I pushed myself up and brought a finger up to his lips, pleading in a whisper, “Shhh… take me, Zach. Take me to the moon.”

  And without further hesitation, he took the lead. As he cautiously and gently entered me, he began thrusting in and out of me. It hurt more than I had anticipated, and I let out a few screams. It was so intense, but never had I wanted him to stop. The intimacy of the moment made me crave every little ounce of pain.

  His movements in and out of me were so slow; it allowed to me feel every inch of his desire, turning me on.

  I watched in awe as he brought his face mere inches from mine. “Braelynn, I love you,” he admitted in a whisper.

  Tears welled up in my eyes as I resisted the pain of being torn apart in the best way at my most sensitive area. But my tears weren’t from the pain. They were from the realization that he felt the exact same way I did.

  “I love you, too, Zachery.”

  As we continued making love there on that old couch in his grandparents’ shop, pleasure finally began to set in, and we soared above the clouds, passing the stars, and reaching the moon more than once that night.

  Chapter 7

  The following day, Misty and I found one another sitting on top of one of the sandy dunes.

  * * *

  It was yet another gloomy day, so the beach was empty for the most part. This summer had been full of rainy days and thunderstorms, but all in all, for me, there had been nothing but sunshine.

  “Was it how you imagined?” she asked, looking at me in wonder.

  I didn’t have to say anything. The grin on my face affirmed exactly how I had been feeling and she smiled.

  “Misty, it was more than everything I thought it could be. There is nothing in this world that compares. I thought I would have been scared, and although it did hurt, I felt so comfortable with him, and I didn’t want the connection between us to stop.”

  “I told you. It’s amazing. I’ve never been in love before, but I could tell you are totally over the moon for this guy.” She grabbed a strand of her fiery red hair and pushed it to the side.

  “I am. Completely and hopelessly. It’s kind of pathetic, but at the same time, it makes me so happy. He makes me so happy. There is nothing in this world I want more than to continue seeing him. I’m meeting him in about an hour for lunch.”

  “That’s nice,” she replied with a small smile. She seemed to be elsewhere as she looked out into the ocean, probably lost in her own thoughts.

  “Yeah, and Mist, he told me he loved me during it. Those words alone were enough to leave me speechless, but it was at that moment that I revealed to him that I loved him, too.”

  After a few moments passed and she hadn’t said anything more, I knew for sure something was up.

  “Mist, what’s going on? What’s wrong? Is it Aaron?”

  Finally meeting my gaze, I was able to see the tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Misty, are you okay?” I asked, concerned as hell for my friend. She wasn’t one to easily break down; it took a lot to make Misty emotional. Yet, here she was, ready to lose her cool.

  “It’s not Aaron,” she stated, matter of factly.

  Not fully understanding, I edged her on. “So, what’s going on, then? I know I’ve been wrapped up in my own shit, with everything and Zach, but you know you can always talk to me. I’m here for you. Spit it out, girl.”

  She made a disgusted face and let out a deep breath. “I think my dad’s been seeing my mom again.”

  “What?”

  Shrugging her shoulders, she continued.

  “Yeah, he’s been acting really funny lately. Whenever I talk to him, he seems to find a way to bring her up all the time. At first, I couldn’t for the life of me realize what was happening. But he’s been starting to defend her and if I say something about her, he tries to tell me I need to be understanding of her feelings. Her feelings? She was the one who left us… like, what the fuck, Brae? She dogged him, dogged us, and took off to put herself first. She didn’t think about her family or how her actions would make us feel. Yet, here he is saying how difficult things must’ve been for her… for her!” She stopped for a minute, shaking her head, and looked back at the ocean.

  “What the fuck was so difficult for her? She had it so easy. My dad took care of everything so she wouldn’t have to. She didn’t even have a job. Ever. My dad would work long hours, day in and day out, while she’d either sit on her ass, go to the gym, get her nails and hair done, go on endless shopping sprees splurging his hard earned money… did my father think I was blind to it all? Does he think I don’t realize these things? She had it so good, but she still decided to take off with the third guy to screw her brains out.”

  I looked at her in shock. “Third guy? What are you talking about?”

  “Yeah, I knew about her list of affairs long before my dad found out, long before she had confessed. I knew about it. She wasn’t fooling me,” she scoffed, tears welling in her eyes that she tried to hide.

  “But what makes you think he’s seeing her again, Mist?”

  “Because,” she began, “last night right before Aaron dropped me off home as I’m sitting in his car, I saw her sneaking out the back door, my dad kissing her, fixing his tie. She didn’t see me; I told Aaron we needed to duck so we did in his car. I’m upset ‘cause I know she’s just going to tear my dad apart once more. She’s going to ruin him and then I’ll be left to pick up his broken pieces while she’s off God knows where. She didn’t have to see the devastation on his face last time. She didn’t have to help him get through the heartache. I did. I know she’s going to do it to him again. I can’t see my dad going through it once more.”

  The tears finally fell onto her cheeks as she spoke of the way her mom had broken down her father.

