My Once and Future Love Page 16

I sat on the sofa and kicked my shoes off. “Went to Santa Monica Pier.”

  “Did you ride the Ferris wheel?”

  “Yup. And ate salty food. I’m surprised you’re still up.”

  She smiled. “Relief energy, I guess. After my reprieve, I didn’t want to close my eyes, yet.”

  “Guess that makes sense. Should we celebrate this weekend?”

  “Maybe after my stitches heal, honey. Right now, getting back to normal is the sweetest thing I can think of.” She glanced at Daddy. “Maybe your father and I will finally take that weekend in Santa Barbara.”

  “Just wait until I’m in the dorm. The house is too empty when you guys are away.”

  She tucked my hair behind my ear. “Deal.”

  ****

  I lasted half a day before hopping the wall and peeking in his room. No Jacob. Well, fine. Made it easy to ignore him until tonight.

  Wait, did we still have a date? Should I call and ask? Or did that look like I was caving? Because I wasn’t, you know. I wasn’t the one who told the other to get out of the house. But if I sit around and he never shows, then I wasted time when I could have known if I asked sooner.

  Maybe he’d cave first and I wouldn’t have to.

  I sucked at dating.

  When I hadn’t heard by six-thirty and Dad suggested going out to eat, I took a risk and left with my family. I taped a note to the front door just in case.

  ****

  Seven o’clock and not a single Lawson home. She wanted to bail? Fine. Entertainment was easily had in L.A. He crumpled the note in his hand and tossed it in the backseat. About time he looked up some friends. Reconnecting with local contacts was smart no matter where he’d be a year from now.

  ****

  He did come by. Now I felt like a jerk. I tried calling, but only got the machine.

  When my parents went to bed, I snuck out and climbed over the wall. His light in his room was off, but the window was unlatched, so I climbed inside. Checked the rest of the house, and the car was gone. Nothing to do but wait for him to come home.

  I fell asleep waiting on his bed and woke up to snoring in my ear. Turning my head, I smelled beer on his breath. Eww. He was naked and had an arm flung over my middle. I pushed it off of me and got up.

  “Great, you went partying,” I muttered.

  “And had a bloody good time, too. What are you doin’ here?”

  “I came to talk to you, but I’m not going to do it when you’re drunk.”

  He rolled onto his back. “Not drunk. Had one beer.”

  “And drove. Wonderful. Could you put some pants on?” The view was…distracting.

  “My room.”

  Fine. I turned so I could only see his face out of the corner of my eye. “Are you trying to get arrested?”

  “I drank one beer an hour before comin’ home.”

  “Still stinks.”

  “Thank you. And I didn’t ask you to be here. Don’t like it, go home.” He rolled on his side, putting his back to me.

  “Fine. I won’t bug you the rest of your vacation.” I climbed out his window and slammed it shut, then ran home. He wouldn’t follow without clothes on.

  If he had so much fun without me, he could keep having fun indefinitely.

  Maybe Vivian was right about him not being ready to be with me.

  ****

  Shit.

  They were better at this relationship on the phone.

  He thought about grabbing pants and going after her, but she’d have her window locked tight by the time he got there. Leave it to Beth to one-up him with the final word. He remembered the time she didn’t talk to him for a month. God, she could be a stubborn brat.

  “Morning…it can all wait ‘til morning.”

  But falling asleep again didn’t come easy.

  ****

  It was Saturday and my heart hurt, so I slept in. I shuffled out for breakfast to find Jacob sitting with my parents.

  Oh, not good. My steps only faltered a second as I pretended not to see him. Cereal, bowl, milk, spoon, and I shuffled back toward my room.

  “Elizabeth, you have a visitor,” my mother said. I stopped cold.

  Damn. Almost got away. “He can wait until I’m dressed,” I said, and continued to my room. I was in for a lecture later about manners, but right now I didn’t care. My brain needed fuel before I could deal with any of this.

  The nerve of him sitting down with my parents!

  “Beth…” He was following me?

