Left Behind: Left Behind Series #1

by D. J. Pierson

  “I can’t believe I’m going to miss girls’ night.” Kacie raises her eyebrows, no doubt daring me to make fun of her. “So, you’re free Sunday?”

  She pauses. “I think so. Jade hasn’t mentioned anything.”

  “You two are pretty close.” It’s not a question, but rather something that has become very obvious in being around them.

  “We are. I have a lot of making up to do. I left her here alone for four years. Some friend I am, huh?” It’s obvious this has been weighing on her.

  “Jade wasn’t alone,” I offer. “She had Jake and your other friends. Who did you have?”

  “That’s not the point. There are some things only your best friend can help you with.” That’s so true.

  “How about you come to my cousin’s party on Sunday? You can bring Jade, of course. I’m sure Jake will be there. It should be a good time.”

  “Meg?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you sure she won’t mind you inviting me?”

  “She actually asked if I was bringing you.” Fuck! I realize how wrong that sounds right after it comes out of my mouth, but the look of disappointment on her face makes it worse. Since when do I suck so bad at talking to girls? She gets up off the stool and takes our empty plates over to the sink and starts washing them. “Let me do that.” My pitiful ass follows her, bringing the glasses. After placing them on the counter next to the sink, I use my body to try and push her to the side.

  Kacie turns to me. “Do you mind?”

  “Seriously. Let me wash them.”

  “I got it. I’m already wet,” she says, holding out her hands. Now we both said something we didn’t mean.

  My smile shows I’m not letting that one slide. “Oh, really?”

  “You know what I meant.” She blushes.

  Still grinning, I say, “Yes. I know exactly what you meant.”

  “You’re such an ass,” she declares, setting the second plate on the drain board.

  I grab the towel and start drying. “So I’ve been told.” Kacie needs to be asked properly and she now has the right to say no.

  “That really wasn’t the way I wanted to ask you to the party. It just came out that way,” I confess. She keeps her head down. I throw the towel on top of the pile of dry dishes and move to stand behind her. My arms go around her waist and I rest my chin on her shoulder. “Will you please come to the party with me?” I whisper. Something tells me she’s rolling her eyes.

  “I’ll talk to Jade tomorrow and let you know,” she whispers back. Again, I’m wondering if she has the tiniest bit of interest in me. How does she not react to me being this close to her? There’s enough reacting going on within me that I need to step away from her or she’s going to feel it. She’s washing dishes. Why the hell is that turning me on? I pull back without letting her go.

  “I’m not leaving until you answer me. If you say no, I’m not leaving until you change your mind.”

  “Guess you’ll be hanging around until morning then,” she states, setting the last glass down and turning off the water. “Jade doesn’t call to check in until around ten or so.”

  She can’t be serious, but I’m going to play along. “Is that your way of begging?” I half-tease her.

  Smiling, she answers, “Nope.” She starts walking away. “Coming?”

  “Guess not if you aren’t going to beg,” I mumble.

  “I heard that,” she calls over her shoulder, amusing me. I follow the sound of her voice to the foyer. She is punching numbers into the security system keypad, then starts to go upstairs.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To bed. You don’t think I’m staying up all night to wait for Jade to call, do you?” She tilts her head for me to follow. “Lucky for you, my bed is the only one with blankets and stuff on it,” she tells me as we reach the top of the stairs and turn right. “I’m waiting until the morning to put fresh sheets on the guest room beds for the girls. Guess you’re sleeping with me,” she announces as we walk into her room. It’s bigger than my condo! There’s a sitting area with two huge, fluffy chairs, a loveseat to match, and a desk. The bathroom is on the opposite wall. Her actual bedroom is off to the left. Kacie walks over to the chair she must have been sitting in before I got here, picks up a book, and puts it on the table.

  “You just made my night.”

  The look she gives me is adorable, even though she’s trying to be serious. “I said sleeping, Evan. If you so much as lay a finger on me…”

  “If I lay a finger on you…what?” I’m testing her and she knows it.

