Mismatched Compatibility (2)

Ethan:

Almost an hour passed quietly and peacefully. We made it to Newark Airport without any more banter, and I was starting to feel rather excited to see my old friends.

It had been quite a long time since I’ve seen them last. After all, I didn’t come home last Christmas to enjoy my last months of being a student in Georgetown. Man, I was going to miss that place. And I would undoubtedly miss being an undergrad.

After I got my luggage in the claiming area, I noticed ‘Howard’ following me.

I smirked, turning to her. But before I could speak, she cut me off.

“Stop following me,” she said, in a voice that clearly indicated I was some sort of creep weirdo stalker.

My mouth literally dropped open.

This girl is really a piece of work, I thought.

I quickly shook my head and composed my expression.

“In your dreams, Howard,” I told her, smirking.

“You wish.”

“I don’t wish, babe,” I informed her. “I do,” I added suggestively.

“Ugh, you’re repulsive.” She grimaced, turning her nose up.

“Are you trying to prolong our conversation so that you can spend more time with me?” I asked curiously. “All you have to do is ask, babe.”

She scoffed. “Are you always this conceited?”

“Are you always this uptight?” I countered, imitating her tone of voice.

“This is getting nowhere,” she said, putting her free hand up in forfeit. She looked at me straight in the eye before turning to walk away. Then, she looked over her shoulder and added, “Have a nice life, pervert.”

I shook my head as I let out a breath. This wasn’t a good way to start the summer. Why the hell did I have to meet that uptight girl that looked as if she hadn’t gotten laid in years? She was probably a virgin with the way she acted.

One way to describe her, and that was: Chaotic. The only good thing about her was her looks and killer body. Other than that, I wouldn’t want that kind of hassle following me around.

I started walking again, running a hand through my hair in slight relief. I was glad that my time with her was finished. She was seriously getting on my nerves. She was even worse than Dakota Evans, if that was possible.

Ah, she’s like Annabelle and Dakota mixed together.

I chuckled. Definitely not the kind I’d go for.

When my eyes looked to my front, I realized that I was about to run into someone. I abruptly stopped, balancing myself from the sudden halt. I stepped beside the person to see who it was and – holy shiz! It was her!

I groaned. What now?

My burrows furrowed, noticing that she still hadn’t moved from where she was. She looked as though she was frozen on the spot, her eyes staring into space.

All of a sudden, she faced me. She rapidly placed her warm hands on either side of my face, pulling my face down to hers. Without waiting for me to protest, she put her lips on mine.

What. The. Fck?

I blinked there for a couple of seconds, still startled at the sudden turn of events. It took another few moments for me to become aware of her soft lips curving into mine.

At that moment, my body took over. My hands dropped the bags and went swiftly around her waist, pulling her body closer to mine. I turned my head to the side, making the kiss more at ease. Her hands then flew to my hair, grabbing it as she let out a vague moan. One of my hands wandered to her ass, squeezing it gently.

I could feel myself getting aroused, so I licked her bottom lip in hopes of making the kiss deeper – better. I was expecting her to object, but she didn’t. She opened her mouth and my tongue instantly entered, massaging hers.

She moaned again – louder this time.

Oh, God. She tasted amazing, like strawberries dipped in chocolate.

I heard someone clear their throat, but I ignored them. No fcking way was I going to stop this incredible make-out session.

“Dana.”

She pulled away – reluctantly, I could tell. Her eyes looked dazed as she gazed into mine. I couldn’t help but smirk at her expression. I was well aware that I was a good kisser, but she obviously didn’t expect that. My eyes went down to her open mouth, still panting from the heated kiss we shared.

“Daniella.”

She seemed to be pulled out of the trance, for she snapped her head toward the person who kept calling her name. She still hasn’t stepped away from my grip, though.

“Peter!” she called in a falsely surprised voice. “What are you doing here?”

I could feel this Peter dude’s eyes on me. But I kept my eyes on the girl in my arms, trying to figure out what just happened – and also trying to make my soldier at ease. That was possibly the reason why she still hasn’t let go of me yet. There was no way she couldn’t feel the raging bulk in my pants that was poking her stomach.

Hmm. Decent girl . . .

“Karl said you’ll be arriving today,” replied Peter. “I thought you’d be alone so I went to pick you up.”

I loosened my grip on her, causing her to glance at me. I gave her a little nod, signaling that it was now okay. She carefully put down her hands from my neck as I removed mine from her waist.

“That’s really kind of you, Pete,” she smiled, stepping toward him to give him a brief hug.

I finally turned my head to look at the guy. He was around our age, probably a year or two older than me. He had a brown hair with blonde streaks in it. His eyes were gray and his height was above average, maybe 5’11” by the looks of it. But I was taller by a good five inches. He had a lean-build, too. He probably went to the gym. It was quite obvious that he was no athlete, though. So to me, he looked no more than a puny dude.

When Daniella returned to my side, she grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. I glimpsed a look at her, but her eyes were trained on Peter.

