Animate Me / Chapter Thirty / Making Magic

Hey, Sulley, I’m baring my soul here. The least you can do is pay attention! ~Mike Wazowski

Once we arrive at my house, we wander around trying to figure out where to sit and talk. It’s becoming abundantly clear that it was a bad decision not to have a couch.

“Why don’t we sit on the bed?” I suggest. “We can angle the back up.”

She looks at me with raised eyebrows.

“I promise, I won’t try anything…just talk.” I’m relieved when she agrees.

After I adjust the bed with the remote, Brooke climbs on and holds one of the pillows in her lap like a security blanket. She still looks broken.

While I wait for her to say something, I act casual, taking a long sip of my still-full cappuccino before setting it on the nightstand. I can tell by her expression that she still isn’t sure where to start.

“Brooke?” I finally ask gently. “Can you tell me about the meeting with Arnold? What did you do to make him give up the fight?”

She nervously smoothes the wrinkles of the bedspread out in front of her and takes a deep breath. I suddenly worry I shouldn’t have started there, but she surprises me with her first seemingly random question.

“Do you remember Bob Emerson at Sketch Republic?”

“Was he that executive who left last year?”

“Yes, he was Chief Financial Officer and a great guy. He was kind of a father figure to me. He took me under his wing when we worked together, and taught me a lot about financing projects and how the industry ran.”

I nod, actually feeling good for Brooke that she had someone besides Arnold teaching her things.

“Well, after a period of time I could tell that he didn’t like that I was with Arnauld. He never said why, but I sensed that he had issues with him and thought I deserved much better.”

“Good man,” I say quietly.

“In the months leading up to his departure he kept suggesting things, encouraging me to get another job, subtly suggesting distancing myself from Arnauld. Then one day we had a closed door meeting, and at the end, he suddenly gave me several files and flash drives and told me to keep them somewhere safe, just in case I ever needed them.”

“Whoa.” Now we’re getting somewhere.

“The next day, he resigned. He still checks up on me once in a while. I’m sure by now he’s heard on the news about the uprising that’s going on over there.”

“You know about that?” I ask, surprised.

“I found out today when we showed up for the meeting. Morgan met my lawyer and me outside before we headed in. She didn’t tell me about it yesterday when she gave me your sketchbook. I think she was worried how I’d handle the drama of it all. She knew I was on the edge and working so hard to get ready for this meeting with Arnauld and the lawyers.”

“She cares about you so much, Brooke.”

“I know. I’m so grateful. She’s been an incredible support to me. I knew she had my back, and I knew she was watching out for you, too.”

“She is, and she did. She’s such a good friend.”

“Yeah, today she gave my lawyer and me the lowdown before we went inside. She showed me the news clip.”

I smile at her. “Pretty amazing, huh?”

“Well, it helped explain why Arnauld was completely unglued when we showed up. He normally has a powerful game face. Anyway, thank God I took those files out Monday right after everything blew up and before they searched my office. I was an idiot not to take them home the day Bob gave them to me. Will I ever learn, Nathan?”

“You’re trusting, Brooke. I understand why you wanted to believe in Arnold.”

“I guess so. But I was such a fool.” She curls into her pillow looking defeated.

I need her to stay focused. “Come on, tell me…what happened next?”

She nods. “So when I finally picked myself up off the floor Monday afternoon, I called my lawyer, Erika. She’s another person like Bob, who I’ve looked up to and trusted. She’s been amazing. She actually insisted I stay at her house this week, even though that seems pretty unorthodox.”

“I’m just so glad to know you weren’t alone in this.”

“I don’t know what I would have done without her. You know, after Bob had given me the folders I checked them out, but the first part was financial spreadsheets that didn’t make sense to me so I just locked it away. Erika has this forensic accountant guy that went over everything for two long days, and believe me…it wasn’t pretty.”

“What had Arnold done?”

“All kinds of illegal kick-backs with the broadcasters, and skimming from profits into his personal accounts.”

“He could go to jail,” I say, trying to contain my delight.

