Walking an Endless Path Pt. 01

Chloe nodded like she believed him, so Joe continued. "I know you'll be incredible at whatever you decide to do, Chloe. You're so much smarter than anyone I know and so driven! And you're so beautiful!" he said. "I've always known you were destined for big things! I don't want to lose you as a friend!"

Chloe now had a smile on her face, though she remained careful to keep space between them. She nodded at him.

"I had no idea you felt this way this morning. I came in to ask your Dad for a job, but if my being here makes you uncomfortable or unhappy, I'll tell him something came up, and I had to change my mind."

Chloe thought for a moment, then came to a decision. "No, Joe. You should keep the job. I know I can get over this, whatever it is. I want to remain friends, too."

Joe slumped with relief. When he realized how much blabbing he'd been doing with Chloe and that he'd actually called her beautiful to her face, his face flushed crimson. She grinned and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. This surprised them both, but Chloe instantly felt better that she'd been able to touch him without any echoes of her earlier need. They nodded to each other, then walked back to the shop, Chloe to the checkout desk, and Joe to the office to fill out the forms.

When she saw them come back into the front of the store, Rene looked up from the security screen at her desk and put the earpiece away. Truth be told, she was perhaps a little too protective of the St. Germain family, but she accepted that it was just her nature. She had been worried about Chloe, too, but now it seemed like the crisis was past.

However, exploding with ecstasy? Interesting!

Chapter 10

Joe's life fell into a routine that kept him very busy. Every morning he'd get up early and do his workout. Then he'd do his chores, get cleaned up, eat, and drive himself and Amy to school. After school, Amy took the bus home, and he'd head over to St. Germain's and work several hours there, though he had longer shifts on the weekends. He occasionally had duties for the drama club instead of working after school. Amy's performances were getting better and better, and people were taking notice. Joe was so proud of her!

The combination of Joe's morning workouts, farm chores, and the strenuous labor at his job seemed to amplify his growth. By the time he was seventeen, Joe was six foot two and two-hundred-and-forty pounds of lean, solid muscle. Much to Coach Rawlings' dismay, Joe showed no interest in football, track and field, or sports in general. Still, he felt good that he'd been instrumental in guiding Joe down a positive path, and Joe let him know he was grateful too.

Chloe gradually returned to her confident and flirty nature though she was definitely no longer clingy. She'd touch Joe casually but never for long and rarely skin-to-skin. Sometimes, he caught a brief wistful expression flicker across her face before she'd snap back to that sexy knowing smile he'd come to realize he missed.

Elizabeth continued to avoid him. She'd blush furiously when they met in the school hallways and scurry away when he called out to her. Chloe told him that Elizabeth refused to talk to her as well.

Joe didn't know what happened that day, but he deeply regretted that he might have played some unwitting part in hurting his friends. He took the blame on himself. He picked up on Chloe's aversion to touching him, and not knowing what else to do, he began to avoid any intimate contact.

Rene worked closely with Joe as she was his direct report and assigned most of his duties. She began noticing a behavior change in Joe. While she was pleased Chloe seemed to be returning to her old self, she was concerned that Joe was becoming more withdrawn. She saw something in Joe's eyes when he looked at Chloe. Shame? When Rene once patted the back of Joe's hand to get his attention, he yanked it away with an apology. While she was beginning to worry about Joe's state of mind, she couldn't fault his work. He was punctual, organized, and responsible and completed his tasks quickly.

She couldn't get over how strong the young man was. She once saw him helping a customer, following the woman around the store, guiding her to one item after another, and the entire time he'd been carrying an eighty-pound bag of horse feed in each hand simply pinched between his thumb and fingers, as easily as she would a loaf of bread. He seemed oblivious to the load he was carrying, never once setting them down until the woman was finished, and he'd brought them up to the cash to put them onto one of the rolling carts.

She didn't miss the woman's appreciative pat on Joe's bulging bicep either.

Or Joe's barely noticeable flinch.

Now that Joe was a member of the St. Germain family, Rene had also begun to feel responsible for his well-being. She wanted the young man to be happy and well-adjusted, but he was gradually pulling away from people. It had gone on long enough.

