I looked at Mel and winked.
She pointed to the water.
I shook my head.
No way I’m jumping in after you, love. At least not with you wearing clothes…
“Kip!” Ruby yelled. “Kip! Move!”
I turned my head and Kip was floating on top of the water.
Lifeless.
“Kip!” Ruby yelled louder.
“Fuck,” I said.
I stepped out of my black boots and threw my cellphone and cigarettes behind me.
I dove headfirst into the water.
Shit, they actually drowned him…
In some weird way I was sure Kip had a fantasy of two girls drowning him. But of course in his fantasy nobody would be wearing clothing and he wouldn’t have drowned in pool water…
I popped up out of the water and grabbed for Kip.
I lifted his head out of the water and his eyes popped open.
“Barr?” he asked.
“What the fuck?” I yelled.
“You’re lucky I didn’t just kiss you,” Kip said. He turned his head to Ruby. “There you are, girl.”
“I hate you!” Ruby yelled.
She splashed water at Kip and doused me too.
I pushed Kip away and planted my feet on the floor of the pool and started to walk to the edge.
“I’m going to hit him,” Mel said.
I looked back and Ruby put her hands up. “Have at it.”
“Hey, hey, hey, girl, it was just a-”
Mel clocked Kip right on the nose.
Blood dripped into the pool water.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Mel said. “You scared Ruby.”
Kip held his nose. “Fuck. That was a good one. Wait… you were worried about Ruby? You like her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, we like each other,” Ruby said.
“Me too… or three,” Tinsley said from outside the pool.
“I can’t wait to get these two crazy girls alone again,” Mel said.
“What?” Kip asked.
He lowered his hand and blood ran down his nose to his lip.
Everyone started laughing.
Not me.
I put my hands on the side of the pool and jumped out in one quick motion.
I stood there, water dripping everywhere.
I walked to the rolled up towels on a folded out beach chair and grabbed one for Mel.
She walked out of the pool at the giant steps.
Water dripped down from the back of her short shorts. Down her legs…
My eyes moved up.
She turned and her white t-shirt was soaked and see through. She wore a pink and orange bikini top that made me grit my teeth.
Ruby splashed Kip. He splashed her back. Then they started kissing.
Pres had his arms tight around Tinsley’s body.
And there was Mel, walking toward me.
I opened the towel and flipped it through the air and wrapped it around her shoulders.
She closed in on me and smiled. “You got into the water.”
“Not by choice.”
“You saved Kip… sort of.”
“I should have let him drown,” I said.
“You’re a good friend,” Mel said.
“Maybe I was just trying to look cool in front of you. Find an easy way to get you out of those wet clothes finally.”
She laughed. “It would have turned me on more if you left him in the water. I’m the bad girl from Brooks Crest, remember? My mother works as a waitress in fancy strip clubs. I’m not one to impress by saving a life. Especially Kip’s.”
I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Damn, love, you fit right in here.”
She shut her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.
I backed away. “I’m going to go get changed. Can’t stand the feeling of wet clothes.”
“Then take them off,” Mel said.
“I plan on it,” I said. “I might even grab a hot shower too.”
“I’m next,” Mel said.
She knew how to flirt with my heart and fuck with my head.
I nodded and curled my lip.
“Yeah… you’re next all right…”
* * *
I made a pile of my wet clothes on the bathroom floor and realized I never got my bag of clothes out of my car. That meant I could either walk with a towel wrapped around me or just walk out there butt naked.
I told myself I’d decide by the end of my shower.
The truth was I really didn’t need a shower.
But I needed a minute to be alone.
Under the hot water, my head down, the heat pounding against my back. It was a nice relief from heat pounding somewhere else.
I knew the story about Mel now.
That she had gotten away from Mac and BC. But she seemed to go from one version of hell to another. Without realizing it either. Trying to do her best and to do something for herself. And some guy…
I made two fists and put them against the wall.
I pushed and gritted my teeth.
Every muscle in my body tensed up and hurt.
The anger…
Fuck. The anger.
Last time I got really angry, I ended up at Brooks Crest. A last ditch effort from my parents as they were in the process of cementing themselves to BFH. And without a story to hide, they told me they needed me gone. I needed to not exist for a little bit just to be safe.
Goodbye, Bay Falls High.
Hello, Brooks Crest.
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, as though darkness wasn’t dark enough.
I sucked in a deep breath and held it.
I listened to my heart pounding like a sledgehammer to a steel wall.
It slowed a little as I held my breath.
I tried to pretend I was listening to music. Trying to see myself at a piano, playing fast… chasing all the thoughts away… making it so I felt…
Mel.
I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw were her stubby toes.
Her right foot next to mine. Her left foot next to mine.
