Keepin' The Faith

by Beth Rinyu

  “Mr. Gabe, she’s being a chicken,” Joey shouted as Gabe made his way out of the water. My stomach tingled at just the sight of him with his perfect body and beads of water dripping from his hair. Why the hell did he have to look like he’d jumped right off the month of July on a hot man calendar? I instinctively grabbed his towel from the back of his chair and handed it to him.

  “Oh, well, she’s a wimp.” He smirked at me, wiping the water from his face.

  “I beg your pardon. I am not a wimp!” I retorted.

  “Defensive, aren’t we?” He took a seat, squinting up into the sunlight at me. “If you’re not a wimp, go in the water.”

  “It’s too cold.”

  “Wimp,” he muttered, followed by a cough, sending Joey into a laughing spell.

  I narrowed my eyes at the two of them and dug my foot in the sand. Snatching my sunglasses off my face, I threw them on Gabe’s lap and headed toward the water. The frigid waves rolled upon my feet, taking my breath away. I took a step back, trying to play it off, knowing Gabe and Joey were watching me.

  “You have to get more than one toe wet, Faith!” Gabe shouted as Joey continued with her laughter.

  I turned around and kicked up the water, splashing him right in the face. Now it was me who couldn’t contain my laughter—that was until he came up behind me, effortlessly picking me up, carrying me deeper into the water.

  “Put me down!” I shouted over the roaring waves.

  “Not until you say, my name is Faith, and I’m a wimp.”

  “Nope!”

  He carried me just past the breakers, placing me in the water with his arms wrapped around my waist. I could feel myself trembling, and it wasn’t from the cold. I hated not knowing what was swimming around me.

  “Remember your deal? Hands to yourself.”

  He removed his arms from my waist while I continued gripping onto his neck for dear life.

  “I don’t believe my hands are on you at the moment.”

  “Well, they were, and my boyfriend wouldn’t like that.” I tried my hardest to hold back my smirk.

  “Fuck your boyfriend.” A slow, sly grin spread across his face.

  I widened my eyes and giggled. “I do, quite often.”

  “Well, in that case…you’re on your own with that.” He pointed to the giant wave that was fast approaching us.

  I latched onto him tighter. “I’m a wimp! I’m a wimp!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut and burying my head into his chest.

  “Thought you’d see things my way.” He laughed and pulled me closer.

  We ducked under the wave with our foreheads pressed together when we surfaced for air. I moved a little closer, skimming his sweet salty lips with mine while running my fingers through his thick, wet hair.

  “I’m a total wimp,” I whispered.

  ***

  After a shower and a quick nap, I reassessed my little setback in the ocean. Clearly, it was fear that was controlling my actions. I thought I was going to die in the monstrous wave, so I did something foolish. I read somewhere that people do crazy things when they believe to be in the last moments of their lives, like tasting the delicious lips of an absolutely gorgeous man you once had a thing for. I mean, I thought I was never going to resurface in that water, so I may as well, right? Wrong! You kissed him after the wave had passed, Faith! And what do you mean you had a thing for him? Your eyes were all over him like ants on a picnic blanket full of crumbs. I didn’t care what that bitchy inner voice had to say, that was my story and I was sticking to it.

  “Mommy, Mr. Gabe said he’ll play miniature golf with us!” Joey was bouncing up and down with excitement as I exited the bedroom.

  “Oh, well, I thought you wanted to go grab something to eat first.” I was trying desperately not to be led into the temptation that arose whenever Gabe was around.

  “Will you come to dinner with us, Mr. Gabe?” Joey batted her eyelashes, and I knew exactly what the answer was going to be.

  “Sure,” he replied.

  “Well, we’re going to the burger place.” I tried one last tactic to avoid any further enticement.

  “And?” He raised his eyebrow.

  I was pretty certain he was on to my game when a sly grin quirked his lips up. “You’re a vegetarian.”

  “That’s fine.” He was smug in his reply.

  “What’s a begetartian, Mr. Gabe?” Joey asked.

