Chapter 40: Reconciliation Overdrive

Rick was finishing the latest chapter of bio chemistry on his schedule. Within two weeks he’d have to go to Princenton and pass his end of the semester exams. This time he hoped he wouldn’t come across Rebecca. The last time in May had been a rather awkward reunion and he didn't want to experience it again.

Still, it was a better option than the silent treatment Rachel had been giving him for the past week.

The talk had gone well. In his opinion at least. Rachel had not moved out of their room, she just ignored him altogether, unless she had something work related to share. The blonde woman had listened attentively to every word he said. From the beginning, his zombie mother biting him, to his slow discovery of his new abilities, then his infection of the G-virus and how it enhanced him even more. His view regarding who or what he was, his fears of being used as a guinea pig, his isolation which became even more pronounced after Claire’s fateful words and subsequent break-up with him only to finish with his hesitation in sharing that secret with her.

Closing his notebook, Rick rested his head on his arms for a long deserved break. His brain was still working however. He needed to answer Sherry and write an e-mail to Jill.

His train of thoughts was brought to an abrupt stop when he fell to heavy breasts resting on his head. From the weight, he knew which teammate it was out of the four women in the Unit.

“Finally got around, huh?” He didn’t move an inch and kept his eyes closed.

“I did.” Rachel leaned back pulling him up with her hands on his shoulders. “I just needed to… I needed time. I understand why you didn’t say anything. I even agree with it but it doesn’t mean I like it.”

Rick stretched and turned around to face her. “I really wanted to tell you. I’m just… not really used to trusting people. I don’t really have a good track record with them and—”

“Your ex was a total bitch. I told you, I get it.”

After a moment of silence he spoke up again. “Wanna hear something funny?”

From the sad expression on his face, Rachel knew it would be anything but. “Yeah?”

“I still love her.”

She gave him the flattest look. “That’s not funny. That’s… down right sad and borderline pathetic.”

His chuckle was one without mirth. He knew how it sounded, Rachel didn’t have to say it aloud. Claire was still in his thoughts nearly a year after their break up and he hated it. He hated loving her still. Anyone else and he would have moved on and forgotten all about them but he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget her, the nightmare they shared and the nearly three months they dated.

The simple reason for that was that Claire had been there for him and accepted what he was when even he didn’t know what exactly that was. She had been encouraging, she had been supportive. No one else, not even Jill, had been that good to him. Claire had made him feel cared for, loved, that he had every right to exist and that he belonged somewhere.

Even if her words had been hurtful, he had forgiven them. Most importantly of all, he didn’t have it in him to hate her. Neither for the words, nor for the break up. And Rick absolutely hated that. For all intent and purposes, he should be hating her but he just couldn’t. He didn’t have it in him because deep down, he hoped they could reconcile.

“Well…” He started with, searching for what to say, to make the atmosphere less awkward. “You could always make me forget about her.” His delivery was done with his eyebrows moving up and down suggestively. A stark contrast to his resting bitch face. “Superhuman stamina, remember?”

It was Rachel’s turn to chuckle this time but there was real amusement in it. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I’ll get you in my bed one of those days.” He joked.

She snorted and gave him a shake of the head. “I’ll believe those words the day you don’t say them to me with a straight, disinterested face. Now come on,” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to his feet. “We have the week-end off and we just got paid.”

“Hm, no. I’m not going to the city for some shopping.” Rick stayed where he stood. No matter how much she tried she couldn’t move him an inch.

“Then we won't go shopping and just take a stroll. You’ve been studying non-stop for your exams when we both know you could have aced them at the start of your semester. You need a break.”

He pondered the statement for a moment. It was true, he always busied himself, either with training or his studies. Even Captain Walker was taking some down town more than he did. If Rick had to be honest, he didn’t know how to relax. Every day of his life since he was twelve had been about survival. Finding food, finding shelter, planning his next move so he wouldn’t die in a back alley, then training and studying to make something out of his life. There had been no place nor opportunities for him to enjoy life.

In the end, he let himself be dragged away. “I’m 18 remember? I can’t get into a bar.”

“It’s fine. Crow told me about a bar that allows adults below 21. They won’t serve you drinks of course. It’s not what I had in mind anyway.”

They exited their rooms and went to the garage. From the absence of several vehicles, Rick understood that some members of the unit were already out of the base. Rachel grabbed the keys of a beat up pick up truck and went behind the wheel, him riding shotgun.

“So, Crow and Blast are on a date too?” He pointed his chin at the empty spot to the side where a jeep was usually parked.

“Not so much a date than an outing. Queen and Chaser are with them. And it’s not ‘too’. We are not dating.” Rachel corrected him.

Rick gave her an amused smile. “Let me dream, ballbuster.”

“And why should I?” Rachel put the key in the ignition and turned. The engine roared to life without trouble.

“Have you seen my dating prospects? I can meet girls at Uni, because I don’t go there, I can’t meet girls at bars, because I’m usually not allowed in them and the only women I see on a daily basis are either in a relationship like Crow, not my type like Queen or are the Captain and the Doc. While I do have a preference for older women, I’m certainly not suicidal. That leaves only you. And you’ve been teasing me to hell and back for the past ten months.”

