UNPLUGGED: a standalone novel

by LK Collins

  The ground beneath us shifts, the sound of the cracking is so loud that I’m not sure what to do. And before I can react to her wide and scared eyes, I realize how bad of an idea it was to walk on the lake we fished a few days ago with how sunny it’s been.

  “Don’t move.”

  “Okay,” she says, visibly scared, but trusting. As I step to my right, the ice cracks. Quinn falls in, her screams echoing off the canyon surrounding us. Instinctively, I reach for her arms and hold on to her as I’m now lying flat on my stomach. Her face is contorted with fear. “I got you. I got you,” I tell her and know I have to get her out of the freezing water quickly. Scooting myself backwards, I slowly pull her out and pray that the ice doesn’t give again.

  Each shift of our weight causes a thud beneath us. My heart pounds harder than I can ever remember. Quinn is frightened, I can see it in her eyes, and I pray that I can get us out of this.

  It doesn’t take me long; I’ve won half of the battle. With both of us lying on the ice, her teeth are chattering, and very calmly I tell her, “Spread your legs apart and scoot to the edge of the ice, it’s not too far.”

  “No, I’m not leaving you here.”

  “Goddammit, Quinn, go!” I yell at her.

  Tears fill her eyes, and she scoots away from me. I can feel each time she moves, and the ice makes noises beneath my body. Waiting for what feels like an eternity, I can’t believe this has happened. Then she finally says the words. “I’m off the ice.”

  Taking in a deep breath, I contemplate getting up and running. Wondering if I could outrun the cracking ice, like in the movies. But I don’t dare risk it, not while Quinn’s shivering body is waiting for me.

  As I scoot along, the noises have me fearing I won’t make it. But Quinn’s eyes keep me going, and finally, I make it off the ice. She throws herself around me, and I lift her wet, shivering body in my arms, jogging back to the house as fast as I can.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her.

  “I think so.” Her lips are blue and teeth still chattering.

  Rushing inside, everyone looks at us, shocked, as I burst through the door and I head straight towards our bathroom. “Oh my God, what happened?” Willow asks.

  “She fell through the ice,” I respond and start the shower. Quinn is standing in the middle of the room, clearly in shock as her body is trembling.

  “Shouldn’t we call 911?” Willow asks.

  “She was only in the water for thirty seconds tops; she’s not disoriented. I don’t think she needs to go to the hospital.”

  “Quinn, do you want me to call an ambulance?” Willow asks her, and she shakes her head as I help her undress and then get her into the shower. The hot water surrounds her body, slowly calming her chattering teeth.

  “Can I get you something?” Willow asks her.

  “Dry clothes,” I tell Willow and strip naked myself, getting inside the shower while Willow is gone.

  Quinn’s body shakes as I rub my hands up and down her arms, trying to help circulate her blood. Slowly, I watch the life come back to her as the color returns to her face. Thank God, she’s okay. I’m not sure what I would’ve done had something happened to her.

  “Thank you for saving me,” she says, and I kiss the top of her wet hair.

  With Quinn in my arms, I have a tight hold on her, realizing in this moment as we stand here together, just how precious life is. Today we both could’ve died and then what? What would things be like in a world with no Quinn and no Merritt? The thought is unsettling, and I hold her tighter and harder. Processing the reality that after tomorrow my life will not have Quinn in it, and I don’t know how to deal with that.

  Chapter 19

  Quinn

  Sitting on the edge of the tiny bed that Merritt and I shared for the better part of a week, I’m really going to miss this place. Looking at the door to the room and the spot where we first laid eyes on each other, I never thought I’d feel the way I do about him, but he’s shown me so much and proved to me that maybe not all men are alike.

  This week has been such a whirlwind. It has flown by; from body shots, to being kissed in the forest, to a game of Truth or Dare like no other, to watching the clouds roll by, and to the most mind-blowing sex, it’s all been the best, and I’ll always hold those memories close to me. For Christ’s sake, he saved my life.

  “You ready?” Merritt asks me, popping into the room.

  “I am.” I take his hand, and he yanks me off the bed. “I’m gonna miss your lips.”

  “Just my lips?” I tease him as he kisses me.

  “Yup…that’s all.”

  I smile and follow him as we head downstairs to say goodbye to everyone.

  “Thank you for such an amazing trip,” I tell Ari as I hug him and unfortunately squeeze a little bit too hard. He winces from the pain. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Anytime, Quinn, you know that.”

  Smiling back at him, I say my goodbyes to everyone else. “Call me as soon as you’re home,” Willow orders me and hands me back my cell phone.

  “I will.” Taking it back from her, I realize I really don’t want it. This time away from obsessing over my phone has been so unbelievably refreshing. But this trip is only a week; now it’s back to the real world and real life.

  “What time is your flight?” I ask Merritt as I hug him and he says, “Two-thirty.”

  “I’m gonna miss you.”

  He cups my face looking deep into my eyes. “You still have to drive me to the airport, so you’re not rid of me yet.”

  I smile, and we look around the house one last time. Then head outside where we all load up and go our separate ways. As the other group leaves, Merritt and I sit in my car, so many emotions running through me. First of all, I hate goodbyes and even though I only wanted a week, the thought of ending things here with him is hard. I plug my phone in and exhale.

