Текст книги "One and Done"

Автор книги: S. Briones Lim

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter 16

Rocky has a boyfriend.

Let me repeat: Rocky has a boyfriend!

So much for finding a right balance. Shock cannot begin to describe the myriad of emotions that tickled every artery, vein, and organ inside of me, though envy may be a closer word.

To make matters worse, he was a total douche! To be fair, he wasn’t as bad as I remembered Dwight to be, and sure, I guess I could kind of see where females may appreciate the mess you call his face. He looked like he could be on one of those corny TV soap operas or at the very least a pop star that adorned the postered wall of a prepubescent girl. Yet I had no idea what Rocky saw in him. She was so much better than him. Shit, even I wanted to punch him in the face the moment I laid eyes on him.

I guess guys like him always won.

After successfully dodging Rocky for the past two days—yeah, yeah, I was a chicken—I had pushed open the heavy orange door toward the breakroom for my lunch break and skidded to a stop. I felt the hinge to my jaw give way as I took in the sight in front of me. Rocky was eating lunch, but she definitely was not alone.

Perfectly coiffed blond hair, bleached white straight teeth—this dude was definitely some silver spooned prep. He caught my eye and threw me a strained smile, leaning toward Rocky protectively. “It’s okay, my man. Just having lunch with Rocky.”

I wasn’t sure if that counted as an invitation to join them. Not that I would have wanted to. I felt my eyes twitch, but tried my best to remain guarded. “I see.”

Had I not been mortified, I would have found it in myself to laugh at poor Rocky. Her eyes wide with a mouth full of lettuce, she looked as if she had just walked in on somebody receiving a blow job…most likely something she’s done before. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I pushed it away, feeling disgusted with myself. Guess I never really grew out of my jealous streak.

Somehow swallowing her mouthful of salad, she cringed slightly and said in an artificially high pitched voice, “Ethan, this is my old friend, Jesse. He just started working for us yesterday.”

Friend. Was I even that to her anymore?

Her eyes bounced wildly, looking everywhere around the room except at me. “Jesse, this is Ethan. He’s…uh….we…uh…”

Good. At least that means they’re not serious.

Good? Where the hell did that come from? Just yesterday I was hesitant to go near her and now…

Now you’re back in Bethel Hills, lover boy. You’ve always wanted what you could never have and you know that’s Rocky.

Fucking devil. Too bad he was right. How did I even think I could come back to see her and not fall for her again? I don’t think I ever fell out of love with her to begin with. Every decision I ever made in Charleston had her in mind. Even letting her go was about her.

It’s the reason you took this job, Jesse. You want Rocky.

The revelation shook me to the core. There really was no denying it. I stared at the couple uncomfortably and bit back a laugh when Ethan gritted his teeth and replied, “No labels.”

“No labels.” I was grinning smugly and I knew it.

“Old friends, huh? How long have you known each other?” Ethan’s eyes bounced between us, narrowing in suspicion. I knew that look all too well. He was definitely jealous, so why not make him squirm a little?

“We’ve been friends since we were fourteen,” I replied. Yup, a long time, you tool.

“Wow, almost ten years. That’s impressive!”

“We lost touch a few years back,” Rocky interjected, staring daggers at me.

I couldn’t really blame her for being upset with me, yet it still hurt to be on the receiving end of her anger. Knowing I couldn’t stomach spending my break with the love birds, I grabbed my lunch and headed toward the door, intent on gathering my thoughts.

“Where are you heading off to?” Ethan called out nasally. “You can eat with us.”

Right, so you can rub Rocky in my face. Nope, couldn’t do it.

“No offense, but I’m a bit of introvert. I need my lunch break to regroup…alone.” I made my exit before either one could reply. However, on my way out I overheard Ethan asking Rocky out on a date to Carbanaro’s. It shouldn’t have surprised me that such a prep could afford a swanky place like that. How could I even compete?

“Rocky couldn’t have changed that much,” I mumbled to myself. “Besides, when did you ever need money to win a girl? Just use old fashioned charm.”

And maybe wake up a little of the bad boy Rocky always loved.

