Ch.15 - Gossip Over Coffee
The following Sunday, Melanie sat with Sunny at the café across the street from the O’Sheas apartment. It had become a tradition whenever Melanie came into town, which seemed to be every Saturday night after Jared had finished eating dinner with the Stryders and was returning to town. Melanie would chat with Jared on the way into town, talk about how much progress they were making on the tree house, the car, the bike…and then when they hit Kyle’s apartment, they would part ways, her to Sunny, him to Kyle, and they would meet up again Monday morning when he was heading back out to the farm.
It was great to be able to spend time with Sunny on a regular basis, but Melanie couldn’t help but be a little distracted. The fact that she was having to ignore the hint of a glare in her friend’s eyes as she watched her set down another picture of the in-progress tree house on the table where they sat outside told her she probably should refocus.
Cool as she was though, Sunny flipped her silky black hair over her shoulder, took a sip of her frap, and calmly asked, “So have you guys hooked up yet?”
Melanie’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened, then blinked, and then she gathered up her pictures and stuffed them into the little purse she’d brought with her. She muttered something under her breath.
A teasing smile lit up Sunny’s lips. She leaned forward and asked mockingly, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Melanie rolled her eyes.
“I said,” she emphasized carefully, “I was just showing you the progress of the tree house. I’m actually excited about how far it’s coming along. I’ve never had a tree house before and I really don’t want to repeat the whole falling incident that happened before.”
Sunny was about to torment her further, when her lips paused mid-query and the shock on her face morphed into a different subject topic.
“What falling incident?”
Melanie groaned inwardly, wishing she’d remembered how she had essentially told her no Jared-related details of her time so far. She’d only guessed at feelings, and Melanie had assumed she’d been teasing most of the time, which she probably had. Plus, Melanie didn’t want her new bestie passing on this news to her brother. They seemed to be very close, and if the news got to Kyle, it would likely get to Jared, and that would be embarrassing beyond belief. Especially now since she’d accepted he didn’t think of her in that way, the way she wished she didn’t think about him. It was so very inconvenient.
But there was no helping it now. She told her everything. When she was finished, Sunny, her gaze pinned to Melanie’s as she told her tale, sat back in her delicate black iron chair and exhaled.
“Wow.” Then suddenly her eyes twinkled and she smirked.
Uh oh.
“I think I may be able to help you with this.”
Melanie shook her head. “No. That’s not why I told you.”
Sunny laughed. “Then why did you tell me?”
“The subject came up!” she shot back. “It is kind of a relief though,” she admitted. “Keeping this all inside, not telling anyone for fear that it might get to him…” she paused, her eyes widening in horror as she then shot daggers at Sunny with her eyes.
The younger O’Shea just laughed again and held up her hands in surrender, one hand daintily clutching at the mocha frappachino she’d ordered.
“Hey, don’t look at me!” She was still smiling, which didn’t make Melanie feel any better. “I wouldn’t do that.” Melanie was not convinced. “Besides,” she sat down her drink and looked at her, a spirit of enthusiasm practically ebbing out of her. “It won’t come to that. I can do this with my eyes closed and my mouth sewed shut.” She winked, then took her sunglasses out of her purse and got up to leave.
“Let’s walk down to the lake,” she said, “You know, to the place where you and Jared almost made out.”
“Sunny, wait—” Melanie frantically got up to follow her.
“Damn kids,” Sunny muttered and then laughed.
They stopped at the light, then crossed the street and were on their way to the park. All the way there Melanie was trying to think of something to say to dissuade Sunny from whatever mission she felt it was her duty to carry out. She probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Sunny didn’t think the age difference was an issue – It’s just a summer fling. Who will know? The follow up of – Don’t put that much faith into me just yet, sweetheart. I’m not magic – had Melanie blushing, she was pretty sure from her head to her toes, with the images Sunny was conjuring up. She thought of Jared the first day she saw him with his white t-shirt stuck to his body with sweat and then that almost kiss were they almost stood now. The very thought of it going beyond either of those things made her heart beat faster and her pulse speed up.
When they got to the dock, she finally pulled on Sunny’s arm and turned her smiling face (like the sun – ha! Funny! Not.) to her, determined to wipe the smugness off it.
“Sunny. Stop.”
“Why?” she asked giddily, clearly amused to no end as her eyebrows rose when her friend continued to babble protests.
“Because…this can’t…” she sighed. “Can we just pretend I didn’t tell you everything that’s happened between me and Jared this summer? Can we just not—”
“No,” Sunny said succinctly, releasing herself easily and walking to the end of the dock where she plopped down and let her bare feet dangle over the water.
Grumbling to herself, Melanie reluctantly followed her and sat beside her on the dock.
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because…” Sunny began, sighing dreamily, as she leaned back and closed her eyes against the warm rays of the sun, “Despite your protestations, you want me to get involved.”
