154. Out in the Open

Warning: language, adult situations

Bridgeport, present day...

The luncheon to celebrate her birthday was held at Krisis and Leigh’s home. It was a low key affair, only close family and friends were invited.

Michaela didn’t want a big party. In fact she felt horrible just celebrating her birthday when Joshua was still missing and the Clarkes were living below the poverty line.

She wanted something small and fuss-free. And for their birthday gift she’d asked her parents to make an anonymous donation to the Clarkes using the funds they’d budgeted for her party.

Krimsyn and J.D. were reluctant at first, they found her gift request odd to say the least and they were worried about how the Clarkes would perceive the donation. But they didn’t argue with her, she was officially an adult now and they had to start treating her like one.

Michaela looked at her friends and family milling about on the patio.

They all seemed to be having fun.

Her cousins too were happy.

But she was tense as she waited for Cameron’s arrival. He was very late. But the party couldn’t start without him. She knew she was being naive, childish and maybe silly even, but it was a profound moment for her, and she wanted to share it with him. She didn’t want to blow out the candles without him.

“Cameron, where are you?” She glanced at her cell phone as paced the length of the pool.

She hoped he was on the way, and that he hadn’t bailed on her. Or their relationship.

“Oh God,” a fresh wave of panic washed over Michaela when she looked at her parents, they were slow dancing to a very fast beat. Krimsyn looked so happy as she gazed up at J.D.

She felt horrible for what she was about to do. She knew her relationship with Cameron wouldn’t be received well. But she could no longer keep him a secret. She and Cameron had decided to tell them today.

“Hey Mickey, shouldn’t we start?” Leigh’s voice behind her almost made her jump out of her skin.

“Are you okay?” Her aunt asked as she gave her another congratulatory hug.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Michaela replied. She wasn’t fine though. She needed Cameron.

“I think we should start. Everyone’s getting restless.” Leigh took her hand and started to lead her towards the table.

But she pulled away, “No, not yet. We are waiting for-” she didn't finish her sentence, Cameron walked through the glass sliding doors. Leigh saw his arrival as her cue to leave.

And all Michaela could do was stare…and then gulp.

Cameron looked breathtaking in his jeans and white t-shirt. He was perfection, a little raw and rough around the edges, but having met his family and seen how pristine and boring they were, she knew that’s what had drawn her to him. He wasn’t trying to be something he wasn’t and she loved that the most about him.

“Happy Birthday,” Cameron whispered as he took her in his arms.

“You’re late,” Michaela admonished him with a smile.

“I know, I’m sorry. Zahara and Charles, I was on the phone with them. I wish they’d just go back to Sunset Valley,” he told her.

They looked like good friends, just sharing a hug, but the heat between them was so intense Michaela was convinced she was in hell, the good kind of hell though where all the naughty angels belonged.

As he held her firmly to him, she desperately wanted to reach up and kiss him, and run her hands through his hair, and she was about to do just that when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

It was Leigh. Again.

“We really have to start, the icing on the cake is starting to melt,” her aunt explained.

The small party gathered around the table and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ when Michaela took her place in front of the cake.

Krisis and J.D cheered the most, while Lily and Blake sang the loudest. Leigh explained, amidst everyone’s laughter, that one of the tots at playschool had a birthday party on Friday and the excitement from then had stuck with them.

Kristian squealed when he saw the candles on the birthday cake. Drawn to fire, he naturally wanted to help Michaela blow them out. He pouted when Leigh explained it was Michaela’s moment, he shouldn’t steal her shine.

Surrounded by her family and friends, Michaela had never felt as blessed as she did at that moment.

She was nervous about growing up, unsure of herself and what the future held for her. But with a family as loving and supportive as hers she knew it would be an exciting journey. And she couldn’t wait…

She closed her eyes and blew out all the candles at once.

Krimsyn and J.D. both had tears in their eyes as they watched her transition.

“Did you make a wish?” Krimsyn asked as she and J.D. hugged her.

“I didn’t have to. I already have what I want,” Michaela returned their smiles before she traipsed off to cut her cake.

She was on her way to give her friends their snacks when Cameron, who was playing tag with Lily and Blake, bumped her.

She almost fell backwards, but he reached for her just in time, his arms around her waist felt like a dream, a perfect, perfect dream. 

“I’m sorry,” he cried when he saw the large stain on her chest.

“It’s okay, it was an old shirt anyway,” Michaela smiled.

