Date Night Part 2

Craig

Craig’s heart raced and his breaths came in shallow gasps. His arms held her but he couldn’t resist the need to pull her to him by her hips. He was acutely aware of the muscles shifting under her smooth skin. His stomach dropped with each movement of her hips.

“You can’t tell me this isn’t the ride of your life!” Hailey shouted back behind her.

Hank’s motorcycle roared as it tore down the street and whipped by cars that appeared motionless in comparison. Streetlights cast harsh shadows, highlighting the tense muscles in Hailey’s forearms and thighs as they guided the machine toward their destination.

Craig was grateful he had rubbed one out in the bathroom earlier because the vibrations from the engine and the sensation of being pressed against Hailey’s firm ass was slowly making him hard again. How does she keep doing this to me? He wondered. I feel like I’m falling for her, and not because she’s half Lily.

They rolled to a stop under the colorful flashing lights of the fair. Craig could see why she wanted to come here, the milling people and loud conversations suited her. Heads turned to follow her everywhere she went. Hank would have been demanding attention, always performing to keep the spotlight. Hailey had started like that, but something had changed. Now she just accepted it, swam through it like a fish through water. It made him feel like a tagalong.

It didn’t help when the basketball game barker asked Hailey, “and does he want to play too? Your …”

The implication was obvious. Your brother? Your gay bff? Your study partner? Because he clearly can’t be …

“My boyfriend.” Hailey’s voice left no room for interpretation and she put a possessive arm around Craig. “Just feed me the rock, ball boy.” She missed the first two shots. “Damn overinflated balls.” She muttered to herself as she adjusted, making the six of the last eight. “The red one.” She pointed at a small bear and grabbed it out of the barker’s hand when he brought it over.

Hailey was still in a foul mood as she stalked off. “I wasn’t trying to put you on the spot, he was just being an asshole,” she explained. “I mean seriously, who does he think he is? Deciding we can’t be a couple. Asshole!”

Craig let her lead, clearing the path. He realized that as much as he was suited to a library or a game store, she belonged here.

He instinctively averted his gaze when he saw a small group of guys their age in Hailey’s path. Their backwards hats and cheap cans of beer broadcast their intentions.

“Check out the amazon, tell me she’s not with that loser.” “Yeah, she looks like she could break him in half.” Craig knew how this would go. He kept his head down and moved to give them a wide berth when a firm hand grasped his.

“I bet he likes getting pegged!” The smallest member of the group exclaimed. He looked around, smiling a little too widely, to see if his joke had landed. Hailey, meanwhile, had focused on him, making a beeline straight at him. As she approached, she held up her newly won bear and with a flex of her biceps, slowly tore the head off. The bro stumbled backwards, falling down and spilling his beer in his haste to get out of her way. Hailey casually threw the decapitated bear head at him to complete the show of dominance, drawing laughter from the others in the group. As Craig followed Hailey past them, he heard them start to tease their fallen comrade.

“How did you do that?” Craig asked as they continued walking. “I just froze up again.”

“I know what it’s like to be one of those guys. They saw you as a target, I just needed to give them a new one,” she explained. Her voice was steady but he saw her still gripping the now headless bear tightly. “If you froze up, it’s because I … because Hank trained you to act that way.”

They found their way to a clearing with some food trucks and tinny country music playing from speakers. “I need to unwind after that. C’mon Craig, dance with me.” Hailey proposed.

“But I don’t know how to dance,” Craig objected. “I mean, I’ve never been to a club or anything so I don’t think I’d …”

“Don’t overthink it.” Hailey instructed, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Just hold onto me and sway from side to side. You don’t need to be a good dancer to have a good dance. Just start swaying and I’ll sway with you.”

“No one else is dancing.” Craig objected, glancing around.

“I want to dance with you. They can’t stop me, only you can.” Hailey gently guided his hands to her hips. “So, are we doing this or what?”

Craig swallowed, then hesitantly started swaying left and right in time with the music. Hailey matched his rhythm and started turning in a small circle with him. They drifted closer together as they eased into the moment. Craig hadn’t realized how close until Hailey’s chest pressed against his, her arms already around his neck. Their faces were side by side and Hailey hardly had to speak above a whisper to be heard.

