Reaching Out Ch. 03

He set the alarm on his phone and set it on the floor next to the couch, settling down to call it a day. He was just about to slip off to sleep when he heard the phone ring. The alarm tone was the same as his ring tone, so at first he thought he had simply set the alarm wrong. With an irritated frown, he picked it up to reset the alarm. When he saw the picture of Dana, smiling shyly as she looked off to the side of the camera, her hair covering most of her face, he smiled as well and answered.

"Hello Dana." James said quietly, chuckling a little.

"Hello James." She answered, speaking in a low voice.

"I got the bed set up, and I got the sheets and stuff on it. I'm pooped. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight though. It didn't feel right to sleep in the bed without you here." He said, feeling a little foolish about it, feeling like she might laugh at him for being silly. When she answered, she surprised him, but he figured he should have realized how she would feel about it.

"Aw, that is so sweet. I hope your couch is better than the one here, though. I hate to think of you trying to move my junk with you all twisted up like a pretzel." She said, sounding like she just saw a puppy playing with a kitten when telling him it was sweet.

"This one is a fair bit better than mom's, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about that. We'll have you moved tomorrow no matter how I feel. I don't care if I couldn't walk, I'd still be crawling out to the truck with a box roped to my back, I can promise you that." James said, knowing he would be sore for the first couple hours after waking up. It wouldn't be anything terrible, he had certainly worked through worse, but it wouldn't be pleasant.

"Okay, I would prefer you didn't do anything like that, but I am glad to hear it." She giggled.

"Once we get your stuff loaded, follow me over with your car so I can take the truck back. I'll need a ride back to my old place to get my car, then we can come home." James said, stretching out a little on the couch. His eyes were starting to feel heavy, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stay up much longer after the already long day.

"Of course." She said, with the sounds of her moving around clear through the phone. "I just wanted to call to say goodnight. I'm laying down now; I'm pretty tired as well." She continued.

"I'm glad you did. Goodnight Dana, I love you." James said, smiling.

"I love you too."

--

It only took about four hours to load all of Dana's belongings. It took the longest to disassemble her bed and load it. James had caught himself at the last second before saying that they didn't need it, realizing that they would have to take it to keep their parents from wondering where she would be sleeping in the new house. He had come very close to slipping and tipping their hand, and he made a mental note to himself to be more careful about how they went about things in the future. They had been careful so far, and he thought that they had covered all the bases that they could, but something as simple as the bed had almost risked it all.

With dad helping, it went a lot easier than if it had been just James and Dana. Dana and mom had gotten most of her clothes and artwork packed the night before. James, Dana, and dad got everything else packed in the morning before turning to the furniture. It was just bed, dresser, desk, and nightstand, but it was still a lot of work. Dad and James focused on the furniture once everything was boxed while Dana started moving the boxes out to the truck. It gave dad and James time to talk while they worked.

"So how has it been working out? The whole work from home thing?" Dad asked while they took the drawers out of the dresser and lifted it, making their way out the door carefully.

"Actually, it's working out really well. I'm usually ahead of schedule; I get all my stuff done well before my deadlines, which my supervisor loves about me. Now though, I'm way ahead of schedule. Since I don't have to deal with the two slackers on my floor trying to stop by my desk a few times a day to get me to help them meet their own deadlines, I'm just blowing through the stuff I have to get done." James said, smiling as he back down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Watch out, you're right at the first step. That's good, I'm glad it's working for you. I was worried that once you had some more freedom you would slack off a bit, get a little behind. I know I probably would. I'd end up spending most of the day in my underwear on the couch, and try to sprint through everything in the evenings. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to work from home, no matter how appealing it may be to me." Dad said with a chuckle as they walked down the stairs, taking it one slow step at a time with the heavy dresser.

