Monday Fables #10: Like a River

Holy crap! Ten? How have I done ten of these? Wow. Well I'm still thinking of what to replace this with in the new year so if you have suggestions let me know.

Both this song and the piece I wrote are about goodbyes between a couple but they're different goodbyes but no matter the circummstance, saying goodbye to someone you love is always so hard. Are there an goodbye stories you're willing to share?

Like a River –Karla Anderson

By the sweetness of your voice
I know you’re leaving me
How you’re measuring your words
I know you’re already gone
And the way that you hold me tight
And you memorize the way I feel
It all goes without explaining
What I have come to know

Hey, love is deep baby
Like a river
Cutting away the rock of disguise
Leaving bare what we might try to cover
From each other’s eyes

By the way you look right past me
When I’m right here
And the way you drown yourself
In your TV and your beer

Ah, for all that we have seen, baby
I don’t love you less
And there’s no one left to blame
No reason to confess

Hey, love is deep, baby
Like a river
Cutting away the rock of disguise
All the truth and the lies
Leaving bare what we might try to cover
From each other’s eyes

By the sweetness of your voice
I know you’re already gone

“Hmm,” she moan in contentment, her hand resting against her bare breasts, leaning beside him against the corduroy couch that graced their living room “where did that come from?” She felt his laugh rumble through his toned chest as he kissed her hair.

“Well I remember serving you dinner.” She hummed in response, watching him with tired eyes as he trailed his left hand up and down her thigh in smooth, languid strokes through the rusty green blanket folded over them both. “And you spent the entire time running your foot up my leg.” Nothing in his smooth, dark voice was accusing or teasing and she smiled at his statement. “And then we were dancing.” Her breath was settling now but her chest still heaved at the thought of what came next. “And then we were…” His voice trailed off watching his fingers on her thigh.

“Yeah…” She sighed, feeling his smile broaden his chest. She laughed breathlessly, turning her head into his chest, inhaling the mixture of sweat, cologne and something else that was entirely his own. “We should do this more often.” She returned her head to its rightful place on his shoulder, her eyes drooping slightly.

“Have sex on the living room floor?” She could feel the smile pressing against the top of her head and could only bring herself to hum in affirmation. “I like it. Don’t know if this couch is very fond of the show but I guess he’ll just have to live with it huh?”

Her eyes scanned the room in question with content but tired eyes. The plum cocktail dress which had cost her at least three paychecks was hanging over her chair in the kitchen where her fabulous pre-anniversary dinner of chicken parmesan sat barely touched on its plate. His crisp white dress shirt was flung somewhere in the vicinity of the ceramic island on which they’d eaten their dinner but apparently it hadn’t made its destination and sat limply on the floor. Succeeding the shirt across the hardwood floor to the living room were his plum tie, his belt – having curled back into its original circular shape – and his black dress pants piled underneath his boxers and her cotton black underwear. The square coffee table made of recycled hardwood which she secretly hated had been kicked sideways and had no doubt scratched up the flooring but she couldn’t bring herself to care in this very moment. At one point during the evening, she remembered wondering if the television in the corner of the suddenly small room would fall over but those thoughts had been discarded along with her bra fairly early on. Sitting in the after math and reminiscing was not nearly as exciting but she was far too comfortable resting against his shoulder to do anything about it so she settled for glancing at the clock above the stove for the first time in what must have been ages. “Hey look at that,” she smiled behind her yawn “it’s officially our anniversary.”

He tilted his head to confirm and looked at her with a lingering smile on his face. “So it is.” She looked into his eyes – the perfect shade of blue for getting lost in – and reached her hand to his smooth cheek, lingering there. He always hated facial hair and while she wouldn’t object to a little stubble, getting to run her hands across his face without any interruptions was nice, his skin eternally smooth.

“Happy Anniversary.” She reached her other hand into his brown locks, her ring catching in his hair, to pull him into a kiss; gently passionate with a twinge of longing that caused her to open her eyes. He pulled slowly, entranced by her lips but she ducked away.

She felt it the moment he sighed resignedly. “This is going to suck.” He mumbled, closing his eyes to her scrutinizing glare.

“What, the fact that you’re leaving or the fact that you didn’t tell your wife?”

He cringed at her tone – there was barely any anger in her voice, it was all sorrow and hurt – but pulled her into his side just that bit closer “both. Rachel, I should have told you-”

“But you didn’t; what were you going to do, tell me on the way to the airport? ‘Oh, by the way honey, they moved up my flight I’m leaving this morning for six months so I can go and build houses?’” She collapsed against his shoulder, staring out at the mess they made. “When did they tell you?”

