Char

by Amare, Mercy

  I cross my arms over my chest. I’ve never really felt self-conscience before, but I’m suddenly feeling it. I refuse to be that girl. “No” I say boldly. “Maybe you should take some clothes off, then you won’t be so uncomfortable.”

  “I’m not uncomfortable. I just don’t trust myself around you when you look like that.”

  “Really? You don’t trust yourself? Why?” I push him a little. Mainly because I want to hear him tell me that he wants me.

  He sighs. “Come on, Char. You know you’re hot. And the fact that there are tiny scraps of fabric over the most intimate parts of your body is kind of driving me crazy. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination, and trust me when I say that my imagination is running wild.”

  That has got to be the hottest thing anybody has ever said to me. Ever. And my hormones just kicked into overdrive. “I’m thinking I like where your imagination is going.”

  Tristan steps closer, but he doesn’t touch me. “You can’t say stuff like that to me. And you can’t look at me like that.”

  I smile innocently. “Like what?”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he says. “And I want to kiss you so bad right now. But if I did, I wouldn’t stop.”

  I feel like I just jumped from the tallest building in New York City. I’m about two seconds from the bungie chord catching me, but there is still that fear that I’m going to hit the ground. I’m excited, because this is the thrill of a lifetime.

  “What if I don’t want you to stop?” I ask.

  Tristan takes another step. Now there are inches between our skin. He runs his finger down my stomach, and I want him to keep going down, but he doesn’t. He stops as he gets to the top of my bikini. “You’re beautiful.”

  I’m stunned. That was not what I expected him to say.

  “And I’m going to kiss you. And then I am going to go to my house, because I don’t trust myself to be around you right now. And when your friend kisses you this weekend, and he will, I want you to think of this moment. I want our kiss to be the best kiss of your life.”

  Before I have time to comprehend what he said, his lips are on mine, and my body is on fire.

  Tristan runs his fingers through my hair, and I feel his other hand slowly run down my back, leaving a hot trail in it’s path. He cups my ass with his hands, and I moan as I melt into him. I put my hands under his shirt and feel across the muscles on his stomach. He tenses up at my touch for a moment, but then he gives in, pulling me closer.

  Every kiss and every touch feels more intense than the last, and I have never wanted somebody so bad in my life.

  I feel Tristan pick me up and lay me down on the sand. He climbs on top of me, and kisses me harder. I can now feel exactly how bad he wants me as he grinds his hips into me. The only thing between us is just a few layers of clothing that could easily be removed — and I want them gone.

  I pull up on his shirt, and he tosses it aside. His lips are once again pressed against mine, and he pulls the string on my bikini top. We are now skin against skin from the waist up. Tristan leaves a trail of kisses from my lips to my breasts. He gently begins to suck and tease, and I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips. Seriously. He has a magical tongue. After a few seconds of teasing, he turns his attention to the other side, giving it the same amount of attention.

  His lips leave my breasts, and I’m disappointed until his lips meet mine again. I feel Tristan’s hand reach under my bikini bottoms, and he begins to tease me with his finger. He circles around me a few times, teasing me. And then finally I feel his finger slide inside of me, giving me exactly what I want. I feel my breath coming faster, and I know exactly what’s going to happen. I feel myself tighten around his finger, and I squirm against him. He pulls away, smiling.

  “That was hot,” he says.

  “We’re not done.” I’m a little breathless.

  “I told you. One kiss. That’s all. Now when Aaron kisses you, you will definitely be thinking of me.”

  Tristan helps me off the ground, and watches as I put my bikini top back on.

  “I’m going to go home now,” he says. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Unable to speak, I just nod my head and watch him walk away. My insides are still throbbing. I’ve never felt this way before. Definitely not with Matt, and not with Landon either. If foreplay with him is this hot, I can’t wait to go all the way.

  FRIDAY, AUGUST 30

  7am

  Jealous girlfriend.

