Love Me Back (20 page)

“Hey, if it isn’t the crook.”  She laughs.

“He is going to buy us some drinks with his new found money.”  I tell her and she nods her head in agreement.

“Miles Clybourn.”  He holds his hand out to me.

“Madeline Jennings and this is Mackenna Ross.”  He shakes both our hands.

“What do you prefer?  Beer or wicked lemonade?”  He asks having to whisper it in my ear for me to hear him.

“Beer for me and wicked lemonade for her.”  I get close to his ear and when he turns his head showing me he heard me our lips are so close it would take the slightest movement before they would touch. 
Do I want them to touch?

Miles pays for our drinks and we both say thank you.  He asks us if we want to go to his friends table in the back where it is a little quieter and we follow him.  Mackenna raises her eyebrows from me to him while he walks in front of us.  I shake my head back and forth.  Yes he is attractive and as tempting as it is to have some fling while on vacation in another country, it just isn’t me.  Why can’t I be like the other girls out there shaking their booties to the music not caring how they look or where the night is going to take them?  They are living in the moment and I am extremely jealous of them.  They don’t have those sparkling blue eyes embedded into their head.

It ends up being a small VIP area that Miles takes us to.  There are a couple areas around the bar where it is roped off and small tables consume the area.  I assume him or his friends paid extra for this and Mackenna and I are happy to indulge.  There are three other guys sitting around the table with some girls behind them and one sitting on another ones lap.  They glance over to Kenna and myself giving us dirty looks.   The girls who are all blonde or at least have made themselves blonde have glazed over eyes and can barely stand.  The guys aren’t much better and I start to think Kenna and I should leave.  Miles leads us over to a table by itself away from them and the girls stare angrily watching our every step.

“So are you staying at the Hotel Americano?”  Miles asks me.  Mackenna is staring towards the dance floor and I know she wants to be out there.  I figure I can humor Miles a little longer and then we can leave.

“Yes.  You?”  I ask back.  It is a little quieter over here but we still have to talk close together to hear each other.

“Yeah.  Got in two nights ago.  Where do you go to school?”  He asks.

“Wisconsin.  You?”  The questions are the standard questions when two college student’s talk and it is starting to bore me.

“You have to be shittin me?  Me too.”  Miles lips get wide not believing we go to the same college.

“What year are you?”  I am surprisingly shocked as well.

“Grad student, second year.”  He remarks.

I knew he looked older but not that much older.  I am embarrassed to tell him I am a freshman so I don’t volunteer and am surprised he never asks me.

“It’s a small world huh?”  He says.

“Yeah” when I look over at his friend’s table one of the guys picks up his head looking like he is going to be sick and I can’t believe my eyes.  He catches me at the same time I see him.  I can tell he can’t place me yet but the recognition is there.  When the click happens I see it in the smirk on his lips.

“Little Jennings” he screams across the tables and Miles looks from him to me wondering what he missed.

“Grady Smith” I say back.  I am astonished he remembers me as Jack’s sister but since it has been that way my whole life I don’t think much of it.

“How the hell are you?  I haven’t seen you in forever.”  He comes around to the back of my chair hugging me from behind picking me up until I am standing up away from the chair. “And Ross, looking hot as always.”  He winks down at her.

“Grady.”  She says straight-faced.

I saw Grady a couple times during my first semester when I would hang out with Gabe but since Gabe acts like I don’t exist I don’t see him anymore.

“Where’s your husband?”  He asks Kenna.

“Miami.”  She says.

“You break up?” 

“No”

“Damn it.”  He says.  “Hoping we could get some vacation sex going.”  He laughs but Mackenna doesn’t join in.

“How do you guys know Miles?”  He thumbs to Miles sitting down trying to figure how we know each other.

“Just met him earlier on the beach.”  I say.

“You aren’t?”  He looks back at Miles and Miles shakes his head confirming whatever thought Grady is recalling.  “They are?”

“We are what?”  I ask coldly defensively.

“You are the hot girls that Miles told us all about this afternoon.”

I blush in embarrassment until Grady continues.

“Sorry man, they are off limits.”  Grady puts his hand on Miles shoulder shaking his head.

