P L A Y L I S T
Everything's Alright - Kan Gao ft. Laura Shigihara
Sunday morning when Gabriel arrived at Zari's room, the curtain was drawn. From the other side, two women spoke. According to their conversation, they were bathing her.
He turned and strolled back into the hallway and headed to the waiting area. Except for a young pregnant woman, the place was empty. Pulling a couple of antacids from his pocket, he popped them into his mouth.
The lady looked up and smiled. "Upset stomach?"
"Yeah. Been having a lot of that lately."
She rubbed her belly. "I know the feeling."
He dropped into one of the chairs flanking the sofa where she sat, removed his baseball cap and hung it over his knee. "I'm sure my discomfort doesn't come close to yours."
"At least I'm past that stage." She stuck out her hand. "Lily Waters-Filgard. Micah's wife."
He leaned forward and accepted the handshake. "Zari's sister-in-law?"
"You know her?"
"Not really. I'm Gabriel Luna. One of the guys who came upon the accident."
"Dr. Lewis told me about your visit yesterday and how she responded to you." Lily nodded toward a colored paper bag. "I brought some things for her. Magazines, books, makeup. I suppose she lost her iPod in the fire. Phone, too. I think her mom is getting her a new one. You know, for when she wakes up. We really appreciate what you're doing."
"Glad to help." That wasn't exactly the truth, but not a complete lie. "Would you mind telling me about her?"
"Not at all. She's a good person. Always does the right thing. Pretty plain." Lily gasped. "Oh, I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean, you've seen her car. She isn't flashy. She won't even touch her trust fund. Her dad died when Zari was younger. They were really close; she took it pretty hard."
"Oh." The next question was for Gabriel's benefit and had nothing to do with helping Zari, but he wanted to know, and this was the perfect time to get the info. "I suppose there's no boyfriend in the picture or he'd be here. Right?"
Lily giggled. "I really shouldn't laugh. She's not had the best of luck with love."
When she finished the summary of Zari's first two relationships, she moved on to her current love interest. "She's been seeing a guy named Perry, but he's out of the country right now. Texts Owen and Dante several times a day for any updates. Claims they had a petty argument, and that's why she was in this part of the country. God, if he cheated on her, he knows better than to admit it. Dealing with her family will not be pretty."
He bristled, but chalked it up to how he'd felt when his dad had ran around on his mom, before finally running out. No one deserved that. "Argument or not, if my girlfriend was in the hospital, I'd drop everything to see her."
Lily raised her brows. "Oh, so you have a girlfriend? What does she think about you helping Zari?"
"No, I was talking in general. Just seems odd to me this guy is satisfied with just texts."
"I agree. There may be more going on than what he's telling us. Time will tell. When Zari wakes, she can fill in the blanks."
Gabriel didn't know what he'd expected Lily to say, but was glad his first impression of Zari had been right. With a little luck, she'd wake sooner than later and go back to Dallas, and his life would get back to normal. A part of him disliked the idea. Before he could give that more thought, someone behind him spoke.
"You can go back in now, Mrs. Filgard."
Gabriel turned to face Harper. She'd been working at the hospital since she graduated high school. "Hey, Harper."
"Hey, yourself. Grapevine says you're gonna get another hero award for the rescue. Good for you."
"Thanks, but Cole was just as instrumental as I was."
"Hear he's getting one, too. A group of us plans to nominate you for that Bachelor TV show."
Christ Almighty. Would it ever stop? Parkers Prairie residents were so damn bored with their lives, they latched onto any bit of news they could and blew it out of proportion.
"No. Don't do that. I'm flattered, but I have no desire to be on TV."
She snorted. "But Gabriel. You're the town's favorite son and just about the most eligible bachelor."
He shook his head so fast his vision blurred. "Harper, I'm putting you in charge of killing that notion. I mean it. If you want to nominate someone, Riley is your best candidate. He'd welcome the opportunity to put Parkers Prairie on the map."
She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head as if weighing the possibility. "Well, if you're dead set against it, I guess I can throw his name in for consideration. But, he's never saved anyone."
"Not true. He saves people money on their insurance all the time."
Harper laughed out loud, then caught her breath. "Good Lord, Gabriel. You tickle me."
"Yeah, well just promise me you'll withdraw my name."
"The girls won't be happy, but okay."
She disappeared, and Gabriel relaxed. He hoped he'd put that fire out for good. He turned back to Lily. She had an odd expression.
"So, you're a local hero and saving Zari was all in a day's work?"
"It doesn't take much to earn that title in a town this small."
