Love Rewritten

by J. Saman

  “The guy would be dead if I had been there. Kessler went too easy on the prick.”

  “No.” Nina shakes her head, looking at Aubrey softly. “He didn’t. Taylor, Jake, and a few other guys had to drag Brandon off Jeff and they ended up locking him in a room in the back of the house, standing guard until they could get Jeff out of there.”

  “This is so messed up,” I say, more to myself than any of them.

  “I still don’t like the idea of you dating Kessler, Abby.” Aubrey says, looking at me intently, the way only he can. Speaking to me with his eyes more than his words. “But I’m glad he stood up for you like that. Paulson is his friend, and the fact that he beat his ass over you says a lot. Not too many guys would do that for a girl they hardly know.”

  “God, Aub.” I shake my head again because I still can’t wrap my mind around all of this. “How did this happen? I was invisible. No one knew of me or even noticed me.” I look down. “How did this happen?” I repeat.

  “Abby, love,” Nina chimes in, sounding a little amused, which makes me look up at her. “I don’t know what universe you were living in, but people notice you. You’re superstar, model hot. Only you think that you’re a Plain Jane.”

  I snort, rolling my eyes. “Nina, I appreciate that, babe, I really do, but I’ve been so far off the radar forever.” She’s about to protest and I hold up my hand to stop her. “No, it’s fine. I like it like that. I hate this crap. I’m saying that I was happy when no one noticed me.”

  “Well, if you date Brandon, that’s what you get. He’s a lacrosse star and all around sexy guy. He’s that damn cheesy equivalent of the big man on campus.” Nina sits up straighter, turning to me and grabbing my hands. “Holy shit, he’s Jake Ryan.”

  “Oh, please. You’re just saying that because I have red hair.”

  “Well, I’m done with this conversation,” Xander says, walking backwards out of the kitchen. “Nina, always a pleasure. Abby, I really don’t have all day to waste with your school work so if you want my help, move your ass.” He smirks.

  “I’ll be there in a minute, Mr. Grouchy Pants.”

  “I’m off too,” Aubrey says. “But Abby, there is some odd wisdom to what Nina is saying. If you don’t like attention, then maybe Brandon is the wrong guy after all.” He leans in and gives me a kiss on the top of my head and does the same with Nina, lingering a bit on her. “Bye, ladies.”

  CHAPTER 12

  “ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT THIS shit with Aubrey?” I ask Nina once he’s left us alone in the kitchen. “Will you really try things out with him if he doesn’t fool around with anyone for a month?”

  Nina blushes a little, but nods all the same. “Don’t give me that look. You know how it is with me and him.”

  “Yes,” I agree. “But you’ve been dancing around this for years and nothing has come of it.”

  “That’s true,” she says, hopping off the counter and walking over to the stove. Nina picks up a piece of cold potato and pops it into her mouth. “But maybe it’s time we change that.”

  “Okay.” I throw my hands up, hopping off the counter. I grab my plate and rinse it off before I load it into the dishwasher. “I love you, and if he’s what you want, I’m all for it. But,” I turn around to face her and she’s scowling which tells me that she knows what’s coming, “I will not be the go-between with you two. He’s my brother and you’re my best friend, and that’s how it shall stay.”

  “Agreed. I gotta run.” She smiles, popping another potato into her mouth. “I just wanted to come by and share the good news.”

  “You’re mean, but I love you.” I throw my arms around her, hugging her, because I totally freaking do love her.

  “Later, Skater.”

  “Such a loser,” I snicker. Nina leaves the way she came and I walk out into the living room to find Xander looking at something on his computer, completely ignoring me. Why I expected different, I have no idea. I should be used to not being able to keep up with his mood swings. He’s worse than a girl with PMS.

  I plop down next to him on the couch with a heavy bounce.

  “Okay, Master Yoda, teach me the ways of the force.” I smile brightly at his profile.

  Xander turns to me completely unamused. “You might want to start by getting your laptop.”

