“You still on the wagon?”
“Yep, almost a year for me now.”
He nodded, “Good, it’s a better life.”
“Yes it is,” I agreed.
“So where’s this fair at?”
I had it programmed into my GPS so I gave him directions. It was a small town and that meant a small town fair, which sounded like a lot of fun to me. I’d read an article about it in one of the local papers that said they had, “Blended just the right touches of Elvis and mini-mod tractors along with a fair princess and a queen.” It sounded like just the place for me to finally have a day without Tristan on my mind.
We found the fairgrounds easily and after finding a parking spot we made our way inside. As soon as we were through the gates, I could smell the popcorn and peanuts and deep fried foods from all along the midway. As much as my stomach would complain later, it was growling right then.
“So, what first?” Cole asked.
I looked up and saw the Ferris wheel; I pointed at it and said, “That.”
He laughed and then suddenly turned serious and said, “Aw come on, you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope, I’m totally serious.”
“I can’t….I mean, I haven’t since….”
I laughed and he realized that I was just kidding. The first time Cole and I had hung out right after my boyfriend died; we’d gone to Santa Monica. We went bar-hopping and we were both really drunk. We made the very stupid decision to get on the Ferris wheel on the pier. Cole puked before the ride finally stopped and then I had to have the cab pull over three times so that I could puke on the way home. That night we had collapsed on my bed, drunk off our asses, and fell into a semi-comatose state. The first time we had sex was the next night; we were drunk then, too, but that’s a story for another time.
“Let’s go play some games on the midway,” I told him.
We walked along the midway, going from game to game. The first one we played was the one where you shoot water into a clown’s mouth and blow up a balloon. Whoever breaks their balloon first wins. I won the first two games and ended up with a two dollar toy for five dollars’ worth of game. Cole won the next three, and by that time I was down ten bucks.
We played the duck hunt shooting game next. Cole blew me away on that one, and ended up with a pretty good sized stuffed animal. It was fun, kind of like old times. He wasn’t hitting on me and my mind wasn’t constantly on Tristan, although it liked to flicker over there every so often. We played a few more games and won a few more stupid prizes; then, to my surprise, Cole suggested we go watch the tractor pulls.
“Tractor pulls, really?”
“You forget that I’m a country boy at heart. L.A. wasn’t my home until I was into my late teens, remember? I grew up out in the central valley. I love me some tractor pulls.”
“I don’t even know what a tractor pull is,” I told him.
He laughed and said, “It’s exciting stuff. These tractors are modified for power. They have to pull a big heavy sledge…”
“What’s a sledge?”
“It’s a sled,” he said.
“Then why call it a sledge?”
“Do you want to know about the tractor pulls, or do you want to argue over grammar?”
I laughed and said, “I’m sorry, please, go on.”
“Okay, so they pull this sled across a thirty foot wide track. It’s around three hundred feet long and the object is to be the tractor that pulls it the farthest.”
“Hmm,” I said.
“Just hmm?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. That sounds absolutely fascinating,” I lied. I was sarcastic about it so he knew I was lying. It only served to amuse him further.
We sat through the tractor pulls and, to my amazement, it was fun. We took bets just between us on who would win. The winner would keep doubling it; at one point I owed him thirty bucks. I proudly came back and he ended up owing me twenty before it was over.
We caught an Elvis impersonator show and by that time we were both starving. “Why don’t we go out and have a real dinner. I’ll buy,” he said.
“Not a fan of midway food?” I asked him, teasing.
“If you thought I was up-chucking after the Ferris wheel….”
I laughed, “Okay, enough of the night of many pukings. I got it. I feel like my hair smells like the midway though. If we’re going to have a nice sit down dinner, do you mind if I go take a quick shower first?”
He shrugged and said, “I got nothing else going on tonight. I don’t mind.”
He drove me back to the back lot and we found our way to my bus. I wasn’t really supposed to bring people in with me but security barely looked at my badge and didn’t say anything to him at all. When we got to the bus, none of the girls were there. I was a little nervous being alone with him so close to a bed. When we first became friends in high school, sex never even came up between us. He would sometimes brag about his conquests but he never treated me like I was someone he’d sleep with. That was okay with me, because I didn’t see him that way, either. Every girl in our senior class was jealous of me because I spent so much time with him. I always thought he was good-looking, but he was just never really my type. After my boyfriend died and we crossed that line, getting high and fucking was the bulk of what we did. We’d stopped talking about anything or even thinking about doing anything fun. It kind of sucked, and when I was sober, it made me sad. We should have been able to comfort each other like adults, but we let the drugs and alcohol get in the way. We had fallen into the old rhythm on that day, though, and it seemed like he at least realized as I did that wasn’t a place we needed to re-visit.
Chapter Six
Tristan
I hung around the bus lot all day on our day off. I wrote some more music and then I had lunch and shot the shit with a few of the guys in the band for a while. They even played some of the new songs I wrote and let me sing through them. It was good to hear them with the band, that way I knew what adjustments I needed to make. All in all, it was a pretty good day. I did run into Tony while I was on my way out of the room the band and I used. It pissed me off just to look at him.
