Part 9
I turned the key and pushed open the door to my flat, my hand holding Rich's. Flicking the light switch, I cringed upon seeing the mess i'd made. It almost looked as though it should've been cordoned off with "Crime Scene" tape. In one corner sat an old couch, abandoned by the flat's previous residents. Random clothes were tossed carelessly over it, concealing its rattiness. Scattered around the room were used mugs, cigarette boxes, cutlery, pillows, magazines and deodorants, amongst other items.
"Sorry about the mess," I apologized feebly, attempting a smile. "If i'd known i'd be having company, I would've cleaned up."
But he didn't seem to mind. His eyes remained fixed on me, squeezing my hand while tickling my palm with his finger. As he gently kicked the door shut, he gave me an appetizing kiss and wrapped his arms around my waist. Having his lips against mine again, feeling the warmth in his body, was almost like coming home. And I was home to stay.
As our kisses grew intense, our hands wandering urgently, we made our way into my bedroom. The bed was illuminated by the moon and the approaching thunderstorm outside, the lightning flickering to give the room a strobe-light effect.
"God, i've missed you," Rich murmured, peeling off his shirt and letting it drop to the floor. Overpowered by a fierce thirst, I gently pressed him against the wall and slithered down his neck, my mouth moulding over his left nipple. I grazed my teeth against it, sucking greedily as it firmed under my stimulation. I glanced up at him - his head was tilted upwards, his mouth opened slightly and his eyes closed in exquisite concentration. His hands clawed through my hair, his fingers buried deep. With one hand remaining on his chest, my free hand caressed his inner thigh in long, silken sweeps, teasing him and playing upon the escalating intensity. It was all he could do to keep standing - I could feel it as my hand stroked him, he was almost like jelly. I moved my hand up to his crotch and felt him quiver, hardening under my touch. He was moaning by now, murmuring things that I couldn't hear as the tension built steadily.
For a while we remained where we were, my mouth and hands working skillfully. I teased him, bringing him to the brink of ecstasy and then holding back. I giggled as I heard him lightly whimper in desperation. He knew the games I played and didn't complain, but rather was a willing participant. He knew that I would eventually give him what he wanted, what we both wanted, and that knowledge gave him patience.
I rose to meet him and sucked at his tongue, pulling it deep into my mouth. My cock throbbed impatiently between my thighs, avid for his body, for his sweet caress.
As more items of clothing were discarded, we made our way over to my bed, not once breaking lip contact. Before now we'd been hungry for each-other, working as though we didn't have much time left between us. But once we were on the bed, his body pressing on top of mine, we lost all sense of urgency. We took our time reacquainting ourselves with every inch of our bodies, realising we had all the time in the world to ourselves, and we wanted to make this incredible closeness and passion last. Those two months that we'd been apart had been agonizing, but although our bodies were separated, our hearts and our souls always remained in the same place, the one locus that they called home. Making love that night was an act of not only consummating and reaffirming the ultimate love we had for each-other, but also of igniting a new flame, like starting afresh. With Tim out of our lives, we had nothing and nobody to cause any disruptions. Previous events had not weakened our love, they had only made it stronger, and with that strength came protection and confidence. Not even the most powerful forces would be capable of destroying this. We were safe and secure in our own private, glorious Heaven. Our protective walls had been rebuilt and no power in the world could inflict harm upon it or us.
Two hours later we laid in silence, the sheets pulled us to keep us warm. I snuggled myself into Rich, one arm draped over his waist, and buried my head in the crook of his neck, the frantic beating of my heart gradually slowing to a normal pace. Rich wrapped his arms around me and held me close, placing soft and sweet kisses on my forehead. Our naked bodies were warm against each-other, bringing us comfort. We were slightly sweaty from our lovemaking, but we weren't concerned about it.
For a minute or so no words were exchanged; there didn't need to be - we could say all that we wanted to say just by staring into each-other's eyes. Which we did, our eyes glistening and shining. After a while I leaned over slightly and brushed my lips against his.
"We should go away with each-other," I suggested, smiling as I kissed him, slowly and tenderly. He gently rubbed my back.
"Where to?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. Just somewhere away from Sydney."
Rich lapsed into momentary silence, his fingertips tickling the back of my neck, before saying, "There's something I need to tell you."
"What?" I pulled away slightly. "Please don't tell me it's something bad."
"No, no, it's actually something good. Something very good. I've been offered a job in London. CD-ROM work."
"Really?" I squealed delightedly, giving him a congratulatory hug. "That's great! I'm so proud of you!"
"I want you to come with me."
I was surprised for a brief, fleeting moment, but the feeling disappeared as quickly as it came. I smiled down on him warmly, lifting one hand to stroke his hair. "You want me to come with you?"
He nodded seriously, his eyes shimmering with love. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else." He planted a soft kiss on my neck. "We leave in two weeks. Is that alright?"
"Rich...any time is alright with me. I don't care when or where we go, as long as it's with you."
"I love you," he murmured, cupping my face in his hands.
"I love you too," I replied before sealing it with a kiss, cuddling into him. My heart pounded with happiness. At last, I was with the love of my life for good, and now we were going to a new place to begin the rest of our life together. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
But as we began to fall asleep in each-other's arms, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.
Part 10