Taming the Whirlwind

by L. M. Heidle

  I finally found my voice, “No, don’t sit down. You two are being ridiculous. Again. I want both of you out right now!”

  “Gel.”

  “Liz.”

  “No, both of you out of here right now! I don’t want to see either of you until you’ve grown up!” I stormed off to my room and slammed the door. I heard Brent yell down the hall that he would call me later.

  There was a soft knock on my door five minutes later. Meg didn’t wait for an answer. She came in to find me lying in bed, crying. She didn’t say anything. She just crawled in beside me and held me. After the tears finally stopped, I sat up.

  “Why do guys have to be such jerks?”

  She laughed silently, “Because they’re men. Both of those guys want you and are willing to fight for you.”

  “Honestly, I don’t think it really has anything to do with me. I think it’s just their stupid male egos. It’s like I’m a toy that two children are fighting over. Neither of them know what they want.”

  “I wish I knew what to tell you. Whether you believe me or not, I’m pretty sure they both love you. Kade doesn’t know what to do. Brent is… well he’s Brent. They both know the other is interested so it’s going to cause a few issues.”

  “What do I do here? Last night when Kade and I danced, it was heaven. No one else existed besides the two of us but when the song was over, so was the peace. On the other side, when Brent kissed me, I didn’t feel the same spark I felt when Kade kissed me. The kiss was just comfortable.”

  “Brent kissed you? Why are you just telling me this now?” Of course, that’s the only part she heard.

  “Maybe because you got home five minutes before our living room turned into fight club.”

  “True. Lizzy, like I said, I can’t tell you what to do. Maybe you should ignore them both for a while until you figure things out.”

  “Ha, like they would let that happen. They’re both stubborn, possessive men without half a brain between them sometimes.” She started giggling which made me start. Before I knew it, we were laughing hysterically.

  Two hours after the fight, my cell phone rang. At the same time, there was a knock on the door. Meg looked at me. “I’ll give you one guess who is at the door and one for who is calling.”

  I didn’t want to answer either one of them but I knew if I didn’t answer, I would get no peace. I mouthed for Meg to get the door while I answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Liz, I’m so sorry about this morning. I don’t know what came over me. I just see red when I’m around him. Can I please come over so we can talk?”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Not right now, Brent. I need some time to think. I’ll call you later, okay?”

  He sounded sad when he spoke, “Okay Liz. Don’t hate me. I am sorry. I’ll talk to you later.” He didn’t give me a chance to reply before he hung up. I took a deep breath and made my way down the hall to deal with problem number two.

  The look on his face surprised me. I figured his usual stoic look would be covering his features. To my shock, he looked a little sad. When he saw me, he rushed over to me and engulfed me in his arms. I stood stock still for a minute. I hadn’t expected this.

  “Liz, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what that was. I came over to talk to you, but when he opened the door shirtless, I lost it.”

  “I couldn’t tell that,” I deadpanned. “Kade, what did you come over here for?”

  “For this.” He put a hand on either side of my face then leaned in to kiss me. His lips were so soft as he kissed me tenderly. I felt the spark that was missing from Brent’s kiss instantly. It was like firecrackers were going off. He must have felt it too because he pulled me closer as he deepened the kiss, making me sigh. He pulled away way too soon for my liking.

  I looked up at him; his eyes were a deep mesmerizing blue. Neither one of us spoke for the longest time; we just stared into each other’s eyes. I broke the silence first, “What was that for, Kade?”

  “I have wanted to do that for so long. When I saw him kissing you last night, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to feel your lips on mine again.” The blissful moment just took a nosedive.

  “You came over here to kiss me because you saw him kiss me?” I was furious. Was this some game to them? I pushed away from him.

  “No, not exactly. I’ve been fighting the urge to kiss you every day since the last time we kissed. It took all the control I had not to. I couldn’t sleep last night because all I could see was you two kissing. I was so jealous of him; he was doing exactly what I wanted. All the reasons I had for not kissing you seemed irrelevant, so I rushed over here this morning to wrap you in my arms and kiss you.”

  I didn’t know what to say. On one hand, I was flattered that he was dying to kiss me but on the other, I was still pissed. It had taken Brent kissing me before he decided to. Could this day get any more confusing?

  He pulled me back into his arms and leaned his forehead against mine. We stood like that for several minutes until he sighed. “Liz, I don’t know what to do. I know it’s probably better that we walk away but you’re all I think about, all I dream about. You have turned my world upside down in such a short time.”

  It took a moment before I could speak because this was going to hurt. “Kade, you just answered your question. If you’re struggling with the decision this much, then you aren’t ready. I need someone who is going to fight for me.” He smirked at me. “You guys are fighting with each other because you don’t want the other to have me. You aren’t fighting for me. Fighting for someone doesn’t always mean physically. I want someone who will do whatever it takes, which includes letting me in emotionally. You can’t do that, so what’s the point of trying?”

  “I’m not ready to let you go, Liz.”

