Chapter6
He found her hours later, reading a book on the veranda, lounging on a sofa. She had taken a book from the library without his permission but he said nothing. A light breeze flipped through her thick, wavy hair, and she looked up to see him standing beside her.
“Hey,” he said, enjoying how relaxed she looked on the sofa. Her legs looked beautiful in those shorts.
He had wanted to sleep with her again, after seeing her angry. She looked beautiful angry. She looked even more beautiful in bed, with her tousled hair and radiant caramel skin. It was a 180-degree difference from her character out of bed.
“Hey,” she replied, closing the book and putting it down. “I didn’t see you anywhere.”
He was working, an excuse to get him out of the guestroom, so he could collect his thoughts once more. “I was in my office,” he told her. “Had to finish a few things. So, you like Charles Dickens, huh?”
“It’s the first time I’ve read this,” she admitted, “it’s been interesting so far, stressful, but interesting.”
Like how we are now? He thought. It wasn’t necessarily stressful being with her, but those thoughts kept playing in his mind, of how this was all going to haunt him, of how it was going to end up like his last relationship, not like he wanted a repeat of those three years ago,. “Do you have anything nice to wear?” he asked her. “Something fancier than day dresses and shorts?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I have a dress that isn’t for the beach, if that’s what you mean.”
“Good,” he said, “make yourself free later, at seven in the evening.” As if she had anything better to do. She would probably write, or read, but he was inviting her for dinner, a formal one. He surprised himself, actually. A formal dinner meant he wanted to get to know more about her, and that meant he was more open to exposing himself. Screw this, he thought, I’m just getting to know my lodger.
*
She felt nervous, knowing this was a more or less formal dinner date. She had worn her only decent dress, and she was surprised to learn that his house (which she hadn’t fully explored yet), had another more formal dining area, and even a little space for dancing.
Her dress was from a little store beside a grocer’s in New York, she shopped that way, frugally. Clothes defined a person, but it didn’t mean she had to spend thousands of dollars to look nice. Her mother had been dressed in expensive clothing, something she hadn’t grown accustomed to…
He was standing by the glass door as she walked in, and a faint smile broke on his lips. “You look nice,” he said. She didn’t know if he was mincing his words, or if that was the best adulation he had for her. She nodded and smiled back, careful not to grin.
A part of her felt giddy now, seeing him in a white linen button down shirt, and casual light-colored jeans. He was barefoot, as was she, despite cleaning up for a more formal dinner. Why? She still wondered, knowing curiosity wasn’t enough, nor was desire.
“I hope you don’t mind, I ordered take out,” he said. Caryn stared at the spread before her. Which restaurant served this kind of takeout? They were transferred onto silver platters and ceramic plates, and she could have been fooled if he had said he cooked it himself.
“Wanted to cook, didn’t have the time,” he added, almost sheepishly.
“Where did you get this?” she asked, curious.
“The hotel,” he replied.
Right, Caryn remembered. The island’s only five-star hotel. In fact, the island’s only hotel. If she wasn’t mistaken, he owned it.
“Did Leilani tell you anything about the hotel?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “Nothing too important, except for the fact that you own it.”
He almost laughed, but he stopped himself, she saw it on his facial expression. “You were about to laugh, but you stopped. Why?”
“I don’t think it’s right for me to laugh aloud,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Because?”
He shook his head. “I have my reasons.”
“This is a date, right? Can’t we be ourselves?”
“I am being myself. Aren’t you?” he said, looking at her.
It was her turn to shake her head. “I’m thinking about a lot of things right now…”
“Like why I initiated this?”
“That included,” Caryn admitted, knowing her reputation and her unbiased story about David James Pierce was now at stake. She realized that they had never called each other by name, not since she had begun to stay in his home.
“Hope you like fish.”
It was a welcome meal, something that she rarely had while she moved about the country.
“Why?” she suddenly asked, interrupting their meal.
“Why what? Why this? Why now?” he said, looking at her with his piercing blue eyes. Was that why his name was David Pierce?
She nodded.
“There aren’t many women in this island, none that have piqued my interest.”
“I’m your unwanted neighbor,” Caryn told him matter-of-factly.
“Correction, I thought I didn’t want neighbors, you’re pretty okay as neighbors go,” he said with the faintest of smiles.
“You slept with me and I slept with you,” Caryn said, not mincing her words.
