by S. E. Rose
She quiets after a moment, sniffling and pulling back from me. “Sorry…I…I’m a bit of a mess this weekend. I…” She trails off and I lean down and slowly kiss her lips. They are salty from tears and she tenses at first before relaxing against me.
I pull back after a moment. “Let’s get inside.”
She nods, not arguing for once, and takes my offered hand.
Megan
I’m still trembling as I sit on Clark’s sofa waiting for the police to show up. Clark’s gone into overdrive. He’s called my parents and explained. He’s called my insurance company and helped me start filing my claim. He’s brought me tea, my favorite one, Earl Grey, without me even reminding him of which tea flavor is my favorite. Under other circumstances, I’d ask why he even had that tea in his apartment, but I’m too overwhelmed at the moment.
I blow on the hot tea and there is a knock at the door. Clark jumps back up and answers it. It’s two police officers who ask us a few questions. We walk back out to the car with the officers and show them everything. They take photos and fill out a report.
“Have you had any issues with anyone lately?” the younger, shorter officer asks me.
I shake my head.
“Your sorority house,” Clark says quietly. The officer’s gaze travels to Clark.
I shrug. “My sorority house was vandalized yesterday, but I don’t know if this is related to that or not.”
“Did you file a police report?” the officer asks.
I nod. “With the campus police.”
The other officer nods and radios in to get the report from the sorority house.
“Anything else you can think of?” the officer asks me.
“No. I don’t think so,” I state as I look back at my car.
Clark wraps an arm around me. “What about Anthony?” he asks.
The officer looks back up at Clark. “Who’s Anthony?”
I sigh. “Just this jerk who tried to hook up with me the other night.”
“And have you had any contact with him since then?” the officer asks.
“He was lingering around the sorority house a few weeks ago. We got in a bit of a scuffle when he wouldn’t leave,” Clark says.
“And besides then?” the officer prods.
“Just when I saw him at a club a few weeks ago. I hadn’t seen him in years before that,” I explain.
The officer nods and scribbles down some more notes. “OK. Well, we’ll increase our patrol down this street and by the sorority house.” He glances at the sorority sticker on my car window next to my college sticker.
“I would try not to be out on your own until this gets resolved,” the officer suggests.
“OK,” I whisper. I hate that. I hate that someone did this to me. I hate that I feel…violated. It’s just a damn car, why do I feel like this?
“Here’s your copy for your records and the insurance company,” the officer says, handing me a form.
I nod. “Thanks,” I mutter.
“Your insurance company should be able to get the windshield replaced quickly, but it’s not drivable until you do. They can switch them out on site. I’d call first thing tomorrow,” the officer says before returning to his squad car.
We watch as they drive away.
“This sucks,” I huff, crossing my arms as my shock and sadness and self-pity turn to rage.
“We’ll get it fixed. Don’t worry,” Clark assures me as he guides me back inside.
He leads me to the sofa and hands me my now lukewarm tea. I take a sip of it.
“Why do you even have this tea?” I ask, remembering my earlier thought.
He sits down next to me with a cup of tea. “Your obsession with it might have worn off on me by the time we were thirteen.”
“What? Seriously? How did I not know this?”
He laughs. “I wasn’t exactly advertising it. Di likes it, so we had it in the house, and I’d drink it on occasion.” He’s quiet for a moment. “It made me think of you every time I had a cup.”
I smile slightly at the thought of Clark thinking about me. “You thought about me?” I ask, my voice filled with hope.
He sets his cup down and scoots closer to me, taking my cup from my hands. He lifts his hands and cups my face, skimming my cheekbones with his thumbs. “Meg, I thought of you all the time. I never stopped thinking of you, especially after our kiss. I thought I made that very clear.”
His honesty hits me in the chest.
I look down at my lap. “And I thought I made it clear that the kiss…scared me.”
When I glance back up, he’s frowning. “What scared you, bunny?”
“The kiss. No, not the kiss, but…how it made me feel,” I try to explain with a frown.
He leans in close. “And how did it make you feel?”
I bite my lip and slowly raise my eyes to meet his. Taking a deep breath, I release my lip. “Like I…liked you more than just a friend.”
He grins. “Do you still, like me more than just a friend?”
I roll my eyes and his grin widens. “You’re an asshat, you know that?”
He nods. “Answer the question, Megladon.”
God, this man is infuriating. But I wouldn’t have him any other way. “Yes, I still like you more than just a friend. Even though—”
I’m cut off as he closes the few inches between us, his lips finding mine. He’s gentle and slow, almost tentative as if I might slip away at any moment. Clark’s a large guy and it strikes me at this moment that he could hurt me if he wanted to, he could crush me in his bare hands, but instead, his hands cradle my face as though I am made of glass. His lips caress mine, worshipping me. This is so much more than the eighth-grade crush I had. I’ve fallen harder than I thought possible for this goofy, sweet, slightly annoying but sexy-as-fuck man.
My thoughts snap me out of my anger over my car. All my emotions become focused on wanting Clark, needing Clark. I crawl onto his lap and straddle him as I deepen our kiss. His hands fly to my ass and grip it as I begin grinding against him. Our tongues war for control of a kiss that can’t be controlled.
