Unraveling – Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – The rain

At one point during the night, it began to rain. And it was pouring down, too: buckets of water, thunders, flashes of lightning, powerful wind. The whole repertoire of Mother Nature shrugging off some summer heat.

Lisa and Michael barely noticed, since they finally had made it to the bed – after some intense foreplay in the shower – and were still making love. It was late, they hadn’t even had a proper dinner and were both exhausted, yet they could not bring themselves to stop. Everything was going just the way Lisa had predicted: once she had stopped fighting the overwhelming attraction that she felt for Michael, he sure had been all in and had begun making up for all the time he felt they had lost. As usual, she loved his endurance, his ability to keep going and going. She had never met a more vital, resilient, generous lover, and as a matter of fact, Michael’s mere existence had the ability to make her forget all about any other man in the world. Especially when he decided to be so open, to fully pull her into his orbit.

If only she could believe that the same principle applied to him…

The bitter, fleeting thought remained folded in the depths of her mind, and yet somehow he seemed to sense it. At that very moment, his face was buried in between her legs and his tongue was inside of her. She had been writhing and perspiring under that sweet torture for interminable minutes – since he had stopped fucking her and had pulled out of her body suddenly, leaving her on the verge of another mind-blowing climax, and then had finished her off with his mouth. Startling her, stunning her. And then starting again the moment she had finally recovered.

Michael’s intimate kisses slowed down and his eyes opened, finding her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were parted. One hand was busy twisting the pillow, the other was in his hair, holding him where she needed him. Staring at her, he gave her another set of languid licks and she moaned out loud, her hips about coming off the bed.

“God, I love the way you taste. I missed it so much…” His voice was throaty and husky. It was a predictable detail, since he too had been verbally expressing his pleasure for hours. They both seemed intent on making the other lose their mind. And if this was a competition, Lisa knew that they would both end up being winners and losers at the same time. “Stay with me… Look at me. Don’t look away.”

She complied, watching him through barely opened eyelids. Her breathing was uneven. She raked her fingers through his hair and pulled him against her flesh again and their eyes stayed connected throughout it all. What else was she supposed to do? She loved being loved by him, especially when he was so demanding. And she knew how much he loved going down on her.

The rest of the night was a blur. She knew that what they did was beyond intense and that their slow, gentle lovemaking couldn’t find a space in the reconnection they needed at the moment. Lisa understood. She and Michael surely had breached one of the barriers that had been separating them, but ultimately they had been unable to fix whatever was broken between them. There was just so much that was damaged, so much that they had not yet found the courage to truly discuss. She understood that he still had a lot to get off his chest, but she too had left him in the dark about some things.

They both were being held captive by their own fears and traumas.

And so, in the end, she was grateful for finally having allowed him to get close to her in what had always been their language of choice. In every kiss, every thrust, every touch, every look, in every sexy, dirty word, she had felt his love with a clarity that for far too long had been lost on her. She had become blind and deaf to so much that had been there all along… How could she resent him for having felt the same?

Michael took her in earnest, impatiently and without any mercy whatsoever, with a domineering attitude that was more than welcome. Lisa opened herself up completely to his rough play – and to him. As a matter of fact, she loved how able he was to make her feel all woman. Not only adored and worshiped because she was his wife and the mother of his children, but also because she was his lover. Resuming a game that they both enjoyed, he took her from behind and she had to brace herself against the headboard to resist his passionate attack. At one point, she even asked him to hurt her. She reminded him how he could hurt her so good, and Michael – although a bit hesitant at first – complied. Making her see stars. Giving her the clarity of mind that she longed for.

Lisa didn’t even know why she had asked him that. She only knew that she had accepted the pain and that if Michael had been in the mood for an even rougher play, she would have not stopped him.

There had been nothing she had not let him do to her. There hadn’t been a moment, throughout the night, when she had not made sure that he knew how much she wanted what was happening.

There was such a thin line between being flat-out submissive and being the beta to his alpha. Lisa and Michael both knew the drill. They had perfected the art of their lovemaking a long time ago and even now, so many years after their first time, it was still as breathtaking as it had always been. She had only pretended to forget all about the power of their chemistry. She had known all along that surrender would eventually be the only option.

