Pieces of Lies (11 page)

As we climbed into the car, I suddenly became worried that Clint was only doing this to prove he could do something dangerous and out of control.  I mean, it was one thing to do something crazy, but doing it and looking like a fool was not going to help Clint step out of that box.

“Don’t look so worried Norah,” Clint was trying to reassure me, “you may have your naked painting and guns to help you escape… but me, when things get too much for me… I,
drive,
” and with that I was pushed back into my seat as he accelerated to top speed over to the starting line.

The four cars lined up over the two-lane woodland road that stretched into the mountainside. I felt adrenaline already hitting my body and I shook with anticipation. The engines all roared to life, and I could faintly hear the screams of the crowd behind us. A tall lanky guy that I hadn’t noticed in the crowd earlier, walked in front of the cars. All the headlights shone towards him as he began to make movements with his arms. “Last chance to change your mind,” Clint said, but I just shook my head. 

The lanky guy’s hands dropped and the cars all propelled forward, the Ferrari taking the lead, followed by us, the Jaguar and then the Maserati. The road was only big enough for two cars at any given time, so to get past the leader; Clint would need to find a way to shoot past someone who fell to the side when taking the corners.

The road twisted up round the hillsid with the cars now lined up two and two behind each other. The Jaguar and Ferrari out front and us and the Maserati behind. “There are two clearings near a couple of turns up ahead and that’s when I’ll get in.” I could only nod as Clint explained his strategy, not able to take my eyes off the road, my heartbeat exploding through my chest. I was gripping the seat as Clint rounded one of the first clearings near a sharp turn. The Jaguar did not take it smoothly, swinging out wide and allowing Clint to take up position in first place next to the Ferrari. I breathed a little easier and then I felt Clint’s hand resting on mine as I continued to hold onto the leather interior. I took a moment to look at how calm he appeared to be driving. The situation was not fazing him at all. He even seemed relaxed.
Damn that’s sexy.

“We have to turn around at the top and I’ll have to take the inside road down if I want to stay out front.” I turned my hand in towards his and squeezed his palm in assurance. Clint quickly turned to face me, “Norah, this right now, is for you.”

Everything moved very quickly as we reached the top. In the span of a few seconds, all four cars spun and propelled around and back into a steady rhythm towards the road, sticking as close to the mountain as they could. In the haze of smoke and engines roaring, when the cars emerged from the cloud of dust, it was Clint who drove victoriously from the bunch, taking the lead and maneuvering his way back down towards to the bottom. The Ferrari tried to swing past on a couple of attempts but Clint anticipated the moves and pulled out in front of him on both tries. I could hear the cheering as we sped past the finish line. Clint slowed the Lamborghini and turned it back so he could park near the group who were whistling and chanting as we climbed out of the car, “Laaaaa Pell…. Laaaaa Pell…. Laaaaa Pell.”

I was still shaking from the adrenaline when I grabbed at Clint’s shirt, “Where the hell did you learn to drive like that?” I was breathless.

“I told you, when things get too much for me, I drive.” He was completely steady.

“Then you must be in one hell of a pressure cooker.” Clint just gave me an awkward smile and returned to the admiration of the crowd.

Arriving back to my apartment, Clint escorted me to my front door. It would have been close to 3am. “Thank you for coming tonight Norah, I don’t think I could have done that without you,” Clint said leaning up against my front door.

“Please, that driving was all you. It was incredible. I am still blown away by how you handled that car.” I started to giggle to myself.

“What’s so funny?” Clint asked.

“The way you said, ‘
when things get too much for me, I drive’.
 It was cheesy, but I totally loved it.”

Clint started to laugh with me, “Damn, and here I was thinking I was so cool.”

I leaned up against my apartment door at the same angle as him, staring into his eyes that were still beaming with excitement from the night.

“So do you go up to the hillside often?” I asked, wanting to know just how experienced Clint was with his driving.

“Every time I need to clear my head, so I guess you can say, a lot.”

