Love & Loss (35 page)

‘Thanks,’ she snuffled. ‘Love you.’

‘Love you too,’ I whispered and kissed the top of her head and had to shake images of me in a threesome with my two favourite blond sex Gods out of my head as I drifted off.

‘O my God,’ I sighed as I flopped back on the new sofa.

‘Tell me about it,’ groaned Doug, who’d collapsed in the arm chair.

‘I’m never moving again,’ sighed Gabe as he put his arm around me.

‘You’re never asking me to help again,’ laughed Lexi.

I looked around our new apartment, we were done. Pictures were up, the kitchen and larder were fully stocked with far too many supplies, as was Lexi’s, roman blinds had been fitted and all the last boxes of clothes and toiletries had been loaded and unpacked. I’d still not seen the dressing room or bedroom, so Lexi had been put in charge of organising my stuff in there.

‘Are you staying to eat with us?’ I asked as I looked over at Doug and Lexi and felt Gabe’s knee nudge mine in protest.

‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ smiled Doug. ‘You two should have your first night in here on your own.’

‘Time to test out that sex soundproofing,’ chuckled Lexi.

‘Guys,’ I objected as my cheeks heated up. She was right though, we’d not had sex for two days. I’d refused Thursday night because of my confrontation with his fuck buddy Chelsea, then Friday and today we’d had too much to do with all the moving and had not had a moment alone.

‘Give me ten minutes to get the feeling back in my arms and we’ll be out of your hair,’ Doug advised as he chugged on his bottle. The intercom buzzed and I looked at Gabe puzzled.

‘Who’s that? No one knows that we live here yet.’ I got up and wiggled my aching hips and answered the phone. ‘Hello?’

‘Is this the Austin and Page residence?’

‘It is.’

‘I have a delivery for you if you can buzz me in.’

‘Sure, number six, top floor sorry.’ I put the phone down and opened the front door as everyone craned their necks. A young guy came up with a large box and huffed as he set it down. ‘Sign here and I’ll be back in a second with another.’

‘Ok,’ I signed and Gabe got up and helped me carry it to the dining table and I rummaged out some scissors. Inside was a massive display of lilies and palm leaves in a glass vase with a bottle of expensive champagne, and a card from Robert and Sofia us all the best in our new home. I set the flowers in the middle of the table and Gabe put the champagne in the fridge and went to sign for the second smaller box that arrived. I opened that and squealed as a large helium balloon with
Welcome to your New Home
floated up out of it and found a white square ceramic vase filled with white roses and a box of truffles with a card from Doug and Lexi. ‘Guys thank you so much,’ I smiled and went to give them both a hug.

‘Yes thanks you two, we should be thanking you for all the help you’ve given us. Tell you what, if you can forgo movie Tuesday night for once I’ll take us all out for dinner, on me.’

‘Sounds good to me,’ nodded Lexi as she stood. ‘Come on Doug, stop eyeing Gabe’s 50 inch plasma screen, they want to be alone.’

‘Lex,’ he groaned as she hauled him up.

‘Don’t worry Doug, you can have a boys night with Gabe every Tuesday while I’m with Lex next door.’

‘Can’t wait,’ he sighed with another longing look at the TV. He and Gabe did their hug thing while Lexi and I did ours.

‘Have a great night, hope you sleep ok, I’m going to miss you,’ she sighed.

‘I’ll miss you too Lex, but you have Doug to keep you company tonight.’

‘It’s not the same.’

‘Way to make a guy feel good Lex, come on, she’s only across the hall,’ he coaxed. ‘Plus Gabe gave you a key.’

‘For emergency use only,’ Gabe said quickly, with a look at me over her shoulder as we remained in our tight embrace. ‘I want to be free to chill on the sofa in my boxers without worrying about unexpected visitors popping in every five minutes.’

‘So long as you’re in your boxers, no one wants to sit on a sofa that has sweaty butt hole, cock or ball imprints thanks very much,’ Lexi advised.

‘Lex,’ I laughed. ‘You’re so gross some times. Come on, I need to order some food and go and have a bath to relax while we’re waiting. Cindy’s coming over at ten on Monday morning to work through my new routine with me, you can come and hang out with us then.’

‘Does that offer extend to me?’ asked Doug and Lexi let go of me straightened up and smacked him making me laugh.

‘No it bloody doesn’t you pervert. You and Gabe can clear out for the morning so I can hang out with my best friend and the lesbian stripper.’

