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The Weight of the World Ch. 01

By: mdb913



Chapter 1: Serenity

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The first two chapters of this story don't have any sex in them. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. It isn't until Chapter 3 that we get to the good stuff. If you can wait that long, then I promise I'll do everything in my power to make it worth it. If you're not that patient, thanks for stopping by. Just know that the sex IS coming. When is a mystery to you and me both.

Oh, one other thing: sometimes, in the narrative, I say "I", referring to me, the person telling the story. No, this is not a first-person story. Yes, I understand that's unconventional. No, I don't give a shit. I like it that way. I don't do it that much, so if you can ignore it, more power to you. If you can't ignore it then, in the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson, "Tough titties."

=====================

Twenty-one.

Such a random number to convey the most dramatic change in a person's life. Three sevens. Seven threes. Forty-two halves. It's almost as if they just pulled a two-digit number out of the clear blue sky and said, "You're an adult when you hit THAT number."

Twenty-one.

On September 13, Caleb's world would change forever, simply because he turned 21. Of course, he didn't care. Why the hell would he? It's not like he had anybody to share the milestone with. Hell, up until that point, he never even thought about having a drink--he didn't care. Besides, what fun is it to get drunk on your 21st birthday when you're doing it all by yourself? Caleb didn't have any friends to whoop and holler with. He never did. Caleb didn't have a woman in his life to share this "wondrous" occasion with. He never did. His entire life had been a lonely mess. Sure, he had his family, but they can only give him so much happiness. He loved them very much, but he wanted more.

Well, didn't he deserve it? I mean, Goddamn, here was one of the nicest guys you're ever going to meet! Here was a guy who held doors open for people for no reason! Here was a guy who gave to charity and good causes, out of the goodness of his heart! Here was a guy who paid his taxes and flossed! Not to mention the fact that he was, at heart, a romantic who didn't care about partying or reckless, promiscuous sex. All he wanted was to be loved, and to love back. He wanted to find the love of his life and make her just feel safe in his arms. Doesn't a man as sweet and gentle as that deserve happiness?

Of course he didn't deserve it! I mean, Goddamn, here was a guy who was 330 pounds! Here was a guy who, by two inches, wasn't even six feet tall! Here was a guy who was so quiet and shy, you wouldn't even notice he was around if it wasn't for his disgusting girth! He knows his place! He's fat, he's ugly--how does that question even pop into your mind? "Deserves happiness"--you're sick!

Well, what else was Caleb supposed to think? His peers never taught him anything else. All they did to him was insult him and make horrible assumptions. "So what if he's nice? He's got those gigantic man-tits, so let's make fun of him!" "Yeah, he's sweet and all, but look at me--I'm beautiful and small and dainty. What would I want with him?" "Yeah, he's shy, and that's cute and everything but, nah, he's not my type. Now, that hunk over there with the washboard abs--now, HE'S my type!"

Caleb gave up pretty damn immediately. By the age of 17, when he had graduated high school, he had stopped trying and had just quit. Seventeen, damn you!! Most people aren't even done with puberty by that age, and this guy had already given up on even getting a CHANCE! Is that fair? Not one date. Not one acknowledgement. How can someone so caring go all the way through high school without Date #1? Worse yet, how can he reach his 21st birthday without even so much as a friend to celebrate it with, much less a girlfriend? A female acquaintance? A fuck buddy? SOMEONE?

He didn't deserve his virginity. He hated it. He didn't want to be innocent anymore. But through all his advances, high school and beyond, nobody ever once gave him a chance (with himself as his largest detractor), and he was too proud and too law-abiding to get a hooker or something. After a while, he didn't want to just have sex. He wanted to feel loved. On more than one occasion, he just figured that he'd better get used to the loneliness, only to forget and get his hopes up all over again.  

Caleb dreaded Tuesday, September 12. He had his birthday off (thankfully) and the rest of the week off after that, so if anyone was going to wish him "Happy Birthday", they were going to do it on this day. He went to work as the front desk clerk at the nearby motel and, mercifully, he was the only one there that day, save the housekeeping staff, and he hadn't told any of them about the 'joyous' occasion. He was able to do his job without worry and left before his afternoon replacement could say anything that wasn't work-related.

When he got home, he did the same thing he did every night: nothing. Went online a bit, watched a little TV, and then went to bed.

Note that I said "went to bed" and not "went to SLEEP".

Hours passed. 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30. Tossing and turning and shifting and rolling--something nagged at Caleb. He couldn't shake it.

He needed a drink.

* * * * *

At 11:49--no, no, make that 11:50--he arrived at the Tall Tales Pub. He sat at the bar and scanned the room, which was virtually empty.

"What'll it be?"

Caleb turned to the gruff man behind the bar who just got his attention.

"Uhm," Caleb hesitated. "Well, you'll have to wait ten minutes, but what would you suggest to the first-timer?"

"ID."

Caleb pulled out his wallet and extracted his identification card, showing it to the barkeep. The 44-year-old 'tender did the quick math, chuckled a bit, then tossed the wallet back to him.

"Cutting things kind of close, eh?" the bartender asked smartly.

"Yeah, well." Caleb put the wallet back into his pocket absent-mindedly. "So, what would it be? Beer?"

"Well, it takes a while to get used to beer," the keeper stated. "I'll start you off light."

The barkeeper reached above him, pulled a small glass off the rack, and set it down in front of Caleb, then turned and pulled a bottle of Smirnoff Ice out of the lineup, opened the bottle and poured some out for the intrepid young man. He left the bottle beside the glass. Caleb was about to pull his wallet back out, but the bartender waved it off.

"Twenty-first birthday," he said. "Your money's no good here."

"Thanks," Caleb responded as he looked at his drink. He doesn't seem to want to drink it immediately, opting instead to just stare at it for a minute. He didn't get it. Something about this just seemed kind of pointless and inane. "Do I really need to drink this to be any more of a man?" His entire life, he'd been treated like less of a person. It's not like drinking this one glass of vodka was going to automatically promote him. There had to be another way.

Sex? So what if he never had sex? There are a lot of 21-year-old virgins out there, aren't there? Hell, people have lived long, fulfilling lives without having sex!

Right?

Still, his thirst seemed magically quenched without downing the alcohol. "Thanks," he said to the barkeeper before pushing the full glass away and walking out, feeling indifferent.

Caleb walked to his car. How pathetic was he? No friends, no girl, and hell, he won't even have a damn DRINK, and he's the legal age!!! "What the hell is the matter with me?" He needed a drink, but he wouldn't take one. He needed a girl, but he wouldn't take one. He needed to be happy, but every time he grabbed the brass ring, it slipped out of his fingers. Of all the things he so desperately needed, there was only one that, at that moment in time, he had the ability of taking.

He needed bread.

* * * * *

12:01--he was officially 21 years old, and his first act as a legal American man? Buying a loaf of bread. As he drove into the supermarket parking lot and parked, little did he know the Pandora's Box he would be opening by swinging his car door open.

"Let me go, Johnny!"

Caleb's head shot toward the voice at the opposite end of the dark lot. She was trying to loosen her arm from his vise of a hand, trying to remove herself from the position he put her in, between himself and the tree.

"Let GO!"

"I said 'Listen,' you bitch!" Johnny, as she called him, refused to let her go, instead tightening his grip.

"You're hurting me!" she screamed louder, using up all her energy in a futile attempt to escape.

"Oh, what's the matter, baby?" he responded. "Don't like a little pain? Well, then you're going to hate this! You'll wish you never even HAD that filthy little cunt 'a-yours!"

"No! Stop it! Please, Johnny, no!"

"Nowhere to run, slut! Nowhere--"

His head was then pulled back by his long black hair. He stopped wondering and started worrying as a small pointy object poked at his windpipe. He's pulled a small distance away from the girl, but his grip on her left wrist didn't loosen, mostly out of shock.

"Now," Caleb said in his lowest, most threatening voice. "Won't THIS be an interesting story? You get to tell all your little friends about how you got stopped from raping your girlfriend--"

"EX-girlfriend!" the girl quickly chimed in.

"Sorry. You get to tell them about how you got stopped from raping your ex-girlfriend, by a complete stranger, with a car key."

"A car key?" Johnny exclaimed. "You crazy? You can't kill me with that!"

"No," Caleb replied. "But I can make sure you never sing in the shower again. And you damn sure seem like a 'sing-in-the-shower' type. Now, kindly let her go."

After a few seconds, Johnny let his grip slack, allowing the girl to yank her wrist away, rubbing it with her other hand.

Without releasing his gaze on the potential predator, Caleb spoke up. "Girl? What's your name?"

"Sera."

"Tommy. Get in the car, Sera."

She didn't hesitate. She power-walked to the passenger side, opening the door and closing it with authority behind her. Caleb released the key from Johnny's throat and pushed him as hard as he could before going back to the driver's side. He put the key in the ignition and turned the car on as Johnny was getting to his feet. He reversed as far as he could before putting it in 'DRIVE' and speeding out of the parking lot, out of Johnny's eyesight.

"Thank you SO much, Tommy," Sera stated, relieved.

"My name's not Tommy," Caleb replied.

"Oh."

* * * * *

Caleb carried the two mugs into the living room of his small apartment, spoons sticking out of the creamy brown beverage. He handed Sera the green mug, keeping the blue cup to himself.

"Thanks," she said.

"Of course." He sat in the chair adjacent the couch he placed her on. "Please forgive the mess," he begged. "I normally don't have company."

Didn't seem all that messy, but she decided to humor him. "That's OK." She blew on the hot chocolate before delicately taking a sip. "So," she placed the cup onto a coaster on the table in front of her. "Caleb. How often do you save damsels in distress?"

