by Lila Felix
“I know.”
After sitting there for a while, I broke my hold and proclaimed that I needed some sun. He asked if that involved being topless and I just rolled my eyes at him. Amber had talked me into buying the suit that I intended to wear. And I couldn’t wait to see his face when I came out in it.
I slipped on the green and white polka dot bikini and made sure that everything was covered. It wasn’t. I grabbed my sunglasses, sunscreen and a book out of my bag and made my way to the roof where Owen said he was going. While climbing the ladder to the roof I got a good look at him shirtless in the sunlight. I got all the way on top and he didn’t see me yet. He turned around with a chair in his hand and then dropped it.
“Holy shit Nellie. Quit sneaking up on me, especially when you’re wearing a half of a bikini.”
I looked down at myself and adjusted the top but it didn’t help. So I stuck my bottom lip out and said, “I guess I’ll go change then, since you don’t like it.” I turned and went for the ladder before he grabbed me around my waist and put his mouth to my ear.
“Oh no you don’t. But I swear if you wear that in front of anyone else I’ll hunt them down just for looking at you.
“Then you’ll just have to bring me back here so I can wear it again.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m thinking about never leaving.” He laughed.
The next day and a half went by way too quickly. It was the best forty eight hours of my life. We came out of it stronger and more in love than ever.
Halfway home Owen groaned and looked at me.
“Let’s just go back. Let’s quit school and just live on the boat. I can fish.”
I laughed but went along with it.
“Oh yeah, I can swim with the alligators all day, turn around now!”
We made up silly scenarios of swamp life all the way back to his mom’s restaurant where we ate and exchanged cars with his dad. I assured Sylvia that I would be at her house for Thanksgiving knowing that Owen wanted me to go and meet his brothers and spend time with his family. By the time we got back to my apartment I was exhausted. He brought all of my things into my room and then hesitated to leave.
“So this is the part where I go back to my dorm and make you miss me.” He joked.
“Oh? I thought this was the part where you left and thought about me in this big bed all alone. That and the green and white bikini.”
“I think I should confiscate that suit just to make sure it doesn’t get worn while I’m not around.” He got closer to me and was using that low sultry voice.
“That’s a shame. I was gonna wear it to class in the morning.” I shrugged my shoulders as if I would really wear that to class.
“Oh, now I have that image to fight with during class—you win. Ok, tomorrow is the day where I never see you, which sucks. So you gotta kiss me enough to last until Tuesday.”
By the time we ended that kiss he could barely walk out of the room. I had to push the big galoot out of the apartment and shut the door behind him. Yeah, I’m that good.
30. Owen
On my way back to the dorms I thought about the weekend. She didn’t treat me any differently after I told her everything. She didn’t even bat an eye. I guess I would react the same if she told me the same thing about her. It wouldn’t change how I felt about her. I thought once I told her about Amy being pregnant that she would bail. But she didn’t.
I think my parents loved her as much as I did. She agreed to come to our house for Thanksgiving, which was two weeks away. I couldn’t wait for her to meet Falcon and Maddox. They were seventeen and fourteen and cocky little suckers through and through.
It was all I could do to leave her apartment especially since the weekdays sucked in terms of getting to see her. I parked at the dorms and went to my room. Dylan wasn’t home so I flounced into my single dorm size bed and just laid there for several minutes before I fell asleep.
The next two weeks went by slower than usual. I was anxious for Nellie to meet my brothers and spending more time with my parents. Not nervous, because she was so comfortable around my parents and they adored her, just anxious. I just couldn’t wait to see her at my family’s house like she belonged there. But she did. She belonged with me as a part of my family, as my family.
The night before she was a mess. She and Amber were having a ‘girl night’ and she decided to dye her hair a different color. I couldn’t wait to see what crazy color that girl came up with. Dylan and I had gone out to play pool and get some food. My phone vibrated in my back pocket.
