I Spun the Bottle: Chapter Twenty-Six Pt. 2
Song for this chapter: "Talking Body" by Tove Lo
"Would you mind moving these trays of food on the tables underneath the canopies?" Jenna asked us as we walked back in from collecting the firewood for the bonfire.
"Sure thing, mom," David replied, while I nodded in agreement.
"People should be arriving soon, so I'm gonna wake up your dad," she told us, handing a large aluminum tray filled with spaghetti to David.
Just as David opened his mouth to reply, the sound of a doorbell vibrated throughout the house.
"Oh! I wonder who that is." Jenna nearly hopped with excitement to the front door.
While I grabbed a bowl of mac n' cheese, I peered curiously in the general direction of where the front door was. I had already met quite a few of David's relatives, and they all were very friendly, so I couldn't wait to meet more.
"Oh, Auntie!" An overly excited voice reverberated from the front door.
I noticed that David stood straighter as a reaction from that voice. And he suddenly seemed very tense.
"What's wrong?" I inquired, voicing my curiosity.
"Hm?" He seemed to pop out of his daze. "Ah...oh nothing...let's go."
He moved quickly out of the house, almost as if he was sprinting to get away. I shook my head confused but followed in suit of him. Three large, white canopies came into my right peripheral vision. It was in the opposite direction of the forest where David and I collected the firewood for the bonfire. It was quite a shocker that I missed them previously, considering their enormity.
Under two of the canopies, there were long, rectangular picnic tables for us to seat at. And under the third canopy were three round tables, where I assumed the food went. By one of the tables, I noticed David already setting down his tray.
When I caught up to him, I asked, "Does it matter where this goes?" I moved the bowl up and down in my arms.
"I doubt it. You can just set it next to mine," David instructed, but he seemed preoccupied with something.
I noticed him staring back at the house.
"You okay?" I had to withhold a laugh. I'd honestly never seen David so tense...so...nervous. I wonder what it was.
"She's here. My mom said they'd be out of town and wouldn't make it." David began pacing nervously.
"Who?"
"Her name's Becca. She-"
"David!" A loud yell came from the house, and even though we were a good thirty or forty feet or so from the house, the voice was clear as day.
David tensed up again for a moment before ducking behind me. He held my shoulders and pointed my body so that I could cover him up. Well...only kind of cover him up. It was pretty difficult for someone who was only a couple inches taller than five feet to cover up someone who was about six feet tall.
This time I didn't bother holding in my laughter. "What is wrong with you?"
I tried to turn around to face him, but he held me still. "Don't move. Maybe she won't see me."
Shrugging, I said, "Not sure that's going to work, considering that she's making her way here."
"Shit," he cursed under his breath, but didn't move from his spot.
I was very aware of his warm hands touching my shoulders. And I wasn't sure why I almost liked the fact that I could feel his warmth permeating onto my skin, just under the thin fabric of my t-shirt.
I wasn't sure what was the big deal was. A slim, petite girl with dirty blonde hair was striding towards us, and she looked so excited and happy. I almost couldn't believe such a loud voice came from that small body. As she drew closer, I noticed she was probably three or four years younger than David and I. Her face was very pale, aside from her cheeks, they were a deep rosy color.
"David." She giggled playfully as soon as she was within ear-shot. "What're you doing?"
I could feel David's grip loosen on my shoulders as he realized he was caught. I could feel him resign, when he decided to step out from behind me.
"Nothing, Becca. How're you?" He sounded sweet, but I noticed it was forced.
"I'm good! I've missed you so much!" She beamed, running up to him with open arms.
I could see David debating whether to evade her affection, but he didn't move. When she hugged him, again, David tensed for a moment. He awkwardly patted her back until she eventually let him go. But not before David mouthed the word: help to me.
"Hi there, Becca. I'm Lyn." I smiled politely at her.
Expecting for her to turn around, I waited a few moments. But when she didn't, I frowned. I was sure she heard me.
"Uh...Becca, someone's talking to you." David pointed out, taking a couple steps back in attempt to put some distance between him and the thin girl.
Finally, she turned to me, but instead of that affectionate expression she wore for David, she had a scowl on. It was pretty intimidating. And...I could almost match that look with someone I knew.
"Who're you?" she demanded.
