A BITTERSWEET ALOHA
MEL
Mel loved her car. Jason could chide her about it all he wanted to, but it was only because he was jealous. She knew he loved her car, too, and jumped at any opportunity he could get his hands on to drive it, never once having the pride to actually come out and ask, always waiting for the opportunity to be offered. She thought it was cute.
Though she loved driving it, the novelty of it was starting to wear off quicker than she thought and within a few weeks it was just 'her car.' Late that afternoon, a week or so after the dinner meeting, her only concern was that while she was at the market, nobody noticed that the short, purple dress she wore with the deep-plunged V-neck and the flowing short sleeves was actually a bathing suit cover that she tried to pass off as a dress. It was too cute and too comfortable to be wasted on the beach. Paired with a pair of nude platform stilettos, it made the perfect outfit.
And did she mention how the royal color looked awesome against the new tan starting to form on her skin? She was growing more and more sun-kissed by the day!
Mel's goal was to beat Jason home so she could go ahead and start cooking the chicken breasts that she intended to put in their salads for dinner. Disappointment set in when his Jeep was already there when she pulled up. She sighed to herself as she parked the car. She loved surprising him, but maybe next time, she supposed.
Walking into the house, her heels clicked loudly against the tiled floors as she headed straight for the kitchen and put the groceries away. "Jason, are you in here?" She called. Peeking out the windows behind her, he was nowhere to be found.
"Yeah," she heard him say. The sound startled her and she looked around, the sound close by but still no Jason.
Curiously, she walked into the living room and around the couch, only to find him sitting on the floor with his back against it in his jeans and his gray button-down shirt. She would have salivated at how he had his sleeves rolled up below his elbows had she not been so concerned by the look of despair on his face. "Oh my god, Jason, are you okay?" Tucking her dress underneath her, she lowered herself next to him.
He held a letter in his hand. The paper was slightly crinkled around his fist and it was apparent that he'd been holding on to this for awhile now. How long had he been home?
He was silent as he sat there and she looked into his face, her heart pounding. "Jason--"
"My father died," he blurted quietly.
Mel was speechless. Jason's father had left him and his mother right before he turned ten, never to be heard from again. The fact that he was getting this news at all shocked her anyway. But the fact that he seemed so broken up over it--she shouldn't have been surprised, but she was, considering the fact that he resented his father and thought nothing of him as a person. She had no idea what to say, so she did the best she could. She rubbed the visible skin on his forearm and then reached up and stroked his short hair with her nails. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," he responded. "He was good for nothing, anyway." Then he handed her the paper he held in his hand. "Then I get this bullshit in the mailbox. So fucking pathetic."
Hesitantly, she took the paper from him and searched his face for a moment before she read it. It was handwritten, on notebook paper. A letter from his father, undated, but apparently relatively recent. An apology for leaving and being absent. Saying that he had no excuses for his behavior but that he was proud of Jason for the man he seemed to have become; about how he owned all his movies and read all the articles in the magazines about him; and then finally about how he'd had cancer for several years and was finally succumbing to it. All of this written, obviously, before he died. Tears welled up in Mel's eyes. Tears of sadness and anger--Mel knew the story about Jason's father. About how he was Jason's world until he just up and disappeared one day, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. About how Jason had to grow up early and be the man of the house. About how he started working at twelve with a paper route and worked hard all through high school to help his other make ends meet. How he had to listen to his mother cry herself to sleep at night and then wake up and smile for him and tell him to get his ass to school and make sure he aced that day's test. And that was why he took care of her now. He paid all her bills, made sure she never wanted or needed for anything. His mother deserved a break and now that he had the means to do it, he provided for her. And he did it happily.
Interrupting her thoughts, he forcefully lay his hand down on the coffee table in front of him and slid the envelope off of it and handed it to Mel. "Check THAT out."
Taking it gently from him, she read the return address. "It says Oahu."
"That street is twenty minutes from where we used to fucking live. Twenty minutes away. And he mails it here. He had my fucking address, Mel. Where did he get my address?"
She shook her head even though she knew he didn't see her.
Suddenly he jerked the paper and the envelope out of her hands and ripped them both up and littered them on the coffee table. "That bastard leaves my mother to raise a child all by herself, just--just fucking vanishes out of thin air--and lives twenty minutes away. Under our noses. Right under our goddamn noses."
As she reached up and stroked his hair again, she searched his face. For the first time, she was realizing that there was so much more to Jason that she didn't know. So much more to understand about him. Today, for instance, she learned something about him that came as a bit of a shock. The entire time she'd known him he'd been cool, calm, confident--zen, even. He had all the answers and life was easy for him. He had no worries, no cares, and he lived life day-by-day. However, deep inside, he was broken. He kept it hidden well. So well, Mel never even knew it. Not until today. Not until she looked into his eyes and saw a boy in there--a boy who was hurt, betrayed, rejected, and confused. One who knew rejection all too well. She was reminded of all the times she had rejected him--never knowing what he'd been through in the past--but now that she did, it made fresh tears well up in her eyes. She didn't feel sorry for him, however. She was angry with the man who did this to him--the man who made him feel this way. How could someone just do that to their child?
But this wasn't about her. This was about him. So she took a deep breath, fought her tears back and she rubbed his arm again. "Hey," she said softly. "You wanna go for a drive?"
Finally, he looked over at her. "A drive?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "Just a drive. We'll find some open road, roll down the windows and just--just go wherever the wind takes us. We'll take the car."
Taking a deep breath and nodding, he broke position to prepare to stand. "Uh, yeah. Okay. We can do that."
Smiling, she held his hand as he stood. Swiping her keys and her purse off the kitchen counter, he followed her outside and, as they locked the gate, she turned around and smiled again, tossing him her keys. "Here, you drive."
He raised his eyebrow as he caught them. "Mel, I'm not really in a state to drive--"
"It's okay," she said, winking at him. "I trust you. Let's open her up once and for all, see what she can do."
A small smile crept across his face as he got in the driver's seat and she was happy to see him smile. She was even happier to see the grin widen on his face as he sat behind the wheel of her car--and he looked hot as hell in it, too. He loved her car. She didn't know why she was so stingy with it, she always loved when he drove it. As he backed out and started down the road, she couldn't stop looking at him. As he focused on the car and changed the gears, as his knees moved as he pressed the clutch--Jesus, he worked that car almost as well as he knew how to work her.
Quickly taking her eyes off of him, she turned her concentration out her window and took joy when she saw the ocean between the houses. "It's so beautiful out here," she said. "I hardly get to see it when I'm driving."
She looked over at him as he reached over and took her hand. He smiled. "I told you you'd love it."
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You actually didn't say that, but I would have believed you anyway."
Merging onto Pacific Coast Highway, Jason cussed. "Shit. I should have known we should have gone the other way. Always fucking traffic out here."
She squeezed his hand and kissed the top of it. It was obvious that it would be awhile before he shook the tension from the situation with his father. "It's okay," she said. "It'll clear out."
They moved slowly amidst the plethora of plain and mundane automobiles. Jason grinned at her and then back at the road. "You should see the looks we're getting right now from all these other drivers. Their eyes are all wide and they're freaking out like, 'holy shit!'"
She smiled as he laughed. "You sure they're not looking at you?"
He glanced at her and smirked. "It's definitely the car."
They were silent for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "You know what I always wanted to do? I always wanted to eat at every oddball dive restaurant on this road. How do you feel about dives?"
Mel nodded. "I lived in New York for ten years. I've probably been in every dive in the city."
"Fantastic," he said. "As soon I have the green light to eat real food again, that's exactly what we're doing."
She giggled as the traffic, indeed, did begin to thin and Jason was able to pick up a little speed. As they continued down Pacific Coast Highway, it felt like they had been driving forever already. Jason was quiet most of the time. They traded one-liners here and there. At one point, she said to him, "You know, I see what you're doing. I know why you chose to come this direction instead of the other. There's more traffic here. You wanted to show off the car. Didn't you?"
He glanced over and smirked at her.
"I knew it," she confirmed. "Must be a man thing."
Then he looked her over and back at the road. "You're killing me in that dress, you know that, right?"
She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion and blushed as she looked straight ahead of her. "Um, random..."
"Well, you know, since we're talking about things men like and all."
"Oh. Uh, it's not--I mean it's really nothing special, just casual--"
"And you wear it so damn well."
She continued to blush as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, um, thank you..."
"Don't be coy," he said. "I know you wear that stuff just for me."
"Maybe I wear it because I like it. I was dressing like this way before you came along, you know."
"Please. For years I've seen you in nothing but pants and long dresses."
"Because you always came around when it was cold."
"You had a walkway put in just so you could wear stilettos on the deck. I watched you that day you rehired Martina. And you knew I was there. I'm on to you, gorgeous."
Mel smiled. She'd been caught. She smoothed out her dress and said, "Well. Maybe I do like to dress for my man just a little."
"Just a little?"
"Don't push it."
They drove until the sky darkened. He had driven them into LA and Mel didn't understand it, especially since he knew LA didn't interest her. He suddenly began taking her off the main highway and onto dark side streets which only confused her more and more since she expected him to want to find an open space to put the pedal to the metal and take the Viper as fast as it would go. She had hoped to see it hit three digits that day.
Finally, she asked him, "Where are we going?"
"This is Mulholland Drive," he answered. "There's a spot on the road here where tons of movie scenes have been filmed. It's kind of a tourist attraction but, normally, at this time of year on a weeknight, it's pretty deserted."
A few minutes later, they pulled around into a paved overlook area. As promised, it was deserted and, without wasting any time, he got out of the car and came around, opening the door for Mel. Taking his hand, she stepped out, expecting to see the sights when, instead, he closed her door and pushed her up against it. Wordlessly, he looked down at her and she gazed back up into his eyes. The hurt was still there. All the talking and the smiling and laughing he had done in the car? All a cover-up for the pain he was still feeling. A desperate attempt to get his mind off of it all. Mel knew it as it was happening and it was okay with her.
Suddenly she was aware of the chill in the night air and goose bumps invaded her arms. Trembling from the sudden chill, she didn't think Jason would notice. However, she should have known better, as he noticed everything, and before she knew it, he was unbuttoning his own shirt and taking it off to wrap it around her. He stood there in a black tank top, arms exposed and she felt bad that he now had to feel the chill in the air so harsh on his skin but she didn't have it in her heart to object. His shirt was unbelievably warm around her body and she was almost ashamed to admit how good it felt.
