Loving Daisy

by R. M. Lynn

  Maddox: Where are you?

  Maddox: C’mon, Daisy! Tell me you didn’t leave.

  Maddox: Are you okay? At least tell me that or I’m going to break into your room to find out for myself.

  I ignored his texts and opened one from Colt.

  Colt: You ditched? Really? Maddox is pissed. Are you okay?

  I texted him back to let him know I was okay, because one of them had to know or all three of them would bust in here to find out for sure. Next, I opened up a text from Logan and told her I went home while also hinting at the disaster that occurred with Maddox. Just as I sent the text, I received one from Marcus.

  Marcus: Hey, Daisy, I don’t know if you left or not, but I’m sorry if I missed you. And about earlier with Maddox and Dash? I’m sorry. I acted a bit defensively and shouldn’t have taken it out on you. But you did leave without giving me that dance.

  I bit my lip and began to type.

  Daisy: Don’t worry about them. I’m the one that’s sorry. About the dance? I’ll make it up to you.

  Marcus: Make it up to me by going to dinner with me Friday night.

  I took a breath and shook my head, not believing the words in front of me.

  Daisy: Okay. Friday. Can’t wait.

  I looked up at the ceiling with a grin, but the smile died when I heard the knocking on my window. I glared at Maddox, and he shook his head at me in return.

  “Let me in, Daisy,” he ordered. “I know you hear me.”

  “Fuck off, Maddox,” I countered and turned my bedroom light.

  The knocking persisted, and he snapped, “Daisy, open the fucking window or I’ll go ring the doorbell. What’s it going to be?”

  I couldn’t let him wake my parents, so I groaned and stomped to the window, pulling it open for him. He climbed into my room too gracefully and stood in front of me. The moonlight coming through the window lit up his profile, and I glared up at him.

  “What?” I snapped. “I let you in. So, say what you have to say and leave.”

  “I don’t know why you’re mad,” he argued lowly. “I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re mad that I respect you? That I value my friendship with you so much that I’m not exactly prepared to potentially lose it? Over some stupid fucking list that doesn’t even matter?”

  “It matters to me. They’re my firsts, and I want to give them to someone that I know respects me. That’s why Logan suggested you.” I shook my head at him. “Look, you’re not interested, and I respect your decision. But the second it was out there, it changed with us. You got weird, and I was mortified. That’s why I left the party. Okay? I’m worried I already ruined it… our friendship.”

  He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “No, Daisy, it’s not like that. It just threw me off a bit. I mean… I’ve known you my whole life, and you’re asking me to throw that away to be your fuck buddy. I mean, c’mon, Daze, that’s crazy.”

  “I’m not asking you to throw away our friendship. I value it, too, just like you. And I know it was a weird idea. But, honestly, Maddox, you’re the sweetest, smartest, funniest guy I know.” I shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anybody better, someone that I’d feel good about giving my firsts away to. I knew that if it were you, no matter what happened, I’d never regret it because you are, like you’ve pointed out, my best friend.”

  He was silent for a moment before running both hands through his hair again and gripping the ends of it. “This is literally the dumbest fucking idea, Daisy. You have no idea.”

  “Then, fine, we can just forget it. In fact, I kind of hope we do.”

  “What’s on this list anyway?”

  I blinked at him, confused by the sudden change in direction before shrugging and muttering, “Um, well, the first is kissing. I think I’m pretty okay at it, but you know practice makes perfect. Making out goes along with that. And then, you know…”

  “No, I don’t,” he pressed in a tone I never quite heard from him before and stepped into me, making my breath hitch. “That’s why I’m asking. Say it.”

  I swallowed. “I’ve never been touched or… licked or anything, okay? And I’ve never done it to a guy in return. So, I’d like to get those out of the way, and finally, there’s sex. Because I’m a virgin, and I don’t want to be anymore. And in between, there’s just a few other things.”

