Mike & Savy Ch. 09

She sighed heavily.

"She wasn't happy. She thinks that I said no to Josh because I don't want to get married now. She doesn't understand why I wouldn't just wait until after college. I tried to tell her that he's just not the one for me. You know mom, she tried to sound supportive and said that if I needed anything, she'd be there for me. But, she still sounded disappointed."

"I hope she can be supportive of us when we tell her."

"Me too."

We spent the rest of the day together, simply relaxing and enjoying being together. I made lasagna for dinner and we ate with Maria while watching a Maryland basketball game. After the game, Maria went to her room, while Savy and I stayed on the sofa and watched a movie. I was laying behind her and she'd periodically peek back at me before trying to quickly kiss my chin. It became a game for us, her trying to steal a kiss before I could turn and catch her lips with mine. Every time I caught her, she'd giggle through our kiss before turning away again.

I did have to work on Monday, so eventually I had to get up, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. When I got back to the living room, Savy wasn't there. I laid down on the sofa and waited for her to come say goodnight. When she reappeared, she wasn't carrying a blanket or pillow for me.

She took my hand in hers and said, "Come to bed, Mike."

I looked up at her. "Are you sure?"

She smiled softly at me and simply said again, "Come to bed," before gently pulling on my hand.

I got up and followed her into her bedroom. We lay in bed, facing each other. One of us would move toward the other and we'd kiss before we'd pull apart and again be looking into each other's eyes. I loved her eyes, that gorgeous chocolate brown color with the same flecks of gold that I had in my own.

When she ran her fingers through my hair, gently caressing me, I couldn't help falling into a state of such relaxation that sleep quickly followed. I could barely hear her as she said, "I love you, Mike."

I woke up in the middle of the night. Savy had turned and her back was to me. She was saying softly, over and over, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I rested my hand on her shoulder and gently turned her towards me. When her eyes fluttered open, her body tensed up with a small jolt.

"Savy, it's okay. You're okay."

I didn't know what she had been dreaming about; all I could do was try to soothe her. Her eyes finally focused on mine and she was crying softly. She buried her face in my chest and I could feel her tears on my shirt as her hands clenched into fists, pulling me to her.

"I love you, Savy. It will be okay."

I held her in my arms and carefully stroked her hair. It was the only comfort I could offer. Eventually her body relaxed and she had fallen back to sleep.

Oh, Savy... I'm so sorry you're going through this. I would take away all of your pain if I could.

When I managed to get back to sleep, my mind was full of worries and fears.

I was barely dozing when my phone was suddenly ringing beside the bed and I reached up to turn it off quickly. It hadn't woken Savy up. She was laying on her side, facing me, with her hair tangled around her face. I delicately pulled strands of hair behind her until her face was clear. I leaned close to her and gently pressed my lips to her eyes, then her nose, then her lips.

When her eyes opened, she looked up at me and the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a small smile.

"You're here."

"I always will be."

She reached behind me and pulled herself to me.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Savy."

After a moment, she said, "I know you have to go to work. It's okay."

"Go back to sleep. I'll see you tonight."

Again I kissed her forehead and ran my hand through her hair.

I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for work. After a shower, a shave, and brushing my teeth, I started to feel more awake and ready for the day. I changed into jeans and a dress shirt for work.

When I went back to Savy's room, I sat at her desk and watched her sleep. She had pulled the blanket up around her face and I could only see her eyes and nose, with her long hair spread on the pillow above and behind her head. She was stunningly gorgeous. I didn't know what she was dreaming about, but I hoped it was peaceful.

I stood up and went to her, kissing her one more time on her cheek, and then quietly slipped out of the apartment.

Thanks to the shorter commute, I got to work earlier than normal and was pouring my second cup of coffee when Amy came in. We had our typical morning stand-up and then I set about checking recent data against simulations of electron acceleration in the inner Van Allen belt. It was fascinating work, but also came with a lot of downtime as the numbers ran.

Around lunch, I set up one simulation that I knew would take at least an hour to run and then went out to my truck. I drove back to Savy's apartment. When Savy opened the door, I immediately wrapped my arms around her and picked her up.