"I-I'm Lyn." I wasn't quite sure why I stammered.
"What are you doing here with David? Where's Taylor?" She inquired aggressively, giving me a look over. And when she finished examining me, I thought I heard her snort in disapproval.
Taken aback by her interesting attitude, I brought my gaze up to meet David's. He shrugged. He honestly just looked happy that she wasn't clinging onto him anymore.
"I-uhm..." My gazed shifted from her icy blue eyes, to a yellow dandelion on the ground. I pretended that I was more interested in that more than I really was. I didn't know what to say.
I knew that David told his family that I was his girlfriend and that he supposedly broke it off with Taylor, but I didn't want to say it. Or maybe...it was rather that if I did say it myself, I'd want to actually believe it. Either way, I didn't want to answer Becca.
After mulling around in my thoughts for a few moments, David thankfully rescued me, saying what I couldn't. "She's my new girlfriend, Becca."
I fidgeted.
I could feel her glaring at me. She honestly was a little replica of Taylor.
She scoffed. "Her? Really?"
My brows knitted together. Was there honestly something so wrong about me?
"Ye-up," David announced without a second's hesitation. I found it so astonishing that he could just pretend that we were honestly dating. Me, on the other hand, I could hardly let myself process the thought of it.
"Why? I mean, at least with Taylor I could see you two fitting. That's why I never even bothered to go after you myself. But her? Really? What's she got that makes her so special? Huh, David?" She queried. Becca's tone was dripping with disdain.
David thought silently for a moment before he circled around Becca till he was beside me. Just as I opened my mouth to ask what he was doing, he snaked his right arm around my waist gently and pulled me closer to him; my thigh grazing lightly against his. In reaction, I felt my face burn. I wasn't ready for him to do such an action.
"For one, Becca...her name is Lyn. And I'd greatly appreciate if you called her that." He sounded annoyed, yet calm. Another side of David that I rarely saw. "You don't get to choose who I get to date. I do. She's got something you and Taylor both don't-that's all I care about. Don't think that just because our mom's our friends means that you can disrespect who I choose to date. Understand?"
"B-Bu-"
Before she could even attempt to say something back to David, he cut her off. "I don't want to hear it unless the next words out of your mouth is an apology."
Despite the forming tears in Becca's eyes, she scowled at me. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled, nearly inaudible.
"It's uhm, fine," I said, feeling awkward and embarrassed at the same time. I mean, she was right in a sense...what was it that David said that I had that both her and Taylor didn't? I was pretty average with a bland personality. I couldn't even stand up for myself to Becca, who was probably still in middle school. It was no wonder she didn't approve of me.
"I think you should go inside and greet everyone else. You didn't when you first came in, did you?" David stated rather than questioned.
"David..." she whined, an unhappy frown crossing her lips. "I want to hang out with you."
"Not until after you say hi to everyone."
"But..." She looked like she was going to protest again, her cheeks puffing up, but they quickly deflated and she resigned. "Fine. But after that then I get to. I haven't seen you in so long."
"We'll see," David responded, looking uncomfortable again. It wasn't hard to tell he wasn't fond of the idea.
"Yay!" Becca, looking peppy again, darted towards the house, but not before pushing in between David and me, causing David to release me.
By the time I turned to look at Becca, the thin girl had already made it inside the house. She had such an interesting character.
David sighed loudly. I had almost forgotten he was here. "I can't handle her," he told me truthfully, running a hand through his messy brown mop of hair.
I laughed lightly. "You handle Taylor just fine, so I don't know why."
"So you can see the same similarities I do."
I smiled wryly. "Unfortunately."
"I guess it's because I already have one Taylor in my life, and I don't need another."
I shrugged. "You didn't have to stand up for me."
"You wouldn't do it yourself, so someone had to," David went back to his tray of spaghetti, adjusting its angle on the t able.
"That's because there's no point to. Most of the time they're right." I smiled, but David didn't return it.
He opened his mouth, then closed it, like he was against saying what was really on his mind. "Forget it. I'm going to get the rest of the food."
I furrowed my brows at him. Before I could say anything, David already starting trekking towards the house. I wasn't sure why he was suddenly so cold to me. It wasn't like I didn't lie. I just accepted the facts.
