When To Fear The Living

by B. L. Brunnemer

  "I'm sorry hon, maybe next year," I said. "Do you need someone to pick up your bag?"

  "If you don't mind?" He asked, cringing in an adorable way. "You know I hate to ask-"

  "I'll get your bag, just tell me how to get to it," I assured him. He gave me instructions on how to get into the small private section of the airport just outside of town. He made me repeat the combination for the gate five times and promised to text it to me after he got off the phone.

  "Does this mean you're coming home early?" I asked, as I sat down on a wooden bench next to a plant.

  "No, I ran into some friends that I haven't seen in a while." He said. "There's also a few game previews and panels I want to see." I smiled at him.

  "So, the only reason you called me was because you needed a bellhop?" I teased him. I gave him my mischievous grin so he'd know I was joking. He grinned at me.

  "No, it's not the only reason." He said in that silky-smooth voice I loved. "I wanted to be sure you were alright. I can't always tell if you're joking in your texts." I gave him a warm smile.

  "I'm okay, Miles," I assured him. "I was mostly joking. I can survive a little ego hit."

  He looked at me puzzled.

  "Lexie, you're kind, wonderful, and funny." He began. "Just because no one is dancing with you, doesn't diminish that." My face caught fire as my insides melted.

  "Okay, ego restored," I said, desperately needing him to stop. If he kept going, I'd be a puddle on the floor. His eyes ran over my face.

  "Are you blushing?" He asked, his voice surprised. I shook my head.

  "Nope, it's just hot in here." I lied, he grinned.

  "Then why did you only turn red when-"

  "Miles, just give me this one?" I asked as my face burned hotter. He chuckled.

  "Alright," He said gently, still smiling. The background behind him was getting louder, Voices were getting closer. "Speaking of my friends..." He looked away from the phone. "I'm on the phone. Could you give me a few minutes?" Miles asked someone off camera.

  "Tell them you'll talk to them later, there are a couple hot girls, dressed as River Tam and Kylie, that are throwing a party up in their room." A guy's voice said. Miles was frowning at whoever was off screen.

  "It's okay, Miles," I said, forcing a smile on my face. "Go have fun with your friends."

  "Wait, is that a girl?" Another voice asked.

  Miles’ frown deepened. "Do you guys mind? You're being-" The screen went wild as if a drunk had it. "Kyle!" Miles’ voice snapped. A ginger haired, pale boy filled the screen. His eyebrows went up, almost into his hair line.

  "Wow, it is a girl! And it's not Autumn!" Ginger boy, who I assumed was Kyle said.

  "Is she cute?" Another voice asked off camera.

  "Give me back the phone, Kyle." Miles' voice was growing colder.

  "Yeah, she's cute," Kyle said. The screen went wild again as another boy with brown hair and grey eyes came on screen. Kyle was asking Miles why he didn't tell them about me. Brown hair boy's eyes ran over me. The screen went wild again, someone cried out, then the phone steadied on Miles' face.

  "I'm sorry about that, Lexie," Miles said calmly. Someone was complaining off camera about his wrist.

  "She's got a great rack," Someone's voice said, off camera. That was it.

  "Excuse me?" I snapped. Miles' eyes were like cold as he looked at whoever had spoken off camera.

  "You are aware that I'm face chatting with her, right?" Miles asked, his voice icy.

  "Oh shit." Someone said.

  "I'm sorry about my friends, Lexie," Miles said, his voice growing colder. "I'll have a word with them."

  "Oh no, let me. Miles, turn me around please," I asked politely. Miles' eyes sparkled as he grinned at me. Miles turned the phone so I could see that brown hair boy's eyes were wide, Kyle was paler, and that there was another silent, tall boy with glasses and black messy hair.

  "Yes, I can hear you and see you," I said in a firm voice. "Just so you're aware, I don't appreciate some guy, I don't know, checking me out and telling me I have a 'great rack.'" Brown hair's face turned beet red. "It's rude. I know damn well that you wouldn't say that to me in person, so don't say over the phone. Got it?"

  "Yeah, I'm sorry," Brown hair mumbled, his eyes were still wide.

  "I accept your apology. It was not so great meeting you two," I said. Miles turned the phone back to him. "Go have fun, Miles. I should be getting back to the dance anyway."

