Oriana muffled a sharp groan against her pillow when she heard the shrill sound of her annoying alarm clock greet the blazing morning sun. She lazily freed her arm from the warm covers, reaching to push the silencer. She slammed her fingers against several hard objects before silence finally invaded the room. She sighed with sheer contentment, and then reached over to locate Howie to rouse him. Yet, she found no such occupant in her bed. She lay still for a few moments, hearing the distant sounds of her shower running. Satisfied that he was up, Oriana rolled into the middle of her bed, burrowing beneath the mountain of covers, and dozed back to sleep.
Within a few moments time from her alarm; Howie came out of the shower and dried off. His mop of curls glistened in the morning sun as he pulled on boxers and baggy jean shorts. Grabbing his favorite black tank top, he opened the bathroom door and looked out to see a huge mass in the middle of her bed. Knowing who it was, he chuckled and sat down, poking Oriana. "Good morning, Sunshine!"
Oriana grumbled an incoherent and unconscious reply, shuffling amongst the blankets to get away from the annoying pressure Howie was providing against her skin. Everyone always had quite a lot of trouble pulling Oriana from her bed. She could be as nasty as a bear during hibernation if awoken wrong. So, she snuggled deeper into her favorite pillow and pulled the blankets in a tight cocoon around her body.
"Hey, I'm supposed to get a good morning kiss," Howie pouted, grasping the top of the covers and pulled hard.
"Ehh!" she grunted in protest, holding furiously tight to the blankets encasing her in a dark setting.
"Ehh!" he mocked with a laugh, continuing to pull.
"No, Momma, no," she whimpered pathetically, still fighting to stay asleep. She struggled within her unconscious state to grasp the blankets, but found herself loosing. She continued to whimper and protest within her drowsy state until the shrill ring tone of Moulin Rouge caught her attention. Her beautiful blue-green eyes immediately popped open with an attentive nature, rolling over to grasp her cell phone, but only to fall off the bed in a massive collection of blankets.
"See, you should have woken up when I told you," Howie laughed over Oriana's curses and the ring tone.
"Bite me," she retorted, struggling to hit the 'send' button to receive the call. She squinted at the tiny scream, fumbling with a sleep-clogged mind as she placed the phone to her ear. "Where the Hell do you get off at calling me at sixty-five in the morning... Say huh? ... Oh... Yeah, six-oh-five..."
Howie rolled his eyes as he sat down on the bed, waiting for her conversation to be finished.
"Yes, I fell out of bed grabbing for the phone. When don't I fall out of bed grabbing the phone? ... Right... So, the point of the conversation, Luke? ... Beach football and a side of volley in an hour, usual spot? ... Well, Hell yeah I'm going. Since when did the Cherry-Bomb turn down football and volleyball? ... Hell yeah... Wine coolers and Pepsi sound fine to me... Start making the bets so I have a few extra bits of cash... Yeah, the string, cherry-print bikini bet works all the time... I'll have to be back by like noon ... Yeah... Mmm... Semi-conscious at the moment... No date for me thanks, Mac's too into the female anatomy at Duke for my liking... Yeah... Alright, I'll grab you in about an hour... Check you later, Luke..."
"Who's Mac?" Howie asked curiously as Oriana pressed the end button and crawled back into her bed.
"James Mackenzie," Oriana answered, reaching down to grasp some of the fallen blankets. She started to weave them around her body again before flopping down into a comfortable position. She stifled a yawn, "He was a senior last year at Tartan and made varsity... He's actually Pre-Med at Duke now."
"And Luke wanted you to go on a date with this Mac?"
"I did say no thanks--"
"I know, and I'm glad. But why did he even ask in the first place? Did Mac like you at one point or something?"
"No one knows that we're dating, Howie. And, the whole team asks me to go out with Mac when he comes back from Duke to visit. Ace is determined that if I took away MVP from Mac, that I at least should date him in return. I don't know if he likes me or whatever. He calls a lot to talk to me... Took me to the Homecoming Dance last year... You know, normal, goofy stuff, why?"
