Hidden Falls (5 page)

As we were leaving I
looked back at the driver, shooting him a wide smile.  He shot me the bird,
causing me to laugh even harder as we walked back out of the gas station.  We
were walking together, her arm around my waist and mine around her shoulders. 
To anyone else we looked like a happy couple, out for a night together.  I knew
as soon as we got back in the truck that things would go back to normal, but
for that one small moment, she was mine.

Chapter Nine

Katy

His arm around me felt
like heaven.  He was so warm and comforting, his muscles so hard and
welcoming.  When he opened the door for me, I nearly swooned right there.  I
thanked him and climbed in, desperately trying to keep my skirt from riding
up.  The devilish part of me wanted him to try to sneak a peek, but my proper
side won out.  This wasn’t a date, only a friendly road trip.  I had to keep reminding
myself of this.

As he climbed in beside me
and cranked up the beater, I couldn’t help but watch the muscles move along his
arms.  He wasn’t as big as Chase, but there was no doubt he was built.  I could
now understand why all the girls in our class had crushed on him throughout
school.  I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t noticed before now.  Chase had always
been the one at the front of my hormone-driven mind. 

The rest of the trip was
quiet, neither of us doing much talking.  I watched the scenery pass out the
window, eventually counting the number of palmetto trees that went by.  By the
256th one, I gave up.  There were obviously way too many trees on this stretch
of road.  I kept stealing glances, but Brian seemed focused on the road.  I
pulled my phone out and found two new text messages. 

The first one, from Roxie,
was just a simple check in.  I texted her back, letting her know where I was
and who I was with.  The second one, from an unknown number, confused me a
little bit. 

I always knw u were a
whore. Proved me right 2night.

I gasped as I read the
words again.  Who in the hell would send a message like that?  Evidently Brian
had heard and looked over at me, his eyes tired and slightly drooping. 
“Everything okay?”

I shook my head and put
the phone away.  “Just a stupid text message, that’s all.”

“What kind of message?” he
asked, concern in his voice. 

“Nothing.  Don’t worry
‘bout it.” I put my purse on the floor board at my feet, hoping he wouldn’t try
to get to it.  When I looked up he was pulling the truck over to the side of
the road.  He cut the engine and angled his body towards mine.

“The look on your face
tells me you’re full of it. Now, what was the message?” He looked upset
already.  The tired look on his face just moments before gone in a blink. I
couldn’t imagine what he would think when he saw what that idiot had sent.  I
shook my head and kept quiet, looking anywhere but his face.  I didn’t want him
to see the message.  What if he thought the same thing about me?

I felt his shoulder bump
my leg as he leaned down to pick up my purse.  I tried to grab his hand, but he
already had a tight grip on the straps.  He yanked it away from me and rifled
through it, finally finding it at the bottom.  He glanced at the text and I
knew as soon as he read the message.  His eyes turned to slits and he literally
growled. 

“Who the hell sent this?
Do you know?” He bit the last words out, barely containing his anger.  I shook
my head in answer, hoping he would just let it go.  “Dammit Kitty.  Who the...who
would send something like that? Was it Skylar?”  He spat the name out, his face
turning an angry shade of red.

“I don’t know!” I was
shaking by this point, but it wasn’t from fear.  His reaction to the message
was so manly that it caused my body to hum.  That was definitely a first. 
“Just forget about it.  It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Like hell it doesn’t!” He
slammed his hands down on the steering wheel.  “I’m gonna find out who sent
this.  And when I do...they better give their soul to God ‘cause their ass is
mine.”

I reached over and took
the phone out of his hands, placing it back in my purse.  When I looked back at
his face, his mouth was set in a hard line.  I took his rough hand in mine and
looked him in the eye.  “Let’s just ignore it for now, okay?  Don’t let someone
ruin our fun.”

He seemed to visibly
relax, even if it was only a little bit.  His thumb caressed the back of my
hand, sending shivers up my arm.  It should have felt awkward, seeing as we
were supposed to be just friends, but something in that moment just felt
right.  I decided to leave my hand in his for as long as he would let me.  If
he didn’t want it there, I knew he would let go.  A part of me was desperate
for him to hold it even tighter, while the other was screaming for me to pull
away.  I hated that other part in that moment.

*****

It was official.  This was
now my favorite place in the world.  The Falls, a series of waterfalls, all
cascading in unison around us, was breathtaking.  I could feel the spray on my
face, dampening my skin and clothes, but all I could think of was how beautiful
it was.  There had to have been at least a dozen waterfalls, each of them a
different size.  They all spilled into one large area, creating frothy white
foam on top of the water.  It was completely mesmerizing.

“I can’t believe I’ve
never been here before.” I looked over at Brian and got caught in his gaze. 
His eyes were piercing, causing my breath to hitch.  There was a tender look on
his face, almost haunted.  “Are you okay?”

He cleared his throat and
looked away.  “Yeah, I’m good.  You okay?” He hadn’t looked back at me and I
wondered if I had done something to upset him.  Was he still upset about the
text message?

“Thank you.  For bringing
me here. For not letting me stay home.  For...everything.” He nodded his head,
but didn’t look at me.  I closed the distance between us, putting my hand on
his bare arm.  “Look, I don’t normally do the whole mushy stuff, but I want you
to know that if you need to talk, I’m here.  Okay?”

He glanced down at my hand
on his arm, and then looked at my face.  His eyes were glassy, holding back the
emotions that I knew were right under the surface.  “Thanks.” He turned away
again, but this time I wouldn’t let him hide.  I touched his jaw and gently
pulled his face towards mine. 

“Wanna go for a dip?”

“Not sure that would be a
good idea.”

“Says who? There’s no one
here but us.”

