by H. T. Night
“It’s like a drug,” I said, referring to her hands that were close enough to do some pretty serious damage.
“It’s too bad you’re still in love with Lena,” Yari said, as she took her hands off of my lap. I stared at Yari and smiled at the power a woman had over me when her hands are touching my midsection. She could have gotten me to do just about anything in that previous moment. Now, her hands were off of my thighs and stomach, I could think a bit more clearly.
“Is that what you think?” I asked. “That I’m still in love with Lena?”
“It’s what I know, Josiah. You’re a guy, and I know you’re feeling a little feisty at the moment, and I would love to have amazing balls-to-the-wall sex with you. But, in the end, you’d hate yourself because you’re not over Lena and she’s not over you. So then, I’d have two of my closest friends mad at me.”
“Wow, you just called Lena a close friend.”
Yari smiled. “She is, and so are you. Plus, it would break Cyrus’s puppy dog heart.”
“So, what makes you so certain she’s still in love with me?” I asked.
“You don’t see the kind of things I’ve seen and not know something as basic as that.”
“Give me one thing you see that I don’t,” I said, hoping she’d give me a really good reason.
“Well, Tommy contacts her all the time and gives her an open invitation to come see him at his cabin and she doesn’t take it.”
“Really, Tommy keeps asking her to his cabin? What a dick.”
“He asks her daily. Apparently, it’s just to talk. He’s real lonely, but Lena doesn’t take him up on it because she doesn’t want to hurt you any more than she already has.”
I didn’t know what to think about this bit of information. Was I supposed to feel bad for a guy who was blatantly pursuing a woman he knew I had fallen in love with? He had some nerve. “Is that where he’s at?” I asked.
“He moves around. He has a lot of enemies.”
“I know he does. Almost as many as I do.”
“But you have all of us. Tommy doesn’t have anyone.”
“Whose fault is that?”
“It’s his. But if Lena truly loved him more than you—why hasn’t she gone to him? What you need to understand is there’s very little difference between yourself and Tommy. You’re practically the same guy. You look completely different. But once you strip down all the superficial bullshit, you couldn’t be more alike. When all is said and done, both you boys are good to the core. Lena can’t go wrong with either one of you.”
“That’s exactly my point, we’re so similar and that’s why she chose him at Flatlands.”
“She only went to him because Tommy had no one on his side. You had a whole Mani army behind you. Tommy was all by himself. Tommy reached out to her, but then retreated. He told her to stay because he knew it was for her own good.” Yari paused, and then continued, “But I believe there is another reason why he told her stay.”
“What was that?” I asked.
“He knew she truly loves you and not him.”
I took everything Yari said to heart. Yari didn’t have to say anything, but she felt the need to talk to me about all of it, and that meant a lot to me. “You gave me some things to think about.”
“Josiah, I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to look deep into your heart and give me the most honest answer you can give.”
“Okay.”
“Do you love Lena?”
I paused and took the question in. I let the question consume me and then I closed my eyes. After a moment, I opened my eyes and stared at Yari and said, “I love Lena with every bit of me.”
“Really?” A voice from behind me said. I turned around and Lena was standing by the pool wearing a long black gown. I wasn’t sure how long she had been listening.
“Is that how it is with you two?” I asked, embarrassed. “One asks me a personal question while the other listens.”
“I walked out when Yari was talking. I had no idea she was going to ask you that,” Lena said.
I looked at Yari. “I knew she was there,” Yari said, “and I also knew what your answer was going to be.”
“Is it true, Josiah?” Lena asked. “Do you really still feel that way?”
I didn’t know what to say. Of course it was true. But I didn’t go around loving people who didn’t love me back. I got out of the Jacuzzi. I forgot I was wearing my tighty-whities.
“Oh my,” Lena smiled.
I looked around for a towel and there wasn’t one. “Is there a towel?” I asked.
“Behind you,” Lena said. I turned around and across the pool was a white towel. I walked over to it and dried myself off. Lena walked over to me, “Can we go inside and talk?”
“Okay,” I said.
I finished drying off and then walked over and threw the towel over by Yari. “Thanks, princess,” I said to Yari. “Once again you’re a wild ride.”
“I do my best, Josiah,” Yari answered.
“I know you do. In all seriousness, thanks for everything you said.”
“No problem. I believe in you,” Yari said.
“That means a lot to me.” I walked inside the house through the back sliding door with Lena behind me. My heart was full and my head was spinning. I knew Lena and I were about to connect in a huge way. I felt a bit giddy, like a school boy. I made my way up the stairs with Lena close behind. I opened the door to my room. Lena entered and didn’t say a word. She looked up at me and her eyes were filled with so much love.
“I messed up, Josiah. I am so sorry. I love you more than you could ever know.”
“You didn’t mess up, Lena. You just got caught up in the moment. This whole experience is bigger than all of us.”
“Still, I should have never let Tommy get so close.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.”
Lena walked up to me. “Would you just hold me?”
