An Exceptional Twist

by Kimi Flores

  We can be friends, she reminded herself for the millionth time.

  “Thank you for a lovely evening, Stefen.” At the sound of her words, he looked up, a mischievous grin on his face like he knew she spotted him staring.

  She smiled at him. “I’ll call you later about Saturday.”

  “I can’t wait. Tonight was great. Thanks.”

  He bent forward, and she wasn’t sure what to do until his soft lips grazed her forehead, teasing her heart and causing her head to spin. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a moment to enjoy his mouth on her delicate skin.

  As difficult as it was, she pulled away, thanked him once again, then she carefully walked up the back stairs that lead up to her apartment. At the door, she turned to wave, melting at his sexy smirk. He was so damn gorgeous, it was almost excruciating to look at him. But more than that, she loved the look behind his passionate gaze.

  Stefen was more than what he outwardly showed, and she would do anything to get a hold of the vulnerable man behind his façade.

  Closing her eyes for a moment, she reminded herself. He’s not staying. You have to stop thinking like this.

  She shut the door behind her, removing her shoes as she thought about how every eye was on him tonight. No wonder he was so damn cocky. Everyone practically bowed down to him.

  She imagined it would always be that way, too. No matter where he went, people were bound to fall all over themselves just to be near him.

  Please, heart, she begged, don’t pick him.

  When she opened her eyes Wednesday morning, Leah was thankful she'd decided to take the day off. She still hadn't caught up on her sleep from the previous weekend. All week, she hadn’t been able to get Stefen out of her mind. Her head was spinning, remembering how warm his chest was in the cool, crisp air and how his soft lips felt against her forehead.

  She assumed they still had plans for Saturday, but hadn’t talked to him to confirm. When she called him two days ago about the details, all she got was his voice mail. Leah wasn’t one of those clingy girls that needed a guy calling her non-stop, but it had been five days since they’d spoken.

  Not that I’m counting.

  Her fingertips rubbed at her temples as she paced back and forth, worried she’d made a mistake by inviting him. Attracted to him or not, she needed to keep in mind that it was just idiotic to think that anything could happen.

  Her cell phone vibrated, forcing her from her anxious thoughts. Abby’s beautiful face appeared on the screen with her gorgeous husband's lips plastered to her cheek, and the ocean in the background.

  A wide grin broke out on her face as she texted back.

  Leah: Having a good time?

  Abby: The best!

  Leah: I get to spend some girly time with your daughter today.

  Abby: Please give her a big hug and kiss from us

  Leah: Will do. Enjoy your honeyman. Oops—honeymoon ;)

  Abby: Oh I am ;)

  Leah laughed giddily, thrilled that her best friend had found the man of her dreams. Placing the phone down on the counter, she spun it back and forth wondering when she would be as lucky.

  Enough feeling sorry for yourself, you’ve got a great day ahead of you with a sweet little girl. The pep-talk was enough to get her to walk away from the phone.

  She turned on her iPod for her usual morning ‘get ready’ dance, and she sashayed into the bathroom.

  Gliding the mascara wand up her eyelashes, she heard the phone ringing. Nervous butterflies flopped around her belly when she read the caller ID.

  Stefen.

  Taking a breath, she casually answered, “Hey, Stefen. What's up?”

  “I just talked to Madison’s grandmother, and she said you were going to hang out with Madison today.” His voice was flat and he sounded disappointed.

  Why? “Yep, we’re having a girls’ day out.” She began to scan through her closet for an outfit.

  “Oh. I was hoping to hang out with her for the day.” He really sounded bothered.

  Pausing her search, she thought, well, this was awkward. He’s not calling about me, he’s calling about the little girl I’m spending the day with.

  Deflated, she toyed with the idea of him tagging along. It couldn’t be too bad… “You’re welcome to join us. I doubt you’d want a mani or a pedi, but you may enjoy the aquarium.” She didn’t need to mention the dance studio portion of their planned outing.

