Love Me Forever

Love is Life

Chapter 1

“Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.”

There was a very plausible reason Sheila and Audrey thought I had a knack for failed relationships; it was because I never stuck on one for more than six months. But who could blame me?

I only didn’t think any of the guys I dated could handle the drama that came with my controlling parents and me, so I never brought any of my dates home. I indeed love the” happy ever after” romance ideology, but it never clicked for me since I lost Jake!

Remembering the steamy nights in his bathroom was enough to make my throat lurch in my chest. Were we in love? Funny I could ask that question; everyone knew we were in love from a mile within our presence.

We loved each other profoundly or too intensely. A screeching sound from the sitting room brought me back to reality; I guess that was Minnie doing her thing. She was like the sister I never had; I would talk to her, and she would reply with a nod.

The nod was just her way of saying she understood everything I said to her. Everyone loved and adored Minnie; she had this light gray fur around her frame that made her beauty surpass that of other cats.

She meowed when she was hungry, but the screeched cry I heard suggested she might be hurt! Minnie was nowhere in sight from the living room to the kitchen; all I could see was a tall, handsome young man staring intensely into my eyes. I didn’t recognize him on time because he stood backed against the kitchen counter, sipping a coffee.

“What the hell are you doing here” I screamed at him. I came to see you, Claire; I can’t do without you,” he replied. He was standing at the height of six feet to my average height of 5” 7.

Ralph Warren was a pain in my life, a memory I wanted to forget because he reminded me of my supposed unfaithfulness to Jake. Our s*x was nothing but ordinary, especially when he sounded my name and came in just 5 minutes after penetration.

We broke up not because of the s*x, although it played a significant decision in my leaving him. “ Claire, can you hear me? I want you back,” he continued saying. We broke up barely a week back; before that, I told him I needed space from him because he was too possessive. I didn’t have time for my friends anymore, and my work suffered because of his trust issues.

I couldn’t go back to him, not even if he begged; I needed the freedom and peace of mind. He was my 1st real relationship after years of staying alone since Jake, not counting the other unserious “friends with benefit” relationships I had back in college. It took a lot of persuasion and convincing from Sheila to make me go on a date with Ralph in college.

I thought I could love him, though all I did was reciprocate his friendly gestures towards me. “I’ll move to New York if that’s what it takes to get you back, do give us a try, babe!” Ralph continued. “What! The reason I told him I was moving was to get him off my back. I loved the countryside of New Jersey; I wouldn’t leave for any reason. “Ralph, I need my key back!” I yelled out of my thoughts.

“That’s not an issue, babe” rustling through his bunch of keys, he reached out from where he was standing and said,

“here” I felt weak at my knees seeing how kind he was, but that was just my boldness waning. I wasn’t going to give up my resilience just yet. “Where is Minnie?” I asked Ralph.” Oh, that damn cat,” he replied. Ralph never liked pets, more so a cat that didn’t want him anywhere near.

For the months we went out, Minnie constantly screamed at him; although she was always suspicious of the male gender, she never welcomed his visit. Not even when Ralph moved into my two-bedroom apartment did Minnie come any closer to him than a foot from where she was.

“There you are, kitty,” I heard Ralph say. He found her in the hallway after searching through the house; I guess she ran out in fury when Ralph came in. I scooped her up in my arms, rubbing her fur gently. Putting her down, she went into the bedroom like a frayed cat.”

Now dear, I never understood why we ended our relationship; I still love you.

” I heard him say from a breath away. Now he was so close to me that I could feel his hardness pressing against my thigh. He held my hands and turned me around so I could see him. “Ralph, please,” I heard myself say. I couldn’t yield to him, not even if I was tempted. But how could I tell him that the reason we broke up was because I loved another from my past! He would hate me.

I didn’t want him to think I was such a cruel person. Kissing me on my temple, he said, “I know it’s because of Jake.” For a moment there, time paused. How did you know? I snapped back in defeat.

“Sheila told me you two were in love a long time ago.

” I felt betrayed and let down by my best friend of 18 years on hearing those words from Ralph.

“You don't know me, and you never will.” I stammered in confusion. That was a subject I had never talked about with anyone, not even my psychologist.

“I love you despite that, dear; this only makes me love you more” “Hmmm,” the only response I could think of while holding back my tears.

“I promise not to love you too much or call you often or….” “Stop this, Ralph,” I replied.

“Claire Madison, stop being stubborn and let me in” I loved the way he pronounced my name with a waft of sincerity and softness. Now he was caressing my hands at the same time kissing my neck up to my mouth. I felt his erection more now pressing towards my core. If there was something Ralph was good at, it was romance.

I couldn’t resist the urge to give in to his kisses. At that moment, every anger I felt towards him disappeared. He caressed my mouth with his and gently kissed me passionately like never before. Was this the guy I once left? No, he was so different from the shy Ralph I knew. What changed?

I was about to find out