Accordance (19 page)

“Ok.” I thought fast. “Why don’t we ride girls and guys?”

Caleb’s dislike of that idea was evident in his mind but everyone else was fine with it. Beck was ecstatic and Jen and Bish were relieved, fearing they were going to be stuck riding together.

I kissed Caleb quickly and pulled Jen’s arm gently to guide her with me as we got into Peter’s rental Beamer and the guys piled into the Jeep. I sat in the back so Beck wouldn’t feel left out and Jen drove.

“So, Jen, how have you been? Oh, wait. I’m sorry, this is Beck, my friend from home, and this is Jen, Caleb’s sister.” After there ‘nice to meet you’s, I got back to my point. “Anyway, how have you been? How’s Maria?”

“She’s great. She’s staying with Gran.”

“Oh, boy,” I laughed. “She’s gonna be so rotten by the time you get back.”

Jen laughed too and nodded.

“Yeah,” she groaned playfully. “I know, that girl loves her some Gran.”

I saw how Beck was looking very lost so I changed the subject.

“Ralph is very sweet lately, Beck. How are you guys doing?”

“Awesome, he told his parents off and he’s going to school with me.”

“Really,” I gasped and laughed. “That’s awesome, I think.”

“It is, you know how he is about his parents. He stood up to them and for me.“ She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling or crying, I didn’t know which. “Maggie I am so totally falling in love with him.”

“Aww, Beck, I’m happy for you.” I reached over the seat to grab her arm. “Ralph is a good guy.”

“Yeah he is. I mean, I don’t wanna move too fast. We’re not gonna live together or anything, but the fact that he wants to go to school with me has to say something right?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I said slowly and heard Jen’s thoughts of longing and disappointment, but she kept her smile in place and she looked between us and the road.

Dang it, it seemed every subject we went to was making one or the other uncomfortable. So I told them all about Caleb’s gig the next night and how he’d been practicing all week. Beck thought Zeke was hilarious and fabulous, couldn’t wait to meet him while Jen concurred with my assessment that he was crazy.

Once we arrived downtown, Jen pulled into the parking lot of a big warehouse looking place. It was dark, dank, dirty and disturbing. There was no indication that it was a club and not an abandoned warehouse used for illegal operations and squatters, except for one neon sign on the front that read ‘Lively Pony’. The Jeep pulled in right behind us and the guys jumped out quickly to meet us.

“Omgosh, look at this place,” Beck said and shivered with excitement. “It’s so mysterious, let’s go in!”

The thump of the music was barely heard as we made our way through the parking lot almost overflowing with cars. We were a train as we zigzagged through the parked vehicles. Caleb towed me behind him with my hand firmly in his, then Beck was being guided with hands on her hips from Ralph. And Bish, if he realized he was doing it or not, walked closely behind Jen and had a hand out to the side slightly, as if to steer her if she tried to go the wrong way.

The bouncer was a strangely gangly guy, not the type you’d expect from a place like this. There was a small line that was started at the underground stairs to the door. That’s why you couldn’t see them from the street.

“I said no and once we’ve reached a certain capacity, I can’t let in the good looking challenged, sorry,” the bouncer whose nametag read ‘Toad’ said blandly. “Next.”

The two guys he turned away were blinding mad, their minds blaring obscenities and anger. I cringed into Caleb’s side and tried to force their thoughts away. He put a hand on my head to press my face into his neck and sent me warm calm. When I lifted my head, I saw Beck watching us. She was smiling but she looked confused.

“Why did they turn those guys away?” I asked to distract.

“Did you see all that metal in their mouth? And I’m not talking about tongue rings,” Ralph explained. “And that one guy had on suspenders under his blazer.”

“Poor guys, that’s so mean.” Everyone chuckled slightly and I looked around confused. “What?”

“Honey,” Beck said slowly like I was a toddler, “that’s what happens at these things. You can’t just throw on any crap you want and not fix your hair and expect to get in. It is important to have a certain look. This isn’t a honky tonk bar from Chattanooga, ok?”

I looked down at my jeans and heeled boots with a little black chiffon top and camisole. I’d put on the new earrings I’d bought the last time we went out. No one had said anything when we left so I assumed I looked okay enough for this.

“So, how do you know if we’ll get in?” Everyone chuckled again and I felt like I was seriously missing something. “What?” I said with more force.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately, sweetheart?” Ralph said and laughed again. “Don’t worry about us lowly,“ he bent to bow at the waist with his hands out, “tools basking in your glow. They always let the guys with the babes in on principle.” He looked around at Beck and Jen grinning and winked.

Beck looked smug and Jen smiled bemused. I just shook my head. Then it was our turn to meet Toad. My heart pounded violently for some reason, fear that maybe he’d take one look at my little seventeen year old self and turn us away. Caleb pulled me to him.

“Hey, man. Six of us,” he initiated.

Toad looked around and his face never changed.

“Cover is thirty for the guys, ladies are free tonight.”

“Awesome,” Caleb spouted and paid the man, waving Ralph’s money away.

Focus on me, Maggie. You’ll definitely overload in a place like this.

Yeah, thanks.

“Go ahead,” Toad spouted.

“Really?” I asked puzzled. “You’re not going to check our ID’s or anything?”

Toad looked back to me and smiled as he gave a slow once over that had Caleb gritting his teeth.

“I’ll check anything you want me to, sweetheart.”

“We’re good, thanks,” Caleb almost growled and pulled me through the big black and gray door as I heard Ralph and Beck laughing loudly behind us.

I was blasted with bass climbing from the floor into my toes and smoke so thick it took a second to catch my breath.

“You’re not going to check our ID’s or anything?” Beck said in a sing-song mock voice. “Ha! Maggie, you’re so hilarious. You need to learn to be hot, honey,” she said as Ralph dragged her away.

