Strung (Seaside)

by Rachel Van Dyken

  “Heard that!” Alec fired back from the kitchen.

  I laughed and set Nat down on her feet and went to the fridge to pull out the contents for a kick ass omelet. I could do this. I could do normal.

  “Morning, sleepy head. Did you know you snore?” Alec said, not looking a way from the skillet.

  “I do not!” Nat defended.

  “Do to,” Alec and I said in unison.

  “You were drunk!” Nat punched my arm.

  Laughing, I answered, “Drunk, sweetheart, not deaf.”

  She glared.

  “She’s crazy when she’s hungry,” I said under my breath as I quickly grabbed a plate and piled some fruit on it as a peace offering to the grumpy bear.

  Alec finished making the eggs and handed me the plate. I’m going to go for a run, I’ll see you guys later, kay?”

  I carried the plate to the table.

  “Is he okay?” Nat nudged me just as I’d taken a huge bite of food.

  “Who? Alec? Of course, he’s fine. Why wouldn’t he be okay?” Why did she care about Alec?

  “I don’t know.” She nibbled her lower lip. “Did you guys talk this morning?” She shifted in her seat and stared at the food like it was going to start speaking to her.

  “Yeah.” I said, slowly dropping my fork and looking at her. “He told me I was an ass, and that I was going to lose the best girl in the world if I didn’t get up to the room and grovel. Naturally, I knew all that before he mentioned it, but still.”

  She seemed satisfied with that answer. We joked around through breakfast and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

  “I should go.” Nat started heading towards the door.

  “Stay.” I placed the wet dish on the counter and walked around to pull her into my arms. My mouth found hers, bestowing a gentle kiss across her lips, one that held a promise I couldn’t convey with words. That she could trust me, that I could be different, that with her I could be anything.

  “I can’t.” She sighed and shook her head as I rained kisses down her neck.

  “Why?” My lips moved against her skin.

  “Because!” She pushed away a grin spreading across her face. “I have a ton of homework and some of us have to work for a living.”

  “I work.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “According to you, you’re taking a much needed break right now.”

  Damn it. “True, but I still work.”

  “Fine, you work, but that doesn’t change anything. I still have to go to my part-time job, and I have to fit in a run sometime today and do homework.” Her eyes flickered to the clock on the wall; she looked a bit stressed. So I gave in.

  “Fine,” I grumbled. “Where do you work?”

  “Seaside Taffy.”

  Smirking, I asked, “Do you wear cute little outfits and give out free samples?”

  She rolled her eyes. “This conversation is going downhill fast.”

  Oh she had no idea how fast I could make the conversation go downhill. I was the king of turning the car. “Always.” I chuckled. “Sorry, no more sexual innuendos. Okay, go get ready for work, do your run, and we can hang out later.”

  She nodded. “Aw, you’re learning so fast.”

  “Do I get rewarded for good behavior?” Hey it never hurt to ask!

  “And then he defaults.” She sang.

  “Crap.” I crossed my arms and pouted and was surprised when Nat suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me.

  She kissed me.

  Holy shit.

  I didn’t know what to do with my hands or legs or mouth. Everything turned to jelly. It was like a first kiss, and then I parted my lips and tasted.

  So. Damn. Sweet.

  I kept my hands at my sides even though it was the last thing I wanted to do and tried to keep my body in check.

  “You taste good.” I pulled back and smiled.

  She was breathless. “So do you.”

  I stared at her then shook myself out of it.

  “I’ll test you later okay?”

  “Okay.” I let her go.

  When the screen door slammed behind her, I made my way up the stairs to my room.

  My dresser may as well have been an alarm going off in my room. Stomping towards it, I yanked out the top drawer and rummaged through the shirts until I found the bag of pills.

  Without a second thought I went into the bathroom and flushed every last one down the toilet.

  I wanted the hard path.

