by B. K. Rivers
“Vic, I—”
Before I can finish my thought, Vic squeezes my hand, pulls me into his chest, and softly brushes his lips over mine. I fall against him, closing my eyes as his hands move to my jaw. His lips move away and I open my eyes and see the intense blue of Vic’s eyes and how focused they are on my lips. Not wanting the kiss to end, I close the distance and press my lips to his. I reach one of my hands to the back of his neck and the other rests on his shoulder.
Our kiss is like our conversations, natural and easy, but there’s so much more. As his lips press against mine, and his tongue sweeps over them and then through, it’s like my entire body has been electrified. Every inch of my skin wakes up as if suddenly I’m truly alive. The hairs on my arms stand up and my heart begins to race as though I’m sprinting a mile. Vic’s hands caress my back and arms as he backs me across the room and against a two-by-four stud. His tongue goes deeper and heat rages through my body like the current from a battery. I’m charged up and kissing him with all I’ve got.
I don’t know if it’s the lack of kissing that has my body so ready to throw all my rules out the window, or if it’s just the fact that I like this man, but I force myself to dial back. I’m still working on relaxing on rule one: no dating. Vic slows down, ending the kiss, leaving me feeling exhilarated yet somehow on edge.
“I’ve wanted to do that since Saturday,” Vic says, smiling. Heat rises to my cheeks as I look down at our toes before I follow Vic downstairs and out the front doorway. He scoops up the duffel bag and we walk a little more to a rise next to the waterfall I could see from the master bedroom.
“This place and your house are amazing,” I say, feeling guilty for ending the kiss.
“You keep saying that,” he says as he unzips the bag and begins removing its contents. “My parents farm the land on both sides of the stream and I’ve wanted to live on this spot my entire life. So, after I graduated high school, they gave me the land and told me to start building my dreams. It took a couple years before I could do anything, but it’s been an adventure to say the least.”
Vic pulls out two small handguns after he’s unloaded the bag and suddenly I’m feeling slightly nervous about what he plans to do with them. He places them both in the back of his jeans, bends down, and picks up some disassembled metal things and some papers and begins walking across the flat toward the base of another hill. I watch as he unfolds the metal things into long L-shaped rods and then drives them into the ground. He clips the paper to the rod and then I realize the papers have big black targets on them. Crap. He walks back with a spring in his step and a sideways half smile framed by dimples.
“Ready?” he asks as he pulls both guns from his pants and hands me one.
“Um, Vic…I’ve never shot a gun, let alone held one.” Holding it between my two hands like I’m carrying a measuring cup full of liquid, I notice that the gun is surprisingly heavy for its size.
Vic removes the gun from my fingers and places it in my right hand, folds my fingers around the grip, and then places my left hand under the small barrel so it cradles my right hand.
“Hold it like this, not like this.” Vic demonstrates the wrong way to hold the gun, which is to say, like I was holding it a second ago.
“Is it loaded?” I ask, making sure I keep my fingers clear of the trigger.
“Hell no.” Vic steps away, works some magic with the gun, and the cartridge falls out of the grip. He bends down and grabs a handful of bullets and loads up the cartridge. “Okay, first things first.” Vic points out features of his gun, which is the same as mine. “This is the barrel and where I put the bullets is called a magazine, or clip.”
Oh, now I feel dumb for thinking it was called a cartridge.
“This is the trigger. And see this thing here? That is what releases the clip. Try it.”
There’s a small nub on the grip and I press it as hard as I can and the clip falls out, hitting the ground before I even think to catch it.
“Sorry,” I say as my cheeks flame in embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about it, happens all the time.”
“Really?”
Vic laughs. “No.”
My cheeks redden even more as Vic hands me the clip and eight small bullets.
“The pointed end faces the exit of the barrel like this.” Vic places a bullet into the top of the clip and then waits for me to load the others. “Okay, check that the safety is on, right here. It is. Go ahead and put the clip back into the gun.”
