Friends Falling

HUNTER

Trevor and I haven’t been on the same military base since basic training and technical school, but now he’s stationed at a base within a few hours from mine, so he took it upon himself to drive up on his days off to visit me.

Luckily for him, my roommate is gone on temporary duty so Trevor can crash in his bed and stay in the barracks with me.

We ran to the commissary to grab some snacks, and now we’re up in my room, throwing back a few cold ones and reminiscing about the good old days.

Trevor says, “Hey man, I was thinking about taking a leave in a couple of months to go back and visit Evie and my Granny Mabel. What do you think about coming with me? I know they’re just like family to you too.

“Hell, you practically lived at my grandma’s house with me and Evie when we were kids.”

Hell yeah, I want to go. He’s right about me staying at his house more than I did at my own when I was a kid.

My mom and stepdad were a couple of lousy drunks. I would stay gone from that house from sun up to sun down just to keep from having to dodge flying beer bottles.

At least they were empty; dear old Mom wouldn’t want to waste any of her precious liquid gold.

“Sure man,” I reply casually, taking another swig of my beer.

If I were being honest with myself, I couldn’t wait to see Evie again.

She was just a fifteen-year-old kid when Trevor and I left for trunk camp, but I know that she recently turned eighteen. I even bought a gift for her big day and I’m still waiting to give it to her.

I know just about everything there is to know about Evelynn Rae Woods.

Her favorite color is orange because it reminds her of fall, her favorite time of year. She loves romantic comedies like most girls but also has a secret love for horror flicks.

Evelynn snores softly and talks in her sleep. How creeped out would she be if she knew I kept a mental note of everything about her?

And how pissed off would Trevor be? I’m afraid to find out.

“Hey Trev, how about we call your grandma and Evie right now to let them know we’re coming?” I suggest.

Of course, I have ulterior motives.

Thinking about Evie has me jonesin’ to hear her voice, but I can’t let Trevor know that.

I don’t know how my best friend will react if he finds out I’ve been half in love with his baby sister since the first time I laid eyes on her when Trevor and she were playing in the front yard.

Trevor picks up his cell phone and dials Evie’s number. I silently wait with bated breath, feeling like some damn high school girl with her first crush.

“Hey baby sis, how’s it going?” Trevor says into the phone.

He’s telling her about our plan to come visit while I’m sitting here wishing he’d put her on speaker phone so I can hear her voice.

They start chatting about specific dates and other nonsense when I get impatient and snatch the phone out of Trevor’s hand.

“Hey Sunshine,” I say, smiling like an idiot.

Trevor does a double take, and I realize I’m not acting normal. I tone it down a notch. “So, whatcha up to these days?” I ask, trying to sound more blasé.

“Nothing much,” she replies in her feminine yet husky voice.

Man, have I missed hearing that lyrical voice. I can imagine her full lips close to the phone, forming every sexy sound that’s coming out of her mouth.

I remind myself that now is not the time to indulge in sexual fantasies about Evelynn while her brother is sitting in the same room with me.

“Well, a little birdie told me that senior prom was coming up,” I say to her.

Trevor starts chuckling to himself because he has every intention of being there to harass whatever young man dares to take his baby sister to the prom.

“Do you have a date yet?” I ask, hoping that she doesn’t, not out of meanness, but because I want to be the only man in her life.

“No, Hunter,” she sighs. “I don’t have a date yet.”

Hearing the sadness in her voice, I feel like a jackass, so I take a deep breath, put a smile on my face, and tell her how I really feel.

“Don’t worry, Sunshine, if those boys are too stupid to see what a catch you are, I’ll be your prince charming and take you to the ball.”

Trevor gives me a weird look, then punches me in the arm.

“What the hell, man?” he whispers and snatches the phone back from me.

***

Trevor and I arrive at Granny Mabel’s two nights before the prom. She greets us at the door with her usual candor.

“What, are they passing out muscles in the military these days? You two look like a real bunch of jarheads. You better not be using that ‘juice,’ you know what they say it does to Mr. Winky,” she says, eyeing our packages.

Trevor and I look at each other and burst out laughing.

“Hi Granny Mabel, we missed you too,” says Trevor as we take turns getting our hugs from the woman who has been more like a mother to both of us than either of our mothers has been.

I slyly scan the rooms for any sign of Evelynn.

As if reading my mind, Granny Mabel comments in her gravelly voice, “Evie and Crystal are at the mall getting the last touches for the prom. They should be home soon.”

Walking past me, she pats my hand and smiles, saying, “You boys go on up to Trevor’s old room and put your things away. Then come back to the kitchen. I’ve got some pie in the oven for you.”

I’m not too thrilled to hear that Crystal is staying with Granny Mabel too.

I don’t hate the girl or anything. But Trevor and Evie’s half-sister Crystal is a total man-eater, and when I’m around her, I feel like she’s got her sights set on me as her next victim.

