Absolutely Unforgivable(56)

If I ever wanted to leave the house again, then Vin was going to have to be with me. Vin even moved into Billy’s house so that he could be around more to look after me. His bedroom was next to mine. I couldn’t even step in the backyard without Vin hovering over me. It got annoying, really quick.

I was starting to get restless and decided that today I was going to hang out by the pool, so I put on one of my bikinis and headed down the stairs. On my way down I heard loud voices coming from the living room. It was Trista and Billy in a heated argument.

“Billy, you can’t just stay around the house day in and day out. You need to give her some space. She’s not a child. She’s ...”

“Stop it right there, Trista. If you say another word I swear I will fire your ass right here and now!”

“I’m not trying to attack her. I promise. I’m over that. Stacy and I were starting to become friends before all of this happened. I really am just trying to remind you that we all have obligations that we can’t meet because you are here at the house hovering over Stacy. That isn’t going to help her get better any faster.”

I took a deep breath and walked down the rest of the way where Vin met me at the foot of the stairs. “Where do you think you are headed, little lady?”

“I’ve been cooped up in the house far too long. I’m going to lie out by the pool and get some sun. Wanna come with?” I said as I playfully put my hand on his bulging chest. Since I was still standing on the last step I was taller and it was one of the few times I could actually reach his enormous chest to touch it. He folded his arms and shook his head, not the slightest bit amused by my playfulness.

Billy heard us talk and turned toward us. His eyes shot up and down my body, as I stood before him in an itsy bitsy string bikini.

I pushed Vin aside, well actually, I tried to and he stepped aside and let me through. You can’t actually push Vin anywhere he doesn’t want to go. He’s like a big rock that isn’t going to move unless he wants to.

I made my way to where Billy and Trista had been going at it. I grabbed Trista by the hand and said, “Come on Trista. You can come with me. We’ll leave the boys to themselves.” Vin let out a low grunt. But they didn’t come outside with us. Instead they stood nearby watching through the window.

Trista walked over to the outside bar and made herself a drink, and then walked back towards me and handed me a thick red looking concoction with a piece of celery sticking out of the cup. “No thank you. I’m still on my painkillers so I can’t drink.”

A big smile came across her face and she bent over to whisper in my ear, “Don’t worry, it’s just V8 juice but I put the celery in there to piss Billy off. Watch, the second he sees you take a sip of this he is going to flip out and run out here.”

I loved it. She was so devious! I took a sip of the V8 juice that she had made up to look like a Bloody Mary. Trista quietly said “One ... two ....”

And before I could even finish a single sip, Billy and Vin had run outside. Billy hit the glass and it flew out of my hand. Luckily it was a plastic cup or shards of glass would have flown everywhere.

“What the f*ck are you doing? She’s on painkillers!”

Trista was right, he did freak out. I don’t know why I thought it was so funny, but it really was. I couldn’t contain my laughter and neither could she.

“What? It’s just V8 juice? Jeez, you really don’t trust me, do you?”

Vin put a hand on Billy’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry man, I got this.” Billy stormed off and went back into the house while Kita came outside to clean up the mess.

It was hard to stop laughing. I hadn't laughed like that in so long, it felt really good. Vin, however, didn’t think it was so funny which was evident by his stone-faced look, and he stood over me, with his arms crossed, not daring to take an eye off of me, even for a moment.

Trista stayed outside with me and we made small talk. She told me what everyone had been up to. Travis got a new tattoo on his right bicep in memory of the big Fourth of July fight. It was a dagger with a vine that worked its way around the blade. Within the vine was written the Italian phrase “Puoi Guardare ma non toccare.” Trista said it meant, you can look but do not touch. He thought it was funny and he loved to show it off.

I was not so amused. While I appreciated everyone jumping down to defend my honor, it still reminded me of the horrible pain I was in and the equally horrible pain Billy was putting himself through with the guilt he still held.