by Frankie Love
She pouts when I don't say anything and simply usher them to the car. We drive up to Hayley's house with Chris talking about our project with the Petersons and Stacy and me completely silent.
What's there to fucking say? I hate that we're even going to this party. The only reason I agreed to go is because of Hayley.
Sweet Hayley... How fucking desperate I am to get her back in my life. To explain, to hold her again, to taste her strawberry marshmallow lips once more.
I need her to understand. Maybe tonight is the night we can finally talk about all the shit that went down.
We pull up in front of Hayley's house and I jump out to go and get her. Stacy and Chris wait in the car as I walk up to Hay's grandma's house—well, I guess it's Hayley's now. It'll take a while for me to get used to that idea.
I ring the doorbell and wait for her to arrive with my hands in my pockets. I feel like a dick—maybe I should've brought flowers or some shit, but it's not really a date, is it? At least not officially. Not with Stacy and my brother waiting in the car.
The door opens and there she is, so fucking beautiful it takes my breath away. She's dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood again. My heart hurts looking at her. She hasn't changed a bit.
"Sorry," she says, giggling nervously. "I didn't have a different costume—it was too last minute. Thankfully, this still fits..."
"You look great," I reply in a strained voice. "I feel like I should've dressed up."
"Don't be silly," she says. "You make the perfect lumberjack."
"Come on," I reply, grinning at her. "Let me walk you to the car."
I do that and listen to Stacy wolf-whistle at Hayley as I open the door. But I'm more concerned with Chris, because his eyes don't leave Hay for a single moment as we all get in the car.
He keeps glancing at her in the mirror as we drive, the girls having a chat in the backseat. When I catch him looking, he quickly turns to stare out of the window. Fuck, this is messed up.
Of course I always knew Chris had a crush on Hay. How could I not? Everyone in town knew—he made it plenty obvious. I guess Hayley just never returned those feelings, which hurt him tremendously. But it's not my fucking fault she chose me over him.
We arrive at the party, and the atmosphere is tense. Stacy is sulking, Chris is staring at Hay, I'm pissed about my meeting with Dad, and Hayley... well, she seems nervous.
She and Stacy hit the punch station as soon as we arrive in the forest where the party's being held. The town's really outdone itself with decorations—there's even a haunted corn maze and a bunch of other Halloween-themed shit.
I try not to be a downer, but seeing my brother stare at Hayley pisses me off. When the girls finally return, he doesn't even attempt to hide his ogling, and my hands naturally form fists at my sides.
"You look handsome, Luke," Stacy tells me, her arms going around my neck. I try to move away, but she's nothing but persistent. "What a good looking lumberjack!"
"Stacy," I say with a warning tone, but she merely giggles.
Hayley looks uncomfortable as her friend proceeds to down cup after cup of punch until she's the messiest fucking drunk I've seen since high school. I know shit's about to go down between her and Chris, because my brother just keeps staring at Hayley, and it's awkward as hell. "How do you like my outfit, Chris?" Stacy asks, twirling for him. Chris doesn't even look at her. "Nice, right? Luke?"
I mutter something in response. Jesus fuck, this is some high school shit I'd rather not deal with.
Stacy pouts and Hayley and I exchange helpless looks as she pulls Chris aside. At least we're alone now... but my brother and his girl are fighting already.
"So... err, the town really did a great job, huh?" I ask Hayley lamely, and she smiles at me. That fucking smile...it lights up this whole damn forest.
"Yeah, the place looks great," she replies shyly. "Your dad organize any of this?"
Dad used to be really into helping with these town events. "Not really," I reply with a shake of my head. "He's not the biggest fan of Halloween, you know. Not after... Julie."
"Shit," Hayley breathes, her hand flying to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Luke. That was really insensitive of me."
"Don't worry about it." I give her an honest smile, hoping I don't look too broken. This party... it's no good for any of us. All it serves to do is remind us of the shit that went down.
