by Sand, A. J.
“Uh, then what was that?”
Dylan dropped her hand on his shoulder and continued to laugh. “Well, Kai, when two people really like each other, sometimes they express it—”
“You know what I mean,” he said, his brow creasing. “You’re really not quitting? Believe me, what just happened beats the hell out of a resignation letter, but please don’t quit.”
She shook her head and kissed him on the neck. “I like my job. Really like it right now. I’m not quitting. I promise. Do you want to pinkie swear?”
His face softened. Kai stood and kissed her on the top of her head. “Please don’t move,” he said after he went to dispose of the condom. She didn’t plan to move; this was the only place she wanted to be. And there was only peace, no guilt about anything momentarily, for better or worse. When Kai came back, Dylan laid her sweat-drenched chest against his. She slipped her hands under his shoulders, just needing to hold on to him and on to their moment. It was too much to think about what would happen next. His fingers strummed her spine, playing some silent melody. But Dylan knew its tune even if she would never hear the words, even if it didn’t have any words. Neither of them spoke, but when he kissed the top of her head, her chest tightened and she knew she would cry if she said a word. And there was so much to say, like telling him she was falling for him, but she couldn’t seem to utter the truth.
“Dyl?” Kai said. Suddenly, knocks pounded his door, preventing her from answering. “We’re still in here!” Kai shouted.
“We? We who?” Shit. It was Ashley.
“Answer,” Dylan demanded in a whisper, bonking him on the forehead. Kai laughed silently. Dylan hopped up and ran around the room, head spinning and legs wobbly, and collected her clothing.
“What’s up, Ash?”
“I need to talk to you about some pre-movie activities Lava has going on at the festival. There was a last minute change to the schedule for you.”
“Can you give me a minute?”
Ashley groaned. “Are you and Dylan filming? This will only take a minute.”
“No, I’m still in bed,” Kai said as he stretched and stood.
“Then where’s Dylan? I’ve been knocking on her door for, like, ten minutes.”
Dylan’s eyes bulged out of her head in dread. Was she supposed to meet Ashley for something? She ran through everything she had to do today as listed on the Post-It note stuck to the mirror as she pulled on her shorts and top. Maybe Nina had one of her additions or reminders. Or it was just Ashley playing detective.
“Gym? She likes running. Or maybe she’s filming around the city,” Kai said as he walked over to Dylan. He mouthed an apology but she shook her head. She hated that he was lying for her.
“You’re sure she’s not in there?”
“I think I would know that, Ash,” Kai said, rolling his eyes as he wrapped a towel around his waist. “I need to hop in the shower, so let’s meet downstairs on the bus, okay? You know, where there’s actually a place to meet.”
“I guess it can wait, but hurry up. I think we need to head out earlier than scheduled. Fort Lauderdale is four hours away, but there’s going to be traffic and it’s going to be a long day—”
“Ash! Shower!” Kai yelled, irritated. A groan of frustration penetrated the door before they finally heard her footsteps move down the hallway carpet. Kai backed Dylan to the wall right next to the door and kissed her twice softly.
“See you in a few,” she whispered, but her fingers were tangled in his hair, his lips still mere inches from hers.
Kai melted his smile into another kiss on her nose. “Yeah.” He lifted her, hugging her tightly before he kissed her neck. Her clothes came off again, and soon the two of them were on the carpet. Fifteen minutes later, she tried to leave again. Once Kai checked the hallway, he signaled for her to go. Dylan took a step toward the door but hesitated before crossing the threshold out, before crossing back into reality. Once she did, she didn’t look back when she dashed down to her room. Their now was officially over.
“Oh my God, Dylan, I’m so glad to see you!” Odette was hugging her so hard Dylan thought she would black out. She waved to Ribsy as he stood in the VIP line for the cordoned off section of the beach where Kai’s movie would be showing soon. The movie was open to all Wintervention ticketholders, but a VIP ticket got one a preferential spot on the sand in front of the screen and some freebies.
“I’m so glad you guys are here!” Dylan screamed. Odette threw her arms around her again. “I thought you were going to be in Miami with the group staying at Blake’s house?”
