Freeing Asia

by E. M. Abel

  She and Monica were catching a cab together. Jamie had already dragged Margo home about an hour before, and Sharon had left soon after they did. Nick and I were the only ones left. We sat at the bar, nursing our beers, as soft music played in the background.

  “I think I’m in love with Luke,” Nick confessed into his glass of beer.

  My head popped up, and I looked at him with a goofy grin plastered on my face. “Oh my god, Nick! Yay! Now, we’re both in love!” I squealed as I wrapped my arm around his shoulders.

  “No, yay! No, yay! This isn’t good, Asia. Love is not good,” he said before taking another sip.

  “Sure, it is! Love is awesome!” I said back although the word awesome came out more like aweshum.

  Nick shook his head violently, making it hard for me to focus on him.

  “No! Love fucks up everything. I have to stop. I have to stop being in love with him right now.”

  I laughed and smacked my hand down on the bar in front of us. “You can’t stop loving him, Nick! It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Well, I’m going to,” he insisted. He took a big gulp of his beer, and some of it dribbled down his chin.

  I shook my head before I rested it in my hand, staring off in front of me, as I thought about Marcus. “Love is awesome,” I whispered, probably looking like a lovesick fool.

  Nick suddenly stood up and threw some cash on the bar. “I need to go. Are you catching a cab with me?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m supposed to call Marcus. He said he would come get me.”

  “Okay. I’m gonna go use the restroom, and then I’m leaving. You good?”

  I nodded, and he leaned over to give me a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  “Love you, Ais.”

  “Love you, too, Nick.” I smiled up at him before he staggered off toward the restrooms. “Love is awesome!” I yelled behind him, earning a few smiles from other customers.

  Fumbling through my purse, I found my phone and called Marcus.

  “Hello?” Marcus answered in his raspy voice.

  “Hey, sexy!”

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Um…I’m drunk, and I’m ready to come home. Will you come get me, pleeease?”

  Marcus chuckled. “Yeah. You still at The Lounge?”

  I nodded.

  “Babe?”

  “Oh! Yeah…yeah. I forgot that you can’t see me.”

  Marcus chuckled again, and I could hear his keys jingling in the background.

  “Okay, I’ll be there soon. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I hung up the phone with a big, cheesy smile and put it down on the bar. I looked up at the male bartender mixing a drink in front of me. “That was my boyfriend. I love him.”

  The bartender glanced up from the drink and smiled back at me. “Lucky guy.” He winked at me and moved down the bar to give his customer the drink he’d just prepared.

  I sighed and giggled to myself as I sat alone and finished my beer.

  I woke up with one of the worst hangovers of my life. I was alone in Marcus’s bed, wearing nothing but my panties. The sun was shining in through his window, and I covered my eyes with my hands as I groaned. I heard movement in the hallway, and then Marcus’s footsteps entered his room. He came and sat next to me on the bed before running his fingers through my hair.

  “Here, babe. Drink this.”

  I peeked one eye open and saw he was holding a glass of water for me. I groaned again before putting my face back down into the pillow.

  Marcus chuckled and rubbed my back with his rough hand. “Come on, sit up.”

  Sighing, I slowly moved to a sitting position against his headboard, pulling the sheets up to cover my breasts. Marcus handed me the glass of water and two pills. I grimaced up into his smiling face before taking them.

  “I’m never drinking again,” I whined as I held the glass down in my lap.

  “Finish it,” Marcus ordered.

  I rolled my eyes at him before complying and downing the rest of the water.

  “Good girl.” He smiled again as he took the glass from me and put it on his nightstand.

  “Why are you so happy?” I asked Marcus as I pulled the sheets up higher on my chest.

  “You were drunk last night.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I muttered sarcastically.

  “You’re fuckin’ hilarious when you’re drunk.”

  I put my palms to my forehead and groaned again. “Oh god. What did I do this time?”

  Marcus laughed. “Well, for starters, half of the city knows you love me now.”

