“Nothing important.”
“He sure made it seem important.”
“It’s nothing. Really. He just worries about smoking weed at concerts and wants to make sure I don’t,” I supplied and smiled at my quick thinking.
“He doesn’t need to worry about that. I don’t smoke, but we can drink, and if he’s worried about me drinking and driving, I have a surprise for you.” As he held the outside door leading to the sidewalk open, I walked through, my eyes widening in amazement at the sight of the limo parked at the curb, complete with the driver standing by its open door. “Our ride,” Alex grinned as he splayed his hand out toward the black, shiny car.
“A limo? Yeah, I guess there’s no worries about driving.”
“It’s the only way to go to a concert. No parking to worry about, and no worries about getting home.”
Classy, I thought and shook my head at all the bad things Ash had said about Alex. Boy was he wrong.
We sipped champagne on the way to the Shoreline and nibbled on crackers and cheese. It was a good thing he’d thought to bring something to eat since I’d forgotten all about food before leaving.
Alex and I ended up sitting in the “real seats” underneath the canopy. They were great, actually—two rows back from the stage. Maroon Five and Adam Levine were stupendous. They even had heaters above us so I wasn’t cold at all. But it seemed like everything reminded me of Asher. I couldn’t get him out of my head. Especially the way he’d stood at his door, watching us leave as if it were the last time he’d ever see me. I hated that look on his face.
“Oh, God, Alex, that was so freakintastic!” I said as we piled into the limo.
“I know. Adam’s such a great performer,” he agreed. “Want some more champagne?” He held up the unfinished bottle we’d started on our way to the concert.
“No. I think I’ve had enough.” On top of the glass I’d had on the way to the show, I’d had two more glasses of wine during the concert. I wasn’t in the mood to get drunk with the prospect of Asher waking me up so early, and knowing him, he was probably waiting up to see what time I came home. God, why did he have to make such a big deal out of this? Just as I had that thought, Alex leaned in and kissed me. His tongue darted in between my lips before I even had a chance to get to know how his mouth felt against mine. I pulled back a bit, but he held on so tight I couldn’t break the seal. All I could think about was when Asher had kissed me the first time and how caring he’d been, how soft his lips felt, how tender and gentle he was when his tongue had entered my mouth. Alex was the complete opposite. He was hard and demanding and I wasn’t ready for that.
I finally freed myself from his mouth and shoved him back. Not too hard, but enough so that I could breathe. He smiled at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I…ah…I just didn’t expect that so quickly.” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to kiss him again. All my plans to have sex with him had vanished the minute his tongue assaulted my mouth.
“That wasn’t quick. I’ve waited all night to kiss you.” He leaned in again for another kiss, but I turned my head and his lips landed on my cheek. “Okay. Something’s wrong.”
“I’m sorry. Alex. I thought I wanted this. I thought…I just can’t. The concert was fantastic and I thank you for taking me, but…I’m not going to sleep with you.” There. I said it.
He laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You.” He sat back in the seat and lifted the bottle of champagne out of the holder, pouring some into one of the flutes. Then guzzled in down.
“Why do you find this so funny?”
“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” he said matter-of-factly. I blinked.
“I…ah…”
“Forget it. You don’t need to answer that. I already know.”
“Why do you say that?” I was curious as to why he thought I was a virgin, not that I was going to tell him anything now.
“I knew the minute I started kissing you.”
“I kiss like a virgin?”
“Yep.”
“And how does a virgin kiss?”
“You know, timid. Not knowing what to do with your tongue and not a lot of feeling, as if you don’t know how to react.” What? Now I was pissed. How dare he say that?
“Maybe I just didn’t want to be kissed. Did you ever think of that?”
“No. I don’t think that’s it.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been with a lot of women. You’ve seen me around the club. Women go out with me because of my reputation. You knew that.”
I did. Only because Asher had told me, but I wasn’t about to tell Alex that. “I do now.” I couldn’t believe he was actually admitting to being a man whore.
