Love Defies Us

by Stoneback, J. M.

  Instead of answering, I grab his glass of amber liquor and sip slowly and lazily. The smooth whiskey slithers down my throat.

  “Your clothes may be cheap, but your taste in liquor is expensive.”

  Felix grabs my hand and slowly drags me out on the beach away from everyone.

  The soft white sand gets caught in my flip flops, tickling my toes, and the salty air burns my nostrils. The sky is different hues of orange and purple. It’s as if the colors were tossed in a blender and splashed against the sky. The breeze from the ocean massages my skin and goosebumps grow like weeds on my arms and legs.

  “What happened to your face?” he asks again, his tone molded together with sternness and concern.

  This is not the right time to talk about it.

  “It’s nothing really, I had an accident.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Am not.”

  “I study every inch of your body. I know every freckle. I stick my dick in you almost every day. You think I don’t pay attention to you? Your tone becomes higher than normal when you’re lying.” He pauses. “Stop bullshitting me and tell me what happened.”

  I wrap my arm around my shoulder and stare at the white sand. “Me and my mom got into it and she slapped me across my face.”

  I’m still reeling in the shock that she would do that.

  I glance at him and his face turns a shade of red. He wrinkles his lips then he pulls me into a tight hug. He hugs me like I’m his other half, like our souls are longing for each other. His embrace makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside like a fireplace on a blizzardy day. “You’re not going around her anymore. I don’t care if she birthed you. No one puts their hands on my Thumbelina.” The air between us tightens.

  “I’ve got the situation handled,” I lie.

  He tilts his head sideways. “I thought I was the liar. I have to say, you hanging around me is making me a bad influence on you.”

  I’m pretty shocked that he can read me. Most people can’t, not even Jasper.

  “Sadie, you don’t have to be strong all the time. It’s okay to fall apart. It’s okay to admit how you feel. It’s okay to lean on someone else.” His words bleed with sincerity. My hands tremble and my legs are weak. Adrenaline rushes through my blood.

  I don’t respond, instead I glance out at the clear sea. The blinding sun shines on the water like sparkling sapphires.

  He grabs my hand. “Come meet my family.”

  We head back to the bar. Felix introduces me to his aunties and his cousins. They are warm as pie, and I see where he gets his charm from. They tell me stories of how Felix was a kid and always getting into mischief. His family is so different than the one I was born into. They’re so welcoming and loving and caring. Unlike my family. I see where he gets his outgoing personality from. They asked me tons of questions. Are me and Felix dating? How did we meet? We told them we’re friends, but that answer bugged me because we don’t act like we’re just friends. Sometimes, I feel like we’re more than just fuck buddies, but then again, I’m reading into it too much. As soon as we make to the bar, most of the family are on the beach, playing and laughing.

  “I like your family,” I say. I ask the question that has been sitting in my mind since I arrived here. “Have you seen Mae?”

  He shakes his head. “Her family went to another restaurant. ”

  This is crazy—all of it. The very idea that his uncle is marrying his ex-fiancée tomorrow. And speak of the devil, Brody strides through the door like he owns the place, sporting a too-tight black shirt with salmon swim shorts. His arms are freakishly huge, reminding me of Larry the Lobster from SpongeBob, and his dark hair is coated with so much gel that I can see tiny specks of flakes in his hair. For real, is that what Mae left Felix for? This is just gross. Maybe his personality makes up for his look. I’m not shallow. I’ll date an OK-looking guy if he has a nice personality.

  Everyone congratulates him on his wedding, and when he gets to us, Felix glares at him and the tension between them is enough to choke the whole restaurant. Other family members watch them, making the situation more awkward. His uncle doesn’t know what to say or do so he switches his attention to me.

  “Sadie Bennett,” he confirms and eyes me, then his gaze drops down to my cleavage and Felix clears his throat. “It’ll be wise for you to keep your eyes off my date’s tits, otherwise you’ll be having a funeral tomorrow.”

  Date. We never agreed to a date, he’s making it known that I’m off limits. He’s like a dog pissing on his territory.

