Little Conversations

by Matilde, Sibylla

  Joanie was perched on a couple inner tubes in the back of Ronin’s pickup with Boring Greg the Accountant, who she’d gone out with a time or two since the Bar IX. He wasn’t the most exciting guy in the world. The man could about put a person to sleep once he got started talking about tax laws, but he was awfully pretty. And he was rather gentlemanly, too, which pleased Joanie to no end. Fortunately, the night they’d locked him into his car, it actually had been his house, and he’d slept like a baby there, right through the torrential downpour that soaked Devin and Ronin on their walk home.

  Bringing up the rear was Shane, pulling his dad’s speedboat behind his truck. A few other regulars crammed in the extended cab of his pickup, and a huge cooler of beer and booze, including Devin’s special request for Coconut Sake and tequila to shake up some Island Margaritas. As he and Joe had left for the liquor store that morning, Ronin couldn’t help but laugh when she put in her order.

  “Do you want me to pick up some little umbrellas, too?” he had teased against her lips as he kissed her goodbye.

  They pulled into a large camping spot on the water right next to the boat ramp. The gritty granite underlying the surrounding terrain created a fine, pebbly sand. Shane backed the boat trailer into the water and Joe jumped out of the passenger seat to release the boat. Before long, the inner tubes were tied up behind it, and Joe and Matt each hopped on one to have Shane drag them around the lake.

  Ronin carried the cooler over beside his truck and set it on the ground, lowering the tailgate to create a makeshift bar with the cooler positioned in the shade underneath. Devin grabbed the pitcher she’d brought, together with some of those infamous red Solo cups, and followed the recipe she’d bookmarked on her iPhone. She handed the first margarita to Joanie who was bouncing beside her with excitement waiting to try this new treat.

  Music poured out of the open top of Matt’s Jeep, and the warm sun glittered on the ripples in the water. There was not a cloud in the sky, and everything just felt sort of… perfect.

  After a raucous ride around the lake, Shane pulled the boat up near the shore, dropping the anchor, and then he jumped out into the water near Joe and Matt. They guys splashed and yelped and acted like a couple little kids before they headed to the beach.

  “Okay, where’s the Mountain Dew? It’s hotter than fuck out there!” Shane demanded, digging through the cooler.

  “Really? No beer, Shane?” asked Greg.

  “Are you kidding me!?” Shane laughed as he pulled an icy can from the bottom of the cooler. “My dad will kick my ass if I bring his boat home with even the slightest scratch! I’ve gotta stay sober today. He loves that thing more than he loves both Amy and I combined, I swear.”

  Devin, Joanie, and Amy laid out with their drinks, little umbrellas and all, on a blanket they had spread out on the beach. The sky was a bright clear blue, and the girls soaked in the warm sunshine, slowly sipping the sweet and tart and rather potent concoction.

  Devin watched a few pelicans fly down to the lake to float in the water.

  “See, Ronin? Pelicans. That is why you cut those little plastic thingies!”

  Ronin laughed as Devin closed her eyes to lie back. Shane, always the big brother, grabbed a few icy bottles of water and stood over the girls, dropping one on each girl. Squeals and shrieks filled the air as they jumped up to escape the dripping chill.

  “Shane! You ass,” Amy hollered.

  “Just making sure you girls aren’t getting dehydrated,” he laughed. “Drink some damn water with your girlie shit, or you’ll end up with sunstroke.”

  “Yes, Dad,” Devin responded with a surly scowl as she opened the water bottle and took a long drink. Tossing the half-empty bottle back onto the blanket, she tip-toed across the sand down to the lake. She eased herself in, feeling the bite of the cool sensation as it slowly climbed up her body. Then she lifted her arms and plunged forward, swimming under the water for a moment.

  Devin surfaced and rolled to her back to float, her eyes catching sight of Ronin striding into the water after her. Her feet lowered to tread water and watch him. He really was fucking beautiful. The sunlight absorbed into his broad, defined chest, bringing a little more color to the lightly tanned skin. His eyes focused on her as the water level hit his hips, and he swept forward with large strokes of his arms, quickly swimming up to her. His arms encircled her waist under the water, and her hands fell onto his shoulders naturally. She couldn’t touch the bottom here, even with her tippy toes. But Ronin could and he held her steady.

