Fire and Ice: Book One: Burned (The Fire and Ice Series 1) (14 page)

Kellan

"I can't
believe I let you talk me into this, Kellan."

"Georgia,
will you help me out, here?"

"Don't
look at me...this was your dumb ass idea," Georgia huffed out.

"Baby, we
talked about this. I love you. I'm not going anywhere."

Hailey shook
her head back and forth. She was getting cold feet. "Jesus, Georgia, I
know you don't approve, but we're talking about forever, here. The guy's like a
brother to me, and he's in there waiting for us."

I turned Hailey
to face me, placing my hands on her shoulders...God she looked beautiful.
"Listen, baby, we're in this together, and I swear to you, you won't be
sorry." I looked to Georgia as I continued conspiratorially, "Georgia
will be right beside you every step of the way.
And
she respects and supports your decision," I added. "Don't you,
Georgia?"

Georgia looked
at me dumbfounded, her jaw going slack, as I cocked my head, staring a hole
into her, before she gave a halfhearted chuckle, replying, "Oh yeah,
yep...totally support you, hon."

I rolled my
eyes and returned my attention to Hailey, as I said, "Don't pay attention
to her." Hailey was sweating bullets.

Andy peeked his
head out of the sparsely decorated room, asking irritably, "Hey, are we
doing this, or not?" I gave him a small smile and held up my index finger
before he disappeared back into the room. He was already doing me a huge favor
by getting us in on short notice, and we were running late. The paperwork was
signed, and everything was set to go. I just needed Hailey to take the plunge
and put one foot in front of the other.

******

Hailey

"Georgia,
hold my hand. I think I'm going to pass out."

"You're
not going pass out," she said blandly. My heart was pounding out of my
chest, and I wasn't sure if I could go through with this.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...he's starting...I can't back
out now!

I grip
Georgia's hand, and give her a look of trepidation as her anger seemingly slips
away, and she smiles at me with adoration, squeezing my hand back in a sign of
solidarity.

"Ow!"
I cry out at the first contact of the needle against my skin. It's honestly not
as bad as I thought, but it sure as hell doesn't feel great. I wince as
Kellan's regular tattoo artist begins to outline the tattoo I've had him draw
up for me. We decided not to go for matching tattoos for my first one, as I
wanted to pay tribute to my mother with my first one.

I've chosen to
have it placed on the inside of my arm, just above my wrist. A beautiful pink ribbon,
the symbol of breast cancer awareness, with a pink blossoming rose in the
center. Inside of the ribbon, I've had inscribed 'Mom' and her date of birth
and date of death.

Kellan is
staring at the needle intently, studying the progress of the work, as the
artist continues to outline the shape and wipe away the black ink at regular
intervals. This hurts like a bitch, but I've been assured this is the worst
part, and that the shading hurts less. I've also been told once I get one
tattoo, I'll become a junkie, wanting more. I'm not so sure about that, as with
each swipe of the rough paper towel, my skin burns, as if I have a sunburn.
Andy certainly isn't gentle.

Kellan has
decided to get a new tattoo today as well. I'm not the only one who's getting a
tribute tattoo. My body flushes at the thought of him getting my name tattooed
across his chest, right above his heart, in an intricate, somewhat scrolled and
somewhat gothic looking calligraphy. The thought of him marking his body with
essentially my being is unbelievably surreal to me.

It's been
several weeks since Mom has passed, and I can't bring myself to stay at the
house. Kellan's apartment feels more and more like home each passing day. But all
that will change soon, too.

He's been
saving his money to move out of Chambers, and he's finally gotten enough to do
so. He's made arrangements to bartend at a casino in Reno and he's enrolled in
part time classes at a local college there. He wants to get a degree in
business management and eventually open his own restaurant and bar. I wasn't
aware of his plans until about a week ago, and I sure as hell wasn't aware they
included me. My guess is he wasn't either until recently.

I haven't told
Georgia yet about our plans to leave Chambers. She and I have become like
sisters, and she's cheering me on to reapply to college to finish up my degree,
especially now that my money is available to go towards tuition. The deadline
for spring semester enrollment is in two days, and Kellan I plan to leave at
the end of the week. He gave Jim his two-week's notice the day after he asked
me to go with him. I have to wonder if he would have stayed had I said I
wouldn't go.

Kellan asked
Jim not to say anything to anyone about us leaving. He didn't want the
attention, and honestly, I didn't either. It was bad enough I was going to have
to say goodbye to Georgia. I hadn't known her long, but in the short time I
had, she'd grown to be a trusted friend.