  “I’m not really yours to let go, am I?” He nodded and stared into my eyes. He leaned down to kiss me goodbye, but this kiss wasn’t as soft as the last one. This one started out deep and determined. The intensity of the kiss sent shivers throughout my entire body and I gripped his shirt with both hands to keep from falling. He grabbed my thighs to lift me up and I wrapped my legs around him.

  He started towards my room when I pulled my head back, “Kade, stop. We can’t do this.”

  “Liz, I just…”

  “Kade, don’t. You don’t need to say anything.” He nodded before setting me down. He didn’t say anything as he turned and walked out of the door.

  I stood staring at the door, half expecting him to come back through it until Meg wrapped her arms around my waist. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, I will be.” I hoped. “Now, what am I going to do about Brent? I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but he has a chance to stay here for a couple of months.”

  “I don’t know if it helps or not, but I’m not so sure things are over between you two.”

  “Nope, doesn’t help at all.”

  “Okay, moving on then. Now, Brent could be a sticky situation. Brent is a definite irritation for Kade. That could work in your favor to push Kade, or it could work against it and they would just fight again.”

  “Forget Kade right now. He is out of the equation as far as I’m concerned. I think Brent wants more. He asked me how I felt about him moving up here for a while. I just told him that he would learn to love the city. He told me he already has, but the way he said it made me think he was talking about more than the city.”

  “Well, duh, Liz. He has loved you since high school. I could’ve told you that. The question is do you want to be with him again?”

  “I don’t know. I still love him, but I think it’s more like I love him but I’m just not in love with him, if that makes sense. He’s comfortable, which is nice and safe. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m just not sure I want only comfortable.”

  “It makes perfect sense. When he kissed you, did you feel anything?”

  I shook my head no. “It brought up old memories and the love we once shar
ed, but that was it. Is it all sparks and passion with you and Derrick, or am I wanting too much?”

  “Yes, there’s sparks and passion between us. He may be the one.”

  “That’s awesome, Meg! He seems like a great guy. You can thank me later.”

  “Ha, ha very funny. We can talk about my happiness in a minute. We need to get back to the soap opera here. I wouldn’t say necessarily you’re asking for too much, but you have to realize it’s never going to be like Kade. I have seen the way he kisses you and I felt the sparks. It was hot, like super-hot. Like so hot that anyone within ten feet of you two automatically gets horny. I can only imagine how it felt to you, but you can’t compare every kiss to that one. If you do, you won’t date anyone.”

  I knew she was right. There was never going to be another Kade. I needed to accept that. “The question is still, what to do about Brent? Just because he’s moving here for two months doesn’t mean he’ll move here for a lifetime and I’m not moving back. So there’s no reason to even start a relationship.”

  “Well, then tell him that.” She handed me my cell phone. “I’ll be in my room when you’re done.”

  I took a deep breath and dialed Brent’s number. Of course, he answered on the first ring. “Liz hey, hello. I thought you weren’t going to call.”

  “Brent, I told you I would.”

  “I know, I know, but after the way I behaved, I wouldn’t blame you for never talking to me again.”

  “You mean how you behaved like a typically irrational pain-in-the-butt male?”

  “You better be joking right now. Can I come over? I need to talk to you.” I didn’t want to have to deal with what he was going to say if it was more than friends, but I guess it was better to get it over with now. “That’s fine. I’ll let the front desk know.”

  He knocked on our door fifteen minutes later. “Hey, Brent. You got here fast.”

  He bent over to catch his breath. “Yeah, I decided running would be faster than a cab. I wanted to get here before you changed your mind about talking to me.” I smacked his shoulder.

  “You’re so dumb sometimes. I told you I would talk to you. Go sit on the couch before you pass out and I’ll get you some water.” I made it back with the water just as he was sitting down. “Looks like you’re a little outta shape.”

  “You could say that. I haven’t run that much since high school. Anyways, I decided to stay in New York to help my aunt.”

  “I’m sure she…” He cut me off with a finger to my mouth.

  “Yeah, yeah she’ll love it. That’s not the only reason I stayed.” Here it comes. “I wanted to see if you and I had anything left. I’ve missed you so much. I always compare anyone I dated to you and none of them came close. The kiss last night wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but I don’t think that means that much. It’s been a long time and maybe we just need to get to know each other again to get the passion back.”

  His point was logical but that was the problem: who wants logical in their love life? He was staring at me, waiting for an answer and I had none. Maybe we could be friends and see if that developed into something more. “Brent, I don’t know what to say. Have you thought that maybe our time as a couple is over and we’re just supposed to be friends?” He started shaking his head no before I finished. “Brent, I think maybe it is. Nothing has changed with where I want to live and I don’t think you’re ready to move here full time, so really, what would the point be? I would still love to hang out with you while you’re here though. It’s been a blast catching up with you again.”

  “The moving thing would have to be discussed, but in all honesty, I love it here so far. I started to speak before he cut me off. “Fine. For right now, we can do the friend thing but I’m going to try and make it more.”

  I was too tired to argue. “Whatever, Brent. I’m tired so I’m going to kick you out.”

  “Kicking out a friend? That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?” We both stood up to walk to the door. I leaned in to give him a hug, but he gave me a quick peck on the mouth. Then he shut the door. Great…what had I just got myself into?

