Andrea and Stix Ch. 06: Love, Finally

Andrea was floating and in the tender embrace of someone gentle, someone loving. There was calmness, a surrender of sorts. A peacefulness that one only knows when you've surrendered after a good fight. And then she woke up.

It took Andrea a minute or so to gather her senses. She was in bed. There was no noise, no movement. As her consciousness became more acute so did her senses and the first sense was taste. It was a metallic taste in her mouth. She recognized it. She had a tooth pulled years ago and she remembered the taste of blood. She turned her head and pain shot through her face and neck. She moved slower now, painfully but manageable. She turned to see Mike lying in bed, naked and facing away from her. The image helped her to remember... remember him on top of her, remember the pain, remember her pleading for him to stop. She lay there for a minute fearing he would be awake and turn on her again but he didn't move.

Andrea started to turn to get up but her body was wracked with pain. She moved slowly and got into a seated position with her legs hanging off the side of the bed. She saw she still had one leg in her shorts and she bent to pull them on but it felt like a knife stabbing her side. She decided not to bother. She raised herself up and steadied herself and took a few steps over to her dresser, which she leaned on for support. She slowly turned and looked back at the bed.

The first thing she noticed was blood on the pillow case. She knew it was hers but didn't know why she was bleeding. She lifted her hand to her face and felt the caked blood around her mouth and the swelling of the side of her face. She guessed that someone had hit her pretty hard and that someone had to be Mike. She glanced further down on the bed and suddenly her legs buckled. Where she had been sitting the sheets were stained with blood and ejaculate... blood and ejaculate coming from her. She slid down the wall to a seated position, grimacing in pain. It was coming back now.

She reached down, put her leg through her shorts, pulled them up and puller herself to her feet. She had to go, to get out of there before something else happened. She walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, using the wall for balance. Each step shot pain inside every opening of her body. She gasped for breath but could only inhale a small amount of air before pain shot through her side. At the bottom of the stairs she grabbed her purse and keys, opened the door quietly and walked out of the house. Seconds later she was driving away.

Twenty minutes later she was standing outside Stix's front door. She didn't remember driving there, didn't know why she drove there and didn't know what to expect. She had nowhere else to go. She stood there for a few minutes thinking whether or not this was a good idea. She had hurt Stix and now wanted her, needed her. She lifted her finger to the doorbell and hesitated knowing if she rang the bell she was probably committing herself to a tongue lashing. She smirked to herself. At least she hadn't lost her sense of humor. No, the tongue lashing would be because she treated Stix terribly and now was hoping Stix would provide the comfort and refuge she desperately needed. She rang the bell.

As she stood there she glanced to the side and froze. There was a truck in the driveway parked behind Stix's car. It had a few military-related stickers on it along with one that said "Combat Medic". Her heart sank. Stix had a guy with her and Andrea felt horrible about having come over. She turned to leave but before she got to the first step the porch light flicked on and the door opened.

"What the fuck do you want?" Stix asked.

Andrea slowly turned around and Stix's face dropped.

"What the fuck happened to you?" she said as she grabbed Andrea as she almost collapsed. Andrea started crying and sobbed into Stix's robe.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she cried.

Stix pulled her inside and guided her to the couch.

"DOC! GET OUT HERE" she yelled.

Andrea tried to get up.

"I'm sorry. I should go. I didn't mean to bother you," she said but Stix pushed her back on the couch.

"Sit down. DOC! GET OUT HERE!"

Andrea looked up and saw who Doc was. It was the tough, "don't fuck with her" girl from Anna's Place. fethiye escort Doc took one look at Andrea and took over.

"Go get my crash box out of my truck," she said to Stix and gently laid Andrea down on the couch. "NOW!" she shouted.

Doc started a preliminary examination of Andrea. It was obvious she had been hit in the face. There were indications of choking around her neck. Her arm guarded her side indicating possible rib injuries.

"I'm so sorry," she said to Doc. "I shouldn't be here. I didn't think... I didn't know about you two."

"What's there to know?" Doc asked. "We used to have a thing going, I was lonely, Stix was lonely. I'm going back to Afghanistan this week. We just wanted to hook up before I left. Besides, she hasn't shut up about you since I got here. How much she missed you. What a nice woman you are. It almost felt you were in bed with us."

Andrea had mixed emotions about all this. She was sad that Stix had turned to someone else but completely understood why. She had treated Stix badly. Yet Stix still had feelings for her.

Doc poked around just as Stix walked in with her crash box. Doc put an ice pack on Andrea's face and another on her side but noticed Andre was pale.

"How do you feel Andrea?" Doc asked.

"I'm having a hard time breathing," Andrea replied. Doc turned to Stix.

"Get dressed. We're going to the hospital."

"I don't need to go to the hospital," Andrea protested.

"Yeah, you do. I think you're getting a collapsed lung."