When the sky started to turn from jet black to the deep azure that preluded the sunrise, Lisa was reduced to a writhing mess on the mattress. Physically sated, but also emotionally exhausted. Overwhelmed.

Lying down on her stomach, breathless and boneless, she stared at him.

Michael was on his side, facing her. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His short hair was all over the place, some wild curls were plastered to his still sweaty forehead. His eyes were almost pitch black and shone in the natural light of the room. He still looked pensive, but also much more relaxed than she had seen him in a very long time.

“You okay, baby girl?”

Funny, she had been wondering the same thing.

“I was just about to ask you how you feel, big guy.”

Her words made him smirk. Reaching out, he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Drained. But also refreshed. And…” He sighed. “…In love.”

Lisa’s eyes closed for a moment and she swallowed. Once again… He was being so sweet. So tender. It was another classic. Michael could be gruff when playing, but afterward, in the afterglow of their lovemaking, he was always gentle. It was the most dangerous weapon ever.

“Tell me, Lisa. I want to hear it again.”

Scoffing, she shook her head and touched his cheek.

“You’re a bit of a bully, you know that, right?” Her touch turned into a caress. “I told you plenty of times in the past… ah… fuck if I know. Several hours?”

Holding her wrist for a second, he ended up entwining his fingers with hers. He was still smiling.

“I know, but still…”

And then he waited. God… How much more reassurance did he need, still? Wasn’t giving herself to him completely enough? Even though Lisa knew damn well that it was far from the truth. They both kept playing close to the vest in so many different ways. And the fact that she had never openly told him that she forgave him was an indicator.

“I love you, Mike. You know I do.”

“I need you to understand that it’s not something I am taking for granted…”

He seemed about to say something else, but then ended up closing his mouth. She wondered if that something was the word “anymore”. Maybe that was the bottom line. Maybe what had happened was the result of him taking her love for granted. Perhaps it was the result of both of them assuming that what they had was this immutable, frozen being that nothing could ever touch. Something that they could forget about, because it took care of itself.

The reality was, of course, much different. Couples could grow apart, and it was not something that would just happen. It was their choice, unwilling or not. And likewise, maybe their present and future choices would fix the current situation and prevent what had occurred from happening again. It was disheartening, for Lisa, to realize that neither she nor Michael were able to take action now. That the steps they had taken to get closer again were not enough.

An old fight replayed in her mind. When she and Michael had gone through their big, final breakup before she eventually came back to him, a few years earlier. Back then, she had genuinely believed that there was nothing else that they could fix. And she had told him.

“Michael, sometimes love just isn’t enough.”

For a while, after finding him again, she had believed that what she had said to him was bullshit. But now, all of a sudden, she just wasn’t so sure anymore.

It hadn’t been enough – what they had done. Michael saw it painted all over Lisa’s face. Of course, he knew that they had made some progress, but when they finally had started making love he had hoped that the dam would break.

He had made love to her in a way that he had almost forgotten. As if it was the first and yet the last time, and he had felt prisoner of such a weird combination of emotions that he had been unable to verbalize them. Oh, he had spoken plenty, and so had she. But they both had limited their exchange to strictly sexual territory… Just like they would do in the past, a long time ago.

He had thought that they had gotten wiser, but apparently he was wrong. He and Lisa were still very much capable of hiding their issues behind the intense sexual connection that kept them shackled to one another. Their beautiful prison.

Now, in retrospect, it occurred to him that maybe that was the reason why Lisa had done her best to rebuff him for as long as she could. For weeks, he had thought that he had become unattractive to her, that maybe he disgusted her after what he had done with Christine. The mixed signals Lisa had been sending all along weren’t of any help and, after all, understanding women had never been one of his most outstanding skills.

The night vanishing at the horizon had shown him that she still wanted him. She still burned for him. Her body still responded to his touch in all the right ways. Lisa would never know what relief that realization had evoked in him. How he had felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. However, he still wasn’t off the hook. He had relegated himself to the shithouse and was aware that he would stay there for as long as his ability to speak up, honestly and openly, was stunted.

