Inception (6 page)

Another round of drinks goes by.  I think Mira forgot about Kink telling her to take it easy because she’s lit.  Her and Kylee both.  The clubhouse has a DJ on open nights and he’s playing
music that the girls apparently like.  They are both dancing around in their seats, dying to stand up and let loose.

“Danny, come on let’s dance.
” Mira’s still bouncing in her seat.

“You guys go
ahead; I’ll hang back and wait for Sky.”

“Fine by me,” Kylee says, jumping out of her seat, wasting no time to gr
ab Mira by the hand and drag her to the makeshift dance floor.

Watching these two is hilarious.  You know the saying dance like nobody is watching?  Well, yeah, that’s what’s going on here.  Kylee is bouncing around, arms in the air,
and spinning in circles while Mira puts her hands up as well but is grinding on an imaginary guy. 

Hold the fuck on.

As I’m admiring the view of my girlfriend and her best friend dancing -- having a few impure thoughts about a possible threesome -- a guy comes up behind Mira, placing his hands on either side of her hips.  This is where the political side of this world comes in.  We’re not in a regular bar where I can deck a guy for putting his hands on my girl.  I’m in a clubhouse, with other clubs, and my actions will be judged harshly especially by other clubs that look up to the Hooliganz.

I glance around the bar, looking for Lance or Prowler
.  I spot Lance across the room with Skylar and they’re deep in conversation.  Lance almost looks disappointed in Skylar
.  Fuck their conversation
. 

“Lance!
” I yell across the bar.  He turns his head in the direction of my voice and I use my hand to summon him over to the dance floor. 

When they get across the bar, looking nervous, I turn to show them the spectacle the guy i
s making with Mira.  What I see catches me so off guard, I almost forget to breathe.  Mira has turned to face the guy violating her personal space and she’s smiling at him.  I feel like I’m going to lose the contents of my stomach all over the dingy tiled floors.  Until Mira leans into the man and grabs his crotch.  I almost lose my shit right there, so angry at the both of them, but then I see what’s going on.

The man has lost the grin on his face and almost looks terrified of
Mira.  Stepping closer, I get the full picture.  Mira has his junk in a vice grip, squeezing the life out of his balls.  She puts her mouth to his ear and whispers something that turns his face as white as a ghost.  With a quick motion, she lets go of him and shoves him backward, only to turn back to Kylee and continue dancing.

“What the fuck was that about?” Skylar asks, just as shocked as I am.

“Mira was dancing with that fucker,” I say, motioning in the direction of the temporarily crippled man, “so I asked you guys to come over here.  I didn’t want to start any shit with another club or make you look bad.  Next thing I know, Mira has the dude in a ball grip.  I don’t fucking get it.”

“Looks like your girl can take care of herself, Smash,” Lance says, chuckling.

“I guess she can.”

I walk over to where the girls are dancing and pull them back to the table.  I need to get these two out of here.  That was a close call on the dance floor and I won’t take any more chances.  I knew bringing Mira here was a bad idea.  The girls gather their purses
from the coat check and I nudge them out the exit.

“What’s going on?  We’re having a good time.” Kylee must not have any clue about what could have happened. 

“That guy was trying to get up on Mira.  I don’t know what happened but it could have ended badly.  Mira, you can’t go around dancing with strange guys and then gripping them up by the nuts.”

“Danny, really, I’m fine.  I was dancing.  He thought it was an invitation.  I kindly reminded him that I do not be
long to him nor is he welcome to touch me ever again.  He agreed.  End of story.” Mira stops dead in her tracks and just stares at me.

“You vice gripped his balls and then said something to him.  Mira, that’s dangerous.  Don’t you get it?”

“When we got here, didn’t Prowler tell me that this is my house too?  I didn’t take him as being serious, but I thought, if I was at a bar back home, what would I do?  And that’s what happened.  I meant every word I said to him.”

“I have to know what you said,” Skylar chimes in, grinning ear to ear.  At least one of us finds this funny.

“I told the fucker that I’m not one to fuck with.  The next time he touches me, all I have to do is call Lance over, and he’s fucked.  Or I can handle it myself and rip his dick clean off his body.”

Skylar bursts out laughing, “That’s my girl.  Keep
‘em on their toes.”

The ride home is
relaxing.  That is the exact reason I didn’t want Mira at a clubhouse.  The guys don’t know how to act and neither do their girls.  She seems to have had a good time and isn’t freaking out that someone put their hands on her.   I have to say, I’m pretty impressed, but I don’t see us going back to the Hooliganz for quite some time.

