I don't know where Mrs. Johnson and Acker disappeared, but I had fun doing the dishes.

I put the last plate under the water and washed it. I turned off the water and put the plate aside with the others.

I put my hands on the edge of the counter and leaned back before looking through the window that was directly above the sink into the garden.

I was looking at a smaller gazebo, to which a lighted path led. When the memory appeared in my head, I felt empty.

"You know I don't dance." I pointed my finger at Christian as he connected his cell phone to the speaker at the edge of the gazebo.

It's a beautiful summer evening. The sky is clear and you can see all the stars and the full moon. The gentle wind blows our hair and tickles our skin.

"I have a feeling I can convince you." He smiled and walked over to me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. I bumped into his chest with a laugh. "One dance." Dimples appeared on his cheeks and I couldn't resist.

"One," I said warningly. "And change the music. I won't dance to that." I pointed to the speaker, which was playing a rap song.

With a laugh, he pulled away from the room and went to his cell phone.

"Oh, you'll love me for this one." He winked at me over his shoulder and a tune came over the speaker.

He immediately walked up to me before I could even identify the song. He placed his hands on my back, just above my ass, while I wrapped mine around his neck.

"You did not." I left my mouth half open when the first words of the song came out.

"Was I right? Do you love me for that?" He raised his eyebrows with an amused smile.

"Oh yes, absolutely." I stood up on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss while Lover by Taylor Swift played in the background. "It's so sweet it makes me want to gag." I smiled into the kiss.

"That's what I expected." He laughed and we slowly started to move I felt like we were living in a fairy tale, hoping that I had found my happy ending.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek before I could stop it. I swallowed hard and wiped my face.

I turned so that I couldn't see the view and leaned my butt against the counter. I ran the back of my hand over my face again, hoping I hadn't smeared my mascara.

I breathed in and out shakily, trying to calm down.

"Thank you for helping me with that." I heard voices approaching me and tried to look as normal as possible.

"Of course, anytime." Acker appeared in the doorway, hot on Mrs. Johnson's heels.

"Oh, you're a treasure." She smiled when she saw the washed dishes behind me. "Thank you, honey."

"Of course." I tried to smile and looked at Acker who looked like something was wrong. With me.

"I almost forgot, you left your sweatshirt in here the other day because it was soaked. I'll be right here." She turned on her heel and disappeared.

The moment she was out of sight, Acker walked towards me and took my face in his hands. He ran his fingers over the places under my eyes. "Are you okay?"

I wanted to break down here and now, but I tried as hard as possible not to cry.

So I just nodded.

"I don't believe that, but I'll leave it at that." He brushed my hair away from my face. "Only because I know you can handle it. But that doesn't mean you can't lean on me, Maya. I'm here."

I'm here.

I slowly leaned into his arms, letting my head drop.

I'm here.

I don't think he realizes what it means to me.

I'm here, he says, while my mother would scream that I should solve my own problems.

I'm here, he says, while my dad would open a bottle of vodka and sleep with some woman before asking me how my day was.

I'm here, he says, while my own brother would rather leave me, just so he could be free.

I'm here, he says, while I'm sometimes not here for myself.

I melted into his touch, but when I heard footsteps coming towards us, I pulled away.

He didn't look at me differently. He didn't look at me like he wanted to tell me I was hiding what we had.

He looked at me the same way he did this morning. Like he knows I'm not trying to hide what we have, I just don't want to wave it in Mrs. Johnson's face.

"There you go, honey." She handed me my black sweatshirt with a smile.

"Thank you." I took it from her hands. "And thanks for the dinner, much better than the delivery pizza." We both laughed.

"Anytime Maya. You too young man." She pointed her finger at him. "You're both welcome here anytime."

"We appreciate it." He smiled at her.

"We should go, it's getting late. It was a really nice evening."

"Of course, of course." We started walking towards the entrance from where we took our jackets and put on our shoes.

"Say hello to your husband. And that we're sorry we didn't meet him." I hugged her.

"He's a good boy." She whispered in my ear before hugging me back. "He's handsome too." She laughed and I tried to hide my red cheeks as we pulled away.

"Good night." I cleared my throat.

"Alright, kids." She winked at us before Acker said goodbye too. She waved to us while we were already sitting in the car and closed the door only after we left the driveway.

"I like her," Acker spoke while putting his hand on my thigh.

"I didn't think you were into older women." I was joking.

"Oh, you know very well I'm not. Look at you, you can barely drink legally." He laughed and I hit him on the shoulder.

"Idiot." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You still like me." He squeezed my thigh, which somehow caused me to smile.

"More than that," I whispered, almost out of breath.

"What did you say? Did you insult me again? Because I'm starting to think idiot is my middle name."

"And isn't it?" I raised an eyebrow. "Oh my god, and I thought it was. I'm sorry, I made a terrible mistake." I clutched my chest. "I'm terribly sorry."

"Okay, okay." He laughed. "I get it. I'm quiet now."

I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed into the seat with one thought.

Even if I'm not always okay, I'm getting there.