He leaned in towards my neck and began kissing it, slowly planting tiny kisses up to my ear lobe and then to my jaw until he found his way to my mouth. There was softness in the way he kissed me this time; and as our mouths connected, he wrapped his arms around me. He gave out a slight moan. I broke from the kiss and whispered into his ear, “Well since you won, I’d love to be your prize. Why don’t you come in?”

He stopped altogether and unwrapped his arms from around me taking a big step back. “It’s really late Norah and I should get going.” He turned to leave. I was completely confused and frustrated by his ‘on again, off again’ plays for me.

I yelled out, “What are you doing Clint?” He turned back to me. He still had that light in his eyes from the night which shone with need and want.

“I said I have to go.”

I got very agitated, “I know you are leaving. That’s not what I meant.” He looked at me intently. “It’s like we are seeing each other, but you keep running away at every given opportunity. I mean, what gives?”

Clint took a step forward to me but was silent without a response. “Do you just want to just be friends?” I asked as he moved closer.

“No,” he said.

“Is it because you don’t do the girlfriend thing?” and he took another step closer.

“No.”

Getting even more annoyed I asked, “Is it because of your parents?” and he was right in front of me.

“No Norah, it’s not. It’s not any of those things. In fact how I feel about you, I have never felt about anyone before.”

“Then why do you keep running away?” I just wanted to know why he was so intensely into me one minute and then so distant.

He cupped my face in his hands without responding to the question. I waited but nothing came out of his mouth.

What was he hiding? What could he not say?

I pulled away from him and opened my apartment door, walking backwards in retreat, “Look Clint, I don’t know what game you are playing, but I don’t do games, so until you can tell me what you want, I don’t want to see you again. OK!” And with that I slammed the door. I think I was pretty clear. I didn’t want him thinking he could come and go as he pleased, stealing kiss after kiss, especially since I felt myself yearning for him more every day, a reaction I didn’t want if he didn’t want to be with me too.

Chapter 6

Best Friends?

The next couple of days, I busied myself with classes and getting ready for my art show, taking trips to my gallery space downtown, preparing the layout for the event in a couple of weeks. The gallery walls were exposed timber, a space I had picked myself. I liked the earthiness and natural smell of the wood combined with the cold cement floors. It was urban yet modern.

“You know how hard it is to find you without a cell phone?” Josh walked in behind me, flustered.

I returned to looking at the walls, creating a layout in my head for the show. “You know I hate those things. They are just tracking devices so people can find you wherever you go.” I grabbed a notebook out of my shoulder bag and began making some notes.

“That is kind of the point you know, so we can find you if we need to. I had to go to two of your classes, the gun range and your apartment before thinking of coming here.”

I continued to look at the walls imagining my display in my head and jotting down more ideas. “Well I prefer not to be found, thank you very much,” and I turned to Josh, wondering why he seemed so needy.

“Yes, yes, I know. Run and hide.”

I shot him an annoyed glare, “What kind of comment was that?”

He sighed and reduced his angered tone until it was soft and concerned, “What are you doing Norah? First skinny dipping, now illegal car races. You are going to get yourself in trouble, and you know what’ll happen if you get in trouble here.”

I rolled my eyes and huffed.
Damn you Lappell.

“Let me correct you once again Josh. I wasn’t skinny dipping, it was just a swim in our underwear, and as for the car race, it wasn’t like I was the driver… so…”

Josh became visibly frustrated. “So nothing! Look, I get that coming here meant you could finally do things on your own, but you are just supposed to just take sips of freedom Norah – don’t just slam it down your throat like a tequila shot!”

I loved his choice of words.
 

Smiling I said, “I think you are over reacting Josh,” and I slid my arm around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.

He didn’t back down. “I don’t! I told you before that I don’t trust Clint and, well, I miss you seeing you; I haven’t seen you much lately. You have me worried. I know how you get, and I’m not sure you have yourself in control right now.”

I gripped his waist tighter. Despite his protective demeanor, I had forgotten how sweet he was and that he was still my best friend and the person who knew me the best in the whole world. I threw my arms around him and just held him, hugging him tight. “I’m fine, really, and I miss you too Josh, so let’s hang out this week, how about tomorrow in the quad? Can I be ‘lazy’ Norah for the day? Maybe I will settle down if we do that.”

