Chapter Nine

ALL THE THINGS I'VE YET TO DO (5) : GET A TATTOO

It’s now the end of May, about two weeks since the camping trip. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Ariel, who I’ve been trying to convince that it’s okay if she wants to spend more time with her new boyfriend. This is our current situation as we both lay sprawled out across my lilac bed sheets.

“I just don’t want you to think I’m some sort of man crazed girl!” Ariel argues while rubbing between Mango’s ears. “I don’t want you to feel left out.”

I roll my eyes and look up from my phone. “Ariel, you’re going to make him feel left out.”

“Oh my gosh,” her brown eyes widen at the realization.

“Exactly,” I chuckle. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m happy that you’re happy.”

She grins and blows me a kiss. “Make sure you tell me if it becomes a problem though.”

“You know I will,” I wink and assure her. “Speaking of Justin, isn’t his birthday soon?”

“It’s next week and I have no idea what to get him. I’m going to have to ask one of the guys for help,” she sighs.

I lock my phone and place it on my bedside table. “Is he doing anything for his birthday?”

Ariel shakes her head, her long hair swaying back and forth. “He says he doesn’t want to do anything big, but I still think we should all get together.”

“For sure. We can get food, drinks, and cake, and just do something with our little group,” I agree.

“I wonder if Christian…” she trails off when she notices my expression.

I wipe away my grimace and finish her sentence, “... will let us have it at his house? Yeah, I was thinking about that too.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” she suggests.

Almost instantaneously, my grimace returns. “Why don’t you?”

“Just call him,” she pleads, reaching over and handing me my phone.

I let out a groan so loud that my poor cat narrows his eyes in my direction, while hopping off of the bed and exiting the room.

I find his contact, which I didn’t even know I had, and press the call logo. After three long rings, a gruff voice answers.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” I say, my voice raising a pitch. “I have a favour to ask.”

Christian clears his throat and replies, “You want something from me? Oh this is gonna be good. Make it quick, I’m in the middle of something.”

I roll my eyes and Ariel mouths, “What is he saying?”

Removing the phone from my ear, I press the speaker button. “Could we do something at your house for Justin’s birthday? Nothing big, just us, Ariel, and the guys.”

“Yeah, just text me the-” His voice is cut off by the sound of footsteps and a door opening.

“I found you! You lose!” A soft voice giggles.

Christian sighs. “No fair, the Man Eater made me lose.”

“Chrissy, don’t be mean! Who is it? Can I say hi?” We sit in silence as the phone is passed to Natalie. “Hello?”

The corners of my mouth twitch up. “Hey, Natalie. It’s Maya.”

“Maya! Was Chrissy being mean? I’ll beat him up for you!”

Ariel and I start laughing while my heart melts at the little girl’s voice. “I would like that very much, but beating people up is mean.”

“I don’t want to be a meanie like my brother,” Natalie decides. “When are you coming back over?”

“Well, Justin’s birthday is soon, so I was actually calling your brother to see if we could celebrate at your house,”

“He says it’s okay!”

“No I didn’t!” yells Christian, who I assume is attempting to grab his phone while his sister runs away.

“I’ll ask Mommy if me and Justice can have a sleepover too!” she exclaims before hanging up the phone.

I look towards Ariel who looks as if she’s ready to pop out a kid of her own. “She is adorable!” she coos.

“Yeah, yeah. I did what you wanted, so you’re welcome,” I say as I throw my phone on the bed and roll over to take a much needed nap.

*

“What did you end up getting him?” I ask Ariel as we pull into Christian’s long driveway.

She parks the car and reaches behind her seat, pulling out a woven basket. “His favourite chocolate and candy, a signed copy of his favourite book, and my favourite picture of us.”

I clap excitedly as she blushes. “This is so cute! He’ll love it. I just got him a gas gift card because he was complaining about the prices last week.”

“He’s always complaining about something,” she chuckles and we exit the car.

After ringing the doorbell, we hear many footsteps approaching. It soon opens to reveal two little girls in matching pajamas, along with a smiling mom.

“It’s so good to see you girls!” Christian’s mom hugs each of us and lets us into the house.

As soon as we take a step in, we’re both attacked by the girls. “Hi!” they both scream while hugging us.

