Where You Are

by Alla Kar

  “Okay, I’ve got to take a piss, can you do the last three?” Jacks shoves the clipboard in my face. I guess it was a rhetorical question.

  Going to the next name, I scoot down the line. She isn’t standing behind her section, so I skip to the next name. “No,” I whisper, shaking my head.

  Lachlan Hems. I must have massacred a family in my past life. Biting my lip, I glance up over my glasses, searching for him. Maybe he didn’t show up. Maybe he decided it was lame. He did cook a lot when we were in high school. He was so good at it. The cupcakes he made for me after we found…no, don’t even think about it.

  Quietly, I place the clipboard on the table that is his. I sigh in relief to see he isn’t in sight. Maybe he will sign and turn it into Dr. Phillips. I’m almost in the clear when I feel eyes land on the side of my face. I don’t look, I turn and run toward the door. I wish I didn’t have to run. I wish I could turn around and plow into him. But, I don’t.

  I can’t.

  I run. Pushing through the crowded YMCA, I don’t stop until I’m in the alley next to the building. My legs are burning and my throat is on fire. How do track runners do it? I would be out in the first ten seconds.

  I’m half-limping and panting like a dog when I feel a rough, calloused hand wrap around my upper arm. I’m pushed against the alley wall in the next second.

  “Laney.”

  God, just hearing his voice makes me weak. Breathing in and out a few times, I keep my glare down. He is close…a little too close. His chest is rising and falling quickly. It’s the first time since graduation that I’ve really seen him…been so close to him. I’ve dreamt about having him close to me again. Having his lips on me, having him lying over me, making me scream his name.

  His white T-shirt is snug, giving me a perfect picture of how hard and tight his chest is. He’s gotten bigger, his once bulky frame is massive, muscular, hard, and hot as hell. My mouth isn’t cooperating with my mind…it won’t open.

  “Laney, look at me, luv. Please.”

  Goddamn it. I want to touch him. I want to feel him. I let out a breathy sigh and look him in the eyes. The green is still as transparent as I remember, so beautiful. The worry line in the center of his brow straightens out. A small smirk rises from the corner of his full lips, rising up his chiseled jaw.

  “Why have you been running from me, Laney?” he asks, sliding his fingers against my jaw, slowly, leaving a burning trail of lust behind.

  Again my mouth won’t open. Instead, I shrug. Biting my lip, I look for a way out. There isn’t one. He has me pressed against the alley wall. “What happened to that yabber I’m used to? I know you have something to say, Laney. Say it.”

  His tone makes me mad. Raging, even. “Don’t tell me what to do…you, you Aussie.” Wow, that was a good one, Laney.

  Lachlan leans toward me, hands on either side of my body, and laughs. It’s hard, rough, and makes my panties wet. “Luv, you haven’t changed a bit. How have you been?”

  Hiding my shiver, I narrow my eyes. Is he seriously so calm this close to me? I feel like I’m going to combust. His hands are so big. His forearms are rubbing against the sides of my arms. “It’s none of your business. What are you doing here, Lachlan?”

  Tilting his head, he scoots closer. “I’m in town for Lucas’s wedding. But, I’m pretty sure you knew that from last night.”

  Why bring it up! “Don’t even say anything. It was an accident.”

  “I never said it wasn’t, doll. I just thought you may have forgotten since you were too busy trying to escape. Then undressing for your little boyfriend in the bathroom.”

  Anger boils under my skin. How dare him! He doesn’t know anything about Aiden, obviously, because he would know that I would never truly date him. Conjuring up my fight, I push against his chest. He takes a few steps back but not enough for comfort.

  “He is not my boyfriend, you asshole.”

  “No? Maybe you should tell him that. He seemed to have his hands all over you yesterday.” His jaw is clenched shut. He is angry. Well, join the fucking club.

  I point my finger toward his face. “You have no right to show up here and judge me. If I want to date the devil it would be none of your fucking business.”

  He laughs, loudly, running his fingers through his hair. The edge of his shirt rises, showing washboard abs and tanned skin. “Of course it’s not. You didn’t even give me a chance to make anything my business.”

