Intensity

by S. Briones Lim

  Ruthie grabbed Celine’s arm, playing on the momentum of the situation. “Come on, let’s find you a dress.”

  “Yes,” Celine agreed.

  Just like that, things went back to normal. Or so it seemed. Celine couldn’t shrug off the feeling that things were still strained. It would only take something minor to cause everything to come crashing down.

  Chapter 37

  “I like it!” Melissa exclaimed, happily clapping her hands. Her slight jump caused her frizzy mane to bounce up and down.

  Ruthie cringed and caught Celine’s eyes in mirror. Celine shook her head slightly and grimaced back.

  “No,” Celine shook her head. “I told you I didn’t want to wear lace.”

  Melissa groaned and rolled her eyes, causing Ruthie to snicker. Just when Melissa threw her an evil look, Ruthie felt her pocket vibrating. She took out her phone and glanced at the screen.

  Hey babe, needed to see you. Flew into town early. Be ready in an hour.

  Ruthie sucked in her breath. Cash flew into town early to see her? She couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest woman in the world!

  “In an hour?” she mumbled under her breath.

  “What was that, Sweetie?” Mrs. Fabre asked, giving her a sideways glance.

  Ruthie blinked. “I was just saying I don’t like the flowers on the lace of that dress.”

  Melissa shook her head in annoyance. “Fine, next dress then.”

  Celine laughed and gave Ruthie a grateful smile, all the while Ruthie squirmed in her seat. There was no way they’d be finished in an hour. Things were already a bit strained with Celine, she couldn’t risk leaving. Or could she? Biting her lip, she put away her phone and tried her best to smile.

  She tried to sit still, but succumbed to the incessant bounce of her knee. Cash Walker was in town, for her. There was no way she could ignore the fact. Thinking twice about it, Ruthie took her phone out and texted him back.

  Why an hour? Can we meet a little later?

  She waited impatiently for a reply. After a few minutes one finally came.

  Has to be then. Got some stuff to do afterwards.

  Celine would have to understand. She’d do the same thing. She was sure of it. Pushing back a wave a guilt she typed:

  Where do you want to meet?

  Almost immediately, her phone buzzed.

  Meet you at your place.

  Her place? There was definitely no way she’d make it back in time! In order to do so she’d have to leave at that precise moment and even then she’d probably be late. She cringed. What the hell was she going to do?

  The curtain to the fitting room suddenly opened, revealing an angelic looking Celine. A mermaid style dress hugged her body in just the right places, elongating her tiny body. The smooth material accentuated her olive toned skin, causing her to glow.

  “I love it!” Ruthie exclaimed somewhat loudly. She stood up suddenly, startling the Fabres.

  “Wow! I guess this dress is the winner?” the blonde asked, smiling happily. Dollar signs were definitely dancing through her head.

  “Wait a minute, she’s the only one who likes it,” Melissa snapped in her signature snooty tone. “Why don’t we ask Celine what she thinks?”

  Please say yes, please say yes, Ruthie thought in her head. The dress did look beautiful on Celine. In fact any of the dresses she had tried on could have been the one. Well, except for the hideous monstrosity Melissa picked. Regardless, Celine needed to hurry up and pick a dress. Ruthie didn’t want to miss Celine ‘Saying yes to the dress,’ but she didn’t want to miss Cash either.

  Ruthie looked up with pleading eyes. Celine frowned, taken aback at her friend’s sudden enthusiasm. She examined her reflection and was happy with what she saw, but wasn’t sure if it was the one. She always thought she’d feel that certain spark once she put the winner on. As beautiful as the dress was there was no spark.

  “I’m not sure…” she admitted, glancing apologetically at the sales woman.

  Samantha shrugged. “It’s your day, Sweetie. Don’t force yourself into a dress you’re not entirely happy with.”

  Celine’s eyes fluttered back up and looked up into the mirror. She eyed Ruthie’s reflection instead of her own and noticed that her friend seemed rather pre-occupied. “What’s wrong?” Celine asked. “You okay?”

