by Kat T. Masen
“I’m so sorry, Alex.”
I started to panic, my voice becoming squeaky. As the adrenalin started to wear off, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head. It must have been from when he fell on top of me on the stairs. Without thinking, I rubbed my head, my face scrunching as I touched the lump that was starting to form.
“Are you okay? Come sit down.”
Alex pulled one of the stools out as I walked over to the island countertop. Sitting myself down, I watched him grab a bag of peas from the freezer. He walked back over and stood in front of me, then held the peas against the lump now throbbing like one of those thumbs in the cartoons. His chest in front of me, gloriously exposed, the smell of his skin intoxicating. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, inhaling what smelled like aftershave and soap mixed with man sweat, but good man sweat, hot man sweat.
“Better?” he asked in a sweeter tone.
“Yes, thank you. I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were here. Adriana didn’t mention that you had returned from college.” I spoke quickly, suddenly feeling self-conscious, and I had every reason to as I’d just caught him checking out my breasts. His eyes looked like they were on fire. I looked down, my nipples now prominent in my tank top. Oh fuck, I forgot to put my bra back on! I quickly folded my arms breaking him from his perverted stare.
“I… um, came back this morning.” He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “She probably didn’t tell you because she was too busy sucking face with that scrawny geek she’s seeing. I didn’t mean to startle you back there. I’m sleeping on the couch tonight because our bed hasn’t arrived at our new place yet.”
“Are you back here for good?”
“Not one-hundred percent sure, but in the meantime, I wanted to get some practical experience alongside my dad at the hospital. Plus, Samantha got a job at the gallery not too far from here, so yeah, I guess it keeps everyone happy,” he explained, sounding a little unsure of himself.
“I better head back to bed.” I hopped off the stool, a little unsteady on my feet, careful not to knock into him again. “Adriana is making us go prom-dress shopping tomorrow morning. What are the chances of her battery being tampered with, so the car won’t start?”
“That’s right, I forgot you aren’t related to Donatella Versace like my sister claims she is,” he teased with a sly grin.
It was so true. Adriana lived and breathed fashion. I, on the other hand, didn’t care at all. As long as I looked good, I couldn’t have cared less what label I wore.
Walking back to the stairway, I turned around to look at him before I went back upstairs. “It was nice seeing you again, Alex.” I took a few steps before stopping and turning around one more time. “And congratulations on your wedding. Adriana told me it was amazing.”
This time, I headed back up the stairs realizing I hadn’t gotten the drink I was so desperate for. Oh well, it was too late now. Sleep was all I needed because soon it would be morning.
I tossed and turned again trying to dissect what had happened downstairs. I felt awkward around him, yet comfortable at the same time. It didn’t make sense, and why was I lying here obsessing about it?
After what felt like only minutes, I was rudely awakened by Adriana screaming through the hallway. Her voice, obnoxious and angered, was enough to wake me from what felt like the shortest sleep in the world.
“Mom!”
Pulling the blanket over my head, I had let out a long-winded groan, trying to ignore the family domestic that was going on outside. I was exhausted.
“Mom, how could you let him take it?”
This time her voice was even louder than before. I could hear more muffled voices followed by loud footsteps. The door to the bedroom slammed, her ballet distinction certificate frame falling off the wall.
“I mean seriously, out of all days, he comes up with shit like this?” she muttered to herself.
I pulled my head above the blanket, opening my eyes.
“Adriana, what the hell? It’s like seven in the morning. What could you possibly be upset about this early?”
“My brother apparently took my car, claiming that it sounded like something was wrong with the battery. He left me a note saying he has taken it to Al’s Mechanics to get it checked out,” she seethed, crossing her arms as her nostrils flared in a heated rage. “I’m so annoyed, the car is fine. If something were wrong with it, the battery light would’ve come on. I asked Mom if I could borrow her car, but she has to help a friend of hers move today. I could strangle him right now!”