  He groaned and shook his head. “Why? Why haven’t you? Is it really because of what you said earlier? You just didn’t want to be hurt by them? And what about me, Daisy? You don’t think that when this is over, I won’t hurt you? How do I know you’re not going to catch feelings? Because, Daze? I can do the fucking around. I’m good at it. The question is, can you?”

  ◆◆◆

  4

  She looked at me, her mouth parting like she had something to say, but no words came out. Perhaps it was best for her to keep her mouth shut, though, because the words she was spewing out moments ago were enough to make my dick stand at attention. I couldn’t say I knew for sure that nobody ever touched her like she said, I could say that I assumed. Her relationships were always cut short, and I never pried, but we told each other everything. I always figured that she’d tell me.

  I never would’ve guessed in a million years that she’d ask me to be some sort of fuck buddy. But, fuck me, I was curious about that goddamn list. Why did she have to ask me? Fuck, why did I have to push her so hard into telling me in the first place? She wasn’t capable of a simple friends-with-benefits arrangement. I knew that, and I was totally capable of hurting her in the end. However, I couldn’t say that I didn’t ever think about it. We’d known each other forever, and once I hit puberty and realized what tits were, of course, I thought about it. She was gorgeous in her own way, and I was a weak, simple-minded man.

  I was flattered, too, like I told her. I liked that she felt so comfortable with me, so trusting, that she’d be willing to give me her firsts. But I also knew that I didn’t deserve any of them. She just hadn’t gotten the memo. I wasn’t good enough for her, but neither was Marcus. I meant what I said. The guy she'd meet later in life, whether it was college, before that or after, wouldn't care what experience she had or didn't have. However, I didn’t have a rebuttal for her argument about taking her sexuality into her own hands. That was her prerogative, and I’d respect what she wanted to do even if it was a stupid idea. The one thing that had me continuing even thinking about giving in and checking off everything on that list was the idea of her asking someone else. The thought of her proposing some fuck buddy arrangement with Colt or Dash, who would one hundred percent agree to it, made my body tense with rage. Worse? What if she asked someone like Marcus?

  “I can be unattached,” she insisted quietly after a moment. “But I feel like if you’re thinking this hard about it, we shouldn’t. Can we just forget it?”

  I’d never be able to forget it. Before, if I caught myself staring at her lips too long or if I caught a glimpse of her bra down her shirt, I’d quickly be able to extinguish the thoughts. Now, though, with the idea out in the open between the two of us, I’d never be able to rid myself of the thoughts about her body parts, what she tasted like, or anything in between. The what-ifs would be too much.

  I stepped into her further, her chest brushing just under mine. I brushed her hair off her shoulder, my eyes locked on my hand.

  “There has to be ground rules,” I insisted quietly. “And I mean it, Daisy, this is nothing more than me helping you out in the way that you see fit for yourself. Do you hear me? We need rules.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “Rule number one. We have to be honest with each other.” I nodded as I swallowed, and she continued. “Rule number two. We’re not exclusive because we’re not dating, so you don’t need to feel bad about any other girls. We’re friends. That leads to rule number three. We’re best friends. No matter what, okay? If either of us wants to stop, we stop, and we’ll be back to the way it was without any weirdness. No weirdness.”

  “This is fucking cra
zy,” I voiced the one thought that kept going through my head over and over. My eyes flicked to hers as my hand slid to the side of her neck, tipping her face toward mine. “Item number one on that list is kissing, right?”

  She nodded, and I felt her swallow against my palm. “We’ll probably have to do a lot of that.”

  I dropped my face to hers, stopping short just before my lips could touch hers, and murmured almost harshly, “This means nothing. Right? We’re friends. It changes nothing.”

  “Nothing,” she whispered back, and my lips descended onto hers.

  We both froze at the contact. However, when her hand slid up my chest while the other gripped my bicep, every thought about why this was a terrible, awful idea dissipated. Her lips were soft, so fucking soft, and I brushed my mouth over hers in gentle kisses. My tongue flicked out over her bottom lip, and she pressed into me even more as her lips parted under mine. A string of curse words ran through my mind in a loop as our tongues met. She tasted like the mint from her toothpaste, and her movements were tentative. My hand at her neck tipped her face up even more to gain better access while my other hand finally lifted from my side and slid along her ribs. When I touched her in this way, she seemed to gain more confidence, and she matched every movement my mouth and tongue made in almost a dance-like way.

