Intellectual: A Young Adult Romance

by Katie Wright

  After I dropped Jane off I estimated it would take me ten minutes more to take him home. But I would also be closer to my house. He started to wake up a bit and asked where he was.

  "You're in my car I'm taking you home."

  "Oh," was all he said and then went back to sleep. He cuddled himself into the seat looking somewhat cute, younger, and innocent. Yes, when evil people slept they almost always seemed innocent when in actuality they weren't.

  We reached what I thought was his home. I gave him a soft nudge and when he didn't move a hard one, "Casey," I hissed.

  He turned and looked at me, "Yeah?"

  "Is this your house?"

  He pulled himself up a bit and looked out the window, "Shit, it is."

  "Here," I undid my seat belt and then his. I got out of the car and opened his door. He tried to pull himself out but I grabbed his arm in case he fell over. He accepted my gesture and allowed me to hold him as I closed the car door with my other arm.

  We walked up to his small bungalow. It was cute but it needed some work. It wasn't sided and so the paint was chipping and for some reason there was an old recliner on the porch. When we walked up the first couple of stairs I thought my foot would fall through the old creaky planks and tried to hurry him inside the house quickly.

  He pulled out his keys and searched for the house one. There wasn't a light on inside the house so I supposed his girlfriend wasn't waiting up for him. He struggled finding it and I heard some grunts coming from him until he found the one that worked.

  He pushed the door open and entered. I followed him inside but then grabbed onto his shirt as he closed the door and left us both in eerie blackness. I couldn't see anything but then Casey started moving towards the back.

  He turned around I guess when he felt me tugging on him, "Why the fuck are you still here?"

  He didn't sound mean but then I asked myself, 'Why was I still here?' I got him inside that's all I needed to do. My only remark was, "Because you closed the door behind me?"

  I couldn't see his face but an outline of it. He nodded and grabbed my hand. He pulled me to the back of his house and through a door. He closed it behind us and started to take off his shirt and pants. I stood there in shock. Why was he taking off his clothes? Then he left me and closed another door to my right. I heard the utter sounds of gagging and coughing.

  The door to my right opened and the light from it spilled into the room hitting me with brightness I was forced to squint my eyes. I saw Casey standing there holding his bare stomach and leaning on the door frame.

  "God, I feel better," he grumbled.

  I crossed my arms over my chest not really sure about what to do. I looked at my surroundings. Great I was in his bedroom. The bedroom where he and his girlfriend slept, but the only problem was she wasn't in it. Not really a problem because if she was I would have a lot of explaining to do. Now I asked myself again 'why had he brought me in here?'

  I rocked on my feet and looked at him, "Do you need me for anything else?"

  He looked at me and shook his head.

  I took this as my cue to leave when I heard someone coming from the hallway. There were the sound of footsteps and a light was turned on. I could see it from under the door. Casey pulled me into the bathroom with him. He closed the door and turned off the light.

  My back was against the door and Casey's arms were on either side of me. I tried not to breath and stayed completely still.

  Casey pushed himself against me and leaned his head against the door listening. The light from the bedroom went on under our feet. A laugh came from the bedroom. It was a high laugh coming from a girl. I supposed his girlfriend, but that isn't what I was really paying attention to.

  If you must know I was concentrating more on his body against me rubbing me. I could hear his breathing next to my ear and him licking his lips. I was pinned against a very attractive man, which I might add has a girlfriend, who is apparently cheating on him. Any girl in her right mind couldn't help but get turned on. Although I didn't really know if I wanted to be against him when he got angry and started throwing punches. Then I finally decided to listen.

  "He doesn't give a fuck. Look he's not even here, probably out drinking with his friends."

  "Are you sure," questioned the anxious male voice. Even he realized how stupid it was to come into another guy's home and sleep with his girlfriend.

  She laughed, "Yes, silly. He doesn't even give a good fuck like you do."

  I heard a low grumble and looked over at Casey. I couldn't see his face but I could feel his body tense against mine. It must have really hurt him to hear these things.

  "Bitch," he mumbled under his breath.

  I wanted to say I was sorry when I noticed the light under the door go out and the shuffling of bodies. There was a creaking noise and I realize it was the bed. How could I stand here and listen to this? I was witnessing someone cheating on another person.

  I couldn't help it my heart went out to Casey. I heard the moaning and noises coming from the bedroom, "I'm sorry," I whispered.

  He looked over at me and I could finally make out some of his features. I guess my eyes were starting to get used to the dark. He didn't looked hurt just mad. "Why the hell did she have to have sex in my bed?"

  Okay that was definitely not the response I was expecting. He pulled me from the door and turned on the light. He opened it and I closed my eyes.

  I heard a scream from his girlfriend and something or someone fall to the floor.

  "Fuck, Terry," this was coming from the other male voice. "Thought he wasn't going to be home."

