It wasn't just raining. It was pouring. Hurricane style was more like it.
Trees creaked and bent, their leaves rippling from the wind that showed no mercy on them. Through the screen of my open bedroom window, a dewy mist blew through the tiny squares, dampening my hair as I sat on the bench attached to it, staring out at the wooded land that stretched acres past the back of my mother's house. Times like these made me miss the quiet and calm, but I wouldn't trade it for the freedom I had now.
Time was forgotten as the storm carried on with the occasional claps of thunder and strikes of lightning, my mind filling with the events of yesterday afternoon. The middle of my palm still tingled from where a pair of lips touched it, and that had been all I'd been able to think about since then. It was impossible to stay in that house afterwards, so I made my escape, using a stomach ache as an excuse and feeling horribly guilty later on for running like a coward.
What did he mean by it? Was I thinking too much into it? It was only a simple kiss, in a place that wasn't even really intimate. People kissed all the time, but why did this one feel like it was the start of something that would end horribly?
The possibilities of what it meant were put on hold as I showered and dressed, surprised at how my mother hadn't woken me or come to complain about how I'd slept in. She was probably still hung up on the whole me being a lesbian thing.
Down in the kitchen, she was dressed in a dress and heels with a full face of makeup on, a mug of coffee connected to her mouth. Her eyes never lifted to acknowledge me, but she set the cup down and closed the newspaper she'd been reading, moving to slip on her raincoat and grab her car keys from the hook next to the door leading to the garage. With a grip on the handle, she paused to look back at me before opening the door, saying, "I'm stopping by the florist to make sure everything is set for tomorrow and meeting your aunt at the funeral home. Do something productive while I'm gone, and for the love of God, put a bra on. One looks like it's trying to hit Mexico and the other Canada."
Even I had to laugh at that after she slipped out the door. It wasn't my fault that my chest was a little on the larger side with a mind of its own, but the not wearing a bra was understandable. The feeling was just liberating and now that I didn't have to worry about scaring Stephan in our apartment, I was going to let it all hang out. And boy did it feel damned good.
Minutes ticked on and it had been a while since I'd been left alone in the kitchen, and other than the rain pounding on the roof and sloshing against the windows, the silence was deafening, causing me to get lost in my scattered thoughts.
Loud lion roars coming from my midsection snapped me from my daydreams of a certain bar owner's son. And like the caring mother she was, Dianne left me with nothing to eat before she left, though there was a frying pan with the remnants of eggs in the sink. Was it too hard to add two more to the pan? Only a couple more days, I had to remind myself.
She might not have been the nicest or most sentimental person, but I was surprised to find that my mother had kept the birthday gift I'd given her a few years ago. After some exploring around the house, I found it sat on either side of the television stand in the living room, unplugged, but the stereo system was still there with a thin layer of dust coating it. Even if I hadn't spent hundreds of dollars on it for her to loosen up to the sound of music, I would've still been surprised to find that she'd actually kept a gift from me. Normally, they were nowhere to be found.
Well, if she won't use it, I will. I grinned to myself, rushing over to untangle its cords. When done, I hooked up my phone, scrolling down to find the song Harlem by the band New Politics before setting it to repeat.
The house was dreary and depressing until the play button was pressed, and I closed my eyes, feeling a shiver rake through my body at the sound that burst through the speakers. Cooking was always a dreaded task without noise to keep me sane, and now that I had it, it was time to make those pancakes that were calling my name.
Ten minutes after prepping my breakfast was all it took for me to feel as if my heart ripped straight through my chest and down into the awaiting frying pan to sizzle with the butter. The bad thing about blasting music - especially songs with guitars, drums, and yelling - was that you couldn't hear assholes creeping up on you.
"Do you live in Harlem? You struck me as the Manhattan type."
A voice spoke as the song died down and ended, readying to play again. Whirling around and extending the hand that held the plastic spatula, I pointed it at Dash, daring him to take another step. He froze and beamed innocently at me, lifting his hands in surrender.
"Do you always break into people's homes and creep on them? You struck me as the halfway normal type." Glaring, the weapon was lowered as he lifted a key ring in his hand. He'd come through the backdoor, diagonal to the stove top, and who knew how long he'd been standing there, watching me dance and sing at the top of my lungs. His muddy boots were already off, sitting on the mat and droplets nearly dry on his sweatshirt, so it must've been a while.
"Is it still considered breaking and entering if I was given a key and asked to come over?"
My attention left him and focused back on the batter in the pan which was beginning to form bubbles, signaling that it was time to flip. There was no way my mother had asked him to come over when she knew she wouldn't be home. Or maybe she had and forgot. I didn't know the extent of their little friendship and Lord knew her memory wasn't as sharp as it used to be, but she'd still made it clear that I was to stay away from the man who'd come to stand a safe distance beside me, running his hands through his nearly black hair which was wet with water.
