I’m not sure she knows what I drive. There are two lanes for the car wash, and even though I don’t need a car wash, I find myself pulling in her lane. The car in front of us is a sporty one, but not fancy or big. It should not take long for the girls to get the dude out of the way.
“Colton, looks like you’ve got some competition!” Oh, hell to the no! The guy is talking her up and trying to touch her, when I see her squirm and recoil away from him. And that’s when I know that my life is about to change. I should not give a shit about her, and I definitely should not give a shit about a guy trying to get a move on her, I am not a cock blocker, but I feel heat rising from my insides and my head feels like it’s going to explode. For the first time in my life I see red. I see red and I’m not okay with what is going on.
“Traxx, Notso, prepare yourselves ‘cause I don’t know which way this shit is going to fly.” That’s when I get out of the truck.
Brianna
The hot sun felt good on our cold, wet skin. There was a long line of vehicles waiting their turn. All the volunteers showed up on time, and that is a plus. The music was loud, but it kept the atmosphere positive and happy. The donations have been very generous so far and I was meeting a lot of new people, some of whom wanted my number, but I preferred getting theirs instead. It was safer that way.
The guy who owns the car I was washing had come outside and was talking a hell of a lot about nothing. I would rather he leave me alone and wait inside for his vehicle to be ready, like everyone else is doing, but this one wants to have a conversation. He is really trying to get my attention, and I’m trying to hurry and get finished when he makes the bad move to get inside my personal space and moves his hand towards my shoulder. I move away and prepare myself to put him flat on his face when I notice what’s coming in.
A huge navy Chevy truck with dark tinted windows pulls up to my line. We are going to need a ladder on this one, I think. It has side step bars, a massive push-grille in the front, super large heavy duty tires on polished chrome rims, and a matching toolbox. There are KC lights on the top of the cabin and the truck was spotless. It really didn’t need a wash. I silently hoped there were no creepers inside that cab, because that truck did not belong in the car wash line.
All I can make out is that there are two or maybe three guys inside the cabin. They are wearing hats and sunglasses. I can’t tell if I know them or not. The creeper who is trying to touch me stops cold when three of the truck’s doors open at the same time and three huge guys come out of that cab. At first I can’t make up who they are, but as the come closer I can tell it’s the three amigos: Colton, Traxx and Notso, and they do not look happy to be there.
They get closer and the creeper’s eyes get huge and he stops cold.
“Hey, Brianna, what’s up?” Colton smiles at me and gives the creeper a frown.
“Um. Hi. Not much. Volunteering for a good cause.” I’m such an idiot. What kind of comment is that? The obvious kind. Geesh.
“We had no idea this was going on today. I hope nobody has tried to be disrespectful to you girls, everyone’s behaving okay? He is giving the creeper the stinky eye, and all the guys are staring him down. The creeper cowers a little bit and says he’s going to the waiting area and to call him when I’m finished.
The girl that is my car wash partner is literally drooling and staring at the guys. Wow, be a little less obvious, would ya? Then, forgetting about the creeper, I turn and I look at Colton smiling at me. God, he makes me tingle all over. He casually eyes me up and down and says “if I would have known that this car wash had the best view in town, I would have been here a lot sooner,” he winks at me, “don’t let me slow you down, Sunny. Please go ahead and continue.”
I look up at him and frown, “Who the hell is Sunny? Did you already forget my name?” He closes the distance, walking slowly and deliberately until he is invading all of my personal space. I hold my own, square my shoulders and stick out my chin a bit, but when those gray eyes look at me, I can’t stop the involuntary shudder. I curse myself out in my head, because I can tell my nipples are getting hard and I feel them switching to the “on” position. Traitors. He stares at me and glances at my headlights. Then he speaks softly and sweetly so that only I can hear him.
“No, I sure didn’t forget your name. I’m calling you Sunny because in this yellow bikini, you made me feel warm all over…” He touches my bikini string near my neck, and slides his hands up and down, when he touches my skin, it feels like it’s on fire and I inhale deeply taking in his scent – all male, fresh and clean, and he continues “… just like sunshine on my bare skin.” Then his tone changes to a more playful one and he says, “and, because every time I have tried to talk to you, your disposition towards me has matched the word – for sure.”
Oooh, he was being sarcastic, dang, he got me going for a second! Just as I was getting ready to tell him where he can shove his flirtations, Ciara came and cut me off.
“Hey Brianna, Lilly and Julie are not feeling well, they ate lunch at this shady Mexican place and I think they have food poisoning.”
“Crap, Ciara, look at the car lines! Is there anyone we can call to come help us out even though it’s last minute? My shift was supposed to end in less than an hour.”
