The Keys to Jericho (54 page)

“You always liked making a mess,” my dad observes. I do light the fires.

“I hope my house won’t fall in!” Brenda teases, I think.

“No. It’s good.” I smile at her and she relaxes.
See, Dad? I’m not all that bad.

I reach for my wine and notice Kat staring at me, but she hurriedly looks away. Yet, I don’t. I can’t. As I watch her anxiously fidget, anxiety also builds in me. Why doesn’t she want me anymore? I made a mistake joking around about our deeply personal undertakings. I didn’t do it, taking our actions lightly. I just fucked up. Can’t she forgive me? Even enough to not pretend I don’t exist anymore?

“Jared.”

“Huh? What?”

He laughs. “I asked you to pass the salt. Twice.”

“Oh. Sure.” I grab it and slide it toward him.

Brenda asks, “Aren’t you hungry, Katydid?”

She frowns. “Yes, Mother. I am eating.” However, she picks up her wine and takes a long drink.

My dad asks, “So, Kat, do you like being a teacher?”

She smiles. “I love it. I always have great kids, and I enjoy watching them grow throughout the school year.”

Again, I stare at her, watching how her glossy, pink smile lights up her face, making her even more beautiful. She glances at me and then darts her eyes to her plate, but then they abruptly meet mine, and we’re caught in each other’s gaze. This time, she doesn’t look away.

Offhandedly, I hear our parents talking, but it’s all background noise.

“Right, Kat?”

“What?” She looks at her mom, blandly smiling. I don’t even hear the question that she repeats, since I’m still gawking at her.

“Are you okay with that?” my dad asks.

“With what?”

He laughs. “Brenda and I are going into the living room to work on my presentation. Are you and Kat okay with cleaning up in here?”

I shake my head, but reply, “Yeah. It’s fine.”

He nods, grinning. “Okay.

Dad and Brenda leave the room, and Kat and I are left, still staring at each other. I watch how her chest rises and falls faster, and I like it. Too much.

Clearing her throat, Kat says, “I guess I’m finished.” Pushing out her chair, she gathers her silverware and plate.

Falling into my usual dinnertime custom, I say, “If you want to put the food away, since you know better where things are, I’ll clear the table.”

She smiles. “Okay.”

We quietly clean up, but the silence isn’t so heavy for some reason. As I open the dishwasher, she asks, “Were you really worried about me yesterday?”

I avoid looking at her as I admit, “Yeah, I was.”

“Why?”

“I thought…” I sigh and say, “I just was, Kat.”

Knowing what I was going to say, she asks, “And if I had been?”

I look at her and say, “I would’ve been at the hospital.”

She contritely smiles, and glances to the dishes. “That would’ve been different than my first time in there.”

“No, it wouldn’t have been. I was there, too.”

Her eyes fly to mine, widening. “What?”

I shrug. “I visited you in the hospital, but you were sleeping. The nurse told me to come back, but I didn’t.”

“Why didn’t you, or why didn’t you tell me you had been there? I had no idea.”

Shrugging again, I put a glass into the dishwasher. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it was a big deal I came by.”

“It is. I thought you didn’t care.”

“I did care, and I was so worried then, too. I didn’t sleep or eat. I was like your brother, listening to people’s conversation to see if anyone mentioned you.”

“Jared, I’m blown away. I honestly thought…”

“So, yeah. I was there. Maybe only once, but I never stopped thinking about you.” I laugh. “But that wasn’t different than any other normal day.”

Kat leans against the counter, her mouth agape. Closing the dishwasher, I wash my hands, asking, “What?”

When she doesn’t answer, I grab a towel and step in front of her. “Kat?”

Looking up, her eyes are filled with tears. “Thank you.”

Confused, I toss the towel onto the counter. “For what?”

“Visiting me. For telling me. I’m…” Seemingly at a loss for words, she shakes her head and looks to my chest.

I say, “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

She sadly peers up to my face. “I’ve
been
here with you.”

“No, you haven’t. Not for me, at least. I’m not just talking about here, in this apartment. You haven’t been acknowledging me. It’s like I’m talking to your picture all over again, and you don’t answer back.”

“I don’t want it to be like that.”

I swallow and confess, “I miss you, Kit Kat.”

Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say a word, which disheartens me some.

Laughing is heard from the living room and I look over my shoulder, but don’t hear the voices getting louder.

Turning back to her, I put my hands on her cheeks, tilting her head back, and I kiss her. Her lips don’t respond, and I’m struck with the reality that she really doesn’t want me.

Pulling away and dropping my hands, I inhale and look to the floor. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Taking me by surprise, Kat reaches up and pulls me back to her lips, but before they meet, she whispers over mine, “Like this.”

Her hands go into my hair and she kisses me, slow at first, but then with purpose. When I comprehend what just happened, my hands go to her face as I catch up, hungrily kissing her.

More laughing is heard and we pause. As our fast breathing collides between us, Kat whispers, “I miss you, Jared.”

I stroke her cheeks and repeat, “I’ve missed you so much, Kit Kat.”

“I tried, but I’ve been so sick without you. That’s the truth. I can’t do it. I can’t be apart from you while you’re still here.”

I put my forehead against hers. “Me neither. It’s killing me.”

“It is?”

“Fuck, yes. We’re
not
a mistake.”

She inhales. “I know. That’s why it hurts so much.”

“It doesn’t have to hurt.”

“It will, though, but still… I want us to be lovers again.”

I nod against her forehead. “I want that, too.”

She woefully whispers, “Together or not, either way, I’m going down in flames. So, like you said, let’s suffer together.”

I dive in to kiss her, our mouths instantly overwhelming each other’s. Her hands fall to my T-shirt, scrunching it as I yank her hips to mine, rubbing her against me, and driving myself fucking crazy.