Stacy and Chris are arguing even louder now, not even trying to keep their voices down. They're already getting some weird looks, and it's worrying the hell out of me. Finally, Stacy's phone starts ringing shrilly and she walks off, continuing her fight with the person on the other end of the line.
Chris gives Hay another look before coming over to us. He looks haggard.
"I'm leaving," he tells me.
"What? Why?" I ask. "We just got here."
"What do you think?" he barks at me, and I give him a worried look. I hate when he gets into his fucking moods. I never know when his attitude's gonna shift.
"Fine," I reply in a clipped tone. "Go home, sulk if you want to."
He leaves, shooting one last look at Hayley. Her posture is stiff and I'm worried about her. Once we're finally alone, I give her a conspiratorial look.
"Hey," I say gently. "Let's not worry about this. Let's just go for a walk, admire what they did here, all right?"
"Yeah," she nods, looking thankful for my idea. "I'd like that."
We start walking slowly towards the corn maze, and our arms brush as we chat about the town. I give her a sideways glance. God, she's so beautiful. I wish... I wish things were different.
When our hands brush the next time, I tentatively take her hand in mine. Hay shoots me a look, and I glance back at her. Her face lights up with a smile and she tightens her grip on my fingers. I smile back.
God, we're like a pair of damn teenagers. But the way she makes me feel... Nothing PG13 about that.
Our conversation shifts from Halloween to life. Hayley fills me in on what she's been doing, explaining her new bakery business. I tell her it sounds exciting, and it seems to cheer her up a little. We're both in better spirits as we reach the corn maze and stop to look at the starry sky.
"Luke?" Hay asks softly. "I don't want to intrude, but..." Her words hang in the air, and I know she needs my approval. Right now, I want to give her everything she asks for.
"You can ask me anything, Hayley," I tell her. "Anything you want."
She squeezes my hand and we keep looking at the night sky for a while longer.
"I guess I just..." she starts hesitantly. "I guess I was just wondering about how you’re doing with everything that has happened. I was wondering if you’re really as okay as you’d like the world to believe. Because from where I’m standing, you are not the same Luke Barton."
I shake my head. Damn, this girl always cuts straight to the heart of things. Maybe that’s part of why I fell for her in the first place. "Is that a bad thing?" I ask.
"No," she says, her voice soft as our feet crunch over fallen corn stalks. The wind is wild, and she looks so damn perfect wearing that red cape, swaying with every step she takes. "No, it’s not a bad thing, Luke. I like the tattoos," she says, her feet stopping, turning to look at me. Her fingertips trace the letters on my knuckles. "And I like the stubble," she adds, running the back of her hand over my cheek. Her pretty eyes are wide open, and I know she isn’t scared of me. "And I like that you are still here, still standing. A lesser man would have left by now."
"I’m no saint. Hell, prison fucked me up." I take her hand, the one resting on my face, and I kiss it. "But before that, Julie’s murder did a number on me. The world was no longer this gift I got to unwrap every day. I’d opened the fucking box and I saw what was inside and it was all ugly and cruel. How do you fucking make sense of a world like that, Hayley?"
"It’s not all bruised and broken, Luke," she says as if she knows something about salvaging lost parts. But how could she? Hayley hasn’t been here, hasn’t seen h
ow bad things got. "Some parts are still soft and tender," she tells me.
I shake my head. "Girl, I got out of prison with a damn stigma attached to me. Now everywhere I go, people mutter ‘killer, killer,’ under their breaths. What’s soft and sweet about that?"
"I know it might sound harsh," she says. "But not everything was lost the night Julie died."
I frown. "No? What was left?"
We look at each other for a long time, and I let her peel back my layers, see how raw my fucking soul is. I try to explain with my gaze alone how fucking hard it was in prison.
"You are here. You are living. You can be salvaged from this wreck."
"It’s not that easy."
