2 comments/ 9441 views/ 1 favorites Sealed Like Envelopes By: fictionality Adele was bored. She lay on her stomach on top of her bed, swinging her feet above her head, desperately tried to find a new way to amuse herself. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do. She had already checked her email twice, written in her journal, and stared at the ceiling for too long than she cared to think about. She had entertained the thought of a morning run but seeing snow fluttering out the window, had given up that idea. She was in the final week of her politically-correct Winter Break: a month long return to home from the freedom of college. She had already watched all of her movies, read hours of books, taken enough baths to fill Lake Michigan, and run pointless errands simply to be out of the house. And to make matters worse, many her friends had found jobs over the break and were busy with work. It is so infuriating, she thought as she flipped her brunette locks out of her face. It is so unfair. Why couldn't have found a job for the break? I have a whole boring week to look forward to with no one around. She sighed, one of many that day, and rolled off the bed to go find something to do. Her bare feet echoed on the hardwood floors of her parents' large home. An empty echo. She wished that there was someone around to talk to. Yesterday the housekeeper had been at the house and Adele had followed her around as she cleaned. Her parents were always out and about—her mom with the horses, her father "consulting" local businesses—so she was used to being alone, and usually it didn't bother her. But today it did. In fact, it was driving her crazy. She padded into the kitchen and poured herself a small bowl of cereal. After all, it was past noon and she hadn't bothered with breakfast yet. She carried her bowl over to the bar and sat down to watch some TV. Scanning through the TiVo-ed selections from the night before, she found an old episode of "Buffy" and settled in. She was half-way through her health-conscious Raisin Bran, when the doorbell rang. Without thinking, she went to the door, still dressed in her pajamas—a medium sized pink t-shirt advertising an old YMCA camp and a pair of pink boxer shorts. Assuming that the late-morning visitor was either the UPS man or a neighbor, she was shocked to receive Travis, with whom she had shared an unfulfilling fling the summer before. She mumbled hello and opened the door to invite him in just as she realized her state of dress. Her skin flushed fuchsia and she stuttered "I'll be right back" before scampering upstairs to find appropriate clothing, leaving him in the entryway without allowing him to speak a word. I thought he was gone, she mumbled to herself as she entered her room. He shouldn't be here. But I can pretend like it never happened. Sealed like an envelope. Sealed with a kiss. And kisses aren't given lightly. Fortunately for Travis, Adele was a fast dresser and she was back downstairs in a matter of minutes. She had grabbed the first clothes at hand: her favorite hole-ridden jeans and her college sweatshirt, pulled on a pair of socks, and hurried back to her guest. In the meantime, Travis had wandered into the living room, and found a comfortable sofa upon which to seat himself. Apparently he was planning to stay, thought Adele, but I have no idea why. As she moved farther into the room, she realized that Buffy was still playing and she rushed to turn it off. Buffy was her secret obsession—no one else knew. She stood in front of the silent television, wondering what Travis was doing in her living room. As far as she knew, he was supposed to be working this week. Her good friend Sebastian worked at the bike shop with Travis and he was working today, so... She tried to piece the puzzle together in her head but was too confused to think. Besides, this was definitely a new development. Because they had broken up months ago, she was unsure about directly asking him about his visit, but he solved her conundrum by initiating conversation. "So, you're probably wondering why I'm here, huh?" "Yeah. I guess you could say that. I mean, we haven't talked since....you know. The last time...last summer." She was at a loss for words. Seeing him here, she couldn't get a handle on her emotions. Travis seemed to sense her hesitation and began speaking rapidly, "Look, I'm really sorry about that. It felt really special, don't get me wrong. And we had such a blast last summer. But I'm here at State and you're off at your Ivy, miles and miles from here and I thought it would be hard and I didn't want to really have to tell you because I was afraid I'd make you cry and--" he broke off and looked up. She was silently crying. Large tears slowly snaked down her face. "You never called. One minute it was 'Let's see Shrek II on Saturday,' and then you never called. And then when I called your house your mom said you had left for school early. She didn't even know about me. And now you show up here for—for what?" "I wanted to apologize. I thought it would sound cheap over the phone." "I was home at Thanksgiving, you know. You could've done it then. Then I wouldn't have been wondering for months what was so wrong with me—so wrong with us." "Now hold on a minute. I know I was wrong not calling you, but I know for a fact that you weren't moping around missing me for four months. I have on good intelligence that you've been out at least once a week all last semester. If you really missed me that bad, you would have called. Besides, we both knew at the beginning of the summer that this was going to be a fling. It wasn't going to last. So what if it ended badly, we both knew it was going to end." "I don't care. You broke my heart. I went out partying so much because I wanted to forget you. I wanted to move on. But I couldn't. I had no closure. At the beginning of the year I thought you might still call. I don't know. But I waited. I waited until Thanksgiving. And after that, when I knew how much time I had wasted on a bastard like you, I started to hate. And my hating was going on just fine until you show up here today. Besides, aren't you the one who's supposed to be apologizing?" "I'm sorry, okay. Saying goodbye somehow felt like admitting that it never had a shot. But it did. And I gave it up anyway. I gave it up because you went somewhere better. And you were supposed to find someone better. You went somewhere far from here. You wanted to get away. Away from everything here. And me." "You knew I was leaving even before we got together. The whole thing was East Coast or nothing. Of course I had to get away. