Wait for Me (25 page)

“I pray… I pray for you Sophie. But, you are in love?” she asked, a fraction calmer.

“I think so,” I answered.

I heard a heavy sigh. “Then there's nothing more to say,” she concluded. “Listen, you come to my house to eat lunch on Sunday. I want to know everything.”

I rolled my eyes. “As you wish, but I'll have to let you know.”

I closed the call and threw myself onto the bed. I had a strange feeling of foreboding, but even in spite of that, I had faith. Deep down, I had faith in him.

Between one book and the next, I told Sabrina everything that afternoon, except for the part about potentially moving out soon. I preferred to talk about that when Steph was there too. For the first time ever, she wasn't excessively cynical. She limited herself to a neutral ‘let's hope so' – and I agreed.

After work, I went straight to Steven and David's place. David opened the door.

“Hey Sophie, come in, come in.”

David's dog decided to ambush my shoe laces and a second later I was on the floor.

“Fuck, Sophie!” Steven said.

“Er, sorry, Glitz was clearly expecting me,” I said on all fours.

Two hands helped me to my feet and I found myself before an unfamiliar man. His hair was slightly auburn and his eyes were a clear, deep blue.

“Everything alright there?”

“All good, thanks. I'm Sophie,” and shook his hand awkwardly.

“Tom,” he replied.

Behind him, Steven was fighting back laughter. “Well, that was a hell of an entrance.”

I grabbed the little dog to stroke her.

“Don't try that again,” was my whispered threat.

We had a quick drink and moved to the table, covering the approved topics of conversation: work, movies, gossip about friends in common. A little reluctantly, I talked about myself, about college and the book store, deliberately omitting the ‘Adam' section. David's colleague was wonderful. He was an architect who, as it turned out, worked in an office across the street from Barnes & Noble.

“Then the two of you can lunch together sometime,” David suggested, with a discreet wink.

I smiled without answering.

“I'd like that,” Tom said.

“Ah, actually I don't start until three.”

“In that case, dinner,” David corrected.

“David, stop it. They're consenting adults, they can do it without your assistance,” Steven interjected.

I stared at him, annoyed. What the hell were they thinking? Luckily Tom came to the rescue.

“Could you guys be
any
more brazen?”

“It's in our DNA. We say it like it is,” David replied.

After dinner, we had desserts and brandy on the roof terrace. The drinks had barely touched the glasses when David and Steven retreated back to the kitchen, leaving me with the architect. And he was – by my own admission – exceptionally attractive. Between the first glass and the second, I wondered how the evening might have ended if my story with Adam had never begun.

“So, Steven told me you're about to finish college.”

“Yeah, I'm hoping to graduate by December. I lost a couple of years.”

“Do you have any plans for when you finish?”

“Nah, I'm not sure yet. I'd like to look for something in art, but I don't know exactly… one step at a time you know?”

He told me that he, too, graduated from NYU and asked me about a couple of professors who I hadn't heard of.

We talked about music and established that our tastes were very similar: instrumental post-rock.

“You like Sigur Rós?” he asked.

“Are you kidding? I can spend hours just daydreaming with them. Have you heard the latest album?”

“Of course,” he said. “And P.J. Harvey?”

“
Love
her” I insisted. “I practically stalk her.”

“Favorite song?”

“That's difficult. But let's see… at the minute I'd have to say
Silence
.”

“I don't remember that one, how does it go?”

I poured another glass of brandy and drank it down quickly. Locating the cell phone in my bag, I took it out and selected the song from a playlist. We listened to the entire song, in silence. I closed my eyes to bask in the lyrics; to let that intimate lullaby reset my reality.

Silence

Silence

Silence

Silence

When I opened them again, I found Tom's blue eyes staring at me. I smiled and turned the music off.

“Nice,” I sighed.

“Beautiful,” he corrected, finishing his brandy.

In the end, I stayed until 2 a.m. and Tom offered to drive me home.

As I was getting out of his car, I noticed a very familiar Audi parked in front of my building. My blood ran cold. I quickly said goodbye to Tom before I approached the black shape. I was around six steps away from disaster.

“You weren't replying to my messages,” he began as he emerged from the vehicle.

I shakily took my phone out of my bag and saw eleven text notifications on the display.

“Sorry, I didn't see them. I got caught up talking and didn't check my phone.”

“Who was that guy?”

“Just one of David's colleagues. Steve's boyfriend David,” I answered, sinking into the side of his neck.

“I haven't done anything Adam, nothing happened. Don't get upset.”

“You've been drinking,” he proclaimed, moving away from me.

“Only a couple of brandies. I swear nothing happened – trust me.”

“I need you to come and live with me as soon as possible. It kills me not knowing where you are.” He held my face in his hands and moved closer again. “I'm sorry if I seem obsessive, but I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you.”

A cloud drifted aside to reveal the moonshine. I smiled. “Do you want to come in? Spend the night here?”

“It's either that or I'll be sleeping right here in the car.”

We hugged and I dragged him inside. That night we didn't make love, we just slept in one another's arms. There is an unspoken beauty in simply sleeping side by side.

When I woke up the following morning, I found Sabrina in my makeshift doorway and no trace of Adam.

“He told me to tell you that he'll pick you up tonight. Also, when were you planning to tell me you were moving out?”

I jumped out of bed and threw some clothes on, following her into the kitchen.

“We only decided yesterday, but I wanted to tell you about it today, when Steph was here too. Don't worry – I'm going to keep paying my share of the rent.”

“We can manage by ourselves,” she said, annoyed.

“It's not that,” I muttered.

“Oh right, you mean considering the questionable conditions… you're keeping one foot in the door?”

“Exactly.”

“Great way to start a relationship,” she noted, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

“Sabrina, seriously, what should I do?”

