by Anne Holster
I knew it was a bit presumptuous of me, but I didn’t care. I wanted to spend the night with her and I was racking my brain for any idea possible that would make it happen. Well, the heavens must have been smiling down on me, because all of a sudden Ryder piped up with, “Hey, Grace, why don’t Scott and Tanner come back to our house for a while? We could go swimming or something.” Or something?
Grace looked from me to Scott and said, “Do you guys want to come over for a while?”
Uh, yeah.
Before I could answer, Scott chimed in with, “I’m in, T. You in?”
“Uh, yeah okay, but are you sure it’ll be okay with your parents?” I asked incredulously. Their parents didn’t seem like the type of people who let their daughters bring guys over in the middle of the night to go swimming (or something).
Grace didn’t say anything at first, but Ryder jumped right in with “Oh, don’t worry about it. Our parents are away for the weekend.”
Hmm, could things possibly go any more my way tonight?
“Oh, okay. Sounds good. We’ll follow you guys, then?” I wanted to drive over with Scott, so I could read him the riot act about staying away from Ryder. I didn’t care if he hung out with her, but it couldn’t go any further than that, because if Grace thought it might then she’d never leave their side. Of that I was sure.
“Okay,” Grace said. “We’re parked way in the back, so we’ll meet you at the exit gate. We only live about ten minutes from here.”
As soon as we got into Scott’s truck I started giving him the drill, but he quickly put his hand up and said, “Hold on there, cowboy. You can stop right there. No need to worry, I’m not gonna blow your chances for make-up sex or get-back-together sex or whatever-you-want-to- call-it sex. I’ll be the perfect gentleman with my lovely young hostess. We’ll go swimming, I’ll play a little Xbox with the brother, maybe raid the fridge for some of Mom’s sandwiches. In other words, I’ll keep the kiddies busy so you can hang out with Grace.”
I have to admit that sometimes that guy really did surprise me. “Oh yeah, okay…’cause you know Grace’ll be watching you like a hawk.”
He interrupted. “T, the sister’s hot, but come on, I’m not stupid, so don’t worry. I’ll have everything under control and, uh, maybe you might even want to slip me a few bills to take them out to breakfast in the morning.”
“Uh, yeah sure. Thanks, man. My wallet’s in the glove compartment. Take whatever you need,” I told him, now feeling relieved that I could trust him around Ryder.
It was a short drive to their house, and when we got their they led us in through the garage and then out into the backyard, where they had a really cool little in-ground pool with every amenity you could possibly think of, including a little pool house with a bar (unstocked, of course). Scott was still wearing the bathing suit that he had had on all day, but I had to change back into my wet bathing suit that I’d had on earlier – not that I was complaining.
The girls went upstairs to change, but were back down quickly and then a few minutes later the brother came out.
“Hey, dude,” Scott said as he high-fived Jagger, “Remember me? The guy who demolished you on Xbox that time.”
“You demolished me?” Jagger laughed. “I think I remember it being the other way around.” And then he cannon-balled himself into the pool. Scott jumped in after him while Ryder, Grace and I sat on the edge.
Grace was wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a turquoise bikini top, and from what I could tell without totally gawking at her, she looked pretty damn hot. She eventually ditched the jean shorts (nice!) when the three of us joined Scott and Jagger in the pool to judge their diving (and I use the term ‘diving’ loosely) contest. It was probably close to three a.m. when we finally got out and dried off.
“Hey, Mick Jagger,” I heard Scott say to Jagger. “You gonna let me kick your ass again on Xbox? I’ll even let you pick the game.”
“You’re on,” Jagger said as the two of them disappeared inside, with Ryder at their heels.
Alone at last! We sat quietly on the edge of the pool with our legs still dangling in the water for a little while longer until I finally broke the silence. “Grace, you cannot imagine how much I’ve missed you.”
Smiling, she scooted closer to me and put her hand on my thigh. “I’ve really missed you, too.” After a minute of silence she said, “Tanner…I need to ask you something.”
I suddenly began to feel a bit uneasy by her tone, but I kept cool and said, “Yeah? Go ahead, ask away.”
“Well,” she began, “I was wondering…is there anything else?”
“Anything else?” I questioned. “What do you mean, anything else?”
“Well,” she continued, “I just mean, you know, do I know all there is to know about…everything…the whole incident. I don’t want to find out any surprises down the road. If there’s anything more, I want to know about it.”
I felt myself squirm, not because I was hiding anything, but because it made me uncomfortable to talk about it. I knew it must have still bothered her, and to be honest I was embarrassed over the whole thing. I cringed whenever I thought back over it all, especially since I no longer even recognized the guy who had done it.
I looked out across the water and softly said, “No…there’s nothing else.”
She didn’t say anything right away. Then, finally, “Tanner…promise you’ll never lie to me about anything…ever.”
“Promise,” I said as I put my arm around her.
We sat there for a little longer and then she asked, “Is there anything you want to ask me?”