  Brody glances back at Felix. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

  “Yeah, you didn’t mean to fuck my fiancée and marry her. Tell me, did she slip and fall and land on your dick while you put the ring on her finger? Or did you feed her some empathy lies?”

  Brody only nods slightly, and Felix doesn’t respond. “Thanks for coming.”

  Then he leaves and speaks to other family members. I study Felix’s facial expression, and he looks like a wounded animal.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I shouldn’t have insisted that we go to the wedding. It was stupid.”

  He waits several moments to respond, and his eyes grow intense. “Coming here made me realize that I dodged a bullet. And, that if she didn’t cheat on me, then I wouldn’t have been fucking an amazing person.” I smile at his words. “Come, let’s have a few drinks.”

  Felix

  The wedding is boring. The ocean is alive and bites the shore as Brody and Mae exchange their vows. And seagulls screech in the crystal-clear sky. I yawn a few times and I’m tempted to close my eyes and pray that the ceremony is over with soon.

  The dress that Mae wears is more hideous than any other clothing I have ever seen. White and fluffy. The area around the shoulders looks as if it’s wrapped in a pillow. Her smooth skin is the color of a hot dog wiener and her wheat-blonde hair is pinned into a weird updo. Mae is like a soda, filled with a lot of sugar that your body doesn’t need. Giving you that false feel-good feeling only to let you crash and burn. Sadie, on the other hand, is like a tall glass of water on a hot day. Once you have a drink of her, she’s refreshing, satisfying. She nourishes the body and soul. Their personalities are completely different. Mae focuses too much on her appearance, cares only about herself and doesn’t have any dreams of her own, but Sadie has fire and determination. She’s passionate about working. She’s sassy and cares too much about the people she loves. She likes to have fun.

  Brody wears a tux with a blue tie, and he doesn’t look at Mae as if he loves her; he looks at her as if he’s regretting his decision. You would think that after his failed marriages, he would learn his lesson.

  He stands next my dad, his hands folded in front of him. We haven’t spoken since we had our spat, and there is nothing more I could say to him. He wants to support his brother and I get it, it wasn’t right to make him choose sides. Even though it’s hurt like a motherfucker.

  I glance at Thumbelina and her eyes cling to Brody and Mae as they exchange vows. Her strapless rose dress is glued to her tiny frame, showcasing her bare shoulders. And her eyes are light. Her personality is like a Beethoven song, easy and graceful, but intense. Her licorice black hair is in a neat bun which causes her ivory skin to glow. I want to bury my dick inside her and make love to her.

  The thoughts of wanting to make love to her bites the hell out of my mind.

  A thought that I don’t want to think about.

  She places her hands in mine and squeezes, and I squeeze back, leaning forward towards me. Her perfume flirts with my nostrils, making my dick even harder. Sunshine is my new favorite smell.

  “Her dress is just as horrible as her personality,” she whispers in my ear. Her cheeks are the color of ripe peaches and she removes her hand. I laugh like that is the funniest shit I ever heard. A few of guest glares at us.

  “To think, I was going to walk down the aisle with a woman with horrible fashion sense.” I want to bring Sadi
e’s soft lips to mine. “She really did me a favor.”

  “She sure did.” Amusement lights up her face.

  Fireworks pop in the blue clear sky, shining on the sea, and Brody and Mae kiss and everyone cheers and clap. Even I clap loudly. I’m not clapping because I support them, I’m clapping because I’m happy with Sadie.

  After the ceremony is over with, I grab Sadie’s hand and we go to the reception. White Christmas lights hang from the ceiling and the white chairs are adorned with white roses. Blue flowers are in a vase in the middle of the round table. It looks like an enchanted forest with tall trees decorates the building.

  My family and Mae’s eat together. It’s awkward seeing her mom and her dad. Me and her mom got along in the past, but her dad was iffy about me. How does he feel about Brody? I’m guessing he hates his guts because he watches Brody as if he’s going to commit murder.

  My dad sits next to me and studies Sadie.

  “You’re not going to introduce me to your date?’ he says, digging into his crab salad.

  “Sadie Bennett. Meet the nut sack I came from,” I say.