  Knocking on the window startled us both apart, and I ran my hands through my hair as she cursed and moved toward it. She opened it for Dash, and he stumbled through it, collapsing on the floor with a laugh.

  “Fuck me, that hurt,” he chuckled out and sat up against the wall, resting his head against it.

  “Shit, Dash, what’re you doing?” I asked and flexed my hands to get them to stop shaking.

  He looked up at me lazily as Daisy turned on a small lamp. “I couldn’t drive, and I left the car at Tyler’s. So, make sure I get that tomorrow, yeah?”

  I caught Daisy trying to fan her heated face with her hand, but she dropped her arm quickly when she caught me looking. I cleared my throat and moved to lift Dash from the ground, and, shit, the guy was heavy.

  “Put him on the futon,” Daisy instructed me and pointed to the futon in the far corner of her room near her closet and bathroom. “It’s closer to the toilet if he needs it.”

  I did as she told me and dumped his large frame onto the futon mattress with a soft thud. He let out a groan in response, and I watched as Daisy murmured something to him, my eyes locked on her lips and not at all focusing on what she was actually saying.

  I wanted to kiss her again.

  The thought floored me, and I shook my head as if to rid myself of it. When Dash rolled over, facing away from us, and began to immediately snore quietly, Daisy came to me. She shut the light off on her way, her features lighting up in the moonlight. She tripped over a pair of white Chucks and tumbled into me, her fingers gripping my shirt as she steadied herself. My hands went to her elbows, and I let out a slow breath as I looked down at her.

  “Are you, um… Are you going to go?” she asked softly.

  “I can if you want me to,” I muttered back with a shrug. “If you’re worried about him, I can stay.”

  She nibbled her lip like she had a lot to say, but instead, she simply mumbled, “You can stay. You’re okay with staying in my bed with me?”

  I scowled, not sure if she could even see it in the dark but not caring. “You’re making it weird. Rule number whatever the fuck it is. Don’t make it weird.”

  “Okay,” she replies with an eager nod. “Not weird. Get into bed then.”

  I debated on taking my shirt off. However, being at the party, I didn’t want to sleep in it. So, with a quick exhale, I pulled it over my head and got into bed. She seemed to hesitate for a moment but quickly got in next to me, and I pulled the covers over the both of us. She rolled onto her side, facing the futon where Dash slept, and I turned to face her back. We’d cuddled before, but it felt different now even after just one kiss. I took a chance, though, and slid my hand over her hip as I scooted up behind her. Her ass shimmied against my crotch in a way that made me swallow a groan. I knew she didn’t realize what she was doing, simply innocently teasing me in her own way, and it made everything harder. Including my dick. If she noticed the semi I was sporting, she didn’t say anything. She let me pull her against my front, and I held her until her breath evened out with sleep. Once I knew she was out, I allowed myself to close my eyes. My body was still buzzing from our kiss, and it took me a hell of a lot longer than necessary to finally fall asleep.

  ◆◆◆

  My eyes fluttered open in the morning when I felt too hot. I assessed where I was, remembering all at once that I was in Daisy’s bed. I was on my back with her body plastered to my side. Her arm draped over my stomach while one of her legs adorned over mine. My hand was on her thigh, and it involuntarily flexed against her soft skin. I lifted my head slightly and spotted Dash passed out on the futon still. Squeezing Daisy’s thigh, on purpose this time, I whispered her name and hoped I didn’t wake Dash in the process.

  “Daze, wake up,” I muttered once more and gave her leg a gentle shake.

  She let out a soft moan, making my dick stir, and rolled onto her back. She blinked slowly until her eyes adjusted to the light filling the room from the sun outside. Her green eyes drifted over my face and a tired smile formed along her lips.

  “Hey,” she whispered.

