Chapter 12

A NEW ROOMMATE....

It had been a lot of work, but it was over now and the last of Elaine's belongings had been unpacked and stored away in the apartment that had been Carl's, but was now his and hers.

Carl was sitting in his favorite chair and Elaine sat on the rug, her head resting against his legs. It was after ten o'clock and bed time was approaching. A postponement had been called though, so that they could take a breather with a couple of drinks.

"The place looks different, darling," Carl said as his hand stroked her cheek and the back of her neck. "Very beautifully different."

"I hope my things haven't made it look too feminine. I liked it the way it was."

"I wasn't talking about your things, the difference is you. That's what makes the old dump look so much better all of a sudden."

"I'm glad I decided to move in with you, Mister Jordan. You say such nice things."

"Only to nice people."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Darling" As she looked up into his face, Carl saw the beginning of tears. He kissed both eyes lightly and spilled a bit of his drink in the process.

"You mean live together like this? I'm very sure, darling. You're the one with tears in your eyes though. Are you sure? I know women like the security of the wedding ring and all that."

"Don't be a dope. Those are very happy tears, I'll have you know."

"Well," he licked his tongue over his lips, "they do taste happy."

Elaine squeezed his thigh hard enough to make him yelp a little. She smiled.

It had been a big decision and they had taken it only after a lot of discussion. It began when Carl told her that he had set a six month limit on his employment at the agency. After that, he was going to throw the job and start doing some serious writing.

At first, she cried, then she threw her arms around him and kissed him smoothly on the mouth. Getting him out of the agency was the second most important thing in the world to her and now, he was telling her that he had set a target and would keep it.

After that, they discussed how they could work as a team to stretch the income without actually scrimping. Sharing an apartment seemed so obvious to her that she said it as simply as if she were saying they should have lunch together.

Carl wanted that, wanted it badly, but he offered her marriage as a condition of it.

When she rejected it, he blinked in amazement.

"I very much want to be married to you, Carl, but not yet. We'll marry when we're both ready, when you're sure it's what you want"

"But I am sure, darling."

"You're a lovely liar and I love you darling, but the lady is not for marriage right now. We're going to live together and love together and cut our expenses in half. When your six months at the agency are up, if you still want to marry me, if you're not tired of me, we'll get married and go away somewhere and my wonderful husband will write wonderful books and tell the whole world how good he is and how lucky I am."

"I don't seem to have much say in all of this," he pretended to protest.

"You have everything to say, darling. I'm just helping with some of the things you're too shy to say."

He laughed and kissed her and they went on discussing it from there. The result of their conversation was that on the one week anniversary of their making love for the first time, Elaine moved into his apartment.

It wasn't purely a financial arrangement either and both knew it. Having discovered complete satisfaction in each other, they would continue to make love and neither could be dishonest enough to keep up the pretense of living apart.

Now, with the work of moving and unpacking out of the way, they talked excitedly about the future.

During his remaining months at the agency, Carl would begin work on his novel. There would be no hard and fast working schedule. They would see good shows, drink good liquor, eat good food and have a lot of fun. On the quiet evenings at home, there would be times when he would write while she would sit near him and read.

As they discussed it now, it became the most exciting way of life they could imagine. What they didn't have to say out loud was that in the wonderful times between, they would make love in their special, wonderful way.

"What happens if they find out about us at the agency?" Carl asked as the thought struck him.

"Are you afraid they'll fire us on moral grounds? You have to be kidding."

"You know what I mean, smart ass. I don't want people calling you dirty names"

"Carl darling, do you think I care about those people? I'm not even sure they're people. They're really things."

"Don't evade the issue, Elaine. Say you'll marry me now."

"So I can be nice and respectable? I'll know when I want to marry you, Carl. As far as that goes, I married you the first time we made love. We'll go through the ceremony later."

Carl saw that he was trying to use logic in an arugment against a woman's feelings. Sensing that all her argument was wrapped up in love, he stopped arguing and kissed her instead.

In a little while, they went to the bathroom and ran a tub to wash off the product of all their work. As was so often the case now, they bathed together and that allowed no room for argument.

After that, they poured another couple of drinks and walked naked into the bedroom. He knew there was no possiblity of arguing there, so he didn't try. Instead, they made passionate love and fell asleep with their drinks untouched.

During the night, Carl woke and remembered that his drink was on the floor near the bed. In the dim light that spilled into the room from the hall, he tried to reach the glass, but failed.

Elaine's head was still lying on his shoulder and chest. Her hair fell across her face, her lips were slightly parted in sleep. She looked so beautiful that he felt tears forming in his eyes.

Stretching his neck, he looked toward the floor and saw that the glass was about a foot beyond his reach. Making a careful study of the situation, he realized that in order to reach it, he would have to move his body and knew that would probably waken her.

Seeing the placid beauty of the beautiful face lying on him, Carl knew that no drink would ever be important enough to justify that price.

Instead, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to return. Before he did, he felt a more wonderful sense of intoxication than any liquor could ever produce. He felt his woman breathing close to him before he drifted into a world of softness and love and sleep.