Chapter 19

    - I can’t believe it! – Mel, very excited, briskly walked into the hired house. She was chattering all the way to Missoula, and now she paced one by one all the rooms on the ground floor – spacious, but cozy kitchen, small bathroom for guests in shades of silver and burgundy, and huge living room decorated with an unusual taste. At the sight of a brick fireplace topped with a marble slab, she squealed with joy, then she spread her arms and begun to spin around in a crazy dance.

    - Calm down! – Said Jay, but on her lips appeared a smile and there was a playful glimmer in her eyes. – I’m also glad that we’re here. Finally we’re on our own. The team did a great job! Your dad had to pay a lot for repairs. – The house has undergone a complete metamorphosis.

    - Yours gave some money too. – Mel pointed out. – Besides, my dad negotiates with the owner. He wants to buy it. Real estate is a good investment.

    - Good idea. – Jay decided to ignore the mention of her father. She hadn’t seen him for quite a long time and she didn’t miss him. – Let’s take the luggage upstairs, unpack, and then we’ll pop out to the centre and make some shopping.

    Upstairs there were two spacious bedrooms with huge beds and bottomless closets, which, to the delight of Mel, could hold countless number of clothes and shoes. Each bedroom had its own bathroom on one side, and another, a bit smaller room on the other side. Thanks to such layout of rooms they could divide the floor between them and arrange their parts according to their own taste and preferences. Mel decided to arrange a studio – she painted and photographed, so huge window overlooking the south-east side could be useful and would give her a lot of daylight. Jay used her additional room to arrange a small library – perfect place for her collection of books, which is becoming bigger and bigger, and a computer, which helped her not only at school. Unlike Mel, whose windows overlooked a quiet valley and a lake looming in the distance, Jay had a view on a forest and hills, and because it was the north-west side she knew, that she’ll watch the sun hiding behind majestic formations.

    When they unpacked their stuff, they went for a walk around the neighborhood. The house they’d haired was placed on the sidelines, and they had to walk few hundred meters to the nearest shops. Estate of detached houses on the edge of Missoula was calm and quiet, and people friendly towards young students. Residents, with smiles on their faces, were showing the way to the important strategic points – supermarkets, post office, cafes, pizzerias, clothes shops.

    Views were fabulous – storey houses with windows shining in the sunset, white wooden fences and well-kept gardens. The air was full of flowers and herbs’ aroma. Kids were playing on the playgrounds, in the gardens, and even on the streets. Here and there they saw trees with spreading branches, and on them fanciful tree houses built by fathers to the delight of little ones. There was a dog or cat in almost every house. They were approaching the fences with interest to welcome and take a look on new neighbors. At first Mel was afraid to pet dogs, but when she saw Jay greeting the animals with such a joy and ease, she decided to try it too.

    - We can adopt a cat? What do you think? – She proposed.

    - Well, it would be nice to have someone waiting for us every day. – Jay said. She had two dogs at home and she already missed them. Buster, a friendly golden retriever, loved to play, and a wolf-like husky called Hunter always accompanied her on her trips to the forest. – Maybe we’ll visit animal shelter tomorrow? We can adopt some pet.

    - Great idea. – Mel liked this idea. Though at first she thought of buying some pet with pedigree, the nobility of giving home to some rejected cat was the option she liked more. She was brought up in the spirit of love for animals and it didn’t matter where her future pupil will come from. – Let’s go shopping and go back. It’s late. – She tried to pull her friend away from Alsatian, which looked more like a wolf than a dog.

    - See you, handsome! – Jay said goodbye to the dog affectionately scratching him behind the ear. Mel could swear, the dog sighed with satisfaction.

***

    - Hello? – Jay, a bit sleepy, picked up the persistently ringing phone.

    - You sleep? – A male voice sounded strangely familiar, but her mind was still in a mist of a dream.

    - Not anymore! – She groaned.

    In the handset she could hear a quiet throaty laugh, which caused chills running down her spine. She felt awkward, but at the same time pleasant pins and needles straight under her skin. For a moment she had serious problems with concentration, which by no means was caused by the fact that she was roused from sleep. She shook her head to regain control over suddenly rapid pulse. It helped her gather her thoughts. She looked at the clock standing by the bed.

    - It’s half past two in the morning! – She pointed out consciously.

    - I know. – He said. – But I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to hear your voice.

    - Bry! – She stopped, hearing her own uncertain voice. She had to swallow few times.

    - You’re in Missoula since a week. – He noticed. And though she didn’t hear reproach in his voice, Jay knew what’s behind his comment.

    - Indeed. – She said in conversational tone of voice. – We had a lot of work with decorating the house, but it was worth. Mel really has a knack for finding antique stores.

    - In the last three weeks I saw you only twice. Briefly. – He continued as if he paid no attention to her words. – You ran away at down, after spending the night together. Why? – Now she clearly heard a note of claim.

    - Bryan! – She felt uncertain again.

    - If I hurt you in any way… - Was that panic?

    - Bry! – She interrupted him before he said too much. –You did nothing wrong! It was a really exciting night! – She added reassuring. – Almost perfect. – ‘It was just wonderful!’ She added in mind, but she had no courage to admit it out loud.

    - Then why are you avoiding me? – He asked quietly.

    - I’m not. – She denied, a little bit too fast. – I had my hands full with so much stuff, and now the start of school. A lot going on here. – She sighed. – Perhaps it’s better? – She said quietly, almost in a whisper.

    - What do you mean? – He felt sudden, inexplicable chill.

    - I need to think about it. Sort it out. – She felt like a coward. – I’m sure you’d like to think about it too. – She said with hope.

    - Yeah. – He ignored the odd twinge in his heart. – You’re right. I need to think about it. – He felt a sudden surge of anger, but he managed to control his voice. – Sorry that I’ve woke you up. Go back to sleep.

