The Book of David Ch. 12

Claudine broke into a wide smile and turned to face me with a toned-down version of her adoring gaze. "My miracle."

Brianna continued, "David told me EVERYTHING." She looked at Claudine significantly, expressing the underlying meaning. "I'm happy he was there for you."

Claudine looked Brianna up and down with a new respect. "Thank you for understanding."

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, and then Claudine's bubbly teenager personality came back up. "Ah, my parents! Please, come!"

Any worries I had over Claudine's father knowing I boned his daughter evaporated when the big guy bear-hugged me. Her mother was less forceful but no less demonstrative in greeting me as well, planting firm kisses on both my cheeks.

I introduced Brianna to them, and soon the entire French family was busy rehashing what they knew of my heroic tale. Well, except for Claudine's younger brother. Like most fifteen-year-olds, he was more interested in his Nintendo DS.

I was quite pleased to find that the sexual tension between Claudine and I was gone. We'd had our scare and our cathartic lovemaking. It was done. Six hours and 3000 miles later, I pulled Claudine to me in a warm hug and kissed her forehead gently as we parted outside LAX Gate 47B.

We'd exchanged e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers. We could look each other up on MySpace. Somehow, we'd stay in contact.

It's amazing how intense a near-death experience can be for people. No matter where life took us in the future, I knew Claudine would always be a part of my life.

***

HOME (May 2005)

Life is circular. The more things change, the more you find yourself in old, familiar situations.

Take tonight for example. I was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling when quietly ecstatic moans began fluttering through my bedroom wall. I sighed and closed my eyes, memory and experience painting the picture of the two gorgeous women in all their splendid glory. The box of tissues was on the desk within an arm's reach. If the two of them were going to keep at it the way they'd done in college, I'd need to start shopping at Costco and buy tissue boxes in bulk.

One of the girls let out a particularly throaty moan, and as I let my hand circle around the hot skin of my erection, it was all I could do to keep from going insane.

As I listened to their love sounds filtering through the wall, I ruminated back on the whirlwind 48-odd-hours I'd just experienced: from Brianna's hula girl outfit to the fight, from the rescue to the sex, and all the way through to coming back home.

Surprisingly, there was little tension between Brianna and me. All we had left was quiet regret. For example, even though we knew we were breaking up, she still held my hand for most of the flight home. And when we got back to our apartment, there were no arguments or pleas to reconsider. Brianna simply helped me pack.

By agreement, I was moving out, although I would continue paying my share of Brianna's rent. I called Danielle, who in two minutes agreed to take me in for a while under the condition that I explain everything to her after I arrived. It was a fair deal. I didn't want to ruin Kevin and Jen's recent freedom from me by going back there and besides, Danielle was family. You can always crash with family.

And then it was time. Brianna and I were finally breaking up. True, I'd be back to gather more things; there was no way it would all fit in my car today. But this would be the last time we parted as boyfriend/girlfriend.

I went to hug her, Brianna's head on my chest as she sniffled lightly. She'd had lots of time to adjust to the idea, but now that I was actually leaving, the pain was coming back. Just like I'd done with Claudine before, I kissed her forehead tenderly. The act simultaneously expressed my affection for her and also our newly platonic status.

Feeling it caused Brianna to burst into tears. Her head knew breaking up was the right thing to do, but her heart was still in love with me. Her heart seized control for a moment, and I felt my head being jerked down so Brianna could give me one last fierce kiss.

She poured her soul into me and practically sucked my lips off of my face. And when she pulled away, her eyes searched mine in a desperate last hope that she had changed my mind. But my eyes were empty. So biting her lip, Brianna nodded and then turned away.

I let myself out the door.

I felt like dirt. No, I actually felt worse like dirt. Brianna deserved so much more. But I just couldn't force myself to love her like she needed. For the umpteenth time, I wondered what was wrong with me. I wondered if I was even capable of that kind of love anymore.

But when I arrived at my new temporary home, I looked up at Danielle and Cherys and realized there wasn't anything wrong with me. All the love in my heart leaped up and my eyes came alive as I saw them. They were two of the people that meant the world to me.

