Differently Visioned

I pulled the washcloth from my face and sat up, swinging my feet to the floor to face the music. I hadn't been around Shauna long enough to know what to expect. Is she angry with me? I hoped that we'd become close enough that she would at least listen to my side of the story.

Whatever that is.

Shauna weaved through the tight space around the sofa and sat beside me. "What's going on?"

I shook my head and rubbed my sore, swollen eyes. "I don't even know. I'm so over my head with him."

Shauna sighed and just remained still for a few moments. "Hey, listen, you want to go down to Salty's? Hardly anyone will be there with the break, and they have half price appetizers right now."

I gave a half chuckle at the mention of food. In times of doubt, eat. "Sure. Give me a second to get my face together."

Salty's was a local bar that catered to students. They always had some special going on to attract the crowd who was currently allocating their parents' life savings to education.

"What was that all about at the hospital?"

"I don't know. I went there to see him and just chickened out. He knew I was there, didn't he?"

"Yeah. We didn't know what to say to him. Roger had a hell of a time convincing him not to try and hobble after you."

I felt a sharp pang in my stomach. "I'm sorry I put you in that position. I shouldn't have even gone there. I'm so messed up in my mind over him."

"Trish! Hi."

I looked up from the walkway to a girl who was still several paces away from us; a little farther than a normal greeting distance, I thought.

"Hi, Shauna. How's it going?" The tone of her voice was off, like she shared some sorrowful event with my roommate.

"This is my roommate, Jennifer. Jennifer, this is a, uh, friend of mine, Trish."

We shook hands and the usual pleasantries.

"Are you staying in town for the holidays?" Shauna's voice had risen almost a full pitch.

I could tell something was going on, but couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I tried to recall if Shauna had ever mentioned Trish before in conversation. I was sure she hadn't described her to me, or if she did, she failed to mention that Trish should be the next Miss Universe, or something. She was unbelievably gorgeous.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Are you and Roger still going to visit your family?"

"Yeah. Thursday."

"How is he?"

"He's fine. Listen, it looks like it's about to downpour. I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah."

Trish turned and continued down her path, picking up the pace. I started to call out that it was nice meeting her, but I got the feeling it would be inappropriate. Then it hit me why.

"Did Trish used to go out with David?"

"Yeah."

"You're kidding me?!" She's gorgeous.

"No. They were a couple for a while, too."

"Why did she break up with him?"

"She didn't. He broke up with her."

"Oh!"

I don't know why it didn't occur to me. It was certainly one possibility. I suppose it was because I thought no man in his right mind would let someone that beautiful go.

"Do you know why?"

"He didn't say much. Only that he couldn't get serious with her, so there was no point in dragging out the inevitable."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah." Shauna checked over her shoulder and then continued, "Trish was devastated. But in David's defense, he let her down as gently as he could. And he's tried to keep their relationship friendly."

We arrived at Salty's and got settled at a table. A waitress appeared and took our drink order. I wasn't going to have a beer, but they were on special so I gave in.

"Does she still, you know, like him?"

"Oh, yeah. Big time. She calls him every day. Or did, until last Thursday."

"What happened last Thursday?"

"David told Trish that he'd met someone he was serious about and he didn't think it would be a good idea for her to call him anymore."

My heart fell heavy from my chest into my stomach. I could already feel the tears starting again. "He said that?"

Shauna nodded, "Yeah. And before you ask the next question I know you're going to ask, no, he didn't meet anyone else after you left. He was talking about you."

I blinked and the tears raced down my cheeks.

"What's wrong, Jen?"

"I swear I don't know. I'm scared, I guess."

"Of what?"

I shrugged. "One minute I'm afraid that this is the real thing, and the next minute, I'm afraid it's not. We've only been together one night. One. And I already like him more than I'm willing to admit to myself.

"Right now, he's practically perfect. I mean, just look at him. He's so beautiful it isn't fair. And he's thoughtful and loving. And don't get me started on how good he is in bed.

"The thing is, I know he can't be as perfect as I see him right now. The more I get to know him, the less perfect he's going to turn out to be.