“Hi Tristan! How are things going?” he asked, like maybe we were old friends.
“Good,” I said, trying to just brush past the little fucker and go about my business.
“Hey! I thought maybe we should talk about what happened with Brooke the other night.” I stopped in my tracks. How the hell did he know about that?
“What about it?” I said, not committing to anything.
“She was talked to about her behavior and she promised it wouldn’t happen again. She understands that there will be consequences if it does.”
I nodded and then I asked, “How did you know about it?”
“Security had to put it in their report. She scratched Brad up pretty good. He had to report it. Clint wanted to just release her from her contract…let her go. But Jake spoke up for her. He’ll only do that once though, so I don’t think she’ll be acting out like that again.”
I’d heard rumors about Jake and the girls in the production crew. I wondered if he was fucking he singers, too, and that was why he’d stuck up for Brooke. I had a feeling if it came down to me or her, I’d be out of there in a flash. It was good to know that she had the CEO on her side in case she pulled any more crap.
I nodded at Tony again and then walked away. I’d had a good day until then. I did my best to shake off the irritation he’d stirred up in me. My mind went back to Elly. I’d thought about it all night and finally made up my mind to talk to her. It was crazy; it had gone way too far. I didn’t fuck skanky Brooke and somehow I needed to find a way to prove it to Elly. I procrastinated all day. I wasn’t ready to admit it yet, but I was scared of losing her. I had come to depend on her for so many things, and none of them had anything to do with the fact she’d been basically supporting me for three months. I’d seriously become immune to other women, I think. In the past, when one left a
nother was waiting in the wings. Any port in a storm was my personal motto. All of a sudden, unless it’s Elly’s private port, I didn’t want anything to do with it.
I finally took a shower around four thirty and walked over towards where her bus was. I was almost there when I saw the door open and Elly step into view. Right behind her, some blonde GQ looking guy stepped out. I’ll be a son of a bitch! What the hell was she doing? I stood behind one of the other buses and watched. They were talking and laughing and Elly looked really comfortable with him. I’d never seen the guy around the set. If he was one of the producers, he was new. Was it possible she met someone new that quickly and was already sleeping with him? She did have sex with me the first time we met…in a bathroom of all places…
They took off and I started following them. It was like I was on auto pilot. I didn’t make a conscious decision to follow them, I just did. I wasn’t a stalker. I wasn’t even one to follow a girl, ever. Usually it was because I didn’t give a shit enough about what someone else was doing to go through that much trouble over it. But there was this question in the back of my mind about why she seemed so familiar with this guy. Here she was not speaking to me because she thought that I’d screwed Brooke yet she was flitting around Colorado with some guy, laughing it up. I followed them out onto the street and watched as they turned left and headed down to the shopping area there. It was in walking distance and there were three or four restaurants. They were still talking and laughing. What the hell could she have so much to talk to this asshole about?
The sidewalk wasn’t crowded but there were enough people out and about that I could blend in. I saw them step into a nice, expensive looking steakhouse. New boyfriend must have some money, I figured. Feeling like a creeper, but unable to force myself to leave, I sat outside the restaurant and waited for them to come out. I definitely knew where to come if I ever decided that Elly’s pussy wasn’t the only one I wanted. I was sitting right in front of the bar part of the restaurant and I got hit on by pleasantly drunk women at least three times before Elly and Preppy Boy finally came out. Like the creepy stalker I had become, I ducked behind an SUV and watched them. They still looked happy…assholes!
They started back towards the lot, but then I saw Yuppie boy grab Elly around the waist with both hands. I was standing too far away to see her face, but she didn’t look to be protesting. Then he spun her around and pulled her up against him. I can’t describe the feeling it gave me to watch her kiss him. It was like this sick feeling in my gut that moved up into my chest the more I watched. I honestly don’t think I’d ever experienced jealousy before. I was glad, because it was a really shitty feeling. When it hit my chest, it turned into rage and I seriously wanted to kick someone’s ass.
I turned around and left, mostly afraid that I’d do something stupid if I stayed. I wanted to re-arrange his pretty face so badly but I had a feeling if I did that, I’d end up spending some time in a Colorado jail. I walked back over to the lot. My head was spinning, wondering what Elly was trying to do. Was this GQ creep a revenge fuck…or was he something more? The fact that she seemed to know him so well really bugged me. I started to head for my own bus, but I realized that I still needed to get it over with. I wanted her to look me in the eyes and tell me exactly what was going on with him. She’d had the nerve to accuse me of things I hadn’t done; it was time for her to face up to her own actions.
I went and sat on the step of her bus and waited for her to come back. I had to do some fancy self-talking about the boyfriend. If he came with her and said so much as a word to me, I just wasn’t sure if I’d be able to walk away without punching him in the mouth. Of course then I’d end up in jail and my shot at the million dollars would be blown. Fuck! Life was so much easier when I literally didn’t give a shit about anyone and everyone. I used to fuck a chick in the back room of the bar and not even bat an eye when she was making out with another guy ten minutes later. Shit, I had preferred it that way. Then why the hell was I acting like a creepy, jilted lover, skulking around in the dark?
