“That went well.”
I giggled then pointed at the next potential victims of our degenerate behavior, this time two older ladies who were already eyeing Caleb from the box office. Their jeans, ripped and studded. Their T-shirts, vintage. I doubted they were picking up tickets for the same show as the previous couple.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” the redhead drawled, sidling up to him as if she knew what he was about to ask.
“Uh …” Caleb was speechless for a moment, casting a glance back at me. Those scrunched brows and puckered, worrisome lips made me want to fall over laughing, but I held it together as he turned to face them again.
He started with the same spiel as before but didn’t even make it to the end before the redhead swung an arm behind her to block her blond friend and grabbed hold of the back of Caleb’s neck with the other, yanking him down to her red lips. His arms flailed a little as he let out a stunned, lip-muffled yelp, and that was what sent me over a giggle edge. I had to grip the GoPro with both hands to prevent it from shaking too badly.
He managed to break apart from her, prying her hand from his neck and retreating a step. “Well, that was uh … great. Thanks for that.”
“Oh no, honey, thank you. It’s been a while since I tasted something so sweet.” She puckered her smeared lips and winked.
The blonde cleared her throat and smiled brightly. “You didn’t happen to need two strangers, did you?”
A massive belly laugh escaped me, and the ladies joined in playfully while Caleb wiped a hand over his mouth and shook his head.
“Are you ladies okay with us using this footage on the Internet?” I asked, the GoPro still shaking with my body.
“Oh, yes, you go right ahead. And keep hold of this one,” the redhead added, looking Caleb up and down before they both walked away, a bit more bounce in their steps as they passed a noisy bunch of guys wearing security T-shirts in the parking lot.
Caleb twisted around and snatched the GoPro from my hand when I started to laugh again.
“Laugh it up,” he said.
“Oh, I am,” I admitted, holding my stomach. “That was fantastic.”
“All right, all right.”
“Hang on. You still have a little …” I reached out and trailed a finger over the side of his mouth, wiping the smear of lipstick. He went utterly still, and I looked up to see why. His eyes stared right into mine as a shallow breath escaped his lips. Oh. “I think I got the rest.” I stepped back with a quick nod, attempting to clear my hazy head.
After a few blinks, he said, “Your turn. Let’s look—” His entire body went still again.
I followed his stare to see what had frozen him this time. Oh! The security guys stood near the box office window, joking with the person working inside.
“Fuck no,” he said with a laugh and shook his head. “That’s not right.”
I smiled, rolled my eyes, and walked toward the group. “What? You’d rather I wait for a—what’s the guy equivalent of a cougar?”
“An old perv,” he said, following behind me, then murmured, “Dammit.”
I didn’t turn. I kept pushing my feet to move forward when they wanted to bail out. Truthfully, I still hated the idea of kissing a stranger, mostly the idea of having it on camera. That was terrifying. But it needed to be done, and I had to admit it was amusing to see Caleb squirm a little.
Moving up to the group of four, I was pleased that they looked to be in their twenties too, and not at all bad to look at. Their T-shirts were fitted and most appeared in shape. Not that it mattered. It was one kiss, not an invitation to date. My routine was already messed up enough by the list.
“Sorry, Mer,” I whispered to the sky, feeling bad for thinking that way.
The four stopped talking the moment they noticed me. Faces and eyes tipped, glancing first to my flats then slowly making their way back up to my face.
“Hi, there,” I said, watching all of their eyes shift behind me to Caleb, who I could only guess didn’t look thrilled since all their smiles disappeared in an instant.
One in the group didn’t shy away, though, taking a single step closer to me instead, smile back in place, now larger and stretching his smooth dark cheeks high under his brown eyes. “You need some help?”
“Actually, yes. This is gonna sound pretty odd, but I need one of you to kiss me.”
After a stunned moment where they all looked at each other for confirmation that they’d heard me correctly, laughter ensued. Mr. Dark and Handsome narrowed his eyes. “This a joke?”
