The Obsidian Collection Page 37

  “What type of face do I have?” What the hell, why not play along?

  “The kind of face only a man could love,” he says. I don’t know if I should be offended by that or not. It’s a dodgy pick up line, but I can’t help but melt at his words a little. I find myself with my back against the wall and blue eyes standing in front of me with his hand on the wall to the side of my head. He takes a sip of his drink and I swear it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

  “Ummm. I better get back to my friend.” I start to walk away, but he maneuvers me gently back against the wall.

  “Don’t go just yet, sweetness,” he says, tucking some hair behind my ear. His fingers lightly skim my face and I believe I’m going to die with frustration. How can he be doing this to me, as well as have this effect on me?

  “I gotta go.”

  “Why?” He gives me a devilish grin that makes me go weak at the knees.

  “Ummm, because my friend is probably wondering where I am.” The longer I stand against the wall, the longer I want his lips on mine. Who am I kidding? I want his whole body on mine.

  “I’ll make sure you get to you friend,” he whispers softly in my ear.

  “Are’, is this guy bothering you?” Fucking hell. Only Will would show up now. Will has had a crush on me for years, but I only see him as a friend.

  “No, Will. I’m okay. I was just leaving to go find Tasha,” I say. Frustration laces my words.

  “She’s over by the bar. I’ll take you to her,” Will says, staring directly at blue eyes.

  “Are’ is it? I’m Brandon,” he says, holding his hand out. I go to shake it but he moves it.

  “No, sweetness, write your number down.”

  “You’re very forward.”

  “Come on. I know you want to.” Damn this guy is forward; maybe if I give him my number, he’ll leave. I take the pen from his other hand and scribble my number on his hand.

  “Now see, that wasn’t hard, now, was it?” I simply smile and walk away with Will.

  “Who the hell was that guy?” Will asked

  “Hopefully my future,” I mumble under my breath.

  Brandon

  The heat of her breath next to my cheek made me go weak at the knees. She was a vision that I could get used too. Never in my life had I laid eyes on something so perfect, so angelic. She was like a breath of fresh air compared to the hell I’d been in. I can’t put my fucking finger on it, but I know I’ve seen her somewhere. Maybe she is the woman I’ve been dreaming about all these years. My dreams of her are so vivid, I can touch, smell, and feel her on me. That is until I wake up. The woman never has a face, only eyes. Hazel eyes, the same eyes Are’ has. I slowly open my fists, which I have been clutching ever since that ass hole took her away from me. All I can do is smile, because written on my hand, is not a phone number; instead, there are three simple words. Maybe next time.

  “What the hell are you smiling at, you dork?” Dave says, breaking my concentration.

  “Nothing, man. Where’s my drink? We’re here to celebrate, so let’s celebrate.” Dave waves over two blondes from the bar area. Awe shit, how do I tell him I’m not interested? I’m no virgin, but I’m not a man whore either. I like to work for what I want. It makes the sex all the better. And what I want right now is Are’. If she sees me with one of these bimbos, my chances may be cut even shorter. She’s still here in this bar and I intend on finding her again.

  “Dude, not tonight. I just wanna hang out.” Dave looks at me like I’ve lost my mind

  “You’ve been gone for five years and you don’t want pussy. You gay?” He says with sarcasm in his voice that makes me want to punch that smirk off his face.

  “I never said I didn’t want pussy, and what makes you think I haven’t had any in five years? They have woman over there, you fuckhead.” Why do people think I’m on a dry spell because we got deployed? “You see that girl over there, with the red hair?” I say, pointing over to Are’s friend I saw her with earlier.

  “Dude, she is seriously hot.”

  “You think she is hot? Her friend’s a knock out. I’m after her friend.” Just as I speak these words, Are walks over and whispers something into her friend’s ear. Are’ smiles and it almost makes my heart melt.

  “They’re both pretty hot. I’ll take the redhead any day, dude.”

  “Don’t fuck this up for me, shithead. This one is different.”

  “Oh, yeah, well that red head is different. What I’d give to smack that ass.”

