A Fabrication of the Truth (12 page)

It was the third time Dalton came over and wooed me with his guitar—he’d been over many times, but not always with his guitar. We lay back on the pullout bed – I anticipated some major making out that night – and his scrumptious lips pressed against mine. His tongue discovered mine intertwining with his. Breathe, Lexie, breathe. He brushed his thumb across my cheek, sliding his hand behind my head, scooping his other hand under me, his palm warm on my back. He lowered himself down on me, our bodies pressed together – his kiss deepening, sending tingles throughout me. My one hand was on the back of his neck and the other in his hair, and with us so close and all the kissing and touching, I thought I would melt.

Dalton pulled off his bottoms and then my shirt, lying back down on top of me. With his body pressed against mine, my mind lost all control. I just reacted and let out a little gasp as he kissed me right above my collarbone then gave a little lick, smiling up at me. It felt so wonderful having him in my arms, tangled in each other, his soft lips kissing me all over. I didn’t want it to ever stop. Every part of me was alive and excited. I pulled him back up so his lips were on mine again, his hands exploring.

“Dalton,” I said as my brain reeled, thinking how I wanted him to keep doing exactly what he was doing, touching me in places no boy had ever touched before. I rubbed my hands along his back and held him while our lips crashed together. They were lips I had become so familiar with – lips that I loved, just like every other inch of him. I started to breathe deeply and my heart drummed so fast in my chest. I took his hand and guided it to my back. He looked in my eyes and I nodded. Dalton unclasped my bra and slid it off, tossing it to the side.

“Lexie,” he said, in his deep gorgeous timbre, taking in all of me.

I wrapped my arms around him again and he pushed his hips down onto me. Then I could feel him, really feel him. He was just as excited as I was. I put my hands on his butt and pressed him closer. He moved against me, lightly rubbing himself up and down, and our hips started moving in synch.

“Okay?” he whispered in my ear.

“Yes, god, yes.”

“Sure?” he said as I felt him between my legs.

“Please, Dalton. Don’t stop.”

The two of us moved together, keeping with the rhythm. He kissed me and I kissed him back. I had never felt anything like that before in my life – having him only in his boxers, between my legs, only my undies and cotton bottoms acting as a barrier. But I knew we had enough layers to be safe.

I closed my eyes as he gave me kisses and I slid my hands up his shirt, feeling his warm skin. Then my body started to tremble. I held him so tight. He knew what was happening and made sure to keep doing exactly what he did to make me feel that way.

“Oh, oh.” Dalton continued to rub and press himself against me, and I could feel it building, and then it was like bam. Jesus Christ, I didn’t know anything like that could happen when you still had your bottoms on, but dear Lord it could. I knew it would be a moment I would think of later and just smile. I would have to make sure I made way more memories like that. Once my new fantastic feeling started to subside, I breathed heavily, my breasts moving up and down with my breath. He kept grinding me a bit and started to moan, then jumped up.

“I’ll be right back.” He ran into the bathroom.

I was still kind of trembling, and I can only say reveling in what just happened.
My heart carried on with its wild pace and as I began to calm down, Dalton came out of the bathroom. He lay down next to me and gave me a sweet little kiss on the lips.

“Um, thanks.” God I was so awkward sometimes. But really, what do you say after that?

“Thanks to you, too.” He brushed my hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead.

I smiled at him and nuzzled into his shoulder. “Can we do that again some time?”

“Most definitely.”

“Without our clothes on?” I asked.

Dalton laughed and smiled at me. I wanted to do what we just did over again, and again, and again with him. I just wanted him, at all times, no one else.

***

“Okay, so, Saturday night, bowling alley,” Caroline said into the phone.

“We’re going to spend our Saturday night bowling?” I asked, running the hem of a shirt under the foot of my sewing machine, thread punching into the fabric in a straight line.

“Well, yeah. Have you ever bowled? It’s pretty fun and Rico’s coming.”

“Wait, isn’t that Mr. Chavez’s grandson?” I asked. She had mentioned him a few times since we filmed the car commercial.

