Lola
JAMES AND I ARE STANDING just outside the security screening area at LAX. My bag is checked, my boarding pass is printed, and all my liquids over three ounces have been packed away with my toiletries bag. I’m departing in just under a half hour for the long trip back to my dorm all the way on the other side of the country. My heart hurts already from how far I’ll be from James.
“I hate this,” I say, trying my very hardest not to cry.
I know it would be stupid to cry. I’ll probably see him again in three months or less, so I shouldn’t be sniveling about leaving. Still, parting ways with him this time will be a lot harder because of what we did. I feel closer to him now, almost attached to him, and it’s like ripping off a Band-Aid to head back to reality like this.
“I’m gonna miss you like crazy.” He reaches up and rests his hand on the back of my neck.
“Oh, dude, you have no idea how much I’m gonna miss you!” I reply. “You’re here with sun and palm trees. I’m going to the east coast. In winter. To go write thesis papers and take exams and shit.”
He laughs and tucks my hair behind my ear. “You ever thought about going to school out here? UCLA can be very nice, I hear.”
“After this trip, I might consider it,” I say, only half joking. I’d love to be closer to him, but I got into a great school, and I’m sure a bunch of my credits wouldn’t transfer, so everything would be complicated.
“All right,” he says, “well, needless to say, I love you, and I’m crazy about you, and I’m gonna think about you constantly and count down the days until I can cuddle you in my bed again.”
“That better be soon, either at your place or out at my school. I’d love to see how my roommate, Rachael, reacts when there’s a big, burly hunk sleeping in my little-ass dorm bed with me wrapped up around him like a fucking Burmese python.”
He grins and gives me a wink. “I’ll show you a python,” he jokes.
I laugh loudly and give him a playful smack on the shoulder.
I should go. The security line is long, and those people can fuck up your whole day if they decide you’re worthy of a random screening. I hike my bag back up on my shoulder and gaze longingly into James’s eyes.
“Wait,” he says softly, “before you go, I have to do something.”
“Okay.”
“Close your eyes,” he instructs.
“Why?”
“Do you trust me, Lola?”
“Yes.”
“Then close your fuckin’ eyes,” he says, chuckling.
I do as he says, trying to attune my other senses to what he’s trying to do. I smell his shampoo mixed with his trademark virile, masculine scent—a combo that makes me inwardly swoon. Just so male. And so hot.
I keep my eyes closed when I feel his lips brush against mine in the most tender, sweet, soft little peck I’ve ever experienced.
My eyes slowly open, and he’s staring down at me with this reverent, appreciative, loving gaze that makes my heart swell.
“I just wanted to do that before we stopped the sex stuff for good,” he says.
My God! How I’d like to throw my arms around him and lock him in a kiss like something out of a movie. He’s stunningly beautiful, standing in front of me in jeans and an olive green T-shirt that does wonders for his tan skin and clings to his spectacular pecs. His long hair falls in perfect waves at his shoulders, he’s got a little bit of stubble that brings out the delicious shape of his pouty lips, and his hazel eyes practically sparkle as he looks at me.
He’s not my boyfriend. He’s not my boyfriend. He’s not my boyfriend. It’s probably good that I’m leaving because I’d never be able to focus on that mantra with him standing in front of me. I’ve got functioning eyes and no amount of mental willpower could overtake what I see: a gorgeous, breathtaking, stunningly beautiful man who just gave me a little kiss. A man who’s just as confused as I am about what our little escapade meant. A man who cares about me, who wants to protect me, who cooks for me and makes me laugh, and has all the makings of a perfect boyfriend. But also a man who’s not my boyfriend and could never really be my boyfriend—or anyone’s boyfriend, for that matter. James has everything a girl could ever want, except that monogamy gene that tells him to keep his dick out of slutty porn stars. A sad fact of life, I guess.
“Bye, kid,” he says softly to me, his fingertips caressing the side of my face.
I turn to go to security, but I snap back around and grab his hand. “Wait!” I say. “One more.”
I stand on my tiptoes, and he bends down so I can place an affectionate, close-lipped kiss on his mouth.
“Okay,” I say, feeling my cheeks flush, “now I can go.”
“You’re the greatest ever, Lola.” He smiles and gives me a wink.
“Right back at you, stud.” I smile back, blowing him a kiss and heading off to the TSA line.
When I finally get to my window seat on the plane, I think back on the weekend and on my friendship with James. He means more to me than anyone I know, but I should never combine that with how attractive I find him because it’ll make me fall madly in love with him, and that can only lead to disappointment. He’s never disappointed me as a friend, has always been loyal and caring, so I shouldn’t fuck that up by expecting more from him than he can give.
The way I freaked out in the kitchen this morning was wrong. I know James. I know what he is. Finding those panties should have come as no shock to me. I should heed the advice of Liza Minnelli in Cabaret: a tiger can’t be a lamb. James practically radiates sexuality, and women lose their minds over him like they’re overdosing on pheromones or something. The fact that he had a three-way with two porn stars a few days before I arrived isn’t even news. It’s nothing I wouldn’t have already guessed, so it was dumb to have a shit fit over it. He didn’t do anything wrong because I’m not his girlfriend, and I don’t hold dominion over who he screws in his free time. I need to accept that and move past it, because I love him so much and he’s my best friend. I can’t harbor any resentment toward him for doing what he always does: getting laid.
I have class to look forward to, a new school, new friends, new opportunities. My future’s ahead of me, and I know James will always be a big part of it, but it might be nice to do some growing up. Maybe flirting with some other guys will give me a chance to stop hopelessly dreaming of a relationship with my best friend, who just so happens to be incapable of monogamy. James is in my heart forever, but I need to do what he said. I need to separate it out and put the part of me that adores him far away from the part of me that’s so sexually drawn to him. Never the two shall meet. They just can’t. It would end in a fucking disaster.
When the flight attendant announces we’re at cruising altitude, I recline my chair back and decide to listen to my new iPod. Though James and I may be far apart, we’re always together. As long as I don’t let my lingering emotions get in the way, we can be together forever, the very best and tightest of friends. Sure, maybe we won’t get to fool around anymore, but being best friends is definitely good enough for me.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I’d like to thank every single person who read my self-published work. It’s been an absolute delight to see people enjoying these characters as much as I do. You all gave me the confidence to finally take my writing beyond the confines of my laptop and out into the world. James and Lola’s story would have never continued past First Dance if it weren’t for the support and encouragement of my early readers.
Thank you to Micha, Lisa, Elizabeth, Traci, Meredith, and everyone at Omnific for believing in my writing. Thanks to Erin, Ben, and PS for being subjected to my endless brainstorming. A gigantic thank-you goes out to Kyle for getting the wheels in motion for me like a Tom-Ford-wearing, mad-connection-having angel.
About the Author
Bianca Giovanni was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. She grew up with a single mother and Italian grandmother, who was an avid reader. Sh
e is a graduate of The George Washington University where she focused on film theory. She has had a love of writing since childhood, but self-published her first short stories in 2012. Bianca’s strong female characters and witty dialogue have struck a chord with readers and lead to her popularity on self-publishing platforms. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado, where she can often be found jotting down story ideas in a notebook.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Information
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Check Out These Titles From Omnific Publishing
Coming Soon From Omnific Publishing
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Information
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Check Out These Titles From Omnific Publishing
Coming Soon From Omnific Publishing
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Vice, Virtue & Video: Revealed (The Vice, Virtue & Video Series) Page 27
