Flame and Leah

The band was returning home late on a Thursday night, so Leah had to wait until school was over on Friday to see Flame. She didn’t see why she had even come into school that day; she was far too excited to pay any attention in her classes.

At 3:30, Leah headed directly out the school doors, not even bothering to go to her locker to get the books she would need over the weekend. She headed towards where the car she shared with her mother was parked, and felt her heart beat fast in her chest when she saw Flame sitting on the hood.

“Hey baby,” Flame said with a smile, standing up. “Miss me?”

Dropping her bag on the ground, Leah ran up to Flame and threw her arms around his neck. He squeezed her tightly to him, holding her for several moments before loosening his grip so that she could look up to kiss him. “I missed you so much,” Leah told him when their kiss finally ended. “You know, I almost skipped my last class to go see you sooner. Good thing I didn’t, huh?” Leah laughed.

Smiling at her, Flame nodded. “That would have sucked,” he said. He pushed a loose hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead softly. “Let’s get out of here. I have my car here, so we can pick this up a little later.”

Nodding happily, Leah picked up her bag and took Flame’s hand. He led her to the visitor parking area and unlocked the door for her. Once they were both inside the car together, Flame stared at Leah.

“What are you looking at?” Leah asked softly, a blush passing over her cheeks from the way Flame was gazing at her.

Reaching his hand over, Flame lightly stroked Leah’s cheek. “I’m just looking at you,” he told her. “I’ve missed looking at you.”

-----

After they arrived at the band’s house, Flame and Leah headed straight up to Flame’s room, barely getting the door closed before they started undressing each other. “God, I’ve missed being close to you,” Flame said hungrily, pulling Leah’s shirt over her head. He kissed her neck, pausing to allow Leah to remove his own shirt. Then he pressed her up against the door and continued kissing down her body. His lips pressed against her chest, and he took one breast in his mouth, running the tip of his tongue over her nipple. Dropping to his knees, he kissed her stomach and began undoing her pants.

Leah looked down at Flame kneeling before her and was overcome with desire. She wanted him so badly right now. Feeling Flame tugging her pants over her hips, Leah leaned against his shoulders for balance as she let him remove them. Flame began kissing her thighs, nudging them apart enough so that his mouth could wander between them. He placed soft kisses on her, sending chills through Leah’s body. Then his tongue slowly licked at her, tasting how turned on she was. He slid two fingers inside her suddenly, causing Leah to jump a little at the sensation, and then began sucking at her clit while letting his fingers move in and out of her. Leah felt like her knees were going to give out by the time Flame slid a third finger inside her and increased his pace.

“I don’t want to cum like this,” Leah told Flame, her speech halted. He looked up at her with surprise. “No,” Leah explained, blushing. “I mean, I want to cum with you inside me.”

Smiling, Flame rose to his feet and kissed Leah’s lips softly. She could taste herself, and it was rather erotic. Leading Leah to the bed, Flame had her lay back. “I want to be on top,” he told her. Leah was surprised, as Flame usually preferred almost any position to the missionary. “Like our first time,” he added, making Leah smile.

As Flame reached towards the nightstand, Leah touched his arm and shook her head. “You don’t have to do that,” she told him softly. “I, um, I started taking the pill before you left, so we don’t have to…”

Smiling, Flame climbed between Leah’s thighs and kissed her deeply. “Thank you,” he said in a husky voice. He reached down between them and led himself to Leah. Her body was inviting, wet and hot. Flame moaned as he sunk into her, and Leah arched her back below him in pleasure.

It felt so good to Leah to have Flame inside her. She had missed the sensation since he had been gone. Flame’s thrusts were deep and steady, and he kissed a sensitive spot behind her ear as he pressed his body hard against her. Already close because of the attention Flame had given her, Leah was beginning to feel heat waves moving through her body. She moved her hips to meet Flame’s body, pressing her clit against him in a way that sent a shiver down her spine.

