by Rosa, C.
“Cameras,” she said, pointing to the video cameras situated across the bar. “There’s a closed circuit television in his office.”
I rolled my eyes. “Great.”
“It’s kinda’ weird,” she said, car keys in hand. “As long as those cameras have been on, he’s never once said anything to anybody about what goes on around here. And trust me, it’s a lot worse than flirting with a cute guy. It’s like he was spying on you.”
I followed Mia to her car, looking back at the closed door to Ricky’s office, wondering if he was watching me leave.
Chapter 9
The Beach
THE NEW WAITRESS Ricky hired, Heidi, looked like she walked out of a music video. I pretended not to notice her annoyingly high pitched laugh every time Ricky made a joke, or every time she went out of her way to touch his arm. What did I care?
The moment she went on my shit list was when she called out last Sunday morning barely a week since she was hired. Ricky called me early, saying he would come by to pick me up, forcing me to cancel my beach day with Mia.
Today, I hoped my plans didn’t fall through. I flinched every time my phone rang, hoping it wasn’t Ricky calling me into work on my day off. I waited for Mia on the porch steps, relieved to finally be able to spend a Sunday relaxing with my toes in the sand.
“It’s nice to get away from the bar,” Mia said. She leaned back in her beach chair, digging her toes deeper into the wet sand.
“I know…it smells so much better here.”
We both laughed, and joked about the infamous aroma of food that we all came home smelling like.
“So…how are you liking the job?” Mia asked.
“I like it. You’re brother’s mood swings make me a little dizzy, but other than that…it’s good.”
“I know it gets frustrating, but he means well. I tried to get him to go to therapy after mom died, but he refused. God knows he could of used it…especially after what my dad put him through.”
“He told me what happened,” I said.
“Really?” she asked, surprised. “I barely ever hear him talk about it…or mom for that matter.” Mia’s eyes drifted out towards the ocean, her face no longer maintaining the perma-smile she always had.
“I couldn’t believe it when they took him away in hand cuffs. It didn’t seem real. And the worst part is my father just left him there…refused to help him in any way. Said something like, he got himself into this mess, blah, blah, bah.”
“Well,” I said. I wanted to say something encouraging. “He seems…better now.”
Mia sighed. “I guess you could say that. He has his moments though…but nothing close to what happened that night. I hope I never have to see that again. My dad still treats him like shit…it makes me sick to my stomach.”
I smirked, suddenly remembering a memory of Ricky. “I remembered one time, sophomore year, when he slammed Jimmy Sarrano in his locker for touching my ass in the hallway. I’ve never seen someone so scared in my life.”
“Yeah,” Mia laughed. “He always did have a thing for you.”
I darted my head in her direction, completely blind-sided by her comment. “Jimmy? He had a thing for everybody.”
“No,” she said, smiling. “Ricky.”
“What?” I cried.
“Come on,” she continued. “You had to have known.
The breath was knocked out of me. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out were incomprehensible noises.
“He had a crush on you all throughout middle school and high school. You were that one girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day. He would never say so, but I could tell that he was devastated when you left for California.”
“Are you-” I didn’t get to finish, as Nick and Ricky came shuffling through the sand.
“Damn MiMi…you look hot in that bikini.” Nick leaned in, planting a peck on her lips.
Nick and Ricky plopped on the sand. The sight of Ricky shirtless never got old, especially when he was in a good mood. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious wearing the bathing suit Mia lent me that was a size too small. I adjusted my top, trying to subtly stretch the material to cover more skin.
I could feel Ricky’s eyes on me. When I looked up he gave me a shy grin.
After his temper tantrum last week about Ethan, I prepared myself for a week of hell. Instead, he acted like I barely existed, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed.
“Not babysitting the boob brigade at the bar?” I asked Ricky.
“No…Joe’s there. He’ll keep them in line.”
Mia laughed. “Yeah, right. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about the bar. I’m going for a swim.”
She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the water. It was icy cold and knocked the air right out of my lungs. Splashing behind us were Nick and Ricky determined to get us soaking wet.
Ricky splashed water my way, and my skin prickled with goose bumps.
“Hey!” I said, holding up both hands. “Too cold!”
“Aw, come on you baby.” He ran towards me, and I squealed, wading through the shallow water. He grabbed me from behind, hoisting me up into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked in a fit of laughter. Ricky stomped deeper into the ocean. “We’re going for a swim.” He carried me further and further, threatening to drop me a few times while I begged him not to. Each time he pretended to loose his grip I held my arms tighter around his neck.
When the water was deep enough, he let finally let go, our bodies bobbing up and down as each wave passed under us. I dunked my head under, letting the water smooth the hair away from my face.
Ricky said smiling, “You know…I couldn’t help but notice how hard that bikini is working to stay on. One wrong move and you might have a problem…not that I’m complaining.”
“Stop it,” I said, trying to keep a serious face.
“Stop what?”
“You know what.”
He laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He swam closer to me, pulling me in close to his body. I felt one of his hands on the small of my back the other gently pulling back my wet hair. “You mean this?”
