by Taylor Wade
“LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKIN’ TO YOU!” He bellowed before delivering another hard slap to my face.
“I...I’m s-sorry!” I cried, knowing that there was no way I could get away from him.
His eyes flickered with amusement but quickly shifted back to the fury filled depths.
“No, you’re not. But you will be.”
He hit me again only this time his hand was closed into a fist. A throbbing pain sliced through my skull and I felt warmth trickle down my lip before he pushed me backwards onto his bed.
“Brookelyn?” Wes’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to find him slide up beside me, lighting a cigarette. “You okay?”
“Mhm, just getting some fresh air.” He looked at me a moment but accepted my answer, taking another drag.
“You looked like you just saw a ghost.” He said.
“I did.” I nodded my head and he turned his head in the direction of my nod, letting out a hoot of laughter. There was a guy in front of us wearing a bed sheet with the eyes and mouth cut out, clearly dressed as a ghost.
“Ya know, you’re pretty funny when you’re not too busy glaring at me.” He said, giving me a sideways glance.
I sighed, “Sorry about that.”
He took one last drag of his cigarette and flicked it to the ground, blowing the smoke from his lungs. He stepped closer to me and squinted his eyes slightly as he studied me. He bent his head, a crooked smile playing on his lips, and moved his eyes up to mine, peering at me through his lashes. Then closed the distance between us and reached towards my face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered on my cheek, softly, and his gaze traveled lower until he was staring at my lips. My breathing hitched when he brushed his thumb gently over my bottom lip. I felt that familiar flutter in my chest and all thoughts of Jackie had disappeared. He looked back into my eyes, and his own were slightly hooded from desire.
“Do you have any idea how badly I want to kiss these lips?” his thumb brushed over my bottom lip again, and then the top. I swallowed; all words lost on me, I shook my head once.
“It takes all of my strength to stop myself.” He whispered, and it as almost as if he was reminding himself. “Because I can’t kiss you.”
“Why?” I whispered back, my own gaze locked on his lips and the smoothness of his jaw. He had shaved today, and it looked good on him, but I missed the shadow.
He was quiet for another moment, his gaze never once leaving mine.
“Because I can see the demons in your eyes, Brookelyn. The ones that surface when you think nobody’s paying attention. The ones you can’t tell me about… and that’s okay.” I opened my mouth to respond but he continued, “I want to take them away from you. I want to help you heal. But I won’t let myself kiss you until I know that you can trust me with those demons.”
“I…” I started.
“It’s okay, Brooke. You don’t have to tell me.” The he lightened the mood, flashing me a perfect, crooked smile. “But you do have to dance with me.”
He took my hand and led me back inside, straight to the dance floor, pulling me into him as our bodies melted together as one.
TEN
I danced with Wes for a solid hour, enjoying the feel of his body pressed tightly against mine. I was drenched in sweat, my baby doll nighty sticking to my skin. I could feel the fabric of Wes’s shirt was also damp so I motioned to go outside for some fresh air.
“Fuck, it’s hot in there.” Wes said, pulling his pack from his back pocket.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, loving the chilly air brushing over my skin. I heard the flick of the lighter as Wes lit hit cigarette and looked over to see that he was watching me.
“Too cool to dress up, Walker?” I joked, referencing his wardrobe. He wore his usual blue denim but he was sporting a stark white collared button up with the sleeves rolled up at the elbows rather than his usual t-shirt.
He fiend offense and held his arms out, looking down at himself.
“I think I look sexy!”
I laughed and opened my mouth to agree when a harsh voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Well isn’t this just super cozy.” Our laughter halted and I groaned, Wes’s jaw clenching, his eyes narrowing.
“Get lost, Emmy.” He said through gritted teeth.
She tsked and looked me up and down, a disgusted look on her face. She was one of the hundred bunnies that I had seen in the club tonight. I made a mental note to thank Elle for her originality.
She narrowed her eyes, studying me. “There’s something off about this one, Wes. I’d be careful.”
“Shut up, Emmy. Don’t be such a bitch.”
She rolled her eyes at him, but swung her gaze back to me. “I’ve got a couple of friends at your old school, you know.” I tensed, and she smirked noticing my reaction. “Guess I’ll have to do some digging. I’ll let you know what I find, Wes.”
“Don’t bother.”
She cackled and flipped her hair over her shoulder, turning on her heel and prancing back into the club.
“Hey.” I forced myself to focus on Wes. “Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t like to be told no so she’s taking’ it out on you.”
I nodded and forced a smile hoping that it appeared natural.
