Intertwined souls

Darkness

I woke up with the aroma of food invading my nose. I rose out of bed and headed to my closet, assuming Blake was still there. After changing, I splashed some cold water on my face and placed my hair into two long braids.

I walked out down my hallway and to my surprise, Blake was in the kitchen and Noah was playing with his toys at the coffee table in the living room. It was a sight that made my heart swell. I had always wanted a home with a family and a man that I loved. It was nice to think that one day maybe it was something I could actually have. I knew it was too soon to be imagining this scenario with Blake though. We were close but it had only been a short amount of time.

“ Good morning, beautiful.” Blake said, grabbing some plates from the cabinets.

“Good morning” After I said it. I turned to Noah, who had only now seen me.

“And good morning to you too, mister!” I picked him up as he hugged my neck.

I walked over to the kitchen counter and sat him on one of the stools.

“ I hope you don't mind”, Blake said. “We kinda let ourselves in. I figured you would be hungry, seeing as you had no food in here” He chuckled.

“ Yeah, I’ve never been the best at keeping the fridge stocked” I laughed, watching as he sat, 3 plates on the counter, then turned around and grabbed 2 coffees from the other side of the kitchen. He placed one in front of my plate, then in front of his own.

“ I also stopped and got us coffee. Your friend said hi”. He said and chucked, eyeing me “ I think he said his name was Travis”

“ Oh boy”, although I didn't know Travis well, I knew exactly who Blake was talking about. The overly eccentric barista at the coffee shop. “ I’m sure you had fun with him”. I laughed

“Well”, Blake said and looked down at Noah. “ We had a good chat”, his smile grew wider as he thought about it to himself.

His laugh was contagious and it made me and Noah laugh along with him. We sat and ate breakfast. He made us eggs, bacon and waffles. In all, honestly, I was impressed. I had never been with a man that would cook, or whose pride wasn't too big to cook. I wouldn't have ever done anything that was considered a ‘ woman's job’. So this was a good change, and it made me happy. I actually hated cooking,

“Okay Daddy”, Noah said with a devilish grin. “ Now?” he was holding his hand up in the air, questioning Blake.

“ Yes, son, go ahead” Blake said, watching Noah as he got up and went for his backpack lying on the floor by the front door. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Noah came back to the table and pulled his backpack open, revealing an envelope.

“ He goes” Noah tried saying ‘here you' but it was too cute to correct. He continued “ It's for my birthday! We're gonna go to the aquarium and then have cake and presents at my house!”

I opened the card to reveal a birthday invitation that was decorated with shark and jellyfish. My heart swelled, thinking that Noah wanted me to be there. I looked down at him by my side and looked into his wide pleading eyes,

“ Honey, of course I will come!!” I told him and he gave him a hug. I returned it and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

“I can come swing by and grab you before the party” Blake said, matching the happiness that was spewing from Noah. I nodded and agreed.

“We were gonna leave for the aquarium tomorrow at around 10.” Blake said.

“ I can't wait, I am honored that he invited me. '' I chuckled. We watched as Noah returned to the living room floor and started playing with his trucks he had brought.

Blake reached across the table and grabbed my hand, I turned to meet his eyes and felt happiness and calmness wash over me. I smiled at him and couldn't help but stare at how handsome he was. His eyes were on me, watching him and we sat like this for a few minutes before he finally spoke up.

“ Thank you for letting me take you out last night,” He said.

“ I had a good time, it was perfect,” I said back. “ Are we already thinking about a second date yet? Or was tucking me in a little bit of a turn off?” I chuckled.

“Not at all. I would love a second date. But first I want to talk about tomorrow” He paused hesitant

“ Okay, what is it?” I asked him.

“I just want to make sure you’re okay meeting my family. I know it’s a little soon, but if you’re ready I would love to introduce you. Because they will all be there tomorrow. At least to the aquarium, not everyone is coming back to our house.”

“Yes, of course, Blake. I wouldn't have told Noah I would go if I wasn't comfortable.” I replied.

In all reality, I hadn't had a chance to think about it yet, and it did make me nervous. I knew that I had feelings for Blake, and I loved Noah, but the family was different. I knew he had a sister, but what if she hated me? Other than her, I didn't know of anyone else that would be there.

“ You’re freaking out Octavia”, he said, letting out a sign. I looked back up at him and I could see the worry that was plastered across his face. He grabbed my hand and scooted his chair around the table to sit closer to me.

“No no no Blake. But what if they don't like me?” I whispered, so Noah couldn't hear me. “I couldn't stay in a family that didn't want me. I’ve been there, done that, and I’m not doing it again” I said.

And it was true. Colton's family only ever hated me, the relationship I had with his sisters and mother took a toll on me mentally. I vowed to myself that I would never deal with that again. They made me feel disgusting about myself, like I had no value or worth, and I spent a lot of time trying to come back from that.

“ Octavia, what's not to love about you? I know for a fact that they will love you. But I don't want to pressure you into something that you're not ready for.”

