Who Would've Thought It

Rain. Sheets and torrents of rain. It was all he could see. No matter how high he turned on his windshield wipers, and how slow he went, the only thing that he could see was this god forsaken rain.

It figured, that tonight of all nights it would be his turn to cover one of the local games. Normally the local games were no big deal, and they could just be called on account of rain, but not this game. It had been the annual tradition for almost as long as Corey had lived in the area, the Golden Bears and the Tigers played no matter what the weather was like. No one in their right mind would be out driving in this weather if they could avoid it, and yet they had insisted that the game go on.

So, here he was, driving home on a highway that had more right to be called a “river” than it did an interstate thruway. It was late, he was tired, and he sure as hell hadn’t wanted to be out driving in this shit.

Grumbling to himself as his jeep made its way along the slick roads; he eventually noticed a pair of blinking lights off to the side of the road. As he passed by he could see a woman traipsing about in the mud, trying desperately to climb up the embankment and wave for help. For a moment he considered just continuing on, like he hadn’t seen her, but he figured, who the hell else is going to be out on this night?

So, with that in mind, he stopped the car, and put it in reverse, slowly but surely backing his way towards the car he had seen.

“Just my luck, first, I get called out, and now I’m stopping to help what’ll probably be some ungrateful little bitch. What next?” He kept grumbling to himself as he got closer, until eventually he could see the highlighted form of the woman and her car in the glowing red of his tail lights.

He left the jeep running as he grabbed the umbrella and jumped out to help her. Corey handed the umbrella off to her and ducked his head under the canvas shelter for a brief moment. “What happened?!” He shouted, over the driving rain.

She opened her mouth to speak and for a moment no words came out, then she rapidly began to explain. “I hydroplaned a little ways back and I couldn’t get the car under control. Eventually it spun it self all the way into this fucking ditch!”

Corey eyes the car carefully, taking into account the crushed front end and the steam coming from under the hood. He sighed heavily as he realized that there was no way the car was going to make it out of that ditch in one piece. She was going to have to have the shit towed, and from the look of it, that could take a while in this weather.

He motioned for her to hop into the car and get out of the rain, and she quickly complied, handing him back the umbrella before sprinting for the far door. Corey himself managed to get back in the car only after slipping twice in the ever deepening mud and finally got the door open long enough to throw himself back into the driver’s seat, and the umbrella into the back.

He leaned his head back against his seat, oblivious to his new passenger for the moment and mumbled, “I hate this fucking town.”

After a short moment of silence passed, he picked his head back up and turned to the young woman. She was a lot younger than he’d first thought, perhaps in her early twenties, and highly attractive, even in her sopping wet state. Her long, curly black hair was plastered to her head, and her clothes were soaked. It was obvious that she had a nice body under it all, but he was more concerned with her face. She looked incredibly familiar.

“Thanks for stopping,” she said, in a smooth and confident voice. “I didn’t think anybody was going to stop in this weather.”

Corey had already turned at this point to grab some extra blankets and stuff that he kept in the back. Hopefully this would at least keep her warm until he got her wherever she was going. “No problem…umm….Miss. In all honesty, I figured if I didn’t stop, then no one else would. It’d be a shame to have someone like yourself get caught out in this with no way to get where you’re going.”

“Well, thank you anyways.”

After a moment’s search, he managed to turn himself back around holding two extra blankets that he usually kept for his dogs. “They’re covered with dog fur... but at least they are warm.”

She snatched the blankets up greedily, wrapping one about her shoulders, and the other she simply draped across herself. “Thank you, SO much.” She paused for a moment, then tentatively she spoke up again. “I’m Eliza.”

Taking her hand in his, Corey spoke up. “Name’s Corey. Nice to meet you, Eliza.”

Quickly, he ran his hands through his soaking wet hair, setting the spikes as he brushed the excess water from his head. “Where you headed?”

A slight sigh escaped her lips as she considered the question for a moment. “Well, I was headed Syracuse, but it looks like I’m going to be stuck here for the moment. How’s the nearest tow-truck place sound?”

