Collide

by J. C. Hannigan

  It was nearly 10 p.m., and I heard Mom and Larry turning off the TV in the living room. She came into the kitchen, where I was still sitting with my notes spread all over the table.

  "Get some rest," she told me, kissing my forehead and pausing for a moment. "You need sleep almost as much as you need to study."

  "I know…I'll be going to bed in a bit," I told her, suppressing a yawn. She opened her mouth, about to say something, when Larry appeared in the doorway.

  "Good night, Harlow," he said.

  "Night," I barely looked up from my notes, highlighting another not-so-important part. Mom and Larry left the kitchen and I heard them getting ready for bed. I sat at the table, listening until I couldn't hear anything anymore. Then I pulled out my cell phone to text Iain.

  I miss you. 'Rents are in bed…maybe I'll pop over, I clicked send and double checked that my volume was on mute. Iain took less than a minute to reply.

  I wish…not a good idea. See you tomorrow after exam?

  I bristled, angry. Iain had been shutting down every attempt I tried to make to see him. A tiny wave of insecurity swelled in the pit of my stomach. A small voice whispered Maybe he just doesn't want to see you anymore?

  I frowned, not bothering to reply. I was a little bit frustrated. Since the accident, I had barely seen him. I felt his desire roll off in waves every time I walked near him, but I couldn't understand why he was keeping me at arm's length.

  My phone chimed again, and I opened the latest text message. Mike is over, we're having beers.

  Sighing at how ridiculous I'd been, I texted him back with Okay, see ya later then. I put my notes back in my bag and went to my room. Tomorrow was going to come quickly, and Mom was right. I did need my sleep.

  * * * *

  Thankfully, exams went by quickly, and before I knew it, Friday had arrived and I was preparing for a "sleepover" at Jenna's house.

  "We might make it into a weekend thing," I told Mom, swinging my bag over my shoulder as I stood in the front hall. I'd packed a change of clothes, something to sleep in, and my work things—I had to work tomorrow morning. "Jenna's having a bit of a rough time right now."

  "I meant to ask…" Mom said, hesitating by the doorway, a dish towel in hand. "Is…she…"

  I held my breath, waiting for her to continue, but she wouldn't, she just stared at me, waiting for my answer. I sighed, tightening my grip on my bag. "Yes…Mom. She is."

  "That's—"

  "Not what you think," I corrected her, giving her a stern look. "Jenna was…she didn't consent to it, and she doesn't want…"

  "Oh," Mom's voice was tiny. She looked genuinely shocked. I glanced at the clock on the microwave and sighed.

  "I went to a party at the beginning of the year with Jake….I walked in on some guy with Jenna. She was crying, hysterical, begging him to stop. He didn't…" I still had difficulty saying the word 'rape,' and avoided it entirely with my mom.

  "That's terrible!" Mom exclaimed, putting a hand over her mouth. "Does she know...?"

  "Yes," I said quickly. "Her dad's hired a lawyer. But please don't tell anybody this; nobody knows but me and now her family."

  "I…I won't, I promise," Mom looked overwhelmed. I knew she felt the burden of carrying secrets more than most, especially all the ones I had dumped on her recently.

  "Thanks Mom…" I trailed off. I knew I could always tell her more, and that I probably should…but I couldn't bear to add to the overwhelmed look on her face. "So…I'll be home Sunday afternoon at some point?"

  Mom nodded, frowning slightly. I knew she wanted to ask me about Iain…but at the same time, she wanted to avoid that subject. I followed suit with the second motion, and turned around to leave. I had told Mom I would walk to Jenna's, and I did walk, but I walked to Iain's.

  He knew I was coming ahead of time, so he left the door unlocked. I let myself inside, and I could hear him in the kitchen.

  "Hey," he called out, coming into the foyer and drying his hands on the back of his jeans. I smiled at him, instantly put at ease at the look on his face as he walked over to where I was standing. He gently tipped my chin up and lowered his lips to mine in a slow and tender kiss. It had been a while since he'd been able to kiss me. Instantly, his kiss turned from tender to urgent. My hands tangled in his hair and he slid my jacket off my shoulders and it fell to the floor.

  He pressed me against the wall, his hands roaming my body. He gripped my right thigh and pulled it up over his hip, pressing me back against the wall and never breaking the kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me out to the living room. Candles lined the coffee table and end tables, and there was even rose peddles strewed about. I pulled away, taking it in with surprise. Iain continued to kiss my neck.

  "You did all that?" I asked, motioning to the roses and candles. He smiled against my skin, not breaking away to look me.

  "Yes," he murmured, his voice vibrating against my skin. I shivered with pleasure and brought my mouth back to his.

  His blue eyes were aglow with desire, and I knew what he wanted instantly. I pulled him hard against me, urging him on. I needed it as much as he did. When he finally found his release (just after I found mine for the fourth time), he traced slow kisses up my collarbone and went to speak.

  He was interrupted by the shrill screeching of the fire alarm.

