If I Never Knew You (If I Never Knew You Series) (9 page)

"Fine!" Orion and I said together, just as we heard the doorknob turn.

"Orion?" Andy asked. The next second there was a thud and some laughing from the other side of the door. "Aw man, that is just...God, I didn't think it would happen already!"

"Get lost, Andy," I shouted and got up after untangling myself. Then I pulled on a pair of panties and a bra. We heard Andy laugh all the way down the stairs. "God, he can be annoying sometimes!"

"What did you expect?" Orion asked. I looked at him. He was sitting on the bed with the blanket bunched up between his waist and knees, leaving everything else bare. He was also looking at me in a 'come hither' way, so when I climbed onto the bed, I straddled his waist and kissed him hard.

"I have to take a shower," I said, after reluctantly pulling away.

"So why did you put your clothes on?" Orion asked.

"In case my brother made a not-so-welcome entrance," I said.

"I get it," Orion said. "I'll go and make lunch for us and leave a sandwich for Andy and your mom, who will probably be home soon.

"Mind reader," I said, kissing him again. I got off him before we were tempted to do what we did last night. I smiled at him before grabbing my towels and leaving the bedroom.

I WENT TO work, leaving Andy and Orion to do as they pleased. Mom was due to arrive home at one that afternoon. I figured she would be tired after her vigil at the hospital and would probably want to take a rest after lunch. Poor Aunt Cheryl had cancer and the prognosis was not good, so Mom would be making many more visits to her in the near future since our grandparents had passed and there were few other siblings.

I think my mood surprised everyone at work. Usually I hated the afternoon shift, but today I was cheerful, not even having to force a smile as I took orders. Jen picked up on it and I told her what had happened.

"It's about time," she said. I blinked and stared at her. "Oh please-all that tension between the two of you and the way you acted around each other here. Lord only knows how you acted away from work." I went red, and she laughed. "Just be careful with what you do."

By the time the boys arrived at the restaurant in my last hour of work, my excitement had settled down quite a bit. By now, everyone at the Wayside was getting to know Orion as well as they knew Andy. Jen was even beginning to know what Orion preferred eating: a club sandwich at lunchtime and meatloaf at dinner. I was a little on edge because I hadn't heard from Damian the whole day-I usually have to suffer through at least one phone call.

Jen had gone home after preparing Andy and Orion's orders, so there was no one to talk to between tables. I couldn't just stand up front and talk with my brother and his friend. That put another thought in my mind. What were Orion and I? We couldn't be boyfriend and girlfriend until the issue with Damian was solved. I really wanted to break up with Damian, but I was afraid of what he might do.

I was still thinking that over when I clocked out nearly half an hour late because of some people who just wouldn't leave. Finally, I was able to join the guys up front, where they were just hanging out, waiting for me to finish.

"So what were you doing?" I asked.

"Thinking of the easiest, cheapest way of moving all my shit to your place," Orion said. "Your mom gave me the okay today when I spoke to her about moving in."

I nodded. I was not surprised that Mom agreed, because she was so easygoing about everything. She would also welcome the extra income that Orion could provide, which would enable her to stop working.

"Well, Madison," Andy said, yawning. "Are you done finally?"

I said yes and we all stood up and left. Since he had to be at work early tomorrow, Orion dropped us off at home and later went to his own place. Then it happened: Just as I was about to fall asleep, the phone rang. I picked it up and lay back down, before answering, "Hello?"

"Did you just get home?" Damian asked. My eyes shot wide open and I sat up.

"Um, yeah," I said. "I had to stay later because some people wouldn't leave."

He made a noise and then started on a dreadfully long story about something to do with work. I made the appropriate sounds when needed, but otherwise didn't listen. The only thing I distinctly heard was him saying that he wouldn't be able to see me much. That gave me a great sense of relief.

Finally, after over an hour, he hung up and I snuggled gratefully into my bed. I wondered if I would be able to wait until Damian broke up with me, rather than the other way around. Based on our most recent conversation, it seemed to be a possibility. It sure would have made things a lot easier if I got dumped and not the other way around.

That weekend, Orion and I went to the mall to help him find a present for Andy. Also, previously unbeknownst to me, we would be helping Orion buy some new clothes.

"You know, I'm really not the right female for this," I admitted, leaning against the wall next to the dressing room stall with my arms crossed and one foot jiggling impatiently. "I thought we were here for my brother."

"Yeah, but I need stuff too," Orion called through the door. "And what do you mean, 'you're not the right female'?"

"Have you seen what I wear?" I asked. "I basically just grab things from my closet and if they look good together after three seconds, I wear them."

"So?" Orion asked. I rolled my eyes, but with a smile. "Madison, would you please help me?"

"Sure," I answered, not really thinking. The door opened more and I walked in. Orion closed the door and relocked it. "What do you need help with?" I barely got the last word out, because Orion had suddenly swooped down and kissed me, right out of nowhere.

I moaned softly and wrapped my arms around his neck as he backed me into the wall. He pulled away after a second only to descend upon my neck like he had the habit of doing. I bit my lip to keep from moaning too loudly.

"You know, we're gonna get in trouble," I warned him.

"Oh well," Orion said.

