The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories (336 page)

I gasped. His eyes were the clearest blue I had ever seen, like colorless ice. He had a backpack strapped to his back and looked like he was leaving, freshly shaven and his dark brown hair slightly damp from a shower. He didn’t leave as I approached and grabbed the drapes. In fact, he didn’t so much as look right at me. His eyes were unfocused, and he didn’t seem one bit offended by my glare. I noticed the cane he had in his grip as he reached for a pair of sunglasses dangling from his shirt pocket, donning them over his unusual eyes. With that, he continued forward, down the walk.

I was left baffled. Was he blind? He must have been. Why else would he have a cane like that? I wondered briefly what he was doing here, out in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t look like any blind man I had ever imagined. For some reason, I only imagined an old man with white hair and a hunched over gait when I thought of someone who was blind, not a breathtaking man who was probably no more than thirty.

I sighed as I watched him disappear around the corner toward the office. With that, I pulled the window drapes closed and turned to see Audrey, stirring from the spot she had not moved from all night long.

“What time is it?”

“I think it’s around eight.”

She yawned, stretching and popping her bones as she flexed and reached up toward the sky. I chuckled at this little ritual she always did before getting out of bed. Rubbing her puffy eyes, she then slid her hands over her hair and shoved back the convoluted mess of hair that flitted into her face. “I’m gonna jump in the shower. Then, I want to head out. We can’t stay too long,” she muttered.

I nodded my response, though I doubted she saw it. She was already busy pulling out clothes and toiletries from her bag. Shuffling to the bathroom, she clicked the door shut. I could hear her dropping her bottles of stuff and cursing as one smashed her toes. Chuckling, I put my guitar back in its case, dropping the pick back in the little storage compartment the case had for little things. Clicking the latches shut, I ran my hand along the smooth exterior. The guitar was my one prized possession−having saved from my summer job to get it. Now, I could buy several of them with the money I had lifted from Ruben, though I wasn’t sure it would have meant as much to me then.

Ruben.

I shuddered at the thought of him. He was a disgusting con man I’d met by chance of walking into his bar one day. He made a living off selling illicit drugs out of the bar he owned in Phoenix. He was a husky, burly, and greasy man who loved to ogle women. I only tolerated his company because he had a soft spot for me, giving me an endless slew of gifts, free drinks, and a job at the bar, in addition to side work cleaning his apartment. He was a little bit of a mogul and was a bit loaded with cash. Still, I would never let him touch me like he wanted to with a ten foot pole. Yesterday, when we executed our plan to relieve him of chump change and get out of the city, I had let him lure me to his apartment above the bar under the guise that I was finally giving it up to him. Boy, did he have it wrong; he had used his restroom and had come out only to find that I had swiped his secret stash of drug money. I regretted nothing. He was sloppy and had paid for it. I was glad he didn’t have a huge gang to chase us down; otherwise, I would have never deceived him.

Now, the road was ours. Heading to the coastline of San Diego, where the weather was fair and the ocean called us back to it, I couldn’t wait. I stuffed the last of my items back into my bag and waited for Audrey to finish up in the bathroom. Despite what she thought, I was the early bird, not her. She liked to be the responsible one, but I knew she had her faults just as I had mine. I liked it that way though. It made me respect her even more.

As she exited the bathroom with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she was swiftly drying off her bottles of shampoo and conditioner. She was a stickler for soft hair, unlike my unruly tresses. I admired her smooth, light brown hair, so unlike my crazy waves. She was so together, while I pretty much looked like a whirlwind came through here every day, but it was okay. It didn’t bother me, and she didn’t care. As long as we were cool with each other’s quirks, we rarely had any issues getting along.

“Ready?”

“Yep.” I smiled and stood up, pulling the door open. The cool morning air hit me, waking up my senses as I breathed in the ozone flavored breeze. I hopped on over to our car and popped the trunk open, stowing away my guitar and overnight bag and letting her toss hers in before slamming it shut. Jumping into the passenger seat, since it was Audrey’s turn to drive, I waited as she calmly joined me in the cab of the wagon. Cranking the engine, she tapped on the gauges. “We’ll have to get gas at the next station. Remind me.”

