Presently Perfect (Perfect #3)

by Alison G. Bailey

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  For the first time in four months, two weeks, five days, seventeen hours, thirty-two minutes, and eleven seconds—my throat opened, my lungs expanded, oxygen swirled through my body, and I could breathe.

  “It hurts being away from you. I think about you all the time,” I said.

  I wasn’t going to pretend that I didn’t love her. I was just going to make an attempt to manage it.

  “What do you think about?” Tweet asked, her tone sounded flirtatious.

  Don’t get your hopes up, dumbass.

  I pushed off from the table and stood in front of her. The glow from the streetlight washed over us. At first, my eyes were frantic, wanting to take in every little dip, curve, and slant of her face all at once. I forced my gaze to slow to a steady pace as it glided across each feature. Her dark brown eyebrows were raised, causing tiny crinkles to run across her forehead. Bright teal eyes peered up at me from behind long dark lashes. Smooth pale pink cheeks turned a deeper shade with each second that ticked by. The color of her barely pressed-together lips matched the shade of her cheeks. And then there was that dimple smack dab in the middle of her chin. I had dreams about that dimple and my tongue.

  Fuck! I needed to get control of myself.

  I’d only had quick glimpses of Tweet over the past few months. They weren’t enough to satisfy me, so I had resorted to digging through old pictures of us just to see her smile, those eyes, and that dimple. I realized it was pathetic or pussy-thetic as Travis liked to call it. He caught me one day after practice shuffling through a stack of photos I kept in my locker. Being this close and looking for this long, I realized that my memory and those pictures didn’t do her justice. Nothing compared to the real thing. The real thing was breathtaking and perfect.

  The sound of a horn blasting as a car drove by caused my head to jerk up, breaking the spell. I hesitated for a second, trying to get my thoughts together.

  My gaze fell from her face and I told her the truth. “I think about how lonely I am without you. How boring my day is without you. How much I miss hearing your voice and your laugh. How much I miss listening to music and eating cake with you.”

  I glanced up at her, we traded brief smiles, and just like that, I was lost in those eyes again.

  “I miss taking care of you.” I paused for a moment, scared of her reaction to my next sentence. “I miss my best friend and I want her back in my life.”

  In a split second I saw thoughts spinning out of control flash across Tweet’s face.

  Relief.

  Excitement.

  Happiness.

  Fear.

  Doubt.

  She was considering all the possible what if scenarios. I wasn’t going to give her time to overanalyze us. I had no doubt she wanted me back her in life. I could see it in her eyes when she opened her window.

  Placing my hand on either side of her hips, I grabbed the edge of the table, lowering my forehead to hers. “So Tweet, will you be my best friend again? I promise I will stay in the F-zone.”

  Deep pink cheeks lifted and teal eyes squinted, as Tweet’s face lit up with a heart stopping smile. “I never stopped being your best friend.”

  I tilted my head slightly to one side and brushed my lips gently across her cheek. Pulling back, I smirked and said, “Hi bestie. Glad you’re back where you belong.”

  She beamed with joy.

  I am so fucked.

  When I sat down on the table next to Tweet, I could feel the jolt of electricity as our shoulders and arms brushed against each other’s. I picked up her hand, lacing her fingers with mine, and placed a soft friendly kiss on the back of it. She giggled and her grin grew even bigger. Mindlessly, my thumb gently moved back and forth over her wrist as I weighed out how to bring up the subject of the Smurffucker.

  Releasing a long deep sigh, I said, “Tweet, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

  “Shoot.”

  Turning toward her, I asked in a serious tone, “Is it true that Brad Johnson asked you to Jeremy’s party?”

  Her eyes widened as her mouth opened and closed twice before answering, “How did you find out so fast? It’s only been a few hours since he asked me.”

  “It doesn’t matter how I found out. What matters is that I found out just in time. You’re not going on a date with him, Tweet.”