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it here, at home. But I needed to get out and experience life on my own. Meet new people, see new places, do new things. And you didn't want to do that. You chose to stay here. I chose to leave. But when you went off to school without telling me, it made me feel left behind. It hurt. It said 'I don't care about you, Adele. I would rather move into my moldy dorm than spend another night with you.'" "But that's not what I meant. I just thought it would be easier if I just broke things off cleanly. But I see I was wrong. I thought it would be a swift break up, but I was chicken and just didn't want any confrontation. Forgive me?" Adele sniffed and looked dubiously at his outstretched hand. "I forgive you. But that doesn't mean we can just go back to being friends or anything." "Well then why don't we become acquaintances? That could be nice. Here, let's start. Sit down and tell me about your day." She sat on the leather sofa as far from Travis as possible and then curled her feet beneath her, looking pixie-esque. "Today I did nothing. In fact, you interrupted my breakfast when you knocked on the door." "Well then, I apologize on two accounts today. Forgive me again?" "Yes. This, at least, is not your fault. How could you know that I was going to be eating breakfast in the early afternoon?" "I guess you're right. But I'm still sorry." "Hey, since we're acquaintances now and acquaintances are allowed to ask questions of each other, what are you doing here today? It's Wednesday and I talked to Sebastian yesterday. He's at work, and shouldn't you be there with him?" "Actually, I'm not working this winter. I have a bunch of races this spring and training is more intense than I thought it would be. But the life of a marathon runner is never easy." He shrugged and laughed. "Just remember," teased Adele, "I can never marry you if you don't graduate from college." She suddenly blushed, remembering how she used to tease him about the time his training took away from his job and schoolwork. That seemed ages ago now. Travis coughed and shuffled on the sofa: apparently he remembered too. "So, the real reason I stopped by is that there's this big get-together tonight, basically everyone from school is gonna be there and I came to invite you. Or more correctly, Laura sent me to invite you. It's a costume party, no theme. Sound like fun?" Adele nodded. "Yeah, I'll throw something together. When and where?" # "I'm going as Holly Golightly," said Adele. "I want a night of living carefree. To not give a damn for a whole evening would be so refreshing. Besides, I like the big sunglasses." Her audience, Laura Greenly, listened unblinking. She could not understand why Adele would go as an Audrey Hepburn character. She had checked up on the other partygoers and found a hooker, a showgirl, a sexy nurse, and a playboy bunny. She herself was the most conservative as a hula dancer, and she told Adele as much. "What's more," huffed Laura, "we're eighteen, freshmen in college, the sexiest we'll ever be, according to Maxim and Cosmopolitan." Laura had read both ravenously since the age of twelve. If she was going to have a lot of sex in college, she needed to be prepared. "I don't care. I'm not a trashy whore and there's no reason I should pretend to be. I'm more than that. And besides, what you wear is like an advertisement: if your shirt reads 'slut,' people will believe you are a slut. It's that simple." Adele continued rifling through her closet, looking for the kinds of clothes Holly Golightly would wear. If she found the right outfit among her own clothes, she wouldn't have to go borrowing from all her friends. And that's exactly what she couldn't do. It was bad enough that her best friend didn't like her costume idea, and she didn't want to be cajoled and convinced by all of her other friends to dress like a showgirl. Anyway, it was her idea and no one could talk her out of it. If she wanted to look like Holly Golightly, she could please herself and do so. She pulled out a skirt and looked at it. It was black, and pencil cut: it would do. Now she just needed a shirt, shoes, jewelry, and the sunglasses. "So, since this is going to take awhile, why don't you tell me why you sent Travis over to my house?" "I know you guys had a bad breakup. But you're meant to be," Laura sighed, making romantic, fluttery movements with her eyes. "Besides, I know he never apologized and you never told me what really happened with you guys. And this is the perfect opening for you to tell me!" Adele rolled her eyes but figured that it was time to let someone in on her secret. "I was so in love with him. And I think he was in love with me too." "You mean he never said...?" "We never said. It was implied or something," rushed Adele. "Anyway, things started to get really intense and..." # Adele moaned. Travis was on top of her in bed, his rough hands gently massaging her breasts. Then his head dipped and his warm mouth suctioned onto her nipple. It felt so good. He replaced his mouth with his hand as his head shifted to her other breast. She wiggled in delight at the feeling of one nipple being lightly twisted and the other warmly sucked. Then all of a sudden, his fingers were swirling in her nether wetness. They lightly explored through her soft folds before slowly pressing into her pussy. Adele moaned and squirmed, mumbling incoherently as Travis' fingers pressed in deeper and deeper. She felt hot, excited, tired, uncontrollable energy raced through her body. Travis swiftly bent his head down and sucked Adele's clit into his mouth. Her orgasm hit and radiated from her core out into her arms and legs. Travis sat and watched her as she slowly regained her senses and the sparkles disappeared from the edges of her vision. "That was beautiful," she said breathlessly. "But I don't think we're done yet. Your fingers were a little smaller than what I had in mind..." # Adele suddenly sat straight up in bed, hand on her chest as she waited for her breathing to calm. Where did that come from? she asked herself silently. Apparently telling Laura about Travis and I really worked me up. She looked over her shoulder to the clock, and upon seeing the time slid out of bed and shuffled towards the shower. Deciding to make the best of an awkward evening, she mentally squared her shoulders and prepared to face Travis as if their relationship had never happened. Here goes, she thought. Sealed Like Envelopes Ch. 02 Hearing the bell ring, Adele teetered precariously on her heels to the front door. She had barely touched the handle when the door swung open, expelling an exuberant Laura. Laura and Adele had been friends since the second grade, when they shared a locker in Mrs. Kern's class. They were closer than most sisters, though they looked nothing alike. While Adele was tallish with long, brown hair, Laura was petite with short, wild blonde hair and the personality to match. "So, do you like?" asked Laura, twirling in place to show off the coconut bra and matching grass skirt. "These things make my boobs look huge! Good for me, huh?" Adele silently laughed at the picture her friend made. Clearly not Hawaiian, Laura looked like a lost troll doll. Though the outfit was certainly attractive and flattering, it