Summer Storms (closed)

[DrStein]

Sam set aside his umbrella on the tile to dry a while and looked around the apartment. The photographs made him feel a bit wistful. Here he was drifting from day to day just surviving. Never really getting out and doing anything interesting. He needed to break his rut or he was going to end up sleeping through most of his life. He had turned 30 last year and though he was making good money as a copywriter he had little else to show for it.

He shook his head to clear it. It wouldn't do to be a guest and suck the air out of the room by getting lost in his own head again. Sam was a naturally thoughtful and introspective person. In bad times it sometimes resulted in him withdrawing and disappearing for a day or two.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Would you like this pie warmed up?" Ava asked him as she placed a slice on her blue floral plates, putting the knife aside as she placed her half in the microwave.

The coffee was brewing as she pulled down the matching cups that went with the plates, wondering what he would think about her little world. Few people got to ever see it, but she was very proud of everything that she had earned in her life. She worked hard and scrimped and saved every last penny to continue living her dream.

 

[DrStein]

"Sure." He soon joined Ava in the kitchen and had a seat at the table. "Your home is lovely, by the way." She lived like someone who was successful, that much was certain. The smell of the coffee filled the kitchen and though he didn't drink it often it did have the effect of making him feel a little warmer inside. Despite the heat and humidity of the last couple days he mostly felt numb. Getting to sit and talk with Ava though had proven so far to be a bright spot in the night.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Thank you. I try my hardest to make it feel like home." She said as she poured the coffee and passed him a plate of cherry pie and a cup of coffee.

"Sugar is on the table if you want it." She said as she led him to the small dining table just adjacent to the kitchen.

"So, what do you do for a living, Sam?" She asked him as she took her seat, finally taking a bit of the delicious pie that she had ordered and never touched at the diner.

 

[DrStein]

Sam put two sugars in the coffee when she asked him about what he did. "I'm a copywriter," he answered simply. He didn't like talking about it, really. He was good at it, but these days it seemed to be operating mostly off of formula for entrepreneurs with more ego than smarts. Their checks cleared, which was nice. But none of them were people he'd ever want to associate with on a professional level. In fact in the last year, one of his clients went out of business after firing their personal assistant over something trivial and made the mistake of trying to run the business solo. And another was arrested on charges of fraud. "To tell the truth, I'd much rather travel and write about that."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ava glanced up as he mentioned what he did and he didn't seem too happy about it. She had always loved her job even if it was sporadic and didn't pay very much for some assignments. It was still doing what she enjoyed and when she heard him talk about travel and writing, her interest was suddenly peaked.

"So, why don't you travel and write?" She asked him as she brought her mug of coffee up to her lips, taking a sip of the hot and bitter brew. "Start small. If it doesn't work out at least you had a good time doing it."

 

[DrStein]

Sam thought about it. He knew he really had few excuses for it left anymore. In the beginning it was a lack of money. Then when his business got going it was lack of time. At the rates he charged now neither was an issue. "I guess I just let things get the way they were," he admitted. He stared at his distorted reflection in the coffee for a moment before taking a bite of the pie. "You're right. I'm not disagreeing. Somewhere along the way I just got used to things being the way they were and couldn't see the end anymore." He had been at this for years. In college he was rejected for a chance to study abroad twice. In the working world he spent several years dealing with clients who seemed paralyzed to do anything for their marketing without bending his ear for an hour or two first. Maybe the whole thing had just worn him down.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ava looked at him for a long moment, noticing the familiar sight of regret in his gaze. She thought about her own life and all of her own regrets in that moment. Perhaps the two of them weren't so dissimilar after all.

"You ever been up to Rocky Point? It's beautiful up there in the summer time. The cliffs look out over the water. There's a beach and tons of things to do outside of the walking trails." She commented, already turning over a plan in her mind. "Perhaps we could go up there for a day and that could be your first piece."

