by Alexis Leia
Chris’s eyes snapped wide and he pressed his lips together in anger.
“Selene’s not the type to mess around with more guys than one at the same time. And she doesn’t want a ring and a picket fence”, Chris said through clenched teeth.
“Yeah? And when was the last time you talked about it? Thirteen years ago? You were goddamn teenagers, you idiot! People fucking change! And what? Do you believe you could go back to being friends when all this is over? Man, there are so many things left unsaid between the two of you. And that’s going to culminate sooner or later”, Jacks finished.
“I really fucking hate you right now”, Chris growled and rubbed his face with his hand.
“Yeah, yeah. Deal with it. I haven’t met Selene personally, but I saw her and saw the way she treats people, the way she shines in her charisma and beauty. She seems incredible.”
“She is. Fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing”, Chris said and put his head in his hands.
“Just... take it one day at a time. You can’t foresee the future, but you sure as hell can stop the past influencing your present”, Jackson said, speaking from experience and making Chris snort. Jackson put a hand on Chris’s shoulder in support, because he could see his best friend was confused as hell, which was a precedent for this powerful man.
“Awww, such a sweet bromance happening right here. Am I interrupting something?” a cute little voice quipped behind Jackson. Both he and Chris raised their heads to see Annie standing at their table, cute in her plain t-shirt and jeans that hugged her curves just the right way and made Jackson want to drool.
“What are you doing here?” Jacks asked, a smile on his face already, because that little minx always caused trouble.
“Off work, came to get you and invite you to my house for dinner. I’m making something”, Annie said and looked at Jackson, who already had the privilege of tasting her heavenly cooking.
She raised her chin up and sent Jackson an air kiss, making him shake his head in amusement. But then she looked at Chris, and her expression cooled off, turning her into a serious woman Jackson hadn’t had a chance to see.
“You’re invited too”, Annie said to Chris and took Jackson’s half-full beer bottle. He watched her take a sip, and then slowly lower the bottle under the table, wondering what the hell was on her mind.
“Is that a sincere invitation?” Chris looked amused at Annie’s obvious display of antagonism.
“Selene said so, despite all my protests”, she said and wrinkled her little nose.
“Good to see you too, Annie”, Chris said, aggravating Annie further with his teasing smile. But then his face suddenly changed as he suspiciously frowned.
“Annie, are you pouring beer on my shoe?” he asked in a deadly voice.
“Nope, that’s my dog taking a leak. He hasn’t been properly trained.”
“You don’t have a dog.”
‘‘My imaginary dog. Oh look, Frankie can piss beer on my enemy’s shoes. Good boy”, she quipped and patted the air, pretending she was patting a dog. Jackson started laughing in utter hilarity of the situation.
“And why exactly is Frankie pissing all over me?” Chris asked, looking more dangerous by the second as Annie put Jackson’s empty bottle on the table.
“Because Frankie feels very protective over people he loves, and he sees you as a threat to Selene. And he really, really loves Selene”, Annie said and leaned in her chair.
“Really? And why does he see me as a threat?”
“Because he doesn’t want assholes that could hurt Selene around her”, she said in the same patronizing tone. Jackson had to admire her courage; for such a petite little fairy, she had a wrecking ball-sized imaginary balls.
“I’d never hurt Selene”, Chris warned, making Annie snort and get up from her chair.
“Frankie is letting you know this was just a warning. C’mon now, my dog is hungry and I am too”, she said and started walking through the pub, leaving two men sitting dumbfounded and confused.
Well, one of them was dying of laughter, but the other was staring at Annie’s retreating form and throwing daggers. Jackson kept in mind that it would be the best to keep those two away from each other in order to preserve peace and order in Mountainview.
Annie stopped when she noticed neither Chris or Jackson following her, so she turned around, put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.
“C’mon, boy!”
“I think Frankie ran away”, Chris said seriously, but his lips actually twitched in amusement.
“I wasn’t talking to him, Chris. I was talking to you”, she replied and patted her knee in a dog-calling gesture.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Selene and Annie lived on the outskirts of Mountainview, in a pretty little wooden house on the other side of the Waterfall Lake. It had a beautiful stone front porch with four chairs and an iron table; tall oakwood beams went up high and held the slant roof, and neat little bushes grew at the sides of two steep stairs. Soft yellow light shone through big French windows, and little rural lamps on the outer walls illuminated the pathway.
Chris took in the homey scenery while getting out of his car; Jackson tagged along with Annie, the little betraying bastard. But he couldn’t say he was mad at Jacks, or Annie for that matter. That imaginary dog thing she pulled off... it would’ve been pretty hilarious if she had done that to someone else. Instead, his shoes reeked of beer, and he was battling a smile he didn’t want Annie to see. At the same time, he was pretty curious about Selene’s home, where she spent her time, how her life looked, trying to put together pieces of the puzzle. He couldn’t say he imagined her in a place like this; he always thought of her like a modern apartment type of girl, but this pretty home in the woods had its appeal.
