Lust Next Door - S01 E49

Story 4 months ago

Lust Next Door - S01 E49

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 49

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Serena felt physically sick the next couple of days, but as Wednesday rolled around and her cold symptoms wore off. The wave of perpetual nausea she felt from discovering her unintentional role in Connor's life never faded. Her role as Skylyn.

She was faced with the reality of her alternate persona. Faced with the fact her words, her book, changed people. That she somehow altered someone's life so drastically that it kept them alive. To make matters worse that someone was the man she was in love with, and he had no idea it was really her.

The weight of that pressed down on her so violently, and to add to it she had been lying about it too. Actively lying. Still the idea of telling him, especially now, seemed off the table.

She could nearly see his crushed face finding out that his hero, his savior, was just her.

How would a confession like that change things between them too?

As Serena saw it, she had two pivotal options. Tell him, and risk blowing everything up. Her love, her secrecy, her integrity. Or keep quiet, and keep things how they were now the same. And right now things were good, so good.

Monday was a dream, regardless of the drama around it she was happy to know more about Connor. She liked holding a golden kernel of his pain, she liked that he allowed her to know and guard a vulnerable part of him.

She pushed her unsavory thoughts away and focused on the good of the situation, and she chose to keep quiet about it.

Telling him would do nothing but harm.

Connor was busy Tuesday with a game, that they won, Serena was bedridden so she opted to watch the game from the comfort of her sofa. She had to admit she liked them in person much better. Nothing beats seeing Connor right there in front of you, sweaty, in his uniform, and with that stupid smirk in high definition.

Serena moved about her house cleaned up the mess she made from being sick and finished some writing she was behind on. She finished all her tasks fairly early when she finally sat down on her couch. Mayo purred as he jumped up onto her lap and Serena smiled petting him gently.

Glancing at the time, She realized that Connor would be getting out of his practice soon and that's when an impulsive idea popped into her head.

"Should I surprise Connor at practice, Mayo?" Serena scratched under the cat's chin as she asked him the question.

In response Mayo just meowed, which didn't actually mean anything other than a meow, but Serena took it as a yes.

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When Serena arrived at the stadium she was wearing a pair of black leggings and a large chunky knit sweater, today was proving to be a cooler day. The clouds covered every inch of blue in the sky and had a dark tint to them, she figured it would rain in an hour or two so she also brought her umbrella with her.

It took her a minute to navigate her way into the skating rink and over to the ice, but when she got there it looked like the team was just finishing up.

Liam spotted her before she saw him, she felt a heavy gaze on her, and when she searched for them she saw him skating along the opposite side of the rink towards the exit. Once their gazes connected he looked dead ahead of him and stepped off the ice.

"Shortcake?"

That velvet rasp of Connor's voice pulled her attention to the right, he was skating over to her wearing the biggest grin and holding his stick in both his hands, he stopped in front of her and leaned over the short railing. Now he was smirking, "God, I love my cheerleaders."

Serena rolled her eyes a light laugh leaving her lips, "Get over yourself, I knew I shouldn't have come."

"Don't be like that," He leaned closer letting his gaze drop to her lips, "You know you love me."

Yes, I do. She thought but the words didn't even dare come close to her lips.

Serena just rolled her eyes and pushed him softly, his skates making him glide a few inches away, "Are you still practicing? I don't wanna interrupt I know you're already in hot water with your coach."

"Don't worry about him, Coach Stetson is always mad at me. But yeah, we are finishing up now. Stay right there, I'm gonna change quickly and meet you out here."

Serena nodded and Connor left, she watched as he glided across the ice and met back up with his teammates. The thoughts from before came clattering back to her at that moment, like the dark clouds outside this one seemed settled over her.

She couldn't shake the steady beat of anxiety every time she thought of Connor's words, his struggles. Whether she liked it or not she was unintentionally even more tangled up in his life than she thought. She felt selfish for keeping Skylyn's identity from him.

She walked over and sat down on a row of benches surrounding the rink, she folded her hands in her lap and loose a heavy sigh.

Regardless of how she felt, telling him was off the table. Telling him meant too many strands in her intricately crafted spider web would snap. A spider web she has spent years making to keep herself safe.

She looked up and saw Connor walking towards her, his hair wet as if he had just washed it was dripping down his neck. He wore some jeans and a T-shirt and that heart-throbbing smile she could never shake from her mind.

She saw the very fly that would snag her web and instead of getting caught, destroy the whole thing.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, how'd you get here? I wanted to take you home." He said standing in front of her.

Serena stood up too, "Yeah me too, and that would be nice I took a taxi." They both held each other's eye contact, making her heart beat fast. "I saw that you got the windows for the greenhouse by the way. It shouldn't be too much longer till we finish that."

"Yeah I meant to tell you when I was there Monday but I completely forgot, I was so busy taking care of you."

Serena whacked his shoulder and blushed, "I'll remember that when you're sick, asshole."

