Jason left right before my mom came back, thank God. I wasn’t ready to explain that to her just yet. And with some nagging from her, and a little bit of luck, I was out of the hospital in about two hours. My parents wanted me to come home for a few days and I had tried to fight it. But it was only a matter of time before she wore me down. The doctor wanted me to rest for at least a week so, much to my dismay, I spent the next five days in a fog.
Once the IV was taken out of my arm, the pain really sunk in. The right side of my body was more or less black and blue. My friends constantly insisted I was more interesting now that I had a giant gash on my forehead.
“Scars are beautiful,” Violet insisted on the phone one day. “They mean you survived.”
“It was just a cut on the head, let’s not be overdramatic,” I reminded her.
“But it could have been a lot worse. You spun out on a highway while going way over the speed limit. There’s a good chance you could have died. Maybe you should be a little more aware.”
What she said stayed with me. I felt like I may have been trying to brush the severity of it all under the rug. I could have fallen into a coma, or I could have broken something or several somethings, but I came out the other end. It was probably time I celebrated that instead of acting so frustrated that my mom had me practically bedridden.
Even with my new way of thinking, I still didn’t have enough to do. I got up, had breakfast, took my pain pills, and watched daytime soap operas as I drifted in and out of sleep. My professors insisted my school work could wait until I got back so I couldn’t even be focused on that. My mother fussed over me at my check-up appointment, and my dad tried to save me by taking over for a few days so she didn’t have to keep taking leave. We hadn’t spent a lot of time together lately, so that was nice. But he did make me watch a couple boring war documentaries, so there was a positive and a negative to everything.
Violet and Christie stopped by a few times, but I hadn’t seen Jason. He wanted to come by, but I wasn’t ready for him to meet the parents, walk into my childhood bedroom, and, to tell the truth, I still wasn’t sure it was all real. I wanted to believe it, but I needed to see him again.
Ignoring my mom’s protests, I left home on Friday and went to my classes. I expected everyone to ask a lot of questions, but no one seemed to know what happened. I was a little surprised. Frankly, I had expected Kingsley to start spreading rumors about me being a druggie or something like that.
As I walked into the cafeteria for lunch, I saw Jason sitting at our table next to the windows.
I smiled and gave him a little wave. On my way toward him, a man in a suit stopped me.
“Are you Annabelle Lewis? I’m Frederick Mason.”
I nodded and looked him over. His three-piece suit screamed money, and his watch confirmed it. But he didn’t fit in at the school. He was in his early thirties, with a touch of salt and pepper at his temples.
He extended his hand and I shook it firmly. “Is there someplace private we can go?”
“No. I have no idea who you are. I’m not going anywhere with you,” I spat at this creeper.
“My apologies, I was told you’d be expecting me. I am one of the attorneys for the Kingsley family. They’d like me to speak to you on behalf of Thomas Kingsley III and the unfortunate accident from the other night.”
It started to make sense but I pursed my lips. I didn’t want to be alone with him. What if he tried to bully me? Obviously, I didn’t have a lawyer, or anyone on hand. There was only one person I could feel comfortable to have sitting in the room with me. I checked my watch and smiled. I knew exactly where he was at this time.
“Follow me,” I said to Mr. Mason, and headed upstairs. He continually tried to start small talk, but I didn’t want to give anything away. Anything you said could be used against you, right? Wait, maybe that was only with cops. I probably needed to take a law class.
The door was open, so I knocked on the frame.
“Excuse me, Professor Berneli?” I asked lightly. He whipped around at the sound of my voice and looked at me, brows raised with concern. “This is Frederick Mason, he’s the lawyer for Kingsley’s family and he’d like to talk to me. Since my parents are an hour away, and I don’t have a lawyer, do you mind sitting in with me while he speaks? I’m not looking for lawyerly advice but…”
“Say no more, Miss Lewis.” Berneli got up and extended his hand to Mr. Mason. “I am Professor David Berneli and I am the staff member in charge of the Elton Entertainment Team that Miss Lewis is a member of. I know her well and I’ll sit in with her. I trust you’ll treat her fairly, but also understand that whatever deal you offer, she will not be accepting until her own solicitor looks at a written contract.” He pointed to the chairs in front of his desk and offered one to me and then one to Mr. Mason.
