Authors: Rachel Ryan
Suddenly, the door opens and Cameron walks in followed by Levi and…Jake. Sitting up straight I look back at Cameron.
She grins at me “Looks like we had a stray follow us home. Make yourself comfortable, Jake. Levi and I will go and get some drinks and snacks.” She grabs Levi’s hand and drags him to the kitchen before I can argue. Jake takes a few steps toward the couch as his eyes scan the room.
“This is a really nice place, Shorty.” My breath catches when I hear him call me that. His eyes roam down and it’s only then that I remember that I’m sitting here in tiny silky pyjamas. Of course he’s seen me in my pyjamas before, but I didn’t really have anything to show back then. His eyes stop when they get to my chest and I assume he’s staring at my breasts, which are braless under the camisole, so I fold my arms in front of them. Glancing down, I realise that folding my arms has only pushed them up and made them more obvious so I drop my arms back to my sides. His eyes meet mine and I can see desire in them. He moves toward me slowly and sits down beside me on the couch. I watch him patiently, waiting for him to say something, but he doesn’t. He just sits there staring into my eyes. Suddenly, he lifts his hand and he runs the back of his finger down the side of my face.
Closing my eyes, I try not to lean into his touch as I mentally remind myself about Daniel, saying his name in my mind over and over again.
“You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman, Shorty. You always were beautiful, but now you’re stunning.”
My heart aches to hear him say these words that I have longed to hear for so many years. Why is he doing this now? I finally felt like I was moving on with my life and then after so long he appears back in my life and pulls me straight back where I was before. Loneliness, bitterness, anguish. I can’t go back to that place. I won’t.
I move my face away from his hand and open my eyes to see his glum expression.
“Please don’t do this to me, Jake.”
“Do what, Shorty?”
“You know what. I have a boyfriend.”
He almost flinches at my words.
“I know. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t go back to being friends. We were friends for so long…”
I open my mouth to say God knows what when Cameron and Levi walk into the room carrying a tray of cheese and crackers and a bottle of tequila.
“Who’s thirsty?” Cameron places some shot glasses on the table as there is a knock on the door. Glancing at the clock on the wall I wonder who could be here at ten thirty at night. Maybe it’s Sarah, or one of Jake’s other friends.
Cameron walks over and throws open the door and I gasp as I realise it’s Daniel.
Rising from the couch, I make my way toward Daniel who has just walked in and placed a large duffel bag on the floor just inside the door. He grabs me around the waist and pulls me into his body, placing a light, chaste kiss on my lips. His eyes search the room and then he looks back at me “Have I interrupted something?”
Shaking my head I keep my eyes on him, scared of what I will see if I glance at Jake. “No, Cameron and I ran into an old friend and we have just been catching up.”
Daniels eyebrows lift in confusion as he glances at Levi, then Jake and he frowns as he looks down at my pyjamas.
“When did you get back?”
“My flight landed an hour ago and I came straight here. I wasn’t sure if you would be awake or not, but I didn’t think you would mind me showing up unannounced.” His eyes wander back in Jake’s direction “Perhaps I should have called ahead.”
I see movement in my peripheral and turn to see Jake rising from the couch. “We were just leaving anyway, weren’t we Levi.” Levi shrugs and glances down at Cameron.
She leans into him and whispers. “Call me.”
Jake walks toward the door and turns to look at me “I’ll see you on Monday, Shorty.” Before nodding at Daniel and walking out the door. Levi raises a hand in a brief wave as he follows closely behind him.
Cameron glances between the two of us a couple of times before stretching her arms above her head and letting out a fake yawn.
“Well, I’m beat. Good night, guys.”
She disappears into her bedroom and as I stand quietly beside Daniel I find myself feeling awkward and…is it guilt I’m feeling? No, I have nothing to feel guilty about. I didn’t invite Jake here, plus we’re only friends.
Looking up I realise Daniel is watching me closely, his brows drawn together.
“Abbi, are you okay? I can just go home if you would prefer?”
Pulling him over to the couch I sit down and wait for him to do the same. “Don’t be silly. I missed you. Of course I want you to be here.”
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Daniel sits down on the couch and places a kiss on my cheek.
“So, who were those guys?”
Shrugging, I glance down at my lap and pull the hem of my shorts down a little lower, not realising they had ridden up to the tops of my thighs when I sat down. I wonder if they had done that when Jake was here.
“One of them was an old friend from high school.” I have never told Daniel about Jake. For a start we haven’t been together that long and are still discovering new things about each other constantly.
