Page 32 of A Simple Love
I clear my throat, turning to face them, the deer-caught-in-the-headlights expressions on their faces make it clear they were unaware of my infringement on their discussion.
“I sure have made a mess, haven’t I?” I snap at them, the women quickly cowering away. My hands quickly find the table in front of me, bracing my body weight as I take deep breaths to calm myself.
Shit. Ben and Mike got in a fight? Over what? Me? It had to be. What a disaster! I have to talk to Mike today, and he has some explaining to do. I know he’s upset about the whole Ben thing, but that doesn’t give him the right to punch him. I’m so furious, disappointed, regretful. I’m feeling a million things at once, and now I have to attempt to focus on what Principal Winston is saying for the next few hours.
The day of meetings drags on. I meet with the other two first-grade teachers and absorb all the information they throw at me. I finalize my lesson plans for the next few weeks and finally lock my classroom up knowing tomorrow when I return, I will have twenty-four first graders placed in my care for the next nine months. I will finally be a teacher. The day has come, a day that should be full of excitement and anticipation. But there’s a black cloud hanging over me that needs to release its storm. And that storm is a result of my choices.
I jump in my car and start the drive to Mike’s new house, which I’ve never seen since he purchased it. Whenever all of us hang out, it’s always over at Tyler and Hayley’s house or Dean and Pauline’s. But Mike keeps to himself and doesn’t leave his house much since his furniture shop is on his property. Pauline texted me his address, so I knew where to go, but I haven’t explained everything that happened to her or Hayley yet, given she just had a baby and Hayley is locked away in her house with Tyler and getting ready to leave on her honeymoon.
Pulling up his dirt driveway, I’m granted with the view of his new home in front of me, rugged and charming, just like him. The pale, but dark blue wood paneling and deep grey roof make it unique, but still classic. And the rolling steel garage door is open to the shop in the back of the property, sitting off to the left of the house. I park in front of the porch, slamming my door shut in fury, the anger I feel towards him barreling forward after I’ve pushed it down all day.
Striding up to the shop, I hear the angry music blasting through the sound system, Mike appearing with his back to me in the corner of the room, hunched over a dresser of some sort, sanding away on the wood.
“Mike!” I yell, hoping to get his attention. My attempt is feeble since he doesn’t turn around.
“MIKE!” I scream this time, his body pivoting with a look of surprise as he takes me in. I’m standing there, dressed in a classic black A-line dress and heels, nowhere near wearing the appropriate clothes for being in such a filthy place. Sawdust covers the floor, loose nails are scattered on the concrete, and Mike is staring at me as if I’m a mirage in a desert.
“Victoria… what are you doing here?” He releases his sander on a table and removes his gloves, wiping his hands over his dirty jeans and then turning the knob on the stereo, silencing the music. Mike is wearing a tight black tank-top, showcasing his muscular chest and arms, the ripples of strength in his shoulders and torso calling to me. Damn. Why does he have to be so hot? Looking at him like this, dirty and sweaty and completely in his element, is distracting me from what I came here to do.
“We need to talk. You would know that if you weren’t too busy beating the shit out of Ben last night to reply to my text message.”
He turns away from me, walking over to a sink stationed along one wall, proceeding to wash his hands.
“I didn’t do anything he didn’t deserve,” he grits through his teeth.
“You think he deserves to be punched because I went out with him? Because I gave him the time of day? Because he drove me to the hospital yesterday?”
“He was saying shit about you in the bar last night!” He bellows in the room as he turns back to face me, his voice echoing off the walls. “I punched him in the face because he’s an ass who doesn’t deserve you and I wasn’t going to stand there and let him degrade you like that!” Mike is seething, his fury radiating off of him in waves.
“What did he say?” I take a step towards him, realizing he wasn’t just beating on him to take out his anger. He was defending my honor. Just another reason to love him even more.
He gazes off to the side, avoiding my eyes. “It’s not important. I just made sure he understood to keep his mouth shut.” His eyes find mine now, a faint purple bruise comes into view on his cheekbone.
“Are you okay?” I’m closing the distance between us now, reaching him after what feels like one of the longest walks of my life. I caress his face, brushing my thumb across his bruised skin.
“I’m fine. I’ve experienced worse.”
“Why didn’t you text me back last night, Mike? Why did you stand me up again?” My eyes are flashing back and forth between his, searching for an indication of what he’s thinking right now. His face is so contorted with pain and worry. I’m afraid to hear his answer.
“I left the hospital so furious, Vic… I raced over to BJ’s to drink, doing the first thing I could think of the distract myself from the thought of you choosing him. I left my phone in my truck and didn’t get your message until hours later and after I’d beat the shit out of Ben.” He pauses, looking down at the floor, avoiding touching me. My hands find his arms now, moving my fingers back and forth over his taut biceps and shoulders. Touching him sends sparks up my fingers, down my arms, and further down between my legs. God, I want him more than I want to breathe.
“But I didn’t choose him, Mike. The only reason Ben drove me to the hospital yesterday is because he offered to. And I figured if he drove me, then I could break up with him when he took me back home, a fact I was dying to tell you when I asked if we could talk.” His head snaps up at my admission, his eyes widening with hope.
“So it’s really over with him?”
I press my lips lightly to his; the touch sending my heart into a frenzied gallop.
“He never stood a chance, Mike. I just needed to make sure that what I felt for you was beyond fantasy, beyond physical, and beyond idealistic. And now I know,” I pause, holding his gaze with mine for what seems like an eternity before I deliver those fateful words that will finally bring Mike and me full circle.
“It’s always been you.”
Mike smashes his mouth to mine, turning us around and backing me up against a bare wall, the smell of sawdust and wood infiltrating my nose, mixed with his sweat and body wash. Mike is all man, and the way he controls me makes me want to surrender to this man for the rest of my life.
Our mouths move frantically, twisting and caressing our tongues together, sipping and tasting one another like it’s our last meal. Mike breaks from our kiss, resting his forehead on mine.
“Fuck, Vic. This is really happening, isn’t it?” He chokes out through the emotion in his voice, his thick arousal pressing into my belly and his breathing heavy and labored. He’s shaking beneath my fingers, the reality that what we’ve both waited for, for so long, is finally a reality.
“Yes, Mike… it is. Took long enough,” I joke, his chuckle breaking through the tension before he meets my lips with his again and kisses me like it’s our last moment on Earth.