The rest of the day was a scattered haze. I remembered meeting dozens of David's relatives, most of which were really sweet. However, every time I tried to talk to David, he brushed me off. It was beginning to bug me. I mean, I never really wanted David's attention, but knowing that he was purposely avoiding me sort of hurt. He even hung out more with Becca than he did me.
I sat on one of the lawn chairs around the fire pit as the bonfire was lit. I had given up trying to talk to David, and I was too shy to intrude on anyone else's conversations. So instead, I was stuck being alone.
Not that that was a new thing for me.
From the corner of my eye, I saw David talking with his dad, who was sitting by the dining area. I hadn't been introduced to his father yet. Mainly because I wasn't sure if I should. I didn't want to meet someone who might not be here much longer. I knew it was selfish, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want to get attached. And then when it is time for them to pass, I'd feel terrible.
Occasionally, his dad would look over at me, and David's gaze followed before they both looked back at each other, continuing on with their conversation. I tried to keep my eyes steady with the fiery flame, pretending that I didn't notice them looking over my way. The evening air was considerably cooler and I hadn't brought a jacket with me, so I was grateful for the bonfire. The warmth of the flame felt nice against my cool skin.
I reached my arms forward towards the flame, watching as it looked like my hands started glowing orange from the reflection.
"Did you eat?" A small voice came from behind me, and it didn't take long for me to realize it was David.
I shook my head, retracting my eyes from his. "I wasn't that hungry," I mumbled. My voice sounded bitter.
"Ah, alright. Well, someone wants to meet you," David announced awkwardly.
"Who?"
"My dad." He said the one person I was weary of meeting.
"Oh." I moved uncomfortably in my seat. "Why does he want to meet me?"
That question was stupid.
"Because he thinks you're my girlfriend."
"I don't know if it's a good thing that I meet him then."
"Why not?"
I finally looked back up at David. He was examining the bonfire until he saw me looking at him. "I'd be lying to him."
"No you wouldn't be."
I frowned. "Yes I would. David, we can hardly stand each other. How could we possibly be dating?"
"Lyn," David breathed, crouching down so our eyes were level with each other. "I'd prefer if my dad thought I had a girlfriend that wasn't as rude as Taylor. I want him to think that even when he's gone, that I'll have a girlfriend that will care for me." He bit his lower lip, and even though we were in a serious situation, I couldn't help but think that that was attractive. "Please...help me." His voice was so quiet, but I easily heard just how much he was practically begging.
He brought his large hand up, and lightly brushed his fingertips across my cheek. The spots where our skin touched felt like they were tingling. And I had to hold myself back from leaning into his touch.
"Fine. But I'm not lying." I let the breath that I didn't know I was holding go.
"Okay, I'll do most of the talking then."
As we made our way over, I tried to calm my nerves. David pointed out that holding hands would convince his dad that we were in fact a couple. But I think touching hands with David honestly made me more nervous than it helped. I was so aware of our skin holding together, and I could feel my palms sweating profusely. Although David didn't say anything, I was sure he could feel the moisture forming in between out palms.
David's father smiled at me as we drew closer. His smile was sweet, sort of like David's genuine smile (not when he was smirking or being smug). He had no hair, although that didn't surprise me much. I knew from Health class that most people with Leukemia usually underwent a lot of heavy treatments that not only could kill the leukemia cells, but also beneficial cells as well.
"Hello," he piped. He sounded like he was out of breath, but that didn't seem to discourage him from talking. "David has been talking about you all evening Lyn."
"Dad," David warned, looking a little sheepish.
I made a mental note to ask David how he was such a good actor.
Removing my hand from David, I wiped them on my jeans quickly in attempt to remove the sweat before I stuck my hand out to shake Mr. Stokes' hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stokes," I said, when our hands met.
"Please, call me Abe," he rectified, before patting a seat next to him. "Why don't you two have a seat?"
I smiled politely and did as he suggested, sitting on the white, plastic chair.
"You know, David and Taylor had been together for so long that I was beginning to worry she'd eventually have to become my future daughter in law." Abe frowned, and I thought I saw him shiver slightly. "And, David never updates me about his love affairs unless I ask him. He's such a secretive kid. So when I saw you instead of Taylor, I was so elated."
"Really?" I said.