Now it’s Hayley’s turn to be frustrated, to be the one who is misunderstood. "Luke, you think I don’t know that? All good things take time." She looks at me, blinking back tears. Not pity. Just sorrow.
"You don’t need to quote anything for me," I say. "I know good things take time. Look how long it took for us to get back to Willow Creek on Halloween night."
She moves closer, and her hands go to my neck. I give her a long look. So close to me. I could kiss her right now…
"I shouldn’t have left for so long," she whispers.
"Maybe you’re here at the exact right time."
We stand close together for a while longer, and I relish the scent of her. God, she is perfect, and god, I've been waiting for this too long... to have her so close to me again.
"I'm sorry about Julie," she says softly.
"Me too, Hay," I reply. "But I don't want to dig up the past today."
"I know," she replies. "This party is hard enough as it is."
The mention of Julie and the party feels like a bucket of cold water has been thrown on us both.
She shivers, cold under the light of the moon.
"What do you say we find Stacy and head back home?" I suggest, wrapping my arm around her, and she nods. When she breaks away from me, I feel the loss of her deeply, and it hurts. But I let her go, even though I wish I could hold on to her forever.
We spend the next half hour looking for Stacy. There's no trace of her and we finally give up since it's past midnight.
"I wonder where she's gotten to," Hayley says worriedly.
I have a feeling where she might be, but I don't say a word. If my father is right and she's sleeping with someone else... I don't want to think about that, though. Try to stay positive.
Since Chris took the car home, Hay and I decide to walk back to her place. She says she's fine going by herself, but there's no way I'm letting her do that.
We walk slowly, chatting more about her bakery as we go. She tells me the recipe of her favorite pumpkin pie and I laugh as she describes the secret ingredient.
"Allspice? What happened to love, Hay?" I grin at her. "Grandma wouldn't like that."
"Well, love is a given," she says, smiling back. "Especially when you're making it for... you know. People you..."
Her eyes are bright and fearful as we come to a stop on her doorstep.
"People you what, Hay?" I ask softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"People you... love," she whispers, looking down at the ground.
I cup her pretty face and tip her chin back. Her eyes zero in on mine and I groan, almost unable to hold back. And even though I know I shouldn't, I kiss her.
I kiss her with all the feelings I have for her in my heart, right now, in this moment.
Her mouth is soft and willing, and a moan escapes her as our bodies press together. Hayley's lips part invitingly, letting me in, and our tongues dance together, needing so much more of each other. My cock is tight and swollen in my pants and I need her, need her right now. I've been waiting for so long to taste her again.
I melt my mouth against hers, letting her feel everything. I show her my pain and my longing with that single kiss, show her how much I've fucking missed her. How desperate I've been to contact her all this fucking time. I want her. I want her back.
But I know now is not the time.
We need to take things slow. I can't fuck up another good thing in my life, not now that I finally have her back in my arms. Because it's always been Hayley, she's always been the one for me. And this kiss... it only confirms what I've known all along. She's the one for me, and always will be.
I tear myself away from her sinful lips with a lot of fucking effort.
"Luke..." Hayley whispers, her eyes desperate as they connect with mine. "Don't leave, Luke. Don't leave right now. I need you to stay."
"I have to." I give her a weak smile. "I want to do it right this time, pretty girl. It'll be no help to either of us if we rush into things."
"Okay." Her eyes are disappointed, but her smile lets me know she understands. And god, I want to stay. But I shouldn't. I need to leave before I act on these feelings I've been holding back for years now.
She giggles shyly. "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away. You just...you feel so good, Luke."
"Goodnight, Hay."
She nods with one last fleeting look before disappearing inside her house. My heart feels empty and full at the same time as I watch her turn the lights on inside her home. I walk to the other side of the street and turn to see her pretty figure appear in the window.
She parts the curtains and waves at me, and I do the same before turning on my heels and walking back home.
She'll be the end of me.
7
Murderer
I’ve just poured a Jameson in my coffee when the phone rings. Picking it up, I shove the bottle into my desk drawer. “Hello?"