“C’mon, let’s head back inside.”
I grabbed Wes’s outstretched hand and followed after him towards the entrance. Groups of people had started to leave but it was only midnight. We pushed through a couple of crying girls and guys who looked ready to brawl and lifted our wrists to show the bouncer that we’d already been admitted. He held up his hands, stopping us.
“Sorry, guys. No one’s allowed back in once you’re out. Couple of fights broke out and the fire marshals’ shut us down. You’re gonna have to find somewhere else to go.”
I opened my mouth to argue but he motioned us aside, fighting of a burly guy who was trying to sneak back in.
“Great! Now what?” I wailed throwing up my hands and letting them fall onto my thighs with a slap.
“Do you have all of your stuff with you?” Wes asked.
“Yeah, I only brought my phone, my ID and some money.” I replied. The best part of being a girl was being able to stash money and other necessities like IDs in my bra when going to a club.
“Alright, text Elle and let her know the deal. I’ve got an idea of what we can do with the rest of our night.” He’s eyes sparkled with mischief and I raised an eyebrow. “Get your head out of the gutter Baby Spice, we’re going to Ihop.”
“Ihop? Really?” I questioned, and sent Elle a message letting her know about the fight and that I was supposedly going with Wes to Ihop.
“Of course. There’s nothing better than some pancakes and hash browns at midnight to soak up some of that alcohol.” I shrugged, following closely behind him as he walked towards the street. Cabs were lined up to escort all of the college students back home. Wes leaned into the open passenger seat window of one and said something to the driver. After exchanging a few words Wes turned to me with a smile and opened the back door of the cab, motioning me in before him.
We settled into the cab and all thoughts of Emmy vanished from my mind. I promised myself that I’d get a hold of Savanna tomorrow and warn her about Cam. Right now I wanted to enjoy my time with Wes. Ever since he had admitted that he wanted to kiss me I felt less uneasy around him. Now that I knew that he felt the same way, I was able to open up a little more, although I still wasn’t ready to release my demons. I was torn—on one hand I wanted to kiss him so badly that I was ready to spill my deepest darkest secret, but on the other hand, I was afraid that I’d send him running.
The cab driver was a cute little Indian man who drove fast enough that I found myself gripping onto the door handle. Luckily Ihop was only a few streets over from The Alamo so my life was only in danger for a few minutes.
We hopped out of the cab and Wes handed the driver some money before lacing his fingers th
rough mine and pulling me through the doors of the diner. The restaurant was much busier than I had expected it to be and as I took in all of the costumes I realized Wes wasn’t the only one with the idea of a midnight breakfast after leaving the club.
The hostess did a double take when she noticed Wes and flashed him a flirty smile, batting her eyelashes at him seductively. I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes at her blatant behavior. I felt Wes squeeze my hand and I stopped glaring at the hostess long enough to see Wes smiling down at me with an amused grin.
“Will it just be you and your sister tonight?” the hostess asked, and I gritted my teeth to stop myself from lashing out at her.
Wes chuckled lightly. “Yes, my sister and I would love a table for two.”
I averted my glare from the hostess, who now wore a pleased grin, to Wes. His eyes sparkling with amusement and he gave me an innocent look. I could see that he was trying hard not to laugh by the way he pressed his lips together. I rolled my eyes as we followed behind the hostess over to a tiny booth, keeping my hand firmly locked onto his. I took my seat and snatched the menu from the hostess a bit roughly causing her to frown as Wes slid into the booth opposite me.
“Your server will be with you shortly. If you need anything at all just let me know.” She spoke directly to Wes and he acknowledged her flirtation with a wide grin.
“She was nice.” He said after she had walked away.
“She was rude.” He chuckled.
“I like your jealous side, Brooke. You’re feisty.” He said.
“I’m not jealous, I’m thoroughly disgusted by her behavior.” I told him.
“Whatever you say, beautiful.” He said, and I grimaced. “What?”
“Don’t call me that,” I replied, “Gabe always called me that. It was like he couldn’t remember my name.”
Wes laughed, “Alright, ugly. Whatever you’d like.”
“Ugly? You sure now how to make a girl feel special, Wes.” I deadpanned.
“Hey! I’m going for originality! Give me some credit, woman.” I shook my head and smiled, looking down at my menu.
I was relieved to see that our server was male. He took our drink orders, lingering his gaze on my cleavage for a beat too long.
“Hey, buddy! Eyes up here!” Wes snapped, and the waiter paled, spitting out a quick apology and running to the back to get our drinks.
“Jealousy looks good on you, Wes. So feisty.” I teased back at him.
