Next to You (Life) (14 page)

Chapter 26

I
f there’s something
Buddy is good at, it’s creating a trendy night club. The opening of the twenty thousand foot place is already a success. There’s a big line outside waiting to be admitted. What’s putting him on the map, is that within the club, he features three different styled and themed clubs. All of them designed to cater according to musical taste and age range. Plus there’s a private room and as usual the V.I.P. section; one for each themed-club. We plan to use the larger section every Wednesday to host live music events.

For now, I’m wandering through the place, checking that security is in place and the bar is working smoothly. Like old times, back when we started opening our own clubs. The difference between now and then is that we do this—manage the place—only on opening night and for a couple of hours. At least I do. Buddy still enjoys staying the entire night at one of the locations and making sure everything runs as he likes.

“Nick,” I bump into him as I entered the +25 V.I.P. section, “I didn’t know you’d be coming. I thought you said you had a busy day.”

“Yes, I’m working,” he says. “Tony is in the field and the decision for her to come was made only an hour before we arrived here.”

I scan the room that only has about twenty guests—mainly friends—and find a curvy hot item wearing a barely there skirt and an open back blouse talking animatedly to… Blaine Frank. Who the hell invited him?

“Did she come alone?” I ask before jumping the macho wagon and breaking the fingers of my architect, as he’s touching Becca’s arm. Nick shakes his head. “She came with Frank?”

“No, with the Sanders,” Nick tells me. “They’re at the bar.”

That’s an open invitation to act somewhat possessive, isn’t it? The jury—my dick—agrees and as a judge it dictates the procedure to follow. Walk to her and let Frank know that he needs to back off.

“Hi, beautiful,” I whisper in her ear and make the mistake of touching her silky skin with the tip of my fingers. Becca tenses and by instinct, I kiss her naked shoulder. “Let’s get a drink and dance.”

I don’t wait for an answer, instead I grab her hand and pull her toward the private room, which will remain closed for today.

“What the hell was that?” she asks after I unlock the door, let us in and close it behind us. “Did you lose the memo where it informs you that I’m not yours?”

“You’re killing me here, Becca,” I say as I try to tamp down the jealousy running through my body. “Fuck, you know I can’t resist when you show that much skin. Then he’s touching you and…”

“He wasn’t touching me, Dan. The exaggerating much file is taking a hit again. You’re making a light brush on my arm sound as if he was mauling me right in front of all the guests,” she shrieks, not a Becca like behavior. “And what if he was, we are over.
O.V.E.R
. So stop kissing my back as if we’re together. If you need to get laid, there are plenty of women that will be willing to do it. We’re not even friends and you’re taking way too many liberties.”

“We’re not friends because you won’t let me get close to you,” I automatically respond, then I rethink what I just said since I’m guilty of the same charge. “We haven’t even tried to close that gap, Bex.”

“Fine.” She crosses her arms. “So when did you move to San Jose, Dan?” she questions, as if we’re retaking some random conversation. Instead of letting me answer, she speaks again, “Never mind, I apologize if I’m not willing to play the game of twenty questions with you.” She raises her hands toward the ceiling and shakes her head. “We both know I’m the only one who’s going to keep the conversation going while you give me monosyllabic answers.”

I want to ask my own question,
PMS or just bitchy?
but I abstain.

“Bad day?”
Bad question
, I tell myself, after she growls. “Bex?”

“It’s hard you know.” The head looking down and lip biting posture isn’t a good sign.
No I don’t
, I want to say but choose to listen. “Trying to behave friendly, but not too friendly, making sure I don’t overstep; because I’m not your person anymore and… I resigned to all my rights. But then you behave like this…” She gestures with her hand, as if speaking of the stupid scene I just made outside this room. “Or when I moved to my new place and you kicked
across the street guy
out of my house. I can’t remember his name, nor do I care much. He avoids me now. You’re hitting on me one moment and the next you look at me as if I’m contagious and of course you do your best to avoid me. It’s crazy, confusing and dumb, you know.”

“I know,” I respond and match her sigh. “We could start again, as friends if that’s what you prefer. As you previously established, we aren’t going to be out of each other’s lives any time soon—if ever.”

“Then there’s that.” She looks around the room. “Friends, I guess, Dan. I like the sound of it better than being nothing.”

