Left Together (3 page)

I stay
in the shower, even after getting washed and rinsing my hair, until Jade bangs
on the door. “How the hell do you still have hot water left?”

“A
good hot water heater,” I holler back.

“Hurry
up. I need to grab nail polish from the cabinet.”

“I’m
getting out now,” I announce, even though I’d rather stay here. Once I’m
dressed, I open the door to let her in.

“Real
cute with the bed. I sprayed it with disinfectant, then covered that shit up,”
Jade claims, walking over to the far side of the bathroom. She opens the
cabinet that contains all of my nail stuff and pulls out what we’ll need. Files,
nail polish remover, cotton balls, the nail dryer… After looking through the
colors a time or two, she pulls out the bottle of polish she wants to use.
“What color do you want?”

The
French manicure I had done on my fingernails at the salon a few days ago still
looks perfect, so I only need to redo my toes. The bright red I had painted on them
for the Fourth of July won’t go with the cream halter top dress I plan on
wearing tonight. “Um…” I try to decide. “Maybe the purple I bought last week.”

Jade
grabs the bottle and closes the cabinet door before taking everything, except
for the remover and cotton balls, out to my bedroom. She comes back in and
lifts herself up onto the counter to begin removing the old color from her
nails. “You’re really okay with what happened with Jake this morning?”

“Yup,”
I answer, not bothering to stop combing out my damp hair. When all of the knots
are gone, I spray in the anti-frizz product and let the curls air dry. I take a
cotton ball from Jade’s pile and dump some remover on it.

She
starts talking again as I sit on the floor. “I don’t know what gets into him.
We’ve talked about you and Evan before. Jake’s thrilled you found someone, so
how he acted doesn’t make sense.”

My
eyes stay focused on the task at hand. “I’m sure it’s just that he’s looking
out for us, Jade. You know how protective he can be.” I’m seriously over this
and don’t really want to hear any more about Jake. “Who’s going out with you
and Kyle tonight?” Jade begins chatting about our friends and which guy is going
with which girl. The good thing is she’s so easily distracted. The great thing
is she stops talking about Jake.

***

About ninety
minutes before Evan is supposed to pick me up, he calls to say he’s in the
middle of doing something and asks if it would be too much trouble if I drive
to his place. It’s much closer to Skyline, as well as the restaurant we’re
going to. It’s no big deal, but I need to hurry and finish getting ready so we
don’t miss our reservation. I walk into my closet to grab my dress and shoes,
smiling at the pile of clothes Evan left on top of the dresser. Since he
started staying over at my house more than he goes home, I cleaned out the
first set of drawers inside the big closet. It’s just easier for him to keep
some things here. He comes directly from the club at night and will usually go
straight back there the next day.

As I
go to walk past the furniture to get to where my stuff is hanging, I step on
something hard and cold. I look down to see the key to my house I had given Evan.
By the time he gets here after work, I’m usually asleep and would never hear
the doorbell, so I had one made. He was in a hurry to get out of here this morning
and probably didn’t realize he dropped it. I bend over and pick it up.
Hopefully, I don’t forget to give it back to him.

It
doesn’t take long to put my outfit together, so I’m able to get out of my house
in record time. The sky looks cloudy and I remember Jade saying something about
a storm coming through tonight. “Figures,” I say aloud. “I’m finally able to
drive my car somewhere and I can’t even put the top down.” When I go out with
Evan, he always wants to take his truck, and when I go out with Jade, Jake, or Kyle,
one of them will usually drive. I sulk to the back of my car, throw my
overnight bag in the trunk, and get in the driver’s seat. 

Traffic
in the Tampa area is usually a pain in the ass, especially on a Friday night,
but with it being a holiday weekend, it’s even worse. It takes longer than it
should to get to Evan’s. When I’m about a mile from his parking lot, my phone
starts ringing. Whenever I see Evan calling, there’s this fluttery feeling in
my chest. It means he’s thinking of me, even though we aren’t together. I press
the button on the steering wheel to answer the call through the Bluetooth. “Sorry,
babe. The traffic is a bitch tonight. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Kacie…,”
he says, almost sadly. “I’m so sorry. I have to cancel our plans.”

