Part 12

I was right I knew I’d call her the moment I got home and I did, and true to form she was waiting for me.  “Hi there, handsome, long time no see.” And I could feel the warmth of her smile even through the phone lines.  She just seemed to have a knack for managing to make me feel special no matter what the situation was. We talked for what seemed like only a matter of moments but in reality was well over an hour when I finally forced myself to say my good nights to her, but not bfore extracting another promise from her to meet in the morning. The rest of the week that I thought would just drag by until Friday night, seemed to magically slip by. The time was easily filled with our pre workdates, actually working, which for me was a challenge to focus on as my mind always seemed to drift back to thoughts of the woman that I loved so dearly.  Meeting after work, running errands and sharing meals together followed by after dinner strolls hand in hand, snuggling in front of the telly or my personal favourite being able to hold her and feel her lips caressing mine.

  “Anything else I can help you pack for the weekend?” I inquired as I walked into her bedroom and caught her around the waist and gave her a delicate sliding kiss down her neck to her shoulder which was bared by the tank top she had on. “Liam” she purred “Stop that, I have to think for a minute and you’re distracting me.” “Moi, a distraction?  Never!!” I protested my innocence as I rained soft kisses over her exposed shoulder.  “Yes you!” she shot back at me.  “Now if you aren’t going to be part of the solution your obviously part of the problem.  Would you please behave yourself, the sooner I finish up we can put Barclay in his carrier and be off.”  I couldn’t help but grin at the thought of spending an entire weekend with her.  “Okay, okay.  I surrender.” And with that I gave her a final gentle kiss on her cheek and sauntered over to the bed and looked over my shoulder as I went.  “Aha, caught you looking.  Enjoying the view?”  She blushed, at being caught in the act.  “So it isn’t just me slowing down the process.” I crowed at her as I flopped down on the bed.  I lounged on the bed propped up by some pillows, hoping I looked as seductive and enticing as one of those models you see on those romance paperbacks with the come hither looks on their faces.

   “I’m not looking, I’m not looking” she claimed throwing her hands over her face, and spreading her fingers so she could still peak.  We both shared a giggle and she continued to scamper about opening drawers and closets and tossing things into her suitcases.

“Are you planning on moving in permanently with all of the stuff your packing” I inquired amused at the ever growing collection of items.  Not that the concept of her making this a permanent situation seemed to be phasing me at all. “I promise you’ll be the first to know when this is going to be a permanent thing.” And she gave me a meaningful look. “There I’m finally done.” She announced and triumphantly zipped up her suitcases and gave them a firm pat, as if to give herself reassurance that this was the right decision. She sidled over to the bed where I was still trying my best to give her my come hither impression.  It must have worked because she sat down beside me and leaned in to give me a slow lingering kiss that awakened my senses.  She gave me a look that revealed her unabashed adoration and affection of me but also the underlying anxiety of us being so committed already.  I found her hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze and drew it to my lips and brushed a kiss across it.  My eyes wordlessly conveyed to her that there was no need to worry as all would be well. She seemed to sense that and gave my hand a little squeeze in return as if to tell me she was putting her faith in me. That was an awesome responsibility and not one I’d take lightly.

   “Okay you grab Barclays’s carrier and I’ll go hunt up Barclay and we’ll get this show on the road.”  I found Barclay curled up on a cushion on the sofa and I scooped him up, ready to get him in his carrier. Which as it turned out was not as easy as I’d hoped it would be. Apparently according to Lorelei he associated it with trips to his “Kitty Pediatrician” so he tended to put up a fuss whenever it was time to put him in it. It took us a couple of trips to load everything into the car, as in addition to Barclay and  2 suitcases there was a box of kitchen supplies so she could make something to take to the barbeque the next day.  Seems she had her doubts that my kitchen despite being recently well stocked would be missing things like Madagascar vanilla and saffron. 

    Soon everything was stowed neatly in the trunk with the exception of Barclay, who was carefully placed in the back seat and after being reassured in soothing tones, that his was not his yearly visit to the vets for his jabs, settled down and purred happily. We glided in and out of Friday night traffic, singing along happily to tunes on the radio, and just simply enjoying our time together.  As I turned on to my street and drove down it I felt as though I were bursting with happiness, because I was heading home and it wasn’t alone.  I hit the automatic garage door opener and we pulled in.  Lorelei carried Barclay in while I unloaded the suitcases and box of kitchen supplies and brought up the rear of our little entourage.  She put Barclay’s carrier down on the kitchen floor and opened it.  Barclay sniffed the air, deemed it acceptable and slowly exited, stretching out his muscles after being cooped up.  We decided it was best to just allow him to explore his new surroundings at his own pace.  I whisked the carrier away and stowed it the coat closet.  I’d left the box of kitchen supplies on the kitchen counter.  I looked at the suitcases sitting there on the floor not sure which room they would be going to after all I didn’t want to assume anything about the weekends’ sleeping arrangements. They sat there immobile, and the unspoken decision about to be made had me on pins and needles.

