by MF Isaacs
I busted my ass out to the car so Natalie wouldn’t catch wind of me buying separate gifts. When we got to the front, she tried to separate our items while I tried to have the cashier ring them up together. Natalie managed to get most of her items bought at the check stand next to mine. I took everything out to the car like she asked, she said she forgot something.
I had the car pulled up front in the no parking zone by the time she made it out of the store with a bag from the electronic department. She wasn’t fooling me, I already had a couple of those bags in the back seat.
I knew she had a kitchen full of food since I’d done her grocery shopping for her, but I also knew we had a couple hours’ worth of wrapping to do if we were going to get it all done tonight. So rather than worry about cooking, we stopped for some Chinese take-out. The fancy ass computer system in the discovery told me the temperature was freezing each time I started it. Each time I saw the flash, I thought to myself no shit, considering the snow had started to fall. I wasn’t worried, I knew my brand-new vehicle was well equipped to handle poor road conditions.
NATALIE
I was thankful he was driving; I was also thankful we were in his new Discovery and not my Maisie, her tires were old and bald. We tried to carry everything up to my apartment in one trip. Despite filling our arms completely, he had to run back for a second trip. We opted to eat our take out before trying to tackle the job of wrapping everything. I normally didn’t mind wrapping, but I also normally only wrap for six people.
He broached the elephant as we ate egg rolls, fried rice, and two different kinds of oriental chicken. “I know my brother did or said something to upset you today. I don’t know exactly what and it is totally up to you if you want to tell me. But honestly, it isn’t necessary that I know exactly what because I could feel it and that means it was significant enough. Top that with the conversation I had with him outside the dealership, I am afraid he took his frustration with me out on you. All that said, I am sorry. You did nothing to deserve it.”
He started the conversation, but I was still completely lost as to why Steve acted the way he did. “You don’t owe me an apology for Steve’s behavior. I guess I am still confused as to what I did? One minute everything was fine, next thing I know Calvin said something about me sneaking out this morning and it was like a light switch went off. Steve didn’t say another word to me all day, it was like I didn’t even exist. I was so uncomfortable, I just wanted to disappear.”
I knew a guilty look when I saw one and his whole face gave him away. I was a little surprised when he didn’t deny why it was there, “Steve pointed out to me that I was being disrespectful to the McMann’s by having a guest in their home. He informed me that Cal basically announced for the whole sales floor that we slept together. I explained what happened and he said it didn’t matter if we had sex or not, the impression was there. He reminded me that you work for them, as does he, and my behavior put you both in a spot light that wasn’t necessarily good.”
“Oh shit. Do you, do you think, they think, we? Shit, damn it, I should probably talk to Calvin.” She was nearing a full-blown panic attack.
I moved closer to her so I could rub her back, “Natalie, please breathe. You don’t need to talk to Calvin. I already spoke to Luke, he’s the reason I am here. You will learn quickly that he is a man who sees everything, seriously everything. He reminded me that a relationship is between two people, not each person and their families. Not each person and their history. Just two people. And it is up to those two people to determine what their relationship is going to be like. What is a perfect relationship for the neighbors may not be a perfect relationship for us and vice versa. So, that is a huge reason Steve had issues. The other reason is because, I just got out of a relationship. It is why I showed up here in the first place.”
Wow, that certainly wasn’t what I had been expecting. I had a rush of thoughts that twisted in my already vulnerable mind. First thought: I’m a fucking idiot, hello desperate rebound girl. Second thought: every single one of them knows he just got out of relationship and I spent the night and not one of them told me. That thought quickly switched to me getting pissed, I just spent more money that I needed to on fucking Christmas gifts for a bunch of assholes that didn’t have the balls to warn me about his recent breakup. I twist back to my first thought of being an idiot. I am still lost in my thoughts when I realize he is still rubbing my back.
I jump up from where I am sitting, simply so I can move out of his reach. I can’t even pause my mind long enough to formulate a response. For a brief second I think Steve might be the only person who had the balls to stand up for me, sure he didn’t go about it in the nicest way but it got the job done. What is the rule for warning people, I mean I spent more than half the day with Calvin he had plenty of opportunities to warn me. That thought reminds me, I’m the new person, why would he warn me? I’m not important, Curtis is his brother-in-law. Speaking of Curtis, he is still sitting where he’s been since we sat down to eat.
I could feel his eyes follow me as I paced around until I made my way into the bathroom where I shut and locked the door. I turned the water on to hide the major freak out I could no longer hold back. I gave myself two minutes. I’d taken a half hour later because, I knew Curtis was still sitting on the other side of the door. As I splashed cold water on my face, I tried to rationalize what was going through my head. I’m not hurt physically and he didn’t lie to me, so what is technically the problem? I set myself up for this, it’s not his fault I was expecting this to be different. Fuck, time to suck it up and ignore the bitch in my head that is trying to make this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Right now, the only thing I need to worry about is wrapping presents. I’ll send all the McMann gifts with him since I am heading to my sisters’ house right after work tomorrow anyway.
