Status: In the process of being written =) Stick with me for a great story that may hit some of you a litle closer to home <3
Only Up From Here
This Is My Home Now
Brocks POV
When I woke the next morning Kali was still sleeping, I didn’t want to move to much and wake her but I also knew if I didn’t get up John would be mad that I was late. I slowly untwined my arm from her and slowly slipped my shoulder from under her head. She moaned and rolled over, curling into a ball but not waking.
I quickly put on my boots and quietly headed out the door. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I tiptoed as best as I could to the kitchen door.
“Sneaking around are we?” I almost jumped out of my skin as I turned and faced John.
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know why I was apologizing considering nothing happened and I did nothing wrong.
“Do you remember what I told you the last time I saw you coming out of that room?”
“Yes sir.”
“And what was that?”
I took a deep breath and sat at the table, John set a cup of coffee next to me. I took a drink before I spoke, “You told me that I would not be welcome here and that you would inform my girlfriend.”
“Alright so now that we have that covered I would like that girls number.”
“You can call her if you want but we broke up so all she is going to do is yell at you.” I took another sip to hide my smirk.
“Broke up?” I nodded my head in response. “Why?”
“Because she couldn’t deal with an hour and a half between us. Even though she is going to Maine for school in a little under a month.”
“That girl couldn’t handle a little distance?”
“No she couldn’t.”
“Well then, I don’t want to catch you in Kali’s room again. I don’t like it one bit. If you want to hang out together or whatever you kids are calling it, you can be down here or outside where I can check in if I need to.”
“John will you just stop? I am not a little girl anymore.” Kali was standing arms crossed in the kitchen door way. I turned to look at her; hair a mess, shorts and her baggy shirt, no make up, she was beautiful. “I love you John, I care for you more then I will ever say, but you need to let me live.”
“As long as you are under the roof of this house I have say in what goes on.” He stared at her as he spoke.
“This is my home now, you stay here. This is not your home so what I say is what goes.” I felt very uncomfortable with this situation and I was not sure whose side I was supposed to be on.
“Kali Jo don’t you EVER talk to me like that again.” He stood and came close to her.
Before she spoke she stood straight and took a step closer to him. “John I love you, but my parents are gone. I am in charge of this ranch now. I need and want you here but if you can’t go by my rules then I can ask you to leave. NOTHING I repeat NOTHING happened with Brock last night. He came up o make sure I was ok after a fight I had with him and a friend over something stupid. That is the ONLY reason he was in there. I should not have to explain myself to you every time I have a boy over. You should just trust me.”
As she finished talking John said nothing. He glared at her and turned and walked out the door, screen door slamming on the way out. She watched him go and then walked to the sink grabbing a glass of water. She took a deep breath and then a drink. Still saying nothing she stared out the window.
I couldn’t help but look at her in wonder. “What was that?”
“What are you talking about?” He eyes never left the window.
“You just yelled at John for no reason. He was fine with what happened, he didn’t ask questions, he just wanted to tell me to stay out of your room. It is not like I can’t sneak in.”
“That is not the point and you damn well know it!” Her voice raised and she turned on me. “You can not honestly say to me you are ok with him jumping down our throats?” She was a little teary eyed. Her voice softened, “We don’t know what this is between us. It may be nothing anyway.”
I walked to her, stepped close and took her hands in mine. “You are right we don’t know what this is. All I know is I care about you and I know you care about John. What you just said to him HURT him. You need to apologize.” She gaped at me like I was speaking in another language or as if I had lost my mind. “I know we talked about you possibly being with Shane so you know you could figure things out with your parents murders. I thought about it last night and I am in NO way comfortable with that.”
“You don’t have to be. We are not together and this is what I feel I need to do.” She was so serious just staring into my eyes.
“I know. I don’t have to like it either. I want to be with you,” Her breath caught and I could tell she was about to protest. “I know I know, I just got out of a long relationship. That does not change how I felt when I saw you kissing him.”
