Reye's Gold (Indigo)

by Robinson, Ruthie

  “I couldn’t forget these,” he said, and he softly touched her lips with his finger.

  Silence.

  Stephen sat down his beer, one hand still holding hers. Removing the beer from her hand, he sat it down next to his. His arms snaked around her waist as he pulled her to him for a kiss. It was soft, his lips barely touching hers, testing her response. She moved her arms to surround his neck and the kiss changed, became more passionate. She opened her mouth for him, both of them tasting beer as their tongues touched tentatively.

  Reye pulled back and looked at him, although she wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see. A part of her knew she needed to slow down. What did she really know about him? He called and she came, not a good move on her part, and now he’d just told her he wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. She ignored that voice, seeing in his gaze a desire equal to her own. Lifting her in his arms, he pulled her from her chair and placed her in his lap. She sat facing him, legs straddling his. His hands moved to her waist and slid upwards towards her breasts. He was glad that she had chosen to wear a dress. It was soft, and she looked very pretty in it. The feel of her body softly encased in it was sexy as hell. Her breath hitched at the touch of his hands on her breasts and he watched her give in to the pleasure, slowly pulling her in for another kiss.

  This is what he’d been wanting since the parking lot, and he’d felt an equal yearning in her. Continuing the soft, open-mouth kisses, he played with her tongue, learning the texture of her mouth. They spent seconds, minutes maybe, exploring each other’s mouth. He started to pull away, and Reye snagged his lower lip, gently pulling him back to her, and the intensity of the moment changed, becoming more charged. His hands roamed over her body, not landing on a spot long before they moved on to another place. They traveled over her breasts, her shoulders, her face, and downward, to stop at the curve of her ass. Here they glided over until they trapped her in each hand.

  He wanted her closer and pulled her hips to his, spreading her legs wide so that she sat in a position that could stimulate them both. She felt him through his jeans, hard and strong. Shifting and rocking her hips forward and backward, he rubbed her against him. His jeans were rough against her, so her hands worked their way to the button at his waist. She opened it and lowered the zipper of his jeans, pulling back the sides to get even closer. Much better, she thought as she pushed herself closer to him. She could feel him through the cloth of his boxers, the hardness of him underneath her. Forward and backward he moved her, as close to him as she could be with clothes on.

  Tuning out his surroundings, Stephen focused on the movement of her hips as they slid over him, unable to sense anything but this. Jesus! He was going to come, outside, fully clothed, and he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, stop. He kissed her harder, and his hands turned forceful as they pushed and pulled her over him. Reye moaned long and low into his mouth as she came. His breathing increased as he continued to move her, up and back, his grip on her ass firm. Seconds later, his body grew stiff and he growled into her mouth.

  Reye had no idea what to say, to herself or to him. She lay on his chest for a second to regroup. Did she just do what she thought she’d just done, outside for anyone and everyone to see? His hand moved to her waist to steady her as she lifted herself off of him. She stood and straightened her dress and he moved to zip up his jeans.

  “Is there a bathroom around here?” she asked, feeling awkward and needing to gain control.

  “What?” he asked as he stood up beside her. “Bathroom,” she repeated.

  “Oh, yeah, there is one by the pool over there in the cabana.” He looked as unsettled as she felt, pointing his arm toward the back of the yard.

  “I’ll be back.” She turned and walked toward the back of the house. She could see a small cabana in the distance, at the end of a large pool.

  Stephen sat down, elbows on his knees. He ran his hand over his face and through his hair. When was the last time that had happened? He hadn’t dry humped anyone since middle school. He continued to sit, staring out at the cabana, waiting for Reye.

  “Hey, dude, out here enjoying the night air?” he heard someone ask. Jumping at the intrusion, he looked up sharply to see Joe standing several steps away. How long had he been standing there? Joe was another frat brother, one that he didn’t care for much. “I saw your friend leave, what’s her name?” he asked, pretending to remember. “What I wouldn’t do for a piece of ass like that. I can see you’ve been partaking in the delights of Reye. That’s her name, I remember now.”