“Do not turn around,” she said. “Or I will kill you.”
I slowly grinned.
I didn’t move an inch.
Her feet slid closer, which meant her body was getting closer to me too.
I swallowed hard when I felt the swell of her breasts against my back. Her beautiful body against mine. Felt, but not seen. As if I needed any other reason to go crazier than I already was.
Her hands touched my shoulders and slid down my arms.
Then she touched my sides.
As her hands came around the front of my body, just below my chest, my eyes moved from her toes to her fingers. She interlocked her fingers tight and stayed there.
Hugging me.
In the shower.
Our bodies together but not… together.
I slowly moved my hands behind me and touched the outsides of her bare legs. They were smooth, wet, her skin shivering and tightening. I felt her breath spread across my back as she exhaled.
She pulled her hands tighter against the front of my body, like she was trying to hug me with all her strength.
My right hand began to move toward her inner thigh. Moving much slower than the memories that attacked my mind. I paused every couple seconds, leaving Mel with complete control of our moment together.
As I stared forward at the wall, the shower water hit my chest and her hands.
The fingertips of my middle and pointer finger eased between her legs, curling softly, pulling at her desire with a gentle tease that made her hips rock forward.
Mel quickly pulled back and sucked in a breath.
I waited.
Her lips touched my back and she drove her body forward again.
My fingers slid against her with ease.
I gritted my teeth at the feel of her against my fingertips.
Her hands broke free from one another.
Her left hand rested a
few inches lower than her right hand.
But on both of her hands her fingers curled, her nails digging into me.
She was giving me a piece of herself and I was giving her all the pleasure I could. I wanted nothing more than to turn around. And actually hold her. Actually touch her. Make her feel what we once had.
“Barr… yes…”
Her words tickled up my back and I gritted my teeth even harder.
My fingers made circles, twisting, digging, pulling, knowing exactly the way Mel liked to enjoy herself best. I felt her knees bend, touching the back of my legs as she started to shake. And her stubby toes that she hated so much started to curl. They did so very tight for a second and then released. That’s when she moved up on her toes.
I took a deep breath and moved my fingers faster.
Curling and uncurling my fingers, like I was calling for her attention.
And believe me, love, I fucking am…
She pulled herself tighter against me.
Her hips wiggled and drove forward.
Her breathing became faster and she kissed my back again before resting her head against my back like she had started to do when she snuck into the shower.
I felt her reaching her breaking point. Taking her there.
And when she broke, she fell from her tip toes and her knees bent one more time. She hurried to step back and out of my reach. Her hands slid around my body to my back. She was out of my sight when I looked down but I felt her hands against me.
I could hear her breathing.
Gasping for breath.
And speaking of staring down… there was no hiding what Mel did to me. I stood there as I stood there, my heart slamming inside my chest.
I reached for the shower door and opened it.
I stepped to the side, making sure I avoided looking at Mel. Part of me didn’t know what she really wanted from this. And part of me knew that if I saw her, things would explode for good.
When I grabbed a towel, I put it to my face and growled.
Then I wrestled to put the damn thing around my waist, even though there was once again no way of hiding what the touch of Mel did to me.
I walked to the door and looked to the shower.
Mel was obviously still in there.
I walked from the bathroom through the bedroom into the main part of the guesthouse. I had to stand there alone and wait for the moment to pass. Wait to cool off because I needed to go get my clothes out of my car.
I needed a cigarette but they were outside on the ground.
And even my cellphone was out there.
After a few minutes, things were calm enough for me to go outside.
Of course the second I opened the door, Kip saw me and he whistled. He put his arms up in the air and yelled ‘Touchdown for Barr!’ as he laughed.
Tinsley looked at me and raised one of her eyebrows.
I ignored them and walked by the pool.
“Is he leaving?” Ruby asked. “In just a towel?”
“Maybe it’s his ritual,” Kip said. “When he’s done… you know… he needs to go for a walk.”
“Or maybe he’s just going to get a change of clothes,” Pres said.
I shook my head as I walked to the front of the house to my car.
I grabbed my bag and took out fresh clothes.
Then I looked around and shrugged my shoulders.
I took the towel off and hung it over the open car door.
With nobody around I got dressed, tossed my bag back into the car, threw the towel over my shoulder, and slammed the car door behind me.
When I walked back to the pool, Kip was once again the first to see me.
“Now he’s dressed,” Kip said.
“This is weird shit,” Ruby said. “What did you do, Barr?”
The guesthouse door opened and Mel came out, her hair wet, wearing fresh clothes too.
I crouched next to the stuff I took off before jumping into the pool and lit a cigarette.
“Oh, the tension here is wild,” Tinsley called out.
“It’s kind of turning me on,” Kip said.
