Ever After (22 page)

I giggled as he laid me down in the bed, and kissed me passionately. “I love you, Scotty. I’m so happy that you’re back. I knew that you would be back. I knew it. I didn’t know how I would have ever explained my behavior towards you while you were in the hospital, but I always knew that we
would be back. And we’re back, because we’re meant to be. We’re meant for each other, Scotty. We’re meant for each other.”

We laid there, in the bed, and he was behind me, fully clothed. He put his arms around me tightly, and his head was in my upper back. He nuzzled me, and pressed his entire body against me. I felt him kissing my neck, and I put my hands on his hands, to put them closer around me.

“I love you, Scotty,” he said. “I’m going to give you that ring. But, please, act surprised when you get it. I wasn’t supposed to tell you like this. Act surprised, Scotty. Anyways, you’re going to be surprised when you see it. It’s really beautiful, Scotty. Really, beautiful. Like you are. Like you.”

“I’ll act surprised, Nick,” I said.

There was silence for a few minutes.

“Nick?” I said.

And then I heard him snoring.

I smiled, put his arms around me even tighter, and fell asleep myself.

Chapter 30

Nick

Oh, god. I feel worse than I did that one day that I woke up after Portia drugged me.
I looked down at my body, and saw that I was wearing the same clothes as the day before. I smelled like puke. Dried puke. My head was throbbing, and my entire body felt like it was made of alcohol.

And Scotty was in my bed, snoring away.

I held my breath. I had no idea why she had decided to sleep with me last night, but to say that I was thrilled to see her there would be an understatement. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. She might have just ended up in my bed because she was so drunk, and for no other reason.

I strained to think about what had happened the previous night. I remembered that Scotty and I were drinking heavily throughout the day and the night. And then we got some hamburgers and fries at the Shake Shack. I think. Even that was hazy. But I think that was how the night went down.

My memories of the previous evening seemed to be full of holes. There were entire chunks that were completely erased from my mind. And I hoped that I didn’t do anything to offend Scotty. I never liked to lose control like that. It always seemed that, whenever I drank too much, it accessed my id, so there were suppressed desires that tended to surface at just the wrong moment. Repressed thoughts and feelings as well. I had no idea what was buried beneath the surface of my consciousness, and I hoped that I didn’t let Scotty in on what was truly going on with me.

Scotty stirred after a few minutes, and turned around and looked at me. Her hair was all askew, and her face looked
blotchy. She also looked like she wanted to hurl as much as I did, as she was a little bit green and she was gagging just a little bit.

But she still looked beautiful to me.

She was swallowing hard, which was a sure sign that she might decide to throw up, so I reached over the side of the bed for my trash can and held it up to her face. She stared into the can, breathing heavily, and then shook her head.

“No, Nick, it’s okay. I thought that I was going to puke, but the impulse went away. But thanks.”

I smiled. I was nervous with her there. Why was she there? Did she want to get back together with me? If so, why? Don’t get me wrong – I was thrilled that she was there. I just didn’t know if it was a fluke or the sign of a new beginning for us.

And then she got out of bed. She was dressed only in her underwear and the shirt that she had on the previous day.

I looked at her. “Where are you going?”

“Um, I need to get some of that Pedialyte you bought for Aaron when he was sick that one time. I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared, walking slowly and groaning the whole way. “I’m never drinking again,” I heard her say when she got into the hallway. “And I mean that.”

I laid back down and stared at the ceiling. I was confused but happy. I supposed that I would have to talk to Scotty and find out what made her decide to come back to my bed.

She came back up, the Pedialyte bottle in her hand along with two glasses. She poured the liquid into each of the glasses and gave me one. “Bottoms up,” she said. “It’s grape flavored, so it shouldn’t taste too terrible.”

I smiled, and drank the Pedialyte down. “Where did you learn about this?” I asked her. “About Pedialyte helping a hangover?”

“On the Internet. The last time I had a hangover, I searched for the best cures, and this one came up. It might seem weird, but it works. You’ll start feeling better soon.”

I laid back down and looked at her. I downed the rest of my drink and put the glass on the nightstand. She was still drinking hers, but she was looking at me, as well, and smiling. She definitely didn’t look upset that she ended up in my bed, or anxious to leave.

All good signs.

Finally I said, “Scotty, uh, I see that you spent the night with me. Does this mean that, you know, you and I are on the mend?”

She looked a little bit surprised, but just said “Yes, Nick, of course. I love you, and I want to share your life. And your bed. If it’s okay with you, I was going to get my things out of that other bedroom and move back in.”

I smiled, big. “Well, I don’t know about that. I mean, well….” And then I laughed, after seeing her face that looked a little bit crestfallen. “Kidding. Of course, I want you to move back in, silly. What kind of a question is that?”

She laid down and looked at me. I pushed her bangs aside, and stroked her shoulders. And then I kissed her. I could feel her trembling a little bit as she kissed me back.

“Uh,” I said, embarrassed. “Sorry about that. I know that I probably have puke breath. I’ll be right back.” And then I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and gargled. Scotty came in right after me and did the same.

“I’m sure I’m no different,” she said. “We both had, uh, a few drinks yesterday. What, uh, do you remember about last night?”

“Not much. I remember bits and pieces of the bar. And getting hamburgers and fries at the Shake Shack. And then, well…not so much.”

She nodded her head.

“Why?” I asked. “What do you remember?”

“About as much as you. Going to the Shake Shack, and then not much after that.”

I hesitated. “I guess something happened, though. I mean, you decided to come back to me. Thank god, by the way.”

“Well, yes,” she said. “I just decided to give you another chance. I don’t want to throw it all away.”

