"He did what?!" Michelle gasped her mouth making a small 'o'.
"Yep," Rachel replied, stirring her coffee.
"Michelle, your tall Americano is ready," chirped the barista over the noise of the cafe.
"Hold on, I have some things to say about this," Michelle said as she turned to make her way through the other people waiting for their order.
"When don't you have something to say?" Rachel raised her eyebrows and smiled.
Michelle flipped Rachel off, grabbed her order and said, "Okay, let's go outside, this shit is ridiculous," gesturing to the crowded cafe.
Rachel pulled down her sunglasses against the late morning sun. Her eyes were red, tired, and tender. She had cried most of the night before.
"Okay, so let me get this right. Luke forgot about your award dinner and went to the game with his buddies instead?" Michelle exclaimed, spitting the word buddies.
"Yep, that's the short of it," Rachel said and sighed.
"That motherfucker," said Michelle.
"I know. But he doesn't think so. He doesn't think it's that big of a deal. I mean he thinks my award is a big deal but not his 'mix-up' as he calls it," Rachel said making air quotations with her fingers. "He says he just got the date wrong and that doesn't mean he doesn't love me or anything."
"Jesus-fucking-christ," Michelle said sharply. "This isn't about love, it's about respect."
"I know," Rachel sighed, "but I can't seem to get that through to him."
"God, I'm so sorry Rach. If I had known Sir Dick Face wasn't going to show up, I would have been there."
"Thanks. Suzy and Mark were there, and Joe from the University, so that was nice," Rachel said with a shrug.
"That's not the same and you know it," Michelle said.
"I know, but it was something. I'm just so heartbroken over this. I wanted to look out from that stage and see him seeing me accept that award. And because the universe doesn't think missing out on that was enough, he didn't even seem very sorry. He just made a bunch of stupid fucking excuses and acted like I was being unreasonable," Rachel said with a small quiver in her voice.
"I'll tell you what's unreasonable, you putting up with his immature, selfish, sorry-excuse-for-a-man ass. What does he expect? For you to praise him for his almighty beer bong skills and reassure him that his needs always come before yours?!" Michelle said, talking louder and faster now.
"You're getting a little loud," Rachel said looking around.
"Oh fuck these people, Rach. This is important. Your heart is broken!"
"I know," Rachel said and bowed her head to hide the fresh well of tears threatening to overflow.
Michelle leaned across the table and took Rachel's hand in hers, "I'm sorry your heart hurts," she said gently.
"Thanks. I am too," Rachel said looking up and letting the tears spill down her face.
"Hey ladies, you look like you could use..."
"You can go fuck right off," Michelle said before the man could even finish.
He held up his hands in front of him in a gesture of surrender, "Calm down, I was just trying to help."
"Are you for fucking real? Who the fuck do you think you are? Prince Charming coming in to sweep the damsel off her feet? Well, let me tell you something fuck face, the only thing needing to be rescued is your sorry ass excuse of an ego," Michelle shot back, emphasizing her words with her pointed finger punching the air in front of his chest.
"Jesus lady, go get some dick or something," the man said as he turned and looked to the other customers seated around with a 'what are you to do' shrug.
He had gone no more than three steps before Michelle stood up and threw her cup, which was still half full of coffee, at his back.
Rachel gasped and then covered her mouth to cover the surprised laughter crawling its way up her throat.
The man spun around, "Are you fucking crazy?! Look at what you did to my shirt!"
The commotion had caught the attention of the cafe manager and he hurried out to intervene.
"I think it's time you left, we don't need that here," the manager said to the man.
"What?!" He screamed. "She threw coffee on me! Are you fucking blind?"
"No, and I'm not deaf either, I heard what you said to her and it's time you go," the manager said firmly.
The man looked from the manager to Michelle, his face turning a deep red, "Fuck both of you," he said, spittle flying from his mouth and stormed away from the seating area.
Rachel burst out laughing, "Oh my god Michelle, I can't believe you."
"I can't believe me sometimes either, I'm kind of ridiculous," Michelle said with a laugh. Then she turned to the manager, "thank you if you grab me a few towels I'll clean up my mess."
Rachel pulled into her driveway and noticed Luke's car was not there. She released a long breath, relieved she would have some time alone. She was tired and felt worn, not in the mood to face him yet.
