That Blue Gibson

CH 40

"Yeah, I really think we should talk about that," Dave said, adjusting the rearview mirror on Liz's Jeep as they headed back out of town. He watched Travis through the mirror as he led Kyle into the bar.

"Yup," Liz agreed, "At home, though."

He answered by reaching over the stick shift to take her hand, holding it tightly when he felt she was still shaking. He pulled into her driveway and had barely set the parking brake before Liz was halfway to the front door. Securing the Jeep and locking the door behind him, Dave found Liz standing in her kitchen, leaning against the island.

"You okay?" he asked, bracing himself when he saw her jump.

"Yep!" she chirped, much too cheerful for what had just happened. She spun around to face him and the look on her face made Dave instinctively back up a step. She had an almost predatory air about her as she crossed the kitchen floor and launched herself into his arms. They stumbled backward into the entryway and she clawed at his clothes as if they were on fire while simultaneously stripping her own clothes away. She shoved him hard against the locked front door, the pictures on the wall around them rattling in protest as she kissed him and he kicked off his shoes and jeans. Dave tried to grab her waist, but his hands grasped at empty space when she fell to her knees in front of him, almost immediately taking him in her mouth. Dave looked down at her in surprise, then around them in a panic. He hadn't had a chance to assess their surroundings enough to be completely comfortable with her aggressiveness, the last thing they needed was some grainy, long lens shot of them like this plastered all over the internet. He relaxed when he saw the only window around them was to the side of the front door and made of a thick sheet of fogged glass. She flicked her tongue against him and his shoulders lurched off the door while a deep moan escaped his lips.

"Fuck," he looked down at her and met her eyes, a smug smile on her lips that were still wrapped around him. She yelped a little when he grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her to her feet, spinning her around so her chest was pressed against the wooden door. Her arm snapped backward to find his when he pushed his right hand between her shoulder blades and his left pulled back on her hips. He took her right hand in his, weaving their fingers and pressing them against the wall next to her face. They both groaned when he slipped himself inside of her and began to move. Liz felt the familiar build when he bit the crest of her shoulder and the hand he had on her hip trailed up her side to her breast. She bit her lip and smiled, looking over her shoulder at Dave. Her hair was in her face and her skin was flushed, the small noises that escaped her lips and the grip she had on his hand were like a sensory overload for him. He slowed his pace a minuscule amount trying to gather his wits, but she tilted her head back, her hair falling between her shoulder blades.

"Don't stop," she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed.

This is it, he thought with a grin, this is how I die.

*

"That's not... the conversation I was expecting, but I'm glad it happened," Dave stared up at the cathedral ceilings in the entryway as Liz lay on his chest, trying to catch her breath and regain her vision. She focused on her right hand that lay limply beside them on the cool tile floor, feeling the blood return to her fingertips.

"Sorry. I guess I needed a reminder that I'm... I don't know, desirable to someone," she muttered, trying to be honest, but also trying not to over think her motives for attacking him.

"Liz, I'm going to say this and I want you to listen very, very carefully," he traced his fingers along her shoulder blades, but didn't move to sit up, "Anytime you need... whatever that was, you fucking call me. I'll even bring my own welcome mat."

Liz pulled her head off his chest to look at him before giggling. He laughed with her, only looking away from the ceiling when she sat up and pulled a throw out of a basket next to the entry bench. She leaned against the door and held the blanket out, inviting him to sit next to her. Once they were settled, she linked her arm in his and took a deep breath, wiping the smile from her face.

"Kyle... He wasn't...," she let out the breath in a long sigh, trying to find the right words to explain the situation. "He wasn't great to me in the end." She felt Dave flinch a little and shook her head, "Not abusive, per say, just not a very good husband. Things were great for a long time, then we had Jack and Kyle got, I don't know... bored? We were too tired, too stressed, too... we just didn't work together like I thought we would as parents, you know? He left for a while and things got better. We tried again, I got pregnant with Owen and it fell apart... again. There were other women and... ugh, it was fucking brutal," Liz threw her head back onto the door and stared at the ceiling, "I just felt completely alone, but then at the same time still responsible for his feelings, and... anyways...," she paused, realizing she was oversharing at this point, "I will say that regardless of that shitty marriage, he's an amazing dad and that's what matters. I have to keep my emotions up off the floor so the kids don't get into them."

Dave was silent for a while, processing her words. He was thrilled that she was finally opening up to him, but he hated how hurt she sounded.

"Was he there when Owen was born?" he asked quietly.

Liz looked over at him, confused as to why he would ask that, "Yeah, he was in the room. He watched the entire surgery."

"And you were...?"

Liz only sighed, wordlessly answering his question. He had known several 'Kyle's' throughout his life, all of them with their own special brand of selfishness. They couldn't set themselves aside for ninety fucking minutes and support the one person that was giving them a life to love.

"I'm sorry you were alone through that," he looked over at her and squeezed her hand, but Liz's sharply shook her head.

"Nope. If I'm going to tell you these things, you have to promise me you won't take on all that shit," she pointed a finger in his face, her tone serious, "I've already felt all those feelings and had those sleepless nights, I'm not sharing all this so that you suffer too... but thank you for understanding."

He searched her face, a half smile pulling at his lips, "Well work on that one together, okay?"