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Chapter 7
Last Updated:
2022-11-22 06:46:14
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Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 8
Ashton collapses on top of me, gathering me into his arms and kissing me deeply. Our bodies are still connected, our sweat mingling where our skin touches.My mind spins.Did he… did he really say he loves me?When he pulls back, his eyes are bright with happiness. He kisses me again, a soft peck this time, before sliding out of me. He stands, ties off the condom, and heads to the bathroom. I go after him, still dazed, and return to find him stretched out on the bed.As soon as he sees me, he smiles—shy and boyish. He pats the space beside him. “Come here.”I bite my lip, anxiety creeping in. Still, I lie beside him, tense and wrapped up in my thoughts.“What’s wrong?” Ashton asks, brows furrowing. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”I shoot up, facing him. My hands press to his chest and cheek. “No! God, no. I’ve wanted this… you… since I was thirteen. I just…” My voice trails off, unsure how to say it.He gently takes my chin and lifts it so I have to look at him. “Talk to
Last Updated : 2022-11-22Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 9
I wake up to warm arms surrounding me, the tickle of stubble on my shoulder, and the scent of Ash wrapped around me. I stretch and smile, a soft moan slipping from my lips.“Mmm, baby. If you move like that, I’m not gonna be responsible for what I do.” Ash rubs his morning wood against me, his hands beginning to wander.Now I’m moaning for a whole different reason. “Ash…” My voice is a husky whisper, thick with desire.“What is it, baby?” he murmurs against my skin, his lips pressing into the spot where the base of my neck meets the top of my spine. One hand palms my breast, squeezing gently, while the other hooks my leg behind him, opening me up. His fingers skim my thigh, moving between my legs, rubbing my clit until the wet sounds echo in the quiet room.It doesn’t take long.His fingers press into me, and my eyes roll back. “Sam…” he breathes, his voice full of possessive need. “How are you still this tight after how much I’ve fucked you?”I can’t speak—I can only moan, reaching
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 10
“What the fuck have you been doing? Why the hell haven’t you answered your phone?” Matt’s yelling so loud I have to hold the phone away from my ear.“Jesus, Matt, calm your ass down! I was up all night painting—I passed out around six this morning. I just woke up,” I snap back. My mood had been amazing—waking up to Ash, getting thoroughly wrecked before breakfast—but now? Now I’m caffeine-deprived and under fire from my overprotective brother. Too early for this.“What about Ashton? Why wasn’t he answering?” Matt’s slightly calmer, but still buzzing like a pissed-off hornet.“I forgot my charger,” Ash chimes in. “Slept till about ten. I didn’t realize my phone was dead ‘til I went digging through my bags for the cord. Sam’s charger was in her room… and I wasn’t about to go in while she was sleeping.”Not a lie. Not exactly the whole truth either—but close enough. Still, it leaves a sour taste. I don’t want to start this thing with Ashton by hiding it from my family. But… baby steps,
Last Updated : 2022-11-27Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 11
We elect to watch The Platform on N*****x while we eat breakfast, but things take a bit of a turn. Apparently, watching me lick syrup off my lips was “too sexy.” Ashton takes the plate and fork from my hands and pushes me back on the couch, tugging off my hoodie and booty shorts.“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to be able to kiss you whenever I wanted to,” Ashton whispers against the skin of my neck, my upper body now completely bare to him. “To touch you when and how I wanted.” His hands slide up to cup my breasts, squeezing them before tweaking my nipples.I moan, pressing myself closer to him. He chuckles at the sound—a low, possessive noise. He loves the way I melt under his hands.“You are so sexy, baby,” he murmurs, mouth moving down to take one nipple into his mouth.“Ashton…” I sigh, shivering as his fingers skim the waistband of my panties.I try to flip us, craving more, faster—but he pins my wrists above my head and looks up at me with one nipple still in his mouth. H
Last Updated : 2022-11-29Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 12
As lighthearted as Ash tried to make it sound when we heard about the school shutdown and the cancellation of his interviews, we were both seriously freaked out. It didn’t help that Matthew called every twenty minutes with updates—whether from the government, China, or some obscure Reddit thread. Or that both our parents were freaking out, too.Eventually, I had to set a boundary.“Matt,” I said during his sixth call of the day, “you can only call once every two hours unless someone is dying, actively has COVID, or the world is ending.”He grumbled, but agreed. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d started the drive here already—he’s that far up my ass.To make sense of everything, I reached out to my advisor, Professor Shipley. Ship and I had gotten close since he worked across both the art and graphic design departments at NYU. He’s the one who helped me blend my love of painting and digital art—something I really want to explore more when I have the time.Which… maybe I do now.“Ta
Last Updated : 2022-12-01Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 13
