“Shit,” I said in a tiny voice I didn’t think he heard.
“That wouldn’t quite cover it Mercy, because you got some ‘plaining to do,” he said taking a line from the old black and white television series ‘I love Lucy’, I watched occasionally when nothing else could be found on over four hundred cable channels. That is always interesting to me that nothing fascinating can be found to watch on a gazillion cable channels.
“What?” I said in response to his bad imitation. I was truly confounded by his words.
“Paul admitted he kissed you, but he also yelled back that you didn’t stop him,” he said in dramatic fashion glaring at me.
“I,” stuttered the word, “I was stunned.”
“Yeah, ok. I’ll leave that for now.”
“But Luke being the trusting sort came up here after Paul left with a crying Amber. I followed him to referee if needed.”
I dropped my head in my hands. I felt really bad. All because of me Amber was hurting. I understood what it was to hurt for someone.
“Don’t start,” he said firmly. I looked back up so he could see my dry eyes. Content that I wasn’t going to cry he continued. “When we finally made it back you were asleep. Luke, really drunk, passed out next to you.”
So based on the story Flynn was giving me Luke and I hadn’t actually made up. He’d come up here but was he planning on confronting me again?
“I don’t know what happen after that because I left him with you to shut down the party and take Amanda home.”
I finally found my voice. “Why’d you come back?” I asked really confused by this new side of Flynn.
“I had to check on my best friend and you,” he surprised I asked.
“And?” I said thinking there was more.
“Well, when I got back the two of you looked quite cozy. But from the looks of it, you didn’t wake up until now.”
I nodded.
“Don’t worry. Luke is the forgiving sort. You didn’t start it so that says something,” he said. I dropped my head further and held my forehead. “Hey, he puts up with me and he thinks I’m a scoundrel.”
I wondered after getting to know Luke better how they could be friends. I shook my head. “I need to get home before my mom kills me,” I said.
“Don’t sweat that either. Maggie said something about telling her parents you all were sleeping over your house. She just needs to make it home by ten so her parents won’t call your mom for any reason.”
“I should wake her up and get home,” I said looking back up at him.
“It’s seven in the morning, Merce. You’d look suspicious coming home this early.”
“Seven,” I said. I had to admit he was right. I needed to do something then. “I can’t just sit around.”
“I have an idea. Follow me.” He got up and I followed him all the way to the kitchen.
“You want me to cook,” I said dryly.
“We have to eat and besides you owe me,” he said.
“I can’t just cook in Luke’s kitchen without permission,” I said.
“Luke won’t care. He just had a huge party with people all over his house eating and drinking all his stuff.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. I was a bit hungry as well. I pulled the large doors of the stainless steel refrigerator with the brand name SubZero and inspected the contents inside.
“Cook enough for seven and remember four of us eat hardy.”
Seven, I thought. I could count five of us if Brent stayed with Maggie. And where was she? I hadn’t seen her and I wondered where she was bunked up. Who were the other two? Flynn was read the metal calculation on my face because he answered my question before I asked.
“Jay and Kathy stayed as well,” he said.
They were my first guess but I wasn’t sure. “Why’d you take home Amanda?” I asked truly curious. Everyone else seemed to be paired up. Flynn didn’t strike me as a guy not to take advantage of every opportunity.
“I wasn’t in the mood,” he said. Mood for what I thought. But I decided I didn’t need the answer.
I pulled open cabinets searching for the tools of my trade. After a quick exploration I decided to make eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I started working while Flynn sat on a bar stool at the counter watching me.
“What do you think about the lake trip?” he asked.
I stopped and looked at him. “I’m not sure what to think,” I said honestly.
Seriously, at first I couldn’t imagine spending a week with Flynn. But now, I wasn’t so sure. He was such a different person than what he projected at school. He’d been there for me when no one else was.
“It won’t be bad,” he said. “You may even have fun. We have a hot tub.” Then he said something like that to remind me of the Flynn I loved to hate.
I rolled my eyes and continued to work. Cooking soothed my soul, I truly enjoyed it. I was able for a little while forget my predicament, concentrating on fixing a great meal. Flynn didn’t say much more, so I thought about the vacation. This whole trip had been sprung on me but maybe I would have a good time.
“Make sure you pack for hanging out and usually there are a few parties to go to,” he said. I eyed him. I wasn’t used to so much socializing with anyone except my inner circle of Paul and Maggie. Hanging out with the elite was still very new to me.
“Can you start some coffee?” I asked, Flynn who sat being useless. Well that wasn’t truthful. He was full of information.
“Not sure I can, the machine looks complicated,” he said cocking an eye in the direction to the right of me.
Following his field of vision, I turned to eye the espresso machine. Luckily, I’d watch an infomercial one time for a similar machine I was curious about. I left my pancake batter and stepped in front of the machine. Taking a guess, I opened a cabinet above it getting coffee grounds. Sure enough they were there. Tinkering around a bit, I successfully made one cup and offered it to Flynn for a taste test.
“Not bad, you’re some Suzie homemaker,” he said holding up the cup in a mock toast. I had to smile at his comment.
