Between the Raindrops

by Schussler, Susan

  Without looking up, she asked, “Do you want to grill or chop?”

  Will stood in the doorway, staring at her.

  “Would you grill? I hate grilling,” she said, turning toward him.

  “Sure. Where’s the grill?” he questioned, still staring at her.

  Sarah pointed toward the kitchen patio door. Will walked out onto the patio, opened the gas valve on the tank, and pushed the igniter. The flame caught, and he adjusted the temperature dial. When he returned to the kitchen, Sarah was chopping peppers. Will walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in toward him. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and his lips touched her hair in a kiss.

  “So, what are we having?”

  “Chicken fajitas. I hope that’s OK.”

  “I love fajitas,” he admitted as he took in the heavenly floral smell of her hair. “Can we go swimming after we eat? I’m not used to this humidity. And no air conditioner? Is it always like this?”

  “No. Usually, it’s only this bad before a big storm. And swimming sounds perfect,” she answered. She turned around in his arms and kissed his cheek. Then she reached back, grabbed a ziplock bag of raw marinating chicken breasts, and handed it to Will. “I’ll finish with the peppers, and I’ll meet you outside.”

  He took a deep breath and sighed. Then, taking the bag, he headed for the grill.

  Will browsed her silhouette with his eyes as she approached twenty minutes later. He was still trying to figure out why she couldn’t admit that she was in love with him. He knew how he felt, and he thought she felt the same. He could tell by the way she looked at him. Nick had even mentioned that he thought she was in love with Will by the way she had spoken of him before the concert.

  Women are so complicated, he thought. I’ll never figure them out. Maybe it was because I left. I’ll have to gain her trust again somehow.

  “I think the chicken is ready.”

  “Good. I’m starving,” Sarah admitted.

  She handed Will a small cutting board and a knife for the chicken. When their fingers touched, Will felt electricity zing through his body. He envisioned pushing her up against the house and coaxing those three words from her with his body. He knew he would never gain her trust that way, though. Instead, he sliced the meat and resolved to give her some time.

  “Let’s eat,” she commanded.

  Sarah had found a third of a bottle of premixed margaritas in the refrigerator, and they finished it off, sipping from the same glass. They ate their meal outside, chatting about what it was like growing up in Hollywood. In the end, they decided that teenagers were teenagers, no matter where they grew up. When they were finished eating and had cleaned up the dishes, they changed into their swimsuits.

  Will could see Sarah nervously hesitate near the top of the stairs. She shrank out of sight three times before finally slipping a T-shirt over her head and making her way down. It was too late. He had already glimpsed her tiny suit.

  “What were you doing?” he asked.

  “Just…I’m ready,” she stammered. Looking up, her jaw dropped as her eyes slid over his body. “Hi,” she said, as if she was meeting him for the first time.

  “Hi. You don’t need to cover up. It’s just me, and my feelings aren’t going to change,” he said, gazing into her eyes.

  “How do you know?” she whispered.

  Will wrapped his arms around her. “I just know.” He was feeling a little worried now about why she couldn’t admit her love, and didn’t want to pressure her about her feelings. “Let’s go swimming,” he suggested with a smile.

  He grabbed her hand, and they walked down to the dock together. With the boats off the lake, the water seemed still, and the air was so quiet that they could hear a loon calling to its mate. When they reached the end of the dock, Sarah sat down, soaking her feet in the cool water. Will smirked devilishly at her and cannonballed into the water. Lake water saturated the entire end of the L-shaped dock, including Sarah. She looked at him in disbelief, with water streaming down her face.

  “Thanks,” she said sarcastically. “Now I don’t even have to go in.”

  “I was just trying to get you to take off that shirt,” Will confessed, now feeling guilty for what he had just done.

  “I’m leaving it on,” she declared and gave him a look as if to say, So there.

  “Come on. You need the vitamin D. You’re definitely deficient with your pale skin.”

  “I’ll take a pill.”

