Take it All (Blinded by Love) (34 page)

Lennox breathed a small sigh of relief as she relaxed into her seat. She survived her first drug deal, something she never thought she’d do, but that seemed to be a theme for her life as of late. She no longer felt the tension in her shoulders so much as they began to finally relax and she felt as if she could breathe; it wasn’t a lot, but it was more than what she felt a few minutes ago and she’d take that. “Your place now?” she asked, hopeful.

“Yep. Just you and me, baby.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it then playfully, grazing his teeth over her knuckles. “Movie night in bed?” he looked over at her affectionately and with desire, while his dime sized glassy gaze remained from the effect the cocaine had on him.

“Sounds perfect to me.” Grinning, she curled her fingers around his tighter. She pushed everything that had happened in the last four hours away and ignored anything that nagged or bothered her; she didn’t want anything surrounding her and Caleb for the rest of the night except each other. But before she could push any of it away, she was hit with a feeling, a feeling that came from nowhere, suffocating her just long enough to grab her attention. It was like a thousand pound rock fell in her gut, telling her everything she had seen and done was nothing compared to what was coming. It was only the beginning; things were about to get bad and intense and she had no idea what to make of it.

It was finally spring time and after a few rough days of snow, wind, and freezing rain the sun was out and the snow was beginning to slowly melt away. Lying in bed on her side, Lennox stared aimlessly out her window, her mind racing a hundred miles per minute. She knew it was early in the morning, eight to be exact, and she knew this without looking because she had woken at the same time every day for the last two weeks. Only today was different; for the first time she didn’t want to get up. There was something lingering around her, something that had been around her for awhile now that was finally making its presence known and affecting her not only mentally but now physically.

There was a lot going on in her life. Between working and trying to keep her appearances up with not only Londyn and Tatum but her parents, Raine, and Caleb, it was all starting to hit her at once and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take until it smothered her to the point of losing it. Raine was still the only person who knew about Caleb and what he did; he didn’t like it and was constantly trying to talk Lennox into ending things but each time she stood firmly by her choice, telling him he could try and convince her until he was blue in the face but she wasn’t ending things with Caleb; no matter how much it was taking its toll on her.

And taking its toll on her it did, as Caleb’s cocaine and drug use became more and more extreme; people around her started to notice a change in her attitude, having no idea what the cause was. Londyn and Tatum noticed and were first to comment on it a few days before her birthday.

They were sitting in Fizzy Wig’s having coffee and catching up. Between work and spending time with Caleb she hadn’t made time for her friends. Londyn and Tatum sat on one side of the booth while Lennox sat on the other side, her head resting on her hand as she looked dazedly down at her latte.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on?” Tatum blurted out, louder than expected, causing a few tables close by to turn and look at her, appalled by her language. She saw the table of elderly ladies looking at her, shaking their heads in disgrace at her. “What, you haven’t heard the word fuck before? Fuck, fuck, fuck!” she exasperated, tossing her hands in the air.

“Tate,” Londyn hissed, kicking her foot under the table as she apologetically looked at the ladies and mouthed a sorry to them then looked over at Lennox who didn’t look to concerned at all but more intrigued with the foam on her latte.

Tatum rolled her eyes and looked at Lennox and said, “Spill Lenny.”

“Huh? Spill what?” she asked confused, not meeting either of their stares.

“This,” Tatum mimicked Lennox’s posture, mocking the way she was sitting, “what’s up with you?”

Straightening up, Lennox looked at her friends looking back at her with concern and their eyes full of curiosity. “Nothing, I’m fine,” she assured them, forcing a smile she hoped they bought.

“Don’t even; your birthday is a few days away and you don’t even wanna go out and party it up.”

“So?” she challenged.

“So, it’s your birthday,” she challenged back.

“Lennox,” Londyn interrupted, looking at her with unconvinced eyes, “is something going on with you and Cal–”

“No, Caleb and I are fine; he’s actually taking me out for my birthday– reason for not wanting to party Tatum,” she narrowed her eyes at her friend, who pulled back looking at her with raised eyebrows, “I’m just tired, that’s all. I think I’m getting sick that’s all,” she lied.

“Fine, if you say so,” Tatum said flatly, taking a sip from her coffee. “So you’re spending your birthday with Caleb?”

“Yes, Tatum, it’s what you do when you have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but we’re your friends so what about us? We always go out drinking.”

Lennox sighed, “Londyn, will you help me out here,” she looked at her pleadingly.

Londyn laughed, “Tate, when you– if you’re capable– have a boyfriend who you love, he’s the one who you wanna be with on your special day; things change babe,” Londyn told her, winking in Lennox’s direction.

“Whatever, you two and your steady boyfriends; guess that leaves more for me,” she said with a devious grin.

Londyn shook her head turning her head to Lennox, “So things with Caleb are going good?” she smiled, lifting her coffee cup to her mouth and taking a sip.

“Yeah, it really is,” she said, wishing she could confide in them about his addiction but she wasn’t ready to tell them, she wasn’t ready to deal with their freak out and to hear them preach to her, trying to convince her to end it. She knew the time would come when she’d have to tell them, so she was okay with waiting until that time came and no sooner.

“I’m so happy for you doll face, I’ve only met him once but he seems nice,” she said genuinely but also throwing a hint out that neither her nor Tatum had met Caleb since that day at the station when him and Emerson stopped by.

“Thanks Lond, I know, we’ll have to set something up, like a double date or something,” she told her, having no intentions of following through with them anytime soon.

“What’s lover boy doing for your birthday?” Tatum asked as she looked down at her cell phone and typed out a text message.

