I was already irritated that I was spending my Saturday afternoon in a study room at the library, working on this stupid group project. Claire and Maya hadn't stopped giggling, Michael hadn't stopped encouraging them, and the three of them were wearing on my last nerve.
"Okay," I said, trying to redirect them. This was like herding cats, and all I wanted to do was go back to my apartment and watch trashy TV in my sweats. The three of them looked at me in surprise, like they had forgotten I was there until I spoke. I pitched my idea for how to present our work to the class. Claire and Maya shrugged and said it sounded fine.
"I have an idea too," Michael piped up. I glared at him. He ignored me and continued on with his idea and when he was finished, Maya spoke.
"I just love that idea!" she gushed, and Claire agreed. I was seething. In the long run, it didn't fucking matter, but why did this have to be a competition again? In my head, I was kicking Michael in the balls so hard that he flew all the way back to wherever the fuck it was he had been attending school before he came here to ruin my life.
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "I don't care." We divided up some responsibilities for the next week and I threw my stuff in my backpack and stalked out.
I was speed walking across campus when a jogging Michael caught up to me. "Where's the fire?" he asked, as he slowed to a fast walk to match my pace.
"Fuck off," I snapped.
"It's just a group project, Kins," he said, as he pulled open the door to our building.
I stormed past him and said, "I told you not to call me that." He lived on the first floor and Kate and I lived on the third, so I was surprised and irritated when he began to follow me up the stairs. "Seriously, Michael, leave me alone."
"I won't," he replied. I stopped short in the middle of the stairs, causing him to run into me. I spun around and glared at him. "This is ridiculous," he continued. "We're going to be working together all semester, so you need to do whatever you need to do so you can stop being such a raging bitch to me." I gaped at him for a second before whirling back around and stomping up the rest of the stairs two at a time.
He was still behind me when I got to my apartment. I shoved my key towards the lock but I was so angry that I was shaking and I missed. I dropped my entire key chain on the ground. I swore and kicked the wall as Michael bent to pick it up and unlocked my door for me. He handed the keys back to me, and then we were kissing. I don't know if he kissed me or if I kissed him, but it didn't matter.
I was thankful that Kate had gone home to Boulder for the weekend as we stumbled inside and shut the door. We didn't even make it past the couch, tumbling onto it while we pulled off our backpacks and pants. There was no foreplay necessary and I groaned as he pushed roughly into me. "Ohh, fuck," I breathed as he ground his hips against mine. I dug my fingers into his arms and turned my head to the side as his lips found my neck.
We were a sweaty mass of tangled limbs when we were done. I was breathing hard, still pissed, and completely blown away and confused by the fabulous sex we'd just had. "Still hate me?" he asked softly near my ear after he had caught his breath.
"I'll always hate you," I growled back.
"Even when I do this?" he asked. I gasped as his hand slid between us and stroked between my legs. I couldn't help but close my eyes and moan softly as his fingers moved against me.
"Even when you do that," I managed. He started to withdraw his hand but I gripped his wrist. "Don't stop," I pleaded.
"Tell me you don't hate me, and I'll finish what I started," he baited me, as he let his fingers brush my inner thigh.
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "I don't hate you." I was pissed at this admission (because it was true, at least at this moment), but I needed his fingers against me again. I sighed in relief when they returned. I came amazingly quickly--certainly faster than I ever had before.
I let my head drop to the side while I caught my breath, then I squirmed out from under Michael and reached for my pants. "Can I take you out to dinner?" he asked, surprising me.
I stood and yanked my pants up. "No," I replied, turning to walk down the hall to the bathroom. "Go home, Michael." I didn't look back as I shut the bathroom door behind me. About a half minute later, I heard the door to my apartment open and shut.
I leaned against the door to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. What the fuck had I just done? More importantly, why had it been so good? And how weird were things going to be between us now?
I needn't have worried about things being weird, because on Monday everything was the same. Michael continued to taunt me but pretend to be innocent. I continued to be bitchy to him. But I did notice that it didn't bother me as much. I was able to let it all roll off my back. Apparently I just needed to screw him once to make him tolerable. Well, it's certainly not the worst that could have happened.
A couple weeks later, I went out with this guy named Andy who had gone to my high school and was in one of my classes. To be honest, I wasn't completely sure if I was into Andy or just wanted a distraction from thinking about having sex with Michael. I had been tempted on more than one occasion to knock on his door for another round of mind-blowing sex, but I had managed to restrain myself so far. So when Andy asked me out, it was a welcome distraction.
He took me out to dinner and it wasn't anything special, but he paid and he was nice and funny and easy to talk to. At the end of the night he kissed me but didn't try anything else. We made plans to go out again. After our second date, he kissed me a little more insistently, and asked to come in. I really wasn't feeling any chemistry, so I said no.
"Too bad, I heard you're a good lay," he said dismissively. I stared at him, shocked.
"Heard from whom?" I asked icily.
He smirked, but didn't answer. He didn't have to, though. The only person I had slept with this year happens to know Andy quite well. Once Andy was gone, I stormed down to Michael's apartment.
I slammed my fist against the door 5 times and waited impatiently for him to open it. I realized that it was a Friday night and it was highly likely he wasn't even here, and I was about to walk away when the door opened. I was so furious that I wasn't even distracted by his shirtless chest. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I screeched.
"Ssshhhh," he hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside his apartment. "You don't have to make a scene."
"No, I think I do," I spat. "What the fuck were you thinking telling Andy about us having sex? Where is your brain? You are such a goddamn idiot and I can't believe I let you anywhere near me, much less let you have sex with me! I guess I'm an idiot too, because I thought that maybe, just maybe, you could keep your mouth shut this one fucking time!"
He stood there, patiently waiting for me to stop ranting. When I did, he said simply, "Sorry."
"Seriously?!" I shrieked. "That's it? Sorry? You have nothing else to say?"
He paused, looking thoughtful, then said, "You're really fucking hot when you're pissed off." I closed the distance between us in two steps and raised my hand to slap him. He caught my wrist with my hand just inches away from his face, and quickly grabbed my other wrist too. He took a half step closer to me and I glared at him for about two and a half seconds before kissing him. He backed me up to the wall, still gripping my wrists.
I leaned back against the wall, pulling away from our kiss for just long enough to say, "I fucking hate you."
"I know," he said, his voice low, his lips against my ear. He dropped my wrists and pushed his hands into my hair, tilting my head slightly to give him better access to my neck. We had sex right there against the wall, and it was even better than the first time.
After, I immediately got dressed and picked up my keys from where I had dropped them on the floor. "Wanna spend the night?" Michael asked. "You can take out a little more of your anger on me, if you want."
I pulled his door open. I didn't even look back at him as I said, "Fuck you!" and slammed the door behind me.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Loose Ends
So, after reading the comments on my last post, I realized that I left some loose ends floating regarding what Brody is working with at his company. It's sort of important and I previously thought it all through, so I wanted to make sure it's all clear. However, I do not have the mental energy to incorporate them into a post like I should. So instead, I'm phoning it in and you get bullet points. My apologies, but it's truly the best I can do right now.
So, when Brody started the Denver branch, he:
*brought a handful of people (roughly 6-7) with him from Miami
*hired everyone else
Some tasks continued to be handled remotely through the Miami office:
*all HR tasks
*a large chunk of the administrative tasks
*the vast majority of handling after hours calls and issues
When Brody bought out the Denver branch, this is what happened:
*His dad pulled all the people he originally sent to Denver back to Miami
*The head of the Denver marketing dept didn't want to go back, so he quit and is currently working to get out of his non-compete so he can stay with Brody (this was mentioned in Guess Who's Back )
*The people that Brody hired locally were given the option to stay in Denver or join the Miami team
*6 elected to go to Miami because they were worried about the stability of the company after such a sudden split
*About 12 employees remained, not including Brody
*Clients were given the option to stay with Brody or stay with Brody's dad. All but a couple elected to stay with Brody
So now Brody has:
*12 employees (which is roughly half of what he had before)
*No HR
*No marketing
*One very overwhelmed administrative staff person
*No one he trusts to handle after hours calls, issues, etc, besides himself
All that, with essentially the same number of clients that he had before.
I hope that clears up any questions that might have been out there. Please do let me know if there are more!
So, when Brody started the Denver branch, he:
*brought a handful of people (roughly 6-7) with him from Miami
*hired everyone else
Some tasks continued to be handled remotely through the Miami office:
*all HR tasks
*a large chunk of the administrative tasks
*the vast majority of handling after hours calls and issues
When Brody bought out the Denver branch, this is what happened:
*His dad pulled all the people he originally sent to Denver back to Miami
*The head of the Denver marketing dept didn't want to go back, so he quit and is currently working to get out of his non-compete so he can stay with Brody (this was mentioned in Guess Who's Back )
*The people that Brody hired locally were given the option to stay in Denver or join the Miami team
*6 elected to go to Miami because they were worried about the stability of the company after such a sudden split
*About 12 employees remained, not including Brody
*Clients were given the option to stay with Brody or stay with Brody's dad. All but a couple elected to stay with Brody
So now Brody has:
*12 employees (which is roughly half of what he had before)
*No HR
*No marketing
*One very overwhelmed administrative staff person
*No one he trusts to handle after hours calls, issues, etc, besides himself
All that, with essentially the same number of clients that he had before.
I hope that clears up any questions that might have been out there. Please do let me know if there are more!
A question for you.
I have a dilemma.
You all know I like to post bonus posts. If we're being honest, it's probably the main reason you like me. But because of my posting problem, I'm a bit ahead of real time. For right now, it makes no difference and you had no idea until just now. But here's the thing...if I post as planned, Thanksgiving will happen early. So, you have options. What I currently have for next week is two main storyline posts (for Mon and Wed) and part 2 in Kinsley's story for Fri. I also have a bonus post of Alex's perspective ready to go. Alex's perspective post is a bit unique compared to some of my other POV posts because it's not simply his perspective of a post/posts that's already happened. There's a tiny bit of overlap in the beginning, but other than that, it's a unique situation (and a continuation of the storyline) that you have not (and will not) hear in another post.
This will only affect Thanksgiving, and everything should be smooth sailing after that. At least until I post 7 more bonus posts between Thanksgiving and Christmas ;)
With that said, here are your options:
Option 1: You don't want Thanksgiving week messed up. You want a main storyline post on Monday, Alex's perspective in place of Wednesday's main storyline post, and Kinsley's post on Friday.
Option 2: You give no fucks if Liv's Thanksgiving happens before your Thanksgiving (for my US readers, anyway! No one else will likely care either way). You want Monday and Wednesday to be main storyline, Alex's perspective as a Tuesday bonus, and Kinsley on Friday.
Option 3: You are a very special snowflake and will tell me why you don't want either of those options in a comment.
For the record, if Option 2 wins, the day before Thanksgiving's post will happen on Wednesday the week before (so one week early), Thanksgiving Day will happen on Monday of Thanksgiving week, and the day after Thanksgiving will happen on Wednesday of Thanksgiving week.
You all know I like to post bonus posts. If we're being honest, it's probably the main reason you like me. But because of my posting problem, I'm a bit ahead of real time. For right now, it makes no difference and you had no idea until just now. But here's the thing...if I post as planned, Thanksgiving will happen early. So, you have options. What I currently have for next week is two main storyline posts (for Mon and Wed) and part 2 in Kinsley's story for Fri. I also have a bonus post of Alex's perspective ready to go. Alex's perspective post is a bit unique compared to some of my other POV posts because it's not simply his perspective of a post/posts that's already happened. There's a tiny bit of overlap in the beginning, but other than that, it's a unique situation (and a continuation of the storyline) that you have not (and will not) hear in another post.
This will only affect Thanksgiving, and everything should be smooth sailing after that. At least until I post 7 more bonus posts between Thanksgiving and Christmas ;)
With that said, here are your options:
Option 1: You don't want Thanksgiving week messed up. You want a main storyline post on Monday, Alex's perspective in place of Wednesday's main storyline post, and Kinsley's post on Friday.
Option 2: You give no fucks if Liv's Thanksgiving happens before your Thanksgiving (for my US readers, anyway! No one else will likely care either way). You want Monday and Wednesday to be main storyline, Alex's perspective as a Tuesday bonus, and Kinsley on Friday.
Option 3: You are a very special snowflake and will tell me why you don't want either of those options in a comment.
For the record, if Option 2 wins, the day before Thanksgiving's post will happen on Wednesday the week before (so one week early), Thanksgiving Day will happen on Monday of Thanksgiving week, and the day after Thanksgiving will happen on Wednesday of Thanksgiving week.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
There's Something Wrong With You
Monday and Tuesday were just as crazy as I was expecting them to be.
By the end of the day on Tuesday, I was thanking myself for my
foresight in scheduling dinner with Brody on Wednesday, because all I
wanted to do was go home and sleep.
On Wednesday I was still tired, but I was excited to see Brody again. I was shocked at how quickly things had fallen back into place. It almost felt like he was never even gone. At the same time, it didn't quite feel real yet.
Brody was waiting for me outside the restaurant when I got there. I greeted him and hugged him. As we walked in, he said, "Just so you know, I'm waiting for a phone call from a client, and if he calls, I have to take it. It should only be a couple minutes." This puzzled me, because Brody had never taken a work call in the middle of dinner before. He must have seen the confusion on my face, because he said, "It sucks, but I've been taking a lot of after hours calls since coming back and being on my own. We used to have people that handled that stuff, but they're all in my dad's office, so I don't have that anymore."
"That makes sense," I replied.
We sat down and he set his phone on the table next to him. He asked about my day and I had just started to tell him about it when his phone rang. He glanced at it, then gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'll be right back." He grabbed his phone and stepped away from the table.
He returned a couple minutes later and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down. "Okay, that should hopefully be it," he guessed, looking at me sheepishly. "You were saying?" So I started over, telling him about my day. It was complete with lots of complaining about work.
"Have you started applying anywhere else?" Brody asked sympathetically when I was finished.
"I've started looking and I have a list of a few places I'm going to apply, but I haven't had the time to update my resume and write cover letters yet. I'm thinking I'll do that this weekend. I feel like I just wrote 700 cover letters to get out here and it's a little daunting to go home and do it after I've been at work for 11 hours. I just need to sit down when I can do a bunch at once and get them out of the way," I explained. I asked him about his day and we settled into easy conversation.
After dinner, I asked if he was going to come over. He glanced at his watch and said, "I can come over for a little while but unfortunately I can't stay tonight. If you want I'll plan to stay tomorrow night."
"That sounds good," I replied, as we walked out together. When we got my house, Brody sat down on the couch while I took my shoes off and hung my coat up. "That is not where I want you," I protested, walking over and grabbing his hand.
"It's not?" he asked with mock innocence. "But I like it here." He tugged me closer and pulled me down into his lap. I was about to argue when he kissed me and slid his hand beneath the hem of my skirt. His fingers inched up my thigh as his mouth moved to my neck. "Where was it that you wanted me?" he asked softly.
"That's a loaded question," I said as his hand slid over my ass. He tugged at my underwear and I shifted my weight so he could pull them off. I shifted again so I could undo his belt and pants. When I got them undone, he lifted both of us enough to push them down. I used both hands to stroke him while he pulled my skirt up to my waist. He groaned against my neck and slid his fingers against me before lifting me easily and moving me so I was straddling him. I slid down onto him and gasped when he slipped his hand between us and pressed his thumb against me. I pressed my face against his neck, but he turned my head to kiss me as I moved against him. I moaned against his lips as I came. Brody nipped at my lower lip as he steadied my hips with his hands and brought his hips up to mine, thrusting hard into me until he finished.