  “Please?” He looked at her with puppy dog eyes and a pouty lip.

  “All right, fine.” She stood up, crossed her arms, grabbed the end of her shirt, and slipped it over her head.

  Will stood in the water near the end of the dock, watching her.

  Posing with one hand on her hip, she announced, “Last one to the raft sleeps on the bench.” Without waiting for a response, she dove into the water and swam toward the yellow molded plastic raft anchored about thirty feet from the end of the dock.

  Will stared after her for a couple of seconds, not realizing what she had said. Then as it sank in, he pushed off from the bottom of the lake and raced her to the raft. With her head start, Sarah was nearing the top of the ladder when Will reached up, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her down on top of him. They both sank into the water, and when they came up, he glowered at her threateningly.

  Hanging on to the edge of the raft with one hand, Will brushed the hair out of her face and said, “I didn’t realize you were such a cheater.”

  “I’ll give you a pillow. The bench won’t be that bad.” She grinned at him.

  In truth, Will couldn’t imagine sleeping on the bench, even if they weren’t doing anything more than sleeping.

  “That’s not going to happen. I like the bed,” he said, wrapping his hand around the nape of her neck and pulling her in for a slow, deep kiss.

  They swam in the cool water, and Will taught Sarah how to do a back dive off the raft. The first time she tried, he stood crouched next to her with one hand supporting the middle of her back as she leaned out over the water and his other hand touching the back of her thigh, ready to flip her once she was airborne.

  “Just trust me,” he said.

  She looked at him anxiously and took a deep breath.

  He cocked his head, exuding sincerity. “On the count of three, OK? Just jump up and back. I won’t let your head smash into the raft. I promise.”

  She nodded slowly, aligned the balls of her feet with the edge of the raft, and bent her knees.

  “One, two, three,” Will counted.

  Sarah launched herself up and back, just like he had shown her. Will flipped her legs up into the air, and she flew backward. Then, just as she was supposed to do, she straightened out, landing in the water. When her head reappeared, bobbing above the surface, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and, with a smile, asked, “Should we try it again?”

  “Sure, you’re a natural,” he replied, beaming at her.

  Will helped her dive several more times, until she felt ready to try it on her own, and when she did, the dive was pretty close to perfect. They swam a bit longer, then lay on the hard plastic raft and watched the thick storm clouds grow more ominous as the sky appeared to sink down around them. A cool wind picked up, and the air seemed to take on a greenish hue.

  “Look at those clouds. We don’t get this shade of sky in LA. It’s going to be a big storm.”

  “Yeah,” Sarah admitted, “it will probably start pouring any minute. You can feel the cool air moving in.”

  Just as she was finishing her sentence, the sky opened up and pelted the two with large, heavy drops that stung their skin when they hit. Instinctively, they both jumped into the water to avoid the assaulting rain and swam for the dock. Sarah climbed the ladder, with Will right behind her. They could hardly see a foot in front of them with the wind blowing the rain so hard. Sarah reached for Will’s hand and pulled him toward the boat lift.

  “L
et’s wait it out under here,” she yelled over the roar of the rain, and they climbed into the green-and-white ski boat under the canopy of the lift. Then they collapsed on the vinyl bench that spanned the back of the boat and laughed hysterically at their bad luck.

  With their hearts pounding from the swim, they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. Will cupped one hand behind Sarah’s neck and pulled her closer to touch his open lips to hers. She leaned to meet him. In a smooth, deliberate movement, Sarah maneuvered onto Will’s lap. Without breaking the kiss, she was now facing him, straddling his hips. Will wrapped his arms around her, and they kissed, feeling the vibrant energy of their wet, touching skin. Slowly, his hand found its way to one of her breasts. He tried to stop himself, but he couldn’t. Sarah broke the kiss and reached up to untie the bikini string around her neck.

  Startled, Will questioned, “What are you doing?”

  She looked back at him, a bit surprised by his reaction, and conveyed, Isn’t it as plain as the nose on your face? without a word.

