..."...You're covered in my skin...I couldn't imagine anyone else..."...
I am completely soaked by the time I get into the house and I groan at the small puddle of water on the kitchen floor that's collected from the rain running off my clothes. I lean against the wall and strip off my wet clothes before making my way to the small bathroom off the kitchen to get some towels to clean the mess up. After I wrap a towel around my waist and clean the water and wet clothes off the floor; I grab a spoon and a jar of peanut butter before going to my room. I end up draining the hot water tank as I sit in the shower and let the hot water ease the dull ache in my spine before getting out and putting some shorts on and flopping on my bed. I am flipping through a magazine and eating spoonfuls of peanut butter when I hear a knock at my bedroom door. I glance at the clock and see that it's a little after eight before telling my dad he can come in. He smiles at me as he ducks his head around my half open door.
"Hey there kiddo; I wasn't sure if you were even home."
"Yep, I've been home since about five."
"It's really pouring out there isn't it?"
"Yeah, I got soaked trying to get into the house."
"Didn't Jake help you get in?"
"I don't need help dad. A little rain won't kill me you know."
"Don't scowl at me like that Landon. The guys are here to play cards if you want to join in on the game."
"I'm good here dad but thanks."
"Are you at least going to come out and say hello?"
"Do I have to?"
"Well no but it would be nice if you did."
"Maybe later; I'm reading right now."
"Yeah okay but don't eat all the peanut butter. You should make a sandwich if you are hungry; there's still some chicken in the fridge too."
"I'm not really hungry I just wanted something sweet to snack on."
"There's ice cream in the freezer."
"Dad! Don't you have people to entertain?" I huff.
"Geez, you're in a mood today."
"Sorry dad; I'm just trying to read this article."
"Well I'll get out of your hair then. Enjoy your peanut butter and maybe I'll see you after bit."
"Yeah, maybe."
I watch my bedroom door close and go back to reading my magazine but after almost an hour I find that I can't seem to concentrate on the damn thing and end up tossing it on the night stand before shifting off the bed to be a good little boy and make my appearance to my dad's church friends. I put a t-shirt on my bare chest and make my way to the kitchen where I find them playing cards.
"Hello Mitch, Aaron, hello there Pastor Linstrum."
Mitch and Aaron nod a polite hello and I catch my dad smiling proudly at me as Pastor Linstrum looks over at me with a squint to his eyes. "Landon you can call me Joseph you know; I'm not on duty and I'm only the assistant Pastor at the church anyhow."
"Just trying to be respectful sir."
"Henry, tell your boy here to stop with all the formalities."
"Joe's right son, there is no need to be so formal but thank you for showing my friends that I at least managed to teach you some manners."
"What game are you all playing?" I ask in the attempt to hide my slight embarrassment from my dad's friends.
"Five card stud; you want to join in on the game Landon?" Aaron asks with a tone that suggests that he doesn't actually want me to join in but is just being polite by asking. The slight grumpy mood I am in is almost enough to make me say yes just to annoy him but the truth is I know he is uncomfortable around me. His daughter LueAnne is in my grade and is also on the cheerleading squad with my ex Amanda who just so happens to be LueAnne's best friend. I used to spend a lot of time with Amanda over at LueAnne's to swim in their pool before my accident. So Aaron has more than one reason to be uncomfortable around me.
"No thanks but I'd like to watch for a bit if that's okay." I answer.
"Certainly." Aaron says in a clipped tone and I catch my dad shoot him a dirty look; it's enough to make me chuckle.
"Oh, I almost forgot, there is a message for you on the machine Landon."
"For me? Who would call the house phone for me?"
"It was Evan's little girlfriend...oh...she said her name but I can't remember."
"Melinda."
"Yeah, that was her name."
"What did she want?"
"She said something about wanting to know if you would help her make some CD's for Evan; something about it being some kind of surprise."
"Oh...yeah okay, I'll get ahold of her tomorrow or something. She mentioned something about it a couple of weeks ago but she told me to hold off until she decided if that was what she wanted to do."
"Is Evan still planning on marrying her right after graduation?"
"Yeah why?"
"Seems a little soon don't you think? I mean would you get married right out of high school? On second thought don't answer that because I would never let you do something so stupid."
"Evan isn't stupid dad. Him and Melinda have been dating for forever and they are going to the Navy after graduation; they want to get housed together and the recruiter told them they could only get housed together if they were married."
"Still, their parents can't be completely thrilled about the whole thing."
"I couldn't say one way or the other on that subject because I don't talk to them all that much anymore."
"Yeah well...I would be freaked out if you came home and told me you were getting married right after you graduated high school."
"I don't think you will have to worry about that happening dad. You usually need to have a girlfriend before you can get married and since I don't have one of those I think you should be safe."
"That's not completely true you know?"
I look over to see Mitch with a wide grin on his face.
"What do you mean by that Mitch?"
"Well you said you need to have a girlfriend to get married and well that's not true. You can just get on one of those computers and order yourself a bride from some other country and bam! Instant wife! Who knows, with these cell phones being so smart nowadays I'm sure there is even an app for that."