She went upstairs, stripped off her work clothes and started the shower. Waiting for the water to warm she stood in front of the mirror and looked deeply into her own eyes, wondering where the determined, independent Rachel had gone. The Rachel that wouldn't have cried herself to sleep over the selfishness of some guy. She was in there somewhere; she felt sure, but how to find her, she didn't know.
She stepped into the shower and stood directly under the water, hoping it would wash away her heartache and her fears.
She had been with Luke for a long time now, she wasn't a bouncy twenty-something anymore. Sure she could make her own way financially, she made good money, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be alone. That thought punched her in the gut. She didn't want to be alone but didn't want to be stood up like she was some side chick. Surely there must be lots of good men out there, but where? Where does someone in their thirties find single men? The thought of having to resort to a dating site horrified her, dating at work was out of the question, she didn't go to church or belong to any clubs, and life isn't like a Hallmark movie, she wasn't going to meet the perfect man while picking out a cantaloupe.
Rachel turned to face the stream of water, bent her head so it hit the back of her neck and leaned forward planting her hands on the shower wall. She could see her heavy breasts, the soft pouch of her stomach, and her knees which seemed strangely saggy. Every one of her stretch marks and pocks of cellulite caught her doubting eye. She felt like shit. And she felt like shit for feeling like shit. Women like her weren't supposed to feel like this. Women like her were supposed to tell men who broke their heart to fuck off and throw coffee at them as they walked away. Maybe she wasn't that woman after all. Maybe she had just been deceiving herself all this time.
A long round of sobs seeped out of her broken heart and she just stood there, head bent under the water for the simple fact that she didn't know how to do anything else at the moment.
Finally, her tears stopped. She washed her hair, skimmed a soapy rag over the rest of her body, and turned off the water. She could do that at least — she knew how to do that. Wrapped in a towel, she wiped the fog off a spot in the mirror. Her eyes were rimmed with red but dry, dry and bright. And for just a second she thought she caught a glimpse of that other Rachel, the strong Rachel.
Rachel was sitting on the couch, feet tucked underneath her, a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other when Luke came home. She had been texting Michelle when she heard his car pull up and shot off a quick message, 'He's home, I'll talk to you later."
Michelle's reply was instant, "You better."
Rachel smiled. Michelle was bossy and brutish but faithful and full of love. Rachel heard the door open followed by tentative soft steps.
"Babe?" Luke called out.
"I'm in here," she replied from the living room.
He turned the corner that lead from the front hall into the living room, holding a large bouquet of daisies — her favorite.
Rachel was surprised, not only by the flowers, she couldn't remember the last time he had given her flowers, but by the way he looked. His normally boyish face was slack and haggard, his shoulders drooped and he stood with uncertainty.
He held the flowers out to her, "I really fucked up."
"Yeah, you did," she replied meeting him with a steady gaze, inwardly grateful she had cried herself dry earlier.
Luke crossed the room and dropped to his knees before her, letting the flowers sag to his side. "I know I fucked up. Not only by missing your award but then by making stupid fucking excuses for it. I know I can't take it back, I don't know how to make it better, but I need you to know how sorry I am." He looked up into her face his eyes shiny with tears. "I'm sorry for so many things. All the things. All the times I didn't value you as much as you deserve, every time I chose the guys over you, every time I missed celebrating how smart and beautiful and amazing you are."
His shoulders slumped and he lowered his head. Rachel could see his tears dripping freely onto his thighs.
"You broke my heart," Rachel whispered.
Luke shifted and leaned forward onto her lap, resting his head on her chest. His breath hitched with sobs and she could feel his warm tears on her chest, right over her heart.
"I can't fix missing your award but I can promise that I will be there for every next one. Every time. I can promise never to leave you alone like that again," Luke whispered into her neck.
Rachel sat her cup onto the side table and moved her hand to his head and stroked his hair. This made him sob harder.
"You better keep to your word, because I had lunch with Michelle today," Rachel said.
Luke whipped his head up, "Oh no! Really? Jesus. Michelle's a goddamn tiger, she's never going to let me forget this."
"Probably not," Rachel shrugged. "But I will."
Luke sagged into her lap as if all the strain and worry had leaked out of his body.
Rachel continued to stroke his hair while she told him about what happened at the coffee shop earlier that day.
Luke laughed and shook his head against her breast, "She is unbelievable. You are unbelievable too," he continued, punctuating each affirmation with a kiss on the skin over her heart. "Unbelievably kind, unbelievably smart, unbelievably sexy, unbelievably tolerant of my bullshit."