Josh knew what I meant. “Sure you can, just like old times,” and I squeezed him some more.

“Yes, I could really use a day of chilling out, and you are the only person I know that can help me with that.”

Josh breathed heavily against my neck, “I would love to assist.”

The following day I met Josh at the quad under one of the bigger trees. He stretched out on the lawn, leaning up against the trunk of the tree, while I positioned myself lying down, my head in his lap. With my eyes closed, my black hair sprawled out all over him, Josh began stroking my hair.

In high school, when things were getting out of control and my whole world was closing in on me, Josh would help me find my centre, bringing me back from the dark chaos in my world. We spent countless lunch periods doing this very thing. Instead of crying or taking drugs or going on some murderous rampage because I felt completely out of control, Josh found that by helping me find my centre, I could see straight without acting out. I guess it was like a form of meditation but we never referred to it that way. It was ‘our’ thing. A way we bonded, and it seemed to relax Josh knowing he could help me in some emotional stabilizing kind of way. High school was a rough time in my life and Josh was my rock.

Josh would get me to lie down and would clear my head by softly stroking my hair and saying things that made me feel calm and focused. He spoke of waterfalls, deserted islands, the sun on my face, the sound of the ocean, and I felt my eyes getting heavy as he did, my mind opening up, allowing sweet, relaxing thoughts to flow in and soothe my soul.

“Do you want me to touch you?” I pulled his body close to mine.

“Yes,” I breathed. Clint’s hands were unbuttoning my shirt, and he groped the cup of my bra. I grabbed at his hands, pulling them to clench my chest harder. He undid the clasp of my bra allowing it to spring open, and he buried his face in my breasts, kissing them all over, his mouth and tongue licking and sucking my nipples. I moaned.

“What do you want me to do now?” he breathed back into my ear.

“More, I want you to touch me more.”

His hands unzipped my jeans, reaching in, going over my panties, his fingers finding me ready. One finger, then two, pushing themselves into my hot, wet…

” Oh my god Clint, that feels soooo good… Oh… my… god!”

My eyes burst open from the erotic dream.

Clint.

Clint.

Clint was standing above me. My body propelled upwards and I tried to make sense of what was going on after being asleep. Clint was looking at me, then at Josh, then at me, and then at Josh again. His eyes were furious with anger but his voice was steady, “What are you two doing?” He was looking at me for some kind of explanation although I owed him none.

I cleared my throat and placed my hands on my face, still feeling flushed. “Umm, Josh and I were just hanging out, and I fell asleep… in his lap.”

Clint looked over to Josh, who was smirking.

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked him, wondering if I had been talking or making any kind of noise in my sleep.

“Long enough. I’ll see you at the presentation dinner Hollows,” and Clint turned and walked away. I sighed, caught unawares by his presence, but I didn’t feel bad for being in a semi-compromising position with Josh. I wasn’t about to wait around for Clint to figure out if he liked me or not.

I turned to Josh, “Presentation dinner?”

He grinned from ear to ear, “Yep, I’m in. Want to come? It’s at Wickburn’s house and there is no one else I would want with me but you.”

I was really happy for him and I knew I just had to support him. “Of course Josh, I would love to be there for you.”

I wanted to focus on my best friend tonight. I had gone to two parties with Josh and left both of them without him. He had been there for me through so much in my life, and even now, he still knew how to ground me. I promised myself that I would steer clear of Clint this evening and focus solely on Josh. I had been sideswiped by my attraction to Clint and had forgotten why I chose McLaren in the first place. I wanted to be near people I trusted, Josh specifically, and even though he had a stupid lapse of judgment by taking me to the de-virgin party at the start of the semester, I still knew I could trust him.

I settled on a sleek silver dress by Armani for the evening, which skimmed my body down to my ankles, and matched it with matching silver and gold Louboutin shoes. I wore my hair in a side ponytail and gave my cheeks a dramatic rouge color to go with my lips.