by Parker, Ava
I nod my head. “Great idea. You want something raw and organic I assume?” I ask.
He chuckles. “I’d prefer something that’s still actually moving, like maybe a living pig or something.” His eyes widen at the thought.
“That is so nasty. Don’t you care about anything you put into your body?” I ask, and even I realize how obnoxious I sound.
“Don’t you think you need to start caring a little less in general? Especially about what I eat?” he asks.
I concede. “You might have a point… for once, you might actually have a point,” I say.
He laughs. “For once… keep dreaming, Kenz.”
We drive around for a while looking for the right place to eat.
“Hey look, isn’t that the scumbag at the beach that I almost ripped in half?” Cage asks.
I look through the windshield and across the street and see Chase with a bunch of his friends, and his arm around some girl.
Better her than me.
I look over at Cage who looks really pissed off.
“Jesus, Cage. Take it easy,” I say.
“Why don’t you pull over for a sec so I can finish what I started when that asshole was crawling all over you?”
I feel so weird inside. I’m way too flattered that he cares this much about pummeling Chase on my behalf, but I’m also terrified that he’s going to make a huge scene. I can’t do anymore huge scenes right now.
“C’mon, pull over Kenz. I’ll be quick, I promise.” Cage looks like he’s literally about to jump out of the car window.
“No way Cage, he’s not worth it,” I say, looking over Cage to gauge how close he is to exploding.
“He’s not worth it? Or you don’t believe enough in yourself to think you’re worth it?” he asks.
“Forget about it Cage, we’re done here,” I say, putting my foot on the gas. The sound of the engine causes Chase and his gang of losers to turn and face us. He recognizes me, and us, immediately.
And he doesn’t look too happy, which is satisfying enough for me even if it doesn’t fulfill Cage’s need to decimate his body with his bare hands. As we continue to pass them on the main street, I look one more time in my rearview mirror. Chase is still staring at my car, looking more pissed off than I’ve ever seen him.
Cage shakes his head and wipes the sweat off his temple.
“You ready to eat or what?” I ask.
“Definitely,” he pauses. “But I’ve kind of lost my appetite for eating around here.” He makes a fist and cracks his knuckles. “Plus I’d really like to avoid spending the night in jail tonight if possible.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I say. “Not that I’ve ever spent the night in jail.” I jab him in the shoulder. “But I’m sure you could tell me all about it.” Cage’s lips form a smile again. I make a huge sigh of relief as I focus my eyes back on the road.
* * *
We end up deciding to get Thai food delivered to the house so we can eat out on the patio. Half of me is totally thrilled, and the other half is completely terrified. I have no idea what I’m getting myself into.
None.
Just because I like being around him, it doesn’t mean I should be having all of these ridiculous feelings. And just because he’s choosing to be around me, that doesn’t mean a single thing either.
Not a single thing.
I take a deep breath and decide, for once in my goddamn life, to give myself a small break from all of this overanalyzing.
Cage is in his apartment ordering the food and getting ready. I take my second shower of the day, and throw on a fresh pair of panties and a clean top. I grab the same jeans that I had on earlier and head out to the patio.
And there he is waiting. He’s wearing a soft, white button down shirt and a pair of jeans that show off the muscles in his thighs. I look at the table and see that he’s lit a couple of candles, and he’s playing some classical music through his iphone.
His eyes are focused out on the ocean as the wind from the sea blows through his hair. This is almost too much for me to take, but I guess I have no choice.
“I never knew you were a classical fan,” I say.
“Well, it all depends on the mood Kenz. With the ocean in front of us and the sun going down, it seemed like the right fit.” He turns his eyes to meet mine, and I want nothing more than to melt in his arms.
Luckily that’s really not an option at this point, which I’m plenty happy about.
Or so I tell myself.
“Have a seat, Kenz.” He gestures with his hand towards the table. Just as I’m about to sit, my phone vibrates.
Crap, my father.
My heart speeds up as I ignore the call.
“Everything alright?” he asks, smiling gently at me.
“Oh, yeah, more than alright.” I look out at the spread on the table, hoping to hide the stress on my face from Cage. “The food smells delicious,” I say. “You wanna eat?”
“You ain’t kidding.” He moves the containers of food closer to me. “Ladies first,” he says.
“Jeez, who brought the super gentleman to the…” My phone goes off again.
Please, no.
It’s him again. Ugh.
This time I turn off my phone and toss it onto a nearby couch. My father’s ruined a lot of things in my life, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let him ruin this.
Whatever this is.
And somehow turning my phone off brings me back into Cage’s world, which as terrifying as it is, is much better than Colonel Miller’s world.
Cage has a smile a mile wide as he eats his food and reaches for his beer. “Aren’t you so glad we didn’t go freaketerian tonight?” he asks.
I roll my eyes at him and my foot accidentally brushes against his. “That’s the thing Cage, I’m not as rigid as you when it comes to food,” I pause, nodding my head in favor of myself. “Or everything else for that matter.”
“Oh please, McKenzie Miller is less rigid than me?” He picks up his beer. “I won’t drink to that, but I will drink.” He takes another sip from his beer, and I follow suit with my own.
