Status: In Progress
The Icy Lens
Depth of Field
After the All Star game was over Abby felt slightly relieved as she entered the plane for the flight home. Before she knew it she would be landing in Pittsburgh and could leave everything that happened in Ottawa behind her. She made her way towards the middle of the plane and grabbed a window seat, plopping her bag down beside her. She quietly pulled out her iPad and loaded up some music before starting to pick up where she left off in her book. The flight was quiet, probably due to the exhaustion of everyone on the plane. Halfway through the flight she was feeling tired, so Abby decided to lean against the window and take a small nap.
She woke up when her head bumped off the cabin window from some slight turbulence. "Ow, What the Hell..." she muttered out as she winced and rubbed her forehead. "Pilot said we're flying in snowstorm so its bumpy" Geno said from across the row. "Oh," she said while snapping on her seat belt and resting into the back of her chair. She was about to ask about the snow when they hit another heavy bout of turbulence. She sat there nervously with one hand gripping the seat and closed her eyes. Abby never admitted it to anyone other than Matt, but she hated this part of flying. Every time she encountered turbulence her mind just always went to those horrible airplane movie where the flight would crash. She kept her eyes closed and held her breath, waiting for the turbulence to stop.
She felt a large hand on top of hers and heard James say, "Hey, You sure you're OK?" For a moment she felt better, but then she pulled her hand away. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "Just feeling a little air sick from the turbulence." She rested her hand on her thigh and said, "I should have taken my Dramamine but I totally forgot." She finally started to breathe easy as the plane stopped bobbing. She leaned back in her chair and tried to relax, even though she could feel his eyes on her as he continued to sit in the seat next to her. Then the jet hit another pocket and they bounced about, causing her to grip the side arms of her seat again and close her eyes.
She felt him put his arm around her shoulders while putting his left hand on top of hers. This time though she didn't pull away. There were no smart ass comments and he didn't make fun of her. In fact he said nothing at all, James just sat there and held on until the plane finally hit a clear stream. The pilot came on and announced that they would be starting landing at the FBO in about 10 minutes, making her let out a huge sigh of relief. James moved his arm and hand away, but continued to sit in the seat next to her. She felt her heart start to beat faster, but it wasn't from being a nervous flyer this time. "No Abby," she told herself, "He's just being nice. Stop it. Don't think about it anymore."
She casually looked over at James and said, "I will be so happy once we get onto the ground." He flashed that boyish grin at her and said, "So will I, I don't want you to get sick on my shoes." Her eyes narrowed and her face grew red as she hit him in the face with her pillow. "Jerk. I wasn't going to puke," she said with a growl. She watched as he rubbed his nose and muttered "ow" causing her to smile in satisfaction. "Play Nice," Geno laughed while looking at them, "And Lazy don't be jerky." She smiled and said, "Thanks Geno, at least I have someone on my side." She playfully stuck her tongue out at him and he did the same at her.
--
Once they landed they walked from the icy tarmac to the warmth of the FBO center. It was brisk and there was at least an inch or two of snow out there, a typical January day in the 'burgh. She started up her car by remote in the hopes that the ice would melt by the time she got her luggage."Be careful out there, It's pretty slick," the attendant warned, "PENDOT hasn't hit many of the roads yet." She thanked him for the warning and went outside to load up her Santa Fe. As she closed the trunk she told Kris and Geno goodnight before looking for James. He was a few cars away, seeming to struggle getting into his car. She walked across the slick parking lot and asked what was wrong.
"The car is completely iced over," He groaned. "Don't you have a remote starter on that sports car," she asked while the falling snow started to stick to her hair. As he shook his head and replied no, she laughed. You would think that someone who made as much money as him would invest in a remote starter, but apparently not. "Come on, I'll give you a ride. Matt can bring you back tomorrow to get your car." She walked back slightly slipping on the ice and snow. Abby sat down in her now toasty drivers seat and fired up her XM radio as James joined her.
Just like the attendant said it was icy and the snow was blowing across the road. To her, the weather was a piece of cake to deal with in comparison to what she was used to in Minnesota. She had no problems driving in her SUV thanks to her snow tires, but she still made sure to drive carefully. Unfortunately the ride was very quiet, making it seem so much longer than usual. She passed the time by focusing on driving and sometimes quietly singing along to the radio. Eventually Abby pulled up to James's house and put her car in park. Not even five seconds later James asked "So why are you mad at me?"
