Waiting for Us (25 page)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

June 2015 - Cory

  It’s Friday night and I’m out with my boys. We haven’t been out together since that last night we met up at Big D’s. The same night that I had to suffer through watching Hailey and Marcus dry humping on the dance floor.
Yeah, that night.
I was planning on staying home and feeling sorry for myself until I got the call from Jake. He basically told me I had no choice and I had to come out with him, Brian and Tom. Now that I’m out with them, I’m glad I decided to listen to him. It’s nice to just sit here and chill with the guys and not have to think about how horrible my week ended. If given the option, I would have preferred somewhere quieter and less of a meat market, but Jake picked Divine, a new club that just opened, last week. None of us has been here before and it’s definitely catering to a younger crowd. At almost thirty-one years of age, I feel like my clubbing days are over or should be.

We’re seated at a high, round table in the general vicinity of the bar. We have a clear view of the dance floor so there’s no lack of dirty commentary coming from Jake. Six months ago I’d have probably been right there with him but the new and improved me can’t seem to think of anyone as sexy, anyone besides Hailey, that is. No matter how hard I try not to or tell myself I won’t think of her, my thoughts always seem to drift to her. I smile at the thought of how ridiculously in love with her, I am. I really need to have a talk with Jake about my feelings for her. He’s going to flip, but he’d flip more if I don’t tell him and he finds out on his own. I know I acted coldly towards Hailey the last couple of days this week, but I wanted her to understand how upsetting her actions were. I didn’t want to make light of them. She needed to see that there’s more to me than flirting and joking. I also had a lot on my mind with a case I was working on. My job can be pretty demanding and I put a lot of pressure on myself to win my cases. When I see her on Monday, I plan on explaining it all to her. I don’t want her to think my feelings for her have changed or that I run hot and cold. I’m in love with her and that isn’t ever going to change.

I decide to go for it and talk to Jake now since I don’t know when I will get another opportunity. I tap him on the arm and wait for him to turn his head and look at me.

“I need to tell you something and I don’t think you’re going to be happy about it.”

“What’s up man?” Jake says, a crease of worry forming between his brows. I spin my beer bottle between both my hands a few times, trying to get my words organized in my head.

“I’m in love with Hailey.” I spit out before looking over at Jake.

“What?” He asks incredulously. I don’t blame him for being surprised or thinking he must have heard me wrong.

“I’m in love with Hailey. I have been for years now.”

“Seriously? My sister Hailey?” He enquires, cocking an eyebrow at me.

“I’m being totally serious dude. I am head over heels in love with her. I have been for a really long time now. I decided six months ago that I was going to pursue her this summer at the beach and tell her how I feel, but then she started the internship and seeing her every day has made me realize that I don’t want to wait any longer. I haven’t been with anyone else in over six months now. I wanted her to know how serious my feelings for her are and I wanted to do something that would make me a better person in her eyes. I also, need to feel like I deserve her because a girl like Hailey only comes around once in a lifetime.”

“Wow dude, I had no idea you had feelings for her. I probably would have beat your ass if this was a few years ago, but she’s twenty-three now. How can I tell her who she can date? You do know that if you hurt her, I’m going to fuck you up hard, right?”

“Yeah, dude, that goes without saying. The tough thing is, she just wants to be friends with me for now. I’ll make her change her mind, though... I have to.”

“Well, she just walked in the door with Shelby so you may get your chance,” Jake smirks at me. I whip my head around in the direction of the door so fast I may be suffering from the after-effects of whiplash tomorrow. Holy shit my girl is gorgeous in her tiny blue dress.
Oh God, she has on the red fuck me heels.
Someday, I promise myself, I’m going to make love to her and make her leave those shoes on. As sexy as they look on her now, they’d look so much hotter wrapped around my back as I make her come.

“Cory, wipe the drool from your mouth dude.” Jake jokes with me. We both laugh about how obvious it was that I was checking her out.

“Did you know that they were coming here tonight?” I ask Jake.

“Yeah, Shelby told me she was dragging my sister’s mopey ass out.”