“Why is that?”  Miles asks.

“The little hottie in red has a serious boyfriend like practically reserve the church serious and this one.”  He puts his arm around me.  “One” he puts his finger up.  “She’s Jack Jennings little sister.”  Miles frowns but it doesn’t look like it intimidates him like others that know my brother.  “And two” Grady sticks another finger up in the air.  The alcohol is affecting him making him talk slower than normal.

“Madgirl?”  My heart jumps in my chest just by the sound of his voice.  I stare down not able to meet his eyes.  I know if I see those shimmering blue pupils I will be gone.  My mouth goes dry and I can’t speak. 

“That guy.”  Grady finishes his points. 

I abruptly look up to Grady’s face who stares at Gabe cracking up.  I turn my head towards Miles who looks disappointed glaring from Gabe to myself.  I swallow hard picking up my head to see Gabe who has some red head kissing his neck with her arms around his waist.  I instantly want to throw up.

I grab Mackenna’s hand and pull her out of the VIP area.

“Thanks for the drinks Miles.”  I step over the ropes not wanting to take the time to undue it from its post.

“Anytime.”  He responds still confused as to what is going on.

“Mad.  Wait” I don’t pay attention since the drunken red head is still on his neck inching closer to his earlobe.  
Nice catch Gabe
.

“What the hell is wrong with you Basso brothers?”  Mackenna stands in front of Gabe with her hands on her hips.  The red head finally notices something going on and stares down at Mackenna.  Gabe says nothing to Kenna looking straight at me, his eyes are pleading for me to listen but I can’t.

“Go get yourself another guy, this one’s mine.”  The girl slurs to Kenna wrapping her arms tighter around his waist.  I am not oblivious to the fact he hasn’t pushed her away.

“Oh trust me, you can have him.”  I say back grabbing Kenna by her arm pulling her towards the dance floor.

“You’re an asshole Gabe, just like your brother.  Stay the hell away from Maddy, you hear me?”  Mackenna is screaming towards Gabe as he silently watches us leave.

“Thank you for defending my honor Kenna but let’s just leave.”  I say to her once we get absorbed into the crowd out of view from him.

“I thought he was one of the good ones.”  She shakes her head back and forth.

“He is Kenna.”

She looks at me in disbelief but follows me outside to catch a cab.  Once we get in I tell the cab driver using the little Spanish we know to get us to our hotel, Kenna’s phone rings and it startles me.

“Hey baby.”  She says winking to me.

While listening to her and Bryan tell each other how much they love and miss each other I lean back into the uncomfortable vinyl seat.  I can’t believe he didn’t follow me but at the same time I am happy he didn’t.  I don’t know what I would have said to him.  How come just as I am starting to move on with my life a Basso brother has to come and screw with my emotions.

We get back to the hotel and I can tell tonight will be another night of Mackenna and Bryan talking until they fall asleep.  Why they didn’t go to the same place on vacation I have no idea, probably because of me.  As much as they love each other they both equally love me and since Basso number 2 screwed with me last they figured I needed a girl’s vacation.  Then I wonder if they knew?  Did they plan for Gabe to be here?  I shake my head back and forth, there is no way not from the reaction Kenna had.

I wave Kenna off when she hops on the elevator with the phone still Velcroed to her ear.  She gives me the are you sure, I’m sorry look and I shake my head up and down telling her I am ok.  She smiles while the doors slide shut and I let out a breath relieved I am by myself.

I walk out past the pool.  It’s been closed for a few hours now but the lights are still illuminated under the water making it look more appealing now than during the day.  Couples linger around the lounge chairs kissing and whispering between each other.  So romantic.  I make my way to the edge looking over the dark ocean.  It’s so peaceful and quiet.  The half full moon is mirroring down on the low waves coming to shore.  I contemplate taking my heels off to feel the sand below my feet but it seems a little unsafe for a young female.

Couples come and go from the beach holding hands and each other lovingly, some drunker then others.  The women look at me with sorrow when they see the silent tears falling down on my cheeks while the men look me up and down appraising me.

After having enough self-evaluation as to why the Basso’s always leave me I decide to head back to my room figuring I can just put my ear buds in until Kenna and Bryan finish having phone sex.  Waking up next to your best friend moaning in the bed next to you while telling your other best friend explicitly what she is doing is something I don’t want to relive.