  She heard him sigh. “I don't want to intrude, but if you really don't mind, I'd like to go.” Confidently, he added, “Believe it or not, men get mani-pedis, too.”

  Leah pulled the phone away from her and stared at it, then pushed it back to her ear. “Seriously? You want a mani-pedi?” Then she remembered how nicely groomed his hands were, and it mostly made sense.

  Huffing, he retorted, “Hey, don't judge me just because I care about my appearance.”

  That he did. But Leah had never met a man that went to the nail salon. “All right. I’m picking her up in a few minutes. Where do you want to meet?”

  “Why don’t I come get you in fifteen?” he suggested. “Bring a swimsuit, and we can hit the pool before we eat.”

  “Um…” She stalled. Did he just take over their girly day?

  Taking in a deep breath, she pictured him in those board shorts and nothing else. She suddenly found herself practically drooling into her bathroom sink.

  Sobering herself, she thought hard about it. Did she really want to be around a half-naked Stefen today?

  But she reminded herself—Madison would be there. It’ll be fine.

  “Fine,” she sighed. “I have one more place to be this evening so I’ll have to play the swimming part by ear. See you in a bit.”

  After ending their call, she gathered a towel and a change of clothes, shoving them in a bag for later. She changed into her bathing suit, just in case they had a chance to swim before her class, then she slipped a sundress over it and toed on a pair of flip flops.

  With one more check in the bathroom mirror, she brushed back a few strands of stubborn flyaways and thought, I care way too much about what I look like around him.

  There was a knock at the door, and the flutters were back.

  But the feelings he’s pulling from me are way more concerning than my looks are.

  Stefen tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the music playing on the car radio as they passed all of the shops on State Street. Suddenly, a car darted out of nowhere, cutting them off as it sped away.

  Hitting his breaks, Stefen threw his arm out, attempting to keep Leah from flying forward. “You okay?” Concerned covered his voice.

  Quickly nodding, she pressed her hand to her erratic heart and breathed out through her mouth, “Yeah that just caught me off guard.”

  He nervously chuckled, “No shit. Me too.” Goosebumps broke out on her skin when he ran his hand down her arm before returning it to the steering wheel.

  “Oh, make a left here.” She pointed to a shortcut. “You won’t have to deal with the traffic light if you turn here instead.”

  “Good thing I have my tour guide with me.” He placed his hand on her bare thigh and pulled back quickly as though he felt the same jolt of electricity she did.

  That’s weird.

  Casually glancing over at him as they pulled up to Madison's grandparent's house, Leah wondered how he could look even more gorgeous every time she saw him. Clean shaven today, his beautiful lips puckered as he was lost in his own thoughts. Those stunning hazel eyes turned to catch her, then dropped down to her legs that were still tingling from his touch.

  He gave her an approving smile. “Ready?”

  “Yep,” she muttered, blowing out a heavy breath.

  Stefen walked around the car to open her door. Again, ever the gentleman. Her dad was the only other male that had ever treated her like a lady, and she couldn't help but smile whenever Stefen did the same.

  They walked up the pathway that led to the front door. Leah loved all of
the beautiful flowers that surrounded the Victorian-styled house. Before they had a chance to knock, Madison’s grandmother, Grace, opened the door wide.

  She glanced back and forth between them, grinning widely as though a grand idea had just come to her. Her warm, inviting smile was sprinkled with a dash of mischief. She tucked a strand of her graying blonde hair behind her ear as if she were tucking a thought back for later.

  “Hey guys, come in.” She motioned them in. “Let me tell Madison you’re here.” Grace continued to grin as she turned, leaving them in the open doorway.

  Stefen and Leah looked at each other questioningly, then Stefen shrugged his shoulders.

  Madison came running, “Uncle Stefen! Auntie Leah!” Squatting at the same time, they both hugged her. “I’m so asited that you boff came. Uncle Stefen, there's my bag, let's go.” After lisping her cute words, the little girl grabbed Leah's hand and started pulling her out the front door.

  They both laughed, and Leah tried to get her hand back. “Hold on, sweetie, we need to say goodbye first.”