"No reason, just curious. And yes, it's just curiosity," Howie replied, hoping she believed him.
"Yeah, for how long?" Oriana challenged. "You're jealous deep down, I can tell."
"Well... can you blame me?"
"Mac doesn't like me. He just jokes around about it. He has hundreds of freshman college chicks to entertain his time. I doubt he would be overly concerned about one little senior high school chick," Oriana tried to console with a playful role of her blue-green eyes. She scurried from beneath the covers to jump off her bed, moving to the dresser drawer filled with various bikinis.
"So you get out of bed for Luke and the team but not me?" Howie pouted as he watched her find the bikini Luke had requested.
"You didn't invite me to make money off the goofballs on the football team with some Domino's pizza, wine coolers, and Pepsi for breakfast," Oriana entertained, holding up the skimpy bikini in front of her body.
"But just seeing me should be enough to wake you up!" Howie protested with another pout.
"Dare to dream," she laughed, moving behind her folding screen that was filled with various pictures of her childhood. Most were of her and Teagan growing, but Howie seemed less concerned with that as he watched the faint silhouette of her sleek figure strip off her clothing to pull on her bikini. He felt his mouth grow dry as she appeared in her string bikini top and a pair of boxer shorts. She leaned over him to capture his lips in a fiery kiss. "Better?"
"Yeah, but--"
"How's your back feeling?" she asked, finally noticing he didn't have a shirt on.
"It burns to have a shirt rubbing up against it constantly..." he explained, his cheeks faintly stirring with a blush as she admired his sleek upper body. “I guess I just want to say it hurts like Hell."
"Well..." Oriana trailed, leaning over him to examine his back for a brief moment. She placed a small kiss against the nape of his neck. "Take my ice packs home and keep using them. Okay? And take Tylenol to reduce the pain."
"Alright. Do you have a story I could use on my family to explain my back? I don't want to get into the whole thing with them," Howie replied, shivering at her simple kiss.
Oriana thought for a moment before reaching to take Howie's black tank top into her hands. She stared at for a moment before pulling it over her bikini top. She then moved to grab a brush to plait two braids into her long curls. "Best one I used would be when I told Momma I was goofing around the pool, someone accidentally pushed me in, and then I ended up scraping my back along the edge."
"Accidentally being pushed into the pool... That could definitely work."
"Worked for me," she agreed, muffling a small yawn against her bare shoulder. She peered into her mirror for only a moment to part her curls on either side. She then took a seat beside Howie on her bed, quickly braiding.
"So, what all are you doing today before noon? And what's going on at noon?" Howie asked curiously as he watched her.
"Some of the guys want to get together at the beach to play football and volleyball. Mac came back from North Carolina and he's looking to hook up with the team. So, we'll probably spend the time till noon goofing around, playing some games, dunking each other in the water, ocean chicken... Then at noon I promised to take Alex out to get stuff for his room. He wants some goofy leopard print theme..."
"Leopard?" Howie scrunched his nose in distaste. "That sounds like Alex, alright."
"With the tacky bright, neon green carpet to add that seventies pimp flavor," she agreed, securing the first braid before moving to the other. She tilted her head for a moment to admire Howie's nude upper half, finding a small smile spreading across her warm face. "So, what are you doing this weekend?"
"I don't know yet. Besides my parent's anniversary tonight, there's nothing else planned at the moment," Howie replied, feeling Oriana's eyes on him and smirked.
"I'm sure you'll have fun tonight," she encouraged, shifting her eyes when she noted the sensual smirk crossing Howie's face. She blushed as she focused on her hair instead.
"It's the one time besides Christmas and Thanksgiving when Mama goes all out and cooks not only Puerto Rican food, but Irish as well. We pig out, give them our presents and then they go out for the night to celebrate however they want to," Howie replied, getting hungry for the feast already.