"It’s Stacy. And you know what? I think you don’t care about me," she slurs. "I left the festival, and now I’m here all alone at a party. It’s not fair. I wanna be here with you."
I pick up my coffee, taking a sip, used to drunk calls from the girl I’ve been sleeping with for the better part of a year. I’m not in any rush.
"Oh yeah, you want me there?" I stand and close the blinds to my office, already hard. Her voice sounds like trouble, and drunk or not, it’s getting me all jacked up.
"I do," she whines. "I want you right here."
"Where exactly?" I unbuckle my pants and press my hand to my cock, stroking myself, thinking about this little devil who likes to do dirty deeds in the dark.
"Here. At the party. I already told you that."
"Tell me what costume you wore. Are you a dirty little slut tonight?" My cock gets harder as she details the fishnets, the black miniskirt, the red bustier pushing her tits high, the devil horns atop her head. "Oh, yeah," I say into the receiver. "You sound fucking hot as hell, Stacy."
"I am hot. And my pussy is so fucking wet. I want your face between my thighs."
"You know I can’t come. I’m working tonight." I stroke myself harder, close to coming, thinking about her on all fours, bound and gagged, pounding her little cunt with my rock hard cock. I would fill her little pussy and then I’d come all over her ass.
"It’s not fair. Come or I’ll tell Chris about us."
"You wouldn’t do that," I say, my come spurting in ribbons. "You know that would only cause trouble."
"Good. I want trouble. I’m a devil tonight, you know."
"Fuck, Stacy, don’t play games with me."
"I’m not playing. But I’m gonna tell him if you don’t come. You know where I am, lover."
I slam down the phone, fury rising inside me. I love fucking Stacy’s tight little pussy, but I’m not dealing with a woman who thinks she can put me in a fucking corner. No one tells me what to do, no one gives me ultimatums.
I pull up my pants, buckle my belt. Then I storm from my office and head to my car. I’m putting an end to this girl’s games.
I drive wildly to the party, not giving a fuck who sees. My tires stop hard in the gravel lot, and I slam the car door shut. I’m going to find this girl who thinks she knows how to talk to me. And I’m going to shut her up once and for all.
&nbs
p; The party is wild, music blaring, red cups of cheap beer in everyone’s hands. In the backyard, I scan the crowd. Not as many people are out here, and it doesn't take long for me to see my little slut talking to another man.
Her eyes meet mine, and I raise a brow, jut out my chin. She excuses herself and I feel her eyes on me as I walk through the crowd to the woods.
I know Stacy can’t help but want me. I’m a man with confidence and power. She thinks I’ll do what she says, that her pussy will bend my will, but she has a few things to learn about men.
Too bad she’ll never get the chance.
In the woods, she runs to catch up with me.
"I didn’t think you’d come," she says. "I thought I’d have to tell Chris the truth."
"I don’t change my mind about things, Stacy. When I decide something, I follow through."
Her hands goes to her collarbone, playing with the tiny charm around her neck. "And what did you decide tonight?" She licks her lips, and those breasts of hers are begging to be titty-fucked.
"I’m going to make you come until you forget to breathe," I tell her.
"Prove it," she says, stepping toward me.
I don’t hesitate; I pull up her skirt and spin her around. She braces herself on the trunk of a tree, and I drop my pants. I fill her pussy, the one that is so familiar with my hard cock. I’ve fucked this girl so many times, so many ways, we’ve both lost count.
This will be the last time I ever fuck her.
The last time anyone does.
I thrust inside her, making her scream in pleasure.
"I love it when you’re rough with me, baby," she moans.
I pull down her little bustier, cupping her breasts and grinding against her ass. I come hard in her wet cunt, pulling her hair as I do, and she comes too, her juices running down her leg.
My hands wrap around her throat, and she tries to push my hands away, but I’m bigger than her, and I came for her in the dead of the night, deep in the woods. No one will hear her.