Here With Me (Paloma's Edge) (11 page)

She flicked her eyes over to my cat suit and I gave it to her so she could inspect it. Fanning herself, she said, “Now this is what I was talkin’ about! I don’t think you’ve worn pants since we were in the playground in kindergarten. And this is exactly how you should step your of your dress habit for the party Wednesday night. Scott will regret playing with your heart.”

Beth handed the suit back to me and I looked at it again. I couldn’t wait to wear it and make believe I was another person for a night: adventurous, carefree, and bold. “He didn’t play with my heart. We wanted different things.”

“Maybe so.” She turned her head around and scanned the room. “We have to get shoes and some funky make-up. What costume should I get Brianna? She wouldn’t want anything tight, like your cat suit.”

“I didn’t know Bri was coming. She does have school the next day, Beth.”

“I am aware.” She shook her head. “Gavin will pick her up after the party. She needs to unload just like you do, okay?”

I nodded and we went to the other aisles of the costume store to find that outfit that would make Bri comfortable with being silly, but also good about how she looked at the same time.

***

WHEN BETH AND I returned to our dorm room, Jake was putting a cover on his mattress and he was in his t-shirt and pajama pants. We put down our shopping bags and inhaled the scent of seasoned food. We’d thought we smelled food being cooked when we were in the hallway. I assumed that someone may have been cooking or microwaving a TV dinner in the community kitchen. But we looked at our table and saw grilled chicken and tostones. Jake had even made Beth’s favorite drink, a morir soñado, and an ice coffee for me, which was next to my plate. Beth kissed him on his cheek and he wiped the side of his face on his shoulder like Pete did.

“This is why I love you,” Beth said, knowing how much he hated to hear it.

“That isn’t the only reason,” he said with a smirk and gestured for us to start eating. We took our plates and went to our beds.

“And we were going to pick something up from the drive-thru, but Mariska said she’d make ramen noodles,” Beth said.

“You won’t have to suffer through Mariska’s mushy ramen noodles until Friday or Saturday.”

I punched him on the arm. “It’s either my mushy noodles or Beth’s crunchy noodles. Which one do you think is more edible?”

Jake lifted a side of his face and gesticulated his arms toward our plates. “Clearly, what you’re eating is more edible. Looks like you bought up the whole store, Beth.”

“I had to get some extra stuff. The football team did win, so Chase and I are going to celebrate this weekend.” Jake put his fingers in his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. With a small grin, she reached for her drink and changed the subject. “Is Jut using the room again?”

He nodded. “All of them let Michelle and me have the room this weekend, so she was able to run down here when she was on duty and was paged by one of the girls here, or another R.A.”

Beth sent me the “I-told-you-so” look. I’d assumed that Michelle wouldn’t give in to Jake, but most girls that Beth and I knew couldn’t resist our brother. She walked toward me to take my plate, but Jake reached for them.

“Go get comfy and I’ll wash these plates in the kitchen sink,” he said and Beth glided the plates into his hands. “You staying here tonight, or are you going to Chase’s?”

“I’ll be staying in with you guys.”

He nodded. “You two have any room for dessert?”

Beth and I looked at him as if he had to ask that question. I’d make room for whatever he made, just like I did for Bri’s desserts. I was with my best friends like old times and about to eat dessert. There wasn’t anything else I wanted in this moment.

Chapter 15

Mariska

“
ARE YOU HIDING FROM Hunter?” Jill asked me, after I’d gotten my giftwrapped box out of my tote in the employee room of La Caridad late Wednesday afternoon. The day seemed to be dragging on, and tonight couldn’t arrive soon enough. We were short today. Four of the other waiters called in sick today and this was the only moment I’d had to myself, before Jill came into the employee locker room.

As I turned around, Jill’s gaze dropped to the present I had in my hands. I closed my locker and walked toward her. “I am giving this to his dog, Riley. I was going to have Vince give it to Hunter for me if he came in, like he had on Friday and Monday.”

Her mouth twitched up one side and she held the door open for me as I walked out first. My breath caught when I lifted my eyes and connected with his unapologetic stare. It seemed like forever since I’d seen him. His hair now reached the back of his neck and strands fell forward, like they had before. The plain old light blue shirt he had on molded to his firm chest and bulging arms. His jeans were long slung, like they usually were, and he had on his scratched up combat boots. I just hated that he could look so unkempt and delicious.