Knowing well that their conversation wouldn’t be going anywhere, and that the moment of passion was over, he scooted closer to her and took her into his arms. Lisa was soft, her body pliant and warm as she allowed him to pull her against his chest. He felt her lips against his skin, the tip of her tongue as her fingertips caressed his pectorals as if she was rediscovering him. He felt like crying and, possibly for the very first time since this whole ordeal had started, he realized how terrifying it would be to lose her. He knew that she would never take the kids from him, but still… The mere idea of her leaving him almost froze him on the spot.

He held her tighter and she raked her hand through his sweaty hair.

“I’m here.”

Michael sighed. It was nice to know that, somehow, they still could understand each other so well. He wondered how many things she could read straight from his mind without him saying a word.

They cuddled for long, quiet minutes before she spoke again. Her voice was calm, possibly a bit sad.

“Michael… I know we had different plans and we were supposed to stay longer, but I think it’s best if we go back tomorrow.”

“You mean home?”

Oh, he knew what was coming.

She kissed his chest again.

“Yeah… I miss the kids. I want to see Logan. He’s so little, still… He’s not used to be without us. And… I think this place has given us the best it could. I don’t know what else it can do for us.”

Michael’s heart dropped.

This was where he and his wife diverged. He thought that maybe this night was the beginning of something else, that it was a magnificent first step, but it was pretty apparent that Lisa thought it was the end. Theoretically, they were supposed to spend another night in South Carolina, but he would never force her to stay in a place where she didn’t want to be. If she wanted to fly home, he would be by her side.

“I understand. Yeah… Maybe you’re right. Okay, then… We’ll leave tomorrow morning. We can charter a private flight and be home in the evening… Or something.”

Of course, he too missed the kids – way more than words could express. He and Lisa knew that everyone was fine at home and that the children were surrounded by an army of trusted caretakers, but still… talking to them over the phone could only do so much, and he wanted to spend time with them in person. He loved being a hands-on dad. However, he had also been able to pacify himself when they had left British Columbia: he and Lisa would only be away for a long weekend, nothing major. And the most significant benefit that came from their little getaway was to go back home unburdened, unraveled. Healed. Something that would be a good thing for everyone, including the kids.

Lisa’s request, now, felt both an easy escape and a declaration of defeat. It felt as if she had given up on this occasion. Kissing the top of her head, Michael ignored the bitter feeling that came with those thoughts. Disappointment, sadness but also – once again – irritation. He didn’t have the right to be mad at her. Even though, in the past, he had been way more patient with her when she would throw her tantrums, hurting him, making him feel betrayed and confused and-

Mike, stop. You don’t wanna think about that no more. Especially now. It’s all water under the bridge, right? Let it go. It’s time to finally get over it.

He closed his eyes. The cocky boldness that had made him feel strong and powerful only a few minutes earlier seemed to be gone, and Lisa’s openness, too, felt somehow deflated. They were back at being hesitant and fearful, and very confused about what had just happened and why.

“Hey, Mike…”

“What?”

Her breathing had become steady, regular. She almost sounded as if she was falling asleep.

“I had almost forgotten how fun it is when we get a bit kinky.”

Her face was still buried in his chest and he felt her smile. He welcomed the small peace offer and giggled.

“You almost forgot? Then I guess I’ll have to do better next time.”

“Yeah…” One more kiss against his naked skin, her hand caressing his back. Her breathing becoming even slower and deeper. “You do that.”

Without even noticing, Michael dozed off. If in the past few months he had too often been taken hostage by his notorious insomnia, this time felt different. He had just meant to rest his eyes for a few minutes, but then when he opened them again he realized that he had slept for a few hours. Glancing at the alarm clock on his nightstand, he noticed that it was a little past nine in the morning. It was still raining.

He was lying down on his stomach, his head turned toward the window. Standing perfectly still, he felt Lisa’s weight by his side and turned his head in her direction. He needed to see her, make sure that she was still there. The azure of her eyes startled him. She was awake and was watching him.