“Well, Erika wanted me to turn him in, but that would’ve put your case with B-Girl into limbo for who knows how long.”

“Oh, no,” I say, concerned.

“And I couldn’t have that. All I wanted was to get B-Girl back to you, and for Arnauld to be out of my life.”

“Oh, Brooke.”

I look at her and my heart hurts for all she’s been through to try and help me. “So how did Arnold handle the news?”

“Oh, it was as awful as I’d imagined. He wouldn’t look at me, but he yelled repeatedly at Erika. And man was she powerful…the louder he got, the quieter and more fierce looking she got. Ruiz had to keep barking at Arnauld to get him to calm down. He was wired and kept getting up and pacing. I was a nervous wreck.”

“Were you scared?”

“Yes, but not as scared as I was earlier in the week. As I started to learn about his activities, I became afraid he would come after me to protect himself. I had a lot of crazy thoughts…I mean here’s a man I had naively trusted for years, and I couldn’t believe what he’d done. With his temper, who knows what he’s capable of?”

I’m stunned into silence as I imagine how worried Brooke must have been. If only I could have been there to protect her and make her feel safe.

“But more than that,” she continues. “I was really afraid that he’d do something to you if I’d gone to you after the meeting Monday. If he had, I couldn’t have lived with myself.”

“Is that one of the reasons you disappeared and didn’t contact me?”

“The only reason,” she says with a sad sigh. “I knew it kept you safe, and he would’ve done anything to find me, once he thought I wasn’t with you anymore.”

“How could you even go back to Sketch Republic and see him knowing what you were up against? You must have been so freaked out.”

“What choice did I have? Yes, I was panicked, but that feeling was jumbled up with a whole bunch of emotions. I really just wanted to get it over with so I could get out of there for good. Once Erika finished laying it out and our conditions, Ruiz took Arnauld to his office to discuss what they were going to do.”

“How long did you have to wait?”

“About fifteen minutes. Luckily, Erika was confident enough for the two of us.”

“That must have been the longest fifteen minutes of your life.”

“You have no idea…besides the horror of facing Arnauld… I swore I would never go in that building again. Who knows how many people saw that tape with us half-naked in the conference room? It was hard to look anyone in the eye. I’m still so mortified that people would have watched something so intimate that was just between us.”

“Oh, Brooke, I’m so sorry.”

“Well, Arnauld was very subdued when they came back. It was as if Ruiz had tranquilized him. Thinking it over now, I am sure the uprising at Sketch Republic had really torn him apart. He had deluded himself into thinking he was popular with the staff. So he was coming from a place of weakness before we walked through his door.”

“What’d they say?”

“Ruiz stated that they would agree to drop the case and relinquish any claim to B-Girl, but it was under two conditions. The first, of course, was that we would agree to never disclose the information we had presented in our demands. The second was that Arnauld wanted to talk to me privately.”

“No,” I insist, a little too forcefully. “Please tell me you didn’t agree to that.”

“Erika didn’t like it either, but I just wanted to get it done and leave. Besides, part of me wanted to tell him face to face how much he had hurt me. So she and I stepped outside for a minute and came to an agreement.”

“What was that?”

“First, he had to sign the agreements she had brought with her. Secondly, the conversation had to be there in the conference room with the door open so she could view from the hall.”

“Oh, I bet that infuriated him. Brooke, if I’d known about this ahead of time I wouldn’t have let him be alone with you.”

“I know. But wait there’s more. As the final insult, Erika wanted his jacket removed.”

“She knew he was a threat and wanted to make sure there were no weapons,” I think, out loud. “I like this woman. She’s damn smart.”

“Yes, she is. He was so offended when she made him turn around after the jacket was off…he almost stormed out, but he knew I was willing to walk if he didn’t cooperate.”

“So what did he say?” I try to keep my voice calm even though my heart is racing.

“You won’t believe it.”

I don’t like the sound of this. “What?”

“He opened by saying that he was hurt that I was scared of him. All he ever wanted to do was make me happy,” she says with an edge to her voice.

