The Secret Trinity Unearth (8 page)

I had never felt so exposed and vulnerable before. He slid his hand down my right arm and tangled his fingers in mine beneath the water. The moment our palms touched I felt that same energy course through me again and my stomach leapt.

I couldn’t breathe. My mind was telling me to pull away but I was frozen. He bent down and gently kissed the top of my right shoulder. I closed my eyes letting the rush surge through me from head to toe. With no objection he continued, sweeping his mouth softly across my collar bone, kissing my other shoulder. His touch was so gentle. I might have imagined it, but the stir of my insides as his lips brushed my skin proved it was real.

The buzzing feeling became so intense, I thought I might explode. I knew it was too much, that I should leave right now, but when I opened my eyes he was bent low, staring at me face to face and my conviction disappeared.

“Not all guys are Dougs,” he said it in a whisper. I felt his cool breath on my face and I realized the inches between our bodies had become practically nonexistent. If he wanted to kiss me, all it would take was a slight tilt of his head. What was I doing? I untangled my fingers from his and shook my head, snapping back to reality.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” I said, and as fast as humanly possible I lifted myself up and out of the pool.

“Ari, don’t leave like this.” His voice was thick with frustration. I ignored him, grabbed my sweatshirt, scurried to the bench, and jammed my feet into my flip-flops.

“Ari, please stay; we should talk about this.” I kept my back to him.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t deal with this right now,” I said. I still could not bring myself to face him.

“At least take my towel; you’re soaked.” He sounded defeated. Amazingly his chivalry was still intact even after my rejection which only made me want him more.

I did not take his towel. That would have required turning to look at him. I had to get out of there as fast as possible. I slung my dance bag over my shoulder and mumbled goodnight as I bolted back through the locker room. Coming out on the opposite side from the pool, I ran down the hall and burst into the night.

I put my hands on my knees; elbows locked, trying to find my balance as I took steady breaths. I had wanted to let him kiss me, but the feelings that were developing between us were freaking me out. I was not used to liking someone this much, instantly, and I didn’t understand how he was somehow igniting these strange sensibilities. I was not ready.

I decided it would be best if I stayed away from Liam McKenna. Maybe I could talk to the professor about letting me switch seats, for the remainder of the semester no further complications. I ran all the way back to the dorm trying to escape my own thoughts, but they were faster.

Chapter 12: Disco

The girls and I were getting ready to go to the house party. I propped a full length mirror from the bedroom against the television stand while I sat on the braided rug and did my makeup. Kayla was standing over the bathroom vanity with the door open as she finished pulling a straightener through her hair. Morgan was sitting behind me on the loveseat, ready to go, waiting for us.

Morgan groaned, “Come on, you two are ridiculous! We’re going to miss the whole party. Can’t you just throw on some jeans, and call it a day already?”

I looked at her in the mirror, “Hey, you can’t rush perfection.” “I swear, only two more minutes.” Kayla chimed in. Morgan rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Yeah right, if I had a nickel….”

I ignored her comment and continued applying eyeliner. I swept on dark shadow to give my eyes a smoky effect and brushed on two coats of black mascara. The makeup made my green eyes pop. It was hard not to notice them. Normally I would shy away from this look. I looked like I was going to a nightclub instead of a simple house party. However, after last night’s run-in with Liam; all I wanted was to bury my feelings, flirt with cute guys, and hang out with my friends. I was hoping by the end of night the encounter at the pool would be a distant memory.

“Seriously, I need to blow off some steam. I have been doing lab homework all day.” Morgan said this as she crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

“Okay, okay I’m ready.” I stood up from the rug and smoothed out my silvery capped sleeve top.

Kayla swiped on some clear lip gloss, tucked her long brown hair behind her ears and came to stand beside me. She put her arm around my shoulder and steered us toward Morgan.

“How do we look?” she inquired of Morgan, slightly mocking.

“Fabulous, okay, every guy at the party will want to jump you. Now can we go?!” Kayla nodded as she laughed; pleased she had touched a nerve.

