Little Things Page 5

  “Duke? Is there anything he can’t do?”

  Melanie laughs while she holds the door open for us and we are immediately bombarded by the onslaught of last minute shoppers looking for costumes. Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought. How are we supposed to find a decent costume?

  I turn toward Melanie and concede defeat. She shakes her head, “No. We are not leaving. Come on.” She grabs my hand and pulls me to the back of the store and into the mob of customers. After about thirty minutes of searching available costumes and finding the appropriate size, I decide on the perfect one. I absolutely love it and I hope I can pull it off. Melanie searches for the matching accessories to complete the costume.

  “So, do you want to come over and I can do your hair and makeup?” We make our way to the checkout line and she grabs her cell phone out of her purse and texts someone.

  “Actually, I’m going to do that myself if that’s alright. I should be ready by eight. I’m so excited!” After she finishes typing her text, she looks up and gives a genuine smile. “Me, too! We still have about thirty minutes before you have to get to work. Do you want to grab a quick bite?”

  Realization hits me that I didn’t even get a chance to eat breakfast and my stomach grumbles at the thought of food. “Hell yes. I’m starving.” I pay for my items and we head out to her car and drive over to Starbucks. As we sit at our table I give her a warm smile, “Thanks for helping me today. I know you didn’t have to.”

  She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Nonsense. You know you’re one of us now. We are going to have so much fun tonight! It’s gonna be epic!”

  I cannot hide my beaming face of joy. I’ve made a new friend, and so far it’s been a damn good day. I can’t wait for tonight.

  Work cannot be over any faster. Usually, I’m not so bored and annoyed with being stuck here but today’s different. Between assisting customers, stacking the shelves, cleaning out the restrooms, and cashiering, I’m exhausted. After several hours of nonstop work, the store traffic has finally slowed down. I grab a quick coffee from the store’s café and take a seat to try to relax during my last break of the day.

  Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, I check the time. Five o’clock. Only two more hours until I get out of here. Okay, I need a game plan when I get home so I’m not rushing. Alright, shower first, then blow dry and straighten hair, then makeup, and costume comes last. Mom can help if I need it. I think about seeing Duke and let out a little squeal. A few of the nearby customers glance at me and I sink lower in my chair. Cool your shit, Raya. He has a girlfriend, and she’s also your friend, so don’t fuck this up.

  “Raya, can you help me out with the new releases?” I look up to see the assistant manager, Oliver, staring at me and I can’t help but smile. He’s fucking gorgeous. Standing at six-foot-two, with a lean yet muscular body, short wavy blond hair, a green polo, and glasses, he’s just my type, but he’s not Duke. I quickly clean up my table and throw out my trash.

  “Sure, Ollie. What do you need?”

  “I’m unpacking the recent shipment of Sylvia Day’s latest. Can you help with shelving and then you can cut out early? Not much action going on here tonight.”

  I set out to get everything unpacked and shelved as quickly as possible. By the time we are done, it’s about six PM. I call my mom so she can pick me up and I only have to wait about fifteen minutes for her to arrive. My nerves are starting to creep up on me during the drive home.

  “So, are you excited for tonight?”

  I can feel the nausea building but I force it down. There’s no way I’m getting sick tonight. “Yeah, Mom. I’m kinda freaking out right now.”

  My mom grabs my hand as she continues the drive home. “Raya, you don’t have anything to worry about. Trust me.” She gives me a reassuring smile and I can’t help but feel better. I squeeze her hand in response and breathe a sigh of relief. A few minutes later, she parks the car in our driveway and I race upstairs to get ready and set my plan in motion.

  Just as I finish putting on my costume and applying the last coat of mascara, the doorbell rings. Shit. My fucking nerves are back. I look at myself in the mirror and hardly recognize the girl in front of me. I see a beautiful young woman with long, dark straight hair and sparkling blue eyes with a dash of smoky eye shadow and heavy black eye liner. Examining my white, one-shoulder dress with the matching gold bangles on my wrists and my gold hairpiece, I quickly grab the makeup kit and dab a little gold shimmer on my cheeks and upper eyelids and apply a red lip gloss.

  “Raya, honey! Duke’s here!”

