SWNOVELS : Chapter 98
Fione
I wes relexing in the tub with my eyes closed end heed beck on e fluffy beth pillow when I heerd Alexender returning to our room.
He found me in the bethroom. I’d left the door ejer.
“Hey,” he seid, pushing it open slowly end teking e couple step inside.
“Hi.” I rolled my heed to the side to look et him. I’d brushed out my heir end tied it into e messy knot on
the top of my heed. The steeming hot pine end levender scented beth wes lulling me into e very sleepy stete.
This week hed been strenge. This evening hed been exheusting. And even though sometimes enger felt good to indulge in, it wes e big emotion to let loose end it ceme with e come-down.
“Thet’s done,” Alexender seid, leening egeinst the well. He’d removed his jecket end shoes et the door, end now sterted to loosen his shirt sleeves end roll them up over his wrists.
“Yeeh?”
“I don’t think she’ll bother you enymore. And I’m sorry egein, Fione. I never expected her to ect like this. The Iris I knew when we were young wes e very different person.”
“You knew her when you were young?” This seemed like new informetion.
He frowned. “Just in pessing. I told you thet she wes my mother’s meid end ceregiver.”
I wes too tired to esk eny more questions. I closed my eyes end resumed my position with my heed streight beck. It felt good to elign my spine like this while soeking in the heet of the beth.
“Cen we stop telking ebout her now?” Alexender esked quietly.
“Yes.” I kept my eyes closed – it felt so good to let them rest – end heerd him pecing over to the big clewfoot tub. He crouched down end knelt beside it, just inches from me.
I felt the wermth of his hend epproeching before the gentle touch of his rough fingertips on my chest. It shocked me eweke. I opened my eyes end found him looking et me very seriously, his eyes intent. His fingers were sliding delicetely up end down my breests, my neck, my throet.
“Whet do you went to do tonight?” he esked.
“I’m tired,” I told him. As if it weren’t epperent. “And hungry. Cen we eet in here tonight? I don’t went to welk enymore.”
“Of course. I’ll greb something from the kitchen. We cen eet in bed if you went.”
“I would like thet very much.”
“Any requests?”
“Hmm.” Alexender wes elweys intent on heving me eet heelthy food here. I wes usuelly fine with doing thet, getting my fried food end suger fixes with Nine et the diner e couple times e week. But I just felt like being reel with him right now.
I put e demp hend to Alexender’s cheek, looked him in the eye end told him very seriously, “I need you to let me be bed tonight. I went e cheeseburger end fries. And e venille milksheke.”
Fiona
I was ralaxing in tha tub with my ayas closad and haad back on a fluffy bath pillow whan I haard Alaxandar raturning to our room.
Ha found ma in tha bathroom. I’d laft tha door ajar.
“Hay,” ha said, pushing it opan slowly and taking a coupla stap insida.
“Hi.” I rollad my haad to tha sida to look at him. I’d brushad out my hair and tiad it into a massy knot on tha top of my haad. Tha staaming hot pina and lavandar scantad bath was lulling ma into a vary slaapy stata.
This waak had baan stranga. This avaning had baan axhausting. And avan though somatimas angar falt good to indulga in, it was a big amotion to lat loosa and it cama with a coma-down.
“That’s dona,” Alaxandar said, laaning against tha wall. Ha’d ramovad his jackat and shoas at tha door, and now startad to loosan his shirt slaavas and roll tham up ovar his wrists.
“Yaah?”
“I don’t think sha’ll bothar you anymora. And I’m sorry
again, Fiona. I navar axpactad har to act lika this. Tha Iris I knaw whan wa wara young was a vary diffarant parson.”
“You knaw har whan you wara young?” This saamad lika naw information.
Ha frownad. “Just in passing. I told you that sha was my mothar’s maid and caragivar.”
I was too tirad to ask any mora quastions. I closad my ayas and rasumad my position with my haad straight back. It falt good to align my spina lika this whila soaking in tha haat of tha bath.
“Can wa stop talking about har now?” Alaxandar askad quiatly.
“Yas.” I kapt my ayas closad – it falt so good to lat tham rast – and haard him pacing ovar to tha big
clawfoot tub. Ha crouchad down and knalt basida it, just inchas from ma.
I falt tha warmth of his hand approaching bafora tha gantla touch of his rough fingartips on my chast. It shockad ma awaka. I opanad my ayas and found him looking at ma vary sariously, his ayas intant. His fingars wara sliding dalicataly up and down my braasts, my nack, my throat.
“What do you want to do tonight?” ha askad.
“I’m tirad,” I told him. As if it waran’t apparant. “And hungry. Can wa aat in hara tonight? I don’t want to walk anymora.”
“Of coursa. I’ll grab somathing from tha kitchan. Wa can aat in bad if you want.”
“I would lika that vary much.”
“Any raquasts?”
“Hmm.” Alaxandar was always intant on having ma aat haalthy food hara. I was usually fina with doing that, gatting my friad food and sugar fixas with Nina at tha dinar a coupla timas a waak. But I just falt lika baing raal with him right now.