“How do you like your eggs?” I asked. I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was around Flynn. I had completely forgotten my demon until it began to stir under Flynn careful scrutiny.
For a split second his mouth moved but I didn’t hear his words. A hunger not for food watched his mouth with utter fascination. I closed my eyes pushing the undesired thoughts back. The world came back to me with a rush of sound. I ended up asking him to repeat himself. He hesitated, then did without question. Concentrating, I didn’t look at Flynn. Timing was everything when it come to great cooking. As long as I didn’t look into his handsome face, I could hold the succubus at bay. Not even a minute passed after I slid Flynn’s eggs on to a plate did Mr. and Mrs. Jay walk in looking way to good to have woken up only minutes before.
“Coffee, Eggs?” I asked then pointed to some pancakes that were ready to serve. As attractive as Jay was, he I looked at him, my demon did something very strange. It hid inside me. I didn’t question it, grateful for the reprieve.
With their request made, I tackled the espresso machine for two more cups and scrambled eggs for the couple. Brent and Maggie walked in soon after. Maggie came and gave me a hug that let me know she was aware of what happened last night. She gave me a knowing look too but didn’t say anything. Before long I felt like a short order cook.
“Man, I heard you could cook, but I didn’t really believe it.” Brent said. Did guys gossip as much as girls or did Maggie talk about my cooking to Brent?
“It’s just breakfast,” I said humbly.
“Oh, Eme can burn. She cooks better than my mom, who’s a pretty good cook,” Maggie said. There was my answer. Maggie comment made it clear that she hadn’t talked about my cooking until now. So It wasn’t her who’d spread the rumor. But it was nice to hear my best friend sing my praises.
“Great breakfast, Mercy,” Kathy said in a sultry voice. I didn’t often
pay attention to her voice but it was certainly noteworthy.
“Thanks for cooking,” Jay added.
“You’re welcome,” I said, when the room went very silent. I stiffened knowing who must have entered the kitchen behind me. There was only one person missing. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Had he forgiven me or did the crazy drunk Luke from last night come back to haunt me this morning.
Arms came around my waist in a familiar gesture and the fear I felt dissipated. “Morning,” he said in my ear. His voice held no trace of anger. Relief seemed to flow through the air. Everyone returned to eating and making light conversation.
I put my hands on his hands and held on thankful for the contact. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.
Movement to my side caught my attention. Kathy and Jay had lifted their plates and moved from the bar area. They went and sat at the large table on the other side of the island with the others. I wasn’t sure why Luke and his mother needed a table that large in their kitchen, but I assumed that it was put to good use for times like this when friends were over. Conversation heated up but not loud enough so that whatever we said wouldn’t be heard.
“Coffee, Eggs” I asked not giving him a chance to respond. I instinctively shifted into my short order cook routine.
“Coffee,” he said letting me go.
“Espresso,” I said. Not waiting for his answer I moved over to the machine not yet wanting to look in his eye. So far he’d been behind me. I felt guilty somehow, maybe because Flynn and Paul were right. I hadn’t pulled away from Paul’s kiss. And yes, I did have feelings for Paul but I wouldn’t act on them. I needed his friendship more than a relationship that may not last forever. He’d be going off to college next year as would Luke. I knew our friendship could continue if we left things as they were. My hands shook as I made the coffee.
“You know how to use that machine?” Luke asked curiously. He moved over to where I stood. I shrugged. My hands were definitely unsteady. I spilled some of the completed cup on the counter. He took the tiny cup from me and looked me in the eye for the first time before taking a sip.
“We should talk,” he said softly. “But not now.”
I nodded and moved to the stove to finish the pancakes. He came over and set his cup down and leaned in to kiss me. His lips were quick and firm on my mouth before he pulled away. I’d let him but I didn’t kiss him back.
“You sure you don’t want eggs?” I asked then bit my lip. My nervousness confirmed that it was important to me that Luke and I worked things out.
“Pancakes are fine,” he said and put a couple on his plate and sat at the table.
I straightened up a bit not wanting to sit at the table. There was no way I could eat. Seeing him, brought all that happened last night back. He wanted to talk and I feared what would be said. I waited until conversation was in full swing before disappearing from the kitchen unnoticed. I slipped upstairs back to Luke’s room because I knew where it was and what to expect.
I went into his bathroom straight away and close the door. Inside this time, I hunted for toothpaste. I pulled a few drawers and presto I found what I needed. I lathered my teeth with paste using my finger, rinsed and gargled. Satisfied, I washed my face with warm water making sure no makeup was left over. Pulling out my balm, I gave my lips a fresh coat and topped it with gloss. Letting loose my ponytail, I bent over finger combing my hair back into a better pony. I gave myself a final look over and a quick breath test. I looked ok and my deodorant had held up. I considered a shower, I just needed to get my clothes from Maggie’s car first. In the mean time, I was decent.
I opened the bathroom door, jumped holding my heart and nearly let out a scream from shock. Luke was standing by his bed so still, he almost looked like a ghost. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom clutching my chest as I heaved large breaths.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said looking edible from across the room. Edible, damn the succubus was alert.
“No problem,” I said between breaths trying hard to maintain control.
