Chapter 5

The Walker home was unusually cheery, Tricia Walker floated about the home in a lovestruck haze of smiles. Her mother marvelled at her daughter’s eagerness to do chores and her easy smile.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” she prompted as she fixed a dinner of lipton chicken and cheesy potatoes.

“Yeah, things are pretty good.”

“Oh, do tell,” her mother smiled.

“It’s nothing,” Tricia bit her lip and smiled to herself.

“Uh oh, I think I know what that means.”

“Mom?”

“Tell me about your day yesterday.”

“Well, I did some chores, and went out for coffee.”

Her father walked in and interjected, “I saw the chores you did. Well half of them.”

“Daddy!” Tricia hugged her father with joy and love. She felt different now, like more of an equal, but at the same time, still his little girl. Part of her wanted to share everything with him, and tell him how happy she was. She knew she couldn’t, but she could at least show him that she was elated with life. “Hi daddy,” she grinned at him.

“I saw the yard was only half done, Pattybaby. You know what we say about a job half done.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t let him go and replied, “The job isn’t done until the job is done done.”

“Are you going to finish?” he asked.

Her mom cut back in as she closed the oven, “She’s been helping me around the house a lot today.”

“Oh?”

“Yup. Vacuuming, dusting, laundry, she even cleaned the bathroom.”

“Wait, she cleaned the bombtesting zone? It doesn’t look like a clothesplosion?”

“Yup.”

Her father nodded approvingly as she smiled toothy and proud to him. At 6’ 4” he was still a man she could look up to and give goofy smiles. “Alright, tomorrow you two should celebrate with shopping. Back to school time I think. I heard ads on the radio. And tonight, I guess maybe we should just watch an episode on Modern Family.”

They were about half way through the episode when her phone buzzed. She hid her giggly grin and went up to her room. Down below, her parents smiled congratulations to each other and kissed, content that they’d raised a perfect child.

Patricia’s heart leapt: It was from Him.

A - Hey honey, how are you doing?

She took a quick selfie with a goofy smile and toonified herself into puking rainbows. She giggled as she sent it.

P - so happy I’m barfing rainbows!!!

A - WTF was that?

P - filters ill sho u later P - been thinkin about u all day A - Yeah, I’ve been thinking about you too.

She smiled and clutched the phone to her heart. Life was ecstacy.

A - I wanted to talk to you about yesterday.

A - Can we talk?

Her smile fell. Nobody says can we talk when it’s good news. She took a deep breath.

P - good or bad?

A - I just think maybe we should be practical about this, figure things out when we can be a little more calm and rational.

“Oh no,” she whispered. She felt the anxiety creep up in her stomach. She didn’t want calm and rational. Calm and rational was the opposite of love. Calm and rational meant killing destiny.

P - did I do sommething wrong? <sad face> A - No, no you were wonderful.

She took a quick selfie with a sad pouty face and sent it.

P - ur giving me a sad A - It’s me. Honestly, that pic you sent me through me. It was pretty wild. It drove me a little nuts.

A - I guess I lost control a little bit.

She bit her lip. He had, hadn’t he. He let love take over, just like it had taken over her. She knew what he was thinking. He was worried. If anyone found out they’d both be in trouble, but he was the one taking the real risk. She’d be humiliated, but he’d be in prison. These stupid laws didn’t make any sense. Maybe when she was twelve or something, but she was sixteen now. In two years no one would say a thing and she knew it was real. He was the only man for her, for the last three years if you really thought about it. The laws were stupid. That was what was holding them apart, not anything real. If someone saw them walking down the street they might think them just a normal couple. She was almost his height, after all. It was infuriating! Maddening! No! She rejected that whole line of thinking. She had plans.

P - brb I have a surprise for u A big smile painted on her face, she changed into a strappy sleeveless maroon tank top and a thin leather jacket over top and pulled on some jeans to match. She finished the outfit with a pair of slightly too big shades she’d gotten from her dad. She set her phone up by her external speaker and propped it up to make sure it was facing her. She hit play, then record.

Patricia stepped into frame as the music hummed a low sexy hum for but a second before she spun, lip-synching with the lyrics:

“Waiting for the time to pass you by Hope the winds of change will change your mind,”

She looked to the camera with longing and pleading with her little lip dub.

