The House that I Grew up In

The rain was still pouring down in sheets from the blackened sky as Quinn slid his key into the lock of the front door and turned the brass handle. Pushing the door open, he stepped aside politely to let Annabelle pass and enter first.

As soon as the cool air of the air conditioned living room hit the soaking-wet Annabelle, goosebumps rose on her toned arms. She crossed her arms over her chest, involuntarily shivering, as Quinn came in behind her, closing the door. “Damn,” he said loudly, the first word either of them had uttered since they had begun running from the playground ten minutes earlier. “It’s freezing in here!”

“I th-think it’s j-just that w-we’re w-wet,” Annabelle’s teeth were chattering so hard, she couldn’t control her words. “I th-think if w-we ch-change, w-we’ll f-feel b-b-better.”

Looking over at Annabelle in the dim hall light, Quinn could only grin as he reached over and covered her exposed upper arms with his hands, rubbing them. “You sound adorable,” he told her, running his hands up and down her arms from her elbows to her shoulders and leaning over to place a kiss on the tip of her cold nose.

Smirking, Annabelle tilted her head. “I sound ridiculous,” she said, only this time her words came out clearly. Obviously, the warmth of Quinn’s touches had helped rid her of her initial chill. “Or I did. But do you have something I can borrow to change into, until I get back to Christy’s?”

“Of course,” Quinn smiled at Annabelle, overwhelmingly glad she didn’t seem freaked out by what he had said to her at the park. “Come on, I’ve got some stuff you can wear in my room.”

The house was mostly dark as Quinn and Annabelle climbed the stairs to the second floor. As Quinn walked into the open door of his room, the light he had left on gave his form a glow from behind. Annabelle was suddenly hit with a memory from her childhood. One of her father – which was rare.

Scott Murphy had been playing with his daughter over twelve years earlier on a rainy night much like that. Julia was at work, and he and Annabelle had been playing tag in the darkened house. Annabelle was “it”, and she had found Scott, who was running for homebase – the doorway of Annabelle’s room.

“I got you!” Annabelle had yelled with glee, as her small hand reached out towards Scott’s shirt just before he touched the doorframe. Or possibly just after. Either way, he had conceded defeat, picking up his five-year-old daughter in his arms and twirling her around.

“You got me!” Scott repeated her words, swinging Annabelle around and then pulling her to his chest lovingly and kissing her soft little-girl hair.

“Our house is the best house to play tag in,” Annabelle declared as Scott carried her, in her pajamas, to the bed. She climbed under the covers and looked up adoringly at her father. “Our house is the best for everything. I want to live here forever.”

“We’ll try, my princess,” Scott had promised, taking a seat on the bed beside young Annabelle. Leaning over to kiss her forehead, he smiled down at her. “I love this house, too. So does Julia. We hope all sorts of wonderful things happen for you here.”

“Are you okay?” Quinn asked, suddenly pulling Annabelle from her memory. She blushed as she watched him looking at her with concern from the doorframe. He was leaned against the wall, his dark t-shirt damp and clinging. His hair was still wet, causing one piece, slightly longer than the rest, to fall onto his forehead.

Shaking her head with embarrassment, Annabelle was still blushing. “It’s just… sometimes it’s so strange to remember than I grew up in this house.” She smiled shyly. “It’s just strange, because I have so many memories from then, and now so many memories from the time I’ve spent here with you.”

Having been concerned that something was actually wrong, Quinn was relieved that Annabelle was just being nostalgic. “Come on,” he tilted his head towards his room. “Let me get you something dry to wear.”

Annabelle followed Quinn into his room. As he began rummaging through his drawers for something that would fit her, she looked around the room and was struck once again by a sense of familiarity and comfort. Although the built-in shelves were now covered in CDs and DVDs rather than children’s books and family photos, and the furniture was dark wood instead of beige wicker, it still felt safe.

“Here, this will have to do,” Quinn turned around and held out a t-shirt and running pants with a shrug. “I don’t think I have much else that will fit you. And we can throw your things into the dryer. They should be done in an hour or so.”

Taking the clothes, Annabelle paused as she looked up at Quinn, meeting his gaze – the same type of adoring gaze she had just been remembering from someone else many years ago. And although each man’s relationship with Annabelle had been very different, they both seemed to care for her deeply. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“No problem,” Quinn began, but stopped when he saw Annabelle smile and shake her head. He watched questioningly as she dropped the clothes he had handed her onto his dresser.