Gail had her
daughter, Angela Marie, last week, and honestly, Jim seemed less interested in
the welfare of the bar, and more preoccupied with Gail's. I'm sure he wants her
as healthy as possible before she returns to work.

Kellan didn't
want to leave Jim hanging, and as such, let him know his next-door neighbor had
just been laid off from his job at a local car dealership. Kellan didn't make a
habit of talking to his surly neighbor, but noticed he was home one day during
normal business hours, taking out his trash. Kellan took the opportunity to
approach Mr. Gandy, and suffice it to say, two hours and a twelve pack later,
Kellan was aware of Mr. Gandy's recent job situation, as well as his dire
financial situation to pay for child support and alimony, while his ex wife
lived in a three bedroom townhouse located in an upscale neighborhood on the
outskirts of town. He said the only reason he never complained was because his
son and daughter attend one of the best schools in the area.

I frown at the
thought of couples divorcing these days; giving up so easily. I internally make
a pact with myself that that will never be Kellan and me, no matter how hard it
gets. We've made it through some pretty rough times and come out the other
side. There's no way I'm ever letting something get in the way of our
happiness.

Lost in my
thoughts, I'm suddenly broken from my reverie, as Andy gives my arm one final
swipe, saying with a bit of enthusiasm, "Check it out in the mirror,"
as he applies a film of healing lotion.

I blink my eyes
rapidly, afraid to look down for a moment, as I say, "That's it?"

Andy chuckles,
his mouth turning up into a slight grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as
he looks to Kellan, saying, "Dude, she's sick with it already. I give it a
month before she's dragging your ass back in here."

Kellan and I
exchange a knowing glance; the truth being this will be our last visit to the
quaint tattoo parlor. I take the opportunity to break the awkward silence by
getting up and walking over to the full-length mirror with trepidation, holding
out my arm, and turning it towards the mirror for inspection. Holy crap! It's
so...elegant. I thought tattoos were supposed to be bad assed. This is
feminine, and beautiful. I didn't picture the drawing I had seen outlined on
paper coming to life on my skin, as if it were alive, popping off of my body,
tangible. I shouldn't have doubted Andy's ability; Kellan's body is covered in
art, the likes of which I've never imagined. I wonder to myself, which one of
them came up with the ideas for each design.

"It's..."
Tears well up in my eyes as I focus in on the word 'Mom'.

******

Hailey

Today was the
deadline for spring semester registration, and Georgia is well aware that I
have put it off, and has been nagging me all week. As I stand in the bathroom
of the bar, leaning my hands against the sink, I look at myself in the mirror,
and think to myself,
No going back now...

I'm waiting
impatiently for the familiar sound of the back door to signal her entrance for
the beginning of her shift. She usually arrives early, and I decide I'll take
the opportunity to tell her tonight that I'll be leaving town with Kellan to
start our new lives together at the end of the week. I don't want to wait until
the last minute. She's going to be upset as it is, and it will most likely take
at least a day for her to stew, give me the cold shoulder, and finally relent.
I would like at least a couple of days to enjoy her company before I leave. I
don't plan to say goodbye forever, but there's no telling when I'll have the
means to come back and visit.

The door creaks
open, and I immediately hear the all too familiar clicking of her heels on the
linoleum floor, followed by the hard slamming of the door behind her. Sweat
begins to gather on my forehead as I envision her ensuing fury. I feel as if
I'm about to face a firing squad. Maybe I should have Kellan prepare me a last
meal.

Taking a deep
breath, I prepare myself mentally, shake my hands and arms out in front of me,
and loosen my neck, as if I am about to enter a boxing ring. I open the
bathroom door, stroll down the hall, and turn the corner into the kitchen,
finding Georgia preparing her shots for the evening.

Upon first
inspection, she gives me a polite smile, before it fades into a frown, as she
takes in my nervous disposition. She stands bolt upright, saying, "What's
up with you?" as she furrows her brow.

This is
it...the big moment of truth. No point in beating around the bush. I take in a
deep breath before blurting out, "I'm leaving.
We
...Kellan
and I are leaving." There. I've said it. And she's staring at me wide eyed
with her mouth hanging agape. Silence is always a bad sign.
Say something!

She finally
began to chuckle in a 'Ha-ha...Good-one...You-really-had-me-there' chuckle, as
she waggled her finger in my direction. It saddened me to have to continue to assure
her this was not a joke.

"Georgia,
I'm serious. Kellan got a job in Reno. We're leaving at the end of the week.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but we've been preparing for the
move," I said morosely.

Her eyes
widened. "Wha? No...you can't. You start school next month. That's not
possible.