He stepped closer to her and let his hands fall to her hips. She knew he would immediately notice her lack of a panty line and when he did, he looked at her and muttered, "Shit," under his breath. At that, he gripped her waist and picked her up, pinning her against the Viper's door, her legs instinctively wrapping tightly around his body.
He didn't make a sound, he didn't kiss her, and he didn't waste any time. Reaching down between them, he moved himself just enough to nimbly unbutton and unzip himself with one hand and then pull himself out and enter her in one swift motion. She took in a breath at the first stroke, the first one always being the most shocking. He pressed himself harder into her and instead of thrusting, began to grind his hips into her. As he grinded and rocked into her, he moved his hips in such a way that felt better than almost anything she had ever felt before. He didn't pull out and he didn't thrust, he just continued inside her, grinding into her.
He stared into her eyes the entire time, in silence. The only sound was his heavy, staggered breathing matched with hers. However, the more he grinded inside her, the more excited she became. She locked her legs around him tighter and tightened her muscles around him inside, her jaw slacking and her chest heaving from her deepened staggered breathing.
She could feel herself losing control of herself. Her hands began to wander all over the parts of him she could reach. Looking back up into his eyes, she watched his stern face begin to give in as well. Wrapping an arm around his neck and gripping his arm with her other hand, he finally kissed her, his mouth on her neck as she let her head fall back for a moment. Lifting her head again, she found her mouth close to his ear and she nibbled on his lobe just ever so lightly before she whispered, "Jason."
"What, baby?" He whispered just as quietly between breaths. "Say it."
And then she came, pulling him against her and tightening her legs as tight as she could around him. Her death grip around his neck surely had to be choking him, but he didn't seem phased by it. After a moment, he pulled his head back and she looked up into his eyes, unable to resist the urge to whisper what she'd tried to whisper before. "I love you so much."
Apparently that was all he needed to hear. His eyes closed and his head fell limp against the side of hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he squeezed her body tight against his own as he let out a deep breath accompanied by a nearly inaudible growl into her ear. It always made her nervous when he came inside her, but she always loved the way it felt when he did. For a brief moment she was disappointed that her dress was likely ruined but quickly decided it was okay. He needed her tonight, no matter in what shape or fashion, he needed her and she was going to be there for him. If that meant that he needed to get off to help clear his mind, then so be it."
Backing up slowly and letting her down, her knees nearly gave out when her feet touched the ground. She stumbled for a second and he caught her. "Are you okay?"
"Yep," she smiled up at him. "That was amazing. You're amazing."
His face remained serious. He looked at her for a moment before he stepped closer to her and took her face in his hands. "I'll never abandon you," he said to her. "I will never leave you and I will never abandon you. I'm not him, I'm not--I'm not like him. And I want you to know, just because we share DNA doesn't mean I'm going to do any of the things that he did. Okay? You have to believe me."
"I've never once had reason to doubt you."
"I promise you. Never."
She nodded. "I know."
He lowered his hands and turned around to lean against the car beside her, finally opening up the view of the city lights down below. He put his arm around her and pulled her close and she would have been more awe-inspired, but he kept talking and she couldn't tear her attention away from him. "Look. I uh, I never told anybody this. But--after he left, growing up, I was scared to death. I didn't know any better, I didn't know anything about relationships. I didn't believe in them. All I knew was, one minute my parents loved each other and the next minute, my old man vanishes. Relationships never last, Mel. I mean, what's the point in having one if it's just gonna end, right? Where's the logic?"
Mel's heart sank. Had she gone into this a little too open-minded? Had she given her heart away a little too freely? She knew she'd been devastated over John and had been more than emotionally torn up over Taylor--but she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, if Jason ever broke her heart she wouldn't live through it. Jason Kamealoha was it for her. She'd been through so much in her life, waited so long to finally feel the way she felt, for the first time in her life, and if that all was suddenly ripped out from under her--well, she couldn't guarantee what might happen to her. She couldn't live without him. Literally and figuratively. It wasn't an option.
"And that's how I lived my life," he continued. "It's why I stayed single, I created barriers, built emotional walls. And it worked for me. And then it took once. One time, one--one split second to look into your eyes for the very first time and it all came crashing down around me and I felt it. And it was unlike anything I'd ever felt in my entire life."
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "That's why you stayed..." she whispered.
"It was the first time I ever felt real love for someone. Real, romantic love. The way it's supposed to be. It was the first time my eyes were truly open--the first time since the day he left. When I realized I wasn't going to be like him after all. That I had it in me not to be a heartless bastard. I looked at you and I had a chance. At life. At a future. It was there for me."
Mel swallowed the lump in her throat. "I had no idea. I put you through hell..."
"Every single time I just loved you more."
"You're a good person," she said quietly. "A good man. With the kindest heart I've ever known. You don't have it in you to--to be like what you say he was. It's not in your nature. And I know what's in your nature because you're my soul mate. You and I--we're kinda the same person in a lot of ways. I know they say opposites attract, and that's true, but sometimes you get two people who just--you can't have one without the other and I think that's who we've been since the day we met. And I've never had any doubts in my mind about you. Not ever."
They were silent after that, standing next to each other, gazing town at the city lights. Then she turned toward him and touched his cheek, searching his eyes. "It's okay if you cry," she said softly. "Not saying you're required to, but if you need to, it's okay. And it's okay if you miss him. I just want you to know that."
Hesitantly, he responded quietly, "Take me home." He fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. "Please, just take me home."
An hour later, they walked through the door of their house. It was late and they hadn't even eaten dinner but Mel was far from an appetite and she guessed that Jason was, too. He went straight to the bedroom and changed for bed and she was right behind him.
Slipping into something more comfortable, she went to the kitchen to chug the water she so desperately needed before she settled in for the night. Jason caught her eye as he walked into the room in his white t-shirt and a pair of boxers and he stopped short as he passed the coffee table where the remnants of the ripped up letter and envelope still remained. He glanced up at her and her eyes met his and in that instant she knew it was coming.
She walked briskly to where he stood and stood on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and that was the moment that he broke down. Oddly enough, Mel was relieved that he cried. She was relieved that he didn't have too much pride to try to bottle it up in her presence and even more relieved that this might help him to feel a little better. A good cry never hurt anyone.
As he hugged her to him tightly, his tall frame hunched over to cry into her neck and hair and his body began to feel a little heavy. Stumbling backward and depositing her man onto the sofa, she sat and held him as his sobs caused his shoulders to heave underneath her arms. She stroked his hair and she rubbed his back and she kissed his forehead as he soaked her shirt with his tears.
He cried for nearly half an hour. Neither of them uttered a word. She didn't attempt to quiet him. She let him cry and she let him need her for as long as it took. Eventually, one thing led to another and he ended up laying her down and kissing her for what felt like an eternity. There was no touching, no heavy petting, no clothing removed. He simply kissed her, softly, deeply, romantically.
They fell asleep on the sofa together, Mel wrapped up in Jason's arms. The last thing she remembered hearing before her eyes closed was, "Tomorrow I'm gonna book us a trip to Hawaii."
-------------------
"He was awake before I was this morning," Mel said to her new friend, Sarah, as they sat at lunch in Beverly Hills. "Finalizing a trip to Hawaii. I mean, he said it last night as he was falling asleep but I wasn't sure he'd actually remember it."
"Wow. That's sudden," Sarah responded, taking a bite of her salad. "How long will you be gone?"
Mel shrugged. "Don't know. I mean, we HAVE to come back, he's gotta start on that movie soon. I don't know. Hawaii's his home. I'm afraid we're going to get there and not want to come back."
"David tried that with me, not too long after we got married. He was all, 'Let's move to England,' and I put the kibash on that real quick. LA is my home. I was raised here. There's nothing he can do in England that he can't do in LA."
"So just like that, he stayed in LA?"
"We own a home in England, too. Compromise, you know."
Mel sighed. "We're talking about buying the house in Malibu."
"Together?"
"Yeah."
"That's like...that's like practically getting--"
"I know."
"Have you talked about it?"
"What, marriage?"
"Yeah."
Mel shook her head. "Not really, no."
Sarah looked at her as if she were crazy. "Are you serious? That's impossible."
"It's not like we're avoiding the subject. But, you know, our relationship is still new..."
Sarah shook her head. "No, it isn't."
Mel narrowed her eyes at her.
"Look," Sarah continued. "It's a small-ass world out there. When you first started coming to class and we discovered that David and Jason were friends, it was pretty much destiny that you and I get along so well. And David and I talk. And I know yours and Jason's story. I know YOUR story. I know about Taylor Hanson and all that jazz. Everyone knows about it."
Mel glanced down at her plate in shame.
"Pictures are worth a thousand words," Sarah said gently. "And every picture of you and Jason that has ever surfaced, platonic or otherwise, reads like you've known each other forever. You're soul mates. You know you are. You can't put a measurement of time on that. So what if you've only been "official" for a few months? You've loved each other for a lot longer than that. Which makes how long you've been together in regards to discussing marriage a moot argument. Just saying."
Mel sighed and looked across the table at her flaming-haired friend. "You're right. You're absolutely right."
"Would you say yes if he asked you?"
"In a heartbeat. But--I've already been engaged to someone else this year and--"
"Did you not hear a word I just said?"
"It makes me feel weird. Maybe that's why he doesn't bring it up."
"Have you brought it up?"
"No."
"Because you're ashamed of yourself?"
Mel shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. We're just--we're just taking it a day at a time. We're happy."
"Still," Sarah said, shaking her head. "Buying a house together, that's--I mean, that should tell you everything you need to know right there." Then she smiled. "Maybe you should start planning a wedding."
"NO," Mel said firmly. "Absolutely not. I've already planned one this year and this year can't be over fast enough. Maybe when the new year starts and I can psychologically start fresh and brand new. You know?"
Sarah shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. Makes sense."
After lunch was over, Sarah looked deviously across the table at Mel. "So you're taking off to Hawaii soon. And Rodeo is right around the corner. I think a little bikini shopping is in order, don't you?"
Mel grinned at her friend as they paid the check and started on their impromptu shopping trip.
---------------
It was a couple of days. That fast, just a couple of days later and they were flying over Hawaii. Not only had Jason been relatively quiet during the plane ride, but he'd been relatively quiet over the past couple of days, as well.
He let her sit by the window on the plane. He'd told her he couldn't let her miss out on the view as they flew over and he'd been right. Mel looked out the window in awe and she felt Jason's breath in her ear. "It's beautiful, isn't it? It's been my dream to bring you here someday. Welcome home, gorgeous."
