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Love of a Lifetime Ch. 01

By: Refresh_7



The curtains on the window of our one-bedroom apartment were left a skewed. The sun poured in and blanketed us with warmth. Our naked bodies were entangled along with sheets and blankets. Everything about this moment was perfect. I trailed light kisses up her back, taking extra caution on the nape of her neck, my favorite place of all. I snuggled closer and breathed in her scent, something so indescribable, but so intoxicating. It was the smell of soft lavender and her shampoo. It was the smell of home.

I whispered softly, "I love you." She craned her head towards me and kissed me with the utmost passion. Then that's when I remembered; things weren't always this blissful.

It started about six years ago. I was starting as a freshman at NYU. I left my home, my family, my friends, and left everything that I knew to come here. I realized at a certain age that even if I didn't come from a broken home, I felt suffocated in the small town of Cement City, Michigan. Truth was, I loved architect, and I promise you, Cement City was not the place to be for thriving, young architects.

So my first day at NYU was a disaster. I was lugging around 5 ton books, walking around like a lost puppy. My laptop bag decided to keep slipping off my shoulder, rendering me unaware of the people I was running into. I managed to bump into someone and knock the books out of her hands. I quickly knelt down and picked them, and when I looked up, everything I knew about beauty turned into a complete lie. It was like a blind-man seeing for the first time. Her dark, brown hair was parted down one side and draped over her shoulders like silk. Her eyes were a glimmering sapphire, like the deepest parts of the ocean. Her nose was cute and sloped down as to compliment her full lips. She was petite, but not fragile looking. Her breasts were the perfect size, not small, but not annoyingly gigantic to the point where they would get in the way. I stopped staring and finally started talking.

"I-I'm really s-sorry. I'm, uhm, I'm Andrew," I stammered as I reached my hand out.

In the most aggravated tone, "Well Andrew, watch where you're going next time."

And as she walked away, I couldn't help but notice the round and firmness of her butt with each stride she took. So much for a first impression, way to go me!

For the rest of the day, I stayed in my dorm room and started unpacking. The room was quite spacious and had a very nice view of New York. It was the perfect scenery to inspire a few drafts. Hayden Hall was quite accommodating; there was a cafeteria, a lounge, and a wash room. I haven't met my roommate yet, but get this, his name is Hayden. I finished putting away my clothes and fitted clean, white sheets onto my twin sized bed. I plopped down next to the window and took out my sketch pad. The city was buzzing; yellow cabs filled the streets, honking as they went. A sea of people were walking and chattering on their phones as they try to reach their destinations. Tall buildings were towering over the streets, casting a shadow and an endless shade of protection. I drew rough drafts of 19th old century buildings. It was so close to detail; every line, every curve, it was flawless. The door opened and popped my concentration. A dirty-blonde haired guy came in carrying two duffel bags. He was about average height, a little scrawny, but you can tell he was built. He put his bags down and I immediately got up to introduce myself.

"Hayden, right? I'm Andrew. Guess we're roommates, eh?"

"Hey, nice to meet you," he shook my hand, "Haha, looks like it. What's your major?"

"Architecture, how about you?"

"English lit," his eyes brightened, "I love writing! My name's gonna be plastered all over the New York Times man, watch me haha."

With that, I left him to unpack. He seemed friendly, and I thought we'd get along well. I returned to my bed and ripped out my sketch. I crumpled it up and threw it away, unsatisfied with it and unsatisfied with myself. Hayden seemed sure of himself. He knew what he was doing here, but for me, I felt like a little fish in an ocean. Was I doing the right thing?

"Hey Andrew, you wanna go get a bite to eat downstairs? I'm starving."

"Yeah sure, I'll meet you down there. I just uhm...gotta put away some books of mine."

He walked out and I stared long and hard at the door after he closed it. At home, I never really had many friends. I mean I had friends, but since it was such a small city, we all knew each other since diapers. They were boring and mediocre and it was the same thing over and over. Movies, baseball, or hanging around places we weren't supposed to be. We couldn't even get in trouble much. It was an uneventful city with uneventful people, but I knew this would be different. Maybe finally, I'll hang around people more worth my while. 

