by M. D. Melai
“Hey,” he said as he smiled at me.
“Hey. You want to come inside?” I finally replied and stepped slightly to the side so he could come in. I caught a whiff of his cologne, and it sent my senses into overdrive. He followed me to the living room and took a seat on the couch.
“You look beautiful. What’s the special occasion?” he asked breaking the awkward silence.
“Well Emilio and I were supposed to be going out tonight, but he had to stay at work.” I sighed, still feeling disappointed. I was actually looking forward to tonight.
“Yeah that’s what Emilio mentioned. He was pretty upset when I left work earlier and complained about having to stay. I offered to stay at work, but he said it was out of my power to do what needed to be done. I knew you would probably be disappointed, so I came over to keep you company. And I know you had to have been missing all six-foot-two inches of this!” he said making me direct my attention to his amazing body.
“You know me so well,” I laughed, “and that was sweet of you to stop by. I was pretty bummed out when he told me he couldn’t make it. I was headed upstairs to put on my pajamas when you knocked. I figured I’d just watch some movies.”
“I have a better idea.” He smiled as he rose from the couch and held out his hand for me to take.
***
“Where are we going?” I asked as I looked out the window of Lucas’s car. We had left the house almost thirty minutes ago and Lucas was keeping our destination secret.
“You’ll see,” he said as his smile curled up the side of his face.
I couldn’t help but smile back. He mesmerized me. I stared at him for a few moments taking him in. He was so sexy.
My phone buzzing brought me out of my trance. I looked down to see Emilio’s face and noticed he was calling. He must have just returned home and realized I wasn’t there. I did leave him a note saying I would be back later, but knowing Emilio, that wasn’t enough. I didn’t care. I was finally out with Lucas. I denied the call and sent him a reassuring text telling him that I was okay. I turned my phone off for the rest of the night, no more interruptions.
We were slowly approaching the shoreline and I knew exactly where we were.
“The boardwalk?” I said with excitement.
“Yes, but technically I’m taking you to Coney Island,” he explained.
When we reached Coney Island I could see why everyone would want to come at night. Every square inch was lit up. It was absolutely wonderful! Noises shot from every direction whether it was from a game or a ride. I had never been to an amusement park before and this was definitely thrilling!
“So what do you want to do first?” Lucas asked.
“I don’t know. I have never been here before. What are my options?”
“Well my two favorite places to go are Deno’s and Luna Park. At Deno’s there is the Wonder Wheel that we can go on. And at Luna Park there are several roller coasters that are fun. So it’s really up to you.”
“Well I’ve never been on a roller coaster before,” I said. He raised his left eyebrow at me in amazement.
“You’ve never been on a roller coaster?” He was shocked.
“No. My family doesn’t usually go to places like this.” I frowned. “We traveled a lot, but my parents always took me to landmarks and museums. You know, educational places.”
“Well then off to Luna Park we go!” He grabbed my hand and led me in that direction. His excitement was contagious. I couldn’t help but latch on.
After purchasing the wristbands for Luna Park, he wrapped it securely around my wrist. “These wristbands will last for the next four hours, so we can do as much as you would like. Although there will be a firework display at nine-thirty that I’m sure you don’t want to miss.”
“I would love to see that.” I cleared my throat. “Do you mind for my first coaster starting off small? I don’t really know what to expect.” My nerves started shooting throughout my body. Just hearing the loud sounds coming from them, made me nervous.
“In that case, I recommend we ride the Air Race first and then work our way to the Soarin’ Eagle and finish off with the Cyclone.”
“The last one sounds kind of intense.” I hugged myself. It was a nervous habit of mine.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be with you the whole time,” Lucas said as he grabbed my hand and pulled it up to his chest as I grinned at him. I would have followed him anywhere at this moment.
***
After we got off the Cyclone, adrenaline coursed through my body. I couldn’t help but love everything about roller coasters: my hair slashing across my face, my stomach leaping into my chest, and my body rocking between Lucas and the side of the cart. It was exhilarating!
“So how do you like the roller coasters?” Lucas asked as he ran his hand through his hair.
“They’re amazing! I never knew something like that could be so much fun.”
“Roller coasters are definitely fun. The fireworks should start in about thirty minutes. Would you like to go and play some carnival games while we wait?”
“Sounds good to me,” I nodded in response. This time it was me who took his hand and led the way.
He won most of the games and even won a fun-sized stuffed panda for me, which I gave to a little girl who was crying because she hadn’t won anything. I did win a game, but only because Lucas felt sorry for me and let me win. I didn’t care though I was having so much fun. This was the best night I'd had in a long time.
“Oh look at the time,” Lucas said looking at his watch. “We better get settled on the beach soon. The fireworks will be starting in about five minutes.”
We walked back through the gates to the boardwalk. The summer breeze was strong and it was helpful in pushing back my hair from my face. Lucas reached for my hand and slowly intertwined our fingers. I glanced down at our hands and then slowly raised my eyes to meet his.
“So I hoped I lived up to your expectations for the night,” he said as his thumb brushed up and down my hand.