  “Go away, Joe.”

  “Dude, is that the way to treat a fellow frat brother? What do you think, Stephen, any truth to that saying that once you go black, you never go back?” he said, laughing at his own joke.

  “It’s not like that,” Stephen said.

  “You know what I’m talking about, dude, don’t pretend that you weren’t out here with her just now. I saw you. Hey, I understand, dude. I’m totally feeling you with the black girl booty call thing. I hear they can be really freaky in bed, and, if tonight is any indication, you have your hands full.”

  They both looked up as Reye cleared her throat. She’d been standing there listening to them, her face now etched in stone.

  They turned to her, Joe with a smirk on his face, Stephen’s face apologetic.

  “I’d better get going,” she said as she stepped up on the porch.

  “Hello,” Joe said, walking toward her with his hand outstretched. “I’m Joe. We met earlier in the house. Glad you could make it to our party.”

  Reye didn’t respond to his greeting, nor did she shake his hand. His face hardened. “Well, I guess I’ll be going so you and Stephen can finish up here. You know if Stephen is not up to meeting your needs, feel free to call me, anytime.”

  Stephen moved to stand in front of Reye, blocking her from Joe’s view. “Leave now, Joe!”

  “No worries, man, I’m gone,” replied Joe, walking away.

  “I’m sorry, Reye, he’s an asshole.” Looking over her face he asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Sure, I’m fine, but I do need to get home,” she said curtly.

  “Where did you park? I’ll walk you out.”

  “No need, I’m good.”

  “I’m walking you to your truck, Reye, end of discussion.”

  “Fine,” she said sharply.

  Sensing anger and resistance in her stance, he reached for her hand. She pulled it away. He turned to leave and she followed him. She was angry, it was evident in the stiffness of her posture and the briskness of her walk.

  They walked through the backyard, around the side of the house, and out toward the street.

  “Where did you park?” he asked again.

  “Just down the block at the parking lot, and you really don’t need to walk me. I can make it by myself,” she said.

  He ignored her and continued down the street toward her truck. The crowd of students that had been there earlier had moved inside. It was now quiet. You could see them through the windows, dancing and drinking. Neither of them spoke during the walk to her truck.

  “This is it,” she said, walking to stand next to the driver’s side of her truck. Stephen put his hand on the truck’s door, preventing her from opening it. Boxing her in, using his arms, body, and the door, he waited until she raised her face to his. She stood, arms folded and crossed, silent. He read hurt and anger in those beautiful brown eyes and felt awful.

  “I’m glad you came tonight, and I wish I had called sooner. I’m sorry for the things Joe said back there. They are offensive to me. His views aren’t mine,” he said.

  “Have you ever dated anyone who isn’t white before?” she asked sharply, eyes on his face.

  “No.”

  “So why now? Experimenting?” Not waiting for a response, she continued, “You know what, let’s put this one on me, my mistake, my bad,” she said, in full tirade mode. “I don’t want to be anyone’s experiment, booty call, or whatever. It was my fault
I came. What did I expect? I like you, thought you liked me, but I can see that this was not a good idea!”

  Stephen let her rant, and when he’d heard enough he leaned in and put his lips to hers.

  “Shhhh,” he said against them. “I want to see you again.”

  “Don’t think so,” she said, leaning back.

  For a moment neither moved nor spoke. Reye looked everywhere but at him and eventually he backed up. She opened her door, slammed it closed, started her truck, and left.

  * * *

  The next day, Stephen called her. “Hi, Reye, what’s up?” He tried going for casual and friendly in his tone. “Nothing much.”

  “I wanted to tell you that I had a good time last night.”

  “Great,” she responded, her tone flat.

  “Would you like to see a movie this weekend?”

  “No thanks. I’ve got a lot of studying to do. You know how things can be at the beginning of a semester, right?” she said.