I turn around after one last sigh at the beautiful view.  My eyes automatically shut when I see Gabe sitting in a lounge chair in front of me a little to the right of where I am standing.  I catch his eyes and tears start falling down my face again.  I start wiping them frantically with the backs of my hand hoping he doesn’t notice them.

“I am so sorry Maddy.”  Gabe stands up brushing my tears away with his thumbs.

I swallow hard unable to say anything.

“I never meant to hurt you.”  He continues.

“Then why did you?” I whisper.

“Come with me?”  Grabbing my hand he leads me towards the beach.  He feels my hesitation in my steps.  “Please Mad.”  He begs.

“Okay.”  I agree softly.

We take off our shoes to tuck them under the stairs.  Gabe rolls his pant legs up so they won’t get wet and then he winds his fingers around mine guiding me towards the water.  It amazes me how his presence makes me feel safe and unsafe at the same time.  I know he won’t let anyone harm me but the emotional harm he can do to me will be beyond repairable. 

He smiles over to me looking relieved and scared. “I know I have been an asshole Maddy and I can’t expect you to forgive me but I want you to hear me out.” 

“Okay” my stomach feels like I could throw up at any minute.

“When I came to your dorm room that afternoon to get you out of bed.  I was just there as a friend.  I knew my brother would want you to enjoy your college life even though he was being a selfish prick. When Little Ross told me about how you sit in your room all the time not making friends or go out I knew I had to do something.”  He stops taking a deep breath in before continuing.  I see how hard this is for him to admit to me.

“Then after that first week of hanging out with you something shifted inside of me.  I couldn’t explain it at first but I wanted to be around you all the time.  I even hung outside your buildings hoping to run into you after class.  Don’t get me wrong, I was always attracted to you but this was something different, something I never felt before.”  He stops again.  I honestly don’t know if I want him to continue.

“As the weeks went on if I wasn’t in class or studying I was with you.  I loved learning all the things I never knew about you.  Finding out what your favorite meal or favorite ice cream was.  Taking you around the campus I knew so much about and seeing your expressions to the places and things I love about it.  That’s why when it became natural for us to start touching, I couldn’t keep my hands off of you even if it was just holding your hand or hugging you.  It felt so good to be like a couple but deep down I knew I wanted more than friendship but I never wanted to push you.”  He looks over at me trying to gauge my thoughts so I smile back reassuring him I felt the same.

“When we went home for Thanksgiving my mom told me she saw the way our friendship was turning and I needed to stop it.  I knew what I was doing when I grabbed your feet to massage them.  I wanted to see how my family would react.  If they were willing to let you be mine and not Trent’s.”  His eyes look angry thinking about it.  I already know his mom’s reaction from over hearing their conversation but I decide to keep that to myself.

“I knew I was crossing a line I shouldn’t.  I mean taking my brothers girl, I might as well call the morgue to reserve my spot.  So, I started to stay away from you.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.  I figured it was for the best.  Then you went to your dads for Christmas and Trent came home.”

“I heard what Trent did.”  I say. And he looks at me surprised.  “Bryan overheard, told Kenna and she told me.”

“Yeah, well…” he runs his hand through his hair.  “He told me to stay away from you when I told him he better stop being a jackass and keep his dick in his pants.”  His eyes fill with sadness to tell me this part.  “I told him if he wanted you he needed to put you as number one priority in his life.”  He stops but I know that isn’t it.

“And?”  I ask.

“I told him I would stay away from you if he did.”  Gabe stops walking and pulls me back to him and I fumble into his arms.  “It’s been so hard Maddy.”

“You didn’t seem to be upset earlier.”  I sneer regarding the drunk red head sucking his neck.

“God, I met her tonight.  I was trying to move on.  Grady and the guys brought me down here to get my mind off of you.  I don’t want her Maddy but I don’t know what to do anymore.”  He sits down in the sand with his head in his knees.  

“I don’t know either.”  I sit down next to him extending my legs out crossing at the ankle.  Not exactly the ideal spot to sit in a dress, especially one this short.