Abby was utterly surprised as a confused "Huh?" escaped her mouth. He unbuckled his seat belt and looked at her, his blue eyes locking on her like a missile. "Kris said you were furious the other night. What did I do?" She bit down on her lip, knowing she should have expected this to happen. "Yeah I was pissed," she said honestly, "You guys invited me out, then once the puck bunnies arrived I didn't exist. Nobody even realized that I sat at the bar alone for nearly a half hour." She wanted to say that she was particularly hurt when he was flirting with the other girls, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. "You didn't even notice when I left, did you?" She watched as he shook his head and said, "No, not until Kris said something to me."
His lips sunk down into a frown and his eyes looked away from her. "Hey I'm sorry," he said finally looking back at her, "I really was a jerk huh?" Yes he was a jerk that night, but she knew now that he felt genuinely bad. He was just like any other guy who didn't realize he did something hurtful. Abby shrugged and said, "It happens. I'm over it anyway...but thanks for apologizing." He short her a guilty look and said, "Next time just tell me when I'm an Ass." She smiled softly and said, "Oh you'll find out, and I'm sure it will hurt too." He made a grimace and said,"I'd rather have you just say something than punch me again...I think I'm starting to loose feeling in my arm."
Abby grinned and said, "Now give me a hug and say goodnight so we can both get to bed." Finally his smile returned and he leaned over and gave her a hug. She felt his warm arms one again, making her heart start to skip again. It was a perfect moment, until he pulled the hood of her jacket up and over her head. Flustered, she pulled the hood back down, but he was already out of the passengers seat and grabbing his luggage. "Goodnight Abby," he said with a grin before heading up his driveway.
Once he went inside she went a little further down the street and pulled into the garage. Just as the door was closing, Matt came out and greeted her with a hug. She smiled brightly and said, "It's so nice to be home." He gabbed her bags and carried them inside and said, "Yeah, how were the roads? Looks pretty bad out there." She shrugged and said, "They weren't too bad. Though you have to take James to pick up his car tomorrow." He set her luggage down in her room and said, "He took the Mercedes again didn't he?" She burst out laughing and said, "how did you know?"
Matt sat on her bed and asked her all about the trip as she unpacked. She told him in more detail what happened, yet again leaving out some of the details about her experiences with James. "So considering you had to work you seem like you're in a good mood," he said to her, "You're finally looking like yourself again Abs." She smiled and playfully pushed him off the bed saying, "What did you think I'd be forever depressed and drip tears into my cherry garcia ice cream?" As he got up off the floor he said, "I don't know, you were looking pretty pathetic there for a while." She put her hands on her hips and said, "Well guess what? I'm going to cheer up and be my normal self, so you better get used to it." He walked over and messed up her hair, before pulling her into a big bear hug. "Now that's what I like to hear." She laughed and pushed him away and said, "Ok, now can I go to bed? I'm exhausted." He nodded his head and walked towards her door, turning around one last time to say goodnight before closing the door.
--
Abby was half asleep when someone knocked on her sliding glass door. She rolled out of bed and opened the curtains to see James standing there. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door while saying in a whisper, "what are you doing here?" He walked inside and slid the door shut quietly, as if he was trying to be careful not to wake Matt. She went to open her mouth to ask him what was going on, but he put his finger in front of her lips and shushed her. He towered over her and said, "I needed to tell you something, It couldn't wait." She looked at him half asleep and confused and said, "What's so import..." And at that moment, he bent over and kissed her hard on the lips. His hands slid from her back down to her waist, pulling her body close to his. It was an electric moment and she felt her entire body tingle with excitement. Once his lips released she said in a breathless whisper, "do it again." This time he kissed her harder while moving her backwards and onto the bed. She let out a quiet moan as he moved from her lips down down her neck, then to her collarbone.
His mouth moved back up her neck and to her ear. After he nibbled on her earlobe he whispered, "Abigale Matthews, I want you, I want you now." Her hands gripped the back of his shirt as she said, "I thought you'd never ask." He ran his right hand up her shirt, making her release yet another moan from her lips. "I'm not asking, I'm telling." Her heart was racing at a mile a minute as she let herself give into the passion of the moment. She flipped him over, turning the tables as she sat right on top of his groin. She leaned in and pulled his shirt off, looking down at his muscular body. She ran her nails down his chest before leaning in to plant kisses on his chiseled body. She let her right right hand wander down, stopping right at his pelvis. "You're being a tease," he growled as he pulled her close to his body, "I'm not waiting any longer." He flipped her once again onto her back and reached his strong, warm hands to move away her panties.
