“I bet you had to use an extra tall ladder for him.”
She’s joking. That’s a good sign right? That means she’s happy.
God man, get a grip.
“So, what made you come?” I ask her.
She pauses for a second. She slowly gives me a smile. Her smile is something that will forever compel me. With that smile I will do anything for her.
“I wanted to do something for me”
That is the best answer she could ever give me. Truthfully, no matter what she said I still wouldn’t be able to let her go. She has my heart and if she wants it it’s hers, forever.
I walk towards her until our faces are inches away from each other. I stare deep into her beautiful gray eyes and soak in the happiness I see through them. God she is beautiful and she is right here with me.
I place my hand upon her face. I stroke her cheek with my thumb feeling her smooth skin.
This is it. This is the true defining moment of our story, our adventure, and our love?
“Here we go” She says, before I can answer my question in my head. She places her hands on my forearms.
I slowly grin and for the first time I kiss her first.
Claudia
All I could do was smile on my way back home.
It was one of the best nights of my life. All we did was kiss and talk. I got his number finally. The caller ID is just a heart emoji. Yes, I know that’s cheesy but I feel cheesy and corny and it feels awesome.
“Claudia?” I turn quickly, scared at my father as I walk through the door. My heart is so overwhelmed I could easily get scared.
“Hey dad!” I say awkwardly. God Claudia keep it cool.
“You’re late.”
“I know. I’m sorry me and Jade were so caught up in talking. She was having guy troubles.”
“Okay well next time call to let me know you’re going to be late okay?” My dad says with his glass of brandy in hand. I swear every parent in this city drinks whiskey, Scotch or Brandy.
“Yeah, of course daddy.”
“You’re very chipper right now.” He looks at me curiously.
“Yeah well I had a great day.” I kiss him on the cheek. “Goodnight daddy.”
I quickly run upstairs to my room and close the door with my back pressed against it. I walk towards my bed, turn around, spread my arms out and I fall backwards with a smile on my face.
Donovan
One month.
One month of pure happiness has passed.
One month of sneaking around in the janitor’s closet and the basement of the library in school. A month of funny cryptic text messaging between us, meeting at least three or four times a week at our abandoned house on Cottage Street. One month of me and Claudia shutting out the world and being us… together.
“Dude, what are you staring at?” I snap out of my daydreaming to see Jason staring at me like I’m crazy.
“Nothing. Nothing just thinking man.” I say to him getting back to my lunch.
“So what are we up to tonight?”
“I can’t hang out tonight I have to study for a test.” I lie.
“Oh really, a test for what?” Emile asks.
I give him the look I always give him when he acts like he doesn’t know what I’m really talking about. He knows where I will be tonight but he likes to mess with me. He finds it funny, that jackass.
“History” I answer him.
“Looking good ladies” I turn around to see Jade, Dawn, and of course Claudia walking past our table. They all laugh at Jason’s comment.
I watch as they sit down at their table. I’m waiting for Claudia to look up. She does. She grins a little at me. It’s enough for my heart to flutter. I can’t believe I just said flutter, but that’s what happens when you’re happy I guess. You start using lame ass terms like flutter. God I can’t wait to see her tonight. I can’t wait to kiss her. I can’t wait to tell her how happy I am. Jade is giving me the “don’t break my friend’s heart” look again.
I understand why she is worried. Emile is too, but he is getting used to it. I really do wish we weren’t in this situation. I wish I could let everyone know how much I…well I think how much I love her. Love has been on my mind a lot and I know that’s quick after a month but it’s really what I’m starting to feel. Every little thing she does makes me smile. It makes me feel like I finally have a purpose in this fucked up world.
I feel like my purpose is to love her.