  He takes his hand and rests it atop my knee reading me well, “Thank you for everything, Quinn. I’m really gonna miss you.”

  “Of course. I’m sorry,” I apologize as tears fill my eyes. “I just hate goodbyes.”

  “This doesn’t have to be goodbye,” he says, and a part of me doesn’t want things to end. It’s not fair of me to place him in the same group as all of the other men I’ve been with. He’s different; he’s proved that time and time again. So would it be so bad to give things a shot?

  Looking into his sexy eyes, I’m reminded of all the things he’s done for me, from saving my life, to my bracelet, to cuddling in the world’s most uncomfortable tiny bed. To the hours on end, we’d just talk…about nothing and everything all at the same time.

  But before I can answer him, my phone chimes on and the familiar noise draws my eyes to it. Tell your boyfriend he better watch his fucking mouth and man up saying what he emailed me to my face. I blink processing the text as another, and another chime comes through.

  “What’s the matter?” Merritt asks me.

  The familiar stomach churning feeling of betrayal that I have grown to know so goddamn well rains down upon me. How is this possible? What does he even mean?

  “Quinn?” Merritt asks me again and then it hits me.

  I checked my email from his iPad when he was in the hospital with Ari. “Did you email my fucking ex?” He shifts in his seat, visibly uncomfortable. “Did you?” I ask again, this time more agitated.

  “I did, I saw the email he sent to you and had to.”

  Jesus Christ, he’s just like every other man out there. And just when I was beginning to think that he was different, he’s not. I’m not even with him, and he’s already gone behind my back and done something to hurt me.

  “Why wouldn’t you have told me?”

  “The things he said to you were so awful.”

  “They are just words. It wasn’t your place; responding is what he wanted. It’s giving in to him. I even blocked his phone number, and he keeps using other numbers to contact me.”

  “That’s why I c
ontacted him—he’s a bitch and needs to be put in his place.”

  “You don’t know him, Merritt; there’s no putting that man in his place…trust me.”

  “I could with my fist!”

  “But it’s not your place. Don’t you see that? This is just another reason why I need to be single. I don’t need anyone making choices for me.” Starting my Jeep, I pull away from the house and head towards the airport. I don’t want him to miss his flight. He’s quiet as I drive. I don’t think either of us saw things ending this way, which is funny because there wasn’t supposed to be anything between us to begin with.

  We knew at the end of the week our time would end and that is exactly what it’s come down to.

  Stopping at his terminal, he reaches for the door handle. But doesn’t get out. He leans over the center console and cups my cheek, his warm hands so soothing against my skin, but I fight the feeling. “Just so you know, last week was one of the best of my life, and I was only trying to help you with the email…Goodbye, Quinn.”

  He kisses me one last time and stupidly, I let him. He ignites so many emotions inside my belly and then just like that…he’s gone.

  The pain of watching him walk away hurts so much. I’ve grown to like our time together more than I’d realized, and in a way…depend on him. But I remind myself that we can’t be together. He’s got a busy life as do I, neither of us has time for a relationship.

  Sitting here, I realize just how lonely of a life I lead. Merritt’s words that last week was one of the best of his life is just how I feel. And even though I’m mad as hell at him and as much as he says he was trying to help me and thought what he was doing was right…it wasn’t. The truth is, he didn’t tell me. He just swept it under the rug. I find some peace in reminding myself of that as I drive home.

  If he could so easily brush that away, he’d do it again and again in a heartbeat. I made a decision to focus on myself after my ex broke up with me and that is exactly what I’m going to keep doing.

  ***

  “I’m home,” I tell Willow as she answers her phone on the first ring.

  “Oh, good, was the drive okay?”

  “Yeah, not too much traffic.” Opening the door to my quiet condo, everything is as it was when I left it. “You guys make it home yet?”

  “Almost, maybe another thirty minutes or so.” Willow and Ted live down south in Colorado Springs, which is about an hour from me.

  “All right, well, I’m gonna unpack and do some laundry before heading to my parents’ for dinner.”

  “Tell them we said hi.”

  “I will. I…I might also shut my phone off tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “My ex, he keeps calling and texting me, I need a break from it.”

  “Don’t do that, Quinn. Put a stop to it. Call and have your phone number changed.”

  “I’ll think about it, I promise. Bye, babe.”

  I hang up my phone and then power it down. I think it’s come to that point, where I need to just turn it off. And in all honesty, Willow might be right; I might need to change the phone number too. Even if it is a pain in the ass, the comfort of knowing he can’t call me will be worth it in the end.

  Unzipping my suitcase, I begin to sort through all my clothes so I can run a load of wash and I notice the sash that Merritt used as a blindfold on me is tucked to the side of my bag. Slowly, I pull it out and written across it in what looks like thick black marker is his phone number. The memories of our time together all come flooding back to me. God, we had fun, so much fun. He was amazing and sexy and fulfilled so many desires inside me…but sadly I push them away…I have to…to protect myself.

