Chapter Ten
Laughing and shivering, Bradin and Marie stumbled across the sand and onto the back porch of Bradin's home. He pulled open the door, allowing Marie to go in first.
It was warm inside, but the combined chill of the water and wind kept the pair from feeling completely warm. Bradin took her hand in his and led her towards the stairs. A throat cleared from behind them, causing them both to whirl around, slightly guilty expressions on their faces. In the kitchen stood Ava's housemates.
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend, Bradin?" Susannah asked. Bradin grinned sheepishly.
"Ah, yeah," he said, "guys this is Marie. Marie that's Susannah, Johnny, and Jay."
"It's nice to meet you all." Marie said, flashing them a charming smile.
"It's our pleasure." Johnny nodded his head in greeting.
"I was just going to find Marie some dry clothes to change into." Bradin said, answering their unasked question.
"I can find her something," Susannah offered, stepping down out of the kitchen and walking towards the couple, "I'm sure Ava has something on the rack that would look great on Marie." The older black woman smiled down at the teen girl. Bradin nodded slightly, kinda disappointed that he would lose precious minutes with Marie.
"Okay." he said. Susannah took hold of Marie's hand and led her up the stairs.
"I have just the outfit in mind." She said as the two disappeared. Bradin glanced up the stairs after them.
"So, is that her?" Johnny asked. A grin split across the young man's face. He didn't need to ask what Johnny was talking about.
"Yeah." he said, "That's her."
"She seems nice."
"She's great."
"You really like this girl, don't you?" Jay propped his arms on the counter top and studied Bradin's face.
"Yeah, I do." Bradin replied, "There's just something that's, I don't know, special about her."
"You're in love mate. The signs are as clear as day." The Aussie stated.
"What?" Bradin's eyes widened slightly. It was one thing to feel a certain way, but it was entirely different to have those feelings put into a single word. He shook his head. Him, in love? No, that wasn't it. He cared about Marie, he didn't want to see her hurt, and he wanted to be the one that she came to and used as a shoulder to cry on. But love her? To be honest, he didn't know if he could love.
Walking down the stairs, Marie held tightly onto the banister, afraid that she would fall over in the heels that Susannah had loaned her. She wobbled slightly, and tightened her grip. Voices floated up the stairs, but Marie could barely make out any words.
"Hurry up." Susannah called from the bottom of the stairs. Her face was split by a wide grin and her eyes were sparkling. Marie closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath before descending the last of the stairs. The voices grew silent and she could feel eyes following her as she stepped off the landing and into the living room. She bit her bottom lip and opened her eyes.
At first Marie had been reluctant to accept the outfit from the older woman. It was an original, made by Bradin's aunt, and Marie didn't want to risk ripping it or anything. But Susannah had insisted and Ava, who had been working when they walked into her office (which also served as the area between bedrooms on the second floor), had agreed with her friend that the outfit was perfect for her. She'd gone into Ava's room and put it on, surveying herself in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the door. Thankfully the dress was long enough to cover the bruises that littered her thighs. She'd also been reluctant to wear the dress because it was sleeveless, but, the bruises on her arms had faded enough that nobody would see them unless they stared at her arms.
Now she was glad she'd let the two women talk her into the dress, because the look in Bradin's eyes was enough to make her heart skip a beat.
Dressed in dry clothing, Bradin sat on the couch, sandwiched between his two younger siblings. Johnny was busy getting together the ingredients for whatever he was going to grill that night, and Jay, who was supposed to be helping him, was sipping a beer. Susannah and Ava came down the stairs, delighted grins on their faces.
"Hurry up." Susannah called up the stairs. Bradin turned his head towards the stairs just as Marie stepped onto the landing. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her.
The dress was strapless, clinging to every inch of Marie's slim frame, and hanging just below her knees. It was a light, pale green that complimented her auburn curls, which were fixed into a simple up-do with two strands of hair hanging down to frame her face, perfectly. The top of the dress hugged her around the chest, revealing the very tops of her breasts just slightly. But no matter what Ava and Susannah did to Marie, Bradin could still make out the tinge of yellow that covered her arms and the dark bags beneath her eyes, which stared into his uncertainly.