Taking a step closer to Quinn, Annabelle shook her head again. “No, I meant… thank you. For what you said tonight.”

Suddenly, Quinn blushed and looked away. But Annabelle wouldn’t allow that. She reached up and placed her slender fingers on his cheek, gently turning his face until he met her eyes, which were quickly filling with tears. “What you said… I can’t tell you how special you made me feel tonight.”

It amazed Quinn that Annabelle seemed to mean this. After all, his entire school was filled with generic, rude, cruel girls that BELIEVED they were special, when they were no better than any other generic, rude, cruel girl walking down the hall. But Annabelle was the most amazing person he had ever met. “I’m just glad I didn’t scare you off,” Quinn uncharacteristically admitted.

Taking the final step needed to fill the gap between them, Annabelle reached up to lace her arms around Quinn’s neck. “I spend so much time with Julia traveling,” she told him, meeting his interested gaze full-on with her own dark eyes. “And so much is always going on… I never stopped to realize that there was something I was missing.”

“You have done so many wonderful things,” Quinn twined his arms around Annabelle’s waist, wanting to explain to her how much he respected what she had been through. “What could you have possibly missed?”

Without a word, Annabelle slid one hand to the back of Quinn’s head and tilted it down until she could reach his mouth with her own. Closing her eyes, she kissed him softly, glad he pulled her even closer once he realized what was happening. She inhaled his wet, masculine scent softly before parting her lips and running her tongue along the length of his bottom lip. “This,” she murmured softly. “I missed this.”

Loving the feeling of Annabelle’s tongue tracing his lips, Quinn closed his own eyes and reveled in how good it felt to be close to her. A moment earlier, their wet clothes had seemed cold and brutal. But now, pressed up against Annabelle’s body, Quinn felt warm all over.

As Quinn’s tongue reached to meet hers, Annabelle allowed herself a brief period to think about the last month. Once she confirmed her initial thoughts, she pulled back.

“I’m sorry,” Quinn said shyly, immediately releasing Annabelle as she stepped away from him. “Was I being too… oh.”

There was nothing more for Quinn to say at that moment. He could just watch in shock and awe as Annabelle, barely a foot from him, reached down to the bottom of her tank top. Grabbing the hem with her fingers, she paused for a split second, and then pulled it over her head.

There was no denying it – Quinn’s mouth dropped open – more out of surprise than anything. “What are you doing?” he asked so innocently, his brows furrowed and his eyes concerned. Annabelle was even more sure she was doing the right thing.

Suddenly exposed from the waist up, her body still damp, Annabelle realized her movement had been quick. But she didn’t regret it. Without saying anything, she reached for Quinn’s hand with her own shaking hand. Not able to meet his eyes, she followed their hands as she led them to her naked breast.

Quinn couldn’t even comprehend what was happening – it had all happened so quickly, and basically without his knowledge. Staring Annabelle in the face, he saw that she wasn’t looking at him, and that scared him. “You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, trying to pull his hand down. But she wouldn’t let him.

Taking a deep breath, Annabelle looked into Quinn’s eyes. She remembered them when they first met – so angry. Then, when she yelled at him – sorry. Then, so many times since – so caring. Now – so nervous, but hopeful.

“I want you to touch me,” Annabelle said simply, more afraid than she had expected, but still guiding his hand back towards her breast.

Swallowing hard, Quinn tried to shake his initial feelings of lust from his head. Normally, in this sort of situation, he would just stop thinking and go after gratuitous feelings. However, with Annabelle, this was not possible.

“I thought…” Quinn couldn’t help but look down… couldn’t help but admire the slope of Annabelle’s breast as it rose into his hand. Taking another deep breath, he looked back up into her eyes. “I thought we said… this kind of thing… could make it too hard.”

Her eyes still brimming with tears, Annabelle’s face suddenly lit up with a grin. “Do you really think,” she asked, pressing his hand over her chest more, “That after what you said on the playground tonight, things could get harder?”

Suddenly, and obviously surprising Annabelle, Quinn pulled his hand away harshly. “I didn’t tell you that because I wanted to…” His eyebrows turned downward, and he crossed his arms over his chest, as if hurt. “Annabelle, I said that because I felt it. Not because I wanted to sleep with you.”

