I truly appreciate those who have supported this series and your feedback and your favoriting the story. Sorry, I haven't been able to write more and conclude the story. It's been six months since I released anything. Here is another chapter that I hope you will enjoy. Personally, I can't wait for the day that I am able to finish this. I can't wait for readers to be able to read the full story from beginning to end.
Thank You to those who have appreciated and tolerated the twists and turns. Thank You to those who have encouraged me and lit my fire to continue. Thanks for the suggestions and ideas, even if I don't implement some of them. Just in general, I'd like to thank those who have read this story - Peace Out!
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Startled awake, I heard the unique sound of a cell phone ringtone going off in the distance. The ringtone belonged to Ash's phone. Her movement might have been what had awoken me. As she moved forward and lifted the covers, I could feel a very cold draft invade the space.
"God, it's freezing in here. What time is it?... What fucking time is it?" Ash freaked and fussed, while standing and looking around in a state of confusion.
Clearly it was morning, as one could see that the sun was up. Looking across the room and to the window, I saw that the sky was gray, but very bright with snow and ice resting upon the window seal. Ash grabbed her robe and headed out through the door of my room, apparently towards her own. That seemed to be where the phone was ringing from. I just pulled the covers back up after seeing there was no time showing on the clock on the stereo in my room and knowing that the power must be out.
As I had started to nod back off, Ash re-entered my room. Coming up to the bed, she handed the phone to me, "Jim it's Jill."
I slowly reached to the phone and took it from her as she quickly turned and made a hasty exit, "Hello," I answered.
"Jim, why didn't you answer your phone?" Jill asked.
"Sorry, I must have left it downstairs." I responded.
(Jill) - "Oh."
"What time is it?" I asked.
"10:20am... I was just calling to talk to ya... I called you last night a couple times and you didn't answer. I started getting worried. I called a little while ago and you didn't answer, so I called Ashley... She gave me her number the other day... I saw where there was a big snowstorm down there last night... I just wanted to make sure you were alright..."
"Well, apparently the power is out... It's freezing in here... I was staying in bed, relaxing... I don't have to go into work today, so I thought I'd just take it easy... It's pretty warm under these blankets."
We continued making small talk for a while longer. She told me that it looked like the storm that had hit us the night before was just beginning where she lived.
I was very vague about the night before. I just continued telling her I was going to get some R and R before heading back to school. I told her about working with Big the day before. I really wasn't comfortable with the conversation, particularly when she was telling me how much she missed me. Mostly, I let her do the talking. She asked me a couple of times if everything was alright and I told her I was and just reiterated the situation about the power being out. I don't know if she was content with the answer. One always gets paranoid about female intuition.
She told me that she would be back to school on the fourth and how much she missed me and she'd like to talk again in the evening, but she didn't want to get on my nerves. I let her know that she wasn't getting on my nerves and I'd talk to her in the evening. She wished us luck about getting the power back on and told me to thank Ashley for bringing me her phone so that she could speak to me.
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After the phone conversation I wondered and needed to know what Ash was up to. I knew she was probably in her room and I was going to take her phone back to her. I pushed the covers up and off and it was most certainly cold in my room and I suspected in the rest of the house. It must have been about 50-some degrees in the room. I hurried over to my dresser where I got some lounge pants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt, then put a pair of socks on and finally my bedroom slippers before heading to Ash's room.
Sure enough, she was there bundled up in a long heavy coat, sweat pants, her bedroom booties, and her comforter sitting on the bed, "Come on Baby, let's get back in bed. It's not like we can do anything. We can keep each other warm. I'll go build a fire in a little while."
(Ashley) - "No Jimmy. I want you to go build a fire now. I'll call the Power Company and let them no it's out."
(Jim) - "I think they probably know."
(Ashley) - "I'm going to call them anyway."
(Jim) - "OK. You do what you think is best. I'm going to get another quilt and lay down in my bed a little longer. When you're done will you come get back in bed with me?"
(Ashley) "Jimm-eee... Just go build a fire. I'm cold and I'm hungry. I asked you to do this one simple thing."
"OK," I conceded to her wish.
I headed downstairs to the living room, to the fireplace, and set about building a fire. We had everything needed to build a fire in place even though we generally only built them on special occasions. There was a small stack of wood on a rack on the ledge of the hearth and also starter logs, paper, and kindling there for starting a fire - and if needed, there was a cord of wood out back.
