Cuddle Application

17 - It's Not the Same as Riding a Bike

"I bet you didn't see that coming."
~Me, after I rapped the entire Baby Got Back song at a Halloween party last weekend

➳♀♁➳

"Oliver."

The word tumbles from my lips like six fallen marbles crashing onto the wood floor. My eyes are as big as planets, my cheeks two suns, hot and flushed. His presence has all but taken my breath away. I push my brain to comprehend the situation, but it's too occupied with the topic of kissing. Kissing Park. Kissing Oliver.

Heck, I might as well go out and plant giant smooches on stranger's lips while I'm at it.

I shake my head lightly, trying to knock away the clutter inside. My eyes focus back on Oliver, who gives me somewhat of a suspicious look. I barely notice Cora beside him, who's looking at me as if I've lost both my mind and the ability to speak - which I have.

I blink and look back to Oliver.

In his regular fashion, he's dressed in a white band tee, "The Hush Sound" printed in big block letters out front. I suddenly have the urge to make him show me all of these bands; make me listen to the music he portrays on his chest in such an espousing way.

My heart pulses with conflicting emotions.

Oliver's face carries an ever-present smirk as he lightly licks his bottom lip, widens his mouth into a full on grin, and yells, "Daddy's home."

And it only goes downhill from there.

➳♀♁➳

While Oliver unpacks - he's staying in the room on the top floor, the one Cora, Lina and I used to share - I go looking for Park. He's not under the stairs, not in the kitchen. I open every door in the house, which takes a good amount of time considering all the rooms, but no Park.

I pass Lina in the second floor hallway, nose buried in her phone.

"Lina!" I say. She looks up, mutters a, "Yeah?" and resumes texting.

"Have you seen Park?" I lean against a glass door leading out to the balcony above the garage. "I've looked everywhere."

She taps her thumbs against her phone screen, rapidly, before mumbling, "Uh... yeah... he said something about-" type, type, type, type "-about taking on of the jet skis out."

I stare at my best friend and raise my brows. "Okay," I say, drawing the word out questioningly. When she still doesn't look up, I yank the phone from her hands. "Lina, what are you doing?"

She gives me a wide-eyed look. "Skylar! Give it back!" I hold the phone above my head and she jumps for it, or rather tries to, but I have a whole four inches on the girl.

She stops jumping and stomps a foot. "I'm trying to throw the best party this town's ever seen, okay? Now, please, phone."

I chuckle. Yeah, tonight was going to be a rager.

"Here, phone addict," I say, handing it back and heading for the stairs.

Park, come out, come out, wherever you are.

I race down the steps, through the hallways and kitchen and out onto the back porch. It's a long, expansive deck that borders an infinity pool that drops water into a smaller pool below.  Further down the hill is the massive dock that houses the speedboat, pontoon, and half a dozen jet skis. I slide on my flip flops that sit next to the sliding glass door.