When we get back to the apartment, everyone starts talking about Mira’s actions.  It’s like she’s Wonder Woman or something.
  Kylee sits in the counter laughing about the conversation that Mira and Skylar are having in the kitchen.  Skylar is apparently teaching Mira self defense techniques and telling her to use them any time she feels threatened.  Mira’s laughing so hard she’s clutching her stomach.

“Mira, stop laughing this is serious.  Next time, grab his balls and twist them.  Drive the point home,” Skylar says, trying to be serious but laughing because Mira is laughing.

“Okay, you can be my test dummy,” Mira says.  Wait.  Did she just insinuate that she’s going to touch Skylar’s junk? 
Shit!

“Oh no you don’t.  You’re not getting anywhere near my dick with that kind of thinking.”

The banter between these two continues until whatever snack they are making is finished.  They come into the living room and sit on the floor.  All of the furniture will be delivered in the next day or two, so we all take the comforters and make a pallet in the middle of the living room floor.

Mira and Skylar keep going on and on about how to take a man down that is getting too fresh with her.
  I take the paper plates into the kitchen to throw them away and put the glasses in the sink, when Mira’s statement catches me completely off guard.

“Skylar, do you know how much I love your face?” Mira asks, making me open my eyes to see his reaction.

“Yeah, Sweets, I know and I love your face too.  Get some sleep.”

“Come on, Pea.  Get over here,” I say, pulling her into my body possessively
as I sit down next to her.  I don’t know why I’m being like this, other than I feel some weird vibe coming off the two of them.  I know neither of them would do that to me, but at the same time, I can’t help it.  Call it the caveman in me, but she’s my girl.

“Night guys,” Mira says, snuggling into my side and that’s how we fall asleep
; together, in a large empty room, with our best friends. 

Chapter Nine

By the time Christmas break rolls around, we’re all restless and need to get out of town.  I asked Mira last week if she wanted to come back home with Skylar and me since her mom was going on a cruise with a few girls from her work.  She had the cutest grin on her face when she agreed. 

With an hour to spare before I have to pick her up from campus to head home, I run into Skylar coming in from his last class before break.

“Hey man, what are you doing?” I ask.

“About to take a shower, pack and go with you to get Mira.”

“Wanna skip the shower, pack quick and go with me to get her a present?”

“You didn’t get her anything yet?”

“I got her a few little things, but I want to get her something really special.  I might need your help,” I tell my friend, knowing he won’t tell me no.

“Give me ten,” Skylar says, rushing to his bedroom to throw together a weekend bag. 

As promised, Skylar is ready to walk out the door in ten minutes.  Since it’s still early in the day, in the middle of the week, the mall isn’t as busy as it is in the evenings or weekends.  We find a parking spot close to the main entrance. 

Looking at my watch, I know we don’t have much time.  I’ve been thinking hard about what I want to get for her.  I don’t want it to be so cliché, like a bracelet or a necklace, but I want it to mean something.  And I want her to be able to have it with her all th
e time and be practical.

Standing just inside the jewelry store, I glance around at all the different counters holding the precious jewels and potential gifts.  I look at my watch again, and then a light bulb goes off.  After I mentally face palm myself, I walk over to the case holding the women’s watches. 

The only watch to catch my eye is an elegant, dainty watch but still simple enough to wear daily.  The band is a thin, adjustable metal.  The face is what catches my eye.  The outer ring matches the band and the center piece is a pale pink that reminds me of the color Mira’s cheeks turn when she blushes.  The hour and minute hands look like they’re encrusted with tiny diamonds.  This watch was made for Mira.

I motion
to a sales clerk who wastes no time ringing up my purchase.  The money doesn’t matter so much to me, but I think it’s a little overpriced for a watch.  Something is missing though.  I’m trying to figure it out what it is when Skylar speaks.  And his words hit me right in the chest and I know that he can read my mind.

“You need to get it inscribed.  A quote or something.  That would make this the perfect present.”

“Hell, Sky, you’re a fucking genius,” I say, walking out of the store, bag in hand, looking for the kiosk that does the engraving. I just pray they have time to get this done in under a half hour. 

It’s like the universe is on my side.  The young girl working the kiosk says she can get it done in twenty minutes, in exchange for Skylar’s phone number.  I swear, the girls just fall to their knees for this guy.  He obliges the girl, handing over a piece of paper with his number written on the inside.  I hand over the watch and then go blank, yet again.  What do I have engraved?

