by Holly Hood
Ryan was no match for him in the looks department. Vinnie had an exotic aura, he was tan, his hair perfect, and he had an incredible smile. His body was almost superhuman, he thought. It was pathetic to even consider putting him up against the wholesome all-American white guy. He would never be caught dead in a polo shirt and baseball cap. He wore designer threads. He blew it off, making his way through the sea of people to get to Quinn and Jordan.
Charley and Adrian
It was dark out, and the brilliant moon illuminated his face as they talked. The pond glistening against the glare of the moonlight made for a romantic setting.
He’d told her how he’d worked for his dad’s construction company for many years, learning the skills he needed to eventually become the boss of his own construction company. His parents business had built nearly every tall structure from Ohio and beyond. Charley admired who he was and where he’d come from. .
“That’s really amazing,” she said.
She pulled his jacket closer to her body. She loved that he was the type of guy to offer his own jacket when she was cold. She was having a wonderful time and she didn’t want to go home.
“I don’t know about amazing, but it’s fun,” he humbly offered.
He noticed Charley’s nervous habit of touching her forehead and brushing her hair aside as she spoke. The smile on her face was nearly constant, and he loved how her face seemed to shimmer in the moonlight—all these things characteristics only added to her beauty.
“And what about you? You’re an editor for one of the biggest music magazines in New York. And don’t think I haven’t heard of them,” he said, complimenting her massive success in life. Not many girls her age could say they’d finished college, let alone that she ran the company on her own. He was amazed that she didn’t give herself the credit she deserved for such hard work. The job responsibility was enormous, and her family had no idea. Adrian thought it was absurd that Charley felt it would just complicate their opinion of her.
“I worked really hard to get where I am; it’s all I’ve ever wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy about it, but none of them understand. My mother did because she was the same way with her career as a psychologist. It’s all she ever wanted,” Charley said, wondering if she was talking too much.
“A psychologist?” Adrian asked.
“Yeah for over twenty years,” Charley nodded. Her mother’s life was consumed with everyone else’s problems. She’d never felt right telling her mom any of her own problems. She felt guilty about troubling her.
“I wonder how that would be to have a parent that could pick your brain.” He smiled thinking about it.
“Scary,” Charley insisted, with a smile of her own.
In spite of the cool night air, they made their way around the pond for the second time. He was so engrossed in everything she had to say that he’d almost forgotten how cool it was. He was thrilled with her willingness to share those parts of her life with him.
“Excuse me,” she said, taking her phone from her purse. He nodded, content with standing and waiting for her. She walked a little away for privacy, leaving Adrian to admire her from where he stood.
“Sorry about that, it’s my job,” she explained after ending her call. “I really don’t think I am going to make it another week here. They’re not doing anything I told them to,” she said, frowning.
“Looks like you better crack the whip,” Adrian teased.
“I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing such a thing,” she scoffed. She knew she didn’t have it in her to be overly demanding and nasty.
Adrian took her hand in his; she was freezing.
“Why didn’t you say you were freezing?” he asked, alarmed.
“Because I didn’t want this to end. I’m sorry if that sounds pitiful. I haven’t been out on a date in a long time and this is nice,” she said, feeling embarrassed.
“I’m just amazed you even agreed to go. And this is great, it doesn’t have to end. I told you whatever you want to do,” he said, not realizing he was still holding on to her hand.
“Anything, eh?” Charley asked, giving him a silly grin.
“Of course,” he said back.
“Come back to my house and watch a movie with me,” she said.
Adrian was thrilled she would suggest such a thing. He nodded his head in affirmation.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Charley asked, confused when he stayed where he was, her hand still captive by his. She didn’t mind in the least, it was sweet.
Adrian stepped closer, his chest nearly touching hers. She looked up at him feeling a bit awkward.
“Hi,” he said, smiling at the intimacy.
Charley smiled, knowing what was probably going to happen next. She waited patiently. She noticed how tense he suddenly seemed. He grazed the side of her face with his hand as his fingers made their way to her hair. She lifted her head a little just as his lips met hers, accelerating her heartbeat. He continued kissing her slowly, his soft lips so delicately meshing with hers.
Adrian got chills as her breathing raced with every move he made. Her lips met with his over and over again until she began to hold back. Sensing her hesitancy, he stopped kissing her.
“You ready?” he asked, as they broke apart. Charley’s cheeks were flushed. She nervously finger-combed her hair and gave him a nod. He chuckled at her reaction to his kiss.
“Are you okay?” Adrian asked. She’d hardly said a word as they made their way back to his car.
“Fine,” she said, looking away.
“Did I go too far back there?” he said, pointing back to where they’d just shared the most incredible kiss.
“No, you were perfect. It was perfect. I told you, it’s all new to me,” she explained. She’d just shared the most amazing kiss with an equally amazing guy. She hadn’t expected that, and she was so flustered she could easily climb into bed and hide her head under the covers.
“Wow,” Adrian said. She’d just called him perfect.
