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Differently Visioned

By: D_Lynn



This is my Winter Holidays Story Contest 2012 entry.

*

CHAPTER ONE

I collapsed on the sofa after working what felt like the longest shift in history. It wasn't a single work day anymore. Ever since Black Friday, all my days in retail sales had just melted together into one endless work day of frenzied, angry shoppers. Add finals on top of that, and the pressure from my own family to accommodate my brother's crazy holiday schedule, and I'm pretty sure I was tipping the stress scale.

Since when did it become acceptable to move Christmas?

Being married, my older brother had to coordinate his holiday plans with his wife's family, who lived across the country. Apparently, they won the coin toss because Justin was spending the entire week prior to Christmas with them. My folks, all too eager to appease the new wife, moved Christmas up to the 15th.

The problem was, that was finals week for me.

Luckily, my last final was Wednesday, the 12th and I'd managed to get a week off work to travel home for a brief holiday break. But it was purely luck.

I glanced at the clock and very carefully placed my sore feet on the floor. The apartment was quiet and empty. It wasn't at all unusual for my roommate and me to go several days without actually laying eyes on one another. She left small clues that she'd been in the apartment. A dirty coffee mug, a jacket strewn over the arm of the chair because she'd changed her mind on what to wear just before walking out the door, or an empty pair of shoes right where I would trip over them. But, I'd take the minor disarray anytime over having a full-time body there.

It wasn't that I didn't like Shauna. I liked her fine. I wouldn't go as far as committing to a lifelong friendship or anything. I didn't know her well enough for that.

Sometime the previous summer, Shauna had started asking around. She needed a roommate since the one she had was graduating. I heard from a friend of a friend, or maybe even a couple more layers removed, of the vacancy. By the time I contacted Shauna about it, the space was filled, but as luck would have it, the dumb girl backed out so she could go live with her boyfriend. By that time, I was preparing myself, or more accurately, gearing down for residence living on campus. But Shauna saved me and offered me the spot.

Right away I pegged Shauna as the ghost roommate. When she wasn't in class, she was at her boyfriend Roger's place. Roger rented a spacious condo with another guy. Must cost a fortune. More space, quieter, nicer. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching. It was no wonder she spent all her time there. And that suited me just fine, because our apartment was hardly big enough for one person to turn around in, much less two. At least it was close to campus and had a private kitchen, bath, and living room, which was more than I could say for the dorms.

My weeklong vacation from work was commencing and the relief gave me a renewed energy that I wasn't expecting. With only one final exam left, and the easiest one at that, I was beginning to finally feel the holiday spirit.

I stood and stretched my arms high overhead in an attempt to shed a layer of my retail stress before heading to the shower to finish the job.

After my long, hot shower, I was a little surprised to hear rustling in the apartment through the closed door. A quick peek through the cracked doorway confirmed that it was Shauna, and that she was alone. With towel firmly wrapped around my torso, I padded to my room to put clothes on before heading to the living area to greet her.

"Hey. How's it going?"

"Okay. Just finished my Molecular Evolution final. It was a bitch. I still have 3 finals left, can you believe that?"

"Yikes! Ouch. My last one is tomorrow afternoon, and then I'm off to the airport."

"You got off work?"

I'd forgotten that in our brief encounters, I'd not fully briefed Shauna on my schedule. "Yeah, until next Wednesday. A whole week at Mom and Dad's with my little sister's High School drama and my older brother's newlywed bliss. I'm pretty sure my parents planned it this way on purpose so that we'd never be in college at the same time."

"Smart."

"Yeah, for them. But it didn't exactly create sibling closeness. Justin and Jaime might as well be aliens to me."

"Oh, that's too much. You all have 'J' names?"

"Yeah, I know. Kinda cheesy. Hang on, I'll be right back."

I headed for my room and removed the towel from my wet hair so I could begin the process of picking through the tangles.

A few moments later, Shauna appeared in my doorway.

"Hey, you want to come with me to Roger's tonight? We're planning to make homemade egg nog. David will be there. It'll be fun."

David was Roger's roommate. I'd never met him. The few times I'd accompanied Shauna to Roger's place, David had been out. And every other time I'd seen Roger, either on campus or with Shauna, it seemed that I'd just missed David. I was seriously beginning to wonder if he was real. It was starting to feel like one of those ruses where everyone pretends someone exists for the benefit of playing an inside joke on some poor fool. Which in this case, would be me.

"I don't want to intrude."

Shauna wasn't in the habit of inviting me to their events unless there was some other reason for my attendance. Like, she needed a ride because it was raining too hard. This invitation didn't sound like it had a catch. Yet.

"Oh, c'mon, you're not intruding. We never get to just hang out. And since David will be there, I thought you wouldn't feel like a third wheel so much."

"This isn't a setup, is it?"

"No. Purely impromptu, actually. I figured you were working tonight."

"Then if this guy, David doesn't show up, I'm free to bow out?"

"Yeah. Let me text Roger and ask if he's still planning to hang with us."

Shauna set her thumbs into motion as I turned on the hair dryer. The next time I looked up, my doorway was empty.

With my long brown hair now all dry and fluffy, I joined Shauna in the living room.

"So, what's the verdict?"

"He's going to be there. For sure, now that he knows that his presence is a pre-requisite for your attendance."

"Oh, great. No pressure or anything."

Shauna smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She could be quite charming when she wanted to be. I was quite certain that by the time the semester was over, we would be good friends. At this point, it was actually somewhat flattering that she wanted me around so badly.

"Okay. Yeah, that sounds great, actually. I need to just unwind."

"Great. I'll let the guys know you're coming."

"What time?"

"Well, I was sort of planning to head out in a few minutes. We can walk together, or you can come later if you want."

I thought it through for all of about 10 seconds. "I'll walk with you. I'd only just sit here and study for a final that I already know I'm going to ace."

"I wish I had your confidence."

"Oh, believe me; it didn't extend beyond this one test. Do you think this is a good idea for you since you have 3 finals left?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. My easiest one is tomorrow, and I have plenty of time to study for the others."

We set out for the condo as the sun was setting, increasing our pace to stay warm through the falling temperature. A few steps from the door, Shauna produced a key and reached for the knob as if she'd done it a million times. Duh, she probably has.

My ears were assaulted with Christmas music, along with a chorus of deep bellowing laughter in the background, obviously coming from the kitchen.

Shauna called out, "Hey, guys, we're here."

Roger came bounding into the living room and wrapped his arms around Shauna. It was as if they hadn't seen each other in days, which was absurd because I was absolutely certain they'd spent just the previous night together, along with every other night before that in a long succession of nights.

But it was annoyingly cute, to be perfectly honest. They were genuinely in love, and had been that way since they'd first met 2 years earlier.

Roger was a devoted and caring boyfriend to Shauna. It was hard not to like him, almost to the extent of a mild crush.

My cheeks flushed as Roger's mouth closed on Shauna's. I caught a glimpse of his tongue as it passed between her parted lips and felt as though I'd just witnessed something very intimate, even though they obviously couldn't care less about who saw.

"Get a room, guys."

David's deep voice diverted my attention to the doorway of the kitchen. He was leaning against the jamb, casual in his jeans and button down polo, looking more GQ than any single man had a right to look.

My God, he's gorgeous.

His body was a study in perfect proportions. Broad shoulders and nicely sculpted biceps narrowed to a modest waist, manly hips and thighs, and beautiful feet. Did I just notice his feet? Oh, God. One bare foot was casually perched over the other one.

I lifted my eyes for a second helping of his stunning good looks. Of all his features, his face was probably the most perfect. Blue eyes with deep laugh lines at the corners, a strong nose, a delicious mouth that was smirking at the moment, and a masculine chin and jaw line. I instantly imagined my tongue tracing the bone from ear to chin and back again.

Shauna giggled as Roger released her from their embrace. "David, come here and meet my roommate, Jennifer."

My mouth went dry as David approached, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. And then I realized something wasn't quite right.

As I kept my gaze on his face, I noticed that he wasn't making eye contact with me. His eyes were fixed just above my head. And I had to move my hand to shake his as he extended it in a handshake.

"We finally get to meet, Jennifer. I'm David."

It hit me all at once. He's blind.

I stammered, "Y-you, too."

"If you'll excuse us for a minute. Roger, help me get the glasses."

Roger and David disappeared around the corner and I turned to Shauna, leaning close to her ear.

"You didn't tell me he was blind."

"I didn't? Huh, that's funny. I guess I don't think about it much."

The guys brought in 4 full glasses of egg nog. They were each carrying two. David extended one in my direction and I took it from him. He pointed to the sofa next to him. "Have a seat, Jennifer. Do you go by your full name, or something shorter?"  

"Jenny or Jen, if you prefer."

"Which do you prefer?"

"Jen, I guess."

"Okay, Jen it is."

Roger spoke up, lifting his glass in the air. "To another semester down. And only one more to go." Both Roger and Shauna were graduating in the spring.

We all raised our glasses and took our first sip. The alcohol burned my throat as it eased its way down my parched and restricted passageway.

"We may have gotten a little carried away with the bourbon in our first batch," David leaned in my direction to comment.

I nodded, but didn't comment aloud until I remembered that he couldn't see my gesture of agreement. "I think you're right."

Roger guffawed, "Oh, you won't even notice by the time you finish your glass."

David tilted his head to one side and replied back, "That's because she'll be drunk. Would you like for me to mellow it for you? We have some virgin nog."

"No, that's okay. This is fine. I'll just sip it."

David turned his attention to Shauna, "How was the Evolution final?"

Shauna rolled her eyes, "Tough. I'm barely going to pass that class."

"You probably did better than you think."

Roger nodded and added to David's positive reinforcement, "Yeah, baby, you always come out ahead on tests."

I was immediately struck by how supportive they both were of Shauna.

"How're your finals going, Jen?" David had cocked his head to look sideways at me. This time his eyes met mine square-on, causing a rush of molten heat to travel through my insides.

"I'm, uh, almost done. Just one more. I think I did okay. You?"

"I took most of my tests last week. It's one of the benefits to being sight-challenged. They have to prepare them in advance and have staff on hand who can read the questions to you in case the test is messed up."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"Of course not. Why would you?"

