Color Blind

by Gardin, Diana

  A roguish smile tugs at the corner of my lips. “Well, you’re just going to have to come check on me every chance you get.”

  “Or maybe I’ll just bring you up on stage with me,” he murmurs, nuzzling my neck.

  “Like a groupie,” I choke out, gasping for breath.

  “Huh?” he pulls back to study me.

  “Nothing. Don’t even think about it,” I say. “This is your stage. Mine looks different. Higher, with brighter lights.”

  He laughs, close enough to my ear to make me shiver. “Cam, you’d look stunning on any stage.”

  He kisses my neck once more, and then he’s gone, climbing back onstage with Fire and Glory.

  Tonight is going to be so much fun.

  ***

  About an hour later, I’m holding Sarah up on one side and Dara is holding her other side. Some older guy has been slipping her Lemon Drops, and she isn’t going to be able to stand on her own any more tonight.

  “You girls are so pretty,” she slurs, looking from Dara to me with swimming eyes. “Did your boy toys tell you that yet tonight? Hey, why don’t I have a boy toy?”

  She grabs the arm of a guy as we passed by him. “Cute. You wanna be my boy toy?”

  “I’ll be your boy toy tonight and any other night, baby,” he replies. I glare at him and he places both hands in the air, surrendering.

  “Sarah, you are four feet tall and weigh about seventy pounds. Why did you think you could chug three lemon drops like that?” I grumble.

  She giggles. “Lemon drops is yummy.”

  “Super yummy,” Dara gasps. “Good lord, for such a tiny thing, you feel like a hunk of steel.”

  We set her down on a bench in the corner, and Brandon brings her a water bottle from the bar. He kneels down next to her.

  “Drink this,” he orders.

  “Is it a lemon drop?” she asks hopefully.

  “Hell no,” he answers.

  She pouts, but put the water bottle to her lips and takes a long swig.

  I look around the club, searching for Cooper. The band just finished a set. The members were milling around the club getting drinks or hanging out at tables with friends.

  I finally spot Cooper standing by the bar, talking animatedly to a woman in her early forties. Her hair is long and dark, and her eyes are the same shade of green as Cooper’s. His mother? I smile and start to walk over.

  I stop when I notice how heated their conversation is. Cooper is gesturing intensely, and his mother’s face appears angry and strained. As I watch, he throws his hands up and turns away. She shakes her head, spits another comment at his back, and strides to the door. She walks with such force her black leather boots could have left imprints on the cement floor.

  Cooper looks up and notices me watching. He heaves a sigh before he walks over to me, hands sunk deep in his pockets.

  “I’m confused,” I say. “Was that your mom? Did she come to see you play?”

  “Come sit with me,” he says. He leads me over to one of the plush leather couches in the corner. He sat down and pulls me onto his lap. He strokes my bare leg with his fingers, and the pleasant sensation threatens to distract me. I struggle to stay focused and listen to him.

  “It was my mom,” he says. “I told you she arrived in town a few weeks ago, and she’s been trying to get me to go back to Maryland with her. I’m trying to convince her to forget about our life in Maryland, and just settle down here with me. I’ve been trying for weeks. But she won’t listen. I’m in no hurry to make an introduction because…” he trails off and averts his eyes.

  “Because what?” I ask.

  “Cam, my mom is such a long and complicated story, I don’t even know where to start. So I’ll save it for another day.”

  I lay my head on his shoulder, loving how his muscles jump underneath my touch. “Are you okay, though? I hate to see you so upset. What can I do?”

  He strokes my back, making me feel like there is no one in the club but the two of us. “You’re here. You listen. You’re already doing it, angel.” He leans back on the couch, closing his eyes. My chest aches, because he’s clearly hurting. Seeing it makes me want to shake his mother.

  He blows out a breath, and then focuses his gaze on me again.

  “Hey,” he says. “Tell me something. Anything. Bring me back to this moment, put me back in neutral.”

  I study him, thinking. Biting my bottom lip, I think of the gift from him occupying my nightstand at home.

