by Hood, Holly
“Fine. As long as you’re doing something worthwhile,” Flynn told Henri. “Like hanging out with blondie and I don’t mean a walk on the beach.” He shot Henri the look. Henri was dying. If he was dying he knew he would be out nailing as many women as possible. Even if Henri wasn’t the same as himself he figured one girl was plenty to cross a few things off the bucket list.
But judging by the look on Henri’s face he didn’t think so.
“I forgot how much of a bigot you were,” Henri said.
“Years ago you had your moments too, Henri.” Flynn poked at the rag on the counter. He dropped his elbows to the counter, staring out the small window at the vacant picnic tables and the dark skies.
“Yeah, well.” He hopped up on the counter not worried about customers. It was going to rain. “Once you know you’re dying you don’t worry about getting laid so much anymore.”
Henri watched Flynn make a face at his words. He stayed arched over the counter staring out the window. It wasn’t something they ever discussed. Usually it was a lot of code words and hints to the issue, but never direct communication.
“I don’t think I would ever be able to forget about sex. It’s the best part about girls.” He grinned, shooting Henri a look. “And blondie, she’s pretty hot. And so damn innocent. I bet sex would be interesting.”
Henri refused to smirk at the thought of it. He didn’t want to join in on the sex talk with Flynn about Maven. She wasn’t the kind of girl you shared those intimate details with your buddies. That didn’t stop him from thinking about her all the time. Sure, he imagined what it would be like. How great it would feel to get that close with her. All the things he imagined would happen and all the things he hoped for. He was a guy after all.
“Are you going to the hop?” Henri asked, changing the subject so Flynn would stop drooling over the thought of sex.
Flynn quickly nodded. “Tori’s coming down for the weekend. She already has a dress picked out.” Tori was Flynn’s girlfriend. More like his buddy or pal. But the problem with that—Tori saw their relationship as exclusive and wouldn’t bat an eyelash at making Flynn miserable if he ever thought to look at another girl. Henri wasn’t a fan of Tori because he knew Flynn wasn’t ready to settle down. And he knew Tori and her entire family was under the assumption that Flynn was an honorable guy who was going to do just that. Flynn liked her because she was nice-looking. He put up with her because he enjoyed having a sex buddy that lived far away.
“Good. Because I’m taking Maven and it would be nice to see a familiar face in the crowd.”
Flynn punched his arm. “You are so serious all the time. It’s a dance just have fun and don’t forget to breathe. Maybe this weekend will be your big night with blondie.”
Henri dropped from the counter. “Her name is Maven. And I doubt that. And if it was, you would be the last person I told.” He grabbed the doorknob, stumbling into the counter.
Flynn jumped up. “What was that?”
“Just a little lightheaded, I stood up to fast.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I got to go.”
Flynn grabbed his arm. “I think you should see the doctor today. Just to make sure everything is alright.” Henri shot him a dirty look, upset he was pushing the issue again.
“Better get those umbrellas down, storm is rolling in.” He twisted the knob, taking off before Flynn could argue with him. One appointment wasn’t going to make a difference. He shook the cloudy fog from his head and hurried toward the beach.
Maven jumped at the loud boom right outside her bedroom window. She closed her book, pulling back the curtain. The rain was falling in a steady rhythm. The sun was gone and the sidewalk outside was busy collecting puddles.
Her phone chirped. She grabbed it from the nightstand and flopped down on the bed. Ever since Jake had showed up she had been in a raunchy mood. She didn’t want to leave her house for fear he would show up again.
Now that Jake and Tatiana weren’t together anymore at one time it would have been the happiest moment of her life. Because at one time she prayed they would break up and that Jake would see what he had been missing and come back to her. And somehow she would forgive him and move on. But not anymore, now she was angry.
And now there was Henri. She didn’t know exactly how he felt about her, but she knew the way he made her feel. And she wasn’t willing to accept Jake’s crummy attempt at getting her back any longer. Henri showed her that nice guys did exist. And she didn’t want to go back to Jake after meeting someone like Henri.
She pushed the button on her phone.
Raining like cats and dogs. I’m down at the beach sitting under that tree we first sat at. Care to join me? It was Henri.
She stared off, debating on going or staying put. Jake couldn’t get to her from her room.
You could come here.
But this is such better scenery. I can’t believe you don’t like watching thunderstorms.
I do. I guess I’m a bit down today, Henri.
That’s a perfect reason to watch the storm with me. Cheer up, buttercup, there is always sunshine after the rain. :)
Maven burst into tears. She dropped down on her bed, clutching her pillow. The phone sliding to the floor, it chirped again.
She gathered her calm and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Lifting the phone from the floor, she gently wiped at her eyes with one hand while reading the text with the other.
