by Lila Felix
“You’re supposed to be mad.”
“I can’t, it’s like Shrek and Fiona!” Admitting it out loud made her laugh harder.
“Did you just call me an ogre?” I said in my best Scottish accent.
Suddenly she was pulling up my shirt in the back.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I said as I rearranged her so she wouldn’t fall off.
“I’m seeing if you’re green under there.” She laughed so hard that it now had become silent and her whole body was shaking on my shoulder.
“Put my shirt down before I hang you by your ankles.”
“OK, ok, ok. I wasn’t looking at your butt crack. Jeez.”
By the time we got there she was complaining of her stomach hurting from laughter.
I sat her down at a table very non-gracefully.
“Hey! I’m not a sack of cement. Take it easy.”
I bent down and kissed the crap out of her right there in the middle of the dining tables in the Union and that shut her up.
“I’m going to get us some lunch while you recover, ok Princess Fiona?”
Her cheeks were a cute shade of red and she just nodded.
I came back a few minutes later with burgers and fries and sat across from her. She had turned serious but her blush remained.
“You ok?” I asked as I put way too much ketchup on my plate.
“Yeah.” She whispered.
We both ate and I could tell she was thinking way too hard about something. I looked up and she smiled at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. I, um, I have to go to work.” She scrambled.
“Ok, I’ll throw your stuff away. Be careful.”
She stopped in her tracks as I told her to be careful and I meant it.
She turned around and walked back up to me and bent down to kiss me on the cheek and then kept walking. It was too late for me now. I was long gone.
19. Nellie
If he didn’t quit being the way he was I was going to be a goner. And if I was honest with myself, I already was. I felt free. Free to be who I was without judgment or presumptions about who I should be.
I went into work and Cindi wanted to talk to me in the back. I hadn’t done anything, so I wasn’t really worried but it was weird. I went into her office and she wore bright yellow boots and huge yellow flower earrings but she looked serious as a heart attack.
“Yo, what’s up homie?” She said and I just rolled my eyes.
“The thug thing is not working.” I laughed as I told her.
“Damn. So I need to talk to you.” She patted me on the knee.
“Shoot.”
“Ok, I never really liked this store. I mean people read more than they buy. I’ve been told that selling on the internet could change that, but I suck at the internet. So I was thinking that I’d give the store to you.”
I gripped the edge of her desk and looked around to see if I was on a hidden camera show. She shot from the hip, that was for sure.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Well, I wouldn’t joke.”
“Holy crap!” I screamed.
“Everyone would stay on as employees. You’d have to name a manager to be in charge when you’re not here. But the profits and the running of the place would be yours.”
“Holy crap!” I screamed again.
“Come on Hellie. I’m beginning to rethink this if all you can say is that.”
I just sat there amazed and frightened. This was huge.
“OK, just think it over. It will be six months before it can officially be yours. I need to get some loans paid off and leave you in the clear. So just take some time and think about it.”
“Um, ok.”
My shift ended and I didn’t remember a thing about it. All I could think about was Cindi and her offer. There was no way I was turning her down, but I also wanted to let it sit for a while to make sure I took all of this seriously.
I got home and Amber was watching some show about people singing on TV. I walked right past her and into the kitchen to make something to eat. We seriously needed to go grocery shopping.
“All we have is cheese and one egg.” Amber yelled from the living room.
“Well, why didn’t you go to the store? It’s your turn,” I yelled back.
“I’ve been busy, give me a break.” I could just imagine her rolling her eyes as she spoke.
“Did you eat?” I was now behind her while she sat on the couch.
“Yeah, Dylan and I went to eat burgers.” She said like it was no big deal that she had time to go out and sit and watch TV but had no time to buy groceries.
I took out my cell phone and texted Owen.
N: U asleep?
O: No, I live with a human chainsaw
N: Hungry?
O: Always. Where r u?
N: At home. Wanna meet me somewhere?
O: Diner?
N: Yeah, 20 min?
O: Y
I changed clothes quickly and put my hair up. I wore yoga pants and a long sleeve white t shirt. I grabbed my bag and headed out. Amber didn’t even look up from the TV as I passed.
I parked at the diner and watched as Owen got out of his Bronco and made his way into the almost empty restaurant. He nearly filled the door as he entered and went to the corner booth. The waitress approached him and he waived her off, but did so courteously.
I got out of the car and went in and his smile lit up the whole place. I wished that smile would greet me as I came in instead of Amber’s selfish attitude and one track mind.
“Hey.”
“Hey, I’m sorry it’s so late but we had no groceries in the apartment and I was starving. And I know this great guy who is so huge that he eats almost twenty four hours a day so I called him figuring he wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, he should be here any minute.” I craned my neck and looked out the window as if I was looking for the guy instead of sitting next to him.
When I sat back down he was right next to me. I gasped as his nearness startled me. He leaned into my ear and whispered.