Man… she was such a sublime view. Every single day, she was. Their eyes met and there they stayed. Their bodies under the sheets, still naked, enjoying that intimacy once again. Improving it.

Almost on cue, they both refrained from talking. They simply stared into each other’s eyes, and it wasn’t even awkward. This – whatever it was – was so different than what they had shared up until a few hours earlier. For so long Lisa had often tried to avert her gaze whenever he watched her, just as much as she had tried to elude physical closeness. Maybe the disappointment he had experienced a few hours earlier, before falling asleep, had been a bit misplaced because now she wasn’t shying away from this. This moment was not odd in the least. The silence was not uncomfortable at all. It was meaningful, it was important. Just holding eye-contact meant that they were both present in the here and now.

At one point, Michael simply couldn’t wait any longer. He reached out and Lisa took his hand, scooting closer to him. They kissed, very gently, and she once again resumed the position she had been in when they had both dozed off. Snuggled against his chest.

“Lise… I was thinking… We should do this more often. Take some time off, just the two of us.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We should.”

Michael guessed that it was the best he could get right now, and just stayed quiet.

Lisa stood in front of the mirror, giving her make-up a final touch up before reaching Michael downstairs, where he was waiting for her so that they could leave for the airport. She was feeling like an ass, too, because she hated waving the white flag, just in general and even more so with him. Maybe she should have just stayed quiet, after making love, but instead her foot-in-the-mouth syndrome had taken over and she had blurted out that stupid, stupid idea.

Let’s go back home earlier than planned.

Well, the point was that it hadn’t felt that stupid at all then. However, it had sounded so incredibly idiotic the next morning, when she had spent such a long time watching Michael sleep. Realizing that she hadn’t done so in a very long time.

In her own mind, she had accused him of having distanced himself from her emotionally, but the peace she had experienced the previous night, after they had just finished making love, now made her wonder if she too had done the same. At least to some extent.

When earlier that morning he had finally opened his eyes, when they had shared those quiet moments, Lisa had realized how much she wanted him again. How she wished that he would make a move on her, just to give in one more time. Knowing well that, in the past, she would have felt confident enough to climb on top of him, stimulate him the way she knew he loved, and finally take him inside. Where he belonged.

But that confidence was gone. Despite Michael showing how much he desired her, she had been too afraid to be rejected, if only she pushed the envelope a little too much. After all, the night before had been a bit of an extraordinary circumstance… They were both riled up, tipsy, frustrated, in desperate need of some sexual healing.

Everything seemed different in the clear light of day and Lisa didn’t know what to do with it. And even when Michael had held her again, even when she had felt his hardness against her body, her self-defense mechanisms had kicked in for the umpteenth time and she had convinced herself that his was nothing but standard morning happiness. Or whatever.

About half an hour later, he had gotten up and she had heard the water run in the shower. She had just remained in bed, and had called home to let the babysitters know that she and Michael would be back one day earlier than expected. Andrea, the girl who picked up the phone – a university student that loved working part-time for the Jacksons – sounded mildly surprised and asked Lisa if they were sure, since the news said that the weather was quite bad in South Carolina.

Turning in bed, Lisa had raked her fingers through her hair and glanced out of the window.

“Yeah, I mean… It is raining, but it really is nothing major. I think we’ll be fine.”

And that had been it. Now, as she finished brushing her hair and assessed how sad on a scale from one to ten her eyes looked in the mirror, Lisa tried not to listen to the thunders coming from the outside.

The weather had gotten worse. Even the morning light had turned dark, and she and Michael had been forced to turn the light on in the kitchen as they had breakfast, earlier. However, she was sure that everything would go down smoothly, and that the plane currently on hold would be ready to take off once they arrived at the airport.

Her smartphone rang and Lisa was surprised to see Janet’s name appear on the screen. She picked up immediately.

“Hey, Jan. What happened? Are the kids okay?”

Janet sounded taken aback.

“What? I think so. Why are you asking?”

“Weren’t you supposed to stop by at our house this weekend? That’s what you told me when Michael and I left.”