Corey laughed slightly as he thought about it. It was almost midnight by this point. “Well….most of them aren’t open for “walk-ins” at this point,” He said “But if you don’t mind spending a little longer in my rather drenched company, you are welcome to give the guy a call from my apartment.”

She looked at him for a moment, obviously weighing the possibilities of his being a serial rapist, or ax-murderer. He spoke up before she had a chance to though. “No funny business, I promise. I’ll make you a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, and you can relax while some other fool comes out in this mess to pick up your car.”

She considered him for another moment before shrugging her shoulders and nodding an affirmation in his direction. After another short pause she laughed and added “Lead the way, Captain Nemo, sail us home on the high seas of I-81”

The made it back to his apartment in about twenty minutes. In that time he managed to learn that she was headed to Syracuse on business, but was actually from Elmira originally.

“I travel around a lot, whenever my work calls for it, but I spend most of my downtime here at home. My ma worries about me if I stay away for too long.”

He nodded silently as he gazed out the windshield, in a desperate attempt to find his own parking space, but it was useless. Eventually he just stopped the car and put it into park. “Well, here we are. Just another fifty feet of running and we’ll be in the clear, somewhere nice and dry.”

“Let’s do it then,” She said with a sly smile.

It was at that point that it hit him, who she was. The smile had been what really gave it away, but he still felt like a fool for not picking up on it before. Eliza Dushku, here in his car, soon to be in his apartment! Who would’ve thought that his shitty day would end with something like this?

The two of them sprinted from the jeep to the door of the apartment complex. As soon as they stepped within, the pounding of the water ceased, and instead they were greeting with the pleasant sound of rain beating against the roof of the stairwell. “Alright then, come on up it’s on the third floor.”

The ascent was quick, and the conversation limited, as both of them were idly considering the other. He couldn’t help but wonder what type of person she was. He had always assumed most of the actresses like her would be snotty and have their noses turned up at everything in front of them, but he was getting a wholly different vibe off of her at this point.

Eliza on the other hand was wondering more and more about the man she accompanied. He seemed totally unconcerned with who she was, and why she would be out here. He was treating her just like anyone else…it was nice, to be treated like a human being again.

They stopped in front of his door as he fumbled for the keys to allow them entry. “Here you go ma’am…” He said in a fake accent. “Home sweet home.”

She did her best not to laugh as she imitated him. “Why, thank you, sir.” And she stepped inside.

A huge dog bounded up to Corey as Eliza gawked openly at the apartment. She had been expecting the typical bachelor pad; beer stains, bottles strewn everywhere, huge television dominating the tiny living room, and the whole nine yards. Eliza had not been expecting this.

The kitchen seemed to be impeccably clean. All the dishes were washed and put away, the floor was free of any messes, and even the refrigerator appeared clean. As she moved further in, trying desperately to keep the dog from sniffing her crotch she got a much better look at the living room.

The hardwood floor was mostly covered over by a dark green oriental rug, and a huge tiled coffee table. Against one wall sat a long couch and end table, and then there was the entertainment center and the other two chairs. It was a bit crowded, but it was far more than she expected.

“You’ve got a great place here, Corey. It’s really nice”

His voice came wafting over the sound of the dog’s high pitched whines, as she began getting desperate for his attention. “Yeah…it serves the purpose. After all, it’s only Sasha and I these days.”

She started for a moment and quickly replied, “Oh…is Sasha your girlfriend?”

Another dry laugh floated in from the kitchen as Corey sauntered in holding a pair of mugs in his hand. “No, Sasha is the little trouble maker who’s been weaving patterns around your legs ever since you walked in. Ain’t that right, babe?” He called out to the dog, which quickly climbed up into one of the two empty chairs.

“I figured you wouldn’t mind some hot chocolate…”

“God, thanks!” She said as she sipped on the hot liquid. “You know, you’re probably the nicest guy that I’ve ever met, but I’ve got two questions that I need to ask you…”

Corey tensed as he turned back towards her from his spot at the coffee table. “Ask away.”

“Well….I was just wondering about something…”

“You want to know if I’m aware of whom you are?”

“Umm…yeah.”

“Well, I suppose you can more or less guess my answer to that then.” He laughed dryly. “So, your second question?”