“Oh come on, Melody. You knew what I wanted. You’ve been flirting and flaunting yourself at my dick ever since the first time our eyes locked. I’ve wanted you for a while now. We can fuck right here. I’ve heard it’s very erotic in the back of a limo.”
I blinked at the gauche way he’d said, “fuck.” It wasn’t sexy, not the way it was when Asher said it. “You’re unbelievable.”
“So, what do you say? Are we going to fuck or not?”
I was shocked at this man sitting beside me. What happened to the nice, kind guy I’d started the evening with? I shook my head. I was too dumbfounded to answer.
“So, you are a virgin?” He grinned. “It’s okay, you don’t need to be embarrassed.”
I was appalled at how he’d mistaken my stunned stare for embarrassment.
“Everyone starts out that way. It’s not like a disease or anything. You can tell me.”
I finally found my voice. “You know what, Alex? I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. It’s something you’ll never find out.” I had really wanted Asher to be wrong about Alex. “The concert was great. Thanks again for taking me, but now, I think you should just take me home.” I inched away from him toward the corner of the leather bench seat. If I could have gone farther, I would have. I clutched my coat tightly closed in my fist and held it there.
“Suit yourself.” He knocked on the barrier between the driver and us, and I watched the window slide open. “You can head back to North Beach.”
“Will do,” the driver said, and the window went back up.
“I had you pegged wrong, Mel. But you don’t need to be afraid. Loosen up. I’m not going to force myself on you. I may like a variety of women, but I’m not a creep.”
That was a matter of opinion. However, relief coated my mind that he wouldn’t force me to do something I didn’t want to do, but I couldn’t relax. I wouldn’t until I was back in my own apartment. Alone.
When we pulled up to my building, I reached for the door handle, but Alex was already on it. He opened the door for me, and I stepped out of the limo.
“Mel.” I turned toward him. He’d stayed inside, sitting on the seat. “No hard feelings. Okay?”
I nodded and went inside. I tiptoed up the stairs, not wanting Asher to hear me come home. I didn’t want him to know he’d been right about Alex all along. To my relief, I managed to get inside without him noticing. I slipped out of my coat and headed to my room. The apartment was dark, and I left it that way, finding my way to my room by the moonlight. Erica must have either been out or she had gone to bed already. I took off my clothes and hung them over a chair. I was too tired to be neat. I slipped into my purple, comfy pajama pants and pulled out a plain white t-shirt from my drawer, shrugging it over my head as I stepped into the bathroom. I washed my face and as I rubbed the towel across it to dry it, I eyed my birth control pills. Shit. I still hadn’t taken the one from the morning so I popped one in my mouth and swallowed it. I’d skipped before, and my period had remained very minuscule, to the point of being non-existent, so I wasn’t concerned about being a little late taking it this time.
I hopped into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. There was a chill i
n the air, not only outside but also in my head as I thought about all the time I’d wasted thinking Alex was something to get excited about. I stared at the ceiling. I still couldn’t believe how awful the evening had ended. I never wanted to see Alex Clayton again, except I knew I would. I knew he’d be back in the club, flaunting the next bimbo on his arm, but at least I hadn’t given him what he’d wanted. I had no reason to concern myself with the way he acted going forward. I grabbed my phone to see if I had any missed calls. Not one. I was glad Asher hadn’t tried to call me. I turned my phone off so I wouldn’t hear it ring in the morning. I did not want to get up at six o’clock. I’m sure that was just Asher’s way of saying I’d better be home and not at Alex’s. Well, he needn’t worry about that. If he couldn’t call me in the morning, I was sure he’d take the hint and go without me. He’d never knock on the door that early knowing that he might wake up Erica.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Asher
My phone vibrated, buzzing loudly in my ear. I opened my eyes. It was still dark outside. I grabbed for my phone and noticed it was eleven forty-three at night. I didn’t recognize the number. Who would be calling me at this hour? I thought of Mel being in trouble somewhere. I sat up, swiping the answer button and held the phone to my head.
“Hello?”
“Asher.”
“Karen?” It was Mel’s mom and she was crying. Oh no, something awful had happened. “What’s wrong? Is Mel okay?”
