Red Sun (26 page)

             
Through the darkness, Elan’s voice caught my attention and I turned my head in the direction of his room.  “In here,” he said evenly, no hint in his tone as to what he was up to.  I kept one hand on the wall and paced the few feet to his doorway, and then stood there.

             
“Bed’s to the right,” he instructed.  I did my best to see him through the dark, but my eyes hadn’t adjusted yet.  So, shuffling my feet to keep from tripping over anything, I went toward the area of his room where I’d heard his voice.  His bed creaked once in front of me when he scooted back to make room.  I was considering just standing there, but then he took my hand and made me sit.  He lay there behind me while I rested on the edge of the bed with my feet planted firmly on the ground.  His hands were a little cool when he ran them up the back of my shirt, very slowly, very lightly.  I knew deep in my heart that he had not lured me back to his house for this to go down – this was him being impulsive as usual.

             
“Do you mind me touching you like this?”  He asked softly as he ran his hand down my back and then around to my stomach.  I flinched a little from the sensation that shot through my body.

             
“No,” I replied reluctantly.

             
His open palm nearly covered my entire torso.  He only had to apply a small amount of pressure to pull me toward him, causing my feet to lose contact with the floor.  That made me feel vulnerable.  Now I was close enough that his lips could reach me.  He kissed gently up the middle of my spine, distracting me from what his hands were doing.  I hadn’t even noticed that he’d undone my bra until it was too late.  What alerted me was the feel of his bare hands on my bare breasts.  Part of me felt as if I should protest, but his lips on my back kept me from doing so. 

             
I hadn’t breathed in about a minute, so when I drew air into my lungs, it sounded more like a gasp.  I felt a brief hesitation in Elan’s lips, but then he felt me relax again and kept going.  I felt so conflicted, but at the same time I kind of wanted him to keep going.  I listened intently to the sound of his kisses as my resolve continued to break. He was obviously a pro at shattering a girl’s will. 

             
“How’s that feel?”  He asked, running his hands slowly down the front of my body.  I felt him change positions so that his legs were now at either side of me and his lips were at the back of my neck.  When my arm brushed against his body, I could feel that he’d taken his shirt off before I got here.

             
Before I was able to answer his question, Elan’s hands began to travel down my body again, only this time he wasn’t moving them back up.  I froze when he unbuttoned my shorts and then slowly pulled down the zipper.  Again, I lost my breath. 
What am I doing? 
I’d totally lost the ability to think or act for myself.  His hand was just inside the waistband of my underwear when I breathed, “That’s enough.”

             
He sat there, unmoving at first, his hand still where it was when I spoke up.  In the time that it took him to back away, I imagine he was trying to give me a chance to be sure that I really wanted him to stop.  Truthfully I wasn’t sure if that was the case or not, but having doubt is enough of a reason for me to say no.  The last time I’d given myself away didn’t end so well, so now I find myself being a bit more selective.

             
“Did I do something wrong?”  He asked, sounding more worried than upset, which was a relief.

             
I shook my head.  “No, you didn’t do anything.  I’m just…..not ready for where I think this is going right at this second.”  I paused.  “I’m sorry.”

             
He kissed my shoulder and then lay down again.  “Don’t apologize.  We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”  Sure he
sounded
understanding, but I still hadn’t forgotten the things Kaya had told me about his past – the things that he’d failed to mention.  All I could think about was how Vince cheated even though he was getting it on the regular.  How would that work with Elan if I wasn’t so sure about giving it up at all at this point – especially if I wasn’t going to be around for too much longer.  Deciding that it would suit me better to address that topic right here and now rather than waiting until another time, I laid back on his bed so that my head was on his arm.

             
“There’s something that I need to talk to you about, but you have to promise not to get mad”

             
His bicep flexed when he laughed.  “That’s never a good way to start a conversation.   Don’t tell me I messed up already.”

             
“No, not yet,” I joked.  “There’s just something that I heard that I wanted to ask you about.”