  I opened Meg’s door to tell her what just happened, but she had her phone to her ear. She smiled and mouthed ‘Derrick’ like I hadn’t already guessed that. I mouthed back that I was going to bed, and she put her thumb in the air. Who would have thought Meg’s love life would be going so well when mine was spiraling out of control?

  I crawled into bed, praying that I could get actual sleep tonight to erase the stress of this weekend.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Monday, September 16

  Thankfully, I had a dreamless night and got some sleep. Today was going to be stressful enough, having to see Kade and knowing that it was officially over between us—or I guess I should say officially over between us again. I was hoping that it could still be a good day. Meg was already in the kitchen when I got there. She handed me my coffee and page six of the paper. Page six was notorious for its gossip. I stared at the page, and the possibility of a good day flew out the window. It had a large picture of Kade and me dancing intimately. He was holding me close with my head on his chest and his cheek against the top of my head. They had question marks going from that picture to one of Brent and me. On the other side same thing except it was of Kade and Grazia. The whole thing looked like a triangle with the heading, ‘Love Triangle? We think so.’

  I swung around to Meg, who was watching me carefully. My mouth dropped open. I opened and shut it twice before I could finally say anything. “ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Why can’t life be simple for me? Just one day? Is that too much to ask for?” I put my head in my hands and ran them down my face; this was going to be horrible. I had a feeling the paparazzi at the event were nothing compared to what they were going to be.

  Meg finally spoke after I was done ranting, “Well, at least you look beautiful in both pictures. I bet Grazia is going to be pissed; she looks horrible.”

  “Really? That’s all you have to say? She looks horrible?”

  “Calm down! I was just trying to make you laugh, although it’s true. You and Kade couldn’t look more in love if you tried.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what I need: for us to look in love. They will never let the story go if they think there’s anything.”

  “I know; that’s why I wanted to give you a heads up. I snuck out this morning and picked the paper up. It actually ran yesterday too but it only mentioned you guys. It didn’t have any pictures. I was going to tell you, but your day was already horrible enough and I didn’t want to add any more stress.”

  “What am I going to do?” Just then my phone rang. “Hey Brent. Yes, I saw the article. Well, I’m glad somebody is happy about it,” I grumbled. I hung up with him before his excitement pissed me off even more. This was horrible; I wanted to go back to bed and never get out. I wonder if I can do physical therapy via the Internet.

  “Liz, stop freaking out. I’m sure it’s not going to be a big deal. It’ll blow over in a couple of days. They won’t see you two together again and they’ll move on to another story. Trust me. It’ll all be okay. Now, get your butt to work.” I frowned because I knew she was full of crap but I couldn’t miss work.

  As I was walking out the door, my phone rang. The caller ID said it was Kade. I was guessing he saw the article. I hadn’t even thought about his reaction. I bet he was furious. I just hoped it wasn’t at me. He couldn’t be mad at me, right? I didn’t do anything but then again with that man, I never knew what to think.

  I answered the phone, waiting to get an earful, “Kade? Hello.”

  “Liz, I’m glad I caught you. We need to talk.” He sounded determined as usual.

  “I’m guessing this call has to do with the article.”

  “I’m so sorry. You were right. No matter how wonderful it was, we should never have danced. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you until this goes away.”

  “Protect me?”

  “Yes, paparazzi will go to
dangerous lengths when it comes to getting a story and unfortunately, we’re the hottest story right now.” I couldn’t speak. “Tony is going to pick you up every day and take you to work until this blows over. No argument. The apartment has a back entrance that you’ll use. You’ll also use the back entrance at Parker Towers. Liz, are you there? Are you listening?” I couldn’t answer. I was still in shock from the word dangerous. “Damn it, Liz, talk to me. Did you hear what I said?”

  “Ah, yeah, sorry. I’m just in a little shock. What about you, Meg, and Brent?”

  “Brenton can handle himself, I’m sure,” he replied in disdain. “Meg should be fine but I’ll arrange for a car to pick her up too. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m used to this crap.” I nodded like he could see me. “It’ll be okay. I promise you. Wait for Tony, no arguing.”

  “Kade, are you sure it’s smart to have your driver driving me around? Won’t that fuel the story? I’m sure I’ll be fine walking.”

  “I won’t compromise on this. Don’t argue; JUST DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD!” As I started to protest, he hung up. I thought about being a bitch and completely ignoring his demands, but he was only looking out for me.

  I turned around and walked back into the apartment to tell Meg about the new arrangements. Before I could say anything, she said, “I already know. He just called me. I’m sorry this is happening to you, but getting chauffeured around rocks.”

  “Yeah, it’s so great. Too bad I didn’t think of doing this sooner,” I replied sarcastically.

  “What would you say if I became the inside source for my job? I mean, I wouldn’t talk about super personal stuff, just give them a little. It would help my career.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me right now? How could you even think I would be okay with that? I’m sorry that my love life can’t help you get ahead.” How dare she? Some friend!

  “Calm down, Liz. I was just joking. There is no way I would do that. I can’t believe you would even think I would!”