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Chapter 4
Tim walked next to
Rich and Mandy, his new friends, on the way back to the campground Sunday night
after the festival ended. Elle, his other new friend, danced a few feet ahead,
humming songs from Blackest the Night, the night’s headliner. He took her to the
pit down front to watch, as he’d done with a few of the bands, including
Crushed Edges, her favorite band, last night. They made sure to stay clear of
the actual mosh pits that broke out closer to the middle, so they had a great
time in the mass of excited humanity. He also introduced her to the guys of
Crushed Edges, which earned him even more points, though, for whatever reason,
he didn’t need to score bonus points to impress her. What was it about this
girl?
He loved how she
enjoyed most of the bands today, and he meant all day, not just the main stage.
The four of them, six, counting his RV neighbors, enjoyed breakfast together
before hitting the festival grounds for 12 more hours of head-banging. And
plenty of Elle’s sexy dancing, it turned out. He gave a quick head-shake to
clear that thought out of his mind. He had a hard enough time concentrating on
his conversation with Rich and Mandy while watching Elle skip ahead of them,
kicking rocks, sticks, and leaves in time with the beats in her head.
“You three want to
have a few drinks at my RV before turning in?” he asked. “I have plenty of
caffeine-free sodas, and I’m brewing some decaf.” He didn’t add there would be
no booze, as they’d had a long discussion about alcohol earlier, and how he
hadn’t consumed any since his drunk driving accident.
“Sounds great,”
Rich said. “I’d also love to hear some of those demos you bragged about earlier
if you don’t mind.” Tim told him how he’d converted all his old demos from
Splitting Braincells, as well as some he recorded of him noodling on his
guitars, into mp3 files. He had them on digital recorders, but mp3s made
playback much easier.
“Not a brag, but a
fact,” he said, and it got all three laughing. Elle turned her head to see what
was funny, and kicked a rock a bit too hard, almost clipping someone ahead of
them.
“Elle!” he snapped,
“be careful what you’re doing. You could hurt someone.”
“Sorry,” she said,
and trotted over to his side, her head bowed, chastised.
Shit, he hadn’t
meant to overstep his bounds; he didn’t want her to hurt someone with one of
those rocks. Had she been abused at some point in her life? The way she
scurried to his side without meeting his eyes proved that might be the case. As
she clutched his arm, he glanced over to Rich and Mandy to see what they had to
say about the scene, but both wore looks of confusion, and he had the distinct
feeling it had to do with her reaction, not his tone.
“I won’t do it
again, I promise,” she said, apprehension in her voice.
“No, it’s fine. I
just wanted you to be careful with those rocks. How would you like it if
someone hit you while you minded your own business?”
“I wouldn’t,” she
whispered, and then looked up at him, an expression of pleading on her face. What the fuck? Had his tone been so
clipped? What had she gone through in her life to react that way?
He took his arm
back so he could wrap it around her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to sound so
stern. I’m sorry.”
She grinned up at
him and leaned deeper into his body. Holy
shit, yeah, this feels right. What the hell was it with this girl?
He looked back over
to Rich and Mandy to see if they said anything now, but they had their heads
together in a private conversation. He could swear he heard Rich mutter, “Is that
my sister? When has she ever acted like this?”
So this wasn’t
normal behavior. He took a deep breath and felt her shudder a bit. “Are you
cold?”
“A little.” She
smiled, and it took every bit of willpower not to lean down and plant a kiss on
her lips. Instead, he nudged her in front of him.
“Here, let’s keep
in step, and I’ll rub the warmth back into your arms.”
She matched his
stride and whispered, “‘K”
As he rubbed her
arms, he heard Mandy snicker. He looked over with a questioning look. She shook
her head, and mouthed, “Later.” He nodded and smiled.
Once they reached
his RV, he unlocked it and hopped inside to turn on some lights, and then
motioned them up. “I thought we’d sit outside, but as Elle mentioned, it’s a
little chilly. Besides, Rich, I’m sure you’ll hear the tunes in here better
than out there. I’m not going to blast them at this time of night, despite
everyone in the campground still being awake.”
“Sounds good to me,”
he said.
He motioned them to
sit on the couch or one of the mounted swivel chairs, and then took drink
orders. “Like I said, I’m brewing a pot of decaf, but I also have cans of soda,
both caffeinated and not, and plenty of bottled water.”
“If you’re making
coffee, that’s my choice,” Mandy said.
“Me, too,” Rich
said.
When Elle didn’t
chime in, he said, “Soda and water in the fridge. Help yourself. Let me know if
you want a glass.”
“No, I’ll have
coffee, too.”
