Wilson Mooney, Almost Eighteen

by Gretchen de La O

  “They’re gonna want to know how we met. We’d better get our stories straight. How about a video store?…a library…a grocery store? Oh, I got it, how about a stripper bar?” I tried to lighten his mood. I felt his body pull back from mine.

  I didn’t like the distance creeping between us. I’d found the one subject he wasn’t willing to share with anyone, including me.

  “Nobody needs to know how we met. It’s better that way. Trust me.” He stared at the ground. Lingering time filled the space where his eyes should have blinked. He was captivated by the pictures in his head—evidence he must have kept filed and locked somewhere safe away from anyone trying to break in.

  I crouched down, trying to knock him free from the impervious hold the thoughts had on him.

  “Okay, nobody will know. But we have to decide what our story will be. Just in case someone asks.” I pushed his head up to look at me. I could tell he was unsettled. He must have buried it deep in his soul to pretend there wasn’t an unwritten rule about our circumstances.

  “We met at a coffee shop,” I told him. He smiled, I continued, “You ordered the same drink as I did; a double mocha with whip cream and those tiny chocolate sprinkles. We sat and talked for hours about politics, religion, and sports.”

  He laughed.

  “Sports, huh? Really?” His eyebrows creased, lightening the weight in his expression. He pulled at the little pockets of my blue suit, bringing me to lie against him.

  “I guess there’s some stuff you’ll need to learn about me. Like my extensive knowledge of professional sports teams in the Bay Area.” I cuddled my face into his chest.

  “Really.” He laughed, tilting his head back.

  “Really! Ask me something.” I pushed my elbows up onto his chest so he could see I was serious.

  “Okay. Let’s see—what two teams played in the eighty-nine World Series?”

  “Oh, please, this is no challenge at all. It was the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants. Oakland swept them in four games. First two games were in Oakland, the third was rescheduled because of the Loma Prieta earthquake, then the other two were in San Francisco.” I faked a yawn and stretched my arms into the air.

  He grabbed around my back, chills rushed my skin as he spun me against his car. He pushed strong against me, he explored my neck, kissing his way up to behind my ear.

  “God, you make me so crazy. How am I going to exist for the next couple of hours without being next to you?” He pushed his forehead to mine. Our arms knotted around each other, keeping me heated to the perfect temperature of arousal. He didn’t know how hard it was for me not to just get back into his car and go to his place.

  I shivered at the thought of walking away from him. He noticed and unzipped his jacket. I slid my hands up under his shirt, around his waist, and up his back. His fiery-hot skin burned across my frosted hands. He wrapped the front of his jacket around us, swaddling me in his comfortable embrace.

  “Do I have to leave? Because I could live right here, forever.” I pushed my nose to his aroma and drowned in his heartbeat.

  “It’s 4:15. You better go find Nick and Cindy.” He waited until I pulled away to let me go.

  He gave me a gentle kiss, tugging away until I anchored my hands into his hair, hauling him back to my lips. I needed the feeling of this kiss to radiate and last me for the next couple of hours. Like the first sweet taste of a forbidden fruit before it is ripped out of your hands. I didn’t want to be the one to walk away. He pushed his hands to my cheeks and I felt him back away from our kiss.

  “You really better go before they come looking for you.” He kissed my forehead. I trembled. His hand, tender to the touch, encouraged me to walk away from him. I looked back, at him standing there, vacant of me in his arms; he looked empty. I felt the wings of my butterflies become motionless. It would be one hour and fifteen minutes before they’d fly again. But who was counting?

  chapter sixteen:

  It was the longest walk from where I had left Max in the parking lot to the front of the ski lodge. Even though it was less than a hundred feet, it felt like universes away. Only now I noticed the chill that wrapped and bound me tight into a battle between the emotional intensity that burned in my core and the bone-freezing resentment trying to snuff it out. I belonged with Max. When I was with him, nothing else mattered; nothing else existed. Was it altogether healthy of me to get lost in his existence? Probably not. But when you’re handed a weekend with someone you’ve dreamt about for so long, you live in that moment until it doesn’t exist anymore.

