Under the Surface (11 page)

“Did you just
get up?”

I nod my
head.
Yes, but I’ve been going through your things.

He looks
curious. “What were you just doing?”

“Nothing,”
I answer way too quickly.

Also
nothing
is basically the answer of any guilty person.

Ren’s
smiling, looking now back and forth from the nightstand—that I’m still standing
in front of—to me. “I leave you alone in my room for a few hours to sleep and
you take it as free reign to go through my things?”
He doesn’t sound mad, more like amused. “Well, what did you find?”

You know
exactly what I found, but I answer with what is apparently the only word left
in my vocabulary. “Nothing.”

“That’s not
true.”

“I didn’t
even look in there.”
Damnit he never mentioned me
looking in the nightstand, just implied it. And now I made it obvious.

He raises an
eyebrow before jumping down onto the bed. Laying sprawled out with his hands
behind his head. I know he’s enjoying this.

Fine. If he
wants to torture an answer out of me, which is exactly what he wants, he’s not
going to get the satisfaction of a squirming Emmy.

“You want to
know what I found. Tissues for your snotty nose, lube that I’m sure you only
use on yourself, and an open box of extra-small condoms.”
They weren’t actually, but I felt the need to say that to him.

“They are not
extra-small!”

Ha!
I fall onto the bed next to him, laughing.

“They’re
huge. Extra-large condoms for my extra-large dick.”

Oh my god I’m
laughing so hard right now my side hurts. I’m tearing up by how much Ren is
fuming next to me. I’m messing with him, and he’s throwing a fit trying to
defend himself, and his alleged ‘extra-large dick
.
’

“Stop
laughing, Emmy.”
But even
he
’s laughing a little now. He throws his hands down at his sides in
a frustrated sign of defeat. But I’m still unable to control myself. I can’t
remember a time I’ve ever laughed as hard as I am now.

After calming
down slightly I say, “They weren’t small; I was just giving you a hard time.
But thank you. That was one of the funniest reactions you could have given me.”

He tosses a
pillow onto my face.

I quickly
pull it off. “Did you talk to your dad?”

“Yeah, I did.
We worked things out, and I agreed to meet Ellie. Can you come with me? I think
it would be easier if I didn’t have to meet her alone.”

“Of course I’ll
come with you. But you have to get your dad to cook for us again. The food
tonight was unbelievable. I’ve never eaten anything so good.”

“I’m sure he
would love to cook for you again. And maybe after we’re back in Providence I
can cook for you.”

“You know how
to cook?”
He’s never mentioned this to me, but then again, I’ve never asked.

“Yes, I can
cook. You think growing up with a dad who’s a gourmet chef has taught me
nothing about cooking?”

Oh I am
definitely going to use this to my advantage. “You’re going to cook for me
all
the time now. No more takeout pizza for us. When we hang out, I expect to feast
like a queen.”

“Don’t get
ahead of yourself now. I can cook, but not even close to the level of my dad.”

“If you had
one sixteenth of the cooking talent as your father, I’m sure I would be
impressed. I eat boxed food multiple times a week. The only time I turn my oven
on is when I’m making a cake or brownies.”

“Well this we
will have to change, Emmy. Although from looking at you, you sure don’t look
like a woman who eats whole pizzas and cakes all the time.”

He’s right.
I’m lucky enough to stay pretty slim even though I eat nothing but unhealthy
food. And I also can’t help but notice the compliment in what he said. Or at
least I think there was one there.

“Yes, Emmy,
that was a compliment.”

Damn kid is
reading my mind now.

“Stay out of
my head,” I say while putting my palms on my forehead.

“
I don
’t want to.
It’s so much fun in there.”

“You don’t
want to stick around. The fun goes away.”
Trust me.

He looks
serious now, and I wonder if he’s thinking about what I said about my father
earlier. A topic that I hope he won’t bring up anytime soon.

“You want to
change the subject don’t you?”