“Peter, this is my boyfriend . . .” she trailed off.

My eyes widened as I snapped my head at her questioningly, but she only gave me a pleading look.

Damn it. What have I gotten myself into?

But after the stunt we pulled, I couldn’t exactly leave her hanging. Especially after she covered me while my soldier calmed down – which by the way, wouldn’t be a problem in the first place if she didn’t catch me off guard with all the hot kissing.

I sighed, gritting my teeth.

I really didn’t want to do this.

Unnoticeably, I swallowed.

Ah, shit.

“Ethan Tyler,” I managed to say, while I gave out my free hand for him to shake.

“Peter Sullivan,” he smiled crookedly, shaking my hand.

I tightened my hold on his hand, just to see what he would do. But he didn’t seem to flinch. He only gave me an amused smile. As soon as he let go, he turned to Daniella.

“I didn’t know you have a boyfriend.”

“Come on, Pete.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you check in with me whenever you take a girl out for dinner.”

He frowned, amusement in his eyes. “But that would be absolutely tiring. I would have to call you every night,” he added, grinning.

“Exactly,” she giggled, but I noted a bit of uneasiness in her voice.

I faintly wondered how long this act would last.

“Shall we go, then?” asked Peter, looking at Daniella and me. “The limo’s waiting. We better go if we don’t want to be caught in traffic on our way to the city.”

I opened my mouth to oppose, but Daniella spoke before I could.

Tsk. She kept doing that.

“Actually, no,” she said.

I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. This girl was so full of surprises that I learned soon enough not to predict her actions.

“Ethan and I planned to meet his family for a few days before I go meet with Father in the city,” she finished.

I stared at Daniella, dumbfounded.

What?! You’ve got to be fcking kidding me.

Before I could tell her off, she squeezed my hand, mentally telling me to shut my pie hole. Oh, this girl should seriously be worth it.

She has no idea who I am, what I do, and who I do. I’m Mount Valley’s fcking bad boy. I do not bring a girl home to meet my folks – not until another decade has passed. So whatever this girl was planning . . .

Man, she owed me – BIG TIME.

“Does Don Howard know you’re dating someone?” Peter asked her slowly.

Don? Is that a title or something?

“He’s very well aware, of course,” she answered confidently.

After staring at her for what felt like ages, Peter finally nodded.

“All right,” he breathed out. “Take a good care of her, please,” he told me, concern filled in his voice.

I nodded. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll give you a lift,” he offered, gesturing toward the waiting limousine. “Where do you live?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I have a couple of friends on the way.”

This time, Daniella stared at me.

“Okay, then.” He leaned down and kissed Daniella on the cheek. “See you in a few days, Dana.” He winked at her, before finally leaving.

She gave him a reassuring smile when he looked over his shoulder for the last time. He got in and the limousine drove off. When it was out of sight, she let go of me.

I frowned, turning my eyes to her. But instead of holding her chin up, her eyes were closed shut and her hands were in a prayer-like position on her forehead.

“Thank you so much! I’m quite grateful that you helped me out, even if I was ill-mannered towards you.” She stopped, peeking through her eyes to look at me. She bit her lip as she hesitantly said the next word, “Truce?”

My eyebrows lifted up in disbelief.

“Oh no, babe,” I laughed humorlessly, shaking my head. “You owe me.”

She put down her hands, putting one on her hip.

“I thought the kiss was an advanced payment,” she said, thoughtfully pursing her lips. “Certainly, that’s good enough.”

“That kiss?” I asked, using an are-you-serious tone. “I could have that from any woman I want. What makes you think that it’s good enough?”

The side of her lips turned up. She tipped her toes from her high heels and leant up so that her lips were almost touching my ear.

“Because it’s from a lady that you can never have,” she whispered seductively.

The feel of her breath sent shockwaves through my veins. It took all my will power to force myself to compose my expression. I didn’t need her to know how much she aroused me.

A smirk made its way up to my lips. I placed one of my hands on her waist, pulling her tight against me. I tilted my head a little, making my lips right outside her earlobe.

“But see,” I said, barely more than a whisper, “I didn’t ask for that kiss. That was more for your benefit than mine. That’s why, there’s no way that we’re truce.”

I decided to play with her a little. So before letting go of her, I pecked her neck and lightly licked the spot between my lips with the tip of my tongue.

She squirmed, resulting for my triumphant smile. I would bet anything that she held back a moan.

At the same time, we both pulled away. She looked so flushed that I couldn’t help but be smug about how I made her feel with what little I did.

“How can I give back the favor?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

I grabbed my bags, and then looked at her.

“We’ll talk business later,” I declared, not really asking her for her permission. “For now, I’m hungry. And I want to eat at my favorite local diner at home. You need to come with me and explain what the hell just happened.” I made a move to leave, but stopped when I remembered something. “Oh, and I hope you’re not serious about meeting my parents. I don’t want that kind of hassle.”

“It might indeed be interesting to meet the parents of the most . . .” She paused and scrunched up her face, looking very thoughtful.