“They called last week.” She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner but I’ve been trying to get them to push it back and-”

“No.” She shook her head against his shoulder. “You told me months ago that once you were accepted into the program you would have to leave at a moment’s notice. I just wish the moment wasn’t today. I wish we had more time to prepare.”

He nudged her head off his shoulder so he could look her directly in the eyes, holding her shoulders and massaging the tendon there. “I can refuse to go…” His voice trailed off as she shook her head.

“We’ll have plenty of anniversary parties later. Besides, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back to me.” He stared in awe of her before leaning in for a peck on the lips.

“I love you.” She smiled in response before returning her head to its resting position.

“I am going to miss you though.” She confessed, her legs curling under herself, the blanket falling away to expose her knees.

“I know.” His voice was quieter; more subdued. “And I am sorry.”

“I know.” She almost rolled her eyes but chose to sigh instead, pulling the blanket up to her chest. “You’re sorry for leaving but not for going.” She nodded, ruffling his t-shirt as she snuggled deeper into the fabric. “You’ll do good there. Just… promise me you won’t fall in love with some African Princess.”

She closed her eyes as he kissed the top of her head. “I already have my queen right here.” She scrunched her face to hide the smile and slapped his chest with the extra fabric of her blanket.

“I’m definitely not going to miss your cheese.” His laugh rumbled through his chest and vibrated through Rachel’s body. She was going to miss his laugh though; the room grew silent without it.

“How long do we have?”

“The rest of our lives.” He smiled, shaking his head for emphasis.

She slapped his chest but kept her head within resting distance of it; she was going to revel in his warmth for as long as she could. “I meant until your plane leaves.”

Of course he knew what she meant “Six o’clock.” She hummed low in her chest but didn’t respond so he shook her shoulder to entice a smile. “Want to squeeze another round in?” She laughed once but tilted her head back to peck his lips.

“No,” she spoke firmly, placing her hands on the cold hardwood floor “my ass is getting sore.” She shifted onto her hip to stand, taking the green blanket with her to wrap around her middle and leaving him completely bare, still sprawled on the floor. The sight of his stunned, amused and slightly aroused expression was tempting enough for her to bend at the waist for another kiss. “Besides, I work in a few hours.” She released one hand from the blanket to offer it to him.

He took her hand and used the floor as leverage to stand, looming over her with a smirk on that ridiculously entrancing mouth of his. “You want to get ready for work now?”

“No…” She pursed her lips, walking backwards and tugging him towards the kitchen with their intertwined left fingers “but we can still get ready for the day.” The day he was leaving her for several months; it didn’t need to be said any time soon. “We can do laundry,” she smirked, tugging him closer “and the dishes,” her hip bumped the island so she stopped and waited for him to come to her “and clean the apartment” he hummed hunching his shoulders to meet her lips, warm and pliable “make breakfast…slowly.” She smiled into his kiss as his hands found her blanketed hips and pressed her deeper against the island. His lips moved over her, languid but dominating though she was humming and responding to his every touch, sucking on his upper lip as her tongue stroked the roof of his mouth. He took a step forward, his knee coming between her thighs as she dropped the cover to bring her arms into play, coming around to his back, pressing and staying simultaneously. As she shifted her weight to bring her knee to the shelf of his hip, she felt the earth move beneath them and suddenly the island was no longer at her back. Startled to meet air where a hard, ceramic surface once was, she stumbled backwards, bringing her lover and his insatiable lips as they hit the island – again – with hard, thud. “Ah,” she protested, arching against the offending set piece and pressing her chest into his which quickly returned the moment to its original heated conversation involving everyday chores “clean the kitchen.” She laughed, making a mental note to actually follow through on that one. Encouraged that she wasn’t actually hurt by the sudden change in scenery, he leaned in for another kiss but a firm hand to his firm chest stopped him. “Come on,” she patted his chest, sidestepping out of arm’s reach “we should get dressed.”

He followed her with a full pout on his stunned face. “You mean we can’t just stay like this?”

She turned to him with a hand on her hip, standing in their bedroom doorway with not a stitch of clothing on her petite body and a completely de-French’d bun in her hair and she still scared the crap out of him with her disapproving glare. “My mother is coming over in a few hours; do you really want to be caught naked?”

“Your mother likes me.” He shrugged with a teasing smirk; still obey her pointed finger in the direction of their bedroom.

“Not that much, honey.” She smacked his ass as he passed her, relishing in the resounding slap and the rippling of his cheeks that reminded her how much she was going to miss his body just as much as his mind.