“No, it’s not. See my friend and I have to complete a bucket list. Kissing a stranger is on it. It needs to be recorded and will also be used on the Internet, so …” I lifted my hands out to my sides and gave an exaggerated shrug.
“All right then, I volunteer before these assholes do,” he replied, smirking back at them. “How do ya want me?”
“I … okay then … here …” I stepped closer to him, planning my position and how to control the kiss.
“Celia.” Caleb’s voice was low with warning behind me.
I ignored his tone, hoping the guys weren’t lunatics and wouldn’t try something stupid in front of what was possibly their workplace.
“Your friend looks ready to slit my throat,” the guy whispered as I pressed a hand to his cheek and the other on his chest to keep from falling against him when I lifted onto my tiptoes.
“It’s fine. He’s fine,” I said, more to calm myself than him.
He had to tip his face down to me because I was still too short. His arms remained at his sides until our lips connected, then I felt his hand mimic mine, palming my cheek gently. He was warm and nice, and I was thankful there was nothing threatening happening.
But I’d almost thought too soon. Because as I moved to pull away, his arms cinched around me. My eyes popped wide, and I nearly panicked, until he dipped my body to the side and chuckled against my lips.
Sudden movements and voices surrounded us. Lots of “Whoa!”s were said as Mr. Dark and Handsome set me back upright and released his hold.
“Easy, brotha,” he said to Caleb, holding up his hands and backing off. His friends, who had positioned themselves closer, did the same.
Caleb was at my side immediately, his arm sweeping me backward as he stepped in front. His breaths were short and rushed, his body tense and primed. “The fuck?”
“Sorry,” the guy replied with a small smile. “I figured if it’s gonna be filmed, ya know? Better make it look good.”
His friends laughed. I smiled at his bravado—even though it was a bit much—then placed my hand on Caleb’s chest to back him up. “Hey, it’s okay, Caleb. We’re done.”
“Yeah,” he murmured.
I looked over my shoulder at the guy. “Thank you for helping.”
“My pleasure.” He winked then spun around and jogged to the entry doors to join the others.
After a moment, Caleb shook his head and walked with me to the parking lot. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to be,” I replied.
“I do. I thought … I’m not sure what I thought.”
“You thought he was going to hurt me. Thank you.”
When we stopped in front of my Civic, his eyes cut to me. “Yeah, I already wasn’t thinking. Then he … I’m glad I didn’t have to kill him.”
I laughed. He didn’t.
His eyes connected with mine and the seriousness there bored into me. And that was when I saw what had been drowned by sorrow since the wake, what I’d seen those years before. The passion. The desire. The intensity.
“All right, well …” I took hold of my camera bag, and his hand released its hold. “Should we meet up again next weekend? Saturday?”
He seemed to snap out of whatever was happening in his head and pulled the urn up close to his chest. “That’ll work. The rest might take more time. I know opening night of the fair is the weekend after next, but we could get some of the others done before then. Can I te
xt you during the week?”
“Yes, sure. After work is best.”
“Okay, good.”
I nodded and dug my keys from my bag. “I’ll talk to you soon then.”
“Yeah. Soon.” He reached into his pocket and removed his own keys.
When I drove out of the parking lot, his Silverado stayed.
12
______________
Celia
-then-
“RAWR!”
“AHHH!” My bladder nearly exploded from fright. I jumped backward, tossing the tray I was holding into the air, watching in slow motion as the order of two milkshakes and two burgers launched like rockets prepared to breach the stratosphere. But the tasty interstellar mission was doomed from the start, and what goes up …
I slammed down hard onto my ass, and the milkshakes came after, lids cracking open and spilling vanilla and strawberry all over my work gear.
All occupied tables outside The Shack burst into laughter, having witnessed the epic scare.
Caleb’s laugh was the closest, the cause of my humiliation standing right beside me. “Tarsier, shit. You okay? I didn’t think that one would have gotten you.”