  “Hi, baby,” he murmured, his lips brushing hers softly as he lifted her up a little in the water. She braced herself against him, with her legs wrapping around his hips, and her fingers combed through the closely cropped hair on the back of his head.

  “Hi,” Devin responded as her mouth dipped back to his, more firmly, a light brush of her tongue against his lips before they parted. One of his hands slowly crept up her back, wrapping around the base of her neck, cradling her head as he kissed her more deeply. Devin moaned softly and her breath began to grow shaky. His skin. His lips. Her thoughts began to fade, only able to focus on what he was doing to her, physically and emotionally. The hand at her waist slipped lower, cupping her ass and pulling her tight against him, squeezing with a strong grip.

  Suddenly, there was a torrent of splashing and laughter, and water rained down over them. Shane surfaced a few feet away, laughing as Joe ran towards them. He leapt through the water as it grew deeper, finally using every bit of surface area he could conjure up to splat down into the lake, throwing a spray to cool their ardor.

  “Not in front of the children,” Joe chided, causing Devin to blush slightly.

  She looked back into Ronin’s laughing eyes and bit her lip to keep the giggles at bay. Her arms wrapped securely around his neck and held on to him tightly, enjoying the sensation of his bare skin, the security of his strong arms, and the tickle of the ripples in the water.

  The few clouds that stretched across the sky began to tint with a light pink, slowly growing deeper in color and blending with a rich golden tone. The image in the sky reflected onto the water below, mirroring the glow in the ripples of the lake.

  Devin sat curled up in the passenger seat of the boat with her feet up to the side as Ronin guided it through the water with Shane and Joe skipping along behind them on the tubes. She watched his hands as he worked the mechanics of the boat, and her thoughts strayed to remember the tender touch of those hands on her skin. A sudden surge of warmth filtered through her.

  Ronin laughed as he looked behind them to see Shane flying off the tube. He began to turn the boat, glancing at Devin as she intently focused on his hands gripping the boat’s wheel. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up at him and practically combusted by the undeniable heat in his gaze, the magnetic pull that took her breath away. It was as though neither one of them could look away.

  “Ronin! What the fuck!?” Shane began to yell as he treaded water while the boat cut into a huge arc around him, nowhere near close enough for him to grab the tube.

  Shane’s frustrated shout seemed to jar Ronin from a stupor, and he shook his head and looked away from Devin. “Damn, baby,” he chuckled under his breath and looked over at Shane, guiding the boat closer so his friend could climb back onto the inner tube. “I’m done, guys. Someone else gets a turn to drive,” he called out as he directed the boat back to shore.

  Devin chewed her lip as they got closer to the shore, aching to have Ronin’s arms wrapped around her as the swiftly cooling air raised goosebumps on her skin. She hastened another glance at his profile in the slowly fading light. She became aware of every pulse of blood through her body, every little goosebump that rose on her skin. Ronin glanced over at her to see her once again looking up at him in the golden early evening light. He jerked his gaze towards the shore again, softly speaking. “Gotta concentrate, honey,” he smiled, then glanced at her with a wink. “And you looking at me the way you’re looking at me really is no
t helping.”

  Devin flushed with a smile and turned her face to the shore, into the breeze as the boat sped through the water.

  “Come here, though,” Ronin said quietly, holding out one hand as he steered with the other. Devin stood, and he pulled her up against his side. She leaned into his solid strength and inhaled the air around him deeply into her lungs.

  “There, that’s much better,” he whispered against her forehead, and she melted against him.

  Some of the others on shore were gathering firewood and piling it next to Greg who was making an art out of fire-building. He had the appearance of a grown-up boy scout in his boring beige shirt and khaki shorts, only needing a little tie and a funny hat. Joanie stood ready with a long lighter for him to give her the okay to ignite his small pyre.

  Ronin went to drop the anchor when Shane hollered at him.

  “Getting pretty dark, Ronin. Let me grab the truck and we’ll just load ‘er up.”

  Shane and Joe kicked their feet to propel their inner tubes to the beach. The light was fading fast as Devin stepped to the back of the boat to untie the ropes that were tied to the tubes. In the shadows, she could barely see the knots.