"I don't believe that for a minute. But I can see how uncomfortable the subject makes you, so I'll let it drop. If you don't mind, I'll go back to the motel and let you visit with Zari. I've been here since four o'clock this morning."
"Sure. That's fine. I'll stay with her until another family member shows up."
Gabriel grabbed the bag, headed back down the hallway, and into her room. It was scary seeing her hooked up to all the machines, with tubes and needles seemingly all over the place. She had a breathing tube that hooked into her nose, and an IV drip with a shunt in her arm. With all the blipping and beeping machines hooked into her, Zari looked smaller, paler, and frailer than he'd seen her the night of the accident. Her hair was a shockingly blond mess piled on the top of her head in a lumpy bun that made her look too pale for his liking.
She had improved since he saw her last, at least. Her face and curly locks were clean and free of blood and a thick bandage covering a generous portion of her forehead. The bruises on her neck and arms looked almost black, just starting to yellow around the edges. His heart broke for her.
He scooted a chair closer to her bed, then reached into the sack and retrieved a book. On the front, a couple posed half naked – one of those New Adult books his sister tried to hide away under a Twilight dust jacket. There wasn't much to say to a stranger in a coma. Maybe he could just pass the time by reading to her, anything to ignore the wires and steady beeping. He turned to chapter one and read, "Based on scientific evidence, Elyza Talbott knew even good girls got aroused by bad boys."
The heart monitor beeped faster.
"Is that right? Good girls really do get turned on by bad guys? Why is that? Women think they can change them?" He waited half-expecting her to answer. "Oh, well, we'll save those questions for when you wake." He continued, "Robbie Morrell strutted into the campus library with the confidence of a peacock, leaving a trail of pheromones to settle on every straight woman in the room - including the ancient librarian. A surge of whispers circulated, each female mesmerized by his imaginary plumage."
"So, this Robbie guy, he's the one she'll change—right? Man, I can tell I'm already going to have a ton of questions about this book. From the looks of it, you've probably read this thing ten times and know it by heart. Maybe I'll just skip around and read parts at random."
He fanned the pages and stopped at one with the corner folded down. "This must be one of your favorites because you have it highlighted. He took a moment to look at her, every flawless inch. Her small, perfectly rounded breasts, water streaming over puckered pink nipples.
His face reddened, despite the fact he was alone with a girl in a coma and no one around to see him reading erotica. "Holy shit. I'm not sure I can read this aloud. Are all the smutty bits marked?"
[WARNING: MATURE THEMES AHEAD]
He flipped the pages again, stopped on one almost entirely colored, and read, "She stood and scooted her desk chair to the center of the room. "No need to apologize. Now, we're going to play a little game. Sit, please."
He sat, and she stood between his knees. He reached for her waist, and she moved away. "No touching and no talking."
"What?"
"I can touch you, but you can't touch me, and I can talk, but not you. That's the rules."
He ran his hand across his face. "I'm not going to like this game."
"I think you will. In the past two days, we've made love in every room. I've saved mine for last. Care to guess how many nights I cried myself to sleep in here? Hundreds. It'll take powerful stuff to make me forget that misery. Now, hold on to your chair. That'll give you something to do with your hands."
Robbie grabbed the wooden seat.
Elyza hip-swayed to stand in front of him again. He reached for her, but she leaned away. "No touching."
He leaned back.
She cupped his chin, held it there, and stared into his eyes. "I love you." She kissed his right eye. "I love you more than all the stars in heaven." He moaned, and she pressed her lips to his left eye.
He slid his palms to her hips and then corrected himself. "Sorry."
"Shh." She kissed his cheeks, first one and then the other. "I never knew I could feel this way."
He started to speak, but she kissed him. He moaned, and when she licked into his mouth, his hands came off the chair and clasped her waist.
She grabbed his wrists. "Don't make me tie you up. Sit on them if you need to, but no touching."
"Sweet Jesus." He slipped them under his thighs.
She wrapped her fingers on the chair back and straddled him.
He gasped. "God help me. You're not wearing panties."
"No talking." She ran her hand between his legs and stroked him.
"I want to touch you."
"Nuh-uh." She covered his mouth, slid her tongue across his, then buried him inside her.
[MATURE THEMES OVER]
A faint moan came from Zari. Gabriel blinked, rapidly returning to reality and focused on her face. She opened her eyes for a split second, then closed them again.
He cleared his throat and closed his eyes tight – willing his mind to ignore the sound of her moaning as he read her smut. "Holy hell. I don't know you well enough to read this kind of stuff to you." He shifted in his seat, willing himself not to respond to the sounds she was making. The last thing he needed was a family member or doctor to walk in and see him with a boner. He'd have to skip town and found some colony somewhere, far, far away. Like space.