“Yeah, right,” I huff.

“Then he went on to say that he wanted me to come back to him, and back to Sketch Republic. He said something about ‘letting the boy go play with his comics’ and we would run the studio and be partners in every way.”

I just look at her, dumbstruck.

“I know…can you believe it? He’s insane.”

“What’d you say?”

“Nothing at first. I think the look on my face was like yours just a moment ago. I think he finally understands that everything is crumbling and maybe he needs me more than he realized. He always thought it was me who needed him.”

“Well considering how he treated you and everyone else, what did he expect?”

“Maybe he thought I could rally the troops and get everyone to calm down. He isn’t stupid. I think he just didn’t expect the staff to turn on him. As I said earlier, he’d convinced himself he was well-liked and respected.”

“Well, he’s beyond deluded,” I observe.

“You know, for a moment, Nathan, I almost felt sorry for him. He just doesn’t get it and he looked like he was about to lose it. So for self-protection, I tried to be calm and not just go off on him. As much as I wanted to scream at him, I figured if I kept my cool it would be safer. So I bit my tongue and told him that even though I couldn’t work with him anymore, I really appreciated the opportunities he gave me, and all that I learned. The minute I softened, he started getting pushy, saying that I owed him another chance.”

“You don’t owe him a damn thing.”

“I know. So I got up to leave and that’s when things got ugly.”

I can literally feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. “What did he do?”

Her head falls, and her cheeks get red. I try not to freak out. “He brought up the conference room.”

“What did he say?” I ask tersely, between gritted teeth.

“That we may have had an open relationship, but that he couldn’t believe I would act like such a whore under his own roof.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“You don’t need to, Nathan…I already did. I told him that I wasn’t a whore, I was a woman madly in love with a man he couldn’t hold a candle to.”

I realize that my fists are clenched so tightly that they’re losing feeling. With her words, they begin to loosen.

“And I told him he could trash me all over the industry, that I didn’t give a damn. I’d give everything up for you without a second thought.”

“Brooke,” I whisper.

“That killed him. It’s like he finally realized I’m completely in love with you, and there’s nothing he can do to change it. He freaked out. The next thing I knew he grabbed me by the shoulders and held onto me so forcefully I thought I’d break. He was mumbling incoherently and trying to kiss me. Oh God, it was awful.”

“What?” I growl. I can feel the fire explode right under my skin. I want to tear his fucking limbs off.

“I was trying to shove him off of me while I cried out for help, but really it was only a matter of seconds before Erika and Ruiz rushed in and peeled him off. Erika hissed something to them both about a restraining order and we were in the elevator heading down by the time I’d fully caught my breath.”

“Mother fucker. Thank God Erika was right there with the door open.”

“Damn, he’s insane.”

“Yeah, he’s completely insane.”

She nods. “You know, Arnauld just never believed I’d be willing to walk away from him and my career. But that’s who he is…it’s all that really matters to him. But that’s not me. I know that because of you, Nathan.”

I reach out and take her hand. It’s cold and shaky, so I scoot over and pull her into my arms. We sit together silently, trying to calm down. She’s been through so much. I run my hands up and down her arms, over and over, until I feel her settle against me. “Things are going to be okay, Brooke. Let me take care of you,” I whisper against her cheek. My need to protect her is overwhelming.

There’s a long pause. I can tell something else is weighing on her mind. After the longest minute of my life she finally turns to me.

“I know you want to take care of me, and I love you for that, but that’s the point isn’t it? I need to stop relying on men to take care of me. I need to carve my own path.”

“A path away from me?” I ask, intent on being strong no matter what her answer.

“No, a path alongside yours. Rather than getting another corporate job, I’m thinking about starting my own business. I could start out consulting on projects and hopefully develop shows eventually. It’s going to be hard, but I want to figure it out.”

“So you’ll consult on other people’s projects, but still be my girl?” I’m teasing, but there’s truth there too. I wish she’d work with me, but I know enough not to suggest that right now. It’s hard because the inevitable changes in our lives ahead unsettle me.

