Chapter 26: Behind These Hazel Eyes

The three and a half hour drive to Cape Breton passed quickly as casual conversation returned among the five friends. Dave continued to think about Jennifer but deep down he had reluctantly concluded he needed to move on and not rail against what might have been. They pulled into the Telegraph House hotel just before noon and quickly moved their bags into the rooms to prepare for their activities. The women had bought a map of Cape Breton and were going to tour the Cabot Trail while Alec and Dave golfed. The five friends ate a large meal in the restaurant at the small hotel before Dave and Alec were dropped off at the course. Dave had used some of the pull he had acquired as Canadian Open Champion to get his partner Alec privileges to golf during the day normally reserved for practice rounds. After kissing the women goodbye, Dave and Alec went to the practice range. Alec loved the look of the golf course and he looked forward to playing it. Dave remembered it well from his earlier Atlantic Junior Tournament.

They eventually teed off with two golfers from Ontario. Dave played better than he had all week but he was still disappointed with his seventy-four. Alec's confidence had continued to grow and he shot seventy-eight. Alec remembered Dave saying the same architect had also designed Buzzard's Bluff and Alec could readily see the similarities.

The women eventually picked them up and regaled them with descriptions of the beautiful sights in the Cape Breton Highlands. The Cabot Trail was particularly beautiful and they were very happy they had a chance to see it. After parking the car at the hotel, they walked to a small pizza shop down the road called the Yellow Cello. The restaurant had a large deck and was packed with golfers in town for the Amateur. Dave recognized several people he had played against the previous year and he received numerous congratulations on his British Open victory.

The restaurant ambiance was welcoming and a very charismatic piano player entertained the beer-guzzling golfers. The pizza was good and Dave enjoyed his relaxing evening with the twins. He had one sister tucked under each arm as they joined the piano player singing various songs. The piano player teased Dave several times about having two girlfriends - it was all light-hearted fun and Dave simply laughed.

The waitress hadn't asked for identification so the group was able to share several pitchers of beer. Dave had a mild buzz when they finally walked back to the hotel. He told Alec he would see him and Shauna in the morning; then he strolled on a bee-line into his room with the twins following closely behind. He was barely through the door when both girls attacked him and stripped him completely naked. Jana worked on getting him hard while Kyra kissed him passionately. The entwined trio slowly worked their way to the bed as Dave pulled the twins' clothes off as he went.

By the time they reached the bed, Kyra was completely naked. She pushed him flat on his back, climbed onto the bed, and straddled his face. She lowered her dripping snatch to his mouth and he snaked his tongue into her sweet wetness. She moaned as his tongue parted her tender lips while his hands moved up to her round firm breasts. He could feel Jana still sucking his rock-hard pole as he licked and teased Kyra's clit while his hands massaged her mounds. He felt Jana move and realized she had mounted his throbbing love muscle; she had been super-lubricated and quickly performed the penetration. She eased herself deeper onto his girth and he heard her moan in delight as she began rocking back and forth. He felt her hands join his hands on Kyra's breasts and Kyra's excitement grew quickly as they double-teamed her.

Dave continued to lick and suck Kyra's wet slit as she ground her clit against his face. Kyra's excitement grew steadily until she moaned in ecstasy as her first orgasm rocked her. After allowing her orgasm to settle she rolled off Dave and moved away from the bed. Jana dropped her upper body flat on top of Dave and licked Kyra's juices off his face before she kissed him passionately. Dave suspected where Kyra had gone and he soon felt pressure on the underside of his prick as Kyra entered Jana's ass with her favorite strap-on toy. Jana's eyes rolled back into her head shortly after the additional penetration and both Dave and Kyra stroked into her faster and faster until she squealed in delight. Her orgasm rocked her entire body before she passed out on top of Dave.

Kyra was chuckling, "God, I love doing that to her. She's so easy to send over the top."

Dave simply shook his head and scolded, "Play nice."

Kyra put an angelic look on her face and Dave laughed at her. He gently rolled Jana onto her back before Kyra dropped between his legs and used her talented mouth to bring him to an earthshaking orgasm. She swallowed his seed then smiled at him. "I really missed that. You are a wonderful lover and I would really miss you if we couldn't be together."

Dave rubbed her cheek. "There's no reason we can't have a wonderful winter, now." He briefly stared into space as he thought about Jennifer but he quickly shook her from his thoughts.

Kyra asked, "You're thinking about Jennifer, aren't you?"

Dave nodded but didn't reply. Kyra hugged him. "It's Jennifer's loss. You'll find someone special - but, I hope, not before you have completely satisfied me."

Dave chuckled. "I don't think you could ever be completely satisfied."

She giggled. "There was once when our family was in Aspen..." She suddenly stopped talking and stared at Dave as if she had said something she shouldn't have.

He pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly. "I don't care about what you did in Aspen. Just hold me, please." Kyra buried her face in his chest as she squeezed him tightly.

