Finding Peace (Finding Series Book 1)

by Love, K. J.

  “Did you plan on spending the night in the car?”

  “No. I was being entertained by the girls flirting with the guys. I thought I’d watch for a while.”

  “You’re crazy.” She grabs my arm and pulls me with her.

  “Great.” I reply sarcastically.

  We walk over and Tessa is greeted by some of the guys and girls who she must know from coming here before. We walk inside and I’m blasted with the sound of music and people talking excitedly to one another. There is a counter to the right as soon as you walk in. Behind the counter, a middle-aged couple are manning the post. Looking around at the younger crowd, I'd assume they own the place. Against two walls were various video games. A juke box at the very back of the room along with a few tables and three pool tables are lined up side by side in the center of the room. It’s not a very big place at all.

  Tessa and I stand over by some video games. A few girls that know Tessa, stop by and talk to us. I’m not really paying attention. My eyes keep scanning the room. There are just so many people in this small space, it’s unreal. Tessa nudges my side with her elbow saying “Kayla, you need to loosen up a little.”

  A guy with short dark hair walks up to play the video game that Tessa and I are standing next to.

  He looks at us and then asks, “Are y’all gonna play this game?”

  Tessa shakes her head no. We move over one machine. The guy steps up to the machine and says “Hi, I’m Maxwell but my friends call me Max. I’ve never seen y’all in here before. Did you just move here?”

  Tessa looks at me cautiously before she answers him. “Hi. I’m Tessa and this is Kayla. No, we didn’t just move here. I’m visiting my mother for the week and Kayla came with me.”

  “Oh well, nice to meet you.” He is just looking at us with his eyebrows raised waiting for us to respond.

  “You too.” We both say. I roll my eyes. He scratches the top of his head and puts his coins in the game and starts to play.

  We stand there in awkward silence for a few minutes. The bell over the door rings signaling the arrival of yet another person into this already very full place. I hear people laughing and there is a huge commotion in that direction. I lift my head and look that way. There’s a guy standing just inside the door now and everyone seems to be trying to get his attention.

  “Hey man. You want to play some pool.” Someone calls. The guy shakes someone else’s hand as he yells back to someone else across the room.

  “Yeah, give me a minute.”

  A couple of girls have walked up and are leaning on him, talking to him, but he doesn’t seem to even notice. I haven’t gotten a good look at him yet, but for some reason I can’t stop watching this scene unfold. People are surrounding him and talking to him. He’s just smiling, shaking his head and answering and trying to talk to each one of them. Talk about an entrance.

  He turns in my direction and the world just seems to stop.

  Chapter 5Kayla

  Our eyes locked and I think my lungs have actually forgotten how to work. I can’t breathe. We are staring at each other for what seems like forever. It’s as if everything else in the room has disappeared. My heart is racing and my hands are shaking. Stop looking at him for goodness sake. You probably look like an idiot right now. He slowly smiles at me. Well, I shouldn’t say smiles. It’s a slow, deliberate smirk that has my brain screaming at me to run as fast as I can, but I can’t move because I’m paralyzed.

  This weird feeling fills my stomach and has now sent a warmth over my whole body. My skin begins to heat, more on my face than anywhere else, letting me know that I'm now blushing. This makes him smile even bigger.

  Someone walks up and shakes his hand. He lifts his chin and says, “Hey man. What’s up?” But he never breaks eye contact with me. He continues to talk to the guy. This gives me the opportunity to break this intense staring contest we have going on.

  I blink a few times, shake my head and I am able to break from his stare but not from him. My eyes trail over him and he seems to be enjoying himself. From the heat that courses through my body, he knows exactly what I'm doing and he's doing the same to me. The guy has a mustache and almost black hair that's a little on the longer side. It's messy as if he's been running his hands through it. His tanned skin speaks of someone who's been working in the sun. Okay, I'll admit it, he's handsome. But the problem is, he knows it. Smirking to myself, I know his type all too well. He’s wearing some snug jeans, a tight gray T-shirt that’s stretched to its limit across is muscular chest and work boots. He has the sleeves rolled up, his biceps have me wanting to run my hands up and down those marvelous muscles. I’m now starting to think he has to be a lot older than me. Maybe he’s married and has kids somewhere.

