Saving Beth

by Kaylee, Katy

  Logan grimaced. “That sounds absolutely miserable, but hey, whatever floats your boat, right?”

  Jordan laughed as he walked off toward the girls, putting his arms up and draping them over the two of them. Logan just shook his head with a grin and pulled out his phone. He dialed up the app for Uber and ordered a car, taking a seat on one of the benches outside of the bar in the meantime. He was a bit more plastered than he had thought he was. He gripped the handle of the arm rest and attempted to make himself look sober as people passed by on the street. The bars were closing soon, so there would be an onslaught of drunk people trying to get a cab. It would probably take a hot moment.

  Logan stared over at a group of people leaving the bar across the street. There were two very hot girls with their very handsome significant others. He had planned to be one of those guys; had watched all the videos and how to’s, attracted them right and left, but for some reason never fully followed through with it. After his parents deaths, he had buckled down, trying to make a future for himself because though the Stark family had taken him in and treated him like one of their own, he knew eventually it would just be him. He had to create stability for himself. Right then, however, he just wanted his Uber to show up so he could try to put some food in his stomach.

  “Are you Logan?” he heard a voice call out.

  He opened one eye and saw the Uber driver with the back-passenger door open. Logan nodded and groaned as he got up, trying to walk in a straight line to the car. The driver just chuckled. He was a thin, middle-aged man with a bowler hat. Logan was pretty sure that in any other situation, he would have shied away from a driver like that, but weird was the name of the night, so he went with it.

  As the driver climbed in and put the address in his GPS he chuckled again, looking in the rearview mirror. “Going home alone on a beautiful night like this?”

  Logan scoffed drunkenly. “My best friend will make up for it, trust me. Besides, I’m way too drunk to not make a fool of myself.”

  The driver headed down the block and up to the gates of the house, letting him off there. He leaned in and gave him a cash tip. The driver held it up and smiled. “Sometimes all it takes is being a bit of fool. You remember that, in the future.”

  Logan put the security key in and stumbled across the courtyard to the front door. He held the doorknob tightly, straightening himself up, even though he figured at three in the morning everyone would be in bed. He crept into the house and across the marble entrée way floor, deciding food was the best option. As he rounded the corner, he ran straight into Amber, Logan’s little sister. Well, not so little anymore. She slammed into his chest and backed up, looking at him strangely.

  Logan put out his hands and touched her shoulders. “Oh man, I’m sorry Amber. Shit. I was just… food I think.”

  Amber giggled rubbing her forehead, her bright blue eyes shimmering even in the dark of the hallway. “Are you… are you drunk?”

  Logan held his fingers up. “Just a tad. I thought everyone would be asleep.”

  His knees shook and he stumbled to the side, catching himself on the wall. Amber put both eyebrows up and one hand on his side to steady him. “I was up studying for my placement exams at Yale. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and sit down? You could probably use some food and water.”

  Logan got his footing, feeling the warm tingle of her hand on his side. He pushed the feeling to the background and rubbed his face. “But you just graduated, like, yesterday from high school. You don’t take those exams for weeks.”

  Amber shrugged, turning him toward the kitchen. “I know, but I want to be ready. I don’t want to end up in some remedial math class with a bunch of idiots.”

  Logan walked with her. “Do they even have those at Yale?”

  Amber pursed her lips. “They have those everywhere.”

  She flipped the light on in the large kitchen and motioned to one of the chairs at the breakfast bar. Logan watched as she walked over to the fridge, noticing the tiny shorts and slinky tank top she was wearing. The sight of her standing there barefoot, with her long, dark hair cascading down her back sent a shiver to all the right places. He diverted his eyes as she turned around, carrying a loaf of bread, some mustard, cheese, and lunch meat.

  Logan tried to think of what to say, but his mind was foggy from the whiskey. “So, tell me again what you want to study there?” he said, struggling.

  Amber tilted her head back and forth as she started making him a sandwich. “History is my first choice, but dad thinks I need to go for something like business. I don’t know, they said I can choose after my first year, so I can get in the swing of things and do some research for the future. All my attention up to this point was just getting into Yale.”

  She finished up his sandwich and put it in front of him, filling a glass with water. He touched his finger to the bread, lots of different thoughts running through his mind, but mostly how he could see the curve of her perfect breasts through her tank top. He picked up the sandwich and took a bite, glad that he was getting something into his stomach.

  He looked up at her and saw her watching him eat. Her cheeks turned red. “Anyway, that should help soak up some of the alcohol. Let me guess, my brother is going home with yet another girl.”

  Logan grinned. “You know him oh so well.”

  Amber shook her head and started putting things back into the fridge. “Unfortunately, I do, and all of his nasty habits. I can only imagine what will happen when he falls in love with one of them one day. Poor girl.”