Our intermingled, zigzagged breathing fills the kitchen, but since I’m on alert for any sounds beyond that, I notice Brenda’s voice is suddenly louder. Jerking away from Kat, I promptly move before her mother enters the kitchen.

Brenda jovially says to us, “Hey! What are you up to?” Not a good question to ask a guy when slamming the brakes on his up-and-coming dick.

We both shake our heads, and I anxiously fluff my hair as Kat straightens out her shirt, looking away from Brenda, and each other.

Brenda says, “Well, you’re more than welcome to help with the presentation if you’re bored.”

Kat unsteadily laughs. “We’re not bored.”

When Brenda opens the refrigerator, I glance at Kat and she crookedly smiles at me.

As Brenda stands, holding two water bottles, she looks over at me. “What’s on your mouth, Jared?”

I wipe at my lips, and see a pink smear. “Oh…”

Kat says, “Strawberry. I made him try the strawberry jam you bought at that farmer’s market this week.”

I nod. “It was so delicious. My favorite ever. I can’t get enough.”

Brenda skeptically looks at both of us, but says, “Yeah. It is good. I’ll pick you up some before you go to Philadelphia.”

Tearing off a paper towel to wipe my mouth, I smile. “Awesome.” I hate strawberries.

She laughs. “Well, it’s the
least
I can do for you helping with the house, and then with Kat getting her license. We can’t thank you enough.”

I shrug. “It’s nothing. I want to help.”

Brenda sets the bottles on the table and says, “I bet you’re excited to live in a big city.”

“I guess so.”

Kat mumbles something and walks past us to go into the hallway. When she’s gone, Brenda whispers, “She’s going to miss you a lot.”

“I will, too.” She smiles at that, but it’s awkward admitting it to someone other than Kat.

“Please stay in touch with her. Visit her sometimes. She’d like that.”

Nodding, I reach into my pocket as my phone vibrates.

“You’re a nice boy, Jared.”

I smile. “Thanks, but my dad would disagree.”

Brenda grabs the water from the table and before leaving the room, she scoffs, “And
I’d
disagree with you.”

Smiling again, I look down to my screen, which makes my smile grow even more.

------------------------------------------------

When the coast is clear, meet me

in the spare BR. Second door, right.

------------------------------------------------

Returning my phone to my pocket, I glance at the living room doorway before going down the hallway at the end of the kitchen.

Pushing open the door to the bedless, back bedroom, which is softly lit by lamp on a small table, I look around for Kat, but I don’t see her, and it’s a small room.

Suddenly, I’m jerked around the corner and pushed up against the wall, next to wooden, sliding doors. Kat’s mouth is on mine and I eagerly return her kiss with equal fervor.

My hands go to the sides of her head, holding her to me, ensuring she’s really kissing me again, and I’m not fantasizing this happening.

She clutches my wrists, but doesn’t pull them away like she did earlier in the week. I drop my arms to press her into me, but she abruptly ends our kiss, and I remember that we’re not at the beach house, or even her apartment.

Catching our breaths, I try to calm myself before we have to go back out to the kitchen, or even worse, the living room. Kat goes to her purse, pulling out a mirror and a tube of red lipstick, reapplying what I screwed up, which makes me smile for screwing it up.

She takes her time putting it on, but she doesn’t need it, and she’s wasting her time, especially if it’s for my benefit.

Stuffing them back into her purse, she walks over to me, and her bright red lips draw my attention more than I thought they would. She’s never had lips that red before, not that I had ever seen, rather. I still want to kiss her, but then I’d get it all over my mouth and Brenda would have no trouble spotting it again.

Kat asks, “You like?”

I nod because she’s still fucking sexy, but it’s too much red for my taste to see her wearing every day.

As I stare at her lips, her hands go to my fly, popping the button and yanking down the zipper.

Blinking, I whisper, “What are you doing?” I glance around the corner to the bedroom door that is wide open, as she pushes down my jeans and underwear.

Looking back to her, my dick is freed, and I whisper, “The door is open.”

She whispers against my throat, “Yep, so you need to be quiet, don’t you?”

I gasp, “Oh… Shit.”

“What, Jared? You don’t think you can be quiet this time?” she taunts, her red lips widen into a revengeful smile.

I answer honestly, “No.”

Kat moves to my ear. “Well, suck it up.”

“Kat…”

Dropping to her knees, she grabs my cock and skims her lips over the head. Leaning my head against the wall, I moan.

“Shh,” Kat says, blowing her warm breath across my skin.

I bite my lip hard so I stay quiet, but it’s impossible. I whisper, “Holy fuck. I can’t.” I pant through my teeth, suppressing my loud groans as her tongue swirls around.

Kat responds by sucking the tip. My hands go to her head and I watch her taking me in and out of her mouth, leaving red streaks along my shaft. As her red lips glide up and down me, I utter in awe, “Kat, you’re amazing.”

She keeps going, licking up and down my erection, while lightly stroking my stiffening balls, making me groan. Kat shakes her head, grazing her teeth on my dick, which only makes me close my eyes and loudly pant, “Jesus Christ.”

Looking down, I again watch her work her tongue, turning me on even more, and I breathlessly say, “I’ve always wanted to fuck your mouth. Goddamn.”

Kat moans over my cock and the feeling only serves to incite me to the point that I warn, “Baby, you have to stop.”

However, she goes faster, reaching up to tug on the belt loops of my jeans, forcing me deeper into her mouth, while softly making the purring sound. I hoarsely groan, “Kitty Kat, I’m going to come in your mouth.” When it’s apparent she’s not stopping, I thrust my cock into her red lips as they tightly hold onto me.