Chapter 21 Lane #2
She slides a hand along my back, letting it fall to my waist. Mary is laughing so hard it takes her three tries to take our picture.
“Can you send it to me, Mom?”
“If you share it around, I’ll cut you up in small pieces,” I deadpan.
“I always knew you were a psycho.” Lois pinches my side. “Good thing I like to live life dangerously.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” I say without thinking.
“What did you just say?”
“You’re lucky I like you,” I reply too fast.
What did I just say?
I change back into my clothes, and we spend the rest of the evening wrapped in the same warm, fuzzy glow.
By the time we clear off the table, I’m bursting at the sides.
I help Mary do the dishes, mainly because I’m a decent guy—but also because I’m hoping for some juicy Lois stories I can use later, too.
“Mom, cut it out!” Lois whines when she joins us in the kitchen. “You have no idea how dangerous Lane will be with this information.”
“We’re done here.” Mary winks at me. “Bedtime, guys!”
She plants a gentle kiss on my cheek, and I fight the urge to squeeze her tight. My own mom was never like this with me, and the rush of feeling is overwhelming.
I race up the stairs and past Lois to make sure I’m first in the shower, playing the day back in my mind while I wash, suddenly wondering how things are going for Carter. I’ve been so focused on myself, I completely forgot that today must have been weird as hell for him, too.
Lois batters on the door. “You nearly done in there?”
I wrap a towel around my hips, stick a toothbrush in my mouth, and fling open the door. She jumps. I take my time spitting out my toothpaste, drying my hair like I have all the time in the world.
Finally, she can’t take it anymore. “Bounce!”
She shoves my dirty clothes into my arms and grins, her smile fading to a frown when I pull my secret weapon out of my jeans pocket.
“Step out of line, and I’ll get my revenge,” I singsong, waving the alarm in her face.
She glares at me. “I’ll be as sweet as pie, don’t you worry.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
I’m lying, of course. I stretch out on the surprisingly comfy bed in her grandpa’s old room, and listen to the running water.
Once she steps out of the bathroom, I give her a few more minutes.
I want to make sure she’s tucked up and ready for sleep.
I slip the little box out from under my pillow and start counting down in my head—and when the time feels just right, I push the button, muttering the sound of an explosion under my breath.
The alarm rings out behind the headboard, the wall nowhere near thick enough, and I can hear her groaning so loud it’s obvious her bed is right behind mine.
“Lane, cut it out.”
“Who’s that there?” I pretend to be terrified.
“Go to sleep!”
“I can hear you so clearly, it’s like you’re under my bed or something.”
“Use that thing once more, and I’ll—”
“You mean this thing here?” I laugh, pressing the button again.
A symphony of beeps and curse words explodes on the other side of the wall. Her mattress creaks, and I’m cocking an ear for other tells—when my door flies open, and I jump out of my skin.
“Give me that!”
The room is dark—she lunges for me so fast I don’t have time to dodge.
“This is some crazy ninja shit,” I splutter as her elbow digs deeper into my chest.
She grabs my gadget and tumbles across the mattress, landing on her feet. I fumble for the bedside lamp and find her standing there in a disheveled mess, prizing out the batteries.
“No more playtime for you!” She shakes them at me, tossing the empty box onto the bed.
I sit up for a better look, jutting my chin at her Superman T-shirt. “It suits you.”
She lowers her eyes, swallowing hard when she realizes all she’s wearing are panties and my gift. The T-shirt lands just right under her belly button, and she tugs at the hem. She’s not wearing a bra—the fabric is clinging to her breasts, I can…
She falls to the ground, crouching. “Turn the light off.”
“Only if you hand over the batteries.”
“Burn in hell.”
She drags my comforter off the bed and swaddles herself in it. Cussing as she goes, she catches sight of my Bugs Bunny boxers and arches an eyebrow. “Wow, so—”
A gravelly voice catches us off guard. “What the hell is going on here?”
It’s Jeff, watching us from the open door.
“Are you guys fucking in Grandpa’s room?”
“What? Oh my God—no.” Lois is blushing beet red.
It could look that way, I admit it: I’m practically naked on the bed, while Lois is wrapped in a comforter, her cheeks flushed, her hair a mess.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jarrow has appeared beside his brother.