I quickly hurried down the stairs, careful not to trip and fall and break my face. The cafeteria was large, but with so many people there, it felt claustrophobic. I grabbed an apple and a soda; I didn't have much of an appetite. I scanned around the room for the messy mop of blonde hair, and saw him waving me over. 

"HEY ANDREW, OVER HERE MAN!" He was sitting with a group of people already. Nervously, I walked towards him and sat down at an empty chair. He introduced me to each of them. 

"Andrew, this is Alex," he pointed towards a tanned, dark-haired boy, "Chico," a rather large Hispanic boy, "Kristina," a girl with wavy blonde hair, "And this is Joanna," it was the same girl I ran into. My mouth dropped open, I was clearly in shock.

"Ugh, not you again," she nodded in disgust towards my direction.

Hayden lifted his eyebrow up, "You two met already?"

"More like he ran into me this morning. He wasn't even looking at where he was going!"

I bowed my head down in horror. I was right; I'm not ready for this. What was I thinking? 

"C'mon Joanna, cut him some slack! He's probably new to this city."

Hayden came to my defense even though I just met him, I was grateful for him. Maybe I could get by with just one friend, that'll be enough.

"Sigh, I'm sorry Andy boy. Eat your...apple and I'll show ya around."

The mood quickly became lighter around the table. Hayden was practically swallowing a hamburger whole while Alex and Kristina were talking about how their first day of classes went. I slowly bit into my apple, until I felt the burning intensity that someone was watching me. Joanna was staring in my direction, raising her eyebrow and squinting her eyes, as if she was trying to decipher a difficult calculus problem. She looked down immediately and idly started flipping pages of her book. I finished my apple and soda and got up to throw away the trash. The scraping of the chair and the floor was deafened by the sound of the loud cafeteria. I tossed the apple core and the empty can into the bin, but when I turned around, Joanna was just standing there. My heart skipped a beat. Her beauty was unbearable, what I wouldn't give for just...

"Ready? Let's go. Gosh, you need to speed things up if you're gonna survive in this city, pretty boy."

As she was leading me out of the loud cafeteria, I couldn't help but wonder why she would want to show me around when she probably had better things to do. My mind wandered as my eyes had a mind of its own. I couldn't help it, I was only human. She had the most amazing...

"So do you like...not talk or something Andy? Hope you don't mind me calling you Andy. Less syllables. "

"N-no, I talk. And I don't mind. So uhm, Joanna right? What are you majoring in?"

"Ah, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? It's like another way to ask me 'what I wanna be when I grow up?' Who the hell knows? Why pick a major when you're 80% guaranteed to change it?"

"Uhm...I'm..sorry?"

"It's okay Andy. Anyway, I didn't really pay attention during orientation, but this is the lounge. That's all you really need to know about this hall. Let's go explore somewhere less boring!"

Before I knew it, we were off campus and walking around the busy sidewalks of New York. It was getting a little windy, and I was getting the chills. I only had cargo shorts and a t-shirt on, but Joanna never complained. She only had shorts and a thin shirt on. The skies were getting dark and the clouds were moving in; rain was definitely a possibility. Joanna pointed to several billboards and signs about pointless advertisements. None of them really captured my attention. If anything, I was overwhelmed by the crowdedness, and by Joanna herself. She was absolutely beautiful.

"...and while you're here, you gotta see ONE play. Even if I don't make you, Hayden will. He's all for the suffering writers/poets crap."

I only nodded and trailed closely beside her. Next thing we know, rain is pouring down like bullets. 

She grabbed my hand and whispered, "Run run run run run." Her hand was soft and carefully entwined with mine.

We ran back into Hayden Hall, still holding hands and laughing at the unfortunate turn of events. Soaking wet, we stepped into my dorm and Hayden was sitting at his desk on his laptop, typing a million words a minute. 

He turned away from his chair, "Huh, I guess it's raining."

"Shut up douche and get us a towel."

He threw a towel at me and I wrapped it around her first. She was shivering as I rubbed the towel against her arms. Her clothes were clinging onto her skin, wrapping around her every curve. What a lucky shirt.

