8. Cannon
Before I’d headed to the bar tonight, I’d stopped and picked up Mario Kart so I could surprise Demi with a game after she got home from work. I’d also picked up a few snacks for us and was now putting all the food out on the ottoman.
I stood looking over the spread of food, consisting of chips, veggies, popcorn, and chocolate, and hoped that she would like what I’d chosen. I knew she would be home any minute. I was feeling ridiculously nervous. This wasn’t a date. I was just excited to hang out with a friend and play video games. The extra thought I’d put into it had nothing to do with my not so friendly feelings toward Demi.
The door opened, and when Demi walked in, I had to remind myself not to let my eyes ogle her because friends didn’t do that. But damn if she didn’t look extremely hot tonight. The black denim mini skirt made her legs look long even though she was only 5’3”, and the red tank top hugged her upper body, matching the shade of lipstick she wore. Red was officially my new favorite color. Her hair was up tonight, exposing her slender neck, and I hurried to stop my thoughts from thinking about how it would feel to pull her close, dropping my head to place a soft kiss in the bend where her neck meets her shoulder.
She walked in, her smile brightening as she took in the food and the gaming controllers out on the couch. “Are we playing Call of Duty together again tonight?”
“I thought we’d play a different game.” I reached for the remote and turned on the TV, and the screen lit up with the logo for Mario Kart.
Her eyes lit up, her mouth opening in a wide grin. “Cannon,” she exclaimed, rushing to throw her arms around me.
I hadn’t been expecting that kind of response, but I quickly wrapped my arms around her.
Had we ever hugged before? I didn’t think so. I was pretty sure I would have remembered how amazing it felt to have her in my arms.
She pulled back too soon. “Oh, my gosh, I probably stink, sorry. Let me go take a quick shower, and then I can beat you in Mario Kart.” She twirled and was down the hall before I could blink twice.
Her excitement was contagious, and I smiled, knowing that I’d been the one to make her that happy.
I sat back on the couch and waited for her to join me, surprised at how much I was looking forward to spending the next couple of hours playing Mario Kart. I didn’t care that it was one in the morning or that I’d probably be exhausted tomorrow. Staying up late with Demi would be much more fun than going to sleep.
Thirty minutes later, the food was half gone, and I’d beaten her at every race we’d played. She’d always been close behind, but I wasn’t ready to let her win yet. I loved watching the crease between her brows get deeper the more she concentrated, the way she nibbled on her lip while she worked to collect the item boxes, and how she would move the controller like it was a steering wheel.
“Don’t you dare banana peel me!” she threatened.
I smiled and pressed the button to release the banana peel. I watched as her character spun out on the screen.
“Cannon!” she shouted, pushing my shoulder playfully.
I laughed and raced closer to the finish line.
Oh, did I mention how much I loved how she kept touching me while we played? Her shoulder nudging me, the back of her hand smacking me in the chest, the playful shoves, and the way her small hand would hit against my leg, might have been another reason why I kept up my winning streak. This was by far the most fun I’d ever had playing video games.
“Let’s go again.” Her voice was determined. “I have to beat you before we go to sleep.”
“We’re going to be here all night,” I teased.
Another smack to the chest, but it only made me laugh.
“Watch it, James,” she challenged. “I’ll come behind and beat you when you least expect it.” If I knew one thing about the Vanderhalls, it was that they were competitive.
“I doubt it, but I’m up for getting another win under my belt,” I said, starting up another race.
The race started, and we both sped off the starting line, trading first and second places throughout the race. It was our final lap, and I was keeping the lead with her close on my heels. I released a red shell hoping to slow her down, but she dodged it, keeping her pace with me. The finish line was now in sight, and there was no way she was going to beat me. Victory would be mine again.
Demi jumped into my lap, knocking my controller out of my hands and onto the floor. I sat there, stunned that she was now sitting on me. What had just happened?
“Woohoo! I won!” she shouted, throwing her arms up in the air, wiggling back and forth in my lap.
In. My. Lap.
I continued to sit there, frozen.
“Oh, yeah. I won. You lost,” she sang out, moving her body side to side.
She had no clue what she was doing to me, and to keep things playful instead of escalating to something we couldn’t come back from, I needed to do something quick.
Placing my hands on her waist, I grabbed her and pinned her down on the couch. The ease and speed with which I got her on her back had her looking up in shock. I hovered above her, pinning down her legs with my body and keeping hold of her arms with my hands. It wasn’t lost on me that two nights in a row of playing video games together had ended with me being on top of her. But I wasn’t complaining.
“You,” I said, trying not to smile, “are a little cheater.”
She wriggled beneath me, trying to get free. “It’s not my fault you dropped your controller and didn’t cross the finish line.”
I looked at her incredulously. “It wasn’t my fault I dropped my controller. I wasn’t expecting you to jump on me.”
She tried not to laugh, but it escaped in a loud burst. “There were no rules that said you couldn’t distract your opponent.”
