Chapter 14 - The Photo (End)

Avery left on the Tuesday before the fall semester began. Lisa showed up early to drive with her since they'd been given an accessible dorm room together. The university had provided an aide to help them too, someone on the medical track with a minor in kinesiology, who happened to love the fact she was going to be helping out two of Coach Ramirez's picks for the wheelchair basketball team. All in all, it looked good.

Neil prepared a hearty breakfast for the three of them, and they spent a couple of hours chatting about the future. They'd been excited, all three of them. Avery and Lisa were pursuing their dream and he was watching his girl shine in ways he'd never imagined when he'd first arrived. Ways that were better than what he had wanted for her, because they were hers. Then, around 10 a.m., the two women left.

That was a month ago.

Neil sat in the living room, working on a paper. He shot Avery a quick message, just to say he hoped she was doing well. They'd spoken several times in her first couple of days in Arizona. Then she'd met up with the coach, got involved in campus activities, and the semester had officially started.

Contacts slowed. First there were fewer calls, then fewer messages. Then, almost nothing.

She did send him an update sometimes, just to apologize for not saying much. Between working with Ramirez, taking classes, and her extracurricular activities, she was run ragged. Exhausted, and with limited free time, she really didn't have much left for their relationship.

He'd expected it, of course. Avery was wonderful: sexy, smart, athletic, going places. Hell, it was why he'd made it clear he wasn't going to ask her to wait for him. Maybe she'd found someone new. If she hadn't yet, it was only a matter of time.

And he missed her.

His instant messenger pinged. He looked up from his work and saw he'd received a message from her. Wistful for what they'd shared, he opened it, fully expecting one of her recent "Hi, things are crazy!" texts.

It was.

And it wasn't.

He stared at the pictures attached to the text. They were of her, naked in her wheelchair with a basketball.

The first was shot from a three-quarter angle behind her. She was throwing the basketball upwards, taking a shot. She stretched, long and elegant as the ball left her hands. Neil remembered how she'd looked when she had practiced with the team. Even though she'd decided to become a coach, she still enjoyed handling the ball.

The second showed her face, resting on top of her hands which were folded on top of the basketball. The ball itself sat on a plinth. Her eyes were soft, almost unfocused, as she gazed directly into the camera. A smile, soft and relaxed, curved across her lips. He'd seen that look. When they'd tried sleeping together after sex, she'd woken like that.

Finally, there was the picture shot from in front of her. She held the ball in her lap and sat relaxed and straight. Her arms rested on the arms of her chair, leaving herself open to the camera. The ball covered her crotch, but she made no effort to hide her body from him. Still, it had a lightness to it. The slight lean towards her side, the incline of her neck, it seemed natural, even though she'd obviously posed to look that way.

They were very classy and artistic black and white photos. Her nakedness didn't make the shots pornographic, a simple attempt to turn him on. They encompassed her sensuality and her sexuality, the way every part of her embraced the physical and the emotional together. That was what made them the most erotic thing he'd ever seen. She was being herself. And the look on the close-up of her face was hungry. That picture bore a small, handwritten message: "You don't need a fake."

Another text followed, much longer this time...

"Hey, baby, I'm so sorry things have been so crazy lately. I thought I was just gonna be involved with the women's wheelchair team, but I've been helping with the men's, the track team and adaptive golf too! I never knew they had such a massive program!

I don't think I'll be able to make it back for the mid-semester break. Is there any chance you could get here for a couple of days?

MISS YOU BABY!"

Neil took a deep breath.

And smiled.

.....................................

That ends the story of Neil and Avery. What lies in store for them? I leave that to your imagination. Many long-distance relationships fail, but as someone who met my late wife and my wife online, I can promise you that many others succeed. So, as we draw a veil over our now loving couple with a HFN, how would you see their story continuing? Feel free to comment.

I will return with something new shortly. I haven't decided what yet. It may be another romance, it may be something in another genre that still embraces sensuality and sexuality. I haven't decided yet, but hope to get started sometime during the next month.

Thanks for taking time to read this story. And for those of you who liked, favourited or commented, please understand that this is the kind of feedback that encouraged me to keep going. I really appreciate it.

I'm adding a poll or two below to get feedback on what you'd like to see from me next. Feel free to share your thoughts.