You Only Love Once


Introduction:
A glimpse of Death’s door allows this scandalous relationship to flourish…

You Only Love Once
NOTE: This story was written during Hurricane Sandy, so punctuation, grammar, and spelling may lack. I havenā€™t had Internet or cable in 8 days! Comments and insights wanted, however, donā€™t be harsh!

As I took a wobbly step onto the school bus, the sky was washed with variant hues of yellow, red, and violet. Through the trees, it seemed as if the road was being led into a portal that was gurgling fire. It was 6:43 AM exactly. My dark brown eyes were blurred as darkness still remained in the west. When I did a little jog up the bus steps, I gave Ace, the bus driver, a wink and a shallow “Good Morning.”

Ah, Ace… Ace was an older gentleman, probably in his fifties. However, his facial structure remained handsome and his salt-and-pepper hair was something I deeply admired. His voice was strong yet somehow laced with gentleness. His ethnicities were made up of Greek and Dominican, which was a surreal combination that was evident. In the morning, I usually greet him casually out of respect, but in the afternoon, we had full conversations about each otherā€™s lives. Ace and I would talk about school, future plans, family life, and other stuff.

Ace had been my bus driver for the past three years. After more than 400 days of conversing, we had become quite familiar with each other. It was more than just hopping onto the bus and mumbling ‘Hello’ as you pass by. Developing some sort of a relationship, whether it be a friendly adult-child or staff member-student one, is key in a school environment. Everyone has a story that makes up their life. While Ace is driving the bus, it seems to get brushed past and hidden under the wheel. I decided to give it a shot one morning. Luckily for me, Ace accepted my plea for conversation as a sophomore.

Plus, my generation has no respect for anyone who has a stressful and potentially dangerous job. Whenever Ace would be late or face a mechanical difficulty with the bus, the other students would respond with disgusting insults and threats. Every day, it bothered me. Here is this sweet guy who is being paid by our parents’ tax dollars to safely drive us to school (and trips) and they castigate him for an error not in his control? “Bus drivers are people too!” I’d hear occasionally. It irks me that people even have to justify that.

For some reason, I sat in the front seat to Ace’s right that morning. Little did I know it was going to change both of our lives, but allow me to tell my story.

“Good morning,” Ace shakily replied.

His face was shadowed and grey. It appeared as if all of his blood was suctioned out from his body. The veins in Ace’s hairy, muscular arms pulsated as he tightened his grip on the 18′ steering wheel. His surreal hazel eyes that usually twinkle had a dull, mundane effect. In fact, they took on the sickly color of charred wood.

“You okay, Ace?” I trembled with a hint of concern.

“Yeah,” the older man forced a minuscule smile onto his surprisingly weathered face. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

With a loud, gauche hiss, the bus doors slammed shut and the air brakes sighed with relief as the bus resumed driving. I was one of the first stops, so our conversations could be as long as 25 minutes.

“You’re not looking so great this morning,” I confessed.

“Not to worry, Sol,” Ace smirked into the mirror at me. “We are fine.” His nickname for me was “sun” in Spanish.

Ace was driving a little faster than usual, which continued to bother me. As the minutes continued to unravel, his eyes grew more bland and lifeless. After two stops, I could notice his strength to pull the door handle closed was deteriorating.

“Ace,” I called to him.

No answer.

The Blue Bird Vision was still in motion, however, Ace’s posture was as straight as an arrow and his stare toward the road was glassy. I called his name three more times and he didn’t respond, flinch or even blink.

“Ace, pull over,” I commanded, a bit surprised that I had.

Ace said nothing. The bus was beginning to accelerate faster as his foot slowly increased force onto the gas pedal. 45 became 50 which hastily became 70 mph. His eyes began to glaze over and his eyelids twitched until they were shut.

No one else was noticing this since they weren’t close enough or really cared. If anything stopped them from going to school, why should they protest? I didn’t want to start any hysteria, but I needed his full attention.

“Ace! Oh, Lord have mercy!” I shouted, snapping out of my seat.

Lifeless, Ace slowly slid onto the steering wheel, slumped over. The bus gradually began to swerve as I approached him, panicked. I snatched up his thick hairy wrist. No pulse.

I pushed Ace’s body against the window, so I could somehow stop the bus. Throwing myself into the bucket seat, I quickly twisted the steering wheel to the right as we were about to collide into an oil truck driving in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, everything went silent. It seemed as if everything occurred in slow motion. When I turned my head to look toward the back of the bus, a few of the boys were pointing at something out of the right side windows and it was apparent that they were screaming. Like a switch, my hearing flashed on.

“LOOK OUT!” two kids cried from the back.

With a loud screech from tires, everything went black.