“Okie dokie.” I slouched in my chair, bringing a foot up onto the dashboard to tie my sneaker. She shoved it into reverse and eased the vehicle back, swinging it around to drive around the building to the office, where we had to drop off our key cards. Pulling up to the drive, she handed me her key card, and I hopped out to head into the office to turn them in.

Entering the small lobby, I stopped in my shoes and stared at the blind man I had seen outside our window. He sat on one of the waiting room chairs, leaning on his cane with his duffle pack between his jean-clad legs. He was already facing my direction, and I could feel his eyes scanning my way as I walked to the counter. I glanced around, not finding the blond haired attendant. I dinged the lone bell, hoping the twang would bring him out of hiding.

“He stepped out for a few. Said he’d be back soon,” the stranger’s calm voice echoed behind me. I turned and studied his face, not afraid that he could see me staring.

“Thanks.”

He gave a slight nod, not moving from his spot. “You’re welcome, Miss.” His face was still. As a matter of fact, he was so still, no wonder I had missed him on the way in. It made me think on why he was sitting there waiting.

“Are you getting a room?” I questioned. I was pretty sure that he had a room if he was wandering around the motel earlier. Otherwise, it was somewhat freaky.

“No, I’m waiting for my ride.” He smiled then, showing a set of pearly white teeth and deep smile lines that made him look charming. “But they aren’t answering their phone, and I’m afraid they’ve quite forgotten about me.” I couldn’t help but stare; he was mystifying. I hoped he couldn’t tell that I was looking at him for longer than what was appropriate. It would be mortifying, but I couldn’t help it. I waved at him to see if he would react. Satisfied that he didn’t, I turned back toward the counter and contemplated dropping the room cards on the counter and leaving.

“Did he say when he was coming back?”

“No, sorry, I didn’t ask.” I turned back to the blind man, letting my eyes drag down his face, across his body, and down his jeans. He wore them slightly loose but snug enough to define the muscles of his legs. His sneakers were clean and a dark grey. Even his hair was neatly trimmed, though not too short, hanging over his face a bit but not in an unruly way. It was darn sexy, if you asked me.

“I can feel you staring.”

“Oh. Sorry.” My face flushed scarlet, and I ripped my eyes away from him to land on the old faded wallpaper lining the walls behind the desk. It used to have little yellow bouquets of flowers on it. Now they were worn down so much, only an occasional bouquet would be visible. It must have been pretty at one point, but now it made the place look dated. “You think you can tell him I dropped the room keys on the counter here?”

He gave me a curt nod, grinning still. “I sure can.”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, Miss.”

I spun and headed toward the exit, but as my fingers grasped the handle to the door, I turned back to Blind Man once more. He remained glued to his spot, but reached up to his watch and pressed one side of it. “Eight fifty-two A.M.” The robotic voice sounded off, not too loud but loud enough for me to hear in this quiet room. He frowned, sighing as he shifted in his seat.

I knew I was going to regret this. I just knew it.

“Hey, um...Do you need a lift somewhere? We got room. Where are you headed?” Shoot, can’t take it back now. I gulped, glancing out the glass door to see my sister muttering words with her mouth as she was most definitely cursing the radio’s poor reception. I turned back to the handsome stranger and waited for him to respond.

“You sure about that?” He cocked his head to the side as though he was thinking hard on my words.

I fidgeted in my spot and sighed. “Yes, of course. So what do you think?”

A moment slid past until a warm smile grew across his face. “Thank you. I think it sounds wonderful. I’m headed to San Diego.” He stood up, switching the cane to his right hand as he grabbed the bag with the other. “Much obliged.”

“Great! That’s where we’re going.” I opened the door and held it for him. He smiled wider and gave me a quick nod as he walked outside. “I’m Liv Westing, by the way. That’s my sister, Audrey.” I bit at my lip, hoping Audrey wasn’t going to lose her bloody mind when she heard my offer to the stranger.

“Nice to meet you, Liv. I’m Saul Halifax.”

Audrey

I DON’T KNOW
what goes through Liv’s head sometimes. Giving a complete stranger a ride out in the middle of Timbuktu was not my idea of a wise decision. If Saul hadn’t been blind, I would’ve put my foot down, but he was nice so far−he’d nodded his greeting to me with the warmest of smiles, disarming my torrent of protesting in one instant. Regardless, I kept one eye on him in the rear view mirror as I sped along the highway, still anxious to get farther and farther from Ruben.