She turned around and looked at him, his green eyes sparkling as he smiled at her. It was the first time in three days she'd seen him smile and it melted her heart.
He'd insisted on flying first class. Mel had only flown first class a handful of times, mostly when she felt the need to be alone or she needed the quiet, but she imagined that Jason was in nearly the same mindset now as she had been during those times. He didn't feel like being mixed up in the crowd and he wanted the hell off that plane as soon as it landed.
When they finally were able to step off the plane, the scene they were met with when they emerged from the door caused Mel to grip his forearm with both hands in shock. "Holy shit..."
There was a sea of people. A sea of them. Held back by small metal barricades and airport security. Some held signs but Mel didn't even read them. She glanced behind them back into plane and hissed into Jason's ear, "Is the president on the plane or something?" Then she glanced at a sign that read "Welcome Home" and it hit her. "Oh my god," she whispered.
Jason was silent. His face was stoic. She hated seeing him this way. He gripped her hand as they slowly made their way down the steps of the plane and onto the tarmac. With his newfound attitude, she nearly expected Jason to ignore them all and walk right inside the terminal, but she was pleasantly surprised when he stopped for autographs and photos. Mel smiled. There he was. She knew he was in there somewhere.
Once inside the terminal, everything else was a blur. Baggage claim, car rental (another Jeep), even the ride to Jason's mother's house. Normally, Mel would have been nervous about meeting his mother, engrossed in the sights as they drove down the Oahu roads--but she couldn't be any of these things for her concern for Jason. She knew he was grieving for his father in his own way. She knew that was all it was. But she couldn't help being concerned nonetheless. In the middle of the ride, she took his hand in hers and she kissed it. "I love you," she reminded him quietly.
He glanced at her, a small smile on his face. "I love you, too," he responded. Then he turned his attention back to the road. He was silent for a few more minutes before he said suddenly, "The funeral is today."
Mel felt her eyes widen at the windshield. This was news to her. In his grief for his father, was he also forgetting how to communicate? She wasn't even sure if she'd brought anything suitable for a funeral. "Um..." She didn't know what to say. "I just assumed there already--"
"I talked to one of my cousins yesterday. Told him I was coming. He told me about the funeral, said they wanted to wait for me."
Mel was speechless. And shocked. She looked over at him. "Do you want to go?"
Jason remained silent.
"It's okay if you want to," she said. "It's okay if you go."
"I dunno," he muttered.
And they were silent for the rest of the ride.
Within minutes, they were driving down a beachside neighborhood lined with nice, middle-class homes. To the right were the beach houses and toward the end of the neighborhood, as the distance between the houses grew more and more spacious, Jason slowed to turn into the driveway of one on the right with the ocean right behind it. It was a modest home, one-story, with a low roof, barely-there yard, flowers along the walkway, and a palm tree on the side. It was charming. Mel instantly loved it.
Jason was out of the Jeep and on her side of the vehicle before she even touched the door handle. She loved the way Jason always seemed to do that. He was such a gentleman, the way he opened doors for her and carried her bags. She hated feeling like she was getting used to it so she always made the attempt to do it on her own before he took it upon himself. He took her hand and helped her out of the Jeep, landing a surprise kiss on her lips and smiled before leading her around the side of the house and in through the back door.
The door he led her into lead straight into the kitchen. The house boasted a semi-open floor plan. The kitchen was small with a small table with four chairs gracing the middle of it. To the left was another dining area with a bigger table and directly across from the dining area, no wall to separate them, was the small living room. Beyond them, across the kitchen, was a small hallway. At that moment, that was all Mel could immediately see of the house.
As Mel took in the charm and the warmth of the beach house, Jason called loudly, "Ma? You here?"
Within seconds, a short woman, only an inch or two taller than Mel, slightly stout, with thick, silver hair, poked her head out of one of the rooms in the hallway and swiftly made her way across the kitchen toward them. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with bangs gracing her face against her sun-kissed skin, and you couldn't miss the red, floral mumu she sported. Her eyes were the same color as Jason's and they twinkled when she smiled just like his did. Her face was jolly and warm and inviting and, without even opening her mouth, Mel liked her instantly.
Jason's mother made a beeline straight for him. "Oh, my baby's home!" Mel couldn't stop grinning when his mother wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. As he leaned down to hug her, Mel could see her face over his shoulder and there were tears in her eyes, causing Mel's own tears to spring up in hers.
"Hey, Ma," she could hear Jason's voice muffled against his mother. "How are you?"
"Better now," she said, patting his back. Then she pulled away from him and looked in his face, resting her hand on his cheek. Wiping away her own tears, she looked over at Mel and said, "Good lord, sweetheart, what's wrong with you?"
Mel smiled as she wiped her own tears. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Watching you two and--"
Before she could finish, Jason's mother had wrapped her in a hug, too. "Goodness, Jason, you didn't tell me this child wore her heart on her sleeve." Mel had to giggle a little as she sniffed her tears away and Jason's mother pulled away and looked at Mel, rubbing her arms. "You're my sweet boy's Melokia. I've been waiting for the day I finally get to meet you."
Jason chuckled. "Could've at least let me get it out of my mouth."
His mother looked up at him. "There's no need for formalities here, you know that." Then she turned her attention back to Mel. "I'm Barbara. Call me Barb, everybody does. Welcome to my home and to my family."
Mel grinned at Barb, falling more and more in love with her the more she talked. "Thank you. I'm so happy to be here."
"So, uh, I'm gonna go ahead and get our stuff out of the car, if that's okay," Jason said to his mother, hesitantly.
"Sure, yes, go ahead," Barb said. "I'm going to show Melody around the house, we'll be right here."
Jason glanced at his mother and then at Mel before he disappeared out the back door.
Barb smiled at Mel and Mel smiled back at her. "How is he?" His mother asked, apparently cutting to the chase. The house-showing had been a ruse. If anyone knew Jason better than Mel did, it would definitely be his mother.
Mel sighed. "He's...I think he's confused. I don't think he really knows how or what to feel."
Barb's sigh matched Mel's as she invited her to sit at the kitchen table. "How are YOU?" Mel asked her.
Barb glanced at her hands and then back up at Mel. "I'm more concerned about Jason. Me, I've--at the risk of sounding harsh, I accepted the inevitable a long time ago. Now it's all about Jason for me."
Mel nodded in understanding. "I told him it was okay if he wanted to go to the funeral today," she said quietly. "I hope that wasn't--"
Barb interrupted her by reaching across and laying her hand across Mel's. "I'm so happy he has you to look out for him. I would have told him the same thing."
Mel smiled across the table as Jason came in through the door, hauling their luggage. Mel jumped up from her seat. "Jason," she scolded. "Let me take a couple of those."
"No," he objected. "It's okay, I got it." And then both Mel and his mother watched him carry the luggage down the hallway.
They looked back at each other. "He doesn't let you lift a finger, does he?" Barb asked.
Mel shook her head in response.
Barb smiled. "That's my boy. He's always been a gentleman like that."
"And stubborn?"
Barb laughed. "Stubborn as they come."
As Jason entered the room again, both women stood from the table. "Uh, Ma, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked her.
Mel looked from Jason to his mother and said, "Um, I'm just gonna go unpack."
"You don't have to leave," Jason objected.
"No, it's fine," Mel said, waving him off. "You two--you talk. You be alone. I'll go unpack that way we won't have to do it later. Okay?"
With that, Mel vanished down the hallway, poking her head in the doors of each room till she found the one that housed their luggage. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and looked around. The room was small. Simple. A bed, a dresser, a desk, and a television on the wall. It had its own bathroom connected to it. She loved the modest way in which his mother lived compared to what she knew Jason could provide her with. If Mel had to guess, the exchange had been that Jason had insisted on buying her something larger and that his mother probably hadn't wanted him to buy her a place at all and, finally giving in, chose this home, being just enough for her and him and was all she needed. Jason probably begrudgingly gave in and his mother was likely happy here. Mel smiled to herself. She had no way of knowing if she was right but she knew Jason well enough to guess that she was.
Mel took her time unpacking their luggage, depositing clothes into the dresser, hanging them in the closet and arranging their toiletries in the bathroom. She had just sat herself on the edge of the bed once more to stall a few more minutes, not wanting to interrupt Jason and his mother, when he suddenly appeared in the doorway. She looked up at him and her heart fluttered. It always had, without fail. He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed. "You okay?" He asked gently.
She reached over and took his hand in hers. "I'm worried about you."
He looked at her and searched her eyes for a moment before he looked down at their hands. "He doesn't deserve this, you know."
She could help herself from reaching up and running her fingers through his short hair. "Doesn't deserve what?"
"He doesn't deserve my presence. At his funeral. He didn't say goodbye to me. Why should I say goodbye to him?" Then he sighed and took his hand from hers, wiping both of his palms on his pants. "But I'm gonna go. I'm, uh, I'm gonna go. I think I need to."
Mel nodded in understanding. "Okay," she said quietly.
Then he looked over at her, the vulnerability running rampant in his eyes. He was so lost. Mel's heart broke for him. "What do you think?" He asked her.
She nodded again. "I think...if you think being there will help at all...I think you should go. If that's really what you want to do."
"Am I a bastard if I don't go?"
"Absolutely not."
"I need to be the bigger man here," he said. "I AM the bigger man. And I think the bigger man would go. But not to pay my respects."
"For closure," she whispered.
He nodded. "Yeah. For closure. I, um--" He let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair before he looked at her again. "Will you go with me?"
She nodded back at him. "Of course. Anything you need. I'm right here."
Awhile later, after she had changed clothes and Jason had informed her that you didn't wear black to funerals in Hawaii, she changed again and emerged from the bedroom, meeting his mother in the kitchen. Barb smiled solemnly. "You look beautiful, dear."
Mel smiled, looking down at her dress. "Thank you. The last funeral I went to was my husband's, believe it or not. That was so long ago. I've never not worn black to a funeral." Mel's outfit was painfully simple. The top of her maxi-style dress was navy blue with capped short sleeves and a scooped neck. The high waist of the dress cinched around her ribcage and flowed down to her shins in an intricate blue, orange, and brown pattern. She chose nude pumps for her shoes. She looked up at Barb, who remained in her red mumu. "Are you not coming?"
She shook her head and took Mel's hand. "There's no reason for me to be there. I made peace with my situation a long time ago. Watch out for my son today."
"Always."
Mel nearly fell over herself when Jason walked into the kitchen in a white button-down and khakis. He wore the shirt exactly the way she liked it, unbuttoned at the top, cuffs rolled up his forearms. Then she remembered the purpose for their outing and immediately collected herself.
