Hanson Hall

 

Chapter 1

 

          Paige Ambrosia Parker and Clover Leif Fields sat in their dorm room during Christmas vacation while everyone else was with their families.  The two college sophomores sat alone, bickering because they had no money to go home, out, or do anything fun.  As they sat, there was a loud crash followed by a muttered, “Fuck.”  The girls looked at each other, wondering what was going on, then got up to go see.

          “Maybe we should go investigate,” Clover suggested as they approached the door.  Outside, in the hallway, they found two guys surrounded by a bunch of boxes and bags.

          “Do you guys need any help?” Paige asked, noticing that they were moving into the room diagonally across the hall from their room.  They appeared to be cute, from the little bit of their downcast faces that the girls could see.  One of them had short, layered, blond hair and was tall and skinny, and the other had short, spiky, brown hair, was a little shorter than the first, but had more meat on his bones.  The blond, who seemed to have dropped the box that was now in front of him, looked up at the girls.

          “Uh, sure.  We could use some,” he said.  “Hi, I’m Daniel and this is Chris.”

          “I’m Paige, and this is Clover,” Paige said, moving to the other side of him to get a box.  Everyone else exchanged ‘hellos’ and began moving toward the room that the guys were going to be sharing.

          “So what are you guys doing here?  We were told that everyone went home for Christmas and New Years’,” Chris said.

          “Yeah, everyone who had money went home,” Clover said dryly.

          “Yeah, so we get more time to ‘study,’” Paige said.

          “Are you really that into your schoolwork?” Daniel asked.

          “Yep, can’t get enough of it,” Clover said with a smile.

          “Yeah right!  You never study!” Paige said.  “…but how do you always get good grades?”

          “Well, you know, I’m on good terms with the professors,” Clover answered with a serious look on her face, “very good terms.”  The other three gave her strange looks.

          “Are you serious?” Daniel asked.

          “Do you want an A?  I can get you one,” Clover said.

          “How?” Daniel asked.

          “Study!” Clover said.  “No!  I don’t sleep with the professors!  God, eww!”  The others looked relieved, glad that she was making those grades on her own.  They continued moving boxes into the room until there were none left, then the girls headed toward the door.

          “Well, we’re gonna go.  Welcome to the college and we hope you have a great stay here in Hanson Hall,” Paige said, imitating a tour guide.

          “Are you majoring in tourism?” Chris asked her.

          “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Paige asked, giving him a flirtatious smile and turning to leave.  Chris raised his eyebrows.

          “There’s a lot of things I’d like to know,” he mumbled to himself so no one else could hear.

          “Thanks for helping us guys,” Daniel said.

          “No problem,” Clover said.  “We’ll see you around.  If you need anything, we’re in room 3H.”

          “Okay, bye,” the guys said in perfect harmonization.  The girls went back across the hall and began to talk about the newcomers.

          “I’m in silverchair mode now.  Put in Neon Ballroom, would you?” Clover asked of her friend, who was closer to the stereo system.  Paige put the CD in and hit the ‘play’ button and skipped ahead to track 2:  Anthem for the Year 2000.

          “I can’t believe silverchair is living across the hall,” Paige said in awe, flopping onto her bed with a distant look on her face.  “Chris is so cute.”

          “Are you on something?  Maybe Chris is cute, but Daniel is hot,” Clover said, flipping through the CD jacket.  A knock sounded on the door and Paige answered it to see Daniel and Chris standing there.  The guys heard their music and saw Clover looking at the jacket.

          “Hi guys,” Paige greeted.  “What’s up?”

          “Good song,” Daniel commented.  “I always liked that one.”

          “Well of course!  The way Daniel sings it…” Paige began, suddenly at a loss for words to finish the sentence.

          “It makes you want to jump his bones,” Clover said, without looking up.  Paige blushed in embarrassment, the complete opposite of Clover’s actions.  The guys’ faces instantly showed surprise.

          “Hello?  Do you know who we are?” Daniel asked.

          “Yeah, you’re Daniel Johns and Chris Joannau,” Clover said.  “I guess you missed that sarcasm thing again.  Would you like me to inform you next time?”

          “That’s sarcasm, isn’t it?!” Daniel asked.

          “Wow, you’re quick,” Clover said. 

          “Well come in!  You don’t have to stand in the doorway the whole night,” Paige said.   The guys stepped in and Paige shut the door.  “So why did you come over again?”

          “We wanted to know if you two would be interested in going to get some pizza or something as sort of a thank you for helping us out,” Daniel said.

          “Um, are you sure you want me to come?” Clover asked.  “Are you being sarcastic now?”

          “No, this is a real invitation,” Daniel said.  Chris and Paige stood a little to the side as the others had their conversation.

          “I think they’re hitting it off real well,” Chris said, leaning over to Paige.

          “Yeah, love at first sight, huh?” she said.  He nodded in agreement.

          “Okay guys, the lover’s quarrel is now officially over,” Chris said, stepping between them.  “I’m hungry and I’d like some food.  Can we go please?”

          “Sure,” Clover said with a shrug.  She turned off the CD player and took her keys off the table by her bed, then on her way out behind the others, she tossed the CD jacket onto Paige’s bed across the room.  Daniel saw what she did and looked at her, shocked.

          “You just threw a picture of me across the room!” Daniel exclaimed.  “In my presence!”

          “Yeah?  So?” Clover asked.

          “I’m offended!” Daniel said.  Clover pretended to think about apologizing, then just shrugged again as they all continued to the parking lot.

          “So who’s car are we taking?” Chris asked when they got to the parking lot.  They had four cars to choose from.  After the guys came to Miami for college (from Australia), they each bought a car since they would be there for a while. 

          “Which one’s the best car?” Daniel asked.

          “Mine!” Clover exclaimed right away.

          “What kind do you have?” Daniel asked.

          “It’s a cherry red, ’68 mustang.  It’s beautiful and in perfect condition,” she explained proudly.

          “Okay, what about yours?” Daniel asked, turning to Paige.  “Assuming you have one too.”

          “Yes, I have one too.  It’s a green, ’99 camaro that’s also in perfect condition,” Paige said.  “And it’s a convertible.”

          “Well my car’s better than both of yours,” Daniel said conceitedly.

          “Prove it,” Clover said.

          “It’s right there,” Daniel said, pointing to a silver, convertible,  ’99 Mitsubishi Eclipse. 

          “I say we take mine,” Clover said, determined to beat Daniel.  “Your car’s nice and everything, but vintage is better.  Mine’s a classic.”

          “And how do we know it won’t fall apart as we’re driving it down the road?  It’s old,” Daniel said.

          “Okay, no one drives my car but me, so don’t say “we” will drive my car.  You will be riding in my car, not driving it,” Clover said.  “Understood?”  Daniel backed away with his hands up in front of him.

          “Okay, we’re not taking your car.  You’re way too overprotective,” he said.

          “Guys, we still don’t know what Chris drives,” Paige said.

          “Speak for yourself, woman,” Daniel said, taking his frustrations with Clover out on Paige.  “I know what he drives and it’s a piece of shit!”

          “Hey!” Chris exclaimed, giving Daniel an evil glare.  Paige also looked at him with a look of disapproval.

          “So what kind of car is it?” she asked Chris, turning away from Daniel.

          “I have a black Geo Tracker,” he answered.

          “Oh really?  Hard top or soft top?” Paige asked, a Tracker being one of the types of vehicles she’d considered buying before her beloved camaro.

          “Hard top,” Chris said.

          “That’s cool,” Paige said.  They smiled at each other, feeling a sort of spark between them.

          “So who’s car are we going in?” Clover asked again, tired of standing around and becoming hungry herself.

          “How about this, who feels like driving?” Paige asked.

          “Me!” both Clover and Daniel said at the same time.

          “Okay, let’s take one person’s car and the two of you can both drive; one down and one back,” Paige suggested, trying to make everyone happy.

          “Sounds good to me,” Clover said.  “Let’s take my car.”

          “Oh, so I’m allowed to drive your car now?” Daniel asked.

          “Hell no!” Clover said.

          “Alright!  We’re going in Daniel’s car.  Clover drives down and Daniel drives back, end of story!” Chris jumped in.  “Daniel, give her your keys and let’s go!”

          “But I don’t wanna,” Daniel said, reluctantly taking his keys out of his pocket.  As soon as they were out, Clover grabbed them and walked to the driver’s side of the door.  The others followed and got in once the doors were unlocked.  Daniel sat in the passenger’s seat, and Paige and Chris in the back.  They went to the closest Pizza Hut to the dorm and got a table in the back.

          “So what do you guys want to get?” Chris asked the girls.

          “Stuffed crust,” they answered in unison, not even looking up from the menus in their hands.

          “Okay,” Chris said, amazed by the quickness and accurateness of their answer.

          “What do you like on your pizza?” Daniel asked them.

          “I’m vegetarian, so no meat for me,” Clover said.

          “Me too,” Daniel said, looking at her from across the table.

          “Okay, the grass-eaters are at that end of the table, so what do you want on yours?” Chris asked Paige.  “Hopefully real food.”

          “Yeah, I like extra cheese, definitely, and I usually get sausage too,” Paige said.

          “But you’re killing the pig!” Clover said.

          “Quiet, you grass-muncher,” Paige said.  Clover pretended to start crying and turned back to her menu.  The drinks they’d ordered when they first got there arrived and Clover blew the straw wrapper at Paige’s head.

          “Children, behave, we’re in public,” Daniel said.  “I don’t think you guys want spankings, do you?”

          “Ooh, kinky,” Clover said.  With a shocked facial expression, Paige slapped her friend on the arm.

          “What the hell is wrong with you!” she asked, laughing.  “Have you been OD-ing on sugar again?”

          “No, I haven’t had anything that was made of only sugar in a week,” Clover said.

          “How many sodas have you had?” Paige asked.

          “Uh…I plead the fifth,” Clover said.  “I’m not hyper, am I?”

          “Well let’s just say your inner child is showing through,” Paige said.

          “Have we decided on what we’re ordering?  I think the waitress is coming over soon,” Chris said.

          “Since we’re vegetarians, why don’t we get a pizza and you guys can get a pizza?” Daniel suggested.  Everyone agreed.  When the waitress came for the order, two stuffed crust pizzas were ordered, one with extra cheese and sausage, and one with an assortment of veggies on it for the ‘grass-munchers.’  They also ordered a family order of cheese breadsticks with extra sauce at Clover’s request.  The waitress left with the menus and the four were left to talk.

          “So what’s your story?  Why are you guys here and not in Australia?” Paige asked the guys.

          “We needed a break.  Too many people over there were getting in our faces and we wanted to get away, so we found a college in a warm climate here and came,” Daniel said. 

          “What about Ben?  What’s he doing?” Paige asked.

          “He didn’t want to leave home.  He’s really attached to his family and stuff like that,” Chris said.

          “Besides, his girl’s there and she couldn’t move,” Daniel said, hinting at a smile.

          “What’s the smile about?” Clover asked.

          “Can you keep a secret?” Daniel asked.  The girls nodded.  “He put a joey in her pouch.”

          “What?” Clover asked.

          “They’re gonna have a baby,” Chris said.  “Daniel, we’re not in Australia anymore, you have to start speaking English.”

          “And he doesn’t want anyone to know, right?” Paige asked.

          “Yeah,” Chris said.

          “I don’t really think he cares if anyone knows.  He just doesn’t want to leave her,” Daniel said.

          “So what about you guys?  Didn’t care about leaving your girlfriends behind?” Paige asked.

          “Well, I just broke up with someone, so that kinda added to the reason I wanted to get away, but Daniel hasn’t had a girlfriend in a while,” Chris said, “so excuse him if he gets a little testy, he needs to get laid.  Oh, pardon the pun.”

          “Shut up,” Daniel said.

          “See, I told you he gets testy,” Chris said.  Daniel punched Chris on the arm.  “Okay, ow.”

          “Good, I hope that hurt,” Daniel said.  “My sex life is not open for discussion or debate.”

          “So how did that aromatherapy work out for you?” Clover asked Paige, referring to the gift that Clover’s parents had sent for Paige for Christmas.

          “Oh, they smell so good, and I really think they help out,” Paige said.

          “You’re into aromatherapy?  I always wondered about it.  What’s it like?” Chris asked Paige.

          “Well, I’m not really that knowledgeable about it.  Gina and Paul run the store and just send me stuff to use,” Paige said.

          “Gina and Paul?” Chris asked.

          “My parents,” Clover said.  “Gina’s a masseuse on the side too.”

          “You call your parents by their first names?” Daniel asked.

          “Sure, why not?  They’re people, aren’t they?” Clover answered.  Daniel shrugged, having no response.  “What should I call them?  Mr. and Mrs. Fields?”

          “Your name is Clover Fields?” Daniel asked.  “God, I’d hate to know what your middle name is.”

          “It’s Leif.  Clover Leif Fields,” Paige said.  Clover shot a look in her friend’s direction.

          “I liked you so much better when we weren’t roomies,” she said.

          “Sorry,” Paige said.  Just then, the waitress came with the breadsticks and some plates.  Everyone quietly reached for a stick and Chris and Paige gladly gave all the sauce to Clover and Daniel.

          “I’m sorry,” Clover apologized.  “I shouldn’t have said that.”

          “Me too.  I didn’t realize you were so protective of your name,” Paige said.  Their conversation once again lapsed into silence while everyone ate.  It wasn’t long before the pizzas arrived, and there was sparse conversation while they ate that as well.  Once they began to get full, Chris and Paige started a side conversation, as did Clover and Daniel.

          “Would you like boxes for the rest?” the waitress asked, referring to the leftover food.

          “Do you guys have a fridge?” Clover asked the guys.

          “No, we don’t,” Daniel said.

          “We can keep it in ours then,” Clover said.  She gave the ‘ok’ to the waitress, who took some boxes from the little waitress station at the door of the sectioned-off room.  “Could you separate the vegetarian from the meat please?”

          “Sure,” the waitress said.  They took the food and the check to the front of the restaurant to pay. 

          “Daniel, you owe me money, so you pay,” Chris said.

          “What?  I thought we were going half and half on this,” Daniel said.

          “You know what?  We’ll pay,” Clover said. 

          “No, we said we’d treat you.  I’ll just pay it,” Chris said, taking the money out of his wallet and giving it to the annoyed man behind the counter.  Daniel gave Chris a $20 bill, which he accepted and put into his wallet with the change.  Everyone went out to the car and Daniel got in the driver’s seat.

          “May I have my keys?” he asked Clover, who sat next to him.  She handed them over and helped him find his way back to the dorms while Chris and Paige continued to talk in the back seat.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

          By the next week, Christmas vacation was over and spring semester classes had begun.  Chris and Paige had begun dating, quickly discovering that they had a lot in common and were genuinely attracted to each other.    Paige had signed up to be a part of a computer workshop in addition to her classes and after school job at a record store on the nearby strip.  Chris was in school for culinary arts and planned on practicing his recipes on Paige every night when she came back from work.  As a teacher’s aid, Clover had been recommended to help Daniel with his journalism class.  She worked on a local newspaper, sometimes writing, sometimes researching, and sometimes photographing for it.  Daniel studied communications like Clover, but he leaned more toward the broadcasting department.  The four became good friends, but the individual relationships between the two sets of roommates were quickly beginning to deteriorate.

          “Hey Chris,” Paige greeted him as she went into the guys’ room after work on Friday.  She went over to him and gave him a light peck on the lips.  They smiled at each other, then she put her bag on the floor at the foot of his bed.

          “Hello,” he said.  “How was your morning?”

          “It’s our anniversary, my whole day’ll be good,” Paige answered.

          “Speaking of which,” Chris said, getting up off the bed and going over to a chest by the stereo system.

          “You didn’t get me anything did you?” Paige said.

          “You’ll see,” Chris said, opening the trunk and reaching inside.  He pulled out a single sunflower (a small one) and a small box and went back over to her.  “Here you go,” he said, handing her the flower and box, then kissing her on the cheek.

          “Aw, you didn’t have to do that,” Paige said as she smelled the flower.  She set it aside, then took hold of the box. 

          “Before you open it, I want you to know that it’s nothing big.  I picked it up in a little store on the strip, so…” Chris said to make sure that she didn’t think it was too much of a present.  Paige smiled at him.

          “I’m sure it’ll be great,” she said, opening the box.  Inside, she found a pair of small silver earrings.  They were dangly with a little guitar surrounded by a couple of tiny music notes.  “Aw!  They’re so cute!  Thank you,” she said, putting the box aside after looking at the earrings, then giving him a kiss and hug.  As if on cue, to ruin their moment, Daniel came bursting in the room, slamming the door open and closed.  The couple jumped apart in surprise and turned to see who was evilly killing the mood.

          “Dan, you think you could’ve knocked?” Chris said, taking an offensive attitude.  Daniel cast an irritated look in Chris’s direction.

          “First of all, this is my room too, and second, don’t call me Dan,” he said in a cocky attitude.

          “Sorry,” Chris said.  “It’s also my room and I would like some privacy once in a while.”

          “Chris, don’t fuck with me alright?” Daniel said, flopping onto his bed.

          “Come on Paige,” Chris said to her.  She picked up her things and they left Daniel to himself in his time of rage.  They went over to Paige and Clover’s room, where Paige knew that Clover wouldn’t be back for at least another hour.  “Sorry about Daniel,” Chris apologized to Paige.

          “You don’t have to apologize on his behalf.  People get angry, it’s okay,” she said.  Chris shrugged, a little bit angry because of the interruption.  “Come on Chris.  It’s our day.  Don’t worry about him.”  Paige put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips.  It took a few seconds, but soon Chris responded.  Because of his feelings about the disturbance from Daniel, it compelled him to kiss Paige more aggressively.  She didn’t mind as he began to slip his tongue past her lips and entice hers to join in the fun.  He rubbed his hands up and down her back as she slipped one hand into his short spiky hair and wrapped the other around his neck.  When Chris began to lift Paige’s shirt up, she moved her hands to his chest to push him away.

          “What’s the matter?” Chris asked, backing up slightly and putting his hands on her waist.

          “I don’t want to go too far.  I really like you, but I don’t think we need to rush anything,” Paige said, carefully choosing her words.  She saw the disappointment in his face, even though he tried to hide it.  “I’m sorry.”

          “No, it’s okay,” Chris said.  “I’m mad at Daniel and I’m not thinking straight.”

          “We have plenty of time to do more, you know?” Paige said.  Chris was silent for a few seconds.

          “Can I ask you something?” he asked.

          “Yeah?”

          “Are you a virgin?” he asked.  Paige’s face instantly showed the shock that hit her like a cold wave of ocean water.  “I’m sorry for being so blunt, but I guess now’s as good a time as any to talk about it…so are you?”

          “Well…no,” Paige said, averting her eyes. 

          “Could I ask what happened?” Chris asked.  Paige sighed and moved up on her bed to lie against her pillows.  Chris moved back and leaned on the wall that the bed was pushed up against.

          “I met this guy in school and we started going out when I was 15 and he was 17.  We were high school sweethearts and were always together.  When I turned 16 and he turned 18, we decided we were ready to have sex and…we did.  Unfortunately, someone found out and told my parents, and they decided to go to the cops and report it as statutory rape, even though I tried to explain to them that we were in love.  They didn’t believe me and said that I couldn’t possibly know what love was or what it meant.  They refused to believe me and tried their hardest to make me believe that he had somehow forced me into it.  We went through the whole trial and everything and they forced us apart.  I was able to talk to him and tell him that there was no way it was going to work, and I told him that I’d always love him and that we would have to go our separate ways because of it.  I said that even though we couldn’t be together, he would always be in my heart.  He made me promise that I wouldn’t forget him because there was no way he would ever forget me, then he said that he’d always love me too and I left.  Later I found out that he, his lawyer, my parents, and their lawyer struck a plea bargain saying that he would never contact me again if they would drop any charges they were going to put on him, and if he broke that agreement, he would be forced to serve three years in jail.  So the time I talked to him was the last that I saw him and I don’t think I’ll ever see him again,” Paige said, tears streaking down her cheeks from the memory of her lost love.  Chris was shocked and touched by the story and couldn’t stand to see her cry.  He moved next to her and put his arms around her, wiping the tears from her cheeks in the process.

          “Don’t cry, it’s okay,” he said as she put her arms around him and cried into his shoulder.  He held her until her tears subsided, then she blew her nose and cleaned her face up a little bit.  “I’m sorry that you had to go through that.  It sounds like it was a really hard experience.”

          “Yeah,” Paige said.  “Well, you know my story, so what’s yours?”

          “I’m not a virgin either, but my story’s not quite as sad as yours,” Chris said, rubbing her back lightly.  They lay against the pillows, Paige in the crook of Chris’s arm.

          “Well, I know you said you just broke up with someone and that’s part of your reason for coming here,” Paige said, remembering his words when they went out for pizza.

          “Yeah, that’s who the story’s about,” Chris said.  “I knew her since we were in middle school…seventh grade or so.  We were always hanging out together with the others and stuff, and we were really close.  We would spend a lot of time at each other’s houses and our families spent time together too.  Everyone thought we’d end up together.  When Daniel and Ben and I went on tour, we’d talk on the phone almost every night, and she’d be waiting for me when I got back.  She said she trusted me completely, and I thought I could trust her too.  Our first time was after the senior prom.  It was really special and romantic and everything, but eventually, our relationship started spiraling downward.  After a couple of months, I noticed that she was changing.  She wasn’t as open and honest, and she seemed to be keeping something from me.  As hard as I tried to get her to tell me what was bothering her or whatever it was that she wasn’t talking about, she wouldn’t tell me.  Later, by accident, I found out that she was messing around with someone else.  It was our six-year anniversary and I’d planned a dinner and wanted it to be perfect, only she called at the last minute and canceled.  Daniel tried to cheer me up and he took me out for the night to get my mind off of her.  We were walking toward the movie theater and I saw her come out holding onto some guy’s arm.  Daniel tried to tell me that it could be a cousin of hers or something to keep me from jumping to conclusions, but I knew it wasn’t a relative when he started kissing her.  I don’ t know what would’ve happened if Daniel hadn’t have been there to keep me from killing the guy.  I was so mad, so hurt…I couldn’t think straight.  I mean, how could she have done that to me…on our anniversary too?  So we stayed in the shadows and behind other people, watching them.  From our vantage point, we saw the guy who was with her, and I swear, I could’ve killed him…”  Chris paused, trying to control all the feelings that were surging back into his blood.

          “Who was it?” Paige asked, feeling like he was telling her a fictional suspense story.  Before he could resume his story, Clover came waltzing in the room.  Chris and Paige’s heads snapped in the direction of the door.

          “Hi guys,” Clover said.

          “Hi…are you going to be leaving soon?” Paige asked.

          “Oh, are you in that much of a hurry to get rid of me?” Clover asked.  “I just got back from work and I have some homework to do.  Don’t you think I deserve some time to relax?”

          “Um, yeah, but could you do it later?” Paige asked.

          “Yeah, sure.  I’ll just put it off till later…when I’m sleeping,” Clover said sarcastically.  She shook her head at the pleading look on her friend’s face.

          “Please?” Paige asked.

          “Well, lucky for you I have to go tutor an ungrateful miscreant anyway, so once I get my stuff together, I’ll be out of your way,” Clover said.  “Then you can go back to whatever you were trying to do before I got here.”

          “Thank you,” Paige said.  Within the next five minutes, Clover was gone (along with some food, since she hadn’t had time for much of a dinner yet), and Paige turned back to Chris, who seemed to be in another world.  “Chris?”

          “Hm?  What?” he asked, breaking his gaze and turning back to her.

          “Do you want to finish your story?” Paige said gently, knowing that it hurt to talk about these past events.

          “Yeah.  Where was I?” Chris asked.

          “You were just about to tell me who was with your ex-girlfriend,” Paige said.

          “Okay,” Chris said.  He paused and seemed like he might start to cry, but was doing his best to keep it back.  “It was Ben.”

          “Ben?” Paige asked, amazed.  “Ben Ben?”

          “Ben.  It turned out that the two of them had started fooling around a few weeks before our anniversary.  I confronted her the next chance I got and we had it out, then I told her that it was over.  I said I trusted her and asked how she could’ve done that to me, but she didn’t have an answer.  So I said goodbye and haven’t looked back since,” Chris said.

          “So then that’s who Ben got pregnant?” Paige asked.  Chris nodded.  Paige wrapped her arms around his neck and laid his head against her shoulder.  She could feel him tremble slightly and almost cried for him.  “It’s okay to cry,” she told him.  “You can’t bottle up your feelings forever.  Let them out.”  Chris lifted his head to look into her sincere blue eyes.  He smoothed her soft, shoulder blade-length brown hair back and kissed her, then hugged her and set his tears free.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

          Clover went over to Daniel’s room.  She received no answer to her knock, so she opened the door slightly.   She found him lying face-down on his bed, seemingly asleep.  She stepped farther into the room, closing the door behind her, and walked over to his bed.  Gently she touched his shoulder, wondering if he really was asleep and what she should do if he was sleeping.  Should she wake him up?  Should she let him sleep?

          “What do you want?” Daniel asked, his angry voice muffled by the pillow in his face.

          “Do you still want help with your journalism project?” Clover asked, not sure she should have come over after all.

          “What?” he asked turning over.  “Oh, it’s you.”

          “Gee, thanks,” Clover said, rolling her eyes at his lack of enthusiasm.

          “Sorry, long day,” Daniel explained, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.  Clover sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to unload his problems.

          “Wanna talk about it?” she asked, compassion in her voice.  Daniel’s blue eyes looked up into her eyes, as green as her name, and found that she wasn’t being sarcastic.

          “I guess,” he said slowly.  “Okay, there’s this girl, let’s call her Danielle for argument’s sake.  Anyway, she, Danielle, seems to really like me—”

          “You mean to tell me someone actually likes you?” Clover interrupted.

          “Yes,” he said, not finding her comment funny.  “She wants to me to do things…”

          “Ooh, kinky things?”

          “Would you stop interrupting?  If you really need to know, yes, they were kinky things.  I’m not sure if I’m ready.  I’m not saying that I’ve never…you know…but I just can’t.  I don’t like her like that, not yet.  I mean I’ve only been dating her for a couple of days.  I don’t want to do things with someone that I just met.  Know what I mean?” he asked her, sincerely wanting her opinion.

          “Yeah,” she said.  “I understand.  My parents grew up in the sixties with free love, and free everything else.  They taught my brother and myself that the love between a man and a woman is something very special and that it should be cherished.   They also said that people often mistake lust for love, so be very careful you are in love before you give yourself entirely to someone.”

          “That’s decent advice.  Your parents sound like they are pretty intelligent.  All my parents ever said was, ‘if you’re going to have sex, protect yourself.’  Nothing profound, just common sense stuff.  Do you think I should…you know, with Danielle?” he asked.

          “Danielle?  Is her name seriously Danielle?” Clover asked, ignoring his question.

          “Why?”

          “Because it sounds weird.  Daniel, Danielle.  They’re the same name in masculine and feminine versions.  Does she look like you?”

          “God, don’t you take anything seriously?  Why do I even bother talking to you?” Daniel asked himself, irritated, not only at Clover, but also at the point she made.  They did sound too similar, too perfect. 

          “I don’t know, why do you?” Clover asked.  “Let’s just work on your journalism?” she suggested.  “The sooner we finish, the sooner I can leave.”

          “Fine with me,” Daniel agreed.  With Clover’s help, Daniel was soon finished the assignment he’d been given in journalism class.  Clover packed up her things and left Daniel’s room, intent on heading back to her own.  When she reached her room she found a note on the dry erase board on the door that said that Chris and Paige wanted to be alone to talk.  They asked her to use Chris’s bed in his room.  With a sigh she headed back to where she’d just come from and knocked on the door.  “What?”

          “Hey roomie,” Clover said with a strained smile.

          “What?”

          “Chris and Paige want to talk, so it looks like we’re stuck with each other.”

          “Sounds like fun,” Daniel said sarcastically, as he let her into the room.  Clover set her bag back on the floor, by Chris’s bed, and took off her shoes.  “Do you want something to change into?” he asked, watching as she removed her shoes.  Clover shrugged.  He handed her a pair of black, Adidas, drawstring shorts and a faded blue Adidas t-shirt.  “Can I ask you a question?” he asked, his back turned toward her as she changed into the clothes he’d offered her.

          “Sure,” Clover said, sitting on the bed.  “You can turn around now.” 

          “How’d you get your name?” he asked as he turned and sat on his own bed.

          “Gina and Paul, my parents, grew up in the sixties.  When they first met they were 21, and still hippies to the core.  Paul didn’t have much extra money, so on their first date, instead of flowers he brought her a bouquet of clovers.  He picked each one by hand and carefully arrayed them and tied them together with a ribbon.  He gave them to her and they looked for four-leaf clovers.  They never found any, but Gina saved the bouquet, she still has it.  Gina always said she couldn’t look at a clover without smiling.

          “It became tradition.  At every special event Paul would pick a bouquet of clovers for Gina; at her birthday, the anniversary of their first date, when Basil was born.  Every time, they looked for a four-leaf clover and never found any.  Paul was at work when Gina went into labor with me, and on his way to the hospital he paused at the side of the road.  He went off into a field, a field of clovers, and picked some.  He twisted their tiny stems together so they would stay together and continued to the hospital.  He came into the room Gina was in, after she had me, and gave her the green plants that had become their symbol of love.  As was their custom, they started to look through the fragile petals, looking for that one plant that had four leaves instead of the usual three.  A nurse brought me into the room, and that was the first time Paul saw me.  They say I opened my eyes and smiled just as Gina found a four-leaf clover.

          “Gina and Paul’s theory is, they weren’t complete until that moment when it was the four of us:  Gina, Paul, Basil at the babysitter’s, and me.  They say that’s why they never found a four-leaf clover until then.  So to remember the occasion, to remind them that they were finally complete, they named me after that one small, frail plant that had brought them so much happiness,” Clover said, finishing with a shrug.

          “Oh,” Daniel said, sounding surprised by the story and slightly moved.  “That was sort of cute.  I think my parents just said, ‘Daniel, that’s a good name.  It’ll work’.”

          “I’m sure there was more thought to it than that.  Even if it was just some TV personality they saw and admired or some place they had been.  How do you think Basil ended up with his name?”

          “Don’t know?” Daniel said with a slight shrug of his bare shoulders.  “Tell me.”

          “When Gina had Basil, Paul wasn’t there, again.  He, of course, brought her a bunch of clovers and came straight from work.  At the time he was working at a restaurant as a chef.  He came into the delivery room, where Gina was, and held her hand.  Gina was only half-aware of his presence, the only thing she noticed was that he smelled like Basil.  She looked up at him, her eyes half-closed in a dreamy haze, and she smiled at him as she breathed in his smell more fully.  At that moment she couldn’t think of anything other than how happy she was.  How much she loved Paul.  How wonderfully him he smelled, in the concoction of smells that only Paul could pull off.  They were going to name him Craig, after Gina’s father, but Gina refused.  She wanted to remember that day forever, and the only way she could think of was to name him Basil.  She never has forgotten the way he, Paul, smelled, a mixture of spices, of masculine strength, his ivory soap, and most noticeably Basil.”

          “Your parents sound extremely sentimental,” Daniel said.  “I bet they are great parents.”

          “Yeah,” Clover agreed.  “They kind that took in all the kids in the neighborhood for snacks, and that every kid wanted to have as their parents.  I had a great childhood.  Gina and Paul were there whenever I needed them.  They dropped whatever they were doing to help solve a problem, be it a scraped knee or homework.  Basil was the classic older brother; he picked on me without mercy, but if anyone else did, watch out.  He was very protective of his little sisters.  Of course that other little sister was Paige.  She was always there.  I can’t remember the first time I met her, I only remember her being there, always.  I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t there.  She was the adopted, and loved addition to our family.  What’s your family like?”

          “Normal, I guess,” Daniel said, lying back on his bed.  “Two parents that love me.  They always pushed me to do my best, to accomplish my dreams.  So when I went into the music business with Chris and Ben they supported me because it was what I wanted.  When we stopped they supported me then, too.  They realized that even though it was my dream and I loved it, I wanted a break and they supported that.  I wish, sometimes, that they had been more involved in my life.  Sometimes I wonder if things would be different if they’d been more involved.  All in all I wouldn’t have wanted other parents.  I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.”

          “What’d your parents say about you moving so far from home?” Clover asked, curious about his past.  For some reason she wanted to be involved in his life, to be able to relate to his past, to be his friend.

          “They weren’t too happy at first.  After a lot of discussions they caved.  They began to see things my way and agreed to let me come.  Besides they didn’t think I’d get in,” Daniel said, leaning on his elbows, watching Clover.  “Chris and I were on the waiting list to enroll.  And my mom is coming to visit during spring break.”

          “Guess that means you’re not going away for spring break,” Clover said, observing a fact that secretly Danielle had been fighting with Daniel over.

          “I don’t mind though,” Daniel said as he flopped down onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.  “I kinda want to hang out with my mom.  You know, show her around the city that I’m living in, try to prove to her that I’m perfectly happy where I am.”

          “What’s your girlfriend say about that?” Clover asked out of curiosity. 

          “I’m getting tired,” Daniel said after a slight pause.  “I have a busy day tomorrow.  ‘Night,” he said and turned off the light in the room.  Surrounded by darkness the two were quiet and soon fell into rhythmic breathing and that peaceful paradise known as sleep.

 

 

Chapter 4

 

          Things continued the same way for a while.  Whenever Clover came home Paige and Chris were in their room, forcing her to visit/irritate Daniel.  Chris and Paige continued their nonsexual relationship, each learning to trust the other.  Gradually, they were becoming inseparable, spending all their free time together.  Slowly, their world contracted, containing only the two of them and leaving Daniel and Clover on the outside looking in.  Although both Clover and Daniel felt slightly left out of their best friends’ lives, they were glad for the reprieve.  From not being around each other all the time, Daniel and Chris’s relationship quickly improved, as did Clover and Paige’s.  The only complaint that either Clover or Daniel had had been the unofficial room changes that Chris and Paige had unconsciously initiated. 

          Daniel came back to his dorm room one sunny, January afternoon, only to find his roommate and Paige making out on Chris’s bed.  With a disgusted sigh, he entered, then shut the door and looked down at the floor.  He needed a book and couldn’t leave until he found it and while he was in the room, he didn’t want to see anything.  On the floor, he noticed a tiny baby blue tank top that definitely did not belong to Chris.  Daniel cleared his throat loudly, startling the two lovebirds on the bed.