Claudia
He seriously needs to stop staring at me like that. It makes me want to rip his clothes off right now in front of everyone. I know crazy right? I never knew someone could make me think these things or let alone want to do them. I’ve been having a lot of dreams about him. Sex dreams of course. I can’t help it, look at him with his bright piercing blue eyes, long eyelashes that magnifies the intensity of his stares and the way his golden blonde hair sticks up. I can’t believe he doesn’t use any hair products for that hair.
Don’t let me get started on his body. Last week while we were making out things got really hot. I took off his shirt and his abs are perfect. Six pack of course. His lips are full and soft and all I want to do is… well you get the picture. The way he touches me when we are together is amazing. Let’s just say his hands gave me an orgasm. His hands! All he did was slip his hand in my jeans and did something magical. I’ve had an orgasm pleasuring myself before and of course from using my vibrator Jade got me for my seventeenth birthday but that doesn’t even compare to Donovan and his hands. So imagine what sex with him would be like. Actually, I imagine it all the time.
Besides physical perfection Donovan has a true heart. I watch him a lot when no one is looking. I love how he interacts with his friends. He loves them a lot, especially his sister. Even though his sister and I hate each other I can tell he brings out the good side of her. I actually witness her smiling when she’s around him. I wondered if Donovan knew that Eric cheated on me with Ella. I’m pretty sure nobody told him and I’m fine with that because I don’t care about it. It has nothing to do with what we have. I smile when I’m around him too. He is so funny. He has this sarcasm that is hilarious and cute. It gets on my nerves sometimes. He annoys me a lot but it’s always saved by that smile. Even though he listens to me he thinks he’s right a lot. He’s a typical male with that but with everything else he is different. He doesn’t let what his father does define him, but I do see that he thinks he isn’t that important in his family. He blames everything on himself, from when he was kidnapped to the night his brother died. He finally told me everything that happened that night. I asked if it were enemies of his father, but he said he really doesn’t know. He told me his father legit and yes, I believe it. I trust him and Donovan trusts me. He looks at me as his equal. Of course I would never tell my father anything he tells me. I would never betray Donovan. I do want my father to be happy too, but the way he goes about it is too much. I love my dad, but I also love Donovan.
Oh my God. Do I love him? It’s been on my mind, but I don’t want to get in over my head here. It’s too fast… isn’t it?
“Claudia?” I snap out of my thoughts and glance up to see Naomi looking at me with curiosity.
“Yeah?”
“So do you think we should go to Cancun for Spring Break?”
“Um I don’t know” Personally I don’t want to go anywhere for Spring Break, especially not with Naomi.
“I have to go to the restroom, Claudia will you come with me?” Jade says pulling me from the table, before I can respond.
We enter the bathroom and I watch Jade as she looks under each stall and kicks each door open to see if anyone is in here. I can already tell she is about to give me another lecture.
“You seriously need to chill.”
“What?”
“You and Donovan’s googly eyes are starting to become real obvious to the people that observe.”
“Like you?” I say with a grin.
“Yes! I get it y
ou’re happy and I’m happy that you’re happy, but you do realize if any of this gets out it will be hell on earth”
“Yes, I know” I cover my face with both hands. “It’s like we’re in our own world sometimes and I can’t help but say in my head screw everyone.”
“I get that sweetie, but because I know you and your dad, I can’t usually give my fuck everyone else motto. I just want you to be careful. It’s okay that me and his little short friend know because obviously we are the trust worthy people here, but if anyone else finds out like Eric, Naomi, or his bitch of a sister, we are seriously dead.”
We both are interrupted by the swing of the bathroom entry door.
“What are you doing with my brother?” I instantly turn around to see Ella Pierce with her usual “I hate you stare” only this time it’s worse.
“What?” I try to act nonchalant.
“Are you seeing my brother?”
Oh shit.
Chapter
7
“Trouble In Paradise”
Donovan
“You are an asshole!” I sit up on my bed seeing my sister bursting in my room like some mad woman.
“What the hell Ella?” I say taking out my headphones.
“You’re seeing Henry Stonem’s daughter!”
