His friends start laughing. My face begins to blush a lovely shade of red. Matt smiles, but it’s forced and shakes his head at her.
“We’re friends,” he says leaning toward me and placing a hand around my shoulders. Lauren laughs and grabs her cell snapping a pic. I try to reach for it, but she shoos me away.
“Just uploading it with the hashtag, ‘just friends,’” she says using air quotes.
“You don’t always have to be a bitch, Lauren,” Matt snides at her. She laughs at him, a bitch compliment to her is a privilege. My cell starts beeping in my lap.
“You visiting your parents?” I ask trying to calm them down. Matt looks at her with hard eyes then turns to me, his eyes somewhat softer.
“Yeah. Mom is finally home, finished her shopping in Paris.”
I smile at him. He comes from a very wealthy family with his father holding rights in the oil industry. His parents are hardly ever home. They started leaving him home alone when he turned fifteen, and ever since then it’s more and more until they’re only home now on special occasions. His father wanted him to go to Harvard, where he went. I don’t know why he didn’t go, but I’m assuming they weren’t too happy about that.
“So what’s the plans tonight?” Lauren asks.
I look down to my cell as it starts ringing, Taj’s name flies across the screen. He hasn’t called me before, it’s always been text messages. Lauren looks up at me, and I silence it straight away. She turns to look back at the guys, one of them Jay, who she’s had a crush on since primary school but never tried. She’s always shy when talking to him, and Lauren isn’t shy. It rings twice, I ignore them both, then open my Facebook. The photo she tagged me in has over one-hundred likes.
It rings again, I pull away from the group, walking outside, pointing to my cell to Lauren and she nods her head.
“Hello.”
“I thought you were there to spend time with your parents?” Taj’s voice booms through the cell. I’m taken back a bit by the sound of his voice. I haven’t heard him speak in that tone before, and I place the cell back to my ear and listen to him breathing heavily.
“I am.”
“Then why are you with Matt?”
Jealousy? It’s the first time I’ve heard it from him.
“He showed up. You seem to be occupied yourself… having fun at the party?” I ask him, hearing the music in the background. I hear the music begin to fade as his breathing becomes heavier.
“I asked you not to go.”
I turn and look back through the window, Lauren is throwing something at Matt.
“Why did you ask me that?” I wait for his reply and watch through the window as Lauren and the rest of them stand, her eyes find mine, and she looks around and sits back down.
“I have to go.”
“No, tell me why you asked me that Taj? I answered you, now you answer me.”
“He has a week to live, and I’m stuck here trying to get Turner to leave. I needed you.” I hear the click, then I pull the cell away from my ear and notice that he’s hung up on me.
Why couldn’t he tell me that?
“So the boys want us to go to their house for drinks,” Lauren says startling me from behind.
“I can’t.” I turn to face her, her eyebrows scrunch in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just need to go home.”
She doesn’t ask me why, she just turns and walks to her car, holding my hand while pulling me along. She waves her hand to the boys but doesn’t say anything.
We’re almost at my house when she finally asks why I wanted to leave. I knew it was coming, I’m guessing she was waiting for me to tell her, but my mind is running crazy.
“It’s because of him, isn’t it?”
I look back to my cell—I’ve never wanted someone to call me or text me this much. “Yeah, he needs me.”
She stops the car out the front of my house and she doesn’t attempt to get out. “You really like him… more than Matt, and that’s saying something. You gave him your virginity.”
I shrug my shoulders, not bothering with an answer, she knows me only too well. I lean over and kiss her cheek, then climb out. My father opens the door as I walk up to it, and he automatically knows something’s off because he pulls me into his hard chest and squeezes me.
“What’s wrong, baby girl?” When either one of my parents does that, holds me as if they can piece everything back together, it makes me want to cry. Because I’m slowly realizing no matter how much they want to protect me, and be there for me, they can’t. I’m an adult now.
“I need to go back to campus… tonight.”
He pulls back, my mother comes into the room upon hearing my words. Her face shows concern, my father’s is etched with worry.
“My friend’s father is dying. He needs me.”
“He?” my father asks stepping back from me. My mother steps up and places a hand on his side, it always amazes me how she can make him calm down with just the touch of her hand.
“Yes! He’s a friend, Dad.”
My mother walks away and then within seconds she’s back, handing me her car’s keys. I look at them in a daze, not understanding why she’s giving them to me.
“We planned to surprise you this weekend, with food of course… but we also want you to have the car. I’ve already got a new one from your father. We want you to be able to drive home anytime you need us.”
I end up crying anyway, even though I’ve tried to hold it back.
Chapter 12
I drove through the night, to reach Taj’s fraternity house. When I stop the car, I see people everywhere. A person is on the road spewing, another is passed out on the grass, while his friends laugh down at him. People filter in and out of the house, coming and going. I look down at the time, it’s one a.m. When I get out of the car the music is loud, I’m amazed it hasn’t been shut down with just how loud it’s vibrating down the street.
