Running from Romeo

by Diane Mannino

“We could just lie here all day.” He whispers.

  “Tempting.” I say, softly.

  “I believe I have some persuading to do.” He breathes between kisses.

  “Very tempting.” I whisper.

  Leaning down, he kisses me passionately. When he pulls back suddenly, he gazes at me intensely.

  “Maybe I’ll go surf with your boss. See if I can get him to let you at least leave work early.” He smiles.

  I roll my eyes. “You really like to surf?”

  “I have a very addictive personality as you know and surfing is quite addictive. It’s a good release for me. It’s very peaceful being out in nature like that, but it can also be very challenging.”

  “That makes sense. So, you aren’t tea bagging anymore? That reminds me.” I say as I grab my laptop from the floor.

  Logan laughs. “Oh, you never looked that up, did you?”

  I shake my head as I power up the computer and do a Google search for tea bagging.

  Tea bagging: 1. the insertion of one man’s sack into another person’s mouth. Used as a practical joke or prank, when performed on someone who is asleep, or as a sexual act.

  2. to have a man insert his scrotum into another person’s mouth in the fashion of a teabag into a mug with an up/down (in/out) motion.

  Leaning back on the bed with his arms folded behind him, Logan watches me with amusement. I look up at him after I finish reading the definitions.

  “Quite different from your meaning.” He smirks.

  “Yes.” I blush. “I probably should have looked that up a long time ago. I think I will definitely drop that expression from my vocabulary.”

  “I don’t know. I told you before…your innocence makes you even more irresistible. Well, actually now that I say that, you should only say those things around me.”

  I giggle as I clamber out of bed.

  THE DAY AT SPYDER’S goes by quickly especially since we are having our annual sidewalk sale. Mr. and Mrs. Sutton have drastically reduced all summer and fall inventory to make way for the winter and holiday merchandise that will soon be arriving. Mrs. Sutton calls it “the get rid of the old to make way for the new” sale.

  Since my morning arrival, there’s a steady stream of customers throughout the day. I find myself completely exhausted by the end of the day.

  When I leave Spyder’s I’m surprised to find Logan waiting for me in the parking lot. Climbing out of his Porsche, he opens the passenger door and smiles at me. I take a moment to take in the gorgeous view.

  “You’re a lovely sight for weary eyes.” I smile as I walk towards him.

  He pulls me into his arms. “Tough day at the office?”

  “Yes.” I say as I gaze up at him. He leans down, brushing his lips against my forehead. “Thanks for picking me up. Did you tell me you were picking me up or am I just losing my mind?”

  He smiles. “No, you aren’t losing your mind. I thought I’d surprise you and take you to dinner. Is that okay?”

  “That’s more than okay.” But then I realize I’m not showered and I’m in jeans and an old Roxy sweater, while Logan looks like he’s ready for a GQ photo shoot. He’s wearing a heather grey cashmere sweater, an olive jacket and faded jeans.

  “Maybe I should shower and change.”

  “You look gorgeous, Emilia. We have reservations at six thirty.” He smiles.

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure you look gorgeous.” He kisses me softly on the lips again.

  “I doubt that, but thank you for the illusion.” I smile and slide into the car.

  Logan quickly walks around the car and slides into the front seat. He turns and looks at me. “No illusion, that’s the reality.” Then he starts the engine.

  We drive in silence and it gives me time to reflect on how much has changed in such a short time. Just a day ago, I was anxious and sleep-deprived because I thought Logan had a change of heart towards me.

  I am so happy that we talked and cleared the air last night. He’s right about communication, it’s crucial in any relationship.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Logan says as he softly caresses my thigh.

  I glance at him and smile. “I was just thinking that I’m glad we talked last night.”

  “Me too.” He squeezes my knee.

  We arrive at the restaurant. It’s tucked away off the street, enveloped in an ivy archway. There’s a small garden patio at the front that’s covered in crawling ivy. The French doors off the terrace lead to a dining room. The pine wood floor with similar wood chairs and tables covered with white tablecloths give it a California casual ambience.

