The Only Constant is Change Ch. 05

"It tastes pretty sweet," he said, "but not as sweet as this." Then he pulled her in for another kiss.

The theater was nearly full, so Jeremy contented himself to hold her hand during the movie. It was nearly midnight before the show let out, and by the time he got her back to her house, they were both dragging. Knowing that they'd see each other the next night, they closed the evening with a gentle kiss after he walked her to the door. He barely managed to strip down to his underwear before collapsing in bed after he got home. He was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

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Saturday was chore day. Jeremy forced himself out of bed at 8, even though he really wanted to stay there with his dreams of Ava-Serena-Hannah. The things those girls got up to in his fantasies were probably illegal in 37 states and the District of Columbia, but who could blame him anyway? By 9, he'd managed to make a pancake-and-sausage breakfast, and empty and reload the dishwasher. He spent the next couple of hours helping his dad with lawn maintenance, mowing, edging, and trimming as needed. He had to admit that things were really starting to look impressive. After lunch, he worked to knock out an unusually heavy weekend homework load.

Maybe it was the years spent overseas or attending functions with his parents, but Jeremy generally enjoyed getting dressed up. This charity event was the first formal event he'd been to since they moved to town. Truthfully, he'd been a little disappointed when Serena told him he didn't need to wear a coat. Of course, not needing to wear one did not preclude wearing one. And that's why he was checking his look in the mirror as he buttoned a two-button navy blazer over a white dress shirt and kelly green satin tie. His legs were covered in a pair of medium gray flannel slacks, with black, tasseled slip-on dress shoes. Thinking that he was looking good and lamenting so few opportunities to wear formal attire, Jeremy was hit with a startling realization. Prom was only--yikes!--less than 4 weeks away. He hadn't thought much about it when he wasn't dating. Now that he was dating, how was he supposed to choose between Ava and Serena? What if Monica were interested too? This could get complicated real quick. He made a mental note to discuss things with Ava at the first opportunity.

He stopped at the flower shop to pick up the wrist corsage with white orchids and green carnations he'd ordered for his date, and halfheartedly considered the merits of opening his own shop, given how much he was spending there recently. But he was very pleased with the work of the florist and hoped that it would work well with Serena's dress.

Her parents were already at the function, handling any last-minute emergencies and making sure everything was set for the event. Serena had told him to let himself in, but he wasn't comfortable wandering the house and remained in the foyer. Thus, he was in the perfect position to view the stunning vision that descended the stairs. Serena hadn't finished putting on her earrings, but she still took his breath away. As promised, her dress was a seafoam green chiffon. She hadn't told him it was strapless (which he could have understood) A-line with a sweetheart neckline (which he wouldn't have had a clue about). The hem of the skirt was asymmetrical, displaying the strappy white heels on her feet. She'd swept her hair into a side bun, exposing her slender neck adorned with a chunky silver necklace.

Serena must have appreciated what the look on his face said about her appearance, because she smiled demurely and became slightly flushed. As she reached the foot of the stairs, she twirled and asked him how she looked.

He took her hands and said, "You are stunning. Absolutely beautiful." He kissed her cheek and said, "I have something for you." She oohed and gave an excited little clap when she saw the corsage. When he finished placing it on her wrist, he offered her his arm and away they went.

Once they arrived and checked in with her parents, the pair made their way around to register for the door prize drawing before heading towards their table. As part of the planning committee, Serena's family was assigned to sit at one of the larger tables near the podium. As they made their way there, Jeremy was surprised to run across Ava and her parents. Apparently, Serena was less surprised because she squealed and hurried over to hug her. Jeremy followed along and shook Mr. Powell's hand while greeting his wife. From the look on the giant's face, this wasn't exactly his cup of tea. Still, he grinned good-naturedly when Jeremy commented on it.

Looking over at his date, he could see his other girlfriend looking resplendent in a burgundy colored, off-the-shoulder floral lace dress with a flowy skirt just above the knees and black heels. The neckline showed a tantalizing amount of cleavage without being risqué. Jeremy thoroughly appreciated the look.

