The Fall Ch. 03

The sun streams through my window and awakens me. I'm alone. Throwing back the covers sends a chill against my skin from the morning air. This is the first morning in a long time that I haven't woken up with an erection. As I emerge from my sleepy fog, I wonder where Christina and Aimee are. Listening carefully, I rule out the shower. Then I hear voices downstairs...someone is crying.

Crawling out of bed, I grab a pair of gym shorts and slip them on before going into the bathroom to make myself somewhat presentable. My hair looks like I stuck my fingers in a light socket, and I clearly need a shave. But that will all have to wait. After taking a swig of mouthwash, I spit it out and rinse the sink.

As I walk down the stairs, the voices become louder. Aimee is the one crying. She and Christina are at the kitchen table. When I turn the corner, Aimee sees me and bursts into tears as she buries her face in her hands. Christina looks over her shoulder and shakes her head. I stop. What is she trying to tell me? Am I supposed to stay out? Should I try and console Aimee? I don't do very well around crying women, and there is a knot in the pit of my stomach.

Aimee stands and announces that she has to leave.

"Wait! You're my ride. Give me a couple of minutes...please?" Christina pleads.

Both girls are dressed. Aimee is wearing her clothes from last night while Christina is wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts.

"Yeah...sure...but don't take too long."

Aimee charges around the corner and out the front door. She doesn't even look at me. Christina stands and walks over to me.

"I'm sorry, Joe, but I have to go," Christina says.

"Go? Why? I can take you home."

"No. You don't understand. Aimee is distraught by what happened last night."

"Distraught? Why? We didn't do anything that she didn't want to."

"That was last night. This morning is a different story."

"Why? What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Joe. It's not you. It's Aimee."

"I don't understand."

"Joe, Aimee is upset that you took her virginity and that she and I engaged in...well...you know...oral stuff."

"But that's what she wanted. Wasn't it?"

"At the time, yes. But now, she feels enormously guilty. She was saving herself for marriage and the man she loved, but now she'll never have that moment again."

"But...--"

"I know. Let me handle her, Joe. I'm sure she'll come to grips with the situation."

"Shit, Christina. I never meant for her to be hurt in any way."

"Me either, Joe. Me either. Not to change the subject, but changing the subject...I don't have much time."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Aimee is waiting for me. Look, I'm going to be gone for a couple of weeks."

"Gone? You're leaving? Where? What?"

"Joe, it's okay. Don't worry. My brother is graduating, and then I have some pageant duties to take care of. I need to be at the Miss Burbank event to hand over the crown to the next woman. Once that is over, I'll be done with it, and I can focus on school and my personal life."

"Oh...right. Miss Burbank. I forgot."

"You forgot I was Miss Burbank?"

"No! I mean...that's not why I'm with you. That's not what I love about you. I mean, it's cool and all, but when I see you, I don't see your title...I just see you."

"You just see me? What does that mean?"

"No! Christina...look. I love you. With every fiber of my being, I love you. To me, you are more than a title. You mean more to me than any person I've ever met."

A soft smile emerges from Christina's lips as she reaches up and kisses my cheek. "Joe, don't worry about it. When I get back, we'll pick up where we left off. In the meantime, if you watch any media coverage of the pageant...don't worry about what you see. It's all hype."

"What? What does that mean?"

"Look...Joe, I have to go. I'll call you in a couple of days."

Putting my arms around Christina, I give her a tight hug and kiss her. Her exuding warmth gives me comfort. The way her fingers play with my hair as we kiss helps me forget the problems of the moment and think only of the woman I love.

Christina breaks our kiss, grabs the plastic bag with her clothes, and leaves without saying another word. When she shuts the door behind her, my heart sinks. I have that knot in the pit of my stomach again. My mind wanders over the events from last night. We had fun. There was giggling, laughing, kissing, touching, and, best of all, there was sex. I think about Aimee and everything that transpired. What will she do? Will she tell everyone about Christina and me? Will she go to her minister and divulge what we did? Will her minister call Christina's and my minister? There are a lot of questions running through my mind, and I begin to feel paranoid. Will Christina have second thoughts about what we've done? Will she forget about me while she is away? STOP!

I need to get out of this funk, so I go upstairs and shower before making some breakfast. I'd planned on spending today with Christina, but now...now...she's gone.