“I could give a thousand reasons why And I know you, and you’ve got to...”

The song sped up and she swayed her hips and bopped with the music as she talked to him through the lyrics.

“Make it on your own, but we don’t have to grow up We can stay forever young Living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola Underneath the rising sun”

She changed lip sync to say ‘your sofa’ instead, and feigned a quick drunken wobble to ‘drinking rum and cola’ as she started to smile through her performance. Alessia’s voice and Zedd’s beats guided her through the flirty fun dance she put on for him. Tricia felt so free and pretty dancing for him, she even through in a spin - which wasn’t perfect, but it worked. She kept on lip synching, threw her jacket off her shoulders and teased him with a bare shoulder and a come hither look.

“I could give a thousand reasons why But you’re going, and you know that ... All you have to do is stay a minute Just take your time The clock is ticking, so stay All you have to do is wait a second Your hands on mine The clock is ticking, so stay”

She’d had all the moves choreographed in her mind, she’d been dancing them all day. Hands on the knees for ‘stay’, finger on the wrist for ‘time’, hand over hand for ‘hand on mind’ and finished the chorus off with a blown kiss right as the video cut off at 1 minute. She squealed in joy and perfection as her video had ticked off and kept dancing as she sent it to him. She didn’t even care if she looked stupid, he would love it. It was for him, it was her, it was them, she just knew he’d love it. Done, uploaded and sent. She danced the rest of the song waiting for his reply, tossing her jacket off and shaking her bottom with abandon. When she was done, he hadn’t replied yet, but he’d started typing.

A - Damn, how do I save that?

P - u dont!!! <smiley face> A - You are so adorable, it’s ridiculous.

P - <sticking tongue out emoji> P - does that mean u adore me A - How could I not?

She took a picture of herself in bed and captioned it, “want 2 b on ur sofa <smoochface>”

A - You don’t make this easy.

P - good I am not ez A - Can you meet me tomorrow morning? Yoga by the beach?

Her nerves came back, but she brushed it off. Instead she wrote back P - u just want to see me in my <bikini emoji> P - unless u want me to wear this instead ... She peeled off her strappy tank top and put her bra back on. She wasn’t ready to send a nude, but this was good enough. She snapped a quick pic of her in bed with her bra on and sent it.

A - wow you are so naughty.

P - only 4 u luv <smooch face> Patricia was so excited she could hardly sleep. She set her alarm to make sure she got up early and made it out of the house well before dawn. She was still a little bleary by the time she got there. She wiped the remnants of sleep from her eyes and took a quick look in the mirror, as ready as she could ever be.

Her love smiled at her, appraising her body openly warming her before the sun’s rays had their chance. Blushing, she asked, “Wanna get started?”

“Yeah,” he said wistfully, but he was distracted. He reached up to her hair, fascinated by it as he brushed it off her forehead.

Shivering and suddenly nervous she whined, “What?”

“Just you. Just looking at you.”

She bit her lip and looked down, but he wouldn’t let her evade him. He tilted her chin up and planted a soft kiss on her lips. She couldn’t keep herself from responding to the gentle pressure of his lips that nudged hers open. He gave her butterflies all over again.

He had a smug smile on his face that burned her in a fun and naughty way, “Hey, quit it, someone could see us!”

He grinned, “I just wanted to show my appreciation for the picture you sent me last night.”

“Yeah, well, appreciation shown, didn’t you want to do some yoga?”

He brushed her chin, “Sure, lets get you warmed up.”

Together they moved through ashtanga sunrise sequences to get warmed up. Slowly working through power and balance poses, she felt herself calm and warmed, muscled loosened. Watching him move was also a treat. Somehow he was so flexible, even more than her in some ways. As she came back up to standing he stepped in front of her. He looked around furtively then satisfied, he smiled at her. She expected him to come back wordlessly for a kiss, but instead he ran his fingers up and down the placket of her blouse.

“Hey,” she complained, turning to look to see if anyone was around in the morning sun.

“You know what I was thinking,” was stated over her objection, “I was thinking that maybe you might like to get a massage. Therapeutic, deep tissue, something that would really relax you all over. What do you think of that?” The way his lips moved when he said ‘all over’ gave her a shiver. He was swirling in her head.

