“Night, Cecelia,” Tyler walks the short distance to Dominic’s Camaro, taking my seat in the car. It’s when he pulls the shiny black door closed that I’m snapped from the spell. The car is already speeding off into the distance by the time I make it up the porch and through the front door, thankful my father isn’t there to greet me.
That night, I slip into bed and leave my balcony doors open. I feel the crisp night breeze flow through the room and it blankets my skin while bringing me back to the inside of Dominic’s Camaro.
I fall asleep and dream vividly of hazel eyes, upturned lips, of blurring trees, and endless roads.
THE NEXT MORNING, WEARING A giddy smile from the recollection of my dreams in the shower, I tread down the staircase with a rehearsed excuse on my lips, nerves firing off as I cross the foyer and walk into the dining room. I’m relieved when I find it empty. But that relief is short-lived when I hear the ping of my phone and see an email from my father, and the subject line, visitors. Roman Horner doesn’t text—that’s much too personal. He corresponds with his child through email.
You’re a grown woman, and I realize the conditions of your stay with me might be a bit stifling on your extracurricular activities due to your late schedule. That said, this is the second night I’ve lost sleep due to your late-night appearance and the noise of your arrival outside of my front door. From here on out, do your best to see yourself home at night and be respectful of my house, Cecelia. Visitors are to be kept at a bare minimum. Also, I will be staying in Charlotte for the next few days due to my schedule. The housekeeper will be in today. Please let her know if there is anything you may need.
Roman Horner
CEO Horner Technologies
I fight the urge to send back an eye roll emoji. Instead, I fire back a ‘Yes, Sir.’
I’m just about to FaceTime Christy when my phone rings.
“Hey, Mom,” I say, making my way toward the kitchen to grab my yogurt.
“It’s been two days and not a peep.”
“I’ve been busy. I haven’t called Christy much either.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“Yes. She’s my first and last call of the day.”
Silence. I’m guilting her and being a shit about it. She knows she hasn’t been there for me since her life hiatus.
“How is it there?”
“It’s fine.”
“You know I hate that word.”
“So far Roman is predictably absent. I really have no idea what you saw in him.”
“It was a long time ago. A different life,” her tone is somber, and I wonder if I’ll ever understand how my existence came to be.
“You two are nothing, and I mean nothing, alike. How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Oh, shut up.”
We share a laugh, and after it dies, her lingering silence puts me on edge. “Mom, you okay?”
“Does he talk about me?”
“No. We don’t even discuss the weather. Why?”
“I just don’t want him saying negative things about me.”
“I wouldn’t believe him anyway. He’s not the one who raised me.”
I hear her sigh. “That makes me feel better, I guess.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I hate that you’re there. I feel like I failed you.”
“It was a spell. You’re entitled to have one. We all are now and then, right?”
“Right. But if you hate it there—”
“I don’t. I’m keeping to myself. It’s like staying at an employee-free resort. I can handle this.”
“You sure?”
For you, I can. That’s what I want to say. “I’m sure.”
“I love you, kid.”
MY FIRST TWO WEEKS AT the plant are bearable due to my supervisor and the extended breaks he grants me. Still, I hear the whispers of a few as I walk by, and there’s no mistaking the sneer of a group of women who more than likely hate me for my last name. One in particular, a beautiful Latina named Vivica, constantly eyes me like my day is coming. The news must have spread fast throughout the plant that I was the owner’s daughter because more and more of my smiles go unreturned.
The pacifist in me tries hard to ignore it, turn the other cheek and keep my head down. If I didn’t already think of my time here like a sentence, now I have every reason to. Sean senses their looks as well, but no one questions him when he whisks me off the line, including Melinda, who may not verbally object but doesn’t spare me her skeptical looks when I’m taken from our collective workstation. Though I seem to be public enemy number one, everyone at the plant seems to love Sean, and he has an easy rapport with most of the employees. The irony is that because I’m with him, I’m managing to get by, and it has nothing to do with my last name.
We haven’t spent much time apart since we met. Whether sunbathing before our shifts poolside or spending our nights at the garage where the boys take turns teaching me how to shoot a game. Russell, Tyler, and Jeremy are always there, but Dominic is mostly absent. Even when he does make a rare appearance, he doesn’t give me the time of day. Yet every time I catch him looking at me, his expression keeps me on edge. It’s always a mix of curiosity and disdain. More than once, I’ve tried to summon the nerve to ask him what his issue is, and every time I’ve chickened out.
Since I arrived in Triple Falls, I’ve been wrapped up and around Sean, literally and often, in the oasis in my father’s back yard. Each time we’ve gotten close to anything intimate, he presses a kiss to my temple, not my lips, and releases me. Several times, he’s leaned in with his lips taunting me, and each time I’ll catch my breath waiting, hoping his lips will drift from my temple or cheek to where I’ve spent ample daydreams imagining them. It’s as if he’s waiting for something other than the permission in my eyes to make a move. I’ve caught him numerous times, gliding his tongue along his lip ring while he’s watched me in the way that says we’re anything but friends. Butterflies swarm me when he’s around, and my body draws tight every time he pulls me close. I’ve memorized his body, aching daily to shift our relationship from friends to more. His refusal to act on our chemistry is driving me up the wall. At the same time, I love the delicious anticipation, the feel of his eyes on me as I take a shot at the pool table, the feel of his fingers tracing the water on my skin. It’s been frustrating and enthralling, and I find myself on the line often in the midst of a daydream while Melinda prattles on about her church friends, mostly the pastor’s wife. And not in a flattering way. But since Sean’s unexpectedly come into my life, when I hit the pillow, he’s often with me in my dreams too. Opening my eyes, I find myself grinning as I recall the latest image of him wading toward me in the water, the sun dancing around him, illuminating him as he prowls toward me. Briefly, I entertain trying to sink back into that blissful sleep to continue our rendezvous when my phone vibrates with an incoming message.
Sean: Thinking of you.