  “I’ll tell Jade.”

  “Damn it!” I love making her smile.

  “I’m not kidding. No touching.”

  “Alright. Alright. I’ll be on my best behavior,” I promise as we go into her bedroom. I begin emptying my pockets of my phone, wallet, and keys as Kacie stares at me. “What?”

  “You’re really going to stay even though I said nothing was going to happen?”

  “I told you I wasn’t leaving without an answer about the party. Unless you are going to tell me what I want to hear, you have company tonight.” My heart cannot take the anxiety running through me while I stand here, waiting for her to kick me out. There’s nothing I want more than to stay with her all night.

  “You know, you have my number now. You could just call or text me tomorrow.”

  I don’t know what to do. Does she really want me to leave? The expression on her face gives nothing away. “If you want me to go…”

  “No,” Kacie replies softly. “I don’t want you to go.” For a moment, she looks as though she’s worried, but I’m not sure if she’s concerned that I’ll leave or that I’ll stay.

  “Then I’m not going anywhere.” The worry disappears and I can feel myself relax.

  “Okay, but that’s my side of the bed. You can have Jade’s.” She points to the side furthest from the door.

  “What?” I ask her back as she heads to the bathroom. Apparently, you can also get to it from in here.

  She turns to face me. “You can have Jade’s side.”

  “I wasn’t asking for you to repeat it. I want you to explain it.” Kacie doesn’t close the door. The water is running. She must be brushing her teeth. She returns to see me standing in the same spot as when she left. “Jade sleeps with you?”

  “Sometimes,” she answers casually.

  “You’re telling me that you sleep with your female best friend and you expect me to keep my hands to myself?” Kacie rolls her eyes, understanding what I’m thinking. “Please don’t ruin the images in my head by telling me all you girls do is sleep.”

  She climbs in bed, reaching for the light next to her. “I’m turning out the light. Are you getting in bed or not?” Trying not to think about those two is tough, but my legs carry me around to the other side of the bed. I pull my shirt over my head and toss it on the chair. When I reach for the zipper on my jeans, her voice startles me. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking my jeans off.”

  “Why?” Judging by her response, she may not be as unaffected by me as I thought.

  “It’s not comfortable to sleep in jeans.” How do you keep a smirk off your face when you realize the girl you like may actually like you back?

  She tears her eyes away and quickly turns off the light. It sounds like she plops her head on the pillow and pulls the blankets up. My eyes haven’t adjusted to the sudden blackness in the room so it takes me a second to kick off my shoes and put my jeans on the chair with my shirt before sliding into bed.

  “Are you still thinking about how good I look with my shirt off?”

  “Shut up,” she barks. Teasing her is the fucking best!

  “Are you thinking about how all you’d have to do is say please and we could consider that begging?”

  “Didn’t you say you were going to be on your best behavior?” she asks, moving around.

  “Sweetheart, I’m laying two feet away from the most beautiful
woman I’ve ever met. I had to tuck my hands under my head to keep them off of you. This is me on my best behavior.” Dead silence fills the room. Did I just fuck up everything by speaking without thinking again? I really do suck at trying to get a girl to like me. What do I do? Do I say something? What the hell do I say?

  “Lines you pull with other girls won’t work on me,” she says calmly.

  Honesty is the only thing I’ve got. “It wasn’t a line, and I’ve never said or meant that before this moment.”

  “Evan.” She sounds upset. My hands free themselves and reach out for her in the darkness. I slide her to me so her back is to my chest. “You’re touching me,” Kacie says, without fighting to get away.

  “I’m holding you. It’s not the same thing.” She starts to shift and I’m terrified she’s going to move away or make me leave. Surprisingly, once Kacie settles, her head is resting on my chest and my arms are still around her.

  “I’ll let it slide, but only because you’re so comfortable.”