Odette was grinning devilishly as they walked to where Ribsy was. “Change of plans. Me and Ribs are going back to Perth a few days after New Year’s to see my family because…” Odette covered her mouth with her hand, and Dylan saw the gigantic diamond on her ring finger. “…We’re engaged!”
“Oh my God! Congrats!” Dylan grabbed her hand to stare at it. She had to squint when it caught the sunlight from the way it sparkled.
“And, no, I’m not pregnant.”
“I’m just stupid,” Ribsy teased as he hugged Dylan. Odette glared at him as a warning then pretended to sock him in the stomach. “Stupid in love with you, baby. And out of four months of pay.”
“This is so awesome. Congrats. Does that mean you’re moving out of Kai’s?” Dylan asked Ribsy. Odette nodded fiercely and pulled his arm around her waist before she kissed his cheek.
“He’s definitely getting out of that House of Whores.”
“She’s already making me regret this,” Ribsy said with faux irritation as he buried his face in his hand. “So where’s the movie star? Has he seen this? Pretty big crowd out here right now.”
It was. Lava had set up an attractive booth to lure people to the film screening. They were giving away a lot of free stuff to promote the new flavors, including commemorative beer mugs and shot glasses. Some of the other people who endorsed the company were making appearances, taking pictures and signing autographs. Kai had been out there earlier, and the two of them had been casting glances at one another the entire time as she filmed.
“He’s in one of the private tents, hanging out. I think he’s trying not to freak out before the movie starts. You guys should come by later. All the boys are over there,” Dylan explained. “Anyway, I gotta get back to work. I’ll see you two later.” She waved before plunging into the Wintervention crowd. It was crazy, to say the least. The festival took place directly on the beach. An estimated thirty thousand people usually attended Wintervention’s first weekend with another forty thousand expected to attend Wintervention Redux in Miami. There was so much to do and see along the seven-mile stretch of sand at Fort Lauderdale Beach, and even as dusk approached, the number of activities seemed to increase. Dylan walked by several Slip-N-Slides where intoxicated people were taking turns. There were all the performances on the smaller stages, the ones on the main stage, a few moon bounces, tons of alcohol, contests, games, celebrities, greasy food, and she was pretty sure she smelled weed. It was complete sensory overload. Already mild Fort Lauderdale was experiencing an even warmer December in the days before Christmas, even with the ocean breeze. A lot of people were walking around in their bathing suits, but Dylan had opted for a pink spaghetti strap cotton dress that hit about mid-thigh over hers, with flat sandals and a thin cardigan around her waist for any temperature drops.
While she walked, moving as far away from the noise as she could, she used FaceTime to reach Kate, and Winslow, who was visiting with Kate’s family, because she had promised to show them some of what was going on. Some of both their faces popped on the screen from Kate’s MacBook.
“Can you see the stage?” Dylan yelled over the noise as she positioned the phone to capture the scene behind her. “It’s crazy out here.” She grinned. “Kai killed his performance earlier! He got the whole crowd jumping. It was insane. Now we’re just waiting for the movie to start!”
“Wait…what is that smile?” Wins
low asked, bumping Kate out of frame.
“What?” Dylan tried to stop smiling but she couldn’t. She finally lowered the phone until she was able to get her mouth under control. Winslow was still ranting when she brought it back up.
“Oh my God! Oh my God! I know that look! You brought your va-jay-jay out of retirement! I knew you would!” Winslow said, screaming. “Knew it.”
Kate twisted the camera toward herself. “You mean like you just did with that word?” Kate, giggling, asked Winslow, who was now out of frame. “You are seriously turning into an old lady, Low. Seriously. It’s disturbing.” She leaned in to the screen. “Did you, though? You guys had sex? ‘Cause if you did, I’m emailing Perez right now.”
“No comment.” They both screamed into the camera, spouting loud gibberish at her. “I hate you both,” Dylan said, pretending to be mad. “You just lost your Wintervention privileges. I gotta go. Love you guys. Miss you.”
