The Rebound

by Sierra Hill

  “Later.” I admonish lightheartedly, sweeping my hands up to his shoulders, behind his neck and bringing his head down to mine, where I kiss him on the mouth. Just one little kiss before we part ways. My question that I wanted to ask him about his hair is lost in a sea of kisses.

  “It’s almost midnight. Since I can’t kiss you downstairs, that will have to do until later tonight.”

  He grumbles, but relents, releasing my hands as I move toward the end of the hallway. Just as I get to the top of the steps, I glance back to find him still staring at me, not having moved an inch.

  Scrunching my nose, I ask, “What’s the matter?”

  Van heaves a heavy sigh, bowing his head and shaking it back and forth. “Nothing. You’re just so fucking sexy. It’s gonna be a long night.”

  My head is on Cloud Nine after that compliment. I’ve been told I’m pretty before by my family, but it never meant much. I didn’t really feel beautiful. But hearing it from Van, it’s just too much. It’s hard to believe that he’d find me attractive.

  As I bound down the stairs, I try to hide my all-too-big-smile that’s plastered on my mouth so no one notices. Just as I round the corner at the landing, I run into Ainsley, who is on her way up. Probably to use the upstairs bathroom.

  The look on her face tells me she heard what Van said to me just now. Oh dear.

  She says nothing, but her grin and sapphire eyes twinkle with delight. She knows.

  I shrug my shoulders innocently as we pass each other on the stairs and she brushes my hand with hers, stopping me in my tracks.

  “Van’s a good guy, Kylah. He’ll treat you right.”

  My smile widens, my feelings validated by a girl I admire and respect. But that girl is the same one who dates my brother. And probably shares all her secrets with him.

  She must realize what I’m thinking because she shakes her head. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Cade. It’s not any of his business. You guys will tell him when you’re ready.”

  The relief washes over me, sluicing like water down a river.

  “Thanks, Ainsley. I appreciate that.”

  “No problem. Now hurry up and get down there. We’re just about to open the champagne and turn the countdown on!”

  She rushes up the stairs, as I head in the opposite direction. When I finally make my way down to the basement where everyone is congregated, I’m greeted by Kady, who stands next to a tatted guy with piercings and a trucker hat covering most of his eyes. She wiggles her brows at me and hands me an empty champagne glass. She leans over to whisper.

  “Nice hickey.”

  My hand slaps over my exposed chest and she just laughs. Brat.

  I move through the crowd, the noise of laughter, music and shouts of those mingling around adding to my already amped up excitement. I’m sure I’m grinning like a fool and my cheeks and neck are still flushed from my earlier down-and-dirty with Van. It’s a good thing I checked myself in the mirror when I was in the bathroom because my hair looked a fright. What had been nice and smooth, was sticking up in every direction. The miracles of a flatiron when you need it.

  There’s a number of people I’ve never met before all milling around, some I recognize, and some I only know peripherally. Kady invited some of her high school friends, with whom I’m acquainted, but they were never my clique of kids. Kady was the artist and hippie funkster, who actually wore dreads for a large portion of our junior year. The kids she hung around all looked like they were in need of a bath and smelled of patchouli oil – a scent I could definitely live without.

  I wind up in corner of the room, my back to the exterior doorway that opens to the patio. The slider door is open and there’s a few smokers out on the patio lighting up. I hold onto the empty champagne flute I was given (plastic, of course), and scan the room to find Van. My eyes latch on to Cade, Lance, Carver and some girls who are playing beer pong, but no sign of my tall, dark and handsome man.

  My gaze shifts left toward the large screen TV that hangs on the wall, the Times Square ball drop on replay, as it hovers with just about one minute to go. I’m about to give up on finding Van when I feel his hand gliding up the back of my leg, similar to what started our sexcapades earlier in the kitchen.

  Van is close – close enough for me to catch the scent of him – as he leans down to my ear. His breath is warm and inviting. “In case I didn’t say it earlier, you look beautiful tonight.”

