Done Burger

by Camille Oster

  The car rumbled away again. It felt like a tank rolling down the streets. Riley sat in a white T-shirt and jeans. I discreetly snuck a look at him. He looked good, so much more attractive out of the uniform and apron. We were all working tonight, but I'm sure that wouldn't stop Riley from bringing alcohol to this thing. Looking over the back, I saw a cooler in the back seat, roughly where we had got it on last night.

  Embarrassment flared up my cheeks at the thought. What exactly had I agreed to last night? Were we boyfriend/girlfriend now? There had certainly been no texting going on after work. Then again, I'd been emotionally exhausted. Maybe he had been too.

  He looked over at me and smiled. What does that mean, I wanted to yell, but I tightly smiled back. Things were certainly different. Something had happened; I just didn't know what.

  Hopefully he invested in some food as well as alcohol. Anything but a burger. That last thing I wanted now was some drunken attempt to establish what we were, or maybe that was needed to sort this whole mess out.

  I was kind of looking forward to hanging with everyone. It had been a while since we'd done it and things had been so tense lately, mostly due to the guy sitting next to me. I still couldn't believe he liked me. It was such a weird thing, I thought and looked out the window. And here we were, sitting side by side, for once not ripping each other to bits—probably because neither of us knew what to say.

  I had spent the morning trying to buy Wyatt a present, but discovered I didn't really know him well enough to know exactly what to get him. I'd tried, but had eventually settled on a gift card from the local comic shop. I knew it was corny, but better that he actually got himself something he liked. "What did you get Wyatt?"

  "I got him a couple of nights in a hotel room for his honeymoon," Riley said.

  That was actually really thoughtful. I wished I thought of it. Now I felt stupid coming with a gift card for the comic book shop when the guy was getting married. I pressed my lips together.

  "Where are they going?"

  "Hawaii."

  "That sounds awesome."

  "A honeymoon?"

  "What? No? I mean… ugh. A trip to Hawaii. I would love to go at some point."

  We were silent for a while. This was so uncomfortable. We either fought, or we were uncomfortable around each other. That part hadn't changed.

  Before I could torture myself further, we arrived down by the lake. There was a covered table where I could see Ella and Mia. Wyatt was digging for something in the back of his car. Green grass surrounded the area and then there were reeds where the lake started. There wasn't that much access to the lake because of all the reeds, but a dock cut through to the water. There was one of those floating platforms in the middle, or these used to be.

  Ella was dressed in heels and a poufy skirt. Her hair was done up and she wore sunglasses with red rims. She looked gorgeous. She actually looked like a movie star from some bygone era. So apparently you can look quite formal by a lake. Actually, I think she might have cut her hair, or it was tucked under or something. Mia looked less spectacular in comparison, but better than she did in uniform.

  Then there was some other girl, a blond girl with a bit of a weak chin and nail-straight hair, the kind she didn't use a straightener for, it was just straight. It wasn't until Wyatt put his arm around her that I realized who she was: Nicole, Wyatt's intended. Not exactly how I'd imagined her, but they looked good together. Comfortable.

  Riley parked up and we got out. He pulled the cooler out of the back seat and carried it to the table where bottles of soda stood, a salad and a few containers.

  "Are we barbecuing?" I asked.

  "Yes," Riley said as if it was the dumbest question in the world.

  "Just asking. You could have told me."

  "What did you think we were coming here for?"

  "I figured you were more of an 'if there's alcohol why bother with food' kind of guy."

  "Don't get excited; it's only hot dogs. And when exactly was I supposed to tell you? During?"

  I flared red and busied myself opening the potato chip bags I'd brought with me. Riley joined Wyatt and Brian at the barbecue. They were the experts at grilling, after all. I walked over to Ella, who was now sitting on a blanket, her legs stretched out as she faced the sun. Brian wore a black Metallica shirt and black jeans, and looked a bit uncomfortable for it. Idiot. If you chose to wear black in the middle of summer standing around in the sun, you deserved to be uncomfortable.