Disappointment
replaces the fluttering, but I know he can’t help it if something comes up at
the club. It is his main responsibility, after all. “Okay,” I say, trying not
to let my feelings take control of me. “I’ll just come to Skyline since I’m
already dressed and close by.” I check my mirror to see if it’s safe to switch
lanes. I’ll need to turn at the next light.

“No,”
he practically snaps. I can hear him sigh. “I’m not at Skyline.”

If he
couldn’t come pick me up, why the hell isn’t he at the club? “Where are you?”

“I’m
out.” He’s never given me a short answer like that before. He usually tells me
where he is without me asking. “Listen, there’s something I need to take care
of, so I’m not going to be around for a while.” He sounds like he’s making this
shit up as he goes along.

“Evan,
what’s going on?” I change my mind about going to the club and continue to his
condo.

He’s
quiet for a few seconds. “I think we should take a break.”

“Where
the fuck is
that
coming from?” I’m no longer disappointed. I’m pissed
off. What could have possibly happened since this morning? He doesn’t answer
me. “Where are you?” I ask for the second time.

“Some
place I can think things through. I have to go.”

“Don’t
you dare hang up on me!” I yell. “How can you say we should take a break when,
just this morning, you were telling me the exact opposite?”

An
eternity passes before he speaks again, “Go home,” he whispers before ending
the call.

“Son
of a bitch!” I scream. He doesn’t pick up when I try to call him back. The
entrance to his parking lot is just ahead, so I turn in. There’s no sign of his
truck anywhere. I park my car in his normal spot and run up to the door. It doesn’t
sound like he’s here, but I use the key he gave me and let myself in. After a
quick walk through, it looks like everything is in the same place we left it in
yesterday before going to his aunt and uncle’s house. I return to my car and
decide to drive to Skyline. Again, there’s no sign of his truck in the employee
parking lot.

Panic
starts to set in. I’m trying to come up with some explanation as to why he’d do
this. There isn’t one thing I can think of that makes any sense. His words from
when we first climbed into my bed this morning are echoing in my head. “You are
the best thing that has ever happened to me”. “I’d fight for you”. “I’d never
give up”. This sure as hell feels like he’s giving up to me, but I’m not ready
to.

Think,
Kacie, think
. Where the hell would he go if something was
bothering him? Then it hits me. The boat. He’s told me how, when he first moved
to town, he’d go to the marina to get away from everyone. We haven’t been back
since the first time he took me there. I know where the marina is, but finding
which dock the boat’s at might be tricky, especially at night. Making the next
turn, I head for the highway. Raindrops start to land on my windshield. Isn’t
this just wonderful?

By the
time I get to the marina, the rain is coming down a little harder. The
windshield wipers have no trouble clearing my view, though. I drive down each
row of the parking lot. It’s unbelievable how many cars are here at night. My
hope fades a little more each time I get to the end of a row and don’t find
Evan’s truck. When I get to the very last one, I can see it all the way at the
end. There’s finally a reason to appreciate the monstrous size of the damn
thing. You can’t miss it. I pull into the first open spot.

The
weather is only supposed to deteriorate overnight, so there’s no reason to wait
for it to let up. I leave everything in the car and start walking toward the
ramp closest to his truck. Luckily, the scenery looks familiar the closer I
get. I really have to remember to take in my surroundings better when I go new
places. My feet are now soaked in these strappy heels and the water has made
its way through the material of my dress and bra. My hair, which I spent nearly
forty-five minutes styling and restyling, is drenched and flat against my head.
For the first time since I’ve been back in Tampa, I begin to shiver from the
cold. I fold my arms across the front of my chest, attempting to keep myself
warmer. Where the hell is this fucking boat? When I finally recognize it,
relief washes over me. I was beginning to worry he took it out in this storm.