"Good evening, Ava," he said as they briefly kissed and hugged. "You look absolutely amazing. If I'd known you were going to be here, I would have gotten you a corsage as well."

With a twinkle in her eye that was shared by Serena, she informed him that they'd talked it over and decided that it would be a nice surprise for him.

"Well, in that case, happy birthday to me!" he said with a goofy grin on his face.

She lowered her voice conspiratorially, "Dad may like to look gruff, but he's the biggest teddy bear you've ever met. He doesn't have time for the country club set, but when he heard it was for the kids? He made sure that we all had it marked on our calendars. Of course," she continued, "it doesn't hurt that his company is bidding on the expansion they're fundraising for, either. Doesn't hurt to press the flesh with a few decision-makers, right?"

Dinner was about what you'd expect at a charity dinner/fundraiser. Rubbery barbecued chicken or overcooked pork chops, paired with green beans with slivered almonds and roasted fingerling potatoes with herbs and garlic. Jeremy hoped that the so-so quality of the food was due to serving so many people in a short period of time instead of the skill level of the kitchen staff. He thought he would expect better if he were a club member dining here.

While they ate, the chair of the fundraising drive gave an impassioned speech about the importance of providing facilities where the weakest and most desperate could receive the treatment that they needed. Jeremy heard the heart-breaking statistics. While more rare than adult diagnoses, childhood cancers are the #1 killer among childhood diseases; more than 1800 children die each year in the U.S. from cancer. More than 121 infants die per 100,000 births from congenital defects. It was eye-opening.

Looking around at the faces of the people in attendance, he could see many youngsters that were clearly patients of the hospital. A young girl who looked to be 8 or 9 with a bald head; he wondered what form of cancer she had, and what her prognosis was. He was struck by the smile on her face. It was the smile of a strong spirit, who had faced her fears and was at peace. Jeremy wasn't sure he could do the same in her condition. A little boy who couldn't have been more than 5 years old navigated the room as best he could with the heavy braces he wore on his legs. He hurried to keep up with his brother and sister, lost in a game like any other child. At their own table was a girl closer to their age, a 14-year old named Tabitha. Well, that's how her parents introduced her. She firmly instructed them to call her Tabby, "like a cat," since she was on her third or fourth life. Fortunately, she had the bright orange-red hair to back up a moniker like that.

Tabby had been born with one healthy kidney, and one that doctors estimated worked at about 30% capacity. When she was 5, the bad kidney gave up the ghost and she had surgery to have it removed. Unfortunately, she also had gone for several years with an undiagnosed case of type 1 diabetes. She was undergoing insulin treatment now, but the strain on her remaining kidney had damaged it. She was now hoping for a donor to become available to forestall a lifetime of dialysis treatments. In spite of it all, Tabby was a joy to be around. She was smart and funny, with an easy laugh. Even at 14, she was a bit of flirt, warning Serena at one point to watch out or she'd be taking Jeremy home with her.

Knowing that she wasn't going to have a lot of energy for the night, Tabby had begged him to dance with her when the music began to play. How could he deny her? It turned out to be a melancholy moment. When she was younger, she'd aspired to possibly be a ballerina. Now, it was difficult for her to maintain even a moderately-paced dance for an entire song. Like the trooper she was, however, she soldiered through it, even surreptitiously dropping a hand from his waist to his backside at one point for a little squeeze. He feigned outrage and brought her hand back to his waist, but then pulled her close and tried to support her as much as he could. When they returned to their table, he thanked her for the dance and kissed her cheek. Her eyes got big and she touched her fingertips to the spot he'd kissed as her face turned redder than her hair, which got a laugh out of her parents.

Jeremy went out of his way to find a few other young ladies who, like Tabby, could maybe use a shot of fun in their lives in the form of a dance. Every girl he spoke with was an inspiration. He may have had a few difficult times in his life, but they paled in comparison to the very real, very scary prospect of dying without hope of a cure. More than once he found himself blinking back tears as they told their stories, and at the end of the night, he was so grateful that Serena had invited him. Between dances with the younger girls, Jeremy made time for the two lovely ladies he had the most interest in, Serena and Ava. At one point, he'd even found himself between them as the meat in a sandwich, which would have been a perfect end to his existence, had God chosen to take him right then.

