by E. L. Todd
“How many?” Theo asked.
I was getting really annoyed. “You guys are acting like really annoying and protective brothers.”
“Because we are,” Conrad snapped.
“I’m not related to either one of you,” I insisted.
“But we’re family,” Theo said. “If some guy is trying to get to you, he has to go through us.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, knock it off. I can look after myself and I know he’s good enough for me. I know my value.”
“Is he coming to this art show?” Conrad asked.
Arsen said he wouldn’t but those were empty words. “Of course he is.”
“I’ll size him up then,” Conrad said.
I packed up my books. “If you guys are going to be stupid, I’ll study somewhere else.”
“Works for us,” Theo said. “Now it won’t stink.”
I stood up then glared at him. “You want to get beat up by another girl?”
Theo’s face went pale.
Conrad laughed.
I walked off with my head held high.
***
I called my mom after dinner. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, honey. How’s it going?”
“Good. How’s work?”
She sighed into the phone. “Too much to do in so little time.”
“I know how that is…”
“And then when I come home, your father expects a feast to be on the table. This week I told him to get off his ass and do it himself otherwise he’d starve.”
I laughed. “I have a feeling dinner has been pretty bland.”
“And burned,” she said. “Sometimes I wonder how he survived before I came along.”
“It’s called fast food.”
“If that’s true, your father’s health took a drastic turn for the better when he met me.”
“If I were you, I’d divorce him.”
“Maybe I will divorce him.” She said it loudly like she wanted my dad to hear. Then she chuckled. “So, what’s new with you?”
I felt my insides tingle before I spoke. “I actually wanted to tell you something.”
“You got your nails done?”
“Well, yeah. But that’s not what I wanted to say.”
My mom patiently waited for me to speak.
“One of my sculptures was nominated for an award. The ceremony is in a few months.”
There was a pause before my mom exploded. “Oh my god! Congratulations, baby. I’m so proud of you.”
“Yeah, I—”
“Ryan!”
I sighed when I realized I’d be ignored for the next few minutes.
“Our baby got an award for one of her sculptures!” Mom yelled.
“No, I was nominated!” I said over the phone. “I didn’t win yet.”
“What?” my dad yelled back. “She did?” Excitement was in his voice.
“She just told me,” my mom shrieked. “This is so great!”
“Keep it down!” My brother yelled in the background. “I’m trying to watch TV.”
“That’s my girl,” my dad said. “She’s talented just like her father.”
“You mean like me,” Mom said.
“Sure,” he said. “Whatever.”
My mom turned her attention back to me. “We’ll be there, honey. We’re so proud of you. I just want—”
“Let me talk to her.” My dad snatched the phone away. “Hey, kid. Talk about great news!”
I heard my mom smack him on the arm. “I was talking to her first.”
“Shut up and go away,” he said. Then he came back to me. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I hate you, Ryan!” my mom yelled. “Let me talk to my daughter.”
“You’ll get your turn,” he snapped.
“Shut the hell up!” my brother yelled. “I don’t care if Silke won the nobel prize. I’m watching the game.”
I started to feel a headache behind my eyes.
“How did this happen?” my dad asked. “Did you enter it into a contest or something?”
“Well, I—”
“At least put her on speakerphone!” Mom yelled in the background.
“Go away,” my dad hissed.
They started to fight over the phone, screaming at each other.
“I can still hear you!” Slade yelled in the background.
“Give me the phone!” Mom was screaming at the top of her lungs. “I’m her mother!”
“Shit, you’re annoying,” Dad snapped. “Why don’t you just—”
The line went dead.
I sighed then tossed the phone aside, knowing my parents wouldn’t even notice for several minutes. Even though they were annoying, at least they were excited about it. My brother was indifferent, like always.
My phone lit up with a message.
Congrats, sis.
I smiled when I read the message from Slade. That was all he wrote, but it was the nicest thing he ever said to me. Thanks.
***
“Denise wants to go on a double date tonight.” I was painting my nails at the kitchen table with the phone in between my neck and shoulder.
“Okay…what’s that have to do with me?” Arsen asked in a bored voice.
“You know, you’re dumber than I give you credit for.” I blew on my fingernails so they would dry.
He chuckled. “Why don’t we just do something alone tonight?”
“We’re always alone,” I snapped. “I want to go out with my friends and my boyfriend at the same time.”
He sighed. “But I don’t want to.”
“Too bad. Now pick me up.”
“Why do you have to be so bossy?”
“Why do you have to be such a pussy?” I countered.
He chuckled again. “Fine. Whatever. What am I supposed to wear?”
“Wear whatever you want. I’m not your mother.”
“Then I’m wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and my leather jacket.”
“Good.” I finished my other hand then blew warm air on the paint. “You look hot in that.”
His smile was audible in his voice. “Well…I try.”
“Now hurry and pick me up.”
His playful attitude was gone. “Seriously, Silke. I’ve never done this before. Are you sure you want to go through with it?”
