Redamancy

Luke's POV. 19

Luke

'Are you on the plane?'
No respond.
I had taken a morning flight to get here but I had to make sure that she came on time so I can have my entertainment of the day.
I called her twice but she never answered. Now that my calls were missed an hour ago, I grew impatient and annoyed.
Just a day had gone by and I sucked to pretend to be the perfect man. To be that...comprehensive man that assumed that her late responses were due to her checking in.
Why isn't she answering?
Sighing, I called Cindy instead to not make her feel that I was invading her space.
"Good afternoon Boss."
"Where are all of you now?" I glanced at my wrist to check the time and realized that her airplane was about to let the passengers in when a voice in the background announced.
"We're about to get into the plane."
"Name them for me."
"What?"
"The people that are supposed to attend to this event."
She thought twice before answering. "Oh yes, right. Umm—Dave, Ivan, the new girl, and me."
"Are all of you there?"
She paused while I waited.
"So?"
"The new girl called and excused herself. Jacob came and took her place instead," she finally said firmly.
"Lenna? What did she say?" I tensed, this time already walking out of my room.
"She said she felt sick. I don't know anything else."
I clenched my jaw and grasped my phone tightly. "And why didn't you call me to inform me that she had gotten sick?!" My tone came out harsher than I intended.
"I thought it wasn't important, or urgent to bother you sir. I'm sorry—"
I ended the call, not letting her finish the sentence for my own sake and her's.
"Good afternoon Sir! The table is ready and the rest of the board of directors are waiting for you," the manager guy called Eli announced once I walked out of the elevator.
    He followed my quick pace and repeated himself.
       "Sir?"
      "Tell them I won't be able to attend. I have to take care of other business." I stop and look at him straightly. "Cindy will cover me. If you have any question, ask her. Nod of you understood."
      He nodded and his face gave away his nervousness and anxiety.
      "You got this."
   I paddled his arm and finally left.
Suddenly I checked my phone and received Jacob's message, apologizing for the unexpected change of plans.
This motherfucker is the one that wants to date her? What a joke.
Making a few calls I got into my jet and flew back.
     It took me four hours to get here and finally be standing in front of her door, all wet, after an unexpected rain fell over me.
     Her not answering my calls, the long ride, and unexpected rain did not help to calm me. My outrage expanded all over my chest that the only way I could release all this emotion was taking Lenna against the wall and fuck her as she deserves.
      I take a deep breath and knock on the door firmly. My hands turn into a tight grip as my lack of patience takes over me.
     Before I could knock again, she opens the door and gasps as soon as she sees me.
      "Why—" I clench my jaw. "Why haven't you answered any of my calls?"
   She remains speechless and all she does is look at me with amazement.
       "I—" She stutters but holds herself together. "I feel sick."
     I tilt an eyebrow in disapproval. "Sick how?"
        "Stomach issue—long story."
      My breath deepens and so does hers.
         "Why didn't you call to at least tell me that?" I say bitterly, taking a step closer.
Her eyes widened not believing that I cared this much. And it wasn't for love that I did it.
It was because I always want it my way. My rules. My orders.
I want her to obey me, but her rebellious behavior is starting to do something to me.
       "Honestly...I thought you wouldn't care a bit. Besides, I can take care of myself." She shrugs. "I always have and always will."
She remains silent and somehow I feel she doesn't want me to be near her.
She hesitates until she opens the door wider for me to come in. She notices my indecisiveness as well so she just turns around and leaves the door open for me to follow.
God. This woman doesn't even have to beg for me to pursue her.
Sighing I walk inside and close the door gently. My thousands of emotions fade and come into one.
"Here."
Suddenly she surges from her room and gives me a thick blanket and a towel to dry and warm myself. I look at her for a minute and finally thank her for it.
How can this place make me feel so calm and reasonable?
Placing both things on the nearest table, I take my suit jacket off and roll my sleeves meanwhile, her eyes observe every move.
As if I'm a predator.
My inner dark side laughs at that.
I take the towel and dry my hair until it's all messy and not combed like its used to.
I lock eyes with her and realize she has been staring me all this time. She doesn't realize as well cause she instantly blushes and walks away towards the kitchen.
"Do you took pills for the pain?" I finally ask meanwhile, I walked towards her dark tool seats.