I just shake my head as the four of them laugh at Mitch's dumb idea about a mail order bride and I can't help but laugh a little along with them. A knock at the kitchen door at ten after ten makes my stomach drop in fear. A knock on the door at ten at night on a Sunday can't be good news and my first thought as I watch my dad go to the door is Jake. Before I can start to freak out too much over Jake being in some kind of trouble my dad turns around and smiles the strangest smile at me before turning back to the door.
"Get in here before you catch your death out there girl." My dad says with a surprised yet concerned tone to whoever is standing out in the heavy rain. For a split second I think it might me Aarons daughter LueAnne but when I see a streak of black hair over my dad's shoulder I make my way to the door faster than I thought I could.
"Faith? Is that you?"
"Hi...I'm sorry I'm getting water all over the f-floor." I just stand there with my mouth hanging open and look at her; she is completely soaked; like she's been swimming in the river instead of walking the short distance from the driveway to the kitchen door. I glance out the window and notice her little black truck isn't in the driveway.
"Where's your truck?"
"Landon don't be rude; go get the poor thing a towel or something; she's shivering." I snap out of my daze as I watch my dad put his arm around Faith in an attempt to stop her from shivering and just as I am about to turn to get a towel from the bathroom something about the way she looks at me tells me to get her the hell out of the kitchen and the hell away from the four extra sets of eyes in the room.
"Come to my room Faith and I will get you something dry to wear."
She crosses her arms in front of her and darts her eyes at me once before bolting down the hall towards my bedroom. I shoot my dad a questioning look before he shrugs and nods his head.
"Go on; go get her dry and warm."
I hear a few hushed whispers from my dad's friends that I choose to ignore as I make my way down the hall. When I open my bedroom door Faith lets out a small yelp of surprise as she stands in the center of my room dripping wet. Her teeth are chattering loudly and her pale skin almost looks blue because she is so cold.
"Go in the bathroom and strip down and I will get you something dry to wear; the towels are on the shelf."
She nods her head and disappears into my bathroom while I find one of my t-shirts and a pair of my boxer shorts for her to wear as shorts. I gently knock on the door and a few seconds later it cracks open and I can see Faith peering out from inside; the black streaks of mascara running down her cheeks makes me shudder because I can't help but think about the picture of her that I drew.
"I can't stop shaking; do you think it would be alright if I get under the hot water in your shower for a minute." Her normally strong voice is weak and shaky from her shivering and her brown eyes look larger than usual. It's strange how familiar she already is to me considering that I have only spent a few hours of actual time with her.
"S-sure...go right ahead."
The door closes in my face and I find myself in another daze that I get snapped out of when I hear my shower turn on. I look down to see the clothes I was going to give her when I knocked on the door but forgot to give them to her before she shut the door. I toss them on the dresser and go sit on my bed and wait for her to come out of the bathroom. Why is she here? Why did she give me that strange look in the kitchen? Where is her truck? Why the hell was she so wet and cold when she showed up at my house at ten at night? I let my mind wander to different places as I wait for her to come out of the bathroom and can't help but wonder if she had the chance to talk to Jake yet. Christ Landon keep your head out of the gutter! All I can think about is her soft lips against mine and I can't help but wonder what she looks like naked in my shower. The bathroom door opening snaps me out of my perverted thoughts and out walks Faith with nothing but a towel wrapped around her tiny body and it's enough to make me choke. Holy hell one flick of a finger and that towel would drop to the floor; revealing her naked body to my eyes.
"Um...Landon...did you have something I can wear?"
Her voice snaps me out of yet another perverted thought. "Oh...yeah, over there on the dresser. I hope those will be okay for you."
She grabs the clothes and disappears back into the bathroom without a word and a few short moments later she comes back out again wearing my boxer shorts and t-shirt. Once again I fight the urge to choke at the sight of her in my clothes; fuck she's hot! I watch her as she moves to the other side of my room and I let out a surprised gasp when she crawls under the covers next to me in the bed. I am kicking myself for not getting under the blankets instead of just sitting on top of them. I nearly gasp again when she shifts closer to me and snakes her arm around my waist as she lays her head on my lap.
"I'm so cold Landy."
"Move over for a minute so I can get under the covers with you; I can get you warm in no time."
I am surprise that I was able to keep my tone so casual as I watch her willingly do as I ask; she keeps her brown eyes locked on my green ones as her teeth chatter and I shift my body to get under the covers with her. I am barely settled in the bed when she glues herself to my body. I wrap my arms around her as she buries her face in my neck and slides her thigh across my waist as she hugs my body tightly and lets out another round of shivering. I hold her tightly to my chest with one arm and use my other hand to stroke her wet hair and after a few minutes she stops shivering and lets out a small sigh of relief before she pulls her face back to look at me.
"Thank you so much; I didn't think I would ever get warm."
"Tell me what happened."
"Don't look so freaked out Landon; I was on my way here from a party and my truck got a flat tire. I had to walk the last six miles in the rain."
"Jesus! You could have gotten killed walking around out there. Between the dark and the heavy rain not to mention those black clothes you always wear you could have gotten hit by a car."
