Rachel pulled up into the parking of Outback and checked herself in the mirror. She brushed a stray hair away from her cheek and drew in a deep breath. She was nervous about going on this date with Howie, but she had a feeling that she was going to have a good time. Timidly Rachel grabbed her purse and got out of her black Honda Civic. She walked up to the door and Howie was already there waiting for her. A grin spread across his face when he saw her.
"Hey, there!" he said with a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm good," Rachel replied shyly. "How about you?"
"Not too bad. Are you hungry?"
"Starved."
"Great, let's eat," Howie said as he opened the door for her.
The two of them sat at a table and checked out the menu. When they ordered their food, Howie took a sip of his water and looked at Rachel. "So, tell me about yourself,"
" Well, I am into theater, music, and art. I lived in California all my life, and I moved to Tampa for a change and go to college," Rachel said with a shy smile.
" That's cool," Howie replied
"What about you?" Rachel asked.
"Well, I like music, hanging with friends; that kind of stuff. There's not much to me. I'm just a simple guy."
Their food arrived and they ate while carrying on a conversation. When they had finished, they went back into the parking lot and stood by their cards.
"What shall we do now?" Howie asked.
Rachel stared at him in shock. "You mean, you still want to do something with me?"
"Yeah, why not? I mean, I hardly call dinner a date. We need to do something else. You pick something."
Rachel thought a moment then smiled. "How about goofy golfing?" she said.
Howie laughed. "Goofy golfing? That's what you wanna do?"
"Yes, do you?"
"Yeah, that would be fun," Howie said as he opened his car door. "I'll meet you there."
They get to the goofy golfing place and Howie helps Rachel with her hitting the ball. He laughed at much trouble she was having with it.
"Rach, you're not keeping your eye on the ball. You gotta do it like this," he said as he stood behind her and placed her hands on top of hers. "Put your head down and watch the ball. Now slowly swing back," he said as he guided her swing. "Now release."
Rachel released her swing forward and hit the ball. "Oh my gosh! I hit it!" she said as she watched the ball go into the hole. "Hole in one! Yeah, baby!"
Howie laughed and took her club from her. "Yeah, but the game is now over and I still beat you."
"Well, I don't care. I still hit the ball."
"Yeah, after fifteen holes!" he joked as he walked up to the counter to return the clubs and balls.
Howie walked with Rachel to her car. She stared at him nervously as he brushed a stray hair from her face.
"I had a really good time tonight," he said softly.
"Me too."
"I would like to see you again," he said as he grabbed her hand. "You're really nice."
Rachel laughed softly and looked down at the ground. Howie lifted her head with his hand on her chin and stared into her eyes. She couldn't read his thoughts through his brown eyes. Howie moved closer and slowly planted his lips on top of hers. It was a short, sweet kiss. He pulled away and smiled.
"Good night," he said then got in his car.
Rachel drew out a breath and watched him drive away. "Good night," she whispered.
Chapter 8 (Rachel & Erin)
Erin sat in the driveway of Nick's house and cried. She couldn't think of anywhere else to go. All she knew was that she had to get out of the house and away from AJ. She grabbed a tissue from out of her purse and wiped the tears from off her face and got out of the car. Erin rang the doorbell and prayed that he would be home. She heard Mikey barking loudly and soon the sound of Nick's heavy footsteps. He opened the door and looked at her in surprise.
"Erin, hey! What's up?"
"Um...Nick do you think I can crash her for a little while?"
"Why, what's going on?"
"It's a long story," she said with a sigh.
Nick looked at her in concern and let her in. "He's drinking again isn't he?" he said in a low tone.
Erin sadly nodded. "I don't know what to do."
They both sat on the couch and Nick hugged her. "I'm sure he will realize that he has to give up drinking, or you wont be coming back," Nick said as he stroked her hair.
"I hope so. I took everything that was mine out of his house. I left a few things behind like pictures and stuff that he has given me. I can't deal with this anymore. I really thought he wouldn't go back to drinking," Erin said with a sob. "I just wish he would realize how he acts when he's drunk."