“Yep.”

“Oh, okay then,” I said. I did a back stitch and then pulled the shirt from the machine, cutting the thread. Maybe I’d wear what I just created out for bowling.

***

Before Caroline picked me up at my house I wanted to try something. I texted Dalton and asked him not to be mad. I really hoped it wouldn’t ruin our evening, either. I was so nervous. There was a hammering in my chest. I stood on the front porch to Dalton’s lola and lolo’s house. I rang the doorbell and waited. I took in a deep breath, letting cool air fill my lungs as I waited for someone to answer the door. The door opened partway and I heard Hailey yell, “Who is it?” from somewhere in the house. Dalton’s lolo yelled back, “I’m checking,” and the door opened all the way. He saw me standing out there and said, “Oh.”

“Um, hi,” I said. “Is Dalton home?”

Dalton’s lolo didn’t say anything to me. Instead, he yelled into the house, “Gloria!”

I knew I shouldn’t have been there, but I had to try at least once. It wasn’t going so hot.

“What?” Dalton’s lola yelled back, and after a few seconds she appeared in the doorway.

She saw me and said, “Oh, I don’t think so,” and slammed the door.

Well, at least I tried. I went back to my house to wait for Caroline. She got there about a half hour later.

“Rico’s meeting us there later,” Caroline said as I let her in.

It felt kind of strange having her over again. Things were slowly changing for me, and I wasn’t quite used to it yet. People were getting to know the real me, but I still worried they wouldn’t like what they found once I stripped down all of my outer layers.

“Okay, cool,” I said, grabbing my coat from the front hall closet.

“I’m leaving, Grandma.”

“Have fun, you two. I’ll be at bingo tonight if you need anything,” she said from the kitchen.

“I think I’ll be okay, but thanks. Bye.” I pulled on my coat, and we got into Caroline’s car. “Dalton’s meeting us there, too – his lolo is dropping him off.”

“Why doesn’t he just ride with us?”

“A war of the worlds would break out,” I said with a feeling of dread, thinking what I did might have been severely stupid.

“I’m happy you two are together. You’re good for each other.”

“Thanks. I never thought dating a boy would be good for me. I’ve been going for the whole strong, independent woman thing.”

“Which is great, don’t get me wrong there. But it’s like you’ve been waiting for Dalton all this time to…um…blossom.”

“Blossom?”

“Yes, blossom. That’s the word. You just seem more at ease. I know it has to do with the day that shall not be mentioned, but somehow he lightened you, lifted a load from your shoulders.”

“Okay, I wouldn’t go that far. It’s just like reassurance of some kind. I don’t know. I just feel comfortable with him.”

“Because he knows you unlike we do,” Caroline said, turning right onto the busy street.

“Yeah, maybe, but it’s still complicated.”

Caroline shook her head and smiled. “Complicated or not, keep it going.”

“Why would you say that?”

“What?”

“Keep it going.”

“Because I don’t want you to get scared and dump him or something,” she said, biting her bottom lip as she changed lanes.

“I’m not going to dump him.”

“Hopefully not, but I think you’re a ‘when the going gets tough, it’s time to get packing and lying’ kind of person,” she said with an edge to her voice.

“I lie. I don’t leave people.”

“Just don’t make up some lies about why you think your guys’ relationship is so complicated,” she said, pulling into the parking lot. Caroline came with a bite that night.

“Caroline, we need to stop talking about this. Dalton and I are together and happy, end of story.”

“Okay, fine for now, end of story. Now let’s go bowl.” Caroline parked and we walked into the bowling alley. We found Dalton waiting at the shoe counter, looking cute as usual. The bad lighting in the bowling alley couldn’t even do him wrong.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” he said back, smiling.

“Oh my god, he knows how to smile,” Caroline said.

Dalton stopped smiling.

“No, seriously, don’t stop. It’s adorbs. You’re adorbs.”

Dalton looked from Caroline to me. The sound of bowling balls striking pins rang out, the girl behind the counter looking at us. She seemed to really want us to get our shoes. She started tapping her hot pink nails on the counter.