I pressed my cheek against hers and told her exactly how I felt, "I just wanted to see you for a minute." I could feel her smile against me as she said, "I love you. Thank you."

Unfortunately, I had to let her go and get back to work, but those few minutes stayed with me for the rest of the day. When I spoke with Amy before leaving the office, she quickly ran over my preliminary results and was very excited. We were possibly onto something important and a key success factor for our mission. It would still be months of work and research, but this was potentially a big deal for us.

Shortly after leaving work, I was back in Savy's arms. We sat together and she asked about the things that were going on at work. She had this incredible combination of both interest in the topic and the ability to understand the finer details that fascinated me. It was incomprehensible to me that she could be this intelligent, this talented, this beautiful... and still, I was the person she wanted to be with.

We ate dinner with Maria again and watched TV for a bit before going to bed early. As we lay together, one of my nagging thoughts and fears crept up on me and I decided that it was time to do something about it.

"Savy, I want to talk to you about something... about my time in Spain."

"Mike, you don't have to. It's okay."

"No, I do. I don't know if you'll hate me or not, but the only way I know to go forward for us is to be completely open and honest with you."

"Don't say that. There's nothing that you could do to make me hate you."

She rested her hand on my cheek and briefly kissed me.

I told Savy about everything, from the time I landed in Barcelona until I flew back to the States. She knew a bit about teaching and Matteo and Isabel, but I filled in more details. And I told her about Ana. When I said that we had been in a relationship, her eyes briefly looked down and away from me before locking on mine again.

"Mike, it's okay. I'm glad that you weren't alone. I pushed you away and you deserved to find happiness. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I just..."

She stopped me by kissing me.

"I love you. I don't ever want you to be alone. I always want you to have love in your life."

I pressed my forehead to hers. "As long as you're in my life, I will."

Savy slept well that night. I woke up several times, but she was always sleeping peacefully next to me. In the morning, she woke up with me and made coffee while I got ready. As I walked out the door, she handed me a cup and kissed me.

At work, I emailed Jeff and asked if he and Mia were free on Friday for dinner instead of lunch. I desperately wanted them to know that Savy was back in my life, back with me. When we made plans for dinner at my favorite Korean restaurant, I didn't tell him that I'd be bringing Savy. I wanted to surprise them.

Savy and I had dinner with Maria every night for the rest of the week. She was incredibly accommodating and I didn't want her to feel like I was intruding. Besides, she was Savy's best friend and I liked her too, so it was good for the three of us to sit down together to eat and talk. Afterwards, I'd clean up and then sometimes the three of us would hang out together while other times Maria would go to her room and Savy and I would be alone to watch a movie or TV.

I stayed with Savy every night, but some nights were better than others. Sometimes, she would sleep peacefully through the night, but on other nights, I would wake up to find her clutching my shirt and crying or talking in her sleep. I would hold her to me, tell her I love her, and do my best to soothe her. I didn't know what else to do. In the morning, though, she would thank me for being there and hug me. One day at a time.

On Friday, I left work early. Savy would be at the performing arts center practicing, as she did every afternoon, so I asked Maria where her favorite practice rooms were. I walked across campus, as despite the chilly air, it was a beautiful clear day. I had to wander around the performing arts center for a bit, but eventually I got my bearings and found where she was.

I quietly opened the door and went in. As soon as I did, she stopped playing, set her violin down, and ran to me. As I held her in my arms, I asked, "Can I watch you play?"

She pressed her cheek against my chest.

"Yes. I want you to see me play."

I let her go and moved to sit on a row of chairs near the side of the room, but she took my hand and pulled me to a chair right in front of her. When she lifted her violin under her chin and began playing, I couldn't identify the piece. It must have been a classical piece Max had her working on, but then I could start to pick out the familiar melody of "Beautiful With You". I could see her eyes focused on me as she played. She finished practicing with a few classical pieces that I may have heard from an opera, but I couldn't remember. She was spectacular, as always.

