by Jacob Chance
As archaic as I think my mom’s rules are, I’m not going to disrespect her by having Perri in my bed when they’re still here. But as soon as they’re gone, that rule flies out the window like a bird who’s been trapped inside.
“Perri, please make yourself at home. We’ll see you guys in the morning.” My mom smiles at us.
“Thank you for everything,” Perri chirps.
“Goodnight,” my dad calls out heading for the stairs behind my mother. His solicitous nature showing with his hand on the middle of her back.
“Night,” Perri and I chorus. Once my parents are out of sight I pounce on her, knocking her off balance. She falls to her back and I come down on top of her. I swallow her shriek with my mouth and her arms and legs stop frantically waving in protest to wrap around me as I kiss her senseless. She groans and hums as our tongues tangle and I draw back, placing a finger on her lips.
“Shhh. We need to be quiet.”
“Why don’t we wait until we know they’re asleep? I don’t want to get caught making out with you. That would be way too embarrassing. And talk about awkward.”
“Okay. We can do that.” I back out from between her legs and sit on the couch. Gripping her hand, I tug her to an upright position and she maneuvers until she’s seated beside me.
“What are we going to watch?”
“How about Game of Thrones?”
“I’ve never seen a single episode of that show.”
I gasp, “What?”
“I know. I know. I’m late to the party.”
“Late to the party? You missed it completely.”
“Not technically. The last season hasn’t aired yet.”
“People like you anger the fans who’ve watched from day one. You’ll never know the agony of suffering through a whole week before learning the outcome.”
“How old were you when you started watching?”
“I’ve been watching since the start.”
“Your parents let you watch it when you were like eleven? I find that hard to believe.”
I laugh, “You’re right. I binge watched the first four seasons with Donovan and then we watched the other four in real time.”
“Speaking of your brother, where is he?”
“He snuck out with some friends.”
“Snuck out? For real?”
“No. He told my parents, but he hurried off so he wouldn’t get sucked into staying longer.”
“Do you think he has a girlfriend?”
“No, but I’m sure he’s probably out with some girl right now. Not sure how long she’ll last. They don’t seem to stick around long.”
“Is that because of him or the girls?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never asked. But it’s probably him. He gets bored easily.”
“Okay, enough small talk. Time for some GoT. Let’s do this.”
“You sound like a veteran fan already.”
Scrolling through the DVR’d episodes I click on the first one. “I hope you like this as much as I do. If not I might have to re-evaluate our friendship.”
She hits me in the face with a throw pillow. “Shut up.”
I bark out a laugh. “I should probably give you a heads up. Don’t get attached to any of the characters.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
She cuddles into me, leaning on my arm. “I don’t do well when characters I like die. It makes me really sad. Are you going to cheer me up?”
“Don’t worry. After the first season you’ll be used to it. And if not I’ll pay for your therapy.”
She snorts, “That sounds encouraging.”
“Here.” Raising my arm for her to slip under, I pull her as close to my side as she can get without actually tugging her into my lap. That’s what I’d like to do, but that might be hard to explain to my parents if they walk in unexpectedly.
I stare down at her. “Are you ready?” She gives me a sharp nod and I start the first episode. Even though I’ve seen it before it feels like the first time because I’m watching it with Perri. She makes everything more fun.
Five hours later we’re halfway through the first season and I’m doing my best to convince Perri to go to bed for the night.
“Just one more episode,” she pleads.
“You’ve said that for the last three.”
“But I mean it this time. Please? One more. I have to see what happens. You can’t make me wait until tomorrow. That’s so mean. What are you, a sadist?”
I chortle at her choice of words. I must be a sadist for agreeing to only be friends with her. It’s the hardest task I’ve ever taken on. Each moment we spend together only makes it more difficult, but I can’t imagine not having her in my life. I’d rather have her in a friend capacity than not at all.
Rising from the couch, I stand in front of Perri. “Come on.” I pull her to her feet. “You’ll thank me tomorrow when you see what I have planned.”
Her eyes light up. “You planned something for us?”
“Of course I did.”
We’re quiet as we make our way upstairs. “Where’s your parents’ room?”
“They’re up here in the back of the house.”
“Are they solid sleepers?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never really tested them.”
“You must be the perfect son.”
“I’m not perfect. Don’t say that. I’ve never had to sneak out. I’ve always been honest about my plans and my parents trust me to make good decisions.”
“You’re mature for your age. You seem older than me even though I have two plus years on you.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I don’t usually hang out with underclassmen. But I’ve made an exception for you.”
“Is that right?” I tickle under her ribs and she jerks from side to side.
“Stop it,” she whispers. I grip her hips and back her against the hallway wall.
“This is where we go our separate ways, but tomorrow night you better be in my bed with me. Or I’ll come find you.”
