His Kitten Again 05

Thanks again for your feedback and comments! I love reading through all of them! I'm very sorry for the delay in getting this chapter to you guys. I had a little bit of writers block, but this chapter came out of it. I hope you all enjoy Ch 05 of His Kitten Again

~shysubmissivegirl~

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Chapter Five

~Alex~

I sat at the kitchen table, rubbing at my red, exhausted eyes. I hadn't been able to sleep well the past few days, a result of the oppressing quiet that dominated the night hours now that Emma was gone. I couldn't sleep in my bed, so I'd taken to sleeping on the couch again, which meant that I got very low quality sleep.

I started in on my second mug of coffee, then groaned when the shrill sound of my cellphone attacked my already splitting headache. I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, fully intending to hang up, until I saw who the caller was. Emma. I could never turn down a call from her.

"This is Alex."

I heard her sweet laugh, and allowed myself a small smile. "I know who it is silly. I'm the one who called you!" she teased over the phone.

"Good point. What's up?" Even I could hear how formal and rough my voice sounded, and I regretted it. I didn't want Emma thinking anything was up, but like she always did, she caught on.

"Wow, don't you want to like... get to the point or something?" Her voice was still teasing, but I sensed a hint of worry under it. She stressed over things an awful lot, and this was no different.

I didn't have any choice but to give her an excuse, so I told her as near to the truth as I could. "Sorry, I didn't sleep the best..."

"Again? Alex, you need to take care of yourself. You're not drinking caffeine before bed again, are you?" Her voice was thick with worry now, and I heard her shift the phone to her other ear.

"No, mom. I'm being a good boy."

"You better be! If I ever find out different, it's going to be doubled on your hide!" It was an entirely empty threat, and we both knew it. I heard her melodic laughter on the other end, echoing my own, lower chuckle.

We sat on the phone in pleasant silence, and I took a long sip from my coffee mug. I felt more refreshed than before, although I wasn't sure if it was the coffee or hearing from Emma that was doing it for me. "Oh! I was calling to tell you something, wasn't I?" she suddenly remembered.

"That's what I figured," I responded, amusement coloring my voice.

"Oh, hush you! If you aren't nice, I won't tell you my great news!" Her threat hung in the air for a second. I doubted that she would follow through on it, seeing how I was the only one she really had to share her news with, but I let it slide.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry Emma. Would you please tell me your great news?" I tried to put sincerity into my voice, and I could practically picture her on the other end, considering whether or not she would accept my apology.

"Well... okay... It's two things actually..." She trailed off, causing me to urge her on. "First, I got the job!" She squealed on her end, and I wooped and hollered on mine. I was so happy for her, even though I knew she was going to get it all along. There was no one else nearly as qualified, and I told her so.

"Aww, thanks Alex! That means so much to me!"

There was another pause as we let the excitement and happiness settle a bit. "So what's the other good news?"

Emma stayed quiet for a few seconds, piquing my interest. "Emma?"

"I'm here."

"...so what's the other good news?" I urged her on. I was really curious now. What was making her so nervous?

She mumbled something under her breath, and I laughed. "What was that? Come on, you know you can tell me anything."

She repeated her mumbling, a little bit louder this time. I still couldn't make out a single word that she said. "Emma. Come on. Tell me." I was getting a little bit frustrated. I didn't understand why she wouldn't just tell me what her supposedly great news was.

"Fine. I have a date tonight, okay?" She huffed, and I could hear the irritation and annoyance in her voice. But it wasn't the tone of her voice that shocked me, it was what she said.

"Oh... congratulations. Who's the lucky fellow?" I managed to force out, trying to steady my racing heart. A date? Was she insane?

"A guy from my work. We met today, and he asked if I wanted to go to dinner. I didn't have anything else going on, so I figured that I might as well go..." She sounded a lot more uncertain now, and guilt flooded through me. She's not yours, Alex. She can date whoever the hell she wants to.

"What's his name?" I asked, sincerely wanting to know. Hopefully it was a good guy that would treat her well. She deserved that after all the crap she'd been through already.

