Clementine

by R. Jean Wilson

  Addison’s heart sped as she read his name on her phone screen. She read the text twice more before trusting that she’d read his name right. Calm down, she thought to herself as she felt her hand shaking as she began to type back a response.

  She paused before hitting send, hoping that she’d responded well enough. She couldn’t help thinking back to what Stacy said about the countless women giving Holden attention.

  Her phone didn’t vibrate again until she’d almost reached her car.

  Addison sat in her car smiling ear to ear. He is totally asking me out on a date. He didn’t call it a date, but it is right? I guess friends can go kayaking? She waited a few minutes to hit send on her response, not wanting to seem overly excited.

  He hadn’t even given her the option to decline. Smug, hot, man. She was used to having the upper hand in situations like this and with Holden it was the exact opposite. She tried to think back to other first dates she’d had. She’d always been happy to take guys up on the offer to go out, but none of those moments compared to the adrenaline pumping through her veins at the idea of an entire morning spent with Holden.

  Chapter 5

  The warm night air wrapped around her as Addison drove to the bar with Alicia. The car windows were rolled down and she focused her attention on the city lights flashing around them. She was glad she had decided on a cream tank top and lavender flowy skirt for the evening. The combination made her feel beautiful without being too constricting. She relaxed back in her seat and looked toward her friend.

  “I’m so excited you’re finally done with class. We have some major catching up to do,” Alicia spoke, keeping her eyes on the road. Addison smiled, pushing a few strands of hair away from her face only to have the wind whip them right back. The crisp night air felt too enticing to roll the window up though.

  “I agree. Let’s just hangout twenty-four seven.”

  “How about you split time between me and Dr. Taylor?” Alicia suggested.

  “Alicia! You’re going to make me think there’s something more going on than there really is...” Addison spoke guardedly.

  “Relax Addison, I know you just have a silly crush on him,” Alicia answered, smiling and pulling her car into a free parking spot.

  “Yeah, well he did invite me to go kayaking with him tomorrow morning…”

  “What! When?” Alicia asked excitedly as they climbed out and she locked their car doors. Addison shrugged calmly trying to look carefree.

  “He asked me right after my exam. I couldn’t really say no.”

  “Okay, let’s not pretend that you didn’t tell me he was ‘lick-ably’ cute on Monday. We both know you are crumbling to pieces you are so excited about this.”

  Addison squealed covering her eyes with hand. “Okay! I haven’t been able to think of anything else since. I don’t even know how I’ll sleep tonight!”

  Alicia laughed and tugged her arm down, pulling her toward the bar. “There’s the reaction I was looking for. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this over a guy before!”

  Addison stepped into the bar appreciating the blast of cool air that fell across her bare shoulders. They’d decided on heading down to the Rainey Street area after dinner and it seemed they weren’t alone. A few years back, a woman purchased all of the old bungalow style houses along the street and redesigned the interiors, creating open floor plans and an interesting alternative to the dirty club scene found just a few streets away. They decided to start at the first bar on the block, a large white wooden house that seemed unassuming from the front. However, once inside, Addison was surprised to find an eclectic mix of vintage decorations and a large deck area illuminated by strings of bright bulbs. The whole bar would have been romantic if not for the crowds of young urbanites drinking and socializing among the wooden tables.

  “I’ll go grab some seats before the other girls get here, wanna just grab me a glass of Sauvignon Blanc?” Addison asked, slipping Alicia a ten before they split up. She walked over to where the bar spilled out onto the deck. Dozens of picnic style tables were set up under the night sky and she had to search for a few minutes before she found one with a few seats available.

  “Mind if I grab these?” she asked the group of men occupying the end of a long table, motioning to the vacant bench seats.

  They looked up and nodded, a few of them offering her overtly interested smiles.

  “Sure thing, you can scoot down toward us if you want,” one of the younger-looking men offered courageously.

  Addison smiled but ignored his invitation. Usually she would have at least entertained the idea that a few of the men were cute, but she seemed completely uninterested in their advances. None of you look anything like Holden. She looked down at her phone, hoping to seem busy enough that they wouldn’t try to talk to her again. A few moments passed before Addison heard her friend approaching.

  “Here’s your wine. I’m surprised you could find us a few spots,” Alicia said appreciatively, taking a seat and eyeing the men down the table.

  “Yeah, the place was packed but these guys didn’t mind sharing with us.”

  She could feel them leering towards her again, intrigued by Alicia’s new presence at the table. Luckily, Alicia didn’t seem to notice.

  “Oh, how fun they have a dart board over there,” Alicia commented.

  The rest of their friends from work arrived one by one forcing her closer to the men at the end of the bench. They were all discussing stories from work and Addison tried to listen but felt herself getting distracted by her morning plans with Holden. She mentally scanned through her bathing suits, knowing people usually swam while they kayaked in Town Lake, especially when it was as hot as it had been the last few weeks. Interestingly, this meant Addison would have to be in a bathing suit around Holden after knowing him all of five minutes... It’s like the guy planned it that way. She had a mint green bathing suit that accentuated her lightly tanned skin. She mentally planned to pair the bikini with a simple cover-up so she wouldn’t have to be exposed in her bathing suit the whole time. Let’s prolong that as long as possible.

