“Liane,” my mom laughs. She obviously has been talking to me. She stands in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest. “Wow, you were really gone.”
“Sorry, Mom. Can I call Gretchen?”
She indicates the couch. “Let’s sit for a minute.” My dad had retired to the bedroom, probably to find some sport on the television. I would be nervous, except my mom and I have a great relationship. I know that whatever she says to me, it’ll be good advice.
I sit, crossing my legs under me. “What’s up, Mom?”
“I was watching you tonight,” she answers. “Well, not all night. But when you and Blake were sitting at the table.”
I smile, glad she wasn’t watching us out on the porch. That would’ve been very embarrassing, even if all we were doing was kissing. “And?”
“You know how much I love that boy. He’s like the son I never had. And the fact that the two of you worked out what happened four years ago makes me so happy as a mom. And you know that I only want you to be happy, no matter if that’s with Blake or not. But I just want to see where your head is right now. You went through something rather traumatic a few days ago, and I want to make sure you’re thinking straight.” She holds up her hands. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad,” I reassure her. “I understand your concern. I feel the same way. There’s no way I want to hurt Blake. Ever. I can’t lose him, Mom. Even after the way I handled things, we still remained best friends. But, yes. I was just destroyed by Ronan. I thought I was going to stay with him for the rest of my life, Mom. And he tossed me out like I was garbage.”
“Liane,” she interrupts. “Ronan was always very good to you, sweetie. He’s a kid, just like you are. Yes, you’re both adults now and about to go out into the real world, but you’re still very young. He loves you; that I have no doubt about. Both of those boys love you. And why wouldn’t they? You’re the best catch any guy could have.” She winks when I groan. “But really, Lia. I just want you to be careful, okay? Your whole life is ahead of you, and I would hate for you to make rash decisions.”
“Do you think Blake is a rash decision?”
“Honey, listen to what your heart tells you. I’ll support you no matter what you decide. I know the situation with Blake is different because you’ve known each other your whole lives. You are an adorable couple, and I’d want nothing more than to have him as a son-in-law someday. Cathy and I have been dreaming of it for years. But, this is your life, Liane Kelly. You have to decide what’s best for you, not what either of these boys make you think is best.”
“I love him, Mom,” I answer, and mean it. My heart feels like it will break in a million pieces knowing that we only have 13 days left together, maybe for years.
“And Ronan?”
I sigh, picturing Ronan’s loving touch when we were in his truck a few days ago. “I love him too,” I admit. “But, he doesn’t want me anymore.”
“Just be careful,” she answers, handing me the cordless phone next to her. “Think about what you want. If that’s Blake, I’ll support you. If it’s Ronan, I’ll support that, too. And if it’s that you just choose you, Liane, that’s okay.”
“Ronan doesn’t want me,” I whisper again, looking down at my clenched hands.
“But would it change the way you felt for Blake if he hadn’t broken up with you? That’s something only you can answer. I love you, sweetie. I’m headed to bed. You know I’m always here if you need me.”
I watch her walk away, turning back once to blow me a kiss before she closes the bedroom door. Now alone, my thoughts run rampant through my head. What would I have done if Ronan hadn’t broken up with me? Would I have admitted to Blake that I had feelings for him? Would I have broken it off with Ronan for Blake?
Dropping my head in my hands, I let the tears come, hot and fast. I dial Gretchen’s number by heart, hoping she picks up the phone and not one of her parents, since it’s almost eleven. Gretchen has been my friend since preschool, and has heard many tales of Blake over the years. She, of course, also knows everything about Ronan and my relationship with him. She’s headed to California for college to pursue her dream of acting. It seems like everyone in my life is leaving me.
“Hello?” Gretchen’s southern drawl answers, and I sigh in relief.
“Gretchen,” I say.
“Lia! How are you, sweetie?” Out of all of my friends and family, Blake and his family are the only ones allowed to call me Li. Everyone else calls me Lia.