  "Hey," I said and sat down, crossing my legs. I felt nervous.

  "So, how was it?"

  I cleared my throat, not quite knowing what she was referring to. It could be anything—like, how was it riding in Riley's car—the going places kind, as opposed to the taking you places kind.

  "Don't think we didn't notice you two disappearing for quite a while last night."

  "Oh that," I said dismissively. My voice sounded really tinny though. "Alright fine, I had sex with Riley in the back of his car. I am super proud of myself," I said tartly.

  Ella smiled as if she wasn't surprised at all.

  "It was only a matter of time."

  No, it wasn't, I wanted to say impetuously. I would have said so if I had some way of backing it up, but I was a little stumped in most regards these days—particularly anything concerning Riley.

  "Is Julian coming?" I asked instead.

  "Yeah, he's coming a little later. He had a meeting with Rosa." Rosa was the day shift manager I'd only really seen in passing. Looking around, I saw that Riley had taken his shirt off and had tucked its tail in his back pocket, my eyes traveling over every part of him as he and Wyatt stood by the barbecue, rolling the hot dogs around. He better not be messing with me, because I would be devastated if I didn't get to run my hands all over him again. There was a great deal of that stuff we hadn't done yet in our two rushed and urgent encounters. I closed my eyes and groaned. I was so into him.

  Ella smiled when I opened my eyes again. "What?"

  "Nothing," she said lightly. "Don't be so touchy."

  How could I not be? I sighed and lay back on the blanket. A warm breeze blew over me. It was actually quite lovely down here. Why had I stopped coming? The smell of hot dogs, ketchup and mustard filled the air. A touch on my thigh made me open my eyes. Riley was there, handing me a hot dog. Again, my heart leaped at the gesture. He'd even put ketchup and mustard on it.

  Julian pulled into the parking lot and got out. He wore a dark shirt and light pants, looking around the scene until his gaze settled on Ella. I should never have gotten in between those two. I hadn't known, but then maybe I was the push that made them gel. I hoped they were gelling. Ella actually seemed happy. There wasn't that edge of desperation to her anymore and Julian did that for her.

  He came over and lay down on his stomach next to Ella, taking a strawberry, while my eyes turned back to Riley who was swigging a beer. Was that what he would do for me, or were we destined to fight and fuck and then repeat all over again? He was watching me back. If I never got a cuddle out of this deal, I was out.

  *

  We chatted and drank for a while and the sun just got stronger and stronger until I felt sweat running down the crook of my knees as I sat talking to Mia and Nicole at the covered picnic table. Deseree and her family had shown up too, her yelling orders at her husband, who seemed surprisingly okay with it all. Her kids headed straight for the lake and Deseree ended up yelling at them too.

  "I am melting here," I finally said. "Time for a swim." I had my bikini on underneath. Ella and Julian were absorbed in each other, still on the blanket, sitting in the sun. Ella didn't look like she was melting, but then she never looked less than perfect.

  Riley and Wyatt had got a Frisbee out from somewhere and had been throwing it around for half an hour. He looked at me questioningly when I got up and I twisted my head and popped the button of my shorts. It was outrageously suggestive, but I was only getting ready for a swim. Perfectly innocent. Riley's eyes narrowed and I
smiled.

  If he was reserving the bragging rights for a big, embarrassing take down, it hadn't happened yet. I was starting to think it wouldn't. Could this thing be real? It almost hurt to let hope take root.

  Pulling my shirt over my head, I left it on the table and walked over to the dock. Okay, so maybe I should be embarrassed that all my work colleagues were seeing me in my bikini, but they'd seen every emotional state I had in my repertoire. They'd all seen me kissing Riley, out of my mind on drugs, crying, swearing, laughing. What was there left to hide? I trusted these people, I realized.

