by Pratt, Lulu
“If it gets any hotter, I’m going to blow this popsicle stand and go to the beach,” Mia said, wiping her forehead. She pulled her green tank top away from her skin and waving it back and forth before pulling it up, exposing her toned midriff.
“I hear ya,” Camilla chimed in, fanning her face.
“We don’t have to be here,” I said.
“Are you kidding me?” Mia stepped back and looked at me. “If we didn’t show our faces here today, we wouldn’t have heard the end of it. Remember five years ago?”
She had a point. The one time I missed the Fourth of July festivities because of a bad cold, I was devastated. I felt like I had missed a part of something big. “Thanks?” I said, hoping it meant more than it sounded like it did.
Mia linked her arm into mine and rested her head on my shoulder. “You’re just lucky you’re so damned cute.”
“Oh yeah, because that’s why we’re such good friends,” I teased.
“Well, it isn’t because of your reckless nature and adventurous ideas.”
“Don’t blame me for wanting to be practical,” I said.
Camilla raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and looked at me with her head lowered. “There’s practical, and there’s you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Camilla held up her finger and looked around. What was she up to? She walked up to a vendor booth and raised three fingers. I looked at the sign and cringed. She was buying refreshments at the Lake Vineyard Wine Slushies booth.
When she returned to us, she was holding three cups of the concoction. She handed one to Mia, who immediately took it and began to suck on the straw. The resulting noise from her told me she loved it. Camilla raised her eyebrows and then handed one to me.
“You know I don’t drink,” I said. “Especially wine. Do you know how much sugar is in those things? Plus, you don’t know if they add syrup.”
Camilla cocked her head and presented it to me again. “Come on, Naomi. Be daring,” she says dramatically. “Take the drink.”
“Peer pressure isn’t your best quality, Camilla.”
“Let’s play a game. It’s called describe your friend in one word. I’ll go first. Ridiculous.”
“Safe,” I corrected.
Mia chimed in. “Straight-laced. Is that two words?”
“Boring.”
“Stale.”
I crinkled my eyebrows and frowned as they continued to add to my list of not-so-special qualities.
“Careful,” I said.
“Practical.”
“Humdrum.”
“Oh, good one,” Camilla squealed tapping Mia’s arm. “How about—”
“Okay! Okay, I get it.” I grabbed the drink and put the straw to my lips. Camilla and Mia were both staring at me intently as if it were poison, and they were daring me to drink it. In my mind, it was.
I took a very small sip. The icy cold sweetness spread across my tongue. “It’s actually not that bad,” I conceded and took another sip.
“You’re such a dare-devil,” Mia said with a grin.
“Is that one or two words?” I asked, tilting my head. “I have a question. How do you bring yourselves to hang out with me?” Sarcasm sliced through my words.
“What do you mean?” Camilla looked puzzled.
“Well, if I’m that boring and humdrum and stale, why do you bother?”
“Because,” Mia stepped closer to me, her face softening. “We have faith in you, Naomi.” Her fingers tucked a strand of my dark brown hair behind my ear that had loosened from my messy bun. “You’re also strikingly beautiful and sexy. You have a lot to offer if you’ll just come out and play a little bit.”
“I appreciate the compliment,” I said. “But I’m not your type and you, lovely as you are, aren’t mine.”
“I know and respect that. You’ve told me countless times. I didn’t mean my compliment that way. I meant, just live a little. You’re so worried about something bad happening that you consistently play it safe. Maybe you need a little bad in your life.”
“Oh. My. Goodness.” We both looked at Camilla at the same time who had her mouth open and her hand to her chest. “I think I just found it.”
“Found what?” Mia asked.
“Our bad that will turn our beautiful friend around.”
I looked past her, and my stomach knotted. There were two guys standing next to the slushy vendor, and their eyes were seared into us. If I knew my friends, they weren’t going to let this go, and from the way those two were staring, neither were they. I looked away and took a bigger drink of the slushie, feeling the cold liquid slide down my insides.
“I do think one of them has eyes for you, Naomi,” Mia nudged me and pulled me to her side.
“I’m not interested in some tattooed biker hoodlum who wants to drink too much and get himself into trouble,” I huffed.
“Wow. Judge much?” Camilla hissed.
“I’m not judging anyone.”
“You’re going to stand there and try telling me that you didn’t just describe those two beautiful creatures as hoodlums because of the leather and tight blue jeans?”
“Don’t forget the poor use of body ink,” I said.
Mia and Camilla turned to look at me and I could see the contempt in their eyes.
“Okay,” I said, cocking my head. “Maybe I am, but looks have a lot to do with who you are, and those two?” I point at them nonchalantly. “They scream trouble. I’m not looking for trouble.”
“Naomi, you have been so far away from trouble that you wouldn’t be able to find it if you tripped over the damned thing,” Mia said.
“Very funny,” I replied.
“I don’t know,” Camilla said. “I think we should introduce ourselves and see what they have to offer.” She then sauntered up to them.
I gasped, trying to grab her before she got too far away. “Camilla!” I said in a loud whisper. “Get back here now.”
She ignored me and I watched her do the exact opposite of what I wanted her to do. She walked up to them, flipped her bleach blonde hair back, threw her hip out, propped her hand on it and started introducing herself. The knot in my stomach tightened when they smiled, and one looked directly at me and was in no way discreet.
I quickly looked away, my breathing a little harder. I took Mia’s arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. “Let’s check out the dunking booth. I hear our old principal is one of the participants.”
“Naomi,” Mia said, standing her ground. “Stop living with your head in the sand. Give life a chance, will ya? These guys are gorgeous. What is the harm in just talking to them?”
“They aren’t my type.”
“You don’t have a type.”
“Sure I do. Everyone has a type.”
“I’m pretty sure yours doesn’t exist,” Mia replied with a roll of her eyes.
“I want a man who is practical, who knows what he wants in life, someone stable and success driven. Someone who is—”
“Boring.”
“Stable,” I hissed.
“Whatever. Fine. Keep looking for Mr. Nonexistent, but in the meantime—” She turned me around so I was facing Camilla and her new friends. “It’s time to play.”
“Mia, I can’t—”
“Don’t say you can’t,” she interrupted. “Just talk to them. You can throw them back when you’re done. Something about them tells me they won’t mind.”
“That’s rude. I would never—”
Before I could finish, Camilla walked back to us with a big smile. A wave of relief wafted over me until I saw the two men following her. My heart raced, and my mouth went dry. I shoved my straw into my mouth and filled it with alcohol.
“Hello, ladies,” The shorter of the two looked both Mia and me up and down before he slithered his arm around Camilla’s waist. “I’m Bones, and this is my man Devlin.”
I glanced at the second one and his eyes seared into mine. I forced a smile with all inten
tions of keeping him a good distance away.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, his voice deep and smooth. He offered me his hand. I nodded, but pushed my hands behind my back. “The shy type? I like it.”
“The uninterested type,” I said primly.
He pulled his hand back, surprised by my comment.
“I’m sorry,” I rescinded. I shot Mia and Camilla a look of annoyance. “My friends seem to think I need to live a little on the dangerous side. I suppose you fit that bill.”
“I see. And you don’t agree?” he asked with his head cocked to the side and a smirk dancing on his lips.
“With what? That you’re dangerous?”
“No,” he chuckled. “That you don’t need to live a little.”
“No. I’m perfectly content with who I am.”
“Me too,” he said, looking me up and down with a grin.
I felt like he knew what I looked like naked and I could feel myself blush.
My friends joined in on the humor, and it infuriated me.
“I don’t need this,” I spat, shoving my now finished drink into Mia’s hand. I walked away, feeling my heart beating out of my chest.
“Naomi, come on,” Mia called out. “Don’t be that way. Come back and have some fun.”
“You have fun if he’s your type.”
“He’s not. I’m gay, remember?” she yelled.
I shook my head and kept walking. I needed to get away from them. My face was hot with embarrassment, my fingers cold with nervousness, and my heart wouldn’t calm down. A guy like that was bad news. I kept repeating that in my mind, but I couldn’t deny the fact that I was extremely attracted to him. I shook my head again, trying to focus on the fact that he was too dangerous to be around.
I approached a crowd gathered around the dunking booth and watched as a pimple-faced boy flung a ball at the target. He missed by quite a lot and frustration flooded his face. When he struck out two more times, the target mysteriously got pushed, and the already dripping woman in the tank fell into the water. The crowd cheered, and the woman climbed back up.
“If you keep standing on the sidelines watching life go by, you’ll die with too many regrets, Naomi,” Mia’s voice came from behind me.
“Mia,” I begin to protest.
I turned around to see Camilla and the two guys standing a little way off. Mia shook her head and put her hand up. “Give them a chance. They just want to hang with us.”
Mia stared at me with sheer worry like I was going to die if I didn’t do something out of my comfort zone. I pressed my lips together as the knot in my stomach returned. I knew it was the wrong choice, but I did it anyway.
“Fine,” I said. “But don’t try leaving me alone with one of them in hopes of something happening.”
“If that were to happen by some God-given miracle, I’m pretty sure you’ll get Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. Camilla already has her talons into Bones.”
“What kind of name is Bones, anyway?” I mumbled as we returned to them. I forced another smile, keeping my eyes away from Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
“Give this a chance,” Mia said with a nudge.
I looked at her, and she handed my refilled wine slushy back to me.
I didn’t want to give it a chance. My emotions were running high, and I needed something to vomit in, not something alcoholic to cloud my judgment.
The five of us walked along the midway between carnival games and vendors. They led, and I followed, hoping the awkwardness would fade into the heat. I sipped on my drink and watched as Bones’ hand slid down to Camilla’s ass, and she responded by walking closer to him. After a few minutes, Mia sat on a bench underneath a large oak tree, and I stole the seat next to her. Camilla and Bones leaned against the vendor booth next to us, craning their heads together in a heated kiss.
“So, Devlin, are you from around here?” I asked in an awkward attempt to break the silence.
He stared down at me, a slight grin on his lips. “I am. Outskirts of town.”
“How long have you been here? I don’t remember seeing you around.”