I dropped my head onto his shoulder and leaned against him, catching my breath. His hands slid beneath my shirt and massaged my lower back. I groaned and started to shift off of him when his phone rang from his pocket. "I'm not answering that," he murmured, helping me move so he could pull his pants back on and recline on the couch. I pulled my skirt back down over my hips and laid back against him.
I settled against his chest and sighed happily. "I wish you could stay," I said, letting my heavy eyelids droop closed.
"I do too," he replied, running his fingers through my hair before settling his hand on my shoulder, his fingers stroking the back of my neck. "That's one thing I really hate about my house. It's so far away and if I forget to bring clothes for tomorrow, I can't just run home in the morning."
I was about to reply when his phone rang again. He sighed and fished it out of his pocket. "Shit," he muttered before answering. I sat up so he could get up. He walked into the kitchen, talking quickly and with clear frustration. I only heard bits and pieces (something about a press release?) but with the way he was gesturing with his free hand, it looked like he was arguing with whoever was on the other end. Finally, he turned back towards me, and said, "I'll call you back." He listened for a second and then frowned. "I will, but do you think I could at least say goodbye to my girlfriend first?" He listened again and then hung up.
I stood as he walked back in. "I'm sorry," he told me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "I have to go back to the office."
"I heard," I responded. I leaned back and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.
"I'll try to make it to at least some of happy hour tomorrow, but I'll definitely spend the night okay?" His phone rang again and he sighed in frustration. "Damn it Neil, 5 fucking minutes," he growled. He silenced the ringer and then smiled wryly at me. "I love you," he said, kissing me one more time.
"I love you too. Don't kill Neil," I replied with a smirk.
"If Neil had a girlfriend as pretty as you, he'd understand a little better," Brody laughed. "Goodnight, Liv." I said goodnight and locked the door behind him.
I had just started up the stairs to change into pajamas and wash my face when the doorbell rang. I opened it and saw Cassie standing on my porch.
"What the hell? When were you going to tell me?!" she shrieked, pushing past me and coming inside.
"Umm, right now?" I replied with an innocent smile. "Brody and I are back together."
"I don't know if I should be ecstatic for you, or pissed that you didn't tell me," she said, looking a little miffed.
I grimaced. "I'm sorry, you're right. Everything has been crazy since it happened, and between that and work this week, and I didn't even think about it."
She glared at me for a second before sitting down. "Well now that I got that out of my system, go ahead, tell me everything!" I told her the story, and she made a variety of strange facial expressions as I went through it. When I finished, she said, "There's something wrong with you. You know that, right?"
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"Seriously, Liv. You should do what normal people do. If you're going to tell someone you're in love with them, you can just call them. This isn't a chick flick."
"I am dangerously close to kicking you out," I warned her. I was mostly kidding. Mostly.
"Well, I'm glad it worked out at least. I mean, I know I didn't even meet James, but I just don't think I liked you guys together. Does Brody have a brother? If he does, I bet his brother won't assault you."
I stifled a yawn. "I think you're even more honest than Lauren," I observed.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on you," she said, standing. "I'll let you sleep. Next time tell me things."
"I will," I promised. "Goodnight, Cassie!" She said goodnight and left, and I hauled myself upstairs for bed.
On Wednesday I was still tired, but I was excited to see Brody again. I was shocked at how quickly things had fallen back into place. It almost felt like he was never even gone. At the same time, it didn't quite feel real yet.
Brody was waiting for me outside the restaurant when I got there. I greeted him and hugged him. As we walked in, he said, "Just so you know, I'm waiting for a phone call from a client, and if he calls, I have to take it. It should only be a couple minutes." This puzzled me, because Brody had never taken a work call in the middle of dinner before. He must have seen the confusion on my face, because he said, "It sucks, but I've been taking a lot of after hours calls since coming back and being on my own. We used to have people that handled that stuff, but they're all in my dad's office, so I don't have that anymore."
"That makes sense," I replied.
We sat down and he set his phone on the table next to him. He asked about my day and I had just started to tell him about it when his phone rang. He glanced at it, then gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'll be right back." He grabbed his phone and stepped away from the table.
He returned a couple minutes later and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down. "Okay, that should hopefully be it," he guessed, looking at me sheepishly. "You were saying?" So I started over, telling him about my day. It was complete with lots of complaining about work.
"Have you started applying anywhere else?" Brody asked sympathetically when I was finished.
"I've started looking and I have a list of a few places I'm going to apply, but I haven't had the time to update my resume and write cover letters yet. I'm thinking I'll do that this weekend. I feel like I just wrote 700 cover letters to get out here and it's a little daunting to go home and do it after I've been at work for 11 hours. I just need to sit down when I can do a bunch at once and get them out of the way," I explained. I asked him about his day and we settled into easy conversation.
After dinner, I asked if he was going to come over. He glanced at his watch and said, "I can come over for a little while but unfortunately I can't stay tonight. If you want I'll plan to stay tomorrow night."
"That sounds good," I replied, as we walked out together. When we got my house, Brody sat down on the couch while I took my shoes off and hung my coat up. "That is not where I want you," I protested, walking over and grabbing his hand.
"It's not?" he asked with mock innocence. "But I like it here." He tugged me closer and pulled me down into his lap. I was about to argue when he kissed me and slid his hand beneath the hem of my skirt. His fingers inched up my thigh as his mouth moved to my neck. "Where was it that you wanted me?" he asked softly.
"That's a loaded question," I said as his hand slid over my ass. He tugged at my underwear and I shifted my weight so he could pull them off. I shifted again so I could undo his belt and pants. When I got them undone, he lifted both of us enough to push them down. I used both hands to stroke him while he pulled my skirt up to my waist. He groaned against my neck and slid his fingers against me before lifting me easily and moving me so I was straddling him. I slid down onto him and gasped when he slipped his hand between us and pressed his thumb against me. I pressed my face against his neck, but he turned my head to kiss me as I moved against him. I moaned against his lips as I came. Brody nipped at my lower lip as he steadied my hips with his hands and brought his hips up to mine, thrusting hard into me until he finished.
I dropped my head onto his shoulder and leaned against him, catching my breath. His hands slid beneath my shirt and massaged my lower back. I groaned and started to shift off of him when his phone rang from his pocket. "I'm not answering that," he murmured, helping me move so he could pull his pants back on and recline on the couch. I pulled my skirt back down over my hips and laid back against him.
I settled against his chest and sighed happily. "I wish you could stay," I said, letting my heavy eyelids droop closed.
"I do too," he replied, running his fingers through my hair before settling his hand on my shoulder, his fingers stroking the back of my neck. "That's one thing I really hate about my house. It's so far away and if I forget to bring clothes for tomorrow, I can't just run home in the morning."
I was about to reply when his phone rang again. He sighed and fished it out of his pocket. "Shit," he muttered before answering. I sat up so he could get up. He walked into the kitchen, talking quickly and with clear frustration. I only heard bits and pieces (something about a press release?) but with the way he was gesturing with his free hand, it looked like he was arguing with whoever was on the other end. Finally, he turned back towards me, and said, "I'll call you back." He listened for a second and then frowned. "I will, but do you think I could at least say goodbye to my girlfriend first?" He listened again and then hung up.
I stood as he walked back in. "I'm sorry," he told me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "I have to go back to the office."
"I heard," I responded. I leaned back and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.
"I'll try to make it to at least some of happy hour tomorrow, but I'll definitely spend the night okay?" His phone rang again and he sighed in frustration. "Damn it Neil, 5 fucking minutes," he growled. He silenced the ringer and then smiled wryly at me. "I love you," he said, kissing me one more time.
"I love you too. Don't kill Neil," I replied with a smirk.
"If Neil had a girlfriend as pretty as you, he'd understand a little better," Brody laughed. "Goodnight, Liv." I said goodnight and locked the door behind him.
I had just started up the stairs to change into pajamas and wash my face when the doorbell rang. I opened it and saw Cassie standing on my porch.
"What the hell? When were you going to tell me?!" she shrieked, pushing past me and coming inside.
"Umm, right now?" I replied with an innocent smile. "Brody and I are back together."
"I don't know if I should be ecstatic for you, or pissed that you didn't tell me," she said, looking a little miffed.
I grimaced. "I'm sorry, you're right. Everything has been crazy since it happened, and between that and work this week, and I didn't even think about it."
She glared at me for a second before sitting down. "Well now that I got that out of my system, go ahead, tell me everything!" I told her the story, and she made a variety of strange facial expressions as I went through it. When I finished, she said, "There's something wrong with you. You know that, right?"
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"Seriously, Liv. You should do what normal people do. If you're going to tell someone you're in love with them, you can just call them. This isn't a chick flick."
"I am dangerously close to kicking you out," I warned her. I was mostly kidding. Mostly.
"Well, I'm glad it worked out at least. I mean, I know I didn't even meet James, but I just don't think I liked you guys together. Does Brody have a brother? If he does, I bet his brother won't assault you."
I stifled a yawn. "I think you're even more honest than Lauren," I observed.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on you," she said, standing. "I'll let you sleep. Next time tell me things."
"I will," I promised. "Goodnight, Cassie!" She said goodnight and left, and I hauled myself upstairs for bed.
Monday, October 27, 2014
(Now) James: The Challenge
A short bonus with James's perspective.
________________________________________
I was insanely irritated that I got stuck at work late that night. Jordan fucked up a security consult and of course he was out of town, so I got to clean up the mess. When I finally finished, I looked at my watch. A little after 12. I was near Liv's house, but it was awfully late. I didn't want to wake her up if she was sleeping, but I wanted to see her. I decided I'd try.
I didn't think she was going to answer, but she picked up just as the 4th ring started.
"Hey," I said. "I know it's late, but I'm finally done. I'm near your neighborhood so I thought I'd call to see if you were still awake. Since you are, can I swing by?" I was already starting my car, ready to head over to her place.
"No," she replied. "I'm sorry."
"Busy?" I joked. Maybe she had been sleeping. I probably shouldn't have called.
"No. But you're wonderful, and you deserve better than a girl that's in love with someone else."
"I deserve..." I repeated, confused. "What?"
"I'm sorry," she said again. There was finality in her tone.
"Liv--" I tried to interrupt before she hung up.
"Goodnight, James." And then the line went dead.
I sat in my car for a few seconds, staring at my phone. Then I shook my head and pulled onto the street to head home. I wasn't shocked by this, but I guess I didn't think it would happen like this. I'd been expecting things to wrap up soon ever since Kinsley's birthday. Any idiot should have been able to feel the sexual tension between Olivia and Brody. He didn't even try to hide it, even though she was clearly fighting it. Between that, her initial reluctance to go out with me at all, and what had happened with Jordan, I was honestly surprised that we had made it this long.
Thinking about Jordan increased my irritation. Even after growing up with him and watching the alcohol try to eat him alive, I was seriously shocked to walk down that bar hallway and see him holding Liv against the wall. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I don't know. And maybe I should have done more about it, but Liv seemed hell bent on brushing it off. I got no information from Jordan. He just acted like it wasn't a big deal and he didn't do anything wrong. I knew that that meant nothing, but Liv never brought it up again, so I just left it alone. Still, I don't blame her if what happened contributed to her decision.
Really though, I can't even be mad. I was never expecting anything serious with Liv. In fact, I went out with her for the first time for all the wrong reasons. I initially asked her out because I thought she was hot and she seemed really down to earth. When she turned me down, I just wanted to go out with her more. I've always been hooked by challenges. I think it's what makes me enjoy my career so much. When she turned me down, she turned into a challenge.
I wasn't expecting to run into her again so soon, much less twice. After she had turned me down for the third time, I proposed that she meet me for one drink, and if she chose to leave after the one drink, I'd never ask her out again. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist the chance to get me to back off. So really, we both went out for the wrong reasons that first time.
I'm not sure what I expected, but I definitely wasn't expecting to have such a good time. She was brilliant and funny in her own subdued way, and when she told me she'd go out with me again, I was a little surprised that I wasn't completely uninterested now that the challenge was gone. I definitely wanted to go out with her again, but it's not like I was looking for a commitment.
When we went on our first actual date, I was a little surprised by how obviously nervous she was. It was a far cry from the confident girl that had told me the terms of our first meeting and chewed me out for buying her drinks. It was endearing, even if it threw me for a bit of a loop. It also added to her mystery, which sucked me in.
Through the first few times we hung out, I couldn't get a good read on her, because at times she seemed into me, and other times she was completely distracted. After seeing her interact with Brody at Kinsley's party, I understood why. And to be fair, she warned me. I just didn't listen.
I think Jordan expected me to be incredulous or upset when he called me Sunday morning to inform me that he had run into Liv and Brody while he was doing a security consult at a bar. Or in his words, "That hot girl you were boning and some arrogant fuckhead." I wouldn't call Brody an arrogant fuckhead (though that is surprisingly eloquent for Jordan), but I knew exactly who he meant. It took everything I had not to laugh when he told me that the "arrogant fuckhead" had punched him in the face.
Of course, he wouldn't tell me why--he just made it seem like Brody took issue with his presence and punched him out of the blue. I was certain that wasn't even close to what had happened. I felt bad for the owners of the club. It's not usually good news when your security consultant nearly gets knocked out, even if he deserved it. When he texted me the picture later, I was glad I didn't have to hold back my laughter. Two black eyes and his nose was definitely broken. Especially impressive given the fact that Jordan probably has close to 6 inches on Brody. I guess the arrogant fuckhead knows how to throw a punch.
I also wasn't surprised when Liv called me on Sunday. I guessed that she wouldn't be the type to just leave someone hanging. Since I wasn't upset, I hoped my joke about the situation would put her a little more at ease, because I also figured she was probably pretty nervous. It seemed to confuse her, but she talked to me easily enough.
I was actually more interested in hearing about Brody punching Jordan, but I let her get through her "It's not you, it's the other guy," speech before asking about it. When she told me what had happened, I groaned. What an asshole. I hated having to apologize for Jordan's behavior, because I hated that Liv had to see the worst side of him, and more than once. And honestly, I felt guilty that Brody had managed to do what I should have done the first time. I was impressed that Brody would stand up to someone Jordan's size and it further confirmed what I had sensed at Kinsley's party. Not that Brody was a small guy, by any means--Jordan was just that big. Liv deserved someone that would put himself on the line for her, not someone who was still afraid of his big brother.
We ended up talking for nearly 20 minutes. She still sounded bewildered when we hung up, but I figured it would wear off by the next time we saw each other, assuming that Kinsley and Damien continued seeing each other. I wondered how Brody would act around me now. Hopefully there wouldn't be any issues there. I decided I'd just try to be careful to not run into them until a couple weeks had gone by, just in case.
________________________________________
I was insanely irritated that I got stuck at work late that night. Jordan fucked up a security consult and of course he was out of town, so I got to clean up the mess. When I finally finished, I looked at my watch. A little after 12. I was near Liv's house, but it was awfully late. I didn't want to wake her up if she was sleeping, but I wanted to see her. I decided I'd try.
I didn't think she was going to answer, but she picked up just as the 4th ring started.
"Hey," I said. "I know it's late, but I'm finally done. I'm near your neighborhood so I thought I'd call to see if you were still awake. Since you are, can I swing by?" I was already starting my car, ready to head over to her place.
"No," she replied. "I'm sorry."
"Busy?" I joked. Maybe she had been sleeping. I probably shouldn't have called.
"No. But you're wonderful, and you deserve better than a girl that's in love with someone else."
"I deserve..." I repeated, confused. "What?"
"I'm sorry," she said again. There was finality in her tone.
"Liv--" I tried to interrupt before she hung up.
