It was around the time I would graduate from school.
At the podium, a wrinkled lady with hands like worn leather would call out every students name and pronounce the ones incorrectly without apologizing. A crisp diploma would be handed to me as I walked across the stage, tucked under my arm as I shook each administrators hand with flowery or rough grips. Cameras would flash, blinding the keen eye, but my overjoy would make up for it.
Jewelz would probably be there in tears because she's so sentimental and cried easily at the meaningless things. Dad would congratulate me over the phone and not be present to my special day, Mom would be somewhere on a plane forgetting I'm reaching adulthood, but not quite yet. I hope Beau was there too.
But the school probably wouldn't have cared if I were there or not.
So if wishing to be at graduation right now instead of work was a bad thought, so be it.
The manager's favorite, I found out happened to be a young brunette lady, Nina, who had an ebullient voice that was too over-enthusiastic about her job, happened to believe she was the head employer. To say she was a cheerleader in high school was an understatement. Her cheeriness made anyone want to throw up gray rainbows and gold glitter.
White Marbles's doors were locked for the afternoon after a long day and the workers huddled in the bosses office to discuss White Marble's first opening day. When people began to talk amongst each other and be social, I knew social gatherings weren't for me. Some of us surrounded the perimeter of the room, checking the time their phones and tapping their feet on the carpet.
I hated every second of our meeting.
"Alright tone it down, tone it down, I'm guessing no one is doing anything after work? Do some late night partying or sleeping?"
Most of said no or shook our head or like me, said nothing.
"No? Really, wow this is perf-this is great!" She clapped her hands together and rubbed them, like this was a recipe for disaster, "I was thinking about having a small 15th anniversary for White Marbles! Tonight! There will be more people than the employees in this room, I swear."
This caught everyone off guard and the White Marbles crew mumbled in a collided conversation about their after work duties or activities and I covered my hand to giggle to myself.
"Don't say you can't come! You all said you had nothing to do tonight so shut up!" She squeaked.
Connie intervened and coolly said, "I have three kids to look after Mousy Tina."
Nina gritted her teeth together and corrected, " It's Nina. Connie, Nina. And I guess I can let you off the hook because you have children."
Connie grinned, but it dropped when the guy across the room added, "I have three kids to look after too Nina." Displaying a sly wink and licking his lips till they were wet in Connie's direction and the guys near him laughed.
I leaned over to Connie, "You have kids?"
"No, I just didn't want to go. A little lie won't hurt her."
I slightly nodded, a little impressed by her persuasive tactic and dreaded the party altogether. That's the reason I liked Connie. She had this apathetic and laid-back attitude I wish I had. Telling a little lie to Nina was easy but feeling too many emotions and explanations that were indescribable was hard.
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When Nina emphasized on small, there was nothing small about it. She was right, there were more people here than some employees at the dock near the lake. Her scheduling was so last minute, it became a problem earlier, but I was surprised lots of people showed their faces.
Circular lights in neon pink and yellow danced above their heads and a few coolers rested in nearby boats. Some of the regulars that came in the restaurant walked by as well as several employees.
All I had to do was show my face to Nina then leave and spend the night in my room away from the extroverts and drinkers.
I spotted Connie talking to three guys on the dock, all intrigued by her beauty when she told me earlier she wasn't going to be there. I guess she changed her mind. Into the party, Nina pushed her way past people with a stupid clipboard and pencil in her hand, barking orders and demanding structure.
I simply retrieved a beer from the cooler, a cheaper brand than the popular ones from the commercials. Since I don't normally drink beer, I had a difficult time trying to open the damn thing. My fingers gripped the sides and twisted the cap in every direction till my knuckles discolored.
It should be easy, a simple task like opening the antique bottles at the restaurant two turns and one pop, but the cap was down on lock.
I stuck the bottle between my thighs and tried to bust it open differently till the edges drilled hollow cuts in my palm.
"You need help?"
I jolted around and my forearm and the bottle met with Beau's chest, some of his drink accidentally splashed on my wrist. He was a lot closer than I anticipated. The neck of his own drink fit in between his fingers and his hair was slightly damp like he came from a shower, but he looked nice.
An answer didn't come faster than he anticipated for him and he added, "You don't look like someone who would be drinking."
I scowled at this. "I'm the one with a beer in my hand. What do I look like?"
He popped the cap off effortlessly with two beers steady in his grasp. He shrugged with glassy eyes that flickered to me and clear dubious answer.
"I don't know."
His answer couldn't have been more honest. He sounded like he wanted to know the answer, but couldn't really figure it out in his head, making it come off as a question. A puzzle.
I gave him the reply of a sip from my drink, the icy mouth touched the edge and the beer tasted how I expected it to taste.
Foul and full of broken dreams that never turned into realities.
The party crowd distance themselves away from us and the music was low enough to hear each other speak.
