Page 106 of Beyond the Stroke

Kill me now.

For all the willpower I’ve exercised to not look at Rory, my eyes lock onto his.

“No. I’m good.”

Rory nods his head. “Same.”

“I’ll get your prescriptions updated and sent over to the pharmacy.”

“Thank you.”

“It was nice to meet you both.” Dr. Lasgo nods to us both before leaving.

Across the room, Rory is still as a statue.

I hop off the exam table. “I need to get dressed.”

He nods. “Okay.”

“So, you need to leave.”

“Got it.” He nods, heading for the door.

I get dressed, then find Rory, who wasn’t chased away by the awkwardness of the previous conversation, waiting for me in the lobby of the medical center.

When I move toward the exit, he follows.

“You could have asked me those questions. I know all the answers. I know what level of exercise and exertion I can handle. I don’t need you watching out for me. Trust me, I’ve had enough of that in my life.”

“I get it, but I hate feeling helpless. Watching you wheeze and not be able to breathe properly was scary as fuck and if there are things I can do to accommodate you, then I will. But I need to know what they are.”

“Asking questions about exertion…and sexpositions?”

“Hey,” he gives me a look, “I asked about sex. Dr. Lasgo brought up the specific triggers. Now we know choking is off the table.”

I try to calm my racing heart while imagining Rory’s large hands wrapping around my throat. His fingers applying firm, but gentle pressure.

“Choking was never on the table.”

“Maybe a light hand necklace would be okay.”

“Rory.”

He shrugs. “Sex is a part of life.”

“Notourlives,” I remind him, ignoring the dull ache between my thighs that this conversation has brought on.

“Yeah, I get that. Loud and clear.”

The conversation in the exam room had triggered the memory of Tripp using my asthma as a reason to not touch me. He didn’t want me to get worked up. I was too fragile and needed to stay calm. He’d even tried to convince me that’s why he cheated. Like he was being considerate of me by fucking other women.

“By the way, I’m paying for the birth control with my own money,” I say, glancing both ways before I cross the street to the parking lot.

I’ll take advantage of Rory’s insurance and prescription discounts, but I need to keep as much independence in this relationship as I can.

“I already had them bill it to insurance. The balance gets automatically paid by my account.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?” I huff, turning to look at him while I wait for him to unlock the car.

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