by Monica Rossi
“Are you taking a nap while I’ve been waiting on you?”
She jumped up off the bed, jeans falling off her chest, forgotten. “What are you doing here?” He’d said he was going to cook while she ran over and got some clothes.
“You really shouldn’t leave your door wide open. Anybody can just walk right in off the street,” he gave her a heart stopping lopsided grin.
“Well considering the fact that you just about caused me to have a heart attack, I’ll remember that in the future,” she smoothed her hair down, trying to calm her skipping heart. “But that doesn’t answer the question of why you’re here, I was looking forward to whatever that French dish you said you were going to make tonight.”
“I figured we always hang out at my place, why not hang out here. And I didn’t feel like cooking so I brought some sandwiches from Rita’s.” He held up a large take-out bag as proof.
“Oh I love Rita’s! I haven’t been there all summer, but me and Felicia used to make a habit of stopping in whenever we were on Folly.”
“I didn’t know what you’d want so I played it safe with an Old Fashioned Burger and a Cherry Lemonade Crush,” he walked into the little dining area and sat the bag on the table, where he had already placed two large paper cups.
Melissa’s mouth watered at the thought of the slushy drink, she hadn’t realized she wanted one until she had it, “Gimme!” she took a long draw on the straw and let out a satisfied sigh before she rummaged through the bag for her burger. “What’d you get?”
“A Reuben.”
“That was Felicia’s favorite,” she crinkled her nose, “I never have liked corned beef.”
“Not enough Irish in you, but we can fix that,” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
She giggled, but put him off, “Not until I’ve eaten every greasy bite of this burger and fries.”
“It’s not far from here, how come you haven’t stopped in if you like it so much,” he asked.
She shrugged, “I’ve been avoiding places that reminded me too much of Felicia, it was just easier.”
Owen nodded, “I understand that, but until you start making new memories in those places, they’re always going to haunt you.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she agreed.
“I know I’m right. What were Felicia’s favorite things to do around town? Maybe I can help you make some new memories.”
“Hmmm,” she pondered as she ate her burger. “We loved everything. The first time our parent’s brought us down we were around fifteen and they gave us a lot of freedom to roam as long as we always answered our phone and met them where they told us to on time.”
That first trip to Charleston had been so exciting. It was the first time they’d really been allowed to go exploring on their own in a strange town. They’d done all of the touristy things they could down town. They’d gone on carriage rides, watched old ladies weave baskets, taken night time ghost walks, plantation tours, they hung around College of Charleston hoping to catch the eye of a college boy who might think they were eighteen. It had been one big adventure for them.
“I guess her favorite was always the beach. We’d go water skiing, jet skiing, tanning, building sandcastles, we even went parasailing once. Basically anything that could be done on the beach or in the water, Felicia wanted to do it.”
Owen nodded, she could see the wheels turning in his brain, “Have you ever been to Sullivan’s Island?”
“We’ve gone to Fort Moultrie, but we’ve never been to the beach there.”
He smiled, “Well I’ve got a treat for you, if you’re up for it.”
She eyed him skeptically, “I don’t know, what is it?”
“Don’t you trust me?” he asked and gave her a grin that specifically said she shouldn’t.
“I guess, but I’m not a water sports kind of girl, that was always Felicia’s thing. For every time I had to go water skiing she had to go to the aquarium or go take a tour of some old house. After the parasailing incident I even got her to take a manners class with me.”
“I promise, you’ll enjoy yourself, how does Friday afternoon sound to you?” his face dimpled with the smile he was beaming at her and her stomach flipped. It was really depressing how a simple smile from him could destroy her internal mechanisms.
“Fine, but if it involves life jackets or speed boats you’re going to pay,” she pointed a finger at his chest.
He got up from his chair and kissed her on her nose, “I’ll pay in advance if you’d like. It occurs to me that while we’ve managed to have sex on every flat surface in my house, we’ve yet to break in this cute little rental at all.”
Instantly she was ready for him, her insides melting at the thought of ripping his clothes of and taking him right there on the kitchen table. “That’s a real shame too. My bed might not be as big as yours but it sure is bouncy.”
Owen grabbed her by the waist and slung her over his shoulder like she didn’t weigh anything, and gave her a hard slap on her bottom, “Well, we’ll just have to see if that can improve my performance.”
She sincerely hoped not, if sex with Owen got any better she wasn’t sure she could handle it.
“Why all the secrecy?” she asked as she sat in his comfy little car. It wasn’t what she’d expected him to drive, but the small car suited him, now that she thought about it, much more than the Jeep or Land Rover she’d imagined him driving. It gave him the aura of starving artist, even though she knew with his talent he had to be very successful.
“Do you understand the concept of a ‘surprise’? Just sit back and enjoy the view,” he told her, toying with the knob on the radio. He must have known the stations he had programed by heart because all of the numbers had been worn off the preset buttons.
“Whatever, but remember, if anything goes too fast or is too scary there will be consequences,” she warned.
