Lovesick -- A Rocky Lynch Story

Chapter 2

I held tightly onto Avie's hand and followed Rocky as he pushed through the crowded elementary school auditorium with Mason held in his arms. To say that this was an auditorium was an overstatement; they lined up uncomfortable metal chairs in rows across the gym, leaving narrow walking aisles through the center and along the walls. "How about here, Jules?" Rocky asked. He looked back at me for approval.

"Mmmhm," I hummed with a nod. I would've preferred to sit closer to the front, but most seats were already taken or reserved. This would have to do. Rocky sat with Mason on his lap, and I sat with a seat between us, allowing Avelyn to sit in the middle.

In the front of the gym was a collapsable, portable stage that held the set for the play. It barely looked strong enough to hold the handmade cardboard cutouts, let alone a group of children. "That doesn't look very safe," I whispered to Rocky as I leaned over Avie.

"I'm sure it's fine," he shrugged. He was too busy bouncing our little boy on his knee and feeding him cheerios to calm him down. "Look who made it," he said when he saw a group of people making their way towards us.

Rydel and Ellington were followed by their parents, my in-laws. They took the empty seats next to me, nearly filling the rest of the row. "Where are the girls tonight?" I asked Rydel when I noticed hers and Ellington's daughters were absent from the group.

"With a sitter," she responded. "They had too much homework. We thought about staying home, too, but we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see Carter in his first play!" Avelyn crawled over my lap and hugged her aunt, playing with her long blonde hair. She kept on going down the line until she had said a proper hello to her grandparents as well.

As the lights dimmed and the show director came up to introduce the program, I felt Rocky's hand rest lightly on my shoulder. Words couldn't begin to describe how good even the slightest physical contact with him felt. I raised my own hand and rubbed his lightly, but soon the group started to file onto the stage and his hand moved off of me to applaud. It was silly, but I could almost feel the urge to cry building in my chest.

After the first couple of scenes, it was finally time for Carter to appear on stage. He walked onto the stage alone, holding his prop in his hand and making his way to his mark. His eyes scanned the crowd and lit up when he found us in the crowd. Everyone waved with big smiles on our faces and it calmed him down enough to start reciting his lines. When he finished and the act was over, we all stood up as we clapped and cheered. Avie stood on her chair and hollered, "THAT'S MY BROTHER!" causing the audience around us to laugh.

"Baby, you were great!" I gushed over my oldest child after the show. I pulled him into the tightest hug and placed a bunch of kisses on each of his cheeks. "I'm so proud of you," I sighed with another squeeze.

Rocky ruffled Carter's hair with a chuckle. "Juliette, let the boy breath."

"Thanks mom," Carter said with a small smile. He was always modest and quiet, but we could tell that it meant a lot to him. He politely thanked everyone for coming and accepted their praise before he hugged onto Rocky's hip. "Can we go home now? I'm kind of tired."

"Sounds like a plan," Rocky nodded. We walked out to the car and buckled everyone in. When the car doors shut, Rocky and I shared a small moment. Our eyes met across the top of the car and we each took a long, deep breath before releasing it with a smile. His dark brown eyes still sparkled like they did so many years ago, especially in the glow of the street lights lining the darkened street. But then the moment ended as we both got into the car as well.

The rest of the night went by in a blur. As soon as we got home, Mason started to get fussy. He was obviously tired. When Rocky tried to take him up to his room, the crying got worse. "Nooooo!" he cried out, kicking his legs in protest. "Mommaaaa!" He reached his arms towards me, tears running down his cheeks.

"Switch?" I laughed as Avie ran towards him. He held Mason out to me and picked Avelyn up instead, tossing her over his shoulder and made his way to the bathroom to give her a bath. She giggled the entire way as Rocky teased and tickled her. "Are you sleepy, baby?" I cooed at the little baby in my arms who had stopped crying and hugged himself closer to me with little quivers. "Carter," I called out.

"I'm going to brush my teeth," he said. He had already gotten his pajamas on and was making his way to the bathroom.

"Thank you," I sighed. He was growing up so fast, but it was a relief that I didn't have to worry too much about him. I took Mason up and changed him, putting him in clean pajamas and rocking him for a bit, singing to him under my breath until he was nearly asleep. I laid him down and tiptoed out of the room, savoring the silence that had fallen over our home.

When I got into our bedroom, Rocky was sprawled out across the bed with his clothes still on. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell evenly with each breaths, and I was unsure if he was really asleep. I left him to take off my makeup and get ready for bed. I put on his favorite pair of red lace panties and a matching camisole. When I returned he had changed positions and was sitting up against the headboard, looking at his phone. He had taken his clothes off and was sitting in just his boxer briefs. "Happy anniversary," I said from the doorway.

He looked up and smiled tiredly. "You look hot," he yawned. I walked over and crawled into bed, kissing his neck and along his scruffy jawline until I got to his lips. I needed the intimacy, and it was closer than ever in that moment. We kissed and I felt his hands rub up along my bare legs to my ass. When we pulled away for breath, he sighed. "Babe, I'm so sorry," he started.

I nodded and rested my head on his chest. "I'm tired too," I said quietly. "Exhausted, actually."

He reached over and clicked the lamp off and pulled the covers over us. His hand found its way underneath my camisole and rubbed my back gently. "I love you," he whispered with another yawn. "I really do."

"I know," I replied. "I love you too."

But things had changed, and we couldn't keep going on like this.