    - Bry! – Prinks of conscience, which immediately appeared, pushed her to explain all doubts. But in the handset she could only hear hollow sound.

    Resigned, she stood up to start her regular training and vent all her frustration. She wouldn’t fall asleep anyway.

    - You’re suck, Tyler! – She hissed to her mirror image. 

***

    He didn’t call any more and Jay felt a kind of relief. Thus it was easier for her to stick to her decision and keep Bryan at bay. She had enough issues on her mind. She didn’t need more complications, and her friend’s brother for sure could bring her troubles.

    However, it’s hard to avoid someone if he’s friends with your brothers, and you live under one roof with his sister. Jay inevitably had to meet with Bryan, and unfortunately, after his unexpected night call, it happened quite often.

    But it wasn’t what she expected. At first she was glad that Bry didn’t try to return to their conversation, and especially, to refer to the night they’d spent together. However, Jay was worried by the fact, that he treated her with reserve, and even with an almost haughty coolness. And in her mind she could hear a contemptuous whisper, telling her over and over again, that she shouldn’t be surprised. All in all, he had been already given what he wanted.

    But Bryan didn’t fit into that picture. She knew him too well to believe, that all he cares about is to score with girls. Besides, she was there too, and agreed for everything. ‘There’s no doubt that he’s done me a huge favor.’ She thought with a pinch of grief. And though, it was difficult for her, she had to admit in front of herself, that she really wanted it. She wanted Bryan from the moment, when his lips joined with hers. She knew straight away, that this must have happened. She didn’t regret anything, though friend’s behavior caused her distress and pain.

    - What are you thinking of so hard? – Christian’s voice broke her thoughts.

    - I’m waiting for the coffee. – She said briefly. She didn’t want to externalize.

    - It’s ready since five-ten minutes. – He noticed and looked at her attentively. – Is everything ok?

    - Yeah. – She assured him. – I’m getting used to new conditions slowly. It’s the middle of September and the ease is over. Now we have to get to work. – She said quietly, mechanically pouring coffee into cups.

    - That’s all? – He didn’t really believe in sister’s words. But she would have told him if something was wrong, right? – Nothing more bothers you?

    - Present for twins! – She said casually, as she indeed had no idea what to give her brothers for their sixteenth birthday. – You have something?

    - Not yet. – She spoke freely, so he lapped it up. – We still have a week to think of something.

    - We can do it! Take it to the living room. – She said, handing him a tray of cups of steaming coffee. – I’ll bring a pie in a minute.

    - Take cream and sugar! – He said to Bryan while passing him in the doorway.

    Do not know why, Jay felt stomach coming up in her throat. Her hands were wet suddenly, and pulse was throbbing in her ears like an echo of African drums. Why? Yet this was what she wanted. That everything was back to normal. So they could meet as old, good friends again.

    If only that unpleasant, choking atmosphere could disappear. And Bryan wasn’t looking at her so coldly. If he ever could look at her as he used to!

    It was Saturday afternoon, which they decided to spend together. So far everyone behaved freely, but Bry was avoiding even looking in her direction. Even now, when they were in the kitchen, alone, he hadn’t given her even a fleeting glance. He went straight to the fridge to take out the cream, and Jay expressing childish rebellion turned her back to him and started slicing the cake, which she bought with Mel on the way.

    She held the knife firmly. She was choking with strange rage, which helped her to cut the cake quickly and precisely. It helped her to ease nerves a bit, as all the time she imagined that she’s cutting the hated mother’s murderer. She took a deep breath when she finished, she put the knife back and leaned heavily against the counter.

    The moment he hugged her, she felt a strange relief. Hope sprouted in her heart, that maybe their friendship is not doomed.

    - What pissed you off so much? – He asked with a cheerful touch. He had to admit that he watched her killing the pie with amusement.

    - I’m not pissed! – She said angrily, denying her own words.

    He grabbed Jay’s arms and turned her to face him. He took her under chin and forced her to look at him. Her eyes burned and Bryan had to use all his will not to lunge at her. The last few weeks were a real chore for him. He won the girl, which he wanted and cared about, and the next morning she slipped out of his hands. Though he didn’t want to, he had to admit that it hurt him, when she implicated, that what had happened between them was just a nice adventure. An experiment.

    He gathered all the strength of his will to control all the feelings that were seething in him. He leaned forward and kissed her lips gently. He would have stopped at this point, but when he felt her muscles stiffen, he was flooded by a wave of fury.

    He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked, tilting her head. When she parted her lips in a silent groan, he kissed her greedily. He pressed his body against hers. He stabbed his fingers painfully in her hips. He easily demolished the wall, she had started to build.

    Resistance was what he expected, revolt. Somehow he counted on it. He wanted her to push him away and save him from complete annihilation. However, he was deathly afraid to scare her. At the thought that he could hurt her in any way and make her afraid of him, he was seized with panic.

    He felt inconceivable relief when her hands, at first uncertain, then firmly, slid under his T-shirt. Her lips were giving the kisses back with incredible zeal. She was like a wax in his arms, which he could model according to his needs. His skin in contact with her fingertips seemed to burn. Every touch caused small electrical discharges.

    - I want to have you again! – He said hoarsely, when he finally managed to break away from her lips. He looked into her misty, wide opened eyes. He knew that she treats it simply as an adventure. If it was the only way to be close to her, then he was ready to play this game. – And I’ll have you!

    He kissed her once more, quickly and violently, then he released her from the grip, turned on his heel and left taking, sugar and cream. And Jay still stood there, leaning against the kitchen counter, with her hands tightly clamped on its edges, so she couldn’t feel they were shaking.