Life works in mysterious, fucked up ways sometimes. I mean, how messed up could I get? I needed to see her with another man to realize I still loved her?

Regardless, sometimes life did need to knee you in the balls sometimes for you to realize what was best for you. As fucked up as it was, it took seeing Ethan to realize that staying away from Rocky was no longer an option for me.

***

“Hola, Prodigal Son.” The sound of Stephanie’s voice echoed inside the stockroom, which was lovingly known as the Dungeon among the staff. I straightened myself, surprised that she was able to walk into the room without a care when I nearly got my head chewed off for stepping behind the cash wrap just a few days earlier. Then again she was Rocky’s real friend so I guess that title carried its benefits.

“Ah, isn’t it my annoying chum, Steph.” My grin stretched wide as I watched my old friend saunter toward me. Like Rocky, she had grown up considerably. Having always been much taller than me, I was happy see that I now towered over her for once. Dressed in pastels with her hair pulled back, she looked like a model, but she held no pickle to Rocky’s natural beauty.

“Nice to see you too.” She grinned, flashing me a smile that was metal free and blinding white, catching me off-guard. Nevertheless, her smile was kind. At first, anyway. “What’s your deal with Rocky, man?”

Ah, so we were back to this again.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied. Did she really think I was going to spill my guts to her the first time we spoke? Hell, even I was still waking up from the confusion of my feelings.

“Oh, please,” she replied, sounding bored. “It’s really obvious to everyone but you two. I get it, really.”

“Get what? What a gossip you are.” I shook my head in amusement. “Guess some things never change. You’re still a nosy know-it-all, aren’t you?”

She rolled her eyes. “And you’re still a dick, I see. By the way, you’re right; I haven’t changed either. I still pride myself over looking after Rocky. It goes without saying that not all of us in this room can say the same.”

“Hey! I care about my cousin,” a gruff voice interrupted from behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed a gigantic man peering at us. We’d shared a few shifts before, but as usual I kept to myself and never really spoke to him.

Steph laughed and rolled her eyes. “Stop eavesdropping, Maurice. Keep hauling whatever it is you’re hauling back there.”

“Shut the fuck up, Stephanie.”

Okay, maybe I should speak to him.

I couldn’t help but chuckle when he flipped Stephanie off before stomping off and made a mental note to get to know the guy better.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Stephanie narrowed her eyes and eyed me expectantly. “What are your intentions with Rocky?”

I let my head fall back and groaned. “I’m not here to ruin her life if that’s what you’re getting at. I’m sure she’s told you that we haven’t even really spoken since I arrived.”

Something I really regret now that Ethan is in the picture.

“Oh, I know,” she replied smugly. “But my question is why you are avoiding her. I mean, it’s pretty obvious why you’re here to begin with.”

“My mother?” I snapped sharply.

At least she had the decency to cringe. “Oh yeah, I’m sorry about that. I hope she gets better.”

“I bet,” I replied glumly.

She fidgeted for a moment, but her awkwardness didn’t stay. Placing both hands on her hips, she clucked, “But I’m not talking about your infamous return to Bethel Falls.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

She threw her hands up in exasperation. “The fact that you’re working at Rossi’s Novelties, of all places. What else would I be talking about?”

Suddenly feeling cornered, I tried to change the subject. “So, what have you been up to all these years? Your brains get you into a good job?”

“Nope, you’re not getting out of this one. We’re going to stay here and talk about the fact that you’re back to sweep Rocky off her feet, but you’re too chicken to act upon it. That’s why you’re hiding out in here all day and that’s why you’re too scared to talk to her.”

The blood drained from my face. Was I really that obvious? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mmhmm,” she muttered. “Keep telling yourself that, sweetie.”

Rolling my eyes, I decided to switch gears. “Guess some people never outgrow their annoying quirks.”

Slowly, Steph’s eyes narrowed. “You better be talking about yourself, boy. Some of us—and I mean me—have grown into fully functioning adults.”

“Then why are you here acting like Rocky’s bodyguard all over again or at the very least, her meddlesome mother? If you haven’t noticed, she’s a fully functioning adult as well. Do you think she’d like the fact that you’re here interrogating me again?”

