by M. R. Joseph
“Luca. What are you doing out here?”
She leans against the wall across from me beside the door, and steadies herself.
“I saw you on the dance floor with that guy, and you looked uncomfortable. I want to see if you were alright.” She bows her heads and raises it back up to look at me.
“I’m fine. He was harmless. I just needed to use the ladies room.” I push off the wall and inch my way closer to her. I know I’m invading her personal space, but the need to be closer to her overwhelms me.
“Good. I’m glad. If they give you girls any problems, I’ll have my bouncer Big Tony, kick them out, ok?”
She nods her head and again pushes her raven colored waves of her shoulder. I want to touch her skin. I do everything in my power not to, the urge is so strong, but I fight it.
“So do you have plans for tomorrow?”
She looks at me a little funny, then shakes her head no.
“Good. I’d really like to show you the rental. It’s fully furnished and move in ready. Can you come by around noon tomorrow?”
“I think that can be arranged. Thank you.” She smiles at me and her eyes begin to blur a little. Her stare is electric and I know I need to get back to work, but I could just stand here all night looking at her, talking to her, feel her presence next to me.
I step back a bit and say to her, “Noon tomorrow. and remember, any problems with those guys and you let me know.” I start to walk away but I forgot to say something to her.
“Oh, and Leighton, If I didn’t say it when you first came in, I apologize, but you look very pretty tonight.” She doesn’t say a word, she just continues to lean against the wall and watches me. I turn and walk away and my heart begins to accelerate at the image of her looking at me as I do so. I don’t want to walk away. I want to get to know her better. I want to know her likes, her dislikes, what’s her favorite food, her favorite movie, does she like books, or poetry like I do? I need to know these things and I cannot wait till tomorrow. We won’t be surrounded by hundreds of people and It won’t be in this restaurant that’s for sure.
A little while later I see the same guys hanging around the girls at the bar. I keep my eye on them. Grace gets off the stool and James comes around to give her a hug. They are nose to nose and see a big smile on his face. He says something to her and she motions to the guys behind her. He doesn’t look pleased and I wonder what’s up. He gives her a chaste kiss and the girls head for the door with the caravan of douche bags behind them. A few high five each other and I’m not liking this one bit. I make my way towards them and tap Leighton on the shoulder before she exits.
“You leaving without saying goodbye?” Why the hell did I just say that. I’m a stalker. A real life, TMZ reporter type stalker.
“I’m so sorry Luca, yes. The guys asked us if we wanted to go back to their hotel for some drinks. Their pool has a bar and a lounge. I’ll be at the rental at noon, I won’t forget. Good night, Luca.”
She turns to walk out the door.
Don’t let her walk away Luca. Think damn it, let her know how you feel. I don’t know the words to use, I don’t know how to let her know I’m interested. Think, now!
I grab her elbow slightly and she turns to look at me. Her friends turn to look at me as well. Their eyes back or forth between us. They sense there is something between us, I know it, but does Leighton?
“Leighton, wait. Please.” I clear my throat. I say the words I have come to know and love. I say the things that my letter girl would say to me. I use them and hope what I’m about to say affects Leighton as much as they have affected me. I take her hand and hold it in mine.
“Goodnight, goodnight. Parting is so sweetly painful, that I say goodnight until tomorrow.”
I kiss the top of her hand and as soon as my lips touch her skin, I feel a surge of electricity coarse through me. It hits like a bomb and then I’m rendered speechless. Did I just make a fool out of myself? Did I sound like an idiot? Does she know who I just quoted? Without hesitation she looks up at me. Her eyes are not as clear as they were when she first got here, due to the consumption of alcohol that I provided to her, but there is something behind the blur. Another example of familiarity, and I can’t put my finger on it. I let go of her hand and she whispers, “Shakespeare.” I nod my head yes once, and she turns and walks out the door.
