Chapter 152 - The Morning After




SATURDAY

She stood silently in the doorway, wondering what had happened.

Things weren’t how they were supposed to be. Nothing was as she had expected, as she had feared. She had told him time would end on Friday. Then they would go their separate ways, with no regrets.

It was Saturday morning. The Morning After. The day she had dreaded. The day she would have to try to forget it all. The day she would have to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and try to start over, to move on with her life as if nothing had happened. Alone.

But she wasn’t alone.

He was here.

Jon was here.

Cate’s eyes traced over his sleeping form. He looked peaceful, innocent, almost angelic. He lay on his back, one arm resting across his abdomen and the other curled up over his head. His sculpted chest, sprinkled with silver and brown downy fur, rhythmically rose and fell with his breathing. His face was turned toward Cate’s pillow, his softly-stubbled cheek fully visible. Warm rays of morning sunrise kissed his tousled mop, lighting the honeyed strands a glinting gold. The corner of his perfect mouth was curved slightly upward in a private smile.

Cate knew that smile was for her.

She watched Jon sleep for what seemed like a long time, marveling at his beauty. Finally with a bewildered smile and a slow shake of her head Cate turned away, headed for her morning shower.

*****

When she emerged from her bathroom twenty minutes later Cate found the bed empty. The delightful aroma of brewing coffee and the sound of happy singing quickly dispelled her worry that she had dreamed all that had happened before.

Tossing her damp towel onto the bed Cate moved over to the chair in the corner of her room. Jon had left his clothes there last night before he slid into bed beside her and wrapped her in his gentle embrace. She saw that his jeans were gone, but his grey t-shirt remained. With a smile she slipped it over her head, inhaling deeply of his scent as the soft cotton whispered over her dewy skin.

“Mornin', Beautiful.” Jon’s honeyed voice was music to Cate’s ears as she wandered into the living room. He was in the kitchen, smiling at her through the pass-through. “Want some breakfast?”

Cate ambled around the couch to reach for the TV remote. “Just coffee. But help yourself to whatever you can find in there, if you’re hungry.” She clicked on the television then turned to head for the kitchen.

“Here ya go.” Jon held out a mug of steaming coffee toward Cate as she strolled into the kitchen. “Just like you like it, sweet and chocolatey.” He grinned as he teased her. “Not tasting like coffee at all.”

“It does too,” Cate muttered before taking a sip. She sighed happily; it was perfect.

“You gonna tell me you love me?” Jon’s blue eyes sparkled as he referred to her spontaneous utterance the first time he had made coffee for her.

Cate paused for a moment, smiling at the memory. Her eyes met his. “I love you,” she said softly.

Jon’s hand went to his heart as he gave her a beaming grin. “Ahhh… she loves me!” he sighed dreamily, casting his eyes skyward as if directing his words to the Heavens.

Cate giggled and moved over to him, setting her mug on the island before slipping into his arms. “Thank you for the coffee, Baby,” she said gently, raising her face to his for a sweet good-morning kiss.

“Welcome,” Jon whispered when their lips parted.

“Mmmm….” Cate purred happily as they stood together, holding each other. She turned her head to pillow her cheek against Jon’s bare chest, smiling at the tickle of his chest hair on her face. “So, did you find something to eat? I don’t have much food in the house. I think there are some eggs….”

“Yeah, I found some cereal.” Jon pulled gently away from Cate with a pat on her behind. He gave her a mischievous grin. “I guess you’ve been waiting to make me breakfast for awhile, huh?”

“What?” Cate asked, confused.

“Well…” Jon turned his back to Cate as he faced the counter behind him. Cate’s gaze slid over his strongly-muscled back before shifting to the countertop. She saw an open box of Cheerios and a half-empty jug of milk resting on the black granite surface. Her eyes widened a moment later when Jon turned back around, a giant bowl of cereal in his hands. “I have my own bowl and everything!” he exclaimed cheerfully.

Cate felt the heat of her blush rushing over her face as she stared at Jon, open-mouthed. He had poured cereal and milk into one of her big ceramic dog dishes… the one with the name of her collie painted in bold letters on the side.

“Oh GODDDDD!” Cate groaned as her cheeks flamed with embarrassment. She covered her face with both hands, then peeked between her fingers to see Jon grinning broadly as he shoveled a big spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.