Berneli eased into his chair. “What does the Kingsley family have to say for the actions of Mr. Kingsley? Driving under the influence of anything is certainly not a proud moment.”
“I have spoken with Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley and they have decided to offer a number of things. First, any medical bills that your insurance hasn’t covered, the Kingsley family will pay in full. No matter the amount.” He paused as if to gauge our reaction.
Berneli’s face didn’t change and I stared forward at him, afraid to say anything that might be deemed a commitment.
“In addition, they wanted to assure you that they are taking what happened very seriously. Kingsley has been pulled out of school to take care of his personal issues. You don’t need to worry about him bothering you anymore.”
“Their assurance is not enough. I am sure Miss Lewis is sufficiently frightened and we would like to seek a restraining order. Her solicitor can work out the details, but this is not negotiable, isn’t that right?” he asked, shifting his attention to me.
I nodded, holding eye contact with Berneli.
“I will bring that up with my clients. Out final issue is that the Kingsley family has a very proud reputation and we’d like her to sign an agreement to keep this issue quiet. In return for her silence, we’d be willing to put together a scholarship for the remainder of Miss Lewis’s education.”
“That is considerate of you. Miss Lewis and I will bring these terms to her solicitor and someone will be in contact with you.” Berneli stood up and again offered his hand to Mr. Mason, indicating that the conversation was over.
“The Kingsleys were hoping to get this taken care of quickly,” Mr. Mason informed us, not moving from his chair.
“I’m sure you would. That’s why you chased an eighteen-year-old down at her university. She doesn’t have a solicitor and her parents can’t advocate for her. I think the Kingsleys should be more concerned about Miss Lewis sharing this with the media. They sure would be gutted to hear the media portraying the family as a bunch of bullies.”
“We are by no means trying to bully Miss Lewis, we are just interested in protecting the Kingsley name.” Mr. Mason’s face was turning bright red and his jaw was locking.
“As Mr. Kingsley is the one responsible for the accident and Miss Lewis’s medical injuries, it is not her you should be concerned about ruining their reputation. Now, I do believe this conversation is over until proper representation can be obtained.” He opened the door for Mr. Mason.
“Just one warning. I may not be able to come back with such a good offer.” Mr. Mason had stood up, but hadn’t moved toward the door.
“I repeat, we will not speak with bullies. Kingsley put Annabelle’s life at risk and you will not take more from her in this manner. You will exit the premises or I will have security escort you off.”
Mr. Mason adjusted his ugly watch and walked out of the room without a backward glance. I slumped in my chair and started to breathe again.
“What a tosser,” Berneli muttered, and closed the door. “Are you all right? Fancy some water or something? I have some in a cooler back here.”
“Yeah, that would be great.” I looked up and he handed me the bottle. I took a long swig and closed my eyes, shaking my head.
Then there was a knock on the door. Berneli jumped up to get it.
Mr. Mason stared back at Berneli with his hands up.
“I apologize. I meant to give this letter to Miss Lewis. It is from Mr. Kingsley III and he is not promising anything that involves a lawyer so you can look at it without my presence. Feel free to read this whenever you want and know that nothing further is expected as it pertains to the letter.” He handed it to Berneli and then turned the other way, practically running down the hall.
“Do you want me to ring Violet? You probably shouldn’t read that alone.” He closed the door and returned to his desk.
“Uh, yeah. That would be great.”
He took his phone out and quickly asked her to meet us in his office.
“Thank you for all of this, by the way. I know I kind of just dropped this on you.”
“No, no. Honestly, I think you did what’s in your best favor. You were right to think something was off about all of this. And I don’t mind helping. You’re more than just my student. You’re my girlfriend’s best friend and I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
“If I got up and hugged you, would it be weird?”
“Most definitely, but you should do it anyway.”
I gave him a bit of a side hug. As he wrapped an arm around me, I placed my other arm around his waist. He then added his other arm and the hug was full on. As I stood there, the tears started to fall.