Everly
Everly waited until Vinnie was far away before going back to Ryan.
“So you’re engaged. Congrats on that one. I’m happy for you,” Ryan said. Sarcastic much? She knew him all too well.
“Yeah…I’m sure you are. What happened to you and Beth? I thought you guys would be together forever,” she said. She didn’t mean a word of it. She wished since the day he chose Beth over her that the little bitch would catch some flesh-eating face rash or inadvertently set her hair on fire.
“It’s like I told you back then, Ev. I had to see if it would work out, and it didn’t. Life goes on, right?” He smiled and continued giving her the once-over.
He was the same as he’d been when they were together—tall and brooding. She’d always thought of him as a big meathead, albeit a pretty one. He had great eyes, sweet lips, and an acceptable body. Most people had considered him a hothead, but she’d thought he was gentle and misunderstood. But not anymore, she told herself as she avoided his gaze.
“Well, I wish you the best, you look great,” he said, He grazed her arm as he turned to get another beer from the bartender, leaving Everly to stew in the irony of things.
“Let’s go,” Vinnie said, snagging her arm. Quinn stood behind him wearing the look of death on her face, her irritation showing on every part of her body.
Everly watched her mow Vinnie down, pushing past them both to get out of the bar.
“What’s going on, now?” Everly asked Jordan as he met up with them. The look on his face matched Quinn’s.
“I don’t know about you guys,” he said, ignoring Everly’s question altogether, “but I’m ready for bed.” He wasn’t about to explain how their significant others had just nearly knocked each other’s head off in a hostile, sex-filled rage. He also wasn’t going to bring up how pissed off he was that they both thought he was an idiot.
Vinnie rolled his eyes, watching Jordan exit the bar. Quinn sure knew how to get to him. Yeah, h
e might have said one too many rude things to her, but he was pissed at her sister and it was easy to take out his anger on Quinn. He wondered if she had it in her to admit to their little romp in the laundry room. Once again, the alcohol took over, leading him down the path of destruction. When Quinn wouldn’t accept his subtle flirting, he’d snapped.
The four of them silently rode home in the speeding taxi.
Ethan
Ethan sat at the kitchen table, spinning his cell phone, a phone book open on the tabletop. He was debating on calling Angelina. It had been years since he’d seen her. He wasn’t sure if she’d be happy to hear from him, but he wondered if she might be able to give him any insight into Sam’s character.
He dialed the number, telling himself the worst that could happen was she could say no. He had always treated her nice, given her respect. Maybe he didn’t give her the sex she’d wanted back then, but he was young and hadn’t wanted to be that kind of guy.
“Hello?” a female voice answered. He tensed up, contemplating disconnecting the call.
“Angelina?” he asked.
“Yes?” she said back, sounding annoyed.
“This is Ethan…I uh…I’m in town…thought maybe you’d want to meet up. I have something to talk to you about. It has to do with my mom.” He slapped himself on the forehead as the phone went silent. Waiting for what seemed like forever, she finally spoke.
“I’m heading out the door in five minutes. I’ll see you in a few.” Ethan was relieved she agreed to meet with him. He threw on his jacket and headed for the door, hoping their meeting would go well.
Angelina had been his first crush. She was a pretty blonde, a bit of a tomboy, and very confident. He’d always thought she’d fit in well with his siblings.
“Hey, long time no see,” she called out as he approached her on the sidewalk. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She looked a lot different from how he remembered her. She wore eye shadow and lip gloss, and had traded in a t-shirt and sweatpants for tight jeans and a form-fitting jacket. He stared at her legs, decked out in black boots that stopped just at her knee. It looked like something Quinn would wear. Angelina had become a very sexy young woman.
“Yeah, it has been a long time. You look very different,” he said.
She pulled him in, hugging him closely, her fruity fragrance filling his nose. She even wore perfume. He was beginning to wonder what else had changed. Maybe she wore those sexy panties like the girls back home.
“Is that a good thing?” she asked, sizing him up with her dazzling blue eyes.
“Yeah, yeah I meant it as a compliment. You used to be such a tomboy. I don’t think there was much we did besides play baseball at the park all summer,” he said, remembering how often the boys in the neighborhood picked on him for hanging out with her. But to him she was way more fun and she threw a mean curveball.
“Well, you’ve changed too, Ethan. You’ve gotten even hotter. I knew you would. You even have facial hair,” she said, touching his face.
He smiled, loving her compliments. He was glad he’d called her now. Once he started thinking with the correct body part, it dawned on him why he’d called her to begin with.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” she said.
“Yeah, thanks. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Ang. There are some things I’m trying to figure out.”
“Such as?” she asked.
“The man in the newspaper. Do you know anything about him?” Ethan asked.
Angelina was concerned that he’d bring up Sam to her. Why her? She knew it was most likely the town gossips that had convinced him to find her—not his interest in seeing her again. She’d had a crush on Ethan—he had been her best friend. She’d never had sex with anyone and had always wanted him to be her first. But, he would always chicken out when they were alone, leaving her feeling rejected over and over. But now he wanted to ask her some things about his mom. She had always liked Sandy; it was the least she could do.
