Forever With You (Silver State Series)

by Renae Kelleigh

  “What do you think? Girls in one room?” asks Rochelle – she looks at Steph, who’s looking at Macary. Macary darts a glance back at me like she’s hoping I’ll step in and ask to split a room with her – and maybe I should. Unfortunately I’m paralyzed with indecision; I couldn’t open my mouth to speak even if I actually knew what to say.

  “Sure,” she says finally. She sounds pretty uncertain. “Kyle?” she says, turning back to me; hearing my name snaps me out of my stupor and causes me to blink. “You okay with having your own room?” she asks.

  “Yeah sure, whatever,” I reply. The receptionist bobs her head and begins striking keys; a minute later she lays out four card keys on the polished counter and directs us all to the bank of elevators.

  Chapter 28 – Bottle Cap

  Tuesday & Wednesday, March 21-22

  Kyle – Tuesday, 9:30 AM

  My hotel room is ridiculous. A king bed occupies a fair amount of the floor space in the sleeping area, but there’s also a fireplace and an ocean view terrace that boasts its own private plunge pool. The bathroom has a garden tub and a rain shower, and there are handcrafted Mexican details throughout. As I lie in bed staring up at the rough-hewn wooden ceiling and wrought iron light fixture, I think how I could definitely get used to this.

  Unfortunately a harsh knock at the door interrupts my peaceful thoughts. I grudgingly slide out of the four-post bed and yank on the pair of jeans I unceremoniously discarded in a heap next to the bed as I stumbled in last night. I turn the lock on the door and swing it open; Macary stands on the other side in a mesh cover-up that barely conceals the hot pink bikini she has on underneath. I look at her expectantly as her eyes perform a studied analysis of my naked torso; thankfully I’m pretty comfortable with my body, otherwise her obvious appraisal might have me reaching for a shirt to throw on.

  “How’d you sleep?” she asks after what seems like an eternity but was more likely closer to a couple of seconds.

  “Like a baby,” I reply. “You?”

  “Ugh, not so great. Rochelle snores,” she replies, rolling her eyes in exaggerated annoyance.

  I chuckle. “That sucks.” I nod my head at her outfit and say, “You headed to the beach?”

  “Yeah, well Les wanted me to see if you wanna eat first. We’re meeting by the elevators in a few minutes.”

  “Sounds good, I’ll see ya out there.” She shoots me a grin as she nods and I let the door shut. I unzip my suitcase and pull out a pair of green swim trunks and a black sleeveless shirt, then stuff my feet in a pair of leather thong sandals and head out to rendezvous with the rest of the group.

  Tawny – Tuesday, 10:15 AM

  I come to in the biggest, softest bed I’ve ever slept in, tangled in a down comforter with my head buried amid more pillows than I can count. I haven’t slept that hard in a long time.

  Gradually I rise up on my elbows and begin to scan my surroundings. “Morning, sleepy head,” says Vivian – she’s walking out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel with water dripping down her arms. She scoops my cell phone up off the dresser and tosses it to me; it lands with a soft thud in the blanket beside me. “Your phone has been ringing nonstop for about the past two hours.”

  I cringe as I switch on the display to check my missed calls – there are five from my mother and another four from Aiden. There’s also a text message from Aiden time stamped 9:36 AM asking if I’d like to go to breakfast. I reply to him with a quick apology for oversleeping, then call Mom, who answers breathlessly on the first ring. I have to tell her about twenty times I’m alive and well, then gently remind her how expensive international phone calls are, before she’ll consent to letting me off the line.

  After hanging up, I roll back down onto the pillows, feeling as if I could spend the entire vacation folded up in these covers. “Come on, girl,” says Vivian. “Let’s hit the pool.”

  Deciding she’s right and that I’ve probably wasted enough time languishing in bed, I scoot down off the mattress and head to the bathroom to change into one of my new swimsuits – it’s a coral bikini with white polka dots; the push-up balconnette top is lightly padded and has a strap that goes around the back of my neck, and the top and bottoms both have a ruffled border.

  I brush out my hair and slick on some lip balm, then walk back into the bedroom to put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. “Lordy,” says Vivian, “that poor bastard doesn’t stand a chance.”