It was a very quiet, rainy Wednesday evening, and there hadn't been any customers since late afternoon. It looked like there wouldn't be any for the rest of the night. Chloe was reading a magazine at her check-out counter, and Joe had just finished shifting some stacks of inventory. Rene called him up to her desk. He stood leaning against the counter, picking at his torn work gloves. She smirked as she looked at the poor gloves. She was always amazed by how badly he destroyed pair after pair but never managed to scrape up his hands in the same way. This presented her with an opportunity to help the young man. She reached forward, grasped the ends of the glove's fingertips, and pulled them off. Joe pulled his hands back and gripped the counter's edge on his side. Rene looked at the gloves and smiled at Joe.

"If you didn't save us so much time with moving inventory, I'd have to start docking your pay for how many sets of gloves you go through," she joked.

Joe smiled and ducked his head bashfully.

"Joe, let me see your hands, please," she said gently.

Rene could see Joe's shoulders stiffen slightly, and his eyes snapped up to hers, the smile slipping from his face slowly.

She held out her hands and gestured for him to move his forward, as well. When he hesitated, she said, "I won't bite, Joe, please." Her words were gentle but firm.

Finally, he moved his hands up over the counter, palms down. Rene felt him definitely flinch when she gripped his big hands in her smaller ones and turned them over to look at his palms. As she expected, there wasn't one scratch, blister, or callous to be seen. Just smooth, soft skin. She ran her comparatively tiny thumbs across his palms, trying to detect any roughness that might disclose the edge of a cut or scrape. Nothing. She slid her fingers outwards along the surfaces of his long fingers right to their tips and then felt along his thumbs. Other than the strength she felt in them, there was no evidence of the heavy labor he put his hands through. She thought his hands were remarkable and felt really good in hers!

She looked up and saw Joe biting his lip and trembling. His eyes were closed tightly.

"Joe? Joe, are you okay?" she asked, worried.

His eyes slowly opened as he realized she was asking him something. Her hands on his felt so good, and he could feel himself respond to her touch in a big way. He was terrified that this might trigger the overwhelming sensation. It wasn't like kissing, but this was the first time since the day in the hospital that a woman had touched him so intimately. When he saw Rene was acting normally, his relief was so intense he sagged against the counter as his legs threatened to give out on him. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been.

Rene maintained her grip on Joe's hands; one, to make sure he fully understood that it was okay to touch like this, and two, to help support Joe's trembling body though she wouldn't really have been able to keep the big guy from falling.

She looked him in the eye and said, "You've been afraid to touch anyone since the incident at the hospital, haven't you." Joe's eyes snapped wide, and he started to pull his hands back, but Rene refused to let go. "Look at your hands, Joe. I'm holding them, and everything is okay. Close your fingers and hold my hands too."

Slowly, almost imperceptibly slow, Joe's fingers curled in until Rene's were entirely enclosed within them. He kept his eyes on her face the entire time, terrified that Rene might experience what Chloe had.

"It's okay, Joe. Everything is okay," she said gently.

Suddenly, Joe couldn't see her clearly and realized he was crying. The release was so profound that he couldn't stop as the emotions rocked through him. He curled forward over their hands as the tears flowed. He was sobbing silently. Rene leaned forward and rested her cheek against the top of his head. She made soothing sounds and just held his hands.

The next thing Joe felt was Chloe's body pressed against his back, her arms around his chest, hugging him tightly, and her cheek resting on his back. He could tell she was crying, too, as her tears soaked into his shirt.

"Joe, I'm so sorry!" Chloe cried. "I had no idea you were hurting!"

When she could tell the tears were stopping, Rene released one hand, pulled a box of tissues from under the counter, and held it out to Joe. He took some and wiped his face. He smiled at her gratefully, and she saw that the terrible weight he'd been carrying was gone. He patted Chloe's arms on his chest and handed her the box of tissues. Chloe leaned away from his back and saw the big wet spot she'd left on his shirt. She snorted, then began to giggle.

"Oh, sorry about your shirt Joe!" she said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

Joe's smile was gentle and relaxed. "Not a problem, Chloe."

Rene leaned back, and a great sense of satisfaction swept over her. She couldn't have children of her own, but that didn't mean she couldn't positively impact the lives of those she cared for.

"Thank you," Joe said quietly as he looked her in the eye. Chloe rushed into Rene's booth and pulled her into a big hug.