“I’ll replace it,” he offered.

“Nah, it’s okay. It's a good thing I brought an overnight bag, I should go change,” She winked at him, and her hint wasn’t lost on him.

“Yeah, you should. I’ll take care of this.” Cameron took the tray from her.

“I won’t be back for some time,” Michaela hinted again.

“I’ll miss you,” he waved her off.

In the guestroom, she loosened her hair and peeled off the stained clothes; she threw them on the floor and looked through her overnight bag.

She wasn’t surprised when the door creaked open and Cameron walked in. He’d gotten her hints loud and clear.

Her body seemed to have a mind of its own as she glided across the room and flew straight into his arms.

“God, you are beautiful,” Cameron growled as he pulled her close to him.

She looked up, she wanted to say something funny and smart and adult like, but words failed her when she saw the love shining in his eyes.

Cameron tilted her chin and bent his head. An anxious sigh fluttered from her lips as she held her breath. Ever so gently he brushed his mouth on hers in a fleeting caress, hinting at things to come.

Their first real kiss was awkward at first, maybe because she was nervous and anxious, she had waited for this moment forever, but once they both got into a comfortable rhythm it soon became everything Michaela thought it would be.

She felt lightheaded and she held on tightly to him, pressing her petite body to his masculine one for support, reveling in the feel of his arms around her.

Without warning, Cameron changed the momentum of the kiss. There was a new urgency as his lips pried hers open, little by little, coaxing her to take more of him in. He was ruthless and intoxicating as his tongue swirled inside her mouth in long, sensuous strokes, and his fangs gently grazed her lips. She sighed tearfully, wishing the moment wouldn’t end. It was too beautiful for words.

Michaela really thought he couldn’t surprise her anymore and things between them could not get better than this. She was convinced his bag of kissing tricks was empty; but he stunned her once more when he pricked her tongue with his fangs. The sensation left her craving for more.

“What are we doing?” She whimpered.

“Everything we’ve wanted for so long,” he replied. She tried to move away to cool off the heat between them, but he wasn’t done with her.

His kiss deepened with the same intensity as his palm on her breast. He squeezed her closer to him, pressing her firmly on his hard on, and something odd happened down there, in her black lacy G-string she’d bought especially for this occasion, it was the same thing which had been happening more and more lately whenever he touched her. She didn’t understand it, but she was very much open to exploring it.

“Cameron.”  He laughed and growled against her lips when she purred his name. She was struggling to keep up with his voracity and she was so close to losing control, so close to the edge.

But just when she thought she’d burst into flames of desire, he slowed down their tempo, and brought their kiss to a close with an earth shattering caress.

“Happy birthday!” He whispered hoarsely when he finally let her go.

“Wow!” was all Michaela could say.  Her legs gave in just as she fell on the bed.

Cameron picked up the t-shirt she’d grabbed from her bag and helped her put it on.

She threw on a pair of leggings, feeling self conscious about the dampness between her legs. She wondered if Cameron knew and when she looked up and saw the smug look in his eyes, she found her answer. Yep, he knew alright!

“Are you ready?” He asked as he helped her up from the bed.

“As I’ll ever be,” Michaela replied.

The party was in full swing when they drifted back outside; no one seemed to have missed them. They quickly located her parents lounging on the deck chairs.

“Hey sweetheart. What’s going on? Are you having a good day?” J.D. stood up and opened his arms when he saw her. She returned his hug.

She was so nervous she immediately blurted out what was on her mind. “Cameron and I are dating!”

A tense silence followed her announcement for the briefest of moments.

And then all hell broke loose as J.D. hurled himself at Cameron.

“You son of a bitch! You sick, sick bastard! How could you?” J.D. pummeled his fists all over Cameron.

Cameron fought back, somehow both men fell into the swimming pool, but they still carried on with their war.

The triplets screamed “Daddy!” at once from various parts of the deck.

Their first word was Leigh’s nightmare. She burst into tears. She always thought they’d say ‘mommy’ first, but before she’d even gotten over her shock, Ariel stole her attention when she sent plates flying in the air, she was agitated by the screams and the fighting.

Azalea turned off the music and the lights, plunging everyone into darkness. Everything electrical came to a standstill, and so did everyone, except J.D. and Cameron splashing in the pool.

It wasn’t the adults’ common sense that stopped J.D. and Cameron’s fight; it was the large ball of fire hurtling at a frightening speed towards the two men. Cameron saw it and dived under, dragging J.D. down with him, the orb missed them by inches.