A smirk spread across Connor's lips, "So feisty." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. No one spoke it, but the small actions they took to touch the other conveyed how much they longed for each other.

Serena kissed him back, finding his hand to wrap the edges of her fingers around his.

When Connor leaned back she was surprised to see a rather disappointed expression molding them, "I actually have some...annoying news."

Serena raised her eyebrow, "What is it?"

"I'm going to be in New York for my next two games, MSG Stadium." Serena could feel her face immediately fall as he spoke those strained words, "I'll be gone only until Monday, I swear you'll blink and I'll be back."

Serena searched his eyes for a moment, and she saw the same sadness reflected back in his brown hues that she felt in her own. She willed herself to pull it together though, if she got too upset she'd look like a complete fool.

She pulled her fingers into a tight fist and forced a small smile, "I won't let the flowers die around the greenhouse, and I'll tell Frank not to send an angry mob after you for missing the meeting."

A slow smile spread across Connor's lips, "I don't care what they say about you shortcake, you're not too bad."

This made Serena laugh and jab an elbow into his side as he pulled her into a tight hug. She took a deep breath of him and closed her eyes, wrapping her small around his torso.

She could've stayed like that forever, "When do you leave?"

Connor sighed and leaned back, "Tonight, unfortunately."

So soon. Serena thought with a frown.

"Have a safe flight, you are flying right?"

Before he could respond Serena's phone in his pocket buzzed to life, "One second." She said pulling it out of her pocket and seeing Melody's name on the screen.

"Go ahead and take that, I'll be out by the car." Connor rubbed his hand down her arm and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

She smiled after him and nodded, walking a bit of way away to a secluded hallway.

"Hey Mel, what's up," Serena spoke into her phone.

The older woman's voice chirped up through the speaker, "Well if it isn't my favorite author. I was just calling to check up on you, I trust that cold has gone away?"

"Yes, I feel so much better."

"I'm sure having a hunky hockey player to look after you helped hm?"

Serena blushed and glared down at the ground, for a moment she almost asked how she knew but it was Melody, she knew everything.

"You are insufferable."

She laughed, "I'm teasing you but seriously, how have things been on that front since the last time I talked with you? I know you were kind of doubtful about it all."

Serena leaned her shoulder against the wall and sighed a bit wistfully, "Surprisingly it's been going great between us. I mean I don't know how to explain it, and Serena from a month ago would think I'm crazy for saying this, but we mesh so well. It's kind of scary, actually all of it is terrifying but he makes me...wanna try."

She could practically hear Mel's smile from across the phone, "That's great, I'm glad things are going well."

"Yeah, I mean I couldn't seem to exist without him intertwined in my life, so I've started to accept the idea of keeping him in it. I mean granted that's easier to say, but it comes with its own slew of problems and fears. Most of them are mine. I mean I don't even know if he wants me more than a fling, and recently there's been a huge moral issue that's presented itself." Serena nearly vomited thinking about it.

"Moral issue? Are you sleeping with another guy?"

"I'd prefer that actually, but no."

"What could be worse than that."

"Skylyn's book saved his life, i.e. my books saved his life."

The phone line went quiet for a minute before Melody's voice spoke up again, "Oh shit. That's heavy."

"Yeah really heavy, like three elephants on top of my chest heavy. And I've been lying to him, I'm still lying to him."

"Have you considered telling him the truth? The longer you draw it out the worse it will get."

Serena pinched between her eyebrows and took a deep breath, "Of course I have. But it's not really an option. Things have been good between us, imagine I come out now saying 'Hey by the way the whole time you've been opening up to me about this author you love so much I was actually the author the whole time!'"

"I mean...why not? If he really gets pissed and stops talking to you it's not the end of the world. I mean I recall you saying in the beginning of this you never really liked this guy."

Serena chewed at her lip, the words and feelings that had been festering and swirling all around her not bubbling at the edges of her lips, "I love him, Melody, I really really love him."

She heard the older woman take in a sharp breath, "Yeah...I can see you're dilemma now."

She shook her head, tears brimming the edges of her eyes. "He can never know I'm Sklylyn Voss not only because he'll get mad but because I'm terrified he'll start loving me for her and not for me, not for Serena. I'm nothing like the person I created, the person he idolizes and loves. He'll take one look at me, and be crushed I was who the author turned out to be."

"Oh, honey..." Melody just comforted, "I wish I were there right now to give you a hug. You'll figure it out, whatever happens, I know it'll pan out darling."

There were eight billion people in the world. Eight billion living and breathing people. Serena always found the dramatics of the universe to place certain people in specific places. She placed Connor, Skylyn's number one fan, next to Skylyn. And she placed her next to Connor, the first man she would love after being broken The probability of that was so slim it seemed purposeful.

The universe also placed Liam right around the corner in that same hallway as her, at the same time as Serena's call; recording the whole thing.

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