"That's really sweet," Oriana decided after a few moments, finally finishing the second braid. She quickly tossed them behind her lean shoulders, falling back onto her bed for a few moments. She found it charming that Howie's family was so close.
"You'll have to come and have dinner with us sometime. Mama will make you anything you wanted, and it'll be the best you've ever had," Howie replied, laying down next to her.
"Don't hurt your back," she warned, propping herself up with her elbows to make sure he was okay.
"I got it," he replied, showing her that his elbows kept his back from barely touching the bed.
"You drive me nuts, you know that?" she sighed with relief, hating to actually see the man in pain.
"Yes, but you still really like me anyway," he gave an innocent smile.
"Yeah..." she trailed with her own innocent smile. The idea of a relationship with Howie was still far too unique in Oriana's mind. It seemed almost too surreal at times.
"I've got to get going. My sister Pollyanna left a message on my phone to remind me about the shopping today," Howie frowned at the mention of shopping. With his brother John it was fine. But with Pollyanna, John and his two other sisters, Angie and Caroline, it was chaos.
"Okay," Oriana consented, helping Howie stand from the bed. She quickly pulled off his shirt from her body and gently eased it onto his bare upper half. She made sure not to connect with any of the angry bruises, smiling gently as she kissed his cheek. She then moved to retrieve one of her baggy Duke t-shirts. She threw it onto her sleek body and knotted it just above her belly button. "Have fun shopping. Guess I better get going anyway... I'll end up having to stretch out the boys or something during practice if I'm late..."
"Shopping with my sisters and brother has to be considered the Ninth Ring of Hell..." Howie frowned for a moment. He shrugged and leaned down to brush his lips against the softness of Oriana's. "Text me later on tonight?"
"I don't have your--"
"Yes you do. I put it in there last night."
"Did you get mine?" she asked quizzically, bringing her fingertips to her lips with thought.
"Someone put it in my phone... I think it was Teagan."
"You've got friends in high places, don't you?" she teased softly, clip her cell phone to the waist of her shorts. "But, yeah, I'll try to text you tonight..."
"Can I call you tonight after the 'rents leave?" he asked as they walked to her door.
"I thought we were texting."
"Well, the texting to see where each other are and then I could call?"
"Um... Yeah, okay," she laughed at a few minutes of contemplation. She leaned against the frame of her front door after she opened it, handing Howie the ice packs. "Calling me tonight shouldn't be a problem, tomorrow however, would be complete and pure chaos."
"Why?" he blanked for a moment. "Ohh! We have to... yeah, kind of forgot."
"Well, yeah, I guess that would be one reason. Though, I'm guessing Teagan will be out with the Numbnuts... But, I guess we're moving the boys and Kevin in tomorrow, but then I have another activity and along with dance, which usually occupies most of my Saturday night... But, yeah, something like that..." she trailed with another faint blush creeping to her cheeks. It was almost too bittersweet to say goodbye. Truth be told, she didn't want to say goodbye.
"I don't want to say good-bye," he whispered, as if reading her thoughts.
"Me either..." she admitted with a sad smile.
"One more kiss before I leave, Love?"
"You going to miss me that much?" she teased wryly, shying away as he slowly stepped forward. Though, she knew the truth to that answer. Her weekend schedule was filled with complete chaos and panic, giving her no room to breathe. It would have to be Howie calling her, because she feared she might even forget to breathe if she had an extra few minutes.
"I'll miss you more than the sun misses shining down on the world," he smiled, gently pinning her against the wall.
"You've lasted weekends without seeing me before," she contemplated with a still soft smile, pressing her back tightly against the wall.
"Yes, but before you weren't truly mine. Now that you are, I'm going to miss you more than ever."
"Well, I'm not even truly yours yet. You've gotta wait for Teagan to give Numbnuts the third degree, if and when she decides to do that," Oriana challenged, wrapping her arms around Howie's neck as if it were perfectly natural. She stepped to him, offering a soft kiss to his lips.
