Beautiful Mess

by Preston, Jennifer

  Carly gasped, but before she could respond, Cole continued.

  “Besides, don’t you have a boyfriend? What are you doing hitting on me when you’ve got a boyfriend back home waiting for you? I mean, what kind of person does that?” He was incredulous, but not as incredulous as Carly.

  “How dare you! How dare you judge me!” Carly was about to go off on a tirade. Bri, who’d been watching the whole exchange with her mouth agape, decided it was time for her to step in before things really got ugly.

  “Alright, you two,” she stepped in between Carly and Cole, holding up a hand to both of them. “That’s enough.” They were glaring at each other, but neither of them said anything else.

  “Now,” Bri said, trying to calm them down and diffuse the situation. “Cole, Carly is right. You should have been more upfront with her from the beginning. You can’t expect a girl like her to understand subtlety.” She saw Cole’s lip twitch, as if he wanted to smile at her jab. “And, Carly,” she turned to her cousin, “Cole is right. You shouldn’t be hitting on another guy when you have a boyfriend. It’s not fair to Dalton, and it’s just plain wrong.” Bri had the satisfaction of seeing Carly’s eyes drop. “And just because a guy turns you down, doesn’t mean you get to go all crazy on him. Okay?” Carly shrugged. Bri turned to Cole, who nodded. “Good. So why don’t you both apologize, and we’ll all move on?”

  Bri looked meaningfully at Cole, but he seemed disinclined to offer up any apology. “Crazy and angry,” She murmured to him, trying to get him to man up. He let out a sigh.

  “Fine,” he relented. “Carly, I’m sorry I didn’t spell it all out for you. I’m sorry you entirely misconstrued the whole situation. And I’m sorry that subtlety is completely lost on you,” he finished sarcastically.

  Choosing to ignore Cole’s less than sincere apology, Bri turned to Carly. “Okay, your turn.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” Carly scoffed. “You keep holding your breath Cole, because you will never get an apology from me!” She turned abruptly and stormed away.

  “Carly!” Bri called after her, but Carly ignored her. She turned to Cole. “I can’t believe her! I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I promise you I’m not going to be losing any sleep over it. You should probably go after her.”

  “Heck, no! If she’s going to be rude and hypocritical, she can go pout at the car by herself!”

  “Well, good,” he smiled. “Now that I know you aren’t in any rush to get out of here, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you.” Cole shoved his hands in his pockets nervously.

  “Oh, really?” she smiled, finding his nervousness endearing.

  “Well, I was wondering, if you don’t have any plans on Saturday night, if you’d want to go out with me?” he smiled at her.

  Bri felt her stomach bottom out, and her face fell. She had not expected that. “You mean like a date?” she asked weakly.

  “Yes, exactly like a date! What do you think?”

  Bri was unable to form a reply, as there was a small battle waging inside of her at the moment. Her brain was telling her that this was probably a bad idea. She hardly knew this guy, and this was way too fast. It was too soon to even think about dating again, and she’d just end up getting hurt. Again. And, she was a little scared by Cole’s offer. Maybe it was too soon.

  But her body, which had been reacting to Cole ever since they met, was screaming yes, yes, please yes! It had been so long since she had felt anything like what she felt around him, and her body was desperate for more. Even though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, she was definitely attracted to him, and her body was begging for a chance to get close to him.

  “Um, Bri?” Cole’s voice pulled her from her inner battle.

  “I’m sorry, what?” She wasn’t sure if she had missed something.

  “You still haven’t given me an answer.” He looked a little concerned.

  “Yes,” Bri replied softly. Her body made the decision before her brain could interfere.

  “Yes?” Cole’s face lit up. “As in ‘Yes Cole, I’ll go out with you’?”

  “Yes,” she managed a weak smile.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Because you look like you’re going to throw up or something. You know, if you don’t want to, you can just say no.”