  Throw up. I’m going to vomit. Grabbing my stomach, I screw my eyes shut. Do no talk about that. Do. Not. Do. It. “Shut up,” I scream. “Stop talking about it. Just. Stop.”

  “Laney.”

  Shit. I open my eyes and look to my left. Jacks is standing a few feet away from us, hands pushed down into his jeans pockets.

  “Oh,” Lachlan says, pointing toward Jacks. “Is this another one of your boyfriends? Does he get to help you make decisions?”

  “He isn’t my boyfriend! And he wouldn’t have to help make decisions if you kept your promise like a normal person!”

  Lachlan is livid. His breath is heavy, his fists clenched. He looks dangerously beautiful.

  “Do you want me to come back?” Jacks asks.

  “No,” I shake my head. “Let’s go. I can imagine myself anywhere else but here. Let’s just go.” I turn on my heel and march toward the car. I don’t turn around and look at Lachlan, because I may cry. I don’t need any tears, not in front of Jacks.

  Jacks unlocks the car for me and I scoot in, burying my face in my knees. I hear Jacks start the car and then we pull out.

  “You want to talk about it?” he asks.

  “No.”

  Jacks sighs and runs his hand over my back. “Okay, well, let’s go get that ice cream. Ice cream makes everything better. Always.”

  The ice cream parlor is close to empty. I can’t remember the last time I came out just to get ice cream. Whoever said ice cream makes it all better is full of shit. Sure, it tastes great but it only hides the pain for a few minutes.

  Jacks is almost done with his double scoop chocolate cone when he glances over at me. “You going to tell me who that guy was?”

  “Do I have to?”

  “If you want a ride home.”

  I narrow my eyes and flick a piece of cone at his face. “His name is Lachlan. I dated him for two years during high school.”

  Jacks waits for me to continue.

  “That’s it.”

  Jacks snorts. “Sure, that is so not it. The way he was looking at you, like he was taking off every single piece of clothing with his eyes. What else happened? He seemed pissed. To be honest, so do you. Was it a bad breakup?”

  I nod. “Something like that. We just…had some issues. Then he moved back to Australia before we made it better. But it wasn’t going to get better. Not then. Not now.”

  “Weirder things have happened, kid. You going to eat all of that?”

  “Don’t buy a girl ice cream then take it away. That’s like taking candy from a baby. But, I promise it won’t be that easy.”

  Jacks laughs and raises his hands in surrender. “I’ll remember that. So we have to go back to the Cook Off Tuesday, you know that, right? Lachlan might be there. What are you going to do?”

  I hadn’t thought about it. I don’t want to think about it. Eating the last bite of my cone, I wipe my hands on my napkin. “Don’t know. Avoid him. Maybe we got it all out of our system today.”

  “Really? It didn’t look like you guys resolved anything but how much you have the hots for each other.”

  Throwing my napkin at his face, I shake my head. “Shows how much you know.”

  “Oh what the fuck ever, Laney—” Jacks trails off, causing me to glance up.

  “What are you looking at?”

  Jacks points behind me, a smile rising on his face. Turning around in my seat, I see Aiden marching toward our table. Oh, fuck.

  “He looks like a man on a mission. Does he cheat off of you in class or something?�
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  “Wow, that makes me feel really pretty, Jacks,” I say, flipping him the bird. I wasn’t going to tell Jacks about my situation with Aiden. Because, being the voice of reason, he will definitely tell me to stop. It’s a bad idea. It is, but I’ve already, somehow, got him hooked.

  “Babe,” Aiden says, stopping in front of our table. “What are you doing here…with him?” he sneers down at Jacks.

  Jacks is biting his lip, trying not to laugh, a chuckle stuck in his throat. “Nice to meet you, too, bro,” Jacks says.

  Aiden turns his body toward me. “Are you two on a date…or something? I thought…I mean, I thought we were going to go out.”

  Okay, time to bump up my game. “Aiden,” I say, slowly. “We went out once…that doesn’t make us exclusive.”

  I can feel Jacks’ gaze on the side of my face. Aiden frowns and rubs his neck. He is debating what to do. He puts girls in this position every day, now it’s his turn. “Um, okay. Well, I guess I’ll text you later, then. Are you going home after this?”

  I nod. “Bye.”

