Apple in the tree (part 13 of 31)
I tugged the comforter up over my head, a draft worked its way into the bedroom. The nightie did nothing to keep me warm.
I felt Tom’s arm draped over my stomach.
I smoothed my hand up his forearm. I really had a fetish for his hair.
Pretty twisted, I know.
I love seeing him shirtless, even seeing his armpit hair, which probably should disgust any girl. .was a slight turn on.
I smoothed my hand into his hair, I leaned over kissing behind his ear. Right above a freckle he had there. I felt his breath against my neck.
I shivered, even asleep he could make me crazy.
I pulled away looking at his perfect features.
The dark lashes that rested against his cheeks. And his cheeks which always had a tint of pink in them, because he was constantly smiling. I ran my hand along his nose. Flawless.
I brushed over his lips and brushed over the scruff on his cheeks.
I felt like a blind woman memorizing someone’s face.
It really had surprised me, he had not woken up yet from all my prodding.
I traced the shell of his ear with my finger.
I moved my finger down across the hard line of his jaw.
I moved my hand upward to trace his eyebrows.
I let my fingers weave into his soft hair. It had a ginger tint to it. His hair was more brownish blonde than anything but in the right sunlight it gave off a golden red color.…and it was in a continual casual disarray all the time.
I heard his sleepy chuckle
“I couldn’t hold it in any longer….you are absolutely adorable”
I pulled away, letting my hands fall to his shoulders.
“sorry…”
“don’t be love……I loved your explorations. I didn’t know what it was at first…I woke up to you rubbing my arm. I decided to watch you.”
“Didn’t it tickle?”
“very much…especially when I felt your hair in my face…”
I giggled
“I love you so much…” he grinned
I smiled ducking my head
He laughed, lifting my head up to meet his gaze.
He leaned in and kissed me.
“do you mind if I try that?….what you did to me?”
I nodded.
“close your eyes…and lay back”
I felt him move to hover over me.
I felt his fingers slide over my eyelids.
He traced my lips with his finger tips.
He moved to caress my nose.
The backs of his fingers smoothed over my cheek, he traced over my ear like I did his…he slid his hand down the length of my neck.
I decided to peek. I opened one eye.
He had such a look of deep concentration and admiration on his face.
“I saw that” he laughed continuing up the other side of my neck.
He brushed his hand into my hair.
“open” he whispered
I opened my eyes
He was gazing at me.
I stared back
“and?” I said my voice breaking
“you really don’t realize how beautiful you are…”
I didn’t say anything
“I wish you could see through my eyes…”
“I want to believe…it’s really hard after the years of rejection to believe anything different…” I sighed avoiding his eyes.
“you always do that…avoid looking me in the eyes…..even when you say you love me…you don’t look directly at me..”
“I am just self conscious…” I said forcing myself to look at him weaving my hand into his hair.
I forced myself to keep his gaze.
“I love you…I do” I said stroking his cheek
“I just want to know why you don’t trust me…”
“I trust you!”
“really?” he said
“how can you doubt that?” I said pulling out of his embrace
I slid off the bed, walking to the closet.
He was off the bed in a second
“don’t….” he whispered slipping his arms around me
“what?”
“Don’t be mad at me”
“I’m not….just peeved that you think I don’t trust you”
“I am just trying to understand…why don’t you think you are good enough for me..”
“I just don’t trust myself….to hold you here. There is a constant nagging in the back of my head. Reminding me that every guy I have been with has left me. Hurting and bleeding. I truly hope and I force myself to believe that you are different, that you wouldn’t do that. That you really do love me….but I keep waiting for something to go wrong and you just to leave…because I am nothing special…” I said, the dam breaking and tears pouring down my face.
He cradled me to him.
He sighed
“ I am trying to find the right words to make this perfectly clear….”
He paused taking a breath.
“there is everything that can hold me here….you have my heart. If I left it would be like taking away my life source. I do not want anyone else. Ever. I do not want anyone else to have my heart but you. You need to trust that. You are very special to me….now you do you understand that I have the same insecurities as you…..I am constantly wondering why you chose me? Wondering, does she really love me? I have been lied to many times. I have been with many women who have told me they loved me…but they were only in love with the exterior of me. So I am waiting for you to realize that I am not as perfect as everyone thinks I am….I don’t even think I am good looking, I really don’t understand why everyone is in such a tizzy over me at work.” he sighed
I stayed silent, soaking it all in.
He thought that I might not really love him and yet to took the risk and just offered over his heart to me.
I pulled away looking at him
“hmmm?” he said
I reached up and pulled his lips to mine. I put everything I had into it.
All the past frustrations for being dumped and lied to…and every single ounce of love I had for him.
He kissed back with equal passion.
“I love you…..all of you. I would never lie about that. Yes you are gorgeous. Ridiculously handsome. I know you aren’t perfect. I love you. Inside and out. Every flaw. Every freckle. You.” I sighed
He stared at me, eyes wide and lips parted.
“oh…” he breathed
I laughed letting go of his face.
“well…good to know” he said clearing his throat.
I reached my hand down and laced it with his.
“back to bed?…it’s only 8am” I said
He nodded dumbly following me.
I pulled the covers back over us…
He gazed down at me
“you are amazing…” he whispered pressing his mouth to mine
I pressed into him.
He pulled away.
“Go to sleep…” he said holding me against him.
I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up alone in bed. I threw the covers off of me.
I shot up at the pain in my lower abdomen.
I groaned pulling myself to the bathroom.
I hated being a woman.
Loathed…detested.
I stripped off my purple nightie hanging it on the door.
I went to the dresser pulling on some baggy flannel pants and a hoodie.
I sighed lying back in bed.
Pain wracked my abdomen again.