Minutes later the three of them were sitting in Doc's truck headed towards the emergency room. The staff took Andrea in quickly as Doc gave them a rundown of Andrea's injuries. 30 minutes later she was admitted to the hospital.

Two police officers interviewed Doc and Stix and the four of them came to the same conclusion. It was Mike who did this. But Andrea refused to press charges.

"Mike Jr. just started school. Mike is paying for it. If he goes to jail Mike Jr. doesn't get an education. I'll handle it myself."

Over the course of the following week, Andrea took stock of her situation. With the help of a lawyer friend of Doc, she filed a restraining order against her husband and started divorce proceedings. She knew she could never go back to Mike and she also knew that she had to be free of Mike in order to be with Stix. It wasn't a hard choice, especially not after what Mike had done to her. But she knew Stix's trust had to be earned back and she decided that while the divorce was pending she would not push things.

Stix, on the other hand, was very attentive to Andrea. She visited Andrea every day in the hospital and when she was released, Stix offered her to stay with her. The judge had given Mike until the end of the month to get out of the house so both Andrea and Stix knew it was temporary. Besides, it gave Stix an opportunity to watch over Andrea for any aftereffects from her ordeal. They both agreed that Andrea would sleep in the extra bedroom and take things slowly.

After about two weeks, Andrea was permitted to go back to work and Stix and Gloria made sure she got light duty. It killed Andrea to be so close to Stix, changing next to her in the locker room, looking at Stix's body, remembering the intimacy they shared and knowing they were going home together. But she knew deep inside that she had to do this the right way so that Stix realized Andrea could offer herself 100% to her.

The end of the month came and Stix decided a little celebration was in line. Thai take-out food, a bottle of wine and a lot of fun conversation was had. Andrea looked at Stix and saw that smile that drew her in when she first met Stix. Stix even went so far as touching Andrea's arm and hand as they talked and, at one point, held her hand and just looked into Andrea's eyes. It made Andrea feel nothing had happened between them, that they were back at the club that first night they met talking, laughing and touching. She wanted so badly to lean across the table and kiss Stix but knew she had to prove herself.

The night ended and they said good-night to each other and went to their respective bedrooms. But Andrea couldn't sleep. She knew the feeling, that arousal that Stix stirred in her. She stared at the ceiling for hours, escort fethiye sometimes letting her hand slip between her legs and gently rubbing herself. She would imagine it was Stix touching her, maybe with her hand and maybe with her mouth. She couldn't stand being 30 feet from Stix and not being able to be with her.

Andrea got up, went to the kitchen and poured herself another glass of wine. She argued with herself... she needs to do this right. But Stix is in the other room and showed affection to her, something she had not done in a long time. After another glass of wine, Andrea decided she had to do it.

Her heart pounded as she walked down the hallway to Stix's bedroom. The door was open as usual, something Stix did so she could listen for Andrea if there was a problem. Andrea stood in the doorway and could barely make out Stix's silhouette in the dark. She took a deep breath, walked over to the bed and slipped under the sheet next to Stix.

"Andrea? Is that you?" Stix asked groggily. What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry," Andrea replied. "I just wanted to be with you."

Andrea spooned against Stix and draped her arm around her. It never occurred to her that Stix slept naked but her hand found Stix's bare breast and she caressed it gently. She wasn't sure how Stix would react, but when Stix pushed her body back against hers, Andrea knew it was all right.

Andrea massaged Stix's breast and gently fingered the barbell piercing through her nipple, which was hard to the touch. She moved her face into that curve between Stix's neck and shoulder and inhaled her scent. It was intoxicating. And when she exhaled, her breath made Stix shiver and she turned to face Andrea.

"We... shouldn't..." Stix whispered.

"Please, let me do this." Andrea responded and then leaned forward and kissed Stix. When Stix kissed back, Andrea knew she could go further. After a few minutes of kissing, Andrea slowly started working down Stix's body. She stopped and sucked a nipple in her mouth, played with it with her tongue, then turned her attention to the other nipple. Stix was moaning softly, holding Andrea's head in her hands. She let Andrea linger on her nipples for a few minutes and then gently pushed Andrea head further down. Andrea knew what Stix wanted... the same she had wanted in Stix's bed and the back of her car. Andrea moved lower and lower, leaving atrial of wet kisses on Stix's skin. When she got close to her clitoris, Stix clutched Andrea's hair and pulled her in.

So this is what it was like, Andrea thought to herself. Having your mouth on another woman's labia, licking her clitoris, tasting a taste you had never experienced before. She inhaled Stix's scent and was intoxicated by it. She pushed her tongue into Stix and used her mouth to please her with everything she had. Stix moaned in response, holding Andrea in place.

