Memories of Us Read online

  “Fuck no. Why?” I looked at her as if she were demented.

  “Because you can’t seem to keep from watching her.”

  “I might be looking over in that direction, but I’m not zeroing in on her. Besides my beer goggles are starting to get pretty thick. But more to the point, I’m here with you.” I smiled then dipped my head and kissed her.

  But when I came up for air, I realized, Karis and the ball player were also lip-locked, and for some reason it hit me straight in the gut. I refocused on the chick I was with.

  “Hey, why don’t we go find some more beer,” I suggested. “My cup’s empty. How ‘bout you?”

  “Sounds good.”

  I took her hand and we sauntered over to the tailgate of the nearest pick-up with a keg and filled our cups.

  Karis strolled over. “Hey, Call, where’s Trey and Pete. I thought they were headed out here, too?”

  “Hey, Kare. They are.” I looked around, but the place was so over run, I couldn’t see either of them.

  When I turned back, the two girls were eyeing each other.

  “Joy, this is Karis.”

  “Oh. Hey.” Joy greeted her, but just by the way she said it, it came off bitchy.

  “Hey.” But Karis could hold her own. In that clipped tone of dismissal, she had Joy looking down at her feet. Karis didn’t give a flying fuck what anybody thought about her, except maybe me and I wasn't even sure that mattered to her anymore.

  I offered Karis my beer, but she shook her head. “No thanks. I’ve got my mom’s car tonight. Keep it in mind if you need a ride home. I’ll catch ya later.”

  She walked off toward her date.

  Joy looked up at me, clear distaste on her face. “You guys look after her?”

  “Well, we try. She’s a bit of a handful,” I said jokingly. “Takes all four of us and even then, it can be iffy.”

  “Have you been with her?”

  “No. She’s my friend’s sister,” I said, as if that said it all.

  “She’s been with everybody, from what I hear.”

  “Don’t believe all the hype,” I said, using of one of Karis’ favorite lines. “Her legendary escapades have been greatly exaggerated.”

  “Ha, I’ll bet.”

  “Can we stop talking about Karis? Wanna go find somewhere more private?”

  She hesitated, but then took the hand I offered. We walked away from the crowd and pulled up some ground. We merely talked at first, but that led to some more kissing and when she slithered down my body, I was more than happy to let her have her way. She unfastened my pants and started to give me head. I slid my hands into her hair and closed my eyes.

  The next thing I knew, she pulled away and actually swatted at my dick. She stood up in a big huff.

  “What are you fuckin’ crazy?” I yelled, gaining my feet more slowly. I was in a beer fog, as well some shellshock from having my blowjob so rudely interrupted.

  I pulled up my trousers, then followed. “What the fuck’s your problem?”

  “Oh!” She all but growled. She headed toward the field where all the cars were parked. She stomped past Karis who stood near the rear of the truck again.

  “Your services are required,” Joy snapped in Karis’ direction.

  “What?” Karis responded in that insolent tone that made a person want to slap her.

  “Your handler would like a blowjob.”

  Karis looked over at me and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. By that time, I’d already surmised, I must have called her by the wrong name at the most inappropriate time.

  “I’ll take care of it, honey,” Karis said, dismissively. “Obviously you’re not all that good at it, if he was calling for me.”

  Karis stepped forward, bold as you please and wound her arm around me, almost daring the other girl to come at her. “Shall we?” She even floated her hand over my lower abdomen, splaying her fingers downward and toying with the button on my shorts. My fucking traitorous cock reached to meet her.

  I was at a loss of how to possibly get out of the situation with any dignity. I let Karis lead me into the dark as Joy called us every obscenity known to man.

  “Can I give you that ride home now?” Karis asked as soon as we were out of earshot. I was a bit surprised she wasn’t already on her knees. I knew she’d give me anything I asked for.

  “Not yet,” I said, holding onto her. “I’m gonna go consume half that fucking keg and try to forget any of that happened.”

  I stepped forward, but she grabbed my shirt and hauled me backward. “Wait.”

  I turned, half excited, half petrified that she was going to do the deed. What would I do? Part of me wanted it. So bad. Her hot lips around my straining cock.

  But that was the last coherent thought I had. I woke up the next morning with my mouth dry and putrid. I was in my own bed, but had no idea how I’d made it there. Just then Karis walked in, wearing only one of my t-shirts. My stomach dropped.

  “No. We didn’t.” I stared at her.

  She stopped and quirked her head, her chin pointing towards her shoulder. That, oh-wouldn’t-you -like-to-know grin spread across her lips.

  My mom followed closely behind with a tray of juice and strong smelling coffee.

  “No, you didn’t.” My mom snorted, and then the two of them burst into hysterics. “But you did blow chunks all over the poor girl.”

  “Oh, God!” I covered my face and flopped back on my pillow. I regretted it immediately when pain exploded behind my eyes.

  “And all over the inside of my mom’s car,” Karis added.

  “We’ll have that cleaned for you, dear.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” I mumbled, carefully laying my head back down. “When I’m feeling better.”

  “I’ve gotta go to work this afternoon…”

  “Take the Jeep,” I groaned.