Colton interrupted to say something that I never expected him to say, “We can help for a little while.”
“Who, exactly is ‘we?’” I asked him, wide eyed in surprise.
“We. Us guys.” He points at Traxx and Notso who were chatting up some girls. They looked our way and smiled, nodding their heads and giving up a thumbs up. Oh.My.God. So far I have been able to handle Colton in small bursts of time. I am not sure what would happen when I have to work with him side by side for hours. Ciara, who failed to see the entire picture, specially my predicament, got super excited and smiled, while telling Colton what a great idea he had.
“We were headed to the pool anyway, so just point us out to where we can change into our swimming suits.” He tells Ciara.
“Come with me and when you finish getting ready, you can come back and pair with Brianna. I’m sure she will do a great job showing you and the guys where everything is at and how to work the car line.” I give her a tight lipped smile and she winked at me - WINKED! – Ugh! Colton moved his truck out of the wash line and he returned with two gym bags. He called to Traxx and Notso to follow him. I just stood there, fuming, trying to figure out how I am going to handle the gray eyed devil who continues to run into me, shaking all my walls looking for a crack in my defenses.
Colton
This is not exactly how I expected to spend part of my day, but you know what they say, seize the day and all that shit. Things were going a lot faster in the car wash since we were helping the girls out, and we noticed an increase in female customers. I was being nice, because I knew the tips would be better, but I had no real interest in anyone but the brunette beauty I was staring at all damn day. I tried really hard to get her to talk to me, but she has been avoiding any type of real conversation. I am not giving up.
“So that guy that you were talking to when we got here, did he get your number?”
“What do you care if he did or didn’t?”
“Because if that loser got your digits, then maybe you should give them to me, too.”
She sighs dramatically. “He didn’t get my number. In fact no one has. That is not the way I operate.”
“Hmm, so, what is your favorite method of operation?”
“If they ask for my number, I refuse to give it to them. If they insist, I get their number instead and promise to call. When they leave, I throw their number in the trash. I hate pushy people.” She gives me a hint of a smile as if to ask me if I am the pushy kind. I’m not a quitter, that’s for sure, but this lets me know that I need to come up with different options. Then she adds “I don’t have time for dating and I certainly don’t have time for idiots.” Then she smiles really big and she gives me a glimpse of that cute dimple.
Life is just not fair.
“Are you opposed to casually see someone, no strings attached?” I ask her. Where there’s a will, there is a way. What is up with me and all these clichés running through my head? Ugh!
“Not really. I like friends with benefits. That’s pretty much the way I prefer it.”
My eyes grow wide. I have never heard a girl say those words ever! This may be easier than I thought it would be. “Friends with benefits, really? And how do you choose those?”
“Very carefully.” She gives me a funny look. “Look, I am not a slut. I don’t jump around from lap to lap. I establish friendships and when I determine that the guy is not a possessive jerk, I may make the offer. I will continue to have this type of relationship with the same guy until he decides he wants to seriously date a girl. Once that happens, I back up and look for someone else to fill the void. My life is too busy and I have many interests to dedicate too much time to a serious relationship.”
I am speechless. This is awesome! I finally realize my mouth is wide open. Closing it, I swallow a large knot in my throat and manage to continue this conversation. This is the most she has talked all afternoon. Might as well keep it going.
“That is very guy-like of you. Don’t you think?”
“I don’t operate emotionally like most girls do. I am more analytical, pre-emptive strike, kind of girl. I love things most guys like: speed, hunting, fishing, shooting… but I enjoy being a girl and dressing like one when the occasion calls for it. I try to look at it as having the best of both worlds, don’t you think?”
Niiiice! And the score keeps going up. “So, how did you come to be that way?”
“Well, Colton, this is where the ball stops. I do not talk about my past.” She looks at me with hard eyes and the fun vibe we were just sharing has completely shifted to a serious one. “My real life started when I joined the military and goes forward. If we are going to be friends – which you seem so intent to make it happen - then that’s a rule that you need to understand. It is non-negotiable and today, in this moment, it’s the last time we bring this up. Is that clear?” She continues to stare at me with the same look and awaits my response.
“Crystal.” I nod once with my head to emphasize that I am in agreement with her.
“Alrighty then.” And her beautiful face brightens with a happy smile and the mood shifts again to the fun one. Wow. This girl is fire and ice. A mystery that I cannot wait to explore.
