Heartburn

by M. C. Cerny

  “It’s the least that shit-dick deserves. Did you see him after?” Whit grunted.

  I tried to not find the insult in his question. “As in hooking up? No. That ship sailed with him riding the Dinah train.”

  Shaking his head like he needed to get rid of that image as much as I did, he squeezed me close against his chest. “He’s an idiot. God, I’m glad he’s an idiot.”

  “I’ll pass that on to Ryder.” I tried shrugging him off me, but he didn’t let go chuckling into my neck.

  “I mean it. I want to get to know you better because I really like what I’ve seen so far and I don’t mean you naked, though that’s nice too.”

  “Again…kind of awkward.” My voice raised while his compliments felt easy, not contrived, and I wanted to believe him. I desperately wanted to believe him, but I was unsure if I could. I broke free and walked to the opposite side of the apartment clutching my arms around my middle. He cramped my space, and overwhelmed me, but I didn’t want him to leave either, not until I’d figure at least part of this out.

  “Lia, if you give me a chance, give us a chance, I want to see where this will go.” Time froze and the crossroad was before me where I could do what I’d always done, play it safe, but unhappy.

  “Whit?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever hunted out a girl’s address before and I’m grateful those friends of yours made it easy giving my supervisor Jeff your driver’s license to file with his report.”

  “Really?” His confidence wavered with my screech. Whit had to hunt me out. Nobody had ever done that for me before. Damn if he didn’t make my decision that much easier to see where this might go.

  “Yeah, Amelia Rae Faust. I held onto to that report for weeks hoping you’d contact me first, come back to the Ranger Station with those chocolate chip cookies you promised me.” My name lingered on his lips, lips I wanted to kiss.

  “It’s always about the food with you guys.” Hands on my hips, I smiled. Now was probably not the best time to tell him I was no cook, baker, or otherwise. The Keurig in the kitchen was probably the highlight of my culinary skills.

  “I’m waiting.” Whit opened his arms, but I wanted him to take me and mean it. It was about as good as Custer’s last stand with neither of us willing to relent.

  “Well, don’t just stand there, Mr. Green-Forest-Power-Ranger, sweep me off my feet already.” Arms crossed over my chest I tapped my fingers on my elbows.

  He rolled his eyes and power walked the two steps toward me. Yeah, so either my apartment was shoebox NYC sized, or he had a huge stride.

  Whit leaned down, whispering, “As you wish.” He picked me up hoisting me over his shoulder stomping toward my bedroom.

  “Floors not your thing anymore?” I chuffed.

  Whit paused cupping my ass in his hand. He rested his palm there for a second and I bit my lip wondering if he might do more than just tap my ass.

  “Not today, Amelia.” His tone brooked no arguments.

  I shuddered.

  “Hmm, too bad cause there’s a yoga mat under the couch we could use,” I poked his back playfully. His large hands squeezed the backs of my thighs.

  “Proactive, but no thanks.” He stopped inside the doorway to my bedroom and I realize then what he must have seen. His red sweatshirt folded neatly on my bed next to my pillow.

  Ugh, I’m such a dork. At least I hadn’t been wearing it when he showed up at the door.

  Gently, he slid me down over his shoulder and chest. My hands rested on his shoulders and my stomach clenched tight. I swayed when he pushed me back slightly so I bounced my ass on the end of the bed. Leaning back, I scooted up the mattress like a sacrificial offering to the man I saw as my bedroom god. Whit huffed a heavy breath before leaning over to strip the comforter out from underneath me. He crawled on top, trapping me beneath him. Leaning on an elbow, his hips dropped heavy in the cradle of mine while his free hand brushed loose tendrils of hair off my face.

  He winked at me. “Nice shirt.”

  “Yeah some guy gave it to me when he wasn’t being a total asshole.” I smiled.

  “He probably figured you would call him back or bring those cookies you so blithely offered.” He remarked dryly.

  “All right, well, hopefully the mattress isn’t too soft for your liking.” I rattled off nonsense as we ignored the awkwardness of the shirt for now. He grinned shaking his head, lips hovering so close I could breathe him in, the outdoors permeating every cell of my body with giddy happiness. He was pine, smoke, and malt, but mostly in this moment, he was mine.