The clip slides in seamlessly and closes with a click. The weight of the gun increases enough for me to notice a difference in the way I support my shooting hand.
“This gun holds eight in the magazine and one in the chamber. I’ll put that one in for you.” Vic opens a slot up in the gun and slips the bullet into the chamber. “Okay, you are ready to shoot.”
Shaking my head, I try to hand the gun back to Vic. “I’ve never done this before,” I say with a slight stutter. “I’m not sure I can.”
“I’ll help you,” Vic says softly as he comes to stand behind me. “Grip the gun like I showed you earlier.”
I place my hands how he showed me, right hand on the grip, left hand cradling my right. “Is this right?”
Vic nods and then he tells me to face the target and spread my legs to about shoulder width. His hands glide down my arms and a shallow gasp escapes my lips as his hands fall to my hips, where he rotates them slightly.
“Hold the gun up and point it at the target.” His breath tickles my ear and it’s all I can do to concentrate on the gun and target and not how his hips brush against me. Vic’s arms wrap around me to support mine from underneath. His hands hold mine and then his thumb reaches up and turns the safety off. My breathing is shallow and with each breath my body comes alive from Vic’s proximity. “I’m going to cock the gun. Look at the target, aim, and when you’re ready, pull the trigger.”
“But—”
“Don’t think too hard, just take a couple deep breaths, relax, aim, and shoot. I’ll hold you steady. Whatever you do, though, don’t drop the gun after you shoot.”
Following Vic’s advice, I breathe deeply, focus on the target, and find the trigger. Vic’s arms brace me tighter, reassuring me, and then slowly I pull back on the trigger. The gun jerks back in my hands, but Vic holds me tightly and the kickback is controlled. The sound of the gun firing echoes through the narrow valley and a thrill rushes over me.
“That was amazing!” I say as I turn to face Vic, who jumps away and pushes my hands in the opposite direction.
“Hold on there, cowgirl. This is a semi-automatic handgun. Never point it in my direction. Ever.”
“Oh my gosh, sorry.”
Vic and I laugh and he helps me shoot a couple more rounds and then he lets me shoot on my own. We alternate shooting for a while longer, and then after we’ve both emptied two magazines, we put the guns away and walk back toward the truck.
Chapter 32
I find myself in awe of Vic and all he’s accomplished since high school. He’s amazing, has admirable goals, and of course it doesn’t hurt that he’s really good-looking. Somehow I’ve found someone I find myself falling for, and deep inside it scares me. I’ve exposed myself, opened up to him like never before. I have to wonder, with what I’ve experienced in the past, when the other shoe will drop. When will all this be too much for him?
“So what’s your story? Why aren’t you married or at least dating someone seriously?”
Vic turns to me, a questioning look in his eye. “I thought I was,” he says with a wink, making my cheeks flush. “God, that looks good on you. I’ll never get tired of seeing it.”
Biting my bottom lip to distract myself from blushing, I can’t help but melt a little inside at his insinuation. This is, after all, our first real date; I’d hardly call that serious.
Vic turns down a rural road outside of Torrance that winds through fields of green and then stops at a large white farmhouse with a
massive red barn and several smaller outbuildings.
“I’m starving. How about you?” Vic asks as he opens my door and helps me out of the truck. “I know this great place I think you’ll like.” His smile is contagious, and not for the first time today do I wonder what he has in store.
He guides me around the side of the barn with his hand on my lower back, and up a set of wooden stairs to a door on what looks like the second story.
“After you,” he says. With a turn of his wrist the door opens and we walk inside. I’m expecting a hayloft, dusty rafters covered in spider webs, and creaky floors. But what I see is a large apartment built where the hayloft should be. The ceilings are vaulted and tall with skylights, and the furniture is casual and comfortable. A good-sized kitchen flanks the far wall and there is a set of doors in the back.