          “Chris, can I speak to you?” he asked.  Chris untangled himself from Paige, promising he would be right back.  Paige gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek before she left the room, heading back to her own.

          “What?” Chris asked, his brown eyes trained on the now closed door.

          “What is going on?  Whenever I come home you two are going at it, otherwise Clover comes over because you two are over there.  This is our  room, not some closet for horny college coeds!”

          “Screw you!  Just because you’re not getting any doesn’t mean you have to degrade the relationship Paige and I have.  Sorry your little Barbie isn’t putting out, but don’t take it out on me!” Chris said, fed up with Daniel’s sly comments and disapproving looks.

          “This has nothing to do with my sex life!  This is about us!” Daniel stated in a whiny voice. 

          “No, it’s about you.  You and your inability to be around people who are happy.”

          “Why are her clothes here?”

          “Because…”

          “Why don’t you just move in together instead of constantly disrupting Clover’s and my life?  We never know where to go and if we’re gonna come in the room and see you two doing things that should be kept behind closed doors.  I shouldn’t have to question whether to come in the door of my own room or not!”

          “You’re right, you shouldn’t.  I’ll move out,” Chris said and began picking up some of his clothes.  He left the room and crossed the hall to Clover and Paige’s room and, without knocking, entered.  Daniel shut his door and fell onto his bed with a sigh.

          “What’s going on?” Paige asked, sensing something was wrong.  Chris dumped his clothes on the floor and looked at Paige with big brown puppy eyes.

          “Will you let me stay with you?” he asked, not thinking of Clover’s reaction to the request.

          “Yeah, why?”

          “Apparently Daniel doesn’t appreciate our relationship.  He doesn’t want to worry about popping in at the wrong time, so I told him I didn’t want to live with him anymore anyway.  He’s a bit too whiny,” Chris said with sigh.

          “Um, hate to break up this Daniel-bashing party we’ve got going here,” Clover broke in, “but where exactly do you plan on sleeping?”

          “Oh, that,” Chris said, noticing Clover lying on her bed.  “Well, I was thinking if I moved in with Paige, you and Daniel could share a room.  That way, neither one of you is put out if we want to talk or something.  Besides, you’re always over there anyway.”

          “Yeah, that’s only because you two want to be alone all the time, and I have to tutor him!” Clover defended herself.

          “Alright, look at it this way:  Daniel and I have been having problems getting along and so have you and Paige.  My theory will keep our friendships intact and we’ll all be a lot happier.”

          “You two will be happier because then you can fuck each other.  I’m not ever  fucking Daniel, therefore I’m not going to be happier.”

          “Maybe you should fuck each other.  Relieve some of that pent up tension,” Chris suggested. 

          “Chris,” Paige said in a warning tone.  “Daniel has a girlfriend that he seems to like.  Why are you encouraging the same heartache that you went through?”

          “It was just a thought,” Chris said, sheepishly.  “Besides, it’s not entirely the same thing.  We were going out a whole lot longer and were intimate.”

          “Fine, I’ll move!  Stop talking about your love life!” Clover said, covering her ears with her hands.  He blushed, realizing she’d heard things about his life that he didn’t really want to share, at least not with her.

          “Want some help?” Paige asked, getting off her bed and picking up some of Clover’s belongings.  Clover cautiously uncovered her ears, listening to make sure that Chris had stopped his tale of intimacy with past girlfriends.  She found he’d stopped his talk and fully uncovered her virgin ears.

          “Sure, thanks,” she said, grabbing some of her things herself.  Together, the three of them soon had Clover moved into Daniel’s room, 3G, with his disapproval.  On their return trips to the girls’ room, they carried Chris’s belongings to 3H.  Each time they walked into 3G, now Clover and Daniel’s room, they each received a glare from him.  Without so much as offering to help, he watched the three of them move one of his best friends out and move a semi-total stranger in. 

          “Here,” Chris said, handing Clover his key.  Clover did the same with her key and felt an immense amount of tension in the room she was now alone with Daniel in.  After shutting the door behind Chris, she leaned against it, facing the still-glaring Daniel.

          “Don’t give me that look,” Clover warned, her head leaning against the door.  “I didn’t want to move in here any more than you wanted me to move in here, but they’re happier and I get to keep my best friend.  I don’t know why you’re so surprised anyway, it’s not like you and him haven’t been fighting like cats and dogs night and day anyway.”

          “I’m not surprised,” he mumbled grumpily, still glaring at Clover.  He rolled over on his bed and stared at the wall where a poster with two goldfish in a blender hung.  Above the blender were the words ‘classic stress response,’ and the bubble next to the fish said, ‘I can’t take it!’

          After a few weeks, everyone began to adjust to their new room arrangements.  Daniel and Clover avoided each other as much as possible, which wasn’t hard when Clover worked late, but when she had to tutor Daniel they were always at odds.  Chris and Paige got closer as well.  Chris slept on Clover’s old bed, Paige slept on hers, and their relationship progressed.

          Often, the four would grab breakfast together at Rusty’s, a local diner they patronized, go out, or party together.  No matter where they went, whether it was in walking distance or they had to drive, they would alternate who was the designated sober one.  That person had to keep the drinking down to a few beers and monitor the others’ behavior.  When they started to get out of hand, they would herd everyone home, that way no one did anything totally stupid or that they’d regret later.

          “All right,” Chris said, holding Paige steady with one hand as he held onto Clover with the other.  “We’d better go,” he said.  Daniel held on to Clover, each helping the other stumble across campus back to their dorm building.

          “That was a nice party,” Paige slurred, looking up at Chris.  Chris put both his arms around her to keep her steady as they made their way up the stairs to their rooms.  The four split company outside their doors, Paige and Chris stumbling into theirs, and Daniel and Clover, after a slight tug-of-war with the door—Daniel forgot which way it opened—went in theirs. 

          Once in their room, Chris and Paige started kissing.  Chris guided Paige over to her bed and they sat down, too drunk and wobbly to stand.  Slowly, he eased her down onto the bed in a laying position.  Paige looked up at him with trusting, dazed blue eyes and he knew he had to stop what was about to happen before it got out of hand.  He kissed her lips lightly one last time, then got up.  He went over to his own bed and lay, staring at the ceiling, until he fell asleep a couple hours later. 

          In Clover and Daniel’s room the same thing was happening.  They managed to clumsily stumble to Clover’s bed before tripping over a shoe and falling.  They fell, together, onto the bed, Daniel on top of Clover.  Drunkenly, they started braying, laughing so hard they had tears coming out of their eyes.

          “It’s so dark,” Daniel observed, sitting up and removing his shoes and socks.  He stood, as Clover sat up to remove her shoes, as he took off his pants, revealing his tighty-whities.  He sat down heavily on the bed, suddenly lightheaded, and brushed Clover’s arm as she pulled off her shirt.  “I’m going to kiss you,” he said, seconds before his lips pressed into hers in a misdirected kiss.  Clover helped his disoriented mouth find hers as her hands removed his shirt, barely breaking the kiss as they did.  With Daniel’s weight above and Clover’s below, they sank into the mattress, hands exploring, and lips seeking something sweet and unattainable.  They fell asleep in each other’s embrace; Clover’s legs wrapped around Daniel’s right one, and Daniel’s right arm around Clover, securing her to him, his face facing the top of her head.  Clover’s head rested on his chest, her right arm flung over it.

          “Hello?  Daniel?” Danielle called, knocking on the door the next morning.  She paused to listen for a response.  “Daniel?” she called again.  She heard no answer and no movement and decided to try the knob, knowing he was a heavy sleeper when he didn’t want to get up.  “Ohmygod!  Daniel!  How could you?” she cried, seeing Clover wearing shorts and a leopard print cotton bra and Daniel in only tighty-whities.

          “What?” Daniel asked, sitting up slightly, resting on his elbows.  He looked at Danielle, her face contorted with anger and confusion.

          “How could you?  If you wanted sex I would have given it to you.  You know that,” Danielle cried, standing in the doorway, the door open and people walking by.  People’s curious glances followed the heated confrontation.  Daniel moved Clover so her head was resting on a feather pillow and sat up some so his body shielded most of hers from those curious looks.

          “I know,” Daniel began, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think of how to explain the situation to her.  “It’s not what it looks like,” he began lamely.

          “I can’t believe this!” Danielle shouted, throwing a necklace at him.  “I offered numerous times to fuck you and you say no, only to end up fucking her!  Can’t stand her my ass!  You can stand her enough to screw her.  Why?”

          “I didn’t sleep with her,” Daniel defended himself and partially defended Clover.  “I mean I did, but we didn’t do anything.  We didn’t have sex,” he assured her.  Danielle looked at him, considering whether or not to believe him, when Clover moved her one leg.  It brushed the inside of his thigh, making Danielle’s attention go to that area of his body.

          “I hope you’re happy!  We’re through!” she yelled, seeing his response to clover’s slight movement.  Daniel stared at the door after she slammed it shut, wondering if he should go after her and why he’d want to.

          “Are you happy?” he asked Clover, flopping back onto the bed and turning his head to the side so he could see her.  Clover peeked at him from behind half-closed eyelids, gauging his reaction to what Danielle had declared to the entire floor.

          “She was only using you,” Clover said, propping her head up on her arm.  “Why do you think she wanted to sleep with you so bad?”

          “So she could tell all her friends,” Daniel said with a shrug.  “I was using her too.  I liked having a good-looking girlfriend to parade around.  I knew she was using me, that’s why I never slept with her.”
          “Liar,” Chris mumbled, walking into the room with Paige.   The two lay down on Daniel’s bed, looking over at Clover and Daniel.  Clover’s curiosity was piqued but that was all Chris said.

          “So what was all the yelling about?” Paige asked, holding her head and trying to soothe away the massive headache. 

          “Danielle just broke up with Daniel.  And she had to yell,” Clover said, her head pounding like it was a construction site.  “My head is pounding,” she whined.

          “Mine too,” Paige said, leaning against Chris’s steadier body.  “Do you have any Aspirin?”  Clover untangled herself from Daniel, found the bottle of Aspirin and a bottle of water.  She took the two, passed the bottle of Aspirin on to Daniel, took a swallow of water, and passed that bottle on too.  When Daniel was finished he passed the bottles to Paige.

          “Remind me again why we drink if we always end up feeling like shit in the morning?” Clover asked, sitting on the bed next to Daniel.

          “Because it’s fun while we’re doing it,” Daniel said, watching the rise and fall of her chest with each inhaled and exhaled breath.

          “Oh yeah, I forgot,” Clover said, rolling her eyes.  “Anyway, gotta work.”  She grabbed a shirt that she quickly put on and found clean clothes that were appropriate for her job at the paper.

 

 

Chapter 5 (**This chapter is slightly longer than the others, you are warned**)

 

          Clover entered Chris and Paige’s room and jumped in surprise at the sight of Chris sitting comfortably on his bed reading a book.  He looked up and smiled.

          “Chris, you scared me,” Clover said, closing the door and holding a filled, brown paper grocery bag.

          “Sorry.  What’re you doing in here?” Chris responded, putting the book down and going over to Clover.

          “Nothing.  What book were you reading?”

          “Oh, ‘The Vampire Lestat.’  I found it in Paige’s nightstand.” Chris asked.

          “I’m having a party for Paige,” Clover said with a smile.

          “It’s her birthday?!” Chris asked, shocked that the subject never came up between he and Paige before.  “When?!  I can’t believe I never found that out!”  Clover laughed.

          “Well, I think I’ll let her tell you exactly when it is, but I will tell you that you have plenty of time if you want to do something for her or get her something or whatever,” Clover said.

          “Oh come on!” Chris complained.  “Can’t you just tell me?”

          “No, I think she should,” Clover said.

          “No fair…. You might not want to throw that party right now.  Paige said she was coming home early today,” Chris said.

          “Oh, okay,” Clover said.  No sooner did Chris resume reading the book and Clover leave did Paige come in the door with a smile on her face.

          “Hi,” she greeted Chris cheerfully, glad that she’d taken the day off from work.

          “Hi honey,” Chris said, getting up and meeting her in the middle of the room for a kiss hello.  After the greeting, Paige put her stuff down on her bed.  “Don’t get too comfortable because we’re going out.”

          “Oh, we are?” Paige asked.

          “Yep,” Chris said, ushering Paige out the door and closing it behind himself.

          “So where are we going?” Paige asked as they walked down the hall toward the stairs.  Chris put his arm around her waist.

          “You have the rest of the day off, right?” he asked.  She nodded.  “Okay.  First we’re going to take a walk along the beach.”

          “Okay,” Paige said.  They exited the building and Chris stopped her, pulling her close to him.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her as they stood against the edge of the building.  Paige wrapped her arms around his neck and gladly returned his kisses.  They made out for a considerable amount of time before Chris pulled himself away.  “Geez,” Paige commented.  “What was that for?”

          “It was a proper hello,” Chris said with a smile.  “Are you ready to go?”

          “Hello to you too,” Paige said happily, giving him another kiss.  “Yeah, I’m ready.”

          “All right, then let’s go,” he said, releasing her left hand and beginning to walk.  They went along in silence for a few moments until they were close to an entrance to the boardwalk.  “Do you want to walk on the boardwalk or the beach?”

          “Let’s stay on the boardwalk for now,” Paige said.

          “Okay,” Chris said.

          “So what’s this all about?” Paige asked, giving him a curious smile.

          “What?”

          “Whisking me away to walk on the beach as soon as I get home,” she asked.  He smiled.

          “I just wanted a day for us.  I figured we needed a day alone together.  Go to a late dinner or something, you know,” he said.

          “Aw, that’s sweet,” Paige said.  Chris shrugged, embarrassed about sharing his feelings, like any guy.

          “I really like you and I just wanted to take a day to be with you,” he said.

          “Aww!” Paige said, putting her other hand on his upper arm and leaning her head against his shoulder.  “You’re so cute!”  Again, Chris acted shy and embarrassed, smiling and even laughing a little bit.  He let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders as he kissed the side of her head.  Paige placed her right arm around his waist as they continued to walk along.

          “Hey,” Chris said.  “When is your birthday?” he asked.  “That’s the one thing I’ve totally forgotten to find out about you.”

          “Well, I was lucky enough to be born on the most romantic day of the year,” Paige said, turning her head to look at him with a smile.  He looked at her with furrowed brows.

          “Valentine’s Day?” he questioned.

          “Yep,” Paige said.

          “Ooh,” Chris said.  He was already thinking about what he could get for her and what to do for her.  To himself he thought, ‘Big possibilities for Valentine’s Day this year…’  “That makes it twice as romantic.”

          “I never thought of that, but I guess it does,” Paige said.

          “When is that?  Two, three weeks from now?” Chris asked.

          “About that, yeah,” she answered.  She looked at Chris and noticed his thoughtful expression.  “Hey,” she said, poking her finger in his side.  He broke out of his trance and looked at her.  “You’re not planning anything, are you?”

          “No,” Chris said innocently.  “Why would you think that?”

          “I saw that look on your face,” Paige said with an accusing smile.  Chris smiled and rolled his eyes.

          “Would it be such a crime if I wanted to do something special for your birthday?” he asked.

          “No, but you don’t have to do anything for me,” Paige said.

          “I know.  I want to.  Look, don’t worry about it.  Okay?” Chris said.

          “Okay,” Paige said, dropping the subject.

          “You’re so difficult,” Chris said jokingly, pulling her almost into a headlock.  She laughed, putting both arms around his waist to balance herself.  He released her so she could walk normally, then asked, “So do you come to the beach a lot?”

          “Yeah.  I like going in the different stores along the boardwalk.  They have some good gift ideas in there,” Paige said.

          “Do you ever just come to swim or anything?” Chris asked.

          “Yeah.  I lay out in the sun too.  You know, gotta have that tan,” she answered.

          “Oh, of course,” he said.

          “You’re on the beach as much as possible, aren’t you?” she asked.

          “Definitely.  I surf,” he answered.

          “I thought so.  I’ve read that in a couple different places,” she said.

          “So you’ve kept tabs on me?” he asked.

          “Well, the band.  I didn’t realize I was so attracted to you until I met you in person.”

          “Ah,” Chris said.  Again, he pulled her close and kissed the side of her head.  “Have you ever tried surfing?”

          “Nope…body surfing, but not actual surfing,” Paige said.

          “I’ll have to teach you,” he said.

          “Are you that experienced?” she asked.

          “I think I’m good enough, why?  Do you doubt my teaching abilities?”

          “No, I didn’t say that.  I just don’t know if I would get it right away and if you had the patience it would take to deal with teaching me that sort of thing,” Paige said.

          “I think I could handle it,” Chris said.

          “If you’re sure.  Hey, there’s the arcade I go in,” Paige said, pointing to a large, open arcade room to their rights.  Chris laughed at her quick change of subject.

          “Let’s go in,” he said.  Paige shrugged and they turned to go inside.  Paige showed Chris the games she liked to play and which games she held the top scores on.  They played a few of the games, like pinball, skeeball, the cyclone, and even air hockey, then decided to move on.  They walked a mile down the boardwalk, ducking into different stores.  Paige explained the pros and cons of the different boardwalk features and attractions to familiarize him with the area.  When they decided they walked far enough, they took off their shoes and went down onto the beach to walk back.

          “This is so nice,” Paige said with a sigh.  Chris looked at her and they exchanged a smile.  He watched as the lowering sun made her eyes sparkle and the breeze slightly lifted her hair away from her shoulders.

          “You’re so beautiful,” he couldn’t help but say.  She smiled.

          “Stop being so sweet.  I swear you’re gonna make me cry one of these days,” she said of his constant sweetness towards her.

          “I can’t help it,” he said.

          “You know what?”

          “What?”

          “I think it’s the accent that gets me,” Paige said.

          “What accent?”

          “Your  accent,” she said.

          “I don’t have an accent,” Chris said.  “You’re the one talking funny.”

          “Hey!  I meant that the accent makes you sound even sweeter.  I love Australian accents.”

          “I still say you’re the one with the accent,” he said stubbornly.

          “Alright, we both have one.  Okay?” Paige said.

          “What other accents do you like?”

          “Irish and British,” she answered.  Chris nodded.  “Do you have any?”

          “I’ve never really thought about it, but I’ll go with yours.  I like the way you speak,” Chris said.  They smiled at each other again.

          “Ooh, sunset is soon,” Paige said, noticing the sun’s position in the sky.  “Do you want to watch it?”

          “Sure, but it’s kind of hard to see from where we are,” Chris said.

          “I have a special spot, come on,” Paige said, heading toward the boardwalk and pulling him along.  They brushed their feet off quickly and put their sandals back on, then Paige led Chris on a brisk walk down the boardwalk and out into the streets leading away from the ocean.  She turned into the first alley they came to and began walking parallel to the ocean in a northern direction.  She kept going until she ducked in another alley that led back to the beach.  They walked under the boardwalk and out onto he beach, around a large sand dune to the left of them, then up an incline that emptied out onto a plateau.  From there, the horizon could plainly be seen and the couple saw that the sun had just begun to dip below it.

          “Whoa, this is great,” Chris said when he turned to see the setting sun.

          “I told you it was special,” Paige said.  Chris moved behind her and put his arms around her neck and shoulders as he rested his chin on her shoulder.  They stood like that as the sun slowly disappeared from sight.  When they were ready to leave, the only natural light was the thick red line of light from the sun and the half moon that shined down through the clear twilight sky.

          “That was beautiful,” Chris commented.  Paige nodded.  “Do you come here a lot to watch the sunset?”

          “As often as possible,” she said.  “And now it can be ours if you want.  I wouldn’t mind sharing my secret spot with you.”

          “That sounds perfect,” Chris said in agreement with the idea.  “Are you ready to go?”

          “Again?” Paige asked.

          “Yeah, I have a surprise for you,” Chris said.  He took her by the hand and began to walk.

          “Why?”

          “Will you stop asking so many questions?!” Chris said.  “I already told you what today was all about.”

          “Okay, okay!  No more questions!” she said, giving him a smile.  He shook his head.  They continued on until Paige found that he was leading her back to the dorms.  He took her to the parking lot and to his car, then opened and closed the passenger door for her.  He got in the driver’s seat and started the car, then backed up and prepared to enter the mainstream traffic.  “So where are we going this time?”

          “Out,” Chris replied mysteriously.

          “Come on!” Paige whined.  “Tell me.”  Chris stood his ground and smiled.  “Please?”

          “You will just have to wait and see,” he said patiently, taking a quick moment to pick up her hand and kiss the back of it.  Paige sighed, giving up.

          “Fine, but I control the radio until we get there,” she announced, turning up the volume and flipping the dial to the local popular station.  Chris just smiled contentedly and continued driving.  When they were almost there, Paige began to get somewhat worried.  They were in a town off the highway that she hadn’t been in very many times and she was unfamiliar with the area.  “Chris, do you know where you’re going?” she asked.

          “Yeah,” he said with a smile in her direction.  She watched him as he looked at her then returned his gaze to the road.  She felt a fear creeping into her that began to scare her.  She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about how much she didn’t really know about Chris.  She started wondering if he could possibly be thinking about doing something to her.  She swallowed hard, trying her best to push her doubts aside.

          “Chris, please tell me where we’re going.  I don’t know this place really well and you’re starting to scare me,” she said.  She looked at him again and he saw the frightened look in her eyes.  Instantly, his face showed regret and concern.

          “Oh my God, I’m sorry,” he said.  “You’re really scared.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  I found this little place out here when I was driving around when we first got here.  I remembered it and thought I’d take you there.”

          “So it’s…” Paige said suggestively, gesturing for him to tell her the exact type of location it was.

          “Oh, a restaurant,” Chris said.  Paige sighed in relief and leaned back more comfortably in her seat.  “Paige, I am so sorry if I totally freaked you out.”

          “No, it’s okay,” she said, wanting to forget about all her previous thoughts.  Chris wanted to continue to apologize, but in glancing at her, he decided against it.  He figured she needed some time to relax.  No sooner than five minutes later, Chris was parking along side a small, cozy-looking restaurant called “The Oak Grove” and the couple exited the car.  Chris had wanted to open Paige’s door for her again, like the gentleman he was trying to be, but was too late.  Once Paige shut her door, he gave her a hug.

          “I’m really sorry,” he said.

          “It’s okay,” she insisted, hugging him back.

          “Are you sure?”

          “Yes!  You don’t have to apologize anymore!” she said, exasperated.

          “Okay, okay,” Chris said, retreating.

          “I’m sorry, but you don’t have to apologize so much, okay?” she said gently, not wanting him to think that she was mad at him.

          “Okay,” he said.  Paige gave him a concerned look.  He took her by the hand and looked her in the eyes in the dim light from the street lights.  “Okay.  Let’s go.”  They went into the restaurant and were seated, then ordered their drinks.

          “So you just ‘found’ this place when you were driving around?” Paige questioned.

          “Yeah.  It looked like a decent place, so…” Chris said.

          “It’s nice,” Paige said, looking around the small building.

          “It’s cozy,” Chris said, smiling at her.  She raised her eyebrows and smiled back.

          “What are you getting?” she asked.

          “I don’t know.  Maybe a steak,” he answered.  “How about you?”

          “I don’t know.  Nothing much,” Paige said, looking back at the menu.

          “Well you can get anything you want.  Don’t even look at the prices,” Chris said.  Paige looked at him curiously.

          “Why are you doing all this for me?  I don’t get it,” she asked.  Chris sighed and leaned back in his chair.

          “You know, any other girl would probably just sit there and order a really expensive meal and take every advantage of me because I’ve got money,” he said.  Paige didn’t quite know what to say, so she just raised her eyebrows to tell him he could continue.  “But you don’t.  You’re not just any other girl.  You’re special,” he said.  Before he could say any more, the waiter brought their drinks and asked to take their order.  Chris motioned for Paige to go first.  She ordered chicken breast, mashed potatoes with beef gravy, and peas.  Chris ordered fillet mignon, well done, mashed potatoes with beef gravy, and green beans.  The waiter wrote it down, took the menus, and left the couple to look at each other.

          “So I’m special?” Paige asked.

          “Of course you’re special,” Chris said.

          “What makes me so special to you?” she asked.  Chris gave her a thoughtful look before speaking.

          “Well, I can tell that you like me for me.  The way you act around me and things you say to me and stuff…like I said before, people would probably be taking advantage of me if they were in the position that you are in now, but I know that you’re not.  When I talk to you, you actually listen to me.  You’re not just seeing the face from magazines and TV and the CDs.  You don’t look through me, you see me.  There’s also something else about you that I can’t quite put my finger on and the fact that I can’t figure it out just makes me like you more.  There’s a certain mystery about you and I want to uncover it.  You’re smart, beautiful, you have an amazing smile, fabulous, bright eyes, and you care about people.  I know I’ve only known you for about a month, but I feel something really special for you,” Chris said.

          “I think that is one of the sweetest things anybody’s ever said to me,” Paige said slowly.  “And it’s true.  I’m not just saying that either.  You must’ve done some observing or something, because I do like you for you.  I wouldn’t care if you lost all your fame tomorrow or whatever, or if you never got famous in the first place.  If you were poor, it wouldn’t make any difference to me.  You’re an interesting person, I think we have a lot in common, you’re incredibly sweet and really nice, and of course, you’re just so cute,” Paige said with a smile.  “And like you said, I want to find out what makes you tick, I want to uncover everything about you that I can.”  Chris shook his head slightly as he smiled at her.

          “What do you want for your birthday?” he asked.

          “Where did that come from?” Paige asked, his question seeming to come out of nowhere.

          “I’m just curious.  What do you want for your birthday?”

          “I don’t know,” Paige said, not having a clue what she would tell him.  She had always wanted a whole bunch of different things and whenever someone would ask her a question like Chris’s, she could never pick just one thing to answer with.

          “Well then give me an idea, like a CD, do you want to go anywhere in particular, do you want to see anything in particular, is there an upcoming concert you’d like to go to, something I can work with,” he suggested.

          “I don’t know!” Paige said exasperatedly, “I…just…I want to be with you.  There,” she said quickly.  Chris laughed.  “Well, you asked.”

          “I know, and that’s fine.  I’ll think of something, don’t worry,” he said.

          “You seriously do not have to do anything for me, but since you seem intent on doing something, just don’t do something huge, okay?  I don’t want you spending a lot on me.  It doesn’t feel right,” Paige said.  Chris shrugged.  He didn’t mind spending money on her, but he didn’t know how he could convince her of that fact.

          “That’s fine,” he said simply.

          “Your birthday’s in November, right?  The tenth?” Paige asked, getting the attention focused on him for once.

          “That’s right,” he said.

          “You won’t have to worry about drinking at parties then,” she said with a smile.

          “I don’t worry about it now,” Chris said with a laugh.  “It’s just gonna suck that Daniel will be 21 first.  He only has a couple months to wait.”

          “Yeah, but then he can get the goods for us,” Paige said.

          “Yeah…” Chris said.  There was a silence.  “So how’s work going?”

          “Pretty good.  I like working there around all the music and everything.  It’s probably one of the most ideal jobs for me,” Paige answered.  “There are a few suggestions I’m working on to tell my boss about to improve the store a little bit, but other than that, everything’s going well.”

          “That’s good.  I have to get in there and get some CDs.  There’s a couple I’ve been wanting to get for a while now,” Chris said.

          “Yeah, me too.  Luckily I get a discount, so I don’t have to pay as much as everybody else,” Paige said with a smile.

          “Well, I could just get you some stuff, and then you wouldn’t have to pay at all,” Chris said.

          “Chris!  Would you stop throwing your money around?!” Paige exclaimed quietly with an incredulous smile on her face.  “You’re not necessarily gonna have it forever.”

          “Right, so I’m having fun with it now, while it’s lasting,” he said with a playful smile.  Paige gave him a look.  “Don’t worry, I’m putting some away to pay for certain things later in life…and college.”

          “I would think so,” Paige said.  “Are you going to get a job at all while you’re not out on the road or in the studio or anything?”

          “I don’t know,” Chris said thoughtfully, seeming to not have thought about it before.

          “Well, you’re majoring in culinary arts, right?  So why don’t you get a job in a restaurant?” Paige suggested.

          “I could…” Chris said, thinking about it.  “I’d probably want to have some time on my own though to practice my cooking.”

          “Don’t you do that in your classes?” Paige questioned.

          “Yeah, but I’d still want to try stuff on my own, you know?” he said.

          “Yeah,” she said.  “I’ll be glad to administer the taste tests,” she offered.  “I’m a picky eater, but I can still try some things.”

          “Okay,” he said.  “That’s a good idea.”  Just as he was finishing his sentence, their food came.  They were silent as they prepared their meals for eating by cutting, buttering, salt and peppering, and mixing.  Chris watched Paige with much interest as she first applied salt and pepper to her mashed potatoes and gravy, then mixed it up, then mixed in her peas, then cut her meat.  She noticed him watching as he slowly cut his steak up.

          “What?” she asked.

          “Nothing.  Just watching,” he said.  “Do you always mix your peas and mashed potatoes together?”

          “If I get them together,” Paige answered.

          “I’ve just never seen that before,” Chris said, popping a piece of meat in his mouth.

          “It’s almost like shepherd’s pie, except without the burger meat,” she said.

          “Shepherd’s pie?”

          “You’ve never heard of it?” Paige asked incredulously.  Chris shook his head, taking a bite of potatoes.  “Well maybe there’re a few recipes I can teach you about.  Have you ever had peas and rice mixed together?”

          “Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head again.

          “Well then there’s two things you get to taste test,” Paige said.

          “I guess so,” Chris said, happy to have another thing in common with her.  They ate the rest of the meal quietly, then sat back to relax.  The waiter cleared the table and asked if they wanted dessert.  Chris looked at Paige questioningly, then told the waiter to return in a couple of minutes.  “Are you full or do you have some room to spare?”

          “I think there’s a little bit of room left, but I don’t really feel like stuffing myself right now.  Would you want to take something back with us?” Paige asked.

          “Okay.  What are you thinking?”

          “I don’t know.  What do you want?” Paige asked.

          “Hm…how about a banana split…” he said.

          “That sounds good,” Paige commented.

          “…with two spoons,” he finished, surprising her.

          “Ohh,” she said, catching his idea.  “I see.  So what kind of ice cream do you want?”

          “I’ll pick one, you pick one, and we can decide on a third together,” Chris said.  Paige agreed and they had a debate over which three different types of ice cream they wanted to get until the waiter came back.  Finally, they decided on peach, chocolate chip cookie dough, and strawberry, and gave the ‘to-go’ order to the waiter.

          “Okay, will that be all?”

          “Yes it will,” Chris said.

          “Okay, I’ll be back with the check and your dessert,” the waiter said.

          “Thank you,” Chris said.  He turned back to Paige, who was looking at him curiously.  “What?”

          “I just thought of something.”

          “What?”

          “Your accent.  It’s so thick.  I love it,” she said with an ever-progressing smile.

          “Hey, I thought we came to an agreement on the accent thing,” he said.

          “I know!  I’m sorry!  I just can’t help it!  I love it so much!” she said.  Chris laughed and shook his head once again.  When the waiter came back, he brought the banana split and check, thanked them, then directed them to take their payment up to the front desk area to pay.  The couple thanked him as well, then got their belongings to leave.  Chris paid the bill and took the take-out bag from Paige, telling her that he’d carry it for her, and they walked to his car and climbed in to go back to their dorm.  “Well thank you for dinner.  It was really nice,” Paige said once they were on their way back.

          “It was my pleasure,” Chris said.

          “What time is it?” Paige asked, more to herself than anybody, looking for the car’s clock in front of them.  It read 8:13p.m.  “Wow, it’s still kinda early.”

          “Yeah, do you want to go somewhere else?” Chris asked.  Paige shrugged.

          “It’ll be what, 8:30, quarter to nine when we get back, right?  And we still have to eat our dessert before it melts, so…” she said, more or less stating things they should consider before deciding to do anything else.

          “Well, we could stop off somewhere and eat that, then decide if we want to do something,” Chris suggested.

          “Yeah.  Well, whatever.  You make the call,” Paige said.  “Do you have any CDs in the car?”

          “Yeah, there’s probably one or two in the glove compartment, and my case is somewhere in the back.  Probably on the floor,” Chris said.  Paige opened the glove compartment to find two Korn CDs:  Follow the Leader and Issues, as well as a Nirvana CD:  Nevermind.

          “You have great taste in music,” she commented, happy to see that he liked two of her favorite artists.  She took Follow the Leader out of the case and put it in Chris’s CD player, then skipped to track 14.

          “You don’t like the first track?” Chris asked.

          “Eh,” Paige said, waving her hand a little bit.  “I’ve just always skipped over it, so I guess that’s a no.”  She looked at him for his response, but he didn’t have one and just shrugged.  “It’s Korn.”

          “Yeah, that’s all that matters,” Chris said.  They smiled at each other, then drove on in silence, occasionally singing along and moving their heads to the beats of the songs.  They stopped on a hill that Paige knew of that overlooked some of the boardwalk and one of the theme parks off of it, that had its roller coaster and other rides lit up, where they leaned against the hood of Chris’s car to eat their melting dessert.  Chris had been eating most of the chocolate chip cookie dough part and Paige had been devouring the peach, and they’d both been picking at the strawberry.  “Can I try some of the peach?” Chris asked, before it was all gone.

          “Yeah, sure.  I’m sorry,” Paige said with a smile, realizing that he hadn’t gotten any.  She put some on her spoon and held it out to feed to him.  He didn’t expect it, and made a surprised face, but ate it without any questions. 

          “That’s really good,” he commented.

          “Yeah, it’s got the actual peach flavor in it,” Paige said.

          “Do you want any cookie dough?” Chris offered.

          “Not really, but I’ll have some strawberry,” she said, moving her spoon to get some.  Chris beat her to it and fed her his spoonful to match her romantic gesture.  Paige smiled as she took in the strawberry ice cream.   They continued eating and feeding each other until the dessert was gone, then got back in the car and went back to the dorms.  They went into their room, then shut and locked the door.  Chris placed his arms around Paige’s thin waist and touched his forehead to hers.  She matched the smile that he had on his face as she put her arms around his neck and they began swaying slightly as they stood there.

          “I had fun tonight,” Paige said.  “Thank you for everything.”

          “Think nothing of it.  I did it all for you; to make you happy,” Chris said.