After Joanna left to go back to her dorm, I dried off and bombarded Hayden with questions.

"So what's her story? How do you two know each other? Does she have a boyfriend?"

"She's from here. We're friends from high school, including Alex, Chico, and Kristina. And nah, she's single. Haha, don't do it bro, she's a handful."

"No...I'm just curious."

That night I dreamt of Joanna. We were raining in the rain, but this time, no one was around and it was only us. I pulled her hand back to stop her from running only to wrap my hands around her waist and kiss her. I brought her back to the empty dorm and started tearing at her clothes while she struggled to unbutton my shorts. After leaving a trail of clothes behind, we ended up on my bed. I raised her leg up and entered her with force. She clawed my back, screaming my name as I pumped in and out of her. Before either of us had came, I suddenly woke up. Never have I ever wanted to self-induce a coma to get back to a dream.

Love of a Lifetime Ch. 02



Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the feedback! This is actually my first time trying to write a story and I highly appreciate feedback and criticism. Anyway, this one is a little bit longer, so hopefully it'll hold you off for a little while longer while I continue to write ;D. Enjoy!

_________________________

Life in New York was...interesting. It was certainly different and overwhelming, but in a good way. If anything, my hometown was underwhelming, if that even makes sense. My classes were a little hard to keep up with, I wasn't used to lecture halls filled with over hundreds of people. Although architecture is my major, I don't really get into it until junior year. It was like high school over again, but bigger. Classes consisted of things like English, calculus, biology, and most unfortunately, labs. I had calculus with Hayden and Alex, while English and lab were blessed with Joanna's presence. English was my first class on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Since Joanna lived in the same dorm building as me, we usually walked together.

During one particular Friday morning, I was sprawled across my bed, oversleeping by a few minutes. Hayden was up already, preparing to go to his advanced literature class. Joanna was banging on the door, screaming, "ANDREW, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED! WE HAVE CLASSSSS!!"

Hayden let out a sigh, "I recommend you switch classes. Or get an alarm. This is the third time! She's freaking crazy." He put his messenger bag over his shoulder and stood by the door as if he was bracing for a storm.

Once he opened the door, Joanna flew past him and jumped on me, screaming for me to wake up.

"Wakeeee upppppp Andy! We have class like....NOW!"

"Uh-huh...ughhhhhhhh, alright I'm up."

She climbed off and walked over to my dresser to start throwing clothes at me.

"Sheesh, don't you wear clothes when you sleep?"

"I am wearing clothes! I have shorts on! Why? Does my being-half-naked make you nervous," I smirked.

I guess there was one advantage of Cement City; it was so boring that I worked out constantly and religiously. I don't mean to boast, but I was built. I put on the clothes she threw at me; beige cargo shorts and a solid black t-shirt. I ran my fingers through my hair; it would suffice as a comb.

Now here's what I love about walking with Joanna to class; for some odd reason, she'd always loosely held my hand. I never questioned it, fearing that if I did, it'd be an end to it. She would hum quietly to herself, and even though students were bustling about and cars honked everywhere, I could always hear her and only her. This morning however, she forced me into a run. The funny thing was that once we arrived at the lecture hall, we found out that class was canceled today due to the professor being sick. Apparently, there was an e-mail sent out early this morning, but I guess everyone knew except us. That's what you can count on for college kids to do; check their e-mail constantly hoping for a cancelled class.

I glared at Joanna and she just shrugged. She grabbed my hand again and led us outside, "So what do you wanna do now? You can't just go back to sleep and leave me alone, so don't even think about it."

It's odd, in the three weeks she's known me, it already feels like she knows the way I think. "Fine. Let's go get some breakfast."

Since cafeteria breakfast wasn't exactly the best, we walked around until we stumbled upon a quiet, cozy diner. We sat down in a booth as a stout waitress walked towards us. She had a pencil behind her ear and when she spoke, she had a heavy New York accent. Her name tag read Wilma and when I looked up, she was talking to me. "What can I get fah ya sweetheart?"

"I'll, um, have a cup of coffee for now."

She looked towards Joanna, "And what bout ya pretty little girlfrien ova here?"

"I'll have some coffee too, thank you," she smiled.

