KYLE

I ALWAYS PRIDED myself in my independence in the past but recently I'd started to despise my empty house. Empty because Gerald had gone back to his wife with his tail between his legs. Or rather she came back to him with hers nicely tucked. Either way, they were now back together. They more like crawled to each other after just a couple of days of being apart. Their relationship was nauseating.

That hadn't surprised me in the least bit. It was all bound to happen eventually, I knew that. They were just currently going through a midlife crisis of some sort together.

The ringing of my phone made me jump as it startled me. I instantly perked up when I realised it was Amanda's call. Acting like I wasn't nervous like a little boy with a crush was next to impossible.

"Hello."

The first thing that came through the phone was her sigh.

"What's wrong baby?"

I was more than ready to commit murder if anyone so much as hurt her.

"Are you at home?"

Her small voice made my heart constrict. I didn't like this.

"Yes. I am. And where are you? Are you at home too? Did you get hurt? Do you want me to come to you? Tell me what to do and I'll do it. Anything you want baby."

She chuckled with a sniff annoying me even more. She was crying?!

"Can I come over?"

"Of course you can. You don't need to ask me that."

"Okay. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay. Be safe. Don't drive too fast baby. Promise to come to me all in one piece."

"Okay. I promise."

It worried me that she was driving while she was feeling like that. But I had to admit that it felt nice knowing that she had called when she had already been on her way.

At exactly a quarter past eight, the door bell rang and I nearly pulled it off its hinges when I tried to open it as fast as I could. I lunged at her in the same breath. She chuckled as she snuggled deeper into me.

"Baby what's wrong?"

The unknown was making me lose my mind. She comforted me when I was at my lowest. The way she was there for me was really incredible. And now I had a new tradition to follow when it was my son's birth and death day. Now there was a tree in my backyard as well as my terrible poem in my safe to celebrate his spirit rather than me losing myself. She made me fall effortlessly in love with her every day it was seriously incredible to witness.

"Just hold me. That's all I need."

******

"You know, it's really amazing just how you keep surprising me. When I first came here, I felt rather strange. It was like I was home but not quite. It's quite strange that you happen to own my dream house."

"Oh really? It's probably a coincidence. It's just a house Amanda, they all look the same."

I hid my smile on her hair. She was nestled nicely in my arms in my room where she belonged. I wasn't a saint so of course I was imagining doing all sorts of things to her in that very moment.

"So should I also believe that you just happened to have this house built just like that? How could I be making this up Kyle? This is my dream house for show."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not. It's mine."

She turned her face to peek at me and I could see her realising the truth. She had a warm look in her eyes. I felt cherished in her gaze and I basked at the fondness she showed me.

"You always wanted a house just like this. You would always have these drawings all over the place at one point. Let's not forget the catalogue of all those houses and designs you carried around. It was your dream to have a house like that which made it my dream house too since I dreamed of sharing it with you when I realised my feelings for you. My dream house is what you imagined as yours, Amanda. Because I loved you enough to want a house that had all your dreams and passions in it."

I hoped I didn't sound like a tool.

When she pressed her lips tenderly into mine, I knew i won her heart. She  smiled at me for a moment and I wiped away the tears from her beautiful eyes. She turned away from me in a sulking way.

"Yet you let someone else decorate it. You let her... I should have known it was her. Did you live with her in this house at all? Is this where you would have raised your family had things actually worked out?"

"Amanda..."

She buried her face in my neck.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. But you were holding back on me all those months ago. It's like... you were waiting for her. Even though I have you here right now, it doesn't feel like I really do?"

"It's not like I have you completely as well. Let's not forget about sweet TK or whatever his name is."

"That's not fair and you know it."

I sighed tiredly. There was no point in not telling her.

"I told her I'll wait for her to come back yes."

She tensed in my arms and I tightened them, afraid she would leave again.

"So you weren't planning on coming back to me. I mean if I hadn't come here on my own?"

My answer could make or break us but I had to be honest. She deserved that much even if she ended up hating me in the end.

"No."

Her sudden intake of breath nearly paralyzed me. I couldn't help holding her even tighter against me.

"E-ever?"

I kissed her temples and both her cheeks to rid hee of the tension visible all over her.

"I don't know."

And I really didn't know what I would have done if she hadn't shown up when she did. I'd like to think that I would have honoured my word and waited for Sandy to come back but I really didn't know.  Who knows, maybe my heart wouldn't have been able to take the distance for much longer and I would have found myself hightailing back to her with my tail between my legs.