Chapter 2- Te amo

“You think she’s awake yet?”
“I don’t think so, but her vitals are stabilizing.”

The fluorescent white lights flooded the room as my eyes painfully opened. A sudden pain shot through my right arm and ribs when I shifted my body. My eyes flashed open as I cried out. As I quietly sobbed, the faint beeping of machines echoed in my ears.

“Ms. Reyes?” A male voice called. “Are you awake?”

I finally got my first glance at my current location. The ceiling was a painfully bright white while the walls were washed in a beautiful hue of dark cerulean. The floors were a standard tacky white tile. I was in a hospital bed, with hundreds of IVs sticking out of my arms and a hideous cream white polyester gown chafing my inflamed skin. Plus, with the tubes in my nose, I was gasping for breaths. The machine to my left was beeping each time my heart adjusted to my movements.

Confused, I turned to my right and there was a man sitting in one of the visitor chairs. It was a police officer. The expression on his face motioned that I was horrifying to look at. He was dressed in full uniform for the Lakewood Police Dept. The officer knew to continue when he gathered unsavory eye contact with me.

“Ma’am,” the officer continued to talk. “I am Officer Martin Avis from the LTPD. I am here to explain the situation.”

“What happened?” I heaved, echoing like Darth Vader. “Where is Ace?”

“Well,” the officer said with an uneasy tone. He pushed his chair closer to my bedside. “When you were on your way to school yesterday morning, your driver somehow lost control of the school bus. However, in their attempt to guide the bus back in between the white lines-“

My heart monitor began to race, beeping a foreign tune. I was stressed out and frightened. What had I done? When I was trying to save everyone, I KILLED them?

I began to sob. “Where are the other kids? Where is Ace?”

“Anna-” Officer Avis began. “May I call you Anna?”

“Yes,”

“Well, Anna, the point of the matter is that when the bus was about to enter the roadway, the two rear wheels lost traction from the road which made it tumble down Ocean’s Ravine. The Blue Bird flipped off of a cliff at more than 70 mph, flipping well over 3 times into bulletproof sycamore and oak trees. Miraculously, none of your classmates died. However, some are in intensive care due to the severity of the injuries.”

“Everyone is alive?” I gasped, as a paper-thin smile lined my face.

Officer Avis nodded, a bit calmer after he broke the news. He then went on to ask me what happened prior to the collision.

“I was sitting in my seat, like I usually do. But, the strange part was that I sat in the seat adjacent to Ace as he was driving that morning. Usually I do that in the afternoon when I’m more comfortable and awake.”

His face grew interested, while his body slowly leaned forward as he listened attentively.

“I greeted him and he responded, but Ace was pale and his eyes were dull. Not even fifteen minutes later, he collapsed on the steering wheel. I was a bit familiar with buses, but how would I know how to drive one? We were about to crash head-on into an oil truck, so I spun the wheel to the right. All I saw was the bus swerve and then everything went black. Now, I’m here and I feel like…like I failed them.”

“Why?” Officer Avis instigated. “You saved their lives, Anna. How could you say that?”

“I hurt them…my friends…my asshole neighbors…and even Ace… If my reactions didn’t resort back to an immature girl’s and I used some sense to steer, Bus 72 would still be en route and we would all be miserable at school.”

“So, you’re saying that an untimely, but painless death would’ve been better than eight months of intensive rehab?”

“I’m saying if NONE of this happened, we’d be better off!” I harshly shouted at him with tears almost sneaking out of my eyes.
ā€œWeā€™ll talk more about this later,ā€ he scowled. ā€œYou rest easy.ā€

After ten seconds of awkward silence, a nurse walked in with a clipboard full of my charts. She wore the standard pink scrub pants and a themed Halloween medical top. When the frail woman saw a police officer sitting across from me, she grew a bit tense.

“Your vital signs and breathing are stabilizing,” The nurse reassured with a smile. “But, when you all took a tumble, you and Ace got some of the worst of it. You may not feel it now, but you’re bruised up. Your right arm is completely shattered. The right foot is fractured with chipped bone from your shin. Because you threw yourself to the left during collision, your right half of your body was exposed to the trees that penetrated both the driver’s pit and the passenger part of the bus.”

“Where is Ace? Let me see him, please!” I ignored with tears coming to my already swollen eyes.

“He’s being wheeled here now. I figured Ace would want to see his hero after all that had happened.” She smirked then walked out of the room to the nurseā€™s station along with Officer Stavros.

Hero? What was she talking about? I unknowingly crashed a bus full of high school students down 400 feet into one of the stateā€™s largest ravines. What part of that was heroic?