  “Don’t…do that. I won’t be able to control myself,” he said, fighting himself internally.

  “Why? Don’t you want to?” she questioned.

  “Of course I want to! Isn’t it obvious?” He looked down at the front of his swim trunks.

  She followed his eyes and smirked at him in disbelief. “Then why not?”

  “OK, Miss Irresponsible,” he said, shaking his head, “I don’t have unprotected sex, because I’m not ready to have children yet, and even if we had something, I don’t think you’re ready.”

  Sarah looked into his eyes with a sense of acknowledged defeat. “You’re right—about protection. I’ll give you that. But what do you mean I’m not ready? Believe me, I’m ready!” she pleaded, wide-eyed.

  “No, you’re not. You can’t even admit that you’re in love with me. You’re not ready!” he proclaimed, not believing that he was betraying his body’s desires. “We are not doing that unless you are sure I am the one. I want everything to be right. Are you in love with me or not? Just tell me either way. Be honest. You know how I feel.”

  She paused, taking a deep breath. “I care about you more than I have ever cared about anyone before,” she answered.

  “But you don’t know if it’s love?” Will whispered.

  She looked down with a worried expression, and her saturated hair fell forward, covering her face. The wet strands clung to her cheeks.

  Will threaded his fingers through her hair and gathered it into a loose ponytail with his hands so he could see her eyes. “I just want to understand,” he pleaded softly.

  “I…” She struggled for words. “I don’t know what to do. Are you Will or Jonathan? Who are you?”

  Will looked at her, dumbfounded. He didn’t understand where these questions were coming from.

  “What’s going to happen when you go back to LA? It is going to hurt so much when you leave. I can’t. If I…” Tears built in her eyes until they leaked slowly down her cheek. “If I admit that I’m in love with you, it will only hurt more—more when you leave.”

  He pulled her into his bare chest, wrapping his muscular arms around her. “It’s OK, Sarah,” he whispered, scrunching his face in frustration. He didn’t want to cause her so much pain. He grasped her shoulders gently and nudged her back so he could look into her eyes. “Sarah,” he said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

  Looking into his eyes just made the tears flow faster, and she began to sob.

  “Come on, you know it’s not going to change what we feel in here.” He pressed his palm over her heart. “I know it is going to be hard to be apart, but I don’t think I will be able to stay away from you for very long.” He flashed his perfect smile at her. “No matter what you call me—Will or Jon—it doesn’t matter to me. I’m the same person either way, and I love you. I’m in love with you. You’re right, we have a lot to figure out, but my love is not going to change. You can take all the time you need to figure out how you feel about me. I’m not going to pressure you again.”

  She rested her head on his chest, and Will wrapped his arms around her again. He gently rubbed her back with his fingertips as they sat listening to the roar of the pouring rain spattering on the lake around them and pelting the green canvas above them.

  When the rain started to let up just a little, Will asked, “Should we make a break for it?”

  Sarah looked at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and sighed. “If you…” she began, but just then, the sky lit up, immediately followed by a loud crack of thunder that shook the boat. They both felt the hair on their arms stand up when the lightning hit, and they could smell the electricity in the air. Sarah looked at Will wide-eyed and nodded. They climbed out from under the aluminum-framed lift, onto the dock, and sprinted hand in hand to the cabin as the sky lit up again. They burst through the cabin door, soaking wet, and Sarah headed right for the stairs.

  “Hey, where are you going?” Will asked, putting his palms up and arms out as if to say, What gives?

  “Towels!” she said, as if it should have been obvious.

  “Wait! Come here.” He flashed his big glacier-colored eyes at her.

  “What?” She walked back to him. “I’m dripping all over the floor here.”

  He bent down as if to kiss her and then shook his hair out like a dog, splattering her with more rainwater. He couldn’t help it.

  “You’re dead!” She sprung for his waist to tickle him.

  He jumped out of her grasp. Backing up as she advanced on him, he declared, “I just didn’t want you to dry off prematurely.” He flashed his brilliant smile.