  This seems like a small victory. Maybe a big one. There’s no way in hell she would let me hold her like this if I meant absolutely nothing to her. Now I just need to figure out how to get her to open up about what’s going on with her parents. If we can knock out that obstacle, perhaps we stand a chance. Never in my life would I have considered being with someone. I’m not completely sure that I’d be able to be with just one girl for too long. The only thing I do know is how lying here holding Kacie in my arms makes me feel happier than I’ve been in a really long time. Maybe ever. It’s a feeling I don’t want to let go of anytime soon. I close my eyes and soak in how awesome this is.

  “Kacie,” I say quietly, just in case she’s fallen asleep.

  “Yeah?” She sounds tired.

  “Please promise me the next time you and Jade sleep together, you’ll let me watch.”

  I can feel her body shake from chuckling. “Good night, Evan.”

  “Good night,” I say, smiling to myself and pulling her tighter. For the first time since the night I met her, I fall asleep without tossing and turning.

  ***

  The morning is here in no time, but I’m well-rested for a change. When my eyes open, the sunlight blinds me. Then I remember where I am. My arms are empty and I don’t like it. What if Kacie regretted letting me stay? Where the hell is she? I lean up on my elbows and search for any sign of her. It doesn’t sound like she’s in the bathroom. I sit up all the way and see that the door to the balcony is partially open. I climb out of bed and reach for my jeans. Kacie is standing out on the balcony and leaning on the railing, so I push the door open. Her shirt is raised up, exposing the tattoo on the right side of her lower back. After a few steps, I reach out and rub my thumb over it, trying to see what it is. A pink ribbon is wrapped around a bouquet of flowers. “Bunches & Bunches” is written along the strands of the ribbon.

  She doesn’t move, except to turn her head to look over her shoulder at me. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning. What’s with the flowers?” I ask.

  “Flowers? Oh, my tattoo. Daisies are my favorite. They were Gram’s favorite, too,” she says, sadly. I remember seeing them before and I look out over to the garden in the backyard.

  “Your tattoo is for her,” I whisper.

  “It is. The pink ribbon is for breast cancer awareness, and ‘Bunches & Bunches’ is something she used to say to me.”

  “Think she’d be mad about you getting a tattoo?” I ask, leaning on the railing next to her. The view from out here is absolutely breathtaking.

  “Nah. Gram was used to me doing crazy shit,” she divulges.

  “You’re up early. Didn’t you sleep well?”

  “I slept so well, my internal alarm clock didn’t even get me up for my run.”

  It still seems early. “What time is it?”

  “About seven-thirty.”

  “What time do you get up to run?”

  “No later than six.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  She chuckles. “It starts to get too hot if I wait much longer.”

  “So get a damn treadmill,” I suggest. “I’m sure there’s room somewhere in this place for one.”

  Kacie leans into me. “It’s not the same. How about breakfast?”

  “Sure, but I’ll cook. I’d like to be able to eat it.”

  “See if I let you sleep in my bed again,” she mumbles, turning around to go back into her room.

  “You were planning on me sleeping with you again?”

  “Let’s go make breakfast.” At least it wasn’t a no.

  The kitchen contains all of the ingredients for French toast, which I learn is Kacie’s favorite. She doesn’t argue when I start making it. I’m wondering if she’s afraid of messing up in front of me. While I’m whisking the eggs, Kacie is slicing fruit and chatting away like we’ve known each other for a year instead of a week. I love every second of it. She tells me about living in Pennsylvania and some of the things she misses about it. I ask her if she’d ever gone to New York City while she was up there. She never did but says she’d like to, especially at Christmas. Just when it’s time to put the toast in the frying pan, the doorbell starts ringing and doesn’t stop.

  “Who the fuck is that?” I ask, glancing over at her.

  Rolling her eyes, Kacie answers, “That would be my annoying neighbor.” She takes off for the front door.

  The sound of the door slamming precedes someone yelling, “Where the fuck is he?!” Right before he comes into the kitchen, the familiar voice shouts again, “Evan, where are you?!” My eyes meet his when he storms into the room. “What the fuck are you doing here?! You have no right!” Had I not forgotten to send a certain text last night, this wouldn’t be happening right now.