  “Shut the fuck up and let’s drink.” Anything to shut his ass up. Are’ and her friend are laughing; I get a jealous ping in my heart. I want to know what they’re laughing about. Hell, I want to be the one to make her laugh.

  For the rest of the night, I kept my eyes glued on her. She’s never out of eyesight. More and more of my friends arrive as the night progresses. Friends I haven’t seen in years. Patrick, Melissa, Rodger, Mike, Lisa, and a few others. These are the group of people I hung out with. I wouldn’t necessarily call them friends, but more like acquaintances. For the most part, I tried to keep to myself. But that didn’t work most of the time being the captain of the lacrosse team. There were always people in your face wanting something. What that something was, I couldn’t tell you.

  People were shocked when I joined the military, but I knew all along, this was something that I was going to do with my life. I wasn’t what you called book smart, so college was out of the question. My piece-of-shit girlfriend always made sure I knew it. So when the recruitment team came to visit us in the tenth grade, it didn’t take much convincing. The Air Force has been a good career option for me. The thing that got me the most is all the death. When Derrick died I felt a piece of my soul leave. He was the only person I would have considered a friend. We enlisted together and were friends since diapers. My mother and his mother were best friends and I know it hurt my mother too when he died. The only option was to stay in and honor his memory the best way I could. He was the kindest person I knew and those types of people were hard to come by.

  “Dude, they’re walking over here.” I look up as I hear Dave’s voice breaking me from my thoughts. My heart starts to beat hard. Was I fucking nervous? “Why do you look like a deer caught in headlights?”

  “Shut up. No I don’t,” I say, wiping the palm of my hands on my pants.

  “Hey, guys, Arebella and I have been watching you. Looks like you are celebrating something.” Hmmm… Arebella, what a sweet name. As I turn my eyes to her, she is shifting and fidgeting with her hands. She won’t look up at me no matter how hard I try to get her attention.

  “Yeah, my man here has been away for the last five years. We’re here celebrating his homecoming,” Dave answers.

  “Where have you been for that long, cutie?” Her friend is really bold. Totally different from Arebella. Arebella, I love that name, so unique and different.

  “He was deployed overseas,” Dave answers again.

  “I can answer for myself, Dave. Thank you,” I tell him with a laugh.

  “I’m in the Air Force and was overseas for the past five years on special assignment. I’m back. Just here celebrating with a few friends.”

  “Hmmm, a military man. How sexy is that?! Arebella, isn’t that sexy?” I continue to look at Arebella; my focus hasn’t strayed from her. She looks embarrassed. I can’t help but chuckle under my breath. She nods quickly and instantly looks away when she makes eye contact with me.

  “I don’t know about all of that,” I say. “Wanna join us for a drink?” I say, winking at Are’.

  “Sure. I’m drinking Cosmos and Are’ is drinking Apple Martini’s.”

  “Just water for me, thank you. I’ve had enough,” those beautiful lips reply.

  “Come on Are, just have one more drink,” her friend mumbles

  “She doesn’t have to drink if she doesn’t want to. I’ll take care of her.” I see the redness rise into Are’s cheeks as I speak. “Wait here and I’ll go grab y
our drinks. Cosmo for the redhead and water for Are’.” They both nod at me. I pass by Are and breathe her scent in. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it until now. She smells of spring and summer all rolled into one. Derrick would totally call me a pussy right now, but I don’t care.

  I make it over to the bar and order the drinks. As I turn, I see the girls chatting away with my gang. Are’ looks as though she fits right in, which is good because I won’t have any weirdness going on. There’s nothing worse than having a girlfriend that none of your friends like. Dave brought this dumb girl around that none of us could stand and it caused a rift in our friendship. She was very manipulative but he never saw it. The thing that broke them up finally was her getting caught stealing money out of his wallet. As the bartender hands me the drinks, I can’t help but wonder again where I know this girl from. Walking back to them, she smiles at me and I almost drop the drinks. My God, she is beautiful, from her long hair to her hazel eyes. When she looks at me, it’s like she’s peering into my soul.