looked incongruous on Laura's pale, freckled skin. "Sure. It looks great. What do you think about mine?" Adele spun just as Laura had, but with more grace. Ten years of ballet had trained her perfectly. "You look nice. Not spicy sexy like me, of course. But you look great. Really great," said Laura. "Where did you find all those clothes? When I was here all you had was the skirt." Adele looked down at her ensemble. She had added a tight, black tank top, wide-brimmed hat, huge sunglasses, and to top it off, a giant fake pearl and diamond necklace. "I raided my mom's closet. She's not here so I don't think she'll care. The sunglasses are my favorite part. I'm not taking them off all evening. Besides, I'm not Holly Golightly without them." "Sure, whatever, but I still don't know why you chose "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for your costume. But let's get rolling. It's a bit of a drive up to Kara's cabin. I can't believe that her parents are letting us use it tonight. It's huge—like 10 bedrooms—and totally furnished." "I don't think that counts as a cabin," giggled Adele. "And besides, I doubt that Kara told her parents. They think she's never had a boyfriend and she's been with Kyle for, gosh, three years." "Really? I had no idea. Sounds like you, though. You never told anyone about Travis. But everyone knows now, of course." "Laura! You promised you wouldn't tell!" Adele swatted Laura with her purse and sunk into her seat, pretending to sulk, before breaking into uncontrollable laughter. "My life is like a bad reality TV show." # The cabin was absolutely full. Luckily there were no neighbors around because cars were piled in the driveway and down the road, not to mention the loud music booming from within. "Here's proof that you have friends," said Laura. "I'll bet you three shots of Skye that you know ninety percent of the people inside." "Sure, you're on. But the booze is free, isn't it?" "Yeah, I just want to see you get smashed. You're so much fun when drunk. Remember that time you started dancing on the tables at prom? That was awesome." "No it wasn't. I got thrown out before the last slow dance. And besides, that was my first time to drink. I didn't know how much gin would affect me." "Gin? Eww, that stuff is so gross. We'll find something much better for you here. Let's hit the bar first." The two girls entered the house and were immediately greeted by their closest friends. Adele saw Travis on the other side of the living room dressed as The Joker, but avoided him by going over to talk with Kara and Kyle. She didn't need to deal with Travis right now. Maybe later, after she had some liquid confidence in her. Making her way over to the bar, she made herself a cocktail out of the assorted bottles sitting on the counter. It's funny to party at home, she thought to herself. Really, Adele had stayed home more often than not while in high school. Occasionally Laura or Travis would convince her to do something, but Adele was always too shy. What if something happened and she embarrassed herself while drunk? But after the debacle at prom, she had decided to let herself loose, and her last semester at college had been a blast. # Her mind wandered back to the fun she'd had at the "camp counselor" themed party she had come across one evening. She had found a guy there. He said his name was Jake, but she had called him Travis all night long—they looked too similar! And he hadn't cared. They had started on the dance floor, grinding to the sounds of hip hop and techno beating through nearby speakers. With a slurred, "wanna come up to my room?" Adele had found herself guided up the stairs to Jake's bedroom. There was no foreplay. They both quickly and clumsily removed all of their clothes, collapsing on Jake's bed and touching each other all over. Travis had his knee between Adele's legs and she was humping against him in anticipation as he sucked and massaged her breasts. She pulled his head up to hers and looked him in the eye, conveying all of her desire with an intense, lustful stare. Jake re-aligned his body and positioned himself to enter. Adele put her hands on his hips and pulled. He got the message. His cock entered her slowly and her mouth opened in amazement at the sensation. This was only her second session of sex and Jake felt even bigger than Travis had. She moaned and moved against Jake, attempting to increase the sensation. He responded, gradually speeding his thrusting until they were shaking the bed, knocking against the wall. Adele knew they were making too much noise, but she didn't care. She wished everyone could feel the way she did right in that moment. # Snapping back into the present, Adele realized that she had been standing at the bar for far too long, and it was obvious what she had been thinking. She could feel the flush in her face; her hand was pressed deeply into her chest, as if willing her heart to slow. And Travis was approaching her. A wave of guilt flashed through her and she attempted to compose herself. "Hey, are you okay? You look really flushed. How much have you had to drink? Do you want to go outside and get some fresh air?" Travis looked down at Adele with concern in his eyes. I hate the way he does that, she thought. Even when I'm mad at him or thinking about someone else, he pulls at my heartstrings. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and focus on the present and then looked up at Travis. "Actually, I think I will go outside. It's getting a bit warm in here." And I think this drink is making me think strange things, she added privately. Besides, what a strange time to remember Jake. It's not like I've seen him since. It was just one, strange night. And we were both too drunk to be accountable. Justifying her actions to herself, Adele allowed Travis to lead her out onto the porch. "I'm glad you came. I thought you would want to stay inside and mingle," started Travis. "But there's something I want to talk about with you." He looked around, trying to see if anyone else was in hearing distance. "But I don't think that here is a good place." "I think it's as good as any, but whatever you say." "Its kind of personal, and I don't want everybody to hear," explained Travis. "Want to get breakfast at the diner with me tomorrow? I know how much you love their French toast. And I'll even buy you a strawberry milkshake. What's more, I want to see you again before you take off for school next week. What do you say?" "I say that you are amazingly convincing. You should go into advertising." She giggled and smiled up at him. Adele knew the feeling coursing through her veins: vodka euphoria. At this point she would agree with anyone, with anything. Travis seemed to sense this and took his leave of her, almost innately knowing that any encouragement on his part would get her in his bed. He, however, didn't want to take advantage of her state and left. # Hours later, Adele began to get tired from