"Dad, you have no idea how tempting it is to do exactly that. The first two days, I just wandered through the house, not doing anything. I was a slug. I cleaned and packed, but I didn't do much else, and I didn't exactly work my ass off. Once I realized that I was getting behind though, I jumped all over the stuff I had to do. I started forcing myself to wake up at the same time I always did for work. I wake up, I shower, I shave, I get ready like I have to go into the office. I mean, I don't dress in slacks and a button shirt, and I certainly don't wear a tie, but I get ready and I get dressed. Then I get some coffee and I get straight to work. I break at noon, then I would work on packing for a couple hours. After that, I would put in a few more hours working on accounts, then back to packing. I've gotten into a bit of a routine with it, and it's easy to stay on task now. I have a lot less distractions than I did in the office, so now that I'm not slacking off it's easy to keep up with it. I got a hold of the cable company that I used at the old place, and should have internet access at the new house by the day after tomorrow, so I'll have a day off. I let the office know, and they said it was fine, but I gotta say it's gonna feel a little weird after getting my routine down." James said as they walked up the ramp into the back of the truck, Dana standing by the bumper and watching to make sure they didn't trip over anything.

"Well that's great, I'm glad to hear you've picked up your mother's work ethic instead of mine. If you'd have gotten mine, you'd be screwed right about now." Dad chuckled as they set the dresser down and stretched their backs.

"Are you two all right? You look tired." Dana said, leaning over the ramp. Her face was concerned, and was looking at James, but dad answered.

"We're fine sweetie, your old man just isn't used to doing actual work. I've been stuck at a desk and walking around houses to show them for a long time. It's been a while since I bent my back to actual labor is all. How are you holding up, James?" Dad said, his spine crackling a little as he finished stretching.

"I'm good, yesterday is just catching up to me is all. We'll get the rest of the big stuff loaded and take five. That should be all I need before we unload it all at the house. After we get the truck turned in, we can take our time getting everything set up. We aren't on any kind of schedule once the truck is done with." James said, his hands on his hips as he smiled at Dana.

"Okay. Just don't hurt yourselves. I would feel terrible if either of you did that while trying to help me, so don't do it." She said, relaxing a little, her frown easing.

"We'll be fine." Dad said, smiling as he walked down the ramp.

--

When the truck was loaded, Dana gave dad a hug and a smile, looking like she might be trying not to cry. She had known that she was moving in with James for a while now, but the full realization that she was moving out of mom and dad's house was finally sinking in, and it had her a little shaken.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, daddy. I'll call you and mom when we get back from turning the truck in. Thank you for helping us today, I really appreciate it. And thank you for understanding about the move, and for supporting me with it. It really means a lot to me." She said quietly, holding tightly to her dad.

"You're very welcome, honey. You know your mom and me just want to help you however we can, and that we'll always be right there at your back. If this helps you, then we understand and we're totally okay with it. I'm gonna miss having you around the house, but we'll be sure to visit and call often. Let us know how things are going once you and James get settled, okay?" Dad said, stepping back from her, rubbing her arms, looking a little reluctant to let her go entirely. James could see the tightness in dad's neck, the twitches in his arms and hands, the way he leaned forward a little while talking; could hear the slight roughness and tiny, almost imperceptible hitches in his words, and figured that dad was close to tears as well.

James wondered briefly if dad had ever really expected Dana to move out, thinking about it while seeing dad like this. Dad had to have thought about it at some point, knowing the way Dana was. Did he think that Dana would simply remain at home, hiding in her room for the rest of her life? Or did he really think that she would one day begin to overcome her fears and insecurities on her own, and eventually move out of her own accord? James didn't know, and didn't think he could ever really make anything like an accurate guess in one direction or the other. He thought he might ask dad about it sometime, once things had started getting into a regular routine and settled down.

"I will. Tell mom that I love her and that I'll talk to her soon, if you see her before I call tonight. I love you daddy." Dana said, her eyes steady on dad's.

"I'll tell her. I love you too, sweetie." Dad said, smiling. James gave his dad a brief hug and said goodbye before climbing into the truck. Dana got into her car to follow him and they were off.