  Unconsciously, I follow him with my eyes as he walks over to the pool table. He'll throw me a smirk every now and then, but I'll quickly look away. This only seems to encourage him to keep going. Now that he's closer, I can see his eyes better. They are these gorgeous hazel eyes that seem to be able to see exactly what I'm feeling. Oh, this is bad, really bad. I twirl the engagement ring on my left hand. Wishing like everything, that I didn’t have it on.

  “Hey, did you hear me?”

  “Hmm? What?” I shake my head and look at Tessa.

  “Where were you? I said do you just want to go? I mean, you aren’t talking to anyone and we are just standing here. We can go grab some food.”

  “I’m good; I’d like to stay for a while.”

  Tessa looks at me like she doesn’t know who I am. I shrug. “What?”

  “Nothing. I just figured you’d be ready to go.”

  Biting my lip, I sneak a glance over at Mr. Sexy. Looking back at Tessa, she's watching some girl play a race car game next to us. Maxwell is still playing the same game he was before; I completely lost all sense of time and my surroundings.

  “Tessa?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you know who that is?”

  “Who?”

  “The guy playing pool at the table in front of us.”

  “Which one?”

  “The one with the dark hair and muscles and….” I trail off just as he lifts his head and his eyes to meet mine.

  He’s bending over the table to sink the eight ball into a corner pocket. His muscles in his arms flex as he prepares the pool stick to make the shot.

  “No, I’ve never seen him before.”

  Max clears his throat. He’s now turned around facing us. I guess he finished his game and he thinks it’s perfectly fine to eavesdrop. “That’s Blake McGinnis. He’s a buddy of mine. He’s an amazing pool player. We usually play together. We are an unstoppable team. You want me to introduce you?”

  Oh no! I’m humiliated. I can’t believe he was listening to us. I, quickly and with way too much force, protest. “No!” I shake my head. “I mean no. I was just wondering who he is.”

  “Whatever then.” Max walks over to Mr. Sexy, who I now know is Blake. I smile to myself. I like that name. It fits him. I’m staring at him again, dang it. Tessa slaps my arm.

  “OH MY GOSH! What are you doing?”

  “Nothing! Keep your voice down. What is wrong with you?”

  “If you’re not doing anything, then why do I have to keep my voice down? Hmm?”

  “Shut up Tessa. I’m warning you. If you embarrass me, I will never speak to you again.”

  “Right. Like that will happen.” She rolls her eyes. “He’s cute.”

  Cute? He’s not just cute. He is so beyond cute. Mr. Sexy, bad boy, confident, muscular, dominate, charismatic, or just mmm. Yes, any of those will work. Of course I wouldn’t expect Tessa to see that. She has her Mr. Right. I risk looking in his direction again and now Max and Blake are looking this way talking. I don’t know this Max person, but right now I would really like to hurt him.

  Max heads back in our direction. It appears that Blake is involved in yet another game of pool, but I keep catching him watching me.

  “Hey! It’
s Kayla, right?” Max says as he approaches us.

  “Yes.” I answer with a puzzled look on my face.

  “My buddy over there,” Max says, tilting his head in the direction of Mr. Sexy-and-knows-it, “Would like to meet you.”

  “Well, why doesn’t Mr. Blake come and say so himself?”

  Please, let Mr. Sexy come over here, but I will not go over there. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

  “Hmm. Blake’s the kind of guy that the girls go to. Not the other way around.” Max is looking at me like he is dead serious.

  You have got to be kidding me. Ok, this guy has some nerve. He thinks he’s all that. Well, I’ll show him.

  “Hmm. Well, I’m not the kind of girl that just walks up to random guys I don’t know. And Mr. Blake looks like a hoodlum to me.”