The guy on the road who’s losing his stomach contents looks up at me as I pass him and tries to smile, but that doesn’t last long. As soon as he attempts it, he’s leaning back over spewing again. I cover my mouth—the smell is disgusting—and make my way to the front door. The door’s open so I walk in, past the main area which has been turned into a dance floor. I keep walking past everything not seeing any sign of Taj or his brother. If I find Turner, I know Taj will be near. He wants him to go home, to not stay here and drink his sorrows away.
I continue on making my way through the crowded house and go through the open doors to the back yard. I spot them straight away, they’re surrounded by people. Of course they are, I roll my eyes while making my way over to them. They don’t see me, too many people surround them when I inch myself closer to their group.
First I spot Nash, but she isn’t sitting next to Turner. Actually, Turner has another girl on his lap, and she’s kissing up and down his neck. I don’t understand what’s happening at first, it’s kind of like a bad movie playing out in front of me. I slowly inch myself closer and closer until I’m right in front of them all.
Turner is the first to notice me, his eyes glazed, clearly drunk. He hoots loudly followed by my name. Two heads snap up, one of those heads was kissing Taj’s neck, while he sat back, rubbing her back. Nash looks up at me and smiles. Taj stands fast, looks back and down to Nash, then back to me. He takes a step forward coming closer while I take a step back. I don’t really understand what just happened, and why they all look like they’ve drunk the bar dry. I haven’t seen him drink once since I met him.
“Skye…” My name is slurred when it leaves his lips. His hand reaches out to touch mine, then Nash stands and moves across to Turner sits on his free side and grabs his face kissing him. I remove my glasses, wiping them on my shirt and place them back on, thinking my sight is playing a trick on me. It isn’t.
“You didn’t want to be alone,” is all I say.
He seems to sober up just a bit as he straightens h
is back. His eyes tell me differently.
“You came. I didn’t think you would.” His words are slurred.
I turn to look back at Nash who’s still kissing Turner.
Is it an orgy or something that I’ve walked in on?
I’m very confused and shake my head not bothering with a replying. I don’t even need to be here for this. I came to be a friend to my friend, not to party and watch things my eyes don’t want to see. I don’t know if I am upset or just thoroughly confused as to what I’ve just walked in on.
I manage to get to my car with my name only being called a few times. As I open my door, I’m spun around and my back slammed into my car. Taj doesn’t give me a second to speak because his mouth comes down hard on mine. This is not how I imagined our actual first kiss to happen. And yes I have imagined it. His mouth is hard, angry. He tastes of beer and smells of other girls. Every time I try to pull away he holds me tighter to him.
I bite down on his tongue as he slams it into my mouth yet again. He swears loudly and takes a step back. I don’t say a word as I jump into the car and drive off, seeing him in my rear-view mirror scratching his head and watching me leave.
***
I’m tired. My eyes want to close and my body wants to shut down, I’m physically and mentally drained. I grab my bag from the back seat of the car and walk straight to the door. My father is there immediately to greet me, his face is full of concern—most likely from me driving so long and not resting. He doesn’t ask any questions, just pulls me into the living room. We sit, and I lay my head on his lap while he strokes my hair like he used to do when I was little.
“I don’t like him,” he says just as I zone out and close my eyes.
“You don’t know him.”
His hand pauses on my head, then continues stroking again. “He isn’t right for you. End of story.”
He knows nothing about Taj, just the basics. Matt was never good enough for me either. That was because at the beginning of our relationship it was all kept in secret. Until Dad spotted me one night out when I was supposed to be staying at Lauren’s, but instead was out with Matt at the cinemas.
My father is an intimidating man and to say Matt shit his pants would be an understatement.
He came around the next day, flowers and chocolates for my parents and apologized until he was blue in the face, then got the door slammed in his face. It was only after that that I was allowed to date him without hiding.
Now I’m older, he knows I see the world differently. Sex is more than it was when I was younger. I didn’t know much about it then, now I do. This scares him, but he grew with me and realized I was no longer a little girl and that I’ve grown up. And with getting older, you learn about things, experiment with things that you wouldn’t tell your father about. Sex is a part of it as well, no matter how much the thought of it scares you. He can’t protect me forever even if he wants to.
***
I wake to people around me speaking, I’m still comfy on the sofa where I fell asleep on my father. I spot him straight away, his back is straight, his posture firm. It’s the same stance he makes when he talks about work—deadly. The air feels thin, the room tense. When I sit up I instantly want to lay back down because Taj is sitting across from my father, his eyes bloodshot and he’s looking like absolute shit. I watch the clock that hangs above the television on the wall and see it’s already past eleven a.m.
Shit, I slept in.
My father’s hard eyes come to mine, they soften when he sees me, then instantly harden again when Taj speaks.
“Skye…” is all he says.
I stand, straightening my pants and walk over to him. My mother is standing in the doorway, not entering just watching. I place my hand out to him, he takes it and I start to walk off.
“I’m going to talk… alone,” I say.
My father stands fast, my mother placing her calming hand on him. She nods her head and I pull him out the front door. It’s safer out in the open where my father feels better, instead of in my room where I would prefer this conversation takes place.
I drop his hand as soon as we step out, and start pacing the front path. He stands still, his hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground.
