Eighteen years ago…..
Kaleb Luthor hurried on. He was on an errand for his father, walking down the gravel path that cut from his house when his eyes caught something. He stopped and stared for a moment.
It was his sister's friend, Sasha. Sasha Sullivan.
She was hanging upside down from an old tree, her skinned knees hooked over a low thick branch. She was swinging back and forth, so her long braids dangled like ropes. The whole time she hummed while she blew the biggest pink bubble he had ever seen. He didn't know you could hum and blow bubble gum at the same time. As he walked past her, there was a loud pop.
"Where are you going?" she asked as she swung up so she was straddling the branch with one leg, while the other dangled down. Her palms propped up by her body and she stared down at him.
Dust fell all over him and scowling, he wiped off his face and head. He frowned. On the same level as his nose was a pair of blue canvas shoes. He slowly looked upward along her legs and knees to the small indignant face, which looked like a doll.
She blew another bubble, sucked in and popped out in an obnoxious way. "I asked where you were going. Big head," she repeated like she was the queen of some island.
"None of your business, Nosey," Kaleb replied, trying to annoy her.
It worked. He turned his back on her and started to walk away. Sasha jumped out of the tree and appeared beside him.
"My name is not Nosey," she said. "Don't call me that"
He grunted some response and kept walking.
"You are such a grump," she said. "I wonder how Tilly puts up with you."
He stopped and looked down at her. Her expression dared him to ignore her again. He started walking away again and she kept up with him, not saying anything, but he could feel her studying him. He looked at her finally. All he saw was an expressive face and a pair of frowning black eyes.
"Go away," he said. "Don't you have something to do?"
"Not really. I was waiting for Tilly" she replied. There was a pause, and then she added, "I'm not a baby, you know. I know a lot of things"
"Oh really" he said sarcastically.
"Yeah"
"Things like what... Nosey?" he asked.
"I dunno," she replied with a frown. "Anything"
He almost laughed then. She was so weird. He thought... And kinda funny too. He had to admit.
"Go ahead" She said, "Ask me something"
Kaleb stood, looking at her face staring up at him with a look that dared him to argue with her. Which he wasn't in the mood to. Didn't want to and he didn't have the time to either. He could have called her bluff. But he didn't. He knew all about pride. It was something he understood. He turned away from her and went on his way.
She didn't follow him.
—----------
"Get your ass home, Tilly. I'm going to be bored sitting out here by myself," Sasha said as she slid the key Tilly had given her into the lock and pushed the door open. She heard Tilly laugh on the other end of the line as she dropped her bag on the cushion and headed for the big kitchen to get a bottle of water.
"Relax, I'll be back in an hour or so. You know I have to study so I can pick up on my grades. They have been a mess lately."
Sasha couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her best friend’s comment. "I understand, but it's still your fault that you missed so many classes. What were you thinking? Now I have to suffer the consequences of your actions. Sucks for me."
She heard Tilly chuckle again, and wondered if she was just enjoying her torment. "Just keep yourself busy. Go swim in the pool or something. I'm sure you will feel better after that. I'll be back soon, I promise." Tilly said and hung up.
Sasha lifted the bottle of water to her lips and drank almost half of it, then she headed for the back door. She pushed the door open, and the sight of the huge pool made her smile. The water in the pool was as blue as the sky and clean as crystal… so calm and smooth as if begging for her to dive in and disrupt the calmness. She had to admit that Tilly was right about one thing; a swim would definitely make her feel better.
Without hesitation, She grabbed a towel from the rack and took off her top and shoes. She put on some music with her phone, and left in her shorts and sports bra, Sasha dove into the pool. The weather was really hot and the feeling of the water against her skin was soothing and refreshing. She swam from one end of the pool to the other a few times before her head broke through the surface, then she noticed someone standing at the door leading into the pool. Convinced that she was alone in Tilly's house, her first instinct is to scream.
"Hey. Hey, relax"
A voice said as she screamed and struggled to clear the water from her eyes so she could see properly. Taking a closer look at the intruder, she yelled when she finally realized who it was. "You! What the hell are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack!"
It was Kaleb, Tilly's older brother, who she had had a crush on since she and Tilly were in high school. He didn't seem to care about the fact that he'd startled her. Instead, he smiled and began to walk closer, but when he reached the sunlounger where Sasha kept her phone, he stopped. He stood there staring at the rings of water she had left behind, while the music from her phone continued to play… Music that Sasha could barely hear now.
She froze in the water, and she could tell that he knew that she was surprised judging by the way her eyes were widened. She watched as Kaleb turned down the volume on her phone, then he straightened and gestured for her to climb out of the pool.