When she was ready to go, we walked out together, with me carrying her violin and her arm wrapped around mine.

An hour later and we were on the road to go see Jeff and Mia. Pulling up to the restaurant, which was a very small family-run place with maybe a dozen tables total, I spotted Mia's Prius. I couldn't wait to see their reaction.

Before going inside, I held Savy to me in the cold air and kissed her. We had only been back together for a week, but I think even if it had been twenty years, I still wouldn't be able to get enough of her. Every passing day, the fear and trepidation, the memories of the pain and heartache, were slowly fading, replaced by intense love for her.

I opened the door for Savy and she walked into the small entry. I took her hand and stepped into the main restaurant, where Jeff immediately saw me, giving a quick smile. A second later, Savy followed behind me, holding my hand, and Jeff looked completely stunned. Mia was watching him and her head turned towards us. As soon as she saw the two of us, together, her eyes shot wide open and her hands covered her mouth.

Jeff stood up to great us, never losing the look of shock. He gave me a quick hug, then Savy smiled at him and hugged him before he could decide whether or not to hug her. We sat down across from them, with Savy scooting her chair close to mine and leaning on my arm.

Before they could ask a question, I started, "So guys, good to see you. Anything new going on?"

Mia practically shouted, "Mike!"

I played dumb, "Um... yes?"

Jeff was now leaning back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, smirking.

Mia sounded exasperated, "What's going on?"

Okay, I'd had my fun.

"Well, I guess it comes down to, last weekend Savy asked me if I'd meet her for lunch. When I got there, she told me that Josh had asked her to marry him."

Mia audibly gasped and locked her eyes onto Savy.

Savy answered her unspoken question, "I had been down to meet his family for New Year's, but when he asked, I couldn't do it. I told him that I couldn't marry him. I had been hiding it from myself, but then I knew, I was... I am still in love with Mike. He's the only one I ever want to be with."

Jeff's smirk had turned into a full smile now.

"... and fortunately, he loves me too."

Savy looked at me and ran her hand through my hair, before leaning up and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Jeff simply nodded at me, while Mia jumped out of her chair and ran around the table, wrapping her arms around Savy.

"I'm so, so happy for you."

When she sat down, she wiped tears from her eyes.

We had an absolutely great lunch together, talking about the exact details of what had happened. They knew, especially after I hadn't pursued Samantha on the mountain, that I was still desperately in love with Savy. They were completely shocked, however, that Savy had ended her relationship with Josh.

They also asked if we had talked to our mom about this yet, but we told them that we wanted to give her some time to come to terms with Savy turning down Josh's proposal before we told her.

And then it was just the four of us again, the way it used to be. Jeff and I talked about key things we were doing at work, perhaps getting a little too into the technical details for Mia's liking. Savy said that she didn't know exactly when her next concert would be, but she'd be sure to let them know and have seats for them in the front row.

As we left, Mia almost squished Savy with another hug. Jeff gave me a quick hug and quietly said to me, "Remember, I promised to be your best man." Mia then hugged me and was absolutely beaming with excitement while Jeff gave Savy a much more gentle hug.

Once we were back in my truck and heading back to College Park, Savy was staring at me with her hand resting on my shoulder playing with my hair.

"I missed the four of us being together," she said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"I already talked to Maria about it and she's okay with the idea..."

"What's that?"

"I don't think it makes sense for you to have your apartment all the way out in Bowie, since you work in Greenbelt and you'll be starting your graduate classes at Maryland again. I want you to move in with me... to make it our home, together."

I briefly glanced at her and she was smiling at me. I had to get my eyes back on the road, but I couldn't help smiling. I reached over and laid my hand on her leg.

"I'd like that."

When we got back, I sat next to Savy as she told Maria that I would indeed be moving in. I told Maria that I appreciated how generous she was and that I'd be picking up an appropriate share of the rent and bills. The plan was for Savy and I to figure out which furniture we needed and which we could sell, but I'd be moving all of my clothes and small things over during the weekend.

