Kim Pritekel: Outcome

She stopped, taking several deep breaths as her lungs had reached their capacity for words. She looked at me expectantly.

"Wow." I said, running a hand through my hair. "I’ll never be able to look your parents in the face again."

"You’re not upset with me, are you?"

"Oh, no! Honey, I was only kidding. What did they say?"

"Well, to be honest, my mom cried at first, not understanding me, saying how I always had nice men in my life. But my father, oh, he was wonderful." She smiled, sitting down next to me, the table creaking under our combined weight.

"Couch?"

"Couch." We moved over to it, and I held her hand as she continued. "I think he can understand, being into women himself, and also with his current condition, I think he’s really learned to find happiness wherever you can. I really do think my mom will be okay. I think she’s just a little shocked right now."

I looked down for a moment, a selfish thought entering my mind. If she was willing to admit to her folks about us, which meant about herself, that meant that when she got back to California, she’d be willing to try other women. I had no say, but it still was a daunting thought.

Shaking it away to examine later, I looked at her, a smile on my face, though it was forced.

"I’m very proud of you, Haley. That took guts." I rubbed her hand with both of mine. "And whoever you bestow this gift upon is one lucky woman."

She looked at me, confused.

"Andi, what are you talking about? You’re that woman. I thought I had made that clear."

"What? Haley, we’ll be living in separate states."

"So? People have long-distant relationships all the time." She looked at me with such childish innocence and trust.

"I can’t do that to you, Haley. I can’t be so selfish as to limit your new experiences. You deserve to be able to spread your wings and try out flight."

"Hey, shouldn’t that be my choice?" I looked down, nodding. "Come with me, Andi," she whispered.

"Haley, please,"

"No, no, I’m not asking for you to move. Come with me to Holden’s wedding in September." I looked up at her, surprised. "Please? I really want you there."

I smiled, nodding. "Of course, Haley. I’d love to go." She grinned.

"He wants to meet you again now."

"Oh, jeez." She laughed, taking me into her arms.

"It’ll all work out, Andi. Besides, I do have to come back in July for Linda’s concert."

"Yeah. That’ll be fun. So, Holden is going to take over taking care of your dad, right?" Haley nodded.

"Yep. He’ll take over for the next year."

We laid in bed, having had dinner with Holden and his fiancé. It had been fun. Holden had turned into quite the looker, just like his sister.

I was laying on my side, Haley laying on her back, the covers ending at her waist. My heart was still racing after the make-out session we’d just had. Damn, that woman could kiss. She was still looking at me with those half-lidded eyes, so damned sexy.

My eyes trailed down her body until they landed on her breasts. I could tell she was still turned on, the small peaks stretching her shirt even tighter across her breasts. Getting an evil idea, I reached my hand up under the shirt, resting it on the warm skin of her stomach. Haley watched me, her eyes going from my hand up to my eyes, and back.

"I love these things, you know," I said quietly, my hand snaking its way up, feeling just the rounded underside of her breast.

"Oh, yeah?" I nodded.

"Oh, yeah." My fingertips ran all along the curves, the skin sinfully soft and smooth.

"Be careful," she said, her voice more than a little breathy. "Those are pretty sensitive."

"And this is a problem because..." I looked at her, daring her to do something as my fingers began to trail circles around the breast, moving in a little closer to the bull’s-eye with each pass.

"Well, I just don’t know. I guess you’ll have to wait and see."

"I’m a gambling girl. Sure, why not." My fingers passed just over the tightened skin, making Haley suck in a breath, her hips immediately shooting off the bed. "Ohhh, I like that." I made another pass, suddenly finding myself on my back, and Haley straddling me. Her mouth was fierce, taking what it wanted, her hands pinning me to the mattress. I could barely breath, but I didn’t care. My body began to buck up into hers, when with a groan from me, she pulled away, removing herself from me, but laying beside me, holding herself up on her elbow.

She was grinning down at me, who was completely breathless.

"I warned you." She grinned.

"Whoa. No shit." She looked at my body, my tank halfway pulled up my stomach. She brought a hand to me, running her nails across my skin, sending chills up my spine, yet again. The nails made their way up under my shirt, right up between my breasts, and out the neckline of the shirt, up my throat and to my chin, fingertips resting against my lips. I kissed it, then it snaked its way back down, stopping at my breasts.

I knew that Haley had no experience with these, except for mine so many years ago. I lay still, letting her explore.

"Breasts are truly amazing," she mused, running her fingers all around mine, doing what I had done to her, slow circles under my shirt, getting closer to my nipple with every circle. "Calming and comforting from a mother, and sexy as hell from a lover."

"You have no idea," I breathed, my eyes closing as her fingers took the nipple between them, gently squeezing, tugging. My breathing was shallow at best, my body moving to the rhythm she was setting.

"It seems as though you’re pretty sensitive, too." She chuckled, I nodded.

"Yup. And just a warning, but if you don’t stop soon, you’ll get more than you bargained for."

Again that evil chuckle. Haley took her hands away from me, and kissed me, soft, calming.

"Let’s go to sleep," she whispered against my lips. I nodded, getting myself under control.

I could tell we were both in a lot of pain that night.

They say time marches on, waiting for no man nor beast. And certainly for no broken heart.

I sat on a box of blankets, supposed to be taping it up and labeling it, but I couldn’t bring myself to even breathe, yet alone do this simple task. I held Fred, Haley’s original Koosh, in my hands, the colorful rubber spines tickling my fingers as I turned it over and over.

Finally, knowing time was short, I stood, turning to the box, and did what I was asked. I could hear Haley upstairs, pulling clothes from the closet, and putting them into boxes or garment bags. I looked around the living room, the TV and all other electronics already packed away. The empty entertainment system stared at me, almost mocking me with the holes, once filled with VCRs and DVD players, and her stereo.

I picked up the box that I had just filled, taped and labeled, and headed outside.

It was the second week of May, and it was a beautiful day. Yet anther thing to mock me.

I set the box on the back bumper of my Jeep, and slid it in next to the others. The plan was to head to Winston so Haley could stop on the way and say goodbye to Kendall, and then to my mother. We’d stop at a post office somewhere along the way to ship this stuff to California.

Leaning against the back bumper, I felt my chest tighten, my eyes close from the pain. I felt so lost already, my heart broken, what felt like, beyond repair. Then I felt the familiar stinging behind my eyes. I had done so much of this lately.

Taking several deep breaths, I tried to get myself under control. I didn’t want to fall apart in front of Haley.

I headed back into the house, seeing Haley gathering stuff from the dining room table, putting it in boxes. She looked at me. I could see how red her eyes were. From fresh tears. I smiled at her, she smiled back, then turned back to what she was doing. I turned my attention to the few things that hung on the walls. I’d always wondered why this place looked as though she hadn’t fully moved in.