The 4th
PART TWO
They made their way around to the back of Heather's house. They walked past the patio where everyone was congregated. Heather had the greatest view from her backyard. She lived in a community built around this big lake. Everyone's house had a boat dock so they could go out on the water whenever they wanted to. Heather had her pontoon boat docked.
Cambridge had been out on it many of times when she visited Heather during the summer months. She loved being out on the water.
Bronx was walking right down towards Heather's boat dock. Cambridge wasn't sure what she was up to.
Were they gonna sit on the dock with their feet in the water and talk about old times or something? ...maybe Bronx planned to use this opportunity to suck Cambridge back into her twisted web of manipulation.
Cambridge kept following Bronx until they were walking onto the dock. She saw Bronx board Heather's pontoon boat and she completely stopped walking. Bronx finally looked back and saw Cambridge there visually hesitant to proceed any further.
"Come on" Bronx said, holding out her hand for Cambridge to grab. She was going to help Cambridge get onto the boat, but Cambridge just stood there and left her hanging.
"Bronx? What is this all about?" she asked exhaustingly.
"I asked Heather if I could take her pontoon out for a quick circle around the lake. She said 'yes' and gave me the keys"
Cambridge scoffed at this proposition.
"Bullshit!" Cambridge said.
"Heather NEVER lets anyone besides herself or Martin drive her boat"
Bronx shrugged her shoulders as if to say "don't know what to tell you" but by her facial expression, she looked a bit mischievous about the whole thing.
"Oh?.....I get it!" Cambridge said.
"You told Heather you wanted to take me out on the boat and she agreed to let you ONLY because she wants to get us to talk to each other, right??"
Bronx didn't answer. She just continued looking at Cambridge with a Cheshire cat grin. That told Cambridge all she needed to know. Bronx reached out her hand to Cambridge once more.
"Come on, love"
'Oh, no fair! She KNOWS I love it when she calls me 'love'' Cambridge thought.
Cambridge had tried and she had tried hard to stop the allure of Bronx Matthews, but with the simple voicing of Bronx's signature term of endearment, she could no longer do it. She was turned to putty and Bronx got her way (....as she always did). Cambridge took her hand and came aboard the boat. Less than a minute later, Bronx had the boat started and drove it out on the water away from the dock.
The feel of the wind felt so good to Cambridge. Every now and then, she would even feel mist spray off the water and breeze by her. She truly did love being out on the water.
For what seemed like a long time, nothing was really happening. Bronx was driving the boat, Cambridge was enjoying the road, but no one was talking. Cambridge started to wonder what the whole point of this escapade was if they weren't gonna talk.
Just then, she felt the engine slow. Bronx was drifting the boat over to some trees and vegetation off to the lake's side. It immediately got darker as the sunlight became blocked out by tall trees. It appeared to an inlet.
This spot was in a location that was very secluded from all the other houses that bordered the lake. It were as if she and Bronx were completely alone despite boating in a very populated community lake. Cambridge started to get a little nervous when the boat came to an eventual complete stop and just floated there along the inlet. She wondered what this was all about. Was Bronx taking her to an isolated location just to take advantage of her; maybe get "lucky?" Cambridge didn't put that passed her. After all, that's what Bronx had continuously done to her for years.
She looked over at Bronx who was lighting a cigarette. Cambridge wasn't a fan of smoking, but somehow Bronx made it look kinda sexy. She walked over to where Cambridge was seated and leaned back up against the railing directly across from her.
For a moment of so, Bronx just stood there and stared at Cambridge while taking drags of her cigarette, flicking the ashes off the side of the boat into the water. Cambridge puzzled over when Bronx was going to say something.
"So.....you brought me all this way just to stare at me?" Cambridge sarcastically asked.
Bronx smiled in amusement.
"I'm just taking my time" she answered nonchalantly.
Ok. Now Cambridge was confused.
"Taking your time for what?" she asked.
"To seduce me?" Cambridge further questioned.
Bronx smiled again in amusement.
"Well, as much as I would love to seduce you right about now, particularly with how fabulous you look in that dress,....no. That's not why I brought you here."
Bronx took one final drag of her cigarette before flicking the remainder of it into the water. She walked over to the bench where Cambridge was sitting and took a seat right beside her.
"Look, I know you had to be pissed off when I got with Renee because for the longest, I'd been telling you I didn't want to get serious with anyone."
Cambridge didn't verbally say anything, but the look she was giving Bronx was one of agreement.
"I really don't know what to tell you" Bronx said.
"When I met Renee that night at the bar, something just clicked. I can't explain it, but it just took over me. I felt that I HAD to get to know more about this girl"
"Whoa! Hold the phone!" Cambridge exclaimed, stopping Bronx right there.
"I really don't need to hear about how 'mesmerizing' Renee was to you. I got enough of that knowledge seeing as how you'd go right back to her after calling me to pick you up whenever she threw you out. ...multiple times, I mind you!"