“Your dad is intimidating and I’m used to that. But holy shit, he wanted to shoot me with his gun.”
He’s right, he probably would have too if it was just the two of them. Just to keep me safe and out of harm’s way for the rest of my life. Daddy’s girl and all that shit.
“Should you have driven? And how did you know where to find me?”
He bites his lip and it reminds me of when he kissed me. Not so much of a great first kiss from him.
“Matt gave me your address. He didn’t really have a choice. I slept it off, and as soon as I woke up, I just drove.”
“You’re an awful drunk,” I say shaking my head.
He nods his in agreement. “That’s why I don’t drink, bad mistakes happen when I do.”
I look up and see eyes staring out at us, they don’t bother hiding either.
Cue eye roll.
“Say what you came to say, so I can go back to bed.” My arms cross over my chest, his hands go up and I watch as the muscle in his arms flex while he scratches his head.
“I had a bad day, a really fucking bad day. Turner wouldn’t listen to a word I said, so I gave up. I drank. It felt good to loosen that hold on my shoulders. It felt fucking good, till it didn’t.”
I nod my head in understanding. I’m no one to judge him, I haven’t been in his shoes. And I would hate to be in shoes, no matter the situation. I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his waist, he stops breathing for a second as I do. His hands come down to me a moment later. “So, is your dad about to storm out any minute and kill me?”
I laugh despite myself. I give one last squeeze before pulling away just as the front door opens.
“Taj, how about you stay for lunch?” my mother asks.
I smile at her, food is her weapon. She uses it wisely. He takes a step back from me as my father comes into view in the doorway.
“I would love to, Mrs. Stone.”
I smirk at his choice of words, my mother only likes to be called by her first name. I start to walk in, Taj follows closely behind me.
“You eat meat?” she asks. As soon as he nods, a relieved smile appears on her face. Maybe he won’t die today after all.
Chapter 13
I decided to follow him back later that afternoon, my father wasn’t hostile toward him once dinner had come to an end. Instead, they were talking about football and chatting over who the best team was.
My mother likes him, a lot. She tells me he reminds her of how my father was when they met. But to be cautious, everybody has demons and sometimes you don’t see them until too late.
We end up parked in front of his house, no party is happening tonight. It’s actually quiet, which is extremely rare. I follow him up the stairs and into his room, he throws my bag to the ground that he grabbed from my car and sits on the end of his bed. He looks down to the floor, clutching his chocolate brown hair then looks back up to me with a determined look in his eyes. It instantly makes me fidget where I stand. I watch in fascination as he stands, walks his over to me until he’s towering over me.
“I’m sorry about that kiss,” he says. I nod my head. “But I’m not sorry that I got the first taste.” My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. What does that mean? “I’m going to tell you something, then I’m going to kiss you again to hopefully erase that first kiss.” His hand comes up and he tucks some loose hair back behind my ear, his voice is seductive when he speaks. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s just my emotions flying very high from having him so close while talking about kissing me. “I’ve never liked anyone the way I like you… ever.”
I can hear my heart thumping in my ears, a loud belting sound taking over my hearing. I feel that if he speaks right now, I might not hear a word he says.
His li
ps come close, I watch as they do, afraid to move. Then they touch mine, soft and sweet, so unlike the first time. So much more than the first time. His lips work mine so I feel all of him in a passionate and tender kiss. I open my mouth, the first swipe of his tongue is intoxicating. My hands fly up to wrap around his neck, his hands are on the back of my hips, just above my ass. He squeezes me to him so our bodies are joined, my breasts squish up against him feeling every part of his taut chest. As soon as it ends, I want to start over again, except I lay my head on his shoulder while breathing heavily.
“I’ve wanted to do that for too long.”
I still don’t speak, it’s not for the want of trying. That kiss was intoxicating, but it’s getting late, night has fallen, and I’m super tired after not enough sleep. “Stay with me tonight? Just me.”
I don’t say no, just nod my head on his shoulder. He pulls away and yanks his shirt over his head, exposing his glorious abs, then hands it to me.
“Sleep in this.”
I take it, forgetting I have my own bag as I enter the bathroom and strip off my clothes, removing my bra. When I walk back out he isn’t in his room anymore. I step across to his bed and sit on it, pulling the covers up over my legs. I try to find the television remote, something to occupy my time and stop me from falling asleep when he walks back in with a packet of chips and two cans of soda in his hands. He smiles and walks to the television grabbing the remote from the top and sitting next to me.
I eat a few, then I can’t fight it any longer. His bed is soft, way softer than the one in my dorm. His bedding smells of him, deliriously good. Before I know it, my head hits the pillow, and I’m out.
***
I wake to a cell ringing. When I open my eyes an arm is slung over my waist and a voice is soft in my ear. That voice isn’t speaking to me, though, it’s directed into a cell phone. I reach next to me and pick up my glasses, slipping them on and slowly move to sit up. Taj’s hand drops and doesn’t grip me when I move. His hand ends up on my upper thigh. I turn to watch him, his eyes are closed as he speaks. Then he hangs up, looks up to me and doesn’t smile.
Startling Page 7