Forever and Almost Always (12 page)

I parked next to Charlee’s car and ran across the yard to my house. When I swung open the door, the sight I saw was a first for me. There on the back of the couch sat my girl, braiding Wilton’s afro. I instantly started busting up laughing, when everyone looked up at me.

“What the hell do you have my girl doing to you Wilton?” I made my way over to the both of them, planting a kiss right on my girl’s mouth. “Hey there.”

“Hi baby.” She smiled.

“What the hell are you doing, baby?”

“Wilton said he wanted braids back in his hair and I know how to do them, so I offered.” She was so fucking adorable.

“Well alrighty then. You want anything to drink? I’m gonna go grab something.”

“A beer please.”

“Done.”

I walked over the tons of people scattered across the floor and couches, as I tried to make my way into the kitchen. I grabbed a few beers from the fridge, and then started making my way back out to the living room. I was almost close enough to plop myself down next to my girl, when a blur of brown hair flashed in front of me.

“Rachael, why are you here?”

“I was invited. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you.” She winked, and then walked out back.

Sure she wouldn’t. Lying bitch. I plopped myself down on the couch next to Charlee and Wilton. “Hey where’s Taylor? She decided not to come tonight?”

“She’s out back with Aaron.” I could sense the irritation in Charlee’s voice immediately.

“I’ll be right back.” I snagged both beers and started making my way out back. There were even more people outside, than there were in the house. I glanced back and forth, not seeing Taylor or Aaron anywhere. I moved past the crowd and into the rocks that led to Charlee’s house. I caught a glimpse of Taylor in the corner, but Aaron was nowhere to be seen. I was about to walk away, but then I caught a glimpse of a stray tear falling down Taylor’s face, before she turned back towards the wall. I really didn’t want to get involved, but honestly did I really have a choice?

“Taylor, you okay?” She turned at the sound of my voice, but quickly turned back around when she noticed it was me. “Taylor, please talk to me.”

“Your friend is an asshole.”

“Okay, you’re going to have to narrow that down a bit. Which one?”

“Aaron. Who do you think? All I did was try to be honest with him. I mean, we’ve been hanging out for a few weeks now and I decide to tell him about my daughter. He straight looked me in the face and said, he doesn’t deal with kids. It’s too much baggage for him to handle.”

I foresaw this happening, I swear I did. I even tried to warn Charlee about it. Hell, even Trevor tried to warn Taylor himself. Stubborn ass women, I tell you what. “Look Taylor, Aaron is only nineteen. He has no clue how to even be an adult half of the time. Trust me when I say, you’re better off. He wouldn’t have made it two days around a baby. But I am sorry that he was a dick about it.”

“Thanks, Dax. I really appreciate it.”

“Your welcome. So, you wanna come back inside?”

“Sure.”

As I turned to start walking back inside, Taylor’s arms were wrapped around me, rendering me immobile. I wasn’t sure how to react, and I sure as hell wasn’t sure how Charlee would react if she saw us. I gave Taylor a quick squeeze and then turned out of her embrace. I looked back once to see if she was following, but she was still a few steps behind me. I lit up a smoke as I reached the edge of the porch, and took a long pull off of my beer bottle. Taylor walked right past me seconds later, and I was grateful that this didn’t turn awkward.

I started a mundane conversation with some random people that I didn’t know very well, and tried to steer clear of the house for a little bit. My girl was busy doing my roommates hair, her best friend just hugged me, and all I wanted to do was pull my girl into my room and bury myself deep inside of her. Instead, here I stood, smoking and drinking with strangers.

About an hour later, people started heading home and the house became less and less crowded. I was about to go back inside, when a very angry Charlee came walking out the sliding glass door.

“What the hell, Dax?”

“What?”

“Seriously? I haven’t seen you in over an hour. You couldn’t come back inside and at least say hello or hang out with me?”

“You were busy.” This, apparently wasn’t the answer she was looking for. “I’m sorry, baby. I came out and found Taylor, and then got distracted talking to some people. Forgive me?” I pulled her into my chest and held her tight.

“I guess so.” She whispered. “You going to be ready to go to bed soon?”

“You read my mind, although sleeping wasn’t what I had on the agenda.” I whispered softly into her ear.

