Eskimo Kisses

I stood up when I heard a knock on the door. I knew it'd be Brian, he was always the one who was on time. When I reached the door I unlocked the deadbolt and opened up the door. Brian stood on the other side with his aviators, and trucker hat on. He was dressed in a pair of black swim-shorts and a white sleeveless-shirt from his clothing line. "Hey man," I greeted as I stepped to the side to let him in.

"Hey Jimmy," he smiled as he took his sunglasses off and took a few steps into Adelyn's and my apartment.

I turned around to walk back towards the living room where Adelyn was but she was already on her way towards us. "Hey Brian, how're you?"

Brian smiled and took a step towards her. He wrapped his arms around her, "I'm good. How're you Adie?"

She smiled in return as they pulled away. "I'm doing great. So are you guys heading to the studio?"

I kept my eyes locked on Brian, sending him telepathic signals to answer her question. I didn't want to lie to Adelyn, or even fib. Our relationship was built on honesty, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"We might pop in and see how the progress is coming along, but I think we're just going to drive around and scope out places to take Zack for his birthday." Brian answered her without missing a beat.

Adie smiled at Brian, "that's a really great idea. As soon as you guys find a place, the girls and I can start planning everything else out for the party."

I wrapped my right arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my side before kissing the top of her head. "We should get going," I said, while looking at Brian and back to Adie.

Brian walked to the door and opened it up, stepping out into the hall. I turned towards Adie and smiled as I wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned my forehead against hers. She locked her arms around my neck and smiled up at me. "Good luck with finding a place," she paused, "you should keep in mind how many people will be showing up. A place near the beach and by hotels would really be ideal, just so no one drives after drinking."

I smiled, "that's a really great idea. I'll tell Brian, we'll keep a list of places that are close to both for everyone to talk about."

Adelyn nodded her head lightly before closing her eyes and placing her soft lips upon my own. I moved my right hand up her back slowly, finally resting it at the back of her neck. I pulled her closer to me and smiled into the kiss as I felt her smile. I reluctantly pulled away slowly and quickly pecked her on the lips before I pulled away from her and turned towards the door. I slipped on a pair of my Draven slip-on shoes and grabbed my keys and cellphone. My wallet was already in my back right pocket of my pants.

Adelyn tapped my shoulder as I was about to grab the door knob. I turned around and looked at her, "don't forget these," she said as she handed me my sunglasses.

"Thanks babe," I replied. I kissed her on the forehead and then pulled the door all the way open. "I love you, I should be home around dinner time. I'll call you if I'm going to be later."

She nodded her head, "okay, I love you too. See ya later, Brian."

Brian looked up at Adie from the floor and smiled, "later Adie, take care."

Adelyn nodded her head once before closing the door to our fourth story apartment behind us as Brian and I turned towards the elevator.

I pressed the 'Down' button and waited for the elevator doors to open. I was slightly surprised when we only had to wait seconds for them to do so. No one must have used the elevator since Brian came up. I stepped in after Brian and pressed the 'G' button, waiting for the doors to close and take us to the bottom floor.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Brian and I stepped out into the open lobby area of the apartment complex. We walked towards the Parking Garage exit and pushed the thick metal door open. I followed Brian to his car that was parked in the middle section of the garage.

Brian automatically unlocked the car doors when we were in the last few feet from the rear end of the black Nissan. We climbed into the car and pulled our seat-belts on after closing the doors. Brian put the key into the ignition and turned his car on before adjusting his stereo volume. He shifted gears and reversed out of the parking space before shifting gears back into 'Drive' and made his way towards the exit.

When we stopped at the end of the garage exit waiting for a break in traffic on the main street he turned and smiled at me, "she's going to love this Jimmy."

I smiled back at him and nodded my head. "I hope she does."

Brian shifted his gaze back to the traffic passing in front of us, a knowing smile still set across his face as he pulled out into the busy street.

The windows to Brian's car were a very dark tint, dulling the Huntington Beach sun to just being bearable enough that our sunglasses were no longer a necessity. Pantera leaked out from the speakers in the car, just loud enough to make out the words in every song. The sound of Brian lightly drumming his index fingers against the top of the steering wheel along to the beat of each song could be heard, and oddly enough, kept me calm when all I wanted to do was scream out at the top of my lungs.

I kept my eyes fixed on the passing traffic and buildings from my passenger-side window. The amount of office buildings and enterprises were becoming fewer by the second as we gained on open and fresh scenery. The horizon of the ocean could now be clearly seen directly ahead of us along with the golden sand and palm trees every twenty feet from one another.

Beach houses became more dominant the closer we became to the ocean and further we got away from the busy city. There was something soothing about being around our beaches, more then the fact that all of us had grown up nearly living at the beach day in and day out.