They got to the house and started unloading. Dana and James were excited, moving fast and working hard. When all the boxes were in, they moved the furniture. It was a little slower going with Dana helping instead of dad, but it went quickly enough with no stairs to contend with. Once they had everything inside, they took a break. James plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh, Dana sitting next to him with a bit more grace and less flopping. James put his arms around her and held her tight, closing his eyes and burying his face in her hair at her neck. Dana gave a happy little sigh as he did, her hand on his chest.

"It feels good to be home." James whispered, his hands rubbing gently on her back.

"Yes. It feels very good. This is right, this is where I belong. This is where we belong." She said, her hand sliding up to his neck. James pulled away from her enough to look into her eyes.

"Exactly where we belong. Dana, I have something for you. I picked it up while I was waiting for the house to go through. Wait here a minute." He said, smiling. Dana nodded, wondering what he would have gotten her.

"You didn't have to get me anything James, I have everything I need now. You know that." She said as he walked into the hall. He returned from the bedroom a moment later, his smile wider, and stood before her, holding his hand out to her. She reached out and took it, looking a little confused, and stood up. She could see that he was very nervous despite his smile, that he was tense all over, that his neck and shoulders were tight as a drum. Dana got a little nervous as well, wondering what had gotten him so worked up so quickly. James just looked at her a moment, mulling over how to go about what he wanted to do before he spoke.

"Dana, you know I love you. I love you more than anything. We have our home now, we're starting our life together, and we're going to be with each other forever. I know that it can't be official for anyone else, that no one else can even know, but we know, and I want it to be official for us." He said, his voice wavering a little. James got down on one knee before her and pulled a ring from his pocket, holding it out to her. It was a white gold band with a small, round ruby set in it, surrounded by small swirls of cunningly twirled yellow gold.

When James knelt down, holding her hand, Dana gasped as she realized what he was doing. Her eyes went a little wide and the hand that wasn't holding his went to her mouth, covering her shocked smile. As he spoke, a few tears of absolute joy slipped down her cheeks.

"Dana, will you be my wife?" James asked quietly, watching her face closely, his hand holding hers tightly. Dana nodded immediately, squeezing his hand back fiercely.

"Yes, yes James, of course I will." She said when she could speak again, her voice rough with emotion, her words broken by a small laugh of happiness. James took her right hand and slid the ring on her finger. She looked a little confused, but James explained.

"I figured it was best to put it on your right, that way it didn't look like a wedding band to others. I thought a ruby would be more fitting than a diamond for us as well, since blood is thicker than water and all that." He said quietly as he stood up. Dana wrapped her arms around him kissed him, holding on to him tight and kissing hard. James held her and let his tension and anxiety over asking her just float away. He had been afraid of the moment since he first had the idea, and it had only grown when he had bought the ring. Now that the moment had come, all of his fear was gone, replaced with bliss.

When Dana pulled away from him, she kept her face close to his, smiling and resting her forehead against his.

"It is official, you know. To all the people that matter, it is. I'm yours, James. I always will be." She said, pecking at his lips between sentences. James smiled wide at that.

"And I'm yours, for the rest of time." He said, his hands rubbing in slow circles on her back.

"James?" Dana said quietly, her hands grabbing onto his shirt lightly, pulling him a little closer to her.

"Yeah?"

"Love me." She whispered, tugging at him. James kissed her, his hands pulling her as close to him as they could. She moaned softly as one of his hands slid lower down her back, pulling her hips to his. He stepped back from her and took her hand, and the two of them walked to the bedroom, looking at nothing but each other.

Dana stepped into the bedroom and turned around, watching James close the door. She was excited, her heart racing. She had James in their own bedroom, with no fear of anyone walking in on them, with no fear of being interrupted or judged. They were free to do as they wished, however they wanted to. They were free.

James stepped up to her and put his hands on her hips, kissing her as she tugged at his shirt. They undressed each other, taking their time, enjoying it. Their lips only parted to let their shirts be pulled over their heads. When they were done, Dana pulled on James' hips, leading him to the bed behind her. She sat down, looking up at him with a smile, the corner of her lip caught in her teeth.

