Sprung

by Kate Benson

  “What an honor,” she deadpans. “The Great Santini actually revealed himself.”

  “This is fucking stupid,” I grumble under my breath as I shake my head, yanking the door open on the same cramped coat closet we’d defiled a few months before. “Go!”

  She’s spinning to face me as I pull the door shut, ready to rip me a new asshole when I stop her, pulling her lips to mine.

  She resists at first, only halfway kissing me back until I cradle her jaw with one hand and rest the other on her waist. Her hands are bunched up in my shirt, gripping furiously as she fights the urge to let go of the anger and hurt I can tell is coursing through her small frame. Eventually, though, her lips begin to soften and move with mine until they part slightly, letting me dip my tongue in to taste hers.

  When I pull away, we’re both panting, breathless with a combination between need and exhaustion.

  I glance down toward her to find her eyes fluttering slightly, one hand still gripping my shirt while the other stays wrapped around the wrist I’m cradling her neck with.

  “I’m sorry,” I manage, swallowing hard past the vulnerable feeling in my chest. “I just… I panicked. I’m not good with shit like this, Evie.”

  “Shit like what?” she asks, her voice calming slightly. “Tampons? Sharing your space? Relationships? Which one is it, Da-?”

  “All of it,” I blurt, forcing my gaze to hers. “Before you and me, women weren’t at my place. I didn’t date, much less do the relationship thing. That apartment is the only place I’ve ever had that’s just for me,” I sigh, shaking my head as I take her in. “I don’t… I don’t know how to be with someone,” I admit. “I know how to fuck and I know how to leave.”

  “I know,” she admits quietly, although there’s no malice in her words as she smooths her hands over my chest. “Listen, I get that this is weird for you,” she relents, meeting my eyes. “You don’t know how to act in a serious relationship because you’ve never had one, right?” she asks, pulling a nod from me as I gently brush her hair away from her face.

  “Right.”

  “Well, like it or not, you’re in one now, so toughen the hell up,” she says, her soft expression hardening slightly as she stares up at me. “You don’t get to hurt my feelings, Dash.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  “I know,” she sighs. “I’ve decided to let you live.”

  “Thanks,” I chuckle, watching her eyes dance in amusement beneath the dim bulb hanging over us. “We good? Or are you hell-bent on torturing me with this for the rest of the week?”

  “Yes,” she nods again, her lips twisting into a mischievous grin. “To both.”

  “Fair enough,” I smirk, squeezing her side affectionately. “Okay, I better get back out there. You comin’ home with me after we talk to Mason?”

  “Obviously. I mean, now that part two of my evil plan is complete, I’ve gotta get to all my stuff, don’t I?” she shrugs. “What other motive would I have to basically move in and tie you down for all eternity?”

  “Cute,” I deadpan. “Okay, Mason should be here any minute. You ready to get this done?”

  “Yeah, I’m super excited about it,” she says dryly. “Nothing says romance like a suicide mission.”

  Now that her anger has dissolved, I can see her nerves returning to her. If I’m being honest, I’ve got my own, but I also can’t deny how ready I am to get this over with.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” I promise, leaning forward to give her a kiss. “I love you.’

  “Aww,” she smirks, patting my face as she pushes the door open. “Take care, you.”

  chapter eight

  dash

  “You want another drink?” I ask as I slip back behind the door, watching she nods, her calmness leaving her as she moves her eyes toward her phone and her leg begins to rock nervously.

  “Desperately.”

  A moment later, she sets her phone down, her eyes darting toward the monitor over my head.

  “Babe,” I say quietly, pulling her eyes to mine as I slide her glass over. “You need to chill.”

  “I can’t,” she admits, tossing the straw away and slamming the drink in front of her before making a face and looking at me in offense. “What the fuck is this shit? Diet coke?”

  “Yeah,” I shrug, glancing up at her with a smirk. “What? You wanna get hammered first?”

  “Absolutely!” she blurts, making me chuckle. “Dash, are you not grasping the severity of what’s about to happen?”

