“What’s so funny?” I wonder, but he just shakes his head.
“Alright, so here are the rules.” Luke marches back and forth in front of us like he’s a director. “The rules are that there are none except to be the first one up to the checkout stand with four flashlights and a can of paint. Last one up there is a loser.”
I try not to laugh. Is this what people do to have fun?
Luke stops walking and his eyes darken. “Ready, set, go.” He says it quickly and then sprints off down the main aisle, his boots skidding against the linoleum before any of us can react.
Seth skitters down one of the side aisles and Kayden dashes down the one to my right. I’m left standing in the main aisle alone. I begin to walk up it, swinging my arms and reading the signs above each row.
When I reach the third one, Kayden crosses the other end and then backs up, smiling at me.
“You’re not trying very hard,” he says. “In fact, it looks like you’re not trying at all.”
I point above my head at the aisle number sign with the list of items. “I’m trying for a different approach other than running around looking like a lunatic.”
He faces me and cups his hands unnecessarily around his mouth. “Now what’s the fun in that?”
I giggle. “I don’t know.”
He moves his hand to his ear. “Huh? I can’t hear you. You’re going to have to speak up.”
Feeling silly, I cup my hands around my mouth. “I said, I don’t know.”
He lowers his hands, still smiling. “Come on. You run down that side and I’ll run down this one. Let’s see who can beat the other one to the end.”
I shake my head. “No way. You’ll win. You’re the football player. You run around all the time.”
He considers what I said and then snatches a roll of paper towels off the shelf. “I throw more than I run.” He backs up, raises the paper towel roll over his shoulder, and then flings it in my direction. It spins through the air right for me.
I stick out my arms and catch it effortlessly. His arms drop to his side as he gapes at me. “Well, someone has a hidden talent.”
I lift the paper towel roll over my shoulder and throw it back at him. “My dad is a coach.” He catches it and slants his head, looking at me with interest as I continue, “I started playing catch with him and my brother when I was like three.”
Keeping his eyes on me, he returns the roll of paper towels to the shelf. “Alright, let’s see how you can run.” He darts to the side and disappears behind the shelf.
I sidestep, moving to the next aisle, where he’s waiting at the other end. Before I can say anything, he hurries out of my view again and I take a couple of rushed steps until I’m at the end of the next aisle. He’s not there, so I practically run to the next one, catching him right as he’s taking off again. I start running as laughter escapes my lips. Every time I reach the end of the aisle, he’s vanishing to the other side. Finally, I spot the paint aisle and make a hurried turn down it, just as Kayden appears at the other end.
We both stop and glance at the spray paint on the bottom row in the middle of the aisle.
“Seems like we’ve run into a bit of a problem,” he says a little winded as he meets my eyes.
My gaze skims back and forth between him and the paint, and then I sprint off toward the paint. His shoes squeak against the floor as he runs down the aisle. We arrive at the section at the same time and crash into the shelf, inadvertently knocking off a bunch of cans. I laugh as my feet stumble over the cans rolling over the floor and grab onto the shelf as I lose my balance.
“No way.” Kayden’s long fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls my hand away. “You’re so not winning this.”
I reach toward the shelf, but he captures my hand and pulls me toward him. I twist my arms trying to get away without laughing and my foot stomps down on the floor. There’s a hiss as green paint sprays over the white linoleum and my shoe.
I freeze, my eyes widening at the mess on the floor. “Oh my God.”
Kayden’s lips press together as he tries really hard not to laugh at me. “That was your own fault.”
“It’s not funny.” I bend my knee and raise my foot up. “What am I supposed to do?”
He sets the can in his hand down on the shelf and inches around the mess on the floor. His fingers link with mine as he tows me toward the end of the aisle.
“Okay,” he says, peeking around the corner. “We’re going to walk out of here like nothing happened.”
I look back at the paint and the green footprints my shoe left on the floor. “I’m leaving a mess all over the floor.”
“Take your shoe off, then.”
I slip my hand out of his, noting how sweaty my skin is, and wiggle my foot out of the sneaker. Picking it up by the shoelace, I hold it behind my back and we walk out of the aisle side by side.
Seth and Luke are near the checkout stand, looking at the candy section, with a can of paint and flashlights in their hands.
“Where are you two going?” Luke asks and one of the flashlights falls from his arms onto the floor.
The cashier guy surveys us like a hawk as we hurry toward the doors.
Seth turns away from the candy, following us with his eyes. “Why does Callie only have one shoe on?”
“We’re going out to the car,” Kayden says with a wave. “See you out there.”
We take long strides toward the doors and rush out into the night, laughing our asses off. The cement is cold through my sock and I quickly put my shoe back on. The black fabric is speckled with green paint. I try to wipe it off by dragging my shoe along the ground, but it’s not working very well.
