Ocean's Fire

by Stacey Tucker

  “So soon?” Kyle asked. “Don’t you want to see the horses?”

  “I’ll be here first thing,” Skylar said. “I’ll spend time with them then. Thanks again!”

  She practically ran back to her car.

  The whole drive home, Skylar replayed her interaction with Kyle in her head. She couldn’t believe how her heart had sank when she thought he was Argan. If the real night caretaker wasn’t her Argan, she vowed to find him anyway, even if she had to go to Greece to do it.

  Two days had gone by since Skylar met Kyle. Argan was due back tomorrow if Kyle’s timing was correct. Every thought of him gave her butterflies.

  What am I hoping will happen? she asked herself as she and Suki made their rounds. She didn’t know. Will he be happy to see me? She didn’t know that, either. Will he even remember me? Will we fall in love? Will I take one look at him and feel nothing? She was giving herself a headache thinking of all the possibilities. She had to get a grip.

  “Do you have plans tonight?” Suki asked awkwardly, interrupting Skylar’s whirlwind of thoughts. “It’s eighties night at Art Bar and I thought . . . maybe, well . . . we could both use some fun.”

  Skylar hesitated. Fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had fun. “That sounds good,” she said.

  “Great!” Suki perked up. “Do you want to meet here at seven?”

  “Sure,” Skylar said.

  Suki turned to leave and quickly turned back. “Oh, did you get anywhere with your book?” she asked.

  “It’s still a mystery,” Skylar said. “It’s written in ancient Sanskrit and I can’t translate it.”

  “Maybe Ronnie can help,” Suki said. “She studied ancient something . . . somewhere . . . when she was younger. It’s worth a shot.”

  “Thanks,” Skylar said, her wheels turning. “See you at seven.”

  Art Bar was a notch up from a typical college bar. Most of the surfaces weren’t sticky, and there was more on the menu than beer. Skylar could even get her favorite drink, a Toasted Almond.

  “Your drink has milk in it,” Suki said, staring at Skylar’s glass. She was holding a bottle of beer.

  “So?” Skylar asked.

  Suki wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disapproval.

  It was early for a college crowd, so there were plenty of seats. The girls got a table next to one of the big lime-green sofas in the corner. The DJ was playing Journey, Asia, Survivor—all of Skylar’s favorites. Her love of eighties music was the only thing Rachel could take credit for.

  After they’d danced to a handful of songs, Suki went to the bar to get another round. “I can’t promise to come back with milk,” she said.

  Skylar shrugged and collapsed onto a sofa. She was having fun. After catching her breath, she dug through her purse for a compact. She knew she was sweating.

  A large crowd came through the door—a mix of college kids from Rosen. Skylar recognized a few. The girls in the group huddled together to get their hands stamped then headed to the bar, clearing a path to the front door—and that was when Skylar saw the man standing behind them. She froze. He was dressed for summer in a navy polo shirt and shorts. His dark, wavy hair was the only thing that could capture a shine in the dimly lit bar. And there it was, the smile she would recognize a hundred years from now. Skylar was certain that smile had continued to break hearts since the day it broke hers. It’s him.

  Skylar was frozen in place. Her bag dropped to the floor, forgotten. Her breath came in quiet gasps that made her chest heave. If anyone saw her, they would think she needed medical help. She wanted to run and hide. He can’t see you like this, said the complete wreck staring back at her from her compact.

  Suki returned with drinks. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “No, I have to go to the bathroom.” Skylar got up and stumbled over her bag. She caught herself on the table before causing too much of a scene.

  “Too many Toasted Almonds?” Suki laughed.

  “No, I just, umm, just . . . just . . .” Skylar was struggling.

  “Just what?” Suki looked across the room. “Oh, Argan’s back,” she said casually.