The
last time I was here, it was daytime so we didn’t need lights on. The light
coming from the windows looks awfully dim. Were the windows tinted or something?
I place my foot on the first step to the boat and slip, my hand reaching out to
grab onto the side to steady myself. Heels are not the proper foot attire to
walk on a boat in a freakin’ storm. I’ll have to remember that next time I
decide to do something crazy like this. More cautiously, I walk up the few
steps. A bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, scaring the shit out of me.
Right before I call out Evan’s name, my foot tangles in something. When I
glance down, I see that it’s an article of clothing. A shirt, maybe? It’s so
dark out here, it’s hard to tell. I lean over to get it off of me just as
another spark of lightning flashes across the sky. It helps me see that about a
foot away from the shirt is a bra. My eyes dart to the door that leads below
deck and I realize the light coming inside is flickering. Candlelight? A sharp
pain stabs at my heart and I can’t seem to breathe. This can’t be happening.
Evan wouldn’t do this. The sound that comes from behind the door confirms that
everything he had been telling me over the last few weeks was nothing but a
lie. It’s a sound I’ll never be able to forget. It’s the sound of some girl
having too much of a good time.

I
think I just found a reason to give up.

Kacie

There’s
no way in hell I’m going to hang around and have Evan find me standing here. He
doesn’t deserve the privilege of knowing I cared enough to come look for him.
After unwrapping my foot from whoever’s ugly ass shirt was thrown here for me
to trip over, I climb down the steps. The purpose I had when I came here is
gone. The fact that the rain has soaked through my dress and right to my bones
no longer matters. I can’t feel the cold anymore. I can’t feel anything. In a
zombie-like trance, my feet slowly take me back to the parking lot and,
somehow, I manage to find my car. Normally, I’d be concerned about the water
ruining the leather seats, but it doesn’t faze me at the moment. Tomorrow may
be another story.

The
rain has picked up even more, so the wipers are having trouble clearing the
windshield now. The unexpected sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning are the
only things that prevent me from losing focus while driving down the mostly
vacant highway. One never knows how one would act in a particular situation
until being thrown into it. If someone would’ve asked me what I thought I’d do
in the current predicament, my guess would have been that I’d have barged
inside, guns blazing, ready to rip out someone’s throat. Not this. What’s
happening is much worse. I don’t feel sad, upset, or angry. I just feel empty.
Maybe it’s shock. I don’t know.

I’ve
lost all concept of time, so there’s no way of knowing how long it took to get
from the marina to my house. There’s no reason to hurry. No one’s waiting for
me. There’s no need to dodge the rain since my clothes are still drenched. The
steps leading up to my front door seem as if they’ve doubled in size and number
from when I left. The deadbolt opening sounds more like it would if it were to
the dungeon in a haunted castle. Stepping over the threshold and standing in
the lightless foyer, I reach out in the general direction of the table and drop
my purse, hearing the thud when it hits the floor. It can stay there. My feet
won’t bring me any deeper into the house. Not one part of me wants to be here.
There’s only one other place to go. I head back out the front door, armed with
only my keys in hand. Without thinking about it, I instinctively lock the door
on the way out.

Back
down the steps, past my car, around the top of the U-shaped driveway, to the
paved walkway that runs right into my neighbor’s yard, I stroll as if it were a
beautiful spring day. Jade’s BMW is parked in its usual spot outside of the
garage, and the only other vehicle here is the one belonging to Quinn’s
Construction Company’s owner. The exterior lights are enough to guide me to the
front door. My arm feels as if it weighs a hundred pounds when it raises up to
press the doorbell. I press it a second time when I get sick of waiting. That’s
what it takes to get the door to open.

Seeing
a drowned rat standing in the pouring rain obviously isn’t what he expected. He
leans his shoulder up against the door frame, looking down at me, holding a
beer in his hand. The only thing he’s wearing is a pair of dark blue jeans,
which are hanging low enough that the waistband of his boxers is sticking out
of the top of them. He always has perfectly tanned skin, a product of being
born, raised, and stuck in Florida, overlying toned muscles. His dark hair
matches his handsome dark brown eyes. Over the years I’ve known him, many girls
have come in and out of his life, but no one was ever good enough for him to
keep around. I’ve always wondered why.

“You
really shouldn’t answer the door like that. If it were anyone else, you could’ve
been attacked,” I suggest.

Jake
gives me a big smile, the one that shows his dimples. “I don’t know.” He
shrugs. “Opening up my door to find you standing here wet is kind of a fantasy
of mine.”

“Very
funny,” I say, brushing by him to get out of the rain. The door closes behind
me.