   Her soft voice broke the silence, “Liam would you be a darling and take those to our room please, while I unpack this box.”  A simple request and it caused my heart to feel as light as a feather.  “No worries, my pleasure.” And it truly was my pleasure to take them there.  On my return from my task I found her in the living room, thumbing through my C.D’s looking for something to slip in and listen to.  I liked the way she was making herself at home, and I flopped down on the sofa, and just enjoyed taking in the scene before my eyes.  She found something to her liking and popped it in and hit play, then came and joined me on the sofa.  Barclay was sitting in the living room window tail twitching making these funny little sounds which I would later learn was his idea of a hunting cry as a very saucy little squirrel chattered away at him through the window pane.  She slipped her hand into mine and drew it to her lips and kissed me, “Happy?” she inquired as she snuggled into me.  I nodded but the grin that was spread across my face seemed to say it all. I don’t know how long we sat there in companionable silence just enjoying the simple act of being together, no pressure to take her home or come home myself, just the undeniable joy in the moment we were sharing.

   “While this is wonderful, I guess we should sort a couple of things out.” I said in a rather reluctant voice, as I truly hated to break this special moment in time we were sharing.  “So what do you need to get done tonight so that we have the weekend free and clear for just the two us to enjoy rest of it without leaving things to the last minute and having to rush. Let’s make a list and we’ll divide and conquer it so it gets done in half the time.” I said “A team player, I like that.” Liam said pulling me closer with his arm and giving me a quick kiss. “Okay for me and around here it would be, grading my students assignments to return to them Monday morning, mowing the lawn, laundry, bit of cleaning, and of course setting my buddy Barclay up with food and water bowls, and showing him where the little boys room is located for his convenience, oh and dinner.” He added hastily.  “Let me guess you’re hungry.” And I laughed at him and rumpled his hair good naturedly at this announcement.

    “As for me I need to unpack my suitcases, figure out what you’ve got and not got in the kitchen to see if we need to pick up anything we’re making to take your folks place tomorrow.”  I pondered the best way to split up the tasks and get them done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. “Okay how’s this sound, the lawn should take you what a half hour or so?”  I asked him.  “That sounds just about right.”  Okay you go get that done and out of the way.  I’ll set Barclay up and put my stuff away.  Then I’ll make you a snack for when you’re done with the mowing.  You can have that while you work at your desk, and I won’t disturb you while I put the laundry in and start on dinner and the rest of it.  Sound like a plan?”  Sounds good to me, any time I don’t have to do my own laundry it sounds like a good deal to me and as a bonus I’m getting fed.” Liam laughed. Liam headed off to get the lawn taken care off and I started off on my tasks, but not before there was very friendly and affectionate kisses, hugs and caresses exchanged between the two of us, a little reminder of things yet to come.

     I heard the mower roar to life as I filled up food and water bowls for Barclay and placed them on a mat on the kitchen floor.  I showed him where his litter box was, then I made sure he had some of his toys out to amuse himself with as well as tossing him a couple kitty treats and giving him a scratch behind the ears then left him to his own devices as I headed off to the bedroom to unpack. I soon discovered the empty dresser drawers, closet space and which night stand Liam had cleared out and allocated for my things.  It made me feel like he genuinely wanted me here and sharing what had previously been his and his alone. I understood and appreciated it more than he knew what it was like for him to make these changes in his life for me.  Everything was put away, including the empty suitcases which I stored on a shelf in the walk in closet.  The only thing I had left to do in here for the time being was to slip my journal into the nightstand drawer.  I happened to glance at the alarm clock and realized I’d better get a move on and gather up the laundry and get it started while I started on a snack for Liam when he finished the yard work.  Then thoughts of what to make for dinner and tomorrow occupied my thoughts and I absent mindedly left my journal on the desk in Liam’s room while I found the clothes hamper and gathered up a few odd socks and what not that had been haphazardly left about the room on furniture and on the floor.  Then it was off to the bathroom to check for towels and anything else that need laundering.  The search of the living room yielded a pair of balled up socks under the coffee table and I was ready to take it to the laundry room and start sorting.  Barclay followed me tentatively down the stairs to the basement to see what sort of adventures lay down there for a little cat that wanted to explore. 

I    separated things into piles towels, whites, and darks and tossed the first load into the machine and added detergent, looked for the fabric softener and not finding any made a mental note to add it to our shopping list.  I started the machine and headed back upstairs to the kitchen Barclay hot on my heels as he didn’t want to miss out on anything.  I dug about in the fridge and poked through the cupboards debating about what to make Liam for a snack and what I was going to make for dinner.  I was reaching for some crackers on a shelf when he came in and wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head. I could feel the sheen of the perspiration on his chest as he pressed against me. Obviously he’d gotten hot and removed his shirt while he’d been working.  “Hungry?” I squeaked before I lost my focus and started to concentrate on the fact that I had this very attractive, semi dressed man holding me in his arms and the heat of his breathe on my flesh making my skin tingle.

  “Famished” as he began to nibble on my earlobe with delicate little nips that were making things heat up very quickly between the two of us. With every ounce of will power I possessed I reminded him that right now it was work time and play time would be all that much more enjoyable later when everything else was taken care of. He sighed heavily and gave me one last sliding kiss down my throat that ended with some playful little nibbles that left me breathing rather heavily purring in delight.  “You don’t play fair Liam.” I moaned at him. “My dear lady all is fair in love and war.” And with that he gave me a playful pat on my bum and added “Should you require my services I’ll be in the shower then at my desk getting my grading done.” “I’d put the shower off for a bit sport, I’ve got a load of laundry in, and we don’t want you scalding or freezing anything of importance now do we?”  I giggled at him. “Ah you do love me, after all.  That or your very attached to at least certain parts of me already.” He grinned at me. “GO!”  I said pointing in the direction of the bedroom.  “Testy are we?” and he waltzed off triumphantly whistling as he went.

