[chapter thirty-two]
Disclaimer: If you've heard of them, I don't own them. Everything else is mine, so no stealing, pretty please. ;-)
This story is gonna be darker, and deal with serious, sometimes disturbing
issues. Just so everyone knows. Okay? Okay.
**
~Jimmie's POV~
God, I'm glad to be home.
A terrible car, a terrible run, and god knows, a terrible driver today.
My head just wasn't in the game.
Damn.
Good thing Chad knows what's going on, or he would have kicked my ass. As it is, he kept Jeff and Rick off my back for another day.
Good old Chad.
I pull into my driveway and kill the lights on my car, stepping out and stretching before grabbing my bags and heading for the front door, trying not the fall over from the darkness and my exhaustion.
"Hi."
I jump about a mile when I hear her voice in the darkness. Squinting, I can make out the outline of Faye, sitting forlornly on my front step.
"Hi." I say thickly, dropping my bags and shoving my hands in my pockets, afraid that if I didn't, I might grab her, or hug her, or frighten her in some way.
She stands uncertainly, her face reflected by the moonlight above us. She steps over and faces me, a few feet separating us.
And feeling like a few miles.
We just stare at each other.
God, I missed her.
She steps forward slowly, closing the distance between us, until we are only inches apart. Even if I wanted to, I can't move. I can't move a single muscle.
Slowly, she reaches out to put her hands on my waist, her body following until she is pressed against my chest, her head laying against my heart.
I wrap my arms around her automatically, stroking her hair and rocking her gently.
"I'm so sorry." She whispers and I shush her softly.
"Don't be." I say. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"I am now." She whispers. "I know." She says after a few seconds of silence.
"Know what?"
"Everything. I saw my house. I talked to the shop. Everything." She murmurs. "I don't even know where to begin to…"
"Shh." I say. "Just promise you won't take off again."
"Why?" She asks, tilting her head up to look at me.
"Because I missed you."
"You did?"
"I did."
Unwrapping my arms from around her back, I palm both her cheeks in my hands and touch my lips to hers, tentatively, uncertainly.
Finally doing what I've dreamed about doing since the day I found her knelt beside my coach, crying as though her heart were breaking.
I just hope to god I can heal that heart.
Her grip on my waist tightens as she returns the kiss, pulling me slightly closer to her. My body flush against her, I rain kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her neck…
"I did. I did. I did…" I repeat over and over as I continue to show her how just how much I missed her.