The Things No One Else Sees

Lucy had no idea what had possessed her to agree to spend a week with Joffrey Lupul at his house in California. It was probably the way he talked about the place. About how it was on the beach and how the breeze off the Pacific felt so good against your face at night when you sat out there and listened to the waves lap up against the shore. And she really needed that after a particularly bad year.

She’d been passed over for a raise at work because of budget cuts. She’d been on one too many horrible first dates, and then the one guy that had stuck ended up being a druggie who thought it was cute to do coke in the bathroom of a bar while his girlfriend wondered why it took him so long to take a piss. And the betta fish she’d had for five years had died in February. His name had been Mulder, and even though he was just a fish, Lucy had shed a couple tears when she flushed his corpse down the toilet.

Lupul was strange. She’d never really liked him, even told Jacob that he was an asshole when the two men had started hanging out. Lupul had become a fixture, though. And if she wanted to spend time with her favorite cousin, then she had to accept that Joffrey Lupul was going to be around, too. That didn’t mean that she had to talk to him, though. So, she just kept to herself when he was around with his bimbo du jour. It was always a woman with long hair, blonde or brunette, with big boobs and a penchant for saying really annoying things at really annoying times.

He’d surprised her when he’d sat with her outside the bar the night she broke up with Dennis. Lupul was the last person she’d expect to do something like that, especially while his girlfriend was flirting with every single person in the place.

And then he’d showed her his fantastic taste in music, and she started feeling weird about her thoughts of him. Friendly thoughts at first and then odd thoughts that involved imagining him in her bed while they had sex to Portishead. She’d always thought that would be amazing music to get it on to.

But that was never going to happen. She wasn’t his type, and she had more self respect than to let such a player use her and cut her loose. That didn’t mean she couldn’t use him for his house and his concert connections, though.

Her plane landed at LAX a week after he’d insisted she come spend some time in Newport Beach. She smoothed her hair down as she walked through the terminal, pushing along with the crowd to get to the baggage area. It took her longer than she expected to find her suitcase, and she hoped that Lupul hadn’t lost interest and gone back home. He lived over thirty miles away and she didn’t want to pay cab fare to get there.

When she exited the passenger area and entered into the visitor’s section of the airport, she saw groups of people happily reunited with friends and family, husbands and wives. It was touching, but she was nervous about finding Lupul and hoping he wasn’t as good-looking as she remembered him to be. Because she didn't need to be trapped in a house with a guy she was supposed to hate when he looked that good.

She walked slowly toward the exit, scanning the faces of everyone. He couldn’t be that hard to find. He was over six feet tall and built.

Lucy saw the sign before she saw him. On a piece of white notebook paper the words, “Judgmental Bitch” were written in block letters with a black marker. She dragged her eyes up his chest and shoulders until she could see the wide grin on his handsome face.

She tried hard not to smile, but it was impossible. “Hey, fuck you, Lupul,” Lucy said as she walked up to drop her bags at his feet. She snatched the paper out of his hand and punched him on the shoulder hard enough to hurt her hand, but not hurt him. The man was solid muscle.

“I wanted to make sure I could find you,” he replied, picking up her suitcase and her carry-on bag.

“I can carry one,” she told him.

Lupul shook his head. “I’ve got it. Come on, I’m probably getting a parking ticket as we speak.”

She followed him out of the airport, across six busy lanes of traffic, over a low concrete barrier, and into a small short-term parking lot. She watched as he slipped the parking attendant some outrageous sum of money before walking up to a flashy black convertible. The top was down and the interior was all cream and black.

“I can’t get in a car that expensive.”

He tucked her luggage into the tiny trunk. “It’s my summer rental.”

She slid into the passenger seat and buckled up while he got in and turned the engine over.

“So, how was your flight?” He asked, navigating out of the parking lot and merging into the heavy traffic leaving the airport.

Lucy looked over at his handsome profile. He was in a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt that was so thin she could practically see through it. A baseball cap was pulled over his head to shade his eyes. Fuck him for looking so perfect when she just wanted to dislike him. “Long. I’m so glad to be out of the plane.”

They made casual conversation during the drive to Newport Beach. He told her how his visit with his family had gone and what he loved about his little house on the beach. She told him about her flight and how much she was looking forward to relaxing for a week.

"Or two," he said, pulling into the small driveway of the house. The place was compact, not very wide, but three stories tall. More like a condo or a townhouse than a free-standing house. Perfect for a bachelor who only spent a couple months of the year in it.

"I can't spend my entire summer here," she said, giving the almost empty garage a once-over.

"Sure you can. You don't have to be back to Toronto until the school year starts, right?"

"I'm not freeloading in your house, Lupul. A week and then I'm going home."

He glanced at her, a soft smile on his face. "Just you wait. You'll love it here and never want to leave. That's how I always feel."

***********************************

He was right; she loved it already. The guest room was spacious and outfitted with gorgeous furniture. She had no doubt he'd had someone decorate and furnish the entire house. The first floor was the garage and a laundry room. The second floor was the main living area with a dining room, kitchen, and a breakfast nook with bay windows that overlooked the ocean. The third floor was where the two bedrooms were. The master spanned the front of the house with a long balcony that provided a breathtaking view. Her room had windows that overlooked the street and a large bathroom right next door that he told her she didn't have to share since the master had its own.

After she'd settled in and unpacked her things, he directed her to the balcony and disappeared. When he came to join her, he was holding two beers. He handed one to her. "You're welcome to come out here anytime," he told her.

"I'm not traipsing through your bedroom, Lupul. That'd just be rude."

"You're not interrupting anything. I'll make sure I'm always decent."

"I thought you hockey players spent your summers getting laid. Isn't that why you broke up with Destiny?"