“I need you, right now,” I breathe as I reach between us and unzip his jeans. I’m suddenly very grateful for my skirt and the easy access it allows. I take his erection in one hand and shove my underwear to the side with my other hand, guiding him into me as I sink down.
He groans. “Fuck, Megs,” he groans as he begins moving my hips up and down while he thrusts up into me.
Our movements quickly become frantic and needy. We’re both chasing a release that’s twenty-four hours overdue. And now it’s elevated with the raw emotions from last night and tonight. The only sounds in the room are from our heavy breathing, moaning, and bodies slapping together. He reaches between us and begins to slowly circle my clit.
“Don’t stop!” I cry out as I move faster, needing my release and needing it now. He doesn’t as he keeps one hand on my ass. I count the strokes and make it to four before I completely lose it. My body splintering into a million pieces as I scream his name into the silent void around us.
“Fuck, Meg!” he cries out as my muscles undulate around him. He comes a moment later, slamming my body hard onto his cock as he pulses inside me.
Neither of us moves as our breathing slows. Our foreheads press together. When I open my eyes, I find Clark’s looking at me.
He runs a finger over my lips. “Let’s shower. You’re staying here tonight. We are bolting that motherfucking door and you aren’t going to argue with me. OK?”
I nod. “OK.”
“Good.” He helps me to stand and we walk to the bathroom where he lovingly undresses me. He places kisses on each inch of skin as he exposes it. We step into the hot water and wash each other, neither of us saying anything.
It’s not until we’re dried off and lying on his bed that he speaks to me.
“What should we do tonight?” he asks.
I should be studying but for the first time in…forever, I d
on’t want to study. I pick up his laptop and place it on the bed. “Let’s watch a movie.”
His eyes widen. “Really?”
I nod.
He pushes the laptop toward me. “You pick.”
I grin and browse the selection until I stumble upon an old movie that I love. Say Anything.
He laughs. “Di made me watch this about a million times.”
I look at him. “You don’t remember, do you?”
“Remember what?” he asks.
I shake my head as I press play. He pulls me back against him and leans down toward my ear. “Of course, I remember.” I grin. Di had made us watch this when we were eleven. Every night for a week, he would stand outside my window and play songs on this ridiculous fake boombox that was actually a CD player.
We watch the movie and then another, and I finally fall asleep during the third.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Clark
I roll over and find the bed empty, again. It’s Monday morning and it’s still early. I hear noises in the kitchen and then laughter. I get out of bed and meander toward the sounds.
Peering into the kitchen, I find Grif, Evan, and Meg cooking breakfast. Meg’s wearing a rolled-down pair of my gym shorts and one of my t-shirts. She looks adorable in oversized clothing.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she says.
I sniff the air. “Pancakes?”
She nods. “And eggs and bacon. Grif went to the store.”
“Nice.”
I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her shoulders. “What time is your first class?”
She shrugs. “I’m skipping it.”
I freeze. “You are skipping class? You’ve never skipped class a day in your life.”
She turns to me. “There’s a first time for everything. I’ll be fine. I have like a hundred and ten percent in the class. I could skip all the classes for the rest of the semester and still pass.”
“OK.”
“What about you?” she asks as she pops a piece of bacon in her mouth.
“I don’t have class till two.”
“Good.”
I look down at her. To be honest, I’m worried about her sudden change. She was pretty upset last night. I decide to let it go. We can discuss it later. We all grab plates and start eating.
There’s a knock on the door, and I cautiously answer it. It’s the windshield replacement guy.
“That was fast,” I state.
“Oh, my insurance called first thing this morning and the windshield people had a cancellation, so lucky me,” she says. “Dad says if I can bring my car home this week, then he can get it repainted.”
“That’s good.”
I walk with Megan to her car as she chats with the man. He has the windshield replaced in no time at all and leaves us standing to admire his handiwork. Megan walks around to the driver’s side and opens the door. I see her frown as she reaches under her seat and pulls out a note.
“What’s that?”
Her hand trembles as she snaps a photo of it.
“Megan, what is that?” I ask more sternly as I round the car and snatch the note out of her hand.
“You were a fucking cunt back then when you wouldn’t give it up and you are an even bigger bitch now. Next time, it won’t just be your house or car, it’ll be that fucking pretty face of yours after I have my cock shoved down your throat,” I whisper read the note, my anger growing with each word that I read. Did she leave her car unlocked? There is little doubt now that the culprit is Anthony. “We need to give this note to the police,” I add.
Her trembling and red face tell me that she’s more angry than scared.
“Megan,” I say softly. She doesn’t answer me but gets out and marches up to the apartment. I follow her slowly, giving her space but she’s back out before I even enter the apartment. She brushes past me.
“Megan,” I say again.
When she reaches her car, her clothes and purse in hand, she finally looks up at me. “I…I need time. I…can’t handle this right now. I’m going home for a bit.” She pauses and keeps her eyes focused on my chin. “I’ll call you.”