  “I just need to get out of here.” Skylar reached down to pick up her bag. As she straightened up, her eyes met his. He was staring right at her. Of course, she thought. Of course he sees me. She froze where she stood, bag in hand. It was just like so many movies she had seen where everyone else fades and only the two main characters are left suspended in space and time. This was that moment. She heard Suki talking in the background but couldn’t reply. She had forgotten how to speak actual words. Argan’s gaze was paralyzing. He’d always had the most incredible eye contact, even as a young boy. She’d always felt he could see right into her heart.

  He said something to a friend and started walking toward Skylar. She wanted to run away for so many reasons, the least of which being how she looked. But it didn’t matter now. She had built this up in her head. She was certain he hadn’t thought about her since he left her farm all those years ago.

  “Omorfia mou,” he said calmly, no real smile on his face.

  “You do remember,” Skylar said, barely over a whisper.

  “It’s been a while, huh?” He leaned toward her as if he were going to kiss her cheek. She leaned to meet him but misread his direction and bumped his cheek with her forehead.

  “Ouch. Sorry.” She held her head with her hand. They both straightened back up.

  “I’ll try again,” he said, leaning in, and kissed her softly on the cheek. Her skin burned where his lips had been. “I wondered when I would see you here,” he said.

  “Really?” A toothy grin spread across her face. “You knew I was here?” She couldn’t hide her delight.

  “I had heard about the new girl. How many Skylar South-martins can there be?” he replied lightheartedly, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Work’s had me traveling so much lately, it feels like I haven’t been to the barn in a month. Are the Arabians settling in okay?”

  “Oh, sure . . . yes. They’re beauties,” Skylar said, her eyes darting around the room. Suki had apparently sensed something big was happening and politely snuck away from the table. Skylar was on her own.

  A long silence followed. The music was loud among even louder laughter and conversations. Skylar tuned it out. Argan looked into her eyes exactly as he had as a boy. She swore she could feel him inside her body. She sucked in the stale air of the bar, trying to be fully present. It was petrifying, but she was convinced nothing in her life would ever be better than this moment. She wanted to be brilliant and funny and make him instantly love her.

  “It’s good to see you,” she said. Instant failure. I shouldn’t be allowed to speak ever again. “Are you here with friends?” Ridiculous small talk continued to spill from her mouth.

  “Yeah. I just got back,” he said. “It was a long drive. I was catching up with a few buddies.” His gaze finally broke as he glanced over his shoulder to the crowd behind him.

  “I don’t want to keep you,” Skylar said. She looked down at her shoes, taking advantage of the release from his commanding eyes. “Maybe we can chat later or another time.”

  “I haven’t seen you in a dozen years, and you want me to leave you standing here?” he asked.

  She was caught up once more in his captivating green eyes. They reflected back to her a comforting memory and an intense longing. All her hopes of pretension went out the window. He could see right through it.

  “It’s actually been ten years . . . since I’ve seen you,” she said.

  He lifted one eyebrow, seemingly questioning her choice of focus. “Your hair is different,” he said, studying her face.

  “Straight,” she said, now reduced to one-word sentences.

  He lightly touched her chin and lifted her head to meet his, continuing to examine her. “I like it.”

  Skylar smiled. This gorgeous man carried all of the goodness of the boy from her past. She had wondered if seeing him wou
ldn’t be as good as the dream in her head, but it was better. Her dreams lacked this heat running through her body. For the first time, she understood what it meant to feel alive. And having his hand touch her face made all of that heat explode right through her pores. Great, she thought, I’m sweating again.

  Argan put his hand down by his side. “What would you like to do?” he asked, his eyes intense.

  “Do?” she repeated, most unbrilliantly.

  “Yes, do you want a drink, do you want to sit and talk?” he asked.

  Skylar found a new feeling starting in her belly: desire. It was deep and meaningful, a slow burn waking up a part of herself she hadn’t known existed until this moment. “I want to go,” she said. The loud atmosphere of the bar had become intrusive and she wanted to escape with Argan.

  “Okay,” he said.

  “I should tell Suki.” Skylar looked around for her friend and spotted her at a nearby table. Suki winked and motioned for Skylar to go.