  If one can die from a compliment, I think I just did and am now in heaven. The room does this shift and sway thing – or maybe it’s just me on my unbalanced feet. My face flushes and I close my eyes, feeling him brush my hair away from the back of my neck.

  Someone from across the room yells out, “Everyone quiet down! The countdown is starting!” The room instantly turns to a low buzz of hushed voices and murmurs of excitement. I can’t contain the wide smile on my face, as I hold out my plastic flute for the girl that’s coming around to fill them. Since Van is standing behind me, I can’t see him, but I hear him tell her, “No thanks.”

  Turning my head and shoulders, I notice he has a beer bottle in his hand, which he lifts up in a toast. And then the counting begins from voices surrounding us.

  “Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two…”

  With a quick yank of my elbow, the champagne in my cup sloshes over the sides slightly, as Van pulls me toward the opened door behind us, gently guiding me around the corner of the patio. Once we stop, his hand slips behind my head and he pulls me hard into a deep and urgent kiss. I lose my breath as his tongue plunges into my open mouth, which was still gaping from the surprise of his action.

  Forgetting about everything and everyone around me, I let myself get swept away from the touch of his lips, the sounds of his moan. I have to stand on my tip-toes and clutch one arm around his neck, keeping our connection as close as possible. We’re so lost in one another that we don’t hear the footsteps, but the shocked gasp does register. As does the very loud exclamation.

  “What the fuck, Van?” I tear my mouth away from Van’s at the sound of my brother’s angry voice.

  While our mouths no longer fused together, we still have connection as Van’s hand remains on my waist, giving me a squeeze of reassurance.

  My eyes bounce between Cade and Van, assessing the tension between the three of us that’s growing by the second. The vein in Cade’s neck is corded tight, and I can tell he’s on the verge of blowing a gasket. He’s going to lose his shit. I subconsciously take a step back, but Van’s firm grip keeps me in place.

  “Cade-” I begin, but Van interjects.

  He’s soft-spoken, but composed. “Kylah and I are together.”

  My brother practically sputters in disbelief. “Since when?”

  He moves forward, posturing himself against Van, his chest puffing up like a sentinel on watch. Van doesn’t move or back down. He simply stands there, brooking no argument over his position. All I can think of at this moment is, Holy Shit, we’ve been outed.

  “It’s really not any of your business, Cade. I understand you might have an issue with…”

  “You’re damn right I have an issue with this.” His finger juts out and pokes Van hard in the shoulder, but does little to move the impenetrable wall he’s created. Then Cade’s eyes land on me.

  “Is Van the guy you’ve been talking about? The one who you hooked up with and then left you hanging? Who made you feel like shit cause he didn’t contact you for days?”

  My eyes go wide with embarrassment that Cade is spewing all the salacious personal details about us, as a small crowd begins to gather at the door, curious as to what all the ruckus is about.

  Van looks at me sharply, asking me with his eyes if I shared this information with my brother.

  Oh God, this is awful.

  I’m sorry…I’ve already fucked this up for us.

  I need to find the biggest rock and crawl under it right this minute.

  Van’s arm drops from my waist, leaving
me feeling like I’m drifting without a life preserver in choppy waters. Self-protective instincts have me crossing my arms around my chest, shielding me from the verbal blows that are sure to be dealt.

  He steps forward a fraction of an inch, creating a barrier between me and my brother. I do not want this to get ugly or draw any more attention than it already has. I hate drama, especially at parties, where the alcohol just adds fuel to the fire. From the looks of it, Cade’s a little more than buzzed, too, which means he’s not thinking clearly.

  “Cade, maybe we can go inside and talk about this in private. Don’t make a scene and embarrass Ky like this. She doesn’t deserve it. If you’re mad, be mad at me, bro.”

  Cade scoffs angrily. “I’m fucking livid, is what I am. How dare you take advantage of my little sister. If you wanted a rebound, you could’ve found a hundred other girls willing to sit on your dick. Not my baby sister.”

  God, the way he makes it sound, you’d think I was a twelve-year-old. Geez. Give me a little credit, would ya?

