by Cara North
There was the real reason for the apology. Frankie deleted the rest. She didn’t need this anymore. Shay had been a great part of her childhood. She had helped Frankie to toughen up, she taught her to act strong when she felt weak. Frankie believed that people came into her life when she needed to learn something from them. They left when the lesson was done. Frankie had outgrown Shay’s antics years ago but felt loyal to her friend.
Frankie always knew Shay had zero ability to keep secrets. Thankfully, she never shared anything that could be detrimental. Shay, on the other hand, probably realized how much Frankie knew. Frankie had defended her, hated who she hated, supported her when everyone else let her down, she should have realized long ago that it was never about friendship. It was always about Shay.
***
The phone alarm woke her up. He had changed the music. Still Florence and the Machine, but now it was Dog Days. She wondered if it was an intentional message. She flipped through her ring tones and looked at various ones assigned to people. His had changed. Apparently he had taken a picture of himself to change the photo that came up, and instead of a song it was his voice saying, “I’m jealous of this damn phone, except now, so answer it and ask me why.”
He was such a goofball sometimes. Frankie walked across the hall. As soon as she stepped in the doorway Buddy popped up. He took a good look around, saw Jonas, now in just his boxer briefs, and lay back down. Frankie waited another minute to see if he was going back to sleep or just waiting for his uncle to wake up. The toddler started singing the ABC song.
“Buddy,” she whispered. He stopped. “Buddy, it’s me, Frankie. You want some breakfast?”
He sat up and whispered, “Yeah.”
“Okay. You go potty first and I will wait here for you, okay?”
He climbed out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. Frankie could hear the step stool move across the floor for his morning potty, and then it moved again so he could wash his hands. He was an impressive little dude, even if he did have his pajamas on backwards.
Downstairs, Frankie was in the process of making another round of pancakes when a mostly naked Jonas appeared in his underwear in quite a panic.
“Oh, thank God.” He grabbed his chest, walked over to his nephew, and kissed him on the top of his head.
Buddy was on his knees in the chair because she couldn’t figure out where else to put him and she didn’t feel safe letting him sit on a bar stool, though it would have been easier for him to sit and eat. She had already made three little pancakes for the kid, but he was still hungry so she kept making more. “He’s on his fourth pancake.”
“I think I’m on my eighth heart attack,” Jonas said. Frankie could hear his bare feet pad across the tile on the kitchen floor. She flipped the pancake and turned around to see him. He was already in her personal space. He put a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward to place a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Frankie looked up at him.
“For pancakes over there.” He motioned to Buddy eagerly shoveling in another bite. “I had the strangest dreams last night…this morning. I woke up, he was gone, I started to freak out, but I noticed you were not in your room, so I felt a little better, but I wasn’t sure if you stayed last night so then I panicked again. It wasn’t until I got right outside the kitchen before I could smell food.”
“You want me to start some coffee for you?” She looked up into those liquid blue eyes and wondered if she could ever start a family with him. The thought shook her to the core and she gulped.
“I’m good.” He took a deep breath, let it out. “I’m going to go get dressed. Janice will be here soon to get the pancake prince.”
Frankie watched him walk out of the kitchen more relaxed than he had arrived. His shoulders seemed to have gotten bigger, his back more muscular, his whole body seemed…more.
Janice was there moments later, her and Buddy Senior.
Janice shook her head at Junior, “I think he must be going through a growth spurt. I swear he is eating and sleeping and then eating and sleeping with some major bursts of play energy in between.”
“He’s already pretty tall for his age, isn’t he? He looks tall,” Frankie said. She was surprised when she met him that he was almost three when he looked more like four going on five.
“He is,” Janice said. Once Buddy had Junior on his way to get changed Janice said, “It’s sad sometimes. We go to the park and the little kids think he’s too big, and the big kids can’t figure out why he doesn’t talk like they do or understand games the same way. I mean his dad is tall, my brothers are tall, our dad is tall, but I was hoping he would slow down some. I mean, I’m not tall. Shouldn’t he get something from me?”
“He has your eyes,” Frankie said.
“He does, doesn’t he?” Janice beamed. “Thank you for making him breakfast. And thank you for planting that seed in Jonas’s head to take our mom out. I haven’t seen her this happy in a while.”
Buddy brought a fully clothed Buddy Junior and a mostly clothed Jonas back with him.
“We’ll see you guys later,” Buddy said. As quick as they came, they went.
“You want a pancake?” Frankie asked Jonas who stood in a pair of well fitted jeans. She tried not to notice the label of the underwear band barely visible, but visible enough to remind her of all things warm and wonderful beneath them.
“Three big ones.” He indicated with his hands.
“I guess you’re going through a growth spurt, too.” Frankie began mixing another bowl of batter.
“Something like that.” He laughed at his inside joke. “Do you want to hear about my crazy dream?”
“Maybe, do you want to hear who your new co-star is?” Frankie was really excited for him, for them, he needed to be next to an award winner and the movie was going to be spectacular, she just knew it.
“What? Who? I thought I was going to have some say in that.” He sat down at the table with a frown.