dancing. She had reunited and chatted with the majority of the partygoers and was exhausted. Her drunken state had receded and she was aware of her sore feet and tiredness. It was time to go home. Laura was her sober driver, so Adele only needed to alert Laura and get their coats and they could take off. She made her way upstairs to the bedroom where she had left her coat earlier. She couldn't remember which room she had put it in and so she worked her way down the hall, opening doors and peeking in. When she opened the last door on the left, she knew she had hit the jackpot. She recognized the Tiffany lamp by the door. Unfortunately, two shadows seemed to be messing around on the bed. Luckily I left my coat on the chair, thought Adele. I don't need bodily fluids on it. Or at least not the bodily fluids of strangers. The room was dark and the other occupants hadn't noticed her entrance (probably too drunk to notice, thought Adele) and so she inched along the wall towards the chair. She had just reached her coat when the girl spoke, moaning something about "feels good, keep going." In shock, Adele found she recognized the voice. It was Mary, the school slut. It was said that Mary had serviced most of the school: guys and girls, and possibly even some of the teachers. Adele had never associated with Mary and always wondered how she got invited to these types of parties. She knew Kara was no friend of Mary's, but she supposed that people like Mary were expected at parties... Adele's train of thought ran off the tracks when she heard the second voice. It was deeper, huskier than she was used to, but she knew who it was. Her inkling was confirmed when she heard Mary moan, "Oh god, Travis, that feels so good." Not caring if she made any noise, Adele ran out of the room in a rage. Her eyes immediately filled with tears and she stumbled down the stairs to find Laura. She had to get out of the cabin. # The next morning the phone rang, waking Adele from the string of nightmares that had plagued her all night long. She rolled over and lifted the phone from the cradle. "Hello?" "Hey sleepyhead, where are you? It's after ten, and I thought we were meeting for breakfast. Did you forget?" Oh shit. It was Travis. Naively, Adele had assumed that she would never have to hear from him again. Apparently not. "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you right now. In fact, I don't want to talk to you ever again." "What's wrong? You seemed to be doing great last night. I mean, you probably did have you too much to drink...are you hung-over? Is that it?" Concern flooded Travis' voice. "Oh shut up. I saw, okay. I saw and it made me sick. Now whenever I think of you I'll have to think of her too. And that makes me sick." "Now wait a minute..." "I thought sex was supposed to be special!" interjected Adele. "I thought it was supposed to mean something. But I see you'll do it with anybody. And it was probably the same with me, huh? I didn't mean anything to you. Thanks for nothing!" "Look, we need to talk. I should've done this last night but I was trying to be polite. I'm coming to get you." Travis hung up and Adele stared blankly at her phone. This sucks, she thought. # Travis had picked up Adele and driven to the diner in silence. It wasn't until they had placed their orders that he spoke to her. "Mary and I have been dating." "Very funny. She sleeps around, dresses slutty, and swears like a sailor. She doesn't even really have friends. So how can you say that you're dating? I mean, do you even have anything in common outside of sex?" "Yeah, she's smart and kind, and well, she was available after you left so we started going out to lunch and doing class projects together. We've been together for almost a month now. Before no one ever took a chance with her; I'll bet you couldn't even tell me what her last name is. She was alienated all through school, but we're at State together now and made friends." Adele was still staring blankly across the table at Travis when their orders arrived. At first she didn't believe him, and then she couldn't understand. Finally came relief. If he was sleeping with someone else, having a relationship with someone else, so could she. She was no longer guilty for sleeping with Jake. Still, she continued pushing her French toast around her plate, avoiding eye contact with Travis. "Okay. You're seeing someone. That makes more sense. I just thought that it was a one time thing... which I would have to be okay with, I guess, and...." Travis knew what she was thinking and interrupted: "There was someone else, wasn't there? You met some other guy and lied about it. Why couldn't you just tell me?" "Because I was embarrassed." "So it was a one-night stand, huh?" He knew her better than she gave him credit for. "If you know the story so well, why don't you tell it, hmm? I met him at a party. We were both really drunk. I slept with him, never saw him again, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?" "What was his name?" "Jake." "Last name?" "I don't know. We didn't bother with that stuff. We both knew it was a one-time deal. It happened it was over, that was it. And, just because you want me to say it: I'm a slut. I slept with some guy I didn't even know. But, strangely, I don't feel that guilty. Want to know why? Guys can do it whenever they want to and so can I." "What did he look like?" Travis' voice became cold and calculating. He was angry and every bone and expression in his body displayed his anger. Adele mumbled something and cut her food into even smaller pieces. She just couldn't say it. "What did you just say?" She lifted her head and stared straight into his eyes. "I said he looked just like you. In fact, I called him Travis all night long. Any more questions?" Travis answered with a blank stare. "That's what I thought. I think it's time for me to leave." She picked up her purse and threw fifty cents onto the table. "I don't think this 'friends' thing is going to work out for us. We can't talk without arguing." She stalked out of the restaurant and began the walk to Laura's house. Not knowing whether she was more angry or sad she stared vacantly ahead of her, willing her feet to bring her to Laura's house faster. Knocking on the door, tears began spilling from her eyes. I guess I'm more sad; she though to herself as the door swung open. # Travis knew where Adele had gone but wasn't sure if he should follow. He sat in the diner impatiently reading the menu over and over, unsure of what to do. However, his resolve kicked in and he knew he had to talk to her. Travis slid out of the booth, paid the waitress and made his way out to his car. Laura's. I'll talk to her at Laura's. # "I don't think this is a good time for you two to talk. She's pretty upset with you." Laura stood in the doorway attempting to block Travis from entering the house. "I don't care. We need to talk. The sooner the better. Explaining needs to be done on both