I looked down at this beautiful creature that had my heart in such a giant way. I couldn’t explain it and I didn’t want to understand it. In her presence, I was home. She was the love of my life and there was no denying that. I stared into her eyes and slowly wrapped my arms around her. I held her close. I held her in a way I had never held or touched anyone. She was my destiny. She was the person I knew I was supposed to do all of this with. She was the one who was going to stand by my side through thick and thin. There was a time for everything, and at this moment, this was a time of forgiveness and looking back.
“Do you really love me, Josiah?”
I swallowed and just slowly nodded my head and said, “I love you more at this moment than I have ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life.”
She sighed and I held her tighter.
“This life,” Lena said. “This chance that we have been given is more than I can bear. I need to do this with you. I want to fight alongside you.”
“I want you to stand with me,” I said. “But I don’t want you to fight.”
“I just want to quit wasting time. It’s time for us to celebrate what this is between us.”
“I completely agree.” I walked Lena over to my bed. I sat on the edge of it and Lena sat on my lap. All the sexual desires I’d had earlier were replaced by an overwhelming love.
Lena sat on my lap and looked me in the eye and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“Did you find the answers you needed?”
“Yes…”
“And...”
“And it led me back to you,” I said, lovingly. “It led me back here. I realized I couldn’t move forward without you.” I leaned in and gently kissed Lena on the lips. She cupped my chin with both of her hands. Tears were dripping from both of our eyes.
“I am so sorry,” she said. “I am so sorry for hurting you in any way.”
“I know you are,” I said comforting her. “From this moment forward... no more ‘I’m sorry’s.’”
“
Okay.”
I scooted back on my bed and placed Lena’s delicate frame next to me and we laid down. I slowly brushed my hand across her face. Her eyes were as beautiful as I ever remembered. Whenever she laid next to me, she seemed fairy-like. She was so tiny and delicate, and one thing I knew in the core of my heart: I would always take care of her.
We laid there holding each other until we both fell asleep.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke up with Lena pressed tightly against my body. We were fully clothed because last night was about reconnecting emotionally, not necessarily sexually. The night was one of the most outrageous nights I had ever experienced. It started in a hotel in Tijuana, then in a bunker, then an underground fight club and then ended back here in Victorville with Lena and I falling asleep in each other arms.
Yeah, it was some night.
I looked at the clock in my room and it read 5:00 p.m. The best sleep I seemed to get is when Lena is lying beside me. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled out of the corner of her mouth.
“You awake?” I asked.
“Unfortunately, yes.” She rolled to her back and exhaled.
“Why the sigh?” I asked.
“Well, where do we go from here?”
“You and I?”
“You and I. Me and you. Yes, Josiah, us.”
“I think it’s fair to say we need to just try to exist.”
“Exist?” Lena laughed. “I think we got that part down pat.”
“We need to try to exist together—to be by each other’s side.”
Lena looked at me and smiled. “I’d like that.” She then reached her arm out and placed it on my lap.
“I’d like that, too.”
“So, what’s on your agenda for tonight?” Lena asked.
“Wow, already keeping tabs on me,” I said, joking.
“It’s nothing like that. I was just wondering if we could go on a real date.”
“A real date?”
“Yes, a real date. We have never gone on a date, Josiah. Think about it.”
“You mean like dinner and a movie?”
“I mean like anything; bowling, miniature golf, pizza, a picnic, nothing. We have never been on a real date.”
A Tandra date. I thought about it for a second and Lena was absolutely right. “Well, if we’re going to go on a date then we need to do it right.”
“How do you suppose we do that?” Lena grinned.
“Go get your cell phone,” I said.
“My cell phone?” She was now confused.
“Just do it.”
Lena left my room and I immediately reached in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone and dialed Lena’s number. It rang a couple of times and then she answered it.
“Hello,” I said.
“Yes, may I help you?” Lena asked.
“Hey there. This is Josiah,” I said, as cute as I could. “How are you?”
“I’m good and you?”
“I’m great. Well... any who.”
“Any who?” Lena laughed.
“Yes, any who,” I said adamantly. “I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tonight?”
“Go out where?” Lena yawned, teasingly.
“I was hoping that you could accompany me to dinner and a show.”
“A show? Who talks like that?” Lena teased.
“Cut me some slack,” I said. “I have never done this before.”
“Okay, sweetie, what kind of show would you like us to attend?”
“The theater,” I pronounced, proudly.
“Wow, the theater. You mean like the Shakespeare Globe Theater—kind of theater?”
“More like Andrew Lloyd Webber Evita kind of theater.”
“Wow, that does sound divine,” Lena said, still teasing me. What did I expect? I pulled the biggest cheese-ball move of all time by calling her for an official date, from the same room.
“Okay. Let me grab some tickets and I’ll pick you up at 8:00 p.m.
“Where do you suppose you’ll pick me up?”
“At your house.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Me, too,” I said.