Moments like these were Rene's reward.

Chapter 11

Prom night was rapidly approaching, and Joe felt more than a little nervous. The last time he'd danced was on his sixteenth birthday, and while he'd enjoyed it, the memory was... not all positive. Attending prom meant he had to get a date, and getting a date meant speaking with a girl. He was still far too shy to be comfortable doing that. He would have asked Chloe as they had become good friends, but Mark Thompson asked her first, and she'd said yes. She and Mark had a lot in common. They were both driven individuals and had been accepted by Berkeley University in California. Joe saw the writing on the wall there.

The person Joe would have most liked to take to prom was Elizabeth, but she continued to avoid him. Over two years of avoidance was really getting under Joe's skin. While he'd never pressure Elizabeth, not knowing what he'd done wrong was driving him crazy. All he did was tell her she was beautiful and she kissed him! Joe closed his locker and leaned his forehead against it. Maybe he could skip prom. If he could sneak it past Rene, he might be able to get a shift at the store that night.

Ding!

Joe looked down at his phone and saw Amy was texting him.

Pls meet me, Rm 330 ASAP.

He texted an okay back to her and headed for the stairs to the top floor. Room 330 was the unused art studio at the end of the hall. Why did Amy want to meet him there? Maybe she needed some stuff moved for Drama Club.

A few minutes later, he walked in and looked around. The west wall of the studio was floor-to-ceiling windows, and the late afternoon sun was bathing the room in a gold glow. It really was an excellent room for painting or photography.

Or storing a large black box with a sheet of paper taped to it.

Joe moved towards the box. It was five feet tall by four feet wide on each side, and the sides had holes punched in all around the top. Was there a large puppy inside? He reached out and pulled the sheet of paper loose.

"Talk, and answers you may find. Ask, and a dance partner you may have. There is only try," he read aloud. It was definitely Amy's quirky humor and her handwriting.

The words finally sunk in. Definitely not a puppy in the box.

Joe heard the door behind him close, and the deadbolt snap into place. He ran back to the door but couldn't see anyone in the hall. He tried the handle, but he was definitely locked in. He looked back at the box. Dammit! He'd been set up. Well, he'd better let its occupant out.

He walked back and looked for a way to open it. On closer examination, it wasn't very sturdy. It looked like it was made of black foam board, and he saw a tape hinge running along the front panel's left edge and a small rubber band latch on the right edge of the front panel. He reached out and undid the latch. The whole panel should then just open like a door—Elizabeth!

Joe tipped the box backward, knocking it onto the floor behind Elizabeth. She was tied to a chair wearing a blindfold, a gag, and noise-canceling earphones, which covered her ears completely. Her arms and legs were bound to the chair with beautiful silk scarves, and the gag seemed to be made of several of the scarves. That looked very uncomfortable, so Joe untied its knot and gently removed it from between Elizabeth's lips. It was fairly drenched when he took it out. She worked her jaw in relief.

"Very funny, Taylor! You need to untie me now... Hanna?" she said.

Joe hesitated and shook his head. Considering how she'd been avoiding him, this would be an unpleasant surprise for her. He reached behind her head and undid the knot for the blindfold, which he removed simultaneously with the earphones. He stepped back and saw her blink a few times to get her eyes focussing again.

Elizabeth froze, and her eyes grew wide. She looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights as she absorbed that Joe was standing before her, not Taylor or Hanna.

"EEP!" she squeaked and jumped slightly as Joe knelt before her, reaching for the scarf that tied her right ankle to the chair. When he heard the sound, Joe looked up at her and frowned. He sat back and said, "Actually, perhaps this is a good time to ask you why you've been treating me like a plague carrier."

Elizabeth looked towards the door and noticed it was closed.

"Someone locked us in. Since you mentioned Taylor and Hanna, I suspect it may have been them or my sister Amy who led me to this room with a text message. Maybe someone wants us to talk. I know I'd like to. How about you?"

Elizabeth's face was slowly turning pink.

"Elizabeth, please! Tell me what I did wrong that day!" Joe begged, kneeling at her feet.

Her eyes flashed to his, and Joe was taken aback by their anguish. "You had sex with me!" she hissed.

