The Falling Kind

by Kennedy, Randileigh

  When I pulled into Sam’s apartment lot, she ran outside before I even had time to get out of the car. She was wearing a white cotton swimsuit cover dress over her bright pink bikini. Her hair was perfectly smooth as it framed her face and her lips were a light pink. She looked adorable, and the ginormous smile spread across her mouth certainly helped.

  “I am so excited for this,” she gushed as she climbed into my small silver SUV. “You have to catch me up on everything before we get there. What’s going on with you and Cole? You’re beaming right now, plus you haven’t been texting me, so I’m guessing you’ve spent some more time with him?”

  I filled her in on everything that had happened between us, and she was genuinely happy for me. She squealed excitedly as she realized this was officially our first time double dating.

  “For that to have happened before, I would’ve had to go out with Brandt when you were dating Ian,” she commented with a scrunched up face. “Can you imagine that?”

  Brandt was such a nice, sweet guy, but he and Sam never would’ve worked together. He was far from her type.

  “So wait, you said you saw Luke at the bonfire, right? Any info for me? How did he seem? Was he talking to other girls?” Sam questioned.

  I tried thinking back to my time with him, even though honestly that wasn’t one of the events my mind was fixated on. “He was really polite,” I started, trying to think of kind things to say. “He seems like a decent guy. I’m still not sure about the direction of their music,” I smirked. “You’ll have to get more out of him on that. But I didn’t see him hitting on anyone else or anything. I would hope he’s not dumb enough to do that in front of your best friend, but I guess you never know.”

  We followed the signs to the parking lot for the boat docks and I saw Cole’s truck was already there. He was dressed in bright green swim shorts and a thin white t-shirt, and he was wearing a baseball hat which I’d never seen him in before. He looked sexy as hell in it; more laid back than he usually did. Luke was wearing red shorts and a grey tank top similar to the one he wore at the bar the other night. They were standing outside of the truck, waiting on us.

  As soon as we parked and exited my car, Cole scooped me up and kissed me like it had been days since we’d last seen each other, even though it had been less than two hours. I loved everything about the butterflies in my stomach as he held me. He kissed my lips one more time and then set me down.

  “I feel like I need to up the dramatics on my hello,” Luke said towards Sam, gesturing towards Cole and I. We all laughed at his remark.

  “The boat’s already in and loaded, let’s head out,” Cole said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Sam and I both grabbed our beach bags and the guys helped us on to a decent-sized pontoon boat. It was definitely too big for just the four of us, but I didn’t care. I was looking forward to our afternoon in the sun together. Sam’s grin suggested she was also excited for this escapade.

  Cole skillfully drove the boat out and away from the docks, and I imagined he had a lot of experience in doing so.

  “Is this boat yours?” Sam asked Cole as Luke slid closer to her on one of the bench seats. “This is awesome.”

  “It belongs to a friend of mine,” Cole explained, driving us out to the middle of the lake. “He keeps it on Harvey’s lot, where I stay, so he lets me use it whenever I want. It’s pretty easy to hook up to the truck, so me and the guys try to head out here maybe once a month or so.”

  “I love this, I would love to have a boat,” I chimed in, staring out at the water. It was so perfectly blue it was mesmerizing.

  “My girl wants a boat now?” he said sarcastically, keeping his eyes out towards the water. “I’m gonna need to pick up some extra shifts at the bike shop to make that happen,” he teased. “Maybe we can just borrow this one for awhile to see if it really suits us.” He cut the engine and the boat slowed and wobbled in the water.

  “That works for me too,” I replied, walking up behind and wrapping my arms around his waist.

  “Do you guys want to go for a swim?” Cole asked.

  Sam and I nodded our heads at the same time, and Luke also agreed. Sam and I slid our bags over and took off our swim cover-ups. My bikini was red with white polka dots and I was thankful for all the laying out Sam and I did so that I already had a great tan going.

