Shaun shuffled from the hallway, still groggy from sleep. He had fallen asleep in the stuffed recliner in the extra room that also functioned as their office and general storage area. He had not planned to, intending to join Robyn and Melinda as soon as he had finished, but the tedium of the work, and the late hour at which he had finally finished, had conspired against him. Closing his dry and tired eyes in an attempt to also quiet his mind before climbing into bed next to their warm bodies, he had awakened only a few minutes earlier, discovering that it was already daylight.
Robyn was fussing about at the stove, cooking something that did not smell like eggs or anything else readily identifiable. He glanced at the clock to verify that it was, in fact, really still the weekend, and then back at Robyn.
She was wearing a one-piece nightshirt that feel just below the curves of her buttocks. Shaun had seen her wore it before to bed, but not recall her ever wearing just it around the apartment. Not that he minded, for she had terrific curves and wonderfully shaped ass with just enough to it to be interesting. He suspected that if she meant over, he would be able to tell what color panties she was wearing.
As if she hearing his silent thoughts, she bent down to place the dish into the oven, revealing that she was, in fact, wearing nothing underneath. Just that brief glimpse at her closely shaved region was enough to provoke a noticeable reaction in him. He started to turn away, to conceal his condition, when Robyn looked toward him and smiled.
“Good morning.”
Shaun gave her a weak smile in return, hoping that she would take it for lingering sleepiness. She placed the utensil she was holding down and approached him, stopping to give him a light kiss. His scalp tingled at the touch of her warm lips. Her eyes were bright as they stared into his and she smiled again. Shaun’s breath caught as he felt her hand touch his slight erection.
“Having a problem?” she asked, her smile turning coy and teasingly provocative.
Shaun swallowed past a growing lump in his throat. Robyn kissed him again, her arms moved up along his back to pull him close. She kissed him deeply, pressing herself against him. Shaun felt the hard length of his erection against her; Robyn shifted slightly, clearly aware and enjoying the sensation.
They parted and, their eyes fixed on one another, Shaun felt Robyn’s fingers return to his now even more apparent erection. She opened her mouth and . . .
The bedroom door slammed open and there was the sounding of bare feet hurrying across the carpet and then a faint thump. The noises that followed were both familiar and unpleasant. Shaun exchanged a long look with Robyn, who frowned tightly.
“She’s been like this almost all night.” She sighed, her expression carrying both annoyance and concern. “I hardly got any sleep.”
Shaun looked toward the bathroom door.
“Stomach flu?”
Robyn gave a small shrug, her lips quirking slightly.
Shaun frowned. He had been so intent on finishing his work before deadline, that he had not noticed anything that had happened around the apartment the night before. He could not even recall if he had stopped to eat dinner.
“I’ll check on her,” he said quietly, and headed toward the hallway.
Several scenarios beyond the somewhat mundane one of the stomach flu played across his thoughts. When he and Robyn had first agreed to share an apartment, they had lived there less than two weeks, barely completely unpacked and still integrating their belongings, when she had come to him with a plea to help Melinda. After countless episodes of alcohol and drug abuse, along with a string of abusive relationships, Robyn decided it was time to either step in or give up. She had chosen the first.
Shaun had agreed that Melinda could stay for a few months, long enough to get herself straightened out, as long as she did a share of the chores in exchange for a share of the rent. She had accepted the terms easily (although he suspected that Robyn had given her little choice) and moved the few belongings that the three of them had been able to retrieve while her now ex-boyfriend (who Shaun had always silently referred to as “The Pimp”, for he suspected there was more than drugs and alcohol going on, although Melinda had never volunteered any information on the subject) was at work.
To Shaun’s surprise, once free of those other influences, she had blossomed into an amazing young woman. Witty and smart, she had also turned out to be a more than competent cook and housekeeper. She started attending classes at the local community college and, perhaps best of all, helped to keep him organized. She also put on a little healthy weight. No longer the drawn, almost painfully skinny figure that she had been, her body had taken on a lean, but graceful shape. It was more athletic in form than Robyn’s, although Shaun did not find it at all unattractive.
Her hair had gone from stringy beige strands to golden waves that seemed almost to shine. Everything about her seemed to reflect the renewed and growing self-confidence that she now seemed to feel.
The “few months” that Shaun had agreed to somehow passed to beyond a year without him quite noticing. It was not that the time had not been without some minor incidents. As far as both he and Robyn could tell, Melinda had remained clean of drugs during the entire time. There a few times, though, when the three of them were drinking, and Melinda had consumed a bit more than he and Robyn had. She seemed to not quite know her limits, and paid for it dearly the next day.
This was Shaun’s main concern as he approached the hall bathroom. Instinctively holding his breath, he knocked on the door jamb lightly and then looked inside.
Melinda knelt before the toilet, her face bent over its bowl. She coughed lightly, a faint, slightly raspy sound. Turning her head, she looked up at Shaun. Her cheeks were pink, but her overall color was slightly off. She looked miserable, but he relaxed when she showed no signs of conspicuous guilt. Her eyes just watched him with silent pleading.
Shaun went to her and knelt beside her. He always felt so awkward in situations like that. All of the things that came to his mind to say seemed either trite or self-evident. Reaching over, he flushed the toilet, and then took a tentative, grateful breath. Lacking any other ideas, he pulled Melinda to him gently, letting her rest his face against his shoulder. He tried to give her a small, comforting smile, foreseeing a day of Seven-Up and saltine crackers ahead for her.
When she seemed steady enough, he waited while she rinsed out her mouth, and then followed her to the kitchen. She sat down heavily at the table, still clearly uncomfortable. Robyn shot Shaun a silent, questioning look. He shook his head slightly and then headed for the refrigerator.