  After Tristan left last night, I had a lot of problems sleeping. I only ended up with about four hours of sleep before I got up to surf. I surfed for an hour, then I saw Tristan on the beach so I decided I would go hang out with him. Once Aaron gets here, I’ll probably hit the waves again with him.

  “Hey,” I say, carrying my surfboard up the beach. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act after last night. Part of me is embarrassed, because I acted like a horny teenage girl… Okay, so maybe I AM a horny teenage girl… But STILL! He saw my boobs. Which shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But it kind of is with Tristan.

  “Hey. My mom is having this breakfast thing, and I was wondering if you wanted to come,” he says. “Well, it’s kind of a big deal. She’s practically invited her whole circle to kick off Labor Day Weekend…”

  “I’m guessing I can’t just wear a coverup.”

  “You can, but everybody else will probably be dressed up.”

  Yeah, I’m definitely dressing up. “So I get to meet your mom?”

  “Yes. But don’t worry. She will love you.”

  “I don’t really have conservative outfits,” I tell him. “I didn’t really think about meeting anybody. I was thinking it was going to be a fun, chill weekend. I did bring a few dresses in case we went to dinner or something, but they’re kinda short.”

  “My mom won’t care.”

  “Fine. What time is this breakfast thing?” I ask.

  “At nine,” he says.

  “Okay. Aaron is supposed to be here a little after nine, so I’ll let him know. I can guarantee that he won’t bring dressy clothes, so he can just chill at my house or something.” As we walk towards my house, I call Aaron, leaving it on speakerphone.

  “CHAR!” Aaron answers.

  “Hey, Aaron,” I say. “Did you have a good flight.”

  “As good as it could be, I suppose. I took some anxiety pills, so I slept most of the flight.”

  “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot you were scared of flying.” I laugh, thinking about the time I went with his family on a ski trip to Colorado. He literally cried when we were taking off.

  “How could you forget?” he asks jokingly. “Seriously, you’re such an insensitive best friend.”

  “Whatever. When are you going to be here?”

  “The driver told me we should get there right after nine.”

  “Okay, awesome,” I say. “I’m going to have breakfast with Tristan and his mom, so when you get here you can just chill or whatever. I should be back like by ten or eleven, then we can hang. I can’t wait for you to meet Tristan!”

  “Oh.” I can hear the disappointment in Aaron’s voice. “Is he your boyfriend now?”

  “Shut up. No, he’s not a boyfriend.” I feel my cheeks getting warmer. “But you have to be nice to him. He’s awesome, and I know you will love him as much as I do.”

  “Love?”

  I roll my eyes even though Aaron can’t see. “You know what I mean. Best friend love. You’re such a jerk.”

  “I’ve been replaced.” It’s not a question.

  “Aaron, chill. You’re acting like a jealous girlfriend. And I say girlfriend, because you are being a girl right now. Suck it up.”

  “Fine,” he says. “But remember I get you one night to myself. I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you too. But I have to go now. I’ll see you soon.” I end the call as we walk into the house.

  “I so told you. Aaron is in love with you,” Tristan says as
we walk towards my room.

  “Whatever. He so is not. He loves me like a best friend, that’s it. We’ve been best friends since I was like five,” I tell him. “My parents had just gotten divorced when I started school. I thought it was awesome that he had two dads since I basically had no dad. I don’t think I would have survived my childhood without him. My mom was always gone doing stuff with Chloe, and then Candi when she got older. My mom left me home alone when I was like seven, so I’d just go to his house.”

  “I don’t care how long you’ve been friends. I’m telling you, that boy wants you.”

  I think about Tristan’s words. What if he’s right? What if Aaron really does like me as more than a friend? Is it really worth throwing away fourteen years of friendship? I don’t think so. Especially considering I’m not sure how I feel about him. I’ve never thought about Aaron as more than just my best friend. And I don’t think we have chemistry to be more. I mean, I’m sure I’d be happy with him, but I want fireworks — not predictability.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I tell Tristan. “I don’t like Aaron as more than a friend. He will always be the boy next door to me. He’s the boy I learned to surf with. He’s the first sleepover I had as a kid. And he will always have a place in my life and in my heart, but only as a friend. Never anything more.”