"All of us thought he wouldn't want to go back to drinking. I know it's painful, but he really needs you right now."
"Nick, I can't do this! I'm too tired of all this. I have done everything that I can. I just need to get away from him for a while. I need time to think."
Nick hugged her closer. "Okay, calm down. I understand, you can stay here as long as you want," Nick said gently.
"Thanks," Erin said as she wiped the tears off her face.
"Is your stuff in your car?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll help you bring everything in," Nick said then walked outside.
Erin followed him, she stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Nick?"
"Yeah?" he said as he turned around.
Erin hugged Nick. "Thanks."
Nick smiled and hugged her back. "Anything for a friend."
Chapter 9 (Rachel)
Rachel was sitting in her living room reading a magazine when she heard
the doorbell ring. Puzzled of who it could be, she answered it. A smile spread across her face when she saw that it was Howie.
"Hey!" she said as she let him in. "How did you know where I lived?"
"Erin told me," he said with a smile. "So, how are you?"
"I'm doing all right. Kinda bored actually."
"Well, then. I came at the right time," he said then kissed her on the cheek. "Are you hungry?"
"A little bit, why?"
"Well, I had a surprise for you. It involves food," he said with a chuckle.
Rachel laughed and rested her hand on his chest. "Okay, let me find my
shoes," she said as she went into her room. She came back and walked over to
the front door. "Okay, let's go," she said as she followed Howie outside.
Howie drove Rachel to a quiet park that wasn't very far away from her house. "Okay, we're here," he said as he got out of the car.
"What's the surprise?" she asked.
Howie smiled and walked over to the back of the car and took a bag out of his trunk. "You'll see," he said as he took her hand. "Come on."
The two of them walked over to a fairly private spot in the park next to the pond. Howie pulled out a blanket and a picnic basket from the bag he was holding. Rachel smiled as she watched him set everything up.
"A picnic in the park?" she said with a grin.
"Yup," he said as he took her hand. "Sit."
Rachel sat down next to him and nosed through the picnic basket. To her
surprise, he had a lot of her favorite lunch foods. There were red grapes, deli ham sandwiches with Swiss cheese, flavored water, and chocolate chip cookies. She looked up at Howie and raised her right eyebrow at him.
"What?" he said with a grin.
"How did you know that these were my favorite foods?"
"Lucky guess."
Rachel laughed and shook her head. "Liar."
Howie smirked and kissed her. "Like I said before..Erin told me."
"Well, it's very nice," she said softly.
"Good," Howie said as he handed her a plate of food. "Eat up. There's plenty to eat."
The two of them ate and enjoyed the fresh air outside. Howie was very sweet to Rachel. She wasn't sure how to react to him. It had been a long time since someone of the opposite sex did anything nice for her...way too long.
"Howie?" Rachel said as she lay next to him on the blanket.
"Yes?" he said, not taking his eyes off the clouds above him.
"Why are you so nice to me? I mean, you've gone out of your way to do all of this. Why?"
"Well, from what I can see, you are a really sweet person, and that's what I've been looking for. When I first saw you, I knew I had to get to know you. But when you shot me down, I realized that I needed a different approach, so I called Erin for help. She filled me in on a lot of things and I've used them to my advantage." Howie looked over at Rachel, boosting himself up by his elbow. "I like you Rachel...there's nothing more I can say about that."
Rachel blushed and looked away from him. "Wow," she said softly.
Howie shifted her glance back at him. "Why do you always look away from me when I'm saying things like that to you?"
"Because...well...I'm not used to it, I guess."
Howie smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Well, get used to it because I have a lot more coming for you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really."
Rachel smiled and looked into his eyes. Howie leaned over and kissed her again. No words were spoken...just the sound of the wind whispering in their ears. Howie laid back down on the blanket and Rachel laid her head on his chest. They continued to look up at the clouds with their hearts floating away.