Knowing Leah’s body well by now, Flame knew that she was coming close. He increased the speed of his movements, as well as pressing harder into Leah each time he entered her. He could feel himself near release, but he pushed aside the feeling, focusing his attention on Leah. He could feel her rubbing at his back, lifting her body below him to meet his. Pounding hard into her as he began to feel her contracting around him, he was pleased to hear Leah start moaning loudly, letting out gasps and partial words. As her body reached full climax, Flame let himself go. He focused on Leah’s warmth pressing around his cock, and he rapidly moved in and out until he felt himself cum inside her, moaning her name loudly as the feeling took over his body.

“I missed you so much,” Flame heard Leah whisper into his ear a minute later.

Leaning up to look into her eyes, Flame smiled. “I missed you, too,” Flame said.

-----

Later that evening, after Flame and Leah had picked up her mother’s car from the school parking lot and dropped it off at home, they headed back to Flame’s house. They spent the evening hanging out with the band, plus Callie, eating Chinese take-out and laughing about stories from the tour. Flame and Leah excused themselves early, though, to head upstairs to be alone again.

“Sounds like you guys had a wild time,” Leah said, lying down on her side next to Flame.

Being overtaken with a wash of guilt, Flame ran a hand over Leah’s arm. “Listen,” he said, unsure how to start. “I have to tell you something.”

Made nervous by Flame’s tone of voice, Leah sat up in the bed, and Flame did the same thing. “About two weeks ago, I was on the Smokers bus and…” Leah’s body stiffened as he paused. “And a girl tried to kiss me. I stopped it, and I told her I had a girlfriend…” Flame relaxed as he saw Leah’s face turn into a small smile.

“Flame,” Leah said gently. “I’m not mad. I know there’s going to be people that make moves on you when you are on tour. I was expecting that.” She smiled, seeing how relieved Flame was.

“Thank you,” Flame leaned over to kiss Leah. “You are so understanding. So I guess I should tell you one other thing.”

“What’s that?” Leah asked, still grinning.

“Well, when you and I were in DC, right before we went back to Lisa and Boo’s, Jodi came outside into the alley. We were both wasted – really fucking drunk – and we started talking about old times, and… well, we ended up kissing. Just for a few seconds.”

Feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her, Leah’s expression changed immediately. “You kissed Jodi?” she asked, shocked.

His eyes widening, Flame immediately realized that Leah was very upset. “It was stupid,” he rushed to add. “We were just drunk. And I’m really sorry. I just-”

“Don’t touch me,” Leah interrupted him as he went to rub her arm. Rising from the bed, Leah tried to shake the fuzziness out of her head.

“Leah, don’t be like this,” Flame said, standing up. “I’m really sorry, I swear. Nothing like that will ever happen again. And it was just a kiss…”

Tears welling up in her eyes, Leah took a step back from Flame as he moved towards her. “Don’t,” she said, her voice dripping with pain. “I can’t believe you would… I mean, I slept with you… I, I have to go.”

Turning quickly, Leah opened the door and headed downstairs. As she reached the first floor, she realized she didn’t have her car there. Not knowing what to do, she stepped into the living room, where Chuck was picking up some plates and cups. He looked up and saw her tear-stained face. “Leah,” Chuck said sympathetically. “Do you want me to get Callie? She’s in my room.”

“No, please,” Leah said softly. “Um, have you had anything to drink tonight?” she asked, and Chuck shook his head.

“No, nothing,” Chuck told her. “I have to drive some people home later. Do you need a ride?” Nodding, Leah felt humiliated. “Wait one second, I’m just going to tell Callie I have to run a quick errand.”

Flame came barreling down the stairs just after Chuck left the room. “Leah, wait,” he said, his voice strained. “Come on, can’t we talk about this? Please?”

Forcing herself to look him in the eyes, Leah lifted her head. “No, Flame,” she said steadily. “We can’t talk about this.”

“It was a mistake. I know that,” Flame pleaded, stepping towards her. Leah took a step back. “Please, don’t go. Talk to me, at least.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Leah said, unable to stop the tears from forming in her eyes again. “I trusted you completely, and you betrayed me. God, I was so stupid to think we’d actually last.” Leah gave a pained sarcastic laugh.

“Don’t say that,” Flame begged. “We can last. This was just… it was just one mistake. I love you so much, Leah.”