"Goodnight, James." And then the line went dead.
I sat in my car for a few seconds, staring at my phone. Then I shook my head and pulled onto the street to head home. I wasn't shocked by this, but I guess I didn't think it would happen like this. I'd been expecting things to wrap up soon ever since Kinsley's birthday. Any idiot should have been able to feel the sexual tension between Olivia and Brody. He didn't even try to hide it, even though she was clearly fighting it. Between that, her initial reluctance to go out with me at all, and what had happened with Jordan, I was honestly surprised that we had made it this long.
Thinking about Jordan increased my irritation. Even after growing up with him and watching the alcohol try to eat him alive, I was seriously shocked to walk down that bar hallway and see him holding Liv against the wall. Maybe I shouldn't have been. I don't know. And maybe I should have done more about it, but Liv seemed hell bent on brushing it off. I got no information from Jordan. He just acted like it wasn't a big deal and he didn't do anything wrong. I knew that that meant nothing, but Liv never brought it up again, so I just left it alone. Still, I don't blame her if what happened contributed to her decision.
Really though, I can't even be mad. I was never expecting anything serious with Liv. In fact, I went out with her for the first time for all the wrong reasons. I initially asked her out because I thought she was hot and she seemed really down to earth. When she turned me down, I just wanted to go out with her more. I've always been hooked by challenges. I think it's what makes me enjoy my career so much. When she turned me down, she turned into a challenge.
I wasn't expecting to run into her again so soon, much less twice. After she had turned me down for the third time, I proposed that she meet me for one drink, and if she chose to leave after the one drink, I'd never ask her out again. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist the chance to get me to back off. So really, we both went out for the wrong reasons that first time.
I'm not sure what I expected, but I definitely wasn't expecting to have such a good time. She was brilliant and funny in her own subdued way, and when she told me she'd go out with me again, I was a little surprised that I wasn't completely uninterested now that the challenge was gone. I definitely wanted to go out with her again, but it's not like I was looking for a commitment.
When we went on our first actual date, I was a little surprised by how obviously nervous she was. It was a far cry from the confident girl that had told me the terms of our first meeting and chewed me out for buying her drinks. It was endearing, even if it threw me for a bit of a loop. It also added to her mystery, which sucked me in.
Through the first few times we hung out, I couldn't get a good read on her, because at times she seemed into me, and other times she was completely distracted. After seeing her interact with Brody at Kinsley's party, I understood why. And to be fair, she warned me. I just didn't listen.
I think Jordan expected me to be incredulous or upset when he called me Sunday morning to inform me that he had run into Liv and Brody while he was doing a security consult at a bar. Or in his words, "That hot girl you were boning and some arrogant fuckhead." I wouldn't call Brody an arrogant fuckhead (though that is surprisingly eloquent for Jordan), but I knew exactly who he meant. It took everything I had not to laugh when he told me that the "arrogant fuckhead" had punched him in the face.
Of course, he wouldn't tell me why--he just made it seem like Brody took issue with his presence and punched him out of the blue. I was certain that wasn't even close to what had happened. I felt bad for the owners of the club. It's not usually good news when your security consultant nearly gets knocked out, even if he deserved it. When he texted me the picture later, I was glad I didn't have to hold back my laughter. Two black eyes and his nose was definitely broken. Especially impressive given the fact that Jordan probably has close to 6 inches on Brody. I guess the arrogant fuckhead knows how to throw a punch.
I also wasn't surprised when Liv called me on Sunday. I guessed that she wouldn't be the type to just leave someone hanging. Since I wasn't upset, I hoped my joke about the situation would put her a little more at ease, because I also figured she was probably pretty nervous. It seemed to confuse her, but she talked to me easily enough.
I was actually more interested in hearing about Brody punching Jordan, but I let her get through her "It's not you, it's the other guy," speech before asking about it. When she told me what had happened, I groaned. What an asshole. I hated having to apologize for Jordan's behavior, because I hated that Liv had to see the worst side of him, and more than once. And honestly, I felt guilty that Brody had managed to do what I should have done the first time. I was impressed that Brody would stand up to someone Jordan's size and it further confirmed what I had sensed at Kinsley's party. Not that Brody was a small guy, by any means--Jordan was just that big. Liv deserved someone that would put himself on the line for her, not someone who was still afraid of his big brother.
We ended up talking for nearly 20 minutes. She still sounded bewildered when we hung up, but I figured it would wear off by the next time we saw each other, assuming that Kinsley and Damien continued seeing each other. I wondered how Brody would act around me now. Hopefully there wouldn't be any issues there. I decided I'd just try to be careful to not run into them until a couple weeks had gone by, just in case.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
That was weird.
Posting a little earlier than usual today. Thanks for hanging in there with my weird (for me anyway) posting schedule the past week. Come back tomorrow (Monday) evening for a short bonus with James's perspective on everything that's been happening lately!
Also, I'm hearing that you can't use the "Reactions" feature on the mobile view. I scoured the Blogger help section and Google and tinkered with it for nearly an hour yesterday and couldn't make it available on the mobile view. :( It looks like it's just not an option for those of you viewing the mobile view, but if anyone knows how to do it, please comment or email me! If for some reason, you have a strong desire to use the feature, but you're on mobile, you can always scroll to the bottom of the page, hit the little "view web version" link, and select a reaction there.
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Brody wasn't in bed with me when I woke up the next morning. I blinked sleepily and looked around. I dragged myself out of bed and walked downstairs. Brody was sitting on the couch, watching TV.
"Good morning, gorgeous," he said with a smile when he saw me on the stairs.
"What are you doing?" I asked, laying down on the couch and settling my head on his leg.
"I couldn't sleep anymore. I didn't want to wake you, so I just got up." He stroked my hair and my shoulder as I nodded. My eyes drifted shut again.
"How's your hand?" I mumbled, before I yawned again.
"A little sore, but it'll be fine," he replied. I nodded again, eyes still closed.
"I'm hungry," I declared 15 minutes later, sitting up.
Brody just shook his head. "Are you ever not hungry? Where do you put it all? You weigh about as much as a fifth grader."
"Rude!" I exclaimed, swatting him in the leg.
45 minutes later I was showered and awake and we were pulling out of my driveway to get breakfast. As we sat and ate, we talked about Kendra and Christian's upcoming wedding.
"I can't wait to see Savannah," I grumbled sarcastically. Savannah was a bridesmaid, so seeing her was pretty much inevitable.
"Yeah, it should be interesting," Brody replied. "But, I guess as long as she doesn't try to ruin my life again I can just pretend she's not there." I snorted. I had a feeling that pretending she wasn't there wasn't going to be an option.
"Well, I can't wait to see you in a tux," I said, changing the subject with a smirk. Brody was an usher for the wedding.
He groaned. "I'm just glad I'm not a groomsman. I hate that whole head table thing."
"It wouldn't have mattered," I pointed out, "because Kendra told me they're doing a sweetheart table."
He looked at me oddly. "I have no idea what that is." I laughed and explained that it's when the bride and groom just sit at a small table by themselves instead of doing the head table with the whole wedding party.
"Head tables aren't really 'in' anymore in a lot of places," I finished. He was still looking at me like he had no idea what I was talking about, and I just changed the subject. "I suppose at some point today I have to take you home, huh?" I asked.
"You could hold me hostage, but I don't think I'd be much good to you with my right hand swollen and stiff," he joked.
So after breakfast, we went out to his house. When we got there, I parked and went inside with him.
"When do I get to see you again?" he asked.
I thought through my work schedule for the week and grimaced. "I don't know. Thursday? I'm going to the gym with Kinsley tomorrow, and I work until 7 Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm not sure if I have time for lunch at all either."
He frowned. "I have a lot of stuff to do at work. Staying until 7 would be pretty easy. Can we meet for dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday? You have to eat, at least." I told him Wednesday would be better because I had to be to work super early on Tuesday too, so I'd probably want to just go home and crash after. He agreed, then slid his arms around my waist. "If I have to wait until Wednesday, maybe you should let me test out my left hand before you go," he said, smiling mischievously.
"Now that is a good idea," I said, kissing him.
An hour later I was kissing him again, but this time it was kissing him goodbye. I needed to get home and get some stuff done, and the longer I put off calling James, the harder it was going to be.
When I got home, I sat on the couch with my phone in my hand, staring at it. I had no idea what I was going to say. I took a deep breath and dialed.
"Are you calling to explain the other night, or calling to tell me your boyfriend broke my brother's nose?" James said when he answered, catching me off guard.
"Um...well, I was calling to explain the other night. And clearly I don't have to tell you that my boyfriend broke your brother's nose," I said in response.
"So he is your boyfriend? And don't worry, I'm sure Jordan more than deserved it. I can't wait to see him."
"Is it really broken?" I asked.
James laughed. "Judging by the picture he sent me, it's pretty fucking broken."
I paused and then asked, "Can I just...maybe start at the beginning?" James didn't seem angry at all. I was completely perplexed by his casual tone.
"Sure, have at it," he said.
So, I rambled away in true Liv style. I apologized for being so abrupt on the phone Friday night. I told him that he had been right about Brody. I told him that I really hadn't realized it, or really understood my feelings, and that if I had, I never would have dated him because the whole situation would have been really unfair to him.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't understand your feelings then," he said.
"What?" I asked, completely baffled by his reaction.
"You just said if you had understood your feelings for Brody, you wouldn't have dated me. And I'm glad you didn't understand them, because you did date me. And I'm glad."
"Okay...but aren't you...?" I trailed off.
"Mad? Not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, it sucks. I like you a lot. I think you're awesome, and you're gorgeous. I had a blast hanging out with you. But if you're in love with someone else, well, you're in love with someone else. So I'm just glad I got the time I had with you." He sounded so calm and sure of himself.
"This is weird," I blurted out before I could stop myself. He laughed.
"Never had a breakup go so smoothly?" he asked, still laughing.
"I don't think so," I said cautiously.
"Look, Olivia. I've had some really crappy breakups and rejections. Messy, hurt feelings, just disasters. I'm done with that. I'll miss you." He laughed and continued, "I'll really miss having sex with you. But I'm not into dramatic exits anymore."
"Well, I appreciate that a lot," I said, relieved.
"Plus," he added, "If Kinsley and Damien keep dating, we're bound to run into each other, and I don't want it to be weird."
"Me neither," I agreed.
"And I really appreciate that you had the balls to actually call me and tell me what's up, instead of just never talking to me again."
"I've been the victim of a disappearing act, and it sucked. I will never do that to someone. I am sorry that I didn't call sooner though," I said.
"I was pretty clear on what you meant on the phone, so it's not like you left me totally hanging," he replied. "Can you tell me more about Brody punching my brother?"
I laughed and told him the story. He groaned when I told him about Jordan slapping my ass. "I'm really sorry. I wish you wouldn't have had to meet him. He is such a tool around women. He's actually a totally different person in the office, you'd never believe it. I feel terrible though. I'll punch him again, if you want." I assured him that it wasn't necessary, but that if he felt the need to punch him for the hell of it, I certainly wouldn't fault him for it. He laughed. "I hope he didn't hurt his hand too badly on Jordan's thick skull." This was seriously the weirdest breakup conversation ever.
We wrapped up the conversation, and when I hung up, I still wasn't quite sure what had just happened.
Also, I'm hearing that you can't use the "Reactions" feature on the mobile view. I scoured the Blogger help section and Google and tinkered with it for nearly an hour yesterday and couldn't make it available on the mobile view. :( It looks like it's just not an option for those of you viewing the mobile view, but if anyone knows how to do it, please comment or email me! If for some reason, you have a strong desire to use the feature, but you're on mobile, you can always scroll to the bottom of the page, hit the little "view web version" link, and select a reaction there.
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Brody wasn't in bed with me when I woke up the next morning. I blinked sleepily and looked around. I dragged myself out of bed and walked downstairs. Brody was sitting on the couch, watching TV.
"Good morning, gorgeous," he said with a smile when he saw me on the stairs.
"What are you doing?" I asked, laying down on the couch and settling my head on his leg.
"I couldn't sleep anymore. I didn't want to wake you, so I just got up." He stroked my hair and my shoulder as I nodded. My eyes drifted shut again.
"How's your hand?" I mumbled, before I yawned again.
"A little sore, but it'll be fine," he replied. I nodded again, eyes still closed.
"I'm hungry," I declared 15 minutes later, sitting up.
Brody just shook his head. "Are you ever not hungry? Where do you put it all? You weigh about as much as a fifth grader."
"Rude!" I exclaimed, swatting him in the leg.
45 minutes later I was showered and awake and we were pulling out of my driveway to get breakfast. As we sat and ate, we talked about Kendra and Christian's upcoming wedding.
"I can't wait to see Savannah," I grumbled sarcastically. Savannah was a bridesmaid, so seeing her was pretty much inevitable.
"Yeah, it should be interesting," Brody replied. "But, I guess as long as she doesn't try to ruin my life again I can just pretend she's not there." I snorted. I had a feeling that pretending she wasn't there wasn't going to be an option.
"Well, I can't wait to see you in a tux," I said, changing the subject with a smirk. Brody was an usher for the wedding.
He groaned. "I'm just glad I'm not a groomsman. I hate that whole head table thing."
"It wouldn't have mattered," I pointed out, "because Kendra told me they're doing a sweetheart table."
He looked at me oddly. "I have no idea what that is." I laughed and explained that it's when the bride and groom just sit at a small table by themselves instead of doing the head table with the whole wedding party.
"Head tables aren't really 'in' anymore in a lot of places," I finished. He was still looking at me like he had no idea what I was talking about, and I just changed the subject. "I suppose at some point today I have to take you home, huh?" I asked.
"You could hold me hostage, but I don't think I'd be much good to you with my right hand swollen and stiff," he joked.
So after breakfast, we went out to his house. When we got there, I parked and went inside with him.
"When do I get to see you again?" he asked.
I thought through my work schedule for the week and grimaced. "I don't know. Thursday? I'm going to the gym with Kinsley tomorrow, and I work until 7 Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm not sure if I have time for lunch at all either."
He frowned. "I have a lot of stuff to do at work. Staying until 7 would be pretty easy. Can we meet for dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday? You have to eat, at least." I told him Wednesday would be better because I had to be to work super early on Tuesday too, so I'd probably want to just go home and crash after. He agreed, then slid his arms around my waist. "If I have to wait until Wednesday, maybe you should let me test out my left hand before you go," he said, smiling mischievously.
"Now that is a good idea," I said, kissing him.
An hour later I was kissing him again, but this time it was kissing him goodbye. I needed to get home and get some stuff done, and the longer I put off calling James, the harder it was going to be.
When I got home, I sat on the couch with my phone in my hand, staring at it. I had no idea what I was going to say. I took a deep breath and dialed.
"Are you calling to explain the other night, or calling to tell me your boyfriend broke my brother's nose?" James said when he answered, catching me off guard.
"Um...well, I was calling to explain the other night. And clearly I don't have to tell you that my boyfriend broke your brother's nose," I said in response.
"So he is your boyfriend? And don't worry, I'm sure Jordan more than deserved it. I can't wait to see him."
"Is it really broken?" I asked.
James laughed. "Judging by the picture he sent me, it's pretty fucking broken."
I paused and then asked, "Can I just...maybe start at the beginning?" James didn't seem angry at all. I was completely perplexed by his casual tone.
"Sure, have at it," he said.
So, I rambled away in true Liv style. I apologized for being so abrupt on the phone Friday night. I told him that he had been right about Brody. I told him that I really hadn't realized it, or really understood my feelings, and that if I had, I never would have dated him because the whole situation would have been really unfair to him.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't understand your feelings then," he said.