And then my head REALLY started to hurt. All the yo-yoing back and forth between passionate lust for Brianna to the fear of death in the water to the delirious happiness with Claudine to the pain of breakup with Brianna to the emotional delight at seeing my sister and Cherys was just WAY TOO MUCH.

I felt the inky black cloud of unconsciousness already creeping into my vision. And like a zombie, I hugged both girls in greeting and then staggered inside towards the guest bedroom, really just a futon and a desk that served as the girls' junk room.

Fully dressed, I simply collapsed onto the futon and then slept.

Sometime in the night I awoke and found myself staring at the ceiling. And as I listened to Danielle and Cherys making love with each other, for a second I thought I was back in college.

Life is circular. That meant my life would go on, and I would find happiness again.

***

"Hey man, how was your vacation?" Dan waved to me as I headed for my cube.

"Great," I tossed off noncommittally.

"It must have been," Marshall chimed in. "You're an hour late. Still hungover?"

"I just overslept." More specifically, I'd neglected to set any sort of alarm when I crashed last night. Danielle had come in at the last minute to wake me up on her way out the door.

Vipul rolled his chair out into the aisle. "How could you oversleep? Brianna was on time. By the way, what's up with her? You piss her off this morning?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, she's acting kinda funny. I ran into her in the break room and when I asked her about the vacation, she just kind of glared at me and then walked away."

Now all three guys were staring at me. I shrugged and pointedly focused on my monitor. They took the hint and left me alone.

But still, I heard Vipul commenting. "Did you notice her hair? She went blonde for a week and you gotta admit, she looked HOT. But now she's back to dark brown and she cut it real short! Still very cute, but... different."

I frowned at my monitor. Brianna? Cut her hair?

I got my confirmation just before lunch. I was heading to the bathroom and turned the corner, nearly bumping right into her.

"Hey!" I said in surprise and some hope. Vipul had been right. She'd dyed her hair back to her natural color and also gotten a short bob. Her resemblance to Danielle had been quite muted.

"Hey..." she said much more cautiously and then she looked at the floor. She practically radiated pure uncomfortability being around me, making me hesitant to say anything further. And then, still looking downward, she just brushed by me and practically fled down the hall, ready to burst into tears.

I'd been hoping things wouldn't be awkward, but Brianna clearly needed more time. I suppose the one bright side to never falling in love with her was that I wasn't hurt as much after the split.

I turned and watched her until she turned a corner and disappeared. I let out a long sigh, feeling really bad once again for the pain I was causing her.

It was for the best.

***

I reached up to take the plate full of food from Danielle's outstretched hands, but right before my hands got to it, she pulled it away and glared at me.

"No food unless you tell us."

Girls and their gossip. I groaned, but then my stomach growled even louder.

Cherys smirked from her seat at the table and Danielle waved the plate. "It was a condition for you moving in."

"Fine, fine. I promise. Now gimme the damn plate."

She smiled and handed it over: chicken, rice, vegetables... it smelled delicious. I managed to get three bites in before Danielle's annoyed rapping of her spoon on the table got my attention. So I sighed and began the story.

The retelling was easy. I'd certainly thought enough about the sequence of events myself. And one really nice thing about being so close to Danielle and Cherys was that I had no embarrassments, no qualms about what they might think of me. I held nothing back, and by the time I finished, our food was cold.

Cherys reached out and held my hand. "You're a hero David. I always knew it."

Danielle nodded then cocked her head to the side. "You're also a blockhead. Brianna deserved better."

I frowned and nodded. "Deserves better. That's why I'm here. For now, I promise it's just a temporary thing and I'll be out of your hair in no time."

Cherys looked at Danielle and then smiled at me, squeezing my hand. "Stay as long as you like. It'll be like old times."

I rolled my eyes. "It's already like old times. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to sleep when you two are making those noises at night?"

Both girls blushed, and then Danielle got up to reheat our dinners.

My stomach growled as I watched perfectly good food going heading to the microwave. I loudly complained, "It's your damn fault you guys couldn't wait until AFTER dinner!"

***

SUMMER (June 2005)

"Hi gorgeous..." I said wearily as I came through the door.

"Hey hero..." Cherys answered as she sat up straight and moved away from the armrest.