He put his fork down and clasped his hands in front of him. “It had been that long. You?”
She bit her lower lip. “Same.”
“So, we’re even,” David said.
“I thought you didn’t want things to be even. You seem to be the competitive kind,” Caryn responded.
“There’s a place for competition, and it’s not here.”
“You’re not asking for my complete name, those details people normally ask for,”Caryn hesitated, realizing she didn’t want another argument. They were good with that, weren’t they? It was the only thing that bound them together so far.
“It’s best we leave it at that. You know my full name, but I don’t want to know yours. You said before that you were leaving as soon as you finished writing. Let’s not complicate things, right? This is just for normalcy’s sake.” “Normalcy’s sake?” she repeated, feeling her temper rise. “None of this even feels normal, everything feels forced. Are you doing this to make yourself feel better?”
“I’m not. I’m doing this so we can get to know each other on our own terms- the way we like it. We’re different, you and I.”
“You’re doing this so we can maintain this shroud of mystery between us? To make your island life exciting?” she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I know you’re smart, but you’re an idiot.”
She saw his jaw tense a little.
“I’ve been called that before,” he said quietly. “I don’t like it, and I believe I’m not an idiot. There’s a reason those diplomas and those awards were there in that room I showed you. Let’s just say I’ve had previous experiences that made me guard myself.”
She closed her eyes. “At least we’re on the same page.”
“We’re not, except for the pleasure we’ve had,” David said. “I’d like another of that. It’s a good stress reliever. By the looks of it, you needed that, too.”
She felt her cheeks burn. “Yeah,” she said, trying to play it cool, “I needed it, but don’t you think, for the sake of our friendship-”
“We’re not friends,” he quickly corrected her. “We’ve been recently acquainted, and we’ve slept together.”
Caryn waved a dismissive hand in the air. She knew they were both headstrong, it proved difficult to adjust to. “However you call it. I just think it would be best if we didn’t do that anymore.”
His eyes narrowed, clearly disliking the idea of celibacy once more. “You don’t find me attractive?”
“What-?” she sputtered out. “I should ask you the same question.”
“I find you very attractive,” he said calmly. “I don’t think you can blame me for thinking that.”
Caryn took a deep breath, remembering the first time she saw him, and how she felt mesmerized at the sight of him in the water, how the water flicked on his hair, and how it dripped down to his face- those clear blue eyes like the arctic sea had formed in his eyes…
“You’re okay looking,” she said begrudgingly. “Not my type but--” “Why? You like your quarterbacks?” he said, his voice teasing.
She frowned. “You’re stereotyping-“
“I’m not, just guessing. Am I anywhere near it, though?”
She shook her head. “I’ve dated an English professor, grammar Nazi that he was. I’ve also dated a fellow writer. It didn’t end well. He stole my pieces.”
“I took this chance of not checking your profile,” he said to her. “Just to be fair, because I didn’t want you to know about me, and vice versa. So, you’ve dated intellectuals, huh?”
She nodded. “Yeah. And you?”
“I dated someone for a few years. It didn’t end well either,” he said grimly.
“What was she like?” Caryn noticed that immediate change in his eyes, and his posture stiffened. She regretted asking that for a split-second, but hey, the past was the past, right?
He shook his head. “She’s nothing, just some figment from the past. Let’s talk about now, let’s talk about you. Tell me something random about yourself.”
Caryn felt compelled to tell him some little truth about herself. She was sure he could have done a background check on her, she was afraid that her ruse would be over too soon, but he stopped himself from doing so, out of respect and out of ego.
“My dad’s white, my mom’s black,” she said with a bit of hesitation. “They’re no longer together.” That part wasn’t a complete lie. Her mother had died not long after her father married someone else.
He nodded. “Go on.”
“What else is there to say?” she said, frowning. “What about you?”
“I’m the eldest child of a doctor and a former quarterback,” he admitted.
Caryn couldn’t help but laugh. “And here you were, trying to stereotype.”
“I thought I was close. Should’ve taken psychology classes,” he replied, his mood easing up. “Didn’t’ finish college, thought it was a waste.”
“Apparently, you were right,” she said, looking around the room.
“I did some things that were right, I guess…” his voice trailed off for a moment, and he looked deep in thought. “Where did you finish college?”
She wanted to bite her lower lip, but she played it cool. “It was a small community college in New York, it wasn’t much, honestly, but I finished it.”