“Never mind her,” I said, referring to Caroline, but the woman behind the counter stopped clicking her nails and looked at me with a scowl. I gave Dalton a quick kiss and then looked around the bowling alley. “Your lolo left, right?”

“Yeah, he just dropped me off outside.”

“Okay good. How were they after I came by? How’d you get free? I was afraid my little stunt would cost us the evening. I should have told you what I was going to do.”

“It’s okay, but they were pretty pissed. They said you had no right being there, but I told them I had nothing to do with it – that I needed some time with friends and not just my sister and them, two old fogeys. My supposed good behavior helped me get out.”

“You should keep up that supposed good behavior.”

“I’ll try my best. You might have to start locking your basement window,” Dalton said as Caroline walked away, making a gagging sound.

“Never. You just need to not get caught.”

“Thanks for trying.”

I hugged Dalton and squeezed him tight because sometimes it felt like he would be taken away from me again, and I would do anything to stop that from happening. We got our shoes and found a lane. Caroline made a joke about touching Dalton’s balls and his face turned a bright shade of red. As Caroline would say, it was adorbs.

Before Dalton picked up the bowling ball he decided to use, he pulled out a pack of sanitizing wipes from his back pocket. He plucked one out of the pack and wiped down the ball, not forgetting to clean inside the finger holes.

“What are you doing?” Caroline asked.

“You know how many germs are on these things?” he asked, as somebody from another lane shouted a
woohoo
. They got a strike.

“That’s the fun of bowling – the risks you take, the balls, and dear Lord the shoes.”

“I’ll stay healthy, thanks.” He pulled out another wipe and cleaned his hands.

“It’s not like you’re going to contract anything from bowling.”

“You never know.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “I’m going first.” She plunked herself into the chair in front of the computer and typed in her name. Then mine, Dalton’s, and Rico’s.

“Where is Rico?” I asked.

“He just texted me. Got held up at work. Should be here shortly.”

“Cool.” I looked around the bowling alley. Some kids from school were there and some families, couples, and a small league who all wore matching pink bowling shirts. The place smelled of feet and stale popcorn – not the best scent ever, but it helped me feel at ease. Maybe because we were out doing something totally normal. I was with my boyfriend and best friend and we were going to have some fun. We started bowling, and it turned out that Dalton was a horrible bowler. I was actually better than him, and I’m usually better than nobody in bowling.

“And into the gutter,” I said on about his fifth gutter ball.

After his turn, he turned his back on us and pulled his pack of wipes out of his pocket.

“Try not flicking your wrist so much,” Caroline said. She happened to be a great bowler. Bingo was my grandma’s thing. Bowling was her grandma’s thing. “What are you doing, Dalton?”

“Nothing,” he said, about to slip the sanitizing wipes back in his pocket. They were the reason he always smelled like minty apples.

“Wait, bring them here.”

“I think I’m going to grab a bottle of water,” Dalton said. I knew he didn’t want to show her because she’d probably make a deal out of it again. I didn’t want to, but I felt kind of bad for him. He had to take so many precautions just to lead a regular life. Dalton went to get water, and I gave Caroline a shove in the shoulder.

“What?”

“Leave him alone.”

“He’s like Mr. Hygienic or something.”

“Who cares?” I said. Caroline could be insensitive at times. Rude might be a more appropriate word.

“Ooo, let’s get some of those chili fries, and some pop, and a jumbo pretzel,” Caroline said, bouncing on her toes as she looked over at the menu board across the bowling alley, totally ignoring me.

We ordered our oodles of junk and found a little round table to stand at and eat it. I started in on the chili fries with Caroline, and Dalton drank his water.

“I bought plenty for everybody,” Caroline said.

Dalton held up his water.

“Seriously?” she asked, contorting her pretty face. I didn’t know what was with her, but she was in a real mood.

“Not hungry.”

“Oh my god, just have one fry.” Caroline pushed them toward him.

“No thank you.”

He had some will power. I guess he was used to sticking to healthy foods, where I was not. I’m quite certain I had chili dripping down my chin.