Automatically, I went to her vacated spot and sat down in the corner of the couch, holding my arm out so that Cherys could lean back against my chest and wrap my arm around her. This comfortable position had become a part of our usual routine as well, and Cherys rubbed her cheek against my bicep for a moment before returning her attention back to the TV.

Without looking at me, she read the tension in my body. "Brianna still not talking to you?"

I sighed. "Yeah..."

"It's only been a month. Give her time; it'll be okay." She snuggled closer against me to emphasize her point.

Thirty minutes later, Danielle came home from work and said her hellos to us. She pecked Cherys on the lips and me on the cheek, then went into the bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

When she returned in some lounge pants and a baggy T-shirt without a bra, Danielle settled into the opposite corner of the couch. Cherys smiled at me and got up, then turned around and lay against Danielle's chest in a mirror-image of the position she had been in with me.

This time, she put her feet up in my lap, wiggling her toes and giving me a smirky little grin. I rolled my eyes in mock annoyance and then started massaging her feet.

Cherys sighed happily and then we all settled in for a comfortable evening.

***

SUMMER (August 2005)

"Hey gorgeous..." I smiled and padded over into the living room.

"Hey hero..." Cherys shifted on the couch and we easily settled into our positions.

Once Cherys got my arm comfortably situated around her waist, she stared off at the TV and asked, "You're sounding better. Brianna finally talk to you?"

"I wouldn't call it talking. But when we passed in the hallway she said 'Hello David' and actually smiled at me." I was smiling right then and I'm sure Cherys could hear it in my voice.

"That's good," she said brightly and then settled her head against my arm and rubbed my bicep.

I let myself lean over and breathe deeply. I'd forgotten how good Cherys smelled. I might as well enjoy it for the next half-hour before Danielle came home.

***

FALL (September 2005)

"Hey gorgeous..." There was a flirtatious tone in my voice as I said it.

"Hey hero..." Cherys answered back in a sultry voice of her own.

Once we were cuddled together on the couch, I let myself lean forward and breathe in her sweet scent. And then without thinking about it, I kissed the back of her head.

Cherys giggled and snuggled herself closer.

"You're in a good mood."

I really was. Over the past few weeks Brianna had been more and more comfortable running across me in the office. And today had been the watershed event.

Around the time of my usual afternoon break, Brianna had slid next to me in the cafeteria with a newspaper, the header titling it as USA Today. I wondered why she was showing me the paper, especially since this was the first time she'd taken an active effort to contact me. Then her pencil reached out and tapped a Sudoku puzzle in the LIFE section, a brand new game ready to make waves across the U.S.

I smirked and looked at her. "I told you it would be big someday."

The smile on Brianna's face was bright and genuine. I knew then that everything would turn out alright.

Cherys had turned her head to face me, her iridescent eyes glowing as she listened to the story. She was likely more excited to see me happy than genuinely excited over Sudoku of all things, but still her obvious enthusiasm helped maintain my emotional high.

We hit a natural lull in the conversation and she turned back around before snuggling deeper into my grasp. And as she did so, I felt my arm squeezing just a little tighter around her.

Cherys had always been a beautiful girl. When I was a teenager, I was having sexual fantasies of her every twenty minutes or so. And yet ever since our one and only time being intimate with each other, I'd never made another move... until today.

We'd been cuddling like this after work every weekday for months with nothing happening. But on this day, feeling pleasantly content and having a gorgeous young woman in my arms, I leaned forward and pressed my nose to the back of her head, inhaling deeply. My eyes closed as I took in her wonderful scent. The hand that was wrapped around her waist began to snake upwards as the arm tightened, bringing my palm ever closer to one of her firm, fabulous breasts.

I wasn't even thinking, just moving, at least until Cherys' voice playfully teased, "David... are you being naughty?"

Instantly my eyes flew open and my hand froze. "Oh, um, hmm," I sputtered as I let my hand drop back to her waist and I sat up straight, my chest no longer pressed tightly against her back.

Cherys giggled, a musical lilt like a forest sprite, and then she turned to face me, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You WERE being naughty!"

"I can't help it. I'm just a guy and you're... well, you're you."

This seemed to delight Cherys and she deliberately rubbed her breasts against my chest while watching my face for a reaction.