Jana eventually woke up and the three lovers cuddled in the large queen size bed then fell quietly asleep.

When they woke in the morning, Dave, Kyra, and Jana had a soothing shower, which included some very intimate hygiene before they joined Alec and Shauna in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Kyra then dropped Alec and Dave off at the golf course.

Dave practiced all morning and was reasonably happy with his ball-striking but he could sense that he was not really at the top of his game. Several media crews taped him hitting balls and they asked him to do interviews to go with the visuals. He had two hours until he was due to tee off so he agreed. The interviews were very similar to previous ones and a slightly bored Dave was happy when they were completed.

He hit balls for another half hour then putted for an hour before he and Alec had a quick snack. Dave played his round in a three-some with a golfer from Quebec and one from Manitoba. He only played an average round but was satisfied with his one under par seventy-one. His parents and Patsy arrived just before his tee time and they joined the three women following him as he progressed through the course. There were dozens of other spectators following him as well but he didn't really notice the small numbers compared to the huge crowds at the British Open.

After the round they all went to a local lobster restaurant and had a big seafood feast. After the late supper Dave and the twins returned to their room for their last night together. They made tender love and were lying in bed talking about what they liked in bed when Jana let Mark's name slip. Dave looked at her and asked what she meant about Mark. Jana looked pensive as she said, "I asked Jennifer if she could arrange for us, her and me, to have sex with Mark tomorrow night. I really want to spend a night in bed with Jennifer and a man. I really wanted the man to be you - but that's not possible now."

Dave sat up and glared at Jana. He spoke in short sentences, "I don't want you fucking Mark. I know you sleep with other guys when I'm not around - but not Mark. I couldn't take that."

She looked tentative as she replied, "Okay, Dave."

Kyra hugged him as she looked up into his fiery eyes. She couldn't believe her sister could be so obtuse. She was going to give her hell the next time they were alone but right now she simply wanted to calm Dave down. She could feel his heart racing.

Dave eventually calmed down and dozed off to sleep. He slept soundly until his alarm woke him. He rolled out of bed, showered, and slipped out of the room quietly. He met Alec in the restaurant for breakfast before the two of them drove to the course. Patsy and his parents picked the girls up just before his tee-time. He had another average day and shot even-par seventy-two. He knew the two average rounds would leave him in decent position for the sixty-four man cut. He thought he would still be in the top half of the draw but he would have to beat all the strong players if he was going to defend his championship.

After he finished his round he did three more interviews before they all went back to the hotel. Dave asked his father if he would give the twins a drive to meet Jennifer because he was feeling a little tired and wanted to rest up for the next day. The truth was he didn't want to see Jennifer again - he thought he was ready to move forward but seeing her would only re-open the wounds and more self-pity would spill out.

He went to lunch with the twins before he asked Jana to call Jennifer and arrange to meet on the highway half way to Charlestown. He didn't tell Jana that his father was driving them until after she called Jennifer. They were both disappointed because they wanted to spend a little more time with Dave but he assured them he would see them the following weekend at Wake Forest. He kissed them both passionately before they left with his father.

Dave relaxed in his room for the afternoon and just before dark he called the golf course to get his tee time. He had been seeded fifteenth for the match play so his tee time was fairly early at ten-thirty. Dave slept well that night but he could not avoid thinking about Jennifer before he dozed off.

He and Alec spent an hour at the driving range and then putted for thirty minutes. Dave was honed and ready when his name was called to the first tee. His first match went quite easily as the opposing New Dominion player was very nervous and played poorly. Dave won the match six and five.

Dave finished play early in the afternoon so his father took Alec, Shauna, Patsy, and Carol on a tour of the Cabot Trail. Dave passed on the trip and chose to simply decompress in the solitude of his room. He relaxed all evening and went to bed early. His mind continued to always wonder back to Jennifer no matter what he started out thinking about. He finally fell fitfully asleep shortly after one o'clock.

He woke early the next morning and practiced for an hour before his second round match. His opponent was the twenty-first seed and Dave had to win a surprisingly close match decided on the last hole. Dave didn't hit the ball overly well and his putting was only fair. Alec tried to keep him focused but he could tell Dave's mind simply was not completely on his golf.

Dave ate a good lunch before spending a little additional time on the practice range - he desperately tried to find his swing but it was not to be. He had advanced to the top sixteen but now he had to play the ninth seed player. Dave fell behind after only four holes and by the eleventh hole he was down five holes. The match ended after the fourteenth hole with Dave losing five and four. He looked at his father in disappointment but his dad simply shrugged. When Dave approached them dejectedly, his father said, "It wasn't your tournament, Dave. You've had a rough week and this is simply a symptom of the pressure you have been under the past ten days. Learn from it and move on."

Dave nodded as he and Alec led the disappointed group to the clubhouse. The media wanted interviews and Dave suffered through them as graciously as he could. He explained, "My opponent was too good for me today; I wish him luck in the next round."

