The Keys to Jericho

by Ren Alexander

  Blindly taking her hand back, I squeeze her fingers between mine, as we try to keep our kiss short, but every time we stop, we start again.

  Suddenly, someone from behind, clears their throat, and I immediately freeze.

  “What?” Kat asks.

  Whispering, “Fuck,” I slowly turn around to see Rio standing there with his arms crossed, but with no discernible expression on his face.

  Throwing my head back, feeling a weird cocktail of what I’ll call, relieved anxiety, I growl up to the sky, “Damn it, Duquesne.”

  His only reply is, “Wow, Jared Beckett.”

  CHAPTER 20

  I look past Rio, and then up and down the boardwalk. “What are you doing here? I told you we’d meet you back there.”

  He cordially smiles at Kat and says to me, “It’s been an hour, Jare.” Shit. I knew they’d come looking for us.

  Propping my hands on my hips, I suspiciously probe, “Where are the other two?”

  He nods back to the way we came. “Sitting on a bench at the pizza place.”

  Kat gathers her sunglasses and food. “I’m going to meet up with them.”

  I edgily sigh as I turn my hat around, yanking on the bill. Rio maddeningly stares at me, and when Kat disappears into the crowd, I snap, “I kissed her. So what?”

  Rio dubiously laughs. “That was not a casual kiss.”

  “How in the hell do you know if I wasn’t licking the ketchup from her mouth?”

  He shakes his head. “Why are you still trying to hide it?”

  “I’m not hiding anything. You were fucking spying on me.”

  His hands go into his pockets. “I wasn’t, but would you have rather had Dash or Lib find you and Kat doing that?”

  I grumble to the nearby lamppost, “Fuck, no.” Looking over at him, he contritely smiles, and I roll my eyes. “Don’t go making a bigger deal out of this than it is.”

  His know-it-all smirk appears. “And maybe you should. It could be beneficial to your psyche.”

  “There you go throwing the psychobabble shit at me.” I squeeze past him and several people, hoping to get some distance, but he catches up to me in seconds.

  “That’s not what I’m doing.”

  “Then what? Are you taking notes so you know what to tell Dash and your girlfriend?”

  He sighs as he keeps up. “I’m not going to tell them. I wouldn’t do that.”

  I regard him in mock horror. “Now Rio Duquesne is keeping a secret!”

  “It’s not mine, but I don’t think it should be yours, either.”

  “You think I should blab to everyone that I kissed her?”

  “Not blab, but don’t hide your relationship.”

  “No relationship, Duquesne. We’re just friends.”

  “Just friends don’t kiss like that, Jare.”

  I stop walking, but so does he, causing people to bump into us. “It was only a kiss.”

  “I could tell that was not your first kiss with her.”

  Stepping to the wall again, I sneer, “You don’t know shit.” That’s the truth.

  He leans his arm onto the wall. “Kat is good for you. You’re good for her. Why not be good together?”

  I impatiently pace next to him in a short space along the wall. “Fucking hell. You’re more annoying than Dash.”

  Rio laughs as he observes me. I know he’s wearing his invisible psych hat. “Jared, come on. It’s me. I know you more than you think you do.”

  I shoot him a glare. “You don’t.”

  “You’re fighting a battle in your head, but your heart is the real combat zone.”

  Halting my marching, I snap, “Jesus Christ, Duquesne. I think your working with pussy all day is turning you into one.” A man next to us frowns and I roll my eyes.

  “No. I’m not blind, but you seem to be. Kat affects you, and you have no idea what to do about it.”

  “I kissed her. I felt like doing it, so I do know.”

  He shakes his head. “What’s going to happen August 1st when you start moving into your apartment in Philadelphia? That’s less than a month away now.”

  “I do it? Not sure I needed a plan.”

  “You’ll be able to get settled in before you start work. This is your dream job, Jare. You’ll need the time to get ready for it. Much larger city than Baltimore. Your skills and concentration will be used more.”

  I shrug. “So? I won’t be building the fucking city by myself.”