“Where’s your mom?” he asked her.
She disliked being the center of attention, there was no one else to be curious about, no one else but each other. “In Greenwood,” she replied.
“Where’s that?”
“New York.” She was six feet underground, Greenwood was a cemetery. She didn’t lie to him, at least. Why lie on a pseudo-first date?
“And your father?”
“I don’t see him much. Shouldn’t it be my turn?” she interrupted him. “Your last relationship, what happened?”
“We broke up on Christmas Eve,” he said.
It was clear that he disliked the dredging up of memories as much as she did. She didn’t say anything else, wanting for him to continue. He didn’t.
“It’s almost Christmas,” she finally said.
He closed his eyes. “You’re right. Are you going back to the mainland to celebrate it with family?”
She shook her head. She had no family, at least no one that mattered to her right now. She was alone, in the truest sense. She had not seen her father since her mother’s wake… every chance she got, she escaped the cold weather, her mother died on Christmas day, and she hated the celebration of such a commercialized holiday. Christmas was when she found her mother dead, as she lay on her bed, an apparent overdose of pills and liquor…
“I’d rather work on something,” she finally replied. “You?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a Hallmark holiday. I guess that leaves us without a Christmas plan, huh?”
She didn’t care about Christmases, and she wanted to be harsh about it, but he was more animated than when she had met him, so she said nothing.
“Tell me something you’ve never told anyone,” he suddenly asked her.
She looked up, surprised at his query. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone… there were lots of things she hadn’t told him, or anyone for that matter. These were struggles that could be used as weaknesses, these were her moments of pain and despair…
“I’m actually afraid of thunder,” she admitted.
His eyes widened a little, and then she saw them soften. “I’m glad I got there, then.”
“So am I.”
Every little truth came with a consequence, but she knew she had played it safe. She would work on this little by little, and when the time came to leave, he wouldn’t know what would become of her, even if he was a genius IT expert.
*
He knew she was guarded, knew that she coated parts of her story. She was as secretive as he was, but all in all, the dinner had turned out pretty okay. She had retreated back to her room with a smile on her lips. So, he had won her over, huh?
He wasn’t that charming, but he had been played at once, and he was a quick learner. Once was enough. He had proposed that they check on her cottage the following day, and David couldn’t shake off the feeling of discomfort. She was moving back to her cottage once more, and he would be alone. What was wrong with him now? He was feeling things again, things that didn’t make him a better man. Yes, emotions were needed, but he didn’t need to think of a woman at a time like this. When would he ever have time?
He had invited her over for dinner, out of whim. He had surprised himself, as much as he surprised her. It wasn’t like him, he always had an algorithm. The last time he had been spontaneous was when he asked his then girlfriend out for a date, just an hour after being introduced in college…
He was veering off pattern, and it made him uncomfortable, yet adventurous at the same time. What was that phrase? Step out of your comfort zone? He would get to know her, she would get to know him. It was a bit unfair that he asked many questions, and how he refused to answer hers, and while he knew that he found her attractive and blunt, he still couldn’t trust her. That’s what happens to people like us, he thought. The attraction was there, and it was no slow build up, it had been a quick fire, sudden and dangerous. Would he end up hating her, too? He looked on the left side of his bed, and saw her sleeping soundly. The moon’s rays shone through the large windows that faced the ocean.
He closed his eyes, unable to believe that someone was lying beside him. Opening his eyes to look at her once more, he silently thanking the gods for bringing down a human as beautiful as she was. He hadn’t noticed that tiny mole on the upper left corner of her lip until tonight. The moonlight made it noticeable, and not the sun. Perhaps, he hadn’t truly observed her, after all. Everything he had seen was based on judgement, based on past experiences and stereotyping.
A father whom she hadn’t seen in years… why? Because of a new family? David knew that Caryn would find out about his past sooner or later. She would find out about his sad childhood, a childhood he still remembered but worked against.
His mother had been a crackhead, his father had been in and out of jail for the first year of his life. Jane and Warner, who had recently married, were a couple with big hearts. As soon as David was born, his biological mother had abandoned him, and he hadn’t look for her since.
That chapter of my life is closed, he thought, and seeing Caryn near him, he knew another was about to open up. For how long, he didn’t know. Did he care, though? He didn’t want to, but he knew he was in too deep, intimately. Will she stay?
