Authors: Bella Love-Wins
ANDREW made it back home, loaded up John and Trina’s gear, and drove to Norton Memorial. From Crystal Bay where he lived, it was only a half-hour scenic drive down the east side of Lake Tahoe. After Abby and her friends drove away, he had decided to try and put her out of his mind—at least for the afternoon. He was going to see her soon, and liked where they had left things. For the first time in a long time, his mind was not in turmoil.
He got to the hospital and parked at the main building. It was a vast medical complex, considering the low population density around it. He left their things in the trunk. Trina would likely want her bags at the hotel. John was undoubtedly going to be wearing hospital gowns for some time, and had no need for much, other than his laptop and possibly his cell phone charger.
As he left the car, he was reminded of the hospital’s contemporary architecture, which extended three blocks north and south of where he stood, and west to the lake. The series of buildings were connected by convenient and futuristic overpasses, all of which had unobstructed views of the lake. It was the feature that most staff, patients and their visitors loved. At any given time, day or night, there were twenty to fifty people looking out at the water from its raised vantage point.
Before Andrew went to John’s floor, he stopped at the flower shop. The storm was over, and their parents had probably already made it in. He imagined with college in session, John would not have many visitors. He had the florist package up five different colorful bunches. He asked her to make five cards out to John, one from each of his friends, and one from him. The woman wrapped each set, placing them all to stand in a deep, floral travel box for Andrew to carry. She seemed pleased when Andrew handed her a hundred dollar bill and told her to keep the change.
He found the recovery floor easily. The familiar nurse hunched over at reception was overly friendly when he asked for John’s room number. She smiled and straightened up when she saw him, and called him by his last name. She may have remembered him from his summer stints as an orderly during college, long before he had started medical school.
His mother had suggested that if he wanted to understand the importance of practicing medicine, he needed to start on the hospital floor, in a high-touch, low risk position. Unfortunately, like all gossip, the ones about wealth and power travelled the fastest. By his third summer, almost all the staff knew he was a Carrington, of
the
Carrington’s, without him ever mentioning a word to a soul. After everyone found out, he could barely perform his duties without someone offering to take over, or hinting that the work was beneath him.
She gave him John’s room number and pointed him in the direction before she resumed her pose. John was awake, and Trina was sitting in the chair at his bedside when he walked in. He was connected to heart and blood pressure monitors, and was being given fluids intravenously. He looked to be in good spirits, considering he was probably in a great deal of pain, with one forearm literally held together from the inside with screws and metal.
“Hi Andrew!” Trina stood up to greet him.
Andrew motioned for her to remain seated, but she had a mind of her own. She accepted the box of flowers from him and gave him a warm hug. “Thanks for bringing these gorgeous flowers.”
“You’re welcome.” He straightened up to break from the embrace, turning to John. “They’re from your friends too.”
“Thanks,” John said. “That’s nice of them. Are they still at your place?”
“No, they left a few hours ago. Abby got a rental car to get back to school with your friends. How are you feeling?”
“A little stiff in the arm, but I’m doing great.”
He smiled and looked around the room. “Are they treating you well here?”
“Very. The food is pretty good too.”
“Great to hear, John. I’m happy to see you’ll be on the mend soon.” He turned back to Trina. “I can’t stay long. I’ve got to get back to the cottage. Are you staying at the hotel next door?”
“Yes, they put me up in a nice suite.”
“It’s best if I take your things there.”
“Yeah.” She looked down at her clothes and ran a hand over her hair to smooth it down. “I’ve been in these clothes since last night.”
“I can give you a ride over if you want, or I can leave it with the bell desk.”
She looked over at John, who nodded. “Go ahead Trina. You haven’t slept all night. Get some sleep. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” she answered. “Sure, I’ll come with you. I didn’t want to leave John alone before, but his parents are here now. They went down to the cafeteria a few minutes ago.”
“Great. Let’s go.” He nodded in John’s direction. “John, you take care of yourself, buddy.”
“Thanks for everything, Andrew.”
“It’s no problem,” he said before John had a chance to say more.
He turned to walk out ahead of Trina. He hadn’t been used to people around him, much less praise. She continued the expressions of appreciation all the way from his bedside to the entrance of her hotel.
“Do you need a ride back?” He asked after the bellman unloaded the bags from the back.