"What?" I asked, completely baffled by his reaction.
"You just said if you had understood your feelings for Brody, you wouldn't have dated me. And I'm glad you didn't understand them, because you did date me. And I'm glad."
"Okay...but aren't you...?" I trailed off.
"Mad? Not really. I mean, don't get me wrong, it sucks. I like you a lot. I think you're awesome, and you're gorgeous. I had a blast hanging out with you. But if you're in love with someone else, well, you're in love with someone else. So I'm just glad I got the time I had with you." He sounded so calm and sure of himself.
"This is weird," I blurted out before I could stop myself. He laughed.
"Never had a breakup go so smoothly?" he asked, still laughing.
"I don't think so," I said cautiously.
"Look, Olivia. I've had some really crappy breakups and rejections. Messy, hurt feelings, just disasters. I'm done with that. I'll miss you." He laughed and continued, "I'll really miss having sex with you. But I'm not into dramatic exits anymore."
"Well, I appreciate that a lot," I said, relieved.
"Plus," he added, "If Kinsley and Damien keep dating, we're bound to run into each other, and I don't want it to be weird."
"Me neither," I agreed.
"And I really appreciate that you had the balls to actually call me and tell me what's up, instead of just never talking to me again."
"I've been the victim of a disappearing act, and it sucked. I will never do that to someone. I am sorry that I didn't call sooner though," I said.
"I was pretty clear on what you meant on the phone, so it's not like you left me totally hanging," he replied. "Can you tell me more about Brody punching my brother?"
I laughed and told him the story. He groaned when I told him about Jordan slapping my ass. "I'm really sorry. I wish you wouldn't have had to meet him. He is such a tool around women. He's actually a totally different person in the office, you'd never believe it. I feel terrible though. I'll punch him again, if you want." I assured him that it wasn't necessary, but that if he felt the need to punch him for the hell of it, I certainly wouldn't fault him for it. He laughed. "I hope he didn't hurt his hand too badly on Jordan's thick skull." This was seriously the weirdest breakup conversation ever.
We wrapped up the conversation, and when I hung up, I still wasn't quite sure what had just happened.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
(Then) Kinsley
"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered to myself as I walked into my Psychology classroom on the first Monday of the quarter. Sitting there, looking smug as always, was Michael Bronson. The Michael Bronson. The one that made everything that much harder in high school. Why was he here? He shouldn't be here at DU. In my two and a half years here, I hadn't seen him once, and I was reasonably certain he really had gone somewhere in Texas.
Of course, at that moment, as I stood there staring at him and processing my thoughts, he turned and saw me. He grinned broadly. "Kins," he said, his grin melting into a smirk.
"Don't call me that," I snapped, walking past him. I made my way to the furthest possible seat away that I could find. As I got my stuff out, ready for the first day of my last gen ed class, I shut my eyes briefly and thought about how nice it had been to finally be away from Michael for the past two and a half years.
Michael had turned high school into a never-ending competition for me. We competed for class president during our sophomore, junior, and senior years. I won sophomore year, he won junior and senior years. We competed for band solos. He got more than me. We competed for the best lunch table (look, it was important at the time, okay?). We competed to be captain of the co-ed intramural ultimate frisbee team. He got it, and I ended up quitting. It wasn't worth his gloating. He lived right next door until my we moved at the end of my senior year, and we even competed to be my parents' favorite child. I barely even won that one.
And now he was here. I had no idea why, but I was pretty sure he was going to ruin my life.
I was so busy feeling sorry for myself that I didn't even pay attention. Whatever, we were just going over the syllabus. I'm pretty sure I can read that by myself later. I went out the door closest to me, hoping to avoid Michael, but somehow he was waiting for me just outside the door.
"Not the warmest welcome I've ever gotten," he quipped, falling into step beside me.
"Oh my god! Hi Michael!" I chirped in a falsely cheerful voice. "How have you been? Oh that's right, I forgot...I don't care." I tried to walk faster, but he easily kept up.
"Wow, so you're not bitter or anything, huh?" he asked. He was smiling, clearly enjoying this exchange.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not bitter, I just can't stand the sight of your face."
He laughed. The sound made me want to claw my eardrums right out of my head. "That's too bad, because your face is lovelier than ever, and I'm looking forward to seeing it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this semester."
"That makes one of us," I sighed. He kept smiling. I wanted to punch him.
I suddenly realized we were standing outside my on-campus apartment building. "Well, as nice as it was to catch up," he said, "this is me."
"Are you serious?!" I exclaimed.
He grinned even wider. "You too?" he asked, clearly gleeful. I just glared and stalked ahead of him.
Once I had disappeared into the safety of my apartment, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Everything okay?" asked my roommate, Kate.
"No, it couldn't possibly be worse," I moaned. I plopped down on our university-issued couch and told her about Michael.
"Is he cute?" she asked when I finished.
I gasped. "How can you even ask that?" I demanded. "No! Gross."
"I feel like you're being just a little dramatic," Kate said practically. "It's not like there's much to compete for now, so maybe it will be different."
"I should have known you wouldn't understand," I whined. "I'll go pout by myself." Kate shrugged as I walked to my bedroom, making a quick stop in the kitchen for a Diet Coke. Kate was really great but she was so logical, which wasn't always the best match for my dramatic personality.
I let myself pout for about an hour and then I felt like I was over it. I came back out of my room, but Kate was gone. She had left a note that said, "Class until 4, pizza later?" Ordering pizza had been our Monday night tradition all through the year so far. It was a great tradition. I looked in the kitchen to see if we had any wine, and found one more bottle. Perfect.
On Wednesday, I was running late. As I slipped in the door two minutes after class started, I saw one of the only empty seats was right behind Michael. The rest were in the front row, of course, and I wasn't going up there after class had already started.
Michael glanced back and grinned as I slid into the desk. "Thought you skipped so you wouldn't have to be disgusted by my face," he teased in a whisper. I glared and him and then looked towards the front of the room. He turned back around as well.
I zoned out as the professor lectured. Near the end of class, she announced that we'd be completing a group project over the next couple weeks. I groaned. I hated group projects. She numbered us off. Seriously? We can't even pick our groups? Why do professors do that?
"Find your group members and introduce yourselves. You'll be working with them on various things throughout the whole semester, so make sure you exchange some contact information, then you may go," she announced, when we were done counting.
I was a 4. I hadn't been paying attention to the people counting before me, so I looked around in confusion until I heard someone mention being a 4. I walked over to her and introduced myself. This numbering off was really confusing in a class this size. I mean, it wasn't a huge lecture, but 45 people milling around trying to find their other group members was a little ridiculous.
"Oooh, I hope he's in our group, he's hot," the other girl, whose name I had already forgotten, whispered. I turned around and saw Michael headed our way. Come on, give me a break.
"Fours, ladies?" he asked, winking at me. The other girl giggled and nodded, and I wanted to puke. Finally, our 4th group member found us. Another giggly freshman. Why did I wait so long to take this class?
We all introduced ourselves, and the other two girls--Claire and Maya--giggled again when he shook their hands. Ew. "Okay, well see you next week!" I said cheerfully, turning to go. Michael easily fell into step next to me, and I couldn't see a way to lose him since we were both headed to the same place. I needed to shower before my next class, so I couldn't even go to the library or something instead.
When we parted ways, Michael smiled deviously at me and said, "This is going to be the best group project ever."
__________________________________
I'm glad you guys are loving where Liv's story is going. Thank you all so much for your comments and feedback. I, of course, love to read the comments, and it's so awesome that you like things here enough to take the time to tell me so. But, in addition to my very selfish love of the comments, they also help me continue to write posts that you guys love to read, which is my main goal. I've added a "Reactions" feature to the end of the posts, so even if you don't want to comment, you can still give me a little feedback so I can keep writing posts that you want to read. Thank you all so much for stopping by and reading!
Of course, at that moment, as I stood there staring at him and processing my thoughts, he turned and saw me. He grinned broadly. "Kins," he said, his grin melting into a smirk.
"Don't call me that," I snapped, walking past him. I made my way to the furthest possible seat away that I could find. As I got my stuff out, ready for the first day of my last gen ed class, I shut my eyes briefly and thought about how nice it had been to finally be away from Michael for the past two and a half years.
Michael had turned high school into a never-ending competition for me. We competed for class president during our sophomore, junior, and senior years. I won sophomore year, he won junior and senior years. We competed for band solos. He got more than me. We competed for the best lunch table (look, it was important at the time, okay?). We competed to be captain of the co-ed intramural ultimate frisbee team. He got it, and I ended up quitting. It wasn't worth his gloating. He lived right next door until my we moved at the end of my senior year, and we even competed to be my parents' favorite child. I barely even won that one.
And now he was here. I had no idea why, but I was pretty sure he was going to ruin my life.
I was so busy feeling sorry for myself that I didn't even pay attention. Whatever, we were just going over the syllabus. I'm pretty sure I can read that by myself later. I went out the door closest to me, hoping to avoid Michael, but somehow he was waiting for me just outside the door.
"Not the warmest welcome I've ever gotten," he quipped, falling into step beside me.
"Oh my god! Hi Michael!" I chirped in a falsely cheerful voice. "How have you been? Oh that's right, I forgot...I don't care." I tried to walk faster, but he easily kept up.
"Wow, so you're not bitter or anything, huh?" he asked. He was smiling, clearly enjoying this exchange.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not bitter, I just can't stand the sight of your face."
He laughed. The sound made me want to claw my eardrums right out of my head. "That's too bad, because your face is lovelier than ever, and I'm looking forward to seeing it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this semester."
"That makes one of us," I sighed. He kept smiling. I wanted to punch him.
I suddenly realized we were standing outside my on-campus apartment building. "Well, as nice as it was to catch up," he said, "this is me."
"Are you serious?!" I exclaimed.
He grinned even wider. "You too?" he asked, clearly gleeful. I just glared and stalked ahead of him.
Once I had disappeared into the safety of my apartment, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Everything okay?" asked my roommate, Kate.
"No, it couldn't possibly be worse," I moaned. I plopped down on our university-issued couch and told her about Michael.
"Is he cute?" she asked when I finished.
I gasped. "How can you even ask that?" I demanded. "No! Gross."
"I feel like you're being just a little dramatic," Kate said practically. "It's not like there's much to compete for now, so maybe it will be different."
"I should have known you wouldn't understand," I whined. "I'll go pout by myself." Kate shrugged as I walked to my bedroom, making a quick stop in the kitchen for a Diet Coke. Kate was really great but she was so logical, which wasn't always the best match for my dramatic personality.
I let myself pout for about an hour and then I felt like I was over it. I came back out of my room, but Kate was gone. She had left a note that said, "Class until 4, pizza later?" Ordering pizza had been our Monday night tradition all through the year so far. It was a great tradition. I looked in the kitchen to see if we had any wine, and found one more bottle. Perfect.
On Wednesday, I was running late. As I slipped in the door two minutes after class started, I saw one of the only empty seats was right behind Michael. The rest were in the front row, of course, and I wasn't going up there after class had already started.
Michael glanced back and grinned as I slid into the desk. "Thought you skipped so you wouldn't have to be disgusted by my face," he teased in a whisper. I glared and him and then looked towards the front of the room. He turned back around as well.
I zoned out as the professor lectured. Near the end of class, she announced that we'd be completing a group project over the next couple weeks. I groaned. I hated group projects. She numbered us off. Seriously? We can't even pick our groups? Why do professors do that?
"Find your group members and introduce yourselves. You'll be working with them on various things throughout the whole semester, so make sure you exchange some contact information, then you may go," she announced, when we were done counting.
I was a 4. I hadn't been paying attention to the people counting before me, so I looked around in confusion until I heard someone mention being a 4. I walked over to her and introduced myself. This numbering off was really confusing in a class this size. I mean, it wasn't a huge lecture, but 45 people milling around trying to find their other group members was a little ridiculous.
"Oooh, I hope he's in our group, he's hot," the other girl, whose name I had already forgotten, whispered. I turned around and saw Michael headed our way. Come on, give me a break.
"Fours, ladies?" he asked, winking at me. The other girl giggled and nodded, and I wanted to puke. Finally, our 4th group member found us. Another giggly freshman. Why did I wait so long to take this class?
We all introduced ourselves, and the other two girls--Claire and Maya--giggled again when he shook their hands. Ew. "Okay, well see you next week!" I said cheerfully, turning to go. Michael easily fell into step next to me, and I couldn't see a way to lose him since we were both headed to the same place. I needed to shower before my next class, so I couldn't even go to the library or something instead.
When we parted ways, Michael smiled deviously at me and said, "This is going to be the best group project ever."
__________________________________
I'm glad you guys are loving where Liv's story is going. Thank you all so much for your comments and feedback. I, of course, love to read the comments, and it's so awesome that you like things here enough to take the time to tell me so. But, in addition to my very selfish love of the comments, they also help me continue to write posts that you guys love to read, which is my main goal. I've added a "Reactions" feature to the end of the posts, so even if you don't want to comment, you can still give me a little feedback so I can keep writing posts that you want to read. Thank you all so much for stopping by and reading!
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Protective Instinct
Jordan stumbled to the side and slouched against the wall, both hands on his face.
"That felt good," Brody muttered as he shook out his hand. I gaped at him. A burly bouncer approached us angrily.
"Out!" he directed. "All of you!" We happily obliged him, moving quickly outside. I had forgotten it was snowing and was surprised to see a light dusting on the ground.
"Holy shit," Alex said, staring at Brody. "That was awesome." I grasped Brody's forearm and looked at his hand in the dull light from the streetlights. It was already swelling, and he grimaced as he flexed his fingers. I sighed.
"You should probably get that checked out," I said. He shook his head.
"It's fine. I'll put some ice on it. Nothing feels broken." He flexed his fingers again and ran the fingers of his other hand tentatively over his knuckles. He suddenly became aware of the snow and cold and looked at me. I had my arms crossed and was shifting from foot to foot. "Let's find a cab and get back to your place before you freeze," he said, sliding his arm around me and pulling me close.
I leaned into his chest as we waited for a cab. We let Lauren, Alex, and Christian have the first one. Brody, Kinsley, and I took the one that pulled up a minute later. It dropped Kinsley off first, then stopped in front of my house. Brody handed the driver some cash as I hurried up to unlock the door.
The snow was slowing down, but it was still cold, and I was happy to get inside my house. I walked straight to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack for Brody. He sat on the couch and put it on his hand, then looked at me.
"You're pissed at me for punching that asshole," he observed.
I sighed and sat next to him. "Pissed isn't quite the right word. I certainly didn't mind seeing him get punched, and I'm glad to know that you've got my back. But I hate that the whole thing happened and I wish we just would have left right away."
He nodded. "I wish we would have left right away too. If we would have, maybe he wouldn't have put his hands on you again. I'm sorry I didn't listen when you asked to go the first time. I'm not sorry for punching him though." I laughed at the petulance at the end.
"I have a question," he said after a second. I raised my eyebrows. "So, that guy? He's James's brother?"
"Yes," I said, nodding. "Unfortunately he is."
"So, why did you make it seem like he was just some random guy when you told me about it the first time?"
I grimaced. "Because I didn't want to give you any reasons to dislike James even more than you must have already, and I knew if you knew that his brother was the one that had done that, you'd probably think less of him," I said. "I didn't think that it would ever matter."
"Well, you were right. What the hell kind of guy would let you be around his brother when he knows full well his brother is like that?"
