HIM

by J. M. Elliott

  My phone buzzes. Ris's name and text message flash across the top of my screen.

  I just woke up. I'm packing up my shit and will be on my way to see you soon!! *smiley face blowing a kiss emoji

  It's before ten; I'm so proud of you! Drive safe, see you soon.

  I reply.

  I am proud; she never gets up this early when she doesn't have to work. I hope the day doesn't go by slow now that I'm waiting for her arrival. I scroll through my messages and see that I have a few unopened ones from Troy. I'm sure they're just his usual, "Good Morning and Good Night" texts.

  Good Morning, beautiful!

  Are you mad at me? I know you're dealing with a lot, but you've barely talked to me all week.

  Ali?

  Talk to me, please.

  Goodnight. I miss you.

  All sent by him yesterday. I don't know what to say to him. I need to talk to him about what is going on but not over a text, and every time I'm sort of free to speak, I'm with Luke. I need to tell Luke about Troy, now that he told me he likes me, he deserves to know.

  I give Troy a quick reply before diving back into my list of invoices. I should at least ease his mind until I can figure out a good time to talk to him.

  Morning! I'm not mad at you. I have a lot going on that you wouldn't quite understand. I will tell you everything when I see you next. Have a good weekend!

  He replies almost instantly, but I stay focused on the invoices. I think I am doing them correctly. It's nice that I don't have to print off too many to send through snail mail because most are delivered electronically through email. I finish the invoices that Maureen left and grab the mail from the pile on the basket in her desk corner. I open them, scan, and file them. I separate the client invoices and the bills for the shop. She can show me what to do with these on Monday.

  Luke pops his head in the door. I love it when he does that.

  "Hi, handsome!" I say with a smile.

  "Hey, beautiful. Ernie, Jason, and Austin just left for the cabin. Where do you want to do lunch today?" he asks.

  I look at the clock; it's noon, already.

  "Um... I was thinking about working through lunch since Ris should be here in a few hours. I need to leave early to finish packing." I reply.

  "Do you mind if I go to Mary's with the guys then?" he asks.

  Can he get any hotter? He's asking for my permission to eat lunch without me. That's so cute! Well, I guess we've had lunch together every day this week, so why not. He looks so sexy today. I love it when he wears his hat backward.

  "Not at all, go with the guys!" I smile.

  He walks over and kisses me on the cheek.

  "Want me to bring you anything back?" he says before leaving Maureen's office.

  "I think I'm good. Thank you, though." I reply.

  Luke leaves, and I continue with what I was doing.

  BEFORE I KNOW IT, I hear a giggle that sounds like Ris's coming from the lobby. I look up, and she is walking across the waiting area with Luke. I check the clock, and it's a little after three. She made great time.I head out to the lobby. Ris and I scream, then hug each other while jumping up and down. I look at Luke, and he's shaking his head laughing.

  "What?" I say to Luke.

  He shrugs his shoulder, lifting his palms to the ceiling, grinning.

  "I see you two have met!" I say to Ris and Luke.

  "Yes, we did!" Ris yells. "He was outside and was nice enough not to make fun of my non-classic car."

  "She drives a goddamn brand-new Mercedes! Those don't fit in around here," Luke laughs.

  He winks at me and tells Ris it was nice to meet her then makes his way back into the shop.

  "Girl, you said he was hot but not that fucking hot. He's gorgeous." Ris says as she hugs me again.

  I love that she's already stamped her seal of approval on him. I was not lying when I told her he was unbelievably attractive. Okay, hot as all fucking hell!

  "I know. I melt into a puddle every time I'm around him," I convey between my teeth.

  I am also not lying here; it's so true. Luke makes me weak in the knees.

  "Fuck, me too. My panties are soaked just by looking at him," she spouts.