Stephanie’s eye twitched. “I just care about her, that’s all.”

“And I don’t?”

“Judging by your aloofness, I can say no, you don’t.” Her lips tightened and her jaw clenched. “Did you not stop to think that she could have been hurt when you suddenly stopped answering her calls? Stopped texting her? Didn’t visit? Dude, she lov—err…she cared…um…well, you get the point. And do you know who was there to pick up all the pieces?”

“Let me guess…”

“Me! And whatever you’re planning to do, stop. I don’t want to clean up your mess again…unless of course you’re here for some good…you know what I’m saying?”

Sighing, I rubbed at my eyebrows in thought. There was no way I’d tell Stephanie what was going on in my mind. For one, I wasn’t comfortable enough to divulge the info. Secondly, if I was going to confess my transgressions to anyone, it would be to Rocky. Glancing up with hesitation, I replied quietly, “Let’s just say I was worried she was mad at me so I was feeling things out a bit. Like you said, I know I hurt her. Can’t expect to jump back into a friendship head first, right?”

It wasn’t a total lie; it just wasn’t the whole truth either.

“Right.” She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Why did I even think you’d be honest with me? You never were.”

“That’s not true,” I argued.

“Just forget about it.” To my surprise, her facial features relaxed. “Either way, it’s great to see you again. I hate to admit it, but I missed you.”

I couldn’t help but soften. “I missed you too.”

Steph glanced down at her digital watch and grimaced. “Looks like I have to run. Work’s a calling.”

“Here, let me walk you out,” I offered. “It’s the least I could do.”

“After I ‘interrogated’ you?” she teased.

Laughing, I wiped my dingy hands against my work apron and motioned toward the door. “For visiting me. If I were being honest—”

“You never are,” she interjected mischievously.

Ignoring her, I pressed on. “I would have kept to myself for a bit. It was nice you took the time to seek me out.”

When we reached the double doors leading to the main sales floor, she arched an eyebrow. “I’m actually surprised they hired you without a background check. How do any of us know whether or not you’ve turned into a serial killer and you were really in hiding all this time?”

“Oh no! You found me out! Now it’s time to kill!” I exclaimed with mock anger. Relaxing my face, I added, “That’s an interesting story line to add to your weird fanfiction anthologies. Do you still write gnome erotica?”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “It was elf romance, and no, I don’t. I’ve graduated to werewolf/human trysts.”

“Nice. I always wondered what wolf tits looked like.”

We pushed through the huge doors and burst into laughter.

“You are so full of it!” she exclaimed.

“You were always a smartass!”

“Having a good time?” Rocky’s voice interrupted. Her tone was almost sharp enough to cut a diamond.

Stephanie’s face folded guilty. “Oh you know. Just catching up.”

“I bet.”

Well, I wasn’t about to stick around at the risk of pissing Rocky off even more. Lord knows how much she probably already hated me. I cleared my throat and eyed the stockroom, looking to make an escape. “I guess I’ll be heading back to work. Nice seeing you again, Steph.”

“Yeah, nice seeing you.”

I walked away, ignoring the fact that I could hear both girls murmuring behind my back. It was obvious they were chatting about me, but no way in hell I wanted to hear those catty remarks. I pushed my way back into the Dungeon and caught Maurice staring at me curiously.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged. “Just wanted to give you some advice about Rocky.” Noticing the suspicious look on my face, he added, “You and Steph talk kind of loud. Bro code, dude. I won’t tell my cousin anything.”

Relenting, I slumped forward and rubbed my temples. “Okay, fine. Whatcha got?”

“If you want to get back on her good side, you just need an opportunity to remind her that you’re company worth keeping.” He picked up a huge box and heaved it onto his shoulder, eyeing me warily. “From what I’ve heard, you really haven’t done much to prove yourself to her.”

“Prove myself…in what way?”

“Just don’t be a jerk. Don’t hurt her again.” Without warning, he chucked the box across the room as if it weighed nothing. There really wasn’t a reason for him to do so, so I assumed it was a brotherly warning for me to watch my back. Throwing me a side glance, he repeated, “You just need one opportunity.”

