Healing Inc. by Deneice Tarbox Page B

position in front of his face. 
     
    Evy quietly stepped over to him, pulling his head to her breast.  She held him, comforting him with the beat of her heart as the tears rimmed and spilled from her eyes.  Tyler reciprocated, putting his arms around her waist, grateful for the soft spot she provided for him.  Though he still had occasional nightmares about what happened, he had resolved long ago never to shed another tear over it.
     
    They held on to each other for some time.  Eventually, Tyler pulled back and took Evy’s face in both of his hands.  “Call me when you feel it coming on.  I don’t care if it’s a nightmare in the middle of the night or a vision in the middle of the day, call me.”  He used his thumbs to wipe away the tracks from her tears.  “I mean it Evy.  Say you’ll do that.”  He removed his hands from her cheeks, taking hers into his.
     
    “I will,” she nodded.
     
    “You promise?”
     
    “I promise.” 
     
    He continued to study her for a moment, assessing the sincerity of her reply.  “I should get you home.”
     
    “I drove here, remember?  My car is in the garage,” she protested, still sniffling.
     
    “I’ll drive your car.  My driver can pick me up from your place.” 
     
    Evy relented.  His plan sounded reasonable, and for the moment she was emotionally drained.   The only talking during the trip to her apartment was her giving him directions.  Tyler wouldn’t let her open the car door herself nor would he allow her to walk to her door alone.  Once he had delivered her to the safety of her dwelling, he removed his phone from his coat pocket to call his driver.  Evy surprised him by putting her hand over his, stopping him from making the call.
     
    “Couldn’t you just stay here tonight?”  She suddenly couldn’t bear the thought of being away from him.  Tyler stared at her, speechless.  “I’m not ready to give myself to you in that way but…please stay.”
     
    Without a word, they removed their coats and placed them on the first chair they came to.  Seeing nothing but Evy, Tyler allowed himself to be guided to her bedroom.  They both stripped down to their undergarments, he in boxer briefs and she in matching bra and panties.  They climbed into bed.  Although the hour was relatively early, sleep came over them quickly as they held each other soothing one another with their warmth and intimacy.
     
    ***
     
    The Morning After…
     
    Tyler woke to the sound of running water.  It took him a minute to remember where he was and to recognize what he was hearing.  Evy must be in the shower .  He swore he could hear her singing but the door and water made him uncertain.  As he lay in the contemporary four-poster mahogany bed he took in his surroundings, noticing that the room looked larger in the daylight.  Lifting his watch from one of the matching nightstands, he noted the time.  He was surprised to see that it was barely seven in the morning. 
     
    Placing the watch back on the table, he became aware of two urges bidding for his attention.  The thought of Evy naked in the next room was making his manhood stir.  He had left the bed a couple of times during the night because she had brushed up against him just the right way.  Not wanting to wake her and knowing he needed to honor her decision not to make love that night, he had sat on the contemporary square leather chair watching her sleep until he got his craving under control. 
     
    The other urge was the result of the running water… He needed to pee.  Seeing how he couldn’t satisfy the former, he decided to search for another bathroom.  He left the bedroom wearing only his boxer briefs and easily located the guest bathroom on the opposite side of the apartment. 
     
    After relieving himself, Tyler decided to explore the modest sized dwelling.  It was a large rectangle, at least two thousand square feet, with large picture windows on the external walls flooding every