“Olivia Simmons.” Frankie smiled.
He was excited. “Shut! Up! Don’t mess with me Frankie, she’s not some little starlet trying to make a name for herself. She’s an Oscar winner.”
“I know. I ran into her at the spa yesterday and she mentioned her project fell through. I told her I thought she would be perfect for the lead in your film and she said she would check it out.” Frankie shrugged. Wasn’t that how everything in Holly-weird seemed to get done, on fly by night chances taken at any random moment by any random person?
“Frankie,” he said, his smile uncontrollable. “You got Olivia Simmons to be in a movie with me. Do you have any idea what that means?”
“According to Marty it means more tension and less actual on screen sex since she doesn’t get naked for movies and thinks an eighteenth century woman, regardless of how many ingeniously steam powered weapons she packs, would still be a lady.” Frankie put the first pancake on the plate. “I didn’t know that when I told her about it.”
He got up and walked over to where she was. “Frankie, I…”
His eyebrows drew tight and he lifted his lip in a half smile and asked, “Are you going to let me take you out tonight?”
Frankie nodded. “I need to know what to wear. Nothing is on the calendar, so I don’t know how to dress.”
“I’m uh…just taking you to dinner and a movie.” He shrugged. “I was afraid to overdo it, so I thought I would go back to the basics and see if that worked. Buying you a car, not so basic. Taking you to eat and to a movie, pretty standard stuff. Do you agree?”
She tried not to laugh. “I do.”
She thought he was going to kiss her. His face was so damn close to hers she almost tried to kiss him. He didn’t, he gave her a rakish smile and moved to get his pancake.
She probably deserved that, all of his first date treatment. It was a bit odd considering she had fucked the man more than once. Why was she getting all butterfly-jittery now?
They ate breakfa
st and discussed his dreams. She tried not to choke when he said he could have sworn she had come to his room and kissed him. Mainly, he had nightmares about finding a leading lady, the project getting canceled, and having to deal with failure.
She was technically off today, but he had to work out, and she needed to catch up on all the stuff she missed. It was easy to lose track of time while in the office and sorting through the inbox on the computer screen.
He appeared in the office doorway, a towel around his neck, his entire body sheened with sweat. It was around lunch time and he announced, “You need to go home.”
She needed to catch her breath.
“I thought we were going out.” She finally spoke.
“We are.” He shrugged. “I’m picking you up at your place.”
“But…”
“Back to basics.” He nodded.
“But…”
“I’ll pick you up around five.” He winked and walked off.
Frankie sat pouting in the chair. Again, she had set them back a millennium with her ridiculous fear of intimacy, and she was paying for it.
Five o’clock…
Jonas knocked on the door to the apartment. If he had his way she would be living with him. She practically did already, but most of her stuff, her private stuff, the life he wanted to know about, was here. Despite the architectural beauty of the building, the historical significance, and the fact that is was in what seemed to be a reasonably safe neighborhood. It was too far away, too…old for Frankie.
“Hi,” she said.
He resisted every urge in his body to walk her back through the door, strip her naked, and have his way with her. He stepped aside and said, “After you.”
Frankie stepped out of her door, she smelled like the warm vanilla he knew as her favorite scent. Her hair was down, not in a ponytail or a bun. He wanted to run his fingers through it. Feel it on his chest, his thighs…he said, “You look nice. I like your hair down.”
They walked down the three levels of outside stairs and into the parking lot. He opened the door of his car for her and she got in. Jonas was turned on by the fit of her dark denim jeans. He wanted to strip them down her legs. Instead he asked, “How are your scratches? You haven’t worn the bandages the past few days.”
“All good, just a little pink. Maybe a scar, but I survived.” She tilted her head and said, “Thanks to you.”
So, he thought, she was going to play it that way. Game on.
“Where are we going for dinner?”
He knew it was eating her up not to know anything about his plans. She knew his every move up until this weekend.
“Nowhere special.” He shrugged. “I ordered tickets online to see the seven-twenty show.”
“What are we going to see?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He said with a laugh, “Whatever is showing at seven-twenty. I can’t remember, but it was something like Dead Street or Street of the Dead.”
“That’s a horror movie!” She practically shouted at him. “Scary movies scare me.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the intent.” He knew it was his intent. He wanted her crawling into his lap during the movie. He wanted her to not let go at the end of the night. He wasn’t sure he wanted her as anxious as she was becoming.
He drove straight to the movie theatre. A little known secret was the VIP seating. It cost five bucks more to sit in the theatre at the very top rows in seats oversized and super comfortable. A bar, with restaurant food, was inside the theatre. She looked completely confused as they pulled into the parking lot and he said. “Here we are.”
“Are we eating popcorn for dinner?” She frowned.
“Do you trust me, Frankie?” he asked and looked her up and down. He trusted her implicitly. It was easy to do. He never thought about it being reciprocal. It never mattered before.
“Of course I do,” she said seriously.
“Good.” He got out of the car and walked around to let her out. She had started to get out, but he held up his hand to indicate he did not want her to open the door. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. He opened the door, held out a hand, and said, “My Lady.”