N: I’m so nervous. Your parents are going to decide they hate me and your brothers are going to convince you to dump me and go get some girl who wears v neck sweaters and big bows in her hair. Ok, just had to get that out. See you tomorrow. Love you, xoxoxo
O: How long did you leave the hair dye in?
N: Ha ha ha. So funny.
O: Love you. Tmrw @ 10.
N: yup
I showed up at her apartment about thirty minutes early. These past months I found out that Nellie is especially adorable when she’s frazzled. She cusses and runs into things and calls me names. And I just stand there and laugh. Then she comes out fully dressed, beautiful as ever, sighs loud and long and it’s all over. I wanted to video it.
I walked in, I had a key now. She came out of the bedroom with her towel dress. That’s what I called it. It was a cross between a dress and a towel and it was weird. She had her hair wrapped up in a towel so I couldn’t see what color it was but she was already pissed because I was early. So I took a seat and settled in for the show.
“Owen Black, why do you do this to me? You tell me ten o’clock and then you show up at nine freakin’ twenty eight,” She checked my phone for the exact time, “looking like God’s gift to women everywhere and I look like I just rolled out of hell. Damn it!”
See what I mean?
She stomped back into the bedroom and slammed the door. I heard all kinds of noises and a blow dryer humming and slamming of drawers. Then she came out and she was still in the towel dress but her hair was done and it was purple, Grimace purple and it suited her. She ran to a bag by the front door and grabbed a shoe box and said, “Don’t just sit there, help me.”
“What do you want me to do—take that towel thing off for you?” I waggled my eyebrows and smiled but she growled at me and slammed the door again.
Almost exactly at ten she came out and it was so worth the wait. She wore a black shirt with lace on the top and a black and purple skirt. And then I looked down at her shoes. They were the tallest shoes I had ever seen her wear and when she turned around I could see that her legs looks ten times as good in those shoes. She finally faced me again and sighed and threw her hands in the air in a ‘this is as good as it gets’ gesture. I practically heard the curtains close on her dramatics.
“I’ve never seen you look more beautiful and the purple is killer.”
“Thank you. I’m such an ass when I’m getting dressed and you show up early.”
“I’m used to it. It’s like our thing.”
“Sorry Owen, are you ready to go?” She picked up her purse and keys but I could tell she was nervous.
“Nellie, they love you already. And even if they don’t I will always. Got it?” I rubbed her arms as I tried to reassure her.
“Yeah, I do. Thanks for that.” She leaned up to kiss me quickly and then we left.
We drove the short distance to my parent’s house and went inside. Falcon and Maddox played the X-Box screaming at each other and moving their bodies along with their character on the TV. I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled as loudly as I could. With these boys it was the only way to get their attention.
One of them paused the game and they both looked while Falcon yelled.
“Owen, what the f…” Both pairs of my brothers’ eyes landed on Nellie at the same time and all talking ceased.
They both stared and slow growing smiles broke out on their faces. I caught the exact m
oment their gaze began to travel south and I caught them before they could proceed.
“Nellie this is Falcon with the fauxhawk and Maddox with the buzzcut. Guys, this is Nellie. Close your mouths and quit drooling.”
They both straightened up and then went back to killing each other on the TV screen. We made our way through the living room to the kitchen where Mom and Dad were cooking side by side. I cleared my throat and the both turned around. They hugged and doted on Nellie like she was the daughter they never had.
Mom and Dad cooked everything under the sun and Nellie kept my parents and brothers in stitches with her derby stories. We all pitched in to clean up. Falcon and Maddox went back to the X box, my mom and Nellie went to look at some of my mother’s artwork. She had painted since she was a teenager. And Dad requested an audience with me outside on the back porch.
We sat and my father of few words cleared his throat.
“How serious are you and Nellie?” Wow, right to the point Dad.
“I love her Dad, and she loves me. I’ve told her all about Amy and my tirade. I would marry her if she would have me one day. I just don’t know if I deserve her.”