  They both laughed, knowing how much Amber adored her brother, but how much of a hot mess Jordan was most of the time. Logan eyed Amber again, this time feeling the strength of the liquid courage coursing through him. He stood up, a bit wobbly, and walked over behind Amber, sliding his hands around her waist from behind and leaning down, whispering into her ear. “I figured it would be a good time to tell you how fucking sexy I think you are. I’ve always thought it, and my dreams about you at night are too hot to handle sometimes. I can’t hold it back any longer.”

  Amber turned around and faced him, looking into his big green eyes. She put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back with a smile. “Go eat your sandwich; you are drunk and confused. Trust me, we will laugh about this in the morning.”

  Logan sat back down sheepishly, knowing there wouldn’t be any laughter on his side.

  Chapter Two: Amber

  Taylor took a sip of her iced tea and pulled her hair up into a knot on the back of her head. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkling as she recanted the tale of a romantic night with her boyfriend, Casey, the week before. Amber was leaning forward on one hand, smiling at her best friend, so glad she was happy.

  “It was nuts, seriously girl. It was way more than I expected from him,” Taylor gushed.

  Amber grinned. “He doesn’t come off like the romantic type that’s for sure, but he is probably different behind the scenes.”

  Taylor blotted her lips with her napkin. “He was when it came to this. I mean, he knew it was my first time and that I wanted it to be special. He laid down roses, he lit candles, and he was so gentle with me.”

  Amber picked up her head. “So, it didn’t hurt?”

  Taylor shook her hand from side to side. “I mean nothing like what they tell you it’s going to feel like. We’ve messed around a lot over the years, though. It definitely was special losing my virginity to my high school sweetheart. I swear, we are going to be the minority of couples that make it through college in one piece. At least I really hope so.”

  Amber waved her hands. “He adores you. He waited patiently for four years and then went out of his way to make it amazing. He wouldn’t have done all that if he wasn’t planning on forever with you. Guys these days are too impatient. They know they can go out and get it wherever, so it takes some caring to do what he did.”

  Taylor sighed with a smile. “I know. He’s the best.”

  Amber cleared her throat
and lowered her voice. “Besides all the excitement of the first time, how was he?”

  Taylor leaned forward and stretched her hands nine inches apart. “He was more than adequate if you know what I mean, and he definitely had the motion of the ocean to go with it. I had two orgasms by the time we were done with the first round.”

  Amber gasped. “The first? How many times?”

  Taylor shrugged with a smirk. “Several. It’s like once the first time is done with there is no holding back. All the inhibitions are out the window.”

  Amber playfully fanned herself with her napkin. “I wouldn’t even know what to do. I would be fumbling all over the place.”

  “Nah, once you’re in it you kind of feel your way through it. Plus, it was the first time for both of us, so a couple elbows were thrown and laughter was involved. It made it all that much more special.” Taylor smiled as the waitress approached, refilling her drink.

  Amber sat up and waited for the girl to walk away. “Well, maybe in college I’ll figure it all out. My life has been an endless stream of preparations to get into school.”

  Taylor grumped. “Yeah, but there has to be someone in your sights, right? I mean, some guy that makes you feel tingly all over, gives you butterflies when you see him? This is your last free summer for years. I mean, people usually come home from college in the summer, but I know you. You’ll be taking summer classes just to get through it faster.”

  Amber lifted her eyebrows. “Well, summer classes are cheaper, that’s for sure. And you know how my dad likes it when I say cheaper. Anyway, I have to prepare for Yale, entrance exams, and the summer assignments I’ll have. I won’t have any time for summer romance. What’s the point anyway? It will end in tears, on his end, and me just wishing I had studied more.”

  Taylor laughed. “You are crazy. You do have emotions in there I’ve seen them. All I’m saying is, don’t let life pass you by because of school. You are more than capable of meeting someone and doing well at Yale. I know this because of all the extracurricular you did in high school, coupled with becoming the class valedictorian.”

  Amber rolled her eyes. “Extracurricular is way different than a relationship. I just have to stay in super hyper focus mode for one last summer, and then I will have everything I worked so hard for. Once I’m there I can open my eyes to beyond that. I know you think I don’t think about these things, but I do. I want a family one day, a husband, maybe some kids, but I have time. If mister right just landed on my doorstep it’s not like I would send him away, but there hasn’t been anyone amazing enough to draw me away from what I’m focused on.”

  Taylor took a bite of her salad, nodding her head. “I know, I get it. I am super proud of you for being the person you are. You are so damn driven. If I had even a quarter of that fight I would be going to Yale with you, but instead me and Casey are going to do the local college circuit and get a place together. We don’t want to be apart and neither one of us has the motivation that you had. In fact, I’m starting to think you sucked the high school dry of it.”