I think we were at it for a good ten minutes before someone knocked on the door. Orion made up some bullshit excuse that he was just getting my opinion on things. The sales clerk simply smiled, but we could tell he wasn't buying it. At least Orion purchased everything he had brought into the changing room, so the sales staff was happy, rather than annoyed, about our romantic interlude.

We walked around the mall for a while before finally finding a gift for Andy. Actually, there were two parts to the gift. Orion wouldn't tell me the second part, but the first part was a game for Andy's Game Boy.

"Come on, just tell me!" I begged Orion. "Please!"

"It's for both of you, so I can't." After a few attempts to get him to tell me, I gave up as we walked outside to the parking lot. Orion grabbed my arm to stop me from going around to the passenger side.

"What?" I asked. He held out his keys to me. "Are you kidding?"

"Not at all," Orion said. "I've been showing you how it drives. And I'm pretty sure you've had enough driving experience to be able to handle it." I just nodded. He jingled the keys in front of me. "Come on, Mad. I trust you."

I couldn't help but smile as I grabbed the keys and got into the driver's seat. Orion got into the passenger side-it was funny seeing our roles switched.

"Oh, boy!" I muttered.

"Just take it easy," Orion advised.

"That's easy for you to say! The only thing I've driven is Damian's car, and that car is nothing compared to this."

"Well, just be glad that you know the back roads to your place, so there's little chance of traffic to freak you out," Orion said. I sighed and finally started the car.

By the time I pulled into my driveway, I was surprised that Orion was so relaxed. He told me that I did really well and I believe he meant it. Then Andy and Mom came out. During this time, Orion went and hid the one gift that I knew about. It was a weird day, to say the least. Orion ordered pizza for us to have for dinner and then there was some discussion of when he should move in and how he was going to get it done.

That day was the first day in a very long time that Damian didn't call, which didn't surprise me, as he had said he would be busy for a while. Apart from the time that I mentioned driving his car, I pretty much forgot he existed that day.

That was a bad move on my behalf.

AFTER STUFFING OURSELVES on Hawaiian pizza, I was so full that I was about to crash on the sofa, or at least I would have if the doorbell hadn't rang.

"Who could that be?" I asked, getting up.

"Um, probably Warren," Andy said, popping up quickly to get the door.

I was happy Andy was inviting his other friends over, too. Andy opened the door and we said our greetings to Warren, before they started playing video games.

I went out front and sat on the steps, thinking about my life and my situation with Orion and Damian. I hadn't actually seen or talked to Damian for a week now. I did see Orion a lot, but when talk turned to his help and moving in, I changed the subject, so the topic hadn't really been spoken about for the last two days. The truth was that if I didn't do something soon, there would be a big mess.

"God...I am so screwed," I muttered.

"You can say that again!" I looked up at the sound of my boyfriend's voice.

"What the hell?" I said, staring up at Damian.

"I have a question for you, Madison," he said, standing with one foot on the lowest step.

"Okay," I said, carefully.

"What does your brother's friend really mean to you?" Damian asked me. "He's here an awful lot." He leaned down and grabbed my chin. "And, my dear, I see him with you quite a bit-like at the mall last week."

"We were shopping for Andy's birthday present," I explained. "He needed help and asked if I'd go with him."

"Aw, see Baby. That's what I like about you," Damian said. His hand tightened on my chin. "You're just so damn trustworthy." He let go of my chin roughly and I dropped my head and focused on his shoes. "And you are so terrible at lying." This time he put the heel of his hand on my forehead, and forced my head back up. "Now, I don't know what's going on between you and him, but end it. Believe it or not, babe, you need me. If I go, so does everything else." He removed his hand a second before the door opened.

"Madison, is everything okay?" Andy asked. I took a deep breath, before turning around and looking at him with a forced smile.

"Everything's fine," I lied.

"Damian," Andy said, looking at my boyfriend with dislike written all over his face.

"Everything's fine, kid," Damian said. "Go back and play your games."

"Umm," Andy said.

"Don't leave Warren alone, Andy," I told him. Mentioning his friend did the job. Reluctantly, Andy stepped back into the house and closed the door.

"So," Damian said. I slowly turned back to look at him. "I'm seeing you tonight?"

"Sorry, but I have to work," I explained.

"What about after work, my dear?" Damian suggested. I closed my eyes, thinking about this. In his own way, he was right. I sighed and nodded. "Good," he replied. I watched him walk to his car. "Oh, and Madison," he raised an eyebrow, "take the bus."

He got into his car and, as I watched him leave, I suddenly felt very sick. When I got to my room, I looked at my phone and at the number on the screen, before I pushed the talk button to call it.

"Hey, Mad," Orion said, happily. I couldn't do this.

"Orion, hi," I said.

"What's up?" Orion asked. "I was just about to leave."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I was thinking I'd take the bus today."

"Oh?" Orion asked. Oh boy, I could hear the questions coming before they even made it out of his mouth. "Well, you need me to pick you up tonight, don't you?"

"Um, no," I said. "I'm doing a double shift."

"Again?" Orion asked. I had done a few double shifts the last few days, but still managed to see Orion, Mom and Andy quite a bit.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Madison, I'm worried now."

"Don't. Everything's fine."

"Okay, are we still on tomorrow?"

"Uh, no...I can't."