“No thanks. I’ll have a shower and walk back.”
“Get some rest. You’ll be here with him for a while. Pace yourself.”
She hugged him again after he tipped the bellman. “Take care, Andrew. Thanks again. And do me one favor, will you?”
“What’s that?” He asked as he got back into the driver’s seat.
“Take good care of Abby. She’s good people.”
Andrew nodded, started the car and left. He knew exactly why he didn’t stick around for too long with John or Trina. He had become so used to being alone. He intentionally avoided people, connections and relationships. It was his way of blocking out the possibility of future pain. He had not only been sexually celibate since Emma died, he had been beyond antisocial—he was relationally abstinent. If the term wasn’t an actual psychiatric deficiency, it had to be close to some borderline disorder; one where he could be the poster boy.
Andrew got back to the cottage soon after. The second he made it to the porch steps, thoughts of Abby flooded back. It didn’t help that he had taken out his phone when he got inside, and looked at the photo he had taken of her. It was the spark that reignited everything they had created throughout the house. Something memorable had happened in many rooms on the main floor of the cottage. He saw her everywhere, and contentedly reminisced as he moved through the house.
There was something profoundly different about the place; something uplifting. He could probably say the same thing about his mind. Although the torment and his downtrodden guilt had not disappeared completely, they had paused, or were in stasis. He had no way of knowing whether the tranquility in his mind was ephemeral, or here to stay. What he did know was it was a welcome stillness.
The housekeeper would eventually come by in a day or two. He wanted to use the remaining daylight to get more firewood, and if he felt like it, to put the house back in order. Bringing the firewood inside was a breeze with the yard cleared of snow. Soon, he started the laundry and headed upstairs to get to work. Rob had done an impressive job. The housekeeper would only need to vacuum, dust and clean the bathrooms up here.
He returned downstairs. He took stock of what he could do to pass the time. Aside from the laundry, and the Persian rug which needed a professional cleaning, the place was in pretty good shape. He went to the kitchen. A simple stir fry was exactly what he wanted for dinner, and when it was ready, he took his time to eat. As there was so little for him to do, he decided to finish some work in his office, then hit the gym. Keeping limber and developing routines were crucial to living in solitude, although he didn’t feel as alone anymore.
After shuffling some paperwork on his desk and replying to a few priority emails, Andrew headed to the gym. Having missed a few days’ worth of workouts, he was ready to go hard. He changed and warmed up on a moderate course on the treadmill, building up a good sweat to start a circuit on the strength training equipment.
He hit all the big muscles, and pushed hardest on the racks, cages and functional trainer machines. The down side of living alone was there was no one to spot him. Using heavier free weights by himself was out of the question. He cooled down with some floor work and stretching before hitting the showers. Normally, he would shower in the gym, but tonight, he wanted to bask in the images of him and Abby in his room.
Crossing the hallway, he returned to his bedroom. He went to the bathroom and got the water in the shower turned up to a steamy hot temperature. He stripped off his sweaty clothes and had barely stepped in when Abby invaded his thoughts. He allowed the illusion of being with her wash over his body. Soon enough, she was right there with him. He was hard in a New York minute.
He pictured her eyes, piercing his soul as they stared up at him; he could touch her beautiful breasts, and grip his hands tightly onto her hips as he rocked her. The way she would hold him around his neck, arch her back, or wrap her legs around him. God, and it felt so good to be inside her when she pulsed through her orgasms.
He closed his eyes and embraced her in his fantasy, stroking himself as he imagined her moaning and grinding her hips underneath him. He got closer as he immersed himself as he thought of parting her thighs, flicking his fingers against her throbbing clit, and burying his cock inside her, to the hilt.
All the images merged; they solidified into one powerful memory that sent him over the edge. It coursed through his veins and hit his body so forcefully, he held on to the shower tile for balance as he exploded his release. His weakened body leaned on his arms as he sucked in air by the mouthful to catch his breath.
He shut off the water when his body recovered enough for him to move. After he dried off and found a robe, he went to the kitchen for his phone. Abby had mentioned she would text after she dropped the others off and got home safely. It was only after six-thirty at night, but he didn’t want to miss her call.
He returned to his room and plugged it in to charge before slipping off the robe and climbing into bed. Abby’s sweet-smelling fragrance was there one the pillow too. He turned and breathed in deeply, enjoying what was left of her in his bed as he closed his eyes.