“Let me know when he shows up so I can stop doing this.” And then he kissed me right where my earlobe meets my jaw line. If it weren’t for my solid grip on the table I would’ve melted off of the booth.
The waitress approached and I put my hands on my face and tried to cover my blush.
She took our drink orders and he told her that we would need a minute on the food. She giggled a little and I realized it was the same waitress who saw me make a noisy fool out of myself last week.
“Is this going to become a habit?” I asked.
“What?” His face was so innocent.
“You know public groping, making out in public, thing of that sort?”
“Well, I remember the public groping, but I don’t remember the making out. Is that next? When do we get to that part?” He was practically jumping up and down.
“Oh Lord, I’ve given him an idea.” I said as I hit my forehead on the table.
I turned my head towards him as I lifted it off of the table and he had turned solemn on me.
“What?” I was confused. One minute we were joking and now this?
“Look, you need to be honest with me. If you don’t like me touching you…”
“Owen, look at me.” I grabbed his hand to get his attention. “I was truly joking. I don’t mind it at all. In fact, I wish you would be more comfortable touching me whenever you want. But we haven’t even gone out on a real date yet. So I don’t know if you’re just fooling around or…”
He got closer and nailed me with the most honest glare I’ve ever seen.
“Do you think I’m joking around here?” He asked me as he pulled my entire body towards him.
I reached out and touched the line of his jaw with the tips of my fingers. “No.”
“We’re on the same page then.” I shook myself out of my stupor and looked at the menu.<
br />
The waitress approached and he ordered pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns and a burger and fries. She laughed and I ordered French toast—again.
While we waited for the food, I told him about the bookstore and he looked amazed. He asked me what I was going to do and then congratulated me when I told him. The whole time his hands were on me. I usually hated when guys would constantly touch me, but this felt different. Not pervy or skeezy, just loving and caring. It was a new thing for me.
We ate and he finished off my food as usual and I looked down to find that it was nearly two a.m.
“It’s almost two. I’m so sorry. Do you have an early class?”
‘I don’t have class until ten. So it’s fine. I live on very little sleep anyway with Dylan.”
“That sucks. So when do I get to see you again?”
20. Owen
God, I was falling hard for this girl. She didn’t play games or give me whiplash with those games people play when they’re dating. One minute they’re up your butt and then the next they’re ignoring you. She didn’t pretend that she was naïve or try to be overly sexy. She didn’t do that thing girls do when you ask them out and they pretend they’re busy or they don’t care. She was just a natural at reeling me in without even trying. Heaven help me if she ever really tried.
She asked me straight up when she was going to see me again.
“I have something planned for tomorrow after practice.”
“Ok, but I’m warning you. Sometimes I get cranky after practice.”
I could not even imagine this girl cranky or mean or angry for one second.
“Ok, I will consider myself warned. But once you see me you’ll forget crankiness.”
“You make me forget all the bad stuff.”
“One day you’re gonna trust me enough to tell me the bad stuff.”
“Probably the same day you trust me enough to tell me your bad stuff.”
“And what makes you think I have bad things to tell?”
The waitress came and gave us the ticket and I paid it right away and let her keep the change. Nellie got up and we walked out together towards her car.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I tugged on her hand to remind her.
She leaned her back on her car and looked up like she was thinking.
“Sometimes,” she started and reached out to play with the strings of my hoodie, “You look like you’re torn. Like before you kissed me at the library, you looked like you had an angel and a devil on each shoulder. And you got the same look before you sat down in class today. And I don’t know if I’m the angel or the devil, but whichever I am, choose me.”
I stood stunned. She had known me less than a week and had me all figured out. She pecked me on the lips and left me standing there in the parking lot standing on the line that marked where her car was. But instead of feeling betrayed, I felt freed.
Damn it, I let her drive away while I stood there like a jackass.
I got into my car and gave her time to get home before I texted her.
O: You shocked the hell out of me. You know me so well already. I am torn sometimes, but I will always choose you no matter what. And one day, I will tell you the bad stuff. I will see you tomorrow after practice right?
It seemed like hours had passed before she responded.
N: Y, see you tomorrow. And I’m here when you need me. I’ll listen when you’re ready.
O: Thx. That’s all I could bear to type.
N: You didn’t kiss me goodnight. :(
O: I will make up for it tomorrow. Promise.
N: Goodnight Owen.
O: Goodnight angel.
I drove home and Dylan was still up. I had to include him in my plan for tomorrow since he was my connection to Amber and she was going to have to let me into their apartment.
He called Amber and we set it all up. After class tomorrow, I had things to do for my girl. I went to bed hoping that sleep helped me pass the time faster.
Thursday morning I woke up with a smile on my face. I even slept through Dylan’s snoring. I went to my classes and texted Dylan throughout the day to make sure everything was set. Amber was helping the most and once I heard her say that if anyone deserved this kind of thing, it was her. I didn’t think they were that close, but I took it as a good omen.
