Normally when I run, I have my iPod on full blast, but today I wanted to enjoy the natural sounds of the world. As my breathing rapidly increased, I swore somewhere in the distance someone shouted my name.
Perhaps it was the voices in my head cheering for me. That didn’t make me sound mad. I pushed myself harder, making my heart want to leap out of my chest and race ahead.
“Sydney!”
Someone was calling me. I turned around, using my hand to shield the sunlight from stinging my eyes. A figure, masculine shaped, was coming my way.
“I…thought I’d…never catch you.” Jason was panting by the time he reached me.
I stretched my arms over my head. “I like to run fast.”
“What are you trying to out run?” He smiled, joking.
“Pain…my problems…” I went too deep.
He stood upright, sweat beaded his face. “Do you mind company?”
“If you can keep up, you can stay.” I winked and ran along the beach.
Jason pressed himself hard to stay with me. To make it easier, I slowed my pace a bit.
I kept my eyes forward. The wind wiped my hair behind me. “I’m sorry about last night. That dude just—”
“It’s cool, Syd. Really. He’s a prick. Honestly, I don’t know how you could’ve done anything with him.”
I pounded each foot into the sand, trying to force my frustration into the earth. “Pretty dumb, huh?”
“Just makes me wonder where I score…”
I slowed down. Water licked at my toes. “You? Hmm…I’d have to check my bedpost and report to you later.”
He pushed me, but the grim look on his face ruined my teasing.
“It was a joke. That’s what I’d do if I was a guy,” I said, kicking water at him. He jumped away, laughing.
Jason stood where the water stopped on shore before being pulled back. “Sad but true.”
We went back to jogging, enjoying the soundtrack of the beach for a few moments.
I flicked a piece of hair out of my face. “I love running in the sand. It’s the only time you can catch me not wearing heels.”
“That so?” He looked down, inspecting my feet.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Wanna go swimming?”
I looked at the rolling blue ocean. “And get all wet?”
“So? Are you allergic to salt water or afraid of sharks?”
I shuddered at the mention of sharks, thinking of the movie Amelia brought up weeks ago. “No, it’s just…I’m not wearing the proper clothing.” I was wearing a thin babydoll tee with denim shorts.
Jason curled his finger into my belt loop, tugging me gently to him. “You can take it off.” His eyes were lighter because of the sunshine. There was a flake of green in his right eye I never noticed before.
I wrapped my hands around his neck. “Strip down to my birthday suit? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He pressed his forehead to mine. “I’d take my clothes off too.”
“Hmm…” I bit my lip to keep from smiling.
We stripped and raced to the ocean. I won. Jason grabbed me, holding me in his arms. I screamed and burst into laughter. It was as if he was Richard Gere from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, only Jason had no suit on. Actually, he was completely naked. Water gleamed off his dazzling, sun-kissed chest.
The ocean swept Jason off his feet, causing him to fall. I landed on top of him and rolled off. He climbed above me and kissed my lips hard. The waves crashed on us, making us hold each other like there wasn’t another soul on earth.
Though it hurt to break the kiss, we had to get dressed before someone saw us. “I thought we were going to have sex on the beach,” I joked, breaking away from him and grabbing my clothes.
Jason looked around. No one could be seen, but people did tend to show up out of nowhere.
We put our clothes back on. They were wrinkled and sand stuck to the wet fabric after touching our moist skin.
I had to ask Jason a question that burned inside me ever since The Pit. “Why where you acting strange last night?”
He tried and failed to brush the sand off his shirt. “What do you mean?”
I rang water out of my hair. “At the bar, I don’t know, it seemed like something was between us, as if—”
“Amelia talked to me before I left the house. She called from Hunter’s phone and gave me a long lecture.” He moved on to brushing his shorts. It didn’t do anything but distract him.
That was so Amelia. We looked out for each other. “So what did she do, spook you?”
A waved crashed to our side, covering our feet and pulling away like a blanket. “Kinda. She wanted to warn me.”
I hugged myself, the wind and my wet hair made me strangely cold. “About me?”
“She wanted to warn me not to hurt you. That you’re new—”
I pushed away from Jason and kicked a pile of sand. “New to what?”
He ran a hand through his wet hair. “She told me to be careful with your heart because you’re a virgin of love.”
I laughed, falling over onto the warm sand, untouched by the water. Tears ran down my face.
He swallowed, not looking amused. “I don’t see the humor.”
“Virgin of love? What the hell, who says that?”
He sat down next to me, draping his arm around my shoulder.
“Right now, it would be hilarious if a crab came up and bit you,” I said.
Jason screwed up his face. “You’re sick. Are you aware of that?”
I moved my shoulder, making his arm fall off. “Could be worse. I could be the child of Hannibal Lector.”
He cringed. “True.”
In a moment of weakness, I kissed Jason. We rolled a few inches, tangled in each other as salty water caressed us. There was sand in my hair, my bra was ruined, and my walls were down. Jason almost had me.
Did he know? Was that his plan?