  Amber laughed as she picked up her sandwich. “No, I just didn’t get caught up in the sparkly stuff, you know? I didn’t want to be a fool and think I could have it all. So I gave up certain things. I don’t regret it, at least not yet. I’m too busy picking out Yale hoodies and preparing for freshman English Lit in the fall.”

  Taylor reached across and touched Amber’s hand. “I’m going to miss you. We’re all going to miss you. Your brother will be lost and Logan will be sad, too. Everyone loves you.”

  Amber blushed. “I’ll miss you guys too… actually… never mind.”

  Taylor lifted an eyebrow. “Uh, no. What were you going to say?”

  Amber put down her sandwich and wiped her hands. “It’s just something weird that happened last night, but I don’t want to blow it out of proportion.”

  Taylor leaned forward excitedly. “Oh my God. Tell me, what is it?”

  Amber took in a deep breath. “So last night, or this morning, really, Logan came in at like three AM completely plastered. He rounded the corner and almost fell right over me. I took him into the kitchen, made him a sandwich, got him some water, and we talked. It was just normal conversation, nothing crazy. My brother had gone off with some girl for the night.”

  Taylor scoffed. “Of course.”

  Amber giggled. “Anyway, I went to put the sandwich stuff in the refrigerator and the next thing I know, I feel Logan’s hands around my waist. He was telling me about how sexy I was, how he dreams about me and so on.”

  Taylor’s mouth dropped wide open. “Oh my God! What did you do? Did you kiss him? Tell me you kissed him.”

  Amber wrinkled her nose. “No! He could barely even stand up straight. Honestly, I think it was the alcohol talking. He was confused, I was in my pajamas, and he didn’t know what he was saying. I gracefully pushed him back and told him he was drunk and that we would laugh about it later.”

  Taylor put on knowing face. “Girl, you are crazy. I have seen the way that Logan looks at you. It started like his junior year in college. You went through a crazy growth spurt, your tits got huge and you became this curvy goddess. Every time you walk by him he sneaks a glance. I think it was the alcohol too, but only the fact that it lowered his inhibitions enough to tell you the truth. The dude totally wants you in the worst way.”

  Amber rested her face on her hand again. “You think? No. No that is not true. He thinks of me as a little sister.”

  Taylor shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. He thinks of you as a beautiful woman that he shared a house with during those tough years in his life. He thinks of you as family but the friend kind of family, not the platonic kind of family. I totally think you should hit that before you leave.”

  Amber giggled again, shaking her head. “Hit that? You lose your virginity and all of a sudden you are talking like Lil’ Kim? I am not going to hit that or anything else that goes along those lines of vocabulary. Besides, I don’t think you’re right. I think you are creating it in your head because you want me to find a man.”

  Taylor shrugged. “I want you to be happy, whatever that means. And I didn’t make it up, I just didn’t say anything until now because I didn’t want you to feel weird around him in your own house.”

  “I wouldn’t, and I don’t, because I don’t think it’s true,” Amber said resolutely.

  Taylor put down her fork, a dreamy look coming into her eyes. “It was like a dream come true for you though, wasn’t it? Don’t think I have forgotten the crush that you’ve had on that boy since he came to stay at your house.”

  Amber could feel the heat in her chest all over again. “I know. It was a school girl crush, that’s all.”

  “It was fun, though. Remember how we used to sit up and giggle about him all night and then try to catch glimpses of him from the pool? He was always so cool with your brother, never showing a vulnerable side.” Taylor wiggled her eyebrows.

  Amber threw her napkin at Taylor. “Stop. Yes, I had a huge crush on him, up until, well…”

  Taylor pointed her finger at her. “I knew it! You still have a crush on him. Oh my God, you have to act on this. It’s not weird now, because you are both out of school, and you are leaving, so if it does get weird you can vanish. Of course, you would have to hide it from your brother.”

  Amber lifted her shoulders wearily. “He would castrate him on the kitchen counter. Jordan is more protective of me than my own father is. No one is good enough for me, not even his best friend in the whole world.”

  Amber realized what she was saying and shook her head back and forth. “Doesn’t matter anyway, because it’s not going to happen. He’s probably already brooding over what he said, if he remembers. He will avoid me for several days and then act like nothing ever happened. Trust me, he is not really interested in me, and I’m not going to suck myself off into some fantasy land where my feelings are going to get hurt.”

  Taylor pouted. “Fine, but if anything else happ
ens, you have to tell me immediately. I must know everything that is going on this summer, because once you leave for Yale and make your smart friends, I will be a memory in the past.”

  “You are ridiculous, I will never just forget about you. And as far as Logan is concerned, I can promise you your phone will be staying silent.”

  Taylor changed the subject to a wedding she had to go to in a week, but Amber’s mind lingered on Logan. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was any bit of truth in what Taylor said. She couldn’t deny that ever since that morning she couldn’t get his hands on her body off her mind. He was starting to infiltrate every thought she had, and that was exactly what she didn’t want to happen.

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