  “Um…” Ruthie turned red.

  Celine lifted an eyebrow. “Ruthie?”

  “I’m sorry,” Ruthie sighed, gripping her stomach. “I…uh…forgot I promised to pick up my friend from the airport.”

  Celine pursed her lips skeptically. “What friend? I know all your friends.”

  “Did I say friend? I meant my boss. My other coworker flaked and it was left on me. I thought I could go to this and have enough time to make it to LAX, but my boss just texted and he took an earlier flight.”

  “Her phone did buzz,” Mrs. Fabre pointed out.

  Celine had an expression on her face that looked as if she smelled something revolting. “How come you didn’t tell me about it earlier? You knew we were going dress shopping today.”

  “I told you, I thought I could do both.” Ruthie shrugged, lying through her teeth.

  “So do you really like this dress? Or is it because you need to leave?” Celine asked suspiciously.

  “I really do like the dress. I love it,” Ruthie answered truthfully. “But I do need to leave.”

  “Fine.” Celine turned back to the mirror and began fussing with the little belt at her waist.

  “Celine? Are you mad?” Ruthie asked, though she had the distinct feeling she knew the answer.

  “No,” Celine said too quickly. “I know you need to kiss ass at your job to move up, so by all means pucker up.”

  Ruthie frowned. Celine wasn’t usually so sarcastic in her remarks. She must have been seriously pissed off. Nevertheless, there was no way Ruthie could backtrack now. “Um, okay. I’ll see you later?”

  “Fine.”

  Melissa narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Ruthie silently collected her things. Ignoring the weird stares she was receiving, she quickly exited the boutique barely holding back from breaking into a run.

  Celine shook her head in exasperation and scowled at her reflection. “I hate this dress.”

  “Amen!” Melissa exclaimed. In a snarky tone she added, “I’m beginning to hate your friend, too.”

  Chapter 38

  Ruthie hopped into her car, shoving a five dollar bill into the valet’s hand. She seriously needed to break the habit of parking valet. She sped out of the parking garage and wove in and out of traffic. She felt horrible for ditching Celine, but she had already spent half her day in the stuffy boutique. That was good enough, right?

  As if the planets aligned, there was no traffic on the freeway. Ruthie made it home with enough time to shower and freshen up. Her heart was pounding by the time she heard a knock at her door. Taking one final look into the mirror, she spun on her heel and ran to answer it, opening it with a fury. A clean shaven Cash stepped right in and grabbed her, lifting her into the air. Without so much as a hello, his mouth devoured hers. He carried her into the living room after kicking the front door closed. As what was his old standby, they found their way to her couch.

  ***

  “Sorry to say, but your friend’s a bit of a bitch,” Melissa commented. She pressed her lips over the pinstriped straw and narrowed her haphazardly lined eyes.

  “Be nice,” Mrs. Fabre said, patting Celine on the wrist. She gave her youngest a concerned look. “Are things okay between you both?”

  Celine shook her head and threw her fork down, splattering pieces of lettuce across the table. She picked up her linen napkin and carelessly threw it to the side. “You know what? I don’t know anymore.”

  “What happened? Weren’t you two like butt buddies or something?” Melissa asked.

  For a thirty-two year old, her sister could be such an immature bitch. Celine snorted. “Don’t be crass.”

&nb
sp; Melissa shrugged her shoulders. “Does this have anything to do with Cash?”

  Mrs. Fabre’s thin eyebrows rose. “Cash? As in that Cash Walker you both were in love with when you were young?”

  “I’m not that old, Mom,” Celine said, playfully bumping into her mother. “But yeah, that Cash. He’s sort of seeing Ruthie right now.”

  “What do you mean sort of?” Melissa asked, her eyes sparkling with interest. Always a snarky gossip, it wasn’t a surprise that she would be dying to know the details to Ruthie’s celebrity-filled love life.

  Celine picked at her salad. “Not speaking badly about Ruthie, but why would Cash go for a commoner? I mean he just doesn’t come off as a good guy to me. Brian told me—”

  “Brian? Who’s Brian?” Melissa asked. Her eyes went wide. “Brian Henderson? That boy you were obsessed with in high school?”