“You exceeded my expectations for the night. It was much better than I could have ever imagined. I’m really happy that you showed up at my doorstep tonight.”
“Me too. I’m glad that you had a good night, but it’s not over with yet.” He released my hand and turned to face me. “Wait right here. I have to go to the car and get something.” And in a second, he was gone.
I watched him walk away, my eyes transfixed on him. I took a deep breath and felt my heart start to slow down. I didn’t even realize that it was racing. He definitely had an effect on me. He turned one of the most disappointing, inevitably boring nights into one of the best nights of my life.
I couldn’t tell, but I was pretty sure I was falling for him. I already knew I was attracted to him. My first time meeting him was enough to tell me that there was a possibility something could develop between us.
I turned toward the ocean and watched as the waves crashed one after another. It was refreshing and calming to see and feel the cool summer breeze. I didn’t know if I could ever get used to living here, but Lucas was certainly making it more bearable.
“Hey, are you ready?” His voice startled me. I quickly turned to see Lucas standing with a blanket and a picnic basket in his hand.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “But what exactly are we doing?”
“We are going to have dessert on the beach while we watch the fireworks show.” He smiled and gestured for me to follow him.
We walked down the beach until we were halfway between the boardwalk and the ocean. Lucas fanned out the blanket before laying it down for us to sit on. He sat down first and placed the basket next to him, and then put out his hand for me to grab. I lowered my body to where we were inches apart. I could smell his cologne wafting toward me along with the ocean breeze. I could get used to this.
“So what kind of dessert are we having?”
“Well it took me awhile to decide, but I finally decided on tiramisu. It is one of my favorites. Is
that okay?” he asked.
“Tiramisu is perfect,” I said smiling. He pulled out two plastic plates and put a square slice on each. He handed me mine and I instantly took a bite. It was delicious. We sat in silence while we ate, neither of us needing to speak when our actions spoke for us. Throughout those few minutes, we somehow inched closer toward each other.
“Are you cold?” His voice broke the silence. I nodded. I hadn’t realized that I was shivering. Even though it was July, tonight was chilly with the breeze coming off the ocean. He then spread his legs further apart and pointed for me to sit in between them. I slid over and leaned back into his chest. He wrapped his muscular arms around me and within a few seconds I was already warming up.
“Are you warmer now?” he asked, turning his head toward mine. I nodded and slid back into his chest.
The fireworks started to light up the sky shortly after. Blues, reds, greens, golds, and purples came from different directions and once in a while there would be an outline of a star or heart. The show lasted twenty-five minutes and in that time Lucas and I didn’t budge once. Neither of us wanted to.
“Well it’s getting late. I should probably take you back home before Emilio has a heart attack,” Lucas said as soon as the fireworks show ended. I had completely forgotten about Emilio. He was going to be furious with me. The fact that I turned my phone off probably wasn’t going to help his frustration either.
Lucas helped me up, put everything back in the basket, and folded the blanket. He took my hand as we started walking back to the car. He lifted it up to his face and gently placed his lips on my knuckles. I blushed in response, stopped, and tugged on his arm to stop him in his tracks. He turned to face me and locked his blue eyes on mine.
We stood there for a moment, each questioning our next move. We both leaned in simultaneously and our lips met. The sensation coursing through me wasn’t like anything I had ever felt before. I moved my hand up to his face gently touching his scruff as he wrapped his arms around my lower back and pulled me closer.
***
When we returned to the car, I had restarted my phone and my notifications bombarded me. I had at least ten full length text messages from Emilio and a dozen voicemails. Lucas said that he would take full responsibility for the evening. I brushed him off telling him not to worry about it. I could handle Emilio. It was his fault anyway for bailing on me.
On the car ride back I trembled in my seat. I knew Emilio would be furious with me. I had prepared myself for the storm. My wonderful evening wasn’t going to be ruined by him being overbearing.
“Well here we are,” Lucas said as we pulled into the driveway. He hadn’t even put the car in park before Emilio came storming out the front door like a crazed lunatic. He stopped right outside my door. His face was red and hands squeezed tight in fury. I gave Lucas a grimace before telling him goodbye. I took a deep breath and climbed out of the car.
“Where the hell have you been? I have tried calling you multiple times. Why would you turn your phone off! Lily, do you realize how worried I was?” He took my arm in his hand and pulled me toward the door. “Lucas you’re excused, I’ll see you in the morning!”
Lucas looked like he was about to jump out of the car and tackle Emilio. I waved him off. He looked hesitant for a moment, but he eventually backed out of the driveway and drove off.
“Emilio, stop! You’re hurting me!” I said as he pulled me through the front door. He spun around to face me with no signs of backing down.
“Lily, what were you thinking? I’m sorry I couldn’t go out with you tonight, but that doesn’t mean you can go out with whoever you want!”
“Excuse me!” I yelled at him. “I'm not a child. I'm a grown adult. I can go out with whomever I want. Plus I know him! It’s freaking Lucas, Emilio. I was safe the entire time. I even texted you and told you I was with him. Is it because he’s not someone you approve of?”