She leaned back and closed her eyes, but as she opened them she realized that she was alone in her room. She looked around and there was no warm body on top of her, and the curtains were still blocking the windows and sliding door. "Fuck," she muttered out realizing it was a dream. Why did she wake just when things were heating up? She sat upright in bed breathing heavily from the dream that was far too realistic. She already knew that he was in her head, but now he had invaded her dreams. She laid back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. "Oh god, I do have a total crush on him," Abby admitted to herself, "Now what am I going to do?"
She woke up when her head bumped off the cabin window from some slight turbulence. "Ow, What the Hell..." she muttered out as she winced and rubbed her forehead. "Pilot said we're flying in snowstorm so its bumpy" Geno said from across the row. "Oh," she said while snapping on her seat belt and resting into the back of her chair. She was about to ask about the snow when they hit another heavy bout of turbulence. She sat there nervously with one hand gripping the seat and closed her eyes. Abby never admitted it to anyone other than Matt, but she hated this part of flying. Every time she encountered turbulence her mind just always went to those horrible airplane movie where the flight would crash. She kept her eyes closed and held her breath, waiting for the turbulence to stop.
She felt a large hand on top of hers and heard James say, "Hey, You sure you're OK?" For a moment she felt better, but then she pulled her hand away. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "Just feeling a little air sick from the turbulence." She rested her hand on her thigh and said, "I should have taken my Dramamine but I totally forgot." She finally started to breathe easy as the plane stopped bobbing. She leaned back in her chair and tried to relax, even though she could feel his eyes on her as he continued to sit in the seat next to her. Then the jet hit another pocket and they bounced about, causing her to grip the side arms of her seat again and close her eyes.
She felt him put his arm around her shoulders while putting his left hand on top of hers. This time though she didn't pull away. There were no smart ass comments and he didn't make fun of her. In fact he said nothing at all, James just sat there and held on until the plane finally hit a clear stream. The pilot came on and announced that they would be starting landing at the FBO in about 10 minutes, making her let out a huge sigh of relief. James moved his arm and hand away, but continued to sit in the seat next to her. She felt her heart start to beat faster, but it wasn't from being a nervous flyer this time. "No Abby," she told herself, "He's just being nice. Stop it. Don't think about it anymore."
She casually looked over at James and said, "I will be so happy once we get onto the ground." He flashed that boyish grin at her and said, "So will I, I don't want you to get sick on my shoes." Her eyes narrowed and her face grew red as she hit him in the face with her pillow. "Jerk. I wasn't going to puke," she said with a growl. She watched as he rubbed his nose and muttered "ow" causing her to smile in satisfaction. "Play Nice," Geno laughed while looking at them, "And Lazy don't be jerky." She smiled and said, "Thanks Geno, at least I have someone on my side." She playfully stuck her tongue out at him and he did the same at her.
--
Once they landed they walked from the icy tarmac to the warmth of the FBO center. It was brisk and there was at least an inch or two of snow out there, a typical January day in the 'burgh. She started up her car by remote in the hopes that the ice would melt by the time she got her luggage."Be careful out there, It's pretty slick," the attendant warned, "PENDOT hasn't hit many of the roads yet." She thanked him for the warning and went outside to load up her Santa Fe. As she closed the trunk she told Kris and Geno goodnight before looking for James. He was a few cars away, seeming to struggle getting into his car. She walked across the slick parking lot and asked what was wrong.
"The car is completely iced over," He groaned. "Don't you have a remote starter on that sports car," she asked while the falling snow started to stick to her hair. As he shook his head and replied no, she laughed. You would think that someone who made as much money as him would invest in a remote starter, but apparently not. "Come on, I'll give you a ride. Matt can bring you back tomorrow to get your car." She walked back slightly slipping on the ice and snow. Abby sat down in her now toasty drivers seat and fired up her XM radio as James joined her.
Just like the attendant said it was icy and the snow was blowing across the road. To her, the weather was a piece of cake to deal with in comparison to what she was used to in Minnesota. She had no problems driving in her SUV thanks to her snow tires, but she still made sure to drive carefully. Unfortunately the ride was very quiet, making it seem so much longer than usual. She passed the time by focusing on driving and sometimes quietly singing along to the radio. Eventually Abby pulled up to James's house and put her car in park. Not even five seconds later James asked "So why are you mad at me?"
Abby was utterly surprised as a confused "Huh?" escaped her mouth. He unbuckled his seat belt and looked at her, his blue eyes locking on her like a missile. "Kris said you were furious the other night. What did I do?" She bit down on her lip, knowing she should have expected this to happen. "Yeah I was pissed," she said honestly, "You guys invited me out, then once the puck bunnies arrived I didn't exist. Nobody even realized that I sat at the bar alone for nearly a half hour." She wanted to say that she was particularly hurt when he was flirting with the other girls, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. "You didn't even notice when I left, did you?" She watched as he shook his head and said, "No, not until Kris said something to me."