  “Really? Y’all would trust me with the Jeep?”

  “Of course, I trusted you with my pride and joy over there.” I cracked one eye to look at my mom. “But son, this is not your finest moment. You look like shit.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  It was months later and many weak attempts to find out the truth before I had the balls to finally get to the bottom of it. One night after we’d been out for one of our legendary back road joyrides for something to do, I found the guts to pose the question.

  I pulled up outside her house and parked, then I launched right in without preamble.

  “You know that night I drank too much at the bonfire?”

  “How could I forget?” She smirked with a little lift of her eyebrow. It was the same coy little half-assed comment with the carefully contrived expression that she’d been presenting me since that night. It was classic Karis.

  “Did you…?”

  She tilted her head in question.

  “I know we didn’t...” I paused and then inhaled. I didn’t have to describe the incident. We were both on the same page. “But did you?”

  She laughed. “You can’t even say it. Why is it guys never have the... huh, co...” —She strung the first of the word out making me believe she might say cahonies—“...courage to ask me straight out? I’ll tell you the truth. Go ’head, Call, ask.”

  She knew exactly how uncomfortable she was making me. But Karis thrived on doing that to people.

  “Fine, then,” I said. “Did you give me a blowjob that night?”

  She trapped her tongue between her teeth as she grinned and drew it out, making me wait. “No, Call, I didn’t.” I felt some measure of relief until she leaned in real close. Her breath feathered under my ear, giving me goose bumps. “I promise you, Call, if your cock was ever in my mouth, I don’t care how drunk you were, you wouldn’t forget it.” She scrapped her teeth over my neck before she hopped out of my truck then sashayed up the pathway. And my disloyal dick throbbed.

  ****

  “I’d never seen you look so bad.” Karis giggled, bringing me back to th
e present. “And the look on your face when I walked in was priceless.”

  At the moment, I couldn’t get the image of her in my t-shirt out of my head. Except, I was picturing her as she was now, all grown up, and not how we had been.

  I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “Back to the question at hand, what’s your pleasure?” I waited for the sexual innuendo to come. Karis was famous for them.

  She grinned but surprised me. “Have you tried those new raspberry lemonades from Cold Stone?”

  “No.”

  “They’re really good. Hits the spot on a muggy night like this. My roommate Val and I are addicted to them. I think we’ve done a midnight run for one every night for the last two weeks.”

  I turned down Division Street, heading in that direction.

  We drove past the old Cleary place.

  “Oh my God! Are they finally tearing that place down?”

  “Yeah, kind of a shame.” I looked at the massive abandoned high hoe parked in the front yard as we drove by.

  “It is, really. Can you imagine what it must have looked like when it was first built?”

  “It was probably a mansion in those days.”

  I pulled into the lot and parked the car. We both exited the vehicle and then entered the shop.

  “Busy here tonight,” I commented. “Crowded.” We crammed in with all the other sardines.

  “I guess everybody had the same idea. Oh, look at that double dipped cone.” She pointed at the clerk behind the counter as she handed the ice cream treat to one of the other customers.

  “Changing your order, Miss Hirt?”

  “No…oh!” Just then one of the other patrons backed into Karis, throwing her off balance. I pulled her against my chest and out of the way.

  “Sorry. Sorry, miss.” It was an older gentleman.

  “No worries,” Karis said, kindly.

  She went to step away, but selfishly, I held onto her. I liked her right where she was.

  At first, she stiffened, but quickly she relaxed against me. I waited for the little wiggle of her ass alongside my rapidly lengthening cock but was surprised again when she didn’t. In the past, she would have taken every opportunity to tease me. Torment me. Drive me to the point of pain. I’d just become my own tormentor.

  We finally made it up to the counter.

  “Two medium raspberry lemonades, please.”

  “Is that everything?” the harassed looking teenager asked.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “That’ll be five-ten.”

  As I fished for my wallet, Karis pulled her bankcard from nowhere and tapped the screen, promptly paying. She always did that, too, never let me pay for anything.

  I remember blowing up at her about it once at a fast food restaurant. It was then that she informed me that maybe other girls were attracted to me because of my family’s money, but that’s not what she wanted from me.

  We moved out of the line with our drinks. “You wanna sit in here?”

  She took a sip and my gaze when straight to her lips around the straw. “Mmm, naw, too crowded in here. Let’s go out on the patio and see if there are any free tables,” she said, her gaze on the terrace.

  I followed as she weaved her way through and found us a table with a striped green and white umbrella.

  She sat and I took the seat across.

  “Hey, Call.”

  Someone clapped me on the back as they passed by.

  “Oh, hey, Glen, how’s it goin’?”

  “Good.” He continued on. “I’ll see ya tomorrow night,” he said over his shoulder.

  “Looking forward to it!” I turned to Karis.“He works at the warehouse.”

  She nodded. “I think your family employs half the town now.”

  “We’re doin’ all right,” I said, proud of the fact.

  Karis glanced to the side and shifted in her seat. She looked down at her drink and played with the straw, as if she were uncomfortable. Self-confidence she’d never lacked.

  “So, how’ve you been? Tell me everything. Do you like school?” I asked.