“I almost wish it was something very dangerous so I could find out what those consequences were,” Owen winked at her.
She just shook her head, even as her heart thudded. The damn man could drive her crazy in more ways than one. Leaning back she turned her head to look out the window and focused on the passing scenery. They had just gotten to the small town of Sullivan’s Island and it had been a long time since she’d driven through. It was had a cozy feel to it. People walked the streets with babies and toddlers in strollers, kids rode their bicycles, and old people on golf carts cruised. It looked much like any suburban neighborhood except the homes varied from shabby chic beach house to elegant Southern manors without warning.
They passed a few taverns and shops with people sitting out on decks enjoying the sunshine and a cold drink. With a book, Melissa imagined that would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Owen turned down a palm lined street that gave way to larger houses, going from modest homes to huge mansions in the space of a heartbeat.
“Good God,” she said, “Would you look at that monstrosity?” She pointed out one of the larger homes.
“Monstrosity?”
“Yes, monstrosity. I can’t even see how someone could use all the rooms in a house that big. I guarantee there are at least ten rooms in that sucker that the owners never go in at all.” She eyed the huge grey building with distaste.
“So you wouldn’t want to live in a house like that?” he asked.
“Good God no. Not unless it was a boarding house and I was renting a room. Houses like that are just wasteful.”
“You sound like my youngest brother Jared, he lives in a mud hut he built in the wilds of Oregon and subsists on only the twigs and berries he can forage himself.”
“I’ve heard you talk about Braden a good bit, but this is the first thing you’ve said about Jared. Aren’t you close?”
Owen shrugged, “Not as close as we should be. We email back and forth but…” he looked uncomfortable, “I haven’t seen him in about three years.”
“Was there an argument?”
“No… well kind of. But not with me. Him and Braden and my father don’t quite see eye to eye about everything.”
She could tell it was something he really didn’t want to talk about, so she let it go. “Well, I’d like to meet your family sometime.”
He laughed, “I might be able to arrange that. You’ll probably fall in love with Braden on sight. All the women folk seem to fall at his feet.”
“If he’s half as attractive as you are then I can see why. But my heart is already spoken for.” Melissa’s eyes widened and she immediately wanted to clamp her hands over her mouth but had to settle for just turning to look out the window again. He didn’t respond at all and the panic inside her was building. Why in the hell had she said that? “Oh look a poodle! I love poodles!” she chirped with false brightness, pointing towards a woman walking her dog and wishing she could sink through the floorboard of the car. Now she could add talking nonsense about poodles to her list of shit she wished she hadn’t said.
Owen pulled the car into the driveway beside a large light yellow home. It wasn’t quite the size of the grey monstrosity but it was still pretty big.
“So we’re here,” he put the car in park and she worked up the courage to turn and look at him. Her fears seemed to be justified. His face was a study of brooding and confusion. It was official, she had just supremely fucked up.
⋆⋆⋆
The keys jangled in his hand, mirroring the way he felt inside. He opened his door without looking at her, hoping he could hide the fact that he was desperately trying to figure out how to react
Which probably made it even more apparent how uncomfortable he was.
“So what exciting things are we going to do at this huge yellow house?” she asked him brightly.
He plastered on a smile just as fake as the one she was beaming at him, she looked as uncomfortable as he was, “You’ll have to wait and see.” He walked to the garage that was positioned back off the road and to the side of the house, “Stay right there, while I grab a couple of things.”
Her eyes were boring holes into his back as he opened the side door into the garage, “Aren’t these nice people going to mind that you’re just going into their garage?”
“Nah, they’re pretty cool,” was all he responded.
“Friends of yours?”
“Mmm… you could say that.” He was too distracted by what she’d said in the car to be expected to carry on a conversation. Thankfully while he searched for what he needed he’d have a few minutes to himself.
Even though he had told himself that he was keeping their relationship fun and light, he had known it was a lie all along. Every day he had woken up hungry for her, body and soul, every night he’d asked her to stay because the thought of her leaving pulled at something inside of him that he didn’t want to examine too closely. He’d made excuse after excuse to keep her near him, reasoning to himself that he was just keeping her occupied, helping her overcome the sorrow that had been eating away at her. Each smile, each laugh he’d coaxed out of her was a dagger that struck straight into his chest. But for her sake he’d wanted it to be casual. Because he didn’t want to take advantage of a young girl who was just trying to cope, who would latch on to any bit of happiness that came her way. It wasn’t fair to her. Not only was she young and vulnerable, she had a life. A life that wasn’t in Charleston or with him.
She didn’t need any attachments when it came time to go back home, hopefully a little lighter than when she’d left. Or at least that’s what he’d wanted for her. She had family, friends, college, everything back in Maryland and DC. No matter how strong their connection was or how much her sad eyes tugged at his heart, he couldn’t ask her to give that up. He wouldn’t. Because he knew if he asked she would, not out of love, but out of need. She’d lost her balance in life, lost her ability to feel and finally something happens or someone comes along and reawakens a spark of life in her. He knew exactly how she felt. For him it had been surfing, for a long time out on hos board was the only place he ever felt even vaguely alive, or felt anything really. And he clung to it, felt like he couldn’t live without it. Everyday he’d go out in the water just wanting to feel something other than pain again.