  Luke opened a cooler, digging through it for a drink. I motioned towards Sam with my head and I swear, like so many times before, she could read my mind. She reached out and grabbed my hand and we ran down the length of the boat, doing cannonballs together into the cold water.

  As we surfaced, the guys were leaning over the boat, staring at us.

  “You girls are crazy,” Luke said with a smile, shaking his head. He turned towards the center of the boat and peeled off his grey tank top. “I’m gonna love this girl,” he said towards Cole. Sam blushed as she overheard the comment.

  “We can’t let them show us up,” Cole stated matter-of-factly. “You ready?” Both of them turned and ran off the end of the boat just as we had, leaping right over us. Their giant splashes covered us with water. Cole quickly swam up to me and wiped the water off my face. He kissed me tenderly.

  “Are you guys going to be sucking face all day?” Sam said, splashing us with water.

  I smiled, unable to keep the happiness from radiating through me.

  “Let’s grab a drink,” Luke suggested, motioning back up on the boat. He helped Sam up the small ladder attached to the back of the boat and they started talking. I couldn’t make out their conversation though. Cole and I swam through the water, and it felt perfectly refreshing on such a hot July day.

  “So what do you think? I know you don’t know Sam at all, but is this a good match up?” I asked Cole as we floated in the water. “You at least know a little bit about Luke.”

  “He’s a West Cove guy. I’m sure he’s more than happy to be here with a girl like that right now,” Cole said earnestly. “I’ve known Tyler forever, he’s a decent guy. But I didn’t know Luke until they formed the band. That was maybe six months ago?” he estimated. “From what I can tell he seems okay, but he knows some pretty shady people.”

  “Well for you to know them, then you must know those same shady people, right? To know that they’re shady in the first place?” I mused.

  “Good point,” he snickered. “But I know not to trust them. He seems to be quite friendly with them, so that’s the difference. All I know is that they have some business with Harvey, which usually isn’t a good thing. Luke doesn’t seem to be involved, but the fact that his close friends are, that’s not a great sign. But I guess he’s worth a chance if she ends up really liking him.”

  “If doing business with Harvey is so bad, then why are you involved?” I asked, trying to figure it all out. It seemed like quite the contradiction.

  “It all depends on what side of Harvey’s business you’re on,” he vaguely explained. “Technically I work with Harvey. They work for him. That’s where the difference comes into play.”

  “I feel like I never understand what you’re actually saying,” I sighed, feeling like I never got anywhere when we talked about his work.

  “Maybe it’s because you’re love-struck,” he teased, changing the subject. “You don’t understand it because you’re too mesmerized by me to stay focused on the details. I swear I’ve given you so many clear, uncomplicated details…” He wrapped an arm around my waist under the water, using his other arm to grab the side of the boat to steady us.

  “Every time we talk about it, you give me no details, and then you get all sweet and handsy with me and I forget about it,” I replied, touching his face. “Just promise me it’s nothing that will get you in any trouble.” I guess at the end of the day I didn’t care what he really did. But when he hinted that Harvey’s business wasn’t totally legal, I couldn’t help but worry about him a bit. And the violence – that wasn’t my thing at all.

  “You’re going to get me in far more tro
uble than anything else could,” he said seductively, kissing me up against the boat.

  We continued swimming for a bit and I couldn’t help but notice that Sam and Luke seemed to be getting along well on the boat. They were sitting closely together, presumably talking, and I could hear Sam’s infectious laugh intermittently which led me to believe she was enjoying herself.

  Cole and I eventually climbed back on board and joined them. We listened to some music and took in the balmy sunshine. It was such a relaxing afternoon without a care in the world. Cole got a phone call around five-thirty and he didn’t talk much, but someone on the other end must’ve given him some frustrating news. His face changed as he listened in. He looked irritated by something, and I hoped it wouldn’t change his mood for the rest of the day.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked with concern as soon as he hung up the phone.