  “Here, honey,” Ronin smiled and handed her his hat. In the brim were a few little LED lights, and, with a push of a button, she was able to see.

  “Wow, that… that is some hat,” Devin giggled softly with a teasing smile.

  “That is a wonder of modern engineering. Best fishing hat ever. Don’t you be making fun of my hat,” Ronin chided playfully.

  She set the hat on her head, and the light was helpful. She made short work of the knots, going back to stand by Ronin when she was done and setting the hat, lights off, back on his head. Shane backed the pickup and boat trailer down the ramp, and Ronin guided the boat onto the trailer. Joe stood by until it was close, then winched the boat into place. Ronin sat in the seat behind the wheel and pulled Devin down on his lap as Shane began to pull the boat from the water.

  Holding onto the boat with one hand to brace them, Ronin’s other hand slid along Devin’s side, softly teasing her ribs. Her breath caught slightly and she turned more fully towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her eyes drifted shut at the combined smell of fresh mountain air and sunshine on his skin, at the feel of his arms holding her tightly. Her lips caressed the soft lobe of his ear, eliciting a soft groan from Ronin, whose hand slowly slipped down the slope of her back to the soft curve below. Every millimeter of Devin’s skin burned for him to touch her.

  “Come on, you crazy kids,” Shane joked. “Out of the boat so I can get it closed up before it gets too dark.”

  Ronin climbed down, reaching up for Devin. She slid into his arms, and he lowered her to the ground. He grabbed a zippered hoodie from his truck and clasped her hand in his as he led her over where the firelight danced in the pit. Settling down on a fallen tree, he tugged her down to curl up on his lap, laying the sweatshirt over her like a blanket as he wrapped her in his strong arms.

  Darkness was quickly falling around them, and the glow of the fire warmed her skin in the cool night air. It danced in Ronin’s eyes, his pupils large in the dim light. Devin traced the line of his jaw, feeling the rasp of stubble. She grazed her fingertips across his lips, and he gave them a soft kiss. She smiled gently up at him, memorizing the tender look he held her with.

  The sounds of night began to fill the air. The chirping of crickets, the light wash of water against the sand, and the crackling fire. The moon began to climb across the dark expanse, so very big as it sat low on the horizon, and the stars began to light the sky. The rippling reflection in the water was breathtaking.

  Ronin’s lips brushed along the outer edge of her ear. “So, got any other stories about all those pictures in the sky?” he softly asked.

  Devin scanned the twinkling stars that were emerging from the thick, velvety blanket of night. “Hmmm… Well, everyone knows that’s the Big Dipper,” she said as she pointed to the well-known constellation, “and the two stars at the end of it point to the Polaris—the North Star—which is part of the Little Dipper. Curved around the Little Dipper is Draco the Dragon. He’s got a long, skinny body that’s all twisted up.” She leaned her face up against Ronin’s and pointed out the stars. “That star, right there, is Draco’s head. Back when the Egyptian pyramids were built, it was actually the North Star. All the pyramids were built to line up with it. There are quite a few stories about Draco. One says he was one of the giant titans who fought with the Olympian gods.”

  “Is that the one you like?” Ronin asked.

  Devin smiled as she shook her head. “Nope, that one’s kind of boring. But, you see, right above Draco is Hercules. My guess is that you’ve heard of him,” she whispered, pulling back a little to see his face.

  Ronin nodded and Devin melted back into him to tell her story.

  “I like the Hercules story. I mean, why else would he be standing there on Draco’s head if he wasn’t part of it all, right? Hercules had these twelve jobs to do—his labours. One of his jobs was to go get all these golden apples from a tree that was a wedding present to Juno when she married Zeus.”

  “Zeus…? Wasn’t he married to that other lady? From the Taurus story?” Ronin interrupted.

  “I don’t know that he ever married Europa. But, Zeus was kind of a man-ho,” Devin grinned softly. “He had a whole bunch of wives, and hundreds of women on top of that. I mean, he was Zeus for cryin’ out loud. Who’s gonna say no to that? Anyway, Juno had this giant dragon guarding the tree. Sometimes you’ll hear that it had like a hundred heads or some shit. But Hercules just shot the damn thing with an arrow. Juno was all sad, so she put Draco up in the sky.”