I looked over at her, surprised she didn't bother to correct Wilma. It wasn't the first time it happened. Random little girls off the street said we were a cute couple. If you were on the outside, I suppose it'd be logical for us to be dating; holding hands, walking to class together, and eating together. Together. It was both comforting and uncomforting. It was nice to be affectionate with someone as beautiful as her, but it was unsettling because I knew it was unofficial and for her, she was probably just bored.

We sipped on our coffee, occasionally eating saltine crackers that were offered on the table. I was never much of a talker, let alone a conversation starter, but fortunately, Joanna was.

"Do you have any other classes today?"

"Uhm...nope. It was just that class, you know, the one where it was cancelled, but you dragged me out of bed anyway?"

"Shut up! It's not like you checked your e-mail either, jerk. Anyway, we're all going out tonight and there's somebody I want you to meet."

I sipped on my coffee; curious as to whom she would want me to meet. "Yeah, where are we going?"

"Just look like your usual pretty self and let me take care of the rest, Andy."

After we finished our coffee, we walked back to our dorms. Instead of just dropping me off at my room, she followed me inside. Hayden was still in class, so we were alone together. Her hair was wavy today instead of the usual straightened hair. I liked it better that way; her natural beauty. She wore a striped shirt that fell off on one side, revealing her shoulder. As always, she was stunning. When we were together, we usually talked about random things. She always asked how my life was back at Michigan; I couldn't tell her much.

All of a sudden, Joanna started going through my closet and my dresser as if she was looking for a specific thing. She scanned shirt after shirt until she came upon a white dress shirt. She put it against my chest and said, "Here, try this on. And do you have any black slacks? Try it on with that."

I raised my eyebrow, wondering where I might be going tonight wearing such fancy clothes. I pulled off the shirt I was wearing, and suddenly I felt a hand against my chest. I wasn't much taller than Joanna; my mouth was leveled with her forehead.

"Uhm," I mumbled.

"Shh shh, don't ruin the moment."

She ran her hand across my chest and down my arm until finally, she was holding my hand. She looked down and sighed. With my free hand, I tilted her chin up, hoping to look into her eyes and see what she was thinking. Subconsciously, I tilted my head to the side and leaned in. 

She stopped me, "Don't. It's...it's complicated." She walked over and sat down on my bed, her head in her hands.

I followed her, pulling her hands away so I could hold them. She looked up at me and I said, "It doesn't have to be. I like you, you know that? And if I'm not mistaken, you like me too."

She sighed, "Andrew, I have to go. We're still going tonight, remind Hayden. Please, don't make this harder than it already is."

With that she walked out, leaving me confused. What does she mean by that? Hayden came back around 2:00. I was sitting on my bed, sketching again when he walked in.

"Hey, Joanna told me to remind you we're going out tonight. Anyone mind telling me where we're going?"

"Oh yeah, I hope you have a nice jacket; we're going to an engagement party haha. We should actually start getting ready. We have to be there by 5."

An engagement party? I've only been here for three weeks. Have I even met anyone that I know is getting engaged? Hayden and I took turns taking a shower. My hair was cropped short, so I couldn't do much with it. I ran my hand through it, pushing it to the side and hoping that it would make it less messy. Alex and Chico came over since both of them didn't know how to tie a tie. All four of us wore the same thing, white dress shirt, black slacks, black tie, and black jacket. We looked like the freaking men in black. There was a soft knock at the door and I couldn't help but hope it was Joanna, but it was only Kristina. She looked absolutely different. I guess last time, I wasn't paying much attention, but she was gorgeous. Her long blonde hair was pinned up and she had a strapless, red cocktail dress on.

"C'mon guys! We gotta go!" She walked towards my direction and fixed my tie, "There, that's better." She smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

I wanted to ask where Joanna was, but I kept it to myself. We hailed a taxi and somehow tried to fit into it like a clown car. Hayden called shotgun and Chico managed to miraculously fit into the back seat along with Alex, Kristina, and me. Kristina ended up on my lap. The taxi driver kept braking like a mad man. Somehow, my arms were wrapped around Kristina's waist, preventing her from flying through the windshield. The taxi stopped at a humongous, elegant house. About half of the house was actually glass and from the outside, you could see the place was packed with people in suits and dresses. Even in what I was wearing, I felt underdressed. I wasn't sure I belonged here. We were eager to climb out of the cramped car. All five of us stood on the sidewalk, completely stunned by the gigantic house. 