Roger kicked David's foot, "Hey, it helped me on my Stratification test, too." Roger looked over at me to explain. "David and I are in the same class so I pretty much knew every question on the test before I took it."

Shauna grinned, "That's so unfair. Do you think you can take some Biology courses next semester, David?"

"Not unless they have a Sociology pre-requisite."

"Damn. I knew I should've looked for a blind roommate. No offense, Jen."

I shook my head slightly as they all chuckled. It was disconcerting the way they openly joked about blindness, and would've been outright unsettling if David showed even the slightest twinge of embarrassment over it. But he was laughing just as loudly as the other two.

Gradually, maybe because of the liquor, or from the friendly atmosphere and casual conversation, I began to relax.

We talked about everything and nothing of importance. We were all facing some manner of family dysfunction as the holidays approached and this topic monopolized most of our conversation, until we were sharing our most hilarious family stories and falling on our sides in fits of laughter.

It was the best time I could remember having in ages. Everyone clicked. There were no uncomfortable silences or awkward moments. Simply put, I didn't want it to end.

After about 3 solid hours of entertaining chatter, and a couple of glasses of egg nog flavored bourbon, I excused myself to use the facilities. When I returned, David was sitting at the foot of their Christmas tree, seemingly gazing into the lights.

I approached tentatively, listening for Shauna and Roger. I assumed they were in the kitchen sneaking another deep kiss.

"Come here and look at all the colorful lights with me."

I was a little startled by his request. I hadn't said a word since I'd walked in the room. On top of that, this blind person was inviting me to sit with him and gaze at Christmas lights. "You're joking, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. Come here."

I knelt beside him and then settled onto my hip until my arm was touching the outside of his thigh so he'd know I was there.

"If you listen closely enough, you can hear the different colors." David pointed at a bulb, "Blue." And another one, "Red." He continued pointing. "Green. Another red one. Yellow."

"How do you do that?"

David smiled. "Here, lean into this one and listen."

I leaned my ear toward the tiny bulb and waited.

"Shut your eyes. It might help."

"Okay."

I shut my eyes and concentrated. A moment later, a tentative touch tickled my lips, and I instinctively lifted my eyelids. It was David's thumb. He paused for a moment and then allowed his thumb to glide across my bottom lip in a gentle caress as he cupped my chin with his forefinger. He held my face still and eased toward me until our lips were touching.

His lips were soft and tender on mine. And so warm, it felt like he might infuse heat straight from them into me.

The kiss ended without intrusion. Too soon, by my estimation.

"I've wanted to do that all night."

His confession shocked me. "You have?"

"Why is that so surprising?"

"I don't know. I guess I wasn't expecting anything like this tonight."

"Me, either. Especially after your reaction when you first realized I was blind."

I blushed furiously. "I didn't know you ... How did ... Oh, God, I'm so embarrassed."

"Jen, don't be. Shauna should've told you. It was unfair to spring it on you like that."

His hand caressed my upper arm in an effort to comfort me. It settled me down, at least to the point of just teetering on the edge of nervousness.

"You actually handled it well."

"After awhile, it's just easy to forget. You seem so, adjusted?" I wasn't sure that was the right word.

"That's as good a way of putting it as any. I've been like this most of my life, so I've had a while to adjust, as you so eloquently put it."

"What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Of course I don't mind. I suffered a retinal detachment when I was very young. I wasn't walking or talking yet, so no one noticed. It wasn't until sometime later that my mother figured out that something was wrong. By then it was too late to do anything."

"That's awful. Your mother must've felt so guilty."

"She did. So did my Dad. But I didn't exhibit even the slightest sign of it happening. It was sort of like I knew it was meant to happen and I accepted it. That's the way I see it, anyway. Pun aside."

"Do you remember anything from, uh, before?"

"No. At least I don't think so. But I have these mental visions of different colors. And the doctor said that must be from when I could see. There is no other explanation. I mean, how do you describe blue? Or, red? You can say that blue is a cooler color and red is warmer, but that still won't tell you what they look like. Colors are a product exclusively of light, and I can't see light. Unless you're talking about black, which is actually the absence of light. That, I'm familiar with."

"How do you manage? To get around campus and everything."

"Someone helped me around the first couple of weeks of school. Okay, well, maybe the first 2 days. They offered their services for much longer, but I'm pretty independent. I don't know, it's hard to explain. At this stage, the way I sense the environment is so different than someone with sight, it's hard for me to even describe it to you. I hear things in a different way. I feel vibrations through objects and detect minute changes in the air around me. And my olfactory sense is heightened. From all of that, I can see a lot of things."

"Like the different colors of Christmas lights, based on their sound?"

"Welllll..."

"What?"

"I might have been exaggerating a little about that."

"What do you mean? You got all the colors right."

"Yeah, I know. But that's on this side of the tree."

"What does that mean?"

"Roger told me the colors of the bulbs and I memorized them."

"Just so you could play a trick on someone?"

"It was meant for Shauna. Roger wanted to bet her that I could tell colors from sound. We had this whole trick worked out. I just decided; spur of the moment, to use it for my own benefit."

"How did you benefit from making me believe you could hear color?"

"I got you to sit still long enough for me to kiss you, didn't I?"

I felt the warmth heating up my cheeks again. "Yes, you did."

"I definitely benefitted."

"You could've just asked."

"Think about this before you answer; would you have said yes?"

I thought for a moment. It would've made me feel uncomfortable. "I'm not sure."

"That's a very honest answer."

"It would've just felt awkward, I think."

"You would've talked yourself out of it. It's how you are."

"That's right. How did you know that?"

David shrugged. "It's pretty easy to figure out what people are going to do. It's not so easy figuring out why, though."

I could already hear the arguments in my head. Almost all of them were around my own self-doubts and had very little to do with David. "It would've had nothing to do with you. My reasons for saying no, I mean."

"I know." David's voice had lowered to barely above a whisper. "And if I asked you now, would your answer be different?"

It was uncanny how he just knew that my disposition on kissing him had already changed, even though all the original reasons, the self-doubt, the scars, were still there. I swallowed hard and choked out my answer. "Yes."


Differently Visioned



He smiled briefly before closing the distance between us. I leaned into it at the last second, eliciting a tiny moan from him as our lips met. This kiss was different. Harder. Demanding. His hand snaked around my neck to hold my head firmly in place against his insistent lips.

My lips parted and I took in his hot breath in an open-mouthed kiss for several moments. Then his tongue invaded my mouth in one self-assured breach past my lips. The lingering zest from the alcohol infused nog landed on my tongue as I, in turn, explored his mouth. My head spun from it.

The sudden, wonderful kiss, the alcohol, and the affinity I already felt for this man whom I'd just met. I could explain none of it. It made no sense to me.

I was just going to hang out with friends tonight. Nothing more.

He was an amazing kisser. Soft and hard at the same time. Exhibiting both longing and restraint in equal measures. And this just fueled my desire for him. The longer his lips assaulted mine, the more urgent my need became.

God, how long has it been?

And just like that, reality jumped into sharp focus and snapped me out of it. I pulled back ever so slightly.

"What's the matter? Did I hurt you?"

I was momentarily confused by his question, until I realized that during our heated exchange, his fingers had worked their way into my blouse and found my scars.

CHAPTER TWO

My fingers hastily wrapped around his hand to push it away.

"Don't. Please."

"Did I hurt you?"

"No. I don't ... want you to ..."

It was difficult to even say the words out loud because they weren't entirely the truth. I wanted him to touch me. More than anything. But I wanted him to be touching the body I had two years earlier. Not the marred one that I could barely look at in the mirror.

"What happened to you, Jen?"

His empathetic voice made my eyes sting with fresh tears. I sucked air sharply into my lungs to choke them back. No more crying over this. You promised yourself.

"It was a knife attack, about two years ago."

"This was someone you knew intimately."

I gasped, "Yes. How did you know that?"

"They're across your breast, too far over to be aiming for your vital organs. The wounds were meant to maim, not kill."

I nodded and whispered, "Yes."

David quietly waited for me to continue, not showing a single sign of moving away from me in the process, as one might expect after hearing such a horrific thing.

"It was my boyfriend. Or, my ex-boyfriend, I should say. I'd just broken up with him the day before.

"He showed up at my house wanting to apologize for some of the things he'd said the previous night. I didn't think he'd do anything at my parent's house. At first, he was real sweet. He apologized and told me that he just wanted to be friends. I accepted his apology and hugged him.

"It all happened so fast. One minute we were standing next to my bed, the next minute, he had me down on the mattress and was sitting on top of me, holding me down." I stopped talking, afraid I'd already said too much.

"What did you do?"

"I screamed as loud as I could. No one was home and the windows were shut. I guess that gave him some sort of ego boost. He pulled a knife about 4 inches long from his pocket and unfolded it. It had this nasty hook on the end of it. F-frightening."

Vivid images of that day played before me like a bad horror film. I fought to push them out of my memory so I could speak without stammering. It was one of the most unwelcome after-effects of the incident. On most days, I could keep my stutter to a minimum. But I'd yet to recant the story without a full-blown stammering attack.

This is why I rarely told anyone about it.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. David simply waited as I pulled myself together. I wondered for a moment if maybe he'd slipped into a coma. He hardly moved.

"I learned later that he used a fish g-gutting knife. From his father's tackle box.

"He ripped open my shirt and sliced my bra. He told me that I didn't deserve pretty, uh, breasts, or, uh tits, as he called them, because I just used them to get guys. He always thought I was cheating on him. Even then. He called me all sorts of names. Said I was s-sleeping around. Told me that he was going to start, uh, up top. If I was good and didn't scream, he'd stop there. If I screamed and made it hard for him, he was going to, uh, f-f-fuck me with the kn-knife."

I could feel the anxiety gripping me again. I clamped my jaw tight for a few seconds, then forced the air from my lungs in a sharp exhale.

"I held still at first. He drove the hooked end into my skin and yanked. There was hardly any resistance to the blade. It s-sliced right through my skin and tissue."

I searched David's face for his reaction. He remained utterly stoic.

"It didn't even hurt that bad. Like my body and mind were separated.

