The Perfect Distraction (Volume 1)

by Melissa Rolka

  “We have a keg in the kitchen. You want a cup?” Marco asks.

  “Sure.” I smile at him as he leads us through the dining room past the table of seven playing poker. Out of the corner of my eye I see Reed with a girl to his right sitting closely and Quinn to his left.

  “Have you played poker before?”

  “Nope, I haven’t, but I love card games.”

  As he is filling our cups he says, “Alright go on in there and grab a chair. I’m going up to get us some change to play.”

  I head back in to the dining room and immediately see Blue Eyes lock with mine. Reed is dressed casually in a long sleeved puma t-shirt and jeans. He is holding his cards up towards his face and his hair has fallen over his eyes partially. He gives me a tight smile and gestures to a chair across the table with his eyes. It’s quiet as cards are being laid on the table, but then Quinn who is sitting to the left of Reed and another guy whose arm is around the back of her chair yells out, “Whatever!”

  I giggle because it is obvious that Quinn has lost this hand. Then Reed is moving all the change to a pile in front of him. He looks at Quinn and says, “Better luck next time kid.” Of course he adds in a wink.

  “Kate! How was dinner?” Quinn asks and Reed raises his eyebrows as he waits for my answer.

  “Good.” Somehow everyone at the table is looking in my direction. Luckily, Marco makes his way over and I’m not forced to bare an interrogation.

  As Reed is dealing the cards again for Texas Holdem he asks, “How did packing up go?”

  Instantly, I see Marco looking at me in question. I simply answer, “Good, I’m all set.” I smile at Reed and avoid the questioning look Marco is giving me.

  Marco decides to have us play as a team since I have never played before. After a few hands he lets me start making the calls. Before I know it, I’ve become familiar with “the turn” and “the river”. I win a hand or two and this gets Quinn fired up. The guys at the table give Marco some crap about bringing me to the table to take their money. We joke about it being beginners luck.

  After a few cups of beer I get up to head to the bathroom. Marco asks, “Do you remember where it is?”

  I laugh and say, “Yes, I’ve only had a few this time.”

  Once I get up there I have to wait because it is being used. I look across the hall and see Reed’s door to his bedroom open. It is clean and his bed is made like the last time I saw it. I don’t see the picture of him with the girl that was on his nightstand this time though. Two girls come out of the bathroom giggling. The one flips her long auburn hair and says, “Ah, look there is Reed’s room, wouldn’t that be nice to wake up in there?”

  Girl number two says, “You wish!” They head down the stairs and I laugh to myself as I head in to the bathroom. I can’t deny that I may have been thinking on the same line.

  I open the door and see Reed across the hall leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a leg crossed over the other. His head is hung slightly low, so that his eyes have to peek through his hair to see me. Crap.

  “Hey Kate.”

  “Hey,” I smile slightly.

  “Did you enjoy your time alone with Marco?”

  I’m desperately trying to remain calm and not show my nerves. Before I answer he takes a step closer leaving me in the doorway of the bathroom. I try to gain some wit before responding.

  “Yea, are you enjoying poker with Quinn?” I can’t think of anything clever to keep up with our normal insinuating and flirtatious conversations.

  He scoffs at this and runs his hand through his hair. Now he has moved closer and his arms are on both sides of the door frame to the bathroom. I’m trapped and I’m not sure that I mind it. My mouth is parted and my breathing has become erratic. Oh God. I’m mesmerized by his lips right now as he licks his top lip. He moves to the side of my right ear and whispers, “Hmm, is that what you think...” He lets out a breath in my ear and slowly moves my hair off my shoulder. “You can breathe, Kate; I’m not going to kiss you… yet.” And then moves around me into the bathroom and starts to close the door forcing me into the hallway.

  The rest of the evening is spent drinking and playing cards. I try to avoid eye contact with Reed at all costs even when he speaks to me directly. Marco stays by my side the whole night with his arm around my shoulder or a hand on my thigh. Throughout the night I see Quinn’s (well, and a few of the girls) bold attempts to get Reed’s attention, but I never see any physical contact. However, the other guy Quinn sat next to has been affectionate towards her. She flirts back, but it’s hard to tell if she is interested in him.