She giggles, “Ooh, are you going to drag me in there by my hair? Did watching GoT give you ideas?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“I’m not sure why, but that’s kind of hot.”
Jesus. This girl is too much. “Kiss me before I drag you in my room with me.”
“Yes, my lord.” She winks, speaking in a British accent.
Fuck. She’s such a little minx, full of mischief and surprises. She walks the fingertips of both her hands up my chest and slides them around my neck. Her tongue darts out to lick her lower lip.
“Do with me what you will.” She sounds like she’s straight from the show’s set.
My tongue is tied with lust and I can’t think of a decent reply.
Lowering my head, I crash my lips to hers and let the kiss speak for me. Our tongues dance languidly, making slow, sensual strokes around each other. Pressing her into the wall, every possible inch of our bodies are connected. There’s no way she can miss how much she affects me with the way our hips are grinding. I want to strip her naked and take her against this wall. My hand moves under the bottom of her shirt to tease the smooth skin on her stomach before trailing over to grip the button on her pants.
A door closing at the other end of the hallway wakes me from my lust filled haze like a sharp slap to my face. I step back from Perri and rake a hand through my hair. “I guess this needs to be goodnight.” She nods, still leaning against the wall. “I’ll see you in the morning.” I run the back of my fingers down her cheek in a slow caress. “Night.”
“Goodnight.”
While Perri showered I ran and grabbed her a P.S.L. so we can start the day off on the right foot. Now, she’s settled in my mom’s vehicle happily sipping her drink.
“What time did your parents leave?”
“I saw them off around eight.”
“Why did yo
u wake up so early? We don’t have class.”
“I wanted to get a workout in. Just because my football season is over doesn’t mean I can let off. I have gains I want to make before next season and the only way to achieve them is to push myself year-round.”
“I understand how that works. Dancing isn’t so different. It takes consistent practice to maintain skills and extra work to master new ones.”
We drive along listening to my favorite playlist, Perri singing along.
“You like eighties rock.”
“I do. I’m assuming you do also. You know all the words.”
“It’s all my parents listened to in our house. But it’s great music.”
Signaling to turn right, I pull into a large parking lot. In my periphery, Perri’s head cranes from side to side as she tries to figure out what I’ve got planned. I park and shut down the engine, waiting for her questions to begin.
“What is this place?” she asks like clockwork.
I smile at the excitement in her tone. “This is a fitness facility that’s owned by a friend of my mom’s.”
“Are we working out together?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Why must you be so vague?”
“Why do you need to know everything? Enjoy the surprise.”
“I can enjoy it and still want to know what it is.” She drinks down the final sip of her latte and claps her hands together. “Let’s go. I’m ready to see what wonders await.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Perri
Once we’re inside, Nolan introduces me to his mom’s friend, Lisa.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I wave.
“I hope you two enjoy yourselves.” She winks at Nolan, but doesn’t offer any information about what we’ll be doing.
He glances side-eye at me with a crooked grin arcing his lips. He takes my hand and steers me down a hallway to the last room on the right. Opening the door, he leads me inside. I take one look around and let out a squeal of joy.
“You brought me to a place that has aerial silks?” I utter the words like a question, wonder ringing out with every word. I can’t believe he did this for me. I slam into him with a forceful hug, my arms clinging tight around his waist. My nose is buried against his worn sweatshirt, breathing in his familiar scent. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” His hand caresses over the back of my head.
“Will you teach me how to do some of the moves?” My head jerks back and my chin rests on his chest as I stare into his eyes.
“You really want to learn?”
“Yes. I told you once before I wanted to and I meant it.”
“Well, I’d love to teach you.”
“No laughing though.”
I cross my finger over my heart. “Never.”
“Never say never,” he teases.
“You’re right. I try not to use that word because it usually ends up biting me in the ass.”
He leans back, peering at my backside. “I can’t say I blame it.”
I roll my eyes and unzip my jacket. Nolan’s hands grip the collar, tugging the puffy material free from my arms.
“Thank you.” I set the jacket down on the floor off to the side of the room and kick my boots off. Nolan mimics my motions and when we’re finished we’re both barefoot. He’s in black sweatpants and luckily enough, I’m wearing leggings. His gray Boston Terriers t-shirt fits snugly and shows off his upper body. I catch his gaze roaming over me as well, taking in my fitted, pink long-sleeved shirt.
“Are you ready to get started?” I walk to the two lengths of red fabric rigged to a steel beam.
“I am.” He meets me on the matted floor.
“The first thing I’m going to show you is how to climb.” I wrap my right leg around the silk, gripping the two pieces of material above my head and raise myself enough to put my left foot on top of my right. Bringing my knees up, I push my legs out in front of me and regrab the silks. Each time I do this I climb higher. I continue up about fifteen feet and then I lower myself one hand at a time until my feet are on the mats.
“Do you want to try it, or do you want me to explain it some more?”
