Okay, here is Chapter Four of Mad Love.
VOTE-COMMENT-FAN. (plz)
*Recap*
I opened my eyes to find a sky full of stars looking back at me. It was crystal clear, and beautiful. A movement caught the corner of my eye, and I looked over to see the diving board.
There sat a young man watching me as he rested cross-legged on the board, his body suspended over the water, his face a shadow.
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I gasped, quickly choking on the chlorine water I was swimming in. Lovely. Sparks flew in my vision, as I coughed and hacked for air. I flailed my arms in the water, finding my balance. The air seemed too hot when I finally caught my breath, and I knew my cheeks were stained red from embarrassment.
"What are you doing here?" I rasped, my throat burning. It wasn't an accusation, but it had really surprised me.
Jamie shrugged, remaining seated on the diving board. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a light-colored shirt. His expression didn't give away much, but if I had to guess, I would say he looked bored. Jamie's apathy made me feel less of a fool, and I swam closer to him.
"Where were you?" I asked, looking up at him. Again, I was not interrogating him, but softly asking a question. His eyes were shadowed as he looked down at me, but I know he was meeting my gaze dead on.
"Nowhere important," he responded. Jamie's voice was very quiet. I had the impression that he didn't want me to know, which only made me more curious. His arms hung loosely, forearms resting on his knees. His shoes had been tossed to the edge of the walkway, lying on their sides.
I was bobbing around directly below the diving board. Reaching up, I grasped the sides of the board, pulling myself up slightly to see him better. I rested my hands there, looking at him. I felt self-concious in my bikini, and wished I hadn't worn it. It's okay to wear around Em, but that's because she's my best friend. Moonlight lit Jamie's hair, and slanted across his body. I nervously pondered how well he could see me.
"Julie said you were meeting up with some friends. Was it a party?" I knew I was asking too many questions, but anything was better than the long silences I've been getting.
Jamie nodded. I licked my lips nervously, watching my fingertips make small puddles on the diving board.
"Was there anyone important at the party?" I really hadn't wanted to ask that question, but it rushed past my lips before I could help it. My gaze shot up to his. He slowly shook his head.
"No one important," he said quietly again. Being this close to him, I realized he smelled faintly of cigarette smoke. He sighed.
I'm not sure how long we stayed silent like that for. I reached my hand up, softly touching his fingertips. His hand was lax, and I could feel callouses that had formed from working. We watched as my hand played with his. I was barely touching him, mostly toying with his fingers.
"Your room is the first door on the right on the bottom floor," I said, withdrawing my hand from his. I looked up at him again, letting go of the board. I swam back some, turning away from him. As I neared the opposite end of the pool, I called over my shoulder, "There's extra blankets in the hal-" I was cut off abruptly by the thunderous splash of water behind me.
I whirled around, small waves hitting my shoulders and throat. Jamie's shirt and phone were lying discarded next to his shoes. Bubbles tickled around my legs as he swam below me. All I could make out was a blurry, dark figure since the pool didn't have lights in it.
He emerged right behind me, making me whip around. He grinned hugely, making me giggle. "What on earth do you think you're doing?!" I laughed, moving back.
"This," he said, reaching out to me. My mouth fell open as he pushed hard on the top of my head, submerging me. I kicked out at him underwater.
When I came back up, I gasped for air, and my hair had fallen over my eyes. I shoved it out of the way, hearing his laughter. I glared at him, surging forward. I tried to dunk him, but he grabbed onto my arms every time, quickly stopping me.
We splashed and kicked and laughed like children. Out of breath, I paddled to the far right of the pool, where he stayed on the left. I panted, and sat down on the steps leading out of the water. The water was up to my chest where I sat, and I leaned my head against the concrete side. Looking at him, we both began to giggle.
Jamie slowly swam over to me, his arms casting large ripples across the surface. I gave him a half-hearted splash, attempting to stop him, but he didn't stop. He sat down next to me on the steps, looking out at the water.
We sat there in silence for awhile, and our breathing quieted until it was barely audible. The night air seemed chilly suddenly, but I hated to leave the water. I wiggled my fingers and toes, testing their pruney-ness. Yep. Definitely pruney.
"Do you miss Houston?" I blurted out. It was something I had pondered for awhile now. It was hard to find good employees, ones that would stay with the company for several years. As much faith as Dad and Rob had in him, I couldn't help but wonder if Jamie would be here for the long haul. What if he quit? What if he let Rob and Julie down? What if I never got to see him again? Well, it would suck.
"I miss my Mom. It's kind of hard to miss Houston," he said, looking at me. "I'm not crazy about big cities. Houston definitely had it's pluses, but I'm glad to get away from all the hustle of it."
I nodded. I don't really have any comparison. I've lived my whole life in this small town. Oak Forest, population of 6,436. I can't wrap my head around the anonymity of a metropolitan area. I can go to any of the three grocery stores here in town, and run into someone I know on every aisle. Maybe that's too close for some people, but it's a tight-knit community. Yes, we're gossipy and nosey, but we're also supportive, and caring.
"What's your mother like?" I asked him, picturing the woman in the photo I had seen.
