by Dee J. Stone
Rey groans.
Lex gives him Melody’s address, and off we go. I see Rey swallowing hard a few times on the way. I want to tell him to remain calm, but who am I kidding? I’d be as nervous as hell if I was going on my very first date. Well, I guess it’s his very first date with his second girl, if you count Lex.
“It’s going to be so romantic,” Lex whispers into my ear. “I hope they have a special and magical night.”
“I know we will,” I whisper back.
“Not helping calm my nerves.” Rey glares at us through the rear-view mirror. Lex and I sit back. But we don’t take our hands off each other’s. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like we’re even closer than we were. Maybe because I don’t feel like I need to hold things in anymore. My worries about the Navy, the future, my nightmares. If we were able to share our innermost feelings and fears in front of Carter, I know we will be able to tell each other anything.
“I think this is it.” It looks like Rey’s swallowed a golf ball.
I lean forward to pat his shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”
“Where’s the chocolate?” He rummages around. “Damn, I forgot the chocolate.”
“On the passenger seat,” I say.
His body sags with relief. “I’m a mess.”
“Deep breaths, Rey. Count to ten. You’ll do fine.”
Rey closes his eyes for a few seconds. Gets his breathing under control. Then he gets out with the chocolate and makes his way to the front door. He looks back at us for a second before ringing the bell. Even from all the way back here, I see the way his knees knock into each other.
“It’s really cute how nervous he is,” Lex says. “It’s sweet. I know Melody will like him.”
“Hope so.”
“He’ll be a good boyfriend. He knows how to make his girl feel special.”
“I don’t think I want to hear this,” I mutter.
“Oh.” She twists her head to look up at me with apologetic eyes. “Sorry. You’re the only one in the whole world who knows how to make me feel special and loved.”
I grin. Kiss her nose. “All good.”
The door opens. Melody stands there, dressed in a black dress. She accepts the chocolate from Rey with a shy smile and they talk some. Then they make their way to the car. Poor Rey looks like he’s about to crap his pants.
He opens the passenger side door for her. I’m glad he remembered to do that. I grilled it into him over and over.
“Hey,” Melody says as she buckles up.
“Hi.”
“Sup.”
She rubs her knees. She’s just as nervous as Rey.
He just sits there with his hands on the steering wheel. Melody looks at him expectantly.
“Rey?” I ask.
“Well are you going to tell me where we’re headed or what?” he asks.
“Oh.” I chuckle. “My bad.”
“You don’t know?” Melody asks.
“Apparently it’s a surprise.”
She smiles. “Cool. I love surprises.”
Rey glares at me from the rear-view mirror. Gives me a look that says, “This better be good.” I give him my own look: Oh, it is.
If I had two usable arms, I would drive us to the special location. But obviously I can’t. So instead of telling Rey the address, I tell him the street so he will get us in the area. When we’ll get there, I’ll tell him exactly where to go. I want to see their surprised faces when we get there.
The ride is quiet. Rey and Melody are too nervous to say anything, and Lex and I don’t want to ruin the moment. So we all just look out the window.
“Okay, I’m here,” Rey says.
“Keep going,” I tell him. “And make a left when you reach the corner.”
“Are we headed for the beach?” Melody asks. She looks down at her outfit.
“Don’t worry,” Lex tells her. “You’re dressed right.”
When we turn the corner and see the words of the famous, expensive restaurant before our eyes, both Rey and Melody gasp in surprise.
“No way,” Rey says. “No way.”
“We’re eating here?” Melody asks.
“Let’s just say we know a woman,” I say.
“Who?” both Rey and Melody ask.
“Ms. Carter,” Lex says. “Her dad owns the restaurant. When we told her about the double date, she told us she can get us a free dinner.”
Rey’s blinking like a bug is stuck in his eye.
“This is great, guys,” Melody says. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Rey says.