  “Felix.” She swipes my shoulders and holds out her hand, and my dad shakes it.

  “I’m Sadie Bennett,” she says, and my dad stares at her like he recognizes her.

  “You’re related to Tanner Bennett; he owns Sacrifice Records?” His tone is cool as a cucumber and he pours his ranch dressing on the salad. And she hesitantly nods as if she doesn’t want to answer his question. She doesn’t like to associate with her parents’ name because of the stress that it causes. My dad’s demeanor changes, his shoulders go rigid, guilt is written on his face.

  “You sold a manor to my parents a few years ago, the one on Buckhead,” she says, his mouth twitches.

  “Excuse me, son.” He pats my back and heads outside.

  “What was that about?” she asks, clicking her nails on the table.

  “I don’t know.” I don’t care about my dad at this moment. He does a lot of weird shit anyways. I turn towards the most beautiful woman in the room. I pull her onto my lap and nip her ear, then whisper, “I can’t wait until I bury my cock inside your pussy.”

  Her face blushes, and she wraps her arms around my shoulders. “Tell me more.”

  “I want your legs wrapped around my face as I eat your pussy until you’re screaming my name.” Then I kiss the temple of her head, rest my forehead on the bottom of her chin. “You make me go insane when you’re not around. I crave you so much, Sadie.” Then I nibble on the bottom of her chin and she sighs.

  “Mae and a girl with red hair keep staring at us,” she whispers in my ear. Well, that just killed my boner. I follow Sadie’s eyes.

  Mae frowns at us like we’re rotten potatoes, speaking hush hush with her so-called best friend, Lily. Lily looks like a strung-out prostitute. Her fire-red hair dangles over her shoulders and her skin is the color of golden sand, the black dress hugs her. I never liked her, she always had her nose deep in everyone’s shit. Especially, my and Mae’s shit. But Mae doesn’t know that the moment she left me to be with Brody, her so-called best friend tried to suck my dick and wanted me to dick her down. She offered herself up to me like one of the whores in the Red Light District. I was drunk when she showed up to my house. Wearing nothing more than a red see-through lingerie buried behind a trench coat. I wasn’t drunk enough to fuck her, so I told her to leave. To be honest, there isn’t enough liquor on the planet to make me want to shove my dick inside of her. My dick gets softer than cotton every time I think about her.

  Then Mae gets up from the table, walks over, and perches in the empty chair that dad sat in. She sits so close to me that bile plays with the end of my throat. Fresh tangerines mixed with expensive perfume kill my nose hair.

  Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me.

  Sadie and Mae glare at each other.

  Tension eats between us.

  “I’m Mae, Felix’s ex,” she says to Thumbelina, and Thumbelina keeps her self-composure, but her face turns a light shade of pink Starburst.

  “I’m aware,” she responds, keeping her tone cold. She smiles back at Mae as if she’s going to murder and bury her, then dig her back up and do it all again.

  I whisper in her ear. “Destroy her.”

  Sadie slaps my chest slightly. “You’re so funny, Felix. Of course, I will.”

  Mae watches us, hard and long and she grinds her crooked teeth.

  “You’re not going to offer me your name? After all, I’m the star of the show,” Mae clicks her tongue and her shoulders stiffen. Her mousy voice irritates me to no end. I’m ready to leave. Mae likes to do passive-aggressive shit and I’m already tired of it.

  My Thumbelina’s face is wiped clean from any emotions.

  “No. I don’t care to have a conversation with you,” Sadie says. She snatches her wine glass, brings it to her mouth, smearing pink lipstick on the glass, then she sets it down on the table. “Felix, can you take me back to our room? I think the food is making me sick. It tastes a little dry and this wine tastes cheap.”

  “Sure, Thumbelina.” I lean down, kiss her on the forehead. Mae looks at Sadie with envy.

  “Thanks for letting us be part of your wedding celebration, but me and my boyfriend have stuff to do.” Thumbelina winks at me. She called me her boyfriend, and I don’t like the fact that I like the title. I have to admit to myself; I want Sadie as my girlfriend, she’s everything I want. She’s smart, sassy, and has a big heart despite her hidden emotions. I’m digging her.