-------------
They walked up to the doors of the mortuary and Jason stopped in his tracks, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure this was such a good idea," he said to Mel.
"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do," she said gently.
"Would it be bad if we just turned around and went home?"
Mel shook her head. "No."
He continued to stand there, shifting his weight for a second. Then he let out a breath and released his hands from his pockets. "No, I better do this. I may or may not regret it, who knows?"
Mel took his hand in both of hers and he opened the door to let them in. They were late, that much was obvious. Everyone who was there was already gathered in the small chapel and the building was quiet. Jason stopped one more time in the lobby. "Mel--there are--there are people in there--family--that I haven't seen in years. I mean, I grew up with them but he was never around. This just feels so fucking awkward. I mean, shit, even when he dies he has to put me in this position--" He turned his body, looking around him anxiously.
Mel felt for him. He was so scared. He would never admit it, but it was written all over his face. "Jason," she said quietly, reaching up and turning his face to meet hers. "It's okay. I'm right here with you, there's nothing here for you to fear. We're together. Nothing and nobody is going to hurt you. Okay?"
He looked down at her and nodded. Then he took a deep breath and grabbed her hand. "Let's just get this over with." Bravely, he rounded the doorway into the chapel and the soft murmuring amongst the mourners fell to a dead silence.
Mel gripped Jason's hand and covered it with her other one as he hesitated. He turned his face into her suddenly and whispered, "Shit. It's open."
She looked forward at the subject of his cursing. The casket ahead of them was still open. Her heart pounded. Funerals made her nervous anyway, but her nerves were doubled worrying about how he was feeling. Before she had the chance to respond to him, he straightened his posture, gripped her hand tighter, and the pair walked down the aisle toward the front of the chapel.
Mel heard the murmurs and whispers start to pick back up and no doubt Jason did, too, but he chose to ignore them. She knew what they were saying without even hearing them. She knew conversation was a mix between Jason Kamealoha, the famous Hollywood movie star and Jason, the son this dead man abandoned over twenty-five years ago. No doubt most everyone in the room was shocked to see him there. A large Hawaiian man stood from his seat and stopped them in the aisle. Jason hugged him and shook his hand and this was obviously one of the cousins he'd spoken about in the past. His name was Kelani and Mel learned then that that was the cousin who had contacted Jason about the funeral. If Mel had to guess, he had something to do with the letter that got sent to Jason, too.
As they moved closer to the front, Mel noticed that the casket was long. It seemed longer than a typical casket, she thought. But then again, John had been a tall man also, so what did she really have to compare to? As she approached the casket with Jason cautiously, both of their grips tightened on each other. She caught a gasp in her throat as she looked inside and she immediately looked up, around, anywhere but the corpse laying below her. It was like looking into the future. So many of Jason's features lay embalmed on that satin pillow, Mel almost couldn't take looking at him. Instead, she wrapped her arm comfortingly around Jason's waist and opted to focus on him. That's who she was there for anyway. Not the man who had abandoned him.
Mel wished she could read Jason's face, but his expression remained stone-cold as he peered into the coffin. She wished she could read his thoughts but part of her was glad she couldn't. She could only imagine what could possibly be going through his mind. And her heart broke for him. "I don't even know if I wanted this to be my last memory of him," she heard him whisper suddenly. "I am so goddamn mad at him. But I don't even know if I want this memory. But I guess I don't have a choice now, do I?"
Mel swallowed a lump and ran her hand gently up and down his back. "Do you want to sit down?"
He didn't respond to her for a moment. Then he looked at her and nodded. "Yeah."
They turned around and all eyes were on them. Of course they were. Where else would they be? Three rows back, Kelani stood and moved down, signaling that he was making room for Jason and Mel and the two of them took their seats next to him, Jason at the aisle, his arm holding Mel tightly, close to him.
As the short service was delivered, Jason was expressionless. Several people stood and spoke about the deceased and Mel's stomach churned. She took Jason's free hand with hers and held onto it tightly, his nostrils flaring at every positive word that was said. The mistake was made of asking Jason if he had any words he wanted to say. Jason's response of, "I have nothing to say," was short, curt, and bellowed all over the small, quiet chapel.
A short while later, the funeral continued outside in the small cemetery. Mel wondered if any of these people looked at Jason and wondered why his millions didn't pay for a bigger funeral. They better not have dared have that on their minds. The graveside ceremony was short. Mel had to admit, she seemed surprised at how traditional the funeral was. She wasn't sure what she expected. Leis? Fire? Chants or dances? She had so much to learn about Hawaiian culture.
After the ceremony, things began to get a little awkward. It was obvious that Jason preferred not to be bothered, but people kept stopping to talk to him. He was nice and he was as cordial as he could be, but it was obvious he'd rather have been left alone.
As they stood and talked to Kelani, Jason's eyes kept wandering off, mostly to the gravesite. He wasn't as much in the conversation as Mel and Kelani were, but he kept a death grip on her hand anyway. As both she and Kelani watched Jason's eyes begin to stay glued on the gravesite, Kelani put his hand gently on Mel's shoulder. "Come on, Melody. I think Jason needs a few minutes alone. Let's give him some space."
Reluctantly, Mel agreed and her hand slipped out of Jason's as she allowed Kelani to lead her away. They had walked maybe ten steps when they heard Jason bellow from behind them, "Hey! HEY!" And then before she could even turn around, Jason's arm was around her waist and he had practically ripped her out of Kelani's grip and tightly against his own body. His finger found itself in Kelani's face. "Don't you ever, EVER, do that shit again! Do you hear me? That is MY girl, don't you EVER take her away from me like that!"
Mel's jaw dropped as she witnessed this sudden outburst. "Jason," she hissed. But he wasn't hearing her.
"Hey," Kelani responded, keeping his cool, his long, frizzy hair blowing off of his shoulders in the breeze. "Take it easy, cuz, I was just helping."
"Taking my woman away from me isn't helping, she doesn't even know you," Jason said through his teeth.
"Yeah, but you do," Kelani responded with his Hawaiian accent. Then he looked Jason up and down as he turned to walk away. "Or at least I thought you did."
Mel turned to Jason and looked up at him, astonished by the outburst. The entire crowd had heard and watched the entire exchange. All eyes were on them. As she looked up at him, his nostrils flared, still enraged, and he wiped sweat from his upper lip. "Jason," Mel said quietly, getting his attention. She searched his eyes before she spoke again. "I'm not an object. And this is your family. We were only giving you a moment alone."
"I don't want to be alone."
And in an instant, there was that little boy again and Mel's heart went out to him once more. She reached up and let the back of her hand brush his cheek. "I think you owe Kelani an apology."
He sighed and looked at the ground between them, then back at her. "I was a complete dick to him."
Mel nodded. "Yeah. You were. I'll be right here while you go and work on that."
He leaned down and kissed her lips. "Stay right here. Don't leave me."
She shook her head. "Never."
--------------
Later that night, as they lay in bed, Mel realized just how fully exhausted she was. It had been SUCH a long day. Between their early flight, meeting his mother, the funeral...it was one emotional rollercoaster ride after another and Mel was more than thrilled at the chance to sleep.
Jason had other things on his mind, apparently.
Earlier that day, on the way home from the funeral, Jason had stopped the Jeep on the side of the road in an attempt to have sex. For the first time ever, Mel turned him down. "No," she had told him. "You can't keep using sex to get away from your feelings. You have to face them head on."
She'd pissed him off and she knew it. She couldn't let it bother her, though. She knew she was right and she knew he'd get over it.
Which he apparently had, because now, in bed together, he turned over on his side and pulled her across the bed to him, taking her mouth with his, his kiss deep and desperate. The kiss felt so good as he held her tight against him and he slowly rolled her over on her back, her arm hooking under his, gripping his t-shirt in her fist. He parted her legs with his knee and bent her free leg up against him, hugging it tightly to his side as he let his hand run up her thigh.
She was getting turned on very quickly and began to rock her hips against him in response when she suddenly remembered where they were and she stopped. "Jason," she whispered, shoving him away from her. "Jason. Not here. Not in your mother's house."
"Mel, I need you," he responded.
"Not here."
He raised his head and looked down at her in the dark. "Fine."
Without a word, he got out of the bed, opened the closet, snatched a wad of linen, and pulled her out of the bed by her hand. "Come on."
She wanted to object as he led her quickly through the dark house but curiosity was killing her. She nearly had to jog to keep up with him and before she knew it, they were out the back door, across the grass, through the brush, and their bare feet were touching sand as the waves crashed before them. Mel had to stop in her tracks at the shock of being on the Oahu beach in the middle of the night under the moonlight. She looked around her before Jason pulled her along. "Come on," he repeated.
A few steps later, wordlessly, Jason was spreading the sheet over the sand and pulling her over onto it as he stood there and eagerly removed her clothing. As she stood there, exposed, the slight chill of the night breeze blowing against her bare skin, Jason removed his own clothing without a sound. He leaned down and wrapped one of her legs around him, picking her up and laying her down, settling himself between her legs. His lips were instantly on hers, deepening the kiss he had started with in the bedroom, then letting his lips trail down her jaw and onto her neck. "You don't know how much I need you right now," he whispered into her ear.
"You can take me," she whispered back, against the crashing waves behind them. "It's okay."
Except that he took his time. He was gentle with her. Easy. Romantic. He touched her so tenderly it made her want to cry at times. His mouth had been actively exploring her chest when his head rose to meet hers. "Tell me you love me," he whispered to her.
Her heart was heavy. It wasn't like him to beg for her affection. Not like this. Not that he ever needed to. But she obliged him anyway. She reached up and took his face in her hands, caressing his skin softly. "I love you, Jason. More than you'll ever know. You're my everything."
"I'll never leave you," he whispered.
"I know."
After another moment, he entered her and she found herself in immediate sexual bliss. He groaned softy into her ear as he kept his body close to hers and their bodies moved together to the rhythm as he thrust gently into her. His stamina was more amazing than usual that night and she wrapped her legs around him tightly as he made love to her.
When they finished, Mel looked up into his eyes, seeing them sparkle as the moonlight hit his face from the side. "I just want you to know how amazing you are. I'm not even talking about the sex. You'll never know just how special a man you are. You're one of a kind. And I'm the luckiest woman in the world to be the one you chose to spend your life with."
Jason smiled down at her and kissed her once more before they reluctantly dressed, gathered the sheet, and made their way back into the house.
