Red Flags

by C. C. Brown

  “I told Mila we would be here, sorry. I had no idea she would bring Jason though,” Chelsea said with a mouth full of contempt as she uttered Jason’s name. Jason looked at me, motioning with his head in the direction of the back patio, and I again refused the invitation.

  “Whatever you need to say Jason, just say it right here.” I said -- trying desperately not to look in Mila’s smug faced direction.

  “I want to talk to you, alone. I’ll take you home; just give me a few minutes to get through to you.” The southern drawl was peeking through, and his frustrations were starting to show.

  “I brought her here, I’ll be the one making sure she gets home,” Chase threw into the mix, but was quickly backed up by a stern faced Ryan.

  “You won’t be doing anything Chase. Now, back up.” He added, and I was instantly infuriated by his callous behavior.

  “Anyway, I had plans for you tomorrow Cara. I still want to take you out.” Jason said, sidestepping Ryan and Chase so that he was standing right in front of me.

  “Those plans went out the window when we broke up Jason.”

  “We didn’t fuckin’ break up Cara,” he yelled, gesticulating wildly with his hands. His drawl was so thick through the anger that I almost wanted him to repeat what he had said. “That cocktail dress you bought in Vegas, it’s for tomorrow…so please, just say yes to my invitation?”

  “First of all, we did break up, and secondly, the dress that you bought can be returned to you and you can get your money back.” I threw out, making sure he knew how I felt about his money and his gifts.

  Ryan stepped back into our conversation, and added in his two cents. “Cara, please. Jason has been quite miserable, and despite what you think you know, you really know nothing at all. Take him up on his offer.” I couldn’t decide if I wanted to stay mad, be happy, or kick Ryan in the teeth for appealing to my sensitive side in such a situation.

  “Fine, I will go out with you tomorrow, but please let me enjoy the rest of my evening with my friends.” He mouthed thank you and headed for the bar with Ryan and Mila following behind him.

  “I’m so sorry Chase,” I apologized, feeling horribly guilty for their shameless display of bullying. Chase shrugged his shoulders, and took me back to the front of the stage area to continue listening to the SD’s. The night had an awkward feel to it because Jason was still in the bar, watching our every move. Chase didn’t let it faze him, and continued having a good time. I followed his lead, and pretty soon, he, Chelsea, and I were locked in together, smashed like sardines, and singing along to the one song by the SD’s that we actually knew, Head case.

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  Shortly after closing time, we made the short trip back the apartment. I looked to the back of Chase’s truck to find Chelsea passed out in the backseat when I noticed Jason’s Mustang following us. Chase noticed but didn’t pay it any mind. When we pulled up, Ryan and Mila climbed out of the back of the Shelby, and went up the stairs, where I was fishing for my keys to unlock the door. I helped Chelsea into her bed, and found Ryan sitting on the couch in the living room while Mila changed into her pajamas.

  “You’re staying?” I asked him, unable to hide the irritation in my voice.

  “Yea, we’re not driving to North County tonight,” he said, and turned his gaze in Chase’s direction.

  “Yeah well, I’m off to bed. No need to watch over me Ryan, I’m fine.”

  “Well, I just have to make sure. Someone has to watch out for you,” he said snidely, while burning through Chase with his blue eyes.

  Chase just shook it off and turned for the door, where I followed him. He leaned down and kissed my cheek and thanked me for allowing him and Chelsea to take me out for a night, and then walked down the landing to his apartment. Once Chase was out of sight, I heard Jason’s Mustang start up, and peel out of the parking lot.

  I woke up to find Ryan and Mila sprawled out on the couch. Did he sleep on the couch to make sure Chase didn’t come back last night? Annoyance immediately crept into my head, since I was near certain that this was Jason’s handy work. Then again, it could be Ryan's since he loathed Chase with every ounce of his being. Whatever the case was, I didn’t need a brother, and an overbearing ex-boyfriend to guard my bedroom.