  “Hey,” I murmured back and brushed her wild curls back from her face. “Your parents have church this morning or should I push Dash out the window?”

  She rolled slightly to grab her phone, checking the time, and muttering with a yawn, “They should be at church. I think there’s some charity brunch afterward. I’ll go check.”

  She climbed out of bed, and my eyes fell to her ass on their own accord. The shorts she was wearing had ridden up, flashing me half of her ass cheeks. Normally, I’d force myself to look away, but now that I’ve been instated as her fuck buddy, I let myself look. A part of me hated myself for checking her out, but another part felt something of relief. I felt like perhaps I was repressing some things nearly our whole lives, and it was like I was finally given permission to do what I’d been burying deep inside me for years.

  When she closed the door behind her as she left the room, I got up and went to her bathroom. I took a piss, washed my hands, and found the spare toothbrush she had for me and brushed my teeth. When I emerged, Daisy was coming back into the bedroom, and she gave me a shy smile. I wanted to kiss her. She was a damn good kisser, too, and I didn’t understand why she felt like she needed practice. I stepped into her, my hand settling at her jaw and tipping her face toward mine.

  “What’re you doing?” she asked quietly.

  “Kissing you,” I told her with a shrug. “Am I not allowed to anymore? I feel like I gave a pretty stellar audition last night.” Her teeth dragged over her bottom lip, and I watched the motion before my eyes flicked back to hers. “Look, if we’re doing this, then we’re doing it. And, honestly, Daze, you’re a good kisser, and I want to kiss you a lot more after yesterday. There’s no point in trying to hold anything back. It’ll only make it weird and stiff. You want your firsts to be special, and I want to give that to you. Behind it all, though, you’re my best friend. You know that, right?”

  “This is just a friendly arrangement.”

  “Exactly. So, we’re doing it?”

  She nodded, and I gave her a flash of a smile before my lips captured hers. Our tongues met in a languid dance, and when her teeth dragged over my bottom lip, I was ready to throw her down on her bed and fuck the daylights out of her. I wasn't sure where she learned that, but I refused to allow the thought to ruin the kiss. What did ruin it, though, was when we heard Dash rustle on the futon with a groan. Daisy separated from me so fast, you’d think she had put her hand on a hot stove. I glanced at Dash as he rolled onto his back and rubbed at his eyes while I moved to sitting on the edge of Daisy’s bed.

  “Fuck, what time is it?” Dash g
roaned out and squinted over at us while Daisy went to sit next to his feet on the futon. “Where am I?”

  I smirked at him as Daisy ran her hand over his calf while she said, “It’s about nine. And you’re at my house. You don’t remember walking here?”

  “Shit, my car,” he snapped and sat up quickly, immediately groaning and gripping the front of his head. “Shit, damn it, my head.”

  “Went a little hard last night, huh?” I asked too loudly on purpose, and he glared at me as he rubbed at his temples.

  “I think I fucked Becky Gilberts in the pool last night,” Dash muttered with a scowl.

  “Ew,” Daisy laughed out and stood from the futon. “You’re not sure?”

  He looked at his phone, tipped his face up to the ceiling with a groan before flashing the screen at us and snapped, “Oh, no. I definitely fucked her.” I let out a laugh when I spotted the seventeen messages from the girl on his phone. She was a stage-five clinger and everyone on the football team knew to stay away from her after last year’s unfortunate incident with Kyle Phelps. “Shit. Well, look at that,” Dash continued on as he glared at his phone. “She wants me to have dinner with her parents next weekend.”

  “I’m happy for you, man,” I joked and stood up from Daisy’s bed. “But we should head out and get your car. So, get moving.”

  He did what I asked, got up from the futon and headed to the bathroom, and I grabbed my t-shirt from on top of Daisy’s dresser before pulling it over my head. Daisy looked me over quickly before I stepped up to her and squeezed the side of her neck gently.

  “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” I murmured with a smirk. “I have some homework to do and dinner with my dad tonight. But tomorrow, you’ll come to practice, and I can drive you home? Same as always.”