"Yeah but I didn't. Some weirdo did try to give me a ride but I kicked his car and told him to fuck off."
"Oh my god!" I can't help but pull her tighter against my chest when I hear her tell me about someone trying to pick her up. Not only do I pull her tight against my body but I find my hand knotted into her damp hair as I nuzzle her face into my neck. She pats my chest and pulls her face back to look at me again; this time she has a soft smile on her face.
"Don't be so worried about me Landon; I can take pretty good care of myself."
"I believe you. I know I sure wouldn't mess with you." I chuckle.
"Damn right you wouldn't; I fight dirty."
"Do you keep a set of brass knuckles in your pocket too?"
"No but I do carry a knife with me; I don't go anywhere without my knife." She says seriously.
"Where is it right now then?"
"It's in my pants pocket at the bottom of your shower."
"You trust me enough to be this far away from your deadly weapon?"
"Of course I trust you; in fact I feel safe with you even."
"Well I can understand why you wouldn't feel threatened around me; it's not like you couldn't out run me."
Just when I feel the urge to apologize to her for making yet another joke about my disability she starts to giggle and I end up laughing with her when she pokes me in the rib a few times.
"You are such a little smart ass."
"Little? This coming from someone that is barely five feet tall and probably only weighs ninety pounds."
"I don't weigh ninety pounds; I weigh a hundred and two and I'll have you know I am five feet one inch and a quarter."
The two of us are laughing so hard that I barely hear the knock at my bedroom door. I am still chuckling when I tell my dad to come in. He raises his eyebrows at the sight of Faith and I under the covers on my bed.
"Everything alright in here you two?"
"Don't look at me like that dad; you told me to get her warm and dry."
"That's true; I did say that...guess I didn't think you would take me so literally. What happened to you Faith?"
"I was on my way over here but my truck got a flat tire; I had to walk the rest of the way."
"Why didn't you call Landy's phone? I would have came and got you."
"I didn't have his phone number."
"Oh..." Dad trails off.
"Mr. Styles would it be okay if I stay here tonight and I can find someone to come and get me and help me fix my tire in the morning? My mom isn't home and it's already eleven. Please, I don't have anyone else to call."
"Where is your truck?"
"Down on Shuster."
"My goodness, that's what like six or seven miles from here? Did you walk all that way?"
"Yes sir."
"Young lady; you call me sir or Mr. Styles one more time then I am going to make you sleep in the garage tonight."
"So she can stay then?" I chime in on the conversation; proud that I managed to keep a neutral tone.
"Of course she can stay. Are you hungry or anything Faith?"
"No thank you sss...I mean Henry."
"Are you sure you can get someone to help you with your truck in the morning? I would help if I could but I have work so if you are depending on me then you will have to wait until almost six in the evening before I can change your tire."
"I can change her tire for her dad."
"You sure bud?"
"Yes, I'm sure just make sure you leave the van here tomorrow; it's easier for me to drive than the car."
"Landon...you shouldn't be driving that van until I get the hand controls installed."
"I can drive the van just fine dad; I do it all the time. Didn't I just drive it the other day to go get you ice cream? The Amber Cow is ten miles from here."
"Yeah...yeah okay, just be careful okay."
"Always."
"Well it's past my bedtime so I am going to turn in for the night. You kids try to keep the noise down; some of us have to get up early in the morning."
"Goodnight dad."
"Goodnight Henry and thank you so much."
Dad smiles softly at Faith and I cringe when he winks at me; he has no shame at all. I can't help the groan that comes out of my mouth because he's is so damn embarrassing; Faith on the other hand lets out a small giggle as she waves goodnight to my dad. She is still laughing when she turns to look at me.
"I like your dad; he's funny."
"He's embarrassing."
"I think he's sweet."
"Oh really now?"
"Yes really, now move over and quit hogging all the blankets."
"Hmm...if dad's so sweet then why don't you go sleep with him?"
"I bet he would share more blankets than you do." She giggles.
Our laughter tapers off and I find my stomach flipping with nerves at the thought of her sleeping in my bed. I thought for sure my dad would have insisted she sleep on the couch but he seemed perfectly fine with the thought of Faith sharing my bed with me.
"I can go sleep on the couch if you would be more comfortable."
"This is your bed Landon; if you sleep on the couch you will hurt tomorrow."
"I don't mind really; I just don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"You aren't, I want to sleep in here with you...I mean if that's okay with you? I can go sleep on the couch if you want."
"You can sleep in here if you want; I don't mind but keep your hands to yourself." I attempt a joke to try to calm my nerves a little.
"Okay, I promise." She says seriously as she shifts her body away from me and sits up.
"I wasn't being serious Faith; it's not like I'd kick you out of my bed just because you brushed up against me. Hell, the way you were glued to me a minute ago; can't get much closer than that right?"
She smiles so big that her nose crinkles and her eyebrows arch high above her warm brown eyes; she's breath taking. She lies back down beside me and there is about six inches of space between the two of us yet I can feel the warmth of her body at her closeness. I fight the urge to close that six inch gap and wrap my arms around her and taste her mouth. She is still smiling softly when I turn to look at her.
"Have you ever done this before?" She whispers.