An hour later, Dave, Alec, and Shauna were on the road for QAI - it was two days earlier than originally planned; they had come to expect a win or at least a very high finish from Dave - this was a small surprise. Dave and Alec reviewed his round in great detail; in the end they both agreed that he just wasn't at his best and his opponent was more than up for the challenge to beat the British Open Champion.

They arrived at the house in Edwardton very late and went directly to bed. They all slept in on Wednesday. It was another hot day so after eating a good lunch the three friends went to Brackley Beach. It was a good afternoon on the beach and Dave was happy to see most of his friends before he went back to North Carolina. Dave took Shauna and Alec out to dinner that evening then they went to a movie. It was a quiet evening and Dave was happy to push the golf out of his mind for a while.

On Thursday, they spent the day at North Beach. Roger hosted a huge farewell barbecue for their guests and all of his and Carol's families. Dave had an opportunity to say goodbye to everyone before he left early the next morning. He spoke briefly to Alan who told him he had identified twelve interested sponsors who were anxious for him to turn pro. Dave told Alan about his thinking; he would probably turn pro the following summer but was not yet going to make any announcement. Dave thanked his uncle for his help fielding sponsorship feelers.

After the barbecue, Dave, Alec, and Shauna went to town and Dave went to bed early. Dave had said goodbye to his parents and promised to call when he stopped the next night. He was leaving at four o'clock the next morning and trying to get past New York before he stopped Friday night. That would leave a short run to Wake Forest on Saturday.

Dave woke with his alarm and ate a good breakfast before he hit the road. As he crossed the bridge leaving QAI he remembered how excited he had been when he crossed it just over three weeks earlier in the opposite direction. He had been hoping to start a new life with Jennifer but instead he was now starting a new, maybe emptier, one without her. He thought about her most of the morning as he made his way south. As he drove through New Dominion a new Kelly Clarkson song came on the radio; Dave listened to the words and thought about his devastating rejection by Jennifer. The song 'Behind These Hazel Eyes' seemed to describe his emotions perfectly.

He heard the song twice more as the morning passed and found it contained a powerful message. When he drove through Portland, Maine he saw a large mall beside the highway so he pulled into the mall, went directly to a music store, and bought Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" album. It would play many times during the drive.

He listened to the song over and over until he had the words completely memorized. He wondered if Kelly knew his story with Jennifer as he thought about the words.

Seems like just yesterday
You were a part of me
I used to stand so tall
I used to be so strong
Your arms around me tight
Everything, it felt so right
Unbreakable, like nothin' could go wrong
Now I can't breathe
No, I can't sleep
I'm barely hanging on

Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces
Can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes

I told you everything
Opened up and let you in
You made me feel alright
For once in my life
Now all that's left of me
Is what I pretend to be
So together, but so broken up inside
'Cause I can't breathe
No, I can't sleep
I'm barely hangin' on

Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces
Can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes

Swallow me then spit me out
For hating you, I blame myself
Seeing you it kills me now
No, I don't cry on the outside
Anymore...

Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces
Can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes

Here I am, once again
I'm torn into pieces
Can't deny it, can't pretend
Just thought you were the one
Broken up, deep inside
But you won't get to see the tears I cry
Behind these hazel eyes

The second song on the compact disc, called 'Since U Been Gone', also seemed to fit his feelings. He thought of Jennifer the entire trip and he wondered what the drive would have been like if she had said yes. He had to wipe tears from his eyes several times as his sense of loss overwhelmed him.

In spite of the many thoughts of Jennifer, he made extremely good time and stopped for the night just outside Washington. He called his parents before going to sleep. He woke at eight o'clock and got right back on the road after a good breakfast. The temperature got steadily warmer as he got closer Winston-Salem. He pulled onto the campus and went directly to the security building to get his parking pass. He then went to the check-in center and picked up his new DeaconOne card. He went to his newly assigned apartment and unpacked his clothes. He couldn't make his bed or watch television because he had left all his linens and other stuff at Alec's for the summer. His cell phone rang and he answered, "Hello?"

Alec's cheerful voice asked, "Where are you, Dave?"

"I'm in our apartment. How was the flight home?"

Alec chuckled. "A lot faster than your drive. Coach Dawes called last night and asked me to play with the two new freshmen tomorrow. He suggested I find a fourth. Are you up for it?"

"Sure, count me in. What time?"

Alec replied, "We have a one o'clock tee time. I'm just packing our stuff and I will bring it by the apartment shortly. See you soon."

Dave set up his laptop and put his new Kelly Clarkson disc in the drive and then ripped the songs into MP3 format. He opened up a new e-mail message and addressed it to Jennifer. He wrote in the subject line, "This is how I feel!!!!" He then attached the song "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and hit the send key. He stared at the screen for a moment then wiped the tears from his eyes and walked out of the apartment with his golf clubs on his back.