“You know you are the most confusing person on the planet, right? One minute we’re shopping together like BFFs, and the next you’re accusing me of harassing the customers and stealing tables.”
“I’m sorry,” he cooed. “But you make it so easy for me. Plus, that guy looked like a total douche bag.”
“What? He was wearing chinos. Guys who wear chinos can’t be called douche bags.”
“Chinos?” Ricky cried. “Chinos are for stuffy lawyers who belong to country clubs.”
“Well then that’s perfect,” I said. “Because he starts law school soon.”
“Has he called you yet?”
“No.” My body was so tense in his arms, and I refused to let myself relax, not wanting to get too comfortable.
“He will.”
“And what makes you say that?” I asked.
“Because he’d be crazy not to.”
His body felt warm and solid. His skin glistened with sun-sparkling beads of water. Our faces were so close, just a lips distance apart. I smelled the faint fragrance of the cologne I picked. Everything about him at that moment was drawing me in, telling me to forget about whatever stupid agreement I had made with myself. I had to remember why I was different from the other girls he so easily conquered. I had enough sense to pull away at the right moment.
So why wasn’t I moving?
“We better go back,” I said in just above a whisper. “I think I saw a jelly fish.”
I grabbed his arms, releasing myself from his grip.
I threw on the black sheer cover-up Mia lent me, feeling more comfortable with the extra coverage. After we were tired of laying in the sun, we all walked to the beach bar just across the way. We found a table by the edge of the sand and settled in with some drinks and appetizers.
“Yo, Ricky!”
We all turned our attention to the two guys who were sitting at the table next to us. They were tall and attractive, each with sun-kissed cheeks.
“Hey, Mark…what’s up?” Ricky said with a straight-lined smile.
Mark walked over to our table, and Ricky turned his head and rolled his eyes.
“You know my sister and Nick,” Ricky said.
“Yeah, hey…what’s up,” Mark said, nodding their way.
Ricky jutted his thumb towards me. “This is Alexa. Nick’s sister.”
Mark flashed me a big smile. “Hey.”
I gave him a hello and short wave of my hand.
“Your girlfriend or…?” Mark asked.
Ricky’s eyes glinted my way. “No,” he snickered. “Just a friend from way back.
I pretended not to pay attention as Ricky clenched his jaw.
“You guys should come by my place tonight,” Mark said. “I’m having a little get together with a few friends. It’ll be a good time.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Ricky nodded.
“Cool…about nine. You remember where, right?”
Mark eventually made his way back to his table, but not before giving me a wink. I turned my face out towards the ocean view, hoping my burning cheeks weren’t giving me away.
“It’s so beautiful here,” I said, feeling the ocean breeze whip through my hair.
“It is,” Ricky murmured, staring right at me.
“We should do this more often,” Mia said. “It’s like old times again.”
“Yeah,” Nick smirked. “Only this time we’re actually legal.”
“Got into some pretty crazy shit back then,” Ricky said, leaning back in his chair. “Remember, Lex?”
“No,” I chuckled. “If I remember right, you and Nick were the ones in trouble all the time. I don’t remember Mia and I ever letting you two talk us into whatever crazy scheme you were getting into.”
For the next two hours we all took turns telling our favorite stories. We laughed as Nick retold the incident of sledding down two flights of stairs during a bad winter storm when we were ten. I remembered watching with Mia as Nick and Ricky plowed into the brick wall at the end, toppling over each other. The stuff they did back then…it was incredible that they never broke any bones.
The waiter came with the check, and Ricky snatched it up before anyone had a chance to argue.
“I need to take a piss,” Nick said, getting up.
“I’m with you on that,” Ricky replied
“Thanks for the news flash,” I said.
Nick planted a kiss on Mia’s head. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“No chance of that happening,” she said, smiling. He tugged on a lock of her hair before walking towards the bathroom with Ricky.
Mia signed Ricky’s name when the waiter came back with the receipt. We grabbed our things and headed towards the door.
“What was that all about earlier,” I asked Mia, gesturing towards Mark.
Mia shrugged. “I don’t know. Ricky can’t stand him for some reason. I don’t think he’s that bad.”
I looked back at Mark who gave me one more wave before we walked out the door.
Chapter 10
Out of Control
BEING BACK AT Ricky’s house was a little weird. The last time I was here his mom, so tiny and frail, occupied the sofa. The house looked the same inside, except for a few things that had changed, including the couch. Mia spent the summer here, but returned to her dorm on campus once the Fall semester started.
Mia led me into the bathroom in the master bedroom upstairs to shower and change before she headed to do the same in the bathroom down the hall. I sat under the warm water, feeling the sand sliding down my skin. I was easily distracted by the thought of Ricky and how it felt to be so close to him. So distracted that I couldn’t remember whether or not I shampooed my hair. Once I was convinced I had washed away every grain of sand, I grabbed the towel and stepped out of the shower.
As soon as I had both feet on the bathroom rug, and the towel just about wrapped around my body, Ricky came bursting through the door I thought I had locked.
“Ricky! What the hell! Ever hear of knocking?” I said, adjusting my towel.