  My moment evaporated in seconds when I saw the black Sequoia parked in the loading zone. The back hatch was up and Nick was loading our duffel bags. Cindy was hanging on some random guy. The regret hiccupped into my throat. Would they really miss me if I just decided to turn back? I slipped in next to the chartered buses and came up behind Cindy. Nick grabbed the skis and spotted me.

  “Hey, Wilson, whoa, what happened to you?” He pointed to the side of my head. I pressed my hand to it and felt the bandage that I had forgotten was even there.

  “She fell down the bunny slope. Wonder if it was because she didn’t have Shane to teach her?” Cindy leaned away from the guy she was wrapped around and pointed at Nick. She started in right away with bashing him. It was as if I hadn’t left. Gosh, why didn’t I just stay with Max?

  Nick ignored Cindy’s digs, as usual. It was nothing new to him. Her inability to keep her opinions to herself was as common as Aspen snow in the winter.

  “Are you okay?” he asked turning to load Cindy’s skis into the SUV.

  “Yeah. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a skier. I spent most of the day hanging out in the lodge,” I bold-face lied. A surge of anticipation crawled up the back of my neck. Blood rushed to my cheeks, and the muscles around my mouth uncontrollably tightened to a smirk.

  “You should’ve called me. I’d have come and picked you up.” I handed him my skis, which he must have collected from in front of the lodge.

  “Nah, I was fine. They have tons of books and a TV. I was fine,” as each word came out of my mouth I could feel the excitement build trying to wake up the dormant butterflies in my gut.

  I glanced at Cindy only to find that she was completely taken in by the ski stud she’d been with all day. She was so involved with him, she didn’t see that we were sitting in the car waiting for her to say goodbye.

  “I can’t believe this guy likes her. She is so full of herself,” Nick said, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

  “Maybe some guys like a confident girl.” I met his eyes then looked away.

  “Or maybe this guy sees her as an easy target.” He shuffled his eyes between Cindy and me.

  “What?” I choked. Cindy was not an easy target. She knew what she wanted and how to get it. If anything, she was targeting that guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d marked him when we first arrived. She was anything but an easy target.

  “If she keeps acting like she’s easy, she will keep attracting these guys that only want one thing from her. And it isn’t her phone number.” He looked at her kissing him goodbye. “See…right there…why is she doing that? She’s just reconfirming to him that she’s easy.” He held his hand out toward Cindy.

  I tried not to take offense to what he was saying. It wasn’t like he was talking about me. He was a guy and that was what he thought. That could have been how most guys thought. Give her some attention and she’ll fall into your lap. But it was my roommate—and his half sister—he was talking about. I had to say something.

  “Most girls are hopeless romantic creatures when it comes to guys that only exist in their heads. Cindy’s no different. So when someone shows up that even comes marginally close to her perfect guy, she gets hooked. Just like most girls.” I clicked on my seatbelt and waited for Cindy to get in. Nick looked at me in the mirror, waiting for my eyes to catch him.

  “Are you one of those girls, Wilson?”

  “What, a hopeles
s romantic that is after a guy that really doesn’t exist?” He shook his head as I asked.

  “No. I’m not.” My guy really does exist.

  He twisted to look out the window. He tapped the horn a couple of times to get Cindy’s attention. Nick held his arm in the air and pointed to his wrist. It was getting late and I still needed to ask Nick if he would cover for me.

  “Cindy, I’ve gotta go. I have dinner plans tonight,” Nick yelled as he swirled his hand in the air, indicating for her to wrap up her goodbye.

  She gave her ski stud a quick peck on the cheek and ran over to us. She glanced back waving at him. He waved and watched her get into the car.

  “Geez, Nick, you don’t have to be such a rude-ass clown. I was just saying goodbye to him.” She pulled her door closed and ran the seatbelt across her chest before she turned to me.

  “And where were you Wilson?” She stared at me. Her eyes widened when I didn’t answer right away. My throat sped dry. My skin rushed with panic, abandoning any sense of security. Her expression told me she knew more than she was asking. Maybe it was my own conscience drawing that look from her. Maybe she didn’t expect anything and I’m just thinking she knows something. Nick glanced back at me in the mirror.