  It’s past one in the morning and Quinn and some of the other girls are ready to head out. I decide to head out with them. Marco seems slightly disappointed by this and tries to change my mind to let him walk me back, but I insist on leaving with them. I see Quinn hug Reed goodbye, but it seems friendly and fast. I quickly head back to the dining room to grab my coat. As I turn to head back to the front room, I am confronted by Reed.

  “Have a good trip.” A small smirk spreads across his lips before he says, “I look forward to seeing you tan.”

  “Thanks…” The alcohol has worn off and I’m feeling a bit shy by his forwardness.

  “I’ll be at tennis the Saturday before school starts.”

  “Ok, see you then. Bye Reed.” For some reason the fear of Marco seeing us having this conversation has me eager to leave. I catch one last glimpse of his blue eyes and feel a burning sensation pitted to my core.

  “Bye Kate.” I start to head to the front room and feel saddened by the finality of this goodbye.

  Then I see Marco waiting by the door for me and I smile at his handsome face. He walks out onto the porch with us as we begin to leave. Quinn and the other girls walk down the steps to wait for me on the sidewalk. My mind is buzzing with confusion. How can I have feelings for two guys? My feelings for Marco seem clouded because Reed seems to always be in the forefront of my mind. Marco is attractive, smart and fun. I like him, I really do. I even had butterflies a couple times tonight, but I can’t lie. When I thought Reed might kiss me upstairs I had something much bigger than butterflies… maybe birds.

  “I had a great time tonight, Kate. Can I call you after your vacation?”

  “Of course, I’d like that.” I’m not lying.

  “Thank you for dinner and teaching me how to play pool and poker.”

  “Sure, I liked teaching you.”

  He moves closer to me and his hands snake around my waist. Slowly his lips touch mine. Then his tongue gently opens my lips and begins to dance with my tongue. Instantly, I feel a wave of butterflies in my belly. I kiss him back without hesitation. The smell and taste of cinnamon consumes me. He pulls back and plants a brief peck on my cheek. He tells me to have a good trip and that he will talk to me when I am back.

  Chapter 11

  Before my dad and brother arrive, I head out with Quinn to meet the girls for breakfast at a bagel shop on campus. Once we crowd around two small circular tables Maggie of course asks me to spill the beans about the date. I tell them about the night of course leaving out the kissing, but then Quinn tells them what she saw on the porch. As we are wrapping up and start to head out, Maggie quietly asks me if I saw Reed. I tell her about both times I saw him yesterday. As I look up I see Quinn smiling at me like a Cheshire cat.

  “Oh my God, Kate, I know that Reed likes you!” She is laughing and reaches over to put her arm around me.

  “Wait, what do you mean?”

  “Oh please! He’s totally into you, but just be careful because he definitely dates around annnddd he still talks to a girlfriend from back home.” I refrain from digging further into this and hide my curiosity.

  “Don’t you like him?”

  “Duh, of course! I know there’s nothing there though, but a girl can still flirt!”

  All of the girls start laughing and Kelly says, “Oh, and can you flirt, Quinn!”

  On that note, we
all hug goodbye and agree to stay in touch over the break. As Quinn and I walk back to our dormitory she asks if I like Reed or Marco more. The girl hit the nail on the head with that question, but I really don’t even know how to answer that. Truth of the matter is that Reed has never asked me out or really tried to pursue anything. Hearing that he may have a girlfriend back home has definitely put some caution to my interest in him.

  I answer the only way I can right now, “Good question, Quinn.” She looks at me to continue, but that is all I am going to say about that for now. I just want to enjoy my vacation.

  ******

  I manage to get in a shower and ready in time before my dad and brother arrive. I meet them down in the lobby and we head straight up to my room to grab my things. My dad’s familiar with the Milwaukee area because he’s done business here over the years, so we load up the Lincoln Navigator and head over to his favorite German restaurant in downtown Milwaukee.