  “I’m very aware,” I sigh as I slide a new drink over, my own nerves setting in.

  “Givin’ me a diet coke,” she shakes her head. “That’s like giving a wrongly accused death row inmate liver and onions for their last meal before they have to walk the green mile.”

  “First of all, you’re being extremely dramatic for someone who damn sure isn’t being wrongly accused of anything,” I say bluntly, watching her down the shot of whiskey before I hand her another and take one of my own. “And second, that’s the last shot I’m giving you until this is done. The last thing we need is for you to get all fuckin’ white girl wasted and ready to pull some crazy shit before he even shows up.”

  “Why would you automatically assume I’d do that?”

  “I don’t know, babe,” I smirk. “Hey, how’d we end up together again?”

  “Oh yeah,” she blushes, making me laugh. “Well, fine. One time, but it worked out okay, right?”

  “Yep,” I wink, flashing her a soft smile before I shrug. “Well, I mean unless he kills us.”

  “Asshole!” she shouts over the bar, pulling the attention of the only other two customers in the bar toward us as she throws the straw from her drink at me, making me laugh harder. “God, I hate you sometimes.”

  “Yeah, I know, baby,” I wink again, watching her glance at her phone again.

  “He’ll be here any minute,” she sighs, biting on her lip and tapping her fingers against the top of the bar. “Okay, well you said you had a plan, so let’s hear it. How are we doing this?”

  “Like a band-aide,” I say, holding her eyes. “Just gonna rip it off.”

  “And then?” she asks, deadpanning when I shrug. “Wait, that’s it? That’s your plan?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Have you lost your fucking mind?” she grounds out, eyes wide.

  “What’s wrong with that?” I ask genuinely. “It’s honest, it’s direct and it’s how me and Mase work.”

  “Oh, my God,” she whines, shaking her head and sliding her glass over toward me. “Give me another drink. Give me alcohol right fucking now, Dash,” she insists, making me smirk. “I’m fucking serious. If I’m about to die, I don’t want to feel it. I just want to fade away and I can’t do that if I’m sober.”

  “Evie…”

  “I knew I shouldn’t have left this up to you,” she shakes her head. “Stupid weed…”

  “Hey,” I talk over her, pulling her eyes back to mine. “Do you still want to do this? Be with me?”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Do you want to leave? You don’t have to be here, babe. I told you I would handle it.”

  “No,” she shakes her head. “I think that idea is even more terrible.”

  “Fine,” I shrug. “Do you have a better idea on how to tell him?”

  “Dash, you told me you had a plan. I didn’t know-”

  “You know something? You’ve been busting my ass since you walked in that door, but do you have a better idea?” I ask again, raising an eyebrow. “Simple question, yes or no?”

  “No.”

  “Alright then we’re doing it my way,” I continue. “I tried to handle it this morning and you asked me to wait, so I did, but that’s the best I’ve got, babe. It’s gone on long enough. Whether you’re sitting in that chair when he gets here or not, this ends today. I’m done. We have to do it and get it over with.”

  “I know,” she admits, the resigned look in her eyes making
my voice softer. “I’m sorry I’m being horrible today, Dash. I’m just scared.”

  “There’s nothing to be scared of, baby,” I promise. “Yeah, he’s probably gonna yell, it’s gonna be awkward and it might suck for a minute, but even if he freaks out, everything is going to be fine. It’ll eventually blow over. You just gotta keep your shit together, okay? If you freak out, it isn’t going to help anything.”

  “Okay,” she nods, her voice calm for the first time since she’d arrived as she blows out a breath, glancing at her phone. “Five minutes.”

  “It’s gonna be alright,” I promise as I reach over to give her hand a little squeeze of reassurance, not sure myself if I’m lying or not yet. Truth be told, as I watch Mason pull into the lot three minutes later, I’m nervous as fuck, too, but I can’t let her see that. “He’s here.”

  “Oh, my God,” she whispers. “He’s gonna flip.”