My shoes looked interesting today, so I stared down at them. Mom told me not to take your eyes off strangers like in case they try to stab you and leave you behind. I guess you can say I attracted recklessness and wildness with open arms. "Who invited you to this one, huh? Simone?" I asked.
"Beau!"
I hated being interrupted in the middle of something, but it happened to be okay once Connie was my sight of vision.
We both heard Connie's irritation come towards us in her drunken state.
"Beau, what the hell? Where's the rest of the beer? You said you brought some."
"I did." He said easing off the way she held herself wasted, "It's in the back of my car."
"Well, dummy you're a smart one. You go on and take it out of there and bring twelve packs pronto. People get thirsty and horny really fast."
He chuckled to himself but held it in pretty well.
"You've met Ebonee haven't you Beau?" Connie asked her finger inwardly bent and tongue slurred.
He caught his bottom lip underneath his teeth and the party lights were able to make them brighten that much more.
"Yeah, I've met her, somewhat."
Beau stuck his hand out mid-way. "I'm Beau."
I nervously giggled even though we went through this rehearsed introduction like it was an impromptu. "Ebonee." I felt the warmth radiate from his skin as my cool chilly fingers from the drink melted away.
"Using your drunk act for those couple of guys over there?" Beau asked nodding to them awaiting, Connie.
"Maybe I am drunk." She said with a smirk in her eye and winked, leaving the scene to meet them again.
"Go like this."
Beau slowly glided his tongue over his top lip with much grace. I was gawking at him as it put me in an aroused daze and unlike a manner like lady, recovering from my stares, I wiped my lips with the back of my fingers. Beads of liquor leaving the area.
"You had some beer all over you lip." Beau proclaimed.
"Are you staring at my lips?"
Beau smirked and admired the crowd having a good time.
"I just thought to tell you so you'd know."
The rim of the bottle grazed his lips the way the antique root beer bottle did when I first met him.
I did the same and left my eyes on him the whole time, "You only told me because you wanted to kiss me."
I didn't think he heard, but I should've known Beau had the ears of a hawk.
He stifles a laugh, "Because I wanted to kiss you..." He reiterated the same words I spoke of, contemplating in his mind to see if it was the true.
My last words would have left me breathless, let alone, they would not have come from me. Maybe a bold girl who was smooth, like a smooth talker or slick with her seductive flirting. I couldn't have been those girls.
It couldn't have been me. Maybe the booze was working through my alcoholic veins than most.
"If you wanted to you'd do it."
Beau was surprised too, the whole quick snap of the head and widened eyes definitely played out on his features. I think he was debating on if I was actually one of those shy girls that give themselves away easily or obtain a hard tall barrier around myself, I'm not sure. My brain couldn't even interpret the two different identities of myself.
But I didn't have to be one person with one personality. I hope he knew that.
He finally spoke, but it could've came off as a blunt approach. "You make it too easy." He murmured soothingly.
"Beau! Beer!"
He shot one last look at me before jogging off in a different direction to retrieve the beer Connie desperately needed.
Thankfully still having the ability to breathe, I exhaled the nerves and anxiousness and took a nasty sip from the hard fire water with my hands shaking ever so slightly, the hard drink heavier than it seems.
Never had I been bold and daring at the same time, it can actually scare the living shit out of yourself but it happened to be an excitement. I liked the idea of not being what people expected. Different, most likely.
By the time he came back, we downed more than two drinks I suppose, I haven't been counting since we talked and I wanted to leave and go home. Nina has seen me countless of times and probably marked me down for being here by the time I got here. I hope I received a discount or an increase in pay for this.
"Are you sure?" Beau asked.
"Yes. Lead the way."
The routine to getting in his car and driving me home became less awkward over time and I enjoyed it. I rested my head back in the passenger's seat and rested my eyes for a while. The night ended up being a lot better when we didn't stay at the party tonight. We didn't dance like the others, but I didn't really need to because this was great.
He made me laugh a little more than I could contain, it was hard to differentiate the intoxication from the laughter or drunken potion.
"You're really drunk." I propped my elbow on the arm rest, giggling at his behavior and rested my eyes on the child fibs he told from his eyes.
Beau tried to deny it each time and we laughed together like a secret we could only share together.
"Yes, you are." I whined like a flirty girl wanting to be desperately noticed.
He was the hot night that burned the summer every season driving in the dark. He became the atmosphere that was dangerously reckless down the road but held a sense of comfort by the time the sun fell out of the sky and the stars woke up.
"Be honest Beau. Please." He tried to keep a smile from forming his lips and I was being playful since the begging wasn't serious because we smiled too much that night. Maybe the booze was telling jokes in our ears and we responded to the humor that way.
Beau. I liked saying his name. It was different, unique almost. He was different to me. My hand ran down his arm and I could feel the slight muscle tense up at my touch. The millisecond allowed him to relax, though as if my hand should've been placed there for a while.