He nodded slowly. "You wouldn't believe how awful she was to Jenna and me."
I grimaced. I'm pretty sure I knew a little bit about how awful she could be.
"She wasn't that bad," David told him, in attempt to stand up for his real girlfriend.
Abe coughed a little but eyed David with a pointed stare. "Remember when she supposedly borrowed your great grandmother's gold necklace but then lost it and then denied she never would have worn such a quote unquote hideous thing?"
My eyes widened a fraction of an inch but then again, that didn't really surprise me.
Dejectedly, David nodded, "Yeah..."
"Or when she convinced you to throw a party at the house freshman year while your mom and I went to England in search of a new doctor? And then when we got home, not only did she leave you to clean the whole place to yourself, but she also dared to say that the house wasn't as nice as she thought it would be for a party."
David smiled wryly.
I couldn't believe that David's parents still let David date Taylor after all those incidents. Not to mention, I couldn't believe they didn't send Taylor to juvenile for her actions. I was sure my parents would have never let me get away with either of those things.
"Or when..."
"Okay, Dad, I get the point," David said, holding his hands up in defeat. "I know, she was a terrible girlfriend."
His dad grinned proud that David agreed with him. "So how did you two meet?"
"School," I replied simply. It wasn't a lie, so it easy enough to explain. "David and I had been in the same school since middle school, although he was always around Taylor so we never talked much till this year."
"What made you two start talking?" Abe queried, rubbing his knee excitedly, like he was about to hear such an amazing story. A pang of guilt shot through me, knowing that our technical story was going to be a lie.
This time I waited for David to respond, knowing he'd be quick to make up some sort of excuse.
"We actually met at a beach party, but when I saw Lyn, she didn't seem like she fit in with the other people. She kept to herself, but I think that's what made me want to talk with her. She seemed shy, but shy people have the most interesting qualities." David's words almost made me believe him.
We technically hadn't met at the beach party but that wasn't the point he was making, I was sure.
"And then?" Abe asked.
"Well, Lyn hurt herself on the way down from the rocky path, so I helped her. I took her to my apartment, but she was against it. She called me terrible names the entire way, and she was so cranky." David smirked, and I felt my face getting warm. I wasn't being cranky that night. And I couldn't believe David was telling his father about me sleeping over at his apartment!
"I was not!" I defended myself in a voice that was just a little louder than it should have been. "You were the one that wasn't listening to me. I told you that I wanted to go home and that I'd be fine."
"But you knew that you'd get in big trouble if you were caught going home so late, so I thought it'd be better if I gave you a place to stay till morning so we could get you home first thing in the morning." David shot back.
"I was going to be fine," I huffed, "Plus you got us in even bigger trouble when my brother caught us sneaking in the next morning."
"Eh, that was nothing." David waved his hand in front of him as if that proved the point.
"He went crazy!" I stared at him flatly, to which he returned with a shrug.
A breathy laugh emitted from Abe, and David and I turned our heads towards him. I honestly had forgotten that he was still here. He had been so quiet.
"You two sure do remind me of your mom and me in our younger days. She's a spirited one, ain't she, David?"
David nodded in complete agreement. "Very much so. But I think that's one of her great qualities." He paused for a second. "She has many nice qualities though. She cares about people. She's insecure about herself but that keeps her modest. She's sweet, even though she tries to hide it from me a lot of the time. And most of all, she's real. She isn't like Taylor when it comes to making friends. She's just herself."
I couldn't hold in my blush this time. It was rare to get any actual compliments from David. Even if he was lying, I let myself believe him.
"Well then," Abe laughed. "It sure does look like you got yourself a keeper, David."
He nodded, smiling at his dad. "Without a doubt."
Abe inspected my reaction to David's kind words, nodding in approval. "Wow, it's getting late, and a lot of our guests are leaving already. I guess I should start saying goodbye to them before they all disappear."
Almost as if on cue, Jenna popped up from behind Abe, almost as if she appeared from thin air. We exchanged a few words before she started helping Abe up.
David and I announced that we would be heading out soon as well. I gave both Jenna and Abe a hug before we started making our way back to David's car, saying our goodbyes to David's relatives as we left, including Becca who insisted that we stay a little longer. But she as well left with her family a couple minutes after that.