  I huffed as the two of them walked outside ahead of me while Gabe answered Joey’s question. You can do this, Faith. You can do this. Just keep your eyes up instead of on that fine ass in front of you.

  By the time the night was over, I was feeling like a third wheel. Joey and Gabe were having a great time, playing arcade games and miniature golf, all of which I sucked at. Neither seemed to care about my disinterest, going about their business as if I weren’t even there. So, I stood around like a bored kid while they had their fun.

  We arrived back at the house a little after ten, and Joey had finally fallen asleep after being hopped up on ice cream and candy.

  “What’s the matter? Did you need a liquid remedy after letting out your inner kid?” I joked as I stepped outside on the deck where Gabe was sitting with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

  “Not at all. I had a lot of fun…with Joey.” He grinned.

  “Whatever!” I raised an eyebrow at his sarcasm. “Do you care if I sit out here?”

  “Why would I care?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and took a seat next to him on the outdoor love seat. The warm breeze did very little to take away the mugginess in the salty air. “How is it possible to still feel like it’s ninety degrees when it almost eleven o’clock at night?”

  “Umm…it’s July.”

  “No, really? I didn’t know that.” I playfully smacked him on the arm. “So how’s work going?”

  “Okay,” he replied, taking another swig of Jack. “Want some?”

  “Oh God, no! Remember what happened the last time we got drunk?”

  “No, I don’t. Care to enlighten me?”

  I stared straight ahead. “Not really.” I sighed, wishing I could relive that night all over again. Even if nothing did end up happening, at least Gabe and I were at a good point in our relationship before we ended up sleeping together and screwing everything up. “So how’s your new person working out? Does she bring you coffee every Monday morning?” The full moon shone down upon him, allowing me to relish in those double dimples now etched into his face. “What’s the smirk for? Did she end up quitting on your already?”

  “Nope. I never hired anyone. Why? Do you want to come back?”

  Why did he have to look at me like that? It was the same look he would get as soon as our bodies would become one and the same look he would get just before he’d lose himself inside of me. I ignored my accelerated heartbeat, the tingling in my stomach, and the mush that was once my knees and soldiered on.

  “Um, no, thanks.”

  He lifted my hair from my neck and whispered in my ear. His breath was just as warm as the night air that shrouded us. “Why not? Would your boyfriend get pissed?”

  I stared straight ahead and swallowed hard, trying desperately to not give in to the desire building up inside of me. Sucking air in, I turned in his direction. “Maybe.”

  “Fuck him!” he muttered as another gulp of Jack went down his throat.

  “You better stop saying that or I’m gonna start thinking maybe you really want to,” I teased.

  “Maybe I want to what?”

  “Fuck him.” I giggled.

  “Nah, it’s not him I want to fuck.”

  I knew that was my cue to leave. It was definitely heating up out here, and it had nothing to do with the weather. He was getting drunker, and my resistance was getting weaker. “I’m gonna head in to bed.” I started to get up, and he pulled me back down. “Answer this question for me.” His speech was garbled. “How was it so easy for you to walk away?”

  “To walk away from wh
at?”

  He was making absolutely no sense.

  “Us.”

  “Gabe, we’ve been over this already.”

  “No, you’ve been over it, and you never let me have my say.”

  My shoulders slumped. He was hammered, and the last thing I felt like doing was rehashing a dead topic with someone who wouldn’t have any recollection of it in the morning. But I would endure it and let him say his piece. “Okay, and what is it that you have to say?” I asked.

  “You said that all you meant to me was sex. That wasn’t true. You mean so much more to me that it scares me.” His words were almost incoherent.

  “Okay, fine. I’m sorry for saying that. Can-can I go to bed now?”

  He shook his head, grabbing the back of my neck and slamming his lips against mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I was powerless to stop it, kissing him back just as eagerly. Then all of a sudden that inner voice, the one I so often chose to ignore, started to make sense. Alcohol was a cause for many people to get sentimental, and I had a feeling Gabe’s confession was a result of the excessive amount of Jack Daniel’s he had just consumed.