  "Are you sure? I can stay on longer if you need," Miles offered. Butterflies took off in my stomach at his soft voice.

  "Thanks sweetie, but the slow song is over. It's safe to go back inside," I told him. He chuckled.

  "Alright, but if you want company for another song, give me a call," He offered sweetly. I grinned.

  "I will, have fun."

  "Bye."

  I hung up the phone and headed back inside. The music was going with hard, driving beats that made me want to dance. When I got back to the table, Nell was sitting down with a water bottle in her hand.

  "Hey, Red," Isaac smiled at me. "Want to dance? Nell's tired already." Nell rolled her eyes. Something told me that Nell just didn't want to dance with him.

  "Sure, Cookie Monster," He took my hand and led me out on the floor. I had a good time dancing with Isaac; he never got too close or too far away.

  We ran into Clay and Doyle, we waved to each other and moved on. Eventually, Asher cut in and danced with me. He spun me under his arm and made me laugh. Then a slow song came on, and I was sitting in my chair again watching the crowd dance. It was the middle of the song when Eric walked by and spotted me.

  "Wow, Lexie." His eyebrows went up, and a smile spread across his face. I grinned at him. Eric looked pretty good himself. His tux looked like a suit, and he looked good in it.

  "Wow yourself, Eric," I said. His cheeks tinted pink.

  "Thanks." He shrugged. "Where's your date?"

  "I'm going solo tonight," I told him.

  "Really?" He said. "That's a shame." Eric looked at the dance floor.

  "Where's your date?" I asked. Eric sighed and sat down in the chair next to me.

  "She was giggling with some friends, then she said something about a bathroom run." He shrugged. "That was fifteen minutes ago."

  "That's not good," I said, hesitating. He shook his head.

  "Not really, no." He admitted. "But I brought her, so I'll make sure she gets home." I smiled at that. "There she is," He said, looking through the crowd. "I'll see you later." Then he was gone, walking after his date. Soon the song ended.

  "We'll be taking a short break," Ethan announced. The music switched over to club music. Before the others came back, I went to the concession stand and bought four bottles of water. Then I headed back to the table and the guys.

  "Alright, I'm headed backstage," I announced. "Can I borrow one of you gentlemen to help me get up the stairs without falling?"

  "Sure," Asher volunteered. We started moving through the crowd. When we got to the stage stairs, Asher held up his hand. I bit back a grin as I took it. When I was at the top, I let go.

  "Thanks, Ash."

  "No problem, Ally," Asher told me before he walked back into the crowd. I pushed the curtain away and went back stage. I found the band sitting in a circle, fanning themselves, as they cooled down. When Oliver spotted me, he whistled. I smiled. Ryan looked up and saw me. He clutched his hand to his chest dramatically; I chuckled at that.

  "Lexie, you look beautiful," Oliver announced.

  "You do usually," Ryan chimed in. "but tonight you look like you feel it." I smiled.

  "Thanks, guys. Looking great yourselves." I said as I handed out their water. "You guys are sounding great too." Ethan grabbed a folding chair and set it up for me before sitting down again.

  I smiled my thanks as Oliver answered. "We're actually killing it tonight."

  "So, how's going solo working for you?" Ethan asked smirking. I shrugged.

  "Not bad, bore
d on the slow songs, but I'll live," I admitted. "That's what cell phone games are for, right?" Ryan's lips twitched.

  "You're dateless tonight?" Ryan asked, his voice full of disbelief.

  "Yeah. Shocker, right? With my winning personality," I said dramatically.

  They chuckled as Ryan shot a look at Ethan. "She could have sung with us tonight," He pointed out.

  "Not if you wanted her to be able to sing at Vegabond tomorrow night," Ethan countered. "She still gets a raspy voice after singing one set with us."

  Ryan sighed. "Good point," He grumbled. I listened as they talked about their next set. I gave them any feedback I heard from the crowd. Unfortunately for me, it seemed that the crowd wanted more slow songs. Oliver checked his watch.

  "Almost that time guys," Oliver announced. Everyone got up. I put my folding chair away while the guys started taking off their suit jackets. Ethan was rolling up his sleeve while Ryan was off to the side yanking at his tie and grumbling under his breath.