  “Chill out, Jake. I know why you’re upset, but you got it all wrong.” I turn my back to him to check on Kacie’s breakfast.

  “Chill out?! How the fuck am I supposed to chill out when you were with Ava last night and, this morning, I find your truck in my best friend’s driveway?! I fucking warned you! Kacie deserves better than that! She deserves better than you!”

  “You were with someone before you came here?” A small voice whispers the words, but they ring loud and clear in my ears. When I turn around to see Kacie standing there, any doubt of whether or not she feels anything for me disappears. The hurt on her face at overhearing what Jake said would not be there if she didn’t. Pain stabs my chest. “Get out. Both of you,” she says in the same low, desolate tone. Then she goes to walk away.

  “Kacie, wait.” Jake tries to stop me from going to her. I hand him the spatula and say,” Don’t let her breakfast burn or I’ll kick your fucking ass.” Surprisingly, she actually stopped when I asked her to. “Please, let me explain.”

  Her eyes have filled with tears and she’s shaking her head. The stabbing pain just got a little worse. “That’s just it, Evan. You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m not your girlfriend. I’m not your anything.”

  The back of my hand wipes away the tears dripping down her cheek. “I wouldn’t say that,” I tell her. “I wasn’t with anyone last night.”

  “Bullshit,” Jake starts again. “An entire bar saw you leave with her!”

  “Quinn, shut the fuck up and let me explain before one more tear falls onto her beautiful face! You’re supposed to be watching her breakfast, not eavesdropping,” I snap. He’s not happy with me, but he closes his mouth. Turning back to confront Kacie, I lay my hand on the side of her face. “We were at a bar with a bunch of people. I was waiting for an excuse to leave. The guys wouldn’t let me bail because I’m rarely anywhere other than Skyline anymore. Ava appeared and I used her as my excuse. No one would give me shit if I was taking a girl home. That’s all I did, sweetheart. I drove to her apartment and kicked her drunken ass out of my truck. Honestly, I had no conscious plans of coming here until I was in your driveway. If I thought about coming to see you earlier, I would have been here long before midnigh
t and I definitely wouldn’t have been waiting for a reason to get the hell out of there.”

  “Why are you telling me all of this?” she wonders.

  “Because I don’t want you to be upset.”

  “You care if I’m upset?”

  “It breaks my heart,” I whisper.

  “I’m already late for work,” Jake interrupts. Kacie takes a step back, creating space between us. “I’m so sorry for upsetting you. I shouldn’t have lost it like that,” he apologizes to her.

  “I understand why you did. Don’t ever be sorry for looking out for me, Jake. I wouldn’t be if it was the other way around.”

  “I know, but it was wrong how I went about it.” He hugs her and something about it doesn’t sit well with me. “Evan…” He turns to me.

  “It’s cool, Jake.” I can’t be mad at him for wanting to protect her, even if it may be more than that. He nods and disappears the way he came. Neither Kacie nor I move until the front door closes. “Kacie, I’m sorry for not telling you this last night. I didn’t think it would matter. Actually, as soon as you opened the door, I forgot all about her, the bar, and everything else.”

  “It’s fine. Let’s go finish breakfast.” She wants to drop the conversation, but I can’t. It’s too late.

  “Wait,” I say. When she tries to walk by me, I wrap my arms around her. “I tell you it breaks my heart when you’re upset and you want me to let it go?” I ask. “This whole time I was thinking you felt nothing for me, but that’s not true, is it?”

  “What I feel doesn’t matter.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s complicated.” She’s getting frustrated, but I need to know what she’s holding back. Is it because of the shit Jade has been telling her?

  “Try me,” I insist.

  “My parents are going to find out about me defying them soon and it could cost me everything. I don’t want anyone else around me to get hurt because of their backlash.”

  “You are a successful, grown woman. You don’t need their approval for anything.”