O.J.

by Penny Hawking

  I put my pizza down. “Andy was this a test?” I whispered.

  “Let’s go join the others at the table.” He said quickly as he pointed to the group behind us who was wolfing down the pizza. I turned my head to look at them, the only two people who were calm and controlled were Seth and Christina

  “Andy…what I don’t get it.” I whispered quickly as he got up.

  I hurriedly got up and left my camera on the floor. I went to grab my beer but Andy stopped me as he took it for me. “Andy were you like showing me to your friends or something? Cause that’s weird, and if you were there’s such thing as a warning, if you’re going to put me on display or something.” I said in hushed voice.

  Without warning he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips that shut me up. I didn’t ask what it was for, but I looked at him and he shrugged with a slight smirk on his face. “They needed a photographer and you’re a photographer.” He said casually. He turned and walked away, leaving me stumped as I watched his back. Oh come on I’m not dumb, I know there was more to that. I wanted to yell his name, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. Unable to do anything else I headed over to the table.

  “Ornelia, you need to eat quickly because I can finish this shit up in a blink of an eye.” Brad said. He snapped his fingers. “Bam gone.”

  “Thanks for the warning.” I said laughing as I reached for another slice.

  “Since you refused to let us pay you…” Jared said taking out an envelope.

  “Of course, you guys are helping me out, this goes in my portfolio.” I said truthfully.

  “You get an honorary pass to each and every one of our shows.” He said taking something out the envelope and handing me a necklace with yellow VIP badge that I saw Andy wearing at their other show. I put my plate of pizza down and took the badge.

  “I feel honored guys.” I said smiling. I looked the badge over. “Now I’m a true groupie.”

  They laughed. Well by they I mean Jared and Brad because they’re the only two in the room capable of laughter.

  Andy leaned against the wall as he drank his beer and watched me.

  “We have something else…you can’t be a groupie without.” Brad said reaching into a bag. “Ta-da!” he said holding up a Torn Rose black t-shirt.

  I squealed like a groupie and even Christina’s smile got a little bigger. I took the shirt and held it up against me proudly.

  Christina turned to watch Andy. But Andy’s eyes were too focused on somebody else holding a black shirt. Christina’s gaze dropped down to her plate. She brought the pizza up to her mouth slowly to hide the smile threating to reveal itself.

  “She’s so happy, she needs something to drink.” Seth said holding up his metal bottle.

  “No!” Everybody in the room said simultaneously except for me.

  “What’s in there guys?” I asked curiously, way more intrigued since this wasn’t the first time, I’d been denied what was in his cup.

  “Rat poison.”

  “Hot sauce.”

  “Vodka.”

  “Tequila.”

  “Rum.”

  “Gasoline.”

  “Piss.” Andy said drinking his beer.

  “That was one time Andy.” Seth said. “Never again.” He said shaking his head.

  I stared at him with my mouth open. I turned to the other band members. “You guys are joking right?”

  Christina shook her head.

  “How are you still alive?” I asked Seth.

  “He never forgets the tomato juice!” Brad yelled.

  I put my hand over my mouth in attempt not to gag and everybody laughed.

  *****

  Andy ran his hand up and down my thigh as his lip moved against mine. I ran my hands up his face and through his hair as I sighed contently. He brought his head down and pressed kisses against my collarbone. I finally opened my eyes and grinned. “It’s getting a little hot in this truck isn’t it?” I joked as I looked up at the fogged up windows.

  Andy looked up and touched the window on the passenger side and slide his hand down. “Some titanic shit…” he said in an even low voice.

  I laughed out loud as I lifted his head and kissed him. “You’re silly.” I said and I kissed him again.

  Andy groaned as he straightened up in the driver’s seat. He leaned his head back as he zipped his jeans back up. I giggled as I adjusted my bra and shirt and zipped up my jeans. “So where are we off to now?” I asked. “You have me at your disposal for 3 days, before I go home for winter break.” I grinned.

  It had been really cute this morning. He’d shown up at my house with his Xbox saying he wanted to play video games with me. I told him, I could’ve driven over there if he called, but he gave me this dumb look like why would I even suggest that. We played a couple rounds of car Portal 2, Fallout, Battlefield, Assassin’s creed and I even dabbled in Call of Duty. I sucked at first, but I slowly got better and ended up beating him a few time, but I think it was because he was letting me win though he denied it. The house was quiet because Jasmine and Brittany already left for break. I had planned on leaving the same time as them…but I wouldn’t see Andy for a whole month. So I moved my drive home back a couple days. I was glad I did. It was really fun being just me and him. So after our video games mania streak we went out for a late lunch at Cookout for some burgers and shakes. Well I had the vanilla milk shake and surprisingly Andy had the chocolate milkshake. That is the only thing sweet he’d ever drank and liked, chocolate milk and chocolate milkshake. Of course you know I had a joke or two in there about destiny and how the finer things in life were chocolate. To my utter surprise and happiness, Andy himself included and I will quote him, “like the women.” I would be lying if I said I didn’t lean over and give him a big kiss. Maybe that’s what got me all worked up when on our way back we pulled off the road for a much needed make-out session.

