THE WALK HOME
Chapter 7
“Guess who, Cole!”
What had started as confusion spun into a bad joke, and had become a name.
My circle of friends in high school included both Jason Barton and Jason Coleridge. After a week-long camping trip where they both attended and were both constantly answering to ‘Jason,’ one of the chaperones gave up in frustration and finally started just calling them by their last names. Which, in the first case, started causing problems with Melanie Barton, no relation to Jason. So by the time the bunch of us got back, the two of them were ‘Jason’ and ‘Coleridge.’
One of our less-sensitive friends pointed out that not only was ‘Cole’ a clever way to shorten ‘Coleridge,’ but it was also very appropriate for a man who was, quote, “as black as coal.”
We all had a groan and eyeroll at that, but ‘Cole’ stuck, and even a few years later he used it in all but family situations. He was Cole to co-workers, Cole to friends, Cole to teachers. And Cole to me.
I was two minutes early to the café where we were to meet, and he was already there, standing at the counter, chatting up the barista. She was twisting a curl of blonde hair around her finger, blushing a little; Cole must have been turning on the charm.
I snuck up behind him and wrapped my arms around him with a big “Guess who, Cole!", which made him jump and the barista laugh.
“Priya! How are ya?” he asked without turning around, mellow voice booming to fill the otherwise-empty space.
He was dressed casually, in khakis and a dark green t-shirt. Cole wasn’t much special to look at—not ugly, but... average. Almost aggressively average. Average height, average build, average looks, average... well, yeah, even that. But his beautiful voice, the way he could speak, the words he used, those made all the difference. Ever since I was seventeen he could make me wet with a few lines.
The way I’d been the past week, if he’d turned that devastating charm on me, I’d probably have orgasmed right there on the spot. Fortunately, I was somewhat immune after six years of hearing him. Not completely, but somewhat.
I ruffled his short hair. “How did you know it was me?”
He laughed, turning around and wrapped me up in his arms in response. “Don’t know anyone else with hands like yours,” he muttered in my ear.
Typical Cole. Surface-level truth about the colour of my skin, deeper meaning about what those hands can do. Five seconds in and I felt the blood rushing to my face. My mind flashed to an image of me, Cole, back at my apartment, before we drew away from one another.
“What can I get the two of you?” the cute barista asked.
“Whatever she wants is on me,” Cole said, turning back to the counter. “I’ll have a chicken—’n’—red-pepper in a wrap, and a lemon-lime.”
The barista grinned. “I usually have exactly that!”
“What a coincidence,” Cole chuckled, and I could hear his wink. Probably because of this past week, I’d got a lot better at inferring expression from tone of voice. Of course, the girl’s blush was also a clue that something was going on. “Mind if I step aside ladies? I need to use the washroom.”
“You don’t have to ask me,” Tara (according to her nametag) replied. “I’ll get your order ready.” She turned to me as Cole walked off. “And what can I get you?”
I matched her smile. “I think the same, that sounds great. And if it has your stamp of approval...”
I checked my tone, my posture, the way my eyes held hers. I realized I was flirting, the way I might have with Jess. And it was working, too. Maybe Tara just saw me as a way to Cole; what were the odds I would run into two women attracted to me within a week?
Or maybe it was me. Maybe I was different. Maybe this last week had made a change in me; certainly flirting with a woman was new territory, no matter how much I’d fantasized in the past.
Tara leaned in closer, resting her elbows on the counter. “So are you and Cole, uh...” She flushed. She was probably a year or two younger than me, white, a shining blue streak through her dark hair and pretty green eyes. She looked a little pudgy, which added to her cuteness.
I gave her a mysterious smile. “We have our moments.” The instant it left my mouth the phrase sounded stupid, but the effect on Tara was interesting, as her blush spread down to her neck.
“Go have a seat, if you want,” she said, her voice a bit shaky. “I have to make your wraps.”
“I look forward to it.” I tried the double-entendre thing that Cole was so good at, and I wasn’t sure that I got across my intention. The look on Tara’s face suggested that I’d struck a nerve somewhere, although I couldn’t really read what it was. It might have just been that friendly smile people who deal with the public practice so they can dismiss us easily without hurting our feelings. I felt a little insecure about it, and felt that silence between us get a little awkward, although that, too, might have been imagined. I felt Cole’s confidence-by-proxy and Jess’ casual bouncy ease slipping out of my grasp, leaving me just with... well, with Priya.