  Because I finally had someone willing to hold my hand while I walked it — who’d be there at the end of it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Demetri

  STALKING WAS TECHNICALLY illegal only if the stalkee wasn’t aware they were being stalked. Right? Okay so I made that up. But still. Nat told me where she worked, in my mind that was basically like an invitation to visit her.

  The only problem? How the hell was I supposed to go incognito? I hadn’t really been out and about in town yet. All I knew was that the town was small and that there was a taffy stand on every corner. No for real. It was like they’d never even heard of Starbucks.

  Which in my mind meant they were backwoods. The only Starbucks I could find was at Safeway, which just so happened to be a grocery store. And when I complained that it wasn’t actually a real Starbucks the barista threw a straw at my face.

  Pretty sure she wasn’t aware I was the D in AD2 otherwise she would have most likely ripped open her shirt Clark Kent style and asked for an autograph.

  Hmm, free coffee for life. I could bang for that.

  Shit. New leaf. I was not that guy anymore.

  And really to be that desperate for coffee… it was the only thing I could drink that distracted me from drugs. I needed something that would work. Something like…

  “Taffy,” I mumbled aloud as I walked into the store. It smelled like heaven, swear I had to fight from doing a little jig in the middle of the floor and splitting my jeans in two from rocking too hard.

  Nat was indeed in a cute little uniform. Aw damn, she had a visor. I needed to instagram that shit ASAP.

  Two teenage girls were hounding her with questions. Evan, the kid who hosted the party last night, looked like he was still drunk and contemplating puking all over the teeny boppers.

  “Do I look like the type of girl a rock star would talk to?” Nat asked. Both girls shook their heads in unison. What spoiled little brats!

  Time to save the day. “Oh, I don’t know. I’d talk to you, you know, if I was a rock star.” I sighed, leaning against the counter. I chuckled and licked my lips before winking and saying, “Nice visor.”

  Nat looked like she wanted to throw taffy at my face.

  The girls both turned, and stared. One of them looked like she was going to pass out while the other just looked — like a future stalker. Great. I’d have to snap that photo after all.

  “To answer your question,” I said, looking between the two of them, “This girl is the exact type of girl I would hang out with. I may even kiss her today. That is, if she lets me.” I gave them a solid wink.

  The girls sighed and then one asked, “Can I have your autograph?”

  “Sure.” I was used to that sort of thing so I always carried a marker with me, I pulled it out of my pocket and signed a few napkins for the girls before sending them on their way.

  “Thank God.” Evan shared a look with Nat and then slammed his hand against the counter top. “I couldn’t handle any more of their shrieking or questions.”

  “Anytime.” I chuckled and then directed my attention to Nat. “So, you’re off in an hour, right?”

  “Yup.” Her eyes flickered behind me; people were starting to whisper. Was my presence making her uncomfortable?

  “Cool. I have plans for you, Nat.” I eyed her up and down and enjoyed the answering blush that stained her cheeks.

  “Okay.”

  I turned and started making my way out of the store when Nat’s voice rang out again,
“Hey Demetri?”

  I stopped and glanced behind me. “Yeah?”

  “Take care of some of this for us?” She pleaded pointing to all the gaping customers.

  Ah! The things I did for the girl I liked. I threw my head back and laughed. “Fine, but you owe me!”

  I started talking to people and signing autographs while strategically leading them outside. Yeah, Nat owed me, because the thing about me and Alec? We rarely did that sort of thing. We were private for a very good reason. But for once in my life, I was kind of over it. Over that whole ‘secrets’ thing. I just wanted to — live.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Alec

  THE LAST TIME I wrote five songs in a row — I was high as a kite and ended up running around the house naked with my guitar around my neck. So why was I writing songs now?

  Oh right, because Nat was with Demetri.

  On a date.

  In his car.

  The same car that made girls swoon and forget their names — as well as their panties — but hey Nat wasn’t one of those girls. Or so I kept telling myself over and over again.