Chapter 3: The Shocking

After forty-five minutes of distressing flashbacks as I struggled to sleep, I was frantically shaken awake. Gazing upward, it was the nurse. Her name was Carla, I later found out. Carla was shoving the food cart with my dinner on top of it. The plate held barbecue chicken breasts, a half-cup of rice, and a pile of spring mixed greens with a vinaigrette mix. My mother prepped food for my special diets after she discovered my fate.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Carla giggled, trying to sit me up. “You have a guest too.”

My hospital room was a double bed room, which meant another patient could bed in the same room as me. When I turned to the second bed next to the door, my mouth dropped. A gasp was hastily caught in my throat as my heart strings began to tug excitedly. There in the other bed lay the sleeping man who I rescued.

I didn’t understand why I felt so attached, so insecure being without him. When I caught my first glimpse of him, I wanted to jump out of my bed and into his, to cry in his arms…but why? Pushing myself onto my left side, I began to sob out of relief. The weight of sorrow and desperate yearning was lifted off of my broken and sore shoulders.

“C’mon,” I had forgotten Carla was still in the room. She was continuing to bother me about eating my meal. “Eat now, Ace will wake up soon. Don’t worry, sweetie.”

Worry? He’s mine, you dumbbell. I will worry.

I gave her a sour look and she responded with sticking her tongue out then leaving the room. I pulled the food cart over my bed so I could easily pick at my food. Before commencing, I peered back over to Ace’s body. His face was covered with deep gashes and cuts. The rest of him was buried underneath the heavy baby blue sterile blankets, hindering me from spotting other damages.

Resisting the urge to vomit, I turned myself back to my delicious-looking plate of chicken. I began to probe the moist, juicy chicken breast with my plastic fork.

“You want to share some of that with me?”

My eyes grew wide out of nervousness and fear. That voice was easily recognizable. It was Ace! My heart monitor let out a loud scream due to my increased heart rate. Higher and higher, the machine squealed out to the world as my heart raced.

“You’re awake!” I exclaimed, as excitement overtook me.

Ace wore his large, genuine smile as his eyes brightened. However, his voice was raspy and sickly. As he gave a cackled laugh, Ace’s stomach rose up and down underneath the blanket. I went to rise up and run over to his bedside, but he corrected me before I could even budge. He must’ve seen the excitement in my semi-dilated pupils first.

“With all of those tubes in you, don’t even try to come over here. Man, your heart is going crazy! You must’ve really missed me!” Ace laughed, starting to tease.

I blushed, causing my entire face to turn a flushed pink. I truly did miss him. I yearned for Ace’s smile, his voice, his laugh, and even our bus. Losing him would’ve been a bullet to the head.

“I did,” I confessed. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m alive for sure,” Ace tried with a small smile. “But, the pain is rushing in like a flood. My ribs are navy blue and I can’t really shift my left arm.”

“Plus, your face looks like a samurai got to you too…”

“I’m just glad you’re okay, Anna,” Ace choked. Tears began to stream down his face. “I remember before the accident, you asked me if I was okay. I didn’t want to worry you, but I risked not only your life, but 22 other kidsā€™…I..I…”

I shook my head at him, sharing his tears as well.

“Ace,” I whispered, in a surprisingly eerie tone. “It’s over now. It was not your fault. How would you have known that you would’ve lost consciousness at the wheel?”

At that moment, Carla strolled back in with our charts. She saw our tears, which added to the rather puzzled look on her face. Behind her came a male nurse who was wheeling in another dinner plate full of food for Ace, I assumed.

“If I could move your heart monitors,” Carla asked, quizzically. “Would you want me to push your beds together?”

My heart monitor began to wail at those words. That was a dumb question. All I ever wanted was to be closer to him. The bus always hindered us from actually speaking face-to-face and it was irritating. With the help of the bald and tanned male nurse, they successfully slid us together. Within seconds, the waves of warmth exuding from Ace’s body washed over mine. As my eyes sheepishly traveled down his body, his laugh could be heard in the background which snapped my attention back to Carla.

“Okay!” Carla’s stridency cut him off. “This is against protocol to push beds together, especially in intensive care. I am laying out some rules to help keep you safe and ME with a job. One, no ‘hokey pokey!’ You both are attached to every machine possible and a lot of your limbs are broken, so don’t even try it! Last thing I need to see is you two trying to go at it… Two, you MUST have the bed rails up while youā€™re sleeping. It would be RIDICULOUSLY irresponsible of me if I allowed you both to free-sleep with IVs and your ribs all wrapped up. You all can be together in the day when you can be monitored and making logical decisions. And lastly, keep an eye out for each other. Anna, you’ve already demonstrated a healthy and kind of aroused change in heart rate. Due to sexual arousal and nervousness, your heart rate increased. Ace, you will know whether she needs help or not. Anna, you do the same. Do you all need anything else for the night or have any questions?”

