“Sir, Lee and I only knew each other for a few days but I...” Kevin purses his lips and blows, “but I really miss her and if I... if I could just have a moment—”
“Lee?” Dad knocks on the window so I turn to face him. “Would you like a moment with this young man?”
I make the mistake of glancing over to Kevin. God, he’s so beautiful. So tall. So blond. So sexy. A sexy love-making machine. His lips are the perfect shade of pink and his cheeks host the slightest tint of mauve. He tilts his head, making the soft hairs at the top of his head glow with sunshine as they flop from one side to the other. It reminds me of those few nights we spent together kissing, caressing, touching, cuddling. I remember the breakfast sandwich and the clothes he bought for me four sizes too big...
I look down at my body. Those clothes would be ten sizes too big now and I’d never look good in any of them.
“Lee, look at me.” Kevin leans over the front windshield to prop his face directly ahead of me. “I just want to talk to you, Lee. Come out of the car. Baby, I just want to talk.”
“Kevin!” We all turn our heads towards the source of screeching. “Kevin, you left me.”
Peeping through the Jeep’s open back, I hear the click-clack of high heels as Yellow Dress, the girl who I saw earlier with Kevin, approaches.
“Ah, ffffuck,” Kevin curses, sliding the heels of his palms across the sides of his head.
“And who’s this?” My father questions.
Yellow Dress bombards her way to skip through the small space between my father and the car parked next to us to get to Kevin. She tugs on the front of Kevin’s shirt. “Where have you been? I don’t want to eat alone. I’ll look silly.”
Kevin rubs his forehead with both hands. “Hey, I’m having a conversation with these folks, can you go back and wait inside?”
“But I’m out of money,” she pouts.
As I watch Yellow Dress and Kevin argue, I recognize how sore I’ve been and not just physically but mentally. I’ve been exhausted trying to get over a guy who I was supposed to spend just one night with but somehow turned into two nights and then another. But even after I left, Kevin has continued to occupy my mind. Every. Single. Damn. Day.
As Yellow Dress adjusts the bags in her hands, the strap of her dress at her shoulder falls and the tip-top of her beautifully plump, white fleshy breast becomes exposed. I’d forgotten Kevin was a boob man and I wonder if he’s noticed that I have none.
“Is this your girlfriend, Kevin?” My father interrupts their banter.
Sweat is beading along Kevin’s hairline. “No, sir. We, uh... we—”
“We went home together last night,” Yellow Dress interrupts.
My father cocks his head up. “Do you take a lot of girls home, Kevin?”
Kevin squeezes his eyes shut before he opens them—red and wet. He blinks at my father and then at me. He sighs with a mumble. “Yes, sir. I used to but not anymore. This is not what you think.”
Kevin and I remain in a fixed stare as my father chuckles. “Son, I’m sure your behavior is exactly what I think.” The eye lock between Kevin and myself is broken when my father knocks on the window. “Lee, are you ready to go home?”
I nod as Yellow Dress makes eye contact with me to smile and nod as well.
“No. Sir?” interrupts Kevin, pushing Yellow Dress aside to follow my father as he walks towards the back of our Jeep. “Wait, please. Give me a chance to explain.”
My father says nothing. He simply pushes the chair in further to the back, closes the hatch, and walks to the driver’s door.
Kevin follows closely behind my father with Yellow Dress in tow. Kevin and Yellow Dress are both whining and crying. I hate when people cry. I figure the second we get the hell out of here, Kevin and Yellow Dress will be fine. They’re a perfect pair.
My father raises his voice, telling Kevin to move on, which is surprising. I’ve never seen my father raise his voice at anyone. When Dad enters the car, he immediately shuts the door, and I’m surprised to hear Kevin, who starts shouting.
“Lee!” He walks around the front, coming back to pound on my window. “Lee, don’t leave. Lee, look at me. Sir,” he looks at my dad, “please don’t start the car.”
I turn to see my father has put his keys in the ignition. He gives Kevin one more quick look over and cranks the engine.
“Fuck, Lee! Hey, look at this. Look at this, Lee.” Kevin’s sounds desperate, and my head turns automatically to look at what he has.
He’s pulled out his wallet, pulling out a small plastic bag, which he slams with a flat palm against the windshield.
“I pick you, Lee,” Kevin says, pressing the fake lashes I left at his apartment against the glass. “You picked me, too, remember? Please, baby, get out of the car and talk to me.”
My head bobbles. It feels heavy above my small frame and I swear if I was not already seated, I’d fall over. The irony of what’s pressed against the glass makes my eyes wet, my eyes that have no lashes.
I hear my father sigh. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to him, Lee?”
I look around. Yellow Dress seems to have disappeared and I do feel bad knowing Kevin might go home with no one to cuddle up to tonight, but, “No, Daddy,” I respond. “I’m ready to go home.”
My father puts the car in reverse and Kevin freaks. He’s like a madman, pulling his own hair and cursing—shouting every swear word in the book. He pounds on the glass and I’m afraid he’s about to hurt himself.
“Stop it!” I yell.