“What’s up with you and Shelby? I’ve been picking up on a vibe between you guys the last couple times we’ve been out with them.” I watch Jake for a reaction, but he has a pretty good poker face.

“Nothing’s up with her. I’ve been helping her deal with some stuff.” I decide to drop it for now, but I know there’s more to that story.

I look around to see if I can catch sight of Hailey and she is at the far end of the bar ordering drinks with Shelby. Of course, some guy is already sidling up to her. He taps her on the shoulder and leans down to say something in her ear. She looks up at him and shakes her head. I can make out her lips saying no thanks before she turns and scoots her stool closer to Shelby. The bartender slides their shots over to them, smiling flirtatiously at them both. He leans on the bar towards Hailey and gestures for her to come closer. She complies, standing on the footrest of the barstool she is seated on, leaning her upper body forward, bracing herself on both her arms and giving the bartender an unobstructed shot of her cleavage. He takes the time to really enjoy the view before he whispers in her ear. She shakes her head and he whispers in her ear again. This time, she nods her head and he smiles a shit eating grin at her. Oh hell no, is all I can think as I get up from my seat and push my way through the crowd, towards her. I get there just as the bartender places a fizzy pink concoction in front of her.

“Here you go doll.” He winks before moving on to wait on the next customer. Shelby notices me, now standing behind them and she flashes me a quick smile, before telling Hailey she’ll be right back. I place my palm on Hailey’s naked back as I slide into Shelby’s vacant seat.

“Hey, babe. Fancy meeting you here.” I smile at her. I hope she can tell how happy I am to see her and that I want to forget all about what happened the other day.

“Cory. I didn’t expect to see you here.” She sips her drink, never taking her eyes off me. I can barely form the words to answer her because all I can focus on are her red painted lips wrapped around her straw. After an unnaturally long pause, I answer her.

“Jake threatened to kick my ass if I didn’t come out with the guys. If I had known you were going to be here, I wouldn’t have put up a fight at all.” My hand is still resting on her back and I start to slowly move it up and down, caressing along her spine with just my fingertips. Just this small touch has me fighting for control of my libido. When we do finally come together, it may be the shortest sex I’ve ever had. I’ll be lucky if I can get my dick inside her before I come. Just call me two pump chump.

“Yeah, I got some pressure from Shelby too. She told me I had no choice and it seemed easier to give in than to fight her on it. Once she makes up her mind, she’s more tenacious than a dog with a fresh bone.” She takes another sip of her drink and I have to look away and get some control of myself. She makes me feel like I’m an out of control eighteen-year-old again. I lean in closer to her so I can make sure she hears what I’m about to say.

“I’m glad you’re here. I don’t like the way things have been between us the past couple of days.” I nuzzle my nose beneath her ear and breathe in her soft floral scent. She smells so good I don’t want to move. I want to spend the rest of the night with my nose buried in her neck, but I force myself to move back and not act like a freak.

“I’m glad you’re here too Cory. I feel really bad about what happened the other day. You’re important to me and your feelings matter.”

“I know babe. It wasn’t just what happened with you that had me upset. I was also pissed off about work and I let it affect my mood. Can we forget all about the nonsense and get back to enjoying each other's company?” She nods and smiles at me and it’s like the sun breaking through the clouds for the first time in three days. I reflexively pull her into my arms and rest my cheek on top of her head.

“I missed you so much Hailey.” I slide my fingers under her hair until I’m cradling the back of her head in my hands. I lean in close as if I’m about to kiss her and stop when our lips are only an inch apart, causing her breath to catch with either surprise or desire.

“My day isn’t complete if you’re not a part of it. I need you in my life everyday babe and I hope that doesn’t scare you off. You need to understand how powerful my feelings for you are and they're not going to dissipate or change. I’m not trying to pressure you; I just want to make sure you know where I’m coming from.” I’m losing myself in the bottomless, aquamarine pools she has for eyes. She’s like one of the mythical sirens from Greek mythology, who lure men to their deaths upon the rocky shore, with their singing. Hailey has lured me in with her hypnotic eyes and although it would be the sweetest way to die, I’m hoping for a better outcome.