‘That sounds like the beginnings of a very dodgy movie,’ laughed Gabe. ‘Right come on guys, I love you and thanks for the help, but I’d like some alone time with my girl please.’ He took my hand as I kissed Doug goodbye and Lexi started crying as he took her out onto the landing.

‘Love you Lex,’ I called and blew her a kiss as Doug put his arm around her.

‘You too,’ she sniffed and waved over his shoulder. As he shut our door I then burst into tears. Gabe pulled me into his arms and ran his lips over my hair.

‘You’ll see her soon, she’s only across the hall.’

‘I know, it’s just been me and her for such a long time,’ I sobbed.

‘Well, I know I’m a poor substitute for a girl’s best friend, but I’m hoping it will be me and you for a long time now. I love you baby.’

‘I love you too and I hope this is the start of our forever,’ I nodded as I wiped away the tears and looked up at him. He clasped my face and gently kissed me until I flopped against him, his firm body the only thing keeping me upright.

‘No hope about it baby, it
is
the start of our forever, you and me this is it now ok?’ he asked as he looked at me sincerely. I nodded and smiled. ‘Come on, sit down for a while, I’m going to run us a bubble bath and uncork that champagne. Then you can have your our moving in present while I order the food.’

‘You got us a moving in present?’ I asked, touched he’d done the same as me.

‘Just something to remember the day by,’ he smiled as he led me to the armchair and settled me down in it with a kiss to the forehead. He picked up the remote and put on some R&B music, the soft glow lamps and padded off in the direction of the bathroom. I pulled the cowhide cushion from behind me and hugged it as I wiped the remaining tears off my face. Gabe was right, it was the start of a new journey, it didn’t mean it was the end of mine and Lexi’s. Other than Mum and Gerry, I had the two most important people in my life under the same roof, so what if there were a few extra doors separating us. I smiled as I smelled the scent of ginger floating through from the bathroom, he’d purchased the Molton Brown toiletries that we’d loved so much in Edinburgh and I leaned back and closed my eyes and felt the tension start to drain. ‘Ready baby,’ came his voice. I opened my eyes and looked around to see he was already stripped down to his boxers, waiting by the bathroom door.

‘I certainly am, who can resist a bubble bath and a nearly naked Austin? Would you like your moving in present first?’

‘Right now all I’m interested in is getting my girl naked and in that tub, we haven’t had sex for two days and I’d like to christen the bathtub right now.’

‘I think you’ll find there are far more surfaces and areas that we need to pencil in christening Gabe.’ I smiled as I pulled my t-shirt over my head and started leaving a trail of clothes along the route to the bathroom as his pupils expanded and the bulge in his boxers grew significantly. I giggled as he picked me up and spun me around as he kissed me.

‘O don’t worry baby, there’s going to be so much christening you’re not going to be able to walk for days.’

I lay in his arms in the hot foaming water, feeling very flushed from not just the heat, but an amazing frantic session where he’d made me come three times before finally giving in and filling me as he called out my name over and over.

‘Hmmm, that feels better,’ I sighed.

‘Too right.’

‘Sex or bath?’

‘Both, I was aching and not just my balls. How are you feeling?’

‘My shoulders were the worst, but they’re feeling a bit better thanks. Orgasms and hot water are perfect for easing out the kinks.’

‘Then I’d better pencil in plenty more orgasms, but I don’t want to ease out all the kinks, I like you with certain kinks.’

‘Like the fact I like you spanking and cuffing me?’ I smiled as I tipped my head back for a kiss.

‘Most definitely,’ he replied before kissing me firmly.

‘So will I ever get to see the dressing room and bedroom?’ I asked.

‘Dressing room next while you choose something to relax in this evening. Bedroom, not until later.’

‘You’re such a tease,’ I sighed as I grabbed my champagne off the shelf and finished it.

‘So anything in particular you fancy from the Cantonese?’

‘No surprise me, but I’m hungry.’

‘Cool. Relax here a bit longer and I’ll come and get you.’ He kissed me again and I leaned forward so he could hop out. I lay back in the bath and happily watched him drying his muscular toned body, the twinkling from the fairy lights in the fireplace bouncing off each hard angle. ‘Lust face,’ he grinned as he secured his towel around his waist and disappeared. I smiled to myself, it definitely was lust face, with a whole heap of love wrapped up in it too. I heard him on the phone ordering the food and hopped out of the bath and wrapped myself in a hot fluffy towel as I drained the water. ‘I thought you were relaxing?’

‘I was, but I want to see the dressing room. The suspense is killing me.’

‘Ok,’ he laughed. ‘Let’s do it now, presents later.’

