On His Knees by Tabatha Kiss

Chapter 2

Seth

“Seth Newbury?!”

I raise my head as my name echoes up the beach from the bonfire. It’s loud enough that Corey stops mid-sentence and the five of us turn toward the girls.

“Boy, do I love it when a gaggle of girls scream my name,” I say.

Corey and Devin sneer, their attentions locked on their girlfriends as Drew and Harvey chuckle.

Ellie, Wilder, and Heidi stare with their mouths open wide, all six of their eyes focused on one target next to the fire.

Jenna.

“Seth!” Ellie stumbles to her feet and shouts. “Did you know Jenna has a thing for you?!”

I instantly perk up.

Jenna? A thing?

For moi?

Well, this night just got a whole lot more fun.

I stand up, eager to investigate while Jenna snaps at Ellie. But it’s far too late to put the genie back in the bottle now.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” I say. “I should probably take this.”

As I make my way down the beach, they rise from their patio chairs to follow.

“No!” Jenna says, her voice echoing over the waves. “I don’t. I did not say that—”

“Oh, my god!” My sister lets out her token gasp. “I totally forgot about that! You had a crush on Seth!”

Ego… rising.

Jenna raises a hand. “Okay, hold on. I—”

She spots me a few feet away from the fire and her mouth snaps closed, her eyes bleeding with some of that delicious annoyance I know so well at this point in our lives.

“I’m sorry,” I say with a smirk. “Perhaps I misheard. Would you ladies mind repeating that again for me, please?”

“You were Jenna’s first crush!” Wilder says. “Isn’t that cute?”

I remain standing as the other guys arrive and curl up next to their honeys around the fire. Except Harvey, who props himself up on a log between Seth and Corey. His honey is currently on tour.

“Why, yes,” I say, staring at Jenna’s stiff expression. “That is very cute.”

Jenna sighs. “He kissed my ouchie,” she says.

I pause.

I… I what?

Ellie swoons. “He did?!”

“Heidi and I were at their house,” Jenna begins, her focus on the others around the fire. Not me. “Our moms were hanging out inside while we played hopscotch in the driveway. At some point, I slipped on some rocks and fell, skinning my knee. Heidi ran inside to get help while I sat there crying on the sidewalk. Then, out of nowhere, this big kid rode up on this giant, bright blue BMX bike.”

Memories slowly return. I remember that bike. I remember how our driveway was constantly stained with chalk rainbows and animal drawings until the rain came and washed it all away.

And I remember her: the tiny, strawberry blonde girl with freckles on her nose.

“I’d never met him before, so I got scared,” Jenna continues. “He told me not to worry, and that he wasn’t a stranger. Everything was going to be okay, he said.”

I did.

I did say that.

“He hopped off the bike, came over to me, and he held my hand until the moms came outside with a first aid kit. They cleaned me up, put a bandage on me, but I still wouldn’t stop crying.” Jenna swallows, the crackle of the bonfire filling the silence. “So, Seth leaned over me, he wiped my cheeks, and then he kissed my knee. And I stopped crying.”

Wow.

I forgot all about that part.

“That is so sweet!” Ellie looks at me. “You really did that?”

I clear my throat. “Sure,” I say.

“I was six,” Jenna says, her voice a little harder now as she addresses the group. “He was eight and literally the only older boy I knew in the world. So, yes, I developed a puppy love crush on my best friend’s big brother after he kissed my ouchie. Okay? No big deal. It didn’t last long, of course, because he quickly became the massive piece of shit he is today, and all those warm and fuzzy feelings disappeared overnight. I moved on and I’m going to continue doing that, so...”

Our friends around the bonfire erupt in chuckles and snickers. They’re used to this by now. Me and Jenna, constantly at each other’s throats. Leave no insult unflung. That’s my motto when it comes to Jenna Abrams. Or, it was back in Iowa where we grew up. I like to think I’m a changed man. In fact, I am, but there’s something about Jenna that just...