“Something that says how much you love her.  And it should be about time too, dude.”  Skylar reads my mind yet the fuck again.

“What would you put?” I
ask, hoping he is quick on his feet.

“Something short and sweet,” Skylar says, looking at the girl who’s fawning over his every word, “Can you fit ‘our love is timeless’ on the back of the face?”

“I can make it work,” she says, taking the watch from my hand and getting to work. 

In twenty minutes we leave the mall with the most perfect present in hand.  We pull up to the school just as Mira is walking down the sidewalk, ready to go.  She packed her bag the night before and dressed comfortably for the hour drive to my mom’s house.  She climbs in the back seat, flinging her backpack to the opposite side of the car.

“Thank God that’s over.  I need this break.  This semester was a bitch.” Mira sounds frustrated and exhausted.

“Is everything okay?” Skylar asks, leaning over the seat to look at her.  She smiles at him and nods her head.

“Yeah, I’m good.  Just happy we have a few weeks off.”

We make it to my mom’s
just in time to grab dinner before dropping Skylar off at his parents’ house.  Christmas hasn’t been the same in my house since Dad died.  Mom tries to make it happy and joyful but it always feels like we’re missing an important part of our family.  And we are.  Christmas was Dad’s holiday.  He loved climbing the roof to hang the lights and make sure the plastic Santa was front and center in the front yard.

Mom ushers Mira in the house, leaving Skylar and I to carry in our bags.  Mira and my mom have met before, but this is the first time I brought her home.  Hell, this is the only girl I’ve ever brought home, especially on such a big holiday. 

When I walk into the dining room, I see Mira and my mom talking and laughing at the kitchen table over coffee.  Both of them look so happy and peaceful; I almost don’t want to intrude.  Skylar ruins that when he walks in to the dining room, kissing my mom on the cheek and taking a seat at the table.

“What are you making, M
a?  It smells good.  Danny didn’t feed me today.”

“Skylar Landon, I’ve known you since you were a tot.  You know damn well how to make yourself something to eat,” my mom jokes, slapping Skylar across his back, “
But I made some chicken and dumplins.  Figured you guys would want something warm and a taste of home.”

Just the thought of chicken and dumplins has my stomach jumping for joy.  I never realized how much I would miss my mom’s cooking when I left for college.  Granted
, I do cook at home most nights because mom taught me how, but it’s just not the same.

I help set the table
while Mira pulls Skylar into the guest room.  I assume she’s showing him whatever she got for me or my mom for Christmas.  He went shopping with her earlier in the week and has been tight lipped about whatever it was that she bought.  I usually don’t like surprises, but the look on her face when she tells me that she got me something that I’m going to love makes my heart skip a beat.  She is really the sweetest girl I’ve ever met.

As soon as we finish dinner, Skylar decides to just take my car to his
parents’ house and come back in the morning.  I really want to go see his mom and dad, but it’s really nice to just be home with my mom and Mira.  It feels natural for Mira to be here and she seems happy about it too.

All three of us hang out in the living room, watching Christmas movies, until Mira can’t hold her eyes open anymore.  My mom heads to bed first, giving us some privacy. 
Mom set up the guest room for Mira, and as much as I want to sleep with her, I have never disappointed my mother and I don’t plan on starting now.  I kiss her gently on the corner of her mouth and she smiles at my touch, which of course makes my pants seem tighter and tighter by the second.

“Come on, Pea.  Let’s get you to bed.  I want to show you some stuff tomorrow.”

“Okay.  Let’s go,” Mira says, standing up and beginning the short walk to the guest room.  My house is a cape cod.  Two bedrooms on the second floor and one on the first floor.  I can see why my mom liked it so much growing up.  She could keep an eye on me since my bedroom was right next to hers.

I tuck Mira in bed and give her another kiss that almost didn’t stop.  I’m okay with little kisses here and there, but when she sucks my bottom lip between her teeth and nibbles gently, it almost
makes me forget about respecting my mother and her house.  With one more small kiss, I back away and head up to my room, which is the same since I left for college last year.

Looking at the pictures scattered on the walls, I realize how fast time flies.  I say a silent prayer for Mira to love her gift and to make her my wife one day.

The next morning, I’m wakened up by the smell of coffee and bacon.  God, it’s good to be home.  I take a quick shower and head downstairs, ready to take Mira on a tour of my hometown.  I peek in the guest room only to find the bed perfectly made and her nowhere in sight.  When I get to the kitchen to ask my mom if she’s seen Mira, I’m stopped in my tracks.