  I lean over and whisper in his ear, letting my lips graze his skin. “Seashell.”

  His face breaks into the biggest of smiles. “Perfect. That’s what I want you to say to me when I’m feeling too stressed to deal. Brings me right back home to you. Okay?”

  “Only if you’ll return the favor.”

  I furrow my brow. I’m ecstatic to know that he wants me here, but I can tell there is something he’s holding back. Something I don’t know about him that is too important to stay hidden.

  “I’m glad I’m here, but let’s make sure we have that conversation later, okay?”

  “I promise,” he answers. He touches his lips to mine gently. The kiss lengthens and I open my mouth, allowing him to deepen it. Honestly, I forget he need to tell me anything at all.

  I hear a drum roll, and Cooper reluctantly pulls away, tugging my bottom lip with him.

  “Gotta go,” he says. “We’ll definitely continue that later.”

  I head back over to where Dara and Brandon are standing next to Sarah’s couch. They’ve added a member to the group. Luka has arrived, and his eyes are on me as I walk over.

  “You look…” he trails off, eyeing me appreciatively.

  “Ridiculously hot? Amazingly sexy?” Dara pipes up.

  I shoot her a Look.

  “What?” she asks. “I’m helping!”

  “All of the above,” answers Luka. He leans over and whispers in my ear. “And more.” His dreadlocks tickle my nose.

  “Um, thank you Luka,” I answer. Actually, in his tight graphic tee showing off his rippling muscles and faded jeans he looks pretty amazing himself. But I don’t need to tell him that.

  The band goes into their next set, starting with a song called “Let Myself Cry” that I remember Cooper working on days ago while we sat on one of the piers at the marina. He says the marina views give him infinite inspiration.

  Brandon and Dara head to the dance floor. Sarah groans and rolls over. So I’m left alone with Luka. Awkward.

  He leans close to be heard over the music. “Are you having fun?”

  I nod.

  “Because I wouldn’t have pegged this as your scene.”

  I shrug. Really, I never would have set foot in a club if Cooper hadn’t been playing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, but it’s slowing me to step out of a box I climbed into long ago. I climbed in hoping to sterilize myself against a world where a father doesn’t love his little girl enough to stay with her. And to protect myself against having to deal with rejection from any other source. Inside the box, I’m good at everything I put my mind to. And if it’s not comfortable, if I don’t already know I can excel, I don’t have to touch it. I don’t have to experience the pain of not being good enough while I’m in the box.

  No that I’ve been brave enough to emerge, I like the change I’ve found in myself.

  “I like it here,” I answer.

  He nods, looking up at the band thoughtfully. “They’re good,” he admits.

  I smile. “I know.”

  “Should we go dance, like the rest of our classmates seem to be doing?” He gestures toward the dance floor, where at least half the senior class was indeed dancing. The half with fake I.D.’s.

  As I follow Luka toward the small dance floor, a tall brunette bumps me on her way to stand in front of the stage.

  “Oh, excuse me,” I say.

  She doesn’t hear me, and keeps walking.

  The slow song ends,
thankfully, by the time we reach the floor. I know Cooper can see me from the stage, and I don’t want to do anything that upset him. Like slow dancing with Luka Caliper. I’m pretty sure that would upset him.

  As I dance to the band’s jams, I am free again, and it’s evident in the way I move. I switch partners frequently, first Dara, then a baseball player we know well, then Brandon. I can’t just ignore Luka, though. He comes up behind me as I move in sync with Dara, leaning close to my ear.

  “I won’t bite, you know,” he says. “We’re friends, right? Friends dance.”

  That’s true. I bite my lip, glancing up on the stage, and then I nod.

  Before I knew it, Luka and I are dancing, and he’s pretty damn good at it. He moves naturally to the music, like dancing comes easy for him. And he looks awfully good doing it. I have to think of someone to hook him up with.

  Several more songs, and the band finishes their gig for the night. As soon as he wraps up the last song, Cooper is upon me. His lips are hot, and his hands move slowly down my back as he crushes his mouth to mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and return the kiss eagerly. I know we’ve been in the same place all night, but I miss him anyway. This closeness is what I need.