“I wish you a very warm welcome to our beautiful home. Jackson, would you mind taking the doormat inside?” Annie said dramatically, standing outside the door, with Jackson and Chris waiting to come in.
“What?” Jackson asked, confused.
“Right behind you”, she whispered loud enough to be heard from the next county, and pointed at Chris before grinning like a six-year-old who got a lollipop at the amusement park.
“Annie”, Jackson warned, making Chris chuckle and Annie roll her eyes.
Chris didn’t mind her attitude that much, because her love for Selene was obvious and she was simply acting like a good friend being over-protective and all. Maybe she was a little crazy, but Chris knew her since she was twelve, and he remembered her by her crazy antics. She opened the door and let them in. Now this was breathtaking. The interior looked amazing, even for Chris who traveled all around the world and stayed in the most luxurious hotels.
Their living room was an open concept stunner; the entire left wall was covered in river rock panels, with five mahogany shelves filled with books scattered around in no apparent order. Four rustic wall lamps hung on the same wall, above the huge built-in fireplace, where soft flames created a warm atmosphere. Two brown leather armchairs stood on each side of the fireplace where fluffy beige carpet was spread. A glass coffee table stood a few feet away, with two beige couches, one facing the fireplace and the other facing the glass-covered wall opposite of the front door. The northern glass wall gave a breathtaking view on the terrace that overlooked the lake bathed in moonlight and the dark, evergreen forest all around it.
There were various doorways on the hardwood wall; one led to the rustic decorated kitchen, the other to a hallway with one bathroom and one bedroom, and the third doorway led to the flight of stairs, which led to the upper floor. The ceiling above them was open, exposing the same oakwood beams that were lined up slantwise and horizontal, and the floor beneath their feet was made in some dark wood. The place was truly amazing; homey, warm, inviting, alluring. Now this... this is where he could picture Selene very clearly; if your home echoed your personality, all of it was Selene.
“Guys, take a seat and I’ll let Selene know we’re here”, Annie said an
d both men took their seats on the couch facing the terrace. He thought Annie would go upstairs to get Selene, but she only stood on the top stair and yelled her heart out.
“Yo, Freckles! Get your tuchas down here! We have guests!” she yelled and made her way to the kitchen, where she retrieved four Buds and set them on the table before plopping herself down on the other couch.
“How did you call her?” Chris asked with a smile.
“Freckles. Because she used to have them and she hated them. Maybe because I always wanted to play connect the dots with them”, Annie shrugged.
“I remember”, Chris laughed, remembering how Selene always kicked him in the ribs when he teased her about the freckles on her face.
“Are you Jewish?” Jackson asked her, noticing her use of Yiddish.
“Nope. I just like being multicultural”, she said and took a big swig of her beer, sighing in happiness.
“If multicultural means using different slangs, sure, you’re very multicultural”, Chris jabbed her, enjoying how she got riled up. She leaned forward in her seat, putting her elbows on her spread legs and pointed a finger at him.
“You’re not in my good books, Swanky. Don’t let me use my fists of fury”, she said and lifter her hands up in a boxing manner, amusing both Chris and Jackson.
“And what damage could those fists of fury do?”
“I’m small, fast and unpredictable, although many would use the word ‘unstable’. Any punch can hurt if well directed”, she said and smiled like a baby shark. Chris and Jackson shared a look and reflexively covered their groins, knowing exactly what she meant.
“Call me Freckles one more time and I’ll make you eat your own hair”, Selene said as she appeared down the stairs and walked over to them.
Chris immediately stood up to greet her, partially in a gentlemanly manner, and partly in awe as he took in her casual appearance. She was dressed in black leggings and a green tank top, with wool socks on her feet. Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun on top of her head and she didn’t have an ounce of make-up on her face, but to Chris she was more beautiful than ever. He could feel his breath stop when she smiled widely, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She approached Jackson and held out her hand.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Jackson. Nice to meet you”, she said and waited for Jackson’s hand to shake it.
Jacks watched her and a slow grin spread over his face. He ignored her hand and instead hugged her tightly, making Chris instantly jealous. He knew his best friend would never try to make a move on his woman, especially in front of his own girl, but hey – jealous antics were still a part of his personality.
“Nice to meet you too, Red”, Jackson said and released Selene before Chris could smash his face.
“Who said you can call her Red?”
“Oh, c’mon Ledford. Every red-haired woman out there has the same nickname. It’s not exclusive to me, or you”, Selene said and lightly slapped his shoulder.
She called him by his last name when he got on her nerves, he remembered that. He took her hand before she removed it and pulled her into him, circling his arms around her waist.
“Do you have something against PDA?” he asked her and lowered his head down, his lips almost touching hers.
“As long as it’s moderate, then no”, she replied and he didn’t waste time; he kissed her deeply, enjoying the taste of her.
They were together yesterday, but for him it felt like a fucking eternity since he last tasted her. She put her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes as she returned the kiss as passionately as always. Chris almost forgot they were not alone and was a second away from lifting her up to carry her upstairs, where he could make them both extremely satisfied. But then a gagging sound interrupted their session. They both turned around to see Annie looking smug.