          “Well, just being with you was enough, but everything else was great too, so…it worked,” Paige said.  Chris’s smile increased as he leaned down slightly to gently press his lips to hers.  Their embrace grew tighter as their kissing progressed, and after what seemed like a long time of making out, Chris tightened his hold on Paige even more as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed.  He let her down in front of it and she moved to the side closest to the wall so that Chris had room to sit, but when he sat down, he didn’t stay in that position.  He lay down, which was his way of hinting to Paige to do the same thing, which she did.  “I hope you’re not getting any ideas.”

          “Me?  I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said innocently.  Paige laughed as she draped her right arm over his waist and snuggled up to him as he lifted his arm to allow her to lie in the crook of it.  “I’m just getting comfortable.”

          “Well I guess that’s okay,” Paige said.  She turned onto her stomach and raised herself so that she could give him a kiss.  That began another round of the make-out game, which gave them something to do for a little while before they ended up falling asleep.

 

 

Chapter 6

 

          “Daniel, what are you doing?” Clover asked, walking into their room to find Daniel getting high in the middle of the floor.  Daniel looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot, the pupils in an unnatural state.

          “Want?” he offered, holding his hand-rolled possession out to her between his thumb and index finger.

          “Daniel, I thought we were studying for your test.  Why are you getting high?” she asked, appalled; not because of what he was doing, but at the time he was doing it.

          “We are,” he said, taking a long drag, inhaling the sweetly pungent smoke.  “Come sit by me and we can study,” he said, patting a spot on the floor next to him.

          “Forget it,” Clover said, shaking her head.  “I’ll just go in to work early and when I get back, maybe you won’t be so high.”

          “No!  You said you’d help me pass this class!” Daniel complained.   He finished the last of his pot and stood up.  “I’ll come with you.  What better way to learn about journalism than to visit a newspaper?”

          “Fine, but it’s an office.  You’ll have to stay out of the way,” Clover warned.  Daniel nodded his agreement.  “Let’s go then.  The quicker we go, the quicker we’ll get back.”  Daniel got in the passenger’s side of Clover’s mustang without complaint, and Clover drove them to the newspaper office she worked at.

          “Hey Clover,” Rita, one of the reporters Clover knew, greeted her.  “Do you mind proofing this?” she asked, holding a few pieces of paper out to her.

          “Of course not,” Clover said, taking the papers.  “When did you want them back?”

          “Tomorrow morning,” Rita said.  Clover nodded and continued down the hall toward her boss’s office.

          “Stay here,” Clover told Daniel, pushing him into a seat down the hall from her boss’s door.  “Don’t move,” she warned.  When he nodded, she went down the hall and knocked on the door.  When she heard the ‘come in’ she opened the door.

          “Hello Clover,” Thomas, another reporter, said with a smile.  Clover looked at him, wondering what he was doing in her boss’s office.

          “I resigned,” Thomas said, almost as if reading her thoughts.  “Bruce went home for the evening.  His secretary told me to wait in here while she got my last paycheck.”

          “Oh,” Clover said.  “If Suzie’s still here I can ask her my question.  Bye,” she said, backing toward the door.

          “Wait, I think Bruce left something for you on his desk,” Thomas said, leaning over the desk.  “Here; it’s a list of what you’re supposed to do.”  Clover went over to him and took the paper from his pasty hands.

          “There’s nothing on this paper,” Clover said, looking at him confusedly.  By that time he’d come to her side and, as she looked up, he clasped his hands around her, one over her mouth and the other on her back, keeping her pressed to him.  Wide eyed, she tried to twist away from him, but it didn’t work.  He was much bigger and stronger.

          “For so long, I’ve wondered what it would be like to bury my face in your hair,” Thomas said, acting out his fantasy as he told it to her.  Clover pushed and clawed at Thomas’s hands and arms, tried stomping on his feet, kicking him, and everything else she could think of.

          Thomas began pushing himself more fully against Clover.  Tears stung her eyes as she blinked them away, not letting them fall.  He pushed her back, into the big oak desk where Bruce did all of his paper work.  When he had her pinned on her back against the desk, he moved his right hand to her breast and his left to the apex of her thighs, and his mouth covered hers.

          “Stop struggling,” he growled, slapping her across the face with the back of his hand.  Tears distorted her vision, but she saw enough to see a potted plant on the desk by her hand.  She reached for it, but Thomas stopped her before she could use it against him.  The clay pot smashed onto the floor, mixed with roots and soil.

          “Get off me!” she managed to demand while he was distracted.

          “Yeah, and why would I do that?” he asked.

          “Because she asked you to,” Daniel said, pulling him away form Clover.  Thomas looked at him and gave up quickly.  He ran out of the room as Suzie, Bruce’s secretary, came in.

          “What’s going on?  What was he doing here?” Suzie asked, coming into the room.  “Clover, are you all right?” she asked, seeing her tears and darkening eye.  Daniel looked at Clover, who was crying, bruised, and frightened, and was immediately grateful that he had been there.

          “Clover, what happened?” he asked softly.

          “He…he tried…” she said, breaking into sobs.  Daniel pulled her into his embrace, smoothing her hair and murmuring softly in her ear.

          “It’s okay,” he promised.  “I think we understand.”  He looked at Suzie, who nodded her understanding and looked almost as frightened as Clover.

          “Clover, I think you should take the night off,” Suzie said, patting her on the shoulder.  “I’ll call Bruce and tell him what happened.  Don’t worry about anything.”  Clover nodded, too upset to argue, or want to.  Daniel helped her out of the building and to her car.  Once at her car, she didn’t even protest when he took her keys and drove to the dorms.  Neither was in the mood for talking, so they went up to their room without saying anything.  Daniel locked the door and they both got ready for bed.  Clover crawled under her covers in her pajamas while Daniel turned out the light.  From his bed Daniel heard quiet crying.

          “Clover,” he said softly, coming over to her bed.  “Do you want to talk about it?”  He sat down on the edge of her bed, not wanting to startle her.  Clover shook her head, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.  “Please,” he pleaded.

          “I’m scared,” she confessed.  Daniel’s heart twisted in his chest at the sound of her tiny, pathetic whimper.  He laid on the bed next to her and pulled her quivering body to his.  “Thank you for not staying where I told you to,” she said in a voice muffled by his chest.

          “My pleasure,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

          “I guess I didn’t help you study,” she said, looking up at him with teary eyes and a truly sorry expression.

          “Don’t worry about it,” he told her.  “Try to get some sleep.”  They laid there the entire night in the same position, talking and trying to sleep.  Finally, around 8:30 in the morning, Clover fell asleep and Daniel called Paige, asking her to come over.

          “Can you stay with her?” Daniel asked Paige when she arrived, his concern for Clover apparent in his eyes.  “I just don’t want her to be alone.  She just fell asleep, so I doubt she’ll wake up for awhile.”

          “What happened?” Paige asked, taking a seat on Daniel’s bed.

          “Please just stay with her until I get back,” Daniel pleaded, not wanting to expose what Clover went through without her permission.  “I won’t be more than a couple hours,” he promised.

          “All right,” Paige agreed, sensing it was important to him that she stay.  “Don’t be too long though, I have work to do and classes later.”  Daniel nodded and kissed Clover on the forehead.  Brushing a piece of hair from her face, he watched her sleep for a few seconds before leaving the room.

          “I’ll be back soon,” he promised as he closed the door.  Paige looked from Clover to the door and back to Clover, wondering what was going on.  She sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to get an answer any time soon.  She started reading her book about Celtic magick, myths, and rituals, letting Clover sleep in peaceful silence.

          Daniel sat in his journalism class, not hearing a word his professor was saying.  If it hadn’t been for the test, he wouldn’t have left Clover.  After what seemed like forever, the class ended, the test forgotten long before he even took it.  Impatiently, he headed back to the dorms, wanting to see Clover; to make sure she was all right.

          “All right.  I’m back,” he said, walking into his room.  “How is everything?  Is she all right?” he asked Paige, although he could see nothing had changed.  Clover was still in the same position she’d been in when he left:  curled up on her left side, the blanket still up to her shoulders, and still breathing just as evenly. 

          “She hasn’t stirred,” Paige confessed.  “It’s weird really, she’s normally really wretchy while sleeping.  Too much energy pent up, I guess, but she hasn’t moved a muscle.  It’s like she’s awake, but doesn’t want me to know it.”

          “Well,” Daniel said, noticing how Clover’s eyes were slightly open, watching him, and how they quickly fluttered shut.  “Thanks for staying with her.  I owe you one,” he said, walking her to the door.  He shut the door as soon as she was in the hall, almost in her face, stopping her form asking any questions.

          “Daniel,” Clover said softly.  He gave her a wan smile as he walked over to the bed.  He sat next to her, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her in much the same way he would a small, frightened child.

          “What’s wrong?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.  He wanted to take away all the pain, anger, confusion, and fear that man had caused; that everyone had caused in her.  He wanted to wrap her up in a cocoon where no one could ever hurt her again, but he couldn’t, so he contented himself with wrapping her in his embrace where she was next to his heart.

          “Thank you,” she whispered, tears in her eyes raining down onto her cheeks.  “If you weren’t there—”  She stopped, unable to finish the thought.

          “But I was there.  Don’t think about what could have been, think about what is,” he commanded, lifting her face so he could look at her.  He wiped away her tears with gentle and skilled fingers, trying to smile reassuringly for her benefit.

          “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you,” Clover said sincerely.  “Even for my role in your break-up with Danielle, even if I didn’t like her.  I’m sorry.”

          “Don’t be,” Daniel said.  “Please, don’t be,” he pleaded, placing his hand on the side of her face, his thumb running over her cheek.  Clover looked at him, her vision blurred from crying, and kissed his cheek.

          “What would I do without you?” she asked, leaning her head on his chest, her ear pressed against his heart.  Daniel hugged her, his hands on the small of her back.

          “I don’t know,” Daniel said, resting his head against the headboard.  “Go to sleep,” he whispered.  Clover, feeling safe in his arms, closed her eyes and was lulled off to sleep by his steady heartbeat.

          For the next couple of days, Clover played hooky from both school and work.  Waking up on the third morning, she forced herself to go to classes.  Dread curled in her stomach as she walked to her class, but she forced herself to go anyway.  She refused to let what almost happened take over her life, and planned to forget about the entire situation.  With moderate trepidation, she went into work after classes were over.  The office looked the same.  The big front windows, dark rooms, cramped offices, filing rooms, and overall stuffy feel were all still there.

          “Hey Clover,” Bruce greeted, acting cheerful.  Suzie had explained what happened and he was more than happy to give Clover all the time she needed.  He even offered to get her counseling.  Of course, Clover had declined, saying she was just shaken up, nothing had happened, and she’d be fine in some time.

          “Hey Bruce,” Clover said with half a smile.  “What should I do today?” she asked.  Bruce understood her need for stability and normalcy and tried to help make her feel comfortable.  Clover did her work, checking over her shoulder every now and then, paranoid.  After work, she went back to the dorm where Daniel was studying.  Slowly, her world returned to normal, the incident pushed to the back of her mind.  The culmination of returning to normal life was going to a party.  Her first invitation to a party, after the incident, was at the end of March, a pre-spring break party.

          “Tim, when are you leaving?” Clover asked her friend.  He was a mutual friend of the four, and was planning a trip to Las Vegas for spring break.

          “Tomorrow,” Tim said, lying on Daniel’s bed while Daniel showered.  “Are you coming to my little get-together tonight?”

          “Of course,” Clover said, sounding insulted.  “When have I not shown up to one of your parties?”

          “True,” Tim agreed.

          “So you don’t think you’ll be feeling sick on your way to Vegas?”

          “I’m not going to be sober enough to notice,” Tim said with a smile.  “You know me, I love to party.  Have fun while you can, that’s my motto.”

          “And it’s a good one, “Daniel agreed, coming in the room, his hair dripping beads of water onto the smooth, pale skin of his chest.  Clover watched the droplets slide down the planes of his chest, between his flat pectorals, over his rippled abdomen, and disappear inside the waistband of his black jeans.

          “Hey, Clover?” Tim asked, trying to get her attention.  A faint blush crept up to her cheeks, giving them a healthy glow, and she looked over at him feeling slightly guilty.  “I’ll see you at the party?  Around 8:30?” he asked, repeating his earlier question.

          “Uh…yeah,” Clover said, finding her voice as out of the corner of her eye she saw Daniel put on a green Old Navy t-shirt.  “8:30, your frat house.  I’ll be there.”

          “Great,” Tim said with a smile.  He stood up and left the room, heading to his frat house where he had party preparations to start.

          “So what’s going on?” Daniel asked, sitting on his bed Indian style.  “Are you going home over the break?” he asked, looking over at Clover where she was lying on her own bed.  She looked up, their eyes meeting, and just as quickly looked away.

          “No,” she said simply.  “Hanging out here.”

          Around 8:45 the four friends piled into Paige’s car.  She was the designated driver as well as the monitor of their sobriety that time.   When they arrived, the party was already going full force and Tim was talking with a group of his frat brothers.  They were seeing who could smash the most beer cans on their foreheads before getting a headache, and Tim was winning.  The four stuck together, but spread out.  Chris and Paige went into one corner where they were drinking and making out.  Occasionally Paige would scan the room for the other two and check out their actions.  Near 12:30 she noticed Daniel getting a little out of hand and decided they should get going.

          “We’d better go,” Paige said, getting up from the chair she and Chris were sharing.  She gathered Clover and Daniel and helped Chris to the door, where Tim was socializing.

          “Are you leaving?” Tim asked, seeing the four slightly staggering toward the exit.

          “Paige said we are,” Daniel slurred.  “Guess I’d better listen to her.  Chris might beat me if I don’t.”

          “Damn straight!” Chris agreed vehemently.

          “Well, take a parting gift,” Tim said, handing Daniel a bottle of vodka that he’d been carrying, meaning to take it to the bar on the other side of the room.  Daniel smiled broadly, his hands carefully cradling the clear glass bottle filled with the clear liquid.

          “Thanks Tim,” Clover said, kissing his cheek.  Tim showed them to the door, waving as they weaved across the front lawn to Paige’s car.  Paige drove them to the dorm.  They all got out of the car and headed up to Paige and Chris’s room to share Tim’s generous gift.

          “I am so thirsty,” Daniel said before swallowing a large amount from the bottle.  He passed it on to Chris who was sitting next to him on the bed.  All four of them were sitting on Chris’s bed, laughing, drinking, and talking.

          “I’m bored,” Clover said, leaning back on an elbow.  “Let’s do something.”

          “Like what?” Paige asked, setting the empty bottle on the floor.  Clover shrugged, having no idea what to do; only knowing she wanted to do something.

          “Let’s cut your hair,” Chris said, looking at Daniel.  Daniel looked over at Chris, his eyes half-closed and bloodshot.

          “I don’t know,” Daniel said, fingering his hair.  “I kinda like it.  It’s not too long and it’s not too short.”

          “Come on Daniel,” Chris said, stroking Daniel’s silky hair.  “Don’t be a wimp.  It won’t hurt, I promise.  It’ll be fun.”  Daniel considered it briefly, debating whether or not to agree.

          “Don’t do it Daniel,” Clover said, leaning forward so she was able to place her chin on his shoulder.  “Don’t cut your hair.  Shave your legs if you want to cut your hair.  Just leave this,” she said, running her fingers through his hair.

          “Let’s shave your legs,” Paige said enthusiastically.  “Then we can paint your toe nails.  It’ll be so much fun.”  Daniel passed out, leaning on both Clover and Chris.  “Chris,” Paige said, giving him a pouting look, “can we shave his legs?”

          “Sure,” he agreed.  The three of them managed to remove Daniel’s jeans, finding he was sans underwear.  “Johnsy didn’t do his wash again.”  Paige snickered as she found her electric razor.  With a not-so-steady hand, Chris began shaving Daniel’s long legs, which were covered in curly, dark-golden hairs, while Paige found hot pink nail polish and, giggling, painted his toes as much as his toe nails. 

          “What do you think?” Paige asked, surveying her work, which looked about as good as a 3-year-old’s coloring book.  “Should I add decals?” she asked, tapping a pink finger to her lips, turning them pink too.

          “Do you have daisies?” Clover asked hopefully.  Paige looked for her decals and handed them to Clover when she found them.  She picked both hearts and daisies.  “These,” she said, pointing to the pictures she liked and thought Daniel would look good in.

          “What do you think?” Chris asked, running his hand up and down Daniel’s now smooth, hair-free legs.  “They’re so smooth.”  Clover ran her hand over his leg briefly and nodded at Chris’s work.

          “Nice,” she agreed.

          “Just call me Barber Bill,” Chris said, blowing on the top of the razor as if it were a smoking pistol, and putting it into an imaginary holster.  “Now, what else should I shave?” he asked, shave-happy and wanting to continue experimenting with Daniel’s body hair.  Paige placed the decals on Daniel’s toes while Clover tried putting tiny braids in his hair, and Chris shaved the rest of his body, minus the hair Clover was playing with.  “Now he’s hair-free,” he announced, finishing Daniel’s other underarm.  “Think he’ll notice?” he asked as they redressed him and managed to maneuver him into his own room and own bed.

 

 

Chapter 7

 

          “Daniel,” Clover said, shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him up.  “Danny!” she hissed in his ear.  Daniel whined as he turned over on his other side, away from Clover.  “Wake up Johnsy,” she pleaded.  He continued to ignore her as he tried to sleep.

          “Go away,” he mumbled, a pillow muffling his thick voice.  “And don’t call me Danny,” he added as an afterthought.  Clover gave up on awakening him and went back to the phone.

          “He’s asleep.  Can I take a message?” she asked the woman on the phone.

          “Could I talk to Chris then?” the woman asked.

          “Sure, hold on,” Clover said, and set the phone down before the woman could respond.  She opened her door and went across the hall to Chris and Paige’s room.  She knocked loud enough to wake the two occupants, but not to disturb the rest of their neighbors.

          “Wait,” Chris said in a sleepy voice.  He opened the door enough to let himself out, but not show much of the room and its other occupant.  He leaned against the closed door, his eyes red from lack of sleep and his hair matted to his head where he’d lain against the pillow.  He wore a pair of Adidas shorts, which left his legs bare, showing his dark hair, and his uncovered chest sported a thin coat of dark hair as well.  “What did you want?” he asked thickly, sounding as if his tongue were swollen, leaving him unable to form words.

          “Telephone,” Clover said.  Chris looked at her for a second, trying to comprehend what she had said.  Realization finally hit and he passed her on his way to his old room, the room that Clover and Daniel now grudgingly shared.  Clover followed slowly behind, not wanting to overhear a conversation that could be private, and not wanting to stay lingering in the hall that would be teeming with people heading out to exotic locations for spring break at any moment.  She paused by the closed door.  “Oh well,” she said to herself, and slipped inside her room.  Chris sat on his old bed, the bed Clover had taken as her own, and Daniel was stretched out on his bed, sound asleep.  Clover went over to Daniel’s bed and sat on the edge.

          “Okay, see you then,” Chris said, and hung up the phone.  He looked at it for several seconds before he visibly shook himself from his ponderings.  He looked over at Daniel, sleeping off all he had drunk the night before, and Clover, perched on the edge of Daniel’s bed.

          “What’s going on?” Clover asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

          “Daniel’s mom is on her way from the airport.  She’ll be here in a little less than an hour,” he said, running a hand through his ruffled, dark hair and sending it into even more disarray.

          “Do you want me to get him up and you get Paige, or did you want to talk to him?” Clover asked, not sure what to say.  Chris seemed to be asleep with his eyes open.

          “I’ll go wake Paige,” Chris said with a start.  He stood up quickly and left the room.  Clover turned her attention from the door as soon as it was closed and focused it on Daniel.

          “Daniel, wake up,” Clover pleaded.  She shook his knee, which was uncovered, trying to get his attention.  “Hey, Danny-boy, your mom is on her way.”

          “Hm?” Daniel mumbled, opening his eyes just enough to see Clover leaning over him.  He kept his eyelids lowered so that the too-bright sunlight, that slanted through the windows and streamed in at an angle so it was on his face, showering him in a golden light, didn’t irritate his hypersensitive eyes any more than it already was.

          “Your mom is on her way from the airport.”  Daniel laid there, not moving, watching Clover as the sunlight surrounded her in its embrace, shrouding her in its golden cloak.  His breath caught in his suddenly dry throat.  He reached up with his hand and ran his well-trained fingers through Clover’s honey-colored hair that looked even more golden with the sunlight beating down upon her head.

          “Daniel,” Chris called, pushing the door open.  His hair was now brushed and he wore cargo pants and a blue shirt.  Daniel and Clover jumped apart like they’d been burned.  Daniel jerked his hand away from Clover and sat up as she jumped up from his bed and found comfort under the covers of her bed.

          “What?” Daniel asked, his eyes wide, like a child caught by its mother with its hand in the cookie jar after it’d been told to stay away from the tempting treats.

          “I wanted to make sure you were up,” Chris said, his hand still on the doorknob and a smile tugging at his lips.  “Paige and I are going out for a walk.  We’ll be back in a little while.”

          “Um, yeah,” Daniel mumbled, his tongue refusing to cooperate with his brain.  “Okay, see ya.”

          “You two behave,” Chris said, hiding the smile on his face behind his hand.  The twinkle in his eyes gave him away though.  He turned around and left the room, leaving Daniel and Clover alone.  Daniel sighed as he stretched on his bed, causing the springs to moan in protest.

          “Guess I’d better get up,” he said as he stretched his arms above his head.  He grabbed some clothes from the floor that were clean, but wrinkled and had never been put away, then went out the door and down the hall to the bathroom for a shower.

          After Daniel left, Clover crawled out from under her covers and changed into a clean pair of faded, denim shorts.  Her feet bare, she sat Indian style on her bed and began leisurely brushing her waist-length brown hair.  Once she finished, she left it hang down.  As her hair hung straight and smooth, shining in the light, she searched for a shirt to go on over her blue satin bra.  Daniel came in the room, shutting the door after himself, and stopped, staring at his roommate.

          “What?” Clover asked after he continued to stare at her.  His gaze was becoming uncomfortable.  Being roommates, they’d seen each other in similar stages of undress before, and she couldn’t understand why his eyes never moved from her.

“What did you guys do to me?  I passed out with hair and I woke up bare.  What the hell happened?!”  A knock at the door stopped Daniel’s quest for answers.  “Here,” he said, tossing her a shirt, his faded, blue Adidas shirt, his favorite shirt.  Clover quickly slipped the lovingly worn cotton material over her head and arms.  She pulled her hair out from inside the shirt just as Daniel opened the door.

          “Daniel,” a feminine voice said before a face was visible.  Daniel’s face brightened with an impish grin as he held his arms out to a woman Clover immediately knew was his mother.  “How’s my baby?” she asked, placing her hands to either side of his face, inspecting him.

          “I’m fine Mom,” Daniel said, unable to wipe the smile from his face the same way he couldn’t stop the adoration in his eyes.

          “Who’s this?” she asked, noticing Clover as she edged her way toward the door so they could be alone.  Clover stopped, staring at Daniel and his mother, wondering what he would say.  She knew for a fact he hadn’t told his parents about the roommate swap, and didn’t want to get him into trouble by saying the wrong thing.

          “Mom, this is Clover,” Daniel said quickly.  “She and Paige, Chris’s girlfriend, share a room across the hall.  Clover, this is my mother,” he said, completing his introduction.

          “Hi,” Clover said, unsure of what else to say.  Daniel’s mother smiled in return as Clover shoved her hands in her shorts pockets self-consciously.

          “Hello dear, call me Julie,” his mother said with a warm smile.

          “Are you hungry?” Daniel asked his mother, trying to distract her from the room, hoping she didn’t notice Clover’s things mingled with his belongings.

          “Sure,” Julie agreed.  “Then we can catch up on what’s been happening.  You can tell me about that girlfriend of yours, Danielle.”

          “Sounds like fun,” Daniel said, sounding less than thrilled.  He opened the door only to find Chris and Paige on the other side, Chris’s hand balled up into a fist, poised to knock.  “Hey,” Daniel said, opening the door wider to let the two newcomers in.

          “Why don’t we all go together?” Julie suggested after giving Chris a quick hug.  Daniel shrugged, hiding a relieved sigh.  “You must be Paige,” his mom said, looking at Paige and seeming to peer into her soul.  Paige nodded.  Apparently liking what she saw, Daniel’s mother smiled and put her arms around Paige.

          “Yeah, this is Paige,” Chris said.  “My girlfriend,” he added.

          “Alright, let’s go,” Daniel said, shooing everyone out of the room.  Once everyone was in the hall, he started to close the door, the key in his pocket already.  “Clover, shoes?” he asked, noticing her lack of foot protection.  With a slight blush at her oversight, Clover went back into the room she and Daniel shared and slipped into a pair of worn, casual, brown sandals.  Julie, having already seen the feminine articles of clothing and other everyday objects like shoes, hairbrush, scrunchies, and other things, didn’t miss the fact that Clover’s shoes were in the room Daniel claimed to share with Chris.  Patiently, she waited for her chance to talk alone with her son.

          “So where to?” Chris asked, his arm around Paige’s waist, pulling her close.

          “Usual?” Daniel asked, locking the door.  He turned, waiting for everyone to agree or disagree.  “Rusty’s it is,” he said when no one disagreed.

          “Whose car?” Clover asked, starting the argument over cars once again.

          “Not again,” Paige pleaded quietly.  “Can’t you just once not argue over who is driving?”

          “Fine,” Clover said, giving in.  “Daniel should drive.  It’s his mother,” she reasoned.  Daniel led the way to his precious car and got in the driver’s seat, his mother in the front seat next to him, and Clover, Paige, and Chris in the back.

          Once at Rusty’s, they found a corner booth and slid in; Julie, Daniel, Clover, Paige, and Chris.

          “So, how are you doing in school?” Julie asked him.  Daniel shrugged as a waitress, Hannah, who’d waited on them nearly every time they came into the diner, approached the table.

          “I’m doing fine,” he said as Hannah arrived at their table.

          “Good morning,” Hannah greeted the four familiar faces and one unfamiliar face with a bright smile.  “What can I get for you?”

          “French toast,” Clover said, ordering her usual breakfast.  Daniel ordered his usual meal:  pancakes and hash browns.

          “Western omelet, sausage, and coffee,” Chris ordered.

          “I’ll have the broccoli and cheese omelet, hash browns, and a medium Pepsi” Paige ordered.  Hannah wrote down their orders, adding two orange juices, one for Daniel and one for Clover, knowing what they wanted because they always got the same breakfast.

          “And what can I get for you?” Hannah asked, looking at Daniel’s mother.

          “I’ll have two eggs, sunny side up, a glass of apple juice, and a couple pieces of bacon,” she ordered.  Hannah finished writing the order and went into the back, where the kitchen was, to place their orders.  “So, how’s Danielle?”

          “We actually broke up,” Daniel said, staring at the stainless steel silverware on the table before him.  “We had substantial opinion differences.”

          “Oh,” Julie said.  Seeing the way he stared at the pale tabletop and judging by his tone of voice, she mistook his uncomfortableness for sadness.  “I know this girl,” she said, trying to cheer him up.  “She’s my friend Jill, you remember Jill, with the impossibly red hair right?”  Daniel nodded, his eyes closed, knowing where she was heading.  “Her oldest daughter, Mandie, would be perfect for you.  Do you want her phone number so you can call her?”

          “Um, that’s okay Mom, I don’t want to trouble you,” Daniel said, trying to get out of his mother’s meddlesome match-up mania.  “I don’t know Mandie.”

          “That’s why you call her,” Julie said, fishing a piece of paper out of her purse.

          “Mom, I don’t want to call Mandie,” Daniel said again.  Julie found a blank sheet of paper from her purse and began writing a number on it.  Hannah came back and placed their drinks on the table in front of them.  “Seriously Mom, I don’t want to call Mandie.  I have a girlfriend,” he said, the lie slipping off his tongue, making him feel guilty and dirty.

          “Who?” Chris asked, along with Daniel’s mother.  Hannah went about her business, filling Chris’s coffee cup, her ears intently listening to what they were saying.

          “Clover,” Daniel said before he realized what he’d actually said.  Every set of eyes turned to Daniel, surprised.

          “Congratulations,” Hannah said, the first to recover.  “It’s about time you two got together.”  Clover blushed, unable to look up from the table where her hands were clasped together tightly.  Under the table, her sandals sat on the floor while she sat Indian style, her left leg brushing lightly against Daniel’s.  “You are so cute together.  I remember the first time all you kids came in.  I knew you two would get together.”

          “Clover?” a woman with a stomach showing her extreme pregnancy asked timidly, sounding afraid she had made a mistake.  Clover looked up to find Lynda, her brother Basil’s girlfriend of a year, standing by the table.

          “Lynda,” Clover said.  “What are you doing here?  Without Bay and the kids too.”

          “Bay’s watching them.  I’m sure when they hear that I saw you they’ll be sorry they chose to stay home.  I’ll let you get back to your friends; our order’s done.  You should give Bay a call.  I’m sure he’d love to hear from you,” Lynda said.  After smiling around the table, she turned and headed for the take-out counter.

          “That was my brother’s girlfriend Lynda,” Clover said after Lynda was out of hearing distance.

          “She seemed nice,” Julie said when no one else commented.  “So Clover,” she said, looking over at her.  “How long have you and Daniel be going out?”  Clover’s eyes widened, caught off guard by the question.

          “Um…not long,” she mumbled, looking down at the table.  Hannah brought their food and they ate in mediocre silence.  

          “What’s on the agenda for today?” Daniel asked, finishing the last of his orange juice.

          “Well, I was going to suggest that you spend some time with your brother and sister.  They really miss you,” Julie confided in her son.  “They’re waiting at the hotel.  I wanted to be the first to see you.”

          “So we’re going to spend the day together?” Daniel asked, liking the idea of spending time with his family after the time he’d been estranged from them.

          “No, actually I was planning on doing some shopping.  Maybe Clover would show me around.  We could get to know each other,” Julie suggested.  Clover’s eyes grew even wider than they had when Julie asked how long she and Daniel were dating and she was at a complete loss for words.  “What do you think Clover?  Want to go shopping with me?”

          “Sure, I guess,” Clover said unsure of any other response she could make.  They finished their meal, paid, and headed back to the dorms.  From there they split up again, Daniel going to the hotel his mother was staying in to see his brother and sister, Chris and Paige going up to their room, and Clover and Julie headed out for a shopping trip.

 

 

Chapter 8

 

          “I like Daniel’s mom,” Paige told Chris as they sat in their room on opposite sides of Paige’s bed.  “She’s nice.”

          “Yeah,” Chris said, picking up a green grape from the bowl that sat in front of him.  “Ready?”

          “Shoot,” Paige said, then opened her mouth.  They each had a bowl of grapes in front of them and they were trying to throw them into each other’s mouths.  Chris tossed the grape and Paige caught it in her mouth.  “Good one.”  Chris smiled.

          “Yeah, she always was really nice.  She likes to get to know Daniel’s friends and their friends and stuff.  Me and Ben were like her adopted sons, and then Daniel and I were Ben’s parents’ sons, and Ben and Daniel were my parents’ sons.  So then whenever one of us would get a girlfriend or have something special happen in our lives, everybody’s parents and families would eventually know about it,” Chris explained, throwing another grape.  He missed.

          “That’s like me and Clover’s parents,” Paige said.

          “They’re like your adoptive parents and yours are Clover’s?” Chris questioned.  Paige threw a grape.  Chris caught it.

          “Well, just me to her parents.  My parents don’t really care about me or my life…or friends,” Paige said, her eyes fixated on a grape she held in her hands.

          “That can’t be,” Chris said.  “They’re your parents.  They have to care at least a little.”

          “Yeah, about what to do with me when they need to go somewhere,” Paige said, popping the grape in her mouth, “which is constantly.”

          “Do they have very demanding jobs?” Chris asked.  “Are they workaholics?”

          “Yeah,” Paige said.  “I’m lucky I had Clover and her family, otherwise I’d probably be living on the streets and begging for food or something.”

          “I’m sure you’d have other relatives to stay with, wouldn’t you?”

          “Not really.  I have a couple aunts and uncles, but that’s it.  I don’t like any of them, none of them have kids, all my grandparents are dead, and I’m an only child,” Paige said.  “Clover’s family has always taken better care of me than anybody.  I guess they’re my saviors or guardian angels or something like that.”

          “It’s good that they were there for you,” Chris said.  Paige nodded as she fell into a trance, thinking about Clover’s family’s role in her life and how much her parents weren’t a part of it.  “Did they do anything for you?  I mean, you make it sound like they didn’t give you anything.”

          “Well, they paid for my schooling and I was able to get them to pay for half of my car and half of my college education, so I still have some responsibilities to uphold to.  I don’t know.  I grew up in a nice house with basically anything I wanted.  Not that I was a spoiled princess or anything, but my parents have pretty good jobs, so I was given money for clothes and electronics…and piano lessons and stuff.  The only thing I was ever really into was music.  That and computers were basically my life.  The only thing I did at my house was listen to my CDs and the radio, play piano, try to figure out other songs on the piano, and go on the computer.  I spent most of my time at Clover’s house or with her.  Her parents opened me up to all the nature stuff and aromatherapy, candles, herbs, fortune-telling, and all the new age stuff, and when we were little, Clover and I were always following her brother around and trying to be like him and stuff.  We were total tomboys.”  Paige fell silent and sat looking at the middle of the bed.  There was silence, as Chris didn’t know what to say.  He picked at a grape subconsciously as he studied Paige, deciding on what kinds of feelings might be going through her blood.  He looked down at the grape, then threw it back in the bowl.  With an inhalation of breath, he stood up and took the two bowls over to the counter by the small fridge in the room.  He then returned to the bed, this time sitting in front of her.  She broke out of her trance and gave him a small smile.  He smiled as well, and placed a hand on the leg that she had stretched out.  Just as he was about to say something, Paige spoke.  “Well I definitely know that when I have kids, I will never neglect them.  I’ll spend as much time with them as possible so they won’t go through life the way I did.”

          “You want to have kids?” Chris questioned, putting his previous thoughts aside.

          “Yeah, someday,” she answered.  “What about you?”

          “I never really thought about it,” Chris said.

          “I think you’d make a good father,” Paige said.

          “Really?  Why?” Chris asked.

          “Well, after seeing you in action with Clover’s niece and nephews, you know,” Paige answered.  “You worked well with them.  I was impressed.”

          “So did you.  Curry loves you,” Chris said.

          “Yeah, I don’t know why,” she said.

          “Because you’re nice,” Chris said, “and you’re fun to be around.”  Paige smiled.

          “So what do you say?” she asked him.