  “Everything will be fine,” he said with a reassuring tone. The look on his face made me think he was trying to convince himself of that more so than me. “Are you guys hungry? I know a good spot we can drive the boat to for some grub.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Sam said happily. “Hey Syd, will you go back to Local Joe’s with me next week? Luke has another show on Wednesday.”

  I looked over at Cole who was directing the boat towards the shoreline across from where we were at. I knew I didn’t need his permission to go, but I respected the fact that he would probably want to join us.

  “What are you looking at me for?” he asked with a laugh, picking up on my expression. “You don’t need to ask me, you can go with your best friend wherever want. I’m never gonna be the guy who tells you otherwise.”

  “I thought you told me I shouldn’t go back?” I questioned.

  “Not alone,” he answered with a smirk. “So you can either ask me to join you guys, which I would politely accept, or leave me out of it - in which case I’ll be standing in a dark corner. Either way, I’m good with whatever you want to do. Relationships are all about compromise, right?” I laughed as he shrugged his shoulders.

  “So either way you’re going,” I clarified, studying his face.

  “Cole is right on that,” Luke interjected. “You girls shouldn’t ever be alone there. I mean yeah, I’m technically there, but I can’t keep track of you while I’m on stage. It’s not a good place. Last year Cole, what, four separate girls went missing from there? That was the last place they were ever seen.”

  “Seriously?” I replied, caught off guard by the fact it was that bad. “Why don’t you just explain it that way, Cole? That’s enough to make me beg you to go with us.”

  “I don’t want to sound like a crazy overprotective guy,” Cole replied. “I know you’re getting that impression from me, and I genuinely don’t mean to do it. I’m not possessive or jealous or whatever, you always have a choice whether or not you want to be with me. But if your choice is to be with me, you’re crazy if you think I’ll let you hang out in West Cove without me being around. A lot of crazy stuff happens around there, and it doesn’t all get reported on the news.”

  Cole guided the boat up along a set of docks outside a cute little beach restaurant. There were string lights hung up all around and we could smell hamburgers cooking as soon as we headed off the boat.

  “How cute is this place?” Sam asked excitedly. Luke grabbed her hand as we walked towards the restaurant and I knew she was smitten.

  We were seated at a table overlooking the water and we had fun conversation throughout the meal. We learned a little more about Luke. He worked part time at a restaurant but spent most of his time sending demos out to record labels. He genuinely loved music and wanted so badly to make it big. He knew Soul Punch wasn’t going to get him there, but it at least made him a little money on the side and he was able to work on his music. Sam got along so well with Cole which made me happy. He was so charismatic and funny, and I loved that side of him. Yeah, he seemed a little too protective at times, but when I really gave it some thought – how he grew up, where he came from – it at least seemed justified to me.

  After dinner we made our way back to the boat and headed back across the lake to the docks where Cole’s truck was parked. We laughed and listened to loud music, Sam and I dancing together when one of our favorite songs came on. It was such a perfect summer day, and I loved every minute of it. Sam and Luke talked about heading out for a drink when we got back and they asked if we wanted to join them. We happily agreed.

  Cole maneuvered the boat up to the dock and helped us get off. “Why don’t you guys head back to your place and get cleaned up? Luke can help me load the boat back up and we’ll drop it off at the warehouse. We’ll come pick you guys up in around thirty minutes or so?”

  Sam and I nodded. It would be nice to change out of our swimsuits and cover-ups for something more nighttime-date worthy. Cole leaned in and kissed me sweetly while Sam and Luke rolled their eyes at us. We parted ways and Sam and I headed back to my place.

  “So, how was it with Luke? Give me details,” I interrogated her now that we were alone. I could tell by the huge grin on her face that it went well.

  “He’s totally not my type,” she gushed, “but I don’t care. He’s so handsome. And his voice is all deep and raspy like a musician… I mean he is one, even though he doesn’t sing in Soul Punch. I know it’s so dumb to be falling for a band guy with no ambition. But I only have until next month anyway before I head to Oregon. So this is exactly what I need.”