“Yeah,” Ace struggled to raise his right index finger. “When does physical therapy start?”

Carla took a strange pause to think about it.

“Sometime soon, I hope, Ace.” Carla whispered almost with a sob.

With that inspiring note, Carla motioned to the male nurse and they disappeared into the bright tiled hallway, shutting the obnoxiously large door behind them. Only our room’s emergency light was on, but we could still recognize each otherā€™s face. I giggled to myself as Ace’s eyes twinkled while he looked around. While I gazed at the stars that burned outside of our window, there was sudden heat on my left hand.

Gently, the energy began to slowly stroke each of my fingers. Glancing down, it was Ace who held me. A smile was on his handsome Greek face. His face was strong and a shimmering bronze. Ace’s eyes were a mixture of a light grey and fluorescent emerald: combination of a stare that can melt your heart or take a gander at your soul. For an older gentleman, his noble Greek bloodline was probably hindering the aging process and reviving his youthful temple we call a body.

“You know,” he stammered. “We can’t get through this on our own. I need you to keep me sane in here.”

“I can’t believe she thought you and I were going to have sex here!” I laughed, gripping his hand back.

“Why? What’s wrong with that?” He asked in a candid tone.

Guilt suddenly captivated me as I realized I just insulted him accidentally.

“Have you seen my heart rates around you? If I wasn’t hooked up to this crap, I would be over there! The fact is that we can’t move and if we were to try that, we’d hurt ourselves more. Plus, you would agree that ICU is very unromantic and a turnoff.”

Ace was so masculine and sexy when he put on his serious front. He should know that I would’ve attacked him given any chance.

“I know, I know,” Ace smirked, massaging my hand with his soft, eager fingers. “I’m probably making you frustrated right now. That is my intention.”

“Down, boy,” I sassed, rolling my eyes. “We’re going to be in here for months and we’ll get no treats or even tossed a simple, pleasurable bone.”

“And what makes you so sure?”

“You think one day we’ll both be healed in here and you’ll whisk me onto your lap with such passion and we’ll do it right there?”

“Isn’t that what you want?”

I paused, biting my lip. The way my heart monitor raced every time he spoke showed me that I wanted something. I imagined us together in my mind. I was mounted on top of Ace as he thrusted into me with the force of a frustrated stallion. My hips were bucking into his which buried him inside of me. My eyes were clenched shut, but a confident grin was plastered on my dirty, immoral face as we kept going. I could feel myself getting wet as the monitor screamed off to the world for a third time.

“I take that as a yes,” Ace laughed, winking at me. “I feel like if I keep talking to you, your heart’s gonna give out.”

“I could honestly imagine that,” I sighed, relishing in my hormonal thoughts. “Which do you prefer: rough or gentle lovemaking?”

“Depends on the situation. What do you like?”

“I wouldn’t know…” I blushed. “I assume gentle, taking it a little slow in the beginning. Then when I get used to it, I guess we could go a little harder?” Was that a question aloud?

Ace noticed I was getting a bit bashful, so he quickly changed the subject. The clock on the wall read 11:34 PM as the lights from the parking lot four floors below shined through our window. He asked me about what I would do when I was discharged. I shrugged and said I would go back to school. The thought of all the work I’d miss made me grimace and my stomach sour.

Somehow, with Ace lying by my side, my body felt secure and whole. I reached out and took his warm, aged hands into mine. Recovery with all of these injuries was going to take a huge chunk of time. It was already October, so my new year may be still in the Shore Regional Hospital after all. However, I knew that with Ace there, we’d both make it through.

“You may get out of here before I do,” Ace pointed out.

“Why do you say that?” I instigated with a sharp tone of surprise.

“Think about it. You’re 17 and can snap back into place after a few weeks. I’m 30 years older than you and I can’t even keep my back in one place!”

We burst out in strong, hearty laughter. That was the first time I heard his bold laugh in two days and reassured me that the days will go by correctly. Ace’s sense of humor was gradually blossoming as it had remained dormant since the accident. At least we’d be out soon, God willing.

Chapter 4: New Vision

The month was March of 2013 when I finally made it back to school. This was my first week back and Tuesday the 7th was my birthday. I had been eighteen years old for almost 6 hours and it was surprisingly empowering. My ribs healed up well, but my right arm was still weak. Having no rigorous exercise for almost half a year starts to mess with your muscles.