I still waited in spite of how creepy I felt. I couldn’t convince myself not to. I had been waiting for about twenty minutes when I saw her coming towards me. She was by herself and I jumped up off the step and stood there waiting for her, both relieved and surprised that the prep school dude wasn’t with her. At least I didn’t have to kick his ass that night. I was confused about why she was there alone, though. From the looks of that kiss, the next stop was going to be bed. Or maybe that was why she was here…to get her things and head over to his place. Who the fuck was this guy anyways?
Chapter Seven
Elly
I was walking through the back lot, not really paying much attention to anything around me. I was so pissed. Cole had just proved that all men were snakes. They all only wanted one thing. I’d actually had a good time with him at the fair. That was why I’d agreed to go out to dinner with him. It was almost as comfortable as things used to be between us, before my boyfriend died and everything had gotten out of hand…We were laughing and talking about old times. He was telling me that he had a serious girlfriend back home and he was even thinking about proposing. I was happy for him until….That thought was crossing my mind just as I looked up and saw Tristan standing next to the door of my bus. Just like that, at the sight of him in the dark, that little ember that smoldered for him in the pit of my belly flared up and lit my whole world on fire. I almost smiled…and then I remembered what he’d done and that I was still really mad at him.
“What are you doing here?” I said. I was trying not to sound too bitchy, just in case he’d come to apologize. I should have known that was a delusion on my part. He looked pissed and I thought god help me if he was going to try and turn this one around on me, too. I wasn’t going to let him off that easy this time. I wasn’t sure that even if he did apologize that I’d ever trust him again. The week I’d had with men had put me in such a bad mood that he’d be lucky to leave with his head still on his shoulders.
“Oh I don’t know,” he said in his most sarcastic tone, “I guess I was just hanging around, hoping to meet the new boyfriend. I thought at the very least I deserved an introduction to my replacement.”
“What?” I honestly had no clue what he was talking about. Did he see me with Cole and misunderstand?
“You know, the preppy fucker you went out with tonight. I’m surprised you’re home so soon. After that kiss I saw outside the restaurant, I assumed you’d be rolling around doing the nasty on some no-tell motel sheets by now.”
“Excuse me?” He was definitely talking about Cole. Had he seen us by accident? He obviously didn’t stay and watch the whole thing. The fact that he was watching at all kind of pissed me off so I said, “What are you a fucking stalker now?”
He kind of laughed, but it wasn’t an amused laugh in any form. His tone was still sarcastic but I actually thought I heard some pain in it too. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part.
“No, I’m the dumb fuck who thought he was still your boyfriend,” he said. “I came to talk to you and saw you with that other guy.”
“Oh, you thought you were still my boyfriend, did you?” I was really pissed now, “You thought you could just come here and bat your eyelashes and I’d forgive you like I always do?” That made me have a sudden thought and I said, “If you came here to talk to me, then how’d you see the kiss? That didn’t happen here.”
“At least you’re not trying to deny it,” he said. Nervy bastard that he was. “No, you two walked away from here all happy and chatty. Oh shit! That’s it, isn’t it? He fucked you here before he took you out to dinner. That explains why you looked so comfortable together. Smart guy, get the goods up front and then you know whether or not paying for dinner will be worth it.”
“How fucking dare you? You have to be kidding me right now. First of all, when the fuck have you ever paid for dinner? It would kill you to do anything romantic. You’re a selfish prick and you don’t give a shit
about anyone but yourself. All you ever wanted from me was sex and you got that, so fucking just move on already. It wasn’t like we both didn’t know it would happen someday.”
“I’m selfish and unromantic because I’m pissed about finding out you’re screwing some other guy? I’m supposed to be a fucking robot with no feelings, Elly? That shit’s not supposed to hurt? You’ve just been sitting around, waiting for me to screw up? Thanks! It feels so good to know that the first girl I ever called my fucking girlfriend went into it thinking it wasn’t going to last. Is that why you started seeing this guy? You wanted a back-up ready for when we broke up? How long has this been going on? While you’ve been acting all holier than thou this whole time?”
“Fuck you, Tristan. There is nothing going on. What you saw, first of all, was me going to hang out with a guy that I’ve known for years, since high school. He happened to be in town and he called me. When went to the fair. I didn’t so much as hold his hand.”
“Then you came back here and…?”
“I have no idea where you are getting your nerve from right now, but because I have nothing to hide, I’ll tell you. We came back here and he sat up front while I took a shower. Then, we went out to dinner. The whole time, stupid me…I thought it was just two old friends hanging out. We talked about my parents and his mom. We told old stories from high school and caught up on people we haven’t seen in a while. He told me about his girlfriend and his new job…”
“What about you, Elly? Did you tell him about your boyfriend?”
“No, Tristan, because what was I going to say? I was supposed to tell him that I did have a boyfriend for a very short time but I’d just found him with a naked chick on his bus…”
“Fuck that, Elly! Is that all there is to me? Really? I honestly thought that you were the one person who saw something in me a little bit deeper than that.”
Dirty SEAL (A Navy SEAL Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Page 60