“Oh. Does he live in Sydney?”
“He just moved here recently for work. Turns out he is the new music teacher at school.”
Daniel frowns. “At your school? That’s a bit of a coincidence.”
Nodding, I reach over to the coffee table and grab a cracker to nibble on.
Changing the topic of conversation I ask Daniel about his trip and for the next half an hour he fills me in about where he stayed, the food he ate and the weather.
Glancing at the clock I try to stifle a yawn.
“Am I boring you?” He grins as he says it, but I think he is serious.
“What? No, I’m just really tired.”
“Me too. Let’s go to bed.” He stands up and holds a hand out for me.
Hand in hand we walk into my room and I climb under the covers as he begins to strip off all of his clothes. Watching him, I find my eyes travelling down his body. He is a lot shorter than Jake and doesn’t have the most prominent muscles. He works out a little bit but doesn’t get a lot of time with all of the travelling. His stomach is flat, but no six pack abs like Jake used to have. I wonder if he still does. Looking back up at his face, I notice he hasn’t shaved for a while and has a bit of a goatee happening. It actually suits him and makes him look a little…rougher. Jake always seems to have a slight shadow but nothing more. Wait a minute. Why am I lying here comparing Daniel to Jake? I guess I’m still getting over the shock of seeing him again after all of these years, but I really need to stop thinking about him.
Daniel climbs into bed beside me and as I stare into his blue eyes, I find myself wishing I was staring into chocolate brown ones. I roll over and snuggle my back into Daniel’s chest feeling guilty. I shouldn’t even be thinking about Jake at a time like this. Daniel wraps his arm around me and places gentle kisses along the back of my neck. I close my eyes and try to get the vision of warm, brown eyes out of my head.
I wake up feeling hot… too hot… like I’m being smothered. I open my eyes and suddenly remember that Daniel is beside me. I push on his chest and slide out from underneath him. He doesn’t even stir; he just rolls over and continues to snore, loudly.
Wandering out into the kitchen for my morning coffee, I come across Cameron sitting at the kitchen table reading a fashion magazine.
“Good morning.”
She glances up at me with a grin. “Hey, sis. How did you sleep?”
Shrugging, I pour my coffee and sit opposite her. “Okay. So…” Grinning back at her I ask, “Have you heard from Levi yet?”
Her smile gets bigger and she nods her head. “I have actually. He called early this morning and said that he and a bunch of guys were out surfing and he wanted us to come along.” Glancing at the clock on the microwave, I can see it’s only 7:15.
“What time did he call you?”
“Only fifteen minutes ago.”
Running my pointer finger along the rim of my mug, I ask her if she’s going.
“Yeah, I was just waiting for you to wake up. He told me to bring you along.”
Nodding, I smile at her. “You guys seem to have hit it off pretty well last night.”
Cameron actually blushes. Wow! I think that’s the first time I have ever seen her blush.
“He’s a really nice guy. He is twenty three and is a personal trainer. He also owns his own gym in the city.”
“Wow.” I’m impressed. “So that must be where Brady works.”
Cameron nods and watches me closely. “Yeah, he said Brady works there and Jake is there all the time working out. That would explain why they all have the hottest bodies.”
I feel the warmth spread over my cheeks. “Oh, really. I hadn’t noticed.”
Cameron smiles. “Come on. I saw you checking Jake out all night. How could you not? That man is delicious with those big brown eyes, framed by long, dark lashes. And those dimples…oh man…if I didn’t suspect that he was madly in love with you, I would be trying to break me off a piece of that. Don’t worry though; he was checking you out too.”
“Who was checking her out?” I turn to see Daniel walking into the kitchen in his jeans and shirt.
Cameron laughs “Oh, just some guy at the bar last night.”
Daniel leans down and kisses my cheek as he stands behind my chair.
“Well, she is beautiful. Just as long as they are only looking; I’m the only one that gets to touch this beauty.” I cringe as he laughs at his own comment.
“I’m sorry to rush out so early, but I have to get home and unpack and run some errands. I leave again in two days on a trip to Tasmania. I’ll call you later this afternoon, okay.”
Nodding, I lift my face for a light kiss on the lips and watch him walk out the door.
Cameron watches me with a bewildered look on her face. As soon as she hears the front door close she shakes her head.
“Abs, I hate to sound like a bitch, but what the hell do you see in that guy? He obviously only turned up here last night for one thing. As soon as he gets it he’s out the door and ready to take off on his next work trip.” There are those quotation fingers again.