          “About what?” he asked, alarmed and thinking she might be asking if he wanted to have a baby.

          “Do you want to have kids someday?” she asked.

          “Oh, yeah, I guess,” he said, relieved.  Paige began to laugh.

          “What did you think I was asking?!” she asked, placing her hand on the one he had on her leg.  Chris didn’t say anything, just made a sheepish face.  “Aw!  No, I’m not asking you to have a baby with me.”

          “I know,” he said, looking down shamefully and feeling embarrassed.

          “You should have seen your face!” Paige continued.  When Chris gave her a fake angry look, she tried to stop laughing.  “I’m sorry.  I’m stopping.”

          “Do you think we’ll have kids together someday?” Chris asked, feeling bold at suggesting it.  He succeeded in catching Paige by surprise.

          “I don’t know…maybe,” she said.  “Do you think we’ll last long enough to reach that level?”

          “I hope so,” Chris said with a smile.  Paige smiled too.

          “So do I,” she said.

          “How far in the future do you think that would be?” Chris asked cautiously.  He looked up at her and saw that she was thinking.

          “I don’t think I care.  I’d say if it happens, it happens,” she said.  “I mean, we’ve already started doing it, so you know…if we get drunk and forget protection or something and I get pregnant, I wouldn’t do anything about it.  It might present a slight problem if I’m still in college, but I guess I could work it out.”

          “Hey, you’d have me too,” Chris said.

          “I know,” Paige said with a smile.  There was a slight silence.

          “What would you want to have?” Chris asked.

          “A girl,” Paige said right away.

          “Have you been thinking about this?” Chris asked in surprise.  Paige laughed.

          “Girls always think of those kinds of things,” she said.

          “Do they?” Chris asked.  Paige nodded.

          “M-hm.  I’d probably want a little girl first, but ultimately have one of each at least,” Paige said.

          “Sounds perfect,” Chris said.

          “Yeah,” Paige said.  There was another silence as she took up her staring gaze again.  Continuing the ‘no eye movement’ trait she said, “But I swear, my kids will have parents, and they will have friends.  You’re my witness.  I’ll take care of my kids.”

          “And I’ll take care of you,” Chris said, slightly leaning forward.  Paige smiled.

          “You are so sweet.  How do you always have the perfect thing to say?” she asked, sitting up more since she’d been leaning back against her pillows.  Chris shrugged.

          “I don’t know.  Maybe that just happens when you’re in…”  He paused, catching himself before he finished his sentence.  He quickly debated over whether he wanted to say what he was originally going to say, and spoke cautiously.  “…in love.”  Paige’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

          “You’re in love with me?” she asked gently.

          “Well…yeah,” Chris said, becoming shy about revealing his feelings to her.  “I told you that I’d be ready to tell you that one day,” he pointed out, remembering the first time they’d made love…

 

          Chris and Paige had gotten back to their dorm room after a special outing a couple weeks before, and had begun to make out as they laid on Paige’s bed.  Chris was next to Paige with one of his legs between the two of hers, no shirt on, letting his hand wander around on her smooth skin, and  letting his kisses move lower and lower. 

          “Paige,” Chris said, taking a break to consult with her, “I know we have an agreement…”

          “Yes?” she said.  She knew he meant their agreement that they’d fool around, but not have sex unless they were in love or were ready to say that they loved each other.

          “…but I really, really want to make love with you,” Chris finished, staring deeply into her eyes.  She gave him a soft smile and placed her hand against his cheek.  As he put his hand on hers, she slid it gently down his face.

          “What about—”

          “I know,” Chris interrupted.  “I know we’ve both been through a hard relationship before and I know we both have insecurities because of them.  I can’t totally say I’m in love with you yet or that I love you yet, and I’m sure you aren’t ready to either, but I can say that right now, I don’t want to be with anyone else.  I feel like everything in my life is perfect when I’m with you, and I know there’s something special between us.  We both have a lot to learn about each other too, but I really believe that I will be able to tell you that I am definitely in love with you someday.  I guess I’m just asking you now to base this decision on trust.  I’ve been with you every single day since the day we met, and I haven’t found one reason to suspect that you were doing anything that would harm me, and I feel that I can trust you.  So—”

          “Chris,” Paige interrupted, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer.  “I trust you.”  They studied each other’s eyes and saw that they both wanted the same thing.  Their lips abruptly met in a deep, passionate kiss, their tongues soon passing into each other’s mouths.  Paige moaned as Chris began moving his hand down toward her jeans.  He moved his kisses to her neck, then paused to unbutton and unzip her pants.  When he paused, she sat up so she could get her shirt off.  As she did, Chris watched, entranced by the revelation of her smooth, milky skin.  Seeing his reaction, Paige smiled.  She took his hands from their resting position on her upper legs and guided them around her waist and upward, inviting him to do the honors of ridding her of her flannel bra.  He smiled and hungrily began kissing her again as he regained control of his hands, moving them to the clasp of the garment.  Paige pressed herself against him, her arms around his strong shoulders, as he easily figured out how to unclasp the bra.  As he slid the straps off of her shoulders, he began kissing her bare shoulders.  Laying her back down, he slid the rest of the flannel material off and twirled it around like a lasso.  They laughed, and he let it fly to the floor.

          “How would you like your pants removed?” Chris asked.

          “It doesn’t matter.  You can do whatever you want,” Paige said, putting her arms behind her head.  Chris smiled as he saw what that movement did to the matching mounds of soft flesh on her chest.

          “All right then,” he said.  He removed his leg from its position between hers and straddled her body, then pulled on her jeans as she raised herself so that he could slip them off of her hips.  He got them off quickly, tossed them to the floor, and took a look at her, only to realize that her bikini-cut panties matched her bra.  “What’s with the flannel?”

          “I opt for comfort,” Paige said defensively.  “She swiftly moved her hands to the front of his shorts and unbuttoned and unzipped them.  Pulling them part way down, she said, “What’s with the silk?”  Chris smiled.

          “It feels good against my skin,” he said.

          “Therefore you opt for comfort too,” she said, placing her hands on his hips.

          “M-hm,” he said, laying on top of her and kissing her.

          “What about your shorts?” Paige asked when she got a chance.  “I could take them off for you,” she offered, a twinkle in her eyes.  Chris took a hold of her and rolled onto his back, which put her on top of him.

          “Be my guest,” he said with a smile.  Paige straddled his body and slid his shorts off in the same manner that he had done for her.  This time, however, after she took them off of his feet and threw them on the floor, she lowered herself and kissed his ankle.  She went along his leg, making eye contact every so often to make sure of his enjoyment of the situation.  She didn’t really have to though, because the little tee-pee in his boxers made it evident enough.  When she got to that area, she kissed around his boxers, but slid a finger lightly along the risen material.  He moaned as she teased him, moving her light touch up one side, over the tip, and down the other side, then just kept kissing her way up to his mouth, entering her tongue deep into the depths of the cave of his mouth.  Chris eagerly reciprocated the action, wanting to get to the actual deed as quickly as possible.  “You always do this to me,” he accused.

          “What do I do to you?” she asked, straddling his body once more.

          “You tease me unmercifully,” Chris said.

          “Huh?” Paige asked, confused.

          “Don’t play dumb.  You know you do it,” he said with a smile.  She gave in and smiled as well, knowing that she’d left him hanging several times when they’d fooled around before.  She moved her body downward until she felt his *head* against her, then moved back up a little.

          “Like that?” she asked.

          “Oh my god,” Chris said.  “That is so much worse.  Please, Paige.”  He looked at her, pleading for a pass to enter her hidden world of pleasure.  Paige knew he really wanted it and couldn’t take the teasing anymore.  She had teased herself by committing her last action, and felt the same way.  She kissed him roughly, then sat up to take off his boxers.  As soon as she did, he hugged her to him as he rolled over once more and quickly went for her underwear.  As soon as the barriers were gone, he lay back down and entered her gently.  She let out a groan as her insides stretched to accommodate a shape that hadn’t been present for years.  As Chris slid in all the way and slowly began pumping, the pain faded and she was able to fully encompass herself in the joy of the moment.  “Are you okay?” Chris asked when she’d cried out.

          “Yeah,” she murmured, her face close to his.  He kissed her sweetly as their heavy breaths mingled.  Their bodies moved fluidly together, instantly discovering a common rhythm, and fulfilled each other’s long-awaited desires.

 

          They looked at each other for a few moments in silence as they reminisced.  Paige smiled at him, her heart racing with admiration and even love, and Chris looked at her with an innocent look on his face.  Paige had a sudden thought and her facial expression turned to one of curiosity.

“What are you thinking?” Chris asked, recognizing the look and wondering what it was that she obviously wanted to ask him.

“I was just wondering…” she said, trailing off as though she were afraid to ask.  She looked down at her hands.

“What?  You can say it; whatever it is,” Chris said, trying to make her feel comfortable.

“Well, do you think we rushed it?  Any aspect of it?” Paige asked.  She looked back up to Chris and found that he was thinking about his answer.  “I mean, we’ve known each other for a few months, but…”

“Do you think we’ve rushed anything?” Chris countered, looking up at her.  “Do you want to slow down?”

“No, I’m just curious.  I mean…it’s like, if we get heavily involved now, will we have anything to look forward to in the future?  Like, if we have all the hot and heavy, passionate sex now, are we going to enjoy it then?” Paige asked, trying to explain her point.  Chris thought about it as she added, “Will you still be attracted to me in like, two years, five years…forever?  How long do you plan on staying with me?”

“I plan on being with you forever.  As long as you want to be with me,” Chris said quickly, making sure that she knew that he had no intentions of leaving her.

“Of course I do,” Paige said with a smile, brushing her fingertips by his cheek.  He caught her hand and kissed the back of it, continuing to make eye contact.

“I couldn’t imagine being with anybody other than you, and keeping that in mind, I don’t think we’re rushing anything,” Chris said, keeping her hand in his and moving closer to her.  He then positioned his hand back on her leg, where it had been.  “And as for the attraction issue,” he added, “you are too beautiful to not be attractive.  Every time I look at you I get chills, and it’s so hard to look away.  I can’t ever imagine a day when you won’t be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

          “Do you know how sweet you are?” Paige asked, a flattered smile on her lips.  Chris made a face.

          “No, I’m not sweet,” he said.

          “Yeah you are,” Paige said.  Chris didn’t say anything; just looked at her with love in his eyes as well as in his heart.  There was a silence as they gazed lovingly at each other.  Finally, Paige leaned forward and kissed him.  As he kissed her back, he moved his hand slightly higher on her leg and lifted his other hand to her cheek.  After a short make-out session, they rested their foreheads against each other’s with their eyes closed.  Chris lightly fingered the length of her hair, then let his hand rest on the bed.

          “Chris?” Paige asked.

          “Yeah?”

          “I’m in love with you too,” she said.  They opened their eyes and in the instant they smiled, Chris kissed her, sliding the hand on her leg upward until it rested on her hip.  His other hand found her face again.  As their lip-lock progressed, Chris slowly moved forward, gently backing Paige up.  She allowed him to lay her down, as well as lay on top of her, and slid her hands up his arms and around his neck and back.  As he moved his tender kisses to her neck, Paige could feel a stiffness arising between them.  She gave a light moan, as well as a sigh, before she quietly asked, “Is the door locked?”  Chris groaned, giving Paige her answer.  He abruptly stopped with a frustrated sigh.  “Do you want me to get it?” Paige asked.

          “Would you?” Chris asked, not wanting to do much moving around in his *condition.*

          “Okay,” Paige whispered with a smile.  She put her finger under his chin and lifted his face to hers for a quick kiss before she got up.  “You get the shade.”

          “Hurry,” Chris commanded as he gingerly moved himself off of her.  She got up to go lock their door while Chris closed the window off from transparency and hastily ripped his shirt off.  On her way back to the bed, where Chris had also pulled down the covers and laid on his back, Paige lifted off her tee to reveal her dark blue, satin bra.  Chris watched her walk to him with much anticipation.  She climbed onto the bed and straddled his legs.

          “Would you like some help with these?” she asked, fingering the button on his jeans and giving him a seductive smile.

          “If you don’t mind,” he answered, watching her happily.  She smiled wider and leaned over to kiss the area of skin right below his belly button.  She unbuttoned, then unzipped his pants, kissing each spot of newly-exposed skin.  His pants were soon removed, much in the same way as they had been the first time they were in this position, revealing his blue, plaid, flannel boxers.

          “Ah, I see we’ve graduated.  We now think alike in choosing underwear,” Paige commented, speaking color wise.

          “No, not yet,” Chris said, fingering the waist of her jeans and gently tugging at them.

          “Would you like to do the honors?” Paige asked.  Chris readily agreed, unbuttoned, and unzipped her bootcut jeans.  They switched places so he could be on top, then he took them the rest of the way off of her as quickly as possible.

          “Uh-oh,” Chris said, tossing her jeans to the floor and laying back down on her.  “Your undies are black.”

          “But they sorta match yours.  There’s black in them,” Paige countered as Chris began kissing different parts of her face.  She spoke the truth though; there were black lines in the plaid of his boxers that easily matched Paige’s black, string bikini bottoms.

          “Oh all right,” Chris said, kissing her mouth for silence.

          “You know what?  We’re wearing exactly the opposites of what we had on the first time we did this,” Paige said.  Chris smiled as he realized that he’d been wearing silky boxers the first time and she’d been wearing plaid.  He didn’t say anything about it though.

          “Shall we?” was his only response, other than the smile.  Paige smiled.

          “Of course,” she said.  They kissed once more, which easily took them into another round of tonsil hockey (sorry *so* original).  In the process of their intimacy, Paige’s bra was discarded, giving Chris an advantage that the garment had put a barrier on.  The young couple spent the rest of the day in bed, falling asleep after they had once again fulfilled each other’s desires, then woke up to darkness, ready to go out and enjoy the night life.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

          “Hey Mom,” Daniel greeted his mother the second morning of her stay in Florida.  He stepped out of the doorway to allow her, Heath, and Chelsea to enter his room where Clover, Paige, and Chris were playing a game of Rummy.

          “Gin,” Clover said, laying down her cards.  Paige gathered the cards and shuffled them a few times before putting them away.  “Hey Julie,” she greeted with a smile.  “Heath, Chelsea,” she added, seeing them all as Daniel shut the door to the small room.  Everyone crowded inside the room, which Clover and Daniel had just cleaned.

          “So what is planned for today?” Chris asked.  He sat on Clover’s bed with Paige, looking over at Daniel’s bed where Heath, Chelsea, Julie, and Daniel sat.  Clover sat at one of the two desks’ chairs. 

          “I thought we could all do something today,” Julie explained.  “I’m anxious to get to know Paige, I’m sure your mom’ll want to hear all about her, and I want to spend time with you boys,” she said.  “And Clover, dear, you are welcome anytime.  Thank you for a lovely shopping trip yesterday.  I had so much fun.”  Clover blushed and looked at the carpet, a pale blue, almost gray, that was so worn down it no longer had its plushness.

          “Sounds like fun.  What did you have in mind?” Daniel asked, looking over at Clover.  He couldn’t help but smile at her…she looked beautiful, her hair pulled back into a French braid, and her eyes as bright a green as the greenest emerald.  He couldn’t help but be glad for at least the week she’d promised to be his, but only for the week.

          “I was thinking the beach,” Julie confessed.  “What do you think?” she asked, turning to her son.  Daniel shrugged.  “Anyone else?” she asked, surveying who wanted to spend the day at the crowded Miami Beach.  She already knew Chelsea and Heath were all right with it, and waited for Paige, Chris, and Clover to respond.

          “Sure,” Chris said for himself and Paige, once he’d looked at her and read her answer in her sky blue eyes.  Someone knocked on the door and Daniel stood to answer it.

          “Can I help you?” Daniel asked the unfamiliar man at the door.  From her vantage point, Paige saw the man with short, muddy-brown hair and matching eyes, who was of average height and slender build.  The man saw her too and recognition flashed in his happy eyes.

          “Paige?” he asked, which was all it took for Clover to recognize him.

          “Oh my god!  Bay?” Clover inquired, at once out of her seat and hugging her brother.  “What are you doing here?” she asked.  She was surprised to see him, even though he lived in Florida too, about an hour from the college.

          “Came to ask you a favor,” he said, getting straight to the point.  Clover stepped back form him and waited.  “Well, Lynda is in the hospital, they’re inducing labor in about an hour, and I hoped you’d look after the kids.

          “Me?” Clover squeaked.  “Look after your kids?  What about a babysitter?” she asked, knowing she’d never keep up with the three rambunctious children. 

          “The thing is, no one wants to watch them.  Besides that, they’re worried about Lynda, and if they’re with you, their aunt, who they love dearly, they’ll forget about it for a little while.”

          “But—” she began to protest as all three of Basil’s kids ran down the hall and into the room to surround Clover.  Clover looked down at their faces, faces much like her and Basil’s when they were little, and sighed.  “Fine,” she gave in.  “But I’d better get a new niece or nephew out of this.  And dare I hope for a sister-in-law?”

          “I’ll see what I can do.  Thanks,” Basil said.  He kissed each of his offspring, Cajun, Curry, and Cayenne, on the forehead and was gone.

          “Guess you’re not coming to the beach,” Daniel stated more than questioned once the room was quiet.  Clover’s gaze flew to his, wondering if he was angry, but couldn’t read his emotions. 

          “Sorry,” she said simply.  “Sorry, I didn’t introduce anyone,” she added, more to Daniel’s mother than anyone else.  “That was my brother, Basil, and these are my nephews, Cajun…” she said, placing her hand on his thin shoulder.  He was 7 and had his father’s disposition and features.  “…Curry,” she said, introducing the 5-year-old, who stood next to Cajun, with blond hair and mahogany eyes, “and my niece Cayenne.”  She finished by picking up the 3-year-old, who had silky, blonde hair and inquisitive, blue eyes.

          “Hello,” Julie said with a cheery smile, making the kids feel at home, as did everyone else, except Daniel.

          “Aunt Paige,” Curry said, climbing onto her lap as he talked, “I lost a tooth, see?” he said, smiling wide enough to show every tooth in his mouth when she only needed to see the front one.

          “Yes, I see,” Paige said with a smile of her own.  She unconsciously put her arms around Curry, pulling him into the protective embrace of a hug.

          “Maybe we should think of something else to do,” Julie suggested.  “Something we can all do together.”

          “No, you guys go and have fun,” Clover insisted.  “I wouldn’t feel right making you miss out on the beach.  We’ll just have to go to the zoo or something.”  At the mention of ‘zoo,’ her nephews and niece looked at her with hopeful expressions.

          “If you didn’t want to go to the beach, you could have just said so,” Daniel muttered, louder than he’d meant to.

          “Daniel!” Julie admonished her son.  “That was rude.  Apologize to Clover at once,” she commanded.  Daniel stood stock-still where he was, ignoring his mother’s order and staring intently at Clover, waiting for her to react.

          “Sorry everyone, for messing up your plans, but I promised a trip to the zoo,” Clover said, to the delight of her nephews and niece.  “Maybe another time,” she questioned.  Julie smiled, after shooting her son a quick scowl, and nodded.  “Cajun, can you grab my keys?” she asked as he passed the dresser where they sat.  Cajun looked at the dresser and picked up the keys.  “Thanks, ready?”  Curry scrambled off Paige’s lap, gave her a quick hug, and rushed over to take Clover’s free hand.

          “Clover, want some company?” Paige asked, standing up from the bed she’d been sitting on and approaching her friend.

          “No, go and have fun with Chris and everyone.  We’ll be fine,” Clover promised.

          “Can we see the tigers?” Curry asked, his eyes so full of hope there was no way Clover could refuse his request.

          “Absolutely,” she promised.

          “Come on Clover, I want to go with.  I know how much energy these three have.  You’re going to need help,” Paige insisted.

          “And I want to come too,” Chris added.  “I haven’t been to the zoo in ages.”

          “Why don’t we all go?” Julie suggested.  “Then we can go to the beach tomorrow.”  Chelsea agreed and Heath eagerly agreed, wanting to be close to Clover. 

          “Aunt Paige, can I go with you?” Curry asked, eagerly waiting for her answer.

          “As long as Aunt Clover agrees,” Paige said, having a soft spot in her heart for the 5-year-old child.  Clover agreed with a nod and started down the hall toward the parking lot.

          “So we’ll meet at the zoo?” Clover asked Paige as she opened the back door for Cajun and Cayenne to climb in the back of her car. 

          “Yeah,” Paige agreed as she helped Curry with his seat belt.

          “We don’t need a third car, do we?” Julie asked, causing Daniel to straighten his shoulders and head to Paige’s car.

          “Daniel, I want to go with you!” Chelsea cried, chasing after her brother.  Heath got in the back of Clover’s mustang with Cajun and Cayenne, and Julie got in the front.

“So how long of a drive is it?” Julie asked, making conversation as they drove down the road.  Clover watched the road ahead of her, unaware of Julie’s question.  “Clover, are you okay?”

“What?” Clover asked, looking over at Julie, wondering what she’d just asked her.  Julie looked over at Clover, a smile tugging at her mouth.

“He can be a little moody when he doesn’t get everything his way,” Julie said, as if reading Clover’s thoughts.

“Yeah.  I know,” Clover said with a sigh.  “You’re lucky you weren’t subjected to his quicksilver moods after Danielle, actually during the entire Daniel-Danielle situation…he was crabby.”

“I think it’s his natural state,” Heath added, explaining his brother’s natural behavior.

          “Heath,” Julie warned, “be nice.  Your brother is not here to defend himself.”  Heath rolled his eyes and looked out the window.  “But sometimes I have to agree.”

          “Aunt Clo,” Cayenne said quietly from the backseat, “I’m hungry.”  Her blue eyes locked on a Burger King sign along the road as she spoke.

          “Didn’t your father feed you?” Clover asked, surprised that Basil would let the kids out without having food first.

          “We were kind of rushed,” Cajun said, trying to add to his sister’s request.

          “So in other words, he fed you, but you want fast food?” Clover asked.

          “Basically,” Cajun said with a nod.  “Can we?”  Clover looked over at Julie, wanting her consent before she said yes or no.  Julie looked back at her and shrugged, making it Clover’s choice.  Clover put on her turn signal and headed into the B.K. parking lot.

          “What’s wrong?” Paige asked, stepping out of her car after parking.  Clover, Heath, Julie, Cayenne, and Cajun got out of the car.

          “Breakfast,” Clover said with a smile.  Curry climbed out of Paige’s car and joined his brother and sister, who stood with Clover.  Chris, Chelsea, and Daniel got out of Paige’s car, then everyone walked through the parking lot together, heading to the main entrance. 

          “Can I talk to you?” Daniel asked, grabbing Clover’s hand, forcing her to turn around and face him.

          “I’ll take the kids inside and order for them,” Paige said discreetly, helping to give them privacy to talk.  Neither Clover nor Daniel noticed the others beginning to go inside the restaurant. 

          “What?  Going to tell me it’s my fault my brother brought my nephews and niece over because his girlfriend went into labor?  Because her timing was bad for you?” Clover demanded.

          “I’m sorry,” Daniel mumbled.  “I shouldn’t have said what I did.  I just want everything to be perfect.  I don’t want my mom to worry about me, and trying to make everything just right is really stressing me out.  I’ve been taking that stress out on you and that’s not fair to you.”

          “You’re right,” Clover said, crossing her arms over her chest.  “It’s not my fault; and just remember, I don’t have to put up with this.”

          “I know,” Daniel said, pressing his forehead to hers.  “Thank you for everything.  I really appreciate everything you’ve been putting up with.  I’ll try not to get mad at you over nothing.”

          “Deal,” Clover agreed, smiling at his smile, which gave him a boyish look.  “Should we shake on it?”

          “I’ve got a better idea,” Daniel said a second before his lips came down to possess hers.   Clover didn’t complain or protest as his lips gently moved with hers.  All too soon, they broke apart and continued into the restaurant where everyone was waiting for them.  The rest of the day they spent at the zoo, entertaining the three young children, supposedly, but secretly everyone had a great time.  Curry clung to Paige, found that he actually liked Chris, and conned him into getting him a few souvenirs to take home.  Cajun and Cayenne stuck with Clover the entire day; Cajun by her side, and Cayenne usually on Daniel’s back, getting a piggyback ride.  All in all, everyone had fun and the kids put the delivery of their newest sibling out of their minds for a few hours.

 

Chapter 10

 

          “What’s up?” Paige asked, sitting next to Clover on the bench she was occupying, which was across the street from the ice cream stand everyone else was standing in front of.

          “Nothing,” Clover said, watching Daniel as he fooled around with his brother and sister, and even Chris.

          “Then what’s wrong, and don’t give me that ‘nothing’ crap.  Something is bugging you, and from the way your eyes are watching in that direction,” Paige said, pointing toward the ice cream stand, “it’s got something to do with Daniel.”

          “I really like him,” Clover said, closing her eyes.

          “And that’s a problem?” Paige asked, not following Clover’s line of thought.

          “His mom’s leaving tomorrow and I won’t have an excuse to be close to him anymore.  It’s all a sham.  We’re not dating and never will be.  He didn’t want Julie to worry about him or to try and set him up with anyone so he said we were dating,” Clover confessed, feeling better now that she had divulged her long hidden secret.

          “So he’s been lying the entire time?  And you went along with him?” Paige asked, surprised.  “Why?”  Clover looked up at the sky, watching the clouds; fluffy and white like big cotton balls and speeding across the blue sky.

          “Because I owed him,” Clover said, not looking at her friend.  “At least that’s why I went along with it in the beginning.  Now, it’s more like I just want to be around him and that’s why I’m going along with it.”

          “What are you going to do?” Paige asked, feeling bad for her friend and not knowing what to do about it.  Clover shrugged, having no answer herself.  The others joined them at the bench and Chris handed Paige a dish of ice cream with a plastic spoon.

          “Want some ice cream?” Daniel asked, sitting next to Clover on the bench.  She shook her head ‘no.’  “You feeling all right?” he asked, looking at her with concern.

          “Yeah,” she said quietly.  Daniel put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side.  Clover leaned her head on his shoulder, wishing she could snuggle close to him under different circumstances, real circumstances.

          “Cheer up, it’s a beautiful day,” he whispered in her ear, and then kissed her cheek.

          “I know,” Clover said, wishing it weren’t such a glorious day.  She wanted it to be miserable, like she was, “but I have to go to work, and better leave, before I’m late.”

          “Do you have to?” he asked before she stood up.  She nodded and stood, feeling a sense of loss when Daniel’s arm came away from her shoulder.

          “Clover, are you going back to the dorms first?” Paige asked, looking up from her ice cream.  At Clover’s nod, she stood up.  “I’ll come with, I need to go change before work.”  After saying their ‘byes’ the girls headed back to the campus and their dorm rooms.

          “You didn’t have to come with me,” Clover told Paige.

          “I know.  I have to go to work though,” Paige said, throwing away her empty ice cream container.

          “Not until three,” Clover said.  “I heard you talking to Chris.”

          “Well I wanted to know how you are,” Paige said.  “I’m worried about you.  Are you feeling all right?”

          “I guess,” Clover said with a shrug.  “The more time I spend with Daniel, the more I wish it wasn’t an act.”

          “Maybe you should talk to him about it,” Paige suggested.  Clover shrugged and they walked the rest of the way to the campus in silence.  “See ya.”  Clover went into her room and changed into a pair of khakis and a green tank top with a matching button down t-shirt to go over it, just in case she got cold.  She took her keys and ID, left the room, then drove the 10-minute car ride to the newspaper office.

          “Hey Clover,” Bruce, her boss, said when she walked in the office.

          “Hey,” she said listlessly.  Bruce looked at Clover and noticed her pale face and feverish eyes.  He placed his hand on her forehead and frowned when he decided she didn’t have a fever.

          “Are you feeling all right?” he asked.

          “Yeah, I guess,” she said with a shrug.

          “You don’t look so well,” he informed her.  “Do you want to go home?”

          “No, it’s all right.  I’m fine,” she insisted.

           “You sure?”

          “Yeah,” she said.  Bruce accepted her answer, finally.  “So what should I do?”  Bruce led her to a stack of papers that needed to be filed and another stack that had to be entered in the computer, then filed.

          “If you need more, let me know,” he said, leaving her to her work.  Clover began filing the stack of papers.  Two hours later she finally finished filing the papers.  After stretching, she sat behind the computer and started typing in the data on the next set of papers that she would have to file.  Around 6:30 that night, she was finished everything and developed a couple rolls of film.  She punched out and headed outside to her car.  Not wanting to go to the dorms, she drove around, heading to Basil’s.

          “Aunt Clover!” Cayenne cried after opening the front door.  She jumped into Clover’s arms and hugged her.  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her skinny arms wrapped around Clover’s neck and her blue eyes piercingly looking into her aunts.

          “I thought I’d come visit my favorite niece,” Clover said, her forehead pressed to Cayenne’s.  Cayenne giggled at the compliment.

          “She’s your only niece,” Basil said, coming into the front hall carrying his infant son, Erik.  Clover shrugged and set Cayenne back on the floor.  She scampered off to another room where Clover could hear a TV playing.  “So what are you doing here?” he asked as he gently patted Erik’s back, trying to burp him.

          “Didn’t really want to go back to school, so I decided to come visiting,” Clover said, heading into the living room where Cayenne had disappeared to.  “Besides I wanted to meet my new nephew,” she said as she peered over Basil’s shoulder at the small boy in his arms, dark fuzzy hair coating his round head.  Bright blue eyes stared into Clover’s green ones.

          “Do you want to hold him?” Basil asked after Erik let out a healthy burp.  Clover held out her hands to take the child from her brother.  She cradled the small body closely and protectively to her.

          “He’s so tiny,” she marveled as he stretched his pudgy arms and legs while opening his mouth and yawning with closed eyes.  Once his hands returned to his sides, he relaxed and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

          “Come over more often,” Lynda encouraged softly as she took her sleeping son form Clover.  “We’ve been trying to get him to sleep for 36 hours.  He just won’t go to sleep.”  Clover blushed slightly and watched as Lynda took Erik up the stairs to his room.

          “So what’s going on?” Basil asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the house onto the porch.  Clover shrugged and sat in the swing at one end of the porch.

          “Nothing,” she said, pushing the swing into motion with her foot.  “Just bored.  Have a lot on my mind and I didn’t want to go back yet.”

          “Are you okay?” Basil asked, leaning against the railing that surrounded the porch.  He watched her, his liquid caramel eyes sizing up her reaction.  Clover was reminded of her childhood years, when her brother had astutely judged her emotions, and talked with her until she’d opened up to him.  He’d always been there for her.  Being 5 years older, there was a gap between them, but they’d still been close.  Whenever she’d been troubled he’d helped her solve the problem.  At other times he’d teased her, in a brotherly way, but when it had counted he was always there.  For once in her life, Cover couldn’t tell her brother what was bothering her.

          “I’m fine,” Clover said with a wry smile.  “Like I said, a lot on my mind.  Actually, I should get back,” she said standing.  “See ya.”

          “Call me,” Basil called, watching Clover head back to her car and get inside.  With a wave, she got inside and shut the door.  Clover drove away from his house, heading back to her room.

          “Hey Clover,” Paige said, getting out of her own car, just getting back from work herself.  “Why are you home so late?” she asked, the clock on the front of Hanson Hall reading 11:15.

          “Went to visit Basil and the kids,” Clover said as they walked inside the dorm building.  They went up the stairs together, Paige talking about her day at work.

          “So how’s Erik Paul Fields doing?” Paige asked, reaching the third floor.

          “Good.  He’s so adorable,” Clover said with a smile.  “He fell asleep while I was holding him.  He’s got dark hair, that is more fuzz than hair, and eyes as blue as placid water.  He’s just so cute; almost enough to make you want a baby some day.  Almost.”

          “You’ll change your mind one day.  Someday you’ll want a son or daughter, just wait,” Paige said with authority.

          “Nope, never have wanted kids, never will.  That’s why Bay’s got kids, so I can spoil ‘em and send them home to their father.”  Paige shook her head at her friend’s view on children, which hadn’t changed much since she was a small child actually.

          “We’ll see,” Paige said with a sly smile as she disappeared into her room, leaving Clover in the hallway, faced with talking to Daniel.  She’d been dreading it all day.  She wasn’t sure how to tell Daniel that she wanted to really date him; that the entire situation was tearing her apart.  She hated lying to his family.  They were so nice to her and she was repaying them by being deceitful.  It was not the way she was raised.  She was taught not to lie and now she was caught between a relationship that was fictitious that she wished were real, and reality, where Daniel’s mother was leaving in less than 24 hours and the dream would be over.

          “Hey,” Daniel greeted, looking up from the magazine he was reading.  Clover smiled half-heartedly.  “What’s wrong?  Are you sick or something?”

          “No, I…Daniel, I can’t keep lying to your mother.”

          “Tomorrow’s the last day.  After she goes home, you won’t have to tell her anything.  Okay?”

          “No, I mean it.  I can’t lie to her.  I won’t compromise my beliefs anymore.  I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Clover said, backing away from Daniel as he rose. 

          “What am I supposed to tell my mom?”

          “I don’t know!  Maybe you should have thought of that before you dragged me into the entire thing!  I went along with it because I owed you, but I don’t owe you my morals, which need to be reevaluated now.”

          “You can’t do this to me, not now.  We have one more day!” Daniel whined.  “Please!?”

          “Tell her I’m sick then.  I don’t care, but I refuse to see your family anymore under false pretenses,” Clover said.  She turned her back on him and got dressed for bed.

 

 

Chapter 11

 

          Paige woke up one morning in May to find that Chris’s arm was draped around her waist and her head was resting on his other one.  She felt the length of his warm, au natural body against her back, and one of his legs was between the two of hers.  She smiled and gently turned herself to face him.  Her movement, combined with the soft, golden rays of the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows, caused Chris to stir as Paige rested her arm around his waist and pulled him even closer.  He squinted his eyes open and smiled at her as he tightened his grip on her as well.

          “I love waking up next to you,” Chris said with a sleepy smile as he gently touched the tip of his nose to hers.

          “Me too,” she said.  “I love nights like last night too.”

          “Mm…” Chris moaned, then began to kiss different parts of her face.  “We can do that in the mornings too you know.”

          “Yeah…” Paige said.  Chris kissed her on the lips.  They kissed a few times until Paige abruptly stopped.

          “What?”

          “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said, quickly getting out of the bed and grabbing a long shirt to slip over her naked body.  She returned a few minutes later with a fallen look on her face.