             
“What’d you hear?”  His tone was anything but defensive, curious maybe.

             
“Well, Kaya and me were talking one day, and…”

             
“How’d I know it had something do to with her,” he interrupted.  “What’d
she
have to say about me?”

             
I picked at my bracelet nervously while I spoke.  “You remember that talk we had the first time you invited me over?  That night you had the party?”

             
“Kind of.”

             
“Well, we were talking about our pasts and you denied it when I said that you looked like you’d been with a lot of girls.”  He was dead silent.  “According to Kaya…..I was right about you.”

             
I felt him sigh.  “Look, that was my first time really talking to you, and maybe I wanted to impress you a little.  It wouldn’t have gone over all that well if I’d been up front about it.”  He sighed again.  “So, yeah, I embellished a little to impress you.”

             
I didn’t say anything back.

             
“Does that…..change things between us?”  I could hear him trying to mask the nervousness in his tone. 

             
“It would’ve if you’d lied to me again, but since you came clean…..no, nothing’s gonna change.”

             
He reached for my hand that was draped over my chest and kissed it once.  “Thank you.  It won’t happen again.”

             
“I know.”

             
He was quiet for a long time and then sat up.  I lay there beside him while he got to his feet and paced across the floor.  My eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness because of the heavy curtains he had over the window – there wasn’t much light getting in at all.  I could only hear him walking.  He mumbled something under his breath when he bumped into the dresser with a loud crash.  Naturally, I burst out laughing instead of asking if he’d hurt himself.  When I heard him chuckle I didn’t feel so bad.

             
“You ok?”  I finally choked out.

             
“Nice of you to ask,” he replied sarcastically.  He flipped on the light to examine the hip he’d injured and it wasn’t until then that I realized he hadn’t only removed his shirt while I was away; he’d taken off everything else too.  I gasped, unable to take my eyes off the back of him; completely void of all clothing.  He had one of the most beautiful bodies I’d ever seen in my life – no exaggeration.  Everything was chiseled and tight, just like it should be.  The muscle definition in his back and thighs was just right, not too much and definitely not too little.  I’d wondered if he was red all over like his face and arms – he was…..all over.

             
“What’re you doing?”  I asked, slightly exasperated and maybe a little excited too.  “Where are your clothes, Elan?”

             
He shrugged nonchalantly, clearly not shy or embarrassed by his nudity – no reason to be.  “I suppose I wasn’t expecting to get turned down.”

             
I blushed and smiled.  “A bit presumptuous of you don’t you think?”

             
“Mmmm…..not presumptuous.  We’ll just say hopeful.”  He thought for a second, still with only the top half of his body facing me.  “Yeah, that’s a good word.”

             
I smiled at his response and glanced down briefly at his body again and then looked him back in his eyes.  Elan caught me slipping that one time and raised a curious eyebrow.  “Maybe I’m not the only one who’s hopeful after all.”  He flashed a smile and then flicked the light off.  “Be back.  I gotta run to the bathroom.” 

             
He turned the doorknob and stepped out of his room……just as the light in the hallway flipped on.  He stopped dead in his tracks for a second and stared straight ahead.  At first I thought he’d done it himself to avoid another incident like the one on his way out of his room, but the look on his face said otherwise.  He looked down at the ground and disappeared.  A few seconds later, I heard the door to the bathroom close and then there was another set of footsteps.  Jolon walked past Elan’s door slowly on his way to his room, peering inside only to confirm that I was in there.  The look on his face was one of disgust.  Now, the anger that I’d searched for before in his eyes was visible and I could feel the tension rolling off his body.  Before disappearing on the other side of the door frame, he shook his head at me, letting me know that I’d crossed the invisible line he’d drawn in the sand.  But that’s the thing, what he thought I’d done never actually happened.  I know it looked bad, but in all actuality I was innocent.

