Blood Stained Sweaters

Molly

Dax looks at me for a moment, obviously confused.
"Isn't that good?" He asks me.
"Well, not really..." I say quietly. I explain the situation with my parents and my mothers tendency to be unfaithful. This is why I enjoy it so much when my mother is on trips. He listens, nodding occasionally, and gives me his full attention. I feel like I can tell him anything and all of my feelings about my mother spill out. When I'm done, he gently picks my hand up and holds it.
"I'm sorry Molly. I had no idea. You know I'm always here, no matter what. Anything you need..."
"Do you think I could stay with you for a few days?" His face drops immediately, but he smiles again a moment later.
"Give me a minute." He gets out of the car, running to my father. They talk for a few minutes and my dads truck turns around and heads down the road. Dax gets back in the car and drives behind him.
"Where are we going?" I ask, confused.
"Fishing, Molly. We're going fishing." He grins and speeds up. We talk about everything and nothing at the same time for the fifteen minutes it takes to get to the boat landing. Dax can make nothing sound like the most interesting subject in the world. We both eat out of the car after parking. My father managed to get there fast enough to already have backed the boat in.
"We aren't going home?" I ask my dad, who is unloading the fishing gear into the pontoon.
"Nope. I promised you kids an overnight fishing trip, and we're gonna have an overnight fishing trip." We all grab our things and get onto the boat, and then we're off. There's a small grill stationed at the front of the boat, so we set anchor in a cove on the lake and Dad fires it up to make dinner. We all fish while we wait for the food, and soon there are more burgers and hot dogs than ten grown men can eat. Dax and my father get theirs and I excuse myself to the restroom. Dad is very particular about the time he spends on the water, so he went for the most decked out boat he saw because "why spend a little money and have a lot of troubles when I'll spend more time on it than off". I stand in front of the mirror for a few minutes, fixing my hair. If I stay in here long enough, they may believe me if I say I'm nauseous. I take a deep breath and exit the room, which is connected to the lounge area. It's a closed off center area with curtained windows and pullout couches and a small table.. This is also where the stairs are that lead to the "rooftop". As I enter the lounge, I see Dax in the doorway.
"Hey." He walks in, smiling as always. I walk to the table and turn on one of the battery lanterns that sits on it. He joins me at the table. "Well, Greg is currently asleep, fishing pole in hand. So, if we hear a splash, that's him." I laugh with him. He holds a plate out to me that I hadn't seen him holding. "I brought you food." I smile and shake my head.
"I'm feeling kinda queasy. Boats make me that way. I might have some later if I feel better." He doesn't move, and his expression does not waver. Please let it go.
"You're crazy. These hot dogs are amazing." I can tell he's concerned, and he holds the plate near me for another moment, as if hoping I'll take it, before placing it on the table.
"You wanna see something cool," I ask, hoping to change the subject.
"I didn't know you had mirrors on this boat." I roll my eyes.
"Fine. I won't show you."
"No, no, no! I want to see!" After another minute or so, I give in, laughing all the while.
"Close your eyes," I say, and he complies. I take his hand and lead him up the stairs onto the roof of the pontoon. The sun is setting, catching the sky aflame with the same intensity as my heart beats. I face him so that he can see the horizon reflected on the water and say, "open". A grin spreads across his face as he looks out over the golden water. He motions for me to sit, and we place ourselves on the edge of the roof, our feet dangling over the water beneath us.
"You know, I've seen thousands of sunrises and sunsets, and all of the colors that they can be. However," he raises a finger, as if to ask someone to wait, "this is the best one by far."
"And why is that, nerd?" I feel my heart beating faster. I hear it in my ears. I just hope he can't hear it too.
"I...well, I've never..." He looks up for a moment before continuing, "I've never seen a sunset on a lake." Well, that was anti-climactic. I guess he does only see me as a friend, as I thought. He's chewing on his lip ring again, and that familiar feeling follows. He looks at me after I realize I'm staring, and I look away, blushing. "Like what you see, Princess?" Normally I would hate that nickname, but coming out of his mouth, it made my knees weak.
"You wish." Yes.
"Want to hear a random fact?" I nod slowly. He leans in close to my ear and whispers in a husky, unbelievably sexy voice, "you blush when you're lying." His lips brush against my ear briefly, the cold metal of his piercing grazing my neck, sending shivers down my spine. He spins and stands up before walking down the stairs laughing. "The look on your face is priceless! Don't worry, just a joke." A joke...of course...oh my god. My mind is racing and my heart is pounding. My body is reacting in ways it should not be and my breathing is shallow and rapid. I take a moment to calm down, breathing deeply. The sun has set and now the stars are fully visible. It's the perfect, cloudless night. Dax comes back upstairs with blankets and pillows. I don't think I will be able to lay down with him right now.
"Sorry about earlier, Princess. It was really funny though..." I smile, but my insides are squirming and I'm fighting off every urge I have to play along with his game. I see his tongue flick his piercing back and forth a few times and that's it. He's begun a dangerous game, and I'm playing it.