          “What is it?” Chris asked, concerned by the face she gave.

          “I think I should go to the doctor’s,” Paige said slowly, leaning her back against the door and looking at the floor.  Chris sat up and let one leg hang over the edge of the bed as if he were preparing to stand.

          “Why?” he asked.  “Is something wrong?”

          “I’m starting to think there is,” Paige said, finally raising her eyes to meet his.  As her inner chest muscles began to contract and tears threatened to fall from her eyes, Chris patted the bed and became extremely concerned.  “Honey, come here.  Tell me what’s wrong.”  Paige walked over and sat with him on the bed, sinking into his caring embrace and sniffing.  Chris held her to him, smoothing her hair and rubbing her back.  “Shh…”

          “All right,” Paige said after a few minutes.  She sat up and wiped her eyes, then took a few deep breaths before she went on.  Chris patiently sat listening, holding her hand as she spoke.  “Okay, you know how we didn’t use any protection last night?”

          “Shit…Yeah?  You’re not pregnant are you?” Chris asked.

          “That’s just it.  I’m not,” Paige said.

          “But shouldn’t that be a good thing?”

          “Sorta, except that the same thing has happened every time we haven’t used anything,” Paige explained.

          “Well, maybe we’re lucky?” Chris suggested.

          “Chris,” Paige said.  She looked down at their intertwined fingers and began to get worked up again.  Looking back up, but avoiding Chris’s eyes, she said, “What if this means I can’t get pregnant?  What if I can’t ever have children?”

          “Hey,” Chris said soothingly, putting his free arm around her shoulders.  She leaned against him with her head resting on his shoulder.  “You’re not alone in this.  I’m here too.  Who knows, maybe I’m the one with the problem; or maybe we’re not compatible or something.  Whatever.  Look, we’ll go see a doctor today or tomorrow and get it checked out.  Hopefully it’s just some weird temporary problem.  We’ll figure it out, okay?”  Paige nodded, then wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him.

          “I love you,” she said, kissing him sweetly.

          “And I love you,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.

          “Thank you…for supporting me and everything.  You’re being really great with this.  It means a lot that you’re not freaking out or running away or anything,” Paige said.

          “I will never run away from you.  You mean so much to me and I’ll stick by your side through any hardship you encounter.  Especially in something like this, where we’re both involved.  I’m here for you,” Chris said, enveloping her in a hug when he’d finished.  Paige sighed.

          “I’m so lucky I have you,” she said.  Chris smiled.

          “Ditto,” he said.

          “Well, should we get dressed?” Paige asked.

          “I suppose,” Chris replied.  They got up to get ready for their day.  After they’d both finished in the bathroom, they made their bed together, then embarked on getting dressed.  “Hey honey,” Chris said as Paige looked through her clothes in the closet.

          “Hm?” she responded, biting on her bottom lip in thought, then selecting a long skirt made of a light material.

          “Were you hoping to get pregnant?” he asked cautiously.  Paige turned to look at him, then shrugged.

          “I don’t know.  My view is that if it happens, it happens.  I’m not exactly planning on getting pregnant; I’m not specifically looking for it, but if it happens, then I’ll be really happy.  If it doesn’t, then that’s okay too.  I never expected I would be faced with the situation until we started having sex, but it’s kinda hard not to think about it now that there might be something wrong,” Paige said.

          “Did you want to go see a doctor today?”

          “Yeah, we might as well do it right away,” she said.

          “Okay.  Wanna stop at Rusty’s for breakfast?”

          “Sure, why not?” Paige answered, a smile illuminating her face.  Chris smiled back as he pulled on a pair of khaki-colored shorts over his blue, plaid boxers.  Paige wore the skirt she’d picked out, which was a pastel shade of yellow with little blue flowers all over it, a light blue, cropped tee shirt that clung to her figure and showed her belly button ring nicely, and her soft-soled, leather-topped clogs.  She wore her hair down, parted at the side, and a small, black-chained necklace with a little blue gemstone that nestled in the little indented curvature below her neck.  She also wore sapphire studs in her earlobes, and her small, leather-strapped watch.  Chris put a short-sleeved, green, plaid, button-down shirt on, his regular Airwalk shoes (with socks), and the watch he always wore.

          As they were laving the room, Chris wrapped his arms around Paige’s waist from behind and leaned his head into the crook of her neck, kissing it gently.  She placed her arms over his, and moved her head the other way so he could have more room, and smiled as they left their room.

          A few hours later, Chris, Paige, Daniel, and Clover sat in the living room, discussing the couple’s trip to the doctor.

          “Well, they took a couple tests and checked me out, and after a couple tests, they were able to figure it out.”  Paige paused to swallow.

          “So what is it?” Clover asked.

          “I supposedly have some sort of problem with my ovaries and the eggs in them.  Apparently, some of them are normal, and some aren’t,” Paige explained.  Chris, who sat behind her on the couch, ran his warm hands up and down her arms as he listened to the conversation.

          “So can you still have kids?” Daniel asked.

          “It’s a small percentage of a chance, but it is possible.  They gave me a few options for if we wanted to have any right now.  There’s in vitro fertilization, a surrogate mother if we thought that it would never happen, and doing it the old-fashioned way.”  Everybody smiled at the last choice.

          “And we’d rather have it happen naturally if it’s meant to,” Chris said.  Paige smiled back at him and he put his arms around her waist.

          “Well, it’s good that you know what’s happening and you know that you’ve got options,” Clover said.

          “It’s also good that you are gonna ‘do it the natural way’ too, because everything else would be really expensive, or way too emotional in the case of using a surrogate mother,” Daniel commented.

          “Yeah,” Paige agreed.  “But it could still take a while to get pregnant this way too, because it’s such a small percentage and we’d never know if an egg is normal or not.”

          “So are you actually going to try to get pregnant?” Clover asked, smiling at the prospect of becoming ‘Aunt Clover’ once again.

          “I don’t know,” Paige said, smiling back at Chris.  He was smiling as well.  “I think we still need to discuss that.”  Chris nodded as they smiled at each other, then at Clover and Daniel.

          “Well in any case, good luck,” Clover said.  “I hope you guys can have kids if you decide you want them.”

          “Thanks,” Paige said, smiling at her best friend.  Clover smiled back, then turned to Daniel.

          “Are you ready to go?” she asked.

          “Sure,” Daniel said.

          “Where are you guys off to?” Chris asked.

          “The pool hall.  We decided it’s time for a change of scenery and we found this pool hall in town that looked pretty decent, so we’re gonna go check it out,” Daniel explained.  

          “Do you guys want to come too?” Clover asked.  Chris looked at Paige, who gave him a look that said she would be happy to go.

          “Sure,” Chris said.   The four of them left shortly after and headed for “The 8 Ball” pool hall, everyone climbing into Daniel’s Eclipse.  They entered a semi-smoky room filled with people of all ages playing pool, sitting at the bar at the back of the room, sitting at small tables lining the walls, playing darts, and standing around the jukebox. 

          “This place looks pretty cool,” Paige commented as they made their way to an empty table that had four chairs at it.  They claimed their seats, then Daniel offered to go get drinks for the four of them.  Unfortunately for Clover, Paige, and Chris, they were all only 20 years old, so they couldn’t get any real drinks; only Daniel could.  He went to the bar and got the bartender’s attention.

          “Hey, a new face.  What can I get for ya?” he greeted Daniel.

          “I’ll have a Screwdriver, a Sex on the Beach, a Fuzzy Navel, and a Coors Light,” Daniel said, ordering his, Clover’s, Paige’s, and Chris’s drinks. 

          “Do you have ID?” the bartender asked.

          “Yeah, I’m 21,” Daniel said, getting his wallet out, “but I was wondering what your policy was on that.  My friends over there are going to be 21 this year.”  Daniel lied and gave the bartender a hopeful look as he showed him his driver’s license.

          “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll let you slide.  We’re pretty lenient around here, as long as there’s no serious risk of getting anybody in trouble,” he said.  “You aren’t planning on getting totally wasted, are you?”

          “Nah.  Chris over there is our sober friend for the night.  He’s gonna go easy on the alcohol so he can drive everyone else home if we need him to,” Daniel said.

          “All right,” the bartender said, handing the ID back to him.  “That was a Screwdriver, Sex on the Beach, Fuzzy Navel, and Coors Light?”

          “Yeah,” Daniel confirmed, “thanks.”

          “No problem,” the bartender said with a smile, then turned to get the drinks.  Daniel went back to the table and gave everybody the news, then they all began pondering what they were going to do first.

          “I feel like playing pool,” Paige said.

          “I’ll play against you,” Clover offered.

          “Okay,” Paige said.  “We’ll have to wait until a table’s free.  God, there’ s so many people in here.”

          “Yeah,” Clover said, looking around.

          “What are you gonna do?” Paige asked Chris.

          “I don’t know.  Maybe Daniel will throw some darts with me until there’s another pool table free.  I’ll watch you guys for a while too,” Chris said.  Paige smiled at him as his eyes wandered around the room.  When he finally looked down at her, he instantly smiled back, then leaned down to kiss her, putting his hand behind her head.  Their tongues quickly found each other as they kissed, then they parted before they got too carried away.

          “Hey guys, here’s a complimentary gift for you’s since you’re new,” a tall, thin, middle-aged guy said, dropping a pack of Marlboro Light 100s on the table, as well as a pack of matches.

          “Thanks,” Chris said, surprised.  The guy raised his hand as he smiled and walked away.  Chris picked up the pack and opened it, took a cigarette for himself, then held it out for the others.  “You guys want one?”

          “Sure, thanks,” Paige said, taking one out and picking up the matches.  Paige lit her cigarette and held out the match for Chris.  Paige took her first drag, getting her cigarette going.  Daniel then came back with the drinks, distributed them.  The four of them sipped their drinks while they watched the other people in the room until there was an open pool table, then Clover and Paige got up to go play.  Daniel and Chris decided to just watch the girls rather than do anything else, and as they played, the guys talked about graduating college and what they would do afterwards.

          “Are you gonna get a job?” Chris asked.

          “I don’t know, it’s not for another year,” Daniel said.  “I guess we should if we’re gonna stick around in America for a while until the girls graduate.”

          “Yeah.  That’s another whole year that we’ll have to do nothing since we’ll be out of school,” Chris said.

          “I don’t know what I’d do though,” Daniel said.  “I mean, I know I’ll be qualified for stuff, but I don’t know if I’d actually want to work.  You know what I mean?”

          “Yeah.  We can still write music.  We’ve got our guitars, we can still get some stuff down for now,” Chris said, not wanting to mention Ben.

          “We need a drummer for the full effect.  We should really get Ben to come over here for a while,” Daniel said, giving Chris a look that said that he didn’t care if Chris didn’t want to hear it, but that they really needed Ben if they wanted to do anything.

          “I know…” Chris said, turning to look at the girls’ game and taking a swig of his beer.  “I just don’t know how ready I am to speak to him yet.  It still hurts, you know?”

          “Yeah but Chris, you’ve got Paige now.  You two are totally in love, and you’re practically planning to start a family.  Why should you be bothered by what happened between you and Ben anymore?” Daniel asked.

          “It’s not exactly what happened that bothers me anymore.  It’s the fact that he knew that Victoria Jean and I were together and still went behind my back with her,” Chris said.

          “Well, maybe she fed him a lie.  Maybe she told him she broke up with you so he would sleep with her or something.  We know how she is now, Chris.  She could have easily done something deliberately that only she knows about,” Daniel said.

          “That’s true…but still.  If Ben and I were as close of friends as I thought we were, I would have thought he’d come to me to make sure of it before he did what he did,” Chris said.  Daniel decided he couldn’t say anything to change Chris’s mind, so he just shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his drink.

          “So what about you?  Are you going to look around for a job?” he asked instead.

          “I don’t know.  I guess I could, but as you said, I don’t know that I’d want to work either,” Chris answered.

          “You’ve got a promising talent though.  You’re a good cook.  You could easily get a job somewhere,” Daniel said.

          “But the music…that’s everything I’ve always wanted.  We’ve got it already, we’re good at it, we’ve accomplished things with it, so why shouldn’t we stick with it?” Chris asked.

          “You’re right.  You could still make some good spending money with a chef job,” Daniel said.  “We won’t be able to live off our money for long, and now we have to pay for college too.”

          “Ugh, don’t remind me,” Chris said.  “Hey, couldn’t you work with Clover at the newspaper place?  You’re studying the same sort of thing, right?”

          “I could, but she didn’t want me to touch anything the last time I was there,” Daniel said.

          “You were high.  She had a reason to scold you.  Besides, you could keep an extra eye on her if you worked with her,” Chris pointed out.  Daniel thought about his friend’s point, but shook his head.

          “I don’t think so.  We’d probably end up seeing too much of each other or get on each other’s nerves or something,” Daniel said.  “Besides, she’s got her own thing going on there, and I don’t really think I could intrude on that part of her life.  She’s got that for herself; a place where I don’t need to be.”

          “Good point,” Chris said.  Over at the pool table, Paige and Clover were talking as well.   They spoke of Paige and Chris’s recent discovery and Clover’s life.

 

 

Chapter 12

 

          “Daniel, come on,” Clover said, tugging on his right hand.  “Don’t you want to go to the party?” she asked.  “It’ll be fun.”

          “Yeah, for you,” Daniel said, allowing Clover to pull him toward the door.  “You can drink.  I’m not allowed.”

          “You can drink, some.  It’s not the end of the world.  I’ll keep you company, if you want,” Clover offered.  Daniel smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders as they entered the hallway.  “So did you want me to hang out with you?”

          “I suppose,” Daniel said, knocking on Chris and Paige’s door.  “At least until someone cuter comes along.”

          “Like that’ll ever happen,” she said, smiling angelically.  Chris and Paige came out of their room and the four of them headed outside to Daniel’s Eclipse.  Once at the party, Chris and Paige split from Daniel and Clover, heading to the kegs.  With cups full of Lite beer, they mingled some and found a secluded corner, where they drank, danced, and kissed.

          “Wanna dance?” Daniel asked, his mouth close to Clover’s ear.  She turned around and shrugged nonchalantly.  “What?  Don’t you want to be seen with me?”

          “I thought you were looking for someone cuter,” she said, holding back a smile.

          “I am, but I haven’t found anyone yet,” Daniel said.  “Come on,” he said, pulling her onto the cleared area of the floor, where most of the dancing was taking place.  Someone handed Clover a cup of something alcoholic.  She took a sip of it and found it pleasant-tasting.  “Maybe you shouldn’t drink that.  You have no idea what’s in there.”

          “Live life dangerously,” she said with a carefree smile.  “Want some?” she asked, holding up the clear plastic cup filled half-full of an orangey liquid.

          “No thanks,” Daniel said, taking the cup and setting it on a table that they were dancing near.  “It could be filled with some drugs or something.”

          “Well if there’s Roofies in there, I’ll trust you to take me home without anything happening,” Clover promised.

          “Don’t joke,” Daniel said as the song changed to the Beastie Boys’ ‘Girls.’  “There could be something bad in that drink!”

          “Lighten up,” Clover demanded, getting into the music.  Daniel sighed, but continued to dance with Clover, the two getting closer with each song and every beer.

          “Hey you two,” Sarah, a brunette in Clover’s Algebra class, greeted, a beer in her hand and alcohol on her breath.  “Having fun?” she asked, stumbling into a couple dancing near Clover and Daniel.

          “Yup,” Clover assured her.  “You?” she asked, facing Sarah while Daniel was dancing behind her, grinding really.  His hands on her hips, he pulled her tightly against him and rubbed against her, causing friction in both of them.

          “Yes siree,” Sarah said, raising her glass to her mouth.  She saw someone she knew and waved.  “Bill, hey!” she called, stumbling toward him.  Clover turned around, allowing Daniel to keep his hands on her hips and their bodies brushing each other’s. 

          “Do you realize what you do to me?” Daniel asked as the Bloodhound Gang’s ‘Bad Touch’ began playing and they really started grinding.  Clover, breathing irregularly, looked up at him.  Her eyes were half glazed and unfocused.  She smiled, awe-struck by the vision she saw.  She saw Daniel, dim lights flickering and flashing all around him, highlighting clouds of smoke, and the music surrounding them both, and saw an angel before her, or maybe it was the devil.  In either case, she was intrigued.

          “Probably the same thing you’re doing to me right now,” Clover breathed, her mouth reaching his before she finished talking.  “God I want you,” she whispered in his ear, her voice taking on a husky note.  “Let’s go upstairs; see if there are any rooms open,” she suggested.

          “Let’s just go back to the dorms,” Daniel suggested.  “Then we don’t have to worry about where we fall asleep.”  He guided Clover to where he’d seen Chris and Paige earlier.  They weren’t there.  He scanned the room, but didn’t see them anywhere.  “Come on,” he urged, propelling Clover through the crowd and toward the stairs.

          “Hey!” Clover said, looking over her shoulder at Daniel.  “I thought we were going to our room.”

          “We are,” Daniel promised.  “I have to find Chris and Paige first.  Help me look,” he commanded.  Clover looked around, searching for either Chris or Paige.

          “Hey, where are you two going?” Chris asked, standing at the top of the stairs.  Paige stood behind him buttoning her shirt.  “Are you looking for a room?”

          “No, we want to leave,” Daniel said, turning and going back down the stairs, holding Clover’s hand to make sure she was there with him.  Chris looked at Paige, who shrugged.  They followed Daniel and Clover, having little choice since he was the one going to drive them home.  Daniel burned excess amounts of rubber heading back to the dorms.

          “Want to hang out for a little while?” Chris asked, wanting to socialize.  “I have a bottle of Rum in our room.”

          “No, thanks,” Daniel said, looking at Clover.  She was watching him, her eyes more than half closed and looking sleepy and sexy at the same time.  He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up in his arms, carry her to their room, and make mad, passionate love to her.  Of course, he didn’t need an audience for that and could do without Chris and Paige.

          “Are you sure?” Chris asked.  “There’s plenty of Rum to go around.  Do you really want Paigie and me to have all that fun alone?” he asked, his arm around Paige’s shoulders.  Daniel looked again at Clover, seeing her leaning against the car, and realized they were still standing in the parking lot.

          “Yeah, I’m sure,” Daniel said.  He put his arm around Clover’s waist and started walking to the doors of the building.  “I’m kinda tired,” he said just as Clover yawned again.  “I think I’ll just help Clover get to bed and turn in myself,” he said.

          “Good plan,” Clover agreed, stepping closer to Daniel.  She stumbled slightly and placed her hand on Daniel’s chest to steady herself.  Beneath her fingers she felt his heart beating at a slightly irregular rate.

          “Goodnight,” Paige called as Chris and Daniel unlocked their doors.  Clover waved over her shoulder, not even turning around to say a proper farewell.  Daniel opened the door and pulled Clover inside.  Without preamble he turned to her and kissed her.

          “Daniel,” Clover asked, pushing away from him.  “What are we doing?” she asked, sitting on her bed.  The whole situation was spiraling downward and she knew it, yet didn’t totally want to stop it.

          “Whatever you want,” Daniel said, sitting next to her.  Clover thought about that for a while, staring into the dark room at nothing.

          “I trust you,” she said finally, looking into Daniel’s eyes.  He smiled happily and moved closer to Clover.  His mouth took possession of hers, causing fear and insecurities to fly out of her head.

          “Do you really trust me?” Daniel asked.  “I mean seriously, without a doubt trust me?”

          “Yes,” Clover said slowly, cautiously.  “Why?”

          “I want you Clover.  I have since the first time I saw you,” he said, carefully watching her facial expressions.  “I want to make love to you.”

          “Daniel, I want you too, but I don’t know,” Clover said, uncertainty overpowering all other thoughts.  Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and all thought had to travel through the obstacle.

          “I thought you trusted me,” he said, kissing her neck, then her ear and jawbone.

          “I do,” Clover said, tilting her head back to expose her neck to his kisses.

          “Good,” Daniel said, kissing, sucking, and nibbling on her extra sensitive skin.  “Because I don’t know if I could stand you not trusting me,” he said as he unbuttoned her white shirt and kissed her skin as he went.  After the last button, he tossed her shirt on the floor and started kissing her shoulder.  He pushed the strap of her green satin bra down over her shoulder as he kissed her arm.  He repeated the gesture with the other arm.  When both straps were off her shoulders, he unclasped the bra and let it fall to the floor.  He sat back and looked at her, openly approving of what he saw.

          “You’re exquisite,” he said, causing her to blush.  He brought his lips back to hers, pressuring them open with his tongue.  Clover put her hands behind his head, her fingers twining in his hair as their kiss continued.  Daniel groaned, pulling her onto his lap and positioning her so she was straddling him, their chests pressed together.

          Clover inched her hands down over Daniel’s shoulders, down his chest, and to the hem of his shirt.  Her hands slipped under the black cotton, her fingers pressing against his heated flesh, slick with perspiration.  Softly, her fingers tickled his skin.  Daniel leaned away from her, quickly removing his shirt and tossing it in a bundle on the floor.  Lightly he kissed her lips, then moved to her collarbone, then down her chest until he reached the valley between her breasts.  His tongue blazed a trail of liquid heat that scorched her skin, leaving her struggling for air and yearning for more.  “Daniel!” she moaned.  His tongue circled the base of one breast then climbed to the rosy bud.  His mouth covered the tip of her breast, his tongue eagerly circling and teasing the rock hard bud.  Feelings new to Clover coursed through her body, causing her breathing to come out in ragged, sporadic bursts.  Her hands dug into Daniel’s shoulders, pressing him closer to her, wanting more of the unknown pleasures his kisses promised. 

          Daniel moved to the other breast, giving it the same attention he’d given its twin.  Clover moaned and squirmed against him, moving herself as close to him as possible in clothes.  Daniel smiled as he teased her, his tongue flicking in and out of his mouth, flicking over her budded nipple.  Unable to achieve relief from the painful pleasure, she arched her back, giving him easier access to her breast, her legs wrapped around his waist.

          “Anxious?” he asked, nibbling softly at her ear, his warm, moist breath fanning over her face causing goose bumps to cover her skin and a shiver to run down her spine.  “You okay?” he asked, repositioning them so Clover was lying on her back, himself lying above her, his weight resting on his elbows.

          “Yeah,” Clover promised, smiling weakly up at him.  “Just nervous I guess,” she confessed.  “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

          “Then we’ll just have to make it extra special,” Daniel said, claiming her lips for a kiss, gently at first, but with growing passion.  As their tongues played a rousing game of hide and seek, Clover’s hands traced his chest from neck to the waistband of his blue jeans, the pads of her fingers tracing the outline of every muscle, committing him to memory.  Daniel worked the button off and zipper down on Clover’s cargo pants, without her notice, and removed them and her shoes and socks with little resistance.  The smooth satin panties, the matching pair to the bra he’d thrown on the floor earlier, was her only covering.  Without shame, Daniel finished disrobing himself and stood before Clover in all his glory, standing straight and tall, proudly letting her view him.  He took Clover’s slightly moist hand and pulled her to her feet.  Once standing, he pressed closer to her, needing to feel her against him, his groin pushing into her stomach.  Clover looked up at him, an unspoken question in her glazed green gaze.  He answered her question by roughly claiming her mouth while his hands pushed the only remaining barrier between them down over Clover’s hips and let the satin panties slide to the floor.  Clover stepped out of them, in the process of taking a step closer to Daniel, and continued the kiss.  With carefully measured steps, Daniel backed Clover to the bed.  When the backs of her legs were brushing the bed, he helped her to a sitting position.  He sat down next to her, his hands igniting forest fires wherever they touched her heated flesh.  Slowly, by measured increments, he maneuvered Clover so she was once again lying down on her back while he stretched out next to her.

          She moaned in protest when he moved his lips away from hers and rained kisses down to her abdomen.  His kisses found their way to reclaim first one breast, then the other, while his hand slipped between her thighs and into the heated core of her body.  First one finger, then another, found their way into the most secret and sacred region of her body.  Soon Clover was wiggling beneath him, begging for him to quell the raging desire and need he’d created within her.  With an evil grin, he removed his fingers from where they’d been working their magick and replaced them with his tongue.  The soft pink flesh of his tongue met her velvety interior, which his fingers had known intimately moments ago, and greeted it lovingly.  He playfully licked at her clit, his tongue darting in and out of his mouth causing Clover to moan with pleasure and writhe beneath him, trying to reach something unknown; something just out of reach.  “Daniel, please,” she pleaded desperately.  She didn’t know what she was begging for; she only knew she wanted it and Daniel was the only one that could give it to her.

          “All right sweetheart,” Daniel said, smiling, pleased he could create such a strong reaction in another person.  “Just take it easy,” he commanded, positioning himself above her.  Gently, he nudged her legs further apart and eased inside.  The fit was tight and, for a second, he remembered what Clover had said about never doing anything like they were before, so he gave it a new meaning.  Instead of it meaning she’d never had a sexual encounter without the ties of a relationship, as he’d interpreted it, he wondered if it were at all possible Clover was really saying this was her first sexual encounter at all.  ‘No way,’ he chastened himself, sending the thought from his mind.  He surged forward, filling her with him; filling her so full she cried out in pain.  Daniel looked down at her, perspiration dotting his upper lip with liquid as he tried to control himself.  What he saw disturbed him.  Instead of the provocative, sexy enchantress he’d been fooling around with, he saw an innocent child, frightened and staring up at him with intense green eyes.  Confused, he stared at her, unsure of what was going on.  The only sound was the unsteady panting of the two.  Only paying partial attention, Daniel noticed the tightness in Clover’s passage ease away, allowing him full access.  Sensations began coursing through Clover again, causing her to want the ache within her eased away.  Beneath Daniel she squirmed, re-igniting his passion.  She pulled his head to hers, making their lips meet as he started the age-old rhythm of love and passion within her, causing her to climb closer to utopia.

          “Daniel,” she moaned, her hands holding the back of his head, keeping his lips to hers as they were fusing their emotions as well as their bodies together.  With a new urgency, he increased the rate at which their bodies were bumping and grinding together, causing Clover’s head to spin as sensations sweet and tormenting surrounded her.  The same urgency and need coursing through Daniel’s heated blood was flowing through her veins.  The tempo of their dance increased more and more; their hearts pounding against the wall of their chests, their breathing coming in labored, sporadic bursts, and perspiration covering bother their bodies, making their skin glisten in the moonlight.  Hungrily, Clover met him thrust for thrust, their hips banging together in frenzied movements and straining for ultimate pleasure and release, both needing the other.  Together they scrambled to the top of that forbidden, euphoric mountain where they lost themselves in the pleasure.  Crashing down slowly from the satisfaction and adrenaline-laced passion, Daniel rolled off of Clover.  He propped his head up on his elbow, his hand resting on the side of his face so he could watch Clover.

          Their eyes met, neither sure how the other would feel after the adrenaline wore off.  They watched each other, looking for some insight into the other’s feelings.  Clover smiled tentatively and kissed Daniel’s cheek.  She curled up next to him, her head resting in the crook of his arm, and fell asleep.  Daniel kissed her forehead and covered them with the blanket.  He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on the pillow next to hers, sleep quickly claiming him as well.

          “Hmm,” Daniel said, opening his still heavy eyelids.  He stretched, his leg brushing against some foreign object; something soft, silky, and warm.  “What the—“ he began, waking up quickly.  He rolled onto his side, curiosity making him pull the cover down to expose a naked shoulder.  At the sight of honey-colored hair, visions of the previous night came crashing back to him.  With a sigh, Clover rolled over, unconsciously snuggling against Daniel’s chest, their sleek bodies pressed the length of each other’s.

          “God my head hurts,” Clover mumbled against his bare chest, still half asleep.  “Daniel?” she whispered, refusing to open her eyes and find that it was seriously happening.

          “Yeah,” Daniel said.  “How do you feel?”

          “Tell me it was all a bad dream,” she begged, still refusing to look at him.  “Oh God,” she moaned, looking up at him and seeing his eyes on her.  She moved away from him as quickly as she could, keeping the blanket conservatively around her.  Daniel looked at her, confused and wondering what the huge deal was.

          “What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up, the blanket sliding to his waist.  He kept his eyes on her the entire time.  Clover looked at him, her eyes involuntarily scanning his chest and following the line of golden-brown hair as it made its way down his torso and disappeared under the blanket.  “It’s not that big of a deal.  I mean it’s not like we’ve got to start dating or something just because of what happened.  “It’s not the end of the world.”

          “Not for you,” Clover said, standing and taking the blanket with her.  Daniel made a grab for a sheet and quickly covered himself.  “You probably do this all the time.  God, why did I trust you?”

          “What are you saying?” Daniel asked, standing across the bed from Clover.  “Are you saying that I sleep around a lot?”

          “I don’t know,” Clover said, unable to think clearly.  She couldn’t fathom how, after 20 years of abstaining from all types of sex, she had thrown it all away after a few drinks.  The worst part wasn’t what she’d done, or whom she had done it with; it was that he didn’t seem to realize how monumental the situation was to her.  She had told him, after all.

          “Is this how you are all the time?  No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend,” Daniel said, disgusted.

          “That’s not why I don’t have one,” Clover defended herself.  She turned around, so that her back was toward Daniel, and slipped into her bathrobe.  He watched her as she gathered some clothes and left the room.

          “Not even,” he said after the door closed.  “What did I do?”  He sighed and grabbed a pair of briefs.  He put them on, followed by a pair of Khaki-colored cords, then tossed the sheet back onto Clover’s bed.  It missed and slid onto the floor.  He leaned forward to pick up the white sheet and his eyes fell on to the bed.  Again, Clover’s voice saying ‘I’ve never done anything like this before’ popped into his consciousness.  He had the answer to his question:  Which one was she, the innocent girl watching him, frightened, or the experienced temptress?  She was the innocent child who trusted him.  “No fucking way,” he growled.  He balled up the sheet and threw it against the wall.  He picked up a rumpled, red, Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt, pulled it on over his head, shoved his arms through it, and slipped into a pair of sandals.  Angry at himself, and Clover, he grabbed his keys and stormed out of the room.  The door slammed closed behind him, giving him a little satisfaction when he heard the sound of old wood cracking.  He marched down the hall, unsure of where he was heading.

          Clover returned about ten minutes after Daniel had left, and showered, feeling cleansed afterward.  She knew he was gone before she opened the door.  Opening it only confirmed her intuitive perception.  She closed the door gently behind her, her eyes going directly to her bed.  The stain, drying to a reddish-brown and smelling metallic, caught her attention.  With a deep breath, she stripped the sheet from the bed, rolled it into a ball, and placed it in a plastic bag.

          “Clover, Daniel,” Paige called, knocking on the door.  Clover flipped her mattress over, putting the stained side down, and went to open the door.  “Are you guys awake?” she called, knocking again.

          “Yeah,” Clover said as Paige opened the door.  “Just getting ready to do some wash.”  Paige looked around at the pile of clothes on Clover’s floor and the bed lacking sheets.

          “Oh,” she said, sitting on the edge of Daniel’s bed as Clover tossed her clothes in a wicker laundry basket.  “Well Chris and I were going to go to breakfast.  Wanna come?”  Clover shook her head, not wanting company.  “Are you sure?”  Clover nodded.  “All right.  Did you want us to bring something back?” Paige asked, noticing something was bothering her friend.  Clover shook her head again.

          “Not really hungry,” she said, putting the plastic bag in the laundry basket with the rest of her clothes.  She picked up the basket, slipped into a pair of sandals, picked up her keys, and turned to face Paige.

          “Well Chris and I are going to go,” Paige said.  “We’ll see you later.”  She headed for the door asking, “Do you know where Daniel is?”

          “No,” Clover answered quickly.  “Why would I know where he is?”

          “I don’t know,” Paige said, looking at Clover, wondering why she was acting so weird.  “I thought since you sleep in the same room, you might know where he is.”

          “We’re roommates, nothing more,” Clover said quickly.  “I don’t know where he goes or at what times.  I have no reason to know what he does.”

          “All right,” Paige said, again wondering what was going on.  “Then Chris and I’ll go.  See ya later,” she said.  Clover watched her leave and heaved a sigh of relief that Paige didn’t guess what had happened.

          “Get a hold of yourself,” she commanded herself, and headed to the parking lot, heading for a laundry mat.

 

 

Chapter 12

 

          Hey Daniel, come on in,” Eli greeted, holding the door open so Daniel could squeeze by.  Daniel walked into the apartment that Eli shared with another guy.  It was decorated in pastels and flowers, colors and patterns more associated with a woman’s furnishings than a man’s bachelor pad.

          “Nice place,” Daniel said, knowing how much time and effort his friend had put into decorating the two-bedroom apartment.  Eli smiled at the compliment.  He looked around his small entry hall, living room, and kitchen all at once and shrugged his thin shoulders.

          “It was nothing really,” he said off-handedly.  “Just something I threw together.”  Daniel smiled, shaking his head and followed Eli into the living room.  “Have a seat.  Eddie should be here soon,” he offered.  Daniel sat in a chair, afraid to sit on the couch where Eli could sit next to him.  He’d met Eli in English and had liked him, unfortunately Eli liked him a little more than he liked Eli.

          “So when’d you and Eddie get together?” Daniel asked, mentally adding about 20 pounds to Eli’s frail looking body and deciding he wasn’t too bad looking or wouldn’t be with some more body mass.

          “Two months ago tomorrow,” Eli said, unable to prevent the smile that came to him when he mentioned his boyfriend’s name.  “I couldn’t wait for you forever,” he said, giving Daniel a wistful smile.

          “And I’m glad you turned him down,” Eddie said, coming in the door.  He sat down next to Eli on the couch, placing his hand on Eli’s thigh.  “But if you ever want to join—”

          “I’ll keep that in mind,” Daniel promised.  “So, about the project,” he prompted, wanting to do the project the three were working on and get away.

          “Are we making you uncomfortable?” Eli asked, laughter accompanying his question.  “Don’t be so paranoid.  We’re not contagious, and we don’t bite.”
          “You do too,” Eddie said.

          “Stop,” Eli said, playfully slapping Eddie’s hand.  “You’re so bad.”  Eddie smiled, bringing his lips to Eli’s.  Daniel tried not to be too interested in their actions and scanned the room for something to occupy him while the two lovebirds showed their affection fro one another.

          “Hey Eli,” Eli’s roommate, Jesse, called walking in the apartment.  Eli broke apart form Eddie and looked up, noticing the depressed and frustrated aura around Jesse immediately.  “I’m not in the way if I’m back early am I?”