Don’t get me wrong: Crystal is an attractive girl, but she’s no Evie.

And, you can call me old-fashioned if you want, but I like to do the chasing when it comes to women.

There’s definitely no need to chase after what Crystal’s laying out on a silver platter for any half-decent-looking guy that comes along.

Trevor suggests we go visit some old friends while we are in town, and so I go with him because I can’t just sit around at the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of Evelynn. That would be suspicious.

***

As it turns out, we end up just missing the girls with our comings and goings until the night of the prom. I finally see Evelyn at breakfast the morning of her big day.

Her eyes still have a sleepy look and her ponytail is lopsided, all cute and frizzy. She yawns and gives me a dopey little smile.

She’s like a breath of fresh air compared to the dorm rats and barflies I’ve been accustomed to the past few years. I’ve never seen her smile so much. She’s such a serious girl.

Which is something I appreciate about her because she doesn’t play games. But she still has a fun playful side.

I can see a light of excitement in Evie’s eyes this morning. She must be on cloud nine, anticipating prom tonight.

That thought makes me a little jealous, but then I remember she’s just going with her friend Jamie.

I’m glad she doesn’t let little things like a boy she likes not asking her to prom keep her from going and enjoying herself.

Over breakfast, we talk about what she plans to do after graduation.

She tells me she wants to go to college and major in accounting, and someday she hopes to get married and have lots of children because she’s always wanted a big family.

“Where do you see me and you in your future plans?” I get the nerve to ask her when she speaks about her future. She blinks her big brown eyes in surprise and looks down shyly at her lap, chewing on her lower lip.

“I hope we’re still friends,” she says. And then very quietly adds, “And maybe more.”

I can tell I’m making her nervous, so I back off a little. She asks me about military life and I share a few less risqué anecdotes with her.

She keeps reaching over the breakfast table and touching my hand and gently pushing me on the shoulder when I make her laugh as we talk.

She’s never been so touchy-feely with me, and it makes me think that she may actually be flirting with me. That, along with her earlier comment, brings a spark of hope to my chest.

I take it as a sign that it would be okay to reveal my true feelings for her without fear of rejection. But I don’t want to interfere with her big night, so I decide it can wait until tomorrow morning.

After all, what’s another day when I’ve already waited this long?

***

It’s around six o’clock and Crystal is helping Evie get ready for prom. I’m doing my damnedest to stay out of the way, but my curiosity is getting the best of me, so I go upstairs to take a peek at their progress.

Evie is standing in front of her mirror with her back to the doorway.

She literally takes my breath away. Her gorgeous curls are swept up in some kind of twist with some stray curls framing her face and brushing the nape of her neck.

The dress she’s wearing is cream-colored and strapless, revealing her flawless dark-golden skin.

Crystal must have given Evie some special girly lotion because her skin is literally shimmering in the light, and the scent in the air is intoxicating.

She’s swinging her dress back and forth, drawing my attention to the amount of leg she’s displaying, and I practically salivate. Those strappy silver shoes encasing her dainty feet are the stuff wet dreams are made of.

I lean against her doorway in an effort to hide the semi-erection I’ve gotten while ogling her.

“Hey, handsome. I did a pretty bang-up job on Evelynn, didn’t I?” Crystal asks me while slowly rubbing her hand up my bicep.

I’d forgotten she was in the room and didn’t even notice her approach me; that’s how enraptured I was with the vision before me.

I push myself away from the doorway and Crystal’s slimy little clutches and walk further into the room.

“Our Evie is always beautiful. You just helped enhance her natural beauty,” I say, walking up behind Evie and pushing her hair to the side.

Take that, you conniving little wench.

“And I have something I would like to add to help compliment the beauty of an already lovely girl,” I say, just to add more salt to the wound. Never mind the fact that it’s absolutely true.

I reach my arms over Evie’s head and place a white gold chain around her neck. It has a heart shape on it that contains a heart within a heart. I hope Evie understands that there’s a special meaning behind the necklace.

I give in to my need to touch her and let my fingers brush over her collarbone and then the nape of her neck as I secure the clasp of the necklace for her.

My heart’s beating erratically and I feel like the blood is rushing to my head.

I hear Crystal gasp. “That’s gorgeous! You must have paid a pretty penny for that,” she accuses me, her hand propped on her hip.

I look up in the mirror and catch Evie’s eyes.

I’m feeling so many emotions running through me at the moment that I’m pretty sure she can see it reflected in my eyes, but then I remember that Crystal is still in the room and I can’t say the things I really want to say.

So instead, I reply, “It’s a late birthday gift for my favorite little sidekick.”

Ugh, how stupid did that sound? Crystal is really throwing me off my game.

Evie would never again be the pesky little sidekick Trevor and I pretended she was when she was just a kid.

Suddenly, I hear the doorbell chime downstairs. “That must be Jamie,” Evie announces.

She turns toward me and stands on her tiptoes because even in her sexy heels her petite five-foot-one frame is no match for my height.