It was Hayden who made the first move, "C'mon, we're gonna be late and Joanna's gonna get pissed."

Joanna? She was already here? Either way, it was enough motivation to get inside the house faster. As we walked in, someone took our coats and another guy led us to a huge room. Several small chandeliers were scattered all around the ceiling, reflecting crystal lights on the various round tables set up. There was a little stage where a DJ was playing soft, calming music. The man led us to a table closest to the stage. Whose engagement party were we at to have the privilege of sitting all the way up here? Hayden sat to the left of me while Kristina sat to my right. I couldn't help but scan the room for that one particular person. All around us, everyone began to sit down and a middle-aged man in a suit hushed the crowd.

"Everyone quiet down. It is with the utmost honor that I am able to introduce to all of you the newlyweds! Let's give a round of applause for the lovebirds!"

I leaned towards Hayden and whispered, "Dude, where's Joanna? She's missing everything."

Before he could even answer me, she appeared on stage with her arm wrapped around a guy. I didn't understand...why was she up there? He had a full-on tuxedo while she adorned a floor-length off-the-shoulder, white dress. Whatever she was doing up there, she was breath-taking as always.

They both had a microphone and the guy began speaking, "Thank you father for that wonderful, yet short introduction," the crowd laughed softly, "Joanna and I would like to welcome and thank you all for coming out for our special night. I won't do too much talking so we could get the party started," he turned towards Joanna, "baby, you wanna add anything?"

She smiled nervously and said, "No...I think that about covers it. Enjoy your evening everyone!" 

It took me awhile to realize I wasn't breathing. Fortunately, the clapping drowned out the sound of me gasping for air. Hayden patted my back and he was speaking words of concern, but I couldn't hear him. I needed to get out of here. The walls were closing in on me.

"I need some air. Stay here, I'll be back." I quickly ran out the side door that led to the deck. Even with fresh air, I couldn't control my erratic breathing. Engaged? Why didn't she tell me? I need to get out of here, I can't handle this. As I turned around, Joanna stood before me. She has a way of sneaking up on people, I'll give her that.

"Going somewhere Andy? You didn't even dance with me yet."

"I think your fiancée might object to that."

She noticeably winced at those words as she walked closer towards me. It was barely audible, but she said, "I told you it was complicated..."

"Joanna, you could've told me! You held my hand! You don't correct fat waitresses and little girls who call you my girlfriend! You could've at least told me Joanna...give a guy a warning, do something."

"And say what Andrew? 'Oh hey, I like you a lot Andy, but sorry! I'M ENGAGED!' It's not that simple okay? You think it's easy for me? It's not!"

I was confused, I didn't understand, "If you don't love him, why are you marrying him?"

She sighed, "It's complicated...My parents are in debt, and obviously, this guy has boatloads of money. His parents are urging him to settle down and they promised to take care of my parents. Look Andrew," she picked my hand and held it, "if things weren't so fucked up and I had a chance to be normal, I'd pick you. You would try to ask me out and I would try to play hard to get, but give in anyway. We'd date and argue and maybe break-up a few times but end up back together. Your parents would hate me, and Hayden would have to live with me sneaking to your dorm late at night. But things ARE fucked up, and I can't do this with you."

I saw everything she saw. With me, it wouldn't be complicated. We would be best friends and I could take care of her. Even for the short period of time that I knew her, I liked her, a lot. If it was any other girl, I wouldn't care, but it was Joanna. I dropped her hand and whispered, "I'll see you at the party..."

I walked back inside and found Hayden by the bar. Perfect. I needed a drink.

"Hey man, where ya been?"

"Outside, I got lost. I need a drink."

"Well alright! Let's get this shit started." He gestured towards the bartender and ordered us a round of shots. Alex, Chico, and Kristina suddenly appeared and each took a glass.