"You keep that up and I can't be held accountable for the consequences," I said softly. "I haven't had sex in a very, very long time."

"What's wrong? Don't you get off enough every night?" Her smile was predatory and she leaned up to whisper in my ear. "You know, sometimes we can hear you grunting when you cum."

My eyes went wide and as I turned to face her, I found that Cherys was also turning to look right at me, her eyes burning with an inner fire. Her hand dropped to my crotch and she settled her palm over my bulge. "Do you want my help with this?"

There was an intense undercurrent in her voice, a promise of pleasure. And as I contemplated what she was offering, my mind flashed back over the past few months. Cherys had always flirted with me, including over the past few months. All her flirty giggles and "accidental" rubbing of her body against me were nothing new; it was just that I hadn't been noticing it.

But today, finally feeling some sense that Brianna and I would be okay, that we could be friends, I was finally letting myself see the opportunities around me. Today, I finally began to feel the rush of sexual excitement around a pretty girl.

Cherys' face was just an inch away from mine. Her lips were so close, and she smelled so unbelievably sweet. All I had to do was lean forward and we'd be kissing. Who knew how far we could go? It wasn't like we hadn't gone there before.

But I didn't want to go that far. My conscience made itself known and I reminded myself that this was Danielle's true love. The last time I'd been intimate with Cherys had nearly been disastrous for Danielle, leading to breakup and eventually to Danielle's rape. It's not that I thought all that could happen again, but those memories were harsh reminders of the concept of consequences.

And besides, Cherys had been flirting with me for over a decade without ever following through. She just plain loved to tease me.

I made my decision not to go any further, and Cherys saw it in my eyes. She blinked slowly and then nodded her understanding. But before she pulled away, she asked, "Sure you don't want my help?"

My eyes set hard. "I'll wait until I'm alone tonight," I said with all seriousness.

Cherys sighed and then lay back against the couch. The door opened just then and Danielle came into the living room.

"Hey guys..."

***

FALL (September 2005)

"You ready to go?"

"Yep," Cherys replied and bounded up to me, pulling me into a hug. Together, we headed out to my car and drove the familiar path to our destination.

Once there, Cherys wrapped her arms around me and lay her head on my shoulder, looking down at the headstone. "I have a confession, sis. I've been flirting with your boyfriend."

Confusion came over my face as I turned my head to look at Cherys, but she just kept her attention on Ellie's grave. "So... I just wanted to run it by you. Make sure everything is OK. I'm going to keep flirting with him, teasing him. Maybe... if he's really lucky, we might even have sex. Would that be okay? If it's not, strike me down with lightning or something..."

We both waited in the silent air. I was practically holding my breath. I hadn't had sex in a long, long time and I found myself actually praying that nothing would happen so Cherys could seduce me.

"No?" Cherys said, looking around for lightning bolts. "Okay. I'm not saying I WILL fuck him. Just wanted to make sure it would be okay if I did. Love you, Ellie."

***

FALL (October 2005)

My keys jingled as I slipped them into my jeans while walking out of the bedroom. I waved to the girls, who were busying themselves in the kitchen together. "Laters..."

Danielle's 'mom' face came down on me. "And where do you think YOU'RE going?"

I stopped, confusion spreading across my face. She hadn't taken that tone with me in quite some time and I was instantly trying to figure out what I did wrong. "Uh... out?"

"Out where? It's a Friday night. What, you got a date?" From the way Danielle's eyes rolled it was clear that she thought that possibility to be remote at best.

"No, I'm having dinner with Kevin and Jen," I admitted quickly before my ego realized I'd been insulted. "But... I COULD have had a date..."

Cherys glanced over at us, chuckling to herself at the sibling standoff. Danielle looked hurt and said in a small voice, "I'd thought you would stay and have dinner with us..."

Danielle was impossible to resist when she pulled the whole hurt-little-girl act, complete with puppy-dog eyes. She knew my protective/family instinct would immediately come out.

"Okay, I'll stay and keep my big sis company." And with that, I pulled out my cell phone and turned, holding down the speed dial to Kevin and Jen's apartment.

It rang twice before my brain caught up and I quickly ended the call. I knew my sister better than this. "Wait a minute..." I turned to face Danielle, accusation in my eyes. "What's going on?"