“Ugh, whatever. Let’s go get some food and then maybe we can go find some chicks to hang out with. Sound like a plan?”
The first part of that sounds great to me, but the second not so much. I’m starting to wonder why I even came with Marek in the first place but hooking up with random girls definitely wasn’t it. I nod again and he leads the way inside.
“It was nice meeting you Anders…Giselle, Marek, don’t stay up too late. I know it’s summer break, but you should catch up on the sleep while you’re young and you can.”
Marek watches as his dad gets up from the table and he follows him out of the room. With my best friend’s focus elsewhere, I turn my attention back to his sister sitting across from me. Completely unaware of the fact that I’m watching her, she reaches from the open bottle in the middle of the table. I don’t know yet what kind of relationship Marek and she have, but something tells me he wouldn’t be okay with her pouring the wine into her glass. Giselle’s eyes keep darting to her brother as she brings both underneath the table and quickly fills it up. She has ninja skills as she finishes and replaces the bottle before he turns back.
Wine has never been my drink of choice and judging by the scowl on her lips as the first drop hits her tongue, it’s not hers either. My eyes don’t leave hers even as she catches me watching. She doesn’t look shocked, instead she smirks up at me as she takes another drink of the wine. If it weren’t for her age and the fact the she’s Marek’s sister I might consider getting to know her better. But because of those facts alone, I won’t go near her.
We continue our staring contest, neither one of us breaking focus until Marek comes back in the room and says, “You can’t be serious right now. Do you want to get yourself in trouble?”
The glass kisses her lips as she pours another heavy swallow into her mouth. She grins as big as she can, almost menacingly so, and finally places the drink onto the table. “Come on Marek. You and I both know you were doing way worse things when you were my age. It’s just a glass of wine. Besides you’re sitting right there at the table with me. How much trouble can I really get in?”
He opens his mouth and I know he’s going to say something to make her stop but without thinking about it I open my own and say, “Yeah, dude what’s the big deal? It’s not like any of us are leaving and your parents are already in bed for the night.”
I’ve never been a fan of wine but as a solidarity move, I swipe the bottle from the table and pour my own glass. The pungent fruit smell overwhelms my nostrils as I bring the drink to my lips and take a sip. It tastes even worse than I remember it. I plaster a fake smile on my face holding back my cringe and add, “We might as well finish off the bottle, so it doesn’t go bad. Pouring even a drop down the drain, that’s pretty much alcohol abuse.”
I can see the wheels turning as he contemplates my words but eventually, he breaks down and pours his own glass. Marek doesn’t even hide the look of disgust as it crosses his face with the first sip. Putting the wine back down he turns to Giselle and says, “You’re not drinking more than one glass.”
She shrugs taking another drink of her nasty fermented grape juice and asks, “Any chance I can convince you to drive me to the mall tomorrow?”
“Why would I do that? Get your own ride there.”
“I wasn’t exactly allowed to bring my car with me and there’s no way Mom and Dad would let me borrow their car. Please Marek.”
I don’t know what compels me to speak up again, but I do. With one huge swallow, I down the contents of my own glass and say, “You know, I don’t have much with me. I could use at least a pair of board-shorts.”
It’s true I don’t have anything to wear to the beach, but I also don’t have the money to spend on clothing right now. But for some reason I feel the need to come to Giselle’s rescue. Instead of really thinking about that and questioning it, I smile up at my glaring best friend.
Marek follows my lead and polishes off his own glass before turning the death glare on both of us. “Fine, we’ll go to the mall tomorrow. But we’re going early and making it quick. I’m not spending a perfectly good summer day hanging out there. I have better things I can do.”
He doesn’t wait for either one of us to say anything and instead gets up from the table and leaves the room. I have no idea why I even put my foot in my mouth, but now I’m seriously double thinking that. Another situation like that and Marek will kick me to the curb and then where will I be?
Chapter Three
Giselle
The tension in this car could be cut with a knife it’s so thick. I shouldn’t have goaded Marek last night. It was stupid and I’m seriously regretting that decision especially since it’s an almost forty-five-minute drive from the beach house to the small mall. Every few minutes, Anders looks at me through his visor mirror. When we got in the car, he had conveniently forgotten his sunglasses back at the house and had to put it down minutes after we pulled onto the freeway.
Marek grumbles under his breath as we speed down the highway. I had zero intention of saying anything during this car ride, but when one of my favorite songs comes on the radio, I can’t hold it in any longer. “Hey, will you turn it up?” I don’t care who responds, just as long as I can rock out.
He groans but turns it up anyways. I close my eyes and let the music take over. It’s just me and the radio in the car and I move my lips like I’m belting the notes like Christina. What I wouldn’t give to have pipes like she does. Nobody can sing like her. I bring my hands in the air and dance in my seat as Redman starts rapping. I can feel the music in my chest, and I roll with it. Losing myself I belt out all of the lyrics right along with her. I might never have a career in music, but I can carry a tune. When the song ends, he doesn’t even wait ten seconds before turning the volume all the way back down to a low hum.