I didn’t even bother responding. I just hung up.
***
“Knock on the door!” I glared at him over the threshold.
He was standing near the landing.
“Stop being weird and just be normal.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Why don’t you stop hanging up on me?”
“I will when you stop being annoying.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
I walked inside my apartment and searched for my jacket.
He followed behind me and shut the door.
I came back to him and adjusted my jacket. I was wearing a short black dress with red flowers imprinted on it. My red jacket accentuated the color.
He looked me up and down. “I like that.”
I ignored his compliment. “Why don’t you ever knock on the door?”
He shrugged. “You know I’m here anyway.”
Sometimes I wanted to slap him. “Did your parents never teach you to ring the doorbell? What did you do when you went trick-or-treating? Just stood there and waited for them to open the door by chance?”
He put his hands in his pockets. “I never went trick-or-treating.”
My eyes fell. “Never?”
He shook his head.
That broke my heart for some inexplicable reason. I assumed he didn’t have a great childhood, but he’d never been trick-or-treating? Was that possible? “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He shrugged then avoided eye contact.
“Well, please knock on the door.”
Judging by his reaction, he still wasn’t going to.
I decided
to just let it go. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah.” He looked down at me again, eyeing my legs under the dress. Then he stepped closer to me, his eyes dark. He slowly herded me against the wall then pressed his body into mine. “I like this. A lot.”
I moved my hands up his chest. “I like this.”
“What?” he asked. “The jacket or the shirt?”
“Neither.” I gave him a meaningful look then pressed my hands further into his chest.
A quiet growl escaped his lips. His eyes were dark but playful at the same time. His messy hair and strong jaw made him beautiful in an obvious way. The light hair on his face made him seem rugged. I could stare at that face forever.
His hands moved to my hips and he slowly lifted my dress, exposing my black thong underneath.
“I like this too,” he whispered.
“Yeah?” I undid the button of his jeans and heard him take a loud breath. When I slid them down, his boxers were revealed. “I like this.”
He gripped my thong and started to pull it down.
I knew where this was going and we would be late for dinner, but I didn’t care anymore.
He kneeled as he pulled my panties off all the way. Then he kissed my inner thighs as he moved up. He placed a gentle kiss at the apex of my thighs, making me shake slightly, and then he rose again.
I yanked his boxers off aggressively, not being delicate like he was.
“Eager?” A cocky grin was on his face.
“Shut up.”
He gripped me then lifted me, my back against the wall. His cheek was pressed to mine as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “I hope you don’t mind if we’re late.”
“No.” My voice came out as a plea. I gripped him and held on.
“Good, because this is going to take a while.” He kissed the corner of my mouth gently. “I’m not going to stop until your legs shake, you scream, and your landlord evicts you.”
“Sounds good to me.”
***
Arsen was apprehensive about walking inside the restaurant.
“I don’t get you,” I said. “You’re fearless when you ride a motorcycle without a helmet, but you can’t go on a double date with me?”
He shot me a glare. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“How?” I demanded.
“The more people who know about me, the more there are to tell you to stay clear of me.” He accompanied his sentence with a sigh.
“No one is going to say that.”
He gave me a doubtful look.
“And if they did, I wouldn’t care.”
“Even worse…”
“We’re already late as it is,” I said in an annoyed voice.
“Whose fault is that?” he demanded.
“Not mine,” I said. “You’re the one who came onto me.”
“You’re the one who had to wear that dress,” he snapped.
I grabbed his hand. “Let’s just go in. I’m starving.”
“What’s new?” he teased.
We headed inside then found Denise and her date at a table.
“Hey!” Denise smiled and waved. A margarita was in front of her. Her cheeks were slightly red like she already had too many drinks.
“Hey.” I reached their table then hugged her. “Cute jacket.”
“Nice dress.” She eyed me. “Or shirt…I can’t tell.”
I hit her arm playfully. “Who’s this handsome guy next to you?”
Her date smiled. “Shane.” He extended his hand to shake mine. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. I’m Silke.” I pulled Arsen next to me. “This is my boyfriend, Arsen.”
“Hey, man.” Arsen shook hands with him then stepped back.
Denise eyed Arsen then turned to Shane. “You should get a leather jacket.”
Shane laughed it off. “I’ll think about it.”
We moved to our seats and Arsen quickly pulled out the chair for me and gave me a hesitant look, like he wasn’t sure if he did it right.
I smiled, feeling warm, and then sat down.
Arsen settled beside me and sat up straight. He usually slouched and did whatever he wanted. He’d even put his feet on the table if he could get away with it. Arsen grabbed a menu and handed it to me. Then he looked at his own.
“Why are you guys late?” Denise blurted.
“Traffic,” I said vaguely.
“Was there an accident?” Shane asked.
“No,” Arsen said. “When Silke said traffic, she meant we were fucking.”
Shane looked extremely awkward. “Oh…alright. Cool.”
