“Fuck. Sorry, man. I just knew what happened before and that she was stood up. I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
“Yeah, you fucking did,” I said, a little less angry.
Taking a drink of my coffee I sat down on the couch. I took some deep breaths to calm down. Major had a point through. If it was anyone but Karma, I probably would have fucked them, but I couldn’t do that to Karma. After a few minutes my anger was gone.
“Hey,” I said to Major, who had been silent since he apologized. “I think it was more than a nightmare that Karma had.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think maybe it was like a memory or something. It was like she told someone to stop and let her go. Then she called for help and I had a hard time waking her up. But the look on her face is haunting me. I’ve never seen anyone look so scared in my life. She asked me to stay because otherwise she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep and that her parents would have to stay in the room with her when she’d have one. I think something happened to her when she was a kid.”
“Fuck,” Major said.
“Yeah. She said she hadn’t had one in years. I’m blaming Anthony. Now that guy, he’s a douchebag.”
“You get that vibe from him, too?” I nodded. “I thought it was just me,” Major said. “And I’ve only met him once for a minute.”
“When he first picked Karma up at the club, I didn’t like him. We didn’t actually speak but he acted like he’d won a prize the way he looked at Karma and then back at me. And the whole thing with his dad thinking she was a gold digger didn’t exactly make me want to be his best friend.”
Major chuckled. “I just hope he has a really good explanation for not picking her up yesterday or he’s going to have one really angry diver and one pissed off swimmer on his hands.”
“I could see that. Kayleigh can be feisty when she wants to be,” I said.
“I’m going to shower and get ready for the day,” Major said. “I told Kayleigh we’d do something fun today. You can join us if you want.”
“Nah, you two have fun.”
I took another drink of my coffee and laid my head back on the couch. Karma’s nightmare was really bothering me. I sat there until my coffee was gone and I was still thinking about what I should do. I wanted to see what I could learn, but then that would be invading her privacy again. What was a guy to do?
Chapter 18
Karma
It had been over two years since I’d last had my recurring nightmare. I tried to pretend like it didn’t bother me, but it always did. I won’t ever be able to thank Bodie enough for staying with me last night, he’ll never know what it meant to me.
In order to shake it off I was putting everything into practice this morning and I could tell Coach Everett was pleased. We were two weeks away from another meet and I think we all wanted to get to second place in the standings.
“Great practice everyone,” Coach Everett said when she blew her whistle. “Have a great weekend, see you Monday.”
We all hit the locker room and I took a longer and hotter shower than normal. Now that I wasn’t focused on diving my thoughts turned back to my nightmare. I heard Kayleigh and Gabbi yell bye to me, but I stayed in the shower a few minutes longer before finally deciding to face the rest of the weekend.
When I walked out of the locker room, I stopped dead in my tracks. Anthony was standing there with a bouquet of flowers, but that’s not what had my attention. His arm was in a sling and he had red bruises on his face.
“Oh my God, what happened?” I said running over to him.
“I was carjacked last night. I tried to fight back and got my shoulder dislocated and my face smashed by some fists. They took my car, wallet, phone, everything. The hospital kept me overnight for observation and this morning I had to file a police report. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to pick you up. How mad at me are you?”
“Fuck being mad, I’m just glad you’re mostly in one piece. Shouldn’t you be resting?”
He smiled but I could tell it hurt. “Probably, but I had to find you so I could explain.”
“What can I do?” I asked.
“The offer to spend the rest of the weekend still stands. I can’t do much, but I’d love the company.”
“Of course,” I said. “I just have to run back to the dorm and get some clothes. How did you get here?”
“My dad’s car and driver.”
“Oh. Do you want me to drive us there in my car?”
He chuckled. “I think my ride will be easier for me to get in and out of.”
I shrugged. “Okay. Meet you in the parking lot?”
“Sure. Look for the black SUV with blacked out windows. It’s kind of hard to miss.”
We left the swim complex together. He was moving slow and I bet he hated that.
“Kayleigh,” I yelled, when I got to the dorm.
“Yeah,” she said from her room.
“Can you come to my room, I’m kind of in a hurry.”
A minute later she appeared in the doorway. “What’s up?”
“Anthony was there when I went to leave the pool. Get this, he was carjacked and beat up. Spent the night in the hospital. They stole his car, phone and wallet. Crazy shit, huh? Anyway, I’m going to his place for the weekend.”
“Um, wow, okay. Yeah, that’s crazy. Just be careful Karma.”
“I will. If we go anywhere, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Have fun. See you at practice on Monday.”
“You bet. Bye.”
I stopped to grab my toothbrush and I was out the door. When I got to the parking lot, I laughed to myself. He wasn’t kidding when he said the SUV was hard to miss. I didn’t know what it was, but it practically screamed luxury. I was just about to the vehicle when the driver came around to open the back door for me.
“Can I take your bag, miss?”
“Oh sure, thank you,” I said.
He took my bag and I hopped in the back.
