Cloud Walking (A Find You in the Dark novella) (6 page)

     Rachel squeezed my hand before dropping it.  I couldn't help but be disappointed.  She threw her trash onto her tray and stood up.  I followed her to my feet.  “Yeah, you'd best use some of my lip gloss, because your mouth will be chaffed from all the butt kissing you're about to do.”  Rachel smirked. 

     There was that feisty new Rachel again.  Where the hell had she been hiding the last seventeen years?  I watched the way Rachel's ass moved in her tight jeans and decided it was time to go get started on my butt kissing.  Because if I stayed here any longer, watching the girl in front of me, I would be kissing something else entirely.

Chapter Six   

~Daniel~

     “Daniel.  Stephen and I are going away for the weekend.  I've left money on the counter.”  My mom poked her head into my room and I had to curb the wise cracks that were on the tip of my tongue. 

     I was getting used to weekends alone.  Not that I minded.  I'd rather not be subjected to the PDA monster that came courtesy of my once upon a time fantastic mother and her skeevy boyfriend.  It was freaking gross the way they pawed at each other, not caring if I was in the room or not.

     As if on cue, Stephen appeared behind Mom, his hands slithering around her like an anaconda, his hands going in places that made me want to rip his arms off.  I hated that guy.  I hated my mom for being with that guy.  I hated the fact that I had a front row seat as they touched and did things that a kid should NOT see his parent doing.

     My mom giggled like a girl half her age and I wanted to hurl.  “Stephen,” she whispered as he kissed the side of her neck.  Both seemed suddenly aware that they were in fact standing in the doorway to
my
room.  Stephen stopped trying to molest the woman who had given me life and she stopped wiggling against him as though they were going to go at it at any moment.

     “Hi son,” Stephen said awkwardly, giving me a cheesy smile that just asked to be knocked off of his face by my more than ready fist.  I wasn't his goddamned son.  I had a dad.  A great one.  You know, the guy who had caught this jackass dick deep in his wife.  Yep, I was going to throw up.  Maybe I could projectile vomit, Exorcist style, all over the assholes in front of me.

     I grit my teeth, crunching them together almost painfully.  “Hey,” I said shortly.  I should tell
Stephen
to never call me
son
again.  To remind him and my bitch of a mother of the guy they had both screwed over.  The one who had supported his family for years without complaint.  The man who did not deserve to lose his wife and his son to a flaming ass face that wore purple shirts and too much hair product. 

     But I had played the petulant teenager card one too many times already.  And all I had gotten for it was a pissed off mom and my truck taken away. 

     My mom could give a shit that I was miserable living in Stephen's house while they ran around like they didn't have a care in the world.  What had happened to the woman who made sure all of my favorite snacks were in the cupboard and would help me with my homework every night? 

     Maybe I should make up flyers and stick them around town. 
Missing.  Mom who gives a fuck.

     But it was useless.  That person was a thing of the past.  Now I was stuck with a woman who wore my mom's face but had changed every other thing about herself. 
My
mom had always been comfortable in jeans. 
This
mom never left the house without make-up an inch thick and had started dying her hair blonde, because
Stephen
liked it that way. 

     Whatever.  Just another dose of reality that I had to deal with.  Nothing changed the fact that my life sucked.  

     Without another word, my mom and Stephen closed the door.  I could hear her laugh as they left.  God knows what Stephen started doing once my door shut.  I shuddered. 

     My phone started to ring in my pocket.  Pulling it out, I looked down and saw that it was Kylie.  Great.  Some more shit to add to the pile.  I hadn't talked to Kylie in a week.  She had remained pissed after I turned down her offer to “hang out” last Friday.  We hadn't ended up going to the movies, even after I had dumped on Rachel which pissed me off.  She had insisted we needed to take a “break.”  And for the first time I didn't fight it. 

     Sure Kylie was gorgeous.  Most guys at school wanted in her pants.  If I was honest with myself, I'd admit most probably had been at some point.  And truthfully, I had always gotten off on being the guy she couldn't get enough of.  Every time we broke up, it was only a matter of time until she came back for more.  Call it macho pride, but there was something dick twinging about it. 

     But lately, I had found myself thinking less and less about Kylie Good.  For once, my cock wasn't making all of the decisions...well at least where Kylie was concerned.  And I didn't want to make up and get back together.  Not this time.

     But old habits were hard to break and I found myself answering the phone, when I should be pushing the
ignore
button.

     “Hey, baby,” Kylie's girly voice cooed from the other end.  Wow.  When did her voice become so annoying?  Did she always talk like a five year old?  Or was I only now noticing it?

     “Hey Kylie,” I replied, flicking on the television.  Finding a re-run of the Simpsons, I tried not to completely zone out on the conversation.  But it was hard. 

     “You going to Melissa's party tonight?” she asked.  Of course, I was going to Melissa's party.  When did I ever miss a party?  What a stupid question.  Why didn't she just come out and ask me to take her, since I knew that was the point of the phone call?

     “Yeah.  I'm going.  Why, you need a ride or something?” I asked and even I could hear the complete lack of interest in my voice.  Obviously Kylie did too because her tone become decidedly more wheedling. 