  I peeked up at Marcus through my hands. “Oh god,” I whispered.

  Marcus chuckled as he tucked my hair behind my ear. “I had no idea you thought I was so awesome.”

  “Oh god,” I moaned this time.

  Marcus kept laughing. “Come on. You need to get out of bed, so I can feed you. Shaun’s meeting us at the beach in an hour.”

  I dropped my hands in my lap and winced when the sun hit my eyes again. “What?”

  “You heard me. Now, get that sexy ass out of this bed, so we can go surfing.”

  I moaned and shook my head. “Uh-uh. No way. I’m too hungover.”

  I started to slide back down into the bed, but Marcus stopped me by grabbing my hips through his sheets. I blinked up at him.

  “Do you know how long I’ve waited to touch you in your bikini? Do you know how many times I’ve fantasized about fucking you on the beach? You’re coming.”

  I blinked again before my eyes widened. “We can’t—”

  “I know we can’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy watching you on the beach, knowing you belong to me. Now, I can touch you whenever I feel like it, and trust me, Asia, I’m going to feel like it.”

  Despite my throbbing headache, I could already feel myself getting aroused from Marcus’s words. I licked my lips and gave him a small smile.

  “I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” He leaned down to give me a soft kiss before he walked out of the room.

  I watched his ass as he went, and I sighed as I fell sideways onto his pillows. I guess I’m going surfing.

  After being forced to eat scrambled eggs and a piece of toast, I got dressed in my black bikini and pulled on a pair of small yellow cotton shorts and my favorite faded black Wu-Tang Clan T-shirt. After I pulled my messy hair back into a high ponytail, I brushed my teeth and splashed cold water onto my face.

  When I got out of my bathroom, my surfboard wasn’t in its usual spot, so I grabbed my bag, stuffed a towel into it, and went into the living room. Marcus was walking in the front door when I reached the end of the hallway. He was in a white T-shirt and a pair of dark green Rip Curl boardshorts, looking sexy as usual. He grinned at me as I headed toward him.

  “Did you move my board?”

  “It’s on my car already. You ready to go?” he asked.

  I leaned into his side and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I grumbled.

  Marcus wrapped his arm around my shoulders and leaned down to kiss the top of my head before smacking my ass. “Well, get movin’ then.”

  I sighed and hiked my bag up onto my shoulder before slipping on my flip-flops and following him out the door.

  About an hour later, I was passed out on my towel under the hot sun with my T-shirt covering my face. I woke up when I heard some movement next to me, and then I started to feel drops of cold water landing on my stomach. I peeled my T-shirt away from my eyes and squinted in the harsh sunlight. I could see Marcus’s silhouette above me as the sun was shining all around him. It was like being woken up by a dripping wet, sexy surf god. Lying there, I admired my view until Marcus leaned down and started shaking his head back and forth, spraying me all over with water, like a wet dog.

  “What the fuck, Marcus?” I squealed as I sat up.

  Laughing, Marcus lunged forward, tackling me into the sand. As he started tickli
ng me, he teased, “Time to wake up, babe!”

  “Stop! Stop! Please! I’ll get up!” I yelled between giggles.

  Marcus stopped and stood up, holding out his hand for me to grab.

  “Just let me drink some water first,” I said, reaching for the water bottle Marcus had brought for me. I gulped down the entire thing as Marcus watched me.

  As soon as I moved the bottle from my lips, he said, “Okay, you’re taking too long.” He bent over, put his shoulder to my stomach, and lifted me up before taking off toward the water.

  My butt was sticking straight up in the air, and I was kicking and screaming for him to put me down before I puked. He ran into the cold waves, and my screams got louder as I felt the shock of the freezing water against my hot skin. When Marcus was waist-deep, he bent his knees and dunked both of us under. I wiggled out of his grasp, stood up, and wiped my wet hair out of my face.

  “You’re such an asshole! You could have at least given me a chance to get used to the water first!” I yelled at him.