   I would have liked to have had a shower and cleaned up so I was fresh for Lorelei but I took her warning to heart as once too often I had experienced the none too pleasant thrills of water temperature changes.  I gathered up the papers I needed to take a look at, found a pen and a highlighter and set to work at my desk. I was so absorbed in it that Lorelei startled me when she came in with my snack a short while later.  She placed the glass and the plate on the side of my desk.  As always it looked amazing the way she had presented it.  A plate containing an assortment of cheeses, crackers, perfectly chilled grapes, strawberries and apple slices, along with a glass of iced tea.  “That should tide you over until I can get dinner on the table.”  She leaned over and kissed me.  One of her kisses was never enough for me though and I caught her hand and pulled her back to me for just one more sweet shared moment.  She smiled, patted me on the shoulder and turned to leave.  I watched the gentle sway of her hips as her form disappeared through the doorway of the bedroom. I stretched my arms to get my circulation going again and popped a couple of the cold sweet grapes into my mouth. Then about to settle down to my task at hand I noticed a book on my desk that had never been there before.  I idly picked it up and leafed through it, recognizing the hand writing at once as belonging to Lorelei.  My eyes began to drift over the entries in it and I soon found myself skimming the text.

    “I know I’m being totally ridiculous in thinking this man will ever notice me or be interested in me in the slightest. He’s so out of my league and I know it, and even if we were on a level playing field I’m too much of a coward to ever have the courage to even say a simple hello to him, hidden in the shadows like some voyeur I try to commit every little detail of him to my memory, an accidental brush of his hand against mine and the thrill of it lingers even yet, admittedly he is the most handsome man that I've ever seen, and those eyes of his, how I long to gaze into them deeply to my hearts content and truly see him and allow him to see me as well and what is harboured in my heart for him. My heart and soul cry out to him, anguished that I shall never know what it’s like to be loved by him. If I could only have but one perfect day with him, to share all those little things that mean so much.  To make love to him would be almost more than I could bare but I just know it would be the ultimate experience, and even once would be enough to sate me, and last me a lifetime, for that’s all it would ever be, he could never love me not as flawed and scarred as I am. My soul is not my own when he is near, and I would gladly sacrifice mine the essence of my core being to share the ecstasy of even one brief moment sharing myself with him.

   My shoulders slumped as I folded the book shut and just stared at it lying there on top of my desk. I felt the colour flooding from my cheeks and I felt physically ill.  What she’d written clearly wasn’t about me and the thought of her feeling that way about another man devastated me. I thought, obviously quite mistakenly that we shared something magical between us, and yet in her own hand no less, the ultimate poison pen.  A wry laugh at that thought rose in my throat but it caught in my throat, for once in my life I couldn’t find the humour in something. She came bouncing in the door, full of energy “Come on, dinners ready, come and get it.”  I sat immobile and felt the burn of bile building in my throat. “Liam, sweetheart, if now’s not good for you and you need some more time I’ll keep dinner warm for you.”  I couldn’t find my voice to say anything, and yet I knew I had to confront her about what I had just discovered.

   She moved so that she was now facing me and her face was questioning.  “Liam what’s wrong.  You don’t look well at all, are you ill?  What can I do?” she inquired anxiously.

“Who is he?” I choked the words out from between my parched lips.  “Who’s who????????” she said looking at me as if I had gone suddenly quite mad as a hatter and was not in my right senses.  “Liam this isn’t the least bit funny, if you’re ill you have to tell me so I can help you.  Do you need me to get you some sort of medication that you are taking?  I could see the fear building in her eyes and in her body language that she was truly worried something was indeed very wrong with me. I picked up the book and stopped just short of flinging it across the room.  “Who is he?  Who is the man that your so in love with.  It’s all in here in your own hand you can’t deny it, so tell me the truth.  NOW!!” I demanded of her in a cold controlled tone of voice.

   “You read my journal?” she cross examined me, her own temper beginning to peak.  “I did indeed.  Now I want to know who the bastard is that your so in love with and why you’ve been playing games with me.  Just settling on me are you because you can’t get what you truly wanted, my pet?” I taunted her.  She took several deep breathes trying to control herself before she spoke to me again.  “Right now I am pretty bloody furious with you and I don’t know if I should hug you or slug you at the moment.  I have half a mind to do the latter and try to knock some sense into you.  Fortunately for you I’m not one given to violent acts to get my point across.”  I was about to say something in response to her but she cut me short.  “Don’t even think about uttering a single word until I’m finished having my say, then I’ll hear you out.  You’ve just jumped all over me after we had firmly agreed that when we had a misunderstanding we’d discuss it in a calm and mature manner.  But for now you’ve decided to turn jumping to conclusions into an Olympic calibre sport at the moment.” She huffed at me.

  “Yes I wrote those things and yes I am very much in love with the man that those words are written about, and I still am even though at the present time he’s behaving like a horses’ hind end, and a royal one at that.”  She sank to her knees and clasped my hands in hers, I tried to pull them away from her but she held me firmly and looked steadfastly into my eyes. “Can’t you recognize yourself Liam?  You are the “he” to whom I referring to, only I didn’t know your name at the time I wrote those things.  You also obviously never checked the dates of those entries nor did you read the journal in its entirety or you would have known it was about you.  It’s always been about you and it always will be about you.” Tears began to rush down her cheeks and she lowered her eyes.  “I’m a complete and utter coward Liam.  I’ve yearned for you for far longer than you can imagine, and I was too spineless and timid to even say hello to you.  I had to have some way of dealing with my feelings for you, so I wrote about them.  I wrote about you and how I felt about you and how you made me feel.  I loved you then and I love you know with every ounce of my being.” She collapsed against my knees sobbing uncontrollably. 

