Choices & Decisions Ch. 01

"Think Court's going to stay over at my place tonight, but thanks so much," Ash said and again gave them kisses.

"Great meeting y'all," Courtney said, also kissing April and Sarah.

Now, what was all of that?" Sarah asked April, grabbing a handful of April's hair the moment the door was closed behind Ash and Courtney.

"Ow!" April protested, even though the insides of her legs were slick with her excitement.

"You taking a bath or a shower?" Ash asked once they were back in apartment Four C.

"Ooh, a bath, without my little brother needing to pee, or my Mom coming in; see we only got but the one bathroom," Courtney said.

"Tell you what, you go ahead, take you a nice bubble bath; you said your mom's wanting you home?" Ash asked, yanking the refrigerator door open. "I'll get lunch together; we'll cook it at your house, okay? Y'all do have like oil and eggs and mustard, right?"

Yeah, pretty sure we do," Courtney said, slightly embarrased; she had no idea what they had, beyond Lucky Charms cereal.

Ash told Courtney to take as long as she wanted and Courtney did take a leisurely bubble bath and slowly shaved legs and underarms, instead of having to rush because Trevor needed to use the bathroom, or worse yet, Doug, her little brother's best friend, needed the facilities.

She wrapped one towel around herself and another around her long red hair and went into Ash's bedroom.

"What are you...?" Courtney asked as Ash ironed her clothes.

"Ironing your clothes; you don't want to run around in wrinkled clothes, huh?" Ash said. "Sorry, I wasn't snooping or nothing, but I saw you didn't bring any lotion; you want to use mine?"

"Well, thanks," Courtney said and did avail herself of Ash's softly scented lotion.

"Here, I'll get your back; God I can never reach... Just... Right... There," Ash said and rubbed some lotion into Courtney's back.

"Hair dryer's right there," Ash said and gathered her own bath items. "Give me twenty, no make it thirty and I'll be ready to go."

Courtney wasn't snooping either, but Ash's closet door was open so she looked. Ash had several skirts and blouses, a few dresses as well, but only two pair of slacks that Courtney could see.

After the lotion dried, Courtney pulled her snug jeans on, then hooked her bra, and pulled on her top.

"Oh, I so love a good bath; don't you?" Ash asked.

"You uh, you don't own no jeans?" Courtney asked.

"I've got three pair," Ash admitted, then liberally lathered her hands with a different scent of lotion than the one Courtney had used and rubbed legs, belly, breasts, then crotch and hips. Again greasing her hands, she got her buttocks, arms, and shoulders.

"And I'll get..." Courtney said and got Ash's back.

"Ooh, wish you lived here!" Ash said.

"But, yeah, I got three pair," Ash said and yanked open a drawer and pulled out two.

One pair had strips of white lace running from cuff to waistband along the outside seam of each leg.

The other had little 'Heart' cut-outs here and there, including one where the left back pocket would be.

"And..." Ash said and pulled out a third pair.

These were regular blue jeans and Ash looked at them as she held them up.

"The snap broke on them and the zipper ripped wide open," she said somberly. "These are size sixteen and they bust open on me. That's when I decided I just couldn't live like that anymore."

Courtney gave the nude Ash a tight hug.

"But you look so great now," she praised.

"Thanks," Ash said, then lightly pushed Courtney away.

"And you know what?" Ash mused, looking in her closet.

She pulled out a red and white striped V-neck sweater, her new corset and white thong panties.

"I think I will wear jeans today; it's Saturday, right?" she smiled.

"Love corsets," she whispered to Courtney. "Don't have to wear a bra with them, let the girls bounce around a little."

When they got to the Vanderkin home, Helen was more than happy to let her daughter and her daughter's friend cook their lunch. Trevor and Trevor's friend, Doug, who had a bit of a crush on Courtney, made declarations that they would not eat anything that contained a long list of ingredients.

"Mustard?" Trevor complained. "On chicken?"

"Yuck; I'm not eating that," Doug complained.

"Okay, we won't put any on yours, okay?" Ash said easily as she dredged the chicken through the egg and mustard mix, then dusted each piece with her own mixture of corn and rice flour.

"How you know if the oil's hot enough?" Courtney asked after sliding the sweet potato French fries into the oven.

"Easy," Ash smiled, dipped a finger into the egg mustard mix and dripped a little into the pan.

It spattered lightly and the pan gave off a loud hiss.

Oil ready, she began cooking their meal.

