Mind the Gap (In Too Deep)

by Casey McMillin

  "I'm fine," I said. I tried to sound casual, but I'd quit the pills, and my whole left side was throbbing. "It could have been a lot worse. One inch in ether direction and it could have done some damage. It went in at the perfect angle too. The doctor said I was really lucky."

  "I'm really sorry I hit you just now, and I'm sorry you got hurt in the first place. And I agree about what you said. I should have just come home with you for Christmas. We'll have to fix that next year."

  "You're right," I said, "and we'll have plenty of time to talk about that, but we need to get back to that Christmas gift because it's time sensitive."

  "Time sensitive?"

  Brit was too curious to hang around any longer. She sprang off of the couch and ran for the door. I followed a few paces behind her, wondering what she'd do when she opened my truck door.

  She gasped and jumped back, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

  "Oh, my God, Josh. It's a, you got, it's my, is this the exact one? Is this Arlo? Oh my God, it's Arlo isn't it? You're Arlo, aren't you boy? How'd you get—did you go to that breeder?"

  I didn't even answer her. I just watched as she took the bullmastiff puppy out of the backseat of my truck and snuggled him to her chest, closing her eyes and rubbing her cheek against his fur.

  "You like him?" I asked.

  She opened her eyes and regarded me like I must be out of my mind for asking such a question.

  "I love him," she said. "I can't believe you got the exact puppy I wanted." Then something suddenly dawned on her. "Josh you can't get me this puppy. Do you know how much he cost?"

  "Oh that was nothing compared to what I just spent on supplies at the pet store—which you should have probably been there to help me pick out."

  "I can't believe you did all this, Josh." she hugged me again, and I loved how excited she was. "What supplies? Did you stop and get some stuff?"

  I walked to the back of the truck and let the tailgate down. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the vast array of puppy stuff I'd just purchased from PetSmart. I bought a kennel, food bowls, chew toys, a soft bed, some food, some treats, and last but not least, a collar and leash complete with a personalized name tag with Brit's address and phone number. I dug the collar out of a plastic bag and handed it to Brit to inspect.

  "I'm speechless Josh. It's the best Christmas gift I've ever been given. I would refuse it just on principal that it cost too much, but I want him too much to send it all back. I'm afraid I'm gonna be keeping him. I guess I'll just have to feel indebted to you for giving me such an elaborate gift."

  "You're not indebted to me Brit—" I was about to mention the painting, but my sentiment was cut short by the realization that maybe she wanted to be indebted to me. You know, like in a hot way. "I mean, yeah, you're gonna owe me big for this one."

  She stood on her toes to whisper in my ear. "I think it's you who owes me big."

  "Oh, I got your big."

  "Shhhh!" she said, smiling. Her hand came up and she cupped her palm protectively over Arlo's ears. "Not in front of the kids."

  Just then Gretchen burst through the back door with her eyes locked on Arlo. "Joshua! You might be the most clever guy I know," she said. She almost sprinted across the driveway to see the new puppy. Brit stooped and put Arlo on the ground, and both of them let out a squeal of delight at the utter cuteness of the big puppy. He was tan with a black face and paws, and his huge round face was smiling as he panted up at them. We spent the next few hours letting Arlo get used to his new house.

  Chapter 25

  Brit

  Arlo was the best dog in the whole world. I'd had so much fun with him in the last two months that it made me wonder why it took me so long to get a dog in the first place. Despite the fact that I usually had my head in the clouds, I'd actually been a real stickler with training him. Josh talked me into doing that the day he brought Arlo home. I was so glad I'd taken his advice. Arlo was house broken, kennel trained, and the sweetest dang thing you ever did see. Gretchen and Joel both loved him, and Rachel was now seriously considering surprising Collin with one of the puppies from an upcoming litter. We got together with Emily and Ethan on a regular basis so Sal could teach Arlo the ways of a master bullmastiff.

  Josh and I were doing great, and had developed a bit of a routine during recent weeks. He'd been spending two or three nights a week at my place, which was nice because I got to see him frequently, but we weren't taking over each other's lives completely. I never stayed at his apartment, mostly because we'd have to lug all of Arlo's junk.