  “Oh sorry.” Madison bounced over to Grace, then gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Bye, Grammy.”

  “Bye, honey.” Grace’s eyes crinkled up as she smiled at her granddaughter. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Stefen picked up the princess bag that was packed and waiting by the door, said goodbye to Grace, then followed the small girl to the car.

  Leah hugged Grace as the wise older woman spoke in her ear, “That Stefen sure is a looker, isn't he?”

  Leah put two and two together. Ah, that's what Grace was smiling about.

  Pulling away from, Leah sighed. “He is. Unfortunately he’s totally aware.” She raised her eyebrows.

  Grace grinned knowingly. “You know Caleb and Stefen were cut from the same stone.” She patted Leah’s hand, taking on a more serious tone. “Caleb didn't realize what was important in life until he met my Rene. She changed his whole outlook. Stefen has a good heart but tries to hide it. Just watch how he is with Madison.”

  The car door was open, and they watched him buckle Madison into her booster seat with such love and care, kissing her on the forehead before giving her a quick tickle.

  “Uncle Stefen, no fair. I’m trapped.” Madison squealed as he snuck his head back in and kissed her nose.

  He closed the door, shaking his head. It was obvious he couldn’t hold his smile back.

  Smoothing Leah’s shoulder, Grace wistfully added, “He just needs a good woman to get to the real man underneath.”

  Leah swallowed, not liking where this was going. “Then I really hope he finds that woman someday,” she said pointedly. It certainly won’t be me. But as she watched him hold the car door open, she took in a sharp breath, shook her head, and smiled. Damn. Maybe he wasn’t for her, but she’d certainly enjoy looking at him for as long as he was here.

  Oh, sweet torture.

  “Yeah, me too,” Grace said mischievously, observing how Leah blatantly ogled him.

  “Um, okay I'll see you later, Grace.” Leah stepped off of the porch and waved, a bit flustered.

  At the car, Stefen leaned over, whispering, “What was that about?” His breath tickled her neck, and goose bumps broke out over her hypersensitive skin once again.

  “Just girl talk.” She shrugged, backing away a bit, his eyes holding her captive.

  A gentle breeze swirled around them, carrying subtle scents of his cologne. Exhaling through her nostrils, Leah refused to let his scent further cloud her emotions. She wondered what was on his mind when he smiled, winking as he closed her door.

  Glancing out the passenger window, she spotted Grace watching from the front porch, giving Leah an all-knowing smirk. Sorry, Grace. No. Leah had already seen Grace’s matchmaking skills in action with Abby and Caleb. Grace would never let this go without giving it her best shot.

  Sighing, she sunk into her seat.

  Stefen slipped into the driver’s side, tapping the steering wheel excitedly. “Okay, where to?”

  Leah looked straight ahead. “Go over to Mission Street, and I'll guide you from there.”

  This is such a bad idea. I shouldn’t have agreed to this. Now she was stuck.

  Will he get the wrong idea?

  Who flipping cares, she told herself. It didn’t matter what Stefen thought. As long as she kept the boundaries where they were.

  “Are you enjoying your ‘man-icure’, Stefen?” Leah crinkled up her nose and giggled with Madison. They’d been teasing him since they walked in.

  “Why, yes I am,” he admitted, slightly sarcastic as he raised his chin. “Thank you for asking.”

  He hid a wince. The knobs in this massage chair were killing him. Possibly causing internal bleeding at this very moment. They were on their way up his spine, and he sucked in a grunt, trying to find a new position.

  This was by far the most painful backrub ever.

  “You okay over there?” Leah’s features softened. Her long dark hair flowed over her shoulder, and the compassion in her eyes made his discomfort fade away.

  “Fine.” He grimaced when the rotating knobs from hell started their downward path.

  The male nail technician began to massage Leah’s feet. Relaxing, she lay her head back, moaning softly. It was quiet, but Stefen sure as hell heard it. He fantasized about rubbing her feet, slowly trailing his hands up her calves then thighs and…son of a bitch how the hell do you turn this fucking chair off?