He rubbed his face and
turned to face me.  “You wantin’ to get naked with me Kitty?  Cause neither of
has a swim suit...” I could feel my face turning a deep shade of red as my
imagination took control.  I’m no slut, but I’ve seen my fair share of naked
bodies.  I could already picture his lean, muscular body, the moonlight shining
down on him as the crystal clear water rivulets made their way from top to
bottom. 

I cleared my throat and
looked away, hoping he hadn’t noticed my inability to speak and the full body
blush that had taken over.  “I, uh, hadn’t thought about that...but if you’re
up for it, I’m game.” I didn’t dare look back at him.  I couldn’t.  I would
kill to know what he was thinking in that moment.  We were about to cross a
line that friends don’t cross.  I felt the sweat break out all over my body, my
nerves screaming inside of my body, leaving me raw and blistered.

“As much as I would
love
to see what’s underneath that skirt, I think it would be better if we didn’t.”
I turned to look at him and found him smiling, his dimples shining in the soft
light. 

I couldn’t help but
laugh.  I had just been turned down by
Brian
, of all people.  The guy
who knew every make-out spot in town and could probably have one named after
him by now.  I wanted to feel offended, but I couldn’t.  He was right.  “So,
what’s on the agenda then?”

“No idea.  Didn’t plan
that far ahead.”

“We drove for an hour on a
whim?” I smiled, the act one of pure freedom.  He was one of those kind of
people who lived by the seat of their pants. 

“No, we drove for an hour
‘cause I wanted you all to myself.” A nervous laugh escaped and I clapped my
hand over my mouth.  “That.  That right there.  I couldn’t imagine sharing that
with someone else.”

Chapter Ten

Brian

I watched the water
cascading down, finding its target and causing a massive splash of foam and
water.  I felt a connection with The Falls, always had.  I didn’t know if it
was the act of flowing freely, or the fact that it took what it wanted without
worrying about anything else, but I had always felt at ease here.  I felt like
I could relax and breathe, something that I hadn’t been able to do since...since
that night. 

I hadn’t meant to let my
mind wander back in time.  I hadn’t meant to let the past get in the way, but
being there was like picking off a scab and letting my dirty fingers plunder
within the muscles underneath.  It hurt like hell, but having Katy here had a
soothing effect.  She was so innocent, and yet not.  She was a conundrum that I
had spent the better part of my life trying to figure out.  And now that I was
here, at The Falls, with her...I couldn’t keep my mind on the present.  Figures.

“It’s getting late. Maybe
we should head back?” she asked, glancing up at me from beneath her dark
lashes.  I didn’t want the night to be over yet.  I had to think quick.  What
could I do, or say, that would keep her with me?

“Not afraid of the dark,
are ya?”

“Nope...more like the big,
bad wolf.” She laughed at her joke, but I felt the ice run through my veins. 

“Is that what you think I
am? The bad wolf?” I couldn’t laugh it off like she did.  I needed to know.  If
that was what she thought of me, then I was screwed from the get go.

“Isn’t that what you want
people to think?” She cocked her head at me, her mouth set in a hard line. 
“You aren’t exactly known for your acts of good will, ya know?”

My head jerked back and I
felt like I had been physically punched.  She really did think I was the bad
guy.  “You’re right. We should go.” I turned and walked away, not bothering to
look back at her.  I heard her sandals slap on the ground behind me as she ran
to catch up, but I didn’t slow down.  I couldn’t.  Running away was sounding
like a really good idea at the moment.  I felt her small hand on my arm a few
minutes later, but I didn’t slow down.

“Brian,” she panted. 
“Wait.  What’s going on? What did I say?” She was out of breath and still
talking.  I abruptly came to a stop and faced her, causing her body to slam
into mine.  I pushed her away, putting some distance between our bodies.

“Is that what you really
think of me?” I glared at her, never breaking eye contact.  I wanted her to see
the pain in my eyes.  I wanted it to sink in that maybe, just maybe, she was
wrong about me. 

“What? No...I mean...shit,
Brian.  What do you want me to say?  Have you actually listened to yourself at
all? Ever since that night...” She stopped, her breath catching in her throat. 
I shook my head and backed up a few more steps, the grass tickling my bare
ankles. 

“What night, Kitty? Which
one? There have been
many
shitty ones lately, so you’ll have to be more
specific.”

“The night...your
dad...the night of the party.  When your dad died.  You haven’t been the same
since.  I know it was hard-”

“You don’t know shit.  Not
a damn thing.  What would you know about losing a parent? What would little
Miss Perfect know about a guilty conscience? Not a damn thing, that’s what.” I
could barely control the rage flowing through my body.  I could feel it in the
tips of my fingers as they curled in and out, never pausing. 

“You’ve got to be shittin’
me!” she yelled.  “Miss Perfect? Really? Obviously you don’t know
shit
about me if you think my life is perfect.  My mother is a drunk who is barely
conscious more than a few hours a day.  My father is so fed up with her that he
disappears for days on end!  My brother...I don’t even know what to do with him
anymore.  I haven’t heard from him in months!  Shit! But you’re right. My life
is damn perfect.”

I stared at her as the
tears fell down her cheeks, leaving a trail of pain in their wake.  I made her
relive that shit, just to make a point, and it turned out my point was
invalid.  Peachy.  I took a step towards her but she scurried back, putting her
hands out in front of her.  “Kitty, I’m sor-”

“Don’t! Don’t you dare
call me that again!”  She stared at me, her eyes searching mine.  “Take me
home, please.  I...I can’t do this anymore.  Just take me home.” Her shoulders
slumped and she walked around me, keeping a good distance between us.  I ached
to reach out and grab her.  To pull her to my chest and breathe her in.  I
wanted to take her pain away.  The pain that I had no idea was there.  But I
didn’t.  I just followed her back to the truck and watched as she climbed in
and slammed the door.