  I look up at her in confusion. “Who?”

  “Who do you think?” she replies. “Aiden. He’s gonna have blue balls seeing you in that all day if he has to keep his hands to himself.”

  I smirk at her as I hike up a pair of denim shorts and button them around my hips. “You sound like you’re looking forward to it.”

  “Oh, I’m not too proud to admit I enjoy watching him squirm.” She winks at me, then slides on her sunglasses and leads the way out the door.

  Tuesday, 1:30 PM

  I’m so relaxed, all I can think is, I never want to go home. I’m roasting in the heat, and I probably should’ve reapplied my sunscreen a long time ago, but I can’t bring myself to budge from this spot. The pool is crowded, but the laughter and conversations of the people around me have faded to a monotonous blur; I’ve been passing in and out of consciousness ever since I laid down here an hour and a half ago.

  I feel the cushion on my lounge chair compress as someone sits down. “Hey, sexy.”

  I lift one eyelid and raise my hand to block the sun as I look at Aiden – he’s soaking wet, and his eyes are riveted on my chest. “Hey yourself,” I reply.

  “Come get in the water with me.”

  I sigh as I let my head fall from side to side. “No thanks,” I drawl lazily. “I’m enjoying myself here.”

  “Come on,” he says again, surprising me as he lightly drapes his hand over my thigh and gives it a squeeze. “You’re driving me insane. Do you know how many guys I’ve had to watch checking you out?”

  I roll my eyes as I chuckle at his flair for the dramatic.

  “I’m being serious!” he exclaims. “I’m dying here.”

  Still laughing I shake my head in disbelief. “Fine, I’ll get in the water – but then do you promise to get me one of those frozen pink drinks I keep seeing? They look amazing.”

  He grins. “You’ve got yourself a deal – I’ll even buy you two of them. Now come on, pretty lady. Let’s show these horn dogs you’re already spoken for.”

  Kyle – Tuesday, 2:45 PM

  I’ve seen a few people walking around this afternoon in Wolf Pack t-shirts, no doubt here on the same package as us. I do my best to ignore them, preferring to envision myself in a world where UNR doesn’t even exist.

  This morning we ate eggs with salsa and fried plantains on the beach, then went for a dip in the ocean. It’s still early in the year, so the water temperature is a touch on the cool side, but after a few minutes of cavorting in the waves it started to feel pretty nice. Les and I ended up renting snorkeling masks and swimming out to one of the reefs. Seeing the vibrant coral, I made a mental note to add underwater gear to my wish list of photography equipment.

  After lunch the girls decided to get cleaned up and go shopping while Les and I hung back and continued to lounge on the beach. Now we’re at the poolside cantina drinking Coronas with fresh lime and planning out the rest of our day.

  “Leila’s dead set on a whale watching cruise,” says Les; he shakes his head as if he’ll never understand such a concept. “I can take her myself. I understand if you guys wanna do something else.”

  I laugh. “What am I gonna do with three girls? Go shopping? Watch them try on sundresses?”

  He shrugs. “Macary mentioned something about an ATV tour or horseback riding.”

  “Somehow I’m having trouble picturing Steph on the back of a sweaty animal,” I reply. We both laugh at the absurdity of the thought. “Anyway,” I say, “doesn’t matter to me what we do – as long as it doesn’t cost a shitload of money.�
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  Les drains the last of his beer and plunks the empty bottle down on the metallic surface of the table. “I gotta take a leak,” he says. “Order me another one of those if the waiter comes by.” He weaves through the crowd to get to the bathroom, and I focus my attention on flipping my bottle cap to pass the time. A minute later, the cap goes renegade, sailing out of my reach before I can snatch it and landing on the ground. I slide off my barstool to grab it, but somebody else beats me to it.

  “This yours?” the guy asks me as he stands up, holding out the cap. The blood starts pounding in my head, making purple dots swim before my eyes, when I realize I recognize his face. It’s the guy – Tawny’s guy.

  “Thanks,” I murmur, taking the cap back from him. He keeps walking with a buddy of his right on his heels; I watch as they zigzag between tables and pull a couple of stools up next to the bar.