  Shit, shit, shit! Ok. Breathe, Raya, breathe. I quickly open my bedroom door, “I’ll be right down!” Grabbing my gold sandals, I strap them up along my legs. Taking one last look in the mirror, I pray this is good enough. Oh fuck it. Just have fun.

  As I head downstairs, I hear Duke and my mom talking about the details of the party. “Just make sure she’s home by one.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take good care of her.”

  I step into the living room and find them sitting on the sofa. Duke turns his attention to me, stands up, and walks over to me. We stare at each other in a comfortable silence as all of my nerves melt away. Duke reaches down to grab my hand, lifts it up to his lips, and applies a gentle kiss. His big brown eyes gaze deep into mine, causing a soft gasp to escape from my lips. I swear my heart skipped several beats and my stomach dropped.

  “You are absolutely breathtaking, Cleopatra.”

  “Umm, thank you.” I’m certainly not used to this much attention from him, and frankly, I never want it to stop.

  “Raya, you are gorgeous. You did such a great job with your costume.” My mom gives me a quick hug and wipes a tear from her eye. She’s always so sentimental about these things; that’s why I love her.

  I look at Duke, trying to decipher his costume. His hair is a slight mess with a hint of gel to form the spiked look in the front, matched with a pair of straight cut denim jeans, and a long sleeve, solid grey button-up dress shirt. “So, what’s your costume?”

  He lets out a small chuckle and steps away from me to show off his attire. He glances at us with such confidence and sex appeal, “I’m Edward Cullen.” My mom and I immediately erupt into laughter and Duke joins in.

  “Let me guess, Melanie is Bella. Wow! I can’t believe you did this for her.”

  “Ha-ha, yeah, I told her I didn’t want to dress up into a costume, so this is what she decided.” He quickly spins around for us and paces up and down the living room as if he’s a model at a fashion show. My mom cheers loudly the whole time and I’m happy to see her laughing again. After a few minutes, we decide the fashion show must continue another time. Duke grabs my coat for me and helps me put it on. He’s such a gentleman; always taking care of women first. After I give my mom a hug and a kiss good-bye, Duke puts on his grey pea coat and we head out to the car.

  “Wait, this is Melanie’s car. Where is she?”

  Duke unlocks the doors and holds the passenger door open as I climb inside. “When I got to her house she was running a little late, so she told me to come pick you up first.”

  “Oh, okay. And here I am rushing to be ready on time.” I chuckle to myself as we pull out of the driveway and make our way to Melanie’s house. Duke turns on Pandora and changes the station to One Republic Radio as If I Lose Myself starts to play. Listening to good music and having Duke by my side is all I can ask for. As he sings, he glances at me, smiles, and winks. I can’t help but return his smile. No matter what happens at the party, I can never forget this night.

  Raya

  “Wow, Raya, your makeup looks great! I love it! You did such a great job with the costume!” Melanie reaches behind the passenger seat to give me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you. Honestly, I just improvised and put this together. I’m so happy it turned out okay.” I was really proud of myself; I didn’t think I could pull this off. Melanie tu
rns back around and tells me and Duke about the hectic day she had with her crazy little brother. Listening to her makes me wish that I had a sibling; someone to share my feelings with and even little secrets. But that means Craig would be in the picture and I wouldn’t want them to experience that.

  About twenty minutes later, we pull up to Austin’s house and I see the mob of teens inside. I can hear laughter, music blaring throughout the house, and a few girls screaming from being the victims of Halloween pranks. Just your typical high school party—not that I would have any idea how this is supposed to go. My nerves have crept back and my skin begins to sweat. My legs start to tremble as Duke puts the car into park and steps out to get Melanie. Come on, girl, you can do this. It’s just a party.

  Melanie opens the door for me and reaches out her hand, “Are you ready?” I close my eyes and let out a deep breath along with a silent prayer. Please don’t let me make a fool of myself. Reaching out to grab Melanie’s hand, I step out of the car. The three of us walk into the house and are immediately bombarded by Duke’s teammates.

  “Duke, you made it!” Two tall, handsome, and muscular guys reach out to give Duke a quick bro-hug.