“It’s not the fact that I don’t approve of him. It’s the fact that you decided to run off with him and gave me no warning. Anyone could have sent me a damn text message! Do you have any idea what went through my head when I saw that. I tried calling you and you didn’t answer! I almost called the cops!”
He did have a point and I guess I should have answered his phone call before turning off my phone, but that didn’t take away from the fact that he was blowing it way out of proportion.
“Emilio I'm not just going to sit around and wait for you to come home every night. I need a life outside of these four walls. You bailed on me tonight. I understand all about work, but Lucas was there for me. I think that is what is making you so mad. The fact that Lucas was there for me tonight and you weren’t!” I couldn’t believe the words that had came out of my mouth.
I could tell I had just hit him where it hurt, because he immediately backed down.
“I’m done talking to you tonight Lily. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He walked up the stairs and within a few seconds I heard his door slam shut. I felt terrible for doing that to Emilio, but it was the truth and the truth sometimes hurts.
I took a deep breath and tried to relax, but I was too fired up. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a water bottle, stomped up to my bedroom, and headed straight to my bathroom. I needed a nice, soothing bubble bath to help calm my nerves.
When I finally thought I was relaxed enough, I got out, dressed, and crawled into my bed and within minutes I was fast asleep.
***
“Stop running, Lily. You can’t escape me.”
I kept running. I needed to get out of here. The low branches scraped the side of my cheeks. I could feel the blood running down the side of my face.
Think, Lily, think. You need to find an escape.
I found myself on the side of a cliff and before I could control anything, I was pushed off the side and falling to my death.
***
I woke up in a panic, drenched in my own sweat again. My nightmares were getting worse. I wanted to talk to someone about them, but I was sure they would think I was paranoid and would tell me to just blow it off. I threw the covers off and rushed into the bathroom to wash my face. I glanced at myself in the mirror and saw that my olive skin was now pale white. After I calmed down, I took a shower, got dressed, and headed downstairs.
When I stepped off the last step, I could hear more than just Emilio’s voice coming from the kitchen. I hesitantly walked in and saw that he wasn’t alone. Roman was here. I hadn’t seen Roman since I moved.
“Roman! What are you doing here?” I rushed over and threw my arms around his neck.
“Well Emilio called me last night,” he began as I took the seat next to him, “and said that he needed me to be here. He verified everything with Massimo, so long story short, I’ll be staying with you both for now.” Emilio didn’t say a word, he just let Roman talk.
“So what are you going to be doing while you’re here?” I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer I was about to get, but I asked anyways.
“Well Emilio explained everything that happened last night and he felt that you would benefit more if you had someone other than him here with you.”
“So, not sugar coating it, are you?” I took a deep breath trying to calm the anger already coursing through my body. “My babysitter?”
“I wouldn’t call it that, but he will be watching over you,” Emilio spoke for the first time. “I can’t have you running off like that Lily. A night like last night won’t happen again. You now have Roman’s full attention.”
“What the hell! Do I look like a child to you two? I don’t think so! I don’t need a babysitter. I can handle things perfectly on my own. I don’t understand why you and my father keep giving me a bodyguard when nothing has ever happened to me. I am in no danger. I'm sure Roman has a million other things he would like to do than constantly follow me around.”
“Well Lily, nothing has ever happened to you, because you’ve always had someone with you,” Roman said
with a smirk.
“This is funny to you? Have you ever had someone follow you around day and night making sure you were okay? I don’t think so. It’s annoying. I am twenty-one years old. I can take care of myself!”
“Lily, please calm down and be reasonable. We wouldn’t be doing this without reason,” Emilio calmly told me.
“Then tell me the reason why. No offense Roman, I don’t mind spending time with you, but you all treat me like I'm breakable and I'm not.” I finally took a breath and waited for Emilio to speak.
“I'm sorry Lily, but I can’t. Just know that we care about you and this is necessary.”
“This is about Lucas? Shit, Emilio get a grip. So I went out with Lucas one night and I returned in perfect condition. I don’t understand why you can’t wrap it around your head that this is my life and how I choose to live it is my choice!” I turned to exit the kitchen and Roman’s hand caught my elbow.
“Lily, please don’t be angry,” he whispered at me. “I will try not to hover over you, but I still have orders. It will be great, I promise. Just think of it as spending time with your friend and not as a lock down.” He removed his hand from my arm and looked shyly at me.
“I understand. Just please don’t treat me like glass. I’m not as fragile as I may look,” I said. He nodded in agreement. Then I flung my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. “I am happy that you are here. I just don’t like the circumstances.”
***
Several weeks had passed and all I was allowed to do was either hang out with Roman or go to work. Having Roman here wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was great reconnecting with him. He was like a brother to me. I was closer to him than my four older brothers, so I tried to not see him as a bodyguard, but as my friend.
He kept his promise in keeping his distance. It was a relief to have him here. He was a good buffer between my and Emilio’s growing tension.
During Roman’s time here, I hadn’t seen Lucas. I missed him a lot and it was probably at the expense of Emilio’s rage that he had kept his distance. I can only imagine the conversation Emilio had with him the next day at work. But, I knew Lucas could hold his own against Emilio.
