Living Lies (5 page)

She pulled her feet under her and leaned into his chest. This was remarkably easy, she thought as images blinked across the screen.

By eleven Danny was kissing her goodnight.

“You have to leave?” she asked, no longer drowsy.

“Yeah, but I’ll be back in the morning,” he said, his fingers threaded through her hair.

She nodded, her mouth was busy.

Lonesome once he’d gone, she took a shower. Clean, dry and bored, she lay on her stomach and willed him to call.
Please ring.

It did.

“Hi,” she said, knowing it was him.

“Hi,” Danny said.

“I was hoping you’d call.”

“Are you in bed?”

“Yeah, where are you?”

“In bed,” he chuckled, “where’d you think I was?”

She honestly didn’t know. “It’s early and I thought, maybe you had someplace else to go?”

“You’re crazy. I’m in my apartment, in my bed
alone
, thinking about you.” There was a pause, “So, what are you wearing?”

The truth was impossibly boring. “I’m getting undressed,” she said, blushing.

“You’re wearing your pink bra?”

“Danny!”

“What? I took a peek when you weren’t looking,” he growled, “Melanie, I’m trying to behave here. Tell me you’re wearing a long flannel granny nightgown and save me.”

“A T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts.”

“I bet you look cute.”

Each morning at about five to seven, Melanie’s pulse began to race. A response triggered by a knock on the door. Danny had claimed a spot for himself on her daily run, moving it to the more difficult terrain of the beach.

“Hi,” she said, her enthusiasm at his presence still discomforting.

“Ready, Gorgeous?”

She blushed. “What’s up for today? Bowling? More racquet ball?” She tiptoed to receive his kiss.

“It’s a surprise,” he beamed. “But you’d better put on an old sweatshirt.”

In four days of dating Danny, Melanie had learned enough to take him at his word. She changed.

An hour drive, (that should have taken two) later, Melanie was strapping on a helmet.

“Are you sure this doesn’t hurt?”

“That jersey should help but … you’ll still feel a sting. My advice is, don’t get shot.”

“Excellent.” She looked down at the camouflage.

He smiled apologetically, “I won’t let anyone tag you.” He kissed the side of her head and handed her a paintball gun.

Divided into teams, she reluctantly followed a group of very tall, very enthusiastic warriors out to a desert-like field. Instructions were condensed into a few sentences – no overzealous shooting, no swearing, smoking or illegal drug use and stay off the bunkers.

Danny had paid for three hours of terrifying paintball battle. Neon green paint grazed her pant leg within the first three minutes. Pissed, she sat out, observing, until her team’s flag had been snatched.

“I don’t like that team,” she whispered to Danny. “They cheat.”

“You can’t cheat in this game. All’s fair.”

“All’s fair,” she repeated softly with a vague sense of what she was about to do.

She wanted to kick Mr. Neon Green’s ass. Settling in behind a sand bunker she motioned for Danny to go ahead when the start buzzer sounded. He rolled his eyes and she waved him on. What she had to do, she had to do alone. Fly below the radar, picking off the other team one by one until she had the one she wanted in her cross hairs.

Melanie almost made it to the end using this strategy. Salty sweat stung her eyes and she turned to wipe away the beads when the paintball smacked her square between the shoulders just below her neck. It was a force strong enough to heave her to the ground.

Dust coated her goggles but she saw enough to send goose bumps up her spine.

Danny.

Jumping out from behind a pile of branches yelling, “You shot her in the back you Mother…” that’s when the rapid fire of orange paintballs were released, tagging Mr. Neon Green across the chest.

“Sorry I got us kicked out,” he said, cranking over the engine.

“It was worth it.” She laughed. “He looked like a radio-active orange giant when you got through.”

“He’s an ass. I’m barred from that place forever.” Danny shook his head. “Not like there aren’t a dozen more fields.”

“Well, I think you were brave.”

“It was paintball, Mel.” He laughed before turning serious and reaching over to tenderly place his fingertips at the base of her neck. “How are you?”

“There’s going to be a mark.” Understatement.
Maybe it was worth a gigantic bruise
.

“Keep the ice pack on.” His glance fell to the baggie of ice dropped between the seats.

“Are you sure it’s necessary? It’s really cold.”

The orange sun slipped below the horizon while Melanie and Danny huddled beneath a blanket.

Even from his profile she could tell he was deep in thought.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, shadows from the bonfire dancing on the sandy shore.