“I don’t know what to say to all that Cory. Can I have some time to think about it?” I smile at her. I’m glad she is taking what I said seriously enough to ask me for time. That shows me she isn’t just dismissing what I said. I’m probably grasping at straws, but I can’t lose faith now.

“You can take all the time you need babe. I’m not going anywhere. In the meantime, what d’ya say we go show them how it’s done?” I hold out my hand to her and gesture towards the dance floor with my head. She places her hand in mine and slides gracefully off the barstool, before answering me.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Forty

June 2015 - Hailey

If anyone told me I would be dancing in Cory’s arms tonight, I would have called them a big fat liar. I’m shocked and pleased with the way this night is going so far. It feels so good to have all the drama from this week over with and now we can focus on our friendship. He told me again that he wants a relationship with me and he said the sweetest things to me. Things I’ve dreamed of hearing from him but never thought I would. Part of me wants to take that leap of faith and give him a chance to prove to me that he means all the things he’s saying. I’m just so scared to get into a relationship with him and have it end poorly. As tempting as the thought of being with Cory is, I’m not sure I can give him another chance.

I also can’t forget about Marcus. I know we’re not in an actual relationship, but I won’t disrespect our friendship by sleeping with someone else while he’s in California. For all, I know he could meet some girl out there that will knock him for a loop and he will forget all about me. Maybe that would be the best thing that could happen to him. It would get him away from my toxic attitude about love. Marcus is the light and I’m the dark. We are opposites in so many ways I don’t think a long-term relationship could really work with us. Sooner or later my darkness would take over some of his lightness and that wouldn’t be fair to Marcus. He has the most beautiful soul of anyone I know and he deserves the best. Cory and I are a lot more alike, but he scares me. The intensity of my feelings for him are intimidating, so for now I’m going to hold him at arm’s length, so to speak. Except for now, when we’re dancing together in the middle of the dance floor at Divine. His hands are on my hips, controlling them as he rubs against my ass repeatedly. I can feel how hard he is every time he pulls me back against him. My arms are wrapped behind his neck as I lean my back into his steel like chest. His hand is sliding dangerously low on my stomach, making me wish he would move it down even more. Without even realizing I’m doing it, I arch my back, pushing my pelvis forward toward his wandering hand. It’s just my body’s natural reaction to his touch and I feel powerless to stop it. If I didn’t have a dress on I think his hand would already be touching me like I’ve dreamed about; so many times. He growls in my ear before spinning me around in his arms, so we are face to face. He pulls my hips into his, rolling his pelvis against mine as he bends down to nibble on my neck. I moan from the contact and grip onto his shoulders.

“I can’t take much more babe. I can feel the heat of you through your dress and it’s driving me crazy.” He sucks on the chord of my neck before biting it, making me jump from the hint of pain.

“Do you like that babe, do you like a little pain with your pleasure? I must love it because being around you is like that for me. You’re my painful pleasure.” His voice is husky in my ear and my senses are on overload from everything that is going on. I need to get away from him before I do something I regret. I push off of his chest and move back from his arms.

“We need to stop this now.” My breathing is fast and shallow with arousal. I’ll see you at work on Monday.” I turn and make my escape away from him as fast as I can. I can’t see Shelby anywhere so I pull out my cell and send her a text that I’m catching a cab home.

When I’m riding in the cab, I get a text from Cory.

Where are you, babe?

He’s so sweet. I love how he worries about me.

On my way home in a cab

I would have taken you

I know

Text me when you are home safe

There he is, Mr. bossy.

Please

Aww, he’s so adorable. He’s making it really hard for me to resist him, that’s for sure.

I make it home safely and text him once I’ve changed out of Shelby’s dress. If feels so good to be in my usual nightly uniform of boxers and a tee shirt. I’m a casual girl at heart.

I’m home safe.

G’night, dream of me ;)

***

 
The next five days pass with what feels like a blink of an eye. I’m so excited because today is the second of July and I am heading to our beach house in Bradburyport, with Cory. For the next four days, I will be a total beach bum and my toes will be in the sand as much as possible. We are leaving straight from the office so I brought my bag with me and Shelby dropped me off this morning, so my car won’t have to be parked in the garage until Monday. We’re taking Cory’s car which makes me happy because I love to ride in it. He has a brand new charcoal gray, Range Rover and it’s fully loaded with all the options. The black leather seats are so soft and comfortable I’m sure I will be asleep as soon as we hit the highway.