  "Need a hand?" I asked, grinning at him. He sighed and looked at me, clearly frustrated.

  "Yeah." He admitted begrudgingly. I chuckled as I stepped closer to Ryan and looked at his tie. He'd somehow managed to get the thin side longer than the front, and the knot tight as hell. I grinned as I loosened the knot a bit and got it down far enough so he could take it off. I looked up to find he was watching me. His eyes were soft and heated as they ran over my face. I met his eyes, he blinked and it was gone. "Thanks, Lexie." His voice was gentler than I’d ever heard before as he pulled up the tie over his head. I stepped back not quite sure of what I saw in his eyes, or if I actually saw anything at all. It was gone so fast it barely registered. I put it out of my mind as Oliver and Ethan took off their ties.

  "Okay boys," I announced. "I need someone to help me not fall down the steps in these heels, please," I announced. They all chuckled.

  Ryan grinned down at me. "Here, I'll-"

  "I've got her," Ethan said as he moved to my side. I said goodnight to the others as Ethan opened the curtain to the stage steps. He helped me down the steps carefully. When I was on solid ground, I looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks, Snoopy." He smirked down at me.

  "You're welcome, Beautiful." He replied. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

  "I'll try," I said dryly as I started to walk off. Ethan snorted before heading backstage again. I was walking through the crowd when I realized how ready I was to leave. It's not like I had a date, I could go home. I found everyone at the table. Lisa was chatting with a cute brunette who was holding her hand under the table, Isaac and Asher were playing a game on their phones. Nell was nowhere to be seen.

  "I think I'm going to head home," I announced. Isaac looked up then frowned at me.

  "You okay?" Isaac asked.

  "Yeah, I'm just done with being in a dress and heels," I reassured him. Isaac chuckled at that. I said good night to them. Isaac gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Asher gave me a hug good-bye before I headed out.

  I was walking through the foyer toward where the coats were hanging when I spotted a familiar face leaning on the wall across from the bathrooms. Morgan was in a tux that looked like a suit. His shaggy brown hair was trimmed and neat, he looked good. Especially with the pink sequined clutch in his hand.

  "Hey, Morgan," I greeted him with a smile. He looked up from the floor and spotted me.

  "Hi." He straightened from the wall to his full height. His eyes ran over me, his cheeks tinting pink. "Wow, you look incredible."

  "Thank you, you do too," I said. I couldn't help but add, "And that pink really brings out your eyes." He blinked at me then looked down at his hand.

  "Oh, yeah," He said, his face turning red. "My date is in the bathroom." He shrugged.

  "I figured it was something like that," I teased. I headed for the coat rack and grabbed my jacket.

  "You're going home?" He asked, frowning. "It's only nine, what about your date?" I gave him a sweet smile.

  "No date, I flew solo tonight," I told him as I slid my coat on. "I didn't realize how dull these things were without one." I shrugged as I added, "Learn something new every day." I got my keys out of my clutch. I looked up to him. "Have a good night."

  "You too," He said as I turned to leave.

  I walked out to my Blazer thinking about why I really didn't have a date. Asher and Miles, it was that simple. I cursed myself as I carefully climbed into the Blazer. The idea of coming to the dance with anyone but one of them, bothered me. I wanted to go with one of them. I knew I had crushes, but this... What the hell was I going to do? I tried to find an answer as I headed out towards the airport. Thanks to Miles' directions, I got through the gate and found his bag by the trunk of his car. I put it in the back then took a picture of it. I climbed in and giggled as I sent the photo to Miles along with a message.

  Alexis: If you ever want to see your precious bag again, you'll have to give in to my demands.

  He answered almost instantly.

  Miles: Not the bag! Tell me your demands, and I'll make it happen.

  I snickered. That sounded kind of dirty to me.

  Alexis: First, I want waffles for breakfast on Sunday. Second, a hug. Third, the right to hunt the twins and Zeke through your house with a paintball gun. Fourth, a paintball gun and ammo. Fifth, the rule that the boys can't have paintball guns or ammo.

  I was laughing at myself when he responded.

  Miles: I can take care of the first two, the next three might be more difficult.

  Alexis: No cops and we can negotiate.

  Miles: How about a day of paintball with everyone? Will that save my bag?

  I smiled.

