Page 16 of Tell Me Softly
A group had gathered around us. No one had ever seen me play before; I only ever played at home with Dad. My mom didn’t like me shooting pool. She said it was a stupid men’s game, and even at parties, I never joined in. Taylor made me feel comfortable, though; he had taught me the game, and taking him on now was like stepping back in time.
I knew my flimsy top and short skirt weren’t the most discreet garments for bending over the table, but I tried to put that out of my mind as I prepared to knock the yellow ball into the far corner pocket. It sank in with a loud click.
“Way to go, Kami!” Ellie shouted. She was standing there next to Kate, Julian, and our other friends who were cheering me on. I smiled and concentrated on my next shot. It was tough, and I’d have to hit one of his balls before sinking my own, which meant I’d lose my turn. But since it was my only option, I carefully trained my cue in the gap between two balls and struck. The cue ball grazed the nine before sinking the six.
“I’m up, cutie,” Taylor said, setting up a combo shot that he executed with ease. I cursed. I had one ball propped on the edge of a side pocket, and I worried he was about to knock it out of the way. Taylor bent over. He was nothing like the short, quiet boy I’d once known. He was tall now, handsome, with eyes and hair to die for. He had his brother’s frame, just a bit shorter and thinner. But then, Thiago was two years older.
Taylor sank two more balls, which meant I was seriously down. Fortunately, he missed after the next shot. We played another twenty minutes, and at the end, we were tied. The tequila from earlier had gotten to my head, but I was sure I could still win. The music was loud, people were dancing and drinking, but I shut all of it out. I was in a bubble with only Taylor and the pool table.
“You’re toast, Kami. You shouldn’t stress yourself out over it,” he said, watching me walk around to another side. If I knocked in the eight ball, I won. End of story. But to do it, I’d have to bank the cue ball off two sides, hard enough to reach the eight but not so hard that it bounced off the pocket. I ignored Taylor’s words and chose my position, almost lying across the table. I didn’t have any shame just then, though: if my plan worked, everyone there, including Taylor, would be freaking out.
“Ellie, come here,” I said. She was buzzed, but not yet stumbling, and hurried over. “Get behind me, please,” I said.
“Why, you need help?” she asked, confused. I laughed. Ellie didn’t even know how to hold the stick. No, I just wanted to make sure nobody was gawking at my panties as I bent over the table.
“Just stay back there,” I said, aiming the cue.
I felt her behind me and heard her laugh and say, “Ah, I get you. You don’t want anyone to see that sweet little ass.”
That remark provoked hooting among the boys, but I tuned it all out, and I noticed Taylor did too. He was entirely concentrated on my movements. I could see what he was doing. He was like me,judging the shot, the angles. As soon as I hit the cue, he knew he was done for, and a frown crept across his face.
In slow motion, my plan played out perfectly. With a loud, final crack, the eight ball sank, clacking against the other balls as it dropped into the ball return. Everyone shouted and applauded, and I clapped my hands and screeched too, relishing the sour look on Taylor’s face. We both knew the origins of that shot: I had beaten him with it before when we were kids. I still remember when he lost and had to give me his whole collection of football cards.
Pretending not to notice his seething expression, I walked over to him.
“That was a low blow,” he said, remembering the same thing I did.
“You don’t like the student surpassing the teacher?” I asked.
“I don’t like that smug look on your face,” he said. “Anyway, you shouldn’t let one lucky game get to your head.” As he answered, his features softened, and I could see he was having fun again.
“When you want, where you want, Tay,” I said, noticing the crow’s feet in the corner of his eyes from his smile.
I had always known his friendship was one I’d remember my entire life, that it would always have its place in my heart. He was the friend I could always count on. No matter what happened, he had always been there for me, had always forgiven me. And I needed that friend back now.
“You said whatever I want, right?” I asked, soft enough that no one else would hear me. His expression was surprised at first, then cool. “Well, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what happened eight years ago. I’m sorry everything turned out as it did. But what I’m sorriest about is losing you in the process. I want you back in my life, Taylor. Please, tell me you forgive me.”
I’d never have said that stuff without a few beers and shots in my system. I’d probably never drunk this much before. But still, everything I was saying was true. Not just true but bursting with truth; there was nothing that mattered more to me than getting his friendship back. Or at least, that’s what I felt just then.
Taylor’s posture relaxed.
“It’s not your fault, Kami. It’s our parents’ fault. I never blamed you for what happened. And I missed you too.”
He hugged me, and for a moment, I felt all the things I’d lost when he and his brother left: warmth, safety, protection, love…I hugged him back, and I didn’t care that we were surrounded by people. I didn’t care about the rumors that might crop up or what my friends might say. I didn’t care about anyone or anything else…until I saw Thiago standing in the back of the room.
Chapter Six
Thiago
I’d been watching her for some time. Neither she nor Taylor knew I was there. A part of me wished I was him just then, hugging her and feeling her body next to mine. Another part, much stronger and much darker, wanted to keep hating her. Hating her the same way I’d hated her for eight long years.
She saw me, and I could tell from her expression that she wished I wasn’t there, that I was invading her space. She probably felt guilty, knowing all the harm she’d done to my brother and me. Had he really forgotten it, forgotten the pain her family had caused us? Did he not remember all those years when our mother could barely crawl out of bed? Had he forgotten how much we’d lost?
It kept crashing over me, harder and harder, like waves, that hatred in my heart, and I had to leave the room to keep from losing my shit. I went to the kitchen, hoping to find something that would calm me down. I was happy to see they had decent beer and not just the usual keg of Natural Light. I grabbed a bottle, took a sip, and leaned back against the kitchen counter, watching the girls who couldn’t keep their eyes off of me. One of them could easily have been my age. She was tall and thin, her hair so blond it wasalmost white. I was pretty sure she was on the cheerleading squad, and that meant she was one of Kam’s friends, which meant I didn’t want anything to do with her. But what I wanted didn’t matter because as soon as I laid eyes on her, she started coming over.
“Hey,” she said. Yeah, she was definitely one of the cheerleaders. “You’re Thiago Di Bianco, right?”
“I am. What’s it to you?” I said, taking another sip. I was trying to be curt, but she didn’t care and went on talking like it was nothing.