"I did." She grabs two cups and fills them with water. "Thanks for showing concern for my health." She turns her head and smiles. "Your fake interest is working. Bonus for that."
I wasn't pretending to care but my pride is too high to admit it to her.
"If we are pretending, you should pretend the deal was never made." I tilt my head. "You should stop mentioning it."
"Right."
She looks away and grabs two small nude bags that look like tea. She prepares both cups silently while she gets lost in her own thoughts.
"You still feel uncomfortable around me?" I finally ask, daring myself to ask the question that has been sticking in my head for a while now.
I notice how she clenches her jaw, and her breathing changes. Her reaction giving me the answer I needed.
"What should I do?"
That makes convinces her to look at me.
"To make me feel comfortable?" She continues.
I give her a sharp nod.
A way too determined answer that makes her walk towards me curiously. She looks afraid to tell me what she wants.
But you know. Communication is key.
"I want you to stop talking about sex."
She can't be serious. How am I going to convince her to sleep with me then?
"I want you to stop looking at me as if I'm an object." She pauses looking at me seriously. "You always give me those...how do you call it?"
"Fuck me eyes?"
She smiles at that. "Yes. Stop eye-fucking me."
"I'll try," I say questionable. "What else?"
"It's my way, not your way, understood?" She comes closer to me.
I cross my arms. "Your way?"
No fucking way.
She crosses her arms too.
"Fine," I say defenseless. "Your way."
        "And one more thing." This time she smiles viciously. "If you want to touch me, you'll have to ask for my permission."
        "What?!"
      She shrugs. "I'll give you a few pieces of me with time. And if you are patient, I'll surrender to you as you want me to."
      We look at each other defiantly.
   Her attraction towards me speaks for itself just like my obsession with her.
     We are going to take advantage of each other until there isn't anything left, I'll say.
       This will leave one of us broken. And it will not be me.
          "Deal."
          "Deal."
          "Deal," I repeat myself.
          "Deal," she says in a competitive tone. "I'm going to make you work so fucking hard until you get bored of waiting and trying."
        I smile at the way she is copying my phrases. "Try me, boss."
     She smiles as well.
     I'll make her give in in two weeks. Bet on that.
       "Okay then." She looks around and stares at her rain falling outside. "Have you cuddled before?"
       "Didn't you want to stay away from my touch?" I say in disbelief.
       She smiles. "Never said that." She grabs my hand and holds it gently. "What do you feel?"
       "Nothing."
     'Your hand feels cold under mine.'
    The words never came out, but I kept focusing on the sensation.
      "You have only touched a woman sexually not romantically. That's why you don't feel any nice sensations. You are not used to it."
     She grabs the thick white blanket and pulls my hand for me to follow her. Her hold tightens as soon as we reach her bed.
       Why am I nervous? I have never done this before. I'm not an expertise.
       "Relax."
      I laugh deeply at that. "I'm relaxed."
          "I didn't say it to you. I said it to myself," she says once we both take a seat on the corner of the bed.
       "How do you know how to cuddle if you've never done it before?"
     She lets go of my hand and focuses on the blanket that lays on her thighs.
        "I have," she reassures. "But not with a man, yet."
      "My mom used to cuddle me when I was sick," she confesses while looking at her hands. "I...I just want you to warm and comfort me. That's all."
   I nod and grab her hand again all of the sudden. I tense once I realize what I did.
       "Alright. Just tell me what to do."
    It feels like I'm a teen again, scared of having sex for the first time in my bedroom. But the difference is, her. I'm nervous about her.
     Not sex. But the person I'm with.
         "Okay."
      She tenses and I patiently wait for her to move.
      She eventually moves towards the middle and that's when my eyes fall on her white socks with mini ice creams on them.
    Her legs are covered by long gray pants and an oversized t-shirt that made me wonder how she'll look in one of mine.
      She was the first I saw that dresses for comfort and not like the other women with transparent or silk pajamas that all her bodies were bare to the sight. 
     Her eyes locked with mine and she waited for me to go near her but to release some tension I did what I always did. Use my humor.
       "Am I allowed to hug you from behind? My Strawberry ice cream?"
     She softly laughs and nods.
    I get to her side and she covers both of us with her blanket. Her scent invaded my space almost perfectly. Just like her body did.
     We looked at each other and we slowly laid down at the same time.
