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I stared at the blurry picture. Ray, down on one knee. Audrey, her hands covering her face. Boys and girls in the background, clapping their hands or crying for joy. It made me want to cry just looking at it.
"That's so romantic! I'm sure she said yes right away," I said. There's no way I could have said no if someone did that to me.
"Actually..."
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"I mean, she certainly didn't date any other boys in high school, but I've never been quite sure," Mr. Watson said. "There was so much chaos afterwords that I never heard an answer. She looked stunned, and Ray was on his feet before long. He hugged her tight and whispered something in her ear. She let him put the dime store ring on her finger. We all thought it was official, but I guess puppy love never lasts."
Andrew nodded. "Thanks for your time, Mr. Watson."
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"So that's it? He waited in town a year and then she left him here?" I asked.
"Something didn't add up for me, either. I checked on the Internet and found another strange detail. Mom didn't stay in the dorms her freshman year. I did, however, find a very interesting lease in the public records." He pulled a piece of paper out and handed it to me.
"Ray West and Audrey Oscars," I read. "This is a lease for Fort Collins. But...that means that Ray left with her?"
"I had an interesting phone conversation with my Aunt Heather. She's not my real aunt, but she was Mom's best friend from college. It was the last piece of the puzzle."
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"Ray West. Haven't heard of him in years." Aunt Heather said.
"What happened between my mom and him?" Andrew asked.
"Oh, you know, the same things that many couples go through. Ray hated going out, was too shy. He wanted to stay in all the time, wanted Audrey to stay in with him. But, you know, part of the college experience is going out, doing new things, and she was curious."
"So she went out anyway," Andrew said.
"Oh no. It was like they were practically married, and she would never go against his word. But they fought a lot. Finally, one day, he left and I moved in to cover his half of the rent," she said.
Andrew paused, thinking it over. Heather piped back up. "It's funny. When she and your father decided that they couldn't support you while still going to school, he suggested that they move in with your grandparents back in Conifer. She didn't want to go, said she couldn't stand to see Ray, thought he would tell her 'I told you so'. I told her to avoid him like the plague, to concentrate on her new family, and I guess she did just that."
"Why would he have said 'I told you so'?" Andrew asked.
"Oh, never mind sweetie. When are you two going to come down to Denver to come visit your Aunt?"
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"She was evasive after that, and I couldn't get any more out of her," Andrew said.
I thought about it. They broke up because he wanted her to stay in, to be the good wife, and she didn't want that. "This is great news. Ray broke up with your mom for not being Suzy Housewife, and now she's willing to be Suzy Housewife. Funny how people change."
Andrew nodded, looking me in the eyes. His leg pressed against mine. I had been avoiding him all week, but after hearing such an emotional story, I was feeling pretty emotional myself. We were so close, we were alone, and things were coming together. He was so handsome.
The work he had done, the story of old loves, the closeness of our bodies, it was all intoxicating to me. My body craved the taste of his lips and I could no longer fight against the craving. I leaned over and kissed him. It was the culmination of years of longing, particularly intense for the last three weeks. I had wanted this so badly, ever since the kiss at the Winter Carnival.
He pulled back a little. "Holly?"
I immediately felt like I had messed up. Before I had a chance to apologize though, he reached out and pulled me into a deeper kiss. It was heavenly. Months of sexual tension flowed between us, as the dam broke and our need for each other spilled out across each other. I kissed back fiercely, my tongue finding his with ease. He moaned, and his breathing quickened. The stubble on his chin tickled me lightly, and I giggled a little as our lips parted.
He wasted no time, grabbing my chin and bringing me in for another kiss. My hand went to behind his neck, and his finger stroked my jawline. My heart pounded within my chest. Andrew, the man of my dreams, was finally allowing my dream to come true. The vow we had made in high school surfaced in my head for a moment, but I quickly shoved the thought back down as I leaned in closer.
Andrew apparently forgot the promise as well. His hand moved from my jaw, down my neck, to my collar. He quickly unbuttoned my long sleeve shirt and pulled it off one arm, then the other. As he revealed the thin white shirt I wore underneath, his hands moved to my sides, holding me tightly. His fingers moved up and down as we shared another long kiss.
He broke from the kiss, and looked down at my body, seemingly for the first time. His hands ventured upwards under my shirt, touching the bottoms of my br**sts through the lacy bra that encased them. His eyes met mine again, a look of desire consuming him, before closing them and leaning back in.
The door to the conference room opened. The librarian poked her head in. "Another group has reserved this room, so you students will have to find some other place to make out."
I was so embarrassed that I didn't even correct her to tell her that we weren't students. Andrew and I quickly picked up, throwing the yearbooks back on the re-shelf cart and hustling out the door. I could feel my cheeks burning the entire way out to the car. The cold March wind felt good against my skin, as we ran out into the parking lot.
"Want to come to my place? My dad is out of town," I grinned as I pulled out my keys.