  He pulls back from the kiss just enough to say, “Let’s get out of here.”

  I nod, and bid a quick goodbye to my friends.

  “Did you drive?” he asks. “I rode with Hunter, and he’s taking my guitar home for me.”

  I toss him my keys. He grins and holds my hand as we hurry to my car. The heat between us is inexplicable, and I can’t wait to be alone with him.

  Cooper droves us to his aunt’s house.

  “She has a guest house in back,” he explains, as he leads me down the stone path snaking toward the back of the house.

  Guesthouse indeed. It’s the size of my apartment, bigger even. I guess my small gasp tells Cooper what I’m thinking, because he pulls me closer and says softly, “This isn’t the way I’m used to living, Cam. My aunt has money, but I definitely didn’t grow up that way.”

  I take a deep breath, and nod. That’s something I can appreciate about Cooper. He understands my life the way no one else can. He’s told me that his apartment in Maryland was smaller than mine, and that it was just one of many places he and his mom had lived over the years. At least my mom has kept me as stable as she can. Cooper’s mom had been all over the place.

  “Well let’s go see how the rich live, shall we?” I push open the door that he’s unlocked.

  We retrieve sodas and some snacks from the kitchenette, and settled on the couch. Cooper pulled my legs across his lap, and pulled of my heels.

  “You know, when I first saw you, all kinds of thoughts flew through my head. But one thing that stands out to me now is how perfect I thought you were. I thought you came from a perfect life with perfect parents in a perfect house. I think the fact that you don’t makes me even more attracted to you. Despite how you grew up, you’re perfect anyway. It blows me away.”

  I raise a brow. “I’m so far from perfect. But the fact that you think I am gives me all kinds of warm fuzzies.”

  “God, you look so spectacular tonight. The whole time I was singing I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. I don’t think any guy in the place could.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I reply. “But I’m glad you liked what you saw. I didn’t notice what any other guy was looking at.”

  “Not even Luka?” he asks quietly. “I saw you dancing with him.”

  “You saw a friendly dance,” I correct. “Luka knows where we stand.”

  “You might have told him, Cam, but he’s not getting it. I could see it in his eyes tonight. He wanted you.” Cooper looks down at his hands, which are busy tracing lines up my legs.

  I pull his face into my hands and kiss him gently. “Where am I right now? I want you. No one else. No one has been able to break down my walls Cooper, not my whole life. You get me like no one ever has. And I’m not giving you up.”

  He stares at me, awe registering on his face. “Are you for real?” he whispers softly.

  I pull his face back to mine, showing him how real I am.

  “Cam,” he says, pulling free. “I expect nothing from you tonight, or any other night. I brought you here so we could spend time together alone, without the crowds. But we can take this slow.”

  I smile, knowing he’s given me a gift most boys wouldn’t. He’s given me time and patience.

  “Thank you,” I reply. “I do want to take things slowly.” I pull him close again, and whisper into his ear.

  “But not too slowly.”

  Chapter 14

  Perfect For Him

  “Mom, I know you’re going to bed in a minute, but I have someone I’d like you to meet this morning.” I rush into the kitchen nervously wringing my hands and scanning the place for unnecessary mess.

  Now that Cooper and I have been together blissfully for over a month, I’ve decided it’s time to let my mom in on the secret. I want to share my happiness with her, and the sooner she gets used to Cooper, the better. Or should I say the sooner she gets used to his motorcycle?

  “Oh yeah? Are you finally ready to reveal your secret boyfriend?” She rolls her eyes and leans against the counter.

  Cooper announces his arrival with a rhythmical knock at the front door.

  “Mom, be nice, please,” I plead.

  She feigns shock. “When am I ever not nice?”

  “Mom!”

  “Open the door, Camryn. I’m going to be late for dreamland and you’re going to be late for school.”

  I do as I’m told, and there stands Cooper in all his beautiful leather glory. He leans down to kiss my cheek and stills my heartbeat with his devastating smile.

