#thunder 41

“Which one of them? Mrs. Smythe, the stock deaf one?” He chuckled into my ear.

“Hush! Don’t-” I tried to stop him from lifting up my dress, but to no avail. The risk of getting caught was only turning him on more.

Somehow, I managed to break free of his grasp and I turned around. Of course, that didn’t help much.

He trapped me, one arm on each side of my head, all the while he looked down at me with a devious smile on his face.

“Can I just get a moment to get my keys?” I looked up at him while making the most innocent face I could manage. “Pleeease?”

“He moved closer and pressed his forehead against mine.

“Afraid not.” He replied. Before I could say or do anything, his hands went down and below my dress, and a moment after that, they took hold of my stockings and ripped them to pieces.

“What the hell!”

“Hush. The neighbors.” He replied and kneeled down in front of me.

“Oh no, no you’re not going to …” I tried to protest but I didn’t even believe my resistance myself. I braced myself for him, but it didn’t even begin to cut it as he finally put his face between my legs. I let out an uncontrollable moan as I felt his tongue against me.

He wasn’t careful or slow or taking his time, he went straight for the most sensitive spot as he held on to my hips.

“Oh Gooood, stop this, stop-” I half-whispered with my eyes clenched shut. He didn’t hear a word I was saying, he just kept on going, sucking and tasting me as if he’d been starving. Although my rational mind tried to stop this, yelling at me in my mind for being this obscene, my body was welcoming him and reacting exactly like it always did. I could feel myself getting closer, and as he entered one of his fingers inside of me, I almost screamed with the sensation. He pulled slightly back, only to whisper a command at me.

“Keep still, darl’.”

I pressed a hand in front of my mouth in a desperate attempt to do as he said. He returned to his task and didn’t hold back. As he moved his finger in perfect sync with his tongue, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I raced towards the edge and beyond it, screaming into my hand as I felt my knees buckling below me. I heard him groaning against my sex and it made my orgasm even more powerful. I could feel myself shaking with the aftershocks as he finally pulled away from me, causing me to slide down and sit helplessly on the landing floor.

“Oh look at that, Cas.” He looked beyond smug as he stood up and pointed to my open bag on the floor. “The keys are right there.”

 ( … )

 I’d reciprocated as soon as we’d gotten into the apartment, the two of us enjoying each other as we used to do before everything that changed our lives. Now, we were laying on my bed, exhausted and longing for cigarettes.

“I like the decor here. Half pink and half blue. Sad that we have to paint it over soon.” Michael smirked as he looked at me. He looked sleepy, but blissful.

“Paint it over?”

“Mm-hmm. Now with your mom moving to London and all. We’ll have to wrap this here up as well.”

“Oy?” I got up on my elbows, looking at him as if he’d suddenly grown four heads on top of his own.

“You don’t think?”

“That she’s going to London? No, why would she do that?”

“Oh I don’t know, darl’.  Maybe that guy named Nathan?”

“Come on. They’ve dated for, what? Five minutes? I know her. She’d never do that.”

This day had been filled with surprises. Pleasant ones, but still. I wasn’t sure I could manage being surprised even more today.

“Is it because you don’t want her to?”

“What? No, of course not. I just know her.”

“Because if she moved, she would probably move in with Nathan. And then I’d probably get kicked. And then I’d have to find a house somewhere. And it would suck to sit there all alone. Don’t you think?”

“I - I … haven’t thought.”

“Do you want to?” He laid on his side so he could look properly at me. Something about his question made my heart flutter. I could see in the way that he looked at me that he wanted nothing more than for me to say yes. But also, he didn’t want to pressure me.

“A … house, you reckon?”

“Of course. Teddy needs a room and a garden. Oh, and rooms for his 12 future siblings, too.”

“What!” I punched him playfully in his chest. “12 siblings? I’m pretty sure that it’s you who will have to carry them, then.”

“Sure. As long as I get 12 more.” His smile gleamed in the afternoon sunlight as he teased me.

“And how did you become this filthy rich? A house - in London?”

“A small house. The 12 of them will just have to share a room.”

“Oh my God.” I was now positively howling with laughter. “You arse.”

“You love me.”

“That I do.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose and arose from the bed.

“Time for cigs. We have somewhere to be at 5.30.”

“5 more minutes.” I couldn’t endure the thought of getting up and going back to my Mom’s. I had missed Michael too much to not have him to myself for at least a little bit more.

“Fine.” He pulled up his jeans and moved to stand by the bed. I thought he was going to help me up, but instead he suddenly jumped on me. “Then it’s 5 minutes of tickle war!”

“Noooooooooo!” I screamed and laughed as he easily gained the upper hand.