I had no idea what she was talking about and looked at Caleb. He was smiling and laughing silently. He pulled me to him with a hand on the back of my neck.

“Oh my gosh, I love you,” he muttered huskily and kissed me before pulling me to meet everyone else at the bar.

“Ok, I don’t care what you do,” Jen started, looking at us sternly, “but I will be watching the bar and if I catch any of you trying to score, so help me-”

“We won’t,” Caleb assured, rolling his eyes.

She gave him a ‘duh’ look and then turned her gaze on Beck and Ralph.

“Oh, come on!” he complained but Jen’s eyebrow shot up ever so slightly and it was amazing how she suddenly looked so menacing. “Ok, fine.”

“Great. See you guys later,” she called and then made her way through the crowd and strobing lights.

Bish watched her with great interest. In his mind, he was wondering if she was going to dance with anyone. He hated that he even cared.

I turned away from him and looked up at Caleb.

“Well, are you gonna dance with me or what?” I said playfully.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He grinned as he pulled me to the growing crowd of thrashers and shimmyers. I figured we would be so packed in there he wouldn’t be able to tell I couldn’t really dance anyway. I was right. It was worse than sardines but I was not complaining being pressed against Caleb. The music was playing loudly some techno generic club stuff that was very Night at the Roxbury.

We found Beck and Ralph on the dance floor. Beck immediately pulled me to her and started twirling me under her arm. I laughed as we danced together in between Caleb and Ralph.

Everyone’s thoughts around me were disturbing to say the least as I slowly let them creep in. It was all sex, sex and drugs and strangely, local bands and eateries. The ones close to us, some were even thinking about me, looking at me and Caleb in ways I’d prefer not, so I quickly moved my focus elsewhere.

Eventually Ralph claimed he needed a drink and dragged Beck away but I could pick my friends out among the crowd, I guessed because I was so attuned to them already. Beck and Ralph were dancing and snuggling by a large column in the middle. Beck’s thoughts were floaty and sweet as she wrapped her arms around Ralph’s neck. And Ralph- well, he was still in love with her, like he’d said that day. He was ready for anything she wanted to give and couldn’t wait for them to get to school and get a few months under their belt so he could propose. I felt teary eyed listening to it.

Then I felt it, heard it, whatever. Bish was somewhere and his mind was burning with jealousy. I looked up and around for him and saw him, leaning against the bar and glaring at Jen and some guy. They were dancing on the edge of the crowd and the guy was pretty much all over her but Jen was moving, eyes closed, just into it.

In her mind, she needed to just get away from everything, just be young for five minutes and forget about thinking about Bish, about anything. In his mind he was freaking upset and wanted to strangle the guy, though he didn’t know why.

I sighed and tried to push them out.

Relax.
I looked up to find Caleb watching me.
Don’t be the Visionary for tonight. Don’t be an Ace, just be you. Push it all out and just focus on me.

Caleb’s face was so close and so sincere. I pushed all the attention of my mind and thoughts on him only as I stared into his deep blue eyes that were so focused on me. His mind was filled with everywhere his hands were at the moment and I felt flush all over- one for not realizing that they’d been there the whole time and two because of where they were. He had one knee between mine, one hand on the back of my thigh and the other arm wrapped around my waist tightly. I’d been so wrapped up in listening to everything around me that I forgot to pay attention to us.

He was so ready to move on with our lives; to not have to hide, to not have our family around all the time in the same house, to have to stop kissing or more when people walk into the room. He was so ready to do more than just touch me, so ready to Mutualize and have my name miraculously tattooed on the inside of his wrist by his crest, however that worked. He was ready for us to be us and nothing else. I had to agree.

I wanted to take him somewhere private right then and finish what we’d started.

He groaned in my mind and pressed his head to mine.

Ah, baby, don’t.

What?
I said in fake modesty.
I just thought that I’m pretty disappointed we never got to continue-

Not here, please. Think about something else.

I giggled slightly and bit my lip. It was amazing how much I could fluster him.

Oh, I’m flustered alright.
He smiled beautifully and sincerely, rubbing a thumb over my cheek.
You still have no idea how much pull you have over me. I’m completely captivated. I’m enraptured with you, Maggie. You are all there is for me. Ralph was right, too. You don’t know how insanely beautiful you are. I’m the envy of every man in here, I guarantee you that.

You’re insane.

My argument having no real gusto because I’d heard the things people were thinking about me and it was strange. I’d never really been pretty before.

Yes, you were. You were always gorgeous. I hate to say this, but the thing I noticed first on the street that day was your freckles, how adorable you looked. Your hair was blowing around you and it was dark, making your freckles stand out under the lights. You were the most captivating creature I’d ever seen.

Caleb...
I took a deep breath and tried to slow my heartbeat. I put my hand over his heart, feeling both our hearts under together; one strong and steady as always and one galloping like a runaway pony.
You are so off the mark. You’re the one who had me stunned. I was a stammering idiot trying to tell you I was ok. You were so close and your eyes…were so focused on me. I’d never been looked at that way before.

And I’ll never stop.

I hope not.

And then he was kissing me, moving us back to the shadow as he brought his hands up to hold my face and we continued to sway and move. It was so reminiscent of the time we danced on the beach at that party, before all the kidnapping and drama happened.

Caleb held tight to me and showed me his love and adoration with his lips and thoughts. I made sure to keep my mind on the outside of his and just listen. When I went digging, things happen, energy ribbons and breaking glass. I was sure no one here would appreciate any of that. When my fingers started to cramp from fisting his sleeves of his green and white polo for so long, I pulled back slightly and licked my lips to taste him there. He chuckled and breathed a happy sigh across my face.