17. Pillow Talk

Chapter 17

Pillow Talk

A lice leaned against the dark wood entryway casing to the living room. The room was darkened. The lights and candles long since extinguished as the night grew later. The flickering TV light filled in the darkened corners of the living room. Sports highlights played on the TV mounted above the fireplace.

It was a compromise in their home decor. She hadn’t much use for a TV, but knew Hugo liked to watch his sports. The house was filled to the brim with her stuff—he hardly contributed anything after he moved in. She gave up the space above her fireplace. They each had their peace of mind. She had her wine cellar. He had his TV.

Her eyes fixated on Hugo sitting on the couch. He lounged comfortably, leaning back with his feet propped up on the coffee table. One leg outstretched, careful not to knock anything over. The other leg had the knee bent and foot pressed against the edge of the table.

He held the remote control in one hand. His other hand was stretched behind his head as if he was using his hand as a pillow. His gaze focused on the moving images of various sports highlights playing from earlier in the day. The day he had sequestered himself in the damp, dark cellar away from the destructive sunlight.

A smile formed in the corner of her lips as Alice traced the outline of Hugo in the flickering shadows. His gray sweatpants formed tight against his legs, leaving nothing to the imagination. His black T-shirt snug against his lean, muscular chest. The sharp jawline of his nearly perfect trimmed beard. His coifed hair. She ended her examination locked on to his icy blue eyes. He seemed at ease, at peace.

A stark contrast to her frazzled nerves which mimicked the wildness of her tussled hair. She ran her fingers through her purple hair, pulling it back behind her ears. She finished and crossed her arms. Her hands buried in the oversized hooded sweatshirt she put on in the chill of the night. His hooded sweatshirt.

She leaned her head down and sniffed the cotton fabric. The hoodie smelled of him. His essence. His cedar and vanilla signature cologne. She breathed deep, committing the smell to memory. Harmony and peace filled her aching soul. For a moment, the world was right and normal. A brief time where all was perfect with the world, even if their world was rocked to its core. Something had to be normal, even for a moment.

She let out a soft sigh as their eyes found each other in the darkness. He smiled. Her heart beamed. They didn’t need to say a word. The unspoken connection spoke more than any soliloquy, sonnet, or love poem could ever express.

Her heart fluttered, dancing to its own melodic beat, as a gentle reminder of her love for him. The love for moments where they could adore each other and not say a word. The act of being in each other’s presence nourished and fulfilled Alice’s soul. Being only together.

“You can hide in the shadows and glare at me all you want,” Hugo said in a low, gravelly whisper. “But my heart will always smile when my eyes find you.”

Alice melted as his words sent shivers of warmth and longing down her spine. The cadence of his voice was like a sweet symphony for her soul. Her heart erupted as it overflowed with passion and desire. Even in times of trouble, a moment like this brought her comfort. Moments where they were lovers without a care in the world.

“Always?” Alice asked with a half smile.

“Always.” Hugo smiled with a piercing, narrowed gaze.

Alice buried her head into her shoulder to hide her blushing face.

She took a moment to collect herself, taking a few breaths to calm her fluttering heart, before turning her focus to Hugo. “I’m pretty exhausted. It’s been a day. I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight. Thank you for everything today. It means a lot that you would go through so much trouble. I want you to know that I love you.”

“Can you join me?” Alice asked. “I missed you last night. I didn’t like being alone again. You don’t have to go to sleep. I want you to hold me until I do.”

Hugo turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the couch. He stood up, careful not to knock the wineglass and bottle off the coffee table. He approached her with soft steps. His chest puffed out and shoulders drawn back. He placed a hand behind her, pinning her close to the wall. Alice’s heart fluttered. She wanted to linger in this moment. He leaned in as if he was going to kiss her, but swept her legs out from under her.

The sudden movement startled Alice, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Instead of falling to the floor, she fell into the safe embrace of Hugo’s other arm caressing her torso. She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. They locked eyes, never wavering. He lifted her and carried her up the winding stairs. Their intimate connection strengthened with each step toward the sanctuary of their bed. Their hearts synchronized as if they beat as one.