I hadn’t seen Ace since New Yearā€™s Eve when he and I were both in the hospital. It was January 3rd when I was released and sent for at home therapy. The night before was filled with vomiting and crying out of nervousness and deliberate heartache. I remember being curled up in Ace’s lap and crying into his chest as he rubbed my back and clenched onto me. I couldn’t leave my mate in the intensive ward without comforting him or being in his presence. What if he didn’t return to his job after being discharged? What if something went wrong?

My intension was not to leave him, but leave with him. After I left, I pled with my mother to visit him. She refused to let me, saying that he was abusing me with his power. Who cares about what she thought? Ace was mine and he loved me. It did seem as if Ace was “using his power to manipulate me for sex and other acts,” however, that was untrue. Sadly, school resumed and I was swept away by the tides of work.

Now, the school-day was over and I was scrambling to get onto my bus. Because of the lack of funds, the transportation department decided to add on our route to another bus’s route instead of replacing it. The new bus driver was an animal, driving so sporadically on the roads. Plus, he was so snobby and condescending whenever I attempted to talk to him. “You’re a distraction when you’re asking me personal questions while driving,” he’d snarl.

As I walked through the C-Wing doors of my high school, the buses lined up in the school’s bus driveway adjacent to the teacher’s lot in the front of the school. As I waited for mine to pull up, I noticed a Blue Bird parked in the middle of the teacher’s lot. Being nosy, I furtively jogged through the grass and off the path to the parking spot. Finally, when I arrived at the bus, I noticed the school bus yellow was exceptionally bright and vibrant while the bus’s grill was glistening in the afternoon sun. This bus was new, I recognized as I did a few walking laps around it. Gently, I cupped my hands around my eyes to look into the doors.

“Looking for someone?” A familiar voice chuckled.

I spun around quickly. My throat went dry as a sob caught me by surprise.

“Ace…” I whimpered, feeling my heart skip a beat. “Oh my God!”

Ace swooped his arms around me and lifted me into the air. I laughed and smiled as his eyes glowed from excitement. When he brought me back down to the asphalt, I tightened my grip in our hug.

“I missed you so much, Anna,” Ace sighed, his voice sounding stronger than ever.

“Me too!” I whimpered, nuzzling with him. “So is this your new trusty steed?”

Eventually letting go of my body, Ace walked over to the bus and patted the hood. He donned his new bright green safety vest over his purple plaid button-down shirt. Same as the last, his vest had the bold black letters “ACE” embroidered on the left chest panel. As we stood in the sun, he shielded his beautiful hazel green eyes with dark black studded sunglasses.

“Yes, ma’am,” He stated proudly. “This was a special gift from the district for our strategic action. Itā€™s a new Vision built completely stronger and more efficient for me and the passengers. You want to see inside?”

“I’d love to!” I cheered.

Out of his vest pocket, Ace whipped out a tiny golden bolt on a key ring. He pushed it into the keyhole on the door and turned it to the right. After opening the doors, Ace allowed me to walk up the steps first. I was amazed at what I’d seen.

“Wow!” I gasped, marveling at the new improvements. “This bus is beautiful!”

The windows were tinted to a sharp black and the seats were a darker brown. You could tell no one walked in the aisle or sat in the seats. Everything remained untouched except the driver’s pit. The driver’s seat was built literally into the bus and the steering wheel was elevated. There was a fan and two heat cells built into the pit for the driver to stay comfortable. Above the dashboard was a newly installed camera, a first aid kit, a Zonar system, and a novelty license plate that read “Mr. Ace” in huge bold letters.

“You need a lift back home?” Ace asked, looking out at the parking lot. “It looks like all of the buses are leaving now.”

From the bus windows, I watched as all of the buses roared down the road after the 2500 kids piled into them. It was 2:20 PM and I wanted to get home a bit early so I could complete my homework in a timely fashion.

“Okay,” I agreed, shaking my backpack off into the seat. “Plus, we can talk on the way.”

With one swift motion, Ace slid into the driver’s seat, exchanging the door key with the ignition key on the same ring. It seemed as if he healed up pretty well, but questions were about to start rolling. Sliding the key into the ignition, the new bus quivered with anticipation as the engine snarled as if it missed the streets. We slowly pulled out of the school’s parking lot as a few teachers were trying to exit. As we made a right onto Francis Avenue, Ace began to speak.

“So, how’s freedom treating you?” he laughed sarcastically.

“Pretty well,” I smirked at him through the driver’s mirror. “My arm and leg are still shaky in that regard.”

“Yeah, my right leg still didn’t fully recover. May take a year for it to be done.”

“But other than that, how have you been?”

“Well, I was released three weeks ago, but the district wanted me to rest up before I returned to work. Plus, the investigation was still going on and I had to get cleared before my CDL was given back to me. They thought medicine or alcohol was involved. The tests aren’t giving them anything, and quite frankly, I don’t understand what happened either. I’m just blessed that you and the other students lived to tell the tale.”