  I walked past Deseree sitting on the ladder on the left side of the dock. Her kids and hubby in the water splashing around. Instead of pushing in for the ladder, I dived in at the very edge. The water was freezing and my whole body had a bit of a moment as I emerged out of the dark water and swam. It was too dark to see anything and the water had a bit of an orange tinge against my skin.

  Turning around, I saw Riley at the edge of the dock staring after me. I knew he would come, or maybe I'd hoped he would come. I continued swimming out to the platform, turning to see him diving in the water. He was coming for me. Excitement and anticipation reared, and I continued swimming.

  Close to the platform, I felt his hand around my waist and turned, and there he was, his hair stick with water, light reflecting off the little drops.

  "So," he said, grabbing hold of the edge of the platform, placing his other arm to box me in. He was shirtless, but had his jeans on.

  "So," I said.

  He leaned in and kissed me, his body brushing against me in the cool water. I didn't quite know what to say, but I let go of the platform and placed my hands on his shoulders, letting him hold me up.

  Pressing closer, he leaned in and kissed me. My eyes swam shut as the taste of him suffused my mind. I could get used to this. In fact, I wanted him right now, especially as my rock-hard nipples stroked down the front of his bare chest, but we were in the middle of a lake, surrounded by people, including kids swimming on the little beach on the other side of the lake. There would be no dealing with this tension in the near term.

  "I think," Riley started, "that we need to come back here after dark, where we can do this again, maybe without these," he said, running his finger down the inside of my bikini top. I shuddered, the images of it flooding my mind.

  "We could, potentially."

  He kissed me again and I welcomed him, placing my hand on his cheek and wrapping my legs around him. We might not be able to do anything, but teasing was still on the cards. He groaned.

  "So we're doing this?" I said when the kiss finally broke. "What exactly?"

  "Mhh," he said, his eyes hooded. "You mean besides fucking a lot?"

  I smiled. "Yes, besides that," I said, placing my arms over his shoulders.

  He shrugged. "Whatever you want."

  "You come on all strong, and now that you have me, you're happy to sit back and just see?"

  "Well, you're mine now," he said, smiling. "Had to nab you before you headed off to college with all those distractions there."

  "Is that right?"

  "Yeah," he said, running his hand over my backside, squeezing me to him. "Can't have you disappearing. Where would that leave me? Pining for you and alone."

  "Pining," I said dismissively. He looked at me for a moment, then kissed me, hard and demanding as if he weren't leaving anything behind.

  "Can't have you going too far. It would hurt," he said when he broke the kiss. "Hell, you've already met my mom. Seeing you made her think there's hope for me."

  Was I the first girl he had brought home, which incidentally had been a coincidental thing rather than something meaningful. Although it could be seen as him taking care of me when I’d been a mess after finding that poor girl in the bathroom, which he tended to do, or take advantage—he swung between them. "I'm not sure she would approve of the things you do to me in the back of your car."

  "I wholeheartedly approve of the things I do to you in the back of my car. If it were dark right now, I'd be doing them right on this platform."

  I couldn't help the shiver than ran through me, whether it was his words or the cold, I didn't know.

  "Come on, let's head back," he said and pushed away, taking me with him. We treaded water for a while, then broke apart and swam back. I felt elated. My questions had more or less been answered, and I believed him. Sometimes you gotta take a risk, right? This was worth the play.

  Deseree and her family were out of the water when we came back to shore. I was cold, shivering. The water had sucked the heat out of me and I lay down on my stomach on the blanket and watched as Riley went back to playing Frisbee with Wyatt and Brian. I felt so contented, I was almost ready to fall asleep when another car pulled up and out stepped Matilda, the very last person I expected to see here. Her hair was loose and she wore sunglasses. I'd never seen her out of her uniform. Honestly, it wasn't much of an improvement style wise, but that was her. She looked uncomfortable, but nodded to us before Brian handed her a beer. She looked at her watch, probably to check if had been long enough so she could leave. Still, I appreciated the effort. Julian must have made her come. It was kind of cool that she had.