"Oh, she's great. She's a real cutup. She works as a receptionist for this doctor's office. My dad was this piece of shit, sorry," he said, with a chagrined expression as he glanced at me, "that walked out on us before I can even remember. Mom worked two jobs, sometimes three, until I graduated."
"She sounds tough," I remarked. The woman in the photo didn't look like some haggard, overworked single mom. She looked like an aging model.
He gave a bark of laughter, "Nah, not Mom. She worries too much, but she's a total softie. Can't cook worth a damn, though."
"Really?" I asked smiling. "Neither can Dad."
"Yeah, he told me that's why he leaves the cooking to you."
"No kidding. My whole year of first grade I had to use the microwave in the teacher's lounge because Dad packed me tv dinners." I nodded my head at his incredulous expression. "Dad had no clue what to do with me when my Mom passed away."
"What happened to her?" Jamie asked.
"She was killed in a car accident when I was four. Mom was hit by this driver who wasn't paying attention. The other lady wasn't drunk, or sleeping. It was just this really tragic accident."
"That sucks," he commented.
"Yeah. I hate talking about it." I winced, "I don't mean that you just made me mad by asking about it or anything."
"No, it's okay," he started.
"No, really. It's only, well, people always make a big deal out of it. It's not a painful subject for me. I mean, I don't really remember my mother. I just hate that my Dad misses her so much." I lifted my shoulders. "People get all awkward talking about it. It's okay to be curious. It's not really some touchy subject with me."
"Well, was it weird being raised by a single dad?"
"Was it weird being raised by a single mom?" I returned. He laughed, shaking his head. "Well, I take that back. Dad did give me some out of this world behavioral problems."
Jamie looked at me funny, his eyebrows drawn. "I was the most aggressive girl in my grade," I explained.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Try being a five year old surrounded by grown men working in construction. My teachers HATED me. I cussed and fought all the time. I thought I was a little boy until I was ten. Then Julie got a hold of me, and I fell in love with all things girly. Now I have a weird sense of femininity."
"No you don't." I looked at him, crinkling my forehead and looking at him critically. "You seem like an average girl to me."
"I take offense to that," I said haughtily, making him chuckle.
"Well-" he began, but I cut him off.
"You try being the girl that no one want to date because she might beat you up. I hadn't laid a single finger on a boy since the third grade, but I've still got the rep for it. I've been told I act like a boy, but dress like a girl. I'm a mismatch."
"I have to disagree with that. I mean, you splash and squeal like a girl to me. 'Oh, Jamie! Don't splash me with all that water! No, Jamie, quit!'" he mocked, fluttering his hands and pretending to toss his hair.
"Shut up," I muttered, laughing. I lightly punched him in his shoulder.
"See? You even hit like a girl!" he exclaimed. I stuck my tongue out at him. Clearly I wouldn't win this argument.
"Well, that still doesn't top all the grief that I gave my Mom. You might've gotten into fights, but I bet it has nothing on all the fights I got into. I fought on a weekly basis until I turned fifteen." Jamie remarked.
"What happened when you were fifteen?"
"I got a job," he said, turning to look at me. "I realized I was being selfish. That my mom needed more help than what she let on. That any money I could bring in would make her have to work less."
I was floored by his admission. What a selfless guy.
"Is that why you came to work for my Dad?"
"Yeah, sort of. But I love building. I think that there is nothing better than helping improve someone's foundation. No matter what people do, they should always have a home to rely on, right?"
"Is that what you're looking for? Something to rely on?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Gabe and Rob have been great. Mark, too. I couldn't ask for better guys to learn from."
My heart swelled with pride. I know Dad has put everything he's had into Strother Homes, and it makes me ecstatic to hear such praise. I grinned up at Jamie.
"C'mon," he said, jerking his head to the house. "I'm freezing my ass off out here, and it was a long drive."
We slowly made our way out of the pool, gathering our scattered belongings. I flushed at standing in front of him, only in my bikini. I hurried into the garage, finding our stash of beach towels. Jamie reached over my head, grabbing one. I wrapped my towel around me, tucking it tight under my arms.
I padded down the hall, trying not to drip too much on the carpet. Jamie was directly behind me as I led the way to his room. "Here you are," I whispered, opening the door to his room. He cast his shirt to the floor, not bothering to turn on the light.
Returning to the hall, I opened the doorway across from his. "And here I am," I said. We stood in the hallway for a moment, between our two rooms. I tried not to look at his chest, and turned my gaze to the floor.
"Goodnight Mad," he whispered.
I was silent a moment before I took action. I had been full of impulse tonight, and I hated to break the trend so soon. "Goodnight Jamie," I whispered before quickly rising up to peck his lips with mine. The tiniest puff of air rushed past his lips as I pressed my mouth to his. There was just enough time to register that his lips were warm before I pulled away. I immediately whirled around into my room, shutting my door louder than I had intended.
I sat down on my bed, reeling in nervousness. Should I have done that? What did he think? I spent the night torn between relishing the action and regretting it.
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Mkay, well, that's the infamous Chapter Four. I had a really hard time writing this, and am still not satisfied with it. Please don't hate it! Like I said, VOTE-COMMENT-FAN! It'll make my day!!!