Page 5 of Pining for Dad's Friend On Halloween
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David
I spring into action,grabbing my phone and bolting toward thestairs.
“Bailey? B, youokay?”
I feel the banister beneath my fingers and take the steps two-by-two with my phone’s light guidingme.
“Yeah,” she calls. I get to the top of the stairs. Her voice is coming from her en-suite bathroom. I pass through her bedroom door and rush around her bed to bring her somelight.
“I’m here, what do youneed?”
“Um,” she says, her voice pinched. “Do you have yourphone?”
“Yeah, I have it righthere.”
“Could you just open the door a little and put your phone on the counter? I’m a little disoriented. And a lotwet.”
“Yeah, doing it now,” I reply. I open the door, careful to not let myself get too close, but the scent of her body wash is doing a number on the barrier I’m trying to maintain between us. The sweet smell of lavender winds through me and gives me an instant hardon, making my cock spring to life where up until now I’d been able to control myself through sheer force ofwill.
I pull the door closed and huff out a laugh. The first time you’re alone with a beautiful woman in six months and you’re unable to keep your thoughts in check? It’s a good thing you didn’t end up in a broken elevator with a coworker or something. Or, hell, in a broken elevator withBailey.
Suddenly this entire house feels like a broken elevator. I know I’m not going to be able to leave her alone in the house tonight, not without power, and that means we’re going to be in close quarters. With no lights. No power.Shit.
“I’m almost done so would you mind just hanging out for a second? If it’s too much of a pain in the neck I can just be done with the shower now but there’s a lot of soap in my hair and I want to make sure I get it all out. Is thatokay?”
“Yeah, that’s okay, I’m here,” I say, rubbing my hands together and letting out a little chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m not goinganywhere.”
I cross my arms over my chest, feeling as though I’m standing guard. It feels good. I’ve never really had to take care of anyone other than myself. My family all lives in Miami now. My sister Trish moved there after our parents did, to be closer to them. My work is here and I love my job, and I know I could never stand the round-the-year heat of SouthFlorida.
“How is school?” I say through the door. “You dad wasn’t expecting you home thisweekend.”
“I know, yeah,” she calls. “It was a last-minute thing. I thought you’d be in Philly with him. The neighbors usually feedMidnight.”
“I’m on vacation this week and I didn’t feel like going to the conference,” I say. I’ve been working myself to the bone lately and these conferences are all the same. The same people, the same speakers, the same panels. I’m finally at a point in my career where I don’t need to kiss as many asses as I used to. “No parties on campustonight?”
“Oh, no, there are definitely parties.” I hear the suggestion of a shrug in her voice. “I guess I just wasn’t in themood.”
I venture a more personalquestion.
“Everything good with yourboyfriend?”
There’s a pause. I hope I haven’t crossed aline.
“We broke up,” she says plainly, her voice slightly deflated. I wait for a moment, thinking she’ll have something else to say, the tone in her voice suggesting that there’s furtherinformation.
“Everything okay there?” I feel the tension inside merise.
“Yeah,” she exhales. “Definitely.”
I believe her. She doesn’t lie, doesn’t even bend the truth. If there was something wrong, she’d tellme.
She turns the shower off. She’s always worn her heart on her sleeve, so I know she’d be honest with me if the boyfriend situation weren’t good. I’m glad to hear she’s okay, putting my hand over my chest and feeling my heartbeat kick up as cool relief floodsme.
“Um, I have a towel so I’ll just be anothersecond.”
I should have planned this better. The logistics of two people guiding each other through a blackout should not be thiscomplicated.