   I sank to the floor beside her and cradled her heaving body against mine trying to console her after the damage I had done.  “There, there” I get repeating in hushed tones as I kissed the dampened hair on her brow.  “I’m so sorry, and I don’t know how I’m going to make this all up to you but I will I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make this up to you Lorelei.  I swear with God as my witness, I will.” And I held her close rocking her gently.  “I’ve just never had any one love me the way you do or see me the way that you seem to be able to. I’m both honoured and humbled that you can see so much that is honourable in me.  I was a fool for thinking there was someone else in your life that was competing for your affections.  The only one I’ve been competing against it turns out is me.”  “Would you ever consider letting me read the journal in its entirety not just skimming bits and pieces of it as I did?  I’d value the opportunity to be able to view myself as though I was seeing myself through your eyes.  I have a feeling it will make me strive to be a better man and one that is worthy of you. Please would you do me that honour?” I nodded, and answered him “Yes” in a still small voice as the sobs that had been racking my body finally began to subside.  My head rested against his bare chest and I held him tightly.

    He tilted my head up gently but firmly in one of his hands and regarded me in a contemplative manner. “You truly are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.”  “Well you’ve got the creature part right anyways” I snuffled.  “My nose and eyes are red and swollen from crying.  I’ve got a blotchy face and I’m sure my mascara has run,  I’m sure I look a total and utter fright.” I grumbled. “No, you are beautiful, truly beautiful and I’ve never seen you more beautiful than you are at this moment.” He contradicted me.  “You give me your unfailing love, your trust and devotion and you give it to me of your own free will and so unconditionally.  I’ve never had that with anyone else.  I know the value of those virtues of yours and I know them better than ever now.  Your beauty is genuine Lorelei for it comes from within,” and with that he kissed me, and we both knew we forgiven but a valuable lesson had just been learned by both of us.

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Tales of the Amoristicpillow

Part 11

On the trip back to the house we chattered like magpies, catching up on our day and all that had transpired while we’d been apart.  The conversation flowed easily between as it always seemed to and before we knew it we were off the bus and ambling  down the street towards the house together.  “It’s a lovely neighbourhood you live in Liam.” I observed taking in my new surroundings as we drew ever nearer to our destination. Kids riding bikes and calling out to friends, lawn sprinklers on ensuring the lawns never took on a dry and parched look to them. Homes surrounded by neatly manicured lawns and flower beds, which the home owners obviously took great pride in. People were sitting on their front porches sipping glasses of lemonade and iced tea and fanning themselves from the heat of the later afternoon sun. Parents called out to children to come in and wash up as it was time for dinner.  It was definitely a pleasant family oriented sort of neighbourhood and it somehow felt right being here.

   An elderly woman waved at Liam, and he in turn waved back.  “Your roses sure are beauties this year Mrs. Gruber.” He called to her, and she beamed back at him.  It seemed to suddenly dawn on her that there was someone with him today and her face took on a look of genuine curiousness. “Okay we’re home.” Liam announced with a flourish of a couple of the bags he had in his hands.  We took the side walk up to the porch steps and to the front door, where Liam set his bags down and fished his house key out of his pants pocket. He opened the screen door, and wedged his body between it to hold it open as he unlocked the front door.  He pushed it open and held the screen door open for me. “Apres vous, mademoiselle.”  I gave him a slight courtesy and a bob of my head “Merci beaucoup monsieur.  C’est vraiment gentil de ta part.” And I glided past him and into the entry way. 

    I stood waiting for him in the entry way while he picked up his bags of groceries and what not and followed me in side and shut the door behind us. “You never told me that your bi.  Er, I mean as in bilingual.” He added in a hurried attempt to correct himself.  He was beginning to blush at his little gaffe.  I giggled at him “Tis okay, no harm done, but you are awfully cute when you get flustered, and to answer your question not nearly as fluent as I would like to be. I followed him into the house and into the kitchen where we put our bags down on the counters. “Now first things first.” He said and he wrapped his arms around me and drew me close.  My upturned face meeting his gaze as he leaned forward to press his lips against mine. It was sheer bliss when our lips met and we both felt the jolt of electricity that it produced. My arms were stretched up and wrapped around his neck drawing him into me.  I had been eagerly anticipating this moment all day and was totally revelling in it now that it had arrived.  As amazing as kissing Liam was the most important thing of all to me was merely being with him, it didn’t matter where it was or what we were doing it simply meant the world to me just having him near me. I just considered the kisses and anything else that we engaged in was merely an extension of that closeness and I considered it a bonus.

    Her kisses always managed to leave me hungering for more and she was manna for my soul. She provided core energy to me and she always somehow managed to recharge and revitalize me. God she was amazing and how I loved her, and that love just seemed to grow in leaps and bounds with every moment we shared. “You my darling are an amazingly gifted kisser.” I managed to whisper to her when I finally found my voice.  She bit her bottom lip and looked at me with a most beguiling coyness. “Now I’ve really got to get these things put away, then I can either give you the grand tour or you’re welcome to poke about and explore on your own.  You’re pleasure your choice.”  I said.

“If it’s all the same to you I’ll help you put things away in here.  I have a feeling I’ll be doing some cooking in here so, it’ll be a good idea to know where you store things, besides the tour guide is awfully cute.” She answered as she gave me a saucy little wink.” The two of worked side by side, occasionally bumping into each other, stealing a small kiss now and again, little stolen glances at the other that revealed the level of happiness we felt being together.