“Confused.” I spit it all out; from the moment I got here to the moment Blake kissed me senseless before he left to go home for the night. I even tell her exactly what I said to him. She listens quietly, making noises every once and a while at something I say.
“Wow,” she says when I finally finish.
“See why I’m a wreck? What do I do, Gretch?”
She breathes out a long breath. “Must be nice to have two guys falling at your feet.”
I laugh. “I hardly have two guys falling at my feet. Remember, Ronan dumped me.”
“His loss,” she says. “Okay, so I guess you’re asking for advice.”
“You could say that,” I moan, covering my hands with my eyes. “I mean, am I being dumb here, getting into this with Blake?”
“Liane, I’ve known you most of my life. You’ve loved Blake forever, sweetie, even if you wouldn’t admit it. You know I loved you and Ronan together, but after what he pulled, I’m not sure that you two were meant to be. Anyone who can promise forever and then dump you to go play the field at college isn’t worthy of you.”
“But what if he’s right? What if we just need a break to take care of ourselves and get our schooling taken care of, and we really do belong together?”
“Do you think Blake will break up with you once you leave Florida so you can go get your lives straight?”
“No,” I answer without hesitation. I know he won’t, without even thinking about it.
“Right,” she says. “And that’s because you know without a doubt that Blake is in this for you, Liane. Ronan was in it for him, it seems like. So you’re worried that you’re on the rebound, is that it?”
“Is it possible for me to love him? I mean, I just broke up with Ronan and we dated for two years! What does that say about me? What kind of person does that?”
“Sometimes these things don’t make sense. You love romance novels and movies, Lia. Think of them. Are they always true? No. But sometimes, crazy things happen in the name of love. Sometimes, it’s just meant to be. In this case, it seems like the stars all aligned for you, sweetie. Blake is a great guy, and you deserve someone who thinks you hung the moon. It seems like Blake is that guy, and Ronan isn’t. Aren’t you glad you figured this out about Ronan now? I mean, what if you would’ve married him and then he decided he needed a ‘break’? What if you had a few kids?”
I think about everything she’s saying, and it settles me. Gretchen definitely isn’t a ‘boyfriend’ kind of girl, having never dated anyone seriously, much to the chagrin of the boys in our high school. So for her to give me this advice, I know she means it. She would never steer me the wrong way based on emotion, because she thinks everything through rationally.
“Thank you,” I say, yawning. I’m emotionally and physically exhausted, and feel like I need to sleep for a week to get myself in order.
“You’re welcome,” she answers. “Do you feel better now?”
“Yes. It feels so right with Blake, but the guilt of Ronan keeps creeping back in, like I’m doing something wrong.”
“You aren’t doing anything wrong, Lia. He broke up with you. He made the hottest girl in Kentucky a free agent. Who can blame her that she was already snatched up?” We both start laughing.
“You’re crazy, and I love you,” I sputter. “Goodnight, Gretchen.”
“Goodnight, Lia. Enjoy your time with Blake, and stop thinking so much. You’re eighteen years old, not eighty. Have fun.” Before I can respond, the li
ne goes dead. Shaking my head, I turn the phone off and put it back on its cradle. Between her and my mom, I feel a million percent better. With thoughts of Blake swirling through my head, I crawl into my bed and drift to sleep within seconds.
“WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! It’s ten o’clock!” The bed starts moving, shaking me out of my sleep. I barely register what the person that’s bouncing on my bed says, but I know it’s something about waking up.
“Noooooo,” I complain, pulling the sheets back over my head.
“You aren’t wasting our day under the covers!” I feel the intruder moving closer to me. “Unless I’m under there with you.” I then realize just who it is on my bed, and I freeze.
“Blake McIntyre, get out of my room!”
“Hey! I’ve been in your room many, many times!” He pulls on my sheets, but I hold them tight over my head.
“No! You’ve been in my room as my friend!” I shriek, trying to remember what I wore to bed last night.
“And what am I in your room as now?” he growls into my ear. “Take the sheets off your head.”