“A present for me?” Hunter asked, making his voice sound much lower than it really was.

Blanca gave him his to go bags and he winked at her. “Why would I get you a present?” I felt angry that I hadn’t seen him in so many days, so the question came out a little brasher than I’d intended. Had he and Jill hooked up again since the last time he’d come in? Since she’d asked me if I’d be fine if she continued to see him? Was he showing me what I knew already: that he had plenty of women whom he could chose from? He didn’t have to be a dick about it.

“And why wouldn’t you get me a present?” He asked, his volume too loud for my liking. “I practically made you breakfast in bed.” He made it sound completely wrong, but I heard Blanca, Jill, and the line cook gasp. With a more conceited expression than he’d had minutes ago, his hazel gaze turned dark. He had me in the one place that should be neutral territory. How would anyone ever look at me the same?

“You might wanna close your mouth before it falls to the floor, muñequita.” He made it seem as if the suggestion was just innocent banter, but calling the term of endearment, like I was some fragile porcelain doll, grated on me beyond measure.

I pushed the gift to his chest. “This is for Riley.”

“What did you get my girl?”

“Little bones she can eat whenever she wants a snack. There’s real chicken and cheese in it. Beth told me she likes to play with bones.”

Hunter opened one of the bags of food and I put the gift inside. I pivoted around, wanting to get over this embarrassing moment, and then my body twirled back, his chest crushed down on mine. Warm and soft lips brushed against my mouth and I didn’t know if the startled moan came from him or me. He tasted heavenly. A wave of increasing desire surged through me, making my panties instantly wet. Settling his hands on my hips, his kissing leisured. My hands grabbed onto his biceps and I didn’t notice when I’d first put my hands on his arms, but they were flexed underneath my grip. Hunter tore his mouth away. Laughter and clapping welcomed me when I slid my gaze to Blanca and Jill. The customers weren’t only getting great food; they were receiving free entertainment.

“She’ll love it,” Hunter said with his hands framing my face. “You can give it to her yourself. Come see Riley whenever you can.”

I tried to regulate my breathing and felt my face heat. He looked completely fine, as if he was just having a conversation with me. “But how can I see Riley without having to see you?” I asked in the most hostile way I could muster. He was making my not thinking about him goal impossible.

This was only feeble, because he ran his thumb over my bottom lip before his hand was on his side. “We’re a packaged deal, muñequita.” He faced Blanca and he took his bags from the counter, winking at her. A female customer held the door for him in appreciation as he left.

Jill hooted a laugh when I replaced her at the cashier some minutes after Hunter’s departure. “And you said you didn’t hit that?” She grinned at me. “If we didn’t…I wouldn’t have believed that he was so stacked! So, you wanna ring his neck?” She elbowed me lightly. “Use all of that frustration when you guys have sex again.” My cheeks were on fire. She fixed me one final look and went to the worktop to serve orders.

***

I WAS IN BETWEEN Beth and Bri when we walked into the Halloween party at Chase’s apartment. It was filled to capacity, but I could tell that it was spacious. Beth and Chase had invited Jake and I after they’d decorated the space, but school had started up, Beth had begun working again, and Blanca had hired me. Beth had definitely had most of the say in the decoration, because mostly all of the furniture, the walls, and every object was in some earthy tone. Most of the guys weren’t in costumes, but every female was. The music was pumping and Bri pulled me into the crowd. My eyes darted over to Chase, who looked at Beth like he was going to keep her in his room all night. I knew Beth would look like every guy’s fantasy in her Marilyn Monroe white dress and the blonde wig that actually made her look enigmatic. Chase smiled at us and then Beth excused herself. As they danced, they had a private conversation and I swung my gaze to Bri. She looked so great and confident in her short red, glittery Betty Boop. Beth had been debating whether or not to get it for her, but I’d known that, despite it being a little risqué, that she’d love it once she saw herself in it, and she did. She’d left the black blazer that came with the dress in her tote. Gavin had wanted her to wear this gigantic fleece sheet he had in his trunk, but she’d told him that she wasn’t covering herself up tonight.