The weight of it all was too much and I was finally breaking down. The breakdown my mother was tiptoeing around was finally happening and it was completely at the worst time. The door opened and I jumped. Violet was standing there, white as a sheet.
“Oh god, what’s happened now? Is everything okay?” She closed the door and walked over to me, pulling me into a hug.
“A solicitor came to see Annabelle about the accident and tried to browbeat her into accepting a bunch of loaded things. Then he handed her a note from Kingsley.”
“Well, let’s just take a look at it,” Violet said, and she led me back to the chair.
With shaking hands, I opened the note.
Annabelle,
I know what I’ve done can only be considered terrible, but you have to understand where I was coming from. I wanted to be perfect. Get perfect grades, be the perfect firefighter, and be the perfect boyfriend. I’ve watched the way my father treated my mother and she always seemed so happy. I tried to do the same with you. I’m sorry you thought someone was better suited for you than me. Frankly, he has nothing on me and you’ve made a huge mistake.
Anyway, the drugs weren’t as intense as everyone is going to tell you. Karen and I just needed to relax every now and then. Sometimes I couldn’t come down from the intensity of the Ritalin and I needed to take something else to relax. It was under control until I heard about you and Jason. So, I guess I hope you’ll be happy, but just know, I won’t be here when you realize you should be with me.
Sincerely,
Thomas Kingsley III
“The nerve of this crap. Doesn’t he realize how much of a douche he is?” Violet asked as she read over my shoulder.
“Sadly, I don’t think he does,” Berneli commented. “Men like this suffer from such a level of entitlement that they don’t realize these things. Kingsley has probably never been properly chastised for anything, and still, he doesn’t accept responsibility in this letter.”
I looked at the paper and quickly ripped it up. As much as I thought I cared about him, the truth was I wanted to care for him more than anything else. He was the crutch that kept me from acknowledging my feelings for Jason. Now that it was out in the open, I realized how I was almost forcing things to work with him.
“It’s all right. He was your first, that has to mean something,” Violet said, picking up the stray paper that had fallen out of my hands.
“Actually, I think that’s why I’m so upset. It doesn’t mean anything. At the end of the day, I fell asleep dreaming of Jason. I woke up wondering when I would see him. My first time should have been Jason and I wasted it on Kingsley.” My leg was bouncing as I fought to keep it together. Regret washed over me as I really took that in. I’d thrown away my first time with a guy I barely knew in a freaking supply closet. Who did that crap?
“David wasn’t my first and I wasn’t his. That doesn’t make our time together any less special. Yes, technically, you won’t get your first time back, but you two will have a first time together one day. And then it will be special.”
“Right,” I replied, and nodded. “I need to find him.” I got up and ran out of the room. Looking at my watch, I figured Jason was probably in class, but I could wait. I sent him a text message to meet me at my room when he was done. Then I rushed to make sure it was picked up. While waiting for him, I had a chance to make myself presentable. Or as presentable as I could be with the giant cut on my forehead.
Half an hour later, I got a text from him saying he was on his way. I grabbed a new water bottle, since I’d left my other one back in Berneli’s office, and started searching for information about Frederick Mason, just to kill time so I didn’t spend the next few minutes panicking. As I was knee deep in reviews for the law firm, a knock on my door sounded.
Bounding off the bed, I hurtled to the door. But then I stopped suddenly and took a big breath. Jason was there with a beautiful bouquet of yellow daisies when I opened the door.
“I got these this morning. I was hoping we could talk, and I know yellow is your favorite color.”
I accepted the flowers, and with nowhere better to place them, I got the vase Kingsley had given me, making a mental note to buy a new one as soon as possible.
“They are beautiful. I love them.” I bit my lip and busied myself with pouring a water bottle into the vase and adjusting the flowers.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, and sat down in my computer chair.
“Um, I don’t want to talk about this now. Let’s just, uh, let me finish.”
Jason nodded and I took a deep breath. I messed around with the flowers a little longer, not really needing to arrange them, but trying to build up my nerve.