  “Have you been to Bouchon?” Logan asks as he opens the car door for me.

  I take his offered hand as I climb out of the car. “No. It looks lovely.”

  “It’s one of my father’s favorites. This is where we went to dinner Parent’s Weekend. The food is excellent and they have an extensive wine list.”

  I smile and he wraps his hand around my waist.

  An older man with grey hair and a kind smile quickly strides over to us as we walk in the restaurant.

  He puts his hand out to Logan and they shake. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Prescott.”

  “Nice to see you too. This is my girlfriend, Emilia King.” Logan smiles and glances at me.

  “I’m Mitchell Sjerven, the owner, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss King.” We shake hands.

  Then he turns his attention back to Logan. “I have The Cork Room ready for you. If you’ll just follow me this way.”

  We head towards the back of the restaurant and into a private dining room.

  Mr. Sjerven politely slides my chair out for me as I take a seat at the table for two next to a long dining table. Logan sits in the chair across from me, taking my hand in his.

  “Your server will be with you in just a minute. Enjoy.” Mr. Sjerven turns to leave.

  I look at the nearby long dining table that could easily seat up to twenty.

  “Are we expecting company?” I ask.

  “No, but I wanted to enjoy your company in private and this is the only room they offer.” He takes my hand and sweetly kisses the back of it.

  In a moment, our server is at our table. “I’m Hunter and I’ll be your server. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to look at our wine list but we have some wonderful options.”

  “We’ll take a bottle of the 2009 Sanguis Chardonnay.” Logan says, firmly with no hesitation.

  “Excellent choice. I’ll be right back to take your order.” The waiter turns to leave.

  “Chardonnay okay with you?” He asks as we look at the menu.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know what you’d like to have?” He asks.

  “Besides you?” I smile, sweetly at him.

  “You have me, baby. How about off the menu?”

  “I don’t know. Everything looks good. What do you think?”

  “Do you like scallops?” He asks.

  I nod.

  “How about we share the special, the Scallop Trio for appetizer? For our entrée we could get the Salmon and the Yellowfin Tuna and share?”

  “You are quite complaisant tonight. If I didn’t know any better I would think you’re trying to impress me.” I smile.

  “You forgot about the persuading.” He grins.

  “Ah.” I whisper, acknowledging his plan to convince me to go to New York.

  Just then our server arrives with the bottle of wine. He pours a little in Logan’s glass and waits for him to taste it.

  Logan nods at him then the server fills my glass and the rest of Logan’s glass. We place our order and then the waiter leaves us alone.

  “To honesty.” He holds his glass out to me.

  I smile as we clink glasses and sip the wine.

  “You know, I am actually honest with you or at least I try to be. It’s just that I sometimes have a hard time expressing my feelings to you.”

  “Then maybe I should have m
ade the toast to communication?” He takes a sip of wine and then continues. “But we’ve talked about this and we agree they come hand-in-hand. I just want you to tell me if something is bothering or upsetting you.

  “Okay.” I take another sip of wine. “Incidentally, this is delicious.”

  “It is.” He smiles.

  The waiter shows up and serves us the Scallop Trio. One scallop sits on top of an avocado mousse with bacon and an heirloom tomato. Another rests on a potato corn pudding with prosciutto, and the third scallop lies on risotto with a basil, arugula pistou.

  Logan quickly gets a forkful then leaning forward, he offers it to me. I take the bite and it’s delicious. Then without saying a word I take the fork from him and slip the rest of the scallop onto the fork and feed him. We continue this ritual with the remaining scallops.

  “I like sharing with you.” I smile sweetly at him.

  Leaning across the table, he takes my hand in his as we gaze into each other’s eyes.

  “My mom called today. You know she’s hoping you’re coming to New York.” He murmurs.

  “She’s hoping?” I smirk.

  “You already know I’m hoping…I didn’t think I need to state what’s already been established.” He smiles.

