Moonlight and Merlot

The continuing saga of the lives, loves and heartbreaks of the residents of Dion Valley, CA.

As with all the best things in life, this is for adults only.

*****

Nick gazed off in the direction that Lela and Zach had disappeared together. He hadn’t known that she and Zach had once been lovers and now the knowledge sat in the back of his head, simmering and festering there.

Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like he was a virgin before last night or anything. It shouldn’t matter at all. And yet it did. It mattered a lot.

A noise, something, he wasn’t sure what, made him glance over at Phoebe and he was greeted by a sight so strange,  so horrifying, he could feel the revulsion curl in his stomach. She was curled up on the hood of Zach’s car moaning and… writhing. A chill ran through him, settling deep into his bones and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

For one heartbeat, one breath, one instant of a tenth of a millionth of a second, he saw… something. Darkness. A darkness so dark it made the deepest hours of the night seem bright. A darkness that surrounded her, enveloped her, cocooned her, encased and shrouded and coated her. Devoured her.

And then he blinked.

And it was gone.

“Damn,” Phoebe moaned as she stirred and then sat up. “This hangover is killing me.”

“Phoebe?” he breathed, still frozen in place, his hand stretched out in her direction though he had no recollection of reaching out toward her, his heart racing, the blood pounding though his veins as if to make up for the one moment when it had stopped.

She looked at him and grimaced. “You know, you’re really not a morning person, Nick.” She ran a critical eye over him and seemed to find everything she saw distasteful. “You really look much better at night.”

He barked out a harsh laugh that quickly transformed in real, relief-filled laughter. Imagination. It had to have been his imagination. This was Phoebe and she was just fine. Her usual bitchy, shallow self. And fine. Totally and completely fine.

And yet…

He squinted, trying to see the thing that he thought he saw, but all he saw was Phoebe sitting up in the morning light.

“Ughahh,” Phoebe whined, clutching her head. “This sucks!” She jumped off the hood and stood before Nick. “Please tell me you have something for the pain,” she asked, clutching at his shirt. “Vicodin or Percocet, hell I’d even take aspirin at this point.” She smiled up at him coy and cute and spiteful all at the same time. “Take me upstairs, Nick,” she said, dropping her voice to a husky almost-whisper. She pressed her hips against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Help me feel better.”

He shook her off with a disgusted grunt and took a step back from her. “Do you ever stop? What’s it going to take to make you understand that we are never going to happen?”

“Never say never, Nick,” she said, with a smile that turned his insides cold.  That smile widened briefly, and then her eyes flicked over his shoulder.

“Oh, Zach,” she called, pushing Nick aside to run toward Zach and Lela. “My pookie-ookie, Zachy cuddle-bear.” She went on murmuring sweetness and love as she jumped into his arms and burrowed against him.

Nick scrubbed his hands over his face. That girl was going to drive him insane. He had to figure out some way to get her out of his life.

“You all right?” Lela asked as she came to stand beside him.

Nick lowered his hands and looked over at the woman he had waited so very long to hold. He couldn’t help but smile and he knew then, right then, that it didn’t matter who she used to sleep with. She was his now. All his. “Yeah, I’m all right,” he said, and put his arm around her shoulders.

Her arm slipped around his waist, her hand resting on his hip and restless hunger stirred within him. “Well,” he said, lowering his head to speak into her ear. “Since we don’t have to find Phoebe now…” He licked her earlobe and smiled when he heard her breath catch. “Why don’t we leave them to their whatever and go back upstairs for a little while?”

“Upstairs?” she asked, and he could hear the humor and the desire in her voice. “And what we would do up there?”

“Hmm, what indeed,” he said, and nipped her throat. “I wonder.”

“Hey,” Phoebe called, shattering the moment. “We’re not done yet.”

[Until next Tuesday…]

*****

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