My Saving Grace

Author's Note: I wrote this story shortly after getting back home from my latest contract, but I thought I'd lost it when my faithful laptop finally died. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to salvage it from my old hard drive, recently. Given the events in the news, I strongly considered not posting it, but in the end my wife convinced me to post it and let the readers judge its appropriateness. So here it is. If, after reading it, you decide you want more, let me know with your votes and comments. If, on the other hand, it's pointless to continue, tell me that also. I'm a grownup, I can take it...

*****

I'd gone into the bathroom to cry; I don't mind admitting it. I know it isn't the manly thing to do, but at that point I didn't care. My girlfriend Kelly had just ended our relationship in one of the worst ways possible. She and I had been together all through high school, and the past two years of college. We had been talking about getting married after we graduated. Just 45 minutes ago I had proposed and handed her the ring I'd scrimped and saved for.

There I was, kneeling in front of her on the floor of our favorite restaurant, waiting for her answer. She looked down at me, her expression one of sadness. That hadn't been what I was expecting.

"Kevin," she'd said softly, "Stand up. Let's not have this talk here."

"What?" I'd stammered back. "Kelly...is that a no?"

At that point, most of the other diners in the place turned away (especially the guys). I guess they wanted to give me a chance to rescue the last shreds of my ego. I stood back up and asked the waiter - who appeared out of nowhere as if by magic - for the check. We walked out to my car in silence, neither one of us breaking it until we were inside with the engine running.

"Kevin, I-"

"Don't you love me?" I asked.

"I do, honey, but-"

"Then why did you turn me down? We've been talking about this, and I thought you wanted to marry me as much as I want to marry you!"

Kelly was quiet for a long moment. Finally, she turned toward me with sorrow all over her face. "Kevin, I do love you. A part of me always will. But over the past few days, well... I don't want to marry you. The truth is, I've met someone else, and we've...well, we've been intimate."

"You've been cheating on me?" I asked, hardly able to believe it.

"Yes," she said. "I didn't mean for it to happen, I just-"

"Don't even think of saying it was an accident. You can't accidentally cheat on someone. You would have to be stupid beyond the ability of mere words to describe in order to believe that. Disrespecting me is bad enough! Don't make it worse by insulting my intelligence on top of that!"

"Why?" I asked. "Why, Kelly? What did I do to you that make you do this?"

"You didn't do anything, Kevin. I just met this man. The second I looked into his eyes, something clicked. I knew in that instant, he was THE ONE. I couldn't be with you anymore after that, but I couldn't see a way to tell you without breaking your heart. I know you'll never believe me, but I truly didn't want to do that."

"So instead, you let me prattle on about marriage, and let me make a fool of myself. In public, no less. Fuck, I hate cheaters!"

"You forced my hand tonight, Kevin! If I'd realized you were going to propose tonight, I would have stopped you. I would have told you everything, no matter how much it hurt you. I wouldn't have made you go through this, I wouldn't have let you find out like this -" Her voice cut off with something that sounded almost like a sob. Could that possibly be regret on her part? Somehow, I doubted it.

I dropped the car into gear and took off. I still remember the look on Kelly's face as I sped through town, blowing through several red lights. No, it wasn't smart, but I didn't care. I was full of rage, pain, and humiliation. I guess, in spite of what was happening at that moment, my guardian angels were looking out for me. I didn't hit anything (or anyone), and I never saw any flashing lights in the rear view mirror.

I made it to Kelly's apartment building without killing us both, and brought the car to a screeching stop. For the first time since the restaurant, I turned and looked her straight in the eyes. "So you're giving me up, you're giving up six years of love, all the things we shared...for what, exactly? For some guy you've known 'a few days' and a 'look in his eyes?'"

She didn't answer, and I really didn't expect her to. After all, that was exactly what she was doing. She'd just said as much. What more was there to say? Not a damn thing. Fuck her!

"Well Kelly, I guess I should say thanks for a lovely evening. And while I'm at it, thanks for delivering more hurt and pain than I've ever felt!"

I gestured for her to get out of the car. "I never want to see your worthless skank ass again, you fucking whore!"

I drove off and left her standing there. I didn't bother to make sure that she made it indoors. I didn't care anymore. The bitch had broken my heart, and I was officially done with her. When I got back to the house I went straight to the bathroom.

I sighed, stood up and washed my face. I'd had my emotional reaction. Now it was time to face the world and move on. It was one of my Dad's rules. He'd always taught me that men are human and deserve to have emotional reactions, but afterward, they need to move on. It was good advice but sometimes it was hard to follow.

I left the bathroom and headed to my room. Fortunately, Grace wasn't home at the moment. At the moment, my older sister Grace and I were the only ones living here. When I'd graduated high school and elected to go to college here locally, my Mom and Dad decided they were going to do some traveling and sightseeing. They bought a nice RV, Mom quit her job, and off they went.

Dad was a day trader and did his business over the internet, so he could work from literally anywhere, as long as he could get a wi-fi connection. He did pretty well at it too. Mom had worked as a secretary for a law firm, but only because she wanted to, not because it was necessary. They let Grace and I live here, in the house we'd grown up in, rent free. All we had to do was pay the utility bills and keep the yard taken care of (and they sent us enough money every month to take care of the utilities plus buy groceries, so we were pretty much set). I had a part time job just to give me pocket money.

Sighing, I undressed and flopped down on my bed in just my boxers. I didn't even bother to hang up my suit, which would've given Mom fits if she'd been there to see it. Before I realized how exhausted I was, I fell asleep. I was awakened by the feel of warm, soft lips pressing against my cheek.

"Good morning, Kev," came Grace's voice.

I opened my eyes reluctantly, to see Grace hovering over me. She was smiling, but I could see the concern on her face. Grace is 22, with a glowing complexion. Her eyes are hazel-colored, and her hair is a rich, dark brown. Grace has loved bicycles her whole life. Her love of riding has given her a lovely, well-shaped ass, calves and thighs. Her waist is trim, and her breasts, while not enormous, are perfectly suited to her 5'8" frame. Dad has said many times that Grace looks exactly like Mom did at that age. After having seen some photos of Mom in her 20's, I agree with him completely. She was going to graduate college in the spring. I wondered what it would be like, living in this house alone if she left soon.

"Morning, Gracie," I said, with a moan. Even on normal days, I'm not a morning person. She stepped back as I dragged myself out of bed. I wandered into the bathroom and took care of my morning business, washing and brushing my teeth. I was mildly surprised to find that Grace was still in my room when I came back in. It wasn't uncommon for us to do something together on Saturdays and Sundays, but she usually waited for me in her own room, or in the kitchen.

"What's up?" I asked her as I went about the task of getting dressed. It never occurred to me to be embarrassed about the fact that I was naked in front of my sister. Our family has never been bothered by being naked around each other. In fact, both my Mom and Grace have tanned topless on our deck before.

"I just wanted to see how you were, after last night," Grace said, her sweet face still looking concerned.

"How would you know anything about last

night?" I asked, pausing to face her.

My sister's expressive eyes, usually an open book, were difficult to read now. "I got a call late last night while I was out with Crystal. It was...from Kelly."

"Really?" I said, my tone a clear warning that this was a subject she might be best advised to leave alone. But of course, Grace pressed on. She really was a lot like Mom, and not just physically.

"She told me what happened, Kev," she said. Her tone was full of sympathy.

"Gracie, please, you don't wanna go there," I started.

"Kevin Micheal Richmond, you need to talk about this. It's the only way you'll get over it," she said, her tone becoming more determined now.

"Get over it?" I said. "Get over it, just like that? I've loved that girl since my freshman year of high school, Grace! And I thought she loved me back! We'd been talking about getting married! She was as excited as I was! We even talked about what we'd name our KIDS!" I stopped myself before I started yelling. Gracie didn't deserve that; she was trying to help.

"Gracie, I was...saving myself for her. It was her idea that we would do that! Now I find out that she's been fucking some guy she just met a few days ago, and she's leaving me!" I stalked around my room, not sure what to do with myself. I don't remember ever being so angry in my life. If Kelly had been standing in front of me at just that moment, I'm not completely certain she would have been safe.

