Pants On Fire

by Lacey Black

  I shake my head. “No, he doesn’t. We talked this morning, but I left out pretty much anything of any importance.”

  “Where are you staying when you get there?” Rachelle asks.

  “Well, honestly, I’m kinda hoping with him, at least for a few days until I can get a place of my own. If it doesn’t go well, then I guess I’ll stay at a hotel for a few nights.”

  Penny gives me an odd look across the booth. “Why would it not go well?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know, lots of reasons, maybe? First off, I don’t know how he really feels about me. We’ve never really discussed it other than a vague declaration at the airport. Plus, even though we’ve known each other for like twelve years, we only reconnected two weeks ago. A lot can happen or change in that short amount of time.”

  Kristie’s already nodding her head. “He’d be stupid not to want to be with you.”

  “True!” Rachelle adds, raising her glass once more. “To men not being stupid!” she hollers, drawing the attention of a few surrounding tables and booths.

  “And to them being better than average on the penis length scale!” Kristie throws out there. I’m pretty sure I hear a mom nearby gasp as she holds her hands over her young son’s ears.

  “Todd has a below than average penis,” Penny says, her eyes dropping to the table in sadness.

  I, on the other hand, have had enough booze to find her comment funny. Apparently, once I start laughing, I can’t stop either. “I’m sorry,” I reply, holding my hands up in surrender.

  She shrugs. “Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault he’s all talk and no girth.”

  Kristie giggles uncontrollably. “So why do you keep sleeping with him?” she asks.

  Penny looks her dead in the eye and says, “Because his tongue gets the job done.”

  We all burst into laughter, and another weight lifts off my chest. I’m going to miss these girls. We’ve hung out for a handful of years now, and whenever I look back on my time here, it’ll be with them in mind. Texts and the occasional phones calls won’t be the same, but we’ll make it work. That’s what friends do.

  “So, Penny, tell me about this tongue,” Kristie whispers, leaning in to hear all about it.

  She dives into sex-fused stories about my former co-host before I can stop her, so I just sit back and enjoy what’s left of my time here. Unlike a week ago, when I was leaving Tennessee, this time I smile. Sure, I’m sad to leave my friends, the girls I’ve grown close to during my time in California, but I’m moving on to something bigger.

  Something better.

  Something real.

  ***

  “Delta flight 8742 to Las Vegas, now boarding at gate 18.”

  I grab the suitcase I’d barely unpacked just over a week ago, and head toward my gate. I throw my empty paper coffee cup in the trash, wishing I’d bought a second one before takeoff. Not that I need the extra caffeine, but because there’s something about hot coffee that’s so soothing on my frazzled nerves.

  I’m nervous as hell for this flight, but that doesn’t stop me from taking it. I’m mere hours away from seeing Rueben. I’m not sure how he’s going to react when I show up on his doorstep, but I’m hoping elated and happy are a big part of it.

  I guess we’ll find out, right?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Rueben

  “American Flight 2411, nonstop to San Francisco is now boarding at gate 22.”

  I shoot my brother a quick text to let him know I’m boarding and stow my phone in my carry-on. I decided against bringing my laptop, even though a few hours of time on the airplane would do wonders for tidying up last minute details before my last day of work. Instead, I’ll use the time to catch up on a book I’ve been wanting to read, or at least, that’s what I tell myself. I already know my time inflight will be occupied the same way it’s been since I ran into Cricket again.

  My mind will be on her.

  Hell, I can’t even dream without her having the starring role. She’s everywhere, including my house. I see her in my room when I look at my bed and in the kitchen every time I use the Gatlinburg souvenir mug we each bought. I can’t even look at the hot tub without picturing our last time together. The way our bodies aligned perfectly and the soft gasps of pleasure that slipped from her lips.

  Adjusting myself discretely, I pull out my printed boarding pass and jump in line. I watch as the businessmen and women enter first, followed by families and priority boarding. We slowly move along, my mind trying to figure out the right words to say. What do you say to a woman you’re about to surprise with a visit and a possible love declaration?