sides. If she won't talk to me now she never will. And things were beginning to get better." Laura reluctantly nodded and moved away, allowing Travis inside. "She's in the backyard. Be nice." Travis walked through the house and looked out the window to see Adele curled in the hammock. She always did love that thing, he whispered quietly. He walked outside, bracing himself from the onslaught of emotion he knew she would throw at him. # It seemed like hours later that Travis left. Laura walked outside to check on her friend. She had waited tensely upstairs during the whole of their conversation. Travis was right, they had needed to talk out their problems, and Laura's involvement wouldn't have helped anyone. Adele looked up, "Don't worry, we're fine. I think we both hurt each other and ourselves more than we'd care to think. But we're okay. Everything's okay. In fact, tomorrow we're going to try breakfast again. I didn't really get to eat much this morning, and you know how much I love my French toast." Adele smiled but Laura could see traces of sadness in her face: her eyes were still red from crying and traces of tears could be found on her cheeks. I hope you're right, thought Laura. I hope for you and me and everyone else that you are right. Sealed Like Envelopes Ch. 03 The sun was shining through gaps in the puffy snow clouds, throwing the white world into a swirl of white and gray, speckled with the green of mountain pine. Adele puffed her breath and giggled when it condensed into a small cloud in front of her face. It was the day after the diner fiasco and Travis had driven Adele to the park where they used to do their homework together after school. The park was small and secluded within a residential neighborhood. There were two swings, a slide, a rainbow-painted jungle-gym, and a hill honeycombed with concrete tunnels for children and their parents to crawl through. After standing for several moments, both recalling memories of their favorite place together, Adele broke the silence. "Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed this place." "Really brings back memories, huh? We came to this park almost every day together. I can't believe I haven't been back since." Travis stood restlessly, hands in the pockets of his ski coat. It was too cold to be standing around exposed to the elements, but he was enjoying watching Adele. "Yeah, me neither. And there's still no one else here. I wonder why that is..." Adele's speech drifted of as her eyes alighted on her favorite part of the park—the tunnels. Travis was looking up at the mountain peaks as he responded, "That's because it's our secret place." When he didn't hear any response from Adele, he turned to look at her but instead found her jogging over to the tunnels. He loped after her and crawled into the nearest tunnel opening. Adele, from up ahead, called back to him: "Hey, do you remember the day we found these tunnels and carved our names inside? Let's see if they're still there!" "I see it! 'Adele (the birthday girl) and Travis (her chauffer), Oct. 2003.' Yep, that's us." "Huh. I forgot that it was on my birthday. That was the best birthday ever." Adele looked wistfully at the carving. "It should be your best birthday ever. I spent so long planning that day for you." "You were so sweet. Thinking back, I think last year was the best year ever. We hadn't all graduated and split up yet. And I was so happy, we were so happy. Last year was wonderful." Travis leaned back against the tunnel's wall. "Sometimes I wish time hadn't progressed past last year. Like that movie 'Groundhog Day,' except for a year instead of just a day." "Me too," Adele turned to look at Travis. She suddenly realized their close proximity in the small tunnel. And she noticed the way Travis's clothes smelled like the fabric softener his mother used. He also smelled like snow and earth: smells she wouldn't normally notice. She knew he noticed as well. And when his head tilted slightly to the left, she mirrored his motion with her own. He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her lightly. She reciprocated and softly parted her lips to allow him entry. When Adele moaned at their contact, Travis shifted and brought his hands to her hips, pulling her gently to him. Adele moved herself onto his lap, straddling his thighs. Her heart began thudding in her chest as Travis slowly moved his hands beneath her shirt and crept up her body. His fingertips had just reached the front clasp of her bra when a phone ringing broke the fevered silence. Knowing that 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' was Travis' ring-tone, she pulled back from him and shook her head 'no.' Travis smiled and pulled her face back down to his. His hands coaxed her bra open and gently massaged and twisted her nipples. Adele moaned into his mouth and began grinding herself against him, almost unconsciously. Suddenly, the phone rang again. This time Travis pulled away from Adele. "They've called twice," he said huskily, "I should get this. It's probably important." He disentangled himself from Adele and crawled out into the snow. Adele pulled her clothes back into some semblance of order and followed Travis out of the tunnel. When she exited, Travis turned to look at her. "It's Mary. She had a flat tire and needs me to come help out. I'm sorry, but I really need to go. Should I drop you by yourself, or do you want to walk...?" "I'll walk. I like the cold air right now. It feels good." "Okay," said Travis, "but I'll see you soon. Before you leave." He bent over and kissed her cheek before walking away. Adele watched Travis as he turned and walked to his car. As she slowly began her walk home, she berated herself for her weak emotions. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought. He's dating someone and you're still supposed to hate him. What were you thinking? She resolved herself to find someone else to lust over—and fast. # The next day Adele went skiing to clear her mind. Normally she didn't like to ski by herself, but today was different. She had called Travis but he hadn't answered. Figures, she thought. Of course he'd be with Mary. His girlfriend. Adele didn't know where these jealous and possessive feelings came from—and she didn't like it. She turned down her favorite run, Ruthie's Park, and cruised through the powder dusting left from the night before. She loved it when she got up to the mountain early. She could make fresh tracks from top to bottom. The air was crisp and clear: it freed her mind from thoughts of Travis, allowing her to focus on her surroundings and the epic snow conditions. I should be a therapist, thought Adele. I could charge big bucks and tell people to go out and ski all the time. The ski company should hire me—I'd make them millions. Adele skied for hours, stopping only when her hunger overcame her desire for more runs. She skied down to the lodge, popped off her skis and clunked inside, her