“I was wondering if perhaps you had some dry clothes that I could borrow while mine dry out.”

“No problem. Down the hall you’ll find a ‘bedroom’, as soon as you enter, on the right hand side you’ll find a closet. Take your pick of anything that looks comfy, then I’ll throw your stuff in the dryer. Cool?”

Eliza nodded calmly and started towards the end of the hallway. “Why can’t more guys be like him?” She thought, “All those assholes in Hollywood could use some lessons in shit like this.”

She rifled through the shirts in the closet and grabbed a pair of shorts off the shelf. Quickly closing the door she started stripping off her own sodden clothing. It was cool in the apartment, and her damp skin reacted to the temperature. As she pulled her shirt off and unsnapped her simple black bra, she felt goose bumps appearing all over her body.

She peeled her thong off of her shapely ass and reveled as the cool temperatures hit her skin. She grabbed a towel from the back of the door and quickly wiped away the excess water on her skin, before donning the clothes that she had selected. As she turned around, she caught on to something she had failed to notice before. There was no bed in this room.

After buttoning up the shirt, Eliza grabbed the pair of shorts and pulled them up over her legs, and briefly considered whether or not they might be too baggy, given that she had no extra underwear, but soon dismissed the idea, not overly worried about it. Lastly, she piled up her clothing, thong and bra on top, and walked back out of the bedroom.

“Hey, Corey. I’ve got another odd question for you.”

He took the pile of clothes from her and headed back into the kitchen area, “Hold that thought for a second, I’m just going to throw these in the dryer and grab an extra blanket.”

About a minute later he returned, as promised, with the blanket in hand. “Sorry, I know I keep the place kind of cold, but I like it that way, it helps me to sleep.”

Eliza shook her head, as if to dismiss the whole thing and took the blanket from him. “Well, this leads to another question then….God, I’m just full of them tonight. Normally people are always asking me questions…it’s just that…I… I...alw...well… I…errr….BLAH!” She burst out laughing at this point, apparently unable to voice the thought that had seized her before. “Ok, let’s try this in English this time.”

Corey let a slight chuckle escape as he gestured for her to continue. “Go ahead, shoot.”

“Ok. Here we go.” Another long pause. “Alright, three questions now, and these are in no… particular order, but I was wondering about something.” Another pause. “Where’s your bed?!” She finally burst out.

This time it was more than a slight chuckle that escaped from Corey. He laughed loud and hard at the question, “You really want to know?”

Eliza nodded, a strangely confused look on her face.

“You’re currently sitting on it.”

Another brief pause as she looked around at the couch she now occupied. “It’s a fold out?”

“Nope. That’s pretty much it. What you see is what you get I’m afraid. You see, I long since gave up on beds. I’ve got very little use for them.” Corey said, rather resignedly.

“But…”

“But… what?”

“Well… not to get too personal or anything, but what happens if you and your girl want to fuck?”

This time a short wave of sadness washed over him and for a moment his beautiful smile faded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a girlfriend. I tend to lead a rather busy life, and most of the women that I’m around on a regular basis aren’t really my type.” He shrugged slightly before continuing. “Eh, it’s life I guess. You’re in show business though, I’m sure you know all about sacrifice.”

The comment struck Eliza hard, and she opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out the first time. After a moment she tried again and made at least some of the muscles in her mouth work. “You seem to know a lot about this kind of thing. Most people assume that the life of a ‘movie star’, and I use that term loosely mind you… is nothing but glitz, glamour and parties… Which leads me to my second question for you…?”

“That’s quite a build-up.”

“Well, I’m really curious. You obviously recognized me, and yet the way you treat me…”

His grin returned for brief moment. “You mean you were expecting red carpets and trumpeters?” Corey shook his head lightly. “Sorry, I reserve those for the second meeting… Really though, it’s not a big deal. You’re a human being, just like me. You live, love, breathe, eat, sleep and fall, just like the rest of us do. You just have a different job, which brings you infinitely more attention than people like me get. I figured you were probably tired of all the fans, media and everything else, so I treat you like I would treat anyone else.”