"He didn't let me be around his brother," I replied. I paused, considering how much to tell him, and I decided that if I was really "all in", I should be completely honest with Brody about what had happened. I told him the whole story, figuring that was the best way to explain what had happened. It did little to assuage Brody's protective anger. By the end of my story, Brody's jaw was clenched so hard I was worried he was going to break his teeth, and his eyes were flashing with anger.
"Liv, I had no idea it was that bad," he said, after a few seconds of silence. "I can't believe James let him just walk away like that. And I wish you would have told me sooner."
"When? The day you came back and saw the bruise? The day we had lunch to talk about Savannah? Last night? There really wasn't a 'sooner' to tell you. And I didn't even tell James everything. You, me, and Jordan are the only people who know everything that happened." I was already agitated from what had happened tonight, and just re-telling the story had caused a knot to form in my stomach. I didn't need to be scolded for this too. I leaned back and rubbed my hand across my eyes, fighting back frustrated tears.
"Hey," he said, his voice gentle now. He pulled my hands away from my face and tilted his head to make eye contact with me. "I'm sorry. I just hate the thought of anyone hurting you. I'm pissed that I wasn't there to do something about it, and I wish James could have protected you better. That's all." I sighed again. I hated the thought of needing anyone to protect me, but I appreciated his concern.
I scooted closer to him and leaned against his chest. He wrapped his left arm around me and kissed the top of my head. I carefully moved the ice pack to look at his hand. It had stopped swelling, but it was still considerably puffy compared to his left hand.
"It better heal fast," I commented, looking up at him with a devilish grin, "because your right hand has many very important uses for me." He laughed and shook his head.
"I guess I'll have to learn to be just as good with the left, huh?" he replied.
I laughed and relaxed against him, glad that nothing worse had happened and hopeful that we'd never run into Jordan again.
When we went to bed, I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly. Unfortunately, it didn't last, and I was soon wide awake, gasping and drenched in sweat. Brody sat up quickly next to me and fumbled for the light. "What...are you okay?" he asked, confused. He looked at me in the soft light from the lamp and his face immediately grew concerned. "Liv?" He slid over to my side of the bed touched my arm gently.
"Nightmare," I managed, when I had caught my breath a little. "I'm fine." I got up and walked into the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and dried it. I heard Brody get up and walk out of the bedroom and I stood in the bathroom for close to a minute, my face resting against the cool tile of the wall.
I turned off the light and walked back into the bedroom. Brody held out of a bottle of water that he must have gone downstairs to get. I took it and took a drink before climbing back into bed. Brody turned the light off and curled around me protectively, pulling me tightly against his chest. "Was it about...?" he trailed off, not wanting to say Jordan's name.
I shook my head. "Maybe, but I don't remember anything," I replied. "I just remember being absolutely terrified, and then waking up." Brody's arm tightened around me even more. I wiggled around so that instead of having my back against his chest I was facing him. I pressed my face against his shoulder and shut my eyes. The fear from my nightmare wasn't fading as fast it should have been, and I was wide awake.
Brody ran his hand up and down my back and I forced my brain to focus on that. After what felt like forever, my mind and body started to relax, and I managed to fall back asleep. I made it the rest of the night without nightmares.
"That felt good," Brody muttered as he shook out his hand. I gaped at him. A burly bouncer approached us angrily.
"Out!" he directed. "All of you!" We happily obliged him, moving quickly outside. I had forgotten it was snowing and was surprised to see a light dusting on the ground.
"Holy shit," Alex said, staring at Brody. "That was awesome." I grasped Brody's forearm and looked at his hand in the dull light from the streetlights. It was already swelling, and he grimaced as he flexed his fingers. I sighed.
"You should probably get that checked out," I said. He shook his head.
"It's fine. I'll put some ice on it. Nothing feels broken." He flexed his fingers again and ran the fingers of his other hand tentatively over his knuckles. He suddenly became aware of the snow and cold and looked at me. I had my arms crossed and was shifting from foot to foot. "Let's find a cab and get back to your place before you freeze," he said, sliding his arm around me and pulling me close.
I leaned into his chest as we waited for a cab. We let Lauren, Alex, and Christian have the first one. Brody, Kinsley, and I took the one that pulled up a minute later. It dropped Kinsley off first, then stopped in front of my house. Brody handed the driver some cash as I hurried up to unlock the door.
The snow was slowing down, but it was still cold, and I was happy to get inside my house. I walked straight to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack for Brody. He sat on the couch and put it on his hand, then looked at me.
"You're pissed at me for punching that asshole," he observed.
I sighed and sat next to him. "Pissed isn't quite the right word. I certainly didn't mind seeing him get punched, and I'm glad to know that you've got my back. But I hate that the whole thing happened and I wish we just would have left right away."
He nodded. "I wish we would have left right away too. If we would have, maybe he wouldn't have put his hands on you again. I'm sorry I didn't listen when you asked to go the first time. I'm not sorry for punching him though." I laughed at the petulance at the end.
"I have a question," he said after a second. I raised my eyebrows. "So, that guy? He's James's brother?"
"Yes," I said, nodding. "Unfortunately he is."
"So, why did you make it seem like he was just some random guy when you told me about it the first time?"
I grimaced. "Because I didn't want to give you any reasons to dislike James even more than you must have already, and I knew if you knew that his brother was the one that had done that, you'd probably think less of him," I said. "I didn't think that it would ever matter."
"Well, you were right. What the hell kind of guy would let you be around his brother when he knows full well his brother is like that?"
"He didn't let me be around his brother," I replied. I paused, considering how much to tell him, and I decided that if I was really "all in", I should be completely honest with Brody about what had happened. I told him the whole story, figuring that was the best way to explain what had happened. It did little to assuage Brody's protective anger. By the end of my story, Brody's jaw was clenched so hard I was worried he was going to break his teeth, and his eyes were flashing with anger.
"Liv, I had no idea it was that bad," he said, after a few seconds of silence. "I can't believe James let him just walk away like that. And I wish you would have told me sooner."
"When? The day you came back and saw the bruise? The day we had lunch to talk about Savannah? Last night? There really wasn't a 'sooner' to tell you. And I didn't even tell James everything. You, me, and Jordan are the only people who know everything that happened." I was already agitated from what had happened tonight, and just re-telling the story had caused a knot to form in my stomach. I didn't need to be scolded for this too. I leaned back and rubbed my hand across my eyes, fighting back frustrated tears.
"Hey," he said, his voice gentle now. He pulled my hands away from my face and tilted his head to make eye contact with me. "I'm sorry. I just hate the thought of anyone hurting you. I'm pissed that I wasn't there to do something about it, and I wish James could have protected you better. That's all." I sighed again. I hated the thought of needing anyone to protect me, but I appreciated his concern.
I scooted closer to him and leaned against his chest. He wrapped his left arm around me and kissed the top of my head. I carefully moved the ice pack to look at his hand. It had stopped swelling, but it was still considerably puffy compared to his left hand.
"It better heal fast," I commented, looking up at him with a devilish grin, "because your right hand has many very important uses for me." He laughed and shook his head.
"I guess I'll have to learn to be just as good with the left, huh?" he replied.
I laughed and relaxed against him, glad that nothing worse had happened and hopeful that we'd never run into Jordan again.
When we went to bed, I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly. Unfortunately, it didn't last, and I was soon wide awake, gasping and drenched in sweat. Brody sat up quickly next to me and fumbled for the light. "What...are you okay?" he asked, confused. He looked at me in the soft light from the lamp and his face immediately grew concerned. "Liv?" He slid over to my side of the bed touched my arm gently.
"Nightmare," I managed, when I had caught my breath a little. "I'm fine." I got up and walked into the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and dried it. I heard Brody get up and walk out of the bedroom and I stood in the bathroom for close to a minute, my face resting against the cool tile of the wall.
I turned off the light and walked back into the bedroom. Brody held out of a bottle of water that he must have gone downstairs to get. I took it and took a drink before climbing back into bed. Brody turned the light off and curled around me protectively, pulling me tightly against his chest. "Was it about...?" he trailed off, not wanting to say Jordan's name.
I shook my head. "Maybe, but I don't remember anything," I replied. "I just remember being absolutely terrified, and then waking up." Brody's arm tightened around me even more. I wiggled around so that instead of having my back against his chest I was facing him. I pressed my face against his shoulder and shut my eyes. The fear from my nightmare wasn't fading as fast it should have been, and I was wide awake.
Brody ran his hand up and down my back and I forced my brain to focus on that. After what felt like forever, my mind and body started to relax, and I managed to fall back asleep. I made it the rest of the night without nightmares.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Security Detail
Thanks to a wonderful reader named Ashley, you guys will not have to suffer through poorly edited posts while I'm off doing things that are far less fun than editing my own posts (for example, right now, I am very likely working on a 16 page research paper). She emailed me and volunteered to look over my posts while I'm busy with my other stuff, and I'm exceedingly grateful for her help. A huge thank you, Ashley!
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An hour after our kiss in the snow, we were getting out of a cab in front of the club where we were meeting Lauren, Kinsley, Alex, and Christian. I had swapped my flats for tall boots and ditched my coat, knowing it would be hot in the club. We walked quickly into the building while Brody texted Alex to find out if anyone else was there yet. Alex texted back that they had gotten a table on the upper level.
When we walked up to their table, hand in hand, 4 pairs of eyes widened in surprise. Kinsley, never one for subtlety, jumped up. "Are you guys...?" she asked, and squealed when we nodded. She threw her arms around me, almost knocking me over. "It's about damn time!" she declared. Lauren was grinning at me. I, of course, was blushing from the attention.
"Stop looking at me like that," I admonished her as I sat down.
"I knew you'd do it," she whispered before hugging me.
"You guys are being super weird." I made a face. Brody laughed. "I feel like you all need Team Brody t-shirts or something."
"I wish you would have suggested that a week ago!" Kinsley exclaimed. "I definitely would have worn one of those."
"For what it's worth," Alex said, "I was Team James. Poor sucker." Christian punched him in the arm and I blushed a deeper shade of red. Brody went to get us drinks, and luckily, the others quickly became bored with our new relationship status. As Alex and Christian went back to discussing tomorrow's football games, Lauren and Kinsley looked at me expectantly.
"Did you tell James?" Lauren asked.
"Sort of," I responded. "I'm going to have a more thorough conversation with him tomorrow, if he'll talk to me."
"So did you just call Brody and say 'oh hey, let's be together'?" Kinsley asked, looking around to make sure Brody wasn't coming back.
I laughed. "Um, not quite. I drove out to his house at 1 in the morning in the pouring rain, and luckily he was there, answered the door, and let me in even though I was dripping all over the floor."
"That's so romantic," Kinsley sighed.
"And so stupid!" Lauren exclaimed. "What were you thinking? What if he hadn't even been there?"
"I wasn't thinking," I admitted. "But he was there, and it worked out."
I was spared any further inquisition when Brody reappeared with drinks. I thanked him and took a sip, listening to Alex and Christian argue about quarterbacks. Shortly after, the band began.
They were pretty good, and the venue was the perfect size. There was standing room on the dance floor and the elevated areas around it, then tables up on the second floor loft area. I was glad they had gotten here early enough to get us a table up here, because it was a perfect to listen and see, but it wasn't quite as loud or crowded as it would be down on the floor.
While the band was taking a quick break, I got up to get a drink. As I turned from the bar, I heard a low chuckle and my eyes snapped up to lock on Jordan's face.
"Well, look who it is," he growled. "Here with my brother, princess?" I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I struggled to keep my face calm, but judging by the way he was leering at me, I was sure he could see the panic in my eyes.
"Hello Jordan," I said as calmly as possible. "Please get out of my way."
"Oh, are we going to play that game again?" he asked, taking a step towards me. It was loud near the bar, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. I tried to push past him but he stepped into my path. My breath caught and I tried to remind myself he couldn't really get away with doing anything with all these people here. I forced myself not to flinch away as he reached out a hand and lightly stroked my hair with his fingertips.
"Hey, man, get out of the way! People are trying to get through!" came an angry voice from the other side of him. Jordan turned to deliver a nasty remark back and I slipped past him and hurried back to our table.
Brody took one look at my face and shaking hands and stood up. "What's wrong?" he asked, guiding me into my seat. I put my face in my hands and took several deep breaths. Lauren touched my back, but I shied away from her. "Liv?" Brody prodded gently when I didn't respond.
"I..." I started, pausing to take a deep, shaky breath. "Jor--the guy that grabbed me when I was out with James is here. I just ran into him up at the bar."
Brody looked furious. I shook my head. "He didn't really do anything. I mean, not now." The words rushed out and I realized I was holding the arm that Jordan had bruised after the comedy show. Brody reached for it. I held it out to him for inspection. "He didn't touch me this time. I just panicked when I saw him." Brody's jaw was set and his eyes were hard. "Don't," I said, reading his mind. "I'm fine, I'm just shaken up."
I was starting to feel a little ridiculous with all 5 of them staring at me. I sat up straight and forced a smile onto my face. "Seriously, guys, I'm okay. It was just a little disconcerting seeing him. There were so many people near the bar and I got a little anxious, but I'm fine." Alex and Christian shrugged and turned their attention back to the stage, but Lauren, Kinsley, and Brody were still staring at me.
"Do you want to go?" Brody asked quietly. "We can go. You're white as ghost."
I shook my head. "I'm fine, I promise. If I change my mind, I'll let you know." He sighed in frustration at my stubbornness but dropped it. He shifted his chair and slid his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him and willed my body to stop shaking. Lauren was still looking at me with concern. I offered her a smile. She narrowed her eyes, then turned back towards the stage. I shut my eyes briefly and sucked in another deep breath. When I opened them, I felt a little calmer, and returned my attention to the music.
We stuck around at our table chatting for about 20 minutes after the show ended. As we were walking out, I caught sight of Jordan again. I turned my head, hoping he wouldn't see us. Near the door, I heard his voice boom, "Well, that certainly isn't my brother!" Shit. I looked at him. He was looking at my hand where it was connected to Brody's, our fingers entwined.
"Your brother?" Brody asked in confusion. "No, definitely not, and thank god for that." I could tell by the set of his jaw that he had realized exactly who this was.
"Can't say I blame you," Jordan continued to me, ignoring Brody. "This guy is much better looking than my idiot brother."
"Come on," I said to Brody, pulling on his hand. "Let's get out of here." The panicky feeling was starting to come back, even though Brody was in between me and Jordan, and Alex, Christian, Lauren, and Kinsley were right behind us. Plus there were bouncers all over the place, since we were near the bar and the door.
"So soon?" Jordan asked, his face contorting into what looked like it was meant to be a friendly smile, but it missed the mark. "I was hoping to get to know you and your friends better, sweetheart." His eyes drifted down the length of my body.
"I'd appreciate if you didn't look at my girlfriend like that," Brody said evenly.
"Let's go!" I hissed at Brody. This time he listened. Brody was careful to stay between me and Jordan, but after we walked past, Jordan reached behind us and slapped my ass. Brody didn't even hesitate. He spun and punched Jordan square in the face.
_______________________________________
An hour after our kiss in the snow, we were getting out of a cab in front of the club where we were meeting Lauren, Kinsley, Alex, and Christian. I had swapped my flats for tall boots and ditched my coat, knowing it would be hot in the club. We walked quickly into the building while Brody texted Alex to find out if anyone else was there yet. Alex texted back that they had gotten a table on the upper level.
When we walked up to their table, hand in hand, 4 pairs of eyes widened in surprise. Kinsley, never one for subtlety, jumped up. "Are you guys...?" she asked, and squealed when we nodded. She threw her arms around me, almost knocking me over. "It's about damn time!" she declared. Lauren was grinning at me. I, of course, was blushing from the attention.
"Stop looking at me like that," I admonished her as I sat down.
