Slow Twitch

“Bre

“Di

“Di

“Okay.” She kissed the tip of my nose and smiled. “I’m going to change.”

I shook my head. “You look great.” I pulled her hand, luring her back towards me. She fell next to me with a smile so big and sweet, it made my heart trip.

“Jake, I’ve been in this outfit since yesterday! Let me change.”

“Let me watch.” I could feel my voice stick somewhere low and deep in my throat.

She didn’t say anything. If I had to make a bet, I would bet that she was ru

I should have stopped her then, but I couldn’t. She took her tank top off over her head, then slipped her skirt down. She was wearing blue, sky-blue underwear and a tiny little bra with lace. Weird that I had felt both pieces, but didn’t know their color until the minute she wanted to show me.

She walked to her suitcase and opened it up. I loved the way her shoulders curved. I loved the dip of her bellybutton. I loved the smooth rounding of her thighs. I tried to tell myself that this was exactly how much of her I would see if I saw her in a bathing suit.

But it wasn’t a bathing suit.

No one else would see this particular version of Bre

Just me.

And that made all the difference.

She bent and dug through her outfits and found a yellow dress with a little system of holes and embroidery. I knew the name: eyelet. She put it on, and I guess she assumed the show was over, but as far as I was concerned, it was still going strong. I watched her brush her hair and put it back in a ponytail. I liked being able to see all of her face. She turned to the side to check the dress, then turned around and looked over her shoulder at the back, straightening the straps. I loved the way her body moved. I loved the serious expression that scrunched her nose and lowered her eyebrows when she was trying to decide whether or not she really liked an outfit.

She went into the bathroom and ran the water to wash her face, and I was left lying on the bed, wondering what would happen tonight. Because she looked way beyond good. And the other guys here were hot for something new.

Caroline had been right about the fact that this place was incestuous, and the fact that Bre

When she came out of the bathroom, I pulled her back onto the bed, on top of me because I wanted to feel her, solid and real. This house, these people, had freaked me out since the day I walked into their big, over-crystalled dining room, and I had wanted Bre

She was kissing me lazily when I heard footsteps. We stopped, and her eyes flew wide open. She didn’t want me in here if it was her mother, but short of getting under the bed, I didn’t know what to do. The door popped open just as we finished straightening our hair and clothes in that way that always looked a hundred percent guilty.

“Hey. Di

“Ready, Bren?” I put my hand out and took hers, noticing that her palm was slightly sweaty.

Caroline snickered. “Let’s hope so.”

“Mind your damn business,” I bit out.

Bre

I checked my tongue and we walked downstairs where the exact same set of faces from my first night smiled too wide at us. I knew names now, but the bottom line was there wasn’t one of them I cared about enough to actually bother introducing Bre

“Hello, Bre

I saw Mrs. Blixen sitting next to Mama D, waving happily to Bre

Of course Bre

Bre

I squeezed her hand under the table. “Don’t feel bad, Bren. They have that effect on people, you know? They make you feel like you’re with celebrities or something.”

She gave me a tiny smile and didn’t have to reply because the salad course was being set out. We ate through the next few plates without saying anything. This sucked. Bre

It was the quietest Bre

Mama D wasn’t going to let anything go that easily.

“Bre

“Yes. Under Dr. Gorman,” Bre

“That pisser!” Mama D howled. “He failed poor Gerald two semesters in a row, didn’t he dear?”

My father looked up, his eyes extra red-rimmed. He held up his glass. “Here’s to the old bastard,” he said and took a long drink.

The table full of people laughed like crazy. I thought he was acting like an asshole, but apparently I was in the minority.

“How did you find him, Bre

“He expects hard work. But I’ve never had a problem with that.” Her smile bloomed, i

I chuckled, and after a short pause, the rest of the table burst into laughter.

“You and Jake make a wonderful couple.” Mama D looked Bre

She didn’t do a thing.

“I’m just glad that Bre

“She obviously knows a diamond in the rough when she sees one.” Mama D smiled. Sort of smiled. At least her lips curled. Up.

Caroline stood suddenly. “Ready, Bryce?” she snapped.

Mr. Abercrombie stood up and followed her sashaying behind, and the rest of the high school and college set got up and slowly started towards the door.