Chapter 47 Austin - Delayed Celebration
Chapter 47
Austin - Delayed Celebration
S ydney picked me up at rehab. She gave me a huge hug in the lobby. I had a backpack of my belongings, and I carried that over one shoulder to the truck.
“Awww, you didn’t bring Miss Cherry. I wanted the wind in my hair.”
She shook her head. “Last time I checked, the windows roll down on the truck, too.”
“It’s not a convertible.” I climbed into the passenger seat and exaggerated in slow motion, cranking down my window.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, Chucklehead. I took your baby out at least once each week for a little joy ride. She’s fun to drive. I could have picked up a few guys that way. A chick that can drive a manual is apparently hot. I smoked a Corvette on that hill by the theater. I blew him kisses from my rear-view mirror.”
“I bet. I would have liked to see that.”
She flipped the dial on the ancient radio to a pop station and sang along with songs she liked. Now that I had clarity about my feelings for Sydney, I felt awkward being with her. I knew I needed to tell her, but I still hadn’t worked out a plan for that. My thoughts swirled with various scenarios but nothing seemed quite right. All I knew for sure was that I couldn’t wait to get home.
Samson came to greet me at the door. I scratched his head and rubbed his belly when he rolled over for more. “Yeah, I missed you, too, you ol’ slobber bucket.” He stuck his ginormous tongue out at me.
Sydney sat on the edge of the couch. “You realize there’s a party going on later this evening. We’re making it a two-for. One part for celebrating you getting out of rehab, and one part for celebrating our Oscar win. The caterers, DJ, and bartenders will arrive in about two hours to set up. Before you get upset, they are serving two specialty mocktails, one for each of us, and soft drinks. Questions?”
“Where is that little rascal? Did you put him in the bathroom?” I scanned the living room and checked the powder room.
“Who are you looking for?” Sydney wrinkled her eyebrows.
“Oscar. What did you do with him?” I headed towards the kitchen.
She smacked her forehead. “Oh! You’re getting colder. I put him on your dresser.”
I practically jumped down the stairs in one leap. I flicked on the light in my room. There he stood, regal and golden. I picked him up and held him in my hand. Best Original Song: Sydney Campbell and Austin Mitchell. It seemed surreal even now, holding tangible proof in my hand.
I sat down on the edge of my bed. How did we get here? I never expected this. Sydney stood in the doorway.
“This is more than I could have imagined. And I have imagined,” I said. “I saw you on stage. You looked gorgeous in your dress. That was classy to thank Professor Nelson.”
She blushed. I knew that compliments were difficult for her to hear and accept. “Thanks. All I wanted was to make it up those slippery steps without tripping. I meant every word. Teachers don’t get the credit they deserve for the students they teach. He supported us the entire way through college. I think he’s the one reason I survived at all.” She crossed her arms across her chest.
She looked so amazing, standing their pensively, appreciating the people who supported her. Had I supported her enough? I wanted to do so now, so very much.
I decided I needed to tell her the truth. Now.
I patted the bedspread. “Come here, please. I want to talk to you. ”
She cocked her head. “Am I in trouble?”
“Not at all.” I patted the bed again. “Here.”
She sat down and faced me. I took a deep breath and began.
“They make us work on ourselves in therapy. It’s important to figure out your past, why you behave the way you do, and find diverse ways to cope with life moving forward.”
She nodded. “Of course. No one escapes this life without battle scars.”
“Exactly. While working on myself, I realized something important. I don’t want to push it down to the bottom of my consciousness anymore. I want to face it head on and become a better person for it.”
She took my hand. “That’s great! I’m glad you got clarity. You must be happy to have that weight off your shoulders.”
“I could be happy. Happier. I have you to thank for that. You have been my constant support this whole time we’ve been here in L.A. Between working together, living together, you staying in the hospital with me, you bailing me out of jail—you stuck by me through it all. To say you’re simply my friend is an understatement and an insult to the bond we have developed.”
“Well, of course we’re friends, silly—”
I cut her off. “Please let me finish.” I inhaled deeply, found my courage, and laid it all on the line. “I love you. More than as a friend. You are the person I want to be with in the morning, and the person I want to go to bed with at night. You mean more to me than anything else in this world. I don’t want to be with anyone else. I want to be with you.”
I rushed on, afraid that if I stopped, I might never finish. “When you kissed me at the shooting range, it scared me. I knew I made a mistake when I saw the hurt and confusion in your eyes. But the damage had already been done and I couldn’t take my words back. You have Marcus now, and I will not stand in your way if he is the one for you. I will always support you one hundred percent. I want you in my life in whatever capacity you’ll have me. But I couldn’t go on any longer denying the truth.”
