The Fall of My Heart
(at The House of Four Seasons)
by Atonia
Loving Terry Thorne was easy for me, I fell after the first day even with all the ups and downs I was hooked. He reached out for that ring and having grabbed it he wouldn’t put it on. He’ll tell me everything is apples but I know better. He has a way of detaching himself, holding back even though he has given himself bodily to me. I’m hoping time and love will bring him in.
Part 3
Lifetime habits didn’t change for Terry at the House of Four Seasons, he was up at dawn and after going through a routine of stretches and push-ups he ran. The property offered many trails suitable for running and he took advantage of them. He didn’t have to think when he ran only to concentrate on his breathing, his heart rate and the sound of his track shoes as they hit the path.
Toni was not a morning person she came awake slowly and required only a pot of coffee for at least an hour before coherent thoughts began to take shape. His early morning runs were not a problem for her although she missed waking up with him at her side. The first morning she woke she took her cup to his room one door down from hers. It was the first time she’d been inside it.
His scent filled the room it was subtle but not something you would forget. Her first impression was that the room was almost Spartan but a closer look revealed a lot. It was done in shades of blue, a large bed with pale blue sheets and down comforter. The walls were a darker shade of blue, dark shiny wood, and an oriental carpet covered the floor with many shades of blue and a lot of red. That was the only bit of red in the room and it drew the eye. There were books and a large comfortable chair for two by the fireplace. The artwork on the walls turned out to be photographs, lots of greens and some black and whites. She noticed his clothes folded neatly on the bench at the foot of the bed. He’d slept with her and changed into his track clothes in here. She touched them and closed the door. It was a strangely impersonal room she thought.
When he returned from his run Toni would be down in the kitchen still in her jammies and robe making breakfast noises. Terry would shower and join her at the table. They walked and talked and spent a lot of time in her bed discovering each other’s bodies.
The sun was making an effort one fine day and it drew them to the pool. Terry was a serious lap swimmer, Toni played.
“Have you ever swam the length of the pool?” he asked as she kicked the water from the side of the pool.
“Actually yes, Max and I had races, I always lost so why bother, I’m not very competitive. Besides I’d rather watch you.” He was a strong swimmer with a nice body that gave her wicked thoughts.
He waded over and stood between her legs and pulled her into the pool. Toni wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips.
“This is not going to work,” he said giving her a wet kiss.
“Works for me,” she answered giving him a squeeze with her legs.
He rocked her back and forth for a little while moving around in the water and then set her up on the side and climbed out. It was the pool house and the waterproof bed that he took her to. Afterward he picked her up and threw her in the pool and jumped in after her pulling her up sputtering and cursing.
“Oh…Terry how could you…I was feeling so languid and loved.”
He held her to him, “you are loved.”
She looked up into his eyes they were unreadable.
Later she was on the side of the pool again and he was in the pool smoking a cigarette.
“Do you ever leave this place, can you?”
“Not very often, Max and I went to Boston and moved my things here in August. We can be gone for twenty four hours.”
“What happens if its twenty five hours?”
“I don’t know, turn into pumpkins or something I wouldn’t want to find out Terry. Did you want to go somewhere?”
“Yeah, let’s go find a lobster.”
Toni smiled, “okay!”
Terry drove Toni’s Jeep Cherokee which surprised her he had with him his English driver’s license which also surprised her. They drove to Gloucester and found a likely place to eat lobster.
Toni watched his eyes scan their surroundings, they walked out on the docks where the lobster boats were and he stopped to smoke a cigarette. It occurred to her that this was the first time he had ever been out in the real world. Max had taken it stride as though it was something he did every day as though he were no different than anyone else he happened to pass on the street. She wondered about Terry.
“What are you thinking?” she asked standing close to him.
“This is your world…this is what you gave up…how could you do that?”
Toni linked her hand with his, “Have you ever loved someone?”
He looked at her strangely for a moment and squeezed her hand. He understood just how powerful her love was. She sacrificed herself for it, gave up a normal life for it. “You’re crazy you know that?”
“Yes,” she smiled, “but I have you.”
He put his arms around her and kissed her holding her closely and then kissed the top of her head, “We’d better start back.”
Toni breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the gates to the house. She felt the same way when she and Max were out there was always the ‘what if something happened?’ to worry about. It was the magic she carried with her that allowed Terry to go outside the gates. She explained that to him not ever wanting him to try it on his own. She watched his face carefully if anyone of her loves was going to push the envelope it would be Terry and the consequences of such foolishness would be devastating. When Terry handed her the car keys at the garage she contrived to hide them once they were back inside the house.
He noticed she didn’t drop them in the dish on the hall table and came up behind her on the bottom step and caught her around the waist pulling her against him. “Toni, honey hiding the keys will not stop me if something happened to you and I needed to take care of it. I don’t care if it sends me to the stratosphere you will be taken care of.”
Toni tried to turn around and he held her in place, she handed him the keys. “I’m going to trust you not to try anything foolish Terry, if I lost you stratosphere be damned I would follow.”
He turned her around and kissed her as deeply as he ever had. He released her then and followed her up the steps. Instead of going into her room he went into his. Toni went to his door and he turned to her, “We’ve not tried out this bed, it’s probably lumpy not like yours.”
