by LL Meyer
I lean forward onto the table to be closer to her. “So, Lily-Wearing-Sneakers, what do you do?”
She smiles, knowing I haven’t looked at her feet since she’s been here, so I had to have checked her out beforehand. “I go to school, Dane – at U of O.”
I match her smile. “And what do you study at school?”
“Architecture.”
“Really?” I pull back a fraction.
“Why do you sound surprised? You’re not a misogynist, are you?”
“What? No. It’s just, if I’d have gone to school, that’s what I would have studied.”
She gives me an incredulous look. “That is the worst line ever,” she informs me, only half joking.
“No, it’s not a line. I swear. I remodel houses and my favorites are the older ones with a bit of character.”
She tilts her head at me and her long hair almost brushes the table. “Like the ones on College Hill?”
“Yeah, exactly,” I say, trying to keep any further misogynistic surprise from my voice. “Last year, my brother Jason,” I say, gesturing with my thumb over my shoulder, “and I did one on Washington Street. It was a total wreck inside.”
We talk and talk about the pros and cons of changing floor plans, maintaining character, and city bylaws. It’s one of the most interesting conversations I’ve had with anyone, let alone a girl, in a long time. I barely notice that she has beautiful light brown eyes that aren’t draped in makeup, and she has the cutest little red mouth I’ve ever seen. She’s probably about 5’7”, and I haven’t even taken my eyes off of hers to check out her chest yet.
Her friends have come back for her a few times, but she tells them that she’s fine with me, much to my content. Now, for the past fifteen minutes, I’ve been trying to find a waitress to order us a couple more beers, but she’s eluded us, probably because we’ve been so fixated on each other.
“I’ll just go get them from the bar,” I finally tell her.
“No.” She lurches back from the table, almost like she’s been burned. “No thanks. I’m good. I’m going to run to the bathroom, and then I should go.”
And with that, she turns on her heel and walks away, leaving me completely baffled.
“Whoa,” Jason says from beside me. “What’d you say to her?”
I stare after her retreating form. “No idea. I just said I’d bring her a beer from the bar.”
“She’s probably been roofied,” he says like it’s no big deal.
My head snaps up. “You think?”
He shrugs.
I notice the spot beside him is empty. “Where’s your girl?”
“Bathroom, then we’re out of here. You coming? You can drop me off at her place.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Just let me see if she’ll come back.”
“She’s not your usual type,” Jason observes.
I narrow my eyes at him. “What type is that?”
“Uh, the type that says yes.”
“Well, not after two hours.”
“That one? I bet not after two weeks.”
“Two weeks? You think?” Even I can hear the disappointment in my tone.
Jason may be my brother, but I’m ready to kick his ass at the way he laughs at me. “You really like her, huh?”
“I do. You think Jenna can get me her number?” Jenna is Jason’s sister, and I guess, since I was officially adopted, mine too. These are mostly her friends, though she’s not here tonight.
Jason’s girl comes back.
“Hey,” she says to me. “That girl you were talking to is getting harassed by some guy near the restrooms.”
“What?”
I don’t even bother to get the details before I’m pushing my way through the place. Harassing her? What does that mean? The idea that some asshole is touching her in any way has my blood up.
The hall where the bathrooms are is full of people waiting in line, so it takes a few seconds to find her. Over everyone’s heads, I see her backing away from a guy almost to the point that he has her up against the far wall. The look on her face has me pushing people out of the way again, this time with a bit more feeling.
She sees me coming and I’m sure I see relief cross her features. My hand clamps down on the guy’s shoulder, and I half turn him, half lift him away from her.
For now, I don’t even bother with the guy, just keep his shirt fisted in my grip. “You okay?” I ask her. I feel Jason come up beside me.
She meets my eyes, and I’m shocked to see them filling with tears. Fuck, this guy is so dead. Taking a deep breath, she manages to move her head in a way that could be construed as either a nod or a shake.
“Hey, man.” The guy starts squirming. “Get your hands off of me.”
I’m torn between putting my fist through his face and putting my arms around her. The guy makes the decision for me when he grabs on to my forearm and starts trying to yank himself out of my grip.
I let go of his shirt and shove him into the wall.
“Hey,” he yells indignantly. “I was only talking to her. I didn’t know she had a boyfriend. Girls like that usually don’t.”
I push him again, and his head snaps back into the wall with a resounding thud. “What the hell does that mean?” I’m pulling my fist back when I hear her.
“Please don’t,” she says, barely getting her voice above a whisper. “I just don’t want him near me, that’s all.”
My fist unfurls and the guy rubs the back of his head.
“I suggest,” I say, looking down on his punk ass as I take a menacing step closer, “that you fuck off before I change my mind.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice and moves quickly to be gone.
I turn to find Jason standing close enough to touch Lily, almost as if he wants to offer her his protection as well. And I can see why. She’s still fighting tears, trembling ever so slightly. I’m almost scared to get into her personal space, but the need to comfort her is overwhelming. My hands move of their own accord to cup her jaw, forcing her to look up at me. “Lily? Are you okay?”
She closes her eyes on an exhale in the dim light.
“Did you know that guy?”