  The more I learned about Josh, the more I loved him. He was a kind, strong man who took care of me while I spaced out in my own head. He was already playing the role of my anchor, reminding me about appointments and keeping me from floating off into artist outer space. We weren't even living together, and already he was taking care of me in so many ways. I truly loved Josh, and I wasn't afraid to admit it. I was crazy about that boy, and I could tell he felt the same way.

  I did end up meeting his parents. Josh and I had gone to see them a few times over the past couple of months, and I'm happy to say we liked each other very much. They acted like there'd never been an embarrassing phone call to state my existence, and we enjoyed each other's company from the start. It was a little hilarious how protective they were over Josh. You couldn't necessarily call it a background check, but they did ask a ton of questions the first time we met. I thought it was cute; I liked their personalities a lot.

  I would be seeing them later that evening when they came to my show. I was a little more nervous than usual. It was the first time I was playing with my new L.A. band. Gretchen hooked me up with some musicians she knew from UCLA, and I'd been practicing with them for the last six weeks.

  The previous week, I'd performed in front of a crowd, but not with my band. Joel got me a gig as a singer with this jazz big band that was playing at a fancy Valentine's Day charity event. I only sang four songs, but I had on a sequined dress, red lipstick, and my hair was put back in brushed back curls that looked a bit like finger waves. It was one of the coolest things I'd ever done, and I made Joel promise to get me the gig again the next year. Anyway, last week I was being fancy at a charity ball, and this week I'd have my band with me and I'd be doing the gritty, bluesy thing in a (hopefully) crowded bar.

  I came out of my bedroom, dressed and ready to go to The McAllister. It was a pub in downtown L.A. that almost always had a crowd on Friday nights. At least that's what my lead guitarist, Danny, says. He's the one who got us the gig.

  "Dang girl, you look hot!" Trevor said. Trevor came to town for my first gig. After all, I couldn't do a gig without having a stupid human trick in my back pocket. Gretchen volunteered to stand up there and not blink for five minutes, but I didn't think that was something an audience could really appreciate.

  Josh was fine with Trevor being there. He trusted me and knew I'd rarely get to see Trevor now that we lived so far away. Trevor knew how I felt about Josh, and everyone seemed to be accepting each other's presence in my life. We were on night two of Trevor's two-night stay. He would be leaving in the morning.

  "You think so?" I asked. Doing a twirl in the middle of my living room. The black tank top I was wearing sort of shimmered, and that wasn't the kind of thing I usually wore. Maggie the stylist helped me pick out my clothes, and I felt like it might be slightly over the top. "Is it too much?"

  "Hell no, don't you even think about taking this off," he said. His eyes roamed over me. "Dang mama, Los Angeles looks good on you." Trevor grabbed me by the shoulders. "You know what? I have a great idea. You were talking about how you never get to stay at Josh's because of the dog. Why don't you let me babysit? You could go home with Josh after the show, and we could meet for breakfast on my way out of town."

  I regarded Trevor as if he'd been speaking Chinese.

  "Oh come on, don't act so surprised," he said. "I got to spend last night and all of today hanging out with you. Besides, I like Josh.
I never thought I'd say that, but I actually like the guy. I think it's the hair."

  "Oh shut-up," I said laughing and pushing at his shoulder.

  "Seriously, it'll give you a night off from the baby," Trevor looked over at Arlo who was curled up on his dog bed, unconscious. "Oh whatever, just go spend the night with your boyfriend so you can check out his crib for once." I hugged Trevor until he pretended to be gasping for air. "You're welcome?" he said in a strained voice.

  ****

  The debut performance by Brit and the Bombers was, thank the Lord in heaven, a success in so many ways. The band sounded great, I was confident in my performance, the crowd was responsive, and there was a good turn out. There were a lot of smiles passed around the room all evening, and I was so thankful and excited about how things had gone. My band was excellent, and I loved Gretchen and Bailey for putting me in touch with such good musicians.

  Oh, and did I mention the flyers? Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it if my advertising genius of a best friend designed a beautiful flyer for us. I'd already sent two of them to the frame store, one for me and one for Rachel. She wouldn't let me pay her for the work, so it was the least I could do. I thought it'd be a rocking addition to her already cool office décor.

  All of my friends came to the show. Not only did they come, but they all showed up before we even started, and stayed the whole time. When you're playing a bar gig, you get used to seeing faces and crowd change and shift. It was nice to have a solid group that was into the music and having a good time. Some people got up to dance, and others just sat at their tables or along the bar. Everyone seemed to dig the music, though, and that's all you can ask for as a performer.

