by J. Bengtsson
The bottle kept going around and after four passes I started feeling the effects. I was a bit of a lightweight with alcohol. I didn’t like the feeling of being out of control so getting drunk was way too stressful for me. I didn’t even know why I drank the whiskey in the first place; it was probably peer pressure from my idiot brothers. The next time the bottle went around I abstained.
Since the mood was light and fun, I decided to ruin it. “So what was that all about earlier Mitch? Why wouldn’t you ask me for concert tickets for your little sister?”
“What do you mean?” He asked, but it was obvious by the look on his face that he knew exactly what I meant.
I stared at him until he was forced to elaborate.
“I don’t want to get into it with you…not today.”
“What do you mean ‘get into it with me’? I’m just asking a question.”
“Jake, drop it,” Keith tried.
“No. Obviously he has a problem with me. I just want to know what it is,” I pressed.
Mitch sighed. “It goes both ways, Jake.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You really want to know?” Mitch challenged.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” I responded, defiantly.
“Okay. You know I live in Phoenix, right?”
I nodded.
“A few months ago your tour rolled through Phoenix…where I live. You’d had the tour stop on your calendar since…well since the tour was announced. Did you ever call or text? No.”
“Did you ever call or text me? I don’t think so.”
“You never contacted me once, Jake. You knew I lived there and you didn’t even bother.”
“Sorry if I’m a little fucking busy when I’m on tour.”
“Yeah, cuz a text takes so much time,” Mitch shot back. “Anyway, I just assumed you didn’t want my company or that of my mom and sister.”
“Jesus Christ. Your feelings were hurt?” I replied, antagonistically. Another reason why I shouldn’t drink!
Mitch laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “You’ve made it pretty clear that I don’t factor in your life Jake. I’m not going to beg for your friendship.”
“What the hell?” I protested. “What did I ever do to you?”
“Jake, stop,” Kyle gave me a warning glare.
“I just flew for 22 fucking hours! Don’t tell me to stop!” I raised my voice at Kyle then turned my attention back on Mitch. “Why’d you invite me then? So I could bring the wow factor to your wedding or so I could sing at it?”
“Don’t accuse me of trying to use you or your fame, Jake. That’s the furthest thing from the truth…and insulting too. And you were the one who offered to sing at the wedding so don’t dump that on me now.”
Mitch glared at me. I glared back. He was right. I did offer. If I was going to be a belligerent asshole I needed to get my facts straight.
Mitch’s shoulders drooped and he said, “I don’t want to fight with you. I invited you because you’re my brother and I love you and I want you to be here.”
His admission stopped me in my tracks. Okay now I felt like a fucking dick.
“I’m sorry, Jake. I shouldn’t have said that about not factoring in your life,” Mitch ran his hand through his hair nervously. “Look, it’s no secret…you and I have never been close. I wanted nothing to do with you when I was a teenager. You wanted nothing to do with me when you were a teenager. But now that we are both adults I want to change all that…but I don’t want you to think that I want to change all that because you’re famous. It’s like…if we haven’t talked in two years and then I call you for concert tickets, I’m just using you and that’s not the relationship I want to have with you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I didn’t say anything for a second then I nodded.
“It’s just…God, you’re so intimidating sometimes,” Mitch said, shaking his head. “You have this huge life. I don’t have a whole hell of a lot to offer. I guess I’ve always felt like you were the one in control of our relationship and I kept waiting for you to reach out to me. I was putting it all on you and that was unfair. I just…can we…is there a way for us to just start over?”
Kyle kicked me under the table and then gave me a serious ‘stop this shit now’ look.
I didn’t need his kick in the shin. I already realized that I was in the wrong and that I was being a jerk on the eve of Mitch’s wedding. I blamed Jack Daniels.
I sighed, gave Mitch a serious look then said, “I’ll start over with you on one condition.”
“Okay?” Mitch hesitated. “What?”
