(ch. 19 up) God Put a Smile Upon Your Face

[jill]

Okay, since I've mentioned this story I'm writing a few times and people have asked about it, I figured I'd post it.

I've been really into writing lately, and this is my first go at a real, serious story with a thought out plotline and everything. It's not really Cillian-related but there *is* a character thats kind of inspired by him. So yeah..the title is ripped off from a Coldplay song, the lyrics kind of hint towards what the story is about. I don't want to give too much away, but here are the words...

Where do we go nobody knows
I’ve gotta’ say I’m on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face

Where do we go to draw the line
I’ve gotta’ say I’ve wasted all your time, honey honey
Where do I go to fall from grace
God put a smile upon your face, yeah

Now when you work it out I’m worse than you
Yeah when you work it out I want it too
Now when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine

Where do we go nobody knows
Don’t ever say you’re on your way down, when
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face, oh yeah

Now when you work it out I’m worse than you
Yeah when you work it out I want it too
Now when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine

It’s as good as mine
It’s as good as mine
It’s as good as mine
Na nana nana, Na nana nana
As good as mine
As good as mine
As good as mine
As good as mine

Where do we go nobody knows
Don’t ever say you’re on your way down, when
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face

Great song, you should listen to it if you havent heard it. Oh, and I should post a rating for the whole story...

WARNING! This story contains sexual content, language, and alcohol use. It's all pretty tasteful though, haha. But still, the premise is kind of heavy too so, yeah. Be warned.

and here's the banner that cursive made for me! thanks to everyone else who helped out, i saved all of them and honestly had the hardest time choosing.



Here are the first few chapters, let me know if I should post more.

Chapter 1

Three attractive men in their early twenties walked along the Santa Monica state beach on a low-key kind of day. It was late July, and they subtly watched bikinis as they chatted and casually sipped their Miller Lights.

“Sh*t, Paul,” Josh, his brother of 22 mused, “I can’t believe you’re getting married. Crazy.”

“Yup…” Paul sighed absentmindedly, staring out at the shoreline ahead of them.

“Hey, at least it got him to come out here though,” Drew, his best friend since childhood interjected.

“Oh come on, you know I fly over here whenever I can,” Paul chuckled, “I miss this place.”

“You know what else you’re gonna miss…” Josh growled mischievously under his breath, glancing over at a nearby group of sunbathing girls. The two other guys lowered their sunglasses and quickly looked to see what Josh was talking about. The girls looked to be around the same age as the guys. Their toned bodies and long, brown limbs were what had originally made them stand out, but Paul was drawn to one girl in particular. Her hair was in long, loose silky waves, and her skin was bronze and smooth. She looked so natural, as if the sun had lightened her hair and darkened her skin over the years until they were the same tawny hue. He knew he would have to look away soon if he didn’t want to get caught staring, but he couldn’t help himself. Her friends alerted her to the guy’s attention, and she casually pushed her Chanel sunglasses to the crown of her head and gave him a genuine smile. It wasn’t a forced smile that embarrassed him, or a fakey, $l*tty smile that he so often got from girls who tried too hard, but a plain old friendly smile. He almost laughed to himself, because of course- as if she wasn’t perfect enough- she also had full cheekbones and blindingly white teeth. He quietly swore to himself; not because he felt like an arsehole for blatantly devouring eye candy while he was engaged, but because he knew he had to have this girl, if only once.

Chapter 2

Ashley and her friends fluttered between their two suites at the Hotel Casa Del Mar, getting ready for a night out.

“Which top should I wear?” a friend asked Ashley, holding a satin tank top with lace on the trim in one hand, and a slinky black halter in the other hand.

“Which one do you like better?” Ashley offered, pulling on a pair of snug, crisp white Capri pants.

“This one.” Her friend concluded, nodding to the lacy piece. She pulled it over her head and checked herself in the mirror to see how it looked with her new cropped pants and heels.

“You look hot!” Ashley grinned, impressed, giving her friend a hug from behind and resting her head on her shoulder.

“Aww…Ash, I love you!” Her friend chirped, spinning around to face her. “Too sweet. Here, put this on, we gotta go.” Ashley pulled the long black top over her long, silky curtain of hair.

“We’re leaving!” the rest of the girls yelled from the hallway.

“Alright, and we’re coming!” Ashley laughed at herself, hurriedly slipping on a pair of stiletto sandals and running out the door.

***

Ashley, Marissa, Sarah, Rachel, and Jenna were on a summer vacation away from their homes in Middlesex, which is a quaint, scenic upper class suburb in Virginia. The club was just starting to get crowded as the girls entered the room. Interested eyes lingered on the young beauties as they talked and laughed. Ashley sighed, totally oblivious to the attention, and smiled as she stared up at the historic building from the bar. Her friends all ordered beers, and Marissa ordered one for her, since she was just 17. ‘God, I love having friends with ID’s.’ she thought to herself. Little did she realize any of the numerous guys eyeing her would have jumped at the chance to buy her a drink.


She noticed one man in particular, sitting at a table with a few friends, talking and laughing heartily. She recognized from the beach earlier that week. He was definitely an attractive man. She would guess that he was around 24 or 25, because his features looked slightly worn and rugged, but at the same time he had a boyish quality and a young body. His tan face already had small creases around his eyes, probably from years of laughing and being in the sun. He had shaggy brown hair and a little scruff on his face that looked as if he had slacked a little on shaving for the summer. Aside from his towering height and athletic, lean build, what really got Ashley’s attention were his sharp eyes. Shadowed by strong, expressive brow bones, they were a shade of pale, crisp blue.

“It’s rude to stare, Ash.” Jenna mumbled, giving her a disapproving look. She glanced over to see what the big deal was. “Oh, it’s that guy from the beach…damn, he’s cute.”

“I know.” Ashley said, grinning and turning to her friend. “You don’t see guys that look like that too often.”

“You definitely don’t, locked up in that high school of yours.” Jenna laughed. “The boys there all think they’re hot sh*teeeeee, don’t they?”

“Pretty much.” Ashley chuckled. Her bottle of beer was almost empty. “They’re not that bad, I guess. They’re just so stupid sometimes though, it gets old.”

“Yeah.” Jenna sighed, obviously a little tipsy. She smiled charmingly at the bartender. “Another beer please.” He brought it and Jenna immediately handed it off to Ashley. Soon, the girls were on the small dance floor, obviously having a good time. They swayed in perfect harmony with the music. Ashley got the feeling that she was being watched and glanced in the direction of the cute stranger from earlier that night. Across the room, their eyes met and she gave him a little flirty smile. His eyebrow went up and he smiled back. She went back to dancing with her friends, her long hair falling down her back as she playfully gyrated her hips with a sexy ease. A minute later, she looked over her shoulder at him again and he was still talking with his friends and drinking, but a moment later his eyes met hers and he gave her a little mischievous look, as if they shared some kind of secret. He excused himself from the table, and started to make his way to the bar, keeping his eyes on her. He gave her an inviting look and ordered two shots. She wondered if she should go over to talk to him. They had been flirting with their eyes throughout the night, and something about him drew her in. She was feeling brave and a little buzzed, so she weaved through the groups of people dancing and slinked over to the bar. He got up and pulled out a bar stool for her. She laughed softly, thanked him, and they both sat down. He didn’t take his intrigued eyes off her, and to her own surprise, she didn’t mind.