  She glared at me in disbelief and jerked her hand from mine. “Hold on now. Is this why you suddenly wanted me back in your life, so you could dictate who I could and could not go on a date with?”

  “No!”

  She leaned in, a sassy head wobble emphasizing her point. “Because, for your information, I haven’t been on one single date. Unless you count Vincent Chamberlain in tenth grade, which I do not since he dumped me in the middle of the damn date for Sarah Grice.”

  “He’s a Smurffucker and you’re not going out with him Saturday or any other time,” I shot back.

  Tweet’s back stiffened as she glared at me. Heat rose through my body, hands clenched firmly around the edge of the table.

  God, she’s stubborn and infuriating.

  She jumped off the table. I moved to do the same, but she quickly turned on her heels, facing me. With hands firmly planted on her hips, she narrowed her eyes in my direction. For a split second my anger eased up. I bit my bottom lip to keep the smile from forming across my lips.

  God, she’s adorable.

  “Who the hell do you think you are? For four months, I was close to being completely ignored by you. You know what I had to watch while I kept my mouth shut? Bitchanni sniffing around you first thing in the morning at your locker. Then there’s Amy, Paige, and Tiffany. Anyone else? Oh yes, let’s not forget what started the four month sabbatical, the day you planned on fucking Beth.” The words flew out of her mouth in rapid fire succession. Her chest was pumping so fast and heavy I thought she was about to hyperventilate.

  “That’s different.” I was standing directly in front of her now. The veins in my neck strained against my skin as the two words broke through clenched teeth.

  “How so?”

  Because you made it clear you weren’t an option for me.

  “It just is. Look, it’s my job to take care of you and look out for you.”

  “Noah, it’s just one date. The party is only a few days away. I’ve already accepted his invitation. I’d feel bad if I canceled on him now. It would be rude.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Accepted his invitation? What the hell do you think you’re going to, some debutante cotillion bullshit?” Sarcasm was dripping from my voice.

  “I know exactly where I’m going. Jeremy’s party! Saturday night! With Brad!” she shouted, as she brushed passed me.

  “I can’t figure out why he even asked you,” I said more to myself.

  “Thanks a lot.”

  I whipped around and immediately zeroed in on the hurt in Tweet’s eyes. I opened my mouth to explain what I meant, but was stopped by a hard shove against my chest.

  “That was a shitty thing for you to say to me.” She turned and walked away.

  I ran to her, grabbed her elbow, and spun her around to face me. “Tweet. I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right. You know what I meant.”

  She shrugged out of my grasp and stepped back. Tears were already threatening to spill from her eyes. “It came out just fine. I know exactly what you meant. No one like Brad could ever want to go out with anyone like me, unless he had an ulterior motive.”

  My muscles quivered from the tension radiating through my body. I wasn’t going to tolerate her putting herself down.

  “Dammit! That asshole is nowhere near good enough to even be talking to you.”

  I took a step toward her, but she held up her hand, letting me know that was as close as she would allow me to get. The hurt in her eyes cut into my chest and made it ache. She should know I would never say anything to hurt her on purpose. I was going to do everything within my power to keep her s
afe and away from Brad, though. There was no way that Smurffucker was going to get his hands on what was mine. Tweet belonged to me and I belonged to her. No amount of pushing away or denial would ever change the fact that we were put on this earth to be together.

  “It’s fine. I’ve had the exact same question playing repeatedly in my head since he asked me out. It just hurts like hell when your best friend wonders the same thing.”

  “I told you I didn’t mean it that way.” My jaw was clenched so tight it was hurting.

  “I need to go,” she said. I stepped toward her. “Noah, don’t.”

  One more hurtful glare from those gorgeous teal eyes was sent in my direction before she turned and stomped away from me.

  “Where are you going?” I shouted.

  “Home!” she yelled back over her shoulder.

  “You’re not walking home by yourself at night!”

  “Yes I am!”

  I knew she’d be fine on the walk home—our neighborhood was extremely safe, but I couldn’t let her walk away from me, not like this. I just got her back in my life and I was going to hold on to her tight this time.