  “Sure.” Dismissed, he thought to himself, but he’d give her a little more time and try again.

  Chapter 3

  Reye was slowly getting used to working with the children at the center. There were seven of them who attended every day. Anthony, Eric, and Jésus were Hispanic. Shondra, Tyson, and Deetric, D for short, were African-American. Shane was the lone Caucasian. They all needed varying degrees of tutoring in reading, writing, and math. They all had distinct personalities.

  Anthony was the youngest and shortest of the group and all energy, like a tornado. He was funny, a happy kid, already working on his playa status. She imagined him growing up to be a heartbreaking, multi-tasking adult.

  Shondra was the only girl in the group and had rapidly reformed Reye’s understanding of divas. She now understood that divas were born, not made over time, as she’d originally believed. Ms. Shondra was a little African-American princess with long hair, usually worn in multiple pigtails. She was all sass and ruled the world with an iron hand, or at least the boys in the class.

  Shane was the student she’d worried over the most. He’d fallen way behind in his classes at school, requiring a big portion of her attention. He was a sweet kid, painfully shy, and one who could get easily lost in school. She’d hoped to talk to his parents so they could coordinate their efforts. Reye had called his mother at the only number listed on his application. She hadn’t received a response yet. Reye knew from experience that being the only anything, anywhere was tough. She’d attended private schools where, with few exceptions, she’d been the ‘only one’, so she felt a specific kinship with Shane.

  Before now she’d never considered working with elementary-age children. She’d thought she was better suited to teach middle and high school, but her time spent at the center so far had her revising her opinions, rethinking old assumptions about herself.

  Today had been special. She’d witnessed the implementation of a lesson she’d taught the kids a couple of days ago. She’d overheard one of the kids last week give voice to some pretty hurtful things about another child in the program. In response, she’d sat down with them and discussed how hurtful insults could be, the damage they could cause. To demonstrate, she’d located darts and a picture of a dart gun, explaining the purpose and use of them by vets to calm animals to prepare them for capture. “When you’re hit with a dart you feel a sting, like getting a shot,” she explained. “A tiny pain at first, but the damage comes later, when the poison or medicine gets under your skin, knocking you unconscious. Our hurtful words can be darts that sting each other at first, but as you remember the hurtful words later, those words can hurt more and for a long time afterward.” She sat waiting for her words to sink in, before continuing. “We are going to make our room a dart-free zone.” Enthralled, the children watched her as she demonstrated the procedure for dart removals if any were to make their way into their room.

  Today was Friday, the end of a long week for the kids. Tempers and nerves were frayed. Reye was supervising the room’s cleanup when she heard Shondra shout out in frustration, “Shane, you’re so stupid!” Reye looked up to see Shondra walking towards her dragging a tearful Shane along behind her. Before Reye could intervene, Anthony, D, and Eric shouted “incoming” at the top of their lungs, startling Reye with their intensity. All three ran over to Shane, grabbed his arms from Shondra and proceeded to remove a make-believe dart from it. “It’s a dart, right, Ms. Reye, when someone tells you that you’re stupid,” Anthony said, looking grave.

  “That’s right,” she said, getting into the game. “Are we ready to remove it, guys?”

  All three heads gazed up at her with too-serious expressions on their faces that had her pinching herself to keep from laughing. At this moment they were not children in an after-school program, but had morphed into surgeons prepping for a major life-saving operation. “Shondra has to perform the surgery,” Reye said, looking over at Shondra, who by now had recognized her error. “Let me get my doctor’s bag,” she said, demonstrating her superb acting skills as she pretended to remove a dart and cleanse the wound.

  “What do we do now?” Reye asked.

  Shondra looked at Shane. “I’m sorry for the dart.”

  “What do you say, Shane?” Reye asked encouragingly. “It’s okay,” he said, smiling in pleasure at all of the attention.

  “Thank you, skilled surgeons, your work here is done,” Reye said, also smiling, ushering them back to the cleanup, beyond pleased with their understanding.