“Girls, I think the popcorn is ready, let’s go check,” Christian’s mom says to the kids before turning to us. “The boys are already in the basement. Have fun!”

We say thanks and head downstairs. The second we open the door, we can hear several voices. After sharing a confused look, Ariel and I descend the stairs.

“Hey!” greets Eli, coming over to give us a quick side hug.

“Where’s the birthday boy?” Ariel asks as I scan the room.

It turns out that the extra voices belong to Zoe and Maddy. A feeling of contentment flows through me as I note that they’re the only new faces. I go to give Justin his present before heading over to the girls.

“Long time no see, Maya!” laughs Maddy as I reach their spot by the bar.

I smile brightly, “I was wondering when I’d get to see you two again. Zoe, how’s your sister’s foot?”

Zoe tucks a loose strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. “It was only a fracture, so she’s not too bad. Adonis has been over a lot, insisting that he wait on her hand and foot.”

“I wish I got that kind of treatment from him when he broke my finger in the tenth grade,” I laugh and shake my head.

The two girls carry on whatever conversation that they were having before I approached them, but I zone out when I see the door open. Christian appears at the top of the stairs, wearing black jeans and a matching v-neck shirt. He runs his left hand through his hair while in his right hand he is carrying a cake.

Of course, he walks towards us so that he can place it down on the table next to me.

“You look nice,” he says.

I look down at my plain black skirt and grey tube top before replying, “I’m surprised you didn’t invite your little girlfriend.”

Wow, Maya. You just went right for it, huh?

“Well actually, I did, but she couldn’t make it,” He shoots back. My jaw drops before he winks and says, “I’m joking, don’t punch me.”

“I can’t stand you,” I huff, able to quickly adjust my face.

He sends me a challenging look and replies, “Judging by what you did the other day, it seems that you’d be up for any position. Standing included.”

I breathe in sharply.

Relax, I tell myself. He’s only acting like this because Olivia isn’t here. Don’t lose your composure.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say flatly, unable to come up with something clever.

Christian leans in without breaking eye contact. “I’d be happy to remind you.”

My eyebrows shoot up and I find myself struggling to find a response.

“You thought this was over?” he continues. “You’re going to regret starting something that you can’t finish, Maya.”

His minty breath fans my face, my name hot as it leaves his mouth. I shake my head in an attempt to come to my senses. Clearly, it did the trick, because without missing another beat, I say, “If you can make me finish, that is.”

With that, I walk away and join the others by the tv. While everyone cheers on Eli and Adrian as they play a game, I take a moment to think over what just happened. What the fuck am I getting myself into? Every attempt I make to put some distance between us ends up backfiring.

Everyone is either sitting on the long couch or on the floor before it. Not in the mood to give everyone the view of my lace red undies, I sit alone on the recliner to the left of the crowded couch.

We sit and watch the boys play their game until one of them loses the last match. Ariel then hops up and says, “Let’s sing happy birthday before it hits 12 and his birthday is over!”

Everyone follows her to the table and Christian searches for a lighter to light the candles. On a count of three, we sing happy birthday to Justin. At the end, he dramatically bows and thanks us.

“Make a wish,” I urge.

Justin looks towards Ariel for a brief moment before closing his eyes and blows out the “1” candle, followed by the “9”.

“What did you wish for, babe?” asks Ariel.

He shakes his head and kisses her nose. “That’s one secret I’ll never tell.”

“Okay, Gossip Girl,” teases Zoe.

After opening his presents, Maddy suggests that we all take a drink together. Adrian grabs the bottle of tequila that he gifted Justin, and pours it into seven shot glasses. We clink our glasses in the middle, and simultaneously flick back our glasses.

The drink stings my throat as I gulp, my stomach immediately feeling the burn. I set my glass down and mere seconds later, it’s filled again.

“One more,” announces Adrian as he proceeds to fill the rest.

Again, we all say, “Cheers,” and down the liquid with scrunched up faces.

Adrian insists that we take 17 more shots to celebrate the occasion, but after one more, Justin grabs the bottle from him and threatens to hide it.

“You guys are pussies,” he groans before grabbing Maddy’s hand and pulling her over to the couch.

I roll my eyes and follow Eli, Zoe, and Christian over to the pool table. My body feels tingly after the three shots, but I push the thoughts of the potential repercussions to the back of my mind.

