"Yesterday is in the past," I responded, "and that is where it should stay.” I looked out over the ocean, loving the way the different colors of the sunrise reflected in the blue of the ocean. He didn’t respond to my statement about the past. His body almost seemed to relax with my words.
We finished off our coffee by the time the sun had risen and sounds of the birds came to life. We headed back into the house to find Chance and Levi sitting at the table eating, bowls of Fruit Loops. I walked over to where Chance was sitting and touched his bright blue Mohawk with my finger. "I've been dying to do that. I wondered how you could sleep on it and it still look like this in the morning, and now I know. It feels like cement," I said, laughing.
He cocked his pierced eyebrow. "It's like I told you before, my hair has a mind of its own. It's an entity in itself," he said with a wink, and shoveled more cereal into his mouth.
"Yeah, he wakes up with two boners in the morning!" Levi laughed.
"Geeze! I did not need to hear about your boners this morning!” I told them and rolled my eyes.
Linc walked in from the patio, and I could feel the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. This happened every time he was near, sometimes even before he entered the room. He walked to the cabinet and grabbed himself a bowl. I could see him watching me from the corner of his eye. He poured himself some cereal before taking a seat at the table. I felt the need to put some space between us, or I might have lost my grip on resistance.
I placed my empty coffee cup into the dishwasher before heading to my room to get ready for the day. I turned on the shower water and grabbed a towel and bath cloth while the water warmed. I stepped underneath the spray and closed my eyes, enjoying the way the water cascaded over my body. Even knowing what I knew about Linc, I was still drawn to him, every time we were in the same room, I felt this strong magnetic pull toward him. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. There was more to the man than the rock star bad boy that the tabloids painted him to be. I saw it yesterday in his eyes. It was buried beneath the pain of his past and needed to be set free. I wanted to be the one to help him do that, to release that pain and banish it once and for all. He talked about how terrible his father was to him while he was growing up, what a horrible childhood he had. I used to think mine was bad because my mother was so strict and kept such a tight rein on me. I can't even count how many hours I spent kneeling on a bed of rice as punishment for going to a friend's house after school instead of coming straight home. My childhood was a piece of cake compared to what he went through. No wonder his life had been so screwed up. I shampooed and conditioned my hair before shutting off the water and stepping out onto the dark gray bath mat. Wrapping the fluffy towel around me tight, I walked over to the vanity and wiped some of the condensation from the mirror with my hand. I brushed my teeth and dressed in a pair of white linen capris and a black tank top since I wasn't really sure what the plans were for the day, I figured this was a safe bet. I could dress it up with a pair of heels or down with a pair of flip flops and for now, I settled on the flip flops. I brushed through my long hair and pulled it back into a ponytail at the base of my neck before leaving my room in search of Linc. I could hear the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen, so I headed in that direction to find all the guys sitting around the table laughing at Chance.
"I do not!" He insisted, with his tattooed arms crossed over his lean chest.
"Do too!" Levi teased, and everyone laughed again.
"What's everyone laughing at?" I asked, stepping into the room and immediately felt Linc's golden brown eyes burning into the side of my face.
"Court called to say that he scored us some tickets to Knott's Berry Farm. He thought it would be a good idea for us all to have some fun before we head back on the road. Levi felt the need to remind Chance that he screams like a girl when he rides the roller coasters," Jinx replied, with a grin on his face. I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped my mouth. I slapped my hand over my mouth and looked over to where Chance sat, glaring at me.
"Sorry," I said with a giggle. "If it makes you feel any better, I scream like a girl too," I said and giggled, then noticed how red his face was.
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and laugh it up. We'll see how you guys feel about it once you're on The Boomerang and flipping over and over. I hope you all puke!" He said in a huff, sounding like a middle schooled boy. I have to bite the inside of my jaw to keep from laughing again.
"Guys, stop picking on poor Chance!" I scolded them, which lightened his mood a little. "What's your schedule like today, Linc?" I asked. He turned to face me; his warm gaze sent a rush of fluid to my center. Once he informed me that he had an appointment with his therapist in the afternoon, and that he would call his sponsor again later, we headed out for the theme park. The guys all opted to wear baseball caps and sunglasses to keep from being recognized, that is, everyone except Chance. He wasn't going to risk the Mohawk for amenity.
By the time we reached the theme park, it was already packed with tourists and locals who were just looking for some fun in the sun. Jinx walked over to a security guard who stood close to the entrance and said something to him in a hushed voice. The guard walked away, and within a couple of minutes, he was back with passes for each of us. The moment we stepped through the gates and into the park, it appeared that I was the only adult in charge of four six year olds. Everyone wanted to do something different, so I decided if I was going to be the babysitter for the day, then I would decide on the agenda.
"Let's start off with The Boomerang," I said, causing all the guys hoot and holler. I think there might have even been a fist bump in there somewhere. I couldn't help but notice the way Chance's body tensed, but he didn't say a word. We located a park map to find the area of The Boomerang, and followed the curvy path of blue arrows through the park until we reached the entrance for the roller coaster. We were given special treatment due to the park passes, and also because they didn't want the guys to be recognized, and cause chaos in the park. We were allowed to enter the ride before all the other park goers. I was glad because we would probably still be waiting in the long line. I grabbed Chance's hand and pulled him forward with me.
"We can ride together," I told him, as I lowered myself into the yellow, metal seat. He slid into the seat next to mine and acted as if it were nothing, until the attendant lowered the black metal bars over our shoulders, caging us in. I watched him grip the handles located close to his shoulders, and he swallowed hard.
"It'll be over like that!" I said, snapping my fingers together.
"It's all cool," he said, and ignored the comments from the guys sitting behind us.
I always had a love for coasters, but I'd never ridden this one. The moment it shot forward, it began flipping us over and over six times in less than a minute. I couldn't hold it in any longer; I screamed to the top of my lungs. Just when I thought it was over, it started over again, only backward this time. Once it stopped, my hair was hanging over my eyes, as I tried to catch my breath. I glanced at Chance who was smirking at the guys and me, as we exited onto the wooden platform.
"Like that!" He said with a snap of his fingers. I could not hold back my smile as I stared at his perfect Mohawk, and shook my head.