I jump off my bed and run towards the door closing it. I turn back to her.
“Keep your voice down okay?”
“Keep my voice down? Sure, as soon as you tell me how long.” I sigh and continue staring at her. “How long Donovan?!”
“Alright!” I look back at my door. “A month.”
“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes widen. “How could you? Do you have no loyalty to this family? To dad?”
“Don’t” How could she say that? “You know damn well I would do anything for our family”
“Except when it comes to your dick obviously.”
“It’s not like that”
“What? It’s real? You actually care about her?”
I can’t even answer her question. It is real. It’s the most real thing I ever felt.
Ella’s eyes widen some more as she sees the expression on my face.
“Donovan you’re insane. She is using you. Probably to piss off daddy.”
“Ella you don’t have the full story.”
“Well tell me!” Ella is clearly angry and hurt by this and I really am sorry.
“I met her the night Christian died.”
Her anger turns into shock and disbelief.
“What?”
“She is the one person who can put me at that party. I met her and we didn’t know who each other were and we just clicked. When I left, I thought I’d never see her again, but than I did. It just happened.”
“You probably didn’t know, but she did”
“No she didn’t”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know her.”
“No. No you don’t. You know me. You know mom. You know dad. You don’t know her Donovan. She is a Stonem.”
“So what.” I say annoyed.
“So what?”
“She is nothing like her father.”
“Oh that’s sweet. Just sweet. Why don’t we invite the whole Stonem family for Sunday dinner?”
Obviously she is being sarcastic.
“How do you even know? Did Emile tell you?”
“Emile knows?” She stares off into space fathoming what I just said. “That little shit”
“I made him promise not to tell anyone.”
“Oh like she made her sidekick too.”
“Wait? How do you know Jade knows?”
“I could see it on both their faces when I confronted her in the bathroom.”
“What the hell Ella.” No wonder why Claudia hasn’t text me back yet.
“I mean it was obvious by the way you two were staring at each other today.”
“You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“You know she is probably doing this to get back at me.”
“What? Why?”
Ella hesitates. What the hell does this have to do with her? She continues being silent as she bites her lip. That means it’s bad.
“Ella!”
“Okay. I didn’t want you to know because I knew you would be pissed, but I slept with Eric Anderson while they were dating. I told her which caused them to break up. It really doesn’t matter because he always cheated on her.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“It’s no big deal”
“It’s no big deal Ella? That’s bull shit. Why would you do that?”
Not only has this douche slept with Claudia but he also slept with my little sister. This has to be a nightmare.
“Ella, answer me!”
“Because I hate her! Okay?! I hate her and so should you!”
“Well I don’t! I love her!”
I say it, before I could even stop. What the hell is wrong with me?
I see the shock and hurt in Ella’s face.
“You love her? You are out of your mind.”
“Listen, just don’t tell anyone okay?”
“Don’t worry because I wish I never found out. Christian would be real proud.”
She leaves my room with that hurtful sentence. If Christian was alive, he would probably kick my ass.
Claudia
Today is not a good day at all.
I’ve been paranoid out of my freaking mind since Ella confronted us in the bathroom. She accused me of seeing Donovan and all I could do was stand there. She knew. She immediately left out leaving me and Jade there in a panic. I’m waiting on Donovan because we were supposed to see each other tonight, but I really want to know how many other people know.
“Hey” I turn around to see him standing in the middle of the vintage living room. By the way he says hey and the way he looks at me I’m guessing Ella talked to him.
“Hey”. I say quietly back.
“How are you?”
I shrug. “Freaking out of course.”
“Yeah I talked to Ella.”
“Yeah I figured that.”
“She’s pretty upset, but I don’t think she is going to say anything.”
“You don’t think? Donovan I know she is your sister, but if you haven’t noticed she hates me”
“Yeah, I know. Especially since I found out she slept with Eric.”
Love and Hate (The Pierce Family Trilogy) Page 14