Chapter Seven:
"YAHOOOOOOOOO!!!" Sam hollered at the top of his lungs as he rocketed off the
tree limb and dove right into the cool
lake. Already in the water were Alan and Cary, alternating between splashing us
and swimming laps. Beside me on the pier were Stace, Claud and Mary Anne, Dawn
was with Charlie at the barbeque grill talking with him about California. His
college
stories fascinated her to no end and was the only thing that kept her within a
five mile radius of what she called, 'raw, compressed cow and pig carcass'.
"So...Kristy," Claudia said roguishly, sipping her lemonade and keeping her eye
on Alan. "How was your DATE with CARY?"
With that, everyone turned to look at me, as if their heads were all connected
onto one single string. I almost chocked on my iced tea, we had been talking
about Stacey's father remarrying his girlfriend, Samantha. Where did MY dating
relationship come in there?
"It was okay." I said in a slap dash fashion. I sipped some more of my iced tea,
"The movie was good."
"What about Cary?" Stacey asked slyly. "Was he good too?"
"Stacey!" I exclaimed, shocked that she would ask me that. "Sometimes you have
such a nasty, suspicious mind."
"Well, was he?" She pressed on.
I sighed heavily and pulled out my shades, "I will not dignify that impertinent
question with an answer."
Stacey smiled knowingly at Claudia, "I always knew it was only a matter of time
before Kristy realized that she like Cary..."
"Thank you, Stacey. Thank you very much for making me feel like I'm not here." I
mumbled as I started to read a book I'd brought along.
"I'm just kidding, Kristy." Stacey said. "But I think it's kind of sweet. Just
think, arch rivals turned lovers."
'I'm not Cary's lover' I thought as she went on with her idealistic fantasies.
'But do I want to be?'
Involuntarily my eyes shifted to the water, to where Cary was treading. Once
Alan jumped from the limb, he began to swim towards the bank, his muscles
tensing and becoming more defined with every stroke. Cary wasn't as sinewy as he
seemed when he wore baggy tie-dyes and shorts, in his swimming trunks he was
lean and muscular and strong. He had the figure that any girl would love to
admire for hours. I was having trouble keeping my eyes off of him myself.
Almost in slow motion, he turned and saw me watching him, grinning he waved at
me before climbing up the tree's ladder. My gaze held on him until he jumped off
and disappeared into the water.
"Gosh Kristy, drool much?" Mary Anne spoke up but not loudly enough for Stacey
and Claudia to hear her.
I turned away guiltily, with an embarrassed grin.
"So, what DID happen?" Mary Anne asked me. "You wouldn't even tell me--and I'm
your best friend."
"Mary ANNE, it's nothing. We went to watch a movie--which, was pretty good.
Afterwards, we went to that new Chinese restaurant by the mall. We ate, talked,
laughed and then he took me home, that's it." I said, holding up my right hands
as a sign of honesty.
"That's it?" She asked skeptically. "There's nothing else?"
"Nope." I said.
My best friend looked at me closely before shaking her head, "You're lying. I
don't believe you, Kristy."
"Mary Anne," I said crossly. "maybe I just want to keep my dates... private. I
don't think it's right for you guys to force me to say anything. I had a good
time--I had a great time, Cary was wonderful and that's all. I'm not a
kiss-and-tell kind of girl."
"AHA!" Mary Anne exclaimed. "So you kissed him."
Before I answered, Charlie called out, "Come and get it! The hotdogs and
hamburgers are ready!"
"And the salad too!" Dawn added.
"The wilted, tofu-hummus salad is ready too." Charlie said and Dawn punched in
the arm.
Everybody got up and hurried to the table that we had brought. I stood up and
was about to follow when Cary leapt out of the water and flapped around wildly.
I just managed not to scream out loud.
"You creep!" I exclaimed, but I was laughing.
Cary held onto the pier and placed his chin on his forearms. "You look nice." He
said.
