Abandoned but Not Alone (16 page)

Hope
’
s departure was met with an uneasy
silence which left Aviva trembling and emotionally spent. Jason and Steve
shared a glance of uncertainty as to how to deal with the havoc a departed Hope
had caused to their lives. Jason slowly walked to the door and closed it before
turning to Aviva, reaching out to touch her.

Pulling
away before he could make contact, she shook her head looking around as though
unsure of where she was or what she was doing there. Aviva shook her head again
while backing away, her hands covering her mouth in an attempt to hold in the
emotions on the verge of spilling from her lips. Turning abruptly she ran up
the stairs needing to get away from the man she had so cruelly accused of
attacking a woman and who now wanted to comfort her. She couldn
’
t stand it, so she ran.

Jason moved
to follow, Steve grabbed hold of his arm holding him back.
“
Give her some time, man. If you go after
her now she may completely shut you out.
”

“
You saw how she looked; you heard the
things Hope said to her. The last thing she needs is to be alone.
”

“
I
’
m telling you, the last thing she needs right now is you going
after her. Give her a while to get herself together. I know Aviva, she
’
ll do the right thing, just give her a
while on her own.
”

He was
unconvinced. However, maybe Steve was right, he knew her better than he did, so
he was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“
Okay, I
’
ll give her
ten minutes, if she doesn
’
t come down
by then, I
’
m going up.
”

“
Come on Jason, ten minutes, she
’
s gonna need longer than that!
”

“
Ten minutes Steve, then I
’
m going up there!
”

~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting
alone in her car, aware of the enormity of what had just taken place, Hope felt
a profound sadness. She hadn
’
t meant
most of the things she had said, feeling cornered she had reacted as she had
been taught, come out fighting. In that moment it hadn
’
t mattered who she was hurting humiliated to have been caught in
a lie she had felt the need to hurt those she saw as its cause. Hope recognized
that her actions and hers alone, had severed relationships she held dear.
Reaching for her cell she punched in a number and waited for her call to be
answered.

“
Daddy, the weddings off, I messed up bad
this time
…
really,
really bad.
”

Aviva
rushed up the stairs as though the Hounds of Hell were nipping at her heals,
determined to distance herself from what was one of the most distressing
experiences of her life. Entering Jason
’
s bedroom, she fell across the bed. Her tears were for Hope and
the two men who had been treated so appallingly.

For the most
part a fair person, she was mortified at her treatment of Jason. In normal
circumstances she would listen to both sides of a story before taking a side,
but Hope was her friend, they had known each other for over a decade. By no
means ignorant to Hope
’
s faults
she had long ago come to terms with them. They were a part of Hope. From time
to time Hope
’
s thought
processes left her wide eyed with wonder at how an intelligent woman could
possibly be so stupid. Hope
’
s
narcissistic bent was the part of her personality that she found the most
difficult to come to terms with. By virtue of her career as one of the world
’
s top black models, she understood Hope
’
s confidence. She had seen Hope in action
on many occasions, there was the Hope who would give you the shirt off her back
and there was the Hope that thought the world revolved around only her, and the
rest of humanity merely extras in the life and times of Hope Richards. However,
the stunt she had just pulled was too much, way too much, even for Hope. That
she was prepared to destroy all their lives because she was unable to get her
way was devastating to Aviva.

Burying her
face in the pillow, Aviva cried for Steve and how Hope
’
s betrayal was affecting him on the day they were to take vows
to spend the rest of their lives together. She hoped and prayed that one day he
would find someone else to love, and who would love him in return, the way he
deserved to be loved. Steve was a good man, the type of person who took care of
others without a second thought. That type of selflessness deserved a reward.
Life was so unfair, just when it seemed all the players were perfectly aligned
a recalcitrant force had ripped through their lives, leaving a wreckage of
their hopes and dreams.

So lost was
she in thought, Aviva didn
’
t hear the
door open as Jason enter the room. She only became aware of his presence when
the side of the bed dipped to accommodate his weight. Curling up even tighter
into the fetal position, she felt the heat of his body slowly penetrate her
rigid form but remained still, reluctant to acknowledge his presence.

Reaching
out his hand, Jason slowly, gently stroked Aviva
’
s back, moving with extreme care, not wanting to startle her
with any sudden movements, unsure of her reaction to his presence. Maybe Steve
was right, and she needed more time before she would be ready to accept comfort
for what had transpired. Unable to wait the ten minutes he had promised, he had
felt an overwhelming need to ensure Aviva realized that although Hope
’
s actions had been a blow to them all,
she didn
’
t have to deal with
the fall-out alone, nor did he blame her for taking Hopes' side.

Jason had
little to no experience of dealing with crying women, in fact when confronted
with a crying woman he would normally head in the opposite direction. Usually
when women cried around him it was a tactic they employed to get him to do
something contrary to his wants, it never worked. But the sight of Aviva
’
s tears was more than he could stand,
somehow in one day this woman had managed to change him, wresting feelings from
him the likes of which he had never before experienced. At a loss of how to
deal with such obvious distress, he rubbed her back in the hope of giving
comfort, but his gentle ministration seemed only to intensify her flow of tears.
Jason
’
s hand stilled, maybe
he was doing it wrong, maybe she needed verbal comfort, maybe Steve was right
and she needed to be left alone. The uncertainty of how to deal with the
situation gripped him so strongly he pulled away, unwilling, but ready to leave
her alone in her grief.

