Chapter Three
Tristan
Vivian, was it for me. I couldn’t deal with that heartbreak again, it wasn’t possible. I hated feeling like this. I would rather be under a bunch of women who wouldn’t get attached. And I didn’t have to go through that relationship bullshit again. I hated to say it, but Vivian destroyed my trust in women. She was nice in the beginning, a sweet girl in school to become a massage therapist. She was kind but didn’t have much of a sense of humor, but I didn’t mind that. She fit into my life, maybe that’s why I sort of settled. And she was pretty. The prettiest head of brown tresses, thin body from all her Pilates, and strong features. She looked good next to me in all the photos and interviews. As time went on, after we got married, she quit school. Decided she would be a housewife, nothing wrong with that, but we never had kids. She didn’t really do anything all day. And I was always working late. Maybe I bored her. There had to be something I did to deserve…
My doorbell went off and I knew it was Natalie. I was grateful she pulled me from my dark thoughts. I opened the door to my spitting image. Tall, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, strong jaw, and a love for Thai Food.
“You went to Thai Cottage?” I asked her.
“Hello to you too!” she yelled, shoving her way in. I shut the door behind her and offered a quick hug, which she turned into a full-on squeeze session.
“Hey, sis.”
She helped herself to the plates and cups. I got the food out, the smell hit me, and I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. I was starving.
She got my favorites too; rice, vegetable spring rolls, pad thai, and steamed vegetables. We sat at my breakfast bar with the television from the kitchen on, of course she forced me to watch what she wanted. Some show about house wives in Oklahoma. But by the second episode, I was enjoying it.
“How is everything at the practice?” I asked about her for a change, and it wasn’t just to keep her from asking about me.
For the past few weeks, everyone had been asking about me, and frankly I was sick of it. I would much rather talk about what was going on with the rest of the family.
“Good. I have a lot of new patients coming in. I might be publishing another research paper soon.” She licked her fingers off from the sauce of the spring rolls. I hope she didn’t eat this way around Kit.
“Oh, that’s great. About?”
She smiled to herself.
“How memories are tied to emotions and not the actual event. It’s developmental. I might only publish a thesis and then pass the research on.”
“Why do that?”
She tucked her legs under her.
“I don’t know. I don’t have a lot of time, and I’m not really built for research any more. Anyway, I’m still thinking about it.” I nodded in understanding.
“I’m thinking about starting another company, but I don’t know.”
“Why? Are you bored?” She nudged my shoulder and handed me a fortune cookie.
“Little bit. But this time I’d do it differently.”
“Do you know what it will be yet?” She pressed.
“Nope. Guess we both have stuff to figure out.”
We watched another episode in silence and had more hard cider, both our favorites.
“Do you need a new tux for the gala? Mom told me to ask you.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t think so. I am sure there is something in there I haven’t worn yet. Is it really formal?”
Sometimes it was more of a three-piece event, complete with a vest and everything. Maybe even a bow tie. And other times I just needed a simple suit and flat tie. Dress appearance was important at these events. They would mentally scold you if you didn’t fit in.
“Yeah. Bow tie and everything.”
I groaned internally. I was not much of a dress up guy.
“At least I just got a haircut.” I murmured. Silence permeated between us as another episode began. Natalie and I just sat there and watched as we finished up our dinner.
“Do you ever think about what would happen if you didn’t marry Vivian?” Natalie broke the long silence.
“I don’t know.” I said after a while. “Maybe I should have listened to Mom.”
“She never liked her.” Natalie laughed.
I nodded in agreement. My mother’s intuition was like something out of a movie. Always right, and never too wrong. Especially when we first met. I waited at least a few months to bring Vivian home, but the day we met will never be lost to me.
Damn Levi and his escapades. My shoulders were stiff, my back tight. How did I let him talk me into a ten mile hike up the mountains?
Good thing I didn’t have class for another few days, winter break was much longer than it was last semester. I could go to the massage parlor downtown, maybe they would have open spots. If I can get out of bed. I laid out for a while, checking my emails. Damned finals dropped my GPA again. If I don’t graduate with a 4.0, Mom will be pissed. I begrudgingly signed up for tutoring, then got in the shower.
Was I bruised? I checked in the mirror. Of course, I was. My shoulders, my back. Maybe because I fell a few times and we slept on the ground. Levi wanted me dead, obviously. He was already halfway to Aspen now with his family. I made a mental note, never go hiking with Levi again.
I shook up a protein shake, hoping it would help with some of the soreness. I got in my Cadillac and followed the navigation to the university wellness center hoping to get a massage to ease my pain.
“Hey, I need a massage. Are there any openings?” The receptionist was older.
“Yes, just fill this out please.” I groaned to myself. Of course, there was a five-page patient history for me to fill out.
“Here.” I handed it back when I was done. It was a bunch of simple stuff anyway.
“Are you a student here?” she looked up at me through her glasses.
“Yeah. A senior.”
“Oh, congrats. Do you have your ID with you? You’ll get a discount.”
I looked through my wallet. Of course, I didn’t have it.
“Uh no, I left it.”
She pursed her lips and typed a few things in.