“A couple years ago when I worked at the grocery store, he came in there all the time. He was kind of nice and we’d talk here and there. He started coming more often,” she recalled.
“Well, it is a grocery store; people do that,” Ethan said, getting annoyed.
“He would buy odd items--gloves, rope, condoms, wine, candles…” she said as she sat on the steps leading up to a neighbor’s house.
“Ok, that’s not too weird, is it?” Ethan skeptically asked.
“A little, yes, but that’s not it, Ethan. One day when I was out with friends, I ran into your mom. She was with that man, and she wasn’t happy to see me…it was written all over her face,” Angelina explained.
Ethan plopped down next to her. An affair? His mother had an affair with the man they pegged as her killer?
“But they said he was the one who did it,” he said, his voice low. He felt sick. He never thought his mom would be unfaithful to his dad.
“That’s always the first person to be suspected Ethan, and I thought that until he came into the store again. He begged me to keep quiet and to not trash her name. He said that he loved her. I told him to leave me alone. I felt sad knowing they were together, but at the same time, I don’t think he is the one who killed her,” she said with confidence.
Ethan mulled this over in his mind. An affair? He could most absolutely have been the one who killed her.
“I think they have the right man,” he said, standing up. He didn’t want to talk anymore.
“I think he really loved your mom. I felt it. He really wanted to hold on to what they had. I think the real killer is still out there somewhere,” Angelina said.
“Then why would you have anything bad to say about him? My neighbors told me you were talking about him,” Ethan snapped, turning to face Angelina.
“Because I knew her and it scared me. I knew way too much and now she is dead. I panicked. I thought it was the man who came through my line all the time.” She stood up, moving to stand by him.
“I’ve got to go,” Ethan said.
“Will you come around more often?” she asked. He was clearly distraught. It was plainly written all over his face.
“I have school. I don’t think I will be back that often. And I really don’t want to be. I’ll call you, Ang. We can keep in touch that way.”
Angelina watched him leave. She felt bad that she’d ruined his impression of his mother. It was the truth, though, and he deserved to know. She was certainly no expert in these matters and she could be wrong. Maybe the police did have the right guy, but Angelina didn’t think so. She believed he wanted nothing but the best for Sandy.
Charley
Charley looked up from the couch as Ethan came in the door. He said nothing as he stomped up the stairs. What was his problem?
“Is he all right?” Adrian asked her, staring toward the staircase.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’s fine,” she said, resting her head back on his shoulder. Adrian resumed the movie, trying to act like he was watching it, when all he was really doing was thinking about her. He grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers.
“What?” Charley asked, looking at him. He shook his head, trying to play it off.
“I’m going to be bummed when you go back to New York,”he told her.
She felt the same way. They’d had a great time, and she’d be heading back home soon. She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be coming back this way anytime soon, either.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you. We can keep in contact by phone. Maybe I could fly out and see New York sometime. You can be my tour guide or something. I’m just looking out for you. I know how bored you get,” he teased, trying to lift the mood.
“That sounds good. I’d really like to see you in New York,” she said.
Adrian swallowed hard, the gnawing urge to kiss her finally pushing him over the edge. He leaned toward her face, their noses touching. He ran his hand down her neck, stopping at her shoulders. His heart raced as her han
ds found his chest. He began kissing her gently as he ran his hand through her hair. Her breathing quickened and she pulled him closer. His heart pounded like a drum as his male instinct kicked in and his kisses deepened. Charley pulled away.
Charley tried to calm her breathing. Kissing him was powerful, sucking her in like a drug. She needed to pull it together and thought it best if they ended the night. Before she could do that, though, she needed one more kiss.
He obliged her that kiss. She took his hand and tightly squeezed it. They both fought the urge to become overly excited but continued softly kissing one another.
Vinnie stumbled up the sidewalk, feeling like the enemy as they all made their way up to the house of death. He glared at the back of Quinn’s head, willing her to face plant on the stairs as she bounded up them.
“Get off my heels!” Quinn shrieked at him, moving faster up the stairs.
Opening up the door Everly gasped at the sight of Charley and Adrian quickly pulling away from one another. She smiled to herself knowing they’d hit it off. At least one of them was happy tonight, she thought as she headed to bed.
Everly and Vinnie
Vinnie put the last of their luggage into the trunk. Staring smugly at his accomplishment, he hadn’t even woken up Everly. In just a few short hours, they could be on their way.
He stared at the house, finding Quinn waiting for him. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting this morning. It had been several days since he’d push her too far. He wasn’t normally one to apologize and he really saw no point in it now that he was pretty sure he and Everly were over. She hadn’t said so, but he sensed it.
“Back to Maryland?” Quinn asked.
“Back to normal,” he said, nodding his head.
“You seem ready to go,” she said, crossing her arms neatly across her chest. He had a feeling she wanted to say more.