How is it
that he knows me so well? I’m not used to this, having someone who can predict
my next words. That Ren cares enough about what worries me to avoid my unwanted
conversations.

“Yes.
Please.”

“Okay. I have
a question for you. And it’s a fun one…or for me it is.”

Here we go.

“Ask. But I
can’
t guarantee I
’ll answer you.”

“Fair
enough.”
The smile on his face has me worried. “So what do
you
keep
in your nightstand?”

I turn to
fake smother him with a pillow. “I am not answering that.”

Now it’s
Ren’s turn to bust out laughing. “I’ll get my answer soon enough,”
he says through the pillow.

Chapter Ten

Ren

I’m at the liquor store with Mason and his
friend Danny. Adam was supposed to join us, but he has a date tonight instead.

I don
’t know what I think of Danny
yet. Mason used to work with him, and he was the one to tell us about the party
we’re going to tonight, but he seems nice enough.

“I’m getting
a bottle of Jack. You guys can split it with me, or get something else you
want?”

“I’m
fine
with Jack
Daniel’s. We’ve got some beer at our place too, we can drink some of that,”
I say.

“Alright,”
Danny says. “Are you bringing anyone else tonight? Or is it just
us.”

Mason turns
to me. “You want to bring Emmy?”

That’s not a
bad idea. After spending the weekend at my dad’s house we hung out two other
times this week. I met up with her for coffee after one of her classes; she
ordered for me again. And I made dinner at her house last night. I just saw
her, but I already want to see her again.

“I’ll text
her to see if she wants to go.”

“Who’s Emmy?”

No, no. This
new guy doesn’t get to call her that. “It’s
Emilie
, and she’s a friend
of mine.”

“A friend, or
like she’s your girl?”

She’s my
girl, I guess, but not in the way Danny is asking. Although I think I might
want her to be.

“
A
friend
,
”
I respond, only because I know to her that’s all we are.

“So she’s
fair game. Is she hot?”

“
Smokin
’”
Mason replies.

I shoot him a
look. And he doesn’t back down. Just smiles while continuing to look at
different bottles of alcohol.

“Bring her
then. Tell her we’ll pick her up on the way.”

I’ll bring
her, but only because I’m sure she won’t go for Danny tonight, and I really
want her to join us.

I shoot her a
text.

Ren: You busy later tonight?

She responds
quickly.

Emmy: Nope. I have the
night off.

Perfect.

Ren: Come to a party
with me.

Emmy: I didn
’
t
hear a please in that sentence.

Impossible
woman.

Ren: Come to a party
with me PLEASE.

Emmy: Fine, but only
because you asked me so nicely. Can you pick me up?

Of course I
will. I wouldn’t make her walk there alone.

Ren: Duh. I
’
ll
be there around ten-
ish
.

Emmy: Okay.

I think of
something else to add. Half joking I type.

Ren: Oh, and wear
something sexy.

Her lack of
response I assume means yes. But then again maybe she was pissed off by my
demand.

I’ll just
have to see her answer tonight.

“I’m gonna
pay for this, then lets head back to your guy’
s place.
”
Danny says.

I take one
more look at the bottle of liquor and contemplate buying tequila and lime
margarita mix. I know Emmy likes sweet drinks over straight alcohol.

“
Wait, I
’m gonna buy
a few things real quick. Go ahead and pay, I’ll only be a minute.”

I go for the
tequilas and grab a good bottle. Next, I pick a mix. We had lime margaritas at
the pub in Newport, so I go with that flavor and bring it over to the register.

“You’re
drinking margaritas tonight? You go soft on us, Ren?”
Mason asks me.

“No, this is
for Emmy. She likes this stuff.”

“I wish you
liked me enough to buy me alcohol.”

“I buy
alcohol for the house all the time.”

“Yes, but
never fancy mixes and shit.”

“Fine. The
margaritas are now for Emmy and you. Happy?”

“Thrilled my
friend.”