“Nah, I think I’ve got the idea. Let’s see how this goes.” He wraps the silk around his right calf like I did, and grips the lengths in both hands. Before I have a chance to say a word, he does everything I demonstrated, and he doesn’t resemble a beginner doing it.
“I’ve got to say, this is pretty awesome.” He beams down at me.
“Wow. That was impressive,” I admit as he lands on the mats. “Why don’t you do that a few more times and then I’ll show you a few other things.”
By the end of the hour I’ve got Nolan hanging upside down and I’ve shown him how to spin.
“You’re a natural at this stuff.”
“I have a great teacher.” He tugs me close and his hands settle on my hips. “I can understand why you love this so much. It’s a little like flying.”
I pat his chest. “Will you want to do this again with me?”
“Are you offering to teach me some more? Because I’d love to try some other stuff. I may have to watch some videos, so I can tell you the skills I like by name.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll teach you plenty,” I caution.
“You already have.” He runs the tip of his nose over mine before brushing his lips from one corner of my mouth to the other. He presses a soft kiss to my lips and steps back. “This is not the place to start kissing you.” He backs away and I’m disappointed. I want him touching me. It feels impossible to keep our hands off one another.
“Where exactly is the right place to kiss me?”
“On a bed in my room. Or your room. I’m not picky.”
“Gotcha. What’s next for us? Is food a part of your plan for today? I’m starving.”
“Sure, I’ve got some peanut butter and fluff left.”
I clap excitedly. “Fluffahnuttah sandwiches it is.”
Once we arrive at Nolan’s house, he gets busy making our sandwiches. Donovan stumbles into the kitchen area rubbing sleep from his eyes.
“Hey.” I pat the stool next to me. “You better sit before you fall.”
He grins sheepishly. “I was out later than I meant to be.”
I notice the red mark on his neck and I have a pretty good idea what kept him out so late, or should I say who?
“Are you hungry?” Nolan calls out without turning around.
“What are you making?”
“Fluffernutter sandwiches.”
“Do we have potato chips?”
Nolan plates a sandwich and sets it in front of me. “I don’t know. Get off your ass and look.”
“What kind of service is that?” Donovan questions.
“The free kind. You’re lucky I’m making you a sandwich. Perri, what do you want to drink?”
“I’d love some water, thanks.”
“What about you, Donovan?” Nolan opens the fridge and grabs a bottle for me. “I’d love a glass of milk.”
“Perri, you should be drinking milk too. It’s great with these sandwiches.”
“I try to cut out calories where I can. Milk I can do without. This sandwich, not so much.”
Donovan looks me over. “You look like your diet strategy’s working for you.”
I beam at his compliment. It’s a constant struggle for me. “Thank you.”
I catch Nolan narrowing his eyes at Donovan. Is he jealous of his own brother complimenting me? Men are so predictable.
Nolan sets Donovan’s plate and glass down on the island with a clatter. He places my bottle of water in front of me. “How’s your sandwich?”
“Even better than the last time.”
“I put a little extra fluff on it for you.”
“Aren’t you eating?”
“I had one while I was making the others.”
“Want a bite of mine?” I hold out the final piece of this
half. He leans forward over the other side of the island and closes his lips around the tips of my fingers. I feel the caress of his tongue against my skin as he pulls away and my breath stutters for a second. His blue irises are lit with playfulness.
“What are you guys doing tonight for New Year’s?” Donovan inquires around a mouthful of food. At least that’s what I think he said.
“I’m going to take Perri out to dinner at Mandarin House and then we’ll come back here.”
And? What else do you have planned? I want to ask, but not in front of his brother.
I turn to Donovan. “What are your plans?”
“Some of my friends are getting together at our friend Jane’s house. We’re going to stay there for the night, so you don’t have to worry about me being out.”
“You know I’d lose sleep over it,” Nolan quips.
“When are you guys heading back to B.U.?”
“I’m heading out tomorrow. I have to work tomorrow night. I was lucky I was able to get tonight off.”
“What about you?” Donovan gestures to Nolan.
“I’m thinking of riding back with Perri if she’ll have me.”
My heart leaps excitedly at the thought of more time with him.
“I thought you didn’t have to be back until the following week?”
“The auction is at the end of this week and I need to be there for that. I promised the guys I would be.”
And just like that the excited leaping of my heart comes to an abrupt halt. Nolan burst my bubble of happiness, replacing it with a shower of rocks raining reality down on me. How did I forget about the auction? Fuck.
Drinking down the rest of my water, I push my plate away from the edge of the counter and slip from the stool.
“I’m going to go give Eliza a call and see how she’s doing. I might even take a nap.” I force my voice to be even, but I want to escape upstairs as quickly as I can.
Nolan studies me before asking, “Can you be ready by seven? I’m taking you to dinner.”