We are leaving work earlier than we typically do to avoid traffic. Three o’clock can’t come soon enough and when it finally does, I’m ready to run out the door. I changed out of my skirt and heels into my standard cutoffs, tank top and flip flops. You can take the girl out of the beach, but you can’t take the beach out of the girl. Cory changed into more comfortable clothes too. He has on tan cargo shorts, a navy blue tee and brown docksiders without socks. He always looks sexy in his suits at work, but I prefer him like this and I know he likes to be casual too. His Range Rover is his one indulgence and I know he agonized over spending the money on it. I may have been the final nudge he needed to get him to buy it. I told him he works hard for his money and he shouldn’t feel guilty buying something he really wants. I may have also mentioned how much fun we could have taking road trips in it.

I’m so excited to be on our way, I’m pretty much bouncing down the hallway ahead of him while he locks his office door. I’m out by Candy’s desk when he calls out for me.

“Wait up babe.” I stop and wait for him with a smile on my face. It may be more of a gloating, in your face bitch grin, but either way I’m happy. He grabs my hand and pulls me along with him but not before I notice Candy’s death glare.

“Have a nice weekend Candy,” I say as we get on the elevator. Once the doors close, I decide to ask him about something that I’ve always wondered.

“Have you and Candy ever slept together?” Cory looks shocked by my question.

“Hell no.”

“Really?”

“Hailey, I promise you I’ve never touched her. I know you have this whole vision of me as some horrible manwhore, but I really wasn’t. I never get my honey where I get my money.” I giggle at his reply.

“So am I the exception then? We work together and you really want my honey.” He barks out a laugh as I giggle. He leans in close and whispers in my ear.

“Oh babe, you have no idea how bad I want your honey.” His words come out with a husky tone to them. When I look up at him, he waggles his eyebrows at me, making me giggle again.

***

  Cory has been driving us on the highway for about an hour now. I love to watch his strong, capable hands gripping the steering wheel. They are sexy and his large muscular forearms drive me crazy. I love when he rolls his sleeves up on his dress shirts and I can see the muscles ripple when he moves. He looks over at me and flashes me a grin when he notices me checking him out. He takes his right hand off the wheel and places it on my bare knee, sending sparks of desire to my core. I place my hand on top of his as I let my head fall back against the headrest. I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth of his hand under mine.

Cory wakes me when we arrive and I’m so excited to be here. I’m even glad that I’ll be seeing my mom. I haven’t seen her in a few months, not since Easter dinner. It will great to spend some time with my dad too. Even though I’m working for his firm, we hardly ever see each other. He’s so busy with his caseload and meetings that we haven’t even had a chance to go to lunch together yet.

***

  By the time we got settled in and had dinner, it was after seven o’clock and I hadn’t even had a chance to get to the beach yet. After I had helped my mom clean up the dinner dishes and put the leftovers away, Cory grabbed my hand and started leading me towards the door.

“Come on babe, you haven’t even been on the beach yet. Let’s take a walk.” I squeeze his hand and excitedly, skip along beside him. We take our shoes off and leave them on the same big boulder we always do, before stepping into the sand. I wiggle my toes in it for a few seconds and savor the softness as it flows between my toes. I breathe in the scent of the salty air as I always do.

“God, I’ve missed being here. Can we stay for the rest of the summer and not go back to work?”

“We can stay till Monday and we can come back every weekend for the rest of the summer if you want to, babe. I will drive you here every Friday night and back home again on Sunday nights.” I lean my head on his arm.

“That’s so sweet of you Cory. I may take you up on that offer.” That would be one way to spend more time with him outside of the office.