She continued, closing her eyes this time with a calmer voice, “Sorry, I don’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just I was really looking forward to prom-dress shopping, and now it looks like we’re stuck here for the day.”
Adriana plonks herself at her desk and opened a Vogue magazine, roughly flicking the pages while cussing to herself.
“Oh, dang,” I answered, sarcastically.
I pulled the blanket over my head, smiling as I fell back asleep.
ALEX
Nine Years Ago
I opened my textbook in an attempt to drown out her incessant nagging.
This is what it had been like lately, always wanting more. She had changed, no longer the carefree college girl I fell in love with. Samantha Benson was the girl on campus every guy wanted, and she chose me. Not that loser, Brad, who had been pining for her since middle school. Fucking jerk.
Our life together in college was an awesome experience. Samantha was incredibly beautiful, knew how to give extremely good head, and was studying art. She wasn’t my usual type, but she was no airhead. My family loved her, her family loved me, and so it made sense to put a ring on that finger and one less worry in life.
I wasn’t into the whole wedding fiasco, staying out of the way while Samantha planned the entire thing. It was a nice day as far as weddings go, but here we were six months later, and the cracks were starting to show. It wasn’t enough that she wanted an expensive house with views of the Pacific Ocean and a Mercedes, both of which we couldn’t afford on my intern’s wage, and now she was nagging me to start a family. I wasn’t ready for this shit at twenty-five. I still had friends who woke up naked next to strange chicks and kegs every night.
I told her I’d think about it if we moved back to Carmel. I missed my family, hoping they would convince her we were too young to have kids, especially Dad. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, and there was no way I could do that with a baby around. Studying and practicing medicine required all my focus on just that. I didn’t need any other distractions.
“Alex, are you listening to me?” she pleaded, irritation evident in her voice.
“Sammy, what do you want me to say? We just moved here. The house still has dust on it, our furniture hasn’t arrived, and I technically don’t have a paying job yet. Please explain how a baby will fit into this? We can barely support ourselves.”
I was fucking annoyed. Yeah, babies were cute and stuff, but there was still so much more I wanted to do in life—start my internship, travel to Europe—the list went on and on. This all began when her sister had a baby, and now that’s all she talked about. I’m so over her comparing our relationship to everyone else. Nothing I seemed to do pleased her.
“You said when we move to Carmel we could—”
Raising my hand, I cut her off. In typical Sam fashion, she’d twisted my words.
“I never said when we moved to Carmel, we could start trying. What I said, in case you ever want to listen to me properly, was let’s settle back in Carmel and talk about this once we have found a house and have proper paying jobs.”
“Well, Alex, we found a house, and I have a proper paying job. You, on the other hand, seem to be undecided on your career. It doesn’t help that you’re supposed to be the breadwinner, not me,” she shot back.
“Fuck you for bringing this up again!” I yelled, banging my fists on the table. “You’re so happy to tell everyone your husband is studying to bec
ome a doctor, yet behind closed doors, it’s not good enough because I’m not paying for your expensive lifestyle.”
I closed my textbook, grabbing my cell and keys off the countertop. I needed to cool down, so tired of the constant bickering, and the way she made me feel uncertain about decisions I made. I needed to relax and stop focusing on this negativity.
“I’m going to my parents’ house.”
I slammed the door and walked to the car. She quickly opened the door, standing there with her arms crossed beneath her chest, baring her teeth and angered because I was leaving mid-conversation. This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last.
“We’ll discuss this again when you decide where your home is, Alex.”
And blinded by rage, she slammed the door without a goodbye.
***
“Adriana,” I yelled, my voice echoing through the foyer.
My parents’ house is eight-thousand square feet, large enough to lose yourself without having to live on top of each other. My grandfather, a wealthy man in his own right, had given this house to my parents as a wedding gift.
Inside the foyer, I listen for the direction of her voice.
“I’m here!”
Making my way toward the rumpus room, I stopped at the entrance, surprised to find Adriana not alone.