  “You’re soft and I like you, and that’s all I can handle right now.” Whit pressed his body into mine letting the bed dip. Heat permeated between us as he kiss me. I was undecided if he was kissing the stupid out of me or into me. My heart fluttered as our lips connected, moving with the words we didn’t or couldn’t say. Each touch conveyed another telepathic thought, fingers tangled in hair and hands gripped hips with pinches that would leave love marks for later. I held him closer to the place that craved him slowly hooking my legs around his waist as his hand skimmed up my leg and into the shorts I wore. His fingers hooked my panties gripping them tight.

  “You might want to take those pants off.” I quipped rubbing myself over the teasing ridge pressing against me.

  “We finally have a nice warm, dry bed and you have to rush my game, girl?” Whit hung his head into my shoulder, his body shaking with laughter.

  “Ain’t my fault it took you so long to come around.”

  “That’s it.” He growled fiercely ripping my panties like the savage man I adored. On a sigh, I relaxed into him thinking that maybe this time, just maybe, I was the girl who got the guy.

  Yeah, I’d like that a lot.

  14

  Whit

  “Just ask it again, only slightly more patronizing this time.” She leaned back in the booth arms crossed over her lovely breasts, her pretty violet eyes on fire.

  I was back in Lia’s presence for a mere three hours and sixteen minutes and already we were bickering at the diner. We desperately needed a refuel after our sex-fest which could only be satiated with gravy fries. Funny thing was that I missed this, our back and forth volley. The tension was there between us all over again like we’d never been apart, and I knew if I kissed her we would end up naked as the day we were born on the white and gold glitter Formica tabletop shifting coffee cups and plates to the floor without a care in the world. Okay, that was my dirty fantasy, but still.

  She eyeballed me hard. Yeah, I could have been more diplomatic asking her what she’d been up to in the time I hadn’t seen her, but that wasn’t what I wanted to know and we both knew it. My jealousy raged with irrational intensity and I didn’t want to dive too deep to explore where it was coming from. I had enough issues with my parents and my grandfather that I pushed down in favor of ignoring them all devoting all my attention to the woodland pixie I’d found again.

  “I’m waiting Whittaker Jones.” Amelia tapped her short nails on the table top giving me no quarter.

  “I just wanted to know what you did between the time I dropped you off at Ryder’s camp until now.” I dared not look away. Looking away was akin to admitting fault so I stared back stonewalling pretending to focus on a point over her right shoulder and into the diner’s mirrored wall behind her. Tilting back in the booth across from her I settled in for a long fight watching her sip her mint chocolate chip milkshake. Once you caught the tiger’s eye you didn’t give in.

  “Oh no pretty boy,” she wagged her finger. “You’re asking if I fooled around with anyone.”

  “No.” I denied.

  Her narrowed eyes told me she was on to me.

  “I already told you my roommate is all over Ryder West like peanut butter and jelly.” Damn she was good.

  “Sorry. I think the way we left things just messed with my head you know?” It really had. No other woman had me rethinking my exit strategy before. No other woman had me riffling
through report documents like a pervert to find her contact information either.

  “Even if I had,” she held up her hand to stop me from commenting. “It’s none of your business and I already told you I didn’t.”

  She picked at a gravy fry putting me firmly in my caveman place. She bit the end and then offered the other side to me which I took letting my teeth graze her finger suggestively sucking the salty gravy off.

  “Ogre.” She spat back rubbing her finger on her napkin. I grunted chewing the fry as she smiled satisfied with her pretty little self. It was then I took notice the delicate dark wings of her eyebrows. I was fascinated that the right one was more upturned during this inquisition. I wanted to run my finger over it before reaching into her nest of long hair with purple tips. She was the woman who made me take notice of things I never would have before.

  Familiar bickering inside the diner advised me that we wouldn’t be on our own much longer. There were only two people filled with that much animosity for each other before they started hooking up like wild animals when no one was looking. Those two must have thought we were all stupid turning a blind eye to their marathon sessions of hate fucking.

