Blind Love Ch. 04

"Mmmmmm, that feels good," Sophie moaned as Mike flicked at her earlobe lightly with his tongue before moving to suck the side of her neck, causing her to writhe against him in pleasure, her eyes shut as she reveled in the sensations he provoked in her.

The last few weeks had been utterly perfect - Mike had been nothing but sweet and attentive, and him continually telling her how hot she looked was definitely something she could get used to. They'd spent nearly every day since his party at his house each afternoon, making out passionately for hours, taking full advantage of the fact that both his parents worked late hours. Could life get any better?

The feel of Mike's cool hand against her skin, sliding its way up her shirt jolted her out of her reverie. She wriggled away from him, removing his hand from under her shirt with her own.

"Hey there, easy big guy!"

"Aw c'mon babe," Mike pleaded, nibbling at her earlobe as he spoke.

"No, I told you, I'm not ready yet," she said, placing his hand firmly on her hip.

"Oh, fine," he grumbled, his facial expression indicating his general displeasure at the situation.

Sophie leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Awww, don't be such a sour puss. Let me make you feel better." With that, she kissed him again, this time a longer, hotter kiss, full of tongue. She had just begun to lose herself in the kiss when she felt Mike's hand move away from her hip and back to the hem of her shirt.

"Mike, cut it out! I told you, I'm not ready!"

His reaction caught her off-guard. His face had become dark with anger, and, without warning, he had flipped her so that she lay flat on her back, her hands pinned together in one of his. Suddenly she became acutely aware of how powerless she felt, especially when she took Mike's muscular physique into comparison. Her heart began to race as she mentally tried to calm herself down, trying her best to school her fear.

"You little bitch," he growled, "you've been nothing but a cock-tease these last few weeks and I've been patient with you, but I've had enough of your fucking bullshit. Someone needs to teach you a lesson."

He used his free hand to roughly push her shirt up and immediately began pawing at her breast, pinching her nipple hard enough to bring tears to her eyes and causing her to gasp in pain.

"You like that don't you, you bitch. You pretend to be so innocent and pure but I know you're begging for it, you're fucking begging for it. I can see it in your eyes."

Sophie struggled to think coherently, to articulate the terror she was currently experiencing, but her mind had gone blank. It seemed as if she had shut down completely, become incapable of thought or action, almost as though she were observing the scene from afar, icily detached from everything around her. She ceased wriggling, even as Mike continued to maul her breasts, and one hand began to slip down under the ww aistband of her jeans.

Her mind screamed in protest, both from the pain of his manhandling and from the dreadful uncertainty of just how far he planned to take things, when it happened. Somehow, in the distant recesses of her mind, it registered that Mike had, momentarily, let her hands go so that he could undo the button and zipper on her jeans, which he had been fumbling with for a few moments. She went onto autopilot at that moment, and without thinking, felt her elbow make contact with Mike's solar plexus, as her knees jerked upwards into his stomach. He rolled off her, grunting in pain and hurling abuse at her.

Frightened beyond belief, she grabbed her bag and fled from the house, running several blocks before slowing, convinced that he would have followed her. Panting for breath and holding her sides, she glanced back over her shoulder, only to find that the road was entirely deserted. After taking a few deep breaths, she fished around in her bag for her cellphone and pulled it out, dialing the first number that came to mind: Daniel. Please, please pick up, I beg of you, she prayed silently, pacing up and down the sidewalk nervously. On the third ring, Daniel's familiar voice came over the line.

"Soph?" His voice sounded puzzled.

"Daniel, I know you probably don't want to talk to me but please, you have to listen to me."

The desperation and scared tone of her voice brought Daniel to full attention.

"Calm down Soph, what's wrong?" he asked in a soothing voice.

"Oh, Daniel, he...Mike...I can't...can you please just come and get me?" Her voice broke as she tried to get the words out, and she began to sob hysterically.

"Soph, tell me where you are and Tom and I will come and get you asap. I need you to take a deep breath and tell me where you are. Can you do that for me?"

"Ok," came the tremulous and tear-filled reply. "Umm...hold on, let me go see what the intersection is...umm...I'm on 47th and Vine. Please, Daniel, get here quickly."

"I promise. We'll be there in ten. Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Ok, we'll be there soon."

With that, he hung up the phone. She sounded so vulnerable.It tore at Daniel's heart knowing that she was in pain and scared, possibly even hurt. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He dialed Tom, explaining as quickly as possible what the situation was, and within minutes the two of them were speeding as fast as possible towards Sophie.