  We bust out laughing. Boy, I missed her and her lack of a filter. I bring her into Maureen's office and shut everything down. I let Luke know I'm leaving, and I will see him when he gets off. He tells me not to worry about locking up; he will do it before he leaves.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  At my dad's, I give Ris the tour of the barn before we put our cars in the garage by the house. I help her haul all her bags from her vehicle, four to be exact. She grabs a bag to change her clothes while I can finish packing. She continues to talk about how hot she thinks Luke is and how jealous she is of my find. Ris is gorgeous and draws any guy's attention with her long legs, dishwater blonde hair, big boobs, and bubbly attitude. She’s loud, doesn't give two shits what she says, and always has guys eating out of the palm of her hand. I hope Luke doesn't fall under her spell. Ris knows how I feel about him, so she will turn it down some when it comes to him. I'm sure of that.

  "How does this look?" Ris says.

  She presses her lips together and checks out her ass in my mirror. She does have a nice one! Ris is wearing a super cute romper that accentuates her perfect long legs.

  "That's fucking hot, your legs in that! Mmm, mmm, mmm," I reply as I snap my fingers in front of my face.

  I change out of my jeans and work shirt into a pair of jean shorts and a yellow tube top.

  "How do I look? Besides my pasty skin," I say, laughing.

  Grabbing my boobs, she announces, "The girls are perked right up. Take the bra off to give them more attention!"

  She laughs while raising an eyebrow. Stellar idea, but no! I'm not one to go braless and flaunt my boobs for the world to see.

  "No, I will not go without wearing a bra. I will wear a strapless if anything," I press.

  "You want to get Luke in the mood to fuck you sideways this weekend. Right? Lose the bra!" she shouts.

  "Fine, you win," I grumble as I remove my bra and pack it in my suitcase.

  I hope she's right and it works!

  I leave Ris in my room to admire herself in the mirror, to grab my clothes from the dryer. I can hear mumbles upstairs from the basement. I see Luke talking to Ris when I reach the top of the stairs. She is doing her usual hair whirl on her finger thing to make her seem innocent while begging for attention. Luke doesn't seem to pay much attention to it as he grabs her bags. He looks over at me, and his face lights up.

  "Woah, you look hot!" he says.

  The bra trick worked! Winning!

  "Doesn't she. I told her to ditch the damn bra," Ris boasts

  Way to embarrass me, as usual. She winks at me then gives me the two fingers up to your lips with the tongue wiggling between them gesture when Luke isn't looking. I mouth, "stop" to her, and she laughs.

  "Thanks," I reply, a little embarrassed.

  "I have to run upstairs and grab my bag."

  Luke heads out the door with Ris's three bags. She and I head upstairs to grab my bag and her other one. We get to my room, and Ris grabs my arm.

  "Girl, he did not check me out once. I even flirted and not a darn thing. He is really into you!" Ris beams.

  I smile then finish putting my hair and makeup stuff in my bag. I'm so relieved that Luke didn't pay any attention to Ris or her charm. I know he likes me for sure now and wasn't just saying it in the heat of the moment.

  Ris has a straw floppy hat on and her huge ass, JLo, sunglasses. We hand Luke our bags and follow him out the door; Ris climbs into the back seat of Luke's truck. I run back into the house to grabs my sunglasses and keys. Luke comes behind me. He pushes me up against the wall, planting a soft kiss on my lips, then grabs my breasts from under my tube top. I push him away, point to the door, and tell him to go. He laughs.

  "What? Your tits look amazing right now."

  "Shut up and go!
" I bark at him, giggling.

  We head out of my dad's house, and I lock the door. We walk to Luke's truck; he opens my door and helps me in. As he walks around the front to his side, Ris whispers.

  "He opens fucking doors too. Girl, you better slob on that nob, tonight."

  "Shhhhh!" I laugh as Luke opens his door.

  "Whore!" Ris growls.

  "Skank!" I hiss.

  "Woah, there, ladies. Now simmer down!" Luke chimes in.

  Ris has definitely set the mood for our drive. We head down the driveway, and I look over at Luke. He's looking back at me with his gorgeous smile. He looks equally hot with his black hat backward, tight white t-shirt, colorful board shorts, and globe shoes. They are different than his usual work boot; I normally see him in. He even has shorty socks on that barely peek out under his ankles from his shoes. His sleeve pops nicely with his shirt and the blue, orange, white, and black of his shorts. His tattoos are so captivating. The artist who did them is talented.