Caleb laughed a bit. "Yeah, my mask and cape are at the dry cleaners." Sera smiled and chuckled, and Caleb's heart fluttered. This gorgeous woman had a smile that could melt ice. He didn't know about any other guy, but Caleb's soft spot was a woman's smile. He didn't need to see her half-naked, fully naked, or whatever. Still, with Sera here, it wouldn't have hurt--she was absolutely breathtaking. She wasn't supermodel thin, but she wasn't fat like him, either, not at all. She was that perfect median: just barely enough meat on her bones to give her curves that went for days. Through his mind, only one sentence flew by:

'She'd never give me the time of day.'

In the midst of her smile, Sera interrupted the moment of levity. "By the way, why did you lie about your name?" She picked the mug up again.

"Figured that'd make me harder to find. Just in case he's got those kinds of friends."

"He doesn't," she informed him. "I mean, he shouldn't. I think I know all his friends. We've been together for a year now."

Caleb could see that she was close to breaking down, but he had to ask. "Is this the first time he's hurt you? Physically or otherwise?"

Her head down, she refused to speak for several seconds. "Kind of ironic, isn't it? This kind of shit happens to a girl named 'Serenity'. Everyone just calls me 'Sera'." She looked down at her cocoa, staring blankly at it. "I thought he loved me. And I thought he just had a bad way of showing it. Sure, he'd give me the occasional black eye, but he would give me flowers and get down on his knees and shit. He'd beg me for forgiveness and be so sweet. I guess it took a bout of attempted rape to finally make me see the light." A tear rolled down her cheek as she sniffled. "I got a call from this girl I knew in school," she was able to get out, through her breaking voice. "She told me that she was having an affair with him--she found an old picture of us in his wallet that we took a few months ago. She told me that if she knew he already had a girl, she never would have done anything with him, but--" Her crying got worse, but she said as much as she could. "I called him on it, but he wouldn't stop lying, so I walked out. He followed me and--."

Caleb quickly went to sit beside her. He didn't know why--his instincts were in full swing tonight. First, the bar, then the thing in the parking lot, and now this. This girl needed comfort. He expected her to create some distance. He expected her to be repelled by him, and he was surprised beyond surprise that she didn't go running from him already.

But what happened next almost put him into cardiogenic shock: almost on instinct herself, she dug her face into the stranger's shoulder. Against her better judgment, she trusted this person that she'd known for not even one day. There was something about him, though. Something that made her trust him, his hospitality notwithstanding. The way he looked, the way he acted--sure, he wasn't the best-looking, but she sensed a charm about him. A charm that attracted her.

Caleb was hesitant to return the embrace. When's the last time he had hugged somebody? He couldn't even remember. He raised his arms and hugged her back, holding and petting her aurulent skin.

"It's OK," he whispered close to her ear. "Let it out. Let it all out."

'Let it out' she did, sobbing uncontrollably now that she had his permission. She cried for what seemed like minutes before he broke his silence.

"You can stay here as long as you'd like, OK?" He hoped his susurration was bringing Sera comfort. She gently pushed away, sniffling.

"Thanks, Caleb, but," the shaking girl started, shaking her head. "I don't want to trouble you. I'd hate to be a burden."

"No-no-no," he quickly rebutted. "If it was a burden, I wouldn't have asked. It's only until you bounce back from this, and you can do what you please then, but for right now, I think it's best if you just stayed put and got a good night's sleep. Besides, I could use the company--it can get really lonely around here."

The girl kept her head down and her wet eyes closed. Her perfectly-sized bosom heaved as she sighed hard. He touched her chin and raised her face. She looked at him, and their eyes locked.

"Please, Serenity?"

She said his name, and her heart melted. God help her, her heart melted. She smiled and nodded. He mirrored her.

"OK. You take the bed in the next room, I'll sleep on the couch." She opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly interrupted her. "I insist. Like I said, you need a good night's sleep."

"Thank you, Caleb. Thank you for everything."

"It's my pleasure. Let me just go in and straighten things up, OK?"

She nodded. He stood and walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He sighed heavily, trying to get his bearings in order. The virgin in him came to the forefront of his mind, and he silently questioned if this was the right thing to do. Pushing the thoughts aside, he went to the bed and ripped off the sheets. As he reached into the closet and pulled some fresh ones down off the shelf, his mind raced.

'I hope she'll feel better in the morning.'

'God, I want to kiss those lips.'

'Does she sleep in the nude?'

'Who the fuck did that guy think he was?'

'Does she sleep in the nude?'

He finished fixing the bed and leveling the blanket, then went back to the closet and pulled out a blanket for himself, then took one of the pillows on his bed and opened the room door.

"Sera?"

"Yeah."

"Room's ready." He walked over to the couch and put his pillow and blanket on one end of it. "Sheets are fresh, so that's one less thing to worry about. Uh, the bathroom's over there--" he pointed to a door and walked over to it. "If you want to take a shower, feel free; there's towels and washcloths in there, too." She stood up and looked at him. "Also, if you want, you can help yourself to any of the clothes in my closet or dresser, but they're all a little big. I-I only bring it up because I figure I can take those clothes you're wearing down to the laundry room tomorrow. S-So-So as you can wear them. Tomorrow, that is."

She approached him, never taking her eyes off him. Caleb looked at her confused, noticing a slight glint in her eye.

"What's wrong?"

Sera didn't respond with words. She lightly reached up and grabbed Caleb by the back of the head and pulled herself up. Closing her eyes, her lips flew toward his. Before they could come into contact, however, she felt Caleb's hands grab her arms gently and push her away. Caleb pulled her away, conflicted but confirmed.

"No."

"Why not?" she said softly. "Don't you like me?"

"Of course I like you, Sera."

"Don't you think I'm pretty enough."

"God, no. You're beautiful."

"Then kiss me."

"No."

Sera couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't understand."

"Sera, you've gone through Hell tonight, much less this past year. This is the last thing you need right now."

"But, I want to," she informed him. "I want to, and," she paused for a second. "And you deserve it."

Caleb hesitated with his response. He looked at her and resolved, "That's exactly why I'm not going to."

Sera looked down at Caleb's pants and, seeing a bulge in front, smiled seductively.

"I, uh--I think you want to, as well."

She rubbed the front of his jeans, which only forced him to reach down and stop her before she could reach his crotch.

"He's not the one making this decision."

Sera looked at him with both disappointment and a little anger.

"Sera," he started, but a second later he decided to tweak his tone a bit. "Serenity. Please understand. I want to. I do. You're right about that. But I'm not going to take advantage of you. After everything you've been through, no way. Not like this. If we had sex tonight, I would be no better than Johnny. You're hurting, and I'm not going to let you make the mistake of fucking the first guy you see just because of it."

The anger subsided, but the disappointment still lingered in Sera's being. Caleb tried to make eye contact. "Do you understand now?" Sera nodded and headed for the bedroom as Caleb watched her. As she opened the door and stepped inside, she looked back at, for all intents and purposes, her savior. And she couldn't help but smile.

"Good night," he blurted.

"G'night," she reciprocated, before closing the door behind her, separating them for the rest of the night.

Caleb turned toward the couch. "My life's not complicated," he quietly said to himself. "No, it is not."

* * * * *

In a tired stupor, Sera moved her eyes around under her eyelids. The light was apparent through them, and the few birds that were outside were letting her know that it was morning. Still keeping her eyes closed, she wondered why her bed seemed so much bigger. Her eyes blinked open as she looked around, and it all came back to her--Johnny, her now-ex-boyfriend, the slight bruises on her wrists, and the nice big guy that helped her out.


The Weight of the World Ch. 01



'Oh, God, I tried to kiss him!'

She was ashamed. She never came on to a guy that fast, especially one that looked like Caleb! She never thought about dating someone that looked like him, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to wonder what exactly was so wrong with it. After all, for a large man, he was kind of cute. He wasn't exactly Colin Farrell, but she could definitely see handsomeness in him. He was just like a big teddy bear. But she never thought about FUCKING a big teddy bear before!

She removed the sheet and blanket from her body. She went to bed with her clothes on--a rarity for her. She looked around Caleb's room in natural light for the first time, but there didn't seem to be any distinguishing characteristics—a TV in one corner, closet, dresser drawers, white walls, no posters, a window...pretty bland setup, actually. She opened the door and saw that Caleb was not on the couch.

"Caleb?" she said loudly. No answer. "Caleb!" Again, no answer. 'Must not be home,' she thought as she took her first true look around the apartment. She opened the bathroom and glanced inside before going back to the living room. As she looked around, she noticed something VERY curious, something that was not the norm--the walls were virtually empty. There was a light switch beside the front door and a clock above the TV, but there was almost no décor to speak of on the plain white walls. The only other things distinguishable were the three pictures sitting on top of the television. The one on the left was of a middle-aged woman, maybe 40 or 50. The one in the middle was of a younger girl, 14 or 15 or so, and the one on the right was of two much older people in formal wear, as if in a church photo. "Grandparents," she thought out loud.

Changing her mind about checking out the kitchen or any other nooks and crannies, she decided to head to the bathroom and clean herself up. She first went into Caleb's room and opened the second drawer of his dresser, checking out his wardrobe. She lifted out a black Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt that couldn't have been any smaller than a 3XL. 'Fuck, this thing'll swallow me whole!' she thought before throwing it over her shoulder. Closing the second drawer, she opened the third drawer, which had his pants. Looking for anything small, she saw a pair of blue shorts with an elastic waistband and a drawstring. 'Better than nothing.' She headed for the bathroom.

* * * * *

As she exited the shower, her nubile frame dripping from head to toe, she started to smell something, faint yet appetizing. 'Caleb must be home,' she realized, as she dried herself off in front of the mirror that stood over his sink. Caleb was nice enough to leave some things out for her--a comb, toothpaste, a toothbrush fresh in the plastic, a bottle of mouthwash, and a cup for rinsing. 'He sure acts like he gets a lot of company.'