  “And what do we have here?” Part of me wanted to crawl under the table seeing my friends Kristen and Damien standing at the side of our table. Damien leaned over the booth making his way in to sit next to my girl. Kristen’s face presented a classic smirk that won her a runner up spot in the county fair’s beauty pageant. I’m well aware that before the day is over I’ll have Hunter calling me wanting to know why Taylor is bugging him about my lady friend. You’d think the dudes were worse at town gossip than girls at this point masking it behind pool, twenty-five cent wings, and beer night.

  The introduction isn’t forced, but it may as well be. I wave my arm dramatically welcoming them on our diner date. “Lia, these are my longtime friends Kristen and Damien. We all went to school here in New Paltz.”

  “Ah, the oldies but goodies.” She murmured between sips of the bright green milkshake.

  “That’s right.”

  “So, Lia tells us more about yourself.” Damien leaned in as if what she’ll say is some secret worth blowing his mind. He drew out my temptation to punch first and ask questions later. Now I understood Hunter’s daily dilemma.

  “Quit it Damien.” I eyeballed him back letting him know payback was a bitch.

  “Personal space douche-canoe.” Kristen slid in next to me ogling her on again this week boyfriend and longtime victim of her torture.

  “Right, Pebbles.” Damien eased off and waved the waitress down to bring fresh coffees for our new foursome.

  “I’m a student at the University.”

  I watched Kristen give a shark grin as if there was fresh blood in the water. She was a tough cookie introducing outside girls too.

  “It’s a great school.” Kristen offered.

  “Well, I haven’t declared a major yet, but this photography seminar I’m taking is really fun.” Lia fiddled with the straw on her drink.

  “Hmm.” I knew I could ease the awkwardness, but part of me felt petty as wrong as it was for her not answering my earlier question. Did she or didn’t she go back to that dick? Or some other dick? Any dick really. The amount of dick possible just pissed me off.

  “So…how did you two kids meet?” Damien pressed again. This asshole already knew the story, but he was looking for fodder to peddle over my head at another convenient time.

  “It couldn’t have been on campus.” Kristen pointed out sipping over the rim of her coffee cup. I could see feathers ruffling. Of course one of them would harp on the age difference thing. Jerks. I stayed quiet to see how it would play out.

  “Look, is this an inquisition?” Ah, there was my sassy girl pushing back her milkshake. I nudged her leg with my knee under the table reminding her I was here. Nothing bad was going to happen even if my friends were being nosy little shits.

  Kristen busted out laughing, her serious expression long gone. “Oh Damien, you dolt, this is the Lia that’s tied up Whit for weeks.”

  We both sputtered our drinks. “Well, not figuratively…that I know of.” Kristen winked and I wanted to kill her. Maim really and she, like her troll half didn’t stop. “This is his woodland sprite. God you’re dumb love.” Kristen sipped her coffee, a mental guru having figured this all out.

  “Pixie.” I muttered. My woodland pixie.

  “You guys always insult each other like this?” Lia waved a hand in the air and gave it back as good as she got.

  “Only in public. We’ve got this love hate relationship thing to maintain.” And that was that as far as explanations went. Kristen could have elaborated that this had been going on since kindergarten or junior high or whenever their moon cycles went bananas.

  Unfortunately, Damien cleared that right up when he chimed in stoically making us all cringe. “Because the hate fucking is so good.”

  “Shut it dummy.” Kristen kicked him under the table and his knee bounced up wobbling drinks and plates.

  “That. Hurt.” He growled at her rubbing his leg. He turned to Lia as if he might say something even more inappropriate like kissing it better. I wouldn’t put it past him.

  “Damien. Don’t.” I snapped back.

  Instead he smiled. “Hey, we should plan another group camping trip, wouldn’t that be fun?”

  “Okay, random switch in topics and no thanks, it would not be fun if you recall the last one we were on.” I met Lia in the woods. I was doing my damnest to keep her out of there right now.

  “Oh come on, we promise no pranks.” Kristen whined.