I chuckled. “Hey, don’t sweat looking for a word to describe me. I’m indescribable.”

“And here I thought your head couldn’t get any bigger,” she mocked.

I burst out laughing. Shaking my head, I started walking toward the parking lot. I glanced over my shoulder to check if she was following me.

“Not quite a gentleman, are you?” she commented, gesturing to her bags that she was slightly struggling to carry as she followed behind me.

“You have two capable hands,” I shrugged. “It’d be shame not to use them.”

“It’s common courtesy.”

“I believe on equality.”

“If you’re going for the bad boy persona, it’s not effective.”

“If you’re going for the spoiled brat act, I’m pretty much convinced.”

Just then, I spotted Luke’s figure. And before Little Miss Prima Donna could snap a retort, I hurried to my old friend.

“Yo, Luke!” I called out, grinning broadly.

I could already feel my excitement gnawing on me at seeing him. My mind was getting filled of the things we used to do in high school – those unforgettable memories stuck in my head probably for the rest of my life.

His lips stretched into a wide smile when he spotted me. He opened his arms, as though in a welcome.

“Ethan, my man,” he nodded, stepping closer to give me a man hug. “Long time no see,” he added as we pulled away.

“Too long,” I agreed. My eyes landed on the shiny white Audi RS behind him, making my eyebrow rise up. “Is this a new car I see, Luke Wright?”

He shrugged. “It’s my Dad’s graduation gift. He made me choose between a Cadillac Coupe and this.”

My jaw dropped. “And you chose this over that?” I asked in disbelief. “No offense, this is great and all but . . .” I snorted. “Who am I kidding? This is nothing compared to that.”

“Yeah, well . . . You know I’m more into Sports bikes.”

Knowing Luke, he probably didn’t ask for a new bike since he already got one. And knowing his dad, the old man probably thought that a car was more convenient than a bike.

“Come on, man,” he sighed. “Don’t speak like you don’t have a new Escalade Hybrid in your garage.”

I smirked. Of course, I haven’t forgotten about that. While my Hummer had so many memories with me during my high school days, the black Escalade waiting for me at home (one of the grad gifts I got from my folks) was no doubt going to have even better memories with me.

Frankly, I couldn’t wait.

“How’s the groom-to-be?” I inquired, both of us knowing that I was talking about Aaron. “I thought he was coming?”

“He wanted to. But everyone’s been keeping him busy.”

I pursed my lips and nodded.

Ah, well. I could see him tomorrow.

“Is that . . . Daniella Howard?”

I turned my eyes at Luke. He was staring at something behind me. Turning around, my eyes saw who he was referring to.

Ah, it was her again. I was too caught up chatting with Luke that I actually forgot that she was supposed to be there.

“I’m sorry,” she said carefully.

I did a double take. She was so polite that I thought she was a whole different person – even her face carried no arrogance in it.

“Have we met?” she asked Luke, tilting her head a little.

“Yes,” answered Luke, just as politely, “about three years ago at my cousin’s wedding, Brian Wright.”

I frowned, trying to recall where I’ve heard of that name before. And then, it popped into my mind. Brian Wright was Luke’s big time cousin in the city. He literally belonged to what people – and my mother – considered New York City's Elite.

My eyes slowly wandered to Daniella.

So she was telling the truth, not that I doubted what she claimed before. After all, that Peter guy acted like the limousine was just his everyday ride. Not to mention, the way this girl brought herself – with the self-assured aura around her and everything.

“Oh,” she mumbled, her eyes slightly widened in recognition. “I remember now. I’m sorry; I’ve forgotten your name.”

“Luke Wright,” he said, offering his right hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you again, Luke,” she replied, smiling graciously as she accepted his hand. “If I’m not mistaken, you came with a bubbly girl then?”

“Is she talking about Alyson?” I interjected.

Their heads turned to me. Luke nodded, while Daniella looked thoughtful.

“Small world,” I heard her murmur.

Luke’s eyes switched between me and Daniella.

“Do you guys know each other?” he queried slowly, studying both of us.

She looked at me, waiting for me to speak for her. Well, that was a first.

I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s complicated.”

“The Ethan I know hates complicated stuff,” he chuckled.

“And I still do,” I grumbled. “I’ll tell you at the Diner. I’m starving.”

“Is she coming with us?”

I looked over at her. She raised an eyebrow at me.

“Unfortunately,” I sighed.

_________________________________________

That was some kiss, huh? Don't worry, though. There won't be anything that smexy and graphic until later in the story again, so your clean imaginations are safe for now. Hahaha! Oh, and how about that revelation that Brian and Luke are COUSINS?! Small world, eh? ;D

I also find it amusing how you guys think that Ethan is such an a-hole. Hahaha. Well, he's Ethan. ;)

Comment and please TELL me what you think of this story and/or chappie. :)

I particularly think that Gives You Hell of The All-American Rejects suits this chapter. Bwahaha!

Please Comment and Vote -- if you like!! ^_^