Seeing Quinn in such a vulnerable state, Annabelle reached for his hands. Slowly – but unsurely – he let her take them. “Quinn, don’t be an idiot,” she teased. It took nearly a minute, but finally he cracked a smile. “What you said meant so much to me. And… it just made me realize that, even if we try, we can’t help caring about each other. So why not…”

As Annabelle’s sentence trailed off, she released Quinn’s hands and reached for the hem of his shirt, slowly pulling it up to reveal his flat stomach, then his tight chest, and then finally it was over his head.

Still a bit stunned, Quinn looked at Annabelle’s nervous but excited expression. “If you’re sure you want to,” he finally said, reaching over and placing his hands innocently on her shoulders. “Of course I want to…”

“I’m sure,” Annabelle smiled, stepping close to Quinn and enveloping him in a hug. She loved the way his bare chest felt against hers, and she kissed his shoulder softly. “I’m completely sure,” she tilted her head up and whispered into his ear.

Annabelle’s hot breath on his throat sent chills through Quinn’s body, and feeling her skin against his was amazing. Looking down, he kissed her sweetly, his hands large against her back. As their kiss deepened, they moved slowly towards the bed, both of them growing more excited with each step.

As Annabelle lay back on the bed, Quinn took a moment to look at her. Her hair was still wet and wild from the rain, but her dark eyes were calm and sure. She was smiling the faintest of smiles, and looked so beautiful laying there.

Quinn climbed carefully above Annabelle and kissed her again. Closing her eyes, Annabelle felt no fear or doubt. All she felt was warmth and desire as she traced over the muscles in Quinn’s back with her hands. He was resting his lower body between her legs, and his upper body was held up slightly by his arms. All she wanted now was to be even closer to him.

Moving slowly, Quinn traced his lips over Annabelle’s jaw to her throat and tasted the slightly salty skin. He felt intoxicated by her scent, fresh and clean, as his mouth moved down further over her collarbone. Sliding his body a bit, Quinn nervously reached with one hand and took Annabelle’s breast, sliding his thumb around the nipple. As it hardened at his touch, she arched her back and let out a faint sigh that he took as a good sign.

Feeling this new pleasure relaxed Annabelle’s whole body, and when Quinn leaned over to run his tongue over her nipple, she buried one hand into his hair. He was moving slowly, paying great attention to her body as his mouth moved to her other breast. At the same time, Annabelle felt his hand sliding over her stomach, reaching between them to fumble with the button on her shorts.

Leaning up to his knees, Quinn watched Annabelle’s expression as he undid her shorts, sliding them down her long legs along with her simple cotton underwear that he found to be unbelievably sexy. At that moment, she was watching him, her face filled with trust, and it made him swallow hard. He couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at him that innocently.

As Quinn rose from the bed to remove his own jeans and boxers, Annabelle watched him and smiled. She knew this was sudden and that she had told herself they wouldn’t do this, but right now she knew it was right. Saying goodbye was going to be awful no matter what, but at least now they would have this intimate moment to look back on and remember.

Lying back down on the bed, this time beside Annabelle, Quinn kissed her lips and placed one hand on her stomach. His fingers traced down below her belly button until finally arriving between her legs. As they did, she closed her eyes, and he saw her shoulders relax. He touched her gently, slowly at first, and finally slid one finger inside her. As he did, she bit her lip, but the corners of her mouth turned up.

Annabelle could feel Quinn’s finger begin pumping in and out of her, and a minute later he added a second. It was a new but pleasant feeling at first, but as he began running his thumb in circles around her clit in time with his movements, she suddenly felt the area between her legs growing warm. “That feels so good,” she murmured, opening her eyes to see Quinn staring at her face.

“I’m glad,” Quinn smiled as he leaned over to kiss Annabelle softly, never stopping the movement of his hand. When she closed her eyes again, her breathing becoming quicker, he rested his lips against her neck and sucked the skin gently. As her hips began to rise against his hand, he sped up his movements expertly. A minute later, he heard Annabelle let out a soft moan as her muscles contracted around his fingers.

Too lightheaded to open her eyes at first, Annabelle just shook her head. “I can’t believe I considered not doing this with you,” she whispered. At Quinn’s chuckle, she finally opened her eyes in time to watch him as his body moved over her. He kissed her softly for a long time, their bodies intertwined, their hands exploring each other carefully.