I lifted my arms, taking in the damage as the milkshakes soaked into my clothes, cold and wet, exactly like the late January night. “Yeah, well, guess it did.”
“Here, I’ll—”
“Celia,” Murphy came running up, extending his hand for me to take. “You all right?”
“Yeah, thanks. Glad it’s the end of the night.”
“You have a change of clothes?” he asked, helping me pick up the remnants of the order.
“Surprisingly, yes. I’m going out after and didn’t want to go home to grab my stuff.”
“Where to? If you don’t mind me asking.”
I looked around and caught Mer’s eye as she walked out the door with a replacement order for the one I’d dumped. She rolled her eyes then slugged Caleb on her way to the table. “I, well, Mer and I have somewhere to go then I’m staying at her place.” I wasn’t sure if telling him was the best idea. Technically, we weren’t supposed to go ourselves. The water tower was on borough land and was guarded by enough No Trespassing signs even animals could get the point.
“Ah. None of my business. Gotcha. Maybe we can hang a different time?”
“Nope, it’s cool,” Mer said, walking back to us. “You can come with. We’re checking off another bucket list item tonight. Water tower.”
I scowled at her, and she stuck her tongue out. It wasn’t as if I didn’t like Murphy. He’d gone to the movies with us the previous weekend, and I even considered seeing more of him. But not tonight. I didn’t want anyone witnessing the horror that would commence when we arrived at the water tower. Climbing it was going to be a major problem for me. I was okay with heights for the most part, as long as there was no chance of losing my grip on a wet ladder rung, slipping, and falling to my death.
“Sounds fun! Mind if some others tag along?” he asked.
“How many are we talking here?” Mer eyed the table filled with our fellow seniors he’d been sitting with.
Caleb still stood right next to us, arms crossed, listening to the entire convo. He usually didn’t hang out or eat at The Shack, but he’d been with them too. Also with Lindsey, his latest date.
Murphy looked over his shoulder. “The people riding with me. Maybe two, three max. The rest have their own rides.”
“I’m in,” Caleb said.
Mer glared at him. “Not invited.”
“The fuck I’m not. I’ve got The Beast tonight. It’s another ride, which is good to have in case someone needs to take a trip to the hospital.”
I cringed. Damn him. I looked over and caught his sly smirk.
***
The entire area around the water tower was deserted as expected. First, it wasn’t exactly in the middle of town. There was roughly a mile of field and woods surrounding it. It was an emergency tower, used if water was needed for any outage or major system issue. And second, even though it was Saturday night, it was also the dead of winter, and according to most forecasts an ugly nor’easter was fast approaching. No one was stupid enough to be out. Except us.
I took a few more steps away, tipped my camera back, and snapped a few shots up to the sky, where the clouded moonlight shone onto Mer and the others as they laughed about their conquest. They’d climbed the water tower with ease. No hesitation. No fear. I, on the other hand, chickened out. Mer had sat with me for a while until I forced her to leave me behind. There was no way I’d hold her back. I’d sit and wait for however long, as long as she had fun.
After returning my camera to its bag, I slid my gloved hands into my pockets and burrowed deeper into my puffy winter coat.
“Brr!”
“Oh shit!” I yelled with a jump spin, realizing instantly that Caleb had managed to sneak up behind me while I’d been focused on the merry voices high above.
“That’s the second scare tonight, Tarsier. I might set a record,” he said, voice muffled. With a beanie on, a hood pulled over his head, and his shoulders lifted high to keep his mouth behind the zipper of his coat, only his eyes and the top of his nose were visible.
“Ha,” I replied blandly, straightening my own beanie hat and tucking my hair back into my coat. “I thought you changed your mind about coming.”
“Nah.” He shuffled his boots in the snow a bit and looked up at the tower when we heard Mer yell excitedly. “Just late. Had to take Lindsey home.”
I didn’t reply to that. Her prissy attitude the few times I’d spoken to her made me not like her much, but she had some sense to skip the cold, wet mess of this night.