  “Oh.” Duh. I’m saved because it’s sitting on the coffee table, so I reach out, picking it up and bringing it to my lap. I unlock it, pulling up the outline that we started yesterday and turning back to Xander, waiting patiently like a good little girl.

  Mostly I’m afraid to ruffle his feathers because then he won’t help me and I think I need his help a little more. Once this outline is done, I can take over from there, but I absolutely loved his ideas yesterday. We work well together. Much better than I would have thought possible. We were bouncing things off each other and it just clicked.

  “Where did we leave off?” He sighs, as if he doesn’t want to do this, but knows I’ll pester him until he does, so he’s just giving in now.

  “At the betrayal part.” He nods and I inch a little closer to him, our knees brushing, so that we can both see the outline, but I can keep it in my lap so I can type.

  “Are you sure you like the idea of them betraying each other?” He looks to me quickly, but turns back to the screen just as fast. “I get that it adds a lot of drama to the story, but just how dark do you want to go?”

  I bite my lip, leaning my head back against the soft cushion as I think about this. “Well, I feel like a lot of the comics, the good ones, get dark. I mean, there’s always some kind of betrayal in those stories, right?”

  I angle my head towards him without lifting it from the couch. He nods. “Usually, yeah. But you already have the betrayal of the sister turning fully dark and becoming evil instead of a likeable bad girl. You don’t think that’s enough?” He reaches over, brushing some hair back from my face. I don’t even think he realized what he did, but my breath hitches, as does his. His hand drops to his lap quickly and we both pretend like that didn’t just happen.

  “I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “I think it may be a crucial part of the story. I sort of dig the idea of the brother loving her no matter what, and I think it’s that love that will ultimately bring her back to the right path. She made a bad decision when she chose darkness over him and I feel she regrets it. That bad decision impacted a lot. Changed everything, but his bond with her never wavered. He never gave up on her, Xander.”

  His deep blue eyes pierce into mine and the intensity of his gaze causes my breath to catch. I’m not used to it and my brain turns to absolute mush for a total of three seconds while I stare back at him in bewilderment.

  “Go on,” he says softly, still looking at me like he hasn’t in years.

  Like he wants to look at me.

  And there’s so much hope in his eyes, I could happily drown in it.

  I want to freeze this moment. Bottle it up and keep it with me always, because I can say with one hundred percent certainty, my heart has never felt like this before.

  “She regrets her decision to betray him and their relationship, which has always meant the world to her,” he whispers, inching just a fragment closer.

  “Yes,” I whisper back. “And maybe it’s not a traditional love.” I lean up, turning so that I can try and take more of him in. “I mean, it’s the love of siblings, but I think the crux of the story is the fact that he’s willing to stick with her despite her mistakes.”

  “Okay.” He smiles a real genuine smile that lights up his whole face, before finally turning away. The loss of his eyes on mine hurts everywhere. “So the sister going after the brother’s girlfriend?”

  “Yeah. The girlfriend is more symbolic than anything. She’s not a real character. Just a place holder. The brother isn’t serious about this girl, right?” Xander smiles slimly again as he stares off into the distance. “But the sister is crazy. This darkness she took in made it so that she’s not thinking clearly, a
nd when she goes after the girlfriend, the brother steps in, and his strength and love and forgiveness are eventually what make the sister good again.” I turn to the screen wondering if anything I just said makes any sense. “Too confusing?” I ask.

  “No. But it’s a lot to write and put together.” He turns his eyes back to me, but they’re on my cheek again, where they normally like to go. “Do you think this is what you really want?”

  I nod my head with a smile. “I think I do, Xander. I mean, it’s hard and it’s complicated and I know there is a lot standing in my way with it.” I twirl a piece of my hair around my finger. “But I think if I can put it together the right way, it could be really great.”

  “All right, Abby, I’ll help you outline it then, but after that you’re on your own.” I frown a little, looking at the screen. “What?” he chuckles. “It’s not like I can write it for you.”