He holds my hand as we slowly wander down the shoreline. There’s a cool ocean breeze tonight and it’s a nice respite from the heat of the city. Walking along the beach like this with Cory, gives me a glimpse of what it would be like if we were a couple. He’s taking his time and matching his larger stride to my smaller one. He keeps picking up shells to see if I want them. We’ve been walking for about ten minutes when we come upon the lifeguard shack where we had our passionate moment all those years ago. I try to avoid looking at it, but it really doesn’t matter if I look or not. It’s permanently tattooed on my brain. Cory slows his pace before stopping completely.

“Hailey, I know that you’re thinking about it too, babe. I don’t regret what happened here because it brought us to where we are now.” He caresses my cheek with his fingers before continuing. “I’m a better man today than I was then and you’re a grown woman. I want you to take this weekend to think about what our lives would be like as a couple. I won’t pressure you and I will try to keep my touches PG rated until we go home Sunday night. After that babe, all bets are off. I don’t think I can hold back any longer. I’m planning to take you out on dates and spoil you. Do you need to be wooed babe? I’ll woo you like you’ve never been wooed before.”  I can’t help the giggle that slips out. He’s so freaking adorable. I wrap my arms around his waist, snuggling against his chest and inhaling the musky smell of his cologne. His scent is both familiar and sexy. It comforts me and turns me on at the same time, just like Cory himself.

***

Today is the third of July and even though I’m missing Marcus, I’m excited to watch the fireworks with Cory. I talked to Marcus last night when I went to bed. We had a nice chat and I feel like our conversation was the best one we’ve had since he moved. Usually, one of us has something going on or we’re too tired to stay on the phone. He told me he really likes working for his dad’s firm and that makes me happy. If he has to be out there for a long time, at least he can enjoy it. He also mentioned one of the receptionists asked him out for drinks. Her name is Josie and I guess in California the girls aren’t afraid to make the first move. I know I’m old-fashioned in some ways, but I think it’s the guys place to ask me out. Marcus said he turned her down, but I’m sure that won’t be the end of it. Some girls are relentless and when they hear no, it makes them go after the guy even more.

Having some distance from Marcus has helped to give me some new perspective about our friendship. I have realized that he and I are meant to be the best of friends and that is all that we should be. I have allowed myself to use him as a crutch for the past year, to keep myself from dating other people. It’s not that I don’t love him, I do. But not in the all-encompassing way that you should love the person you want to spend every moment with, for the rest of your life. After this weekend, I have to find the gentlest of ways to tell him all of this. The last thing I want to do is break his heart, but if I’m not honest with him, I’ll only hurt him more.

***

Jake and Shelby arrived here this morning, together. He gave her a ride since he only lives like five minutes from her. It didn’t make sense for her to drive when he was coming here anyway. There’s something going on between those two and I’m not sure what it is, but sooner or later I will find out. For now, I will let them work through it on their own and not stick my nose in like Shelby would, if the situation were reversed.

The four of us spent the day on the beach relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. I was so happy I got some surfing in once the tide headed back out. It felt great to be back on my board again. I even got Cory to take a few runs on it. He’s a decent surfer, although he doesn’t do it a whole lot.

After we’d had enough of the beach, we all went back to the house to shower and have an early dinner. Dad grilled steak tips and chicken and I made a salad to go along with it. My mom bought some potato salad and baked beans, so we had plenty to eat. When we were done eating Jake and Cory packed a cooler with beers and margaritas for us to take down on the beach. I grabbed my favorite blanket for Cory and me to share and I found one for Shelby and Jake too.

We were back on the beach early enough that we got to spread the blankets out in my favorite spot. We set the cooler between them and Cory grabs a beer for himself and a margarita for me. We sit in companionable silence waiting for the fireworks to start. I was lost in my thoughts a bit, missing Marcus and feeling worried about our impending conversation. The third of July has always been a day we’ve spent together so I do miss his company. Cory must sense my sadness because he puts his arm around me, pulling me closer to his side and kissing the top of my head. We stay like that, snuggled together, watching the fireworks show, until it’s over. I’ve put away three margaritas while being cuddled up against him. Shelby will be so proud I’ve exceeded my two drink minimum. The group of people next to us have music playing and no one seems in a rush to leave the beach. Cory stands up and holds his hand out to me. I take his hand and he pulls me up and into his arms.