  “Good morning,” he says.

  “Mom, this is Cooper Goode. Cooper, this is my mom.” I bite my fingernail, watching them.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Grimes,” Cooper puts out his hand for her to shake, and I smile with delight. How could I have doubted him? He’s on his best meet-the-mother behavior.

  “Nice to meet you Cooper,” mom answers. “Do you want some breakfast? We have toast and…toast.”

  He chuckles as I stifle a sigh. “No thanks. I’ve eaten.”

  “So you and Camryn have been dating for awhile. Are you being good to my girl?”

  “Mom,” I groan.

  “Ms. Grimes, I consider myself lucky to have met Camryn. I just moved here from Maryland in September, and she’s been the best part of living in Virginia.”

  “That’s nice to hear,” mom answers. “She’s planning on going off to be a star when she graduates, you know.”

  Cooper turns his beaming smile on me. I wish he knew how deadly that smile is. He wouldn’t use it on me so much if he did.

  “I know,” he says. “I’m a musician. We have the same dream.”

  “Great,” Mom grumbles. “Well, y’all better be off to school now before you’re late.”

  She pauses, staring at Cooper suspiciously. “Why are you carrying a helmet?”

  “Oh, I never ride without one,” he answers and I cringed.

  My mom narrows her eyes. “Ride what?”

  “We better hurry Cooper, we’re going to be late!” I push Cooper toward the door and let it slam shut behind me.

  As we hurry down the steps, I hear my mom yelling after us.

  “CAMRYN GRIMES, you better be careful on that thing! Cooper! Do you hear me?”

  Cooper laughs, grabbing my hand as we run.

  “You little minx. You didn’t tell her about my bike,” he scolds. “Now I’ve made a horrible first impression.”

  “Oh, you have not,” I contradict. “You did great. She’s going to love you. Just not your bike!”

  “Can’t blame her for that,” he answer. “What mom would?”

  “How does your mother feel about it?”

  He snorts. “Like she cares.”

  “Cooper!”

&
nbsp; He shrugs, but I see the flash of pain that appears in his eyes before he can harden them. He wants to be tough as nails where his mother is concerned, putting on a strong front. But it hurts, what she’s done to him. And his hurt is now mine.

  He hands me my helmet. “How do you feel about it? That’s the most important question.”

  “I love it,” I answer immediately, putting on the helmet.

  “That’s all that matters,” he says. The motorcycle roars to life, and we are off to school.

  As we walk through the commons holding hands as usual, we don’t get as many glances as we used to. We are old news now; everyone knows we’re a couple and they’re mostly over it. On occasion, we get a disgusted glance that’s easy to interpret. It says, “Why are you two together? It’s grossing me out!”

  Other than a few dark looks from Luka and those irritated glances, we hardly receive any attention at all. Even the P.B.G.C.’s have given it a rest, and I’m enjoying it while it lasts. While we hurry to meet Dara and Brandon, I notice a familiar girl sitting by herself on a bench.

  “Who’s that?” I stop cold, starting at her. I’m trying to figure out where I’ve seen her.

  “I don’t know,” Cooper shrugs. “Maybe she’s new.”

  “I know her from somewhere…” I trail off as Dara bounces forward to meet us.

  “Hey Cam,” she greets me with her usual cheer. When I don’t answer her, her gaze follows mine. “Hey, it’s that girl we saw last month at The Spot. Remember, she bumped into you without saying sorry?”

  “That’s right!” I exclaim. “What’s she doing here?”

  “She must go here now,” Dara looks at the girl thoughtfully. “That red leather jacket is killer, isn’t it?”

  “Killer,” I agree. “Should we introduce ourselves?”

  “Why? We never have before.”

  “I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “I just have a feeling we should get to know her.”

  “Too late,” Cooper says. “She’s on her way to class.”

  “Hmm,” I muse. “Maybe we’ll see her around.”

  “See you at lunch!” Dara calls, and Brandon waves a quick goodbye.

  “Shall we?” Cooper asks, holding out a crooked arm for me to loop mine through.