell him, but I was afraid. I was scared that he was saying this only because of what we were about to do. Instead of acknowledging him, I pressed my lips down on his, kissing him until my lips bruised.
No more words were spoken for some time.
Later that day
We realized after a little while that we didn’t have any matches or lighters to light the candles I had brought with me, so we were in his car driving toward the grocery store. I looked over at him, my eyes absorbing what they passed over… his ear, a tasty treat for tongue and teeth, his jawline, a solid line with tenderness underneath, his mouth, set in an odd expression, like he was fighting with himself about something. That was strange. I wondered what it was.
He glanced over at me and held my eyes with his own. His face lit up and the strange expression disappeared. He smiled at me and took my hand with his. He glanced back at the road once, then back to me.
“I love you,” he said, lifting my hand to his lips to kiss my knuckles.
I smiled back at him. “I love you, too.”
“Well, it’s about time. I wasn’t going to say it again,” he laughed, relieved.
“What do you mean?” I asked, pretending I hadn’t heard him the first time.
“Well… that’s the third time I’ve told you. If you hadn’t responded this time, I was going to take it as a hint.”
“Third?” I asked, astonished. Second, yes… when was the third?
“Well, the first time was when we were kissing, just before.”
I fought a grin as I replied. “I must not have heard you over the wild beating of my untamed heart…” I chuckled.
He chuckled too. “The second time was when we were watching the movie after.”
My brow wrinkled as I tried to remember. Is that what I heard? I thought he was just blowing in my ear as I sat against him on the couch. I had asked, “Hmmm?” and he just shook his head and pressed his lips to the curve of my neck and shoulder.
“Well, I’m glad it’s out in the open now. The weight was crushing me,” he grinned.
Later, during the storm, when the power would go out, we played Risk by candlelight before retiring to his room until the power returned.
Two weeks later
“So, Brett, are you ready for the board?” I asked. Brett Davies was a friend of ours who had been on board for about two months already when I first got here. We were going to qualify our first watch together, later that day.
“Yeah, of course.” He looked around, like he was making sure the coast was clear, then back at me. “So… why didn’t you guys tell us?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Me and the other guys were trying to get Jason to ask you out. We figured you’d be good for him… We pestered him for a couple weeks before he finally told us.”
I glanced around to make sure nobody else was in earshot. “Look, I’m glad you’re cool with it, but I don’t think the guys above us will be. If Galler and Meyers find out, they might decide to send one of us to the other plant and we’ll definitely have to be on different duty sections. We weren’t going to tell anyone until we had no choice. Please don’t spread it around.”
“That’s fine. I just thought that even if you didn’t want the asses to know, you might let your friends in on it. It’s not like you could keep it from us for long anyway. The last time we all got together at Billy’s house, I was going to ask about the goo-goo eyes I caught you with once. You’re lucky I decided to save you the mortification of letting Jase know you had a crush on him.”
I chuckled. “I’m sure you guys would have figured it out sooner or later,” I agreed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure coming down the stairs and instantly stopped the conversation. Since we weren’t allowed to stand around and shoot the breeze, it wasn’t like it was a suspicious action. When Jason turned the corner so I could see it was him, I was about to avert my gaze… prevent those goo-goo eyes… but the expression on his face held it instead. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just got a message. My grandmother’s in the hospital. They don’t think she’s going to make it. I’m going on emergency leave.” He reached in his pocket and came out with a key. “Here… can you make sure Bandit is fed for me? You can even sleep in my bed for payment if you’d like.”
I took the key from his hand. “When are you leaving?”
“I’m on my way right now. I just needed to make sure you knew and the dog would be ok.”
I glanced around again, then took his hand and squeezed it. “Call me when you get there, ok?”
He nodded, glanced at Brett, and left.
I stared after him, wishing I could have given him more than a hand squeeze to help his pain. It took a moment to realize I still wasn’t alone. Brett tried to lighten up the mood by asking, “Still no furniture at your place, huh?”