"So how was it?" Ash asked Doug and Trevor after they finished eating.

"It was awesome!" Trevor said.

"Yeah, that was great!" Doug agreed.

"Wow, it was awesome and great even though it had mustard and mushrooms and artichoke and sardines and green beans and tomatoes and Brussel sprouts in it?" Ash asked, then laughed at the stunned expressions of the two boys.

"Ash!" Courtney giggled.

Helen smiled as the two boys complained bitterly about being duped while the girls went to Courtney's room to study.

After having met Ashley, and after having seen the two girls studying, Helen had no objection to Courtney spending the night at Ashley's apartment a second night.

"Oh, when's Clay getting back?" she asked casually as she fixed a frozen pizza for the two boys' dinner.

"Tomorrow night, about seven," Ash answered.

"Okay, you, young lady, yes you may spend tonight over there, but you need to be back here in time for Mass and then you need to park your butt either on that couch or in that room, studying," Helen said. "And no, you may not go back to Clay's apartment until at least Tuesday night, hear?"

"Yes ma'am," Courtney agreed sullenly.

Chapter 5

The girls entered the apartment, grateful for the warm air that was blowing from the vents.

"Global warming, my ass," Courtney shivered.

"Yeah, I mean, global warming? Then why'd those ships get stuck in the ice off Antarctica?" Ash agreed. "What they wouldn't tell you? It was the summer down there when them ships got frozen in."

"And one of them was an ice breaker," Courtney said.

Ash quickly made them a vegetarian dinner then whipped them up a dessert of Greek yogurt and pineapple, coconut shavings, oranges and cherries.

"Turn on the news," Ash ordered. "Clay would never forgive me if I don't at least know the final score."

The two girls hugged when the Performance 12 Weekend Update did tell them that the U.L.D. Storm managed to win on the arm strength of Arville Brodt, then they both changed into their sleep wear for the night. Ash had a short night shirt and matching panties and matching robe that barely reached mid-thigh and Courtney pulled on a long tee shirt.

Ash pulled up 'Beaches' on Command Performance, a free service of PC Nation, their cable provider.

"Clay would never let me watch this without at least making one comment about 'Name of the movie's Beaches but they don't show one hot babe in a bikini, do they?'" Ash smiled.

Ash poured them each a tumbler of white wine, club soda and lemon juice and the girls drank while watching the melodrama.

"Love that song," Courtney murmured as Bette Midler sang 'Wind Beneath My Wings.'

"Yeah," Ash yawned. "God, I'm a lightweight; two wine spritzers and I'm ready for bed."

"Then I'm a lightweight too," Courtney agreed after her own yawn.

Ash came to, with the need to urinate stronger than her need to sleep. Courtney was pressed tightly against her, left arm over her waist, hand cupping her crotch through the thin material of her panties.

Courtney murmured something when Ash wiggled free, but did not wake up.

Ashe used the facilities, then hurried back; there was a slight chill in the apartment. Clay had programmed their thermostat to cut the heat back while they slept. Ash had to agree with his logic. It kept the electric bill to a manageable level, and one could always simply pull on a heavier blanket. Her jostling to get back under the covers woke Courtney and Courtney scampered out of the bed and dashed to the bathroom. A few moments later, she was back again.

Again, the two girls went to sleep on opposite ends of the queen sized bed.

And, again, Ash woke up, Courtney's large breasts pushed against her back, Courtney's left arm over her, hand resting lightly on her breast. She could feel Courtney's breath as it blew on her bare shoulder and she shivered slightly.

Ash shivered, not from cold, but from the pleasant feelings coursing through her body.

"You're a snuggler, you know that?" Ash murmured.

"Huh?" Courtney moaned, then jerked awake, realizing what she was doing.

"Aw!" Ash complained when Courtney scrambled back to her side of the bed.

At six twelve Sunday morning, Ash again woke up with Courtney lying next to her. Courtney had her left hand on Ash's left thigh and her right hand underneath Ash's left breast. Ash looked at the girl's sleeping face and smiled.

Courtney again murmured a protest when Ash wiggled away, both arms extending slightly before pulling back and hugging herself.

Courtney awoke, the smells of coffee pervading her senses.

"Omelets," Ash announced when Courtney staggered into the kitchen.

"Oh my God; my momma's coffee don't taste like this," Courtney exclaimed.

"Grind my own," Ash said. It's just so much better when it's fresh, isn't it?"