I didn’t expect to see her again. Charlotte, that is. She was lying on the couch wearing a black tank top, jeans, and Converse. I could see her long brown hair was loose, falling down the side of the couch.
Charlotte was beautiful, nothing at all like I remembered her from years ago. She had outgrown the pre-teen stage and had become this stunning woman. It was impossible not to notice. I mean, come on, I was only human and twenty-five. Just because I was married didn’t mean I couldn’t admire beauty when I saw it. As long as I played by the rules—look, don’t touch—I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Oddly, Charlotte is surrounded by M&Ms, a range of different colors scattered around her face and chest.
“Oh, hi Alex, come hang out with us. We were just playing who can catch the most M&Ms not using our hands.” Adriana giggles, continuing with her game.
She aimed them at Charlotte’s mouth, and surprisingly she missed. My sister doesn’t have an athletic bone in her body.
My eyes met with Charlotte’s. I don’t know what it was, but something felt different about her. She wasn’t like any other girl I’d met and definitely nothing like my sister. Thinking back to the other night when I ran into her in the kitchen, there was this feeling I wasn’t accustomed to, a lot like a jolt of electricity when I accidentally touched her. I mean, fuck, accidentally grazing her tits had me hard for the rest of the night, but I had to remember I was married.
It didn’t help that she wasn’t wearing a bra that night, either. What made it even worse was that she caught me staring at her.
Charlotte scowls as she got whacked in the eye with an M&M. “Hi, Alex.”
“Please don’t let my sister assault you with the M&Ms. Geez, Adriana, you throw like a girl.”
“I am a girl, duh.”
She threw another one at Charlotte, this time landing right in her cleavage. I couldn’t help but look. It sat there in the middle of her perfectly shaped tits. The lucky M&M jiggled as she struggled to control her laughter.
“Seriously, Adriana, are you looking to switch teams now? That’s the third time you’ve gotten it in there!” Charlotte laughed. My sister was on the ground rolling around, her body shaking with laughter, screaming she needed to pee.
“Okay, girls, let me show you how it’s done.”
I grabbed the packet off my sister. “Charlotte, please stop laughing and just open your mouth.”
I waited for her as she attempted to keep a straight face, something I was struggling to do as well. I focused on her mouth, her perfectly pink lips wide open. My mind wandered elsewhere. No, Edwards, ‘focus’ as Coach would say. I threw the M&M, landing it in her mouth. I roared as it went in, Adriana pouted as usual. She was so fucking competitive.
“No fair, Alex! You throw like a boy!” Adriana whined.
“Thanks, Alex. It’s about time I get to eat one of them,” Charlotte cheered, raising her hand to high-five me.
“Next time, come to me if you actually want to eat them, since clearly Adriana here has no aim. I think she secretly just wanted to find them later when you were gone,” I joked.
I was enjoying the company and finally managed to put the earlier argument and Sam’s bullshit behind me.
The house phone started ringing.
Adriana jumped up like her life depended on it or more like the opening of Macy’s’ doors on Black Friday. I wasn’t surprised when she announced who it was.
“Oh, it’s Elijah! Back soon.”
She ran out, taking the cordless phone up to her room.
“When she says soon, I can pretty much watch Titanic from start to finish, and she still won’t be done,” Charlotte complained, picking up the remote to surf through the channels.
“The joys of having a boyfriend I s’pose. So, do you um… have one?”
“Me? Please, have you seen the guys at our school?” Charlotte pursed her lips while she shook her head. “Apparently, wearing baggy pants and flashing your no-name underwear passes for style these days. Besides, I’m saving myself for Justin Timberlake.”
“I think Britney thought the same thing and look where that got her,” I pointed out.
“But can she catch M&Ms in her mouth like I can?”
“Hey, it has everything to do with the pitcher, not the catcher.”
“I don’t think you realize how difficult it is to have your mouth perfectly positioned and open for that long.”
