The Bond That Built Us (3 page)

I curse and remind myself of my rule. I have two gorgeous girls on each side of me, and I can’t touch either one. I am a masochist if I thought this rule was going to help me.

I sit there as Cara openly flirts with me for a few moments, barely saying a word. Finally I turn to resume my conversation with Aubrey, but she is gone. I look around for her. Her bag is even missing. She comes back a few minutes later and doesn’t sit next to me but two seats down from Josh. Ouch. She won’t look at me. Instead she plays some game on her phone.

I figure it has something to do with Cara, but I try to distance myself from girl drama so I have no idea what is between the two of them. I’m sure, with such close quarters, I will find out this week.

When we board the plane I thank the airplane gods that my seat is next to Aubrey’s. Josh and MJ are across the aisle, and Cara pouts as she sits behind MJ. I see Cara lean forward and whisper something to MJ who looks over at me and smiles.

“Hey, AJ. Switch places with Cara. Please?” She looks over to Aubrey with the fakest smile I’ve ever seen.

             
I pivot my head and look at Aubrey. A bunch of emotions are blaring through her eyes: disappointment, dejection, and irritation only a few. I could tell she didn’t want to move, but instead of standing up for herself, she sighs and nods then reaches to unbuckle her seatbelt.

             
Before I know what I’m doing, I grasp her hand before it unclicks the belt. “No, you don’t have to,” I whisper to her. Then I turn to MJ and say, “No, she doesn’t have to move. She’s not moving.”

             
MJ flinches at my directness while Cara seethes. That is until a swanky guy in a dark grey suit maneuvers his way into the seat next to her. She immediately forgets me and begins chatting him up. I overhear part of their conversation. He has a layover in Chicago as well, but from there he is going to Seattle on business. I quickly grow bored and turn to Aubrey.

             
“So, what’s your major?” I ask.

             
She looks over at me from the side, eyeing me from behind her eyelashes, and smirks. “Don’t laugh.” When I hold up my hands in submission, she says, “Meteorology. I want to be a weather girl.” She ducks her head and covers her face in her hands. I laugh anyway, not because of what she said, but how she reacted. When she uncovers her face and frowns at me, I explain.

             
“I’m not laughing at your major, I’m laughing because of your reaction. If you are so embarrassed by it, why do it?”

             
“Because… I love the weather. I don’t know. Ever since I watched the movie Twister, I have been fascinated with the technology and the unpredictability and the terminology.”

             
I stare at her, trying my damndest not to laugh again. I fail. “
Twister
? Really?”

             
“UGH I am not telling you anything again!” She pouts, making me laugh more. “What about you? What’s
your
major?”

             
Once I settle down, I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest in a smug posture. “Definitely something I’m not embarrassed to talk about… Architecture.”

             
“Really? My dad is an architect. He owns a firm in St. Louis.”

             
We continue on about her family and being from St. Louis then she asks about my family and I tell her what it was like growing up in a small town in Texas. There is a time we are laughing so hard the old hag in front of us turns around and gives us a dirty look.

             
Tears are streaming down Aubrey’s face and her face is a little splotchy. As our bouts of laughter subside, we both let out a huge sigh at the same time. “Wow,” she lets out in a rush of air, “my abs hurt. Next time I’ll just get on a plane with you instead of doing crunches. Best workout ever!”

              We land in Chicago and sit around for an hour eating McDonald’s until we board again. This time, since business boy isn’t on our flight, Cara demands to sit next to me. I find myself constantly looking over at Aubrey throughout the flight, just to make sure she is okay. This flight she is across from me, while MJ and Josh are in front. She is engrossed in a book, not even realizing that the creeper next to her is peering down her top. I clear my throat and when he looks up at me, I narrow my eyes at him. He immediately pivots and spends the rest of the flight staring out the window.

             
I find Cara very dull and shallow once I compare our conversation with mine and Aubrey’s. I’m not sure what that means, necessarily. There isn’t room for conversation when you’re in bed, so who cares?

             
There is a lull in our conversation so immediately I snatch up my headphones and close her off. I close my eyes and listen to the music the whole time. I can feel Cara nudge me, but I pretend I’m asleep. I’m not in the mood to talk anymore. I actually do end up falling asleep and when Cara nudges me again, I awake to see that we are about to land and she points to the stewardess beside me who asks me to “power down my electronic device.”

              We touch down at the Cancun National Airport in the evening. I stand in the aisle and stretch until my taut muscles loosen. Aubrey is rolling her neck in circles with her eyes closed, getting more attention from the jackass beside her.

             
Cara rises to stand beside me and stretches as well, more for the benefit of giving all the men on the plane a show than the real purpose of stretching. I bite my tongue before the word ‘tramp’ escapes my mouth. We exit the plane and walk through the terminal. It smells faintly like bleach and clean air at the same time. We go through customs and baggage claim before finding the transportation company we set up with. It feels like hundreds of locals are standing around waiting for someone without transportation to come along. I dodge a few of them, ignoring their demanding questions and craving a
cerveza
. A man in a lime green polo escorts us to a white van, loads our luggage into the back, and whisks us away to our villa. The air is humid and still warm as we step out of the van. I glance over at Aubrey; she is standing there with her eyes closed and smiling, breathing in heavily.

             
We check in at the main office then walk past two villas before reaching ours. MJ and Josh walk in first, followed by Cara. I motion for Aubrey to go in front of me before entering. MJ flips on all the lights and squeals. I really wish she would fucking stop doing that.