I stopped. And waited. I watched her face for a clue about her feelings. The silence made my stomach tighten.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and one escaped down her cheek. “I never expected this.” She wiped away the tear. “I love you, Austin. I always have. It never occurred to me it was love with a capital L.” She squeezed my hand. “Ever since we had that horrific fight, I wanted things to go back to the way they were. But once you say the hurtful words, you can’t take them back. I want you in my life, but it may not be the way you want it. Marcus is important to me, and I don’t want to hurt him. You and I agreed to keep our romantic lives separate from our friendship. But now we crossed that line, and we can’t go back. I need time to think about how I want to move forward.”
She kissed me on the cheek before getting up. “I’m going to get started on the party preparations. I think you’ll find something fun in your closet to wear tonight.”
And with that, she left my room.
At least I’d told her. I’d had that much courage. The ball was in her court now.
The party was a blast, even sober. Sydney had matching black T-shirts made for us with a sparkly golden Oscar right in the middle, along with the caption, “and the Oscar goes to…” And on the back in big giant sparkly letters: ME! I loved her sense of humor and eagerly pulled it over my head.
The crowd combined our work family, all three of our fellow hive members, a sprinkling of celebrities we worked with, and our friends in the neighborhood. Sydney invited Venus, Daisy, and Tori. I invited Derek and the poker crew. Brooke told Sydney she would make an appearance, but I never saw her.
A couple hours in, I heard someone dinging their spoon on a glass. The DJ turned down the music. Venus stood halfway up the stairs, waiting for the chatter to die down.
“Thank you all for coming out to celebrate with us this evening. Two years ago, I sat in a living room in Kansas City with these two crazy kids. They had a special song that I wanted to pitch for a movie soundtrack. I know a hit song when I hear it, but even I didn’t know how big this song would become. Tonight, we celebrate Austin and Sydney, and the song that has touched so many of us. They don’t know this, but I have something special for them. Austin and Sydney, will you come up here, please?”
We came from two different directions and joined her on the stairs. Venus signaled and two of the servers carried over a gigantic frame. It contained a replica of the movie poster, along with a golden CD. “This makes it official. ‘Our Dance’ has turned gold and currently sits at Number Three on the Top 100 chart.” The crowd clapped and whistled while we took in the display. We both hugged Venus.
“Now we have something to hang in the living room,” I quipped.
A voice in the back hollered, “I think you should sing for your supper, Mitchell.”
The crowd clapped in agreement. I met Sydney’s eyes and asked the question. “You game?”
“Absolutely.”
The crowd parted as we made our way to the piano in the living room. I sat down and opened the lid, then grinned up at her, standing next to me. “It’s just you and me, kid.”
She nodded, and I played the simple melody of the intro. I closed my eyes, and we were back in that empty auditorium. The emotional grip of the song took over as we sang together. When we finished, I glanced at our friends and Marcus came into focus. The anguish on his face made my stomach knot. I had done nothing wrong, but I still felt like a traitor. He walked up to Sydney, took her hand, and they disappeared through the crowd.
As the party wound down, I caught a glimpse of Sydney. Her red cheeks and puffy eyes made my heart hurt. She slipped upstairs before I could reach her.
After the vendors packed up, I locked the front door. It was good to be home. To get to sleep in my king-size bed instead of the twin bed at rehab. I tossed my shirt over a chair and left my jeans crumpled on my bedroom floor. I pulled on my pajama bottoms and flipped back my comforter.
A knock sounded at my door. I found Sydney standing behind it, wearing a baby pink silky number that didn’t cover much. The lace cups and spaghetti straps barely held in her ample bosom. I stood there with my mouth hanging open, flabbergasted and discombobulated all at once.
“Are you going to invite me in?” she asked, looking up at me through her eyelashes, her voice barely audible .
I moved to the side, and she entered. I’m no slouch with seduction, but I missed this in my playbook. Based on the previous events of the evening, I hesitated. I turned to face her.
“Sydney, what about Mar—”
She placed her fingers against my lips. “Shh. No talking.” She moved in close and put her arms around me. I hesitated, but then reciprocated. We stood there, with our arms wrapped around each other. Feeling her soft skin against mine sent electrical charges through my system. I wanted her.
With her head against my chest, she spoke. “I know we need to talk, but not tonight. Let’s have this one night together. Don’t tell me. Show me how you feel.”
She took my hand and led me to the bed. As she lay down on her side, she patted the sheets next to her, an invitation and a longing melded together. I lay down facing her, propped up on one arm, and kissed her soft lips. I took my time tasting her sweetness and inhaling her perfume. She placed a hand against the back of my neck and pulled me closer to her. My cock stood at attention already.