“Of course. I’ll always be your girl,” she says, smiling at me. “I know you’ll be supportive through the challenges. I just have lots of work to do as I learn to stand on my own two feet.”

“Of course I’ll be supportive.” I smile back, proud to be with a woman who is strong and able. “Whatever you need from me…just ask.”

She sighs and seems to relax before a smile lights up her face. “How about a kiss?”

Yeah, enough with the talking.

I gaze into her eyes before I kiss her tenderly. I hope she feels everything that’s in my heart. “I have so much love to give you.”

“And I want it all,” she whispers.

“You’re so demanding, you and your new path,” I tease.

“Kiss me again,” she insists.

I feel her hands weave through my hair while she pulls me to her. Her lips are soft yet insistent as they move over mine. I surrender to the feeling, and don’t hold back. We’re intoxicated with sheer desire pent up from our endless days apart.

We kiss and kiss, my body is electrified just having her pressed against me. My hand moves toward her breasts and I ache to touch her, but I stop myself. She pulls my hair and moans in protest. Seriously…how much longer does this woman think I can resist her? It takes all I have not to press her down over the mattress and show her exactly how much I want her. “You’re making this going slow thing difficult,” I warn her.

“Sorry,” she says, looking demure. She pulls back and lies against the pillows. “I know it would be prudent to go slow and be gentle with each other…we’ve been through so much this week. I’ve just missed you terribly.” She gives me the look…the hungry, insatiable one.

Whoa.

“That isn’t helping,” I say as I internally fight the ache for her. I know she’s still so shaky.

She puts her hands over her face. “I’m sorry,” she says sounding as frustrated as I feel.

“I’ll tell you what. I’m going to get up for a minute to cool off. I’m going to get some water…I think I’ll do that…yeah, that sounds good.” Now I sound like I’m trying to convince myself. “Can I get you anything?”

She nods. “Okay, could you get me some water, too? You know, I’m kind of cold so I’m going to wrap myself up in your blanket.”

I shake out the blanket and drape it over her. She smiles happily. Once in the kitchen, I pull two bottles of water from the fridge then lean over the sink and splash water on my face.

I have to take a couple of minutes thinking about random stuff until I calm down enough to rejoin her. I’m just about to head back when it occurs to me that Brooke probably hasn’t eaten. Before heading back to the bedroom, I root through the drawer full of take out menus from places that deliver in my area. I pull out the Middle Eastern, Italian, and Thai ones to show her. I’m not leaving the house as long as she’s here with me.

When I return to her, she’s crawled fully under the covers.

“Brooke?” I whisper. She’s still as a mouse and her eyes are closed. “Brooke, are you asleep?”

I’m met with sweet silence. I take the remote and lower the bed and she doesn’t even stir. I realize as the blanket falls back, that she’s holding something. With closer inspection, I realize it’s the picture I framed of us all dressed up at the Emmys. It takes some effort to pry it out of her hands and set it back on the nightstand.

Smiling, I kick off my shoes and strip down to my boxers and T-shirt before crawling in to hold my girl.

While she sleeps I hold her tightly, rubbing light circles down her back and pulling my fingers through her hair. For the most part she sleeps peacefully, but every once in a while her body tenses and her expression looks troubled. It pains me to know that for all I’ve suffered this week, I’m so much better now, yet Brook is still suffering. I fear it will take a long time for her to forgive herself for her part in our drama.

• • •

About an hour later when she stirs, I take it as an opportunity to wake her up. If I don’t, she’ll never sleep tonight. “Brooke,” I whisper, brushing her cheek with my fingertips. “Wake up, sleepy head.”

She blinks slowly three times until she realizes where she is. The most beautiful smile lights up her face. “I fell asleep,” she says with a yawn and a stretch.

“You needed it. You were exhausted,” I acknowledge.

“I haven’t really slept all week. That felt so great. Did you sleep too?”

“No, I just watched you. I couldn’t have anyway…I’ve never been more awake.”

She smiles. “Are you hungry? I’m starving.”