He quoted Shakespeare. I wrote that in the last letter before we graduated. He remembered. How is that possible? I would swear he wouldn’t remember that. I told myself time and time again that he would forget. It was a silly thing I did. Maybe he had to take a course in Shakespeare in college. I walk out to the waiting cab almost in a daze. We climb in, MJ turns to me.
“Leighton, did I just hear Luca Ferro quote you Shakespeare, or is it the three shots of tequila?”
I swallow hard and try to focus on the seat in front of me.
“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he did.” McKenna said.
“Holy fucking shit!” Grace yells. “Luca Ferro kissed your hand, quoted you Shakespeare, and watched you all night in that bar like a hawk.” I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.
“Grace, he did not watch me all night.”
“The hell he didn’t, Leightybug. James even saw it. He said Luca is usually running around like a nut on busy nights like this, but he stayed pretty close to where we were and we both saw it with our own eyes.”
“Grace, there is no way he is interested in me. Besides, I have no intention on pursuing it if he is, which, he’s not. I can’t do that to myself. I’m not going to allow myself to get hurt again, and the chances of Luca Ferro doing that to me, are almost a hundred percent.”
“Leighton, you didn’t love Michael. It was an infatuation. He used you and as much as that hurts to hear, it’s the truth.”
“Yeah, fuck that prick, Leighton. Love em and leave em is my theory.” Candy yelled slurring her speech from the front seat.
“She is not puking on my floor tonight, I can assure you.” She thumbs a gesture towards Candy and I laugh at Grace and at the truth behind her words.
“Ok, girls, these guys seem harmless, but you know the drill. If we start to feel creepy about hanging with these guys, we have to come up with one of our safe words, then we all know and we can haul ass out of there. Got it?”
We all agree with McKenna, we pick a word and the cab pulls up to the hotel. We exit the cab and follow the guys to the outdoor pool area of the hotel. They get us drinks from the bar and we all sit around on loungers and talk. We discuss our job and where they went to school. They are not locals. They are here on a golf outing. The same guy who tried to grind e on the dance floor is invading my personal space and I hate it. I didn’t mind when Luca did it to me earlier tonight, but this guy is on my very last nerve. I can sense he is getting drunker by the minute and I stopped drinking a while ago. My head still hurts from earlier and I know I have to meet Luca tomorrow, so I don’t need a hangover. This guy is too close, and I’m about to yell out the safe word if he doesn’t knock it off. It’s either that, or I punch him in the balls.
“So, Leighton, what do you think about you and I going up to my suite for a private drink of sorts? Interested?” He starts to stroke my bare thigh, and I fly off the seat. When I do that I notice that half of the guys are getting naked and jumping in the pool. They start to splash around, and two of them seem uncomfortably close in the pool. I look at Grace and MJ and their eyes are wide open. McKenna is hooking up with some guy by the bar, and Candy is making out with some guy like crazy on one of the lounges. I turn my head to see the two guys nude in the pool pop little white pills in their mouths and then kiss. I don’t mind guys kissing each other, I’m surround by gay men all the time in my line of work, it’s the little white pill they popped into their mouths that makes a red flag go up. One of the other naked guys gets out of the pool and starts to stroke himself right in front of us. You can tell he is high as a kite, and I know that this is going to lead to
trouble. He slurs his words and says,
“Ladies, would you like to join us for a little fun in the pool. We can all make it worth your while.”
Grace stands up and yells, “Hilarious tupee!”
Yep, that’s our safe word. Something out of the ordinary, pulled right out of our asses, but it works. McKenna dashes over to us and sees the naked guy rubbing his cock, she sees the others making out in the pool, and she knows it’s time to leave. We yank Candy off the hottie she’s with and drag her out. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. No one complains but Candy.
“What the fuck was that? Did you see the guy I was with? He’s a trust fund baby and models for Hollister.” She shoves her way past us and begins to walk in front down the Coastal Highway. We all look at each other and begin to laugh in hysterics.
Candy is swaying back and forth down the street with the back of her skirt caught in the top of her underpants. Yep, she was walking down the street, with her thong cladded ass shown for all the world to see. Cars were honking at her and guys hooted and hollered. Candy gave each of them the finger as we continued to laugh so hard we couldn’t walk straight.