  “It’ll be a whole new experience for you in Philly. You’ll meet new people. Make new friends. You’ll be dating in no time.”

  “Dating? I’ve never been into that shit.”

  “Why not? You’re starting a new life up there. You can look ahead. It’s a fresh start.”

  My scowl accumulates. “What the hell is with you?”

  Rio tilts his head. “I’m just pointing out that your life is about to change in a few weeks. What about Kat? Are you going to help her finish her driving hours before you go?”

  “Yeah. I promised her I would. I want to see it through, and for her to be able to drive to work.”

  He nods. “She starts working next month, doesn’t she?”

  “Yeah. What about it?”

  “She also has to take a driving course.”

  “I know.”

  “How is she going to get a license before you leave?”

  “It’ll all work out. She should get her probationary license right before school starts.”

  “Will you see her much after you leave Annapolis?”

  “On the weekends.” Shit. Like my sister and Finn.

  “You’ll come back to Annapolis just to visit her? Philly is farther than Baltimore. Why would you do that?”

  “I come back anyway to go fishing with Dash, since you’re always…busy.”

  “You think I’m always busy. You just don’t seem to bother with me anymore.”

  “Like I said, you have other things to do.”

  He shakes his head, and with the wind blowing, his hair is everywhere. “I’m here for you, Jare. I’ve never left. You have, though.”

  “Because you’re not allowed to do shit with me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  I turn my head, muttering, “Whatever.”

  “Yes, it’s true that I do spend a lot of my time with Lib, but I always am open to spending time with you, too. I’ve told you that.”

  “You’ll just bring her along, and I’ll have to pass.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  Looking back to him, I shout, “You did it for dinner!”

  “That was once! I do think you should get to know her better. You’re both important people in my life.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Right.”

  “What’s going to happen when you come back to visit Kat, but you find she has started dating more since she has her license?” What the fuck?

  I actually don’t know what to say to that, feeling enraged by the thought of Kat seeing other men when she said she wouldn’t. However, I did ask her not to see anyone else while I’m in town. She didn’t promise anything for when I leave.

  Fuck me.

  He asks, “Is her ex around? Does she talk to him?”

  “No. He’s gone.” Fuck. I think he is. I hate thinking about Kat being married before. It makes my skin crawl. I don’t know why it should when marriage is a sham anyway.

  Becoming more irritated, I ask, “Why in the hell are you bringing up this shit? Him?”

  “Because you and Kat are together now.”

  “We’re not together in that way. We talk.” I sigh and he stares at me, waiting for me to say more. I roll my eyes. “And I fucking kissed her. Lay off.” He nods, but not in agreement so much.

  “You don’t want her in your life?”

  “She is in my life.”

  “But not when you leave.”

  “I’m not moving to fucking Mars.”

  “You lived in Baltimore and that’s n
ot as far as Philly, but you didn’t keep in touch with her. Hell, you were often in the same city as her, but you still haven’t spoken over the years.”

  “Yeah, I fucking know that. I thought she moved.” I irritably heave a sigh, digging my hand into my hair, lifting my hat. “It’ll be different this time.”

  “Why don’t you make sure she stays in your life? Stake your claim before someone else does.”

  I sputter a laugh. “My claim? We’re not… I don’t…” I shake my head, hoping he doesn’t see that he’s rattling the truth. “Just stop, Rio.”

  “What, Jare? Stop making you think about what’s going to happen when Kat moves on without you?” I push off the wall, determined to ignore him, but I can’t. “You know that she’ll get married again, and this time, she’ll have another man’s kids.”

  Pushing past people, I say, “Shut the fuck up, Duquesne.”

  He’s relentless. “What? She’s supposed to have yours?”

  I growl, “I said shut up.”

  “So, you’re not even going to date her?”

  “I told you I don’t do that shit.”

  “What about having a long-distance relationship with her?” When I don’t answer he asks, “What’s preventing Kat from moving on then? She’s not yours. Even if you think she is, if you’re not willing to commit to her in some way, you’ll lose her. Kat told me how you met in high school, and how you lost each other, but I don’t know your side of it.”