Joe fell backward onto his ass, completely stunned! "What?!?" She couldn't have said what she just said.

"You heard me! I was only sixteen!" she raged as she finally released the terrible secret she'd been carrying since that day.

"Elizabeth! I did NOT have sex with you! You just kissed me! I couldn't have had sex with you even if I wanted to. I could barely move because I was in so much pain. Besides, I was under the sheets, and you and Chloe were on top of them. I was pinned to the bed."

Her eyes were confused as she struggled to recall the details of the day so long ago. She shook her head as if to clear away the conflicting memories.

"I know what I felt that day! I was kissing you then you had sex with me. I felt your touch all over me. It felt so wonderful and too good. When I came, it was the most intense feeling I've ever had, but I wasn't ready for that!" She was blushing fiercely by the time she concluded.

"Elizabeth, you kissed me, and it was incredible. It stunned me, and you were gone when I returned from that. Then Chloe kissed me, which felt awesome, but she passed out! You two were only in my room for a few minutes! If you would just speak with her about it, she can confirm what she experienced and saw. What happened to us was amazing, but I can't explain it. It was my first kiss! And it all happened after a very traumatic day. Maybe it was due to that, I don't know. But we didn't have sex. I'm still a virgin," he said, then blushed crimson at his confession.

Elizabeth sat in the chair, her mouth opening and closing as she grappled with her memories to refute his words.

But she couldn't.

The thing she'd clung to for so long, the only rational explanation for what she had experienced, couldn't have happened. Seeing his obvious embarrassment over his confession, she suddenly realized she'd been punishing him for something he didn't do. Then the guilt came crashing down.

"Oh my god, Joe. I-I'm so sorry. First the accident, then you were naked, and I saw your penis, it was SO big, and you fell on me, then your hospital room with that, you know, it all got jumbled up in my head! I was so sure that's what happened. Nothing else made sense."

Joe was even more embarrassed when she mentioned his being naked but pushed that aside. "Nothing made sense that day, Elizabeth. I'm sorry too."

"I haven't spoken to anyone about... what I thought you did. I was confused, frightened, and angry. God! How could I have been so stupid! Can you forgive me?"

"Elizabeth! Please, you have nothing to ask forgiveness for! It was something out of our control. I wish I knew what happened to ensure it doesn't happen again." With that, Joe leaned forward and untied her legs and arms.

She rubbed her wrists and saw Amy's note at her feet. She picked it up and read it. She understood the first part of the note but read aloud the next part. "Ask, and a dance partner you may have?"

Joe blushed again. "Uh, yeah. That Amy is just full of surprises. She somehow knew I wanted to ask you to Prom, so she must have arranged this meeting with Taylor and Hanna."

"You want to ask me to Prom?" Elizabeth's eyes grew large again.

Joe's stomach was full of butterflies. Her blue eyes were so lovely. His mouth went dry. "YES! I mean, yes, I would be honored if you would attend Prom with me... as my date... with me." His words stumbled to a halt.

"What about Chloe?"

Joe smiled and said, "Chloe will always be a good friend. She's going with Mark Thompson. He really is a better match for her. Elizabeth, I want to go with you."

Elizabeth's face showed her conflicted emotions. She'd just got over thinking he'd taken something special from her, then had felt guilty over how she'd treated him, and now was stunned that he wanted to take her to Prom.

"It's okay, Elizabeth. I understand," Joe began. She could already see the hurt in his eyes.

"No, please, I-I just need a little time to get my thoughts straight. I'm a little overwhelmed right now. Can you give me some time to think this through?" she asked.

"Oh! Yes, of course. I never meant to put you on the spot," Joe blurted out. He helped her to her feet, and they both heard the snap of the door's lock opening, the slap of multiple feet running away down the hall, and giggling. He looked at her with a smirk on his face. She smiled up at him.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" she asked.

"That would be great. Thanks!"

Joe walked her out to the parking lot, where he saw Taylor and Hanna waiting by Taylor's little red Honda Civic. Both of them had big smiles on their face. Damn, they'd been listening at the door! Elizabeth was catching a ride home with them and would probably be giving them an earful all the way. She gave Joe another smile, and they said their goodbyes. Joe walked over to his truck and got in. Amy was sitting in the passenger seat against the door with a little smile on her face.