I smiled up at him. Did he know I took control of the bus? Had anyone told him my body shielded him from additional impact? Does it truly matter? Questions lingered in my mind as I struggled to respond.

“That accident took more than ten years off of my life, if I could say so myself. Were there any pictures of it from the police? Officer Stavros mentioned something about ‘grotesque shredded trees?'”

“Yes, actually,” Ace replied, still watching the road. “They should be in the pocket behind my seat or in my backpack behind there.”

Within 10 seconds of strenuous riffling around, I found a dark navy blue folder with the Lakewood Township Police Department symbol imprinted on the front cover. Flipping opened, my mouth dropped in awe. In the first picture, the old Blue Bird was deeply ensconced in a ravine 400 feet below the road. It was completely unrecognizable to be a school bus or any vehicle for that matter.

I flipped through the others, horrified by the images. The entire nose of the bus was ripped off by the sycamore trees in its path. While going 85 miles an hour, we flipped more than 4 times while hitting into dozens of impenetrable century year old trees. The floor was pushed in deep by the forceful landing. That had pushed my ankle bone underneath my shin so hard that the shinbone had chipped. I winced as the image soaked into my mind. The left wheel had also landed inward and came through the pedal deck where your feet go. This caused Ace’s torn muscles in his left leg as he was caught in between them.

The last picture haunted my conscience the most. On the last page was a picture of my unconscious body draped over Ace’s in the driver seat. We were both soaked in blood and covered with gashes and open wounds. Ace looked like he was dead as his head was twisted against the window. I must’ve clutched into him as we were falling, because my head was shoved into his body. My eyes appeared glassy, as if I was dead on site.

Shaking off the creepy feeling, I slammed the folder shut. After a minute, we came to a gentle halt in my driveway. I slid the folder back into the seat pocket and grabbed my stuff. Glancing at my garage door, I knew my mother wasn’t home and I would be alone. She wouldn’t be back until she got off of work around midnight.

“You want to come inside?” I motioned with my hand.

“Oh,” Ace shook his head. “No, no, no! We’d get into deep trouble!”

“C’mon! Today is my birthday and I want my long overdue present…”

Our eyes met. His were filled with scorn and apprehensiveness while mine were filled with guilty intentions. Shutting off the ignition, the new bus whirred until the engine quieted. Hurrying him, I rushed to my front door and rustled with the key.

Chapter 5: All of Those Lines, Lines, Lines

As I guided Ace into my bedroom, he continued our conversation. He sat down on my bed while I offered him water or anything. After he politely denied me of my offer, Ace patted a spot next to him which signaled me to sit.

“Anna,” Ace started. “Do you know what happened in that accident?”

“Um,” I swallowed. “You collapsed at the wheel and…yeah…”

“Before that.” His eyes were fierce and blazing authority. It was time to tell the truth.

I didn’t respond aloud, only with the lowering of my head and sudden guilty look splashing my face.

“Mi sol,” Ace reached out and took both of my hands in his. “You saved my life. When you saw me go down, you tried to protect all of us. If you weren’t sitting there, I don’t think either of us would be sitting here these months later. Why would you keep that from me? Why must I hear that from a police officer?”

“I didn’t want you to feel pressure into owing me or thanking me. You already found out I was sexually addicted to you, so it would’ve made everything more awkward.”

“Chica,” he coaxed, brushing my long silky brown hair out of my face. “You’re my angel and you shielded me. Before the accident, I had taken a liking to you, but I didn’t know you’d return the feelings.”

“But, Ace, I lo-“

A long, deep kiss interrupted my response. He pressed his lips eagerly against mine as I let out a moan of acceptance. His warm tongue raveled itself around mine and I became so much closer to him. When he finally pulled away, I began to heave as I was overwhelmed with emotions.

“I love you too,” Ace giggled while finishing my sentence.

“Now what do you want to do?” I blushed, praying for the correct answer.

“Well, it is your birthday and I do have a present to give you…”

My loins were burning up. I couldn’t stand waiting any longer. Forcefully, I pushed Ace down onto the bed as I straddled him. I yanked at the buttons of his shirt as he laughed. Getting irritated, I ripped the shirt off as the buttons clacked onto the birch floor. His chest was lined with curly black hair which didn’t bother me too much.

His demeanor shifted when he witnessed my shirt ripping and strength. He seemed a bit intimidated to say the least.

“You won’t need these any time soon,” I teased while savagely unbuckling his blue jeans.

He kicked his feet out of them when they slid to his ankles. I grabbed at his underwear and was quite flabbergasted at what shot out from underneath.

