“DANA AND ADAM” #atozchallenge2014

NOTE: Just a little warning. This FICTION has a bit of adult content, but nothing R-rated. Just FYI.

 

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DANA AND ADAM

It started out as one of those friendly dates they always had. A date between friends, with friendly conversations, in a restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. Dana had called Adam herself and asked him out to dinner. To celebrate, she said, because she finally kicked Sid out of her life. So of course, Adam obliged.

Everything went well. They talked and joked and laughed and simply enjoyed the night like old friends. And then he asked her to dance. So of course, Dana obliged.

It was a slow dance and somehow, neither of them felt like talking. Adam couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. He was very much aware of Dana, of her dancing close to him, her hand on his shoulder, her other hand in his, his other hand holding the small of her back. Involuntarily, he drew her even closer.

Dana looked up to him, questioning. Adam never held her this close before. “Adam?”

God, she fitted him perfectly, Adam realized, looking down at her in awe. And then he kissed her. Bent down his head and just kissed her. It was all so sudden that Dana froze. Still, he held her and kissed her tenderly, until Adam felt her move and return his kiss.

It was deep, slow and sensual. Adam could hardly believe he was kissing her. It was all he could think off – holding her so close, her soft lips touching his. No one, nothing mattered but the moment.

In an instant, Dana pulled away from him. “No, Adam, I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…Look, I’m sorry if you think I seduced you,…or something.”

Seduced him? Suddenly, Adam came to his senses. What was he doing? “No, Dana, I know, I know that. I’m sorry, too. I…I shouldn’t have done that. We didn’t talk for almost a year, and I guess,…I guess, I just missed you a lot…” Dana stood still, watching him. Oh, why the heck did she have to look at him like that? He wished she would stop or he just might kiss her again.

“But we’re still friends, aren’t we?…Despite this?” she asked.

“Sure. I mean, yeah. It’s just a kiss, which won’t happen again, I promise.” Adam would have liked to kick himself for promising. However, it would have been impossible, not to mention ridiculous.

It was all tension after that. Adam could feel it during the small talk that followed. Even he could not speak much anymore. Heck, that was embarrassing.

Had he successfully kicked himself, he would have liked to do it some more when he went back with Dana to her apartment. Granted that it was already very late and he did live quite far, couldn’t he simply find a hotel to spend the night in? It was courting danger. However, Dana would not hear any of it when he suggested sleeping somewhere else. It was raining in Seattle, as always, as she would not let her best friend get all wet looking for a hotel when she had a nice, warm place to share.

So the matter was settled. Adam silently vowed to keep himself in check. No more touching, no more holding, no more kissing Dana. It was not easy to keep his hands off her, though. Not when he was in love. Not when he wanted her more than he wanted anyone in his life. Keeping away from Dana all those months was depressing. Keeping away from her now was complete torture. Dana was so near, yet so far. Whoever invented love anyway?

“Are you sure you’ll be comfortable in that sofa?” she had asked, handling him a pillow and a blanket.

Not when you’re just a room away, Dear. “Yup. Don’t mind me. You know me, I’m a real trooper.” She had also lent him a shirt and a pair of shorts that were a bit small for him. He wondered if she found him sexy wearing her clothes the way guys found girls sexy in theirs. He wondered how she would look in his. Oh, stop it. With much difficulty, Adam pushed the thought away.

“Okay.” Dana cast a nervous glance. “You sleep now and rest…Let’s just do some more catching up tomorrow, alright?”

“Sure. G’night.” Adam expected her to leave but Dana stood staring now. Man, if she wouldn’t stop looking at him like that…

All of a sudden, Dana closed the distance between them and kissed him. It was a sweet kiss, but it was over even before he could close his eyes. Seemingly surprised herself, Dana awkwardly moved away and shyly said goodnight, half-running to her room.

Now, he was confused. What was he doing there? What was she doing to him? His mind was all the more messed up, thanks to her. Why did she have to look at him like that? He did not want to read more than what was there, but man, he knew what that look meant. Could it be that Dana was in love with him, too?

In love with him. That was an idea. In fact, it would be a really great idea if indeed, he knew she was. He had to know. Right away. But how? Should he follow her or not? If he did and asked her, would she tell him the truth? Would she accept him? Would she hate him? Would he be willing to risk the wonderful friendship they had? Perhaps he should forget everything? Forget that he held and kissed her? Forget that for some reason, she let him? Forget that she kissed him tonight?

Dana was not drunk, they both knew that it was not a valid excuse. So, was there something there? Did her kiss mean anything? Dana was not the type to play around with men. Save from Sid, she had only been in another relationship once. Adam was sure Dana would never ever play that kind of game with him. Tease, because she could be such a tease sometimes without her realizing it, but not play with his emotions, not intentionally.

AAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!! So many questions! Adam wanted to scream. What was he to do? He was all full with his love for her and he wanted to let her know that. Should he deprive himself of the feeling he nurtured for her all those years? All those years, he secretly wanted her to love him while she pined for another who would not love her in return.

Adam straightened up. He would tell her, let her know, show her how much she meant to him. If Dana would reject him, then that would be that. But as long as he was not making any move, he would probably never know the answers to all his questions. With full determination, Adam knocked on the door. No answer. Maybe she was already sleeping. But he would wake her. He was not going to wait till morning.

Adam found the door ajar. He somehow wondered if Dana intentionally left it open. Of course not, stupid, he reprimanded himself. She must have forgotten to lock it in her haste. Adam decided to enter the room, calling out her name. She did hear him, it seemed, as he saw Dana going out of the bathroom. Both of them froze for a moment. Dana stood there, naked, and Adam,  forgetting his manners, was transfixed, staring at her.

Dana abruptly grabbed a towel and covered herself, panicking. A sudden attack of panic also hit Adam. What was he doing there risking everything? He wanted to back out and hide in shame, crawl into a shell if there was one big enough to accommodate him. But Adam did not make a move. No use running away now. Dana had seen him already and without saying a word, he knew she knew how much he wanted her. Damn those tight shorts!

Dana walked out of the bathroom and walked awkwardly towards him. “I, uh, was just going to take a quick shower when I heard you knock. I was coming out…c-clothed, of course, and…Y-you wanted something?” Dana asked, nervously holding the towel around herself, explaining like she felt she had to.

Adam cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. I wanted to, uh,…”

“Yes?”

“Adam cleared his throat again. Sorry for barging in, but…I wanted to tell you that…”

“That…?”

This is it. “…that…Dana…” he cleared his throat the third time, “I think I’m in love with you…I know I’m in love with you.” There, it’s out in the open.

Adam waited for her to say something, perhaps to order him out. He would probably deserve it. But no words came. Only the pitter-patter of the rain on her windowsill could be heard.

“Dana, did you hear what I said?”

“Yes, Adam,” she replied, saying his name in a husky voice, making him more excited than he already was. Her voice had magic of its own and Adam found it affected him tremendously. It seemed Dana understood this because she avoided his eyes and turned around.

She did not speak anymore, not even when Adam went closer to her, close enough that he was sure she could hear, feel him breathing into her ear. Who was it that said, “Silence speaks a thousand words”? He wondered if it was true because if it were, then Dana’s silence would mean that she was not going to stop him at all. Or was he reading it wrong? Maybe he was dyslexic.

Adam’s heart was pounding. He was almost beside himself. He delighted in the thought that if she was not going to stop him now, surely it would mean something, wouldn’t it? He turned Dana around to face him.

Adam lifted her chin and met her eyes. One look, and he felt his knees weaken again. There was the pleasant tug at his heart. Such lovely eyes. It was the same feeling he had the first time he looked at her eyes many years ago. Amazing that after all the time that passed, he still found it difficult not to experience the same kind of wonder.

“Dana, you can say no. That’s all you have to do. Just say it and I will leave right away…Besides, I know you can very well throw me out of here literally,” Adam kidded if only to ease the tension between them.

“I…Adam…Would it be alright if I told you that…I-I don’t think I want to say…no…?”

That was it. It was more than alright. It was what he wanted to hear. His heart felt like bursting. Adam bent his head and kissed her tenderly yet a bit more passionately. Dana didn’t need any coaxing as she matched the intensity of his kiss, finally exposing herself as her arms circled her neck, letting the towel fall off her. Adam’s head reeled, intoxicated by her taste. God. The mere smell of her, the mere taste, were enough to make him feel like the luckiest man alive.

Adam eventually stopped kissing her. “I do remember you saying you needed a shower…Allow me?”

Dana gave a nervous giggle. “I’m all yours.” How could she giggle and look so provocative at the same time?

She only made him want her more, he realized, as he took her hand and guided her to the shower. Dana turned the shower on and Adam watched the water running over her body that he wished he were water himself, flowing down on her.

He loved the way her curls fell just below her shoulders. He loved her neck which he so often wanted to kiss but couldn’t. He loved her color, light-chocolate brown, what people called mocha. He especially loved, he must admit to himself, the other physical things that made women, women. Maybe she really was far from being the most beautiful woman in the world, but flaws and all, Dana was the most beautiful to him.

The running water was now getting him wet, too. He was lucky that the water was set to warm, though, for he had no need for a cold shower. Not at that particular moment when he got the soap and Dana mutely allowed him to rub it on her shoulders, down on her back, even down her thighs that he caressed oh, so gently, as she began to lean back on him. After a while, Adam stood naked as well as Dana bathed him with her gentle touch.