  His jaw is open—I mean drool-coming-down-from-the-corner-of-his-mouth opened. I wait until he is back at his table with two other guys before I laugh. I turn around in my seat and look over at Jacks.

  “Please, tell me what perfume you’re wearing. Is there a male equivalent? You’ve got guys back to back. What in the hell was that all about? You went out with Aiden? What the hell has happened to you? Did you fall? Concussion? Lose a bet?”

  I slap a ten down on the table and stand up. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you on the way home.”

  I was right. Jacks lectures me the entire way home. Of course, I knew this wasn’t a good idea, but a little alcohol and him making Bethany cry changed my mind.

  I finally escape Jacks’ criticism and get to my room. Bethany is waiting on my bed with a big bowl of popcorn and two drinks. “Hi, friend,” she says.

  I sigh. I had really wanted to just come home and go to sleep. I’ve had the worse day possible, well besides yesterday, and now I had to give Bethany a rundown.

  “Hey, Bethany. We working on Aiden sabotage today?”

  She shakes her head and pats the seat next to her on my bed. “Nope. We’re hanging out. Grab a bowl, we’re watching John Tucker Must Die.”

  A coincidence? I think not. I don’t ask why we’re watching this movie, because it’s pretty obvious she wants to get some tips. I snuggle under the covers and lay back on my pillow. Bethany points and laughs, then asks if we can do any of the things on the show.

  I shake my head. “Aiden isn’t an athlete, so I can’t spike his energy shake. And no, I won’t kiss you to see if I can kiss or not.”

  She snaps her fingers. “Darn. Because, I was really thinking about jumping your bones.” She rolls her eyes. “Have you heard from him today?”

  “Have I?” I blow my bangs up. “He texted me all day today, not to mention Jacks and I ran into him at the ice cream parlor.”

  Bethany gasps, then turns toward me, and sits Indian style on my bed. “What? What happened? This is vital information, you can’t hold out on me.”

  “He was mad…asked me why I was out with another guy. I told him we weren’t exclusive. Then I got chewed out on the way home by Jacks. See, I’m not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea.”

  Bethany waves me off. “Whatever, Jacks doesn’t know what he is talking about. What’s our next move? Has he texted you since then?”

  Digging through my pocket, I pull out my cell. I have five new texts. Jeez. Two are from Heather saying she is on her way home and the other three are from Aiden.

  Aiden: Since I have competition, I guess I need to amp up my game. Want to be my date to the TKE party tomorrow night?

  Aiden: You there?

  Aiden: Please, I’ll make it worth your while.

  Bethany gets up on the bed and starts jumping up and down. “Yes! He always gets some ass during TKE parties. I can’t wait for you to turn him down. Woo!”

  I roll my eyes. “He won’t try it just yet. He’ll wait a couple of weeks, unless he has a death wish.”

  “Well, what’s our plan? Are you going to kiss him?” Bethany asks, her voice suddenly low.

  I shrug. “I don’t plan on it, but we can’t keep him coming if I turn him down every time. I may give him a peck, then go throw up in the bushes afterwards.”

  Bethany sighs. “He is a really good kisser. Watch out.”

  Doubtful. But, any kiss would probably feel like Heaven to me. I haven’t kissed anyone since…Lachlan. I haven’t wanted to. I can’t allow myself that pleasure. Especially not after what I did.

  “Well, I have some homework to do. I’ll come over before the party and help you get ready.” Bethany jumps up and heads toward the door. She turns once the door is partially opened. “Thank you for doing this for me. I appreciate it.” She smiles, then shuts the door behind her.

  Pressing my feet into the mattress, I grab my phone. I text Aiden quickly before I lose my nerve.

  Me: Can’t wait. Pick me up at nine.

  I glance down at my phone and look at his text.

  Aiden: I’ll be there.

  I scoff. “I just wish I wasn’t going to be there.”

  Chapter Seven

  Lachlan

  “I never meant to start a war,

  I just wanted you to let me in” – Miley Cyrus

  I touched her again. God, it’d felt so good. I don’t know how I controlled myself. I wanted to pry her lips open with my fingers and force my tongue inside her mouth. Shit, I’ve got to stop thinking about it, my dick is getting hard.

  “Is this a Baked Alaska?”

  A balding guy with a clipboard and name tag that reads “Dr. Phillips” leans over my dish, tasting it. He seems to be concentrating, so I almost don’t answer him.

  “Yes, sir, it is.”

  He lifts an eyebrow and glances up at me. “This is extraordinary. Are you Australian?”

  I give him a clipped nod “Yes.”

  “Hmm,” he mumbles, taking another bite. He slips a blue ribbon onto my table and pushes his glasses up his nose. “I’ll see you Tuesday.” He glances at the clipboard. “Oh, you didn’t sign the sheet. Those damn kids, they were supposed to make sure everyone signs.”

  Pressing my lips together, I take the sheet and sign it. “Thank you, Dr. Phillips. I’ll see you Tuesday.” He walks off, mumbling underneath his breath.

  He has to be talking about Laney. Her and that guy were making sure everyone signed the bloody sheet. Everyone but me, at least. She saw my name and took off. She ran, just like before.

  I knew I shouldn’t have gone after her, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to touch her, talk to her, be near her. She is just as beautiful as the first time I saw her in tenth grade. That ass…goddamn that ass. She was leaning over the career fair table, not paying me any attention. I’d asked her if she was aware her knickers were showing. She slugged me in the face. Yep, right in the face.

  I thought it would be funny. She didn’t get the joke. After slugging me, she got down on her knees and apologized thirty times. For someone so tiny, she packs a mean punch. It was all over from there. She accepted my apology and my invite to the movies that weekend. That was all it took.

  Pushing back my memories, I pack up my bag and head toward the door.

  ***

  Lucas and Savannah are both sitting on the couch when I get home. Both of their heads pop up and look at me. “So, did you make it? Are you going to the finals?” Savannah asks.

  I almost laugh. She seems so excited, considering she just met me. “Yeah, I made it.”

  “Damn, bro, I knew you could do it,” Lucas says, offering me a fist pump.

  “I’ve got skills. I just finished my Baked Alaska and it was all over with.”

  Savannah claps her hands and stands up. “I’m going to get in the shower really quick. You guys should pick out a movie. I’ll be back in a bit.” She scurries off t
o the bathroom and Lucas automatically glances up at me.

  “You saw her.”

  It’s more of a statement than a question. Is it that bloody obvious? Jesus, I’m such a pussy. “Yes, she was there…with some guy.”

  Lucas shakes his head. “Ouch, bro. Are you okay? Did you talk to her?”

  Sitting down on the loveseat, I swipe my fingers through my hair. “Yes, after I caught her. She ran. Just like old times.” I scoff. “I caught her in the alley. She wouldn’t look at me…Jesus, she felt so good. I barely touched her and I wanted to rip her bloody clothes off.”

  “Why didn’t you? You’ve never had a problem with girls, Lachlan. Make her want you. Use your magical panty-dropping accent. Make her give you another chance.” He grins, like he does when he gets a bullshit idea. “How about we crash a party tomorrow night. They’re having a fraternity party for the TKE’s at the school. Her date at the rehearsal dinner is part of the fraternity. She’ll definitely be there.”

  The thought of seeing her again gives me hope. “I don’t know—”

  “Come on. Win her back. Make her drop that asswipe Aiden.”

  “Isn’t he going to be family in a few days, Lucas? Maybe you should keep it down before Savannah hears. I’m not trying to force her to be with me, I want her to want me.”

  Lucas stands and slaps my shoulder. “She will want you, I promise. Just go in there and be yourself; she’ll have her panties down to her ankles in two minutes.”

  One can only dream.

  ***

  Laney

  “Just make sure you keep an eye on your drink. Do not take a drink from anyone. Do you hear me, Laney?”

  Pressing my fingers to my temple, I nod. “Yes, mother hen. I’ve got it. Do not drink anything anyone gives me, unless I see them pour it. I promise, I won’t.”

  Heather nods, reaching over and straightening my boobs in my dress. I’m wearing a Band-Aid dress, it’s obviously Heather’s. She finally decided she would let me wear it, if I promised no rips this time.

  The yellow makes my black hipster glasses pop, and these heels make my calves look amazing. “You look smoking, baby doll. I don’t think he’ll be able to keep his hands off of you.”