by Rachel Lenna
Chapter 4
I look at him blankly.
“Oh my god really?”
I nod my head, looking at them all like they have a few screws lose. My look is mirrored in their faces. “Why would you people even say that? I’m not pretty.”
“Oh my god she's serious!” Cameron exclaims.
“Why are you all staring at me like that?” I know how fish in fishbowls feel now. It’s awful.
“Tara you are stunning.” For a quiet person Cameron sure is vocal now. “How can no one have told you before?”
“Um…”
“What about your last boyfriend?” Hugo pipes up. “Didn’t he ever tell you, you were pretty?”
“No.”
“Why the hell not?” Tyson demands.
I shake my head as tears spring to my eyes. “He said I wasn’t all the time. He said I was lucky he gave me the time of day.” I whisper as I grab my stuff and start shoving and Hugo. “Please let me go, I want to go home. Please?”
“Tara?” The boys all echo, genuine concern echoed in their voices. “Tara?”
“Please.” I sob now on Hugo’s shoulder. “Please let me go! Please?”
“I’m sorry Tara!” Tyson says hastily. “I was just surprised.”
“It’s okay. Hugo please! I need to go! Now!”
“Okay okay!” Hugo gets up hastily, looking so worried a fresh batch of tears threaten to erupt.
“I’m sorry, tell Jaydan I’m sorry.” I mumble to the group and start running. I have taken two steps when I smack into something solid and warm.
“Tara?” Jaydan’s steadying hand catches my upper arm. He is dangling a tray precariously above our heads. “What's wrong?” He repeats as Hugo immediately takes the tray.
“I’m sorry.” I cry again trying to get out of his grip. Instead he just crushes me to him. “I’m sorry please let me go. I need to go home. This was a bad idea. Please.” I mumble incoherently into his chest. His hard physical warmth soothing.
“Tara talk to me? What did the boys do?” Jaydan holds on tight and eventually I stop fighting so much and just sob into his chest instead.
“Nothing.” I mumble against his chest, wrapping my hands around his waist. “They didn’t do anything. It’s me. I’m stupidly stupid.”
“What's you?” Jaydan wraps his hands around my back, effectively cocooning me in his embrace. “I didn’t hear that sorry.”
I sob once more before I let out a big sigh. Pulling myself together, I pull away from him. “I’m me. They were just being really sweet and I freaked out. They didn’t do anything wrong I’m just being an over sensitive girl.”
“Okay?” He looks confused, there is no judgment in his eyes but I can tell he’s curious. “I’m sure you’re not being over sensitive sweetheart.” He adds. “Why don’t we go talk about it?”
“You don’t want to know my problems Jaydan.” I say, pulling completely out of his embrace now. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, taking in a deep breath I stand up straight. “Tell your friends I’m sorry.” With that I turn to leave too.
“Tara.” Jaydan catches my hand. “Please stop running away from me. I have seen you do it for six months now, but I can’t be patient anymore.”
“What?” I stop, and turn to look at him. “All you people are cryptic with your talking. First Hugo and now you. What on earth are you on about?”
Jaydan takes a deep breath and looks super nervous. More than the first time I met him and he was really weird around me.
“Jaydan?” I ask when he says nothing, just stares.
“Come.” He says grabbing my hand, leading me back towards the table. He stops right at the edge and I smack into him. “Move. All of you, now. Find some girls to dance with for ten minutes.” He commands with such intent even I feel like I should be marching towards the ladies too. Hugo, Cameron, Tyson and Steven all obey instantly without a word. He slides into the booth and pulls me along with him. I have no choice but to sit.
“Jaydan?”
“Look.” He says taking another deep breath in. “Don’t talk until I finish okay?”
“Jay…”
“Tara I mean it.” He stops me. “Let me talk then you can say anything you want to.”
“Okay.” I agree.
