Maggie’s same crazy laughter broke through the haze of memories. I dropped the book and bent to pick it up, setting my beer on the arm of the chair.
Maggie shifted on her towel. My eyes instinctively focused on the strip of exposed skin below her clavicle.
“Enjoying your book?” Selah asked, tilting her head back to stare at me. Her towel lay next to Maggie’s, but she rested on her back. The straps of her bathing suit had been rolled down to avoid tan lines. Her boobs strained to burst free from the black fabric. I’d seen them enough times to know they were amazing, but not the ones I’d been obsessed with.
“Yeah. It’s hysterical.” I turned the page, pretending to pay attention.
Selah laughed. “I’m sure it’s even better right side up.”
I glanced down and realized she was right. Embarrassed, I quickly flipped the book and brought it closer to my face. “Shut up.”
She snickered and rolled over.
“I’m too hot.” Maggie tied the strings of her top and sat up. Her suit had shifted to expose a pale pink half-circle on her left breast.
I swallowed heavily before offering her my tumbler of water.
A few drops spilled on her chest as she chugged the liquid. Two droplets sped down the curve of her breasts. I traced their path and envied them.
Selah fake coughed and underneath the sound I heard “staring.”
I needed to escape. “I’m going to get more water. Maybe a beer. I could go for a beer. Anyone else want anything?”
The girls asked for wine coolers. Anything they wanted, as long as I could get off the roof before fully tenting my shorts.
I raced down the stairs to the slightly cooler apartment. Standing in front of the fridge, I rolled my neck and let the cold air chill my skin.
“Everyone up on the roof? I was thinking we could play dirty Scrabble.” Quinn passed me while I stood there with my head in the fridge. He didn’t wait for an answer. The door closed behind him with a loud thump.
Once I had my body under control again, I grabbed a beer and the remaining three wine coolers in the four-pack.
The sun blinded me when I kicked open the door to the roof. I quickly clamped my eyes shut and nudged my sunglasses down before reopening them.
I screeched like a girl and clamped them shut again to block out the scene in front of me.
Quinn was naked.
Again.
His ass looked like two dinner rolls browning in the oven. The image seared itself onto my brain. I could never forget the visual as long as I lived.
Attempting to cross the space between him and the girls, I navigated with my eyes closed. Something hard slammed into my toe. Or more accurately, my toe slammed into something metal. Like a chair or table leg. I screamed a stream of obscenities and set the drinks down on the ground. Straightening up, I finally peeked out one eye.
“Why are you screaming like a little girl?” A few feet away, Quinn rolled over onto his back.
Nope. Never forgetting that image either. I groaned. “Damn it, Quinn!”
Quinn walked over to me, completely nonchalant, not caring that he stood naked on a roof in broad daylight. “Are you hurt?”
“This isn’t a locker room, Q.” I rubbed my forehead with the back of my hand while standing on one foot. “Put a towel on or something.”
“Something bothering you?” He turned his back to me to grab one of the wine coolers.
“Your naked ass, as a matter of fact,” Selah said. “No man should have such a perky ass. It’s unfair. No cellulite. Doesn’t jiggle.”
“Why thank you, Elmore.” Quinn chuckled. “I fully believe in Omnia Extares if you’ve got it.”
I covered my face with my arm. “I don’t think the college’s founders meant ‘let it all hang out’ literally when they chose our motto. Put on some shorts.”
“Can’t you respect a man’s need for a lack of tan lines?”
“I’m sorry, but I really can’t. Who cares if your ass is tan or not? It’s called ‘where the sun don’t shine’ for good reason.” I groaned again. Beer. I needed my beer.
“I think you must be jealous. Do you have ass envy, Gil?” Quinn wrapped a beach towel around his waist. “Show us yours and the girls will vote on who has the nicer butt.”
I ignored his wiggling eyebrows and resumed my seat in the beach chair.
Maggie lifted her head and gave me a wink. “My vote would be for you.”
I leaned over her and whispered, “You’ve never seen my ass.”
A slow, wicked smile spread over her face. “That’s what you think.” With another wink, she rested her head on her folded arms.
Wait, when could she have seen me naked, or at least my naked ass? I ran through two years of memories in my head and came up blank. Maybe she meant in jeans. Or shorts. She probably meant clothed.
The conversation changed to which actor had the best butt. I didn’t participate. Instead, I picked up my book and went back to pretending to read while staring at Maggie’s perfect, round ass.
It would be a long summer.
“You Can Call Me Al” ~ Paul Simon
I REACHED OVER the counter to turn up the volume on the radio.
“Let’s dance, Betty.” I grabbed Maggie’s hand.
She grinned at me as she hopped out of her chair. “You got it, Al.”
“Here they go again,” Jo groaned. “How often do they need to play this song?”
She and Ben had been home from Europe for only a couple of weeks. How annoyed could she be?
Every time Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” came on the radio, Maggie and I danced. It had become our thing after seeing the video on MTV. I played the Chevy Chase to her Paul Simon.
I swung her around the kitchen in a fast-paced and awkward swing dance. The awkward part came from me trying to avoid pressing myself against her, lest she figured out I sported a semi.