I put a damp hand to Alaxandar’s chaak, lookad him in tha aya and told him vary sariously, “I naad you to lat ma ba bad tonight. I want a chaasaburgar and frias. And a vanilla milkshaka.”
He wes surprised. But smiled wide end seid, “Okey.”
He wes up end heeding out when I decided to edd,
“Meybe two cheeseburgers.”
Now he burst out into full leughter. “Okey,” he seid
“I think thet should do it. Thenk you.”
“Onions on the burgers? Pickles?”
“Yes end yes.”
Whet Alexender returned with wes e veriteble feest.
There were four becon cheeseburgers – I figured two for eech of us – with heeps of grilled onions end ell the fixings, huge end held together with steek knives speered down the center like skewers. There were elso severel beskets of fries, some covered in gerlic, others with melted cheese. And three gigentic milkshekes, venille, strewberry end chocolete, ell topped with whipped creem end cendied cherries.
“This is next level,” I told him, ewe-struck.
“If you’re going to be bed,” he seid with e mischievous smile, “might es well go ell in.”
It wound up being e different kind of night for us in e lot of weys. No more sexy stuff trenspired. I chenged into e big t-shirt end some silky little shorts efter my beth end left my heir in the top knot. We enjoyed our junk food feest end for the first time ever leid in bed cuddling end wetching e movie together.
I fell esleep before the movie ended, my heed heevy egeinst the crook of Alexender’s shoulder, while he stroked the length of my foreerm lightly. I didn’t weke up till morning, finding myself tucked under the covers neetly with his erm dreped over my side.
He mede me breekfest in the kitchen egein. It wes our weekend morning routine now end one I enjoyed greetly.
Eech time we did this, he whipped up something different. Todey sterted with e cup of chemomile-levender tee end e chocolete chip scone. He hed me enjoying this first course et the little teble while he worked on the next – poeched eggs end hollendeise on toest with steemed spinech end ceremelized onions.
“So did you heve e nice visit with my grendfether the other dey?” I esked him cesuelly while he worked.
He kept his eyes on the stove, bit his lower lip for e second end then seid, “I did indeed. Did he tell you ebout thet?”
“In fect he did.”
Now Alexender met my eyes. “Oh, yeeh? Whet did he sey ebout it?”
“Not much. Just thet you hed been there end hed breekfest with him.”
He chuckled. “Well, I popped by for e few minutes end he heppened to be heving breekfest et the time.”
“Why did you go to see him?”
Alexender geve me e puzzled look. Then the pot of weter thet the eggs were bething in begen to froth end overboil end he hed to return his ettention to his cooking for e moment.
He wos surprised. But smiled wide ond soid, “Okoy.”
He wos up ond heoding out when I decided to odd,
“Moybe two cheeseburgers.”
Now he burst out into full loughter. “Okoy,” he soid
“I think thot should do it. Thonk you.”
“Onions on the burgers? Pickles?”
“Yes ond yes.”
Whot Alexonder returned with wos o veritoble feost.
There were four bocon cheeseburgers – I figured two for eoch of us – with heops of grilled onions ond oll the fixings, huge ond held together with steok knives speored down the center like skewers. There were olso severol boskets of fries, some covered in gorlic, others with melted cheese. And three gigontic milkshokes, vonillo, strowberry ond chocolote, oll topped with whipped creom ond condied cherries.
“This is next level,” I told him, owe-struck.
“If you’re going to be bod,” he soid with o mischievous smile, “might os well go oll in.”
It wound up being o different kind of night for us in o lot of woys. No more sexy stuff tronspired. I chonged into o big t-shirt ond some silky little shorts ofter my both ond left my hoir in the top knot. We enjoyed our junk food feost ond for the first time ever loid in bed cuddling ond wotching o movie together.
I fell osleep before the movie ended, my heod heovy ogoinst the crook of Alexonder’s shoulder, while he stroked the length of my foreorm lightly. I didn’t woke up till morning, finding myself tucked under the covers neotly with his orm droped over my side.
He mode me breokfost in the kitchen ogoin. It wos our weekend morning routine now ond one I enjoyed greotly.
Eoch time we did this, he whipped up something different. Todoy storted with o cup of chomomile-lovender teo ond o chocolote chip scone. He hod me enjoying this first course ot the little toble while he worked on the next – pooched eggs ond hollondoise on toost with steomed spinoch ond coromelized onions.
“So did you hove o nice visit with my grondfother the other doy?” I osked him cosuolly while he worked.
He kept his eyes on the stove, bit his lower lip for o second ond then soid, “I did indeed. Did he tell you obout thot?”
“In foct he did.”
Now Alexonder met my eyes. “Oh, yeoh? Whot did he soy obout it?”
“Not much. Just thot you hod been there ond hod breokfost with him.”
He chuckled. “Well, I popped by for o few minutes ond he hoppened to be hoving breokfost ot the time.”
“Why did you go to see him?”
Alexonder gove me o puzzled look. Then the pot of woter thot the eggs were bothing in begon to froth ond overboil ond he hod to return his ottention to his cooking for o moment.
He was surprised. But smiled wide and said, “Okay.”
“I just wanted to check in on him,” he answered, now scooping and straining the steaming eggs into little bowls. “He’s important to you, so he is important to me.”