"I may not know her in the same ways you do, but I have a feeling she'll react right away when Alex explains it all. Then you'll be all mine," Howie replied with a smile, placing his hands on her hips. He connected their lips with another kiss.
"Mmmm," she mumbled softly when he pulled away, but she needed more. She moved her hands to the sides of his face, pulling him back for yet another kiss, though it stirred a hotter passion than any other.
Howie moaned quietly in his throat as their kiss deepened and his head began to spin with pleasure he had never felt before. He pulled Oriana close to him, feeling her heart beat rapidly against his.
Oriana's sweet lips curved into a soft smile as she pulled away just for a moment. She heard Howie gasp for a breath as she connected yet again, almost seeming to melt into his form. She gently parted his lips with her own, enticing him further with a soft nibble against his lower lip. Her heart seemed to detach from the mortal coil of her body, lifting up into the dreamiest of Heavens.
"Wow..." Howie wheezed as they finally broke for the last time.
"Yeah?" she panted, leaning back against the wall.
"Yeah," he kissed her forehead. "You take my breath away."
"Likewise," she agreed.
"Are you two done yet, because you're going to ruin the entire plan. Here you two are, downstairs, sucking face. D, I'm appalled. Truly appalled. What happened to respecting the love and all that shit?" Alex teased, making his descent down the stairs. He had seen the whole romantic embrace.
"You're the pervert who was watching us," Howie teased right back with a laugh, feeling his cheeks blush.
"Well, I don't think the Jaws of Life could have pried you two apart," Alex snorted, stretching his lean form with a loud yawn. "What happened to you getting your ass into my room anyway?"
"Um... I kind of forgot?"
"Yeah, and I can see why," Alex drawled, gazing to his sister.
"What did I do? I'm the innocent one, remember?" Oriana replied with her famous innocent smile.
"Somehow I doubt that when it comes to having Howie to spend the night, Ry..."
"Look, Jamie. Nothing happened, everything's okay. Let's just get Howie out of here before Numbnuts wakes up."
Alex didn't seem to catch his newly formed nickname as he reaching to tug Howie away from Oriana. He gently guided his friend to the door, pretending to kick him out. "And don't come back, ya bastard!"
"Bye, Howie," Oriana called with a soft laugh, peering over Alex's shoulder.
"Bye, Riana," Howie ducked around Alex and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "I'll be thinking of you."
"Hopefully I'll see you Monday," she agreed with a blush.
"You will--"
"Get'cher ass outta here, Dorough!" Alex laughed, pushing Howie out the door.
"You promise to text me?" Howie called, finally starting to walk down the stairs.
"When I have a free moment, sure..." Oriana promised, squeezing from behind Alex. She eagerly hurried down the stairs, needing just one last kiss. Alex had to laugh as Oriana pretended to jump into Howie's arms, offering yet another warming kiss. "Sorry, I had to."
“No need to apologize for that," Howie smiled, hugging her tightly.
"Gotta make it last, right?" Oriana countered, leaning up one last time for a stirring kiss. "Okay, okay, okay. I'm done. I'll text you tonight, I promise. Have a good time shopping and have a great time with your parents tonight."
"Thanks, you enjoy your time with your brother and with Ma...the boys..."
"You mean Mac?" she countered, immediately reading the jealous note in his eyes. She found it somewhat amusing. Finally, someone was jealous of her relationships. As much as other girls would hate the jealousy, Oriana enjoyed just the sentimental fact that Howie cared enough to worry.
"But---"
"Mac means nothing. Even if he took me to Homecoming. Okay? Now you should really get going. Don't want to be late for your sisters and brother, right?"
"But--"
"No more kisses if you don't get going!"
"But---"
"Howie, go," she ordered.
"But--"
"I'm going to count to three. If you're not in your car by then, you're grounded from my kisses. One..."
"Riana!"
"Two..."