“Hey,” was all she murmured with a friendly smile.

any constructive critisism would be awesomeee...i know i'm not a very good writer but i'm trying to improve, haha any advice would be great.

[jill]

I just realized that the first few chatpers make it sound like a trashy romance novel or something, haha. It's really not, but I don't wanna give away too much. So I'm gonna post the next few, where it gets interesting.

Chapter 3

Paul just gazed at her. He tried to speak, to think of anything charming or witty to say, but he drew a blank. She was beautiful from a distance, but face to face, she was striking. Close up, he could see that her eyes were a sparkling green, framed by lush, dark eyelashes. Her cheeks and nose were sprinkled with light freckles. She curiously raised an eyebrow, and he figured it was time to say something.

“Hi,” he breathed out, chuckling at himself a little. It wasn't that she was making him nervous. Her confident demeanor actually put him at ease, but her looks were just a little distracting.

“Shots?” she questioned, glancing down at the small glasses. He nodded and tossed one back. He needed it. ‘What the hell am I doing?’ he thought to himself. He willed his conscious to stop nagging at him and anticipated the effects of the alcohol he had just downed. The mysterious girl wrapped her dainty fingers around the second shot glass and slightly raised it to him like a toast, biting her lower lip and smiling. He watched her swallow it, and suddenly found it extremely easy to convince himself that his fiancée would never find out about that night.

“Thank you,” she purred politely, setting the glass down.

“My pleasure,” he laughed at how well-mannered she was. She seemed to get cuter and cuter every second, and he found himself wanting her more and more. She turned to him in her chair, crossing her legs. Her shin grazed his and he could have sworn he got goose bumps.

“So, what’s all this for?” she asked confidently, still wearing that smile of hers. Somehow she managed to ask for his motives without sounding blunt or rude, and that just mystified him even more. They gradually and subconsciously began to move closer to each other.

“f*ck…I don’t know,” he admitted, slightly shaking his head. “I have no idea what I’m doing. All I know is, something about the way you smile…something about that makes me want to kiss you.” By the time he had finished speaking, their faces were just inches apart. The confident look in her eyes had changed to a solemn, awe-struck one.

“I don’t kiss strangers…” she murmured breathlessly in a weak protest. He ran his hand slowly up her arm, over her shoulder, up her neck, and rested at her jaw line, gently cradling her face. She let her eyelids fall shut and his lips barely brushed against hers.

“But I do,” he whispered.


Chapter 4

Ashley’s lips quivered against the stranger’s. Her heart was beating like a rabbit’s and her cheeks were burning red. The alcohol in her had numbed her inhibitions, and she could tell by the way her skin felt as his thumb softly stroked her jaw line that she loved the feeling of his touch. She had walked up to him expecting to hear a tacky pickup line or annoying, forced small talk. Instead, she was faced with those intense yet gentle eyes scanning her face, speechless. And then he had simply laughed at himself, and said ‘hi’. He was so refreshingly genuine. He made her feel beautiful, not self-conscious. This man was the definition of sexy. The intimate sense of his forehead leaning on hers jolted her back to the moment. She let her eyes loll open for a moment, and his followed suit a moment later. The closeness of it all was overwhelming her, so she turned her face to the dance floor and leaned her head softly on his. Jenna caught her eye and made a shocked face. Ashley just smiled knowingly and let out a small giggle as she felt him nuzzling and kissing her neck. She pulled away again and just looked at him, captivated. She was totally intoxicated. Intoxicated by the drinks, and intoxicated by his realness and his handsomeness.

“Listen…” she leaned in close to him again, smiling girlishly, “…do you want to go somewhere?” He flashed her an infectious grin.

“Let’s do that.” He murmured in her ear. He gave it a soft kiss before he took her hand and guided her off the bar stool. The way he walked with her through the club with his hand on the small of her back made her feel oddly safe. As they passed the dance floor, she could hear drunken catcalls aimed at him from her friends. She laughed and apologized for them, but he just smiled down at her and brushed it off. Walking through the club with him, Ashley was a little intimidated by all the women eyeing him. She looked up at him to see if he noticed, but he was just staring at her with a small smile. She moved closer to him and felt his arm wrap around her waist. The two newfound acquaintances hurried out of the crowded club and he guided her to the lobby. They passed a glowing aquamarine pool outside. Ashley’s mind was spinning, that doubt she hated in herself started to creep back. She had had her wild streaks, but nothing as crazy as leaving a club with a stranger who looked as if he could be almost ten years her senior. When he noticed her starting to tense, and he stopped and looked down at her with those sharp blue eyes of his, she remembered why she had wanted to leave with him in the first place. She felt as if he was out of her league or something. He seemed so much more mature, and experienced than the college guys she was used to dating. Something about the way he touched her, and held her, made her give in to him.

“What’s wrong? He asked, turning to her.

“Nothing,” She sighed with a smile, subconsciously clenching up her shoulders and folding her arms around herself.

“You sure?” he questioned gently, looking a little concerned. She paced over to the pool and he followed her. Suddenly, she wished she was one of those girls that could turn their conscience on and off. Even the few drinks that easily intoxicated her slight body couldn’t turn off that little voice in the back of her head. Suddenly, she felt a few rough fingertips softly touch her arm. She smiled at the ironic softly rough feeling and looked over her shoulder at him. He seemed to understand her predicament for some reason.

“How old are you?” He inquired. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she let herself closer to him.

“Twenty-two,” she lied bravely, staring him square in the eyes.

“You’re young,” he frowned slightly. She was pleased to find that he didn’t loosen his hold around her.

“So are you,” she protested. Her hand lazily ran up his hard stomach, she couldn’t help herself. “I mean, you feel young.” He laughed and she guessed by the lines around his eyes that she was probably mistaken.

“Listen, I’ll leave you alone soon, but can you do one thing for me?” He asked quietly into her ear. She pulled her head away so she could see the expression on his face. It was one of guilty hope.

“What is it?” She felt bad for some reason. She felt as if she was being a tease or something, and she hated it.

“Honestly, you’re the most stunning girl I’ve seen since…as far back as I can remember. I don’t usually do things like this, but I never would have forgiven myself if you didn’t let me at least kiss you tonight.” She felt her eyes widen and her brows knot together. Ashley knew herself well enough to know that she had the perverse ability to sleep with a guy and have it be totally meaningless. At her school, in her circle of friends, it wasn’t a romantic thing. It was just fun as hell, no strings attached. However, she also knew that if she kissed a guy, she would without a doubt start to have feelings for him. Those feelings would be tiny, and unrecognizable to her at first, but she knew herself well enough to know that it would hurt if she never heard from him after the next morning. She didn’t pride herself on this hooker-like mentality, and she didn’t understand it. Her friends simply called her a hopeless romantic. His eager lips grazing hers once again snapped her back to reality, and she froze. She panicked. In one swift movement, she stepped forward and pressed her body against his. She quickly writhed out of his arms just as he fell backwards into the pool with a huge splash. His head quickly popped out of the water and he shook the water out of his hair like a dog. He just gave her this taken aback look and she couldn’t stop laughing.

“You don’t listen, do you?” she giggled, gasping for air.

“Apparently not!” He shouted, obviously trying to hide the glint of amusement in his eyes.

“I told you…” she crouched down so her face was almost level with his. “I don’t kiss strangers.”

“Well, in that case, I’m Paul Woods,” he said solemnly, offering his hand for her to shake. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Are you kidding?” She laughed at Paul’s obvious attempt to pull her into the pool. “How dumb do you think I am?”