“Then get out!” he yells back as my father reverses.
I scream, “It was only supposed to be for one night, Kevin.”
“Goddammit, Lee!” He throws the lashes. “Come home with me.”
As my father steers us out of the parking lot, I can tell my dad is reluctant to question me, but he asks anyway, “Where’d you meet this boy?”
I pull the mask completely off my ears and face and smear the wetness away. “I met Kevin in a club, Dad. I wanted someone to take me home, to make me feel good before...” I cross my arms over my chest. “I swear, it was only supposed to be for one night.”
My father puts his hand at the back of my head, patting. “I’m not your mother, Lee, but you can tell me. Did Kevin come through?”
A yelp escapes me and I hide my face. I don’t know whether I should smile or cry at the joy and pain.
“That good, huh?” Dad chuckles. “I remember those days when I made your mother react in the same way.”
“Ew.” I frown with disgust at the thought of my father making my mother feel good.
My father laughs. I manage to laugh with him and, for the first time, we are both laughing, both crying together—in unison—since my mother passed away.
22
Kevin
My phone dings. I glance at the clock on my nightstand.
2 a.m.
It’s been a few weeks since anyone’s sent a text this late. I made a point to wish every girl that messaged or called me the very best in her future and that I wasn’t the guy for her. There were a few chicks that continued to reach out, but I blocked them so my phone has been relatively quiet, except for a few calls and texts from work.
Poe and Spence don’t call anymore either. They have girlfriends. Initially, I was sad, resentful, jealous, but I’ve come to my senses. I genuinely hope with all my heart things work out for each of them.
My phone buzzes. That’s the second alert to the message waiting to be read. Surely, this can’t be work. Nobody calls me this late. It’s possible it could be Poe or Spence or my parents, but if it was an emergency, they’d call.
My phone rings and I feel a rush of anxiety.
Maybe there is an emergency.
I reach over to pick up my phone and I see its Lee’s dad. My abs contract, springing my upper torso off the bed to sit upright.
Fuck. I don’t know if I’m excited or scared shitless as to the reason Lee’s dad is calling me.
The ac
he in my chest that has loomed for the last two weeks since I watched Lee roll away returns with a sharp, piercing vengeance.
Shit, I hope Lee’s okay.
My tone is low when I answer. It’s unintentional but automatic due to the pain. “Hello.”
“May I speak with Kevin, please?” Lee’s father sounds surprisingly pleasant.
Please, please, let Lee be okay.
I gulp, “Yes, sir. How are you?”
“Hi Kevin, I’m fine. How are you?”
This conversation is already weird. Why the hell is he calling me at two in the morning to find out how I’m doing? “I’m well, sir. May I ask how’s Lee?”
“Hmm,” he groans and there’s an awkward pause.
I rub at my chest in anticipation of what he’s about to say next. I believe I must finally admit to myself that Lee looked ill. She looked frail when I last saw her—very thin. But as cute and pretty as her cheeks and lips were, her eyes did appear a bit sunken. I still loved the look of her face though. I still wish I could kiss her.
“Lee’s not well,” her father finally speaks.
I’m relieved—a little. For a brief moment, I considered the possibility that Lee’s father was calling to tell me worse news—that we both lost Lee. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”
“Lee’s not eating. One of the puppies is not well. Of course, it’s the one that is her favorite although I think the puppy is just depressed. He can’t seem to cheer her up since she’s also been unhappy as of late. Lee finally told me everything that happened between the two of you. Would you mind coming by sometime? Come visit with her. She doesn’t know I’m calling, but I’ve sent you the address. You’re welcome to come whenever you like.”
Tossing my legs off the side of the bed, I come to standing. “Hold on, sir.” I swipe through my phone to check the address. It’s two hours away. I figure, after I stop at the grocery store, I can get to Lee’s by 4:30, cook her breakfast so she eats, sleep for a half hour, and drive back to the city. There will be extra traffic on the way back, but I should make my first meeting in time. “I’m leaving now, Mister...”
Fuck! I don’t even know Lee’s last name!
“Hart,” he says. “I didn’t mean for you to come tonight, Kevin. It’s late and I know you have a job.”
“Can you leave the door open for me? I’ll be there in two, two and a half hours.”
There’s an awkward silence again. Mr. Hart’s breath blows uneven through the phone. He’s contemplating. Seconds are ticking by and I debate whether I should just hang up like I did on Delaney and head out there.
“We live on a farm,” he says. “There’s a door on the side of the house that leads straight into the kitchen. I’ll leave that door open for you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Kevin?” Mr. Hart questions with uncertainty in his tone.
Ah, jeez. I’m praying he won’t change his mind.
“Yes, sir?”
“Lee is a strong girl but she’s in a very frail state. If you hurt her—”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hart,” I interrupt. “Lee and I may have only spent a few nights together, but I know her well enough. Lee is not the type of girl you take home. She’s the girl you run home to.”
“I’ll see you soon, Kevin.”
“Yes, sir.”