No, he couldn't read it aloud, but he damn sure wanted to finish what he'd started, so he read it silently.
[WARNING: MATURE THEMES AHEAD]
A low growl came from deep in his throat.
She clenched around him and let him simmer in the heat for a moment. Then she pulled the blouse off her shoulders and brought his face to rest between her breasts. "I'll never love anybody but you." She rocked into him.
"You feel so damn good."
"Shhh."
She withdrew, then buried him deep inside her again. Withdrew. Buried. Withdrew. Buried. Squeezed. Released. Squeezed. Released. Over and over until he emptied into her.
[MATURE THEMES OVER]
Nope, definitely wasn't going to let anyone hear him read this. Damn, if he wasn't getting a boner. Shit. He quickly zipped through more pages, stopping at another highlighted section.
"Okay, here's something I can read."
"You are, aren't you? You're falling in love with her. Unbelievable."
"Love? I don't know. I'm not sure how it's supposed to feel. You're the expert in that department, not me."
"It's like a fart, bro. You don't even know it's happening until it crawls out of your ass and the smell hits."
Robbie glared at him. "Why do I talk to you about this stuff?"
His friend shrugged noncommittally. "I'm just saying it sneaks up on you."
Gabriel laughed out loud. "That's funny, and you must have thought so, too, because you highlighted it. You've got to wake up, Zari. I really want to get to know you."
She made a humming sound, opened and closed her eyes again.
Even with a one-sided conversation, he was drawn to her. And as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to spend time with her awake.
*
Silbie knew it was wrong to sneak around to meet a boy. (Correction. Man.) But she couldn't stop herself. She'd fallen in love with Owen Filgard the moment she saw him. Others would say she was being a silly girl and had no experience in romance. And they'd be right. She'd never been in love before, and her feelings might be the chemical reaction she'd studied in science. A dangerous cocktail of dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine that caused her heart to race, palms to sweat, cheeks to flush, and to see only the good in him.
That all happened at first sight. It happened again when she saw him waiting in the lobby. During their conversation, she'd learned his age. Twenty-four. Too old for her. At least that's what Gabriel would say. Probably Mom, too.
Big deal. In fairytales, where did it say a girl had to kiss a bunch of frogs before she found her prince? Owen was the one. The One. Silbie didn't care what anybody said. She liked him, a lot. Maybe he didn't reciprocate, but he'd admitted to an attraction, so that gave her plenty to build on.
While Zari recovered, he'd spend time here. Silbie didn't wish Zari any bad luck, but the longer she was comatose, the better. Swallowing hard, she gave herself a mental slap. What an awful, selfish thing to wish for. She should be ashamed, but no one was going to stop her from being with Owen, no matter how much they disapproved. Unless...he didn't want her.
*
Owen held his head under the spray of water and wondered what had gotten into him. The last thing he needed was some clandestine affair with an teenager. Okay, in the eyes of the law, she was legal, but the thought made his stomach cramp.
Maybe it was infatuation. She was beautiful for sure. The way her eyes danced when she looked at him. How her cheeks flushed pale pink as if he'd said something that embarrassed her. And when she took that plump bottom lip between her teeth, he thought he might come unglued. No girl— correction—woman, had ever made him so nervous or excited.
Sure he'd dated plenty. Even been in love once. At least he thought he had. Turned out, after she dumped him, it didn't take long to recover, so it must not have been the real thing. But this was different. After spending one hour with her, his chest burned at the thought of not seeing her again. He'd have to be careful. Take it slow. He didn't want to do anything that might offend her or turn her against him.
He shut off the water, ran the towel over his body, then wrapped it around his waist. The motel wasn't fancy, but it was clean. Right now, he was a struggling artist and shared the room, but later today, they'd all return to Dallas, and he'd stay behind for another week. It would give him more time with Silbie.
Damn. He loved the sound of her name, and it fit her. Elegant. And her hair. So dark and thick, he wanted to spear his hands into those long strands and let them slip through his fingers like silk ribbons.
He wiped fog from the mirror, then stared at his reflection. What was he thinking? Starting something with her was crazy. Regardless if she was here in Parkers Prairie, or attending college in Austin, either direction was a three hour trip for him. No, he saw no future with Silbie beyond Zari's hospital stay. Once she was well, he'd have no reason to ever be in Parkers Prairie again.