“Oh my god, I thought you were some cool dude,” Caroline said.

“Why are you being such a jerk?” I asked her.

Dalton pursed his lips together.

“What?” she said.

I gave her a dirty look.

“Oh my god, let up. I’m just messing around. Oh good, there’s Rico.” She almost sounded relieved.

Rico came over and they gave each other a quick hug. “Rico, you remember Lexie.”

“Oh yeah, of course. Hi.” Rico was tall and wide, with a prominent nose. A younger, much fitter version of his grandfather.

“Hi,” I said.

“And this is her boyfriend, Dalton,” Caroline said, pointing at Dalton, then waving across the bowling alley at Luiz, who was there with someone. They both headed toward our table.

Rico scrunched up his face and stared at Dalton. “Wait, you look familiar,” Rico said, reaching across the table and stealing a fry.

Dalton looked around like Rico could have been talking about someone else. “Um, okay,” he said pensively.

“Where do you go to school?”

“Now I go to North,” he said, rolling his water bottle between his hands.

“Major or Shermer? Or wait, the better question is, where did you go before?”

“Major East.”

“That’s where my cousin goes. Now I know you,” Rico said, shaking a finger at Dalton.

Dalton’s eyes widened.

“My cousin is Kyle, Kyle Renson.”

“No shit.” Dalton’s mouth hung open.

“Yeah. You’re Dalton, right?”

“Yeah.” He nodded his head, like he was trying to convince himself who he was.

“I thought you were dead.”

Dalton’s lip twitched up and his brows furrowed.

“Holy crap, Dalton Reyes is in the house.”

“I thought he was dead,” another guy said as he walked up.

“Charlie Kobayashi,” Dalton said.

“Wait, no, he’s in juvie,” said Charlie with a smile that lit up his whole face. He walked over and gave Dalton a hug. “Good to see you, man.”

“Yeah, you too,” Dalton said.

“Institutionalized,” Rico said.

Charlie cupped his hands and called across the bowling alley. “Kyle.”

Dalton bowed his head and shook it, looking back up as a smirk crept across his face.

“Wait, you guys know Dalton?” Caroline said.

“How long has it been?” Charlie asked. “Since we were in like third grade.”

“Dalton Reyes,” Kyle said, walking over.

“Hey, man,” Dalton said.

“Introductions,” Kyle said, looking over at me and Caroline.

Introductions were done all around, Luiz included. She finally made her way over and it turned out she was with James Graham. I really hoped he didn’t ask me about volunteering again. He had stopped me in the hall a few days before to ask.

“Oh my god, I so need the scoop,” Caroline said, slapping her hands on the table.

Dalton slowly shook his head back and forth, any chance of a smile gone.

“Yeah, dish,” Luiz said.

“Um,” Charlie said.

“Okay, no ‘um’s. Mr. Reyes here is what legends are made of,” Kyle said, slapping Dalton on the back, then shaking his headful of shaggy blond hair.

“Please, seriously stop,” Dalton said quietly.

“Are you guys ready for a wild ride?” Kyle said, slipping off his puffy black coat.

“Why must everybody sensationalize my life?” Dalton asked, rolling his eyes.

“Because our lives are boring,” Kyle said.

“Are you serious?” Dalton asked as our whole little crowd standing around the table trained their eyes on him.

“Dalton, ignore Kyle. I’m sure he’s just messing around. Right, Kyle?” Charlie said. Charlie was my favorite of the new people.

“Dude, you almost killed a guy,” Kyle said.

“I did not almost kill a guy,” Dalton said through gritted teeth.

“Sorry, rumor mill.” Kyle shrugged.

“What are they talking about, Dalton?” Caroline asked.

“I need some fresh air,” Dalton said, scrubbing his hands over his face.

“Dude, you okay?” Charlie asked.

“I’m fucking fine,” Dalton said, walking off.

I went to go after him but he turned around. “Lexie, please just give me a minute.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said, but I was so torn. I decided to go back over to the table and give Dalton some space.