Her hair combed (but still wet), her teeth brushed, her breath fresh, she grabbed the shorts that she picked out. Pulling the drawstring on the shorts as tight as she could, she tied it off so they wouldn't fall down. She then opened the shirt and put it on—the shirt engulfed her, going down to almost her knees with the sleeves barely (but successfully) reaching her forearms. She almost felt like she wasn't wearing anything, what with all the free space between her and the fabric, but she was covered up, at least.

She opened the door and headed into the living room, allowing the smell to become stronger. She walked toward the kitchen to see Caleb standing at the stove, flipping something.

"Morning," she said, proclaiming her presence.

He turned his head around for a second to greet his guest with a smile. "Hey! Good morning. You hungry?"

"Starving."

"Have a seat--breakfast is almost ready. You in the mood for eggs?"

"Sure. How you making them."

"Dippy."

"Yum." She walked over to the table in the room and sat down at one of the chairs. "You cook, huh?"

Without looking away from the food he was preparing, he smirked. "Am I that transparent?" He flipped two eggs onto one plate, two eggs onto the other, which already had two slices of toast on it. 'POP' went the toaster as two more slices came from the top. Caleb grabbed them and placed them on the first plate.

"Where'd you go this morning?" she queried.

"Store. Had to get some stuff." He grabbed the small tub of butter on the counter and placed it in the middle of the table. He grabbed two forks and two knives out of the drawer, giving one each to Sera and putting one each near his place.

"Orange juice?" he asked. She nodded. "All I have is with no pulp. Is that OK?" When she nodded again, Caleb went to the fridge and got out the carton, went to the cabinet and got the glasses, placed them where they were supposed to go, and poured them accordingly. After doing all this, he finally presented one plate to Sera.

"Dippy eggs. Enjoy."

He finally sat down at his place, putting his plate down in front of him.

"This is really great, Caleb. You didn't have to do all this."

"You kidding? I'm happy to do it."

As Caleb used his fork to pierce one of his eggs, allowing the yellow yolk to run out, Sera used her knife to scoop out some butter, then to spread it onto her toast. Caleb dipped his toast into the pool of yolk in front of him.

"Do you an--well, I should say 'DID' you and Johnny live together?" he inquired.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well," he began to respond. "I was thinking that, maybe I should go and pick up your things."

"Oh, no," she quickly retorted. "I didn't have very many things. I can buy more."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Let him keep all that shit. The only thing I really had over there that I give a shit about was my grandmother's necklace."

She put both her knife and toast down, without having some of the latter.

"Thank you."

Caleb looked up as he bit into his toast. "Hmm? Oh." He waved her off. "Like I said, happy to do it."

"That's not what I mean. I meant about last night." She clasped her hands and rested her elbows on the table, on either side of her plate. "There aren't many guys out there who would have passed up an...'opportunity' like that. They would have jumped my bones the first chance they got. But what you did--well, what you didn't do--it was very noble of you. I appreciate it."

Caleb swallowed, then hesitated before answering. "Well, I was tempted. But you're welcome."

She smiled, and his heart fluttered a bit. God, that smile...Caleb could feel his barriers lowering.

"And for the record," he mindlessly continued. "I meant every word I said last night."

As he dipped and bit again, she took a sip of her juice. "So," she continued. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well," she figured she may as well probe a bit. "Relationships. You know about mine. What about you?"

"There's nothing to tell."

"Pretty bad, huh?"

"Pretty nonexistent. I never had a girlfriend."

Her eyes shot open. "What?" He shook his head as he took another bite. "You're lying."

"Mm," he mumbled, keeping her attention as he quickly bit and swallowed the bit of toast in his mouth. "I don't lie. Well, except for that Tommy thing. But beyond that, I don't lie. You're going to know me, you're going to know that."

"But, how?" She honestly couldn't believe it. "You're such a sweet guy." He shrugged, giving a placated look. "Have you ever even been on a date?" Now giving a look of disappointment, he shook his head again. "Unbelievable." She thought a little further. "How is it possible for you to make it this far and never even go out with someone?"

"No one ever said 'yes'. And before you ask me," he stated, interrupting her train of thought, knowing her next question. "Yes, I'm a virgin."

Sera was completely flabbergasted. "Let me see if I can get this straight. You're a VIRGIN who had a woman lying asleep in the next room--alone, vulnerable, fragile, and just out of a bad relationship--and you didn't do ANYTHING about it?"

"And before you ask me," he quickly pointed out. "No, I'm not gay."

She stared at him with even more respect than before, if that was even possible. How someone with that kind of opportunity to misbehave was able to keep his wits about him...

"Wow," she blurted. "I guess there ARE still gentlemen in this world."

He blushed. Sera was just surprised Caleb didn't start laughing at her, because she had one shocked-as-fuck look on her face. She lost her virginity when she was 16, and here's a guy at least four years older than that that had never even gotten started! A normal person would have just passed him off as a lost cause. What's worse than that is that whenever he answered a question, he never added any disclaimers to even suggest that something would at least happen someday. He didn't say 'I haven't had a girlfriend yet.' He said 'I never had a girlfriend.' It's as if he gave up before he got off the ground. Here he was, seemingly perfectly content with living the rest of his life alone. Meanwhile, she would have gone crazy if she didn't have someone to talk to at least once a day.

"I still don't understand, though," she said. "How can you possibly be happy with the idea of being alone?"

"I wouldn't say I'm happy."

"Then what WOULD you say?"

He thought about it and shrugged. "I adjusted. When you grow up alone and friendless and without a snowball's chance of it--"

"Snowball's chance of what?" Her tone was shifting from shocked to pissed.

"Being happy. Sera, I've met me, OK? I may be a 'gentleman' and I may be 'noble', as you've called it, but I also know that I'm not necessarily a people person. Everybody I went to school with, everybody my age that I ever met all taught me the truth."

"What is the truth?"

He paused before telling her, in his most nonchalant tone, as if it was common knowledge, "I'm expendable. It's my own fault, really. I mean, I shouldn't have grown up to look like this," he stated as he motioned toward his stomach and his face. "Nobody really wants to spend any time with me purely for the sake of it, present company notwithstanding, and even THAT'S through extenuating circumstances."

OK, now she was COMPLETELY pissed off, but he continued. "Hell, I used to have dreams, just like everybody else. Instead, I'll be here, in my place, out of everyone's way. This way, I'm not bugging as many people. Every time I think about being social, I just think of another simple way to absolutely screw everything up. I'm not going to take that kind of risk. No one deserves to see that."

As he casually took another bite of toast, she glared at him, torn between whether to hate him for what he thought, hate the people who pushed him to thinking it, or hate herself for even bringing the subject into light. Here was the man who had helped her and sheltered her not 24 hours previous sitting here and explaining to her how worthless he was, and he said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world! How is that possible? How is that fair?

Caleb casually changed the subject. "So, do you work?"

Sera shook herself out of her trance. "Uhm, no," she answered somberly. "I go to school at Penn State."

"When's class?"

"Not till this afternoon." She looks over at the clock, which read '9:56'. "Two o'clock."

"Still got four hours," Caleb observed. "Oh, your clothes. I'll take them down to the laundry room for you in a few minutes. Is that OK?"

"Sure, I guess."

* * * * *

As she put on her freshly-cleaned clothes in the privacy of Caleb's bedroom, she wandered around again, lost in thought.

'How can someone so great think so horribly of himself?'

'Didn't his family try to help him out?'

'What kind of fabric softener did he use? These smell nice.'

'Does he sleep in the nude?'

Wait a minute.

'~DOES HE SLEEP IN THE NUDE?~ Get a hold of yourself, girl!'

She walked over to the window, looking out on the town. The sun shined brightly on the late summer Wednesday. She always loved this time of year--the leaves were changing colors, the air was getting crisper and more brisk...autumn was just around the corner. But her mind wasn't on the weather. Instead, her mind was on other matters. Her mind was on the man that ended her year-long relationship with a man she thought she was in love with. It was on this large, lonely man that didn't want to take advantage of her or violate her, unlike most of her previous boyfriends. It was on this young ascetic who sincerely believed that his place was out of everybody else's, and that he didn't deserve to experience the happiness that everyone else did.

She couldn't shake the feeling that, for some reason, this seemed almost right. Not the way he felt, but the circumstances. He saved her. He helped her. She needed to pay him back somehow. She felt that she now had a responsibility, a duty.

She needed to prove him wrong.

She opened the door to see Caleb sitting on the couch. He turned the TV off and directed his attention to her. "I was thinking," he immediately speculated. "I work at a nearby hotel. I have some employee points saved up. If you'd like, I can get you into a room there. You probably don't want to stay here any more than you'd like, I'd imagine."

"What, are you trying to get rid of me?" she half-teased. "You don't want me around, is that it?"

For some reason, he didn't feel like playing along. "No, it's not THAT. I just meant that--"

"That I don't want to be around YOU," she interrupted.

"Well, that and, in case you haven't noticed, my place is kind of, um," He searched for the correct word. "Depressing."

"No more depressing than staying in a hotel all by yourself."

"Well, you can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"Well, I'm sure you've got friends you'd much rather stay with."

"Well, I do. I used to live in a dorm with my best friend. I suppose I could always move back in with her."

"There you go. Problem solved."

"You're wrong, though." She was hesitant, but she pressed on. "I WOULD like to be around you."

It was Caleb's turn to be shocked. "Uhm--"

"Look," she stated as she slowly approached him. "Caleb. I know that you don't exactly think highly of yourself, but..." She sighed heavily, and her speech got softer. "Do you have any idea how many guys would have helped me out the way you did last night?"

"I'm going to say upwards of 'any'."

"None that I'VE ever been with. Think about it, Caleb. If you truly WERE the man you thought you were, your instincts wouldn't have said, 'Help her.' They would have said, 'It's none of my business.'"

He looked around himself, thinking. Was she right? Was she?

She pressed on. "You said that the only reason you've never gone out with someone was because nobody ever said 'yes', right?"