             
Everything is a shade of white. The walls, the tile floor, the cabinets in the kitchen, even the fucking couches. The large living room is front and center with the stairs on the left and a door which I assume is the master bedroom. To the right is the kitchen and a small dining area. It is all open and bright. It’s slightly annoying.

             
Cara squeals too, fucking annoying, and drops her bags in the middle of the room to run upstairs. I remember MJ saying there were only three bedrooms. The plan was for me to have my own room upstairs while MJ and Josh shared the master and Cara and Tricia shared the other bedroom upstairs. I doubt that will be the same arrangement with Aubrey.

             
I watch as she silently looks around, opens a skinny door to pull out a blanket, and flips it so it covers the cushions on the couch. She sits and unzips the bag at her feet and pulls out a small pillow that she sets at one end of the couch.

             
“What are you doing?” I ask.

             
She jumps a little, not realizing that I am still there. Everyone else has run off to their respective bedrooms. “Getting settled.”

             
“On the couch? There is a bedroom upstairs.”

             
She shook her head. “One is yours and the other is Cara’s. I… oh.” Her shoulders slump a little and she drops her head.

             
“What?”

             
“I guess I didn’t realize that you and Cara were going to share a room.”

             
I scoff. “We aren’t.”

             
“Well, I sure as hell am not going to share one with her,” she says bitterly then realizes her tone and bites down on her lips. She seems embarrassed that she had her little snarky comment. I think it’s funny. “MJ told me that since the bedrooms are taken, I have to sleep on the couch. I don’t mind.”

             
“Yes you do. Or you should. You can’t keep letting them walk all over you. They won’t stop.”

             
Her eyes widen slightly and her eyebrows rise, showing her disbelief. “That’s not what is going on.”

             
“Whatever. If you keep lying, you are going to start believing yourself. Tell her no for once. There is no way you can be that nice to her when she is such a fucking bitch to you.”

             
I struck a nerve. Her nostrils flare and her eyes that express so much show rage. “You don’t know me or my relationship with my cousin. So quit meddling and acting like you give a shit.”

             
“Fine. Stay down here and sleep on the couch for all I care, since I clearly don’t give a shit.” I storm up the steps and walk into the bedroom that Cara isn’t in. I throw my bags on the floor and fall onto the full sized bed. I can hear Cara in the only bathroom that is upstairs and the sudden urge to pee hits me. Hard.

             
I go back downstairs, expecting Aubrey to snap at me again. When I reach the landing halfway down the steps, I hear MJ.

             
“Seriously, AJ. Kel is just being nice to you because he doesn’t want you to cry all week. He doesn’t like girls like you. He falls for attractive, funny girls. Not losers. So quit taking up his time and let Cara have a chance at him. They make the cuter couple.”

             
What. A. Bitch. I take a step, ready to tell MJ how it really is, when I hear her again. “We are going grocery shopping in the morning, so whatever you want, you’d better write it down or we won’t get it for you.” Then a door slams and it’s quiet. I descend the rest of the stairs to see Aubrey sitting on the couch with her knees up, face tucked into her knees and arms and curled up like a ball.

             
The pee urgency subsides and I don’t have to go at all anymore, surprise surprise. I touch her shoulder lightly and she flinches and jerks her head up to look at me. Her cheeks are damp from tears and she bravely holds back a sob as she wipes her skin dry with her sleeve. I open my mouth to say something, but I honestly have no fucking idea what to say to a crying girl.

             
She saves me from embarrassing myself by standing up without a word and going to the half bath next to the kitchen, leaving me standing there with my mouth open and my arm still raised. I am still standing there when she comes out a minute later. She doesn’t look at me as she grabs a toiletry bag out of her suitcase and disappears back into the bathroom.

              I am in bed a half hour later after plugging my phone into the charger. The plane rides took a toll on my body as I drift off. I wake to the sound of my door opening. My back is to the door so I can’t see who is there. I wish it was Aubrey changing her mind about the couch, but I know better. I stay perfectly still and wait. A poke on my shoulder blade. A
psst
. Seconds of silence. Another
psst
.

             
“Kel, wake up!” Cara whispers. She pokes me a few more times, but I feign sleep just so I don’t have to talk to her. This is the second time I’ve done that, it can’t be a coincidence. Only this time I’m doing it so I don’t have to do other things to her, besides talking. Maybe she will believe that I am a really heavy sleeper, but I’m the exact opposite.

             
After her prodding my back a few more times, she gives up and leaves my room. This week is going to fucking suck. Maybe I should just say
fuck the rule
and screw them both, consequences be damned. They can hate me all they want, it can’t be worse than this. Eh. I’ll think about it in the morning.

3

Aubrey

             
I am unloading the groceries MJ and Josh got and stocking the fridge and pantry while everyone else is in the living room discussing the day’s plans. I try and stretch the crick in my neck and back out, every muscle in my body aching from the god awful couch and lack of good sleep the night before. The blanket I used is folded neatly in the corner, with my pillow placed on top.

             
“I want to get a mani and pedi today before we go clubbing,” Cara says. “MJ and I need it. You two boys can go golfing or something equally boring.” I notice she left me out of the planning. Which is fine with me, I have every intention of sitting by the pool with a book and listen to-- bitch didn’t get my cereal! I had three things on that list and she didn’t get any of them!