He fidgeted with his hands. “I wanted to check on you. You just left. And maybe we can talk because I could tell you are nervous or upset.”
“No, I just needed to use the bathroom and this was the only one I knew where to find.”
He let his hands fall to his sides. He looked directly at me. “You didn’t kiss me,” he said. I understood what was left hanging. I was nervous and I didn’t kiss him. What did it all mean especially with the Paul confession still dangling?
I knew what I wanted. I knew last night. As much as I had feelings for Paul, I wanted Luke. I was so sure of it. A few tentative steps forward follow by another few until I was moving with sure steps. When I reached him, I put my hands on his shoulders. Standing on the balls of my feet I planted a kiss unyielding on his mouth. He or I or both lost our balance and we fell back on the bed with me on top of him.
His arms wrapped around me but there wasn’t urgency. I pulled away and rolled off of him. “I’m sorry for that.”
He smiled. He held my hand and we stared at the ceiling. I wished he wouldn’t have asked what he was about to. I wished I’d kissed him again before he did. But life wasn’t always that easy.
“So what happened Friday?” His question was asked with patience.
I gave his hand a quick tight squeeze. I had to start from the beginning even though we briefly talked about some of it in his car at lunch. “Truth is, I’m not sure. I saw you there when we pulled into the parking lot that morning and I just wanted to kiss you. So I did and apparently it was enough of a shock that people paid attention. You walked me to class and I made the mistake of watching you walk away.” I paused, smiling at the memory. He had a nice ass that looked good in jeans and I couldn’t help myself. What was weird is that I confessed it to him so easily. I looked at him to see his reaction to my admission. His smile was hesitant. So I bit my lip not wanting to go on with the truth.
Continuing I looked away and said, “I was just about to head into class when Paul dragged me off around a corner. He said few words and then he kissed me. I was off guard because I never expected it. It all happened pretty quickly and he stalked off leaving me to wonder what the hell had happened. Apparently Nina saw and took it upon herself to hurt all of us by blabbering. And that pisses me off.”
“Would you have told me otherwise?” he asked cautiously.
I had to pause on that. Initially I might have said no, but truthfully I would have shared it with him. “Yes,” I said.
“So that’s it. There’s nothing between the two of you?” he asked.
I didn’t answer right away because that was the million dollar question I hoped he never asked. I didn’t want to lie to him but the answer was complicated. When he started to uncurl his fingers I jumped to answer. “I am not sure of his motives. I hadn’t talk to him yet. We’ve been friends forever. I never expected this,” I said in a rush.
“Why’d you break up with him?” he said with his hand still in mine.
There is a saying goes turnabout is fair play. He never answered my question about Nina, so why should I answer his. But, I guess since I was the one who was kissed it was a valid question to ask. I wasn’t giving up finding out the answer to my question but I knew now wasn’t the time for that fight.
“It could never work between the two of us. He knew it and I did too. So we became best friends and that’s how I want it to stay.” I turned over on my side to look at Luke in his eye. “I want to be with you.”
He did a quarter turn resting on his elbow and said, “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” I said with no hesitation.
He reached his hands to my face and pulled me to him. He kissed me deeply now. I lost all thought when flames burst under my skin. I was sure I had a fever now because I was red hot. I felt like a rocket ship headed into space. Whenever I kissed him, I saw more than a few stars. I saw millions. I saw the universe.
I put my hands
on his chest and was surprised by the taut muscles I felt through his shirt. He pulled me to him and we rolled until I was on top of him again. My hands slid up his arms feeling his biceps and triceps.
His hand tugged on the band of my hair freeing it. It spilled over haloing his face. His hands were in my hair as we kissed. Then his hand made a slow and steady journey south but stopped at my lower back just at the waist band of my jeans. He made no move to venture further and I wondered if that was deliberate.
Mercy, the succubus, however found that she wanted his hands on my flesh. I knew I was in trouble when I was thinking of myself in the third person. I fought the urge to take off my shirt. The succubus was battling me for control again. Struggling couldn’t describe how hard I fought to maintain control.
The door to Luke’s room opened but that didn’t stop us completely. Slowly he rolled me onto my back and disengaged us.
“I’m sorry for last night. I was drunk and upset but there’s no excuse for my behavior.”
I looked away remembering what happened and closed my eyes. Opening my eyes, I noticed his bedroom door was closed again. I didn’t know who opened it but guessed the only one bold enough to walk in without knocking was Flynn.
“It’s alright,” I said after a long moment looking at the ceiling again.
“No, it’s not. And I want you to know that I’m not expecting anything from you,” he said with conviction.
“I know,” I answered meeting his eyes. I honestly believed him.
His eye searched mine. I saw the his doubt. There was a long pause before he said, “You don’t believe me, but I’ll prove it to you.”
I took his hand. “We both made mistakes yesterday. And I trust you. And hopefully you trust me to deal with Paul. I don’t want to be the cause of bad blood between the two of you.”
He looked away from me. “He made his choice.”
“I’m not so sure. Something may have happened between him and Amber that made him act that way. I know him and it so unlike him to do something like that,” I said.
Beg for Mercy - kindle edition v3 Page 13
