Fireplace Goosebumps

“So how long are you going to be mad at me?” Alistair picked up the two glasses of water on the counter and walked over to the sofa. Met with silence, the only sound he heard came from the crackling of the fireplace.

“Oh, so now I’m getting the silent treatment as well?” Still nothing.

With a sigh, he moved to the coffee table, placed one of the glasses on top of it before taking a seat himself. Taking a sip of water, goosebumps ran up and down his body. He was grateful for the warmth of the fire, but it didn’t do much to keep out the cold.

Staring into the fire, his mind drifted to two naked bodies curled around each other, finding comfort and warmth.

He felt a bulge forming in his pants and tried shifting his thoughts elsewhere as he knew it wouldn’t help his situation right now. Half an hour passed and when he couldn’t stand the silence anymore, he shifted his body to face her.

“Scarlett, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry? I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry that I got us into this situation and that we are stuck here.”

When she still didn’t respond, he reached out to touch her.

“Don’t touch me.” She hissed retrieving farther into the sofa.

“I’m sorry.” He tried apologizing again, hoping his facial expressions conveyed his remorse.

“Apologies are great, but they don’t really change anything. You know what does? Action.”

“Did you just quote Stella Young to me?”

“What if I did?”

“Nothing. I didn’t think you knew who she was.”

“It only goes to show how much you actually know about me.”

“Now that’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is the fact that instead of being inside a hotel room with electricity and a warm bath, I am stuck here with you in this abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere freezing my butt off.” She jumped from the sofa in anger.

“I am so sorry it is so terrible to be around me.” He lashed back.

“I didn’t want to go on this trip in the first place, but you nagged and nagged me and look where it got us. So thank you so much!”

“You are the one who was so adamant to go on vacation.”

“This is not a vacation.”

“Clearly not!”

“You know what. Just . . . Forget it.” She turned back to the sofa.

“No, please. For once in your life tell me what you really think.”

“Do you even know why I wanted us to get away?”

“I think I was pretty clear when I said you wanted to go on a vacation.”

She shook her head, her eyes filled with hurt and despondency. “Does your phone have any signal?”

“Don’t change the subject, Scarlet.”

“Just leave it.”  

Having had just about enough of the hostility and coldness from her, he grabbed her by the shoulders forcing her to look at him.

“When was the last time you touched me?” He could feel her shiver beneath his hands as she whispered the words.

“What?” Those eight words stunned him.

“You heard me, Alistair.”

“I know I heard you, I’m . . . You . . . I am shocked, that’s all.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes and puffed air through her nose in disbelief as she shrugged out of his embrace.

“No, Scarlet. I’m sorry. I . . . I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“Why would you?”

“What does that mean?”

“You have been so absorbed in work, attending events, entertaining clients and spending time with her that we haven’t had sex in eleven months.”

He barely registered that she just told him that he hasn’t been inside her in almost a year because he asked, “Who is her?”

“Don’t play dumb. Olivia is a beautiful woman and I can’t blame you for finding . . . I can understand if you went to her because you didn’t get anything from me, but I have been here this whole time, waiting and willing. And I don’t know what I did to make you want me less.” She fought back tears.

“Are you mad, woman! Besides the fact that I am not interested in Olivia and have never in my life touched her or any other woman for that matter, why would I be insane enough to sleep with her when you are doing a fantastic job of driving me insane yourself?”

“So that’s why? That’s why you haven’t touched me. I’m driving you insane?”

“What? No. You are driving me insane by saying these absurd things.”

“Then why?”

“Wha . . . I . . . Has it truly been eleven months?” He ran his hand through his curly brown hair. No wonder he was so frustrated and short-tempered. His question was met with a stare he barely saw as the only light reflected on her face came from the fire. “I’m sorry.”

“Can you please stop apologizing?”

“I don’t know what else to say.”

“Am I that terrible?”

“Scarlet . . .” He reached out to her, but she put her hands up in defence.

“No, I need you to be honest with me. Do you still want to be with me?”

He didn’t answer straight away, which didn’t help his case as sadness swept across her face.

“I understand  . . .” she started saying, but was interrupted as he pulled her back into his embrace.

“Do you know what was going through my mind as we were sitting on the sofa earlier? I was imagining our naked bodies entwined as we lay in front of the fire.” He slowly ran his hand down her arm until he found hers. Steadily he placed her hand over the returning bulge in his pants. “I was imagining pressing my lips on your naked skin, kissing a path down to your breasts and slipping one then the other into my mouth.” He heard her breath hitch as he placed a kiss on her collarbone. He felt her hand move up and down the front of his pants, only intensifying his need. “I was imagining your mouth playing with me as I slipped my hand through your hair.” By this point, his member ached to be released which was exactly what she did. “So no, I don’t think you understand.” His breath hitched as her warm fingers curled around him.

“Love me.” She moaned and that was exactly what he did as he lay them down in front of the fireplace.