As I turned to take a table, I imagined that expression going slack staring at a silver-petalled flower. Jess was solidly in my head, at that point, whether or not she knew it herself. I could see Tara lying in my nice, warm bed, mesmerized by the sprite’s—no, by my spell. Or maybe Jess’. Or Cole’s. It didn’t matter. A dozen different combinations played out in my mind, between me, Cole, Jess, and Tara, as I sat there, hands judiciously in my lap, carefully not moving. A glance over at the counter told me that Tara was busy. Working.
Of course she was.
I sighed. The world doesn’t revolve around your fantasies. You don’t really know Jessica. Tara’s a complete stranger. You haven’t seen Cole in weeks and haven’t slept with him in months. You’re just horny. Get a grip.
“Daydreaming?” Cole asked as he sat down, shocking me out of my reverie. “Must be a good one.”
I put my hand to my cheek. I was hot. Flushed. “Maybe it’s just seeing you,” I shot back, trying to cover my awkwardness with a bit of bite.
He raised an eyebrow, not taking the bait. “Could say the same about you.” He chuckled. “I missed you while I was away.”
I smiled, my mood lifting. “Missed you, too.”
“Anything new happening?”
I took a deep breath and let it out. “Huh. Kinda.”
Cole’s eyes widened some. “Let’s hear it.”
I looked around a little nervously. He and I were the only customers in the place. Tara was behind the counter, working. Still, I shook my head. “After lunch.”
“Ooh, sounds serious. Is it at least good news?”
I paused to think for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s good. And what about you?”
He shook his head. “Work was crap, but at least I’m set for the next couple months. Then back to it. I did have a fun time with one of the girls in lighting, though.” He grinned.
I laughed. “Just one?”
“Hey, I was busy! Fourteen-hour days don’t leave a lot of time for gettin’ down with co-workers!” He laughed, and I remembered a dozen other times when that warm, friendly sound filled a room. “Besides, there weren’t many others that really caught my eye. And none that could hold a candle to you.”
And I was blushing again. “You just say that because you like the sari.”
“Always do. Blue is really your colour, you know, especially that blue.”
I knew he liked it. That was why I wore it. Same reason that I wove that silver strand through my braid and put on a slightly darker tone of eyeliner than I usually used.
“And,” Cole continued, “I always liked unwrapping it.” He chuckled softly.
My blush deepened and my breath caught as Tara walked out from behind the counter carrying a tray with our wraps and drinks. “Let me know if you want anything more,” she offered as she set our meals down for us.
“Thank you,” I said, knowing that my own face was still darker than usual. Tara met my eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel my stomach flutter at her momentary glance. Whether she was angling for a tip or something had resolved itself into a mutual appreciation, I wasn’t about to guess.
“Any time,” Tara replied, fully in control of herself, no signs of excitement or embarrassment, just a polite smile. The professional barista, serving her customers. Any hint of anything passing between us was gone from her expression, and again, I wondered if I was just imagining things.
“Well look at you, Priya,” Cole said after she’d walked away. “A few months ago you wouldn’t have looked twice at another woman.”
I had hoped I wasn’t that obvious, but I’d never been great at hiding my expressions. ”A week ago I wouldn’t have,” I said, taking a bite from my wrap. It was absolutely delicious, which took my attention away from my temporary discomfort.
“Ooh, sounds like something’s going on. Got a story to tell?” he asked before taking his own bite.
One story? I thought to myself. I’m writing two, at least, and that’s not even real life. All I did in reply was go back to my mysterious act and say, “We should talk after lunch.“
“I do look forward to catching up,” Cole replied with a wink, not letting me off the hook. “Been a while.”
It had been a while. He asked after my parents, who were fine, as far as I knew. Work? Going well. Social life? I shook my head. Nothing of note there, except... I turned mysterious again. That would wait until after lunch. I enjoyed prodding his curiosity, almost literally able to see his interest. I turned the lens on him, instead, asking about his work, his friends, a couple people of mutual acquaintance, but I was also gauging my own state of mind, mentally working to figure out just how much I could (or should) explain about this past week and about Jess.
By the time we were done our wraps, I had committed myself to telling everything. I wanted my old friend’s relationship advice and know-how, and he could help me work things out a lot better if I wasn’t hiding things from him.
After our food was eaten and our drinks drunk, we sat for a few minutes until Cole pushed his chair away from the table. “Wanna take a little walk, do that catching up we were talking about?”
I smirked at him as I stood up. “Not too far to your apartment, right?”
He grinned back. “Let me show you the way.”
“Pretty sure I remember,” I said as we headed out the door.
I could see the impatience in Cole’s body language. “So, uh, you’ve had an interesting week?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
I laughed. “Okay, heading this off, no, I haven’t been to bed with a woman. Not yet, anyway.”