Irks me.

Sure, I could let that snarky comment of hers die. I could tell her that’s a wonderful memory, that I appreciate the reminder, and take my seat amongst friends to enjoy the rest of our evening in peace.

Or...

I smirk.

“This explains… so much,” I say.

Her brow furrows. She could easily let that slide. But if I know Jenna like I know I do, she won’t.

She can’t.

“What does that explain?” she asks.

Hook. Line.

“Oh, just the fact that you obviously still have the warm and fuzzies for me, that’s all.”

Her eye twitches.

Sinker.

“I do not,”she says.

“Shh,”I whisper, still smiling. “It’s all right.”

“No, it’s not, because I don’t and I never will!”

“We understand. I mean, look at me.” I perform a long gesture down my torso, highlighting my exposed abs beneath my open shirt. “I’m delicious.”

Jenna’s face scrunches up bitterly as the others chuckle.

“Don’t deny it, Jen,” I say, far too deep to stop myself now.

“Don’t call me that,” she says.

“What, Jen?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like it, Sethy.”

I furrow my brow.

“Guys,” Heidi says, forever the peacekeeper. “Let’s just move on. It was just a crush, okay?”

Jenna nods. “More than happy to.”

“Was it, though?” I ask, my smirk crawling up my cheek. “Was it really just a crush, Jenna?”

“Seth,”Heidi warns.

“Yes,” Jenna answers, her voice even louder now. “I thought you were the cat’s meow. The bee’s knees. My one and only until...” Her voice trails off.

I lean forward. “Until...?”

“Gee, where do I begin?” she spits. “Until puberty? Until you started treating your sister like crap every day? Until you spent literally an entire month of my freshman year shoving diet pill coupons in my locker? Take your pick, dick.”

“Jenna,”Heidi says, once again ignored.

“Oh, boo-hoo,” I say. “You were teased in high school, just like everyone else. Get over it.”

“Teasingdoesn’t leave a girl sobbing in the bathroom stall during homeroom. Bullying does.”

I roll my eyes. “Here we go again—”

“No—” She waves her hand, angry. “You don’t get to just brush off years of bad behavior because you want to.”

“Everyone else is over it, except you.” I turn up my hands. “What’s your deal, Jenna? Are you stubborn or just stupid?”

Jenna stands with a huff. “I’m going inside,” she says, quickly brushing the sand off her legs as she stomps off.

Heidi frowns. “Jenna, wait,” she says, but Jenna doesn’t stop.

With a harsh grunt at me, Heidi rises to follow her.

“What?” I ask my sister as she passes.

She doesn’t answer. She just glares a bit more before snapping her head forward.

Well, I’m gonna pay for this at some point.

Ellie and Wilder silently de-couple from Devin and Corey. They march toward the house with the other girls, their brows furrowed with annoyance as their dark, fiery eyes target me in the dark.

“What?” I ask them as they pass.

Again, more silence.

I scoff, turning back to the fire. The guys don’t seem too happy with me now, either. I scan their disappointed faces, from Devin to Corey and Harvey, before plopping down next to my best friend, Drew. Surely, he’ll have my back on this.

I look at him, but he’s glowering at me, too.

“What?” I ask him.

“You just couldn’t let it go, could you?” he asks.

“Hey, she started it!”

Drew tilts his head; a powerful action that kicks some reality into my gut.

I sigh. “Said the twenty-four year old grad student. I know. I know. It’s just...” I glance over my shoulder toward the house. “She brings out the worst in me, man. I see an opportunity to knock her off her throne, I take it. I can’t help it.”

“You know what you have to do now, right?” he says.

“Avoid her forever?” I ask hopefully.

“Apologize.”

I scrunch up my face. “Apologetically avoid her forever?”

Drew flexes his clean shaven jaw.

“All right!” I say, throwing my hands up. “I’ll apologize to Jenna.”

“Thank you.”

“Later.”

“Tonight.”