I pull the menus off the nightstand. She eagerly scans them before I order enough Thai food to feed a small army.

We have a picnic right on the bed eating straight out of the cartons. In between bites of Pad Thai noodles she surprises me.

“I guess I should go home after this. I need to start figuring out my plan.”

“It’s Friday night, Brooke. You can figure out your plan on Monday. Why don’t you stay with me this weekend?”

“You want me to?” Her lips curl into a sweet smile. “You’re right, we need time to just be together doing nothing,” she admits.

“Yeah, just be together. What was the first part of your plan, anyway?”

“Well I need to buy some office supply kind of stuff, get my office set up at home and reach out to some of my contacts. I also have to send a formal letter to all of my Sketch Republic peers about leaving the company to pursue other interests.”

I wince for a moment, feeling bad for her. I’m sure that’s going to be a hard letter to send. “I’ll tell you what, let’s go to the office supply place tomorrow ’cause I need to get stuff too. Then we can get you set up so you can hit the ground running on Monday. You can bring your laptop over if you want to work on the letter and send emails before then.”

“You’d do that with me?”

“Of course. If you’re nice, I’ll even share my wireless with you.”

She grins, leans over, and kisses me. “Everything’s going to be all right, isn’t it?”

“Yes. We’ll make sure of it.”

That’s how it goes…I push, she pulls back and then we meet half way.

• • •

The next day, we’re at Staples, the office superstore, considering the selection of Post-it notes when she surprises me again.

“I started seeing a therapist,” she offhandedly mentions as she throws the three-inch, six-pack in the cart.

“You did?” I stutter. “Where’d you find a therapist?”

“Erika recommended her. Her name is Judy and she’s really great.”

“I don’t know much about that stuff. Do you just sit around and talk?”

We push our cart down to the file folders section while she thinks about my question.

“Well yes, but she directs it, kind of leads me into the stuff I need to work on. You know, issues with my parents that led to my behavior now, that kind of stuff.”

“Do you talk about me?”

“Well, I’ve only seen her twice, but yeah. I talked about you a lot.”

“What did she say?”

“That you sounded like an amazing and supportive partner.”

I grin. “I like her.”

“She’s going to help me get over what happened, Nathan. I want to be the best partner I can be for you.”

I don’t know if it’s what she’s said, or the fact that we’ve agreed to share a shopping cart and all that implies, or that I’m a little worked up to see Brooke in yoga pants again, but I grab her and kiss her in the middle of the paper aisle. It’s one of those long, endless kisses where the world falls away and she’s all that exists. The stock boy, who’s trying to get to the neon colored card stock for a customer, has to clear his throat to interrupt us since we’re blocking him. Brooke giggles; we scoot over, and continue on.

Later that afternoon we’re on my bed again, this time with our laptops and other work related stuff. I’m doing research on the internet for a B-Girl story idea while Brooke goes through her emails looking for a show treatment that she’d been sent a while back. Her phone, which is dangling from the edge of her overturned purse, suddenly starts vibrating. It buzzes through three complete cycles, yet she doesn’t respond.

I look up at her. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

She looks over at me and shrugs.

“The voicemail box must be full. That’s why it keeps ringing,” I explain. “You should at least empty it.”

“But what if I’m not ready to hear the messages?” she asks, looking uncomfortable.

“Well then don’t listen, I guess.” I think about the desperate call I left her. It must be there with all the rest of her calls. “But you’re going to have to do something by Monday if you’re going to start making business calls. People are going to have to be able to call you and leave a message.”

She lets out a long sigh. “I know you’re right, I’m just kind of scared of what the messages say.”

“Do you want me to listen to them for you? I can be your screener.”

She smiles softly. “No, I can’t ask you to do that. Besides, this could be a step forward for me.”

“Yes, it will be a step forward,” I agree.

She studies me carefully. “Will you stay with me, though? In case I need moral support?”

“Of course.”

She lies back on the pillow and taps the keys to access her voicemail. I take her free hand in mine, and although I can’t hear the messages, I lay back as well, so I can watch her reactions.