 

[DrStein]

Sam looke up at Ava when she suggested the two of them going up to Rocky Point together. Already in his mind he could picture the cliffs, the coast, watching the sunrises and sunsets... "I'd like that. Thank you." He took a sip of coffee and pursed his lips. "We'd, uh... Need to pick a day." Considering Sam could do his job anywhere his laptop went that wasn't much of an issue. He set irregular hours and his clients knew what to expect. As good as the money was, his foreseeable future wasn't rosy enough that he could just up and quit copywriting and expect everything to go to plan. There would need to be some phasing in of the travel writing and phasing out of his previous work.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, I'm not booked to travel for another couple of weeks. It's a slow time of year right now." Ava commented, thinking over her schedule.

There was a shoot she could pick up in Toronto that next weekend, but depending on what time worked for him, she was prepared to let it pass. She always enjoyed shooting at Rocky Point and she was sure that she could sell a few of the photos to an agency to make up for any lost wages for not taking the Toronto job.

 

[DrStein]

"I have to finish writing a sales letter for some woo-peddling life coach idiot, but I can finish that in a day if I want." Ordinarily Sam would not have said anything like that about his clients, but he really had grown to resent or at least dislike most of them. And around Ava he felt like he could open up a little more. He didn't like to complain. It just felt nice to get one of those thoughts out of his head for once. He kept a small circle of close friends with whom he could confide in. Unfortunately, most of them had been very busy with their own careers the last few weeks so Sam was left with mostly his own thoughts for company. "Other than that, all my deadlines are a way's off and none of the work is all that challenging."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then next Saturday. We can meet at the station and take the train. It's only about $30 round trip since the tourist season is dying down." Ava said, not really believing that she had made a date with this near complete stranger.

Sam was a kindred spirit and even if there was absolutely no chemistry between them, it would be nice to take a little trip with a person who was easy to talk to. Sam was most definitely easy to talk to and he had turned what would have been a terrible and lonely evening into something good.

 

[DrStein]

Sam looked at Ava directly and said, "Thank you." The sincerity practically dripped from his voice. For the first time in weeks he could see a way out of his rut. He slowly reached over and placed a hand over hers. "I guess tonight worked out pretty well in the end for both of us, huh?" He offered her a small but genuine smile. At first the night had felt suffocating and unbearably muggy. Now the fog and the rain felt more like a sigh of relief. Things were going to get better.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I guess it did, didn't it." She murmured as she grasped his fingers gently. "Here's to the start of a new friendship."

She raised her coffee cup up to toast him, a grin on her delicate features that showed him just how happy she was in that moment. She hadn't had many moments to smile about in her life, but she felt like things were looking up.

 

[DrStein]

Sam shared in the toast, his smile broadening at that. They spent the next minute eating in silence. When they were done, Sam looked down and saw that their hands were still joined. He took a step, a bolder one than he would have thought himself capable of lately, and reached his other hand over to gently caress and massage hers. "I want to thank you again. For tonight. I've been stuck in a rut lately. When I came up to you tonight, you had every right in the world to tell me to go to hell. But... I think it says a lot of positive things about you as a person that not only did you accept a friendly gesture from a stranger... you tried to help me out in return. The world needs more of that."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ava actually blushed as he took her other hand, thanking her for the wonderful evening. There was something about Sam that she rather enjoyed. He was kind and he was thoughtful. She didn't care if he was soft spoken or undecided about his future. She just enjoyed being with him.

She couldn't help it as she leaned across the small space and pressed her lips against his. Why was she kissing him? Her mind couldn't really wrap around that fact except that it felt amazing and she had been wanting to do it since he offered to walk her home in the rain.