“I-”
“Shush.”
Melanie’s mouth snapped shut.
“Your suspicions are true of course,” she continued on. “Jared likes you. As much as you like him probably. Part of you likely knows that and you’ve just been telling yourself it’s not true because he told you didn’t. But not exactly –” She opened one eye and looked at Melanie who was studying her with reluctant curiosity and a mix of hope and disgust. “Am I right?” she asked.
Melanie said nothing.
“Thought so,” she said, closing her eye again, and resuming her excessive smug contentment.
There was silence for awhile, but finally Melanie caved.
“Look, things are good between us right now, Sunny. It was awkward after that…conversation. I don’t want it to get awkward again by you meddling. I worked hard to get him over that awkwardness with confrontation I would not like to have to push again.” She sighed. “Regardless if Jared likes me like you think he does —”
“He does.”
“Right. Well, regardless of that, he clearly won’t let himself be with me even if he wanted to, so there’s no point.”
Sunny opened both eyes and looked at her friend with an expression so serious Melanie thought she might have imagined it.
“You know what your problem is, Melanie?” she asked softly. But before the brunette could respond, she was pushed suddenly over the edge of the dock into the cold summer waters.
She gasped when she came up.
“What the hell?!”
“You don’t take risks!” Sunny set her sunglasses on the dock and pushed herself into the water too.
Melanie’s anger was erased as if it had never been there as a water-splashing fight ensued that left them in giggles and not out of the water again for at least fifteen minutes.
“You’re insane,” Melanie muttered, when they finally came out, her teeth chattering.
“It’s hot out,” Sunny countered. “You’re not even cold, so stop faking.”
Melanie abruptly stopped and looked at her, then broke into a smile.
“My life was so much duller without you in it.”
Sunny cracked a smile. “Of course it was.” She grabbed hold of her friend and pulled her to her side as they grabbed their belongings and headed towards the warm beach to dry off.
“It will be even more fulfilling if you let me handle this little issue with you and Jared,” she advised.
Melanie sighed, sobering up.
“I really like him, Sunny.”
“I know,” she said, serious again with her. “And trust me, honey, he really likes you too.” She continued when Melanie tried to protest. “Just trust me.”
The brunette, smart enough now not to try any more arguments, initiated no more than a subtle nod and let herself be dragged along the stretch of grassy park land before they reached the beach.
…………
“They’re gone.” Jared pouted, staring out the window.
Kyle had the inexplicable urge to start laughing and not stop but he didn’t want to get slapped again as he had during conversations similar to the one he suspected they were about to embark on, so he tightened in the abundant amount of cackling to a repressed smirk.
“Well, I suppose you couldn’t expect them to sit and drink coffee there for the entire day,” Kyle said, keeping his head engrossed in a video game magazine he wasn’t really reading.
Jared turned his head and frowned.
“Do you think I should have checked back sooner?”
Kyle lowered the magazine and fixed his friend with a bewildered expression.
“Only if you’re determined to be a stalker.”
Jared blinked.
“And don’t tell me you’re concerned about her safety. It’s still daylight hours, Sunny is drunk on caffeine not alcohol.”
“I’m not concerned…” he began cautiously, then just realized he’d thrown out his justifiable motive for staring out the window across the street. His mouth hung open but no words emerged. His mind blank too, he almost didn’t register Kyle’s laughing until his friend was all the way over to him.
Kyle slapped him on the back cheerfully.
“You know, I told myself I wouldn’t take humor in this miserable situation you created, and continue to keep yourself in, all by your lonesome, but sometimes you make it too easy.” Jared ignored his friend’s cheerful, mocking grin. He tried to shrug Kyle’s hand off but it was done half-heartedly and so proved unsuccessful.
“Just ask her out,” Kyle practically whined. “I swear she is eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“You know why not,” Jared insisted.
“You’re hurting her,” Kyle all but sang. Jared tensed slightly.
“Not anymore. Not since we got past…”
“The fact that you lied to her?”
“I didn’t lie-”
“You didn’t tell her the truth either.”
Jared ignored that.
“We’re fine now, Kyle. Ok? We’re really good. Better than we ever were before. I don’t want to ruin that.”
“Oh god!” Kyle covered his ears and walked away from him. “Stop talking. You’re making my ears bleed.” He collapsed back onto his chair in the living room and looked back at his friend staring out the window. “You know, regardless of whether you do or do not decide to move forward in the right direction, this little happy bubble you think you’re in is going to pop.”
Jared turned around and crossed his arms over his chest, fixing Kyle with a glare.
“And when it does, there are only two possible outcomes.”
“Oh yeah?” Jared’s eyebrows narrowed. “And what are those?”
“Sex,” Kyle said, his voice ebbing smarm, “Or looove.” He winked.
“You’re an ass,” Jared said and started to head out.
