Blue Love (23 page)

She walked out to the barn and immediately saw Luke,
what the hell was he doing here? OK Tessa forgiveness, you’re crazy butt just heard an hour sermon on it.

“
Hey Tessa these boys don’t believe you can shot, will you prove me right?” John asked.

“
Sure let me grab my bow,” Tessa said walking into the small room that held the arsenal they had collected over the years.

She came out and smiled,
“Hey Luke why don’t you run in the house and grab an apple and put it on your head?” she smirked.

“
I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said looking down.

She stood and loaded the arrow, drew back the bow and hit a bull
’s eye.

“Anyone else want to try?” She asked and smiled.

Alex was first and he did well, Tommy was a tad bit off but did hit the target. Toby was just outside the bull
’s eye.

“
Luke you want to try,” she asked.

He was chewing on a piece of
straw wearing a white hat and jeans that sat as perfectly as ever.

He walked up
“Sure I will try it.”

He had never shot one before apparen
tly because she had to help him.

A
t one point she heard him breathe in when her head was close enough, she looked at him and whispered. “Did you just smell me?” he grinned and shook his head no. She narrowed her eyes “Friends don’t sniff friends, unless you’re a dog sniffing a dog’s ass,” Luke grinned.

“
Tessa are we friends now?” he asked.

“
Yes Luke,” Tessa said in an exasperated tone.

“
Thank you, now I think I got this,” Luke said. He pulled back and shot his arrow, kissed hers dead center, “Look at that,” he said and smiled.

“
No way,” Tessa said; “You have done that before faker,” she laughed. “Do it again.”

And he did
, four times. She looked at him and shook her head.

She shot guns and laughed for three hours with them.
“Tessa you’re going to hunt with us this year right?” John asked.

“
Daddy not in a million years, I have told you, give me a bunch of nasty people, I could shoot them before I could shoot a defenseless animal,” she said laughing.

“
Wow Tessa,” Toby said “Wouldn’t want to get on your bad side.”

They all laughed. It was getting dark and Tommy and Luke thanked Alex and John and said goodbye to
the others.

~

“How was dinner at Jade’s?” Luke asked.

“
It was good, Jade can cook,” Tommy smiled.

“
What were her parents like?” Luke asked.

“
Well her Dad seems cool, very protective. Her Mom is almost as beautiful as Jade but a complete train wreck,” he admitted.

“
Oh?” Luke asked.

“
Ya, Jade had two brothers, twins actually that died in a car accident a couple years ago,” Tommy told Luke. “I guess her mom was driving with the kids home from the movies and another car hit theirs, Jade and her Mom lived, the boys did not. That’s why Alex was held back. He stopped talking for three months, real awful time for all of them.”

“
So is that why her Mom is a wreck?” Luke asked.

“
I suppose,” Tommy said and paused, “Jade said that she started doing drugs and drinking a lot after that. Jade’s dad came home a night early from an out of town job to surprise them and he caught her in bed with another guy. I guess they stayed together for a year until he found another one in his bed.”

“
That’s not cool,” Luke said and smiled thinking he actually meant it.

Luke dropped Tommy off and said he would see him in the morning and drove home. He walked into his quiet house and grabbed a snack out of the fridge. He looked at his phone and wanted to call her. Text her something, but he knew he could not. His work was not done and she probably was still with GI Joe he thought and cringed. He looked at the half bottle of wine on the counter and took it and went upstairs.

~

Tessa and Toby stayed behind when everyone left,
“When do you have to leave?” she asked.

“
Tomorrow at six my flight leaves out of Ithaca, so I need to be there at five,” Toby answered.

“
Can I drive you?” she asked smiling.

“
I would love that, what time do you get out of practice,” Toby asked smiling.

“
Four, so we would be there on time,” she said smiling.

“
Alright then I will meet you at the school, like 4:15?” Toby asked.

“
Sounds like a plan,” Tessa smiled.

“
We could make it a date, it would be our third,” Toby said with a wink.

“
Can I hug you?” she asked.

He grabbed her and hugged her,
“You don’t have to ask angel.”

He kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him and gazed into his eyes. She wanted him to kiss her
, he had not last night and it bothered her. She wasn’t going to let it happen again. She wanted to know before he left tomorrow if she could feel the same desires she felt with Luke when she kissed him. She stood up on her toes and kissed him; he kissed her gently and pulled back.

She scowled at him and he smiled.
“Don’t be angry at me Tess, I am in no hurry. I don’t want you to be either.” Her face turned red, she was embarrassed. He laughed. “Tessa don’t be like that.”

“
Sorry,” she said.

“
No Tessa not like that either,” He wanted to kiss her to show her how he felt but he knew it wasn’t right yet. He watched how she reacted with Luke today and he wanted her to be sure. He knew where this could wind up and she wasn’t that kind of girl, even if she thought she wanted to be.

They walked to the house and he opened the door for her. He grabbed her hand as she walked in stopping her.
“Tessa you need to know I find you irresistible and every part of my body wants to hold you and kiss you and, well, my heart says not yet.”

She could feel her heart start beating faster,
yippee she thought
. She grinned at him and said “Good.”

She walked in smiling and her Dad shook his head, she knew he had heard everything.
“I am taking Toby to the airport after practice,” she told him. She kissed his head and went and got the kids and herself ready for bed.