“That it’s getting cold out here. How about we move back to your apartment?”

She couldn’t argue, but wasn’t convinced that he was engrossed only by the weather.

Melanie had never felt more comfortable in her apartment. She lowered the stereo and the pair sank into her couch.

Distracted since the beach, out of the blue Danny answered her earlier question. “I was thinking about the other day when you said I’d never noticed you before. That’s not true. I always looked for you on the first day of class. Borrowing notes and partnering up for projects, that was no accident.” He rested his hand on her stomach.

“No, it was because you knew we’d get an A,” she said, stating what she’d believed.

“Not totally true,” Danny continued, “It never occurred to me that you’d be interested.”

“Seriously Danny?” she asked rolling her eyes. “You had to know I had a crush on you.”

“I didn’t.” He propped himself up on his elbow. “I can tell when someone likes me.” His arrogant lips shaped in a high curve. “But, you,” he shook his blonde head, “no idea.”

“I was embarrassed,” she said, believing him. “I always thought you knew,” she said, more to herself as he settled back down and she rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad we’re together now.”

“Me, too.” A kiss on the top of her head sent warm shivers down to her toes. “How about we take it easy tomorrow.”

“What, no flying trapeze?”

“Cute, no. But I know a guy who works on a whale-watching boat. I thought we’d check it out.” He was scooting off the couch. He was leaving.

“Sounds great,” she said, trying to push away the disappointment. It was stupid, how could she miss him? He wasn’t even gone and they’d spent the day together with the promise of another.

“Goodnight, Melanie Ward.”

“Goodnight, Danny Ashe.”

The other nights had ended with the same playful formality and heart-stopping kiss.

“You’re going to need another jacket,” he stated. “It looks like it might rain again.”

“Welcome to sunny California,” Melanie smiled. She added a third sweater and donned a windbreaker before they set out in his drafty Jeep, where a large, steaming black coffee waited for her.

The low, heavy clouds let little light pass but as the 30-foot excursion boat motored out of the marina the fog drifted quickly. Once out on the open sea, patches of blue sky gave way to shafts of golden sunlight.

The cruise was not luxurious but perfect for the dozens of school children that ran amuck.

Melanie and Danny picked their way to the top deck. The wind blew and they leaned close to each other. He was strong and warm and she felt safe though the sea was rough. An hour into the rocky trip a pod of humpbacks were spotted off the starboard side. For 15 minutes they followed the mystical creatures rising out of the dark

ocean, their enormous gray backs glistening above the water’s

surface. Hundreds of seagulls greedily hovered around the feeding whales, gobbling up any fish that escaped the giant jaws.

She was in awe as the final fluke descended into the icy sea.

“That was incredible,” she said.

Over the loudspeaker a crackly voice instructed children to meet on the bow for activities. Kids ran around pretending not to hear their weary teachers. Melanie smiled as an especially rambunctious 10-year-old boy raspberried an adult and darted down the stairwell.

“I bet you were just like that kid,” Melanie teased, smiling at the thought of a young Danny.

“He pales in comparison.”

“Is that why you got into rugby, to beat up on people?” The salty breeze pushed away the clouds and the winter sun warmed her back. “I bet your mom freaked when little Danny Ashe came home from school wanting to join a rugby team.” Melanie could only imagine. Her parents freaked when she joined the track team in high school.

“Actually, it was my mom’s idea.”

“Really? Wow, I worried about you getting hurt, and I was just a girl with a crush. I can’t imagine your mom.”

Danny’s eyes were thoughtful, his voice was deep and he brushed back the loose hair that had escaped her ponytail. “I was 10 when my parents split up. My dad left us for his secretary, Connie.” The resentment rang in his words.

“I’m sorry,” Melanie didn’t know what to say.

“We sold our house and my mom and I moved into an apartment. I hated it, hated being traded every weekend, hated Connie. She and my dad were together for almost two years before she kicked his sorry ass to the curb. He came crawling back to my mom but it was no good. Too much time had passed, she said she had moved on with her life. Though she had no husband or boyfriend, I didn’t understand and God, I was pissed.”

Melanie could feel his anger. He shifted and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Then I blamed my mom for not taking him back, for him leaving in the first place, for all the mess we were in. I thought it was her fault. I missed him and all I wanted was for us to be a family.

I thought everything could be like it had been. We’d move back to

our house, get a dog.” He leaned back and wrapped his arm around her