             
I wanted to jump up and tell him that what he thought happened, never did.  I wanted to apologize for hurting him by being here.  I wanted to ask him if he’d changed his mind.  All these things were making me jittery because I wanted to say
something
, but knew that if I did, I would hurt Elan by simply caring enough about Jolon to explain myself.  So, I just lay there.  Jolon slammed his door violently and then everything went silent.  The next sound I heard was Elan coming from the bathroom and easing back down the hall.  When he came in, I hardly noticed the fact that he was still undressed and not trying to hide any part of his body from me.  Neither of us was thinking along those lines anymore.  Knowing Elan, he felt just as guilty as I did.  He sat on the edge of the bed in front of where I lay with his head in his hands.  The only thing I could think to do was stroke his back.  While Jolon was hurting in his own way, Elan was hurting in another.  It was clear that we both knew what Jolon was thinking; who could blame him for jumping to conclusions.  All Jolon knows is that his brother just walked down the hall naked and I was waiting in his room with my bra lying in the middle of the floor.  Elan sighed and shook his head, still not lifting it from his hands.  My touch wasn’t doing much to soothe him either.  He’d just crossed his brother, his best friend.  Wanting Jolon to be comfortable with our relationship was one thing; accidentally throwing it in his face was another.

Chapter
Ten

             
“So…..how do I look?”  Ruthann was so nervous that I had two fans pointed right at her and she was still sweating bullets.  She smiled weakly while looking over herself in the mirror,

             
“I think you look beautiful…..and so will Lou.  Trust me.”  My confidence reassured her, causing her smile to grow.

             
“Sure hope you’re right,” she breathed, doing a half turn to get a good look at the back of her dress.

             
“I’m an expert at this sort of thing.  If I say he’ll like it, he’ll like it.”

             
Ruthann fiddled with her hairstyle – a Solei original.  “You like it?” I asked.

             
“It’s perfect.  I really appreciate you being here to help me.  I would’ve been a wreck if I had to do this alone.”

             
It was hard to imagine her being more anxious than she already was.  I smiled and brushed a stray strand away from her cheek.  “You know I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”

             
“Yeah, but I feel terrible that you passed up the chance to go home with your dad to be here though.  I’m sure you at least wanted to see your friends.”

             
I rolled my eyes at the thought of Alicia.  “Believe me, Ruthann.  I’d rather be here than there any day.  If there was a way that I could move here permanently I would.  I wouldn’t even have to think about it.”  Ruthann stared at me for a few seconds and then back over at the mirror.

             
“Were things at home really that bad for you?” 

             
I shrugged.  “I mean, it could’ve definitely been worse, but it was far from perfect.”

             
“What home
is
perfect?  I’m sure that if I had kids I’d drive them half crazy too.”

             
“That’s hard to imagine.  I think you’d make a great mom.”  I paused to blot her forehead again.  “Who knows?  Maybe you and Lou…..”

             
She cut me off. “Sweetheart, don’t even waste your breath.  I’m far too old to start a family now.  Nice try though,” she joked.

             
She looked down at the clock on her bedside table.  “Sheesh! I didn’t realize how late it was.  He’ll be here any minute.  You sure I look ok?  Not too much make up?”

             
“No, not at all!  Everything’s just right.”

             
She gave the mirror one last glance and then slipped her shoes on.  “Well, I guess this is it then.”  I smiled and hugged her lightly so that I didn’t wrinkle her dress.  As soon as I pulled away, the doorbell rang.  Ruthann’s eyes bugged with fear.

             
“Stay cool.  I’ll let him in and you can just come out when you’re ready.  Okay?”

             
All she could do was nod.

             
I closed the door behind me and went to let Lou inside.  He rang the bell one last time before I opened it and found him standing there with his hair pulled back in a neatly gelled ponytail and wearing what had to be his best suit.  He was possibly even more nervous than Ruthann was. 

             
“Hey, hon.  Ruthann in?”

             
I smiled.  “Of course she’s here.  Come on in.  She’ll be out in a sec.”

             
He nodded and cleared his throat.

             
“So, what’s the plan for this evening?”  I asked, taking a page from my dad’s book.  He’d asked Vince that every time he came by to pick me up.