          “No, of course not,” Eli assured Jesse.  He stood up and walked to his fried, putting his arm around his shoulders and turning him toward the couch.  “Join us,” he offered.  Jessed just shrugged and sat on the couch, dejectedly staring into space.

          “Bad date?” Eddie asked as Eli resumed his original seat.  Jesse sighed.

          “I just wish I could meet a girl who’s all she pretends to be.  Someone who’s not fake,” Jesse whined.  “Guess I’m doomed to go out with girls that can’t even spell their own names let alone hold a conversation.”

          “I’m sure you’ll meet someone with that upbeat tone,” Eli said sarcastically.  “Daniel this is my roommate, Jesse.  He’s not having much luck with the ladies, as you can tell.”

          “I’m having luck,” Jesse corrected.  “I’m just not finding one who meets my expectations, that’s all.”  Eli rolled his eyes and snorted.

          “With your expectations you’ll never find one.  Now if you’d let me set you up with my cousin,” Eli suggested.

          “I told you I don’t want to date your cousin.  I’m sure he’s really nice and all, but I’m more into women.”

          “Daniel, what about Clover?” Eddie suggested.  “She isn’t seeing anyone, is she?”

          “I don’t think so,” Daniel said slowly.  “I don’t think she’d appreciate me setting her up on a blind date though.”

          “We’re not asking you to do anything,” Eli said.  “We’ll do it,” he said with a conspirator grin shared by Eddie.  The two stood and left the room, leaving Daniel and Jesse alone.  Both knew what the other two were going to try and do and neither was sure how they felt about that.

          Eddie and Eli returned tot the living room, neither saying a word about what had been going on.  They started work on the project, Jesse helping since he was bored and wanted company.  A half hour after Jesse returned home the doorbell rang.  Daniel looked towards the door, his breath caught in his throat, hoping it wasn’t Clover.  For some reason he didn’t want her anywhere near Jesse.  Eli looked at Eddie and the two rushed to the door, huge grins on their faces.  They conversed for a short time with whoever was at the door, Daniel couldn’t see and they talked too softly for him to hear, then they opened the door wider fro Clover to enter.  In his head Daniel groaned.

          “Clover, what are you doing here?” Daniel asked, curious as to how Eli and Eddie had gotten her to come over.

          “I wanted to borrow her copy of ‘The Shining’,” Eddie said, holding up the hard cover copy of the Stephen King book.

          “And I’m returning the Dylan Thomas book I borrowed,” Eli said, disappearing into his bedroom.  The room fell into silence, everyone feeling ill at ease.  “Did you meet my roommate, Jesse, before?” Eli asked, returning with the worn leather bound book of poetry.

          “I don’t believe I have,” Clover said with a smile.  “I’m Clover,” she said, extending her hand to Jesse. 

          “Jesse,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it.  Clover blushed and looked down at the floor.  Daniel cleared his throat, trying to separate Clover and Jesse.

          “I’ve gotta go,” Clover said, blushing again when her eyes met Jesse’s intense brown gaze.  “See ya around.”

          “Count on it,” he promised and walked her to the door.  Clover left the apartment with a smile on her face and possibilities bouncing through her head.  Clover and Jesse met up again a couple days later and decided to go out on a date.  Soon they entered into relationship status.  Clover was so occupied with finals, her job, and Jesse she didn’t have time to house hunt with the others.  She trusted Paige’s taste and agreed with whatever one she liked.

          “What do you think?” Paige asked, turning to Clover to watch her reaction.  Clover looked over the house that she, Paige, Chris, and Daniel were now renting.  She took in the two-car garage, paved driveway, and the small front yard with two lilac trees in it, one on either side of the front sidewalk.  The porch held a swing at one end, hanging so the back was facing the driveway, and the front door was opened.

          “It’s not too bad,” Clover said as they walked up the front steps.  “So far,” she added, her fingers running over the silver numbers on the mailbox, which hung next to the front door.  She walked into the front hall, behind Paige, and took in the minimal decor in it and the living room.  Paige led her through the rest of the downstairs:  the bathroom, dining room, and kitchen.

          “The basement is down there,” Paige said, pointing to a door at their left sides as they walked into the kitchen.  It was wooden, but painted white, and locked.  “There’s a washer and dryer in the basement,” she added as she led the way back the way they’d come, then up the stairs to the second floor.  As they reached the top of the stairs and turned right into the hallway, which had a window at the very end of it, she continued, “there’s the bathroom, and two bedrooms, and there’s another bedroom in the attic.  Everything is heated and the entire house has central air.”  Clover nodded as she peeked inside the rooms.  The bathroom walls were white and it contained a double sink with a large mirror above it, one window next to the mirror with the toilet right below it, and a bathtub/shower, which sat perpendicular to the toilet along the back wall.  The first bedroom, which came after the bathroom, was painted in a cheery yellow that was neither too bright nor too pale, and had two windows.  The master bedroom, which of course was bigger than the first, was at the end of the hall, painted a really light blue, and had three windows.

          “So did you assign rooms yet?” Clover asked, walking up the attic stairs behind Paige.  Paige looked over her shoulder at Clover, a forced smile on her face.

          “Actually we did.  Since you didn’t want to come when we were looking the place over, you weren’t here to lay claim to a room.  Since Chris and I will be sharing a room, we chose the bigger one, and anyway, it’s blue.  And Daniel wanted the other one on the second floor because he’s planning on getting a water bed and thought it might be too heavy for the third floor, so…”

          “I get the third floor,” Clover finished for Paige.  Paige nodded, stepping into the outer attic room.  She opened the inner room’s door and exposed a room with three windows and off-white walls.

          “What do you think?” Paige asked, standing next to Clover, trying to see the room through Clover’s eyes.  Clover shrugged.  It was a room; nothing much to look at, but it was hers and she didn’t have to share it with anyone.

          “It’s fine,” she said.  “What’s the back yard look like?” she asked, turning to exit the room and go back downstairs.  Paige went with her as Clover made her way to the kitchen and the back door.  She opened the door and looked at the small back yard they got with the house.  Flowerbeds full of multicolored pansies lined the back of the house just as a six-foot wooden fence straddled the property line.  Against the fence, blue and purple Morning Glories grew, their leafy vines coating the brownish red cedar with splashes of green, blue, and purple.  In the middle of the yard, set into the ground, was a cement pool.  Five feet in depth, 17 feet in width, and 30 feet long, the pool was filled with clear, inviting water.  A shadow fell over the pool, caused by a huge old maple tree.  From one of the many branches dangled a wooden swing from twin ropes that were clearly tied on the tree many years ago.

          Clover smiled to herself as she looked at the tree.  A perfect climbing tree, its branches were thick and strong, and most importantly, they were close enough to the ground to begin the climb.  She could picture leisurely-spent afternoons hiding in the leafy branches of the tree.  Paige saw the unconsciously-formed smile on Clover’s face and shook her head slightly, knowing what her friend was thinking.

          “I seem to remember Gina forbidding you to ever climb a tree again,” Paige reminded her.  “Something about not wanting a tomboy for a daughter anymore.”  Clover turned her head, stuck her tongue out at Paige, and turned her attention back to the tree.

          “Oh come on Paige.  I was ten!” she whined.  “Besides, she banned you too as I recall.  She said it was time we started playing with dolls and wearing dresses instead of following Basil and his friends around.  Remember?”

          “Yeah, I remember,” Paige said with a rueful smile.  “You climbed too high.  Even Basil tried to get you to stop.  Not you, you had to go to the top.  You had to see the world from the Eagles’ perspective.”

          “Hey, I got there,” Clover defended herself.  “It was breathtakingly beautiful.  The town was so small.  The tree’s height, combined with the fact that we were on the highest hill in the town…I could see everything.  Of course, when I saw you guys standing below me, shouting for me to come down, I realized I had a slight fear of heights.”

          “Slight?” Paige asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  “If that was a slight case of fear of heights, I’d hate to see a major case.  Your face turned ash-gray and you latched onto the tree branch for dear life.  You would have stayed there until someone airlifted you if Bay hadn’t started climbing up after you,” she said, smiling at the memory.

          “He was really worried,” Clover said, smiling as she pictured her brother at fifteen, climbing the fifty-foot pine his impetuous, ten-year-old sister had decided to get stuck in.  “Of course, Gina would have held him responsible if he’d have left me, so he had to try to rescue me.”

          “Yeah, she probably would have,” Paige agreed.  “Didn’t Tim Douglas dare you to climb up there in the first place?”

          “Yup,” Clover said.  “I couldn’t stand him.  He used to tease me about everything; my hair, my freckles, the way I talked…he used to make me so mad.  Bay always said to just ignore him, but me, listen?  Yeah right.  So of course I climbed the tree.  I cried like a baby when I came down too.  Tim never teased me after that though.”

          “Yeah, probably because he was afraid Bay would beat him up after he nearly got you killed.  I’m still amazed you only broke your arm, falling that far.  I thought Bay would fall from the tree when he saw you crashing through the branches and land in a crumpled heap on the ground.  He nearly did when you started crying.  He was so worried.”

          “Yeah, worried what Gina would do to him.  You were there you heard him babbling apologies and explanations.  If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have started laughing.  He was so pale; so were you, and did you see Gina’s face?  She turned so white I thought she was going to pass out or be sick.  Paul took charge, putting a steadying arm around her and calling for Patti to look after the store.  I don’t remember ever seeing her look so scared.  She was so quiet, so pale; she looked so fragile, almost breakable.  I wanted to reach out and tell her it was all right, but I couldn’t.  My arm hurt and I didn’t have enough energy.  It was freaky.  Of course, she was nothing compared to you.  I never knew a person could cry so much.  I didn’t think you’d ever stop crying or asking me if I was going to die.  Why’d you ask if I was going to die?” Clover asked, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth.

          “I wanted to make sure you would live.  I could see you weren’t all right.  I could see your arm, you couldn’t,” Paige defended herself, feeling queasy at the memory of Clover’s arm, twisted and bleeding.  “I know how Gina felt.  Your arm was not a pretty sight.  I can handle blood better than Gina and I wanted to puke.  My head was spinning and my stomach was churning.  You’re really lucky you didn’t receive any permanent damage.”

          “I know,” Clover said solemnly.  “But,” she added with a mischevious smile, “Gina got me to wear dresses and skirts; at least until I figured out how to button my jeans and shorts with one hand.”  Paige smiled, laughing along with Clover softly.

          “Yeah, I think the sight of the pink dress she wanted you to wear made you determined to wear shorts.  She was quite disappointed,” Paige said, chuckling.

          “Yeah, but Gina got me to wear dresses for a week,” Clover added.  “I think the only reason she wanted a daughter was to dress her up in pink and bows; not to mention frills, ruffles, and lace.”

          “She got over it,” Paige said sagely.  “She loves you just the way you are.  Besides, now she’s got Cayenne to try and doll up.”

          “Yeah, right,” Clover said, smiling at the mental image she conjured up.  “It’ll never happen.  Cay is just as stubborn as me, if not more.  She won’t be bullied or coaxed into a dress unless she wants to be.  She’ll be a tomboy, just wait.  She follows Cajun around just like I used to follow Bay.  It’s funny, actually.  I think Bay wants her to be a girl who plays with dolls instead of frogs as much as Gina did when I was little.  When I first met you and you came over to play, she was so glad I had at least one friend that was a female and that wore dresses.”

          “Yeah, and hanging out with you, I started wearing pants and shorts.  I guess she was disappointed when you had more of an influence on me than I had on you; at least with clothes,” Paige said, picturing Gina in her long skirts and flowing dresses versus her and Clover in their shorts and tank tops with dirty faces and scraped knees.

          “Nah, she got over it.  She just pretended to make a big deal over it in hopes that one day we’d change our minds.  Gina loved and loves us just as we are; imperfections and all.  Oh, and while I’m thinking about it, Bay invited us to his annual July 4^th extravaganza.”  Clover said the last sentence dramatically, accenting the last word.

          “Does that include us?” Chris asked, wrapping his arms around Paige’s waist.  Paige rested herself back against his chest, Chris resting his chin on her shoulder.

          “I believe it does,” Clover said, smiling brightly, her spirits soaring because of her good mood.  “Of course, it’ll be Bay and Lynda’s friends and family; generally people only Paige and I’ll know.  Everyone’s extremely nice and fun though, and you’ll know Jesse.”

          “Sounds like fun,” Chris said honestly.  “I’m in if Paige’s going.”

          “I never miss Bay’s 4^th of July parties,” Paige told him.  “I doubt Curry would forgive me if I didn’t come.  You’re so lucky, Clover, to have a brother and nephews and a niece.”

          “Yeah, but they’re yours too, and don’t forget it.  Remember your birthday wish when we were like, eight?” Clover asked.

          “How could I forget?” Paige asked rhetorically.  “I got my first real party thanks to Gina.  She made me a cake and we had ice cream.  Paul told me to blow out the candles on the chocolate cake with ‘Happy 8^th Birthday Paige’ written in blue over the cream cheese icing.  We ate the cake and ice cream, and opened the presents, Gina snapping pictures at every opportunity.  We were in your room, Bay sitting in a bean bag chair, me on the bed, and you in the window.”

          “And you looked so sad.  It was your birthday and you were sleeping over and you looked ready to cry,” Clover interrupted.  “I didn’t want to intrude on your private thoughts, so I didn’t say anything.”

          “Bay didn’t feel that way though,” Paige added, smiling at the memory.  “I was so bummed that my parents didn’t care enough about me to even say happy birthday.  Then Gina and Paul surprised me with the cake and presents.  I was so happy, but wished it had been my family, not yours, that cared about me so much.  I had wished on my candles that I could have parents like Gina and Paul.”

          “Really?” Clover asked, amazed to be learning new things as Paige retold her secret thoughts.  “How weird is that?  That I cut myself on the windowsill with that splinter and instead of sucking on my finger and swallowing the blood like I usually did, I found a pin and pricked your finger, mingling our blood, then did the same to Bay so you weren’t just my sister, but his too.”

          “And because you’d made me your sister, Gina and Paul became my unofficial parents.  It was what I wished for.  You made it come true because of how clumsy you’ve always been.  Thanks,” Paige said, tears in her eyes at the memory.

          “What’s a little pain for a friend’s happiness?” Clover joked with a grin.  “So you’re not an only child like you keep making it out to be, and Curry loves you because you’re his Aunt, not because you let him get away with everything.”

          “Thanks,” Paige said, blinking back her tears.  “You guys mean everything to me and sometimes I forget that you feel the same about me as I do about you all.”

          “Although, I wonder sometimes why we love you Paigie.  Even though you and Bay picked on me all the time,” Clover said, remembering numerous times when Paige and Basil had ganged up together against her.  She also remembered a lot of times when she and Paige had played pranks on Basil.

          “Oh, you loved the attention,” Paige said, knowing her friend wasn’t mad.  “You got to meet lots of new and interesting people thanks to us.”

          “Yeah, like the surfer who helped me out of the water after you and Bay pushed me off the pier, and the lifeguard who came to my rescue when you threw me over the side of the fishing boat…  You know I met lots of people in the water?  Did you secretly want to drown me?” she asked curiously.

          “We just wanted you to become a strong swimmer,” Paige said, smiling as Clover stuck her tongue out at her.  “We accomplished our mission.  You were the best swimmer on the team.  I still don’t understand why you didn’t make it senior year.  Did you ever find out why you were kicked off the team?”  Clover blushed and studied the ground.

          “I never tried out,” she admitted.  “Ella Martin, the girl who always got compared to me, was going to quit the team.  She was tired of being second best and compared with me.  Her dream was to be in the Olympics.  I talked to her sometimes, and she was hoping for a swimming scholarship to get her into college and work on getting to the Olympics from there.  I figured, with me gone, she might have a chance at her dreams.  Besides, I figured I might be able to swing a scholarship with the grades I had, if I was lucky.  I never said anything either way; everyone just assumed I was cut from the team,” Clover explained with a shrug.  “So what are we doing about furniture and stuff?” she asked, changing the subject.  Paige looked at her friend, shaking her head.  She was full of surprises; that was for sure.

          The four of them discussed their ideas and debated the pros and cons of each before deciding on their actual plan.  In the end, they were each going to furnish their own rooms, including sheets, blankets, and curtains.  The furnishings for the bathrooms, kitchen, and living room would be decided on together.  They would split the cost four ways, and the same went for the rent, groceries, and phone bills.  The girls did most of the decorating, the guys choosing to just agree with their decisions.  The kitchen already came with a refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher, and Daniel and Chris supplemented to those furnishings with their microwave.   They all got matching dishes, matching glasses, and matching silverware, dishcloths, tea towels, a toaster, coffee pot, small TV, and a table big enough to seat 8.

          The living room, with its off-white walls and lavender carpet, was decorated in shades of purple.  When it was all finished, there were two bookshelves along the wall opposite from the stairs holding houseplants, books, movies, CDs, and other odds and ends, and between the shelves was the entertainment center, which housed an old, used TV, Chris’s VCR, and Daniel’s stereo.  Across from the entertainment center sat a high-backed, overstuffed, surprisingly comfortable, Victorian-style couch in lilac, trimmed in dark mahogany.  It faced toward the entertainment center with its back to the stairs.  Between the couch and entertainment center sat a low coffee table made of wood that matched the couch and the rest of the wood in the living room.  Both bathrooms were decorated in blue, the downstairs in powder blue and yellow, and the upstairs royal blue and mauve, and in a short time after they moved in, they had the place running smoothly and looking more and more like home each day.

 

 

Chapter 13

 

          “Chris?” Paige asked.

          “Yeah?” he responded, stroking her hair as she lay in the crook of his arm with her arm across his waist.

          “Have you ever thought about having kids?”  There was a silence as Chris thought about the question.

          “Yeah,” he answered slowly.  “Why?”

          “I was just wondering,” Paige said.  She shifted under the bed sheet, moving her top leg over one of Chris’s so that it was between his.  He smiled as she did this, then kissed her on the forehead.  Catching his lips, Paige kissed him passionately, fluidly moving her lips with his.  They shared a few more tender kisses, then settled back against the pillow (and Chris’s arm in Paige’s case) again.  Chris closed his eyes as Paige began slowly moving her fingers around on his upper torso.  After a few moments of silence, Paige opened up once again.  “If we have kids someday, how many would you want?”

          Chris opened his eyes and peered over to meet her thoughtful gaze.  “Why the sudden thoughts about kids?  Are you trying to tell me something?”  Paige smiled.

          “No, I just want to know what you think,” she said.  Chris maintained his skeptical facial expression.

          “You’re not pregnant or anything are you?” he asked.  Paige began to laugh.  “I know we used protection, unless you haven’t been taking your pills or the condoms broke…”

          “Chris!” Paige interrupted, still smiling widely, “I’m not pregnant!  I’m just interested in your view of our future.  That’s it!”  Chris narrowed his eyebrows.

          “Alright, I believe you,” he said, pulling his arm closer so as to hug her.  She gave a high-pitched yelp as her face was basically smushed into his chest.  They both giggled as they hugged each other tightly.  When Chris released her, she kept her face on him and started kissing his skin.  She kissed all around his chest and neck, then started moving toward his stomach.  Chris offered a light moan as he anticipated what her actions could lead to.  Paige paused and glanced up at him.

          “Well don’t stop,” he said as if she were crazy.  She smiled and slipped her tongue out of her mouth.  She mock-French kissed his belly button, flicking her tongue out before kissing the area.  She worked her way back up to his neck, then skipped to his mouth.

          “I love you,” she said, looking into his eyes.

          “I love you too,” he said, more in a whisper, as they studied each other’s eyes.

          “I have a huge question for you,” Paige said.

          “What is it?” Chris asked, not caring what she asked of him.  He was prepared to give her anything she wanted, no matter what it required.  He would take her to the moon if that was what she wanted.

          “Do you want to have a baby?” she asked.

          “Do you think we’re ready for it?” he countered.

          “I think we could handle it.  Do you want to try for one?” Paige asked hopefully, always having wanted a family.

          “Right now?” Chris asked.  Paige nodded.  Chris stared into her sparkling eyes and felt so much love in his heart for her, as well as a reciprocal love coming from her as well.

          “Make me the happiest woman in the world,” Paige said with a gentle smile.  Chris felt like he could almost cry.  The fact that this person that he loved so much cared and loved him just as much and wanted to share something so special with him overwhelmed him.  All he could do was raise his lips to hers in a soft, tender lip lock that lasted for another hour or two as the couple made the final decision in bringing a life to the world.

 

          Paige came home from work one night in mid-June  with a drug store bag in her hand and a mysterious smile on her face.  She went straight to the kitchen, seeing Chris at the stove, put her stuff down on the closest chair, then wrapped her arms around Chris’s neck as she kissed him deeply.  He held her close as he received the unexpected smooch. J

          “Mm…What was that for?” Chris asked, smiling as they began gently swaying.

          “Just felt like it,” Paige said.  She kissed him once more, then broke out of his grip to get her bags.  “When will it be ready?”

          “About 10 minutes,” Chris said, reluctantly returning to the stove.  Paige smiled.

          “Okay,” she said, heading for the stairs.  “I’m gonna change and hit the bathroom, then I’ll be back down.”

          “Gotcha,” Chris called.  About a half an hour later, after they’d finished eating, Paige excused herself to the bathroom once again.  “Do you have a bladder problem or something?”  Paige laughed.

          “No.  You’ll see,” she said.

          “I’ll see?” Chris asked himself as she disappeared to the second floor.  His curiosity getting the best of him, he ascended the stairs and entered the bathroom.

          “Hey!” Paige exclaimed, seeing him in the mirror and turning around, hiding something behind her back.

          “What?” Chris asked.  “What’s behind her back?”  Paige smiled as she put her hands on his hips.

          “That’s not important.  What’s important is what I hafta tell you,” she said.

          “Which is?” Chris prompted.

          “Hm…” she said, trying to think of a creative way to say what she wanted to say, and trying to annoy him by prolonging her answer.

          “Come on, just say it!” Chris commanded.  Paige laughed.

          “How do you feel about being called ‘Daddy’?” Paige asked.  The face Chris gave was priceless.  His eyes got very wide and his mouth opened slightly.  Paige’s smile widened and she reached behind her back to hold out a pregnancy test stick, which showed a blue plus sign.  “I’m pregnant.”  She smiled excitedly, while Chris remained wide-eyed and shocked, and threw her arms around him.  He slowly lifted his arms to put them around her, unable to shake himself out of his shock.  “Can you believe it?!” Paige exclaimed.  She backed up and took his face in her hands, waiting for a response.  Chris just stared at her.  She gave an exasperated sigh and pulled his face to hers, pressing her lips to his in an attempt to bring him back to his senses.

          “No, I can’t believe it,” he said finally.  He smiled and kissed her passionately.  “I love you Paige.”

          “Oh, I love you too,” she said sweetly.  They continued kissing, as Paige stood leaning against the bathroom sink, when all of a sudden, they heard a shriek.

          “Oh my god!” Clover’s voice rang out.  Chris and Paige parted as Paige felt the pregnancy test stick being taken from her.  “Paige!  Are you?”  Paige smiled excitedly as she began nodding.

          “Yeah!”

          “Oh my god!” Clover exclaimed as the two girls hugged each other, Chris letting Paige out of his arms.  He turned to face them, leaning back against the sinks and crossing his arms over his chest with a smile.  “I can’t believe you’re gonna have a baby!”

          “I know!  Me either,” Paige said.

          “Me either!” Chris exclaimed in a high-pitched girly voice, still smiling.  Paige gave him a look.

          “You’ll just be graduating around the time you’ll have it,” Clover said.

          “Oh God.  I hope I don’t miss graduation,” Paige said, placing her hands against her abdomen thoughtfully.

          “Oh, don’t worry about that now.  Have you guys thought about names?” Clover asked.

          “Clover, we just found out,” Paige said, pointing at the test stick that Clover still held.

          ‘Oh, ew.  Here,” she said, shoving it at Paige, then pushing past her and Chris to wash her hands.  Paige laughed as she took the box out of the trash, dropped the stick into it, then dropped it back into the trash.  She then washed her hands as well.

          “We should start thinking about names though, hon,” she said to Chris.

          “We can talk about it then,” he said, his mind already searching for a name with meaning.

          “Hey, why’s everyone in the bathroom?  Am I missing a pissing party?” Daniel asked, coming up the stairs and standing in the doorway.

          “Funny, but no,” Paige said.

          “We were talking about Paige and Chris’s big discovery,” Clover said, going to Daniel and slipping her arms around his waist.  Chris mimicked Clover’s motion on Paige and moved his head closer to hers, kissing her cheek and hugging her close from behind.  Paige smiled and leaned her head back on him.

          “Chris and I are gonna have a baby.”  Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise.

          “Wow,” he said.  “Congratulations.”  Chris smiled sleepily and closed his eyes as his chin rested on Paige’s shoulder, Paige smiled happily, and Clover smiled at the couple, glad for them, then at Daniel.

          “Well I think somebody’s tired, so we’re gonna go to bed,” Paige said, referring to Chris, who smiled, keeping his eyes closed.

          “Okay.  ‘Night guys,” Clover said.

          “’Night,” Daniel said.

          “’Night,” Paige said, then Clover and Daniel went back downstairs and Paige and Chris went to their bedroom.  Chris sat on the bed with a heavy *plop* and groaned.  Paige laughed.  She got into her bedclothes, a tank top and shorts, while Chris continued to sit there.  Paige noticed this and walked around to that side of the bed, kneeling down in front of him and resting her chin on her arms, which she rested on his knees.  “Are you coming to bed?”

          “Too tired,” came the reply.

          “Would you…like some help taking your clothes off?” Paige asked slowly and somewhat enticingly.

          “Okay,” Chris said with a little more enthusiasm.  Paige smiled at his slight change in attitude.  She took her arms off his legs and slid her hands to the bottom of his shirt.  As she rose to her feet, she raised his shirt, and he raised his arms so she could get it off over his head.  She tossed it toward their laundry basket, not caring if it got anywhere near it, then moved her hands to the button of his pants.

          “Are you going to stand up?” Paige asked, undoing the button and part of the zipper.  With a sigh, he grudgingly stood for Paige, who still kneeled, to take off his pants the rest of the way.  “Will you be sleeping with or without the boxers?”

          “Without.”

          “Would you be wanting me to do anything else while I’m down here?” Paige asked, pulling his boxers down.  Chris groaned as he sat back on the bed and stepped out of the boxers.  Paige threw the two bottom pieces of clothing at the laundry basket, then slid her hands from his knees up to his thighs, resting them on his hips.

          “That is really, really tempting, but I’m seriously tired,” he said, sending an apologetic look her way.  She smiled understandably.

          “I understand,” she said, raising herself from her kneeling position and kissing him on the lips.  They played a gentle lip-lock game for a short while, them Paige went to turn out the light while Chris turned down the bedcovers.  When Paige climbed in, Chris put his head on her lower abdomen.  “Chris, it’ll be a couple more months till you can feel anything.”

          “Don’t care.  Wanna be close,” he said.

          “Have you given any thoughts to names yet?”

          “No.  You?” Chris answered, his eyes closed the entire time.

          “A little bit,” she said.  There was a pause.  “But since you seem so tired, we can talk about it some other time.  What do you think it is?”

          “Boy,” Chris said.

          “So you want a boy?” Paige asked.

          “Okay.  You?”

          “Didn’t I tell you a while ago I’ve always wanted a girl first?” Paige asked, knowing she’d told him that before, but not quite remembering when.

          “Okay,” he said.

          “Honey,” Paige said, running a hand over his short-haired head, “come here.”  Chris made a stubborn-sounding noise, like a pouting child who doesn’t want to be bothered.  “Come on.  I want to hold you in my arms.”  It seemed like that wasn’t such a bad request because Chris lifted his weary head and moved it up to the crook of her arm as he placed his one arm over her waist and she encircled his upper body with her arms.  She also pulled the sheet and light blanket up more, then kissed her boyfriend’s forehead.  “I love you Chris.  Thank you for giving me the best gift of my life.”  Her words caused him to open his eyes and lift his head.  Looking deep into her eyes in the pale moonlight, he kissed her just as deeply and passionately, moving his arm up more and turning more onto his stomach, and laying her fully onto her back.

          “I love you too and thank you for giving me the greatest gift.  I cant’ imagine anything greater than having a child with you, and being that child’s father,” he said.

          “We are going to be the best parents possible,” Paige said.

          “Definitely.”  With that, Chris kissed her again.  After a few more, they said ‘goodnight’ and fell asleep in each other’s arms, only to subconsciously embark on their journeys as parents.

 

 

Chapter 14

 

                    “Where’s Daniel?” Clover asked Tim, one of the last guests at the house.  Chris and Paige had disappeared a while ago and Daniel left about an hour later, leaving Clover to monitor the party by herself.  By two o’clock, most of the people had left, and only a few people were still at the house.

          “I was him leaving with Sacha earlier,” Tim said, taking his empty cup and throwing it into the trash can.  “Need any help cleaning up?” he asked, holding on to the counter so he didn’t fall over.

          “No, we’ll get it in the morning,” Clover said, dismissing the mess.  “Why don’t you crash on the couch?  I don’t think you should drive home, and the couch is cozy,” she said, trying to convince him to stay.  Tim looked at Clover, noticing the concern on her face.

          “All right,” Tim agreed.  “I’ll crash on the couch.”  Clover grabbed some blankets from the upstairs hall closet.  “Can I have a pillow?” he asked, sitting on the couch and taking off his shoes.

          “Yeah, I’ll go get one,” Clover promised, and headed up to her room to grab an extra pillow from her bed.  She climbed both flights of stairs and opened the door to her room, and inside, she found Eli and Eddie twined together, sleeping soundly.  She closed the door, leaving all the pillows, and went back down to the second floor.  She peeked in Daniel’s room, found it empty, and took one of his two pillows.  “Here,” she said, giving Tim the pillow.  He placed it behind his head, had the blanket pulled up to his waist, his chest bare, and drifted off to sleep.  Clover locked the front door, and went back upstairs.

          “He went home with Sacha, so he won’t need his room,” she reasoned with herself.  “I’ll just offer to clean his sheets tomorrow or something.”  With that decided, she slipped out of her shoes and climbed onto the waterbed, which Daniel loved, and the rumpled cotton sheets he hadn’t bothered to straighten that morning.  She laid her head on the remaining pillow and drifted off the sleep.  The smell of Daniel, a mix of his deodorant, cologne, shampoo, and soap, clung to the sheets, surrounding her while she fell asleep.

 

          With a tired sigh Daniel shut his door.  His curtains covered the windows, leaving the room in dusky light.  He kicked his shoes off, sending them flying across the room, then stripped off his socks.  His eyes half-closed, he unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall to the ground.  Soon, his shirt was on the floor too.  He discarded his last remaining article of clothing and climbed into his bed.  He pulled the sheet up to his waist and laid back on his back, his head not finding the pillow.  He reached out his hand, looking for it, and his hand found another body.  His fingers tangled in soft hair, and turned to get a view of who was sharing his bed without his knowledge.  He found the back of a female facing him.  Gently, he turned her so he could view her face and barely stopped himself from cursing when he saw Clover, sleeping peacefully.  Frustrated that she barely spoke to him yet found it acceptable to sleep in his room, and who knows what else when he wasn’t around, he flopped back onto the bed, staring at the its mirrored ceiling.  With his eyes adjusted to the room’s bad lighting, he could see Clover sleeping and himself staring at the mirrors.  He closed his eyes, trying to forget that Clover was even there.

          “Daniel?” she asked uncertainly.  She studied his face and recognized him immediately, even though it was dark.  “I thought you were staying at Sacha’s,” she said, leaning over him so her face was directly above his.  He opened his eyes to look at her, wondering how drunk she had to be since she was willingly talking to him.

          “I drove her home,” Daniel said, not moving because he was sort of enjoying watching her eyes dancing with her ever-present excitement.  “She was incapable of driving herself home, so I took her, then I walked back.  Why aren’t you in your room?” he asked, causing Clover to blush.

          “Eddie and Eli are up there,” Clover said, resting her head on her arm, watching Daniel.  “I didn’t really want to tell them to leave.  They were sleeping so peacefully.  Tim is sleeping on the couch,” she explained.   “I thought you were going to be out.  Sorry.”

          “Don’t worry about it,” he said, grabbing her hand when she started to get up to leave.  “If you promise not to flip out in the morning, you can sleep here,” he said, holding on to her hand.

          “Thanks,” Clover said, smiling slightly.  “I’m sorry about being so angry at you.  I mean, it wasn’t your fault, I knew what I was doing.  I didn’t think it through, but I knew what I was doing.  So it was my fault and I shouldn’t have blamed you.”

          “I never thought I’d hear you apologize,” Daniel said, smiling.  “Thanks, but that doesn’t mean you get my pillows.”

          “Tim has one,” Clover said, holding on to the pillow she’d been using.  “Since I’m a guest in your room, I should get the pillow.”

          “Sure,” Daniel said, leaning over the edge of the bed.  “Here,” he said, handing her a shirt that she could use as a nightshirt.  Clover looked at it for a second, then smiled.  She slipped her shirt off and pulled his on, taking her bra and shorts off when the shirt was in place, then crawled back under the sheet, her leg brushing his.

          “Thanks,” she said, noticing that he’d taken the pillow and was using it as he watched her.  He smiled, his arm behind his head and the other folded over his stomach.  “Mind if I share your pillow?” she asked.

          “Yes,” Daniel said with a smile, teasing her.  “Go get your own pillow.”  Clover glared at him and stuck her tongue out.  She curled up in a ball, her head resting on her arms, and started to fall asleep.  She was half awake when Daniel put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, so she could share the pillow with him, and smiled when he held his breath, waiting for her reaction.  With a contented sigh, that sounded more like a cat’s purr, she snuggled closer to him.  With a relieved breath, Daniel kept his arms around her waist and fell asleep, happy to hold her in his arms.

          Around 9:30, Clover woke up, sunlight, bright and cheery, spilling into the room behind the curtains, and stretched like a lazy cat.  The pressure at her waist let her know she wasn’t alone and that, more than likely, Daniel was still asleep.  She turned onto her side, wanting to get a better view and see if he was really asleep.  She propped her head up on her elbow and watched him sleep.  The sun that came in the window and reached the bed was causing his hair to light up.  Molten gold and orange glistened in his already light hair, giving it a life of its own.  As she watched him, her free hand started finger-brushing his hair, enjoying the feel of it running through her fingers.  Her fingers kept combing as she watched him, his mouth slightly open.  Daniel opened his eyes slowly, meeting Clover’s, her hand now stilled, hair still tangled between her fingers.  He smiled, not awake enough to say anything.  Clover returned the smile, blushing slightly at being caught staring at him and playing with his hair.

