“Yeah, well Amanda was always a little crazier than I was. Though I think I surprised her with my level of nuttiness the day I left home and ended up down by the bridge,” I chuckled. “Anyway, we pretended we were the lead singer’s cousins. Had the security guard convinced we had flown in from Topeka to see him. Amanda put on the water works and made a show of ‘calling her mom’ saying she couldn’t get back to see him. He let us through just to stop us from making a scene.”
Yoss clapped his hands together. “See! That’s what I’m talking about!” He reached out and pulled me back to my feet. My skates slid out underneath me and I had to grab ahold of him so I wouldn’t fall again. “What’s your favorite place you’ve visited?” he asked me. We were so close that his breath fanned across my face.
“I went skiing,” I told him.
His eyes crinkled as he smiled. “You finally got to go huh?”
“Yeah. Chris and I went for our honeymoon.” Yoss’s smile dimmed slightly at the mention of my ex. “Never mind,” I mumbled.
Yoss squeezed my hands. “No. Tell me. I want to hear about your first skiing trip.”
“It was a disaster. Chris was an excellent skier. I spent the entire trip on the bunny slope.” I grimaced. “But it was really fun.” I had a thought. “We could go skiing! Rent a place and spend the weekend. It would be great!”
Yoss held his arms out as I tried to skate on my own. “That sounds like a plan,” he agreed.
“There are so many things I’d like us to do together. Promises we need to keep,” I said, finally able to stand upright in my skates.
“I’d like that, Imi. I really would. One day soon we’ll do all the things we talked about when we were just silly kids dreaming away our time.” Yoss stopped and watched me wobble around, slowly gaining confidence.
“One day soon,” I echoed.
I carefully slid along in my skates, even doing a little turn with a hand flourish when I was finished.
“Tada!” I laughed.
“I think you’ve got this. I knew you would.” Yoss grinned.
I grinned.
I was pretty sure our one day soon had already begun.
“Do you want a cup of tea?” I asked after we had finished skating. Yoss closed the kitchen door and lined his skates up against the wall.
“Sure, tea sounds good.” He was in a good mood. It was nice to see.
I brewed the kettle and got two teacups from the cabinet.
“This is exactly what I always imagined home to feel like,” Yoss said, taking the cookie tin I handed him and sitting down at the table.
“Me too,” I agreed. I poured the tea and put milk and sugar in each mug. Then I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top before joining him.
Yoss took his cup and smiled at my added touches. “This is great. Thank you.”
“So, I’ve told you some of my fun stories. What about you? I want to hear about some of yours,” I said, taking a chocolate chip cookie from the tin.
Yoss frowned, sipping on his tea. “I’ve never been skiing or snuck backstage at a concert, I’m afraid.”
“Remember something that made you smile, Yoss. It can’t have been all bad.”
I hoped it hadn’t.
Yoss stirred his tea and looked thoughtful. “That day at the flea market was pretty amazing. I think that was one of the happiest times I can remember.”
My heart simultaneously soared and fell.
I loved that I was his happiest memory. I hated that they were the only ones he could recall.
“What about after I…after you…” I stumbled over my words, struggling. “Something after me,” I finally got out.
Yoss was quiet for a while, slowly stirring his tea.
He looked up at me after some time had passed, his green eyes intense. “Right now,” he said. “Right now is my best story.”
This man had the power to break my heart in so many ways.
It splintered and fractured. His truth hurt.
“There’s nothing else? Nothing from the last fifteen years that made you smile?” I pushed.
Yoss rolled his hand over and threaded his fingers through mine. “Knowing you were safe. Knowing you were living your life. That made me smile.”
I leaned across the table and cupped the back of his head, pulling him forward. Our lips met half way.
“You’re my smile, Imi. Always have been.” He kissed me with abandon. A passion unleashed. “Always will be,” he murmured into my mouth.
Somehow we got to our feet. A moan tore from my throat and we were both on our feet, arms wrapped around each other, crushed in the tightest embrace.
His teeth nipped at my lips. My tongue swept over his. His fingers dug into my back. My hands clutched his shirt.
Yoss walked me across the room, never breaking our kiss. My back collided with the counter and he helped me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. I could feel him against me. Hard and wanting.
I was buzzing. On fire. A thousand sparks shot through my body. A warmth bubbled in my belly. Between my legs where I cradled him.
With shaking fingers he slowly eased his hands up my shirt, touching bare skin for the first time since I was seventeen. I jolted at the contact.
Yoss instantly stilled, taking the movement as rejection. He started to pull his hand out from my shirt and I grabbed him, holding him in place. “Please, Yoss. Touch me,” I breathed.
I brought his hand up to my breast. “Touch me,” I repeated raggedly. I begged him. I implored.