  “She wanted to know what day you were flying in and if she could make dinner reservations.” He pauses before continuing.

  “She’s hoping you’ll have time to do some shopping with her and Tessa.”

  “What did you say?” I ask, quietly.

  “Of course I told her you’d have no time because I want you all to myself.” He says seriously.

  My mouth drops open. “Logan, you didn’t?” I ask, incredulously.

  At that moment the waiter returns with the tuna and salmon entrees. I sit, staring at Logan in disbelief. He’s got a lot of nerve misleading his parents and pressuring me. The waiter quickly leaves us.

  “Gotcha!” He grins.

  I smile. “Showing off your acting abilities.”

  “Well, actually part of what I said is true. My mom did call and ask about you coming to New York. She’s a bit of a planner.” He pauses and takes a sip of wine. “But I told her you still weren’t sure about your schedule.”

  “Oh.” I mutter.

  Reaching across the table, he feeds me a bite of the Pan-Roasted Salmon. It’s delicious. We continue eating in silence. There’s something so sensual about feeding each other. I’m grateful that we are alone.

  When we finish our meal, we head outside into the cool, crisp night. Logan puts his arm around me as we walk to his car.

  “Are you cold?” He asks.

  “A little.” I whisper.

  He shuffles out of his olive drab cotton twill jacket and wraps it around my shoulders.

  “Better?” He says as he pulls me tightly against his side.

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” He smiles at me.

  “Shall I take you home or would you like to come over to my place?” He asks as he opens the passenger door. I slide in before I answer, thinking about his offer.

  When he climbs into the driver’s seat he looks at me.

  “What do you think?”

  “I’m guessing Sebastian won’t be there?” I wonder.

  “Yes. He’s out and won’t be home.”

  “He has a girlfriend?” I ask, incredulously.

  “Not that I know of. He just said he’d be gone for the night. Maybe he’s hoping to get lucky.”

  “I’d like to go to your place then. I was starting to wonder if it really exists.” I giggle.

  He starts the engine and we pull out of the parking lot, heading west towards the ocean.

  “Really exists?” He grins and then laughs.

  “Yes.”

  “Where did you imagine that I lived?” He sounds amused.

  “Montecito? I think that would be quite lovely to have Mr. and Mrs. Smith as your college roommates. I think they’d be a lot more agreeable than Sebastian.”

  “That goes without saying.”

  We pull into an underground garage and park next to Logan’s motorcycle. He switches off the engine then climbs out of the car. Opening my door, he takes my hand in his as he leads me into the parking lot.

  We walk in silence through the garage to the elevators. He pushes the button and one of the elevators immediately opens. Logan releases his hand, moving it around my waist as we walk into the elevator. He pushes the button for the top floor, which is the sixth. When the doors open he leads me to the door at the end of the corridor and punches a code that unlocks it.

  The contemporary condo is sprawling and gorgeous with a very open floor plan. It’s stark white with high ceilings and cherry-stained hardwood floors. The open kitchen that leads to the great room has matching cherry-stained cabinets with white granite counter tops. There are stainless steel top-of-the-line appliances. The floor-to-ceiling windows likely give it incredible light during the day.

  I walk over to the windows and look at the breathtaking ocean view. Logan moves behind me, putting his hands around my waist.

  “Not too shabby of a view.” I pause and then turn to face him I add, “Life is rough for you.” I tease.

  “Sounds like you are implying something, Miss King.” He smirks.

  “Oh?” I say innocently.

  “Playing coy?” He smiles slightly.

  “Who me? I have no idea what you are talking about.” I giggle.

  “You aren’t insinuating that I’m spoiled?”

  “Well…now that you mention it.”

  Logan wraps his arms around me and pulls me tightly against him.

  “What am I going to do about your incorrigible behavior?” He smiles a wicked smile.

  “Maybe revel in it?” I smile sweetly at him.

  He leans down and kisses me. I kiss him back, pushing my tongue into his mouth. I am so caught up in the passionate kiss that I don’t hear the front door turn and open.

