Nemesis: A Love Story

HUGH

She stays encircled in his arms for quite awhile and he's not complaining.
She keeps repeating she is sorry.
Sorry for reacting the way she did
Sorry for leaving.
Sorry for shutting off her phone.
Sorry for worrying him.
He finally tells her,into the top of her warm hair, to stop.
"There's nothing to be sorry for"
She pulls back from him then.
"Don't do that. Don't let me off the hook. You can be angry at me. I'm not made of glass. I won't break."
He's surprised she hasn't moved out of the shelter of his arms.
He gets to still hold her.
He can feel her hands on his sides.
"Tessa, I'm not letting you off the hook. What I said...the family comment. It was stupid. I wasn't thinking..."
Her hands fall away from his sides.
He misses them.
She wipes her eyes. They're puffy and red from crying. He wants to ask where she went but he doesn't.
"Do you want to go inside. Sit for a bit."
"Can we sit on the steps instead?"
He nods.
They sit beside each other.
Shoulders touching.
"I went after you on foot. Claire took the car. I thought you might be heading down to the pool hall."
She sniffles a bit. Exhales with a sigh.
"No. I went to the centre."
He's surprised.
"My feet just kind of took me there. Anyway Braeden was on her way out, saw me and then..."
She makes a head exploding gesture.
"Did she help?"
She nods.
"Yeah. After Megan. I never thought I'd ever speak to a therapist but there is just something about her."
He is skeptical.
He has yet to meet the new group leader.
There must be something good about her otherwise Tessa wouldn't have gone there. He was thankful she was there to comfort her.
"I wanted to...go to the pool hall. It was my first instinct. Go there. Get some drugs. Feel nothing again"
Hugh just listened. He knew the likelihood of Tessa remaining drug free was low, he'd been preparing in his mind for the next lapse.
"That's understandable. It's how you've coped with everything. No one expects you to just stop completely."
Tessa sighs softly.
"Don't give me an excuse to use, Hugh"
"That's not how I meant it. Honestly I don't want to ever see you, like you were that night, again."
"I'm sorry" she says again.
"I know you are. I'm just trying to say that if you slip it won't change anything. Claire and I will still be here."
He feels her look at him and turns to regard her.
"What?"
"Thank you" she says sincerely.
"You're welcome."
The quiet is deafening.
He wants to say more.
Tell her how he feels.
Really feels.
For her.
He doesn't think she can handle it though. Not right now. There's too much happening.
No.
He'll stay here in the friend zone.
Friend?
He's never been just friends with a girl he wants before.
He's clueless on how to do it.
Especially whenever he looks at her all he wants to do is kiss her and touch her, get lost in each other for hours.
He can feel himself stirring just thinking about it.
Down boy he mentally tells himself.
All he wants to do is be holding her close again.
"So should I leave you alone now?" He asks cutting through the quiet.
At first she says nothing. Just plays with her fingers. Like shes weighing the pros and cons.
"I don't want to be here right now." She tells him, sad again.
"Then come home with me."
He loves how he can say that to her now.
"Are you sure?"
He smiles at her and shakes his head.
"Yes. Claire may even return with my car if you do."
"Shit Claire! I need to text her." She sighs "with everything I've forgotten."
She looks at him and bites her bottom lip. A worried trait of hers he's come to know.
"Just say it
She looks at him perplexed.
"Whatever is going on in there. Just say it"
She's nervous he can tell. Her eyes clouded by other thoughts.
"I have to go see my brother." She whispers "it's time but I'm scared of what I'm going to walk into. I don't know how he'll react or if he'll even see me. I don't know."
He sees her hand shaking and he takes it in his.
"Why now?"
"Just something Braeden said. Reminded me about actually."
"I can come with you." He says immediately. Protective "if you want that is. I don't want to be in the way.
She exhales.
"Really?"
She looks at him with those cat eyes of hers, so amazed that someone would offer to help. That she doesn't have to do everything alone anymore.
"Yes. When?"
"Tomorrow?"
He nods easily.
She hasn't let go of his hand.
"I've just got something to do in the morning and then we can go."
She smiles and rests her head on his shoulder. They sit there just listening to the birds and watching the sky.
It's so peaceful that for awhile he'd forgotten where they are, what had happened over on that patch of grass.
He notices some of her neighbours looking over curiously at them.
Still not used to there being anyone at the murder house.
He gives them a look of warning and watches as they scurry away.
He holds her hand tighter.
They'd gone home soon after.
Tessa has called Claire and in minutes Claire was home again.
Apologizing and hugging her.
He let them have some alone time while he went out to take care of some business.
The bills didn't pay themselves.
It didn't have the same rush anymore.
The danger.
In fact he'd rather be at home.
He still can't believe this change.
Before he'd avoided that place like the plague.
Now he just wants to be there with them, his girls.
He arrives back well after dark. Claire is asleep in her room and to his surprise Tessa isn't.
He fears she's gone home and his heart sinks.
He walks quietly into his room, hopeful and sees her sleeping form.
In his bed.
He smiles deeply and relieved. He walks quietly to grab some of his things.
"Hugh?"
Her voice penetrates the dark.
He walks to her leans down.
He starts to retreat.
"Sorry go back to sleep. I'm just going to go down to the couch"
She sits up and looks at him.
"Don't go."
Time seems to stop as he realizes what she is asking. They stare at each other and it feels like they are having a whole conversation without using words.
She slowly scoots over and pulls back the sheets.
He slowly undresses down to his boxers.
He can feel her eyes on him and his breathing hitches at the inspection.
He climbs into the bed and lays on his back, holds up his one arm in a silent offer.
She answers and cuddles into his warmth.
He feels her hand on his chest.
Feeling his chest rise and fall.
He wraps his arm around her pulling her snuggly into him.
Neither speaks.
He doesn't think he'll be able to sleep at all with her so close.
He falls asleep minutes later.

When he wakes her back is pressed completely against his front.
Perfectly.
Like they were always meant to fit like this. Like two puzzle pieces.
His face is nuzzled into her neck and hair.
He doesn't want to move.
He burrows closer.
He wants to stay like this forever.
But he can't.
For two reasons.
One, he has somewhere to be before they go to see her brother, which he knows is going to be an emotional whirlwind for her, and him as he watches her go through it.
He's not sure how he's going to react to seeing the one who almost killed her, and stripped her of her family.
Made her believe she somehow deserved all the bad things that followed.
Second, he has to move away as he feels himself growing hard against her.
The feel of her pressed against him is like a tidal wave hitting him sexually.
He can't.
He's got to move before it wakes her up and embarrasses them both.
He manages to slide out of the bed without waking her.
She groans at the feel of his absence.
He pulls the covers over her and heads to the bathroom.
He steps into the shower.
His dick hard and swollen with need.
Normal he'd just go find Sheila or one of the other ransoms and have them suck him off or let him fuck them senseless but this was different.
Loving her was different.
No one else would be enough.
He knows that now.
Just her.
Always her.
He rests his head against the cold tile and grips it, pumps it hard.
Thinking of her.
Her smell
Her warmth
The feel of her skin.
He cums so hard that his whole body ripples in
response to his orgasm.
Knees shaking.
He has to bite his lip to stop himself from moaning loudly.
It takes him a while to calm himself back down but he does.
He gets dressed and leaves her a note before slipping out of the room and house unseen.