Seeking Karma

by Melanie J. Cole

“Why did your parents name you Karma?”

  This makes me laugh. If I had a penny for every time I’ve been asked this question, I’d be rich.

  “My parents had a hard time getting pregnant with me. My Mom even took fertility pills. They didn’t have any problems at all conceiving my sister.” I shrug my shoulders. “So, they came up with a plan. Do good deeds and maybe Karma would be kind to them. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but here I am.”

  I hold my hands up in the air. I don’t mention the fact, that Karma is my middle name. No one knows me by my first name. Well, no one except for Dusty, and he knows everything about me, or he used to. I don’t ever want him find out the things Aaron did to me.

  “I don’t think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s pretty awesome.”

  He waves our waitress over. “Can I get some bacon, eggs, gravy and biscuits, and an o.j. to go, please?”

  She gives him a wink. “Sure thing, Cutie.”

  I raise my brow at him.

  “It’s for Jude. Payment for letting me borrow his hog.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  “So, you have a sister?”

  I nod my head. “Yeah, Lilly’s a lot older than me. She’s married and has a little boy. He’s absolutely adorable.”

  Wow, I’m amazed at how comfortable Trent makes me feel. Our conversations seem to just flow. It feels so natural, like I’ve known him my entire life.

  “How about you? Is Jude your only brother?”

  “Yeah, thank God. I don’t think I could handle another brother. Jude is hard enough to deal with.”

  I laugh out loud. I can’t help it. Yeah, Jude is definitely a character.

  The waitress finally comes over and hands Trent a white bag.

  “You two have a good day.”

  “Thanks,” Trent takes the bag and holds it out to me. “Do you mind holding onto this? I promise I’ll take it easy on the way back.”

  “Sure.”

  It’s the least I can do. I had a really good time

  CHAPTER 19

  TRENT

  I don’t even try to hide my face-splitting grin, when I hand Jude his breakfast.

  “Here you go.”

  One of Jude’s eyebrows lifts quizzically at me.

  “You look awfully happy.”

  His mouth drops open and he gapes at me.

  “Did you fuck her?”

  I slap him in the back of the head – hard.

  “No! Shut the fuck up! Karma isn’t like that. She’s a good girl.”

  A good girl, I’d like to teach how to be naughty. Oh yeah, that would be fun.

  “Oh my God, listen to you!. ‘Karma’s a good girl.’ You’re totally pussy whipped. Do you even have a dick?”

  Oh yeah, I definitely have a dick. It makes itself well known, every time I’m anywhere near Karma.

  “I am not!” I deny, sitting down across from him. Truthfully, I know he’s right, but I don’t want him to know that. Hell, he’s cocky enough.

  “Hurry and eat your breakfast. I promised the girls that we’d help them finish unpacking.”

  “Ah hell! Why did you go and do that shit? My back is killing me, and Anna wouldn’t even let me cop a feel. Last night sucked balls!”

  I laugh at him and shake my head. “Maybe you should try another approach.”

  “Fuck that! I only know one approach – brutal honesty. It’s never let me down before.”

  “Well, it definitely let you down last night. Anna isn’t some bimbo. If you want in her pants, you’re definitely going to have to work at it.”

  “That sounds too complicated. If I have to kiss her ass, she’d better be good in the sack! You know how much I hate work.”

  I shake my head at him. “Just hurry the Hell up!”

  I’m itching to spend more time with Karma. The more I get to know about her, the more I like her. She’s seriously the whole package. She’s beautiful, sweet, funny - annnd I sound like a little girl.

  I have my eyes narrowed on Jude. I swear, he’s eating slowly on purpose. It’s pissing me off! “Jude, if you don’t hurry up and finish, I’m going to cram that shit down your throat.” He’s being an asshole!

  “Chill the fuck out! What’s your hurry, anyway? That shit’s not going anywhere. Hell, maybe if the girls have to do some of the work themselves, they’ll be more appreciative of our help.”

  Jude waggles his brows at me, and I have to resist the urge to bitch slap him.