  Appear innocent, profess nothing and deny everything.

  “I was here.” I pushed my hand through my hair catching my fingers in a knot behind my ear. I bent and pulled my fingers apart trying to untangle the twisted, intricate mess created by the environment.

  “Funny, I went to where you were sitting around a quarter to four, and you weren’t there. I waited ’til four o’clock, and you still didn’t come back. So I packed our bags.” She bounced her back against her seat and lowered her chin looking at me. Her eyes shrank and her brows dropped with her familiar Cindy’ism likeness. It was the same look she’d given me when she thought I was the one who broke her favorite pair of Vera Wang heels.

  I tried not to swallow hard. I wasn’t caught by any means. I just had to make sure I came up with a plausible excuse, that’s all.

  “Yeah, thanks for doing that.”

  “So where were you?”

  “I was probably in the restroom,” I told her. It was my attempt to throw her a bone and come up with the easiest place she might have found me, if she’d been looking.

  “No, nope, I looked in the restrooms, restaurant, and ski shops. I even went down to the rental area. You weren’t anywhere.” She held her fingers in the air, pushing them down as she named the places she’d nosed around to find me.

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I was hanging out with Wayne in the lodge. When he got called for a lesson, I walked around the shops, ate lunch, and went to the restroom. Then I met up with you guys here. Maybe we just missed each other.” Nick and I met eyes in the rearview mirror. He was nodding so slightly I almost didn’t catch it.

  “Maybe—Nick, who are you going to dinner with?” She switched her attention to him, a small reprieve from her accusations.

  “A friend.” He turned and looked back across to her.

  “Where are you and a friend going?” She dropped her eyes and looked at the tips of her fingernails. I could see she was trying to come across like she really didn’t care; far from it. She always needed to know everything everyone else was doing. Especially if it meant she was going to be alone.

  “We’re going to his family’s cabin. I guess his mom’s making this huge spread and is having a dinner party for some friends. He has to be there, but at least we’ll eat before we hit the clubs,” he told her like it was no big deal. My heart was racing.

  “Where are you guys gonna go?”

  “Studio Works first, then I don’t know from there,” he said.

  “Studio is so weak. You guys should go to Polaris, that’s the place to be. Anyone who’s anybody goes there.” She leaned forward and slapped his shoulder.

  I wanted to go back to the part of the conversation where he talked about whose cabin he was going to.

  “Polaris, isn’t that the one that lets eighteen-year-olds in?”

  “Yeah,” Cindy said.

  “No, thanks. We want to hit the clubs where the youngest person is twenty-one. Too much jailbait at Polaris.” He turned down the road to their cabin.

  “Your loss. Everyone who’s anybody goes there,” she rubbed her words in. (Just a little dig.)

  He turned down the driveway and had to slam on his brakes. Stopped in front of the gate was a black BMW Z4. I leaned forward toward the center of the car with the wind knocked out of me. I was twisting and knotting up inside. What was he doing here? Had he lost his mind? Different excuses crowded my head. How was I going to explain that nothing was going on between Max and me? I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart thumped, heavy and quick. I started feeling light-headed.

  Please, please, please just stay in the car, I requested in my head as the door to the Z4 swung open.

  Don’t get out, stay in the car. One leg stretched out then the other. He paused before I saw the tilt of his hair peek out from behind the shadow of his door. I tried to squeeze my eyes shut as he leaned out, but I couldn’t. I wanted to see him. I had fireworks going off in my body, and it was because of him.

  As he leaned out of the car, a mix of pure relief and clouded disappointment splashed down my body. It was Calvin, Max’s younger brother. He walked back to us and Nick lowered his window.

  “Hey, Calvin. How long you been waiting?” Nick asked as he shook his hand.

  “Not long, just thought I would pick you up early.” Calvin grabbed the door and leaned in. He shifted to make eye contact with Cindy and me.

  “Hi, ladies.” He smiled—amazing how much he looked like his brother.