"You're beautiful. You're perfect, Dana." James whispered, leaning down to kiss her. Her hands slid up his sides slowly, making their way to his back. James cupper her cheek gently, his fingers sliding into the hair at her temple, his thumb rubbing lightly just under her eye. Her fingers tensed and she dragged her nails down his back lightly, not enough to hurt but enough to make his muscles tighten back there. James smiled and straightened up, climbing onto the bed while Dana slid back onto the bed completely, laying on her back for him. She held her arms up, welcoming him into her embrace as he kissed her again, wrapping his own arms around her. Her legs wrapped around his, holding him tight to her. She could feel him against her mound, stiff and ready, and it made her smile.

"Love me James. Make me yours." She whispered in his ear, rolling her hips against him. James moaned softly at that, kissing her neck and nibbling at her ear. He lifted his hips enough to line himself up and stopped, his head just starting to part her.

"Stay with me, please." He whispered in her ear, kissing her neck again.

"I will. I always will." She promised, her arms tightening around him. James pushed in slowly, taking the time to savor every last bit the feeling of entering her. Dana moaned as he did, no longer concerned about keeping her voice down or worried about anyone hearing them. They started a slow pace together, Dana matching James' movements with her own, her moans coming in steady waves. She pushed them into a faster pace, urging James on with her hips and her legs, pulling him to her with her heels in his thighs, using her body to demand that he hammer into her harder. James obliged happily, giving her everything she wanted. His mouth moved from her neck to her mouth, needing to kiss her, needing to taste her. Dana wrapped an arm around the back of his neck, locking his head to hers, her other hand still on his back, her nails digging into his flesh hard. Their breathing grew more and more ragged, their kissing breaking up as they started panting. The pace had turned almost manic, James pistoning into her hard and fast, Dana meeting him in each thrust with a small whimper of pleasure and purpose. She could feel his cock getting harder, and he could feel her muscles starting to spasm. James started to give small moans and grunts, his body unable to continue giving and receiving the intense pleasure for much longer. Dana's whimper turned to long moans and sighs as her own thrusts became harsher, more erratic. She started calling James' name over and over, her voice rough and uneven, as her climax overtook her. As soon her slit started clamping down on his dick, James couldn't hold out any longer. He gave a short, gasping grunt and thrust hard into her one more time, his dick jumping and bucking as he came. Dana almost shouted when he did, her legs and arms clamping down on him as she felt the warmth fill her.

They lay together as James finished, both of them gasping, Dana kissing at his neck and biting at his ear. She worked her way to his mouth and kissed him hard, her mouth hungry and passionate, her hips still rolling slowly against him. James didn't think it was possible to feel better than he did in that moment. When she released his mouth and let her head drop back down to the pillow, she was smiling wide. James smiled back, still feeling a little out of breath.

"That's what I want. I want that every day please." Dana said softly, her hands rubbing along his sides gently, a sharp contrast to the digging nails and death-grip like clamping that had been holding on to him moments ago.

"I'll give you whatever you want, whenever you want it." James said with a little chuckle, pecking at her lips. He slid off of her, lying next to her and pulling her into his arms.

Dana lay against James, her fingers making their slow circles on his chest. She paused to look at the ring now on her finger, studying it carefully. She used her thumb to nudge it a little, rolling it side to side on her finger. After a moment, she looked up at James.

"What about you? Are we going to get a ring for you?" She asked, her fingers going back to their circles.

"I was thinking about it. Maybe a simple band, something plain. I didn't know if you wanted to look with me or not, so I decided to wait. I didn't know how you would react to your ring, much less one for me." He said.

"You actually thought I wouldn't be happy about it?" She asked, frowning a little.

"Well, it's a big thing, you know? I didn't know if you might freak out or something if I asked you to marry me. I was pretty scared about it, Dana. I didn't want to frighten you with something so big, so soon after the move, but I really couldn't wait either. I don't know, I was excited and nervous and everything all at once." He said, trying to explain the conflict of emotions that had rolled around in him since he had started thinking about it all.