He nodded.

"Well," she continued, almost flirtatiously, but unusually shy. "You've never asked ME."

Caleb's eyes widened. Was she asking HIM to ask HER out? What the hell was going on here? He may never have dated, but under normal circumstances, a man asks a woman out BEFORE they sleep in the same vicinity.

"Well?" She popped her eyebrow up a bit.

He looked down shyly. "U-um, heh." It's very obvious to realize why he couldn't get this out. It's not very often that he's 'propositioned' quite like this. "Sera? Uh--Goddamn, I know you're going to say 'yes' and I'm STILL embarrassed." Sera's laugh gave him a vote of confidence. "Do you want to go out sometime?" he finally blurted.

She smiled even wider. "Yes. Absolutely." Caleb couldn't hide his happiness. "Tell you what. Let me call my friend--she'll pick me up here and take me to her place for a bit, so as I can get ready. I'll be back here at 8:00. Say, you pick where we have dinner and, afterward, we'll go to a club?"

Caleb nodded and shrugged. "Sure."

"Awesome." Sera grabbed Caleb's phone off the receiver and dialed the requisite seven digits before listening. Six seconds later--

"Hey, Val, it's me." "Yeah, I know I wasn't there--look, it's a long story. I need you to pick me up." "No, no, I'm not there. I'm at 623 14th Street." "Yeah." "Yeah, bring your purse." "OK, bye."

She turned the phone off and put it down. She turned to see that Caleb was sitting on the couch, looking forward at nothing in particular.

"Something wrong?" She queried.

He looked at her. "It's just a new feeling to me, is all. Looking forward to something like this. It's just not everyday I have something to lose."

She didn't show it, but Sera felt a small bit of pride well up in the pit of her stomach. She's had four steady boyfriends--all handsome with the requisite washboard abs and six feet in height, but never before has she been more inexplicably nervous for something in her life. She understood that he wasn't experienced. She knew he was going to fumble at least once, and she didn't care. She wanted this. She wanted to go out with this recluse, if only to show him beyond a shadow of a doubt that he meant something, if only to one person.

"Tell you what," she finally uttered. "I'm going to wait outside for Val, and I will see you tonight."

"Sure. Can't wait."

"Me, neither." She went and opened the door. Before closing it, she stood in the threshold and turned around, grinning. "Oh, Caleb?"

He raised his head slightly, acknowledging her.

"Don't forget the condoms."

His eyes widened, all train of thought flying out the window upon hearing this sentence. "C-condoms."

Her voice grew softer. "I know you're scared. And I know that you're going to be scared, no matter what I say." He nodded emphatically. "Well, even so, I just want you to remember that, tonight," She bit her lip and looked at him seductively. "You have nothing to lose." Her gaze only broke when the door she was closing got in its way. She walked toward the apartment's main entrance and waited for her friend's car.

"Wrong, girl," he said on his couch, still staring at the door that the goddess just closed. "I've got one more thing."



The Weight of the World Ch. 02



Chapter 2: Deserve

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As stated at the beginning of Chapter 1, this chapter will have no sex. Live with it.

Speaking of which, Chapter 3 might take a while longer because I reread it a few minutes before submitting this chapter and, well...it sucks. Gotta love hindsight. So, yeah, I'll need a little extra time.

It's not like this story's the best thing ever anyway...

=====================

"So, let me get this straight. You're not even on the market for 12 hours and you've already got a date?"

Sera slid the sky blue sundress up over her curved, naked hips while looking at the blonde sitting on the bed.

"Does that make me a slut?"

Val shook her head in the negative. "Little bit."

"Ugh!" Sera brought the dress up to cover her breasts, sliding her arms in the holes and bringing the spaghetti straps up to her shoulders. "God, I know. But, I really like this guy. He's not exactly the most confident, but--"

"Do you know what you're getting into here?" The tall blonde's voice showed obvious concern for her best friend. "I mean, you haven't even known this guy a day. For all you know, he could be a serial killer or, or a circus freak. He's probably a circus freak!"

"He's not a circus freak," Sera quickly retorted. "And if he was a serial killer, he would have killed me in the middle of the night, wouldn't he?"

"Well, true."

Sera turns to the mirror and checks herself out. "He's just a really sweet guy. Who might have just happened to save my life last night."

"OK, OK."

"There's something else." Val looked at her intently. "He's, sort of--he's REALLY," Val rotated her arm, telling Sera silently to spit it out. "--a virgin." Val's arm froze, her eyes bugged out. "He's never been out on a date."

"Call it off."

"No!"

"Do you remember when I told you about that virgin I slept with a few years ago?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"He wouldn't leave me alone!" she reminded her. "I had to get a restraining order, I had to change my phone number--"

"Well, why did you give it to him, then?"

"I didn't!" she yelled.

"Well, after being with Johnny for so long, it would be kind of nice to be with a clinger. At least with Caleb, I won't have to worry about getting hurt. Last night, I would have done ANYTHING for him under the circumstances, but he still wouldn't do it because it would have been the wrong thing to do."

"But, you're going to do all that tonight!"

"Yeah, but this time it's for the right reason. And besides, it's not even like he's that bad-looking. He's got this beautiful voice. He said my name, and I wanted to kiss him right there. And his smile--." She couldn't help but smile herself, like a schoolgirl with a crush. When she walked out of the bathroom and saw him for the first time that morning, all he did was greet her for the day, but he smiled when he did it. When he flashed his smile to her, her stomach couldn't help but backflip.

Sera turned back to the mirror. Val stood up from the bed and walked up behind her best friend. They both stared at her in the sky blue sundress, both thinking the same thing. Val rested her chin on Sera's shoulder.

"I've never seen someone so hot get so worked up over a fat virgin."

"You mind if I borrow this tonight?"

*RIIIIIIIIING!!!*

"No, it's all yours," Val finished as she went for the cordless on the bed.

*RIIIIIIIII--*

"Hello?" Her tone after 'hello' went from energetically happy to less than somber. It was dark. It was quiet. It was Johnny. "How did you get this number?" Sera turned to her. She knew it was him before Val even had a chance to mouth it. "She told me everything, you sick bastard." "No, how fucking dare YOU!" "My father is a cop. Sera may not want to press charges, but I might!" "So we can get one less RAPIST off the streets, THAT'S WHY!!" "Stay away from her, and don't call here anymore. She so much as whispers your name and my hand touches receiver, you fucking prick." Val angrily pushed the 'OFF' button, threw the phone down on her bed, took a deep breath and brushed some hair from her face.

"Thanks," Sera quietly said. She sat on the bed and looked into space.

"Listen," Val started. "Maybe you shouldn't go to class today. Your Profs will understand when you explain it to them on Saturday." Sera didn't respond. "Come on, get up and get changed. I'm taking you to lunch."

* * * * *

Caleb hesitated at walking toward the very same counter he went up to just that morning. Not that a repeat visit embarrassed him, but because the condoms were behind the cashier. Caleb stared at the line of contraceptives.

"OK, Caleb," he thought. "This is nothing. You've already got the date--there's no reason to be nervous about anything else."

"What kind of condoms am I supposed to get?"

"...Damn. Didn't think of that."

Caleb put the two two-liter bottles of cola onto the counter.

"Hey, Caleb!" The 50-year-old man in the blue vest stocking shelves was always cheerful, a lifelong optimist, obviously, and one of the only people outside of work and family that Caleb knew by name.

"Hi, Bruno."

"Weren't you in here this morning?"

"Yeah, but I forgot a few things."

Bruno smiled and went back to his stocking. The handsome young man at the counter rang up the two bottles in front of a frozen Caleb.

"That'll be $3.78, please," said the cashier.

"Oh, uhm." If he was ever going to man up, it was now. "Trojan, Her Pleasure. Two boxes."

It was awkward enough for Caleb to blurt that out mindlessly. It was worse when the two men behind the counter stopped everything they were doing just to glare at the young whale of a man. The three stood there for what had to be ten seconds. Someone had to break the silence. Caleb did. Bluntly.

"Please?"

Bruno admittedly snickered a bit when Caleb shook the cashier out of his trance. The two men quietly finished the transaction. "Thank you," Caleb meekly said as he gave Bruno a quick nod and left the store.

* * * * *

Caleb got out his notebook, turned it on and logged in. If it wasn't for the escape of the world within this tiny box, he would probably go clinically insane.

"What the hell was she thinking, telling you that you're going to have sex?! Now you're gonna spend the rest of the night thinking about it! You're a fat man--your heart can't take that kind of pressure!"

What if Sera was just teasing him? What if she didn't really want to have sex that night, and was just saying that to get a rise out of him?

"Yeah, that's probably it. There's no way she could have--"

"Shut up."

"WHAT?"

Caleb looked at the mirror on the adjacent wall. "Enough. Is it really hard to believe that someone could want me?"

"YES! Where have YOU been the past 21 years?"

"I don't need to know about the last 21 years. I just need to know about the last day. I mean, I'm not saying I deserve it--that would make me look the prick. But for Christ's sakes, it's my birthday. Whether I deserve it or not, the fact remains that I'm being given a gift."

"What gift? A date?"

Caleb used the rest of his brain to ponder a response. After one entire, eternal minute, he was able to blurt it out.

"A chance. Sure, it's probably just for this one night. But what if it's not?"

Caleb's mind revved into overdrive. Sera's words pierced into him, his own thoughts haunted him, and he resolved.

* * * * *

The hour approached. After a fresh shower and shave, Caleb put on a white undershirt, followed by his best clothes (not saying much)--his best pair of blue jeans, his only belt, and a sueded light blue long-sleeved shirt that he kept hold of for special occasions. Two drops of cologne later and he was ready to roll.

Well, not exactly.