Kayden watches me with amusement. “I don’t think it’s going to come off.”
I frown at my shoe. “Man, these were my favorite pair.”
He glides the door of the taxi open, we hop in, and the cab driver shoots us an annoyed look. I scoot into the back and Kayden slams the door as he sinks down beside me.
He rests his hands on his knees as he looks at me through the dark. “You know Luke is going to call it a tie and make us both pay for drinks the next time we go out.”
“That’s not too bad,” I say. “Then, at least, it’s half the money.”
He drapes his arm over the back of the seat and pulls his leg up. “Nah, he’ll just order more drinks.”
I attempt to focus on anything else other than the fact that his knee is touching the side of my leg. “Oh yeah?
He nods and his eyes travel up to the front seat. “Yeah, so be prepared.”
I stare out the window at the dark lines of the mountains. It catches up with me. The night. The easiness. Everything. My mind drifts to thoughts I didn’t know existed, like what his lips taste like, and how his muscles would feel under my fingertips.
“Callie.”
I glance at Kayden, blinking my thoughts away. “Yeah?”
His gaze flickers to my lips as his mouth opens, but then he cinches his jaw shut and a slow smile curves up on his lips. “That was fun.”
I smile back at him. “You know what? It really was.”
***
“It is so fucking dark out here,” Seth complains as we hike up the road. “And dirty.”
Luke has his flashlight in front of him. Seth dropped his almost the moment we got out of the cab and mine was a dud, so we are down to two.
The cab is waiting at the bottom of the path. The driver said we have twenty minutes before he leaves without us. He didn’t like that we made him drive up to a mountain area where there is obviously an illegal party going on.
“It’s the mountains,” Kayden says to Seth, sweeping his flashlight from side to side. “What did you expect?”
The rocks crunch under my shoes as I hold onto Seth’s arm. The air is a little bit chilly and there’s lightning zapping across the sky.
When we arrive at the bottom of the rock, Luke hands me the flashlight and shakes the paint can. “So, who is th
e bastard who gets to climb up there? It’s not that far, but I’m pretty wasted.”
Seth sticks his hand in the air dramatically. “Well, since I really am a bastard, I’ll do it.”
I shine the light at his face and he has the deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes, surprised I didn’t know this about him. “I thought you said your dad listens to 80’s rock and has a mullet?”
“My step-father,” he clarifies and extends his hand toward Luke. “Give me the can. I would love to put my two-cents down on that rock.”
Luke drops the can into his hand. “It’s all yours, buddy.”
Shaking the can, Seth strolls up to the steep rock that inclines up to the flashing grey sky. Propping his boot on a lower rock, he bounces up, grabbing onto a small lip on the side. He shifts his other foot onto the next rocky step, so both his feet are on the cliff. Tucking the spray can under his arm, he puts his other hand on the ledge and hoists himself onto it. Rolling onto his back, he stands up.
I beam the light at his back as he stares up at the rock. “Are you okay up there?”
He peers over his shoulder. “I’m just thinking of something infamous to write. Oh wait, I got it.” Lifting the can up, he holds down the nozzle and begins to move his hand in swirls and circles. Red paint slowly stains the rock, forming letters until it’s finished and then he lowers his hand.
“You can suck it,” I read his words, shivering from the cold as goose bumps dot my arms. “That’s what you’re going to write?”
He turns around with his hands on his hips. “It’s what I already wrote, and if you want something better, than you can drag that tiny little ass of yours up here and write it yourself. You’re the writer.”
Kayden spins toward me, his hair nearly black in the pale light of the moon. He aims the light between our feet. “You write?”
I shrug, aiming the flashlight over his shoulder. “In a journal.”
He’s intrigued by this information for some bizarre reason. “I can actually see that about you.”
I run my hand up and down my arm, trying to erase the goose bumps. “Why?”
He shrugs, kicking the toes of his shoes at the dirt. “You always look like you’re thinking deeply… Are you cold?”
“I’m okay,” I say through chattering teeth, wishing I hadn’t left my jacket in the cab. “It’s just a little bit chilly.”
He reaches around to the back of his neck and pulls the collar of his shirt over his head, taking it off. The black t-shirt he has on underneath rides up a little and I catch a glimpse of the jagged scars on his lower abs.
Tugging down the bottom of his shirt, he stretches his arm out to me with his thermal shirt in his hand. “Here, put this on.”
“You don’t have to give me your shirt.”
“But I want to.”
Hesitantly, I take it and the fabric is soft against my fingertips. I pull it over my head as Kayden runs his hands through his hair. The shirt dwarfs me and I feel small.
