Authors: Stella White
She didn't feel the push, what she did feel was a sudden cold wetness, which is when she realized that she was in the water. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to slowly drag her down, her hands still holding on to the clutch that she had so pathetically matched to the rest of her outfit. But then she suddenly felt a pair of strong hands around her waist and she was being pulled up.
When her head broke through the water, she gasped loudly for air and started flapping her hands around the water.
“I got you” she heard a gruff voice and could feel herself being dragged. Josh pulled her out of the pool and made her lie down by the edge. She was looking up through bloodshot eyes at the stars in the sky, breathing heavily, she could barely comprehend what was happening.
“What were you doing so close to the edge if you can’t swim?” she heard a screeching voice and Lorna turned her head to see Jessica standing near her with her arms crossed across her chest. It seemed like there was a crowd of people who had circled around her. Lorna didn’t respond and instead turned her head in the other direction to look at Josh. He was bent over her and was looking at her keenly. She could see fat droplets of water hanging from his eyelashes and the beauty of that moment and her own stupidity made her laugh for some reason. Josh grinned at her while Jessica repeated her question.
Lorna continued to stare at Josh and laugh and he continued to grin at her.
“Just get out of here” she finally heard Jessica say. She slowly shifted her body to sit upright but it was difficult. Her wet clothes were weighing her down. She managed it nonetheless and saw that she was missing a shoe.
“How long was I under?” Lorna whispered and it seemed that only Josh heard her.
“About a minute, till I realized that you weren’t in the water for pleasure” he replied, the grin on his face was still there.
“Just go home, did you hear me?” Jessica yelled at Lorna again and came closer to them. Lorna looked up at her and saw what could only be described as jealousy in her eyes.
“Just give me a minute” Lorna replied, her voice had turned croaky.
“Now! Go home now. You’re ruining the party” Jessica said, her arms were still crossed across her chest.
Lorna rolled her eyes at Jessica, something she never thought she would do and tried standing up. Her heartbeat increased when she realized that Josh had come forward to clutch her arms and steady her.
“She’ll be fine Josh” Jessica said with a cruel drawl.
“I know, but I think I’ll see her home” Josh said and Lorna didn’t turn her head to look at him or Jessica. Instead she smiled broadly and bit down on her lip, she was hoping nobody could see the expression on her face.
*****
Lorna stole a quick glance over at Josh who was walking beside her. She had a fluffy pink towel wrapped around her while she walked slowly along with Josh in the dark, their path only illuminated by the dim streetlights.
Josh had his head hung low and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans as they walked along silently. Lorna cleared her throat and saw him look at her for a second.
“I want to thank you again for rescuing me” she said meekly. Her heart was racing and she was warmer than she should have been, given that her clothes were still soaking wet.
“That was nothing” he replied and smiled at her indulgently.
“And also for walking me home” she added.
“It’s the least I can do to return your favor” he said and slowed his pace down.
“I bet your friends aren’t happy about you disappearing this way” Lorna said and looked away, “Jessica didn’t seem too happy either” she added and could feel a familiar anger welling up inside her.
“Ah she’ll get over it” Josh replied with a laugh. They were silent again for a few seconds.
“I noticed you were enjoying your hotdog the other day” he said cutting through the silence. Lorna colored up immediately and he started laughing.
“You looked so embarrassed to be caught in the act of eating a hotdog for some reason” he continued laughing and Lorna hung her head down and bit her lip.
“You’re still embarrassed!” he said and before she knew it, he was hugging her from the side, his long arms were stretched across her shoulders.
“I was” she managed to squeak and looked at him to meet his eyes. He was still hugging her and their faces were now only a few inches apart.
“That was cute. I don’t think I’ve seen a girl eat a hotdog like that before” he said, this time in almost a whisper and Lorna could smell the chlorine from the pool on his skin.
“How else does a girl eat a hotdog?” she blurted out, more angrily than she had intended and Josh let go of her shoulders.
“I don’t know…in a more ladylike way?” he asked rather than said and Lorna was blushing again. In fact she could feel herself grow more angry than embarrassed now.
“So you’re saying, I’m not girlie enough?” she stopped in her tracks and glared at him. Josh seemed to be a little taken aback by her sudden outburst and he remained standing quietly, examining her face for clues on what he should say.
“I said exactly the opposite” he finally said after she had been glaring at him for a few seconds.
“I know what you meant Josh McKenna. You thought I was stupid and embarrassing that day and you think I was the same tonight” she said and brushed past him. But he had caught her hand. She looked down to where their hands were gripped together and he pulled her over to him sharply. The towel around her shoulders fell on the street as she landed on his chest.
She tried to steady herself but he had placed his forefinger at the bottom of her chin and was lifting her head up towards him.
“You have quite the imagination” he said gruffly and lowered his head towards her. Lorna had no idea what was happening and she stared at his red lips instead. The way they curved at the edges and how wet and moist they looked.