I didn't mean to lean my ear so close to his shoulder, but I couldn't help it. He didn't smell like that expensive cologne and if I knew, I wouldn't be able to identify the label or company. It was the boyish aroma with a sweet scent when you rested your head on his shoulder or pulled him close. It was original but a good familiar feeling.
"You should come with me." He smiled showing more teeth than usual.
"Come where?"
"On Saturday to lunch?"
"I'll see." A finger poised on my chin, "But if I keep leaving early, I'll have an even bigger reputation."
"Like when you left dance?"
"And work? They will be out to kill me, that's a promise." I joined in after him and rested my head on his shoulder in quiet chuckles.
The car stopped for a third time, a second following night, but this time it was different. Like how time changed for the worse, some change was in for the good.
I leaned into him lightly brushing a couple fingers on his jawbone. His head turned at an angle until it gave me enough access to rest my lips on his; I realized how warm they were.
I jumped back quickly, shocked with my actions and felt the after buzz kick with a thump.
Am I crazy?
My spine straightened in the seat and my breath caught short. "I'm sorry." I timidly stared down at my shoes, "I didn't mean to do that. But I wanted to...for a while."
When I thought silence was too overbearing in a car, I didn't know it could also be so loud till he spoke.
"Me too." He whispered.
I jerked my head up, two words I could've almost missed come from him. I see his pink lips plush just where mines were. Even in the dim light we had, his glassy eyes reflected the craving and lust that I held. They mirrored on both sides as we both shared affection neither of us spoke about or said out loud.
Like me,
I wanted that.
I unbuckled my seat belt and crawled over to him, knocking down objects and pieces that were in my route to getting closer to him. Beau settled his hands on my waist like he knew what to do and my legs found their way between his body. I crushed his lips on my lips till I took the raspy taste of that bitter drink off his mouth. We were getting rougher with an unexpected thrill I wasn't waiting for, but it made me feel alive and ready. I raked my hands through his short tousled hair and yanked at the nape of his thick dark hair as we get deeper.
He pushed his tongue on the outline of my mouth and instead of fighting for dominance, we were trying to win a race. To see who could out beat the other at the finish line. I faintly moan at the pleasure I received which caused him to stir in his pants.
Thousands of butterflies no longer flutter in my stomach or chest like a bashful meeting her crush. There weren't red or blue fireworks that sparked either.
Our kiss was like fire. A hot burning sensation.
The smoke became the ease as we exhale through our nostrils in an uneven pattern, hoping we had enough oxygen to continue. It flickered when his hands trailed down my hips and squeezed underneath my thighs. I rolled my hips in his lap receiving a low groan escape from his parted lips.
His white hands cupped the contour of my cheeks and the slope of my neck. Beau gently pushed our faces apart to examine me. His fingers lightly ran through the ends of my hair. Our shallow breathing became less rough and more steady. His chest heaved in a rhythmic pattern that had mine uniform his. I rested my hands over his shirt near his stomach feeling the firmness in Beau's abdomen.
His thumb quickly laid over the corner of my mouth and his eyes landed on them until Beau found my neck instead. I sighed with a sense of satisfaction with his lips somewhere else on my body.
The heat oppressed the ability to care to whatever was going on outside of it and just be. But time wasn't on our side.
All at once, a phone vibrated in Beau's pocket right under my thigh and we pulled away abruptly when the house lights illuminated.
This alerted me to get the hell out of here and I suddenly panicked. Beau tried sticking his hand in his pocket to find the damn thing so it would stop ringing, cursing under his breath and I leaned over to snag my things in the seat. When did I bring a jacket or bag, I can't even remember.
The car door unlocked on our side as I grabbed the handle.
"Ebonee whoa whoa, wait." He said, continuing to dig and make an attempt to stop me.
"I'll probably see you later, Beau. I have to go, it's getting late." I called out even though the night was very much young and awake. I had difficulty climbing up the ten-stepped staircase outside, my breathing rash and rough.
Besides dance, never had I been so breathless in my life. And actually enjoyed it. I bit the tip of my fingernail and tried hiding the smile that wouldn't go away for the night.
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FINALLY, they're getting into it! lol, Hope you guys are having a great day and sorry for my ambiguous writing style. I guess it could be understandable if you get it from another level. And I don't really "Like" the cast members thing, I'm an old school wattpad reader and writer so...I hope y'all put that imagination to the test, jk, I can't really find a Beau and an Ebonee that would...be picture perfect. Like the eyes HAVE to be like this and this face like that, but that's the reason why I read, so I can just picture that cute guy in my head and sometimes those "cast members" don't do it for me. sorryyy.
Vote, comment, hit that follow button and enjoy (the most important) so I hope you guys like it, thanks, Beauties (and gents...)