  I’m hoping I get that figured out before I land.

  “Thank you, sir, enjoy your flight,” the polite woman says as she hands me back my scanned pass.

  With a quick nod, I head down the jetway and board the plane.

  Every step brings me closer to Cricket.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cricket

  My hands are already shaking as I follow the GPS on my phone to Rueben’s place. It’s mid-afternoon, the sun is shining high in the sky, and I’ll take that as a sign of happy, bright things to come. I have to. Otherwise, I’ll be even more nervous and probably wreck my rental car off the side of the mountain and die in a fiery crash before I can even confess that I’m falling in love with him.

  Speaking of rental car, it’s a little freaky to be driving up a mountain in a Ford Focus. I probably should have taken the advice of the voice in my head to get the bigger SUV. But when you’re spending a big chunk of your savings on moving expenses, you have to cut corners wherever you can, and for me, that cut came in the way of Focus versus Toyota Highlander.

  When I pull into the driveway, my heart starts to skip around in my chest like a kindergartener on her first day of school. Excitement and apprehension mix together, making it almost difficult to breathe. “It’s now or never, Cricket,” I whisper aloud, unbuckling my belt. I take a few deep, cleansing breaths and glance at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Today’s appearance is much better than that first time we ran into each other at the airport. My hair is up, yet stylish, and doesn’t reflect a big football helmet. I’m wearing comfortable leggings, which he seemed to appreciate every time I wore them before, and a cut cold-shoulder top. I even threw on a little makeup; a look that doesn’t scream late-night booty call.

  I take one last deep breath and slide out of the driver’s seat. When I do, I can’t help but giggle at the thought of Rueben trying to get his big, long body in or out of this tiny car. Squaring my shoulders, I shut the driver’s door and keep my eye on the prize…or the front door. It’s open, that beautiful mountain air moving through the downstairs as it did so often when I was here with him.

  A quick glance at the driveway reveals his SUV, along with one I know to be his brother’s. I’m not really enthused about doing this with an audience, but it is what it is, right? No turning back now. I’m sure he heard my car pull in anyway.

  As I take my first step up the stairs, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. Royce walks around the corner of the house, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging out. Almost in disbelief. Yeah, he’s definitely surprised to see me. I just hope his brother’s shock is of the happy kind. “Shit,” he mumbles.

  Okay, not really the response I was going for.

  “Hey, Royce,” I say, my voice a little shaky. “Sorry to just drop in on you guys, but I was sort of hoping to see Rueben. Is he in the house?” I step off the stairs and head toward the older Rigsby brother. He’s standing with his hands on his hips, watching me approach.

  “Uhh, no,” he says, running his hand over the back of his neck the way his brother does.

  Dejection sweeps through my blood as I take in how uncomfortable Royce looks. It’s like he doesn’t know what to say to me. “Oh. Okay. Ummm, do you know where he is?”

  Finally, he smiles. No, he doesn’t smile. He laughs. He bursts into a fit of hard, belly-shaking la
ughter, which causes him to double over and put his hands on his knees, confusing me that much more. He doesn’t say anything for a few long seconds, which turns into a minute. When his brown eyes finally meet mine, his dances with humor.

  “Funny story, Cricket…”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rueben

  I raise my hand and knock on her door. There’s music coming from the apartment, some slow melancholy bit by an artist I don’t know. My heart starts to pound a heavy beat, much like it did the moment I landed in San Francisco. It took me longer to get here, mostly because I struggled to figure out their public transportation system. I’m not used to cable cars and figuring out stop schedules, so after taking one wrong car, I finally was able to get myself close enough to Cricket’s apartment and just hoofed it on foot.

  Now, I’m here.

  Ready to claim the woman I’ve fallen in love with.

  When the door opens, I’m struck stupid and speechless. The woman in front of me is staring at me, expectantly, waiting on me to speak. “Uhh, hi?” I say, my words coming out a question.