“No!” she whispers fiercely, her eyes popping open, almost pleading with me to believe her.
I pull her closer, and her forehead comes to rest on my chest. I run my hand down her hair and then caress the back of her neck. “It’s okay. You’re okay now.”
It takes her about a minute – sixty seconds of having her so close – until she lifts her head to me and nods.
“You want me to take you home now?” I add the now part as if to give her a choice of the time, but not the act itself. Because I will be taking her home. Fuck, I’ll be tucking her into her bed tonight. I suddenly need to keep her safe like I need to breathe.
I can hear Dane telling me it’s okay, but it’s not. That guy just assumed I’d blow him in the bathroom. He hadn’t even thought I’d protest. I know there’s a fraternity on campus with a list of girls who are easy, but we’re not on campus and I’m not easy.
I guess if I’d started screaming, the guy would’ve had to back off because there are so many people around. Thank goodness Dane came looking for me and it hadn’t come to that. Dane, whose hand is so reassuring on my neck and whose chest feels awfully good under my forehead and who smells like . . . something incredibly appealing. But I have to get myself together. Taking one more deep breath, I lift my chin and give him a nod.
“You want me to take you home now?” he asks with concern.
I know I shouldn’t want that, but I do. If he doesn’t take me, I’ll have to wait for and then ride in a cab by myself. God, I really don’t want to be alone right now. What if that guy tries again?
“Are you sure?” I ask in a shaky voice.
His expression is swimming with something I can’t name as he nods. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“I just need to text Crazy.” A weak attempt at a smile plays on my lips.
He laughs
softly as I pull out my cell phone from my back pocket. When he sees that my hands are trembling as I punch my code, he takes it from me. Moving to lean against the wall, he pulls my back to his chest. With my phone held out in front of us, he starts scrolling through my contacts with his arms around me. His brother Jason settles himself beside us.
“What’s Crazy’s real name?”
“Charmaine,” I say on a sigh, melting back into him. His chest is warm and firm. I don’t remember the last time someone had their arms around me.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Just that I got a ride home.”
“You don’t want to tell her what happened?” he asks in surprise.
I shake my head violently. No. Nobody needs to know about this or any other bad thing that’s ever happened to me.
If he finds my reaction strange, he doesn’t say so as I watch his fingers move over the keyboard, and when he’s done, he dials a number and pushes send. I finally figure out what he’s doing when I feel his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Handing me the phone, he pushes us off the wall and then he tucks me under his arm as we start walking. That I’m leading him on begins to trickle into my brain. He’s going to want something in return for this kindness. I know he is. Guys as good-looking as Dane who hang out in college bars don’t waste their time on girls like me without expecting something.
The cool night air hits my face as we leave, and I take in a deep breath to clear my head. As I exhale, sadness crushes down on me. I need to tell him now. It would be stupid to wait until we’re alone. Even though he doesn’t strike me as the type who would force himself on me, I can’t be sure. I’ve known him a grand total of two and a half hours.
We’re making our way around the building to the parking lot. It would be stupid, I tell myself again. I want to say something, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out. The sadness deepens. If I tell him that I won’t sleep with him, will he still drive me home? Probably not.
My steps slow. “Listen,” I say, and to my horror, my voice trembles. I stop, and he lets his arm slide from my shoulders to stand in front of me expectantly. “Listen,” I force myself to speak louder, “you don’t have to take me.” I can’t meet his eyes, and suddenly I wish that I were a normal girl, that I had the guts to let him take me home and have his way with me. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? That he’d leave as soon as he was done? Very funny, Lily Friesen. The list of things that are potentially worse is a mile long.
I realize that he’s waiting for something, so I steal a tiny glance at him. His face is in shadow though. There’s nothing to see. As I turn to go, I wish I’d brought my hoodie; it’s chilly out.
“Hey,” he says, getting back in front of me. “Don’t be silly. I’m only taking you home. It’s no big deal.” He pauses for a moment. “You don’t live in Portland, do you?”
Reluctantly, my lip tugs into a small grin as I shake my head. And right there I totally cave. I’m just so tired of fighting life. For once, I’m going to take the easy road. Besides, he’d said only taking you home.
“You’re sure?” I whisper.
“Asked and answered, pretty girl. Let’s go.”
He places his arm across my shoulders and hugs me to him, leading me to a big, shiny black pickup at the far end of the lot. The engine is already running, and Dane opens the passenger door for me. I get in and come face to face with Jason. “Hey,” I say nervously.
He grins at me and the nerves fade away. “Hey.” His brother is pretty good-looking too, especially the way his top lip has a bit of a bow shape to it and his sandy blond hair is all tousled like he just rolled out of bed.
When Dane has his seatbelt on, he possessively slides me to him on the bench seat. “So, where are we going, pretty girl?” he asks.
I give him my address.
“Uh, Pretty Girl?” Jason says as we pull out. “You’re going to have to put your seatbelt on.”
“No, she doesn’t,” Dane answers.
“Yes, she does.”
Dane looks down at me, his eyes plainly mischievous despite the low light. “He just wants you to sit closer to him. He’s pissy that I found you first.”
