Ignite (10 page)

Zeke

After I watch her pull her bedroom door shut, I let out a sigh of frustration and guilt as I rub my palms over my eyes. The last thing I ever want is to hurt her feelings or make her think I don’t want her. Even without the evidence in my pants, I thought I’d made it clear that an assumption like that couldn’t be further from the truth.

When I hear the water turning on in the shower, I know I’ve got at least an hour on my own before she even thinks about coming out. Letting out a slight sigh, I raise the bottle and look at the final two shots of clear liquid still resting at its base.

“Fuck it,” I whisper into the empty room as I remove the cap and toss the last of it down my throat, welcoming the sting.

Sliding the window open, I carefully move to sit on the eave beside it and savor in the familiar feel of the scratchy shingles rubbing against my bare feet.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a cigarette and light it up. Addie hates that I started smoking, so I hardly ever do it around her. Truth be told, I barely smoke at all, but when stress hits me, I give into the urge. Right now, between the alcohol and everything she’d just told me, I’m stressing like a motherfucker.

I let my eyes close lightly and as I feel the burn of the smoke in my lungs, my thoughts begin to wander. The warm breeze sweeping over my face doesn’t have the sobering effect I hoped it would. If it’s possible, it’s made me begin to feel it more.

I’m debating going back into her room when I hear the sound of steps below me making their way towards the front door. Looking up, I don’t see anyone parked in the driveway, but down the block I can see a conspicuous looking dark van sitting against the curb.

Holding my breath, I listen as a set of sharp raps sounds against the wooden door accompanied by the sound of a phlegmy cough and hushed profanity. When no one answers a second time, I listen carefully as he shuffles his way to the end of the porch, leaning against the wooden pillar as he lights his own cigarette. As I watch him pull a cell phone from his pocket, I’m grateful that I’m sitting in front of her window instead of our usual spot on the roof. Not only would it be harder to hear what he’s doing, the creepy vibe this guy is giving me makes me happy I’m between him and my girl.

“Yeah,” he says into the phone. “The girl ain’t answering the door… You hear from Greyson? No? Well, I’m not leaving here without some kind of payment…”

What the hell is going on? It sounds like he’s looking for Addie, but nothing he’s said makes any sense. Payment for what?

“You call him back and see where that bastard is… Nah, my kid goes to school with her. She’s pure for sure. You know I don’t fuck with ‘em otherwise.”

What the fuck?

“Yeah, man. I heard her talking about it to one of her little friends a couple weeks ago, I told you that… Yeah, Greyson confirmed it on the phone, said she was a good girl…” he continues, the way he’s talking about Addie making my stomach churn. “Well, yeah, he asked me not to touch her, but he said he’d fuckin’ be there and the bastard didn’t show… Well, I don’t give a fuck how much he begged you, I told him what would happen if he didn’t pay me this time…I don’t know, the lights are on upstairs and I think I hear the shower running so I’m gonna wait here…  Oh he’s callin’ you now? Okay, I’ll wait.”

Doing my best to stay quiet and out of sight, I move to the edge of the roof and try to get a better look at him. It’s dark out and at this angle, it’s almost impossible to make anything out. Seeing little more than the dark sleeve of his shirt and a pair of shitty construction boots, I turn to look inside Addie’s window. I can hear the water still running, so I know she’s safe in the shower. I’m trying to think of anything I can use as a weapon in her house when I hear him shift his weight. Glancing back down, I see him taking a step into the yard and taking a piss into the long dried up flowerbed. With the moonlight being bright and his back to me, my blood runs cold when I see the outline of a gun in the waist of his jeans.

“Yeah I’m here,” he starts, walking back toward the porch. “He’s all paid up, then? Alright, cool… Well, I’ll be heading back in a little while. Good girls are hard to find. I might just hang around anyway, collect a late fee,” he laughs, sending me into a rage. “Alright.”

“She’s pure for sure… Greyson confirmed it on the phone, said she was a good girl.”

As I hear his old cell phone flip closed, a sharp chill runs up my spine at the same time my stomach fills with dread.

Good girls are hard to find. I might just hang around anyway, collect a late fee.

His words replay in my head and I remember all the times Addie assured me how much girls talk. As much as I don’t want it to, her dad’s weird behavior, the phone calls, the weird run... it all begins to make sense.

Mr. Greyson borrowed money from this guy and because he was late, he’s going to try and hurt Addie. When he begins banging on the door again, I can tell he won’t wait much longer. If I call the cops, there’s no telling what kind of crazy shit this guy will do. Trying my best to make a snap decision, I know I’m failing. I’m fucking drunk and honestly, surprised I haven’t fallen off the roof already. I replay his words over and over again until I stop on one that gives me an option.

“I don’t fuck with ‘em otherwise.”

I hate the idea of anything happening between us to cause Addie to resent me, but there’s no way I’m gonna let anyone hurt her. She deserves to be with someone she loves, someone who loves her in return. The thought of her ever wanting anyone else, especially some ‘random guy’ is bad enough.

If being her drunken mistake saves her from what’s waiting on the porch, I’ll let her hate me forever before that fucker lays a finger on her.

