Nothing Matters (Family Matters Book 1) (3 page)

"That's two ticks for us," he said.

"I like surfing, horses and eating popcorn in bed," I said.

"I like basketball, dogs and," he paused and opened the top of his burger, "doing other things in bed."  I swung my leg at him under the table and he feigned pain.  He removed the onions and gherkins from his bun and tossed them to the side.

"I love playing the piano and I hate doing dishes," I said, taking a sip of my soda.

"I hate playing the piano and I love doing dishes," he said, and I laughed so hard I started coughing and spluttering.  He looked at me with a bemused expression, calmly said,  "Are you okay?" and proceeded to eat his burger.  I finally stopped laughing, wiping my mouth with a napkin.  He reached across, touched the side of my mouth, so I wiped harder there.

And then we just looked at each other again, this time smiling crazily, like I couldn't stop if I tried. 

"Do you have any opinion on gun laws?" he suddenly said.  It took me by surprise and I dumbly shook my head.  "Climate change?"

I was puzzled by his questions.  "The weather seems to be getting hotter," I replied hesitantly.  "Why?  Do you?"

"Not really," he said casually, "I was just checking that you're not too smart for me."  And again I laughed and kicked him under the table.  "Okay, this is the big one, this is the deal breaker," he said, getting all serious. "If we don't agree on this one I don't know if we can go out.  Okay?"

"Really?" I asked.  "It's that important?"  I was trying not to smirk, curious as to what he was going to ask.

"It's that important," he confirmed, his face expressionless. I couldn't help giggling.

"I'm serious," he said, now unable to suppress a smile.  "Deal breaker remember?"  I nodded.

"Clippers or Lakers?" he asked.  His eyes studied my face intently.  I tried to keep a straight face.  I'd seen a Clippers sticker on his back bumper, I knew he was a fan, a fanatical fan I guessed. So was Jakey.  He was a manic Clippers supporter.

I looked at him, started to say something, then pretended I was changing my mind.  I clicked my tongue, tapped my fingers as if trying to make a decision.  He appeared frustrated by my silence.  I leaned forward and said softly, "Clippers."  He raised his arms in the air, as if he'd just won the lottery. 

"Magdala Strauss," he said, his face beaming, "I think I'm going to marry you!"

We drove to the beach, and we were standing by the car kissing, when he turned to me, his hand stroking my hair and said, "I want you."  I wanted to say "I want you too," but my heart rate suddenly accelerated and I couldn't seem to utter any words.  He was looking at me, trying to gage my reaction. "Don't get the wrong idea," he said, perhaps needing to explain himself, "but you are driving me crazy, and fuck, I want you so bad."  And he pressed himself against me, and I could feel his hardness, as he adjusted his stance against mine.  I stayed perfectly still, my heart was hammering in my chest.  There was no denying the physical attraction between us, it was almost scary, frightening, too powerful.  And I only had Stacey as a reference in matters like this, but with Stacey it had never been like this, never so urgent, uncontrollable.  I could feel his hands beneath my dress, at the top of my thighs, almost touching my panties. 

"Do you wanna come back to my place?" he whispered.

"Is that my reward for playing perfectly?" I asked coyly.

"I did promise that, didn't I?" he laughed, "And I also said I'd do this."  His lips moved from my nose to my lips, to my cheek, ears, neck.  I felt my body trembling, his hand was rubbing my butt cheek, squeezing it.  We separated, unwillingly, and he drove us to his place.  I had no memory of the direction we were going, and had a peculiar thought that we would be going to an apartment, similar  to Stacey's, don't ask me why.  So I was somewhat overcome when he pulled up outside a small suburban house, and then lead me down the path and told me to wait outside the window.  A few minutes later the window opened and I realized I was going to have to jump up.  I took my shoes off and passed them into him, then clambered up onto the window sill, no grace about it.  He pulled me through by my underarms, and he whispered, "Sshhh," as I stumbled in.  There was a smell about the room, not disgusting, but not fresh, like maybe boy smell, gym bag, old sneakers, dirty socks? Or dog?  I remembered he had a dog.