  “So you’re the one taking Nick out tonight, huh?” Cindy asked him. He shifted his stance, locking his hands to the roof.

  “I’m not taking him out. We’re going to go to the clubs together.” He turned a little red. His eyes glistened with the same heart-robbing appeal as his brother.

  “Let me open the gate so you can come down to the house,” Nick told him. Calvin strutted over to his car and slipped in.

  I watched the Z4 as it turned and sped down to the cabin. It was a very sexy car, especially when I thought of Max driving it.

  He parked; we pulled up next to him. I looked into the passenger’s seat and shivers paced through my body: I was sitting in that seat less than an hour ago.

  Nick hopped out of the Sequoia and opened my door. I got out and stretched. He shuffled over to Cindy’s door and opened it. She monopolized him in a conversation about where he was going tonight. Calvin had already slipped out of the BMW and walked over.

  “Wilson, right?” he asked, holding out his hand to me.

  “Yes, that’s me. Thanks for remembering.” He snatched my hand, drowning it in his.

  “Nice to see you again.” His eyes clung to mine; I felt a small piece of paper drop and rest in the palm of my hand. As he pulled away he formed his lips to mouth his brother’s name. I closed my hand and shoved it into my pocket. My heart leapt into my throat. What I really wanted to do was run into the guest bedroom, lock the door, and read what Max had written.

  “You too, thanks,” I said with my fingers around the note, never wanting to let it go.

  “Calvin, I’m gonna get ready, then we can take off,” Nick told him. We shuffled through the grand entry and past the kitchen. Nick broke off and climbed upstairs.

  Cindy was following us, glued to her iPhone. I was surprised she didn’t trip over the steps coming into the house. She tossed her head back and laughed loud, sending echoes through the whole house.

  “Oh my God, Chase is actually in town and he’s going to Polaris with Mike and Drew.”

  Now I know Chase. Cindy has been crushin’ on him since the ninth grade, but I had no idea who Mike and Drew were. I guess it really didn’t matter, though, because Cindy knew. As she texted back whoever was sending her the information, her smile was almost co
ntagious.

  “Wilson, you are going to Polaris tonight with me. You would really like Drew. He is really cute and, well, just your type.” She grabbed my arm and yanked me upstairs. I glanced back at Calvin. His eyes narrowed and he pulled his phone from his pocket as he watched me disappear upstairs. I wasn’t ready for this. I needed time to think. I already had a date—to spend the evening with Max and his family.

  Hanging out with Cindy while she tried to hook up with Chase was not on my agenda. And what was this ‘he’s just your type’ comment? Like she really knows my ‘type;’ I can tell her a lot about my type, and he doesn’t hang out with guys like Chase Romero. My ‘type’ actually has brains. He isn’t selfish and really cares about my feelings. He’s sensitive, kind, and gentle. He oozes chivalry when most guys these days couldn’t even tell you what it was. He is drop-dead gorgeous and makes my heart stop when he walks into the room.

  My phone rang loudly in the little pocket of my blue ski suit. All I wanted to do was change and get to Max’s house. Cindy was still pulling me along.

  “Cindy, I need to take this call.” I slipped my arm out from her grip and went into my guest room.

  “Fine, get ready while you’re in there,” she yelled as I shut the door.

  I pulled the phone from my pocket and noticed it was a 970 area code. My skin rushed cold.

  “Hello?” I paced the room waiting to hear the voice on the other end.

  “Wilson?” My heart dropped. “Do you miss me?” his voice caressed its way down my body and got my butterflies to move.

  “Yeah,” my mouth watered and I choked on my words, “I really do.”

  “Calvin gave you a folded piece of paper right?” his voice tickled me.

  “Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to read it yet,” I hesitated telling him. I heard him take a deep breath and slowly exhale a low guttural moan through his nose. I could almost picture his eyes low and disappointed. His mouth curved to a slight smile, playing with my emotions, pulling me in.

  “Well that just won’t do…Do you have it right now?” he asked. I pushed my hand into my pocket and caught it between my fingers.