  I realize Ris is off doing her usual babble about nothing when Luke interrupts her.

  "We have to stop at the liquor store to get some ice and beer for Ernie. And whatever you two want," he says.

  "We getting’ lit, bitches!" Ris shouts as she dances around in her seat.

  We pull into the liquor store a town over. Ris and I jump out and head inside. We walk around with our basket as we giggle over ridiculous jokes we crack about the different alcohols we pass. Ris puts a bottle of Kinky, Blue UV Vodka, Malibu, and Cherry McGillicuddy's into our basket. Ris likes to party.

  I look down an aisle to see Luke grabbing a few cases of beer and a bottle of Jack Daniels. I walk down by the freezers to grab some Tang, Sprite, and pink lemonade. Luke comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me before grabbing two of the bottles. We walk to the counter, where Ris is standing with her basket, the beer Luke grabbed, and ice.

  "I got it," Luke says as he takes his wallet out to pay for everything.

  We haul it all to his truck, fill his cooler, then head on our way to the cabin.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  We finally make it to the cabin as the sun is about to set. Luke offers to bring everything in, but we help him haul all our stuff. Everyone must be out in front around the fire, getting ready to eat since I do not see anyone inside.

  The A-frame little cabin looks exactly as I remember. It's so cozy and peaceful here. I give Ris a quick tour of the cabin after dropping off our bags in my dad's room. The cabin is small, but it is enough for five people. The open kitchen layout is Ris's favorite because you can sit at the island and look out at the lake. The view is phenomenal. Directly across from the kitchen is a little living room that has a small couch and two recliners. A loft overlooks the kitchen where Jason and I had our sleeping quarters, two bunk beds, and a dresser. A small bathroom separates my dad's and Ernie and Gladys's room on the main floor.

  I tell Ris the real attraction is outside. Luke puts his stuff up in the loft for now because Ris will be bunking with me until Jason decides to steal her away. We all wander outside. The screen tent is set up, as is the volleyball net and other yard games. The firepit is on the opposite side of the yard, surrounded by a few lawn chairs and a picnic table. Jason and Austin are nowhere to be seen, so they must be down by the lake or something. Gladys is in the screen tent, setting up the table for dinner. I am getting hungry just thinking about food.

  "About time you all arrived!" Ernie says, smiling as he walks around the corner carrying a bag of charcoal.

  Luke grabs the bag and follows him over to the grill but winks at me first before he walks away.

  "I love this place! I could live here. You could go naked all day!" Ris shouts.

  She runs and does a cartwheel in the grass. I laugh, then head over to Gladys; Ris follows me.

  "Do you need any help?" I ask.

  "Everything is just about ready. You could grab the napkins off the table by the firepit.

  The flies are terrible today, so we are going to have to eat in here," Gladys replies.

  "This is my roommate, Ris. We work together at Facade," I say as I introduce Ris and Gladys to each other.

  They shake hands then converse about Ris and the city. I head out of the tent over to Luke and Ernie to grab the napkins.

  "What's on the menu?" I ask Ernie.

  He lifts the grill.

  "Shish-kebabs!" he boasts.

  "They look amazing!" I say.

  They do. Red pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper, onion, potato, and steak displayed perfectly across the skewers. Ernie is such an excellent cook. My dad loved everything he made, especially when we were here. I am missing my dad a little now since it's the first time I am here without him. Luke is here; he will help me to not think of my dad too much.

  Luke smiles at me, then he and Ernie continue with their conversation as I head back to Gladys and Ris. I love being here; it was the only place I ever saw my dad relax and be somewhat lazy. I wish he were here right now.

  "Ris want to go down to the lake quick?" I say as I interrupt her and Gladys.

  "Yes, let's finish my tour," she says in excitement.

