Chapter 5 Oliver Bennett vs. Adrian Graham: Unquenchable lust…apology!
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Oliver’s head shot up just as Adrian shut the door behind him. He didn’t bother shutting down his laptop. He simply closed it and got to his feet. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you would be coming in.” He said as he slipped the laptop into his backpack. “I’ll just get…”
“Oliver, I’m sorry,” Adrian said quietly. “I know I acted badly and I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Oliver said as he packed his stuff. “I shouldn’t have…done whatever I did to encourage what happened. I’m the one who’s sorry. You’re married and I should have known better.”
“I’m the married one Oliver. I should have known better. This is not on you.”
“Well, I’ll just…” He slipped his backpack onto his back, picked up his phone and car keys, and went to the door which was sorta being blocked by Adrian, who had a determined look on his face. It was obvious he wasn’t going to allow Oliver to leave.
“Oliver…” Adrian couldn’t hide the plea in his voice.
Oliver knew there was no way he could push Adrian aside to enable him to pass. Not with his lean figure. He’d never been a big person. To get Adrian out of his way, he had to act nonchalant.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Oliver said coolly and then sighed when Adrian remained where he was. “You’re blocking the way, please…”
“Oliver please…” Adrian wouldn’t budge from the door. “Just hear me out.”
“What the fuck do you want from me?” Oliver bellowed, his eyes blazing with anger.
To say Oliver was shocked at his own outburst would be an understatement. He realized only then just how angry he was at Adrian. And that fact alone pissed him off even more because he’d always been this sweet and gentle guy who never allowed himself to get upset by anything. Within the short time that he’d known Adrian, the man had managed to bring out the worst in him and Oliver didn’t like it one bit. He’d treated him like some whore after their encounter. He may have acted wrongly by having sex with a married man but he sure as hell hadn’t deserved that treatment.
“Please, please, please…. I know you’re angry but hear me out. Please.” Adrian looked and sounded desperate. “If after my explanation you still want to leave, I won’t stop you. Please, Oliver,” He whispered.
After glaring at Adrian for a while, Oliver took a step back from him and went to place his backpack back on the desk. Then he followed Adrian to the living area where they both sat on the couch and stared straight ahead for a while. Then Adrian took a deep breath and turned to face Oliver.
“My wife is Tetraplegic, sometimes called Quadriplegic.” Adrian began quietly. “She’s…”
“Listen, I’m not interested in some sob story about your wife,” Oliver growled, getting to his feet. “Don’t know what tetra-whatever is and frankly, don’t care…”
“Oliver please…” Adrian’s hand shot up to take hold of Oliver’s wrist. “I just want you to understand why I reacted like that the other night. To do that, I need to tell you everything. Please, Oliver. Listen to me. That’s all I ask.” Adrian looked distraught and so vulnerable, Oliver just couldn’t leave.
With a frown on his face, Oliver sat back down and placed the ankle of one foot on the knee of the other. “Make it fast,” He muttered.
“Thank you,” Adrian said in a small voice.
He definitely didn’t sound at all like the confident Adrian that Oliver respected and admired. Oliver suddenly felt sorry for him. Adrian cleared his throat and stared at a spot on the floor.
“My wife has been paralyzed from the chest down for the past fifteen years. We grew up together, were even in pre-school together. We became high school sweethearts and got married right after she was done with collage. I was still in medical school. We were both twenty-two at the time and had so many plans for the future. She was so full of life.” Adrian’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat and went on. “But four months after our wedding, she developed a medical condition… She’s been paralyzed ever since. I was completely shattered. I did everything I could to get her a cure. Studied so much just so I could help but…I couldn’t find a cure. Thanks to a new treatment, she regained use of her left arm. I didn’t stop. Donna insisted that life must go on so I should stop trying but I never did.
Unfortunately, no good came out of it…unless of course you count this…” he swung his arm in a wide arc, indicating the hospital, “…as an accomplishment. I worked so hard, researched so hard, made promises to God…I never rested. Not only was she my wife, but she was also my best friend. On our fifth wedding anniversary, she said she wanted to do something special for me. At her insistence, we had our son, Josh, via surrogate. He’s almost ten now. Then on our tenth anniversary, again at her insistence, we had Pearl. She said she saw how happy Josh made me and wanted me to have another child to dote on.” Adrian shrugged and stared down at his fingers. “I love her. She’s the only girl I’ve ever been with. I’ve never had sex with any other person. And I’ve never cheated on her…till now.” He looked up at Oliver with suspiciously bright eyes. “I…When I realized what I’d done, I was devastated. I couldn’t believe I’d actually done that to her. I wanted to tell her when I got home that night. God, I came so close. But I just couldn’t.” He went quiet for a moment. “But no matter how shitty I felt, the way I reacted wasn’t fair to you and I’m very sorry about that Oliver. I’m so sorry.”
Oliver stared at Adrian. First of all, he couldn’t believe he’d only ever had sex with just one person his entire life. Then he couldn’t help but wonder how Adrian had been able to rock his world like it had never been before when he obviously didn’t have enough experience. After all, from what he was saying, he hadn’t even had sex in the past fifteen years. Oliver didn’t know what to say. He felt sorry for Adrian but he also had questions.
“You…that night you…for someone who has been with just one woman and never been with a man you…” He groaned. “Dude, you can fuck!”
Adrian’s eyes widened in surprise at Oliver’s words. Those were definitely not the words he’d expected from the handsome computer geek. He burst into laughter despite himself. When Oliver joined in the laughter, Adrian relaxed on the couch.
“I’m a doctor, Oliver. I know where and how to find the prostate.” Adrian laughed.
“Great. Now I don’t know whether to be happy I got fucked by someone who knew what he was doing or feel violated…like I’ve been used in a medical experiment.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better guinea pig.” Adrian chuckled. “Not that you’re a pig.” He raised his hand in a sign of peace when he heard Oliver’s mock growl.
“I’m sorry about your wife,” Oliver said quietly, watching as Adrian nodded. “So… Donna huh?”
Adrian smiled. “Yeah. Adonna. Adrian and Donna. She’s a really lovely person, Oliver.” Adrian said quietly, looking down at his fingers.
Oliver suppressed a groan. “I’m so sorry I did that to her.”
“You didn’t do anything to her, Olly. I did.” Adrian shook his head. “For the past three months, she’s been very sick. She’s not getting any better. It’s not good Oliver. I’ve been so worried and stressed. You don’t know but you’ve…you’ve in a way helped me de-stress, Oliver. When I’m with you, I’m able to forget about all my worries and just let go. I love hanging out with you and just having fun. I look forward to sitting with you every evening. I live for those moments. I’m sorry I’ve dragged you into this but…I don’t know what I’ll do if you cut me off. These past five days have been hell. Not seeing you, not talking to you…Oliver, you have no idea what I’ve been through. I felt guilty for cheating on Donna and wanted to punish myself by staying away from you but…I can’t do that anymore.” He breathed.