“We need to watch that one pretty close when we go to our reunion.”
“I agree, Grace. Someone needs to be her designated drinker.” I say while laughing. “Hey Candy, your ass is on display for all to see.”
“What the fuck do I care as long as my tits are covered.” She continues on swaying her hips with pride.
When we get back to Grace’s, I sleep in her room with her. Candy is passed out on the sofa, MJ went home to Ryan and her boys, and McKenna was in a sleeping bag on the floor next to us. She fell asleep not too soon after we got home.
“So, when you meet Luca tomorrow, and if he asks you out, what are you going to say?”
“Grace, I don’t know. Guys like Luca Ferro, don’t go for girls like me. I’m still the plain Jane on the inside. I’m boring. It’s the clothes and the new hair, that’s all. It’s all on the outside. Michael used to tell me how hot I looked all the time. Sometimes I feel like I wish I never let Kenzie make me over. I’m me, not some made up bimbo.”
“Exactly my point Leighton, you’re not. You are just as beautiful inside as you are on the outside. None of us were the beauties in high school. We just needed to find the beauty we had on the outside eventually. We already had it on the inside. Leighton, give this a chance with Luca if it turns out like that. I know he likes you. I can see it. I even saw the way he looked at you when you walked in there tonight. He couldn’t look away. At times he seemed speechless. Don’t close this off because of some prick who cheated on his wife with you. You deserve better. That poor pregnant girl does as well.”
“I’m scared Grace. I don’t know if I can open my heart. What if Luca and I do hook up, or start a relationship and I make the mistake of confusing love with lust again. I’ve done it before and look where it got me.”
“Leighton, he quoted you Shakespeare. Has anyone else ever did that for you?”
I want to nod my head yes. Luca did in a reply letter back to me. The last letter before we left school. I won’t forget it. I can never forget it.
Ok, Leighton, maybe it’s time to give into Luca Ferro after all.
My daily morning run on the beach with James does me good. I’m tense and my stomach is in knots. Leighton will be here in just a few short hours. I really want her to be impressed with the place. James and I are done our run and I need to crash on one of the dunes near 57th street, my lungs are burning but my head feels clear.
“Good run man, what’s on the agenda for the day?”
I need a bottle of water and a few aspirin. He wants to know my agenda. My agenda is all things Leighton.
“Leighton Parks is coming over to see the rental so I want to go get some flowers and new candles up on the boards before she comes. I have to be in at five tonight, but I took off the next two days.
“You took off the next two days? Seriously, the boss man took off?”
“Is that so hard to believe. I’m aloud to take off once in a while. I deserve it.”
“No one in the world deserves it more than you, Luca. What I’m trying to figure out is the flowers and the candles. Do you think she’ll rent it if it smells good? I think there’s more to this.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
James looks at me like I know exactly what it means, and I do. I want to impress her. I want her to live here. I want to get to know her better, and what better way to do that is having her live here. So he asks what my agenda is for the day, I know without a doubt, it’s a hidden one and James can see right through my bullshit.
“I like her, alright. Isn’t that what you’re getting at, asshole?” I feel shy about saying it, and I don’t know why.
“I’m not surprised and either is Grace.”
“Grace?” I question him. “What are you saying, dude?”
“Luc, all I’m saying is Grace and I noticed you watching her every move last night. We thought you’d spit fire when you saw that guy start rubbing up against her ass. When she came to grab her purse from the bar and go to the bathroom, we took bets as to how long it would take you to follow her.”
“You did not.” I buried my face in my hands and moaned. James nodded and laughed at my reaction.
“That obvious, huh?”
“Yep, that obvious. I say go for it. Apparently Grace said some douche bag dumped her a few weeks back. Turns out he was married and expecting a kid, and Leighton had no idea he was either of those. She worked with him and Grace said that’s why she left her job. Guess she couldn’t deal with seeing him every day.”