I sat silent for a few minutes before taking a deep breath. I looked at him and remembered the calmness that he had brought to me. I mean, meeting his family would tell me if this would work or not. If his family hated me, then we could find out and move on before we got too close. If we weren't already.

“ No, I’ll go, I would love to. And I’ll get to spend time with you.” I winked at him and leaned over to him and kissed him. His lips were soft and warm. I could feel my desire pooling in my stomach.

I broke the kiss before I wouldn't be able to stop myself and asked them what they were doing today. Blake had told me that he needed to run into the office for someone who was buying a house and that was all they needed today. He asked me if I wanted to go and we could all go do something afterwards. I told him that I needed to stay home today and get some stuff done, which isn't true. I felt like I wanted some time to myself.

_

It was about 4 when they left to go to the office, before Blake left and he told me that he would come pick me up in the morning and then we would go to the aquarium. Noah is going to be staying that night with his cousins and we will just meet them there, he said that it would just be him and I in the morning. He kissed me and told me that he would text me later, picking up Noah on his way out.

I sat on my couch reading before I got up to do anything. I decided that I would make a run to the mall and see if I could find anything to wear tomorrow. I was thinking of a dress since it would be hot tomorrow and we would be spending time outside after the aquarium.

I had stopped at a little boutique after going to the make-up store and I found one that I really liked. It was a mustard yellow dress that was about mid thigh length, that was flowy at the bottom with a v- neck top that was tied in the middle. I had always felt like yellow looked on me, it matched my hair. When I was tan it looked even better. I had also gotten some new strappy nude heels that went perfect with the dress and new make up. I really dont go shopping often but it felt good to buy myself something. I had never struggled with money, but even though I had it I always chose to put it towards other things. Once I had gotten the dress I found the closest kids store near by and got a few dinosaur toys for Noah's birthday and a card for him. I finished purchasing the toys, saying bye to the clerk. As I was walking out, I heard a text coming through my phone.

Blake: “Hey you”

His text made me smile and I was glad he wasn't around to see it so I sent a quick text back.

Me: "Hey, what are you up to?" I added with a smiley face at the end, slipping my phone into my purse. I walked out to the parking lot and got back in my car, waiting a few minutes before driving off to let it warm up, when I heard it start to ring, it was Blake.

“I’m taking it, you missed me?” I asked him, answering the phone.

“Actually, I was calling because I figured you didn't know what to do with yourself without me. I was doing you a favor”. He laughed at the other line.

“ Wow, how sweet of you” I said, laughing.

“I wanted to see if you might want to come over for dinner,” He said.

Like to his house? Do I want to go to his house? I mean it would be nice to have another night with just him and I, but what if we ended up having s*x? Trust me, I want to, like a lot. But I also want to wait until I know that I’m sure I'm not just being impulsive.

“ Wow, I didn't think that you would have such a hard time deciding.” He was laughing but it sounded like he might actually be worried.

“ Oh my god, No I'm so sorry” I said. I hadn’t realized that I never responded.

“I would love to come over, Blake, I'm leaving the mall right now. Could you send me the address?”

“ I’ll message you, babe”. He hung up the phone.

Babe? That was new but I can't say that I didn't like it. I typed his address in my phone and drove out of the parking lot. As I was driving, I thought about how I still needed to get gift bags for Noah's presents or maybe I could see if Blake had any extra that way I didn't need to go in the morning. I wasn't sure how long I would stay tonight but seeing as we were having ‘dinner’ at almost 8:00, oddly enough, I felt more awake right now than I had all day. After about 30 minutes and quite literally passing my house, I pulled into a long ass driveway that had trees folding over the top of it. There was a white fence along the whole driveway and I crossed a cattle guard that was directly in front of a perfectly perfect home.

It was also white, with black trim and it was wider than it was long. It had a huge yard, bigger than I had ever seen and in the dark I could see some cows and a few horses in the back. I pulled in front of the garage and then I saw Blake come around the corner of the house from the back yard. He was in jeans that were covered in dirt and a gray t-shirt. He looked good, and I certainly didn't want to look away. I waited for him to reach my car as he opened the door for me.

I wanted to attack him and kiss him right then and there, and the way he was looking at me he wanted the same. I hopped out of my car and he led me into the house after giving me a forehead kiss.

“I’m glad you came,” he said as we entered his front door.

“ I am too. What were you doing?” I said, looking down at his pants, then back up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“ I wanted to make sure I fed all the animals before you got here” he said

“ I don't want to be distracted”, He winked at me, which sent me into a quiet frenzy.

“What do you have back there?” I changed the subject so he couldn't see the color filling my cheeks.

“ Um, we’ve got cattle and a couple of horses, and then Noah has his chickens. Would you like to see them?” When he asked me, it felt like he was testing me. But I wasn't sure what the right answer was. I was feeling a little testy though.

“ Of course I do, this way?” I said, pointing to the back door and walked out of it.

I walked through his backyard and all the air lungs. There was land that stretched beyond what I could see, scattered with cattle. There were horse corrals to my left with what looked like 3 to 4 horses inside. I could also see 2 dog kennels. One of them was larger and had 2 dogs inside of them, the other was filled with chickens of all different colors. I walked towards the horses and once I got close enough, I could see a small barn-like building behind the stalls. It looked identical to the house but just smaller.