  "Shit," he said, diving off me and rushing toward the kitchen. I couldn't help but laugh as his naked body disappeared around the corner. I pulled my jeans and shirt back on before I went to find out what disastrous thing awaited me in the kitchen.

  Iain was prodding at a very black lump of meat on a cooking tray with a solemn frown on his face.

  "Um…did you cook dinner too?" I asked, putting my hand to my mouth to silence my laughter.

  "I tried to," Iain confessed, sighing. He wiped his moist brow with his left hand and tossed the fork down with his other hand. Then he turned to look at me with a sheepish smile on his face. "Mind if we order in?"

  I took another look at the black lump and nodded eagerly. As much as I loved Iain, I knew I couldn't stomach whatever that was. I wasn't even sure if I could chew it.

  "Chinese it is," Iain sighed, reaching into the top drawer and pulling out a menu. He quickly placed our order while I continued to inspect him. He was still naked, standing in the kitchen without a bother. He saw me watching him and gave me a knowing smile.

  "Yes, that's delivery. 48 Orion Street," Iain said, staring at me. "Twenty minutes? Perfect." He hung up the phone and I walked over to his open arms.

  "It means a lot to me that you tried to cook," I told him, smiling against his chest. He chuckled.

  "Yeah, cooking's never been my strong suit. I'm much better with a take-out menu," Iain replied, rubbing the small of my back.

  "Yeah, you're great at eating out," I joked. He laughed, pushing me away gently but grabbing my hand.

  "So I've been told," he replied, cockily. "Do you mind if I get dressed?"

  "Yes, I do. Remain naked," I ordered, following him back into the living room. He released my hand and picked up his t-shirt.

  "Unfortunately, I have to answer the door and I don't really want to do that naked," he said, pulling his shirt over his head and slipping into his jeans. I frowned, disappointed. "Don't worry, I'll be naked again very soon," he predicted, kissing me again.

  Then he sat down, pulling me on top of him. I straddled him, peering down at him through the dark curtain of my hair. "So…it's been a while. What have you been up to, Mr. Bentley?"

  "Oh, you know. Work, sleep, that kind of thing," Iain shrugged. "It's been boring here without you," he added, taking a strand of my hair and gently toying with it between his fingers.

  "Well, I would have been over in a heartbeat if you hadn't kept rejecting me," I answered, trying not to pout. It had really gotten under my skin. Iain looked at me, seeing that, and sighed.

  "Harlow…you know I wanted to see you. But it wasn't practical. Mike was over, and
you nearly got run over—"

  "Yeah, I know, I'm aware," I huffed, irritated. I looked away, not voicing that my desire had been to see him there for me. He knew it though, I could tell by the torn look in his eyes.

  "You know I would have been there, if circumstances were different," Iain said softly.

  "I—" I trailed off, hit with the sudden realization that I hadn't even told him that my mother knew. It had honestly gotten pushed to the very back of my mind between Jenna, the accident, and not being able to see Iain. It hadn't felt like a topic that I could broach over text messaging, or in class for that matter.

  "What is it?" Iain froze, seeing the look on my face.

  "I have something to tell you…" I sighed.

  Iain waited, patiently looking at me with those deep blue eyes.

  "My mom found out about us," I replied, cringing at the shocked look on Iain's face. "When we got home from Niagara Falls. I had a shower, and when I was in the shower she snooped through my bags and found the photos we took…"

  "Whoa," Iain breathed, still stunned. "And you didn't feel that this was something I needed to know? Where does she think you are right now?"

  "Of course I felt like you needed to know," I snapped. "I was kind of recovering from nearly getting run over, and I didn't feel it was a conversation to have over texting, since you didn't come around."

  "I couldn't," Iain protested.

  I clenched my jaw and sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just…overwhelmed."

  "What did she do when she found out?" Iain asked.

  "She got pissed, and told me to not see you again…"

  "Where does she think you are?" Iain's jaw was tense.

  "At Jenna's….but that doesn't matter, does it? Nobody would want us together and it's not like I'd disclose where I was if she didn't know…"

  Iain paused, considering. "That's true."

  "Mom doesn't want to…rat me out to Larry. I know she won't. If I know her like I know her, she's going to pretend that I called it off like she asked me to, even though I told her I wasn't going to. She won't ask about it, but she'll probably try to keep grounding me…just in case."

  "What do you want to do, Harlow?" Iain asked, his voice heavy and loaded with uncertainty.

  "What we're already doing…" I whispered, kissing his jaw line gently. "I want to be with you, however I can be with you…"

  "I knew this would be difficult," Iain sighed, turning his lips to mine. He smiled warily. "I just didn't realize how hard it'd be to keep my distance from you…"

  I frowned, looking at him curiously. I wasn't sure if he meant the last few weeks, or if he was talking about putting distance between us now. He kissed me, and my questions evaporated on the tip of my tongue. His hands tangled in my hair as he deepened his kiss. We pulled away slowly when the doorbell rang. Iain gently lifted me off his lap and headed toward the door, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

  He returned moments later with our food, and we ate in the living room, bathed in candle light. When we'd finally finished some time later, Iain discarded his carton on the table and turned to face me.

