After the Sun Sets (18+)

CHAPTER 24a - Golgotha pt.2

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Owen tried again, still frozen by the front door.

Lora didn't reply, but he saw her shudder. He turned away again, knowing he should go. And then she spoke.

"They didn't know him," she said in the smallest of voices.

Owen turned around. "What?"

Lora finally looked up and he saw the anger in her eyes. "Not one person who was here talked about him. Not once. No one recounted any memories, not even a boring one about a good deal he gave them. No one feels his absence. No one is worried about how his family will fare now that he's gone. It was all about how it is better for him now and how I will be just fine and how strong my support system is."

Owen stood there, unsure of what to say.

"They were more interested in the house and the whiskey and..."

"And me," he finished for her.

Lora pursed her lips and nodded. Finally, she gave in to a sardonic laugh and chewed on her nails. "It's funny. Even with everything we've done, we were probably the most honest two adults here today. We were the two people he hated most towards the end of his life, and yet we were the only two who respected him enough to tell him the truth."

Owen thought back on Jess's words. "Do you really believe he hated us?" he asked quietly, afraid to look into her eyes when she was this vulnerable.

It took a while for her to reply and when she did, her voice was solemn. "I don't know what to believe right now, Owen."

Then her eyes narrowed, focusing on him, on the front door, his hand resting on the handle. Her lips parted in alarm as she realised that he was about to leave.

Owen's breath hitched in his throat, reading her like an open book. The pressure he'd been feeling all around him cracked and the desperation in her eyes made him give in to the gravity that constantly pulled them together.

Before he knew it, he was making his way across the room, ready to pull her into his arms, missing her, aching for her for so long. And Lora rose to her feet and all but ran towards him, meeting him halfway, throwing herself into his arms. She rose on her toes and their lips connected. Finally. Their hearts beat as one as they inhaled each other, the air finally strong enough to push their lungs to the limit. Oxygen revitalised their blood as it coursed through their veins, reaching every corner of their bodies, numbing every ache, every fear.

Their bodies were flushed against each other, but Lora wound her fist into Owen's shirt and drew him closer at the same time as Owen grabbed the back of Lora's head and pulled her to him. It drove her wild. His kiss, his touch, his scent. She imagined this was what it was like for an addict returning to heroin when she was just about to get the drug out of her system. She craved him beyond reason. Her hands pulled at his shirt, releasing it from the waistband of his trousers. Her fingers began to unbutton it quickly, quickly! for she needed their bodies to touch again.

Owen was kissing behind her ears, electrifying every inch of her skin. It was like everything around them had slowed down and their brains were on overdrive. She could see everything in high definition. She could hear the clock ticking in the kitchen, the leaves rustling outside. Was it raining? It was raining! She could hear the patter of the water against the glass. She could feel the world turning. His wet tongue against her skin, his hot breath fanning the small hairs at the back of her neck. The last button was undone, and her hands pushed the cumbersome shirt down Owen's arms. It had barely reached the floor when he turned her around to unzip her dress, placing open-mouthed kisses on each shoulder as he did so.