CURTIS
She’s been in the bathroom for a few minutes. I can’t pretend to have any fucking clue what she is thinking. For the first couple of minutes I tried to look at things from her perspective but gave that up when I realized it looked familiar. Disappointment doesn’t look good from any angle. It reminded me of the feelings I had in the relationship I just walked away from. I know they weren’t trying to hurt me, it felt like they weren’t thinking of me at all. Should I have told Natalie I just got out of a relationship? Yeah, I should have. We haven’t done anything, but I haven’t been shy when it comes to my intentions. If she knew I had just come out of a relationship, would she have stayed the night? Magic eight ball says, “Not likely.”
I couldn’t change anything with her locked in the bathroom, so I got started wrapping presents. I pulled up Christmas music on my phone and got busy. I wrapped her watch first so it was done before she could see it. I had four other gifts wrapped before she walked out of the bathroom acting as if she hadn’t just spent twenty minutes locked in there. I didn’t pause in my wrapping as I joked, “For how long you were in there I sure as hell hope you sprayed.”
She chuckled as she made her way to the other side of the small table and joined me in wrapping. We argued a little about who the gifts were from. In the end, I added my name to all the gifts she was giving and planned to add her name to all the hidden gifts I was giving. It took us significantly longer than I expected; note to self, next year buy gift bags.
She loaded all the gifts into her laundry basket before asking me if I needed help carrying everything down to the car. Her question clarified the fact that I was not staying. It sucked because I liked sleeping next to her, but I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t until I was headed out the door with all the gifts that I realized she would need a ride to work in the morning because the Explorer died.
“What time do you need to leave for work in the morning? With the Explorer dead, I need to take the new car, but I will be back to take you to work.” Before I was even done, I knew we were gearing up for a confrontation that she wasn’t going to appreciate.
“Curtis, I need my car back. I don�
��t know where you have it hidden, but I need to get it first thing in the morning. I am taking off right after work tomorrow for my sisters so we can make cookies for Santa Claus.” This was the first time I had heard she was going out of town.
“Are you staying the night, or will you drive back tomorrow night?” Even if I didn’t have her car parked in storage, there is no fucking way I would let her drive that car at night with the temperatures dropping and the roads being slick. If she was going there and back, I could take her. If she was staying the night, she could just take my car.
“I don’t know, why? You know what, never mind. I just need to get my car back in the morning. I will be ready at 8:30; I need to be at work before 9:30. An hour should be plenty of time to get my car, regardless of where you have it hidden.” I could hear the frustration in her words but they did little to help my resolve to keep her in a safe vehicle. “Good night Curtis.” She stood with her front door open letting all the cold air in, which was my clue to get out.
“Good night, hot stuff. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Driving back to the McMann’s, I replayed the events of the night. I knew her feelings were hurt and the fact that I wasn’t completely honest about the kind of relationship I just ended is only going to hurt them more. Damn it. I should have just told her everything. I made the decision to tell her first thing in the morning. She was already going to be pissed at the fact that I wasn’t letting her have her car back, one more thing won’t hurt.
NATALIE
Curtis showed up early; I was still in my bathrobe finishing my hair and makeup. He brought me a peppermint mocha and a bagel, I should have realized it was a sign he was trying to butter me up for something.
If he thought a peppermint mocha and a bagel was going to excuse the fact that he “can’t take me” to my car, he was fucking wrong. I really didn’t want to start my holiday this way, there was no excusing this. I needed my car, end of story. He tried to convince me to take the Discovery, something about my car being unsafe and the roads being bad on top of people being stupid. I realized I wasn’t going to win when he took hold of my upper arms to hold me still while he spoke, “Natalie, you have two choices. You drive the Discovery or I will take you in it myself. You choose.” He didn’t wait for me to respond before he started loading the remaining gifts into the laundry basket he’d brought back with him.
Once we were in the car, I couldn’t help but ask, “If I take your car, what are you going to drive?”
“Don’t worry Hot Stuff, I’ll figure it out.” He winked at me like he knew something I didn’t. “Hey, I need to tell you something. It isn’t something I want you to hear from anyone else.”
I didn’t like the sound of it and he hadn’t even said anything. I started to pick at my nails, something I did went I got nervous. He reached across the console and took my hand. He kept his eyes on the road as he started talking. “I realize I should have told you I had just gotten out of a relationship when I met you. I don’t want you to think, for one single second, that you aren’t important and that is why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t tell you because I was, fuck, I’m sorry. I was in an unconventional relationship and honestly other than my family and the McMann’s, you are the first person I have needed to tell.”