“Not that she gets out much,” Mia said, leaning into me.
Devlin chuckled. “I’ve been here a few years. I try to keep a low profile. The less attention the better sometimes.”
“You wouldn’t know it by all the tattoos,” I scoffed. As soon as I said it, I regretted it. Why was I being so mean?
He turned his head and smiled to himself. Devlin then took a seat in the grass next to the bench and leaned in until his arm was just against my leg. His touch sent a wave of pleasure through me, and I froze.
“Why don’t we get out of here?” Bones said as he turned his head away from Camilla, his hands still sliding along her ass. “I have a pool we can cool down in.”
“I’m game,” Camilla said, curling her fingers around his arm. “Could be fun.”
They went back to kissing, and Mia looked at me. “Go ahead. I’m going to hang here for a while.” She turned away from me and smiled. I followed her gaze and noticed her making eyes with a woman standing under a large tent with several pool tables lined up. The woman holding a set of sticks was a blue-haired beauty and seemingly as interested in Mia as she was in her.
“Win a chance at a grand,” I read the sign aloud.
“I’d like to win a chance at her,” Mia smiled.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I sure hope to.”
“Hmm,” Bones perked up and turned his head away from Camilla. “This party is getting more interesting by the minute.”
“Keep your pants buckled, cowboy,” said Mia. “I’m strictly clitly. Sorry to bust your bubble.”
“I’ll just watch then,” he growled, pulling Camilla’s head back. He feasted on her neck as she giggled.
“What about you?” Devlin asked.
I looked at him, and his eyes were glued to me. I shook my head and dropped my gaze. “I’m staying here.”
I kept him in my peripheral vision until the moment he looked away. As soon as he did, my eyes swept over him. He was raw, animalistic, rough, and sexy as hell. I absorbed every detail of him. His black hair feeding down his face into a trimmed goatee. His black T-shirt fit him tight, his muscles traceable underneath the cotton. Tattoos fed up his arms and hid underneath the rolled-up sleeves. His watch looked expensive. A hint of another tattoo was peeking out underneath his collar. His eyes were as blue as an icy lake and were staring directly at me.
He’d found me staring at him. My breath caught, but I couldn’t look away. A fire began to smolder inside me.
“For the sake of not being a fifth wheel right now, I’ll be right back,” Mia said.
“Where are you going?” I asked, panic seeping into my voice.
“I suddenly have this overwhelming urge to play a game of pool.”
Mia jumped up and left me on the bench with Devlin sitting almost at my feet. He stood up slowly, his eyes still glued on me. He sat on the bench and faced me.
“Naomi, right? That’s what your friend called you,” he said.
Heat blasted through me, and I took a big breath forcing my eyes away. “I’m sorry. I can’t,” I breathed.
I jumped up and followed Mia just to get away from him. I caught up with her just before she got to the blue-haired girl.
“What the hell are you doing, Naomi?”
“I can’t do this,” I said.
“You can. Jesus, what are you, twelve?”
“The whole thing just makes me feel uncomfortable. I can’t—”
“I know,” she spat. “You keep saying that. Role-play.”
“What?”
“Try role-playing. You were in all the musicals in school. Pretend this is a hot and steamy musical and you play the part of the little tramp attracted to a hot bad boy.”
“Mia.”
“I’m serious. It’ll help break the ice. Besides, part of that is true. You’re as hot for him as he i
s for you. It’s written all over your face.”
“I’m not doing that.”
“Fine. Die an old maid. See if I care,” Mia said with a shake of her head.
“You’re being overdramatic.”
“We’ll see.” She pursed her lips and turned to talk to the girl. “How much to play?” she asked flirtatiously, clearly dismissing me.
I tried looking interested in the game, but when her arm snaked around the woman’s waist, I knew I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Feeling like I was the odd one out, I turned away from them and looked for Camilla, who was hot and heavy with her own intimate connection.
Devlin wasn’t on the bench anymore. I looked around for him. Had he given up? A glimpse of him at the beer booth eased the tension built inside me. I inhaled the stress away and decided to check out some of the events on my own.
I spent the next hour enjoying some carnival food I normally didn’t allow myself to eat. I laughed at my old principal dropping into the water at the dunking booth. I watched a show involving death-defying acts never to be tried at home. Just as the show was finishing, I received a text from Mia.
If you’re with Mr. Hottie, don’t bother responding. Just checking up on you.
I’m not with Devlin. I’m by myself.
Why?
When your friends abandon you for sex, you tend to try to entertain yourself.
Hey, you had your chance.
Thanks.
Where are you?
In the midway… on the bleachers.
Stay there. On my way.
I scoffed. I thought about getting up and leaving, but I wasn’t about the drama. So, I waited.
When Mia and Camilla showed up, I smiled, happy they were without company. They sat on either side of me and smiled.
“What?” I asked.
“Did you at least talk to him?” Camilla dug in as soon as she sat down.
I shook my head. “I’m not interested.”
“Fucking liar,” Mia teased, leaning her body into mine. She was right, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“Come on,” Mia stood up and reached out to take my hand. “Let’s drink too many wine slushies and find a spot before the fireworks start.”