“Who
said I was trying to be funny?” I hear him mumble.

“Where’s
Jade?” I ask, ignoring his comment.

“Still
out. Remember? You and Evan were too good to go with them tonight.” Hearing his
name takes my breath away for a moment. Jake doesn’t miss it. “What happened?
Were you stood up tonight or something?” He doesn’t know it but, in a way, he’s
right.

“Something
like that,” I say before heading back to the door. “I’ll catch up with her
later. If you see your sister before going to bed, don’t tell her I was here. I
don’t want her to worry.”

My
hand is on the doorknob when I feel him grab my upper arm. “Tell me,” he
demands. “Why did you show up at my door soaked and looking like you lost your best
friend?”

“There’s
no reason to bother you with this. I’ll talk to Jade tomorrow.”

“Please,
don’t make me ask again. What did he do?” The cold is beginning to set in
again. Goosebumps form on the surface of my skin and, suddenly, I need to get
out of this dress.

I look
down at his fingers still wrapped around my arm. “You don’t really want to hear
about this, do you?”

“Kacie
Foster…,” he warns.

“I’m
going to need a drink if I have to talk to you about this,” I resign.

“Go
upstairs and change out of those wet clothes.” He glances down the front of me,
then back to my eyes. “I’ll have a drink waiting for you when you’re done. Oh,
and don’t even try to sneak out because I’ll chase you down.”

I walk
over to the stairs and sit down on the second one from the bottom. My fingers fumble
with the entirely too small buckles on these waterlogged, muddy shoes. Jake
takes pity on me, kneels down, and reaches for my foot.

“This
better be one damn good story if I’m touching your dirty ass feet,” he says,
easily removing one shoe, dropping it on the floor next to him, then doing the
same with the other one. When he sets my foot back down, Jake rubs my knee and
tilts his head up the stairs. “Go. If you can’t find anything in Jade’s room to
wear, there are some t-shirts on my dresser that I just washed, but didn’t have
time to put away. Take whatever you want.”

My
friend pulls me to my feet and I go upstairs. Walking into Jade’s room, I feel
like an outsider. Apparently, Kyle has been leaving things here the way Evan
was leaving his stuff at my house. As quickly as possible, I run over to the
dresser and open the drawer where I’ve stashed a few things. Jade has enough
stuff in the one guest room at my house to last a week. I pull out a pair of
gray pajama shorts and, since I don’t have another bra to put on, two tank
tops, then make my way into the bathroom. The mirror reflects a soulless shell
of a young woman, dripping wet hair plastered to her head and face. Her makeup
is smeared, and her light-colored dress is so waterlogged, it’s practically
see-through. My hands reach behind my neck and unfasten the buttons holding up
my halter top, then lower the zipper at my back. The dress falls to the floor
as I undo the clasp of my strapless bra. After I drop my panties, I decide to
get in the shower. Since this is my second home, I know where Jade keeps her
towels. I collect what I need, place them next to the stall, then gather my wet
clothes into a pile and drop them in the sink.

The
water runs over my cold skin, warming it. It’s washing away the makeup from places
it doesn’t belong, the dirt from traipsing through numerous puddles, and the
chill in my bones. The one thing it can’t eliminate is the void that’s now
stubbornly situated inside my heart. How long will it take up residence there?

I get
out of the shower after the water starts to cool. My shorts and tank tops cover
me enough that there’s no need to worry about wearing underwear. There’s no way
in hell I’m putting those wet things back on. Good thing it’s only Jake. My
hair gets pulled up into a clip. Leaving my clothes in Jade’s sink, I go back
downstairs and end up in the kitchen. Jake is watching a baseball game on TV,
but switches it off as soon as he sees I’ve returned.

“Sorry,
your drink isn’t ready,” he announces. “When I heard the shower, I thought
you’d be longer. What are you in the mood for? Beer?” Jake disappears around
the corner, farther into the living room.

“Stronger,”
I say, walking behind his bar. I look through the bottles he keeps on the
bottom shelf.

“You
know damn well I don’t let anyone back here,” he complains. “Here. Put this
on.” Jake places a sweatshirt over my shoulders. I stand up, look down to see
his company’s logo on it, then push my arms into the sleeves and zip it halfway.
It’s huge, so I have to bunch the sleeves up to get my tiny hands out.