  She huffed out a breath. Oh shit, maybe I should be paying attention. She realized she’d completely missed the past few minutes of the discussion taking place at her table so she brought her attention back to the group, asking the girls if they needed another round of drinks. That’ll make up for it. She took their requests before heading back into the dim house where one of the bars was located. The bar had become much busier since she’d arrived and she scanned the area trying to find the shortest drink line.

  “Well, well, didn’t think I’d see you again after that final earlier.”

  Addison cringed slightly as she recognized Stacy’s voice behind her. Which version of her should I expect now?

  She turned around slowly, unsure of how to greet her classmate after their past few awkward encounters. “Oh hey, yeah my friends decided we needed to celebrate,” she said, speaking guardedly.

  “How fun. I’m here with a few people from work,” she said icily.

  Addison stilled at her comment, praying she wouldn’t find Holden among her group. She’d love to see him, but hated the idea of him being here with a group of Stacy’s friends. She knew she had no claim over him but she didn’t want to have to see him all over some other girl if she could avoid it.

  “Well have a good time,” Addison turned back to the bar and cursed the fact that she still had two people before her in line. Can’t the world work with me a little here?

  “Oh we will. Shame that Dr. Taylor couldn’t join us though, apparently he had a date,” Stacy continued, seeming to get a little too much joy out of her last few words. “She met him at the hospital, she was so gorgeous.”

  Addison’s stomach clenched into a tight ball. She forced herself to turn and give Stacy a thin lipped smile before pulling out her cell phone and pretending to scroll through texts; anything to avoid hearing Stacy say more about Holden’s love life.

&n
bsp; She couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that overcame her. It isn’t like he asked me to go on a kayaking date, he asked to go kayaking. He wouldn’t be out of line going on a date tonight.

  Even after she ordered her drinks and nodded farewell to Stacy, she couldn’t shake the sad feeling that had overcome her. She pretended to laugh at whatever was being said among her friends but she knew the night had been ruined for her by Stacy’s comment. She took a large sip of her wine and vowed to pull herself out of her bad mood so she could enjoy the rest of her girls’ night. A second later she felt her phone vibrate in her purse.

  Addison rolled her eyes at the text and decided not to text him back. Me too, friend. What she really wanted to say was “why the hell are you texting me while you’re on a date” but she pushed the crazy urge back down and remembered her vow. She tried to forget about him for the rest of her night. She told her friends the story about the sweet old woman she’d delivered flowers to on Wednesday, the whole time telling herself that she wasn’t thinking of Holden.

  The rest of the night passed in a blur, and Addison swallowed the unease she felt knowing she was putting herself into a bad situation. I find him irresistibly attractive, and he is on a date with some other girl tonight. I should fake being sick and avoid the inevitable embarrassment that will surely ensue tomorrow morning.

  However, as she lay in bed a few hours later she knew she couldn’t pass up the chance to have alone time with Holden, even if it was only as friends.

  Chapter 6

  The papers flew out of the woman’s hand as she dashed through the campus boulevards. She was about to be late for her afternoon seminar class and she didn’t want to set a bad example for the students she’d be teaching.

  “Damn it,” she huffed under her breath, while reaching down to collect the multitude of papers that had flown everywhere. Students and faculty passed around her without a second glance and she silently cursed them for not helping. She suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder and defiantly whipped her head back to see a figure silhouetted by the sun behind them. She stood, curving her hand above her eyes to shade the sun, and sharply gasped at the sight of the man standing before her. He held a neat pile of her once scattered papers in his hand. She could tell by his dark-rimmed glasses and tailored suit that he was part of the university faculty or perhaps an older student.

  She stammered what she hoped was an audible thank you as they both bent down to collect the rest of the papers. She couldn’t will the words in her mind to escape her lips, and before she could invent an excuse to linger the stranger nodded and bid her goodbye.

  Her eyes watched as he walked away, her treasonous tongue still unable to utter any words of protest. The memory of the moment the stranger disappeared from view burned itself into her memory, and haunted her for the rest of her days.

  Addison rolled over and turned off her phone alarm. She considered herself to be a morning person, but getting up before 5:45am on the weekend was pushing it. Luckily, she’d already decided on what to wear while she was at the bar so she rolled out of bed, brushed her teeth, and pulled her long hair into a loose braid. She put on her mint green bikini, finishing it off with a loose spaghetti strapped cover-up that ended an inch above her mid-thigh.

  Three minutes after six, Holden texted to let her know he was outside. Even after her conversation with Stacy, she was still excited to see Holden. A night of sleep cleared her head and she figured she’d enjoy her kayaking trip with Holden knowing they were just friends. If anything, it took a little pressure off. I can focus on just having fun and not wondering if this is or isn’t a real date... holy crap.

  All thoughts of friendship were washed away as Addison walked down the stairs and witnessed Holden walking around the front of his black Range Rover Sport toward her. Even though it was still a bit dark out, Addison was able to take in the magnificent site of Holden in a navy baseball cap, white t-shirt, and pair of blue swimming trunks. His entire presence seemed disconcerting. How does he have this effect on me?