Kali did not speak to me she only stared. I did nothing but stare back then I got this sudden urge to kiss her. I leaned in close and touch my lips to hers. She resisted then met me with the same passion. Her arms wrapped around my neck and mine around her waist. I pulled away and looked at her. Eyes closed, lips red, arms up, again beautiful.
Her eyes finally fluttered open, “What was that?”
“That was me showing you I CARE about you and I am not ok with you being with Shane in a serious thing I want to be with you.”
“I have to get close to him and you know that.”
“So be with me. Tell me you will be with me and only pretend to be with Shane. Tell me I am the only one you can see yourself falling in love with.”
“That is so much to ask of me Brock and you know that.” Her arms did not leave my neck so I pulled her closer. “You just got out of a relationship, you can not get into another one right away. And I do not want to be a fling.”
I leaned in and kissed her again. “You would never be just a fling to me Kali. Never.” I ran my fingers through her hair waiting for her reply.
“Ok.”
“Ok?”
“Ok, I will go apologize to John.”
I stepped back, “What?”
“You asked me to go apologize to him so I will.” Her head bobbed once as if agreeing with herself.
“Great.” I stepped the rest of the way back and headed towards the door.
“And yes Brock.”
“Now what are you saying yes to?” I did not turn around just stepped into my boots and put my hand on the door.
“I will be truly with you. Shane will be a fling as long as you agree to the fact that I have to pretend to be with him to get what I need.”
I finally turned and look to her. She was still by the sink leaning there as if she could not support herself if she moved. She was not joking or trying to get a rise out of me. “Are you sure you can devote yourself to that right now?”
There was no hesitation, “Yes.”
“Ok, I will see you at dinner then.” With that I opened the door. “And Kali?”
“Yes?”
“Apologize to John but don’t tell him we are together or I’ll never be able to see you. Most likely I would be dead. We are going to have to ease him into this situation. “
She giggled a little, “Alright. I promise I will apologize to him.”
When I woke the next morning Kali was still sleeping, I didn’t want to move to much and wake her but I also knew if I didn’t get up John would be mad that I was late. I slowly untwined my arm from her and slowly slipped my shoulder from under her head. She moaned and rolled over, curling into a ball but not waking.
I quickly put on my boots and quietly headed out the door. When I got to the bottom of the stairs I tiptoed as best as I could to the kitchen door.
“Sneaking around are we?” I almost jumped out of my skin as I turned and faced John.
“I’m sorry.” I don’t know why I was apologizing considering nothing happened and I did nothing wrong.
“Do you remember what I told you the last time I saw you coming out of that room?”
“Yes sir.”
“And what was that?”
I took a deep breath and sat at the table, John set a cup of coffee next to me. I took a drink before I spoke, “You told me that I would not be welcome here and that you would inform my girlfriend.”
“Alright so now that we have that covered I would like that girls number.”
“You can call her if you want but we broke up so all she is going to do is yell at you.” I took another sip to hide my smirk.
“Broke up?” I nodded my head in response. “Why?”
“Because she couldn’t deal with an hour and a half between us. Even though she is going to Maine for school in a little under a month.”
“That girl couldn’t handle a little distance?”
“No she couldn’t.”
“Well then, I don’t want to catch you in Kali’s room again. I don’t like it one bit. If you want to hang out together or whatever you kids are calling it, you can be down here or outside where I can check in if I need to.”
“John will you just stop? I am not a little girl anymore.” Kali was standing arms crossed in the kitchen door way. I turned to look at her; hair a mess, shorts and her baggy shirt, no make up, she was beautiful. “I love you John, I care for you more then I will ever say, but you need to let me live.”
“As long as you are under the roof of this house I have say in what goes on.” He stared at her as he spoke.
“This is my home now, you stay here. This is not your home so what I say is what goes.” I felt very uncomfortable with this situation and I was not sure whose side I was supposed to be on.