“Lois and Lane are trying out the hospital bed.”
“Naked?” Diego jumps up onto Jeff’s shoulders.
“Who’s naked?”
I can’t see him, but I recognize Kesley’s voice.
“This is not happening!” Lois yells. “Go back to bed, all of you!”
I try—and fail—to stifle a snort, which just pisses her off even more. She stomps back into the hallway, shoving past her giggling brothers and slamming her bedroom door shut.
Jeff winks at me. “Nice boxers.”
“DROP THE SAND, LADY.”
I’ve got Lois’s head trapped in my armpit, and she’s struggling to break free.
We’re on the beach, and though everyone is staring at us like we’re crazy, I don’t care.
I may have accidentally tripped her up as we walked along the water’s edge, and it was definitely unfortunate that she fell on her ass.
Now it’s payback time, and she’s decided her mission in life is to blind me.
“Drop the sand,” I repeat.
“Okay.”
I can see her hand is still full of the stuff. “You think I’m that stupid, huh?”
One by one, she relaxes her fingers, unfolding them as she waves her hand over her head.
“Take that,” she says, flipping me the finger.
“That’s a good girl.” I pat her on the head.
I still have her clamped under my arm, and when I release her, I take a step back. Her wet hair is stuck to her face—she looks just like the chick from The Ring.
“Not my fault you tripped on my foot.”
I’m expecting a spicy slap-down, but all she does is shrug and trot toward the water to rinse her hands.
“You know how to lose with style, I’ll give you that,” I say, creeping up behind her.
She straightens without looking my way or saying a word.
“Are you sulk—”
Splash.
I don’t get to finish my question, because the little bitch just threw a clump of wet sand in my face.
“Whoopsie! I don’t know what happened there.”
I try to open my eyes, but my lashes are weighed down with grit, and rubbing them only makes them worse.
“Here, let me help you.”
“No way!”
Too late. She throws water in my face—once, twice, and then with a happy sigh, she empties the whole bottle over my head. I mop myself dry with my T-shirt, gnawing at the inside of my cheek, taking in her smug smile.
She curls a lip. “Truce?”
“Truce,” I sigh, holding up my hands.
She’s not buying it. She walks backward, eyeing me up.
“Well, this sucks.” I nod at the empty water bottle. “I was thirsty.”
She points at the water, smiling. “Want me to go fill it up?”
I spot a beach bar farther along the strand and start striding toward it.
“Wait here a second, I’ll go buy more.”
“Get me a straw!”
I jog over to the hut and wait my turn, plucking up a straw from the glass jar and considering chewing on it, just to gross her out.
Leaning against the counter, I can’t help but wink at the girl behind the bar. Old dog, new tricks…
“What can I get you?”
“Just a water to go, please.”
She crouches down to the fridge. “You on vacation?”
“Yeah, I’m here for winter break.”
“Thought as much. I would’ve noticed you around.”
She juts a hip out, biting her lip playfully. She hands me the bottle, but when I reach for it, she doesn’t seem to want to let go. I would usually enjoy seeing where the conversation leads, but Lois is waiting for me.
I slide a five over the counter. “Keep the change.”
“There’s a beach party tomorrow night, you know. Everybody goes.” She smiles at me. “You could come along.”
“I’ll think about it.”
I head back over to where I left Lois, but there’s no sign of her. If she’s planning another ambush, this time she’s definitely getting dunked.
The beach is teeming with people, and I scour the crowds, craning for a glimpse of her, until I spot her chatting with a blonde and redhead by a hut.
I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I don’t need to—I can tell from here that Lois is struggling.
Something isn’t right. Her eyes are narrowing as she nods along with the redhead, and though the sun is blinding, I know her well enough by now.
“Super Lane to the rescue,” I mutter to myself.
I sprint across the beach. Lois is panicking, I can see her searching for a way out.
Suddenly, she glances up and over at the bar and catches sight of me, relief spreading across her face, followed by a shadow, and though alarm bells should be ringing, I don’t have time to stop and think.
As soon as I catch up with her, she launches straight into a performance, letting out a yelp, thanking me for the drink in a high-pitched squeal.
And before I know what’s hit me, she’s standing on her tiptoes, kissing me right on the lips.