Brianna
I have got to give it to Colton. The boy is engaging. He was talking a lot about nothing, but he was fun to have around, and even though all the girls who came through the car wash were trying to score with him, he was attentive enough in a gentleman kind of way, but without being disrespectful to me. I should not give a shit, but I do. He is growing on me and I do not like that feeling. I already knew that there was a physical attraction, but the fact that I may like him as a person or intellectually? That is dangerous territory. It’s a skip and a jump from being involved. That is a price I cannot afford.
He looks at me with bright eyes and asks me some probing questions. They don’t bother me and I answer them truthfully, until the dreaded questions about my past come out. I felt bad, but I had to stop him cold. There’s no repeats. No second chances. If he is not going to respect my wishes, he is a goner. I tell him my past is a no-go zone and he was accepting, almost understanding. I saw the questions that were going through his mind reflected in his gray eyes. I was relieved when he didn’t pry. It is my turn to ask some questions, I guess.
“What are you studying, what’s your major?”
“Finance. I was tasked by my father to learn how to manage money. He has a large investment firm and a lot of assets.” He did not sound like he was bragging at all. It was a matter of fact, almost annoyed tone of voice. Like he didn’t want to get into it.
“What about you?” He asked me. It was as if he felt uncomfortable talking about himself.
“Criminal Justice. How did you end up in this school?”
“Family tradition. But I do like it also. My family is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. We own several rental properties in the Pristina area and a lot of land. My father has been selling some of them slowly, making enormous profit. That makes him happy.”
“Cool. And what about you, Colton, What makes you happy?” He looks at me and for the briefest moment, I feel as if he wants to tell me something important. Like he wants to share a part of himself with me, but then he smiles and the moment is gone.
“Pretty girls make me happy. Pretty girls, good friends and all the typical dude things: speed, hunting, fishing, shooting. I guess we have a lot in common.”
“Sounds like we do.” I give him a heartfelt smile. At that moment, Ciara comes by.
“Okay, boys and girls, let’s wrap this up!” She goes to the entry point and hangs a sign that says the car wash is closed. It’s bittersweet, because even though is hard for me to admit it, I was enjoying my talk with Colton.
Colton
Well, shit. Ciara is calling it a day and I’m really having a good time talking to Brianna and getting to know her a little bit. I felt we were finally getting somewhere. Maybe we can continue the party at the pool. The weather is nice and maybe they want to relax as much as I do. I walk away to talk to Traxx and Notso, and they think is a good idea. They have hit it off with some of the girls. Let’s see, we are about ten people in total.
I walk over to talk with Ciara, because I think she may be more receptive than Brianna, and tell her about our plans for the afternoon.
“Hey Ciara, before we stopped by here, we were headed to Traxx’s family’s property which has a pool and if you guys want to come, we can all relax and listen to some music, what do you say?”
She smiles, turns around and rallies everyone to tell them. Some people turn it down saying they have other plans. I look warmly at Brianna, willing her to say yes. She looks at me apologetically, and shakes her head no. Dammit! At that moment, I see Ciara trying to talk her into it. Now, she is pulling her to the side. Well, that girl is a little spitfire and it seems that she may be the only one who can get through to Brianna. Brianna looks up to the sky, closes her eyes, and nods. Yes!
Ciara comes back and tells me to text her the address, she and Brianna are going to pick up a few things and a change of clothes for later as the weather is supposed to cool down some this evening. She holds out her hand expectantly and I drop my phone in her palm, allowing her to enter her number. I give her the sweetest smile I can muster, and ask her to enter Brianna’s number too. Just in case.
“I dunno’ Colton. My girl is pretty choosy about who has her telephone number. I don’t wanna get on her bad side. I’m already pushing it as it is, making her go to your impromptu get together…”
“Aw, come on! I will not use it unless it’s extremely important.”
“Promise, Colton?”
“Girl, I promise.” I give her my most sincere smile. As she is entering the coveted number, she looks up at me and says:
“Look, Colton. I can see you have been making gooey eyes at my girl all afternoon. She is like an armadillo… but a whole bunch prettier. What I mean is that she is a tough shell on the outside, soft on the inside. She has history. A lot of history for being only 21 years old. If you mess with her, you are messing with me. I know she doesn’t want to have a relationship, and neither do you or your boys, but that it’s not an excuse to play with someone’s feelings. I want you to treat her right. She deserves it. She is a lot more worthy of someone special than any of us are. Don’t make me regret this shit, or I will have to cut you. I’m serious as fuck. You got that?”
“Yes. I got it. Totally got it.” She finishes adding Brianna’s number on my contact list and shoves the phone in my stomach causing the air to puff out of my lungs. That little shit is strong! I smile at her and she smiles back with one serious look daring me to fuck it up. I am not going to. This is my one chance to get to know my ‘biker gi
rl’.
Unavoidable Page 5