       A thunder echoes and a sudden need for protectiveness dominates me.
       "Okay now turn around to face me."
   And I do.
      "Now give me your hand."
     I comply wait too easily and I get mesmerized by her beauty as she places my hand above her stomach. She slowly turns around and moves closer to me until her back hits my front almost too painfully for me to resist not making a move on her.
      We both tensed and tried to mold our bodies together. After a few minutes she relaxed and my grip on her tightened gently.
      I focused on her breathing and the way her body began to warm up against mine. Her hand was on top of my arm as if she didn't want me to let go of her.
     My body eventually gave in and got used to her body against mine. A new feeling of comfortness surged within me and I hated it.
      Yet I wanted more.
    I wanted to experience this new thing I wasn't used to. Her touch.
     Her way to make me feel safe when I was supposed to make her feel that way.
       Maybe it was mommy issues, cause my mom never liked showing any affection to me neither to my father.
     There were no warm hugs.
     No happy kisses.
     No gifts.
   Only soothing words. 
      Maybe that's why words were enough for me and not soothing touch.
      I might have been given all the money of the world. But she had all the love of the world.
        "How do you feel?" She whispers, making me go back to reality. "Having this type of closeness with someone."
     She turns to face me and I notice her wonder.
   And the question that her eyes ask. "Are you enjoying this as I do?"
        "Strange."
      She nods and smiles shyly.
        "If you dislike it or get too uncomfortable, can you leave once I'm asleep?"
     I'm liking this feeling, Lenna. Don't push me away when you are beginning to give me a taste of it.
        "Sure."
        "Thanks."
     She tries to turn around but that's when I notice she's pale.
         "How is your stomach doing?"
         "Better." Lie.
   She turns around and doesn't say anything else. I hug her again, and this time I notice how cold she is again.
        I grab her hand once she finally sleeps, and I focus on her struggling as time passes by.
     That's when midnight takes over, and she rises to run to the bathroom. The heavy rain still falls but it does not avoid me to overhear her.
      I run to the bathroom and find her sitting on the floor while she grips the toilet sides.
       "Go away, Luke," she says breathlessly.
     I move closer and grab her hair.
        "Why? I like seeing people puking."
   She smiles weakly and covers her mouth with a piece of paper towel.
      "Told you I was sick. You should have left when I fell asleep."        
      "And miss this show? No way."
    This time she does not smile and throws again. Sweat covered her forehead and her body shook.
      I grabbed my phone and began calling a doctor before she could stop me.
      She got busy throwing up again.
    Once she fell on her back I had already ended the call.
       "A doctor is on the way."
       "No need to. I have...I have medicines in my bag."
       "Too late Lenna. He's on his way now."
    She flushed the toilet and stood up weakly. I moved towards her and carried her back to the bed.
        "I'll bring you the tea."
        "Okay."
    I left the room and warmed her cup again.
   By the time I returned she had changed of clothes and her hair was tied into a ponytail.
         "I hate and love this pretending."
       She took a sip and avoided my gaze.
          "I told you I was going to do my best. Didn't I mention I was going to take care of you?"
      She turns around to regard me with amusement. Her face finally lighting up.
          "Luke Huxley, you amaze me." She sighs and smiles eventually. "The things you do for sex."
        "What can I say, Marshmellow? We both want this. Is inevitable."
      I watched her drink the whole tea and fall asleep again near me. Thirty minutes later, the guy came and checked her carefully.
      And to my surprise, he also seemed impressed by the pills she had taken before. And the way she took care of what she ate.
      I notice how he assigned her other remedies and finally left not before saying, "To be careful with her gluten allergy." 
     I returned back to her bed and found her curled into herself. Trying so hard not to fall asleep as I made my way in.
       "Didn't know you were allergic to gluten."
       "Long story short—I didn't realize Chinese food had."
     I walked closer and placed my hands inside my pant pockets.
       "Do you want me to stay or do you want me to leave?"
      She hugged her pillow tightly and finally said, "You should go home." Even though her eyes said the opposite.
       I nod and finally turn around.
         "You were perfect. Thank you." She said as she faced my back.
    My steps halted but I obliged myself to finally leave after those words.
    

    Thank you.

You were perfect.

.