Avi Kaplan: A Collection of Short Stories

Storm

You wake as the first peal of thunder rumbles through the air.

Turning towards Avi, you find him sound asleep, snoring softly, his face half buried in the pillow. Slowly, you untangle his arm from around your waist, his soft sigh making you pause before slipping from the bed. You make sure he remains sleeping before pulling one of his t-shirts over your head and stepping out onto the balcony.

The air is thick with humidity and Avi's shirt seems to stick to your skin, hugging the curve of your hips, your breasts. You breathe in deeply, the warm, wet atmosphere filling your lungs and you can smell the rain and taste it on your tongue. In the distance, the first bolt of lightning strikes and the crackle of electricity in the air raises the hair on your arms.

You sit down low on the chair, your neck resting against the upper most curve and you toss your hair over the side, the small breeze enough to cool the back of your neck. Closing your eyes, you listen to the increasing frequency of the thunder and the sharp crack of lightning in the sky.

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You loved storms.

There was something about how calmly and unassuming they all started. A mass of rolling, black clouds in the west, slowly creeping to cover the whole of the sky. The faint rumbles of thunder, growing in ferocity until they shake the very earth beneath your feet. Brilliant flashes of light that split the air and illuminate all below them.

And then the rain. It starts gently, a few drops, faster and faster until it comes down in droves, bringing with it the fresh smell of earth and the power to clean slates.

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When the rain starts, you get up and stand at the railing, the combating elements of humidity and refreshing coolness seem to swirl together, the wind picking up and dancing across your skin. The rain falls in sheets, splashes wetting your toes, pinging off the metal of railing and clinging to your hair as moisture.

Thunder rolls across the sky, but under the noise you hear the sliding of the balcony door. Turning, you find Avi standing in the door way, barefooted and shirtless, hair tousled from sleep. He runs a hand through his hair and scrubs it down his face, scratching at his beard. You smile at him and jerk your head, motioning for him to come join you.

Avi comes up behind you, wrapping his large arms around your waist and rests his head on your shoulder. You shiver at the contact, but slowly lean back into his warm frame and shudder as he presses a kiss where your shoulder and neck meet. You hum lowly in your throat with a smile as he continues to press a line of kisses along your neck and shoulder.

He hums against your skin and murmurs into your ear, "It's three in the morning; come back to bed."

"But look how beautiful it is," you say softly, your fingers trailing along his forearm. Lightning darts across the sky and thunder rolls through the clouds.

"Not as beautiful as you," he says, the scrape of his beard burning your skin.

Sliding his hands along your ribs, Avi trails them down your sides and then up under the fabric of the shirt. His hands ignite a fire within you and you feel his smile bloom against your neck as he cups your hips and finds your skin bare.

You break out in goose bumps as Avi briefly circles his fingertips along your hipbones, dipping momentarily to stroke the skin of your thighs before pulling away completely. Turning around, windblown drops of rain falling into your hair, you run a hand through his curls, enjoying the crinkle of his eyes when he smiles and you place a light kiss on his lips.

His fingers curling with yours, he pulls you inside.

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As the storm rages on outside, Avi sparks within you a different kind of storm. When your knees hit the edge of the bed, you pause, allowing Avi to pull the shirt over your head. His eyes never leave yours as he tosses it aside, his fingers running down your sides before curling his palms over your hips and pulling you flush against him. He kisses you slowly, tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth and you groan into his mouth.

Pulling back, you work your fingers into the waistband of his boxers, relishing in the slight quiver of his abdominal muscles at your touch. He helps you shove the fabric down his legs and you fall back on the bed, scooting back as he crawls over you. Thunder shakes the house and lightning illuminates the room, casting brilliant shadows over Avi's bare skin, the contrasting light and dark making him look like marble.

Avi moves so he's kneeling between your legs and leaning down, presses feather light kisses along your collarbones. His fingers swirl in random patterns across your skin, a trail of sizzling energy left in their wake. Thumbs spanning out across your hipbones, he curves his hands over your hips and under, arching your back and pulling your bottom firmly into his lap.

He continues placing light kisses against your skin, tracing his fingers along your curves until you're dizzy with pleasure, your short, punctuated gasps and the falling rain the only sounds in the room. You reach out, grasping him firmly between your fingers, his low groan rivaling the thunder outside. Avi leans down, kissing you sweetly before removing your hand from his erection. He pumps himself once, twice before aligning himself and slowly pushing into you.

Your legs wrap around his waist and you thrust up to meet his hips, setting a languid but powerful rhythm, a sharp contrast to the swirling wind and rain. Small gasps fall from his lips as he loves you and your hands cling desperately against his shoulder blades, a light sheen of sweat covering his skin. Avi dips his head as he steadily moves faster, resting against your shoulder, his beard scratching your skin.

Lightning dances off your bodies, the thunder and your groans vibrating between you, and the whirling wind and rain seems to keep pace with your movements. Sneaking a hand to where you're joined, Avi presses just there and you're coming, riding along the cresting wave of pleasure. His rhythm falters as he continues to move, hips shuttering and with one last thrust, he comes, groaning into your shoulder.

You cradle him as he withdraws from you, Avi resting his head against your chest. You quietly stroke his hair as your breathing calms and your bodies cool in the humid air. You both fall asleep, a tangled set of limbs as the thunder continues to rumble lowly in the distance, the steady fall of rain against the roof the last thing you hear.