Save Me: a Stepbrother Romance (28 page)

“I hate being alone,” I slurred.  My eyes were closing against my will, and my breathing slowed.  Whatever they were pumping into me was strong enough to down a horse.

“We’ll talk later, sweetheart,” he said, kissing my forehead.  “You need sleep.  Not to keep worrying about me.”

“No,” I gasped.  The drowsiness was pulling me down like a rip tide, the waves of sleep threatening to drown me.  My inner swimmer was slowly succumbing to the dark, warm embrace of the current rising around it.  “Cal, I need you.”

“I’ll wait outside the door for you to wake up.”

“But I
need
you.”

“And you have me, Nat.  But you also need sleep.  You know I want to stay with you, but it’s not what you need right now.  I’ll still be here, sweetheart.  I’ll always be here.”

The ocean of sleep had finally started sucking me down.  I struggled against it as I watched him leave, my inner swimmer thrashing against the waves that crashed around me.  I needed Cal.  I needed his lips, his hands, his fingers through my hair, his everything.  I hated to see him go, even if I knew it was the right thing to do.  My whole soul reached out for him as he left.

But as it turns out, true love is still no match for medical grade sedatives.  My vision began to haze out.

I collapsed in sleep the instant he closed the door.

“Which one does this go to?” asked Cal, holding up an embossed letter with gold edging. 

‘CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACCEPTANCE’ was printed in bright red letters across the front of the pamphlet.  We sat at my kitchen table examining the pile of final contenders almost a month after the parking lot incident.  My crutches were leaning against the table as we picked through envelopes and colorful letters, all of them sporting the word ACCEPTED.

Cal pretended to examine this particular letter with distaste, but I saw the ghost of a smile cross his lips. 

He was proud of me. 

That meant a lot.

“Harvard,” I said, sipping my tea and slipping another acceptance letter into the pile.  My graduation cap and gown were still slung over the chair I had thrown them on an hour ago.  I was still getting texts from Jess inviting me to the grad after party she was throwing, with plenty of suggestive pictures of cute boys she had wrangled into attendance.

I glanced out the window.  By now, it was ten at night, but I could still hear firecrackers and pop music playing in the street as the graduation parties raged on.  Maybe I would visit, if only for a few minutes.  It was our graduation night, after all.

Then I glanced down at my leg—still not fully recovered.  Jess had not helped by scribbling my phone number and “FOR A GOOD TIME CALL” on the back of the cast.  I had only been barely able to cover that with my graduation gown.  I definitely couldn’t hide it with just a party dress, and there was no telling how many of those wrangled cute boys had been told to look out for cast girl.

Nope.  No partying for Cast Nat tonight.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go out?” Cal asked me, placing Harvard’s acceptance letter into the pile.  “Technically we both graduated, even if they didn’t let me walk the ceremony.  Maybe it would be good for both of us.”

“Ugh.  No.  My head is killing me.” 

I rubbed my temple with two fingers, wincing against the slight bite of pain.  The bruise had mostly gone down by now, and I thankfully hadn’t needed stitches.  But I did have to take my graduation pictures sporting a massive purple stain across my face, not to mention a cheek so covered in cuts and bruises I looked like the newly reanimated Bride of Frankenstein.

Cal still said I looked beautiful.

“You go,” I said.  “I shouldn’t ruin your big night.  After all, it’s a miracle you managed to graduate.  Didn’t you skip the entirety of your sophomore year?”

He rolled his eyes and clasped my hand.

“You know there’s no point in being anywhere if I’m not with you, Nat.”

“Stop being cute.”

“Make me.” 

He held me hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.

“Anyway,” I said, slipping the Harvard letter’s envelope into my purse, “I’m not the partying type.  The last thing I need with this headache is more alcohol.  Not like I can dance, either.”  I placed my casted foot up in the chair next to me and massaged the aching knee above it.  “Besides, do remember the last time we went to a party?  Not doing that again.  Getting the cops called on us isn’t my idea of a good time.”

He smiled.  “I think I know another way we can celebrate.”

My heart fluttered. 

“Oh?”

He grabbed my hand.

“Come on, Nat.  I’ve got something to show you.”