  “You’re going to wish for a premature death!” she threatened.

  Trying to avoid Sarah’s wrath, he placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her from reaching his ticklish waist and neck. Then Will quickly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in, throwing her over his shoulder firefighter style. He carried her up stairs as she thrashed.

  “Are you going to play nice?” He laid her on the bed and climbed on top of her. He straddled her waist so she couldn’t escape, and smiled sheepishly at her as he gathered her hands in one of his.

  With a forced scowl, she looked into his eyes and complained, “Now the bed is all wet.”

  “Just the comforter. If it bothers you, you can sleep on the bench.” He smirked as he dramatically eyed the bench.

  Still staring into his eyes, she blurted out, “God, I love you.” A startled expression flitted across her face.

  Will’s eyes popped with surprise. He couldn’t believe his ears. He had been waiting for her to admit this, but he never expected it so soon after their talk on the boat. He froze, staring at her face. He wanted to know whether she was aware of what she had just said.

  Squishing her eyes closed, Sarah confessed, “It just slipped out.”

  He saw the vulnerability on her face and knew he would do everything within his power to never hurt this woman. He stared at her face a few seconds longer and then leaned over her. As his lips met hers, warmth filled his entire body. She’d finally acknowledged what he knew she was feeling. He kissed her slowly and fervently on the mouth for several minutes, forgetting the world around them.

  When the kiss was broken, they were both out of breath.

  With a huge smile on his face, he whispered into her ear. “There are some things in life that you just can’t control.” Then Will rolled off her and sat down on the bed next to her. He continued staring and continued smiling.

  “What?” she asked with a chuckle in her voice. “OK, I admit it. I love you.”

  “Finally,” he said, filled with relief.

  “So what now?” whispered Sarah.

  “Let’s wait and see,” he answered smugly. “Nothing has changed between us. I knew you loved me.”

  Even though he said nothing had changed, in Will’s mind, everything had changed. He knew for sure that she loved him back, and he thought she had probably forgiven
him for leaving this morning. Somehow, her admitting her love solidified their future together, and he knew that everything would work out. Her words had brought him contentment and hope.

  The wind whistled through the tall pines outside the dormer window in Sarah’s bedroom. The storm seemed to be getting worse as booms of thunder echoed back and forth across the lake. There would be no bonfire in this rain, and neither of them was in the mood to play cards. They agreed to watch a movie, but first Sarah wanted a shower “to wash the lake out of her hair.”

  Will offered to build a fire in the big stone fireplace to counteract the drop in temperature brought on by the storm, and headed downstairs. He was nervous about the evening ahead. The feelings he had for Sarah were so much more intense than anything he had ever felt before. He wanted to take it slow with her, to give her a chance to fully understand the baggage that came along with him. That was what his brain told him. He couldn’t help it if his body didn’t agree. He knew that if he’d had a condom stashed in his pocket this afternoon, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. He wasn’t that strong—not with Sarah. Now that Sarah had admitted her feelings, his control was completely gone.

  He crumpled two sheets of old newspaper and stuffed them under the heavy oak log in the hearth, one on each end, trying to create a pocket where air could flow. Then he lit each wrinkled thread with the oversized lighter from the mantle and lightly blew on the flames until they trailed under the log. He waited for the bark to light and the flame to curl around the log before closing the metal chain doors.

  As he watched the fire for a few minutes, he remembered sitting under the boat lift this afternoon, the feel of Sarah’s fingers feathering across his abdomen, her touch so light yet so deep. He recalled the rain beating on the canopy above their heads, pounding like a drum calling him to act. And Sarah’s face beaming with desire. Oh yeah, he was going to need a shower too—a cold shower.

  He stood up with a sigh and wandered up the stairs. The bathroom door was open, so he knew Sarah was done. He knocked on her bedroom door and told her he was going to grab a shower as well, then stopped in Jeff’s room, found what he needed from the dresser, and headed into the bathroom.