Eli and Zoe stand on one side of the table, and for the sake of balance, I stay on Christian’s side. Zoe and I watch as the boys take their turns, but I soon get bored.

My eyes follow Christian as he adjusts his stance and leans over the table. With his arm outstretched, his shirt rises to reveal a set of smooth abs. He retracts his arm then pushes forward, hitting the white ball and knocking two of the striped balls into the pockets. His next shot misses and Eli takes his turn.

“You’re not too bad at this,” I compliment.

He smirks back at me. “Want me to teach you?”

“I’m good,” I say, trying my best to not imagine the feeling of his body pressed against mine. I clear my throat uncomfortably and try to focus on reality.

After a short chuckle, he returns to the table. His movements are deliberately slow, as if trying to accentuate the action of leaning onto the table. My eyes wander his body, and when I reach the top, I catch his eye. Without looking at where he’s aiming, he winks at me and shoots. With that, his remaining balls slam about and find their way into the pockets. Finally, he sinks the 8 ball, and the game is over.

Christian stalks over to me. He stops when he’s inches away and he leans in right next to my ear. “I can’t wait to have you bent over that table later.”

Already used to his blunt advances, I take a step back and grab his cue stick. I run my hand up and down the wood in a suggestive motion while holding his gaze. My lips part slightly and I tilt my head a bit to the side. “Should I call Olivia?” I ask softly. “You seem a bit restless.”

“You have quite the mouth on you,” he says, his voice lowered.

What is with this sexual tension? I know nothing about this guy, yet, here I am ready to drop my panties for him. For someone who is not at all comfortable with my body, I seem completely okay with the idea of him worshiping every inch of it.

“What do you want me to do with it?” I finally reply, closing the gap.

“Well first,” he begins. My breathing hitches as he begins to whisper, in great detail, what it is that he’d like me to do with my mouth.

After he pulls away, I stumble backwards and try to calm myself down. As if on cue, Ariel appears and grabs my arm. “Take another shot with us!” she exclaims as she leads me away.

Zoe, Maddy, Ariel, and I take two shots each, before sitting down at the bar stools.

“What’s going on with you and Christian?” Zoe wiggles her eyebrows. “I could practically smell the sexual tension over there.”

I put my elbows on the counter and place my head in my hands. My attempt to clear my mind from the fuzziness of the alcohol fails completely and I groan in annoyance. “He’s hot. That’s literally it.”

“I think you should fuck him,” Ariel says matter-of-factly.

The other two girls nod their heads vigorously. “I’m not taking Olivia’s sloppy seconds,” I sigh.

“You do know that nothing happened between them, right?” asks Maddy.

I struggle to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. “How do you know that?”

She shrugs and responds, “I just do.”

“I don’t believe you,” I say as I narrow my eyes.

“Regardless, you should go for it,” she tosses at me.

I think it over for a second and say, “No. It’s not happening.”

*

The rest of the night passes with many jokes, shots, and a movie that we had to turn off because the boys kept ruining the ending for us. I have been purposely avoiding any interaction with Christian, but even without that, he hasn’t made any new advances. Just when I think I’m free from his chains, he approaches me as I grab a glass of water.

“Come outside with me,” he says. There are no traces of a sexual innuendo in his voice, so I tell myself that it should be fine.

With traces of alcohol still in my body, I almost stumble up the stairs. He laughs but makes no move to help me. We pass the living room where his mom and the two girls are passed out on a makeshift bed in the middle of the floor. Through the kitchen, we reach the back door.

Like a true gentleman, he opens it and allows me to step through first. I walk over to the patio set and sit down on the swing. As he takes a seat next to me, I look up at the stars and sigh contently.

“I like coming out here in the night,” he says, his voice smooth and calm. “It’s so peaceful.”

I nod. “I wish I had a backyard like this, it’s amazing.”

We sit in silence for a while and I enjoy the feeling of the cool breeze as it kisses my flushed cheeks. Still, it’s warm for a May night, and the promise of June is fresh in the air.

“Where’s your dad?” I find myself asking.

I hear him take a deep breath in, as if collecting his thoughts. “He died in an accident before I was born.”

His answer shocks me and at first, I’m at a loss for words. “You and Natalie…?”