“Damn it,” he chuckled. She noticed his dimples. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

“You don’t have to leave me alone.” She offered sweetly, slipping her shoes off. She sat down and let her feet dangle into the water.

“What?” He looked puzzled.

“You said that you would leave me alone soon,” he stood up, and at the sight of his clothes clinging to his body from the water, she felt shy all of a sudden. “I don’t want that.”

“Now why the hell would I want spend time with someone who pushes me into a pool when I try to kiss them?” He teased, running his fingers through his dripping hair and wading over to her. She tried not to stare.

“Because you like something about the way I smile, remember?” she playfully teased him right back. He stood between her legs and casually played with her feet and calves, holding her ankles, running his fingertips up the backs of her legs. He had caught her off guard, and she audibly took in a sharp breath.

“You’re right, I do,” he said thoughtfully, nodding. “But I can’t kiss that smile, because you’re a stranger.” She found herself doubting less and wanting more.

“I’m Ashley,” she murmured.

“Ashley,” her name rolled off his tongue, and he leaned closer to her. He had a firm grip on her ankles, and to her own surprise, she wasn’t even close to thinking of running. Her hands made their way to the back of his neck, and he moved dangerously close. She was getting soaked. His hand slipped up her calve and in turn, chills ran up her spine. Not kissing this man was like being slowly tortured. She finally gave in and moved her lips softly onto his. The world slowed down for a minute as he cradled her head in his hand and kissed her. His kisses were tender and gentle, as if he understood that she was a little younger than him and a little scared. Though he felt a little guilty on her lips, he didn’t hold back. Soon, she felt his lips part, and hers followed suit. Just as she began to shake and tremble, she felt his hands wrap firmly around her waist. She let out a little squeak as he yanked her into the pool with ease, as if she were a rag doll. Submerged in the chlorine water, her eyes burst open. Tiny bubbles surrounded her and she looked around, dazed. The water was all around her, lit by the underwater pool lamps. The call for air quickly registered and she darted to the surface. Laughing, Paul took the stunned girl’s hands and pulled her to him. Ashley couldn’t help but grin as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. She giggled at his scruffy face tickling her skin.

“I know, I know,” she chuckled breathlessly. “What goes around comes around.”

“See, you learned something,” he laughed in her ear. She wrapped her legs around his waist. “You push me in; I pull you in with me.” She smiled at that. It was true in more than one way. She now realized that she had unknowingly pushed him into this whole situation. And now, as he started to kiss her again, she knew that he had definitely taken her with him. After a while, a breeze kicked up. Paul climbed out of the pool and helped Ashley out in turn. He grabbed her hand and they hurried off to his room, pawing at each other the whole way there.

Chapter 5

The sound of a girl’s carefree laugh jerked Riley Brennan out of his deep sleep. Struggling to remember the events of earlier that night, he squinted open his eyes and glanced around his hotel room. No girl. He heard the melodic giggle again and realized that it was coming from the room next door to his. Grumbling and pulling the stale hotel bedspread over his face, he decided that he would let it go and try to go back to sleep. Ten minutes later, the girl’s voice awoke him again. This time she was moaning instead of laughing, yet he could tell she was even more pleased. Half asleep and pissed, he yanked on a pair of sweats and ambled to the door. By the time he was out in the hallway, her moaning had stopped and though he was a little more awake, he was still pissed enough to tell her to shut the hell up. Too stubborn to change his mind, he banged on the door a few times and waited. After a minute there was still no answer, and just as he was about to knock again the door opened. A man who was a little taller and much tanner than Riley appeared, looking exhausted but satisfied. He was good looking, but boringly so. Athletic, rugged, all-American…typical.

“Can you and your girlfriend keep it down? I’m right next door and she woke me up,” Riley realized how irrational this was so he tried hard not to be too much of an arsehole about it.

“Are you kidding? It’s a hotel, man,” the guy chuckled. Over his shoulder, Riley could see a girl across the room pulling a large shirt over her head. He caught a glimpse of her body before the fabric covered her, and it was an image he wouldn’t soon forget. She was thin with the most perfect curves he had ever seen. Flat stomach, tiny waist, small yet round bottom. He smiled at her obvious tan-lines. His eyes scanned up to her face and saw that she was downing the contents of a small bottle from the mini bar. After she finished, she caught him staring at her and smiled bashfully. Her glow-in-the-dark grin reminded him of his first crush. He quickly looked away and focused back on the man he had been talking to.

“Yeah, and a lot of people are trying to sleep in it, arsehole,” Riley couldn’t help but be a little bit rude now, he was jealous of this guy. He locked eyes with the girl once more, softened his tone, and gave her a mischievous smile. “Just try not to make any noise. It’s fun.”

Though her face was shrouded in darkness he could have sworn he saw her coyly raise an eyebrow. The man muttered something under his breath and the door was swiftly shut in his face. Riley groggily went back to his room and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the digital red numbers on the TV. It was 3:45, which meant that his flight left in five hours. Two hours for security, one for traffic, one for shower and breakfast. That left him with an hour of time to kill, and as he heard his neighbors starting up again he knew that sleeping was out of the question. Grumbling, he switched the TV on to CNN and turned up the volume. He couldn’t get that girl’s smile out of his head. When it came to women, he had always gotten what he wanted. He grabbed a cold beer out of his little makeshift fridge (a cooler) and walked over to the mirror. I don’t get it, he thought to himself. He was a lanky 5’11, with pale freckled skin. He had always thought his face looked too doll-like, with huge eyes and pillow lips. He didn’t understand the appeal, but he was grateful it was there. After quickly finishing his beer, he realized how bored he was and did what he always did when he got bored- went out for a run.

He made his way out of the hotel and into the dark, somewhat cool California air. This was his first time to California, and though his family had a history of moving around, they didn’t travel much. He had been there for only a few days, to visit his little sister Siobhan before she moved to Spain. She was eighteen and had graduated high school that spring, and was going to study abroad in Madrid. They had always been close, though he was seven years older than her. She was his kid sister, and he had to watch out for her. They grew up in a small, middle class family in Dublin, Ireland. Their father lived to work, always very serious, very smart, and very strong. When Riley was thirteen and Siobhan was six, their parents divorced and their father was transferred to Los Angeles for his job. Left alone with no family remaining in Ireland or England, their mother took her two children and moved to Virginia, where her sister lived. A few years after Riley had gone off to college, Siobhan convinced their mother to let her move in with her father and pursue a career in acting. She gave that up quickly, and Riley had always been suspicious that her move had more to do with her dislike of her stepfather then a passion for acting. That and she just got sick of living in one place for too long. Now she was off to Spain.

He, on the other hand, was going back to Virginia. That morning he would fly back, and that fall he would start his job at the prestigious high school that he attended as a teen, except now he would be coaching athletics and possibly teaching. He had always wanted to be a teacher, and he had loved his high school, but now it was only a possibility. When he called about a job, they said that they had just hired a few new teachers but they needed a coach for cross country and soccer. He was a runner and had played soccer in high school so he accepted the job, but it was still a huge letdown.