With Alice cradled safely in his strong arms, Hugo approached the bed with his footsteps echoing softly off the wooden floor. She snapped her fingers, and the covers pulled back. She released her grip around Hugo as he set her on the side of the canopy bed with care. Her feet dangled over the edge. Their eyes never strayed from each other.

Alice began removing the sweatshirt, but Hugo stopped her. His fingers worked their way under the dark gray material. His fingertips glided across the softness of her skin. Alice flinched at the coolness of his touch tracing an invisible line up her body. They grazed her cropped tank top. He picked up each finger and tapped down with tenderness, like a jazz singer playing an instrument to Alice’s soul.

He played the soulful notes up Alice’s sides. She closed her eyes, wanting to wrap herself fully in the electric sensation of his touch. To let her soul be enveloped in the unheard symphony. She tilted her head and arched her back. With no words spoken, only their rhythmic breathing, she raised her arms to allow him to remove a barrier between each other. Goosebumps formed on her arms as they were bathed in the chill of the nighttime air.

Hugo’s hands caressed the small of her back. She arched further, letting out a slight moan. His fingertips caught the elastic band of her leggings. She lowered her arms and lifted herself off the mattress. He pulled the leggings down her hips to expose her matching underwear.

He peeled back the spandex, never rushing. She lingered in anticipation. Her body wanted it to hurry, but her soul wanted it to last forever. He pulled them off and tossed them aside. Another article of clothing removed, shrinking away her protective layer and revealing her raw beauty underneath.

His hands wrapped around her ankles with a gentle touch. He lifted them onto the bed. Alice fell to her side and into the soft embrace of her pillow. Hugo removed his sweatpants and jogged around to the other side. He slid into bed beside her, laying side by side. Working one arm under her neck, he draped the other over her, pulling her closer. Their bodies intertwined.

Alice snapped her fingers, and the lights turned off. She snapped again, and the covers flew over them. They stopped as soon as they covered their shoulders; the unseen force tucked them in safe and sound. His warm breath tickled her neck. She wrapped herself in the embrace of Hugo and their shared bed. Their souls became united in love. Their essence transcended time and space as they melded together into a perfect fit.

“Are you sure you want me this close to your neck?” Hugo asked jokingly.

“Shut up,” Alice said. “Don’t ruin this for me.” Alice wiggled, pushing herself deep into Hugo’s embrace, not wanting any space between their entwined bodies.

“Umm . . . If you keep wiggling, I think I’ll end up ruining this for both of us. I’m beyond being charged up at the moment.”

“Oh yeah?” Alice asked as she pressed deeper against Hugo’s groin. His body flinched and tightened.

“Please stop or I’ll have no choice other than to roll you over and really show you what this new body can do,” Hugo replied.

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Both.”

Alice smiled. “Fine.”

They laid in silence, listening to each other’s bodies. Alice lost track of time, unsure if minutes or hours had slipped away. She didn’t care. They were together, and Hugo’s loving embrace provided her with comfort and safety.

Alice shut her eyes. “Hugo,” she said. “Lie to me.”

“Lie to you?”

“Yeah. Lie to me. Tell me everything is going to be okay.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

They chuckled.

“How so?”

“Because we know it’s a lie,” Alice answered.

Hugo brushed Alice’s hair behind her ear. He kissed the back of her head. “Do you want to know what I used to tell Elizabeth?”

“Yes.”

“I used to tell her all the time we would beat it. That everything would be fine. But you know what? We both knew it was a lie. We both knew the outcome. And you might think we lost. If you asked me at the time, I would’ve said yes. But now . . . now I know we didn’t lose. We won. We beat it.”

“How did you win?”

“Because until the very end, she never changed. Elizabeth was still Elizabeth.” There was a crack in Hugo’s voice as he teared up. “She went out the way she wanted to go. She held her head high with a smile on her face. She never complained. She never wavered. She was still her optimistic self. It might have killed her, but it never beat her. She won. We won.”

Alice sniffled as a tear ran down her face. She clutched Hugo’s arm tighter, pressing her face against his forearm.

He continued, “I want you to know, I’m still me. I’ll always be me.”

“I like that. Never change, Hugo,” Alice said. “Thank you for lying to me.” Her words trailed off as she drifted to sleep.

“Good night, Alice. I love you.”

“I lov?—”

Alice fell asleep in the loving embrace of Hugo’s arms.