  * * *

  Stephen looked around The Garden, the restaurant and bar where most of his friends from school hung out. It was also the place where the soccer teams came after their weekend games. The Garden had been an old hole in the wall that had been refurbished about ten years ago. Wood floors and wood walls gave it the appearance of an old down-on-its-luck hunting lodge with a collegethemed décor. National college and university banners dangled from the ceiling, most worn out years ago. The university’s banner was the only relatively clean one, displayed prominently above the front door, religiously replaced every year. Wooden picnic tables sat close to each other to achieve maximum occupancy. The food, standard American fare, was inexpensive, a necessity for college students.

  Stephen sat at one of the tables waiting for a waitress to take his order. He was tired and restless. With the demands of law school, soccer, and monster study sessions, he should have been exhausted, but instead he was fidgety. It has been almost two weeks since he’d met Reye at his fraternity’s party. He’d call her relentlessly at first to reconsider going out with him, but to no avail. The answer was always the same. No. So getting a yes now had moved from more that just a desire to a personal mission.

  Reye was always friendly when he called. Annoyingly polite, she even thanked him for calling and asked about school, but her answer was always the same: no. No, I won’t meet you for coffee. No, I won’t meet you at the library. No, I wouldn’t like to go to a movie. Hey, he didn’t have time for any of the above anyway, but it irritated him that she’d not given him another chance, wouldn’t even consider it. It wasn’t even his fault. He hadn’t said any of those things to her.

  Who needed this kind of aggravation? He knew plenty of women who would welcome his attention, and why he was still pursuing this one he’d yet to understand. It was the possibility of sex with her that was making him twitch. It was sex, plain and simple. He’d created this super fantasy in his mind of what it would be like with her. And it was this unusual desire that had been created from that one night at the party. He’d sampled enough to drive him crazy. He was sure that if he could only follow through, take it to its natural conclusion, he could exorcise her from his mind. Take tonight, for example. He’d just played a hard, competitive game against the Cobras, a fairly good soccer team in the A division of the intramural league. Not the best, but not recreational league, either. He should be exhausted, but not so. He labeled Reye as the source of his unusual moodiness.

  He sat waiting for Henri to
arrive for their usual routine following a game, rehashing and celebrating their win and planning strategy for the next match. He’d looked up to find Henri and Joe approaching. What the hell was he doing here? He hadn’t spoken to Joe since the night of the party. Both Henri and Joe played on his team. They sauntered over to the table, plopping down next to him. The waitress, a perky blonde who seemed available for more than taking orders, came over.

  “What would you like?”

  “I’ll have a cheeseburger,” said Henri.

  “Make that two,” Joe said, giving his menu to the waitress.

  “Three,” said Stephen, “and could you bring over a pitcher of beer for us?”

  “Sure. Anything else?”

  “Nope, that’s all for now. Thanks,” Stephen said, giving her a quick smile.

  “I’ve got to take a leak,” Henri said, excusing himself, and walked to the back of the restaurant where the rest-rooms were located. The Garden also offered take-out to its patrons with a separate entrance in the back to avoid overcrowding. The Garden was a popular place. Henri passed by the take-out line on his way to the bathroom, scanning the room as he went. He spotted Stephen’s Reye in line. Taking a detour, he walked over to her, calling out her name.

  She looked up. “Reye?” he asked. “Phi Beta Nu party, remember?”

  Stephen’s handsome friend, the keeper of the door at the party, she remembered. He’d been nice to her.

  “Hi. Henri, right?”

  “Yes, you’ve got a good memory.”

  “You were at Stephen’s party?”

  “Yes, that was me. How are you?”

  “Fine,” she said. “You?”

  “I’m okay. Hey, Stephen is here with me, sitting towards the front, we’ve just finished a soccer game.” He pointed toward his jersey. “You could bring your order over and join us.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ve got to get home,” she said. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure, but thanks. It was nice seeing you again.”