So he got back from his run, pleasantly exhausted, and took a shower. Ever since he was awoken by that girl, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Though he only saw a bit of her, it was enough to keep him intrigued. He got out of the shower, dressed, and wandered over to the wall that separated them. Quiet for a moment, he listened to see if she was awake. Sure enough, he heard her soft, buttery murmur. Her voice was one he’d never heard anything similar to. It was happy but not bubbly, a little raspy but gentle. Her American accent was one of the few he’d heard that wasn’t nasal-y or whiney. ‘This is crazy’ he thought to himself, but as twenty minutes passed and all sound from his neighbors ceased, he knew he would never forgive himself if he didn’t see her again, if only to satisfy his curiosity. It would require more risks than he was used to taking, but he roughed out a plan. He picked up his phone, dialed her room number, and hoped that she was a deep sleeper. A man’s voice grumbled ‘What?’ and Riley quickly tried to remember the name he had heard the girl moaning.

“Yes, there’s a guest in the lobby wanting to see a…Paul?” Riley said politely.

“Ugh, alright…be right down,” he sounded annoyed. Riley waited until he heard the door open and Paul’s footsteps start down the hall. He quietly slipped out of the room and caught his neighbor’s door seconds before it closed. Wriggling his thin frame into the room, trying to make as little noise as possible, he still couldn’t believe he was doing this. This was crazy for anyone, but especially him. He was the kind of person who liked to be in control and knew how to do it…this kind of risk made him extremely uneasy.

His eyes scanned the room. The dim blue sunrise barely illumined the place, but it was enough for him to see the silhouette of her body under the sheet. ‘I’ll just see what she looks like and leave,’ he told himself as he silently approached her. She was lying on her side, her face covered by loose, golden waves. He crouched down so his face was level with hers. Frustratingly, her face was masked by her hair. Resting his elbow on the nightstand and closed his eyes, he deliberated whether or not to leave. On one hand, he had come this far. She was inches away; he could feel her breaths on his face every so often. On the other hand…well, this was f*cking crazy. He was sure he could get arrested for this somehow, if not that miss his flight. Holding his breath, he opened his eyes and moved closer to her. Very slowly, meticulously, he took a wisp of her hair between his thumb and index finger and barely lifted it from her face. He hadn’t moved his hand an inch before he heard her stirring. Though he knew that any sudden movement would wake her, he had to fight all his instincts to keep from bolting. He softly set her hair back where it had been, but before he could retrieve his hand, she had caught it. Well, not so much caught, but suddenly her fingertips were on his fingers and he was pretty sure this was the dumbest thing he had ever done. He was frozen, but she was still deep in her slumber. She lazily intertwined her fingers over his, held his hand to her neck, and rolled over onto her back. He swiftly jolted forward to accommodate this, and found himself face to face with the sleeping beauty.

Maybe it was the lighting and her innocent, sleeping-like-a-baby expression, but ‘angelic’ was the first word that came to mind. Her features were feminine and delicate- full, high cheekbones; small, pert nose; Cupid’s bow. Just by examining her complexion, he could determine a good amount about her. He guessed she was young; her skin had that dewy, fresh quality about it, with no wrinkles whatsoever. She was most likely outdoors a lot, as she was very tanned, and a little freckled.

He could tell a lot from her body language, too. She was probably a pretty sensual person, as she had taken his hand so delicately but assertively nuzzled it against her face. Actually, he was caressing that spot where jaw line meets earlobe and earlobe meets cheekbone and cheekbone meets neck. Her pulse was slow and steady. Absent-mindedly (he was rarely absent-minded), he barely traced his thumb over her lower lip. Her lush eyelashes fluttered for a moment and his mind raced back to reality. It was time for him to go. Now. Glancing towards the door nervously, he started to inch his hand out from under hers. He managed to retrieve his hand without waking her, and slipped out of the room. Now out in the hall, he whipped out his key card and darted into his room just as the elevator doors opened and Paul ambled out. Riley leaned back against the door, breathless, and let himself slide down to the floor. He was shocked at himself for letting that get so out of hand, but at the same time it was totally worth it. The girl was one of the most stunning people he had ever encountered, and his heart was still racing. It took a lot to make him do something that crazy, but he wasn’t going to let it get to his head. As he picked himself up off the floor and ran a shaky hand through his hair, he reminded himself that she was just a pretty girl, nothing more. He had a flight to catch. He sighed, suddenly tired from all the excitement, and left the hotel room with his suitcase.

Four hours later, he boarded the plane. Seat 16B, on the aisle, just as he preferred. No seatmate yet, but then again people were always late these days. He plopped down groggily, bored. He hated flying. It wasn’t that it scared him or anything, he just got bored sitting for such a long time, and he could never fall asleep on airplanes. Fifteen minutes later, the last couple people were boarding and he was pleased that he still didn’t have a seatmate. Maybe he would be able to get some much-needed sleep after all. He smiled to himself a little, reclined back, and closed his eyes. Not even thirty seconds later he felt a quick, gentle tapping on his shoulder.

“Sorry to wake you…I’m 16A,” the sweet voice apologized. It couldn’t be. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He didn’t believe it. Standing before him, her hair sopping wet and out of breath, was Sleeping Beauty.

[jill]

...soo should I keep posting this or no? cuz there are more chapters..

[Niquinga]

Yes, please keep posting it. It's very good.

[jill]

Aww, thanks! Okay, I will...the next chapters are a little more interesting.

Chapter 6

Ashley peeled her eyes open to the sun pouring in through the windows. Paul was sitting up, a coffee mug in his hand, his eyes on her. She grinned. With happy eyes, he leaned down, kissing her smiling cheek. Her eyes met his as he pulled away and memories from the previous night flooded her mind. ‘Unreal’ was the first word that came to mind. ‘Earth-shattering’ was a close second. They had actually pulled the emergency stop in the elevator to make love on the way up to the room. He was so different from any other guy she had slept with. He was so passionate, impulsive, and strong; he brought out a side of her she never knew she had. Yet at the same time, it all felt so natural. That scared her a little.

“I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but your flight leaves in three hours,” he said softly, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Don’t-” suddenly wide-awake, she promptly cut him off.

“Paul! I haven’t packed yet! How could you let me sleep that long? You know it takes at least an hour to drive to the airport and security takes two hours sometimes…” she was already across the room, heading for the shower. He caught her hand and pulled her nude figure to his half-clothed one.

“I’m not usually a selfish guy, but I really wish you wouldn’t go…stay one more day. I’m seriously offering to pay for another plane ticket here. Please,” he made a sad face, which made Ashley weak at the knees. She loved his eyes- not just the color but the shape of them, the adorable way that his strong brow bone shadowed them a bit. So persuasive when pleading. She was actually considering it, but then she remembered the whole reason she had to leave that morning: soccer tryouts. Not that she would tell him this. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“One more day…but what could we do in one more day?” she asked him, pretending to ponder.

“A lot,” he growled in her ear flirtatiously, “I would make it worth your time. Scout’s honor.”

“I’ll think about it if you let me use your shower,” she offered. Technically she wasn’t lying, she would be thinking about it, just not considering it.

“Again?” he flirted. She remembered the last time she had been in there; of course he was with her. She caught herself grinning and bit her lip. “Sweetie, remember what I told you last night; I’m pretty sure we used up all of the hotel’s hot water.”

“Sttttoppp…” she begged, leaning her head helplessly on his chest. “You’re making this so hard.”

“Trying my best,” he sighed, letting go of her. He paused and looked at her face for a moment. She gave him a worried look and feeling guilty, he gave up. “Fine. Shower.”