  The woman is pretty with her long dark hair pulled up in one of those messy buns and a tight T-shirt and black yoga pants. The problem is she’s not Cricket. She gives me a smile. “Can I help you?”

  I glance behind her, as if waiting for Cricket to magically appear, or at the very least for the camera crew to jump out and scream “gotcha!” I find the small apartment filled with boxes, some opened and discarded, while others stacked up along the back wall, waiting to be unpacked. A man walks around the corner and gives me an inquisitive look. “Can we help you?” he asks as he approaches the door and throws his arm over the woman’s shoulder.

  “Sorry, I must have the wrong apartment,” I mumble, glancing down the hall and checking the number on the door.

  “Who are you looking for?” the lady asks.

  “Cricket Hill?”

  Why did that come out a question?

  “Oh, she doesn’t live here anymore,” she replies.

  Wait, what?

  She gives me a grin. “We just moved in today. We’re subleasing.”

  I’m not sure how long I stand there, but it’s long enough to make them uncomfortable. Finally, the man says, “So…” leaving it hanging open for me to finish.

  Clearing my throat, I ask, “Do you know where she went?”

  They both shake their heads. “Sorry, no. The moving van was here this morning when we arrived to get the keys. She was gone about an hour later.”

  My heart drops to my shoes. I can’t believe she’s…gone. I mean, we talk all the time and she never once mentioned moving. Maybe that’s a sign that our relationship isn’t what I thought it as, wasn’t going to the place I had hoped. It’s not sadness I feel take root in my chest, it’s utter despair.

  “Oh, okay. Well, thank you,” I tell them, taking a step back and then another. The couple watches me go, finally shutting the door when I reach the stairs to head back down to the ground.

  Outside, the air is thick and almost gloomy, which is par for the course, considering my sudden mood. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that. It wasn’t her being gone completely, without so much as a goodbye or kiss my ass.

  My phone rings in my pocket, and a part of me wants to let it go to voice mail. When I see Royce’s ugly mug on the video chat, I almost do just that. I don’t even want to talk to him right now, let alone have him on video chat. The asshole will be able to read my features from a thousand paces, and that’s not something I want to get into right now. Right now, I just want to figure out how to get back to the airport. I didn’t book a return flight yet, in hopes that I’d be able to stay a few days with Cricket. But now? Now I can’t wait to get the fuck out of the city and home to Tennessee.

  When the call hangs up, a text message arrives.

  Royce: Answer the fucking phone, dickhead. I have something for you to see.

  I’m pretty sure I don’t want to see whatever it is he wants to show me, and the moment the second video call starts ringing, I almost hit decline. But I know the jerk won’t let up and will probably keep calling and calling until I finally give in.

  That’s why I swipe my finger over the screen and paste on my best ‘I’m fine’ grin.

  “Hey,” I reply, taking a seat on the front steps of Cricket’s building. Or her former building.

  Royce smiles so big, all I can see are teeth. “Hey, little brother. How’s it going?” he singsongs like a fucking lunatic.

  “Fine.”

  “Fine? Really? Have you been to Cricket’s place yet?”

  I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I could totally lie and tell him I haven’t made it here yet, or I could tell him the truth, that she’s not here anymore. Both options suck, if you ask me. I don’t make it a habit of lying to my brother, and I’m not really in the mood to listen to his “it’ll be okay, there are plenty of fish in the sea” speeches right now.

  “Uhhh…” I reply, glancing around as if by some miracle, Cricket will appear.

  “Listen, so the reason I was calling was to tell you a visitor just showed up.” He’s still smiling. I want to punch him in the face.

  “Okay,” I reply with a shrug. What’s he getting at?

  “Damn, what a hot little number she is too,” Royce says, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “And since you’re not here, I might as well keep her entertained, right? I mean, isn’t that what a good big brother does?”

  “Stop torturing him!” I hear, just as a hand appears on the screen and hits Royce in the arm. That’s when I stop breathing all together.