As she listens to the first message she rolls her eyes. “My mom,” she informs me shaking her head.

“One down…five thousand, three hundred and forty-nine to go,” she teases.

The next few seem inconsequential. Then her expression gets dark. “Arnauld,” she shares.

My hand tightens over hers. She takes a deep breath. “What?” I ask.

“Nothing really. He’s just demanding that I come back immediately. This was Monday right after the meeting. He’s so angry.”

I nod and watch her expression. Her thumb hits the delete button without hesitation. It’s a whole other matter with the next call. She watches me with wide eyes as she listens. When a tear slides down her cheek, she closes her eyes and rolls on her side away from me.

“What, Brooke?” I ask as I move toward her. I notice that she’s dropped the phone on the bedspread as she curls into herself. I gently push down on her shoulder until she rolls back toward me.

“I can’t believe you left that message and I never heard it,” she says, her voice sorrowful. “You thought I didn’t love you anymore. It’s so heartbreaking.”

“I was really freaked out,” I admit. “I couldn’t understand why you hadn’t contacted me.”

“I hurt you so much, Nathan.”

“Yeah. I’d kind of lost it that day when I didn’t hear from you. As each day passed there were points I got really angry, and other times incredibly hurt. The worst part was just not knowing.”

“You needed me, and I wasn’t there. I wish I’d been strong enough to stay…to be by your side,” she says with regret.

“Me too,” I respond honestly. “What matters now is that you’re here. That counts, and you’ve promised to work it out and stick by my side no matter what we have to face moving forward.”

“But I’ll always feel like it wasn’t enough. I should’ve been there for you.”

“You did the best you could. For God’s sake, the whole week you were trying to help me.” I ease off the bed and set my laptop on the dresser, then take hers and do the same. Her phone joins them. When I crawl back on the bed I pull her in my arms.

“Time for a break,” I say softly.

“Good idea,” she agrees, running her hand over my chest and she cuddles closer. “You know, I don’t want that stupid phone anymore. I want a new phone, and I’m picking it out this time.”

That-a-girl. “Cool. Let’s go shopping tomorrow after brunch with my folks.” I look down at her and study her expression. “What?”

“Are you sure they want to see me…I mean, after everything that happened? You said that they know everything.”

“Are you kidding? Yeah, they know everything and that’s why they’re probably building a shrine to you at their house as I speak. They’re crazy about you for the kind of woman you are. It’s not just because I’m over the moon in love.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I promise.”

“Are Curtis and Billie coming?” she asks, looking worried.

“No, they’re not,” I assure her.

“Yeah, well, I want to see your parents. I want to thank them for taking care of you. You know…if I prove myself over time, maybe they’ll adopt me.”

I laugh. “I think they already have.”

Her eyes are wide, and her expression hopeful. “I can’t believe how much better I feel than I did yesterday. It’s like I’m getting my strength back.”

“Now you’re sounding like the B-Girl I know and love.” I look down and see that she’s grinning. “What?” I jiggle her.

“I’m just having a happy moment right now. For the first time in a long time, I feel the thrill of what might be right around the corner. Just think how things could be…B-Girl might be a big hit, I could find work that I love outside of corporate animation, we can take fun trips and be together without anything in our way.”

“It’s pretty exciting,” I agree, loving her positive attitude.

“You know something… you animate me, Nathan. It’s as if you’ve brought the real Brooke to life.”

I think of the hundreds of sketches I’ve done of her as I went from admiration to infatuation, from obsession, to pure and blissful love. The real Brooke was always there, she just needed someone to believe in her.

But will she ever see what she has given me?

Before I met Brooke, I was a shell: smooth inside with jagged edges, a hollow form waiting to be filled. Now I feel a life force surging through me. Her love has made me believe that I can make my life whatever I want it to be.

…and she thinks I animated her.

I run my fingers though her hair. “I could always tell who the true Brooke was. You always have been and always will be my dream girl,” I reply, smiling.