             
Lou cleared his throat again.  “Well, I was thinking dinner, but if you think there’s something she’d enjoy more then…..”

             
“No, I think that’ll be perfect.  She’s just looking forward to spending time with you.”  It was hard to tell underneath his deep red complexion, but I think he blushed. 

             
Ruthann’s door crept open and Lou and I both stood to our feet, anticipating her arrival.  When she came around the corner, I watched Lou’s mouth fly open.  I couldn’t help but to smile.

             
“Evening, Ruthann.  You look beautiful,” he stuttered.

             
She definitely blushed when she looked down at the ground.  “Thanks.  You look very handsome yourself.”  They stood there uneasy and unsure of what to say next.

             
“Well, I’m gonna get going.  It’s getting late and Kaya’s supposed to be meeting me at my house.”  I grabbed my purse and Ruthann’s car key.  She insisted on letting me keep it all weekend while my dad was away in case of an emergency.  I followed them out to the porch and waited while Ruthann locked the door.

             
She turned to me and kissed my cheek.  “Wish me luck,” she whispered.

             
As soon as she turned to walk away, Lou reached for her hand and walked her to his car.  Like a true gentleman, he opened her door, helped her in, and then shut it before going around to the driver’s side.  They backed out of the driveway with me following closely behind until we parted ways at the bridge.  I could only hope that she’d loosen up at some point during the evening and allow herself to have a good time.

             
I pulled up to my house a few minutes later and sat there for a bit, staring at the dark windows and eerie shadows that the trees cast on the siding.  I’m not usually afraid of being home alone, but out here in the middle of nowhere I was admittedly a little apprehensive.  I turned off the engine and pulled the key out of the ignition, exchanging them for my house keys that were zipped inside my purse.  There was no sense in prolonging this.  As soon as I slammed the car door behind me, I sprinted toward the house, scurrying to unlock the door so I could get in and turn on the light.  It felt like ten minutes passed when I finally closed the door behind me.  With the lights on and everything just like I’d left it, I felt a little stupid for running. 

             
The house was so quiet; aside from the slight hum coming from the refrigerator, there was no sound other than my breathing.  It was unnerving.  The sound of my cell phone sounding off nearly made me jump out of my shoes.  It had been dinging for the past hour, letting me know that my battery was low, so I paced back to my room, turning on every light along the way, and then plugged it in to charge. 

             
It was already seven and Kaya was supposed to be over any minute.  I hurried to the kitchen phone to make sure she was on her way, maybe a little overly anxious because I knew that there was a storm rolling in.  She answered right away.

             
“Yeah, it’s gonna be like another forty-five to an hour.  My mom sent me to my grandma’s at the last minute to take her some groceries.”  I could hear in her tone that she was irritated.

             
“Well should I wait to order the pizza then?”

             
“No, go ahead.  By the time I get there to pick it up, they should just be pulling it out of the oven.”

             
I pulled back the curtains and saw lightning flash way off in the distance.  My stomach dropped.  “Ok, just hurry please.”

             
She laughed a little.  “Aren’t you too old to be scared of being home alone?”

             
“Whatever, just hurry.”  I hung up and let the curtains go.  The phonebook was in the kitchen on the counter near the far wall.  I had the number to the pizza place bookmarked and highlighted because that had been dinner for me and my dad so many nights in a row.  From where I stood, I could see the red pencil sticking out through the pages, holding the spot.  Just when I got ready to reach for the book, I heard something.  It was quiet, but out of synch with my steps so I knew that the noise hadn’t come from me.  I stopped moving immediately, my hand still lingering in the air, stretched out toward the book.  I heard it again.  To, me it seemed to be coming from the window over the kitchen sink, too close to where I stood for comfort.

