Chapitre 17: Chapter 16: Loadin’ Band Equipment
"So what am I moving?" I asked Rachel as I followed her up the stone steps leading to the front porch, Camilla stayed behind to watch Clar and Else as they sat in the car fiddling with the radio. The steps had been recently painted, the gray-blue color contrasting with the white siding of the house. The porch columns looked new too because I don't think a shotgun house is supposed to have fancy colonial porch posts. They looked like columns, and where they met the roof there was a gingerbread trim that ran along the entire length of the porch.
"Amps, equipment, you know the usual." She shrugged her shoulders as she reached for the door painted the same gray-blue color as the steps. My eyes caught sight of the rectangular transom window above the door, the trim around it was painted the same color as the porch and the door below it. Her hand grabbed hold of the recently painted black metal doorknob, the thing opening with a groan. The thick wood door swayed open, and my eyes caught sight of the living room.
The wood flooring had been sanded down and revarnished, the gleam of the floor sealer on the stained wood sparkled like diamonds. I immediately kicked off my boots before stepping across it, the thought of dirtying such a clean floor disgusted me. Rachel rolled her eyes at my antics, the girl was always a little lax with the rules and the no shoes in the house rule was one of those she rarely followed.
"You know you'll have to put those back on because you're loading the equipment in my van right?" Her flips flops smacked against her heels as she walked past the living room into the open doorway leading to the kitchen. My eyes trailed across her ass as it swayed in her black panties, the sight bringing a slight heat to my cheeks.
"Nah, give me a sec…ugh, I'll just toss my socks off!" As I spoke I began hopping on one foot while I curved my other leg over, my fingers reaching for the edge of my socks that ran up to the middle of my shin. Taking hold of the elastic edge I yanked off the first sock before tossing it over to where my boots lay. Switching feet I repeated the same process as both socks now rested across my boots like a tablecloth.
"Are you done now?" A slightly impatient tone filled her voice and I looked back over to see her leaning against the doorframe staring at me.
"Yep." She nodded before turning back around and walking further into the house. The kitchen itself looked straight out of a time capsule, a mint green stove straight out of the twenties sat in between two butcher block countertops. A sink sat against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room on the same side the stove set. On the other side, a small two-person dining table rested against the wall, the wooden chairs were pushed under the square table top.
"How do you even use that stove?" I asked as we walked across the same wood flooring that was in the living room, the uniform nature of it would continue through the whole house.
"Heck if I know, it's Camilla's baby, not mine." She waved at it dismissively, her feet leading her into what had to be the narrowest hallway ever. The white-painted walls were literally close enough that I had to pull in my shoulders. I really hope I won't have to move something big through here.
"Then what do you cook?" We passed a door that most likely led to Camilla's bedroom on the left. At the end of the hall was another door but this one was opened and inside was the glowing porcelain of a toilet. The last door on the left was the one she reached for and when the stained wooden door opened with a creak I was greeted by the sight of Rachel's bedroom.
"Microwave stuff, it was there on the counter." She walked toward the fluffy-looking bed in the corner as she flopped on it like a trampoline. Her eyes turned back toward me as she looked at me with expectant eyes.
"Okay, so where is the equipment?" I asked as I looked around the room to only find posters of bands I had never heard of. A lava lamp glowed on her nightstand beside her bed but other than it and the closet door beside it I saw nothing else in the room. Okay, there was a beanbag chair too, but I don't think amps and shit could fit behind it.
"Oh dude I lied about that, I'm already loaded up and ready to go." She smirked at me as she spoke, her body stretched across the mattress like a cat. The way her tank top rode up her pale smooth stomach attracted my gaze almost immediately, her arching back forcing the lower half of her body in the air.
"Then why drag me here?" I tugged at the collar of my shirt nervously, the atmosphere in the room turning into something dangerous.
"I want to cash in on the debt you owe me." I gulped at the look she gave me, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief. Run, that's what I needed to do but I found myself grounded to the floor.
"I-Is it something Abby would be okay with?" Rachel always pushed the limits with what she could get away with and I knew what she'd want. Her eyes were practically fucking me as she looked at my muscles like I was some Greek statue.
"Oh, so are you wantin' to be exclusive with Abbs?" She teased, her hands fiddling with her tank top to keep it from riding up past her boobs. My eyes were glued to her pale midriff, the sight of her fighting to keep her shirt on was super erotic.
"Yes, I don't want to break her heart." A tense silence filled the air before Rachel burst into a fit of giggles. My serious scowl was replaced by confusion quickly as the petite girl sprung up from her bed before walking toward the closet. Opening it up revealed the shit ton of band equipment stacked high in the sky inside of it.