As soon as she said it, I laughed, and her face blushed slightly.
“Oh, man, that didn’t come out right.”
She joined me as I laughed, still flicking through the channels.
I watched as she went past the hockey. Leaning forward, I gestured for her to stop. “Hey, go back to the hockey.”
“Err, no thanks, Alex. Yes, here it is.”
She stopped on Animal Planet. Seriously, we’re going to watch a documentary on Bonobo monkeys? I had to admit it was better than watching the fashion police, and well, I was watching the emperor penguins last night. It was mating season on Animal Planet, but I really wanted to see the hockey scores.
“Did you know the Bonobo monkey uses sex as a greeting, a method of conflict resolution and to celebrate when food has been found?”
Her eyes fixated on the screen, fascinated with the narrator’s over-the-top narration of the monkeys.
“Wow! Imagine if we did that, no one would be able to get anything done,” I teased.
Shit, I hadn’t meant it to come out like that, but damn, imagine if it were true that we were fucking all the time? That thought alone made me hard. Really hard. I needed to get these thoughts out of my head. Stupid mating monkeys.
Charlotte broke her gaze from the television and turned to look at me while laughing.
“Keep dreaming, Edwards.”
“So now that you have informed me of the intricate sex life of the Bonobos, can I please watch the hockey?”
She held the remote in the air, pushing my chest away as I made a feeble attempt to grab it from her. This girl loved to play hardball, and it was annoying at best.
“Alex, this is the last episode of the mating series,” she complained while trying to hold the remote away from me.
I couldn’t help but watch her. A part of me liked teasing her as I attempted to reach over for the remote. She swung it low, a move I anticipated. She held onto it as I fell on top of her, then began tickling her ribs.
“Alex… please stop.” Her voice was shaking as she giggled, squirming her body underneath me.
“Mmm, I’ll stop if you hand me the remote.”
“No way. I was here first. Sorry, Alex, you snooze, you lose.” She tried to tickle me back. Her touch fe
lt like electric currents attached to a million needles running through my body, and I so desperately wanted her to move her hands onto my chest. I felt like a horny teenager all over again.
I slowed down, watching her deep chocolate-brown eyes taking me in, her chest was rising and falling. I was inches away from her face, I could almost taste her.
Oh fuck, what was I thinking?
No sooner had the thought entered my mind, my cock started twitching. She had to have felt it, I was fucking huge. Suddenly, her eyes changed. Was that lust I could see?
I heard my sister’s voice. Quickly I pulled myself away from her, while Charlotte adjusted her tank top as she sat up. Her cheeks were flushed, and all I wanted to do was lean in and caress her face, satisfy the curiosity and need I was feeling.
“Okay, everything is set for next Saturday!” Adriana was excitedly chatting away as she entered the room.
“Next Saturday?” I repeated, my mind still foggy with what just happened.
“My eighteenth birthday, silly. It starts at seven. Sammy promised you guys would chaperone, so Mom and Dad didn’t have to be here.”
Now I remembered what I had been roped into, but for some reason, I didn’t mind going if it meant I got to see Charlotte again. Fuck, what the hell was I thinking? Okay, no, it’ll be fine—Sammy will be there. I wasn’t thinking clearly. It was time for me to leave despite wanting to stay longer.
“I better head off. See you tomorrow at lunch, sis. Bye, Charlotte.”
I looked over, her eyes locked on mine. It felt like something passed between us, but what? What was it? The shiny band on my left hand suddenly felt like a lead weight, a reminder of everything in my life I had committed to.
“Just call me, Charlie. Everybody else does.” She smiled, batting her eyelashes.
I turned to face her one last time as I stared at the two pools of chocolate brown eyes. They were intoxicating. But why? I had no idea. This wasn’t like me. When it came to women, I was controlled. She wasn’t the first woman to catch my attention while married, though, I’d never done anything forbidden besides flirt. And even then, it lasted two minutes, and the novelty wore off real fast.