Lauren Hart
“Now, tell me what the bloody hell was that?”
“I left you out of my sight just for a minute and you created a scene.” He snapped.
I flinched a little but his hard voice didn’t stop me from grimacing. “Mr. Peterson, she was the one who started it, she ”
“I know what she did, you told me a while ago and I also know that what she did was wrong but you weren’t sensible either.”
“But she called Ryan a brat.”
“Listen, Miss Hart, she was wrong, I get it. You wanted to put senses in her, I get it. But you forgot that you chose the wrong method. You were making a scene over there in front of kids. You went on a beast mode turning into a hulk. What those kids and Ryan must be thinking? Chose violence to settle the issues? Tell me?”
Did he just call me hulk? I wanted to retort but I couldn’t as I knew what he said was right. I lowered my head in utter shame.
“Now what? Don’t you think you are obliged to say something?”
I raised my eye and mumbled a ‘sorry’ but I received a disbelieving head shake. He then bobbed his head in Ryan’s direction only then I understood what he meant.
“Umm, Ryan.” He removed his hands from his ears. “I was wrong. Never go for violence, get that?” He nodded his head. “Stand for yourself against bullies but never take matters in your hands; call me instead. I’ll take the matter in my hands.” I winked and grinned widely.
“Goodness, this woman is crazy as hell.” I heard Mr. Grouchy grumble under his breath. Then he crouched down in front of Ryan.
“Are you alright, champ? Does it hurt?” He asked him while examining his scratches. I saw the worry on his face.
“No, it doesn’t,” Ryan mumbled softly. And my heart melted when Mr. Peterson hugged him tightly and kissed the side of his head while mumbling something I couldn’t comprehend.
When Mr. Peterson was satisfied that Ryan was perfectly fine, we both managed to find a seat for Ryan in the kids’ train. While he was on the train I roamed my eyes here and there and my eyes turned wide when I saw an ice skating arena.
“Do they have an ice skating arena in the amusement park?” I questioned myself. I have always been fascinated by that sport. Excusing myself, I bounced towards the see-through glass arena and glued my face flat against the glass, looking over to the skaters; how skillfully they slid over the smooth surface of the ice on those thin, steel blades. I was watching them in awe when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Initially, I swatted the hand away but when I felt the tap again I went mad and spun around to yell at the person for disturbing me but sealed my lips when I came face to face with Mr. Grouchy.
“What are you looking at?” He then moved forward to look into the see-through glass and when he did he raised his eyebrows in question.
“I was watching people doing ice skating,” I said truthfully.
“You can skate if you want to.” He said casually.
“Oh, no, no, no.” I raised my hands. “I hardly manage myself on my feet and you are talking about skating on those sharp, thin blades? Not in this lifetime.” I replied quickly.
Yeah, that’s the truth. I don’t know how to skate that’s why I have always been extremely fascinated by the sport.
“It’s actually easy. If you know roller skating then ice skating isn’t tough to learn.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know that either.” I laughed nervously.
He gave a stiff head nod. “Understandable.”
We stood there for a few seconds in an awkward pause of movements. I was finding it hard to stay quiet so I spoke up.
“Uh, where’s Ryan? Did you leave him on the ride?”
“Yeah. Uh, let’s go over there.” He said and walked to where Ryan was enjoying the ride. I followed him.
Sun had already gone down a long ago and now, the stars were shining in the clear sky. The park was lit up with its own artificial colorful lighting.
Ryan came rushing to us and laughed as he hugged both of our legs. “Thank you, Lauren. Thank you, Uncle Sean. I had so much fun.”
I smiled and ruffled his hair. “Anything for you, buddy.”
“I’m hungry, Uncle Sean,” Ryan then mumbled.
“Okay then, let’s have dinner. What do you wanna eat?” He asked him.
Ryan couldn’t decide what he wanted to have for dinner so we ended up having dinner at McDonald’s outlet in the amusement park itself.
Sean Peterson
“It’s already late; we should head home,” I said as we came out of the McDonald’s. It was already eight-thirty at night.
“But we haven’t gone to a haunted house yet.”
I rolled my eyes almost the hundredth time in a single day. She was acting like a five-year-old. And grandma left satisfied, thinking this childish woman would look after me and Ryan.
Bullshit!