“Admit it, Cage, you’re really not as cool as you like to think you are.”
Cage raises his beer to mine. “Cheers Kenz, I love it when you fight back.” He grabs another bite from his plate. “Even if you have no chance of winning,” he says, giving me one of his cocky winks.
The food, the alcohol, the ocean, and him. I’ve never felt this good in my entire life. At least not since I can remember, which is long after my mom…
I catch him looking me up and down from my chest to my stomach. I fidget in my seat, nervous as hell. I know the look, but I’ve never seen it from him, and he’s just inches away.
He grabs his beer and looks away for a moment. “You know you were pretty sexy when you got all pissed off earlier.”
Sexy? Okay, this has to be flirting. And I find myself wanting more of it. At least my denial is wearing thinner.
“Excuse you?” I can’t hide my smile so I reach for my napkin as a distraction.
“But man, what a classic when your car wouldn’t start.” His entire body starts shaking from laughing so hard.
I pick up a baby carrot from my plate and throw it at him. I shake my head and grin. “I’m glad me and my shitty car could make you so happy.”
His face looks dead serious now. “Oh, you have no idea, Kenz.”
Wait, what?
I look out at the ocean. I really don’t know if I can handle this. I never had a boy like Cage take any interest in me. I realize I shouldn’t be complaining, for a few good reasons. But none of this is making any sense to me right now.
He switches his playlist to a Bruno Mars song. “Come here,” he says as he holds out his hand for me and gets up from his chair before I can even respond.
“Do I have a choice?” I ask. My body feels like it’s about to overheat.
He rolls his eyes, still holding his hand out for me as h
e waits.
I place my hand in his. Just that alone is enough to make me explode. He helps me to my feet and leads me to an open space off to the side of the table, not letting go of my hand.
And for some reason, I feel something I’ve never felt with another man before. I feel safe.
He puts one of his hands on my back and the other on my hip. I have no choice but to grab onto his sides, lightly, as we start to dance. My fingers burn from the feel of his lean, hard body. I lift my head up to meet his eyes.
He’s smiling and showing off his beautiful white teeth for me. “We’ve come a long way in the last few days.”
“It’s just a dance,” I say. But the heat pouring out of my body makes it way too obvious that this is more than just a dance to me.
“Just a dance?” he asks, pulling my body into his just slightly closer. Not so much to make me uncomfortable, but just enough to make we want him about ten times more than I did a second ago.
There, I can finally say it to myself.
I want Cage West.
Bad.
He leans in closer and his voice deepens. “Why don’t we make it more than just a dance then?” His eyes begin to close as he brings his lips in close, just millimeters away from mine.
Before I have a clue what’s happening, Cage’s body tenses up as he pulls himself away from me.
I turn my head and start to follow the path of Cage’s gaze as I hear just about the worst voice I could hear right now come from behind.
“McKenzie? What’s going on here?”
I look and see… my father. He’s wearing a blue short sleeve button down shirt with his trusty American flag pin. His leathery, tethered hands are full with a suitcase in one hand and his phone in the other.
Please kill me now.
My voice is beyond shaky. “Hi dad, I… I thought.”
I flinch as my father drops his suitcase on the walkway. His eyes glance over at Cage, then back at me. “Were you ignoring my calls?”
I quickly look over at Cage who looks nothing like his usual self. Then I direct my eyes back to my father. “No dad, I wasn’t, I...” My heart is pounding from the fear, not that this feeling is anything new to me when I’m around him.
Cage takes a step towards my father. “It was my fault, sir. I kept distracting her.” He reaches out his hand to greet my father’s. “I’m Cage, Cage West. I’m renting out your apartment for the summer.”
My father pauses for what seems like forever, then reluctantly returns his hand to meet Cage’s. Their handshake is intense, sending forearm muscles bulging in both of their arms.
My father ignores Cage completely and looks back towards me, then pauses to scan our property with his eyes. “I came back early,” he pauses and looks up at our roof, “I received a text from Chief Madigan down at the station.” Now my father’s eyes focus in on me in a way that only his can. “He said there was some trouble here the other night.”
I hang my head in total shame. How could one of the best moments in my life somehow spill over into a complete nightmare right now? “I’m sorry dad, I can explain. I was just having a few friends over and then…”
My father’s face turns an angry red as he interrupts me. “And then what, McKenzie?” He holds his hands out, waiting for my reply. But I’m frozen, totally and completely frozen. “Answer me McKenzie Miller!” he shouts.
I see Cage’s helpless eyes watch me as I lower my head down.
“Mr. Miller, please, I can explain. It was my fault. In fact, your daughter did everything she could do to stop me.”
My father refuses to look at Cage. I look over at Cage’s face as he cracks his neck to the side and throws his hair back with his hand. He has the same look in his eyes that he had when we drove past Chase in my car.
This is going about as well as I would have expected something like this to go.
Cage scratches his forehead and has a look of total frustration and disbelief. “Well then, I’ll leave you two alone,” he says, looking at me first and then my father.