             
“It’s just the wind,” I said quietly to myself.  The storm
was
moving in and it was a definite possibility that a strong breeze was the culprit.  Shaking off the fear, I reached for the phonebook and slid it toward the edge of the counter.  When I did, a small gray streak shot across the counter, behind the faucet, and then disappeared behind the microwave.  I screamed at the top of my lungs and let the book thud to the ground when I took off running down the hall to my bedroom.  I yanked my comforter off my bed and bunched it up so that the space under my door disappeared, making sure that nothing that wasn’t already in stood a chance at getting in now.  I panicked.  I couldn’t stay locked in here all weekend waiting for my dad to come back and kill the mouse.  I had two choices: either I could go out there and try to catch it myself – not likely, or I could call someone to catch it for me.

             
Before I could even think to do so, I called Elan’s number.

             
I didn’t wait for him to greet me.  I blurted, “You gotta come get this mouse!”

             
“What?  Where are you?”

             
“At home and there’s a mouse in the kitchen.  I saw it on the counter.  You gotta catch it or kill it, whatever.  All I know is I can’t stay here until it’s gone.”

             
He suppressed a laugh because he knew I was really upset and also that I’d get mad.  “Ok, let me drop Jo back off at home and I’ll be there.”

             
“Thanks.  Please hurry though.”

             
Holding in another laugh, he replied, “Ok, be there in a few.”  I hung up the phone and sat in the bed with my knees pulled up to my chest, staring at the blanket on the floor so I could be sure that the critter didn’t get in.

             
About twenty minutes later, I heard the doorbell ring.  Now, the challenge became getting all the way up to the front door without being attacked by the mouse.  I got up from the bed slowly and kicked the blanket away so that I could open my door.  When I stared down the hallway, it looked like it stretched to nearly three times its normal length.  There was nothing for me to do but take a deep breath and run. 

             
When I unlocked the front door and pulled it open, Elan had an eyebrow raised as he stared back at me.  “Are you seriously running so it can’t get you?”

             
I felt a little embarrassed, but fear is a much stronger emotion.  “Kitchen’s that way,” I said quietly, as if the mouse would hear and make a move.

             
Elan came in with a bag in hand and stepped past me to check things out.  I followed behind, keeping a little distance between us in case I needed to run again.  His fearlessness only made me
slightly
more comfortable than before. 

             
“Where’d you see it last?”  He asked.  I pointed at the microwave.  His boots thudded across the linoleum while he crossed the room. 

             
“Wait, don’t you need something to hit it with?”  I asked.

             
He smiled.  “This isn’t Tom and Jerry, Solei.”

             
I shrugged.  “It just seems like you need to protect yourself.”

             
He shook his head and gripped the sides of the microwave.  When he pulled it away from the wall I gasped, expecting the mouse to fly out and attack.  Much to my surprise, there was nothing.  He looked back at me over his shoulder and then set the microwave on the floor.  He pulled out a miniature flashlight from his pocket and followed the droppings over to where the counter dropped off near the refrigerator.

             
“I’m gonna have to pull this out so I can see better.”  He set the flashlight on the counter and then moved the fridge out about two feet from the wall.  Again…..I gasped.

             
This time, Elan put his head down and laughed a little.  “Mmmaybe you should wait in your room while I do this,” he suggested.

             
I smiled, feeling only mildly ashamed by my behavior, and then went back into hiding.  Like before, I shoved my comforter beneath the door and then sat in the middle of my bed while I waited.  There was a little noise coming from the kitchen, but nothing that would lead me to believe Elan was in any danger.  I had to laugh at the thought of something so small ever hurting someone his size; it was a bit ridiculous when I looked at it that way.  Not even five minutes passed when he came and knocked.

             
“Got it
already
?”  I asked as I opened the door.

             
He nodded.  “Yup……but you should have your dad call someone when he gets back in town.  There’s a massive hole under the sink and that’s probably how it got in.  For now, I put down some poison and a couple traps under there just in case.”

             
“What am I supposed to do until then?”

             
“I have my hunting rifle you can borrow.  You know, to protect yourself from the mouse Mafia.”  He smiled and I rolled my eyes.  “But if I were you, I’d just wait it out.”