    Before he restocked the fridge he’d removed some containers and I had a sneaking suspicion that I was happier not knowing what they contained.  When we were finished putting the kitchen in order he gathered them up.  “Come on let’s start out in the back garden.  I want to dispose of these in the composter.”  She followed me out the sliding door and on to the back deck.  I trotted out to the composter and deposited them cardboard containers and all.  When I came back I found her leaning on the rail of the deck, and I could almost imagine what she was thinking. “A few plants here and there, maybe prune a couple of the bushes, and that would make a great spot for a vegetable garden and the English herb garden could go there.” I wrapped my arms around her waist, “I’m willing to wager that you are landscaping the back garden in your mind and you’re going to have me out here helping you accomplish all this.”  “Guilty as charged.” She answered, and I found myself nuzzling her neck to signal that I was fine with it.

“Come on, I want to show you the rest of the place.” And I took her hand and led her back inside.  We started in the living room.  She was obviously at ease, like she already lived here, as she meandered about, stopping to check out book titles in the book cases and titles in my C.D. collection.

    We drifted from room to room until we ended up in the master bedroom.  I kept a watchful eye on her to gauge her reaction.  I didn’t want her to feel intimidated by the fact that this wasn’t the home field she was used to playing on and I didn’t want her to feel like she was at any sort of a disadvantage as a result.  I truly loved her and I’d wait as long as it took.  She looked up at me.  “That bed looks pretty comfy and like it could easily fit two people.” She said softly. “Yes it is, and I know there’s enough room for someone special like you to share it with me.” I answered her in a sincere voice. “But only if you want to otherwise if you want to do sleepovers we can always make you cozy in one of the guest rooms.  You’re always going to be more than welcome here and there are no expectations or pressure on you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with got?”  “Got it.” And she stretched up on her tippy toes to give me a kiss.

   The doorbell rang just then intruding on our special moment.  “That must be the delivery person from Pet Smart.” Liam said and started to jog to the front door to answer it.  “But you don’t have a pet, not even a goldfish, why on earth are you getting a delivery from a pet shop?” I called after him, as I hurried along behind him. “Oh good evening Mrs. Gruber, something I can help you with?”  I heard Liam asking as I caught up with him once more.  “Oh no dear, there’s nothing I need a hand with.  I just noticed you have a guest over and I know how you bachelors can be, never anything in the house to serve when company drops by.  So I thought I’d bring over some dinner for the two of you. She is still here isn’t she dear?” She said trying to peer around Liam to get a better look at me.

    “Yes I’m still here.” I said stepping up beside Liam.  “I’m Lorelei and it’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Gruber.  It was so thoughtful of you to think of us like this.”  The older woman beamed at me.  I was obviously making the right impression on her. I took the proffered tray from her that she held in her hands.  “It smells wonderful.  Would you care to join us or at have cup of tea or another beverage perhaps?”  I asked politely.  “Oh no thank you dear, it’s very kind of you to invite me in though.  I’ll come and visit another time.  You two young people just enjoy your dinner.  Bye now, lovely to have met you dear.”  And with that she turned to leave.  “Thank you again.” I called over my shoulder as I turned to take the tray into the kitchen.  “Yes thanks, Mrs. G.” I heard Liam say as he closed the door behind her.  I heard the soft tread of his footsteps his footsteps coming into the kitchen.  “You were so getting checked out you know?” He laughed.  “Oh I know it and I think I passed muster with her.  Though she may be a bit disappointed that I wasn’t scantily clad and hanging all over you.  Nothing going on here that’s going to be considered note  worthy of neighbourhood gossip or scandal.”  I giggled “I’m more than willing to be scandalous with you.  After all I’d hate to disappoint her you know.” Liam responded giving me a rakish look, his eyes twinkling.  I reached up and rumbled his hair.

    “Kindly go and get some cutlery out for me and I’ll put dinner on the table so we can enjoy this.  Guess we’ll do dinner at mine another time, but I really should leave when we finish and get home to Barclay and check on him.”  We were soon sitting down to Mrs. Gruber’s delicious meal of homemade fried chicken, potato salad, sliced cucumber and tomatoes.  “So are you going to explain just why you thought it was a delivery from Pet Smart that was at the door earlier?”  “Curiosity killed the cat you know.” He teased me.  “And satisfaction brought him back.” I shot back at him. At which point the doorbell rang once again. “I’ll do better than explain it to you.  Come with me please and I’ll show you.”  I followed him to the door to indeed find the expected delivery man.  “Deliver for a Mr. Liam Conlin.”  “That would be me.” Liam responded in a decidedly chipper manner.”  “If you would just sign here sir and I’ll bring it in for you.”  “Thanks just leave it here in the entry way and I’ll take it from there.”

     “Come on Liam, spill, what’s in the boxes?” and I was curious what all this was about.  “It’s for Barclay.” He said, closing the door.  He rubbed his hands together delightedly as he set about opening the boxes.  “Barclay?”  “Yes.  The way I figure it, it’s no different to me then if you had a child and I’d fallen in love with you.  Barclay is your “fur baby” as you put it and so he’s part of the package. I figure there are times we’ll want to hang out here or you might want to spend the night or weekend and I know you’d fret about leaving him alone.  So long story short I figure he might as well have things here to make him at home as well.  So I got him all the necessities as well as a few toys.  Mind you I plan on making him a scratching post in my shop. Its highway robbery what they charge for those things and most of them lack imagination, so Barclay shall have a custom designed one.” 

