“Your alternator is shot, Barbie doll. I have to take it to my shop and get it fixed.”
I hate when he calls me this; he has done it since we were kids and I was pissed he stole my Barbie’s clothes.
“Stop calling me that, jerk face. What will this cost me? I get paid in three days.”
He smiles and says, “It’s on the house if you just get your ass in the truck and let me drive you home.” Chris has this old school Ford F150. The kind I remember my Gramps driving.
“It’s not hard to climb in there, Barbie, you just step in like you do when you jump in Andrew’s truck.” I can hear the frustration in his voice. He’s trying hard to be nice to me. I can’t tell if he’s fighting sexual tension, or if I am just driving him crazy.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m getting in, I was thinking of something else thank you very much,” I mutter as I climb on up. As I sit down, I tell him I’m sorry I ruined his night, but had no one else I could call. He nods his head and says I didn’t ruin anything. His night was over before it started, and he was glad to escape the mistake he was about to make.
It’s a short, quiet drive to my house. The only sound is the muffled radio playing on my favorite country station. As we pull onto my road, I notice Chris tenses up, his knuckles white on the wheel. Keeping my mouth shut, I turn and look out the window and see we are pulling in my driveway.
“Thanks Christopher, I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to do this.” Reaching for the handle, I start to open the door when his hand stops me.
“I shouldn’t be doing this,” he says as he leans in.
What the hell is happening? He looks like he wants to kill me or eat me up, I can’t decide.
“Chris…” That’s as far as I get before his lips crash on mine, making me forget everything and even forget where I am and what I am doing. All I know, is that the first kiss, that first kiss was nothing compared to this. This is earth shattering amazing. He takes his time, nudging against my lips, passion and lust aimed to get me going. I lock my hands around his neck and pull him closer, taking all of this in. In case this doesn’t happen again, I plan on making a lasting impression.
I feel him sigh and our kiss is done. Dreading what comes next, I open my eyes to look at him. What he says next, shatters my heart. “McKenna, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
I look at him, willing my tears not to fall. “You’re right Christopher, this was a mistake, one that has happened two too many times.
I open the door and don’t let him pull me back in. I run into my house, careful not to slam the door and wake my dad. I get to my room and jump in the shower, ready to wash the events of the night off and to let my tears fall freely while the water is washing them away.
Crawling into bed, finally, I let myself think of the ways I would get over Christopher Graves once and for all.
Chris
Fuck, I am an idiot. What the hell was I thinking? Kissing McKenna like that. I mean, yeah it was hot, and I got hard the instant my lips touched hers, but she is forbidden. But by the sounds she’s making and the way she’s leaning into my kiss, I can tell she’s feeling it too. Then when I pulled away, to see that hurt look on her face. It nearly tore me in two. I had to make her see it was a mistake. Hopefully pulling away and acting like a jerk again will make her see it’s a mistake for this to happen. Even if we both want it, Andrew would never forgive me. I hope she doesn’t tell him. Knowing Kenny, she will keep it to herself, pissed off that she let it get that far. God, the things I wanted to do to her.
I pull out of her driveway and go to my spot in the woods. No one comes here. It’s where I go to be alone with my thoughts. And right now, I need to figure out what to do. I send a quick text off to Curtis, asking him to grab the tow truck and grab Kenny’s car from the store and to take it to the shop so I can fix it in the morning. Once I get it fixed, I think I’m going to take off for a bit, clear my head and try to get Kenny out of my head. I hate being a jerk to her, but I had to make a choice. I couldn’t give in to how I was feeling.
Curt sends me a message back, letting me know he went to get her car tonight instead of in the morning because he was already out on another call, and that it’s at the shop. The keys to the shop are in my pocket. I head over and start tearing it apart. I have parts on hand, so I am able to fix it easily. I don’t know if Kenny works tomorrow, but I’ll send her a text to tell her that her car will be ready for her in the morning and I’ll put her keys in the spot at the shop. She knows what I am talking about and this way, I won’t ever have to be near her again.
For a few seconds though, I sit in her car and smell her everywhere. Deciding I can’t not tell her anymore, I decide to grab a pen and paper and write. I’ll put it in her glove box. If she ever reads it, then maybe she will know why I pushed her away. Maybe she will never read it, but in the end, it has to be done before I leave. I won’t be gone forever, but hopefully long enough to get McKenna Taylor out of my head and my heart.
I replaced her alternator, I place the letter in the glovebox, and I write a letter to the guys, letting them know I’m taking off for a bit to get my head on right. Placing a small kiss on her keychain that says her name, I place it in the spot I told her it would be, climb in my truck and head home to pack up before heading to the cottage.
McKenna
Why the hell is he messaging me at 4 in the morning for? I vowed just last night that I would rid him from my memory, that nothing had ever happened, and I would move on. Mind you, I am up at 5 getting ready for Dad to take me to get my car before he goes to work. I don’t work until this afternoon so I will take the morning to clean out my car, as I do every day off Which lately, hasn’t been many. Which is why it needs to be done this morning.
Dad shouts up, “Honey, it’s time to go.”
I bring myself up off my bed and head downstairs. “Thanks Dad, I appreciate the drive over to get the beast. I just wish I could pay them for the work.”
Dad knows Chris won’t take my money. Hell, he never takes money from Dad either. Says because my Dad put up with Andrew through his teen years, that was payment enough.
We pull into the shop while I’m still trying to figure out his message. He said he’d be gone for a while and to take care of Andrew for him. Was he planning this all along? Was he leaving and that’s why he kissed me? So many unanswered questions. SO MANY. But enough about that.
I thank Dad again and hop out of the truck and go get my keys from the spot Chris said they would be. I hop in the car and head home and go back to bed for a couple hours because 5 am is not my friend. Especially on a day when I don’t have to be to work till 3pm.
I wake back up at 8:30. Grabbing a quick shower, I throw on some old clothes and head out to clean the beast. My poor car looks like a dumpster at the moment. I start cleaning the trunk out first and get going to the back seat. Suddenly there’s a knock on the roof of the car, causing me to scream loudly. Smirking beside me is Andrew.
“You fucker. You scared me half to death,” I holler at him as I get out of my car and punch him in the arm. “When did you get back anyways? Weren’t you off chasing a girl?”