Be strong, Lee. He's probably not as yummy as he appears.
"When were you given this key and asked? And I hope you're not expecting me to make anything for you." Maybe being rude would get him to back off, I thought, willing myself not to fully turn to face him.
It was difficult trying to avoid eyes that were practically calling out for you to stare into their warm depths, but I managed to control my own, mentally cursing him over and over to hell. Did his precious fiancé know he was at her cousin's - who, let's not forget, wasn't wearing a bra and who he'd also kissed in more than a friendly manner - house?
Shit... Well, this is going to be interesting.
"No, I already ate," he chuckled, making me aware of his close proximity as he moved around the kitchen island to sit on one of the stools. My body hummed at the sound of his deep voice, and all the events from the day before, which I'd been trying to push to the back of my mind, resurfaced again. A moment of tension filled silence passed between us as I waited for him to continue speaking, and though I couldn't see him, Dash's gaze on my body brought a wave of heat to my face. What was this, middle school again? "I've been doing some work around your mom's house for a while now, which is why she gave me a key. I didn't have anything to do today and thought I'd stop by to check out the downspouts and car she wanted me to look at in the garage. If I would've known you could sing like that, I would've come a lot sooner."
He joked, but it wasn't amusing to me. Embarrassment flooded my mind at the mention of my singing. I knew my voice sounded like a screeching cat, and his joke wasn't appreciated - at all.
"Good for you," my jaw clenched. "And last time I checked, the kitchen isn't where you keep a car, so..."
The tone of my voice said it all, but Dash apparently had a hard time catching on to my dismissal. All I wanted to do was cook and eat in peace. Was that so hard to ask for?
"You're right, but there's something I wanted to talk to you about and I'm glad I caught you."
Oh, no, I internally groaned. Here we go.
"Can it wait?" I rushed, plating the last of my pancakes. "I'm kind of in a rush today. Uh... Spencer and I have plans to go out."
So I dragged someone else into my mess to avoid the issue, but he'd get over it. Remembering how the syrup was left where Dash was currently siting, I cursed myself, not wanting to turn around to face him, but I did, plastering a fake smile onto my face.
Dash visibly tensed at the name and looked down at the counter top, causing me to briefly crease my eyebrows as a stream of thick, maple liquid oozed onto my plate. Something, whether past or present, went on between the two, and as much as I would've loved to sit them down and turn this into an episode of Dr. Phil or Steve Wilkos, it was none of my business.
"Lee," he sighed, turning to look out at the yard through one of the windows. The storm had lightened up and dark clouds rolled away, but it still didn't look to cease anytime soon. "Can we talk about what happened yesterday?"
Why now? I groaned, making my way past him to sit at the kitchen table. This really wasn't necessary, was it? So what he'd made it clear that he cared about me? That's what Stephan was for. No strings attached was what I'd wanted while I was back here, but Dash was unraveling them faster than you could say kickedthebucket. Bottom line, they needed to be cut; quickly.
He turned to face me as I answered, looking at me with that same careful expression on his face as if I were a fragile China Doll that would crack at any moment. "We could, if there was anything to talk about, which, by the way, there isn't, so let's just leave it at that."
Hopefully, he would hear the warning tone and leave the situation alone, but of course it didn't end there. The air between us grew tense while I forked small bites into my mouth, the walls closing in as he turned on the stool to stare at me, my chewing being the only sound stretching between us.
Though it was only a figure of speech, I began to understand what it felt like to be looked at like you were the only person in the world. My chest grew tight, skin tingling and heart pounding a rhythm beneath my ribcage as I played around with the food on my plate, having lost my appetite. Heat pricked my cheeks as the heat from his dark eyes blazed a path directly to my face, making me do everything to avoid contact with them.
First, he showed up unannounced to my knowledge and perved for God knew how long. Next, I had to turn off my music just to hear him speak since things took a serious turn. Now, I couldn't even enjoy simple pancakes because he looked like he wanted to devour me and the poor things.
The nerve of this guy!
My arms crossed over my chest, eyes flickering over to meet his. He wanted my attention, so now he would get it.
"Fine. Speak."
If the scowl on my face was anything to go by, he'd better make his intrusion on my morning worth it.
"Yesterday... That was wrong of me to do and say what I did, and I apologize for it. I don't know what came over me."
Ya think?! I wanted to yell and throw my hands up, rolling my eyes instead. And just to make him sweat since I caught his lips twitch into a quick smile before straightening out, I said, "Can you elaborate on what you did? My memory seems to be lacking."
Dash threw me a flat look, tilting his head to the side. "You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"
Grinning, my head shook from side to side. What did he think this was? I was at least going to have some fun in this hellhole until it was time to leave. "You already know the answer to that, now get to talkin'."