  “Whatever.”

  I push away from the table and walk over to the couch. I pull the blinds up, to make sure the girls haven’t started without us. Nope, I don’t see them. Damnit! I was kind of hoping to see Karma, bending over. This sucks!

  I’m tempted to go over there without Jude, but I don’t want Karma to know that she was me wrapped around her pinkie – not yet.

  Yeah, I definitely have a dick, but I’m not so sure where my balls have gone.

  I pull my phone out of my pocket, and check my messages. I have a text from Dave. I roll my eyes at my phone. What in the hell does he want?

  Dave: Hey. What’s up man?

  Me: What do you want?

  Dave: A couple of girls were asking about you the other night.

  Me: So?

  Dave: So nothing. I just wanted to let you know.

  I don’t bother saying anything else. Fuck him! Fuck all of them! They don’t give a shit about me. I don’t give a shit about any girls, except for Karma. She’s all that matters.

  CHAPTER 20

  KARMA

  I’ve barely cleared the doorway, when Anna starts in on me. “So, you and Trent, huh?” She’s stretched across the sofa, with her Kindle in her lap.

  I shake my head at her.

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Then why don’t you come over here, and tell me how it is.”

  She pulls her knees up against her chest, and pats the cushion.

  Great! Here we go. Let the interrogation begin.

  “We’re just friends.” I say, flopping down next to her.

  She nods her head a couple of times, and studies me.

  “Yeah, it looked like you two were ‘just friends.’” She puts air quotes around the last part. She’s beyond annoying.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She turns around and puts her feet on the floor. “Oh please, Karma. You two were undressing each other with your eyes, all last night. I’m not blind. You like him.”

  I shake my head vehemently. “I’m not going there,” I assure her. “I don’t care how hot the guy is, it isn’t worth the aggravation. Aaron has scarred me both physically, and mentally.”

  She sighs, and pulls one of her legs beneath her.

  “Trent isn’t Aaron. He seems like a really nice guy. Hell, the way he looks at you, it practically set my underwear on fire.” She fans herself with her hand, dramatically.

  “Speaking of hot looks, how about you and Jude?” It’s time to steer this conversation into a better direction. He’s definitely into her.

  “Oh please, I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. He’s a total player.” She waves her hand in the air, dismissing the mere thought.

  “You didn’t seem to mind that when you were gawking at his ass, last night.” I point out. I saw her checking him out more than once.

  “Of course I checked him out. He’s hot! But I’m not going to spread my legs for him - just because he’s good looking. I have more respect for myself than that.”

  “Do you really think he’s just looking for an easy lay?”

  “Oh, hell yeah, I bet he’s had more ass than our toilet seat.”

  I can’t help but to giggle at that. She’s so funny.

  I slap her knee.

  “Come on. We better get started. This shit isn’t going to unload itself.”

  I’ve just opened the car - when I hear Trent and Jude coming up behind me.

  “Watch out, and let me get that.” Trent says, reaching around me. Wow,
he smells heavenly. I kind of wish he wasn’t so nice. It makes it harder to resist him. But, I absolutely cannot get into another relationship, so soon. It’s wrong on so many levels. I mean, let’s face it - Aaron has really fucked me up, in more ways than one. The last thing I need is to bring Trent into this. I have to keep our relationship in the friend zone, no matter how good he looks.

  CHAPTER 21

  TRENT

  Fucking hell, it’s hot out here!. I’m pretty sure I’m on the verge of a heat stroke. It has to be pushing a hundred degrees. I don’t give a shit, though. I absolutely refuse to let Karma lift a finger, for anything other than holding the door open for me. I swipe the back of my arm across my forehead, wiping away the sweat, before it runs into my eyes. We’re down to the last few boxes. Thank God!

  “Let’s finish this shit. I need a beer.”

  Jude reaches around me and grabs the smallest box, of course. He’s been following my lead, refusing to let Anna help. He must really want in her pants bad! I’ve never seen him work this hard at getting a girl into bed, before. I laugh at him, and grab another box. Only three more to go.