* *

Danny, Mason, and I went back to Danny’s
house after the liquor store for him to change clothes. He still had his uniform
on from the restaurant he works at. After that, we all went back to mine and
Mason’s house. We’ve been drinking off and on and eating for the last few
hours, but none of us have gotten drunk yet.

“Let’s plan
to leave within an hour,”
Mason says.

I check my
watch and it’s almost nine thirty. The day has flown by.

“Can we leave
a little sooner than that? I told Emmy we would be at her house around ten.”

“Yeah that’s
fine. We can leave in half an hour then.”

Danny, who’s
standing in the kitchen opening another bottle of beer asks, “Hey, Ren, didn’t
you used to date Lyla James?”

I put the
remote control I was holding down and turn to him. “Yeah, why?”

I haven’t
thought about Lyla in weeks, and we broke up a long time ago. Why is this guy
bringing her up now?

“Her friend
just texted me. Asking if I wanted to join her and Lyla for karaoke tonight. I
said no, but I thought I remembered Mason saying you two dated.”

Yeah we dated
until I found out she was cheating one me. She tried to say it was one time, as
if that justified anything. But once I found out she had been doing it for
months, over half our relationship, I knew that girl was not for me. She’s one
of the reasons I steered clear of dating for a while, I just preferred hooking
up. Better to keep it emotionless than risk getting hurt.

But now that
Emmy’s in the picture my opinions on dating have definitely changed.

“Well, it was
a long time ago. I wouldn’t recommend going out with her—if you’re looking for
an honest girl.”

“Noted.”

Mason speaks
up. “Lyla James. Man I always thought her name sounded like a porn star’s. Lyla
James takes on a thirteen inch—”

“Okay! I
think we get the gist of it. Can we stop talking about her now?”

I don
’t want to think about
her anymore. I think it’s time she’s completely out of my life, and out of my
friends’
conversations for good.

I definitely
need another beer.

Chapter Eleven

Emilie

If Ren wants me to dress sexy, then I’ll
show him sexy.

I most
definitely can do that.

Okay, maybe I
can’t do that.

I take
another look through my closet again and nothing I see is standing out to me.
This shirt shows no cleavage. That skirt isn’t short enough. At what point in
my life did I start dressing like a nun? I thought I looked good, and sometimes
I stepped it up to hot, but Ren told me to try and dress sexy tonight. So
obviously he thinks that I never do that if I have to give it a try for the
first time.

Maybe I need
someone to help me. I’m not so sure I can conquer this task on my own. It’s
important to me that I can prove Ren wrong, that I can be sexy, even if he
doesn’t think I can be.

Noel is
exactly the person I need to call right now.

I grab my
phone and dial her number.

It rings
three times before she answers, “Sup bitch,”
she says.

“Help,”
is all I reply with.

“What do you
need, girl? From that one word alone you sound distressed.”

“I need your
help picking out an outfit for tonight. I literally have nothing to wear. And
I’m trying to look sexy.”

I hear what
sounds like a gasp followed by a shriek on the other end of the line and then
Noel says, “I’ll be over in ten minutes!”

Noel chooses
to bust into my apartment without knocking, and I’m more than grateful for her
arrival. She has a huge pink tote in her right hand and her massive makeup bag
in the other. “How much time am I working with?”
she asks,
continuing her path into my bathroom and placing all the items she brought onto
the counter.

“Uh,”
I look at my phone for the time, it’s almost nine and Ren said he
would be here around ten. “Maybe a little less than an hour?”

“That’s just
enough time. I’m seriously going to make you look so fucking hot tonight,
literally every guy is going to try and bang you.”

“Perfect,
that’s exactly the look I’m going for.”

“Are you
being sarcastic?”

“No, I’m
actually being serious. Ren doesn’t think I can look sexy, and I sure as hell
am going to prove him wrong tonight.”

A cocky smile
plays on her lips, “So this is about Ren, huh? I should’ve guessed.”

“Of course
this is about Ren, he told me to ‘try and look sexy tonight,’
as if looking good would be an impossible task for me to
accomplish. I’ll show him I can be hot!”

