Page 44 of Factory Controller

I shake my head, coming out of my fugue to find Heather standing before me. I’d been so wrapped up in myself, I hadn’t even noticed her approach.

“Are you okay?” she asks. She has mistaken my mental anguish for physical pain, of course. Heather comes and slips her shoulder under my arm to prop me up. This is more than a little distracting, because she didn’t bother to get dressed before getting out of the water. I bask in the feeling of her body pressed up against mine, in spite of my pain, as she leads me away from the grotto.

“Come on, let’s get you back to bed before you faint or something.”

“I told you, I don’t faint,” I grumble.

She helps me back into the hut. I let my arm slide down her flank and grab her waist just above the swell of her hip.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she laughs. “You’re not supposed to exert yourself.”

“I think I need a second opinion about that,” I murmur in her soft flesh as I kiss her bare neck.

“Seriously, Trent, your body is still knitting itself back together.”

“Seriously,” I answer mimicking her, “if I don’t make love with you right now, I’ll die anyway.”

“You’re impossible.”

Heather gently pushes me back onto the mattress. I’m still weak enough that she can accomplish this feat without breaking a sweat. I grumble again as she picks up my legs and swings them onto the bed as well.

“Quit pouting. What are you, seven?”

“I’m legally an adult, a full grown man actually, and I’ll prove it to you if you’ll just come a little bit closer.”

“I’ll come close, but just for a snuggle. No hanky panky for you until you stop trying to die.”

She eases onto the mattress with me. Heather’s skin feels good sliding against my own. Her nipple brushes against my arm and I feel it harden, in spite of her promise there would be no carnality.

Heather lays her head on my uninjured shoulder and I wrap my arm around her. “See? Snuggling is nice, too.”

“I’m going to die of blue balls and all you have to say is ‘snuggling is nice?’ What kind of sadist are you?”

“Oh, poor baby. Just think of how good it will be when we finally get to New York and slide into those crisp, white sheets.”

I laugh, which hurts the stitches in my shoulder, but I don’t care. “Those sheets won’t be so pristine when we’re done with them.”

She laughs softly and snuggles closer. I can’t resist fooling around a little. I kiss her on the cheek, then on the lips. Heather meets my advances readily enough.

“You’re not in any shape for this,” she pants, her breath hot on my face.

“Don’t care.” I kiss her again, deeply. My hand slides off her naked hip and moves down her to tease her.

Heather moans into my mouth but breaks away again.

“Down, boy,” she says, pushing my hand away. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to leave you here to rest all alone.”

I chuckle. “I’ll be good.”

It feels nice, laying here with Heather. Looking back on the last ten years is like looking back at a dream. I know the time passed, but so little changed it’s almost like a long hallucination. The time before Heather and the time after seem a stark contrast to each other.

If I were to put a fine point on it, I would say that I haven’t felt truly alive until Heather came into my life. I’d thought that my ability to feel had died along with my parents, been smashed flat by the judge’s gavel when he ruled their killer could walk away scot free.

I do feel things for Heather. A lot of things, and not just on the physical side. She’s brave, courageous, and, even though she’s going through a lot, she does what she has to do.

I lay there beside her as she enjoys an afternoon nap, pondering different ways I can keep her with me. I consider going with her to New York but keep gravitating back to her staying in the rainforest with me.

Should I tell her how I feel? I consider her sleeping face and sigh. I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and caress her cheek.

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