          “I’m gonna go see if anyone else’s awake,” she said, breaking the silence, even though it wasn’t a tense silence.  She pulled on her shorts, not bothering to change back into her shirt.  Outside in the hall, she leaned against Daniel’s closed door and breathed in deeply.  After breathing in deeply and exhaling a few times, she squared her shoulders and went down the stairs.  She found Tim still asleep on the couch, and, looking out the front window, she saw Eli’s car and knew he and Eddie were still there, probably asleep as well.  She went out the back door, walking along the cool cement in her bare feet, and sat in the rose-covered gazebo in one of the cushioned lawn chairs.  In the fresh, clean air, she sat alone thinking.  She thought mostly about Daniel; how she felt about him, how he felt about her, was there a future for them, and so on.  She was thinking and listening to the water as it softly lapped at the side of the pool, concentrating so hard that she didn’t hear the soft, approaching footsteps on the concrete or the slight creak of the gazebo steps.

          “What are you thinking about so hard?” Daniel asked, startling her.  Clover looked up, as he sat down in a white, plastic chair, her cheeks heating.  “This should be good,” he added, seeing her reaction.

          “It’s nothing I can talk to you about,” Clover said quickly.  “It’s no big deal anyway.  Don’t worry about it.”  She looked out the side of the gazebo, through green leaves and white rosebuds, unable to face Daniel, afraid he might somehow know what she was thinking.

          “Oh, so we’re back to not talking again?” he asked bitterly.  “I thought we were over this,” he said, standing and heading out of the gazebo.  He was halfway to the back steps when Clover got to her feet.  She ran after him, catching him when he’d barely entered the kitchen.

          “Stop,” she pleaded, blocking his path.  He looked at her, waiting for her to finish whatever she was going to say, before he continued to the living room.  “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I’m just not comfortable telling you.”

          “I just want to be your friend,” Daniel said in frustration.  “How can we be friends if you don’t trust me enough to feel comfortable telling me things?”

          “I do trust you,” Clover cried, uneasy about the prospect of telling him what she’d been thinking about.

          “Then prove it,” Daniel challenged.  Clover groaned, realizing she’d been suckered into a test of whether or not she truly trusted him.  She looked around, making sure the two were alone, then turned back to him.

          “Why can’t you make things easy for me?” she asked rhetorically.  “I was thinking about you.  Are you happy?  I was thinking about how it felt to wake up in your arms, to see you smile at me, how it felt to be playing your girlfriend back when your mom came to visit.  I was thinking how much I’d wished it had been real,” she said, turning so her back was facing him and he couldn’t see the emotions plaguing her.

          “You really wanted to be my girlfriend when my mom was here?” he asked, astonished.  He hadn’t expected her to feel that way.  He’d wanted to make it real, it felt so natural and right, but she’d called it all off before he’d had the courage to talk to her about it.  “My real girlfriend?”

          “Why do you think I went along with it?” Clover asked, turning to face him.  “But that was a long time ago.  A lot’s happened since then.”

          “Yeah,” Daniel agreed sadly.  “Good and bad,” he added, remembering some of the good along with the bad.  “We had lots of fun though.”

          “I suppose we did,” Clover said, sitting at the table.  “It was always interesting, I’ll say that much.  Especially when we roomed together.”

          “Think we’ll ever be that close again?” he asked, remembering the morning Danielle had broken up with him because of Clover.  Just looking at her caused him to break out in a cold sweat, where, when he saw Danielle, he didn’t want her in range of his joystick.  It was weird how he could want one so much and be repulsed so much by the other.  He’d found it enigmatic that the one he wanted wasn’t his girlfriend.  If anything, his stick shift shrank whenever he’d seen Danielle, and grew when he just imagined Clover nearby.

          “You can’t recreate something that’s been lost; not when it’s a relationship.  But,” she said with a slight shrug, “maybe we can make a brand new one.  Who knows.”  She smiled slightly as she said this, then stood up and walked past him.  As she passed, his arm snaked out and coiled around her waist, pulling her towards him.

          “Let’s do that,” he suggested, looking down at her, his lips just an inch from hers.  “Let’s create a new relationship…and start it right this time.”  He added the last part and kissed her softly on the lips.

          “Daniel, we can’t,” Clover said, pushing away from him.  “I care too much about Jesse to hurt him like that.  He’s my friend as well as boyfriend, and he’s your friend too.”  Daniel watched, stunned, as Clover ran up the stairs and disappeared into the bathroom, where she stayed until Eddie and Eli left, then went to her own room.

          “What’s wrong?” Chris asked Daniel as he, Daniel, and Paige cleaned the house.  Tim had helped until he had to leave for work, which left it up to the renters to clean the mess left behind.

          “Where’s Clover?  Why isn’t she helping?” Paige asked, tying yet another trash bag closed.  “She was at the party too, she should be helping with the clean-up.”

          “I cleaned up my room and the bathroom,” Clover said, trying to appease her friend as she appeared in the room.  She started cleaning in the kitchen, then joined the rest in the living room.  They were pretty much finished cleaning, at least downstairs, when the doorbell rang.  Clover answered it, smiling brightly when Jesse was revealed.

          “Good morning,” he greeted with a matching smile.  He handed her a bouquet of purple roses with white baby’s breath mixed in.  “Happy one-month anniversary,” he said, kissing her.  Clover returned the kiss with as much energy as Jesse, and put her arms around his neck.

          “I have a surprise for you too, but we have another two hours before we need to go,” Clover said, smiling mischeviously.  “So, what do you wanna do?”’

          “Hmm,” Jesse said, smiling at Clover, his eyes dancing with possibilities.  Clover laughed and took his hand, leading the way out onto the porch.  The two sat on the porch swing, Clover resting her head on Jesse’s shoulder.  Daniel saw them cuddled together and left the house, slamming the back door closed behind him.

          “What’s going on?” Paige and Chris asked at the same instant.  They both shrugged, neither having a clue what was bugging Daniel now.

~       *        ~       *        ~

          “Hey Daniel,” Paige said, seeing him enter Sonic Sounds, the store she worked in, later that day, after Clover and Jesse had left.  “What are you doing here?” she asked.  Daniel held up the Rick Springfield CD he’d been searching for.  “Is that all?”  At his nod, Paige rang up the CD, wondering what Daniel was doing with it.  Daniel paid, said goodbye, and left with his purchase as quietly as he’d entered the store.  He went home and put the CD in, repeating one song in particular.  He fell asleep hearing the lyrics.

Jessie is a friend

Yeah I know he’s been a good friend of mine

But lately something’s changed, getting hard to define

Jessie’s got himself a girl and I want to make her mine

And she’s watching him with those eyes

And she’s loving him with that body, I just know it

          He fell asleep to fitful dreams of Clover and Jesse.  He kept dreaming of the two of them together and there was nothing he could do to keep them apart.  From a particularly vivid dream of Clover and Jesse in bed together doing the things he and Clover had done, only Clover wasn’t drunk, he awoke.  He stared at his reflection in the mirrors above his bed.  “Jessie’s Girl” was still on repeat and he listened to the words that filled the quiet house.  He closed his eyes when he heard the final section of the song:

                   And I’m looking in the mirror all the time

                   Wondering what she don’t see in me

                   I’ve been funny, I’ve been cool with the lines

                   Ain’t that the way love’s supposed to be?

                   Tell me, where can I find a woman like that

                   You know I wish that I had Jessie’s girl

                   I wish that I had Jessie’s girl

                   I want Jessie’s girl

                   Where can I find a woman like that

                   Like Jessie’s girl

                   I wish that I had Jessie’s girl

                   I want Jessie’s girl

          Silently he cursed himself for messing everything up with Clover.  He cursed Jesse too, for stealing Clover’s heart, even though he didn’t steal it technically; she had given it to him willingly.

          “Daniel,” Clover called softly, sticking her head in the room.  “Are you awake?” she asked.  Daniel turned on the lamp by his bed rather than answer.  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”  Daniel sat up, his back resting against the headboard, the sheet bunching around his waist.  “You’re still talking to me, aren’t you?”  Daniel shrugged his bare shoulders, drawing Clover’s attention to his chest.  “Should I take that as a yes or a no?” she asked, shutting his door and taking a seat, uninvited, on the edge of his bed.

          “I’m talking to you,” Daniel said, crossing his arms over his chest.  “Did you want something other than to see if we’re still talking?”

          “Please don’t be angry,” she asserted.  “We just started talking again and I don’t want to jeopardize that.  Besides, you have to be happy.  Bay’s party’s in a week.  He’s got some hot friends who are single, and they’re not all guys.  Maybe you’ll meet someone,” she said suggestively.

          “Please don’t try and set me up,” Daniel pleaded.  “I don’t need help finding a girlfriend.  I’m capable of doing that myself.”

          “Deal,” Clover said, extending her hand to Daniel to secure the deal.  “As long as we’re still friends.”  Daniel shook her hand, finalizing their agreement not to set Daniel up and solidifying their friendship.  “I’m gonna go to sleep.  I’ll see you later, when it’s later in the morning.”

          “Sleep well,” he said, watching her close the door.  He turned off his lamp and heard Rick Springfield’s voice singing:

                   I’ll play along with the charade

                   There doesn’t seem to be a reason to change

                   I feel so dirty when they start talking cute

                   I want to tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot

          He sighed in frustration and looked at the clock, discovering its bright blue numbers to read 2:08 a.m.  Instead of calming down, he kept wondering what Clover and Jesse had been doing until two in the morning.  Eventually he gave up on falling asleep and threw some clothes on.  He went down to the living room and sprawled out on the couch.  He channel-surfed for a while and, after finding nothing worth watching, he put on Martha Stewart Living and learned how to reupholster a chair, start a compost heap, and prepare for a dinner party.  After Martha was over, he watched a program on the mating habits of the wild panda and conservation efforts taking place.  Without actually seeing anything, he watched TV until the sun was shining brightly and the rest of the house started to move about.  Chris came down first, ignored Daniel, and went into the kitchen.  The smell and sound of food cooking permeated the house, causing Daniel to get off the couch and quietly walk into the kitchen.

          “Good morning!” Chris cheerfully greeted when he saw Daniel.  Daniel waved his hand through the air, but ignored Chris otherwise.  Chris went back to his cooking, dismissing Daniel’s ill humor to his ever-present moodiness.  Not for the first time, he was thankful that Daniel wasn’t a girl with PMS, cramps, and periods.  He was bad enough without hormones to make him even worse.

          “Guess what?!?” Clover cried, all smiles, almost skipping into the kitchen.  Chris and Daniel looked up, Chris returning her smile with one of his own, glad to see that not everyone was as grumpy as Daniel, and Daniel just finished pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

          “What?” Chris asked, since Daniel didn’t appear to care.

          “In a week, we’re going to Bay’s, and Gina and Paul will be there!  Isn’t it an amazing day too?  The sun in shining and there’s a cool breeze,” Clover said, unable to stop smiling.  She was happy; she hadn’t seen her parents in a long time and missed them terribly.

          “It’s supposed to rain this afternoon,” Daniel said, using what he’d heard on the weather channel to try and dampen some of Clover’s good spirits.

          “That’s okay,” Clover said, refusing to let her spirits fall, even just a little.  She left the room and turned on the stereo in the living room.  Turning the volume up loud enough to hear it in the kitchen, she went back to where Daniel, Chris, and now Paige were.

          “’Morning Clover,” Paige greeted her friend.

          “And what a great morning it is!” Clover announced.

          “What are you so happy about?  Did you get lucky last night?” Paige asked, wondering what sparked her friend’s excessively hyper attitude.

          “Paige!”

          “All right, I’m sorry,” Paige said, holding her hands up in surrender.  “I was just wondering why you’re so happy this morning.”

          “Gina and Paul!  They’re coming in a week!”

          “Ohmygod!” Paige cried, dancing around the kitchen with Clover.  “Ohmygod!” she cried again, listening to the song that’d come on to the radio.

          “’I Think We’re Alone Now’!” Clover said just as Paige said, “It’s Tiffany!”  The girls looked at each other and burst into fits of giggles.

          “Okay,” Chris said, looking from the girls to Daniel, trying to figure out what was going on.  He quickly decided it was impossible to figure it out, and stopped trying.

          “We used to listen to that song all the time,” Paige exclaimed, her face flushed.  “We drove everyone nuts.  It was almost always on.  I think we even had it recorded onto a blank tape over and over again.”

          “Yeah,” Clover agreed.  She sat at the table, Paige sitting down too, both smiling and breathing irregularly.

          “Well, breakfast is served,” Chris said, placing a plate of pancakes onto the table, along with syrup and butter.  Daniel put four plates, four forks, and four knives on the table and everyone dug in.

 

 

Chapter 15

 

          “I don’t feel so good,” Paige told Chris one morning.  He instantly felt her forehead.

          “You’re a little warm.  Is it your stomach?” he asked as she lay in the bed looking sick to her stomach.

          “Yeah,” she said, closing her eyes and swallowing.  “Can you get me some water?” Paige asked, reaching her hand out toward him.  He took her hand and kissed it.

          “Of course.  Do you want me to call Kevin?”

          “Yeah, thanks,” Paige said.  Chris quickly pulled some pants on, kissed her forehead, and left the room to go downstairs.  When he returned, she was in the bathroom.  He set the glass of water on the nightstand on her side of the bed, then went to check on her.

          “Paigie?” he asked, knocking on the door.  “Honey, are you okay?”  He knocked again.  When he got no response, he slowly turned the knob and opened the door.  He saw her sitting on the floor, leaning her back against the side of the tub.  The toilet seat lid was up and Chris reluctantly peeked inside as he rushed to her.  “Oh my god.  Paige, what happened?  What’s all that blood from?”  Paige weakly turned her head upward to reveal her tear-stained, sweaty face.

          “I think I had a miscarriage,” she said.  Chris’s face turned to one of concern, fear, and dread.

          “Well why don’t you take a shower and get dressed and I’ll take you to the hospital,” Chris said as he knelt in front of her.  He stayed with her for a while until she got the strength to stand, but even then, he could tell that she was still weak.  She began to whimper and became somewhat hysterical.

          “Don’t leave me,” she said through her on-coming tears.  “Don’t leave me alone.”

          “Do you want to just go, or do you want to shower first?” Chris asked.

          “No, I’ll shower, but don’t leave me,” she said.  Chris smiled, despite the situation.

          “You want me to shower with you?” he asked, kissing her forehead.  She nodded as her tears slowly slid down her face.  “Okay.  Let’s go get some towels, all right?”  They went for the towels, then returned to the bathroom.  Chris helped her undress, undressed himself, then helped her suddenly frail body into the tub.  He washed her hair for her and she washed her body, then Chris washed himself while she leaned against the wall, droplets of water penetrating her skin as she did.  When they’d finished, they climbed out, Paige regaining her strength a little bit more and drying herself off.  Chris gave her a comforting and supportive hug before they left the bathroom, then they went to get dressed. 

Chris drove the two of them to the hospital, leaving a note for Clover and Daniel, who had already left for classes.  Paige was examined and her thought was confirmed.  She had had a miscarriage at three weeks, and was no longer pregnant.  She was also told that she had a virus, which had played a part in the miscarriage by messing around with the chemicals in her body, and that’s why she’d been so sick.  Her flu-like symptoms had nothing to do with the actual miscarriage.  At the upsetting news, Paige fell into Chris’s arms in tears.  He comforted her as he listened to the doctor’s instructions of what she should do over the next week or so, and how soon they could start trying for another baby.  “Are you okay?” Chris asked when they were left alone to prepare to leave.

          “I think I’ll be okay.  I wish it hadn’t happened, but we can keep trying,” Paige said, returning to her optimistic self.  “At least there’s still hope that I can get pregnant again and stay pregnant.”

          “Are you sure?” Chris asked.

          “Yeah, come on.  Let’s go,” Paige said, leaving his embrace and walking to the door of the examining room.  Chris followed, knowing that Paige wasn’t being honest to both him and herself about her feelings.  He saw how she was trying to be strong, but was going about it the wrong way by denying how she really felt, and began to get angry.  They drove back to the house in silence, Paige looking out the window and Chris periodically looking over at her, hoping she’d say something.

          “Are you gonna try to go in to work?  I told Kevin you wouldn’t be in today,” Chris said when they entered the empty house.

          “No.  I still don’t feel good.  I’m gonna go lay down,” Paige said, ascending the stairs.  Chris followed to change out of his hastily put-together outfit.  Once in their room, Paige took off her shoes and sat on the bed.  Chris watched her as he began to change.  She took a sip of the water that was still on her nightstand, then laid back down on the bed, facing away from Chris.  His anger rose as he pulled his regular clothes on, and finally, he got on the bed and leaned over her.

          “Paige, what’s wrong?” he asked.  She rolled over just enough to look up at him.

          “What?  Nothing’s wrong,” she said.

          “Come on.  You fell apart in the hospital, then you all of a sudden turned right around and acted like it was no big deal.  We lost a child.  I don’t believe you can just shut that out and act like nothing happened.”  Chris looked hard at her, and she looked at him too, but then she just turned her back to him again.  Chris rolled his eyes.  “Paige, talk to me!  I know this bothers you, and you shouldn’t be bottling it up inside.  I want to talk about it with you—”

          “Why?!” she suddenly exploded, turning back to face him and sitting up.  “You haven’t acted like you care very much!  This whole time, you haven’t said one word that told me you were in pain; you haven’t shed any tears over it to let me know that you cared that you were losing your child too!”  Tears streamed down her face as she yelled, and by the time she finished, she was shaking.

          “Well I do care!” Chris said, sitting down across from her.  “It’s not every day you find out you’re gonna be a father, then have it taken away from you right away.  This is killing me inside.  We wanted to have a baby and it made you so happy, and now it’s gone.  It’s killing me to know that I’m not going to be able to see that baby be born, hear it cry, hold it in my arms…I’m dying because of what it’s doing to you—”

          “Then why haven’t you let your feelings out?  You’re yelling at me for not saying anything, but you’re doing the exact same thing,” Paige said, softening her tone of voice.  Chris avoided her gaze and looked down at the bed, his face a mix of anger and perplexity.  He looked up a little bit, but not at her face.

          “You’re shaking,” he said, reaching his hand out.  Paige raised her index finger and pointed at him, a smile spreading across her tear-stained face.

          “Don’t avoid my question,” she said.  He looked at her face and smiled as well, then wrapped his hand around her finger and pulled her closer.  With his other hand, he wiped some tears away as he stared into her eyes.

          “I was trying to be strong for you, but I guess it worked a little too well,” he said, smiling.

          “I guess so,” she said quietly.  Chris guided her face to his, with the hand that’d been on her cheek, and softly kissed her.  As more kisses followed, their mouths opening wider with each one, Chris moved Paige back until she was lying on her back.  He paused and rubbed his nose against hers, then backed his head away from hers until he could focus on her eyes.

          “So when would you like to start trying again?” he asked, smiling down at her.  Her smiling face suddenly changed, and she began pushing away from Chris.

          “Not right now!” she exclaimed as she ran for the door, then the bathroom.  Chris sighed at her quick exit, then heard sounds of vomiting.  He went to the bathroom in curiosity, and stood in the doorway.

          “Are you okay?”

          “Do I look okay?” Paige asked, giving him an annoyed, sideways glance.  Chris didn’t respond, but continued to stand there.  Paige finished at the toilet, flushed it, then went to the sink to rinse her mouth out.  She looked in the mirror and saw that he was still there.  “Could I be alone for a little while please?”

          “Whatever,” Chris said, turning away and going downstairs.  Paige watched him disappear from her sight through the mirror and, a few minutes later, heard the front door open and slam shut.  She went to the opposite end of the hallway to look out the window, and saw Chris’s Tracker back out of the driveway and go down the street.  She sullenly went to their room and shut the door, then laid on the bed once more.  Thinking about the horrible events of the day, and all the vile things she’d said to him, she began to cry.  Placing her hands on her abdomen, her trembling and tears increased, and she eventually cried herself to sleep.

          Paige woke up off and on throughout the afternoon, sometimes in a cold sweat, sometimes with a dry mouth, and once with the urge to vomit.  She was half-awake around quarter after eleven, when she felt a body climbing in the bed behind her.  Since she felt weak, and knew it was Chris, she didn’t move.  Her body shook from a cold chill as she felt Chris’s arm going around her body and his body against hers from behind.  He pulled the covers up and over her with a sigh, and lay down behind her sweating body, as Paige began to quietly whimper because of her confusing condition.

          “Shh…It’s okay,” Chris whispered, tightening his arm around her.  She let go and began to cry then; crying for the loss of their baby, crying for the physical pain she was in, crying for herself and Chris because of what they’d had to go through, and crying for Chris because of the way she’d treated him.  “It’s all right baby, I’m here now.”

          “M-hm,” Paige mumbled through her tears.

          “I love you,” Chris said, feeling himself getting teary-eyed.  Paige turned herself around, then kissed him blindly, but right on the lips.  Sounding as if she were drunk she said, “I love you too.”  Chris allowed his tears to fall when he saw her face.  She looked so pale, sickly, and in pain that he couldn’t stand it.  He held on to her and she held on to him as they cried themselves into a deep slumber.

 

 

Chapter 16

 

          “Come on!” Clover ordered everyone.  She was extremely anxious to get to Basil’s.  She wanted to see her parents, her brother, her niece and nephews; she wanted to see everyone again.  Clover held a bag with two wrapped packages for Cayenne.  Besides being the Fourth of July, it was her niece’s fourth birthday.  “People, we’re gonna be late!”

          “Calm down,” Jesse said gently from behind her.  “We have plenty of time.  We’re not gonna be late.”  Page, Chris, and Daniel soon appeared from various parts of the house, and the five of them headed out.

          “Are we going together or in separate cars?” Clover asked, waiting on the porch as Chris locked the door.

          “Let’s take two cars,” Paige suggested.  “You two can go in yours and the three of us,” she said, gesturing to herself, Chris, and Daniel, “will go in one.”  Clover shrugged and followed Jesse to his black Corvette.  They drove, Clover directing Jesse and Chris following, the half hour ride to Basil’s, and parked in the already full parking lot.

          “Look, Gina and Paul are here,” Clover said with a smile as they all made their way through the parked cars to the door.  Paige looked around and found the rainbow-colored VW bus that Clover’s parents drove.  She smiled to herself, remembering how much Gina and Paul loved the old vehicle.

          “They’re never gonna get rid of that old bus, are they?” she asked as Clover rang the doorbell.

          “Nope.  Sentimental value.  I’m pretty sure Bay was conceived in there.  If anything, they’d give it to him,” Clover said with a shrug.  Cajun opened the door, greeting his aunts with a roguish smile that, in years to come, would make him a heartbreaker.

          “Aunt Clover, Aunt Paige, Chris, Daniel, and someone I’ve never met, welcome to the Fields’ annual 4^th of July celebration.  Please enter and join us,” Cajun greeted formally.  Clover smiled and ruffled her nephew’s already unruly hair.

          “Where is everyone?” she asked as Curry and Cayenne came running towards her out of nowhere.  Curry and Cayenne threw their arms around her waist and legs in tight hugs.  Clover smiled and knelt down to their levels, giving them each a hug.

          “Is that for me?” Cayenne asked, spotting the bag in Clover’s hand.  Clover smiled at the child’s anxiousness and usual blunt manner.

          “Actually,” Clover said slowly, as if trying to think of a way to tell her no in a gentle manner, “yeah.”  She handed her one of the individually wrapped packages, and Cayenne ripped off the wrapping while everyone watched her, especially her brothers.

          “Aunt Clover, how could you?’ Cajun asked accusingly.  “She wore out the other one.  We thought we were finally free of “Annie”,” he whined.  Cayenne looked up at her aunt, her eyes dancing.

          “Thank you!” she cried, hugging Clover.  “My other one broke.”

          “I know,” Clover said.  “That’s why I got you a new one.  Now you can watch it over and over and over.”

          “No!” Cajun cried, dramatically falling to the ground as if he were dying.  “Not again.  She never stopped watching it before.”

          “Here Cayenne,” Paige said, handing her another present.  “It’s from Chris and me,” she said, her eyes sparkling as she waited for Cayenne to open the gift.  Quickly, Cayenne opened the package, which turned out to be a beautiful, wooden jewelry box.

          “Thank you!” Cayenne whispered, awed by the sight of the beautiful box.  “Now Daddy’ll have to get me some pretty bracelets and necklaces like he gets Lynda.  Right?” she asked, pausing in her exploration of her new treasure to look at the older people around her and find their answers.

          “I don’t know honey,” Paige said gently.  “Maybe you can put something else in it until then.”  Cayenne shrugged, apparently not liking that option, but not having any others.  She looked up at Daniel suddenly, a hopeful look in her eyes.

          “Did you get me anything?” she asked, her blue eyes willing him to say yes.  Daniel’s face alternately changed from white to pink to red, and back to white.  Clover immediately realized her error and that she should have warned Daniel.

          “Um…” Daniel floundered, trying to find an adequate answer.  The eyes of a four-year-old were burning into his and he was finding it hard to breathe.  Before he could have an asthma attack, Clover rescued him.

          “Of course he did.  He asked me to wrap it, and I forgot to give it back to him,” Clover said, pulling out the other present she had.  She handed it to Cayenne, who promptly tore off the paper and ripped the lid off of the box she found underneath it.

          “Thank you!” she cried, jumping up and hugging Daniel.  Daniel, taken aback slightly, hugged her back, his eyes on Clover the entire time.  His eyes swam with emotion and Clover was glad she could help make him that happy.  Cayenne settled back on the ground, picked up her new treasures, and ran through the house and out the back door to show everyone what she’d gotten.

          “Thank you,” Daniel said when Cajun, Curry, and Cayenne were outside.  “I had no idea it was her birthday, or that I was supposed to bring her a present.  I’ll pay you back,” he promised as they all walked through the house.

          “Don’t worry about it.  I’m the one who forgot to tell you.  Besides, she adores you.  I couldn’t let her be disappointed could I?” Clover asked.

          “Thanks,” Daniel said again.  Clover shrugged and they walked outside.  Cayenne was proudly showing off her new necklace; which was silver, with a small ruby, her birthstone, encircled by silver; and a bracelet made of pink plastic beads.  She was telling everyone it was from Daniel, her friend who took her to the zoo and gave her a piggyback ride.  In a loud whisper, she would add as an afterthought, “And he’s cute.”

          “Aww, she’s got a crush on you,” Paige teased Daniel.  “That’s so cute.”  Gina, Cayenne’s latest attentive listener, looked up.  Upon seeing Clover and Paige, she smiled, gestured to Paul to catch his attention, and ran to the girls.

          “My sweet little baby,” Gina cooed, hugging Clover.  “How are you?” she asked, looking her over.  “Are you eating properly?”

          “Yes,” Clover said, embarrassed by the way her mother was acting.  Gina turned her attention to Paige.

          “Paige, honey,” she said, pulling her into the hug she still held Clover in.  “How are you?  How’s school?”

          “Fine,” Paige said, smiling and feeling loved.  Paul came over and joined the hug.

          “How are my two girls?” he asked, letting the girls out of the hug, his arm staying around Gina.

          “Fine,” the girls answered together.

          “Gina, Paul,” Paige said, standing with Chris, “this is Chris.”  Chris smiled at the two people who’d loved and treated Paige like family.

          “This is the Chris?” Gina asked.  “Nice to finally have a face to go with all the wonderful things I’ve heard about you.”  She looked at Daniel and immediately knew who he was from all the times Clover had complained about him.  “You’ve gotta be Daniel,” she said, holding in the smile that threatened to appear on her face.  He nodded, wondering how she knew him.  “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

          “Oh,” Daniel said.  The way she said it made him wonder how much of it was good and how much was bad.  “I suppose it was mostly bad,” he said.

          “No,” Gina said, openly smiling.  “Only some.  I hear you took Cayenne to the zoo and bought her that beautiful necklace.”

          “Yes, he did,” Clover said quickly, seeing Cayenne nearby listening.  “Gina, Paul, this is Jesse,” she added.  Jesse shook Paul’s hand and they made small talk for a little while.  The day progressed well, the kids going in and out of the pool, along with some adults, Basil manning the bar-b-q, and everyone sitting around and talking; at least, until it got dark and started to rain.  Sheets of rain fell from the sky, along with jagged forks of lightning and booming claps of thunder.

          “Wow!” Jesse said after a particularly sharp peal of thunder.  “Do you think it’s a hurricane or anything?” he asked no one in particular.  At that moment, the electricity went out.  Basil and Lynda searched for candles and flashlights while Clover tried to calm a crying Erik.

          “I’m scared,” Cayenne whimpered.  She huddled in a corner, he knees to her chest, crying softly.

          “Good work, Jesse,” Daniel said, scooping the child up in his arms and leaving the room, soothing her as he headed toward the lights he saw in the living room.  The room was empty, except for Clover and Erik.

          “Hey,” Clover whispered, gently rocking the almost-asleep Erik in her arms.  Daniel nodded, Cayenne clinging to him, although she had stopped crying.

          “Your Romeo scared her,” Daniel said, shifting Cayenne to his other arm.  Clover looked at him for a second, not understanding.  A few seconds later, it sank in and she nodded.

          “He’s an only child and so are his parents.  He’s never been around little kids other than when he was one.”

          “That doesn’t mean he should be allowed to frighten children,” Daniel said.  He laid Cayenne, now asleep, on the couch, and watched Clover pace the room as she soothed Erik to sleep.  “He’s asleep,” he said, noticing the closed eyes and even breathing of the small child.  Clover looked down at her nephew and realized he was sleeping.

          “Yeah, I guess he is,” she said.  She gently placed him in the playpen, which was set up in the living room, and watched him sleep for a few seconds.  She didn’t hear Daniel come up behind her to watch Erik sleep, so she was surprised when she found him right behind her as she turned around.  She bumped into him and lost her balance.  Daniel’s hand reached out, catching her around the waist to steady her.  His hand remained in its position, his eyes locked on hers, and without a word, he brought his lips to hers.  Gently, he pressured her lips to open with his.  His tongue creeping into her mouth was what brought her to her senses.

          “Dammit Daniel,” she said, pushing him away.  Daniel looked at her with confusion in his eyes.  “Why do you keep doing this to me?”

          “Doing what?”

          “Confusing me.  It’s not fair!  It’s not fair,” she cried, and ran from the room and house.  Daniel ran after her.  Two at a time, Clover took the eight steps leading to Basil’s front door.  Once outside, she was immediately soaked, her orange, Old Navy shirt clinging to her body, as were her jean shorts.  Her hair was plastered to her head and back as well.

          “Clover, wait,” Daniel pleaded, running after her.  He caught her hand in his, stopping her.  She turned around while trying to pull free of his grasp.  “Come back inside,” he pleaded, rain dripping from his face and hair.  “It’s raining out here.”

          “Please, just let me go,” Clover said, pulling on her hand again, only with less force.  Tears and rain streamed down her cheeks.  She blinked water from her eyes and wet lashes while watching Daniel.  “I can’t deal with this now.”

          “You can’t deal with what?” Daniel asked, holding both her hands in his, his eyes locking gazes with hers.  “Talk to me.”  The look in his eyes tugged at Clover’s heart.  Lightning streaked across the sky, followed closely by a peal of thunder.  Both were momentarily distracted.

          “Please don’t,” Clover whispered over the sound of pounding rain.

          “Please don’t what?” Daniel asked.  “I’m confused.  What’s going on?  What’s wrong?”

          “What’s wrong?” Clover asked with a dry laugh.  “You do this to me every time.  You don’t mean to, but you do.  I’m going out with Jesse!  You keep kissing me and I keep trying not to let you.  This has to stop!”

          “Do you want it to?”  Clover stared at Daniel, unable to speak.  It was such a simple question, yet she was incapable of speech.  “Do you want me to stop kissing you?”

          “I’m…I’m going out with Jesse,” she said, sounding shaken.

          “I know you’re going out with Jesse!  You don’t miss an opportunity to tell me.  Do you want me to stop?” Daniel asked angrily.  “Just answer me, please!”

          “I…I, damn you!  No, I don’t want you to stop!  I love you,” she choked out.  Her knees crumpled beneath her, and she plopped onto the marshy ground.  She looked at the muddy water covering the ground, raindrops falling into the pools of water along with her salty tears.

          “What?” Daniel asked quietly.  “What did you say?” he asked as he knelt down before her, the rain pounding down upon both of them, and the thunder and lightning crashing and flashing almost simultaneously around them.

          “I said I love you,” Clover said softly.  Daniel didn’t even try to hide the smile that came to his face.  He cupped her chin with his hand and tilted her chin back.  “What?” she demanded, angry that he knew how she felt and obviously found it funny.

          “Do you know what you just said?” he asked, his thumb massaging her cheek.

          “Yes, and apparently it amuses you.  So just laugh away and leave me alone,” Clover demanded, standing up.  Daniel stopped her, his hands on her waist.  “Get your hands off me!” Clover yelled frantically, trying to get away from him before he could view more of her feelings.

          “Listen to me first,” Daniel commanded, his hands not budging an inch.  “I’m not laughing at you.  I’m smiling because I never thought you’d say you loved me.  I like the sound of it.”

          “Good.  I’m glad I made you happy.  Now let me go,” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to move his hands.

          “Maybe I should have added that I love you too,” he said smiling.

          “Now you’re mocking me?”

          “Clover, I wouldn’t mock you.  I’ve wanted you in my life from the first day I met you, even if I didn’t’ want to admit it.  Since my mom came in, I’ve started realizing how much you really mean to me.  I can’t imagine life without you.  It was pure hell every day you wouldn’t talk to me,” he said.

          “What about Jesse?”

          “Yeah, that would be the question of the day, wouldn’t it?” Daniel asked.  “Why’d you have to go and start dating him anyway?”

          “Was I supposed to wait for you until you noticed me?” Clover asked.  Daniel shook his head, a tiny frown making his face look sad.  “You’ll just have to be patient.”

          “But I’m not patient,” he whined, his arm draped around her shoulder as they headed back to the house.

          “Patience is a virtue,” Clover quoted sagely.  “Come on,” she said, pulling him to the house where they’d be dry and somewhat warmer. Together, they crashed over the threshold and shut the door.

          “Clover!” Gina cried, aghast at her daughter’s saturated appearance.  “What have you been doing?”