Jason laughs. “Hey, it’s the law.”
“I’ve known you my entire life. I have faith in your driving.”
“Well, you can pay the ticket, then.”
The arm that’s around my shoulder reaches out to push him and they laugh.
I smile. They’re trying to make me feel better after what happened, and I think it might be working.
“So, you don’t live in the best neighborhood,” Dane says. “You do have a roommate, right?”
“Yeah, Crazy will probably make it home at some point.”
“Who’s Crazy?” Jason butts in.
I turn to find him smiling over my head at Dane. He’s obviously pushing his brother’s buttons. Then his gaze drops to mine. “No, I really want to know.”
I grin back. Strangely, I feel at ease with both of them. Usually men have the opposite effect on me. “Dane thinks my friend Charmaine is crazy.”
“The one with the birthday? Yeah, she’s crazy.”
“And what about Scary?” Dane asks. “You’re not friends with her?”
I shake my head. “Not really. She doesn’t like me, so I usually stay out of her way.”
“That’s probably smart,” he says, “considering the level of scary she brings to the table. Maybe we should change your name. Smart instead of Pretty. What do you think, Jase?”
I feel myself start to blush under their combined scrutiny. We’re stopped at a light, and Jason leans forward to punch the overhead cabin light on for a second.
“Oh my God,” Jason says. “Is she blushing? Well there’s your answer. It’s got to be Pretty.”
“Pretty Girl it is, then,” Dane announces.
We start moving again. “So does Pretty Girl have a real name?” Jason asks.
I press my nose to Dane’s chest in embarrassment. If they keep calling me that, I’m going to be the color of a lobster.
“She does,” Dane answers for me. “It’s Lily and she’s going to be an architect when she grows up.”
“An architect?”
I can hear the same surprise in Jason’s voice that was in Dane’s earlier. “This is the twenty-first century,” I say with sarcasm, my shyness temporarily trumped by indignation. “Girls can be anything they want.”
Dane laughs. “She called me a misogynist earlier. It made me feel special. Girls just usually call me a pig.”
Jason is laughing too now. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just now I know why the two of you had your heads together all night.”
“Yes,” Dane says with an over-the-top sigh, “one day she’ll draw up houses, and we’ll build them. It’s a match made in heaven.”
Jason starts slowing down and looking up at the houses on the street. “Which one is it, Pretty Girl?”
“The blue one down by the corner.”
He pulls up to the curb, and Dane gets out, holding out his hand to help me down. “Thanks for the ride and everything,” I say nervously, avoiding his eyes when I’m on the sidewalk and my hand is safely back in my possession.
“You’re welcome.”
I start up the front walkway and he follows me. I live in a big, old house that’s been divided into three apartments. Charmaine and I live in the middle unit, so I have to climb up the front porch to my door. I forgot to leave a light on, so when I turn, I can’t see his face very well.
“Dane?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks again.”
“Sure.” He pauses. “Lily?”
I smile. “Yeah.”
“I’m going to call you.”
“Well, it’s going to be pretty hard to stop you, since you stole my number.” I want it to sound flirty, but his voice is gruff when he answers.
“Does that mean you don’t want me to?”
Without warning, he leans down to my ear, making my heart skip a few beats as his nose brushes my skin. “Definitely Pretty,” he murmurs and then kisses me lightly below my ear.
He’s down the steps and halfway to his truck when he turns to walk backwards. “Go inside, Lily,” he calls. “And lock the door.”
I shake my head to get myself moving, first by inserting the key and then by turning the lock. Once I’ve got the deadbolt back in place, I lean against the door and press my hand to my mouth to hide the smile that’s blooming across my face.
After we make sure she’s safely inside, Jason puts the truck in drive.
While I’m waiting for him to start with the commentary, I think about how good she smelled. And it was her, not some perfume. Or it might have been body wash. And right there my semihard-on decides to step up its game, and I’m forced to adjust myself at the thought of her in the shower, lathered up with soap.
Jason starts laughing. “You’ve got it bad for her.”
Leaning my head back, I close my eyes. “So what if I do?”
“There’s no what if, man.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I change the subject. “Your girl bailed?”
“Meh,” he says like he couldn’t care less. “She didn’t like how close I was standing to your girl.”
“Thanks for backing me up.”
Scoffing, he says, “Have you ever, in your life, been in a fight without me?”
I grin. “Not unless I was beating on you.”
“Yeah, that’s funny.”
“When was the last time we actually fought each other?”
Jason thinks about it. “Wasn’t it over that girl in eleventh grade? What was her name?”
“Tracy Spencer.”
“Yeah,” Jason says, remembering. “She was mine and you wanted a piece.”
“Well, in my defense,” I say, “we were just coming off of our summer of Diana. You can’t blame me for being a bit screwed up in the head.”
We both fall quiet, probably thinking about the same thing – Diana. She stayed with our family while she was interning for the summer. She’d been twenty-two and the most beautiful thing that two horny sixteen-year-olds had ever seen. And she’d taught us everything she knew about sex, and probably warped our minds in the process. We’d had her six ways from Sunday – and we’d always both been in the room. Learning how to share had taken on a whole new meaning.