His lips sunk down into a frown and his eyes looked away from her. "Hey I'm sorry," he said finally looking back at her, "I really was a jerk huh?" Yes he was a jerk that night, but she knew now that he felt genuinely bad. He was just like any other guy who didn't realize he did something hurtful. Abby shrugged and said, "It happens. I'm over it anyway...but thanks for apologizing." He short her a guilty look and said, "Next time just tell me when I'm an Ass." She smiled softly and said, "Oh you'll find out, and I'm sure it will hurt too." He made a grimace and said,"I'd rather have you just say something than punch me again...I think I'm starting to loose feeling in my arm."
Abby grinned and said, "Now give me a hug and say goodnight so we can both get to bed." Finally his smile returned and he leaned over and gave her a hug. She felt his warm arms one again, making her heart start to skip again. It was a perfect moment, until he pulled the hood of her jacket up and over her head. Flustered, she pulled the hood back down, but he was already out of the passengers seat and grabbing his luggage. "Goodnight Abby," he said with a grin before heading up his driveway.
Once he went inside she went a little further down the street and pulled into the garage. Just as the door was closing, Matt came out and greeted her with a hug. She smiled brightly and said, "It's so nice to be home." He gabbed her bags and carried them inside and said, "Yeah, how were the roads? Looks pretty bad out there." She shrugged and said, "They weren't too bad. Though you have to take James to pick up his car tomorrow." He set her luggage down in her room and said, "He took the Mercedes again didn't he?" She burst out laughing and said, "how did you know?"
Matt sat on her bed and asked her all about the trip as she unpacked. She told him in more detail what happened, yet again leaving out some of the details about her experiences with James. "So considering you had to work you seem like you're in a good mood," he said to her, "You're finally looking like yourself again Abs." She smiled and playfully pushed him off the bed saying, "What did you think I'd be forever depressed and drip tears into my cherry garcia ice cream?" As he got up off the floor he said, "I don't know, you were looking pretty pathetic there for a while." She put her hands on her hips and said, "Well guess what? I'm going to cheer up and be my normal self, so you better get used to it." He walked over and messed up her hair, before pulling her into a big bear hug. "Now that's what I like to hear." She laughed and pushed him away and said, "Ok, now can I go to bed? I'm exhausted." He nodded his head and walked towards her door, turning around one last time to say goodnight before closing the door.
--
Abby was half asleep when someone knocked on her sliding glass door. She rolled out of bed and opened the curtains to see James standing there. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door while saying in a whisper, "what are you doing here?" He walked inside and slid the door shut quietly, as if he was trying to be careful not to wake Matt. She went to open her mouth to ask him what was going on, but he put his finger in front of her lips and shushed her. He towered over her and said, "I needed to tell you something, It couldn't wait." She looked at him half asleep and confused and said, "What's so import..." And at that moment, he bent over and kissed her hard on the lips. His hands slid from her back down to her waist, pulling her body close to his. It was an electric moment and she felt her entire body tingle with excitement. Once his lips released she said in a breathless whisper, "do it again." This time he kissed her harder while moving her backwards and onto the bed. She let out a quiet moan as he moved from her lips down down her neck, then to her collarbone.
His mouth moved back up her neck and to her ear. After he nibbled on her earlobe he whispered, "Abigale Matthews, I want you, I want you now." Her hands gripped the back of his shirt as she said, "I thought you'd never ask." He ran his right hand up her shirt, making her release yet another moan from her lips. "I'm not asking, I'm telling." Her heart was racing at a mile a minute as she let herself give into the passion of the moment. She flipped him over, turning the tables as she sat right on top of his groin. She leaned in and pulled his shirt off, looking down at his muscular body. She ran her nails down his chest before leaning in to plant kisses on his chiseled body. She let her right right hand wander down, stopping right at his pelvis. "You're being a tease," he growled as he pulled her close to his body, "I'm not waiting any longer." He flipped her once again onto her back and reached his strong, warm hands to move away her panties.
She leaned back and closed her eyes, but as she opened them she realized that she was alone in her room. She looked around and there was no warm body on top of her, and the curtains were still blocking the windows and sliding door. "Fuck," she muttered out realizing it was a dream. Why did she wake just when things were heating up? She sat upright in bed breathing heavily from the dream that was far too realistic. She already knew that he was in her head, but now he had invaded her dreams. She laid back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. "Oh god, I do have a total crush on him," Abby admitted to herself, "Now what am I going to do?"