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Piper
I’m jarredawake far too early the next morning by my phone blaring Elvis Presley’s “Devil in Disguise”. I know without even needing to look that it’s Vanessa. The song is part of our little inside joke about evil stepmothers. The truth is we get along well - to the point that I actually prefer her company over my own mother’s. Then again, Vanessa isn’t a cynical, overly critical, selfish bitch like Sheryl. The thought of her makes me groan and slip an arm out from beneath the covers. That’s the last thing I need to be thinking about this early.
Grabbing the still singing phone off my night stand, it takes me three tries before I manage to properly swipe the screen and accept the call. “Mrngf,” I grunt incoherently, but somehow Vanessa doesn’t notice. She’s always so bright and chipper in the morning, which is something I find both impressive and insanely aggravating.
“Good morning Piper!” I can practically hear her beaming through the receiver and I squeeze my eyes shut as though a light has been shined directly into my face. “I hope you slept well, dear! And how is Matty? Oh, well I suppose you haven’t seen him this morning, never mind! But, you saw him last night, is he doing okay? Did he get settled in alright? I wanted to stay, but Leo thought it was best to give him some space and I’m sure he was right, but I just really hope Matty did okay during the night. Do you think I should check on him?”
She carries on like this for several minutes and I can’t help but smirk a little despite the fact she’s talking about Matthew. I’m so happy for her. Losing him was hard for both of us. I just wish he wasn’t being such a prick so that I could properly share in her joy. The reminder of his cold words last night makes me shift uncomfortably. I really hated leaving things that way, but what he said… and the way he said it… I can almost hear his voice ringing out in my mind.
Matt is dead.
“I’m sorry, dear, I’m ramblin’ like the Allman Brothers,” she laughs and I can hear my Dad chuckling in the background, too.
If my free hand weren’t comfortably tucked beneath the covers I would facepalm myself back into unconsciousness! Normally I would at least snicker at such a terrible joke, but that’s just way too much corniness for this ungodly hour of the day.
Still giggling, Vanessa finally comes to the reason she called me. “Alright, girl, I’ll shelf my crazy for a second and get to the point! I’ve decided to throw a proper welcome home party for Matty in a few weeks or so and I’d really like your help if you don’t mind pitching in?”
Part of me wonders if Matthew is going to appreciate that sort of thing. I’ve grown fond of Vanessa and I know I won’t be able to tell her no. Besides, this party is as much for her as it is for him. She deserves the chance to throw him a party if that’s what she wants. He’s back from the dead, and I’d have to be a freaking monster to deny her the chance to celebrate this rare gift.
“Of course, Vanessa,” the words are off my tongue before my brain reaches the inevitable destination. “Whatever you need, you know I’ll be there.” I’m actually glad she called me this early, when I can blame my lack of enthusiasm on the fact that I’ve only had six hours of sleep.
“Fantastic!” I can imagine her jumping up and down like an excited school girl and I can’t help smiling. “When you see George again can you ask him about catering? Wings, onion rings, fries, burgers, that sort of thing? And alcohol, too of course. I know how much Matty loves to barbecue…”
She continues to chatter on about the party, telling me everything she’s decided so far. I lay there and listen, offering input whenever she asks for it, but mostly just letting her talk. This isn’t the first time I’ve helped Vanessa plan an event. She involved me quite a bit in the wedding. I was her maid of honor, a fact that pissed off a couple of her friends. “It’s my choice,” she told me, “and if they can’t accept it, they’re not really my friends.”
“Oh, I have to run, dear, your Dad’s leaving for work and I want to walk him out to the truck. Have a wonderful day, we’ll talk more soon!” We say a hasty goodbye and then I put the phone back on the nightstand.
I know very well that Vanessa is a “retired” journalist, she has been for the past six years. And yet every day she gets up with my Dad, makes him breakfast and walks him out to the truck. Taking good care of Leo is one of the many reasons I like her. My Mom didn’t get up before 10am a day in her life, and I never saw her so much as make toast let alone cook. After all the years he spent trying to hold together a failing marriage, it was about time my Dad was rewarded with a good one.
Snuggling back against my pillow, I draw the blankets all the way up to my chin. I’ve got a couple more hours before I need to be awake, and I fully intend to take advantage of that and go back to sleep. Only my brain doesn’t quite agree. The second I start to relax, the sound of the shower running is like a cup of icy water being dumped on my head. Despite my tired eyes and sluggish body, my mind is wide awake and determined to focus on Matthew.
I can’t stop myself from thinking about him naked, the water streaming over his chiseled body in shimmering streams, guiding my gaze down to his impressive cock. It’s standing at attention, a thick bead clinging to the engorged head, begging me to lick it off, to wrap my lips around the glorious shaft and suck until he explodes, sending wave after wave of his milky seed down my throat. I blush at the vivid fantasy, squirming as a warm, moist ache erupts between my thighs. I know after last night I should banish these sorts of thoughts from my mind, but my brain doesn’t obey me.
Four years, I remind myself. Four years of wanting him, missing him and now that he’s back I can’t have him. The sting of his words does what my willpower couldn’t, it obliterates both my arousal and the steamy daydream. I’m almost certain he pushed me away because our parents are together now, but he didn’t have to be so forcerful. I thought for a fleeting second that he was throwing caution to the wind, and then he dashed my hope in the cruelest way possible.
“Come on, Piper,” I mutter to myself, “forget that jack ass and go back to sleep.”
Half an hour later I’m still thinking about him. At least I seem to have gotten rid of the dirty fantasies, but compared to the sour direction my thoughts have taken I almost wish they’d come back. I may not have a firm idea why Matthew was such an asshole last night, but I can think of plenty of reasons I won’t be contradicting his decision. Not just because we’re steps, but clearly because he’s not the same man. The Matt I knew would have never told me to leave. He would have swept me into his arms and kissed me with the heat and passion of a fire god. He would have never, ever let me go again.
Just like that I’m picturing him naked once more, his firm, toned body pinning me against the mattress as he makes love to me over and over again. I close my eyes, letting the image that I know is so wrong and pointless fill my mind’s eye. His skin slick with sweat, his breath hot as he pants into my neck. Each deep, swift thrust bringing me closer to the edge until finally I reach the precipice and together we fall into sweet, oblivious ecstasy.
I bite my lip, my chest tight with sorrow that this or any scenario even remotely similar will never happen. He’s made his choice, he doesn’t want me and I don’t want him either. It’s taken me years to move on. At this point I’m certain that time and longing have only built up our one night together, making it seem far more magical than it really was. It’s stupid to let that little mistake dictate my future relationships, or to believe for a second that I won’t find that kind of pleasure with someone else. Matthew Pierce is many things, but at the end of the day, he’s still just a man…
Or so I keep telling myself. Unfortunately, there’s a piece of me that will always keep him up on a pedestal. Sure, it was only one night, but there’s still something about that moment that makes it special. Maybe because he shipped out the next morning, maybe because we all believed he died and now he’s miraculously returned, or maybe because we both seemed to need each other so fiercely. Whatever the reason, it’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter anymore. Matthew might be alive, but the Matt I knew never came home.
