Beware of Me

by Brooks Limits

  I scanned the menu for anything that looked familiar. I saw the word penne and knew that it was a type of pasta. I liked pasta. I had no idea what was on it or what it came with but it would be a safer bet than something else.

  The waiter came around and took our orders. I didn't even bother trying to say the name of the dish out loud. I knew I would butcher it so I just pointed to the item on the menu and that sufficed.

  “Tell me about your trip, Dalton?” my mom asked.

  My ears perked up. I wanted to hear about this ever since I was told he went sailing around the world.

  Dalton leaned back in his chair. “Very long.” He kept eye contact with my mom and I only hoped that he would look over at me for just a second. “I thought I was going crazy for a little while there.”

  My mom nodded. “I could imagine. Would you do it again knowing what you know now?”

  “Mom, you don't need to be so forward,” I said.

  Dalton waved me off and actually looked into my eyes. Those blue eyes of his were going to be the death of me. “There were plenty of times when I felt like quitting. When it got so unbelievably hard that I didn't think I was going to make it. But then I remembered that I could accomplish anything. It was that sense of ego that kept me going. So to answer your question, yes I think I would do it all over again. Only to satisfy my even larger ego now.”

  My mom chuckled and I couldn't help but get lost in Dalton's words. The way he described overcoming failure was inspiring. There was more to him than just good looks. I wanted to peel back the layers of the onion and discover anything I could about him.

  The waiter came by with our food and it smelled amazing. A plate of penne pasta with a brown sauce was set in front of me. I took my fork and found mushrooms all through out.

  “Wow Brendon, when did you learn to like mushrooms?” my mom asked.

  “I've liked them for a long time,” I replied. In reality, I hated them with a passion. Couldn't stand the taste, smell, or texture. I didn't want to look foolish in front of Dalton.

  Didn't matter because my mom did all the work for me.

  She turned to the rest of the group. “When Brendon was younger we used to order pizzas with a lot of mushrooms on it. He would pick them off, put them in napkins, and hide them around the house so I couldn't find them. He was really good at it too because we are still finding old dried up mushrooms today.”

  Everyone around the table laughed except for me. My face turned a shade of tomato. My mom was exaggerating but not by much. It had been a couple of years since she found any napkins.

  I forked a piece of pasta with mushroom on it. I didn't want anyone to think that I had been lying. I was going to eat it with a smile.

  I put the bite in my mouth and tried not to taste it. I chewed while everyone watched me. The mushroom taste was overbearing. I couldn't taste any other flavors. I wanted to spit it right back out but Dalton was watching me. My pride was on the line.

  “Is it good?” my mom asked.

  I nodded, squeezing the bite down my throat, and took another.

  Once everyone moved on to their own dinners, I did my best to avoid the mushrooms even though the sauce still tasted like them.

  Chapter Three

  After our meal, we all stood outside waiting for the valet to bring around the cars. I never understood why people waited so long for someone else to park their car and bring it back. Especially when the parking lot was just twenty yards away.

  We would all be driving home by now if we didn't do valet.

  I was conscious of how close I was standing to Dalton and I could smell the cologne on his skin. It was a scent made in heaven. My body almost floated over to him and I had to physically keep myself grounded.

  Dalton's car was brought around first. A white Chrysler minivan with a poor paint job. There was a big dent on the side door. Not exactly what I expected from a man of his caliber. Something more along the lines of a Porshe or Ferrari seemed like his fit.

  Dalton waved goodbye to us. I was sad to see him go. I had barely gotten to talk to him. There was so much more I wanted to know.

  “You should come back and check out my boat next time,” Dalton said before getting into the van.

  I didn't even know he was talking to me until my mom nudged me. Why would he be telling me that?

  “I'd love to,” I said back.

  I felt so stupid. Dalton probably regretted asking me that the moment it left his lips.

  The valet brought around Edward's green Land Rover. It didn't look like much on the outside but the interior was top of the line. When my mom told me how much it was, I thought I was going to faint. It was more expensive than some houses.

  We drove back home and I kept replaying the most embarrassing parts of brunch over and over again in my head.

  Edward looked at me in the rear-view mirror. “So what did you think, Brendon?”

  I wasn't sure what he was asking me. “The club was nice. The food was really good.”

  The food wasn't very good but that wasn't there fault. It was mine for not knowing how to speak French. Then I would've known it had mushrooms and would've avoided it like the plague.

  Edward shook his head. “No about Dalton. What do you think about him?”

  My eyes shifted side-to-side. Why the hell was he asking me that? “Uhh, Dalton was really cool.” I didn't know how to say that Dalton was the most gorgeous man I'd ever met and I wanted his manly meat to pierce me.