  Skylar walked to the door, Argan right behind her. He brushed her back with his hand to guide her through the crowd, and every hair on her body stood on end from his touch. It made her feel cared for, protected, and loved all at once. She relished the fact that she knew this man and his history, or at least a part of it, and he was walking out the door with her.

  The fall air outside was crisp. Lately, nights had been refreshingly cooler than the lingering summer heat of the late September days. Skylar breathed deeply, only now realizing how stuffy the bar had been.

  Argan grabbed her arm, pulled her to him, and gave her an enveloping hug. “Wow, you smell the same,” he said, his face buried in her hair. Butterflies, no longer contained to her stomach, exploded in a burst of energy through her body. He remembers. Skylar melted in his arms. They lingered close to one another, then parted reluctantly.

  They walked slowly down the sidewalk. The few shops on the street were closed for the night, but Bay Avenue was bustling with students looking for a good time. There were three other bars on this side of the avenue and three on the other. It made for huge crowds most nights of the week.

  “Where are you living now?” Argan asked.

  She hesitated. “My . . . mother’s place, in Diamond Point.”

  “Oh, that’s a haul,” he said. “I know this sounds like a line, but why don’t we go to my place? We can talk there.”

  “That would be great, actually,” she said. “My car’s at the barn. Suki drove.”

  They walked to the parking lot and Argan opened the passenger door of a well-worn pickup for Skylar. She hopped in. The smell of the leather and pine brought her right back to their eleven-year-old lives.

  “You always loved those Frasier fir trees,” she said. “It smells like Christmas in here.” She took a deep breath and relaxed slightly.

  Argan started the car, and Skylar put her head back on the seat and watched him drive in the light of the full moon. The way his muscles flexed as he held on to the wheel was proof that the boy she once knew had grown into a strong, sexy man. She had no idea what to do with that.

  A minute later they were pulling into the barn parking lot. Argan shut off the car and turned to her. “How’s your family?” he asked, grinning.

  She had to restart her heart every time he smiled at her. “It’s been . . . rough, actually. My mom died over the summer. I’m still trying to get my life back together.”

  “Wow, Skylar. I didn’t know,” he said, sinking in his seat. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you,” she said. Her heart leapt at his concern for her.

  “Wait one sec,” he said. He jumped out of the truck and ran around to open her door. She smiled and hopped out, and he led her up the stairs to his apartment above the barn. He paused outside his front door. “Was she sick? Or . . .”

  “Yup, cancer. Big mess. I’ll tell you all about it someday,” Skylar said, not wanting to spend this time talking about her mother. “Argan, did you ever think of me after you moved away?” she blurted out as they walked through the door, then immediately bit her lip, punishing herself for wearing her heart on her sleeve.

  He didn’t say anything as he put down his keys and flicked on the stereo. Then he took in a deep breath and sighed. “Yes.” He remained standing with his back to her.

  His answer encouraged her to keep going. “I was so sad when you left,” she said. “I know we were little and nothing is supposed to matter when you are so young. But it mattered to me. You were my favorite person and I ached without you. I was crushed when I never heard from you. I never stopped hoping until you moved back to Greece. Then all hope vanished. My father couldn’t understand why I didn’t want new friends. I just wanted you.”

  He turned toward her and smiled slowly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. After a moment, he looked away. Skylar could see he was struggling to find the right words. His head lowered and he stared at the barn board floor.

  “I never forgot,” he said, his voice a whisper. “We spent every day of that summer together. That was truly the happiest time of my life, Skylar. We were young but that didn’t matter. We had a connection that went beyond time.”

  Skylar could hear her own heart pounding. Argan closed the short distance between them and reached out to touch her. He rested one hand on her hip; the other he lifted to her cheek.

  Skylar closed her eyes to soak in his touch. She waited until he drew his hand away before she spoke. “Of course I got on with life,” she said. “But when I came to Rosen and heard your name I almost fell over. I couldn’t believe I might actually see you again.”