I looked down at my modest bikini top and shorts. "Thank you." I said. "But I
bet your just saying that."
"No, I mean, you're a real hottie." He said teasingly. Then, as if regretting
what he said, he blushed. "Sorry..."
"Don't be." I said, smiling. I bent down and held out my hand to help him out.
"Cary," I whispered huskily as he wrapped me in his arms.
"I never thought I would be doing this..." he murmured to me as he kissed my
forehead.
"Me neither." I replied, my voice wavering.
Cary looked at me so intensely I thought his eyes would bore right through my
skin. "I love the way your eyes light up when your nervous."
"Well, I'm lying on a blanket on my back in the middle of the woods. The only
thing separating us is a bikini and swimming trunks--how can I not be nervous?"
I asked trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.
"It isn't like we just met. I mean, we've known each other for two--three
years."
He lowered his head and kissed my neck. I shivered slightly. I only had one
serious boyfriend before, Bart Taylor, and even he didn't kiss me there. It was
exhiliarating and I loved it. But it also scared me. If only that one move drove
me crazy then how would I be if we went further?
"Cary, wait..." I whispered as his lips moved lower. "Please, wait, you don't
think we're moving too fast?"
Cary paused before laughing reassuringly. "Don't worry, Kristy. I won't do
anything that you aren't comfortable with."
When I didn't say anything, he slowly maneuvered himself off of me and sat up.
"If you want, we can stop now, Kristy."
I waited for a moment, wondering. Did I really want to go back to a bunch of
screaming people playing water polo, listening to
Eminem? Naww, not really. Kissing was more fun.
I reached my arm around Cary's neck and pulled him back down. He slowly lowered
himself back down and supported my head on under his forearms.
"God, you're so beautiful. I could slap myself for never noticing it before."
Cary said.
"And... when did you first notice it?" I asked him after he kissed the tip of my
nose.
"Well, mostly when you threw that party at your house." He said after some
thought. "I was just getting over being mad at you for snooping in my notebook
and... I don't know... anger and rivalry is... kind of sexy."
I chuckled softly then traced his lips with my index finger. Cary gave each one
of my fingers a short kiss before sitting up again.
"We've been gone for a while. Maybe we should head back, they'll miss us." He
said.
Pulling myself up, I agreed.
" 'Kay, bye Cary!" Sam, Charlie and I called as we dropped Cary off at his
house.
Cary waved before turning back to his house and heading in.
"God, it's great to be back." Charlie said as he drove off. "It beats studying
all the time."
"Come on, Charlie, you surely didn't study ALL the time." Sam proded. "Aren't
there any keg parties there? How are the girls?"
"There are keg parties and the girls are okay, but my life there wasn't one
constant bash. It was hard work." He said. Sam sighed and sat back in his chair,
disappointed. Charlie looked at him slyly before replying, "But it was CLOSE!"
I groaned and sat back as the two laughed their heads off. How did Cary get so
mature when he was hanging around Sam? Then I remembered his writings and
realized that he must have been pretty mature already. Less than a minute later
we pulled into our driveway and got out.
"Mo-o-o-m! We're ho-o-o-me!" Charlie bellowed
"Hey!" I shouted. "Loser! Check the driveway, they aren't here."
"Oh, right." Charlie said.
I shook my head as I past by, then leaned over and whispered, "TOO many keg
parties, I guess, huh?" I was rewarded with a kick on the ankle and I grimaced
with mock pain.
Charlie decided to watch a movie on HBO and ordered me to make him a tub of
popcorn--lots of butter, no salt. I was stomping around the kitchen, banging
pots and pans to let Charlie know I was not happy being his consession stand
when I turned and saw Sam frowning at me from the doorway.
"Hey, Kristy would you turn it down? I'm trying to make a phone call."
"Sor-ry." I spat, not sounding at all sorry.
Sam shook his head and picked up the phone in the kitchen. He quickly dialed a
number and waited as he let it ring.
