Gratify

by Katelyn Taylor

“There is no competition with you. She is mine, in every way, shape, and form, and if you so much as breathe in her direction again, I will fucking bury you.”

“How do you think Paul would feel about that? You shagging his little girl? His best friend of all people. And let’s not forget about your son. I’m assuming you haven’t told him that as soon as he went off to college, you climbed on top of his girl?”

“It’s too late, though. I can’t stop being selfish, I can’t stop myself from having you. You’re not just under my skin, you’re in my veins. You’re the air that I need to breathe. I should have never touched you, should have never wanted you. But I did, and I do. I regret wanting you, but I don’t regret taking you.”

“You’ve had a great life, but it’s not one I would choose. I’m gonna be my own person and I’d love my father to approve of that life, but it’s happening either way.”

Andromeda is my comfort, my obsession, my addiction. The thought of not having her in my

bed where she belongs has me ready to storm across the street and slide into hers, at least for tonight.

I press a light kiss against the innermost part of her thigh before her legs fall open for me. I’m instantly greeted by the sight of her pretty pink cunt. Men around the world would drop to their knees in awe if they could see my babygirl spread open like this. They never will, though. She’s mine until the day I die. Maybe even after that.

“Goddamn, you’re so wet, babygirl. Does that turn you on? The idea of getting caught? You want someone to walk in and see your godfather finger fucking you?”

“Give me what I want, Neveah, what we both want,”

“I want you to cum with me,”

“I will, sweet girl. Give me what I need, and I’ll fill this cunt to the brim.”

“You always do. It’s a miracle you haven’t gotten me pregnant.”

“...

“You want to get me pregnant?”

“Of course I do. Seeing your belly round with my baby, knowing a piece of you and me together exists in this world.”

“You better change the subject before I pitch your birth control in the garbage and knock you up...

“I don’t think you understand, Neveah. I don’t just love you. I’m obsessed with you. I’m addicted to you, and I never want to go to reh...

“Always.”

“I don’t know what to believe. I don’t like knowing that you’ve seen her naked. That you liked it.” “Do you know what it does to me knowing that my son has done the same with you?” Atlas asks with a tic in his jaw. “That he has…touched you,” he grits. “That he stole your virginity when it was always supposed to be mine? It makes me irate. It makes me want to beat my own flesh and blood, Andromeda.”

Neveah, you are my whole world. I could never want another woman when I have you.”

“I like it when you get jealous. It’s fucking hot.”

“I hate it when she touches you,” I whisper hoarsely. “Trust me, I hate it too. The only woman I want touching me is you,”

“Don’t sit there feeling sorry for yourself, Drama. You did this to yourself. What were you thinking?” she asks with a shake of her head. “I love him, Grandma,” I say with a watery frown. “Jesus,”

“Anyone with two eyes can see that, sweetheart. I’m worried about you, though. I’m worried for both of you. What would your parents say if they were alive? They wouldn’t approve

and you know that. He's been like a second father to you.” “It doesn’t feel that way. He’s always felt like…more.”

“You two bonded, right? Ever since your parents passed, he’s been there for you, and you’ve been there for him?”

“That’s good that you’ve had each other to support one another, but this is about more than you two. As you can see, this involves a lot of people, and on top of that, this isn’t healthy.

Set aside the extreme age difference and rather unusual…dynamic. You aren’t coping with the loss of your parents, sweetheart. Neither of you are. You’re bury...

“Be honest with me. Have you even been to their graves s...

“You chose to ignore the pain instead of dealing with it. You found the first thing that you could lose yourself in and

latched on. And it looks like Atlas did the same. I know you feel like you are in love, but it’s the grief talking. If you choose to continue…whatever is going on here, then you have to wait until you have properly coped and started healing, in a healthy way.”

“I don’t get how this even happened! I get that you wanted to fuck her, she’s beautiful and smart and young. What I don’t get is why the hell she fucked you. I swear to fucking god, if you forced her, I will—” “Don’t even finish that sentence, Theodore Paul Kane. Everything that is and has ever been between Andromeda and I is completely consensual.” “I’d like to hear that from her myself,”

“I love you like a son, but I don’t approve of this thing between you and my granddaughter.”

“I think I know where she is going. Their graves,” she says solemnly.

“I thought I could bury the pain, Atlas. But it hurts more than ever,”

“Babygirl, I know yesterday wasn’t what we talked about or pictured when telling everyone. But they will come around. We are going to make it through this. I can face anything as long as I have you by my side.”

“My grandma thinks that we are using each other to block out the pain, numb it. She thinks the reason that we got together in the first place is because we were each other’s crutch, a distraction to get lost in.”

“A-and, I think she might be right.”

“I-I think I need some time. I think we need some time.” “Time?”

“It’s been easier for me to lose myself in you than to accept everything that has changed in my life, everything that my life has become. I need time away from you to properly grieve, to heal. To move on the right way this time. I never want to feel like I did last night again, and it starts with recognizing that

the coping mechanism I’ve been using is not what’s best for me.”

“One semester, Nevaeh, and then I’m coming for my girl.” “Okay,”

“But you never know, you could meet someone by then, move on.”

“Never. There is only you. There has only ...

“Andromeda!” I snap. “The love of my fucking life is missing. I told her I was coming for her. I told her that when the semester was over, I was coming here. I’m fucking here, but she isn’t! Her roommate said that she left a week ago! A week, Theo. She’s been missing for an entire week!” “Calm down, let me try her,”

The love of my life is gone without a trace, and I don’t know how to begin to process that shit.

She’s not just any woman. She’s the woman, my woman. And she’s out there somewhere instead of by my side. My love and affection for her have only grown and my obsession to find her has become my reason to live.

How our feelings changed seemingly on a dime. How the love I’ve always felt for her morphed and twisted into something deeper, something all-consuming. And then how she broke me, left without a trace with simple instructions to my son not to let me know where she is.

My ex-girlfriend and my dad coupled up like that. Instead of making me furious like it would have to see this picture a year or so ago, it makes me kinda bummed. Because I don’t think I’ve seen a smile like that on either of their faces in a long ass time.

“Do you still love her?” he asks, seemingly out of the blue.