  Max covers his mouth, trying to muffle his snickering. He presses his lips together and nods his head. “I’ll let him know.”

  What is this middle school? I roll my eyes as he walks away. Oh, this Blake guy may be hot, but who does he think he is? Like I’m going to come running because he has snapped his fingers. He doesn’t even know me and although I’d love to walk over there and run my fingers through that thick dark hair. I won’t run over and fall at his feet. I’m not one of the groupie girls that are now hanging around the pool table where he is still playing pool, just hoping that he will give them some attention.

  “Why won’t you go talk to him?” Tessa asks.

  “Because that is no way for a guy to ask to meet a girl and I’m engaged or did you forget?”

  “I didn’t forget. Did you? The way you keep looking at Blake, I don’t know, I think you might have forgotten. Besides your engagement is just a technicality. You just haven’t officially broken it off.”

  “Exactly, which means I’m technically still engaged.”

  “You’re killing me, Kayla.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Blake

  I’ve had my eye on this girl since I walked in. She is beautiful. She’s petite with a tiny waist and assets that I can definitely appreciate. Mmm, yeah, those are definitely some nice curves to appreciate. Her eyes are magnetic. I can’t really tell what color they are, maybe a light green, but not a green like I’ve ever seen. She’s been watching me too. We keep locking eyes and I can’t deny that the pull between us is like nothing I’ve ever felt. She’s got on a short blue jean mini skirt that is just short enough to drive me crazy.

  I had planned to walk over and talk to her, but as usual when I walk in this place everyone starts trying to pull me here or there. So I’ve been stuck playing pool since I walked in. These girls, that are over here, keep trying to get my attention. Normally, I’d be glad to talk to them, but right now all I want to focus on is this girl. Who is she? She’s never been here because I definitely would have noticed.

  That’s when I see that my buddy, Max is talking to her and another girl who is with her. She’s nice looking too. Total opposite of the blonde though. She’s got dark hair and looks like maybe blue eyes. It’s hard to tell from here. My focus is on the blonde though. I want to know who she is.

  Max is now standing beside me. When did he walk over here? Get it together man. Girls do not mess with your head like this.

  “Hey man. Wanna shoot a game with me when you’re done with this one?”

  “Yeah, sure. Who’s the blonde you were talking to?”

  “Oh. They are from some town two hours away. I think she said her name was Kayla and her friend's name is Tess or something like that. Why?”

  I move so that I can see around him to make sure they are still there.

  “Just curious.”

  “They were talking about you. The blonde asked the other one if she knew you. I guess the brunette’s mom lives here and they are just visiting for Spring Break.”

  Hmm, she was asking about me too. Good to know. I can always count on Max. “Go tell her I’d like to meet her. And make sure her name is actually Kayla. It’d be bad if I called her the wrong name.”

  “Yeah, man. Okay.”

  Taking my next shot, I watch as he walks over to the girls. Don't screw this up Max. I don't want her to leave before I get a chance to talk to her. My eyes keep glancing over in their direction as I wait for my next shot. Max is trying hard not to laugh about something she said.

  He starts walking back to me still trying really hard not to laugh. I give him a puzzled look and he can’t help it any longer he laughs and shakes his head.

  “She said and I quote, ‘Well, I’m not the kind of girl that just walks up to random guys I don’t know. And Mr. Blake looks like a hoodlum to me.’ I’m serious man. I don’t think she is interested.”

  “What the hell did you say to her?”

  “When she asked why you didn’t come over there yourself, I told her you’re not the type of guy that comes to girls, they come to you.”

  I back hand him on the shoulder. “Damn, Max you made me sound like an ass. I didn’t go over there because I’m in the middle of a game.”

  “Look, I thought it would help you out. It works with the other girls.”

  “You don’t say stuff like that to girls like that. That’s not going to impress her.”

  I’m not sure what makes her different, I just feel it. She’s not like these other girls who always throw themselves at the guys. She might be wearing a mini skirt, but she doesn’t look like she is putting herself on display. I can tell she’s shy by the way she keeps blushing every time I catch her watching me.