  He was just kneeling in the water, chuckling. “Your nipples look really sexy in that bikini.”

  Reaching out, I swiped at the water and splashed Marcus in the face.

  “Oh, you wanna play?” He started crawling toward me.

  “No! No!” I cried as I turned and tried running into the waves.

  Marcus wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me backward, and dunked me again. Lifting my head up, I spit out salt water and turned around in his arms, trying to wrestle my way out. He just laughed as he grabbed me, forcing me to straddle his lap. I finally gave up when I realized I wasn’t going anywhere, and I crossed my arms over my chest. As Marcus’s eyes flickered down to my boobs, a wicked smile curled onto his lips.

  “You’re so sexy when you’re mad,” he told me, smiling as he stared up into my eyes.

  His eyes looked so light as they sparkled in the sun reflecting off the water. I smiled at him as I thought of a way to get him back.

  Leaning down toward his ear, I whispered, “I’m not on my period anymore.” I began circling my hips on top of his.

  Marcus licked his bottom lip before I tilted my chin down and kissed him. I slid my tongue into his mouth and slowly caressed his as I continued moving my hips back and forth against him. He moaned, and I could feel him getting hard underneath me as he gripped my back with his long fingers.

  I bit his bottom lip and then moved my hand down into the water between us. As I began stroking him through his shorts, Marcus let out a low growl from deep in his throat. He closed his eyes, and I squeezed my hand around him, stroking him harder. I leaned back down, kissed him chastely on the lips, and then jumped up and took off running toward the shore.

  “Hey!” he yelled after me in protest but I was already out of reach.

  When I made it to the dry sand, I turned around, laughing, as I looked at Marcus sitting where I had left him. He would probably have to sit there for a while before he could come out.

  “Keep laughing! Get it all out now because you’re in for it when I get out of here!” he warned.

  I bent over with my arms across my stomach, as Marcus stayed in the water, shaking his head. When I looked up again, I saw Marcus standing up, so I turned around and ran toward our towels. Marcus caught up to me and picked me up. I was laughing so hard that I could hardly breathe when he laid me down in the warm sand. Putting his weight on top of me, Marcus was watching me laugh when we heard Shaun’s voice.

  “You guys gonna stop fuckin’ around and surf, or what?”

  We both turned our heads to look up at Shaun. He was standing beside us, soaking wet, with his board under his arm.

  “You guys hungry?” I blurted out, trying to find a way to escape the awkward situation.

  Marcus peered down at me with amusement dancing in his eyes and a smile playing on his lips.

  “Well, I’m hungry. I’m gonna go get a burger. You guys want me to get you something?” I asked.

  Marcus gave in and rolled off of me to sit in the sand.

  “Yeah, get me a double quarter pounder with cheese, large fries, and a coke,” Shaun said, tossing his board down next to our towels.

  I turned to Marcus who was crouched down with his forearms resting on his knees.

  “You want something?”

  He smiled at me for a few seconds. “Yeah, I’ll take the same thing.”

  “Okay.”

  Standing up, I starting pulling on my shorts when Marcus tried to hand me his wallet.

  “I got it,” I told him as I grabbed my shirt off my towel.

  “Asia, take the damn wallet.”

  “I said, I got it.”

  Marcus gave me a look, and I took his wallet.

  About twenty minutes later, I was walking down the beach with a tray of sodas in one hand and two bags of food with Marcus’s wallet in the other. I could see a group of people standing around our towels. Marcus was still sitting in the same spot he had been in when I left, and Shaun was sitting next to him. A blonde was next to Shaun, and a few girls were standing around near her. Dank, Andre, and Slim, all friends from high school, were in front of them, holding their surfboards under their arms.

  When Marcus saw me, he stood up, and I came to a stop next to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and bent down to give me a peck on the lips.

  “Hey, babe,” he greeted me, smiling, as he took the tray of drinks from my hand.

  I could feel everyone’s eyes on us.

  “Hey.” I grinned back at him before looking around the group.