  Of course he was following me. Right into my room, since I was too slow to shut the door in his face.

  “I--”

  “Listen, shut up for a second. Do you remember Greg?”

  Huh? Left field, much? “What? Greg who?”

  “Talent show Greg.” Ah, his partner for the senior year win. “We caught up yesterday and I’m sitting in with him tonight.”

  I held my hands up. “Okay, rewind. You came to talk to me about some music thing?”

  He was obviously excited about something, but I was so expecting the topic to be last night’s fight, I was thrown.

  “That’s what I’ve been sayin’. Greg has a gig tonight and I’m sittin’ in with rhythm. Gotta practice so I can’t stay long, but here’s the flyer.” He pulled a folded piece of green paper from his pocket and handed it to me. He kissed me on the cheek. “Later, babe.”

  He was gone so fast, I had to ask myself had he really been here, but the flyer in my hand was real. I sat down on my bed with my bowl of cereal, uncertain how to feel.

  My gut didn’t feel any less weird when I walked into the club that night. They stamped my hand “no alcohol”. I took the stairs to the upper level to avoid being in the mass of people below. It was a small room, but with seating only on the mezzanine, it was standing room only. Greg was listed as the second act of the night.

  My camera hung around my neck, of course. I couldn’t resist Jacob’s L.A. debut, even if he was just a support guy with a guitar. The acts were singer/songwriter folks with a keyboard or guitar and a hope to be heard. A section on the far left below cheered when Greg and Jacob took the stage—friends, probably. The duo sat on stools, Jacob slightly behind his friend to his left with no microphone. They plugged their acoustics into the amps, did a test strum, and nodded to the control booth. The stage lights went black, then two spots shone down on the duo from opposing angles.

  Greg was pleasant to listen to, the kind of music you’d like in the background of a bar or café. A couple sentimentalists in the crowd below held up lighters as they swayed to his folk-rock sound. My focus was mostly on Jacob. This was a rare moment to catch him in a different role. Instead of being the front-man and playing to the audience, he needed to concentrate on the guitar, and I was getting beautiful angles of his face and hands.

  With only a half-hour set, Greg soon announced the last song of the night. I put the cap on my lens and set the camera down, leaning my arms on the railing. The crowd was still with them, and I had the sudden thought of what if there’s a talent scout out there. In my eyes, Jacob was good enough to be snatched up any time, so every time he played in public could be his lucky break.

  I think that scared me more than the long distance.

  Jacob’s eyes lit up when I found him. “You came!”

  “I did. Good job.”

  He leaned in for a soft kiss. “Thank you. Hey, Greg, remember Beth Lawson?”

  “That little nerd that follow—hey, nice to see you again.”

  Jerk.

  “Likewise,” I said. Of course anyone Jacob knew back then only remembered me one way. “You were lucky Jacob could fit you in his busy schedule.”

  “Play nice, love,” he whispered in my ear. “It was fun, mate. Thanks for askin’ me along.” They shook hands.

  “See you on Monday, Jake,” Greg said, and got in his car.

  “Monday?”

  “Yeah. He knows a studio that’ll cut a two-song demo on the cheap. Get it down before I fly
home.” He put his guitar case in the trunk of his mother’s car and shut the lid. “Did you drive tonight?”

  “Nah, took the Metro since it was a straight shot. That’s nice about the demo. I know you’re disappointed in the band’s.”

  He unlocked the passenger door. “Yeah. I won’t stop ‘em from shoppin’ it around, but I don’t think we’ll get anywhere with it. Club money’s alright, but I want to be prepared if it all falls apart.”

  “Sensible.”

  “I can be.” He pulled on the street and headed home.

  I told my parents I’d be back after they were in bed, so when he invited me inside, I agreed. He went to the kitchen straight off and took a pizza box out of the fridge.

  “Want some?”

  “What kind?”

  “The Works, of course.” He bit into a cold slice.

  “Eww, with the fish, too?”

  “With anchovies, too.”

  I shuddered. “You’re not kissing me again until you brush your teeth.” He was like a goat when it came to pizza, throwing anything they had on there. I could never stand to watch him eat the anchovies.