MEL
Mel loved her car. Jason could chide her about it all he wanted to, but it was only because he was jealous. She knew he loved her car, too, and jumped at any opportunity he could get his hands on to drive it, never once having the pride to actually come out and ask, always waiting for the opportunity to be offered. She thought it was cute.
Though she loved driving it, the novelty of it was starting to wear off quicker than she thought and within a few weeks it was just 'her car.' Late that afternoon, a week or so after the dinner meeting, her only concern was that while she was at the market, nobody noticed that the short, purple dress she wore with the deep-plunged V-neck and the flowing short sleeves was actually a bathing suit cover that she tried to pass off as a dress. It was too cute and too comfortable to be wasted on the beach. Paired with a pair of nude platform stilettos, it made the perfect outfit.
And did she mention how the royal color looked awesome against the new tan starting to form on her skin? She was growing more and more sun-kissed by the day!
Mel's goal was to beat Jason home so she could go ahead and start cooking the chicken breasts that she intended to put in their salads for dinner. Disappointment set in when his Jeep was already there when she pulled up. She sighed to herself as she parked the car. She loved surprising him, but maybe next time, she supposed.
Walking into the house, her heels clicked loudly against the tiled floors as she headed straight for the kitchen and put the groceries away. "Jason, are you in here?" She called. Peeking out the windows behind her, he was nowhere to be found.
"Yeah," she heard him say. The sound startled her and she looked around, the sound close by but still no Jason.
Curiously, she walked into the living room and around the couch, only to find him sitting on the floor with his back against it in his jeans and his gray button-down shirt. She would have salivated at how he had his sleeves rolled up below his elbows had she not been so concerned by the look of despair on his face. "Oh my god, Jason, are you okay?" Tucking her dress underneath her, she lowered herself next to him.
He held a letter in his hand. The paper was slightly crinkled around his fist and it was apparent that he'd been holding on to this for awhile now. How long had he been home?
He was silent as he sat there and she looked into his face, her heart pounding. "Jason--"
"My father died," he blurted quietly.
Mel was speechless. Jason's father had left him and his mother right before he turned ten, never to be heard from again. The fact that he was getting this news at all shocked her anyway. But the fact that he seemed so broken up over it--she shouldn't have been surprised, but she was, considering the fact that he resented his father and thought nothing of him as a person. She had no idea what to say, so she did the best she could. She rubbed the visible skin on his forearm and then reached up and stroked his short hair with her nails. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," he responded. "He was good for nothing, anyway." Then he handed her the paper he held in his hand. "Then I get this bullshit in the mailbox. So fucking pathetic."
Hesitantly, she took the paper from him and searched his face for a moment before she read it. It was handwritten, on notebook paper. A letter from his father, undated, but apparently relatively recent. An apology for leaving and being absent. Saying that he had no excuses for his behavior but that he was proud of Jason for the man he seemed to have become; about how he owned all his movies and read all the articles in the magazines about him; and then finally about how he'd had cancer for several years and was finally succumbing to it. All of this written, obviously, before he died. Tears welled up in Mel's eyes. Tears of sadness and anger--Mel knew the story about Jason's father. About how he was Jason's world until he just up and disappeared one day, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. About how Jason had to grow up early and be the man of the house. About how he started working at twelve with a paper route and worked hard all through high school to help his other make ends meet. How he had to listen to his mother cry herself to sleep at night and then wake up and smile for him and tell him to get his ass to school and make sure he aced that day's test. And that was why he took care of her now. He paid all her bills, made sure she never wanted or needed for anything. His mother deserved a break and now that he had the means to do it, he provided for her. And he did it happily.
Interrupting her thoughts, he forcefully lay his hand down on the coffee table in front of him and slid the envelope off of it and handed it to Mel. "Check THAT out."
Taking it gently from him, she read the return address. "It says Oahu."
"That street is twenty minutes from where we used to fucking live. Twenty minutes away. And he mails it here. He had my fucking address, Mel. Where did he get my address?"
She shook her head even though she knew he didn't see her.
Suddenly he jerked the paper and the envelope out of her hands and ripped them both up and littered them on the coffee table. "That bastard leaves my mother to raise a child all by herself, just--just fucking vanishes out of thin air--and lives twenty minutes away. Under our noses. Right under our goddamn noses."
As she reached up and stroked his hair again, she searched his face. For the first time, she was realizing that there was so much more to Jason that she didn't know. So much more to understand about him. Today, for instance, she learned something about him that came as a bit of a shock. The entire time she'd known him he'd been cool, calm, confident--zen, even. He had all the answers and life was easy for him. He had no worries, no cares, and he lived life day-by-day. However, deep inside, he was broken. He kept it hidden well. So well, Mel never even knew it. Not until today. Not until she looked into his eyes and saw a boy in there--a boy who was hurt, betrayed, rejected, and confused. One who knew rejection all too well. She was reminded of all the times she had rejected him--never knowing what he'd been through in the past--but now that she did, it made fresh tears well up in her eyes. She didn't feel sorry for him, however. She was angry with the man who did this to him--the man who made him feel this way. How could someone just do that to their child?
But this wasn't about her. This was about him. So she took a deep breath, fought her tears back and she rubbed his arm again. "Hey," she said softly. "You wanna go for a drive?"
Finally, he looked over at her. "A drive?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "Just a drive. We'll find some open road, roll down the windows and just--just go wherever the wind takes us. We'll take the car."
Taking a deep breath and nodding, he broke position to prepare to stand. "Uh, yeah. Okay. We can do that."
Smiling, she held his hand as he stood. Swiping her keys and her purse off the kitchen counter, he followed her outside and, as they locked the gate, she turned around and smiled again, tossing him her keys. "Here, you drive."
He raised his eyebrow as he caught them. "Mel, I'm not really in a state to drive--"
"It's okay," she said, winking at him. "I trust you. Let's open her up once and for all, see what she can do."
A small smile crept across his face as he got in the driver's seat and she was happy to see him smile. She was even happier to see the grin widen on his face as he sat behind the wheel of her car--and he looked hot as hell in it, too. He loved her car. She didn't know why she was so stingy with it, she always loved when he drove it. As he backed out and started down the road, she couldn't stop looking at him. As he focused on the car and changed the gears, as his knees moved as he pressed the clutch--Jesus, he worked that car almost as well as he knew how to work her.
Quickly taking her eyes off of him, she turned her concentration out her window and took joy when she saw the ocean between the houses. "It's so beautiful out here," she said. "I hardly get to see it when I'm driving."
She looked over at him as he reached over and took her hand. He smiled. "I told you you'd love it."
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You actually didn't say that, but I would have believed you anyway."
Merging onto Pacific Coast Highway, Jason cussed. "Shit. I should have known we should have gone the other way. Always fucking traffic out here."
She squeezed his hand and kissed the top of it. It was obvious that it would be awhile before he shook the tension from the situation with his father. "It's okay," she said. "It'll clear out."
They moved slowly amidst the plethora of plain and mundane automobiles. Jason grinned at her and then back at the road. "You should see the looks we're getting right now from all these other drivers. Their eyes are all wide and they're freaking out like, 'holy shit!'"
She smiled as he laughed. "You sure they're not looking at you?"
He glanced at her and smirked. "It's definitely the car."
They were silent for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "You know what I always wanted to do? I always wanted to eat at every oddball dive restaurant on this road. How do you feel about dives?"
Mel nodded. "I lived in New York for ten years. I've probably been in every dive in the city."
"Fantastic," he said. "As soon I have the green light to eat real food again, that's exactly what we're doing."
She giggled as the traffic, indeed, did begin to thin and Jason was able to pick up a little speed. As they continued down Pacific Coast Highway, it felt like they had been driving forever already. Jason was quiet most of the time. They traded one-liners here and there. At one point, she said to him, "You know, I see what you're doing. I know why you chose to come this direction instead of the other. There's more traffic here. You wanted to show off the car. Didn't you?"
He glanced over and smirked at her.
"I knew it," she confirmed. "Must be a man thing."
Then he looked her over and back at the road. "You're killing me in that dress, you know that, right?"
She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion and blushed as she looked straight ahead of her. "Um, random..."
"Well, you know, since we're talking about things men like and all."
"Oh. Uh, it's not--I mean it's really nothing special, just casual--"
"And you wear it so damn well."
She continued to blush as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, um, thank you..."
"Don't be coy," he said. "I know you wear that stuff just for me."
"Maybe I wear it because I like it. I was dressing like this way before you came along, you know."
"Please. For years I've seen you in nothing but pants and long dresses."
"Because you always came around when it was cold."
"You had a walkway put in just so you could wear stilettos on the deck. I watched you that day you rehired Martina. And you knew I was there. I'm on to you, gorgeous."
Mel smiled. She'd been caught. She smoothed out her dress and said, "Well. Maybe I do like to dress for my man just a little."
"Just a little?"
"Don't push it."
They drove until the sky darkened. He had driven them into LA and Mel didn't understand it, especially since he knew LA didn't interest her. He suddenly began taking her off the main highway and onto dark side streets which only confused her more and more since she expected him to want to find an open space to put the pedal to the metal and take the Viper as fast as it would go. She had hoped to see it hit three digits that day.
Finally, she asked him, "Where are we going?"
"This is Mulholland Drive," he answered. "There's a spot on the road here where tons of movie scenes have been filmed. It's kind of a tourist attraction but, normally, at this time of year on a weeknight, it's pretty deserted."
A few minutes later, they pulled around into a paved overlook area. As promised, it was deserted and, without wasting any time, he got out of the car and came around, opening the door for Mel. Taking his hand, she stepped out, expecting to see the sights when, instead, he closed her door and pushed her up against it. Wordlessly, he looked down at her and she gazed back up into his eyes. The hurt was still there. All the talking and the smiling and laughing he had done in the car? All a cover-up for the pain he was still feeling. A desperate attempt to get his mind off of it all. Mel knew it as it was happening and it was okay with her.
Suddenly she was aware of the chill in the night air and goose bumps invaded her arms. Trembling from the sudden chill, she didn't think Jason would notice. However, she should have known better, as he noticed everything, and before she knew it, he was unbuttoning his own shirt and taking it off to wrap it around her. He stood there in a black tank top, arms exposed and she felt bad that he now had to feel the chill in the air so harsh on his skin but she didn't have it in her heart to object. His shirt was unbelievably warm around her body and she was almost ashamed to admit how good it felt.