  “Poor dragon,” Ronin mumbled softly, and he kissed the sweetly tender spot at her temple, teasing the stray tendrils as they danced in the night breeze. The sensation brought goosebumps to Devin’s flesh, and she shivered slightly.

  “Cold?” he whispered.

  She looked back at him and shook her head. “Not here, in your arms. Not a bit,” she whispered back, relaxing into him once again to look up at the diamond-encrusted sky.

  It was very dark when Ronin turned into her driveway.

  “Oh, fuck,” she whispered as her eyes lit upon Jake’s pickup parked behind her Jetta. Devin glanced at Ronin to see his jaw clench as he pulled up beside it.

  She jumped out of Ronin’s truck and strode up to Jake in an attempt to mitigate the drama.

  “Jake? What are you doing here?” Devin asked sharply, with a feisty bite in her voice.

  Jake seemed a touch surprised by her venomous tone, clearly expecting her to be pleased at his unannounced arrival.

  “Mel… she had to go back a couple days early, and I missed you.”

  “Jake—” Devin started.

  But Ronin interrupted, stepping up to Jake, his hat around backwards. “Listen, fucker! This is a really shitty thing you’re doing. Do you even fuckin’ care what you’re putting her through, and probably Melanie too!? What the fuck!? You need get your shit figured out. Now!”

  “What, she got you fighting her battles now, Ronin?” Jake sputtered. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you. This isn’t a fuckin’ party at your house. You can’t kick me out!”

  Ronin took another step forward, his bulk forcing Jake back a half-step. “Sorry, buddy, but this started having something to do with me when she started sleeping in my bed.”

  “Yeah, sleeping. You’re like a cock-suckin’ teddy bear. Her ‘friend.’ She told me all about that after the bar. Right before she told me how much she loved me. Right before I fucked her. Back the hell up, Ronin. You don’t have the right to be a part of this.”

  Ronin’s eyes blazed and his voice became dangerously quiet. “Things have changed, you stupid fuckin’ son of a bitch. She’s been doing a lot more with me than cuddling!”

  Jake’s eyes went wide and his gaze swung to Devin. “You fuckin’ slut! You bangin’ Ronin, now?”
>
  “Jake—” Devin started again as she began to step forward, unsure what to even say in this situation. But before she could really even take a step, Ronin’s fist met up with Jake’s jaw, throwing him backwards on the ground, flat on his back.

  “Get in your lame-ass little pickup and get the fuck outa here, Jake,” Ronin roared. “And don’t you ever say that shit about Devin again. Ever!” He stood over Jake furiously. Devin was rooted to the ground, petrified by the events occurring right in front of her. Her words stuck in her throat and her body was completely immobile, unable to intercede. “You have no fuckin’ idea what you’ve got here,” Ronin continued, pointing back at Devin’s statuesque form. “You have no clue how lucky you are to breathe the same air as her. You sure as hell don’t deserve her! She should be treasured, and you keep pushing her away, toying with her when you’re bored.”

  Ronin turned back towards Devin, his whole body heaving with anger. Devin could barely breathe. Focused so intently on him, the fierce tension radiating off of him, she almost didn’t see Jake stand and rush at Ronin from behind.

  “Jake, no!” she cried.

  Ronin whirled around to see the smaller man barreling down on him with his head lowered, fists flying. One fist connected with Ronin’s left temple, but it didn’t seem to have much effect as Ronin simply grabbed the front of Jake’s shirt and picked him up, throwing him backwards. Jake was far from a short and scrawny guy, but he was no match for Ronin’s six feet and two inches of solid muscle mass. Once more, Jake tried to come at Ronin, swiping with his feet to knock him off kilter, only to have Ronin’s fist crack him on the nose. Blood poured down Jake’s face as he backed away furiously.

  “You broke my fuckin’ nose, you asshole! Fuck this bullshit. This is assault! I’m going to the fuckin’ cops!” Jake staggered to his feet and stormed to his truck.

  Devin could only stand there, overcome completely by shock as Jake backed out of her driveway and romped on the gas, the rumble of his engine echoing through the quiet of the night. A single tear trailed down her cheek as she looked at Ronin who stood there rubbing his knuckles. He glanced at her, his body pounding from adrenaline.