I shoved a bag of popcorn into the microwave and set it for three minutes.
"Kristy, what's with you and Cary?" Sam asked suddenly.
I had just opened the fridge and pulled out a tub of butter which I dropped once
he asked. "With us? Nothing."
"Come on," Sam pressed. "I know there's something. Otherwise you wouldn't have
disappeared with him into the woods for nearly ten minutes."
"You saw us?" I asked, horror-stricken.
"Yes--but only me." He assured. "Kristy, it's okay, you don't have to feel
guilty about it. I've always known that Cary liked you." I snapped my head in
his direction. "I just never knew the feeling was mutual."
"Neither did I." I replied after a beat.
"So... there are feelings there that are not exactly 'just friends' feelings?"
He asked.
I decided not to give him a half-baked, 'I guess...' or 'I don't know...' and
tell him the truth, straight out.
"Yes, there are." I said honestly, surprised at how easy and natural it all was.
Sam smiled in a protective, big brother way. "Great. I knew that Cary's worrying
would be for nothing."
"Cary's worrying?" I querried.
"Yeah, he told me about how much he liked you," Sam explained. "But you seemed
so annoyed and flustered by him that he was sure you wouldn't feel the same."
"He did?" I asked, feeling light. The microwave 'dinged' and I opened it to get
out the popcorn.
"Yeah, I'm surprised that it's taken you so long to realize it." Sam set down
the phone and started away. "I guess I'll have to call Sarah later. Just be
careful, Kristy. Cary's a great guy, but remember, he's still a guy."
"I got you Sam." I said.
Sam did a goofy wave before hurrying up the stairs.
I got out the popcorn and danced away to the rec room. Instead of going in to
give it to Charlie, I passed right by.
"Hey, where's my popcorn?" Charlie demanded.
"Get your own." I said, dangling near the doorway.
"Kristy, as long as you live under my house, you live under my rules." he said
in a fatherly tone.
"Charlie," I said sweetly, before turning on my heels. "Live under this."
"YAHOOOOOOOOO!!!" Sam hollered at the top of his lungs as he rocketed off the
tree limb and dove right into the cool
lake. Already in the water were Alan and Cary, alternating between splashing us
and swimming laps. Beside me on the pier were Stace, Claud and Mary Anne, Dawn
was with Charlie at the barbeque grill talking with him about California. His
college
stories fascinated her to no end and was the only thing that kept her within a
five mile radius of what she called, 'raw, compressed cow and pig carcass'.
"So...Kristy," Claudia said roguishly, sipping her lemonade and keeping her eye
on Alan. "How was your DATE with CARY?"
With that, everyone turned to look at me, as if their heads were all connected
onto one single string. I almost chocked on my iced tea, we had been talking
about Stacey's father remarrying his girlfriend, Samantha. Where did MY dating
relationship come in there?
"It was okay." I said in a slap dash fashion. I sipped some more of my iced tea,
"The movie was good."
"What about Cary?" Stacey asked slyly. "Was he good too?"
"Stacey!" I exclaimed, shocked that she would ask me that. "Sometimes you have
such a nasty, suspicious mind."
"Well, was he?" She pressed on.
I sighed heavily and pulled out my shades, "I will not dignify that impertinent
question with an answer."
Stacey smiled knowingly at Claudia, "I always knew it was only a matter of time
before Kristy realized that she like Cary..."
"Thank you, Stacey. Thank you very much for making me feel like I'm not here." I
mumbled as I started to read a book I'd brought along.
"I'm just kidding, Kristy." Stacey said. "But I think it's kind of sweet. Just
think, arch rivals turned lovers."
'I'm not Cary's lover' I thought as she went on with her idealistic fantasies.
'But do I want to be?'
Involuntarily my eyes shifted to the water, to where Cary was treading. Once
Alan jumped from the limb, he began to swim towards the bank, his muscles
tensing and becoming more defined with every stroke. Cary wasn't as sinewy as he
seemed when he wore baggy tie-dyes and shorts, in his swimming trunks he was
lean and muscular and strong. He had the figure that any girl would love to
admire for hours. I was having trouble keeping my eyes off of him myself.