That night, Savy curled up with her back against my chest and I wrapped myself around her. Neither one of us woke up until the following morning. It was the best night of sleep I'd had in as long as I could remember.

The next morning, when I opened my eyes, Savy was already awake and looking at me.

"You're awfully handsome when you sleep."

She gently touched my face and brought herself closer to me, then kissed me. How had I survived even a moment without her? We stayed in bed for far too long, cuddling and nuzzling each other.

I would have stayed there all day, but eventually the excitement of moving in, joining our lives together, got the better of me. I pulled myself out of bed and then turned to her. She was an absolute goddess laying there, with the blanket draped around her, hair spread across the bed behind her, and her flawless smile looking up at me.

I reached down and took her hand, pulling her up until she was standing with me and I was holding her in my arms.

"Are you ready to start our lives together?"

She kissed me on my chin, then my nose, teasing me.

"Yes."

She beamed that smile at me and then pressed her lips to mine.

After we got dressed and had quick cups of coffee, we were ready to go. While I was driving, she didn't take her eyes off of me until I was exiting towards Bowie. Then she watched to see where I had been living for the past six months.

When we got to my apartment, I took her inside and we started arranging things. She decided that she liked my bed and dining room table better, so we'd keep those. We'd also check to see if we could fit my lounge chair into the living room with her sofa and chair, to get more seating for guests.

I left her for a few minutes after she started packing my clothes and went to my community's front office. I explained to them that I would be moving in with my girlfriend, which made me smile just saying it, and that I'd need to break my lease early. It would cost me my security deposit and I'd have to pay rent until they got a new tenant, but other than that, they were surprisingly nice about everything.

When I returned to Savy, I started carrying various things down the flight of stairs to my truck. I was able to take apart my bed, as well as drag the mattress out, and put those in the bed of my truck. The table and chair would have to wait. Fortunately, I didn't have too many clothes or small things to pack and we were headed back to College Park within a few hours. When we got back to her, now our, apartment, I texted with Jeff and made plans for him to come down the next day to get the rest of my things that I wouldn't be selling.

After unloading everything, putting away some of my clothes, and having dinner, I was fairly tired. I took a shower and then Savy and I went to bed early. When I went into the bedroom, she was waiting for me. I was wearing just my fleece pants and was about to put on a shirt when she told me to wait.

She stood up and took my hand, then pulled me onto the bed, guiding me so that I laid on my stomach. She moved on top of me, with a knee on either side of my body and her bottom resting on mine, and then her hands were on my back. She worked up and down, left and right, rubbing any possible soreness out of my muscles. When she leaned forward, I could feel her hair brushing across my bare skin.

I wanted to hold her, but she didn't stop. She worked hard at first, but slowly softening the pressure until she had removed all of the tension from my body. I barely stayed awake long enough to feel her move beside me, dragging her hair across my back and pulling the blanket up over us. She had so completely relaxed me that I had no choice but to fall asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I had turned to my back. Savy was laying beside me, with her arm and leg draped over me. I rested my hand on her thigh and gently massaged her leg. After a few minutes, she started to stir and pulled her hand up until it was resting on my chest.

When she shifted slightly and moved her leg, she brushed her thigh against my member, which was already semi-aroused, but that certainly got my attention. I looked down at her and she had a different kind of smile than normal.

I watched as she shifted her body more. I couldn't see her face, as she pulled her hair to the side of her head, completely obscuring her. And then I felt her lips, ever so slightly tracing along my chest. She planted delicate kisses across my pecs and to my ribs, and then I could feel the warm air of her breath moving through the soft hair on my chest.

I let my hand explore more, rubbing up from her thigh and to her perfect rear. She began slowly rolling her hips, grinding herself against my leg, which caused me to stand fully at attention. When her lips pressed against my nipple and then I felt a tiny flick of her tongue, I grabbed a handful of her bottom and with my other arm lifted her up until she was straddling me.

I could see her again and she looked straight into my eyes. She moved closer to me, as if in slow motion, and her lips were on mine. I felt her lips part and her tongue lightly licking my lips. I let her tease me for just a moment, before my tongue was seeking out hers.