“I’m sorry,” he replied. He turned his head even though I could see him peering over in the mirror. “The lock on the door is broken. I heard the shower in the hallway and figured you were in there.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll pretend it wasn’t intentional.”
“It wasn’t. I swear.” He tried to hide the smile dying to make an appearance and giggled like a little kid. He turned slowly, probably waiting for me to kick him out. I stood there, clinging to the notch of my towel.
Ricky edged closer and closer, our eyes never breaking. The energy from the incident in the water was still palpable, stronger even. The closer he came, the less I wanted to fight the urge to hop on top of him. It had been almost six months since I let myself even touch another man. My body ached in the most painful way. When Ricky’s lips fell on mine, I finally gave in to it.
At first, the kiss was sweet and gentle. Ricky slightly opened his mouth, and when I let my tongue slide with his our kissing grew more desperate. I leaned into him as he pulled my waist closer to his body. Wrapping my arms around his neck, Ricky hoisted me onto the vanity. I didn’t care one way or the other whether my towel came with me. I hitched my legs around his, drawing him in even closer. His mouth moved down my jawline, gently kissing my neck. The feeling spread tingly warmth all the way down to my toes.
“Wait, wait…Ricky, we can’t.” I said.
“Why?” he breathed into my ear. He ran his hand up my thigh, and I practically melted onto the counter.
“Ricky…” I tried to push him away, but his lips all over me felt too damn good. I held my breath, and gave it one more try. “Really…we shouldn’t do this.”
He finally stopped and pulled back. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
We froze in place when Mia knocked on the door. “I got that hair dryer you wanted.”
“Okay, be right there,” I said. My heart was nearly in my throat, and I flinched at the sound of my own voice.
Before I had time to hop off the counter, Ricky swung the door open. Mia’s eyes widened, looking past her brother to find me smoothing down my hair. He grabbed the hair dryer and handed it to me, walking right past her without saying a word.
“Thanks,” I said. “You came just in time.”
She closed the door, letting her smile do all the talking.
Mia and Nick were itching to go out somewhere that wasn’t the Mug.
“I’m not up for it,” Ricky said.
Mia rolled her eyes. “What about you, Lexy?”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll go.”
Ricky stomped off, while Mia led me upstairs to borrow some of her clothes.
It was nearly nine thirty when Mia and I came down the steps, ready to go. Nick and Ricky were already in the living room, slung back on the couch, each with a beer in hand.
“I thought you said you weren’t coming?” Mia asked Ricky.
He shrugged his shoulders and took a sip. “I changed my mind.”
“Mia!” Nick said, getting up. “You’re not seriously wearing that out, are you?”
She looked down at her clothes. “Why? What’s the matter?” she said, looking at me.
“I think you look great,” I shrugged.
Ricky rolled his eyes at me. “Of course you do…look at what you’re wearing.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked, now examining my own clothes.
Ricky got up and grabbed his car keys. “You’re both wearing just enough clothing to make one complete outfit.”
We all piled into Ricky’s car; Mia and Nick in the back, while I sat in the front with Ricky.
Mark’s house was brimming with people, the house reverberating with music. Once we were inside, Nick and Ricky trudged through the crowd to find us s
omething to drink.
I spotted Mark across the way and offered him a quick smile. He stopped the conversation he was in the middle of and walked towards us.
“You guys came!” he said, giving me and Mia a hug.
“Yeah,” I shouted over the music. “Thanks for the invite.”
“No problem,” he shouted back. “Can I get you guys something drink?”
“The guys are on it now,” Mia said.
Mark leaned close to my ear. “You look sexy as hell,” he whispered.
I shot him a quick glance as Ricky and Nick returned with the drinks.
“Here,” Ricky said, shoving the drink in my face. “All that’s left is beer.”
Mark took a few steps back from Ricky’s extended arm.
“This place is amazing,” I said to Mark. The house was huge and beautifully decorated. Peeking through the huge glass doors in the back revealed a large, white-lit in-ground pool.
“Thanks,” Mark said.
Ricky smirked. “It’s his parents’ place. What are they out of town tonight?”
“Yeah,” Mark muttered. “For the next couple of weeks.” He and Ricky stared at one another for a few seconds. I almost thought they were going to duel or joust or whatever the hell pissing contest guys did.
“How about a tour?” I asked Mark.
He smiled wide. “Sure.”
I followed Mark, and left Ricky alone before he could get out another word.
* * *
Mark led me through the house, leading me upstairs. I caught a quick glance at Ricky who was following our every move with his eyes.
After peeking through all the rooms, we ended back downstairs by the pool.
“So you and Ricky aren’t-”
“No,” I said, not letting him finish. “Not at all.”
Mark smiled. “That’s good. You don’t seem like his type, anyway. He usually likes the ones that don’t talk too much.”
Mia came trotting towards us. “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she said, pulling me towards the dance floor.
The song changed, and Mia and I joined the pack of people crammed onto the makeshift dance floor in the living room. She and Nick stuck to each other like two stickers, while I felt Mark come up behind me. I danced until the sweat poured from my skin, and my feet ached in my heels.