I shook my head at her and chuckled. “I wasn’t aware that was even a question. But we both know you didn’t really win.”
“That’s not what the game said.” She flashed me a mischievous grin. “That big golden first place flashed on the screen for me.” She continued to try to free herself, but I wasn’t about to let her get out of this without fessing up.
“If you have any hope of getting out of this hold, you’ll admit to your cheating ways.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Then you leave me no choice,” I warned.
I let go of her arms and started tickling her sides, knowing how ticklish she was and that she’d eventually give in. And it helped that it was an excuse to touch her, to hear her laugh, to see her happy.
“Cannon,” she exclaimed. “This is so not fair!” Her laugh came out in yelps and giggles.
“Neither is you cheating,” I smiled.
In a move I wasn’t expecting, she sat up and shot out her hand to tickle my side, causing my hold on her to slip. I was more ticklish than I liked to admit, and now she knew it too.
“Two can play at this game,” she taunted in between heavy breathing and laughing.
“Yeah, but one of us is a lot stronger than the other.”
She got a couple more swipes at my sides, both of us laughing until I eventually got her pinned again. “All you have to do is say you cheated.”
“What is going on down here?”
My body stilled, the blood draining from my face at the voice.
Crap. We must have been so loud that West could hear us upstairs.
I jumped off Demi as she scrambled back from me. West face was a mix of anger and horror.
Crap, crap, crap.
“Nothing,” I hurried to say, my breaths uneven from our tickle fight.
Demi pulled down the hem of her shirt where it had ridden up. “We were just playing Mario Kart.” Her wide eyes had me thinking she was worried about West finding us in a compromising situation.
“And she cheated and wouldn’t confess,” I said, pointing to her.
“You’re the one who dropped your controller,” she argued.
“Because you jumped on me.”
“You jumped on him?” West asked her like he couldn’t believe she’d done that.
“It was the only way I could win,” she said with no remorse.
West pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let me get this straight.” He dropped his hand, taking a breath to calm himself. “You jumped on Cannon to win a video game race,” he said to Demi before looking at me, “and you were tickling Demi to get her to confess that she cheated?”
“Yes,” she and I said at the same time.
His worry seemed to ease at our explanation. He might have been annoyed with us for waking him up, but his concern fled at our innocence. “You should know better than to think a Vanderhall won’t do what’s necessary to win,” he said to me with a smirk.
Demi chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.
“Now please be quiet and go to bed so the rest of us can sleep,” he said, turning to leave.
“Good night, Dad,” I called out after him.
He gave me a withering glance, which only made me laugh as he shuffled out of the apartment in his slippers.
Once he was gone, I sat back down on the couch. “We should probably go to bed.”
She grabbed one of the couch pillows and hugged it to her chest. “Yeah.”
Neither of us made a move to get up. We sat on the same couch, her on one end with her back resting on the arm rest, her feet out in front of her. I moved to mimic her pose on the other side of the couch, facing her as I placed my legs next to hers.
“How was work tonight?” I asked, happy she wanted to stay out here too.
“It was good. Nothing too eventful. But I guess you already know that since you were there,” she replied. “You seemed to have a good night.”
I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”
She looked down, tracing the geometric pattern on the pillow. “You seemed like you were enjoying talking to that blonde who sat with you most of the night.”
Oh, yeah. I’d totally forgotten about her. As bad as it sounded, she’d just been a way to pass the time so I didn’t look like a creeper watching Demi all night.
“Uh, yeah, she was nice.”
“Like, nice enough that you’re going to see her again?” she asked, barely looking up at me.
Was she jealous? Did I want her to be jealous?
Unfortunately, yes. Even if I couldn’t do anything about my feelings for her, I couldn’t deny that I liked the thought of her liking me too. I mean, I knew she was attracted to me, but I wanted more than that. I wanted her to like me. The guy no one really knew. The guy who was too scared to tell her the truth, to tell her about where I come from, that if it wasn’t for my grandfather and her dad, I didn’t know where I would be right now. That sometimes I felt like a total fraud living this life.
“No, I don’t have any interest in seeing her again,” I told her. “What about you? Any guys who caught your eye?”
Her cheeks tinged pink as she took a quick glance at me before returning her gaze to the pillow. “No. And I’m not interested in dating right now. With school starting on Monday and my job at the bar, I don’t have time for a guy.”
“What about Aiden?” The question was out of my mouth before I could think about whether it was an appropriate thing for me to ask.
That had her head snapping up to look at me. “What about Aiden? I told you we broke up.”
And I’d learned over the years that them breaking up didn’t mean anything. They’d broken up and gotten back together six times in the last two years.
“But don’t you usually get back together with him eventually?” I couldn’t keep the distaste out of my voice.
Aiden was a piece of work. I’d never been able to understand what Demi saw in him. He cared more about himself than anyone else. He was your typical spoiled rich boy stereotype.