“You ready, Leah?” Chuck’s voice came softly from behind Flame, and he watched her nod. “I’m going to drive Leah home now,” Chuck told Flame calmly. “I don’t know what this is about, and I am not trying to get in the middle. But Leah needs a ride, and you’ve had three beers already, so I’m going to take her.”

Chuck had obviously expected an argument from Flame, but resignedly Flame nodded. Looking over at Leah, Flame’s own eyes got glassy. “I’m so sorry, Leah. Please, just call me tomorrow.”

Not meeting his eyes anymore and not answering him, Leah just turned and headed towards the door. As Chuck passed Flame, he put a friendly hand on his shoulder, and then he followed Leah outside.

-----

The entire weekend had been spent crying for Leah. Leah’s mother had held her on Friday night, rocking her like she was still a small child. Callie had come over first thing on Saturday morning when she realized Leah wasn’t at the band’s house. Dylan came by on Sunday, bringing Leah macaroni and cheese, mint-chip ice cream and a huge bag of candy. “Wallowing food,” he told her.

Ignoring Flame’s phone calls had been hard. He had called at least five times each day. On Monday morning, Leah was actually relieved to go to school. Despite being exhausted and looking puffy, Leah was glad to have something besides Flame to focus on. She moved between her classes in a daze, and ate lunch with Callie and Dylan, as usual, even though she had no appetite. By the time the last bell had rung, Leah was grateful to feel ready to go home and actually try to get some sleep.

But when she got to the parking lot, Flame was waiting outside her car. “Go away,” Leah said coldly, passing by him without looking at him. She pulled her keys from her pocket and went to unlock the door.

“Leah, please talk to me,” Flame begged her. Leah glanced up and realized he looked just as bad as she did. “I need for us to be okay,” he continued. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Anything. Please, Leah…”

Turning to face him, Leah shook her head. “Flame, please, just leave me alone.” Her throat was tight, and the words didn’t come easily. All Leah wanted to do was to fling herself into Flame’s arms, but she knew that wasn’t an option. “I need you to go. Please.”

His eyes bloodshot, Flame gave Leah a sad nod. “Okay,” he said softly. “I’ll leave you alone. But please, just think about it. Think about us. Don’t throw away everything over one mistake. Please, I love you.”

“I’m not throwing everything away, Flame,” Leah said miserably. “You did that.” Climbing into her car, Leah saw Flame walking slowly towards the visitor parking area in her rearview mirror.

-----

“Leah? It’s Lisa.” A week had passed, and Flame had finally stopped calling, leaving Leah free to answer the phone as it rang.

“Hey,” Leah said sadly, pulling her covers up to her chin. It was after noon on Saturday, but Leah didn’t feel like getting out of bed yet.

“Listen, I spoke to Flame last night, and he told me what happened between you two.” Lisa paused nervously before continuing. “I… I just had to call and apologize. Leah, I knew about the kiss, and I feel so guilty for not telling you.”

Smiling just a little bit, Leah closed her eyes. “It’s okay, Lisa,” she replied honestly. “I’ve been thinking about stuff for the past week – nonstop, actually – and I kind of figured you knew, seeing how you acted when we ran into Jodi.” Leah sighed before going on. “When it first happened, you and I weren’t friends, so I understand you not telling me. And then, it just would have been too awkward later on…”

Feeling incredibly guilty about how understanding Leah was being, Lisa shook her head. “That doesn’t make it okay,” she told Leah. “You are my friend. I hope you believe that, still. And I owed you the truth.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Leah said truthfully. “I appreciate that you feel bad, but I’m not even mad at Jodi. Actually, I don’t think I’m mad at Flame anymore. I’m just hurt by him. Really, really hurt.”

“Speaking of Jodi,” Lisa replied uncertainly. “I, um, I told her about you and Flame, and she wanted me to apologize to you. She feels so awful.”

“Like I said,” Leah told her gently. “I’m over being mad at anyone. The only person I blame is Flame.” Tears began to well up in her eyes again. “I trusted him… God, he’s the only person I’ve ever slept with…”

“I didn’t know that,” Lisa said softly. “I’m sorry, Leah. I didn’t call to upset you more. I just… I wanted to apologize, and… and tell you that I hope you don’t hate me, and I hope we can still be friends.”

