Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  “Ouch.” She reached down and grabbed his rear end with both her hands and gave it a squeeze.

  “See you girls later.” He gave a quick wave and then walked off.

  Natalie nodded and Lise replied, “See you later.”

  Sharon turned to both of them. “I haven’t told him that I’m going to Europe yet. I didn’t want you all to mention it.”

  “Oh. No worries. I won’t say anything.” Natalie confirmed.

  Lise made a motion across her lips with her fingers like they were zipped shut.

  Sharon handed them their drinks and then held up her glass for a toast. “Here’s to a great summer.”

  “To a great summer.” Natalie tipped her glass to Sharon’s and then to Lise’s.

  She took a sip and when she lowered her glass she saw Ryan walking from the back of the room with Sal. She tried to tell Lise but the words hung in her throat. She managed to motion with her head and then coughed out, “They’re here.”

  “OMG! They’re here?” Lise turned around and began checking herself, ensuring everything was in place. “Do I look okay? Do I have enough lip gloss on?” She smacked her lips together.

  “Relax darling, you’re hot as they come.” Sharon winked at Lise.

  Natalie nodded, not giving Lise much attention to her rambling questions. She knew they were going to run into them. Why did she listen to Lise? She should have stayed home. Then she remembered what Lise said; talking to Ryan didn’t mean she had to hook up with him.

  Sharon’s eyes drifted over to where she had motioned to. “Aren’t they cute? Mmmm...check out those muscles.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes. Why did Sharon have to hit on every guy she saw? She turned around and sat her drink down on the bar. The last thing she needed to do was to drop it or spill it on herself.

  “Sorry. I can’t help myself.” Sharon ran her fingers through her short bleached out blonde hair. “At least they’re better looking than that no good ex-boyfriend of yours.”

  That comment stirred something up inside of her. Hearing about Tony was the last thing she wanted, especially tonight. She refused to let her thoughts ruin her night or the rest of her life.

  Ryan caught her gaze and he let out a big smile. Surely he wasn’t smiling at her? He kept his eyes fixed on her as he sauntered his way over to them. His cowboy swagger sent her body into full emotion overdrive. A flutter sensation swept across her body flooding her senses. Her heart froze but she managed to smile back.

  “Wow, Sal’s smokin’ hot. Isn’t he?” Lise leaned over and whispered in her ear.

  “What?” Natalie managed to break away from her daydreaming. That’s when reality hit. Why was she feeling this way? She had no business getting involved with anyone. Not now. She wanted to flee but before she knew it he was right in front of her.

  “Glad y’all came. Have you been here long?” Ryan had one hand shoved into the pocket of his jeans. He wore a trendy western shirt with embroidery on the front of it and distressed leather cowboy boots.

  She managed to choke out the words. “No, not long.”

  “I almost didn’t recognize you without your glasses.”

  Natalie felt her cheeks flush with heat. “Oh.” She diverted her attention to the zipper on her wristlet, tugging at it.

  “I mean... you look good. Pr-pr- pretty.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. She noticed the tips of his ears had turned a bright red. It was good to know she wasn’t the only one nervous. “Thanks. You look nice too.”

  “How’s it going?” Sal gave Natalie a smile and then turned his attention to Lise. “Gee, you sure know how to make heads turn.” His gaze slid slowly over her from her head to her toes.

  “Thanks. So do you.” Lise flipped her long blonde waves back and then took a sip of her drink. She held on to the tip of her straw with her teeth, biting it. Ryan greeted her but she barely noticed. Sal had her undivided attention.

  Natalie took a few silent deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. Her legs felt weak and she wanted to sit down.

  “Hello. I’m Sharon Warren. Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh sorry, this is my... Aunt Sharon.” Natalie stated purposefully.

  Ryan and Sal shook Sharon’s hand and both said, “Nice to meet you.”

  “I gotta go, Chad’s waiting on me. You kids have a good time now.” She winked at the guys.

  “See you and thanks for the drink.” Lise held up her glass.