“MMMMMM!!!!” he announced enthusiastically, chewing then swallowing. Cate saw that he had been careful to rotate the dish so that the word “JOVI” was clearly visible to her.

“Jon! What are you doing?!?!” she exclaimed. “That’s my dog’s food dish! Eeew!

“Hey, I washed it first!” he replied. “What do you think I am? Some sort of… animal?” His comedic timing was perfect, coupled with the silly faux-indignant look he gave her.

“Oh My God,” Cate repeated, shaking her head. “Shit. I should have hidden those.”

Jon laughed, stepping closer to her and slurping in another spoonful of Cheerios and milk. “Want some?” he asked through his mouthful, offering her the spoon.

NO!” Cate exclaimed. “Oh, Jesus.” She lowered her head, shaking it slowly from side to side. “You must think I’m a TOTAL Psycho-Fan now.”

“Because you named your dog after me?” Jon grinned. “Well… yeah.” His eyes twinkled merrily as he teased her. “That is kinda psycho.”

“But she’s a really sweet dog!” Cate protested feebly.

Jon chuckled at her embarrassment, realizing it was time to back off. He didn’t want to upset her; he was just having a little fun. Reaching to place the bowl and spoon back on the counter, Jon turned back to Cate and pulled her to him. “I’m kidding, Baby,” he said gently, dropping his forehead to hers and rubbing their noses together. “Just teasing.”

“Uh huh,” Cate replied doubtfully. “Sure.”

Jon snickered then gave her a sweet kiss. “Promise. So, is that the last of your embarrassing Fan-Girl secrets? Or is there something else I should know?" He gave her a little squeeze. "Any other pets named after me? A pony named ‘Kidd’? A hamster named ‘Francis’?”

“No, nothing else named after you…” Cate replied, the flush still on her cheeks. She looked up at him, then shrugged. “But I do have a vibrator... named King of Swing,” she confessed in a sheepish half-mumble.

WHAT?” Jon almost choked on his laugh, his eyebrows arching and a huge grin spreading across his face. “A…. a….” He couldn’t stop laughing long enough to get out the rest of the sentence.

“Yeah,” Cate answered wryly. “But you can blame Mandy for that one. I sure as hell didn’t name it. And I’m only telling you because if I don’t I’m sure she or Danny will.”

“And why ‘Swing’?” Jon chortled, arching an eyebrow teasingly. He suspected he knew.

“Because it’s…. large.” Cate muttered. She dropped her forehead against Jon’s chest as again her cheeks flamed. “Oh God. Can we please not talk about this anymore?”

“Sure, Baby…” Jon chuckled, wrapping his arms around Cate and rubbing her back. “Besides…” He dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. “You won’t be needing your King of Swing anymore. You’ve got Superman now.”

“Good. It’s almost worn out anyway.” Cate chuckled against Jon’s chest then looked back up at him. “And that’s what we’re calling your penis now? Superman?”

“Yep. Man of Steel.” Jon grinned and puffed out his chest, making Cate laugh in response. His laughter joined hers until again their mouths drifted together in a sweet kiss. “I’m your Superman, Baby….” Jon repeated softly when their lips parted.

Cate nodded, her eyes shining with affection as they met his. “Yes, Jon… you are."

9 comments:

  1. love this story, you did good kid.

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  2. Is this the end? That last line sounded like it coudl have been the end. I hope it's not. :(

    Vicki

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  3. It's sad to see it end but I would love to see you work on another story. Got any new ideas swirling in your head for another plot line? Hmmm, how about an older woman, divorced from a jerk, one with almost grown kids, whose name just happens to be Renee? LOL. Great story . . . thanks so much!

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  4. I laughed out loud and got teary eyed at the same time! Excellent story!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

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  5. Awww... Thanks, "GunsNuts!" :)

    No, this one isn't quite over yet... a few more chapters to go.

    And yes, I have many, many voices in my head right now, LOL! I will be back with a new "big" story soon-ish... and it it will be a Richie Fic!

    Until then, hope you enjoy the rest of "Guns."

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  6. LOL...she's names for things. That was too funny, won't be needing KOS anymore.

    I hate for this to be over but excited to see your next challenge.

    Beth

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  7. King of swing, Man of steel, Superman? Boy, these are too funny! Great chapter.

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  8. Loved their conversation in this chapter! She's gonna die if He told Richie about his name sake, LOL!

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Let me know what you think!