As the threesome walked away from the dance floor, giggling and holding hands, Jeremy happened to glance to the side. Lo and behold, who should he happen to make eye contact with, but Colby Walters. Colby was sitting with his family; Jeremy recognized his dad from the cheesy TV commercials. To his right was his brother Ryan; the swelling along his jaw seemed to have subsided nicely. To Jeremy's amusement, Colby had picked up where his brother left off, and surpassed him by sporting a healthy-looking shiner on his left eye. If looks could kill, Jeremy would be six feet under. Colby looked like he'd been eating nothing but lemons and sweaty gym socks, and he was staring Jeremy down.

Jeremy was having such a good time, he didn't really feel any sort of compunction to prove anything by confronting him. But, he couldn't resist taking advantage of this perfect opportunity. He stopped the girls with a tug of their hands and pulled them in close. "Do you ladies want to have some fun at Colby's expense?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.

Ava, as Jeremy was learning, was always up for mischief. "Wherever you lead, I'll follow, big boy."

Serena had been brewing along nicely this evening, watching how Jeremy worked with the patients. She had a feeling that something risqué was about to happen, and she wasn't about to miss out on that. "Whatever you want, Jeremy," she said. Jeremy's heart almost skipped a beat at the sultry way that line was delivered.

He gave Ava a wink, and then quietly said, "Spin!" as he led Serena into a twirl that ended with her body pressed against his, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other pressed to his chest. From his table, there was no way Colby couldn't see exactly what was happening. Jeremy stared into her eyes as he reached up with his other hand and gently stroked her cheek. Then he leaned in and gently kissed her lips. She groaned and said, "There better be more where that came from later." Then she spun back out of his grasp and walked to their table.

It took everything he had not to look over at Colby to see how he was taking it. Instead, he turned to Ava, who was standing a few feet away staring at him with a fire in her eyes. As he stared into her eyes, he gave her a wink and with a crook of his finger, beckoned her closer. It was only a few steps, but watching her approach was like watching a jungle cat stalk her prey. When she got close enough, she slid her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. He cut it off, whispering in her ear that he was about to dip her. When he did so, the result was that Ava's head was pointed at the Walters clan's table. In this position, her off-the-shoulder dress put her cleavage on display to Colby, which was pretty much the point of the exercise. Jeremy leaned in and pressed his lips to Ava's, and without breaking contact he looked up and winked at Colby.

Either Ryan learned his lesson from his own run-in with Jeremy, or he had the brains between the two. Because when the steam engine named Colby began to leave the station headed for Jeremy, he hopped up and put an arm around his brother's shoulders to guide him in a new direction. It was incredibly satisfying.

Walking off the floor with Ava, she stopped and looked to see that no one would overhear. She was flushed and gushing. "That was so hot! Oh my god, you have no idea. I really wish this were my night, tonight. And," she said with a sexy lilt, "my nice-guy boyfriend has a mean streak in him." As they chuckled together, she continued, "I thought Colby was going to pop a blood vessel he was staring so hard."

Jeremy shrugged innocently. "I just wanted to show my girlfriends my appreciation for a lovely evening. If he can't handle that," he grinned evilly, "then so be it. He started the war, but he's outgunned and he doesn't even know it."

When they got back to the table, Serena was gathering her things. "Are you ready to go, Jeremy?" She seemed in a hurry to leave, but her expression was inscrutable. It certainly didn't seem like she was angry. Of course, Jeremy was here at her request, so if she wanted to leave, who was he to stop her? They bid her parents a good night; her stepmother thanked them for coming and complimented them on what a lovely couple they made.

As they made their way back to his truck, Jeremy was basking in the glow of the evening's events. It had been very enjoyable, despite their stories, to dance with the girls tonight. He hoped that he'd brought a little ray of sunlight into each of their worlds. And then, the dances with Ava and Serena individually were fun, but the sandwich had left him horny as hell. Finally, to top it all off by shoving it in Colby's face like they had? It was the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae.