I didn't have much experience with alcohol, as in, I never HAD alcohol, but I knew not to let it run through my tongue. I threw back the shot, wincing. It wasn't too bad. I took two more before I realized Hayden was offering me a slice of lemon. I shook my head, I didn't need it. It didn't take long for the vodka to kick in, and soon enough, I had the urge to dance. Hayden and Kristina followed me to the dance floor. Not many people were dancing yet, but after people saw us, more people joined. Hayden and Kristina were dancing together, while I was just kinda doing my own thing. I saw a girl from across the room looking at me, smiling. I smiled back and gestured for her to dance with me. The music was loud and thumping. The calm and soothing DJ that we saw was gone. Now, he had headphones on and his head was bopping to the beat. The girl started dancing on me and grinding her hips against me. You couldn't put a hair between us. I saw Joanna looking at us, her expression bleak, but I didn't care. She made her choice, why can't I make mine? Hayden and Kristina got lost in the crowd and I couldn't find Alex or Chico. After another upbeat song, the DJ decided to dedicate a slow, love song to the new lovebirds. 

Right on cue, the girl leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You wanna go somewhere else? I know a room." 

I nodded and she wrapped her hand around mine and led me out of the crowd. Her hand didn't feel right. It didn't fit perfectly. We made it to a small bedroom on the side of the house. She promised me that no one used it and no one would notice. She pushed me down on the bed and yanked my tie off and started to unbutton my shirt. I pulled her towards me and we started making out. It reminded me too much of this morning so I started down her neck. She was fumbling with my belt while I lightly bit down on the side of her neck. She let out a soft moan and got down on her knees to pull my pants off. She slid my boxers down a little bit and without hesitation, she started blowing me right there. It felt amazing; it had been a long time since I'd gotten a blowjob. A girl I knew in middle school was curious so she luckily picked me to be her experiment, we never talked again after that. I tangled my fingers through her hair as she bobbed up and down. She was a brunette and I started imagining things and I couldn't take it.

"No, no, okay you don't have to do that anymore." I picked her up and it didn't even faze her. She climbed on top of me so she was straddling me. I wrapped my arms around her and unzipped her dress, clawing and tearing until it finally dropped below us and joined the rest of the clothes. She started rocking her hips as she undid her own bra. She was obviously eager.

I flipped her down on the bed so I was on top of her, she smiled wide. She liked that. I ripped her panties down to reveal a clean, shaven pussy. She came prepared. 

"Go inside my purse, there's a condom in there." I reached over and dug inside until I saw an entire pack of condoms. Damn, she was more than prepared. I grabbed one and ripped it open with my teeth. As much as I wanted her to be someone else, I was only human. I was hard. She lifted her legs a little to break me out of my trance. She wasn't going to get this easy, she wanted this too much. I took the head of cock and circled her pussy, occasionally rubbing it against her clit. 

She moaned loud and began to plead, "Please..."

"Please what," I toyed.

"Just please fuck me."

I rammed into her hard and started pumping in and out. She was clawing my back, whispering in my ear, "Ooooh yeahhhhh. That feels sooo gooood. Oh! Harder, yeah. Right there baby. Mmmm." 

I turned her over so she was on her knees. I grabbed her hips and started slowly entering her. Inch by inch, slowly filling her insides. I slowly came out, only to ram hard into her again. She arched her back, moaning. We created a rhythm, fast, slow, fast. The bed was shaking. I went so deep, my balls were slapping against her clit, adding to the pleasure.

In between moans, she informed me, "Oh god, I'm cominggg." She grunted and with one final push, she arched her back. She got up, took off my condom and was determined to finish me off. Her tongue worked up and down my shaft. Her warm saliva was dripping down. She flicked her tongue over the head, and that was it. I came hard and all over her face. I sat for a moment, gathering my thoughts. She walked towards the bathroom to clean off. 

The bathroom door opened to reveal her, another reminder that she wasn't who I wanted it to be. But I wouldn't want Joanna like this, not in a stranger's house on a foreign bed. 

"You know, I never caught your name," she said.

I grabbed my clothes and started dressing, "It's probably better that way."

She smiled and started putting on her own dress, "Yeah, probably."