First Meeting At the Flat

Richie & Libby

by Atonia & Layne
 

Richie left the court room and got in his car and decided to go by the flat he’d leased from Michael Stanley. He hadn’t been back since he ran into Toni there last week. A lot had happened since then, the weekend in Sydney with Nonnie, a weekend that had defined their love for each other. She’d moved her things in with him a little at a time, still more to come she said. He chuckled at that and pulled into the parking lot across from the line of shops and coffee houses and restaurants that made up the neighborhood above the harbor.

He went through the flat, checking to see what Toni had left. The beds were made, towels in the bathrooms with soap and paper. The kitchen was pretty much intact, a few cans of soup, instant coffee and a tin of tea bags. Fridge was empty and cleaned out. She’d done a good job of it. He smiled, checking the liquor cabinet, intact…bless her. He poured himself a drink and lit a cigarette. No ashtrays, so he found a saucer in the kitchen.

He took his drink to the dining room with the view of the harbor and sipped. His mind went to the reception and to Libby. Something had happened there that day and he wanted to know what. If Barth was harassing her he’d put a stop to that in a skinny minute. He was an obnoxious prick, tapping him on the shoulder like he did.

He pulled out his phone and called Libby, “Hey how are ya?”

Libby had just finished turning over a report on a case to a solicitor. She had been about to pick up a newspaper and check out the classified section when her phone rang. The number that showed up excited her. The voice even more so.

"Hey, you! I'm fine. What about you?"

“I’m good. I was, uh, wanting to talk to you-um-wondering about what happened at the reception…where are you?”

"I'm in Coffs. Just finished up with a case." God, it was good to hear his voice!

He wanted to talk about the reception? She'd hoped to forget about that, but after what Barth had done she didn't blame him for wanting to find out what was up.

“Good, do you know where Starbucks is near the harbor?”

"Sure." But why did he want to go near the harbor? Just how mad was he at Barth?

“I’ll meet you there, I’m just up the street.” He folded his phone and picked up the keys and got on the elevator.

When Libby arrived, Richie was already there. As he got up to greet her, she hugged him tightly "It's good to see you."

“Good to see you too,” he gave her a one armed hug back. He fumbled around a minute, knowing what he was going to do. It was just too damned convenient. “I left a drink on the dining room table, want to help finish it?” He really did want to talk to her…he did.

"The dining room table?" Libby looked around, confused at first. Then she understood. "I'd like that."

He unlocked the door to the flat and let her in, locking it behind him. He didn’t know how many keys were floating around so he put the dead bolt on. He went over to the liquor cabinet and poured her a drink. “If you want ice it’s in the freezer. I’ve gotten used to drinking mine without.” He picked up his drink from the table and sat down, running a hand through his hair, “So what were you doing in Coffs?”

Libby looked around at the place, curious. This was the first time she'd been here. Taking a sip from the glass he handed her, she went to the freezer to add ice. She was trying to slow the beating of her heart. She was alone with him for the first time since he'd brought her back from Brisbane, and she already knew what she wanted.

"I just finished up with a case. I was turning my report in to the solicitor who gave it to me."

He looked at her a moment, “So what was Barth doing at the reception? Did he upset you?”

"Barth..." Libby played with her glass for a moment before answering. "Yes, he did." She was honest with him.

“Do I need to pay him a visit or what?” Richie took a drink from his glass watching her.

That question made her happy. He cared enough about her to want to do something if Barth had upset her. "I was more concerned that he might have upset you. I had no idea that he'd show up at that party. And for him to just go up to you and Nonnie like that- He had no right to do that to you."

Libby took three steps across the kitchen, which was all it took to bring her directly in front of him. She raised her hand to the side of his face. That face she loved so much. As she rested her palm against his cheek, her thumb traced his bottom lip. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

“He had no right to be there…” He reached behind him, setting his glass down on the counter and put his arms around her and kissed her. He was done for, closing his mind to thoughts that threatened him, thoughts he ought to be thinking.

She'd missed being in his arms so much. Had known it would happen again, but hadn't been sure when. But now that she was here, she gave herself up to it completely.

Pressing herself against him, she worked her hands between the two of them and started unbuttoning his shirt.

As usual with Libby, his mind went straight to the bedroom and that’s where he took her, turning on the light in the bathroom so the room was lit with a soft glow. Libby already had his shirt unbuttoned and he came out of his clothes quickly keeping his eyes on her as she undressed. He threw the coverlet off the bed and stopped cold. There in the middle of the bed was a shoe, the one Toni had thrown at him. He grinned, picked it up and tossed it to the far side of the room and took Libby down on the bed.

This was the first time they'd been together since she'd admitted her love for him. And now, she poured all that love into making love to him. Every touch of her hands and lips, every touch of her body against his had more emotion behind it than it ever had before. She'd told him she loved him, but now was her first chance to show him.

Libby ran just her fingertips over his entire body in a light, sweet caress. She could feel Richie tremble under it--and she smiled with satisfaction when she heard his gasp as she touched more sensitive areas.

It had been a while since they’d been intimate, but his hands and fingers remembered what to do. She was good, no doubt about it and he let the wonderful sensations take him, his mind in total oblivion he pulled her beneath him.