  Tristan smiles at my answer. “What about me?”

  I laugh. “It’s way too early to get into that conversation. All I’m saying is that last night was… wow.”

  “So when Aaron kisses you this weekend….”

  I roll my eyes. “Aaron won’t kiss me. But if he does, it could never compare.”

  “Good. Now get dressed. My mom is excited to meet you.”

  I grab my dress and then get a quick shower. I’m a little nervous about meeting Tristan’s mom, but his dad liked me. Hopefully his mom will too. Moms are a little harder to please than dads, but Landon’s mom always liked me just fine, so hopefully Tristan’s mom will too.

  9am

  The good sister.

  Tristan and I get to his house just before nine. While this house looks less like a museum than the penthouse in New York City, it’s still massive. Like I’ve seriously stayed at smaller hotels. I wonder if anybody has ever gotten lost in here. It would be easy.

  “This house is huge,” I tell him as we walk into the foyer.

  “Fifteen thousand square foot,” he says.

  My dad’s beach house is two thousand square foot. Wow. And I thought Dad’s house was huge, but it seems so small next to his.

  “Tristan?” I hear a woman call out. I watch a woman walk into the room. I’m assuming it’s Tristan’s mom, but she looks so young. She has dark brown hair, and blue eyes. She’s very fit, and she’s wearing a beautiful black dress with huge diamond earrings.

  “Mom, this is Charlotte York. Charlotte, this is my mother, Lauren Becker.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Becker.”

  “York… Are you the…” Her voice cuts off, and I know exactly what she’s thinking. Sex tape. God, I’m not even Candice and her mistake is still going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I can only imagine how bad it’ll be for her.

  “No. That’s my older sister, Candice. Unfortunately I can’t control her,” I say.

  “So are you an actress?” she asks, still frowning.

  “No. That would be my other older sister, Chloe,” I answer. “I’m still in high school — a senior. I’m thinking about going to Columbia next year. I haven’t decided what my major will be, but I do know that I want nothing to do with the life my sisters live.”

  Talking about my sisters makes me sad. I haven’t talked to Chloe since dinner on Tuesday night when we got into an argument, and that was the last time I talked to Candi too. No matter what happens between us, I hate fighting with them. I hope everything with us gets resolved soon.

  Lauren smiles. “Well that’s good. Your dad is Robert, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh so you’re next door. How nice,” she says. “I didn’t know that any of Robert’s daughters lived with him.”

  “I actually just moved in with him about a month ago.” When I was caught smoking weed. But she doesn’t need to know that. I’m pretty sure she hates me solely based on Candice already.

  Thankfully, the doorbell rings, and Lauren is off to greet more guests.

  “Your mom hates me,” I whisper to Tristan.

  “No she doesn’t. She was just worried that you were Candice.”

  I roll my eyes. “Well maybe you should assure her that we definitely won’t be making a sex tape.”

  He laughs. “At least not one that everybody else will see.”

  “Shut up,” I say. I sort of like the idea, but I’d never do it. That kind of stuff has a way of getting out, and I do not want to follow in Candi’s footsteps.

  The rest of breakfast is kind of awkward. Lauren wasn’t the only one who mistook me for Candice, which is very frustrating. I’m the good sister. I don’t want people to think I’m the bad one. At the first opportunity, Tristan and I sneak off.

  I can’t wait to see Aaron.

  10am

  Different.

  When Aaron sees me, he runs up to me, lifts me up, and spins me in a circle. To be honest, it’s kind of awkward. He’s never acted like this before. But we’ve also never spent a whole month apart. Part of me wonders if it’s for Tristan’s benefit, but I’ve had boyfriends before. And Tristan ISN’T my boyfriend. So that can’t be it. But something is definitely up with him.