23
Lee
Warm fur beneath my arms moves as the repetitive whack of a tail whips my thigh. The whimper of the chocolate Labrador in my arms arouses me and I open my eyes to see what’s made the dog stir.
Kevin?
“Hey,” he says with a big, bright, beautiful, and bashful smile that is beaming through the darkness.
Holy shit!
Quickly, I reach down to pull the sheet over my body—waaaaaaay over my head.
“What are you doing here?” I break into a sweat, as he turns the lamp on.
“I came to make you breakfast.”
Breakfast?
What the hell?
Now?
Why?
And how does he know where I live?
DAD!
He’s been complaining that I wasn’t eating. I made the mistake of suggesting maple bacon in a breakfast sandwich. I may have also made the mistake of implying Kevin was a better breakfast cook.
“Go away. I’m not hungry. It’s not even morning yet.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says. “I used the last of the plastic wrap so you can eat when you wake up later.” I hear the plate land on the nightstand and I feel a slight tug on the sheet. I grip tighter, keeping the sheet over my head. He tugs again. “Come out from under there.”
“No.”
“Lee, I’m really tired. I haven’t slept a wink tonight and I only have a half hour to get some shut-eye before I have to leave.”
“That’s not my fault. You have no reason to be here. Go sleep on the couch or in your car. I know how comfortable you can get in your car.”
He sighs. “Lee, look at me.”
“No!”
“Why not?”
I don’t want to say, Why not, but at this point, he’s already seen me with no eyelashes. I flip down the covers so that maybe if he looks at me, he’ll finally go away and forget about me. “Because I have no hair!”
He cocks his head at me, squinting. Dear Lord, he looks like sunshine standing there. But he does look tired. “You have a little bit of hair.” He rubs his fingers over the top of my skull.
“No, I have fuzz,” I correct because that’s all I have on the top of my head is patches of sparse fine clipped wool.
He chuckles. “You got fuzz in other places, too?”
“Oh my God,” I roll my eyes and now Kevin is laughing.
He reaches down to the lab in my arms. “C’mon buddy. Get down. You’re in my spot.”
“What are you doing? Stop! He has to stay here.” I grip my dog, who wags his tail with more vivaciousness, enjoying the pats and pulls between Kevin and myself.
I guess Kevin thinks it’s his turn to roll his eyes. “Fine. I’ll cuddle you tonight, but tomorrow it’s my turn,” he grumbles and climbs over both the dog and myself to wedge in my twin size bed with us.
I can’t believe this!
Kevin grunts as he knocks an elbow into the wall behind me (good for him) but he manages to squeeze in, despite my physical resistance and complaining. He lifts his head to point at my lab. “You hear that, dog? That’s my spot tomorrow.”
Kevin kisses the back of my head—my fuzz—as if there’s nothing wrong, as if I hadn’t left him months ago, as if a breakfast sandwich would make everything okay, so I’ll just do what he wants and let him stay.
A phone lands in front of my face.
“Lee, will you set my alarm to go off in thirty minutes.”
“O-kay,” I mutter, unable to resist his request but only because he’s yawning, and he says he’ll only be here for thirty minutes.
“Mmm, and can I get your number? Plug your cell number in there, too.”
“Shhure,” I slur. Again, doing exactly as Kevin says.
He wraps his arm around me, but he flinches, which also makes me jerk.
He peeps over my shoulder, spying his hand that has brushed the dog. He sighs before he plops back behind me to spoon me. “I swear,” he mutters, dozing off. “This is a weird threesome.”
Kevin: What are you doing?
I look down from my phone to the crumbs on my plate.
Me : Eating.
* * *
Kevin: Was it good?
* * *
Me: Very :) What are you doing?
* * *
Kevin: I just got out of a meeting.
* * *
Me: How’d it go?Kevin: Good. The client is looking to rebrand their image. They opted to go with my design. Wanna see?
* * *
Me: Please
* * *
Kevin: I’m sending the new logo with the slogan I came up with. They
’re going to pay me for that as well. It’s for a ride sharing service. They’re looking to expand.
I wait a few seconds and the logo pops up. It’s beautiful. The logo is of a deep-red heart tilted sideways. I don’t look at the name of the brand. I only see the slogan: Take me home.
Me: It’s beautiful
* * *
Kevin: Thanks
* * *
Me: I’ve missed your cooking.
* * *
Kevin: Oh yeah? How about me? You miss me?
* * *
Me: Yes
Crap. I wish I hadn’t sent that. I bet I sound like all the other women who he’s taken home and they can’t wait to see him again, so they text sweet things to him.
Kevin: You miss me or just my smell? Don’t think I didn’t notice my cologne was missing when you disappeared. I’m surprised you didn’t take the scented packet as well.
* * *
Me: I bought some
* * *
Kevin: LOL! How often do you sniff that stuff?
* * *
Me: I get high almost daily
* * *
Me: Joking
* * *
Kevin: I’ll shower in that stuff and let you sniff me if you let me lick your fuzz when I get home tonight.
Home? He’s coming back? Tonight? What does he think is going on here?
The Cuddler Page 14