“No. Get out and let me get dressed. You can’t see me like this!”
He laughs, easily pulling the covers off of me. “See you like what? The most beautiful girl on the planet?” His eyes track up and down my body, making me feel hot. He whistles, and I cover my head with my hands.
“Oh, my god,” I mumble, knowing my face is as red as a tomato.
“What?” He’s laughing so hard he can hardly form words. “Our parents are walking the beach and are going to that cafe for breakfast. We’re alone.” He pulls my hands off my face and wiggles his eyebrows. “And you’re wearing a hot pair of shorts and tank top. And you look gorgeous lying here in this bed. I wish you would’ve woken up with me.”
I open and close my mouth. I can’t believe Blake is being so forward. So we’ve spent a few hours kissing and we admitted feelings to each other. Now I’m seeing a whole suggestive side to him that I’ve never known, and I don’t know how to handle it.
“We’re going out tomorrow night,” he announces, combing my hair back out of my eyes with his fingers.
“Oh? Where?”
“We’re going to meet Eric, Shaun, and some of their friends at a teen club in Fort Myers they like to go to.” Eric and Shaun are friends that Blake had met that live in the area, but I have never met them. “Brooke and Brianna are coming, too.”
“Sounds fun,” I say, thinking of dancing with Blake, another first for us. My stomach flutters at the thought, making me forget that I’m barely clothed and lying in bed with my best friend turned boyfriend (or whatever we are now) next to me. I swing my legs over the bed and beeline it for the bathroom without turning back to look at him. I already know he looks delectable in his board shorts and tight tee shirt. I ran my hands up and down that firm chest last night. My mind has every dip and groove memorized.
I do my business in the bathroom and run a brush through my hair and brush my teeth. There’s no morning breath for him. Not anymore. Bad breath is okay for friends because you know they won’t be kissing you. I turn back and forth in the mirror, looking closely to see if you can see anything through my tank top, but it isn’t any worse than the bikini he sees me in.
“What do you want to do today?” Blake calls through the door. “Do you want to go shopping for something to wear to the club, or do you have something already?”
I open the door and he stumbles, almost falling in on me. I grab his arm and help him right himself, finding myself pressed against the doorjamb. “Hi,” he whispers, his gaze locking on my lips. “Have I told you yet how unbelievably beautiful you are?”
I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. I never thought we would be here, and yet we are. “Blake.” I put my head in the nook of his neck, loving his smell.
“Li, look at me.” I oblige, and those eyes that I get lost in stare into mine. “I dreamt about you all night. I can’t even believe this is happening. But, I want to make sure you’re okay. No regrets this morning?” I think back to my conversation with both my mom and Gretchen last night. I search my heart, and find nothing but the feelings I have for this man standing in front of me.
“No regrets,” I say, tracing his lips with my finger. His eyes darken and he pushes against me, running his hands along my hips.
“That’s the second best thing I’ve heard in my life,” he growls, bending down to kiss me. Once my head is spinning and my knees are weak, he pulls away.
“What’s the best thing you’ve heard,” I manage to ask, my fingers automatically going to my lips.
He smirks. “That you’ve loved me for your entire life.” Before I can react to what he said, he lifts me and walks us to my bed, his mouth on mine the entire time. He cages himself around me as my hands roam under his shirt and I feel for the first time what effect I have on him. It is a heady realization, and puts one more notch on our we-aren’t-friends-anymore belt.
I could get lost in him and go too far, too fast, and I don’t want us to regret anything. “Blake,” I break away, my chest heaving.
“I’m sorry,” he says immediately. “Are we going too fast?” He steps back, pulling me up to a sitting position on the bed.
“I just want everything to be right,” I say. “And when you are… when we are… I can’t think straight.” He smiles, kissing my hand.
“Say no more,” he pulls me to a stand and kisses me softly once more. “Let’s go find Bri and Brooke and see what they want to do today.” He laces his fingers with mine and we head from the condo for the first full day as ‘Liane and Blake, more-than-friends’.