“You stop talking like such a fucking woman!” I smirked.
Mitch looked surprised by my comment then burst out laughing. The tension in the air dissipated.
“I’ve never heard so much talk about feelings come out of one guy’s mouth in all my life. Goddamn Mitch, grow a pair.”
Mitch laughed. “Give me a frickin’ break! I’m getting married tomorrow. I’m emotional.”
The light mood came back to the conversation. Mitch and I had cleared the air but I definitely needed to make more of an effort with him. Maybe I would just make a trip to Arizona after the end of my tour so we could hang out or something. I didn’t have a ton of people in my life. I couldn’t afford to lose any.
About an hour later, Mitch excused himself. Apparently he needed his beauty sleep, or at least that’s what we all razzed him about. A few minutes after he left I saw Casey walk by. I felt a flutter of excitement.
“That’s her,” I whispered, pointing in her direction. “That’s Casey.” Earlier in our conversation I’d filled my brothers in on the joke she’d played on me.
They all looked over.
Then suddenly, and without warning, Kyle called out, “CASEY!”
Instinctively I ducked.
From my crouched position, I declared angrily, “What the fuck did you do that for?”
“Get up. She’s looking this way,” Kyle smirked, leaving me no choice but to sit back up in my chair. Casey was looking up from her phone and scanning the area.
Kyle nudged me, “You’re up Romeo.”
“I told you I wasn’t…” I started berating Kyle until Casey saw me. A dazzling smile spread across her face and she waved. A weird feeling washed over me and I set aside my trepidation as I waved back earnestly, motioning for her to come over.
Chapter Three
Casey
I felt a tingle run up my spine as I walked anxiously toward him. My heart immediately raced as Jake’s handsome face got closer. He was sitting with his three brothers, one of which was shoving a bottle of whiskey in his backpack.
“You look lost,” Jake remarked.
“No, I’m just one of those people who likes wandering around hotels late at night in my pajamas,” I replied as I attempted to casually walk toward them.
“I didn’t know there were people like that,” Jake joked.
“Homeless people,” his brother chimed in.
I laughed then raised my phone and said, “No bars in my room. So…what are you guys up to?”
“Just a little male-bonding,” one of the brothers answered. “I’m Keith, by the way…Jake’s big brother. And the guy with all the tats…that’s Kyle and this is baby Quinn and that ugly dude…oh yeah…you met him already…that’s Jake.”
“Keith, Tats, Baby and Ugly Dude…got it,” I joked then turned to Jake and said, “See I pay attention.”
He laughed at our inside joke.
“So Jake was just telling us about the prank you pulled on him earlier. That was pretty funny,” Kyle stated.
“Oh, well, thank you. To be honest, I hadn’t meant to punk him but we were just standing there awkwardly and I was nervous and when I’m nervous, word vomit just spills out of my mouth.” I replied.
The brothers all laughed.
Although I was careful not to show it, I was pleased that Jake had been talking about me to his
brothers. “But I have to say, Jake really was just too easy.”
“That’s what they all say,” Keith joked.
“Hey!” Jake exclaimed, acting offended.
I laughed. I could just tell that these were some cool guys.
Then Jake turned to me in surprise. “Wait, hold on a second. You were nervous?”
“What part of that uncomfortable, cringe-worthy introduction do you not remember?”
“I remember wanting to get the hell away from you as fast as possible but then you went all rogue on me and I’m like, ‘what the fuck?’” Jake grinned.
I laughed. “Yeah, well, just so you know, I was plotting my escape too.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Jake retorted, amused. “So why would you prank me then?”
“I don’t know. You asked me some bullshit question and the expression on your face…you looked miserable,” I laughed. “Like you were just trying to come up with something to fill the awkwardness.”
“I was,” Jake laughed.
“It just struck me as funny. I couldn’t help myself. You were a good sport though.”
Jake smiled.
“So what do you do Casey?” Keith asked.