I glanced back toward Mom’s bedroom.  She had collapsed in bed as soon as we got home, drunk off the cheap box wine we celebrated with.  And probably from the triumphant exhaustion that came without sitting through graduation on edge and hoping desperately that Cal didn’t set off a fire alarm or streak. 

He had been a good boy, though.  Now that he was out from under James’ thumb, a lot about him had changed.  I hadn’t seen anger in his eyes at all.  I hadn’t seen him close himself off from anyone.  He had even told a joke to Officer Furst at graduation, and if that wasn’t one of the signs of the impending apocalypse, I wasn’t sure what was.

“I don’t know,” I said, rubbing my cast, nodding towards Mom’s room.  “She’s still not happy with the idea of me going out, even if she forgave you.  And with this cast…”

He kissed me.

“Do you trust me?”

I looked at him helplessly. 

I sighed.  “Alright, fine.  But get my crutches.  I always end up running when I’m with you.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart.”  That dangerous, cheeky Cal smile came back.  “No more running.  Or crutches.  I’ll take care of all that for you.”

“Cal, don’t!”

I couldn’t fight him off.  And even if I could, I didn’t want to anymore.  He picked me up out of the chair, slinging me over his shoulder as always.  My cast bumped into his chest, but he touched it tenderly, making sure that nothing was hurt. 

He patted my ass.

“Come on, Nat.  Let’s go have fun.”

“Right.  Fun.”  I huffed from my undignified position.  “Getting carried off like war booty is completely fun.”

“Well, fun for me,” he chuckled, kissing the top of my thigh where it brushed against his stubble.

My eyes rolled as he carried me out to his bike.  I had gotten used to being manhandled by now.

Riding was a little bit harder with a cast.  But by now, I fit so perfectly into Cal’s body that it didn’t matter.  I rested my chin on his shoulder as we rode down the dark highway, enjoying the light breeze kissing my bruises and the warm pulse in Cal’s neck.  We pulled off onto a country road after a while, and the smell of fresh dirt and damp leaves blew over me.

“Where are we?” I asked as we passed a thatch of blackberry bushes.  I had never been to this part of town.  It was right outside the city.  Just close enough to be easy to get to, but just rural enough to be mysterious and new.

“It’s a secret, Sis.”

“Ugh.  Don’t call me that.”

“Sure thing, Pink.”

I glared at him.  He felt it from behind him and chuckled.

“Sorry, Nat.  You’re so cute when you’re mad.”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”

“You just did.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Ten minutes later, Cal parked the bike behind a thick bush that smelled of sweet, musky flowers.  His warm fingers covered my eyes.  “Don’t look until I say so.  It’s a surprise.”

“Cal, I’m wearing a cast,” I groaned.

“I’ll lead you.  Just trust me.”

“Cal.”

“I could carry you again.”

Before I could protest, he had swept me up into his arms like a princess again.  His lips pressed against my temple.  “Now don’t look, or you’ll make me sad.”

I squeezed my eyes shut so hard it hurt.

The crunch of twigs and dead, damp leaves under Cal’s foot were the only indications that we were moving.  I snuggled my face into his neck, inhaling that delicious Cal natural scent as we walked.  His strong hands placed me on my feet after a moment.  I wobbled on my casted leg, getting my balance.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Open your eyes.”

An involuntary gasp escaped my lips when I did.

Cal had taken me to a small clearing I hadn’t known existed.  Even now, standing in the middle of it, I wasn’t sure it was real.  It was a secret garden out of a fairy tale. 

A sweet green lawn rolled out before us in shades of emerald and olive, illuminated by dew that clung to each blade and reflected the moonlight.  Dark greenery and newly blooming spring flowers hung in thick bouquets around us, gleaming as they reflected the full bright moon and sparkling stars of the clear sky.  Dimly glowing lights flashed in the distance from where the city began on the horizon.  The heady scent of the honeysuckle and damp ivy swallowed us. 

My lips parted, and I stood there in shock.  I had never known a place could be so beautiful. 

“Do you like it?” he asked.

I nodded. 

“My mother used to take me here, sometimes.”

“This place?  It seems a little out of the way.”

“Do you see that hill?” he said, nodding to a small black figure to our side.