There was no denying that they had a connection, that sparks flew each time they touched each other but that wasn’t enough of a reason for her to give up everything. That was just physical. She’d think it was love but it wasn’t, it was sexual attraction, mutual sexual attraction.
At least that’s what he told himself, even though he knew that his feelings for her were much deeper than just sexual attraction. He loved just being near her. Everything about her called to him, from her smell to the way she tossed those wavy brown locks over her shoulder when she was in a playful mood. He could admit to himself that he was falling in love, but he had to consider what would be best for her.
He exited the garage, still unsure about what he was going to do, but knowing that he had to do something. He’d just have to try to act normal until he figured it out.
“So we’re surfing? Owen, I have the balance of a drunken sloth on ice.”
“Do you see any waves?” he nodded in the direction of the calm ocean gently lapping the shore. “But I’d like to see you do an impression of a drunken sloth on ice so maybe I’ll take you with me one day. But no, not surfing. Stand up paddle boarding,” he held the paddle up in his hand, “Much easier than surfing.”
“But it still requires balance, correct?” she put her hands on her hips.
“Well yes, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy as pie.”
“Oh, once I get the hang of it huh? That’s almost as bad as saying, ‘Hey hold my beer and watch this.’” She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m going to bust my ass.”
Owen couldn’t help himself, even with a head full of doubt she found a way to make him laugh, “You’re going to be in the water. Last time I checked busting your ass by falling in water was pretty difficult to accomplish.”
“You’ve obviously never tried watersports with me. I swear to God I got road rash last time I tried knee boarding.”
“Will you shut up and take this board,” he sat his down on the ground and held hers out, waiting for her to take it. He was lucky that there was a board in the garage that was about the right size for her, he hadn’t been sure there would be but had figured she could just paddle with him if there wasn’t. Considering that he might have to find a way to put some distance between them it was probably better that she had her own. “We can get to the beach from here, we just have to go down to the walkway to avoid the dunes.”
After grabbing the duffle band and cooler he’d packed out of the backseat they headed towards the calm shoreline. It was a perfect day, the wind coming in off the ocean was minimal so the tame waves were even smaller than normal. There weren’t any actual waves to speak of, just a gentle lapping against the shore. Not much more than you’d get on a lake. It would be supremely hard for her to screw up too badly, despite her lack of self-confidence.
Dropping their stuff on the sand he put his board down, “Ok, we’re going to practice for a minute on the beach and I’ll show you the basics, then we’ll try it in the water.
“If you say so,” she still looked doubtful about the whole idea.
On solid land most people felt pretty confident about paddle boarding, not realizing how much core strength was needed to guide the board in water. That was not the case with Melissa. She listened to him and parroted his movements but was still reluctant to actually get in the water.
“Alright, that’s as good as you’re going to get on the sand, you’ve got to put it in the ocean and try,” he said.
“I have to?” she still looked doubtful, “I see you packed a cooler, couldn’t we just enjoy the sun and eat lunch?”
“Pick it up and follow me.”
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when I lose this board and I get swept out to sea.”
“If you get swept out to
sea in this currant then you’re dead already and I’d be wasting my time trying to rescue you,” he smacked her butt, “Now off with that dress and into the ocean.”
Owen placed his board in the water and walked it out past the breakers where he showed her how to mount the board. It took her three tries but finally she got on and stayed on.
Despite her fears and her fumbled beginning attempts, she really did catch on fast and was challenging him to a race in no time. They laughed, splashed each other, dueled with their paddles and with the warm sun accentuating the perfect day, the thought of her earlier comment and the doubt had faded from his mind. The afternoon seemed to fly by, he’d gotten caught up in just being with her.
The thought hit him hard. How easy it was just to be with her. He could lose himself entirely in her and not even notice it.
“I’m going to head in and grab a drink,” he yelled to her.
“Ok, I’ll be there in a few, I’m going to practice turning some more. That way I’ll be sure to beat you next time!”
“Keep telling yourself that,” he turned and headed back towards the place where he’d left the cooler on the beach, glad to have a moment alone.
He was going to have to end it. There really wasn’t any other option. Regret filled him and he admitted to himself he’d let himself fall in love with her. But she was just so damn easy to love.
Pulling a towel out of his duffle bag and flung in on the ground beside the cooler and stretched out on it, watching her as she turned herself around in circles in the water. The light catching her hair and setting it on fire. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, and watching her lithe form in the water, beads racing around her curves, the way the blue bikini clung to her, the cold water making her nipples hard and visible beneath the thin fabric, had his body on a constant edge of need all day. Yes, she was beautiful and desirable but she was also funny, and silly, and so perfectly flawed in her humanity that the thought of letting her go was almost too much.