While I waited for Ash, I spiraled. Hard. The brawl over toilet paper had sent me deep into the dark corners of the internet—and it was not a fun trip.Apparently, just seven days ago, there were 60 confirmed COVID cases in the U.S. across 12 states. Four days ago, the Grand Princess cruise ship got stranded off the coast of California because one man died from the virus. Now, 3,500 people are stuck on board, and 21 crewmembers have tested positive. Wuhan’s been a ghost town for months. And Trump—bless his delusional heart—is urging vaccine developers to “go faster,” like science works on wishful thinking and caffeine alone.I was skimming an article about possible virus origins when the sound of the locks disengaging made me jump.“It’s just me, babe,” Ash said, swinging the door open and sliding in a few bags into the back seat. I tried to calm my breathing, heart still hammering in my chest.I moved to get out and help, but he waved me off. “Don’t. I’m almost done anyway. Did you fi
Last Updated : 2022-12-03Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 14
“You’re not coming back? Really? But all your stuff is here.” I’m astonished by what Kora just said.“My parents don’t want me coming back to the city. They’re worried about the virus, about making sure I have everything I need—and honestly, I think they just want the family together in case the worst happens,” Kora says.Well, shit. That makes me feel real good about being here right now. Kora seems to realize what she just implied. “Oh, fuck! I’m sorry, Sam. You know I didn’t mean that. It’s just…” Her voice trails off.“You’re scared. I’m scared too, Kora. And if staying with your family helps you feel better, then you should absolutely do that,” I say, trying to comfort her.“I’m sorry, Sam. Thank you for helping me calm down.”“Of course.”Ashton wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder and kissing my cheek.“Okay. Now that that’s out of the way, I need a play-by-play of what went down between you and Ashton. How the fuck did this happen?” Kora asks, buzzing
Last Updated : 2022-12-06Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 15
I’m in my room, trying to give Ashton some privacy in the dining area to do his interviews. We’ve been under quarantine for two weeks now, with no end in sight. Over that time, it seems like every company has been scrambling to figure out how to keep going. Everyone’s working from home, trying to adapt on the fly.Ashton’s doing his interviews over Zoom, which still feels surreal. We made sure nothing questionable was behind him—no pink penis shot glass from Kora’s sister’s bachelorette party, and definitely no Spring Break pics of the two of us in Mexico. Not exactly professional.He got emails from all four of the agencies he was supposed to interview with, asking if he’d be okay with virtual interviews. Of course he said yes. Getting a job with one of them is his best shot at staying in the city—and with me.He looks sexy as hell in his suit, and it’s all I can do not to undo all the hard work he put into getting ready. Slim-fit deep blue suit, crisp white shirt, black tie. I want t
Last Updated : 2022-12-08
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Love in the Time of Quarantine Author's Note
Hey friends! Thank you so much for reading Love in the Time of Quarantine. I hope that you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Here are a couple of announcements/interesting information for you. 1. If you are interested in what I listen to while I’m writing, you can find my playlist “Creative Juices” on Spotify. I love all different kinds of music, so there's a little something for everyone. 2. Other books on GoodNovel: Trio of Mates Series: 4 werewolf books that take on the idea of what would happen if one of the leadership was gay and couldn’t produce an heir. Lots of very graphic smut. (completed) Trio Legacy Series: The stories of the children of the wolves introduced in the Trio of Mates Series. Completed: Hide and Seek, Ongoing: Red Rover Dissonance and Harmony: The story of a high school girl who has to face her rapist at his sentencing hearing and deal with her PTSD from that night. Graphic violence and rape scenes. (completed) 3. Follow me under the same name
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 30: Jorge
I’m standing outside the girls’ apartment—our old apartment—with a picnic basket of baked goods and a cooler full of drinks, fruit, and toppings. I brought muffins, cinnamon rolls, danishes, cinnamon raisin bread, and fresh bagels.Okay, I went a little overboard. I can admit that. I’m just so fucking anxious, I don’t know what to do with myself.I was already awake when Andie’s text came through last night, replaying everything Angel had said to me earlier. I’d been scrolling through old photos of Andie and Jaime, staring at all the joy I used to have. I miss them so damn much. It took losing them to understand exactly how badly I’d fucked up.I didn’t even hesitate. I texted back immediately that I’d bring breakfast.And for the first time in a while, I fell asleep without any trouble.Granted, it was only for a few hours—I had to make deliveries at the bakery this morning—but I got there early, dropped everything off, and grabbed the best of the morning’s offerings for them.Now I’v
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 29: Jaime
I’ve been tossing and turning in bed all night after listening to everything Angel and Maddie said tonight.“You three belong together.”“He loves you.”“He wants you back.”“What do you have to lose if you do call him?”I know what my heart wants. I also know what my heart is afraid is going to happen. How can I allow him to possibly hurt me—us—all over again?What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Wouldn’t it be insane to let him back into our lives and hope it ends differently?Angel and Marta have both said he’s reduced his hours at the business. That they’ve hired new people. That he’s learned his lesson. Could it be true? Could he really have changed for us, even if he didn’t think we’d ever come back?I don’t know.We’ve been in bed since midnight, and it’s now 3 a.m. With a huge sigh, I get up and grab my robe, tying it tightly around me. I can’t lay here any longer. And if I keep shifting, I’m going to wake
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 28: Andie