Soon enough, things got more intense as their hands and lips delighted in their new discoveries. Adam found places that he never thought he would find even in his dreams. Having her there, holding here, feeling her was more than he could ever ask for.

That night, Adam finally claimed Dana. And as the last of his energy slowly ebbed away, Dana told him what he wanted to hear. “I love you, Adam…”

Adam woke up with nagging thoughts as he held her sleeping in his arms.

Was it true that Dana loved him? What if she was only carried away by the heat of the moment? A more pressing thought: What if she was only feeling the loss of Sid and Adam was just conveniently there to fill the void? Questions playing with his mind again.

Adam turned his head to find her awake, studying him, her lips curled up in a smile. “Hi there, angel, “ he said.

“Hi there yourself…What were you thinking about?”

Should he ask her? “Nothing.”

“That didn’t seem like nothing to me.”

“Okay, okay, just something.”

“What about?”

“If I told you, you might get mad at me.”

“Try me.”

“For the third time? Sure!” he said with a naughty grin.

Dana gave him a small poke on the ribs. “You know what I mean.”

Adam laughed, and then he sighed. “Okay. I was thinking about…The thing is, Dana, I was wondering if you meant what you said last night.”

Dana crinkled her nose. “About…? Which part?”

“That ‘I love you’ part.” She raised a brow at him. “I mean, you know, maybe you were just carried away,…or, well, you know, Sid has been gone for days, and you were feeling, hmm, kinda lonely…”

“What?!!”

“Hey, hey! You promised you wouldn’t get mad.”

“I said ‘try me’…” she retorted then sighed. “Hmnn…Wanna know a secret?”

Adam smirked. “Try me.” It earned him another poke on the ribs.

Dana was serious this time, getting his complete attention. “Last year, you got mad at me because of Sid, because you could see what a jerk the guy was, and you thought I was being a jerk for being stubborn. Then you left. And I thought that was that, the end of the friendship. I didn’t need you to destroy my happiness. And you know what? You did destroy my happiness…Adam. When you left,…it was then that I realized it was you who always made me happy, not Sid, not anybody else…So a week later, I kicked Sid out of my life.”

“But I thought you kicked him out only recently?” he asked, genuinely surprised by all the information she was giving him.

“You didn’t ask when.”

Adam couldn’t believe his ears. She loved him! Dana loved Adam! Him! “And you waited all this time to tell me you love me?”

“Well, you waited all this time to tell me you love me!” She crinkled her nose once more. She always did look so cute whenever she did that. “Besides, until last night, you never gave me any inkling about what you felt. Thanks a lot.”

“Then I guess we both should be punished, don’t you think so?”

Dana narrowed her eyes at him. “Heeey…you’re up to something kinky, aren’t ya?”

“Nope, but that would be a good idea.” Adam shifted on his side to meet Dana eye to eye. Time to get serious. “Since we waited for so long already, I think it is high time to end this waiting game, Dana.”

“Adam…”

“This maybe cheesy but I don’t care. Dana,..will you marry me?”

Dana got misty-eyed and finally smiled at him. “What do you think, Adam?”

A tear fell down from Adam’s eye. It was the answer he had wanted for all his life. “I was fishing for a ‘yes,’ but that will do.” Just as he thought he could not possibly get tired of holding her, Dana wiped his tear away and kissed his smile. “So, do you think I’m a chauvinist pig for seducing you into sleeping with me?”

“You didn’t seduce me. For the record, I seduced you.”

“Excuse me. I do the seducing around here since I’m so darn irresistible.” Dana kissed his ear and slid her hand on his thigh. “Okay, now, that’s not fair.”

“Still think you can resist me?”

“You’ve proven me wrong for a long time, angel…You had me heart and soul, Dana, heart and soul…”

And as he took her in his arms again, Adam showed her exactly what he meant. Indeed, he was the luckiest man alive.

Story Copyright © J.Gi Federizo

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Hope you liked the story and that I didn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities. Written years ago, this was a break away from my usual style of writing. I was in a writing group and there was a challenge, which was to write something in a way that we didn’t usually do. I was already writing poems and essays that I thought, no, I couldn’t do those. Then I actually had an idea. That was to write in a genre that I wouldn’t be caught writing — romantic erotica. A few days prior, I learned about erotica and how it’s not really about writing porn, as many often assume, rather, writing something sensual. There’s a big difference.

It was a big gamble for me but the challenge excited me, so I came up with this one. I think that considering my lack of ability, I pulled it off somehow (but you’re welcome to tell me no). Now somebody commented that the ending seemed to be too abrupt, meaning why propose that early? The answer is, well, why should they wait when they were obviously been waiting for each other for the longest time all along?

Positive or negative comments are welcome. Just be nice 🙂

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