  “Look at me,” I order quietly, pulling her eyes to mine. “I’ve got you.”

  “Okay,” she nods. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, baby,” I say, my voice low to match hers. “Just think, barring some kind of emergency, it’ll all be over in a minute.”

  “Okay,” she breathes nervously, biting down on her lower lip.

  We pull away from each other as Mason makes his way inside and I square my shoulders, moving toward the side entrance behind the bar. I risk a final glance toward Evie, watching her eyes flutter shut as his footsteps reach us.

  She mouths a final plea for me to stop, but we both know my mind is made up. When I discreetly shake my head, she rolls her eyes and flashes me her middle finger, making me swallow my smirk.

  She’s ridiculous.

  Worst case scenario, he never speaks to me again, but nothing’s gonna happen to Evie. She bats those eyelashes one time and she could get away with murder.

  You wouldn’t know that by looking at her, though. She’s acting like he’s gonna have us both whacked.

  Drama queen.

  “Hey man,” I say as he approaches the bar.

  “Hey,” he replies, coming to a stop in front of me. “Thank God you’re here. I need to talk to you.”

  “Yeah?” I start, doing my best to ignore the low string of profanity leaving the red lips at the other end of the bar. “I actually need to talk to you, too.”

  “Alright,” Mason sighs, making his way toward me before his eyes find her, his expression shifting. “Evie, what are you doing here? Are you okay?”

  She nods wordlessly as his eyes search hers in concern. When it becomes obvious she’s not going to answer him, I do it for her, eager to get the hard part done and over with.

  If I’m gonna get punched in the face, I’d prefer to do it early enough in the day that I can get home before the game.

  “Yeah, we’re both fine, Mase,” I promise him. “Everything’s alright, I just need to tell you-”

  “Good,” he cuts me off. “I’m sorry. I know this is a dick move, but I have an emergency.”

  “An emergency?” she finally finds her voice, perking up and making me stifle an eye roll. “I mean… what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” he says immediately. “I just… fuck, I feel like an idiot,” he shakes his head. “I got a memo from my boss on Monday and I read the shit wrong and didn’t realize until this morning that the deadline for semester grading is due tonight. There’s no way I can work my entire shift and still get all this done. If I don’t, it’s my ass,” Mason explains as he rubs his hands over his face in exhaustion. “I’m sorry, man. I know I’m a closer, but…”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I wave him off. “I’ll cover you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah,” I insist. “Go handle your shit.”

  “Thanks, man. It should only take a couple of hours. Once I’m done, I’ll come back so you can leave,” he says, the relief obvious in his voice as he gives me a brotherly pat on the shoulder.

  “No worries,” I offer, returning his smile as he begins to walk away. My eyes move to Evie, the low sigh of relief leaving her chest pulling my eyes to the way her tits press against her low-cut top. I’m tracing the outline of the barbell on one of her nipples when Mason’s voice sounds out again. “Wait… you said you needed to…” he trails off, his eyes narrowing in my direction. “Were you just staring at her tits?”

  “No,” I lie, shaking my head a little too quickly, ignoring the insult she’s whispering across the bar under her breath. “No.” He raises his eyebrow. “You know what it is? I haven’t been feeling all that great,” I try, rubbing my stomach. “I must’ve um… I zoned out.”

  He holds my eyes, looking for a crack in my expression for a moment before finally, he gives me a slow, discerning nod.

  “There’s probably something for that in the office. Why don’t you let me get it for you,” Mason offers, his eyes still narrowed as he gives me an untrusting smirk. “We wouldn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”

  “Good idea. Thanks man,” I say with a nervous smile as he makes his way toward the office. The second he walks around the corner, I release a low groan. “Jesus Christ…”

  “God, babe. I really hope you’re not coming down with anything,” Evie whispers sarcastically, pulling my eyes to hers. “You know, like jackass fever… swine flu,” she smirks, making me roll my eyes. “You see what I did there?”

  “Would you shut the hell up?” I whisper harshly, ignoring her question.