  "Mike's been doing some sleuthing," he said, getting straight to it. "He's managed to track down a few names of other victims. He has a list of three girls."

  "Has he contacted them?" I asked, my light, joyful mood suddenly serious.

  "No, not yet, but he's biding his time. He needs a victim to come forward before he can contact the others…"

  "Well, that will be sooner than he thinks. Jenna finally told her parents…her dad has hired a really good lawyer," I told him, proud of my friend.

  "That's awesome!" Iain said sincerely, looking relieved.

  "I'm going to be testifying about the night of the party, you know, since I was there," My throat was dry, so I took a sip of the can of Pepsi he'd set out for me.

  "Will Jake?" Iain inquired, gently squeezing my thigh.

  "Not sure…I haven't reminded Jenna about him yet," I confessed. "I'll do that next time I see her. But right now…no more talking," I added, setting my can of pop back on the coffee table.

  "What else would you like to do?" Iain asked, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

  "Cuddle?" I asked, sounding just as vulnerable as I felt. Iain smiled warmly at me, reaching for my hand. He gently pulled me on top of him and fixed an afghan around the both of us. He grabbed the remote and switched it to some Discovery channel show, and I fell asleep with my head resting on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, I woke up feeling as if a slight weight was lifted off my shoulders. Mike had a list of Andrew's victims. Jenna had the best lawyer and was going to press charges. Hopefully one day soon, the town would know about the Coopers…both of them.

  It was a relief for more than that, really. Originally, I'd wanted to track down every single girl myself and talk to them each, help them realize how important it was to take a stand against Andrew Cooper, but now that Jenna's dad had hired the best lawyer to handle the case…I wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, I didn't want to tamper with anything. On the other hand, how did I know this new lawyer wasn't on the Coopers' payroll? When I expressed my concerns to Iain, he nodded in agreement.

  "I spoke to Mike about that too," he told me. "And no, Taylor Thompson is not on the Coopers' payroll. He's a big lawyer in Ottawa, probably never even heard of the Coopers before."

  "Okay," I nodded, feeling slightly more reassured.

  "Relax, Harlow," Iain smiled, gently squeezing my shoulders reassuringly. "Mike will handle it. You've got to trust the professionals here."

  "Forgive me, trusting the law enforcement in this town is a little hard to do," I said sarcastically.

  After my weekend with Iain came to a close, I stopped in at Jenna's place. Her parents were out grocery shopping, so Jenna and I sat in the living room comfortably.

  "So, how was your weekend?" she said, her voice light and happy.

  "Good," I smiled. "We just…hung out. Something we haven't been able to do for a while."

  "Ah, forbidden love. Like Romeo and Juliet," Jenna smiled wistfully. "I wish I had that."

  "You wish you had a forbidden love?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at her.

  "Well, you know what I mean," Jenna frowned. "A love of any kind, really." We both thought about how hard it was to go through what she was going through alone, with nobody—aside from her parents—to hold her hand. I felt another wave of guilt. If only I'd arrived even five minutes earlier. "It's not your fault," Jenna added, as if sensing my thought process.

  "It's his," I agreed, anger rising again as I thought about Andrew's smug face. "And speaking of which…you told your lawyer that I would testify, right?"

  "Yes." Jenna picked at a tiny thread on the cushion in her lap. "He actually wants to call you to set up a meeting."

  "That's okay. You know, Jake might be able to testify too, if you asked him," I said, drawing in a breath between my sentences, unsure of how she'd react.

  "I know." Jenna smiled sadly. "He's already told me that."

  "Really? When?" I asked, shocked. I hadn't even realized they'd been talking without me.

  "A couple days ago," Jenna shrugged. "He added me on Facebook a few weeks ago and we've been messaging each other."

  "Oh," I tried to hide my smile, but Jenna caught it.

  "Don't go there," she warned me. "I'm still…in no position…for that."

  "I didn't say a thing," I told her, grinning.

  * * * *

  Taylor Thompson ended up calling me that night to book an appointment the same day that he'd be meeting with the Burkes. His office was in Ottawa, and Iain jumped at the opportunity at an out of town trip. He decided to make a three-day trip out of it. I got Danielle to cover my shifts, and told my parents I had to go to Ottawa to meet with Jenna's lawyer with her family. I did get a ride with them there, to ease Mom's worry lines and the anger I could see simmering, a
nd Jenna covered for me when they offered to get me a hotel room. She'd told her parents that I would be visiting with my cousin at the University of Ottawa, and that I didn't need a room or a ride home. They didn't even question this; they were far too concerned about Jenna. The next few days was going to be busy for them too. I knew Jenna had a meeting at an adoption agency in Ottawa. She was still leaning to putting the baby up for adoption, and her parents were supporting her decision. I knew that would swallow them up for the next couple of days.

  Thompson first met with Jenna and her parents. I waited in the office waiting room, tapping my feet impatiently and texting with Iain. He was waiting in in a nearby hotel—not the one that Jenna and her family were staying at. He'd made sure of that. He'd also left town a little before Jenna's family and I left.