“I’m not sure. He already bought me those concert tickets for the end of April to go see our favorite band but other than that, no idea, he said it’s a surprise.”

Londyn laughed, “Oh, bet you just love that, but I’m jealous about the tickets because I’ve only been trying to get a pair since they went on sale.” She sipped the rest of her coffee.

“Yeah, I still hate you for being able to go,” Tatum tossed in, her head bent down looking at her phone.

Lennox rolled her eyes, “Yeah I know, it should be a good concert.” She grinned then followed suit by drinking back the rest of her latte then waited for Tatum to do the same before they gathered their things then left the cafe.

Lennox laid in bed for an hour before she finally, unwillingly, stumbled out and into the bathroom to have a shower before she started her day. As she got undressed, the white gold necklace around her neck caught her attention and her fingers gently touched the white gold bird that hung from the chain. As her fingers smoothed over it, she felt the faint outline of the words Caleb had engraved on it before he gave it to her just before her birthday a little over a week ago.

“Where you going?” she asked, as Caleb jumped out of bed, pulled up his briefs then walked to his dresser.

He looked over his shoulder with a smirk, and said, “To get your present.”

“Another one?” she asked surprised, wrapping the sheet around her naked body as she reached for her bra.

“Don’t,” he said, looking down at the drawer he was rummaging through.

“What– how did you–”

Turning around with his right hand behind his back, he said, “Stay the way you are, baby.” His lips curled up into a half smile as he walked back towards the bed and crawled in next to her.

Sitting up straighter and holding the sheet closer to her, she looked at him curiously. His face was soft except for the half smile he was giving her, the one that made her heart slam against her chest and pound out of control. His right arm came out from behind his back and he held a square, black velvet box in the palm of his hand.

Lennox’s wide eyes flew up to his, unable to say anything when he shook his head no, and spoke over her, “It’s not what you’re thinking, don’t worry,” he laughed, moving his hand closer, urging her to take it and open it.

She took it in her hands and smiled up at him. “You didn’t have to get me anything else. You already got me those tickets and then made me dinner– which was fantastic by the way– and gave me a key to your place; baby that’s more than enough,” she said honestly.

“I know but, those concert tickets weren’t really your present. The band comes just before our three month anniversary and the key was something I’ve been planning on giving you for a while now, so technically this is your gift.”

She smiled softly, “You just wanted to throw me off,” she said.

He nodded, “Oh yeah, now open.”

Lennox looked down at the box in her hands as she lifted the lid. A small gasp sounded and she looked up at Caleb, in awe. “Caleb,” she whispered, looking back at the white gold dove sitting perfectly on the white foam, her fingers lightly grazing over the top. It was his special name for her, one she loved more than Lox and she knew how much it had meant to both of them, and now she would always have it with her when they couldn’t be together and when they were, he’d always be able to see it.

“I saw it and thought of you instantly; turn it over.”

Doing as he asked, she gently rolled it over and her eyes started to sting as tears filled her eyes and she read the engraving out loud, “Always, Caleb.” She looked at him as tears blurred her vision, as she laughed at her emotional state, “It’s beautiful, I love it, and I love you.”

“That reaction is all I needed, Dove,” he leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers then took the box from her hand. “Here, turn around.”

Lifting her hair, she turned so her back was to him and he took the necklace out of the box and clasped it behind her neck, letting it hang around her perfectly. She turned back around, letting her hair go to cascade down her back. “Perfect,” he said looking at it then up at her, “just like you.”

Lennox grabbed his bicep and pulled him towards her, then attacked his lips hungrily with hers. She fell backwards, bringing him down with her; he reached between them and pulled the sheet off her body before his hard chest covered hers and she pushed his briefs down. Their hands roamed over each other, touching places that had been forever burned and memorized in one another’s memories. A fire so intense erupted and blazed through their bodies so fleetingly he slid inside her– completely bare and welcomed– unable to hold back any longer, and they made love for the first time with nothing between them.

As Lennox washed her hair in the shower, thoughts of that night swam blissfully through her mind as she remembered the way he felt in her with nothing between them. It had been explosive, a feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced, a moment where their bodies really did become one with every move and every touch. It was like they were connected not through the mind but through their souls as they became woven as one; the ties unbreakable as fireworks had exploded behind her eyes that night. Since that night they were careful, using protection every time even though they both craved for nothing to ever be between them again.

As Lennox finished up and jumped out of the shower, she heard her cell phone ringing from inside her room. Running to grab it, she answered it with heavy breathing, not looking to see who it was when she said, “Hello?”

“Chuck, you okay?” Her dad’s voiced sounded concerned through the phone.

“Oh hey dad,” she said, catching her breath, “yeah, just got out of the shower and ran to get my cell phone.”

“Oh, well don’t worry about coming in today.”

She pulled her towel tighter and asked, “How come?”

“I have some paperwork to get done, inventory stuff, so I’ll just work,” he said and she could hear papers shuffling around in the background.

Her brows pulled together, “Are you sure, dad?”

“Yeah Chuck, take the day to do whatever. You going to Caleb’s tonight?”

“Yeah, I was going to head over after work but I’ll just head over whenever,” she said, walking into her closet and grabbing the bag she uses as an overnight bag, then tossing it out her closet and onto her bed.

“Okay, sweetie,” he paused, and she sensed something was coming, “could you do me a favour?” he asked.

She started grabbing clothes to change into as she said, “Sure dad, what’s up?”

“Talk to your mom.”

Lennox stopped abruptly, her brows knitting together in confusion, “About?”