“So, not going for it, huh?” His words were soft, calm, so unlike his normal amped-up nature.
“Yeah, no.”
“Did you even try?”
I huffed. “Yes, I tried.”
“How far ya get?”
“Does it matter?”
His shoulders relaxed, and his face emerged from behind the barrier of his coat. He inhaled the cold air deeply. “It does actually.”
“Fine. I made it a few rungs below where the cage starts.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s like twenty feet. It’s … farther than I thought.”
“Ass,” I said, chuckling as I backhanded his arm. “It was slippery. And I couldn’t rush.”
“Understandable.”
“Are you going up?” I asked as my phone chimed with a message. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw a dark pic from Mer at the top.
Mer: It’s unbelievable up here. You okay down there?
Me: I’m fine. Caleb’s here.
“I was going to,” Caleb replied as I typed. “Not really feeling it now.”
“No? That’s a shock. You’re not one to turn away this kind of thing. Something wrong?” My phone chimed, but I ignored it.
“No,” he said with a head shake as he glanced back up at the tower. “Just cold.”
“Same here.”
His body shifted, turning to face me fully. “You want me to take you home?”
“I … well, I’m actually staying at your house tonight, so …”
“Even better,” he said. “Fewer miles, lower death probability.” When I scowled, he smiled a little. “Seriously, though, I don’t feel like staying. You want to go?”
I wasn’t sure it was the best idea, but standing outside in the cold, waiting for Mer to finish having fun wasn’t exactly fun itself. And I hated to think she might cut her time short because of me.
“No problem,” he said, taking my silence as a no. “At least go sit in Mer’s car to wait.”
As he turned away, I said, “Caleb, wait. I’d like a ride, thanks.”
I swiped my phone screen open to see Mer’s text.
Mer: Is he coming up? Or pelting you with snowballs?
Me: He’s leaving. I’m riding with him to your place. You stay. Have fu
n.
Mer: You sure? :(
Me: Yeah. C ya la8r :)
After grabbing my bag from her car, I climbed into The Beast—the old Chevy truck Caleb’s dad had passed on to him—and was met with a dull mixed scent of flowers and cedar sawdust, though only sawdust could be seen on the floor and in the cracks of the single leather seat, no flowers or air fresheners. I almost made a remark about it but checked myself as soon as I realized it might have been residual perfume from Lindsey.
I remained quiet, unsure of what to talk about. And he mostly did too, content with the sound of the heated rush of air from the vents and a steady stream of music from the speakers. Everything between us had been weird since the abandoned house and Murph’s party too. I’d been so pissed that night. Too pissed actually. Tossing me into the pool was a prank meant in fun, and I overreacted by going heavy with the silent treatment. Around others, he continued his pranks to mess with me, like the night’s spectacular milkshake scare at work. But there had been a few quiet moments since then with the two of us alone, where things were the most awkward. The ride was a bit of a longer version, though.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuels were already upstairs in their bedroom when we entered the house.
“Is it okay if I get a drink?” I whispered to Caleb, setting my stuff down as he started climbing the steps.
“Like you have to ask,” he replied, then pointed up the steps. “If you need something else before Mer gets home, let me know.”
I nodded and watched him take the stairs in a jog. A vase of mixed flowers stood in the center of the kitchen island. Daisies. Marigolds. Small purple lilies. I inhaled a breath of them, knowing immediately that they had been in Caleb’s truck. He’d gotten them for his mom. Despite his constant choice to irritate me, I wasn’t surprised by his sweetness. He had picked me a daisy once after all, the night both of us had been crushed a little.
Not wanting to linger too long downstairs alone, I made my way up to Mer’s room and unloaded my things. Even though I’d mopped myself up with wet paper towels at work, the stickiness from the milkshake incident remained on my skin. Sleeping comfortably wouldn’t be possible. I had to shower.
Senior Year Bucket List Page 8