"Then I heard someone coming up the stairs. Before he could cover my mouth, I screamed as loud as I could.

"He was furious with me. He began stabbing at me with the knife while I thrashed and screamed. Blood was flying everywhere, splattering his shirt and my face. I had to close my eyes; it was j-just everywhere.

"It was my little sister who'd come up the stairs. Thankfully, my dad had taken her to a doctor's appointment and was downstairs. I passed out after that."

I took a deep breath and sighed. I'd made it through the story. What was even more amazing was that I was only feeling a little anxious about it. Mostly, I wanted to know what David was thinking.

He appeared to be contemplating what to say. He looked directly into my eyes, and for a moment, I swore he could see me.

David leaned over and placed his forehead to mine, with our noses touching. After several silent moments like that, he steadied my face between his palms and kissed me deeply. I would've never thought that such an act would seem appropriate at that time. But it felt right. It felt so right, that I know without a doubt that anything other than that would've been wrong.

There was nothing for him to say. He could tell me that he felt sorry that it happened, like everyone seems compelled to say. Or that it wasn't my fault. Or that there must be some higher purpose behind my survival of the attack. He could have said any one of the dozen other things that people say to comfort. I'm sure he'd heard his share throughout his lifetime, too.

But I didn't want his sorrow. And I didn't need him to comfort me. What I desperately wanted and needed at that moment was for him to desire me. I wanted him to love me like Roger loved Shauna. Like a man loves a woman.

As his kiss deepened, I yielded to it. I wanted him to know that I welcomed his advances and wanted more. So much more.

My hands reached around his back, and as we continued to explore each other's mouths, they closed into tiny fists around his shirt until I was clinging to him. I was desperate to stay close to him, as if my life depended on it.

He broke our connection to pull me onto my feet as he stood. Holding my hand firmly in his, he turned off the lamp next to the sofa and led me down the hall to his bedroom. I glanced back over my shoulder at the Christmas tree, now the only source of light in the condo.

David unfastened just the top button of his shirt and then pulled it over his head in one swift motion. Ambient light from the street shone across his chest. I felt my breathing hitch at its unveiling and became painfully aware of my thunderous heart. I turned away to catch my breath.

David's hands reached out and found my shoulders. He pivoted me so my back was to him and then pulled me to his impossibly big and warm chest.

His cheek came to rest on the crown of my head and for a few silent moments he buried his nose in my hair and breathed in my fragrance. It was the most sensual experience to me. He wasn't doing it because he'd seen or read it in a cheap romance novel, it was essential to how he perceived his world.

"God, I love the way you smell."

His mouth had moved to my ear so the words were no louder than a husky whisper. My stomach tightened, and gooseflesh lined my skin as his hot breath tickled my neck and ear.

When his lips closed on the flesh of my neck, I let go a tiny gasp. He was working me into such a tight coil, it seemed that his every touch was electric.

His fingers moved down the front of my shirt and began to work on the buttons there. It was the moment of truth for me. I hadn't had any sort of sexual contact with a man since the incident.

I wanted to go there with David. I felt that somehow he understood and wouldn't be critical of my mutilated breast. Maybe it was because he couldn't see it, and somehow that was worst than just feeling it. Or maybe because I just trusted him, already. More than I'd trusted any man. I knew he would never hurt me. No matter what transpired between us.

As my shirt parted, I turned my head to the side to avoid looking at it. I tried to remember how beautiful my chest once was. I'd been an early bloomer, sprouting a lovely full bosom before I could drive. I was proud of my curves, wearing the sleeker style of tops to accentuate them.

While I was not loose, I was not a virgin, either. I'd forgotten just how much I loved sex; how important it once was to me. I'd been denying it for too long.

David pulled my shirt down my arms and let it fall to the floor at our feet. His fingers loosened my bra clasp in a single, easy movement and he pushed my straps down my arms in the same way.

He wrapped his arms around my torso and held me close to his bare chest as he kissed the top of my head. He kept a tight hold, with one arm wrapped around my middle and held firmly against him, while the other hand moved over my scarred breast.

Shallow pants kept me from panicking and fighting him. I clamped my eyes shut as his fingers traced the outlines of the scarred tissue and moved over the lumps of hardened flesh and divots. As a result of removing damaged tissue, my left breast was smaller than my right. And not at all round, anymore.

"Please ..."

I started pleading with him, but I wasn't sure for what. I wanted him to show me some mercy and skip past this part. Surely we could have sex without so much attention being paid to my left breast.

But he paid no attention to my plea. If anything, he gripped me tighter.

His hand moved over the center of my breast, and my nipple responded by tightening to a solid point in his palm. David groaned appreciatively and cupped his hand around my breast. Then his fingers zeroed in on the hard pebble, rolling it between his fingers, and pinching and pulling at the point until it grew painfully hard.

I'd always had sensitive nips. I could almost climax just from being played with there. And it had been so long ...

"You're so beautiful, Jen. So fascinating to the touch. And wonderfully responsive."

I couldn't believe my ears. He'd just moved his hand over a battlefield of flesh and he thought it was fascinating? Beautiful?

David released his tight grasp, but held onto me as he moved around my body to sit on the bed. He then pulled me toward him so that I was standing between his splayed thighs. Without hesitation, his mouth sought out the already hard nipple of my left breast.

He sucked it into his mouth, eliciting a sharp yip from me. My entire aureole was engulfed in hot wetness as he suckled. He pushed my nipple to the roof of his mouth and drew me into the back of his throat. It was an amazing feeling. Damp heat penetrated the crotch of my panties. God, this is such a turn-on.

He released my nipple and looked up at me with a crooked smile before moving to the other side. He palmed my left breast while his tongue flicked the nipple on my right side to a hard point. Then he drew the pebble between his teeth and worried it there, just on the edge of being painful.

He knew exactly what to do, just how far to go. He played my body like it was a well-tuned instrument in the hands of a maestro. And it sang for him.

He would work one side until I was on the very edge of climax, and then move to the other side. Always keeping me right at that edge of sweet release.

"We need to get you out of these wet clothes."

He was referring to how soaked my panties had become. I'd forgotten what he told me about his heightened perception. But I was only mildly flustered by it at that point. I was steeping with need. He'd made me that way.

And yes, please, by all means, GET ME OUT OF THESE CLOTHES.

David's fingers worked on my button and zipper. He held open the fly of my jeans and kissed the delicate skin just above the elastic waistband of my panties.

"Your scent is positively intoxicating. I can hardly concentrate. I need to taste you."

I gasped and gripped his shoulders to steady myself. God, he knows just the thing to say. What started as a dull ache between my thighs had now turned into a steady, needy throb.

Hooking his fingertips over the elastic rim of my panties, he pulled down both my jeans and soaked underwear in one movement. I'd kicked off my shoes and socks hours earlier, after a brief quirky conversation that had us all comparing the size of our big toe with our second toe, so a simple step out of the legs of my jeans was all it took to render me completely nude.

His hands moved over my buttocks, smoothing the skin, caressing and kneading until they cupped the undersides of my fatty flesh. The very tips of his fingers stretched between my thighs to explore and tease me from behind.

I fought the urge to spread my legs and squat to impale myself with his fingers. I wanted to do it so badly; I needed to feel them inside me. My quivering nether lips were practically nipping at his fingertips.

He had no intention of impaling me like that, though, even though he knew how badly I wanted it. He'd made his intention known.

David gently urged me onto the bed and positioned a pillow underneath my head. He stood and removed his jeans and then pulled the familiar foil square from his dresser drawer. With a deftness that would be envied by any man with sight, he opened the package and rolled the condom onto his steel erection. The grace with which he did this could almost be called art.

He lowered his body over mine and kissed me deeply for several long minutes, his tongue moving in a lovely, lewd rhythm, giving me a taste of what was to come.

By the time the kiss was over, I was eager for it. I could hardly stand another minute of the sexual tension he'd so skillfully crafted in me. I needed a release.

As his lips trailed down the center of my body, and his hands parted my thighs, he looked up at me as if watching my reaction. It was impossible to tell that he was blind.

In bed, he wasn't handicapped at all. His sensitivity to my cues made him a superb lover. A better lover than any sighted man I'd been with. Even at that moment, as he dipped his head between my thighs, he knew that I needed to look into his eyes. Even if he couldn't see me. Because it was important to me to feel that connection.

He showered me with soft kisses right on the most sensitive part of my upper thighs, along where my panties had left indentations from the tight elastic. Then he trailed his lips up my folds and down again, caressing me with the soft flesh of his mouth while he inhaled my scent.

I could picture my juices wetting his lips with each pass. I was becoming aware of my own scent. It was rich and pungent. And for the first time in my life, it was adding to my arousal.

His tongue snaked from his mouth into my folds, exploring each side, sliding into my wet channel and then retreating, and working lazy circles around every inch of exposed flesh. He luxuriated in the act, his tongue languid and soft, lapping at my juices and sucking them down. The tension began to coil up tight again inside me. The throbbing returned and it felt like my channel was gasping for air, for him; pleading for him to enter.

As if he heard the invitation, his tongue stiffened and penetrated me. I groaned with need. It wouldn't be enough. I wanted more. I wanted him to fuck me.

He pulled his tongue from my hole and held my labia open with his fingers so he could circle my clitoral hood with his hardened tongue. The coil tightened further. Every muscle in my body tensed, my breath held fast in my lungs.

He brushed over my swollen clitoris and then clamped his lips around my entire hood to suck it into his mouth.

All at once, everything unraveled. I released my breath as I mewled my released. Stars of every color blanketed my vision. My muscles, which had been tense for so long, were now shuddering.

David held my thighs open and positioned himself on his knees between them. He placed his hands on the mattress along my sides and tilted his hips until the swollen head of his cock settled into place at my opening. Then he eased just a fraction of an inch inside.

My walls pulsed and lapped at him in the aftershock of my climax. He gripped the sheets and gritted his teeth. Sweat was beading up on his forehead and chest as he fought to restrain himself.

I was momentarily confused as to why he'd stopped like that. It was obvious that I wanted him to continue. Then, as the pulsations diminished, it dawned on me. I hadn't had intercourse in over two years.