  I look at her and we lock eyes again. Cocking my head to the side, giving her a smirk, I raise my eyebrows. She in turn cocks her head to the side and shrugs. She wants me to think that she isn’t interested in talking to me, but her body language is telling me a different story.

  Giving her a bigger smile, I nod my head in and up and down motion. Then I change my look and stare deep into her eyes and then lick my lips. Her look turns serious now. Smirking, I now know for sure that I'm affecting her as much as she's affecting me. I walk in her direction and the closer I get I can see her chest is rising up and down quickly.

  Then it occurs to me. She thinks she knows who I am. She has no idea who she is dealing with. Hoodlum, huh? I smile smugly more to myself than her now. There are only a few steps that separate us, she's almost frozen in her spot. With a look of nervousness plain on her face, her face flushes staining her cheeks. It was a delicious shade of pink that almost matches that pink tank top, that's killing me. Just then I get an idea.

  I turn and walk back to the juke box and choose a new popular song that all the girls seem to be crazy about right now.

  “What are you doing? I thought you were going to talk to her.”

  “I’ve got a better idea. Just watch and learn.”

  Max shakes his head. “Oh, this should be good.”

  We walk back to the pool tables as the music to ‘Lost in Your Eyes’ by Debbie Gibson starts to play. She’s staring at me trying to figure out what I’m doing. I stop right in front of her, lean in close and whisper in her ear. “Just remember you’re forcing me to do this.” She looks even more confused now.

  Jumping up on the pool table, I start to sing along with Debbie. Actually, I must confess, this is a stroke of pure genius. With a look down at Kayla, I decide to change the words up just for her.

  “I get lost in Kayla’s eyes. And I feel my spirits rise. And soar like the wind. Is it love that I am in? I get weak in a glance. Isn’t this what’s called romance. And now I know. Cause when I’m lost I can’t let go.”

  I’m singing right to her and her whole face and neck are now blushing. She is pleading with me to please get down. Everyone has stopped what they are doing and she is trying to hide her face. I think she might bolt in a moment.

  I stop singing and squat down so I know that she can hear me. The place has exploded with conversations, cat calls, and some clapping.

  “Are you going to talk to me?”

  S
he puts her head down and shakes her head no. She won’t look at me.

  “Okay. I’ll just keep singing then.” I move to stand back up.

  She looks at me and she is trying hard not to smile. She starts waving her hands. “No! No more. Please.”

  “So you’ll talk to me? I just want to talk to you.”

  She takes a deep breath and looks up at me with those crystal green eyes and I think my heart stops. Swallowing hard, I hold my breath as I wait for her answer.

  “Yes, just talk. If you’ll get down and stop singing. I’ll talk to you.”

  Thank God. I smile at her and she closes her eyes and puts her hand up to her forehead.

  “Okay.” I jump down and extend my hand to her. “Hi, I’m Blake McGinnis and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  She extends her tiny hand and places it in mine. When I close my hand around hers, I lose all train of thought. There’s an almost electrical current like feel that is flowing between us right now and it feels amazing.

  “Hi. My name is Kayla and I’m not so sure it’s a pleasure to meet you yet. You just completely embarrassed me.”

  I shake my head yes and then shrug. “You kind of forced me to take drastic measures.”

  That causes her to give me a full smile that lights up her whole face. Yes, I have to get to know this girl. Realizing that I’m still holding her hand, I release it and run my hands through my hair. The feel of that electrical current is still between us. This is going to be fun. I just have to get her to let her guard down and get her to admit that she is interested in getting to know me better. It’s going to happen. This I am sure of.

  Chapter 6Kayla

  I watch as Max and Blake talk to each other. They keep glancing this way. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like what they are saying. I can’t let this guy get to me. It’s not possible right now. Maybe if this was happening a few months from now, things could be different. I see Blake hit Max in the arm. He doesn’t look too happy with his friend at the moment.