"I knew you'd do it," she whispered before hugging me.
"You guys are being super weird." I made a face. Brody laughed. "I feel like you all need Team Brody t-shirts or something."
"I wish you would have suggested that a week ago!" Kinsley exclaimed. "I definitely would have worn one of those."
"For what it's worth," Alex said, "I was Team James. Poor sucker." Christian punched him in the arm and I blushed a deeper shade of red. Brody went to get us drinks, and luckily, the others quickly became bored with our new relationship status. As Alex and Christian went back to discussing tomorrow's football games, Lauren and Kinsley looked at me expectantly.
"Did you tell James?" Lauren asked.
"Sort of," I responded. "I'm going to have a more thorough conversation with him tomorrow, if he'll talk to me."
"So did you just call Brody and say 'oh hey, let's be together'?" Kinsley asked, looking around to make sure Brody wasn't coming back.
I laughed. "Um, not quite. I drove out to his house at 1 in the morning in the pouring rain, and luckily he was there, answered the door, and let me in even though I was dripping all over the floor."
"That's so romantic," Kinsley sighed.
"And so stupid!" Lauren exclaimed. "What were you thinking? What if he hadn't even been there?"
"I wasn't thinking," I admitted. "But he was there, and it worked out."
I was spared any further inquisition when Brody reappeared with drinks. I thanked him and took a sip, listening to Alex and Christian argue about quarterbacks. Shortly after, the band began.
They were pretty good, and the venue was the perfect size. There was standing room on the dance floor and the elevated areas around it, then tables up on the second floor loft area. I was glad they had gotten here early enough to get us a table up here, because it was a perfect to listen and see, but it wasn't quite as loud or crowded as it would be down on the floor.
While the band was taking a quick break, I got up to get a drink. As I turned from the bar, I heard a low chuckle and my eyes snapped up to lock on Jordan's face.
"Well, look who it is," he growled. "Here with my brother, princess?" I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I struggled to keep my face calm, but judging by the way he was leering at me, I was sure he could see the panic in my eyes.
"Hello Jordan," I said as calmly as possible. "Please get out of my way."
"Oh, are we going to play that game again?" he asked, taking a step towards me. It was loud near the bar, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. I tried to push past him but he stepped into my path. My breath caught and I tried to remind myself he couldn't really get away with doing anything with all these people here. I forced myself not to flinch away as he reached out a hand and lightly stroked my hair with his fingertips.
"Hey, man, get out of the way! People are trying to get through!" came an angry voice from the other side of him. Jordan turned to deliver a nasty remark back and I slipped past him and hurried back to our table.
Brody took one look at my face and shaking hands and stood up. "What's wrong?" he asked, guiding me into my seat. I put my face in my hands and took several deep breaths. Lauren touched my back, but I shied away from her. "Liv?" Brody prodded gently when I didn't respond.
"I..." I started, pausing to take a deep, shaky breath. "Jor--the guy that grabbed me when I was out with James is here. I just ran into him up at the bar."
Brody looked furious. I shook my head. "He didn't really do anything. I mean, not now." The words rushed out and I realized I was holding the arm that Jordan had bruised after the comedy show. Brody reached for it. I held it out to him for inspection. "He didn't touch me this time. I just panicked when I saw him." Brody's jaw was set and his eyes were hard. "Don't," I said, reading his mind. "I'm fine, I'm just shaken up."
I was starting to feel a little ridiculous with all 5 of them staring at me. I sat up straight and forced a smile onto my face. "Seriously, guys, I'm okay. It was just a little disconcerting seeing him. There were so many people near the bar and I got a little anxious, but I'm fine." Alex and Christian shrugged and turned their attention back to the stage, but Lauren, Kinsley, and Brody were still staring at me.
"Do you want to go?" Brody asked quietly. "We can go. You're white as ghost."
I shook my head. "I'm fine, I promise. If I change my mind, I'll let you know." He sighed in frustration at my stubbornness but dropped it. He shifted his chair and slid his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him and willed my body to stop shaking. Lauren was still looking at me with concern. I offered her a smile. She narrowed her eyes, then turned back towards the stage. I shut my eyes briefly and sucked in another deep breath. When I opened them, I felt a little calmer, and returned my attention to the music.
We stuck around at our table chatting for about 20 minutes after the show ended. As we were walking out, I caught sight of Jordan again. I turned my head, hoping he wouldn't see us. Near the door, I heard his voice boom, "Well, that certainly isn't my brother!" Shit. I looked at him. He was looking at my hand where it was connected to Brody's, our fingers entwined.
"Your brother?" Brody asked in confusion. "No, definitely not, and thank god for that." I could tell by the set of his jaw that he had realized exactly who this was.
"Can't say I blame you," Jordan continued to me, ignoring Brody. "This guy is much better looking than my idiot brother."
"Come on," I said to Brody, pulling on his hand. "Let's get out of here." The panicky feeling was starting to come back, even though Brody was in between me and Jordan, and Alex, Christian, Lauren, and Kinsley were right behind us. Plus there were bouncers all over the place, since we were near the bar and the door.
"So soon?" Jordan asked, his face contorting into what looked like it was meant to be a friendly smile, but it missed the mark. "I was hoping to get to know you and your friends better, sweetheart." His eyes drifted down the length of my body.
"I'd appreciate if you didn't look at my girlfriend like that," Brody said evenly.
"Let's go!" I hissed at Brody. This time he listened. Brody was careful to stay between me and Jordan, but after we walked past, Jordan reached behind us and slapped my ass. Brody didn't even hesitate. He spun and punched Jordan square in the face.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
(Then) Brody
Denver
I was happy to go back to Denver and leave Miami behind. When my dad had told me a former associate had contacted him about setting up shop in Denver, I volunteered immediately. My dad sent me off with barely a wave or second glance. Working for him had been trying, especially in the beginning, before I got into the habit of agreeing with him to his face and then doing whatever I had been planning behind his back. He never even noticed, and happily took credit for all my hard work.The worst was his insistence that we have dinner together weekly. It wasn't long before he started bringing women with him. They were generally closer to my age than his. At least he could get women to actually go out to dinner with him, though.
Anyway, I busted my ass for two solid months before leaving for Denver, getting things set up remotely. I flew back and forth a few times too. My dad came with me once I had narrowed potential office buildings down to three options. He picked one, wrote the check, delegated office space, and was on his way back to the airport in less than two hours. I did everything else, from hiring the decorators to picking out furniture to interviewing people. I was only taking a handful of people from Miami with me, so we'd have the heavy task of training a whole new staff.
Once I was in Denver, I worked non-stop for 3 months. 6 or 7 days a week, at least 12 hours a day. I lost myself in it, enjoying watching the branch rise from the ground. Finally, things were taking off on their own, and I could start working a more normal schedule. Our people were trained, and the clients were trickling in.
I was having some drinks with my coworkers one night when I ran into Dan. I recognized him right away, even though I hadn't seen him since 8th grade. We sat down and caught up a little, and he invited me out that weekend. I agreed. I hadn't seen anyone but coworkers and my mom since I moved up here.
That weekend, he took me out with some guys we knew from when I lived here, and some that I didn't know. They were a hard-partying group, rivaling my Miami friends. It had been months since I got laid, and it was easy to take women home when you could tell them ran your own company (a bit liberal, but I did run the company here) and could pick up the entire bar tab without batting an eye. I didn't even have to rely on my old fall back of "My dad used to be an NFL cornerback." Apparently, old habits are hard to break.
When my dad flew up several months later to chew me out in person, I was irritated and spent a couple more months running around town, doing whatever the hell I wanted. But one Friday morning, when I struggled to drag myself out of bed after a particularly hellish bender the night before, I realized that as much as it pained me to admit, he was right. If I wanted to be successful, to buy a house, and to be an adult, I needed to act like one.
I started avoiding Dan's calls, and I called Kevin and invited him to come over and watch a game with me. We reconnected and I started hanging out with him more. His friends, who I had previously thought boring, were actually pretty cool.
One night, shortly after I bought my house, we were watching a Broncos game at a sports bar when a pretty blonde walked up and said hi to Kevin. He turned to introduce her to me, but she interrupted him, beaming at me. "Hi," she said. "I'm Savannah."
"Brody," I replied, smiling back at her. Savannah ended up sitting down with us and watching the game for awhile. She was surprisingly knowledgeable about football, which I found attractive. When she bought us a round of beers, I was sold. Her friends left awhile later, and we invited her to stay with us. She took us up on it.
When the game was over, she asked for a ride home. After a short discussion, we realized her place was on my way, so I took her. When I pulled up in front of her apartment building, she smiled at me and asked if I wanted to come in. I briefly considered saying no, but she seemed so laid back, and she was pretty. How do you say no to that?
The sex was nothing special, but Savannah was enthusiastic at least. She didn't seem upset when I got up and left awhile after either.
The sex was better the second time, a couple weeks later. We had run into each other again and one thing led to another. I hadn't been expecting a repeat performance, and I didn't want her to think I wanted anything more, but it all just kind of happened.
When she sought me out a week later, inviting me to the bar to hang out with her and some friends, I said no. I didn't want to give the impression that I wanted this to be anything more than occasional, casual sex. I wasn't even totally sold on wanting occasional, casual sex with her, to be honest. And anyway, I already had plans with Kevin and his friends.
My plans with Kevin and his friends happened to take me to the same place that Savannah was with her friends. Seriously, could this city get any smaller? We ended up combining our groups, and I struck up conversation with Savannah's friend Alex. He was from the area and had gone to the school that would have been my high school's rival, if we had stayed here long enough for me to attend high school. We ended up exchanging numbers and making plans to get the guys all together for some football.
I politely refused when Savannah asked for a ride home. She pouted, but I plead fatigue and early morning workout plans. She rolled her eyes and flounced away.
Our football game was a success, and I started hanging out with Alex more. I still saw Kevin, but I was splitting my time between his group of friends and Alex's and Savannah's. Occasionally we all got together, and everyone got along really well. Kevin got along especially well with one of Savannah's friends, Kinsley. I think they were hooking up for awhile, but Kevin never mentioned it. Savannah and I fooled around a couple more times. She never pushed for more, and the sex got better every time, so why not?
I was having a get together at my place when Alex pulled me aside. "You know that Savannah wants to date you, right?" he asked me quietly.
"She does?" I asked, dumbfounded.
Alex stared at me. "You don't already know that? She talks about you non-stop. I thought you knew."
"She's never said anything," I said, shaking my head. "She's always just asked me for a ride home, then invited me in. She doesn't say a word when I leave. I had no idea." I shoved my hand through my hair, feeling like the world's biggest asshole.
"Well, I'd be careful if I were you," he warned. "She doesn't take rejection well." His grimace that accompanied that statement made me wonder if he knew from experience. I thanked him for the head's up and returned to playing host.
Since my house was so far out of town, some of the people that came over stayed the night. Savannah was one of them, and when I showed her to the guest room, she frowned. She stepped closer to me and put her hand on my arm, then turned her doe eyes up to mine. "I was thinking maybe I could spend the night with you," she said.
"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, turning her gently towards the door of the guest room. "Goodnight, Savannah." I walked away before she could protest. I was worried she'd follow, but luckily she didn't.
I avoided her calls that week. When I went to happy hour on Thursday, which was becoming a weekly tradition, she intercepted me on my way from the door to the bar. "Can we talk?" she asked.
"Can I get a drink first?" I replied, stalling.
"I'd rather you didn't, can we go outside?" Sighing, I followed her outside, having a pretty good idea what was coming.
"Look, Savannah--" I started, ready to beat her to the punch and apologize for misreading the situation.
"No, you look," she snapped back. "What kind of girl do you think I am?" Was that a trick question? Inviting someone in and jumping on him after knowing him for a mere couple of hours sends a pretty strong message. Luckily, she saved me from having to answer that by continuing. "I was under the impression that this was going somewhere. You made me look like such an idiot last weekend!"
"Savannah, I'm sorry, I really am," I said sincerely. "I had no idea that you wanted a relationship. I thought that we were both cool with just hooking up. I didn't mean to hurt you or embarrass you." This was my first time apologizing to a woman since high school, and it was weird. It also wasn't received well.
"You had no idea," she scoffed. "Of course you didn't. How convenient for you! Tell me, Brody, do you know many girls that are 'cool with just hooking up'?" She paused, staring me down, apparently expecting an answer to this question.
"Well, actually I do," I said. Bad move. She glared at me. Then she stomped her foot. She actually, legitimately stomped her foot. "I mean," I said quickly, trying to recover, "I used to, anyway."
She laughed, a high pitched, sort of creepy sound completely unlike her normal laugh. "I'd heard about you, but I thought things would be different now that you were hanging out with different people. Guess not."
"Savannah, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. I'm actually really confused because you've never said a word about wanting more than sex, and every other girl that's ever invited me in within hours of meeting me has never wanted more than that. I misread the situation, and I feel really terrible."
"So, you think I'm a slut?" she asked, challenging me.
I'd had enough. "No, I don't. I don't think of women that enjoy sex, even casual sex, as 'sluts'. I'm not doing this anymore," I said, throwing up my hands. "I'm really sorry. I'm not interested in dating you. I don't know what else to say, so if you're finished, I'm going to go inside and have a drink." She started to open her mouth, and I cut her off. "Actually, even if you're not finished, I'm going to go inside and have a drink." I turned and walked towards the door. I stopped and looked back at her. "I am really, really sorry though," I insisted. She didn't respond.
She came back in while I was at the bar. She stopped at the table for a minute, then stormed back out. I approached the table cautiously, sitting down by Alex. "Dude," he said, looking at me carefully. "What did you do to her?"
"I apologized," I said wryly.
"Looks like you did a good job," he said with a laugh. "Told you she doesn't take rejection well."
"Yeah, and that was an understatement," I replied.
Alex shook his head. "Don't stop coming now that she went crazy."
"I won't," I promised. "She'll get over it, right?"
He made a face. "I hope so," he said, not sounding at all convinced.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
FYI
Just wanted to give you guys a heads up: I have a lot of stuff going on in the next couple weeks between work, school, and other life stuff. I promise I will still have three posts a week for you (because they're all already written), but if they are not as well edited, that is why. I will also probably not be as active with you guys in the comments as usual. Some posts may actually go up at 6am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday instead of the evening before as they have been lately. There will also probably not be bonuses, though I wouldn't rule it out completely because writing keeps me sane and I might need to sneak one in for some self-care!
If a post doesn't show up by 6 am on Mon, Wed, or Fri ever, (or if there is a glaring error, like the wrong name, or a person who magically appeared or disappeared) please feel free to let me know in the comments or via email, because it's likely a Blogger malfunction (or in the glaring error case, an editing malfunction!) and I will get them up/fixed asap :)
If a post doesn't show up by 6 am on Mon, Wed, or Fri ever, (or if there is a glaring error, like the wrong name, or a person who magically appeared or disappeared) please feel free to let me know in the comments or via email, because it's likely a Blogger malfunction (or in the glaring error case, an editing malfunction!) and I will get them up/fixed asap :)
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
(Now) Brody's Perspective: Confessions
Thank you all so much for your feedback on yesterday's post! I've got some new posts in the works based on your comments. Some will fall into the normal storyline, some will be Friday posts, and who knows, some might even end up being bonuses :)
_______________________________________
It was finally Friday, and even though it was nearly 11pm before I left the office, I was thankful for the weekend. I had stayed so late so I wouldn't have to come in tomorrow...hopefully. As I plodded down the 8 flights of stairs between my office and my car, I realized that I had spent more than 70 hours at work this week. Anyone who glamorizes owning their own business deserves a solid right hook to the jaw. It's hard fucking work.