“Cameron, he didn’t come here for one thing.”
“Bullshit. Who visits their girlfriend after being away for a week and then fucks off early the next morning? A guy who’s only in it for one thing, that’s who!”
I reassure her. “Cameron, I know he isn’t only in it for one thing.” She’s watching me with one eyebrow raised. “And the reason I know this is because I haven’t offered him that one thing.”
Cameron’s chin almost hits the table. “What? After six months?”
Shaking my head I reply “Sex isn’t everything.”
“Why have you not done it after six months? You obviously feel no physical attraction to him then. Otherwise, you’d be going at it like rabbits.”
“That’s not it. I’m attracted to him.”
“Then what is it?” She stares at me for a few seconds. “Have you still got your v-card?”
I blush and look down at my mug. “Not that it’s any of your business, but, yes, I’m still a virgin.”
“Wow. I’m totally speechless…how…
why
?”
Shrugging, I look back at her shocked face. “I don’t know. I’ve just never felt ready for that. I guess I’ve just been waiting for the right guy and the right time.” I’m beginning to feel really uncomfortable discussing my sex life with my baby sister.
Cameron eyes me suspiciously. “You’ve been waiting for Jake.”
Choking on my mouthful of coffee, it squirts out of my mouth and across the table.
“What?”
Cameron is nodding as she wipes up the coffee with some paper towel. “I saw the way you were watching him last night. You were in love with him weren’t you? When he left you, you were in love with him.”
I shake my head and rise from my chair walking to the sink to rinse out my mug. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. We had our chance six years ago and it wasn’t meant to be. That ship has sailed.”
Cameron walks up behind me and places a hand on my shoulder “Abbi, it doesn’t have to be like that. He’s back in your life. Maybe it is meant to be.”
Turning, I look into her eyes. “He broke my heart the day he left and then two years later he shattered it into a million pieces. It has taken me four long years to put those pieces back together. I can’t go through that again.”
Cameron smiles sadly. “Okay, sis. Whatever you say.”
An hour later Cameron pulls her little car into the parking lot of the beach where she had arranged to meet Levi. He’s waiting for her and his face lights up in a huge grin when she steps out of the car. Watching from inside the car, I can see his eyes take in the length of her bikini clad body. Cameron got her looks from our dad, he’s tall and slender and she is the same. She has never had an issue with weight, even though she eats like a horse. I on the other hand am short and curvy and if I even look at a piece of cake I put on a kilo. As I get out Cameron locks the car and we make our way over to Levi.
“Morning, ladies. Glad you could make it.” He is wearing a wetsuit that is currently unzipped and hanging down around his hips and I can’t help but admire his body. He has tanned skin and his muscles are…wow. No wonder Cameron is keen on this one.
He leads us down to the beach and closer to the water’s edge I can see a group of guys and a bunch of surfboards standing up in the sand. My steps falter as I see a familiar dark head of hair. I suspected he might have been here with Levi, but I wasn’t sure. As we get closer the sight of him standing there in his wetsuit, hanging down around his hips like Levi’s takes my breath away. It’s been a long time since I have seen his body and he has changed quite a bit. He was always toned from the many hours of football and surfing, but now he just looks…like a man…a really sexy man. Six years ago he was still a boy becoming a man, but now, he is tall, tanned, muscular and…hot. He glances in our direction and his eyes meet mine. As we step up beside the group of guys they all turn and look at us. Scanning their faces I can see the guys from the bar, Brady, Wes and Tristan and there are two other guys sitting around in their wetsuits. They are all good looking guys and I feel kind of shy as Levi introduces us to all of them.
“Brady, Wes, Tristan, you remember Cameron and Abbi from last night? And girls the other two over there are Tristan’s brother Nathan and his friend Sam. And of course, you already know Jake.”
My eyes snap to his to see him smiling down at me. “Hey, Shorty.”
Smiling at him I drop my beach bag onto the sand while Cameron spreads her towel down. She really does draw a lot of attention in her tiny black bikini. As I glance around at the guys I notice most of them watching her, except for Nathan who is staring right at me with a smile on his handsome face. I smile back at him and plonk down onto the sand. Brady stands up and zips up his wetsuit.
“Time for round two. Who’s with me?” Most of the guys follow him into the water with their boards except for Levi who sits down beside Cameron and Nathan who gets up and moves over to sit beside me on the sand.
I glance over at Jake who seems to be debating whether to follow Brady or not and when he looks over and sees Nathan sitting beside me he zips up his wetsuit grabs his board and runs toward the water.