Cupid, you asshole, you found me. Why did you hit me with all your damn arrows right in my ass? Their venom flowed through my veins and made me bat shit crazy. If it wasn’t for Jason’s lips planted on mine, I might’ve whispered the three little words that changed people’s lives forever.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Amelia was in her room, listening to music on her iPod. I lay next to her on the bed and rested my chin on my folded arms.
She pulled her headphones out and placed the music player between us. “What’s my best friend been up to?” she asked, bumping my shoulder with hers.
I turned my head to look at her. Her face had a glow from being in the sun too much and her eyes were big and bright, happier than I’d ever seen them.
She bumped me again. “Come on, tell me.”
I grabbed a piece of my hair, inspecting it for split ends. “I wasn’t sure you knew you had a best friend,” I said, giving her a fake pout.
Amelia laughed. Her laugh was different, more musical than it was before. “I’m sorry I fell in love over break, but I do want to spend time with you.” She paused. “So…how did things go with Jason? Did you actually try?”
Our deal. I almost forgot about it. She wanted to know she was right, that I was capable of love. I clicked my tongue. “We hung out.”
She sat up, clapped her hands then hit my ass. “Details!”
I bit my lip and rolled onto my back, staring up to the white ceiling. “At the club, we kissed…” I trailed off. It was a mistake telling her, she was going to drag everything out of me. My stomach twisted itself just thinking about it.
Amelia got all giddy and flashed a lot of teeth with her smile. “Did it lead to…sex?”
I covered my eyes with the back of my hand. We did have sex, but not then. She’d be disappointed I screwed Jason and left the first time we had intercourse. She wanted me to grow out of my summer boys.
“No,” I lied. It was a small lie. We only kissed that night at the club.
She beamed at me, proud I didn’t play my usual h
and. It was as if she was my mother and I had told her I got engaged.
“We need to double date! I’ll plan it!” Amelia squealed and ran out of the room.
I sat up and ran a hand through my hair. Why did I open my big mouth and say Jason and I got along so well?
Her voice was distant. “Tonight’s going to be amazing. Just Amter and…”
I left the room and found her downstairs, digging in her purse. “Wait, Amter?” I asked, confused.
Amelia looked up from her purse and nodded. “That’s what I call Hunter and me. Now I need to pick a nickname for you and Jason.”
I took the stairs slowly. Part of me wanted to fall and break my neck to avoid this double date. “I don’t see us as a couple, more friends with benefits.”
She dropped her purse and clenched her cell. “Doesn’t matter, with the nickname it will almost be a seal on you two.”
A seal? As in a seal of death or sealed with a kiss? I shook my head. There was no point in overthinking it.
“I got it.” Amelia snapped her fingers. “Sydson!”
“Really?” I said, failing to keep the disgust out of my voice.
She looked at her phone, typing. She was probably texting Hunter about the double date. “Yes, you’ll learn to love it.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “All righty then.”
There was no point in fighting her. She’d win.
***
The doorbell rang, tearing Amelia from me. It was our dates. Hunter and Jason were both wearing nice dress shirts with pressed pants. Where was Amelia planning on taking us?
“Where are we going?” I complained in the back of Hunter’s truck.
She didn’t turn around. “It’s a surprise.”
“I loathe surprises,” I said.
Jason nudged me.
“Awe, Sydson are too cute,” Amelia gushed. She spied on us using the rearview mirror.
I felt Jason’s eyes, as if asking what Amelia meant. “That’s what Amelia calls us now. I had no input.”
He gave me half a smile. I wasn’t sure if he believed me or not.
The neon sign we passed while pulling into the parking lot read ‘THE ORGAN PIZZERIA.’ We were going to a restaurant, not just any restaurant either. The Organ Pizzeria was famous and there were only a handful of them across America. It was known for its pizza, but was legendary for its organ, which was in the middle of the place. Its pipes took over the wall. There was a disco ball in the center of the ceiling and two pianos that were on the organ’s right and left on the second floor.
We ordered our food and went upstairs, waiting for our number to be called. As we watched the board of numbers, Jason and I snickered as the number sixty-nine lit up. It was all alone. Amelia saw it and shook her head, calling us children.
When our number finally lit up, Amelia and Hunter went down to fetch it, leaving Jason and me by ourselves.
“Have you ever been here before?” Jason asked as he surveyed the floor below us.
“I’ve been to the one in Arizona a couple times, but never to this one. They look the same, though. Have you?”
He was looking at the pipes crawling up the wall, taking it all in. “Seen it a few times, but never came in.”
“Of what I remember, the show is breathtaking.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said, giving me a wink.
My cheeks flushed. Why did Jason make me feel like a lovesick girl in high school?
“Food,” Jason said. I turned my head to see Amelia and Hunter coming with our order. I moved the napkins to make a spot for the pan of pizza.
As we took our plates and filled them, the show began. The man behind it all came up from the floor with his organ. It looked like a huge piano overloaded with keys. All the pipes from behind four different windows came to life, playing beautiful music.
I looked down at the table below us. I had the urge to throw a pepperoni or an ice cube on the black haired man who was right under me. It hurt to fight it. My gaze kept drifting down to him. Whoever thought I should sit by the railing had made a huge mistake.