I pulled on some black strappy sandals, grabbed my cell phone and led the way out the door. We all walked side by side as I gave directions to the party. I knew the area the best because of my trip here earlier in the summer. During the ten minute walk Kayla and Morgan mostly made fun of me, thinking it was hilarious that for once I knew where I was going.

When we reached our destination, it was obvious which house was having the party. You could hear the hip-hop music from the sidewalk and it got louder as we climbed the porch steps to the aging front door.

An adrenaline rush ran through me when we walked inside. To our right was a large living room. All of the furniture had been pushed out of the way, replaced by packs of people dancing to the music. I instantly felt more appropriately dressed. Strobe lights illuminated the dimmed room; the music was pumping, and people walked by us wearing shiny Mardi Gras beads. It seemed we had entered a homemade nightclub after all.

A guy sitting on the staircase a few feet away spotted us. He got up and walked toward us. Still standing at the door we weren’t sure how to proceed. He looked to be about Kayla’s height, 5’6”, maybe shorter, but his arm muscles were bulging under the tight t-shirt he wore, obviously not by accident. He had what I guessed were forty sets of the Mardi Gras beads slung around his neck. He was smiling wide as he looked us over, delighted by the newcomers.

“Ladies, welcome.” He said, spreading his arms out as he stepped back to showcase the party in motion. He was holding a red plastic cup and he brought it to his mouth, clenching it with his teeth to allow free hands. He took three of the shiny necklaces off and placed one over each of us.

Releasing the cup from his mouth, he pointed, “The keg is in the kitchen, past the stairs. My roommate’s the bartender and he is concocting some wicked shots back there. He is also collecting donations to cover the booze if you would be so kind.” He smiled again, and I noticed his eyes were starting to look foggy. Our tipsy host made another gesture toward the kitchen. Morgan led the way and I followed last.

I heard him yell, “Have fun!” from behind me as we approached the kitchen.

In the center of the kitchen was a keg surrounded by people holding empty red plastic cups, waiting for their turn to fill up. The counter was stocked with bottles of liquor and empty shot glasses of various colors and sizes. A guy was standing there with a martini shaker, the bartender I presumed.

Morgan walked confidently over to him and hopped up on what little counter space was not covered with liquor bottles. Kayla and I looked at each other warily before following. I guess Morgan was serious about blowing off some steam.

The bartender was already pouring something from his martini shaker into a shot glass for Morgan when we approached. The liquid in the glass was bright green and I wondered what the mixture contained. Morgan pulled a ten dollar bill from her jean pocket and handed it to the bartender. Kayla and I did the same.

“Thanks, your generosity is most appreciated. What’s your poison?” he asked facing Kayla and me.

“Ah…what’s the green stuff?” I asked, scrunching my nose. “Just blue maui and pineapple juice; it’s pretty weak.” He poured two more shots and handed them to us.

The girls and I looked at each other shot glasses in hand, and then Morgan raised hers, “To surviving our first week!” She yelled out, and we clanked our glasses, downing the shot in one gulp.

My face puckered from the after taste, but the bartender was right, it was mostly fruity. We took one more shot of the green liquid and he gave us cups for the keg. We filled up and went back to the living room where the music was playing.

People were body-to-body in the living room, dancing and waving their cups in the air. We huddled together by the wall closest to the door sipping slowly from our drinks and talking over the music. Some other people from our dorm floor showed up and soon our group of three was a group of ten, laughing and joking about our first week of classes.

Eventually we made our way to the dance floor where everyone moved in synchronization to a hip-hop beat. Morgan went back to the kitchen a half a dozen times and it was starting to show. She was stumbling slightly over her feet when she danced and slurring her words. It was almost one in the morning when we decided we had blown off enough steam. Before heading back to the dorm Kayla took Morgan upstairs to the bathroom preparing for our walk home.

I had gone earlier and the line had been long. I figured I had a couple more songs to dance to. I went toward the center of the crowd to dance under the disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

I closed my eyes and let the starry light cascade over me, feeling relaxed for the first time all week. My hand was in the air mid-wave when someone from behind pulled me by the elbow, spinning me around. My mouth fell wide open.