"John. John Leeman."

I couldn't help myself. I started laughing. Of course it would be John. Of course it would be. I couldn't stop laughing, even when I heard Emma's sounds of confusion on the other line. I had nothing to be worried about. He wasn't a threat to my relationship with Emma in any way.

"Alex, what is it?" Emma asked impatiently. "Answer me now, or I'll come over there!"

"Sorry, sorry!" I managed to get my laughter under control, breathing in deeply a few times. "Sorry. It's just... John's my best friend."

"Oh!" Emma sounded surprised, and if I knew her well enough, her cheeks would be coloring that pretty red that they did whenever something caught her off guard. "Should I... do you want me to call the date off?"

"Oh god no! He'll be a perfect gentleman, I can promise you. And I think you'll actually like him," I found myself saying. I knew that he and Emma would get along very well, I'd just been waiting for the right time to introduce them. I wanted to make sure that Emma was ready for it, but I guess she was more than ready.

While I knew that he and Emma would get along well, I also knew that they were far from compatible. Emma was not John's type, whatsoever. He liked very quiet, very shy girls. Emma was shy, but she could also be incredibly aggressive. She liked being the one that cared for her man, while John wanted to be the one who cared for his girl. Not only that, but I knew for a fact that John rarely talked dirty during play, and Emma loved the naughtiness of it.

Three strikes, you're out.

I felt perfectly safe letting him go out with Emma, but I knew that we needed to talk about her. He needed to know before they went out how to treat her, and what he could and could not mention. I wanted Emma to have a good time, and John could be a little overbearing sometimes.

"Okay... if you're sure." She was hesitant, and I wanted to reassure her.

"Emma, I am very sure. In fact, I'm thrilled that you're going out with John. He's a great guy, and I know you guys are going to have a lot of fun tonight. To be honest, he hasn't gone on a date in a while. It'll be good for both of you," I told her sincerely.

Emma squealed, and started gushing at me. "What should I wear? Where do you think he'll take me? Do you think we'll go dancing, or to dinner, or to a bar? Do you think that red top looks good enough? What about jeans with heels? I mean he's so much taller than me, even taller than you! I can't look like a little girl next to him! What do you think Alex?"

I responded the best I could, a little caught off-guard. "If you want me to, I can ask him where he's taking you, then give you a hint on what to wear. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I can tell you want to impress him. The red top looks amazing on you, by the way. And I think you're fine without heels. He's like me. He likes his women short." I laughed, and heard her laughter join mine.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed one more time before we said our goodbyes. She adamantly reminded me to call her once I'd figured out where she was going so she knew what to wear.

Once we hung up, I couldn't keep myself from laughing some more. If I knew my best friend, I'd be getting a call any second about his date that night, along with a barrage of questions about where he should take her, and what he should do. He always got nervous before dates.

John wanted desperately to settle down with a lovely little girl, and because of that, he stressed about every last detail of the dates he planned. He wanted to seem in control and impressive on the date, but never knew quite how to do that, and to what extent. So he always ended up calling me.

John and I had met when we were seven. We went to school together, and we became the closest of friends. We shared everything together, as weird as it sounds. His Mom passed when we were fourteen, and his Dad went off the deep end. John practically moved into our house, and we got even closer.

When I turned 18, I started exploring a lot more. I'd lost my virginity already, and while it had been entirely pleasant, I knew that something was missing. I guess I'd always known that something was different about me, but I didn't know what until I started looking.

When I stumbled across a BDSM page, everything felt right. I suggested a little bit of light bondage to my girlfriend, the same one I'd lost my virginity to, but she said it grossed her out. We ended up breaking up over it.

One night, I was talking to John about needing a new girl. He asked why we'd broken up in the first place, and I didn't have any choice but to tell him. When I did, I expected him to freak out a little bit. It took a while, but he finally told me that he like that stuff too.

After that admission, we grew closer. We started sharing our own findings, what we liked and what we didn't. It took us a rather long time, but we both found submissive girls. The first few times with them were exciting, but it didn't take long to realize that they weren't as submissive as they'd told us they were.