He stepped closer to her and let his hands fall to her hips. She knew he would immediately notice her lack of a panty line and when he did, he looked at her and muttered, "Shit," under his breath. At that, he gripped her waist and picked her up, pinning her against the Viper's door, her legs instinctively wrapping tightly around his body.
He didn't make a sound, he didn't kiss her, and he didn't waste any time. Reaching down between them, he moved himself just enough to nimbly unbutton and unzip himself with one hand and then pull himself out and enter her in one swift motion. She took in a breath at the first stroke, the first one always being the most shocking. He pressed himself harder into her and instead of thrusting, began to grind his hips into her. As he grinded and rocked into her, he moved his hips in such a way that felt better than almost anything she had ever felt before. He didn't pull out and he didn't thrust, he just continued inside her, grinding into her.
He stared into her eyes the entire time, in silence. The only sound was his heavy, staggered breathing matched with hers. However, the more he grinded inside her, the more excited she became. She locked her legs around him tighter and tightened her muscles around him inside, her jaw slacking and her chest heaving from her deepened staggered breathing.
She could feel herself losing control of herself. Her hands began to wander all over the parts of him she could reach. Looking back up into his eyes, she watched his stern face begin to give in as well. Wrapping an arm around his neck and gripping his arm with her other hand, he finally kissed her, his mouth on her neck as she let her head fall back for a moment. Lifting her head again, she found her mouth close to his ear and she nibbled on his lobe just ever so lightly before she whispered, "Jason."
"What, baby?" He whispered just as quietly between breaths. "Say it."
And then she came, pulling him against her and tightening her legs as tight as she could around him. Her death grip around his neck surely had to be choking him, but he didn't seem phased by it. After a moment, he pulled his head back and she looked up into his eyes, unable to resist the urge to whisper what she'd tried to whisper before. "I love you so much."
Apparently that was all he needed to hear. His eyes closed and his head fell limp against the side of hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he squeezed her body tight against his own as he let out a deep breath accompanied by a nearly inaudible growl into her ear. It always made her nervous when he came inside her, but she always loved the way it felt when he did. For a brief moment she was disappointed that her dress was likely ruined but quickly decided it was okay. He needed her tonight, no matter in what shape or fashion, he needed her and she was going to be there for him. If that meant that he needed to get off to help clear his mind, then so be it."
Backing up slowly and letting her down, her knees nearly gave out when her feet touched the ground. She stumbled for a second and he caught her. "Are you okay?"
"Yep," she smiled up at him. "That was amazing. You're amazing."
His face remained serious. He looked at her for a moment before he stepped closer to her and took her face in his hands. "I'll never abandon you," he said to her. "I will never leave you and I will never abandon you. I'm not him, I'm not--I'm not like him. And I want you to know, just because we share DNA doesn't mean I'm going to do any of the things that he did. Okay? You have to believe me."
"I've never once had reason to doubt you."
"I promise you. Never."
She nodded. "I know."
He lowered his hands and turned around to lean against the car beside her, finally opening up the view of the city lights down below. He put his arm around her and pulled her close and she would have been more awe-inspired, but he kept talking and she couldn't tear her attention away from him. "Look. I uh, I never told anybody this. But--after he left, growing up, I was scared to death. I didn't know any better, I didn't know anything about relationships. I didn't believe in them. All I knew was, one minute my parents loved each other and the next minute, my old man vanishes. Relationships never last, Mel. I mean, what's the point in having one if it's just gonna end, right? Where's the logic?"
Mel's heart sank. Had she gone into this a little too open-minded? Had she given her heart away a little too freely? She knew she'd been devastated over John and had been more than emotionally torn up over Taylor--but she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, if Jason ever broke her heart she wouldn't live through it. Jason Kamealoha was it for her. She'd been through so much in her life, waited so long to finally feel the way she felt, for the first time in her life, and if that all was suddenly ripped out from under her--well, she couldn't guarantee what might happen to her. She couldn't live without him. Literally and figuratively. It wasn't an option.
"And that's how I lived my life," he continued. "It's why I stayed single, I created barriers, built emotional walls. And it worked for me. And then it took once. One time, one--one split second to look into your eyes for the very first time and it all came crashing down around me and I felt it. And it was unlike anything I'd ever felt in my entire life."
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "That's why you stayed..." she whispered.
"It was the first time I ever felt real love for someone. Real, romantic love. The way it's supposed to be. It was the first time my eyes were truly open--the first time since the day he left. When I realized I wasn't going to be like him after all. That I had it in me not to be a heartless bastard. I looked at you and I had a chance. At life. At a future. It was there for me."
Mel swallowed the lump in her throat. "I had no idea. I put you through hell..."
"Every single time I just loved you more."
"You're a good person," she said quietly. "A good man. With the kindest heart I've ever known. You don't have it in you to--to be like what you say he was. It's not in your nature. And I know what's in your nature because you're my soul mate. You and I--we're kinda the same person in a lot of ways. I know they say opposites attract, and that's true, but sometimes you get two people who just--you can't have one without the other and I think that's who we've been since the day we met. And I've never had any doubts in my mind about you. Not ever."
They were silent after that, standing next to each other, gazing town at the city lights. Then she turned toward him and touched his cheek, searching his eyes. "It's okay if you cry," she said softly. "Not saying you're required to, but if you need to, it's okay. And it's okay if you miss him. I just want you to know that."
Hesitantly, he responded quietly, "Take me home." He fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. "Please, just take me home."
An hour later, they walked through the door of their house. It was late and they hadn't even eaten dinner but Mel was far from an appetite and she guessed that Jason was, too. He went straight to the bedroom and changed for bed and she was right behind him.
Slipping into something more comfortable, she went to the kitchen to chug the water she so desperately needed before she settled in for the night. Jason caught her eye as he walked into the room in his white t-shirt and a pair of boxers and he stopped short as he passed the coffee table where the remnants of the ripped up letter and envelope still remained. He glanced up at her and her eyes met his and in that instant she knew it was coming.
She walked briskly to where he stood and stood on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and that was the moment that he broke down. Oddly enough, Mel was relieved that he cried. She was relieved that he didn't have too much pride to try to bottle it up in her presence and even more relieved that this might help him to feel a little better. A good cry never hurt anyone.
As he hugged her to him tightly, his tall frame hunched over to cry into her neck and hair and his body began to feel a little heavy. Stumbling backward and depositing her man onto the sofa, she sat and held him as his sobs caused his shoulders to heave underneath her arms. She stroked his hair and she rubbed his back and she kissed his forehead as he soaked her shirt with his tears.
He cried for nearly half an hour. Neither of them uttered a word. She didn't attempt to quiet him. She let him cry and she let him need her for as long as it took. Eventually, one thing led to another and he ended up laying her down and kissing her for what felt like an eternity. There was no touching, no heavy petting, no clothing removed. He simply kissed her, softly, deeply, romantically.
They fell asleep on the sofa together, Mel wrapped up in Jason's arms. The last thing she remembered hearing before her eyes closed was, "Tomorrow I'm gonna book us a trip to Hawaii."
-------------------
"He was awake before I was this morning," Mel said to her new friend, Sarah, as they sat at lunch in Beverly Hills. "Finalizing a trip to Hawaii. I mean, he said it last night as he was falling asleep but I wasn't sure he'd actually remember it."
"Wow. That's sudden," Sarah responded, taking a bite of her salad. "How long will you be gone?"
Mel shrugged. "Don't know. I mean, we HAVE to come back, he's gotta start on that movie soon. I don't know. Hawaii's his home. I'm afraid we're going to get there and not want to come back."
"David tried that with me, not too long after we got married. He was all, 'Let's move to England,' and I put the kibash on that real quick. LA is my home. I was raised here. There's nothing he can do in England that he can't do in LA."
"So just like that, he stayed in LA?"
"We own a home in England, too. Compromise, you know."
Mel sighed. "We're talking about buying the house in Malibu."
"Together?"
"Yeah."
"That's like...that's like practically getting--"
"I know."
"Have you talked about it?"
"What, marriage?"
"Yeah."
Mel shook her head. "Not really, no."
Sarah looked at her as if she were crazy. "Are you serious? That's impossible."
"It's not like we're avoiding the subject. But, you know, our relationship is still new..."
Sarah shook her head. "No, it isn't."
Mel narrowed her eyes at her.
"Look," Sarah continued. "It's a small-ass world out there. When you first started coming to class and we discovered that David and Jason were friends, it was pretty much destiny that you and I get along so well. And David and I talk. And I know yours and Jason's story. I know YOUR story. I know about Taylor Hanson and all that jazz. Everyone knows about it."
Mel glanced down at her plate in shame.
"Pictures are worth a thousand words," Sarah said gently. "And every picture of you and Jason that has ever surfaced, platonic or otherwise, reads like you've known each other forever. You're soul mates. You know you are. You can't put a measurement of time on that. So what if you've only been "official" for a few months? You've loved each other for a lot longer than that. Which makes how long you've been together in regards to discussing marriage a moot argument. Just saying."
Mel sighed and looked across the table at her flaming-haired friend. "You're right. You're absolutely right."
"Would you say yes if he asked you?"
"In a heartbeat. But--I've already been engaged to someone else this year and--"
"Did you not hear a word I just said?"
"It makes me feel weird. Maybe that's why he doesn't bring it up."
"Have you brought it up?"
"No."
"Because you're ashamed of yourself?"
Mel shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. We're just--we're just taking it a day at a time. We're happy."
"Still," Sarah said, shaking her head. "Buying a house together, that's--I mean, that should tell you everything you need to know right there." Then she smiled. "Maybe you should start planning a wedding."
"NO," Mel said firmly. "Absolutely not. I've already planned one this year and this year can't be over fast enough. Maybe when the new year starts and I can psychologically start fresh and brand new. You know?"
Sarah shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. Makes sense."
After lunch was over, Sarah looked deviously across the table at Mel. "So you're taking off to Hawaii soon. And Rodeo is right around the corner. I think a little bikini shopping is in order, don't you?"
Mel grinned at her friend as they paid the check and started on their impromptu shopping trip.
---------------
It was a couple of days. That fast, just a couple of days later and they were flying over Hawaii. Not only had Jason been relatively quiet during the plane ride, but he'd been relatively quiet over the past couple of days, as well.
He let her sit by the window on the plane. He'd told her he couldn't let her miss out on the view as they flew over and he'd been right. Mel looked out the window in awe and she felt Jason's breath in her ear. "It's beautiful, isn't it? It's been my dream to bring you here someday. Welcome home, gorgeous."