Finally, I leaned forward and kissed him. Holding his head in my hands. I let go slowly and smiled at him. “Are we together? Because I want to be together. Can we be official?”
“Annabelle, that’s all I want.” He pulled me in and kissed me back. It wasn’t like the kiss in the hospital. That had been sweet, and dare I say, maybe even loving? But now, there was something else behind the kiss and it sent chills down my spine.
Jason pulled me onto his lap and I straddled him. He grabbed my ass, squeezing and lifting up a bit. Our kiss deepened and his tongue took over. In all the time I’d imagined kissing Jason like this, it never occurred to me to wonder if he’d be good at it. He and Janice almost never kissed in front of us, and certainly not like this. But as he nipped at my lip, explored my mouth, and lightly pulled at my hair, I found myself purring in his lap, batting at him.
Jason picked me up and placed on the bed. He moved over me but stopped. “Are you okay with this? You’re not in pain or anything, right?”
At that moment, I wasn’t. I pulled him down by his neck and kissed him again. I felt a little dizzy, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with my injury.
He climbed on top of me, supporting himself on his forearms. It was endearing that he was so careful not to put too much weight on me. It made me want him more. Reaching for the hem of his shirt, I slid it off and admired his chest. Lean muscles surprised me, as I always thought he was so skinny. But the definition in his abs overwhelmed me as I felt every inch of him.
Then Jason inched my shirt up and caressed my boob through my bra. It was a plain one with no lace, no eye-catching color, and no matching panties. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t intimidated as he eased my shirt off and saw the old bra or my tiny boobs. In fact, I was proud of them for quite possibly the first time in my life. I fit perfectly in his hand and I shook almost uncontrollably as my body responded to him when he took my bra off and his warm hands caressed me.
My nipples grew hard as he slipped one into his mouth and sucked. I moaned loudly, running my fingers through his hair, not caring that it was messed up to begin with. There was no gel residue making my fingers sticky, and as I inhaled, I smelled wood, trees, nature, and just a natural musk. It was refreshing and intoxicating at the same time. Then I noticed why I loved that smell. He was still wearing my cologne.
I gently pushed him so that he was lying beside me and I rolled onto my elbow. I sent him what I thought was a seductive smile and reached for his belt, undoing it and sliding it out of his jeans. Then I made quick work of his button and zipper as his pants quickly joined my shirt on the floor.
As I reached for Jason, I couldn’t help but compare him to Kingsley. Not necessarily the size and everything, though Jason was bigger, but in the way I felt when I held him. All I wanted to do was please Jason. And not because it affected my self- esteem, not because I needed to prove to him I was good at it. I just wanted him to enjoy being with me because I was enjoying feeling his hands on my body.
I slid up and down his shaft and he grew even harder. A small drip started to form at his tip and I leaned down to taste it. Jason, watching this, lost it. He almost ripped my jeans off my body and had my panties down in a matter of seconds. Then he paused and looked me in the eyes, giving me a long and slow kiss.
“Are you ready?” he asked honestly, caring about my answer.
“Yes, I’m ready to be with you.” I grabbed the condoms Christie bought me when we got the lingerie. She’d snuck them in the bag and I almost didn’t see them. I stashed them in my bedside drawer just in case. Now, I was glad they were there. I was pretty sure Jason didn’t have one.
I bit my lip a little as I anticipated his next move. But he took me by surprise. Jason brushed a stray hair out of my eyes and kissed me tenderly as he slid inside of me. Letting go of the kiss, he leaned back a little so we could see eye to eye.
I started to close my eyes but he quickly reached for my hand and held it above my head.
“No, let’s do this together.”
He watched as pleasure washed over my body and started to bring me over the edge. I saw his eyes go from longing to passionate. As my climax took me over, Jason held my eye contact and I gazed at him when it all overtook him.
It was the most intimate moment of my life, and all I wanted was to do it again. But as Jason dealt with the condom, I had to admit I was feeling a little pain now that the adrenaline was gone. He turned on the TV and held me as we lay there and watched the reality dating show he hated but knew I was addicted to. That night, I fell asleep in the arms of the man I was truly falling in love with and nothing had ever felt more right.