  I sit back down on my stool – although really it feels more like falling. I’m completely dumbfounded. My head swivels as I take in my immediate surroundings. Is she here?

  I don’t see any other familiar faces, but then again, the place is pretty packed. Once I’ve finished making a sweep of the vicinity, my eyes land back on the two guys sitting at the bar. Without thinking I stand up and meander over to them. I stand at the bar a little ways down from where they’re sitting and pretend not to eavesdrop on their conversation as I flag down the bartender for two more Coronas.

  “We’re goin’ out tonight, right?” asks the kid who isn’t Tawny’s boyfriend. “I wanna check out that Squid Roe place that one chick was telling us about.”

  “Yeah, that place sounded pretty cool,” Aiden agrees. “I call tomorrow night off limits though – I’m taking Tawny to do something special, just the two of us.”

  My stomach roils in protest at the sound of her name. Fucking Christ, I’ve got it bad. I grip the edge of the bar to keep myself from keeling over as I continue to listen like some kind of masochist.

  “’Something special,’ huh?” says his friend. “I know what that means.” He winks as he elbows his friend in the ribs. “Think she’ll finally go for it?”

  My heart pauses, and my ears start burning as I strain to hear Aiden’s response. “Jesus, I hope so.” He mumbles, so I almost didn’t catch it. “Honestly, dude, I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out. I knew she’d be the kind of girl who wants to be romanced, but I never dreamed it’d take this long.”

  The other guy speaks up again, but the deafening roar in my ears prevents me from hearing any more of their asinine conversation. First of all – what an ass. I knew the second I laid eyes on him Tawny could do way better. Doesn’t necessarily make me feel any less shitty myself – I mean, let’s be honest, she could do way better than either one of us – but regardless, it’s the truth.

  And second of all – she hasn’t slept with him? I’m going to need some serious psychoanalysis to figure out why exactly that fact makes me feel like a million bucks.

  Tawny – Tuesday, 9:45 PM

  I would’ve been perfectly content to stick near the hotel tonight, eating seafood on the beach and walking the shoreline in the moonlight. I was overruled, however, by everyone else in the group – they all insisted we go out dancing. It’s just a little over a mile from the resort to El Squid Roe, the club the guys wanted to check out, but since Viv, Christie and I are in heels we take a cab. Vivian is dressed to kill in a skintight red dress, and Christie looks equally as vivacious in a teeny, low-cut black number. I hadn’t thought to pack anything for clubbing, so I’m more conservatively dressed in a strapless A-line sundress.

  The second we walk into the crowded bar and I take in the teeming hordes of sweaty bodies, I wish I’d feigned a bad headache so I could’ve stayed behind. Aiden seems to notice my hesitation; he gives me a reassuring smile and pulls on my hand, causing me to stumble down a step onto the dance floor.

  “I’m gonna go see about some tequila shots!” says Vivian as she joins the crush of people descending on the bar. I hang onto Aiden as I turn my head, absorbing our surroundings. The bar has three levels to it, and the upper floors look down on the main dance floor. A spotlight mounted on the top story railing beams down on the gyrating masses. Even though we’re in Mexico, it’s clear the vast majority of the patrons are tourists – probably spring breakers like us. It’s quite the raging party.

  Vivian returns a minute later; a server tails her, holding up a tray full of shot glasses and a plate of limes. I’m amazed at his ability to make it through the crowd without spilling anything.

  We gather around in a circle, and Viv helps distribute the shots. I watch as the others lick the backs of their hands and quickly follow suit, even though I have no idea what’s going on right now. I watch, bewildered, as Brady goes around the circle with a salt shaker and spills a dash of salt on each hand. Frowning, I look up at Aiden. “What are we doing?” I ask.

  He looks down at me, his eyes wide with shock. “Haven’t you ever done a tequila shot before?”

  “No,” I answer simply.

  I crook my head to the side as I strain to hear his explanation – first lick the salt, then shoot the tequila, then suck on the lime. He finishes bringing me up to speed just as everyone lifts their shot glasses aloft; they all look at us expectantly.

  “To being in Mexico!” yells Vivian.

  “To spring break!” Logan agrees.

