“People act weird when they’re in love,” he said flatly.
“Paul doesn’t,” I couldn’t complete that sentence.
“I saw it in his eyes, Mercy. Everyone’s seen it and after last night everyone’s sure to talk about it,” he said.
Why were his feelings so transparent yet I missed it. Were my feelings just as open? I mean Maggie said she surely knew.
A knock came at the door and we both sat up on the bed. “Come in,” Luke said.
Maggie peeked inside. “Eme, we should be going. It’s after nine.”
Where had the time gone? “Ok, I’ll be a minute.”
She nodded and closed the door. “I could take you home,” Luke said.
I stood and came to stand in front of Luke. “Yeah and with my luck my mom will be outside then I will be grounded for life.”
I leaned down slightly and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Turning to go, I realized to late he had other plans. Twirling me back to him and into his embraced, he gave me a deeper kiss. God, how I couldn’t believe how long I missed out on moments like this.
When I could breathe again I said teasingly, “I have to go.”
“I know. Can I see you later today?” he asked.
His eyes drank me in and I drowned in their warm pools. I’d forgotten just how he affected me. “I’ll try,” I said and leaned in for another kiss.
When we finally separated he said, “Maybe I can come take you out somewhere. Does your mom know about me?”
I saw the wicked gleam in his eye. I slowly shook my head side to side and gave him a wide grin. “No, she doesn’t, yet.”
Chapter Sixteen
sanguine (adj.) optimistic, cheery
Sitting in the back of David’s black Range Rover, I thought about all the things that transpired over the past few weeks. Paul continued to ignore me and I put my efforts into my budding relationship with Luke. He kept both our heads cool even a few times when I thought the succubus might win the battle. He’d been simply amazing. I spent last night with him at his house on the couch watching old horror movies. I felt a tiny bit bad at lying to my mom because she thought I was at Maggie’s. Her parents thought she was at mine. Despite being alone with Luke, we still remained chaste. If David only knew what independence that tiny tube gave me, I think he might have regretted giving it to me.
I had my eyes closed while listening to my latest playlist. I thought back to my conversation with Maggie on the way home from Luke’s a couple of Saturdays ago. She filled me in on the party events where Flynn’s story lacked important details that maybe only could be seen through another girl’s eyes. Like, he’d failed to mention that Amanda and Nina had almost come to blows and Brent had to separate them. Flynn had been no where around because he’d simply left when it started. Flynn also didn’t mention that Luke took a swing at Paul. Furthermore, if Flynn hadn’t pulled him back at the right moment, Luke would have connected. A more important detail was that Paul had just stood there waiting for it without defending himself.
It had been too much for me to ask that Paul and Luke remain friends. They weren’t fighting but they weren’t talking either. Amber sat next to Nina at lunch. They seemed to form a bond. I’m sure they had a lot in common now. That being me. But Amber was still civil to me. I knew there was a reason I liked her. She didn’t have it in herself to blame or hate me. But that didn’t mean we were chummy. Paul continued to be a no show for lunch.
I wouldn’t think about Paul now. He wasn’t returning my calls. Maggie was planning to ambush him at his job. He was a waiter at this Italian restaurant in town. She was going to get a table in his section so he couldn’t avoid her. So I didn’t expect to hear anything until late tonight.
I opened my eyes to see Flynn’s light brown hair glow in the sunlight as it passed through the window to halo around his head. His eyes were closed, but I wasn’t sure he was sleep. He looked like an angel and it was definitely disconcerting. Flynn was no angel and even he would admit that.
He must have sensed me watching because his eyes flashed open and landed on mine. He gave me that famous sly grin of his. It was as if he caught me with my hand in the proverbial cookie jar. I turned away and heard his faint laugh. I paused my ipod before I turned back to him. I wanted to accept the view of him with no emotions from the music playing in my ear.