  Daniel fills me in on school, sports and his friends. He even has a girlfriend. Well, dad tells me this information. Of course I give him a hard time about it. I’m not surprised though because he is really adorable and popular. This then leads to dad asking if I have a boyfriend. I know he worries about me, especially since Kyle. He saw me become overly withdrawn and depressed afterwards. I had a harder time dealing with Kyle than dealing with the disappearance of my mom. I smile brightly at him and tell him, “No Dad, but I have gone on some dates and I am having a lot of fun. I’ve made some really great friends. Maybe next time you can meet them.”

  I can see that he is relieved to hear this. His smile back at me melts my heart. My heart constricts for this dear man, my father. He is so good and strong. Daniel and I are really lucky we have him. “Good sweetie, I’m so glad to hear it. I know how hard you study, but I want you to have fun, too. College will be some of your best years.”

  After lunch we jump on the highway and head back towards home. I’m up front with Dad and Daniel is in the back with his headphones on watching a movie. As we are driving I can sense some tension in my Dad. I can see his eyebrows move in together and know he is brewing over his next words.

  “Kate, I have an update on mom.” I haven’t even asked about her since I’ve been away at school because I knew eventually there would be an update and my Dad would tell me. I’m trying to register the words that just came out of his mouth, but I’m suddenly feeling an urge to plug my ears. I know I am going to be disappointed.

  Before he continues, he reaches for my hand and holds it across the center console. “She ended up in California near your Aunt.” My whole body stiffens and I sit there quietly for a few moments.

  “Where has she been since May 14th? That’s the last day we saw her. It’s the middle of December now, Dad.” My tone is showing a hint of annoyance and I am fighting the urge to cry. She even missed my high school graduation.

  “She had been staying with Aunt Sharon on and off. Now she is at a near-by clinic to see if they can help her. I’m going to make a trip after your break. I haven’t told Daniel yet.”

  “I just don’t understand how a mother leaves her family with nothing. No letter, no warning, no fight … it doesn’t make sense dad. How could she?”

  “Sweetie, she’s sick. You know this. We’ve had so many good years. You don’t really even remember the last bad bout, I’m sure, and it was mild. I didn’t do a good enough job this time. I just thought she was going through a little rough patch with some mild depression. I missed the signs and was wrapped up in work … I-I’m… so sorry…” He starts to choke up and let’s go of my hand to rub his eyes.

  “Dad, it’s not your fault.” I’m feeling an insurmountable amount of anger and I don’t even know where to place it. I hate seeing my Dad blame himself.

  “I’ve been in touch with the clinic and the doctors daily. Katherine, you’re an adult now and I don’t want to hide things from you. I’ve known for a while that she was in California and with Aunt Sharon, but she wasn’t stable. Things had been controlled with medication for a long time. This episode is bad. I wasn’t always good at dealing with her depression… I missed the ball on this. She also got addicted to some narcotics and alcohol while she’s been battling this last bout.” He stops and looks me in the eyes to gauge my reaction. I’m in shock because I knew about the depression, but I did not know it could get this bad. He continues, “Sweetie, I know this is a lot and I don’t expect you to understand everything. I never told you sooner because I didn’t want this to affect any decisions about your future. I’m not sure what the future holds for mom, but I’m not going anywhere...” Again he chokes up. “You and Daniel are my world.”

  My mind is spinning and I have so many questions, but I can’t find a way to ask them. All I can see is the hurt and sorrow in my dad’s eyes. My throat is tight and tears have begun to slowly fall down my cheeks. I feel desperate and confused. I feel trapped in the car and I have no other distractions to get me through this. I reach over and grab his hand and squeeze it. He braces himself and holds my hand tightly. This moment seems to stretch for I don’t know how long; it could have been mere minutes or an hour. All the while Daniel is wrapped up in his movie.