  “You told the guys there was a bear in the woods and stole all our clothes. No bueno.” Remembering that trip was not on my list of things to repeat, even if Kristen wasn’t hating on Damien twenty-four seven like usual.

  “Naked boys in the woods?” Lia inquired smirking.

  I reached over the table to tweak her nose warning her, “Don’t get too hopeful sweetheart. The next trip will be a payback to the girls.”

  No way in hell was I reliving that again buck ass naked traipsing through the forest and right into the group of German tourists. I was certain that there were online photos of my dong covered in leaves floating around the internet with my hanging pine cones swaying in the wind. I couldn’t run for office now even if I wanted to with that scandal out there.

  “Spoil sport.” Kristen nudged. She had no idea how curmudgeonly I could get with missing pants and my frank and beans swinging in the wind.

  “I think I’ll pass, thanks.” Lia sucked down more of her drink and I wished I was sitting next to her. I bet her lips tasted cool and sweet and far better than this conversation.

  “What, no more stranded nights in the Ranger Cottage for you?” I teased.

  Lia rolled her eyes. “Nope, not even if you promise to behave like a perfect boy scout.”

  Kristen tapped her lips. “Whit, you weren’t a–”

  I kicked under the table getting Damien instead. I didn’t hurt girls, but their boyfriends were fair game.

  “Oww, what did I do this time?” He yelped clutching his leg. Opps. Now wasn’t the time to fess up to that mistruth.

  “It’s like you didn’t want me to–” Kristen still doesn’t get it, but this time Damien covers for me winking. He tapped her leg under the table for me.

  “Ouch. I’m gonna beat your ass later.” She leaned down rubbing her leg.

  “So untrustworthy.” Lia aimed the comment to me.

  “I’ll admit that stings.” Clutching my chest we’re back to joking and all is well. I never got my question answered and I doubted I would, but I could live with that for right now if it meant we were okay and I didn’t have to fess up to a mirror in the cabin.

  “Alright, no camping, but we need to do something this weekend.” Damien dumped the sugar packets rearranging them in the box on the table.

  “Like?” I was up for suggestions, but not if they were PG and kept me out
of Lia’s pants. I could hang with my friends whenever, but I didn’t know the next time I could see Lia again.

  Damien rolled his head back groaning, “Call TJ and ask her to tell Hunter we’re doing something.” He made noises leaning back in the booth.

  “Really? He’s your cousin.”

  I took a pink packet and misfiled it to fuck with him.

  “Seriously, man?” He doesn’t think pink goes next yellow and hasn’t since seventh grade. He fixed them clearly annoyed, and my work here was done.

  “Yup, and you call.” I tapped the table next to his phone.

  “Yeah, but we all know TJ is wrapped around his pinkie. God, wait until those two start producing kids. Our plans are screwed.” Damien huffed. He looked like someone kicked his dog when really it was his best friend who decided to move out and live with his girl. We all saw the wedding writing on the walls even if Damien didn’t want too.

  “Speak for yourself. That’s my bestie and she’s been commandeered by the cockmonger.”

  A snort escaped Damien. “You mean nailed?”

  “Uh?” Lia looked at me helpless and I shrugged. This was typical Kristen and Damien chatter. They blew in like a hurricane and flooded everything with their crap, but they were good friends and we let them both get away with it far too long to stop them now. I blamed Hunter for not kicking his ass and Evan for not clearing up a decade’s old issue that was between them idiot to idiot. It was kind of our fault, but a bit too late to turn back the clocks.

  I gave myself a headache rolling my eyes to respond with my executive decision. “What my nice friends, who so politely introduced themselves mean, is that they will see us over at the Ice Bar on Saturday.”

  “Ice Skating! Yes!” Kristen pumped her fists while Damien looked ready to go to war raging Cersei style.

  “Great, for Yamaguchi, here.” He flipped her off making both Lia and I laugh. I don’t know why Damien protested, after all, it was Hunter who couldn’t ice skate. I was certain he would only show up to supervise the crew if anything, and watch Taylor with her friends.