"Ria!"
"What?!" Oriana groaned.
Howie leaned in and kissed her once more. "Remember me when you're out with all those boys."
"And what about you should I remember," she laughed, guiding him to the car.
"How much you like me, the way you feel after I kiss you, also how incredibly SEXY I am—"
"If you don't get in that car right now, I think I might have to tackle Mac with just a bikini on," she threatened in the middle of his exaggerated points, knowing her brother's patience was running thin.
"You better not!" Howie replied with a scowl as he climbed into his car.
"And what would you possibly do if I did?"
"I don't know at the moment, but I'll think of something!"
"Go!" she ordered.
"I'll miss you?" he tried, starting up the engine.
"I'll miss you, too," she promised finally with a soft smile.
"Bye, angel of mine," he replied, blowing her a kiss while pulling out of the driveway. He waved once more before speeding down the street.
Oriana seemed to be in a daze as she floated back into the house, sauntering into the kitchen. She kept a soft hand against her lips as she pulled out a bottle of Pepsi and then a banana from the fruit basket. She moved to hop onto the kitchen table, just staring out the window, never noticing Alex approach her. She had never been so overly attracted to a boy before. Everything about him drove her crazy with adoration. She needed him more than he would ever realize.
"You really like him," Alex commented, stirring Oriana from her thoughts. He sat next to her on the table.
"No, I just always have this goofy look on my face," she quipped with a playful sarcasm, reaching to peel the banana.
"Nah, the face you have no is goofier," he replied, smirking as he grabbed an apple from the bowl behind them and took a big bite.
Oriana feigned a look of anger, but it was hard to conceive since her cheeks were puffed out with the banana. Alex seemed pleased with the response, chewing heavily on the juicy bits of the apple. Oriana fell silent until the she heard the chirp of Moulin Rouge. She swallowed hard, mashing the rest of the banana into Alex's face before picking up the phone. "Oh... Hey, Mac! ... No girlfriend at Duke, yet? Damn, that bites... Can't hit'em fast enough or what? ... Yeah, I'm on my way... Yeah, halfway out the door... Yeah... I promise! Adios!"
"Who the Hell is Mac?" Alex mumbled through a mouthful of apple and smashed banana. He looked thoroughly displeased as he wiped away the mushy mess from his face.
"A friend," she answered simple, finishing the two liter of Pepsi. She tossed the plastic bottle into the recycling can before grabbing her keys. "I'll be back at noon to take you to Home Depot and all that jazz."
"Where are you going?" Alex questioned with a scowl, getting up to grab a paper towel.
"The guys want to play some volleyball and football down at the beach. Why?" Oriana countered, noticing the fixed scowl.
"Why was Mac calling you?"
"He wanted to make sure I was coming, that's all. Jamie, what's wrong?"
"I don't like the sound of Mac."
"You don't even know him!" she burst with a laugh. "He's not a bad guy."
"Why would he tell you that he hasn't had any girlfriends at Duke?" Alex objectified, continuing the wipe the gooey mess off of his face. "That's perfect guy-lingo, Ry. He's freaking telling you he's available. You've gotta learn to pick up on that stuff, Ry. You're a beautiful girl--"
"Mac is a friend, that's it. Everyone on the team always gives me a head's up about their dating life. It's... natural..."
"Natural... I doubt it... Mac is giving you a big hint, Ry. Be careful."
"Mmm-hmm, I haven't even kissed..." Oriana trailed at that thought, biting down on her bottom lip. Mac had cornered her at the last Homecoming Dance, forcing himself upon her. Yet, she said nothing. It didn't seem like her place. She sighed, shaking the thoughts free. "Can I go?"
"Promise me you'll be careful and then you can go," Alex replied, noticing the uneasiness in Oriana's eyes.
"Mmm-hmm, I haven't even kissed..." Oriana trailed at that thought, biting down on her bottom lip. Mac had cornered her at the last Homecoming Dance, forcing himself upon her. Yet, she said nothing. It didn't seem like her place. She sighed, shaking the thoughts free. "Can I go?"