“’Not yet.’ You’re still being mysterious.” We started walking down the road. “It’s not like you.”
“Forgive me a little, Cole,” I replied. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing. And being mysterious is fun.”
He chuckled and waited patiently. I took a breath, and I started talking. I began at the beginning with the rough day I’d had Tuesday: a voice in the night, how nice it was to make a new friend.
Wednesday’s story was told as we turned off the main road and headed up Cole’s street. Dreams, a story, going on an adventure. Cole was taking it in, interested, hardly making a sound other than noises of agreement.
He opened the door to his apartment block as I started in on Thursday, talking about my glasses, my dream, and Jess’ spell. It wasn’t until we were in his spotless apartment—away from any possibility of being overheard—that I mentioned my actions afterwards in the privacy of my own home.
As he got me a lemonade with gin, I moved into Friday, The rainstorm. Jess’ confessions about how life. How I felt warm when the sprite intoned her little spell. Wet grass, a hot shower, imagining Jess’ magic and...
I swallowed. I had finished half my drink. “I just can’t get her out of my head,” I muttered.
“Fuck, Priya, after that story I’m not sure the I can get her out of my head.” He put his beer down and looked me right in the eye. “How are you doing with it all? It sounds like a lot.“
“Honestly?” I shook my head. “I have no idea. I’ve never really been this...” I tried to think of a good term. “Mixed up, I guess? But I don’t feel bad about it. I feel pretty good, actually. And..” I met his gaze. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been hornier.“
He coughed a bit as I said that, downing the last of his beer. He shifted in his seat.
I raised an eyebrow. I knew what he was thinking. I was thinking it too. I’d been thinking it on and off since I’d got his text the day before. I nodded, once, and smiled.
“I know it’s been...”
“I thought you’d never ask,” I interrupted quickly, standing up and leaving my unfinished drink on the table. “Bedroom?”
He chuckled and slipped his shirt off, tossing it on his chair. My mouth went dry at the sight of his chest, not because he was some Adonis; he was fit, but not ripped. What it meant about what was to come, though, excited me terribly.
“I wanna know more about your story after,” he said crossing the room. I put my hands on his pecs and planted a big kiss on his lips, and he replied by wrapping me in his arms and escalating, his tongue dancing with mine. He tasted fantastic, better than I remembered; maybe it was the craft beer, or that I hadn’t had a proper kiss in months.
I pulled my braid aside so he could unpin the drape of my sari. As he was slowly unwinding the cloth from my body, I pressed close. “Can you imagine what I could do with the sprite’s magic?” I whispered in his ear.
I felt him stiffen, almost shudder. “Uh huh,” he muttered, still working at the drape.
“You’d be under my spell, like that.” I snapped my fingers.
“Think I already am,” he said, putting the cloth down. “Has it really been almost a year?”
“Since we went to bed?” I ran my hands through his hair and kissed his forehead as he took the hem of my top in his hands. “Not quite, but I think so, yeah. Not like I marked it on the calendar.” I stood up tall and lifted my hands over my head as he pulled the blouse over my head. He ran his fingers down my arms, which made me bite my lip to keep from moaning, and reached around me to unhook my bra.
My nipples were already peaked before his fingers ran over my breasts. He complimented my hands in the cafe, but his had always done the most wonderful things to me. I arched my back and thrust into his grasp. “It’s too long,” he said.
I moaned as he gave me a slow grope before his hands slipped to my waist. “We can fix that,” I said, stepping in close to give him another kiss as he pushed my petticoat and panties down with a single swift motion.
“We?” he asked, his fingers tracing up my thighs and teasing my pussy deliciously.
I chuckled and fluttered my fingers on his head to simulate the falling of magical dust. “Me and the sprite,” His knees shook, and I ran my hands down his chest, aiming for his belt buckle. “You’ll go to sleep, and when you wake up, you won’t be able to resist this body.”
Cole took a deep breath. “You don’t need to fuckin’ hypnotize me to make your body irresistible.”
Something deep within me jumped when he said the word ‘hypnotize.’ I undid his belt and pressed my lips to his again. “What if I did it anyway?” I asked, as I opened his fly and slipped a hand down his pants to stroke his hardness through his shorts.
His eyes were closed and he gave a moan. “Dunno,” he breathed. “Fuck, Priya, I already wanna take you to bed, if you want me to fall asleep so you can whisper a magic spell in my ear I’ll do it. I’ll do anything you want.”
My hand slipped under the waistband of his briefs and held his cock directly. “Anything I want?” I chuckled, low and sweet and seductive as I stroked him slowly. “Then you’re already lost.”