***

Well, that opportunity presented itself in the form of three sick employees and a longer than usual line out front. I mean, you could almost hear the desperation in Rocky’s tone as she practically begged for help over the store intercom system. Though I knew I had more than enough experience from my years working at Tyler’s Tavern to help her out, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to risk pissing Mr. Rossi off and ruining what little progress I’d made so far. So, imagine my surprise when he approached me.

“Um, Jesse?” Mr. Rossi shifted uncomfortably, as if the very act of asking me a favor hurt him deeply.

“Yes, sir?” I asked cautiously.

“Has Rocky taught you how to handle the registers, yet?”

When would she have had the time, given that I’m always back here?

I shook my head. “No, sir.”

“Rats—”

“But I’ve handled it before in my old job at Charleston,” I explained quickly.

Mr. Rossi tried hard to hide his surprise, but he failed miserably. His upper lip twitched as he fought back a smile. “Oh? So you can handle the old computer we have in front?”

“Pretty sure,” I agreed.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go!”

At his urging, I practically ran to the front. However, had I known what a piece of meat I’d feel like, I would have stalled a bit longer. Seriously, it felt as if I was walking the catwalk—or at the very least a live action version of those dating/rating apps you’d find for your phones.

Swipe left.

I gulped and hurried toward the register, reddening as I felt females undressing me with their eyes. To my disappointment, Rocky wasn’t one of the oglers. Her eyes were dipped low, making her appear as if she were glaring at the computer screen.

Barely looking up at me, she snapped, “Um, you’re not trained to handle the register.”

I rolled his eyes and stepped up beside her. “Trust me; I’ve handled plenty of registers before. It doesn’t take a genius to swipe barcodes over a scanner.”

“There isn’t anybody else back there?”

God, did she hate me that much?

Fighting through the pangs of hurt, I managed to say, “They all called in sick. I’m your last hope. C’mon, do you really think your dad would have sent me out here if there was anybody else who can help you out?”

“Fine,” she shot back through gritted teeth. “Just keep up. This line is long enough as it is.”

“Whose fault was that?” I blurted out, and immediately felt a sharp pain in my shin. She actually kicked me. Holding back an amused laugh, I remarked, “Still a little spitfire, huh? Well, why don’t you try your best to keep up with me?”

To my surprise, her lips curled up. Seeing her smile again caused the rush of electricity that I’ve missed so much, instantly waking parts of me in a jolt.

“Fine. Bring it on.” Her tone came out breathy, causing my dick to twitch more. She really wasn’t fighting fair.

But neither was I.

I’m not arrogant, to say the least. I mean, what would I have to show off? My laundry list of bad choices and have nots? Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but flaunt my registering prowess no matter how pathetic it might have been. I mean, at least the customers seemed to have a lot of fun with me.

“That’ll be twenty-four fifty, Miss.” I flashed a grin at a woman who had to be eighty years old. Her bluish tinted hair was piled into a particularly stiff and heavy looking beehive on top of her neck. I was surprised she could keep her head upright.

“Miss? Oh, I haven’t been a miss in years!” She fanned herself slightly and blushed. “Thanks for making an old lady feel young again.”

Fluffing someone’s feathers was the best way to gain a repeat customer. Besides, it felt great making someone’s day.

“You’re not old. Just experienced.”

Okay, maybe that response was a bit much.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rocky muttered, obviously perturbed by my two customer lead on her.

Unfortunately, the old woman lingered, slowing down my pace. Just when I was ready to kindly shoo her off, she leaned over and asked, “Do you have a tip jar?”

“No tip jar, Ma’am,” Rocky answered before I could even open my mouth.

“I was talking to him,” she snapped back.

My gaze was still on Rocky when I felt skinny fingers go under the collar of my shirt. I took an involuntary step back and gasped.

She didn’t just…

I reached into my shirt and pulled out a five dollar bill.

Oh, my gosh, she did!

“Um, we don’t take tips.” I cleared my throat and winced a bit.

“Trust me, sonny. You deserve it!” With a huge grin on her face, she grabbed her stuff and scuffled toward the door, bouncing youthfully the whole way out of the store.