***************

It's been two weeks, and I've only spoken with Christina once. I tried calling her a few times, but I only got her voicemail, and she hasn't returned any of my calls. I think she is supposed to be home in a couple of days. I think.

I went to the dance last night and had a horrible time. Aimee was there, by herself, and she avoided me like the plague. I tried to approach her a couple of times, but she walked away when she saw me coming. Sarah was there too. With a guy. On the one hand, I was relieved that she had found someone to date, and on the other, I was sad. Why? I don't know; I just was. It's not like I want to date her or anything...I was just sad.

I miss Christina more than I can explain. It's not the sex...okay...maybe a little...it's having her near me, her voice, her touch, and her lips against mine. I miss her. I don't remember smiling the past couple of weeks. I've been just trying to take it one day at a time.

I'm sitting in the living room trying to study, but this darn economics book is boring. I can't get through a couple of paragraphs without my mind wandering. Mom and Dad are milling about the house, taking care of chores. Maybe that's what I should do...mow the lawn or something. I need some exercise to get some of my angst out, so I decide to go for a jog.

About a mile from home, I stop to take a break. I see a bagel shop, so I walk in and order. I don't have my wallet or phone on me, but I stuck some money inside my sock, just in case. Running helped. I feel better. After finishing my snack, I head for home. I start by walking but eventually, I break into a jog. Dad is mowing the lawn when I stop in the driveway to catch my breath. Dang! I was going to do that.

He waves at me as I walk toward the porch, so I wave back. When I open the door, I hear voices. Women's voices. They are both familiar voices too. One of them is Christina. My heart sinks, and the angst I worked out is back.

Stepping into the front room, Mom and Christina are on the couch talking. Christina has her back to me. Mom sees me, smiles, and nods. Christina notices and looks over her shoulder at me and turns around as she stands.

"Joe...," she says.

"Hi, Christina." Looking down at my sweat-stained shirt, I continue, "Uhm...let me go change, and I'll be back shortly."

"But, Joe..."

Her voice trails off as I walk up the stairs. I decide to shower before getting dressed, and when I get back downstairs, Christina is gone.

"Mom...what the...--"

"Joe. Christina only had a few minutes. She had to leave."

"Oh."

"She went home. Why don't you go over there?"

"What? No. Mom...I've left her three voicemails, and she never returned my calls. If she couldn't stick around long enough to wait for me to get cleaned up, I think that tells me all I need to know."

Going into the living room where my books are, I plop down on the sofa and open my econ book. But, I'm back to where I was before I went for a jog. I'm distracted by thoughts of Christina. There's a loud slap as I slam my book shut. Okay, so Christina is back. Maybe I should follow my mom's advice and go to her house. Perhaps it will do some good to hear her side of the story and why she didn't return my calls.

***************

Christina's house looks quiet when I pull up. Maybe nobody's home, I say to myself. Then, after taking a few deep breaths, hoping to inhale some courage, I get out of my car. When I knock on the door, her father answers.

"Hi, Joe. What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see Christina, sir."

"You make my daughter cry and then think I'll let you inside my house?"

"Cry? How'd I make her cry? I've only seen her for a few seconds over the last two weeks. She's the one that hasn't returned my calls. You know what? Never mind...I get the hint."

I turn around and take a few steps toward the street when I hear Christina's voice. "Joe? Joe...come back."

I stop and turn around. Christina is standing in the doorway with her father behind her.

"Are you sure, Honey?" her dad says to her.

"I'm sure, Dad."

Taking a few more deep breaths, I start toward her. She opens the door and invites me in when I get to the threshold.

"Let's go in here," Christina says as she enters their formal living room through the frosted double doors.

After stepping inside, I close the doors behind me. Christina sits on the sofa, so I sit next to her and turn to face her. We sit in silence while Christina fidgets with her tennis bracelet. When she looks up at me, there are tears in her eyes. My heart breaks. Like I said, I don't do well around crying women.

"What's wrong, Christina? Why haven't you returned my calls? Why have you been avoiding me?"

"Joe...I...I...I don't--" Christina breaks out crying. Tears stream down her face, and she looks heartbroken.

"What? What Christina? What's wrong?"