I TAP MY foot impatiently outside the condo, waiting for not only my sisters, but Liane too. I’m looking forward to getting out tonight, away from our parents and the beach. Not that we are hovered over at the beach, but getting out and doing something together makes me feel like we have a little more freedom. We spent yesterday hanging around on the beach and in the pool with our families, so I am ready to have some alone time with Liane. Not that I didn’t sneak kisses all day, but it isn’t the same. Plus, I am really looking forward to seeing what she’s going to wear. Our entire lives, every summer that we saw each other was full of shorts, tank tops, and bathing suits. Only a few times that I can remember we wore something a little dressier to go out to eat. But never have I seen her in something dressy or sexy as a grown woman. I’m not sure that I’m going to want to do anything but lock both of us in a room together once I see her. And I certainly won’t like seeing the other guys at the club checking her out, Shaun and Eric included. They don’t know about us yet, but they will know soon. Everyone will know if I have anything to do with it.
I had met Shaun and Eric two summers ago when we were all sixteen. They lived in Fort Myers and had come out to Sanibel for the day when we ran across each other. I had joined their big group, and we’d been friends ever since. Those were what I referred to as the “Dark Years”, or the years without Liane at the beach. I had been looking for anything to help pass the time, and they did it. They had just graduated from high school as well, and both were staying in the area to go to the local university.
My parents had given me the keys to the car, and hadn’t even given me a lecture. All my dad had to do was raise his eyebrows and I knew everything he was conveying. Don’t give me a reason not to trust you, son. I hadn’t ever done anything to make them think otherwise. My mom had hugged me and whispered in my ear to always treat Liane with the upmost respect. I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to have that conversation with either of my parents, but I knew what they meant. Liane is like a precious jewel to me, and I would never do anything that would put her in jeopardy.
The door swings open¸ and I know my sisters are there too but all I can see is Liane. I know instantly that Brooke has gotten to her. My lovely sister is definitely more edgy than Liane. And since she and Brooke are very close to the same size, I know that the clothes she’s wearing aren’t hers.
/> She has on tall sandals, whatever those things are called (Brooke would roll her eyes at me for forgetting, saying I have two sisters and should know these things). Her tan legs are bare, accentuated by a short white skirt and a loose fitting, low cut silky tank top. I can easily see her cleavage. Her hair is curled and loose, with just the sides pinned up to showcase her sleek neck. When my eyes connect to hers, I literally feel weak at the knees. Brooke did her makeup smoky and heavy on the eyes, making that green that I love so much pop. Almost chuckling to myself, I know they would be proud if they heard my inner musings. They had taught me well. She’s stunning.
She steps up to me, and then I smell her. On a normal day, she’s intoxicating. But whatever this smell is, it exudes sex appeal. My girl is hot as fire. And mine. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m on top of the world. “Li, you look absolutely breathtaking. Turn around, let me see you.” When she turns around, all I see is legs for days. And the shirt is open in the back, showing her tanned, smooth skin and the lack of a normal girl undergarment. “Do we have to go?” I whisper in her ear. She giggles, turning in my arms.
“You cleaned up nicely as well,” she teases, eyeing me up and down. I have on a pair of jeans and a fitted tee shirt. To me, I look normal. “And you smell like something good to eat.”
“I could say the same about you.” I kiss her softly, wanting to do much more.
“Are you two done? Let’s get going,” Brooke says, tapping her imaginary clock. “I have a hot date with Shaun.”
“Uh-uh,” Brianna argued. “Shaun is mine. You can have Eric.”
The girls roll their eyes and playfully shove each other while I groan. “I can’t think of either one of you and my friend, okay? So stop it before I go lock both of you in the condo.”
“Pffft,” Brooke says. “You aren’t locking us anywhere, because you aren’t allowed to go without us. So ha.”
I laugh, linking my arm with Liane, who links hers with Brooke and then Brianna. “Let’s go, my three girls. It’s time for a night of fun.”
Twisted Souls Page 6