  “Listen sweetie, eventually this will change. The clinic she is at is very good. It’s going to take time and I don’t know how long it will be. Nothing is more important than her getting the right help and getting better. I’m not even sure what this means for our family as a whole, but you can be as involved or not involved as you would like. When you’re ready we can talk more.”

  My tears have dried up and I’m thankful my dad doesn’t force me to talk any more right now. I need to process this all. Expressing my emotions and feelings has always been difficult for me. It’s not that I don’t have emotions and feelings; I just keep them to myself. The pain and emotions I have right now remind me of how I felt when Kyle left me. I push this thought to the back of my mind.

  The rest of the drive back is quiet, but not uncomfortable. I don’t ask any more questions about my mom because I’m not ready to be involved. I can feel hurt, anger and devastation running through my blood. Flashbacks and memories of my mom are flicking through my mind. The urge to remember troubling times is in the forefront of my thoughts. I can’t ever remember my parents fighting. Sure, they would disagree, but they never even raised their voices. I can remember smiles, kind words, and affection.

  As we are about to pull off the highway I can see the Chicago skyline. I take a deep breath and feel relief at the thought of being in my home. Dad is still holding my hand and turns to smile at me.

  Chapter 12

  I’m in my bedroom sorting my laundry out from our trip to Florida. The trip was filled with beach, sun, and water sports. Even Dad relaxed and barely did any work. I never bothered to check my email because everyone knew I was gone. Once I get my laundry separated, I open up my laptop and log on to my email. I breeze through a chain of emails from the girls. Then I see an email from Marco.

  Hi Kate,

  How was Florida? How was the weather? Better than here I am sure. I hope you enjoyed yourself. I was able to pick up some hours at my uncle’s company doing some bookkeeping. So that, plus the hours I have already at the sporting goods shop, has me pretty booked until school starts. I guess that’s good because I could use the extra cash. I was hoping maybe we could meet up, but I don’t think I’ll have much free time. I definitely want to talk to you though. Give me a call when you are settled from your trip.

  Marco

  A slight smile stretches across my mouth and I quickly type him a message. I tell him about my trip and that I’ll be busy the next couple days getting ready for Christmas, but I’ll try to call after that. I check on my next email and see that it is from Reed. My heart stops. The excitement I have leaves me feeling lightheaded. I click to open it.

  Kate,

  How’s the tan?

  Reed

  I smirk and think smartass. I quickly type him a message back.r />
  Hi Reed,

  Golden with barely any tan lines ;)

  Kate

  I go back to check the rest of my emails, which are mostly spam. Then I shut the laptop and head down to start the laundry. After I get the laundry going I stop in the kitchen to grab a snack. My Dad and I discuss Christmas day because Dad’s side is all coming here. We discuss the menu and I make a list. Nana is going to cook our dinner and I’ll help. I guess it will be good for me to learn how to cook for a large crowd.

  I head out to the mall to get a little something for Daniel and Dad. Then I stop at the grocery store to grab some odds and ends for Christmas day. On the way home I start wondering if Reed has replied to my email.

  I’m making my way down my street and see a very familiar white BMW parked in the driveway. Instantly, my mind flashes back to the summer…

  Kyle had come around, but I had no interest and tried to avoid him. He did catch me one evening as I was pulling in my driveway after working all day. The white BMW was parked on the opposite side of the driveway and he was leaning against the passenger door with his toned tanned long legs crossed over. His blonde hair was longer than I had seen it and it swept across his forehead. I can’t say my heart didn’t skip a beat at the sight of him and the hope I saw in his mixed hazel and green eyes. Immediately my mind shifted back to the pain I felt when he told me he was leaving me and the fact that I never heard from him all school year long. I told him to leave, but he rambled on about how he had made a mistake and he missed me now. At one point he had me against my car and started to kiss me. I pulled away and told him to go that I had moved on. He got angry and I felt trapped against my car. I held my feelings in like always and just told him to go and that I moved on. My mind was dealing with the absence of my mother and I knew my heart didn’t have room for any more feelings of abandonment.