Ice storm

Esther was awake but hadn’t rolled out of bed yet. What was the point? Her cellphone rang, it was Oscar.

“Good morning.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

“Hi sweetheart, you sound like you are in an amazing mood.”

“I am. What’s on your agenda today?”

“I have no agenda.”

“How about lettin’ me in, ‘cause baby it’s cold outside.”

“You trickster you.” She hopped out of bed and there he was. He had a smile as wide as his face and was holding a huge bouquet of flowers. “They are gorgeous.”  He handed her the flowers all the while noticing that she was wearing the outfit he bought her for Christmas.

She sat the flowers on the coffee table, before putting her arms around him. “Thank you.” She laid her head on his chest, his heart was racing.

He held her there for a long time. He was so thankful that she was in his life. He couldn’t and didn’t want to imagine her not being in it. He lifted her head and kissed her with THAT KISS. Did he know how amazing that kiss was?

“Have you heard the weather?”

She was a little shocked at this question, but after all it was still winter. “No, why?”

“They are predicting an ice storm. Do you have everything you need in case we get one?”  

She remembered the last ice storm they had while she was in Kentucky. The area of the state she lived in at the time, shut down for a week. “How bad are they sayin’ it’s going to be?”

“1/2 inche or more.”

“I think I’m good.”

He hadn’t let her go; he bent down and kissed her again. She couldn’t believe it was THAT KISS. She panted, “one of these days you are going to kiss me like that and I’m going to, hmmmm.”

He whispered in her ear, “tell me what you’re going to do to me?” He kissed from her ear down her neck. She shivered in his arms. He knelt in the floor bringing her down with him. This time his kiss was soft and gentle. They were always welcomed and always delicious but it was THAT KISS that made her body react in a totally different manner.

She rubbed her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes soaking in her touch. Then she moved her fingers across his face, down his neck, “don’t stop.” He breathed.

She held his face in her hands, “Mr. Patterson, I could do bad things to you.”

“Miss Morrison, I’d let you.”

“What time is this storm supposed to hit?”

“Changin’ the subject?”

“If you haven’t noticed, there’s no need to change the subject.”

He kissed her again. This time she gave him a kiss of her own. She knew it wasn’t anywhere as good as his but she did it anyway. He put one hand in the middle of her back and guided her to the floor. He knew kissing was powerful, but had no idea it was this. All of his senses were awake. His body ached. All he wanted was more. He stopped and they were nose to nose, both panting.

Stupid phone

As she lay there wrapped up in his warmth, she wondered if she could get used to this. Was this what love felt like once the butterflies in your stomach died down? When you let the things that you were self-conscience over dissipate? He didn’t seem to care that she was overweight. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it. She wondered how someone who wasn’t anything like America’s Next Top Model could be loved? People got so hung up on looks. She wasn’t Pizza the Hut but the last two years had played havoc on her nerves and her waist line. He didn’t seem to care, should she? Did the size of your body really matter? Wasn’t it about what was in your heart that should matter?

She was soon asleep.

She woke to the smell of bacon. He appeared with a different pair of yoga pants and t-shirt on and a pair of the socks.

“Good morning sleeping beauty.” He smiled so wide she could see his teeth.

She couldn’t help but smile. “Good morning. Something smells good.”

“How does bacon and eggs sound?” He helped her out of the floor.

“Delicious.”

Esther heard Oscar’s phone ring. He rubbed his forehead with his finger tips before getting up to answer it. He was gone a long time. He had been picking at his breakfast, she was hoping he would come back and finish.

She heard him scream. A long, filled with anguish, beaten down scream. She jumped to her feet, finding him kneeling in the snow, his head in his hands were buried.

It broke her heart. “O.” With great care, she slid her hands across his back. He was shaking but she figured it wasn’t from the cold.

“I’m sorry.” He panted. “No one usually hears me when I scream.” He raised up, falling into her. “I can’t do this.” He whimpered. “God forgive me, I can’t do this.” She just held him not knowing what to say. “Help me.” He pleaded.

She kissed the top of his head, “tell me how?”

Sobs filled her ears, “I don’t know how.” He clung to her as he sobbed that much harder.