I was much too weak to even move. I knew it would get worse.
I heard my phone ring on the night stand.
I sighed reaching over.
It was Tom.
“Hey…”
“hello…how are you?”
“I’m okay….I feel really crappy…”
“I figured…you didn’t wake up when I left. I had to come into the office today. I should be back in a few hours.”
“ok…I am just going to lay here…and die in bed” I sighed
He chuckled
“can I bring you anything…”
“something that will completely knock me out”
“I’ll see what I can do…” he said.
“I’ll see you later…just rest in bed.”
“will do..”
“love you..”
“I love you too…”
He hung up.
I threw the phone onto the bed. Wrapping myself in the comforter.
I woke up what seemed like 10 minutes later. The cramps wracking my body.
I felt the nausea hit me…full force.
I stumbled out of bed, making it to the edge of the toilet in time. My stomach emptying it self.
I groaned pressing my face against the cold tile floor.
It was never this bad before. I sighed pulling my self up.
I cleaned myself up and went back and laid on the bed…. The trash can close at hand just in case.
I drifted back to sleep…but the front door closing woke me up.
“Aimee..?” Tom called out
“don’t come back here…it is not pretty” I said
“let me help…”
“no way….it’s embarrassing…”
“Aimee….I grew up with two sisters…”
I sighed
“please?….I have drugs” he laughed
I laughed…which made my stomach roll.
He came into the bedroom…which was pitch black.
He came over to the bedside….and turned on the lamp.
“hey..” he smiled….looking completely stunning as usual.
I felt less than…
“I have some high strength pain reliever. A heating pad. Some Nyquil, some juice. I put a tub of chocolate Ice cream in the freezer. And if you feel up to it after you’ve slept more. I can run a hot bath.” he said
I stared in awe. In that moment. He was every woman’s dream man.
He was not one bit embarrassed about this.
He popped open the bottle and handed me two pills and the bottle of orange juice.
I took them quickly. Wanting to feel relief.
He plugged in the heating pad. I moved the covers off of me.
“honey…I am taking this off” he said tugging on the hoodie.
I didn’t protest as he pulled it off leaving me in a t-shirt and the flannel pants.
He put the heating pad over my abdomen.
“do you want the Nyquil?” he said setting the juice on the nightstand
“no…I’m fine now…the pain reliever will knock me out..”
“okay…well if you need me…I am gonna be here for an hour for my lunch….but I will be headed back to work.”
“okay…” I nodded
He leaned down and kissed me lightly.
“feel better” he said caressing the side of my face.
I nodded closing my eyes.
I heard him turn off the light and close the bedroom door.
I fell back asleep for the 4th time that day.
I opened my eyes slowly, I heard the bedroom door open and Tom go to the closet. Turning on the light flooding the room.
I watched silently as he stripped down.
Even in my state of agony, I could appreciate this.
The way his toned arms looked as he reached up hang up a shirt.
I knew how incredibly soft his skin felt.
He turned around and walked to the dresser in his boxers.
He pulled out a t-shirt and pulled it on.
He came over to the bedside, turning on the lamp
“hey….how are you feeling?” he asked pressing a hand to my forehead and my face.
“not too warm?”
“no I’m fine….”
“are you hungry?”
“kind of….”
“I’ll go make you something….”
“you don’t have to…..I can do it” I said sitting up
“stay in bed…” he said.
I nodded
He left the room.
I slid out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
I splashed hot water on my face.
Feeling better I went back and laid in bed.
He came back in with a tray of food.
“I didn’t know what you would like. I made soup and a sandwich”
“this is fine..” I smiled sitting up and bringing the tray onto my lap.
He climbed onto the bed and sat against the headboard, next to me. Pulling out a book.
I sighed
I saw him look over at me through the corner of his eye.
He chuckled
“something on your mind…?”
“no….not really” I said turning to look at him
He raised an eyebrow
“well…I am just surprised that’s all….”
“about?”
“that you aren’t embarrassed….most guys run away screaming.”
He laughed setting down his book
“did I ever tell you….I wanted to be a doctor…”
“no…” I said slowly, wondering where this was going.
“well I took most of the classes in College…I studied all the anatomy.
Technically I should be in med school now, but I decided to go down the business path.”
“why?”
“I just couldn’t handle the pressure to be exceedingly perfect. I got all the right grades. But I just couldn’t handle it. So I took business classes instead for two years.”
“what’s that have to do with….-”
“I am just not grossed out by anything….it’s a natural process, I had two sisters and a mom. And my dad made it very clear to me at a young age, that when it would happen…..you would always do everything you could to make them feel better. Not that I wasn’t told to do that anyway. I was taught to respect woman and not treat them like a piece of meat.” he smiled
I nodded thoughtfully.
“how are you feeling?”
“The soup is making me feel quite better, I think that the pain reliever helped a lot with the nausea.”
“Good….” he said turning a page in his book.
I ate in silence.
I finished getting out of bed,
I glanced at the nightstand it was only 8pm
I went over to the window, opening the curtains.
It was snowing out
I grinned
I heard Tom chuckle.
“what?” I said turning around
“you…”
“I like this snow…the fluffy kind”
Tom slid out of bed and came to stand behind me.
“Want to go Ice skating? Not today….but this weekend?”
“yeah…” I nodded
He slipped his arms around me
I yawned
“tired…”
“yeah….I think I will just take some more pain reliever and conk out for the night…”
I shivered as he pressed his lips to my neck.
He grinned against my neck.
He pulled away.
He scooped me up and set me back on the bed.
“I will get you some of the pills” he said
I nodded, putting the heating pad back on me.
I sighed snuggling into the warm bed.
Tom brought the pills, I took them and instantly conked out….
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