Chapter Eight
Hayes
I tap gently on the window pane with the light green dream catcher hanging in it, and it’s only a moment before there is indiscernible movement at the corner of the curtain.
Seconds go by, and I think she’s ignoring me until the curtain is shoved aside completely. Olive is looking at me with the most confused expression on her face as she cracks the window open.
“What are you doing?”
“I haven’t seen you in a few days. I wanted to say hi.”
“You haven’t seen me because you got in trouble for fighting. Again,” she scolds.
We’ve been friends for a few months now, and she’s set me on a better trajectory, but I still have lapses from time to time.
“Bobby was showing off his cousin’s girlfriend’s nudes. Even the principal couldn’t blame me for clocking him.”
She rolls her eyes and leans her elbows against the window frame. I’m standing on an old milk carton, putting our heads nearly in the same place.
“You have to graduate in two months. No more trouble.”
“Trouble finds me, Liv. You know that.” I smirk and watch pinkness creep into her cheeks.
I’m not a stranger to girls’ attention, but I’m older than her. I shouldn’t enjoy seeing her blush like that, and I shouldn’t hope that she likes seeing me as much as I like seeing her.
Liv isn’t like that, though. If she has a crush on me, she’s never said. She doesn’t try to flirt with me, and she’s never trying to get anything from me.
I don’t want anything from her besides friendship.
She’s beautiful, of course, but I know what a girl like Liv is destined for, and it is a whole lot better than anything that I could give her. Friendship is all I’ll let myself hope for.
“What will you do once you graduate?”
“I have a job lined up at Brody’s auto shop. He’s going to let me apprentice with him until I can get all my certifications.”
“Have you always wanted to be a mechanic?”
I laugh. “No, but it’ll pay well enough. I want to save up enough money to hire a trainer.”
“Trainer for what?”
“MMA. Mixed Martial Arts.”
“You want to be a professional fighter?”
“That’s where the real money is. I can make it big, I know it.”
“I believe in you.” She smiles, resting her head against the edge of the window.
“I’m sorry, it’s late. I should let you get some sleep.”
“It’s okay. I’d rather talk to you.” Her lips tip in a smile, but she hides it quickly, shyly.
“You’re something special, Liv. I can’t wait to see the great things you do someday.”
“Like what?” She laughs. “I don’t have a clue what I want to do.”
“Surgeon?”
She grimaces. “Not a fan of blood.”
“Teacher?”
“Kids scare me.”
“Kids scare you because you are still a kid.”
“Okay, I’m not that much younger than you,” she argues.
Young enough. “A couple of years out of high school and you’ll realize how young you are now.”
She rolls her eyes, making me chuckle. “How mature of you,” she teases.
“That’s why I watch out for you. I have to make sure no one takes advantage of you.”
“Please. Boys don’t even look in my direction.”
“They will. And when they do, remember that you’re the prize and they don’t deserve you.”
“None of them?” She scoffs.
“Not a single one,” I insist seriously, sobering her.
“And if I want someone?”
“Just don’t let anyone stop you from achieving your dreams. I watched it happen to my mom, and she’ll never get those years back.”
She could be living a much better life if she hadn’t settled for my father. I’d gladly snuff out my existence if it meant she got a redo.
“You’re a good guy, Jensen. No matter what anyone says.”
“Oh, and what do they say?”
“I’ve had two teachers warn me about you. A couple of classmates have whispered their concerns after seeing you walk me to class. They say you’re bad news.”
“That’s true. But never something you have to worry about, dove.” I smooth my thumb against her chin, memorizing the way she dips her head bashfully.
The purest thing I’ll ever touch.
* * *
Present…
“Have you made your decision?” I study her closely as she avoids my gaze.
“About what?”
“Are you going to let me protect you?”
“Oh, I have a choice?” She asks sarcastically.
“You always have a choice, Liv. I’d never force anything on you.” But I’d watch from a distance no matter what.
“Hmm,” she sighs, stepping over to a metal tub I’d been pondering earlier. She peels back the cover, and I realize it’s full of water and not a garden bed as I’d suspected.
“If you’re still afraid to be near me, you can just say that.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Hayes. Never have been.”
“I know. You’re a poor judge of character.”
She throws her head back, letting out a full belly laugh, and I’m mesmerized. Her eyes crinkle, and her smile leaves little dimples at the corners of her lips.
Her teeth are nearly perfect, aside from her incisor on the left side that’s always had a slight angle to it.
I always thought the uniqueness of it made her prettier, something that made it even harder to look away when she smiled. She has a beauty that can’t be duplicated. I’m glad she never got it fixed.
My eyes trace a line down her neck until it disappears under her robe.
“I might have been a poor judge of character back then, Jensen, but now I’m a grown woman and eat men like you for breakfast.” She drops her robe suddenly, stepping into the tub of water in the tiniest bikini I’ve ever seen.
I don’t blink as she sinks to her neck, gripping the sides as she battles the icy water. Her head tips back, and for a moment, she looks relaxed.
Maybe it isn’t as cold as it looks.
“You can play bodyguard, Hayes. If that eases your burdens. For repentance, whatever.” The tremor in her voice is a good indicator that it really is that cold, but the goose bumps across her skin draw me in anyway.
Her eyelids pop open when she senses my approach.
“But nothing changes between us,” she rasps as I dip my hand into the water near her thigh, letting it bite my skin as it does hers.
“As long as there’s an ‘us’, that’s all I care about.” I should move back, give her more space, because I can see the cold taking effect as her entire body trembles.
But I don’t move.
She pushes to her feet, sucking in a chestful of air as the temperature change shocks her body. Only then do I move, stepping away so she can grab her robe, but my gaze never leaves her.
She’s all woman, now, and I don’t feel guilty for admiring her like I did when we were teenagers.
And, I think it pisses her off.
“Be here tomorrow morning at 7:30 sharp. Wear something professional,” she suggests, condescendingly.
“Yes, boss.”
She cuts me a glare as she walks inside. “Don’t call me that.” The door slams behind her, and a smile stretches across my face.