“Wow, this is quite the car, well SUV I guess,” I said, sitting next to Anthony.
“Dad had it made. It’s a one-of-a-kind custom,” he told me.
I couldn’t even think about how much it would cost to have something like that done. The driver closed my door, got back in the car and we were on the way to Anthony’s.
When we got there, I expected the driver to pull in beside the main house and we’d go to the guest house, but instead he stopped at the front door.
“My mother insisted I see her when I got back,” Anthony explained.
“Gotcha. No problem.”
“Phil will take your bag to my place,” he said.
Phil, who I guessed was the driver, opened Anthony’s door and helped him out. I opened my own door and met them on the other side of the SUV.
The front door opened before we could get to it and his mother came flying out.
“Oh Anthony,” she said, “you look terrible.”
“Thanks mom,” he said, with half a smile.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked him with concern.
“Just sore. The worst is my shoulder. The doctor told me it would be a few weeks before it’s back to normal.”
“If you need anything you let me know. Or Maria if I’m not here.”
“I will, mom. I need to go rest now,” he told her.
“Of course,” she said. “Nice to see you again, Karma. Make sure he’s not being stubborn and is more hurt than he’s telling us.”
“I will, Mrs. Pagano.”
“Call me Susan,” she said with a smile. “I’ll check on you later, Anthony. I’m having lunch with the girls and I’m already late.”
We watched as she got into another car with a different driver. I just shook my head. Having this much money was so foreign to me.
“Are you ready to go rest?” I asked Anthony.
“Yeah, actually I am.”
We went into the main house and out a back entrance by the pool. He opened the
door to the guesthouse and headed straight to the bedroom.
“I need to change out of these clothes,” he said.
“Okay. Let me know if you need help with your shoulder,” I told him.
He nodded and I went to the living room. I was scrolling through Netflix when he came out in a pair of sweats, and nothing else.
“It was too much trouble to try and get a shirt on,” he said, explaining his lack of shirt.
“I’m not going to complain,” I said with a smile. “Since you’re the one who needs to rest, I thought I’d let you pick out what we watch.”
“How kind of you,” he said, with a smirk.
He eased himself onto the couch beside me.
“You look like you’re in pain,” I said. “Did they give you any pain pills?”
“Yeah, but I hate taking them.”
“Now’s not the time to be a stubborn ass. Where are they?”
“Phil probably left them on the kitchen counter,” he said.
I went to the kitchen and found a small pill bottle with Anthony’s name one it. I read the directions and took one out. Filling a glass with water, I went back to the living room and made him take it. I set the timer on my phone for when he was supposed to take the next one.
“Did you pick something to watch?” I asked, rejoining him on the couch.
“You pick. I’m probably going to fall asleep anyway,” he said. “I don’t think I got more than an hour’s sleep last night. Hospitals aren’t restful.” He handed me the remote.
Twenty minutes later, he was sound asleep. I found a blanket for him and moved to the chair. Since he was over six feet tall, I figured he needed all the room he could get to stretch out.
I had no idea how long he was going to be out, so I put on Lucifer and settled in. If I couldn’t play with Anthony’s gorgeous body, I was going to at least watch one on TV.
****
Bodie
I spent the entire day on Saturday trying to distract myself from thinking about Karma and her nightmare. Three times I started to text her and erased them each time. The fourth time I hit send.
Me: Are you doing okay after last night?
I was surprised when she texted me back right away.
Karma: Yes. Thank you for everything. I probably would have done something stupid if it wasn’t for you.
Me: You’re welcome. What are you doing?
Karma: Watching Lucifer at Anthony’s
Me: Anthony’s? I thought you were pissed at him for standing you up.
Karma: I was until I found out what happened. He was car jacked and beat up. Had to spend the night in the hospital.
Me: Oh. I see. Well, have a good weekend.
I didn’t know what to think about Anthony being car jacked. I actually thought it was payback for being a douchebag. I wasn’t expecting Karma to text me back, so I was surprised when my phone dinged.
Karma: What are you doing?
Me: Absolutely fucking nothing
Karma: Why?
Me: Just don’t feel like doing anything I guess
Karma: Liar. You get bored easily, like me. So, tell me the truth, why are you sitting alone doing nothing?
Me: You don’t want to hear the truth
I both wanted to tell her and not tell her why I was at home alone.
Karma: Now I’m doubly intrigued. Tell me.
Me: Fine, but remember, you asked. And you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.
Karma: Okay?????
Me: I’ve been thinking about your nightmare and what you said. Is it a memory or just a dream?
I waited a few minutes and didn’t hear back from her. I decided she didn’t want to tell me which only made me think I was right about it being a memory. I wasn’t going to push it though. Karma would do what she wanted when she wanted, at least I knew that much about her.
Checking the time, I saw that it was only just after 7pm. I was turning into an old woman. I needed to get out, so I texted Zach to see what they were up to for the night. Turned out he had some family obligation and Chad was going with him, so he didn’t get bored. I knew Major was doing something with Kayleigh and I really didn’t want to spend the night watching him eye fuck her. I loved the guy to death, but he was definitely pussy whipped.