Ruby smacked him in the gut.
I looked at Mel and winked.
Her cheeks turned a little red.
She could have walked away from me. Or threw me the middle finger. Or hit me.
Instead, she walked right to me.
And not just next to me either.
She crashed into me.
Burying her face into my chest for a second.
I put my arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
Then she looked up at me as Kip let out more whistles. And Tinsley and Ruby let out awww sounds. And I felt Pres’s beady eyes staring us down.
“Barr, how screwed are we right now?” Mel asked.
I had a cigarette in my left hand. My right hand around the girl I loved.
Life was fucking perfect.
But Mel was right…
“We are really screwed in all of this, love.”
Chapter 16
We ended up back at my place.
The plan was to have everyone eventually come over.
Which I wasn’t on board with. But when Mel made plans, I wasn’t going to stand in her way. If she felt safe and comfortable, I was going along with her.
Kip said he would take care of getting drinks.
My place wasn’t meant for partying. Even though it had the look and appeal for that.
My place was for privacy.
And I had that with Mel as she walked down the steps from the loft where my bed was.
That’s where she put her bag, leaving me a trail of breadcrumbs that always seemed to follow back to her heart.
It was never cut and dry with her. It was never spoken out loud either. Instead, we sort of danced around each other and the situation, waiting for someone to make a move. For me it proved just how real things could be. Because words were forever cheap.
When she got to the second from the bottom step she stopped.
I stood on the floor at the bottom of the steps.
Mel opened her arms and fell toward me.
I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her, stepping back.
She smelled perfect. She felt perfect.
She was everything perfect.
Her eyes looked up to mine. “Are you playing me now, Barr?”
“Playing you? For what?”
She tilted her head. “You know what.”
“What?”
“The shower…”
“What about it?”
Mel sighed. “It wasn’t exactly… equal.”
“Oh,” I said. “You think I’m hugging you right now hoping you’ll touch me?”
Mel shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, love. You gave something of yourself to me. That means a lot. I know sometimes it’s hard…”
“Well, it certainly was hard,” she said with a grin.
I laughed. “Yeah. It was. And it’s not always the greatest feeling…”
Her cheeks turned red again.
She grabbed the pockets of my jeans and pulled herself against me. “We’re kind of alone here, Barr.”
“We could be alone all night if you didn’t invite everyone over.”
“They’re your friends.”
“Define friends,” I said with a grin.
“Oh stop. You act all tough but you love them. All of them. Even the girls.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Everything bothers me, Barr,” Mel said. “I’m just trying to remember to breathe right now.”
“Maybe it’s time to figure it out then, love. Whatever you want to do. You can crash at the guesthouse if you want space. You can crash here. There’s other places too…”
Mel moved her hands from my pockets to my chest. She pushed at me. “Don’t live my life for me, Barr.”
I’m not.
I nodded instead of saying what I wanted to
say.
She pointed to the keyboard. “Play something for me.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Oh, I think you’re in the mood, Barr,” she said.
“Not to touch a keyboard… I want to touch something else that makes noise…”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” she said. “That’s something Kip would say.”
I laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. I hang out with him too much.”
“Don’t ever use cheap lines like that on me,” she said. She pointed to the keyboard again. “Now go play.”
I looked at the keyboard and nodded.
I felt a smile creep across my face.
“No.”
“What?” Mel asked.
“No,” I said. “I’m not playing that fucking thing.”
“Oh… okay. Don’t then.”
Mel started to turn and I grabbed her wrist.
“Why the hell are you smiling?” she asked.
“I’ll play piano for you tonight, love,” I said. “Just not here.”
* * *
She had the same reaction as Tinsley when I took her to my secret spot.
The underground music club that Hank owned. The place nobody knew about unless you already knew about it. Which was damn confusing to try and explain. But it was my place and I didn’t share it with many people.
Actually… just Tinsley.
Up until now.
“What is this?” Mel asked. “This looks scary.”
“No reason to be scared, love,” I said as I grabbed her hand. “We’re safe. It looks shady but it’s good.”
“What are you doing…”
I stopped at the heavy door and touched Mel’s face with my other hand.
“You gave something to me before,” I said. “I know how hard it is for you to trust me. And to open up to me. And I don’t care what you say, love, but for you to stand there with me… alone… letting me remind you what it all feels like… that was hard to do.”
Mel swallowed hard. “Okay. Your point?”
“I’m going to do the same for you now,” I said. “You’ve asked so many times about music and piano. You were amazed when I first met you and you’re still amazed. So let me show you where I go and what I do.”
Mel turned her head. “This place?”
“You’ll see,” I said.
I kissed her cheek and then pounded on the door.
Mel jumped and gasped.
BARR: a bay falls high novel Page 14