There actually was something that I wanted to ask her – that I had to ask her – because if I didn’t, it would eat at me until the day I died. But I was kind of afraid to ask her for fear she might slap me, so I held my tongue. When I didn’t answer she looked over at me and said, “What?”
“Nothing,” I told her, shaking my head, but the sheepish grin appearing on my face was giving me away.
“Tanner! There is something you want to ask me. I can tell! Come on, what is it?”
I looked up to the sky and blew out a deep breath before I said, “Okay, don’t get mad, but yeah, there is something I’m curious about, although I’ll be the first to admit that it’s really none of my business, so if you don’t want to tell me, I guess it’s okay.”
She looked at me, her big brown eyes wide with anticipation and said, “Ooh, now you’ve got me nervous. What is it?”
“First, promise you won’t get mad,” I said.
“Tanner, I can’t imagine what you could ask me that I could possibly get mad about, but okay, I promise not to get mad. Now, go ahead,” she pressed. “The suspense is killing me.”
She looked on with anticipation as I tried to gather up the nerve to ask, finally saying, “Okay…I was just wondering, by any chance…did you happen to…I mean did you and the tool…?
“The ‘tool?’ By the ‘tool,’ I’m assuming you mean James, right? Did me and James what?” she interrupted, still oblivious to what I was getting at.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll just refer to him as the ‘tool,’” I continued.
“Fine, the tool it is. What is it you want to know about me and the tool?”
I hesitated before blurting out, “Okay…did you and the tool, you know…did you sleep with him?”
I couldn’t read her expression right away, but then she shook her head and smiled as she slammed her palms against my shoulder, knocking me off balance and into the water. When I came to the surface I laughed and said, “See, I knew you’d get mad.”
“I’m not mad,” she said as she lowered herself off the side and into the water without answering the question, purposely making me sweat it out.
“So…?” I finally said.
“Well,” she began, “you’re right about one th
ing – it really is none of your business, but in the interest of being honest, I’ll answer by saying that no, I didn’t sleep with the tool nor did I sleep with any of the other guys I went out with this summer. Does that answer your question?”
I’ll admit I was somewhat relieved, but then it dawned on me what she had just said. “Other guys? What other guys? How many were there?”
“A few,” she said, “but I answered your question so now I think we should just drop it.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded, realizing I should leave well enough alone, so instead of saying anything else, I just leaned over and kissed her softly. When I finally pulled away, something suddenly occurred to me so I asked, “Hey, I just realized you haven’t brought up the fact that Ryder is alone with Scott in the basement. I’m surprised you’re not all over that.”
“Well,” she said, “first of all she’s not alone with Scott. Jagger is with them. And second of all, even if they were alone, I have nothing to worry about. I told her on the way home from the lake that if she stayed away from Scott and toned down the flirting, I’d convince my mom to let her come visit me for a weekend down at school, which I know she’s been dying to do.”
“And you think it’ll work?” I asked.
“Oh, I know it’ll work, and if not, she knows Jagger’ll squeal on her anyway.”
“Looks like you’ve got it all figured out,” I said as I hoisted myself back up onto the edge of the pool and then grabbed her hand to pull her up next to me.
We sat there for another few minutes before she said, “So, what do you say we go change into some dry clothes?”
“Yeah, sure, that sounds good” I said. “My stuff’s inside.”
We got up and started drying off with the towels she’d brought out earlier, and then she said, “Hey, I’ve got one more question.”
I looked at her curiously and then smiled and said, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
She hesitated, folding her arms in front of her and squinting her eyes at me, before asking, “Did you really think I was a dork the first time you met me? And before you answer, remember that you just swore you’d never lie to me.”
I put my hands on my hips and my head down so she wouldn’t see the smile on my face. Then I lifted my head, looked her square in the eye and said, “Yes.” But then I added with a smile, “But, if it makes you feel any better, you should know that both Scott and I thought you were definitely a cute dork.”
She stared at me for a moment and then she said, “A cute dork? Yeah, okay, I guess I can live with that.”
She turned then, seemingly satisfied, and I followed her inside.
“You can change upstairs in my room,” she said. Then she unfortunately slipped a t-shirt on over the turquoise bikini as she led me up the stairs. I’ll admit I was dying to get my hands on her, but I had to keep my cool. Really now, I couldn’t just dive on her like some kind of animal – what would she think?
Once we got into her room, I didn’t have much time to mull over my next move because no sooner had she closed the door behind us than she kind of bit her lower lip, and gave me a sort of half-smile.
“What?” I asked, smiling back at her, but I knew that she was thinking the same thing I was. She moved closer until she was standing right in front of me. Then she said, smiling with her eyes cast down, “So…what do you want to do?” As she spoke, she slowly raised her gaze to meet mine.
Still smiling, I wrapped my hands around her slim waist. “Um…I think you can probably guess.”
She giggled, pushed me back onto her bed, and said, “Okay, but we have to be quick. I don’t want Ryder or Jagger to know we were up here.”
“Quick? Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem,” I laughed, then I pulled her down next to me and made short work of the t-shirt covering up the sexy bikini. Once I had her down next to me - minus the t-shirt - I moved myself on top of her, put my hands on either side of her face, and just stared down at her.