"I'm ... It's been a long time for me."

David nodded. A bead of sweat rolled off his forehead onto my chest. He was taking deep, controlled breaths, concentrating on gaining control. "I don't want to hurt you; but you're so damned perfect, you're making it difficult to hold back."

"Don't hold back, David. Please. I want to feel you inside me."

I wasn't even sure it was me that said those words. It was so unlike me. I'd never uttered a word in bed while making love before. At least not an intelligible word.

David groaned and then growled as his hips tilted and his pelvis eased forward. My walls stretched as he filled me. He took short, shallow strokes, inching his way deeper with every pass, until he was fully seated inside me.

He held still for several moments, panting, his eyes fixed on mine. He was beautiful, even more so than when I first saw him in the kitchen doorway. A sheen now covered his flushed face. The street lights glimmered in his blue eyes, throwing sparks to start the fire I knew was about to rage out of control.

He caressed my forehead and cheek as he swayed his hips to glide in and out of me. For several minutes, he maintained an even, slow rhythm. My attention was on the way he filled every inch of me. How he caressed me with every stroke.

Once again, my body was responding to him. My hips involuntarily undulated in rhythm with his. The incessant throbbing returned.

"Oh, God, Jen."

David hooked my thigh in the crook of his arm and began thrusting his pelvis hard into me. He was deeper than I thought possible, and somehow suddenly even larger.

I gasped and grunted, and groaned, and moaned, and mewled. I may have uttered words in half a dozen different languages, for all I know. But, what was certain, what I couldn't deny, was that I was having one unbelievable orgasm. And David was right there with me.

CHAPTER THREE

David lowered himself onto me as he released his grip on my leg, but remained seated firmly inside. His ragged breathing resounded in my ear as he nuzzled my neck. I could still detect my own scent on his face, and my channel twitched as I remembered how he pleasured me in that way.

He lifted his face in response. I still wasn't accustomed to just how in-tune he was to my body.

"I was just replaying it in my mind. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It feels amazing."

David kissed my cheek and then sucked my ear lobe into his mouth for a few seconds.




Differently Visioned



"I hope you weren't planning to fall asleep on me. I'm not finished with you, yet."

"You're not?"

He shook his head, "No. I think your amazing body is just getting warmed up." David nipped my neck playfully.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, that little flutter that just started deep inside your pussy is one big clue. God, that's so erotic. You have any idea how much of a turn-on you are?"

His words were just intensifying my quickening.

He began to move his hips and I could tell that, while he wasn't as rock hard as he'd been before, he was plenty stiff enough to fuck.

"How are you able to ...?"

"It's you, Jen. You just feel so ... right."

I tried not to think about how corny it sounded. It was just so hard for me to believe, I guess. We'd just met and we were in bed together. Clearly this was a one-night stand. It couldn't be anything else.

As his cock swelled inside me, gliding in and out of my very wet channel, my thoughts clouded. I was once again approaching climax. Nothing else mattered.

David slowed his rhythm and then pulled out of me completely. I mewled my disappointment.

"Roll onto your side."

I did as he asked. He repositioned my legs so he was entering me more from behind. He took several rapid strokes, warming me back up to where I'd been prior to the switch and stiffening his cock to steel.

His hand reached over my thigh and down my pelvis until his fingers found my clitoris. Oh, God!

"I want to show you what you're capable of."

He pinched my clitoral hood between two fingers and moved them in a circle, pressing hard against my pubic bone, never breaking rhythm with his own hips.

It didn't take long for my orgasm to shake loose. His strong hand gyrated at such a furious pace, my poor clit didn't stand a chance against it.

A few short moments after I'd released, I grasped his wrist to pull it away from my overly sensitive clitoris. He stilled his hand but didn't remove it. With a growl, he began thrusting his hips hard and fast. He felt impossibly big all of a sudden, and no sooner the thought crossed my mind, did I start to slip into another orgasm.

"Oh, God, no. David!"

The walls of my sex clamped down around his cock and milked him as he furiously fucked me through my climax. And then I'd barely recover from one wave, when another would overtake me.

I was speechless. Completely without language at my disposal. Like I knew no words. It was amazing. And I absolutely didn't want him to stop. Ever.

He finally shuddered his release.

I'd come ... how many times? I lost count; not that it mattered, anyway.

I woke up to a minor panic attack. For a moment, I had no idea where I was. My heart pounded heavy in my chest.

"Shhhh, it's okay."

David's body was wrapped firmly around mine.

"You were having a bad dream."

Oh, shit. Not again.

"You want to talk about it?"

I shook my head, "I don't remember them."

David moved his fingers in a caress and I realized that he was touching my scars. My stomach tightened.

I repositioned his hand so it was touching my stomach, instead.

"I've already seen you naked."

"I know. I just don't ..."

I wasn't sure what point I was trying to make. He was right. He'd spent enough time touching me there to practically memorize every scar.

David moved his hand back up to my chest and held me firmly to his chest.

"I know you don't believe me when I tell you that you're beautiful."

"You can't ..." I stopped myself just before finishing the sentence, but I knew it was too late.

"I can't see. Is that what you think?"

I was at a loss for words. It was obvious that he couldn't see, wasn't it?

"I may not have eyesight, but I can see just fine. I see you, Jen. Maybe not in the same way you see yourself right now. But that's because you're too dependent on your eyesight for information."

"I'm not the only one who sees me this way."

"You're not? Are you sure?"

I thought about his question. I'd been very careful to spare everyone the horror. Where once I'd been fairly exhibitionist in my clothing choices, I was now very modest.

"If anyone ever gives you the feeling that you're anything but gorgeous, you should immediately cross them off your Christmas list."

I chuckled.

David nuzzled my neck, "I'm serious. I know what I'm talking about here."

"Men like perfect breasts. High. Round. Smooth."

"God, you have no clue, do you?"

"What? Yes, I do. I used to have those. They were perfect."

"Perfect? Boring, you mean. Listen, I went to a topless club once..."

"You did? Why?"

"My buddy was turning 21 and so a bunch of us took him. It turned out better than I thought. The girls sort of bent the rules for me. I got to touch, while everyone else could only look.

"Anyway, it was one long parade of the same thing. Mostly fake, I might add. You know the one girl that the guys at our table flipped over was this petite little dancer with the most unusually pointed nipples. She was practically flat-chested, but these things protruded a full half inch.

"The point I'm trying to make is this: First, all guys don't like the same thing. And second, guys really dig different."

"If that's true, then why do all the women in Playboy look alike? And why were so many of the women at the club that same body ideal that you see in every men's magazine?"

"Probably because those women are different from the ones they're around every day. Different. And if those guys had that body type every day, they'd want something else. Believe me. We like different. Variety."

"By variety, are you implying that guys can't be monogamous?"

"No. The variety comes from an interesting personality. An adventuresome spirit. It helps a great deal, though, if her nipples are super-sensitive and she's multi-orgasmic."

David had been working my nipple between his fingers. It was now obscenely hard.

He nipped my earlobe and lowered his voice to a husky whisper. "Are you sore?"

"A little, yeah."

"You want me to run you a bath?"

I shook my head, "What time is it?"

"I don't know. I can't see the clock."

I groaned as my entire body flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm just kidding. It's around three, maybe three-fifteen."

"How do you know that?"

"I pay attention to my inner clock."

"A bath would wake Roger and Shauna, wouldn't it?"

"Probably. But, shit, they wake me up all the time. They're noisy as hell in bed."

I giggled and buried my face in the pillow as I recalled that I hadn't exactly been quiet just a few hours earlier.

"Don't you dare be embarrassed about earlier. Your noises are an extreme turn-on for me. I like to hear it when my partner is getting off. Not just feel it. Sex is a total sensory experience. Feel, sound, smell."

"Shauna would die if she knew you'd heard her in the throes of passion."

"Oh, she knows. Shit, I kid her all the time. If she's going to live here, she has to accept that we're not going to be polite about that kind of stuff, no matter how intimate it might feel. That's just part of living with other people. You get to know them in a way that you wouldn't otherwise."

"I've never lived with anyone other than my family. And Shauna. But that hardly counts because she's never there."

"You like living alone?"

"Sometimes. The quiet helps me concentrate on studying. But at night ... I don't know, I guess it's a little scary at times."

"It'll get better. It's not just you, everyone is the same. Humans are sort of pack animals by nature."

This pack member has nightmares about the past, though.

"I sometimes have this recurring dream that I'm falling. Only instead of stopping at the ground, like I'm expecting, I keep falling. I never know when it's going to end because I can't see the bottom. Then my whole body jerks me awake. I'm practically sitting up by the time I open my eyes."

"Do you ever find the bottom?"

"No, never."

David's hands had gone back to caressing my chest and cupping my breasts. It felt so comforting and arousing at the same time. I suddenly felt this overwhelming desire to do something nice for him. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, exactly, but he was being so damned charming, I had to do something.

I shifted onto my back and settled there. Then I took a deep breath and lifted his free hand to my chest.

David's eyes shut as he moaned. He understood the significance of it for me. I was showing him that I wasn't afraid. At least I was trying to. My heart was thundering so heavy in my chest, I know he could feel it, if not hear it. It still terrified me a little, but not nearly as much as when we first started.

He opened his eyes and began gliding his fingers over my scar tissue.

"Look at me, Jen."

How did he know my eyes were shut? I opened my eyes and looked up into his.

"This is your badge of courage. You should be proud of it. You did nothing wrong to deserve this, and yet it happened. That's the way life is. We don't always deserve what we get. Sometimes, we just have to make the best of what's handed us.

"You survived. Because you were smart and strong. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

Tears were streaming furiously down the sides of my face. David leaned over me and cupped my face in his hands.

"You're so beautiful. It breaks my heart that you can't feel what I see."

I finally managed to choke out between sobs, "David, stop. Please."

He sighed. His jaw tightened. "Okay."

I wasn't ready to hear what he was saying to me. I'd already been through a total sensory overload with the sex, and opening up to him with my story, the alcohol, the lack of sleep, stress over finals, the approaching holidays. My emotions were just shot. At that point, I couldn't tell the difference between reality and fantasy.