The benefit of leaving the office at 11pm was the lack of traffic. This crazy rain certainly didn't hurt, either. As I cruised out of town towards my house, my mind wandered to the person that had been occupying so much of its time lately: Liv. As had become my habit, I let my thoughts scroll through our encounters since I'd been back.
When I watched her walk into happy hour that first day I was back, I knew I had made the right choice, even if she was seeing someone else. When she walked away from me, I was pretty sure I could have put my fist right through the brick wall behind me. She had seemed so angry, and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Scared, almost. I could handle her being angry at me, but being scared to be around me? That killed me. I hoped I was reading it wrong.
I wanted to hate that guy she was with, James. I really did. I was ready to hate him. But it turned out that there wasn't much to hate. He was exactly the type of guy I imagined Liv with--besides me, of course. And she seemed happy. Nervous, but still happy. I couldn't begrudge her that, even if it hurt to see her with someone else. But even though she seemed happy, there was still something there that wasn't quite right. Drunk me had been just about to tell her I was in love with her when James was in the bathroom that night, but he came back before I could gather my courage. Even drunk me is scared of rejection, apparently.
And I really didn't mean to kiss her on Christian and Kendra's deck. That wasn't my intention when I went out there. It just sort of happened, and for the 10 seconds that we were kissing, everything was perfect again. In those 10 seconds, I made up my mind: I was going to tell her that I was in love with her. Then she walked away from me for the second time, and I knew those words would never come out of my mouth unless she said them first.
I was surprised to realize I was on my street already. I pulled my SUV into the garage and dragged myself inside. I briefly debated throwing myself directly into my bed, clothes, shoes and all, but practicality won out, and I changed into a pair of shorts. My bed felt amazing after my 16 hour day and I was asleep almost instantly.
Something startled me awake. I blinked at my clock and saw it was almost 1am. I tried to make sense of what I had heard that had woken me up. Was it the doorbell? It couldn't be, because who would be ringing my doorbell at 1am? I started to close my eyes again, but I realized that if someone had been ringing my doorbell at 1am, it was probably important. I debated for several more seconds, then I stood and walked into the hall.
I fumbled for the light switch and finally got it on so I wouldn't fall down the stairs in the dark. When I pulled open the door and saw Liv standing there, soaked and shivering and just as beautiful as always, all I could do was stare at her for a second. Then I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door shut behind her against the driving rain. "Jesus, Liv, you're soaked. Are you crazy? Why--" I stopped short, baffled by the intense expression on her face. I reached out a hand towards her but stopped, confused. "Olivia, are you okay?"
When she told me she was in love with me, I briefly wondered if I was dreaming. She didn't give me long to think about it though. When she kissed me, I was shocked at how warm her lips were against mine, because the rest of her was ice cold from the rain. I needed to look at her again; I needed to know that this was for real. Reluctantly I broke our kiss and my eyes searched every inch of her face, my fingers slipping over skin I had given up on ever touching like this again.
When she leaned her face just slightly into my touch, it broke the spell and I had to have her right that second. I barely even noticed how wet her clothes were as I pulled them off, and I was glad I had changed into shorts and not fallen into bed in my suit like I had considered. Neither of us had spoken since she told me she was in love with me, and Liv's moan when I entered her was startlingly loud in my quiet house. She came surprisingly quickly, and the sharp pressure of her fingers on my arms reeled me back in from my mission.
I realized suddenly that if I kept up that pace, it would all be over way too soon, and I wasn't ready for that. Flipping her onto her back let me re-familiarize myself to kissing her. Her lips, her cheeks, her neck, her shoulder. Finally, after bringing Liv to another orgasm, I finished, collapsing on top of her. She had her face pressed against the inside of my forearm, and when her lips brushed lightly against the skin there, I was practically ready to go again.
Then I felt shiver beneath me and I pressed my hand to arm. Her skin was still damp and cold. "You're freezing, Liv," I said, and I got up and pulled on my shorts. She was watching me, but hadn't moved, and she looked exhausted.
After I got her in the shower I went back downstairs and picked up her soaking wet clothes from the floor and threw them in the dryer. I grabbed a bottle of water and went back upstairs just in time to hear the shower shut off. Seeing her come out of the bathroom in the clothes I had found for her was unreal, and I watched her as she walked over to me. Of all the women I've slept with or dated, Liv is the first I've let wear my clothes. And even though they were comically big on her small frame, the sight made me feel possessive, protective, and incredibly turned on, all at once.
I offered her the bottle of water and watched her as she took a drink. I was happy when she put the cap back on it and set it down because I wanted nothing more than to be close to her again. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down into bed with me. I wormed one arm under her so I could wrap both arms around her. She finally felt warm.
I asked her why she hadn't just called, and when she said she didn't want me to tell her not to come, I almost laughed. I clearly wasn't above showing up at her job and begging her to have lunch with me, there was no way I'd refuse her.
With surprise, I realized I had never responded to her confession. I felt a stab of anxiety and when I first opened my mouth, nothing came out. I took a breath, reminding myself that she had said it first.
"Liv?" I spoke quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep already.
"Mmmm," she responded. Not quite asleep, but not far from it.
"I'm in love with you too." I forced the words to come out calmly, instead of tumbling out in a rush of nervousness like they threatened to.
"I know," she said simply. She settled back against me, and moments later, her breathing was deep and even and she was asleep. I stayed awake for awhile longer, staring at the back of her head in the dark and enjoying the feeling of having her in my arms again. Then my fatigue from the week won out, and I was sleeping too.
_______________________________________
It was finally Friday, and even though it was nearly 11pm before I left the office, I was thankful for the weekend. I had stayed so late so I wouldn't have to come in tomorrow...hopefully. As I plodded down the 8 flights of stairs between my office and my car, I realized that I had spent more than 70 hours at work this week. Anyone who glamorizes owning their own business deserves a solid right hook to the jaw. It's hard fucking work.
The benefit of leaving the office at 11pm was the lack of traffic. This crazy rain certainly didn't hurt, either. As I cruised out of town towards my house, my mind wandered to the person that had been occupying so much of its time lately: Liv. As had become my habit, I let my thoughts scroll through our encounters since I'd been back.
When I watched her walk into happy hour that first day I was back, I knew I had made the right choice, even if she was seeing someone else. When she walked away from me, I was pretty sure I could have put my fist right through the brick wall behind me. She had seemed so angry, and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Scared, almost. I could handle her being angry at me, but being scared to be around me? That killed me. I hoped I was reading it wrong.
I wanted to hate that guy she was with, James. I really did. I was ready to hate him. But it turned out that there wasn't much to hate. He was exactly the type of guy I imagined Liv with--besides me, of course. And she seemed happy. Nervous, but still happy. I couldn't begrudge her that, even if it hurt to see her with someone else. But even though she seemed happy, there was still something there that wasn't quite right. Drunk me had been just about to tell her I was in love with her when James was in the bathroom that night, but he came back before I could gather my courage. Even drunk me is scared of rejection, apparently.
And I really didn't mean to kiss her on Christian and Kendra's deck. That wasn't my intention when I went out there. It just sort of happened, and for the 10 seconds that we were kissing, everything was perfect again. In those 10 seconds, I made up my mind: I was going to tell her that I was in love with her. Then she walked away from me for the second time, and I knew those words would never come out of my mouth unless she said them first.
I was surprised to realize I was on my street already. I pulled my SUV into the garage and dragged myself inside. I briefly debated throwing myself directly into my bed, clothes, shoes and all, but practicality won out, and I changed into a pair of shorts. My bed felt amazing after my 16 hour day and I was asleep almost instantly.
Something startled me awake. I blinked at my clock and saw it was almost 1am. I tried to make sense of what I had heard that had woken me up. Was it the doorbell? It couldn't be, because who would be ringing my doorbell at 1am? I started to close my eyes again, but I realized that if someone had been ringing my doorbell at 1am, it was probably important. I debated for several more seconds, then I stood and walked into the hall.
I fumbled for the light switch and finally got it on so I wouldn't fall down the stairs in the dark. When I pulled open the door and saw Liv standing there, soaked and shivering and just as beautiful as always, all I could do was stare at her for a second. Then I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door shut behind her against the driving rain. "Jesus, Liv, you're soaked. Are you crazy? Why--" I stopped short, baffled by the intense expression on her face. I reached out a hand towards her but stopped, confused. "Olivia, are you okay?"
When she told me she was in love with me, I briefly wondered if I was dreaming. She didn't give me long to think about it though. When she kissed me, I was shocked at how warm her lips were against mine, because the rest of her was ice cold from the rain. I needed to look at her again; I needed to know that this was for real. Reluctantly I broke our kiss and my eyes searched every inch of her face, my fingers slipping over skin I had given up on ever touching like this again.
When she leaned her face just slightly into my touch, it broke the spell and I had to have her right that second. I barely even noticed how wet her clothes were as I pulled them off, and I was glad I had changed into shorts and not fallen into bed in my suit like I had considered. Neither of us had spoken since she told me she was in love with me, and Liv's moan when I entered her was startlingly loud in my quiet house. She came surprisingly quickly, and the sharp pressure of her fingers on my arms reeled me back in from my mission.
I realized suddenly that if I kept up that pace, it would all be over way too soon, and I wasn't ready for that. Flipping her onto her back let me re-familiarize myself to kissing her. Her lips, her cheeks, her neck, her shoulder. Finally, after bringing Liv to another orgasm, I finished, collapsing on top of her. She had her face pressed against the inside of my forearm, and when her lips brushed lightly against the skin there, I was practically ready to go again.
Then I felt shiver beneath me and I pressed my hand to arm. Her skin was still damp and cold. "You're freezing, Liv," I said, and I got up and pulled on my shorts. She was watching me, but hadn't moved, and she looked exhausted.
After I got her in the shower I went back downstairs and picked up her soaking wet clothes from the floor and threw them in the dryer. I grabbed a bottle of water and went back upstairs just in time to hear the shower shut off. Seeing her come out of the bathroom in the clothes I had found for her was unreal, and I watched her as she walked over to me. Of all the women I've slept with or dated, Liv is the first I've let wear my clothes. And even though they were comically big on her small frame, the sight made me feel possessive, protective, and incredibly turned on, all at once.
I offered her the bottle of water and watched her as she took a drink. I was happy when she put the cap back on it and set it down because I wanted nothing more than to be close to her again. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down into bed with me. I wormed one arm under her so I could wrap both arms around her. She finally felt warm.
I asked her why she hadn't just called, and when she said she didn't want me to tell her not to come, I almost laughed. I clearly wasn't above showing up at her job and begging her to have lunch with me, there was no way I'd refuse her.
With surprise, I realized I had never responded to her confession. I felt a stab of anxiety and when I first opened my mouth, nothing came out. I took a breath, reminding myself that she had said it first.
"Liv?" I spoke quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep already.
"Mmmm," she responded. Not quite asleep, but not far from it.
"I'm in love with you too." I forced the words to come out calmly, instead of tumbling out in a rush of nervousness like they threatened to.
"I know," she said simply. She settled back against me, and moments later, her breathing was deep and even and she was asleep. I stayed awake for awhile longer, staring at the back of her head in the dark and enjoying the feeling of having her in my arms again. Then my fatigue from the week won out, and I was sleeping too.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Author's Note: A Question for You
Hi guys, I was hoping for some feedback from you all on my Friday posts. I'm nearing the end of the ones I have ready to go (Brody's last back story post will be up this week, then Kinsley's are the next three weeks), and I'm wondering how you guys are feeling about them. The feedback I have heard has been positive, but they're the least viewed and commented on posts, so I'm wondering where you all are at with them.
Love them? Hate them? They're okay, but you could take or leave them?
Also, is there anything you'd particularly like to see with other perspectives (back stories or current)? I do have Brody's perspective on all the recent events ready to go up tomorrow night, and I have a current Alex perspective coming up in a couple weeks. Once I finish Kinsley's story, I do have a bunch of current alternative perspective post ideas that go along with where the story will be, so I was considering just doing those on Fridays for awhile too.
Also, FYI, switching out Friday's perspective posts with the main storyline isn't an option right now, unfortunately, but it is something that I will consider in the future.
So to recap: I'm looking on thoughts or questions on the Friday posts and/or requests for particular characters or events that you'd like to see there.
Thanks for your readership, your comments, and your input!
Love them? Hate them? They're okay, but you could take or leave them?
Also, is there anything you'd particularly like to see with other perspectives (back stories or current)? I do have Brody's perspective on all the recent events ready to go up tomorrow night, and I have a current Alex perspective coming up in a couple weeks. Once I finish Kinsley's story, I do have a bunch of current alternative perspective post ideas that go along with where the story will be, so I was considering just doing those on Fridays for awhile too.
Also, FYI, switching out Friday's perspective posts with the main storyline isn't an option right now, unfortunately, but it is something that I will consider in the future.
So to recap: I'm looking on thoughts or questions on the Friday posts and/or requests for particular characters or events that you'd like to see there.
Thanks for your readership, your comments, and your input!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
All In
I woke up still tangled with Brody. I shifted slightly and smiled when his arm tightened around my waist. He pressed his face against my neck before murmuring a good morning. I wrapped my arm over his and held it tightly to me, not quite ready to move out of the dream of last night and into the tough conversations that were likely to happen today. I was amazed that I had slept so well. There hadn't been even a hint of the nightmares that had been tormenting me regularly since my encounter with Jordan. We laid there for several more minutes before he finally spoke again.
"Hungry?" he asked, he voice gravely from sleep.
I realized that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before and was suddenly starving. "Yes," I replied, and we got out of bed. Brody took one look at me in my his ill-fitting clothes and started laughing, and the nerves I felt now in the light of day started to disappear.
"I threw your stuff in the dryer last night, so they should be fine for you to put back on if you want," he said.
"That was smart," I replied. "I'd better, or I'm going to lose these shorts." I was holding them up so they didn't fall. He laughed again and led me downstairs. He disappeared into the laundry room and emerged holding my clothes from last night, now wrinkled but dry. "Thank you," I said. Suddenly shy, I went into the nearby bathroom to change. I folded up Brody's clothes carefully, stalling. When I emerged, he was cracking eggs into a bowl. I set his clothes on a chair and joined him in the kitchen.
We made breakfast together, mostly quiet. When we sat down to eat, Brody went for the elephant in the room. "I almost didn't answer the door last night," he said, carefully.
"I'm glad you did," I responded quietly, looking down at my plate.
He reached for my hand, and I looked up at him. "So am I," he said firmly, "but I really wish you had just told me what was going on in your head. The past few weeks have been hell." He amended quickly, "Shit, the past few months have been hell."
"You're telling me," I said with a dry laugh. He didn't say anything, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath and as the words tumbled out, everything finally seemed to make sense. "To be honest, there was so much going on in my head that even I was having trouble sorting it out. I wouldn't have known where to start. And I'm not very good at talking about feelings." He nodded, silently encouraging me to go on. "I was so pissed at you, which isn't fair, but I was. Maybe not at you, really. I mean, I understand why you went. You had to, it would have been really dumb not to. But I didn't really understand my feelings for you, and talking to you made it all worse. And then James came along, and I didn't want to go out with him, but he kept showing up, and he was so persistent and patient, and when I finally caved I had a really great time." He grimaced at this but didn't say anything. "I didn't think I had much choice but to just forget about my feelings for you, which was easier said than done. James was really great too. So when you came back, well..." I trailed off, not sure where to go next.
"Does he know?" Brody asked quietly. "Or...what are you going to tell him? Are you going to..." it was his turn to trail off nervously.