  Alexis: Do I get infinite lives?

  Miles: Of course.

  Alexis: Done. Your bag is safe.

  Miles: Oh, thank goodness.

  Alexis: Your bag misses you.

  Miles: I miss my bag too.

  Alexis: Night.

  Miles: Good night.

  I was smiling as I put my phone away. I pulled out of the gated section of the airport and headed home. I ran over my texts with Miles and wondered if I had flirted without meaning to. This crush thing was getting complicated. Why did I like both Asher and Miles? Could someone really care about two people at the same time? In that way? I had no idea. Was I just fooling myself?

  I was running around in circles in my mind when the Blazer rocked. I tightened my grip on the wheel as rubber slapped the road. I cursed, it felt like I had a flat. Spotting a cul-de-sac like pull off on the side of the road and pulled into it. I shut off the truck and slid out to the cement. It didn't take me long to find the flat, it was my back-driver’s side tire. I cursed long and hard. I looked down at my dress and cursed again. I really didn't want to ruin my dress. I was in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road, with a flat, in a formal gown and heels. If I had to ruin the dress, I would, but I wanted to try and avoid it. I went back to my door and grabbed my phone.

  "Hey Lexie, how's the dance?" Zeke's gravelly voice filled my ear.

  "Hey, I'm kind of in a jam," I said, looking at the stupid tire.

  "What kind? What's wrong?" Zeke demanded. I cringed to myself.

  "The kind of jam that has me on the side of the road with a flat tire, in heels, wearing an expensive formal dress that I'd really like to not ruin tonight," I said sweetly. Zeke chuckled in my ear. I totally sounded girly, I know. But damn it, this dress was expensive and it took forever to find one I liked. "Can you come and change the tire for me? Please?" I asked sweetly. He was still laughing. When he didn't stop after a couple minutes, I gave up. "Fuck it, I'll ruin the dress." I was about to hang up when he got control of himself again.

  "Lexie, hold on." He was still catching his breath. "Where are you?" He asked. I gave him the directions to get to me. "Okay, get in the truck and lock the doors until I get there. Don't unlock them for anyone," He ordered before he hung up. I rolled my eyes and did as he asked. I looked out the windows, it was a stunni
ng spot. There was a big meadow out to the right of the road that was covered in untouched snow. The white blanket bounced the moonlight off, making it look even brighter. The night was quiet, and everything was still. It was peaceful. I turned the truck on and blasted the heater as I waited.

  It wasn't long before Zeke's Jeep pulled into the turn around and parked behind me. I sighed in relief as I unlocked the door and slid out of the truck. Zeke left his lights on as he got out. He was in his usual black jeans and a black zip up hoodie. I was walking towards him when he saw me.

  "Damn Lexie...." Zeke said, his voice stunned as his eyes grew wide. I pulled the jacket off and then spun around showing him how awesome the dress was. He whistled as I laughed at him.

  "Now, do you see why I called?" I asked as I pulled my jacket back on. "I'd like to wear this thing again." Zeke was looking at me, his face still stunned with an appreciative grin on his face.

  "Yeah, I get why you called." He admitted. His eyes were warm when they met mine. "I take it you won your bet with Isaac?"

  "Of course," I smiled at him taking the compliment. Zeke didn't give them very often so I held on to them a bit more than I probably should. Zeke stopped looking at me and went to look at the tire. A car passed by on the road, I ignored it. Using the light from his headlights, he opened the back of the Blazer then pulled out the jack and spare tire.

  "So, what did you run over?" Zeke asked as he laid down on the ground.

  "Nothing, it just went flat."

  "Uh-huh," He said doubtfully. I nudged his foot with my shoe as he jacked up the truck. He chuckled. "How did you pop a tire a mile from the Rec. center?"

  "Miles left his bag by his car at the airport so I picked it up on my way home. Can I sit on the tailgate?" I asked after he had the truck as high as he needed.

  "Should be fine." He grunted as he got off his back. "So, how was the dance?" I sat down on the side of the tailgate and watched as he went to work taking the lug nuts off the wheel.

  "It was okay, and the band played great," I said as I watched him work.

  "Then why'd you leave early?" He grunted.

  "Believe it or not, a formal gown and high heels are not all that comfortable." I pointed out. He chuckled.