Tomorrow Never Knows, part ten

“You know your way around, Neala, so sure, make yourself at home,” Fergus called out from the kitchen as he opened the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. He was humming to himself, clearly content. The combination of beer and specialty coffee was having a surprisingly calming effect. It even seemed to numb the almost itchy feeling where he had trimmed his chest and pubic hair. He jolted only momentarily and then quickly reassured himself that he had taken great pains to clean up any hair from around the bathroom sink and floor.

Neala took a seat on the living room couch, grabbed the television remote control, and found a music station. An All-Beatles channel. “Perfect,” she cooed to herself. Except for a slight tenderness in her bikini line area from closely shaving two days prior, she felt relatively at ease. Thank goodness for moisturizer. She had been in this house countless times before, sat in this very seat, and enjoyed Fergus’ company. Tonight seemed perfectly normal, but at the same time, exciting.

Fergus entered the living room with two glasses of wine, handing one to Neala, and then took a seat across from her in his recliner. “Ah, good, you’ve put on some music… The Beatles… excellent choice.”

“Why don’t you sit over here?” Neala said almost in a dry whisper as she gestured towards him and patted the couch cushion beside her.

His mouth suddenly dry, Fergus swallowed hard before spitting out, “Uh, sure, yes, but… um... maybe I should say a few things first.”

Confused, Neala placed both hands in her lap, and managed to utter, “Ah, ok...” before grabbing her glass of wine for a deep gulp.

“Look… if I sit next to you… you should know… I’m going to try to kiss you. And if I kiss you… my hands are likely going to get curious… and if they get curious... I’m going to need to know that you’re ok with that. Because once we cross that line… well, it’s just that, I’ve known you for so long and this is a big step for us and it’s not that I’ve been overthinking it but I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I don’t want to mess this up because, let’s face it… you mean a lot to me and…”

“Fergus,” she interrupted, grinning slightly. “Come sit down.”

“Oh, I will,” he promised. “I just think we should maybe talk a little bit first?” He meant to say it as a statement, dammit, but it came out of his mouth like a question. He took a sip of wine to steady himself. The friggin’ beer and coffee were clearly wearing off now that he was talking. Sh*t.

“By all means, Fergus.”

Geez, he loved the way she said his name. How she made two syllables sound so sultry was beyond all comprehension. “I have… these feelings for you. I don’t know what to call them, but I know they are more than friendly. I’m not saying I want to marry you or anything, at least not right this minute, but I want you in my life. I have for some time. It’s just that now I think of you as more than a friend and I… well I… oh god, this is embarrassing... but sometimes I think about you without any clothes on. Like not my clothes, but your clothes. I mean, I’m wearing clothes when I think about you. Well, maybe not always, but I mean…” he babbled. He took another sip of wine.

“Fergus,” she said soothingly. “I think you and I are very much on the same page. I can relate to much of what you are saying.”

He grinned sheepishly at her words.

She continued. “I have a horrible track record with relationships. Nevertheless, when I think about it, other than my sons, you are the man who has been in my life the longest, the most consistently. Yes, as a friend predominantly, but my feelings for you have also shifted as of late. I would be lying if I told you that the thought of you naked never crossed my mind… but it’s not just about you being naked. I feel a connection with you. It scares me a little bit. I don’t want to risk losing you, just as I don’t want to risk losing myself. Yet, I like how this feels… and I want to see how curious your hands might be. Mine might be curious too…”

“Oh, Neala,” he sighed, getting up from the chair and moving closer to the couch. She melted at the way he pronounced her name, in that deep, penetrating whisper.

As if by instinct, and perhaps tradition, he kicked the coffee table leg as he walked. “Dammit,” he cursed under his breath.

“No harm, no foul,” she comforted, reassuring him that nothing had spilled, that no damage was done. “Keep coming. You’re almost here,” she grinned.

This caused him to chuckle, and as he did so, he sat down next to her and put his hand on her knee.

“Thank you,” he said with relief.

“No, thank you,” she said. “It’s good to clear the air and be sure of expectations.”

“How grown up of us!” he said in mock wonderment.

“Indeed,” she agreed. Then, in a more serious tone, she looked him squarely in the eyes and reminded him, “You said something about a kiss?”

Without a word, one hand still on her knee and the other gently brushing her cheek, he drew himself closer. His mouth slightly open, his lips touched hers. Her mouth hungrily welcomed him inside.

His hand moved from her cheek to her neck, to her shoulder, to her breast. Her hands cupped his face and held him intently, expectantly. Their breathing became more intense, the touching more passionate, the kissing more probing. She moved her hands from his face and began to unbutton his dress shirt. Her lips travelled from his face to his neck, to his chest, to his now exposed left nipple. She gently suckled it, pausing briefly to give it a light nibble.

“Ouch!” he snapped.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Want me to stop?”

“God no!” he sighed. “Jesus no…”

Just as his hands were curious, so was her tongue. She continued to explore his upper body with her mouth and tongue as he continued to let his fingers explore her through touch – running them through her hair, up and down her back, rubbing her smooth shoulders, bringing them around to the front to fondle her ample bosom. He used his thumb and forefinger to massage her areola. “Two can play at this game,” he thought to himself as she began to moan.

Their heavy breathing persisted, their mutual enjoyment and exploration carrying on… until Neala stopped what she was doing and began to unbuckle his belt.

“Wait,” Fergus cautioned. “You sure about this?”

“I think so,” said Neala, flustered and flushed.

He smiled. “Maybe we should move this upstairs? I mean, we’d have more room…”

“Good idea,” she agreed.

They leaned back on the couch and he put his arm around her, holding her close, just savouring the quiet and the stillness in the moment. He smelled her hair. She inhaled the scent of his skin.

They stood up, facing one another. They clasped one another’s hands and leaned in once more to kiss each other deeply. Then they turned and walked towards the staircase.

As they held onto one another and made their way up the steps to the bedroom, a familiar song played:

“That love is all, that love is everyone… it is knowing… it is knowing… ”

**********

Thanks for reading!

If you want to start from the beginning of Neala & Fergus’ story, follow this link to read Part One:

https://vocal.media/fiction/tomorrow-never-knows-coq8uj0i7e

And if you’d like to continue reading, copy and paste this link into your web browser for Part 11:

https://vocal.media/fiction/tomorrow-never-knows-part-eleven