“Better?” he asks as I insert my arms through the sleeves.
I nod, wrapping my arms around myself, enjoying the warmth, and the smell of his cologne. “Thank you, but aren’t you going to get cold?”
He smiles like he finds me amusing. “I’ll be okay, Callie. I promise. A little cold air is nothing.”
“Callie!” Seth hollers and I jump, whirling toward the cliff with the flashlight darting across the rocks. “Get your ass up here and write something poetic.”
I sigh and trudge toward the cliff with the light pointing just in front of my feet. The circle of light shows the way around the rocks and to the base of the cliff.
“Toss me your flashlight,” Seth yells with his hands around his mouth. “I’ll point it at you while you climb up.”
“If you miss it, it’ll break,” I call out, standing up on my tiptoes.
“Just do it,” he says in his silly, drunk voice as he skips from side to side on the ledge, swinging his arms.
I’m worried he’s going to fall. “Be careful!”
Kayden moves up beside me with his hand held out to the side. “Here give it to me. I’m an excellent thrower.” I put the flashlight in his palm and he tips his shoulder back, raising his arm. “Go long.”
“Huh?” Seth says as Kayden’s arm whips forward. He releases the flashlight and it soars through the air like it’s a football.
Seth screeches as he sticks his hands out in front of him to catch the flashlight, which flickers like a firefly as it lands in his hands. It bounces out of them, hitting the ground and shuts off.
“Where is he?” I ask as Luke comes up behind us and beams the light at the rock above. It’s silent for a moment. The yells and laughter of the party below travel up to us.
Seth pops up from the rock, stretching his arm in the air with the flashlight in his hand. “I got it.”
“Maybe you should come down,” I advise. “I’m worried you’re going to fall.”
“Only after you tag the rock.” He flips on the flashlight and the glow illuminates across the writing behind him. “Now come on.”
I trek up to the rock, roll up the sleeves on Kayden’s shirt, and place my hands onto the nearest ridge. Tilting my chin, I look up at the top as I bend my knee and brace it on a lower rock. Bouncing up and down on my toes, I prepare to climb up, but I hear someone move up behind me.
“Let me help you,” Kayden whispers in my ear, and for the first time in my life I actually shiver from the nearness of a guy.
“Okay.” Since I’ve never been drunk before, I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol relaxing me or what, but even when he places his hands onto my hips, I’m okay. In fact, I’m more than okay.
With the guidance of his hands, I stretch my body out and reach up to the next ledge. The rock is rough like sandpaper against my palms as I drag myself up and Kayden’s hands slide down my back as he pushes me higher. Swinging my leg up, he gives me one last shove by cupping my butt, before pulling away.
My eyes widen as I roll on top of the ledge and stare up at the sky. The spots on my skin where he touched me tingle and a shiver courses through my body.
Seth appears above me, the silver bolts of lightning reflecting in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
I flip over onto my stomach and use my hands to push myself to my feet. “I’m okay. No scrapes or cuts.”
He beams the flashlight below his chin. It illuminates his face and causes his eyes to look like coals. “I wasn’t talking about the climb. I was talking about the fact that he just grabbed your ass.”
“You saw that?”
“Of course I saw that. He basically just groped you.”
I place my hands on my hips and pace the length of the narrow cliff, kicking up dirt with the bottom of my sneakers. “I’m okay. Really. In fact, I feel more than okay.”
“I think that might be the alcohol talking.” Seth holds out the spray can.
“You think?” I take it from him and shake it.
He nods guiltily. “I think just a little bit. I just hope you don’t have an oh my God moment when you wake up tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be okay. This is the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.” Walking toward the rock, I consider what to write. I read along the vague words of wisdom others have written and the declarations of love.
“Jesus, it’s high up here,” Luke declares as he hoists himself over the edge. He gets to his feet and peers over the cliff, popping his knuckles. “I’m not a fan of heights.”
“Me neither,” I tell him as Kayden ascends over the top, dragging himself up with his arms, and then he lies on his stomach. Panting, he rolls onto his back. “Yeah, I remember,” he says, turning his head toward me and grinning.
I target the nozzle at a bare spot on the rock. As I press down on the top, I pretend I’m an artist tracing the most beautiful painting, the lines blending together to put everything into meaning. When I’m finished, I step back, breathing in the air, which is potent with paint f
umes.
Kayden moves up next to me and drapes his arm around my shoulder. “In the existence of our lives, there is a single coincidence that brings us together and for a moment, our hearts beat as one.” He looks at me. “I’m impressed.”
I hand him the paint can and his fingers graze my knuckles. “I actually wrote that a while ago.” I lower my voice and lean in. “Right after that night at the pool house.”
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden Page 11