I my mouth formed a perfect “O” of amazement, as I was completely taken back by all of this.  “Liam you have to be the sweetest, most thoughtful man in the entire universe.  Actions speak louder than words do and you doing this for Barclay is speaking volumes and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for going to so much trouble and expense for him. No wonder I love you so dearly.”  I threw my arms around him and pulled him into me and gave him a very deep and heart felt kiss of gratitude. “I love the way you thank a fellow.  Now let’s go finish our dinner get tidied up I’ll show you the house and we’ll find a place for all this stuff then it’s time for us to go see Barclay together and get some more of those to die for brownies of yours.” Then we linked arms and waltzed into the kitchen to finish our meal.

    As we were tidying up I noticed one more bag on the counter.  “Seems we forgot to put some things away earlier Liam.”  “No we didn’t.  You did.  I don’t know where you want it.”  “Liam” I began to protest, “It can’t be mine I didn’t have anything with me other than my back pack and some of your shopping bags when we came in.”  “I’m not daft woman, I’m quite certain its yours.  Now take a look.” I opened the bag and peered in.  “Why it’s a new tooth brush and my brand of shampoo, conditioner, body wash...how on earth did you remember all my favourites?”  “Easy peesy, you my dear, do not have the exclusive ability to store information for use at a later date.  I got to thinking about you asking if I’d have a tooth brush for you if you ever did decide to sleep over so I figured you should have a few things here to make you feel more at home and not make it a huge deal when you did need or want to fresh up here, like after doing some gardening with me.  So you go and put them away where you want, guest bathroom or in the ensuite off of the master bedroom it makes no difference.” And with that he waved me off.

    I headed off and knew exactly where I planned to leave things.  I marched purposefully into his room and though it into the ensuite bathroom attached to it.  I put the shower gel, shampoo and conditioner in the shower next to his.  Tooth brush in the toothbrush holder next to his and soon I had everything neatly stowed away.  I smiled in satisfaction.  Thought to myself a nice fern would really brighten it up in there and headed back to the kitchen where Liam was waiting for me.  He didn’t mention where I’d decided to leave things and I didn’t offer an answer, he’d find out soon enough.  Okay a quick tour of the basement, laundry room, and my work space nothing major really, but you might want to see it.  So off we went.  I was blown away by how many tools and machines he had down in his work space.  “You must really be talented with wood working and home repairs and things.” I marvelled.  Liam just shrugged in a nonchalant manner.  “I do okay.  I’ll show you some of the things I’ve made sometime.”  I had a feeling he’d probably made and finished several of the pieces I’d already seen in his home but I didn’t push him for details, he really was a very humble sort of man.  A quick peek in to the laundry room and we were done our tour of the basement area.

    We traipsed up the stairs to the main floor.  “Give me a sec and I’ll grab my keys and your things and them we can be off to check on Barclay and have some of those dynamite brownies you make.  We’ll go out the side door and directly into the garage.”  He was back in a jiff as promised and reached around the corner to hit the automatic garage door opener and flick on the light switch.  I expected to see his car and more than likely the standard things you’d find in garage.  A garbage bin, recycling box, rakes, shovels that sort of thing.  But a gleam of chrome caught my eye.  “HOLY SNICKERDOOLES.” I blurted out excitedly and rushed over to get a better look at it.  “That’s a bloody Ducati…………a Multistrada 1200 S Sport.”  “Just one of my little indulgences.” He grinned broadly and he added “I take it you aren’t going to have a cow like my Mum did when I got it and beg me to sell it?” “No way, I will beg you to take me for a ride though.  Please, please, please, pretty please.”  “Well” he said as he stroked his chin between his thumb and forefinger as if he was deep in thought on the matter.  “We can take the bike over to your place tonight, but you have to dress for it.  I know my old stuff won’t be the best fit for you, but I want you safe.  I don’t worry about my driving abilities but you can never tell about other people and I don’t need you with a severe case of road rash as the result of some fools stupidity.  We’ll get some proper gear sorted out for you in the very near future if you seriously want to ride with me, deal?” 

  “That’s more than fair.” I squealed and was jumping up and down clapping my hands in delight.  “You’re a nut, you know that?” he asked me.  “Yes I am, but I’m a cute nut and I’m your nut.” I laughed.  “No, you are my beautiful nut and don’t ever forget that” he flashed me a dazzling smile  and swept me up in his arms lifting me off the ground and swinging me around in a circle while he kissed me passionately. When he finally put me down I had to catch my breath.  “Okay my Dark Wing Duck let’s rock and roll.”  “You’re on McQuack.” And we both burst into fits of giggles as we got dressed to go.  I loved the way he could follow my thoughts and seamlessly follow them no matter where they took us. It was a good excuse to hold Liam close as I sat behind him on the bike my arms wrapped around his waist.  I loved the power and the speed of the bike and I looked forward to taking it out for longer spins on deserted stretches of road so we could really put it to the test.  Too soon we were in front of my place.  I climbed off reluctantly and removed my helmet, and shook out my hair.  “That was such a rush.  Thanks baby.”  “My pleasure you little speed demon you.”