  “Misty, I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. Situations like this were never an easy thing, especially when children were involved. Although Misty was not a child, it still hurt her more than she knew. She claimed that it was all because her dad was going through it, but I knew it devastated her to know that her mom walked out on their family.

  Two weeks later, I found myself sitting with Misty in her kitchen helping her bake a birthday cake for her father.

  * * *

  It was his forty-third birthday and Misty had planned a huge dinner celebration for just the two of them. I had stopped by after lunch to help her bake the birthday cake and catch up with her.

  “Good thing we finished just in time,” I stated, adding the last finishing touches of icing on the red velvet birthday cake. She was expecting him any minute now.

  She wiped her hands on her blue t-shirt, and with her wrist, rubbed her eye.

  “Yeah. Quick, place the cake in the fridge. I think I hear his car outside.”

  She was right. His Buick pulled into their driveway, so we ran to turn the lights off and duck behind the kitchen chairs. She had planned on surprising him for a while now.

  The door creaked open, and as the lights were switched back on, we jumped up and shouted, “Surprise!”

  Our joyous expressions immediately changed to shocks of horror. There, standing right before us stood Colleen in front of Misty’s father.

  “Misty! My baby! I’m so happy to see you,” her mother shouted. She began walking toward her and instantly Misty took a few steps back.

  A frown laced Colleen’s face. “Baby? Are you okay? I’ve missed you so much!”

  Misty’s father came into view. “Misty, I didn’t know you were planning a surprise for me. I was actually coming to surprise you and let you know that your mom is back. She wants to apologize and have us be a family once again. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  Her father’s eyes were full of hope as Colleen looked back at him smiling. Even I could tell it was so fake.

  I think Misty was speechless for a good five minutes. No one said a word, and I was itching to get out of there. I didn’t know what was going through my friend’s brain, but I was sure it wasn’t anything good.

  “Misty, sweetheart? Isn’t that wonderful?” her father repeated.

  Finally speaking up, she said, “You mean to tell me, after everything she’s done, you’re willing to take her back like nothing happened? Just like that? You are going to let her back in here to give her the power to hurt us all over again? You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me!” Misty shouted and turned her back to them facing me. The expression on her face said it all. Her face was as red as a tomato and her eyes matched that tone. She was about to cry.

  “Watch your tone, young lady,” her father reprimanded.

  “Misty, baby… I’m sorry. I just…” her mother began, but was immediately cut off by her own daughter.

  Misty turned around, throwing her hands up in the air. “Oh, you just what? You’re sorry! Sorry? Ha! There’s not a single ounce of remorse in you. You don’t even know what it means to be sorry. You’re just out for yourself, and will bounce back out of our lives the instant you find your next fuck… your next sugar daddy!”

  “Melissa Mae Timmons! Do not make me come over there and spank your behind till it’s beet red!”

  Whenever her father used her full name, Misty knew she was in trouble. But at that moment, she didn’t care. She was lashing out and stood for what she believed in.

  “No, Dad. You need to wake up. What is wrong with you! Why are you going to let her walk all over you?”

  Mr. Timmons walked up to Misty until he was standing just mere feet away from his daughter. “Misty, calm down. This is your last warning,” he threatened.

  “No. I’m not standing for this. You can choose to let her ruin your life, and I’m sorry… I tried to help you, but you’re too stupid to see it. I refuse to let her ruin my life. I’m out of here,” Misty yelled, running out the back door. I followed closely behind her. She was too fast for me, though.

  “Misty! Wait!” I shouted, trying to catch up to her.

  She ran out of her house and onto the sand, continuing till she hit the shore.

  When I caught up to her, I could see the tears streaming down from her eyes.

  “Misty… I’m so sorry,” I began.

  Shaking her head, she said, “How could he be so stupid, Brae? I just don’t understand it.”

  Right at that moment, Aaron walked towards us. I hadn’t seen him before, but once Misty realized he was there, her face lit up.

  “You okay, sexy?” he asked her. He made me cringe. I understood they had a certain chemistry brewing between them and were attracted to one another, but it just seemed wrong. She had just turned seventeen.

  “Aaron…” she threw herself at him and he instantly wrapped his large bulky arms around her. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t such a creep.

  He then whispered something in her ear, making her giggle and I couldn’t help but feel conflicted with my feelings about him once more. I didn’t know what his deal was.

  Misty looked up, locked eyes with him, and then turned to face me.

  “Brae, we’re going to go grab some dinner… I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” she stated, giving me the look; it let me know it would be more than just a harmless meal.

  “Mist, are you sure? I was thinking we could grab something together. I’d like to talk to you,” I tried convincing her, but in her mind, she was already wrapped up around Aaron. I prayed she wouldn’t be making any wrong decisions.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  She didn’t even wait for my response. Aaron had already whisked her off of her feet and they began making their way in the opposite direction.

  At the end of August, and about a couple of weeks after the incident with Misty and her parents, she and I were sitting at brunch with Zach.

  * * *

  The three of us would spend time together every now and then, but usually, Zach wouldn’t stay around the whole time. I wondered why he would always leave and disappear after a while, but I promised myself not to dwell on it or overthink things.