“The bathroom is the door on the right, if you want to clean up while I make lunch.” Vic squeezes the tops of my shoulders gently, kisses my cheek, and takes my jacket and purse.
“Do you live here?”
He nods and walks to the kitchen and pulls out a couple of pans from the island while I head to the bathroom. The room is nothing fancy, but I take a couple of minutes to go through his medicine cabinet above the sink. There is nothing unusual in it, though I see a bottle of Aqua Di Gio cologne, uncap it, and smell. The scent is incredible, filling my mind with images of Vic and me dancing, or now kissing at his house, or how his arms felt around mine as he helped me to shoot a gun for the first time. Somehow I’ve become Cinderella and have found a prince.
Vic is chopping onions and garlic when I make my way back to the kitchen, and when I offer to help, he turns me down, saying he wants to make sure I am well taken care of. Hiding my smile, I plop down on his tan microsuede couch and watch as he prepares lunch. He won’t tell me what he’s cooking, but whatever it is already smells delicious. The onions and garlic go into a sizzling pan, and with his back turned to me I have the incredible desire to wrap my arms around him in a warm hug.
“Where did you learn to cook?”
Vic looks up from the pan and smiles. “Who said I could cook?”
That smile of his is going to kill me, crooked and dimpled, filling my stomach with butterflies. Unable to stand the tension swirling in my stomach, I join Vic at the counter, placing my elbows on the flat surface.
“You’re cooking right now,” I say playfully.
“Ah, this,” Vic says as he stirs the onions and garlic in the pan. “This isn’t cooking, this is just sweating some veggies.”
My butterflies are back. The reprieve was short lived.
“Will you grab the ground beef from the fridge?” Vic points to the fridge with his shoulder, and as I walk behind him, his hand taps my hip, which does nothing for the swirling in my stomach.
“So, onions, garlic, and ground beef,” I say as I think about the possibilities of the food he is preparing. “Spaghetti?”
Still his smile remains as he adds the meat to the pan. He continues to cook and only when he pulls a box of taco shells from the cupboard do I realize what he’s making.
Lunch is delicious and I can’t help but admire this man sitting beside me. He lives here, on his parents’ farm, in a place he and his older brother built when they were in high school. We finish lunch and clean up and Vic surprises me with a caramel cheesecake, which he claims came from a store.
“Are you tired of me yet?” he asks as I finish my last bite of cheesecake.
“Tired of you? Hardly.”
“Okay, then, let’s head out.”
The rest of the afternoon has us walking through Rose Park in Warner along the river, holding hands as we climb onto the city view tram and gaze at the people and buildings below. By the time we arrive for our dinner reservations at a fancy Italian restaurant, I’m starving and wildly amazed I’m not ready for the date to end. Vic and I share a massive plate of fettuccini alfredo with parmesan encrusted chicken and then enjoy a slice of tiramisu.
While waiting for the check, Vic reaches across the table for my hand. “It’s still early, what do you say we go see a movie?”
It’s just after seven and a small part of me feels guilty for leaving Gran all day, but then I’m not sure I’m ready to go back home yet. This day has been incredible. A perfect day of getting to know each other.
“I should call Gran and make sure she’s okay,” I say, and excuse myself to make my phone call. Gran answers on the second ring and I can hear her game show playing on the TV in the background.
“Oh, honey, you know I’m all right. You go on and enjoy yourself with that nice young man.”
“Are you sure, Gran? I can be home in a little over an hour if you need me.”
“Jemma, dear, you’ve not been out on a date in ages. Don’t go feeling like you’ve got to come home to me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I love you, Gran,” I say as she echoes the sentiment and we hang up.
Vic stands when I arrive back at the table and pulls out my chair. “Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yep. What movie would you like to see?” My stomach flutters at the thought of sitting so close to him in a dark theater. Will he hold my hand? Will we keep the armrest between us? My nerves suddenly shoot through the roof. How many rules will this date break?