He looked into her eyes and she tilted her head forward to kiss his lips, still salty from his tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her mouth.
"I know," Rachel replied and kissed him deeply, suddenly starving for a physical consummation of their promise to be better together.
Rachel slid her hands behind his neck, pulling him into her. Luke responded with kisses around her mouth, over her eyes, and the center of her forehead. "I love you, Rach."
"I love you too," she replied as she grasped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, then moved quickly to free him of his pants.
On his knees and naked, Luke kissed her neck, the soft place behind her ears, her shoulders, elbows, and with her hands in his, kissed the palms of her hands. Rachel took off her own shirt and unbuttoned her bra, throwing both to the side. Luke gathered her breasts into his hands and kissed the pale heavy flesh, around her dark areolas, and finally, her nipples, kissing lightly and gently at first, then sucking hard as she arched her back to get closer. While he was busy with that, Rachel slid her pants and underwear off tossing them onto the growing pile of clothes. Luke moved down her belly, kissing the soft skin. Rachel moaned and let her legs fall open wide, inviting him to continue. He kissed the line where her pubic hair met her skin, he kissed her hips, he kissed the inside of each leg, close enough so she could feel his breath on her hungry pussy. And then finally he ran his tongue down each side of her lips up, under her hood and landed on her swollen clit with a practiced suckle. Rachel bucked her hips sharply upward — one, two, three times and gasped. Luke pushed her knees upward and out, exposing the fullness of her wet pussy. He kissed and suckled her clit and slowly dipped a finger in between her lips, curving ever so slightly upward just how she liked.
Her breathing was heavier now and her wet sex glistened on Luke's chin. Rachel grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him up, licking his lips and putting her mouth to his. She could feel his hard cock sliding in between her own lips and she rose to meet him, rubbing her clit along the tender underside of his shaft. Every few strokes the head of his cock would push into her gap, just far enough to bring her growing climax closer.
"Sit on the couch," Rachel said as she pushed him away. Luke quickly scrambled to his feet and sat on the couch, his throbbing cock standing straight up, waiting for her. Begging for her.
Rachel carefully placed one foot on either side of Luke, shins up against the back of the couch and squatted slowly, allowing her wet open gap to swallow him whole.
"Oh my god," Luke moaned around the nipple he had already gathered into his mouth. Rachel sat still for a minute, feeling his pulsating cock fill her inside and allowing him to suck and pull at her nipples which were hard erect. He tried to push up into her and Rachel shook her head, making it clear to Luke that she was calling the shots.
Rachel circled her hips slowly, trying to slow her breathing — she didn't want to cum yet because it felt so good but she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold it off. She lifted her hips off of his, sliding up and down his cock and holding his head securely to her breasts. She started going faster, dropping down deeper each time. Suddenly she stood up, feet still flat on the couch cushions, wet sex running down her legs and pulled Luke's face into her hot and swollen pussy. He drove his tongue into her gap and sucked hard on her clit as she thrust against his face. Her orgasm was building and would soon turn the corner where she had no control. She slowed her breathing again and let it build. Just as it began to crash, she lowered herself back down onto Luke's cock and rode him wildly, slamming herself onto him, needing him to fill the expanse that her orgasm was creating. She had turned the corner, it was coming, she was cuming. She ground down on his cock, thrusting her hips back and forth quickly, moaning — almost screaming — with pure ecstasy. It was still coming, she could feel her pussy pulsate around his cock, urging his orgasm along too. Luke grabbed her hips tightly pulling her up and down quickly as he drove into her deeply, growling as his orgasm shot into her. She could feel it fill her pussy and run down the length of his shaft each time she rose. She could smell the tang of mixed sweat and cum and this made her cum harder. Slowly it began to ebb away and she rested against Luke's chest, feeling their hearts beat. She liked the feeling of his cock still hard, still filling the now tender space between her lips, hot and slick. She moved her hips slowly grasping for the evaporating tendrils of her orgasm. Before she knew it, she came again, sharp, hard, and satisfying.
They laid there together until the room went dark and a chill set in.
"I won't let you down again," Luke promised.
Rachel did not respond, she just moved her hand over his heart and felt the truth of his words.
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Thank you, faithful reader! If you love The Wives Club series, give a review and then share it with a friend. See you next time.