Once we got in the car, I looked at David, puzzled.
"What's wrong?" David inquired as we got onto the freeway. He probably noticed me staring.
"You're really good at acting, you know that?" I muttered my words, but I was sure he understood me.
He was quiet for a moment. "That wasn't really acting, Lyn."
"What do you mean?" I asked as I clicked my seatbelt in.
He shook his head. "Nevermind."
My brows knitted together in confusion, but I didn't pursue the conversation. As I rested my head back against the seat, I realized how tired I was. Today was such a long day. Although, I couldn't bring myself to say I disliked it entirely. It was refreshing getting to meet David's family. They were pretty likable, especially his mom and dad.
I let out a small yawn as David started the car and reversed out of the driveway.
"Thank you," David whispered, sending me a meaningful look before he shifted the car into drive. "I really appreciate your help."
A tiny smile flowed onto my lips. "It was pretty fun, actually. Thank you for letting me meet your family."
He nodded. "They really liked you. Mom was telling me that she thinks you're adorable and very sweet."
It felt nice being complimented. "She was really nice as well."
We fell into a calming silence after that. Glancing at the small, neon green clock in David's car, I noticed it was almost eleven. Another yawn left my mouth as I got a little more settled into my seat.
"Does your brother know you're coming home late?" David asked as we got on the expressway.
"Yeah, I sent him a quick text telling him I'd be hanging out with Penny and Cam for a bit and that I'd be home a little late," I explained, watching as we sped past lit up buildings. The yellows, greens and reds blurred into a flurry of glowing lines.
"Okay good, didn't want him to freak out again."
I almost laughed. It was strange how I honestly was more worried about Landon freaking out about me coming home late more than my parent's. I wasn't sure when, but it seemed like he was growing more and more like a parent to me every day. A frown scattered across my lips as I remembered that we had ended this morning in a pretty rough patch.
I'd better apologize to him tomorrow, I thought to myself.
"So...tomorrow, you gonna be free?" David inquired, and it made me look up at him questioningly.
"I think so, why?" For some reason, I felt like he was asking me out. And I wasn't sure why, but I liked that feeling.
A smile poked across his lips. It was his devious one. One that I actually hadn't seen since early this morning. I was actually beginning to think he didn't remember how to give such a teasing smirk.
"Tomorrow, I'll pick you up at around nine in the morning, 'kay?" He said this thoughtfully.
"Uh, for what?"
This made his smile broaden. "You helped me. Time for me to return the favor. We're getting your picture back tomorrow."
I had forgotten that that was the second part to our deal. And suddenly I felt a bright smile cross my lips. "Really?!" I couldn't keep the excitement away from my voice.
"Yup." He nodded. "It's time for Taylor to learn a little lesson of her own, don't you think?"
I enjoyed hearing him saying that. "Sure do. So how're we getting it back?"
"She has cheerleading try outs tomorrow at school. And I'm gonna guess she'll leave her phone in the locker rooms."
I shrugged, seemed easy enough. "What if she doesn't though?"
Taylor didn't seem like the person to just leave her phone in the locker room. I'm sure I wasn't the only person she was blackmailing. She didn't seem that stupid.
"We'll figure something out then. But it's worth a shot, right?"
"True," I agreed, nodding.
After that, I could feel myself drifting slowly to sleep. It was a nice little nap. Relaxing. Peaceful. I actually hadn't had such a great nap in a long time.
But before I knew it, I was being lightly shaken awake.
"Mmm," I groaned groggily.
"C'mon, Lyn, you're home. Better get in before Taylor decides to look outside her window." A voice urged me.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and obeyed, detaching the seatbelt from the lock. "Hey, David?" I asked through half opened eyes.
"Yeah?" He looked at me. He seemed like he wanted to say something but held himself back.
"Why're you doing this to your own girlfriend?" I asked, covering my mouth as a yawn passed through them.
He was silent for a moment. He didn't look like he really wanted to answer that question. And for a moment, I thought he wasn't going to answer me. But he eventually did.
"She's not going to be my girlfriend for much longer." Something about the way he said those words made butterflies flutter in my stomach.
Maybe, for a second, was I hopeful that I would be his new girlfriend.
Just maybe.
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Ta-da. :)