The valet rushes over to take the car. We head for the restaurant. The hostess leads us down a small walkway that brings us on to the beach, where tables are set up. Under the moon. Lex snuggles up to me as she slides her hand into mine. “This is so romantic.”
“Shoulda kissed up to Carter sooner,” I joke.
She slaps my arm playfully. “We did not kiss up.”
We’re seated at a table that has an amazing view of the ocean. Lex gives me a sweet smile. Rey and Melody look like they are in a daze.
The waiter hands us menus.
“I like never eat at expensive restaurants,” Melody says with a laugh. “I have no idea what to do with myself.”
“Don’t worry,” Rey assures her. “Cruiser here is the most uncivilized person on the planet. He’ll get us kicked out in less than ten minutes.”
“If we weren’t in public, I’d slam your head into the table,” I mutter.
Melody giggles.
“So what on Earth are we supposed to order?” Lex asks, scanning the menu. “I have no idea what any of this is.”
Since Rey’s apparently this smart-ass dickhead who knows things because he’s so smart, he helps us choose. He settles on this upscale chicken dish, Lex gets pasta, I order salmon, and Melody chooses this gourmet seafood dish.
We talk some before our food arrives. We dig in. “Oh my god,” Rey says. “This is amazing.”
“Mine, too,” Melody says.
“Want some?” I ask Lex.
She twists her nose. “You know I don’t like fish.”
“But maybe you’ll like this one. It’s gourmet, after all.”
She twitches her nose again. “Okay.”
I cut a piece and hold it out toward her mouth. She swallows it up. I expect her to spit it out, but she chews thoughtfully. “It’s not that terrible.”
I see Rey glancing over at Melody with the corner of his eyes. I get it. He’s trying to figure out if he should offer Melody from his dish. I give him a kick. Didn’t mean for it to be hard. He yelps and glares at me. “What the hell, Cruise!” he hisses.
I eye-signal toward Melody. His face gets all red. He coughs and turns to her. “Um, Melody. Would you like to taste from my chicken? It’s really good.” He rolls his eyes and mutters to himself, probably scolding himself for coming off lame. I don’t think he was lame, though.
“Um. Sure,” Melody says.
With shaky hands, he cuts her a piece of chicken and holds it out. Melody is hesitant, her eyes moving from her plate to Rey’s fork. Instead of eating it off the fork like Lex did, she takes it from Rey and eats the piece. “Not bad,” she says. “Here, try mine.”
“Try mine,” Lex says to me.
Her pasta dish is delicious. “Thank you, Carter,” I say. “We should toast.”
We clink our glasses of Coke. “To Ms. Carter.”
We burst out laughing.
“So, Melody,” I say. “You’re into classical music, right?”
“Yeah. My favorite composer is Bach and my second is Beethoven.”
“My favorite is Beethoven,” Rey says, his face lit with excitement. “Second is Bach.”
They smile.
“I’ve been to many of your recitals,” Melody says.
Rey’s jaw falls open. Good thing he had no food in there because it would have tumbled right out. “You have?” he asks.
“Yeah, I go to like every
recital in South Beach. But I haven’t seen you in any lately.”
Rey plays around with his chicken. “Oh, um. Yeah, I guess I’ve been busy.”
“The violin is my favorite instrument. I wanted to learn to play it so bad when I was a kid, but my parents couldn’t afford lessons. Now I don’t have time for anything. It’s a shame.”
This is awesome. It couldn’t be more awesome. Maybe Melody is the one who will get Rey back into the violin. Because she loves it so much and I know Rey’ll want to impress her. I want to jump onto the table and do some lame dance.
“I think the best piece I’ve heard you play is Beethoven’s Appassionata. It was beautiful. Flawless.”
Rey ducks his head. It looks like his face is on fire. “Nah, I screwed that one up so bad.”
“It sounded perfect to me.”
His face looks like an inferno now. “Thanks.” He plays some more with his chicken.