Maybe it was the way that the sand was always just the right temperature to walk upon, never burning the bottoms of your bare feet. Or maybe it was the way the breeze coming in off the ocean was always perfect, light enough to just flutter your hair and keep you from sweating. Or maybe it was the water, always the perfect blue and turquoise, always cool in the day and warm at night. Perhaps it was even the people. Whether you were alone, with a friend, lover or your family, you always were smiling, content and fully at ease. There was just something about being at the beach that kept you feeling warm and welcomed. I've had my fair share of traveling the world and seeing many, many beaches, and the only place you could find that feeling, true and whole, was right here, in Huntington Beach.

I had kept my gaze on the sandy shores and the waves coming in as we drove right along with the beach next to the boardwalk. I barley took notice when we stopped and Brian cut the engine to his car until he shook my shoulder and called out my name. "Hey, Jimmy, snap out of it bro," Brian chuckled, shaking his head at me as I turned to look at him and then rubbed my eyes. "We're here," he smiled, and turned towards his open door and slipped outside. I quickly followed suit, slipping my sunglasses on as I stood up and out of the car, carefully closing the door behind me.

The beach wasn't as busy down this way. The majority of the properties were private parts of the beach, doubling as people's backyards as well. I don't blame anyone for wanting to own a piece of the beach around here, not one bit. Hell, most of my friends lived right off the beach now, just as they had always planned back when we were younger and still in school- that we often ditched just to be here.

I turned away from facing the direction where we had just came from and walked towards the front of car to meet a patiently waiting Brian. He patted me on the back a few times as we continued walking straight ahead until we came to a set of stairs.

Brian and I began to climb the stairs, taking two at a time until we reached the first landing and turning immediately to our right before climbing the second half of the stairs until we reached the main wooden landing, a small porched stained a cedar colour. We walked forward until we came to a gray door with brass numbers indicating the numerical address. I quickly cracked my knuckles before shaking my hands at my side. I reached up with my left hand enclosed into a fist and knocked loud enough for the person inside to hear me.

I felt my muscles tightening, my hands starting to shake and my heart beating at a quicker pace then usual. Brian stood calmly to my left, a light smile on his face and his hands at his sides. He played with the keys in his right hand until I quickly reached over and grabbed them with my left hand. He raised his eyebrow towards me, a smile still on his face. "I need something to hold," I explained as I played with the keys in my hands, tossing them back and forth a few times. Fidgeting was a bad habit of mine that I just never could break. Becoming a drummer was defiantly a smart career choice for me.

Finally, I heard footsteps coming from inside towards the door we were waiting outside of. I took a deep breath as I heard the doorknob turn and watched the door pull wide open to reveal a man that must have been in his early fifties. He smiled at us and stuck his hand out, "hello there, you must be James Sullivan."

I nodded my head and took his hand in mine, "this is my best-friend Brian Haner."

The man smiled and took Brian's hand after mine, "hello Brian, it was nice of you to join Jimmy today."

Brian smiled, "nice to meet you Mr. Walker."

"Ah, you can call me Rodger. Please, come inside," Rodger stepped aside so that we could step inside. Brian followed a couple steps behind me and Rodger a few behind him. "If you'd just turn to your left there James, we can start from that area."

I turned to my left and walked into a bright and large spacious room. It had a bay window overlooking where we had just came from at one end and large sliding patio doors on the opposite side of the room overlooking the sand and ocean. The walls were painted a light tan with white baseboards, window frames and crown molding. The floor was real red oak polished hardwood. The ceiling had recessed pocket lighting all in silver throughout the room at equal distances apart from one another.

"Take a look around from the patio if you wish," Rodger Walker spoke from my right.

I nodded my head and stepped down the two stairs into the sunken room and walked towards the patio doors. The glass was open with the screen shut and locked. I carefully unlocked the screen door and slid it open, looking behind me to see if Brian had followed. "I got it," he said as he took a step forward once I stepped out onto the deck.

The wood of the deck was stained with a cedar colour to match the other porch. To the right of the patio door in the corner were two Adirondack chairs placed next to one another and angled out towards the rest of the deck. The chairs were the only furniture placed on the deck, in fact, the only furniture I had seen since we arrived.

To the left of the patio doors was a gate with a latch made into the railing. I walked towards the gate and looked under it to see one flight of stairs that led straight down to the beach below us. I turned to look at Brian and he smiled, "this is great," I said as I walked towards the screen door. I slid the screen open and stepped back inside, removing my sunglasses and putting them on top of my head. Brian closed the screen behind him and did the same with his sunglasses.

Mr. Walker walked towards us and smiled, "to continue," he began as he turned so that we were facing our left. "This area is the living room, and obviously that is the kitchen," he chuckled to himself.

The kitchen was on the same level that we had originally came in on. All of the appliances were stainless steel and black; the double-doored refrigerator with the large freezer on the bottom, the glass-top stove, and the dish-washer. The flooring was the same as the living room and short, wide entranceway. The counter-tops were marble, along with the counter-top for the kitchen island directly in front of us. Above the island was a metal rack to hold pots and pans. Four stainless steel stools were placed on the outer side of the kitchen island, tucked partially under the overhang of the marble.