I was so surprised I could not even blink -- it was Doug. I couldn’t believe it! Out of all the parties going on this weekend he had to walk into this one. And why was he bald? His head was shaved cue ball style to the scalp. Even though the room was dark, the disco lighting revealed enough to see his eyes were piercing through me like a knife.

He dragged me by the elbow to the other side of the living room, near an old chipped-up fireplace. We were masked from the rest of the room by a sea of intoxicated dancers. He swung me around so my back was up against the wall and laid his hands flat against it on either side of my shoulders, trapping me.

“Well, well, look who it is.” His breath reeked of alcohol but just the sound of his voice made me nauseous.

“Get away from me Doug! I have nothing to say to you!” I yelled while trying to duck under his arm. He slid his hand down the wall blocking me.

“Well I have got plenty to say to you bitch! Look what you did!” He turned and pointed to the back of his head where about ten stitches closed the gash that extended up toward his crown. That must be why he had to shave his head.

He swiftly turned back to face me and knocked the drink out my hand in anger. I couldn’t breathe. I was completely numb, too stunned to move or even react. At that moment all I could think about was my stalker in the woods. He had done this.

Before Doug could say another word; someone from behind yanked on his wrist to spin him around. I jumped out of the way just in time as Doug’s back slammed hard against the wall where I had just been a prisoner. When I straightened up, directly in front of me a surreal scene was unfolding. Liam had his hand around Doug’s neck, pressing him against the wall.

“Do we have a problem here?” Liam shouted in Doug’s face whose eyes were wide with surprise by this strange turn of events.

“Who the hell are you?” Doug spit back. Doug shoved Liam in the chest causing him to release the hold on his neck. The next thing I knew they were on the ground rolling into the crowd of dancing drunks.

People formed a circle around them and started shouting “Fight, Fight, Fight!” The crowd was too big and I was too short. No one would let me through; everyone wanted a front row seat.

I stood on a chair up against the wall to get a glimpse of what was happening. In the center of the “ring” Liam was sitting up with a knee on each side of Doug who was pinned flat to the ground. Liam swung his fist meeting Doug’s cheekbone with a crack. Someone had killed the music, and all you could hear were chants from the onlookers. Doug looked dizzied from the punch, and Liam took that opportunity to once again grasp his hand around Doug’s neck.

I was shouting for them to stop, to break it up, but everyone ignored me, enjoying the testosterone-fueled entertainment. Liam leaned over Doug, just inches from his face and clamped tighter on his neck. I had never seen a side like this coming from Liam.

“If you ever touch her again, I promise you, they will never find your body!” Liam roared with wild eyes, and Doug looked genuinely frightened.

A low rumble of “Oooooo” had vibrated through the crowd at the threat. In this steamy room full of people, a chill crept down my back.

Just then a girl I recognized from my dorm went flying through the front door shouting, “Cops!” Instantly the crowd broke, running like a swarm of bees buzzing around the nest. Someone bumped the chair I was standing on nearly knocking me over. I gripped the back to keep from falling, and Liam appeared from the tornado of people standing in front of me.

Without a word he grabbed my waist lifting me up and off the chair. He took my hand sending a minor pulse of adrenaline through me, and he pushed through the chaos creating a path as we went through the kitchen’s back door. I could not leave without Kayla and Morgan. They were still upstairs.

“Liam, wait, I can’t leave without my friends!” I tried to let go of his hand but his grip was too strong. We were in the backyard and people were running in every direction.

He bent to meet my eye level, “Ari, I am sure they are on the run too. We have to get out of here or we will get busted!” I stiffened and ripped his hand from mine to go back in the house.

He wrapped his arm around my waist and hoisted me up over his shoulder like a small child being dragged out of a store for throwing a tantrum. The image was not far off because I wiggled and kicked trying to get down. After about a block, I fell limp over Liam’s shoulder in defeat.

“Are you done or will you slap me when I let you down?” I did not care for the humor in Liam’s tone. I was not in the mood.