"My brother's asleep," he whispered and in the darkness I could see a bunkbed.  For some reason I started to giggle, and he kissed me, muffling my sound.  He sat me on the side of the bed,  kicking his shoes off.  My nose started to adjust.  The mattress felt thin, it was a bunkbed where the bottom bed was a double and the top a single.  We heard his brother shifting.  Nathan pulled back the cover, took off his t-shirt.  He pulled off my dress and made me slide in first, closest to the wall.  He took his jeans off and snuggled in around me.  I realized he was already totally naked.  He pulled out a condom, asked me whether I was on birth control.  I told him I was.  His fingers pulled at my panties, and as I wriggled out of them I could see him putting on the condom.  He moved on top of me, the mattress squeaking.  We both seemed to stop breathing for a moment, and then moved position gently, being as quiet as we could.  He kissed me when I started to giggle again.  He kicked at the bedcovers in frustration as if they were hampering him, started to move inside me, the mattress, well it seemed the whole bunkbed was squeaking and shaking.

"Fuck," he mumbled.  I moved my body in time with his, establishing a rhythm.  The shaking continued.  "It's like a fucking earthquake," he said.

"It's not going to fall apart is it?" I said jokingly, "your brother's not going to fall on us is he?"

He poked me in the ribs, "Sshhh.  And don't worry, I'll get hit first," he said and I couldn't help but laugh.  "Fuck, do I have to keep kissing you?" he said, pretending to be angry, but ramming into me deeper, harder, leaving me no oxygen.  When he was done, he collapsed to the side of me and sighed, "Wow."

"Wow good?"

He propped himself on his elbow, touched my face, brushed back my hair.

"Wow fan-fucking-tastic," he said, sorted the condom and spooned himself around me.  "Do you want me to take you home now?" he whispered, his lips on the back on my neck, one hand cupping a breast.  I didn't want to move, I wanted him to be wrapped around me. 

"No," I whispered back, "I want to stay."  He kissed my shoulder, his legs entwined around mine.

"Good," he said, with a laugh, "because I don't want you to go."

"I'll just text home," I said, reaching for my phone which I'd put under the pillow.  I texted Cassian, telling him where I was.  He texted back with five question marks.

The next morning I was woken when he slid back into bed next to me and the mattress squeaked again.  He had his boxers on, I guessed he'd used the bathroom.  I felt like I needed to go, but didn't like to ask. 

"Hey," he said, " Okay?"  I nodded.  "I better get you home," he whispered, but he kissed me, and made love to me again, the bed shaking and shuddering again, leaving me giggling, and the sound of his brother tossing above us made me wonder if he had woken up.  It was light enough to see we were under a Ferrari duvet cover.  It amused me, it seemed like a cover a kid would have.  He feigned offense, "I've had it since I was ten," he laughed, "got it for my birthday."

He sat up and pulled on his pants, tossed shoes out the window, picked up my dress and smoothed it and placed it on the bed.  I quickly dressed, but couldn't find my underwear, and he was already out the window, so I grabbed my phone and followed him.

"Where are my shoes?" I asked, thinking he had thrown them out the window, watching him shove his feet into his Converse. 

"Sorry," he laughed, "will you need them?"

"Guess not."  He seemed to think it hilarious, as I walked down the path in my bare feet.

"Can I see you tonight?" he asked.  "I'm working till six.  I'll bring your shoes, I promise."

I tried to think what my plans were, but my mind was blank.  All I knew was I had a piano lesson at eleven.  And of course I wanted to see him again.  I wanted a repeat.  I didn't even want to be going home now, I wanted to be in his funny, shaky bed, covered in Ferraris.

As he pulled up to my house, he said, "You won't be in trouble, will you?"

I shook my head, glad he cared. Stacey would never have had a thought like that.

"If you find my panties, can you bring them too?" I asked.

He gaped at me.  "Are you sitting in my car with no -?"  I smiled and nodded. "Fuck me," he laughed and his hand reached, moved up my thigh, touching.  "Fuck," he said, "this is crazy."  And as he kissed me, he pushed my dress up and then his lips went and kissed down there, right outside my house.