  Stopping, I get in his face. “That’s right. You know nothing. Kat was free then to do whatever the fuck she wanted, just as she is now.” Fuck. No, she’s not. It’ll… It will demolish any heart I do have.

  “But you’re not free.”

  I glower at him. “Whatever the hell that means.”

  He self-righteously grins. “You don’t want any other woman, Jare.”

  Turning, I start walking again. “However, I am in the market for new friends.”

  “You won’t find any better friends than you have right now. I promise you that.”

  Reaching the bench where Dash and Liberty are sitting, I see Kat standing next to it, gazing out at the ocean with her arms wrapped around herself. Even behind her sunglasses, she looks deep in thought. I wish I knew what to say or do for her that’s within my abilities. I’m not smooth like Dash, or even damn Rio, and I’d most likely fuck up, since her expectations of me are so damn high.

  Dash and Liberty gawk at me. I doubt Kat told them what we were doing, but it still unnerves me the way they’re eyeballing my every move.

  I grouchily ask, “What’s with you, Calder?”

  “I should ask you that. You look guilty. Did you really set fire to something?”

  Liberty stands and goes up to Rio, pawing him. “Kat and I are going to sit on the beach, find her a man.”

  Dash says, “Come on, Kat. Didn’t we make a pact in college that if we didn’t find our soulmates, we’d marry each other? You might as well give in to fate now.” He grins and I look to the ocean to estimate how far I need to drag him to it. Too many witnesses, unfortunately.

  She softly laughs. “I’m sorry, Dash. I can’t marry a Pisces. They’re too complicated.”

  “Well, shit.” He glances at me and his grin widens, and I know whatever he says next will royally piss me off.

  Looking back to Kat, he nods to me. “You could always marry Jericho.”

  Son of a stripping bitch.

  Without looking in my direction, Kat half smiles and half frowns at Dash. “He’d have to exchange an eternal vow with me. He’s not into that.” Eternal. Right. Like she did?

  “Aww. He’s an Aries. You just have to kick his stubborn ass into gear.”

  I shove him. “How about I kick your stupid ass off a pier?”

  Liberty says, “You want a man who would do anything for you, Kat, even take a bullet for you. One that would be happy and willing to exchange vows with you.”

  I sneer, “AKA: taking a bullet.”

  The bitch shakes her head. “Obviously, you won’t find a man here.”

  Shooting up a surprised eyebrow, I dart my gaze to Rio. “Wow. Sorry, Duquesne.”

  Liberty huffs, “He’s not single.”

  I nod. “He’s tethered. Sorry, Libby.” I roll my eyes with a smile and an innocent shrug. “Forgot.”

  “Jare…”

  Dash says, “Oh! I made reservations for dinner at the all-you-can-eat buffet across the street. It’s very casual and an outdoor table, so no need to change out of T-shirts and shorts.”

  The wench says, “Let’s go, Kat.” She pulls on Kat’s arm. “You’re more than welcome to join us, Jerry. Maybe you can help weed out the wrong men, being one yourself.”

  Rio sighs. “Lib…”

  I clench my teeth and Dash says, “Jericho’s coming with us. I think he needs a breather.”

  Glancing at Kat, I wordlessly plead with her to not break her promise to me, but without raising her sunglasses, she turns away, heading for the beach.

  Dash claps his hands. “Let’s play some pool, gentlemen. There’s a bar down the boardwalk.”

  Rio laughs. “But you’re so bad at it, Douche.”

  Dash loudly whispers, “Right, but Jericho’s not really paying attention, so I think I might have a chance.” When I don’t look away from watching Kat, he adds, “See?”

  Rio asks, “You with us, Jare?”

  Looking to Rio, I nod before grabbing the back of Calder’s blue shirt, growling, “I thought I told you to stop marrying off Kat.”

  “Well, you’re not making any effort to marry her! If she doesn’t marry me, she’ll marry a complete stranger.”