  I broke free and stared into his glassy eyes.

  “I think you should let me take you in the bedroom and prove to you that I can make love to you,” he slurred.

  I backed away. “And I think you’re too drunk to even know what you’re saying. You should really go to bed and sleep it off.” I stood up and reached for his hand to help him into his room.

  He stared blankly past me for a second before standing up and almost falling over. I wrapped my arm around him and guided him in the house, trying my best to get him to walk in a straight line to his bedroom.

  “Ah fuck!” he shouted when he banged his leg into the coffee table, causing me to let out a little snicker over his inebriation.

  Once we finally reached his bedroom, I directed him to the bed. “Are you okay? Because you look like you’re gonna puke.”

  He shook his head, dazed and confused. I brought the waste paper basket over to the side of the bed just in case and took off his shoes.

  “Do you want to take off the rest of my clothes too?” He smirked, sitting on the bed, swaying back and forth.

  “Will you just lie down?” I demanded. Of course he had to test my resistance by standing up and stripping down to his boxers. I lifted the comforter. “Get in!” I barked. I kind of liked this role reversal. If the people from work could see me now, bossing around the boss.

  “Not unless you get in with me.”

  I scowled. His eyes were half shut, he could barely stand up, and it was only a matter of minutes before he passed out. I’d lie down until that time and then go off to my bed for some much needed sleep. I reluctantly got in and waited for him to follow suit.

  “Under the covers,” he muttered.

  “Oh my God!” I rolled my eyes before slipping under the covers.

  He crawled in next to me, putting me to the ultimate test. I was thankful for the strong scent of alcohol permeating from him. That was the only thing stopping me from jumping his bones. That…and the fact he was probably too drunk to get it up anyway. Scratch that thought—when my hand accidently skimmed said area it was confirmed the alcohol didn’t affect that part of the anatomy.

  He turned on his side to face me. “If I doubled your salary, would you come back?”

  “Nope.” I yawned.

  “Tripled it?”

  “Will you just go to sleep?” I pleaded.

  He pushed my hair from my face and pressed his forehead into mine. “What if I told you I love you, would you come back…to me?”

  My stomach flipped, and for one brief second I searched for sincerity in his words, but I knew there was none to be found. He was drunk. He didn’t know what he was saying, and I was fairly certain if he had any recollection of it, he’d thoroughly regret it in the morning. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to answer when I heard his snores start up next to me. His arms pulled me closer, and I closed my eyes, chasing away the feelings I’d been so desperately trying to suppress.

  He didn’t mean it, Faith. Don’t be foolish. I didn’t need my inner voice to remind me of that fact. I knew better than anyone—sober, in control Gabe would never express his feelings for me in that way.

  Chapter 38

  Gabe

  I rolled over in bed, placing the pillow over my head to fend off the bright sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. I needed to pull it together. I had to Skype with some business associates in Sweden this morning, and if I looked anything like I was feeling at the moment, that wouldn’t be very good for business.

  Every muscle in my body ached as I slowly eased myself out of bed. Bits and pieces of last night slowly filled my thoughts, reminding me once again that I couldn’t drink like I did back in the day. I distinctly remembered Faith helping me into bed and falling asleep with her in my arms. I was fairly certain nothing beyond that had happened when I looked down to see I was still in my boxers. I stood up, slipping my shorts on that were laying on the floor. Stretching my body, I slowly made my way to the kitchen.

  “Good morning! How are we feeling?” Faith grinned as she poured a cup of coffee and handed it to me.

  I took a seat next to Joey at the breakfast bar and watched her move her eggs around on her plate.

  “Why’s your hair all messy?” Joey giggled.

  “Mr. Gabe had a very rough night.” Faith snickered as she placed a plateful of eggs in front of me.

  “Oh no! Are you sick?” The concern in Joey’s voice was sweet and sincere.

  “No, I’m fine, Joey,” I reassured her.

  “I brought Harriet the bear with me. She’s a nurse. She’ll know for sure if you’re sick.” She jumped off the stool and ran off.