Grandma should have been here to see her behaving like a child. She should have been here to see how I was looking after her.
“We don’t have time,” I replied casually.
“But it’s just eight-thirty and see the place is still alive.”
God, what am I gonna do with her?
“Haunted house is not for kids, Miss Hart. Ryan would be scared too.” I said sarcastically but she didn’t understand what I meant.
“No, you are wrong, Mr. Peterson.” She frowned. “Haunted house is absolutely safe for five-year-old kids. And Ryan wants to go in there, right Ryan?” She asked while looking down at him.
“Yes, uncle Sean, I want to. I’m not scared of ghosts.” He said, equally excited as she was.
She was manipulating him.
“No means no,” I said strictly.
She sighed and squeezed Ryan’s hand. “Understand the situation, buddy. Your uncle is scared.”
“What?! I’m not scared of anything or anyone.” I looked at her in shock. What the exact fuck she was putting in my nephew’s head?
“I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms. Was she for real? Did she know she was messing with her own boss?
“And I don’t care. I do not need to prove anything to anyone. Now, follow me if you want me to drive you home; come on Ryan.” I said firmly and before I could take a step she sighed dramatically.
“Ryan, I’m sorry, buddy. I failed to show you a haunted house because some people here don’t want to show that they are sca-”
Before she could utter that word I grabbed her wrist. “You know what? Let’s see who’s scared and who is not.” I didn’t give her a chance to speak and dragged her and Ryan inside a haunted house.
After almost ten minutes, I came out of the haunted house with Ryan clinging to my right arm with his face nuzzled in the crook of my neck and the one who challenged me…clinging to my left arm.
She had her face hidden against my upper arm.
A taunting smile broke on my lips. “Now, who’s scared, Miss Hart?”
She raised her head and I almost laughed while looking at her flushed face. “Who’s scared?”
I raised mocking eyebrows at her. She moved her pupil here and there.
“I…I am not. I got startled when the skeleton that dropped on my head while we were about to come out.” She tried…but couldn’t sound convincing.
“Oh, yeah? Then who was screaming all the way out?” I mocked again.
“I wasn’t. You can ask Ryan.” She retorted. She always had to retort. She really can’t shut her mouth!
“No, Lauren, you were screaming even more than me.” Ryan’s statement made me smirk in her direction.
She gasped and narrowed her eyes at Ryan. “Hey, you should be at my side, buddy. It was me who fought for you.” Ryan laughed.
“Okay, I get it you weren’t sacred then why are you still clinging to me for your dear life?”
Her eyes turned wide and her cheeks flushed red; she instantly distanced herself from me, not meeting my eyes.
“Let’s go.” I hadn’t even taken a step when I felt a tug on my t-shirt. Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes in exasperation. “Now what?!” I asked harshly as I looked at her.
“Uh, Mirror Maze.” She pointed at another side of the pathway. “Just this last one I swear.” She quickly added.
I mentally groaned and imagined a scenario where I was strangling her. This woman was driving me nuts!
“Please, Uncle Sean? Just last one.” Ryan too pleaded. I was shocked to see him doing so because it wasn’t him who spoke; he was totally under her influence. What had she done to my nephew?
I sighed. And honestly, I had lost count of how many times I sighed in a single day. I knew my ‘no’ would fall on deaf ears. If I didn’t allow her to go to the mirror maze she wouldn’t let us leave the park.
“Okay. But last.” I warned her. She beamed and nodded her head.
While we were on our way to the Mirror maze, I saw a group of rowdy boys enter it. In a quick movement, I gripped her wrist and pulled her back, making her slam against me.
“Whoa, what? Why did you stop?” The end of her eyebrows met in the middle.
“Wait for a while. I saw a few people entering inside.” I muttered, adjusting Ryan in my arms. He was tired yet ecstatic to explore more just because of certain someone.
“But I saw only four boys entering there and a lot of people can go inside.” Damn! Her impatience was increasing my headache.
“If you want to go inside then do as I say or we are off to home.” I clasped her wrist in a firm grip because I knew she would run if I lose the grip.
She agreed; she had to. But her impatience wasn’t letting her standstill, she kept shifting on her feet, her eyes not leaving the exit of the Mirror maze. When the boys came out and were out of my vision, only then I took her Ryan inside. I paid the guard extra money to not to let anyone inside till we come out.