He groaned, dropping his head into his hands before roughly scrubbing them over his face. Anyone with eyes could see how attractive this man was, and like the curious woman I was, I took a moment to admire him, fighting the urge to bite my lip. I still had to remember who he was, though that already seemed to be thrown out the window.
Covered in a simple, dark blue hoodie, worn jeans and a pair of black Converse sneakers, he looked more like himself instead of that hideous getup he wore the previous day. Rachel must've unhooked the leash for him to dress himself.
"It wasn't my place to try and pit you against Spencer. My own reasons for not liking him have nothing to do with you, and you should be the judge of his character if you're going to associate with him."
Dash practically spat the words and looked physically pained as he spoke, giving me a forced smile when he'd finished. Now I really was interested in knowing what happened between the two men. I'd grab some popcorn and lock them in one of those rooms with a one-way mirror and casually observe their interaction, or fight... whatever you wanted to call it.
"It's okay to be jealous, Dash. It happens to the best of us."
If he wasn't upset before, he was now. It was pretty satisfying to see his reaction, too, if I must admit. Jaw clamped shut, fists clenched on his knees, nostrils flared and eyes shooting daggers at my smug face - it was all worth it.
"Jealous," he tested the word, snorting and briefly looking away. "of Spencer Campbell? I don't think so."
Denial - such a silly little thing, especially when it made a grown man pout. As cute as a grumpy Dash was, I hadn't meant to get him that angry. He frowned when I stood and approached him, eyes widening when my legs brought me right between his open knees. Like he'd done, I was overstepping the boundaries, and there was just one problem.
I couldn't stop myself.
He drew me in, like I was compelled and had no say in it; a moth to a flame. My hand reached up to stroke his cheek and he slowly leaned into my touch, eyeing me warily. Why I was doing it? I had no idea, and he frowned, staring at me intently.
It was impossible to ignore the shift in the atmosphere and sudden pull between us. He made no move to push me away or excuse himself, and I was stuck, looking back into my reflection surrounded by a ring of golden brown. A few beats passed and something in the back of my mind had me pulling away, in shock that I'd wanted to do more than that to my cousin's fiancé.
My cousin's fiancé... That thought alone had me gulping audibly with shaking hands, taking a step back from the man before me. Of course he wouldn't let me get away that easily, though.
"You... I-uh," Coming back from that and acting as if nothing had just happened was useless. We both knew what we were doing and what we felt. I cleared my throat, giving him a weak smile as he arched a brow. "Apology accepted."
He nodded in what was most likely understanding, I wasn't sure. His blank expression was difficult to read, but as I continued to back away from him to busy myself with washing dishes as an excuse to get space, his jaw hardened, emotionless eyes coming back to life as they focused on me.
"It's good to know you're a forgiving person because I'm about to do something that'll need it again."
There was no time to turn around. No time to duck out of the room. No time to hold my hands against his chest to stop him. No time to question why he'd abruptly stood from the stool and grabbed me by the back of the neck and why I was feeling the fullness of his lips as they descended upon mine, making me close my eyes in content like the traitor I was. His faint scent of pine and mint filled my senses as blood rushed to my head, making me take a stumble back from the bruising his mouth created against mine.
We broke apart, but that didn't stop the tingling and parting of my lips. If I wasn't shaking before, I was trembling now.
"What the hell was that?" I wanted to yell, scream at him for not giving me any warning, but my voice came out in a broken whisper, my throat going dry at what we'd just done to someone who was supposed to mean a lot to us.
Dash's breathing was ragged, and he didn't look he even had an ounce of remorse in him. Maybe kissing girls who weren't the woman he was going to marry was a regular thing for him and all I could do was gape at his calm face.
"That..." he breathed, curving one side of his mouth up into a smile. "That is what I've wanted to do for a while now."
This guy is freaking delusional, I thought, having more I wanted to say to him, but I was interrupted by him surrounding me yet again, a hand at my lower back to hold me flush with his hard body and the other threaded through my hair. His breath washed over my lips, making me lick my own in response.
Why am I not pushing him away? I wondered, slightly panicked because I knew I wanted it as much as he did. Dash took my hesitation as his chance to kiss me again, gently sucking my bottom lip between his own and scraping his teeth against my top one. My hands moved from his waist and up to his shoulders, pulling him closer like that was even possible.
Quicker than I could take a breath, my body was spun and back pressed against the kitchen island. Dash took my unexpected gasp and used it to slide his tongue past my lips, slowly coaxing it against mine. An involuntary moan came from the back of my throat and he chuckled, and I couldn't stop the breathy ones that followed, a fluttering in the pit of my stomach forming as well.
I didn't know how whores sounded, but I was sure I wasn't far off from one. And if it wasn't for the shattering of glass against the tiled floor behind Dash, there was no telling how far out of control things would have gotten.