My words seem to light her up from within. She climbs up on top of me, straddling me with her hands pressed into my shoulders. “We’re going to do great things, Nathan.”

She’s so excited, so I get excited…but maybe not how I should. I try to shift so she doesn’t notice how excited I’m getting. I mean, she’s got yoga pants and a tight T-shirt on for God’s sake. How much does she think I can take?

“Brooke?” I groan. Is it my imagination or did she just grind over me?

“Yes,” she whispers, leaning forward so her breasts skim my chest.

“I’m getting too excited, you’ve got to stop. Remember, we’re going slowly…” Surely she knows what she’s doing to me.

“Maybe I can’t stop. Maybe I don’t want to,” she offers, her mouth pursed in a pout.

“Brooke,” I moan. “I’m sure you can tell how desperately I want you.” My eyebrows knit together, as it takes everything I have to restrain myself. “I’m trying to be respectful and give you your space and all, but I can’t take much more of this.”

Evidently my speech only spurs her on. She pulls her shirt up over her head. If this is an endurance test, I’m going to fail. “Brooke?”

She’s watching me, almost challenging me to stop her. The bra is discarded next.

Oh my God. Her breasts…her perfect breasts. I feel the fire move from my groin all the way up my chest and across my shoulders.

“Brooke, you can’t do this stuff and expect me not to make love to you. That’s cruel.”

“I know what I said earlier, but I want you, Nathan…so much.”

“Like, want me, as in…have me inside of you?”

“Yes, I need to feel you inside of me.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. I hesitate, grappling with the physical pain of my need for her, yet wanting to make sure she’s emotionally ready.

She gives me a feral look and grinds again. I see strength in her eyes.

She’s ready.

She slides off the bed and I watch her carefully to see if she wavers. She quickly slides down her yoga pants and thong. I pry my jeans off and throw them across the room. Her fierce look of desire is steadfast. Maybe this is just what we need.

“Oh, my,” she comments, smiling at my erection once it’s free.

“Yeah, I’m a little excited. I’ve missed you a lot…I’ve missed this.”

She grins. “I’ve missed this, too.”

She wraps her fingers around me and strokes several times before climbing back up to straddle my hips. She bites her lip and her eyes become dark and sultry as she lifts up, then slowly, so slowly…sinks down over me.

“Oh, oh,” I moan. My heart is beating wildly.

As I gaze back up at her, I realize that her eyes are wet with tears. I wonder if this is too much, but then she takes a deep breath and opens her heart wide.

“I love you, Nathan,” she whispers as she curves over and kisses me tenderly.

“Oh, Brooke…”

Before she kisses me again, she rests her hand over my heart. “You’re everything to me.”

In that moment, I realize that every difficult part of our journey I’d do again if it meant we’d end up here.

“I love you so much. You’re my everything, too,” I say.

I reach for her, stroking her soft hips with my fingers. I fear if I don’t hold on I may shatter from all the emotion as we kiss slowly, languidly, soulfully. I’m overwhelmed with desire and my hips instinctively begin to rock against her. Her eyes roll back with pleasure before she refocuses and gradually starts to move.

Her hips swivel and I’m undone for the heat, and wetness, and look of longing in her eyes. I let out a low moan. I don’t know when anything has ever felt so good.

“What, baby?” she whispers.

“I’m just so glad we aren’t going slow after all.”

She pauses and sighs.

“I just learned something else to tell Judy,” she states out of the blue.

“What’s that?” I gasp, wondering how she can even think such a thing in the middle of this erotic scene.

“That when it comes to my feelings for you, going slow is not an option.”

Perhaps we were never meant to slow down.

“Well, don’t fight your natural instincts, B-Girl.”

I love her passionately, with all my super powers.

I love her tenderly, still mindful of her fragile heart.

I love her completely, until she understands the majestic way she has filled me, heart and soul.

Our climax unravels what was twisted up, showering us with fragments of light and sensation. She is completely open and brilliant as she pulls me in. I surrender to her open arms, falling deeper into her.

My B-Girl’s back…and she’s mine.