Finally, Quinn reached over towards his nightstand and pulled open the drawer. He felt around for a moment until he grasped the small foil package he was searching for. Looking into Annabelle’s eyes, he rose to his knees again and opened the package, rolling on the condom before lying back down again. “I understood why we may have not wanted to do this,” he breathed his words softly into Annabelle’s ear. “But I am so glad that we are.”

“I am, too,” Annabelle confirmed, smiling as Quinn raised his upper body a bit on one elbow and looked down at her. She felt his erection pressing into her thigh, and bit her lip as his hand slid between them. Pulling his hand away and bringing it back up to the pillow, Annabelle could feel him straining against her.

“I think you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Quinn’s voice was low and husky as he stole a few last kisses from Annabelle. “I hope you know that.”

“I feel the same way,” Annabelle replied, closing her eyes as Quinn leaned down for a deeper kiss. At the same time, his lower body pressed into her, and she felt a sharp pain that caused her to stop kissing him and take in a breath.

“Are you okay?” Quinn’s voice was gentle and concerned as he looked at Annabelle. There was no way that she wasn’t feeling some pain, and he paused any movement, waiting for her to respond.

Releasing her breath slowly, Annabelle opened her eyes and looked up at Quinn. He was blurry before her, as her eyes had involuntarily glassed over at the feeling of him entering her body. Still, even through her unshed tears, she could see the caring in his green eyes. “Better than okay,” she smiled at him, running her hands over his back.

Once more, Quinn closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to Annabelle’s. Slowly he began moving his hips, sliding in and out of her. Her body was warm and tight around him, sending waves of pleasure through his bones as he moved in time with their kisses.

Annabelle quickly moved past the initial pain and focused instead on being so close to Quinn. As he kissed her, tracing her tongue with his own and overlapping his lips with hers, she ran her hands over him, from his shoulders to his hips. She could feel him inside her, moving gently. Her body still ached slightly, but she barely noticed, even more overcome by the intimacy of the act between them. Quinn was inside of her, connected with her completely.

As Annabelle began slowly raising her hips to meet Quinn’s movements, he let himself get lost for a moment in how good he felt. His hand had wandered back to her breast, teasing her nipple until it rose up. He dropped his mouth to her neck, then her shoulder, tasting the skin that was growing warmer by the minute. And each time he sank into her, he got lost in the amazement of being surrounded by Annabelle.

Tilting her head back, Annabelle could feel Quinn’s movements speeding up a bit, but he still paid great attention to her body. His hands, his mouth, his body inside her – it was enough to make her feel lightheaded again. As his head pressed into the pillow beside her and his movements increased even more, she held him close until finally she could feel his muscles tense under her fingers and his body within her seeming to expand and pulse. At the same moment, he whispered her name into the pillow.

They held each other closely like this until Quinn’s erection became so soft he was forced to pull out of Annabelle. He reached over just to turn off the light, and then they both climbed under the covers in the darkened room.

For several minutes, they lay in silence together, only the sounds in the room being their catching breaths and the rain against the window. Quinn stared at his ceiling, watching shadows dance each time lightening shot across the sky and the wind moved the branches of the trees outside. And for the first time in years, the sounds and images didn’t bother him; in fact, he found them relaxing.

“I was right, you know,” Quinn whispered, reaching over to tuck a loose strand of Annabelle’s hair, still damp, behind her ear. His green eyes searched her face, a content smile on his lips.

“Right about what?” Annabelle pulled the comforter up a bit, under her arms, holding it to her chest and bringing it to her face for a moment, smiling at the combined scents of Quinn and her bodies. As he ran his fingers lightly over her neck and shoulder, she closed her eyes and smiled. “What were you right about?”

Inching closer to Annabelle, Quinn wrapped his arm over her, pulling her closer to his chest so he could press soft kisses on her forehead. “What I said at the playground,” he told Annabelle, releasing a sigh as she slid her hand onto his back, allowing her chest to press up against his once again. “When I said you could help me stop hating the rain. Whenever I used to hear rain, it always made me think of the accident. But now, it’s going to make me think about tonight.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Annabelle grinned, looking up at Quinn. “Thinking about tonight will make you happy?”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Quinn tilted his head until he could kiss Annabelle’s lips softly, his fingers tracing up and down her bare back. “Tonight was the best night of my entire life.”