“I already knew that son. I can see the way you two look at each other. Your mother does too. She’s a great girl Owen, and pretty as all get out.”
“Yeah, she is. We’re going to her parents’ house for Christmas. That should be all kinds of fun.”
“Just be polite and leave as soon as possible.” My dad chuckled as he doled out advice.
Mom and Nellie came out while we were still laughing and when Mom asked him what he was laughing at he just said “In-laws.” She got all offended thinking that he was talking about her Mom. But Nellie just cocked her head to one side and gave me a look that meant she knew the truth. She sat next to me and spent the next few hours talking and just relaxing. At the end of the afternoon when we made our way out, my mom pulled out a lemon cheesecake and insisted that it was only for Nellie. She goaded my brothers telling them they couldn’t have any.
I brought her home and we ate almost half of the cheesecake ourselves. Well, I ate most of it. It was getting harder and harder to leave. I didn’t ask if she wanted me to stay. I always left it up to her. I kept clothes in her dresser for the times that I did but all we did was sleep.
She brought me out of my own thoughts. “You’ve got that look again.”
I chuckled at her. “What look? I don’t have a look.”
“Oh yeah you do. It’s the leavin’ look.” She pointed her finger in my chest.
“And?”
“And—we don’t have classes tomorrow, so are you gonna make me beg you to stay or just stand there with that look on your face?” She put her hands on her hips and I wanted my hands there instead.
I got closer to her and pulled her arms around my waist and played with her new striking purple hair.
“Begging sounds fun.” I let my hands travel a slow path down her back and made them stop at the curve that marked the beginning of other places.
“Who’s going to beg, me or you?” She looked up at me playing along.
“We’ll take turns.”
I reached down, lifted her up, pinned her against the wall and like a well-oiled machine she wrapped her killer legs around me. Before we even got started, we both turned our heads towards the front door, we heard Amber coming in. I quickly carried her the few steps into her bedroom and shut the door behind us and re-pinned her to another wall. Our mouths met in a fury and when I heard her whimper in pleasure and tighten her legs around me I pulled back suddenly.
“Beg me.” I mouthed to her as she tried to pull me back down to her.
“Please Owen,” she breathed more than said and it was exactly what I needed to hear.
We continued until we got to that ever present stopping point and I reluctantly tried to set her down but she claimed that her legs weren’t working. I laughed and put her on the bed instead and went to take a shower, ice cold please.
31. Nellie
Hearing the shower turn on was a relief in a way. It gave me a few minutes to compose myself. Merciful heaven if he didn’t stop being so damned sexy I was going to combust. And he had as much trouble leaving me as I was letting him go. I swear it got more and more difficult every single day. He didn’t know it but while Sylvia and I looked at her paintings in the bedroom which was just above the porch, the window was open and we could hear everything. Sylvia and I smiled like two teenagers at the conversation that took place below us.
When he said he wanted to marry me I started to cry and Sylvia was there in an instant with tissues.
“You had to have known Nellie. That boy of mine loves with every fiber of his being.”
“I knew about it on my end, but I didn’t know about him.” I looked back out of the window where I heard those words from.
“I’ve known since he brought you into the restaurant. I know that you know about Amy but what you don’t know is that he never brought her around here—never. We met her once or twice when we saw them somewhere together but never on purpose. He was ashamed of her. She just wasn’t a good apple. But the first time he had an opportunity he wanted me to meet you. That’s the difference.” A single tear ran down her face and it was my turn to hand her the tissues.
“Quit dreaming about me in the shower and get your pajamas on woman.” His smartass remarks brought me out of today’s events with Sylvia and back to the present.
I sat up and just looked at him for a moment. Keeping this from him was eating at me and I had to let him know, even if he got mad.
“What?” He said and he sat next to me on the bed.
“I need to tell you something that happened today and I don’t want you to get mad.”