I sneak a look at Lex and see the pride in her eyes. We did good. Yeah, we sure as hell did good.
“Are you going to rejoin the debate team?” she asks Rey. “I just joined. They said you used to be part of it?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“He was part of a crapload of clubs,” I say. “Orchestra, law, student body, debate. I’m surprised his head didn’t explode and roll into my room.”
Lex gently shoves me as she laughs.
“So which will you join?” Melody asks.
“My dumbass brother forced me to join theater.”
She looks surprised. “Theater?”
“I know, right?”
“So grow some balls and rejoin some of your old clubs,” I say.
Melody covers her mouth as she giggles. “Watching the way you two interact is really funny.”
Lex sighs. “Try doing it for over ten years.”
“It’s cute how you guys were best friends before you became a couple. It’s really romantic.”
Lex gives me a warm smile. I return it.
“Maybe I’ll rejoin debate,” Rey says.
“Rejoin orchestra, you fool,” I say.
“Shut up, Cruise.”
Melody laughs.
The rest of the night goes by well. Rey warms up to Melody and soon they’re having this heated discussion about some lame subject that I didn’t bother to hear what about. They don’t even shut up when dessert comes.
I lean toward Lex’s ear. “I’m not sure if they’re actually arguing or are getting along.”
“Getting along. Trust me.”
“Hell yeah.”
When we’re finished with dessert, Rey and Melody have calmed down. The waiter tells us the meal is taken care of, and we leave the restaurant.
Lex and Melody stroll ahead of us. I look at Rey. “Lex and I are gonna take a walk on the beach,” I tell him. “Cool?”
“Yeah, it’s cool.”
“Take a walk with Melody on the boardwalk. Get to know her better. You two seem to be hitting it off.”
Rey nods. Looks all giddy. “I really like her.”
“Good, because I would kick your ass if you didn’t. She’s perfect for you.”
“Think so?”
“Yeah, bro. Don’t sweat it. Don’t overthink things. Just go with it and have fun.”
“Okay.” He bumps his fist with mine. “Later.”
I watch as he and Melody walk off. I’m not one to predict the future, but I’ve got a good feeling about them. I couldn’t get Rey to change back to the guy he used to be, but maybe Melody can. I think she’ll be good for him.
His future is starting to look bright again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lex
Cruiser throws his arm around me as he leads me further down the beach, toward the waves. It’s pretty dark out, but the ocean looks beautiful. I pick a pebble off the sand, and we walk along the shore, breathing in the beautiful smell of salt water.
“I miss surfing,” Cruiser says. “Hardly did much when I came back from New York. Now I got this.” He motions toward his sling.
“You’ll be as good as new in a few months,” I assure him. “But don’t you go breaking any more limbs when you start to surf again.”
He laughs before pecking my lips. “I promise.”
The wind blows through my hair, messing up the do I spent hours working on. I clutch the bottom of it. “My hair.”
“You look beautiful no matter what.”
I feel my cheeks and neck warm up. “Thanks. That’s sweet of you to say.”
He takes my hand and we continue down the shore.
“They’re cute together,” I say. “Do you think it’ll work out?”
“I don’t know how it can’t. They’ve got so much in common.”
“You know, we don’t have that much in common,” I say. “But for some reason, we work.”
“Yeah, we do.” He catches some of my loose hair and wraps it around his finger, tugging me closer until my mouth is only a few inches from his. “I love you. Like a lot. I’m crazy about you.”
“I’m crazy about you, too.”
“I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your support. In my joining the Navy.”
“So…it’s final then?”
He nods. “Think so.”
I throw my arms around him. “I’m so happy!”
He tightens his hold on me and spins me around. But because he only has one arm, I feel myself slipping. He quickly lowers me to the sand.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say when I see the troubled and unsure look in his eyes. “Seaman Cruiser Dalton. It’s sexy.”
“Seaman Elvis Dalton.”
“No way. You’ll always be Cruiser.”