  I followed a few steps behind her, in silence, the entire way home. I was hoping by the time we reached her house she would have cooled off. Even though she was pissed at me, I couldn’t help watching her ass as it quickly swayed from side-to-side while she walked faster and faster toward her house. Just watching her walk got me hard and had me thinking of all sorts of things I would like to do to that sweet round little ass.

  Fuck! I needed to get my head in the game and out of my crotch.

  Once at her house, I stayed at the bottom of the steps as Tweet fished her key out of her pocket and slipped it into the lock.

  Clearing my throat, I said, “Aren’t you going to say goodnight?”

  “Goodnight, Noah,” she said. I could hear the tremble in her voice.

  “Goodnight, Tweet.”

  I couldn’t leave like this. I needed to feel that connection. I needed to be physically close to her. I needed to know things between us were all right.

  Walking up behind her, I placed my palms on the doorframe, caging her in. I leaned in close. I felt a shiver run through her body as my warm breath hit behind her ear and over her neck. She smelled awesome. Apparently, my dick liked the scent of raspberry and vanilla because it started twitching like it had been tasered with one thousand volts of electricity.

  My mouth was so close to her ear, my lips lightly brushed against the shell of it when I whispered, “Please don’t be mad at me. I just want to protect you.”

  “I’m not mad. I’m scared,” she said, breathless.

  “Of what?”

  “That we’re not going to be able to go back to the way we were. You’ve been back in my life for an hour and it already feels like we’re crossing that line. I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I promised you I’d stay in the friend zone and I will. But the line has already been crossed, Tweet. I wish you’d step over it with me.”

  When she leaned back against my chest I knew I had to get out of there. I was already so hard it was becoming painful. All I could think about doing was turning her around, pressing her back against the door, and shoving my tongue down her throat.

  I pushed off from the doorframe and wrapped my arms around her waist.

  Placing a soft kiss behind her ear, I said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I kissed the top of her head, dropped my arms, and headed home for an ice cold shower.

  I leaned up against the wall in one of the darker corners of the room. I got to Jeremy’s party early and picked this spot specifically so I’d have a clear and direct view of the front door. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance and possibly miss seeing Tweet and the Smurffucker when they arrived.

  I purposely hadn’t talked to her for a couple of days. Things got pretty intense between us the other night. I figured a little breathing space was a good idea. I had to control myself. If I did what I wanted to do, my arms and lips would be permanently attached to her body. I had to prove to her that I could keep my promise and stay in the friend zone.

  From the first day I met Brad, I didn’t like him. There was just something about the guy that made my skin crawl. He was up to something and it was my job to make sure that something wasn’t Tweet. Since she refused to break the date, I decided keeping a close eye on him was the next best thing.

  For the past two days, whenever I knew Brad had access to Tweet, I followed him. When they came out of the class they shared, I was outside the door. When they ate lunch together, I was a couple of tables away. When they met at her locker, I was across the hall watching. All the time making sure he was aware of my presence. A piece of my heart splintered each time I saw them together. I wanted to slam my fist into the wall or, better yet, Brad’s face, every time he touched her as they walked down the hall or he leaned in to whisper in her ear. I held it together fairly well. The one thing that I couldn’t bring myself to watch was when Tweet looked up at him with that shy smile, the one that had always been reserved for me. It was mine and she was giving it away to him.

  Earlier today I had reached my limit. Usually, our baseball practice didn’t start until a couple of hours after classes were over, but today Coach called an early practice starting right after school. The team drifted toward the locker room when I overheard Brad talking with Spencer about this sweet virgin piece of ass he had his eye on. A burning sensation invaded my body as my hands clamped down like a vise on his shoulders and I throttled him against the brick wall of the building. Through clenched teeth and a few harsh shoves, I attempted to convince him to break the date. Tweet rounded the corner of the building and saw us seconds before I threw my first punch. The fear and hurt in her eyes made me back off and go inside the locker room. I didn’t want her to think I had gone back on my promise and was acting like a jealous boyfriend.