There was only one logical thing to do. When they met later, he'd explain he'd made a mistake. How he'd allowed his emotions to rule his brain. Granted, there was something between them, but the timing was wrong. She'd understand. Hell, she was probably thinking the same thing.
The park where Silbie told Owen to meet her was in walking distance. Since Alisha and Matthew had stayed at the hospital and Micah had gone to breakfast with Lily and Dante, Silbie offered to pick Owen up, but he didn't think it would be a good idea. Since everyone knew everybody's business in Parkers Prairie, he figured news of her car at the local motel would get back to her brother. Plus, he could use the fresh air to clear his head and rehearse what he had to say.
For November, the day was unseasonably warm. That wasn't saying much for this part of Texas because the area was famous for mild winters. According to the local weatherman, today's high would reach 72 degrees, four points above average. Because of the pleasant temperature and his pending announcement, Owen took his time. Even though he knew it was the right choice, his entire body ached with dread. Muscles stretched to their limit. Lungs burned. Head pounded. How could a good decision make him feel this terrible?
He found her sitting on a bench beneath an oak tree. Sunlight filtered through the bare limbs stroking her flawless skin like a whispered sonnet. God, she was beautiful. Like an angel straight from heaven. He lost his breath, then forced air into his lungs but only managed to half fill them.
She looked at him and smiled. Damn, this would be harder than he thought. No need to waste time with small talk. Just get right to it.
"Silbie."
Her smile widened, and his heart squeezed tighter. She stood and stepped closer, stretching her arms out for a hug. He backed away.
"Look, I've been thinking."
She took her bottom lip between her teeth, then swallowed. "About what?"
"You. Us. What I said yesterday."
She went back to the bench, sat, and patted the spot next to her. "You said a lot of things. So what exactly?"
He took her hand in his. Not because he thought it would make things easier for her, but because he thought he might die if he didn't touch her.
"I live three hours away." Stupid beginning. What happened to his memorized speech?
She looked up at him, those eyes glittering in anticipation. Oh, God. She thinks this will be something it isn't. No need to prolong it.
"This is wrong, and we shouldn't see each other. You're an impressionable young woman with no experience. I was an idiot for coming on to you. You're eighteen. I'm twenty-four. I live in Dallas. You live here. You've got your whole life ahead of you. College. Career. You should be thinking about going to prom or homecoming or whatever and who'll be your date. Not wasting your time with a guy who'll be gone in a few weeks."
There. He'd gotten it all out. Every logical reason why this wouldn't work, and she couldn't challenge any of them because he was right. Oh, but God, what if she cried? What would he do then? He'd not considered that until now. Damn.
She removed her hand and patted the top of his like a doting grandmother, then pinned him with her gaze. "Are you done?"
"Uh—yeah."
"Okay. So now I get my say. First things first. You don't have a girlfriend?" She paused, contemplating. "Or a boyfriend, right?"
"No. If I did, I would have never..."
She held up her hand to stop him. "I didn't think you would but wanted to be sure. I'm not wasting my time with you, even if I were, it's mine to waste—right? I'm not as impressionable as you think. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty damn hard to impress because of the male role models I've had in my life. There was no one better than Gabriel, well, as much as I want him to stay out of my business, he's just about the best man I know. So, I measure every guy against him, and this little speech of yours tells me a lot about you."
He tried to speak, but she waved him off.
"I'm not finished," she said. "I am thinking about homecoming. I've already had two offers. Neither interests me. I have my eye on someone, and if he doesn't ask, then I'll ask him. I'm not putting my life on hold for you, Owen. I know the age difference, and my inexperience creates a few problems for us, but I don't think we should let that stand in our way. You like me, and I like you. We owe it to ourselves to see where this goes. Once we get to know each other better, we may decide to go our separate ways. If that happens, then we at least won't have any regrets. Right?"
Owen's brain spun. Who the hell was this person? Whoever she was, she wasn't finished because just about the time he tried to respond, she put her finger in the air.
"Unless?"
"Unless, what?"
"You've decided you don't like me and this was just your way of letting me down easy. You know, listing all the reasons we shouldn't be together to mask the real reason."
He smiled. Damn. She was so hot he thought he might implode on the spot. "Oh, I like you all right. Too much. That's the problem."
She shook her head. "You can't like someone too much. No such thing."
"Who the hell are you?" There was that lip biting thing again, and his heart tripped.
Her nose crinkled in the cutest way he'd ever seen. "I'm the girl of your dreams. You just don't know it yet."
-----------------------
Man, I wish I was as bold as Silbie, don't you? Just right out with it.
And Gabriel reading...
*fans self*
hope you enjoyed this chapter!