  I threw another Swedish Fish into my mouth and cursed myself for being so lame. Was I seriously staying home on a Saturday night pouring my feelings out onto paper and eating Swedish Fish all because I liked a girl?

  I checked my phone and let out a growl. No text from him. And nothing from her, not that she’d ever actually texted me, but still. A guy could dream.

  Strumming my guitar as I walked, I moved over to the window and looked out at the ocean. Yeah, I could write a lot of songs about that girl. And every single one would fail to do her justice.

  I froze as Demetri’s car pulled into the driveway. He slammed the door, ran to Nat’s side, opened it and pulled her into his arms. Swear if he hurt her in any way I was going to murder him.

  I ran down the stairs just in time to see Demetri open the door and step inside. Nat was pale and lifeless in his arms. Shit, I hated that my first guess was that he drugged her.

  “What did you do to her?” I yelled, unable to control my voice because I was freaking out.

  “I kissed her! That’s it! We went to dinner and she fell asleep in the car!” Demetri cursed. “Geez, what, you think I drugged her or something?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” I grumbled. Fine, it was a low blow.

  “What the hell!” Demetri laughed. “Are you kidding me? Seriously? You’re going to bring that up, now of all times?”

  I cursed and reached out to touch Nat’s face, she was burning up. “Can you hear me, Nat?”

  She moaned and tucked herself further into Demetri’s chest. He looked panic-stricken, totally out of his element.

  “We’ll just take her home. She can sleep it off. She’s probably sick,” Demetri said a lot more calm now.

  “No, we can’t.” I said in a stern voice. “Her dad and mom decided to extend their date night to a date weekend. They won’t be back until tomorrow night. They kept leaving her messages but her cell phone must have died. Nat’s mom knew you guys were out, so she left a message with me before they took off. They’re gone.”

  “So?” Demetri shrugged. Was he really that stupid?

  I pulled back from Nat’s forehead and tried to imagine myself not strangling my brother where he stood. “So, if we leave her at her house and she’s this sick, what do you think is going to happen to her? She’s burning up.”

  “Oh.” Demetri was quiet for a few minutes. “Does that mean she has a fever?”

  I seriously almost went over to the wall and banged my head against it. “Just get some ibuprofen, Demetri, okay?”

  “Fine.” He went into the kitchen, opened the pantry and slammed the door. It echoed in my ears making my head pound harder. I focused on opening my eyes and was rewarded greatly for my strain.

  He had put Nat on the couch, she looked so frail and helpless lying there and I hated that I couldn’t do anything. “Nat, are you okay?”

  “I think so.” Her voice was heavy and groggy. “I don’t feel well.” It looked like she wanted to smile but it came across as a wince instead.

  “Aw, sweetheart, I know you don’t.” I rubbed her forehead. “Do you want your fever to go down naturally or do you want some ibuprofen?”

  She shook her head and then started to cry. My heart broke over and over again with each tear. Why did her tears make me feel like I was dying?

  “Don’t cry, shh, don’t cry.” I gently pulled her to her feet and walked her up the stairs, careful to take most of her weight in my arms. When we reached the bed, I lifted her onto it and laid her down. “You just have the flu or something. You’ll be fine, okay?”

  “Promise?” Her voice was so small and trusting. Hell yeah I promise. I’d do anything for her — anything.

  I chuckled at her pitiful look. “I promise. And when you get better I may even let you drive my car.”

  “Tease.” Her eyes fluttered closed as her breathing evened.

  “Got some ibuprofen. What the—” Demetri stopped dead in his tracks. My eyes flickered across his face. He looked angry.

  “Don’t you think her boyfriend should be the one in bed with her, Alec?” Demetri snarled.

  “Absolutely.” I moved away from Nat. “I’ll check back on you in a few.” I nudged by him and scowled. “Try not to make it worse.”