“No. It’s still in Charleston. We’re going to go down there on our next long weekend.” He must have realized I was no longer in a chatty mood, so he clapped me on the shoulder and wandered away.
That night
“Yeah, she’s right here in my lap,” I replied, petting Bandit as I talked to Jason on the phone.
“Thanks for doing this for me, Chloe.”
“Come on… it’s absolutely no problem. You didn’t even need to ask.” I’d have flown to Texas with you if you needed me to, I added silently. “I only wish there was a way I could be there with you. I miss you already.”
“I miss you too. I better go. I’m in the parking garage now.”
“OK, call me if you need to talk. I’ll be waiting. Love you.”
“Love you too. I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye.” I hung up the phone and looked down into the big brown eyes of his Chihuahua. “You miss Daddy, too?” I asked her, scratching behind her ear. In response, she jumped from my lap, jumped up into his favorite seat and laid down, head on her paws. “Yeah, me too.”
“So, when are you coming over?” he asked quickly as he walked by me in the plant.
“I’m just going to run home and grab a bag first.” I looked at him, not really handsome in the classic Adonis way, but… the auburn hair, cut short with the fuzz in the back where I could play with it… the beautiful blue eyes that said so much to me… the reddish stubble that was already visible at lunch around the full lips that were cocked in that crooked grin….
He nodded and walked away, leaving me with a smile. We stayed professional at work, nearly ignoring each other in the plant, all just to prevent those gossipmongers from getting us split up at work.
Living in Virginia, every summer there was the chance of a hurricane finding us. Now there was one headed for us. Only a category two or three, but it was my first one. I had made a comment about being nervous, and being a gentleman, he offered to let me stay with him. That’s what I told my parents anyway. Of course, I told them I’d be sleeping on the couch… and who knows… maybe I’d doze off in a movie or something so I wouldn’t be a liar. I was glad we weren’t out of the yards yet. It meant a couple days off to recover from the storm rather than going underway to avoid it.
After work, I retrieved my bag, checked the tape on my windows and locked my doors. I went to his apartment and was greeted with a kiss.
“I missed you,” he said into my ear, holding me close to him.
I giggled. “It’s only been an hour and a half since you saw me last, silly.”
“Well, let me make up for that hour and a half,” he grinned. He lifted me off my feet easily by the waist and set me down on his lap as he sat on the couch, taking my breath away with a kiss that I thought I could feel in my toes. One hand ran over his shoulders and his back while the other caressed the short hair on the back of his head. He put his arms around my waist and pulled me so close that he was nearly squeezing what little breath I had regained right back out.
“Jason,” I sighed into his lips. Jason, my love, I thought… Jason, my own Greek god… Jason, my tormentor.
He stopped for a moment, kissing my cheek once. “Yeah?”
I was confused for a moment. I hadn’t realized I’d actually spoken any of that aloud. “Nothing…” I smiled, shifting off his lap, instead pushing him down across the couch. “Nothing at all.” I laid over him, pressing my lips to his, feeling him rake his teeth across my bottom lip. I moved my lips down to his jawline and his neck, moving my hands down over, then under, his t-shirt. I heard him whisper once… “I love you,” soft as the breeze.
It was what I had wanted to tell him, what I ached to tell him, but I was afraid. I was scared that he was saying this only because of what we were about to do. Instead of acknowledging him, I pressed my lips down on his, kissing him until my lips bruised.
No more words were spoken for some time.
Later that day
We realized after a little while that we didn’t have any matches or lighters to light the candles I had brought with me, so we were in his car driving toward the grocery store. I looked over at him, my eyes absorbing what they passed over… his ear, a tasty treat for tongue and teeth, his jawline, a solid line with tenderness underneath, his mouth, set in an odd expression, like he was fighting with himself about something. That was strange. I wondered what it was.
He glanced over at me and held my eyes with his own. His face lit up and the strange expression disappeared. He smiled at me and took my hand with his. He glanced back at the road once, then back to me.
“I love you,” he said, lifting my hand to his lips to kiss my knuckles.
I smiled back at him. “I love you, too.”