“Thanks.”

“You
looked cold,” is all he says. “Now move it.” He waits for me to get to the
other side of the bar and sit on the stool. I tuck my feet underneath of me
because my legs are so damn short. “Martini? I think I have the stuff for any
flavor you could possibly want.” My friend is looking through his supplies as
if it were his life’s mission.

“Stronger,”
I mumble while staring at the coaster on the bar.

He
sighs. “Stronger?” I look up to find his eyes on me. His face holds a worried
expression. I’ve never asked for anything stronger. Jake pulls out a brand new
bottle of Bourbon. “This is the strongest thing I have. It’s leftover from your
birthday party.”

“That’s
perfect.” When he reaches for a glass, I take the bottle, open it and swallow
two large gulps before setting it down.

His
worried expression disappears, replaced by one of panic. “Something tells me
there’s a whole lot more to your story than just you being stood up.” Another
gulp, or three, goes down my throat. Jake places both hands on the bar, bracing
himself. He may actually be afraid of what I have to say. “I was thinking Evan
got held up at the club and you just got upset he couldn’t make it.” I look
away. “Kacie, start talking.”

After
another mouthful, I push the bottle over to him. “You might want to have some
of this before I do.” He takes it, but doesn’t drink any. He pours some into
the glass and puts it in front of me, keeping the bottle closer to him. I swirl
the liquid around. “Where should I start?”

It’s
more of a mumble to myself, but Jake answers, “After I left your house.”

Another
sip. I notice I don’t feel as cold anymore. “That’s probably not the best
place,” I say, remembering the physical marathon I endured.

Jake’s
growing impatient. “Then start
after
you two had sex.”

Good
thing I’m still numb or I’d be really pissed off at that remark. “I fell
asleep. Four hours later, I woke up and that’s when Jade came over. Ev…” I
couldn’t get his name to come out of my mouth. “He called later to say he was
running late and asked me to meet him at his condo. While getting ready, I
found his key to my house on the floor. I didn’t think anything of it at the
time. Just before I got to his place, he called again. This time, he was
canceling our plans.” I down what was left in the glass and hand it over for a
refill. Jake pours more, but I swear it’s less than last time.

“Is
there more?”

“Yup.”
After a brief pause, I continue, “He refused to tell me where he was, then
broke up with me.” I watch his reaction. “I’m going out on a limb here and say
you weren’t expecting me to say that.” The look on his face is not one I’ve
ever seen.

“There’s
no way…,” Jake finally says as he starts shaking his head back and forth. “You
must have misunderstood.”

 “‘I
think we should take a break’,” I quote. “I don’t think there’s any other way
to take that shit, do you?” My drink is empty. Damn it.

“Something’s
not right. This doesn’t sound like the same guy.” I hear him, but don’t care
what he’s saying. The jerk refuses to fill my glass.

“You
aren’t going to get the rest of the story without more.” I motion to the
bottle.

“Kacie,
your eyes are already starting to glaze over. Hold on a sec.”

“Jake,
I’m purposely trying to stay numb. I don’t want to feel this. I’m not ready to.
Please, fill it.” Who cares how desperate I sound? The pain is going to be much
worse. Jake does what I ask.

“Back
to the story,” he tells me.

“After
he hung up on me, I decided to go find him. He wasn’t at his place or Skyline,
so I tried the marina. I should have just gone the fuck home.”

“Was
he there?”

“He
was inside the boat, but I never went in.”

“Why
not?”

“Because
after I found women’s clothing on the deck, I heard sounds coming from the
owner herself. At that point, I didn’t really see any reason to let him know I
was there.”

When I
direct my attention back to Jake, his hand is grasped a little too tightly on
the neck of the bottle and his eyes are wide. I know his anger is building. That’s
why I’m okay with being numb. Not feeling anything is tolerable. I don’t force
him to speak. Silence is easy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stay that way long
enough. Jake releases the bottle, as well as the breath he’s holding.

“Kacie,
I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes,
you do.” My fingers keep busy running around the rim of the glass. “You want to
say you told me so. That I deserve this because I didn’t listen to you and Jade
when you tried to warn me.”