  Edward smiled. “I thought you would like him. “You should check out his boat, it's really something.”

  I nodded. “I definitely will.”

  Edward pulled into the driveway of our house and Dalton's white van was parked outside.

  My heart skipped a beat. “Is Dalton here?”

  My mom turned around in the car seat. “Didn't you know he's staying with us for a little while?”

  My body went into full blown panic mode. “That was a piece of info you neglected to tell me.”

  “He needs a place to stay before he gets back on his feet,” Edward chimed in. “He used to have his own house but he sold it to get the boat so he doesn't have anywhere to stay.”

  Things weren't clicking. Dalton was loaded wasn't he? His shitty white van didn't help that. Why did he need to sell a house to get a boat? Couldn't he own a hundred boats?

  We entered the house and a bunch of brown duffel bags were sitting at the foot of the stairs. They smelled like the sea air.

  Dalton stood there with his arms folded. “Where do you want me to stay?” he asked.

  My mom turned to me. “Brendon, why don't you show him the room down the hall?”

  Disappointment set in. Dalton would be sleeping in a different wing of the mansion than me. He might as well be sleeping in a house next door. Each wing of the mansion had its own kitchen, living room, library and a bunch of other rooms that I never used.

  I looked into Dalton's eyes and blushed. “Do you need help with your bags?”

  He smiled back. “No I think I can handle it.”

  I watched him lift the two giant bags with ease. My legs went weak at the ankles. I led the way down the hallway and found the empty guest room. “I guess this is where they want you to stay.”

  Dalton flung the heavy bags onto the bed and tested the springs on the mattress. “Thanks so much, Brendon. You know I was serious about showing you my boat. I think you'll really like it. Plus it will give us a chance to get to know one another.”

  I stood there like a dumb fool, not knowing what to say. I'm sure a little bit of drool came out of the corner of my mouth. I didn't know why this perfect man wanted to spend time with little old me.

  “How about tomorrow?” he asked.

  I swung my head up and down in big motions. That was all I was capable of doing.

  We both stood there in awkward silence and then I realized that he was waiting for me to go so he could unpack his bags.

  “Oh I'm sorry. I'll let you get to
it. I'll see you at dinner then.” I started for the doorway.

  “Actually I won't be here for dinner tonight. I have some things I need to attend to.”

  I didn't know how to respond to that so I just left. I walked down the hallway and it all spun around. I felt like I was drunk or high or both. My legs couldn't hold me up any longer and I collapsed on the stairs on the way to my bedroom.

  How could my stepbrother make me feel this way?

  Chapter Four

  The next morning a knock at my door interrupted my blissful sleep. I thought it was my mom coming in to talk to me so I didn't even think when I said, “Come in.”

  Dalton waltzed in with a grin. “Good morning. I thought we could go check out the boat now. Did I catch you at a bad time.”

  I immediately hid my sheets. My eyes couldn't handle the bright sun yet. “I'm just to get dressed. If you give me an hour, I'll be ready.”

  I thought that would get him to leave but he stayed put. Dalton began to wander and then I began to worry. He walked over to my bed and picked up Ryan, my stuffed rhino.

  “Cute stuffed animal,” he said.

  I jumped up from under the sheets and snatched the animal from his dirty hands. Nobody else ever touched Ryan except for me. Then I realized that Dalton was staring at shirtless body and I shrieked like a banshee. I retreated back to my safe place at the vanity.

  “How about you meet me at my boat whenever you're ready? I have some cleaning do on the boat anyways.” Dalton asked.

  “That works perfect for me.”

  “Okay it's at docking bay ninety-four.”

  “Ninety-four,” I repeated.

  Dalton left and I let out a big sigh of relief. That couldn't of gone any worse. I looked down and realized that I was clenching the stuffed rhino. I placed him gently back on the bed in between the two pillows.

  Now the hard part was figuring out what to wear. I wanted to impress him but I didn't want him to think I was too interested.

  What does a guy wear on a boat? Board shorts and sunglasses. But this wasn't spring break.

  I ravaged my closet looking for something suitable. Skirts seemed like a bad idea. I found a pair of blue short shorts that might work. I remembered what Dalton was wearing today: black shorts, a white polo shirt, and red shoes with no socks.

  I tried to copy that but just a little different. I didn't have a polo shirt but I did have a light purple shirt that would work.

  I checked myself in the mirror and realized that I hadn't worn that purple shirt in a long time. It was a lot tighter in the chest area and my pecs looked like they were going to rip through the shirt. So much for hiding my interest in Dalton.

  I didn't have time to rummage around for something better to wear. At least I looked good enough. I didn't want to make Dalton wait any longer.

  I drove in my convertible Ford Mustang with the top down and black sunglasses on. The sun was out and it was hot. The wind whipped through my jet black hair and I sang along to a Rihanna song on the radio.