  “Skating?” He asked.

  “Roller?” I asked.

  “Ice.” He answered.

  My mouth dropped open. “I don’t know how to ice skate!” Was this guy crazy?

  “It’s easy, I’ll teach you.” He said starting the car.

  “But there’s no ice skating rink around here.” I protested. I hated doing things I wasn’t good at.

  “There’s one an hour outside town that my sister used to take me to all the time.” Andy said backing out and getting back on the main road.

  “The Henry’s?” I asked. “But that’s private membership...”

  Andy smiled and pulled out a card from the middle cup holder. “I said my sister used to take me all the time.” He said holding up the membership card.

  I grabbed the card and looked at it. “Oh my God, are you guys like super rich?” I asked.

  Andy chuckled. “Far from it, Susie fucked the owner’s son in high school and ever since then she got us a lifetime membership because he’s still in love with her till this day with a wife and 3 kids.”

  I looked at the card and laughed. “Wow, your sister is crazy.”

  Andy looked at me. “She’s a whore.”

  “Andy!” I said hitting his arm. He grinned and grabbed my hand as he took the exit to get on the highway. He leaned down and kissed it. I smiled as I sat back and enjoyed the ride. I ran my hands through his soft hair as we talked about plans for winter break. I told him I would probably be bored out of my mind but I still wanted to go home. I’d use the time to try and work on my next portfolio. I’d handed Dr. Honsu my revised portfolio, he didn’t say anything but the look in his eyes told me he was extremely satisfied with what I handed in. That had me floating on clouds as I left his office wishing him a happy winter break. Andy told me Torn Rose had a couple show lined up next week and a couple days after that, but other than that he wasn’t going to do anything. Probably sit at home and write more music and play video games. I was tempted to ask him to come down when the shows were over, but that was probably asking for too much. Beside there was no need f
or him to come down again, it’s not like we were a couple or anything. But I actually really wanted him to come down.

  When we pulled in to the Henry’s, I was blown away. It was gorgeous. It was like some kind of winter wonderland. When I remarked to Andy that it was too pretty and bright for him, that wasn’t he supposed to like dark dungeon places being all emo and stuff. He told me to stop calling him emo. So I said Goth. He shook his head. I asked what I was to call what he was. He turned and told me, he thought for somebody who hated labels, I had a big tendency of labeling him. That right there folks, shut me up. He said if we weren’t going to put a label on what we had going on, I shouldn’t put a label on him, and he in turn wouldn’t put a label on me, though he had many lined up. He took my hand and lead a very shocked me inside. When the fuck did this little emo kid grow a pair of balls?

  Skating was actually really fun, if you call falling on my ass fun, because that’s all I did. He was a good teacher though, he was really patient too. The owner’s son, Bartholomew, was a pudgy little cute guy. He was adorable and nervous at the same time. As soon as Andy showed up, he asked about Susan for a good 20 minutes before letting us skate. And his little kids adored Andy. Andy barely paid attention to them, but they were jumping on him and calling his name, saying he’d promised to come to one of their birthday party. It was so fucking cute my insides wouldn’t stop doing flips. When we went out to skate, they followed us and skated with Andy for a while, playing a game of tag. I was glad I sat out because I knew I could barely stand. Later on Andy whispered something in their ears and all three minions dragged me on the ice. I was a helpless cause as they tried to teach me how to stand and skate as Andy watched on carefully. After falling a gazillion times, I finally got the hang of it a little. I skated and stumbled into Andy’s arms and from then on, he didn’t let me go, even when I fell, he fell down with me and helped me back up. The kids left after about two hours and I forced him to tell me stories about him growing up. He was reluctant but when I offered up a story for a story, he readily accepted and made me go first. I told him the story of my first kiss. He told me the story of when he first got Sparrow for Christmas. I told him about my trip to the Bahamas. He told me his trip to Switzerland. We traded first concert stories, even thought they were both vastly different. We traded some funny high school stories, but I could tell in his demure it pained him to think of high school. A few hours quickly went by as the sun set and it got darker. I seriously lost track of time because Andy got more and more intriguing in my sight. Who knew all this was behind those gorgeous eyes and scarred arms?

  I slept on our way back because of exhaustion and didn’t even know when we pulled up to my house. I opened my eyes slowly to see Andy staring out the driver’s window his finger tapping to the soft grass and blues music playing in the background. We weren’t driving anymore and I looked down to see that his car was in park and the ignition was off.

  I sat up in my seat and looked around. “Are we here?” I asked. I squinted and saw my car parked in front of him in the driveway.

  “Yeah.” He said turning around to look at me.

  “How long have we been here?” I asked.

  “Not that long. I just didn’t want to wake you.” He said softly.

  I looked at the clock on his car. If that clock was right, and it only took us an hour to get from the ice skating center, then we’d been at my house for no less than 30 minutes…more like 45.