“You won’t believe this. She’s an accountant,” Jake smirked.
“Seriously?” Kyle asked.
“Well, an accountant in training. I’m a senior at ASU,” I corrected.
“No shit? I thought accountants were all nerdy, math types,” Kyle said.
“I scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SATs and I was a member of the math team and the debate team in high school.”
“Shut up.” Kyle replied with mock horror. “Did you have any friends at all?”
I laughed out loud, “I had a few but they weren’t the cool kids like I’m sure you and your brothers were.”
Kyle was still shaking his head like he couldn’t wrap his mind around such an oddity. “So were you like one of those girls who blossomed late or something?”
“Kyle?!?” Jake admonished his brother.
“What? Too personal?”
“Way too personal,” Jake replied.
“I’m just saying…she’s a hot nerd…who knew they existed?”
I burst out laughing and everyone else joined in. I couldn’t help but be flattered by his flawed assessment.
“According to Casey, nerds have become cocky creatures,” Jake said, referring to our earlier conversation.
“No shit?” Kyle replied. “I don’t know any nerds so I can’t speak to that.”
“I do,” Quinn jumped in, “And she’s right. They are like the new bullies in school, always putting people down for not being as smart as them.”
“Thank you!” I exclaimed, redeemed, and gave Quinn a high five.
“Goddamn, I wish we had those kinds of bullies when I went to school,” Jake said. “Somehow I can’t see getting too worked up about a bully with glasses and a pocket protector.”
“True,” I laughed.
“So, do you have a boyfriend, Casey?” Kyle asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“Kyle!” Jake admonished again, forcefully. I saw them exchange a look.
“What?” he replied, “It’s just a question.”
“Sorry, my brother doesn’t have any manners,” Jake announced, looking kind of embarrassed. I wasn’t sure what was happening but I was pretty sure they had had a conversation about whether I was single or not. Ooh…interesting.
“No boyfriend,” I replied with a sly smile on my face, “And thanks for pointing it out, Kyle. I’m also not a lesbian, in case you were wondering.”
Laughter burst out from all four of the brothers. I smiled proudly as I waited for them to stop. I could tell they were impressed by my retort.
“Actually that was going to be my next question,” Kyle shot back, still laughing.
“Well then I’m glad I cleared it all up for you,” I said smiling.
“You want to sit down?” Jake asked unexpectedly.
YES. YES. YES. I desperately wanted to join them but playing it cool seemed the best strategy with this particular group of hot guys. “Oh well, I don’t want to disturb your male brotherly bonding…or…uh…whatever this thing is that you got going on here.”
“Please…hot, single, non-lesbian nerds are always allowed in male-bonding sessions. It’s an unwritten rule, right guys?” Kyle said.
All the brothers nodded their heads, even the teenage one.
I laughed. “Oh yeah…’cuz this whole thing I got going on here,” I motioned to my face and body in a joking way. “Very hot.”
All the brothers laughed and then Jake pulled out a chair for me. I stared at him a second. His eyes were sparkling and he seemed eager for me to stay so I sat down. It’s not everyday you get an invitation like that. And to think I was feeling pretty damn lucky earlier in the evening just to have met and chatted with him. But this…this just exceeded all expectation. Just wait until my mom heard about this!
Chapter Three
Jake
Really? Wipe the goofy smile off your face idiot. What are you doing? Could you be any more obvious? You’re practically drooling. What was it about her that worked me up like this? My heart was beating faster…my palms were sweaty. I’d never had this kind of a reaction to anyone before. I hated losing control like this but it felt weirdly exciting too. Casey was so fun…and so random. I loved the way her mind worked. She was smart and cool and hot all in one stunning package. It was obvious that my brothers loved her too. Even Kyle seemed to be fascinated with her and he was notoriously hard to please when it came to women.