“Hey, don’t leave!” Kyle complained, though clearly not troubled in the least. “You still have a choice at this point! Only one of those you can get arrested for!”
The door shut behind Jared and Kyle was left laughing to himself, feeling perfectly content.
It was great to be able to spend time with Sunny on a regular basis, but Melanie couldn’t help but be a little distracted. The fact that she was having to ignore the hint of a glare in her friend’s eyes as she watched her set down another picture of the in-progress tree house on the table where they sat outside told her she probably should refocus.
Cool as she was though, Sunny flipped her silky black hair over her shoulder, took a sip of her frap, and calmly asked, “So have you guys hooked up yet?”
Melanie’s jaw dropped. Her eyes widened, then blinked, and then she gathered up her pictures and stuffed them into the little purse she’d brought with her. She muttered something under her breath.
A teasing smile lit up Sunny’s lips. She leaned forward and asked mockingly, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
Melanie rolled her eyes.
“I said,” she emphasized carefully, “I was just showing you the progress of the tree house. I’m actually excited about how far it’s coming along. I’ve never had a tree house before and I really don’t want to repeat the whole falling incident that happened before.”
Sunny was about to torment her further, when her lips paused mid-query and the shock on her face morphed into a different subject topic.
“What falling incident?”
Melanie groaned inwardly, wishing she’d remembered how she had essentially told her no Jared-related details of her time so far. She’d only guessed at feelings, and Melanie had assumed she’d been teasing most of the time, which she probably had. Plus, Melanie didn’t want her new bestie passing on this news to her brother. They seemed to be very close, and if the news got to Kyle, it would likely get to Jared, and that would be embarrassing beyond belief. Especially now since she’d accepted he didn’t think of her in that way, the way she wished she didn’t think about him. It was so very inconvenient.
But there was no helping it now. She told her everything. When she was finished, Sunny, her gaze pinned to Melanie’s as she told her tale, sat back in her delicate black iron chair and exhaled.
“Wow.” Then suddenly her eyes twinkled and she smirked.
Uh oh.
“I think I may be able to help you with this.”
Melanie shook her head. “No. That’s not why I told you.”
Sunny laughed. “Then why did you tell me?”
“The subject came up!” she shot back. “It is kind of a relief though,” she admitted. “Keeping this all inside, not telling anyone for fear that it might get to him…” she paused, her eyes widening in horror as she then shot daggers at Sunny with her eyes.
The younger O’Shea just laughed again and held up her hands in surrender, one hand daintily clutching at the mocha frappachino she’d ordered.
“Hey, don’t look at me!” She was still smiling, which didn’t make Melanie feel any better. “I wouldn’t do that.” Melanie was not convinced. “Besides,” she sat down her drink and looked at her, a spirit of enthusiasm practically ebbing out of her. “It won’t come to that. I can do this with my eyes closed and my mouth sewed shut.” She winked, then took her sunglasses out of her purse and got up to leave.
“Let’s walk down to the lake,” she said, “You know, to the place where you and Jared almost made out.”
“Sunny, wait—” Melanie frantically got up to follow her.
“Damn kids,” Sunny muttered and then laughed.
They stopped at the light, then crossed the street and were on their way to the park. All the way there Melanie was trying to think of something to say to dissuade Sunny from whatever mission she felt it was her duty to carry out. She probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Sunny didn’t think the age difference was an issue – It’s just a summer fling. Who will know? The follow up of – Don’t put that much faith into me just yet, sweetheart. I’m not magic – had Melanie blushing, she was pretty sure from her head to her toes, with the images Sunny was conjuring up. She thought of Jared the first day she saw him with his white t-shirt stuck to his body with sweat and then that almost kiss were they almost stood now. The very thought of it going beyond either of those things made her heart beat faster and her pulse speed up.
When they got to the dock, she finally pulled on Sunny’s arm and turned her smiling face (like the sun – ha! Funny! Not.) to her, determined to wipe the smugness off it.
“Sunny. Stop.”
“Why?” she asked giddily, clearly amused to no end as her eyebrows rose when her friend continued to babble protests.
“Because…this can’t…” she sighed. “Can we just pretend I didn’t tell you everything that’s happened between me and Jared this summer? Can we just not—”
“No,” Sunny said succinctly, releasing herself easily and walking to the end of the dock where she plopped down and let her bare feet dangle over the water.
Grumbling to herself, Melanie reluctantly followed her and sat beside her on the dock.
“Why not?” she demanded.
“Because…” Sunny began, sighing dreamily, as she leaned back and closed her eyes against the warm rays of the sun, “Despite your protestations, you want me to get involved.”
“I-”
“Shush.”
Melanie’s mouth snapped shut.