“Th-That sounds nice,” she stammered.

He stepped back quickly as she gained awareness of the sound of an approaching car. They weren’t in line of sight yet, but he backed away quickly.

“There’s plenty of parking at the Shops at Caramel Ponds, they don’t tow. My home is a short walk away.” She quickly added his address to her phone and nodded. He bent down to pick up his stuff and she was about to do the same to follow him but he stopped her with a gesture. “Not yet. You should stay here and tan for a bit. Got it?”

She suddenly understood and nodded. Of course he wouldn’t want some people watching them leaving together. She watched him walk away back up to the van, feeling the pull to follow but remaining planted. An elderly couple waved to him as he passed them and they came up the beach. She felt awkward watching them settle in, being the only one else here. The older woman gave her a smile and she waved.

‘Right,’ she bit her lip. It was sunny enough to start getting some real sun. She fidgeted nervously with her shirt, finally pulling it off but still clinging to it.

The old man suddenly bounded with awkward joy towards and into the cold still waters. He seemed beyond happy splashing into it and screaming out in cold. The old woman met her eyes with a bemused smirk. “He is like this every time. I don’t know how he can stand it.”

She smiled back and shrugged.

Seeing her still clinging to the shirt the older woman offered, “It’s okay, you get some sun before people get here. He’s too old for leering.”

He yelled back from the water, “I’m not too old for beer, devil woman! And my hearing is perfect, too!”

She rolled her eyes, and Patricia giggled. Finally relaxed, Patricia decided the sun was perfect for soaking up a few rays.

An hour and twenty minutes later, she’d parked in a strip mall and was walking down the sidewalk of another nameless suburb. She had stopped into the gas station to top off and buy some chips, so she wouldn’t feel guilty leaving her car there.

The homes here were quaint. Small, but spread on lots with nice lawns in front. Of course Mr. Klein’s yard was perfect. Was there anything he couldn’t do right? She smiled feeling a warming in her heart as she walked up to the front door. He answered on the second knock and invited her straight in.

“Your home is really nice, Coach.”

He chuckled at her backslide, “Thanks, and what happened to Andrew?”

“Oh, right,” she blushed, “Andrew.”

“Did you enjoy your morning at the beach?”

“Yeah, actually it was really nice, there was this older couple there, and they were really funny.”

“Oh? How so?” he asked as he pulled the blinds shut little by little turning the bright inviting home into an illicit cave.

“Well, Herbert is a little hard of hearing, so he kept mishearing things in funny ways. He might have been doing some of it on purpose. Angelica was really friendly too. They were like a comedy duo or something. It ... it was nice, I don’t know.”

He walked back to her as she awaited his reply. He pushed her beach towel and bag out of her hands so they dropped on the carpet. His fingers moved back to the placket of her shirt, but this time gently began pulling the buttons undone.

“It occurred to me, thinking about the picture you sent last night that I have not yet gotten a chance-” he popped a button, “to see you in-” another popped button, “that cute little bikini again.”

“Hey,” she complained again dumbly. As he finished the last button, she looked up realizing that she didn’t really know how to say no to this man. It scared her almost as much as it excited her.

“And with how pretty you are I couldn’t help but think about the last time I saw you in person in such a state of undress. It was ... quite an experience,” he said as he pushed the fabric off her right shoulder. She let it fall, but grabbed the bikini strap for modesty’s sake. He added, “I can tell that you’re thinking about it too.” As if to rebut the protest she hadn’t been able to make, he brushed her hardened nipple, “It shows.”

“Hey,” it was so weak it almost died in her throat. He circled it again, with a gentle kind of reverence. She whispered a meek, “don’t...” His fingers stopped and he stepped back.

“I’m sorry. That-” he halted, “I-” he stopped again. “It’s kind of hard for me, to resist you. You’re something else.”

She smiled and shrugged, hugging her arms together.

He clasped his hands, “So would you like something to drink?” He headed off to the kitchen. She looked down to her things, then back to him. Settled, she left them there and pulled her shirt back on, but didn’t bother buttoning it back up. He poured two glasses of water and offered her one.