And with that she gets in her car and drives away, leaving me standing on the sidewalk watching her car get smaller in the distance.
I frown. Our presentation is this week at work. We have a ton of homework to do. Now is not the time for her to lose her shit. I have no idea what to do to help her.
I look down at my phone and do the only thing I can think of.
Me: I need help.
Kent: Finally! Just when we were about to stage an intervention.
Kylie: If it involves a keg stand, streaking, or a road trip, no.
Lanie: I’d be down for the road trip.
Di: Please tell me you didn’t eff things up with Megan.
Kylie: Oh, he better not have. I picked out the perfect outfit for her.
Me: Kylie, we will discuss your antics later. I need a video chat. This is way too much for a text.
I hit video call and pretty soon all my siblings' faces fill my screen in little boxes.
“What’s up?” Kent asks, his face is all “big brother serious.”
“Remember Anthony and Jimmy Allen?” I ask.
“Vaguely,” Kylie says. “They were both younger than me. Wasn’t Jimmy your age?”
“Those two have quite the reputation,” Di scoffs.
“Yeah, with the police department,” Lanie adds.
I nod. “Apparently, Anthony tried to assault Meg when we were younger. She managed to get away. He saw her at a club a few weeks ago and got aggressive with her. I stepped in and he cooled off, until the other night. I found him outside the sorority house, and we got in a fight. I guess that pissed him off because he ransacked the place, well, you guys heard about that already.”
“I thought it was frat guys or something?” Kent asks.
“We thought it might be, but then last night, Meg’s car got messed up. And today, she found a note in it. It has to be him. He references the high school incident.”
“Shit,” Lanie says. “Did you call the police?”
I nod again. “We filed a report last night and I’ll get them the note today. Meg just left. She…I think she’s freaking out. She didn’t go to class today which is completely out of character and now she says she needs some time and is going home. I don’t know what to do. We have that big presentation on Thursday at work and this is a bad week to miss classes.”
“Do her parents know?” Di asks.
“Yes. She called them. But they don’t know about Anthony, well, I don’t think they do.”
“I have a friend who owns a security firm. I’ll have him come by and we will secure your apartment. I have a plan. We just need solid evidence against Anthony. That fucker has been dodging his judgment day for a while now and it’s time he pays up,” Kent states.
“You need the grand gesture,” Garrett’s voice comes from beside Di.
“Yes. You need the eighties movie moment,” Di agrees.
“You. Are. Brilliant,” I say to my sister. “Kent, give me the info on your dude that’s going to secure my place. I’m going to fix things with my girl, get her to come home with me, and we are going to catch this fucker and put his ass behind bars. I’m done playing games. I want the dream job and dream girl.”
“That’s my boy!” Kent says in his best impression of our dad.
Lanie sighs. “OK, but we need to be careful. No fucking around on this one, guys. Someone could get hurt.”
“No one will get hurt. I’m calling professionals,” Kent states.
“OK, Don Kent, just keep it legal,” Lanie says.
“I’ll call you guys later. I need to get home,” I say.
I hang up and run inside. I explain what’s happening to Grif and Evan while I get ready to head home. And then, I hop in my car and hope that I can fix things, particularly the woman I am in love with…Megan.
Megan
&nb
sp; My heart pounds in my throat as I drive home. I’m not even sure what I’m doing. It’s like some weird trauma reaction just took over my body. I can’t process what has happened, what happened last Saturday night. I need to get away, to think.
I pull into my parents’ driveway and go up to my room. It’s quiet. They are both at work. I sit on my bed and then stand and pace.
Why is Anthony being so crazy? I don’t see the guy in forever and then he gets all psycho possessive. It makes zero sense to me.
I pace some more before I sit on my floor and look at my bookshelf. I run my finger over the spines of my favorite books before it settles on a gift from the Moores. A photo album Mrs. Moore gave me at graduation.
It was a sweet gesture. I pull it out and thumb through the photos. There are a ton of us growing up but only a handful from high school.
A few at school plays that both Clark and I were in. Another from a charity event we both helped organize for student government. But it’s the last photo, the one of us at graduation that makes my blood run cold.
I never noticed it before now. Our parents had made us take one photo. A few of our friends are off to the sides. But in the background is…Anthony. And he’s looking right at me.
Was he always watching me? Did it really end for him that night at the party or did he not let it go?
I shiver at the thought.
I set the album back on my shelf. My phone pings.
Stella: You OK? I heard your car got messed up. Call me.
Her message brings a small smile to my face. I look down and see another text.
Brynn: You weren’t in class. Are you OK?
My smile widens. Then I see a third missed text.
Kendra: OMG! Stella told me about your car. WTF? Do we need to start the sisterhood security squad for you? Seriously, I will activate that bitch. Just say the word.
Now I’m laughing. A few years ago, one of the older sisters was in a pretty toxic relationship with a guy who had gotten physical with her. We decided at a chapter meeting that we would institute the sisterhood security squad for any sister in trouble who needed a squad to be with her, whether that meant sitting with her if she needed a good cry, or not letting her walk on campus alone, or even confronting an asshat if need be.