She turned around and looked at him, his green eyes sparkling as he smiled at her. It was the first time in three days she'd seen him smile and it melted her heart.
He'd insisted on flying first class. Mel had only flown first class a handful of times, mostly when she felt the need to be alone or she needed the quiet, but she imagined that Jason was in nearly the same mindset now as she had been during those times. He didn't feel like being mixed up in the crowd and he wanted the hell off that plane as soon as it landed.
When they finally were able to step off the plane, the scene they were met with when they emerged from the door caused Mel to grip his forearm with both hands in shock. "Holy shit..."
There was a sea of people. A sea of them. Held back by small metal barricades and airport security. Some held signs but Mel didn't even read them. She glanced behind them back into plane and hissed into Jason's ear, "Is the president on the plane or something?" Then she glanced at a sign that read "Welcome Home" and it hit her. "Oh my god," she whispered.
Jason was silent. His face was stoic. She hated seeing him this way. He gripped her hand as they slowly made their way down the steps of the plane and onto the tarmac. With his newfound attitude, she nearly expected Jason to ignore them all and walk right inside the terminal, but she was pleasantly surprised when he stopped for autographs and photos. Mel smiled. There he was. She knew he was in there somewhere.
Once inside the terminal, everything else was a blur. Baggage claim, car rental (another Jeep), even the ride to Jason's mother's house. Normally, Mel would have been nervous about meeting his mother, engrossed in the sights as they drove down the Oahu roads--but she couldn't be any of these things for her concern for Jason. She knew he was grieving for his father in his own way. She knew that was all it was. But she couldn't help being concerned nonetheless. In the middle of the ride, she took his hand in hers and she kissed it. "I love you," she reminded him quietly.
He glanced at her, a small smile on his face. "I love you, too," he responded. Then he turned his attention back to the road. He was silent for a few more minutes before he said suddenly, "The funeral is today."
Mel felt her eyes widen at the windshield. This was news to her. In his grief for his father, was he also forgetting how to communicate? She wasn't even sure if she'd brought anything suitable for a funeral. "Um..." She didn't know what to say. "I just assumed there already--"
"I talked to one of my cousins yesterday. Told him I was coming. He told me about the funeral, said they wanted to wait for me."
Mel was speechless. And shocked. She looked over at him. "Do you want to go?"
Jason remained silent.
"It's okay if you want to," she said. "It's okay if you go."
"I dunno," he muttered.
And they were silent for the rest of the ride.
Within minutes, they were driving down a beachside neighborhood lined with nice, middle-class homes. To the right were the beach houses and toward the end of the neighborhood, as the distance between the houses grew more and more spacious, Jason slowed to turn into the driveway of one on the right with the ocean right behind it. It was a modest home, one-story, with a low roof, barely-there yard, flowers along the walkway, and a palm tree on the side. It was charming. Mel instantly loved it.
Jason was out of the Jeep and on her side of the vehicle before she even touched the door handle. She loved the way Jason always seemed to do that. He was such a gentleman, the way he opened doors for her and carried her bags. She hated feeling like she was getting used to it so she always made the attempt to do it on her own before he took it upon himself. He took her hand and helped her out of the Jeep, landing a surprise kiss on her lips and smiled before leading her around the side of the house and in through the back door.
The door he led her into lead straight into the kitchen. The house boasted a semi-open floor plan. The kitchen was small with a small table with four chairs gracing the middle of it. To the left was another dining area with a bigger table and directly across from the dining area, no wall to separate them, was the small living room. Beyond them, across the kitchen, was a small hallway. At that moment, that was all Mel could immediately see of the house.
As Mel took in the charm and the warmth of the beach house, Jason called loudly, "Ma? You here?"
Within seconds, a short woman, only an inch or two taller than Mel, slightly stout, with thick, silver hair, poked her head out of one of the rooms in the hallway and swiftly made her way across the kitchen toward them. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with bangs gracing her face against her sun-kissed skin, and you couldn't miss the red, floral mumu she sported. Her eyes were the same color as Jason's and they twinkled when she smiled just like his did. Her face was jolly and warm and inviting and, without even opening her mouth, Mel liked her instantly.
Jason's mother made a beeline straight for him. "Oh, my baby's home!" Mel couldn't stop grinning when his mother wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. As he leaned down to hug her, Mel could see her face over his shoulder and there were tears in her eyes, causing Mel's own tears to spring up in hers.
"Hey, Ma," she could hear Jason's voice muffled against his mother. "How are you?"
"Better now," she said, patting his back. Then she pulled away from him and looked in his face, resting her hand on his cheek. Wiping away her own tears, she looked over at Mel and said, "Good lord, sweetheart, what's wrong with you?"
Mel smiled as she wiped her own tears. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Watching you two and--"
Before she could finish, Jason's mother had wrapped her in a hug, too. "Goodness, Jason, you didn't tell me this child wore her heart on her sleeve." Mel had to giggle a little as she sniffed her tears away and Jason's mother pulled away and looked at Mel, rubbing her arms. "You're my sweet boy's Melokia. I've been waiting for the day I finally get to meet you."
Jason chuckled. "Could've at least let me get it out of my mouth."
His mother looked up at him. "There's no need for formalities here, you know that." Then she turned her attention back to Mel. "I'm Barbara. Call me Barb, everybody does. Welcome to my home and to my family."
Mel grinned at Barb, falling more and more in love with her the more she talked. "Thank you. I'm so happy to be here."
"So, uh, I'm gonna go ahead and get our stuff out of the car, if that's okay," Jason said to his mother, hesitantly.
"Sure, yes, go ahead," Barb said. "I'm going to show Melody around the house, we'll be right here."
Jason glanced at his mother and then at Mel before he disappeared out the back door.
Barb smiled at Mel and Mel smiled back at her. "How is he?" His mother asked, apparently cutting to the chase. The house-showing had been a ruse. If anyone knew Jason better than Mel did, it would definitely be his mother.
Mel sighed. "He's...I think he's confused. I don't think he really knows how or what to feel."
Barb's sigh matched Mel's as she invited her to sit at the kitchen table. "How are YOU?" Mel asked her.
Barb glanced at her hands and then back up at Mel. "I'm more concerned about Jason. Me, I've--at the risk of sounding harsh, I accepted the inevitable a long time ago. Now it's all about Jason for me."
Mel nodded in understanding. "I told him it was okay if he wanted to go to the funeral today," she said quietly. "I hope that wasn't--"
Barb interrupted her by reaching across and laying her hand across Mel's. "I'm so happy he has you to look out for him. I would have told him the same thing."
Mel smiled across the table as Jason came in through the door, hauling their luggage. Mel jumped up from her seat. "Jason," she scolded. "Let me take a couple of those."
"No," he objected. "It's okay, I got it." And then both Mel and his mother watched him carry the luggage down the hallway.
They looked back at each other. "He doesn't let you lift a finger, does he?" Barb asked.
Mel shook her head in response.
Barb smiled. "That's my boy. He's always been a gentleman like that."
"And stubborn?"
Barb laughed. "Stubborn as they come."
As Jason entered the room again, both women stood from the table. "Uh, Ma, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked her.
Mel looked from Jason to his mother and said, "Um, I'm just gonna go unpack."
"You don't have to leave," Jason objected.
"No, it's fine," Mel said, waving him off. "You two--you talk. You be alone. I'll go unpack that way we won't have to do it later. Okay?"
With that, Mel vanished down the hallway, poking her head in the doors of each room till she found the one that housed their luggage. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and looked around. The room was small. Simple. A bed, a dresser, a desk, and a television on the wall. It had its own bathroom connected to it. She loved the modest way in which his mother lived compared to what she knew Jason could provide her with. If Mel had to guess, the exchange had been that Jason had insisted on buying her something larger and that his mother probably hadn't wanted him to buy her a place at all and, finally giving in, chose this home, being just enough for her and him and was all she needed. Jason probably begrudgingly gave in and his mother was likely happy here. Mel smiled to herself. She had no way of knowing if she was right but she knew Jason well enough to guess that she was.
Mel took her time unpacking their luggage, depositing clothes into the dresser, hanging them in the closet and arranging their toiletries in the bathroom. She had just sat herself on the edge of the bed once more to stall a few more minutes, not wanting to interrupt Jason and his mother, when he suddenly appeared in the doorway. She looked up at him and her heart fluttered. It always had, without fail. He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed. "You okay?" He asked gently.
She reached over and took his hand in hers. "I'm worried about you."
He looked at her and searched her eyes for a moment before he looked down at their hands. "He doesn't deserve this, you know."
She could help herself from reaching up and running her fingers through his short hair. "Doesn't deserve what?"
"He doesn't deserve my presence. At his funeral. He didn't say goodbye to me. Why should I say goodbye to him?" Then he sighed and took his hand from hers, wiping both of his palms on his pants. "But I'm gonna go. I'm, uh, I'm gonna go. I think I need to."
Mel nodded in understanding. "Okay," she said quietly.
Then he looked over at her, the vulnerability running rampant in his eyes. He was so lost. Mel's heart broke for him. "What do you think?" He asked her.
She nodded again. "I think...if you think being there will help at all...I think you should go. If that's really what you want to do."
"Am I a bastard if I don't go?"
"Absolutely not."
"I need to be the bigger man here," he said. "I AM the bigger man. And I think the bigger man would go. But not to pay my respects."
"For closure," she whispered.
He nodded. "Yeah. For closure. I, um--" He let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair before he looked at her again. "Will you go with me?"
She nodded back at him. "Of course. Anything you need. I'm right here."
Awhile later, after she had changed clothes and Jason had informed her that you didn't wear black to funerals in Hawaii, she changed again and emerged from the bedroom, meeting his mother in the kitchen. Barb smiled solemnly. "You look beautiful, dear."
Mel smiled, looking down at her dress. "Thank you. The last funeral I went to was my husband's, believe it or not. That was so long ago. I've never not worn black to a funeral." Mel's outfit was painfully simple. The top of her maxi-style dress was navy blue with capped short sleeves and a scooped neck. The high waist of the dress cinched around her ribcage and flowed down to her shins in an intricate blue, orange, and brown pattern. She chose nude pumps for her shoes. She looked up at Barb, who remained in her red mumu. "Are you not coming?"
She shook her head and took Mel's hand. "There's no reason for me to be there. I made peace with my situation a long time ago. Watch out for my son today."
"Always."
Mel nearly fell over herself when Jason walked into the kitchen in a white button-down and khakis. He wore the shirt exactly the way she liked it, unbuttoned at the top, cuffs rolled up his forearms. Then she remembered the purpose for their outing and immediately collected herself.