  I shake my head. “No.” I turn back to him, bringing my hands up through my hair and holding the long strands up in a makeshift ponytail. “But you won’t want to proofread it for me? Help me edit it, maybe?” I remove my hands from my hair, holding them out in front of me, palms facing out. “Once I’ve written it, of course.” I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage, but for some reason, I seem to think better when I talk it through with him.

  He gives a small indulgent grin. “Sure. I’ll help you edit it if that’s what you want.”

  I nod my head enthusiastically. “I totally do. Even though I haven’t written any of it yet, I feel much further along with this than I did with my last one and I think that’s entirely because of you.” He smiles, with teeth, making his cerulean eyes glow momentarily before he quickly checks it.

  “Okay. Then let’s outline this thing so I can do my own work.”

  And we do. We outline the hell out of it and by the time we’re done, I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made. I feel like writing the actual story won’t be difficult at all.

  Outlines, who knew?

  Once it’s finished, we sit side by side on our respective computers doing our own work. I’m so completely engrossed in the story that when my phone rings next to me on the couch, I jump about three feet in the air.

  “Jesus, that startled me.” I laugh, clutching my hand to my chest to stop my racing heart. Picking up my phone, I slide my finger across the screen to answer it. “Hello?” I stand up so that I don’t bother Xander, who’s throwing me a death glare.

  “Hey,” Brandon says with a bright yet hesitant voice. He has to be wondering if I’ve heard the news and how I’ll react to it.

  “Hi.” I walk down the hall towards my room, shutting the door behind me, before dropping onto my bed with a light bounce. “Are you okay? I heard what happened.”

  He sighs loudly into the phone. “Yes. I’m fine.” He pauses for a moment. “I’m so sorry, Abby.”

  I snort. “What on earth are you sorry for?”

  “I thought you were going to be super pissed at me.”

  I lay back onto my bed, bringing my bare feet up, bending my knees. “I’m not mad at you, Brandon. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t love fighting, but I get why you did it and I’m not mad at you for it. The whole thing makes me uncomfortable.”

  “I know. I’m just glad you weren’t there.”

  I laugh lightly. “Me too.”

  “I got suspended from our next scrimmage game.”

  “What?” I half yell, bolting up right and dangling my legs off the side of the bed. “Why? Is that Jeff guy another player or something?”

  “No.” He sighs again. “But fighting, even if not with another player and not during team time, is a punishable offense. It’s part of our code of conduct.”

  “Shit, Brandon. I’m so sorry.” And I am. I hate that I’m the reason he got in trouble with his team. I cover my eyes with my hand before falling back onto my bed the way I was just a moment ago.

  “It’s fine.” He laughs humorlessly. “I mean, it’s not fine. I’m pissed that I allowed myself to lose my temper like that and get suspended, but it could have been worse and Jeff deserved it.”

  “Is he going to press charges or anything?” God, I hope not.

  “No. He actually came by this morning and apologized to me. Said he knew he was being a dick, pushed it too far.”

  “Well, that was big of him.” I’m surprised. I thought men were all ego and refused apologize unless held at gun point.

  “Yeah, it was. So anyway,” he starts, changing the subject, “did you still want to get together today?” His tone is back to nervous.

  “Sure.” I sit up on my elbow, looking down at myself. “What did you have in mind? I’m not showered or anything yet. I was working on my manuscript with Xander for most of the morning.”

  “Xander?” he asks with a barely detectable edge.

  “Yeah. He helped me outline a new story. I just wasn’t getting anywhere with my last one and he was helping me brainstorm.” I bite my lip, feeling awkward about telling him this, but for what reason, I have no idea.

  “Okay.” He’s silent for a minute. “We could do lunch and a movie or something.”

  I smile. Big. Because that’s just so damn cute I can’t stand it. “That sounds fun.”

  “Are you going to make me pick a romantic comedy?”

  I laugh. “Absolutely not. I thought you said we’ve already had the movie conversation. Those are not my type at all. Pick whatever you want and I’ll enjoy it. Promise. But I want to pick the restaurant.”