At first I was pretty sure he was just using lines on me to get me to bed. Then, somewhere along the line, it started getting too real. Intensely personal. And I didn't know if that was in my head, or it was real.

But it was starting to hurt, because I was seriously falling for this guy. And I knew, I just knew he couldn't be real. And that hurt more than anything else.

David leaned over to the bedside table and pulled a tissue from the box and handed it to me. "I'll be right back."

He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and left through the doorway. Naked. I briefly wondered if Shauna had ever caught a glimpse of him like that. He seemed so comfortable just walking through the condo with no clothes on, like it was a usual practice for him.

I felt bad. I'd probably hurt his feelings. I didn't mean to. Somehow, things just sort of got too serious for me. And here I was, trying to do something nice for him, and failing miserably.

He walked back into the room with two bottles of water. He handed me one and set the other on the table. I realized that one of the true benefits of being with a blind man was that you could stare at anything you liked without worrying how inappropriate it looked.

As he was situating his bottle of water on a coaster, I allowed my eyes to feast on his penis. It wasn't hard, anymore. My sobbing fixed that, I'm sure.

It was a nice length, even in its flaccid state. It swung beautifully as his weight shifted from one leg to the other, his scrotum following along.

"If you keep staring at it like that, you're going to make it hard again."

My eyes shot up to his face in a mixture of shock and horror. He was holding a couple of pills between his fingers for me. He must've known when I didn't acknowledge their presence that my attention was elsewhere.

"Oh, hell." My entire body lit on fire at being caught.

"Don't blush. I was serious."

I looked back down and noticed immediately that he'd grown longer and stiffer. I started to peel my eyes away again and then stopped myself.

It was fascinating watching it move. Like it was totally independent of the rest of his body.

I glanced up at David's face. He was smirking in that sexy way he does.

Bet I can wipe that smirk right off his face.

I reached out and touched just the tip of the head of his penis with my forefinger. His dick twitched and waved at me. Much to my delight, actually.

David set the pills on the table top and leaned into the edge of the bed. It was a clear invitation to continue.

I touched him again, still one finger, but this time I let my finger glide over his head and down the length of his shaft. His skin was so silky soft. I added the rest of my fingers and began petting him gently.

He grew stiffer with each stroke. Proud and steadfast. The ultimate symbol of masculinity.

I closed my palm around this shaft and was rewarded with a groan. This is something I can give him that I know I won't mess up.

Gripping him firmly in my hand and holding his shaft vertical, I leaned forward and extended my tongue to his scrotum.

David gasped and groaned even louder.

I worked my tongue in circles around each of his balls, causing them to constrict, and the skin surrounding the sac to wrinkle. Testicles had always been so fascinating to me for that very reason. They moved and shifted all on their own. I could spend hours just playing with them. But this session wasn't about me.

I let my tongue trail up to the base of his shaft, circling it in a slow lave. Then I opened my palm to make a pathway for my tongue to explore.

His skin was taut and smooth. My tongue glided over it with perfect ease, leaving a wet wake of lubrication in its path.

As I approached the head, I noticed the drop of pre-cum sitting at the opening. It was irresistible. I tilted his shaft toward my lips and took the droplet into my mouth in one lick. It was my own salty treat. Say it.

I looked up at his face. "I like the way you taste."

David released the air he was holding in his lungs in a single huff, "Oh, shit."

"Yeah, now you know how it feels."

Before he could reply and break the mood, I took him into my mouth as far as I could manage. I heard a gasp from overhead. Feeling so much braver knowing how much he liked it, I tightened my lips around him as I pulled away slowly, and then did it again. And again. And again. Slowly at first, and then with increasing speed and force.

His hand had come to rest on the back of my head, not urging me forward, but more like just gently tracking the motion.

"Jen ..."

His voice had gone ragged and I felt the tremble in his hand. He was letting me know he was close. That's it. Yes. Come.

His grunting and moaning started a few seconds before I felt the pulsation on my lips, and tasted the warm sticky liquid on my tongue. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Making a man come with my hands or mouth always made me feel good. Like I'd just won the lottery or something.

I stroked the last of his cum up to the tip and laved it with my tongue before releasing my grip on him and lying back on my pillow.

David bent over at the waist and steadied himself on the mattress with his hands. He was panting, his head dangling forward as though he'd just finished a marathon.

I retrieved the bottle of water that I'd abandoned on the mattress and cracked the seal to take my first sip.

"You're pretty proud of yourself right now, aren't you?"

I wiped the stray water from my upper lip before answering, "Yep."

"I wasn't expecting that."

"I know. That was the best part."

"You're truly amazing. So giving."

"So are you."

David crawled onto the mattress and lowered his body onto mine. "Mmmm, let me prove it to you."

I steadied his chest with my hands. "Not tonight. Or this morning, or whatever it is. I need to recover."

"Tonight, then. Let me cook you dinner."

"I can't. I have one final this afternoon, and then I'm off to the airport. I'm going home for Christmas."

"How long?"

"A week."

David frowned. "That long, huh?!"

"I think you can live without sex for one week."

"I'm not talking about sex."

I held my breath and didn't release it until I was sure he wasn't going to say another word. I didn't want him to ruin it with some corny line about missing me when we only just met.

By the time I convinced David to let me walk out the door of the condo, I was in full panic mode. We'd drastically overslept. Probably because we spent most of the night awake. I was so late, it wasn't funny. I hadn't studied at all, or packed a single thing for the trip.

I dialed the cab company as I was walking to class to take my final. It would save time not having to park, and it ended up being cheaper, anyway.

The next time I took a breath, I was firmly belted into the seat of a Boeing 737 headed for Boise, Idaho.

CHAPTER FOUR

Dad's smiling face was the first one I saw as I emerged from the secured area of the terminal.

I was home.

Tears sprung unexpectedly from my eyes as he lifted me in a hug.

"Hey, everything okay?"

It was out of character for me to cry. And yet, I seem to be doing it a lot lately. Twice in less than 24 hours.

"I'm fine. I just miss you, that's all. And finals have been ... God, just awful."

"Luggage?"

"Yeah. One bag."

We headed for the baggage claim to retrieve my oversized suitcase. In a hurried rush, I'd over packed drastically. It would've taken too long to make decisions.

Dad grunted as he heaved the thing over the carousel. I think I heard him mention something about packing the kitchen sink, but I ignored it.

The usual ruckus ensued when I arrived home. Mom flitted about like a nervous wreck. Even Jaime seemed mildly happy to see me. At least she smiled when she looked up from her iPhone between texts.

"Justin and Melissa are coming tomorrow."

"Oh, cool. I still need to shop for presents for them. Do you know what they want?"

"Something for their new house would be good."

"Okay. Are you going to be able to break away and go shopping with me at some point?"

Mom sighed, "Of course, dear. Go put your things down and come eat. Dinner is just about ready."

My mom was like me in that it didn't take all that much to overwhelm her.

We ate and got caught up on all the events. My mom loved to tell me every tidbit of gossip she could think of about anyone with whom I might've even remotely known. I knew some fairly intimate things about people I'd never even laid eyes on.

I wore out pretty quickly, though. I was still operating on half the amount of sleep as usual, and it caught up with me.

I yawned and laid my head on the table as my mom jabbered on, but none of that seemed to faze her. Finally I just confessed the truth. I'd stayed up late the night before and was exhausted. May I please be excused?

Dragging my feet down the hall, I shut the door behind me and let my body fall on the bed like a limp ragdoll.

Silence, at last.

No sooner I was alone, my thoughts drifted to David.

I missed him, already. I recalled thinking that it would be entirely corny and inappropriate for him to say that to me, but there I was alone in my bed, wishing I could feel his warm arms around me.

But that's normal for me to feel that way, right? I'm a girl. There's something hormonal that drives females to bond to sex partners. Men aren't built that way. We want them to be, but they aren't. If anything, it's our longing for guys to be like us that makes them deceive us the way they do. They just say what they know we want to hear. And David is good.

Damn, he knew all the right things to say.

A jolt of arousal traveled down my spine and straight to my sex as I replayed our lovemaking in my mind. Ack! I rolled onto my side and balled up. Damn, that man turns me on.




Differently Visioned



I decided I needed to climb under the covers and fall asleep before I got carried away any further.

It was still pretty early in the morning when Mom came barging into my room.

"C'mon, Jenny. Wake up. I want to be back by the time your brother arrives."

I squinted my eyes at her as I sat up in bed. "What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty."

"Holy cow, Mom."

"You can sleep when we get back. Now, let's go."

She walked out of the room and I dragged myself to the bathroom. I did the bare minimum in the way of getting ready. The last thing I needed was for her to nag me about running behind for the rest of the day.

I found a gift for Jaime fairly quickly. I was in High School once, too, so I vaguely recall what it was like. Anyway, what teenage girl wouldn't want a professional makeup kit with a thousand shades of eye shadow that she'll never wear?

Justin and Melissa were harder to shop for, though. They just moved into a house I hadn't even seen photographs of, yet. Mom and I were browsing through this little art shop and I spotted a pair of these cute framed pictures. Mom argued with me that art was too much of a personal taste to buy for someone else, but I bought them, anyway.

As I was standing at the counter, I noticed a rather odd group of pieces in the corner.

"What are those over there?" I pointed to the section I was curious about.

"Those are all pieces by a local artist. Her son was born blind, so she is now creating art for the visually challenged."

"Really?" I cocked my head in curiosity as I walked to the corner display.

There were all sorts of textured paintings and some interactive pieces. Then there were a couple of paintings in Braille. They were done in a Rothko style and were seriously cool to look at.

The words were written beneath the raised bumps of the Braille lettering. There were a couple of single word paintings: Sexy, Beautiful. And a number of ones with sayings. The one that caught my attention was Differently Visioned. It suited David to a tee.

I turned it over in my hand and was pleased that it was within my price range.

"Here. Add this to those pictures, will you?"

My mother turned to me and cocked her brow. "What do you need blind art for?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I like it."

I wasn't about to try to explain David to her. If I even hinted that the painting was for someone else, I knew she'd tirelessly pump me for information. So, I just left it at that. I'm an adult. I can buy whatever I want.