"You passed, and your prize is to help me load up my equipment yay!" My eyes glazed over as I stared at her with the most over-it look I could muster. This was going to suck.
***
(Rachel Carter POV):
[Abbs, you've got nothing to worry about]
[wdym?]
[your boyfriend just dropped off my smoking hot roommate]
[WHAT!?]
[Hold on, he brought her home cause her car broke down but I was suspicious so I decided to give him a little test]
[please tell me you didn't try to seduce him?]
[I tried to seduce him]
[Damnit Rach!]
[It's fine 100%, he told me no even when I brought up his debt.]
[are you serious?]
[I am]
[:D]
I grinned as I looked down at Abby's last text, the girl was no doubt squealing her head off doing a victory dance. My gaze pulled up when I heard a string of curses leak from Ethan's lips. He had set down one of the amps to shake his hand, the surface of his skin turning red where he pinched it.
"You okay?" My words seemed to snap him out of his string of cuss words as he glanced back at me before huffing like a child. His hands scooped up the black box before setting it in the floorboard of my van. The 2001 Dodge Ram Van shook gently as he hopped inside through the back doors before dragging the amp further inside the vehicle.
"I'm fine Your Majesty, you just continue to rest on your throne while your humble servant works." His voice echoed against the metal paneling of the van, his bare feet thumping across the van's floor as he hopped down onto the grass of the backyard below. He walked back toward the small porch of the back door that led to my bedroom, and on top of the steps was all of my equipment that he had dragged out of the closet.
"Thank you my most loyal servant, I shall find time to reward you for your effort later." As I spoke I sunk further into the plastic vinyl of the folding chair we had in our backyard. The crisscrossed pattern of blue and white strips sagged under my weight but it still held, my legs stretching out across the length of it.
"So when did you join a band, and what is its name?" He asked as he looked over at me, the way his eyes traveled up my legs sent a tingle through my spine. He was practically devouring my body with his eyes and I gave him every opportunity to keep looking. One of the straps of my tank top had 'accidentally' slipped down my shoulder, the fabric lowered to reveal the upper portion of my boob.
Abby may be numero uno on his priority list but that didn't mean he didn't have a wandering eye. She's going to have her work cut out for her keeping him honest especially now that he's turned into such a beefcake. I watched as his biceps flexed picking up the cymbal bag and their stands wrapped with two leather belts to keep them from slipping out of his hands. His tan skin practically gleamed under the evening sun peaking over the backyard treetops.
"It's not really an interesting story but I met the gals in Uni, we liked the same music and after a few drinks we thought we'd start a band. It was really freaking hard and there were times I wanted to quit, but then I'd see glimmers of what we could be and I decided to buckle down and work harder." I smiled at the memories, the first practice breaking out into a hair pulling catfight before it was broken up by me. The first song we could cover without screwing up, and our first original song that took months of hard preparation to create. It must've been a beautiful smile because Ethan was blushing so cutely, his eyes glancing away from my face.
"You still haven't told me your band name yet." He muttered as he loaded the equipment in the van, the man lowering his head to avoid smacking it on the roof of the vehicle.
"Needed Nasty, why we called it that I have no idea but I'm pretty sure it came when June said she liked it rough and nasty. Turns out that was copyrighted so Sarah used her big brain to come up with Needed Nasty. It has a nice ring to it don't you think?" I asked him as he hopped back down to the ground, his body squatting to compensate for the fall. His head was slick with sweat and his breathing was heavy, the man licking his lips before speaking.
"Yeah, but it makes it sound like you guys are begging for it." His eyes met mine and only in that moment did I realize how dangerous he could be for my heart. That husky voice was as smooth as syrup and I wanted nothing more for him to whisper sweet nothings in my ear.
"We are, but we haven't found a man capable of handling the three of us." At my teasing words, he raised an eyebrow, his lips quirking in a small grin.
"Oh, so it's a three-for-one special?" I gulped at the thought, all three of us draped over his body naked would make for such a sick album cover. Before I could fantasize any further he spoke again shattering the dream. "I wish whatever poor soul luck with that." I groaned under my breath as I looked at the dense meathead busy loading up the van.
For the rest of the time we sat in awkward silence, our eyes sneaking quick leers at each other's bodies. By the time he was done with his work, it was time for him to leave, the man loaded back into his car with his sister and her friend as they pulled out of the driveway. Camilla seemed to notice something off as she decided to finally speak.
"Do you like him?" Her words snapped me out of my funk, my eyes widening like saucers as Camilla put a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm not sure, and even if I did my best friend loves him to death." I watched as the car drove down the road and its engine roared, Ethan sticking his hand out of the window to wave at the both of us. He had a real stupid grin on his face and yet I found my heart skipping a beat. This was bad.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone