Cry to Me

She waited patiently for him to call. It was going on 11pm and Dulci hadn't heard anything from him. At this point, she wouldn't be able to drive to his house. She'd had three glasses of wine and was working on her fourth. Savannah spent the evening with Dulci as they watched the Flyers-Penguins game. While Dulci remained relatively docile the entire game, Savannah made sure all of Dulci's neighbors knew she wasn't a Pens fan.

Dulci stood at her sink, washing the dishes used to eat greasy pizza while her cat cork screwed between her legs, purring loudly, wanting attention.

"I know exactly how you feel, Meatball," she cooed at her cat after she picked her up. She scratched under her chin and ears, making Meatball purr harder and knead against Dulci's chest. She'd had Meatball since she was fourteen years old. Meatball was a gift from her father after Dulci's parent separated to deal with potentially separation anxiety. Meatball was getting old and losing weight. She was already diagnosed as a hyperthyroid cat, but even regulated on medication, she was still vomiting. Dulci feared she had intestinal lymphoma.

"Why don't we call it a girl's night and go to bed?" Dulci packed up the left over pizza, corked the wine, and turned her kitchen and living room lights out. She chuckled as Meatball followed her like a dog towards her bedroom, jumping on the bed to make herself comfortable.

Dulci flipped her bedroom TV on as she got ready for bed. As she was brushing her teeth, she heard a familiar voice. It was Sidney doing a post game interview. They had lost horribly to the Flyers, not to mention that the team was on a four game losing streak. He looked physically beat, defeated, forlorn. He sounded distanced, cold, and cut off. Dulci figured he probably went home and went to sleep, upset about the outcome of the last couple of games. After the short snippet of his interview, the commentators started to question his role as captain on the team. Toothbrush still in hand, she matched over to the remote and turned the channel.

After finishing in the bathroom, she got into bed, pulling out her current read. It wasn't long before she was nodding off, head bobbing like a kid falling asleep in class. She must've fallen asleep at some point because she didn't hear her phone message notification. The knocking was what startled her awake. As she stumbled out of her bed towards the front door, she didn't even bother checking to see who it was. Opening the door, Sidney stood there, looking gorgeous in his suit, but utterly tired in the face. Without a word, he walked and took Dulci in his arms, letting his cheek rest on the top of her head.

"Sorry I woke you up. I know it's late but I had to see you."

"Don't apologize. This is a pleasant surprise," she nuzzled into his chest, breathing in his cologne.

He pulled her head away from his chest, brushed stray hairs away from her face, and kissed her softly but deeply, bending her backwards slightly as they kissed each other longingly. The kiss only fizzled out when Sidney stomach growled.

"I hate to ask, but do you have anything to eat? I'm starving," he rubbed his stomach, trying to sooth his hunger pains.

"I've got pizza, sandwich stuff, left over lo mein," she listed as they walked into her kitchen.

"Pizza sounds good."

As Dulci opened one of her cabinets to get a plate, Sidney stopped her.

"I'll get it. Sit down and relax." He took the plate from her and closed the cabinet, pointing her toward the stools by the island with his head.

"So, any other 'emergencies' today?" He joked as he threw his pizza into the microwave.

"By emergencies, do you mean handsome athletes walking into the hospital?" She smiled as she flirted.

"No. It was a normal day after you dropped me off. I was supposed to go to lunch with my boss to renegotiate my contract, but it fell through."

"Do you renegotiate every year?"

"Yeah. Well, there's always the possibility that my contract won't be renewed. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Sidney nodded slowly, biting into his second piece of pizza.

"Do you think it won't be renewed?"

Dulci shrugged her shoulders, honestly not sure if her contract would expire or not. The dynamic of the hospital was changing. Dr. Harrison was blatantly favoring Dr. King, and Dulci couldn't understand why.

"To be honest, I’ve given thought recently to ending my contract. Either way, I know I'll always have a job offer at my friend's clinic," she sighed, not wanting that to be an option.

"Is your friend's clinic around here?"

"No. It's in New York City on the upper west side."

Sidney stopped chewing. New York was hours away from Pittsburgh. It was hard enough as it was finding time to see each other. In his mind, they were together as a couple. Would she really leave if her contract wasn't renewed without thinking about their outcome? His mind reeled as she stifled a yawn, oblivious to his mental turmoil.

"You couldn't find another job around here?" He almost choked out, sounding slightly alarmed.

"I could try. It's not always that easy. It all depends on what they offer me."

Sidney nodded, fully understanding her predicament if her contract ended. He put his pizza crust on the plate, having lost his appetite at the idea that Dulci would move out of the area and out of his life, not to mention the fact that his team's losing streak was plaguing his mind. He rubbed his head, trying desperately to think if anything other than Dulci or the team.

"I watched the game," she broke the silence and his thoughts.

"I'd rather talk about anything than the game," he sighed quietly, rinsing his plate and putting it on the drying rack.

"Fair enough," she paused, wondering if she should continue. She wanted him to know that she was there for him.

"Just know that while I don't know much about hockey, I'll listen if you need to talk."

"Thank you," he said as he pulled her into a hug.

"You once told me that everyone needs to vent," she continued into his chest.

"I don't want to bore you with hockey talk."

"It wouldn't be boring. It's important to you," she said as she took his hand and walked toward her bedroom.

Sidney collapsed on the bed, sitting on the edge as he unbuttoned his dress shirt. Dulci excused herself to the bathroom but left the door cracked incase he decided to start talking.

"We're not playing like a team. We aren't connecting plays or passes. The D isn't reading offensive plays. They aren't protecting the net. Practices are great, but then games turn to shit. I've watched hours of tape trying to pin point specific mistakes."

Dulci sat down next to him.

"This may be a stupid question, but do you guys ever do team building exercises or anything?"

"Yeah. We do them every year before the season starts," he said lying back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Why not do them during the season, too?"

Dulci couldn't read his expression. He just looked at her. She instantly berated herself for trying to give him advice on something she had zero experience with.

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea," she retracted, scratching her forehead nervously.

"No. It's a great idea, and I wish it were easily implemented. The season is so busy it's hard to find time to take away from practices and traveling."

She laid down next to him, perching her head on her hand.

"Whenever I’m having trouble figuring out a difficult case, I sleep on it."

Sidney smiled and rolled to face her, perching his own head in his hand.

"You do sleep a lot."

"Says the grown man who naps," she teased, returning the smile.

"Let's go to bed," Dulci whispered while trying to stifle a yawn.

Sidney stood up to finish undressing. Dulci pulled down the covers and crawled it, manually turning the nightstand light off. And she slid into her bed, Sidney climbed it, the mattress springs screaming under his weight, and settled in next to Dulci, instantly spooning her like they've been doing it for years.

"I'm sorry my bed isn't as comfortable as yours. If I get a bonus this year, I'm definitely investing in a mattress like yours."

"Your bed isn't bad, especially when I’m in it with you," he kissed her hair, trying to get comfortable.

While he was physically exhausted, mentally he was doing a marathon and just got his second wind. Within minutes, Dulci was twitching and ever so lightly snoring, rubbing her feet against his.

/having difficulty falling asleep, he thought for a long time about all the memories he had with her. He adored her. There was no contesting that. She was easy going, caring, compassionate, intelligent, and beautiful. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she liked, the way she laughed and flirted with him when he was being goofy or a joke was particularly funny, the way she took his feelings and words into consideration, the way she would so easy being embarrassed, her sweater and sandal fetish, and the way she would drool on him while sleeping. He never told her about the drooling, knowing she'd be embarrassed, but he thought it was cute and intimate. In that moment, he didn't want anyone else to have that with her and he wanted her to know it.

Dulci shifted, turning so that they were face to face, rubbing her nose into his shoulder as she got comfortable. He looked down at her relaxed face, mouth slightly ajar. Some of her hair had fallen into her face, and he ever so gently brushed it out of her face, causing her to wake up.

"Is everything ok?" She asked groggily, one eye shut as she tried to process her surroundings. He nodded, smiling at her.

"Was I snoring?"

Sidney shook his head and gently kissed her lips, slowly, savoring the moment as she responded, running her hand through his hair. He rolled her underneath him, fitting in between her thighs as he told her every feeling he felt for her through the kiss.

Dulci's hands snaked down his back and latched on to his ass, squeezing as he gyrated against her. She gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up over his shoulders, interrupting the moment.

Sidney looked down at her, eyes heavy with sleep and desire, mouth red and swollen, pick splotches on her face and neck from arousal, nipples erect through her white undershirt, and knew he was in love with her.

Dulci pulled her own undershirt off, wanting to feel his warm skin against hers. She didn't even care of they had sex, she just wanted to be as close to him as possible.

At the same time, Sidney started slowly working the waistband of her pants down, switching from side to side, kissing and suckling on her neck and chest. Coming away from her, he removed her cotton spandex pants and underwear, stopping to appreciate how beautiful she looked lying naked and waiting on her bed, breathing heavier than normal from excitement. He quickly got rid of his boxers and returned to his origin position on top of her. They remained tangled up in one another, kissing each other's lips, faces, necks, everywhere.

Sidney perched himself up on one arm, still lying between her legs, and looked into her eyes. He wanted to tell her that he wanted her, needed her, and more importantly, that he loved her. He opened his mouth a few times, but nothing would come out. What if the feelings weren't mutual? What if, no matter what happens between them, she goes to New York anyway?

Dulci could tell he was struggling with something. Each time he opened his mouth to speak, she could tell he was nervous, vulnerable, and afraid. He was pleading with her, but she couldn't figure out was he was asking. Sometimes there are no words, only actions. She closed the space between them, kissing him, hoping the kiss would comfort him and tell him that she loved him. She reached between them, gently took his penis in hand, and guided him in.

His groan mixed with her gasp as he pushed himself in all the way to the hilt. He pulled out slowly and repeated again, pushing himself all the way back in until her pelvis lifted slightly off the mattress. The continued at this slow pace, wrapped up in each other, letting actions speak when words failed.

Dulci was beside herself, finding herself getting closer and closer to orgasm without any external stimulation. There was something about the way he was holding her, one arm underneath her neck while the other held her hand against the mattress, holding him up as well. He'd never been so close. It felt safe, intimate, wonderful, all the things she thought making love would feel like. He was also hitting all the places, rubbing her g-spot with the entire length of his penis, plus a new place she'd never felt. She was glad that he and only he had found it. She moaned repeatedly into his mouth as they kissed, encouraging him to continue.

Sidney could tell she was close, the way she dug her nails into his shoulder and hand, the moans and breaths she would take, the way she clenched her legs against him, holding him to her.

He looked at her. Her eyes were closed, mouth open, fully immersed in ecstasy. He found himself thinking again that he wanted to be the last person to see her like this, uninhibited, beautiful, and his. When she opened her eyes, he heard himself talking before he knew it was happening.

"Don't leave me."

He picked up their pace slightly, keeping the same depth. He wanted her to come.

"I won't," she breathed out, keeping eye contact as the continued, staring deeply at one another.

He knew she was starting to come, the way she opened her mouth into an o, furrowed her brows slightly, everything flushing a bright shade of pink. Inside, she was squeezing him harder than ever, almost making him come. He held off, wanting her to finish before him. She finally caved, giving out a guttural moan as she came hard, never looking away. It wasn't until he burrowed his head in the crook of her neck that she finally closed her eyes, feeling and hearing him come just as hard as she did. When he rolled off of her, he pulled her to him again, embracing her as she trembled slightly, still catching her breath.Once she fell back to sleep, he pulled the comforter on top of them.He kissed the top of her head, chuckling quietly as she snored a little, before succumbing to his feelings.

“I love you,” he whispered into her hair before closing his eyes and quickly falling asleep.

Notes