boot buckles clacking and clattering together, creating cacophonous echoes throughout the entry way. Once inside the warmth of the lodge, Adele began stripping off layers of clothing as she made her way to the cafeteria. First her mittens were pulled off, then helmet and goggles, followed by her scarf. She had just reached an empty table in the restaurant when she unzipped her ski coat and pulled it off, leaving it to dangle damply on the back of a chair. Everything else was unceremoniously dumped on the table as she hungrily made her way to the serving line. Just as she was picking up her baked potato, she heard someone call her name. Despite knowing that her name was slightly more than unusual, she ignored the caller and continued moving down the serving line. She heard the sound again, this time accompanied by a tap on her back. She whirled around to face the caller. Her eyes went wide at the sight. "Jake!" Jake from that party. Wow, she thought to herself. He looks even better in daylight. And what a perfect way to forget that jerk Travis. Hunky lover, here I come! "Hey Adele, I thought it was you." Jake reached over and hugged Adele. "How are you? And what are you doing out here? Does your family vacation in the mountains too?" Adele looked up at Jake and shook her head in humor. "I'm good. Great, in fact. Doing well. And I'm not visiting here with family. I live here. This is home. I don't suppose we ever got that far with personal introductions and history." She blushed and looked down at her feet. This was going to take a little more work and finesse to pull off. "Yeah, I guess not. But that's all behind us now," he tilted her face up to look at him. The power of his eyes was demanding, but unsure at the same time. He wanted her, that was for sure—but did she want him back? "I come here every year with my parents. We have a house up on the slopes, near the bottom of the East Bowls. It's beautiful. You have to come see it at least once before school starts." "Sure, that sounds nice. But I don't want to intrude on your family's time." But please, please insist I come! her mind screamed. "No, I'm serious. It'll be fun. And besides, I've thought a lot about you since that night. I know it wasn't romantic or deep and thoughtful or anything, but you're just so beautiful, and..." Jake broke off, gesturing with his hands in an attempt to finish his intangible thought. And it was true, he had thought about Adele a lot. While she had been sleeping, he had taken a picture of her, curled beneath his sheets, golden tresses almost artfully arranged on the pillow. He had the picture hanging above his desk, though whenever anyone mentioned it, he said it was a postcard from a friend: it wouldn't do to let anyone in on his borderline obsession. Adele smiled up at him. "I'll come see the house. I think I'm done for the day anyway. I got here just as the lifts opened and I'm beat." "Wow you're tough," said Jake, pretending to squeeze her biceps. "I can only ski for a few hours before my legs turn to jelly. But I suppose living up here you've been skiing since you could walk." "Or a little before. Around here skiing is life. Both my aunt and uncle are ski instructors. The mountain is both a job and a hobby for most people out here. I know I want to work with the kids ski camps at least one season, maybe before grad school. I think it runs in my blood." She shrugged lightly. "You should come over and eat with us, tell all your heroic mountain stories. We have a table over by the window," Jake gestured to a four-top to the distant right. Adele couldn't make out the features of the other people at the table. "Us?" she questioned. "Yeah, my parents and I. They'll be excited to meet you. I haven't introduced them to a girl in I don't know how long—my mom's starting to think I might be gay. She keeps saying things like 'I hope you find someone nice at school', rather than, 'If you meet a nice girl, bring her home for a weekend'." Adele giggled as she paid for her lunch and followed behind Jake as he led the way to the far table. How weird is it that I'm meeting his parents? Adele wondered. We've slept together once, and aside from the ride he gave me back to my dorm, we haven't had any conversation. And now I'm meeting his parents. # "It's so nice to finally meet you. Jake told us he met a nice girl back around Thanksgiving, but I figured he was just making it up to make me feel better. To tell you the truth, I thought he'd never meet a nice girl. I'm Kathy and this is Joseph." Adele blushed. Jake's mother clearly didn't realize how not nice she really was. Oh well, she thought, no reason to disabuse her of the notion. "It's very nice to meet you. Have you been in town long?" Adele put on her 'talking to grown-ups' face and acted very interested in the conversation. "These past two weeks. In fact, today is the last day," said Joseph. "Kathy and I are flying out tonight. But Jake's staying on for a few days, until he has to go back to school." "Then we'll have to hang out while you're here," said Adele, looking at Jake. "What day do you fly out?" "Sunday around noon." "Sweet. We should be on the same flight, especially since only one airline comes out here to the middle of nowhere." Adele smiled warmly. "This'll be great. I have three days to show you all the best stuff around here. I'll introduce you to all my friends and show you around. It'll be a blast," Adele visibly lit up as she laid her plans. "Sounds great. And I'll pay you back this evening. You have to come up and see the house and then we'll go out to dinner anywhere you choose. This'll be the beginning of the tour." "You have a house up here?" Adele was surprised, why hadn't she seen him around before? "We bought it last year, but this is the first time I've seen it. It's slope side, below the West Lift." Adele looked thoughtful for a minute. "You mean the log cabin with the bronze roof? All surrounded by pines?" "That's the one," said Kathy. "Well, it looks like you have plenty to talk about and I know we need to get packing, so we'll be taking off. Nice meeting you, Adele." "Nice meeting you as well," said Adele, standing and extending her hand to both Kathy and Joseph. "Hopefully I'll see you again at your next visit." # "Wow. Your house is lovely on the inside. I've always skied by it and wondered what it looked like inside; it's even better than I imagined. You're so lucky that your aunt is on the board of the Guggenheim. You get the best artwork." Adele turned around to gaze at the house once more, walking backwards to the car. The pair had parted after lunch to change and shower and then Jake had picked her up at her parents' house for dinner. But first, Adele had pleaded for a tour of his home. "Thanks," said Jake, opening the car door for her. "My mom loves decorating. It's her secret passion. Where to for dinner?" Letting her think about dinner plans, he walked around the car and slid into the driver's