Warren Beasts

16: Betrayed by a Kiss

The sun sets beyond a distant field to the west.

In about fifteen minutes it will vanish, leaving the open farmland to fend for itself against a darkening canopy of stars. Until then, though, the sky still looks like it's on fire. The cornstalks have been set all alight, merrily dancing in an autumn breeze.

Genesis O'Toole gazes out upon this perfect scene, but she's unable to truly appreciate it. Right now, she has way too much on her mind. Too much even for a spectacular sunset to chase away.

Gee sits on a love seat on 'The Barn's porch, boots idly kicking back and forth against the polished wood of the house. She's grown up here all her life. Before her folks moved to Jupiter, this really had been a working barn. And it still looks like one, with the classic red walls held up by white supports. But over the years, as the O'Toole clan expanded, so too has the house, with annexes and corridors and windows and wings. Now it rambles all over the property, inviting you in to its cozy labyrinth. Genesis is glad she got to grow up here.

To her, The Barn is paradise.

Especially when Nathaniel Jessup surprises the whole family and shows up for Wednesday night dinner.

Or it would be paradise, if it wasn't for Sage, firmly wedged in her mind...

For now, though, Nate sits beside Gee on the porch overlooking farmland stretching across the southern part of Jupiter. Gee leans her head against his broad shoulder, while the wind whips playfully at their hair.

Still, dread nags at her.

She never thought she'd find herself in quite this position.

Between the rock: Nate, and the hard place: Sage.

"Hey babe. Everything OK? You were pretty quiet all through dinner." Nate says. His voice does something to her insides. Excites them while simultaneously calming them.

But so does Sage's voice! Her real voice. The one she uses with Gee and Gee alone...

How can Gee like two people at once?

She feels the eyes of God Himself branding themselves into the back of her neck.

Gee lifts her head. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking about the team, is all."

Now, on top of everything, she's lying!

Nate nods knowingly.

"I get it. If my team lost their first game of the season I'd be a little worried too."

Gee nudges him playfully, while a big grin makes her green eyes crinkle. "Not fair. Just cuz you guys won your opener doesn't mean you can make fun of less fortunate jockeys."

"Yes it does. All you have to do is come over to Trumpet Falls and beat us." Nate says.

"Maybe we will. The Nephilim are on our schedule later in the season, you know. The Jackalopes could very well beat you. I wouldn't be so cavalier about it, Mister." Gee says.

Nate laughs, kissing her gently on the forehead. "That's what I love about you, Genesis. You're not like other girls."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Gee raises a golden eyebrow.

"Well, you know, I can talk smack to you about tourneytub. Heck, I'd never met a girl who even liked tourneytub before I met you. Let alone a girl who actually plays it!"

"Other girls play tourneytub, Nate. There's three of us on the Jackalopes alone."

"Yeah, well, there's none on the Nephilim." Nate replies.

"Well maybe that means you need to get out more."

"Get out and meet more girls who play tourneytub?" Nate says.

Gee punches him lightly on the shoulder. "No. Obviously I don't want you going around meeting other girls. Just- I don't know. Stop making assumptions."

"OK." Nate says.

He can't meet other girls, but she can!?

Talk about a double standard, O'Toole, she thinks to herself.

Genesis is fairly convinced Nate didn't really listen to her though, because only a few seconds later he's taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers. It's probably the best way he knows how to end a conversation with her, and she lets him. It's not like she doesn't want to kiss him right back.

Gee opens her mouth a little wider. Feels his tongue charge inside. His heavy breathing. His blue eyes beaming. She closes her own, letting his fingers run along her collar bone. She lies back against the love seat, happy to be in his arms, happy to please him, happy to follow wherever he leads, happy to be fearfully and wonderfully his. She wants this, she wants this, she-

She's suddenly back there. In the locker room.

Up against the lockers, Sage twisting against her, with their hands frantically searching for obscene places, their mouths grasping and groping and...

But it wasn't all this she remembers the most.

It was the giddiness. The ecstasy.

It was Ungodly. Simple as that.

And yet, Genesis O'Toole still yearns to feel as free as she felt in that one precious, unguarded moment. These sorts of thoughts will certainly send her straight to hell one day. And Gee knows she would deserve every hot poker, every sting of the lash.

She disgusts herself.

Genesis snaps back to the here and now, pushing Nate hurriedly off her.

He frowns. "What? What's the problem now?"

"No, look, sorry Nate, I just can't. w-w-We really shouldn't." Gee says, scrambling to the far end of the love seat where he can't even hope to touch her.

"Shouldn't what? We were only kissing! I thought you liked it!" Nate folds his arms.

"I did- I do! It's just- It's not Christian." Genesis hangs her head, wrapping her arms around her knees. Goosebumps appear on her skin. She's suddenly cold now.

Nate throws his hands up in the air and walks off the porch in a huff.

Even so, he stays close, leaning against a wooden post. He stares solemnly ahead as the last rays of sun snuff themselves out. Genesis wishes she could do the same to all the broiling traitor feelings still lingering within her.

***

Photo courtesy of Kartini Maxson on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@kartini. Edited.