“That’s
right, girlfriend,”
she makes a dramatic snap with her words.
“Okay no more chit-chat. Sit down on the toilet and let me get to work.”

I sit on the
closed toilet seat while Noel begins taking out makeup item after makeup item.
After getting all her products in order, she plugs in her curling iron and
pulls a bottle of hairspray out of her bag.

“Time to
release your inner vixen,”
Noel says, then begins working
on my look.

Forty minutes
later, I’m completely “glammed out”. My eyes are smokey with dark shades of
purple and black and my lips are painted a light pink. Bronzer makes my face
look like I have a nice glow and my hair is voluminous with loose curls throughout.
When looking in the mirror I know I look fucking hot.

“
Call me God,
”
Noel says while looking in the mirror at me.

I smile
before saying, “Okay you really did an amazing job.”

“Ren’s going
to hit the fucking floor when he sees you. Maybe the two of you will finally
have a little fun tonight.”

“We always
have fun,”
I say, even though I know the kind of fun I’m talking about has
nothing to do with the fun Noel is referring to.

“Ugh you know
I’m not talking about the ‘fun’
you and Ren have. I’m talking
about real fun, you know messing around a bit. I still cannot believe that
between all the
time
you spend together, nothing
sexual has gone on between the two of you.”

“It’s just
not like that,”
I say. Even though I want it to be. Ren
has shown no sort of interest in me like that. I know he sees us as just
friends, but I can’t help but hold on to the idea that he might somehow change
his mind.

Maybe tonight
will be that night.

Noel lets out
an exaggerated breath before saying, “I know you guys are nothing ‘serious’
right now, but at least give him a chance tonight to see what he’s
missing. I guarantee you’ll leave him speechless when he first sees you. And
promise me tonight that you will absolutely work it. Show off your hot body and
make him take notice. Hell, even flirt with all his friends. That will drive
him nuts.”

I nod my
head, “I can do that.”
Then suddenly I remember. “Wait my
clothes! What the hell am I going to wear?”

“You think I
would forget about that? I brought the prefect outfit for you, come on.”
She grabs my hand and her pink tote off the floor of the bathroom
and drags me into my room.

“Okay, here
we go.”
She reaches into her bag and pulls out two tiny, white pieces of
fabric. One looks like a thick strapped tank top, minus the lower half of it,
and the other is an equally tiny white skirt.

“Put this
on,”
she says while tossing me the clothing.

“
Uhh
, I think you forgot some of the outfit,”
I say while inspecting the miniscule articles of clothing I have
in my hands.

“Do you want to
look good or not?”

“Fine.”
I strip to my bra and underwear and slide the skirt up my legs and
the shirt over my head.

I look in the
mirror and see that the top and bottoms don’t even come together. The skin a few
inches below my breasts and above my belly button is exposed. “Well, all or
nothing. Am I right?”

“That’s the
spirit! Okay shoes, I didn’t bring any because we aren’t the same size, so I
hope you have some.”

“Yeah I have
a good pair.”
I walk to my closet and pull out a pair of nude, peep-toe wedges.
They’re suede and add about five inches to my height. I haven’t gotten a chance
to wear them out yet, but I know they make my legs look amazing.

I sit down on
my bed to put them on. Just as I’m securing the last strap I hear a knock at
the front door.

“Shit, that’s
them.”

“Don’t panic,
finish putting your shoes on and I’ll answer the
door.
Try and make an entrance, like ‘oh you guys just arrived, I had no idea? I was
just casually sauntering out of my room looking sexy as fuck,’
you know something like that.”
Noel leaves my room to
answer the door.

I take one
last look at myself in the mirror. I do look “hot as fuck”
like Noel said. I do a little turn in the mirror and check out the
appearance of my backside. I notice that the material of the skirt is pretty
thin and I have an obvious panty line, even with the thong I’m wearing.