Mandy let out a
snort, while Rich said, “I don’t think he has enough cream and sugar for you to
have coffee.”
She stuck her
tongue out at both of them, and he held in a laugh. “I have plenty of both, I
assure you. Now sit, everyone. The beauty of an RV is the kitchen is right
here, so you can get comfortable and we can talk.”
Rich and Mandy
plopped onto the couch, and though there was plenty of room next to them, Elle
hesitated and looked at him.
“Where are you
sitting?” she asked.
Before he could
answer, Mandy whispered, “Oh my god, pick a spot, you little hussy.”
He tried everything
in his power to pretend he didn’t hear, but when Elle’s eyes went wide, and she
fired back, “Oh my god, shut up,” in a whisper of her own, he couldn’t help but
stifle a laugh. She shot him a look, horrified embarrassment written all over
her.
“I’m sitting in a
swivel chair. Why don’t you choose one. They’re comfortable.”
She sat, and he
turned around to get the coffee started, hiding his grin. It went wider when he
heard Rich say, “What’s gotten into you tonight?”
Elle didn’t say
anything, but Mandy whispered, “Leave her alone. She’s…” She then giggled.
“I said shut up!”
Elle whisper-shouted.
Tim couldn’t help
himself. He turned his head, caught Elle’s gaze, and winked. She gasped, turned
bright red, but a goofy smile formed on her lips.
That’s when the
situation hit Rich, as he mumbled, “Oh, fuck,” and then turned to Tim, gave him
a slight head-shake, and mouthed, “Your funeral, pal.”
Neither Elle nor
Mandy caught it, so he couldn’t help smiling. It wasn’t a threat from an
overprotective brother, but a warning about Elle’s personality, which Rich
described earlier as “bratty with a side of bitch.” He saw some of it on
display today, and had to admit he found it endearing.
As he turned back
to his little kitchen area, a spider climbed along the bottom of the sink. It
wasn’t too big, and wouldn’t hurt anything, but he didn’t want it in here. It
would be easy enough to grab a paper towel and squash it, but he couldn’t bring
himself to kill the thing. It hadn’t done anything wrong. Ever since his
accident those 8 years ago, the thought of hurting anything, even something as
little as this spider, churned his stomach. He grabbed a plastic cup next to
the sink, placed it over the thing, and slid it around. The spider took the
bait and climbed onto the side. He tore off a paper towel and placed it over
the opening. Seconds later, he had the thing out the door and back out in the
wilds where it could catch bugs to its hearts content. He found no irony in it;
that was nature, not the barbarism he would have committed by squishing it.
Rich and Mandy chuckled at his actions, but he could see the small smile on
Elle’s lips. She approved, and though he hadn’t done it for her, his heart
sung.
Talk then turned to
the festival, and they discussed both the music and meeting so many of the
bands backstage. Rich gushed again about how cool it had been for Tim to
introduce him to the guys of Splitting Braincells last night, and he said he
was glad to. Especially since Rich had made sure to mention Moth Man was still
his favorite member. The guys laughed, though Julian, the guitarist who’d
replaced him, put on a fake pout and said he’d been with the band longer than
Moth Man, and had been on more records. That brought out more laughter from
everyone. Tim couldn’t imagine a better guy than Julian replacing him as lead
shredder. They had then signed Elle’s notebook, posed for a few pictures, and
hit the stage. And, of course, like always, they killed it.
Once the coffee
finished brewing, filling the RV with the sweet and bitter scents, Tim poured
four mugs. Both Rich and Mandy took theirs black, like his. Before he poured
Elle’s, he said, “Why don’t you come over here and supervise so I know how much
room to leave for cream and sugar.”
She hesitated for a
second, and then said, “I’ll take mine black, too.”
“Elle, it’s rude to
accept coffee only to dump it out,” Rich said.
“I won’t,” she
said, exasperation in her voice.
He passed two to
Rich so he could hand Mandy hers, and then hand-delivered Elle’s. As he did, he
whispered, “If you change your mind about cream and sugar, feel free. And if
you decide you’d rather have something else, I won’t be offended. I’ll even
drink yours so they don’t yell at you again about wasting it. Okay?”
She gave a slight
nod and smile, and bit her bottom lip. He didn’t know if she did it on purpose,
but either way, he had to fight every instinct inside him to not kiss her.
Hard. And, lord almighty, he might have if her brother and sister-in-law weren’t
sitting a few feet away. He also could tell without a doubt she would welcome
his advance. Somehow he managed to find his own seat without spilling any of
his own hot decaffeinated brew.
Talk about the
festival resumed, and soon 2 am snuck up on them. He, Rich, and Mandy all had
refills, and while Elle didn’t drink her coffee fast, she did finish it. He had
a feeling it was to spite her brother, as she admitted it wasn’t great.