Her expression eased into a little more sympathy. “Sorry, it's just because I care. You know how open minded I am, it's just this fucking guy, Sophie. He's scary, and
really
strange.”

“He's just introverted and lonely.”

She dunked a slice of bread, covered in chocolate spread, into a cup of coffee.

“I guess I have to take your word for it. You know him better than I do for sure. Anyway, rent or no rent, you're always welcome back here.”

“I want to keep paying it. Please, I'll feel more at ease.”

“Whatever you want.” She spread a layer of chocolate onto another slice and took a bite, leaving her with a sugary moustache.

Steph entered the kitchen, barely opening her eyes. She headed straight for the coffee, but not before licking the chocolate off Sabrina's upper lip. “Good morning,” she mumbled.

“Steph, Sophie is deserting us for a penis,” she said, briefly glancing at me.

She turned around, amused. “Well, I hope it's beautiful and hard, at the very least.”

“I know right.”

The day was over in a heartbeat and at 8 p.m. sharp, I found Adam outside the bookstore – sexy as hell and waiting for me. I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

Adam and Sabrina greeted one another with a particularly vigorous handshake.

“Remember,” she said firmly. “That slap was just the beginning.”

Adam smiled. “You won't have to do that again – it's a promise.”

“I'll believe it when I see it,” she answered, a little more playfully. “However, you've been warned, and there'll be a hefty queue behind me as well.” She slipped her headphones into her ears and winked at me. “See you tomorrow.”

I watched her walk away, feeling a little grieved.

“Are you sad?” Adam asked, hugging me.

“In a way – I know what I'm leaving behind and I don't know what I'm going to find ahead.”

“You're going to find me,” he said, amused.

I started laughing. “Precisely my point.”

“Come on, let's go, ye of little faith—”

For a moment when we entered his apartment, I thought I was in the wrong place. I don't know how he did it, but all of the furniture was either re-arranged or completely new. The kitchen had new cupboards fitted and the couches had been replaced. There were extra chairs, different rugs and a variety of ornaments – all certified designer items, obviously.

He closed the door, placed my bag of clothes on the hallway cabinet and introduced me to the new environment. The guest room, the storage room and finally his bedroom, were all unrecognizable.

Entering the room, I laughed bitterly.

“You don't like it?” he asked, worried.

“No, I do, but this means that—” I looked around bewildered.

“It's all new, for the two of us.” He drew closer to me. “I got rid of everything that might possibly make you uncomfortable.”

I laughed sarcastically. “You left the floor,” I said, running my fingers through his hair and squeezing his neck.

“You don't have to touch the floor,” he lifted me up and placed me on the bed.

“When are you due?” he asked.

“Two weeks from now.”

He let out a deep sigh and smiled at me. “Then I'll have to wait, patiently and clothed—” He undid my jeans and slid a hand down to touch me.

“I'll fix an appointment with my doctor to get the injection, then we can do whatever we please for the next three months.”

His fingers landed perfectly, just like his lips interlocking with mine.

“Do you want me?” I asked seductively.

“So much,” he answered.

And that marked our true beginning; what came before was a different era. From now on, I would be spending every day with him. I would wake up beside him and we'd have breakfast together, followed by college, work, making love, and back to sleep. In the evening, he would pick me up from the store and we'd be eager to get home to the bedroom.

During that first month, it was like being suspended on a plane that contained only the two of us. Our only real time apart was on Sunday when Adam went climbing, or when he had occasional business dinners during the week. I would use the time to have lunch at my mother's house, and then visit either Ester or Sabrina and Steph. Otherwise, I was home with him, as passion dictated.

Unexpectedly, Fred grew fond of him, despite one time asking me whether I was aware of the women he used to frequent. I confessed to knowing everything. However, being a hopeless romantic, my brother had abiding faith that love could really change people. I also introduced him to my mother, who was surprised that a boy so wealthy would ever be interested in a girl like me. But, seeing me grow in weight and demeanor calmed her every nerve. I had the injection and said farewell to my periods. I could finally have sex without the thought of childbearing, even if those extra pounds were a nuisance.

*

In the meantime, my birthday arrived. He took me to a restaurant in uptown Manhattan, but drove back through a part of the city that I had not seen before. We parked the car in a courtyard and he covered my eyes with a blindfold. He gave me a kiss and reassured me that nothing out of the ordinary was going to happen. I trustingly played along.

Tightly holding his arm, I followed him, only a little uncertain. I heard the creak of a door. It closed behind me and he removed my coat, my dress, and finally my underwear. Anchored to him, we descended down several stairs. I felt a gentle breeze that hardened my nipples.

Sweet scents perfumed the air. He placed me onto a bed and tied my hands above my head, hooking them onto something. I imagined a beam, with a ring and a peg. I knelt there for several minutes, surrounded by rustling sounds.

After a while, I heard the clip of a woman's high heels and muffled whispers. The heels drew closer to me, and in the same moment I felt Adam's body, naked, kneeling right behind me. He gently swept a lock of hair off my shoulder, and began to climb up my neck with his lips. Captured by shivers, I let my head fall back.

“Sophie, there's a woman with us,” he whispered, his hand touching my breasts. “She's only allowed to touch your body,” his breathing became heavier. My heart was pounding now and my breath was short. “She'll touch your body – first with her hands, then with her lips, and then with her tongue.” She lightly started touching me.

“She'll use her tongue for a long time, but I don't want you to orgasm, I want you to do that with me. You'll have to hold on, hold back and call my name – a hundred times.”

Her fingers made their way between my outer lips. I was ready.

“A hundred times,” he repeated. “Before you can have me.”

I was getting more and more breathless from his kisses and those burning words. I felt his penis against the small of my back, warm and hard. I tried to move myself for closer contact. Adam held me against his body.