“Did you want to grab some lunch while we’re out or…” Anders leaves off his sentence waiting for Marek to respond. We sit in uncomfortable silence waiting for my brother to say anything and when he doesn’t, Anders clears his throat.
My brother turns on his blinker and changes lanes to turn into the mall parking lot. Swinging into a spot he slams on his breaks throwing us all forward as he parks the car. “Let’s just get this shopping shit over and done with. Then we can drop my bratty sister off at home and figure out our plans later. I think there’s a party going on we can hit up.”
What the heck was that all about? It’s like we left the house with Dr. Jekyll and now Mr. Hyde has come out to play. There’s no way what happened last night could cause this kind of tension and anger.
There has to be something else going on.
As I slide across the seat to the passenger side, I notice Anders already has his seat pushed all the way forward so I can climb out. I offer him a quiet thank you as he shuts his door and I notice my brother is almost to the sidewalk in front of one of the clothing stores. So much for waiting for me.
Anders and I start walking toward him when he leans down and says, “Don’t think too much of it. He’s got a lot going on at school right now. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
If that were the case, then Marek should be the one to tell me about what’s going on. We used to talk to each other all the time before he went to school. I keep my face blank pretending like I’m completely unaffected rather than feeling like I’m slowly losing my brother, one of my best friends. I pick up my pace in the parking lot just wanting to go in and get this day over with already. Not surprisingly Anders stays by my side the entire time, taking longer strides to match my short, hurried ones. When we finally step foot inside Marek is standing in front of the giant directory no doubt just waiting for us to catch up.
As we reach him, some guy steps out of Abercrombie & Fitch and turns in our direction. He zeroes in on the three of us but Marek and Anders don’t see him yet. He’s tall, like my brother and his friend who are both well above six feet. He has long dark hair that hangs straight down on either side of his
face. It kind of reminds me of that guy who plays Dean in Gilmore Girls. But that’s where the resemblance ends. He has dark almost black eyes that look menacing as they travel up and down my body. I’m tempted to pull Anders to me for protection, but I know I’m probably just overacting.
“Mary-Kate, Ashley, how the hell are you guys? Long time no see.”
My mouth falls open and I look to both guys expecting some sort of reaction. Nobody in high school would have talked to Marek that way. Both of their faces are blank of expression and I turn my attention back to the new guy. He’s not unattractive, but I automatically get this bad vibe from him. My brother’s jaw locks and I can tell he doesn’t like whoever this guy is. He has a fake smile plastered on his face so if I had to guess he’s probably one of the guys from their fraternity.
The three of them stand there having a conversation about school crap. Tuning them out, I take in our surroundings and get the lay of the land. I know Marek isn’t going to want to stay here all day, so I have two, maybe three, hours to get some serious shopping in and I need to make use of every minute. We’re stopped right next to a JCPenney and I can see the food court off in the distance. I know there’s a Delia’s somewhere around here and a Wet Seal, both of which are on my agenda for the day. If my brother wasn’t completely blocking the directory with his body, I could make my plan a lot easier. Instead, I let out a huff of air in frustration and all three sets of eyes turn toward me.
“C’mon aren’t you going to introduce me to the hottie here?” The creepy dude leers at me and I suddenly feel like I need to burn my skin off with the hottest of showers.
So gross. He reaches his hand toward me and says, “I’m sure the boys here don’t mind sharing you, I’m Craig and who might you be?”
I don’t even get the chance to open my mouth and tell off this creep when Anders is grabbing my arm and shoving me behind his back. He’s got one arm wrapped around my body holding me tightly to his back and I can feel his entire body stiffen. Marek takes a giant step forward and the anger is radiating off both of their bodies. I don’t know who this guy is but they both seem to have a major problem with him and that is saying something.
My words catch in my throat as Anders wraps his arm around my waist pulling me tightly to his side. He gives the guy standing in front of us the stink eye and says, “She’s my girlfriend. Now back the fuck off, Masters.” Hitting his point home, he tightens his arm around me, and I lean into his embrace. There’s definitely something off about this guy, that’s for sure.
“Chill, McKay. I was only asking for an introduction, not a marriage proposal. No harm, no foul. Right, buddy?”
Based on the low growl that Anders releases, I don’t think that’s the least bit true. Either way, I keep completely stone-faced and let the boys battle out whatever pissing contest this is. I’d really rather not have any part of it. Anders bares his teeth and with a fake smile on his face he says, “You got it…buddy.”
You could cut the tension between the three of them with a knife. I don’t know if they’re about ready to break out in a fight, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised with how my brother and Anders are acting. Craig, or whoever he is, offers them both smiles and leaves his gaze on me longer than makes me feel comfortable.
“Well, this has been fun. Good seeing you, boys. I’m sticking around town for a while, so hit me up.” He lifts his cell phone and shakes it in the air before walking past us and out the mall entrance.
He hasn’t even taken two steps out the door when Marek whips around and his eyes are blazing. “Giselle, if you’re alone and see that guy anywhere, you turn around and run in the opposite direction. I don’t want you near him. Do you understand me?”
Wow. I don’t even know what to say to that. He looks crazed and intense.