John and I both gave up on girls for a few years. He focused on his schooling, and I focused on furthering my career. I dabbled in girls online a little bit, never intending to find anything even close serious. Then I found Emma.

I couldn't keep from telling John all about her. She was perfect. Everything that I had ever wanted in a submissive and then some. She made me feel confident like I never had before, and solidified everything I'd learned from my other slaves.

I could tell John was a little bit jealous of the stellar relationship I had with Emma. He went through girls like a mad man on a rampage, tossing them aside once he was done with them. It made me wince, but I couldn't do anything. He resented the fact that I'd found a girl that was perfect for me when he couldn't even find a girl that he liked. I tried to find an online submissive girl for him, but I just couldn't find one that was suited to his needs.

When Emma and I broke things off, I was torn to bits. I loved her, and she'd left me. John was there for me, and we spent many nights in the bars, trying to erase the memories of our sad love lives.

We'd spent the rest of the time trying to piece ourselves together. Neither of us had spent more than a few days entertaining a girl, and neither of us has really wanted to. John was firm in his decision to find the right girl and settle down, but he wasn't going to settle for the wrong girl. I felt the same.

And now Emma was here. And she was going on a date with John. Dear god.

My cellphone started ringing again, bringing a smile to my face. I answered it quickly, knowing who it was without ever looking. "Hey, John."

"Hey." He sounded nervous, but I already knew why.

"Let me guess. You met a girl, and you're taking her out tonight, and you've got no idea where you're taking her." I tried to keep my voice monotone to tease him.

"Well... yeah. Shit, is that the only reason I call you anymore?" Panic filled his voice, and I could hear him shuffling things around at his place.

"Basically."

We both paused for a few seconds, and he let out a laugh. "I don't know man. Maybe after her I won't call you anymore. She's a real gem."

Something inside of me flared up. "No, you're not going to like her. She's not your type at all."

"Whoa, what's up? How do you even know who it is?" He was starting to get a little defensive too, so I forced myself to calm down.

"It's Emma." My voice carried a heavy weight into it, and immediately John understood what I was trying to convey to him.

He cussed under his breath. "Your Emma?"

"Yeah... My Emma." It hurt to say that, but it was true. She'd been my Emma, even if she wasn't anymore.

"Shit, I didn't know. Hell, I didn't even know that you guys were a thing again. Damn, I'll call her and break it off." He ranted on and on, his panic raising. He normally stressed over dating at all, and I knew that he certainly didn't want to date someone he thought I might still be interested in.

"No, no. It's okay. Really. Just promise me something, John."

"Sure, anything. You know that."

"Be good to her. She's been through hell, and she's just starting to make her way back. This is the first time she's dated anyone since she's been here, and I know she's even more nervous and excited than you. She deserves to have the time of her life, and just let go a little. Will you do that for her?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the call.

"You know I will." Thank god.

At least I knew I was leaving my Emma in good hands.

~Emma~

I finished getting ready for my date that night. Alex had called and told me to dress nice, but still comfortably. That didn't give me much of a hint as to where we were going, but it was nice to have some sort of clue.

After a while, I finally decided on jeans and the red top that Alex had said looked good on me. The jeans were dark and contrasted nicely with the deep red of my top. I felt like I looked good without oozing sex appeal.

I'd just finished putting on my makeup when I heard a knock at the door. I straightened immediately, giving myself a quick once over to make sure everything looked good. My skin at least looked better now that the bruises were all gone. Once I was sure I looked decent, I went to the door and pulled it open.

John stood there, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. There were beautiful calla lilies, my absolute favorite flower. I wondered briefly how he'd known, but brushed it off as a coincidence.

"Oh wow! Thank you John! They're absolutely lovely. Come on in, and let me get these in a vase before we go, alright?" I was nervous, so I was rushing a bit. To cover up for it, I threw him a smile, before turning to compose myself.

I didn't have a vase, so I improvised by using a glass cup. I buried my face into them, inhaling deeply. I adored the smell of them, and I hadn't had any in a long while. I'd missed them a lot, and it was very nice to see them decorating my small apartment.