As they stood to
head back to their tent, Tim said, “Shit, Rich, I’m sorry. I forgot to put on
those demos for you.”
“I wouldn’t worry
about it,” Mandy said. “I have a feeling you guys will be seeing each other
again.” She motioned towards Elle, who gave her sister-in-law a blank look.
Tim chuckled, and
said, “Yeah, you’re right.” He exchanged phone numbers with each of them this
morning—or yesterday morning, as it was well past midnight—in case they got
separated, and he knew he wanted to use Elle’s once he got home. She lived
maybe a half-hour away from him, closer if traffic behaved.
That’s when the
meaning of the comment dawned on Elle, and she gasped, her eyes wide and cheeks
pink. “Yes,” she said in a harsh, throaty whisper.
Mandy let out a
laugh, while Rich mumbled, “Christ.” He then patted Tim on the shoulder as he
headed for the door. “Like I said, your funeral,” but he chuckled this time.
Mandy swatted Rich’s shoulder and told him to knock it off, but Elle didn’t
hear.
Once they all
stepped outside, it seemed most of the campground had gone to bed, so they
talked in whispers. “Breakfast again tomorrow?” he asked. “Or are you guys
pulling out early?” The campground rules stated everyone had until 10 am to
vacate. He planned on using that entire time.
“Actually,” Rich
said, “If the ladies don’t mind, we might head out now. I’m still a bit wired,
and we can be home in half an hour, while it’ll take well over an hour in the
morning.”
“Sounds good to me,”
Mandy said. “I could use a shower.”
“No,” Elle said,
tears in her eyes. “I want to stay for breakfast.”
“Elle…” Rich
started, but Tim cut him off.
“Why don’t you two
go get packed, and I’ll bring Elle over in a few minutes.”
Mandy and Rich
headed off, and he motioned Elle to him. She exploded into his arms, and
continued sniffling, trying, he could tell, not to cry harder. He held her, not
saying anything for a moment. After a minute or two, she pulled back a little
and said, “Sorry.”
He wiped a stray
tear from her cheek. “Nothing to be sorry about. I’m guessing the fact that you’re
tired played a major part. I’m exhausted, and I have an actual bed in here.” He
tapped the wall of the RV.
She giggled. “Yeah.
But…it’s more.” She looked up at him, and he gasped at her absolute beauty. He’d
been with her all day, marveled at it whenever he so much as glanced at her,
but it still took him by surprise each time. He fought every instinct inside to
not lean down and kiss her, but again managed.
“How about we call
it a rain-check and I take you out to breakfast next weekend, Saturday or
Sunday. Your choice. Whatever day works best for you.”
“Both days,” she
said in a breathy whisper, and that did it. He couldn’t keep himself in check
any longer. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, pulled away a few inches, and
then dove back in, harder. She moaned and kissed back. Their lips parted, and
their tongues danced together, both fighting for dominance, and then playing a
game of give and take. He’d never been so captivated by anyone. She felt like
she belonged in his arms, on his lips. He had to wield every bit of
self-control to keep from picking her up and carrying her into the RV. If her
brother and sister-in-law wouldn’t be looking for her soon, he might have done
it. He didn’t know what they’d say about this display itself, but didn’t care
enough to stop. He couldn’t stop. Elle felt too perfect, too lovely, too…his.
“Elle, it’s time to
go,” Mandy’s voice rang out behind them, though she sounded amused rather than
angry. They jumped and pulled apart.
“Give us a few more
minutes,” Elle said.
“Rich has the car
started.”
“One more minute
and I’ll be there.”
“Elle,” Mandy said,
exasperation in her voice.
“C’mon, get out of
here and don’t be so argumentative,” he said. “I’ll see you next weekend, and
we have each other’s phone numbers. Call or text me any time. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said,
reached up for one more kiss, and then ran off towards their camp and waiting
car.
Mandy gave him a
quick hug. “Thanks. I’m not sure what sort of hold you have over her, but
please don’t stop. You’re good for her.”
He chuckled. “I
have no clue, either, but I can guarantee she has a hold over me, too. Safe
travels, and tell Rich I owe him a listening party.”
“He’ll love that.
Thanks for everything this weekend. We all enjoyed meeting and hanging out with
you. And as I said earlier, I’m sure we’ll see plenty of each other from now
on.”
“Yeah, I hope so.”
He must have worn a
wistful look while he said it because she laughed, and then waved bye. He hopped into the RV and headed back to the
minuscule bedroom to try to get at least a few hours of sleep. If it would be
possible after that day and that kiss.
Read Ch. 5 by clicking here