She was still shaking her head and laughing as she made her way to the VIP A-frame tents near the main stage. VIP attendees were treated to private, enclosed, canopy-styled tents set up all over the beach. They were huge and stacked with all kinds of food and drink goodies. They even came with a cabana boy. Kai, Leko, Wes, Abel, Heath and Xavier were in the middle of toasting and doing shots when she stepped in. The front cover of the tent had been pulled up for easy entrance.
“To another crazy ass Wintervention!” Wes yelled before they slammed their shot glasses together. “Let’s make it better than last year, boys!” They downed their shots, except Kai, who gave his to Wes. They all cheered when they saw her, and she went down the line, giving hugs, saving Leko for last.
“You probably don’t want to talk to me. I’m sorry, baby girl,” he whispered.
“I would’ve done the same thing. I would’ve told my friend,” she whispered back, squeezing him tighter. “I’m over it. I still love you.”
“So…when are you going to tell him?” Wes asked when she and Leko pulled apart. He made a face from the way the second shot had gone down then wiped his mouth on his arm.
“Tell who what?” she asked, frowning. She was preparing herself for a standard Wes comment.
Wes hooked his arm around her neck and whispered his words close to her ear. “Kai, about what happened between me and you in my hotel room.”
“Uh, you mean, beating me in Scrabble?” She laughed when Kai smacked him on the back of the head and glared at him ominously.
“Hey!” Wes said defensively. “I just thought you should know she’s terrible at it!”
“You ready? You’re not nervous, are you?” she asked Kai, who couldn’t stop smiling at her, which only made her smile more. It was hard to believe that they were just in bed together a few hours ago.
Kai turned to her and squeezed her waist on both sides, pulling her to him. “You’re here right now, baby so…I’m on top of the world. No worries.” The voices in the tent abruptly went silent, and as cute as Dylan thought the moment was, she blushed. All of his friends probably knew that they were sort of together, but they had never really done anything so public.
“Because…I call…everyone…baby,” Kai faltered as he pulled away from her. “Isn’t that right, Wes?” Kai reached for Wes’ stomach in jest and winked.
“I’ll pass,” Wes said, and they all laughed.
Dylan rested her elbow on Wes’ shoulder. “Weren’t you just concerned about whether he was sexy and smoldering last night?”
Kai made an appreciative face and gasped. “You care about my smolder? You never told me how you felt, Wes…”
“Fine…fine…” Wes stepped out of the tent. “Attention everyone, I, Wesley Abraham Elliott, am in love with Kai White,” he shouted to the passing mass of people, cupping his hands around his mouth. A group of people hooted, and a woman turned and hollered, “Woo, marriage equality!”
A guy shrouded in bodyguards walked over to the tent, and Dylan squealed when she recognized him. He smiled at her before he spoke to the guys. It was J.Kutch, the rapper.
“I guess there’s no intro needed on your end,” Kai said to him, laughing and looking slightly embarrassed. He swung his arm around Dylan, pulling her against him. “This is Dylan Carroll, and she films my web series.”
“Dylan.” J.Kutch furrowed his brow. “Oh, damn. I’ve been thinking this whole time you were a dude. You’re really good.”
“Thanks.” She laughed. “It’s the name; I get that a lot.”
“So, Kai, you’re still cool with hitting the stage with me later? Sorry we couldn’t get you on the tour, man. Would’ve been awesome.” J.Kutch turned to Dylan and whispered, “I rap about drinking and fucking, but my label thinks he’s bad for my image. Go figure.”
“Definitely, man,” Kai said, shaking his hand. After he agreed to being on camera for the web series and taking a picture with Dylan, J.Kutch disappeared into the crowd. A few minutes later, Ashley popped in and herded them all toward the movie screening.
“Ash, I gotta make a quick call, so I’ll catch up,” Kai said. Ashley gave him a disapproving look but she nodded. Dylan’s phone buzzed as she continued to walk, and there was a waiting text message.
Kai: Slow down ;)
Dylan slowed her pace to a stop, and within a few seconds, he was at her side. “Did you want to walk with me?” she asked, when they started walking again.