  “Ass,” Demetri mumbled as he slowly approached the bed. I eavesdropped on their conversation. And waited in the hall. Within seconds Demetri stormed by me and ran down the stairs. I knew what he was thinking. God, I thought it every time someone got sick. It was silly but I always went to that place, what if they died? What if they were never the same. A childhood like ours did that to a person.

  Once the door slammed shut, I walked back into the room. “He doesn’t like sick people.” Actually Demetri wasn’t a fan of sick anything. When our cat got sick on the tour bus he made us stop at a twenty-four hour vet service just to make sure it was okay. He hated illness. Hated it.

  “Clearly,” Nat mumbled and tried to get comfortable.

  “Here.” I chuckled and stuffed some pillows behind her back.

  “So why doesn’t he like sick people? Is he a germaphobe or something?” she asked.

  “No.” I sat on the bed and grabbed a book from the nightstand. “Our mom left us when we were little, and our dad died of cancer a few years afterwards. Most of Demetri’s memories are of the hospital.”

  “What about yours?”

  I laughed at the nice memory. “Playing checkers with dad when he didn’t feel well enough to walk. Holding his hand when they told him there was nothing else they could do. Reading him books even though I was only ten and probably the worst reader on the planet.”

  “I like your memories.” She yawned.

  “Me too.” I offered her an encouraging smile; she needed to sleep. “Demetri just deals with things different than most people. It doesn’t mean he cares for you any less.”

  “Why are you always defending him?” She gasped and then shifted a bit. “Forget I said that, please forget I said that.”

  “Does it seem that way?” I asked carefully.

  She nodded.

  “Hmm, I guess it would. I don’t know, Nat, I’m just protective of him. I’m older by a year, it’s my job to be protective.” Oh and I kind of ruined his life so I feel like I need to make amends by actually being a good brother. Or just an all-around decent human being.

  Her eyebrows scrunched together. “If you’re older by a year, and he’s a senior and you’re a senior.”

  “Good math, Nat.” I kept a teasing tone even though I was a bit panicked.

  “How are you in the same grade?”

  “I live to lear.,” I nudged her and smiled again. Wow I was a really bad actor.

  “High school is like going to hell every day, so why would you willingly choose to go?” Why wouldn’t she let it go?

  “I never finished. We got busy touring and I kept putti
ng it off. It’s as easy as that. Demetri actually likes learning. He likes studying, even though it doesn’t come easy to him. I’d rather do things. I can’t sit and listen to someone drone on for hours without wanting to jump out the window.” At least that was true.

  Her eyes examined me for a minute before she said, “And here I thought you liked to sit and contemplate.”

  “No, it just appears that way.” Because if I actually appear interested, or make a move, everything will be lost.

  Nat covered up her yawn.

  “You’re tired. Go to sleep, Nat.”

  She shook her head.

  “I brought a book.” I held it in the air. “I’ll be right here, okay?”

  “Promise?”

  I felt my control weakening as I took in her innocent form. “Promise.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Demetri

  I DROVE OFF like a complete jackass and then slammed on the brakes. What was I doing? Did I seriously get in my car and leave my girlfriend behind? My sick girlfriend?

  I hit the steering wheel; my hands shook as I gripped until my knuckles turned white. It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know about my dad. The smell of hospitals freaked me out — stuffy noses made me immediately think the person was going to get pneumonia. I mean, when people are terminally ill, they can die from a cold.

  Seeing Nat lying in that bed, her face pale. I died a bit inside, maybe it was because I wasn’t on the drugs but my damn feelings were physically hurting me. Swear, I never knew you could actually feel your heart clench. Mine did. I felt it squeeze and then I just… panicked.

  I don’t know how long I sat in the car staring out the windshield, but eventually, I turned around and drove back to the house, but not before stopping off and grabbing a bouquet of flowers.

  Alec was downstairs watching TV. He didn’t look up. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I ran my fingers through my hair, holding my keys in one hand and the flowers in the other. “It’s just — she’s sick.”

  He sighed and put the TV on mute. “I know man. You wanna talk about it?”