"Race you there," he shouted as he sprinted to his car. I felt a giddy happiness flow through me as I started my car and followed hot on his heels.
Chapter 7
Red and orange demons flickered between the trees, leaving glowing fingerprints on everything they touched. Impish embers soared into the sky, raining down on the unsuspecting tinder below. The fire laughed as it danced among the trees and branches, twirling along the forest floor with devastating footprints.
"I'm pretty sure you cheated," I called out through my window as I pulled into the driveway next to Andrew.
"If anything, you cheated. You know those big red octagons? They're called stop signs. Most people recommend actually stopping at them," he teased as I got out of my car.
"The ones with white borders around them are optional. I'm surprised you didn't know that," I said, bumping my shoulder against him as I moved to unlock the door. I could feel him behind me, and I fumbled with my keys in the lock, his presence flustering me. He leaned his hand against the door frame, his body barely touching mine, but so close I could feel his warmth. I wanted to kiss him again so badly, and I could barely get my key into the door.
I finally slid it in, and heard the latch catch, the door swinging open easily. I turned to look back at him, his hand coming to my cheek and pulling me into a kiss. I stood in the doorway, my knees turning to jello as he pushed his lips into mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, losing myself to his kiss.
He stopped only long enough to guide us through the open door, kicking it shut with his foot as he enveloped me again. My fingers found his hair, pulling him ever deeper to me. He tasted like sunshine, his tongue dancing with mine. My skin burned to be touched by him, my temperature rising as he kissed me. I drank his kisses like cool water, wanting to feel him everywhere.
I pulled my shirt open and flung it on the floor as we stumbled towards the couch. I felt the couch on my leg and I sat down, pulling him with me. His hands pulled me closer, his kisses hungry as he straddled my legs, pinning me to the couch.
I ran my hands up under his shirt, feeling his muscles tighten under my fingertips. He sat up, and pulled his shirt over his head, his muscles flexing as the fabric left his body. I wanted to touch him everywhere, to taste every inch of his skin. I pulled him back down against me, my lips open and waiting for him. He pressed his body against mine, his skin hot against the thin fabric of my undershirt. He moved his kisses down my neck, nibbling gently on the sensitive skin of my throat and collarbone. My h*ps arched up into him, feeling him harden against me.
His hands pulled my shirt up, his fingers caressing my skin as he pulled it over my head. He sat back, looking at my body, his pupils dilating and then focusing again. He traced his finger along the lacy top of my bra, my skin tingling under his touch. With an impish grin he leaned forward, and wrapped his arm underneath me, trying to unlatch my bra.
I stopped him, but I smiled. I didn't want to move this quickly yet. I had already been down this road before, and it would be better if he just thought I was being coy. He didn't seem to take offense, he just leaned forward and kissed me deeply.
His hands went to my hair, and the two of us kissed each other furiously, frantically, as if at any moment it would be over and we'd have to go back to our regular friendship. I loved the feeling of his skin on mine. I ran my fingers over his taut muscles, and he gave an appreciative moan into my mouth. He grinded his h*ps into me.
One of his hands slid down my belly, fiddling with the button of my jeans. I reached down and grabbed his hand. "If my pants come off, your pants stay on. Deal?"
"Deal," he said with no hesitation. He moved his other hand down, unbuttoning my jeans with excitement. I leaned my head back as he slid them off my h*ps and down, off my legs. He looked at me from the bottom of the couch now as he kissed his way back up my legs. The heat within me became almost unbearable as he reached my panties.
He slowly kissed around my legs, touching every part where the fabric hugged my skin. My brain cried out to stop him, but my loins never wanted him to stop. His kissed ventured inwards, eventually going to the middle of my panties. I gasped.
He smiled and his tongue reached out, massaging the most special part of my body through my underwear. My mind instinctively went to the last time I had been intimate with a man, and I felt a quick wave of shame run through me.
"Hold on. Hold on," I said, my memories forcing me to stop. He looked up at me, and smiled gently. "Just go slow. I'm a little rusty." He came back up to me, his body covering me again, as he kissed me. I focused on his sweet taste, forcing the memories away. This was different. I knew Andrew wouldn't hurt me, so I tried to relax and melt into him. This time, his grinding into me was even more intense, but he managed to stop himself as my body unconsciously stiffened. I wanted to let him touch me, but something in me felt afraid.
"Use my arm as a pillow," he said. I laughed and rolled over, and he rolled next to me, putting his arm under my neck. We kissed, softly, and his hand ventured back south. It traveled down my cl**vage, inside my bra, lightly touching my breast for a moment, before venturing further south. He was so gentle, and eager to please. I took a deep breath and let him explore.
As his fingers touched my belly button, I began to writhe a little bit. My body suddenly relaxed as I realized I could trust Andrew. He would never hurt me. A surge of excitement rushed through me, sending tingles from my scalp down to my toes. I moaned softly; I couldn't help it, I was so turned on. His fingers reached the top of my panties, tracing the elastic band. He kept moving down, over the underwear, to my delicate flower.