Sorry you’re having a bad day. Hope it gets better. If you change your mind I’ll be down by the water.
That’s all it took. She wasn’t going to leave Henri alone because of her own selfish sadness. She slipped into her favorite yellow sundress, shoving on her sandals and hustled down the stairs.
Maggie peeked her head out from behind the magazine she was reading. “Henri I assume.”
Maven ignored her.
He was lying in the grass, hands behind his head just enjoying the roll of thunder that echoed every minute or so. The rain made the warmth turn into an oppressive fog. She was soaked by the time she plopped down beside him.
“Lie down and watch the sky its great.” Henri told her from his spot in the grass.
Maven dropped down, rubbing the rainwater from her forehead. She looked up at the dreary skies.
“Now just listen,” Henri said. He took hold of her hand squeezing it. “Close your eyes and listen, its heaven.” A loud snap of lightning sounded in the distance sounding more like danger then heaven to her, but she did as he said closing her eyes, the coolness in the air making her unpleasantly cold underneath her damp sundress.
“I’ve always liked listening to thunderstorms since I was little. I saw the tree out in our front yard get struck by lightning, talk about a rush.” He was his usual self while Maven felt a bit dark and depressed and it was hard to hide it. “Seeing nature so up close and personal, it’s exciting.”
Maven sat up. She pushed her wet hair behind her ear. Henri sat up too.
“Most people don’t compare thunderstorms to heaven.” She said out loud, watching the sky erupt in flashes of illumination, the wind an incessant brush across her face now.
“The ones that enjoy thunderstorms do.” He looked at her, her expression blank. She was far away lost in thought. He just didn’t know what of.
“You said you were a bit down today, why’s that?”
Maven finally looked at him. He looked anxious suddenly. Not his usual. And this made her feel bad.
“Is it me?” Henri searched her eyes. “Or is it Jake Summit?”
She dropped her gaze at the sound of Jake’s name. “I don’t know.”
“Sure you do.”
Maven shook her head.
“You’re confused and that’s perfectly understandable.”
“I’m not confused, Henri.” She insisted. She dropped back into the grass letting out a sigh. She wondered if now was the time to tell him just how much she liked him, or if it was better to keep that to herself.
“You and J
ake have a history. A long one.” He told her. “You and I both have a right to know if you still have feelings for Jake now that he is single.”
Maven shot up again from the grass. Henri was taking it all the wrong way. This had nothing to do with Jake. She didn’t want to figure anything out. She wanted to tell Henri just how much she cared about him and how sad she was at the thought of losing him now that she was so attached to him. That it hurt to wake up every day wondering if he was still going to be around and if so how long.
Or how every night before she went to bed she wished she could just pick up the phone and speak the words her heart wanted to shout from the rooftops, that he was the most amazing boy she ever met. But she was afraid to burden him with that.
Henri expected her to say something. To tell him he wasn’t right in saying what he said. To confirm that Jake was the last thing on her mind and that the idea of ever feeling anything for that guy would never happen. She deserved better then Jake.
He wanted her to look at him with those big blue eyes and tell him she only thought about him anymore, to say anything.
“That’s not it,” Maven said. She frowned, biting at her nails.
Henri stood. Maven stared up at him. “What are you doing, Henri?”
“I’m going to head home.” He offered her his hand to help her up.
“But I don’t understand. Are you upset with me?”
Henri laughed. But it wasn’t because he was amused. He was far from it. He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring down at the ground. It was hard to look at her in a time like this. “Maven go figure out what you want.”
“Henri.”
“You’re having a bad day. You weren’t having one until the other day when Jake showed up.” He touched her face and finally looked at her. “I’m not angry with you. You have every right to see if there are still feelings there. Call me later ok?”
She watched him walk off. Another crash of lighting sounded in the distance, rain drops splattering all around her. She dropped back down in the grass, drawing her knees to her chest. She didn’t have it in her to chase after Henri and own up to how she was feeling. It would just hurt him. And she didn’t want to do that.
Gift
Maven played the video of Henri again in her bedroom. She watched Henri’s eyes, enjoying how when he smiled they lit up, turning his brown eyes into nothing more than a tight squint. The way he looked at her, if she hadn’t seen it for herself she would have never realized that the way Henri looked at her was magical. A different way then you normally looked at others.
“Or maybe I’m just stupid.” She sat her phone down.
She turned the video off and picked it back up. And with no difficulty at all she punched a number in her phone, one that was unknown because she had deliberately deleted it. At one time it was number one on her speed dial. The only number she knew how to dial most days.
The phone rang several times before he picked up.
“Hi,” she said, she pressed her chin to her knee staring at her purple toenail polish.