 

[DrStein]

Sam was a little surprised when Ava leaned over and kissed him but he soon returned it. He reached up and cupped her cheek as they did so. When it finally broke he smiled at her. "You're a very beautiful woman." His voice was still soft, but now there was a confidence in it that wasn't there before. It was the voice of a man who spoke softly because he didn't feel any need to raise it. "Inside and out. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

 

[heartofcourage]

The kiss ended much too soon for her liking, but Ava found herself looking into his warm gaze. He sounded more confident as he cupped her cheek, the smile that he gave her making her belly tighten in the most wonderful way. She blushed at his compliment and returned his smile before she leaned in to kiss him again. Her hands found their way to his thick hair, tangling in his locks as they each gained a new found confidence that wasn't there before.

 

[DrStein]

Sam returned the kiss, this time with more passion. He marveled at the change that had taken place in such a short period of time. He spent weeks in a funk, unable to see the end of it and paralyzed by that lack of ability to see anything in the future but more of the same. On a whim, he approached a beautiful but lonely stranger and offered to walk her home. Now he had an opportunity to get out of the doldrums and that same beautiful stranger and him were now sharing a passionate kiss.

He scooted his chair closer to hers and let one arm go around her waist. At some point, he really wasn't sure when, he had pulled Ava into his lap and wrapped her up in his arms.

 

[heartofcourage]

It had been a long time since she had been with a man in an intimate sense. Sure the guy that had stood her up had been fantastic in the sack, but that had been months ago. Being pulled into Sam's lap was unexpected, but completely welcome. Her arms looped around his neck, pulling herself closer against his warm body.

When the kiss broke, she was panting, looking into his eyes with a mixture of interest and lust. "The bedroom is through that door over there." She whispered to him, wondering if he would take her up on that offer.

 

[DrStein]

Her comment on the bedroom surprised him a little. Sam glanced over at the door she had indicated than back to Ava. He waited only a second before he moved his arms and picked her up bridal style. He gave her a smile and carried her to the bedroom.

He set her down on the bed and like a perfect gentleman took her shoes off for her before helping her let her hair down. He sat down on the edge of the bed, turned to face her, as he began unbuttoning the light denim shirt he was wearing.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ava was excited as Sam lifted her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She grinned as he sat her on the bed and knelt to take off her shoes. She let out a sigh as he stood to help her take down her hair. It fell in a cloud around her shoulders as she watched him unbutton his shirt.

Was this really happening, she asked herself. Was she really about to sleep with this guy that she had just met? It seemed right, but there were always nerves involved with a first time...no matter who it was. She reached out to help him, unbutton his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders.

"Are you sure about this?" Ava asked him softly as she pressed a palm against his chest, feeling the firm, warm flesh beneath her fingers.

 

[DrStein]

Sam placed one of his own hands over the daintier one she placed on his chest. She had asked him if he was sure, but he was certain she was having a few last-minute doubts herself. Not that he blamed her. They had only met a little over an hour ago and now they were about to sleep with each other. Anyone else would be totally right to call what they were about to do crazy, at least a little.

He wanted this. Ava in the short time they had known each other had done a lot to bring him up out of a dreary place. But it wasn't in his nature to be pushy. So he offered her some assurance. "We'll play it by ear. If it any point you want to stop, just say so." He leaned forward and gave her another kiss. "Okay?" The smile on his face said it all. He wanted this and he wanted her to want this too.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Oh, I most definitely want you, Sam. I'm just a little leery about hopping into bed with a man that I just met." She murmured softly as she returned his kiss and nodded, the smile on her face reassuring him. "Just don't make me regret my decision, alright?"

She leaned in to kiss him then, her lips parting as the kiss deepened and she whimpered softly. He was a wonderful kisser and she didn't think that she was going to get enough of locking lips with him.

 

[DrStein]

For a while the two of them were just lost in the kiss. Sam's hands caressed her arms, shoulders, back... His touch was soothing and promised more. "Nothing wrong with wanting a little assurance. And don't worry. I promise there won't be any need for regrets." With that his lips went to her neck, kissing her pulse. He reached behind her and started to slowly unzip her dress.