"And that works both ways. I'm definitely not the prize catch of the century. It was humiliating just seeing his knockout ex-girlfriend."

"Oh, whatever. Did you catch Trish checking you out? She was threatened by you, and she didn't even know for sure it was you that David was talking about. You're a pretty girl, Jen. I can't believe I have to tell you that."

I shrugged my shoulder. From casual observation, I was pretty enough. But without these clothes on...

"Besides, David really doesn't measure beauty the way most people do. To him, you're probably ten times prettier than Trish."

"I don't know about that."

"Look, I've known David for a long time. He comes across as a player, I know. But he never says something he doesn't mean. I don't know what you did to him that night, but whatever it was, he's totally smitten with you now. And he was never that way with Trish.

"So, do with that information whatever you like. I'm just saying, if you want him, he's all yours."

"I don't know what I want. I'm so afraid I'm going to screw this up."

"If you're honest with him, you can't screw up."

"Is that how Trish lost him?"

Shauna shook her head and shrugged, "I don't think Trish did anything specific. She almost tried too hard to make David happy. If he liked something, she invested herself in liking it, too. She didn't have her own personality."

"How did she handle David's blindness? I don't know anything about how to help a visually challenged person."

"Does David strike you as someone who needs help?"

I sighed, "Good point."

"But don't call him visually challenged. He doesn't like that label."

"Okay."

"He's traveled to all sorts of places without much assistance. The cop at the hospital said that David was probably going to be the first eye witness they'd ever had in court."

"What happened?"

"Some idiot didn't see the red light. Another guy, one with perfect vision I might add, stepped onto the street when the walk sign lit up. The car hit him dead on. David heard the car coming and stepped back, but the car swerved slightly and hit the post, knocking it onto him.

"He landed on his hip, but the X-rays showed no broken bones."

"Was the other pedestrian killed? I heard on the radio that someone had been struck dead."

"Yeah. It was bad. And David heard the whole thing."

"God, I feel so bad for not seeing him in the hospital."

"We're getting together tomorrow night to exchange Christmas presents at the condo. Why don't you come and see him. He's on pain medication, so he can't drink. It'll give you a chance to be around him when we're not all drinking."

"I have to close tomorrow night, but I might be able to come by after that. If I'm not too tired."

"Okay. I won't mention it to him that I invited you, that way if you decide not to come by, he'll never know."

It was a really sweet gesture on her part, and the first real sign that she considered us friends, regardless of the situation.

But I'd already decided what I was going to do.

One hour before closing time, I would've sworn there was no way I'd have enough energy to go to David's. But the second I emerged through the shop doors onto the street, everything changed. Pure adrenaline carried me to the apartment to change clothes and grab David's gift. And I could've ran to the condo without a problem, I was that pumped up.

This time, my feet and head were in total agreement. I'd made up my mind about him. The only way to settle my fears was to spend more time with him. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least try.

CHAPTER SIX

Despite my resolve, I was a nervous wreck by the time I reached the front stoop of the condo. I had no idea how he was going to react to my coming, or what he was thinking about my erratic behavior at the hospital.

Well, I'll know soon enough. If I run now, I'll never know. And I'll always wonder if he was the one.

I knocked on the door and Roger answered. His smile grew to a toothy grin, and it settled my nerves about tenfold. He hugged me and pulled me inside, through the doorway.

Roger raised his voice and called into the kitchen, "Hey, David, you have a visitor."

Shauna came down the hallway from the bathroom and jumped up and down quietly when she saw me, trying not to give it away to David that it was me.

Before David emerged around the corner, he called out, "Who is it?"

Roger held his finger to his lips to keep me quiet, "You're going to have to come see for yourself."

"Very funny."

David hobbled into the living room and was about halfway to me when he stopped dead in his tracks.

I shed my jacket and set his present down on the coffee table as I walked toward him. Be brave. Be honest. Standing before him, I touched his arm as I looked up at his face. "I've missed you."

He slid his hand around my waist and pulled me into a hug. "I hope these drugs aren't making me hallucinate this."

I released the air I was holding in my lungs in a nervous chuckle.

"Is this really you?"