Sasha swam towards him and he stretched out his hand to her. She stared at it for a few seconds, as if contemplating her decision before she finally put her hand in his and he straightened, pulling her up with him. Sasha slid her hand from his grip and turned away, immediately grabbing the towel and using it to cover herself while awkwardly pretending to dry off…. Taking her time."What are you doing here?"she asked him as soon as she could bring herself to meet his gaze again. "That's a pretty weird question to ask me, don't you think? This is my house too, remember? I should be the one asking you that question." Kaleb replied.Sasha frowned at the grin on his face, and raised her chin a little, challenging him, "Excuse me, but I was under the impression that no one was home." she said."I can see that," he replied, and continued to smile at her so she looked away, embarrassed by the attraction she realized she still felt towards him after all these years. Neither of them made any e
She wondered why she never told Tilly about the way she felt for her brother. It was weird, because she and Tilly told each other everything. They kept nothing from each other. Tilly parents had even invested in her food truck business when she started it to show their support, but she'd kept her crush on Kaleb a secret. Maybe she was just scared of the way Tilly would react. What if Tilly didn't like the idea of her dating her brother? Would it leave a mark on their relationship? She didn't want that because she valued their friendship so much. But again, what was the point of talking about it when Kaleb wasn't even slightly interested in her. He'd completely friendzoned her, and she hadn't even seen him for years…. Well, until that afternoon. "Urmmm… helllooo" Tilly said on the other end of the line, bringing Sasha back to reality. "No, " Sasha said finally, answering Tilly's question, "I wasn't going to throw him a party. I was just surprised to see him, that's all." Feeling unc
Sasha still couldn’t quite grasp that Kaleb Luthor was there in the cramped quarters of a food truck, cooking Thai entrées like a professional.She tried to imagine other guys she'd met jumping in and helping out and couldn’t. The image refused to solidify, because they would never have done it. Not many men of her acquaintance would’ve bothered getting their hands dirty. But then again, two hours ago she wouldn’t have been able to picture Kaleb getting his hands dirty, either. And especially not for her.As Sasha closed the serving window and hung the Closed sign, questions crowded into her head. But before she could ask them, he turned, tugging down his sleeves and rebuttoning the cuffs.“I actually came to invite you to my party,” he said, thrusting his arms into his jacket, then his coat. "Your party?" Sasha repeated. "Yes. I've decided to stay here. I mean, move back here…. Permanently. I've bought a house too, and I'm throwing a small house warming party… with a few close frie
Sasha gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry" she said, "Lots of customers at the truck… And I had a little problem choosing my outfit. Now, speaking of outfits, yours is just…. You know… wow. Why aren't you dressed? Or are you?" Tilly rolled her eyes. "Good question! I'm dressed like this because like an idiot, I offered to help plan Kaleb's stupid party, and he put me in charge of everything. Trust me, if I'm not there to monitor everyone, nothing gets done."Sasha smiled. She wasn't surprised one bit. Tilly was a control freak, and she liked to do things and way and when she wanted it done. "I'm sure it's all in your head," she said, "Maybe you should let them do the rest and you should get dressed. You deserve to enjoy the party you put together. It's amazing by the way. You did great." "Of course I did, duh" said Tilly with a proud smirk, "What would Kaleb do without me? But of course, he won't admit that he can't do anything without my help" Sasha laughed, "I'm very sure he
"I'm glad you came" he said to her, "I almost thought that you wouldn't honor my invitation" "Now why would you say that?" she asked, and he had to concentrate hard to remember what he’d said."I—I guess because you didn't look very thrilled about it when I invited you." he essayed at last, congratulating himself on his memory. "I'm glad you came Sasha" Her lips were pressed together when she turned to give him a doubtful look, and Kaleb guessed she didn't really believe him. Long lashes, several shades darker than her hair, shaded her expression, however, and Kaleb found himself imagining how they would feel against his lips. He wanted to kiss her, he realized. He wanted to press that slim luscious body against his own and ease his aching need between her legs… "I don’t think that’s very fair, Kaleb" she said, and his arousal abruptly deflated. "You invited me in the weirdest way possible." An eyebrow lifted. He did? "Walking into my truck…" she continued, "Helping Tilly and I,
Kaleb nodded."I totally understand. My parents on the other hand are simply thrilled that I'm back in town. I guess they don't bother me so much because they still have Tilly. She's a lot to handle so I guess they were simply relieved when they had one less child to worry about "Sliding glass doors led to a balcony that showed a stunning view of the city in the distance—bright lights, so full of stories and interest."So beautiful." she said again. He dipped his head in silent concession, moving towards the kitchen and pulling a bottle of champagne from the fridge. She recognised the label for its distinctive golden color. He took her martini glass from her and put both their glasses in the sink, then she watched as he unfurled the foil from the champagne bottle and popped the cork effortlessly, grabbing two flutes and half filling them."Your sister is an amazing friend too," Sasha continued, desperate for something to say in order to fill up the silence, "I don’t think I've ever me
"I really think we should get back to the party now, Kaleb" Kaleb watched her for a second before he stood up. He wanted to kiss her again, but he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable… OrOr worse, scared. He wasn't a caveman and he'd never take a woman who wasn't willing. So he stood up and faced her. "I'm sorry" he said, "I shouldn't have done that, and you're right. We should go back to the party" Sasha almost winced. Sorry? She didn't want him to be sorry because she'd love that kiss. She just thought that stopping was the right thing to do, but she masked her feelings quickly and stood up straight. "Yeah, we should go," she agreed. They left and walked in silence, but the kiss refused to leave Sasha's lips. Amatory blushes kept flushing on her cheeks at the mere remembrance of Kaleb's mouth taking charge of destroying her any possible resolution to keep herself sexually uninvolved as she'd been for the past few years.Oh no, this wasn't healthy! Sasha shook her head to
"I bet she is," she mocked, "or else why would you meet her if you're still awake by now?" Her voice was rather accusing. "Why did you leave the party in such a hurry earlier?" Ignoring her sarcasm, Kaleb changed the subject. He just had to ask! The audacity he had! Sasha smirked. "Did you want to enjoy seeing the girl you just kissed a few minutes ago making a friendly chat with your girlfriend?" she snapped, her wound reopened. "Oh, so you left because of Claire?" Again, Kaleb's voice was mocking. "No, I left because of me," Sasha recoiled, and it was her stupidity sending him a text. "And what about you and Samson? I see the way he looked at you at the party. He seems to really like you and the both of you seem really familiar with each other. What do I make out of that?" Kaleb sounded different, odd even. It was Sasha's turn to laugh. It was a ridiculous thing to say as far as she was concerned, because she and Samson had never gotten personal in that way. He'd never even tr