     “Danny.  I want us to go together.  I miss you, baby.  Maybe afterward, you and me can go somewhere.  Just the two of us.  It's been too long.” She was trying really hard to be seductive.  It was almost comical.  The Daniel Lowe of a week ago would have jumped at the chance to get laid tonight.  But not
this
Daniel Lowe.  I was really over the whole thing. 

     “I'm supposed to hang with Jake and the boys after the party,” I told her, my focus drifting back to the television.  I could practically hear her grinding her teeth. 

      Then she changed tactics.  “Danny.  Please.  I really need to be with you tonight,” she pleaded.  I turned off the television and tried to give her my attention.  There was still a part of me that weakened where she was concerned, even if I didn't want her to be my girlfriend again.  But that part wasn't as noticeable as it used to be. 

      “Why, Kylie?  Logan can't take you?” I asked shortly. 

      Kylie sighed and I rolled my eyes. 

     “You know you're the only one I want to be with.  Come on...I hate it when we fight.  Please go to the party with me,” she begged and I scratched the back of my neck in agitation.  It was
just
a ride to the party.  And I
did
care about the girl, even if she drove me nuts. 

      And maybe this is what I needed to stop thinking about a particular other girl who I
shouldn't
be thinking about in
that
way, at all.

     And that was what made up my mind for me. 

     Rachel.

     Why did everything keep circling back to her lately? 

     “Sure, Kylie.  That's fine.  I'll pick you up at eight,” I conceded. 

     “Great!  I can't wait to see you Danny!  I meant what I said, I've really missed you.”  And there it was.  That little glimpse at the vulnerable side of Kylie Good that no one else got to see.  And that little glimpse was enough for me to lose my hesitation.  I wasn't swearing my undying love.  I wasn't jumping back into our intolerable relationship.  I would just spend time with her and would try not to think about the girl I really wanted to be with.   

     “Yeah,” I said, not agreeing or denying her statement.  After that, I ended the phone call, not sure I had made the best decision.

     And then my phone rang again making my heart stop.

     Shit, it was Rachel.

     I answered it hesitantly.  It felt weird talking to her so soon after making plans with Kylie.  Even though it shouldn't.  It's not like Rachel was my girlfriend.  For all intents and purposes, Kylie
had
been my girlfriend.  Even though she wasn't anymore, I had to add vehemently. 

     That wasn't the point. 

     The point was I shouldn't feel like I was cheating on Rachel by agreeing to go to Melissa's party with Kylie.  It was insane. 
I
was insane. 

     “Hiya Rach,” I said, trying to go for neutral and unaffected and swearing that I was failing miserably.

     “Hey loser.  We on for Melissa's tonight?” Rachel asked in a voice that wasn't babyish
or
annoying.    Then I realized what she had asked me.  Crap.  Had we made plans to go to the party together?  I wracked my brain but came up blank.  Fuckety-fuck-fuck!

     “Uh...well, I...well...” I was stumbling all over my words like some low functioning moron with a brain defect.  Open mouth, insert foot.

     “Daniel.  Are you not going to pick me up for Melissa's party?  Is that what I'm to take away from your monosyllabic mumbling?” Rachel asked tersely.  Time to salvage. I needed to do it before she came through the phone and strangled me.

     “Of course Rach.  I can pick you up and then we can go get Kylie.”  I just decided to bite the bullet.  I mean, she was going to be pissed no matter what, might as well make it now rather than later.  There was an immediate silence.  I wondered for a moment if she had hung up.  Not that I would blame her. 

     “Rach?” I asked into the dead air.  Why did her anger make me want to run and hide?  I had never been freaked out by it before.  But now, the thought of her being pissed at me had me trembling in my sneakers.   So much for smooth, lady's man, Daniel Lowe.  I think he'd been kicked squarely in the proverbial nut sack and wouldn't be making a reappearance until I decided to grow some damn chest hair and grow up.

     “Just forget it.  You have fun with
Kylie,
” Rachel spit out and then it was my turn to get pissed.  Who the hell was she to give me a hard time about taking my ex-girlfriend to a party?  I really didn't recall making plans with her.  So, this time I really wasn't blowing her off.  So what gives?!

     “No need to be a bi..witch about it, Rach.  It's not like we had definite plans or anything,” I snapped, though I was glad I had stopped myself from making the colossal mistake of assigning her the “b” word.  That would have brought on the apocalypse for sure.  I was definitely playing for Team Dumbass this evening on all fronts.

     “You're right, Daniel.  We didn't have plans.  I guess I just wanted to hang out is all
.”  Her voice sounded sad, even as she tried to cover it up.

     “I'm sorry, Rach.  Seriously...” I started but she cut me off.

     “Just forget it, Danny.  I'm being silly.  Of course you'd want to hang out with your girlfriend.  I get it.  Have fun and I'll see you there,” she backpedaled.  I wish she wouldn't do that.  It was as though she believed her thoughts and feelings were less important than everyone else's.  I started to tell her that Kylie wasn't my girlfriend anymore, because needing to clarify that seemed really important just then, but I realized Rachel had already hung up.

     It was going to be a fantastic night.  I could just feel it.

     Cue the sarcasm.