“Oh, right! …Yeah, I was. But then something else came up – so I was planning to drop by sometime next week, if that is okay with you guys.”

Lisa’s eyebrows sprung up.

“Oh, sure. Alright, of course. Whenever you want.”

“How are you doing, Lise? I was just calling to know how it’s been going over there. In good ole’ South Carolina…” She put up a funny accent and giggled, sounding very similar to Michael. “…Did you and my big brother make up yet?”

Lisa leaned back into the chair and sighed, glancing up at the ceiling in exasperation.

“Yes. No. Well… I don’t know. I’m not sure of anything anymore.” She shook her head. “I’m such a fucking mess, Janet. I love him. And I think he loves me, still, but…”

“Wait. Hold up. What? Michael can be a douche, I know that, trust me… But he loves you. He’s crazy about you. Always has been.”

“Right… but that’s not even the point anymore, isn’t it? He probably thought he loved me even when he entertained himself with that woman.”

“Yeah, I know. Total dick move. And let me be clear: I grilled him for that, ‘cause he totally deserved it. But I also know that he’s putting so much hope, so many expectations into that little trip abroad of yours, and so I was wondering…”

“Actually, we’re about to leave. Drive to the airport and fly back home.”

“What? Why?” Lisa heard some ruffling sounds in the background, as if Janet was moving her phone from one ear to the other. “I thought you were supposed to go back tomorrow.”

“Yes, we were. But last night I told him…” Once again she shook her head and all of a sudden she felt tears burning, struggling to come out. It was frustration, but also insecurity. “…I told him I thought we were done here. I don’t even know why I did it…”

“I don’t know either. Unless you were pissed off, ‘cause that’s what you do when you can’t think straight. Were you guys fighting when it happened?”

“No, not at all. We had just finished…” Lisa shrugged. “…You know…”

“What, fucking?”

“…Yeah.”

Janet giggled.

“Oh, damn. I knew it. The old magic is still there.”

“Is it, really? Or it’s just, you know, habit? Desperation?”

“How am I supposed to know? You tell me. Did it feel like a habit while you guys were doing it?”

Lisa pondered over the question seriously.

“…No.”

“Did you feel desperate? Did he look like he was desperate?”

Oh, he was desperate to have her, alright. But that was not what Janet was asking.

“He did… in a way. But maybe not the way you think.”

Once again, Janet chuckled.

“Oh, I get it. He was probably desperately happy to be finally fucking his wife again, ‘cause I’m sure he got a bad case of blue balls after that shit he pulled. I know how you roll, girlfriend.”

Lisa snorted.

“Janet! I was not punishing your brother…”

“No? You weren’t withholding sex from him? I mean, I would have, had he been my husband. Fuck that shit he did. He would’ve had so much more than abstinence to deal with, believe me. However…”

“Jan…”

“No, wait! Let me just say this. However, that doesn’t mean that I think you should leave him. Because you see, Mike isn’t like your regular guy. He really isn’t. And even though I’m sure he can be insufferable at times, and that he would deserve at least a slap on the head for what he did, I also know that he is genuinely sorry. I don’t know if he ever told you, but he did call me that day, you know… after he…”

No, Lisa didn’t know. Michael had never told her.

She didn’t even get mad. If anything, she was glad to find out that he had been upset, distressed enough to seek guidance from his younger sister, to reach out to someone because he needed to clear his head. It was possibly the confirmation that he had, in fact, been hanging on a thread not only after what he had done, but because of it.

“No, he didn’t tell me. But I’m glad you’re doing it now.”

“Well, I did promise I wouldn’t call you, back then. But now I think it’s best if all is out in the open. At this point you know what happened, so it makes no sense for me to hold back. I love my brother with all my heart, but like I said, that was a dick move. And I need you to know that I’m on your side in this.”

“There are no sides. It really is way more complicated than that, Janet. That doesn’t mean that what Michael did wasn’t bad… It was. It kinda broke my heart. But at the same time, I guess I’m starting to understand why it happened and where he was coming from. I wouldn’t be trying to fix this if I didn’t. We wouldn’t.”