  Making my way into the kitchen, I slammed cabinet doors, in hopes of breaking up the sweet slumber that Ryan and Mila looked to be partaking in. Chelsea came stumbling into the kitchen, wiping her eyes, and yawning. I continued to slam the cabinets, until Ryan and Mila were woken up -- in awful moods. Mila got up -- pouting her mouth, and stomped back to the bathroom and got in the shower. Ryan sat up, and shot me a look that could kill.

  “Why are you doing that?”

  “What? I can’t find what I need. If you had slept in the bedroom, you would still be sleeping right now.” And I calmly went about making my breakfast.

  Ryan stood up and joined Mila in the shower. Chelsea reminded me that I had agreed to join Jason for dinner tonight, and how much she strenuously disapproved. I smiled, but reminded her that it was just dinner, and I had reminded him quite often that he was my ex-boyfriend. Her persistence kept up, so I just listened and smiled, then made my way back to my room.

  Jason texted, saying he would be at the apartment around six o'clock that evening to pick me up. He said he had plans for me to try the best Italian food in all of La Jolla, La Bellezza. I had only heard rave reviews of the restaurant, and from what Chelsea’s parents had said, it took months to get a reservation at the place. Jason and I had only been seeing each other for a short amount of time, but then the realization that Jason’s family, and the astronomical amount of money that they had bought things that the average person could only dream of.

  I worked tirelessly; trying to style my hair after Chelsea used her amazing Chi on me. She curled my hair in spirals, and pinned them, leaving only one cascading tendril falling down in front. That was all the help I could get out of her since she and Hunter had their own plans for the night. I pretended to know what I was doing when it came to make-up, but really, I just dabbed a bit of eye shadow on my eye lids, added some mascara to my eyelashes, and moisturized my lips with an even coat of lip gloss. The dress was a tight fit, but even I had to admit that I liked the way it tugged at just the right points on my body. I opted for a pair of lower heels than anything Chelsea had lying around in her closet.

  At six o'clock sharp, the doorbell rang and I opened it to find a jaw dropping Jason in a pair of black slacks, with a black button up shirt that temptingly left the top two buttons undone. He stood, with a half- smile on his face and a single rose in his hand. He eyed me up and down, surveying me, and after getting a good glimpse, stepped forward, presenting me with the rose, and kissing my hand. This was not the Jason I had been acquainted with the past few weeks. I invited him in so I could complete the finishing touches to my look, and he took a seat on the couch, looking nervous. In a way, this felt like our first date, since our first night together entailed some actions that I wasn’t particularly proud of.

  I sprayed a couple of sprays of perfume and then grabbed the clutch that Chelsea reluctantly loaned to me. I entered the living room to find Jason sitting back on the couch, one leg over his knee, waiting patiently for me. I nervously walked towards him and he stood, pulling a box from his pocket. As I got closer, I noticed the box had Cartier written on the top. I gasped. That store had always been a dream and nothing more than a dream for me. I took the box and found a beautiful platinum necklace, with pink sapphires strategically placed throughout the ringlets. I closed my eyes, trying to fight back tears, and shook my head. Jason remained silent but took the necklace and clasped it around my neck. I fingered it for a minute, and then threw my arms around him with a low “thank you.” He smiled and took my hand, leading me down the parking lot.

  I stopped at the curb, looking for one of his vehicles that was nowhere to be seen. “What’s wrong?” He asked, noticing the confusion written all over my face.

  “Ar
e we being picked up?” I asked, not sure how Jason got here.

  “No, we’re taking my dad’s Mercedes.” He clicked the clicker in his hands, and I saw the lights of a sleek, black Mercedes flash, and he took my hand and led me to the passenger side. He was in true gentleman fashion, opening my door, and making sure I was in before closing it. He walked around to the driver’s side and, anticipating my questions, answered them before I even had a chance to ask. “This belongs to my dad’s work fleet, and I figured La Bellezza deserved something much classier than the Raptor or the Shelby.”

  I couldn’t contain my joy and excitement but settled on a bright smile. He started the car, but didn’t pull out of the parking lot. “I just want you to know that you are absolutely beautiful tonight; happy birthday gorgeous.” Then he backed the car out of the stall and we were off to La Jolla.