Chapter 10 (Rachel)
AJ wandered around his empty house with a beer bottle in his hand. He was rummaging through a drawer in his office when he noticed a small box with his name on it. Unsure of what it was, he put the beer bottle down and opened the small box. Inside was a small photo album filled with pictures. He looked through them and sighed. They were all pictures of him and Erin during the time that they'd known each other. Tears filled up in his eyes when he saw the two of them sitting on a park bench wearing matching baseball caps. It was the night that he took her virginity. They were barely nineteen...too young to see the problems that they would face. He flipped back to the beginning of the album and saw a piece of paper taped to the inside cover. He brought it up closer to the read and read what it said.
~ Alex ~
I know this may not seem like much, but it was the only thing I could think of to get you for our anniversary. We've been together for almost three years and we've been best friends for even longer. You are the one I love...and the only man I trust. You have the key to my heart and I hope you open it with loving compassion. I love you so much, baby. Words can't describe how I feel. Happy Anniversary!
Love Always,
Erin XOXO
Tears streamed down AJ's cheeks when he finished reading the letter. He had nearly forgotten that their anniversary was coming soon. Now he wasn't sure what was going to happen. Erin had left...and he was alone. He didn't know when or if she was coming back...the very thought ate him alive inside. AJ angrily shut the album and shoved it back in the drawer with the box. He guzzled down the rest of the beer and grabbed his keys. There was only one place he wanted to go...Ben's house.
He arrived at Ben's house and he was greeted by a very attractive young woman. Her body swerved with dangerous curves and her big brown eyes looked at him seductively. AJ had never seen her before. He had almost wondered if he had the wrong house. The woman smiled and wet her lips.
"You're looking for Ben, right?"
"Yeah...is he here?" AJ asked timidly.
The woman smiled and opened the door a little wider. "Yeah, he's downstairs setting up some coke. Come on in," she said as she moved out of his way. "I'm T.J. by the way."
AJ turned around and smiled. "I'm AJ."
T.J. smiled again. "I know," she said as she shut the door. "If you want to see Ben, follow me downstairs," she said as she walked toward the basement door.
AJ couldn't help but let his gaze fall on her ass. He liked the way it swayed back and forth as she walked. AJ had to control himself from reaching out and grabbing it real hard. When the got downstairs, Ben was sitting at a table with a pile of coke in front of him.
"Hey, AJ! What's' up?"
"Not much. I just wanted to come over here and see how you were doing. I had to get out of my house for a little while."
"Yeah, I heard about you and Erin. Too bad, bro. Here, have a seat. I got something that'll cheer you up."
AJ walked over to the table and looked down at the coke. It was practically calling his name. It had been a long time since he'd snorted...he wasn't sure if he could do it again. Ben handed him the straw.
"Snort it up, man. You know the routine," he encouraged. "You'll forget about that Erin girl in an instant. Trust me."
AJ slowly took the straw from him and placed it in his left nostril and quickly snorted up some coke. He backed up as the coke began to burn his nose. He dropped the straw and shut his eyes and waited for the burning to disappear. Then he noticed the familiar sense of relaxation and opened his eyes again. AJ let out a sigh of relief and sat back as his high began to settle in.
"That's some good shit," he said softly.
Ben laughed and slapped him a high five. "You know it, man!" he said as he took the straw from him.
AJ drank and snorted coke for the rest of the night. He was feeling extremely good about himself at this moment. He felt that he was indestructible. By the end of the night, Ben had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs, leaving him and T.J. alone upstairs. She stared at him seductively as she moved closer to him and sat on his lap.
"So, what does T.J. stand for anyway?" AJ asked.
T.J. smiled and kissed his neck. "Totally juicy," she whispered.
AJ chuckled as she ran her tongue across his jaw line. "No, seriously. What does it mean?"
She smiled and kissed him. "Wouldn't you like to know," she said as she unzipped his pants. "Let's have some fun," she said as she whipped out his dick.
"Mmmm," AJ said as he felt himself harden. "Oh yeah," he said then turned off the light.