I pressed ‘end call’ after saying goodbye and decided I better plan this night right. I went online and saw that West Side Story was playing at Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. I didn’t want to fly. I actually wanted to drive like a normal person on this date, so I needed to push the date up to picking Lena up at 6:30 p.m. I called her back and she pretended to be annoyed, but still couldn’t hide her excitement.
I went to my closet and pulled out some slacks, a white button-down shirt and a slick black tie. I had a casual dinner jacket that went well with the outfit. It kind of gave me a Reservoir Dogs look, with a bit of hip-hop.
I took a shower and avoided seeing Lena, so we wouldn’t see each other getting ready. It was now late September and sunset was around 6:00 p.m. in Southern California, which was perfect for the time we planned on leaving.
After a day of relaxing, it was getting toward evening. I decided it was time to put on my clothes and cologne up. I could hear Lena getting ready downstairs. I combed my hair and did some final touches to my appearance. Once I felt I looked as good as I was going to be, I went over to the trap door in my bedroom. I opened it up and jumped out and landed on the ground. I made my way to my white truck that had been parked in the driveway for months. I had hardly driven my truck since being able to fly.
I started my truck and it put-putted a bit, and then started up nice. I decided to drive off the property to give it the whole pulling-into-the-huge-house-to-pick-up-my-date-bit.
I hadn’t been on too many dates in my life. But I still knew the drill. I parked my truck near the house and walked up. There was a rosebush out front so I decided to reach down and pick one off at the stem. It was a bit sad; the petals were brown, but what’s a guy to do on such short notice?
I walked up to the door and knocked. Cyrus answered the door. “Damn Josiah, you clean up quite nice.”
“Is Lena here?”
“She said you two were going out, but I didn’t realize you were going to go to this extreme,” Cyrus laughed.
“Lena, your date is here!” Cyrus yelled, like an obnoxious younger brother.
I stepped into the doorway. I looked up the stairwell and Lena was walking down. She was wearing a long black dress that was tight in the legs and waist. It was very sexy and very elegant. She looked incredible. She was actually wearing lipstick. I don’t think I had ever seen her wear lipstick. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her. My breath was pretty taken away.
She approached me at the bottom of the stairs and all I could say was, “Wow!”
“Wow, yourself,” she said, smiling. She had done her hair up real cute and she just looked incredible.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“Yes, I am.”
I was still holding the pathetic rose in my hand. “Oh yeah, I got you this.” I handed the rose to her.
“It’s… beautiful?” she said, trying not to hurt my feelings.
“You can say it. It’s the saddest looking flower you have ever seen.”
“It’s the thought that counts.”
I grinned and put my arm out for Lena to hold. She laid the rose on the counter. She took my arm and we walked outside the front door to my truck. I opened the passenger side door for Lena and she got in. She smelled wonderful. I walked around the back and made my way to the door. I opened it and got in. I looked to my right and Lena had put her seatbelt on. All I could do was shake my head at how amazing she looked. She had so much natural beauty. She was definitely not your typical California girl.
“You look like a million bucks,” I said.
“Josiah Reign,” Lena said, with a hint of playfulness in her voice. “Are you flirting with me?”
“I might have a little crush. I’ll let you know how it develops throughout the night.” I started up the truck and we were off.
We made our way to the freeway and I took the 15 freeway to the 10. The 10 freeway is a direct shot right into Los Angeles. I had made reservations at a restaurant near the theater, which keeps their kitchen open till one in the morning.
“So what are we seeing?” Lena asked.
“The Sharks vs. the Jets,” I said.
“We’re watching a football game?” Lena asked, disappointed.
“No dear,” I said. “Have you ever seen West Side Story?”
“The movie?”
“No, the cooking show on Bravo,” I said, jokingly. “Of course I’m talking about the movie, or musical for that matter.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the movie. I saw it in the ninth grade.”
“So did I,” I said excitedly. “Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how old the movie was when I watched it. It was in color and I thought it came out in the 80s.”
“No, it’s much older than that.”
“I know that now. I saw it in my ninth-grade English class and absolutely fell in love with Natalie Wood, you know, the actress that plays Maria in the movie. For some reason, it didn’t dawn on me that I might have a problem professing my newfound love to her. I went home and thought out exactly how I was going to tell her how I fell head over heels for her. I get on my computer and try to find a Natalie Wood website fan page. I was pretty saddened to find out she had died nearly 30 years earlier by drowning in a boating accident. I was heartbroken.”
“You poor baby,” Lena said, as honest and sincere as anyone could, considering how pathetic the true tale was. “That makes me so sad.”
“Why does it make you sad?” I asked.
“Your first love died thirty years before you even knew she existed.”
“She was definitely not my first love.”
“Oh, she wasn’t?”
“Nope, Christina Martinez was my first love,” I said.
“How old were you?”
“Five,” I said, proudly.
“Five?”
“She lived across the street. She used to play with her Barbies in the front yard while I pretended to play with my monster trucks across the street.”