I rolled her onto her back, kissed down one side of her neck, then the other. She squeaked with pleasure, and I kept going. I kissed the tops of her exposed breasts and in between them. I put two fingers under the lacy material and, one by one, teased her nipples into hard knobs. Her moaning increased, spurning me on in my endeavor. Pulling down the straps with my thumbs, I took her breast in my mouth. She moved her arms to the middle of my back and clung to me.
After adoring her breasts, I moved down and began kissing her soft, rounded stomach. Her murmurs continued, and she trailed her fingers through my hair. I soaked in her enjoyment and continued my exploration. It didn’t escape my attention that she wasn’t wearing any panties underneath her lingerie. I trailed kisses down past her belly button and stopped short of her sweet spot.
Using my elbow, I parted her legs and moved to kissing the insides of her thighs. She squirmed and moaned, putting her hands on top of my head as I moved up to the sweet spot between her legs. The lips were plump and juicy, and I licked them languidly. Using my tongue, I parted them and began teasing her clitoris. I heard her sharp gasp, and I knew I hit the right spot. I quickened my pace, and her excitement grew louder .
“Yes. Yes! Right there! Oh. My. God. Don’t stop!” She grasped my head harder, and I amped up the intensity by inserting two fingers into her slippery vagina. She bucked and screamed out again. “Yes! Austin! YesYesYes!!” Then she fell silent, except for her rapid breathing. I pulled myself up and kissed her cheeks, then her mouth, my tongue twisting with hers.
I lay down next to her on my back. Her chest heaved up and down, coming down from her sweet release. Neither one of us spoke. My mind churned in a hundred different directions, but I couldn’t hold on to a single coherent thought.
Sydney propped herself up on an elbow, facing me. “Do you want some more?”
“Sweetie, you’re going to have to give me a few minutes. Maybe get some water.”
She clucked at me. “I have an even better idea. You need to take your pants off.”
I never question a woman when she tells me to get naked. I bent my knees and lifted my butt off the bed, peeling my pajama pants off in one quick motion. Then I lay back down on the bed face up, my cock saluting its presence.
She focused on my crotch, then back up at me. “Your soldier looks like he needs attention.”
“Did you have something in mind?” I cocked one eyebrow.
She didn’t answer me. She leaned over, took my dick in her hand, and practically swallowed it with her mouth. She sucked on it, pulling up and down, making me harder. My surprise and pleasure came out in a primal moan. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the intense feelings her mouth gave me. I wanted it to last, but I felt that pre-cum sensation building.
“That feels amazing, but I need you to stop.” She raised her eyes towards me without letting go. “If you don’t, this will be over in less than a minute.” She released her grasp and laid her head on my chest. My heartbeat jackhammered and I tried to calm my throbbing cock.
After a few minutes of stillness, she interrupted my thoughts. “Can I continue?” she wondered.
“Let’s give it a shot. What did you have in mind?”
“I’m not finished with you, Cowboy. It’s still my turn.” She revived my shrinking dick with her hand, then straddled my crotch, facing me. She lowered herself onto it and began rocking back and forth. I reached up to grab her breasts, but she swatted my hands away. “Pay attention to what you’re feeling. Let me hear your excitement. Hold on to my hips if you want to grab something.”
I placed my hands on her hips and closed my eyes. I moaned and felt my orgasm building underneath her thighs. “Oh. Sydney. More! Harder! Yes!” I gave in to the feelings of the moment. My orgasm exploded and pulsed into her slippery cunt. She held still and tightened her muscles to increase the intensity. She whimpered and shook as she reached a second climax right after mine.
She lay on top of my chest and stayed that way, her unruly curls covering my chest. I didn’t want to break the spell, and I lay silent, processing this beautiful thing that happened between us. This incredible woman stole my heart without trying. I wanted to spend every moment I could with her for the rest of my life.
“Would you mind getting us some water now?” Her voice barely a whisper against my chest. She rolled off onto her side.
“Of course.” I got two bottles of water from the fridge. When I came back, she had adjusted her lingerie to cover herself again. I handed her a bottle and sat down on the side of the bed.
“Thank you.” She murmured between gulps of water. “I needed that.”
I sipped my water. “Should we talk about this? I’m sure we have feelings.”
She shook her head. “Let’s get some rest. We can talk all you want tomorrow.” She patted the pillow next to her. I set our water bottles on the nightstand and slid into bed with her. She snuggled into my arms and relaxed. Soon her breathing slowed its rhythm, and I fell asleep, feeling happier than I had been in a long time.