Her phone chimed and there was Lucas staring at her.

-Your skills amaze me my new friend. The only time my mind wandered was when you said “do it again” Day 3 without Tessa Ross was a little better, I didn’t make her cry, it’s a start ….LYA Luke

She smiled as she read, and put her head on her pillow and fell asleep.

~

The morning went by fast, she thought of Toby whenever she didn
’t come face to face with Luke. They were eating lunch when the boys walked in, Tommy sat down and Luke stopped and started to walk away.

“
Sit with us,” Tessa said pointing across the table, “We are friends now right?” she said smiling and he sat.

“
So at church yesterday the sermon was on forgiveness,” Jade said smiling knowing this is where Tessa’s head was.

“
I am not sure I remember what ours was do you Luke?” he asked.

“
Forbidden fruit,” he answered quickly looking down at his tray.

Tessa had just taken a drink and was now trying not to spit it across the table
, she grabbed her napkin and let the milk fly into that.

“
Tessa are you okay?” Phoebe asked.

She laughed
“Yes Phoebe I am fine,” she couldn’t stop smirking.

“
Well,” Becca said, “He certainly does give us the message we need when we need it,” she said looking at each of them sternly.

Tessa and Luke
’s eyes met and they both started laughing and smiled at each other.

“
Well isn’t this nice,” Sadi said “Did we kiss and make up?” she asked.

“
No Sadi,” she said “Good news, I was so impressed with your scuba techniques that I decided to just go for it, we fucked all weekend,” she said and smiled.

“
Whore,” Sadi said and walked away.

“
Good at it,” Tessa yelled back.

“
Tessa,” Becca snapped, “What happened to forgiveness?”

“
I forgave the bitch and she blew my boyfriend,” Tessa said as she stood up and stormed out of the cafeteria.

~

Luke went after her and grabbed her arm. She was crying, he grabbed her and hugged her, she pulled away. He held his hands up showing her that he wouldn’t touch her. He bent his knees so he they would see eyes to eye. “Tessa, don’t cry,” he said and gently wiped her tears away. “Please, Tessa look at me,” she looked at him and she was angry, “I am so sorry,” he said.

“
I can’t do this Luke, I want to but it hurts,” she said.

“
You said we were friends in there… we started backwards, I am trying to fix this, I will take friends but I love you,” Luke said trying to stay calm.

Tessa grabbed his face and kissed him, he moaned, she kissed him harder and he opened his mouth and her tongue plunged deeply into his. He grabbed he
r hair and his tongue met hers. He started to pull away and she grabbed his waist band a pulled him to her again. He kissed her neck, she whispered “Luke,” in his ear and he moved back to her lips, she was on fire and he was too. She took her mouth away and he hugged her.

“
I can’t do friends Luke when all I want to do is that,” Tessa said, “and I can’t do that again because it hurts so badly,” she started to pull away.

He bent down to me
et her eyes, “I am going to put you back together Tessa,” he said and stroked her hair like she was a child, “I broke you and I am working on fixing you.”

She was angry,
“How are you going to do that when you’re out at the mall with your next partner?” she asked.

He smiled at her
, he knew she didn’t get it, “She was an ex Tessa, I need to fix myself before I can fix you. Don’t stop being my friend regardless of where this journey ends up. I can never lose you, do you understand? Never,” he kissed her head and held her.

“
Luke, I am taking Toby to the airport after practice,” she told him.

“
Tell him I said good riddance, I mean goodbye” he smirked. She smiled back at him.

“
You two done?” Sadi asked.

“
Never,” he said looking at Tessa.

“
Wow kind of like us hu Luke?” Sadi smiled.

“
Nothing like us Sadi, I told you that the other night,” he didn’t look away from Tessa while he spoke to Sadi. Tessa thought about the other night and got angry. “Now walk away,” he said to Sadi. The bell rang. “Friends Tessa?”

“
We will see,” she said and left.

~

After practice Toby was in the driveway, “Hey angel,” he said as she walked up to his Jeep, “We can take the Jeep if you’ll do me a favor.”

“
Sure anything,” she said, she saw Luke in his white hat standing with Tommy looking at her. He opened the door for her and she got in, he buckled her seat belt.

“
Can you drive this back to your place and park it out back? Your dad said it was ok. You can drive it anytime you want ok?” Toby said.

She smiled,
“Absolutely! Thank you!”

Tessa and Toby drove by the lake and stopped. He grabbed a cooler out of the back. They sat on the ground
, her back against his chest and ate sandwiches he had made. She told him about what happened with Luke today and he wasn’t upset at all, “Tessa you’ll get through this just go slow. Promise me you’ll go slow,” Toby asked her.

“
I will Toby, I know this is none of my business but do you date when you’re down there?” she asked.

He laughed,
“No Tessa and I wouldn’t want to; I told you I have a past and have learned from it. I am focused and have goals. I want you to be able to figure things out, you’re young angel.”

They went to the airport and his flight was called.
“Can I kiss you goodbye?” he asked.

She was tearing up, she didn
’t want him to leave, he had been so good to her and she could be strong when he was here. “Please,” she said.

He held her face and gently kissed her lips. Tessa sat and watched as the plane left the runway. She stood up and walked out the doors. Since she was in the city she thought she would go shopping
.