  The ride was a mixture of small talk, and silence. It was amazing that after everything we had been through, our real date had the quintessential first date awkwardness to it. We took the exit for Jason’s house, and before I could ask, he chimed in, “We have to make a stop by the house; I have something else for you before going to the restaurant.” A few minutes later we were pulling into the driveway and I instantly felt at home. We took the side trail of the house to the back yard and when Jason opened the door, a spotlight hit me, and a boisterous crowd of my nearest and dearest, all screamed in unison, “SURPRISE!” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked, and floored all at the same time.

  I looked around to see my parents standing with Chelsea and Hunter. Mila and Ryan were not far behind, and even Chase had made it. I’d have to get the scoop on that one later. All of the softball girls, and various dates of theirs were mingling, and Becca, Devon, and the rest of the Invictus crew are all dressed to the nines. My heart suddenly stopped when I searched for Stacey, but Becca walked up and put my mind at ease when she whispered that Stacey was not in attendance. I relaxed, and felt like I could have a good time. Some of my friends from home had been invited, and I had never been so delighted to see them.

  My parents came and kissed me, while also wishing me an early happy birthday. My dad never looked so handsome in a suit, and my mom looked impeccable -- as always. I turned to Jason and asked how he pulled all of this off and he shrugged his shoulders and simply said, “Mila.” I immediately felt a stab of guilt. All of the back door conversations, the texting; it was all to plan the perfect surprise party for me. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat, and Jason leaned down and whispered in my ear, “She’s fine. She knew she had to take your torment so we could pull this off,” and kissed my temple before letting Ryan and Mila come to wish me a happy birthday. I threw my arms around both of them, and apologized repeatedly. Mila laughed, and hugged me even tighter.

  “Pinks, it took everything in my power to not kick your ass this week, but I knew this would be worth it.”

  I nodded my head, and wiped a tear away from my eye. The overwhelming display of love was hard to take. “But, you guys included Chase in this? I don’t get it.”

  “No. Chelsea insisted he come, because he’s your friend. I didn’t want him here,” Ryan answered, tugging at his tie. “She barely found out a couple of days ago because we knew her big mouth would say something if given the time.”

  Chase walked up and hugged me and wished me a happy birthday before walking off with some of our friends from school. Chelsea came up screeching with a much mellower Hunter in tow and threw her arms around me. “Are you surprised?” She yelled, as if I were much further away than I really was.

  “Yes, I had no idea. Thank you all so much.”

  “Well, don’t thank me. I was left out in the cold on this, so you’ll have to thank Mila and your ex-boyfriend.” She could barely complete the end of the sentence without laughing. I remembered that through all of the assumed nonsense that I had broken up with Jason. He walked up and put his arm around my waist.

  “Yeah. Some guy must be a real idiot to do all of this for his ex-girlfriend.” He smiled at me, and before giving in to him, I decided to give him a hard time.

  “Well, I was promised La Bellezza, and that was taken away from me, so I might become this idiot’s girlfriend when I get it.” I smiled back, and Jason took my hand and led me to the patio area.

  Besides the servers walking around with appetizer platters, and glasses of champagne, there was a full serving station set up at the outdoor kitchen.

  “I thought it would be a little difficult to take everyone to the restaurant, so I brought the restaurant to you.” I looked up and down the patio and saw that the staff of La Bellezza had set up a makeshift restaurant in Jason’s backyard. The sweet aroma of lamb and marinara overwhelmed the air in a good way. There were numerous other entrees that I couldn’t pinpoint, and I was suddenly mesmerized by the transformation that had taken place in Jason’s backyard.

  There were white canopies propped up all over the yard, strewn with tea white lights, and light pink chandeliers hanging from the center. Although there were servers serving champagne to the guests, Jason had stayed true to himself by providing multiple kegs and even had an ice sculpted shooter station. There was a wide plank stretching over the pool, and as guests mingled on it, I turned to Jason and kissed him passionately.