Krisis reached for Ariel, she was the most emotional at the moment and calming her down first was the logical thing to do. He snuggled her and soothed her cries. Moments later, Kristian and Ariel stopped crying too.

Leigh picked up her son from the floor and went to the main switch box in the kitchen to turn on the lights.

“What just happened?” Katy asked in a small voice when the lights came on. No one answered; they were just as shocked as she was.

She, Rose and Maddie excused themselves, it was obvious the Frosts had a lot of issues to deal with, and there wouldn’t be much of a party after this. Michaela’s friends hugged her when they left, with promises to call her later.

Eloise and Devon took the kids inside. They’d never say it, but they were a little wary of the triplets as they got them ready for bed. It had sounded cool when he’d talked to Leigh about the triplets, but having seen their abilities in action, Devon was a little shaken up. He wondered how often Leigh and Krisis had these crazy days, and his heart went out to them once more.

J.D. and Cameron came out of the pool. Before they could throttle each other again, Krimsyn and Michaela ran up to them and separated them.

Something flashed in J.D.’s eyes as the realization hit him. Krimsyn didn’t look the least surprised by Michaela’s announcement, Krisis and Leigh too.

He turned to them, “you knew about this?”

Leigh avoided making eye contact with him.

Krisis though met his gaze and nodded. He tried to explain his side, but J.D. had already lost interest.

J.D.’s anger reached new heights when he met Krimsyn’s eyes, “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t think anything would come out of it. She came to me-" Krimsyn stammered.

“You know what, fuck you. Fuck all of you. I am sick of the secrets in this family!” J.D. cussed as he stalked off, Krimsyn ran after him and grabbed his arm, but he flung her away. She fell on the floor with a loud thud and that just pissed Krisis off.

In a blink of an eye he’d closed in on J.D.

“I get you’re pissed and you have every right to be. But don’t take it out on my sister! If you’d both handled your shit from the start you would have seen those two were falling in love. I spoke with Cameron, I told him to back off. Evidently it was unavoidable,” Krisis told him.

“You don’t fucking get it do you? I’m not angry that they fell in love; I’m pissed at the secrets! First it was Thornton, then Michaela’s blood lust, now it’s her and Cameron and the triplets. When were you going to tell us? You know what, forget it, I’m out!” With that J.D. pushed past him and got in his car, his tires screeched angrily as he sped away.

Cameron decided to leave too. Michaela wanted to go with him, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave Krimsyn in a state and she had to help Leigh and Eloise clean up the triplets’ wrath.

“Will you call me later?” She asked as Cameron got in his car. The uncertainty in her voice undid him. He immediately got out and held her.

“Daddy is so angry with me,” she cried tearfully on his chest.

“He’ll come around. I’ll talk to him when he’s cooled off,” he promised her. They kissed again, a little hesitantly though.

A faint bark from inside the car interrupted their embrace.

‘What’s that?” Michaela asked, wide eyed. Without waiting for his reply she opened the door and looked inside the basket in the passenger seat. 

“She’s beautiful,” she cried as she lifted the puppy from the basket.

“He,” Cameron murmured.

“Huh?” she turned to him, but her eyes were still on the puppy.

“It’s a he, not a she. And he’s yours, to watch over you when I’m not around. With all the craziness going on I totally forgot about him.” The joy in her eyes when he said this blew him away.

She’d said she didn’t want a gift from him, and he’d debated with himself about getting the puppy, but Doug, the pet store owner, had convinced him nothing said “I love you and I’m here to stay” better than a puppy.

It looked like he’d be making another trip to the pet store to thank ol’ Doug for his advice…

________

I've uploaded pics of Mickey on Facebook, I put captions in two and I just gave up after that. I know I shouldn't be, but I'm a little sad she's all grown up. I guess I feel like J.D. right now.


This chapter was bittersweet and emotional for me, it marked the end of a life I've grown to love so much, and a beginning of the unknown, and it's the first birthday ever in Krisis. 


Maybe tomorrow I'll add those captions. 


Anyway, yeah, Karima found the Mickey Mouse t-shirt on her many CC hunting trips and she thought it would be a perfect send-off for her, to mark the end of an era.


And I leave you with this pic...It's just random. All the kiddies were thinking about the swimming pool at the same time. I guess they wanted to swim? Maybe they are telepathic, or have a collective mind like the phoners in Steven King's Cell?  I don't know.