He woke in the house. Esther was asleep in the chair in the corner. Her book in the floor. He felt so weak and tired. A look in the bathroom mirror showed him that his face was red, swollen, and his eyes blood shot. God, help me!

Esther slid her hands around his waist, laying her head on his back. He cupped a hand over hers. “I can’t do this anymore Ess. There is no more fight in me.”

“Is this something we can do together?”

“I don’t know how. My family is killing me. How as a Christian can I tell them to f off?”

“If you were not a Christian, what would you do?”

“I want nothing more to do with them.”

“Where do you see the issue to cutting ties?”

The tone of his voice told her he thought she had lost her mind. He turned in her arms to face her, “the fifth commandment from God.”

“Honor the father and mother.”

“That has been drilled in me from birth.”

“May I suggest doing a Bible study?”

“A Bible study?”

“Yes.”

His heart lightened. “I like that.”

Merry Christmas

Oscar didn’t even say goodbye. He blindly walked from the jeep to his house.

Esther waited a couple hours before she went over. It was getting dark and it was still snowing. She was a little nervous about going over to Oscar’s knowing how his day had been.

When she rang the doorbell, he answered in his pj’s. She assumed. It was a pair of male yoga pants and a t-shirt. “Hi.”

“Hi, please come in,” he smiled.

“Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all, please come in. May I take your coat?”

She allowed him to take it off and he hung it up. “Are you okay?”

“For the most part.”

She set on the couch and waited for him to join her. It seemed to her that he was gone a really long time; which made her even more nervous. He sat down beside her and she jumped.

He smiled, “nervous?”

She blushed, “a little.”

He took her hand, “heavens why?”

“I didn’t know they made yoga pants for guys.”

“They are extremely comfortable.”

She smiled, “close your eyes.”

He did so, and she placed his present on his lap. “Okay.”

He opened his eyes and saw the bag. He looked shocked at first. “Honey, you didn’t have to buy me a thing.”

“I know, but I wanted too. Open it, please. If you don’t like them, I kept the receipt if you want to take them back.”

He removed the paper and pulled out 5 pairs of socks. He blushed, grinning as he examined each pair. One had Chihuahua’s all over them. One was fish. Another was covered with dancing hot dogs. Still another was a spin on a Star Wars quote. He erupted with laughter. The last pair was a Star Trek Star Wars pon. “These are great.” When he looked up, she was all smiles. “What?” He blushed.

“You laughed. A real laugh.”

“There’s more where that came from.” He teased, reaching around the couch and presenting her with a bag. Inside there was a pair of black yoga pants with the high school mascot on them and a white long sleeved t-shirt with the same mascot. She smiled, “thank you. And I believe you even got the sizes right.”

“I am full of surprises.” He smiled. “When’s your birthday?”

She looked confused, “why?”

He kissed her softly, then before long, it was THAT KISS. “January,” she hissed.

“May,” his forehead was touching hers. He was panting softly.

She held his face in her hands. “O,” she whispered.

“Yes my love.” His eyes were still closed and he was still panting.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Do you have any idea what you do to me when you hold my face that way?” Her thumbs were touching at his chin, palms laying on his jaw line with the tip of her middle finger touching his ear lobe.

“Should I not..?”

He gently held her wrists. “I like it. It feels..”He started shaking. She let go of his smooth face as he laid his head on her left shoulder, she held him. “I understand why you like this spot so much.” The sound of her heart was calm and peaceful. It was like hearing your favorite lullaby. “You are an amazing woman. Do you know that?”

“How do you figure?” She stroked his hair.

He didn’t answer. The sound of her heart beat along with her fingers in his hair were more powerful than any sleeping pill.

When she woke, she was lying in the floor, covered up with a blanket and there was a pillow under her head. He was lying beside of her with her arm under his, his hand on top of hers. It was amazing to her how he was always so warm. She rolled over and was facing him. The desire to caress his face overtook her. Even with the slight night stubble that was forming on his face, his skin was still soft. He moaned lightly. Because she didn’t want to wake him, she stopped.

“Don’t stop.”

“Did I wake you?”

“No.”

“So what day?” It took him a moment to wrap his mind around what she was asking.

“15th.”

“2nd.” She replied. He wrapped her tightly in his arms and fell right back to sleep.