  “What’s up, guys?” I muttered toward the surfers in front of me.

  “What’s up, Puff?” Dank asked.

  “Hey, Asia,” Andre replied.

  Slim just lifted his chin toward me.

  I tossed a bag of food at Shaun, and he caught in his lap. I could still feel all the girls staring at Marcus and me, but I tried to ignore them. I put the rest of the food down on my towel and gave Marcus his wallet back as we sat down.

  “So, you guys figure out who that dude was that Asia punched at Red?” Dank asked.

  Marcus and I started pulling food out of our bag. Marcus shook his head as he took out some french fries.

  “What did he look like?” Andre tossed his board down on the sand and sat on it.

  “Big musclehead with a tribal tattoo on his neck,” I told him, unwrapping my cheeseburger.

  Slim started shaking his head as he smiled at me. “You are the only chick I know who’s crazy enough to punch some big motherfucker in the middle of a club. You know how that made him look, right? His friends are probably still clownin’ his ass.”

  I shrugged. “Well, he shouldn’t have grabbed my ass. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Just let him?” I asked Slim before taking a bite of my burger.

  “No. You’re not supposed to be in that fuckin’ situation to begin with,” Shaun chimed in.

  I just rolled my eyes and kept chewing.

  “Was he white?” Andre asked me.

  I nodded my head and opened my straw before sticking it into my Diet Coke.

  “Shit.”

  Marcus lifted his head to look at Andre. “What?”

  “I think I know who it is. Might be this guy, Jason. He got outta prison about a year ago. Crazy motherfucker.”

  I stopped drinking my soda and froze. Oh god.

  I could feel Marcus tense beside me.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  “You know where he stays? Where he hangs out?” Shaun asked from beside Marcus.

  Andre shook his head. “Nah, man, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Thanks, Dre. Let me know if you hear anything,” Marcus said.

  Andre nodded.

  I finally unfroze and put my soda down in the sand. My appetite was gone. Some crazy felon was out to get revenge on me, and my brother and boyfriend were trying to find out where he was. This was not good, not good at all.

  “Hey! Didn’t I see you her
e with Jason Clarke not too long ago?” one of the girls standing beside Shaun shouted toward me.

  I leaned forward to see past Marcus and Shaun. A brunette in a pink bikini was standing there with a hand on her hip and a bitchy smile on her face.

  “Yeah. So?” I snapped back.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just wondering. I thought you looked familiar.”

  I inhaled a deep breath and looked out at the water before taking another big bite of my burger. I figured I better fill my mouth with something before I ended up cussing her out.

  “Were you dating him or something?”

  Okay, so obviously, this bitch didn’t know when to shut up. I quickly finished chewing my burger, and then I stood up, tossing it down on my towel.

  “If you want to say something, just fuckin’ say it,” I growled at her.

  I could feel everyone’s eyes going back and forth between us.

  “Ahh shit,” Slim muttered.

  I could see Dank smiling beside me.

  “Well, you don’t have to get all bitchy. I was just asking a question,” the brunette replied snidely as she put her other hand on her hip.

  “No, you weren’t ‘just asking a question.’ You were being a conniving bitch and trying to start shit!” I shouted.

  Everyone’s eyes turned to the brunette, and she crossed her arms under her fake boobs.

  “I just find it interesting how you were just here a few weeks ago with Jay, and now, you’re here with Marcus. Maybe Marcus would want to know that.”

  She gave me another bitchy smile, and I wanted nothing more than to knock that smile off her face. I clenched my jaw and my fists at the same time.

  Shaun said, “Holly, just shut up before—”

  I didn’t let him finish. I took two steps toward her and leaned forward. “Look, bitch, you need to mind your own fucking business and wipe that fake fucking smile off of your face before I do it for you.”

  I was seething, and Marcus stood up and put his hand around my forearm to stop me from getting any closer. I could hear Dank, Andre, and Slim chuckling to my left. At least someone is enjoying this.