“Miss Tara I-don’t-know-your-last-name, how old you are or where you live…” He says and I wonder where he is going with this. “I don’t know if you have any brothers or sisters, a boyfriend or anything either now that I think about it.”
“Okay?”
“Just making sure…” He says as if a light bulb just switched on. “You don’t have a boyfriend do you? I just realised I have never asked you.”
“No Jaydan I don’t.” I laugh at his goofy expression. “I’m at a bar every Friday night with a girl, don’t you think tha…”
“I said shh!” He barks at me, putting a finger to his lips. “I don’t think around you it’s too hard to. But… and there is a but. For the last six months I have watched you come in here, sit with Penny and go home by yourself. I see you fend off the sleazy guys and go home each and every time by yourself.” He sits up straight. “Well that would have clued in the no boyfriend thing just a tad.” He shakes his head. “But anyways…”
“Thanks for reminding me of that.” I say, cutting in.
“Woman I said be quiet. If you don’t I will just kiss you until your speechless.”
“You will what…” I start right before he follows through with his threat. He grabs my head and he kisses me with a passion I have never felt before. Right there in the middle of Touchés he plants one on me. At first I am too stunned to respond then as his persistence melts me, I kiss him back with everything I have.
All the pent up feelings for him that I denied myself, all the times I fantasied about him and all the dreams I had about what it would feel like come out in my kiss. I grab hold of his head and practically throw myself on top of him as he deepens the kiss, moaning as I straddle him.
“Ahem?” A deep voice coughs loudly behind me. We break apart and I gasp as I see Hugo, Cameron, Steven and Tyson all grinning at us. “Maybe save that for when you guys are alone?” Hugo chuckles.
I gasp as I bury my head into Jaydan’s shoulder. “Go away.” Jaydan groans, pinning me firmly onto his lap my enveloping me in a hug. “I haven’t finished talking to her yet.” He grumbles.
“You call that talking?” Tyson scoffs. “Dude why don’t the girls I date talk like that?”
“Shut up Tyson.” Jaydan hisses at him. “Go away people. We need more time.”
“I wonder why.” Cameron smirks and earns a smack across the back of his head by Hugo.
“Five more minutes Jaydan,” Hugo says. “But no kissing, talking or next time we sit and watch. There are no decent chicks here now and I feel like a flipper next to some of these… situations.”
I gasp out loud and Jaydan chuckles. “He’s kidding!” He says trying to reassure me.
“No I’m not.” Hugo disagrees. “Five minutes boy or we sit and watch.”
“Yeah yeah.” Jaydan grins good naturedly at him. Hugo eyes him off one more time before he turns and herds the other boys back away from us. “I’m sorry about that.” He says as I move to slide off his lap. He lets me and I sit next to him as politely and as lady like I can after that little episode.
“Jaydan…”
“Shh. I don’t want to know what you have to say until you be quiet and let me finish what I need to say okay?” He shushes me again with a finger to my lips. “Okay?” He repeats when I don’t move. I nod silently and he takes his hand away, brushing my messy hair out of my face. I quickly run a hand through it and realise that he somehow managed to undo it and mess it up quite well without my knowledge.
“Tara…” He stops again. “What's your last name?
“Sundown.” I supply.
“Jaydan Baker.” He points at himself. I nod. “Tara Sundown for six months I have tried to get your attentio
n and for six months you haven’t so much as given me a hint you were interested in me.”
“But I…”
“Shhh!” He hisses and I clamp my mouth shut. “No talky talkies for Tara Sundown okay?” He raises an eyebrow and I nod again. “Anyways, when you saved me from Prissy tonight and actually kissed my cheek I was like blown away!”
“Why?”
“Tara!” He cries. “I will duct tape your mouth shut if I have to.”
“Gee. All I said was why?”
He growls low in his throat grabbing both my hands and puts them against his chest. “I knew when you kissed me not once but twice tonight that I may have been wrong and I couldn’t wait any longer for you to give me some big sign saying you were interested. I had to know one way or the other how you feel about me.”