  We head across the lawn to the stairs to make our way down to the docks. Ris talks about how sweet Gladys is and how much she likes it here already. We get down to the docks, and I show her the boathouse first. Inside is my dad and Ernie's huge pontoon boat, many life jackets, fishing supplies, water toys, and other miscellaneous things.

  I notice that Jason's boat is still in here, but the jet skis are gone. He and Austin must be out on them. We head out of the boathouse, and Ris runs down to our sandy beach on one side of the boathouse. She runs in the water up to her knees.

  "It's cool but feels great," she shouts.

  I smile and sit down on the sand. I cannot help but think about the last time I was here. It was my dad's birthday six years ago. Since I've been away, I selfishly made him visit me for his birthdays, breaking the tradition of spending them here. I am sure it broke his heart, but he would never say so. Why did I become so self-absorbed and make everything about me? I barely came home for him or anyone, and I made my life seem more important than my dad's as well as those two people up there cooking. Now, I am here without my father. I should have made more time for him, for here, to come back home.

  I am released from my little pity party as I hear the jet skis draw closer. I can see Ris bent over, picking shit up from under the water. I wave at Jason as he and Austin park themselves up on the beach. I laugh as both their eyes bug out of their heads when they see Ris. I walk over to her as they make their way towards her.

  "Jason!" I yell while waving.

  He runs over to scoop me up and give me a huge hug. After the recent tension between us, I am glad we are starting off cordial.

  "She's smoking hot!" he whispers in my ear.

  I had expected this reaction from him.

  "I told ya she wasn't ugly," I whisper back, giggling.

  He puts me down and walks over to Ris and introduces himself. Austin introduces himself as well.

  "Let's go play some volleyball until the food's ready," Jason shouts.

  We all make our way to the docks. Ris gives me a big smile then walks off with Jason and Austin as they look overly interested in what she has to say. They need to pick their jaws up off the ground from drooling over her.

  I stop before heading up the stairs and walk to the end of the dock. I sit down on the bench and watch as the sun continues to set over the lake. The view is spectacular right now. It's stunning. My mind goes back to my dad, my selfishness, and how much I miss him. Tears trickle down my cheeks as I look at the water. It is times like these that I miss my dad most. I wish he were here sitting next to me.

  "Ali. You okay?" Luke says from behind me.

  I wipe my face and stand up.

  "Yea. I'm good," I say with a smile.

  Luke knows I'm not and grabs me pulling me into his chest, hugging me tight as he rests his chin on
top of my head. We embrace in silence for a few moments.

  "Dinners ready," Luke says.

  We break free from one another and walk back up to everyone. Luke is leading the way and holding my hand. We reach the top of the hill, and everyone, except for Ernie, is gathered under the tent. Luke grabs my waist, kisses my forehead, then heads over to assist Ernie. I walk into the tent and take a seat right next to Ris, who is already all up in Jason's shit. She is practically sitting on his lap, while Austin looks like he wishes it were his. She's working her Ris magic! Hopefully, it will ease the tension between Jason and Luke, and Jason will be too preoccupied with Ris to care about what I am doing. Ris grabs my hand, smiles at me, then looks back at Jason as if she's way into what he' has to say. Luke and Ernie come in with trays full of shish kebabs. They set them on the table, and Luke takes a seat next to me.

  "It looks delicious," Ris says.

  "Thank you, and thank you for joining us," Ernie replies to her.

  We all dig in. I sit and listen as everyone engages in conversation. Ernie and Gladys talk to Luke about what they have planned for tomorrow. Jason is telling Ris one of his many "I'm the most remarkable humans on the planet" stories. I smile, and for the first time in over a week, I feel like I am finally home.

  Chapter Thirty

  After dinner, I help Gladys clean up. Luke helps Ernie, and Ris goes off with Jason and Austin. We all gather back together around the firepit. Ernie starts to talk about old times up here when Jason and I were little kids. I look over at Luke, standing next to Ernie, laughing at the embarrassing yet silly stories. Those were such simple times when things weren't so complicated.