"The things you waste your money on."

"Mom," I said in my best warning tone as I tilted my head at her.

"Okay, it's your money."

That's right. I nodded and smiled at her as I grabbed the package off the counter.

It was an impulse buy. I started questioning myself on it even before we got to the car. You won't end up giving it to him. It'll just collect dust in your closet for the next year until you stumble across it trying to find your stupid winter gloves.

I shrugged off the negative inner voice. So what?! It wasn't expensive or anything. And it's cool looking. Maybe I'll just hang it up at the apartment.

Mom started pulling out pots and pans the second we walked into the kitchen. I didn't possess her cooking gene, and I knew that I would just get on her nerves if I tried to help, so I politely excused myself to the den to wrap presents.

I'd already wrapped the gift for my folks. Dad was in on the whole thing. Mom had been dying to go see Kenny G, who happened to be playing in Boise on the 20th. Thanks to my excellent on-line shopping skills, I was able to get excellent seats for them.

Satisfied that I'd completed all my pre-Christmas celebration tasks, I placed the presents under the tree and retreated to my room for the nap that was promised me when I was so abruptly woken up early that morning.

Naturally, he popped into my thoughts again. I leaned over the bed to look for my cell phone to check it.

I hadn't given him my number before jetting out of town, but we had a mutual friend who would surely give it to him.

It all of a sudden dawned on me that I had no clue how much he used his phone. Does he text? He couldn't possibly, right? How would he read the messages?

I couldn't recall seeing him touch a phone all night. Periodically, both Roger and Shauna would check their phones for texts or calls. I wasn't much into text messaging or talking on the phone, so I was known for accidentally leaving my phone just about anywhere. I'd lost 3 devices in the previous year.

As I dug to the bottom of my suitcase I groaned. "Oh, no. Not another one."

I wasn't sure if I'd lost it, or just left it at the apartment. You'd think I'd learn by now. I closed my eyes and tried to picture if I had it at the airport. I don't think so. I knew I hadn't used it since I'd gotten home.

"Oh, crap!" It finally dawned on me where it was. "It's on the bar."

There was a small bar-height countertop in our little apartment kitchen. I set it down when I ran back inside to get my boarding pass. The cab driver reminded me when he asked what airline I was flying.

Well, at least I know where it is. It's not lost.

I climbed onto my bed and nestled my cheek into my pillow. Probably better this way. I won't even know that he didn't try to call me until after my vacation. God, I'm pathetic.

Who am I kidding? He was way too good to be true. He worked me. Plain and simple. He pushed my buttons, is what he did. If he wanted to see me, he would've set something up for when I get back. He had plenty of opportunity.

By Friday, the house was starting to feel crowded to me. There was someone in every room of the house except for my bedroom. But in my bedroom, I couldn't stop thinking about my last night in Seattle.

It kept morphing each time I replayed it in my mind. It was now approaching a record low for me. A total sleazy, one-night-stand-mistake that I wished I could take back.

I even convinced myself that dating David would be the single biggest mistake of my life. I'd never be happy long-term with him. I had places that I still wanted to see in the world. I wouldn't be able to do that with him. Not in the way that I would with someone who could see the sights with me.

While I was feeling intensely guilty about having those thoughts, I convinced myself that I was being sensible about it. Using my head instead of getting carried away.

In a desperate attempt to get the hell out of that crowded house, I begged Dad to let me take his car so I could go to the mall. I told him that I'd forgotten to get something for my roommate.

It wasn't a complete lie; I hadn't gotten her anything, yet. But I was planning to wait until I got back to Seattle for that. No sense in packing something. It wasn't like Boise was a shopping mecca while Seattle was a wasteland.

The mall was packed. It wasn't the best thought-out plan, I admit.

I plopped down at a table in the food court and sipped my diet coke. A really bad rendition of Jingle Bells crackled through the old speaker over my head. I doubted anyone heard it but me. The crowd noise was practically deafening.

"Jenny?"

I looked up from my drink into the face of an old High School flame of mine. "Craig? Wow, hi."

I stood and hugged him as he approached.

"How are you doing?"

"Good. You in town for the holidays?"

"Just this week. Justin and Melissa came in yesterday."

"Oh, yeah? I haven't seen him since the wedding. How are they doing?"

"Good. You should come by the house and say 'hi'."

"Are they going to be around tonight?"

"I think so. Mom is pretty much monopolizing their time. They'll be thankful for the reprieve tonight if you come."

"Alright."

"Good."

"So, are you here with anyone?"

"Here at the mall?"

"No. I mean, did you bring anyone with you from school?"

"Oh! No. I'm, uh, single."

"Yeah, me, too. It sort of sucks over the holidays, doesn't it?"

I nodded. I hadn't actually thought about it that much, but that would certainly explain the melancholy I was feeling at the moment.

"Hey, I've got to get back to shopping. I'll see you tonight. Let Justin know I'm coming, will ya?"

"Sure. I'll tell him. See ya."

I remembered to tell Justin. He looked relieved to hear that someone was going to rescue him from Mom. It didn't give Melissa an excuse to break away, but at that point, Justin was willing to sacrifice his wife for some peace. I could see it in his face. He was desperate.

When Craig showed up, we settled in the living room, just the three of us, to catch up. I mostly listened while Justin and Craig talked about the new house, and sports, and tools, and some mutual friends that they had.

I finally became more interested in the conversation when Craig told us about this incident with a girl in my grade who'd slept with a judge at some beauty contest. It was the biggest news to hit our community in ages.

Melissa joined us when Mom and Dad retired to bed. The poor girl looked ten years older. Justin didn't stay for long after that. I suspected that he had some making up to do with his wife for leaving her alone with Mom for so long.

Then it was just me and Craig. I sort of expected him to leave when Justin announced he was going to bed.

Craig scooted closer to me on the sofa, "So, how is school?"

"It's good. I might graduate a semester early. I'm trying to figure out if I have to take this one class that's only offered once a year. How're you doing?"

"Good. I graduate in the spring. I only have 2 classes next semester. So, it should be a breeze."

"Yeah, man, I'd kill for that schedule."

"Did you hear that Becky Lawson is getting married?"

"No, I didn't. You dated her your senior year, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I can't believe she's getting married."

"We're still sort of young to be getting married, it feels like to me."

"Yeah, but they're dropping like flies."

Craig took a deep breath and sat back.

"You remember when we swiped one of your Dad's beers and took turns drinking it around the side of your house?"

I chuckled, "Yeah, I remember. I got grounded over it."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that. You should've told him I did it."

"I couldn't. I knew he had to forgive me; I was his daughter. You, not so much."

Craig laughed. "It worked out better for us that he trusted me, anyway."

I had been allowed to go out on a car date with Craig only because Dad trusted him.

"I remember that night like it was yesterday."

I nodded. He was referring to the night I lost my virginity.

"You were so scared of getting caught."

"No, I was scared it was going to hurt. Getting caught was what you were thinking about."

Craig chuckled, "I barely knew what I was doing back then."

"Well, you got it done. It's ancient history now."

"Is it?"

I looked up, half expecting him to have this cheesy grin on his face. He wasn't smiling. Oh, shit.

Craig inched closer to me on the sofa and started caressing my hand.

Am I putting off some sort of 'come fuck me' vibe, or something?

"When are you going back?"

"Tuesday morning."

"I know you've got your family thing Saturday. What are you doing Sunday night?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to go out with Craig, but I couldn't think of a reason not to, either.

I'd known Craig forever and we got along great. We'd have a good time. I knew that much. And if the date ended with a little fooling around, then maybe that would be just what I needed to snap me out of my funk. It wasn't like we hadn't done it before.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Dinner. A movie, maybe. Or, we could hit a pub downtown."

"Sounds good. What time?"

"I'm not sure. Can I call you?"

"Yeah. Do you still have my folks' number? I left my phone at the apartment."

"Yeah, I have it."

Craig stood up and I did the same. I followed him to the door.

With his hand on the door knob, he turned back to me. "I'll see you Sunday night, then."

He leaned toward me and paused for a moment, waiting to see if I was going to object, before kissing me.

My heart rate picked up a bit, but I held steadfast.

It was a chaste kiss. Appropriate for the place and situation.

"Thanks for inviting me over."

"You're welcome. You saved Justin."

"I didn't come to see Justin."

With that, he pivoted on his heel and walked out the door. About halfway down the walkway, he glanced over his shoulder with a grin. Like a fool, I was still standing in the doorway, shocked by his confession.

Saturday was hectic. We ate this impossibly big meal and then gathered in the living room to open presents. The highlight of the evening was seeing my Mom's face when she opened the tickets. She nearly cried.

I got the usual stuff: cash from Mom and Dad, clothes from my sister, and some DVDs from my brother. Plus, all the assorted other stocking stuffers and trinkets.

We curled up under blankets and watched movies until we fell asleep. It felt like home.

Sunday morning was spent getting Justin and Melissa to the airport, and before I knew it, I was climbing into the passenger side of Craig's Jeep on our date.

Craig had become a welcome distraction from David. And somehow, being with Craig, and being home, made the whole thing with David seem so distant. Unreal. Like it never happened.

He drove me to a downtown restaurant and pub. After we ate, we had a few beers and laughed about old times. As the evening went on, I ignored the sensible voice in my head that pleaded with me to stop drinking, and took each fresh 20oz that Craig thrust in my hand.

I was drunker than I thought by the time we got up from our seats. The room was fuzzy in the dim lighting and I seemed to have trouble walking to the door without tripping over chairs.

Craig drove to my parents' house and parked on the street, and for a second, it felt like we were in High School again. Craig must've thought so, too, because he immediately unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over to kiss me.

This time it wasn't innocent.

His lips were hard on mine and his tongue was forceful, filling my mouth as he swirled it in wild circles all around. It was a drunk kiss. All passion and no finesse. But I was hungry for it, too.

He groped me through my shirt, like he'd done so many times in the backseat of his Dad's Chrysler. It was so familiar, I actually convinced myself that we were back in school.

"Oh, shit. I totally forgot."

Craig's hand had sneaked up my shirt. He'd reached my scars.