  Bri felt guilty at the uncertainty on his face. “No, no, it’s not that,” she tried to reassure him. “It’s just that… well, I haven’t been asked out in a while. I wasn’t expecting it, and I guess you just caught me off guard.”

  “You’re sure, then?”

  “Yes,” she nodded, more confidently than she felt.

  “Okay, so I’ll pick you up on Saturday?” The apprehension left Cole’s face and he smiled.

  “Um,” a twinge of fear shot through her, and she decided it’d be best to play it safe. “How about I meet you somewhere? What did you have in mind?”

  “Have you been down to the Santa Monica Pier yet?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “How about you meet me down in front of the pier on Saturday at like seven? We can get some dinner and hang out.”

  “That sounds great!” And it did sound great. Her heart gave a leap, and she felt a stirring of excitement. “Well, I’d better go make sure Carly hasn’t pissed off any more locals. Bye, Cole,” she smiled, blushing slightly.

  “Bye, Bri. See you Saturday,” he smiled back.

  Bri couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. And not even Carly’s anger fueled ranting and raving could dampen her spirits.

  The next few days seemed to drag by, as if time itself was conspiring to prolong Bri’s misery. Carly was a writhing, fuming mass of anger that nobody could stand to be around. Bri tried to avoid her as much as possible, but there were only so many places to hide. Her dad even took Friday off of work and took the family to Disneyland in the hopes of cheering Carly up a bit, but to no avail. By the end of the day, even Bri’s little brothers had had enough of Carly’s constant whining and complaining. It was so bad, that Connor insisted that his daughter take Carly to the airport by herself the next day.

  “Why drag the whole family all the way there and back?” he had justified himself. “It’ll be easier for everyone if you just take her.”

  Bri saw right through her dad, but he rarely asked her for favors like this, so she relented and agreed to take one for the team. Plus, she needed visual confirmation that Carly was leaving the state and not coming back, before she could relax.

  “You so owe me,” she shook her head.

  “Yes I do,” her dad had agreed.

  So the next morning, way too bright and early for a Saturday, Bri and Carly headed out for the airport. The only good news was that Carly was in a silent, pouty mood that morning, and didn’t say much the whole way. Bri pulled up to the curb in the departures lane and turned to her cousin.

  “Well, thanks for coming to visit.” She tried to sound genuine, but failed. “It was fun and all. I hope you had a good time. I’m not sure if we’ll be out to Phoenix anytime soon, so I’m not sure when we’ll see you again. But, it probably won’t be for a long time.” Thank goodness.

  “Bri,” Carly interrupted, obviously not having heard anything Bri had just said. “I want you to do me a favor.”

  “Okay...” Bri replied warily. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be doing any favors for Carly, no matter what she asked.

  “If you ever happen to see Cole again, I want you to kick him in the balls for me. Maybe then he’ll learn how to treat a lady.” Carly yanked on the door handle and climbed out of the car.

  Bri just sat there gaping, as Carly collected her suitcase from the back seat and walked into the terminal without a backward glance or a wave goodbye.

  “What a bitch,” Bri muttered to herself. She didn’t like to label or demean those of the female gender, but there were a few who wholly deserved it.

  As Bri drove home, she let ou
t a sigh of relief. A huge weight had been lifted from her, and she was glad to be rid of it. She had survived Carly’s visit, if just barely. Now there was nothing to prevent her from looking forward to her date that night.

  Except the task of convincing her dad to let her go.

  Chapter 4

  When Bri returned home, her family was just finishing breakfast. Even they seemed relieved Carly was gone. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and joined them at the table.

  “Carly get off okay?” her dad asked.

  “Yep. And hopefully she won’t be coming back anytime soon!”

  “Yay!” her brothers cheered and ran off to enjoy their Carly-free day.

  Connor shook his head. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked Bri.

  “Well,” she began, “I was wondering if it’d be okay if I went out tonight with a friend I met at the beach?”

  “A friend, huh? Now, would this be a girl friend or a guy friend?”

  Dang it, sometimes Bri’s dad was too perceptive for his own good. She had really hoped he wouldn’t ask that.