  “Here we are, ladies,” I say, handing the drinks to them.

  “Thank you,” the redhead says. Are’ sips her water, not looking at me.

  I need to get her alone. “Hey, you wanna get outta here?” I ask her.

  “Not with you. I don’t know you.” Well, fuck that stings a little bit.

  “I’m not crazy. I promise you.”

  “And that’s what all crazy people say.”

  “Do you make all the guys work this hard to get to know you?”

  “Nope. I just ignore them, so you’re lucky I’m talking to you.” Ouch. She’s feisty. I like feisty.

  “Wow, well. I don’t even know how to respond to that. But I do want to get to know you outside this bar, if you’ll let me, and I think you’ll let me.” I hope the smile I give her is charming enough to win her over. “I know you feel it,” I continue. She can’t deny we have a connection.

  “Most people have some sort of connection. Listen, I need to go. I have to be up early for work tomorrow. It was nice chatting with you.” I’ll be damned if she is going to walk away from me again.

  “Wait. Here is my number. Please call it if you want to get to know me.” I grab her hand and as soon as I touch her, I know. I know that she is it. I feel a cosmic pull in my heart and pull her in and kiss her. I know it is impulsive, but my universe doesn’t give me a choice. Her lips burn against mine. At first, she tries to fight it, but she eases into it, letting her guard down. Time stands still as we kiss. Just as I’m about to step in closer to her, she pulls away and slaps me hard across the face.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she says angrily

  I smile at her which seems to anger her more. “I couldn’t help it.”

  She shakes her head. “Goodbye, Brandon.” With that, she leaves the bar, leaving me breathless.

  Arebella

  It’s been five days since I’ve seen him. When we kissed, my world came tumbling down in front of me. What was he thinking kissing me like that? It felt so good, but so wrong at the same time. I’ve been kissed once or twice in my life, but never like that. Never making me want to drop my panties to let him fuck me in the bar. These feelings he’s stirred in me are new and I have the urge to explore them. I regret not giving him my number. What if I never see him again and that was the one chance I had? No, God couldn’t be that cruel to me. I have been so careful and faithful; surely, he wouldn’t dangle Brandon in front of me like that. The man was beautiful. His shirt hugged his body making every firm muscle visible. Those memorizing blue eyes made me want him on me, touching me, soothing me. I don’t remember his hair being that dark, but it looked good on him. The sound of my phone beeping breaks me from my thoughts. As I look to see who it is, a woman walks into the shop, so I slip the phone back into my pocket to look at it later.

  The day has sped by. The shop was so busy this afternoon. Finally, I’m able to slip to the back to take my break. I remember to check my phone. Surprise doesn’t even cover how I feel when I see his message.

  Brandon: I’m not giving up that easy.

  Me: What makes you think I’m interested?

  Brandon: Because no woman slaps a man with that much passion without wanting more.

  Me: Maybe I was furious for you taking it upon yourself to invade my space and overstepping your boundaries.

  Brandon. Nah Are’, you know you liked it. We both liked it.

  Me: What is it you want?

  Brandon: You

  Me: Try again. I don’t know what kind of girl you think I am, but I don’t sleep with random men.

  Brandon: Didn’t ask you that. I just want to get to know you.

  Me: Why?

  Brandon: Meet me at the Stephenson State Park at 5 next to the water fountain and I’ll show you why.

  Me: We’ll see.

  Brandon: See you soon

  I don’t respond back to him. How is he going show me why he wants to get to know me? The anticipation is going to kill me because I want nothing more than to get to know him. When I was little, I compared everyone to him, even though I didn’t know him. There was something special about those blue eyes and the gravitational pull I had towards him. And now, the man is absolutely delicious looking. I finish up my shift and head home to shower and change before I meet up with Brandon. My heart’s beating a million miles a minute trying to makes sense of everything. I knew the moment I saw him again, he was more special than I had thought. Knowing he’s in the military and the thoughts of him in uniform are enough to make even Tasha blush.