He rolled his eyes, “Whatever. The guy was staring at your tits like he was planning his last meal.”
I let out a laugh but Wes just narrowed his gaze and unbuttoned his shirt revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. He slipped his button down shirt off of his shoulders and held it out to me.
“Please, for my sanity, and for the safety of our waiter, put this on.”
I didn’t argue, grabbing the shirt and slipping it through my arms. The restaurant was air-conditioned and Wes’s shirt kept me warm. I could smell his cologne mixed with his natural manly scent on the fabric and decided I might not give it back to him.
The waiter returned to drop off our drinks and take our orders, only glancing at me briefly. He kept his gaze mostly trained on Wes, which seemed to satisfy him. Wes ordered the steak and eggs with a side of hash browns and toast and I got the short stack of chocolate chip banana pancakes with hash browns on the side.
I wasn’t oblivious to the few gawking females at surrounding tables. Wes was easily the most attractive guy in the diner and his laidback demeanor only made him more irresistible.
“What are you thinking about?” Wes asked, suddenly.
“You.” I replied honestly.
“Oh yeah? What about me?” he revealed a crooked grin, and I couldn’t help but admire his straight white teeth. His orthodontist was a talented man.
“About wanting you to kiss me.” The alcohol had worn off about an hour ago and I was surprised by my own brazenness.
His smile faded and he sighed. “Brookelyn…”
“I know. You won’t do it.” I muttered.
“No, I won’t. Not yet, that is.” It was my turn to sigh.
The waiter took that moment to arrive with our food. We ate silently for a couple of minutes and I decided that breakfast at midnight was genius. The pancakes and hash browns filled my stomach and absorbed any leftover vodka. Wes seemed to be enjoying his food as well, half of which he had already thrown back. I was always amazed at how fast guys could eat.
My phone chirped signaling a new message and I opened it to see that Elle had finally responded.
Elle: staying at Colin’s 2night. Enjoy ur date ;)
Me: not a date.
Elle: liar.
Me: slutty athlete.
Elle: take it back!
I giggled at my best friend and Wes looked up at me questioningly.
I waved my hand in the air, dismissively. “Just Elle.”
“Ah, I see.” He said and I nodded. I mentally kicked myself for making the conversation awkward by bringing up kissing him.
“You’ve got chocolate all over your face.” Wes pointed out, amused.
“Where?” I wiped all around my mouth with a napkin trying to use my phone as a mirror but was unsuccessful.
“Here,” Wes reached out and brushed his thumb over my top lip, enticing goose bumps to spread across my skin. He pulled his hand back and brought his thumb to his mouth, his eyes never leaving mine as he licked the chocolate off of his finger. It was the hottest thing I had ever witnessed.
I sat frozen, staring at his tongue as it darted out of his mouth and swiped at the chocolate before retreating and licked his lips together. The corner of his mouth tilted up as he watched me, opened mouth, in a daze.
He leaned forward and his face was so close to mine that there was only a few inches between our lips.
“Ready to share those demons, yet?” Wes whispered, taunting and playful, but I could see the desire in his blue eyes.
I snapped back to attention and moved further away from him, narrowing my eyes.
“You don’t fight fair.” I stated, crossing my arms over my chest.
He leaned back in his booth and smirked, “Not at all.”
The waiter cleared our plates and placed the check on the table. I reached for it to see what I owed but Wes grabbed it first and slid his credit card into the slot and gave it back to the waiter.
“How very date-like of you,” I stated, raising an eyebrow.
“This is a date, isn’t it?” Wes replied giving me a pointed look.
The waiter came back with the check and Wes signed, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the exit.
I flashed the hostess a harsh glare as we passed by her, which she mirrored back at me. I pressed closer to Wes and gave her a smirk, aware of my own immaturity.
There were more cabs waiting outside of the diner and Wes headed over to one, opening the back door for me to slide into. He leaned into the open passenger side window and recited my address to the driver, handing him a few bills. An excitement passed through me thinking that Wes was coming back to the apartment with me. I had started formulating plans to get him to kiss him when he leaned into the open back door, bending down so that he face was close to mine.
“You know, most dates end with a kiss.” I stated matter-of-factly and started to scoot back to make room for him to get in. He grabbed my arm gently, not yet getting into the cab. I gave him a confused look.
“Not this one,” He whispered, a smile playing on his perfect lips. “Goodnight, Brookelyn.”
I sat, stunned, as he backed away from the cab and shut the door, making his way to the empty cab behind this one. My driver started to pull away so I rolled down my window and stuck my head out.