Within a few seconds, she had accidentally slammed the door in his face and was fervently shampooing her hair. Within another few seconds, Paul was in the bathroom. She glanced over at him, not even bothering to close the shower curtain. She was nothing he hadn’t seen, and she figured he wouldn’t care about something like the water splashing all over the bathroom.

“May I join you?” he asked oh-so-politely.

“Not a chance,” she replied flatly.

“But I need to brush my teeth and if I use the cold water from the sink then your shower water will get too hot,” he protested. “And it’s my shower anyway; I shouldn’t even be asking you. You’re lucky I’m such a nice guy.” She laughed and hurriedly slicked conditioner over her waves.

“Oh-kaaay,” she surrendered. “I’m going to be done in a second anyway, I just have to-” spying a large, wiry foot step into the bath, she looked up. He stood before her, naked, holding a washcloth. She froze. “-wash…”

“Way ahead of ya babe,” he reached over her shoulder and held the washcloth under the water, and then proceeded to pour shower gel on it. Ashley started to panic. ‘No. No no no. There is no way I am going to make this flight now…’ She thought to herself as she let her eyes fall shut and felt him slowly rubbing the washcloth down her back. Goosebumps covered her body. She kept her eyes shut tight, afraid of what the sight of him would prompt her to do. The feeling of him was already too much. She felt his lips brush hers tenderly, but she shyly nuzzled her face into his neck. The whole night she had been shy about letting him kiss her, because every time he did, she felt herself becoming more and more emotionally attached. Which normally wouldn’t be such a problem, but she knew she would never see the guy again, and she figured it would suck to have feelings for someone so unattainable.

“One more time,” he whispered in her ear, his tone more assuring than asking. She was powerless now, and she could tell that he knew it. He really was being selfish, taking advantage of her like this. She wished she could say she didn’t like it. She gave him a tiny, dazed nod and he gently caught her earlobe in his teeth. For the next thirty minutes, the world seemed to stop for them.

When it was over, he left at her request. She turned off the hot water and it quickly turned cold. Realizing that the world in fact, had not stopped for them, she started stressing again, immediately turned off the water and grabbed a towel. She left the steamy, white bathroom and spied Paul out on the balcony. She dressed quickly, watching him. He didn’t move, just stood there, leaning on the railing gazing out over the beach. Hurriedly, she went out to say goodbye.

“I have to g-” she started. He spun around and pressed his lips to hers before she could finish. She quickly pulled away and just blinked at him, surprised. Solemn guilt filled his eyes, and she wondered why. She hated awkward goodbyes like this. Wishing he would lighten up, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a friendly smile. His expression softened a bit. “I’ve gotta go, okay? Tonight was fun.”

“Yeah, it was,” a sly smile crept onto his face as he rested his chin softly on her head and gazed out into the horizon. “Gimme a call next time you’re in California.”

“I might just have to,” she said flirtatiously, looking up at him. Then, with a sad smile, she stepped away from him and gave his hand a little squeeze before she left.

Grabbing her heels and leaving the messy room, she dashed down the hallway and attacked the ‘down’ button for the elevator. ‘Come on, come on…’ she willed the damned thing to hurry up. Soon, but not soon enough, the doors gleefully ‘ding’-ed and opened. Within the next ten minutes, she had thrown all her things into her suitcase and zipped it shut; thrown on a ratty, frayed denim miniskirt and a button front, long-sleeved oxford shirt by Polo; checked out of the hotel; and was climbing into the backseat of a yellow cab. She let out a sigh of relief, and checked her watch. She decided she would be fine. Ahead of her would be a long cab ride. She had so many mixed emotions in her; she couldn’t quite figure herself out. She was giddy yet guilty. A big part of her was disappointed that she had let herself do this again, but at the same time she was still reminiscing on every little thing he did, every little sweet nothing he murmured and how each time they made love it seemed to get better and better. She prayed for something to take her mind off of it all.

After the longest taxi ride she had ever endured, she paid and thanked her driver. Her strides were both wide and brisk as she power-walked her way to check her suitcase. The sluggish line crept forward, as would the line for security. Three minutes before her flight time, she was just starting to race to her terminal, weaving her way through the crowds with a nimble ease. ‘D21…D22…D23…’ her eyes anxiously scanned the black and white signs that marked each terminal. D24 was hers, and she had arrived. By some miracle, she could see the door still open. She thanked fate and rushed over to get on the plane. The flight attendants cheerfully greeted her, though their voices had an obvious undertone of irritation. She glanced at her ticket and scanned the seat numbers. Hers was 16A. After a couple people in front of her sat down and got situated, she found her seat. Apparently, it was a window seat. Sixteen-B was a man who looked to be in his early twenties or so, maybe 24 at the oldest. He was serenely leaning his head back, eyes closed, but Ashley wasn’t sure if he was sleeping. She didn’t want to wake him if he was…this kind of thing always made her nervous. After waiting a moment, she tapped him delicately on the shoulder.

“Sorry to wake you…I’m 16A,” she shyly apologized. The man’s eyes opened and for a split second, she could have sworn he knew her somehow. He had this taken aback look at first, but it quickly disappeared and he smiled charmingly at her. He promptly got up and helped her into her seat.

“Don’t worry about it, I was just closing my eyes for a second,” he assured her, taking notice of her nervousness. His voice was deep and earthy, with a strong accent of some sort. She immediately wanted to hear more.

“Okay, good,” she said, returning his smile. He put his iPod headphones in and reclined back again. She couldn’t help but stare at him, partially because he looked familiar for some reason. He was strangely beautiful. He was a smaller guy, very thin and maybe five or six inches taller than her. He had dark brown longish hair, subtle sideburns, and these soulful, heavy-lidded eyes. His face fascinated her. He was square jawed and his bone structure, with high cheekbones and wide, open brow bones, was strong and masculine. On the contrary, his features were somewhat delicate. Button nose; lots of freckles; and full, bee-stung lips. She decided that fate loved her, as it had granted her good timing and someone to take her mind off of the previous night.

He opened his eyes a tiny bit and glanced over at her. An amused smile spread on his face when he realized she had been staring. Her cheeks flushed and she suddenly felt nervous again, fumbling in her purse for her iPod.

“Sorry,” she offered, avoiding eye contact. “I, um…you just look really familiar, for some reason. I guess you just have one of those faces.”

“You’re a very apologetic girl,” he mused aloud. He repeated himself slowly and deliberately, but somehow he came off as a sweetie. “Don’t worry about it,” She thought- how appropriate that he was assuring her not to worry so much after she had just been beating herself up about the night before. She was reminded of the movie, Lion King, when they sang that song about “no worries, for the rest of your days”.

“Hakuna matata, right?” she teased, giving him a little half smile.

“Right. No worries,” he chuckled. She liked the sound of that.


Chapter 7

After Ashley left, Paul stood out on the balcony for a long time. He had never felt so much guilt in his life. He had always prided himself on being a loyal guy, but now he couldn’t. It was a humid, warm morning. The sun was low towards the horizon, and tourists were just starting to set up their towels and coolers at the beach. He closed his eyes and let the ocean wash over his senses, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the smell of saltw*ter. His eyelids felt heavy when he opened them again. Ashley had drained him physically and emotionally. Only the latter was his fault, and he knew this. As he stared blankly out onto the horizon, he couldn’t decide what he felt worse about- sleeping with her or the fact that he didn’t regret it. He felt the corners of his mouth spread into a small smile as he remembered the way she had screamed his name, the way they do in movies. She seemed younger than 22 to him, but he promptly pushed that notion out of his head. She was long gone now; he would be married and move back to Virginia soon. Out of sight, out of mind.