He sat up after a few minutes. He wanted more. He needed more than just her scent; more than the memory. He got up and went back to his office, and sat at his desk.
ABBY lugged her bags from the rental car to her main floor off-campus apartment. She was glad to finally be home. It had taken an extra hour to drop off Rob, Ruth and Barb. They lived within a few blocks of each other near their San Francisco State University campus. It meant she had to double back to get home, as she was at University of California, San Francisco.
She locked the door and smiled as she thought of her passengers. After Rob and Barb had their lively falling out, the rest of the way was quiet, but tense. They had surprised her—first with their argument, and afterward, with their adherence to her demands for silence. The only sound anyone could hear for two straight hours was the hum of the car’s engine.
The part that surprised her most was when she dropped them off. They arrived at Barb’s dorm first. Rob got out and helped her remove her bag, and Ruth stepped out and hugged her—without it getting ugly. Abby had breathed a sigh of relief right then, and followed Ruth’s shining, diplomatic example. The truth was, despite the blowout in the car, they had been through a lot together over the last three days. The three of them—along with John and Trina—were also volleyball teammates. One profanity-laced spat couldn’t change their bond so easily.
She put down her things and headed straight for her linen closet to grab some towels. What she needed was a long shower, some comfy pajamas and eight hours sleep. She looked in the mirror when she made it to the bathroom, and gawked at her hair.
And my own shampoo and conditioner!
She let the shower run while she undressed. It had to be hot, to relax her arms and shoulder muscles after driving for four hours.
She stepped in once steam started billowing out from above the shower curtain. The water was perfect. She closed her eyes and just stood under it, letting the soothing stream fall down her head and chest. As it poured down her body and over her nipples, a single frame of Andrew flashed across her tranquil mind.
Her attention transitioned from the calming water to the past three days with him. She couldn’t stop herself, and wasn’t sure she wanted to think of anything or anyone else. She reached for the body wash sponge and poured her favorite soap over it. As she scrubbed, she felt Andrew’s touch, and responded in the way he made her react every time.
Her breath hitched as she pretended his lips were teasing her nipples, his massive arms wrapped around her. Her stomach clenched and heat pooled between her legs at the thought of straddling his ripped body, and riding his thick, hard cock. She hadn’t touched herself, and already she was aroused; nipples hard, clit swollen and needy for Andrew’s touch.
She spread her legs and glided a slippery hand between them. It was Andrew touching her now. He was moving his tongue against her, licking and sucking her clit, making her body thrash back and forth from pure pleasure. Her breathing quickened. She could hear herself panting. She lifted a leg to the side of the tub and slid two fingers inside. Letting out a groan, she called Andrew’s name, wishing it was his broad and talented fingers moving deeper inside her.
Abby was getting closer now. She stroked and pinched her nipples with the other hand. Her body writhed wildly, grinding into her fingers as they slid in and out, stimulating and tantalized her wet pussy. Without warning, she felt her channel clamp tightly around her fingers as a wave of energy exploded out from her core. She held on to the shower wall. Her vision blurred and the orgasmic ecstasy overtook her completely.
She stood under the water for a few minutes, letting it massage into her. Soon, her mind returned and the throbbing ceased. Exhaustion was setting in. She turned off the shower and stepped out. Wrapping a towel around her, she carried a second towel back to her room. She spread it over her pillow and went back to the living room. She had promised to send Andrew a text to let him know they had all arrived safely. Once she crafted a short message and hit send, she returned to her room and collapsed into bed. As she drifted to sleep, she wondered what Andrew might be doing right at that very moment.
***
Abby awoke to the sound of the doorbell. It may have rung a few times, because it felt like a dream at first. It was a good thing her bedroom door was open, otherwise she would not have heard it at all. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sleeping, but it had to be late. None of her friends would show up without phoning or texting. She assumed the person might have texted; her phone was still in the living room.
She got up and searched her dresser drawer for a t-shirt and some jeans to put on. She walked to the door. There was no peephole, so she had gotten used to peeking through the window beside the door to check. When she looked out the window, she froze. She wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or imagining. She took a nervous breath and scrambled to unlock the door. She wrenched the door open and stared.
“Hello Abby.”
“Andrew. What are you doing here?”