A hint of a smile touched her lips as she twirled in a circle, a bit unsteady on the strappy high-heeled sandals that Bradin recognized as Susannah's.
"Well," she said, "what do you think?" Bradin stood and walked towards her, his eyes sweeping over her body, unable to look away from her. Even with the fading bruises she looked magnificent.
"You look, incredible." he breathed, coming to stop right in front of her. A blush tinged her cheeks, and Marie looked down at her feet.
"Thanks." she whispered, looking back up into his eyes. "I feel a bit too dressed up though." she added in a slightly louder voice, "I mean this is an awful dressy outfit to just walk home in."
"Well then you can stay for dinner." Johnny's voice carried from the kitchen. "After all, there's plenty here."
"Thank you." Marie smiled at the man, "I think I will stay."
Dinner was obviously a big deal in Bradin's house. Everybody had worked together to set the table that sat on the back porch and cook the food. Marie felt as if she were a member of the family as she worked beside Bradin cutting vegetables for the salad. She would playfully bump her elbow against him and he would bump her back, or hit his hip against hers. She laughed with Derrick and talked with Nikki, getting to know both of Bradin's siblings and finding them to be potentially great friends.
The large, unconventional, family finally seated themselves around the table. The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, casting a soft pinkish-orange glow over the water. Marie shifted on the bench of the picnic table, her hip brushing lightly against Bradin's. She smiled at him, glad to be enjoying this family ritual with him.
"How long have you lived in Playa Linda, Marie?" Ava asked as the young woman in question spooned potato salad onto her plate.
"All my life." Marie replied, "My mom grew up here and my dad moved here when he was in high school. They were high school sweethearts and they got married and loved it here too much to move." She grew wistful as she thought of the life she had once led. Bradin's hand covered hers and the gentle squeeze he gave her was enough to tell her that he was there for her.
"Are you ready for school to start next week?" Nikki asked. Marie couldn't help but chuckle. Nikki reminded her so much of herself when she was younger. Always eager to learn new things and always on the look out for an adventure, even if it was in a good book.
"Definitely, I love school." Marie nodded her head. It wasn't just the chance to learn more and, not to mention, spend more time with Bradin, but the chance to be out of her house for eight hours a day, five days a week that enticed Marie, that made her love school, no matter how bitchy the teachers were.
Bradin rolled his eyes beside her and Marie elbowed him playfully.
"Hey!" He cried, "What did I do?"
"You should learn to like school more," she said, "After all, you'll get to spend more time with me." She threw him an innocent, angelic smile.
"I don't know if I'll be able to deal with that." He said, a look of feigned horror on his face, "Eight hours with you is more than I can bear."
"Dork." she muttered.
Johnny looked between the two teens as they playfully bantered back and forth. The relationship between them was so much like his had once been with Ava, back when they had been dating. He glanced at Ava out of the corner of his eye. She was laughing, her head tilted back just so and her eyes alight with laughter. She was beautiful, always had been, and always would be. He stifled a wistful sigh as he thought back to the days that they had spent together. She had been perfect for him, and still was. Johnny could feel it deep inside him, Ava was "The One", cliché yes, but she was it.
The way she made him laugh so easily. The way his heart raced when he thought of her or saw her. It was beginning to be too much for him to take. Johnny felt as if he would burst if he did not soon have Ava in his arms. He looked back at Bradin and Marie.
They were perfectly suited for each other. Bradin, with his need to be a savior, and Marie, with the whole damsel in distress look to her. There was no questioning the relationship between them was meant to be. Anybody could see it. The way that Bradin gently brushed a strand of hair behind Marie's ear. The smiles they shared, as if they had a secret that they would never let anybody else know. Perfect was definitely the way to describe their relationship.
Short chapter I know, but I think it was kinda good. Please review and tell me what you all thought.
darkdestiney2000: Sorry, but you gotta wait till the end to see what happens.
mixie21, closetwriter, Triple Agent, Charlie, Dramagrl, B, Shelby, xohugsndkissesox, jessefan0409, and OTHlover04: Thank you all very much fore reading and reviewing this story. I hope that you continue to do so as this story progresses.
