Dead Man Walking

*Jordan*

As Mel came into view again, his palms started to itch. He’d give anything to get his hands on that sweet little body. It wasn’t just that though. Jordan loved hearing her laugh and talking to her. She was funny, vibrant, and smart. It took him everything to hide his urges from his family. Some days, he worried Marc saw through his façade.

“Jordy.” Speak of the devil, Jordan thought as Marc came up behind him, catching him staring at the object of his affections. “Jordy, Jordy, Jordy. I know what you’re thinking and it’s not a good idea.”

“It’s really not.” Eric came out of nowhere to chime in. All of a sudden, all three of his brothers surrounded him.

“We’ve been watching you.” Jared mentioned.

“Whoa, whoa, guys. I don’t know what you’re all talking about.” He tried to defend himself, he could hear the lie in his own voice.

“Yes, you do.” Eric said. “She’s a beautiful, smart girl. I give you that, kiddo, but you’re not doing her any favors by thinking what you’re thinking.”

“She’s only a baby. She’s better off with me.” Jared smiled, playing devil’s advocate. That earned him a slap in the back of the head from Jordan.

“Hands off her.” His voice came out even cold to him.

“Follow your own rules, Jordan.” Marc warned. “She’s like a daughter to me.”

“Incest is gross.” Eric quipped, trying to lighten the mood. Each of them laughed.

“I haven’t done anything, guys. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“But you want her, Jordan. You’re spending all your time with her.” With that Jared and Eric left, Marc stood there with hard eyes.

“You should see the way she looks at you.”

“She thinks I’m old and uneducated.”

Marc rolled his eyes. “No, she doesn’t but either way. Keep your hands to yourself.”
With that, Marc walked away. A glance at Mel told him that she saw the whole thing. She gave him a small smile, sympathizing. Jordan couldn’t help but smile back. He was in so much trouble.

*Marc*

“He’s not gonna listen.” He told Lindsay.

“I could have told you that but I don’t really seeing it go all that wrong, Marc. They just look they want to have fun.”

“He doesn’t get to have fun with Mel.” It made him angry, the thought of him having sex with Mel and then leaving her. She was so fragile and innocent. “Jordy’s going to do what he did before he got married and that’s ‘wham-bam-thank you ma’am.’” He huffed.

“You really think he’d do that to her if he knew how much we all care about her?” Marc didn’t know. "Jordan’s not stupid. We all know he’s trying to keep that kind of distance but I see something more in him Marc. I do, I think he cares about her too.”

“That doesn’t change anything, Lindsay, she’s like our baby.”

“But she’d not. We’re only ten or so years older than her. She’s smarter than you think. You’ve got to give her the space that she normally doesn’t give herself.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve never noticed how she’s never ever brought a boy home or talked about one or even not come home one night?”

“She’s a good kid!” He didn’t know what his wife was getting at but he liked the fact that Mel never went traipsing with boys.

“Yes, well, it’s not like she doesn’t get offered or courted. She feels like she owes all her time to us, Marc. Give her the freedom to be comfortable around us without confining her with your rule.”
“He’s my brother, Lindsay. And even if they did and were fine with it, it’s not like they’re going to end up together anyway, so why even bother?”

“Oh, shut up. You know why.” She started to walk away to join the rest of the party. “And Marc, you don’t know they won’t end up together. No one knows that.”

*Mel*

“What was all that about?” She asked as Jordan sauntered up to her.

“Nothing terribly important.” He told her with a smile. “Having fun at your first Staal cookout?”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. The neighbors are definitely nice.” She nodded, not mentioning the fact that she was repeatedly getting hit on by a group of boys from the local college. Not that anything was wrong with them and on a different day, she might’ve said yes to one, but not then.

“Any of those college boys peak your interest? They sure come by you an awful lot.” Mel should have figured he would have guessed.

“None of the one’s that have come up to me.” She teased.

“Oh, so you’re waiting, eh?”

“Yes, old man. That really tall one with blonde hair. I’ve been told he’s the star of the school’s hockey team.” Mel pretended to sigh. She watched as Jordan got red and his eyes angry. “What’s a matter, Jordan?”

“Hey, Mitch!” He yelled. The boy she’d been referring to started walking over to them, all wide eyes and cocky at the same time.

“Yes, Jordan?” He answered. Mel could feel her eyes going wide. What was he doing? She asked herself.

“This is my Mel.” The tension between the three of them could have been cut with a knife. While the announcement was sudden, the purpose was clear.