  “What do we have here?” I hear the voice behind me say and a few giggles.

  Logan pulls away and we both turn to look. Sebastian is with two girls and one is Seraphina.

  “Shit.” Logan murmurs.

  “You two s’don’t look pleased to see us.” Sebastian slurs. “Mind if we crash your party? We promise to share.” In one hand he holds up a big bottle of Grey Goose Vodka and in the other a case of Red Bull. The two girls are at his side and giggle.

  “We were just getting ready to leave.” Logan affirms and slides his hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

  Seraphina and the other girl are wearing almost identical outfits, black low-cut tops with tight jeans and high heels. The only difference is Seraphina’s broken arm is in a sling. I watch Seraphina who only seems to have eyes for Logan. I wonder if he notices.

  “Leave? But you two s’never want to party with us.” Sebastian stumbles towards the kitchen, placing the bottles on the counter.

  Logan ignores him as we make our way to the door.

  “Such party poopers. You can’t even stay for one drink?” Sebastian mumbles as he reaches for some glasses and starts to fill them up with vodka.

  “Maybe another time.” Logan’s eyes narrow, he seems increasingly irritated.

  When we walk by Seraphina, Logan turns to her and says, “I hope you all didn’t drive.”

  “S’Like you really give a shit.” She slurs back at him.

  Logan rolls his eyes.

  “How about you, Emilia? Wouldn’t you like to stay and get to know us all better.” Sebastian says, lasciviously.

  “Fuck off, Sebastian.” Logan barks as he opens the door for me and we turn to leave.

  We quickly walk down the hall to the elevator. Logan pushes the down arrow button and the doors immediately open. When we step into the elevator Logan wraps his arms around me.

  “Sorry, baby. You know I would never have brought you here if I thought they were going to show up.” He leans down and kisses me just as the
elevator doors open.

  We walk holding hands towards his car. His expression is serious and tense. When we drive out of the parking garage and pull out onto the street I try and ease the tension.

  “Well, at least I know you aren’t homeless. Your place actually exists.” I smile at him.

  “I’m glad you can find the humor in it.” He quickly gazes at me and then turns his attention back to the road ahead. We are quiet the rest of the way to the house Bryn and I share. The lights are off, Bryn is sure to be spending the night with Josh.

  It’s after midnight when we clamber into my bed. I turn off the light on my nightstand and snuggle into Logan’s arms.

  He wraps them around me, pulling me tight against him. He breathes in my hair and kisses me on the top of my head.

  “You know I had a lovely evening despite our interruption.” I gaze up at him, my head resting on his shoulder.

  He stares up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

  “Dinner was delicious. I really liked the scallops. The fish was also excellent.” I talk quickly, trying to break the silence. “The yellowfin tuna and the salmon were to-die-for. I think I liked the salmon a little bit more than the tuna. How about you?”

  I pause a moment.

  I slide up so that my eyes are inches from his eyes, blocking his ceiling view.

  “Hi.” I whisper.

  “Sorry, baby. I’m listening to you. I was just busy thinking about tonight.” He breathes. “I preferred the salmon too.”

  “Welcome back.” I giggle.

  He wraps his arms around me again so that I am flush against him. I’m lying on top of him when I lean down to softly kiss him.

  “Don’t let him ruin our evening.” I breathe.

  “I’ll be glad when we graduate and he’ll be out of our lives.” He says softly.

  I roll onto my side with my arm draped against his chest. We gaze into each other’s eyes as he gently brushes my hair off my shoulder. Will we be together after graduation? I can’t even think past next week.

  “Can I ask you something?” I murmur.

  “Sure.”

  “Why do you like him?” I blink up at him.

  “He’s changed a lot.” He pauses for a minute. “Actually I’ve changed a lot. He’s not a bad guy when he’s sober. When he’s wasted on whatever then he’s an asshole. I guess I didn’t notice it as much before because I was always hammered with him.”