-------------
They walked up to the doors of the mortuary and Jason stopped in his tracks, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure this was such a good idea," he said to Mel.
"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do," she said gently.
"Would it be bad if we just turned around and went home?"
Mel shook her head. "No."
He continued to stand there, shifting his weight for a second. Then he let out a breath and released his hands from his pockets. "No, I better do this. I may or may not regret it, who knows?"
Mel took his hand in both of hers and he opened the door to let them in. They were late, that much was obvious. Everyone who was there was already gathered in the small chapel and the building was quiet. Jason stopped one more time in the lobby. "Mel--there are--there are people in there--family--that I haven't seen in years. I mean, I grew up with them but he was never around. This just feels so fucking awkward. I mean, shit, even when he dies he has to put me in this position--" He turned his body, looking around him anxiously.
Mel felt for him. He was so scared. He would never admit it, but it was written all over his face. "Jason," she said quietly, reaching up and turning his face to meet hers. "It's okay. I'm right here with you, there's nothing here for you to fear. We're together. Nothing and nobody is going to hurt you. Okay?"
He looked down at her and nodded. Then he took a deep breath and grabbed her hand. "Let's just get this over with." Bravely, he rounded the doorway into the chapel and the soft murmuring amongst the mourners fell to a dead silence.
Mel gripped Jason's hand and covered it with her other one as he hesitated. He turned his face into her suddenly and whispered, "Shit. It's open."
She looked forward at the subject of his cursing. The casket ahead of them was still open. Her heart pounded. Funerals made her nervous anyway, but her nerves were doubled worrying about how he was feeling. Before she had the chance to respond to him, he straightened his posture, gripped her hand tighter, and the pair walked down the aisle toward the front of the chapel.
Mel heard the murmurs and whispers start to pick back up and no doubt Jason did, too, but he chose to ignore them. She knew what they were saying without even hearing them. She knew conversation was a mix between Jason Kamealoha, the famous Hollywood movie star and Jason, the son this dead man abandoned over twenty-five years ago. No doubt most everyone in the room was shocked to see him there. A large Hawaiian man stood from his seat and stopped them in the aisle. Jason hugged him and shook his hand and this was obviously one of the cousins he'd spoken about in the past. His name was Kelani and Mel learned then that that was the cousin who had contacted Jason about the funeral. If Mel had to guess, he had something to do with the letter that got sent to Jason, too.
As they moved closer to the front, Mel noticed that the casket was long. It seemed longer than a typical casket, she thought. But then again, John had been a tall man also, so what did she really have to compare to? As she approached the casket with Jason cautiously, both of their grips tightened on each other. She caught a gasp in her throat as she looked inside and she immediately looked up, around, anywhere but the corpse laying below her. It was like looking into the future. So many of Jason's features lay embalmed on that satin pillow, Mel almost couldn't take looking at him. Instead, she wrapped her arm comfortingly around Jason's waist and opted to focus on him. That's who she was there for anyway. Not the man who had abandoned him.
Mel wished she could read Jason's face, but his expression remained stone-cold as he peered into the coffin. She wished she could read his thoughts but part of her was glad she couldn't. She could only imagine what could possibly be going through his mind. And her heart broke for him. "I don't even know if I wanted this to be my last memory of him," she heard him whisper suddenly. "I am so goddamn mad at him. But I don't even know if I want this memory. But I guess I don't have a choice now, do I?"
Mel swallowed a lump and ran her hand gently up and down his back. "Do you want to sit down?"
He didn't respond to her for a moment. Then he looked at her and nodded. "Yeah."
They turned around and all eyes were on them. Of course they were. Where else would they be? Three rows back, Kelani stood and moved down, signaling that he was making room for Jason and Mel and the two of them took their seats next to him, Jason at the aisle, his arm holding Mel tightly, close to him.
As the short service was delivered, Jason was expressionless. Several people stood and spoke about the deceased and Mel's stomach churned. She took Jason's free hand with hers and held onto it tightly, his nostrils flaring at every positive word that was said. The mistake was made of asking Jason if he had any words he wanted to say. Jason's response of, "I have nothing to say," was short, curt, and bellowed all over the small, quiet chapel.
A short while later, the funeral continued outside in the small cemetery. Mel wondered if any of these people looked at Jason and wondered why his millions didn't pay for a bigger funeral. They better not have dared have that on their minds. The graveside ceremony was short. Mel had to admit, she seemed surprised at how traditional the funeral was. She wasn't sure what she expected. Leis? Fire? Chants or dances? She had so much to learn about Hawaiian culture.
After the ceremony, things began to get a little awkward. It was obvious that Jason preferred not to be bothered, but people kept stopping to talk to him. He was nice and he was as cordial as he could be, but it was obvious he'd rather have been left alone.
As they stood and talked to Kelani, Jason's eyes kept wandering off, mostly to the gravesite. He wasn't as much in the conversation as Mel and Kelani were, but he kept a death grip on her hand anyway. As both she and Kelani watched Jason's eyes begin to stay glued on the gravesite, Kelani put his hand gently on Mel's shoulder. "Come on, Melody. I think Jason needs a few minutes alone. Let's give him some space."
Reluctantly, Mel agreed and her hand slipped out of Jason's as she allowed Kelani to lead her away. They had walked maybe ten steps when they heard Jason bellow from behind them, "Hey! HEY!" And then before she could even turn around, Jason's arm was around her waist and he had practically ripped her out of Kelani's grip and tightly against his own body. His finger found itself in Kelani's face. "Don't you ever, EVER, do that shit again! Do you hear me? That is MY girl, don't you EVER take her away from me like that!"
Mel's jaw dropped as she witnessed this sudden outburst. "Jason," she hissed. But he wasn't hearing her.
"Hey," Kelani responded, keeping his cool, his long, frizzy hair blowing off of his shoulders in the breeze. "Take it easy, cuz, I was just helping."
"Taking my woman away from me isn't helping, she doesn't even know you," Jason said through his teeth.
"Yeah, but you do," Kelani responded with his Hawaiian accent. Then he looked Jason up and down as he turned to walk away. "Or at least I thought you did."
Mel turned to Jason and looked up at him, astonished by the outburst. The entire crowd had heard and watched the entire exchange. All eyes were on them. As she looked up at him, his nostrils flared, still enraged, and he wiped sweat from his upper lip. "Jason," Mel said quietly, getting his attention. She searched his eyes before she spoke again. "I'm not an object. And this is your family. We were only giving you a moment alone."
"I don't want to be alone."
And in an instant, there was that little boy again and Mel's heart went out to him once more. She reached up and let the back of her hand brush his cheek. "I think you owe Kelani an apology."
He sighed and looked at the ground between them, then back at her. "I was a complete dick to him."
Mel nodded. "Yeah. You were. I'll be right here while you go and work on that."
He leaned down and kissed her lips. "Stay right here. Don't leave me."
She shook her head. "Never."
--------------
Later that night, as they lay in bed, Mel realized just how fully exhausted she was. It had been SUCH a long day. Between their early flight, meeting his mother, the funeral...it was one emotional rollercoaster ride after another and Mel was more than thrilled at the chance to sleep.
Jason had other things on his mind, apparently.
Earlier that day, on the way home from the funeral, Jason had stopped the Jeep on the side of the road in an attempt to have sex. For the first time ever, Mel turned him down. "No," she had told him. "You can't keep using sex to get away from your feelings. You have to face them head on."
She'd pissed him off and she knew it. She couldn't let it bother her, though. She knew she was right and she knew he'd get over it.
Which he apparently had, because now, in bed together, he turned over on his side and pulled her across the bed to him, taking her mouth with his, his kiss deep and desperate. The kiss felt so good as he held her tight against him and he slowly rolled her over on her back, her arm hooking under his, gripping his t-shirt in her fist. He parted her legs with his knee and bent her free leg up against him, hugging it tightly to his side as he let his hand run up her thigh.
She was getting turned on very quickly and began to rock her hips against him in response when she suddenly remembered where they were and she stopped. "Jason," she whispered, shoving him away from her. "Jason. Not here. Not in your mother's house."
"Mel, I need you," he responded.
"Not here."
He raised his head and looked down at her in the dark. "Fine."
Without a word, he got out of the bed, opened the closet, snatched a wad of linen, and pulled her out of the bed by her hand. "Come on."
She wanted to object as he led her quickly through the dark house but curiosity was killing her. She nearly had to jog to keep up with him and before she knew it, they were out the back door, across the grass, through the brush, and their bare feet were touching sand as the waves crashed before them. Mel had to stop in her tracks at the shock of being on the Oahu beach in the middle of the night under the moonlight. She looked around her before Jason pulled her along. "Come on," he repeated.
A few steps later, wordlessly, Jason was spreading the sheet over the sand and pulling her over onto it as he stood there and eagerly removed her clothing. As she stood there, exposed, the slight chill of the night breeze blowing against her bare skin, Jason removed his own clothing without a sound. He leaned down and wrapped one of her legs around him, picking her up and laying her down, settling himself between her legs. His lips were instantly on hers, deepening the kiss he had started with in the bedroom, then letting his lips trail down her jaw and onto her neck. "You don't know how much I need you right now," he whispered into her ear.
"You can take me," she whispered back, against the crashing waves behind them. "It's okay."
Except that he took his time. He was gentle with her. Easy. Romantic. He touched her so tenderly it made her want to cry at times. His mouth had been actively exploring her chest when his head rose to meet hers. "Tell me you love me," he whispered to her.
Her heart was heavy. It wasn't like him to beg for her affection. Not like this. Not that he ever needed to. But she obliged him anyway. She reached up and took his face in her hands, caressing his skin softly. "I love you, Jason. More than you'll ever know. You're my everything."
"I'll never leave you," he whispered.
"I know."
After another moment, he entered her and she found herself in immediate sexual bliss. He groaned softy into her ear as he kept his body close to hers and their bodies moved together to the rhythm as he thrust gently into her. His stamina was more amazing than usual that night and she wrapped her legs around him tightly as he made love to her.
When they finished, Mel looked up into his eyes, seeing them sparkle as the moonlight hit his face from the side. "I just want you to know how amazing you are. I'm not even talking about the sex. You'll never know just how special a man you are. You're one of a kind. And I'm the luckiest woman in the world to be the one you chose to spend your life with."
Jason smiled down at her and kissed her once more before they reluctantly dressed, gathered the sheet, and made their way back into the house.