“Well I did
say all or nothing.” I quickly decide to really be daring and slip the small,
nude lace off my body. I’m now panty-less and ready to make Ren eat his words.

Just as I
open my door, I hear Noel talking with the guys. I’m not sure which of Ren’s
friends are coming with us other than Mason, so I don’t know who’s out there.

“Are you sure
you don’t want to come with us tonight?”
I hear someone say before
I enter the living room.

“
No sorry, I
’ve
got other plans, but be sure to show Emilie a good time.”
Noel says.

I hear a
laugh that sounds like Ren’s before he says, “We’ll try our best.”

I choose this
moment to make my entrance.

I slowly
“saunter”
into the living room, trying to look as sexy as possible. “
Hey guys,
”
I say in a slightly lower voice register than I normally talk in.

Just like
Noel predicted, they are all speechless. Including Ren. Mason’s jaw has
physically dropped and Noel has a victorious smile on her face.

The moment of
silence is broken by Noel saying, “Okay guys, it’s been nice chatting with you,
but I need to get going. Have fun tonight Emilie.”
She then grabs her things and heads out the door.

Ren is the
next to speak, “Emmy,”
he says, but stops there.

Mason walks
towards me with a smile on his face. “Okay Emilie,”
he says while putting his arm around my waist. He starts to walk
me backwards in the direction of my room and turns to the other guys and says,
“Deuces losers! Have fun at the party, we’ll see you later.”
He waves to them and continues walking me to my room.

“Well, I’ll
be damned, Emilie. Looks like I was the only smart one in the room and snagged
you first.”

I’m flattered
by Mason’s admiration. Making Ren jealous won’t be so hard after all.

Just as we
reach my room I say. “Hilarious. Let’s get going, I’m looking forward to making
it to the party.”
I move his hand away from my waist and
turn to see that Ren is now heading towards us.

“Quit fucking
around, Mason, let’s go.”
He takes my hand when he says it and
brings me back into the living room.

Mason is
laughing behind us the whole time.

“So are we
all going or am I leaving people behind?” The other friend of Mason and Ren asks
once we are all in the living room.

“
No, we
’re all
going,” Ren says. “Emmy,” he looks at me. “This is Danny. Danny, Emilie.”

“It’s very
nice to meet you, Emilie.”
Danny reaches his hand out to
shake mine. I notice he’s smiling at me and looking back and forth between Ren
and myself.

“Are we ever
going to leave for the party?”
Ren asks, sounding a little
irritated.

“Yeah, I
think we’re all finally ready to go,”
Danny says.

“Who’s
driving?”
I ask.

Danny
answers. “I’m driving.”
He says while spinning his key ring around
his ring finger. “But be warned, Mason, I will leave your ass behind if you
refuse to go home when I’m ready to. You can find your own way back.”

The guys all
laugh at that comment, so I can only assume it’s some inside joke between them.

I open my
front door and we walk out onto the catwalk that links the second floor
apartments together.

Ren waits
with me while I lock up and Danny and Mason head to the car.

“You really
do look good tonight,”
Ren tells me. But there is almost a
shyness to his voice when he says it.

I look at him
with an obvious, surprised expression on my face. I didn’t think he would
actually make a comment on my appearance tonight. But I’m glad he did.

“
Do I look sexy?
”

He laughs
shyly, and scratches the back of his neck while looking down. “Yeah, Emmy. You
do look pretty sexy.”

“
Good,
”
I say while raising my chin a bit to show my confidence. “Now
let’s get going. I’m planning to get absolutely wasted tonight.”

“Ha! Well try
not to puke all over me tonight after your alcoholic binge.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulders and we walk to the car.

“No
promises.”

We have to
park two streets down from the house the party is at because of all the cars
outside. After parking, Ren pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from his bag
and passes it around for shots. He also hands me a margarita in a water bottle.
We laugh at how ridiculous it looks, but I love it. I get a little bothered
when I see Danny taking drinks. I ask him if he will still be okay to drive and
he tells me he’ll be fine.

We finish up
and go into the party.