Smiling a little again, Leah let out a sigh. “I hope so,” Leah said. “I leave for school in a few months, and you and Boo are the only people I know in the area.”

Feeling a little better, though not much, Lisa bit her lip. “Well, I should go. I just… please, call me if you need anything – even just to talk, okay?”

“Okay,” Leah answered. “Thanks, Lisa. Bye.”

Hitting the off button on the phone, Leah tossed it onto her bedspread and buried herself under the covers once more. She did feel a little bit better now. Lisa’s friendship had been one of those questions Leah had been pondering since she and Flame had broken up. She was glad to have made amends.

-----

It was lonely for Leah in the weeks that followed. Callie spent most of her free time with Chuck, which Leah understood. And Dylan was still in the early, romantic stages of his relationship with Kathy. Leah found herself wandering around her house aimlessly a lot of the time.

“Want to watch a movie, kiddo?” Leah’s mother invited her onto the couch in the living room one night. “I have popcorn.”

Sitting down next to her mother, Leah rested her head on her shoulder. They sat in silence watching an old movie. When it ended, Leah’s mother turned to her. “How are you doing, sweety?” she asked gently.

“Okay, I guess,” Leah replied. “I mean, still sad – still really sad. But I’m surviving.”

“I know, baby,” Leah’s mom pulled her to her. “First loves are really hard to get over. Flame’s always going to have a part of your heart. But, and I hate to say it, it will get easier. I promise.”

“Maybe,” Leah began in a small voice. “But maybe I blew this out of proportion. I mean, it was just a kiss. He didn’t sleep with anyone or anything…”

“Leah,” her mother scolded her lightly. “I know you’re in pain, but you can’t think like that. This isn’t about the action itself. This is about the fact that you trusted him, and he broke that trust. I’m not saying that you two might not be able to work it out in the future, but it won’t work if you try to rationalize what he did.”

“I know,” Leah answered wearily. “It’s just, I can’t stop thinking about him. I think about him in class. I think about him when I’m driving. I even dream about him. I dream that nothing ever happened, and we’re happy and in love.”

“Well,” Leah’s mother said nervously. “Do you think you would ever be able to forgive him? I mean, forgive him and trust him again?”

“I don’t know,” Leah whispered. “He… he hurt me so badly.”

“That’s fair,” her mother told her. “So, in the meantime, if there’s anything I can do for you, anything to make it better, just let me know.”

“I don’t know what I could do to make it better,” Leah replied. “But thanks for the offer.” She nestled her head back onto her mother’s shoulder and sat silently while her mother stroked her hair.

-----

Of course, Leah’s mother had been right. As time passed and graduation was just a week away, Leah began to get excited about all the future had to offer. She was still sad when she thought of Flame, but those thoughts were happening less and less frequently. When she went to get her graduation gown, she saw Dylan’s girlfriend, Kathy.

“Hey,” Leah greeted her warmly.

“Hi, Leah,” Kathy smiled back at her. “Picking up your gown?”

“Yep. You keeping Dylan company?”
“Actually, I just picked his up for him. He’s outside with my brother, Jimmy.” Kathy rolled her eyes. “Jimmy’s a pro-skater, and since he got back in town, I haven’t been able to get five minutes alone with Dylan. I’m starting to worry that their spending too much time together to just be friends.”

Laughing, Leah handed her order ticket to woman at the table, who handed her a gown. Thanking the woman, Leah turned back to Kathy. “Well, I want to say hi to Dylan, even if it means keeping him from his boyfriend for a minute.”

The girls headed outside and scanned the parking lot. In a far corner, the two guys were riding their skateboards. Leah watched, impressed, as Kathy’s brother rode down a railing. Dylan tried to jump a curb, and fell.

Clapping, Leah and Kathy approached, and Dylan blushed, scrambling to rise to his feet. “Hey Leah. Not my finest hour, huh?” He laughed, then leaned over to take his gown from Kathy and kiss her on the cheek. “Thanks,” he told her.