  “A guy friend,” she replied lightly.

  “And does this guy friend have a name?”

  “Cole.”

  “Cole… what?”

  “Um, I don’t know.” Bri realized she had never thought to ask his last name.

  “Okay,” Connor was skeptical. “And how old is Cole?”

  “He’s my age. He’s going to be a senior this year at Santa Monica High, too.” Bri hoped that would help alleviate some of his reservations.

  “And where would you be going?”

  “I’m going to meet him down at the pier. We’re going to grab some dinner and hang out.”

  “You mean, like a date,” Connor said flatly. Again, Bri had hoped to avoid that particular detail. “So, let me get this straight. You want me to let you out in a strange city, at night, with a strange boy you know almost nothing about. A boy I know nothing about. Some boy you met at the beach and decided to go on a date with? Absolutely not!”

  “Dad, please! You’re being completely unreasonable! He goes to my school. He lives around here, too. Weren’t you just saying a few days ago that I should get out and make some new friends?”

  “I meant girl friends! I didn’t mean for you to go out and find some guy to hook up with!”

  “I wouldn’t do that, and you know it,” Bri was slightly offended. “Please?”

  “No.”

  “Dad!”

  “No!”

  “Connor!” Summer jumped into the conversation, surprising Bri. “You really are being a bit unreasonable. Bri is a smart, responsible girl. She’s not going to put herself into a situation she can’t handle. This boy goes to her school. She’s driving herself. And the pier is close enough she could walk home if she needed to. I don’t see what the problem is.”

  Connor had nothing to say. Bri had also been shocked into silence. Summer rarely ever came to her defense.

  Bri wasn’t very close with her stepmom. They didn’t hate each other, or fight all the time, but Bri had learned long ago that she didn’t rate highly on Summer’s list of priorities. Of course, Summer wasn’t high on Bri’s list of priorities, either. They had nothing in common, and never really talked, about anything. In fact they both tried to stay out of each other’s lives as much as possible. About the only thing they did have in common was their love for Bri’s dad and brothers. Bri might not care much for Summer, but she loved her half-brothers more than anything. The only thing that redeemed Summer in Bri’s eyes was the fact that Summer made it clear that Connor and the boys were her top priority, and she gave them everything she had. It was the knowledge that Summer would always take care of the three people Bri loved most in the world that kept the peace between them. So, the fact that Summer had taken Bri’s side on something was nothing short of astonishing.

  After a meaningful glance from his wife, Connor finally relented.

  “Okay, you can go,” he sighed.

  Bri smiled and threw her arms around her dad. “Thanks, Daddy!” She looked up at Summer, and felt she should add, “And thank you, too.”

  “He was wrong,” Summer waved it off. “It’s as simple as that. He needs to learn to stop babying you. Just make sure you are careful. I don’t want to have to eat my words later.”

  “Okay,” Bri nodded.

  “And, you’ll be home by eleven. Until I get to know this kid, no late nights for you.”

  “Okay, Dad,” Bri shook her head. Her dad seemed to think that as long as she was home before midnight she couldn’t get into trouble. What parents didn’t seem to get was the fact that if you wanted to get into trouble, you could do so anytime of the night, or the day for that matter. But Bri wasn’t about to argue about her curfew. She gave her dad a quick peck on the cheek, and rushed to her room to figure out was she was going to wear that night.

  A little before seven, Bri parked her silver Mazda3, took a deep breath, and got out of her car. She had finally settled on a royal blue, ruffled, halter-style tank and cream cardigan, with a pair of jean shorts and her leopard print ballet flats. Her long, normally straight auburn hair hung in soft curls down her back. She started towards the pier, scanning the crowd for Cole.

  She came to an abrupt halt when she spotted him, her mouth falling open. Cole stood there in a charcoal grey button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark jeans hugged his narrow hips, and a pair of dark boots replaced his usual flip flops. His black hair hung in his eyes as he waited for her. Bri had never seen anything hotter in her life. She had an almost irresistible urge to rush up to him and kiss him, hard.