He tilted the beer bottle back to take a long drink before shifting his eyes over to her. "I broke up with her because she was a drama queen and not right for me."

"Okay. You conveniently didn't say anything about not spending your summer getting laid."

"Why are you so interested in my sex life? Jealous?"

Lucy felt her face flush. "Absolutely not. I just think it's gross to sleep with anything in a skirt with boobs."

"I'm turning over a new leaf. No more Destinys. No girls this summer."

Yeah right, Lucy thought. It'd be a cold day in hell when Joffrey Lupul would tell all the gorgeous women who were after him to back off because he was spending the summer celibate. "I'll believe it when I see it," she said.

"You'll see," he said sitting in the chair beside her. She took a drink and looked out over the red and orange sky as the sun sunk below the horizon. "I'm glad you decided to come out here," he added after a long minute of silence.

Lucy nodded, but didn't dare look at him. She was treading dangerous water. He could be sweet and charming when he wanted to be. "Thanks for inviting me. I was a little surprised you did. Actually, a lot surprised."

"I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I think we should be friends. If you don't still think I'm an asshole, that is."

She laughed softly. "No, I don't think you're an asshole."

"But you used to."

"Yes, I used to. And you thought I was a judgmental bitch."

Lupul glanced over and grinned at her before saying, "Who says I don't still do?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh again. It was unfair that the one guy she'd written off as not her type and a total jerk was the funniest, wittiest guy she'd met in a very long time. "Touche, Lupul."

*****************************

He’d left her to her own devices for the most part, which Lucy was thankful for. He spent most of his mornings working out. She knew he got up early, well before her, and went running on the beach. Afterward, he would eat breakfast and leave for the gym. He’d return shortly after lunch, eat, and take a nap. Occasionally, he would go back to the gym in the afternoons, but most of the time he would stick around the house or go out and meet friends or go shopping.

He liked T-shirts, she learned. He had a habit of buying way too many of them. He couldn’t possibly wear all of the ones that came into the house in shopping bags. Some were from high-end boutiques and probably cost over fifty bucks. Some of them looked like he had paid fifty cents at a thrift shop.

She spent the time alone sitting on his balcony reading novels she’d toted along with her in the suitcase and walking on the beach. The weather was always gorgeous--sunny, clear skies, and in the mid-seventies. Each morning when she woke up and made herself a cup of tea or coffee, she was thankful she’d agreed to come spend a week of her summer here with him.

On the fifth day, she ran out of books to read. She put on a Junior Boys album she hadn’t had a chance to listen to completely and shoved her earbuds in before she went downstairs to find something to read. He had no books; just stacks of magazines in the living room by the couch. They were mostly hockey related and some were old. She scrunched her nose up in distaste. Halfway through the pile, a cover caught her eye. ESPN: The Body Issue. There was a naked, tattooed man carrying a football on the cover. He was cute, and Lucy was intrigued. Since when did Lupul have nudes of naked men?

Smiling to herself, she carried the magazine upstairs and settled down on his balcony to flip through it. The album playing in her earphones was just okay until the fifth track came on, and then it was amazing. The song reminded her of everything she liked about eighties music. The magazine was a portrait of the athletic body. Popular athletes had agreed to pose for tasteful nude photographs, showing off what the training did to their bodies. Lucy grimaced. She needed to get to the gym.

She flipped through the pictures, lingering on each for only a few seconds each. Until she turned a page and saw a familiar face. Lupul. Naked. He was standing in a foggy room with his stick resting across his shoulders. The photo cut off at his hips, but she could just imagine the rest. Lucy licked her lips and looked at the next picture--Lupul’s back was displayed prominently as he struck a pose like he was skating with full force across a rink. And then there was one of a similar pose, but showing him from the front, his knee up and protecting his modesty.

Holy shit, Lucy thought. So that was how he got all those women to sleep with him. She’d never really been one for buff guys that worked out and had flawless bodies, but there was something incredibly sexy about his. She almost felt guilty as she stared at the picture.

And then reality came crashing down on her when one of her earbuds was pulled out of her ear. “Whatcha doin’, Lucy?”

She flipped the magazine closed and jumped out of her chair. Lupul. He’d snuck up behind her and pulled her earbud out. But did he see what she was looking at?

“Reading a magazine,” she replied, rolling the issue up so he couldn’t see the cover.

He was in a pair of athletic shorts and a shirt with the sleeves cut off it to show off his arms. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. “What magazine are you reading?” His mouth curled into an evil smile.

Busted. He’d obviously seen what she’d been looking at. Lying would just make her look more guilty. “Your nudie one,” Lucy replied, tossing the magazine on the other chair.

“See anything interesting?”

“Yeah, I saw that I wish I had Sydney Leroux’s body. I also saw that I need to go to the gym.”

“See anyone you know?” He was trying to repress his grin, but wasn’t doing a very good job.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. “Maybe. There was this hockey player in there that was okay-looking.”

“Just okay?”

“Are you fishing for compliments, Lupul? Because I doubt you need to do that. You know you’re hot.”

He picked up the magazine and flipped through it, all the while advancing on her. The only exit was through him, and right now all she could think about was what he looked like with his shirt off. And with his pants off.

“I liked the blue picture with all the fog the best,” he said when he got to his spread.

Lucy swallowed and glanced at the page as he held it out. “The one of your back is better.” She needed a drink ASAP. Her mouth was dry. Junior Boys were still singing in one ear so she ripped the other earbud out.

“Really?” Lupul scrunched his face up as if he didn’t agree with her.

“Backs are sexy.”

“Is that right?”

She shrugged. “Maybe I have a thing for backs. You have a nice one.” That said, she side-stepped and hurried back inside. Anything to get away from Joffrey Lupul and his body. She’d rue the day she found that magazine. She definitely didn’t need to know what he looked like naked.

Notes