  I do the shot as I was instructed by Aiden, just barely choking down the foul tasting liquor before biting down on the tangy lime. Aiden laughs at me as my eyes water, then bends down so his mouth is next to my ear. “Let’s go dance.” He takes my hand and begins winding back toward the dance floor before I even have a chance to respond. As we come to a stop at the edge of what looks to me like a gigantic mosh pit, I have an involuntary flashback to the Nu Alpha Kappa party with Kyle; I shiver at the recollection of him grinding up against me, showing me where to move my hands. I’d felt so invincible, so sexy. Kyle had somehow managed to make me feel that way a lot of the time I was with him.

  Gradually the alcohol takes effect, and I begin to feel the music. Aiden holds me tightly with one arm while the other hangs loosely at his side; he doesn’t bother to disguise the hunger in his eyes as he stares at me. I can feel his erection whenever one of my body parts comes in contact with his crotch. The drunker he gets, the tighter he seems to hold on to me.

  There’s no telling how long we’ve been dancing when another girl slinks over to us – or more accurately, to Aiden. She has dark brown hair, olive toned skin and big brown eyes that are heavily lined with black eyeliner, and she’s dressed in a white miniskirt and flowy tank top. The girl shamelessly presses herself up against Aiden’s other side and begins twisting around him. For a moment I’m struck by how skilled she is as a dancer – I almost want to tuck my figurative tail between my legs and scamper away, because clearly she’s won this round. Watching her roll her body and wrap herself around my boyfriend makes me feel horribly inadequate.

  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised Aiden seems to be enjoying himself. Whereas before he only had eyes for me, now his attention seems equally divided between the two of us. He keeps a firm grip on my waist, but he snakes an arm around the other girl as well. It occurs to me I should probably feel angry or slighted, but I’m either too drunk to care or too curious to watch what he’ll do next – apparently alcohol has the ability to bring out some repressed voyeuristic tendency within me.

  The girl’s confidence grows as Aiden touches her, and her already intrepid movements become that much more daring. I watch in awe as she runs her hands down Aiden’s heaving, sweaty chest, feeling his bare skin beneath his partially unbuttoned shirt. The way she’s flattened against him, I have to imagine it would be impossible for an outsider to determine which of us is his girlfriend. I feel Aiden grope desperately at my butt at the same time I notice him cinching his arm tighter around the vixen-like interloper.

  Suddenly I feel a different kind of touch brushing ag
ainst my arm; this hand is smaller, softer – more feminine. I look down then back up, shocked to realize the girl has transferred her attention from Aiden to me. She angles her body so she’s pressed up against both of us as she expertly swirls her hips; her eyes are locked on mine. Meanwhile, all I can do in stare in bewilderment. She picks up my hand that’s flattened against Aiden’s stomach and places it on her shoulder, then uses her own hand to trace the line of my hip up to the side of my breast.

  I have no idea what to make of all this – I feel like I might be going into shock. Slowly I lift my eyes to meet Aiden’s gaze. I’m taken aback when I see he’s biting his lip while staring between the two of us; his hands are pressed against each of our backs, pushing us closer together. What the hell?! Suddenly it all becomes too much – I need space to breathe. I break away from Aiden and the temptress and flee through the crowd without looking back.

  Kyle – Tuesday, 11:00 PM

  Dinner was empanadas and pinot noir on the candlelit terrace overlooking the ocean; afterward we tossed around ideas about how to spend the rest of our evening, and I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from suggesting Squid Roe. Tempting as it is, the last thing I want is to walk in on Tawny dry humping her asshole boyfriend. I’m going nuts enough as it is, knowing his plans to seduce her tomorrow night – the whole situation has the feel of a timed explosion only I’m privy to.

  We ended up changing into our trunks and swimsuits and getting in the hot tub, which was miraculously empty when we got there. Les ordered another bottle of wine, which he brought over despite signs forbidding food or drink in the whirlpool area. After the wine we had with dinner, it only takes a couple of glasses for me to feel pleasantly buzzed and more than ready to relinquish my incessant thoughts about where Tawny is and what she’s doing. Whether for better or worse, it almost seems as if Macary and her tiny yellow bikini were placed in my path for just such a purpose – call it divine intervention.