  “Deal. I’ll pick you up in an hour. Is that enough time for you to get ready?”

  I snort. “Clearly you don’t know me that well. I can be ready in twenty minutes, but an hour is fine.”

  He laughs into the phone. A deep sexy laugh.

  “Great. I’ll see you then. Bye.”

  He hangs up and I toss my phone on the bed beside me. I’m smiling. And even though I hate being the center of attention—and dating Brandon will certainly make me that—I think I like him enough to stick this out a little while longer.

  CHAPTER 13

  BRANDON PICKED THE MOST SERIOUS movie he could find, thinking it would interest me more than an action movie. He was very wrong about that, but it didn’t matter because we spent most of the movie making out like a couple of teenagers.

  And it was a lot of fun.

  I don’t remember the last time I just kissed a boy for any period of time, knowing that it wasn’t going to lead to sex.

  Just kissing for the sake of doing so and enjoying only that intimate gesture.

  Though, he did cop a feel a time or two.

  I surprised him when I picked The Barn for lunch. I was in the mood for a burger and they have some of the best in town.

  Now, as we walk through the park that he surprised me by taking me to, with the late afternoon winter sun setting on our backs, he’s quiet. We talked incessantly at the restaurant, kissed in the movies and now I get the impression he has a lot say, but is holding it back.

  “Are you going to tell me what suddenly has you so quiet or are you going to make me tickle it out of you?” I look up at him with a smirk pulling at my lips.

  A couple walking a large dog pass us, smiling indulgently with aren’t-they-cute expressions.

  Brandon looks down at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Tickle me?” He points his free hand at his chest. I nod. “I’m not ticklish, babe. You wouldn’t get very far.”

  “Hmm.” I pretend to think about this. “Okay, so tickling is off my torture menu.” He laughs. “I’ll have to divert to my more aggressive methods.”

  “Aggressive methods?”

  “Oh yes.” I stop, turning to face him and craning my neck so I can s ee his face, because he’s so damn tall.

  “And what would those be?”

  I smile at him mischievously, but before he can say anything else, I jump up into his arms. He catches me instinctively with an oomph and a laugh. I’m laughing as I wrap both my
arms and legs around him in the middle of the park surrounded by its patrons.

  But I don’t care.

  I know he’s got shit brewing and I want to know what it is.

  “Is this your idea of torture?” His grin is huge. “Straddling me, fully dressed in the middle of the park when I can’t do anything more about it other than hold you up by your ass?” He’s smiling as he squeezes my ass with each of his hands to prove his point.

  “That wasn’t it actually, but now that you mention it, I suppose this could be rather effective.” I bite my lip, tilting my head like I’m thinking about this.

  He chuckles, looking down in between us at our joined bodies, evidence of his enjoyment with this position starting to make itself known. “Yeah, I’d say this is effective torture.”

  “Good. Then you can tell me what has you ruminating and quiet, or do I have to start grinding myself against you?”

  His eyes widen at my brazen words. “You may just be the devil, you know that? You’d dry hump me in the middle of the park to get me to talk?”

  I nod my head. “I certainly would. So out with it, Kessler.”

  “Okay, but I can’t think with you in this position. Can I put you down?”

  I nod my head and start to unwrap myself from him, but he stops me with a searing kiss that leaves me breathless, especially in this position. Sliding down his body, he blushes a little as he adjusts himself rather obviously before we start to walk again like I didn’t just attack him in public.

  “Do you really want to know what I’m thinking?”

  “I do,” I confirm as we make our way over to a bench along one of the paths. It’s January, so the trees are all bare and there are no flowers anywhere. There is no snow or ice or anything, since we are in the south, but it’s still desolate and sort of depressing. We sit down, and I bring my knees up to my chest to warm myself against the frozen wood beneath me.

  “Okay.” Brandon looks at me uncomfortably with an uneasiness about his features. He reaches out, taking my fingers again and resting our hands on top of my knees. “But remember, you asked for it.”