  I think Van recognizes the anger seething through Cade at the moment and does his best to extricate me from the situation. He turns toward me and begins to usher me back through the open doorway, pushing past the crowd blocking our way. But Cade wants to hash this out now, so he does what many drunken, angsty young men do. He throws a punch.

  Well, maybe he didn’t mean for it to turn into a punch, but it looks like an intentional swing. Cade leans in, grabbing hold of Van’s shirt collar, as Van tries to get loose from his grip. Cade’s hand flies up and hits Van in the face.

  And then all hell breaks loose. Someone in the crowd yells, “Fight!” The crowd shifts and tightens around us. Lance and Carver come stumbling out onto the patio, along with Kady and Ainsley, who are both slack-jawed at what they are witnessing.

  Ainsley screams at Cade to stop. Van stumbles back slightly, but then rights himself, but not soon enough as Cade careens into him with full body impact, tackling him as his arms curl around him. They both end up on the ground, Van shouting and trying to shove Cade off of him. Cade is off the rails and is scaring all of us a bit. He’s never been one to start a fight or act belligerently toward anyone – especially not one of his own friends.

  I’m just about to bend down to help remove Cade from on top of Van when Kady pushes in front of me and jerks me back a few feet. Carver and Lance have grabbed hold of Cade’s arms and are prying him off of Van, who looks stunned. And really pissed.

  The guys are still scuffling a bit trying to calm Cade down, with Ainsley fuming at Cade, her hands on her hips and her scary stare ready to shoot fireballs at my dumb-ass brother.

  “Will someone please tell me what happened?” Ainsley asks, looking between the three of us. She knows I’m the reason the fight started.

  Van stands up, immediately moving to me, planting his hands on my shoulders and pulling me tight against his chest.

  “Are you okay? I’m so sorry this happened, Ky…” he whispers. My sweet, lovable guy is apologizing to me over a situation that my own family member caused.

  “Stop, Van. It’s not your fault.” I create some distance so I can look him in the eye. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” My eyes dart around his face and my hands gently probe around his torso to see if he’s been injured anywhere. He shakes his head and reaches for my wrists.

  “I’m fine. No biggie. But I think we should go inside and let him cool down a bit before we talk to him. Is that okay?” His eyes are full of worry and regret. It makes my heart ache.

  “Yeah, that’s cool. Go upstairs to my room and I’ll let Ainsley know. I’ll be right up.”

  He walks away, glancing back at me reluctantly. I know he’s worried about leaving me out here alone. Cade would never do anything to hurt me like that. He’s just angry that I didn’t confide in him about Van. It’s all my fault for keeping it a secret, even though Van was of the opinion that we should tell him.

  Stepping up alongside Ainsley, I place my hand at her elbow to grab her attention. She turns to see it’s me and we move off to the side of the patio, away from the chaos. Kady decides to join us.

  “What is up with your brother?” Ainsley asks me, hoping to find out the answers. “I’ve never seen him this crazy upset. I just can’t believe him. He and I are going to have a serious talk when this thing blows over.”

  I bow my head, chewing my lip in guilt. “It’s my fault. I should’ve told him about me and Van so he didn’t find out this way. But I didn’t want him to interfere with things. It just started to get serious recently. Nothing happened before…” I give Kady a side-long glance. “Well, it’s new.”

  Ainsley smiles knowingly. “I’m happy for you, Kylah. I’m sorry your stupid-ass brother ruined it by being a dickhead,” she yells out toward him. “Listen, I’ll work to get him straight and we’ll talk later if you want. Otherwise, I’ll just tell him to let it go and let you be happy.” She places a soft, gentling touch on my arm, squeezing me lovingly before dropping her hand.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. I’m going to go find Van. I’d hate myself if this ruins Van and Cade’s friendship. I never wanted to do that.”

  Kady chimes in. “Fuck that. It was all Cade and his arrogant, over-protective arrogance. What a douchewad.” She slams the last gulp of her champagne, wiping off her mouth with emphasis. That reminds me that I haven’t even had a sip of mine yet.