“Sorry, indigestion”, she said and stood up to take Jackson’s hand and drag him toward the kitchen, leaving Selene and Chris alone. Chris pulled her down to sit on his lap on the couch, but she only chuckled and sat next to him.
“I don’t know about you, but I’d be afraid of Annie killing me in my sleep if I lived with her”, he said as he caressed the exposed skin behind her ear. Selene laughed and shook her head, listening to Annie’s laughter coming from kitchen.
“She’s great, trust me.”
“Yeah, with you for sure. She hates my guts”, Chris said, sounding like it didn’t bother him too much. Well, it didn’t really, if he was being honest.
“Really? That must be the reason why she talked me into sleeping with you”, Selene said sarcastically, surprising the shit out of him.
“Annie talked you into it? Are you for real? Do you have a fever?” Chris kept shooting the questions, and even touched her forehead to see if she was burning up. She smacked his hand and poked him under the ribs.
“Yup. This is her way of testing you, just like any other man”, she said.
“Testing me for what?”
“To see if you can survive her antics. If you can’t, she believes you’re not worthy of my time”, Selene said and grinned.
“Are you absolutely sure? She even mentioned her fists of fury”, Chris joked, feeling relaxed and carefree, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“She didn’t mention anything about being raised in China and being the master of Kung-Fu, did she?” Selene groaned.
“What? No”, Chris laughed in disbelief.
“Oh. Well, she does that all the time with guys who don’t usually know us. The funny part is, they actually believe her”, Selene laughed.
“Is that how you got this amazing house? She threatened to Kung-Fu the hell out of the real estate agent?”
Selene laughed again, and Chris found himself enjoying the sound so much, he wanted to make her laugh all the time. He used to do it when they were younger, make her laugh so hard, tears ran down her beautiful face. Now that he heard the sound again, he realized he missed it. He missed feeling young.
“No, unfortunately. This place was actually a dump when we bought it after returning from college. But as I said, Emmet helped us renovate, and the other Mountainviewers helped a lot; the local construction company donated their scrap material, the furniture company sold us a lot of stuff half the price, people came and helped the best they could. We still have a few mortgages, but we’re managing”, Selene said proudly.
“That’s why you love this town”, he said, again seeing the pieces of the puzzle coming together.
“That’s one of the reasons”, she said lightly.
“And did any of those men Annie tested survive her test?” he asked her, wanting to know if she ever had a stable relationship.
It would be stupid to expect Selene to be alone her entire life, but Chris really wanted to know what went on while he was away. Despite being a jealous prick, he still wanted her to be happy, which is why he hoped she’d had nice men in her life. If not, well, they’d be easy to find.
“Some of them. But if your real question is if I had a serious relationship, then the answer is no. Nothing particularly long-lasting.”
“Jackson thought by now you’d have had a ring on your finger and a baby on the way”, he said, testing the field, remembering the talk he had with Jackson back in the pub.
“Hopefully, one day”, she said and shrugged.
“I thought you didn’t want marriage and all that.” Just when he thought he knew her, she threw a curveball and made him re-think everything. Jackson was right – they both changed in the past decade. They mostly just grew up.
She rolled her eyes and leaned on the decorative dark red cushion, sprawling her legs over his lap. Déjà vu hit him, full force; they used to be in this position back in the foster home when he used to wake her up in the middle of the night to talk, and she would let him sit on her bed and warm her legs while they talked about nothing and everything. He suddenly had the urge to rub his chest, a dull ache making him fidgety.
“I told you already; peo
ple change. Our wishes and desires change over time, and the things we wanted before become something we don’t want anymore”, she explained while staring at the ceiling above. He had one burning question for her.
“You said you want me. Is that something that happened recently, or is it something from the past?” he asked, almost afraid of her answer.
Things that happen suddenly have the habit of vanishing as quickly as they appeared; he feared it might be the same case with the two of them. But he should hope for that, right? He should hope that she’s going to be able to move on quickly after all of this was over. So why did he want to rip something apart while only thinking about it?
“I was too young back then to think about you the way I do now, but yes, I wanted you before too”, she admitted, looking him straight in the eye.
Her honesty both humbled him and amazed him all over again; rare were the ones who had the courage of being honest with themselves, let alone with others. Chris liked to believe he was as honest as possible, but the truth was – he simply didn’t care of what someone might think. If he had to point out one of the rare qualities about himself, it would be the lack of fear of other people’s opinions. However, Selene always made him want to be better, bigger somehow. And that didn’t change.
Since he didn’t say anything after her confession, they simply stared at each other and felt the air changing, becoming heavier with sexual electricity. He leaned toward her, again feeling the need to kiss her and she was obviously up to the idea, since she leaned on her elbows and lifted her torso to meet him midway.
“The dinner is almost ready. Jesus, can you two ever stop smooching?” Jackson asked as he barged inside the living room and removed his jacket before sitting down in one of those comfy armchairs at the fireplace.
“Judging by your wrinkled shirt and disheveled hair, we weren’t the only ones smooching”, Chris pointed out. Jackson simply shrugged and grinned.