  “Wonder if Harriet the bear has a remedy for hangovers.” Faith smirked and took a sip of her coffee.

  I rolled my eyes and even that took some effort.

  Faith dug through her purse and pulled out a bottle of Advil. “Here, take these,” she said, placing two pills in my hand.

  I did as she said, washing them down with my coffee.

  Joey came back out with her teddy bear, placing its arm on my head. “Harriet, this is Mr. Gabe, can you please make sure he’s okay?” She deepened her voice, pretending to be the bear. “No fever. Just drink lots of water and get some rest.”

  “Will do.” I tried to stifle my laughter.

  “Joey, finish up your breakfast,” Faith requested.

  “But I’m not hungry,” Joey whined. “Mr. Gabe isn’t eating his and you’re not yelling at him.”

  “Mr. Gabe, eat your breakfast!” Faith demanded, turning around to conceal her laughter.

  I took a few bites in an effort to get Joey to eat, to no avail. She just continued to move the eggs around on the plate to make it appear as if she’d eaten them. After about fifteen minutes of coaxing, Faith finally gave up in her pursuit.

  “I don’t want to hear you complaining you’re starving when we get on the beach!” Faith shouted as Joey went running off to change into her bathing suit. “At least someone appreciates my cooking.” She sighed as she took my empty plate from me and placed it in the dishwasher.

  I stood up, desperately needing to shower and shave before my Skype call.

  “Thanks for breakfast.”

  “No problem. Will you be joining us on the beach again today?”

  “Um...probably not. I’ve got to get caught up on some work things.”

  “Oh, okay.” She tried to brush it off, but I didn’t miss the way her shoulders drooped in disappointment.

  “But I’d like to take you and Joey out to dinner tonight, if you want,” I retorted just as she was starting to head down the stairs.

  “You took us to dinner last night.”

  “Umm, I wouldn’t consider that dinner, it was more like a greasy dive.”

  She shrugged. “I happened to like that greasy dive.”

  I shook m
y head in amazement. We were so opposite, yet I’d never felt as drawn to anyone in my life. “Okay, but I want to take you to a much nicer restaurant tonight to thank you for not letting me drink myself into oblivion last night.”

  She let out a slight giggle. “I don’t know, by the looks of you right now, it sure does look like you drank yourself into oblivion.”

  “I’m trying to be nice here and all you can do is hurl insults...I’m hurt,” I teased.

  “Okay, okay, if you’re gonna cry about it, then yes, we’ll go to dinner with you, but it’s really not necessary.”

  “I know it’s not, but we’ve only got a few more nights until this arrangement is over, so we may as well celebrate a little early.”

  The smile on her face instantly disappeared. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We’ll be ready by seven,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, seven’s good.”

  She nodded and headed down the stairs, leaving me totally baffled by her sudden mood swing. I brushed it off to it possibly being her time of the month and headed into the shower.

  I kicked ass for being hungover, getting four days of work done in just a few hours. I was shocked when I looked at the time to find it was already after two. Faith and Joey were just returning from the beach, and Joey didn’t look or seem herself. Faith was carrying her, and she had her head buried in Faith’s shoulder. “She okay?”

  “Stomachache,” Faith responded, carrying her into the bedroom.

  Faith came out on the deck after about an hour, looking drained.

  “Is she feeling better?”

  “Not really, but at least she finally fell asleep. I think she may have just gotten too much sun today. I’m hoping a little nap will make her feel better.” She took a seat in one of the lounge chairs next to mine. “It’s a beautiful afternoon, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. It is.” I was exhausted, still feeling the effects of my excessive alcohol from the night before. After a few minutes of silence, I looked over at Faith, fast asleep as the warm afternoon breeze blew through her hair, and I wondered if she had a clue as to just how beautiful she really was. I stared straight ahead at the crowds of people on the beach just across the road, happy I could take in the ocean view in peace and quiet with this beautiful woman sitting beside me. By the end of the week my bank account would be a whole lot fuller, but my heart would be a whole lot emptier.