Ryan jumped off my arms, landing on his feet as he felt excited to see him in the mirror. I heard a squeal from Miss Hart as she swirled to admire the blue fluorescent lightning and the stack of mirrors. With her mouth wide open she looked into a mirror and thinking that it was a way to move ahead she stepped forward.
I immediately protected her face with my hand before she could knock her face in the glass. “Hey, watch out.” She mumbled an un- apologetic sorry.
“Lauren. Uncle Sean, I found the way out.” Ryan shouted from another direction and I got alert.
“Ryan, don’t move. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“This is a mess,” I grumbled and clasped her hand tightly. “Don’t let go of my hand,” I warned her.
I then held Ryan’s hand and with him and her I looked for the way out. I gave them my divided attention, looking for them not to create more problems for me. At that moment, I felt like a father trying to control his two troublesome kids that had only one work- to annoy their father.
Anyhow, I managed to find a way out and led them out safely without slamming against any mirror. “Satisfied now?” I asked in exasperation.
She nodded her head and I felt like a huge burden was lifted off my shoulder. Her satisfaction was way more important than Ryan’s.
We then went to the parking lot and I settled Ryan in the back seat; he was sleepy. I then opened the door of the driver’s seat and was about to sit when I heard a high pitched squeal.
“Oh my goodness, Jamie.”
My eyes traveled to Miss Hart who was running towards a guy and I frowned when she jumped on him and hugged him. My body went still and my hand fisted tightly when that guy smiled and kissed her cheek. He kissed her cheek!
Who the hell was he? And why did he kiss her? How dare he kiss her?
I felt uneasy, angered, and provoked.
I had been fighting with my own desires to feel and caress her skin with my lips and he- perhaps a no one- did it effortlessly?
Wait, what was I thinking? I had gone mad! She had turned me mad!
I tried to blow the thoughts away but the scene where they both were laughing and conversing about I don’t know what didn’t let me avert my eyes. I tightly gripped the edge of the door. I wanted to pull them apart. The scene before my eyes left me in turmoil. Why was I behaving like a raging man? Why did I want to pull them apart? She was a free, independent woman and had the right to meet and greet anyone she wanted then why did I feel agitated watching her talk to a guy?
I wanted to ignore and sit in the car but I found myself rounding the car and coming to the passenger’s side door. She was laughing; he was laughing as if they were too close. I felt jealous of their close proximity.
Wait, did I use the ‘J’ word? No! Fuck! What was wrong with me?
I shouldn’t be bothered and I really, really struggled to stay in a place but I couldn’t. My anger had already taken over my senses. Fuck it! I had to kill my curiosity and with that thought, I took a step and was about to take another when she bid her goodbye to him and began to walk back.
“Who was he?” I tried to keep my temper in check.
She had a gentle smile on her lips. “Oh, he was Jamie, my ex-boyfriend.”
“Ex? Last I remember you were hiding from your ex in the grocery store and now you are hugging another one?” I asked in disbelief.
“Cody was a jerk but Jamie is cute, we ended up on a friendly note. We are friends.” She chirped.
“Friends with your ex? Who does that?” I snapped.
“Me!” Was her casual reply. “And Mr. Peterson not all of my boyfriends were rude some of them were friendly so I thought we could remain friends.” She shrugged casually.
“All? Some? Just how many boyfriends you had?” I asked in shock as I gaped at her.
“Uh, let me count.” She started to count in her fingers.
What in the bloody hell was she doing? She had to count on her fingers? God, this woman was insane and was turning me insane too.
“Umm…ten. No, no, I forgot Justin and Oliver. Twelve it is. Yeah, twelve.” She replied as if it was nothing.
“In the car, Miss Hart. Now!” I snapped. I didn’t want to show her how bothered I was, how angry I was. I rounded the car to sit and when she sat too, I drove off.
My focus was on driving but my mind was somewhere else. She didn’t seem to be one of those women that change their boyfriend like they change their clothes. She definitely was not the one. I had known her enough to figure that out. But still…
Fuck! Why was I being hypocritical? I too had been with numerous women and I had no right to judge her. Having too many boyfriends doesn’t define her character; never will, for me at the least, not because I had known her for four years but because of four days she had spent with me, in my house, with my family. I got to know her more closely on a personal level.