When I looked back his eyes were still fastened on me and I flushed. He glanced down to pull out his phone and I had to thank God. No matter what my true feeling were for him, he always seem to stir something deep inside me. I watched him type away before I focused my attention back to my ipod searching for a different song. I hadn’t found one yet when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see who it could be.
No more than two feet away from me, I smiled when I saw it was from Flynn. Peering up at the front seat, I checked on my mom. She was awake. David was driving with faint tunes playing in the background. Anything Flynn and I said would be overheard. So I made perfect sense for us to converse through texting.
In text speech he basically said something like, “You like what you see.”
I wanted to giggle but instead I stole a glance at him again. He was still smiling. His lightly tan skin and perfectly styled hair just added to his beauty. I decided that text speech was not in order for my reply. Rather, I hit him where it hurt him most I’d learned, with my SAT words.
I typed with a grin and flash it on him when I was finished. ‘My antipathy grows contemporaneously with your bombastic nature’ and hit send. No text speech here and my nibble fingers felt bruised doing it. I typed it all long hand and waited until he read it. Frowning he looked up at me before I pushed my phone back in my pocket with a game set match smirk on my face returning my attention back to my playlist. I closed my eyes for the rest of the journey.
Although I was going to miss Maggie, Luke and even Paul, I was sanguine about this trip. Mentally, I ran through a list of vocabulary words in prep for the March exam. I felt secure about the Math part, but I needed an edge for English. The more I used the practice SAT vocabulary words, the easier it would be for me to incorporate those words in the essay section of the test too. I’d gotten as far as several words that began with D when I must have fallen asleep.
Rolling to a stop, I was pulled gently from a dreamless sleep. My ipod was still rocking mildly in my ear. A song about being strong and following your dreams was humming brilliantly. If only life was that easy, I thought to myself. I pulled out my ear buds to take in the breathtaking view that was the McAllister’s lake house.
Nestled seamlessly onto the side of a small mountain, the home’s façade was warm with rich golden browns and a splash of windows were everywhere to let light stream into the house. As everyone piled out, I stepped out the car still astonished I was here.
Flynn silently drifted around the car and put his hand on my shoulder. “You gaping, Webster,” he said obviously hitting me back with my ‘big words’. I said nothing. “Let me show you inside,” he finished.
Guiding me with his hand, I let him lightly pushed me forward. We walked up an inclined cobbled path to an open porch the size of a deck. A covered mound far off to the side looked familiarly like a sunken hot tub. I turned my head back to walk through the double door entryway. We stepped inside a wide open floor plan. Somewhat rustic in a fancy way, I could see the dining room, living room, and even the gleaming kitchen which held shiny silver appliances along with bright maple cabinets. Only an island with bar stools blocked the full kitchen view. To the left of the kitchen was a narrow hallway that led somewhere to the back. An open staircase led upstairs to a balcony with a view below. Opposite the balcony were several of doors that must have led to bedrooms. One was directly caddy corner at the top of the stairs.
None of that held my attention. It was my passion for cooking had me taking another look at the grand kitchen. I imagined cooking in there. The kitchen itself wasn’t huge like Luke’s kitchen had been. It was more homey
size. I wouldn’t feel so intimidated expressing myself through food in there.
“Mercy, your room is at the opposite end of the hallway once you get upstairs,” my mom said. I nodded but didn’t say anything while I continued planning what food creations might happen on this vacation. That thought soothed me. Cooking was never a chore for me.
“I know we don’t have to warn the two of you to be on your best behavior. Flynn room is at the top of the stairs with his own bathroom. So there really won’t be any need for him to go down to the other end of the hallway,” she said to me, but really for Flynn’s benefit.
“Sure, no problem,” he said as if she’d spoken directly to him. My mom stood looking between us.
“Gosh mom, Flynn has a girlfriend,” I said crudely before looking away. Maybe I shouldn’t have used that tone of voice but we weren’t children. I had no interest in Flynn in that way no matter what the succubus felt.