I looked at her and then kissed her again, slowly and passionately. “I’m really happy that you decided to give me another chance. Really happy.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m happy too. Really happy.”

Chapter 31

Scotty

Nick has no recollection of his confessions last night.
At first, I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. But then I thought about it, and decided that it was a good thing. I didn’t want him to know that I knew. Because that might make him feel paranoid, like I would turn him in at any moment. Or, even worse, he was the type of guy who might try to get me to go the authorities, on the theory that I might get into trouble for withholding the information, if ever there was a question about the true nature of Mr. Lucas’ death.

I naturally just decided to play it off. Like I never heard any of that. That was the safest course of action. And Nick just thought that I just decided to forgive him for no special reason, which was fine with me. I wouldn’t have wanted to open that particular Pandora’s Box, for I didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of doing so. And there was liable to be something that might come from that.

So, I just laid there, looking at him. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he had seen better days. As I was sure that he had. He drank copious amounts. As did I - but he really did. My fault, of course. I was plying him with shot after shot. I was just so happy and so liberated, that I just went a little bit crazy at the bar with him. I never expected him to get that schnockered, though.

“How’s the Pedialyte working?” I asked him.

He shrugged. “Good, I guess. I think we both might feel better if we go down and get some breakfast though.”

“Sounds great,” I said.

But he hesitated there in the bed. Lingered, just staring at me. I looked at him quizzically.

“I’m so happy that you’re back, Scotty. I really feared that you would never forgive me for leaving you alone like that in the hospital. I don’t know if I would have been so forgiving if the shoe was on the other foot. I really don’t. You’re an amazing woman.”

“Well, you’re an amazing guy,” I said. And, as I was looking at him, I started to wonder if he really meant what he said about the ring that he bought for me. Perhaps he was babbling. Imagining that he had a ring for me. He certainly had given me no indications that such a thing was in the works.

There was one thing that I did know, though. If he asked me, I would leap into his arms, and cover him in kisses and give him the biggest “Yes!!!!!!” I could think of. I might have had my doubts about him along the way – when I saw him and Portia together, and when I thought that he ditched me when I needed him the most. Also, when I called Ryan and found out how much of a man-whore he used to be. But, each time, he proved that I was wrong about him. That I jumped to conclusions when I really shouldn’t have. That I always needed to believe in him, even when it seemed that I shouldn’t. Because there would always be an alternative explanation for when I would think that he wasn’t trustworthy, and that alternative explanation would point to him being a fantastic guy.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go downstairs and raid the fridge. I’ll cook you up a frittata and some hash browns.”

“Sounds good,” I said, but I made no move to get out of the bed.

He started to get up, but then he hesitated and looked back at me. “Well, are you going to move that beautiful ass of yours or aren’t you?”

   I looked down at my hands for a second, and then looked up at him. “Nick, uh. I’m sorry for doubting you. I always seem to think the worst about you, and I’m sorry for that. I hope to get to the point where I don’t anymore. Think the worst about you, I mean. I’m working on that in therapy.”

He looked like he didn’t quite understand where my apology was coming from. “Scotty, honey, I did a shitty thing. A really shitty thing. So, why are you apologizing to me? I don’t quite understand.”

I just shook my head. “I don’t know. I guess I had an epiphany last night. Sometimes that happens when I drink a lot. Anyhow, I think I just realized that you’re a really good guy, and that you have a good reason to do the things that you do. And I might not fully comprehend that reason, but I need to have more trust that there’s more than meets the eye with you. That’s all.”

He settled back into the bed, and stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. “That’s true, Scotty. That’s very true. I might not always do the right thing, but there’s usually a method to my madness. And it’s so great that you’re finally understanding that.”

“I am, Nick,” I said, and I put my hand on his leg. I looked at him, hoping that my eyes were conveying desire and longing, which was what I was feeling right at that moment. Desire and longing and a need for him to be inside of me.

He did pick up my non-verbal cues. He cleared some of my hair away from my face, and put his hands on my cheeks and kissed me deeply. I blinked my eyes and started to lose my breath. I had so wanted this all along. Every night that I laid in that bed in the guest bedroom, I thought of him. I thought of him holding me, and caressing me, and whispering to me about how much he craved my touch. My warmth. My sensuality. Of course, I also thought about the extraordinary feeling of having him buried deep inside of me. I touched myself as I thought about him, and wondered if he was doing the same thing.

He laid me down on the bed, and ran his hands lightly on my belly. He lifted up my top, and started to lick and caress my bare breasts. His tongue ran from one nipple to the next, as he slowly and sensuously ran his tongue over them, as his hand was cupping each of my breasts. I groaned, and spread my legs, and he was soon making his way down to my vagina and clit. I felt like crying out as he was teasing me with his tongue.

He brought me to a powerful climax, and then started to make his way up my stomach with his mouth and tongue. I felt myself breathing harder and harder, as I wanted him to enter me. I wanted that like crazy. He took his time, though. He laid down on top of me, with his arms on either side of my head, and kissed me urgently. I spread my legs open, and wrapped one of them around his back. He kissed my cheeks and my forehead and started to kiss and caress my neck.

Then he entered me slowly and deliberately, kissing me the entire time. I threw my head back in ecstasy. I was so wanting this for the past few weeks. So dreaming about this. And to think that I was having him inside of me, now, when the dark clouds of my life had passed, felt…there were no words to describe it. My life seemed to be so complete, right at that moment. It did. Nothing could possibly top the feeling that I had right at that perfect moment.

I was sure that, as I came to an orgasm, this would be the absolute pinnacle of my life. I was positive of that.

How wrong I was!