I feel her hands run over the muscles on my chest and then over the muscles in my shoulders as she reaches around my neck to pull me into a hug. I can feel my body quickly responding to her innocent touches.

Then, she has her face in my neck, and I swear I can hear her take a deep breath through her nose like she’s inhaling my scent. A barely audible moan escapes her lips against my neck.

I shiver.

I’ve never been so turned on in my fucking life. My semi-erection has just turned into a full-blown hard-on. Before I can react, she says, “Thank you for the wonderful gift.”

Then she turns and flees down the stairs as if the hounds of hell are nipping at her heels. I hope to God she wasn’t running in fear because she felt my arousal against her leg.

I’m standing here, stunned and painfully aroused.

And of course, my arousal doesn’t go unnoticed by the harpy on the bed. I watch as her greedy eyes caress the tent in my jeans and I make a split decision to get the hell out of the room before something goes terribly wrong.

I walk into the hallway bathroom and contemplate rubbing one out, but that just seems wrong, so I splash some cold water on my face and wait it out.

I’m finally ready to go downstairs. I run into Trevor in the hallway. We start walking down the stairs together when we both stop in our tracks. When I see Jamie, I’m dumbfounded and more than just a little upset.

Before I can get the words out, Trevor says, “Damn, the way Evie talked about Jamie, I thought he was a she. I thought she was going with her girlfriend ‘Jamie’ since no one asked her to the prom. Stupid unisex names.

“Oh well, guess I’ll have to go play crazy overprotective big brother on the young man.” Then he slaps me on the shoulder and walks down the rest of the stairs toward them.

I’m blown away.

I mean I have to admit I was relieved that I wasn’t the only one who had mistaken the situation. But that didn’t make me feel any better as I watched the two of them interact.

“Hello, gorgeous. Are you ready for our big night?” Jamie asks Evelynn in a playful voice and throws his arm around her.

By the way he’s talking to her, I can tell he’s very comfortable with Evie.

And if he’s the Jamie she’s been talking about for the past year or so, he has a right to be comfortable because they apparently spend almost every waking moment together.

I’m wondering why Evelynn acted like she didn’t know if she was going to the prom when she had to have known Jamie was going to ask her.

What kind of game is she playing?

Not only was Jamie not a girl, but the motherfucker was a good-looking dude. I mean hey, you have to give credit where credit is due. As a matter of fact, if I had a little brother, he might look a lot like this Jamie character.

I’m feeling bamboozled. Evie has never declared feelings for me, but I can’t be that far off the mark with all the signs she’s been giving me lately, can I?

Granny and Crystal are taking pictures of the couple before they get ready to leave. I see Trevor walking up to them, and that’s my cue to follow him.

“May we have a word alone with the young man for a moment, Evie?” he inquires in his deepest voice possible.

Evie giggles like she knows what’s up. Normally, I would have chuckled at Trevor’s antics too, but suddenly things aren’t quite so funny anymore.

Like the fact that we even need to give the ‘you better respect my baby sister or I’ll bust your balls’ speech in the first place.

I stand behind Trevor, ready to follow him and Jamie into the other room, and I see Evie out of the corner of my eye, trying to get my attention.

I don’t want her to know that I’m angry and hurt right now, so I avoid looking her in the eyes. I’ve got so much noise going on in my head that I miss the whole interaction going on between Trevor and Jamie.

After Trevor’s done interrogating her date, Evie gives Trevor a kiss on the cheek and whispers something in his ear before Jamie and she head out the door.

As they’re walking to the douchebag’s car, I’m thinking: please Lord, don’t let her do something tonight that I would do, and then I yell out, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret later!”

Could I be any more obvious?

If the sneer on Crystal’s smug face is any indication, the answer is no.

***

It’s two o’clock in the morning and I’m still up waiting for Evie to come home.

I went through Granny Mabel’s kitchen about an hour ago, looking for her secret stash of cinnamon whiskey. It burns going down but it hurts less than the pain that’s in my chest right now.

Evelynn must be out having a great time.

I can only imagine what she could possibly be doing at this time of night. And with that thought, I take another shot.

Now I can’t think straight and part of my face feels numb. I think it might be time to call it a night, so I head upstairs.

I’ve decided that the stairs are too steep, so I’m crawling up on my hands and knees.

When I get to the top, I grab the nearest wall and pull myself up. Feeling like I’ve really achieved something, I stand there for a while with my hands on my hips, smiling to myself.

That’s when Crystal opens her door and takes a look at me. A wicked smile spreads across her face and I know I’m in trouble, but I’m not exactly sure why.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” Crystal asks me in a low sensual voice.

Is that a trick question?

“No,” I say and start laughing uncontrollably. Crystal puts her finger to her lips, and in that moment, she looks so much like Evie that it’s uncanny. “Shhhh,” she whispers.

“Come, let Momma take care of you.”

I smile and stumble into her open arms.