  Then I heard Casey, "Why the fuck would you think that?" His voice didn't sound mad but almost sarcastic.

  "Fucking Casey why are you here?" The girlfriend as it was, or wasn't anymore I didn't know started saying. She really was a bitch. For some reason my eyes were still closed. Then she started to laugh to herself, "Oh I see you brought your own fuck buddy home."

  Then I opened my eyes. Was she talking about me?

  "Shut the hell up you skanky bitch!" That was me I think.

  "Why the hell should I you whore!" She was calling me a whore?

  "Well unlike you I wasn't here to screw someone I was trying to help them!"

  She was laughing at me, "If that's what you call helping." She snickered. "I thought you liked your girlfriends skinnier Casey, like me."

  Oh that pissed me off I made a run for her but Casey grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back against him. He said firmly, "You don't have to explain anything to her she's just a bitch Heath." He called me Heath, my nickname and I wanted to smile but the present situation wouldn't allow it.

  Then he looked at the couple, "I think you should leave and Terry, don't take your things with you I'll mail them or burn them. I haven't really decided. But I suggest you leave before I call the police."

  He turned and took my hand. We left the bedroom and went to the family room.

  He sat himself down on the couch and pulled me with him, "I'm sorry about that," he said.

  I looked at him about to say something when Terry and her man came out. They swiftly left, slamming the door behind them.

  I looked over at Casey, "Well this has been an interesting night."

  "Yeah," he blew out and let his head fall against the back of the couch closing his eyes.

  I took the opportunity to check him out. Then he said in a singsong voice, "Heath?"

  I looked away, "Uh yes?"

  "Nothing, maybe you should go home."

  I nodded and stood up, "Yeah, see ya."

  "Bye," he said from the couch. The light from the family room went off as I pulled away from his house. I can say that was one of the most fascinating yet disturbing nights of my life.

  Chapter 8: Something's Up

  The next day I sauntered in with as little as five hours of sleep. This was not good at all. My second day at work and I was passing out on the job. The other problem in this equation was the f
act that I couldn't complain to anyone because I was new and it was my fault I was up that late.

  After I had left Casey's and made it home I stayed up for nearly an hour, okay possibly two hours, remembering vivid flashbacks of the entire night. First the kiss, then my being possibly turned on in the bathroom, to the entire incident with his girlfriend, woops ex-girlfriend.

  Obviously it wasn't Casey's problem but mine, and I didn't want to blame him but due to the lack of sleep I got I needed to blame someone, mostly him.

  "Someone looks a little hung-over, uh?"

  I looked up from the articles in front of me. The articles were now blurred to my eyes and I had realized I must have been zoning out for at least five minutes. Unfortunately it seemed as though Dan noticed. He had this amused look on his face. I didn't find him very funny at that moment but put on a smile.

  "Yeah," I rubbed my forehead with my hand, "I didn't get much sleep last night."

  "Out late with your boyfriend?"

  Whoa, now that completely threw me by surprise. No I didn't have a boyfriend, just one that pretended to be mine for about five minutes.

  "Ha, ha," I attempted a chuckle. The statement was very ironic. "No not my boyfriend. A friend had a problem and I was helping them out."

  "Oh, I see."

  Did he really? He was sitting across the table from me looking through more newspapers. I wondered how long this process would take. Suddenly I realized how quiet the room was without my thoughts filling it up.

  I cleared my throat and Dan looked up.

  "Do we have a radio or anything?" I tried to look cute, "You know just real low so that we have something to listen to?"

  "Why I'm not entertaining enough?" He laughed to himself. I tried to make my laugh seem real.

  Why did I dislike Dan? I didn't know, he was very nice and cordial, and attempted to make me laugh but he wasn't funny. And I felt that every comment or question he made had some sort of alternative reason behind them.

  Dan left me for a few minutes with my thoughts again. I wondered what Casey was up to? How he was taking the whole girlfriend cheating on him? In my opinion he didn't seem to care. It was that or he was in such shock it didn't hit him till today. And I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Then I remembered that he and his girlfriend had had that fight the other day at the auto shop.

  Music floated to my ears as I heard Howie Day's "She Says," playing on the radio. I wanted to start hitting the radio with my papers. I had heard that song not three years ago, maybe more and the radio stations finally got it on there.

  "Is this better," Dan's amusing voice asked.

  "Yes," I said in a smartass sort of way but grinned at him.

  He grinned back and then an odd feeling came over me. I just realized I had flirted with him. I wanted to smack myself because first I didn't find Dan cute and second he didn't even have a personality to make him even the least bit attractive to me.

  Yet Dan grinned back cheekily. "Do you want to go to lunch?"

  I looked at the clock over his head. It read about noon and my stomach had been growling.

  "Now don't lie I could hear your stomach from here." Damn him for noticing and pointing it out.