“Then why are you leaving earlier? You two still have a whole day and a whole night ahead of you, if you wanna try to do that fixing you’re talking about.”

And yeah, Janet did have a point.

Five minutes later, Lisa realized that Michael was not waiting for her downstairs. He was already in the car, in the driver’s seat, engine on and rumbling in the backyard.

She walked out of the mansion and winced, shivering. God damn it! For real? It was pouring down and the temperature was more akin to an autumn day than full-blown summer. Glancing over at Michael, she noticed that he had been waiting for her as close as he could to the patio. An act of gallantry that she totally expected from him, because it was just such a part of the man he was. He had never pretended to be a gentleman, he genuinely was wired like that.

Before she could fully close the door behind her back, he had already pushed the driver’s door open and was jogging in her direction – all the while opening an umbrella for her. Her heart gave a squeeze. This was the man she had fallen in love with, so many years earlier. The sweet, thoughtful guy – not only that beast of a lover that rocked her world in bed.

Michael smiled and held out his hand. He wore a casual attire – white shirt, black pants and boots, and a light black trench. As usual, he looked regal without even trying too hard.

“Come on, missy. I don’t want you to get wet. It’s freezing balls out here.”

Lisa took his hand. The touch felt warm and comforting. And to have him gently guide her toward the car made her feel even warmer. It was as if every little thing that Michael did now was magnified in her eyes, as if she finally could manage to truly look at him after weeks of almost complete blindness.

“Wow… I didn’t think the weather would get so bad.”

“Yeah… Summer storms can be nasty.”

“But it doesn’t feel like summer at all. And it looks like it’s getting worse by the minute.”

She stared at the mansion, now wrapped in a weird blanket of fog and mist, as Michel slowly drove past it and toward the gates.

“Yeah, well… No worries. We’re not in a hurry. We’ll go nice and slow – the plane is on hold anyway, and according to the airport crew, we might even have to wait for a bit. They wanna make sure it’s safe to fly.”

“Oh. Well, alright.” She strapped herself in. “By the way, your sister called.”

His face stayed pretty much expressionless.

“Which one?”

“What?”

“I got many sisters.”

Lisa grinned. Of course, he knew that she was talking about Janet. That was Michael’s standard way to deflect and postpone a matter he didn’t really want to talk about.

“Janet.”

“I see.” He glanced left and right, then took the main road out of the property. “Was she at our place?”

“No, she got stuff to do apparently. She just wanted to know how our little getaway was going.”

Michael raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah? And what did you tell her?”

Lisa stayed quiet, just biting the inside of her cheek in sudden nervousness. Why was everything so fucking hard? Talking to him openly. Communicating. Being…

Trusting.

“Not much, frankly. It was a pretty quick call. But she told me that you talked to her after what…”

What you did.

“…After what happened with Christine.”

It was his turn to bite down on his bottom lip. His eyes were serious and all of a sudden he looked tired. Studying his face, Lisa noticed that he hadn’t shaved that morning, and that his usually well-groomed beard was stubbly at the edges.

“I called her because I needed to talk to someone. I am sorry I felt it couldn’t be you.” He sighed and kept driving slowly toward what looked like a huge, black-greenish portion of the sky. Right into the eye of the storm. “You have no idea how sorry I am.”

“That’s not what I meant. I know you’re sorry. I just-” She frowned, then shook her head. “Look, I just want you to know that it’s fine. That I’m glad you reached out to her.”

“Yeah, but just so you know, she wasn’t helpful at all. In fact, she whooped my ass badly.”

Lisa had to smile at his huffy tone. Without even realizing it, he had just entertained her with one of those behaviors that she would often consider beyond endearing. And she knew that this wasn’t one of those times when he was genuinely aloof – he was only pretending to be. The reality was that, the moment he had dialed Janet’s number and decided to tell her everything, Michael already knew that his sister would react accordingly. And he had undergone the treatment – voluntarily.

“Well, maybe she did it ‘cause you deserved it.”