Jaime and I go about making dinner in silence. We’re a well-oiled machine at this point, moving easily around each other in our kitchen. Angel and her partner Maddie are coming over tonight for dinner and to play cards.It’s something we started back in college with Angel—a weekly card game. Each week, someone picks the game we play, and once a year, each of us is supposed to introduce a new card game. We use candy and snack foods for any games that require betting. It’s more about hanging out and having fun than anything else.Maddie and Angel have been very careful about who they let into their circle, as have we, so we all feel comfortable being around each other, even with COVID still going on.Unfortunately, this is how much of our life has been since Jorge left: a silent orbit around each other. We hold each other through the tears and the pain, but we don’t really talk.I mean, what’s there to say?We’re enough for each other—but not for the man we love.It hurts. And we’re grie
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 27: Jorge
“Angel, do you have tomorrow’s shipment of bread all packaged? Carmello’s needs the delivery an hour early. I’d like to be able to have everything on rolling carts so I can just load up the trucks the second I get here,” I call to Angel.When she first started working with me, I had brought Angel on just as a delivery driver. But over the last two months, I have consciously tried to pull myself back from the business, and I’ve made Angel a partner. We have three drivers, a part-time baker, and two part-time packagers. I’ve cut my hours back so that I’m working nine-hour days, as opposed to the sixteen-hour days I was working before.The only reason that I’m driving tomorrow is because our early morning guy took the day off. Otherwise, I’ve even built in Wednesdays and Sundays as days off.“Yes, everything’s all ready. Just waiting for the last batch to finish cooling before we get it packaged. I’ll get that done in the next hour,” Angel tells me.I let out a huge sigh. “Ok. I’m heading
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 26: Jaime
It’s been a week since our last interaction with Jorge. We’ve been communicating via text and notes left at the apartment. The morning after our breakup, Jorge was gone before Andie and I even woke up. He’d packed a bag and left a note saying he’d be in and out while we were at work over the coming week.He’s moving into an apartment over his parents’ restaurant. It used to be his dad’s office, and over the years, various family members have crashed there when they were in the doghouse with their wives or girlfriends.Not a bad place—but not exactly the kind of space you’d expect someone with a thriving business to live in. Still, with COVID still bad, Jorge decided to stay somewhere only family had been. Said it was safer.Trying to decide what belongs to who over text is awful.I’d honestly thought Jorge was the one. The guy I’d spend the rest of my life with. When we added Andie into our lives, it felt perfect. For a while.So we bought everything together—TV, couch, microwave. Even
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 25: Andie
In that way that grief between people who love each other will sometimes turn sexual, when Jorge turns to Jaime and kisses her, she kisses him back.I lean in and kiss the side of his face. He turns toward me and—God—it feels good to kiss him. I’ve missed him so damn much. It’s been too damn long.Jaime brings his mouth back to hers, their kiss hungry and desperate. My hands go to the bottom of the hoodie he’s wearing and I rip it off of him.Jaime finds his mouth again, and I lean down, licking his nipples. He groans into Jaime’s mouth, his body tensing in arousal. He loves having his nipples played with. At the same time, I rake my nails down his abs.Jorge pulls back from Jaime’s mouth to look down at me. “Please. I need you both.” His voice is so full of need.I look at Jaime, asking if she’s okay with this. Because this is going to be an end, not a reconciliation. But I want this. I need him.Jaime nods, both of us catching the motion.Jorge surges from the chair, knocking it to t
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 24: Jorge
Andie looks between Jaime and me, and I can tell she immediately understands what’s going on. She’s always had that ability—to take in a situation at a glance and know exactly what’s happening. I guess that’s what makes her such a good programmer.And an expert at calling me on my bullshit.Ever since the day I triggered Jaime’s meltdown, Andie’s been more distant with me. I think she realized that, even though the promises I made to her and Jaime were heartfelt, they weren’t ones I could keep.The time I managed to get after that? It felt more like it was for Jaime’s benefit than for Andie’s. As introverted and quiet as she appears, Andie doesn’t take shit from anyone.She gave me more rope than I deserved. And I guess I finally used it to hang myself.“How far are we into this conversation?” Andie asks calmly.I blink at her, caught off guard by how level her voice is.Jaime answers instead. “I told him he’s not treating us like priorities. That the last chance we gave him was the la
Love in the Time of Quarantine Chapter 23: Jaime
I’m sitting on the couch flipping through TV channels when Jorge walks in. It’s been two days since our failed date night, and this is the first time I’ve seen him for more than a passing second. He’s dressed in sweats and a tank top, hair wet from a shower—he must’ve just come back from a run.Andie and I have been sleeping in her old room ever since that night. With the hours he’s been keeping, I don’t really know what he’s up to anymore.Honestly? I don’t know if I can even muster the energy to care. Every time I try, it just ends up hurting.“Hey…” Jorge says tentatively, sitting on the arm of the couch.I glance over. “Hey,” I reply, then turn my attention back to the TV.“Um… where’s Andie?” he asks, like he’s not sure what to say.“Doctor’s appointment and then grocery shopping.” My responses aren’t angry—just short. I give the remote a voice command to switch to N*****x and start scrolling through options, skipping past the show I actually want to watch.Shadow and Bone. Can’