“But be aware,” I tell her as I reach the door handle so we head back to the VIP room, “that’ won’t last long. To be blunt, I want more, including getting in your panties, Rebecca. Not long ago I discovered that you and I are vined together, branded and there’s no way in hell I’m spending the rest of my life feeling like I’m missing a part of myself. Don’t try to confuse me with your brother this time, because I don’t need more siblings.”

Mouth agape she stays behind.

*

By three o’clock there are only a few guests inside the club, friends mainly. The music isn’t as loud, the bar tender left us a few pitchers of beer and margaritas and everyone is unwinding. I learn from Buddy, that Tyler added Blaine to the guest list. Though, afterwards he wasn’t an issue with Becca, as he chose to pay attention to any and all available females around him.

Searching for Becca, I find her in the corner having a conversation with Tyler, and although they don’t look alike, you can see the familiarity between them. I don’t remember ever seeing Tyler being that close to his actual sister, and of course, I’ll never ask him if I’m right. We don’t speak of Lisa, she’s been buried in the past and that’s where we plan to keep her. Bored with the job related conversation I’m listening to, I walk toward Tyler and Becca.

“You think it’s funny,” I hear Tyler, as Becca is laughing at something he said. “I adore my wife, but this is far from funny. So… you and Dan.” Becca rolls her eyes and scrunches her face before biting her cheek and shaking her head. “I saw you two going inside the room. You two reminded me of the seven minutes in heaven game, although I didn’t see him spinning the bottle. I’m telling you, Sis, it might not be now, but he’ll make a move soon. When it happens, slow him down.”

“You’re talking about Daniel Brightmore,” she says, fluttering her hands as if she can’t believe Tyler isn’t getting the picture. “Surely you’ve met the guy and interacted with him to know what you’re asking is as possible as divorcing peanut butter and jelly.” Great, she’s comparing me with a sandwich, and now I decide to listen to her little theory before letting her know I’m here. “We’re trying to be friends. But let’s get real, in no way will we be doing normal, he already threatened me, Ty. Yes, when it happens, I’m putting my foot down. However, I’m not sure how much that will slow his process which will be: after an hour of the first date we’re having sex. Right after he disposes of the condom, he’s proposing to move in and just when the movers are hired, he’s down on one knee. Right after the wedding—the first weekend after, is the big move into a mansion he had his company build and within three weeks, he’s getting the girl pregnant with twins or triplets, instant family. I’ll be lucky if when things get to a dating point that he agrees to date for a while instead of trying to make me jump into the Brightmore wagon. Of course I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to make him wait.”

“That’s better than her timeline,” I interrupt, as Tyler’s laughing, though I’m not sure if at her timeline or at me personally. It’s funny though, not that it’d be like that but she knows I like things fast. I cross my arms and try to feign irritation but I can’t. I only accomplish not laughing and praising her silliness. “A few couples do it—sex—on the first date, others wait until the third. The norm is the fifth.” She snorts, and I’m guessing because she’s been the only woman for me and in theory we have never dated. “Or so I’ve been told. But this will be a relationship with her.” I tilt my head toward her. “I’ll say the tenth, fifteenth date will be when I get lucky…if I ever do. Living together…well that’s usually after a year or two and give or take another three before there’s a proposal involved. Though with the Princess we’re talking about moving in in seven, proposing in ten and… grandchildren, that’s what I’ll have with her.”

“Hilarious.” She elbows me, though her eyes carry some humor, she keeps her face flat. “You might want to buy some funny lines.”

“Hey I’m trying, Princess.” I release my arms and scoop her from the floor, kissing her cheek, then release her. “Want me to take you home?”

“Yes please,” Tyler answers and shrugs. “What? I told your bodyguard that I’d take you home. Honestly I think I’m going to take a cab. It’s been a long day and I had a few drinks.”

“Ty,” we hear Ash’s slurry tone call him. Right before he leaves, he warns me, “Hands off the sister.”

I can’t promise him more than tonight. I am now aware that this is my girl, my woman the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I just have no fucking idea how to get there. I’d like to soon be able to have the right to kiss her, hold her hand or one day soon make love to my girl, staying at her place often—or daily—and the possibility of moving in with her. I link our hands and head toward the exit, waving to whoever is left.

“I promise it’ll be at your pace,” I tell her, as Nate opens the back door of the car. “Your tune, Bex, how fast do you want this? This time, we’re doing things right, real.”