“We have different dads,” he confirms. “Her’s is a great guy though. My mom met him when I was around 8, so he basically raised me. His mom got really sick late last year, and she lives in the States, so he’s over there looking after her right now. Mom didn’t want to pull Natalie out of school, and she has to work too.

“He tries to visit when he can, but she doesn’t look like she’s going to get any better. I think he’ll end up staying there until she passes,”

I frown at the explanation. “That must be hard on all of you guys.”

“I know what it’s like to grow up without a father for a while, and I don’t want Natt to go through that too. I don’t know why, but I feel like he’s never going to be back,” he gulps.

I look up at him and his eyes are shimmering in the moonlight.

“Hey,” I reach up and rub his shoulder. “You guys will be okay. You said he’s a good guy, I’m sure he wouldn’t leave his family behind.”

He shuts his eyes tightly and when he opens them, I can tell that he is trying not to look at me. “I hope so,” he whispers.

I reach for his arm and lift it so that I can fit under. He wraps it around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. When I lay my head on his chest, I find comfort in the steady beat of his heart.

“What about you?” he asks, finally looking down at me. “What’s your family like?”

I ponder my answer. The alcohol seems to have impaired my sense of control because I find myself wanting to be honest with him. “It’s just me, my mom, and my dad. I had an older brother.”

“Had?”

I nod slowly, trying not to let myself get too emotional. “He committed suicide when I was in middle school. He was a few years older than me and he was getting bullied a lot at his school for being different.”

“Maya,” he says soothingly while pulling me closer.

“I haven’t told anyone about him. This was before I met Ariel and Adrian,” I croak, my throat beginning to tighten up. “I really miss him, you know? I just wish he felt like he could talk to me.”

His other arm reaches over and he pulls me to his lap. “Maya, he knew that he could. He just didn’t want his little sister to feel bad for him. It was something that he thought he could deal with on his own.”

“He was Mom’s favourite. Her little golden child. She basically hates me now because I don’t live up to his standards. I’m worthless to her,” I sob. My body aches all over, and I never realized how much this weighed on me until now.

“Maya,” he says, his voice stern. “You are not useless. You shine as bright as the stars tonight. Nothing you say can make me change my mind. Please, don’t hold this in anymore. Let me be there for you. If not me, then please find comfort in Ariel.”

I let his words sink in.

People come and go. It’s a fact of life. Some people leave willingly, and others don’t have a choice. I have no right to pour my trauma onto the plates of my friends.

After hearing about Christian’s life, I have a newfound respect for him. Although he doesn’t say that he dropped out so that he could help out with his sister, I connect the dots. He still confuses the hell out of me, but maybe he isn’t such a bad person to have around.

“What’s next on your list?” he asks, trying to change the topic.

“I want to get a tattoo,” I answer, my voice still sounding small and helpless.

“My cousin owns a shop,” he says proudly as he holds me tight to his chest. His chin rests on the top of my head while he rubs circles on my back. “Let me take you tomorrow.”

“Just me and you?” I raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

“If you want,” he replies.

I smile, thankful that he can’t see the blush that has crept onto my face. “I’d like that.”

We fall into a comfortable silence for a bit. The exhaustion from the alcohol coupled with my breakdown is finally setting in, so I close my eyes and enjoy the smell of his cologne.

“I’ll cut back on the flirting, I promise. I know that I’ve been coming on too strong,” he says out of nowhere.

I can’t muster up the energy to think of a reply, so instead, I snuggle in deeper into his chest.

Though I don’t remember falling asleep, I open my eyes slightly to the feeling of being carried up a set of stairs. When I recognize the warmth of Christian’s toned body, my eyes begin to drift shut. He places me down and begins to tuck me in.

I wait a moment to see if I can feel the bed dip and the presence of another person. When it doesn’t come, I whisper, “Stay with me.”

Almost immediately, I hear a familiar deep chuckle followed by a body joining me under the blanket. I allow sleep to take me once again. The last thing I remember is the feeling of warm sheets and Christian’s arms wrapping around me.

____________

Accidentally made this chapter ten pages long on Google Docs... for reference, for the other chapters, I aim for about five pages. This chapter was pretty heavy, but it had to be done :( Christian needed a bit of character development LOL and you finally got a bit of a deeper look at Maya and why she acts the way she does sometimes. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next up, we follow Maya as she gets her first tattoo! It'll definitely be more light hearted than this chapter xx