“Maybe I’ll just sleep at home tonight.” I could hear the disdain in her voice, only I wasn’t certain what I had done to put it there.

“What? Wait, why?” I pushed her back from me a bit, so I could get a better look at her.

“I’ve been here almost every night. I just want to sleep in my bed tonight. I’ll see you in the morning though, I’m sure.” She placed a chaste kiss to my lips and turned to walk back inside.

Before I could even think of anything to say, to stop her or make her change her mind, she was already heading out the front door. I watched through the glass as she closed the door behind her, and didn’t look back once. I was completely and utterly confused. I gathered up all the empty beer bottles and cans, and hauled them inside to throw them away. Wilton’s door to his room was closed, but I could still hear music playing, so I stopped and knocked.

“Come in.”

I walked into Wilton’s room, and found him lounging across his bed as he watched TV. “What’s up, bro?”

“Hey, what’s going on with Charlee? She seemed fine when I first got here, but she went home tonight.”

“She may have overheard me saying something to Rachael about you.”

“Holy shit, Wilton. Why didn’t you fucking say something to me?”

“I couldn’t find you. I’m sorry, man. I really am. I promise you, Rachael will never come back here again.”

“Thanks. Alright, well I’m headed to bed. See ya in the morning.”

“See ya.”

I closed Wilton’s door and made my way across the house. When I closed my door, I collapsed onto my bed, and that’s exactly where I stayed until morning. At least while I was sleeping, there would be no drama for me to deal with.

Chapter Twenty

Charlee

I had a hell of a time falling asleep when I first got home, but after four cigarettes, a few laps in the pool, and a half a bottle of vodka, I was damn near ready to pass out where I stood. I had been staring out the kitchen window towards his house for at least an hour now, but he never showed. The lights never came on and there was no inclination that he was thinking about me too.

Around three in the morning, I finally walked the twenty feet to my bedroom and curled up in a tight ball beneath the covers. As much as I had wanted to stay with him again, my heart just wasn’t willing to deal with the consequences the next morning. Wilton had made it perfectly clear last night who exactly Rachael was, and why she was at their house. And as much as I wanted to give Dax the benefit of the doubt, it was starting to look grim, after what I had heard.

I shook the remaining bad thoughts of the two of them from my mind, and hustled into the shower. I had quite a few errands to run before my mom got home, and if I didn’t have them done by then, she would have my ass. I didn’t even bother glancing over at Dax’s house, as I left the driveway. There was no need to. I knew that if he wanted to see or talk to me, he knew where to find me.

When I pulled up to Home Depot just around the corner from my house, I noticed a tall tattooed guy standing against a white car, hitting on some poor girl. Immediately I recognized it was Trevor. As much as I wanted answers to my questions from anybody who knew Dax, this wasn’t the right guy. I quickly made my way past the car and Trevor, and then let out a long breath. I was just thankful that I didn’t have to stay and talk to him, he-.

“Hey Charlee, wait up.”

Shit! Of course he would notice me regardless. How could I have expected anything less from a guy who would never learn to walk away from a set of boobs. I kept walking, slowing my pace just a tad, so he was able to catch up to me by the time I went inside.

“Charlee?”

I turned slightly, just enough to see his face. “Oh hey, Trevor. I didn’t realize that was you. What’s going on?”

Trevor draped his arm over my shoulders, pulling me close into his side. “Nothing much. What are you up to? I figured you would be shacked up all day with my boy.”

I playfully rolled my eyes at him, “And what gave you that idea?”

“A little birdie told me.” He whispered against my damp skin, sending goose bumps all down my spine, but they didn’t arouse me in the way that Dax’s did.

“Well that little birdie slept alone last night. Just in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t, but thanks. So did he tell you yet?”

This caught me off guard, “Tell me what?” Confusion must’ve been written across my face, because Trevor was now looking at me the same way.

“Oh shit, sorry. Never mind.”

“No, not never mind. What are you talking about?” I turned into Trevor and gave him my best puppy dog eyes, hoping he would play right into them. And sure enough, he did.

“Him and Wilton have to move out. They only have a month left to live there. No biggie though. I think Dax has already found a place.”