"Alright, let's head," I announced happily, turning towards John. He smiled, and held out his arm for me to take as he led me out of the apartment and to his car, a small but cute silver one.

The drive to wherever we were going was pleasant. We chatted amiably, getting to know each other a little bit more. John was a perfect gentleman, and the light conversation flowed easily.

Before I even noticed it, we'd parked. "Oh John, really?" I was getting excited, staring out the window to where he'd taken me. He laughed, nodding his head. I squealed and popped my door open before he could come around and get it for me.

A carnival. John had taken me to a carnival.

I was like a kid in a candy shop. I hadn't been to one since I was ten, and as such, I was eager to go on all the rides and play all the games.

John let me with a pleased smile. We made our way around, playing games and gathering tickets as we did so. He bought us both corndogs, and we munched on them happily as we walked.

Once we'd played all the games that we wanted to, we started in on the rides. Some were almost scary they were so fast, and my heart pounded in my chest with exhilaration. Others were slower, and gave me a chance to calm down.

After what must have been two hours, I figured we must have been on every single ride in the entire park, but John assured me that I was wrong. With quick steps, I trailed behind him as we made our way to the Ferris wheel.

The line was short, so we got on quickly. He helped me into our little carriage, and sat across from me, grinning wildly. I smiled back.

The Ferris wheel started going, and I was surprised at how slow it was. My parents were both terrified of heights, so I'd never been on one, but I'd always imagined that they sped through the air. Instead, it was more of a gentle swaying as our carriage shimmied around.

"Did you have fun tonight, Emma?" I heard John ask me. I'd been looking out the side at the twinkling lights from the carnival as they grew smaller and smaller as we spun higher and higher.

I turned back to him, smiling widely. "Of course I did! I love carnivals, and you were so fun to come with. Thank you for bringing me, John." I hadn't imagined that we would have this much fun. Alex was right when he'd said that I would like John.

I sat there for a second, the smile slipping from my face for a few seconds. Alex had seemed determined that I would really like John, but to be honest, he felt more like a brother than anything. Yes, we'd had an impossibly fun time tonight, but that spark simply wasn't there. I felt a bit disappointed. I didn't want to go home and tell Alex that I didn't like his friend that way.

"Can I ask you something?" John said, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Of course."

"Why haven't you gone to therapy?" The question took me by surprise, even though it shouldn't have. He and Alex were best friends, and it was only natural that Alex would share things with him. "Before you jump to conclusions, he didn't tell me the specifics of what happened. Just that you'd been badly burned in the past."

I took a deep breath. It was a question I'd asked myself many times. Alex had said over and over again that going to therapy would help. I knew that it probably would, but I was being honest when I said I felt like I didn't need to go there. I already felt confident in my decisions. Yes, I'd been burned by what Jordan had done to me. But I'd picked myself up and moved on. I started making choices that I felt good about. I didn't need someone else to validate them for me, and I told John that.

"I guess that makes sense. You know, Alex is really worried about you. He's not quite sure how to help you, but from what I know about Alex, that's not keeping him from doing things. What's he doing?" John sounded genuinely concerned about it, which made me smile.

"I don't know. He helped me get into my new place. He helped me get a car too. He also helped me apply for my job at the hospital. Other than that, we just talk I guess. We sometimes go out to eat..." My voice trailed off, and I tried to keep the sadness out of it.

I missed Alex. Desperately.

"So, he's being a good friend then?" John asked. He didn't seem to understand the implications of what he'd just asked. I forced down the tears that threatened to spring up, and nodded.

"You don't want to be just friends with him, do you?" His voice was soft and gentle. He reached over to me and pulled my chin up so I was looking at him. He had a shy half-smile on his face, and he wiped away my tears. "It's okay. I know him, and trust me when I say that if you play your cards right, everything is going to be okay."

That was the last thing I could get out of him regarding Alex. I felt awful over spending the last part of our date thinking about another man, but I couldn't help myself. My heart was with Alex, not his best friend.

I just hoped that Alex would end up feeling the same way.