******

Kellan

I rounded the
corner, ready to enter the kitchen, when I heard Hailey and Georgia talking. I
didn't want to interrupt them; Hailey had told me she'd planned to tell Georgia
tonight that we were leaving.

The
conversation sounded heated. I was getting ready to jump in and defend my lady,
when I heard Hailey say, "I can't right now, not with everything that's
going on." My chest tightened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I thought
this was what you wanted," I heard Georgia say. Had Hailey already told
Georgia without letting me know? My mind was spinning in a thousand different
directions.

"It's too
big of a commitment," Hailey confessed. I grabbed my hair with both of my
hands. Jesus Christ, this was not happening!

"So
what?...you're going to throw you're whole life down the drain and work in some
bar the rest of your life?" Damn, I never thought Georgia would be in my
corner, much less the voice of reason when it came to me, but I was sure as fuck
praying Hailey was listening hard and fast.

Hailey
immediately retorted, "If I have to, yes. It's a big decision, and I'm not
ready to take the jump right now. There will be other chances."

I hung my head
in defeat, and walked past the kitchen, obviously unnoticed, as I stepped out
into the quiet, lazy, wintery night. I didn't need to hear another word.

I dug my
cigarettes out of my pocket and lit one up, slamming my Zippo lighter shut with
force before I slid it back into my pocket. I fished my keys out of my other
pocket and realized I had left my jacket in the bar, leaving me only in my
plain white t-shirt. Fuck it. Where I was going, I wouldn't need a coat. Damn,
it was cold tonight, though. And in that moment, I realized all of the passion,
the blazing fire that I had felt for Hailey evaporated, my hard, cold feelings
rearing their ugly head, and in an instant, freezing over my heart like a solid
piece of ice.

Hailey

At first, we
thought maybe we had run out of liquor, or beer, and that Kellan had gone on a
run. When he hadn't returned after an hour, and a dozen frantic calls later, I
sped to his apartment, only to find the empty remains of his closet; the rest
of his apartment untouched, and his car gone.

My mind raced
with possibilities of where he could be, why he would leave without me, and if
I would ever see him again. He had made all the arrangements for us to move to
Reno. I didn't even know where to begin to look.

As days flew
by, to my surprise, Georgia hadn't said 'I told you so'. She was my rock, my
shoulder to cry on. When I had nowhere else to go, I was forced to move back
home, and it hurt like hell to face the memories that remained in that house by
myself. I turned to Georgia, and asked her to move in with me to quell the
loneliness, rather than sell my childhood home.

Georgia stayed
up with me night after night, as I lamented the loss of the only man I've ever
loved. The man I still love, and will love until my dying day.

As I sit in my
driveway on this icy, late winter night, clutching my phone, I replay the
events of the fateful evening, as I have done every night for the past three
months. This is my nightly ritual. Inevitably, I will call him, get his
pre-recorded voicemail, hang up, and mourn the loss of what could have been.

I dial his
number with shaky fingers, as the phone rings three times. On the fourth ring,
it will go to voice mail and my night of sorrow will begin.

Suddenly, a
bubbly female voice comes through the other end of the line. "Hello?"

I am speechless
for a beat, having not expected a voice, other than the computer generated
voice I have heard for months now. "Is..I'm looking Kellan. Haines,"
I muster up the courage to say.

I can hear loud
music in the background and voices filling the space behind the speaker of the
phone. "Hey, Kellan!...Some girl wants to talk to you," the bubbly
voice shouts, although it's a bit muted, as if she's holding the phone away
from herself.

"Is it
Tanya?" I hear him ask, giggling with drunken amusement, slurring his
words.
Is it really him? God, it feels good to
hear his voice.

"You
Tanya?" the female asked, brusquely.

"N..no.
This is Hailey. Tell him it's Hailey," I implored her.

Again, she
shouted, "Some girl, says her name's Hailey."

"Hailey
who?" he slurred. My heart stopped, and my whole world came crashing
around my feet. Had he forgotten about me so quickly?

"He don't
know no Hailey, but you sound real pretty, honey. I'm sure he wouldn't mind one
more if you wanna come over," she giggled. I wanted to vomit.

"Um...I
think I have the wrong number," I stammered out.

"Ok,
sugar," she drawled out before clicking off the line.

I sat in my
car, dumbfounded and numb, as I listened to the sad tune of "So Cold"
by Ben Cocks, mirroring my thoughts and feelings. He had moved on without me,
and the fire that had burned so hot between us, was snuffed out, seemingly in
an instant. All that remained were ashes.