It was corny, I knew, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to forget this moment – the moment she was mine again – and then I kissed her, slow at first, but then more urgently until we were both again completely consumed by that incredibly overwhelming passion that we’d once shared.
I reached behind her neck and slowly untied her bathing suit top, causing it to easily slide right off and then…and then…Well, to tell the truth, I’ve kind of matured over the past few months and I no longer kiss and tell, so I guess you’ll just have to use your imagination.
The End.
Epilogue
Grace
One year later . . .
Ever since the night of the concert at the lake, Tanner and I were practically inseparable. He only had two other shows until the tour ended, and after that we were free to do whatever we wanted.
I approached my mom about him coming to visit for a few days, which of course prompted her to start questioning the nature of our “relationship”. I skimmed the surface, basically just telling her that we went out a few times during school after the infamous wedding, but that he had been busy with his band all summer so we hadn’t been able to see each other. She agreed to the visit, and by the time he left it was obvious to both my parents that we were head-over-heels in love. They seemed to be genuinely happy for me.
Tanner also confessed that he’d never gotten around to telling his parents that we’d broken up. “My mom would have been crushed,” was his excuse. I wondered where they thought I’d been all this time, but it seemed that Tanner had told them that I was working a lot when I wasn’t on the tour with him, and apparently they didn’t question him.
We finally made it up to the lake house the weekend before we were to return for the fall semester. His whole family was there, even the kids, and we all had a great time.
Ryder kept her promise the night of the concert and kept her hands off Scott so I worked my hardest at convincing my mom to let her come visit me at school. She finally relented and let her come the weekend after Thanksgiving, but with a list of rules even longer than the one I’d taken to Philly.
Beth and I roomed in the dorms again, but we decided that for our junior year, we’d get an off-campus apartment, much to my mom’s dismay. I explained to her that it’s mostly freshmen in the dorm and that everybody has an apartment by junior year, so after much coaxing on my part, she finally agreed.
Tanner had wanted me to move in with him, but I knew my mom would never have gone for that and besides I stayed there most weekends anyway. Heck, if I lived there full time, I’d never get any schoolwork done, so it was best we kept things the way they were. Still, it was great that he asked, and in the future, who knows?
Beth and Tom’s relationship was getting more serious, and I got the feeling that he was pressing her for more of a commitment since he would be graduating next year. Things had kind of cooled with her and Adam after the whole Gary incident, and I think she was starting to realize how special Tom really was.
When I jokingly asked her if there’d be wedding bells any time in the near future she just smiled and shrugged.
Oh yeah, and I guess you must be wondering whatever happened to Gary. Well, to tell you the truth, nobody seems to know. I mean, he obviously dropped out of school or transferred somewhere else, because no one saw hide nor hair of him the entire year.
The incident with me wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that, and I think the heat was on, so my guess was that he probably figured it best to move on before he became a total pariah.
Tanner stayed with the band. They did another tour this summer, ending it with another concert at Willow Lake. It wasn’t a class reunion or anything like that. It was just a concert, but they still had a huge turnout.
Tanner will be a senior this year, graduating in the spring, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens with us. I know he’ll want to pursue his music, a
nd who knows where that will take him? Us?
So, for the time being, we’re just enjoying spending our days together and trying not to think that far ahead. Who knows what the future has in store for us, but all I know is that whatever it is, we’ll definitely be in it together because together…well…together is my favorite place to be.
Tanner
One year later . . .
I’ve been on a high ever since the night Grace and I got back together – no really, I have. The whole year was great. We spent just about every weekend together, and she came to almost all of our shows.
I was a little disappointed when Grace announced that she’d be living with Beth. I was also a little shocked that I’d asked her in the first place. Anyway, she seemed to think that she’d never get any school work done what with all the hot sex I’d be distracting her with. I guess she had a point.
I never did tell my parents about our break-up, and even though I think they may have suspected it, they never said anything. They were as crazy about Grace as I was, and my nephews – well, what can I say? – the little guys have great taste.
I’m headed into my senior year this fall, which means graduation is just around the corner – hard to believe, right? Cole approached me about an internship for the summer after graduation…it’s with some music industry guys he knows in California. It sounds like a great opportunity, but I don’t know – California?
It’s hard to believe the changes I’ve been through the last few years. If anyone had told me a few years ago that I’d be settled down with a girlfriend that I loved and getting ready to graduate college, I never would have believed them, but it’s true. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s the truth - Grace coming into my life was by far the best thing that ever happened to me.
So, there you have it in the nutshell; the whole story of my journey from classic asshole to decent guy – what a trip! And speaking of decent guys, Scott turned out to be one of the best of them. That guy’s got more layers to him than a Spanish onion. Every time I think I’ve got him figured out, he surprises me with something new, so after a while I decided to just give up trying to figure him out. I always thought between the two of us that I was the more complicated one, but as it turns out it’s not even close. For now, though, I’m going to just let that rest, because Scott’s life…man…that’s a story for a whole other day.