  “Oh, don’t forget you can use my place tonight.” Sharon whispered to Natalie but said it loud enough for the guys to hear.

  Natalie wanted to bury her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe Sharon said that. She didn’t know what to say so she blurted the first thing that came to mind. “She’s recently divorced.”

  “Oh.” Ryan raised his eyebrows.

  “Let me guess, she’s a cougar?” Sal asked with a grin.

  Natalie busted out laughing and everyone else started laughing too. “Yeah, I guess you can say that.”

  “God bless her.” Ryan shook his head then took a drink. He lowered his glass. “I’m sorry. Would you like something to drink?”

  Natalie picked up her glass from the bar. “I have one, thanks.”

  “How about we grab a seat? That booth’s empty over there.” Sal pointed to an area behind the bar.

  “Sure.” Lise lead the way, practically running over to the quaint seating area. Along the back wall were several booth style chairs with overstuffed pillows and curtains draped in front of them. Dim lighting hung above a low table in front of the curved chair, giving it a romantic feel. Natalie knew this wasn’t a good idea, but took a seat next to Lise in the middle of the ‘u’ shaped seat. This allowed Ryan and Sal to sit next to them.

  “So, I take it you’re feeling better?” Ryan set his drink down on the table.

  “Yes. It was a dizzy spell, that’s all.” Natalie sat perched on the edge of the chair, struggling to keep calm and relaxed. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She took a sip of her drink and noticed her hand shaking. She put her drink down, hoping she wouldn’t knock it over. She glanced over at Lise and Sal. They chatted back and forth like they had known each other for years. During times like this, she wished she had a little of Lise in her.

  “Did you finish your freshman year?” Ryan tried to strike up a conversation with her.

  “Yeah.” She nodded. She wanted to get to know him, but she was afraid. She couldn’t get hurt again. For some reason he made her feel nervous, which only made her more introverted. Not to mention, wearing the short dress didn’t help either. His leg practically touched her bare thigh.

  Then she remembered something she learned in speech class. She took another sip of her drink and held onto the straw with her teeth. Inconspicuously, she took the straw from her mouth and held it in her hand. She fiddled and twisted the red plastic tube between her fingers, directing all her nervous energy to it. It brought a sense of relief to her, allowing her to relax.

  She looked over at him. “What about you?”

  “I just finished my second year. I took a year off and then decided to transfer to UT.” He twiddled his thumbs for a moment and then took another drink.

  “I should have been a junior by now.” His voice was heavy.

  “Oh... well at least you’re still in school.” Natalie wondered what happened. She could tell he wanted to talk more about it but held back. Her nervousness slowly dwindled away and she began to remember things about him from high school.

  “I heard you got a scholarship to TCU to play football. I’m guessing that didn’t go well.” She also wanted to ask him about his high school girlfriend, Jennifer, but refrained.

  Ryan looked up at her. His eyes drooped down and his bottom lip stuck out over his top lip.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have —” She wanted to kick herself for asking him that question.

  “It’s okay.” He let out a slight smile.

  Natalie whispered lo
w under her breath, “I didn’t mean to...”

  Ryan leaned forward. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you. The music’s too loud.”

  The straw fell from her hand. He was only inches away from her face. Her heart pounded and she broke out in a sweat. Why did he make her feel this way?

  “Oh, nothing,” she muttered.

  “What? I still can’t hear you.” He moved closer to her, brushing up against her. His scent engulfed her, hitting her like a tidal wave that she couldn’t stand up against. The smell of sandalwood and ginger filled her airways. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in every ounce of Ryan’s virile smell. A tingle danced up her spine and her head whirled, causing her to lose focus. Something took over her. It was the same sensation she had earlier that day. Her body swayed back and forth causing her head to feel heavy and her body to feel light. She grabbed Ryan’s leg for support.

  “Whoa.” She closed her eyes, trying to gain her sense of balance.

  “Are you okay?” Ryan asked.