She continues to sob uncontrollably. I scoot closer and wrap my arms around her. Her tears soak through my shirt as she rests her head on my shoulder and cries. We stay like this until she eventually catches her breath and pulls away.

"Joe. I'm sorry we haven't spoken on the phone. Unfortunately, I lost my cell at my brother's graduation and haven't had time to get a new one. I was hoping to do that today."

Well, that explains that. I feel like some two-year-old heel who threw a temper tantrum.

"I...I...didn't know," I say apologetically.

"How could you?" Christina looks down at her lap while slowly twirling her tennis bracelet around her wrist and begins to cry again.

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?" I ask empathetically.

"My....my...while I was at the pageant, my grandfather passed away. I was the only member of our family who couldn't be with him when he died. I'm devastated. My grandpa was the best man in the world, and I couldn't be with him during his last moments."

My heart breaks, and tears form in my eyes. I wrap my arms back around Christina and hold her tight. Eventually, she pulls her arms from between us and places them around my neck, pulling me into her.

"I'm sorry, Christina. I'm so sorry."

"My world has fallen apart, Joe, and I haven't been able to talk or be with you. I wasn't able to be with my grandfather or my parents. I neglected all of the important things because of some silly competition. I miss my grandpa, Joe. I miss him a lot."

"I'm sorry, Christina. What can I do?"

"Don't leave me, Joe. Please don't leave me too."

"Leave you? Christina that is the last thing I want to do. I'm sorry for the way I acted today. I thought you didn't want to see me anymore. Christina, I still love you. I will always love you."

"Being away from you, Joe, and not being able to speak with you has given me time to reflect on our relationship." Christina looks at me and continues, "Joe, I love you."

"You do? Really?"

"Yes, really, Joe. With everything that has occurred over the past couple of weeks, I needed you. I needed to be with you, and you weren't there. It helped me realize how much you mean to me. When my grandpa passed, and I couldn't be there, I needed you, and you weren't there."

"I would have been there in a heartbeat if I'd known, Christina."

"I know you would have. I know. I need you, Joe. I need you."

"You have me. Whatever you need, I'm here."

We sit in silence for a while longer before Christina stands. I follow suit, and we leave the room. When I head for the front door, Christina grabs my hand and pulls me to her. We walk toward the kitchen, and when we get there, we are greeted by her parents. Her father stands and takes a step toward me.

"Daddy, it's okay. Don't."

"But, Sweetheart, you've been crying again."

"I know. I told Joe about Grandpa."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin. I know this must be difficult. When are his services?"

"Yesterday," Mr. Griffin replies.

"Oh. I wish I had known. I would have been there."

"Thank you, Joe. That means a lot," Mrs. Griffin replies.

"Mom, Dad, I need to get a new phone. Is it okay if I do that now?"

"Oh, sure, Honey. I forgot about your phone," her father says. Digging into his back pocket, he pulls out his wallet. "Here, take my card."

"Thanks, Daddy," Christina says as she tucks the credit card into her back pocket. She steps toward her parents, and they engage in a group hug.

"Joe, do you mind going with me?"

"Of course not. Want me to drive?"

"Sure."

On the way to the mall, Christina tells me stories about her grandpa. The loving bond that her family shares is astounding. We meander around the mall before going to the phone store. After Christina picks out the phone she wants, they set it up for her.

"Can you do me a favor?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Don't listen to my voicemails...just delete them."

"No can do, buddy."

"But...--"

"Nope...don't even try."

When her phone is finally given to her, she pulls up her voicemails to see how many there are. There are three from me, six from Aimee, and a few others she isn't concerned about. She listens to mine first. I carefully watch her face to gauge her reaction. She has a slight smile, which is disconcerting, considering I remember precisely what I said.

After she finishes listening, she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. "You don't have to worry about me, Joe. I am here and not going anywhere."

I'm quickly relieved that my insecure calls didn't upset her. "Hungry?" I ask.

"I am. Food court or somewhere else?"

"Let's go somewhere quiet."

"Sounds good."

We end up at an old pizza parlor on San Fernando Road, next to Tommy's. The place is busy late in the evening, but it's quiet now. Just what we need. While driving over, Christina listened to Aimee's messages. Christina called her before we got out of the car, but she didn't answer, so she left a voicemail.

After ordering our food, we grab a booth in the back and sit across from each other.