Admittedly, if none of that had happened and he still found himself strolling along holding the hand of a beautiful girl like Serena, he'd have considered himself blessed and content. They hadn't spoken since leaving the club, a fact that Jeremy hadn't noticed, lost as he was in his thoughts. He was directing her towards the passenger door to his truck. Just as he began to reach for the handle, she said "Jeremy?"

He languidly turned towards her, but before he could respond, she grabbed him by the tie with one hand and his lapel with the other. She slammed him against the door and dropped her hands, staring at him with fire in her eyes. Jeremy was momentarily stunned, and questions started firing through his brain. Why was she mad? How could he salvage this situation? Should he apologize? He wasn't entirely sure what he'd done, but he'd apologize for that too, if it would make a difference. He needed to do something, say something!

As his mouth opened, she growled at him. "You owe me." With that, she attacked. Not attacked, as in claws out, hair-pulling, punching/slapping attack. No, she grabbed his tie in one hand and the back of his head with the other and pulled his head down to hers. There was no tentative, gentle, probing caress of his lips; she raped his mouth with her tongue. She released his tie so that she could bury both hands in his hair, and she proceeded to lick, and suck, and bite his lips, his tongue, his chin, and any other part of him the she could reach.

Jeremy weathered the initial wave, content to see where her fever would take her. As her frantic movements began to slow, he took charge. Fortunately for her dress, she was wearing an ankle-length overcoat, because in one quick movement he had her back pinned against the truck. The fierceness of her approach earlier had woken the animal in him too. He captured her mouth with his, and then slid both hands down to firmly grasp her ass. As he did so, he ground his pelvis into hers. The difference in their heights, exacerbated by her need to spread her legs to accommodate him, meant that most of the length of steel in his pants slid across her clit as he forced her up against the truck. Neither the fine material of her dress and her lacy underwear, nor his dress slacks or underwear, provided much impedance against the friction they generated. Already stimulated from the contact during their dances, it wasn't long before the delicious sensations took them past the point of no return. She clung to his body, arms wrapped around his shoulders, legs wrapped around his hips, and flung her head back, groaning as she shook in release. He was right there with her, his entire body clenched as he soaked his boxer briefs.

When she finished shaking, Serena gingerly lowered her legs to the ground. They rested, speaking without saying a word, as they touched foreheads and slowly stroked each other gently.

Serena was the first to speak. She caught her breath and said, "Oh...my...god. That was incredible." She giggled. "I can't imagine what you'd be like in an actual bed."

He returned the grin sheepishly. "I wouldn't know. That's the closest I've ever come to having sex."

She was incredulous. "Are you kidding me? You're a virgin?" When he nodded and cast his eyes downward, she tried to reassure him. "Hey, hey, it's not a big deal. Well, I guess it is a big deal. But I mean, it doesn't matter to me, and it's no reason to be embarrassed. People lose it whenever the time is right for them. Now, I kinda wish I'd waited to find you," she said pensively.

"Listen," she continued, "when you're ready, if it's me, or Ava, or someone else, take your time and relax. Be honest with your girl and I promise she will try to help you have the best experience you can. But," she smiled, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't willing to throw my hat in the ring now. Maybe it was how hot you looked in your suit, or watching you lay one on Ava there are the end. Whatever it was, it got me revved up. That was unreal." She opened the door and climbed in, shaking her head and muttering "a virgin" under her breath.

Jeremy's feet never touched the earth as he rounded the truck to take her home. The clouds seemed to be laying lower than usual tonight, since that's all he walked on.

After their session in the parking lot, they were positively demure as they kissed goodnight at her door. He left giddy over the experience, but even as he drove home, his thoughts were beginning to turn towards tomorrow's date with Monica. What a terrible life I lead, he thought happily.

Serena walked into her house with an entirely different mindset. When she'd let on to Jeremy that she'd had a discussion with Ava, it might have sounded more innocuous than it was. Even with her confession that they'd spoken about his kissing, and the estimated size of his penis, there was still a level of detail that remained hidden. Ava had said that Jeremy was a virgin, but Serena scoffed at her. In fact, she'd said virtually the same thing Ava did when she found out: "I call BS."