After a few minutes of licking and kissing, Andrea slipped a finger, then two, inside Stix. She remembered how Stix had pleasured her, how Stix had brought her to orgasm so easily, so aggressively.

She worked hard knowing she wanted to give Stix the same pleasure and within a few minutes, Stix groaned, clenched Andrea's hair in her fists and groaned. Andrea could feel Stix's muscles contracting while she orgasming and grinned at the knowledge that she had pleased Stix.

Andrea crawled back up Stix's body, kissing every inch as she did. When she reached Stix's face she embraced it and kissed her deeply.

"Thank-you for letting me do that," she said to Stix.

"Lay back," Stix replied.

"No," Andrea said looking deeply into Stix's eyes. That's all I wanted. That and to hold you and fall asleep in your arms." And that's what she did.

It was early morning when Andrea stirred. She looked around, saw she was in Stix's bed and realized it had not been a dream. She felt good that the night went well, but worried what Stix might think about it. She climbed out of bed and walked down to the kitchen where Stix was sitting with her morning coffee.

Stix greeted her with a "Good morning" and then "can I talk to you for a minute?"

Andrea poured herself a cup of coffee and sat across from Stix. She was surprised when Stix reached across the table and took Andrea's hand in hers.

"Last fethiye escort bayan night was nice," Stix started. "No, it was great."

"I'm sorry if I rushed things," Andrea replied. "I was lying in bed, thinking of you, remembering how much I longed to be with you, to touch you, for you to touch me. It was my last night here and I didn't want to miss the opportunity."

"It's fine," Stix said, looking into Andrea's eyes. "But there's so much you need to do before you can make a commitment to anyone. You need to follow through with your divorce. You need to come to terms with your sexuality, whatever that may be. Only then would you be ready for a relationship. Can you do that?"

Andrea nodded. She knew Stix was right. She knew her track record with Stix wasn't the best and before she committed to her, she needed to commit to herself.

"I understand what you are saying," Andrea replied. "I'll work on myself before thinking of a relationship."

Stix smiled at her.

"I know you will."

The months ticked by and Andrea made her plans. She was living in the house but, as part of the divorce, the house would be sold. Andrea had her eyes on a condo two blocks down the street from Canalside. She could see herself walking down to the store with lunch and Stix teasing her with the various items in the store. And then, maybe after a long day at the store, Stix could walk over and get a sensual massage from Andrea.

For her part, Stix was not pushing Andrea in any direction. She was friendly but not overly intimate. The light touching and hugs that she used to display with Andrea were no longer there but Andrea understood why even though now, more than ever, that she needed that intimacy.

It was a Friday, six long months since Mike assaulted her, that Andrea's divorce was finalized. She left the courthouse and felt a burden had been lifted off her shoulders and a roadblock had been removed. She was excited to see Stix that night at work and when she got there the crew all congratulated her on her divorce. They knew what Andrea had gone through and were happy for her. Stix had been running late and joined the team on the floor, caught up to Andrea and smiled.

"Can we talk after work?" she asked.

"Of course," Andrea replied and her heart skipped a beat.

The night dragged and finally the party and clean-up was done. Stix changed quickly and told Andrea she had to run upstairs for a minute and that she would meet her outside. Andrea finished dressing, walked out into the cool night and stood by her car. The parking lot emptied and a few minutes later Stix walked out. They hugged briefly.

"I need to tell you something," Stix started off. "You remember Bettina, right?"

Andrea looked puzzled.

"Doc. Bettina is her real name."

"Yes, I remember Doc. Is she alright?" Andrea asked.

"She's fine," Stix continued. "That night at Anna's place? And at my place? That was no coincidence. Doc and I had a thing going before she joined the Army and over the past six months we've done a lot of talking. She's getting out of the Army, and..." Stix's voice trailed off.

"And...?"

"... and we're moving to Texas together."

Stix stood there trying to gauge Andrea's reaction.

"When?"

"Tomorrow morning. Today was my last day here. I sold my house."

The silence drifted in the air like the warm breath from their mouths.

"I love her, Andrea. I thought it was over but I never really got over her. And she never got over me. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but there's no easy way to tell you this."

"I can change, Stix," Andrea pleased.

"I don't want you to change. You'll always be my Miss Vanilla," Stix replied. And then she leaned in, gave Andrea a peck on the cheek and turned to leave. Andrea grabbed her sleeve but Stix gently took her hand off her arm and smiled.

"I have to go."

Andrea knew those words. She now knew how much those four words could hurt. She watched Stix walk to her car and then drive off. Andrea watched the tail lights glow through the parking lot, down the driveway and out and down the street until they disappeared in the night. She knew if this was a movie she would see the car reappear and Stix would drive up, jump out and they would passionately kiss. And Andrea and Stix would be together again.

But it wasn't a movie. There were no headlights headed her way. There was no affection, no intimacy, no cute teasing, no Stix... just loneliness.