“I did.” He gripped her shoulder and pressed her thumb between her shoulder blades. They slipped into one of their comfortable silences as they walked, but people were constantly coming up to him for a picture or autograph or just to say hello. Kai’s hand always returned to her shoulders until it fell away a final time when they reached their destination. Dylan walked to their group’s designated area on the sand, and Kai continued up to the front of the screen. They hadn’t talked about things at all or where things were going. Every time she wanted to, that feeling, the one Winslow was always getting on her about, would surface; the feeling that she needed to stay focused only on becoming a filmmaker, and not dwelling on this whimsical idea of drifting deeper into her feelings for Kai. It was getting harder and harder not to, but she couldn’t escape the guilt of taking it for granted that Mac would never get to be a lawyer, that their parents would never get to see him go to his first day of law school.
“Excuse me, are you Dylan Carroll? I was told by Ms. Ashley Hart to look for a woman with a camera over here,” a man came up to her and said. He had to be in his early forties, and he was dressed far more conservatively than most of the people at the festival.
“I am,” she said cautiously as she shook his hand.
“I’m Dan Middleton, and I run a mid-size, but growing, production company for independent filmmakers, and we’re here checking out the films and directors. I’ve been following your web series, and I’m quite impressed with your work. Nina Sanchez, and a Professor Lizabeth Jordan, spoke very highly of you.”
Dylan’s heart hammered against her chest. “Thank you, thank you very much.” She felt herself slide into a stupid, doe-eyed stare at him. Dan plucked a business card out of his breast pocket and wrote something on the back.
“We’re looking to build up our documentary division, especially with up-and-comers, and especially young women who often don’t have access to the same financial backing as the guys do. It can be an Old Boys’ Club sometimes.” He handed her the card. “I want you to check out the website, read about our projects and let me know what you think. We’ve made our budget for the fiscal year, and we’re ready to hear ideas and give our filmmakers what they need. That’s my cell on the back, if you want to reach me directly with questions. Deadlines for proposals are due in March, and we approve in May. I highly suggest you think it over.” Dan flashed a parting smile and her head started spinning. Heck yeah, she was going to think it over! Dylan shot off a thank you email to Nina and Professor Jordan as Kai and Lava’s film team got on the microphones.
When the film ended, the crowd cheered, eve
n though Kai had endured some booing at the beginning. It was a documentary about Kai, a skateboarder named Nino Gregory, and a skier named Georgina Wicks, which covered their ambitions to excel in their particular industry. An American rock band called Dinner Bell had the next timeslot on the main stage, so the group migrated. Kai had to stay behind for a Q&A session with some fans and reporters and for promo pictures, and Dylan’s heart squeezed as she watched Odette and Ribsy hold hands and kiss each other every few steps. She walked over with Leko as the crowd went crazy once Dinner Bell hit the stage. Dylan danced with Odette, then Ribsy for a few songs before Leko became her permanent dance partner, but she cut him loose when he started eyeing a girl a few feet away from them.
By herself, Dylan swayed to the beat until a pair of hands slipped over her waist during one of Dinner Bell’s slower songs, and a body was soon pressed up against her. Dylan hated when guys she didn’t know simply decided that it was cool to dance with her without introducing themselves or showing her who they were, at least. She was peeling the arms from around her when a voice suddenly hit her ear.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna work, bro.” The arms quickly slid away and another set replaced them. A set she knew. Kai rocked slowly to the rhythm snuggled against her, and Dylan closed her eyes and sighed.
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s dark, we’re in a crowd full of drunk people, I changed and I’m wearing a hat. No one knows it’s me. Ashley’s off making calls where she can actually hear herself so she’s nowhere near here. We’re good,” Kai whispered before he pressed his lips to her neck, kissing down to her shoulder, as Dylan reached back and grabbed his hips. She could get used to this, she thought, as her body warmed. She didn’t know how much she believed that no one knew it was him, but it really didn’t seem to matter for some reason.
Dylan swung around to face him, and taking hold of one of her hands, he twirled her once. His baseball cap was incredibly low over his face. He smiled at her from beneath it. She let go of his hand and swayed alone to the music, rolling her hips seductively to the beat with a tiny smile on her lips as she slid the hem of her dress up a centimeter or two on her thighs. Kai’s head tilted up the length of her body, and he liked her little show so much he yanked her against him.