“I can’t reach her. She isn’t answering her phone. Do you know where she is?”
“I…uh…”
“It’s Teddy, Ash. The police just called me. He’s…he was in an accident. They said he died,” she sobbed into the phone.
I couldn’t speak. My throat constricted and I couldn’t utter a sound. Surely I’d misunderstood her.
“Asher? Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I…” I didn’t know what to say? What she was saying just didn’t compute. My other best friend was dead? “What…how…are they sure?”
“I have to go identify the body. But they’re pretty positive.” It was difficult to understand her through the sobs. “The police are here now and they’re going to take me. Asher, Melody had a date tonight, and now I can’t reach her. I’m worried about her. I need you to find her and meet me at the hospital. Down at the…” Her speech was broken and difficult to understand through her sobs.
She stopped, and a couple of seconds later a different woman spoke into the phone. “Hello. This is Detective Wilson. Mrs. Stevens is having a difficult time as I’m sure you understand. Could you meet her at the city morgue with her daughter?”
“In San Francisco?”
“Yes, sir. That’s where they’ve taken the deceased.”
“But, that’s not possible. He was supposed to have gone back to Phoenix two days ago.”
“I’m sorry. Mr….”
“Beaumont.”
“Mr. Beaumont. I’m sorry for your loss, but we are fairly certain that the deceased is Theodore Owen Stevens. The accident took place at nine fifteen this evening on the corner of Taylor and Bush Street. A hit and run. The driver of the truck that rammed into the side of Mr. Stevens’ car is unknown at this time. Please meet Mrs. Stevens on the first floor in the lobby waiting room. We will be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
“Asher?” Karen was back on the phone. “Please find my daughter.”
“I will. We’ll meet you there as soon as we can. Don’t worry.”
The call ended, and I stared blankly at the phone through blurry eyes as I swiped the tears that dripped down my cheeks. Ted was dead?
I had to go find Mel. I dialed her cell and it went straight to voicemail. Why wasn’t she answering her phone? Thoughts of her discarded in some back street alley after being forced to walk home in the middle of the fucking night without a working cell phone invaded my mind. I grabbed my jeans from the chair I’d put them on and quickly tugged them up, then shrugged into a t-shirt I quickly snatched out of my drawer. I swiped my jacket off the hook and stuck my wallet in my pocket. I grabbed my keys and hurried over to Mel’s apartment. I knocked.
No one answered. I knocked again, but there was still no answer. So, I did what any concerned best friend would do and pounded my fist on the door until it slowly opened. Mel stood just inside, and Erica walked out of her room, rubbing her eyes.
“What the fuck is going on?” Erica asked. “Why are you pounding on the door so late, Asher?”
“Sorry,” I said to Erica. She waved her arm and headed back to her room. Mel stood with her hand on her hip. “Mel, I need to talk to you. You weren’t answering your phone.”
“I turned it off so you wouldn’t wake me up at six, and here you are anyway and it’s not even morning yet.” She waved me away and started to head back to her bedroom. “Asher, if this is about Alex, I don’t want to talk to you. It’s none of your business. Go home.”
“It’s not about Alex,” I croaked out, unable to contain my pain at what I had to tell her, tears flowed down my face.
“What then?” She slowly turned to look at me. “You’re crying?”
“Your mom just called me because you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Asher, what happened?”
“It’s Ted.”
Her eyes glossed over with tears before I’d even finished the sentence. God, how did I tell her? “He was in an accident. He’s…I’m sorry, Mel. He didn’t make it.”
“What are you saying?” Her voice shook with the threat of sobs, but she held steady.
“Teddy died tonight. It was a hit and run close by that hotel he was staying at.”
“No.” She shook her head. “That’s impossible. He went back to Phoenix. He said he had to go back. You heard him. It can’t be him. They’ve made a mistake. Tell them they made a mistake, Asher!” she shouted, and Erica came back out from her room.
She hurried over to us and draped her arm around Mel. “Come on, sweetie. Come sit down.” Erica coaxed her over to the sofa.