  Each time the front door to Jeremy’s beach house opened, my body stiffened. I thought it was Tweet. The party had been going on for a while and they still weren’t here. The knot in my stomach twisted tighter as I considered the fact that the Smurffucker may have taken her somewhere else.

  Shit! I should have followed them.

  While I was mentally kicking myself for being so careless, a pair of wet lips crash into my upper arm. I looked down to find Beth propped against me. She looked up with a drunken smile plastered across her face.

  “Hey, baby,” she giggled. “You want to go upstairs?”

  “Beth, you’re drunk.”

  “Sooo what.”

  “You know it’s not going to happen between us.”

  Since the night I had told Beth we were done, she tried to hook up with me at every party. She got drunk, made a pass, and then got pissed when I turned her down. Beth deserved better than someone who loved and dreamed about another girl. But she never got the message, no matter how blunt I delivered it.

  “Why not?!” she said angrily as she straightened and stood directly in front of me.

  My eyes focused back on the front door. Beth’s hands slowly slid underneath my shirt and over my stomach at the exact time I spotted Tweet and Brad walk in. I grabbed Beth’s wrists, tugging her hands out from under my shirt.

  “Beth, knock it off.”

  I took a step to the side, trying to get away from her, but she mimicked my movement, blocking me in.

  “You’re such an idiot, Noah. You could have me any time you want, but because your precious fucking Tweet says no, you won’t even give us a chance.” She looked over her shoulder, following my gaze. “She obviously doesn’t want you. When we were still talking I asked her a million times if she liked you more than a friend and she always said no. When are you going to wise up? I know Brad. He’s a fast worker. I bet before the night is over, he’ll have his dick in her.”

  I pushed Beth back slightly, got right up in her face, and growled, “Don’t you ever fucking talk about her lik
e that again. I don’t give a shit if you’re drunk or that your feelings are hurt. You and I are never going to happen.”

  Tears streamed down her face as her bottom lip quivered. “You won’t even try because of her,” she whined.

  Tweet and Brad walked toward the double French doors leading out to the back deck. My already fisted hand pounded into to the wall behind me as Brad’s fingers, which had been touching the small of Tweet’s back, slipped underneath her shirt. I walked away from Beth without uttering another word and headed to the kitchen.

  On the back wall of the kitchen was a sliding glass door. This allowed me to keep an eye on the Smurffucker, but stay out of Tweet’s sight. She was staring out at the ocean, the breeze pushing her chocolate brown hair away from her gorgeous face. She wasn’t looking at Brad, but he was staring intensely at her. I could tell it made her uncomfortable. She was lightly drumming her fingers on the railing. The movement was so small no one else would even notice.

  Tweet had no clue that she was hot. She always made a joke of it, never believing that a guy would think of her in that way. By the look in his beady eyes, I could tell Brad thought of her that way. I hated that cocky asshole. He thought all he had to do was snap his fingers and girls would do whatever he wanted. The stupid girls did, but Tweet wasn’t stupid. She was just naïve.

  After a few minutes, she turned to face him. Whatever she said made him laugh. The look on his face got serious as he slowly moved in closer to her. Brad’s head tilted to the side, Tweet’s head tilted up slightly, and their lips touched.

  She let the Smurffucker kiss her.

  A constant rush of breath caused my throat to dry up. My muscles and veins strained against my skin as if trying to break free. I had tunnel vision as I elbowed my way through the crowd.

  I grabbed the handle of the glass door and slid it open so hard it bounced off of the frame. I ignored the muffled voices yelling at me. My actions were pure instinct. The only thought in my head was I had to get that Smurffucker off of my girl.

  It took only three strides to reach them. In one fluid movement, I grabbed the back of Brad’s shirt, jerked him away from Tweet’s lips, and dragged him down the steps onto the beach. The second my feet hit the sand my fist hit his pretty face.