Almost in slow motion, he turned and saw me watching him, grinning he waved at
me before climbing up the tree's ladder. My gaze held on him until he jumped off
and disappeared into the water.
"Gosh Kristy, drool much?" Mary Anne spoke up but not loudly enough for Stacey
and Claudia to hear her.
I turned away guiltily, with an embarrassed grin.
"So, what DID happen?" Mary Anne asked me. "You wouldn't even tell me--and I'm
your best friend."
"Mary ANNE, it's nothing. We went to watch a movie--which, was pretty good.
Afterwards, we went to that new Chinese restaurant by the mall. We ate, talked,
laughed and then he took me home, that's it." I said, holding up my right hands
as a sign of honesty.
"That's it?" She asked skeptically. "There's nothing else?"
"Nope." I said.
My best friend looked at me closely before shaking her head, "You're lying. I
don't believe you, Kristy."
"Mary Anne," I said crossly. "maybe I just want to keep my dates... private. I
don't think it's right for you guys to force me to say anything. I had a good
time--I had a great time, Cary was wonderful and that's all. I'm not a
kiss-and-tell kind of girl."
"AHA!" Mary Anne exclaimed. "So you kissed him."
Before I answered, Charlie called out, "Come and get it! The hotdogs and
hamburgers are ready!"
"And the salad too!" Dawn added.
"The wilted, tofu-hummus salad is ready too." Charlie said and Dawn punched in
the arm.
Everybody got up and hurried to the table that we had brought. I stood up and
was about to follow when Cary leapt out of the water and flapped around wildly.
I just managed not to scream out loud.
"You creep!" I exclaimed, but I was laughing.
Cary held onto the pier and placed his chin on his forearms. "You look nice." He
said.
I looked down at my modest bikini top and shorts. "Thank you." I said. "But I
bet your just saying that."
"No, I mean, you're a real hottie." He said teasingly. Then, as if regretting
what he said, he blushed. "Sorry..."
"Don't be." I said, smiling. I bent down and held out my hand to help him out.
"Cary," I whispered huskily as he wrapped me in his arms.
"I never thought I would be doing this..." he murmured to me as he kissed my
forehead.
"Me neither." I replied, my voice wavering.
Cary looked at me so intensely I thought his eyes would bore right through my
skin. "I love the way your eyes light up when your nervous."
"Well, I'm lying on a blanket on my back in the middle of the woods. The only
thing separating us is a bikini and swimming trunks--how can I not be nervous?"
I asked trying to hide the nervousness in my voice.
"It isn't like we just met. I mean, we've known each other for two--three
years."
He lowered his head and kissed my neck. I shivered slightly. I only had one
serious boyfriend before, Bart Taylor, and even he didn't kiss me there. It was
exhiliarating and I loved it. But it also scared me. If only that one move drove
me crazy then how would I be if we went further?
"Cary, wait..." I whispered as his lips moved lower. "Please, wait, you don't
think we're moving too fast?"
Cary paused before laughing reassuringly. "Don't worry, Kristy. I won't do
anything that you aren't comfortable with."
When I didn't say anything, he slowly maneuvered himself off of me and sat up.
"If you want, we can stop now, Kristy."
I waited for a moment, wondering. Did I really want to go back to a bunch of
screaming people playing water polo, listening to
Eminem? Naww, not really. Kissing was more fun.
I reached my arm around Cary's neck and pulled him back down. He slowly lowered
himself back down and supported my head on under his forearms.
"God, you're so beautiful. I could slap myself for never noticing it before."
Cary said.
"And... when did you first notice it?" I asked him after he kissed the tip of my
nose.
"Well, mostly when you threw that party at your house." He said after some
thought. "I was just getting over being mad at you for snooping in my notebook
and... I don't know... anger and rivalry is... kind of sexy."