He pulled his hand away and went back to kissing me. I felt his fingers fumbling around with the button on my jeans and I realized that he intended to just leave my shirt on.

Just one week earlier, I would've accepted that, and allowed him to make love to me with my shirt on. But, a certain phrase popped into my head that changed my mind.

If anyone ever gives you the feeling that you're anything but gorgeous, you should immediately cross them off your Christmas list.

I stilled Craig's hands before he got my button loose.

"Craig, stop. I can't do this."

"You want to get in the back seat?"

"No. I need to go. I'm sorry. I had a good time."

I opened the passenger door and stepped onto the curb before he could say anything to change my mind.

CHAPTER FIVE

My hangover was actually a blessing. It kept my mind in a fog for most of the day. By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, I was more than ready to get out of Boise.

My cell phone greeted me as I walked in the door. It was right where I remembered leaving it. My stomach churned as I lifted it to see who'd called.

There was a missed call, a text from an unknown number, and four texts from Shauna. I opened Shauna's texts first.

Thursday, December 13, 11:31am: David wants your phone number. Can I give it to him?

Friday, December 14, 4:28pm: Hellllllooooo?!

Saturday, December 15, 10:45am: Don't kill me.

Today, 10:57am: David's been in an accident. We're at UW Med.

"An accident?" Oh, God, no.

I didn't stop to think; I just pocketed my phone and dashed back out the door. I wasn't even sure I knew which building was the medical center.

As I raced through the maze of streets, and through the crazy mix of midday shoppers and business people, my thoughts ran wild.

I cursed Shauna for not giving me more information in the text. Or for even texting me in the first place. He's probably forgotten about our night, already. I bet he has that kind of sex all the time. With girls who don't have complicated pasts and crazed ex-boyfriends.

The closer I got to the hospital, the more my brain was in disagreement with my feet. What am I doing here?

I stepped up to the information counter, "Do you have a David ..." I had to think for a moment. Shauna had mentioned his full name and I remembered seeing it on a piece of mail as I was stepping out the front door of the condo. "...Plumb? David Plumb."

She checked the records and shook her head, "No. There's no one by that name checked in."

My heart skipped a beat and then just about leapt from my chest. "I-If he was just in an a-accident, where would he be?"

"Oh, he'd be in the emergency room." She pointed down a long corridor to my left, "Down that hall and through the double doors on the right."

"Thanks."

I slowed my feet to a brisk walk. I was out of breath from the hurried trek as it was.

The emergency room was humming with activity. I vaguely recalled hearing something about a pedestrian who'd been struck and killed on the radio in the cab. My driver cussed about how he was going to have to change his route.

The examination rooms were laid out in a semi-circle around a center pit of desks with computer monitors and medical personnel. They were all moving about in every direction, leaning over one another and practically knocking each other out to get what they were after. It appeared to be chaos to the observer, but I suspected it was more like controlled bedlam.

I scanned the area for Roger and Shauna. There was no sign of them. I started making my way around the semi-circle, peering through the open doors for David. It was slow-going with all the ruckus. I was constantly being asked to get out of the way as the medical staff maneuvered equipment around me.

About three quarters of the way around the circle, I spotted him. He was sitting up in his bed. Alone.

His arm was cut and his hip was bandaged, but otherwise he appeared okay.

Tears pinpricked the corners of my eyes in relief. My entire body started trembling in some sort of aftershock reaction.

I'd made it just inside his doorway without him hearing me. The commotion in the hallway gave me that much cover. But as I stared at him on that bed, I couldn't move another inch toward him. My brain had caught up and was now in control of my feet.

David cocked his head in my direction and I froze.

"Jen?"

He must've heard me, or picked up my scent, or in some other uncanny way, detected my presence.

When I didn't answer him, he groaned and let his head fall back on the pillow.

Tears were now streaming down my face. I was positively terrified.

I backed out of the room slowly, watching him through wet eyes to be sure he didn't hear me. Once in the noisy hallway, I twirled toward the entrance and ran straight into Roger's chest.

"Whoa! Hey, Jen."

I knew David heard that. I pulled away from Roger like a panicked animal and fled the emergency room.

I was lying on the sofa with a wet washcloth over my face when Shauna arrived. I was dreading facing her.




Differently Visioned



I pulled the washcloth from my face and sat up, swinging my feet to the floor to face the music. I hadn't been around Shauna long enough to know what to expect. Is she angry with me? I hoped that we'd become close enough that she would at least listen to my side of the story.

Whatever that is.

Shauna weaved through the tight space around the sofa and sat beside me. "What's going on?"

I shook my head and rubbed my sore, swollen eyes. "I don't even know. I'm so over my head with him."

Shauna sighed and just remained still for a few moments. "Hey, listen, you want to go down to Salty's? Hardly anyone will be there with the break, and they have half price appetizers right now."

I gave a half chuckle at the mention of food. In times of doubt, eat. "Sure. Give me a second to get my face together."

Salty's was a local bar that catered to students. They always had some special going on to attract the crowd who was currently allocating their parents' life savings to education.

"What was that all about at the hospital?"

"I don't know. I went there to see him and just chickened out. He knew I was there, didn't he?"

"Yeah. We didn't know what to say to him. Roger had a hell of a time convincing him not to try and hobble after you."

I felt a sharp pang in my stomach. "I'm sorry I put you in that position. I shouldn't have even gone there. I'm so messed up in my mind over him."

"Trish! Hi."

I looked up from the walkway to a girl who was still several paces away from us; a little farther than a normal greeting distance, I thought.

"Hi, Shauna. How's it going?" The tone of her voice was off, like she shared some sorrowful event with my roommate.

"This is my roommate, Jennifer. Jennifer, this is a, uh, friend of mine, Trish."

We shook hands and the usual pleasantries.

"Are you staying in town for the holidays?" Shauna's voice had risen almost a full pitch.

I could tell something was going on, but couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I tried to recall if Shauna had ever mentioned Trish before in conversation. I was sure she hadn't described her to me, or if she did, she failed to mention that Trish should be the next Miss Universe, or something. She was unbelievably gorgeous.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Are you and Roger still going to visit your family?"

"Yeah. Thursday."

"How is he?"

"He's fine. Listen, it looks like it's about to downpour. I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah."

Trish turned and continued down her path, picking up the pace. I started to call out that it was nice meeting her, but I got the feeling it would be inappropriate. Then it hit me why.

"Did Trish used to go out with David?"

"Yeah."

"You're kidding me?!" She's gorgeous.

"No. They were a couple for a while, too."

"Why did she break up with him?"

"She didn't. He broke up with her."

"Oh!"

I don't know why it didn't occur to me. It was certainly one possibility. I suppose it was because I thought no man in his right mind would let someone that beautiful go.

"Do you know why?"

"He didn't say much. Only that he couldn't get serious with her, so there was no point in dragging out the inevitable."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah." Shauna checked over her shoulder and then continued, "Trish was devastated. But in David's defense, he let her down as gently as he could. And he's tried to keep their relationship friendly."

We arrived at Salty's and got settled at a table. A waitress appeared and took our drink order. I wasn't going to have a beer, but they were on special so I gave in.

"Does she still, you know, like him?"

"Oh, yeah. Big time. She calls him every day. Or did, until last Thursday."

"What happened last Thursday?"

"David told Trish that he'd met someone he was serious about and he didn't think it would be a good idea for her to call him anymore."

My heart fell heavy from my chest into my stomach. I could already feel the tears starting again. "He said that?"

Shauna nodded, "Yeah. And before you ask the next question I know you're going to ask, no, he didn't meet anyone else after you left. He was talking about you."

I blinked and the tears raced down my cheeks.

"What's wrong, Jen?"

"I swear I don't know. I'm scared, I guess."

"Of what?"

I shrugged. "One minute I'm afraid that this is the real thing, and the next minute, I'm afraid it's not. We've only been together one night. One. And I already like him more than I'm willing to admit to myself.

"Right now, he's practically perfect. I mean, just look at him. He's so beautiful it isn't fair. And he's thoughtful and loving. And don't get me started on how good he is in bed.

"The thing is, I know he can't be as perfect as I see him right now. The more I get to know him, the less perfect he's going to turn out to be.

"And that works both ways. I'm definitely not the prize catch of the century. It was humiliating just seeing his knockout ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, whatever. Did you catch Trish checking you out? She was threatened by you, and she didn't even know for sure it was you that David was talking about. You're a pretty girl, Jen. I can't believe I have to tell you that."

I shrugged my shoulder. From casual observation, I was pretty enough. But without these clothes on...

"Besides, David really doesn't measure beauty the way most people do. To him, you're probably ten times prettier than Trish."

"I don't know about that."

"Look, I've known David for a long time. He comes across as a player, I know. But he never says something he doesn't mean. I don't know what you did to him that night, but whatever it was, he's totally smitten with you now. And he was never that way with Trish.

"So, do with that information whatever you like. I'm just saying, if you want him, he's all yours."

"I don't know what I want. I'm so afraid I'm going to screw this up."

"If you're honest with him, you can't screw up."

"Is that how Trish lost him?"

Shauna shook her head and shrugged, "I don't think Trish did anything specific. She almost tried too hard to make David happy. If he liked something, she invested herself in liking it, too. She didn't have her own personality."

"How did she handle David's blindness? I don't know anything about how to help a visually challenged person."

"Does David strike you as someone who needs help?"

I sighed, "Good point."

"But don't call him visually challenged. He doesn't like that label."

"Okay."

"He's traveled to all sorts of places without much assistance. The cop at the hospital said that David was probably going to be the first eye witness they'd ever had in court."

"What happened?"

"Some idiot didn't see the red light. Another guy, one with perfect vision I might add, stepped onto the street when the walk sign lit up. The car hit him dead on. David heard the car coming and stepped back, but the car swerved slightly and hit the post, knocking it onto him.

"He landed on his hip, but the X-rays showed no broken bones."

"Was the other pedestrian killed? I heard on the radio that someone had been struck dead."

"Yeah. It was bad. And David heard the whole thing."

"God, I feel so bad for not seeing him in the hospital."