  Stefen was relieved when he found the right button on the remote. Finally, he could sit in peace.

  The older gentleman digging his fingers into Leah’s arches smiled at Stefen, speaking his broken English, “You are boyfriend?”

  That got Leah’s attention. She snapped her head up and gazed between the two men.

  “No, just friends,” Stefen answered.

  “Why you not boyfriend?” The smile on his face said that he was clueless to the fact that his nosey ass prying was making both Leah and Stefen uncomfortable.

  I’d rather suffer through the chair of torture than these questions.

  Stefen glanced over to Madison. She was completely oblivious, giggling with the girl painting her fingernails. Leah bit her bottom lip and avoided eye contact with him.

  “Because we’re friends. That’s all,” Stefen grit out, gripping the chair, thankful the knobs were no longer moving. Glaring at the guy, Stefen realized that his intentions were innocent. He wasn’t trying to make them feel awkward, he was simply making small talk.

  Peering down at his feet, he groaned inwardly at the cotton candy pink color of his toes. Earlier, when Leah had asked Madison to select a shade so they’d match, those sweet brown eyes turned to him and he melted.

  “Yeah, let’s all have the same colored tootsies!”

  He never could tell her no. Damn. At least he’d be stuffing them in his tennis shoes when they left.

  Once every toe was painted, Stefen strolled over to the cashier, unfolding a wad of bills.

  Leah called over, eyes wide. “You’re not paying.”

  He held back a smile. “I'm the one who intruded. I’ll pay.” If you only knew how I’d love to spoil you.

  He handed the young, petite cashier the bills, and padded toward his chair in the thin foam flip flops he was still wearing, post-pedi.

  Madison snickered into her hand while Leah’s laughter broke through the scowl she’d been holding. He knew he looked ridiculous, but he strutted back as confident and manly as possible.

  Madison skipped along as she held onto Stefen's fingers with one hand and Leah's with the other. People smiled at them as they past, probably believing they were a happy little family. Her heart warmed, imagining she would have this someday. Even though today’s picture was a facade, she couldn't help but relish in it.

  They’d reached the pier and walked to the aquarium. Stefen whipped his card out first. Does he really think he can buy me? Leah didn't like that he paid for everything. Her mom raised her to be indepe
ndent. A woman who could take care of herself. If she was on a date, that was different.

  But they were not on a date.

  Stefen noticed her defiant stare. “Please don't make that face. Money isn't an issue for me. I like paying.” He shoved his wallet into the back pocket of his grey khaki shorts.

  She shook her head, directing Madison into the door. “Let’s just go inside.”

  Stefen followed close behind. His hand accidentally brushed her arm, and she felt the heat of his body. If he doesn’t back the hell up, I’m gonna turn around and do something I’ll be sorry about. She wasn’t sure if she would push him away or pull him in closer, but either way, she would regret it.

  Taking longer steps to create some distance, Leah walked with Madison into the aquarium when the foul fishy stench hit her instantly.

  Madison didn’t miss it either, pinching her nose with her tiny fingers. “Ewww. Why does it smell all stinky in here?”

  Leah snickered at the muffled sound of her voice. “That’s the way ocean animals smell, honey.”

  “Well, it’s gross.” Her face scrunched together in disgust.

  Leah bent forward and wrinkled her nose. “I agree, but they’re worth the stink. You’ll see.” She rubbed Madison’s soft brown hair. “Let’s check it out.”

  Madison pulled on the hem of Leah’s dress, dragging her over to a sign with information on how to donate to the aquarium.

  Pointing to the banner, Madison questioned, “What’s that say?”

  Leah touched each letter as she sounded out the word, “A-qua-dopt.”

  Scrunching her face again, Madison said, “I never heard-ed that word ba-fore. What’s it mean?” Stefen let out a quick breath behind her, stifling a laugh.

  Leah glanced over her shoulder at him, giggling silently at Madison’s cute pronunciations. “It’s a made-up word, but means that you can help pay to take care of the animals here.”