So familiar and so good, Libby thought to herself, before she let her thoughts go and just allowed her feelings to take over. Richie knew more about her than anyone else. She never felt the same ability to just let go and be herself as she did with him. Nothing else mattered the way these moments with him mattered. She'd always given her body to him freely, but now, this time, she gave over her heart and soul to him as well.

Sweat glistening on his body he fell on her, spent. “Damn, Libby.” He whispered. ”That was good.”

Placing a kiss on the side of his neck, she answered softly, "Yes, it was. Very good. I love you, Richie." She lay quietly beneath him, contented.

He rolled off of her, lying on his side propped on an elbow he played with a strand of her hair. “Don’t, Libby, don’t love me. Use me all you want to, but don’t take it there.” He couldn’t say those words to her and it made him feel a little awkward. His body might be here with her, but his heart was elsewhere.

Stroking his brow and his cheek with her fingers, she replied, "I can't help it, Richie. It's already there. I feel it. You already knew that when you came to Brisbane to get me."

Knowing it troubled him, she went on, "You don't have to say it. It's okay."

“I can’t say it,” he replied and rolled over on his back and closed his eyes. “I went after you in Brisbane because I felt responsible for you. I behaved like an ass and I wanted to apologize and to make sure you weren’t in any trouble.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Maybe I shouldn’t have. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression or hang anything else on that than there was.”

"Why'd you rent this flat, Richie?" It was a direct question, one that she felt she knew the answer to. "You gave me the impression that it was a meeting place for us."

“It is and for other reasons too. I’ll tell ya, I’ve been pretty confused about a lot of things lately…I don’t want to hurt you again, Libby. I think I’ve done that already and I didn’t like the outcome either. I just don’t want you putting your life on hold for me.”

"I've been confused about a lot of things too, Richie, but the way I feel about you's not one of them. As for my life being on hold..." She trailed off there, her mind going back to the last little while. To the things people had said to her about her life, and her decisions, and about him too."

Turning onto her stomach, she rested her head on one arm and looked over at him. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, Richie, and I'm thinking about leaving the Glen, finding myself a place here in Coffs."

“Why, you just bought a house and got settled in?”

Sighing, she said, "Well, I don't work at the paper any more. I'm getting most of my cases from solicitors here in Coffs, which means most of my work is here. You've made it pretty clear that we're going to be seeing each other here in Coffs, so that part of my life is here too."

She dropped her eyes before continuing. "And then there's the people there. There are only a few people who know about us, Richie, but every last one of them gives me a hard time about you. They all think I'm making a mistake, and I'm tired of having them judge me like that."

“People shouldn’t judge you…but they’re probably right, ya know. It is a mistake.” He sat up on the side of the bed and picked up his cell to check the time. “There are good people in The Glen. If they’re giving you a hard time, maybe you should listen to them. I’m a selfish son of a bitch. I know it. I don’t make any pretense about it. You picked the wrong star to hang your hat on, kid.” He ran a hand down her leg and got up.”I’m sorry but I need to shower and go home, I don’t want to be late.”

Sitting up herself, Libby planted a kiss on the smooth skin of his back and then leaned her cheek against it. "Just tell me one thing, Richie. Do you want me in your life? Do you want to keep seeing me like this?"

He leaned his head back. It wasn’t an easy question for him to answer. He certainly didn’t need her in his life right now, what with Nonnie moved in with him. “I’m not sure I can give you a satisfactory answer, Libby. It’s not so easy for me, you know…not now. I don’t want…I don’t want this to become a thing where I see you on Monday’s, okay? The truth is...truth now... I really don’t want to do this, but I can’t seem to help myself. The last thing I want to do is to hurt you. You’re sweet and pretty and satisfying, but I can’t see this going on forever.”

"I see." Her voice was very quiet.

"You really don't want to do this." Sliding off the bed, Libby found her clothes and began pulling them.

“You want me to be honest with you. That’s one thing we’ve had from the beginning. I care about you Libby, I care what happens to you, I want to see you happy and I know I’m not the one that’s gonna make you happy. This…this is not what either of us needs.”

Looking him straight in the eye, she answered. "It's what I need. And when we talked in Brisbane, you told me you wanted this. That you wanted to see me."

“I know I did.” He looked down, folding the sheet through his fingers, “and I wasn’t lying. Some things have changed in my life lately, since coming back from Brisbane.” He was becoming angry with himself. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here.” He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Libby sat on the side of the bed for a moment, listening to the shower. Then, sighing, she slipped off her clothes again. Stepping into the shower next to him, she picked up the soap and began rubbing his back with it.

“This is not helping…” It wasn’t helping him at all. All he wanted to do was to take a shower and go home. Home where Nonnie would be shortly. He took hold of her wrist, taking the soap from her and putting it back on the soap dish. “You don’t listen do you?”

Getting out of the shower, she dressed and left. "Yes, Richie. I listen," she said softly, as she closed the door of the flat behind her. "I heard every word you said.

Richie leaned his head against the bathroom door. What had he done? He felt totally out of control. He dried himself off and got dressed. Taking the drink glasses to the sink, he rinsed them out. Now he had to go home, where Nonnie would be arriving. He looked at his watch, before he got there. He was late…now he would have to lie to her…he felt physically sick for a moment and leaned over the sink.