Rachel drove them out of the underground garage and took to the road. “Owww, is little Rick frustrated he can wet his biscuit so he fantasized about little old me?” She teased with a smirk, putting her hand on his thigh.

“I pretend in my head. You’re the one fantasizing. Don’t think I don’t see you looking at my junk every morning.”

Her answer was immediate and full of emotion! “NO KID SHOULD HAVE A COCK THAT BIG!”

Rick held back a snort and put on a mask of stoicism. “Rachel… If you didn’t know I was 18, you wouldn’t think of me as a kid at all. I’m 6’2” and build like a brick. I’m pretty sure, if you saw me in the streets without knowing me from Adam or Eve, you’d try to chat me up.”

The blonde stayed quiet because what Rick had just said was true. She couldn’t deny that Rick was handsome as hell and that he didn’t look like a kid at all. Many times over the months she had thought about playing with his dick while he was asleep. Both out of curiosity and need. It’s been a while since she got laid and had a good fuck and her partner had the perfect tool, albeit a bit intimidating, to remedy to that. A few times she had pleasured herself in the shower thinking of his big fat cock. Unfortunately knowing his age had been a huge turn off.

Not liking being bested in the argument, she changed the subject. “By the way, did you know why the Captain gave Queen her nickname?”

“Because she’s an arrogant entitled bitch?”

Rachel snorted at the answer. It was true. Queen had an attitude on her although she wasn’t a bad person in her opinion. She didn’t look down on people, belittle them or was condescending. She was just… very extraverted and led a lot.

“No. It’s because she’s a real one. For size, if you know what I mean. You’re lucky she doesn’t know about what you’re packing.”

“Shut up!” Rick exclaimed in shock. “The Captain? Never smiling, always professional, Captain Walker, nicknamed Queen because she’s a size queen?”

“Yup. From what I’ve heard.”

“Calling me ‘Roach’ because I survive everything like a cockroach is one thing but ‘size queen’…”

“It does fit.” Rachel shrugged her shoulders.

“She’s really bad at naming.”

“You think so? She named herself ‘Sky’ for ‘Skywalker’. ‘Worm’ because he breaches every computer he encounters. ‘Blast’ because he’s an explosive nutjob. Every nickname she picked was with an idea in mind.”

Rick gave her a shake of his head in disbelief. He didn’t want to comment on this. His mind would be lost if he did and he certainly didn’t want that.

“What about you?”

“Liquid? Apparently it’s both from a video game and—”

“No,” he interjected. “I mean your dating prospects? I know you don’t have a guy waiting at home but no occasional lovers?”

She tilted her head from one side to the other. “No one regular. It’s not like I can start a serious relationship with a guy with the work we do. Only a few one night stands here and there.”

“Well, it’s not like you have to try hard to find those.” Rick chuckled. “Why you enlisted instead of starting a model career is beyond me.”

“Never crossed my mind to tell you the truth. I heard about the dark side of the industry and it completely turned me off. I mean… I don’t mind showing my body—”

Rick let out a snort. “Yeah, I’m well aware,” that made her chuckle.

Rachel was notorious for having little decency and modesty. At least to him. Every time she could she was only in panties and a simple tank top without a bra. And that was only when she bothered with the panties in the first place. Sometimes she just wore a towel inside their room. It was to tease him of course but mainly because she was just like that. Many times he had to focus extra hard on his studies to not have a look. The number of cold showers he had to take to deal with his arousal had long been forgotten with how many there had been.

“That you do.” She grinned. Her hand went higher on his thigh. Dangerously close to his crotch. To make it even more difficult for him she gave him a little squeeze. “But I’m not a whore. I wasn’t going to sell my body for money and be considered a slave in everything but name. I didn’t want to sink into drugs and alcohol either.”

“Careful, Rachel. I have the bluest balls on the East Coast and what you’re doing makes it dangerous for you.” Rick warned when she began to massage his inner thigh.

“I like to live dangerously.” She licked her upper lip sultrily and gave him a wink. Her hand stopped what it was doing however and found itself back on the wheel with the other.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive in Fredericksburg in a comfortable silence, broken only by the sound of the radio. It lasted until the Backstreet Boys came on air. Rick had let Rachel sing her heart off on I want it that way but he drew a line when the next song was another one of theirs.

He quickly changed the station.

“Hey! I was listening to that!” Rachel protested.

“Yeah! And the song is over!” Rick tried to find something good but she made things difficult when she tried to pry his hand away from the console. “Stop it, damnit!” He caught her wrist with his free hand. “It’s my turn.”

“What the fuck do you even know about music?!”

“Just because I grew up in the streets doesn’t mean I've never heard anything in my li— Oh, yeah, that’d do.”

“Oh, yeah, Beat it.” She smirked evilly. “Maybe if you did that more often you wouldn’t have the bluest—”

Rick put his hand in front of her mouth to make her stop talking. Rachel didn’t remove it but she kept giggling behind it until she found a space to park in. Already, he regretted letting her drag him outside the base.