So that’s why she left her job. Now I know why those beautiful eyes look so sad. Some asshole broke her heart. That’s unfathomable to me. How could someone do that to her? Anger pulses through me and If I ever came face to face with the bastard, he’d wish he’d never been born. I get up from the dune and brush the sand off my shorts.
“Well, I’m going to do my damnedest to make her forget all about him. I’ll see you later.”
I jog away to my place. I shower quickly and head up to my favorite flower shop on the boardwalk. I buy a few bouquets of orchids. I found them in soft creams, blues, and pinks. I run to a small mom and pop store and buy some vanilla and coconut scented candles. I want the place to smell like the beach. I want to make it seem relaxed and homey.
I race home and set the orchids around the house in a few vases my mom had given me. I light the candles and wait for her arrival. I can’t sit still. I pace back and forth. My brow is beaded with sweat and I keep clenching my fists. I haven’t felt this way since the game where I wound up blowing out my elbow, the first time. As I pace in front of the big sliding glass door that looks out onto the front porch of the rental, I momentarily look up, I find Leighton standing there with a big grin on her face. I do a double take and shake my head. I smile up at her. I will myself to calm down. I could do this, I could talk to her, I just need to be cool about it. I step towards the door, trip on the leg of the coffee table and face plant right into the glass door. There goes the theory of playing it cool. I hear and feel my nose crack as my face comes in contact with the door, and I feel a warm trickle of liquid seep out of it. I hear Leighton gasp and I roll my body and prop it up on the other side of the door. Leighton opens the door and rushes over to me. She bends down so she is eye level with me and I’m no longer feeling the pain in my face. Her eyes have replaced it.
“Oh my God, Luca, your bleeding. Let me get a towel or something.” I hold my hand up to cup my nose as I watch Leighton search quickly through some of the kitchen drawers for a towel of some sort. She grabs one and automatically goes to the freezer for some ice. She hurries to my side and gently pulls my hands away from my nose. She places the towel full of ice on my nose and I wince. It fucking hurts like hell. Leighton holds the ice on it for me with one hand and places her other hand on my forehead. I instantly relax at the
touch of her delicate hand on my skin.
“Well, Mr. Ferro, it seems that in a twenty four hour time period, the roles have been reversed.” She shoots me a grin and I look up at her through my teared up eyes. I chuckle and she chuckles along with me. I put my hands on hers to take away the bag of ice and inspect my nose. When I do so, the heat coming from both our hands could melt the ice in that towel. I search her eyes and see a bit of the sadness I had seen yesterday, not there today. She breaks our stare and looks around the place. She’s standing up and now she places her hands on her narrow hips. She’s stepping away from where I was sitting on the floor. She makes her way around the living room and goes towards the kitchen. I watched her run her hand along the smooth granite of the counter top. She’s opening and closing several of the kitchen cabinets and drawers. She walks into the dining area and inspects the furniture.
“Nice choices. May I?” She motions towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms and I extended my hand to tell her to go ahead. I watched her walk away and I let out a sigh of mental anguish. Holy shit, I made a total ass of myself. I fell and possibly broke my nose right in front of her. I’m surprised she’s still here. I get up off the floor and go to the mirror in the living room to take a look at the damage to my face. It’s a little swollen and the bleeding has stopped but I have blood drips down towards my lips. I run over to the kitchen sink and splash some water over the blood to try and wash it away. Leighton walks back in and grabs her purse and I know now, she’s going to run.
Well, I blew this. I’m damn mad at my clumsiness, but I’m not clumsy. I swallow hard and get prepared to face the reality that she’s about to leave. She reaches in her purse and pulls something out.
“So how much per month, and what’s included?”
She pulls out her checkbook. I look at her confused. Does that mean she wants to stay?
“You mean you like it and want to rent it?”
She nods her head and sits down on the sofa and places the checkbook on the table in front of her.
“Yea, I do. It’s a great place. Why wouldn’t I want it?”