“You have nothing to worry about with me. She’s dating a friend of mine,” he said. I cringed. That was a secret I wasn’t yet ready to share. He probably thought he was helping. I rolled my eyes which was becoming a habit lately.
My mom looked at me which I totally expected. Avoiding her gaze, I moved quickly with my bag to head upstairs turning back only slightly to say, “Well, I guess I’ll go unpack.” I dashed nearly two steps at a time upstairs not looking back hoping she wouldn’t follow me.
She didn’t. The large room at the end of the hall that would be mine for a week was twice the size of mine back at home. The room could have been attached to a four star hotel. The decorations were simple but tasteful to accommodate any guest no matter the gender spectrum. I was sure it was a guest room suited for David’s guests.
Unlike the kitchen the wood in here was a rich dark wood. The four poster bed was the focus of the room with crisp white linens and a sand colored duvet. A large dresser in the same dark chocolate wood color was centered against a wall opposite the bed between two doors. A couple of neutral abstract paintings that added splashes of color like reds, oranges, and a hint of green were hung about the room.
Two windows brought in the light that cascaded through the room illuminating everything without the need of lamps. One was a large picture window that hung directly behind the head of the bed with flowing white linen curtains. The other was opposite the door and even had a window seat to boot with a couple of cozy pillows tossed about in the same silky tan color as the duvet in different textures.
After dropping my bags on the wall closest to my room door, I took a few steps and opened the first door on my right before the dresser. Inspecting what was behind door number one, I found an amazing bathroom. Again I was reminded of hotel room accommodations I’d only seen on commercials or movies. It was way larger than mine at home. Granite counter top covered the ornate cabinet that held a single sink that floated on top. The faucet poured from the wall like a piece of art work. I could have stood there all day looking at it. Although there wasn’t a window in here, I didn’t feel the least be claustrophobic. Further back there was a glassed in shower and a sunken tub. This vacation was looking better and better.
I walked out past the dresser to see behind door number two. Knowing it was the closet didn’t take my stunned expression looking at it. Walking in I understood it was at least the length of the bathroom. Who would need this much space? I doubted that my meager belongings would take up a eighth of the space. The built in racks and drawers matched the eye catching wood color of the bathroom cabinet. I could imagine that a twin sized mattress could fit in here and there still would be room to move around.
Walking out of the room shaking my head at the excess, I picked up my bag tossing it in the closet. The room looked neat again when I sat on the bed. I pulled my cell phone out before leaning back onto the plush mattress. Staring up at the white ceiling, I dial Maggie to give her a first hand count of the majesty I found myself in. Maggie’s family lived in an upscale middle class home with five bedrooms, but it didn’t compare to the lavishness I found myself in. Quickly I gave her a run down. She was in the car with her family heading out of state. Her younger cousin in the car with her kept begging to talk to me. The girl was a virtual chatter box. Every time I saw her she proceeded to tell me everything that was going on in her life. I think she liked me because I was patient with her, allowing her to talk until she lost her voice.
By the time I got off the phone, the sun was dipping deep down in the sky beginning to leave the room in shadows too quickly. The only thing this room didn’t have that puzzled me with was television. But if it had one, I’d never have to leave. The door opened and Flynn walked in without being invited.
To stop the heat that began to climb up my body at the sight of him, I filled my mouth with a smart remark. “You are in direct violation of the ordinance my mom set forth,” I said sarcastically using a tone I thought a police officer might use.
Now that he wasn’t being such an ass, I was left with the sure beauty of him that couldn’t be denied. Trust me when I say that I was fully committed to Luke, but the dark side of me I’d yet to learn to control didn’t want to resist the temptation that was Flynn. I was in trouble if I didn’t learn to manage it soon.
“Yeah right,” he said letting me know that rule was bogus. “I am headed out and wanted to know if you wanted to come.”
Curiosity peaked. “Where are you going?” I asked.
“I got an invite from a friend who lives around here. Everyone’s going to the old camp grounds tonight for an impromptu party in my honor.”