  “I’m ready to have my boyfriend back, if he’s ready to have me.”

  “I was ready the day you broke up with me,” he smiled and kissed me again.

  “Where are everyone’s cars? How did you pull this off?”

  “Well, the guests were instructed to park down at the parking stalls at the end of the road, and I had vehicles bring them up. This took a shit ton of planning babe, that’s why I was on the phone so much with Mila.”

  “I feel like such a jackass.”

  “As you should, but tonight, we will just settle for you having a good time.”

  We set off to mingle with the rest of the guests. I looked around and couldn’t help but stare at Jason with deep appreciation. He had put up with quite a bit for this, and could have easily said forget it, and told me what was going on. My surprise was worth the headache that I inflicted on him and Mila. He pulled me to the center of the backyard, and whispered that there was another surprise. I heard the beginning cords to the song, Make Me Believe by the SD’s. I threw my hand over my mouth, and looked up to Jason who had an accomplished smile on his face. I fell in love with the song the other night at the bar, and I was momentarily shocked that he got the band to come on such short notice.

  Reality smacked me upside my head and I was reminded that the restaurant staff was in his backyard serving food, so having this local band play their hot songs was as good a gift for them as it was for me. Most of the attendees knew the song, so as the band played; they got help from the audience.

  The lead singer looked different in black jeans and a skin tight black shirt. Jason must have instructed him to cover up for the party. When they finished their song, they came over to introduce themselves and wished me a happy birthday.

  A raucous crowd had gathered at the ice sculpted shooter station, and I found my mom taking a shot. My dad was standing over her in disbelief, while Ryan led the crowd egging her on. I couldn’t find anything else to do but laugh at the situation. My mom was in her pearls, and taking shots. Classy!

  Jason’s voice came over the speaker and asked that everyone make their way around the pool so that he could present me with my birthday present. Another present, hadn’t he given me enough? He stepped off the stage and came over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. I heard my present before I saw it, and when the beginning chords of the Slither song we heard on our first night together started playing, my mouth dropped as I saw Dustin McCreed, the lead singer, walk out on the stage. Jason had truly gone above and beyond. The song could be labeled our song. I turned to face him, and before I could thank him, he planted the warmest, sweetest kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and lay my head on his chest a
nd gently swayed to the song. Thoughts of our first night danced through my head, and while I was ashamed of my behavior that night, I realized that the night meant a lot to Jason, and him having Dustin McCreed sing the song at my birthday party was his way of showing his appreciation of our beginning. I opened my eyes and locked gazes with Chase, who lifted his shot glass to toast me, threw it back, and walked off with a short blond.

  When the song finished, Dustin came over and shook hands with Jason, who introduced the two of us.

  “Nice to meet you Cara, and happy birthday.”

  “Thank you so much. Oh My Gosh! I can’t even believe you pulled this off.” I said, smiling at Dustin but turning towards Jason.

  He took a couple of beers being handed out by the servers, “well, part of my time in Texas, I met up with Dustin, since my dad has shares in his record company’s stock. They set up our meeting, and I planned this out.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” Dustin threw in, and took a short swig of his beer. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to try some of that food. Thank you for having me, and again, happy birthday.” He winked and walked away, leaving me to Jason’s warm embrace.

  “Was this a good birthday?” He asked with reservation on his face.

  “Of course it was. What would you have done if I hadn’t agreed to go to dinner with you?”

  He pondered the question for a minute before answering. “That never really crossed my mind. I guess I would have had to use Ryan some sort of way.”

  “Thank you Jason, for everything. You’ve really gone too far, but thank you.” I threw my arms around his neck and held on tightly.

  He laughed and pulled me onto the stage overlapping the pool.

  “Can I get everyone’s attention? I really want to thank ya’ll for comin’ out for Cara’s birthday tonight, and for keeping it a secret. Thank you to Ryan and Mila for helping me pull this off, and enduring the abuse of Cara for all of this time.” He drew laughter from the crowd.