seat. "I think we should go to Marguerite's. It sounds fancy, but it has the best home cooked food around. I always get the chicken fried steak." "You? Chicken fried steak? But you're so skinny," laughed Jake. "Blame it on good genes and an addiction to running. I eat way more than it looks." A moment of awkward silence ensued. Both had been pretending all evening that they were friendly acquaintances, ignoring the semi-embarrassing beginning of their relationship. Jake broke the silence, sighing and heaving his shoulders. "I hate this. Let's just get it out in the air. We had sex. Once. And now we're going on our first date. And we don't know anything about each other yet. But that's okay because we're going to play Twenty Questions right now. You start." Adele was relieved that Jake had brought up their problem first—she was too embarrassed. But she wasn't too embarrassed to play Twenty Questions with him. "Okay, I'll play. But only on one condition. If you ask a question, you have to answer it as well." "Sure, I can agree to that." "Here's question number one: when's your birthday and what was your favorite birthday party?" "Hey, that's two questions," he mock scowled at her. "But I'll answer anyway. My birthday is November 16, conveniently the date of our first night together, by the way. And I'd have to say that was my favorite birthday—even if it wasn't a true party." "Wow. I had no idea. Happy belated birthday." "Life's unexpected, isn't it? Now you answer." # The game continued through the duration of the car ride and into the restaurant. The pair was long past question twenty, but no one was counting. A bottle of red wine added to the uninhibited atmosphere and the questions starting turning sexual. "So, my turn," said Jake. "When was your first and who was it with?" "I was eighteen, and it was last summer..." Jake interrupted. "You're nineteen? I had no idea. That makes you a freshman?" "Yep. How old did you think I was?" "Same as me, twenty-one. This is unexpected. I never thought I'd date anyone younger than me. Let alone a... never mind. You should have told me; here I am providing wine to someone underage. Look at me, societal slacker." "Oh shut up," said Adele, playfully punching Jake in the shoulder from across the table. "Like it really makes that much of a difference. You've seen me drink before, so it's no big deal. Besides, I've only had a glass. It's not like I'm drunk or anything. In fact, I think you're further gone than I am." "I guess you're right. Continue with your question." "My first, right? Okay, I was eighteen and it was my then-boyfriend Travis." "So that's why you called me Travis all evening. I thought you really believed my name was Travis." "I'm so sorry. It's just... we'd just broken up. Well, scratch that, we broke up in August and I didn't meet you until November. But we were together a long time... sort of." "How long?" Jake was interested. It sounded like Travis was a little more important than Adele was letting on and Jake wanted to know if he had any competition. "Only a year, I think. We didn't officially start dating until the summer. But we were really close for a long time. Like friends with benefits, except not manipulative." "Oh, okay." Jake wasn't about to let on that he was jealous. "Your turn to ask a question." "Hmm...let me see. Oh! I've got one—" All of the sudden her eyes glazed over as she froze in mid-sentence. Travis was directly across the room and staring at her intently, as if he had overheard their conversation. Oh shit, thought Adele. "Is everything okay?" Jake asked with concern in his voice. "Yeah, sure," said Adele distractedly. Travis was getting up from his table and gesturing to Mary, whom Adele had just noticed, that they should get up and say hi to Adele. Adele unconsciously scooted back and slumped into her seat. Jake looked at her with questioning concern. "In about thirty seconds you'll see," said Adele in a half-whisper. As Travis and Mary approached the table Jake quickly put two and two together. Oh shit, he thought, mimicking Adele's earlier thoughts. "Hey Adele, how are you?" asked Mary, draping herself over Travis, who clearly did not wish to show his affection for her right now. "Fine, thanks," said Adele, hoping that terse answers would drive Travis and Mary away faster. She hoped that Jake couldn't see how anxious and upset she was. "Why don't you introduce us?" queried Travis in an almost frighteningly icy and calm voice. "Oh, silly me," began Adele, attempting to right herself, "Jake this is Travis Wheatly and Mary Gardener. Travis and Mary, this is Jake Bennington. Jake and I go to school together and he and his family have a house up here. I'm giving him a tour of the town tonight." "And does that include a tour of your bedroom?" asked Travis in that cold voice. "Travis!" exclaimed both Mary and Adele. Mary gave Adele a fleeting apologetic glance and dragged Travis out of the restaurant. "Well, if that wasn't awkward," said Jake. "I'll leave it to you to fill me in later. Seems like you missed a few details in your story earlier. But we've got time. Let's order dessert to fill that bottomless stomach of yours." # On the way back to Travis' house, Adele got to drive his car. "Wow, this thing handles amazing. Thank goodness I learned to drive a stick last summer." "Glad you like it. It was my Christmas gift this year. I have another car at school, but this is my new favorite." "Wait," interrupted Adele, perplexed. "You have two cars?" "Three, actually," said Jake. "I have one at school, the Audi you saw back in November, then I have this baby, and then I have a Mercedes back at home in Connecticut." "You sure are lucky. I just have my little Beetle, and it stays here while I'm at school. Too long of a drive—upwards of 30 hours, in fact." "No wonder you leave it here. But your little Bug is nothing to be ashamed of. I looked in the engine earlier—" "You what? When?" "When you forgot your purse inside. Anyway, that is an amazing engine. You should be racing that puppy." "I wanted the fastest thing they had. But the way, how fast does this one go?" Adele shoved her foot down on the accelerator and raced up the mountain. Luckily she had the advantage of learning to drive on the tricky switchbacks surrounding the mountains and had full control of the car. "This is amazing!" she cried as they whipped up another turn to reach his driveway. "Promise I can drive it again later?" "I'll do one better. If you stay the night, I'll let you keep it for the rest of the week." "I think I should feel a little objectified by that statement, strangely I don't care. You're on. I can't wait to see you driving my car all week. Can you even fit?" she giggled as she pulled the car into the garage. Adele followed Jake into the kitchen. "More food?" she asked. "I don't think my stomach could fit anymore." "I was thinking of something a little more exciting than a second dessert. What if I told you I had