‘You have a deal,’ I smiled and took his hand as he opened the door and led me inside. ‘Gabe,’ I squealed in delight. It had automatic lights that came on as we walked in. The walls were lined with custom made racks and cubby holes and Lexi, aware of my slight obsessive compulsive disorder organising tendencies, had sorted my shoes by heel height with colours grouped together. All my bags had their own pigeon hole too, with room for plenty more as well as all the rails holding my clothes. There were drawers as too which had my t-shirts and jumpers in and a huge leather rectangular stool on the his and hers sides for us to sit at while we did our shoes. ‘It’s amazing, I always wanted a proper shoe and bag area like this, thank you,’ I giggled as I kissed his chest and throat repeatedly until he started laughing and pulled me off him.

‘Wow, a response like that for shelving, what will you be like when you see the bedroom?’

‘Can’t we see it now,’ I pleaded with my pout and big blue eyes through my lashes.

‘Stop it, you won’t break me,’ he chuckled as he covered his eyes. ‘Get dressed, I want to snuggle.’

We settled down with the fire going, both in sweats and a t-shirt and I lay in his arms, my face pressed up against his chest with the music playing quietly in the background.

‘This is nice,’ I sighed.

‘It sure is,’ he replied with a kiss on my hair and I promptly fell into a contented sleep until the intercom jolted me and I opened my eyes to see him smiling down at me.

‘Hey beautiful,’ he whispered as he kissed me.

‘God can we adjust the volume on that? It nearly gave me a heart attack,’ I moaned as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

‘You were in a deep sleep,’ he laughed as he hopped up and buzzed them in.

‘Didn’t you have a sleep too?’ I asked.

‘No, I just watched you,’ he smiled.

‘Stalkerish weirdo,’ I giggled as I headed to the kitchen and rummaged out some cutlery for me and his new chopsticks and set the table. We sat close together as we fed each other while we drank some Tsingtao beer he’d bought especially for me. I went and opened my desk unit to grab his gift and passed it over as he finished clearing his plate.

‘Hmmm that was seriously good,’ he sighed and picked up his present.

‘It was,’ I nodded, ‘I feel so much better for a bath, sleep and some food in me.’

‘I know what else will feel good in you,’ he winked.

‘Give me a minute, I’m too full for vigorous sex.’

‘Who mentioned vigorous? I’ve been flat out for two days bossing people with boxes around.’

‘You have and you’ve done an amazing job,’ I smiled as I kissed him. ‘We have a beautiful apartment.’

‘One your Mum still doesn’t know about,’ he reminded me with an unimpressed look.

‘I know,’ I sighed. ‘Robert wants to invite them to stay in February half term, so I’ll tell them before then ok? Are you opening my present or what?’ I demanded, changing the topic. He tore the paper off and smiled as he looked at the personalised print I’d had done. It was a picture of a house in grey on a white background, but the house was made up with words and phrases like our apartment number, the date we moved in and our names. I watched him trace his finger over some of the words like forever, engine, baby, big boy, sexy boy and fire cracker and he looked at me and ran a thumb over my lips.

‘I love it baby, it’s perfect. You even put “sex on legs” on there,’ he laughed.

‘Well it’s a reminder of our first house and all the things that are personal to us, in case we ever forget.’

‘I’ll never forget and I love how you’ve had it framed to match the other pictures we’ve had done. I’d like this on the back of the front door, so we see it every time we leave. Stay there, let me get yours.’ He kissed me, one hand on the back of my head as closed my eyes and enjoyed it. It was so nice to know that we could do that whenever we wanted now we’d be spending all this time together. I took in a quick short gasp of air. ‘What?’ he exclaimed.

‘We’re
living
together,’ I uttered as it really hit me.

‘We are,’ he laughed. ‘Are you about to have a panic attack?’

‘No,’ I gulped. ‘Just taking in the enormity of it. It’s not even fourteen weeks since we first met.’

‘It’s not,’ he confirmed with a kiss to the top of my head. ‘But just like me you know it’s right, because we’re destined baby.’ I nodded and caught my breath as he disappeared then returned and put a wrapped package on the table in front of me. ‘Careful, it’s heavy and breakable.’

‘It
is
heavy,’ I nodded as I moved it towards me and started to unwrap it as he watched. ‘Gabe,’ I gasped as I pulled out the Doug Hyde sculpture. It was called “We found Love” and was his smiley character holding a big red heart and made in cold cast porcelain. ‘It’s gorgeous, can I put it in the bedroom.’