“Later tonight,” I say. “Or tomorrow. The next time I see her. Whenever. It’s all the same.”

Drew leans toward me, his expression serious. “Seth, if this little spat ruins Heidi’s vacation, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“It won’t ruin your vacation. Even if it does, you’ll sweep her off her feet with that handsome mug of yours and she’ll forget all about it.”

“She better,” he says, looking doubtfully over my shoulder toward the house.

I nudge his arm. “You guys okay?” I ask, sensing tension.

“We’re fine,” he says quickly. “Great, actually.”

“Why so frowny, then?”

“I’m not frowny. I’m protective of my girlfriend’s dream vacation. She’s been planning this for months — and imagining it even longer.”

“Yes, I know. Anyone within a three table radius whenever we’ve gone to lunch for the last six months knows about it, too.”

“And I’ve been working overtime at Little Black Book to make sure I can be there with her for every moment because who knows when we’ll get another chance to get away like this again.”

I arch a brow. “What do you mean?”

Drew pauses, lowering his voice a bit as he scans the others first, but they’re all busy chatting amongst themselves. “This isn’t public knowledge yet,” he says, prompting me to lean closer. “Nora’s pregnant.”

My gut clenches, practically torn in half as my big brother instincts go nuts. “Is it yours?” I ask, my teeth firmly clenched.

“What? No.” He recoils. “Seriously?”

I relax. “Just checking.”

“It’s her husband’s, obviously. But that’s not the point.”

“Please proceed, brother.”

“Thank you.” He takes a breath. “She called me into her office a few weeks back to tell me. I thought she was going to say my mentorship was up, that I should start updating my résumé now, but... instead, she promoted me.”

“To what?”

“Executive assistant.”

My jaw falls. “That’s why you’ve been missing-in-action so much lately?”

He nods. “Yeah. That, and...” He pauses as if he can hardly believe it himself. “She wants me to take over for her when she goes on leave.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” I shift a little closer in excitement. “You mean, take over take over? Like, run the app? Run the company?”

“Yes, like, run the app. Run the company. Temporarily, of course. Until Nora gets back full time, but still...”

I grin. “Dude.”

“I know.”

“That’s huge!”

“I know!”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask.

“I haven’t told anybody yet,” he says. “Just you now. I’ve been waiting for the right time, and this came up naturally, so...”

“Not even Heidi?”

“Not yet.” He gives another glance toward the house. “I’m saving it for Paris.”

I pause, letting it sink in. I’m thrilled for him. A little jealous, naturally. But thrilled. Drew’s been mentoring under billionaire CEO Nora Payne for nearly two years while I work on my MBA; paths we decided on to prepare for starting our own business in a couple of years. This promotion, and the connections made from it, will be invaluable to us when we open our bar.

“So,” Drew says, “as you can see, I really want this vacation to go well, and it’d be great if Heidi didn’t have to worry about a bunch of needless drama between her best friend and her big brother when she should be enjoying herself and celebrating with me.”

I wave a hand. “Message received. I will...” I hesitate, avoiding the commitment.

“Apologize,” he says pointedly.

“I will apologize to Jenna and... control myself for the rest of the night.”

“For Heidi.”

I raise my beer. “For Heidi.”

“Your little sister,” he says. “If the two of you have been able to work out your differences and have a healthy friendship as adults, then I don’t see why you and Jenna can’t do the same thing.”

“Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” I say. “I mean, Heidi’s actually cool once you get to know her.”

“So is Jenna.”

I raise a doubtful brow. “Is she, though?”

“Yes! Ask anyone.”

“Hey, Corey!” I shout across the fire.

He and Harvey look up from their conversation.

“Yeah?” he asks.

“Is Jenna cool?” I ask him.

“Hell yeah!” he answers. “Jenna’s the tits, man.”

Drew cocks his chin, his expression loaded with I told you so.

“Well, that’s not exactly a decent sample size,” I argue. “He says that about sandwiches, too.”

Drew shakes his head and laughs.