  The phone is jostled around until the most beautiful sight fills my screen. Way better looking than my brother. “Hey,” Cricket says, a gorgeous smile on her face.

  “Hi,” I reply, sitting up straight and grinning myself. “What are you doing there?”

  Cricket shrugs. “I was in the neighborhood…”

  “Yeah? You just happened to be in Pittman Center?” I ask. Why am I smiling so big?

  “Actually, yes. I just moved here.”

  My blood swooshes in my ears. Did I just hear her right? “Really?”

  Cricket nods. “Yep. I start a new job in Gatlinburg in a week.”

  “A new job, huh? Doing what?”

  “I’d rather tell you about it in person, but you seem to be…not here.”

  I glance back at the front of her former building. “Yeah, I decided to take a little trip.”

  “I see that. So…how long are you staying in San Francisco?”

  I stand up, collect my bag, and start walking down the sidewalk in the direction I originally came. “I’m not.”

  “No?”

  “Nope, I’m headed home. As quickly as I can get there.”

  Now she’s smiling again. “Good to hear.”

  Reaching the end of the block, I glance around at the street signs, wishing I’d have paid better attention the first time. “Go left for three blocks and take the next trolley,” she starts, giving me step by step directions to get to the airport quicker.

  “I’ll text you when I have my flight booked,” I tell her, elation rushing through me like a tidal wave.

  “I’ll pick you up at the airport,” she says.

  “I’ll keep her company until you get home!” my asshole brother hollers from the background.

  “You’ll keep your filthy hands off her!” I yell back all in good fun. I know my brother wouldn’t actually mess with Cricket, but still, his comment causes an automatic reaction.

  Cricket shakes her head at our banter. “I’ll see you soon?” she asks, nibbling on her bottom lip.

  “You can bet your sweet ass you will,” I confirm as the cable car pulls up. “I have something I want to say to you.”

  She grins again. “I have something to say to you too.”

  “See you soon, Cricket,” I tell her, and as much as I want to add a declaration of love, I hold back. That’
s not something I want to do over the phone, even if we’re on a video call. When I finally tell her how I feel, it’ll be with her standing right in front of me, when I’m able to kiss her and hold her close.

  “Bye, Rueben.”

  After we hang up, I smile the entire way back to the airport. I don’t care how much this impromptu trip has cost me. It’ll all be worth it to tell her how I feel.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Cricket

  I yawn, but I’m not tired. Not really. I’m nervous and excited, all at the same time. His plane just landed, and I’ve started to pace in anticipation.

  The airport is practically deserted as the clock strikes just after one in the morning. Unfortunately, Rueben wasn’t able to get an immediate flight out of San Francisco, and the first one available wasn’t a direct flight. They took him on a trip to Denver first, before finally sending him back to me in Tennessee.

  Royce helped me get settled in Rueben’s room, and even though I don’t have confirmation that I’m staying with him, the older brother insisted, swearing Rueben would be okay with it. He even made me dinner, even though I wasn’t really hungry. Nerves reigned supreme while I waited for Rueben’s flight details and then for the hour I could go pick him up. Royce offered to go with me, considering the flight wasn’t landing until one a.m., but I insisted he go home and sleep. Royce ended up staying until it was time to go back to the airport, and honestly, I’m grateful. It was nice to have someone to talk to to help pass the time, especially since he filled me in on all his younger brother’s most embarrassing moments growing up.

  Now, Rueben’s flight number shows landed, and I’m waiting for him just outside of the security checkpoint. A few people head my way, pulling small carry-on suitcases and travel bags. My heart starts to pound as I scan each face, looking for the one that makes my heart skip a beat and brings a sense of home.

  I hear the pounding of feet echo through the mostly empty corridor, and when I glance up, I see a man running my way. Not just any man. Rueben. He’s carrying a duffel bag and making his way through the security checkpoint exit, darting around two businessmen in suits and offering a quick “excuse me.”