“You might not like this, Danny, but I think we should start from the beginning,” she says after we’re inside the car and ready to head home. Instinctively I grab her hand and place it on the left side of my chest—her favorite place. I can feel the corners of my lips reaching my eyes, wearing this foolish smile feels great after the months we endured. “Friends, then we’ll date if things seem to work… well.
Baby steps.
”

“How about if we consider this a date,” I propose. “When we get home, we make out like horny teenagers.” I wink at her. “You’re wearing a hot slutty outfit and I don’t want it to go to waste. Then tomorrow we’ll do a breakfast date and by the end of the night you’ll be in my bed. Slow enough for you?”

“You’re that sure about yourself?” I raise an eyebrow. “That I’ll agree to go on a second date with you?”

“Not only that,” I grab her by the waist drawing her as close as possible to my body, and I begin to battle with myself. I want her bad and my arm is touching her bare skin, being inside her is about to become my goal for the night if she continues with her usual bickering. I know the arousal is mutual, she’s not wearing a bra and the tips of her tits are hardening as I speak, “but that you’ll beg me to take you to bed.”

Her big brown eyes grow about an inch in diameter, it’s either surprise or fear. That’s my clue to back off. Well that and her fidgeting.

“Friends for now,” she says firmly and I groan.

God, I swear if she gives me a ‘best friends’ bracelet, I’m going to be pissed at her.

Chapter 27

A
week. An entire
week has passed since the opening and ever since, Becca has tried her best to avoid me. What happened with the friends forever pact we made? Not that we did such, but still I expected us to interact more. I fear my bluntness scared the crap out of her, but that’s the way things are. Clear as the water, there will be a relationship between her and me. A mature and special one though with me not butting in for the sake of controlling her. It has to be the opposite of what we—especially me—tried to pull off last year that resulted in a catastrophe. This time I want her all in, with no doubts and ready to embrace my world. Ready mix our personalities and create a worth keeping relationship. It must be isolated from others—the way she likes it. Yet surrounded by what I’ve worked for over the past few years. I’ve been trying for the past few months to dictate my life based on who I am and not what I own. That also involves accepting who I became with my hard work and embracing it. I’m not planning on selling my company and joining some hippie camp. My toys are important, I enjoy riding on a quarter of a million dollar bike and owning different cars that could pay off the debt of a small country. Also, I relish in helping others—something Becca taught me—and I can do it with what I earn. Now if I can only let that anger go. I’m a work in progress, and ‘fake it until you break it’ will have to do for now.

TC:
Miss Trent is leaving her home, Sir.

Tony texts me right on time. I pick up my hiking backpack with a couple of water bottles, and open the door as she’s walking in front of my house.

“Are the two of you going out?” The question makes her stop and the sun glasses don’t allow me to see her eyes, though the forehead has three pronounced wrinkles—a frown. Rusty barks and wags his tale. “Can I join?”

“Up to you,” Becca responds, I grab my sunglasses from the collar of my t-shirt and walk toward them while putting them on. “Be advised that we run errands and usually don’t come back until around noon.” The girl decides to be economical with the truth, but I let it slide. Because telling her I know this is only a two hour trip, will make me sound like a psycho ex stalking her every move. Then she throws her hands up in the air. “Who am I kidding, you certainly know by know what to expect, don’t you? Clearly blondie is still covering my behind.”

“I got your letter—“

As I dropped her back home after the club opening I snapped some. Clearly I failed to ‘fake it’ when she sent me on my way for the night without making out. Not even a kiss goodnight.

Dan,

Your question was: Have you ever thought about what you did to me?

The answer is simple: all the time.

The decision I made, wasn’t easy, and let me tell you, my stay at the center was very little paradise and a lot of hell. Finishing myself with a bottle of pills, a jump from the roof or any other method could’ve saved me the trouble of reliving my past for months—an easy fix. No more pain, Daniel. You, what you told me, that if I did that it would have killed you, stopped me one too many times. But eventually not even that prevented it. Thank goodness there was someone close to stop me. I dealt with my past, now I’m dealing with my future and enjoying my present. Part of what life is all about.

Since repetition might be the way you learn, let me tell you one last time. My shit had to be worked out, Daniel…facts of what I lived, stuff I wanted to get out of the way and others I’m still working on. They all need to stay behind me.

Do you think it has been easy to relive my experiences on a daily basis? Feel my insides break time and again when I describe how Ian raped me? Mom hitting the shit out of me ever since Grandma died, emotionally abusing and neglecting me. Recounting second by second how Lisa’s head hit the floor after Ian shot her or their blood and brains redecorating my room when he finished off himself and more. All while the person in front of me would ask after the ghastly story the same question: How do you feel about it?