  I bring the cup to my lips and swallow – the first taste washing down, the effervescence tickling my throat. Fortified with a little liquid courage, I set the empty cup down on the patio table and turn to go find Van.

  I just pray that this stupid drama won’t ruin the rest of our New Years’ Eve celebration.

  22

  Van

  I’m pacing the floor like a panther ready to pounce when Kylah opens the door to her bedroom.

  My footsteps stop as I watch her hesitantly approach me, a remorseful expression etched across her mouth. Without hesitation, I step toward her, encircling her in my arms.

  I place a kiss on the top of her head as she molds her body against mine, as relief seems to overtake her.

  She cries silently. The only reason I know this is because I feel the dampness her tears leave on my T-shirt.

  “Shhh. Baby, it’s fine. No harm, no foul. Just let him cool off for a bit. We’ll talk it through when he’s ready and things will be good as new. I promise.”

  I’ve thought a lot about what my relationship with Kylah might do to my friendship with Cade. Personally, it’s none of his business, but as I don’t have a younger sister, I can’t put myself into his shoes. He has his reasons for being protective of Kylah, so I don’t begrudge him for getting pissed at me and acting like a raging bull when he saw me practically mauling her outside. But that doesn’t condone his actions.

  I didn’t expect Cade to go ballistic on me and throw a punch. He didn’t hurt me physically – because I can hold my own – but we’re like brothers, on and off the court. He knows who I am. So the fact that he would think I would do anything to hurt Kylah cuts me deep. I thought he respected me enough to acknowledge that if I am with Kylah, I’m all in.

  She’s not just a hook-up, or a fling, even though he seems to think that’s why I’m with her.

  That’s the furthest thing from the truth.

  Maybe I’m over-romanticizing this thing between us, but there is a deep connection we share – it’s been there like a magnetic pull since the first time I met her. She helped pull me out of the dark place I was in over the end of things with Lyndsay. She is the reason I wake up happy every day and reminds me to enjoy every moment.

  Even my brother noticed a change in my demeanor this past week, giving me some good ribbing over being so easily swayed by a girl. While he’s never had a girlfriend, he definitely has been interested in some girls from school in the past. He knows what that emotion feels like.

  Kylah squirms in my hold. “I feel awful, Van. That shouldn’t have happened. And no
w everyone is going to know about it. I hate drama.”

  My palms glide across her back, rubbing the tension away for both of us.

  “I hear that drama on New Years’ Eve is good fortune. It means you have a full year of joy ahead of you.”

  She looks up at me skeptically. “Where on earth did you hear that? That sounds made-up.”

  “Ancient Chinese secret.” I grin deviously, placing a kiss on her forehead as she crinkles her nose at my bold lie.

  “You’re full of it.” She laughs, her hands gripping my ass and squeezing.

  “Maybe.” I laugh. “Hey, by the way, I haven’t had a chance to say it yet. But Happy New Year, Kylah.” My hands cup her cheeks and I kiss her slowly, but soundly. Her sexy murmurs of response heading straight to my dick, which is growing by the second.

  “Happy New Year, Van.” She whispers, her champagne breath painted warm and delish across my lips.

  I was really looking forward to staying the night with her in her bed, but now that the shit hit the fan, I’m not so sure that’s a great idea.

  The knock on the door startles us both as we quickly release one another, Kylah jumping about two-feet to the left of me like a scared bunny.

  Carver’s voice calls out from the hallway. “It’s me. Can I come in?”

  Kylah looks at me in question and I just shrug, uncertain what Carver’s interest is in any of this.

  “Sure, come on in.”

  The door cracks open and he steps in. I glance behind him to see if Cade’s with him and he shakes his head, acknowledging my question.

  “Cade’s still downstairs talking to Ainsley. He’s chill now. It’s all good.”

  Kylah sighs softly and I reach for her hand, entwining it with mine and pulling her next to me. I feel better when I’m touching her in some way or another. Like I’m not whole when I can’t feel her. Which has me worried, because what the fuck is going to happen next week when she has to return to school? I’m right back to where I started from and in another long-distance relationship that will surely drive me insane.