Grace didn't say anything, she just let me rage. I turned to face her yet again. "Gracie, I might've been able to get over a break-up. But the cheating! And, telling me she loved me that whole time...Gracie, I'll never get over that. That fucking Cunt!" I roared.

"I let her know exactly what I thought of her, too, Kevin," she said, calmly. "You're right, there's no excuse for what she did, or the way she did it. But you might think about one thing."

"What might that be?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed, tired again from my tirade.

"She called me, I didn't call her. She was worried about you. She didn't make up some bullshit story, either. She told me the truth, even though she had to know I was going to start in on her for what she did to my little brother. That says to me that she must still love you in some way."

"So it was cool for her to lie to ME, but she told YOU the truth? Well, that was mighty fine of her! Wow, I can feel the warm gooey feeling of forgiveness running all through me! I feel so much better now! The next time I see her, I'll be sure and thank her for the depth of her caring concern, and wish her and her new fuck buddy a happy life!"

"Kevin-" she began, then faltered. She didn't know what to say. Truthfully there was nothing she could say or do. Nothing was going to make this better, unless she had a time machine I could use to go back and stop her from betraying me. Or, failing that, if she'd give me a nice sharp machete and the fuck buddy's name and address, I'd settle for that. Yes, I've got a temper, no I wouldn't really hack him up with a machete.

I stood up again and went to her. Grace tenderly pulled me close and held me tight, stroking my back gently. I put my arms around her, laid my face against her neck, and let her hold me, accepting the love and comfort she offered. After a moment, she pushed me back a little and took my chin in her hand and kissed me on the lips. That was new! We kissed all the time, but always on the cheek, or on the forehead. Don't get me wrong, she didn't try to slip me the tongue or anything. It just caught me a little off guard. That didn't stop me from kissing her back, though, which I did. I matched her tenderness with some of my own, using this as a way to repay her for her love and compassion.

"I just feel so lost, Gracie," I said softly, after our kiss ended. "Six years Kelly and I have been together. I love her so much, and she forgot all about me in a couple of days!"

"She didn't completely forget about you, Kevin," Grace said. "She had to know what I'd say to her. She had to know that I would hate her for what she did to you, but she called me anyway. I honestly do believe she is worried about you. I don't know if it's any comfort to you or not, but she must really care about you in some way, if she would willingly subject herself to the verbal assault I gave her."

I shrugged. "It doesn't really matter anymore, Gracie. As far as I'm concerned, from this point on she's just a dumb slut who means nothing to me. If there's any justice in this world, I'll never have to deal with that hell-cunt ever again." I pulled my sister more tightly against me and affectionately nuzzled her neck.

"Thanks, sis. As bad as I feel, you've made things a little less dark for me." I gave her another tender kiss on the lips before releasing her so I could get some clothes on.

"Tell you what, how about we do something fun today, just the two of us?"

"Like what?" I asked, as I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans. This was a rare Saturday; I didn't have to work, and my classwork was caught up, leaving me free to do whatever.

"How about we hit the trail and see how out of shape you are?" she teased. I pretended to be outraged and shook my fist at her.

"I'll show you who's out of shape, wench! Get thee to ye garage, pull forth thy bicycle, and prepare thyself for thou comeuppance!" I said, in my best Shakespearean performance. Ok, so I wasn't a drama major. My future clearly lay outside the realm of theatre.

"Besides," I continued, as I pulled on a shirt, "just because I'm not in your league when it comes to bicycling, that doesn't mean I'm out of shape."

I could see her eyes in the mirror over my dresser. I'd never seen her look at me that way before. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was checking me out!

"No," she said, drawing the word out. "You're not out of shape, actually." Since I haven't described myself yet, I might as well do so, briefly. I'm 20 years old. Like Grace, I've got dark brown hair that I keep trimmed short. My eyes are a dark green. I stand just a hair over six feet tall and I weigh 190 pounds.