  His outfit gave Addison a glimpse of Holden she hadn’t seen before. She could tell he took great care of his body and she appreciated him for it. He had broad shoulders, strong arms, and long toned legs. She had only seen him dressed up for work and at the party on Saturday. Something about him dressed so casually put her mind at ease as she walked up to the car.

  “Hey there early bird,” she smiled brightly, suddenly not sure if she should hug him or not. They hadn’t touched other than his hand on hers at dinner. Just see what he does.

  A sly smile spread across Holden’s face as he took in her bathing suit cover up and his gaze spent a second too long inspecting her bare legs. “Morning, Addison. Don’t worry, I picked us up some coffee on the way over,” he opened her door so she could step in.

  “That sounds so good right now.” She’d completely spaced on eating breakfast. She watched him through the windshield as he made his way to the driver’s side door. His whole nature exuded sex appeal and confidence. Addison hoped she wasn’t getting in over her head. He went on a date late night, remember? Just relax. It really did seem to explain everything. Holden was the type of guy to date a lot of girls; he probably didn’t have many girls that saw him just a friend. He just wanted a buddy to go kayaking with. I can be a buddy, right? I just need to pretend like I’m hanging out with a normal guy friend. One who doesn’t make me feel quite so nervous and quite so turned-on just from his presence.

  (♫2)He slid onto his seat and started the engine as a folksy band began to play through the speakers, seemingly appropriate so early in the morning. “The Lumineers?” Addison asked recognizing the song.

  Holden arched a brow and smiled. “Yeah, I saw them live and haven’t been able to put this CD away since.”

  Addison nodded in agreement, letting the music fill the car.

  Neither one of them spoke for the entirety of that first song. The soft melody fell over them and Addison let it calm her nerves as she stared out of her window. The sun wouldn’t rise completely until they were already kayaking, and the soft glow of the early morning made Addison feel like they were the only two people awake. There was something magical about being up so early on the weekend, when most of the city was still wrapped up in their beds asleep. She knew this morning would be one to remember. As buddies.

  Shaking her thoughts away from dangerous territory, she realized she hadn’t touched her coffee yet. She turned and reached for it, about to thank him for bringing it, when Holden broke the silence first.

  “I have to be honest, a part of me thought you would back out one me,” he admitted, sliding his eyes to her for a brief moment before looking at the road.

  “Not many people would welcome the idea of being up so early on a Saturday.”

  She thought about it for a moment, knowing she couldn’t tell him the truth. She would have foregone sleep the entire night if it meant getting to hangout with him.

  “Well I haven’t been kayaking before... I’m curious,” she spoke coyly.

  “I think you’ll really like it. It’s best to go early in the morning when the temperature’s cooler.”

  So that’s why he made me get up so early...

  “Oh that makes sense. I put a little bit of sun block on but I guess I should add more before we go out,” she spoke, realizing the sun would be up and in full force by the time they were out on the water.

  “I brought a bottle,” he assured her. “I also figured you wouldn’t have had breakfast yet. There’s two granola bars there if you wanna grab one.”

  “Ahh, I didn’t even think about it. Which seems silly now considering we’re going to be working out soon,” she smiled as she grabbed a bar, relieved that one of them had thought ahead.

  “Thanks for bringing me coffee by the way, it’s really good,” she said, stealing a glance at his profile, taking in the dark stubble that made him look even more mysterious.

  “Its no problem, I had time to think about what we’
d need last night. I figured coffee and breakfast would be a good start,” he said, smiling to her.

  She took in his words, trying to piece together what he meant. Did he have time before his date to plan the kayaking trip?

  “They are for sure,” she said, taking another sip of her coffee. “I had an eventful night yesterday.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot to ask how the celebrating went?” he asked, exiting the highway onto Barton Springs Road.

  Addison explained how fun the bar had been; how good it was to celebrate the end of classes.

  “We ended up having to share a table with a group of guys at the bar on Rainey Street,” she offered. It won’t hurt to let him know he wasn’t the only one flirting last night… even if it’s not true from my end.

  “Oh?”

  His expression didn’t falter but she could’ve sworn she saw a hint of a frown.

  “Yeah, they were really nice though…” she continued, trying to gauge his reaction. What do I want him to do? Throw the car into park and throw a fit?

  “Rainey Street’s a great place to go out. I can’t really stand those nightclubs downtown anymore,” he spoke as he pulled the car into a designated parking lot.

  “Oh you know, I forgot to tell you Stacy was there. She mentioned she’d invited you to go out with their group,” she spoke, trying to sound nonchalant.

  Holden swallowed a sip of coffee. “Yeah, that group invites me out now and then, but to be honest I don’t have much in common with them.” He said, his eyes twinkling, “I always end up getting cornered into talking to one of them longer than I’d care to.” He shrugged, turning off the car and looking toward her. “I told her that I already had plans,” he winked before opening his door and walking to the back of the Range Rover...