“Thank you. I know none of this has been easy for you.”

“I wish you didn’t have to stand up for me.” Craig admitted quietly, then sighed. “You probably wish you didn’t have to be the man in the relationship.”

Hailey stopped swaying and leaned back to look Craig in the eyes. “Be the man? What are you talking about?” She looked offended. “I thought I was the only one who had to deal with Hank in their head. That’s the kind of bullshit he would say.”

“Is he wrong though?” Craig couldn’t keep the rest of the words from flooding out. “I didn’t stand up for Lily in front of Hank. I just took it from the carney and the dudebro. I can’t dance. I couldn’t scare a fly,” Craig moped.

“Why would you want to scare a fly?” Hailey had a mischievous grin now.

“I don’t right now,” Craig replied, a grin of his own starting to form. “But you never know when it’ll come up. Best to be prepared, right?”

“Let me blow your mind, Craig.” Hailey said, leaning back into him and restarting their slow dance. “Hank has always been jealous of you.”

Craig screwed his face up. “I find that incredibly hard to believe.”

“I don’t think he realized it himself.” Hailey continued. “But he never forgave you for comforting Grace back in high school. He hated you because when she needed someone to really talk to, she went to you instead of him. He wanted people to be that comfortable with him, but his macho persona would never allow it. Even deeper, he was hurting from their fight too and wished he had someone like you to listen to him.”

“If he wanted to talk to me, he could have tried being nice instead of shouldering me into a locker every time he saw me.” Craig bristled, unwilling to show any sympathy for his tormentor.

“I’m not trying to excuse his actions, just give some context. By the time you met him, he was already trapped in his bully persona. As a kid, he was outgoing and energetic. Being the strongest meant his hugs left bruises. Before he knew it, he was the bully no one wanted to play with and it just stuck. It got to the point that he had to keep up his “manly” facade because it was all he had. He had to be feared and respected because he was afraid without his persona, he was worthless. The gear didn’t help his mood, either.”

“What’s gear?”

“Steroids, dear. His identity was caught up with being strong, being the best.” Hailey concentrated, frowning. “He actually just got caught doping and was kicked off the college basketball team. He was in a really dark place, I’m not sure what he would have done if he hadn’t run into you.”

They danced in silence for a few more moments as the song ended. Craig noticed other couples had started dancing as well. His fingers idly ran along the top of her shorts as he contemplated. “So you’re saying he’s better off as part of you, now?”

Hailey frowned and opened her mouth to object out of hand before she paused to consider her immediate reaction. “None of us chose this, it just happened to us. I think what I’m trying to say is that, even though you recoil when you see Hank in me, I like the parts of him I see in myself. I love being able to protect people. To be spontaneous. He taught me to enjoy the spotlight. I’m just allowed to be myself in a way he never was.”

“You’re definitely one of a kind.” Craig said. “Unforgettable.”

“Even so, I want something to remember tonight.” Hailey started scanning the fairground booths. “I thought I saw … there it is.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him along behind her.

Here we go again. Craig thought. Everything she does is at 100%. Basically the opposite of Lily, but maybe that’s not a bad thing, he considered.

Hailey brought him to a Photo Booth, the automated kind with tacky 4-image strips featuring attractive, smiling couples emblazoned on it. As they ducked through the curtain he remembered the phone photos and wondered if it was worth getting pictures like this if they would be erased when the merging was undone. He reconsidered as he saw Hailey excitedly swiping her credit card through the reader, she clearly wasn’t thinking ahead. She wanted this moment and was living in it. Who’s to say she’s wrong? Craig thought, grinning. Maybe making the memory is more important than the memento.

There were a pair of stools in the booth. Hailey sat down on the right-hand one and started redoing her ponytail. Craig knelt down in front of the left stool to read the instructions under the camera housing.

“Reading the manual, dude?” Hailey chided playfully. “I think I can figure out a camera. What’s the wor–”

*FLASH*

Craig hurriedly jumped to his feet to get in frame for the next picture. Hailey was only able to get out a “What the …” before Craig’s head collided with the point of her chin, snapping her jaw closed. He ducked back down to his knees and tenderly felt for a welt rising up on the top of his head.