Nathan seems like a nice guy, over the next few minutes we chat about what we each do for a living, Nathan’s a fire fighter, and what we like to do for fun. He asks me how I know Jake and I briefly tell him about our high school years. Nathan then asks me if I’m single and I tell him about Daniel. After a few minutes, Nathan leans forward and looks over at Levi “Hey, did you ask the girls if they want to come along tonight?”
Levi looks at Cameron “Nathan’s having a barbeque at his place tonight, do you two want to come?”
Cameron immediately replies. “Sure.”
Nathan glances at me “Bring Daniel along too.”
Nathan seems like a genuinely nice guy. “Okay, sure. Thanks.”
“Bring your swimming costume, too. I have a pool.”
Nodding, I say “Speaking of swimming, I might head in for a dip.”
Standing up I remove my pink cover up to reveal my bright yellow bikini. Nathan stands up beside me and removes his wetsuit, leaving on a pair of board shorts.
“I’ll come with you, we’ll leave these love birds alone.” Glancing down at Cameron and Levi I see them sitting side by side facing each other and deep in conversation.
We make our way down to the water and I dip my foot in to test the temperature. I shiver a little when I realise the water is quite cool. The spring temperature is warm but I’m not sure if I want to go all the way into the cool water.
Nathan urges me “Come on Abbi, it’s beautiful and warm once you get in there.”
I walk out until the water’s up to my knees and decide that’s far enough. Nathan dives in and swims out a fair distance before turning around and swimming back toward me. Just as I’m about to head back to my spot on the sand I see Jake walking toward me with his board.
“Are you going in, Shorty?”
Smiling I admit “I was going to until I realised how cold it is.”
His eyes drop lower and I’m worried about what he will see so I fold my arms in front of my chest. He grins and looks back into my eyes.
“Yeah, you do look a little cold. Come on let’s go get you warmed up.” His voice is enough to warm my body and I feel it start in my face and work its way down into the pit of my stomach, where the butterflies have returned.
Over the next couple of hours we sit on the sand talking and laughing with all the guys until I can really feel the sun starting to belt out the heat. I ask Cameron if she’s ready to go yet and she agrees as she stands up and shakes out her towel. Looking over at Jake, I expect his eyes to be on her arse; however, the chocolate brown orbs are staring straight back at me. I hold his gaze for a minute, before the intensity makes me look away.
Nathan smiles at me “We’ll see you lovely ladies tonight. Abbi, I’ll text you the address.” We had traded phone numbers earlier.
“Sounds good. We’ll see you later. Bye Jake.” Jake waves at me as he watches us walk away.
Levi walks with us to Cameron’s car. Geez, he really seems smitten with her. I just hope he’s a decent guy, because Cameron’s had her fair share of toads.
When Cam unlocks the car I throw my things into the back seat and glance back at the group to see Jake still looking in our direction.
Levi notices where I’m looking and says softly “He really likes you, you know. I’ve only known him for six weeks but he never stops talking about you.”
Feeling the blush creeping up my cheeks I dismiss Levi’s comment. “I don’t believe that.”
Levi grins “I’m serious. When he ran into Cameron that first night at the bar you were all we heard about for days, and then after he realised you work at the same school all he can talk about is ‘his Shorty’.”
The warmth from my cheeks spreads lower and I quickly say goodbye to Levi and climb into the car. I wonder if he’s exaggerating the truth a little about Jake. I mean, if he really liked me he wouldn’t have stopped calling or texting. I suppose I could have kept calling him but once I realised he had forgotten about me I didn’t want to face anymore rejection from him.
***
Later that afternoon I text Daniel and invite him to Nathan’s barbeque. He is a little hesitant about going to the house of someone he doesn’t know, but in the end he agrees to come with us. I think the deciding factor for him was when I told him that Jake was going to be there. I suppose I should really talk to Daniel about my past relationship with Jake, but I think he would just become paranoid and possessive and I don’t think I could stop seeing Jake just to keep Daniel happy. I will tell him eventually, but I just want to have some time to actually work out where we stand and what we mean to each other now. I spend the afternoon pampering myself, with a scented bubble bath, and a facial. I take my time shaving all the areas girls like to shave and then wash and treat my hair. I dress in a light blue sundress with a light blue bikini underneath and sweep my dark hair up into a high straight ponytail. I keep my makeup to a minimum, just some mascara and rose coloured lip gloss, and slide my feet into my favourite white wedge sandals.