  “I’ll see you tonight, pretty girl,” he said, getting up from his chair, kissing me on the top of my head. Then, waving to Misty, he said, “Later, Mist.”

  “Bye, Zach,” she replied.

  “After dinner?” I asked him, looking up into his perfect shade of blue irises. I was asking if we’d have our typical rendezvous as we had for the past two months. I wasn’t sure why I needed to hear it; every night we’d always meet underneath the stars, but something about the way he’d just get up to leave was beginning to get to me.

  Nodding with a warm smile, he responded, “Same spot, same time as always, pretty girl.”

  As he took off, Misty began talking, but I was still fixated on his every step. “So, Aaron has been telling me how into me he is. He keeps trying to get to the next base with me, but I promised him I would at the party. I mean it’s only two days away. I want it to be perfect.”

  Realizing I wasn’t really all there, Misty said, “Hey, Earth to Braelynn… Earth to Braelynn? Please tell me you’re not becoming paranoid on me.”

  “Huh?” I asked, snapping out of my daydream.

  She was seated across from me in our booth and I saw her shaking her head, while adding some sugar to her second cup of coffee. I honestly didn’t know how she could drink it black; I doubted those two packets of sugar did much.

  “You know you’re gonna see him this evening just like every other freakin’ evening… why are you stressing?”

  Shrugging, I said, “Because he always goes away for a few hours everyday. Maybe I’m being paranoid or whatever you want to call me, but where does he go? What does he do? It’s not like he has a job. He didn’t mention anything about a job at all. Now that I think about it, he’s always been pretty vague. It’s just that the summer is almost over, I’ll be heading off to college soon, and that’ll probably be the end of us.”

  Admitting this truth to myself was difficult. How could I possibly say goodbye to the love I came to crave over this past summer?

  “Well, maybe while the two of you are in school, you will still be able to see each other during breaks. Where does he go to school by the way?”

  I looked at Misty wide-eyed realizing something incredibly important.

  “I… don’t know.” How could I not know what school he went to? Why hadn’t he told me? What else was he hiding from me?

  Leaving the diner with Misty, I began to wonder, what do I really know about Zachery Taylor?

  I knew he was a local but was staying with his grandmother this summer. Who was his grandmother and how come he hadn’t told me about her yet? I knew he loved working out and was into sports, but what about everything else? What was he really about? I had shared so much of my life with him that I was suddenly beginning to feel cheated on by his lack of sharing with me.

  Who was Zachery Taylor?

  Chapter 8

  Friday, August 24th, 2018 was a day I would never forget.

  * * *

  What started off as fun and exciting turned out to be a complete fucking nightmare that still haunts me to this day. It set off a damn spiral of events that once they were in motion, would not be able to stop, no matter how hard I tried.

  That afternoon, I had found myself on the bleachers watching Zach doing push-ups where I had first met him. I watched his muscular body, stiff as a board, going up and down with each push of his arms. The sweat dripped from his forehead as he continued his reps. It was all I could do not to lick my lips as I stared at the immaculate God before me.

  Seeing him sweat right in front of me made me want to take him right then and there. I didn’t care if anyone were to see us, either. I wanted him and I wanted him now.

  As he finished his last set, he pushed himself up allowing me to take in more of a visual of him. His leaned out, toned shirtless body called to me. His shorts hugged his hips, revealing just the slightest outline of his length.

  Turn away, Braelynn. Turn away now, I thought to myself.

  It wasn’t the time to start trouble. We had a big night ahead of us. The party would be starting in less than six hours and I had to admit, I was a bit excited about it.

  Zach walked over to me and I handed him his orange hand towel that he used to wipe away the excess sweat.

  “Thanks, pretty girl,” he said smiling as he grabbed the towel from my hand.

  I smiled back, feeling a bit shy, hoping he couldn’t read my thoughts. I felt as if my face were a dead giveaway, though.

  “You’re welcome,” I mumbled.

  He chuckled before saying, “Are you alright? You seem a bit… distracted?”

  Hmm, that was one way to put it.

  “No, I’m totally fine. Just thinking about tonight.”

  “What time’s the party again?” he asked as he ran the towel over the back of his neck.

  “Starts at nine, but we probably won’t get there till closer to ten.”

  “And why’s that?”

  I got up standing on top of the second row of the bleachers and pulled him by his neck, closer to me.

  “Because,” I began, “you and I are going to be busy in our usual spot making out,” I said slowly, biting his bottom lip.

  “Fuck… I love the sound of that,” he replied, sucking on my lip in return.

  I suddenly looked away and he grabbed my chin to look back into his eyes.

  “What’s the matter, pretty girl?”

  A sad smile formed on my face.

  “Nothing. Just thinking about how the summer is coming to an end, and then, what’s going to happen to us?”

  “Sit down, Rae,” he stated, willing me to take a seat.

  As I did, he positioned himself in between my thighs causing my mind to wander to the last time we had been intimate. It was probably close to every single night. The one that stuck out the most had to be our first night together in his grandparents’ old ice cream parlor.

 

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