"We're getting together tomorrow night to exchange Christmas presents at the condo. Why don't you come and see him. He's on pain medication, so he can't drink. It'll give you a chance to be around him when we're not all drinking."

"I have to close tomorrow night, but I might be able to come by after that. If I'm not too tired."

"Okay. I won't mention it to him that I invited you, that way if you decide not to come by, he'll never know."

It was a really sweet gesture on her part, and the first real sign that she considered us friends, regardless of the situation.

But I'd already decided what I was going to do.

One hour before closing time, I would've sworn there was no way I'd have enough energy to go to David's. But the second I emerged through the shop doors onto the street, everything changed. Pure adrenaline carried me to the apartment to change clothes and grab David's gift. And I could've ran to the condo without a problem, I was that pumped up.

This time, my feet and head were in total agreement. I'd made up my mind about him. The only way to settle my fears was to spend more time with him. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least try.

CHAPTER SIX

Despite my resolve, I was a nervous wreck by the time I reached the front stoop of the condo. I had no idea how he was going to react to my coming, or what he was thinking about my erratic behavior at the hospital.

Well, I'll know soon enough. If I run now, I'll never know. And I'll always wonder if he was the one.

I knocked on the door and Roger answered. His smile grew to a toothy grin, and it settled my nerves about tenfold. He hugged me and pulled me inside, through the doorway.

Roger raised his voice and called into the kitchen, "Hey, David, you have a visitor."

Shauna came down the hallway from the bathroom and jumped up and down quietly when she saw me, trying not to give it away to David that it was me.

Before David emerged around the corner, he called out, "Who is it?"

Roger held his finger to his lips to keep me quiet, "You're going to have to come see for yourself."

"Very funny."

David hobbled into the living room and was about halfway to me when he stopped dead in his tracks.

I shed my jacket and set his present down on the coffee table as I walked toward him. Be brave. Be honest. Standing before him, I touched his arm as I looked up at his face. "I've missed you."

He slid his hand around my waist and pulled me into a hug. "I hope these drugs aren't making me hallucinate this."

I released the air I was holding in my lungs in a nervous chuckle.

"Is this really you?"

I pulled away from his hug and guided his hand to my chest. I was wearing one of the tighter silky blouses that I owned. It'd been my favorite top before the incident. I hadn't worn it in ages, but I always kept it in the back of my closet. It reminded me of better times. When I wasn't so self-conscious about the way I looked.

Through such flimsy material, he could easily feel the scarring.

"My beautiful Jen."

Tears filled my eyes. What is it about this man that touches me so deeply? "I'm sorry I ran from you. I was scared." Hearing my confession out loud brought more tears to my eyes. "I'm no good at this sort of thing."

"You're doing fine so far. You want help?"

I nodded, "Yes."

"I'm glad you're scared."

"Why?"

David grinned down at me, "It means you like me as much as I like you."

He lowered his face to mine and kissed me ever so gently, exploring my lips with his as though it was our first kiss all over again.

When he pulled away, I glanced over my shoulder. Shauna and Roger were gone. I had no idea when they left.

"I brought you a present. It's something I found when I was home."

"Can I open it now?"

"Yeah."

I turned and lifted it off the coffee table. When I turned back around, David was lying on his side by the Christmas tree. It was almost the exact spot where we first kissed.

I knelt beside him and tentatively touched his hip. "Does this hurt?"

"A little."

"Are you going to be okay?"

David patted the carpet beside his body. I unfolded my legs and lowered myself onto my side, facing him. He caressed my forehead and brushed my hair off of my face. "At the risk of sounding incredibly sappy, I'm going to be fine. Now. My hip was never in as much danger of breaking as my heart was."

My negative inner voice wanted to immediately call him out and reject what he was saying. But I knew that was just my own fear of being hurt. He was opening up to me and if we stood any chance of moving forward, I had to do the same.

"I don't understand how this could happen from one night."

"One incredible night."

"I agree the sex was great, but..."

"I'm not talking about the sex. It was the intimacy. How much you gave yourself to me. I know how hard that must've been for you. And I just kept thinking to myself, over and over again, where has this intriguing woman been for the past 4 years I've lived here? And yeah, the sex helped. It was phenomenal for me."

"Me, too."

"What's the matter?"

I hate when he does that. He'd picked up the guilt in my voice. "I have a confession to make about my trip home. I went on a date, sort of, with an old boyfriend of mine."

A tiny wrinkle had settled in the middle of David's forehead as he listened to me.

"I, uh, got a little drunk and we almost, you know, had sex."

"What stopped you?"

I smiled, "You, actually. Well, something that you said. About not accepting people who make me feel bad about myself."

His jaw tightened. "What did he do?"

"No, no, relax. It's okay. He didn't do anything real bad. He just didn't accept me the way I am, like you do. He wanted me to be the way I used to be before the stabbing. But I'm not that person, anymore.

"And I'm glad, actually. I've learned a lot of lessons I might not have learned otherwise."

"You almost sound proud."

"That's because I almost am. Thanks to you."

"I'll take credit when I deserve it. This is not one of those times. My only part in that was challenging you to move past your own fears. The rest was all you."

"So, you want to open your present, or not?"

"Are you changing the subject?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Give it here."

I set the gift on the floor between us. He could only use one hand to open it because he was holding himself up with the other hand. I helped by holding the gift still while he ripped paper.

"Good teamwork."

David ran his fingers along the edges of the painting first, then across the canvas. When he reached the raised bumps of the letters, he moved his fingers to the left to start at the beginning. A smile grew across his face as he was reaching the end of the phrase.

"Differently Visioned. I like that."

"It suits you."

"Perfectly."

David pulled my face to his for a kiss.

"Thanks, baby."

His use of an endearment for me made my muscles go limp. I felt like a jellyfish.

"Is it okay if I call you that?"

I flushed all over. It was embarrassingly okay. "Yes."

"Good." He kissed me again. "Because I think it suits you. And while we're on the topic, how do you feel about PDA?"

PDA? "You mean, kissing in public and stuff like that?"

"Yes. Kissing in public, hugging, holding hands, maybe copping a feel under the table."

My cheeks flushed a crimson red at the thought. Not from embarrassment, though. "I, uh, think it's okay, I guess."

David ran his fingers over my cheek, "Are you blushing?"

"A little."

"I promise not to do anything real radical until we've been dating for a long time. Maybe a year."

A year? He sees us together still in a year?

"I don't know how this is going to work out. But, I'm optimistic."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything you want."

"Shauna and I ran into Trish yesterday. What went wrong with you two? Why did you break up with her?"

"We weren't going anywhere. She just wasn't right for me. Or, vice versa. She needs someone who can appreciate her kind of devotion. I just never could."

"And what do you need? In a girlfriend, I mean."

"I need someone interesting, and bright, and fairly independent. I want her to challenge me as I challenge her. I need to know that we're growing together. And I'm going to sound like a total guy here, but I want the sex to be as fantastic for her as it is for me."

"Surely, you've never had a problem in that department."

"You'd be surprised. I would say that Trish was complacent about sex, at best. That right there is a deal-breaker for me. I like it too much. I absolutely can't get serious with a girl that isn't into it as much as I am."

"I find it hard to believe that any girl wouldn't respond to you."

"That's because you and I clicked in bed. I feel the same way about you, you know. I'm exhibiting monumental restraint right now."

"I wondered why we were still talking."

David touched my cheek and I leaned into him for a kiss. He deepened the contact by holding my neck as he pushed his tongue past my lips. I was likely already aroused just from being near him, but I became vastly more aware of it as his tongue invaded my mouth. God, how I want this man.

He pulled away much too soon. "So, I got you a present, too."

"You did?"

David grinned, "Of course. See that small box near the base of the tree?"

I sat up and looked over him and nodded, "Yes."

"Get it and bring it right here," he patted the carpet between us.

I did as he asked. He felt the box and smiled, then handed it to me.

"Merry Christmas, baby."

I melted to goo again at the endearment and wondered if I was ever going to get used to hearing him say it.

I carefully ripped the paper along the side to reveal a white box with a lid; the whole thing was about the size of a smart phone. I lifted the top, and nestled in a bed of cotton was a necklace that looked like a miniature string of Christmas lights. Each bulb was a different colored gemstone set in a silver wire that wound around a chain. It was crafted so beautifully, it looked just like the real thing.

"Oh, David, this is beautiful. Thank you."

"I thought it might remind you of something."

"Of how you tricked me into kissing you." I leaned forward and nipped his lower lip playfully, then sat up to put it on. As I was doing so, I unbuttoned my blouse and slipped it off, along with my bra.

David's head rested on his arm, watching every move. I knew he couldn't actually see me, but he was picturing it, just the same. And the smirk that was painted on his face was priceless. Worth the risk of getting caught by Roger or Shauna. Actually, even that was adding to my arousal for some reason.

When I was wearing nothing above the waist except for the necklace, I guided his free hand to where the string of lights hung delicately around my bare neck.

His fingers didn't explore the necklace for long. They moved across my dimpled chest and around my puckered nips.

"Are you aroused at the thought of being caught?"

"Partly, yes."

"Do you know why I asked about PDA earlier?"

"No. I thought it was an unusual question."

"It's because it turns me on. And you sitting here in my living room without a top on and those amazing protruding nipples, is the most incredibly erotic thing in the world to me."

"When you mentioned it earlier, about copping a feel under the table in public, my whole body heated up."

David smiled, "I think you and I were made for each other."

His hand steadied my back as he leaned forward and took my nipple into his mouth. He held it between his lips as he swirled his tongue around the tip, then he flicked it and nipped it until the point protruded obscenely.

I was panting by the time he pulled his face from my chest.

"I liked you almost from the first moment we met. There was something so intoxicating about your scent. And right away I could tell you were real. Not just another pretty face."

"How do you know that my face isn't just hideous looking?"

"Well, for one, Roger and Shauna told me before I even met you."

"Oh."

"But your face isn't what makes you so beautiful. It's your spirit.

"That night we sat around talking, you just seemed to fit with our group like we'd all been friends for years. It was so easy.

"But the real moment I started to fall for you was when I first kissed your breast, and you got so aroused by it that you soaked your underwear. I knew then that the sex was going to be off the charts."