Unconventional. That tells me a whole lot of nothing. It was unconventional, that could be a whole lot of things. Until he wants to define his term of unconventional, I have no clue what that is. But, before I can say any of that, he gives me his definition, “I was in a relationship with both a man and a woman. Fuck. I want to explain because when I say it out loud like that, I can only imagine what is going through your mind.” At this point he had pulled into the parking area at the dealership; he released my hand so he could shift into park. I tried to get out quickly because I didn’t want to have this conversation with him, but he quickly had a hold of my arm, keeping me right where I was. “I know you have to go to work. I am sorry I dumped this on you right before you walk in there. I have no control over what Steve may choose to tell you, so I wanted to tell you this before he has the chance. Deep down I know his issue yesterday has more to do with protecting you than anything else, it is ultimately why I can’t be mad at him. I feel like I have made my intentions with you clear. If I haven’t, let me do that right now. I want you. Yes, I was in a relationship with two people but I walked away because I realized it isn’t what I want.”
Shit. That’s a lot to tell someone when you’ve only known them days. I’ve done unconventional, if that is what he wants to call it, and it certainly isn’t something I would have opted to tell him at this point in our ‘friendship’. But, since he’s hung his dirty laundry, I’ll expose mine as well. “I don’t know what you are expecting from me. I can’t pretend that information doesn’t surprise me. We are in a funny situation because I work with your brother and his in-laws, which means they may expose all your secrets before you have had the chance to tell me yourself. I will tell you this, which I normally wouldn’t; I can’t judge you for doing something that I have done. Our situations might not be exactly alike, but details aren’t necessary at this point. If we become something other than friends, we can have a more in-depth conversation. Until then, thanks for letting me know.”
I made my way out of the car, this time he didn’t stop me. I think he sat there for a good twenty minutes before he drove off. I went about my day at work. I worked side by side with Steve and it was like the day before had never happened.
Curtis showed up about three hours before we were scheduled to close. I could see him walking around outside. Calvin, Steve, and I stood in the showroom window and watched him. None of us were willing to go outside because it was fucking cold out there. When both guys made it perfectly clear they weren’t going out there, I slipped on my slouchy beanie and wool pea coat and made my way outside.
“What are you doing? You can’t honestly be looking to buy another car?” I could see the mischief in his eyes, which instantly caught me off guard.
“Not a car, I need a truck. I don’t need anything big, just a small one with four-wheel drive. I already looked at them, I want this one. What do you need from inside for the paperwork?” He is serious.
“You’re serious, aren’t you? Curtis why would you buy a truck? You just bought at $70,000 SUV.” The hitch in my voice a clear indication that I was freaking out.
“Hot Stuff, it’s a guy thing. It’s too cold to stand out here while I explain. Let’s go inside.” He grabbed the paperwork from the window and started toward the sales office.
Steve and Calvin were still standing in the window watching us as we walked inside. Steve spoke first, “Are you seriously buying that Tacoma?”
“Yeah, I figure I’ll be more convincing as a teacher and coach if I drive that instead of the Discovery.” Calvin doesn’t waste any time pulling out all the papers we needed for the sale.
By the time we finished all the paperwork, Calvin was kicking us all out as he locked up the building. Back outside, Curtis unlocked the Discovery as we walked toward it. He stood at the hood waiting for me to decide if I was allowing him to drive me or if I was driving myself and staying the night. He spoke softly before I made a move in either direction, “I would love more than anything to spend the time it takes to drive there, with you. I can stay with you and drive you back here tonight. If you don’t want to introduce me to your family, I understand. I will drive myself back and then come get you tomorrow evening.”
I could see the hope in his eyes. I could also feel the hope in my heart. Without committing one way or the other I agreed. “Okay.”
Apparently, he didn’t mind one way or the other because he quickly opened the passenger door for me and waiting until I was buckled before he made his way to the driver’s side. We stopped for drinks and gas before hitting the highway with all the other holiday travelers. While on the road, I sent my sister a forewarning that I was bringing him with me.
CURTIS
After I dropped her off at work this morning I couldn’t stop replaying the conversation in my head. ‘I can’t judge you for doing something that I have done.’ What the fuck does that mean. I was on autopilot as I drove back to the McMann’s; I jumped into the shower where I mentally played through all the scenarios. Before I could even complete the first scenario, I was using more force than necessary to stroke myself. It wasn’t the thought of her with two guys or even a girl; it was the thought of her period. In my mind, it was just the vision of her that caused my balls to tighten. In my mind, I could see her head tilted back, eyes closed, and mouth open as the pleasure rolls through her. The vision is so real. I can’t control myself as I do the same; tilt my head back, closed my eyes, and moan as I spill my release.
As soon as the pleasure subsides, I realize I hadn’t been quiet so I kept my fingers crossed that everyone left in the house was upstairs. I moved slowly through the rest of my shower despite the continued speed of my mind racing. I swear my mind was on speed, but my body was on the opposite drug, whatever that might be.