I nervously began fidgeting with my hair, and kicking the ground with the toe of my shoe. “Where did he find a place at?”

“In Mesa, I think. The apartments that his buddy Ernie from work lives in.”

Doesn’t that figure. I tried to keep my expression as stoic as possible, not wanting Trevor to know how much this little bit of news affected me. Why would he move so far away? Apparently, I had seen us moving forward far more than he did.

Trevor’s hand gently clasped my shoulder, “Hey don’t even worry about it, I’m sure he’s planning on telling you.”

“Sure.” I whispered. “Well, I have a ton of shit to get done before I can go home. I’ll see ya later, Trevor.”

He stopped just outside of the sliding glass doors and yelled to me, “Hey tell your friend I said hey.” I could hear his laugh fade away as the doors began to shut.

Moving out, huh? This was crazy, we had barely begun seeing each other, but I honestly couldn’t picture anyone else living next to me. I needed it to be him that I searched for late at night, not some stranger. I ran my fingers through my hair and began aimlessly twirling it around my finger. There had to be something I could do, anything. I just needed him to tell me first.

The rest of my morning and late afternoon seemed to drag on. Every time I would glance at the clock, it had only been thirty minutes at the most. I was starting to get extremely frustrated. Finally, after I finished up at the pool store, I decided to grab some lunch and surprise Dax. As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed a new car that I had yet to see. I wasn’t sure whose it was, but I was beyond caring about over stepping boundaries. I knocked on the door twice, but there was no answer. I peeked over the back wall, but nobody was outside either. In a last ditch effort, I rang the doorbell and waited, and waited, and waited. I turned to walk away, when I finally heard the screen door creak open.

“Charlee? What are you doing here?”

“I was just bringing by lunch. I was thinking maybe we could hang out or something.”

“Sorry, can I take a rain check?”

Was he serious right now? With everything that we had been doing, and talking about, he was seriously asking for a rain check? “No, that’s okay. I guess I’ll just see you around.” I left it at that and walked my angry ass back home. Before I could make it up my front walkway, his large fingers were wrapping around my wrist, pulling me back into him. As he gently squeezed my thin frame against his muscular torso, I could feel myself falling, hard. I knew once I walked over that threshold, there was no going back. I was going to give this relationship everything I had, whether it worked out or not.

His mouth hovered above mine for what felt like an eternity. My eyes fluttered shut, as the warmth of his breath slid across my damp skin.

“Tell me you wanna be with me, Charlee. Tell me everything is going to be okay. Just say it.” His voice was barely above a whisper and doing things to my insides that only he could take care of for me. I could hear the desperation in his voice, and my heart started to break a little for the man that desperately needed me to tell him how much I wanted him.

“I want to be with you more than anything, Dax. I need you and want you all at the same time, and it scares me. I’ve fallen for you. Whether it’s a rational idea or not, I don’t know what I would do without you.” My eyes were still closed, and I was scared to open them. To see the reaction on his face. Mostly, I was scared to death of being rejected by him. Before I could over analyze anything else, his lips were on mine. His kiss was ravenous, and I could feel his desire for me in every movement his lips made. My hands glided up the sides of his face and around the back of his neck, pulling him into me. My fingers tangled themselves into his hair, and with a light tug, he was moaning incoherent thoughts into my mouth.

Dax pushed my body up against the grainy stucco, and I let out a loud gasp at the sharpness of each edge, but I never lost contact with his mouth. We were devouring one another, almost as though it was the last time we would ever have each other in this way. His hands made quick work of unbuttoning my shorts, but I stopped him before it went too far outside.

“Wait. Just wait a minute.” I panted. “Let’s go out back.” I reached down and slid my fingers between his, as I unlocked the front door and led him out back. I turned to look at this amazingly handsome creature in front of me, and with a devious smile, I licked my bottom lip excruciatingly slow. I pushed my shorts to the ground, along with my panties and kicked them in Dax’s direction. A broad, all knowing smile formed across his lips, and he slowly started making his way over to me. When he pulled his shirt over the back of his head, each muscle pulled and stretched, and called out my name. I wanted to touch him, to feel his taut muscles pulling beneath my fingers.