I shot him a glare. “They didn’t need to know that.”
“Like we weren’t thinking it anyway,” Denise said. “Did he make you come?”
“Denise, you’re already drunk,” I said.
“Twice,” Arsen answered.
Denise leaned toward me. “I need to start dating bad boys.”
Shane shot her an irritated look.
“He’s not a bad boy,” I said. “He just tries to act like it.”
Arsen gave me a look that held an entire conversation in it.
“Whatever,” Denise said. “I want one of those.”
“I can be bad…” Shane shrugged.
“You have my attention.” Denise leaned toward him.
While she was distracted, I leaned toward Arsen. “What the hell was that?”
“I told you people wouldn’t like me.”
“They won’t if that’s your goal,” I hissed.
“I’m just being myself,” he said. “Or do you want me to act differently?” He challenged me with a look.
“I want you to be exactly how you are when we’re alone together.”
He shook his head slightly. “I only act that way around you for a reason.”
“What reason is that?” I asked.
He gave me a long look. “You already know.”
I sighed and let it go. Baby steps. Baby steps.
Arsen put his arm along the back of my chair and his hand rested on my shoulder. His touch brought me back to earth.
“I don’t know anything about you,” Denise said. “Silke hardly talks about you.”
“I guess I’m her dirty little secret,” Arsen said playfully.
“You wouldn’t be here if you were,” I said.
“So, tell me about yourself,” Denise pressed.
I wasn’t sure how Arsen would handle this question. I let him take the reins.
“My Harley is my best friend. I live in the moment. And Silke is the only woman who can tame me.” He stared at her and fell silent.
Denise stared at him, expecting him to say more. “Is that it?”
He shrugged. “I’m pretty simple. What about you?”
“I’m a computer science major,” she said. “My dad forced me to do it but it’s not so bad. I love the…” Denise talked about herself for fifteen minutes, slurring most of the time.
Arsen successfully diverted the conversation away from himself.
Food and more rounds of drinks were ordered. When we were eating, Arsen kept his hand on my thigh. I liked the affection he was giving me. He was being a real boyfriend, and he was doing a pretty good job of it. Denise and Shane seemed to like him and appreciated his uniqueness.
“Please excuse me.” Arsen rose from the table and headed to the bathroom.
“I’m glad to see you guys getting along,” Denise said.
“It comes and goes,” I said with a shrug.
“But you seem happy,” Denise said.
I couldn’t deny that. “I’m very happy with him.”
“Then I’m cool with him,” Denise said. “As long as he treats you right, I’m okay with that.”
“Thanks.” Having her approval meant a lot to me.
I felt bad Shane was ignored most of the night, living in Arsen’s shadow, so I asked him about school and his life. Like I expected, he was boring. Even though Arsen was annoying because he was so
sporadic and unpredictable, there was never a dull moment with him. Shane was going to put me to sleep.
When I glanced toward the bathroom, I saw Arsen leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. A busty brunette was talking to him. Her head rolled back as she laughed. Her face was heavy with make up and she was definitely a looker.
Arsen kept his hands in his pockets and didn’t touch her but he didn’t walk away either.
Denise followed my gaze. “You want me to kick her ass?”
I smirked. “No, thanks. I can take her. But she’s not worth my time.”
“What happened to your spunk?” she asked. “She’s totally flirting with your man.”
“I’m not worried about it.” I ate more chips then downed my margarita.
“His leather jacket isn’t even that nice…” Shane glanced at him then looked away.
“Does he have any piercings?” Denise asked.
“No.”
“Tattoos?” she asked hopefully.
“No.”
“Really?” She was shocked.
I shrugged. “Arsen is an enigma. I’ve spent a year trying to understand him but I haven’t covered much ground.”
“I could get a tattoo,” Shane said.
“I’m sure you could, baby.” She patted his back then rubbed it.
When I glanced at Arsen, he was still talking to the girl. Actually, she was talking to him. But he was still standing there listening.
The tab came and I paid for our half.
Shane paid for the other.
“Did you guys come here on his Harley?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Was it scary?” she asked. “If my parents found out I rode a motorcycle, they would kill me.”
“Arsen is a good driver. And my parents wouldn’t care. Actually, my dad would want a go on it.”
“Your parents sound cool,” she said. “My parents are so traditional and stiff. Boring…”
My parents definitely weren’t boring. They screamed at each other night and day. Sometimes I wasn’t sure why they were still together. “Every day is an adventure with my family.”
We grabbed our stuff then prepared to walk out.
“Are you going to retrieve him or what?” Denise asked.
“No.” I turned to Shane. “Can you give me a ride?”
“You aren’t going to wait for him?” Shane asked.
I didn’t care if Arsen talked to girls because I trusted him, but he’d been talking to her for nearly twenty minutes and I was irritated by his rudeness. He was supposed to make a good impression, not chat up some big-tit brunette. “No.” I walked out with them until we reached the street. “Where did you park?”