Ten minutes later, they had pulled up by the side of the road and Daniel got out of the car. Sophie saw him and ran towards him, flinging her arms around him tightly as she dissolved into tears again. For a few moments, Daniel didn't say anything, but merely held her, stroking her soft hair with one hand and whispering soft, reassuring noises into her, rocking her back and forth. Finally, Sophie broke the silence.

"Thank you so much for coming," she whispered against his chest, moving slightly to wipe away the tears that were still streaming down your face.

"Are you hurt?" The concern in his voice and the fiercely protective look on his face melted Sophie's heart, causing her to dissolve into another round of tears. Here he was, her knight in shining armor, even after she'd been such a bitch to him. And he had been right all along, and she hadn't listened to him...she felt like the slime of the earth but at the same time, had become gradually aware of how good it felt just to be held in Daniel's arms. How comforting they felt around her, how it felt like nothing bad could possibly ever happen to her as long as he held her.

This last thought gave her courage, and so she finally replied "No. Just badly shaken." Relief flooded through Daniel's body. He hugged her even more tightly, then pulled back, saying, "C'mon, let's get you in the car and get you home." Sophie didn't say anything, but allowed herself to be lead to the car, and felt comforted by Daniel's body heat next to her. Instinctively, she laid her head down on his shoulder, snuggling in closer, and though the feeling of her head on his shoulder filled him with joy, he schooled his emotions.

This is neither the time nor the place to feel like you've hit the jackpot, he chided himself. She needs you, she's hurt, and she's vulnerable. Control yourself. So he settled into his place, contenting himself for the time being with wrapping a protective arm around Sophie. He enjoyed the sense of peace and calm being with her like this brought him, and his heart sank when the car pulled to a stop and Tom announced "We're here." For her part, Sophie also felt sad that the car ride had come to an all-too-quick end, and began to disentangle herself slowly and reluctantly from Daniel's embrace, but she couldn't bear the thought of being alone, so she slipped her cold hand into his warmer one, and felt a surge of happiness as he squeezed her hand softly and began to rub it to stimulate her circulation.

Once they had gotten inside the house, she refused to let go of his hand, instead, leading him up the stairs to her room. Daniel didn't quite know what to make of this, but certainly didn't feel like complaining, so went without questioning her. He heard her shut the door softly behind them, and then felt her take his hand again, pulling him down on the small couch he knew she had in her bedroom.

Sophie's heart raced. Not only did she currently have Daniel in her bedroom, mere inches from her bed, but more importantly, she had to apologize. Before her courage failed her completely. She took a deep breath and then began, nerves making her words come out in a rush.

"Ok, I don't know where to begin, but I just want to say I'm sorry. You were right about Mike, and I should have listened to you instead of getting angry with you, and I'm sorry I've been a bitch, and I don't deserve a friend like you, that is, if we even are still friends."

This burden off her chest, she began to cry again. Daniel sat in stunned silence, unsure of what to say next. He wanted to tell her how he had worshipped her and always would, how he wanted to make her tears go away, how he forgave her because that's what friends do, but he didn't know where to begin. He got lost in his thoughts and didn't realize how much time had passed until Sophie's tearful voice pierced his consciousness.

"Daniel? Please, say something. Please. Anything."

He turned his head towards her voice.

"Soph," he said, gently, "of course I forgive you. You're one of my best friends, now and forever."

Deprived of his eyesight, he didn't see her practically lunge for him, wrapping her arms around him ecstatically, hugging him tightly.

"Oh Daniel," she whispered, "I'm so, so sorry."

He pulled her back from him, and reaching for her face, felt where the tears were falling and wiped them away softly.

"Shhhh," he whispered. "It's ok, everything is ok."

And then it happened. Neither one of them knew who moved first, but suddenly Daniel's senses were reeling as he felt the soft sweetness of Sophie's lips under his own, gently sucking on her lower lip, then breaking apart for a moment. They paused only for a moment before resuming where they had left off, but this time, Daniel was ready. He cupped Sophie's face in his hands, using one hand on her chin to tip her lips upwards to meet his own.

Slowly, he kissed her, chastely at first, then using his tongue to flick at her lips, teasingly demanding entrance to her mouth but at the same time holding back. Sophie moaned, a soft, guttural utterance of the pleasure sweeping through her body, and parted her lips ever so slightly, her tongue meeting Daniel's, and the two became entwined in a deep, passionate kiss that seemed to last an eternity. When they finally pulled apart, gasping for air, neither of them dared speak, dared to break the magical feeling in the air, nor question the hum of electricity between them. They continued to kiss, soft, slow kisses that grew ever more tender, until, wrapped up in each other and the exhaustion of Sophie's ordeal coupled with this newfound exhilaration, they fell asleep in each other's arms on the couch.