  “Yes, I do. Although, I’ll be glad to graduate and find a real job.”

  The conversation from the table adjacent to us reached my ears.

  “Fuckin’ slut. What the fuck would Call be doin’ with her?”

  I looked up at Karis.

  She met my gaze levelly. “Can we go?”

  I reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

  “No.”

  “She’s been tryin’ to bag Call since high school. And of all people he would know what a whore she really was. He and Trey were forever pulling her out of some scrape or another. I once saw him take on four guys at a house party, then carry her out over his shoulder. She was too drunk to stand up on her own.”

  “Oh, he was probably reaping the benefits of her talents anyway. Brady was always bragging about doin’ her.”

  “Can we go now?” she uttered.

  “If you want to, but small minds don’t bother me.”

  “Well, I can take it. I probably deserve it. Did it to myself in fact, but I don’t want you dragged through the mud with me. You still have to live here and keep up appearances and your family’s stellar reputation. I don’t.”

  She got up and started toward my car.

  I followed, but as she reached for the door handle, I did as well. I covered her hand.

  She looked up at me, her expression serious. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for keeping me out of trouble.” Although her mouth had curved into a smile, her eyes were sincere, but sad in a way too. I think she finally understood the long lasting ramifications of her wild child years. So much for the fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke attitude she’d had back then.

  I tucked her hair behind her ear. She’d never looked more beautiful to me. I wanted to kiss her. Like we’d kissed that day she’d said goodbye to me before I left for college.

  It was funny. All those near misses we’d had, all the times we teased the hell out of each other to the point of pain and sometimes orgasm, it was the night we really kissed for the first time that had a major effect on the way I felt about her.

  All us guys from our group were heading off to college. Trey, Pete, and Brady, too. Karis and I had practically spent the summer together, both working at the beach. Me as a lifeguard and she’d been a counselor for kids under six in the summer camp program. We both loved it. We’d even joined a beach volleyball league and our team eventually won the end of season tournament.

  We’d hung out over lunches, even while she was supervising the kids. She was great with them and they absolutely loved her. I was a little in love with her that summer, too. The thought of going off to school to get away from her before I did something stupid was of utmost importance. The prospect of meeting new people and starting that whole new aspect of my life was looking pretty good to me.

  ****

  A memory of us…

  The guys and I had a bit of a get-together, all of us going off in separate directions. When I went out to my Jeep to go home, Karis was in the passenger seat waiting for me.

  I walked to that side of the vehicle and she slid out. She didn’t say a word, just wrapped her arms around me.

  I held her for the longest time. I hadn’t really been looking forward to this part. I’d been hoping to avoid saying goodbye to Karis altogether.

  “I’m going to miss you, pretty boy,” she murmured into my chest.

  “I’m gonna miss you, too.” I was actually worried about her. Who was going to save her ass, now that all of us were leaving? Who was going to pull her away from the guys who might hurt her? Drive her home when she was too drunk to function? Hold her hair when she puked? Who was going to save Karis from herself when all her saviors were gone? But it wasn’t my responsibility. It never was. Her parents needed to step up for once and take her in hand. I had to think about myself and the rest of my life, not some silly girl who didn’t know how to r
espect herself.

  “I want you to behave yourself while I’m gone,” I said into her hair.

  “I will.” She’d answered too quickly.

  “This’ll be you next year, Kare. Goin’ off to school.”

  “Yep. Everything is changing.”

  She looked up at me, her eyes shining. She rose up on her tiptoes and she pressed her lips to mine. It was meant to be a quick, friendly, see ya later peck. But as she pulled back and we searched each other’s gazes, she moved back in slow and kissed me again, a little longer. I think I initiated the next one and before I knew it, I had my hands buried in her long blonde hair and we were sharing an open mouthed kiss that made me weak in the knees. Kissing Karis was a life-altering experience. Man could the girl kiss.

  I was near bursting out of my trousers when we parted. We’d probably spent half an hour out there necking by the roadside.

  “I’d better go in,” she said, her voice raspy and sexy as all fuck.

  I gave a nod and walked her up to the door, but when she turned and looked up at me, her mouth slightly swollen, I wanted more. And I took it.

  I think I’d have been happy to spend the night that way, if the door hadn’t opened, surprising us both.

  It was her dad. “Huh, so that’s what that noise was.” He looked at me. “Probably a good thing you’re moving away, huh, Call? Dodging a bullet, boy.” He opened his eyes wide and directed his gaze to Karis.

  I didn’t know how to respond because I knew what he was getting at. Not that he was worried about me getting involved with his daughter, but that he thought it wouldn’t be in my best interests. The worst part was Karis knew exactly what he meant, too.

  She closed her eyes for the briefest moment and her mouth tightened. “Thanks, Dad,” she mumbled.

  “Wrap it up,” he snapped and shut the door.

  We didn’t speak. She moved in and kissed my chin, my cheek, and then my forehead. She gave me one last weepy look. Then she opened the door and went inside. She left me staring, frozen, baffled as to what to do with that farewell.

  ****

  To this day, I’d never experienced another kiss from any other woman that was so all consuming, hot, and addictive.