She let out a light laugh followed by a groan of frustration. As she got out she asked, “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.” He closed the door and slid his hand down her arm until his fingers clasped her fingers securely. He was pretty sure she could feel the electricity spurred by the touch the same as he did.
“I was hoping you were just going to take me back to your place and fuck me.” She batted her eyelashes at him. She wore her contacts tonight.
“I tried it that way.” He tugged her close to his side. She had no idea how bad he wanted to do just that, but he wanted more than her body. He wanted her heart, her mind, her soul. “It didn’t work out. Now, I’m trying it this way.”
“What if I promised the other way would work?” She bit her lower lip.
“The other way has had me jerking off like a lab monkey with nothing else to do. Are you trying to talk me out of the movie or out of this date?” He stopped. They were almost to the door of the theatre.
“I won’t be able to sleep tonight if we go see this.” She winced. He was glad she was trying to avoid the movie and not him.
“I’m counting on it.” He tugged her along as they made their way into the theatre.
“Mr. Gunner.” The man behind the counter smiled. “So glad to see you again. It’s been a while.”
“Can’t watch while working,” Jonas extended his hand for a shake and then the tickets.
“Get the mini-burgers and ranch fries. You won’t be disappointed.”
Jonas looked at the man’s nametag and said, “Thanks, Tom.”
Jonas tugged Frankie along by the hand. She was gripping it tighter by the time they got upstairs. “You really don’t like scary movies do you?”
“I live alone.” She blurted out. “No, I don’t like to scare the shit out of myself and then go to a creepy old building and get in my lonely little bed and try not to think every creak, thump, and police siren means I’m about to get my face eaten by a Vampire.”
“A werewolf.” He corrected. He was thoroughly enjoying this.
“What?” She said as they took their seat in the restaurant section.
“A vampire would bite your neck, but not eat your face. A werewolf might do both, it depends.” He loved scary movies. He understood her anxiety, but they rarely had the same effect on him. He normally watched for special effects, interesting plot lines, and well developed characters. He had always wanted to be in a scary movie. She looked even more anxious than a moment ago. The waiter arrived right on time. “Can we get two orders of the mini’s and ranch fries? I’ll have the seasonal brew, she’ll have…”
“A shot of something…like tequila or something.” Frankie nodded.
Jonas laughed out loud. “Top shelf.”
The man walked away. Jonas looked at her. She was fidgeting. He had never seen her fidget.
“Frankie.” He moved his feet to place his legs along the outside of her legs and secured them that way. “Do you think I would let you see this movie and then leave you alone? Scary movies are a rite of passage. A guy takes a girl to see a scary movie. She hides behind his arm…”
“Bites him.” Frankie mumbled.
“I might like it.” Jonas squeezed her legs between his. The waiter returned with the drinks. He brought Frankie her shot of tequila and a glass of water with lemon. Jonas was a bit surprised at how quick she tossed it back. He bit his lips to keep from laughing at the face she made afterwards.
“Wow, that’s smooth,” she lied. It was obvious by the look on her face. He slid the water closer to her.
She took a long drink then sat the glass back on the table. He took a sip of the beer. Certainly, the woman wasn’t much of a drinker. Neither was he, for that matter. Her big brown eyes blinked at him, a little watery, as she adjusted to the liquor. The fo
od arrived and she immediately bit into the mini burger and dipped her fry in the ranch dressing. It followed before the burger was even down.
He loved this. He absolutely enjoyed this new side of Frankie. She was a mess without plans, everything scheduled. He wondered, “Frankie, what did you do before you met me, I mean I know you were a professor. What did you do in your off time?”
“Research,” Frankie said after swallowing the bite. “Woo, that helped.”
“What did you do for fun?” He watched her dip the next fry normally.
She smiled, shook her head.
“What?” He was dying to know. He had barely tasted the beer when she caused him to spit it out.
“You,” Frankie said. She covered her mouth so he didn’t see her laugh at him. The beer stung his nose. She pushed the glass of water towards him.
“Come again?” He coughed.
“I watched your movies, I read the magazines. I looked at the websites to keep updated on your photographs. To be fair, you were my number one, but I did kinda follow the course of a few others, too. I mean…”
“Stop,” Jonas closed his eyes. “I can handle you spending idle time pining after me, but I cannot, will not, handle you oogling other men.”
“Oogling?” She bit her lower lip.
“Frankie, I know you are trying to rile me up. You got me.” Jonas sighed. “You got me good. I probably deserved it since I am forcing you to see this scary movie, but I asked an honest question. Stop teasing me. Tell me something about you.”
Frankie swallowed hard and looked at him. No smile, no jokes and said, “I don’t know. I mean going to the movies, reading books, hanging out with Shay, plotting her rise to fame, and then, don’t take offense to this but, masturbating to your picture most nights was pretty much my life before I met you. Then I started having sex with you, started losing my mind, and questioning everything I ever thought I knew about anything. I…loved you. In that distant odd way fans love stars. I used to fantasize about meeting you. At random one day. I don’t know, maybe I would hit you with my car and then keep you locked in a bedroom…”