  “I’ve missed you,” he tells me.

  “Me too.”

  “So what’s with the hair.” He looks at me. “And the clothes. Seriously. One month in New York, and you’re already a yankee.”

  I roll my eyes. “My hair is darker because I don’t get to surf everyday. The sun lightens it… And the dress — well, we just came from breakfast at Tristan’s mom’s house. Oh… Aaron, this is Tristan Becker. Tristan, this is Aaron Rouse.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Tristan holds his hand out to Aaron, but Aaron pretends to not see it.

  Ugh. Seriously? Way to make it awkward Aaron.

  “Don’t even think we’re done talking about this. Seriously. You’re so not a brunette. I don’t like the hair. You should get highlights or something.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Seriously, Aaron? This is my natural hair. And if you don’t like it, fuck off.”

  “It’s not just the hair,” he says. “You’re a completely different person — the clothes, the hair, even your attitude is different. I’m just wondering what’s up with you.”

  “Well, if you’re my friend you will accept me. I’m not acting any different. Just get over yourself, and stop being such a douche to Tristan.”

  “Sorry,” Aaron says to me, but he still doesn’t look at Tristan. “I promise I’ll try. Besides, you’re coming back to California like next month.”

  “Why would I come back to California next month?” I ask. “My senior year JUST started like two weeks ago. I won’t be coming back until at least the summer. But I am thinking about going to school at Columbia. I plan on being in New York City for a while. If I come back, it will just be for a visit.”

  “Seriously? Ugh…” Aaron looks at Tristan. “Let me guess, pretty boy goes to Columbia.”

  Tristan looks angry at Aaron’s comment, but he keeps his mouth shut. He really isn’t one to let anybody walk over him, so I know he’s being nice for my benefit.

  “You are being rude. You need to be respectful of me and my friends,” I tell him. “I am going to put on my bathing suit, and we are going to go chill by the pool. When I come down you either need to be nicer, or you need to be gone. I’m not going to let your ruin my weekend.”

  “Fine.”

  I take Tristan with me to my bedroom. I don’t dare leave him alone with Aaron. And I get dressed in my closet. When I come out, Tristan is in him swimming trunks too.

  “I j
ust want to say sorry about Aaron. He never acts like this,” I say.

  “He’s just jealous.”

  “Oh my God, stop saying that. He’s not jealous. He’s just having a hard time. I’m his BEST FRIEND. We have never gone a whole month without seeing each other. And he thought I would be coming back. I mean, I thought I was too when I left. But now that I’m here I don’t want to leave, and he doesn’t understand that decision. But he will get over it. He’s my best friend. He has to.”

  Tristan smiles. “Nope. It’s more than that. He’s definitely jealous.”

  “He’s never been jealous. I’ve had boyfriends before…” I stop myself. Crap. Never say the “b-word” in front of a non-boyfriend. It scares them. Ugh. WHY did I just do that? I wait to see if Tristan bolts.

  “Soon I will be your boyfriend. But not until Aaron kisses you. I want to make sure that the feeling is only one-sided before I give you my whole heart.”

  “Whatever. Just know that I am sorry about Aaron. Just ignore him.”

  “It isn’t me that you have to worry about.”

  Tristan is right. Aaron IS kind of a drama queen. Or king. Whatever. He takes everything to the extreme. It’s just how he is. “I know. And I’m sorry. I promise I’ll talk to him. I think he’s just mad because I ditched him.”

  Just then, my bedroom door swings open and Aaron walks in. “Are we going to swim or what?”

  “You can’t just come into my bedroom without knocking,” I tell him. “Seriously, what if I was naked?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen you naked.”

  I roll my eyes. “That is not true.” I turn to Tristan. “He’s never seen me naked.”

  “I so have. In your kitchen.”