  I stand up from my chair and pull out Sadie’s chair, and she grabs her little purse. Mae huffs. “Tell me, Felix. Do you use that trick with your tongue on her clit the way I taught you?” she smirks wickedly, and my blood fucking boils. “You’re welcome, by the way.” She winks at Sadie.

  “Oh yeah, I know what you’re talking about. He uses that trick on me every single day. Since we’re speaking about our sex life, would you like a play-by-play on what we do so you can share with your new husband?” Sadie gives her a fake smile. “Or maybe we speak about how Felix is such a doting man and he always makes time for me. How he leaves band rehearsal early on Saturday to spend time with me. I guess that’s what you do, huh? When you really care about someone. You make them a priority.”

  Mae rolls her eyes, grips the edge of the table, bites her lips, clear signs she’s pissed off.

  “I invited you to this wedding to make you realize what you missed out on and…and you bring her.” She says loud. Everyone in the room falls silent and stare at our table.

  Is she serious right now? She’s dumb as rocks if she believes I’ll miss her. I was wondering when the real Mae would come out. She always has a motive for the manipulative shit she does.

  “What exactly did he miss out on?” Sadie’s tone is light. If she’s mad, she’s good at hiding it. “A cheating woman that will leave him at the drop of a hat when she doesn’t get her way? It seems to me that you’re the one who missed out.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. Despite where we’re at, this is the most intimate act I’ve ever done with her. “Felix is a kind and caring person. Yes, he has his ways like everyone else, but he tries to be there for you whenever he can. His heart is gold and he’s a gentleman. And at times sweet. And one day he’ll make a great husband. You were dumb to let this incredible man go.”

  Shame and anger holds Mae’s face. I didn’t know that Sadie thought of me in any way, she keeps her emotions to herself.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you.” Her words slap together with sarcasm. “But Felix has to use that trick that you taught him on my body.”

  When we arrive to the hotel, we claw at each other like wild animals. I’ve never seen Sadie look at me with such want and need. Before I know it, our clothes hit the floor. She leans back on the bed and I hover over her. My dick aches, hard and hungry for her pussy. I lie between her legs, about to shove my dick inside her, and she grabs my face with both of her hands. She stares into my eyes
as if I’m her prized possession and says, “Make love to me as if I’m your girlfriend.”

  I stop dead in my tracks and study her face. Hope and happiness beam in her eyes. She is asking for something I need to give her. To make her feel like she’s wanted and needed. And I’ll be lying if I say I don’t need this chick.

  “Sorry, it’s a bad idea to ask, I got caught up in the moment. You don’t want to make love to me, we’ll just fuck.” Her face dilutes with sadness and she drops her hands and stares at my neck, and I kiss her cheekbones, wanting to kiss her soft lips. God, I want to taste them. I want to take back what I said about kissing her and just give her my all.

  The thought of making love to her makes my dick even harder.

  “No, I’ll make love to you,” I say in a low voice. “I’ll make love to you until you come on my cock.”

  Then I shove my dick inside of her and she wraps her arms around my shoulders, pulling me close to her body. Her hard nipples press against my chest and she moans my name. Her hand goes through my hair, pulling gently as I stroke her slow and long. She stares into my eyes in dying need of more of me. It feels nothing like how we fucked before. Normally, I’d fuck her fast and hard, but this time, I fuck her soft and slow. I fuck her like I’m starving for her soul.

  It’s intimate and nice. I could legit marry this chick if she asks me to.

  My lips trail down her neck and I feel her whimpers vibrate against my mouth and her pulse jumps. She moans my name as if it’s a sweet hymn.

  Her pussy grips my dick, squeezing the life out of it, then I pick up the pace and thrust inside of her harder and harder. She digs her nails into my back. Scratching the shit out me like a cat. Sweat blankets my forehead and pleasure shoots through my veins as I cum in her pussy….

  After I’m done making love to her, we lie there staring at the ceiling as the fan moves, then she says something that catches me off guard.

  “We should quit what we’re doing, Felix. We need to end this right now.”