  “And then you’ll just move away and that’s that, even if you fall for him?” I asked curiously. Sam seemed realistic enough to realize this was just a summer fling before she moved away, but she also cared deeply for people. I wondered if she would be able to handle the end of it as easily as she thought she could.

  “I don’t know, maybe we can be long distance pen pals,” she teased. “I know, it probably seems like a waste of my time. But think about it, how much time can we spend together between now and then? I’m at the clinic several full days a week, plus my summer school classes… So we’re talking like ten dates probably. It’s not like I’ll fall in love with him. We can just have fun and whatever.”

  Yeah, like it was ever that easy.

  “What about you and Cole? I thought he wasn’t your type? And then I see you guys together and you’re inseparable, like you’ve known each other a lot longer,” she stated, shifting the focus onto me.

  “I know, I don’t know what it is,” I said honestly. “You know I don’t rush into things. Ian asked me out for what, like a month before we even went on our first date? I tried brushing Cole off originally, you know that. But it’s weird, I just can’t get him out of my head. I can’t stop thinking about him when we’re not together. He just has this presence.”

  “I knew it, you’re falling,” she said candidly.

  “Not after a week, come on. That’s too quick,” I replied.

  “Sometimes it happens like that,” she shrugged. “I see the way he looks at you. It’s so intense. It’s different.”

  “What do you mean by different?” I asked, interested in her opinion.

  “Ian adored you, that was so obvious. When he looked at you, you could tell he was smitten. He was in awe of you, and he cared deeply for you. You could tell by his eyes. But Cole looks at you in a different way. I don’t know, he just has this fierceness in his eyes like he would do anything in the world for you. It’s like he’s afraid you’re just passing through, like you’re just a dream or something, and he looks like he so desperately wants to hold onto you no matter the circumstances.”

  Her words made so much sense in a way, which surprised me since she didn’t know the things I knew about him. She didn’t know about his past or his family. The crazy thing was, I had no intentions of falling in love at all, and certainly not with a guy like Cole. But the way he looked at me sometimes – Sam was right, there was so much in his eyes. He had this protective, passionate way of just consuming me with his stare. I knew it would
be harder and harder to resist as time passed.

  We made it back to my apartment and quickly got cleaned up. Since Sam had on her swim suit originally when we met up, she borrowed some of my clothes for the night out. We each put on a light summer dress and casual sandals and we fixed our makeup. A few minutes after we were ready, there was a knock on my door. I knew it was Luke knocking, because Cole’s knock was always so much more gentle. It seemed like a strange thing to notice, but I did.

  Sam opened the door and sure enough, there was Luke, with Cole right behind him. They escorted us out to Cole’s truck and we climbed in.

  “Some friends of mine are playing at Smokey’s,” Luke announced, suggesting we head there. “Does that sound okay?”

  “Can’t we take them to a Ridge bar? Somewhere nicer?” Cole recommended.

  “It’ll be a killer show,” Luke said persuasively. “I think you guys would like it.”

  “Sounds fun,” Sam said excitedly, obviously willing to go wherever he wanted. Cole looked over at me and I shrugged, suggesting I was up for anything.

  “Fine,” Cole said, pulling the truck out from in front of my condo. He did a U-turn and headed west. I assumed from the way we were driving, this was going to be another West Cove dive bar special.

  We pulled into the lot of a bar called Smokey’s and it looked awfully similar to Local Joe’s. It was definitely run down and in desperate need of some work. The parking lot was busy and we could hear the music inside from the parking lot.

  We all headed indoors and I wasn’t surprised to find that it was smoky and pretty tiny. The place was mostly full of young guys, very much into the rock music playing from a small stage, but there were a few girls in there as well. A few of them looked vaguely familiar – I assumed I recognized them from the bonfire last night, but they didn’t look any more friendly tonight.