Page 4 of Crash
She nonchalantly licks her lips before responding. “See ya.”
I walk off and look back only to see she’s still standing there with that beautiful smile still on her lips, playing with a strand of hair. Starting the engine of my Jeep once I enter, I catch my sister staring at me with a grin that would make the Cheshire Cat envious.
“What?” I ask, not knowing what she has on her mind.
“You have a thing for Tessa,” she blurts. “OMG, this is epic. My BFF and brother are seriously crushing on each other.”
Does Tessa have a crush?“Pssh, we are not.”
“You so are. Look, your cheeks are turning red.”
Courtney’s observation is on point as usual when I peek in the mirror only to realize she is right. My skin is flushed, and the evidence is in my face.
“I don’t have a crush on Tessa. I’m just really tired and have to take my annoying-ass sister home.”
“Whatever. Save the excuse for another time. I know what I see.”
I don’t respond to her. Instead, I turn up the tunes and drive until I reach her place.
“Do you just wanna go in and grab some things and crash at my place tonight? You can use my truck to run errands if you want before we go to the theater tomorrow.”
“Are you trying to get more information about Tessa?”
“Never mind. I was trying to be considerate, but I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, Austin. I was just kidding. You can pick me up at six-thirty. Dad is going to take me to the dealership tomorrow to see what is wrong with my car and why they didn’t fix it right the first time.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“You’re not going to open my door and carry my bag?” She busts out laughing.
My eyes roll and I open my door.
“Austin, I’m fucking with you. Geez, dude, get laid or something.”
“I want to go home and sleep.”
“Good thing you’re only ten minutes away. Text me when you get in.” She shuts the door.
I watch her walk to her entrance. “Will do. Love you, chipmunk,” I shout.
“Love you back,” she replies.
Once she’s inside, I drive off and head home.
THE COOL AIRin my home is inviting. I drop my work bag on the floor, kick off my boots and lock the door. A shower is what I need, so instead of my usual routine of checking the mail and relaxing with a book or video game, I turn on the water as hot as I can stand it. I peel away my clothes and shove them in the laundry basket before stepping under the stream.
The water licks me softly when I open the shower door and step into its embrace. With my head under the stream, I close my eyes and allow the droplets to wash over me, relieving me of the past twenty-four hours at work, not including the drive there and back home. Extra stops notwithstanding. I hover under its touch, my sight still temporarily darkened until a voice catches my attention. My lids spring open, and I peer to see who is there. No shadow or form comes forth, and I know I’m tired. Hallucination is serious evidence of sleep deprivation. Feeling a sense of defeat oncoming, I lather up my body and rinse, then suds my hair.
The sound of laughter rings my ears again, and I realize my mind is recalling the sweet timbers of her voice. Soon, the visual aid of her sleek and supple neck appears, and her beautiful mouth with full lips and dazzling white teeth. I rinse my hair and wipe my eyes to remove those images. I’m no match at the last memory of her tongue playfully licking along her lips as she parts them slightly to saysee ya.
This is clearly evidence of me being dog-ass tired. Shutting the water off, I grab my towel and wrap my body before flopping down on my bed. My phone beeps, and Courtney is letting me know that I forgot to text her in a not-so-subtle way. I shoot her back and I'msorryGIF and plug my phone into the charger then turn over and fall asleep. Ridding myself of these taunting yet delicious images.