As I was trying to figure out what to do with myself, my phone dinged. I smiled when I saw who it was.
Tiffany: Are you busy?
Me: No. What’s up?
Tiffany: I need to get out of the apartment
Me: Fuck, so do I. I’ll be there in 20.
Tiffany: Awesome
What I was wearing was fine, so I grabbed my keys and headed to my car. Almost twenty minutes later, I was pulling up outside of her building. She was waiting on the curb for me.
“That bad huh?” I asked, when I saw the look on her face.
“Yeah, they were all over each other in the living room. At least, they could go to her bedroom.”
“Wow, that sucks,” I said. “So, what do you want to do?”
“I don’t care, as long as it keeps me out of this apartment for a few hours.”
“Okay, I think we can manage that. Have you eaten dinner?”
“No, I was hiding in my room,” she said, with a hint of a smile.
“Dinner it is. Actually, I have a great idea,” I said.
“Sounds good to me, whatever it is.”
“Do you like pizza?” I asked.
“That’s a stupid question,” she said, with a laugh. “Who doesn’t like pizza?”
“Gotta ask, you never know what weird qualities you might have.”
She smacked my arm, but she was smiling and that was the plan. I couldn’t fix my own problems right now but at least I could make Tiffany’s night a little better.
“The Pizza Fix,” Tiffany said, reading the sign as I stopped the car. “Are you sure this place is safe to eat at? It looks … well it looks a little run down.”
I chuckled. “Don’t let appearances fool you. Are you game or not?”
“Of course, I am,” she said, and got out of the car.
We walked in and I looked to see who was working. Lucky for me it was George. He was the owner and I’d known him my whole life.
“Bodie,” George yelled, when he saw me. “Come give this old man a hug.”
I laughed. He was like the crazy uncle I wasn’t actually related to.
I walked behind the counter and hugged him. “Nice to see you George. It’s been a while. Taking time off again?”
“Such a smartass,” he said, but smiled. “I thought I could semi-retire, but I love this place too much. Who’s your friend?”
“George, this is Tiffany. Tiffany, this is George. He owns the place.”
“Wow, nice to meet you,” Tiffany said. “It smells freaking awesome in here.”
That made George smile.
“I was wondering if we could get the Bodie special?” I asked him.
He smiled. “We haven’t done that in years. Of course, we can. Come on,” George said, and I followed him.
Tiffany looked confused because we headed into the kitchen, not back out front where the tables were.
“Trust me,” I said. “This is going to be fun.”
George handed each of us an apron. I laughed at the look on her face. She was even more confused than before.
“Have you ever tossed a pizza crust?” George asked her.
“Um, no.”
“Get ready for a lesson then,” I told her.
Over the next hour, George showed Tiffany how to make the crust and then toss it to make it just the right size. Then we each made our own pizza with whatever ingredients were in the kitchen. Once we put them in the oven, we got a drink and went out front to a table.
“That was really fun,” Tiffany said with a smile. “I take it you’ve known him for a while?”
“Yeah. My whole life actually. My parents met here, and George has become like part of the family
.”
“That’s pretty awesome. Thanks for distracting me,” she said.
“That’s what friends are for,” I told her. “Works both ways.”
I realized I’d been just as distracted as she was. Not once had I thought about Karma or her nightmare.
George brought us our pizzas and Tiffany practically devoured hers.
“Good?” I asked, chuckling.
“So, freaking good. This crust is amazing.”
“It’s this town’s best kept secret. Only locals know about it, well, and about half the college students.”
“Why doesn’t George fix it up? He’d get more people.”
“He doesn’t want more people. This place is just for special people, at least that’s what he always says.”
Tiffany boxed up her leftover pizza and I told her to take mine, too. I left a fifty-dollar bill on the table and waved to George. We left in a hurry so he wouldn’t try and give me the money back.
We spent the next couple of hours just driving around and talking about nothing. It was after 11pm when I dropped her off at her apartment.
“See you in the morning,” I said, as she was getting out of the car. “Make sure you have my muffins ready.”
“I will. Thanks for tonight Bodie. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
I waited until she was inside and went back to campus. I glanced at my laptop as I went to my room. I still wanted to know what was up with Karma, but I decided not to pry. If she wanted to tell me she would.
Chapter 19
Karma
I was lying in bed next to Anthony, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about the last text from Bodie. Is it a memory or just a dream? I’d planned on texting him right back, but Anthony had woken up, so we ate dinner and watched a movie. I gave him another pain killer and it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep again. But those words kept repeating in my head.
I don’t know how Bodie knew, but he was right, it was a memory. The only people that knew what happened were mom, dad and Kayleigh, but for some reason I felt the need to tell Bodie. I don’t know if it’s because he had been there for me, or if I just needed to get it off my chest, but I’d already made the decision to tell him. I wanted to do it in person though, definitely not by text.
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