  “I wasn’t obsessed with him,” Celine corrected her.

  “Wait, I don’t understand,” Mrs. Fabre interrupted the siblings. “What does Brian have to do with anything?”

  “He’s Intensity’s manager,” Celine muttered, rubbing her left temple in a clockwise manner. “He was there when we met them and he basically warned me about Cash.”

  “Wait, why did he tell you and not Ruthie?” Mrs. Fabre’s voice was filled with confusion.

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t he?” Melissa butted in.

  “I don’t know,” Celine admitted. “I guess because I was with him more…”

  Crap. She hadn’t meant to say that.

  “What do you mean you were with him more?” Mrs. Fabre shook her head in disappointment. “Does Noah know?”

  “It’s not like that!” Her eyelids clamped together tightly in exasperation. “Like I’ve been telling Ruthie, Brian and I were just catching up.”

  “Well, if Ruthie called you out on Brian, then it must be a problem,” Melissa pointed out.

  “She’s just trying to switch tables on me so I’ll stop pointing out what a jerk Cash really is,” she explained rather defensively.

  “You’re engaged.” It was all Mrs. Fabre said. Her tone was stern and full of disappointment.

  “I know,” Celine replied with a shake of her head. “And trust me, I am not doing anything wrong. You know I’d never hurt Noah like that. I’m not that kind of person!”

  Just then, Celine’s phone began ringing. Intensity’s newest single played and she made a mental note to change her ringtone. It was a number she didn’t recognize and figuring it was work related, she answered, “Hello? Celine speaking.”

  “Celine? It’s Brian.”

  Celine’s eyes widened. She gulped and glanced between her mother and sister. They’d grow suspicious if she hung up right away. Taking a deep breath she mouthed, “It’s my agent,” and excused herself from the table. She quickly made it to the back of the restaurant and hissed, “Whose number is this?”

  “What? Why are you so mad? Would you not have answered if it was mine?” Brian sounded a bit hurt.

  Celine leaned back into the wall and began banging her head lightly against it. “What’s up, Brian?”

  “I just wanted to tell you that we moved my housewarming up. It’s tonight.”

  “Well, that’s a bit last minute,” she shot back.

  “So you can’t come? It would mean a lot if you did,” he told her.

  “Why the sudden change?” she asked, without answering.

  “There was some shifting around with Intensity’s schedule. We have to go to Jersey next week for an event and it just seemed ridiculous to push the party back a few months because of it.”

  “So you thought it would be a better idea to spring it at the last possible minute?” She couldn’t help but sound annoyed.

  “Are you pissed off at me or something? I told you I’m sorry for telling Cash I took care of you that night.”

  “I know,” she said begrudgingly.

  “Celine, please come. I don’t want to leave town knowing you’re pissed off at me.”

  “Why?” she exclaimed.

  He paused and took a breath. “I just don’t.”

  Celine looked across the restaurant and noticed her mom and sister looking at her curiously. Wanting to hurry up and finish the conversation, Celine muttered, “Fine. Whatever. I’ll be there.”

  “Great!” he replied happily. “See you tonight.”

  “Yeah,” Celine sighed, hanging up. She stared at the phone for a brief moment hatching a plan. As much as she didn’t want to go to the party, she knew she should. She would show up that night, but she wouldn’t show up alone. It was time for Brian to meet her fiancé.

  Chapter 39

  “I thought you weren’t coming into town until next week,” Ruthie said. She pressed her lips against Cash’s bare chest, paying close attention to the slight dips of his muscles.

  “I couldn’t stand two weeks without you. Of course I’d do my best to pull some strings to come and visit,” he whispered.

  Ruthie shook her head and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Cash asked with a smile. He caressed her hip softly, making her want nothing more than to go at it again.

  “I’m surprised the guys let you get away with it. I mean, being in Intensity isn’t like a regular job, right? Don’t you have contractual obligations?”