a bottle of champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and a tub of whipped cream in here? Do you think we could find some thing interesting to do?" Sealed Like Envelopes Ch. 03 "Oh, I think so," said Adele. "In fact, that reminds me how hot this coat is. Think you could put it away for me? I'll carry the aphrodisiacs (she giggled) upstairs. Why don't we brainstorm in your bedroom?" she scooped up the food and champagne, grabbed two flutes, and headed up the stairs. Jake shook his head at her. She always managed to catch him at his own game. Tossing her coat into the closet, he rambled up the stairs. Reaching his room, he peered inside. Adele had stripped out of her dress, now wearing only a matching magenta bra and thong. She was lighting the candles he had artfully scattered through the room earlier in the afternoon. His entire body tightened and he could feel his cock begin to grow. "How does she do that?' he wondered. Noticing Jake near the door, she spoke with her back turned to him. "I don't get into that black lace thing. Too itchy. Give me hot pink silk any day. My one true weakness." "I think your lingerie might be my one true weakness as well. I planned out this perfect seduction for tonight, but I'm afraid it's going to need to wait," as he spoke he felt an additional tightening in his crotch. He pulled her to him, hands immediately going to the tops of her thighs. She rocked against him, reveling in the feel of his strong body behind her. He reached up and unclasped her bra. It fell lightly to the floor. Just as his hands reached up to cup her breasts, she pulled away momentarily. "I didn't light all of these candles for nothing. Turn off the lights and so we can get this party started." At first, Jake thought Adele wasn't turned on yet. Then he saw in the candlelight a bright shine on the inside of her thighs. "So," he thought, "she gets off on teasing. Let's see how she does when I turn the tables on her." He scooped Adele up in his arms and set her down on the bed. For a moment, he simply admired her. Her hair swirled in an angelic halo about her head, her breasts swelled and tightened beneath his gaze. Her flat stomach quivered slightly, just above the slightly pouched mound beneath her pink thong. She was beautiful in every sense of the word. She deserved to be worshiped, but not before he made her want it a bit. Crawling up between her legs, he began lightly touching her pussy through her panties. She moaned as his fingers dragged the moist material through her lips. "Mm, Jake don't stop," she whispered. "More please." But Jake was not about to be rushed. He continued his small, soft motions even as she began inching down the bed towards him. And then he stopped. "Jake!" she cried. "Why are you stopping? You know I need more than that!" Just then, he reached up to her hips and began pulling her thong down. The material at the crotch was so drenched it partially stuck to her swollen lips. She gasped when the cooler air of the room blew across her pussy. Noticing her reaction, Jake again bent between her spread thighs. He blew a small puff of air against her lips and her hips jerked. He did it again and her back arched. One more time and she began wiggling beneath his gaze. "Touch me, please," she cried. "Well, now that you asked so nicely," Jake lowered his mouth and licked her pussy slowly from bottom to top. She shivered. "So good," she moaned. "More." Happy to oblige, Jake slid his tongue into her pussy until her lips were pressed into his face. He took a lingering tour through her lips, tracing elegant patterns on the insides of her thighs with his tongue. To mix things up a bit, he began mimicking those same patterns with his fingers below her knees. Adele's skin puckered and her legs began quivering. "How do you do that?" she slowly whispered, adjusting herself on the bed once again. The energy and the power of her pleasure coursed through her, preventing relaxation. As Jake played with her pleasure buttons, she struggled beneath him, hoping that her added friction with the bed sheets might hurry her orgasm. She needed this more than she knew. And then, his fingers were inside her, filling her deep warmth. She sighed, moaned, arched her back. "So good, so good, so good," she mumbled. It was as if electricity was racing through her nervous system: she could see her orgasm rushing toward her. And when it hit, it was glorious. She cried out "Jake, Jake, Jake!" She writhed on the bed, gasping as she came down from her pleasure zenith. She turned to Jake, breathing heavily, "I've never felt anything that good before." "And I'm just getting started," breathed Jake. He languidly moved up her body, fitting her hands to her breasts and squeezing softly. Reaching up further, he gently kissed her on her lips. Adele intensified the kiss, dragging her hands through his hair and wrapping her legs around his torso. "Let's see if we can take care of that little problem I feel against my stomach, hmm?" she teased. Jake reached up and brushed Adele's hair out of her eyes before positioning himself above her: he wanted to look into her eyes as he made love to her. He slowly pushed into her, watching her eyes darken and un-focus as he pushed deeper. Adele moaned; loving the sensations Jake was creating within her. As he thrusted harder, Adele began reaching her hips to meet his. It took several tries, but soon she was pushing in the same rhythm, with no awkwardness. If only I could remember the first time, she thought. I'm sure it was almost this good. Jake was thinking similar thoughts, wondering how he could have thrown away a chance with this perfect goddess. I am so lucky, he thought. I'll never let her get away. But this moment was quickly reaching its pinnacle. Both Adele and Jake could feel their orgasms quickly approaching. Soon their cries were peaking in harmony: "Oh God, Oh God," yelled Jake. Adele, so far gone could only let out pleasurable moans and gasps, occasionally gasping, "Please, good." And then she came. Stars floated behind her eyes as she could feel Jake's release deep within her. He called out her name and she whispered his in reply. He collapsed atop her and she wrapped herself around him. "Good thing I'm on the Pill, huh?" she whispered huskily in his ear. He rolled over suddenly, looking at her with a part-guilty, part-relieved expression. "I can't believe I forgot. That should be my responsibility and I—" "Shh, don't worry. Everything's fine. I watch out for myself. You don't need to protect me. But you do need to do that again. That was amazing." She looked at him, skin radiant, hair tousled: like a gratified Aphrodite. "Give me a minute to recover here," said Jake, giving a fake winded breath. "And while we're waiting, tell me about Travis. You did casually sidestep earlier questioning in that sexy getup." "Travis who?" asked Adele, rolling over Jake and pinning him beneath her. "Besides, this is way more fun."