At the stove, dressed in jeans, a tight black sweater and bare feet, is my Mira.  She has her ear buds in, listening to music, dancing around while she cooks breakfast.  No other memory of Mira, ever, will top this one. 
This is every man’s dream.  To find his woman happily making him breakfast.

I sneak up behind her, swaying my hips in time with hers, catching her off guard and she jumps.  Pulling the ear buds from her ears, she turns to face me, placing a kiss on the corner of my mouth. 

“Go in the living room with your mom and catch up.  I’ll call you guys when the food is ready.”

“Wait, my mom is awake and she’s letting you cook?”

“Yeah.  She’s been up for about an hour.  I asked her if I could cook and she hugged me, thanked me for being perfect for her son, and went into the living room to watch the news.”

Giving Mira another kiss and thanking her for being
perfect for me too, I walk into the living room to join my mom.  She looks so happy.  It’s the happiest I’ve seen her since Dad passed away.

“Morning, M
a,” I say, plopping down on the love seat, across from the recliner she’s sitting on. 

“Morning, baby boy.  Did you see your girl in there cooking for us?”

“I did.  She’s amazing.”

“I agree.  She’s a very special young lady.  I can see how much you guys love each other.  You guys remind me of your dad and me.  We met in college too, you know.  He was the love of
my life.  Just seeing you guys makes me so happy that you’re going to experience that kind of love.  Not everyone gets that.  You’re a very lucky man, Daniel.  I hope you know that.”

Peeking around the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room, I see Mira plating breakfast, still dancing to her music.

“Yeah, Ma.  I know.”

Breakfast was amazing.  Mira
can really cook, but then again, who can screw up bacon?  After I washed the dishes, my mom told us that she would drive us over to the McBrides’ house to see them and pick up my car.  Since Skylar isn’t answering his phone yet, it works out great.

We pull up to Skylar’s
parents’ house and we tell my mom goodbye.  She knows we won’t be out late, since every year on Christmas Eve we always watch “A Christmas Story”.  It’s kind of a thing we do so my dad’s memory lives on.  It was one of his favorites and we had been watching it every year since before I can remember.

I walk up to the front door with Mira on my arm
and walk right in.  When you’ve spent as much time with the McBrides’ as I have, acting like a guest is never allowed.  They would be pissed if I knocked and waited for a response.  Mira and I take our shoes off in the foyer and I holler out to whoever is here.

“Hey guys.  Merry Christmas.”

“Danny, is that you?” Skylar’s mom yells from somewhere in the house.

“Yeah, M
a.  It’s me.  Mira too.”

“I’m in the kitchen getting dinner ready to go in the oven.  Bring that girl over here and let me see her.”

“Are you ready?” I whisper to Mira.

“Should I be scared?”

“No, Mrs. McBride is great.  She’s like my second mom.  The whole family really took me under their wing after my dad died.  So, she just wants to see her son’s girlfriend.”

Mira nods and I walk us into the kitchen. 
I don’t see Skylar anywhere but his mom is elbow deep in a turkey’s ass.  This is what I look forward to the most this time of year.  My mom always does a big Christmas Day event, and the McBrides’ come over to our house, but Christmas Eve is theirs.  My mom never came to Christmas Eve dinner here before, she always had to work or something else.  She would pick me up when she got off, even if I was asleep, so I could wake up Christmas morning in my own bed.

I walk over to my second mom and place a loving kiss on her cheek and tell her how much I missed her.  Once she finishes giving the turkey a cavity search, she washes her hands and walks over to Mira, pulling her in for a motherly hug.  She pulls Mira away, still holding onto her shoulder and a large smile comes across her face.

“I’ve heard so much about you from Sky.  He says that you and Danny are perfect for each other.  I was a little skeptical until just now.  Mira, honey, you are beautiful and you and Danny look wonderful together.”

“Thank you.
” Mira’s blushing, reminding me of her Christmas gift.  I had to push it to the back of my mind because I’m so anxious to just give it to her, but I’m holding out until tomorrow morning when we can be alone.

Skylar comes walking in the front door.  He has a leash in his hand and then I see his dog, Sassy, walk in behind him.  Hanging the leash on the hooks by the front door, Skylar and Sassy walk in the kitchen.  Skylar grabs a box of cereal from the top of the fridge and Sassy looks
up at him like she’s starving to death.  As soon as I see Skylar pull a few pieces of colored cereal out of the box, I know exactly where he’s going with it.  I can’t help but laugh.