“Whoa…” I gasped in an almost silent tone.

“What?” Ace asked, panting from excitement. “You never saw one of those before?”

I shook my head. “Only in porn and in health class. I was surprised to see how big you are…”

He looked to be eight inches, but his thickness was ridiculous! Thick black curly hair lined his loins which turned me on even more. Hair stimulated that barbarian part of my sex drive. Ace was as thick as a soda can, which made my hormones rush more.

Gently, I wrapped my right hand around Ace. His pubic mane was so soft and ticklish against my skin. I pushed him into my mouth after I worked up the nerve. Faster and faster, I bobbed up and down on his large pink head. Ace was groaning underneath me from pleasure. His balls were swollen from excitement as I gave them rough squeezes. Peering up at Ace, his eyes were shut and one hand was on his stomach while the other was on top of my head.

He began to hump into my mouth and down my throat to intensify the moment. Startled at that motion, I started to gag and heave for air. Ace’s eyes flashed opened at the sound of my discomfort. He pulled himself out and lifted me to my feet.

“What happened?” He asked, trying to regain himself. “Are you okay?”

“You almost poked a hole in my throat!” I confessed. “But, I’m fine.”

“I think it’s my turn now,” Ace claimed, pushing me down onto the bed.

With such care and passion, Ace slipped me out of my clothes as his applied a warm, gentle kiss onto each part where clothes had disappeared. He began to caress my breasts, which weren’t excessively big. Ace kissed my swollen areoles until they burned from sheer arousal. I shut my eyes and laid my head back. My skin tightened as Ace kissed my stomach then he went lower to the top of my innocent moist love canal.

Suddenly, I jolted as something slimy began to enter me. Tension built up inside of my stomach while Ace lapped at my clit and tightening folds.

“Don’t be nervous,” he reassured. “I just want to make sure youā€™re ready to take your present with no worries.”

He lowered his head back down. As his rough tongue found its way into me, my body was writhing on top of him. I let out small forceful moans which encouraged him to keep going. He swirled around my clit which pushed me over the edge.

“I’m gonna cum soon…” I trembled out loud.

At that moment, I began to grind myself against Ace’s mouth. He gently pushed his right index finger in, but my virgin walls restricted him from entering too deep. The heat was growing and his trailing finger made me submit to him. He started pushing the finger back and forth to stimulate my glands.

“I’m cumming!” I shouted on the top of my lungs.

With an exhausted sigh, I collapsed onto my back while my juices soaked his finger. Over and over again, the waves of orgasms tore through my body like an unknown force. Ace pushed himself in between my legs and began to stroke himself while waiting for my consent for entry.

“You have the aura of a fierce angel, mi sol,” Ace complimented. “Thinking about you straddling me is still enraging my loins.”

I wanted missionary position to start, mainly because, I didn’t want to chicken out or hurt myself. Plus, I would enjoy watching Ace primitively announce his release to people within a five mile radius.

“Guide me into your body when you’re ready.”

I was dripping wet and couldn’t wait any longer. Quickly, I reached out and began to stroke him hard again. Then, with one fatal motion, Ace shoved himself inside. Before I could take a breath and cry out in pain, he pushed his stomach downward onto mine to hold me in place.

“Ssshh…” Ace coaxed, halting his thrusts. “Are you alright?”

I let out a suffocated groan. My tissues were being torn in half at that moment. However, I bit my lip and forced myself to speak.

“Yes…” I hastily nodded my head. “Keep going. I have to get used it.”

“I’ll try to be gentle,” Ace whispered, nibbling on my neck. “Trust me, sol, I’ll make you feel like a woman.”

I raised my eyes to meet his warm gaze. Those green eyes were oozing with a violent passion that captivated my heart. Ace eagerly bucked into me once again. The searing pain died down gradually and pleasure was slowly growing in its place. Deeper, Ace pushed himself as the moist tip massaged my insides. He began to spoon himself deeper into me to force submission over my innocent childish body.

“Harder, Ace!” I moaned, gasping for oxygen.

After two more pumps, Ace pulled back and leaped off of the bed. Small drips of blood dribbled out of my newly used orifice. Ace’s manhood also donned evidence of our rough consummation. Before I could panic or spoil the mood, he took my hand to raise me up so he could take my place. While I stood with my shaky, gelatin legs, Ace spread himself out stomach-up on my bed.

“Now,” Ace grinned. “You finally get to go for a ride.”

Waiting for me, Ace grabbed his weapon and stroked up and down. He was still hard and swollen, surprisingly. Now my fantasy was going to come true on my birthday with my true love.

“Ready?” I smirked, dripping from excitement.

“Always for you, mi sol,” Ace beamed, holding his stiff self upward.