“No. I don’t want to sit down.”
“Mel, we need to go meet your mom.”
“My mom?”
Erica went to the kitchen, grabbed a glass, and filled it with water from the fridge. She brought it back to me. “Thanks.” I took a much-needed sip then shoved it into Mel’s hand. She took it but didn’t drink.
“Your mom needs you. She needs us to meet her at the…” I didn’t want to say it. “…at the place where they have him.”
She didn’t look at me. “This is not happening. This can’t be happening.”
“We need to leave now, Mel. Your mom is waiting for us.”
“I’ll drive,” Erica said.
I gave Erica a very grateful God-have-mercy-look. “Thank you.”
“Okay. We’ll go, and you’ll see. It’s not him. It can’t be him.”
I wasn’t about to argue with Melody. I hoped to God she was right.” I helped Mel up and steered her to her room so she could get dressed. I waited at the door while she pulled on some pants and then a bra before shrugging back into the t-shirt she’d been wearing. She moved slowly, like a robot. As if someone had programmed the motions into her body. Her mind was clearly somewhere else.
Erica pulled up to the curb in front of the morgue. “I’ll go park the car and wait for you in the waiting room.”
I held Mel up, my arm around her waist. She hadn’t said a word the entire ride over. Actually, no one spoke. We were all too stunned and sad to carry on a conversation. Even Erica knew Teddy, and I’m sure she was affected by what had happened, as well. Mel didn’t cry, not completely, and it surprised me, but I guessed she hadn’t accepted the fact that her brother was gone.
Mel ran to her mother, whose arms were out and ready. “Mom, they must be wrong. Teddy went back to Phoenix.”
Karen swiped at her tear-stained cheeks, her eyes red and glossy. “No, baby. The police are positive it�
��s Teddy.”
“I want to see him, Mom. I need to see him. I need to show you it’s not him.”
“Okay, honey. We’ll go in together. The three of us.” Karen looked at me as she grabbed my hand, and I nodded.
We followed the officer and another man wearing a white coat into a room. It was cold and smelled of antiseptic. And death. We walked up to a table with a thick, black plastic, zippered bag that I assumed held my best friend inside it. The man looked up at us.
“Ready?”
Karen nodded, and he unzipped the bag, revealing a bruised and broken, pasty-white Ted. Mel’s knees gave out and I caught her before she slid all the way to the floor. I had to grab the edge of the table to steady us both because my legs wanted to buckle along with hers. Her mom leaned in and wrapped her arms around us, holding on as we all cried.
Erica was kind and offered to drive Mel’s mom home, and Karen offered to make us all something to eat. I knew she’d want the company, and Mel was borderline comatose and went or did whatever anyone told her to do, so I nodded. “That sounds great. Thanks.”
As we entered her house, the phone rang. Karen hurried over to it. “Hello?...Yes, this is she.” There was a long pause as she listened to whomever it was on the other end and she glanced up at us. “Yes. Thank you, Officer.” She placed the phone back in the cradle. “That was the police. They arrested the person who ran in to Ted’s car.”
“Who was it?” I asked and waited for her to give us more information.
“His name is Brandon Drake. He fled the scene on foot after his truck plowed into Ted. He’d been drinking. They said he’s only sixteen and got scared, so he ran. After checking the registration of the truck, the police found him in his bedroom at his parent’s house not too far from the accident.” Karen swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. “That poor boy will have to live with that for the rest of his life.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Melody
“It had to rain today,” Ash said. “Why does it always rain when there is a funeral?”
I shook my head as I stared at the stained glass window in the church. Of course, I couldn’t see the rain through the thick, colored panes, but I knew it was out there. Pounding to the ground, reminding us what a fucked up world we lived in where we couldn’t even mourn our loved ones in the comfort of a beautiful day without the sky opening up, reminding us just how vulnerable we really were. Or perhaps, as I liked to think, maybe the angels were crying along with us because my big brother had been taken from the world way before he was supposed to be.
Beautifully Undone (The Beaumont Brothers #3) Page 7