  “Yeah, I’m here. You know I couldn’t resist my girlfriend’s charm.” He wraps his arm around Melanie and kisses the top of her head and she giggles.

  She looks at me and pulls me up front toward the two guys. “Taylor, Adam, have you met Raya yet?” I’m too shy to even acknowledge them or say anything. Of course, of all days, I just have to flake out right now. Stupid girl.

  “No, I don’t believe I have. Hi, I’m Taylor.” He winks at me and offers a friendly smile. Somehow, I manage to return the smile and even respond. “Hi, I’m Raya. Nice to meet you.” I take a good look at him and enjoy his pirate costume. Fully loaded with the hat, long black wig that’s braided, rugged and torn jeans, and equipped with the infamous eye patch. “So, Jack Sparrow, is that right?”

  He laughs, “Yeah that movie rocks! Especially that chick, Kiera Knightley. She’s fuckin’ hot in that movie.”

  We all laugh and Melanie pulls me further into the party as she calls back to the guys. “Catch up to ya later boys!” I turn around to see Duke, Taylor, and Adam looking at us with curious eyes.

  We enter the living room to find couples dancing and others lounging around with cups full of beer, laughing and having a great time. In the corner of the room are a few people smoking cigarettes and I’m pretty sure one of them is rolling a joint. Melanie grabs a solo cup and heads over to the keg to fill it up. She offers me the cup, “You want a beer?” I stand there and think about Craig and his horrible habit. I never want to end up like him.

  I shake my head, “Nope, I’m good. Thanks.”

  She shrugs her shoulder, “Hmm…okay. Well, if change your mind, the keg is open.” She sips the cup and we hear her name being called from across the room. I look over to see her girlfriends approaching us. One is dressed up as mermaid, the other is a playboy bunny, and the last girl is just wearing a pink bikini with a long pink wig. Really? That’s a costume?

  “Hey, girls, this is Raya. Raya, this is Amber, Stacy, and Penelope.” The three of them wave, give a soft smile, and say “Hello” in unison. Stacy, the playboy bunny, gives me a puzzled look as if she’s thinking about something and it makes me a little uncomfortable. She gasps, “Hey, you’re that new girl in Forensics class, right? You’re Duke’s partner?”

  I didn’t even realize she was in my class. “Yes, I’m in that class. I didn’t even know you were in it.”

  “Yeah, I sit in the back. So, which school did you transfer from?”

  “I transferred from New Haven.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember now. So, how do you like Lehman so far?”

  “Well, it’s a lot bigger than my old school, but I like it so far. It took a lot of getting used to at first, but I can manage it now.”

  I look over to Melanie and see her talking to Amber and Penelope—something about their upcoming dance team competition.

  Stacy steps up closer to me and whispers softly, “So, any guys in the school catch your eye yet?” That question completely catches me off guard and I give her a quick reply, “No, not yet.”

  Her eyes squint as if she’s trying to catch me in a lie, “Are you sure?” Geez, what is it with this girl and her twenty questions??

  Her jaw clenches and her eyes glare with a threatening spark. “Look, Melanie is one of my best friends and I’ll be damned if I let some new girl get in the way of her happiness, so stay the hell away from Duke. You got that?”

  My defenses shoot up and I retort, “Duke and I are just friends.”

  She chuckles, “Sure, I see you in class flirting with him. Don’t try to deny it. Look, don’t get your hopes up. Duke will never be with you, so just get over it.”

  Before I can respond, Melanie and the girls call Stacy over to go dance. I shake off my feeling of unease and make my way over to the sofa and join the loungers. A few of them acknowledge me as I take a seat and one guy dressed up as a vampire nods his head and says, “‘Sup, Cleopatra?” I can’t help but smile. I really do love this costume. The vampire and I chat for about thirty minutes until Taylor walks up to me and asks if I want to dance. Whoa, this is unexpected and I have no idea how to respond. I look toward the crowded dance floor and see Melanie dancing with her girls to a Lady Gaga song.

  Hesitantly, I look up at Taylor, “I’m not sure, Taylor. Maybe a little later.”