  “Why in the fuck would I want her to marry you?”

  “Jesus, Jericho. I was only kidding, but it is a reality. Some indiscriminate asshole will snatch her up soon.”

  “Just keep your damn mouth shut, Dash.”

  He throws his hands up as I hold him like a trapped cicada. “Why does it matter to you who she marries if you don’t even believe in it, or aren’t even dating her?”

  “Because you’re fucking annoying.”

  Letting go of his shirt, Dash straightens it out as Rio frowns at me. I roll my eyes at him before glancing back to Kat, watching her talk to Rio’s bitch, and shaking her head. Is she talking about our so-called first kiss? Our having sex here? My having sex with her while she was drunk? The promise we made to each other?

  I’m quiet for the rest of the way to the bar as I contemplate the conversation she could be having. It’s probably best if I keep tabs on Rio’s mouth around Dash. I don’t think he’d tell Dash, but Dash knowing isn’t my problem. I’ve already said that I don’t care. Nevertheless, if Rio can’t keep his word to me, then that is my problem.

  At the bar, I soon find Dash is right. I’m not paying much attention, still thinking about Kat. Dash could be beating me with his pool cue and I probably wouldn’t notice.

  During my game against Rio, Dash stops to take a piss break, and to make a phone call. When we’re alone, Rio puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing me. “You okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Jare, talk to me. Please.” When I open my mouth to argue, he says, “And before you say there’s nothing wrong, there is, and after that, you’ll say you don’t need to talk to anyone. Well, you do. So, talk to me.”

  Holding onto my upright cue, suspicious, I ask, “Why?”

  “You’re my best friend. I always care what’s going on in your life. You know that, yet refuse to believe it, like a lot of things.”

  I scowl as I bend, priming to take my shot. Keeping my eye focused on the cue ball, I see her face in the reflection of the white ball, but at the same time, feel Rio’s judging stare. Snapping my shot, I send the cue ball and the blue-striped 10 rolling, banking them off the side, and knocking Rio’s solid red three into the corner pocket.

  I hang my head and mutter, “Damn it.”

  “You’re usually better than th
is,” he says with a smirk as I straighten, but his blue-eyed gaze says something else. When I take a swig of my beer, he asks, “Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind yet?”

  Actually considering his question, I set down my beer with a sigh and roll my eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, okay? Does that satisfy you?”

  He thoughtfully twirls his cue as he scrutinizes me. “Does it have to do with what happened earlier?”

  I shrug and glance at the floor. “I already told you that it wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Jare, I can tell it is.” He leans down and angles his cue, peering up at me. “Was that the first time you kissed her then?” I irritably roll my eyes and he smugly grins. “Didn’t think so.”

  “Just take your fucking shot.”

  He successfully sinks his orange five ball in the side and asks, “Do you have feelings for her?”

  Scoping my next shot, I warily say, “Yeah. We all do.”

  As I drag the cue ball across the green felt, he sighs. “You know that’s not what I’m asking you.” Looking up from the table, I stare at him, not wanting to hear what he’ll say next, yet I can’t look away or stop him. “Your feelings for her are none that you’ve ever had for a woman before, and it’s scaring you to fucking Hell and back.”

  Suddenly anxious, I grab the chalk cube and scoff, “You’re way off, Duquesne. Kat doesn’t scare me.”

  As I chalk the end of my cue stick, he says, “Well, Beckett, I don’t think I am that off the mark. I know she’s special to you because you’re different with her. In the past, you haven’t held women in high regard, and you always refer to them as something disrespectful, childish, or derogatory.”

  Focusing on my menial undertaking, I mutter, “You’re on crack.”

  “It’s true.”

  “What is?” Dash asks, leaning against the table.

  Setting down the cube and lightly tossing my cue stick upward and catching it, I say, “Rio thinks you need thrown into the ocean again. I wholeheartedly agree.”

  Since he knows I would always go for the throw, Dash frowns at Rio as he shoves his phone into his pocket. “I just texted Liberty and Kat to meet us at the restaurant.”