          “Playing in the rain,” Clover said, smiling.  She kissed her mother’s cheek and continued into the house where everyone else was.  She found everyone in the kitchen, minus Jesse, Paige, Chris, and a couple cousins.

          “I’m not even gonna ask,” Basil said, seeing his sister and Daniel in dripping clothes.

          “Aunt Clover!” Cayenne cried, running to her aunt and jumping into her arms.  Clover had to take a few steps back to steady herself, and Daniel placed his hand to the small of her back, adding extra support so she could stand steady.

          “Hey everyone,” Jesse greeted, returning from the abyss with a huge smile on his face.  A few steps behind him, Clover’s cousin Tonya walked into the kitchen with an added spring in her step.  “Hey Clover, can I talk to you for a second?” Jesse asked, indicating that he wanted to talk in private.  Clover handed Cayenne to Daniel and followed Jesse out of the room.  They stepped out of the house and stood on the porch.  The rain drummed a steady beat on the roof, surrounding them in a companionable silence.

          “What’s wrong?” Clover asked, wondering what the reason he was so anxious to talk was.

          “Clover, you’re so great.  I care about you a lot—”

          “But?”

          “I just don’t think it’s going to work out between us.”

          “You want to break up?” Clover asked, clarifying his intentions.

          “Yes,” Jesse said, sounding worried about hurting her.  “I don’t feel we’re working out as a couple.  Maybe we can remain friends,” he suggested.  Clover smiled and nodded.

          “Friends,” she agreed.  Clover went back inside the house, leaving Jesse alone on the porch.  Her thoughts were racing as she walked into the kitchen.  She stopped in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame.

          “Hey, what’s going on?” Daniel asked, whispering his question in her ear.  Clover looked up, startled, but her eyes dancing.  “Are you all right?”  Clover smiled and threw her arms around Daniel.  Without thinking, Daniel put his arms around her, hugging her tightly.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

          “Nothing,” Clover said, still smiling.  “Absolutely nothing.  The rain’s slowing down.”  Daniel looked at her confusedly.  “We can probably leave soon.”

          “Okay,” he said slowly, still not understanding what her point was.  “I’ll go find Chris and Paige if you want to leave…unless you and Jesse are leaving by yourselves.”  Clover shook her head and Daniel left the room in search of his two friends.

          “Are you all right honey?” Gina asked, approaching her daughter.  Most of the people in the room hadn’t noticed her leaving and returning.  They were each in their own conversations and paying all their attention to whomever they were talking to, but Gina saw it all.

          “Never been better,” Clover said honestly.  “We’re gonna head out though.”

          “Are you sure you’re all right?” Gina asked as Chris, Paige, and Daniel descended the staircase.  Clover nodded.  Quickly, she gave her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  “Are you gonna be home tomorrow?”

          “Should be,” Clover said, trying to remember if she had any plans.  “Are you coming over?”

          “Yeah, we’ll be down before we leave for home,” Gina promised.  Clover smiled, hugged her father, and moved out of the way so Paige could say goodbye to Gina and Paul.

          “’Bye,” everyone called, waving as they headed for the door.  Chris and Paige got in the front of Chris’s jeep and let Daniel and Clover get in the backseat.  In the fine, misty rain, Chris drove back to their house.

          “What’s going on?” Paige asked, finally breaking the silence.  She turned slightly in her seat to look at Clover, who was anxiously moving around in the backseat.

          “I just wanted to come home,” she answered with a shrug.  “Sorry you had to leave early.”

          “It’s all right,” Daniel said, putting his arm around her shoulders.  Clover shifted closer to him and let her head rest on his shoulder.

          “Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes and falling asleep.  Daniel held on to her, making sure she was as comfortable as possible, and watched her sleep.

          “What’s going on?” Chris asked, seeing Daniel in the rearview mirror playing with Clover’s hair.  “Is there something going on between the two of you?” Chris asked in a warning tone.  “Don’t mess with someone else’s girlfriend.  Trust me, it only ends in heartache.”

          “I know,” Daniel said quietly.  “I can’t help how I feel though.  And I can’t help it if she’s got a boyfriend.”

          “Fine, just don’t do anything stupid,” Chris said.  He drove the rest of the way to the house in relative silence, the radio breaking the quiet.  Chris and Paige went inside, leaving Daniel in the car with Clover, who was still asleep. 

          “Clover, are you awake?” Daniel asked, shaking her shoulder gently.  She shifted, sitting up on her own, her eyes opening slowly.  “Come on inside.  You can sleep in your own bed.”  Daniel climbed out of the jeep and helped a slightly shaky Clover out.  Clover made her way up to her room, collapsing onto her bed, asleep almost at once.  Around two in the morning, she woke up.  The rain was picking up again, as was the thunder and lightning.  She tried to turn on her light, but found that the electricity was out.  With the aid of the lightning, she found a candle and lit it.  Wide awake, she headed down the stairs, vaguely wondering if anyone else would be awake.  She heard nothing other than the rain pounding on the roof and the crack of thunder every so often.  There were no lights other than her candle and the forks of lightning that stabbed the sky.  Softly, she tapped on Daniel’s door, hoping he was awake.  She hadn’t told him about Jesse and she wanted to.  She heard some movement and a muffled ‘come in.’  Cautiously, she opened the door, letting her candle lead her into the room.  Daniel looked slightly surprised to see her, but quickly recovered.  Clover entered the room, shutting the door behind her, and sat on the edge of the bed, then set the candle on the table next to it before turning her attention to Daniel.

          “Hey, what are you doing up?” she asked, suddenly unsure of herself and her reasons for being in Daniel’s room.

          “You knocked.”

          “I’m sorry.  Did I wake you?” Clover asked apologetically.  “I can leave if I’m bothering you.”

          “Clover, don’t,” Daniel said softly, his eyes drilling into hers.  “What is it you wanted to talk about?”

          “Well, it’s about Jesse.  He—”

          “Did he hurt you?” Daniel asked, quickly sitting up.

          “Huh?  No,” Clover said quickly.  “Actually, he did the most amazing thing.”  Daniel looked at her, a hurt expression on his face.  Millions of thoughts ran through his mind.  “It’s not what you’re thinking,” she said, climbing further onto the bed and closer to Daniel.  “Actually, he broke up with me.  You know, just wanna be friends, we’re going in different directions, etc.”

          “Are you all right?” he asked, looking at her carefully.  Clover looked up from the sheet she was picking at.

          “I’m perfectly happy,” she said.  “I mean, I’m not hiding my feelings from Jesse anymore.”

          “Is that the only reason you’re happy?” Daniel asked, stretching out and pulling her towards him.  Clover giggled as he started kissing her neck.  “Surely you can’t only be happy because of that,” he insisted, positioning her so she was sitting in his lap.

          “What else would I be happy about?  Technically I should be sad,” Clover said, shifting her head to the side so Daniel had easier access to it.  Daniel sucked gently on her neck, alternating between kissing, sucking, biting, and licking her smooth flesh.

          “You should be very happy,” he announced, moving from her neck to her shoulder, which was only covered by a tank top strap and a bra strap, “because now you can be with me.  We can date now.”

          “Oh, and you think I’ll want that?” Clover asked, his breath warm and moist on her neck and shoulder, tickling her and causing shivers to run up and down her spine all at once.

          “You’d better, otherwise I just might have to tickle you mercilessly until you do,” he said, pinning her on her back.  He was resting on his elbows, his body covering hers, as he stared down at her.  “So, what’ll it be?” he asked, waiting for her answer.  Clover put her hands behind his head, bringing his face to hers, and pressed her lips to his.  “Does this mean you’ll officially be my girlfriend, or do I have to tickle you?”

          “Um…” Clover said, pausing dramatically as if to think.  Daniel leaned on one elbow, his head resting on his hand, the other hand moving Clover’s black tank top away from her shorts, about two inches, and lightly walking his fingers over her flat, tan stomach.  “Okay, just don’t tickly me, please.”

          “All right,” Daniel agreed, laying his hand out flat on her stomach.  “Are you staying here, or are you leaving?”

          “Why?  Do you want me to leave?”

          “No, but if you stay, I might not be accountable for my actions.  So if you want out, you should go while you can,” he offered.  Clover’s heart swelled.  She knew how much self-control it must have taken for him to offer to stop.  She could feel how much it would hurt him, literally.  He was very well distended, and every inch was pressing into her thigh.

          “Who said anything about leaving?” she asked, for the first time noticing the sheet wrapped around his waist.  Playfully, she tugged at it and pulled it away, revealing Daniel, sans everything.  A tiny smile tugged at Clover’s lips as she remember the last time she’d seen him ‘dressed’ as he was.

          “My turn,” Daniel said, tugging her tank top, the one she’d changed into before falling asleep in her room, off.  He threw it carelessly across the room, not even noting where it landed as he worked on removing the rest of her clothing.

          “Do you realize how eerie those mirrors are?” Clover asked, looking up at the mirrors where she and Daniel were reflected in.  Daniel smiled, brushing the hair from her eyes.  The steady drum of rain was accompanied by a loud, cacophonous clap of thunder.  Clover jumped slightly, her eyes growing wide.

          “It’s just thunder.”

          “No, it’s a loud noise and it scares me,” Clover whimpered.

          “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.  I promise,” Daniel said, showering her face with kisses.  Clover’s mouth met his, her lips parting as his did, and their tongues attempting contortionist tricks with each other.  With the pounding of the rain, their bodies united and started moving in synchronized rhythms with the beat of the rain on the rooftop.  Clover, her eyes mirroring her emotions clearly and perfectly, reached the highest point of pleasure and started to scream.  Daniel swallowed her orgasmic scream as the two of them slowly spiraled back from heaven together.  Panting, they laid on the bed, Daniel still on top of Clover, his sword buried deep within her sheath.  Clover kissed him gently on the lips before closing her eyes and falling asleep.  Daniel blew out the candle, rolled onto his back, bringing Clover along for the ride, and covered them both with the sheet on his bed.

          “Mmm,” Clover mumbled, waking up slowly.  The memories of the night, or technically the early morning, she’d spent with Daniel were fresh in her mind, and she didn’t want to spoil them by opening her eyes.

          “Are you awake?” Daniel whispered, brushing the ends of her hair lightly over her face.  Clover opened her eyes slightly, smiling shyly when she saw Daniel watching her.  “Good morning Love.  How do you feel?”

          “Um…okay,” she said, shrugging.  She placed her elbow on his chest, propping her head on her hand, and played with the fine coat of golden chest hairs on his chest.  “I’d feel better if—”

          “If what?”

          “If we could stay like this forever,” she said.  “But, alas, it’s not possible.”

          “It’s quite possible every night,” Daniel said, insinuating and promising many pleasures to come.  “And some days too, I’m sure.”

          “That better not be an empty promise,” Clover said, her eyes dancing with complete happiness.  Daniel shook his head and kissed her forehead.  “We’d better get up.  Gina and Paul are coming over some time today.  Is the electric back on?”  Daniel hit the power button on his radio.  The red indicator light came on and, almost immediately, “Jessie’s Girl” came on.  Clover gave Daniel a weird look and got out of his moving bed.

          “Do you have to go?” he asked, getting up and wrapping his arms around her naked waist and resting his chin on her bare shoulder.  “I think we should stay here and explore this relationship.”  Clover turned around to face him, brushing his pet, who immediately jumped out of his non-existent cage.  “Thoroughly, even intimately, explore.”

          “Not now, sorry.  Gina and Paul are coming.  Remember?” she asked.  Clover wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing closer to him and wishing she could always be so close to him.  “I’ve gotta find my clothes,” she said, moving away from him.  With a sigh, Daniel helped, but they could only find her shorts.  Clover put them on and gave up on ever finding her missing clothing in the abyss that was Daniel’s room.

          “Here,” Daniel said, putting his blue Adidas shirt over her head.  He pulled her arms through the sleeves, which came to her elbows, and pulled the hem down so it wasn’t all bunched up.

          “Are you having fun dressing me?” she asked, smiling.

          “Not as much fun as I’d be having if I were taking them off.”

          “Poor baby,” Clover said.  She kissed him quickly and left the room.  She went down the stairs and into the kitchen for some juice.  Chris and Paige were sitting at the table, dressed and eating eggs, bacon, and toast.  “Good morning,” she greeted them, pulling the orange juice out of the fridge.  She took a glass from the cabinet, poured orange juice into it, and put the juice away.  “Okay, what’d I do now?”  Chris and Paige continued eating, ignoring Clover’s presence.  “Guys,” she pleaded, “come on.  At least tell me why I’m getting the silent treatment.”

          “Clover, you were in Daniel’s room and you’re wearing his shirt.  We know what you were doing,” Paige said accusingly.  “How could you do that to Jesse?”

          “What about Jesse?” Daniel asked, coming into the kitchen.  He put his arms around Clover’s waist, pulling her tightly against his body.  “Tell me we’re not talking about Jesse, again.  I’ve had more than enough talk about him to last an eternity.”

          “I can’t believe you.  After what I went through with Ben and Tori, how could you do that to someone else?” Chris asked.  Gina and Paul heard the heated conversation from outside.  They knocked on the door, but no one heard them, so they tried to open the door.  It was open, so they walked in, right into the battle zone.  “How could you sleep with her?  Don’t you ever think about anyone but yourself and what you want?  What about Jesse?”

          “God Clover, I thought you had more feelings than that,” Paige said, shaking her head.  Clover saw her parents standing in the kitchen doorway, looking back and forth between the two sets of arguers.  Her face turned bright red and tears of shame, that she might have disappointed her parents, came to her eyes.  She turned and buried her face in Daniel’s chest.  Daniel immediately put his arms around her, offering her security, safety, and love.

          “Clover, honey, are you all right?” Gina asked.  She came over to Daniel and Clover, placing her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.  Clover shook her head, her tears soaking through Daniel’s shirt to his skin.  “Did Tonya call you and tell you about her and Jesse?”

          “No,” Clover said, sniffling.  She turned her head so she could see her mother.  “Are they together?”

          “Yeah, I’m sorry dear,” Gina said, brushing hair away from her face.  “Are you okay?  Why are you all upset?  Why were you four all fighting?  What’s going on?”

          “Nothing is going on,” Clover said, relieved that her mother obviously hadn’t understood the argument.  Her father, however, understood.  He looked at Daniel and Clover, trying to decide whether or not to strangle the guy who was sleeping with his little girl.  He could still remember clearly when she wore pigtails and he was teaching her to ride a bike, and he didn’t like to think of her as being grown up.  However much he didn’t want to see his baby all grown up, she was, and he was glad to see the protective way that Daniel held her, the way she felt safe enough to lean on him , and the way they kept looking at each other when they thought no one was looking.  He knew it without question that Clover loved him, and he’d have bet his left arm that Daniel loved her too.

          “What was that about Jesse and Tonya?” Paige asked, breaking the silence.

          “They’re going out,” Gina said.  “They got together yesterday after Jesse and Clover broke up.  He slept with Tonya, broke up with Clover, then went back to Tonya’s for the night.  Are you sure you’re all right?”

          “I’m fine, really.  I kinda wanted to break up with Jesse anyway.  I just didn’t know how,” Clover said with a shrug.  She leaned her head back, resting it on Daniel’s shoulder, and sighed.

          “Well we can’t stay long,” Gina said.  “We just wanted to say ‘bye before we left.  Remember, Thanksgiving, we’re all at Bay’s and we’ll figure out what we’re doing for Christmas then.  All right?”

          “Sounds good.  Love ya,” Clover said, hugging her mom and kissing her cheek.  “Drive safe,” she said, repeating the hug and kiss with her dad.  She walked her parents to the door.  As soon as they left, she shut the door and took up residence in the living room window.  Daniel came in and sat with her, placing her on his lap and putting his arms around her waist.

          “You okay?” he asked.  Clover shrugged.  “I can kinda understand Chris and Paige’s need to protect Jesse.  They’ve both been hurt.”

          “I know.  I’m not mad.  I’m just hurt.  How could Paige think I’d do something so awful?  I mean, we’ve known each other since forever, and she still doesn’t know me,” she said, staring out the window.

          “I didn’t know.  You never told me.  I’m not psychic you know,” Paige said, sitting on the couch.  “I’m sorry.”

          “I know,” Clover said.  They all sat in relative silence until Paige remembered she had to work and everyone went their separate ways.

 

 

Chapter 17

 

          Sometime in early October, while Paige was at work, she began to feel ill and ended up taking the rest of the day off.  Chris came to pick her up, with Daniel along to drive Chris’s car back, since he had to drive Paige’s car.

          “What happened?” Chris asked as they were on their way.  Paige moaned.

          “I threw up.  My stomach hurts.  I told you when I called,” Paige said.

          “You know, they sound like familiar symptoms,” Chris said, giving her a pointed look.  He thought about two weeks before, then said, “We didn’t use protection.”

          “I didn’t get my period,” Paige said as well.  They looked at each other, then Chris turned, honking the horn at Daniel.  He went to a local drug store and Paige ran in for a pregnancy test, then they sped back to the house.

          “What the hell happened?” Daniel asked as Paige ran up the steps.

          “We stopped off at the drug store for something, sorry,” Chris said, turning to Daniel after watching Paige disappear.  “Thanks for coming with.”

          “Ah, no problem.  Anything to help a friend.”

          “You want to go out for lunch?  You’re not doing anything, are you?” Chris invited.

          “Oh I don’t know.  I was gonna get high for a while and maybe find some ducks to piss on, ‘cause let’s face it, it’s boring during the day, but I ran all out of pot, and there’s no ducks around, so sure.”  Chris was silent as he looked at Daniel.

          “We are really pathetic.  We should get jobs or make another record or something,” he said.

          “I’m sure no one would mind another silverchair album,” Paige said, coming down the stairs.

          “Except that we’d need Ben,” Daniel said.  Paige looked at him, slowed down her pace, glanced at Chris as she walked up next to him, then lowered her eyes to the floor.  Chris gave Daniel an understanding look, and Daniel offered an apologetic one, then put his arms around Paige’s shoulders and kissed her cheek.

          “You seem to be feeling much better,” he told her.

          “Not that much,” she said.

          “Would you be up for going out for lunch?” Chris asked.  Paige pretended to be shocked.

          “You mean you’re not going to cook?!  My God, the world is about to end,” she said.  Chris and Daniel smiled.

          “Come off it.  You want to?” Chris asked.

          “In about…” Paige said, pausing to look at her watch, “…eight minutes.”

          “Okay,” Chris said, matching the smile she gave him.  Daniel gave them a confused and questioning look.  “Hi.”

          “Hi,” Daniel said slowly.  “What’s in eight minutes?”

          “If you wait, you’ll find out too,” Paige said.  “I just wish Clover could be here.”  Paige looked at Chris, who gave her a look as if to tell her he couldn’t help her.

          “Why?  What’s going on?” Daniel asked.  Paige’s face suddenly contorted, and she ran for the bathroom.  The guys watched her go, then Daniel gave Chris a concerned look.  “Is she okay?”  Chris smiled.

          “She’s perfectly fine,” he said.

          “Okay,” Daniel said, wondering how she was ‘perfectly fine’ when she was sick and puking.  He moved to the other side of the couch and sat down, picking up the remote and turning on the TV.  Chris joined Daniel until Paige came down, then she sat between the guys, leaning her head on Chris’s shoulder.  All of a sudden, the door opened and Clover came in.  “Clover!  What are you doing here?” Daniel asked in surprise, since she never really came home until after work at night.  Clover smiled as she entered the living room.

          “Lunch break,” she said, giving Daniel a kiss hello.  Paige checked her watch again, then looked at Chris.

          “Time?” he asked.  Paige nodded with a smile.

          “Time for what?” Clover asked.

          “You’ll see,” Paige said as she stood up.  “Come with,” she commanded Chris, taking his hand and helping him up.  They walked side by side as they walked up the stairs.

          “All right, now don’t get your hopes up, okay?  We don’t want to be disappointed,” Daniel and Clover heard Chris saying as he and Paige ascended the stairs and disappeared from their view.

          “Is she taking another pregnancy test?” Clover questioned, putting two and two together and looking at Daniel.  Just then, they heard a shriek of joy and smiled.

          “Sounds like good news,” Daniel said.  A minute or two later, Paige came bounding down the stairs, Chris coming down at a regular pace.

          “We’re gonna have a baby!” Paige exclaimed, hugging an equally excited Clover.

          “I’m so happy for you!” Clover said.

          “Oh,” Paige sighed after hugging Daniel as well, “I just hope this time doesn’t turn out like—”

          “Paige,” Chris said, giving her a pointed look.  “It won’t.  Think positively.”  Paige smiled, her arms around his waist, and slightly nodded.  He smiled back, then kissed her passionately.

          “You guys are so cute together,” Clover commented with a smile.  “You’re going to be great parents.”

          “Aw, thanks,” Paige said.  Chris and Daniel just smiled and listened, acting like normal, ‘leave-the-gushy-talk-to-the-girls,’ guys.

          “I’m going to make sure you’re well-taken care of too.  We’re not taking any chances,” Chris said to Paige.

          “Yeah, I’ll have to get plenty of bed rest, right?” she asked, putting her arms around his neck.  He nodded with a smile.  “And plenty of fluids…”

          “Right,” Chris said.

          “Oh God spare me,” Daniel said.  Everyone laughed.

          “Clover, would you like to come out to lunch with the rest of us?” Chris invited, changing the subject.  She looked at her watch.

          “Sure.  Where’re we going?” she asked.

          “Why not Rusty’s?  It’s simple and quick,” Chris suggested.  Everyone agreed, then left the house.

          Paige and Chris went to the doctor’s office the next day and Paige was told that she was, in fact, pregnant, that both she and the baby were okay, and that the couple should exercise extreme caution since Paige had already had one miscarriage and she was lucky to be pregnant in the first place.  After the doctor appointment, Paige had to get to work since she’d missed a day and a half already.

          That night, as Chris and Paige lay in bed, Paige decided that it was time to start picking out baby names.

          “Chris?”

          “Yes?”

          “You wanna talk about names now?” Paige asked.

          “Sure.  What were you thinking?” Chris asked.

          “Well, first of all, I think the names we pick have to mean something,” Paige said.

          “Yeah, definitely,” Chris agreed.  “I thought the same thing ever since I started thinking about kids.”

          “Yeah, ‘cause in being with Clover’s family and everything, everything has to have a meaning.  It’s part of life, you know?” Paige said.  Chris nodded.

          “Yeah.  So do you have any names in mind?” he asked.

          “Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about Katarina.”

          “That’s pretty.  Where’d you come up with it?”

          “You know that movie 10 Things I Hate About You?” Paige asked.

          “Yeah,” Chris said.

          “One of the main characters is Katarina, and that’s one of my favorite movies,” Paige said.

          “I like it,” Chris said with a smile.  “I have an idea.  What would you say to you picking out girl names and me picking out boy names?”  Paige pondered this.

          “That sounds reasonable, but we have to agree on them, and suggestions can be made too,” she said.

          “Of course,” Chris said as if she were crazy.  “I know that.”  They smiled, then kissed each other.

          “So what about you?  Do you have any in mind?” Paige asked after they’d settled down.

          “I don’t know.  I might like to name a boy after Daniel, since he’s basically my best friend,” he said.

          “That’s cool,” Paige said.  “Are we going to have middle names?”

          “Doesn’t matter to me,” Chris said.  “What last name should we give them?”

          “Wait a minute.  We keep speaking in the plural sense.  How many kids do you want to have?” Paige asked.  Chris gave her a blank look.  “Well?”

          “I don’t know…More than one?  Someday?  In the long run?  If possible?” he said.  Paige smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

          “It has to work.  We deserve to have at least one little baby,” she said.  “And I’d like more than one too.  I think I’d like a big family since I didn’t have one.  I want my kids to be there for each other.”

          “I love you so much,” Chris said, putting his hand on her cheek and looking at her admirably.  “You know exactly what you want, and I like that.  You’re very smart.”

          “Well, thank you.  I’ve just been thinking about so much over the past few months, so I guess by now I should have a pretty good idea what I want to do,” Paige said.

          “That’s good because I don’t really have the first clue what to do,” Chris admitted.

          “I’ll help you along, don’t worry.”

          “You promise?” Chris asked.

          “I promise,” Paige said, giving him a kiss.  As they extended that one, Chris moved his hand down her torso and rested it on her abdomen as he’d done before.  Paige smiled to herself, ended their last kiss for the night, then pulled him down on top of her for a hug.

 

          “I’m so happy,” Paige said as she and Chris sat in the porch swing, gently rocking it as they sat in the quiet of the night.  Chris had his arm around her shoulders and his body turned toward hers as he once again had his other hand on her abdomen.

          “Me too,” he said.  “We made it to four weeks.”

          “Yeah,” Paige said contentedly with a happy smile.  She looked at Chris, who looked up from looking at where his hand was, and pressed her soft lips to his.  “And I hope we keep going.”

          “Definitely,” Chris said.  “What do you want to do tomorrow?”

          “Sleep in, eat breakfast, go to work, rest a little—”

          “Work?!  Paige, you aren’t supposed to over-exert yourself!” Chris exclaimed, shocked.  He moved forward on the swing and moved his hand from her abdomen to her lower thigh, nearer to her knee.

          “But I told Kevin I’d come in for a couple hours.  It’s not really that different from every day, Chris,” Paige said.  She caught him with that statement and he was quiet.  “Come on.  I don’t even do much when I’m there.  I’ll only be working the cash register, and the doctor said that working was perfectly fine.”

          “I just…worry about you; and I don’t want anything to happen to the baby,” Chris said.

          “I appreciate that, and I don’t want anything to happen either, but you can’t lock me up and keep me from living a normal life just to ensure that the baby’ll be okay.  I still need to exercise and do things,” Paige said, a comforting softness to her tone of voice.  Chris gave her a reluctant look.  She smiled and brought her lips to his once again.  “I’ll be fine.”  Chris wrapped her up in a hug.

          “I love you,” he said.  He put his hand back on her belly and lowered his head a little bit.  “I love you too, little one.”

          “That is so cute,” Paige said.  She and Chris smiled at each other, then sat back, rocking the swing.  After a while, Paige sighed.

          “What?” Chris asked.

          “Nothing.  I’m just a little hungry,” she answered.

          “Do you want me to whip something up for you?” Chris asked.  “What are you hungry for?”

          “Oh, I don’t know…whatever you feel like giving me,” Paige said with a smile.

          “Are you thinking with your dirty little mind?” Chris asked, knowing he really didn’t have to.  Paige laughed.

          “Do you want me to be thinking with my dirty little mind?”

          “Actually, yeah,” he said, leaning in to kiss her neck.  She allowed him easy access so he could begin gently sucking, licking, and kissing it.  They remained on the porch swing for a while, then went inside and upstairs to bed.  The next day at work, Paige sat on a stool behind the cash registers, staring across the room where the new releases were sitting in boxes, ready to be put on the shelves.

          “What are you thinking about?” Kaya (ky-ah) asked, walking over to join her co-worker and friend behind the counter.

          “Stocking the new releases,” Paige said.  “And eating.”  Kaya laughed.

          “I’m gonna be hearing that a lot, aren’t I?” she asked.  Paige looked at her and smiled.

          “Probably,” she said, getting off her stool and heading across the room.

          “Are you sure you want to stock them?  I can do it if you want,” Kaya suggested.

          “I’m fine,” Paige said, turning to face Kaya.  “You don’t have to be concerned.  I’ve been deemed perfectly fine to be doing normal work.”

          “Okay, okay.  I just thought I’d offer,” Kaya said.  Paige narrowed her eyes in thought.

          “You haven’t talked to Chris, have you?” she asked.  Kaya looked up as if she was a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.  “You did!  Did he call?!  He’s gonna get it.”

          “Paige!  Calm down!  He’s just concerned about you and the baby,” Kaya said as Paige turned her back and headed for the boxes again.  “He cares about you.”

          “You know, it seems almost like he likes the baby more.  Like he’s more interested in the baby than me anymore,” Paige said as she opened one of the boxes.

          “I don’t know what to tell you,” Kaya said.  “Do you want any help?  Nobody seems to want any CDs today, so I’m just sitting her being bored too.”  Paige sighed.

          “If you want,” she said.  Kaya went over to the other boxes, chose one, and opened it.  The girls stocked the shelves, then sat behind the two cash registers again.  After a while, Paige started writing names down on a pad of paper on the side of her register that Kaya couldn’t see.

          “What’re you doing?” Kaya inquired.

          “What would you name a baby?” Paige asked, oblivious to her friend’s question, but still having heard her voice.

          “I don’t know.  What were you think—”

          “I was thinking that Katarina was a pretty name,” Paige said, cutting Kaya off unintentionally.

          “It’s very pretty.  What about for a boy?” Kaya asked.  Paige was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly jerked her head to the right to look at her.

          “What?”  Kaya laughed.

          “I said, what about a name for a boy?” she repeated.

          “I don’t know.  I told Chris it would be okay if he picked a boy’s name, as long as we both agreed on it and I could make suggestions to him, but that was kinda stupid ‘cause we’d still both be picking out the name, right?” Paige rushed hyperly.

          “I guess,” Kaya said, not knowing how to react.  “And you’re picking the girl name?”

          “Yep!” Paige exclaimed.  Kaya shook her head.  They sat in silence for a few minutes and Kaya noticed that Paige was staring into the air thoughtfully, as if she was still thinking of names.  She sighed, then said, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

          “Okay…” Kaya said, as if she really didn’t want to know.  Paige got up and went into the back.  When she didn’t return for about ten minutes, Kaya went to the back and asked Kevin to look over the store so she could find Paige, then she went toward the bathroom.  “Paige?” she asked, knocking on the door.  She got no response, so she knocked louder.  “Paige!” she called.  “Are you okay?!”  When it seemed apparent that Paige wasn’t going to open the door, she announced that she was coming in, then turned the knob and pushed.  Paige was sitting on the toilet seat lid with her head in her hands, where she held a wad of damp toilet paper.  Her shoulders were shaking as she sobbed, and her hair fell around her face and hands.  “Paige!  What happened?!” Kaya asked, rushing to her and placing her hand on her shoulder.  Paige looked up a little bit, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Kaya immediately knew what happened.

          “It happened again,” Paige was able to choke out.  “Why did it happen again?!”  Kaya could tell that Paige wouldn’t get over it as easily this time and with tears in her eyes as well, she shook her head.

          “I don’t know,” was all that she could say.  She helped Paige up to give her a hug, and let a few tears fall.  She felt so bad for Paige and angrily wondered why she had to go through something so tragic at such an early time in her life.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered as Paige let herself go.  She cried for a long time until Kevin came back.

          “You girls better get back out there!  People are starting to come and no one’s out there to take care of them,” he said.  “Why are you hugging in the bathroom?”

          “Kevin, Paige is going through a really tough time right now, and I really don’t think she’ll be able to work the rest of the day.  She’s really weak,” Kaya said, parting from Paige, who slowly wiped her face free of the tears.

          “What am I supposed to do here?!  Paige gets to go home every time she’s having a bad day?  I’ve got news for you:  everyone has bad days!” Kevin said.

          “Kevin!  You don’t have to yell!” Kaya exclaimed. 

          “Yes I do!  It’s like I’m babying you two, letting you take off all the time.  I should be docking your pay a lot more since you never seem to be here!” Kevin said, more so to Paige, but still directing it at both of them.

          “Look!” Paige suddenly exclaimed.  “Quit yelling!  Kaya never did anything wrong.  She’s always been here and she’s always helped to cover my ass when I wasn’t, all right?!  Not that it’s really any of your business, but I just had a miscarriage, I feel like shit, and I really don’t want to be here right now.  Call Adam or someone to come in and I’ll make up the half of the day some other time, but I have to leave now!”  With that, Paige went to the opposite side of the back room for her bag, then headed for the front door.  She left the store and got in her car, despite Kaya’s calls offering to call Chris to come and get her, and drove off.  When she got back to the house, she ran up the walk and into the house, slamming the front door behind her, then continued up the stairs to collapse on her bed in another round of tears.

          Meanwhile, Daniel and Chris were in the basement, working on their music.

          “Was that the front door?” Chris asked, pausing and looking up.  Daniel looked at his watch.

          “It sounded like it, but it couldn’t be Clover.  She said she was going to be at school all afternoon, then at the office,” he said.  Chris stood to put his guitar down.

          “I’ll go check,” he said, then headed for the stairs.  He entered the kitchen and rounded the corner.  “Hello?” he called, looking around the living room as he passed through it.  He checked the lock on the front door, which was still on, then went up the stairs.  He peeked into the bathroom and Daniel’s room as he went by, then came to he and Paige’s room, where he saw her laying on the bed.  He heard her cries and rushed over to her, automatically placing his hand on her back and kneeling on the floor to be at the same height as her face.  “Paige, what’s the matter?”  He knew something was really wrong when he saw the look on her face when she looked over at him.  “What happened?” he asked, fearing what he knew, deep in the pit of his stomach, was true.

          “Exactly what you’re thinking,” she responded through her tears, her voice becoming increasingly high and squeaky as she spoke with yet another fresh batch of tears.  Chris’s face fell as Paige rose, wrapping her arms around his neck.  He rose as she did and they ended up hugging; Paige kneeling on the bed on her knees, and Chris standing and leaning against the bed.  They held each other tightly and both cried at the knowledge that they’d lost yet another child.

 

“I’m sorry, but if you take this week, I’m going to have to let you go,” Kevin said.  Paige looked to the floor, frantically racking her brain for a suitable solution.  Finally, as Kevin was walking away, she grabbed his arm.

          “Wait!  Christmas.  What about Christmas?  I’ll work during the holiday break if I can have this week off,” she said, a hopeful and pleading look in her eyes.  Kevin looked into her eyes as he contemplated her proposal and saw the earnestness in her face.  Finally, he sighed.

          “All right!  Take next week off and I’ll put you down for the week of Christmas and New Year’s vacation.”

          “Thank you so much, Kevin.  You don’t know how much this means to me,” Paige said.  As she went on, he nodded his head and began walking away again, dismissing her.  She went back to the cash register counter with a smile, and sat on her stool.

          “I can’t believe you got him to agree,” Kaya said.  Paige’s smile faded, as she thought of why she’d asked for the time off, and she looked down.

          “Yeah, well…I could really use a week off.  After what’s been going on, I need some time to think things over and get things straight in my mind,” Paige said.

          “Yeah,” Kaya said sympathetically.  Paige had told her the basics of what had happened to her, when it happened, like when she got pregnant, when she had her first miscarriage, when she’d got pregnant again, and then her second miscarriage.

More to come!