Paul’s stomach growled, as he had worked up an appetite. He considered ordering room service but quickly realized he hated the idea of someone waiting on him like that, so he threw on jeans and a tee shirt and went out to get a pizza or something. After he ate, he would crash in his hotel room. This combination of guilt, sleep deprivation, and hunger that he had brought on himself was something he hated. He felt like crap. Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was haunting.


Chapter 8

Riley had always believed in his instincts. They never failed him. He had always been a good judge of character, and was always big on first impressions. Maybe that’s why he had been so strangely drawn to this girl, seeing that his first impressions of her consisted of (all very innocently) her sultry voice, a flash of her bare shape, and that mouth. That damn smile. Now, one thing he didn’t believe in was fate; but this was just too much.

Simple beauty hadn’t impressed Riley in a long time, but this girl had something else. She had a little spark; something in her smile was so genuine and real. It was refreshing, and it had drawn him to her. Resisting the urge to glance over at her picturesque profile, he started scheming. First, he would evaluate her. She wore an interesting mix of their departure and their destination; her frayed miniskirt looked as if she had had it for years and daringly showed off a pair of long, brown, thin legs- very beachy and cool. Her shirt however, led him to believe that she lived in a little upper-crusty kind of town, much like his home in Virginia. She wore the fitted oxford Polo casually rolled up at the sleeves and left the first two buttons tantalizingly undone. He wasn’t even sure she was wearing a bra. What fascinated him the most was that somehow, she pulled it off looking classier than any other woman on the plane.

She looked as if she could have been in high school, but that didn’t say much. Riley found that it was surprisingly easy to guess a young woman’s age once she started talking. She had only said a few sentences to him before she put on her headphones, but her easy courtesy had him guessing she was finishing college or just out. No high school girl would have the regardless eloquence that she did. She let him catch her staring at him, quoted a Disney movie, and yet he could tell she didn’t really care. Yet she didn’t make him uncomfortable…in fact, it was quite the opposite. Riley couldn’t remember the last time it had taken him this long to assess someone accurately.

He allowed himself to glance over at her. She was on her cell phone. She talked with her hands and her eyes. Though John Lennon was occupying his ears and he couldn’t hear her, he could still see the cross between shame and pleasure in her eyes. She would pause, attentive, and then her eyes would guiltily travel to the dainty suede moccasins on her feet. A tiny, mischievous smile would part her lips and she would get this little glint in her eyes, and she would confess. He didn’t even need to pause his Lennon track, he already knew. She had slept with that Paul guy last night- all night- and that was probably what she was self-conscious about. The fact that she felt bad about it led him to one simple conclusion, the only one that mattered. She wouldn’t even consider having Riley if she still felt guilty about some other guy.

Her eyes met his and he gave her a small, disapproving frown. She kept her eyes on him, curious, as she listened to her friend. He looked away casually, annoyed almost. What happened to hakuna matata? No worries? ‘This girl could be a challenge,’ he thought to himself. She was no $l*t, but that had been obvious to him since the beginning. He could tell she wasn’t faking anything with that guy; she was just as into it as he was. She did it because she wanted to, he could tell that she was still a little giddy. Riley found that utterly adorable and couldn’t help but smile to himself a little.

‘Step one: erase all guilt,’ he thought to himself. A flight attendant came over and informed them both that all electronics were to be turned off because the plane was preparing for takeoff. He turned off his iPod and wrapped the white cord of his headphones around it.

“Sorry, one second,” the girl next to him apologized genuinely. Then she went back to her conversation. “Jen, the plane’s taking off, I’ve got to go…I know…I will…I’ll call you when we land, okay? …Alright…thanks for listening…love you too! Bye sweetie.” She quickly snapped her phone shut and turned it off, with another ‘sorry’ to the passing flight attendant. Then she just looked over at Riley inquisitively, a small smile on her face. Her gaze was silent but expectant.

“Why do you look so guilty?” Riley asked gently after a long pause. He was careful to keep his tone concerned, not suspicious.

“That’s kind of a personal question, isn’t it?” she replied, sounding a little surprised that a total stranger would ask her something like that.

“Well I couldn’t hear any of your conversation just now, but you looked like you were confessing something,” said Riley. Her cheeks reddened a little, and he found it hard to keep eye contact with her because she kept looking away shyly.

“You sure you didn’t hear anything?” she suspiciously asked. He shook his head no, his eyes sparkling with a genuine curiosity. Finally, she looked him square in the eyes for a few long seconds. She looked like she was trying to figure him out, wondering why he, a total stranger, had this odd concern for her. He couldn’t look away if he tried, but he made sure to keep his stare sweet and harmless. After a moment, she looked away, giving up. Shoulders unclenching, she situated herself in her seat so she was facing him a little more. She was letting her guard down, exactly as Riley had planned for her to.

“Have you ever had that feeling of guilty pleasure? It’s like, you know you should regret it, but you don’t,” she asked him, still blushing. She wanted approval, and Riley was happy to give it to her.

“I think everyone has gone through that. The way I see it though, you only live once. Seize the moment, you know? As long as whatever you did isn’t going to f*ck up your future or anything, I wouldn’t worry about it. Like, did you cheat on someone?” He was surprised at himself for asking that last part…since when did he care if she was single?

“No, no,” she was smiling a little now for some reason, and seemed a lot more relaxed. She looked up at him and locked eyes with him again, paused, and then added, “I mean, I don’t have a boyfriend.” ‘Perfect,’ he thought. By now, Riley had decided that he would have to kill himself if he let this girl get away without sleeping with her somehow. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way. He had butterflies in his stomach, his heart was beating faster, and he was noticing all these random little mannerisms of hers…totally unlike him. He caught himself about to make some tacky comment about how shocking her lack of an S.O. was, and instead made a pleasantly surprised face and sexily raised his eyebrow a little.

“I won’t pry any more, but if you don’t regret doing it, then you probably would have regretted not doing it,” he said sweetly, raising his eyebrows as if to tell her that everything would be okay, “So remember sweetheart, hakuna matata.”

“I think that’s going to be my new motto,” she said, and a huge, authentic grin played across her face. The hairs on the back of Riley’s neck stood up and his stomach seemed to flip upside down, but he kept his cool demeanor.

“Good,” he said, returning her smile. She looked like he had just made her day, and Riley once again caught himself thinking of her as more of a person and less of a mission.

let me know if you want me to post more..

[seonedevinian]

um, definitely! even though i'm reading this independantly, if you're comfortable with it, i think you should share, cuz it's excellent! only maybe you should put it in fanfics, just so people can see it more easily. good luck!

[jill]

seonedevinian said:

um, definitely! even though i'm reading this independantly, if you're comfortable with it, i think you should share, cuz it's excellent! only maybe you should put it in fanfics, just so people can see it more easily. good luck!

<3 thanks! and i don't know, i'll have to ask jo about where it should go...

[belle]

it's a nice story, second time through too!

[jill]

thanks, haha. here's the last chapter, the next one after this will probably be up later tonight.

Chapter 9

Ashley suddenly felt better about her night with Paul. From talking to her seatmate for less than a minute, the guilt was lifted off her shoulders. Without even knowing the situation she was in, this mysterious guy had reminded her of her original reasoning- life’s short. The way she had figured it, she had never had as much chemistry with anyone or been as attracted to anyone as she had been to Paul. She knew she would probably never see him again after that night, so why not take advantage of the chance to be with him? She was ever the opportunist.