  Once we get the last boxes inside, Anna and Karma hand us a beer. “Thanks for all of your help.” Anna says, opening a large box.

  “No problem.” Jude says taking a pull off of his longneck. He leans up against the wall, and begins watching her. Yeah right, he’s done nothing but bitch for the past hour and a half. She pulls out several pictures and heads towards her bedroom. “Hey, where are you going?” Jude asks, following behind her.

  She barely spares him a glance across her shoulder. “I’m going to start hanging up some of my pictures.” I’m pretty sure she’s doing it to get away from him, but he isn’t giving up that easily. He follows her inside her bedroom, and closes the door behind them.

  “Thanks for all of your help.” Karma says, as she sits down on the sofa, and pulls her legs up beneath her. She looks sexy as hell – as usual.

  “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t have anything better to do. Do you mind if I sit down?” I motion to the sofa.

  She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, and slowly shakes her head. “No. I don’t mind.”

  I sit down next to her and cross my ankle across my knee. I’m careful to keep as much space between us as possible.

  “Do you need any help, hanging pictures?”

  I have to keep our conversation safe and neutral. The last thing I want to do is fuck this up.

  “Nah, I don’t have that many pictures.” She shifts in the seat, so that she’s facing me and begins studying me intently. The way she’s looking at me, feels like she can see right into my soul.

  I turn my head and catch her eyes with my own.

  “What are you thinking about?” I want to know absolutely everything there is to know about this girl. I just don’t have a clue how to go about it.

  She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not sure. This is just so weird.” She motions back and forth between us.

  “What do you mean?”

  I don’t have a clue what she’s getting at. Personally, I thought this felt right, like this is the way my life should be – with her.

  “I just feel so comfortable around you.” Her cheeks flush pink, and she quickly drops her head. “I mean, I don’t know anything about you, but it feels like we’ve known each other so much longer.” She scratches the seam on the couch with her fingernail.

  I rake my hand down my jaw line. I want to reach out and touch her. I want to tell her that she has known me much longer, but this isn’t the right time, or place. She will remember me, on her own. At least, I have to think that. The thought that she doesn’t remember that night eight years ago, is gut wrenching.

  I tip the bottle back and drain it.

  “What do you want to know?”

  If I’m going to take this slowly, we have to start somewhere.

  She shrugs her shoulders, and blinks up at me with her wide gray eyes. “I don’t know. What do you want me to know?”

  Whoa, talk about a loaded question.

  “Alright, why don’t we make this a game. You ask me a question, and then I’ll ask you one.”

  I stretch my arm across the back of the sofa, and I don’t miss her sharp intake of breath. I clench my hands into fists. Every time she flinches away from me or steps away from me, I want to hop in my truck, drive down to the frat house, and beat Aaron to death.

  She cocks her head to the side.

  “Okay, what’s your favorite color?”

  Wow, she really is taking this slow. I lean forward and set my bottle on the floor. “Black. What’s yours?”

  “Blue.”

  This surprises me. I figured she was more of a pink or purple girl. I don’t know why. She just looks girly, that way.

  “You’re going to have to be more specific. There are tons of different blues.” I begin ticking them off on my fingers. “Sky blue, navy blue, royal blue…”

  She leans forward and pushes my shoulder playfully.

  “Okay, okay, I like all shades of blue. I’m kind of indecisive when it comes to blues.”

  “My turn.”

  I’m ready to ask what her favorite television show is when Anna screeches from the bedroom.

  “What is your fucking problem? Keep! Your! Hands! To! Yourself!”

  Karma and I both snap our heads towards her bedroom.

  “Well, excuse me!” Jude shouts. “I’ve busted my ass for two fucking days! Hasn’t that at least earned me a blow job?”

  The door swings open and slams against the wall with a resounding thud. “No, it doesn’t!” Anna says, shoving Jude out into the hall. “Go home, and don’t come back!”

  I drop my head and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I guess it’s time to go.” I’m going to fucking kill Jude!