  Tossing the sash on my bed, I let it go and keep my head on straight as I throw a load of laundry in the wash, then make the short trip to my parents’ house.

  Pulling up to it, my mom is standing in the driveway with her hands on her hips, while my poor dad is on a ladder stringing more holiday lights along the gutters of the house.

  “Wow, more lights?”

  “Yeah, I just felt like it needed that little extra oomph,” my mom responds and gives me a hug.

  “It looks great. Hi, Daddy, be careful.” He curses under his breath, clearly frustrated to be adding more lights to their already outrageous setup. You know those houses your parents would always take you to when you were a kid, the ones with lights that music would play to? Well, that’s my parents’ house. They go all out every year and have nonstop traffic driving by for the entire month of December.

  As my dad comes down the ladder, he gives me a hug and says to my mom, “Is that all you want added to the roof? Because once I put this ladder up, I’m done until January.”

  She laughs him off, not answering him, and it’s because she’ll want to add more or make a change like she always does and he’ll gripe and moan, but he’ll do it…for her. We follow my dad in through the garage and the second we enter the house, the smell of her amazing vegetable shepherd’s pie invades my senses.

  “I made your favorite,” my mom says.

  “I can smell it.”

  “So how was your trip this year, dear?” She always loves to hear about all of the things we do and the games we play, like she’s vicariously living through me. My dad is already lounged back in his recliner watching TV in the living room.

  “It was good. I had to share a room with a guy, so that was unexpected.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, he’s one of Ari’s friends. They used to work together.” My dad turns the TV up, still hating to hear me talk about dating or men in any fashion.

  “How’d that go?”

  “Good, he was nice and…” I trail off, what am I even trying to say? Am I going to tell her that I like him? Why would I do that when what we had was only for a week? It was a one-time thing, and now we’re done.

  “And what?”

  “Oh nothing…he was a real gentleman, he even bought me this.” I show her my bracelet and her eyes beam touching the locket.

  “Oh, Quinn, it’s just like your old one.”

  “It is. We found it in a store in Steamboat.”

  “That’s where your dad and I got yours.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. How nice of him to buy it for you.”

  “Well, I didn’t have my wallet, and I tried to pay him back, but he wouldn’t let me.”

  “It’s lovely, dear…really lovely.”

  And it is. Looking at how happy my mom is that I’ve got a new bracelet makes me realize that I’ve got Merritt to thank. And maybe, I need her unbiased opinion about everything. She is one of my best friends. I tell her everything, so she knows about my ex and would understand if I told her about my and Merritt’s one-week agreement. She might be able to shine some clarity on things.

  Chapter 20

  Merritt

  It’s been a week since I left Colorado, and I still can’t shake Quinn from my thoughts. I swear I think about her constantly. When I go to bed, she’s the last thing I think about, and as soon as I wake up, she’s the first thing on my mind. I miss her. I miss holding her, fucking her, and just being with her.

  I’ve never met a woman quite like her; she’s gorgeous and sweet, funny and sexy. She’s everything that I’ve been looking for, and unfortunately, she’s emotionally unavailable.

  I’d hoped by now that she would’ve called or texted, as I left her my number…but still not a single word. “Mr. Smith,” my receptionist, Suzy, chimes in through my phone.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I have your father for you, on line three.”

  “Thanks.”

  Looking at the button, I contemplate not even answering it. My dad has been a real piece of work since I got back. “Hey, Dad,” I reluctantly answer.

  “Dammit, Merritt, why didn’t you tell me that the Serranos weren’t renewing their lease with us?” The Serrano Family is a prominent farming family in the plains of Colorado who lease us over fifty acres of
oil-producing land.

  “I did. I emailed you about it before I went to Colorado.”

  “No, you didn’t. And now I have to hear about it from that little prick of a friend of yours who betrayed us that he got their lease. You know how I feel about giving Ari any of our business.”

  “I’ll find the email and forward it to you again, but I told you.”

  “What’s it matter now? They’re gone.”

  “Here it is, your exact words were, ‘Fuck, them. We don’t need their piddly fifty acres.’ So I let it go.”

  “Well, you shouldn’t have. You know how I can overreact sometimes.”

  Understatement of the fucking year.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I’m so aggravated. I get distracted as a new email comes through.

  “Did you fucking hear me?”

  “No, I’m sorry someone came into my office,” I lie.

  “I want you to get the Serranos back. Understand?” he barks at me and hangs up. Of course he does. It’s all mind games when it comes to my dad. So I dial Ari’s number to even see if he signed the deal for real or not.

  “What up, bitch?” he answers, obviously feeling better and back to his old self.

  “Oh, you know, I’ve just got my father up my ass.”

  “Tell me about it; he’s fuckin’ nuts.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think he needed to be committed.” He laughs at my comment, and so do I. My father is always the brunt of our jokes, though I’d never say any of these things to his face.

  “So what’s up, man? You been talking to Quinn?”

  “Nah, she hasn’t called me.”

  “Really? Must be busy. I’ll shoot you her contact info.”

  “Thanks, brother. So did you really sign the Serranos?”

  “Hell yeah, I did.”

  Dammit.

  “What would it cost me to get them back?”

  “Are you kidding me?”