I was deeply engrossed in my thoughts that I failed to notice when we reached home. I parked the car and when I focused on Miss Hart, I found her asleep.
Great! After stirring my thoughts and taking my peace away she was sleeping peacefully.
“Miss Hart, wake up.” I patted her shoulder. Instead of her Ryan got up who was sleeping in the back seat.
“Are we home?” He asked while rubbing his eyes.
“Yes champ, we are.” I again tried to wake her up but she didn’t budge. How much of a heavy sleeper she was?
I sighed. “Ryan, let’s get you inside first.” I stepped out of the car and carrying him in my arms I took him to the room that Grandma and he was sharing and tucked him in the bed.
I again went to my car and found her still asleep. I again tried to wake her up. “Miss Hart, wake up. We have reached home.”
“You can’t even let me sleep, Mr. Peterson? I’m tired, go away.” She groaned and curled up in the seat.
“Wow, now you are tired? You should have thought about it when you were bouncing in the whole park and behaving like a five-year-old.” I said and rolled my eyes. Who was I speaking to? She was in deep sleep. I wanted to leave her there but it would be rude of me so I did what I assumed was the last option left.
I lifted her in bridal style.
I then carried her to her room and lowered her onto the bed but my hands got stuck below her. I tried to take my hands out but she deliberately put her weight on my hands.
“Miss Hart, shift a little.” I wiggled my hand under her. She did shift a little and turned on her side, facing me. She took one of my hands in hers, pulling me towards her which made me fall beside her.
“Fuck.” I groaned when my head banged against the headboard. God, she was giving me trouble even in deep sleep.
I balanced myself on my elbows and tried to free myself from her grip when my eyes landed on her face. Her peaceful face. For the first time, I was closer to her and she wasn’t speaking.
Serene. I felt serene. So peaceful.
But my peace disturbed when she tangled her arms around my arm, pulling me closer to her; my face inches apart from hers and that’s when I observed her lips, parted lips.
A few bothersome, intense, and bizarre questions came into my mind: Would it be wrong if I quench my thirst for feeling her skin with my lips while she’s asleep? Will she get to know if I do so? She won’t, right? She was in deep sleep. If that guy could get to kiss her then why can’t I? May it be my pride or stubbornness, I too wanted to feel her.
I was busy pondering over to do it or not to it while my lips had already moved closer to hers.
“Sean, don’t!” My subconscious mind snapped but my lips had already crossed the boundaries, coming down to the -corner of her mouth.
My eyes got automatically closed. My heart, mind, and soul sighed in relief, and certain parts of my body roared to life. I had wanted to do it for so long. Finally.
I didn’t pull away immediately and lingered my lips against her skin for a while longer. Her smooth skin was forcing me to slide my lips over to her lips but I held my ground. I had already stolen a near to lips kiss and I didn’t want to be called a cheap pervert by taking advantage of her sleep.
I pulled away and before my arousing body could take over. Unconsciously she rubbed the area where I had kissed. I felt my lips curling up at her cute action. As she had lifted her hand I found it as a chance to escape from her grip and I did.
I stood up and looked at her clothes. No! Don’t go there. I scolded myself. I couldn’t risk doing that. I just removed her shoes and left her as she was.
Smiling, I left her room, mentally hoping for her not to get to know what I did.
When I came out, I bumped into Ryan. I frowned. “Hey, what are you doing up here?” I asked as I crouched down.
“I can’t sleep alone, Uncle Sean. Grandma always sleeps with me but she’s not here now.” He lowered his head.
“Hey.” I raised his head by grasping his chin. “So what if grandma isn’t here? You have me.” I smiled. “You can sleep with me.” I lifted him and carried to my room, and deposited him in my bed. I then changed my clothes and laid beside him.
He took me by surprise by coming on top of me. He was sleepy yet he had his eyes open. “Thank you, uncle Sean. You are the best. I wish I could stay with you forever. I love you so much.” He muttered and dropped his head on my chest.
I smiled and my heart did a happy dance. I encircled my arms around him and kissed his head. “I love you too, champ. I love you too.”
It was satisfying. Holding him against me while he slept was complete gratification.
I couldn’t help but praise the day. Though tiring and full of troubles, it ended up on a good note.
Though forcefully, I had fun all day; got to go closer to her, kissed her. I heard the most promising words from Ryan. What else could I ask for?