  *

  The usual chaos existed when we walked into the back of the restaurant. I'd gone back in Riley's car along with Brian and Wyatt, and still had my bikini on under my shorts. Ella and Julian had gone before us and were both now in their uniforms. Matilda was too. Deseree had informed us she would be late. Assembling her troop apparently took some time.

  "Okay, my duckies," Julian said, "fun's over, back to the grind." He kissed Ella on the top of her head and walked onward to his office. Riley stripped off his shirt and put his uniform top on but stayed in his jeans. Grabbing my uniform I went into the bathroom to change, sighing as I locked the door behind me. I could feel the sunburn developing on my shoulders, but I didn't regret it. It had been the perfect day. Riley had even held my hand loosely on the ride back. I guess I had a boyfriend. I knew without asking that we would not be going our separate ways after work that night. I couldn't wait.

  Tucking my hair behind my ear, I walked past him, smiling as I saw him bite his lip. Oh hell, I was in trouble, but I wouldn't change it for the world. With my key, I unlocked my register and smiled at the next customer.

  The summer was almost over. I'd only really intended working here for the summer, hoping to get something cooler when I started college, but I couldn't consider leaving now. I'd gotten a boyfriend and pretty much a tribe working here this summer. I saw no reason to give this up, and fucked up as we all were, we managed to have something here. I got it now. I got why Julian fought so hard to keep us together.

  Cherry would be pissed knowing she'd missed it all.

  "Hey, you got any openings on this shift?" a girl said, leaning on the counter.

  "No," Matilda said sharply. "We're full and aren't looking for anyone." Blunt as always. The girl looked hurt.

  "The weekend shift might," I said, trying to be a little softer and more encouraging than Matilda. "I can give you an application form, but you're really better off coming in then." The girl smiled tightly. "It's a pretty cool place to work." Now she looked a little disbelieving, but I'd been exactly the same when I'd applied. Turns out you never know.

  The End

  Other Books by Camille Oster

  Sequence Effect - Gwennie Elders doesn't regret for a moment the debt she took on to extend her grandmother's life, but when running into trouble with repayments she had to resort to drastic actions to save her family's business and apartment. It would only be a year of her life and she'd be unconscious throughout—to awaken debt-free and able to resume her life as a baker on the city's ground level, hemmed in by the towers where the wealthy and privileged lived. But there are no easy and options, and although she emerges from her servitude debt-free, her family's business and her means of support fleeted away while she was asleep, forcing her to seek a means to support herse
lf in the coming war.

  http://www.amazon.com/Sequence-Effect-Camille-Oster-ebook/dp/B00JPBBZM2/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1446498807&sr=8-15&keywords=camille+oster

  Truth and Sparta - Spartans do what they please when it comes to Helot girls and Chara curses the day that Nicias—effectively the enemy of her people—lays eyes on her and decides that he wants her for himself. His attention places her and her family in an impossible position, exasperated by her brother's increasing appetite for rebellion.

  Before long, Chara is placed in a position where she needs to make a decision to save her family—no matter the cost, and that includes the building attraction she feels for the Spartan soldier who is the cause of all her problems.

  http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Sparta-Camille-Oster-ebook/dp/B00D0GX58U/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1446498807&sr=8-12&keywords=camille+oster

  A Pirate’s Ruse – Being thrown out of the convent that had been her home for most of her life, Clara Nears has no idea where to go, when a man appears to take her to her father. A man she’s never known, who turns out to be a pirate, and not just a pirate—the king of pirates. With no sons and ill health, he is now seeking an heir, but nothing would be so simple as him giving her his estate.

  Ruthless and ambitious pirate, Christian Rossi, has been seeking a means of advancing his ambition and this opportunity is just what he’s been looking for. Some naïve and ill-equipped girl is not going to stand in his way. Nothing will stop him from taking Tortuga Bay.

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TVO5IBC

  Interested in future releases from Camille Oster, sign up to the newsletter at www.camilleoster.com