“I read too many books” she managed to say before his lips were on her and he had muffled her voice with his mouth. She could feel his hands tighten around her waist as she dug her nails into the bare skin of his arms. She could feel his tongue parting her own lips and being thrust into her mouth and it made her knees buckle. However, she managed to not fall. His hands were holding her up and she instead melted further into his arms.
She could taste the beers he had that night and could feel the smooth and rough texture of his tongue. She gripped his shoulders tightly as she felt his hands moving up her back slowly. One of his hands moved lower and was feeling the curve of her butt and Lorna moaned softly. Josh slowly broke away from her and stared down at her swollen lips.
“Those red lips have been driving me insane” he said in a low voice and knocked his forehead against hers. She had to squint her eyes to be able to look into his.
“I shall thank them later then” she said and they both laughed a little.
In that moment Lorna’s body was still pressed against his and she could feel a phone vibrate in the pocket of his jeans. Josh pulled away from her instantly and stuck his hand into the pocket and pulled his phone out. She could see his face light up when he touched the screen and could still not believe that she had just been kissing Josh McKenna’s lips.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the grimace on his face. He looked up at her and shoved his phone back into his pocket.
“So do you think you’ll be able to get back home alright?” he asked suddenly. He seemed to be in a hurry. Lorna couldn’t hide the pang of pain from her eyes.
“It’s Jessica isn’t it? You have to get back to her?” she threw the words at him and watched as his face contorted and he tried to avoid her eyes.
“Look I need to get back” he said avoiding her direct question. Lorna didn’t respond and continued glaring at him. She could see a faint stain of her own red lipstick on his lips and that made her more angry.
Josh shrugged his shoulders after they had been standing in silence for a few seconds.
“You can leave. I’ll be fine” Lorna said disgustedly and crossed her arms across the wet material of her dress. Josh threw her a weak smile and started to walk away, backwards.
“Just one last question” Lorna said loudly and he stopped in his tracks.
“What’s my name?” she asked and noticed how nervous Josh suddenly looked. He kept quiet, wisely enough he didn’t want to guess incorrectly and make it worse.
“That’s what I thought” Lorna said after giving him several seconds to come up with an answer. She turned around on her heels and limped towards her house, her missing shoe lying somewhere at the bottom of Jessica Owens’ pool.
*****
Lorna paid for her coffee with the small change that was jangling around in the pocket of her jeans. She took a sip of the hot cappuccino and squeezed Mimi’s hand tight. Mimi was taking a bite out of an apple and when she finished chewing it she gave Lorna a big fat smile, which reminded her why they had been best friends since Kindergarten.
“Will you be alright for the day?” Mimi finally asked, as they came to a stop in front of the entrance to the library. Lorna took in a deep breath and nodded in response.
“Yeah, it’s been a week Mimi. I’ll be fine” she said and gave her friend an artificial smile which she was sure Mimi could see through.
“He’s barely worth it Lorna. He’s a pig” Mimi said and took another bite out of her apple.
“He’s not. But I should have seen it coming” Lorna said and took a sip of her coffee which was too hot and burnt her tongue.
“Well he kissed you when you were vulnerable and then left you to fend for yourself” Mimi said a little loudly till Lorna rounded her eyes and she lowered her voice.
“I was hardly left to fend for myself Mimi. It was only a five minute walk home” Lorna said and adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
“But why did he have to leave immediately anyway?” Mimi persisted. Lorna looked at the watch on her wrist and tried to end the conversation.
“No you’re right. He is a pig. I have to go now” she said quickly and gave Mimi a quick peck on her cheek and darted through the door of the library.
She liked to be surrounded by books, they calmed her down, they didn’t have any hidden agendas and barely ever hurt her. She waved at Mark, who was just finishing up with his shift when she noticed Josh standing at the counter, the same place he had been standing the first day he came to the library.
He was wearing a dark blue plaid shirt and dark jeans and had the same backpack on his back. He was leaning on the counter with his arms crossed and she could see his copy of ‘Great Expectations’ in his hands.
Lorna passed a silent curse in her head for getting herself involved in this and then grudgingly made her way to the counter. She could sense that Josh had noticed her arrival, although she tried to avoid his gaze. Silently she opened up the register book and signed her name and the time on the list. Josh hadn’t said a word still but she could feel his eyes on her.
After a few minutes, while her body was still slightly shaking, she tried to steady herself and finally looked up at him.
“How may I help you?” she asked sweetly, hoping against hope that her voice would not come out as a squeak. Josh wasn’t grinning today, instead he was staring directly at her eyes and sometimes at her lips.
“I finished the book” he said, very politely and waved the book around in the air.
“So are you returning it then? You can self-check it in at that machine” she said and pointed to the machine by the door. When Josh looked at her blankly she added, “The same way you checked it out?”
“I know that but I was hoping I could keep the book for another week?” Josh asked, he was still leaning against the counter but this day Lorna had moved away from him.