After breakfast Courtney insisted she do the cleaning.

"We go to St. Richard's; where you go?" Courtney asked as Ash leisurely ironed her clothes for Mass.

"Usually we go to St. Thomas Aquinas, but today? I'll probably go to St. Philip's in Elgee," Ash said and carefully hung her skirt,

"Oh, well, bye," Courtney said, double checking that she had everything.

"Bye," Ash agreed, smiling.

Courtney kissed her on the lips, stepped BAC, looked into Ash's eyes for a moment, and then put her hand on Ash's hip. She then stepped forward and gave Ash a softer, lingering kiss on the lips.

"Bye," Courtney mumbled, then fled the bedroom.

Ash stood, frozen in surprise, then touched her lips softly with her fingertips. A moment later, Ash heard the front door click shut.

At seven that evening, Ash was among the parents, family members, and fans that were willing to brave the blustery wind as they waited for the U.L.D. Busses. With a loud cheer, they greeted the players and coaches.

Ash smiled happily when she spotted Clay, but soon lost the smile; he would not acknowledge her presence. Clay put away the equipment. Locked everything down, then got into the passenger seat of his car.

"Went shopping today; got you that lamb," Ash said.

He said nothing.

"I figured I'd make that stew you like, with the onions and bell peppers? I was able to get fresh parsley," she went on.

Still he said nothing.

"You hungry? I had some chicken noodle soup, plenty of carrots and peas and potatoes," she asked.

"Fed us on the bus," he said flatly.

"Oh, okay, oh! And don't worry, I already threw the chicken bones and wrapper away," she said.

Once home, he said nothing as he grabbed his duffel bag from the rear seat of the car. She followed him to the apartment and watched as he gathered his clothing from his hamper and left the apartment again, carrying his laundry bag and his detergent.

Then she realized, he didn't ask if she needed anything washed. Normally, she would gather the towels together, her pink terry cloth robe and the few other things she wore that could be machine washed. Everything else she wore either went to the dry cleaners, or she washed it by hand.

The silence in the apartment was overwhelming. Numbly, she went to her room and tried to do her homework for Monday's classes.

Two hours later, Clay returned. She heard him in his room, putting the clean clothes away. Each time he slid his closet open, he did so with a bang then he'd slide the door shut.

She got to shaky legs and walked to his bedroom door and knocked lightly. The drawer slamming and closet door slamming continued and she knocked a little harder.

Suddenly, he yanked the bedroom door open and glared at her.

"Clay, I'm..." she started to say, then faltered, staring at his angry face.

"This isn't going to work, Ashley," he snapped.

"What?" she asked.

"I mean, how much I pay?" he demanded.

"I don't know, um, I mean, we split everything..." she stammered.

"Comes out to almost six hundred a month and yet I don't get no privacy?" he demanded. "Huh? Can't leave my stuff here without worrying you're going to go through it?"

"It was," she stammered. "It was Hat Friday and Courtney didn't have..."

She realized how foolish her reasoning had been.

"Then Courtney should have asked, instead of you just coming in and 'oh, la de dah, let's see if Clay has a hat.' Or she can just go buy a stupid ass hat but it's my room. My room. Not yours," Clay said, then slammed the door of his bedroom shut in Ash's face.

Ash gasped and felt a tear begin to trickle down her cheek. It was very quickly joined by a second and third.

"Clay, I..." she said, then began to sob, standing outside his closed door.

"So I figure tomorrow I'll see if they have any one bedroom apartments," Clay snapped, opening his bedroom door again. "Anything for December since we're already paid up through November anyway so..."

No!" Ashley screamed, flinging herself at Clay. "No! Clay, please don't! Please don't leave me! I'd die without you!"

Clay had expected tears at his announcement; Ashley was after all a very feminine girl. He had not, however, counted on histrionics.

"Please!" she sobbed, clinging to him frantically.

"Come on, Ash," he said, trying to disentangle himself from her.

"Please, don't leave me; I love you," she sobbed, clinging even harder, the harder he tried to pull her away from himself.

"Let go, Ash," he demanded.

"No!" she sobbed louder. "No! I'm not letting go!"

"Ash, damn it, come on!" he demanded, finally pulling her arms from around his neck.

"No! No! Don't!" she screamed as he pushed her out of his bedroom.

He went to shut the door and she again lunged at him.

"Ash, come on, let go of me," he yelled.

"No! I love you, Clay, I love you, please, please," she sobbed, heartbroken.

