AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 29
The sidewalksof the street were clear in front of Xander’s building thanks to the large awnings. But when they started their walk to her place, the snow was nearly six or seven inches in spots. Ava had no idea they were expecting this much snow. The wind whipped it around their faces, and they hurried along to her building. She slipped a few times, and Xander offered his arm to help steady her.
By the time they reached her apartment they were both cold. They stamped off the snow that had accumulated on their feet and wiped at their coats. Ava could feel the wetness that had seeped into her thin sneakers. They entered her apartment, and she immediately kicked them off. Her socks were soaked, and she removed them before she took off her coat. Their jeans had been dampened by the blustery snow, and they went to the bedroom to remove them.
Ava changed into sweats and put on thick socks. Xander changed into the same. She tried not to look as he removed his clothing. His body was so enticing, and this was the perfect day to spend in bed together. However, she wasn’t going to push him to do something he wasn’t ready to do yet; how ironic.
That night they decided to go out into the snow. The wind had subsided and what was left of the storm were light feathery flakes. They dressed in jeans, boots, hats, gloves and winter coats. As they walked the streets, Xander swiped some snow from a nearby car and threw the lightly packed snowball at Ava. He hit her square in the back, and she took refuge behind another car while she armed herself. They continued the game until they reached Washington Square Park.
He took her hand, and they walked under the arch. Many people were walking around the snow in the main gathering place. Some were throwing snowballs, and several were making small snowmen. She and Xander went walking down one of the paths away from the other revelers. She stuck her tongue out to catch flakes, and he took the opportunity to kiss her, people that walked by catcalled and told them to get a room.
That broke the magic of the kiss, and they continued on the path. The sidewalks had not been shoveled, and it became more work to trudge through the snow as they got deeper into the park. Ava was starting to get tired, and they decided to go back to the gathering place where the snow was trampled flat. When they got there, they had to duck and run from the flying snowballs.
They slipped over to the arch and out of the park before they became part of the chaos of a mass snowball fight. Xander asked Ava if she was hungry and found a small café where they could warm themselves and get a bite to eat. The table was tiny, and their knees kept touching as they talked and ate.
Ava felt content just being with him. She couldn’t make him understand that dates and gifts were not what she wanted or needed. All she needed was him. He fed her some of his fries and allowed her to suck the salt off his fingers. It sent tremors to his core as her tongue and lips touched him. She was making it hard for him to be in control especially when he knew what being in bed with her was like.
After they had finished dinner, they walked the short distance to her apartment building. In the elevator, he couldn’t resist kissing her. He deeply breathed in her scent as he kissed her. The doors to the elevator opened and shut as they lost awareness of where they were. His tongue was in her mouth, and she sucked on it. The doors opened on the fourth floor, and as one of her neighbors entered, they got out and took the stairs up to the fifth.
He held her hand. She removed her glove to find her keys, and he kissed her hand. He was having a hard time controlling his emotions and need for her. He wanted to strip her naked and take her to bed, but he wanted it to be without boundaries. He held back verbalizing this because he knew they would spend the next several hours in bed if he did.
She fished out her phone from her pocket before she hung her coat up in the closet and noticed it had a voicemail. The number was her brother Michael’s. She listened to the message and a smile bloomed over her face.
“Why are you smiling? Who is it?”
“It’s Brooke; she had a baby girl a little while ago. Michael called me to let me know. They named her Savannah Elizabeth. They are both doing well.”
“Congratulations, you’re an aunt again.”
She looked at him and smiled weakly.
“What is it, sweetheart.”
When she didn’t speak, he could almost figure it out. Everyone was blessed with children, and they were never going to have them.
“Don’t be upset. Be happy for Brooke.”
“I am, but I want children so badly, and I can’t have them.”
“We can adopt. There are always options for us to have children.”
He pulled her to him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. Several minutes later she unwound herself from him to text Brooke and was surprised when she got a reply. Brooke was feeling fine. The delivery was very quick, and she gave birth to Savannah in less than two hours.
Ava ordered flowers and sent them to her sister’s home. She was hoping she could get a few days off to visit her new niece, but it might not be until after the bar exam. It was now the first of February and the test was coming fast. She would need to put in extra effort if she wanted to score well on the test. She was hoping she wouldn’t be the only one in the family that failed and had to retake it. That would be embarrassing.
“Xander, since we aren’t having sex, can you work with me to study for the bar exam this week?”
“Of course I can. I can’t believe that it’s almost here. Four years ago you weren’t even sure you wanted to become an attorney. Now here you are a few months from being one.”
It was getting late, they were tired from the full day and walking in the snow. She started to get ready for bed and pulled out the threadbare t-shirt of Xander’s and slipped it on. He had been brushing his teeth, and he stopped short when he saw her in it.
“You still have that? It looks like you wore it a lot.”
“I did, almost every night when we first were apart. It gave me comfort.”
Xander felt a deep pang of guilt. They should never have been apart.
“I’m sorry. I should never have left. I should have waited for you.”
