A Little Bit of Hope

Chapter 7- Tragedy

Ian and I found several interesting ways to entertain ourselves for the rest of the day. Mostly kissing, but also watching some cheesy cartoons, arguing about who was the best superhero.

"Batman?" I cried. "You're really going to go with the spoiled, overdramatic guy in tights?"

Ian laughed. "They're not tights," he explained. "They're very formidable, very dangerous, and very manly leggings."

I raised a brow. "So they're man-tights then?"

Ian grabbed me around the waist and nuzzled my neck. "Very manly tights," he whispered. I giggled as his breath tickled my ear.

"You know just how to make a girl swoon, don't you?" I teased, tousling his soft black hair.

"Yeah, you know me, I'm such a lady killer," he said with a wink. He flexed his arms dramatically, and I pretended to faint, making us both crack up.

I sat back breathlessly and just stared at him. I was amazed at how much had changed in just a few short weeks. One moment I'm selling my body to pay a sleazy landlord, and the next I'm cuddling with my new boyfriend. I can hardly believe how lucky I am. A new life, and a new family to spend it with.

Ian held me close and I closed my eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat. We sat in silence for several minutes, neither one of us wanting to move apart. I felt so perfectly safe and comfortable right where I was that I just dozed off.

I woke feeling like I was right where I'd left off, Ian's arms wrapped tightly around me, but when I looked around, I saw that we were tangled up in my bed. I reckoned I must have been more tired than I had realized. I glanced at the clock to find that I was nearly two hours late for work

"Shit!" I yelped, trying to scramble out of bed. Ian was apparently a light sleeper, as he immediately clung to me and held me back.

"Calm down," he murmured gently in my ear, seemingly unaffected by my struggles to unlock his arms from around my waist. "I called you in sick."The man had to be on steroids or something; those things were like warm stone pillars. Still, I let him pull me back into bed. I rolled over to face him. His early-morning stubble tickled as I kissed him. He responded enthusiastically, but I pushed him away.

"Down boy," I whispered. "I have to pee."

Ian reluctantly released me, and I hurried into the bathroom. I ran into Tina on the way back, nearly dumping a bucket of blue paint onto us both.

"Whoa, sorry," I said, blushing. Tina took one glance at me and grinned.

"Told you from the start he was in love with you," she sang out.

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess I better listen to you next time," I agree. "Although I'm not sure we're ready to use the 'L' word just yet."

Tina walked off down the hall. "I'll have to dedicate my next piece to you guys," she called over her shoulder. I was flattered. From what little I'd seen and heard of her work as an artist, she didn't choose her dedications lightly.

I opened the door to my room and all but skipped inside. Ian sat up, and I clambered back into his arms, which to me now felt like the safest place on earth. He stroked my hair, and we laid there for several minutes. My phone rang loudly, and I jumped at the sudden noise. Ian chuckled and flipped the phone open, his smile melting as he read the caller ID.

"Hello?" he growled. His voice was so cold that I knew exactly had called. James.

I snatched the phone out of his hand. "James?"

"Who the fuck was that?" I pulled the phone away from my ear. He was pissed.

"Sorry," I said. "That was- that was Ian." I swallowed hard. I shouldn't be so scared of him, but I was. "H-he's my boyfriend."