  “Oh, okay.”

  Karma stands up and walks over to Anna.

  “Are you okay?”

  Anna has her eyes narrowed on Jude.

  “I will be, as soon as he’s gone.”

  Jude holds his hands out in front of him.

  “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

  I follow him over to the door, but I don’t want to leave. I was just beginning to learn more about Karma. I stop before I walk out and turn towards her.

  “Is it okay if I call you tonight?”

  Her eyes widen slightly, and her lips part.

  “Um sure.”

  Okay, she has no idea just how happy she’s made me.

  CHAPTER 22

  KARMA

  Man, Anna is pissed. She spins towards me, and throws her hands onto her hips. “Listen Karma, I know you like Trent - but the next time he plans on bringing that perv - I’d like a heads up. That way I can make plans to be anywhere, but here.” She cringes from head to toe. “I swear, that guy is part octopus. I need a shower. I’ve known quite a few assholes in my day, but he definitely takes the cake.” She storms past me, and slams the bathroom door closed behind her.

  I begin packing my last few boxes into my bedroom. I’m over this whole moving thing. I want to be done with it. I’ve just opened the last box, when my phone vibrates in my pocket. My pulse instantly begins to race. Aaron must be feeling better, because he’s been calling me non-stop - for the last couple of days. I’m surprised he hasn’t blown up my phone, with all of his texts and voicemails. He’s easy enough to ignore. I don’t bother listening or reading any of them, I just delete them. But if he doesn’t take the hint soon, I’m going to have my number changed. The only reason I had it on, was because Trent said he would call me. I don’t want to change my number. It’s such a hassle calling all of my contacts with a new one. It’s bad enough that I’m costing my parents a small fortune, for rent. I’ve even went so far as to rearrange my entire schedule. I really wish Aaron would leave me alone. There’s no way in hell, I’m going back to him. These past few days, I’ve been the happiest I’ve been in a very long time. I’m not about to give that up.

  I gl
ance down at my phone, and sigh when I see Dusty’s number. I quickly answer it. “Hey you.”

  “Hey yourself, sexy. I was just calling to see if you and Anna would like to have lunch with me, tomorrow?”

  “That sounds good. I’m totally free all day tomorrow.”

  “Well then pencil me in, and it’ll be a date.”

  “Screw the pencil. I’ll write it in permanent sharpie.” He chuckles and it sounds so good. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. I have to finish unpacking.”

  “I love you, girlie.”

  “Love you, too.” I switch the phone off, and slip it back into my pocket.

  I’ve just finished unpacking my last box, when my phone vibrates – again. I warily pull it out and check to see who it’s from. I feel a huge grin coming on when I see Trent’s name. I glance over at the clock. It’s eleven thirty. I quickly answer it, and flop back onto my bed. “I thought you forgot about me.”

  “Not possible. I was just trying to be fashionably late. How did I do?” I can hear the humor in his voice, and I picture him smiling. Wow, he’s really sexy when he smiles.

  “Considering that I thought you weren’t going to call at all, I’d say you did pretty good.” I grab a pillow and hug it against my chest. I can’t believe he actually called me.

  “I thought we could finish our game, since we got interrupted earlier.”

  “Okay, but I get to go first.”

  “I believe it was my turn. Besides, I already have a question ready.”

  “How do you know that I haven’t got one ready?” I fire back at him. Actually, I don’t, but he doesn’t have to know that.

  He doesn’t bother to answer my question. He just jumps into the game. “What’s your favorite t.v. show?”

  I squeeze the pillow, and smile. “Of all time, or current?”

  He doesn’t miss a beat. “Of all time.”

  “Hmmm,” I chew on my bottom lip, and think. “Friends. How about you?”

  Once again he doesn’t hesitate. “Bates Motel.”

  Okay, I’ve never even heard of that. “What’s Bate’s Motel?”

  “Are you being serious? You’ve never watched Bates Motel!?”

  “No, but I’m guessing it’s something to do with Norman Bates.”