Carefully, I placed a starter log on top of a pile of kindling and crumpled balls of newspaper. Then once it was started, I placed a big log on top. I hadn't built a fire in a while, but many times over these last several years, it was I who would build them. It made me think of family gatherings during holidays of the past when I had built many of those fires.
The fire was just starting to blaze up as Ashley entered the room. I went upstairs to the hall closet and gathered a quilt, a down comforter, and a blanket along with four pillows and took them downstairs. Once downstairs, I laid the quilt down, then a blanket, and the comforter on top, before laying the pillows at the top near the hearth. Then I went out to the kitchen and gathered our tea kettle that we used for the fire place and everything I needed to make homemade hot chocolate.
I looked at Ashley sitting bundled on the sofa as I pulled back the blankets and got underneath, "Ash... come crawl in here with me."
She looked at me with a look of agitation, "Jimmy, it doesn't bother you that you just got off the phone with your girlfriend? You know you come off as a cad."
"Ash, I'm not going to argue with you. I thought we were past all of that. Have I not proven how deeply in love with you I am? Have I not proven that I need you? It's cold in here. Just come lay down with me."
She shook her head in a perplexed fashion, "I dunno."
I patted the area where she could lay down, "I've set the tea kettle on to boil, but it's going to be a little while before it whistles. We'll have some hot chocolate then. Just come warm up with me." Practically pleading.
She hesitantly got off of the sofa and came down on the floor, getting under the covers with me, "OK, til the tea kettle boils." She pulled the covers up and rested down on her side facing me.
I stared at her, as I began stroking her honey blonde hair... caressing her... holding her... and wrapping my arms around her as she relaxed and scooted up in my arms. I began drifting off in immaculate bliss.
(Whiiiiirrrr-sssssss-ewwwwwww!!)
The tea pot simmered and whistled, waking me from my half sleep. I couldn't have dosed off for more than a minute or two. I pushed back the down comforter and noticed that the room was growing considerably more comfortable as the fire crackled a couple of feet above.
I like my hot cocoa rich, so I took the Ghiradelli powder mix and placed a couple of tablespoons of it in the 16 oz. cup and then poured some of the simmered water in and stirred it before adding a shot of cream. "Ash, I've got some of this Godiva liqueur, would you like some."
"That sounds nice," she responded as she continued with her head laid upon the pillow.
I poured a shot of the liqueur in and stirred, "Well, you're gonna have to sit up to drink it." As she sat up, I took the large pillows and propped them so that they were against the hearth of the fireplace.
"Well, it's starting to get nice and toasty in here," I told her as I took a tiny sip from the mug.
"Yes it is," as she followed suit. The drink was so hot at the moment there was no way to take more than sips.
(Jim) - "You aren't really mad at me are you?"
(Ashley) - "No. I just feel guilty. I cheated with you last night. We cheated on your girlfriend. I like her. It just isn't right to do that."
(Jim) - "She might be my girlfriend, but you are my woman. You are the woman I love."
She lightly smiled, "You make it sound like it's OK, but you know it isn't. It's plain to see the girl is in love with you and we can't go on like this."
(Jim) - "If I hadn't slept with Mama, then I wouldn't be with Jill now.
Ash suddenly got a wild eyed look, "Let's get this fucking straight... ok... God Dammit... You did sleep with our mother... you make out like it's a matter of fact thing... who knows how many fucking times... but that was a blessing in disguise, because we have always been fooling ourselves. First of all, you are the typical guy."
I rebuffed that notion, "Don't say that."
(Ashley) - "You are... all you care about is sex."
(Jim) - "That's not true... I always wanted to be loyal to you."
(Ashley) - "You know in a funny way I believe you, but in the end it doesn't even really matter."
(Jim) - "She came on to me... she was always on to me... after my graduation... that night... I came home... I wanted to see you... I wanted you to be there."
(Ashley) - "Why are you telling me this... don't tell me this."
(Jim) - "I have to... you have to know... it's the only way... the only way to let you know how much I love you. You are right. Mama does have an infatuation with me... She admitted it to me. She sees our father in me. I had a sense about all of this a long time ago... The night I graduated from High School. I came home and I had this euphoric high and you weren't there... All I could think of was you. I so wanted you to be there, but you had gone to the beach."