"I am so God Damned mad at you I could just hit you," he said tiredly.

"Then hit me," she sobbed, pressing her lips to his. "Then hit me; I deserve it, but please, please Baby, please don't leave me, please? Please?"

"We'll talk about it in the morning when I'm not so mad at you," he sighed, gave her a quick kiss, then pushed her off of him.

She staggered from his room into her own.

He couldn't help but smile; he could hear the sounds of her drawing a bath. That was her remedy for any emotional upheaval; a bubble bath.

He finished putting away his clothing without the banging and slamming, then sat down to finish the report he was working on for Earth Science 402.

"Clay?" Ash whispered from the door of his room.

"Yeah?" he called out, not looking up

"Clay? Can I, I want to, can I sleep in here tonight?" she whispered.

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" he asked, not thinking.

"In here," she whispered from behind him. "With me, please?"

She put her arms around him from behind and kissed his neck.

"Please? I love you so much; the thought of losing you is so..."and he heard her begin to cry again.

"Fine, fine; I'm just about finished this anyway," he said.

She gave him another kiss to the back of his neck and scampered out of his room.

She was back a moment later and he heard her rustling at his bed.

"That's my side," he said.

"I know; that's why I'm pushing all the pillows over there," she said.

"Damn it, now how you know that's my side?" he got angry again.

"The clock's right there and the lamp's right there; why would you sleep on this side over here?' she asked logically.

"Oh," he said.

He saved his work, made a backup of his hard drive to double secure his work, and then grabbed his pajamas.

"Be right back," he said.

He had not intended to shower; preferring to shower in the morning, but knew that eleven hours on a bus, plus physical labor loading and unloading the bus, as well as his anger; he knew he was quite sweaty.

He scrubbed down quickly, felt his face, sighed and lathered his face with a bar of her soap and used her razor to scrape his face clean, rather than getting out and using his own soap and razor.

A quick gargle with mouthwash and he was ready.

He decided the nylon shorts were enough and left the tee shirt folded up on the hamper.

"Good night," she whispered when he turned off the overhead light and crawled into bed.

She cupped his face in her hands and gave him a soft, lingering kiss.

"I really am sorry," she whispered.

"I'm sure you..." he said, then she jammed her lips to his again.

"And I really do love you; I love you with every breath, every fiber of my soul," she whispered, kissed him again, then let his face go and snuggled down on her lacy little pillow.

"And I love you too," he said and was rewarded with the sound of her softly snoring.

For the third morning in a row, Ash woke up with someone touching her. Clay's morning erection was jammed against her buttocks and his hand was around her waist, pulling her to him.

She gave his hand a loving squeeze, then wiggled away. She glanced quickly at his tented shorts, fought down a giggle (it looked somewhat silly to her) and pulled her robe around herself.

She entered her room and turned the alarm clock off, then quickly dressed for the day.

He woke up a few moments later, the smell of coffee pulling him out of slumber.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a dazzling smile.

That was normal; she always smiled at him, always greeted him with a 'good morning' in the morning.

"I love you," she said, and gave him a kiss to his lips.

That was not normal. She never said 'I love you' or kissed him on his lips.

Chapter 6

After their fight, and after Ash apologized and promised to never ever again go into his room without express permission, Clay assumed things would return to normal. To a degree, things did return to normal. She cooked, he cleaned. She ironed his clothes, but now she hung them on his doorknob, rather than go into his closet to hang them up.

And, every night, just as bed time approached, she would knock on his door and ask from the doorway if she could sleep with him.

Once, Clay woke up, having a wonderful dream of sex with a beautiful woman, to find himself grinding his cock into Ash's buttocks, firmly gripping one of her heavy breasts.

He ceased immediately and as gently as possible, slithered out of the bed.

In the bathroom, he did not even have a grip on his cock and he was spurting his semen into the toilet.

If his groping her and humping on her had woken her, Ash didn't say anything about it; she was still snoring lightly when he slid back underneath the covers. And the next morning, she smiled, gave him a soft kiss on his lips, told him she loved him, and served him a bowl of oatmeal with vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

"It it's some cold outside; you got practice this afternoon?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Clay said, feeling horribly guilty for molesting her while she slept.

"Why don't you wear them boot socks?" she suggested and sat down at the table across from him to eat her own breakfast.

A text message popped up on his phone, another one from Courtney, to add to the seven she'd already sent him that morning. He replied that he was eating breakfast and would see her that evening.