Addie

As I feel the rejection washing off of me, I let out a sigh. Although I still feel like an idiot, I have to admit as I clutch the tile wall beside me to steady myself that maybe Zeke wasn’t completely wrong.

I’m fucking hammered.

I’ve got my hair good and sudsy when I hear a knocking sound coming from downstairs. When I hear another swoosh throb between my temples and grow slightly lightheaded, I smack my hand back against the wet tile again and chalk the sound up to the vodka.

I finish washing myself, taking my time in the shower as usual. I’m replacing my pink razor to the edge of the tub when the door swinging open causes me to jump in surprise.

By the time I see his dark hair moving on the other side of the curtain and realize he’s in the bathroom, he’s already yanking it open, running his eyes over my wet, naked form.

“Zeke?” I manage, the cold air hitting me as he steps under the spray. “What are you doing?”

“Addie, do you love me?” he asks, his breathing ragged.

“What?” I ask, shock still coursing through me as he cups my jaw in his hand and holds my drowsy gaze.

“Do you love me?”

“Of course I do,” I confess immediately. “Why would you…?”

Before I can get the words out, he closes the distance and pulls me against his chest, kissing me deeply.

Zeke

As I thrust my tongue into her mouth, I know I’m taking a gamble right now and I hate the feeling. I’ll never do anything to intentionally damage what Addie and I have. Deep down, I know the line we’re about to cross is one we can’t come back from no matter what we’ve told ourselves. I also know that I may wake up tomorrow to her resenting me forever for letting her do this while she’s not thinking clearly, but that’s a risk I have to take.

Her well-being is the only thing that means more to me than her friendship. I’d rather her hate me forever than have her innocence taken from her from someone like that.

As she rests her hands on my waist, it seems like this is the first time she’s fully realized I’m naked in here with her. The crimson fills her cheeks as the reality of that hits her and it makes me kiss her harder.

She hooks her arms around my neck to pull me closer. Surprising her, I throw the shower curtain open and lift her into my arms.

“What are you doing?” she asks as she pulls away slightly, shivering from the cold air that’s hitting her wet skin as I make my way down the hallway toward her bedroom.

“You still want this, Addie?”

“Yeah,” she admits quietly. “I mean, if you want to.”

“I definitely want to.”

“What changed your mind?”

“You need to give it to someone you love. Someone who loves you, Addie,” I tell her, hoping if she remembers nothing else, she remembers this. “No one’s ever going to love you like I do, so I’m taking what’s mine.”

“Holy shit,” she manages, her hazel eyes growing wide at my words as I lie her on the bed and stand over her.

As I reach for my wallet, I stumble as I pull one of my condoms out and face her.

“Are you sure this is what you want, babe?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says immediately.

The slur in her quiet voice sends a sharp stab of guilt through me, but knowing the alternative waiting outside, I swallow it without another thought.

Leaning over her, I cage her with one arm and kiss her gently, sucking her lip into my teeth and loving the slow hum that fills my mouth.

A tapping sound on the door reminds me that we’re not alone and her heavy eyes spring open.

“Did you hear that?” she asks and I shake my head. “I think someone’s at the door.”

“Even if there is, I’m not answering it right now,” I whisper, watching her nod slightly. “Lie back, babe.”

Watching her stretch out over the mattress, I lower my hand and lightly run my fingers over her bare pussy for the first time. Kissing her softly, I greedily swallow her quiet moans. She’s ready for me already, but I don’t want to rush this. Not only is this something I’m just now realizing I’ve wanted for a lot longer than this summer, she’s giving me something I know I can’t give back.

I don’t care if we’re both drunk or not, I’ve got enough sense to know how much this means to me, too.

I hold her eyes as her chest begins to heave in arousal, turning me on in ways I didn’t even know were possible. Sliding two fingers inside her, I hover over her lips as I begin slowly pushing them deeper inside, watching her reaction to my touch as I rub her clit with my thumb. I’ve barely touched her there before her back is arching off the mattress and pushing her tits into my chest. She begins to pulse around my fingers as I watch her eyes begin to flutter, unable to take my eyes off of her face as she calls my name out loudly.

As she comes down, I continue to gently massage her while she steadies her breathing. Glancing over at the open window beside her bed, her eyes come back to mine in concern.

“Shit,” she whispers. “I didn’t know that window was open, Zeke… Should we close it?”

“No,” I tell her, running my lips down her neck to hide my lying eyes. “No one will hear anything, baby. You don’t have to hold back.”

“Okay,” she husks as I hover over her lips, kissing her chastely before raising slightly and picking up the foil package.

Holding her eyes, I tear it open and slide it over my swollen cock, an unfamiliar wave of emotion coursing through me. Positioning myself between her thighs, I tease her opening, watching her breath catch in her throat as I lower myself back over her.

“Addie,” I whisper, pushing her still wet blonde hair away from her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Zeke,” she manages, her eyes watering before she raises her lips to mine.

As I push into her slowly, we let out simultaneous gasps. Somehow as our eyes meet, we both acknowledge the bittersweet truth that things will never be the same between us again.