Bronx wasn't trying to upset Cambridge yet she clearly had. Maybe she wasn't going about this the right way?
"You didn't let me finish" Bronx said.
"There's a point to me telling you all this, I promise"
Cambridge looked at Bronx with jealous eyes as the mention of Renee's name had caused it. Cambridge hated that she had ever been jealous of Renee. She was so much better looking than her. It were as if Bronx had gone from crème brulee to Jell-O; Cambridge being the crème brulee, of course. Now, Cambridge didn't think herself better than Renee just because she was physically more attractive than her. Cambridge was just simply a nicer person and Renee was....well.........a bitch.
"Well, you better get to the point quickly because all you’re doing right now is inciting me to go off" Cambridge warned.
Bronx put both her hands up, palms facing outward.
"Ok! ok! ........chill" she said trying to calm Cambridge down.
"Look! What I'm trying to get to is.....well.....I made a mistake" Bronx said.
Cambridge wasn't clearly sure what mistake Bronx was referring to, but just to hear Bronx use the word 'mistake' was big. Bronx didn't ever admit when she was wrong.
".....a mistake??" Cambridge questioned.
Bronx took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.
"Yeah, Came. ...a mistake"
Cambridge could tell that Bronx was acutely uncomfortable. Talking about her feelings wasn't something Bronx Matthews did. Seeing this side of vulnerability coming from her was powerful to Cambridge. She'd never seen the type of softness that she was seeing now emanating from Bronx's eyes. Just then Bronx reached over and grabbed Cambridge's hand. She gently stroked the back of it with her thumb.
"Cambridge, I can't tell you why I chose to start a relationship with Renee and not one with you, ok? ....I don't have an answer for that."
Bronx continued softly stroking Cambridge's hand.
"All I know is that being with Renee taught me a lot about what I don't want for myself. ....and, that made it clear to me what I DO want"
Cambridge started to feel her heart pounding inside her chest. Was this really about to happen?? She decided not to let her imagination run wild.
".....and, what is that?" Cambridge hesitantly asked, trying to maintain a neutral facial expression.
Bronx switched the position of their hand holding so that now their fingers were interlocking. She gently squeezed Cambridge's hand, causing Cambridge to feel a shiver resonate all over her body.
"What I want is someone sweet. Someone who'd care if I had a bad day or not and would be there to lend an ear. I want someone who's understanding and loving. Someone--" Bronx broke off. She searched for the right words to say.
"...someone.....simply beautiful"
Bronx took in a deep breath just then as if to prepare herself for what she was about to say next.
"You, Came. ....it's you! You're that someone."
Cambridge was floored. She didn't know what to think or say to that. She was utterly speechless.
"....and I'm so sorry it took me this long to realize that." Bronx added.
There was such sincerity in her words. Bronx wasn't the type to get emotional over anything, but now, she was really in her feelings. What Bronx just said to her was so captivating.
Cambridge knew that she should probably be jumping up and down for joy, at least internally, but she actually just felt numb. She still had questions.
"You want.....me?" Cambridge asked.
Bronx didn't answer. She just subtly nodded her head conveying 'yes'.
Cambridge really didn't want to spoil this moment. It was what she had longed for for so long. But, some things just didn't make sense to her.
"Ok.....well, when exactly did you have this revelation? ....I mean, you could have called me, ya' know. ....sent me a text....something" she said to Bronx.
Bronx, who had been holding a gaze with Cambridge for some time now, lowered her head looking down at her lap.
"Well, honestly I didn't realize it until today" Bronx said, nervous to look back up at Cambridge, but knew she had to. Cambridge thought on this for a second.
'How could she not have known before today that she wanted to be with me? ....what? she saw me in my short blue dress and suddenly decided that I was finally good enough for her to be with? I bet this is just a rebound brought on by her breakup with Renee'
Cambridge's thoughts went on like that for a few seconds. She didn't know if she was just being negative about it because it seemed too good to be true. Or, if maybe the prospect of actually being Bronx's girl was no longer something she was interested in given that Bronx essentially chose another girl over her.
Bronx could see the look of mistrust in Cambridge's eyes. She knew that what she had last said probably wasn't what Cambridge wanted to hear. She thought maybe it just came out wrong.
"Alright! I know that probably sounds kinda shady, but--"
"Oh, it sounds VERY shady!" Cambridge interrupted.
"Well, hold up. Let me finish" Bronx said.
"After I broke up with Renee, I sort of swore off relationships all together and I had no intentions on getting back into one with anyone."
Bronx took a pause, using that time to further put her thoughts together.
"Then, I saw you today and.....I don't know. I felt something."
Bronx turned herself closer in towards Cambridge, still holding her hand.
"Cambridge, you're not just anyone. Running into you today.....it hit me like a semi truck. It made me see that you're important; that you've always been important to me. When you got into your car to leave, I got this overwhelming feeling to stop you. It was like I just couldn't let you go"
Cambridge found her expression lifting into a smile. She'd never heard Bronx talk about her like that before. Ultimately, however, she had to ask Bronx one more question.