“Well, it’s about time. I wasn’t going to say it again,” he laughed, relieved.
“What do you mean?” I asked, pretending I hadn’t heard him the first time.
“Well… that’s the third time I’ve told you. If you hadn’t responded this time, I was going to take it as a hint.”
“Third?” I asked, astonished. Second, yes… when was the third?
“Well, the first time was when we were kissing, just before.”
I fought a grin as I replied. “I must not have heard you over the wild beating of my untamed heart…” I chuckled.
He chuckled too. “The second time was when we were watching the movie after.”
My brow wrinkled as I tried to remember. Is that what I heard? I thought he was just blowing in my ear as I sat against him on the couch. I had asked, “Hmmm?” and he just shook his head and pressed his lips to the curve of my neck and shoulder.
“Well, I’m glad it’s out in the open now. The weight was crushing me,” he grinned.
Later, during the storm, when the power would go out, we played Risk by candlelight before retiring to his room until the power returned.
Two weeks later
“So, Brett, are you ready for the board?” I asked. Brett Davies was a friend of ours who had been on board for about two months already when I first got here. We were going to qualify our first watch together, later that day.
“Yeah, of course.” He looked around, like he was making sure the coast was clear, then back at me. “So… why didn’t you guys tell us?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Me and the other guys were trying to get Jason to ask you out. We figured you’d be good for him… We pestered him for a couple weeks before he finally told us.”
I glanced around to make sure nobody else was in earshot. “Look, I’m glad you’re cool with it, but I don’t think the guys above us will be. If Galler and Meyers find out, they might decide to send one of us to the other plant and we’ll definitely have to be on different duty sections. We weren’t going to tell anyone until we had no choice. Please don’t spread it around.”
“That’s fine. I just thought that even if you didn’t want the asses to know, you might let your friends in on it. It’s not like you could keep it from us for long anyway. The last time we all got together at Billy’s house, I was going to ask about the goo-goo eyes I caught you with once. You’re lucky I decided to save you the mortification of letting Jase know you had a crush on him.”
I chuckled. “I’m sure you guys would have figured it out sooner or later,” I agreed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure coming down the stairs and instantly stopped the conversation. Since we weren’t allowed to stand around and shoot the breeze, it wasn’t like it was a suspicious action. When Jason turned the corner so I could see it was him, I was about to avert my gaze… prevent those goo-goo eyes… but the expression on his face held it instead. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just got a message. My grandmother’s in the hospital. They don’t think she’s going to make it. I’m going on emergency leave.” He reached in his pocket and came out with a key. “Here… can you make sure Bandit is fed for me? You can even sleep in my bed for payment if you’d like.”
I took the key from his hand. “When are you leaving?”
“I’m on my way right now. I just needed to make sure you knew and the dog would be ok.”
I glanced around again, then took his hand and squeezed it. “Call me when you get there, ok?”
He nodded, glanced at Brett, and left.
I stared after him, wishing I could have given him more than a hand squeeze to help his pain. It took a moment to realize I still wasn’t alone. Brett tried to lighten up the mood by asking, “Still no furniture at your place, huh?”
“No. It’s still in Charleston. We’re going to go down there on our next long weekend.” He must have realized I was no longer in a chatty mood, so he clapped me on the shoulder and wandered away.
That night
“Yeah, she’s right here in my lap,” I replied, petting Bandit as I talked to Jason on the phone.
“Thanks for doing this for me, Chloe.”
“Come on… it’s absolutely no problem. You didn’t even need to ask.” I’d have flown to Texas with you if you needed me to, I added silently. “I only wish there was a way I could be there with you. I miss you already.”
“I miss you too. I better go. I’m in the parking garage now.”
“OK, call me if you need to talk. I’ll be waiting. Love you.”
“Love you too. I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye.” I hung up the phone and looked down into the big brown eyes of his Chihuahua. “You miss Daddy, too?” I asked her, scratching behind her ear. In response, she jumped from my lap, jumped up into his favorite seat and laid down, head on her paws. “Yeah, me too.”
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