I went grocery shopping and bought everything I needed and more since she said she needed groceries. Amber had promised she would be gone with Dylan for the whole night. But that was ok; I had planned to sleep in the Bronco since my room would be occupied. It was worth it.
I met Amber at the Union at a quarter ‘til six to get the apartment key from her and got to work. I made her dinner. It wasn’t much, just baked chicken, sweet potatoes and salad. I paced the room until it was eight and then checked and rechecked everything to make sure it was right. I sat at the table and waited for her to come in. I heard the key in the deadbolt and couldn’t wait to see her.
She came in and let her bag drop from her shoulder in a heap on the floor and threw her keys in the basket by the door. I heard another thump which was her collapsing on the floor and she started talking out loud.
“Somebody kill me. Put me out of my misery. I’m dying and I didn’t even get to see Owen tonight. Cruel, cruel world.”
I laughed silently. She had her eyes closed and while she groaned out her soliloquy she raised her hands in the air as if she were Hamlet in the throes of anguish. It was the cutest damn thing I had ever seen.
I cleared my throat and she whipped herself off the floor and screamed at the same time.
“Lord have mercy Owen, I nearly pissed myself. What the hell?”
“Surprise!” I smiled really big hoping it would work.
“Did you hear my little speech on the floor?” All I could do was nod.
“I’m going to take a shower and then I’m coming back out. That gives you about ten or fifteen minutes to forget everything you just saw. Ok?”
She stomped out and went to shower and change. I set the table and when she came out she glared at me with her hands on her hips waiting.
“I tried to forget, I did. But really you should be an actress.”
“Shut up.” We both laughed and then she realized what was going on.
“You made dinner?” She was only looking at the stove.
“Yeah, it’s not much but I knew you would be hungry and tired and it gave me an excuse to see you. Plus you said you needed food in the house.”
She tore open the door of the refrigerator and stared at it for a while. Then she stood up on the chair next to her and I didn’t know what the hell was going on so I just stood there. She crooked her finger at me, beckoning me to her. I stood in front of her and put my hands up in an ‘I don’t know what you want’ expression. Then I realized that when she stood on the small chair she was as tall as me. We were face to face and that’s where she wanted me.
“I can’t believe you did this.” She said but she was looking at my mouth.
I reached out and touched my finger to the spider bites on her bottom lip and she smiled.
“Everyone ignores my piercings. Like if they don’t talk about them they will go away. My mom will act like I have food on my mouth and then say ‘oh…nope…it’s just those things in her lip.’ It’s pretty damn funny.”
“That doesn’t sound funny. And these are part of you and you are so beautiful.”
“And you have some of your own.” She said as she ran both of her fingers over my pecs and it caused me to shiver.
“Yeah, that was a long time ago.”
“But you still keep them in.”
“Yeah, I like them. What you don’t like them?” Now my eyes were trained on her lips.
“I haven’t really seen them. I can’t tell yet.” One of her eyebrows popped up as she said it and it made it so much harder not to kiss her.
“Oh no. There are only three things on the agenda tonight. Eating, sleeping and kissing. Feel free to re
verse that order—like now.”
And she did. This kiss was different and new. It was not the first peck or even the second bolder kiss. No this was us kissing like we had been kissing for years and years. It was easy and we moved together in perfect sync. Before I knew it, I held her completely flush with my body and her hands were tangled in my hair. Her left foot ran a trail up and down my right leg and I moved my hips away from her before she knew exactly how much I loved kissing her. She pulled away after a few minutes and held my bottom lip between her teeth as she did. We stood reigning ourselves back in and then I cleared my throat.
“Ok, you need to eat. Somehow in all of that I heard your stomach.”
“Well good for you ‘cause I didn’t hear anything but you making those noises you make.”
“I do not make noises.”
“Oh yeah, you totally make noises. That’s why old man library came to shush us. You were making noises.”
“Well, I’ll have to stop making them.”
“Don’t you dare. I dream about those noises.”
We both ate and she looked exhausted. I was going to stay for a while until she went to sleep but just as I was going to ask her Dylan and Amber came in and they had been drinking. They weren’t drunk but were clearly tipsy and had forgotten our deal.
“Oh sorry, we forgot.” Dylan whispered as loud and awkward as he could.
“It’s ok. I was just leaving.”
“You’re leaving?” Nellie looked like she didn’t want me to but she needed to sleep. I knew she had that early math class in the morning.
“Yeah, but how about a real date tomorrow night?”
“I can’t. I have to work and we have team dinners every Friday night when we are in season. I have to go. Amber never does, but I’m the team captain.”
“Ok, well then I will see you Saturday night then, right?”
She stuck her bottom lip out and the last thing I wanted to do was leave.
“I’ll text you tomorrow.”
“I want you to text me when you get back in your dorm room. Just so I know you got there ok.” She had walked with me to the door.