  I shook my head and accepted his offer. We had a half an hour to eat lunch. For reasons unknown to me Dan bought lunch and when I fervently told him it wasn't necessary he explained to me that they did it for all newcomers. Yeah sure, whatever, I knew he was bullshitting but hey it was free lunch.

  To be perfectly honest lunch wasn't that bad. I ordered a turkey club and French fries and I don't remember what Dan had but the conversation was nice. Then of course he started on the subject of me having a boyfriend.

  "Why isn't that possible? I mean I know I'm not the only that doesn't have one." I was somewhat annoyed by his abrupt questions. Could this guy not just get I didn't have one, and of course it wasn't by choose. I wanted one but I wanted the right one.

  Dan popped a French fry in his mouth, "Well," he paused and looked at his food. He was avoiding my eyes in an obvious manner, "You're very pretty and from what I've seen and talk to you about, you're smart and nice." I blushed and of course he picked that time to look up at me. He smiled when he noticed and I guess this was his idea of a green light. "You also don't seem fake and you don't find that many qualities in a girl like that these days."

  I nodded because I didn't know what else to do. I returned the favor, "Well what about you, you're not seeing anyone right?"

  He shook his head, "No, mostly because I've been hurt too many times."

  I shook my head. This conversation was getting too deep for someone I've only known two days. And the whole conversation seemed too personal for two people who worked together. Wasn't there something about not dating people one worked with? I know he wasn't asking me out but I was getting those vibes.

  "Well," I looked at the clock, thank goodness it was time to leave. "I think we should go back."

  Dan looked up and quickly paid the bill. I turned the radio up a little more when we got back. I forced myself to keep busy and not daydream so much. Yet my thoughts kept drifting back to Casey and his problems. I looked up to look at the clock and see how much time I had till I could go home. Sadly I found Dan staring at me and obliged him with a grin. Oh man, four more hours.

  Casey looked back from the clock, which read four thirty. There was nearly a half hour till he secluded himself in his now empty house. He felt relieved and breathed a long sigh.

  "Hey man," Brian sauntered over cleaning his hands with a towel. The towel was covered with so much grease Casey didn't believe he was actually wiping his hands with it.

  "Hey," Casey offered him a bemused grin. He couldn't understand how someone like Brian had a tendency to be the way he was. Brian was nothing like Mickey, who was very open about everything. Brian was a darker sort of person. He kept his feelings inside unless he was pissed and then everyone knew about it.

  "So I haven't talked to you in awhile how are things?"

  Casey shrugged, "Great, I broke up with Terry."

  "Oh really man, that sucks." Although Brian was thanking the Gods that be that it finally happened. He despised Terry and was more than happy to see her leave Casey's life.

  "I caught her cheating on me." Casey didn't sound at all sad.

  "Did you expect this?"

  Casey stopped working on his car and wiped his hands because he knew he wouldn't be able to explain everything and work on the car. "Yeah I kind of had an idea after the argument we had the other day. Plus she kind of wore out her welcome."

  "I don't mean to get into details but how did you find out?"

  "I heard and then saw her doing it." Casey chuckled to himself thinking about who he had been with at the time.

  "You heard her first?" Brian was little confused.

  "I was in the bathroom after I got back from the bar and I turned the lights off when I heard her. She had no idea I was in there and then I opened the door on the both of them."

  "Really? Wow that must have sucked but you don't seem too broken up about it."

  "No, I'm not," Casey said solemnly. "You know I don't think we would have lasted anyway. I don't even remember if I ever loved her."

  Brian gave Casey a manly pat on the shoulder, "You will someday man. Oh, shit but now I remember what I was going to ask you about."

  "Yeah?"

  "Yes," Brian pointed a finger in the air as if he was trying to remember, "Mr. Harvey, not my dad but Heath's, invited us for dinner Friday night and I already told him you'd go. And now I don't feel bad speaking for you because I know you won't have any plans."

  Casey smiled widely, "That's okay dude, of course I'll go."

  "Cool," Brian headed for the door, "I'll see ya tomorrow."

  Casey gave a simple wave, "Bye man."

  His smile grew a little wider as the thought of Heather entered his mind. Well at least now he could thank her in person. Now he had an excuse to talk to her and no one would
find it suspicious. He also realized Brian hadn't asked a thing about Heath, um Heather. He was becoming too fond of her nickname; they weren't that friendly, yet.

  I was finally done work and on my way out when a familiar, irritating voice caught my attention.

  I turned around and looked at them, "Yeah Dan?"

  Dan walked gingerly up to me, "Yeah I was wondering what you were doing Friday night?"

  "Um," I actually knew I had something because my dad had told me specifically this morning not to make plans. If someone wanted to hang out they could come over. Now why couldn't I leave? "Well actually I have plans with my family, but," suddenly the words stumbled out of my mouth, "you can come over and have dinner with us."