He shivered as his pants fell down to his ankles. “God, in your hands, I’ll be lost anytime.”
“Let’s go on an adventure,” I said, moving in for one more kiss before I dragged him off to his own bed.
In the past, Cole had been the one to take charge when it came to sex. I was always an absolutely enthusiastic partner, but I didn’t set the pace, I didn’t make the first move, I didn’t call the tune or set the narrative. That afternoon, though, it was all me. All me. There was no discussion about it, there was no conscious decision on either of our parts, but somehow, I was in the lead.
And I loved it.
And given the way Cole shuddered and grinned as I lowered myself onto his cock, he was loving it, too. I put my hands on his chest, held him to the bed, and moved. I have no better way to explain it. I listened to the want of my body, and pushed and thrust and shifted as suited me best. Not too fast, not too slow. Not too much, not too little. Everything was perfectly gauged and perfectly executed, and it was fucking amazing.
Cole seemed to be enjoying it just as much as I was. He had never been as vocal as he was that day. Moans and gasps and sighs, but also babble like I’d never heard from him before. An ecstatic, “I’m lost, oh I’m lost,” kept coming around, and hearing that just made me all the more excited. I was honestly surprised, given the sound he was making, that he lasted until just after I started to come, but the moment my sex spasmed and I cried out, I felt him pulse and push up into me and felt the warmth of his seed spurting into me, and heard him shouting with me. We held there for a moment, riding out our mutual orgasm, until I collapsed on top of him, looking him in the eye.
He was grinning, ear-to-ear, and I could feel that I was, as well. “What the fuck was that, Priya?” he asked, breathless and clearly not even a little upset.
“If I knew,” I replied, “I’d bottle it.”
“This girl’s really got you wound up, huh?” he asked with a bit of a yawn. I rolled off him and snuggled up beside him. “That was amazing.”
“Yeah, it was,” I agreed, giving him a squeeze. “And yeah, I guess she does.”
He chuckled. “I... uh, I have to admit, I want to know more about her...”
I buried my head in his ribs and laughed. “Where was I?”
“Friday, I think. Hot shower and magic.”
I thought back. “Mmm, yeah.” I pressed closer in. “Saturday. She had a chair put out for me.”
“She what?”
“A lawn chair.”
“Well that was nice of her?”
I giggled. “It was, actually. Is, I guess, since it was still there yesterday and is probably still there waiting for me.”
And then I told him about the hypnotic flower. About the silver petals, the slow spin of the magical plant, and its lethargic enchantment. The way they glittered in the filtered sunlight, and how pretty they were to imagine, and the way Jess told it so well I could almost see the reflections dancing on the tree trunks.
I realized my voice was imitating the familiar, calm cadence and tone that Jess slipped into when she was telling a story. I think I managed to capture something of her spirit, since Cole seemed pretty wrapped up in it all. He lay back on the bed and breathed slowly, but I could tell he was still awake; after all, if he had been asleep, he would have been snoring loudly.
As I continued the story of the Water-Bearer being wrapped up with Jess, I rolled half on top of him and stroked his chest. In the dim light coming in from the window I could see that his eyes were still open, but seemed unfocused. He seemed to be somewhere else. As I told about the Water-Bearer’s interaction with the second sprite, I slipped back into my spot beside him, my hand still dancing over his chest, feeling him breathe. I could almost see the ideas forming in his mind.
As I started to tell the magical bullfrog story, I felt Cole stir some, adjusting his position. He stroked my back while I spoke, and I slowed down a bit, enjoying the touch. When I got to the part where I caught the frog, Cole started to sit up, seemingly reluctant.
“Your story’s great, Priya, but I gotta hit the john.” He sat on the side of the bed, still smiling a bit vacantly.
I scooted over to sit beside him. “You seemed pretty into it.”
He stood up. “Yeah, I was! You tell it really well, I could almost see the forest and the metal flower...” He walked out of the room, but kept talking. “And of course the idea of you tied up to another pretty girl is kinda hot!”
I heard the bathroom door close. I grabbed a handful of tissues from the box beside the bed and cleaned up as best as I could, but I’d got hot and sweaty enough that I’d need a shower, and I didn’t really want to put my sari back on before I had one. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d used Cole’s shower.
Once I heard the flush, I knocked politely. “Shower time?” Cole asked, opening the door for me.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind?”
“I never mind,” he replied. “Especially if you got more of that story.”
I stepped into the small washroom and started the water running. “All that’s really left is yesterday,” I said, “and there’s not a lot to tell about it. At least, not about the story.”