“Seriously? You’re my brother Marek, not my dad. You don’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with.” He opens his mouth and I raise my hand stopping him so I can finish my train of thought. “And how little do you think of me? That dude looked like a fucking creeper. I can smell potential date rape from a mile away. But please, dear brother, continue telling me what I don’t already know.”
I fold my arms across my chest and Anders tightens his grip on my waist. I’m not sure if it was involuntarily or on purpose. Either way it brings Marek’s attention to his arm still wrapped around my body and he turns his wrath on his best friend, “Dude what the fuck was that?”
“If you told him she was your sister the sick fuck would see that as a challenge and go after her. But since I told him she’s my girlfriend he won’t touch her. He knows not to fuck with me and he’d be in major shit if he tried to mess with her.” Marek wouldn’t be able to tell, but Anders squeezes me tighter to him almost as if on instinct.
“You’re right.” Marek starts walking away from us and then stops in his tracks turning around to look at us again. “Thanks.” His gaze zooms right into where Anders’ arm is still wrapped around me and he says, “Will you get your damn hands off her? I’m grateful for your charade, but it’s over. I really don’t want to beat the shit out of my best friend. Don’t make me actually puke on the floor seeing the two of you together. That’s gross, dude.”
Anders slips his arm from my shoulder and that seems to appease Marek enough. He turns around and starts walking toward wherever he was headed. I wiggle away and start walking in a different direction. Worst case scenario, my brother leaves me here and I spend part of my savings on a bus ride back to the beach house. I don’t need to be ruining anyone else’s day anyway. Coming here with these two was just a giant mistake.
“Do you think this makes my butt look fat?”
I want to laugh as Anders turns from side to side in front of the full-length mirror. He pushes his booty out and shakes it for added emphasis. I didn’t realize how fun and silly he can be when my brother isn’t around. When I walked away, Anders was actually talking to Marek. He wasn’t in the shopping mood and somehow my current shopping partner convinced him to leave us here and come back later. We haven’t actually done any real shopping. Like right now, for example, Anders is modeling a very large top hat. It looks absolutely ridiculous on him and yet he still looks good.
He continues prancing around in front of the mirror and I step around the corner to the other hats. There’s a wide variety, then again, this store is called The Mad Hatter. About halfway up the wall, my eyes zero in on an amazing one. Without a second thought, I jump up and flick it off the peg and into my greedy fingers. They glide along the soft tweed fabric and I hope Anders loves it.
I find him still modeling for himself when I come up behind him and say, “Take that one off. I found the perfect hat for you.”
Twirling around he grabs the hat from my hand and tosses the other one to the side. With a quick glance, I don’t spot the grouchy old man who I am guessing owns this little shop. I swipe the top hat from the corner where Anders tossed it and rub my hand along the fabric removing the invisible dust.
“Dude this hat is sweet. What do you think?”
My words get caught in my throat as he turns back around this time much more slowly. Today Anders traded up his prep clothes for some of my brother’s, wearing a pair of dark wash, straight legged jeans that are riding unbelievably low on his protruding hips and a form-fitting V-neck t-shirt. I honestly hope he never gives those clothes back to my brother because I’ll never be able to look at them the same way again. I lick my bottom lip as my gaze falls on the fedora I handed over to him. It’s a dark charcoal gray and he has it tilted down over one eye making the blue in his other pop against the dark fabric.
Who knew a hat could turn me on so much?
I cough slightly and run my heavy tongue along the roof of my mouth. “You should definitely buy it.” My voice catches slightly, and my skin heats up as I break my gaze from his and back down to the hat in my hand.
Anders smirks and I about pass out on the floor, but he glances in the mirror again and tilts his
head to the side. With a slow deliberate nod, he says, “I think you’re right. This one is a winner.”
I don’t wait to see what else he does as I turn away from him and find the spot where he snatched the Abe Lincoln replica. I have no idea where he got it but I place it on an empty spot on one of the tables. If Mr. Groucherson has an issue he can move it later. My hands move of their own accord dancing across the fabric of the different hats. Some rough, some soft, and others are somewhere in between. I can feel his presence behind me before he says a word and I hold my breath as I wait.
“C’mon. We have to go.”
He slides his hand into my own and tugs me out of the store toward the next one. An electrical current zaps me at the contact and the lazy butterflies in my stomach turn into full-on bats. I feel more alive than I have in my life and we’re just holding hands. This is ridiculous.
What is this guy doing to me?
Chapter Four
Anders
The sun catches me off guard as I roll over in the overly fluffy bed that isn’t mine. I’ve never stayed in a house this nice before. I’ve never slept in a bed this nice before. And if I’m being honest with myself it’ll probably never happen again. I roll over onto something that crinkles. Weird.
My best friends familiar scrawl catches my eye on the crumpled sheet of paper.
* * *
Went out with my parents for breakfast. Then to hook up with Stacy. I’ll be back later.
-Marek
* * *
I’m alone in the house.
Wait. The note didn’t say anything about Giselle going to breakfast with them. Is she here with me too? Are we alone in the house together?
Kiss Me Page 2