As he put his wallet in his right pocket, he stared at the two boxes of condoms he had bought that afternoon, now laying one on top of the other on the top of the dresser. He didn't expect to use both boxes--he just liked buying in bulk; he hadn't taken expiration dates into account. Still, he would have been just as uncomfortable buying one box, so it was a moot point. He took the top box and opened it. Pulling out two condoms, he glared at them.

"This is really happening, isn't it?"

"Guess so."

"You ready for this, big man?"

"Do I FEEL ready?"

"Just take deep breaths. You'll do fine."

Caleb clenched the condoms in his fist lightly, closed his eyes and took his own advice, inhaling deeply through his nose before exhaling just as deeply through his mouth. Letting his head hang down off his loosened neck, his thoughts swam. How was he gonna be able to pull this off?

"Just remember--you've already got the date. She already likes you, so be yourself. Make sure to not talk so much; let her lead the conversations and listen to what she says. Look at the eyes, not the mouth or the tits. If you're going to make a quip, make sure it's a quip; don't dwell on thinking too much on what you're going to say. Be funny, but don't be glib."

"Be funny, don't be glib."

"Right."

"What does 'glib' mean?"

"I don't know! I'm YOUR brain--YOU thought it! Just don't fake anything--she knows you're not overconfident, so don't pretend you are!"

"Right, right."

"Oh, one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Don't talk to yourself. Just doing this alone is creepy as Hell."

"Damn straight."

He put the condoms in his left pocket and went out to the living room, where he glanced at the wall clock: '7:47'. He paced, then he sat. He fidgeted, then he stood up and paced again.

"Calm down!"

"Calm down!" He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, breathing in deeply through the nose and breathing out deeply through pursed lips. He opened his eyes, no more relaxed than he was a few seconds ago.

"Damn."

"Try again."

Caleb closed his eyes and hung his head. He slowly drew in oxygen through his nostrils, trying to get the same kind of therapy he got several minutes previous. He held the air in for two seconds, allowing his lungs to fill properly, then began to breathe out, allowing it to crescendo until his lungs were empty.

"Well, it worked a little."

"Maybe you should masturbate."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, you know, like in that movie, 'Mary' something. Ben Stiller's worried about his date with Cameron Diaz, so his friend tells him to go clean the pipes, calm his nerves."

"Yeah, then the cum hangs from his EAR. 'Member that part?"

"When has that ever happened to you?"

"Look, even if I wanted to, I don't have the time. I've got, what, ten minutes?"

Three distinct knocks reverberated from the door throughout the apartment.

"Not necessarily."

"OK." One more deep breath.

"Caleb!" The all-too-familiar voice from outside the door didn't help him too much.

"I'll be right there," he promised. He walked to the door. With every step, he rethought what it was he was about to do, but his legs just wouldn't stop. He stared at the door for a second.

"I couldn't have a fucking peephole!"

He grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it.

"SMILE!"

Caleb opened the door, a warm smile on his face.

"Hi," he somehow said.

"Hey!" Sera worked the sky blue sundress that she had tried on earlier in the day. Her pure white sandals and handbag accentuated the look, so did her million-watt smile.

"You look amazing," he told her.

"Thanks. And look at you, stud. For a shut-in, you damn sure know how to clean up."

He blushed at the compliment before realizing that the color of her dress looked awfully familiar. He looked at the dress, then at his own shirt. Her brain clicked before she looked down at her own dress. They both chuckled.

"I guess we both had the same idea," he mused.

"Great minds really DO think alike."

"What's that got to do with ME?" Caleb silently questioned.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Sera nodded her head, and he followed her out into the hall, closing and locking his door behind him. They walked side-by-side to Caleb's car several yards away, his modest red Escort parked at the curb. He opened the passenger side first, allowing Sera to step in. He closed the door, allowing himself to walk around to the driver's side. In less than a minute, they were on the road.

"So," she started. "Where're we going to eat?"

"Ever been to Malcolm's?"

"Are you kidding? I love it there! You like it, too?"

Caleb hesitated. "Well, I've sort of never been there. It's just really popular, and I always recommend it to our guests. I just never bothered."

"Well, you're gonna love it. The food is awesome, and they book some really good entertainment sometimes."

"Yeah, I think Rhyne McCormick's gonna be there tonight. Is that OK?"

"Yeah, I like him. I mean, he's not an all-time favorite or anything, but I won't run away when he comes on."

Caleb laughed, and suddenly a calming feeling came over him. Maybe he could do this.

* * * * *

"You were right, that was fun."

"I told you."

"The food was great, too."

She nudged him in the shoulder. "Maybe next time, you'll believe me."

"Hey!" He nudged her back, making sure not to use too much of his weight. "So," he hesitated. "Where's this club of yours?"

"It's a short walk up this way." The two started to walk off the meals that they just finished. The knowledge that his virtue would be lost by the end of the night still lingered, but it was very faint. The music and food helped alleviate much of the pressure that he'd felt prior to the date, but he obviously still had plenty of pent-up nervousness in his system. A question popped into his mind as they headed up the sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot where they had parked, but he never got the chance to think further on it.

"Caleb, can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure, I suppose. Can't guarantee I'm gonna answer, though."

"Oh, I understand that. I was just curious," she hesitantly prodded. "Have you been big your whole life? I mean, I knew fat kids when I went to school, but they turned out OK. They had friends, they dated."

"I wish I went to YOUR school. The kids I went with were ruthless. I was always the biggest guy, so I was the biggest target, I guess. Things REALLY got bad in my sophomore year."

"What happened in your sophomore year?"

"My boss."

"You met your boss?"

"No, right in front of us--my boss."

A tall, good-looking man in his late twenties walked up to the pair.

"Harry," Caleb exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm getting my supper. Felt like going out. What're YOU doing out?"

"Walking off my supper."

Harry nodded, then glanced at the young lady a couple feet to Caleb's right. "Oh, I'm sorry, miss--we're in your way."

"No, no, Harry," Caleb said, suddenly remembering his manners. "This is Sera. She's, um--" He couldn't bring himself to completing that sentence. Harry wondered for a second before Sera looked at Caleb, then wrapped herself around his right arm.

"I'm his date."

Harry smiled at Caleb. "I'll be damned. Good for you, Caleb!" Caleb shrugged and looked down. He wasn't used to hearing those words. Harry held his hand out to Sera, who promptly shook it. "And, hey, you got it right the first time, too." Sera couldn't help but giggle. Caleb, however, looked almost disappointed. "I'll see you at work next week, huh, Caleb?" Caleb dejectedly nodded as Harry passed him.

"Nice guy," Sera stated. Keeping hold of Caleb's arm, she looked up to see that his demeanor had gone from happy to somber. "What's wrong?"

"I don't blame you if you fall for him. He's got a different girl in his room at the hotel every night. I guess he's just got a way with charming women."

"Oh, Caleb!"

They turned to the yelling Harry, who was a bit of a distance away now.

"Happy birthday!!"

Sera looked confused. Caleb looked pissed.

"Shit," he muttered.

"Your birthday's coming up? When?"

No point in hiding it now. He sighed exasperatingly.

* * * * *

The club was packed, loud, and REALLY mobile. Those that were on the dance floor were moving their bodies to the wordless beat. Some of them were proving that the human body was a beautiful instrument of art with their movements; others were proving that the human body was a clumsy jalopy of a thing that didn't deserve limbs.

The gorgeous Serenity and the bulky Caleb walked into the veritable rave with the utter inability to hear themselves think. Sera kept her hand clasped within Caleb's, making sure they didn't lose each other. As she walked Caleb to the bar on the far side of the mammoth room, she thought about how much she enjoyed his company. Caleb was very talkative about his past--for a guy who didn't grow up with a friend in the world, he damn-sure had the family to make up for some of the loneliness. He always lived close to his grandparents, and his mother and sister were both active. The only reason he seldom joined them was the fact that he had a hard time making himself known. But once past introductions, Caleb proved himself to be quite the people-person, and any doubts that she may have had about him being a good man instantly vanished once she let him get on.

And then, after he spent ten minutes talking about himself, he made sure to stop so she could talk herself. She, like him, grew up around loving family, but she had to move away upon entering college. When both she and Val, her closest friend since middle school, got accepted to Penn State, she was overjoyed. Her family only lived about 150 miles away, but they were the longest miles she ever had to drive when holidays came around. At first, she lived with Val in the dorms, but quickly into the year, she met Johnny at the nearby mall. A few months later, she was moved in, which is when all her troubles started.

But that was the past. This was the present. This was her date's birthday. And ten minutes after they arrived, they were seated at a table that was somehow unoccupied, and Sera made sure to sit directly next to her date.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Serenity queried.

"I didn't think it was important," Caleb shyly answered.

"Not important!? It's your fucking BIRTHDAY! How old are you?"

Caleb paused.

"C'mon, Caleb, how old?"

Caleb finally responded. "Twenty-one."

Sera's jaw made like the Bodies and hit the floor. "And you didn't think that your 21st birthday was important?"

"Well, I knew I wasn't going to be a drinker. I'm just not that kind of guy. And frankly, I don't like my birthdays. I hate it when people make such a fuss about me--it just seems like a waste of time, and since they're wasting it on ME, it's my fault that they're doing it."

"Caleb, people are going to do that. I mean, on your birthday, you have to expect that people are going to treat you a little differently."

"But I hate being treated differently. I'm used to how I'm treated."

"And besides," Sera mentioned. "It's not your FAULT that I'M here. I'm here with you because I really, truly want to be. And whether you think it or not, I'm having a really nice time, and that's because I'm here with YOU."

"Sera--"

Before he could finish his thought, the song ended and switched to something a little slower. Sera's ears perked up while her hand grabbed Caleb's wrist.

"Come on," she popped in. "Let's dance."

"Are you kidding!? I can't dance! I've never done it before!"

"It's a slow song; there's nothing to it. You just shuffle your feet back and forth."

Caleb took a few more seconds but, to Sera's elation, he finally relented, standing up. They moved to the nearest corner of the dance floor and got close. Sera grabbed Caleb's wrists, lifted them to her waist, and rested his palms on either side.