They complemented that kind of therapy with others that didn’t include remembering each second of my traumas. No, the others were hypnotherapy, taking you to the moment of the event while sleeping—night terrors. Sadistic monsters, I used to call them at the end of each session. But they got me through the worst. They gave me tools to learn how to recognize my triggers and soothe them before I let myself fall back into that hole. Let me reassure you again that it wasn’t a pleasure trip—nor a paid retreat. Repeating myself, and going to the archives of a few or maybe the first letters, I heard you talking to Tyler, that you had grown tired of what I had become. You couldn’t deal with me either. Due to my past, our future started on a cracked foundation and of all people, you know what happens when the foundation of a structure has fissures.

While I dealt with my crap, I tore it down with the idea of building something new and solid. I expected you to be upset, but not in a permanent stage of anger. That rage you carry around isn’t good for my heart, or yours for the matter. Now, to respond to your question—again—yes, I thought about the consequences and what it might do to you, us. The pros seemed to weigh more than the cons, but as of this day you continue to put the latter on top of the reason why you should hate me. Reason number twelve to forget about her, she didn’t give a shit about me and left…which is the same as reason number one, fifty nine and two thousand and thirteen. That’s why for now we’ll remain friends, because there’s no point in starting something when you haven’t closed the other chapter.

Becca

“Ugh, do we have to?” Becca interjects.

“This is merely a clarification.” She huffs but says nothing more. “I never hated you, I don’t. I tried, but you can’t hate that one person you love the most. Though, you can be angry at that same person with the same passion that you love her.” I can’t define exactly how those words came or why, but they continue emerging. “That’s what makes the anger so intense—why this is so infuriating. I’m working on my composure so we can start the negotiations to start a new partnership; but it’s hard.”

“Using the charmer-business man combo is lethal, Brightmore,” she says, biting the smirk as if she is trying to hide it. “Am I some contract now?”

“Yes, the most important one in my life, Bex.” There’s no answer, her body language says nothing; she’s too busy walking at a fast speed. “Before I disclose every clause, I need to know, do we stand a chance?”

She comes to a halt, pulling on Rusty who was walking ahead of us. He turns to look at us and then back at the trail. It appears he isn’t happy about the break.

“Chance at what, Dan?” A rhetorical question I find out since she continues talking, “In a couple of weeks I’m shipping off for Guatemala. There’s this program that helps internationally and I want to either copy their model or try to join forces with them. They rebuild homes, schools and help create small businesses around the globe. I’m moving places, doing things and not waiting around like I used to.”

“When we come back,” I interrupt her, planning the trip inside my head, “we’ll see where we’re at. That’s a great idea. The trip sounds like the perfect opportunity to broaden our horizons—Foundation wise. Don’t you think?”

“Oh no, you are not coming with me.” She begins to tap her foot when I grin at her. “Insufferable, that’s what you are Daniel Elijah Brightmore.”

“Yeah, but you love me that way.” She takes off, Rusty behind now and I catch up in three strides. “This will be fun, you and me saving another country. Doesn’t it sound like the beginning of a great novel… one of those books you like to read?”

“You’re a walking cliché, Mr. Brightmore.”

“You’re trying to get upset and can’t seem to achieve it, Princess.” She inflates those pretty cheeks and puffs the air out of them. She’s definitely trying to brew some rage inside with zero success.

“I’m mostly scared Dan, you upset is like walking on top of hot coals that are swimming in lava.”

“That’s redundant, Bex.”

“But painful, Dan.” She shakes her head. “You think I could survive some emotional war with you, my favorite person in the world? Why do you think I’m staying away? I can’t, the consequences would be catastrophic. I told you, I won’t fight you, only fight for us. And that is a battle I can’t start until you—”

“Become civilized?” She nods. “Can we make a deal?” There is a second nod. “Let’s show each other what we’re made of, Bex. That I’m not an asshole that’s out to get you—and before you give me some sarcastic remark—I do accept that I’m vindictive and can be cold enough to make a baby cry, but not you, you’re my everything—my life. You can show me that Geneva wasn’t a waste of time and the separation was worth every second. More than twenty three million of them.”

“Seconds?” Becca’s voice carries some annoyance to it. “The way you spend that free time of yours amazes me, Dan. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and see how the future pans out.”