“What’s the matter?” Jason asked over the music.
Chewing my lip, I thought of a way to explain myself. “I’m resisting the urge to toss something on that guy below me.”
Jason sat across from me and near the railing. He leaned over to see the man in question. The man was eating a piece of pizza while texting on his phone.
“You’re bad,” he mouthed.
An evil smile came to my lips. “I could throw something in the pitcher by him. It’d only frighten him.”
“And contaminate whatever’s in it,” Jason added.
I took a bite out of my pizza. “You’re a fun sucker.”
“What are you two talking about?” Amelia asked, giving me a look like a teacher would when found whispering in her class.
I told her and she frowned. “Trade places with me,” she demanded.
My eyebrows pulled together. “What? Why?”
She flashed me a foul look. “I don’t trust you.”
I sighed and traded places. Jason and Hunter did as well so everyone could still chat with their date.
“I was wrong,” I whispered to Jason, my head tilted toward Amelia. “She’s the fun sucker, not you.”
That made him smile. He took my hand and squeezed it. The music swelled, taking us back to the show.
The man played Beethoven and other famous musicians. Later he played songs from known films like Mission Impossible and Star Wars. We consumed our pizza while bathed in melody.
During some songs, a bubble machine came to life blowing bubbles on the audience below. We sat close to one of the pianos on the second floor. Its keys were pressed by invisible fingers, as if a ghost was playing. Everything was connected to the man and his organ. There was a window about seven feet above the organ covered by a royal purple curtain. It opened randomly and puppet cats would dance for a few minutes before the curtain fell back into place.
My favorite part was when the song “My Heart Will Go On” filled the air. I loved Titanic’s theme song. I hummed along while the disco ball cast sparkles of light all over the restaurant.
“Wanna get some ice cream?” Amelia asked once my song ended.
We all agreed and abandoned our dirty table. After stepping off the stairs, we found our way to the ice cream counter. It had two rows of ice cream, like a true ice cream shop. We ordered our favorites and decided to finish the show downstairs. One had to experience the organ from above and eyelevel.
An end of a table opened up and we claimed it. The bottom was alive with people, birthday parties, and a lot of vexatious children running amuck.
Who had a party at a place like this? It was too loud to speak to one another. People were clueless sometimes.
The organ player took a break and stood before us. “If you have any song requests, fill out a form and put it in the bowl. And if anyone has an anniversary or birthday today, you can fill out a form too.”
He then went for the slips of paper in the glass bowl by the edge of the tall platform he was on. Over the loud speaker, he read the birthdays and then played the song “Happy Birthday” on the organ.
“I’m going to make a request.” Jason left his half eaten bowl of ice cream and walked to the platform.
“Wonder what he’s writing down,” Hunter said.
Amelia didn’t respond, too involved in her treat.
I couldn’t help but ponder what Jason requested. For all I knew, he could be jotting down his favorite song, but my gut told me something else. When he returned and gave me a wink, I knew something was up. What did he request? It was going to drive me insane.
The man took a break and returned, diving into his bowl of requests and repeating his speech. He played a few songs. As he played, the question of what Jason had requested loomed in my mind. What was the song? My stomach turned on itself and my heart rate went through the roof.
A new so
ng began to play and as its notes claimed the atmosphere, Jason smiled. This was the song he’d chosen. It had to be.
I listened to the melodies and harmonies. The voices and children’s screaming faded away. The realization of the song hit me like a rogue wave. It was “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from the movie The Lion King. My heart skipped a beat. It was as if a Titanic sized chunk of the iceberg that encased my heart slid off.
Jason stared down at his melting ice cream. His hand had a nervous twitch, making the spoon shake, and he consumed only a little bit at a time. I smiled like an idiot and kicked his leg. He met my gaze for a moment. It was then that I saw how much he truly did like me, maybe even loved me.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The double date was a success, who knew? I didn’t, though I happen to doubt most blissful occurrences. My mind still couldn’t wrap itself around the song Jason picked out for the organ player to play. It was too mushy, too deep.
Was I ready for that? After all, I couldn’t turn back and I couldn’t stay in the same place too long. I wasn’t sure I was prepared to open up and let Jason see all the skeletons in my closet. But the more I was with him, the more I felt my walls crumbling down.
Slowly he learned the blueprint to my heart. The more he showed he cared for me, the more I was willing to let him in. I prayed I didn’t regret it. My heart couldn’t handle much more scar tissue. The imminent moment of Jason saying those three little words made me shake internally. Surely I wouldn’t be coerced into loving Jason. That would prove my theory about love was a myth.
My phone rang, bursting my thoughts of last night. The caller ID said it was my mom. When was the last time I spoke with her? It was too long. My hope was whatever Jason had done to me wouldn’t be in my voice. The last thing I needed was my mother on my case about romance and boys.
I sat on the edge of my bed and answered the call. “Hey, Mom, what’s up?”
“Nothing much on my end.” Her voice held such pain. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
“What’s the matter? You sound strange.”
Shades of Sydney (Sydney West #1) Page 18