I'm not bragging when I say that a lot of that is muscle. My part time job is with a landscaping contractor; Landscaping in the spring, summer, and fall, combined with snow and ice removal in the winter contributed to my physique. A desire to compete with Grace took care of the rest. If I let myself get fat, she would never let me live it down! I'm no Mr. Universe, but I get my fair share of appreciation from the female population. Kelly certainly never complained. In fact she loved to run her hands up and down my-

I firmly squelched that line of thought before it could go any further. The last thing I needed was more tears. "We won't spend all day on the trails, though. What about after lunch?" I asked.

"We'll eat on the trail, then we can come home, clean up, and go out," Grace replied.

"Sounds good!" I said. "I think some trail time is a good idea. Maybe afterward we can see that new horror movie. I kind of wanted to see that one about Ed and Lorraine Warren."

"Sure!" she agreed, watching me as I stripped my jeans and casual shirt back off and put on my biking shorts and a tee shirt instead.

###

As far as the weather went, you couldn't ask for better. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. The temperature was nice too; not too hot, not too cold. Early fall is one of my favorite times of the year.

The bike trails in Highland Park were sparsely populated today; Grace and I nearly had the place to ourselves as we peddled through the most difficult of the four trails. This one was graded 4 out of 4 for being physically challenging. There were many fairly steep climbs with equally steep descents. It included several sharp hairpin turns and switchbacks that could challenge even an experienced rider. In several places, riders had to ride single file because the path was so narrow. It was definitely not the kind of trail you wanted to race on!

By the time we had completed the circuit twice, I had worked up a good sweat. After finishing a third, I was starting to tire. By the fourth, I had fallen some distance behind Grace, and was only hanging on because I refused to quit before her. Judging from the sweat stains on her tank top, Grace was feeling some strain too. What can I say, siblings are competitive! Finally, after traversing the path a fifth time, I sighed with relief as I followed Grace off of the path. The ride back to the parking lot provided a decent cool-off for us.

There was some good-natured ribbing back and forth between us as I loaded our bikes onto the rack of Grace's Jeep Liberty. As I secured them in place, Grace got the cooler out of the back seat and spread a blanket in the grass at the edge of the lot under an old sycamore tree.

She handed me a ham and swiss sandwich as I joined her on the blanket, and we ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the fine day and the warm glow from the exercise. After finishing, I stood and stretched out some while Grace took care of the trash. I was a little startled when she goosed me.

"Hey!" I shouted.

Grace giggled girlishly, giving me an impish smile. "Come on, let's go to the creek!" she said, taking off at a run. Sighing, I followed her as she ran. The creek she was talking about wasn't much to write home about, especially after the dry summer just past.

This part of it lay in a ravine with thick groves of trees and brush on each bank. The branches formed a thick canopy overhead that dappled the sunlight. This early in the fall, the leaves were still thick on the boughs, and had only just begun to change color. Our parents had brought us here many times when we were younger, and we'd come here on our own many times since.

After pushing our way through the ground cover, we stood on the east bank, staring down into the ravine. The creek below was little more than a trickle. There was just enough for minnows to swim. Not dissuaded in the least by this, Grace started down the side towards it. I followed at a slower pace. My leg muscles were still feeling a little rubbery from the abuse they'd taken on the bike trail, and I didn't want to take a nasty header down the bank.

Grace stepped out of her shoes and socks and started wading into the shallow stream before I'd even reached the bottom. I shed my own footwear and followed her to the center on the creek. She was staring down in fascination, watching minnows swim lazily with the current as they did whatever it is minnows do.

"This has always been one of my favorite spots," she said, softly. "I still remember the first time Mom and Dad brought us here." She looked up and smiled tenderly at me. "I think you might have been two, or maybe three. The creek seemed a lot deeper, then."

"I'm sure it was, from the perspective of a little kid!" I said with a chuckle. She laughed too.

Grace looked around at the beautiful place, and then without a word started stripping off her clothes. Even though I'm her brother, I couldn't stop myself from admiring her body. Her legs, as I said earlier, are sculpted and toned. Her belly is well toned, with just a hint of feminine roundness. Her hips and ass are rounded and firm, tapering to nice waist. Her breasts, while not large, are firm and perfectly formed. They sat high on her chest, the dark pink of her aureola and nipples providing a lovely contrast to her tanned skin. As she moved, her breasts bounced just enough to be enticing.