“
Don
’
t go, I
…”
  Those
three small words filled with so much uncertain hesitation propelled him into
motion, not to leave but to reach out and pull her into his arms. As his strong
arms surrounded her quivering body, pulling her taught against his, her sobs
intensified, saturating his shirt. Kicking off his shoes Jason stretched his
long body beside her on the bed. Holding her close, he muttered incoherent
words of comfort.

His words
were unimportant, to Aviva it was the sound of his voice, the feel of his body,
cocooning her in warmth, soothing her into slowly believing that Hopes betrayal
could somehow be borne. As they lay in silence, Jason offered comfort and Aviva
unashamedly took all he had to give.

“
I
’
m sorry
…
please
forgive me?
”
Aviva
spoke into the silence that had grown between them.

“
Forgive you for what?
”

“
For not hearing your side of the story
…
for vilifying you
…
labeling you guilty.
”

“
Hope is your friend, I would expect
nothing less of you. Of course you would take her side. I
’
ve been involved in a lot of
reprehensible things in my life, but Angel, please believe that I would never
do anything that would deliberately hurt those I love. I have too few people
that are close to me in my life, and their trust means everything to me. Do you
understand what I
’
m saying?
”

“
I understand
…
but you didn
’
t answer my
question
…
do you forgive me?
”

“
There
’
s nothing to forgive.
”
Aviva
somehow felt that she needed the words, the words that would absolve her of the
accusations she had spoken against him in anger.

“
Jason, I
…”

“
Angel, there
’
s nothing you could say to me that I couldn't forgive
–
remember that, always remember that. No
matter what happens between us, you will always have a place in my heart. Does
that make you feel better?
”

“
Thank you and yes it does make me feel
slightly better. I
’
ll make it
up to you, I promise.
”
Aviva said
moving her head back so she could look into his black eyes, eyes that were
watching her with an intensity that took her breath away. Slowly his head
descended, giving her a chance to pull away if that was her want. Aviva was
hypnotized by his look and in that moment, she knew she was exactly where she
wanted to be, his arms surrounding her in a nest of warmth, his lips descending
towards hers. Her heart began a rapid tattoo, her breath sped up; she closed
her eyes waiting for the first touch of his lips against hers.

His kiss
was not placed against her lips as she subconsciously expected; instead Aviva
felt a gentle brush against her forehead as Jason palmed one of her cheeks,
tenderly moving her face to the right, and then the left as he placed feather
light kisses against her soft skin. She held her breath in expectation, again
feeling unknown emotions coursing through her body, emotions she only
experienced when in Jason
’
s embrace.
Then she felt the touch of his lips against hers, it wasn
’
t a demanding kiss, rather a caress that
spoke of tenderness, a willingness to administer to her needs.

Jason
wanted Aviva to feel how much she meant to him. He wanted her to relinquish any
feelings of guilt she harbored towards her response of him due to Hope
’
s words. He rubbed his lips against hers
in a slow deliberate caress, he took little sips as he moved from one side of
her mouth to the other, lingering longer with every touch. Without warning he
deepened the kiss, covering her mouth with his own as he licked her full bottom
lip with one bold pass of his tongue after another, one way and then the other
only to repeat the motion until Aviva gasped with the feelings moving through
her body. Jason used her gasp to take the kiss even deeper, plunging his tongue
deeply into her mouth, stroking from side to side.

Using the
weight of his body, he rolled Aviva onto her back, pushing her into the
softness of the bed so they were touching chest to chest, stomach to stomach.
Rising to one knee he inserted himself between her firm thighs, never breaking
the contact of their connected lips, running the fingertips of one hand down
her throat in a sensual caress; sending shivers of delight through her body.
Arching her neck in pleasure, needing more, imploring him for more, Jason broke
off their kiss, replacing his hand with the touch of his lips. Extending his
tongue, he licked her from her chin to her collarbone.
“
God you taste good Angel, so good
…
so sweet
…
so
…”
He stopped speaking to place kisses as
light as a butterfly
’
s wing
against her neck
–
then he
sucked. The unexpectedness of the move sent tendrils of desire winging their
way through Aviva
’
s body,
culminating in the further hardening of her nipples and the release of a gush
of moisture between her legs.

Writhing on
the satin soft bed covers, Aviva arched up pressing her aching breast against
the hardness of his chest, silently begging him for the attention they so
desperately needed. Knowing what she wanted and having every intention of
administering to her needs, Jason lifted his lower body before pressing his
growing erection between her parted legs, pushing them further apart, achieving
the deeper contact they both craved. He wanted her to feel what she did to him,
how much he loved having her in his arms, he wanted her to be left with no
doubt that she was in his arms, his bed, that he was loving her. Moving his
lips to her ears he whispered,
“
tell me
what you want Angel, tell me what you need to feel good.
”