“I’d like to try it out,” this was the first time she’d been in his room with him, the rather cold impersonal room she’d experienced before was vibrating with intensity. Whether it was the house magic or his for she was beginning to think he had his own, the colors in the room seemed more intense, the silk from the comforter shimmered, the reds and blues from the carpet seemed to meld together. He was removing his clothes and Toni was so mesmerized by the room she’d gotten behind. He stepped in to help her. That subtle scent of his enveloped her when he came near she was amazed he couldn’t smell it. He told her she smelled like a rose garden.
Terry knew what was happening and thought he might have a little more control in his own room. He was slipping, sliding along with no hand holds to grab onto. He lifted her to the bed and lay down with her his hands working their magic on her body he captured her mouth and would not let go. She moaned under his touch and still he held her down with his body and his left hand that held her hands above her head, she tried to speak but his tongue touched hers and silenced her. He shifted her bringing her knees up and entered her, Terry slipped into the void.
He watched her eyes and felt he was inside looking out there was nothing between them they were one. Toni felt him go, all barriers were down he was with her now, totally. She held him in the afterglow of the bed shaking climax they had just experienced and cried. When he raised up on his elbows to take some of his weight off of her his eyes were wet too.
“There should be more words, more than I love you; it doesn’t seem enough to express what I’m feeling right now.”
“It’s enough, oh my god Terry, love is enough.”
The house was almost ashamed of its self about the soap. How had it not know what he was, it had some thinking to do. Meanwhile as the two lovers slept upstairs it went about stewing pumpkins and gourds and fall leaves across the mantle. Scented candles placed just so and flowers oh the flowers had to be changed Fall was here. All this activity woke Millie and she stretched on the rug and got up going into the kitchen to check out her crunchy bowl that never seemed to empty.
In the days and weeks that followed Toni and Terry grew closer and more in love. He’d lived for so long with his nose pressed against the window that it was hard for him to realize he was now inside sitting at the table. Toni gave him all the love he could possibly handle and he in turn gave to her, his love and gave of himself. He still retained that cool quiet reserve, it was part of him but inside he was warmed.
Halloween approached and Toni suggested they dress up, he respectively declined.
“I’d rather undress than dress,” he answered.
They were laying on the sofa in the living room in front of the fire. Toni popped some popcorn and was alternately feeding him and herself.
“Did you ever go trick or treating?” she asked.
“No we didn’t celebrate like you do.”
“I always did up until I was about thirteen. I can’t remember but one trick I played so I must have been a good girl.”
“I’m sure you were, umpf…no more please.” He had a mouthful of popcorn. “I’m overfed and underworked,” he said swallowing.
“Oh now we can take care of that,” Toni said rolling her eyes around at him. He picked up her buttery hand and sucked her fingers. “That puts me in mind of something,” she put the popcorn bowl down and turned over on top of him.
“That’s more like it,” he said kissing her lips.
“I’m going to butter you and lick it all off,”
“You are not”
“I am,” she giggled.
“Not.” He caught her face in his hands and kissed her driving all thoughts of butter from her mind.
Toni was in the pantry trying to drag the frozen turkey from the deep freeze. She had it in her arms when she looked up at the wall above and saw the calendar. She staggered out to the kitchen island with the turkey and ran out of the back door.
Terry heard a thud as the turkey skidded off the island and hit the floor and came running into the kitchen, the back door was open and he was out on the patio calling her. The wind was blowing hard and he saw her down on the ground next to the bluff.
“Toni, Toni what is it, what’s wrong honey,” he pulled her up to her feet and held on to her walking her back to the house.
She couldn’t talk until he got her back inside and it all came tumbling out in a rush about the calendar and how Thanksgiving was on Thursday and by next week it would be December, he would be gone.
“Oh Toni…I know the date.” He put his arms around her and led her in by the fire. “Listen to me now, listen…don’t you think it’s better not to spend our time looking at clocks and calendars? I know exactly when the last day of November is, don’t think I don’t. You can’t do this to me Toni you’ve got to pull yourself together.”
It had been a shock to her to see how little time they had left. He held her until she calmed down.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t going to do this I know I’m not losing you, you’ll be back next September. I know this but still…”
“No buts that’s how it is…and John will be here on Wednesday. I’m not going to have you crying.”
Toni pulled herself up sniffed back the tears and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sorry I’ll try to hold it together for you.”
“Do it for you luv.”
The next few days were particularly tender between them. He could see it in Toni’s eyes and hoped his didn’t reflect the same thing. He wasn’t sad, not that he wanted to leave her, but that he had her. He had that special place he could go where he was loved.
He woke before daylight on Tuesday morning and lay listening to Toni breathing beside him. He kissed her softly on the head and eased out of bed not wanting her to wake. He picked up his running clothes and quietly left the room. He dressed in her room and spent a minute or two walking around in it touching her things and breathing her scent
.
He turned and took one last look at the house, it was barely daylight just a glow over the roofline. He stamped his feet it was bloody cold, too cold for his Aussie blood. He looked up at the sky there would be no sun today but possibly quite possibly snow. With a sigh and a warm heart he began to run.