She playfully punched his shoulder and he turned to look at her, surprised by the little gesture. Lisa too was a bit startled by her own reaction, which had been almost automatic – and authentic. However, the reason was simple: she didn’t want to see him spiral down in that self-deprecation mode that she had so often observed in the recent past. Even though they had decided to cut their weekend short, it didn’t mean that they had to throw away the tiny progress they had made.

Michael smiled.

“I totally did. She pestered me, but that’s what Janet does. I knew exactly what she would say when I called her…”

There he was.

“…And that she wouldn’t take any bullshit from me. Which was just what I needed. Otherwise, I am not even sure I would have been able to come back home to you, that evening.”

Lisa nodded her head, staring into space for a moment. Then she reached out and touched his leg. His strong quads twitched under the palm of her hand – making her feel… in some sort of way.

“Mike… But I needed you to come home that night. Every night, that is. And I need you to know that I see you. I see how hard you’re trying. If anything, maybe it’s me that-”

“No, don’t even start. Please, don’t second guess yourself.” He swallowed and tried very hard to stare at the road. She had only rarely seen him so committed to doing everything right, relationship-wise. Maybe during their extenuating post-divorce times, but certainly not since they had gotten married again. “You’re still here, right? With me. We’re still here.”

“Yeah… We’re still here.”

Lisa leaned back into her seat.

“Look… Even though we didn’t stay at the mansion as long as we were supposed to do, we can still have some more therapy sessions…” He shrugged, vaguely. “…Maybe doctor Plumb will be able to tell us why we decided to leave early… After scolding us because we broke the rules.”

“What are you talking about? I think we did a pretty good job with them rules, if you ask me. I mean, we cut off everything but us, we talked, we cuddled, we…”

“Made love.”

“Yeah. And fucked.”

He laughed, dryly.

“Yeah…” His voice dropped an octave. “That, too.”

A moment of silence followed. How funny it was that Michael interpreted the furious coupling that had marked every single minute of the previous night as “making love”. While Lisa saw it more like claiming one another. In the roughest, dirtiest, hottest ways she could ever imagine.

“I loved fucking you the way I did, Lise…”

His voice again. Calm and deep. It acted like a shock to her system – together with the words he used. The words he chose to use. Michael was turning on the charm and she was about to become his most willing captive. However, she kept her gaze fixed straight ahead – on the black sky that was about to swallow them whole. As black as Michael’s eyes.

“You were angry, Michael. I could tell that at least part of you was. I felt it in the way you took me.”

She could hear the wind howling outside, but inside the car there was almost a complete, deafening silence. A silence that spoke of confession.

Michael didn’t comment and Lisa felt strangely lightheaded. Her hand was still on his thigh and, glancing down for a moment, she noticed the slight reaction in his lower body. It took him so little to get started. Heaven was so close – just a few inches away from her fingertips. Why everything kept happening like this? Right now, while they were about to go home? When they no longer had time?

“Were you?”

“Was I what…”

“Angry.”

The black clouds seemed to close in on them. The eye of the storm got closer and closer. Metaphorically and otherwise.

Michael shook his head. Almost in a dreamlike state, Lisa moved her hand up his thigh, noticing how he set his jaw.

“I need you to talk to me, baby. Trust me, I won’t let you down. Just…” The heat of his body began to scald her through the fabric of his pants. “…Be open. I really, really wanna do the same, but I need you to guide me in this…”

“Lise…”

“Yeah…”

God, she needed to touch him. She needed him to stop the damn car and fuck her senseless, and erase all doubts from her mind.

Michael slowed down the car and she sent out a silent prayer. Maybe he was indeed reading her thoughts.

“The wind is dying down…” He rolled down the window, just a few inches. “The air’s getting very still.”

Lisa blinked. What the heck was he talking about now?

“What do you mean? Did you hear what I just said?”

“Yeah, but…” He narrowed his eyes and pointed at something straight ahead from where they were. “…See that? Over there? Look. That’s no regular cloud, Lise. That’s a cloud of debris…”

“Michael? What are you talking about?”

Finally, he turned and stared at her. And he looked slightly alarmed.

“Babe, I swear I really wanna talk ‘bout this but… I think that thing is a tornado.”