“Nunuhuna. A bu my huhi puhn.. (Motherfucker. I bit my fucking tongue.)” Hailey mumbled, hands now at her mouth. Her body instinctively leaned away from Craig’s head when …

*FLASH*

Her momentum tipped her stool onto two legs as she was carried half out the booth. She flailed wildly towards Craig as she fought to regain her balance. He grabbed at her and his right hand found the sleeve of her jacket, while his left hand wrapped around her bikini top.

*FLASH*

Hailey’s left boob popped free as Craig pulled on her top. Hailey, meanwhile, had grabbed his shoulders and was trying to pull herself back to him. They misjudged the effects of their combined efforts and Hailey was pulled rapidly back inside the booth. Craig was only briefly able to appreciate the sight of a pink nipple surrounded by pale flesh before it filled his vision and collided with his eye. They held each other a moment before they realized Hailey was no longer falling.

*FLASH*

***

Later, the pair arrived at the Ferris wheel. As they walked, they staggered deliriously, still coming down from their giggles. A new round of laughter broke out each time they looked at the ridiculous sequence of images.

The cab of the Ferris wheel swung gently as they settled in next to each other.

“You know, if you wanted a face full, you could have asked.” Hailey teased.

“I take no responsibility. I think your missiles must be heat-seeking.” Craig grinned as his comment elicited a genuine smile. Hailey stretched out her long legs, sending the cab swaying again. She took the opportunity to lean into Craig’s shoulder.

Craig cautiously put his arm around her and felt more than heard her purr of satisfaction.

“You have no idea what you do to me, do you?” Hailey asked softly.

Craig felt like a fool. Why am I overthinking this? This could be the best thing to ever happen to me.

“And you have no idea how people see you.” Craig replied, his doubts creeping back in. “You could have your pick of any guy here. Any girl too, probably.”

“Doesn’t matter.” She said bluntly. “I only want the best one.”

She says it like she means it too, Craig thought to himself, his eyes wandering past the lights below. The breeze picked up and he could smell the salt from the ocean.

“Is that because of Lily?” He asked, afraid of the answer. “You inherited her love, and that’s why you’re willing to settle for me? I can see it when people see us together. They know you’re out of my league.”

Hailey gave out a huff and furrowed her brows. “So what? I’m not allowed to choose who I want? You think I’m just an empty shell for Lily to pour her unfulfilled desires into?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Craig flinched and started to withdraw his hand but Hailey caught it and held it in hers.

“I’m mad, but not at you.” Hailey clarified. “Tell me what you were trying to say. Take your time.”

Great, she’s more emotionally mature than I am, too. Craig thought wryly. He gathered his thoughts and continued as Hailey stroked his hand gently.

“Things with Lily were easy. She’s so shy and feminine, I felt like more of a man to be with her. We had just started dating but it felt like we were building something real together. I have regrets. I let her think she wasn’t beautiful enough for me.”

“If that’s all she inspired you to be, maybe she wasn’t good enough for you. I’ve seen you forgive me, take chances with me, accept me. That’s the kind of man I want. That’s the kind of man you are.”

Craig started leaning in toward her. There was only one last thing weighing on him. “Why do I feel like I’m betraying her?” He whispered.

“You’re not.” Hailey reassured him. She put a hand on her heart. “She’s here, part of me. And this is what she wanted.”

At the top of the Ferris wheel, looking over the beach town, the rest of the world felt miles away. It’s criminal how good she looks, Craig thought. He lost himself in her exotic mismatched eyes. Reflections from the Necklace highlighted the curves of her breasts with green light.

“You’re complicated and scary, but also … exciting. You’re more real than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“You finally see me.” Hailey whispered as she leaned in, closing her eyes.

The Ferris wheel continued to turn as the two pairs of lips met. The first kiss was tender, almost chaste. The second was longer, more insistent. Their kisses grew more passionate. Hailey swung her leg over Craig’s straddling him and pressing her breasts against his chest. Their necklaces collided gently, shell touching emerald. So engrossed in each other, neither noticed the soft glow of green light the Merge Necklace was giving off.