I blamed the close quarters and all the sunbathing she and Selah did on the roof. A twenty-year-old guy could only handle so much skin.
I took very long showers most days. I had the cleanest dick in Olympia.
And probably the bluest balls.
I’d made a vow to finally pursue Maggie. Make a move or die from embarrassment trying.
Weeks of cohabitation had already passed. We’d lived together almost a full month before I’d made my vow. Time was running out. She and Lizzy left in the middle of August for France. For the year.
It was now or never.
The lyrics about being pals didn’t encourage me. Maggie was my best friend and had been pretty much ever since our road trip to see the Bryan Ferry concert freshman year. I’d proposed like an idiot. I didn’t mean it. What kind of idiot proposes over Spinal Tap quotes? The words had spilled out of me without any sort of conscious effort. I’d been embarrassed as she stood there gawking at me, but deep down I didn’t care. She was beautiful, and the coolest girl I’d ever met.
And I’d blown things before I ever met her by fooling around with her roommate Jennifer. No wonder Quinn put the kibosh on us dating right then and there.
I’d earned the label tongue masher. A month into college and I had the reputation of being a Romeo—with one girl one moment and proclaiming my love for another right after. Sadly, the role fit.
I was no more ready for a relationship at eighteen than I was to kill a man in the name of God and country. Hell, I hadn’t ever done my own laundry.
Add to everything else, I’d been a complete dork. Glasses, skinny . . . not a cool guy at all. I liked history, music, video games, and books. In high school band, I picked up the bass because it was easier than guitar. I learned a few chords, enough to audition when a couple of guys on campus were looking to form a band.
Mark and Mike told me upfront they wanted to be in a band to get girls. They didn’t really care about fame or music as much as they saw it as a gateway to easy sex with groupies. I’d laughed at the thought.
Turned out, being
in a band, any band—even as bad as us—pretty much guaranteed girls saw me differently. We’d gotten better over the past year, but in comparison to some other local bands getting signed to major deals, we still sucked.
When not rehearsing, or playing video games, I worked in a printing shop. The trade off to sweating my ass off all day in the heat from the printers meant the band got free flyers for our shows. Quinn designed everything and offered to distribute them around town.
The new flyers and stickers must have been working. Last months’ shows had a bunch of new faces and fresh groupies for Mark and Mike.
One girl seemed very eager on becoming my groupie in particular. I’d been polite and flattered, but not interested.
Unfortunately, Mark slept with her best friend and kept inviting them back to our shows. I’d smile and thank her for coming, keeping my distance. Somehow she always managed to find a way to be in my personal space and touch me.
Heidi wasn’t ugly. Different time and headspace, I might’ve been interested. It kind of freaked me out how easily I could have gotten laid if that’s what I wanted.
But my one and only girl this summer was Maggie, whether she realized it or not. Majority of nights I preferred to go back and hang out with her. We’d watch movies on my crappy TV and VCR, then fall asleep on her bed or mine. Always fully clothed.
Sometimes I’d wake up before her and find us in a compromising position. Once she threw her leg over mine and there was no way she didn’t feel the hardness in my jeans.
Basically, for the past two years, I’d been living in a state of perpetual torture.
I was willing to risk our friendship for a chance at more.
After I made the vow to act, I also told myself I’d be okay if it all fell apart.
Pretty sure I’d never be okay if I ruined the most important relationship in my life.
However, I had to try for more.
“Hey Jealousy” ~ Gin Blossoms
THE GIRLS WERE due to come home Sunday from their week on Whidbey at Maggie’s family’s cottage. It had been a girl’s only trip because there were only two guest rooms and her family didn’t believe in boys and girls sleeping in the same room unless they were related by blood or marriage.
Quinn and I hung out Sunday evening, eating cold pizza and playing games on my old Atari. I kicked his ass.
Quinn tossed his controller and pulled another slice out of the box. “We should plan a party. With Ben and Jo finally home, it will be the first time all of us are together since finals.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” A party might be the set up I’d been waiting for. Okay, I’d been stalling all summer, but a party did sound fun.
Around seven, our buzzer rang.
“It’s probably the girls being too lazy to find their keys.” Quinn hit the button to unlock the door downstairs and undid the lock before returning to his seat.
With two quick knocks, Mark walked in, with Heidi and Tammy in tow.
“Hey, were we supposed to rehearse tonight?” I wrinkled my brow in confusion.
He grabbed a slice of pizza and flopped into one of our chairs. At first, Tammy sat on the arm before sliding down to sit across his lap.
“Hi, Gil.” Heidi sashayed over to my side of the couch. She squeezed herself between me and Quinn, making Quinn squish himself up against the opposite arm.
Q shot me a look of annoyance.
“Nah, no rehearsal. We were bored at my place and thought we’d come hang out over here. You always have something going on.” Mark took another bite of pizza.
I offered the remaining slices to the girls, but both declined saying they were on diets. Whatever. Girls always said that. More pizza for me.
Heidi twisted her body to tuck her legs under her, essentially curling up against me.
When she “accidentally” kicked Quinn, he shot me another dirty look and stood up. “I’m going to go for cigarettes. Anybody need anything?”