I chuckled softly then traced his lips with my index finger. Cary gave each one
of my fingers a short kiss before sitting up again.
"We've been gone for a while. Maybe we should head back, they'll miss us." He
said.
Pulling myself up, I agreed.
" 'Kay, bye Cary!" Sam, Charlie and I called as we dropped Cary off at his
house.
Cary waved before turning back to his house and heading in.
"God, it's great to be back." Charlie said as he drove off. "It beats studying
all the time."
"Come on, Charlie, you surely didn't study ALL the time." Sam proded. "Aren't
there any keg parties there? How are the girls?"
"There are keg parties and the girls are okay, but my life there wasn't one
constant bash. It was hard work." He said. Sam sighed and sat back in his chair,
disappointed. Charlie looked at him slyly before replying, "But it was CLOSE!"
I groaned and sat back as the two laughed their heads off. How did Cary get so
mature when he was hanging around Sam? Then I remembered his writings and
realized that he must have been pretty mature already. Less than a minute later
we pulled into our driveway and got out.
"Mo-o-o-m! We're ho-o-o-me!" Charlie bellowed
"Hey!" I shouted. "Loser! Check the driveway, they aren't here."
"Oh, right." Charlie said.
I shook my head as I past by, then leaned over and whispered, "TOO many keg
parties, I guess, huh?" I was rewarded with a kick on the ankle and I grimaced
with mock pain.
Charlie decided to watch a movie on HBO and ordered me to make him a tub of
popcorn--lots of butter, no salt. I was stomping around the kitchen, banging
pots and pans to let Charlie know I was not happy being his consession stand
when I turned and saw Sam frowning at me from the doorway.
"Hey, Kristy would you turn it down? I'm trying to make a phone call."
"Sor-ry." I spat, not sounding at all sorry.
Sam shook his head and picked up the phone in the kitchen. He quickly dialed a
number and waited as he let it ring.
I shoved a bag of popcorn into the microwave and set it for three minutes.
"Kristy, what's with you and Cary?" Sam asked suddenly.
I had just opened the fridge and pulled out a tub of butter which I dropped once
he asked. "With us? Nothing."
"Come on," Sam pressed. "I know there's something. Otherwise you wouldn't have
disappeared with him into the woods for nearly ten minutes."
"You saw us?" I asked, horror-stricken.
"Yes--but only me." He assured. "Kristy, it's okay, you don't have to feel
guilty about it. I've always known that Cary liked you." I snapped my head in
his direction. "I just never knew the feeling was mutual."
"Neither did I." I replied after a beat.
"So... there are feelings there that are not exactly 'just friends' feelings?"
He asked.
I decided not to give him a half-baked, 'I guess...' or 'I don't know...' and
tell him the truth, straight out.
"Yes, there are." I said honestly, surprised at how easy and natural it all was.
Sam smiled in a protective, big brother way. "Great. I knew that Cary's worrying
would be for nothing."
"Cary's worrying?" I querried.
"Yeah, he told me about how much he liked you," Sam explained. "But you seemed
so annoyed and flustered by him that he was sure you wouldn't feel the same."
"He did?" I asked, feeling light. The microwave 'dinged' and I opened it to get
out the popcorn.
"Yeah, I'm surprised that it's taken you so long to realize it." Sam set down
the phone and started away. "I guess I'll have to call Sarah later. Just be
careful, Kristy. Cary's a great guy, but remember, he's still a guy."
"I got you Sam." I said.
Sam did a goofy wave before hurrying up the stairs.
I got out the popcorn and danced away to the rec room. Instead of going in to
give it to Charlie, I passed right by.
"Hey, where's my popcorn?" Charlie demanded.
"Get your own." I said, dangling near the doorway.
"Kristy, as long as you live under my house, you live under my rules." he said
in a fatherly tone.
"Charlie," I said sweetly, before turning on my heels. "Live under this."