"But, why?" Cambridge asked. Her voice was soft like a whisper.
"Why couldn't you let me go?"
A strong gust of wind passed through the boat. Cambridge's hair danced around with the breeze before landing back down upon her head in a haphazardly fashion. Bronx took her hand and sweetly brushed back some strands of Cambridge's hair that were now covering up one of her eyes.
"Cambridge, I've always loved you as a friend. But, I realized today that I want to love you so much deeper than that. I want to love you as my partner."
Before Cambridge had a moment to process what she had just heard, Bronx softly grasp the side of her face and pulled it into hers. Their lips touched in a flurry of heat and urgency. Startled at first, Cambridge quickly realized what was happening and surrendered into the kiss. Bronx had kissed her 100's of times in the past, but this kiss was unlike any of the others. This kiss was intense and covered with fierce affection. It were as though Bronx wanted Cambridge to know just how much she really felt for her through the passion enveloped in this kiss.
They kissed for what seemed like a long time. It had progressed into a full makeout session. Cambridge had to put the brakes on, however, when the making out led to her on top of Bronx and Bronx starting to slide her hand up her dress; not that it was an unwelcomed advance, however.
Cambridge grabbed Bronx's hand which had almost reached her thigh at that point. She turned it around so that now they were holding hands. Bronx got the hint.
"What's wrong" she asked Cambridge.
"Nothing" Cambridge answered.
"I just think we should slow it down."
Bronx smiled and replied with "Well love, I believe that you're the one top of ME!"
Bronx thought her quip was pretty clever, but she knew it would be given an unfavorable review.
"Oh...ok, B. You got jokes, huh?....alright" Cambridge said shaking her head at Bronx in irritation
"Well, I mean, clearly you're the one who's escalating the situation." Bronx said, trying not to laugh at her own arrogance. She was lovin' the irritated frustration that was beginning to show across Cambridge's face. Teasing Cambridge was always amusing for Bronx and back when they were messing around, she would do it all the time. Before Cambridge had an opportunity to rebut, with her still straddling Bronx around the waist, Bronx abruptly stood up holding Cambridge up in the air. It was such a sudden movement that it momentarily scared her half to death. When she realized that Bronx had just picked her up, she instinctively wrapped her legs a little tighter around her making sure she wasn't going to fall, but she knew Bronx had her. For a split second, this was very hot to Cambridge. She was just getting more turned on which was the complete opposite of slowing things down.
It wasn't until Bronx turned her around and plopped her back down on the bench like a sack of potatoes did she realize that it wasn't meant to be sexy. Bronx stood there, looking down at Cambridge who was now seated in the same spot where Bronx had just been sitting.
"Is this slow enough for you?" Bronx said. She was grinning ear to ear with a look of satisfaction on her face. She knew Cambridge was about to get really peeved, but she welcomed whatever her reaction would be. To Bronx, this was a game of foreplay.
She walked away from Cambridge over towards one of the railings, purposely making sure she had her back to her. She reached into her pocket and lit up another cigarette.
Cambridge, successfully peeved, stood up, walked over towards the same railing, and punched Bronx in the arm.
"I hate you!" she exclaimed, not really meaning it, of course. She just couldn't come up with anything wittier to say.
Not phased by Cambridge's fit of frustration, Bronx looked over at her with a look that was so smug. Bronx was thoroughly amused by how riled up she had gotten Cambridge.
"Ya' know? You're really sexy when you're angry" Bronx said. For her, it was a true statement, but she only said it to further aggravate Cambridge.
Cambridge had just gotten a reminder of how much Bronx loved to torture her. Bronx always had something smart to say or some game she'd play on Cambridge purely for the enjoyment of seeing how she'd react. As much as Cambridge wanted to actually be mad at Bronx, she couldn't be. Bronx was a clown and although it was often to her disadvantage, she found Bronx's methods of getting under her skin to be annoying, yes. ...but also pretty funny. Things were never boring with Bronx.
"You're a jerk, ya' know that?!" Cambridge said with playful frustration.
Bronx grabbed Cambridge around the waist and pulled her in close.
"......but, you love me, right?" Bronx asked.
Cambridge rolled her eyes. She knew if she was being honest with herself, the answer to that question would be "yes," but she wasn't going to give Bronx the satisfaction though. Putting an end to this frolicsome assault they found themselves in, she lifted herself up on her toes and planted a soft kiss on Bronx's lips.
"We should really make our way back to the barbecue" Cambridge said, changing the subject. Bronx sighed in defeat. She leaned down and sweetly kissed Cambridge on the forehead and then made her way to the front of the boat.
****Thanks for reading Part Two. If you've enjoyed it so far, please upvote this post. It's greatly appreciated :)
See how it all ends. There's more drama to come! Check out Part Three! :)