Apparently the shocked expression on Eliza’s face was more obvious than she had intended, because Corey quickly followed his little speech up with a simple statement. “Close your mouth, Eliza, you’re catching flies.”

She snapped back to reality in that moment and closed her mouth, but not before realizing that there was something very different about this man. She couldn’t quite explain what it was, but there was something about him. A… charm, or maybe it was just the way he held himself, she couldn’t quite place her fingers on it.

There was something about the way he was sitting, perched on the arm of the chair, wet clothes still clinging to his muscular frame. She looked a bit closer, taking note of his high cheekbones and ocean blue eyes, his broad shoulders, and slender frame. He was an attractive man. Obviously, he was intelligent and self sustained, but there was still something about him, and inexorable charm that she simply could not explain.

After another moment, she shook herself out of her trance and resumed a normal functioning level. “Sorry about that, I zoned out for a second there.”

“No problem.”

She looked him up and down again before coming to a silent conclusion. “Corey, you need to go and get changed. You’re going to get sick if you’re lounging around in wet clothes all night.” She pointed down the hall. “Go on, get changed, I promise, I’m not going to vanish if you leave for a second.”

Laughing heartily, Corey walked down the hall and shut the door. She could hear the sounds of him rifling through the closet and quickly scooted her body over to one side of the couch. A moment later, he came back out, dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a sleeveless black shirt. As he moved she noticed tattoos on each arm, and one on either shoulder as well.

“Ohhhh…I love tattoos” She thought, idly remembering her own tattoo. She loved a guy with tattoos, she thought that they were among the sexiest things there were.

“Come on, take a seat.” She said, indicating the other end of the couch. “It’s nice and warm under here.”

Raising his eyebrow, Corey sat, sliding his feet under the blanket, up along the side of Eliza’s body.

“Well,” she said. “Since I’m apparently stuck here for a little while, not that it’s a bad thing…but what exactly do you do for a living?”

Corey relaxed a bit and leaned back on the couch, “I work as a photographer. Freelance mostly, but I work for the local paper when they get in a crunch, like tonight, or sometimes, I’ll do weddings and stuff like that.”

“So all of these…are yours?” She said, indicating a number of black and white photos on the wall.

“Yeah…most of them come from around here, others from some of the places I’ve traveled t-“

He was cut off mid-sentence as Eliza began shifting her weight around. She swung her long legs over the side of the couch, and quickly turned herself around so that she was leaning up against him, using his body as both warmth and support. She reached her arms up and entwined her fingers behind Corey’s neck and slowly began to pull his head down towards her.

“Eliza…” He whispered. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Shut up, Corey. I’m tired of pretending that I don’t want to do this.”

And then her lips were on his, and all was forgotten. The kiss was something powerful and strangely, something incredibly intimate. After only a second’s hesitation, his tongue probed against her lips and then slightly into her waiting mouth. Soft, and tender, it was something wholly unexpected and perfect in its own right.

When the kiss eventually broke, neither of them could have said whether five minutes or an hour had passed in the interim. Eliza dropped her head only slightly, looking up into his eyes.

Silence passed slowly until finally he broke the silence. “You know, you are by far the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on.”

Eliza blinked, her deep brown eyes seemed to be considering what he had said. “Do you mean it?” She asked, finally.

He gave her no response at first, only leaned his head down and kissed her again. When the kiss ended, he cradled her neck in his hands looked down at her once more. “Yes, Eliza, I mean it.”

“Thank you.” She breathed.

They lay together on that couch for a long time, looking at each other, kissing, and exploring each other with their hands. Neither of them could explain what was occurring between them, but they felt the pull towards each other just like birds feel the pull of gravity against themselves.

Time slowed, and eventually they completely lost track altogether. Sometime in the towards the wee hours of the morning, Eliza leaned in closer to Corey and whispered breathily into his ear. “Corey…I want you to make love to me…”

He recoiled away for a moment, looking at her with a look of shock on his face. It lasted for only the briefest of moments, as he took in the sight of her laying there, looking at him with eyes wide, waiting for his answer. He could see in her eyes that she meant what she had said. She wanted him…and there was no denying that he wanted her… but was she really ready for this?