  “Why are you mad at me?” she asks. “You’re the one who can’t keep his shit together!”

  “Well, why did you wear that?”

  “It’s a tank top, Dash! What did you want me to wear? A freaking snowsuit?”

  “Oh, why don’t you suck...”

  “Here,” Mason cuts me off as he comes around the corner, tossing a small packet onto the bar and facing me. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I wave him off once more. “I can talk to you about it later.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah,” I nod. “Yeah, it can wait.”

  “Okay, man, I’ll see ya,” he says before stopping beside Evie. “You need a ride home?”

  “No, thanks. I just came to see you. I might go to the gym or something.”

  “Okay,” he kisses her cheek. “Love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she smiles, watching him leave.

  As he makes his way back out to his car, I shake my head in frustration as I rake my palm over my face. A quick look at Evie tells me she’s having a completely different reaction, her lips spreading into a maniacal grin of relief.

  “Wow!” she starts, pulling my eyes to hers. “Listen, I know Jesus loves everyone, but some days? Man, I really think I might just be His favorite.”

  ***

  “Alright man, no problem. I’ll stay for you and Tony’s on, so just take the night off,” I say into the line, shaking my head at Evie’s expression.

  “Thanks again, bro,” Mason breathes a sigh of relief over the line. “I owe you.”

  “We’re good,” I tell him. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Bye,” he says, both of us hanging up before I turn to face Evie.

  “You have got to be the luckiest person I’ve ever met in my life.”

  “Maybe,” she sighs, her own relief leaving her chest. “You know, I was actually thinking about something.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I know I made a big stink out of it and we said we’d talk to him together,” she starts, smiling her thanks as I slide her drink over. “But maybe it’s better if I go to my mom’s tonight and talk to him alone first.”

  “I don’t think that’s better,” I shake my head. “In fact, you must have been reverse-reading my mind, because I was just about to tell you that I’m just gonna drop you off at my apartment after I close up and stop at the house to talk to him tonight,” she starts to shake her head in argument and I cut her off.
“Baby, I’m his best friend. Guys have like… two rules and I broke the biggest one when we got together and lying about it for months only makes it worse.”

  “Well, I’ve been lying to him, too, Dash.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” I shake my head immediately. “Not only do you get a pass for being his sister, you’ve maybe talked to him like, what? Three or four times? Seen him once?” she nods. “I see him every day, Evie.”

  “Which is all the more reason why you should stay the hell away from him and just let me do it,” she argues. “You said it yourself, Dash. I’m his sister. He won’t be as mad at me.”

  “And if I send his little sister, who I’ve been sneaking around with and lying to his face about for months, to confess my sins? Game over, sweetheart,” I say bluntly. “Doesn’t matter what my reasons are, Evie. That’s beyond redemption.”

  “Okay, I get what you’re saying…”

  “But?”

  “But I know him better than anyone, including you,” she stares back at me. “If you’re there when he finds out, he’s going to completely lose his shit.”

  “Well, baby, he probably should,” I chuckle humorlessly. “I’ve been a pretty shitty friend. I deserve it.”

  “No, you haven’t,” she rolls her eyes. “Just let me do it, Dash. Seriously. This is the easiest way for everyone.”

  I take her in, the worry in her face making me feel terrible as I release a low sigh. With a quick scan of the bar, I see how dead it is in here and check the time on my cell before glancing over my shoulder toward Tony, the new guy who was coming in to help with the happy hour crowd.

  “We’ll just play it by ear, okay?” I tell her quietly, knowing my mind is made up. “Take a deep breath and try to relax. You’re off the hook for tonight.”

  “Okay,” she whispers, her shoulders squaring as Tony comes closer and pats me on the shoulder.

  “Hey, bro,” he smiles, the newness of his employment here still making him incredibly annoying, although he is a nice guy. “How’s it?”

  “Dead. We’ll get another pop in an hour or so,” I say, leaning on my side against the bar and watching his eyes travel toward Evie, slightly bugging out as he takes her in.