“So what’s your story?” I asked, glancing at Liv and back to his reflection. He had sunglasses over those translucent blue orbs that seemed to be almost colorless. He smiled to me as though he could see my stare in the mirror. I shifted my eyes back to the road, my face flushing slightly. He was not bad looking, His locks rippled in the breeze, looking ever so soft and aching to be curled around my fingers. I’d at least give him that.

“Well, I work as a voice actor. It pays well, and it’s perfect for someone like me.” He gave a slight grin back through the rear view mirror. I gulped, feeling guilty that I had asked him about his profession. Obviously, it wouldn’t be a traditional job, or would it? He could’ve said he was disabled for all I knew. I found it interesting that he was considered an actor. How cool was that?

“Really? Do you do any of the movie trailer announcements?” Liv spun around and waited greedily for his answer, her long black hair whipping around her head like a halo. I rolled my eyes, knowing our guest couldn’t see me do so. Still, what if he was pretending to be blind? Maybe he was rolling his eyes behind those dark, dark sunglasses at us too.

He chuckled at Liv’s enthusiasm, but shook his head. “No, I’m not that good yet, but that would be a dream come true to get that kind of gig.” He turned his face toward the wind, which was rolling in from the open windows. The warm air was cooling down as the ocean air approached, sending shivers down my arms, but he looked like he very much enjoyed it.

“What were you doing in that motel in the middle of nowhere?” Liv picked at the peeling leather of the seat. Its worn, cracking appearance was fading with time and the abuse of the elements.

“My mother died. I went to her funeral in Flagstaff.” Liv gasped, and I swatted her for asking.

“No, it’s okay. We weren’t close. Just paying my respects.” He gave a reassuring smile again, white teeth flashing, enveloped by luscious pink lips.

“I’m sorry.” Liv slid back in her seat, facing forward once more. I gritted my teeth. My face was flushing with embarrassment, enough for both of us.

“Ignore her. She sometimes says the wrong thing,” I hissed, blowing out a breath as I exited the freeway, heading toward Newport. I had been here several times in my life, and the beach called to me like magic, the scent of the sea exhilarating, even before it was visible.

“No worries.”

I glanced back toward him, and then to Liv, who was already digging through her purse for some gum. I wished I could move on so quickly; it would be better that way, to live in the moment instead of letting the memory of unwanted things traumatize the future. I always knew she would be happier in life than me, always. A short memory was cause for a happy, long life.

“So where do you want to be dropped off? We’re headed to Newport Beach. Got some contacts there that want us to play at their bar.” I gripped the steering wheel, noticing how my hands always got wild with flitting movement when I talked. He couldn’t see them, so why do it? Biting my lip, I waited for his answer.

“Oh wow, you guys play? What kind of music?” He leaned forward, having forgotten my question the moment I had mentioned playing.

“Oh, you know—guitar, banjo, anything with bells, strings, or whistles.” I couldn’t help it; my fingers waved in the air, my wrist flicking about on its own accord, acting as though I was shaking a tambourine. Blushing red again, I dropped it into my lap and clenched the steering wheel even tighter with my other. “We sing too. A duet at times, but Liv does a lot of the solo voice work. I’m pretty much just backup.”

Saul leaned forward, his eyebrows hovering above the frames. “Wow! That’s amazing! I do some percussion, lots of looping drum beats, digital rhythms and stuff. You know,
noise
.” His voice came in louder now, obviously hitting a point of interest for him. “Maybe I can help you guys out sometime. I love to play. Actually, you’d be doing me a favor.” His enthusiasm was contagious. I was jumping in my seat from hearing his offer.

“Really? Wow, that’s really awesome of you!” I flicked my eyes to him, wondering if he was too good to be true. “You sure? That would help us loads! We have some equipment in the trunk. Maybe you can fiddle with it, make it work for you. It hates me, but Liv uses it sometimes. She’s just starting out on it, though, a newbie. We do a ton of just acoustic tunes, easiest to do.”

“Hell yeah, that would be awesome.” Saul leaned back, inhaling deeply, seemingly enjoying the salty ocean air too. His face lit up behind the shades, making my insides warm up, tingling from just looking at the man. He was eye candy if I ever saw any. “I can’t wait.”