  After half a minute or so her equilibrium stabilized and the dizziness went away. When she opened her eyes she saw that Ryan had his arm around her.

  “Natalie, are you alright?” She heard the concern deep within his voice.

  She nodded. Why did being in his arms make her feel so safe and secure? She noticed she still had her hand on his leg. She needed to let go but couldn’t. Not because she thought she’d fall over but due to the uncontrollable attraction she felt for him.

  Lise turned to her. “Nat, are you okay?”

  She let go of his thigh, even though she didn’t want to. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s been a stressful week. You know with finals and...”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? This is the second time you’ve done that today, at least in front of me.” Ryan narrowed his eyes at her.

  She had no idea why this kept happening to her. He couldn’t be having this type of effect on her. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t that weak. No guy could do this to her. It had to be something else.

  “I started taking this new supplement a few weeks ago and I think it’s giving me some weird side effects or something.” Natalie searched her mind, trying to figure out the source of her dizziness.

  Ryan didn’t seem convinced. “Maybe you should call your doctor, and maybe you shouldn’t drink.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” Natalie glanced at her nearly empty glass.

  “Just take it easy.” He patted her bare arm and then allowed his fingers to linger on her skin. It sent chills across her body. She didn’t know how to respond to his touch and before she could say or do anything he moved his arm and rested it behind her on top of the seat.

  “Are you drunk already?” Lise narrowed her eyes at her. She sounded irritated rather concerned about her well-being.

  Natalie gasped. “No Lise. I’m sober. I got dizzy again, like I did earlier today. That’s all.”

  Lise lurched back, placing her hand against her chest. “Sorry, my mistake. Do you want to leave or go outside?”

  By the sound of Lise’s voice, Natalie knew she didn’t want to do either. “No, I’ll be okay.” Natalie snapped back.

  A waitress appeared. “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”

  Sal nodded at the waitress. “Yes, a couple of waters, two Cokes and —”

  “I’ll have another mojito. And yes, I want the real stuff.” Lise handed the waitress her empty glass.

  “Okay. I’ll be back.” The waitress scribbled down their order and walked off.

  Lise turned to Sal. “Seriously? That’s what you guys are drinking? Soda?” Her eyes widened.

  Sal let out a slight smirk. “Yeah, anything wrong with that?”

  Lise sat back. “No.” It took her a few seconds before she turned to Sal and asked, “Is it okay that I ordered a mixed drink?”

  Sal shrugged his shoulders. “Suit yourself.”

  Natalie glanced over at Ryan’s drink. The entire time she thought he was drinking alcohol with his cola. What college guy doesn’t drink? Boy, did she misjudge him. No alcohol. Impressive.

  She saw him glance down at her legs and then back up at her. “So, do you workout?”

  Before Natalie could answer Lise jumped into the conversation. “Does she? That’s an understatement. That’s all she does is go to the gym.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s good to exercise. I can tell by the muscles in your legs that you can probably leg press me.” His eyes traveled up and down her body.

  Natalie hesitated. “I don’t know about that but I’ve been working out really hard lately. I guess it’s paying off.”

  “Maybe we could workout together. You could train me.”

  Natalie snickered. “Are you sure? Me, train a football player?”

  “Yeah, why not? I’m thinking you may be able to show me a few things.” Ryan smiled and then winked at her. It caused another surge of adrenaline to hit her blood stream. Why did everything he say or do drive her crazy?

  “I’ll warn you now. Be prepared. She’ll kill you, like she did me.” Lise smirked.

  “I think I can handle it.” Ryan kept his eyes focused on Natalie.

  Natalie ignored Lise’s comment. “Sure, anytime.” She had to look away before her face got any hotter.

  The waitress came back with their drinks. “Two waters, two cokes and a mojito.”

  Sal handed her a few bills folded up before anyone could offer to pay. “Keep the change.”

  “Thanks,” the waitress said and then walked off.