The Weight of the World Ch. 02



"Relax, Caleb." She released his wrists and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"I'm fine."

And so they danced. As they moved back and forth in place, Serenity allowed her hips to swivel a small bit. She looked into Caleb's eyes, and to her wonder, he looked back into hers, and not with a look of virgin concern. His was almost a look of seduction. She gave him the same look back, hiding the sense of pride she felt knowing that, in some way, Caleb had let that small inkling of sensuousness slip.

"So, Sera," he said mid-song. "Why did you go to all this trouble?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this night. You seemed kind of adamant about taking me out tonight. What's the deal? You got a thing for virgins?"

"No, I don't have a thing for virgins. As a matter of fact, my friend had one particularly bad episode with a virgin."

"Ah."

"I think that, after being with a guy like Johnny for a year, I wanted to spend time with a guy who was just...not him."

"I'd think you wouldn't want to spend time with any guy at all."

"Well, you changed my mind on that."

"How?"

She smiled a little wider. "Well, let's see. You let me cry on your shoulder, you cooked me breakfast, you refused to take advantage of me when I gave you a chance to...basically, you were sweet. You were you."

He blushed. Before they could continue, Sera felt a tapping on her shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

Sera turned and saw a tall young man with spiky black hair smiling at her. Caleb saw him, too.

"Hi. I'm Teddy."

"Sera," she replied politely.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked guilt-free, even though she was obviously hanging off Caleb.

"Uhm...thanks, but I'm with someone."

Teddy looked at Caleb condescendingly. "Oh." He hooked Sera's arm. "Don't worry, buddy, your sister'll be safe with me."

Sera snatched her arm away. "Not interested." She turned back to Caleb.

"Pssh, whatever," Teddy said. "One fatass deserves another."

"Hey!" Caleb yelled out. "That was uncalled for."

"Hey, I didn't know blimps could talk! I knew there was something strange about you when I didn't see a ticker hanging off your ass with the words 'GOOD YEAR' scrolling across it. Honestly, how much are you paying her? You must be super rich to be able to afford THAT kinda trim."

This entire time, Caleb just let him talk. Finally, he decided to speak. "You done? I can wait if you're not; it's not the first time I've met someone whose mouth was bigger than me." Sera snickered. "What was your name again? Teddy? Teddy, I'm fully aware that you're more handsome than me, and you're probably even smarter than I am...hell, your dick's probably bigger than mine. But for your information, dipshit, I am three things that you aren't."

"Yeah? What?"

Caleb counted them off on his fingers. "Fat, ugly, and getting laid tonight." He turned to the now laughing Sera. "You wanna go?"

Sera was all smiles. "Yes! Definitely!" As the two walked toward the door, arms draped around each other, she waved good-bye to the dejected young man still on the dance floor without turning back to face him.

The two walked outside and started down the sidewalk for Caleb's car. Caleb was smiling, mostly because Serenity was laughing at the incident.

"That was awesome!" Sera laughed. "I'm so proud of you!"

"So," Caleb said. "What do you want to do now?"

Sera looked in her head a second. "You wanna go back to your place and fuck me retarded?"

Caleb looked at Sera, then turned back to face forward. He shrugged nonchalantly. "OK. Sure."



The Weight of the World Ch. 03



Chapter 3: Companion

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whelp, here it is--my first time writing sex. As a self-admitted vir-diddly-irgin, I always thought it'd be hypocritical for me to write one of these. Then I came to the realization that I'm a hypocrite, so it works out.

I'd be perfectly content if this were the last chapter of the story, but feedback is a fickle mistress.

Oh, also, I'd like to humbly apologize for the elevated levels of corniness sprinkled throughout this story. I tried to keep it toned down, but like I said, I'm a virgin--fantasy and reality haven't fully separated yet.

==========================

Everything was expected, but welcome. As Caleb parked the car, Serenity knew that he would open her door for her, so she let him. As they were going upstairs, she knew he'd allow her to go in front--not so he could stare at her ass, but because it was the gentlemanly thing to do; she let him. (She still jiggled her butt a bit, just to give him a slight thrill.) When he opened the door to his apartment, she knew he'd offer for her to enter first; she let him.

Caleb closed the door behind him and locked it. His heart was going a million beats a minute, but there was no way he was going to back out now, and there was no way he was letting this opportunity pass. He turned to his date, but couldn't move more than half a step.

"Thanks for tonight, Sera," Caleb said. "It was a lot of fun. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Sera replied, giving him a sly smile. "But tonight's not over yet."

Oh, fuck.

Caleb's mind was going into overdrive. He didn't know what he was going to do. He was like a boy going from elementary school to middle school, transitioning into a brave new world. But there was a difference this time; this time, there was someone with him, and she not only wanted to be there to help him, but she was hell-bent on it. Just two days previous, Caleb KNEW that he would be alone for the rest of his life, never knowing the feeling that comes with having a companion. This woman, if only for this one night, was going to make him feel as though he was wanted, needed. She wasn't being paid. She wasn't being forced. If only for this one night, she was being his.

Sera began to walk toward Caleb.

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

Her body hugged against his large frame. She lifted her arms and rested them on his shoulders.

OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK!!!

Then something amazing happened. Caleb looked into Sera's eyes, never faltering in their depth. Then he looked down toward the ruby red lips that he was about to kiss.

OH FUCK OH FU--

He wrapped his arms around her torso, resting his hands on the small of her back. He leaned his head down and, finally, after 21 endless years, his lips touched another's.

That two-second kiss in itself felt infinite. Their mouths were closed, the contact soft, and yet, they were the two greatest seconds in Caleb's life.

For about three more seconds, anyway.

They broke the kiss and looked in each other's eyes, and then they did it again, this time with a little more ferocity. As her hands rubbed the back of his head and his shoulders, his hands roamed her back, his left hand moving across, his right hand up and down the middle. It was pure instinct that drove him to doing this. It was also pure instinct that drove him to slightly open his mouth, inviting her to do the same. They're tongues danced in their mouths, savoring the taste of the other, both pleasantly surprised by it. The entire length of the kiss, their stomachs fluttered, both from nervousness and from anticipation, knowledge of the fact that this was only the beginning.

They reluctantly ended. It was as if the kiss itself did not want to leave existence. Caleb whispered, "Wow."

"Yeah," she answered with a smile. "I didn't want to be the first to say it."

She bit her lip and grabbed his hand, then started toward the bedroom.

* * * * *

He removed his lips from hers. She put both of her hands on his chest and gently sat him on the bed. She looked down at him with a smile on her face. He, however, had no smile. He looked up at the creature looking down at him with a look of dreamy fascination.

"Tonight is your night," she stated. Looking down at him throughout, she reached to her shoulder and let the spaghetti strap go limp. After doing it again with the other shoulder, she reached down to the bottom of her sundress and began to pull it up.

Time slowed for Caleb, and he was ever grateful for it. He got all the time in the world to take a look at Sera's smooth, tanned legs. As she lifted the dress higher, revealed were her wonderfully adorable pink satin panties which hugged her hips, the hips that were core to her body's showcase curves. Her tummy came into view next, Sera's baby fat doing its job perfectly in keeping her stomach flat without making her look too skinny. Caleb reveled in the angel.

Sera lifted the dress all the way over her head and let it hang from her dangling wrist before allowing it to fall. Her braless, supple breasts heaved with every breath she took, and it was as if Caleb wanted to memorize every last square inch of them. They stood at attention, screaming at him as if they were homing beacons for Caleb's oft-wandering eyes.

Standing before Caleb was perfection. He could think of no other word that properly described it, not even "angelic". That word seems to describe something cutesy and childish; the being in front of him was no child. She bordered on the line separating mortal woman and immortal goddess, and she had just given him carte blanch to attempt to please her all he wanted. First and foremost, he had to kiss her. As he stood up to do it, he looked into her eyes. He cupped her cheeks as he closed in. As they kissed again, his mind raced with the pleasure from it. He could definitely get used to this.

Without breaking the kiss, he raised his right hand to cup her left tit, full and perky as it was. Sera was worried that Caleb, novice that he was, would maul it and squeeze it like a flat tube of toothpaste. She could never be so happy to be so wrong; a moan slipped from her mouth as he gently caressed the nipple, circling it with his fingertips. He reached down and circled the areola with the tip of his tongue before slowly lapping it one time, almost like a puppy. He sat back down and did the exact same thing with the other nipple, despite Sera's attempt to hold his head on her left side. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her eyes closed in ecstasy as her lover for the night worshipped her body.

Grateful as her breasts were, Sera somehow detached Caleb's mouth them to kiss him again, but when she reached for the bottom of his shirt and tried to lift it, he stopped her. She looked up at him, his face filled with embarrassment.

"Please, Caleb?"

"I don't...it's just..." He looked up into her eyes, defeated. "Are you sure?"

She smiled a little and nodded. He looked down at the floor and closed his eyes as he reached down and lifted his shirt over his head. As he sat there half-naked, Sera examined him. A large tummy, love handles...

'More like love guardrails...' he thought.

...and a light patch of hair on his chest. He was obviously embarrassed, as he faced the floor the entire time she looked at him. Only a small bit of fear formed in the pit of Sera's stomach. She knew that to have as much fun as possible tonight would take a little maneuvering. She also knew that she didn't care. She placed her hands on his lowered cheeks, pulled his face up so that he looked her in the eye, then leaned down to kiss him once again.

"Lie back."

Caleb moved back toward the headboard and rested his head on the pillows. She looked up at him before gazing down at the belt that she had started unbuckling.

"I have to warn you," Caleb started.

"I know," she interrupted. "You're not going to last long your first time. It's OK. It's not like you're only going to cum once tonight."

"Um...well, actually, I was going to say that I don't normally put out on the first date, but..."