“Oh, well then. I’m sorry. I’ll tell the guys to stop. We didn’t know.”

“Thanks.” With that, the college boy disappeared. Jordan turned to face her. “Now that that’s settled. You were saying.”

As much as she liked Jordan, the fact that he had acted so brashly didn’t sit well. “You can’t do that, Jordan!” She whispered angrily.

“Oh, please. Don’t tell me you were into that frat boy! He’s got no real hockey skill. He’s a kid, no life experience. He’s twenty, all he wants to do is party, he’s got no substance, no one his age does.” His words stung her, she knew that he didn’t really mean it the way it sounded but it didn’t stop it from hurting.

“Well, maybe that’s what I want. You know, I am twenty. Maybe all I want to do is party. You know, since I have no substance.” Jordan tried to apologize, to defend himself but she stalked away.

Mel couldn’t understand why it hurt so much. She’d never really accounted much for what people thought about her or about her generation. She knew she was different that she was an exception. Why did it sting so bad coming from him?

She found Linda and explained that she wasn’t feeling so well and would just be heading back to Marc’s place. The process took fifteen minutes and she had to promise to accept whatever food she decided to sent home with Lindsay.

The ten minute walk only made her feel worse. It seemed to take forever before she was able to strip down to her bra and panties and slip into bed. The lulling sounds of the lake and the soothing feel of the wind coming in from the window slowly forced her into a sleep.

*Jordan*

He had wanted to give her a couple minutes to cool down before he went and explained to her what he’d just said and how he hadn’t meant it the way he sounded, but that was forty-five minutes ago and he couldn’t find her anymore. The sun had started to set and it was getting harder and hard to find her amongst the crowd.

Jordan was just about to approach Marc and explain what had happened when he overheard his parents. “Yes, she went back to Marc’s place. Under the weather. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Like that,

Jordan took off. The run to Marc’s seemed to take forever.
When he entered the house, he took the stairs two at a time. Reaching the door, he paused. She might not want him there, she might freak out. Pressing his ear close to the door, Jordan heard nothing. Slowly, he opened the door.

Mel laid in bed, her dress on the floor. He felt his heart skip a beat and run faster. Luckily, he didn’t see any undergarments laying around and he could see that she had her bra on. She laid on her stomach, her hair spread across her back. The soft glow of the setting sun and brushed her slightly tan shoulders.

Suddenly, she lifted her head. “Jordan, what are you doing here?” his pants strained with the sound of her throaty voice. Her eyes were soft and her skin was somehow dewier than it had been the last time he saw her. Looking at her, it felt like nothing was relevant but her. His stomach clenched.

“I came to explain.” Jordan felt awkward. There was no place else to sit and he wasn’t sure how to go about it. She relieved him of the pressure by scooting further into the bed, allowing him room to sit.

“No, lay here. Face me.” She murmured. He had to hold in a chuckle. There really was no way she knew what she did to him. He did as he was told.

“I didn’t mean it. I didn’t even mean it about Mitch. I was just jealous. Insanely jealous, Mel. I went about it the wrong way. I haven’t been jealous in a long time. It’s so foreign.”

Her big golden eyes peaked up at him. “Why were you so jealous?”

Jordan had to pause and gain his bearings. “Because the thought of you being interested in anyone else makes me burn. The thought of anyone touching you or kissing you makes me ache. You’re so beautiful, so smart, and funny. No one will appreciate you like you deserve. Not me. Not anyone.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Her perfect eyebrow arched at him.

“I’m trying to gain my bearings. I know I don’t deserve you but I can’t stay away from you. You’ve done something to me this summer, little bird.”

“And what would that be?” She moved her lips so close that he could feel her hot breath spread across his mouth and chin.

“I think you’re forcing me to fall in love with you.” He closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers. She was open and receptive. Her tongue touched his innocently, shy almost. For a while, he just kissed her, letting her feel everything he felt for her.

He pulled away so he could catch his breath. Her eyes had grown dark, her lips swollen. She was so perfect. “You don’t have to say it back but if you can, now would be the time.” He murmured before he kissed her neck. She didn’t say anything. “I’ll wait until you can. I swear I will.”

“It’s okay, Big Bird. I feel it too. I’m falling in love with you too.” With that, Jordan kissed her again. He wouldn’t take her that night but it was enough know that she was feeling as insane and crazy as he was. Tomorrow when they woke up and announced it to his brothers, he knew he would be a dead man walking but it was going to be worth it.