I looked at him not sure I heard this right. “What’s so important about you?” I said. I couldn’t believe that he ruled here like he did the school. It was so unfair.
“Believe me, they’re just looking for a reason to hang out and drink. Are you in or not?” he said humbly which had to be a first for him.
I really wasn’t sure about hanging out, but then again I didn’t want to be the lone wolf at home. “Um, sure,” I said quickly.
“Alright, we leave in an hour. It’s a bit of a hike so don’t were cute shoes or you will regret it,” he said and left before I could give him a snide retort. Once he was gone, I groaned to myself because I wasn’t sure what to wear at a first meeting with Flynn’s friends.
A shower later, I opted to blow out my hair. A high sleek pony tail would work for a hike. I wore a dusty rose sleeveless top with jeans and a light jacket over top. My gray chucks graced my feet. It was my only option because I didn’t owned a pair of hiking boots. Dressed my best, I knocked on Flynn’s door. He opened and gave me a once over that made me self-conscious.
“Ok, you’ll do,” he said.
I looked down slightly insecure but quickly I recovered. “Well, thanks Mr. McCallister for your vote of confidence. I hope I don’t cramp your style.”
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “You look good Mercy. I didn’t think I would have to stroke your ego like the rest of the girls.”
I blushed. “I’m not every girl,” I said with a careless look of my eye to the ceiling flirting before I could stop myself.
“Careful, I might think your flirting with me,” he said.
“You’re too sanguine. You are so no my taste,” I said with emphasis on the word so.
He laughed as if to say he didn’t believe me. I let it go. “I am sanguine, but I’ll be telling everyone you’re my sister,” he began. So he was learning something. I had to give him a point for that.
But I was curious about the sister aspect. “Why,” I asked frowning. I wasn’t sure why that was necessary.
“Trust me, it’s easier that way then explaining the whole sorted story about our parents.”
I looked past him into his room which was unquestionably more lived in then the room I resided in. Finally, I gave him a once over. He wore a faded rust color tee and dark wash jeans. It was sickening just how cute he looked in anything.
“Fine,” I said not really wanting to lie to people. I g
uess he would be my step-brother soon so it wasn’t a total lie.
He gave me that sly smile of his. “Maybe I should say you’re my girlfriend instead.” He moved forward and acted as if he would kiss me right this moment.
I took a small step back. “You’re a total ass, I’d rather eat my own barf than to pretend to be your girlfriend,” I said jokingly rolling my eyes again because that statement was totally false. Interestingly, I didn’t have a problem lying to him.
Darkness fell across the town we invaded. Silence broke on ever twig or dried leaf either of us stepped on. We’d walked what felt like a mile in virtual quiet between us. I was still feeling a bit shy about meeting Flynn’s friend. I wasn’t sure what his deal was. Had I gone too far with my barf comment? I decided it was time to break the silence. “Flynn,” I said
He half turned. His face didn’t reveal whether he was mad or not. “Yeah,” he said turning back continuing to walk.
“Are you mad?” I asked.
He stopped. Something in his eyes said he was considering my question. “Mad at what?”
So he wasn’t mad. But his question was out, so I felt I had to answer. “I don’t know you haven’t spoken to me since we left the house.”
“Oh, I’m just thinking that’s all.”
“About?” I said. Lately he’d been so free with his words and now it seemed I would have to drag any little information out of him.
He stopped again. “I guess if I’d wanted to fill you in, I would have,” he said giving me the eye that said duh.
Moving forward again, he’d simply dismissed me. I had to nearly run to keep in step with him. Although I was curious, I let his statement stand. I had more pressing concerns. “I do have a question I’ve been meaning to ask.” I said to the back of his head before I fell into step with him again. It was a burning question on my mind and I couldn’t believe I’d yet to ask. Each time it seemed like something happened.
Beg for Mercy - kindle edition v3 Page 14