The airplane jolted forward as it began to slowly navigate its way around the runway, and Ashley gasped. Her stomach lurched and she instinctively grabbed onto her neighbor’s hand. Preoccupied with her moral issues, she had almost forgotten about her old fear of flying. Most people hated it because of the anxieties attached with sitting with strangers, and being uncomfortable and cramped for hours on end. Ashley hated it because when she was six years old, a plane crash had killed her aunt’s family. She lost her best friend- her cousin- and it was something that had followed her family for years. Now, eleven years later, she had pretty much grown out of the phobia, but it was still something that was in the back of her head every time she was in an airport or on a flight.

“You okay?” he asked. He didn’t pull his hand away, and when she looked over at him, he had that concerned look on his face again.

“Yeah, thanks,” she breathed out, slipping her small hand out of his gentle one. Her fingers tingled, as if he were electric. His attention was still all on her, and though it was flattering, it was making her a little self-conscious. “I was just startled.”

“You sure?”

“Mmhmm, I’m just a little scared of flying, but I’ll be fine,” she said, nonchalant, relaxing. He said a quick little ‘okay’, and she couldn’t help but notice how he clicked his ‘k’. Ashley wanted to just lay back and fall asleep to this man’s voice; it was the most enchanting brogue she had ever heard. His vowels were gentle and slurred; his consonants sharp and hard. The inflection in his sentences was odd and musical, almost a sing-song.

“I didn’t get your name,” he said suddenly, sounding a little surprised at himself, as if he just realized this.

“Oh, of course,” she laughed. It felt odd that she didn’t know his name for some reason. She felt so comfortable around him already. Maybe this flight wouldn’t feel so long. “I’m Ashley. And you?”

“Riley,” he replied. He offered out his hand, his cool, icy blue eyes smiling. “Pleasure to meet you.” Ashley shook his hand, and they both laughed a little at how funny that sounded. Their hands lingered, and she enjoyed the contact for a moment before she shyly retrieved her hand.

“Yeah, it is,” she said quietly. He smiled and looked down, nodding slowly a little. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere. His distinct voice sounded familiar and though she wanted to hear more of it, her sleepless night was catching up with her. For the first time in her life, she felt safe and relaxed on a plane. She reached for the little airplane pillow and leaned her head against the wall next to her.

“Going to sleep?” he asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“I think so,” she murmured softly, and then told a slight lie. “I didn’t sleep well last night.” Actually, she didn’t sleep at all last night, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Alright then,” said Riley. She shifted uncomfortably, cold from a draft that suddenly breezed through the cabin. Her long legs were going numb already, cramped from the tight space. She crossed and uncrossed them, but the pins and needles persisted. Her parents had offered to send her home in first class, because they could afford it, but she always felt like such a prick in first class. She always figured she was just a kid, she didn’t need it. Now, she was starting to regret her choice.

“Do you want to put your legs up?” he offered, taking notice of her discomfort.

“Up…where?” she asked, confused. She watched him lean down and reach over. He gently wrapped his hands around her bare knees, and she felt her face grow a little warm. He lifted her knees up so her legs were resting across his lap and her feet were sticking out into the aisle. Situating herself in her seat, she was surprised at how much more comfortable she felt.

“Better?” he asked softly. His fingertips were now resting on her leg, right above her knee, and surprisingly she didn’t feel violated at all. He was such a sweet guy; the feeling of his touch was more protective, not creepy at all.

“Mmm,” she nodded yes, holding back a goofy smile. “Much. Thank you.”

“You have goose bumps,” he observed, frowning down at her legs and running a thumb over her knee. She knew that the chilly cabin air was only part of the reason for this. “Do you want a blanket?”

“You’re too sweet…” she laughed quietly under her breath, shaking her head. She wasn’t used to being taken care of like this. “I don’t see any flight attendants, it’s fine. Thanks anyway, though.” He looked around as if he didn’t believe her, but the flight attendants were all seated, as the plane was still ascending into the sky. He looked at her, still looking a little bothered by the fact that she wasn’t totally comfortable. “I’m fine, really,” she giggled.

“Okay,” he clicked, reclining back. She closed her eyes, still smiling and blushing. For a few minutes, they both sat in a relaxed silence, taking each other in and just listening to the sounds of the plane. The sky all around them, strangers making small talk, children giggling. Ashley had never enjoyed a flight before this, but suddenly she didn’t mind the way the dips and shifts of the plane made her stomach flip. Actually, she couldn’t differentiate between which flips were caused by the plane and which were caused by Riley. Every so often she would feel him absent-mindedly thumb her knee, or run his hand down her calf to help her warm up. Little did he know, he was now the reason for her chills. Soon, she slipped into a state of light sleep. Even sooner, she was awoken by a warm hand on her foot. She took in a deep breath through her nose and squinted open her eyes. A short flight attendant stood behind a large metal cart filled with drinks. Ashley realized her feet were sticking out into the aisle, in the stewardess’s way. Riley, probably thinking she was in a deep, limp sleep, was trying to gently bring her feet into his lap.

“Sorry,” she whispered, arching her back and twisting around so she was in a more comfortable position and her feet were out of the way. She was now facing forward, her legs curled up in Riley’s lap. Her knees pointed towards the seat in front of him, and she was lying on her side in her seat, her bottom pressed lightly against his thigh. The sleeve of his sweater brushed against her calve, it was cashmere. She quickly made sure her skirt wasn’t riding up too much, and he chuckled a little. It was fine. He held her feet securely against his hip for a moment as the stewardess passed by, smiling wistfully at them for some reason.

“Oh, excuse me,” Riley said to the woman, sounding like he just remembered something. She turned around, and Ashley could have sworn she saw the lady eyeing him up. “Do you have an extra blanket, by any chance?” Ashley couldn’t help but smile to herself. The man cared, and the feeling she got knowing this almost rivaled the one Paul had given her with his intense kiss. She quickly scolded herself for comparing the two, deciding it was like comparing apples and oranges.

“Let me see…” standing on the tips of her toes, she opened an overhead compartment and moved a suitcase over. No luck. Trying again, she opened another one. Again, nothing. She looked around helplessly as the plane started to shake with a slight turbulence. She started to wheel the cart down the aisle. “I think we stopped stocking them, but I’ll go back and check.”

“Thank you,” he said politely.

“Are you cold too?” she asked innocently, wondering if he really was asking for her.

“What? No, I thought you were, remember?” he chuckled. “You’re still all goose bumpy.”

“Riley, you didn’t have to do that,” she mewed, raising her eyebrows. She was so quiet, he had to lean in a little to hear her.

“It’s not a big deal,” he protested, shaking his head. “Oh, and sorry for waking you. They were coming around with drinks and she needed to get through.”

“I was just barely asleep, it’s okay,” she said, slowly blinking. She was comfortable and sleepy again. She yawned and then giggled a little. “Excuse me.”

“Comfy?” he chuckled, noting her new position. She nodded and smiled, hoping he was comfy too. She wasn’t used to all this attention, she felt like his focus had been undividedly on her since she tapped him on the shoulder to get into her seat.

“Are you? Do you need me to move at all or…” she asked, glancing down her body to make sure she wasn’t poking him or sitting on him anywhere. She wasn’t.