“No problem,” Kathy beamed back at him. “Oh, Leah, this is my brother, Jimmy.” Jimmy walked over to greet Leah.

“Hey,” Jimmy smiled shyly. He wasn’t very tall, only a few inches above Leah. He had reddish-brown hair and warm brown eyes. He was definitely attractive, and he was looking at Leah with stars in his eyes.

“Hi,” Leah replied. “That was awesome, that trick.”

Blushing, Jimmy shook his head. “Nah, that’s an easy one. It just takes practice.”

Dylan and Kathy were watching the exchange with interest. Jimmy obviously was attracted to Leah big time. “Well, it still looked cool,” Leah told Jimmy. “But I should go, now,” she said, turning back to Dylan and Kathy. “Are you guys going to the show tomorrow night?” Leah asked.

“What show?” Jimmy asked with interest. Kathy had to bite her lip to keep from giggling out loud at her brother’s eagerness.

“Local show at the Fireside,” Leah told him. “Just some punk bands.”

“We’re going,” Dylan told Leah. “Hey, Jimmy you want to come?”

Jimmy’s smile was huge, and even Dylan was having a hard time biting back a laugh. “That’d be awesome,” he told Dylan, his eyes never leaving Leah’s face.

“Well, I’m going to go now,” Leah said a little nervously. “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow night.”

“Absolutely. See you then!” Jimmy replied with excitement. He watched Leah cross the parking lot and get into her car.

Finally, Dylan and Kathy started laughing, and Jimmy gave them a questioning look. “Smooth, Jimmy,” Kathy laughed. “Very smooth.”

-----

Leah had spent the whole show trying to avoid Jimmy. It wasn’t that he wasn’t cute or interesting. She just wasn’t ready to start dating yet. As she headed towards the bathrooms in an attempt to lose him, she ran into Flame.

“Hi,” Flame said, his eyes wide. He looked as good as ever. His hair was spiky and messy, he’d thinned out his sideburns, and he was wearing a blue t-shirt that highlighted his eyes, hair and tattoos. “Um, how are you?”

Swallowing, Leah tried to find words, but was at a loss. “Hey,” she finally replied. “I’m… I’m good. You?”

Looking sad, Flame shrugged. “I’m okay, I guess,” he told her. He paused a few seconds before continuing. “This sucks, huh?” he said sadly. “We never used to have a problem talking.”

Nodding, Leah agreed. “Yeah,” she replied quietly.

“Listen,” Flame began, looking earnestly at her. “I get that I fucked up. And I get that you can’t forgive me for that. But I miss you, Leah. I miss you, but I miss your friendship even more. I was hoping we could try to be friends – get coffee or something?”

Tears immediately filled Leah’s eyes. “I… I can’t, Flame. Not yet.” She wiped her eyes quickly. “I have to go,” she said, pushing past him and heading towards the front door. She didn’t stop moving until she was inside her car, where she rested her head on the steering wheel. Then she began sobbing uncontrollably.

-----

The next night, Leah was sitting on the couch reading a magazine when she heard a knock at the door. She got up to answer it, and was shocked to see Flame standing there. Even more surprising, though, was the look on his face. He was pale, his eyes were rimmed in red, and he was shaking.

“Flame, what is it?” Leah asked, knowing him well enough to know that something bad had happened.

“Um, Chuck and Callie went out to eat… and a drunk driver ran a red light… Callie’s okay, but… but Chuck’s hurt bad… he hasn’t woken up yet.”

Leah was frozen where she was standing, but then felt the tears flooding down her cheeks. She looked up at Flame, still trembling in front of her. She stepped forward, and he reached for her, pulling her to his chest and stroking her hair. At that moment, Leah’s mother came to the door to see who had arrived.

Leah brokenly explained what had happened. “Come inside, both of you,” Leah’s mother ushered them. “Okay, just stay here. I’m going to get my keys, and your father and I will drive you to the hospital. Neither of you should be driving right now.”

Flame nodded dumbly, and reached for Leah again. They stood there for several minutes, crying in each other’s arms, before Leah’s parents came and led them to the car.