“That’s okay. Just go through that door and follow the signs to the massage center. Also, our massage therapy students are on call today, so you might get a student, might not. But they’re qualified, I promise.” She smiled kindly. I’d rather have someone do it right, but if she says they are qualified, then fine by me.
“Okay. Thanks.”
The signs were relatively easy to follow, and I entered in another room. Someone handed me a robe and led me to a private room. I’d had massages before, so I got in position, laying down on my belly. The door opened moments later.
“Hi, I’m Vivian. I’m a massage therapy student and I’ll be doing you today. I mean your massage.” I smiled down into the face circle. She had a cute voice, and she sounded young. I was sure she was hot too.
“Nice to meet you.” I barely made any sense with my face down on the massage table, but I think she understood enough of it.
She clicked on some music and asked me if it was okay. I was fine as long as I could move my shoulders again. Her hands were soft, the oil made them softer, but she had a good technique. I couldn’t tell she wasn’t a professional yet.
“Are you a student here?” She asked me.
“Yeah. A senior.”
“What’s your name?” I didn’t think they were supposed to ask you all these questions, but the way her hands felt, and her voice fell over my ears, I didn’t mind it. Maybe I was talking her up in my head.
“Tristan Cox.”
“Oh, I know you. You hacked the school’s what’s it called last year.”
“The interface and firewall, messed with the algorithms too.”
“I don’t know what that means,” she giggled, “did you get into any trouble?” I smiled at the memory.
“For a second, yeah. Then the dean had me fix the system. Now we have the strongest firewall on any undergraduate campus.” I had done it to prove a point to the school, to show them how vulnerable they were. They didn’t listen to me until I hacked in.
“Whoa, so you’re a tech guy?” Her hands were drifting dangerously low into my towel, but I told myself she was just doing her job, being thorough. It felt good anyway, I was so sore.
“Yeah. I’m a computer science and systems major.”
“I’m just into massages.” I heard the smile in her voice. I was dying to see what she looked like. She was on my side now, I turned my head to see her. Damn, she was hot.
“What else are you into?” Her hands stopped moving, and her eyes met mine as she smiled.
She looked like a fucking vixen. Brown tresses, full lips, flawless, creamy face. Her polo shirt hugged all her curves, her chest wasn’t too out there, but it was enough. Her cheeks flushed with her blush, and she turned back to her work.
“I don’t know. Shopping. Design. I want to open my own massage parlor one day.”
I was still looking at her, even as her hands drifted down to my glutes and thighs.
“Well you’re pretty good at giving massages,” I stifled a moan. She shook her head, smiled, and came back up to my neck.
“You have to face down.”
I smirked but did as she said. She worked my neck and shoulders, not missing any kinks and got all the knots out. Damn, she was good.
She must have asked me a bunch of questions in the last twenty minutes. I didn’t mind though, it kept me from falling asleep.
“All done.” She stepped away.
I sat up, draping the towel over my lap. Her back was to me as she washed her hands and toweled off. My eyes followed her body; she in shape. Her thighs were toned, her back small. She had put her hair up since I last looked at her, giving me a view of her neck. She had a small tattoo on her nape, a key maybe? Couldn’t tell from here.
“You didn’t tell me your name.” I said. She turned and faced me, a smile creeping up on her face as she looked me over.
“I’m Vivian Sanders.”
“What time do you get off, Vivian?” There was something about her. Maybe I just wanted in her pants, but I wanted to know her too. Usually don’t care much about knowing the girls I go after.
“A few hours. It depends.”
“Give me your phone.”
She bit her lip softly but reached in her back pocket and handed me a bright blue phone.
“This your favorite color?” I arched a brow, looking at her and she nodded.
I put my number in her phone and then texted myself.
“Text me when you’re off. Don’t stand me up.”
She giggled softly.
“I won’t.” She was halfway out the door.
“See you.” And then the door shut.
I shook my head with a smile. Man, there is something about her.
“Tristan, are you sleeping?” Natalie pulled me out of my trance.
“Hmm? No. You want some ice cream?”
“Hell yeah.”
I got up and scoured my freezer, I found half a sherbet container and some butter pecan. I grabbed spoons and met her back at the chairs.
“I was just thinking about Vivian. About how we met.” I explained.
“Have you been doing that a lot?” her voice changed. Great, I pulled myself into a therapy session.
“Yeah.” I sucked on the strawberry sherbet.
“Why do you think? Is it helping?”
I sighed.
“I don’t know. I think I’m trying to see where I missed things. Or how I couldn’t tell who she really was.”
She slurped her ice cream loudly. She must have different table manners.
“You never can. And it isn’t your fault she played you.”
“I don’t think she played me. Ten years is a long time. She had to love me for real at some point. Maybe it was me.” I opened even more. No wonder she was the best in the state, I’ve barely said anything. Or maybe it was just because she was my sister.
“How so?” She pressed.
“I don’t know. It could have been how much time I spent away. At work, travelling. Maybe I left her alone. She was never good at expressing her feelings, I guess she felt like she couldn’t tell me.” I shrugged.
“You two were married. She should have figured out a way. And she shouldn’t have cheated.”