Free Make Me Melt by Nicki Day

things.” She stood up from the bed and began searching for her
clothes.
    Michael stood up and
went to her.  “Wait. What just happened?” 
    “We had sex,” she answered
matter-of-factly.
    “Yeah I know that,
but… why the sudden change? Did I do something wrong?” 
    She found her shirt
and pulled it over her head. “No, Michael. You were wonderful. I need to get
going though.” 
    “Why?” 
    She turned away from
him and pulled on her jeans. He couldn’t have been more confused as he watched
her quickly dress and pull on her boots. 
    “Vicky, answer me,”
he demanded. 
    She pulled on her
coat and faced him. “What do you want me to say, Michael?” 
    “How about the truth?
What the hell is going on? Why are you leaving?” 
    “We both got what we
wanted. Why stay?” 
    “What the hell? How
do you know what I wanted?”
    “Are you telling me
you didn’t want to sleep with me?” she asked.
    “Of course I did, but
I don’t want you to leave. I meant what I said earlier. I’ve missed you.”
    “Michael, we were
kids then. Physically we are great together. But we’re different people now. I
live a boring life in Denver and you’re a Marine. We come from two different
worlds.” 
    “We come from the
same place, Vick,” he reminded her.
    “Maybe we do. But I
moved on from Dove Creek a long time ago.”
    “And from me?” he
asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear her answer. 
    She buttoned her coat
and opened her mouth. She’d been about to say something but stopped
herself. 
    “Don’t do that. Don’t
shut down on me.”
    “I have to go,
Michael.” 
    He grabbed her wrist.
“Stay with me, Vick.” 
    “I’m sorry, Michael.”
She pulled away from him and walked out of the room. 
    He listened while she
walked down the wooden steps and closed the garage door behind her. He moved
over to the window that overlooked the driveway and stared while she
disappeared down the street, across the park and eventually around the
corner. 
    Abruptly a chill
settled in the air, turning the once hot room to a frigid chamber of solitude. The
cold didn’t come from the weather, but the emptiness he felt the moment she
left. 
    Could that really be
it? Was one night more with her all he would get? 
     
     

 
    Chapter Thirteen
     
    When Michael woke on
the morning of Christmas Eve he felt anything but joyful. His mother buzzed
around the house humming carols and his brother and Kaylee were festive as all
hell, but he didn’t feel the Christmas spirit. His night had been filled with
tossing and turning, and very little sleep. 
    He looked out the
living room window, staring out at the city park while sipping his coffee.
Being with Vicky again had felt so right. So many years had passed; he would’ve
expected the feelings for her to die. The way his heart was feeling he knew
that couldn’t be further from the truth. 
    Damn it. He’d missed
her. He missed the way she smiled, the way her eyes lit up when she looked so
happy. He missed the way she smelled, the way her kiss tasted. Damn it, he
missed how she felt. More than any of that though, he missed having her as
his. 
    If her marriage had
worked that might have been one thing, but it didn’t. And now after all these
years this town had brought them back together again. That had to mean
something. Or at least he hoped it did. 
    “Hey, man. You
okay?” 
    Michael turned to see
Jack standing by the archway that led into the kitchen. “Oh… yeah, sorry. Just
thinking.”
    “About Vicky?” 
    He didn’t answer
Jack. Instead he turned to look back out the window and took a drink of his
coffee. 
    “I saw how you were
looking at her last night. You still have feelings for her don’t you?” Jack
asked. 
     Michael looked
back at his brother. How did he tell him that he had hit the nail on the head,
without sounding like a love-sick teenager? 
    “Look, man. I know
you and Vicky ended on a bad note, but I hear she’s divorced now.