Still in shock, I hardly heard Rocky comment, “You were always good with the ladies.”

“Ha! You wish.” My eyebrows furrowed. I wasn’t sure if she was kidding or not. Did she really think I was that much of a male slut? I had a ton of shit to fix, and it was nobody’s fault but mine.

An hour flew by, and before I knew it the line had finally trickled down. Feeling ecstatic that I was finally going to have some alone time with Rocky, I turned toward her only to be immediately shot down.

“Hey, beautiful.” The douche Ethan was back, and it took everything in my power not to punch the smug look off his face. Of course, the joy I felt from seeing Rocky’s less than stellar greeting was enough to placate me—for the time being at least.

“Ethan! What are you doing here?”

Possibly aware of Mr. Rossi’s ‘no untrained people behind the cash wrap’ rule, he leaned over, reaching out for Rocky. Struggling to hug her, he soon gave up and coughed, “I couldn’t speak with your dad without seeing you.”

“Why were you speaking to my dad?” she asked almost suspiciously.

My head snapped to the side. Why did Rocky seem so scared of him? Immediately my protective instinct came over me, but I knew I was probably overreacting. To calm myself down, I busied myself by dusting off the keyboard and picking at some lint wedged between the counter’s crevices.

“We were discussing marketing plans for first quarter.”

“Oh,” she sighed with relief.

As if just noticing me, the douchebag glanced over in surprise. “Hey there, my man. Looks like they got you trained on that thing.”

“Looks like it,” I shot back a bit more forcefully than I had intended.

Ethan’s annoying smile faltered a bit. “Well, I better get back to the office. I’ll see you later?”

“Uh, yeah sure.” Rocky ran her slim fingers through her beautiful mane of dark brown hair and leaned back slightly.

Knowing that a goodbye kiss was inevitable, I desperately looked around for an escape route. Unfortunately, the only way to get out of the enclosed cash wrap was by walking through the little door that Ethan was now draped over. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me run away from him, so though it would be hard to stomach, I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for a game of tonsil hockey. To my surprise—and relief—there was no kiss in sight and Ethan left without a fight.

I looked after him and shook my head. “Douche.”

“What was that?” Rocky’s head snapped in my direction.

“You heard me.” I grinned sheepishly.

“You don’t even know him. How can you judge him?” Rocky sneered.

“Since when do you go for pretty boys like that? You never were into that type.” Please don’t tell me she grew up into one of those prissy girls I despise so much.

“I never had a type in high school! Besides, what would you know about me? If memory serves me correctly, which it does, you haven’t spoken to me since college. What do you even know about me anymore?”

I winced. She was right of course, but I couldn’t let her stay mad at me. Figuring a joke might placate the situation, I shot back, “I know you grew about two cup sizes since I last saw you.”

“Stop being such a jerk. You know what I mean!”

Okay, maybe that was the wrong route. Then again, I couldn’t help myself! Standing face to face, it was really hard not to eye her rack at least once. Though Rocky was still pretty petite, she had curves in all the right places. Gawking was definitely the only option that I had.

My eyes lifted, catching the unamused twist of Rocky’s lips. A slight dimple shone in her left cheek, but I knew it wasn’t from smiling. Recalling Stephanie’s visit, I knew I had to face the music and sighed. “I know things were left a bit odd between us. I also know you won’t believe me, but I have a perfectly good excuse why.”

“Try me.”

“Jesse to the stockroom. Jesse to the stockroom.”

I bit back a groan. Of course Mr. Rossi would choose that moment to call me back to The Dungeon. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a hidden camera or some listening device and was busy eavesdropping on us this whole time.

Pouting slightly at my dumb luck, I said quietly, “I really did miss you. I know you don’t believe me, but I really do want to make it up to you.”

“How?” The look of doubt on her face broke my heart, and for once I thought I was a bigger douche than Ethan was.

Prove yourself.

“Do you want to get something to eat tonight? Around eight?” Shit. I felt like an awkward thirteen-year-old all over again.

She’s gonna say no.

“Sure,” she replied without skipping a beat.

I turned away before she could see the smile on my face, ignoring those pesky red flags flashing before my eyes.