  For some reason I wasn't the least bit nervous to go see Dalton. I don't know what had changed from just a few hours ago.

  I parked in the lot and ignored the valet this time. I didn't have cash on me to tip anyways even if I wanted to.

  I walked around the Silverport Yacht Club and to the docks. Rows and rows of ships of all sizes bobbed up and down in the harbor. I didn't realize there were this many boats here.

  Suddenly the thought of having to search for docking bay ninety-four was daunting. I didn't know my way around and I didn't even know what his boat looked like or what it was called.

  I assumed he chose a girl's name like most people would or a guy's name in this case. I didn't even know if he was gay but I thought I had pretty good gaydar. What if he had a boyfriend? What if he named the boat after him?

  Maybe this was a bad idea. He was my stepbrother after all.

  I turned around on my foot and faced the parking lot. It would be so easy to drive back home and forget this ever happened.

  Then I realized that it was pretty much impossible that Dalton had a boyfriend. He was at sea for eight months. Plus nobody mentioned it.

  I felt like a complete idiot. It would be cowardly of me to run away now. How would I explain it to Dalton if I did?

  All I had to do was find the right docking bay. Not so hard.

  I searched through the first row of boats and the numbers only went up to twenty-two. It wouldn't take too much time to find it.

  I went through three more rows before I hit the ninety's. I had walked past such “great” boat names like: Lucky Horse, Anna, Blue Sky, and Fool's Gold. Didn't people put some thought into the naming of such an expensive thing.

  I thought about what I would name my boat and the only thing that came to my head was Ryan. It wasn't a bad name but naming a boat after a stuffed animal would be equally as stupid.

  I came to docking bay ninety-four expecting a giant yacht but came up to a tiny sliver of a boat with a sail.

  Not exactly what I expected. But nothing about Dalton was.

  The name on the boat was painted in blue: Orion.

  Chapter Five

  Dalton appeared from below deck. The wind blew through his hair and he hadn't looked better. “Hey there, Brendon,” he called to me.

  I waved to him and started to approach the boat. I didn't know where I was supposed to get on. There was no plank to cross the water. Was I supposed to jump? I imagined myself falling into the water and Dalton jumping in to save me. That wouldn't be a bad way to spend the day. But what if he didn't jump in and instead laughed at me?

  “Here take my hand, Brendon.” Dalton outstretched his arm to the dock.

  I grasped his hand and held tight as Dalton lifted me onto the little boat. I was afraid the rocking motion would make me sick but it wasn't too bad.

  “Did you have a hard time finding the boat? I should've given you more exact directions than just the number.”

  I shook it off. “No it was easy.”

  “So what do you think?” Dalton asked, holding onto the ropes.

  I was lost in his eyes again. They were so clear and matched the sea perfectly. “So beautiful,” I said.

  Dalton meant what I thought about the boat and not about his eyes. But beautiful applied to both. I did my best to elaborate my answer. “And I love the name. What's the significance?”

  “Orion? Well it was the first time I got the boat. I went out all day and night. I stayed out on the deck and watched the stars for hours. I'd never seen Orion's belt so clearly as I did in the middle of the ocean away from all the city lights. I thought the name worked.”

  I did my best to walk around the boat and not slip. “So you sailed in this for eight months? It's kind of small isn't it.”

  Dalton followed me as I walked around. Probably to make sure I didn't fall off the boat. “It's not so bad. It's a little cozy. A little cramped at times but this baby did her job.”

  “It's cute, I like it,” I replied.

  “Do you want to go out on the water?”

  I didn't even think that was a possibility. Going out in the open water scared me a little and that thrilled me.

  “Well I should warn you, I've never been sailing before.”

  “There's nothing to it,” Dalton replied with a smile.

  I wanted to make him so happy that his smile never left his face. “I highly doubt that.”

  “Well yeah it can really be a lot to take in if you were doing it all yourself for the first time. But I'll do most of the work and I'll tell you what to do.”

  I liked the idea of Dalton telling me what to do. “So I'll be your first mate then?”

  Dalton nodded. “Exactly. So if you have nothing else planned for the day...”

  “Nothing that would compare to sailing. Let's do it.”

  Dalton immediately went to work. He jumped off the boat and unwrapped a thick rope that kept the boat anchored to the dock. He put his foot on
the edge of the boat and pushed it away.

  I hung onto the rope as the boat began to drift from the dock. Dalton was still standing there. Was he going to stay behind and abandon me on his boat? My heart jumped in my throat.

  There was no need to panic. Dalton leaped back onto the boat and began to work at the rigging for the sail.

  “Anything you need me to do?” I asked, standing there like a buffoon.