 ( … )

 “I can’t remember the last time I had a meal like that.” I said as I exhaled the smoke from my cigarette. My mother and I were sitting outside, smoking cigarettes after the insane meal that Nathan had prepared. A proper English roast, with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and everything else that went with it. Everybody had eaten until they just couldn’t squeeze down a single bite more. Teddy had loved it and everybody had laughed along as he covered himself completely  in potatoes and gravy. It had been like a family night the way the family nights should always be.

“I know. This one’s a keeper.” My mom laughed as she exhaled smoke from a cigarette of her own.

“Speaking about that. Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve known the guy for longer than you. You could have at least dropped a hint.”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I didn’t want to spring things on you. With the divorce from your Dad and all. I feared that you’d think I was moving way too fast.”

“C’mon Mom. The divorce was the best thing that could have ever happened.”

“”I know. But … well, I was afraid that you’d might get upset.”

“Does Dad know?” I stepped on my cigarette and put it out.

“No. I haven’t talked to him since … well, that was months ago. What about you?”

“God, no. The last time I spoke to him was when I was visiting you in the old apartment. He called my baby “a bastard child”. I’m not really keen on forgiving him, yet.”

“I remember that. I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

“I am, too.”

I saw a tear glistening in the corner of her eye.

“What’s the matter, Mom?”

“I should’ve-” She sniffled slightly but managed to compose herself. “I should have left him ages ago. I’m so sorry, Cassie.”

“Oh, Mom.” I reached out and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s okay. It is.”

“You’ve got to understand. I think you understand. A mom always wants to do the best for her child. In our case, I thought it was for the better if I stayed.”

“I know. I know, Mom.” We let go and looked at each other. “The best for me, right now, is that you’re happy.”

“I am.” She smiled and reached for another cigarette. “You have no idea.”

“And now you and Nathan are moving in together.” It was more of a conclusion than a question, and it seemingly came out of nowhere. I couldn’t believe the words I had just said, and even more so as my rational, steadfast mother nodded her head slowly.

“I wanted to ask for your permission.” She exhaled and suddenly looked like a giddy teenager.

“It was yours before you even asked, Mom.” She squealed - again, like a teenager - and hugged me tightly.

“Just one thing.”

“Anything. What is it?” She asked.

“I get to tell the boys.”

 March 1st, 2016

I managed to keep quiet for a whole day until Monday hit. Teddy decided to wake up at 6 AM, but I didn’t mind. Quietly, I managed to get him up and out of the room without Michael waking up. I got the boy fed, got him dressed, and managed to get the both of us silently out of the apartment  as we went to the shops.

 “Heeey, little darl’. What you got there?” I heard Michael’s sleepy voice from where I sat. I had simply put the present in Teddy’s hands and placed him on the bed, hoping for his crawling and movements to wake up his dad. It worked like a charm.

Teddy babbled happily and wrapped his chubby fingers around the small, square present.

“Hey darl’. What’s all this?” Michael said, addressed to me. He sounded hoarse, but happy.

“A present. I thought, since you’re going back and all today. Something so you can think of us until we’ll see you again.”

“I already am thinking about you all the time.” He replied, and it made my heart feel warm.

“None the less. Open it.”

“Oh, you like the paper, Teddy? Here. No, not the ribbon. I take that.” Michael cooed at the boy and tucked the ribbon safely away.

“What’s this … it’s a … a Routemaster bus?” He held up the small, red model car and inspected in from every angle. “Isn’t he a bit young for that? It’s got all these tiny parts-”

“It’s not for him.”

Michael looked at me in utter confusion. I probably should have waited until he’d had his coffee, I thought to myself.

“Look inside of it.”

Michael held the bus up high, trying to shield it from Teddy who had now grown tired of the glittery paper. As he laughed and tried to keep it from the boy, a small piece of rolled up paper fell from the doors of it.

“What’s this?” He spoke and finally allowed the boy to take the bus.

“A Routemaster so that Teddy can get used to those.” He read out loud and paused before reading the rest, as a smile formed on his lips. “You best find us a house. We’re going to England.”

He stared at the paper for a solid three seconds, but in my head it felt like time stood still. My old insecurities came roaring back. Doesn’t he want us to move to him? Was it all something he said? Didn’t he mean it?

I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I’d been holding as he finally moved. Carefully, he folded up the small piece of paper and put it in his wallet. He lifted Teddy up, placed a kiss on his temple, and then went to me with the boy on his arm. Without speaking a word, he pulled me in for a hug and held me tightly. I put my arms around the both of them and felt tears leaving my eyes.

This is it. This is really happening.