I, for one, couldn’t take my eyes off her. Casey looked so hot in her simple tank top and sweats. It accentuated her tight body and rounded butt. Her hair was swept back into a high ponytail and she wore minimal makeup. A natural beauty…that’s what Casey was. God, it was so attractive. I was so used to heavily made-up girls hitting on me so Casey’s wholesome look was a welcome change of pace.
And her fun-loving, sunny personality was like a magnet, drawing me in. She had a zest for life that I found incredibly attractive. It was like her light was beckoning my darkness, daring it to crawl out of the shadows. I hung on Casey’s every word and felt almost a sense of pride when she said something to make my brothers laugh. She always had an amused look on her face, like a person who didn’t take life too seriously. God I wondered what that would feel like to lay my head on my pillow every night and not worry about the threat of demons invading my dreams.
Her laugh jolted me from my self-absorption. I felt that weight lift off me again. How was she doing it? Why was I reacting to her like this? Could it be as simple as Casey just made me happy? As much as I hated to admit it, Kyle was right, it was weird for me to feel true, unfiltered happiness. Yet all it took for Casey to make me happy was a laugh or a smile.
And when she laughed, she did this cute little flip of her head and her ponytail would whip around and nearly hit me in the face. When I mentioned that her hair was like a deadly weapon, she made a point to smack me in the face with her ponytail every time she turned her head. Was she for real? No girls ever joked with me like that. EVER! I loved it.
The round table we all sat at was really only meant for three or four people so adding the fifth person meant that Casey had to sit close enough to me that our legs touched. I was treated to her incredible scent. It was a clean, fresh fruity fragrance…probably just her shampoo…but it was so enticing that I fought the urge to bury my nose in her hair like a friggin’ stalker. God, it was like she wasn’t trying to impress and that impressed me even more. I was so used to women throwing themselves at my feet that I’d never experienced the rush of actually pursuing someone. And judging by the reaction in my body when she was near, Casey was definitely the type of girl I would want to pursue. I shook my head. I was getting all caught up in thoughts of her. I needed to keep in control! I needed to back off and try to retain some level of cool. Then it occurred to me. I wa
s acting like the fan girls who were always fawning over me.
Chapter Four
Casey
And there we stayed for well over an hour talking and laughing. All of the McKallister boys were endearing. They all had great sense of humors. Keith, the oldest, was the most talkative and obviously the leader of the bunch. He had an easy smile and a light, friendly personality. His eyes danced with excitement as he spoke. I liked him instantly. Keith was a catch. Not only was he a good-looking guy with short dark hair and a trimmed beard but he owned his own skate shop business and had been in committed relationship with a woman named Samantha (Sam) for the past three years. Keith talked about her in a loving way, saying that she and I had similar personalities and that he would have to introduce me to her the following day when she arrived for the wedding. Nothing was more attractive than a guy who was dedicated to his woman.
Kyle was a year younger than Jake. He was tall and thin with shaggy brown hair and a careless, hippie look. His body was littered with tattoos and piercings. Really, by looks alone, he should have been the famous rockstar. He had a rougher exterior and temperament and could be a bit harsh and crude…definitely the trouble-maker…but he was funny as hell and had a charm to him that was undeniable. I had no doubt Kyle got his fair share of female attention. In fact, his brothers had basically confirmed that for me when they mentioned his string of past girlfriends. Even though it had been Jake who had offered for me to join them, Kyle was the one who was dishing out the pick up lines, good-naturedly hitting on me non-stop all evening. It was not that he was interested in me…he just liked getting a rise out of Jake. jokingly
Quinn, the youngest, looked the most like Jake, emulating his rock star brother’s looks and mannerisms. He had shoulder length hair and liquid eyes. He was young still, sixteen, and a bit awkward but I could tell he was going to be a knock out someday. Quinn was a somewhat shy and preferred sitting back and enjoying the show rather then taking an active part in it. The older boys teased him lightheartedly and Quinn smiled and took everything they dished out. He seemed to just enjoy being part of this group of cool guys.