  As I rinse my body in the shower, my thoughts grow dark. What if meeting up with him is the wrong thing to do? What if he’s not what I expect? Maybe I’m not what he wants or needs. It sounded like he has been through quite a bit over the past few years. Not being able to see your family and friends is pure torture. I know because I haven’t seen mine in five years; it’s pretty lonely at times. I have no clue what life has been like for my sister or what she looks like now. My father was always distant, but I knew he loved us. When I left, I knew what I was getting myself into. Never in a million years did I think it would be this lonely.

  I find myself in the park half an hour early and there’s nothing to do but people watch. My phone is very generic so it doesn’t have all the latest technologies on it. I find myself watching a family. The father picks the little boy up and hoists him onto his shoulders and begins twirling him; the mother and daughter are picking flowers. It’s a lovely picture. I want something like that in my life. Something more than what I have at the moment. Yes, I have my dream of being an artist, yet there’s a piece missing. Brandon is that piece. I just know he is.

  The glow of the sun on my face feels good. It isn’t often I’m able to just sit and relax. I close my eyes to soak in the warmth when I feel a shadow hover over me. My eyes open to see him standing in front of me with a dumb smile on this face.

  “What are you doing?” he asks smirking.

  “Taking in the sun. Haven’t you done that before?” These moments are precious because they come few and far between.

  “Can’t say that I have.” Brandon sits down next to me. “But it’s something I’m willing to try.”

  “The sun heals. It’s what all living things need it to survive.”

  I can feel Brandon’s eyes on me. “You seem to be very passionate.”

  “Where I come from, you sort of have to be.” I’m not ready to tell him about my Amish past.

  “Tell me?”

  “Another time. Why did you want to meet me here?”

  “Like I said in the text, because I want to get to know you. So, I figured the park was a nice open space with lots of people around. I wanted you to feel as comfortable as possible.”

  “Speaking of text, how did you get my number?”

  “Your friend gave it to me. She said I needed to talk to you.”

  I knew Tasha gave him my number. Now, he’s confirmed it and so far I’m glad she did. “I figured th
at.”

  “If you knew, then why ask?” Brandon scooted closer to me. I could smell his sent. He had a brutish, manly smell, like fresh aftershave and toothpaste.

  “Because when we assume, we make an ass out of ourselves. So I try not to assume too much,” I say

  “There is that passion again.” He scoots even closer until our hips are touching. “I like this fire in you.”

  “Brandon, what is it that you want from me? And don’t say to get to know you.”

  “I just want you, Are’. I feel like I know you from somewhere. I just can’t pinpoint it. And your eyes, they’re just so beautiful. The image of them is burned into my head. I can’t get you out of my head since I saw you in the bar. This type of stuff never happens to me, so I have to act on it.”

  “You’re moving really fast. We have plenty of time to get to know each other.”

  “Now, Are’, Now. The things I’ve seen tell me that life is short and we never know when God is going to pluck us from the earth. I’ve seen things that no one should ever see. But, Are’, you bring a calmness to me. Something I haven’t felt in years. Something I don’t want to let pass. Correction, something I won’t let go of. So save us some time and give in, because I always get what I want.” He starts to lean in but before he gets close enough, I get up.

  “Listen, Brandon, we don’t know each other and I’ve gotta go.” Are these words really coming out of my mouth? I’ve wanted this for so long, yet now here it is, and I’m running. I can’t help it; the words kept spilling from my mouth. “I’m willing to date you, but I’m not jumping into bed with you or anything else. I’m not that type of girl. Goodnight.” My cheeks are flaming. I wanted so desperately to stop speaking, but my mouth seems to have taken control. With that, I walk away as fast as my legs can carry me; until I feel a jerk on my arm. His firm hand holds on to my arm. Spinning me around, he kisses me deep and hard.

  “I’m,” he says between kisses, “not letting you go. Ever. Better accept that now.” He pecks me on the cheek one more time before he walks off into the proverbial sunset. What the fuck was that? Whatever it was, my head’s spinning, and once again, I want more of him.