I stared at him. He knew I wasn’t interested in the woman coiled around me. Now he left me alone with her.
The girls made conversation and giggled a lot. I half paid attention, but most everything they brought up went over my head. Mark happily chomped on our pizza. A telltale redness rimmed his eyelids—he was totally stoned.
The same redness tinged Heidi’s and her friend’s eyes. Nice. They’d gotten stoned at his place and came over here looking for munchies.
I should’ve kicked them out and told them to go to the McDonald’s down the road.
When the door swung open, I expected Quinn to return with cigarettes and maybe beer if he didn’t get carded.
Instead, Maggie, Selah, and Lizzy, and all their bags, poured into the room. Laughter followed them. They looked sunburnt and sandy. Maggie was a sight. Her nose had more freckles and sunburned pink. She looked beautiful.
They all stopped short when they spotted our little foursome in the living room.
Heidi pressed close against me. She might as well have been in my lap. My back pressed against the corner of the couch, with nowhere else for me to go to give her space.
“Oh, hi.” Always polite, Maggie stepped forward. “Hi, Mark. Who are your friends?”
He introduced the girls.
“Gil’s more my friend.” Heidi’s nails dug into my skin as she wrapped her hand around my upper arm. With her words, she left no doubt about her perceived claim on me.
Maggie’s smile faded from polite to fake.
Knowing this looked bad, I jumped over the arm of the couch and stood up. “Anyone want a beer or soda? You guys need help with your bags?”
My roommates shook their heads.
“We won’t interrupt. It’s been a long drive.” After a silent conversation with their eyes, Lizzy pulled Maggie down the hall, leaving a pile of sandy bags by the door.
Selah remained standing there, shooting daggers at the new additions. “You look familiar. Didn’t I have an art theory class with you?” She directed the question at Heidi.
Heidi giggled. “Oh, we don’t go to Evergreen. We’re studying cosmology.”
“I think you mean cosmetology. Or are you studying the origins of the universe?” Selah’s voice had gone icy.
More giggling followed. “No, silly. We’re going to be hair stylists. Duh.”
Selah’s eyebrow arched like a cartoon villainess about to go in for the kill.
I stepped between her and the girls. “I didn’t invite them over,” I whispered.
“Then get rid of the STD Twins,” she whispered back. “Not cool to have a party on a Sunday night when most of us have to work in the morning.”
She gave me the out I had been looking for. “Listen, Mark, I’ve got an early shift at the printers. Better call it a night.”
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It barely read nine o’clock. Nodding in understanding, he agreed.
Heidi leaned back into the couch cushions. “I don’t have to go do I, Gilly?”
Gilly wasn’t my name. Or a nickname.
“It’s Gil. Or Gilliam.”
“Willy’s short for William. So Gilly is short for Gilliam?” She twirled a permed lock of hair around her finger.
“She’s got you there.” Mark and Tammy stood up. “Come on, girls, let’s find some real food and let the old people go to bed.”
“I thought you’d be more fun.” Heidi exaggerated her bottom lip into a pout so deep a bird could’ve perched on it. Her hand grazed the front of my jeans as she walked by me on her way to the door.
I jerked back my hips to avoid full contact. More than obvious, she’d made her intentions clear. I locked the door behind them to be on the safe side.
“These Are Days” ~ 10,000 Maniacs
THE DAY OF the big going away party we all hung out on the roof one last time. A couple other friends joined us early before things got out of control as our parties tended to do.
“We need a group picture to capture the moment,” Lizzy announced as the sun began to
sink, casting us all in a golden light.
“Nothing gold can last.” Maggie butchered the quote, but we all understood her reference.
“Pony Boy, go get one of your cameras.” Selah pointed at Quinn.
He disappeared down the stairs. Returning, he carried one of his many Polaroid cameras. He had a collection of them from old Land models with the peel-back film to this snappy black model with built-in flash. He called over Mike to take a group pic.
“Which way should we face? I don’t want to be squinty.” Selah stood with her hands on her hips.
“Do the sun in the background.” Quinn stepped around her and faced away from the sun.
We shuffled together. Maggie and I in the middle with Lizzy to her left. Selah and Quinn in their matching flannels and cut-offs flanked Lizzy’s other side. Ben stood beside Jo, who squeezed in next to me, her golden hair glowing in the late afternoon light.
“Should I stand between Q and Selah to break up their dynamic super hero twin flannel powers?” Lizzy asked.
My arm around Maggie, I patted Lizzy’s head in a weird dog version of a high five.
Maggie giggled beside me.
“Form of a grungy college student,” I whispered to Maggie.
She tilted her head back and really laughed as the flash went off. “We should redo it. I was laughing and my lids were closed,” she said as the camera spit out the exposed print.
“Too late.” Quinn studied the back of the camera. “No more film.”
We waited for the print to finish developing. Quinn shook the white-framed photo.
“Shaking it doesn’t do anything.” Lizzy stood on her tiptoes to see the image.
We Were Here: A New Adult Romance Prequel to Geoducks Are for Lovers (Modern Love Stories Book 1) Page 17