*
Caryn breathed in the salty air from the terrace that David’s crew had rebuilt. It had taken all of three and a half days to finish fixing the old Kahele place. They had tried to restore it according to its old layout, but they had to add a few bits and pieces for it to withstand storms. Heck, even the cutlery and bedsheets were new.
“I didn’t know the island had a huge hardware store,” she commented to David as she marveled at the speed of the construction and repair of the house. For a moment, it felt like the house was hers.
David was quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t.”
“Then where-?”
“I had it shipped in,” he said, not looking at her.
He had a unique way of being kind, Leilani was right. It seemed like he didn’t want to be given credit for anything he shared or helped with.
She bit her lip for a second, an impulse bite, out of embarrassment and awe. “You didn’t--”
“Have to?” he finished for her. “I just do what I want to do.”
Right, because he was the one with unlimited resources. “I just might want to stay here forever,” she suddenly murmured, hoping he didn’t hear it. He said nothing, and she was glad. She walked straight into the bedroom, and saw a new bed frame, new mattress, and other fixtures that weren’t there before.
“Would Mr. Kahele approve?” she suddenly asked him. “I mean, it still has that island vibe to it, but it isn’t as rustic as I remember it to be.” “You mean it isn’t as rusty?”
“I tried calling him,” Caryn admitted, “To tell him about the storm.”
“I already spoke to him. He’s approved of the repairs and changes,” David told her mildly. “Mr. Kahele’s home has been here far longer than I’ve existed. I think he deserves this overhaul.”
“So, you’re really nice, huh?” Caryn told him with a smile. “You’re secretly nice.”
“I’d like to think of it as putting my resources to good use,” he said, not looking at her for a moment. He surveyed the place, and Caryn walked around with him. The trees surrounding the house were damaged, but what trees that had been uprooted, the men replanted. It wasn’t as thick as it had once been, and the vegetation that put a green wall between her place and David’s, had now been considerably lessened.
“Are you good to go?” he asked her.
Her entire life was inside a few bags, all waiting in his car. She forced herself to nod. Of course, she would no longer be welcome to stay in his house. Her place was already fixed. It was just temporary, everything was all temporary. His warmth, his kisses, his cooking, his caresses… David wasn’t a robot, but outside of the walls of his villa, he became distant, detached. It was different from the man she had slept with, who had made love to her numerous times.
“Let me just get your stuff,” he said.
She nodded, walking to the bathroom that didn’t have the rusty showerhead anymore. The tiles were new, and Caryn specifically remembered the bathroom with the faded shower curtain, a few broken yellowish-white tiles, and a dirty mirror. Everything was spotless now, and the showerhead shone under the light, and the sink was large enough for her toiletries.
As soon as she walked out of the house’s only bathroom, she saw him in the living room, putting down her suitcase, and her backpack. He sighed as he did. She wondered if he was tired.
“You’re still busy right?” she asked him. “We could eat lunch together, with what I have. Or we could go to town and eat there.” He shook his head. “I still have stuff to finish. You’re welcome to eat at my place though, if you want to go back. Your jeep survived, unscathed, I had it checked by the city mechanic.”
She nodded, knowing how this was going to be it. This was it, right? She had barely gotten anything out of him for her story. She felt a pang of hurt. She knew she had to act, and act fast. She cleared her throat before he could turn around.
“Would you like to see the bedroom?” she asked him, her voice loud and clear.
He stopped in place. She saw his blue eyes darken, that tell-tale sign of his primal lust taking hold of him. This was an invitation he couldn’t refuse. Caryn took a deep breath, and then she quickly helped him take off his shirt and she flung it to the floor.
He kissed her, roughly, while he moved his hands, sliding it in between her thighs, snaking its way underneath her dress. She felt his fingers play against the lace of her panties, and she shuddered, taking a deep breath as she did.
She felt his fingers slide inside her folds, and she was already wet, eager for him. Her chest heaved against David’s and she saw him groan, unable to resist her. He toyed with her, and she moaned aloud, feeling the heat of the sun against her back as he pushed himself against her body, pushing her against the windowsill.
He pulled her panties down with one hand, and he unzipped his pants. She fondled him, and felt his hardness against her palm. Caryn saw him close his eyes, pleasured and knowing he wanted more.
“Stop,” he murmured.
Her eyes narrowed. Why did he want her to stop? Her thought was answered the moment he went down on her, and she melted into ecstasy.