  “Thanks, Sal.” Lise took her drink and began slurping it down. Natalie took her ice water and downed it. The coldness numbed her mouth and the heat lifted from her cheeks.

  “To answer your question from earlier, I did have an athletic scholarship but I lost it when I got injured.” Ryan rubbed the condensation on his glass with his thumb.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you okay?”

  Ryan nodded. “Oh yeah, I’m fine now. I had to take a year off from school to have surgery and get my head back together. I decided that I would transfer and start fresh. It’s been the best decision I’ve made so far.”

  “That’s good. So, you don’t play anymore?”

  “Not too much. It’s not worth the risk. The doc said that I really messed up my ACL and if I hurt myself again I’d be on crutches forever or walking with a cane. That was enough for me to decide to hang up my cleats.”

  Natalie felt bad for him. It must have been disappointing to have his dream destroyed. She remembered how happy he looked after winning a big game. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know it must suck.”

  “Yeah, it did. I had to learn to move on and trust that there is something bigger in life planned for me.”

  “I admire your passion for life. It kind of reminds me of something my grandmother always tells me.”

  “What’s that?” Ryan gulped down half his drink.

  “To never give up on your dreams or goals. If a door closes, another one always opens.”

  “Exactly. But I have to admit it wasn’t easy and it took time and a leap of faith.”

  “I can only imagine.” She glanced down at her glass, shaking the ice around.

  “So, you still want to be friends with me even though you know I’m not a big football star any longer?”

  Natalie winced. Did she seem that shallow? Then again, he really didn’t know her that well. “That doesn’t matter to me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m sorry that happened to you but I ummm... like talking with you regardless.”

  Ryan smiled and leaned in closer to her. “Thanks. I hope you’re being honest.”

  For a split second Natalie wondered why he would say something like that to her. His eyes told her why. Fear plagued him, like it did her. She didn’t have to ask what happened to Jennifer. She knew she left him because of the injury.

  “I’m not like other girls, Ryan. In fact, I really don’t even date. My las
t relationship was horrible.” Natalie sighed heavily. She noticed her hands weren’t shaking any longer. Finally, she was beginning to feel somewhat like herself around him.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. So, you know what it feels like too.”

  “Yes, I do.” Natalie looked back up at Ryan. She felt herself being drawn closer to him. She watched the movement of his lips. They looked so inviting, full and plump. He talked but she didn’t hear anything he said. At that moment, she heard an Italian accented voice speak.

  “Is that you, Natalie? What are you doing here dressed like that...and wearing all that makeup?”

  Natalie turned to see her worse nightmare, Tony. He stood in front of them with two girls hanging on each of his arms, dressed in his typical metrosexual attire. Looking at his dark brown hair, she knew he spent thirty minutes perfecting it into a perfect mold. A sick feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. She fought the urge to jump up out of her seat and attack him. She was better than that.

  “It’s a public place. I can go wherever I choose,” Natalie replied confidently.

  “You’re with him?” Tony pointed his index finger at Ryan and let out a smirk.

  Natalie turned away to see Lise’s mouth fall open. She looked at Natalie and then back to Ryan.

  Ryan took Natalie’s hand. “Yes, as a matter of fact, she is. Excuse us. We were just going to dance.” His stern voice had just enough sarcasm to send Tony the right message. When Ryan stood up, he towered over Tony, not only in height but in physical size. Tony didn’t back down. He laughed under his breath and shook his head.

  Natalie didn’t think twice. She immediately got up to follow Ryan. She turned her head in disgust as she passed by Tony. She heard him smirk but didn’t turn around to acknowledge his high school behavior. When they stepped onto the dance floor Ryan swung her around to face him, pulling her body close to his. He held on to her hand while allowing his other hand to drop to her waist. Was he doing this to make Tony jealous or did he really want to dance with her? She suspected both.

  “Thanks for saving me. I really appreciate it.” Natalie’s heart raced and she struggled to breathe. Every muscle in her body tensed, not allowing her to move. How come every time he touched her, he had this effect on her? What was it about him?