I take Christina's hands and say, "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too. Now that we have all of the drama and stuff out of the way...can we...uh...well...you know...uhm...--"

"Have sex?"

"Yeah. That."

"I'd love to, but I don't know where to go. Both of our families are home, and going to a motel is cheesy."

"I have an idea," she says as she pulls out her phone. "Hey, Daddy?... Did you say my new apartment is ready?... Yeah?... Well, I want to show it to Joe. Is that okay?... I know it's a long drive.... Yeah.... Sure.... Okay, love you.... Bye." Christina looks at me with a salacious grin and says, "Done."

After finishing our meal, we start the drive to Westwood. Traffic is heavy as usual, so we have a lot of time to talk. She tells me that Aimee is still upset about losing her virginity, and that's why she avoided me at the dance. She isn't mad at me, per se, just upset that it happened. I ask if our secret is out, and she assures me that it isn't. What we do behind closed doors is our business, and nobody else has to know.

We finally pull up in front of the apartment building, and I have to say...it's not like any off-campus apartment building I've ever seen. The place is really nice.

"This is it?" I ask.

"Yep."

"This is a nice place."

"I know. It belongs to one of my dad's associates. He only lets people stay here that he trusts. He doesn't charge rent, but we are responsible for the utilities."

"Really? That's incredible."

"I know, right? C'mon...it's this way."

Christina takes my hand, and I follow her up the stairs. She unlocks the door, and we step into what I would consider a lavishly furnished front room. She gives me the tour, and I'm blown away. Everything is luxurious. Christina leads me to the end of the hall and opens the door to reveal a completely furnished bedroom. Then, she opens another door to what I think is a walk-in closet, but it's another bathroom -- a nice big one with a separate bathtub and shower.

"This place is insane!"

Christina flops onto the bed and beckons me with her finger. Like a mesmerized zombie, I go to her. When I get close, she sits up and pulls me onto the bed with her, and we make out. Having Christina in my arms again is euphoric. I hold her tightly while rolling onto my back. Christina sits up and flashes a huge smile.

"This place can be ours, Joe. You can move in here with me."

"I haven't been accepted yet."

"You will be. I have it on very good authority that you will be," Christina says with a wink.

Christina leans forward and rests her forearms on my chest with her dark, curly hair flowing around us. She pecks me on the nose and then gently kisses me.

Pulling away, she asks, "Is that a roll of quarters? Or are you just happy to see me?"

"Just happy? Happy doesn't even begin to describe my feelings."

Christina sits back up and begins to unbutton her blouse. Her ample breasts heave with each breath. After pulling her hair back, she removes a rubber band from her wrist and makes a ponytail. She then goes back to her unbuttoning. She does it slowly and seductively, exposing her white lace bra. After removing her blouse, she lowers her shoulder straps, pushes her bra down around her torso, spins it around, and unclasps it. Flinging it to the side, she leans back down, and we continue to make out.

"I'm going to come in my pants if we keep this up," I warn.

"Well, then. We better do something about that."

Sitting back up, she pulls me up with her. Christina grabs the hem of my t-shirt and lifts it over my head. Her nipples tickle my chest. My cock pulses. Crawling off me, Christina stands and pushes her pants down around her ankles, revealing her white thong. I take the hint and strip naked.

Christina lies back on the bed and straightens her legs. My seductive goddess awaits me. After removing her shoes and pants, I kiss her calves and slowly work my way to the insides of her thighs. There is a small damp spot on the gusset of her thong. My initial urge is to wrap my mouth around her mound and suck, but I calm myself. Reaching for the sides of her panties, I pull them down slowly. When her knickers are just below her hips, she raises her legs, folding herself in half. I remove her thong the rest of the way and hold her legs in place. Her puffy mound pokes between her thighs, and I can't help but kiss my way down to it. She's flowering, and her aroma entices me.

Flattening my tongue against her perineum, I stroke up. I stiffen my tongue and push it into her when I reach her opening. She gasps. I continue upward. My tongue splits her labia, and when I get close to her clit, I spread her legs and let her lower them. Taking her hard button between my lips, I suck on it while sliding two fingers into her pussy and pressing against her spongy g-spot. Christina moans as she raises her hips. Her legs wrap around my head as I continue to finger-fuck her and pay homage to her clit. That's when she comes.