“What do you mean?”
I stepped into the hot shower, steeling myself to tell Cole all about my lunch with myself, and how my imagination ran away with me... and I was already talking. As the water poured over me, the words poured out of me, and I told him everything. Everything. From writing in the park to imagining Jess’ hand in mine to being pulled by that fantasy back home and how desperately I pictured the sprite and the Water-Bearer making love on the forest floor.
Hidden behind the shower curtain, pretending to be cleaning, my fingers played with my pussy as I told him about that. I wasn’t building myself up to come again, it was just nice to be warmly aroused.
I kept going, telling Cole about the cover story I invented to hide my more pornographic version, still lightly fingering myself as I went on. I even mentioned how impatient I was for the night to begin, stretching out my retelling, not wanting the shower to end.
Cole seemed to understand. “You about finished?” he asked. “I’ll grab you a towel.”
He had the best towels. Huge and always warm and fuzzy. I kept meaning to ask where he got them.
As I was drying off in his living room, he asked, “Are you going back to see her tonight?”
I nodded. “Yeah, don’t wanna break the routine, and I want to see what she’s got in store for the Water-Bearer.” I looked over at him, sitting there in his boxers. “What do you think?”
“Hm. Well, she sounds like a lot of fun, and it sounds like you’re having a lot of fun with her. The story sounds great. And it’s pretty clear that something’s... changed, in you.” He smirked a bit and shrugged. “I like the change, but that’s a pretty selfish way of looking at things. But I think that you want to go back tonight pretty much says it all, at least to me.”
I tilted my head, thinking, as I dabbed at my unbound hair, trying to get the thick locks to dry. “Not sure what you mean.”
“You trust her,” he said simply. “Same reason you came home with me. You trust me. So why not let loose a little, and go with it?”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” I wandered back into his bedroom and put on my underwear. “If I wasn’t okay with it, I don’t think I’d feel like I should go back,” I called out.
“Sounds right to me, anyway.” I heard the smile in his voice, and realized I was able to understand his expression from his tone. I had learned at least that. He came into the bedroom with my sari. “Shall I walk a lady home? I’ve got nothing else to do this evening.”
I agreed, and it was lovely to have him there with me on the stroll. We continued to chat, but it seemed that the conversation drifted further and further from my plans for the night, until I’d all but forgotten the whole discussion of the afternoon.
Until I remembered the sex.
We were dodging around it. What we had had that afternoon was incredible, and I think Cole had the same questions about it that I did: whether what we’d just done could ever be repeated, and whether it had happened because of who and what we were, or whether it was because of the story I had told to Cole and by extension what Jess had awakened in me.
I gave Cole a deep, lingering kiss on my doorstep. I thought about inviting him up for a second round, then dismissed the idea. He even looked like he was about to ask, too, but he shook his head, gave me a second, much lighter kiss, and wished me a good evening.
I took my time climbing the stairs. All the walking of the day, and the other... exercise of the afternoon slowed me down, as did the stuffiness of the building. I trudged into my apartment and disrobed again, sitting in my armchair in my underwear, feeling tired.
My phone made a noise, receiving a text message. And another. I didn’t really want to move. I wasn’t exhausted, wasn’t really that tired, but I just didn’t want to get up.
I took off my bra just before the third notification, enjoying the freedom. I seriously considered checking the those text messages, but settled back in to the chair. The puzzle game called to me again, as did some of the more violent offerings in my game library, but those, too, would have meant getting up, and that meant effort...
The fourth text got me up. “Fine. Fine! I’ll answer you,” I groused. I retrieved the phone from my purse. Standing before the mirror by the door, I checked myself out before reading the messages. I looked pretty good, just in my underwear. I posed a bit, presenting my breasts, pretending to be embarrassed, even slipping a finger under the waistband of my panties. I had a good laugh at myself; I definitely wasn’t going to be a supermodel or a porn star.
Back to the phone. Cole let me know he was free later in the week, and that he would like to get together for lunch. I sent a quick positive reply and a cheeky note about how much fun the afternoon was.
Two were from Jess. Something had come up, she wouldn’t be available that night, and I should just stay in. She demanded that I tell her all about my lunch the next night, and I promised to do just that, and wished her well.
And that was that. I kept the phone beside me as I grabbed the controller and turned on the console. I relaxed into the chair and started puzzle-solving. I felt a little empty not seeing Jess after the past week, but I could deal.
I honestly meant to get some dinner, but I woke up around eleven to the Game Over screen that had probably been sitting there blinking at me for a couple hours. I grabbed a bag of pretzels, a can of soda, and my phone, and went to bed.