"He called me last night, late. When I picked up my phone, I was hoping it was you. When it wasn't, and I was disappointed, I realized that I was with the wrong person and it wasn't fair to either of you. I told him I was in love with someone else."
"He knew before me? That's not fair," he said, but he was smiling a little.
"Well, with the way I've been acting, I'm not sure I deserve either one of you. He's actually the one that made me realize it, though."
"I guess I have two things to thank him for," Brody responded wryly, his eyes going to my arm. The bruise was long faded but the memory still burned.
"He told me the night of Kinsley's party that you were in love with me. I hadn't even realized it before that moment. I actually thought he was crazy. Then when you kissed me at Kendra's house, I knew he was right. But I was still having a hell of time sorting out my own feelings. And I felt like everyone was pulling me in all these different directions and pushing me to make the decisions they wanted me to make. And I was mad, because I didn't get a chance to make any decisions for myself. I didn't get to decide that we were done when you left. I didn't even get to really decide to date James, because he was so persistent. I only went out with him the first time so he'd leave me alone. And then you came back, and it scared me to know that I factored into that decision. It felt like so much pressure to make another decision that wasn't mine. I just wanted everyone to fuck off so I could have some space to make my own choice. And it was easiest to just be pissed at you." I paused. Brody looked like he was trying not to smile, but he didn't say anything.
I continued, "James was the only person that wasn't pushing me to choose. It felt safest there." I paused again, taking a deep breath and thinking hard about how I wanted to say the next part. "Because if I went back to you, I'd have to admit that I was in love with you and that I was hurt when you took away my ability to be part of the decision of what would happen when you left. And I felt ridiculous for being so upset about it. I mean, I probably would have made the same decision you did, but at least I'd have had some say in it. And I didn't want to make myself vulnerable to you again. But I don't know why, because it all seems so obvious now. I want to be with you. It's always been you."
He studied me carefully for a minute. "You're right. I took away your choice and that wasn't fair. And neither was the pressure I put on you. But I needed you to know that I still wanted to be with you." I nodded. He looked at me for several seconds, then said, "So that's it? You're done with him? And you're all in here, with me?"
"Well, I probably owe him a more complete explanation," I admitted. "I didn't really give him a chance to respond last night. But yes," I said, firmly, my eyes locked on his. "I'm all in. Here, with you." He was silent for a second, and I anxiously added, "If you'll have me, of course."
He didn't respond, just stood up and pulled me up with him. He hugged me tightly, then his lips found mine. The remains of breakfast were quickly forgotten as we stumbled back upstairs to his room, barely pulling away from each other to make the trip up the steps.
He moved slowly, teasing me, and I savored every second of it. Not even five minutes after the end of round one, I was stroking him and kissing his throat, ready for round two. Nearly two hours later, he rolled away from me.
"Okay, seriously, if we don't stop now, it's entirely possible I will never be able to have sex again," he said, breathlessly.
"That would be tragic," I said, rolling onto my stomach and yawning.
"You're finally tired?" he asked. "Thank god for that." He was laughing though, and he scooted back towards me, pulling me to him. I laid against his chest and wrapped my arm firmly around him. His thumb traced random patterns against my shoulder while his other hand ran up and down my arm. "So, does this mean I can introduce you as my girlfriend now?" he asked, after a couple minutes.
"You'd better," I replied with a laugh. I closed my eyes and enjoyed being close to him again.
"Oh!" I said suddenly, lifting my head.
"Hmmm?" Brody asked, sounding half asleep.
"Are you really hiring that guy your dad fired?"
He laughed. "No way. Lauren just said that to terrify Savannah. Now she's going to walk around being paranoid about running into him." I laughed too.
"I wish I could have seen her face," he said, a second later.
"Well, I wish that I don't ever have to see her face again," I countered.
"Me neither, though I am glad about one aspect of this whole situation," he said. "If she hadn't pulled this bullshit, I wouldn't be here with my own company, with no chance of being forced to do my dad's bidding again."
"Huh," I said, considering this. "I guess that's a good point." Neither of us spoke again, and eventually I dozed off.
I woke up awhile later, my neck stiff from the angle it was resting on Brody's chest. I groaned and sat up. He blinked at me sleepily. "I'm starving," I declared. He laughed.
"Probably because you burned at least 1000 calories here," he said. He looked at his clock. "And then there's the fact that it's almost 2pm."
"That'll do it," I agreed.
"Why don't we shower here, then we can drive into town. We'll stop at your house so you can change and find someplace to eat. Do you want to go out tonight?"
"I forgot that everyone was going out," I said, remembering that Lauren had told me the plan was to check out some live music at a local club. "Yeah, that sounds good, if you want to."
While he was in the shower, I went downstairs to find a snack to hold me over until we got into town. When I walked back into his bedroom, Brody was standing in front of his closet with a towel wrapped around his waist. He saw me eyeing him and shook his head. "No way. You are unbelievable, and I'm way too old for this." I shrugged and showered quickly, then pulled my yoga pants and t-shirt on again. They were a little stiff from the rainwater drenching they got last night, even though Brody had had the foresight to put them in the dryer.
As I drove into town, I grumbled, "Your house is really awesome, except for the fact that no one delivers this far out."
He laughed. "You get so cranky when you're hungry."
"I'm not cranky," I snapped.
"Of course you're not, I'm sorry," he soothed. I glared at him and he laughed again. When we got to my house, I changed quickly and threw on some makeup. I left my wet hair down, planning to let it air dry and throwing it in a side braid or something later.
We walked down to my favorite deli a few blocks from my house. I was mostly silent until halfway through my sandwich and soup. I really am awful when I'm hungry. I perked up quickly after eating though, and I was soon back to riding the high of the last 24 hours. After we ate, I was feeling restless and we decided to walk for awhile, even though it was freezing and looked like it would snow soon. We wandered around the neighborhood talking. It was crazy how quickly we fell back into how things had been before Brody went to Miami. It felt like we hadn't missed a beat.
We were almost back to my house when it started to snow. I grinned and watched the flakes fall as we walked slowly back down the block to my house. I stopped on the sidewalk in front of my house and turned to Brody, beaming. He laughed. "You look like a kid that's hoping for a snow day," he teased, leaning down to kiss the end of my cold nose.
"I love snow!" I exclaimed, delighted by the fluffy white flakes falling around us.
"I love you," Brody said, pulling me towards him.
Even though I had told him last night that I was in love with him, I still felt a sudden surge of anxiety at telling him I loved him right at this moment. But then, a snowflake landed right on the end of his nose and I laughed. That was all it took for the anxiety to melt away. "I love you too," I said confidently. He smiled and kissed me as the snow swirled down around us.
___________________________________________
Please excuse the snow. This post was originally scheduled to go up in November, but with all my bonuses, it's a little early for snow (this year, at least). Good thing it's a fiction blog ;)
"Hungry?" he asked, he voice gravely from sleep.
I realized that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before and was suddenly starving. "Yes," I replied, and we got out of bed. Brody took one look at me in my his ill-fitting clothes and started laughing, and the nerves I felt now in the light of day started to disappear.
"I threw your stuff in the dryer last night, so they should be fine for you to put back on if you want," he said.
"That was smart," I replied. "I'd better, or I'm going to lose these shorts." I was holding them up so they didn't fall. He laughed again and led me downstairs. He disappeared into the laundry room and emerged holding my clothes from last night, now wrinkled but dry. "Thank you," I said. Suddenly shy, I went into the nearby bathroom to change. I folded up Brody's clothes carefully, stalling. When I emerged, he was cracking eggs into a bowl. I set his clothes on a chair and joined him in the kitchen.
We made breakfast together, mostly quiet. When we sat down to eat, Brody went for the elephant in the room. "I almost didn't answer the door last night," he said, carefully.
"I'm glad you did," I responded quietly, looking down at my plate.
He reached for my hand, and I looked up at him. "So am I," he said firmly, "but I really wish you had just told me what was going on in your head. The past few weeks have been hell." He amended quickly, "Shit, the past few months have been hell."
"You're telling me," I said with a dry laugh. He didn't say anything, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath and as the words tumbled out, everything finally seemed to make sense. "To be honest, there was so much going on in my head that even I was having trouble sorting it out. I wouldn't have known where to start. And I'm not very good at talking about feelings." He nodded, silently encouraging me to go on. "I was so pissed at you, which isn't fair, but I was. Maybe not at you, really. I mean, I understand why you went. You had to, it would have been really dumb not to. But I didn't really understand my feelings for you, and talking to you made it all worse. And then James came along, and I didn't want to go out with him, but he kept showing up, and he was so persistent and patient, and when I finally caved I had a really great time." He grimaced at this but didn't say anything. "I didn't think I had much choice but to just forget about my feelings for you, which was easier said than done. James was really great too. So when you came back, well..." I trailed off, not sure where to go next.
"Does he know?" Brody asked quietly. "Or...what are you going to tell him? Are you going to..." it was his turn to trail off nervously.
"He called me last night, late. When I picked up my phone, I was hoping it was you. When it wasn't, and I was disappointed, I realized that I was with the wrong person and it wasn't fair to either of you. I told him I was in love with someone else."
"He knew before me? That's not fair," he said, but he was smiling a little.
"Well, with the way I've been acting, I'm not sure I deserve either one of you. He's actually the one that made me realize it, though."
"I guess I have two things to thank him for," Brody responded wryly, his eyes going to my arm. The bruise was long faded but the memory still burned.
"He told me the night of Kinsley's party that you were in love with me. I hadn't even realized it before that moment. I actually thought he was crazy. Then when you kissed me at Kendra's house, I knew he was right. But I was still having a hell of time sorting out my own feelings. And I felt like everyone was pulling me in all these different directions and pushing me to make the decisions they wanted me to make. And I was mad, because I didn't get a chance to make any decisions for myself. I didn't get to decide that we were done when you left. I didn't even get to really decide to date James, because he was so persistent. I only went out with him the first time so he'd leave me alone. And then you came back, and it scared me to know that I factored into that decision. It felt like so much pressure to make another decision that wasn't mine. I just wanted everyone to fuck off so I could have some space to make my own choice. And it was easiest to just be pissed at you." I paused. Brody looked like he was trying not to smile, but he didn't say anything.
I continued, "James was the only person that wasn't pushing me to choose. It felt safest there." I paused again, taking a deep breath and thinking hard about how I wanted to say the next part. "Because if I went back to you, I'd have to admit that I was in love with you and that I was hurt when you took away my ability to be part of the decision of what would happen when you left. And I felt ridiculous for being so upset about it. I mean, I probably would have made the same decision you did, but at least I'd have had some say in it. And I didn't want to make myself vulnerable to you again. But I don't know why, because it all seems so obvious now. I want to be with you. It's always been you."
He studied me carefully for a minute. "You're right. I took away your choice and that wasn't fair. And neither was the pressure I put on you. But I needed you to know that I still wanted to be with you." I nodded. He looked at me for several seconds, then said, "So that's it? You're done with him? And you're all in here, with me?"
"Well, I probably owe him a more complete explanation," I admitted. "I didn't really give him a chance to respond last night. But yes," I said, firmly, my eyes locked on his. "I'm all in. Here, with you." He was silent for a second, and I anxiously added, "If you'll have me, of course."
He didn't respond, just stood up and pulled me up with him. He hugged me tightly, then his lips found mine. The remains of breakfast were quickly forgotten as we stumbled back upstairs to his room, barely pulling away from each other to make the trip up the steps.
He moved slowly, teasing me, and I savored every second of it. Not even five minutes after the end of round one, I was stroking him and kissing his throat, ready for round two. Nearly two hours later, he rolled away from me.
"Okay, seriously, if we don't stop now, it's entirely possible I will never be able to have sex again," he said, breathlessly.
"That would be tragic," I said, rolling onto my stomach and yawning.
"You're finally tired?" he asked. "Thank god for that." He was laughing though, and he scooted back towards me, pulling me to him. I laid against his chest and wrapped my arm firmly around him. His thumb traced random patterns against my shoulder while his other hand ran up and down my arm. "So, does this mean I can introduce you as my girlfriend now?" he asked, after a couple minutes.
"You'd better," I replied with a laugh. I closed my eyes and enjoyed being close to him again.
"Oh!" I said suddenly, lifting my head.
"Hmmm?" Brody asked, sounding half asleep.
"Are you really hiring that guy your dad fired?"
He laughed. "No way. Lauren just said that to terrify Savannah. Now she's going to walk around being paranoid about running into him." I laughed too.
"I wish I could have seen her face," he said, a second later.
"Well, I wish that I don't ever have to see her face again," I countered.
"Me neither, though I am glad about one aspect of this whole situation," he said. "If she hadn't pulled this bullshit, I wouldn't be here with my own company, with no chance of being forced to do my dad's bidding again."
"Huh," I said, considering this. "I guess that's a good point." Neither of us spoke again, and eventually I dozed off.
I woke up awhile later, my neck stiff from the angle it was resting on Brody's chest. I groaned and sat up. He blinked at me sleepily. "I'm starving," I declared. He laughed.
"Probably because you burned at least 1000 calories here," he said. He looked at his clock. "And then there's the fact that it's almost 2pm."
"That'll do it," I agreed.
"Why don't we shower here, then we can drive into town. We'll stop at your house so you can change and find someplace to eat. Do you want to go out tonight?"
"I forgot that everyone was going out," I said, remembering that Lauren had told me the plan was to check out some live music at a local club. "Yeah, that sounds good, if you want to."
While he was in the shower, I went downstairs to find a snack to hold me over until we got into town. When I walked back into his bedroom, Brody was standing in front of his closet with a towel wrapped around his waist. He saw me eyeing him and shook his head. "No way. You are unbelievable, and I'm way too old for this." I shrugged and showered quickly, then pulled my yoga pants and t-shirt on again. They were a little stiff from the rainwater drenching they got last night, even though Brody had had the foresight to put them in the dryer.
As I drove into town, I grumbled, "Your house is really awesome, except for the fact that no one delivers this far out."
He laughed. "You get so cranky when you're hungry."
"I'm not cranky," I snapped.
"Of course you're not, I'm sorry," he soothed. I glared at him and he laughed again. When we got to my house, I changed quickly and threw on some makeup. I left my wet hair down, planning to let it air dry and throwing it in a side braid or something later.
We walked down to my favorite deli a few blocks from my house. I was mostly silent until halfway through my sandwich and soup. I really am awful when I'm hungry. I perked up quickly after eating though, and I was soon back to riding the high of the last 24 hours. After we ate, I was feeling restless and we decided to walk for awhile, even though it was freezing and looked like it would snow soon. We wandered around the neighborhood talking. It was crazy how quickly we fell back into how things had been before Brody went to Miami. It felt like we hadn't missed a beat.
We were almost back to my house when it started to snow. I grinned and watched the flakes fall as we walked slowly back down the block to my house. I stopped on the sidewalk in front of my house and turned to Brody, beaming. He laughed. "You look like a kid that's hoping for a snow day," he teased, leaning down to kiss the end of my cold nose.
"I love snow!" I exclaimed, delighted by the fluffy white flakes falling around us.
"I love you," Brody said, pulling me towards him.
Even though I had told him last night that I was in love with him, I still felt a sudden surge of anxiety at telling him I loved him right at this moment. But then, a snowflake landed right on the end of his nose and I laughed. That was all it took for the anxiety to melt away. "I love you too," I said confidently. He smiled and kissed me as the snow swirled down around us.
___________________________________________
Please excuse the snow. This post was originally scheduled to go up in November, but with all my bonuses, it's a little early for snow (this year, at least). Good thing it's a fiction blog ;)
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