“May I have this dance, Betty?” I cocked my head and saw Pierce, who was dashing with his blonde hair slicked back and the fake glasses he wore to look studious resting a little low on the bridge of his nose. He said hello to me and Bri took in his green corduroy pants, pale pink button down shirt with a tie that was brown and pink. Other guys would’ve looked like a mess trying to pull off this look, but Pierce was classically handsome and I liked that he could be serious, but he didn’t always take himself too seriously. It was refreshing that he’d gotten into costume and character despite his demanding school and work schedule. Bri may have said that she wasn’t crushing on him hard anymore, but I wasn’t convinced by the way her eyes glued to him. And I think that he was seeing her as a woman; not just his friend, Gavin’s, baby sister.

“Will I get extra credit, professor?” She fluttered the long fake eyelashes, which really enhanced her emerald eyes.

He motioned with his head. “And you won’t have to give me an apple before the start of class anymore.”

She placed her hands in his and they danced when a slower paced came on.

Two and a half hours later, Beth hadn’t left Chase’s side once and Bri and Pierce were sitting down against the wall, laughing. I’d danced with a few guys who kept me busy enough not to watch Beth and Bri like a hawk. If I thought about my day at work right now, like I had earlier, I’d get flustered again. Hunter knew we didn’t make sense together. How could we? And despite this, he’d kissed me in front of my co-workers and many strangers like he was doing a routine thing.

“These fools must not have been dancing right if they have you thinking so deep,” Jake said, a wide grin on his boyishly handsome face. He looked like his usual self in his soft shirt, designer jeans, and new black Nikes. As he crooked a brow at me, I realized that his arms were open for me and I fell into step with him. Frank Sinatra’s Just The Way You Look Tonight started. The sounds of most of the guys groaning matched the volume of the song. My mom and I loved Frank Sinatra and this was one of our favorite songs of his. But the guys who were with their girlfriends weren’t foolish enough not to dance to the song. I really loved Beth and Chase’s eclectic taste in music.

Jake wasn’t one of the guys who’d groaned. He was a fantastic amateur dancer. He was light on his feet and his lines were clean. Being led by him made me look like I was a competent dancer, too, but it was all him. As kids, he’d not only played with us and tried to teach us how to master the cooking basics, but he’d danced with Beth and I on occasion.
 

“You just got in?” I asked when the song came to an end.

“Nah, it took me a minute to maneuver through the crowd when I saw one of the guys you were dancing with was getting frisky.”

“Yeah, but I freed myself from him.” I managed to smile and feel safe with my best friend and brother keeping me company for a little while. I knew that he’d danced with me out of his sense of obligation and yet I didn’t feel forlorn about it.

“Ahem.” Michelle stood by Jake in her fun lioness costume and thigh length black and white stripped boots. “Are you leaving with me?” She asked him.

Bri hooked her arm with mine. “Hey,” she said to them as Jake questioned me if I wanted him to stay with the look he held in his eyes.

Jake and Michelle said hello to Bri. My gaze dropped to my watch and I felt like I stayed at Chase’s party for a good amount of time. I’d had fun, but I knew what was missing from tonight. I titled my head to reassure Jake that he could he carry on with the rest of his night. He gave me a half hug and sauntered through the smaller crowd with Michelle.

***

“GO TO HIM, MARISHKA,” Bri whispered in my ear after we danced to an overly sappy song.

I shook my head. “Beth and I have to wait for you to leave. We came here together.”

A slight smile touched her mouth. “I won’t tell anyone that you’ll be with him. Many guys here want to dance with you, get you a drink, but you’ve been distracted. And you haven’t had a drink because you want to see him, without any alcohol in your system. I think Hunter doesn’t want to hold you back. He came to La Caridad today because of you. Tonight is your turn.”

I didn’t know if going to Hunter was right or wrong. I’d texted Bri earlier about Hunter kissing me at work. Gavin had driven her to our residence hall earlier and Beth had been with us so I hadn’t wanted to talk about it.
 

“I hate asking you to lie for me, Bri. But I do want to go to Hunter’s.”

“Pierce called Gavin to let him know that he’s driving me back home tonight and he apologized for ignoring me after Mona came to his party this summer.” Her eyes sparkled and she blushed. “I know that he’s not in love with Mona, so anything can happen.”

“Beth will be with Chase tonight and I think Jake will come to the dorm and change in the morning, so they won’t know when I get to the dorm,” I thought out loud.

“I’ll text you, so you know how it goes between Pierce and I, and you do the same, okay?”

Pierce was behind Bri when I shook my head in agreement and then I waved good-bye to them, silently telling myself that I had nothing to lose.