Silver Linings (Andy Barber)

-13-

Genevieve looked up at him, knowing that the chance had needed to be taken. You only got one life and she was fully prepared to take the risk. He could always turn her down. She was more than prepared for heartache, but what she didn't expect was for Andy to grab her face and kiss her hungrily. 

And her body melted into him. 

Wait. He felt the same way?

Oh shit... the realisation hit her properly 

He felt the same way...

All that time she'd wasted when really she should have just been straight up and told him, instead of flat out trying to deny it. Had he been wanting to tell her too? Had he been waiting to kiss her and had simply held back? 

Now wasn't the time to contemplate. 

Now was the time for living in the moment. 

Her arms snaked around his neck, kiss deepening as they stumbled down the hallway to her bedroom clumsily. Gen's foot kicked the door open, both of them now tugging at one another's clothes until finally the backs of her knees connected with the edge of the bed. Her hands worked swiftly rid Andy of his jeans while he'd already succeeded in removing her sundress, lips still on one another's not wanting to part for even a second.

This was long overdue.

They needed each other still after all these years.

They were all the other had.

His body covered her own as he laid her back against the sheets, now trailing kisses across her chest and stomach. 

Andy had never wanted anyone as much as he did Genevieve. She looked a little shyly at him as he fumbled trying to remove her bra. She hadn't exactly been body confident since having Cora and for all she knew, he could take one look at her and run. 

"I...erm..." She stumbled over her words trying to explain. "I haven't really...well, no ones really seen me like this and y'know, I've had a baby..."  Her nerves rose. 

"Hey, it's ok - we don't have to do anything you don't wanna." He assured her. 

"I want to, I really do, but...I don't really confident when it comes to this...I mean, for  a start I haven't done this in ages, and then there's the last of the baby weight..." As much as people would tell her she looked great, she still didn't think it when she looked in the mirror

He looked at her. "Gen, listen to me okay?" She nodded. "I don't care about that. You're beautiful to me, and that's all that matters. If it's any consolation, I haven't done this in ages either." 

She nodded, "I guess I just need to be kinder to myself."

"We both do, and I meant what I said, I don't care what you look like or anything like that. You're all I want, and I'm not gonna push you into anything that you don't wanna do." 

Gen shifted slightly and then leant up, kissing him once more. "I want to..."

He would take his time with her, she had to be made to feel special after all, fingers tactfully unhooking her bra and pulling it from her. His kisses moved down her body. "Relax..." he told her gently, moving back up and resting his forehead against her own. 

"Sorry...I..."

"It's ok, just relax, I'm not gonna hurt you." 

Gen shook her head. "You could never hurt me." 

No, he couldn't. Andy never wanted to either. 

She gasped slightly as he prised her legs apart, sliding into her slowly so as not to hurt her.  She'd already been very ready to welcome him, her underwear literally soaked as he'd removed it. It felt amazing at just how he had reduced her to a wet and quivering mess. 

Damn she felt good.

"You're so fucking beautiful, sweetheart - you know that?" He told her as he moved gently against her, A small groan sounding as she became used to him inside of her.

Even her stupid soon to be ex husband had never said anything like that to her when they were in bed together. 

"Fuck..." She half whined in hushed tone as he thrusted into her, arching her back so as he could go deeper, "harder..." 

His mouth was back on her own as he moved in slow, long strokes, finally finding the spot that made her begin to clench around him. Her moans were like music to his ears while her body moved with his.

She was almost there, he could feel it and deepened the kiss a little more until she shook against him, Andy following soon after, both finding themselves trying to regain their breath. "I think that was long overdue..." Gen stared at the ceiling as he lay beside her. 

"I think it definitely was." He agreed, pulling her close and kissing her hair. 

"How long have you known?" She now asked the question that had been burning on her mind, the overwhelming urge to sleep now hitting her. 

"A while..." 

She accepted this. "Me too..."

**

Andy woke the next morning to the sound of someone humming softly. It was coming from the baby monitor on the dresser and he reached for his phone to look at the time. Squinting slightly as the light connected with his eyes.

6am. 

He hadn't even heard Gen get up and felt around for his clothes on the floor, throwing them on and heading down the hallway to Cora's room. 

Genevieve was in there, rocking her daughter back and forth in the rocking charm humming to her. On the side was a half drunk bottle of milk that Cora hadn't managed to finish before drifting off again. Andy smiled as he watched her, not wanting to make his presence known just yet. How any man could leave a woman like her as well as their unborn daughter still made him angry, however he was prepared to see that the pair were well taken care of. They deserved so much better than what they'd had. 

Gen looked up and smiled tiredly at him as he appeared in the doorway. "I didn't think you'd be up yet?" 

"Sensed you weren't there." He smiled, leaning against the doorframe. "She ok?" and nodded at Cora.

"She is now." Gen smiled down at the baby sleeping peacefully once more. "Slept a little longer too which was a bonus." 

He walked in, leaning down and gently kissing her before also placing a light kiss on Cora's head. "Coffee?" 

She groaned in delight as she reclined back more in the chair. "That sounds amazing. Once I've managed to the put the ticking time bomb back in her cot, then I'll be down to make us some breakfast." 

"You already have dinner covered every week. Now it's my turn." He smirked and walked out so as Gen could finish up in the nursery. 

She watched him go and smiled happily to herself. 

Nothing and no one was going to bring her down from the cloud that she was on - now safe in the knowledge that Andy felt the same as she did, and that from now things would be different for all of them.