Demi bristled at my words. “Well, not this time. It’s been over four months since I’ve seen or talked to him.” She sighed, her annoyance leaving and heaviness settling over her instead. “Our relationship was more about convenience than anything else. With our parents being best friends, running in the same circles, we made sense. I know my dad was hoping I’d marry him and that we’d be some power couple, but our relationship was another part of my life I couldn’t fake anymore.”
It wasn’t news to me that her dad loved Aiden despite not really knowing him. Aiden was great at playing the part, of idolizing Victor and laying it on pretty thick. He knew how to schmooze and say all the right things, but he was as slimy as they got.
I hadn’t known Demi had been faking it and felt like she had to date him to live up to some unsaid expectation. But I guessed I shouldn’t be surprised. Expectations in the Vanderhall house were heavy burdens to carry.
“I know you were never a fan of his,” she added with a small smile.
I let out a huff of air. “That’s putting it nicely. I guess I wasn’t as good at hiding my dislike for him as I thought.”
Her smile turned into a full one. “All the glaring, jaw-clenching, and curt remarks were definitely hard to read.”
I chuckled. “Okay, fine. I wasn’t as discreet about it as I should have been. But he’s a pretentious a—” I stopped, cutting myself off, not wanting to use any foul language to describe her ex. She already knew how I felt about him. “Anyway. I’m glad you’ve decided not to date him anymore.”
“Me too.” She seemed amused about my feelings for Aiden. “How is your grandfather doing?” she asked, effectively changing the topic. “He hasn’t come to a family dinner in a while.”
“Yeah, between the different companies where he’s on the board of directors and all the traveling that entails, I hardly get to see him.” I stretch out my arm along the back of the couch. “He calls every two weeks like clockwork. I’m pretty sure he has it scheduled into his calendar so he doesn’t forget.”
My grandfather came into my life at fifteen and worked to help fix the damage my parents had inflicted. He wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type of grandfather, but Kenneth was a good man. He had tried his best with what he had to deal with—mainly, me. I hadn’t been the easiest teenager to raise, and I was grateful to him for sticking it out and not giving up on me. Every day, I worked to make him proud.
“That may be so,” she said. “But it still shows that he cares about you enough to put you on his calendar.”
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “That’s as sentimental as he gets.”
“Well, next time you two talk you should schedule a time when he can come to dinner.”
Grandfather loved Demi. I was pretty sure there was no way she could convince him to not think she hung the moon. I wondered what he would think about her new endeavor. If I had to guess, he would probably think it’s brilliant and volunteer to be her first customer. She brought out a softer side of him, and I marveled at it every time.
“Will do,” I smiled. “Speaking of family dinners, the next one is a week from tomorrow. What are your plans?”
She let her head fall back, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. My mom sent out the calendar invite, but I haven’t accepted yet.” She brought her head up to look back at me. “I’m invited, at least. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to face my dad yet.”
The way my grandfather was with Demi was how Victor was with me. To him, I could do no wrong, but that probably had more to do with how I wasn’t actually one of his children. He might have accepted me warmly into his home and family, but I wasn’t biologically his. Whenever Demi saw him next, he was sure to pile on the disappointment.
“But,” she continued, “I don’t want to upset my mom, and I miss her. I’ll have to face my dad one day, so I might as well get it over with at the family dinner. I’d rather show him that I’m firm in my decision, that I’m not running or hiding from him. He’ll have more respect if I’m firm in my resolve.”
I nodded. “Good. I’m glad you’re coming. That way he can focus on you more than on me and my dating life,” I teased.
She laughed. “You’re welcome.”
Ever since West had gotten together with Halle, Victor had changed his obsession from West finding a woman to me finding a woman. I understood he was a happily married man of more than thirty years and just wanted me to be happy, but marriage was not a part of my life plan.
As much as he wanted me to settle down, I was more than positive he wouldn’t want me adding his daughter to the list of potential women I could date. He wanted her to be with someone like Aiden, with the perfect pedigree, and that wasn’t something I could give her. Not that I wanted to marry Demi, since marriage had never been on my radar, but she was the only woman I’d ever met who I could imagine myself trying to have a relationship with.
Demi yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “Now that the adrenaline from racing is gone, I’m exhausted. I’m going to head to bed.”
“Yeah, me too,” I lied.
I could have stayed up talking to her all night. About what, I don’t know, but I just liked spending time with her. I had fun with her, felt lighter, happier when we were together.
“Good night, Cannon,” she said over her shoulder as she walked down the hall and into her bedroom.
I sat on the couch and rubbed both hands down my face. I’d enjoyed myself way too much tonight. I was struggling to remember my reasons for keeping her at arm”s length. When it was just the two of us, the thoughts of my past, her brother and father, and how I couldn’t give her what she deserved floated to some faraway place. It wasn’t until I was by myself that I could see vividly how I couldn’t be anything more than her friend.
But call me an idiot because I was already looking forward to the next time we played video games together, finding as many reasons to innocently touch each other as possible.