Within seconds, my tall, slender body was straddling his large manhood. I craned my neck downward to take him by the tongue. Our lips connected as I mounted him. Reaching underneath me, I gruffly shoved Ace inside of me. Slowly, I pushed myself onto his spear until I was fully impaled. Ace let out an animalistic growl as my moist labia touched his swollen balls.

In order to continue my stride, I placed my two hands upon his hairy chest and held on as I quickened my pace. The sensation was hot and filling. Our flesh finally became one and it was heavenly. Ace began to shift his hips to match my thrusts. Bobbing up and down, I let out a long, sex crazed moan while I threw my head back and bared my neck.

“Ooo,” Ace grunted. “You look so sexy when you play with your hair like that. Ride me harder!”

Ace raised his upper body off of the bed to support and encourage my wild carnal thrusting. Wanting to speed up the process, Ace eyed my button-like clit. He massaged it with his right thumb which made my toes curl. A sudden burst of ecstasy overwhelmed my love tunnel as I continued to splash my juices onto his pounding cock.

“Oh yes!” I started to howl, as the slimy sensation built up inside of my loins. “Yes, Ace! Make me yours! Ā”Yo soy su sol!”

Ace held his breath and bucked more savagely. In his loins, he could sense tightness inside him. My tight muscles were massaging his cock and driving him insane. He knew he was going to blow within minutes. My lusty barking was pushing him over the edge. His mouth turned into an enormous O as I twisted my hips around his flesh.

“Pull out! I want you to fuck me from behind!” I commanded.

“Woah!” Ace laughed hysterically while struggling to stand. “I’ve never heard such obscenities come from you before!”

“Just fill me up!”

I hopped onto my bed, bent over on all fours, spread my legs, and spanked my butt to encourage him to finish the deed. Responding fluidly, Ace trailed behind me and slipped in between my soaked pussy lips, without much effort or force needed. He achieved a strong grip on my rear to continue slamming into me. The sensation intensified now that Ace was rubbing against my g-spot, forcing more liquids to spew. My nails etched deep prints into the mattress as I barbarically snarled at my lover.

“I’m cumming, Ace!” I yelped out helplessly underneath him.

Other than the obnoxious echoing of my heartbeat, Ace let out a high pitched cry. A warm slimy wave in my stomach followed suit. My arms went paralyzed while my lower body writhed. He continued to dip into my pussy as my tight virgin muscles milked his cock for all it was worth. For what seemed like an eternity, Ace was gushing deep inside of my loins. The warmth ran throughout my womb as I laid there, calm and still.

“I love you,” Ace managed, wiping the sudden tears off of my blushed face. “Do not cry, mi sol. You are mine now and I am yours. We will make love like this every night.”

I was sobbing from the sudden burst of emotions. To sustain the fading orgasm, I humped backwards onto Ace’s shaft until I was physically spent. As I flopped onto the sweat-soaked mattress, Ace collapsed on top of my back. While I lay there, muscles contracted as Ace’s seed dribbled out of my stretched love canal.

“I love you too,” I sighed. “Eres mi luna, Āæno? (You are my moon, right?)”

“SĆ­,” Ace agreed with a calming smile. “Soy tu luna y tu amor por mucho tiempo. (Yes, I am your moon and your love forever.)”

For the rest of that evening, Ace and I cuddled together in my full-sized bed, still naked. We both fell asleep at 11 PM after having two more rounds of calmer and quieter sex. While Ace was about to shut his eye in the dark, he overheard the sound of a key twisting the tumbler of the front door to the house.

There we were: spread out on my bed and naked. The house was basked in the heavy, murky scent of passionate sex and there was a Blue Bird school bus parked in the driveway. Ace let go of my hips and began to shake me awake. However, he was too late.

“Anna! What the fuck is a school bus doing in our driveway?!” An enraged feminine voice shouted.

I awoke to the shout and panicked. It was my belligerent and narrow minded mother. She was home early…Ace stared at me with an expression only laced with fear. Frantically, I didn’t know what to do other than throw him onto the other side of the bed.

As Ace went to stand up, my bedroom door flew opened. Ace and I froze, like deer in headlights as my mother stared at us with her light brown eyes searing with fury. There was silence which also added to the tension in the room. As I threw the comforter across my legs, I managed to break the silence.

“Well, you only love once,” I choked, fearful and extremely submissive.

Both Ace and my mom gave me a cold, sharp stare that made me sulk back underneath the covers. Oh, if looks could kill! My mother’s lip cringed as obscenities were about the pour out. Somehow I felt Ace and I would survive this set back, then again, you only live once. šŸ˜‰

“You Only Learn Twice” coming for 2013!
Comments and critiques needed!