The Protection

Twenty

I pushed up my breasts a little higher in the small red bikini, backing away from the mirror to admire all my hard work. My abs were flat and my butt was perky from months of workouts and volleyball abuse. The baseball party at The Reserve was today, and I wanted to look my best, and be on my worst behavior. Ben would be there, but so would Kyler. Watching me. Protecting me. The irony was not lost on me. My heart squeezed for the millionth time at the thought of his engagement. It had been a week since he had driven me home, but my disappointment wasn't any less fresh. I grabbed my huge black cat eye sunglasses and white perforated cover-up and followed Beth to her Mercedes. The Reserve was only a few blocks away, but a very familiar black truck pulled into the parking lot behind us. I looped an arm through Beth's and pretended not to notice the truck as we climbed over the pool gate.

The keg was already tapped and a concoction of Everclear and Hawaiian Punch was triumphantly passed around in a plastic water jug. I shook my hips a little to the popular rap song that was blaring out of an open apartment window next to the pool. Beth handed me the plastic jug, wiping her own red lips, and I took a swig admiring the view around me, watching as Ben pulled himself from the pool. He looked amazing in a pair of light blue swim trunks that matched his eyes, his hair was darker than usual - wet and messy. I took in his stunning young, athletic physique as he pushed himself up out of the water, his different body parts clinging to the dripping, wet trunks, as he walked confidently towards me.

"Perry," he breathed and he hugged me for a moment too long. He was only a couple of inches taller than me so my head automatically fit in the crook of his neck as his hands rubbed up and down my back. Beth winked at me from atop Scott's lap in a pool chair. I tried to ignore her, but couldn't hide my smile. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Ben's attention after the terrible way he broke my heart last summer.

I scanned the pool area, taking another long pull of the potent red liquid. There were lots of attractive baseball players, a few baseball groupies, and one extremely good-looking blonde man lounging poolside in a pair of simple black swim trunks. Kyler's abs were chiseled and tanned, I could easily count eight of them, his arms were well-defined, and his chest was strong. As good as Ben looked, Kyler made him look like a scrawny boy in comparison. He looked like a male model out of an expensive fragrance ad. I blushed as I continued to openly stare and remember the memory of resting my head against that strong, firm chest as he carried me into his house that awful night. Kyler smiled at me, and I could have sworn he gave me a wink behind the black aviators. I didn't know how it was possible, but he looked even better out of clothes than he did in them. Ben followed my gaze, grabbing the jug from my hand and took a large swig of the punch.

"I guess they'll let just about anyone into the pool these days. It's obvious that guy doesn't even go to DCU and is on every steroid out there. He probably has nothing going on under those shorts." He grunted and I smiled against the plastic jug I had taken back from him.

"Ben, why exactly are you thinking about what he has under his shorts? Are you wishing you could get close enough to find out?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, and he let out a chortle, one that lasted a beat too long.

"Of course not." I rolled my eyes and took another large swig of the alcoholic concoction, trying not to notice how every other girl at the pool was openly staring at Kyler too.

"Who's up for a rousing game of sand volleyball?" I turned and slowly stripped off my white mesh cover-up. Ben's eyes lit up, obviously enjoying the view. I smiled as I danced a little to the rap music, causing Ben's eyes to widen even more. I laughed freely, turning to look at Kyler again, but I instantly became self conscious when I saw that he was frowning. Who was I kidding? Alana was surely more beautiful and graceful than I. She wasn't even human, surely she had an insanely perfect other worldly body. Without love handles, or back fat, or fat on her thighs that made them touch like mine did. The prior self confidence I had felt in my room had completely evaporated. I turned back to the group, trying to hide my self-loathing. Ben's smile didn't indicate he had caught any of my inner shame. Beautiful and clueless. I tossed an arm around his strong shoulders, the alcohol giving me some of my lost confidence back.

"What do you say we team up for old time's sake?" I purred in his ear. I pulled him towards the sand court by the waistband of his wet swim trunks and smiled as he tripped over his own two feet. I didn't have to look back to know Kyler's frowning eyes had never left me.