“Oh, thanks.”

“Your welcome.”

She smiled, “It’s funny, I thought you were going to get me a rum and coke.”

“That’s oddly specific. Did you want one?”

She smiled, “Maybe, I dunno, I just thought, you know-” He shook his head. She continued, “With the lyrics of the song. The one I dubbed for you last night? Living on your sofa, drinking rum and cola?”

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t catch all the lyrics. But yeah, I guess that’s right. Anyway, no, no drinking for a couple reasons.”

“Cause I’m too young?”

He reluctantly agreed, “Sure, and plus you’ll be driving later, and there is no way on God’s green earth that I would ever get you drunk and behind the wheel.” His demeanor turned serious, “I’m not kidding about this, please, please, never drink and drive, got me?” To her silence he repeated, “Please tell me you get this, right?”

She nodded, “Of course ... I’m sorry.”

He sighed, “Anyway, water. Water is good, especially if you’re about to get a massage.”

“Ooh, right,” she smiled and nudged him with her shoulder, “I was really looking forward to that!” She’d suddenly felt a pang of horrible guilt and desperate to get him to think about anything other than his dead wife. The man probably never drank anymore, and here she was suggesting he get her rum and cola. She felt horrible, but turned on the smile instead. “You made it sound beyond.”

He smiled and took a sip, “Yeah. Alright, I made an offer and I’m a man of my word. Let’s get you ready.” She finished the water, turned her back to him, and gathered her hair off her neck. He chuckled behind her and walked past, “Follow me, sweetie.” He guided her past the couch to the bedroom where she looked at him apprehensively as he held the door open for her.

“I hope you don’t mind, it’s just, I was going to use massage oil and I can always wash the sheets, so it’s really best over here.”

“Oh, okay.” She felt a kind of elation with her first footstep into his bedroom. His bedroom. She let out a dumb huh-huh chuckle and immediately felt embarrassed. He just patted her on the shoulder and said, “I’ll leave you to get ready and go get the oil.”

He closed the door to give her privacy, which was weird, given that he was her boyfriend now: there was no one to judge them here, but still he made the little allowance. She let her shirt drop to the floor and wiggled out of her shorts. If she was to get a real massage, this was good enough. She pulled the comforter off and laid down atop the white sheets and sighed heaven. They smelled thick of him. She took a small moment to herself to savor the sensation of cool sheets and the scent of her love before she pulled up the sheet to cover her bottom and called to him. “Ready!”

The door opened and her tummy tickled at the sound of his footsteps. “Okay, baby, I’m going to use some massage oil and get to work. Your job is to lay there and just relax. Sound good?”

“Mm-hmm,” sme nodded.

“Beautiful.” He popped the bottle open with a snap and she listened to the slippery sounds of him warming the oil in his hands. The bed shifted as he sat upon it, but not enough to bother her. His large warm hands began near her elbows and painted her with oil up to her shoulders, off for more oil and back to her shoulders, off again and to her back around in large circles, off again and back to her lower back, off again and back to the small of her back right near her bikini line. He pulled the sheet off her bottom and painted her legs as well. Now covered in a shiny liquid sheen, he began working in earnest, starting with her calves. He kept shifting on the bed and she couldn’t see what he was doing, but it felt like he was stretching her calf out with a rolling pin. His hands moved over her body working each muscle in turn and as the friction from his hands and his strong pressure worked on her skin, fascia, and muscles beneath, it warmed the oil. The warmth in turn coaxed her muscle into deeper relaxation. Up along her back his hands worked, pushing deep into her muscles eliciting soft moans. At some point she felt a drip of warm oil slide down the side of her breast and that alerted her to the fact that he’d unhooked her bikini top. The thought didn’t register with any alarm, only slight surprise and then contentment. She felt so content with his combined slow detailed attention to her body that when his hands moved to her bikini bottoms to pull them down, he had to rouse her so that she could arch her bottom up to let him undress her. As he oiled up her bare bottom the thought occurred to her, ‘Oh, I’m naked.’ He whispered little notes to her, “This seems tenses ... there’s a little knot ... this is very strong muscle here ... this might feel intense, but trust me it’ll loosen things...”