She untangled herself from my arms and I fought to snatch her back to me. It was best to give her, her space.

"My parents made you promise to stay away but you didn't really keep that promise for me did you? You kept the promise you made to her. That you'll wait for her. All those years you stayed for her."

My heart was beating out of my chest. I didn't like the way the conversation was turning. The truth was tangled in many more truths. Hopefully she understood me even when I didn't understand myself.

"She needed me more than you did at that time."

"You were ready to break our relationship but not the promise you made to her."

"I didn't know what to do. So many people put so much responsibility on me that I couldn't carry. I convinced myself I was doing the right thing keeping both promises at the same time. The promise I made to Sandy aligned with your parents'. Somewhere along the line I just blended them together into one. But look where we are right now. I broke both of them. I chose you. From now on I don't care about anyone else's promises. I only want to have you. Please."

The next thing I knew Amanda's lips were hungrily moving against mine. She straddled me and I couldn't help the moan that escaped me when she started kissing down my neck.

"Amanda s-stop."

"No I can't. I need you. Let me have you."

The moment she began grinding her hips against my already hard cock I nearly lost it. I retained my sanity long enough to push her slightly away from me.

"No... let me..."

She pushed away from me and scrambled away from my lap. Tears continued flowing down her face from her red eyes.

"You really don't want me at all do you?"

I chuckled at the absurdity of her words. I stood up from the bed as well but kept a safe distance between us. Any moment now and I would lose any self control and make her mine.

"You have no fucking idea how much I want you right now."

I couldn't stop pacing up and down. My heart shook from the restraint I was keeping. Staying away from her was pure torture.

"Then show me how much you want me."

I took one step back when she took some to come closer to me.

"I'd love to but you're just emotional right now. This is a big step Amanda. I want you to be completely sure about this."

She groaned loudly pulling at her hair.

"I feel like such an idiot. I left my date, someone who actually wants me because I couldn't stand it anymore when he kissed me. The only thing on my mind was you. How I felt when you kissed me. How wrong it suddenly was. How I knew that I would never love him the way he wanted me to."

Her words froze my pacing within seconds. I whirled around to face her.

"Wait. Wait a fucking minute. What? Did I just hear you right. You were on a date? Why would you go on a date with another guy? We were doing so well and why would you  ruin it like that by letting this guy fucking kiss you?"

I was distraught beyond belief. I didn't like what I just heard. It had nearly destroyed me when I heard that guy say he spent the night with her. But that didn't stop me from loving her. I hated the thought of his dirty paws all over her. And the fact that he kissed her... I wanted to kill him. But since he wasn't here, I transferred my jealous rage to the other party involved.

"Don't you dare start with me. Keep looking at me with that disgusted look in your eyes and I swear I'm out of here in the next second."

Apparently feeling like I was withstanding a slow and painful ripping of your heart wasn't the right reaction to this current situation. And I thought I knew pain. Now all I could think about was that spineless punk putting his hands and mouth on her. Someone who I wanted to solely belong to me and me alone. Just as I belonged to her.

I had had her so up on a pedestal that I had momentarily forgotten that one day someone may reach up there and grab her away from me. I never thought that she'd willingly welcome them. Even separately, I never let myself think of it. Yet it had happened. I was still shocked that she actually dated that punk.

"I'm hurt that's all."

"You shouldn't be. I didn't kiss him back okay."

She replied defensively. Now I know how Gerald felt.

"Tell me it won't bother you if the positions had been reversed. Put yourself in my shoes. You've never seen me with any woman like that Amanda. Trust me you'll feel even worse. Or maybe we should put it to the test. Let's find some random woman and..."

"What? No! I swear I'd kill you both with my bare hands if any woman so much as looks at you. You're mine and mine alone Kyle. I'd rather die before I share you with anyone else."

"I feel exactly the same way."

My heart swelled at her possessiveness of me. My annoyance ebbed just a bit. We both sat down at the bed until we calmed down. We sat there beside each other for what felt like hours before she finally spoke.

"It hurts that you put everyone else above me. You broke all the promises you made to me."

"I'll never do it again I promise."

I brought her hand up and held it to my chest.

"I, Kyle Ryan Griffin, promise to never put anyone else before you. Your needs will always come first. I promise to guard your heart like I should have done all along. I won't let anyone come between us. And I promise I'll love you above every promise I will ever make. For as long as I should live Amanda. I promise."

"You really should stop making these promises Kyle."

She giggled wiping her tears away.

"I would only ever make promises to you."

********