“I’m not sure. I thought we’d go and see what’s playing.” Vic catches the server’s attention and he comes rushing to our table. “Can we get the check, please?” The server nods and quickly walks away.
“Can I ask about your parents?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, sucking in a breath.
“What happened to them?” His eyes glance from the table to my face and I can see a bit of unease in his eyes.
There are not enough deep breaths in this world to stop the stinging in the corners of my eyes. I sigh and place my elbows on the table and tell him about my parents. “When I was about three, my mom was in a car accident and died.” The server arrives with our check and Vic hands him his Visa, allowing me enough time for another breath.
“I’m so sorry about your mom,” Vic says quietly, and takes my hand in his.
“Thank you, but I don’t even remember her.” My lips offer a quick smile and I continue. “My dad was really torn up over it, you know, and did his best with me for about a year. One day he brought me and a large suitcase to my gran’s house, telling me I was going to stay with her a while so he could figure some things out. Well, that was sixteen years ago, and I guess he still hasn’t figured stuff out.”
The server arrives with Vic’s card and the receipt and wishes us a good evening. As he walks away, Vic stands and pulls out my chair for me and without thought, kisses me softly, letting his lips linger just a moment.
“Your dad’s a fool for leaving you,” he whispers, and then guides me out of the restaurant with his fingers tracing circles on my lower back. “So your gran is your mom’s mom?” he asks as we pull out of the parking lot.
“No, my dad’s mother, and really she’s my mother too. When she got sick I was devastated. I don’t really think the medicines she’s on are helping her, which scares me. I don’t know what I’m going to do if she…when she dies.” It’s so hard for me to say it aloud. I know she’s eventually going to die, but I can’t help but feel like my time with her is growing short. She’s been more tired than usual and there are dark circles below her eyes. I close mine against tears that are trying to slip free.
***
The movie theater is pretty slow since it’s a Tuesday night, so we have the choice of an action-adventure, romantic comedy, or an animated show for children. I haven’t seen any of them and decide to let Vic choose for us. He surprises me by selecting the animated movie, which begins at eight, stating the theater should be pretty empty. My heart leaps in my chest and then falls through my stomach, landing someplace my brain has no control over.
“Want some popcorn or candy?” Vic asks as we give our tickets to the teenager inside the doors.
My stomach is doing gymnastics and I hardly think I can eat anything more, so I shake my head and we make our way to theater seven. Vic was right, except for a couple of older ladies and a mom with her two young children, the theater is empty. He wraps his fingers around my hand and leads me to the back row of seats at the top of the theater. We sit in the center of the seats with no barriers between us. Vic turns his entire body toward me, props his long legs over the chair in front of us, and then drapes an arm over my shoulders and whispers for me to scoot closer. As I lean against the side of his chest, I wonder if he can feel how fast my heart is beating. That somehow a bird has been caught in my chest and is flapping its wings against my ribs. I wonder if he can feel the heat coursing through my body, settling in unfamiliar places, or how my stomach is doing cartwheels.
My phone vibrates in my purse as the movie begins, and I sit up quickly to dig through my bag and pull it out. It’s a number I don’t recognize, and being the responsible person I am, I’m having a hard time not answering. After the third ring, and fighting all instincts, I ignore it and settle back against Vic’s chest.
“Who was it?” he whispers.
Shrugging my shoulders, I whisper back, “I didn’t recognize the number.”
“They’ll leave a message if it’s important.” His smile sends shivers down my body, and when his lips brush softly against my ear, my entire right side bursts into goose bumps. His fingers trace circles on my upper arm, the mere touch igniting a fire deep in my belly. Between his fingers dancing over my arm and the light kisses at my ear, I’m completely distracted from what is playing on the movie screen. Through his gentle nips at my ear, he whispers again, “Thank you for coming out with me today. I’ve had a really great time and I’m not sure how to say good night.”