   We headed up to my apartment helmets in hand.  This time Liam was ready for the catapulting ball of fur that would be headed his way when I opened the door.  “Good catch.” I observed. “How’s Mommy’s little man in the fur coat been?  Did you miss me?” I asked him giving him an affectionate cuddle, and kisses on the top of his head.  I took off my riding gear, and headed towards the kitchen.  “Make yourself at home Liam, and I’ll bring you some brownies and milk if your still hungry, just as soon as I feed Barclay.” “Rrrrrrrrrrowwwwwww.  Enough with the small talk people, you two are late coming home, I’m famished and wasting a way to nothing.  You’re lucky I didn’t phone the Humane Society for this cruel and unusual punishment.  Feed me now, adore me later people.”

    “I’m always up for a snack, especially when its brownies.” I called out as she dashed in to the kitchen to dish up Barclays dinner. Barclay was hot on her heals to enure she did in fact perform this most important of parental tasks, filling his food bowls. Soon the sounds caused by the clinking of the medallion attached to his collar reached my ears and I could tell he was heartily eating his dinner.  Lorelei then entered the living room with a plate of brownies in one hand and a large glass of cold milk in the other hand.  “Aren’t you going to join me?” 

   “Nope I’m still full as a tick from that meal you neighbour sent over for us to enjoy.” I said handing him the plate, and placing the milk on a coaster on the coffee table. “You go ahead and enjoy though.” Liam took a brownie then leaned forward and put the plate down on the coffee table. I sat down beside him and cuddled up next to him. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in giving me a little squeeze as he did so. “This is the life.” He said contentedly as he munched on his brownie and rubbed my arm gently as we sat there in companionable silence together.  He managed to polish off the other brownie and the glass of milk in what seemed like record time.  “More?” I inquired of him.  “Thanks but I should probably pass on that for now.  I wouldn’t say no however to a container to take home later though.” He grinned in that endearing boyish manner of his. 

    “Right now, I want to focus all my time on you.” And with that he faced me and took my face in his hands and gazed intensely into my eyes.  I felt my lips begin to tremble in anticipation of the moment his lips would touch mine. My body ached for his touch, the overwhelming desire I had for him swept over me in waves, and washed away any misgivings I may have harboured deep within me.  I loved him, I had loved Liam even before we met, and I would love him now and always.  The love I felt was without beginning or end, no time continuum could ever contain it. Time, space and blurred dimensions, Liam remained the constant factor. It was always such a sweet surrender, giving myself to him and I did so in perfect love and perfect trust.  Every molecule of my being was alive and it was all because of him.  

   I had always been a pretty logical sort of a guy but what I had with Lorelei seemed to defy all forms of logic.  She represented magical mysteries that to me had never even entered my thought process.  I had always been grounded in cold hard facts and rationalizing things in a scientific manner, but she was opening my heart and my mind that there were a lot of things I had been missing out in my life. This mistress of the metaphysical was opening my eyes to so many things. I knew this was not lust that I felt this was in fact a love that was timeless.  Never had I felt something so pure and honourable about my desire to be with someone prior to this.  My need to become one with her was all encompassing. Her lips pressed against mine, I could feel the heat and the passion pulsing through my veins. I knew we weren’t ready to take it to the next level yet and I would be left aching with desire for her, but it was all worth it just for the intense pleasure that her kisses gifted me with.  I hadn’t even realized the effortless way she had shifted her body so that she was seated over my lap her knees reverently as though I were an altar and she was here to pay homage to a mighty deity. Her arms encircling me fingers strumming along my spine, her body pressed so closely against mine.

   The kiss took on a life of its own, tongues that seemingly danced in unison bodies that were moulded to each other, sounds that would be incomprehensible to others were a joyous melodic song to our ears. When we finally did become full-fledged lovers it would be a memory that would indelibly leave its mark on my heart and mind. No one had ever had such a complete command over my senses before Lorelei.  Sure I’d had a few shall we say romantic tussles of my own over the years, and they’d been enjoyable in their own way, but this just seemed to defy everything.  A single word, a mere glance, a touch of her hand, a simple kiss and it could just evolve into a fever pitched passion in the blink of an eye.  The intensity of it a driving force to be reckoned with, and yet at the same time there was such gentle tenderness between us as well.  At the present though my body was pulsating with need and desire for the woman I loved. 

   I could feel her full breasts pressed against my chest as we continued to kiss passionately and how I longed for the day it would be a flesh on flesh experience and we would be unfettered by the convention of clothing between us. I could hear the pounding of our hearts crying out to each other.  I could feel the heat rising in my loins, and I knew Lorelei must be as acutely aware of it as I was, especially from the vantage point she had on my lap.  If we kept up this pace I feared I would lose all pretenses of being a gentleman, and scoop her up in my arms and carry her into the bedroom for some proper lovemaking. 

    I began to feel as though my body were on some sort of circuit overload and was overheating and about to explode in an eruption of need and desire for Liam. The manifestation of his being a healthy red blooded male that was clearly aroused was evident despite being shielded by his jeans.  If we kept up this frantic pace, I would be soon begging him to whisk me into the bedroom where we could properly consummate these needs and desires we shared. Instinctively we sensed the others thoughts and the kiss began to soften and develop a gentleness to it. The desires we had were still very much alive and well but for now we had managed to turn down the flames of our passion and replace them with glowing embers.  I nuzzled the nape of his neck and whispered in his ear “I do love you Liam”.  He gently bussed the crown of my head with his lips and held me in his loving embrace.  “I love you too.”  He whispered in return.  It always sent a thrill through me each and every time he said it, I could never imagine being tired of hearing him say it, and I knew in my heart I’d hear those magic words each and every day of our lives together.