"Promise me you'll be careful and then you can go," Alex replied, noticing the uneasiness in Oriana's eyes.
"Careful with what?" Oriana blanked, hearing the faint rustling of footsteps upon the stairs leading into the living room.
"Do you always question everything?"
Oriana thought for a moment, "Yes..."
"I should have known," Alex groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Just go to the beach--"
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Oriana interrupted, grasping the twenty-four ounce of Pepsi before retrieving her keys. She moved to hurry out the front door, but bumped quickly into Teagan's stumbling form. Oriana staggered back in a few awkward steps, immediately forcing a frown on her face, just as Alex had indicated.
"Mornin' to you too," Teagan mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Sorry, I just have to go," Oriana quickly murmured, trying to slip past her friend.
"Where are you going so early?"
"Mac's back in town--"
"MAC? What the Hell are you seeing Mac for?"
"Why do you care?" Oriana countered, yelping slightly as Teagan embedded her fingernails into the tender flesh of Oriana's wrist. She had never seen Teagan so out of sorts.
Teagan looked at Oriana in shock at her statement. Why wouldn't she care about her best friend? The question seemed so ridiculous. "What does that mean? Of course I care! Mac's an asshole and you know how he can get--"
"He doesn't get like anything," Oriana quickly interrupted, realizing Alex was indeed eavesdropping on the conversation. She already knew that the bond between Alex and Howie was quite tight, so anything revealed to Alex would always find a way back to Howie.
"Bullshit--"
"Teagan, let me go. You're not my mother and if you did care like you claimed..." Oriana sighed heavily. She just hoped Teagan would fall for the plan like Alex said. "Forget it. I'm going."
"Oriana Ryan!" Teagan exclaimed as the younger girl pushed her roughly and walked out of the house.
"You okay, Teagan?" Alex called, popping his head into the living room when he heard the sharp slam of the front door. He noticed Teagan standing at the threshold of the door, looking quite bewildered by Oriana's cool brushing. He hadn't liked the ending conversation about Mac, but could only assume it was perfectly executed by Oriana. Now he just needed to plant the correct thoughts into Teagan's head to give his brother a taste of the evil medicine.
"No... what just happened? She's never like that to me. Did I do something wrong?" Teagan asked with confusion, looking over at Alex. There were bags under her gloomy eyes. Oriana's attitude always had an affect on her own.
"She said something about wanting to correct her shitty birthday by hanging out with Mac and some of the guys for this morning," Alex answered with a shrug of his thin shoulders, trying to act nonchalant.
"Shitty birthday? But I thought everything was going good with her and Howie," she replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Howie left last night..." Alex drawled, collapsing on the living room couch.
"What?! He left?! Why? It doesn't make any sense!" Teagan exclaimed once again, rushing towards Alex. "What happened?"
"Shit hit the fan last night when he went to talk to her. Something was said between him and my brother last night. Brian obviously hates Oriana with a passion for wiping his face in the mud at the game... But Howie and my brother have been best friends since we were little. So, Howie completely severed any chance he had with Oriana..."
"You have to be kidding me! Brian and Howie... no! Howie and Oriana are meant to be together! Damn him, he always feels threatened if someone if better than him. Especially if it's a girl. Damnit, damnit, damnit!" Teagan cursed in disbelief. "I can't let this happen. No way."
"Howie told her that he couldn't have anything to do with her. Friendships before trivial girlfriends... Broke off everything and anything they ever had. Even their solid friendship. He promised to disappear out of her life forever," Alex continued, placing the final coats of the story together.
"Not if I can help it," Teagan steamed, rushing up the stairs. "BRIAN THOMAS RICHARDSON! YOUR ASS IS GRASS!"
"Damn," Alex wheezed, stifling a laugh. He hadn't expected that to smooth over so quickly.