*****

"I was wondering where you disappeared to." I looked up from the ice cream and saw Acker at the entrance to the kitchen with his arms crossed over his bare chest. God save me because he looks better than this ice cream.

"What, sad that you woke up without me?" I laughed with a mouth full of caramel ice cream. "You didn't have someone to snuggle with?" I frowned with a smile.

I have to say, when Acker clings to me at night, it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

It's quite nice to sleep next to someone again.

"Funny." He snorted and walked over to me. He stopped right next to me and placed his hands on my knees, opening them enough to stand between them. "You going to share?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No." I took the container away from him. "Buy your own."

"Oh really?" He looked at me in surprise. "So that's the way it is now?"

"Oh, you know it is." I pointed at him with a spoon.

"Since you don't want to share the evening dessert, will you at least share with me why you're not sleeping?" He put his hands next to my ass.

"You snore too much." I wrinkled my nose.

"Maya." He said in a warning tone, but I couldn't take it seriously when he sounded so sexy.

"Sebastian." I played with his name on my tongue and leaned in for a kiss, but pulled away just before our lips touched. I smiled at him before putting another scoop of ice cream in my mouth.

"Oh wow." He clutched his chest, looking hurt. "So mean." He frowned. "And so ready for punishment."

"For what?" Before I could even finish, he grabbed my hips and slung me over his shoulder. "Acker!" I yelled at him as I almost dropped my ice cream.

"That's better." He laughed and slapped my ass.

I wanted to hit him, but it's not that I didn't like it.

He carried me on his shoulder into the living room and put me down just so he could sit on the edge.

I giggled as he grabbed my arm and swung me over his legs, my stomach on his thighs, and my ass in the air.

He snatched the ice cream out of my hand, which I was clinging to, and I felt cold air on my ass as he lifted my shirt.

"Acker, what are you doing?" Not that I'm complaining though.

"Shh." He ran his hands along the hem of my panties and pulled them down.

"Don't shush me." I frowned, but he couldn't see it.

"You are not in a position to give orders, Maya." I felt his hand on my ass, followed by a stinging pain.

"You want to b..." Before I could finish the sentence, I felt coldness in the place where I surely had a red mark from his hand. Out of reflex, I wanted to pull away as quickly as possible, but he wouldn't let me. He held me in place. "It's cold," I complained.

"I'll kiss it better, will that help?" Before I could answer, I felt his hot mouth on my ass. He ran his tongue over the ice cream and licked it off.

I really tried to stop the moan that wanted to escape my mouth, but it was too late.

"Guess that helped then." He laughed.

"Shut up." I reached out to him and smacked him lightly on his bicep.

"I think I found my new favorite ice cream flavor." He said before I felt the cold spoon on the other side of my ass again. It didn't take long before he licked that one too.

"Please tell me you're done playing." I raised my ass a little when he bit it.

"Why?" I felt his smile against my skin.

"Because I'm wet and it won't be long before I'm dripping on you," I said almost out of breath.

"Well in that case." I heard him put the ice cream on the table. "Just to make sure you were telling the truth."

I held my breath the moment his hand went over my ass and he stuck two fingers into me. "Fuck." I moaned.

"We will don't worry." He laughed and pulled his fingers out of me. I immediately felt the loss.

He grabbed my hips, turned me around, and sat me on his lap. "Even if you look amazing in sweatpants, take them off." I leaned on my knees next to his hips so he could pull them down.

With a devilish smile, he pulled them off and placed his hands back on my hips. My hand wandered across his chest to his wet tip.

"Condom?" I asked, even though his tip was a few millimeters from my entrance.

"It's up to you." He said but I felt him pull me lower by my hips.

Fuck it.

I slowly guided him to my opening and sat on him with all my weight.

We both moaned loudly. I felt so full and so horny that I didn't even care that it hurt a little.

"Shit." He groaned, his grip on my hips tightening. "We will never use condoms again." He slowly started to move me, but I found my own pace.

Acker ran up the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it over my head before kissing me passionately. He entered my mouth with his tongue, and I could still feel the ice cream.

I lifted myself up before falling back on top of him all the way. I bit his lip, to which he only grunted. I smiled and pulled away.

I don't think he liked it as he pulled me closer, my breasts against his chest and his head next to my ear, which he nibbled gently before he began to slowly lift himself off the couch and meet my movements.

It was much more intense without a condom. Every movement and every touch. I've never done it like this before. Not even with Christian.

Stop thinking about your ex at a time like this.

Good idea.

I started to tighten around him, leaving red streaks from my fingernails down his back when I was close.

Acker's hands went to my breasts and it was his touch that brought me to climax. I let out a loud moan and almost collapsed on top of him, but he caught me and kept thrusting until I could feel him throbbing inside me and then felt his relief.

"Oh, God." I moaned as he slowly pulled out of me and I felt empty.

I lowered my forehead to his and we breathed deeply, sweat running down our bodies.

"I will never look at this couch and caramel ice cream the same way again." He laughed.

If only he knew that I would never look at another man or woman the way I did before him.



And before anyone asks, no, Maya won't get pregnant. No babies in this book. (Except for little Nat)