    We were now stretched out on the sofa together, feet propped up on the coffee table, his arm draped around my shoulder and holding me close as my head rested on his shoulder.  “Just keeps getting better doesn’t it?” He said as he pulled me close and gave me a squeeze. “That it does.” I smiled up at him and snuggled in further. “So I’ve been thinking about this weekend.” I ventured a bit timidly. “Are you getting cold feet about meeting my family and friends this weekend?” the obvious concern reflected in the tone of his voice. “No, no, well okay it is a bit daunting, and my nerves do get a bit frazzled at the thought of meeting them. I’m sure they are really great people but you know things like this are almost always a bit terrifying on some level.  I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that one of the top ten phobias in life is meeting your partners, family and friends for the first time, right up there with public speaking and dying.” I chuckled at him

   “True enough, and I have to admit meeting your family and friends and being grilled by them about my intentions and what not does tend to make me think it will rank up there on the fun factor of life somewhere between having a root canal and dropping a bowling ball on my foot. But it’s totally worth it to me to go through all of that because I want you in my life and I want people to know that I love you and care for you and have only the best intentions when it comes to you Lor.”  He said earnestly. “I know and I feel the same.  I do hope they’ll like me and accept me as being part of your life, but at the end of the day I’m just me, faults and all.”  “Well I think you’re pretty terrific and that’s the main thing here. But if it’s not meeting everyone that’s got you thinking about the weekend what is it?” His curiosity obviously peeked. 

   “I think, if you’re okay with it, I’d like to spend the weekend over at yours.  I mean it makes sense since we’ll be spending Saturday with your family and then Sunday with your friends.  We could pick Barclay up after work on Friday, and he could get used to the new surroundings, I can do some baking or cooking to take over to the bbq, and we could just sort of hang out and relax instead of you having to commute back and forth between here and your place.  So what do you think?” I bit my bottom lip and looked up at him to try to gauge his reaction to this bit of news.  “I’m for it.  The rule still stands though no pressure from me about sleeping arrangements or what does or doesn’t happen between us.  I admit I love the idea of holding you in my arms and drifting off to sleep, and waking up and having your face be the first thing I see, and I really am fine with it if that’s as far as we take things.  Good things come to those who wait, and I truly think you are worth the wait my dear.”

  “So getting frisky with you is out of the question then?” I asked in mock horror and gave him a shocked look. “Well if you really can’t control yourself I suppose I could always submit to your many charms my dear.” He returned with exaggerated formality.  The twinkle in his eyes gave him a way and I gave him a playful little poke with my elbow.  “Me thinks the lady doth protest too much here.” He quipped. “You are such a total goof at times Liam.  Please don’t ever change.” And with that our lips united to share an achingly beautiful kiss. The evening slipped by far too quickly for either of our liking and all too soon it was time for Liam to bid me farewell and back to his place.  “I don’t want to leave, I really don’t but papers don’t grade themselves and lesson plans don’t just manifest out of thin air unfortunately.” He sighed. “I know, but you have things to do and I totally understand that.  I’ve got things I should do as well.  Mind you, you are one of the best reasons I’ve ever had for procrastinating about doing something.” I grinned and gave him a quick kiss. 

    “I’ll walk you down with you. I should take my recycling down for tomorrow morning anyways.” I added nonchalantly.  “Oh woman you are so transparent, you just want to have another reason to kiss me good night again.  Face it I’m just totally irresistible to you!” and he gave me a look that managed to somehow be oh so boyishly charming and seductively devilish all at the same time. “Move it mister.” I said trying to sound gruff and failing miserably.  I grinned and thrust a bundle of bound up newspapers at him in response. He good naturedly tucked the bundle under his arm and grabbed his helmet with his available hand. “Funny, but it’s a lot nicer to be taking out the recycling and trash with you, than it’s ever been when I do it on my own.  Everything just seems that much better when you’ve got someone special to share it with, even the everyday mundane things.” “I agree whole heartedly” I said as I followed him out the door and shut it behind me. We descended the steps together, and headed out the front door and down the steps to drop off the bundles of papers and the box with the other recyclable items in it, where they would be picked up early the next morning.

    “This is the part I still have trouble dealing with, even though I’m hoping we still have our standing date to meet before work tomorrow.”  “We do.” And I nodded affirmatively.  We walked a few steps further and were standing in front of the Ducati.  He reached over and balanced his helmet on the seat of the bike.

  “I wish I was coming with you.” I added in a wistful tone of voice.  He looked down at me and gazed deeply into my upturned eyes.  “You will be this Friday” his voice caressing the words as his finger skimmed along my jawline and down the arch of my throat. My body quivered at his touch and my heart beat quickened as he did.  It was almost maddening how readily by body responded to his touch with such a natural ease. 

    “You know I want a life time of coming home to you.  To me this will be the greatest adventure I’ve ever embarked on in my life and I want to do it right, and I am certain that you are the one that I want by my side for this adventure.” He leaned down embraced me tenderly and gave me a sweet soulful kiss that filled my heart with the affirmation of his words. “I’d better be on my way if I plan on getting any work done before bed so one more quick kiss and I’ll be like a classic romantic film riding off and fading into black.” The kiss as always was perfection. I put on my helmet and started the bike. She placed her small hand over my now gloved one and wished me a “Safe home” over the roar of the engine.   I gave her a final grin and began to pull away from the curb.  I’d phone her the minute I got home, and I knew she’d be by the phone waiting to hear from me, to know I was safe and to tell me good night and that she loved me.

  

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Tales of the Amoristicpillow