“Kali Jo don’t you EVER talk to me like that again.” He stood and came close to her.
Before she spoke she stood straight and took a step closer to him. “John I love you, but my parents are gone. I am in charge of this ranch now. I need and want you here but if you can’t go by my rules then I can ask you to leave. NOTHING I repeat NOTHING happened with Brock last night. He came up o make sure I was ok after a fight I had with him and a friend over something stupid. That is the ONLY reason he was in there. I should not have to explain myself to you every time I have a boy over. You should just trust me.”
As she finished talking John said nothing. He glared at her and turned and walked out the door, screen door slamming on the way out. She watched him go and then walked to the sink grabbing a glass of water. She took a deep breath and then a drink. Still saying nothing she stared out the window.
I couldn’t help but look at her in wonder. “What was that?”
“What are you talking about?” He eyes never left the window.
“You just yelled at John for no reason. He was fine with what happened, he didn’t ask questions, he just wanted to tell me to stay out of your room. It is not like I can’t sneak in.”
“That is not the point and you damn well know it!” Her voice raised and she turned on me. “You can not honestly say to me you are ok with him jumping down our throats?” She was a little teary eyed. Her voice softened, “We don’t know what this is between us. It may be nothing anyway.”
I walked to her, stepped close and took her hands in mine. “You are right we don’t know what this is. All I know is I care about you and I know you care about John. What you just said to him HURT him. You need to apologize.” She gaped at me like I was speaking in another language or as if I had lost my mind. “I know we talked about you possibly being with Shane so you know you could figure things out with your parents murders. I thought about it last night and I am in NO way comfortable with that.”
“You don’t have to be. We are not together and this is what I feel I need to do.” She was so serious just staring into my eyes.
“I know. I don’t have to like it either. I want to be with you,” Her breath caught and I could tell she was about to protest. “I know I know, I just got out of a long relationship. That does not change how I felt when I saw you kissing him.”
Kali did not speak to me she only stared. I did nothing but stare back then I got this sudden urge to kiss her. I leaned in close and touch my lips to hers. She resisted then met me with the same passion. Her arms wrapped around my neck and mine around her waist. I pulled away and looked at her. Eyes closed, lips red, arms up, again beautiful.
Her eyes finally fluttered open, “What was that?”
“That was me showing you I CARE about you and I am not ok with you being with Shane in a serious thing I want to be with you.”
“I have to get close to him and you know that.”
“So be with me. Tell me you will be with me and only pretend to be with Shane. Tell me I am the only one you can see yourself falling in love with.”
“That is so much to ask of me Brock and you know that.” Her arms did not leave my neck so I pulled her closer. “You just got out of a relationship, you can not get into another one right away. And I do not want to be a fling.”
I leaned in and kissed her again. “You would never be just a fling to me Kali. Never.” I ran my fingers through her hair waiting for her reply.
“Ok.”
“Ok?”
“Ok, I will go apologize to John.”
I stepped back, “What?”
“You asked me to go apologize to him so I will.” Her head bobbed once as if agreeing with herself.
“Great.” I stepped the rest of the way back and headed towards the door.
“And yes Brock.”
“Now what are you saying yes to?” I did not turn around just stepped into my boots and put my hand on the door.
“I will be truly with you. Shane will be a fling as long as you agree to the fact that I have to pretend to be with him to get what I need.”
I finally turned and look to her. She was still by the sink leaning there as if she could not support herself if she moved. She was not joking or trying to get a rise out of me. “Are you sure you can devote yourself to that right now?”
There was no hesitation, “Yes.”
“Ok, I will see you at dinner then.” With that I opened the door. “And Kali?”
“Yes?”
“Apologize to John but don’t tell him we are together or I’ll never be able to see you. Most likely I would be dead. We are going to have to ease him into this situation. “
She giggled a little, “Alright. I promise I will apologize to him.”