  “Chicken,” he said, and swallowed a little fish whole just to gross me out. It worked.

  “You are disgusting. I’m…going to watch TV.” I fled to the living room with his laughter on my heels.

  First the concert, now a demo…it was all moving, wasn’t it?

  “Are you going to do more gigs?”

  “Dunno.” He swallowed more pizza. “Not expecting to. Be nice to play, though. Maybe I’ll do some busking.”

  “Busking?”

  “Yeah, playin’ on the street for tips. Can be sweet dosh if you pick the right place. Your idea, remember?” He plopped on the sofa, stole the remote from me, and muted the volume of the news. “We okay?”

  “Hope so. Have you noticed we don’t fight on the phone?”

  He smiled. “Yeah. Thought of that this week, myself. Don’t remember butting heads so much in high school.”

  “We had strict boundaries then. Still happened sometimes, though.”

  “You’ve gotten more stubborn in two years.”

  I scowled at him. “I grew up in two years. I was a kid when you left.”

  “You were my best friend, Beth, and you still are. Younger, older, it doesn’t matter. We have a connection I haven’t shared with anyone else.” He cupped my face in his warm hands. “Even when you make me mad, I’m not walking away. You’re goin’ to have to throw me out the door and lock yourself away.”

  Wow. Maybe that’s what I’d been doing—testing if he’d walk away. The intensity we shared scared me, but it frightened me even more to think of losing him. Yet, if I could blame it on him, then I could be mad and move on with a scab on my heart. Though if I severed the tie first, I could say I was saving myself from greater heartache later.

  Despite what he said, I didn’t believe I could hold onto him in the long run. I was Beth, Queen of the Friend Zone. This passion was a fluke, a flame that would burn itself out when it consumed its fuel too fast. But, while he offered it to me, I’d take advantage of the buffet.

  I focused my mind to the present when my shirt was lifted over my head. My body had no problem following his lead and our make-out session on the sofa soon turned more X-rated.

  “Lace. I like it,” he said, referring to my bra.

  I had one girly bit of lingerie, an eyelet lace white bra and matching panties. When I got dressed tonight, I chose them because I needed to do laundry, but maybe my subconscious was at work at the same time. He sucked on my nipple through the cotton, making me hiss and arch my back. He slid my jeans off my butt and pushed them down to the limit of his reach, his lips still attached to my breasts. Fingers slid under the edge of my panties and stroked my flesh.

  “Love how you’re always wet for me.”

  “I have good incentive.” Why would I fight bliss?

  He chuckled and pulled me to sit up. “Hold on, kitten.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. Yay, bed! Once he was inside me, nothing else existed.

  Not London.

  Not college.

  Not fear.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Bethie’s mood improved dramatically. July was a tough month, but they were finally through it, though she had yet to tell her parents they were dating. He could wait, though. Seeing her smile, happy to spend time with him and exercising her independence, was all he needed. They saw each other every day—“hanging out” as far as her folks were concerned—and she usually slipped over to his house once they were asleep. His favorite weekend was when her parents went away and he got to fall asleep with her and wake up with her there.

  They were tucked together like spoons; her feet nestled in between his legs. It was bloody wonderful to wake up with a soft breast in his hand, though she’d smack his arm if he said it out loud, then hit him some more if he laughed. Every gent’s role was to make his woman give him that look or sigh only they can do when they think you’re being too male. Kept things interesting.

  So, naked Bethie, a late summer morning, and nowhere to be. Perfect.

  She stretched in her sleep then curled up tighter, pulling his arm closer to snuggle like a stuffed toy. He kissed her shoulder. Always a hard choice in the morning between watching her sleep and waking her with a bit of fun.

  “I can feel you looking at me,” she mumbled.

  “Best view in the whole room.”

  “Let me sleep. You kept me up late.”

  He nuzzled the soft spot behind her ear. “Had no complaints last night.”

  “Why aren’t you tired? Freak.”