He tucks me close to his side as we continue on. “Now all we gotta do is wait for you to win the scholarship, then it’s off to Juilliard with you. Then off to Broadway, where you’ll be the star of the show.”
“I’ll never be the star. I can’t act or sing.”
“Fine. But you’ll be the most talented, sexiest dancer in the whole show.”
“It’s not a sure thing I’ll win the scholarship. Holly’s a great dancer.”
“Not better than you.”
“That’s your opinion.”
“It doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t win the scholarship and don’t get into Juilliard, there are many other dance schools out there. I know you’ll end up on Broadway. It’s your dream.”
I stop and stare at the calm waves. “It’s really happening, isn’t it? The future.”
Cruiser nods.
“It’s exciting, but so scary.”
“Hey, we still got another year.”
“The year will fly by faster than the blink of an eye,” I say. “And we’ll all be going our separate ways. You to the Navy, Dani to college in L.A. USC is her dream school. Rey will hopefully get into another music academy, and I’ll…”
“Have a full ride to Juilliard.”
I bury my face in his chest. “Wow. So many changes.” And the biggest change of all will be Cruiser joining the Navy. I’m ready for it. I need to be. I know it’ll be hard, but I want this for him.
He rubs my back. “All that matters is that we have each other. Our love will carry us through it all. It doesn’t know time or place. Or distance. Just that our hearts belong together. Damn, that was sappy.”
I squeeze him tight. “No, it was sweet and romantic.”
Cruiser lowers himself onto the sand and reaches for me. “You’re getting your clothes dirty,” I say.
“It’s okay. But I’ll protect your dress.”
I let him lower me onto his lap and take my shoes off. I hike up the bottom of my dress and spread out my legs, allowing the waves to roll over them. I sigh at the amazing feeling.
“I’m gonna cherish all the time we have together,” Cruiser says, his soft breath tickling my ear. “Every second of every day until I leave for basic training.”
I turn my face so that our foreheads touch. “Don’
t talk like that. You’re making me miss you already.”
“Okay. But I’ll contact you every day—”
“Cruiser, you’re not leaving tomorrow. We have a whole year and a half.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He tightens his hold on me and lowers my head to his chest, softly stroking my hair. It feels so good. Being in his arms feels so good. My throat dries up when a little voice in my head reminds me that in a year and a half, I won’t be able to lie in his arms like this. I won’t feel his protective, loving arms. I won’t hear how fast his heart beats when our bodies are pressed this close. I won’t feel his warm, passionate lips on mine.
I tell that voice to shut up. It’s my undying love for him that triumphs over the doubts in my mind. This is the life Cruiser and I are going to have, and while it will be hard, maybe unbearable at times, I want it. Cruiser will be mine forever, no matter what. My sailor.
He shifts me so that I’m half-lying on him, my legs spread out on the sand, my hair hanging over his thigh. “I’m going to find a genie to stop time so we could spend eternity together before we graduate high school,” he says.
“Or to create our own little world that only the two of us can visit. We’ll set up a time to meet every day and we’ll be able to touch each other and kiss, and it won’t feel like we’re separated.”
“Mmm. I like that.”
“That way, we’d both be able to live our dreams while still being together.” I touch his cheek. “I want you to join the Navy. I don’t want you having doubts throughout the whole next year.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Can’t promise I won’t. As the days go by and it gets closer to the day I leave for basic training, I know how tempting it’ll be to change my mind.”
I sit up and look into his eyes. “I want you to promise me something, Cruiser. Promise me that no matter what, you’re going to try to join the Navy.”
“Lex—”
“Please, Cruiser.”
His eyes search mine, and I can tell how much he wants to protest. But he must see the determination and intensity in my eyes because he nods. “I promise, T. Rex. And I want you to promise that you’ll do everything you can to get into Juilliard. And if not Juilliard, then another dance school.”
“I promise.”
He gathers me to his chest. “Good.”