“Nah, you’re good,” he brushed off her concern. His eyes lit up a little and he reached forward to grab a book out of the pocket on the seat in front of him. It was a paperback, looking old and worn. The page was folded down near the end. Ashley squinted to see the title; it was Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov. A classic, but it was one of her favorite books. Riley rested the binding of the book behind her knee and opened it, pretending to be engrossed in his reading. Ashley burst out with a laugh.

“Glad I can be of some kind of use,” she joked, biting her lip at the feeling of his knuckles resting on the inside of her thigh. More chills. She wondered if his teasing was conscious.

“My own little book rest,” he chuckled, tracing an upside down “V” shape from her thigh to her knee to her calf with his fingertip. Now she couldn’t help but compare him to Paul- she was shivering. At the same time though, he was so different. Paul was impulsive, while she sensed that Riley was probably more of a slow burner.

“Mmhmm,” she nodded, beaming uncontrollably. With those startling eyes and Beatles-esque haircut, and the way his lower lip stuck out a little…he was gorgeous. Though she wanted so badly to stay up for hours and listen to stories narrated by that voice of his, she knew she couldn’t. The need for sleep was nagging at her again, her eyelids heavy. She nuzzled her head into the little pillow and let out a tired sigh. “I’m gonna sleep for a little…night.”

“Good night,” he whispered back, even though it was morning. Just as she was falling asleep, she felt him wriggling around a little. Then, something warm and luxuriously soft blanketed her thighs, and was carefully tucked around them. A cashmere sweater.

let me know what you think!

[seonedevinian]

you know i love this, jill. exalt!

[jill]

aww thanks! haha. next chapter's done...a little look into paul's life.

Chapter 10

Paul quickly finished his third beer before arriving at the rehearsal. As he pushed through the clear glass doors that led outside, the humid air felt heavy and intense on his air-conditioned skin. The wedding was to be at the hotel, outdoors, near the gardens. He had never seen so many folding chairs in his life. Not just any old cheap folding chairs, of course, these were $129 a piece from Crate and Barrel, hardwood and finished in a rich golden stain. The same mentality was used in thinking through the whole wedding- Amy wanted the best of everything, and she wouldn’t settle for anything less. Not that she needed to, the budget was practically limitless. She had been so caught up in planning the wedding the past six months, Paul now felt oddly distant from her. It was strange to think that in a few days, he would marry this woman.
He avoided walking down the central aisle-way, and made his way off to the left, walking past seemingly endless rows of chairs. The sun was a little too bright for his liking today, so he kept his head low and stared at his feet as he walked. He could hear everyone nearby, he glanced up and sure enough, there was the bridal party. Amy was the center of attention, as usual, flitting around and probably wondering where the hell he was. Sure enough, as soon as she spotted him, she dashed over. She looked pissed, naturally. He didn’t even bother to look at his watch, he knew he was late.

“Paul! Where have you been? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago…” she demanded, crossing her wiry arms and searching his face for some kind of closure. Paul looked down at her, just now realizing he hadn’t seen her once in the past couple days. She looked stressed as usual, but still perfectly put-together. Her frowning gray eyes darted across his face, growing impatient.

“Sorry babe, I could have sworn you said 3:30. I thought I was early,” he lied, running his hands up her arms and giving her a kiss on the forehead. He actually did bother to have a wake-up call sent to his room in time, he was just still so exhausted and not excited to be there at all, he had fallen back asleep.

“Are you serious?” she scoffed, shaking her head disapprovingly. “You forgot?” He nodded earnestly, noting the emphasis on the last word she spoke. She said it as if it were a deadly sin, to forget something so important. Amy was the kind of woman who showed up everywhere five minutes early, planned her days carefully, and never forgot anything. At first, Paul was impressed. She was efficient, lived a good life, got things done. She was a perfectionist. After a while though, this started to turn into something that was annoying most of the time, but could be endearing and cute if he was in a good mood. Now, mostly, it was just tiring.

“I’m really sorry sweetheart; I guess I kind of lost my head,” he shrugged, knowing not to try to make any excuses. The best way out of this was to just apologize and let her be right. He didn’t have the energy to fight now. Her expression softened, and she took his hand.

“I can’t stay mad at that face…” she surrendered, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back stiffly, guessing she sensed his guilt. “I hope your little vacation with the guys was worth it, I missed you.” Though sincere, his sounded odd and unnatural coming from her. She never said things like that, and he wished she wouldn’t now. His heart felt heavy, weary almost as he took in her signature scent, Chanel No 5. On other women it usually smelled stuffy and old-ladyish, but on her it was classy and elegant. Just like her. He pulled away from her and took her hand.

“Let’s go, everyone’s waiting,” he said, leading her towards the rest of the party. He spotted Drew, his best friend, and Josh, his younger brother. They had been with him when he left with Ashley, and he wasn’t sure if he could hide what had happened. Both guys were already looking at him knowingly. Who was he kidding, these guys knew him better than anyone. He would have to tell them, but luckily they were trustworthy. They would understand.

“Rough night?” Josh teased sarcastically, once Amy was out of earshot, of course.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Paul said, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes. The smell of the flowers surrounding them was starting to get a little overwhelming. He needed another beer, badly. Amy’s voice interrupted, and for once Paul was grateful of this. She stood in front of the crowd, her wedding planner at her side as usual. The planner politely asked everyone to take their places so they could begin. Paul dragged himself up to the front, only knowing vaguely where he was supposed to stand. Luckily, the planner re-arranged him and pretty much everyone else in the wedding party.
He stood there for a long time, just watching her. She was wearing a crisp green sundress, her makeup was tastefully applied and subtle, and her straight, dark brown hair brushed her shoulders as she walked. Amy hadn’t changed much since high school, when they started dating. She was always Miss Type A, getting involved in everything possible, making perfect grades, and looking gorgeous- always. She basically ruled the school, and he had been impressed. He was always just the nice guy who got by on his personality and athletic ability. High school had been fun, but he wasn’t really going anywhere. He just kind of skated through, enjoying life and getting decent grades. He never really worried about his future. That is, until he started dating Amy. It was senior year for both of them, and unbeknownst to him, she had been quietly pursuing him for the previous three years. She always did get what she wanted.
As the flower girl teetered down the aisle, scattering imaginary petals, Paul started to think about his future again. He had been doing that a lot lately. It was hard to take in all at once, but he was settling down, and at a relatively young age, too. He had so much waiting for him back in Virginia. The teaching job he had been working towards since his senior year, at one of the highest paying private schools in the country. A spacious, gorgeous old house, with sprawling acres of manicured green grass. It made sense. For some reason though, he didn’t feel excited or happy. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed.

“Paul,” she snapped, jerking him back to reality. She stood next to her solemn father, who came from old money. He frowned disapprovingly at Paul, but this was nothing new. Paul realized that his future father-in-law was now waiting to give his daughter away. Unclenching his jaw, he stepped forward.

[dior4ever]

BTW that is one of my favorite songs, i love coldplay!!!

[jill]

haha yeah, me too!

so, any feedback?

[seonedevinian]

Paul's life actually sounds kind of sad, suffocating. i'd be hard pressed to find a reason to marry someone like Amy, lol. but i'm just like that...you can really see why he would have done a thing like spend a night with someone else, but you can also see how guilty he feels. very real characters, Jill. keep sharing! i love this, it really is very good. (i'd buy it if i saw it in the store)

[Shelly]

id buy it too. keep it up.