I pulled away from his hug and guided his hand to my chest. I was wearing one of the tighter silky blouses that I owned. It'd been my favorite top before the incident. I hadn't worn it in ages, but I always kept it in the back of my closet. It reminded me of better times. When I wasn't so self-conscious about the way I looked.

Through such flimsy material, he could easily feel the scarring.

"My beautiful Jen."

Tears filled my eyes. What is it about this man that touches me so deeply? "I'm sorry I ran from you. I was scared." Hearing my confession out loud brought more tears to my eyes. "I'm no good at this sort of thing."

"You're doing fine so far. You want help?"

I nodded, "Yes."

"I'm glad you're scared."

"Why?"

David grinned down at me, "It means you like me as much as I like you."

He lowered his face to mine and kissed me ever so gently, exploring my lips with his as though it was our first kiss all over again.

When he pulled away, I glanced over my shoulder. Shauna and Roger were gone. I had no idea when they left.

"I brought you a present. It's something I found when I was home."

"Can I open it now?"

"Yeah."

I turned and lifted it off the coffee table. When I turned back around, David was lying on his side by the Christmas tree. It was almost the exact spot where we first kissed.

I knelt beside him and tentatively touched his hip. "Does this hurt?"

"A little."

"Are you going to be okay?"

David patted the carpet beside his body. I unfolded my legs and lowered myself onto my side, facing him. He caressed my forehead and brushed my hair off of my face. "At the risk of sounding incredibly sappy, I'm going to be fine. Now. My hip was never in as much danger of breaking as my heart was."

My negative inner voice wanted to immediately call him out and reject what he was saying. But I knew that was just my own fear of being hurt. He was opening up to me and if we stood any chance of moving forward, I had to do the same.

"I don't understand how this could happen from one night."

"One incredible night."

"I agree the sex was great, but..."

"I'm not talking about the sex. It was the intimacy. How much you gave yourself to me. I know how hard that must've been for you. And I just kept thinking to myself, over and over again, where has this intriguing woman been for the past 4 years I've lived here? And yeah, the sex helped. It was phenomenal for me."

"Me, too."

"What's the matter?"

I hate when he does that. He'd picked up the guilt in my voice. "I have a confession to make about my trip home. I went on a date, sort of, with an old boyfriend of mine."

A tiny wrinkle had settled in the middle of David's forehead as he listened to me.

"I, uh, got a little drunk and we almost, you know, had sex."

"What stopped you?"

I smiled, "You, actually. Well, something that you said. About not accepting people who make me feel bad about myself."

His jaw tightened. "What did he do?"

"No, no, relax. It's okay. He didn't do anything real bad. He just didn't accept me the way I am, like you do. He wanted me to be the way I used to be before the stabbing. But I'm not that person, anymore.

"And I'm glad, actually. I've learned a lot of lessons I might not have learned otherwise."

"You almost sound proud."

"That's because I almost am. Thanks to you."

"I'll take credit when I deserve it. This is not one of those times. My only part in that was challenging you to move past your own fears. The rest was all you."

"So, you want to open your present, or not?"

"Are you changing the subject?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Give it here."

I set the gift on the floor between us. He could only use one hand to open it because he was holding himself up with the other hand. I helped by holding the gift still while he ripped paper.

"Good teamwork."

David ran his fingers along the edges of the painting first, then across the canvas. When he reached the raised bumps of the letters, he moved his fingers to the left to start at the beginning. A smile grew across his face as he was reaching the end of the phrase.

"Differently Visioned. I like that."

"It suits you."

"Perfectly."

David pulled my face to his for a kiss.

"Thanks, baby."

His use of an endearment for me made my muscles go limp. I felt like a jellyfish.

"Is it okay if I call you that?"

I flushed all over. It was embarrassingly okay. "Yes."

"Good." He kissed me again. "Because I think it suits you. And while we're on the topic, how do you feel about PDA?"

PDA? "You mean, kissing in public and stuff like that?"

"Yes. Kissing in public, hugging, holding hands, maybe copping a feel under the table."

My cheeks flushed a crimson red at the thought. Not from embarrassment, though. "I, uh, think it's okay, I guess."