“Your suspicions are true of course,” she continued on. “Jared likes you. As much as you like him probably. Part of you likely knows that and you’ve just been telling yourself it’s not true because he told you didn’t. But not exactly –” She opened one eye and looked at Melanie who was studying her with reluctant curiosity and a mix of hope and disgust. “Am I right?” she asked.
Melanie said nothing.
“Thought so,” she said, closing her eye again, and resuming her excessive smug contentment.
There was silence for awhile, but finally Melanie caved.
“Look, things are good between us right now, Sunny. It was awkward after that…conversation. I don’t want it to get awkward again by you meddling. I worked hard to get him over that awkwardness with confrontation I would not like to have to push again.” She sighed. “Regardless if Jared likes me like you think he does —”
“He does.”
“Right. Well, regardless of that, he clearly won’t let himself be with me even if he wanted to, so there’s no point.”
Sunny opened both eyes and looked at her friend with an expression so serious Melanie thought she might have imagined it.
“You know what your problem is, Melanie?” she asked softly. But before the brunette could respond, she was pushed suddenly over the edge of the dock into the cold summer waters.
She gasped when she came up.
“What the hell?!”
“You don’t take risks!” Sunny set her sunglasses on the dock and pushed herself into the water too.
Melanie’s anger was erased as if it had never been there as a water-splashing fight ensued that left them in giggles and not out of the water again for at least fifteen minutes.
“You’re insane,” Melanie muttered, when they finally came out, her teeth chattering.
“It’s hot out,” Sunny countered. “You’re not even cold, so stop faking.”
Melanie abruptly stopped and looked at her, then broke into a smile.
“My life was so much duller without you in it.”
Sunny cracked a smile. “Of course it was.” She grabbed hold of her friend and pulled her to her side as they grabbed their belongings and headed towards the warm beach to dry off.
“It will be even more fulfilling if you let me handle this little issue with you and Jared,” she advised.
Melanie sighed, sobering up.
“I really like him, Sunny.”
“I know,” she said, serious again with her. “And trust me, honey, he really likes you too.” She continued when Melanie tried to protest. “Just trust me.”
The brunette, smart enough now not to try any more arguments, initiated no more than a subtle nod and let herself be dragged along the stretch of grassy park land before they reached the beach.
…………
“They’re gone.” Jared pouted, staring out the window.
Kyle had the inexplicable urge to start laughing and not stop but he didn’t want to get slapped again as he had during conversations similar to the one he suspected they were about to embark on, so he tightened in the abundant amount of cackling to a repressed smirk.
“Well, I suppose you couldn’t expect them to sit and drink coffee there for the entire day,” Kyle said, keeping his head engrossed in a video game magazine he wasn’t really reading.
Jared turned his head and frowned.
“Do you think I should have checked back sooner?”
Kyle lowered the magazine and fixed his friend with a bewildered expression.
“Only if you’re determined to be a stalker.”
Jared blinked.
“And don’t tell me you’re concerned about her safety. It’s still daylight hours, Sunny is drunk on caffeine not alcohol.”
“I’m not concerned…” he began cautiously, then just realized he’d thrown out his justifiable motive for staring out the window across the street. His mouth hung open but no words emerged. His mind blank too, he almost didn’t register Kyle’s laughing until his friend was all the way over to him.
Kyle slapped him on the back cheerfully.
“You know, I told myself I wouldn’t take humor in this miserable situation you created, and continue to keep yourself in, all by your lonesome, but sometimes you make it too easy.” Jared ignored his friend’s cheerful, mocking grin. He tried to shrug Kyle’s hand off but it was done half-heartedly and so proved unsuccessful.
“Just ask her out,” Kyle practically whined. “I swear she is eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“You know why not,” Jared insisted.
“You’re hurting her,” Kyle all but sang. Jared tensed slightly.
“Not anymore. Not since we got past…”
“The fact that you lied to her?”
“I didn’t lie-”
“You didn’t tell her the truth either.”
Jared ignored that.
“We’re fine now, Kyle. Ok? We’re really good. Better than we ever were before. I don’t want to ruin that.”
“Oh god!” Kyle covered his ears and walked away from him. “Stop talking. You’re making my ears bleed.” He collapsed back onto his chair in the living room and looked back at his friend staring out the window. “You know, regardless of whether you do or do not decide to move forward in the right direction, this little happy bubble you think you’re in is going to pop.”
Jared turned around and crossed his arms over his chest, fixing Kyle with a glare.
“And when it does, there are only two possible outcomes.”
“Oh yeah?” Jared’s eyebrows narrowed. “And what are those?”
“Sex,” Kyle said, his voice ebbing smarm, “Or looove.” He winked.
“You’re an ass,” Jared said and started to head out.
“Hey, don’t leave!” Kyle complained, though clearly not troubled in the least. “You still have a choice at this point! Only one of those you can get arrested for!”
The door shut behind Jared and Kyle was left laughing to himself, feeling perfectly content.
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