He grabs his iphone off the table and shuts off the music. He chuckles to himself and shakes his head as he walks off, almost brushing shoulders with my father as he passes him in the narrow walkway. I can hear the rumble of the engine as he starts his car, and then he’s off.
And I’m still here.
My father bites down on his lower lip as he stares at me, something he always does when he’s angry with me. He takes one more glance around the property before he picks up his suitcase.
“You, McKenzie,” he pauses as if he’s too furious to finish, “are an embarrassment to our family.”
His words crush me. They always do.
“I’m sorry dad, I really…”
He puts up his hand to stop me. “Don’t disrespect me with your excuses.”
“Dad, I’m not trying to…”
His voice gets louder. “McKenzie, I don’t want to hear it.” He shakes his head briefly as if he can’t stomach the idea that I’m his biological daughter. “I will handle this in the morning.”
My throat feels like it’s closing in on me as he walks into our house. I close my eyes for a second, praying this is all just a horrible dream.
* * *
It’s almost 2 o’clock in the morning. There’s no way I’m ever gonna fall asleep. I never got Cage’s phone number. I can’t text him, I can’t call him, I can’t do anything with him.
Except obsess.
Sounds like a plan. Maybe I’ll just lay in my bed for the rest of the night, obsessing about what went wrong. Or about what could have gone so right… if my father never came home.
I want so badly to sneak out of my house right now to try to find him. But who am I kidding? My father will pretty much kill me if he catches me doing that, and I’m not even sure Cage would want to see me after everything that happened tonight.
As crazy as I feel inside, I really don’t have any options. The best I can do right now is to try to get a little sleep.
* * *
I wake up the next morning and consider whether or not I even want to get out of bed at all. I want to talk to Cage so bad, just to tell him I’m sorry. Not that any of this is my fault, but still.
I walk downstairs, still in my pajama pants and t-shirt. My father is sitting at the kitchen table, his back turned to me. There’s a cup of coffee by his side and he’s got the newspaper in front of him.
I cautiously make my way towards the fridge to get some orange juice. I can see from my peripheral vision that he’s looking up from the paper, and at me.
“Good morning,” I say, pouring the juice into my glass.
“Morning McKenzie,” he says. He appears strangely happier than I would expect, which almost scares me more than when he’s just obviously enraged.
“You still jetlagged?” I ask, sipping from my juice.
He nods his head but doesn’t respond. He’s completely silent.
“Dad, I…”
He shakes his head from side to side as I start to talk. “Save your words McKenzie.” He takes a sip from his coffee as he pauses. “The tenant has to go.”
I almost drop my glass on the floor.
“What? Why?” I ask.
“How do I begin to count the reasons, McKenzie?”
“Dad, it wasn’t his fault. He’s actually a really…”
He chuckles sarcastically, cutting me off again. “You know nothing about his type, and I didn’t work so hard raising you to have you just throw it all away on, on…” He shakes his head, apparently at a loss for words for just how bad he thinks Cage West really is.
I slam my glass on the counter, the kind of thing I’ve only done once before with my father. “This is so ridiculous. You don’t know anything about him. He already paid us for the entire eight weeks.”
My father doesn’t respond to me slamming the glass, which almost makes me more uncomfortable. He slowly looks towards me before he opens his mouth to talk. “I want him out in an hou
r.” He gets up from his chair and walks towards me. He comes in close and hovers over me. “Are we clear?”
I can’t breathe. I can barely stand up. “Dad, I don’t think it’s fair to…”
“ARE WE CLEAR?” he shouts at me. I flinch and put my hands out in front of my face for protection. A single tear rolls down my cheek.
“Yes, dad. Yes, we’re clear.”
My father adjusts his shirt and relaxes his demeanor. “Good, glad to hear that. Come on, you’re coming with me to tell him.”
I shake my head, “Please dad, no.”
“You know the deal McKenzie. If I have to ask you again, I will not hesitate to…”
“Okay,” I say softly. “Okay, I’ll go.”
I stand up tall, wipe the tear from my face, and brace myself.
“Let’s go, I have a busy day. And I’ve wasted more than enough time on this as it is.”
We walk outside and make our way to Cage’s unit. My father is standing in front of me as he knocks on the door. I seriously might pass out, so I lean on the handrail just in case.
Cage’s door swings open and their eyes lock. Cage turns to me briefly, but I look away, unable to face him.
“I need to ask you to vacate our property. You have until 9:00 a.m. to gather your belongings and exit the apartment.”
“Seriously, why?” Cage asks, shaking his head.
My father reaches into his pocket and pulls out a personal check. “Here, this is to compensate you for your unused time here.”
Cage takes the check and stares at it for a moment, then raises his eyebrows. “This is for real? You’re kicking me out?” He looks at my father, then over at me for an answer. I lower my head slightly, my lips won’t move.
“Please, Mr. West. Let’s not make this complicated.” My father looks over his shoulder and into the unit. “I’ve asked you to leave by 9:00. I will expect full compliance with the law in this regard.” My father has stopped all eye contact with Cage at this point.
Cage shakes his head and stuffs the refund check in his pocket. He looks over at me. “Kenz?” He throws his hands out for an answer. “Is this really what you want?”