  He reaches out his hand and pulls me off the sofa. “Nonsense, this is a party and you can’t have fun if you’re sitting on the sofa next to the stoners. We are going to have fun tonight. No excuses. You got it?” He grabs my chin and forces me to look into his eyes. His eyes are light brown with a hint of a sparkling green. I can’t help but laugh at his stupid eye patch.

  He smiles, “You laughing at me now?”

  “No, not at you, just your patch. It’s ridiculous.” I laugh even louder. He joins my laughter and pulls me into the dance area. My heartbeat begins to speed up and my nerves are back. I can feel my palms begin to sweat. Shit. As we approach the crowded area, he pulls me closer to him and I smell his cologne. Oh, he smells good. I look over to Melanie, who’s still dancing with the girls, and she smiles at me while displaying a thumbs up. I return her smile and begin to sway along to the music with Taylor. He steps in closer and wraps one hand around my waist and I tense up. Taylor whispers, “Relax, Raya. I won’t hurt you.” I smile up at him and my nerves slowly dissipate as the song changes to Feel So Close by Calvin Harris. He grins as we speed up our dancing to match the pace of the music. Oh yeah, I love this song!

  I close my eyes and get lost in the rhythm of the music. He lets go of my waist and reaches for my hands, raising them in the air above my head. I open my eyes and catch him staring at me, making me blush. He lets go of one hand and brushes a finger against my cheek, causing me to smirk nervously. We continue our dancing to the music and I wrap my arms around his neck. I glance over to Melanie who is dancing with Duke. She taps Duke’s shoulder and points to my direction. He looks up at Taylor and me and smiles.

  Taylor and I continue to dance for what feels like forever. I’m pretty sure we danced to about ten songs, nonstop. At the point of exhaustion, I tell him I need to grab a drink, so we head into the kitchen.

  He gives me a bottle of water from the fridge, “Having fun so far?”

  I smile at him after taking a sip, “Yes, I am. Thank you.” Grabbing a paper towel, I dab the sweat off my forehead.

  “You wanna step outside and cool off?”

  “Great idea.” I throw out the paper towel and follow Taylor out to backyard where we sit on two lounge chairs by the pool. The cool air is fresh and just what I need right now. If I stayed in that house any longer, I probably would have passed out from heat exhaustion.

  “Feeling better?”

  I look at Taylor and nod, “Yes, much better. It feels good out here.�
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  “You work at Barnes & Noble, right? I’ve seen you in there.”

  I chuckle, “Yes, I do, and I love that place. It’s my favorite store, and even if I didn’t work there, I’d still be there all day. I love to read; it’s my escape.”

  “What are you escaping from?”

  My eyes widen and suddenly I am speechless. How do I respond to that? Let me think.

  “Well, don’t we all have a place that we escape to? I’m sure you have your lacrosse. My escape is my books.”

  “Hmmm. Good point.” Taylor sits up and leans close to me, “So, are you seeing anybody?”

  My mind immediately thinks of Duke but he’s with Melanie and I’m not standing in the way of that. “Umm, no. I don’t have a boyfriend or anything.”

  “Good. Is it alright if I get your number? Maybe we can get grab something to eat sometime?”

  Did he just ask me out? Hmm…how am I supposed to work this out? I know Craig won’t approve of this, unless he doesn’t know about it. Shit, I won’t risk that, though.

  “Okay, but I’ll be honest, I don’t get out much. I’m busy a lot with work and stuff.”

  “That’s fine. I can still call you, right?” He smiles wide. Damn, he has nice lips.

  I agree and we exchange numbers. We talk for another ten minutes until I start to freeze and we head back inside the house. I see Rob talking to Amber and run up to him to give him a quick hug.

  “Hey, Rob, I didn’t think you were coming.”

  He smirks, “Please, you know I can’t resist a party full of semi-nude girls.”

  I slap his shoulder and laugh, “You’re such a pervert.”

  He laughs out loud, “No, I’m just honest.” He winks at me and returns his attention to Amber as they walk off toward the dance area.

  I hear a whisper come up from behind me, “So, how’s your first party?” I know that voice anywhere. I turn around to find Duke smiling at me.

  “It’s great! I’m having so much fun!”

  “I’m glad. You’ve danced with Taylor all night. Usually, he doesn’t dance at parties, so that was surprising.”