“Wow. This is a number I haven’t seen in a long time,” Jake said.
“We need to talk.”
“Okay. So talk. I really don’t want to be thrown down a flight of stairs by your dad again.”
Maven rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a flight of stairs. And you deserved it, Jake.” She couldn’t believe she was talking to Jake. She needed answers and this was the only way to get them. “I’ll meet you at your parent’s house.”
She listened for Jake to agree or say anything at all.
“I’ll be here.”
She knew meeting up with Jake Summit was probably the worst thing she could do. But what if deep down a piece of her really did still care about Jake, she thought, on her way to his parents home.
She hurried along the cobblestone street, her feet in a rush to get it done and over with. Suddenly she was in a full on sprint to get there quicker. Her hair fluttering behind her through the breeze, she was almost panicking.
So many times before she had made this exact trip, past the park, the museum, and the old town hall that no longer housed anything at the moment, but this time it wasn’t for the same reason.
She was on her way to Jake’s house to prove for once and for all that there was nothing between them anymore. So she could move on. She didn’t need hope anymore because she knew the things you wanted weren’t necessarily the things that you needed. She knew that the things that were meant to be just happened. You couldn’t control them like she once thought.
She stopped walking once she realized she was already standing in front of Jake’s home. Her feet reluctant to climb the steps she so many times before climbed, she spotted the familiar potted plants that lined the steps with petunias. The American flag that swayed in front of the brick home at all times, all year long, because his father was so patriotic.
Her eyes raised to find Jake’s bedroom window above her. She took a deep breath, climbing the stairs. Before she had to force herself to knock the door opened and out walked Jake. He was dressed in dark cargo shorts and a red t-shirt one size to small. He liked to showcase his strongly built figure.
He slipped his hands into the pockets of his shorts, and looked at her. “That was fast.”
Maven nodded. “I wanted to get this over with.”
Jake sat down on his porch steps. Maven looked past searching for his parents. It didn’t look as if anyone was home. She took a seat. The last thing she wanted was his parents talking and informing her father she had been sighted at their home.
“What do you need to get over with?” Jake asked, sanding his hands together before he leaned forward and rested his arms against his legs. “I’ve wanted to talk to you too.”
Maven looked away from him. It made it easier to say how she felt if she didn’t have to look at him. “A month ago I would have been overjoyed you and Tatiana broke up.”
Jake surprised her by not saying something to irritate her for once.
“But now I’m just angry at you for doing what you did because it didn’t last.” She finally looked at him. “You and I have known each other our entire life. You ruined a lot when you and Tatiana got together. It’s not just about the fact that you lied to me for months about her. It’s that you treated me like the bad guy. You made my life miserable all because you wanted somebody else. And at the time I didn’t understand why, and I was hurt, Jake.” She could feel the tears coming to the surface.
Jake put an arm around her. “Things got boring. I’ve known you since I was in kindergarten, Tatiana was new.”
Maven pulled away. If that was his form of making her feel better he really was an idiot.
“I know that’s not what you want to hear. But, do you really blame me?” He laughed. “I’m a guy, these things happen, Maven. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t work this out now that I realized Tatiana wasn’t what I wanted. This can go back to normal.” He scanned her eyes for acceptance of his foolish idea.
Maven studied him closely. His eyes boring into her like every time before, but not in a charming way. It was just the way he looked at her, the way he looked at everyone, as if he had no brain cells in his head and he expected to be forgiven because he had great eyes, perfect teeth, and James Dean hair.
She stared back, not moving a muscle. Jake raised a hand, pushing her hair from her shoulder. He leaned in, nudging her lips with his own. His mouth strong and insistent, not gentle or thoughtful, the kiss continued, her hands stayed in her lap, while his gripped her shoulders, keeping her in place so he could keep going.
Maven pulled away, wincing. She had forgotten his disgusting habit of biting. He thought it was hot, and she was sure it could be if he didn’t come close to drawing blood when he did it. Jake moved in again, but this time she pressed her hand into his chest stopping him.
He shook his head, grabbing her by the wrist. “Tell me you don’t feel something between us still.” He smirked, one hand gripping
her wrist, the other creeping through her hair, pushing it off of her shoulders again. “I don’t miss this hair that’s for sure. It’s so long and annoying.” He touched her neck. “Get’s in the way of the more important parts of your body.”
“I don’t feel anything. And I don’t care what you think about my hair.” She wrenched her arm loose, standing up. Jake shot up too. His eyes filled with resentment.
“That’s just ridiculous. You can’t honestly think that idiot is better than me.”
“Yeah I can. And the only idiot is me for thinking this would help me see what was right in front of my face.” She started down the stairs.