I texted Cassian as I walked up the driveway:  safe to come in?  He replied: yes.  The front door was unlocked and I tiptoed in, dashing to his room, tapped on the door and went in.  He was on his phone, and I sat on the end of his bed. 

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?" I grinned smugly.

"You met him last week and you already stayed over?" It was just a comment, not an accusation.

I smiled.  "He's so amazing."

"Amazing how?" he asked.

"He's cute, he's funny."  That somehow didn't sound very amazing.  "We just click."  Even that was a weak answer.  I shrugged.  "I don't know, I just like him."

Cassian sighed.  "Just don't rush it, huh?"  He smiled, but it was like he knew it was a pointless comment.

A text came from Nathan: hope u sneaked in ok. 

I texted back:  all good.

Then later, another text:  hey, look what I just found in my bed. Then, a photo came through, my purple lacy panties held up to his nose, a goofy look on his face.   I giggled, Cash looked at me.  I quickly shut down the photo, and shifted my dress under myself, realizing I was sitting on his sheets pantie less.

"Can you go to the kitchen and I'll sneak behind you?" I asked him. "I think Antonia's up."  Antonia is our stepmom.  She always got up early.

"The things I do for you," he sighed, getting out of bed and pulling on a t-shirt., I noticed how much bigger he was getting from his gym training. 

"Look at your guns," I said cheekily, and squeezed his right bicep as he passed me.  He giggled as if it tickled.  Cassian is my half-brother, his mother died when he was born.  Technically she was brain-dead after being in an auto accident and they kept her on life support until Cassian was born.  And then they switched the machine off.  He has a photo of his mother on his bookcase and in his wallet.  "And distract her," I added, giggling, "talk to her."

"He's put you in a good mood," he smiled.  I held my dress down as I scuttled behind him, and as he went to the kitchen I ran to my room.  I went into the bathroom, opened up the photo again, smiling as I looked at it.  Impulsively I went and sat on my bed, lifted my dress and snapped a selfie, sent it to him.  I followed it up with Delete, in capital letters and exclamation marks.

He sent me back a sticker of a kitten. 

I was giggling manically, and repeated:  Deleted? 

He sent through a photo of his cock.  I was laughing hysterically, went back into the bathroom, turned the shower on. 

I texted:  wish that was my breakfast.  I stripped and jumped in the shower, soaping up, washed my hair, still laughing. 

His reply had been:  Delete it, also in capitals and exclamation marks.

I went to the kitchen, neither Cash nor Antonia were there, grabbed a banana and peeled it, took a photo of myself with it half in my mouth and sent it to him.  He rang me. 

"Fuck," he laughed, "you are killing me."

"You deleted right?"

"You deleted right?" he repeated and laughed.  "You're crazy."

"You're making me crazy," I said, knowing I'd never done anything so blatant, so silly before.

"You and me are going to be so good together," he said and I couldn't stop smiling.

Antonia came into the kitchen, just as I was throwing the banana skin in the bin.

"Good morning," she said, looking at me curiously, "I didn't hear you come home last night." 

"Didn't you?" I asked innocently, trying to wipe the grin off my face.  "Where's Dad?"  Anything to change the subject.

"Still in bed.  The kids are all over him."  She meant Damon and Dominique, my half siblings, four and two years old.

"Shall I take him a coffee?" I offered.

"No, I will, " she said, "I'll make the kids some toast first.  How was your date?"

"Oh, good," I said casually, not wanting to divulge any information.  I hadn't even told her about Nathan, I'd only mentioned to Dad that I was meeting him, and I'm pretty sure I hadn't used the word date.

"Do anything special?"  I think she was just making conversation.

"Um, not really, just hung out.  Did Cash go to the gym?"

She nodded.  "Do you want some toast?"  She was spreading peanut butter.  "What's his name?"

"No, I just ate," I said, and then airily, "Who's name?"

"The boy you went out with," she said slowly and deliberately, like she knew I was being evasive.