David ran his fingers over my cheek, "Are you blushing?"

"A little."

"I promise not to do anything real radical until we've been dating for a long time. Maybe a year."

A year? He sees us together still in a year?

"I don't know how this is going to work out. But, I'm optimistic."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything you want."

"Shauna and I ran into Trish yesterday. What went wrong with you two? Why did you break up with her?"

"We weren't going anywhere. She just wasn't right for me. Or, vice versa. She needs someone who can appreciate her kind of devotion. I just never could."

"And what do you need? In a girlfriend, I mean."

"I need someone interesting, and bright, and fairly independent. I want her to challenge me as I challenge her. I need to know that we're growing together. And I'm going to sound like a total guy here, but I want the sex to be as fantastic for her as it is for me."

"Surely, you've never had a problem in that department."

"You'd be surprised. I would say that Trish was complacent about sex, at best. That right there is a deal-breaker for me. I like it too much. I absolutely can't get serious with a girl that isn't into it as much as I am."

"I find it hard to believe that any girl wouldn't respond to you."

"That's because you and I clicked in bed. I feel the same way about you, you know. I'm exhibiting monumental restraint right now."

"I wondered why we were still talking."

David touched my cheek and I leaned into him for a kiss. He deepened the contact by holding my neck as he pushed his tongue past my lips. I was likely already aroused just from being near him, but I became vastly more aware of it as his tongue invaded my mouth. God, how I want this man.

He pulled away much too soon. "So, I got you a present, too."

"You did?"

David grinned, "Of course. See that small box near the base of the tree?"

I sat up and looked over him and nodded, "Yes."

"Get it and bring it right here," he patted the carpet between us.

I did as he asked. He felt the box and smiled, then handed it to me.

"Merry Christmas, baby."

I melted to goo again at the endearment and wondered if I was ever going to get used to hearing him say it.

I carefully ripped the paper along the side to reveal a white box with a lid; the whole thing was about the size of a smart phone. I lifted the top, and nestled in a bed of cotton was a necklace that looked like a miniature string of Christmas lights. Each bulb was a different colored gemstone set in a silver wire that wound around a chain. It was crafted so beautifully, it looked just like the real thing.

"Oh, David, this is beautiful. Thank you."

"I thought it might remind you of something."

"Of how you tricked me into kissing you." I leaned forward and nipped his lower lip playfully, then sat up to put it on. As I was doing so, I unbuttoned my blouse and slipped it off, along with my bra.

David's head rested on his arm, watching every move. I knew he couldn't actually see me, but he was picturing it, just the same. And the smirk that was painted on his face was priceless. Worth the risk of getting caught by Roger or Shauna. Actually, even that was adding to my arousal for some reason.

When I was wearing nothing above the waist except for the necklace, I guided his free hand to where the string of lights hung delicately around my bare neck.

His fingers didn't explore the necklace for long. They moved across my dimpled chest and around my puckered nips.

"Are you aroused at the thought of being caught?"

"Partly, yes."

"Do you know why I asked about PDA earlier?"

"No. I thought it was an unusual question."

"It's because it turns me on. And you sitting here in my living room without a top on and those amazing protruding nipples, is the most incredibly erotic thing in the world to me."

"When you mentioned it earlier, about copping a feel under the table in public, my whole body heated up."

David smiled, "I think you and I were made for each other."

His hand steadied my back as he leaned forward and took my nipple into his mouth. He held it between his lips as he swirled his tongue around the tip, then he flicked it and nipped it until the point protruded obscenely.

I was panting by the time he pulled his face from my chest.

"I liked you almost from the first moment we met. There was something so intoxicating about your scent. And right away I could tell you were real. Not just another pretty face."

"How do you know that my face isn't just hideous looking?"

"Well, for one, Roger and Shauna told me before I even met you."

"Oh."

"But your face isn't what makes you so beautiful. It's your spirit.

"That night we sat around talking, you just seemed to fit with our group like we'd all been friends for years. It was so easy.

"But the real moment I started to fall for you was when I first kissed your breast, and you got so aroused by it that you soaked your underwear. I knew then that the sex was going to be off the charts."