"If you're ready, you can follow me through this way."

Brian looked to me and I nodded my head before we followed Mr. Walker out of the kitchen and down a hall to the right of the entranceway. The first door on the left side of the wall Rodger pointed to and opened it, "just your typical linen closet." I nodded before I closed to door and continued to follow him down the hallway. The second door on the left side of the hallway he pointed to, "and this is your master bedroom with a master bathroom as well."

We followed him into the white room. It was the first floor that had carpets instead of hardwood. The room was fairly wide but much longer. I walked to the large window that was approximately the same width as the patio door was and smiled, it overlooked the ocean. The window started at my mid-thigh and went past my head by a few inches. It would be a beautiful view.

There was a walk-in closet to the left, back-to-back with the linen closet in the hallway and a door on the opposite side of the room. I walked towards that door and pushed it all the way open, feeling my eyes widen as I did so. "Holy shit."

"What?" Brian questioned, as he walked over to me and then stopped when he was right on my left side. "Damn Jimmy," he whistled, and shook his head and gave me a little shove further in the bathroom.

There was a stand-up shower in the far right corner, three of the walls made of marble and the door of glass. To the left of the shower was the bathtub and a window above it, the bottom half frosted and the top clear. The tub was encased in marble that matched the shower. The sink was on the left wall with a mirror above it and two sconces on either side. Recessed pocket lighting was also in the bathroom as it was throughout the whole house so far. The space to our right was empty, but on the left was the toilet.

I took one final look around before I turned and walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom to be met by Mr. Walker's knowing smile. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I nodded my head, "that seems like an understatement. I didn't think I'd ever call a bathroom beautiful, but damn, that's nice."

Brian laughed from behind me and nodded his head in agreement, "you got that right Jimmy."

Mr. Walker began towards the door to go back into the hallway with us close behind him. He turned left and continued down the last few feet of the hall. "This doubles as a spare room, but leads up to the finished attic as well. I suppose its an inconvenience if its being used as a bedroom, but its quite neat."

We walked into the room that was half the size of the master bedroom, but still a decent sized room. To our immediate right was a wall, on the opposite wall as the door was a window overlooking the street ahead. The far wall was bare, and to our right from the doorway was another doorway. We walked into the room and I took a better look at the wall. There wasn't a door, but in fact a wide archway and stairs from side-to-side.

We walked up the ten steps until we were on the landing. I don't understand how I had never noticed it before, but the short walls were all windows. You could see around you from every view. The ceiling was on an angel, coming together in the middle with a high peek. You were still able to walk around the majority of distance. Everything besides the windows was wood. The floor had a weathered, but sturdy look to it. The stairs were positioned in the middle of the room with no railing around the other three sides to prevent someone or something from slipping and falling down into the bedroom below, but I loved that. It was even more amazing then the bathroom... which was a pretty huge deal to me right now.

I tore my eyes away from the room and stared at Brian until he tore his own gaze away from the room and met my eyes. A knowing look was present in his brown eyes, only to be confirmed with one simple nod of his head. I turned my head from Brian to look at Mr. Walker and he had the same look in his eyes before he turned around and descended down the stairs.

When we were back into the hallway there was one final door on the wall of the spare room. "Your standard bathroom," he pointed out, but I just kept walking. I didn't care about it. I didn't need to see anymore.

When we ended back in the kitchen he turned to look at me. "Do you have a pen?" His smile beamed as he dug into his briefcase that was placed on the kitchen island counter. He handed me the pen and pulled out a folder and set it in front of me. I let everything he spoke go in one ear and come flying out the other. I just signed when he told me to sign and initialed when he told me to initial. "Thank-you, so much."

"Not a problem Jimmy, if you ever need anything you just give me a call, alright?"

"Okay. So everything is good to go now, right?" I asked, my voice full of hope.

"Its all in your hands now," he dug into his pocket and pulled something out. "Here," he dropped a keyring in my hand with two keys and smiled. "Is there anything else outside you wish to take a look at?"

"No, I've seen enough. We'll get to that in a few days," I smiled, and pushed the keys into my pocket.

"Alright then, well I'm going to head out."

We all walked towards the door, all taking one last look before Mr. Walker opened the door and we all stepped back into the Californian air. I closed the door behind me and locked it before we all made our ways to the driveway.

"It was nice meeting you Jimmy, and very nice to meet you Brian. I'm happy you came along with him," Mr. Walker said, shaking both of our hands before making his way towards his car.

"It was nice meeting you too, thank-you once again," I replied.

When he pulled out of the driveway Brian and I opened the doors to his car and climbed inside. He put his key in the car's ignition and turned it until the engine of his car came alive. "You are one smart man James Sullivan."