  “Oh Andy, you should’ve woken me.” I said.

  “No rush.” He said softly.

  Poor thing, he was just sitting in his truck waiting for me to wake up? I unbuckled my seat belt and paused. This is where it gets difficult, okay let me just lay it out for him right now.

  “Okay here are the rules, I really want to have sex with you, so you can come in but you can’t sleep over.” I paused. “Well you can sleep over, but you’ll have to sleep in another room.”

  “Why?” Andy asked.

  “Because I don’t do the whole, having sex and falling asleep in each other’s arms bullshit…it’s too intimate.” I answered truthfully. I swore to myself, I would never do that, which is the epitome of vulnerability.

  Andy thought about what I said. “But we fell asleep at your house over thanksgiving break.”

  I smiled. “I know, but making out is different than fucking. I wasn’t fucking you then.”

  “So… is there an option where we can make-out and fall asleep?” he asked thoughtfully as he fixed his dangerously hypnotizing blue eyes on me.

  “Uugghh Andy!” I groaned. “You make a hard bargain…things change when you start having sex…but fine okay…we can do that.” Besides I was horny and looking at him was making me hornier. But it was interesting that he chose making-out and sleeping rather than fucking and leaving…guys usually choose fuck and leave. Andy don’t change the game on me now.

  His lips curved into a slow sexy smile.

  I pointed my finger at him. “But it’s seriously only making out, if we end up fucking I’m kicking you out.”

  Andy held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”

  I grinned and leaned over and kissed him. “Let’s go, stud muffin.”

  Andy groaned and took his keys out the ignition. “Don’t ever call me that again.”

  I laughed as I hopped out the truck. I slammed the door and looked up at the sky. “Oh my God, look at the sky!” I exclaimed happily. I’m not a star nut or anything but there were a gazillion stars out tonight. The midnight blue sky was lit up. Andy walked over to my side and looked up. He looked down at me and watched me look at the sky.

  “It’s really pretty.” He said softly.

  “Damn, I feel like this is once in a lifetime or something…why are there so many stars tonight?” I asked still looking up.

  Andy put his hands in his pocket and ran his tongue over his lip ring. “Wanna star gaze?” he asked.

  I turned to him and smile. “Where?” I asked excitedly.

  Andy shrugged. “The view is really nice from here…we can pull out to your backyard and get in the back of my truck.” He suggested.

  “Yes!” I shouted. I think I might have scared him a little. “Andy drive your truck around and I’ll get blankets, lots of blankets…” I said running to the house. “Oh and hot chocolate…do you want hot chocolate?” I asked.

  Andy smiled at my excitement. “If I knew it would make you this happy, I would have suggested it a long time ago.” He said.

  “Now you know.” I said grinning from ear to ear. I rushed inside my house and quickly went to the kitchen. I took out a pot and put it on the stove. I hurriedly took out the Hershey’s can of chocolate and the bag of marshmallows. I put the milk on the stove and rushed to get blankets. I know I said I’m not a star nut, but I love stars. When Andy came into the house. I had about 4 big blankets and I handed it to him.

  “I don’t want us to catch cold.” I said as I mixed the chocolate in the hot milk. I took out a large thermos flask. Andy watched as I poured the hot chocolate. “I’m so glad you drink hot chocolate.” I said happily as I closed the flask. I grabbed two large mugs and the bag of marshmallows in one hand and held the thermos flask in the other. “Let’s go.”

  I waited and held the drink as Andy laid out the blankets. I handed him the drinks and rushed inside to get pillows. I threw them at him and he helped me up onto the back of his truck. We took the blankets and I snuggled up to him as I stared at the sky. And put his arm around me as he leaned his head against his back window. We stared at the sky in silence, taking in everything around us. When Andy reached over and poured us some hot-chocolate, I grabbed a fistful of marshmallows and dumped them in my cup as I took the cup from him and took a sip.

  “This is like a little bit of heaven isn’t it?” I asked my eyes twinkling up at him.

  Andy chuckled and drank his chocolate milk.

  I held the warm mug in my hands as I looked back up at the sky. “I know you’re agnostic and everything…
but I like to look up at the stars and believe, there’s someone up there, who created something so beautiful.” I said softy. Andy turned to look at me. “And then I think if he can make something this beautiful, than no matter how fucked up my life is…it has the potential to be beautiful too.”

  Andy put his mug down and looked up at the sky. “I guess it’s nice to have that hope, that something fucked up…can turn into something beautiful.” He said sounding strangely far away.

  I broke gaze with the stars and looked down at him. I held my cup in one hand and reached out to hold his hand. Andy squeezed my hand and we both sat back and drank or hot chocolate. From the stillness of the sky, to the songs of the crickets, to the wind blowing through the trees, we had discovered our own little Eden in my back yard. When we finished our drinks, I laid my head on his shoulder and he just held me. Neither of us said anything, our thoughts both light years away. The steady beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest was slowly turning into my lullaby as I closed my eyes.