“As long as you didn’t kiss Falcon, I think we’re good.”
“So your Mom and I went up to see her paintings which are phenomenal and the window was open…” He already knew where I was going with this. I could tell by the white hue his face was taking on.
“You heard it all.” He said but he looked like he didn’t care.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to.” I said.
“Are you sorry you heard it or are you sorry because of what was said?” He sounded the slightest bit agitated now.
“I wish I hadn’t heard it that way. I wish you would’ve told me to my face. That’s what I want. But I’m not sorry I heard it.” I got up and got my clothes and went to change.
I changed and brushed my teeth. Until I said it out loud, I hadn’t realized just how upset I was about it. I understand that he wanted to tell his dad but how could he ever think I wouldn’t want him. All of this deserving me stuff was a crock of crap.
I walked out and he was still sitting in the same place.
“Look, I’m sorry. But how could you ever think that you don’t deserve me? You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and you think that I don’t want to marry you as much as you want to marry me? That aggravates the piss out of me.”
“All I heard is that you want to marry me.” He was smiling like a goon.
“Oh no, you’re gonna have to do better than that.” I crossed my arms.
He pulled me onto the bed and into his lap and brushed his knuckles down the side of my neck and across my shoulder.
“Nellie, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything. How could I ever have a life without you in it? No matter what happens in the future, it won’t be worth a thing without you. So, will you marry me?”
My face was on fire and tears trickled down my face of their own free will.
“I’ve got purple hair and piercings in my lips and I don’t act like a lady and I beat up on girls in roller derby and…” I babbled off all of the reasons that I was insecure just like he thought he didn’t deserve me.
“Hey, hey, all of those things make me love you even more. You don’t give a damn what people think and it makes you that much better.” I got a hold of myself and took a deep breath
.
“Yes.” I said so quietly I didn’t think I said it out loud.
“Say it again. Just so I’m sure.” He tugged at my waist.
“Owen Matthew Black I will marry you and be the most kick ass wife ever.”
“Yes you will. Now, I want to end this Thanksgiving laying next to my future wife, come on.”
We got under the covers and he took his shirt off. I don’t think I would ever tire of the way his mere presence caused my body to react. It was pure electricity.
I laid on my right side and Owen put one arm under my head and one hand on my hip pulling me to fit next to him. He moved his left arm and put it around my middle grazing the underside of my chest. I stiffened a little and he started to take it away.
I quickly moved it back.
He kissed the back of my neck and within minutes his breathing slowed and deepened.
I rolled over half awake and heard and felt a crunching under me. I turned to find a note that read:
Went to grab breakfast and coffee.
Love you.
Owen.
I got up and showered, got dressed and gathered laundry together to wash later. I heard the door open and close and I put the basket on the bed. I walked out into the kitchen and saw him unloading armfuls of white bags and travel cups of coffee.
“Oh man those bagels smell great.” I said and he smiled at me and walked my way.
“You smell great too. Come sit down and eat.”
We enjoyed the rest of the Thanksgiving break in the same way. We only had three more weeks of the semester and then we had decided to spend Christmas with my parents. Owen wanted another chance at winning my mom over but I knew my parents weren’t ones who were won over even if he or I was perfect. Even perfection was criticized in that house.
I didn’t work the week of finals, Cindi wouldn’t let me. Owen and I studied separately knowing that if we were together absolutely no studying would get done. I also took the opportunity to buy his Christmas present and one for each member of his family. We texted and talked on the phone at night but other than that didn’t get to spend too much time together. After finals were over we spent a few days with his family at their home. We put up the Christmas tree and exchanged presents early. Sylvia made the most divine early Christmas dinner and she showed me how to make her lemon cheesecake. Owen and I also announced to them that we were engaged which went over well with everyone but Falcon and Maddox. They said it wasn’t real because Owen hadn’t bought me a ring yet. Falcon even broke out into the ‘Single Ladies’ song to drive home his point.