  “I am. But I’ll always want you,” he said, and pressed the evidence into her backside.

  She wiggled away. “Until the clock says noon, I say no.”

  “Holdin’ you to that.”

  She sighed and he let her fall back asleep.

  With his departure date less than a month away, he wanted to spend every minute with her, at work or play, and it was hard to let her out of his sight. It would only get harder to stay on each other’s good sides over the school year. Christmas break was a long way away and what if he couldn’t get back? That left Spring Break, with no guarantee they’d be off classes at the same time.

  He was busting his ass to raise the dosh, though. Anywhere he was allowed to sing, he did, and Greg was a bit of help. Bethie came to the gigs, but he couldn’t blame her for letting him play on the streets on his own. Most days were at least ninety and more humid than people expected California to be. He came home desperately in need of a shower every day, but with a pocket full of cash.

  “Do you think you’ll have to continue solo when you go back?” Beth asked one day.

  “You mean the band? Don’t know, love. Time off wasn’t their idea.”

  She lifted her head from his chest. “Well, don’t hate me, but I think you sound better doing your own style, so I think you’ll land on your feet.”

  He stroked her back. “Could never hate you, but thank you. We’ll see how it goes. Might be too busy with school to perform much, anyway.”

  “Yeah, the last two years are supposed to be tough, and I won’t be there to help you study.”

  “Hmm, be hard to study with a warm brunette next to me, anyway.” He rolled them over, switching their positions. “Why stare at a book when I can kiss you?”

  She lifted her head to meet his lips. Every moment like this had to be locked into his mind for the long months without her. He loved everything they did in bed, even just the talking.

  ****

  Late August

  I was moving into the dorm today. It was a Wednesday. Jacob would fly out Friday morning. We’d been relating better since Mom got the all-clear and my parents spent more time out of the house together.

  He’d been busier than I liked, but one, it was money, and two, probably good for us to not be locked at the hip before he left. Greg was apparently connected up the waz
oo with small-time pros and had hooked Jacob up as a studio musician a few times. He was busking at the tourist areas the rest of his free days. Nights were ours, and sometimes mornings.

  My roommate wasn’t here, yet, but it was only the first day we were allowed to move in. She could be coming from anywhere until classes started.

  Daddy carried in my mini-fridge. “Where do you want this, Elizabeth?”

  “Under the bed, for now. Jacob, be careful with that box! It’s marked ‘fragile’.”

  “I know, I know…” He set it on the desk and left the room.

  Mom hung more clothes in my closet. “You’re lucky home is only a drive away, honey. You don’t have to bring nearly as many clothes with you to be prepared.”

  “Mom, you’re hanging things up like a lefty again.”

  “Ooops…force of habit.”

  I started putting clothes in the plastic drawers we’d moved in first under the bed. It was a rolling unit with four semi-transparent drawers. Next to it, I had a stack of plastic boxes that might fit in the closet once Mom was done. Space-saver efficiency for the win.

  Jacob came in with my computer case.

  “Put that under the desk,” I said. Gave me a nice view of his butt bending over.

  “Ah, there’s an outlet right there.”

  “Yup. Where’s Dad?”

  “Moving the car to a different space. Time ran out.”

  “Oh. I think the box for the bathroom is still down there.”

  He brushed his hands off on his jeans and knelt on the floor next to me. “Need to christen your new bed once the ‘rents leave,” he whispered in my ear.

  “One. Track. Mind! Go be useful.” I pushed him over. He laughed.

  With a room this size as an “apartment” I could only move so much in, so it didn’t take long to get things set up how I liked. One small lamp went on my desk, the other on my nightstand (a place to put my glasses at night), and my toiletries were set out in the bathroom I shared with the dorm room next door. It had two sinks. I hoped we wouldn’t all be trying to get ready for classes at the same time.

  The four of us ate in the university cafeteria before my parents left. The food surprised me, or rather, the variety of it. There were healthy choices as well as the fattening junk. I had a meal plan bought, so I only needed to swipe my card there for two meals a day and I could have as much as I wanted.