She laughed and playfully hit him on his still-covered thigh. She finished the buckle, unbuttoned his pants, and tugged them and his boxers down to reveal his dick, unsurprisingly hard as rock. She smiled as she wrapped her hand around her fleshy new toy. 

"I know it's small."

"No, it's not," she retorted.

"In this day and age, that's small."

"You watch way too much porn."

"Am I that transparent?"

"It's perfect. Not too wide, not too thin...What is it, six inches? Seven?"

"How should I know?"

"Oh, come on, like you've never whipped it out and measured it."

"I haven't."

"Yeah, right."

"What did I tell you about me and lying?"

"OK, OK, so we'll measure it now. You got a tape measure or a ruler?"

"No."

"...Oh. Well, it doesn't matter. Point is, I'm gonna have lots of fun with it."

"Is that so?"

She gave his dick one slow, gentle stroke. "That is so."

He reached down and drew his finger down her cheek. "What's stopping you?"

She looked down at it. "Give me a little bit to admire it."

"Well, don't take too long. I'd like to try some other things later."

"Such as?"

"I ain't tellin'."

"Aw!"

"I may tell you later, if you're good."

"Good, huh?"

"Yup."

She drew her tongue along the entire length of his cock, base to tip, eliciting a surprised gasp from her lover.

"Don't you want me to be bad?"

"Do that again, you can be whatever the fuck you want."

She smiled and mimicked the exact same action she just did--another long lick from the root of his cock to the sensitive tip. He closed his eyes and widened his smile as she gave him his first blowjob, taking it in her mouth and rubbing the underside with her tongue. Caleb's entire world was instantly as warm as she was making his cock.

"Oh, Jesus, Sara...yes..."

She lightly squeezed the base of his cock and bobbed her head on what remained. One part of her wanted it to last a while, as she was sure he wanted that as well. However, she knew that if he got off now, it would allow him to last much longer the next time. And the next time. And, she hoped, the next time.

"Yes, baby."

Sucking cock was always a guilty pleasure for Sera, always a major turn-on, and his whispering voice turned her on even more, causing her to go a little faster. Caleb, meanwhile, drowned in pleasure. He knew that, if he wanted to go faster, he had to try to take his mind off of the sensational blowjob he was getting and concentrate on something else.

And ignore this? Are you fucking kidding me? I'd rather cum now!

His dick wasn't far behind his mind.

"I'm cumming. Sera, sweetie, I'm cumming."

Sera thought about stopping for, maybe, a half-second. She didn't, of course, and instead removed her mouth from the throbbing member and stroked its length, staying close to the head.

"Are you gonna cum for me, Caleb?" She had such a sweet, innocent look on her face. He looked into Serenity's eyes as, with a smile on her face, she took him back into her mouth. Not three seconds later, she squealed with glee as her mouth filled with his essence, a load practically 21 years in the making, and it was all hers.

"Ooohhhhhhhh, God..."

Caleb looked down over his stomach into Sera's smiling eyes as her mouth filled with his jizz. When Sera was sure she had every last drop, she removed his dick from her mouth, then swallowed it all.

"Well..." Caleb started to muse, his mind still a little mushy. "That was a thing."

Sera giggled, smiling that smile he loved so much. She started to crawl up to him, but before she could get very far, he lifted his large frame up a bit and went down to her, kissing her passionately. As the kiss went on, he became progressively softer, his hand caressing her cheek lovingly. 

He's so gentle, she thought. Am I really the first girl to notice?

As they broke the kiss, she opened her eyes to discover that his were still closed. Even after the kiss was done, he was savoring it, as if he just took a potent drug. He was still lightly panting with lust as he opened his eyes.

"Your turn."

Sera smiled as they started to switch positions. He got up on his knees as she lay down on her back in the same spot he was just in. As she laid down flat, Caleb, to her side, reached down and gave her a ferocious kiss. Sera would have sworn that, were she standing, her knees would have weakened. He broke the kiss, then reached down to her waist, taking the panties by the rim and sliding them down her legs, revealing her slightly-trimmed mound. Sera looked up at Caleb and giggled at the look on his face while he examined her newly-naked body.

"Like what you see?"

"I think I'm in love."

She blushed at his compliment. She didn't expect to be so excited about it, but she was thrilled that he thought she was beautiful. As Caleb moved his head back down to her nipples, she kept her smile. Her fingers once again tangled into his brown locks, pushing him ever harder onto her breast as she closed her eyes and moaned.

"Caleb, that feels so nice."

He loved her right breast for at least five minutes before moving over to her left, giving it the same attention and affection. Wordlessly, he then kissed his way down her torso, reaching her belly button and using his tongue to tickle and tease it. Sera laughed.

"That tickles."

The more she laughed, the happier he was. He was methodical in moving downward. Torturously slow was he.

"Caleb, please don't tease me."

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Please..."

He rubbed all five of his fingertips around her tummy, teasing her while simultaneously making her feel so comfortable. "Please what?"

"Please...please eat my pussy," she breathed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite catch that. Could you say it again?"

She grabbed him by the sides of his head and turned it up to face her. She gritted her teeth. "Eat. My. Pussy." She leaned in closer. "Now."

He shook his head. "Boss-y."

"I need it. I need you to make me cum."

He almost lost her at 'I need you.'

"But I've never done this before," he retorted, still innocent. "How do you know I'll make you cum?"

"I'll tell you if you do something wrong."

He nodded, then spent the next several seconds not doing anything but just looking at her pussy.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

He looked up at her and snickered. "Give me a little bit to admire it."

"Well, don't take too long. I'd like to try some other things later."

"Such as?"

"I want to fuck you!"

"'Zat so?"

"Yes, it is. I want to please you tonight."

"Why?"

"Lots of reasons."

"Such as?"

"Well, for one, it's your birthday."

"I guess that's as good a reason as any. What else?"

"Because you're one of the best men I've ever met. You're so sweet and caring. Like I said, not every guy would have done what you did and not expected sex immediately afterward. You didn't. You helped me because it was the right thing to do, then you gave me a roof and a big, warm bed afterward, for no reason at all." She reached down and cupped his cheek. "You're a good man, Caleb. Please believe me when I say that."

Caleb closed his eyes, trying to hide any redness that may have just formed in his face. He didn't know if he was going to get used to compliments. Suddenly, a flash went through his mind. He drew her tongue along the entire length of her pussy, hole to clit, eliciting a surprised gasp from his lover.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. She didn't have a chance to ask what that was before he went to town, licking her pussy lips with everything he had. He let his brain shut down and allowed his tongue and lips to do all his thinking, and he paid attention to every reaction she made. Whenever he rubbed the flat of his tongue over her clit, she breathed a little harder. The first time he trapped her clit in his lips and started suckling, she spoke. "Oh, my God, that's amazing." When he stuck his tongue in her sweet, nectar-filled hole, she spoke louder. "Oh, YES, Caleb! Don't stop!"

Sera was so happy. Two of her past boyfriends would eat her pussy happily when asked, so she wasn't new to this world. The difference between all those times and now was very simple, but very large: Caleb was doing it. Sera wasn't in love with him, at least not yet. She did, however, learn to care for him and about him in the short time they had known each other. She knew that she had to be careful that he didn't fall for her too hard too quickly. Of course, right now, he was pleasing her so much, that didn't seem like so bad a thing.

"Oh, God, Caleb, it's so good. Please don't stop."

Caleb was so happy. He was pleasing her. He was actually pleasing this beautiful woman. And it wasn't just any beautiful woman, either: it was THIS one. She didn't have to do this. Rather, she wanted to. She wasn't being dared to, she wasn't drunk, she wasn't just laying there saying "Oh, hurry up and get off, will you?".

He moved his hand up to Sera's lips, silently telling her to kiss and lick them. She complied, taking his index and middle fingers into her mouth lovingly, moaning as she moved her tongue all around the both of them, wetting them. When they were wet enough for his liking, he moved them back down to the pussy that his tongue was busy with. He took his now-moist index finger and slowly slid it into her pussy hole, all the while batting the nub with his tongue.

"Oh, God, yes!!"

"Do you like that, Sera?"

"Yes!!!"

"You do? You like it when I finger your pretty little pussy?"

"I love it!!! Please keep going, Caleb! Don't stop, don't fucking stop!!"

Caleb continued to lap at her clitoris as his finger moved in and out of her slit. After several minutes, he added the middle finger, increasing the pleasure ever more.

"Oh, Caleb. Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Cross my heart." He continued to batter her clit with his tongue. "God, you're so tight. I can't wait to get my dick into you."

She couldn't wait, either. Just the thought sent another shiver through her body and another bolt of sensual energy through her womb.

"Oh, my God, Caleb, I'm gonna cum soon if you keep that up."

Caleb looked up. "Oh, well, I'd better stop then," he sarcastically retorted.

"I said 'Don't stop'!"

"OK, OK." He quickly went back to her clitoris. "Y'know," he quickly blurted before going right back, licking between sentences. "I don't know if you've noticed, but you're pretty...responsive."

"No shit!"

"Oh, so you have noticed, eh?" He entrapped her nub between his lips and passionately sucked, eliciting an extra-loud groan from his lover. He released it with a 'pop', his fingers never once losing speed. "I guess it's just one of those things you can't ignore, huh?" 

"Jesus Christ, you're making me cum, Caleb!"

He reattached his lips and tongue to her pussy and increased the speed of his hand, this time refusing to stop.

"Don't stop until I tell you to, OK?" He nodded around her pussy while keeping it up. "Caleb, it's so good. Good God, it's so fucking good! You're so fucking good! I'm gonna cum, I'm gonna cum! I'm gonna CUUUUM!!!"

When her voice reached its peak, Caleb threw her a curveball, stopping his hand pumps and curling his fingers up, rubbing her G-spot furiously with his fingertips. Bolt after bolt of pure sexual passion shot through Sera's body as she came. Hard.

"FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Her body pulsed with her pussy as she continued to cum. Caleb never stopped, relentlessly sucking on her pleasure node while mercilessly attacking her G-spot, contorting his body with her bucking hips and arching back as needed. The orgasm lasted eternal seconds, and they were among the most blissful either of them had ever had in their short lives. Like an ocean in a hurricane, each wave hit Sera with barbarous force. Caleb watched her face as it contorted, screams and moans leaving her mouth. It was, without question, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.




The Weight of the World Ch. 03



"FUCK!!! FUCK!!! Fuck! Oh my GODohmygodohmygod..."

As her orgasm subsided, Sera looked down at Caleb. He had slowed down, but he hadn't stopped. He was still assaulting her clit and G-spot with vigor.

"Caleb, stop, please."

His fingers kept going. "Do I have to?"

"Yes! Please, it's too much for me."

He slowly removed his fingers and took his licking down to minimum speed, giving her clitoris one final kiss before leaving her pussy completely. He moved up to face her, lying down beside her. He watched her face, her lips quivering and her eyes closed, as he hugged her body. She didn't expect the gesture, but she gladly accepted it, then reciprocated it. They stayed this way for a couple minutes. His arms gave her exactly the comfort she needed at that moment in time, and Sera gladly returned the comfort, holding his large body.

"S-so, how'd I do?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him amazed. Was he kidding!? Couldn't he see that he had just given her the orgasm of a lifetime? She grabbed his head and kissed him so hard it hurt. It was with an intensity that both scared him and excited him to his very core. She broke the kiss just as hard and abruptly as she started it.

"Where are the condoms?"

Without looking away from her, he meekly pointed up at the dresser top where the two boxes, one opened, were still sitting. Like a shot, Sera was off the bed and practically sprinting to the dresser. She took a roll of condoms out, broke one off, and ripped it open with her teeth. This all took place within a matter of seconds. She went over to him and rolled the condom down onto his erect dick, then went to straddle him.

She looked down to him. Her voice was deep and carnal. "You are SO gonna fucking get it now."

Caleb was scared. Well, he thought he was scared. He could have been anxious. But about five seconds later, thanks to the afterglowing Serenity, one thing that he now officially wasn't was a virgin. And no power on this Earth could have possibly prepared him for it.

Caleb was in Heaven. When Sera's entrance enveloped his rod, he would have sworn to Whatever God Is Up There that he would never have felt anything that good ever again. Sera practically felt him thinking this, and she was determined to prove him wrong. 

Speaking of Sera, she was having a pretty damn fine time, too, now that she had her new toy exactly where she wanted it. Caleb's cock fit into her like a hand into a glove, and it was just what the doctor ordered after the intense orgasm he gave her.

"Oh, Caleb, it's so good. Your cock feels so good inside me."

"My cock feels so good inside you. It's so amazing."

"Does it, Caleb? How does it feel? How does my pussy feel sliding up and down your thick pole?"

"It feels perfect. Your pussy is so tight and wet...it's soft, but it's squeezing me so good."

Sera rested her hands on either side of Caleb's head and looked down at him. It was weird to her to be having sex with a man as large as Caleb. She was also used to fucking much taller guys, but Caleb wasn't that tall, even though he still stood over her. She realized that his size wasn't much of a hindrance, not to mention it wasn't much at all of a turn-off. Sure, having a guy with muscles was great, but there was just something about Caleb's stature that seemed almost...safer.

It was nice having something softer to hold onto, almost like a giant teddy bear. It reminded her of her youth, when she couldn't sleep without her stuffed bear, Mr. Patch. When she had lost Mr. Patch and couldn't find him before bedtime, that night's sleep would be bad, to say the least. But whenever she hugged and snuggled her companion, she was off to Dreamland, an easy slumber.

Before she could delve into this train of thought much further, Caleb grabbed her and sat up, reminding her that now was definitely not the time for reminiscing. He immediately went to work on her left breast, licking and suckling on the nipple. Sera rolled her head back and moaned, informing her man that it was exactly the right thing to do.

"That's right, Caleb. Yes, baby."

The only acknowledgement Caleb gave Serenity was to continue what he was doing. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but since Sera hadn't given him any reason to stop, he wasn't about to. His own bliss continued as she started slowly sliding up and down his shaft again. This made it a little harder for him to work on her tits, but he didn't know whether or not to complain.

"Sera...oh, shit, that's great."

Sera began to pick up speed, disallowing him from giving her breasts the attention they deserved. He settled for resting his head between them and just breathing as heavily as he was, the hot air from his lungs turning her on just as much. Her fingers were once again tangled in his hair as she clutched him, making sure he didn't go anywhere in case he thought about it. He never did.

A bead of sweat formed on her back and fell down inch by inch with every downstroke. It eventually mingled with Caleb's hand as he moved it up and down her back, giving her even more tactile pleasure. He looked up to see her face, a façade of ecstasy. Harry hit it on the head: he got it right on the first try.

"You're so beautiful," he uttered.

He grabbed her body and turned them over so that she was lying on her back. Being careful not to crush her under his girth, Caleb placed his hands on either side of Sera's torso and held himself up.

"So beautiful," he repeated. Caleb took control and started off slow, not wanting to lose his balance, but also wanting to savor the experience. As he went in and out at a speed far too slow and torturous for Sera's liking, Caleb reached down and continued to kiss Sera's bosom.

"Caleb, faster, please," she begged.

"Not yet." He went right back to her breast.

"Please, Caleb! I need it!'

He looked up at her face.

"Please?" she continued. "Pretty please? I'll be your best friend..."

He chuckled. "You don't have to pretend to be cute, y'know." He tilted his head down to kiss her; she met him on the way down. As they kissed, Caleb relented and picked up the pace, much to his lover's great delight.

"Yes, Caleb! Yes!" She reached up and held him while he pumped. In this position, her fingertips barely reached his back, but this fact never even began to cross her mind. "God, I love it! Yes! Fuck! Fuck me, Caleb, fuck me!!"

"Goddamn, girl, you ARE responsive, aren't you?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Caleb tucked his arms under Sera's back and wrapped them around her, giving him a better position to comply with her request, no longer worried about crushing her. Sera wrapped her arms around Caleb's neck as he began to eagerly piston in and out of her pussy. Caleb was pleased to realize that she could breathe just fine in this intimate position.

"Yes! Fuck me, Caleb, yes! Oh, God!"

Caleb didn't stop, working through a small kink in his back, a small price to pay for this opportunity.

"Fuck my pussy, Caleb. Fuck it just like that." Sera's eyes then widened. "Caleb, I'm cumming!" she quickly informed him. "I'm cumming on your fucking cock! Please don't go soft right now, please don't stop!"

Caleb, still thrusting hard and fast, moved his mouth closer toward her ear. "Cum for me, Serenity," he whispered. "Show me that I'm doing good. Scream for me, baby. Let the world know."

She agreed. "Yes, Caleb! You're gonna make me cum! HE'S GONNA MAKE ME CUM! JESUS CHRIST! YES! I'M CUMMING!!!"

Her orgasm showed her no remorse. Her body practically convulsed as she climaxed around Caleb's penis. Caleb abided by Sera's request and didn't slow down for anything, even though he was dangerously close to his own ending. He breathed heavily as he tried to hold off, but he wasn't exactly experienced in the matter. As her orgasm mercifully ended, she looked at his face and realized he wasn't far off.

"Are you gonna cum, Caleb?" He nodded and continued to thrust. She reached up to his ear. "Cum, baby. Cum for me. Show me that I'm doing good now..."

Caleb closed his eyes and tucked his head, but Sera cupped his cheek to stop him.

"No, don't. Look in my eyes, Caleb. I want to watch you."

Caleb gazed lovingly into those pools as he came closer and closer to nirvana.

"Cum..." she soothed.

And he did. She smiled wide and looked into his soul as he was at his most vulnerable. As he emptied himself into the condom, he struggled to keep his eyes open; for her, anything.

"That's it, baby."

As he finished, she caressed his cheek, and he reached down and kissed her.

"Thank you, Caleb."

"Thank you, Serenity."

She smiled, which forced him to smile back. He pulled out, removed the condom, and threw it in the general direction of the trash can. He lay down on his back, and she reached over to rest on him. She rested her head on his shoulder and her left hand on his chest. He kissed her on her forehead and rubbed her arm, trying his best to comfort her. He was succeeding. Sera closed her eyes, her smile never fading.

"So," Caleb said tentatively. "How'd I do? Y'know, for my first time."

She looked up at him. Again, he failed to see just how good he made her feel. She figured that it was just one of his quirks, being oblivious to the kind of positive impact he makes on other people. She resolved that it was just something she'd have to get used to, if not remedy.

"It was wonderful, Caleb," she said. "Not bad at all for the first time. But still, it couldn't hurt to practice a little more."

"Damn right." He smiled, let out one chuckle, and reached down to kiss her on the lips. As she happily accepted, he couldn't help but think about how grateful he was. He was grateful to her, and he was grateful for her.

She rested her head on his shoulder again and closed her eyes. "Let's just rest for a little bit, first. That just took everything out of me."

"All right," he said. "Just don't expect to rest too much, though. I have a lot of catching up to do."

Before falling asleep, her mind raced, wondering what things he could possibly have in mind. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

His manhood obtained, Caleb knew that while everything in his life had changed, nothing really had. Having sex didn't make him any more or less of a man than it did 48 hours ago. He still didn't feel like drinking. He didn't feel any socially braver. He physically didn't feel any different.

And yet, everything was different. He wasn't in love with Serenity. But he wanted to be, and he was willing to try. A connection had formed, and the unthinkable had happened; a man who shunned himself and refused happiness simply due to his weight had ran into exactly what he had been running from, and it couldn't be better.

And when he woke up less than a half-hour later to find his dick inside Sera's mouth, he knew it was only the beginning.