  “I know what you mean,” he said. “Kyle was filling me in on all that I missed and he mentioned you. He didn’t speak of anyone else, so you must have made an impression on him.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Just water, please,” she said.

  As Argan got two glasses down from the cabinet, Skylar looked around the studio apartment. It was freakishly clean—off-the-charts tidy for a young bachelor. But Skylar knew Argan was no ordinary guy. He really was something special.

  The apartment was small and it only took a few steps in any direction to meet a wall. She could see into his closet, all of his shirts hanging neatly on hangers, no pile of clothes on the floor. She walked over, leaned inside, and inhaled. His clothes smelled great, just like him. She pulled a university sweatshirt to her and buried her face in it. It smelled woodsy and manly, a scent that seemed much older than Argan’s twenty-one years.

  “What are you doing?” he asked with a chuckle.

  Skylar retreated red-faced from the closet to look at him. She was still getting used to this older Argan. The boy she loved was in there but he was so much more now. He was so tall, almost a full head above her. “Smelling your sweatshirt,” she said. She tried to remain straight-faced but burst out laughing. Argan joined her.

  A picture of Argan playing the piano caught Skylar’s eye.

  “You play?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m a regular on Thursday nights at Art Bar when I’m in town. You should come see next time.”

  “I will most certainly do that.”

  They sat on the couch and talked for hours about what had happened in their lives since they were kids. Argan got up periodically to freshen Skylar’s water glass. Before Skylar knew it, hours had passed. She glanced at the clock and grimaced.

  “I should get going,” she said. “I have a drive ahead of me.”

  “Of course,” Argan said. He stood and reached out his hand to help her up. They walked slowly to the door, neither wanting the night to come to an end.

  He leaned in and brushed her forehead with his lips. “I am really glad it was you,” he said.

  “Me too,” she said, slightly sad. “You know, the only reason I’m leaving now is because I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  A bright smile flashed across his face. “Until tomorrow, then,” he said and gave her a playful bow.

  “Until tomor
row,” Skylar said. She couldn’t stop smiling as she walked out the door.

  The next day, Skylar tended to her duties with the same smile still on her face. Finding Argan had kick-started a spark deep within her that made her feel warm all over.

  When Ronnie returned midday from appointments off campus, she took one look at Skylar’s face and laughed out loud. “I never saw anyone so happy shoveling shit.”

  Skylar blushed. “I’ve found something I thought I’d never see again, is all,” she said.

  “Oh, good for you,” Ronnie said, distracted by a noise coming from one of the stalls. “What now?” she said, walking off to deal with the Arabians. “Those two won’t give me a break.” She disappeared around the corner.

  Skylar followed after Ronnie—she wanted to ask her about her book—but Suki stopped her in her tracks as she rounded the first stall.

  “Out with it,” she said. “That was not the first time you met Argan.”

  Skylar smiled at her. “No, we knew each other when we were kids. We were eleven the last time we saw each other.”

  “No wonder you’re beaming today,” Suki said. “He’s a great guy.”

  “The best,” Skylar said. “But we’re just friends.”

  “Hardly,” Suki said. “The electricity between you two was palpable. Good luck with the just friends bit.” She walked off to finish her rounds and Skylar continued on to find Ronnie.

  The two high-spirited Arabians had been perpetually restless since the arrival of another new charge, a brilliant brown mustang named Cheveyo. He hadn’t been near them an hour before Ronnie moved him to a stall on the opposite side of the barn. It helped somewhat, but they were still refusing to settle completely and they had to be supervised in the paddock. They always headed straight for Cheveyo. The mustang, on the other hand, wasn’t the least bit interested in the stallions and preferred to spend his time grazing.

  Skylar found Ronnie inside of the Arabians’ stalls.

  “When things quiet down here, I’d love to get your opinion on something if you have the time,” Skylar said. “It’s a bit of a mystery.”