Promising to Love Phoenix
I waited out front for Leah to arrive, smiling brightly at her and Armadillo when they walked up. She returned my smile while Armadillo narrowed his eyes on me. I nodded my head inside.
“Why don’t you go ahead and get started, Phoenix? Mister is ready for you. When you’re ready, all you have to say is ‘begin.’”
She glanced between me and Armadillo nervously before nodding. “Alright.” She walked to the door before turning back around to look at me. “Y- you’re going to be upstairs soon, right?”
I nodded with my eyes glued to Armadillo. “Yes, Phoenix. I’m right behind you.”
“A- alright.” She moved her gaze to Armadillo. “Will I see you later, Armadillo?”
“If you want to, yes.”
“Ummm, I– I’ll see you,” she mumbled as she disappeared into the building.
“Is this where you tell me off for sleeping next to her?” He asked.
“No. I wanted to thank you, actually,” I told him, surprising us both and making him take a step back.
“You do?”
“Yes. I know I haven’t been the best man for her or even to her, but I am trying. You have stepped up for her when it should have been me. You have kept her sane. Through all of this, it has been you. And I am so grateful for everything you have done.”
He stared at me wide-eyed for a moment before sighing. “Is that all?”
“Yeah. I guess it is.”
“Good, now, I have something to say. We all see your changes, R. H. M. You smile more, and you joke with us. You don’t come to our weekly parties anymore, and neither does Phoenix. She just sits at home and works on her latch hooks. She is so happy and content just to do that. We all know that you are in love with Phoenix. We can all see it. Just like we can all see how she feels about you, and almost everyone is happy for you.”
“Almost everyone?” I asked.
“Yes. Everyone but me is happy for you. I want to be happy for her. I want to be happy that she has found someone that she can see herself with, but the truth of the matter is that I don’t want her to want you. I don’t want it to be you that she sees when she thinks about her future.” He took a step closer to me, lowering his voice so that when he started speaking again, it was nothing more than a whisper.
“You should tell her that you love her, R.H.M. You should consider doing it soon, because you aren’t the only one that does. I love her too, and the only reason I haven’t pursued her for real is that she hasn’t been cleared for a relationship. The second she is, I’m telling her how I feel, and I’m going to ask her to be my girlfriend. Man to man, I will respect your position in her life if you’re together when she is handed that pass, but if you’re not, there won’t be anything to stop me. What I’m getting now from her isn’t enough. I want more. I want it all. I want her.”
I narrowed my eyes on him as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Heard.”
“Good. Now, you should get inside before she thinks you’re not coming. For as much as she has needed the extra support after your sessions, she needs yours more during them,” he said before turning around to walk away.
I sighed as I watched for him a moment before turning around to rush back into the office, tapping my foot impatiently while I waited for the elevator to get to the top floor. I stepped out, immediately freezing when I saw Leah standing in front of the still semi-demolished closet. I cleared my throat.
“Uhmmm, are you okay?” I asked.
She ran her fingers over a board before looking up at me. “Why didn’t you either finish taking it down or build it again?” She inquired softly.
I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest. “Someone said they would help me, but it didn’t work out. I just haven’t gone back to it.”
“Why not?”
“Because it wasn’t important.”
She met my eyes. “So, what have you been doing up here all by yourself?”
“Healing, which is something that you should be doing too.” I tilted my head toward Mister’s office. “We should start.”
“Can we do something else today?” She whispered. “I need a break from seeing Will.”
“Sure. What would you like to do?”
“I’d like for you to join me.”
“Phoenix, I–”
She licked her lips nervously. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I just…I trust you not to go too far. And I want to figure out what I like sexually so that when I can be in a relationship I can be confident.”
“With Armadillo? So when you can be in a relationship with Armadillo you can sleep with him? Is that what you mean?” I snapped, not able to hide my jealousy.
She tilted her head as she studied my face. “You sound jealous, R. H. M.”
I eyed her for a moment before groaning. “Because I am, Phoenix,” I admitted.
Surprise crossed her face. “Wait, what?”
“You heard me, Phoenix,” I told her as I took a step toward her. “I hate seeing you with him. I hate knowing that when you leave me, you are going to him. I hate that he’s the one that gets to hold you at night.” I placed my hand against the wall beside her head. “And what I hate the most is that everyday when you come here, you smell like him.” I paused to run my nose along her jaw, making her tremble. “I’ve never been one to be jealous, but with you I find myself being just that.”
She swallowed hard and I had the urge to devour her mouth with mine. “R. H. M., kiss me. Be mine again,” she whispered. “Break the rules.”
I froze with my eyes boring into hers for a moment before I pulled away. “No, Phoenix. You need to complete your journey, and I have my own healing I need to finish. Until then, neither of us should be engaging in this way.”
When I stepped back, her hand shot out to fist in my shirt before pulling me forward until our lips were a breath apart. “When you’ve had enough of telling yourself that we shouldn’t break the rules, I will be in the office, naked and waiting for you to touch me while I’m doing my session. Don’t keep me waiting, because I’ve missed your touch just as much as you’ve missed touching me.”
While she walked to the office, she stripped her clothes off, leaving a trail for me to follow. I looked down at my pants where my erection was already pushing against my zipper.
“Down boy! We’re going to touch, but don’t embarrass me, and I promise to let you out to play afterward.”
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