I walked up to the horses, and stroked the one that seemed the friendliest. Although I couldn't see him well, he seemed to be dark in color with speckles of lighter colors throughout his body. He nuzzled his head into my chest, enjoying the attention. One of the other horses had decided to walk up to me as Blake joined me in petting the other horse.

“ That one is Frosty” He said pointing at the horse I was petting, then turning and was pointing at the other two that were further back in the stalls he said

“ Those two are Baby and Twelve” He said pointing, then he grabbed the face of the one in front of him, giving her scratches

“ And this is my girl, her name is Lana” He continued loving her as Frosty left me, and went back to the other two and started running around in circles. I leaned over the corral’s and watched as the three horses played with each other jumping and kicking at one another. Lana joined the other three by stomping her front feet

Into the watery mud that was at our feet. This resulted in me and Blake being covered in the mud. I stared at him wide eyed and his jaw dropped to the floor.

After a few seconds of the initial shock, we caught each other in laughter as he told me:

“ I think that means it’s time to go in”

I followed him back into the house and took off my shoes that were now covered in mud. He put them away and motioned for me to follow him. He grabbed my hand and led me upstairs. I could feel my heart racing as I figured out where he was taking me. He climbed the stairs slowly but both eager and slightly nervous. I didn't know what he wanted from me but I knew if he pushed me at all I wouldn't be able to stop myself.

We entered his bedroom and he let go of my hand, leaving me in the center of it alone. He returned a few short minutes later with a shirt and some sweat pants for me to wear.

“ The shower’s in there.” He pointed towards the bathroom door. “ You smell like horse s**t” He winked

“ Okay”. I wanted to say something else but nothing would come out.

He leaned down, giving me a kiss and before walking away to give me my privacy. My body was moving on its own, and I grabbed his hand when he started to back away. He watched me with confusion but complied. I pulled him closer to me and without thinking, I reached at the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up above his head. I admired his chest and watched his muscles flex while he threw his shirt to the floor. I ran my hands up his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck and lacing my fingers in his hair. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and he pulled flush against his chest, holding my gaze. He leaned down to kiss me and I felt my stomach leap with need. His tongue slid across my lips and I opened to deepen our kiss. I wrapped my legs around his hips and he reached under my thighs and picked me up. He walked us to the bathroom and placed me on the counter, never breaking our kiss.

He reached at the hem of my shirt and pulled it off quickly, then went for the zipper on my jeans. Then he slipped his hands down to my ankles, his hands blazed a trail of fire all down my legs and sent chills to the rest of my body.

I moaned into his mouth and he broke our kiss and took his shoes, jeans and belt off, then walked into the shower turning it on, giving me a perfect view of his behind and muscular back.

He turned around and looked at me with a hunger I had never seen from someone almost animalistic, like he was looking at the last meal he would ever have. In one stride he walked across the bathroom and stood me up, and kneeled, so his eyeline was directly in front of my heated core. He hooked his fingers on the sides of my underwear and slowly, too slowly, pulled them down. Never taking his eyes off of my own. Once undressed, he picked me back up and walked me into the shower. He pushed me hard against the wall and a shriek left my mouth in surprise. He devoured my mouth and I felt his hands traveling all over my body, but this time his hands were giving me warmth against the cold shower wall. In between my legs, I could feel his hardening member pushing against me, making me wet and slippery.

He pulled away and grabbed the soap from the corner of the shower, he put some in his hands and lathered it over my arms, my stomach, then he slid in between my legs in small circles. I moaned in appreciation and I saw a smile curve around the edges of his mouth. He didn't stay there for long though.

After he had made a few more circles around my c**t, he set me on my feet and turned me to face away from him. He rubbed the soap on my back, and up around my shoulders, toying with my breasts. I leaned against him and let out a breath of air. I was so relaxed and wanted nothing more than to stay with him in that moment forever. He moved onto himself and washed off his sweat and dirt, then turned off the water.

He got out and grabbed a few towels for us, drying off my body for me. Once he led me to the bedroom, I put on the large white t-shirt he had given me and laid on the bed waiting for him to get dressed and lay next to me.

I hadn’t realized how tired I had gotten, I felt so much energy on my way here, but the sensual energy from the shower took a toll on my body and mind. After thinking about it, I was glad we didn’t have s*x, as much as I wanted to, I really did want to wait; And I did need to hold myself more accountable to that. I watched him as he turned off the lights, changed, then turned on the TV, but didn't actually turn any movies on. After a few minutes, he came and laid next to me, pulling me against himself once more. We spoke for a few minutes and he told me he didn't want me driving this late at night and that, if needed, we could stop at my house in the morning before the birthday party. I agreed and both eventually drifted off into sleep, him never letting go of me. I’m pretty sure at some point in the night I felt him place a soft kiss against my forehead, but I wasn't completely sure that I wasn't imagining it.