  Cash shrugged. “Hey, when you’re the most important member of the group, people make things work for you.”

  “Mmhmm,” Ruthie replied, not knowing what else to say. She turned away and laid flat on her back. She watched the ceiling fan make its rotations and shivered as the cool air hit her skin.

  “Hey,” Cash said, propping his head up. “Anything wrong?” He kissed her shoulder and sat back, admiring her.

  Ruthie couldn’t tell him she felt guilty for ditching her friend, so instead she asked, “What did you want to do while you’re in town?”

  “What? Spending the day naked isn’t good enough for you?” Cash laughed, bending his head over to kiss her belly button.

  Ruthie bit her lip. Though sleeping with Cash was like…wow! She couldn’t help but notice that all he ever wanted to do with her was have sex. Of course she knew things were different with him. It wasn’t as if he could just walk out in public and expect to spend a normal day outside. Still, Ruthie wanted something other than mind blowing sex.

  As if reading her mind, Cash asked, “You really want to do something, don’t you?”

  Ruthie shrugged her shoulders. “It’d be nice. You said you wanted normalcy, didn’t you? What’s more normal than going out and doing something fun together?”

  Cash pushed himself into a seated position. He patted the empty space by her head and instructed, “Get up and get dressed.”

  “Hmm, what?” she asked with alarm.

  “You said you wanted to do something and I have the perfect idea of what to do.”

  “You do?” Ruthie asked. “What?”

  He grinned. He pulled on his boxer-briefs before bending over to pick up his jeans. As he thrust one leg into his tailored pants, he answered, “It’s just something stupid I’ve always wanted to try. Just never had anyone to do it with.”

  “Is it legal?” Ruthie asked half-jokingly. She grabbed her bra and threw it back on, clasping the back together quickly. She still felt somewhat self-conscious standing around naked in front of Cash’s unworldly perfection.

  “Tell me what you really think of me.” Cash chuckled, pulling his tight black shirt over his torso. Even covered up, he looked good enough to eat off of.

  “I was only kidding,” Ruthie mumbled, pulling on her pastel yellow camisole.

  Cash walked around the bed and playfully tackled her back onto the mattress, leaving Ruthie to wonder whether they had just wasted their time getting dressed. Surprisingly, Cash pushed himself away. With a smile he said, “What I have in mind is plenty legal and I think it would be fun.”

  Ruthie groaned. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  ***

 
“What the fuck? How the hell did I let you talk me into this?” Ruthie asked. She began shaking uncontrollably, each clasp of the buckles sending shockwaves through her.

  “It’ll be fun!” Cash laughed excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to zip-line! What better place to do it than in Venice Beach?”

  Ruthie continued shaking. She was deathly afraid of heights and couldn’t help but wonder if this was her bad karma for skipping out on Celine.

  “Are you afraid of heights?” Cash asked. He looked over the edge of the platform and eyed the ground below. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I’m not…I mean, if I’m properly restrained I’m not afraid of heights.” Somehow having a tiny buckle and some material holding her above the ground did not seem like proper restraint. Regardless, the feeling of the harness digging into her jeans made her feel somewhat secure.

  “Cash! Oh my gosh! It’s Cash!” a shrieking voice called out.

  Cash looked down and waved at a few fans who had gathered below the platform. He grinned at Ruthie and joked, “I’m sure I can find someone else to go with me if you don’t want to.”

  “No, I’ll g-g-go,” Ruthie stammered. “I’ll do it.”

  “Great, because you’re next,” the attendant told her. Sweat marked the back and pits of his red polo shirt. He wiped off a bead of sweat, seemingly nervous. Why was he nervous? It only caused Ruthie to feel even more apprehensive. “On the count of three?” he asked.

  Ruthie patted her helmet nervously, making sure that she at least had some protection.

  “One.”

  “One,” Ruthie repeated.

  “Two.”

  “Tw—” Before Ruthie could even get the word out the attendant pushed her down the thick cable.

  “AHHHH!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. She clasped her eyes shut, feeling as if her stomach was trying to work its way up her esophagus.