  Cole’s luscious, begging to be kissed lips turned up in a smile as he finally spotted her. His eyes roamed over her from head to toe, before meeting her golden brown eyes with an appreciative smile. She started towards him, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

  “Hi,” she smiled, feeling suddenly nervous and shy.

  “Hi,” he replied, and nervously shoved his hands in his pockets. Neither of them said anything for a moment.

  The circumstances surrounding their acquaintance had changed, and they were both at a loss as to how to behave, or what to say. A few awkward moments passed, while Bri begged her brain to come up with something witty to say. Heck, she’d settle for a coherent sentence at this point. Thankfully, her brain finally bailed her out.

  “You clean up nicely,” she smiled at him.

  He laughed. “Thank you. You clean up pretty nicely yourself.” This seemed to break the tension, and they both visibly relaxed. “Are you hungry? There’s a great Mexican place across the street.”

  “Sounds fabulous! I’m starving.”

  “This way then,” Cole motioned her across the street and then fell into step beside her.

  “Hey, Cole, I realized something earlier. I don’t even know your last name,” she said, slightly embarrassed.

  “You’re right,” he laughed. “How did we miss that one? Coleston Marra,” he gave a slight bow. “Nice to meet you...?”

  “Ambria Donnelly.”

  “Ambria? Wow, that’s really pretty!”

  “Thanks,” Bri blushed at the compliment. “Coleston Marra...” she considered his name. “I like it!”

  “Ambria Donnelly… hmm. I’ve got to be honest, I’ve heard better!” Cole teased. Bri playfully shoved his arm as they both laughed. “Well Ambria… do you mind if I call you Ambria?”

  “Nope, not at all.”

  “Well, Ambria, here we are,” he opened the door for her, and she walked into the quaint restaurant. They were seated at a cozy booth in the back.

  “Okay,” Cole began with a smile, “I seriously want to know everything about you.”

  “Really?” Bri asked. “Why?”

  “Well, because you’re interesting, and pretty, and completely different from all the other girls I’ve known.”

  Bri decided to pounce on that statement. “Oh? And you’ve kno
wn a lot of girls, have you?” she teased.

  “A lot, yes. Intimately, not as many.”

  Bri’s mouth dropped, and she blushed at that implication.

  “Oh, no,” Cole looked horrified. “I didn’t mean that kind of intimately! I… I meant that I more than just casually knew them. Great,” he ran a hand through his hair. “That doesn’t sound any better. Maybe I should start over and try this again.”

  Bri chuckled at how flustered and embarrassed he was.

  “Okay,” he began again. “I have a lot of casual… acquaintances that happen to be girls. Most of which I wouldn’t really even call friends. The few girls I do consider friends, I’m still not really close to. We talk, but not about anything really important. Do you know what I mean?” Bri nodded. “Good. Well, of all my girl friends, there are only maybe a handful that I would call real, close friends, where we know each other well enough to talk about the important stuff.” Cole let out a breath. “That’s what I meant.”

  “Got it,” Bri chuckled, and thankfully the waitress came over then to take their order, and derailed the awkwardness. Something Cole had said triggered another question in Bri’s mind. After the waitress, who didn’t even try to be subtle as she fawned over Cole, left, Bri decided to broach the subject.

  “So, what about girlfriends? As in relationships?”

  “Just one,” Cole smiled, a bit uncomfortably.

  “Currently, or in the past?” Bri realized this was probably something she should’ve found out before agreeing to go out with him.

  “In the past,” he quickly clarified. “Last year. Well, last school year anyway.”

  “So, what happened?” As soon as she spoke the words, she wished she could take them back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. It’s not any of my business, and I didn’t mean to pry,” she apologized quickly.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “Things just didn’t work out. Let’s leave it at that.” Bri smiled and nodded. “How about you? How many boyfriends do you have stashed in the closet?” he grinned.