  I talked to Josh during the set break. I'd gone outside to tell his parents goodbye and thank them for coming. Josh had his hands all over me, and had already whispered how crazy he was about my outfit. He said I was lucky I had company in town, because otherwise he'd be tearing me apart tonight. I told him about the change of plans—that Trevor was babysitting so I could stay at his place. And oh boy, did everything change after that?

  For the rest of the evening, Josh regarded me with this expression that warned how anxious he was to get me alone. Some of the lyrics of the songs were about love, and I caught myself looking at Josh and really feeling some of the words I was singing. It was probably pretty obvious that I made eye contact with him quite a bit, but I couldn't help it. He smiled at me every time I did, so I couldn't resist doing it often.

  He'd just gotten a haircut. It was still shaggy, but shaped up and I super-duper loved how he looked. I could see the muscular form of his backside and thigh in those jeans as he stood at the bar, and I shamelessly looked at his profile as I sang.

  By the time we made it to his apartment, we were both showing physical signs of how anxious we were to be together. We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what the first order of business was the second we were behind closed doors. We would have already been half way there in the car, but we had to drive to Josh's in separate cars since we couldn't leave mine at The McAllister all night.

  We got out of our respective vehicles at his apartment, and collided in the parking lot. He tilted my chin up and gave me a kiss on the lips. "What were you thinking doing that song, Britney?" He was talking about the last song we played. It was a new arrangement of I Put a Spell on You, and he had no idea I'd been working it up.

  "Did you like it?"

  He took an exaggerated breath and ran his hand through his hair. Then, he took my hand and literally started jogging toward his apartment. I screamed in surprise, as I tried to keep up with him. It was times like these that I was thankful for my aversion to heels. He stopped and looked back at me when I screamed, then he scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way. I stared up at the stubble on his jaw as I bounced in his arms and was all of a sudden really excited about spending the night at his place.

  He set me down so he could unlock the door and turn on the lights. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the apartment, through the living room, past his punching bag, and into his ever-tidy bedroom. He pulled me over to his bed where he sat and pulled me into his lap. "I'm glad your friend volunteered and all, but just so you know, you would have been coming home with me tonight whether you liked it or not."

  "Oh yeah?" I said defiantly.

  "Yeah," he said, "especially with that stunt you pulled there at the end."

  I smiled at him. For some reason, calling that song a stunt was hilarious to me. I reached up and placed a super-quick, sassy little kiss on his big jaw. It was over after that. He turned and pushed me back onto the bed in a quick but gentle motion.

  His hands and mouth started roaming all over me and he began removing my clothing piece by piece. He took off his shirt before climbing on top of me, bracing his weight with those big arms.

  He leaned down, placing searing kisses on my neck and face time after time until I was writhing with the effort to make contact with his bare flesh. He sat up, giving me a view of the sculpted torso. I was a fan of that torso, and figured as long as he was putting it out there, it was okay for me to stare. He still had on the jeans I'd been staring at from across the room, and without a shirt, I could see that he had on the boxers I got him for Valentine's Day. They were red with tiny white polka dots, and I was pretty sure they'd look really hot on him. Although who was I kidding? Anything would look good on that body.

  Neither the pants nor the boxers lasted long. None of our clothes did. Within the first three minutes of entering the bedroom, we were completely skin on skin. He was hovering over me as we kissed, and I could feel his hard length against my inner thigh, but each time I tried to shift my body to take him in, he pulled away, teasing me.

  He'd been kissing me for a good, long while, and I'd asked three times for him to please get inside me before he finally agreed to do it. He was gentle at first, making me earn every inch, and by the time he was fully inside me, I was close to the brink. He was so hard inside me, and I just lay still with my eyes closed, appreciating how it felt. Waves of ecstasy washed over me, making every inch of my skin feel like it had had an electrical charge. By the time Josh had barely just begun thrusting inside me, I went over the edge, into the beautiful abyss. Josh wasn’t far behind me. He found his release, and no more than thirty minutes after we came in the door, we were collapsed into a big heap of lazy satisfaction.

  "I love you Britney, and it's not just because you're the singer in a band, and you're a total rock star, which you are."

  I smiled. "I love you too," I said, playing with one of his curls, "and it's not just because you make great money or you have cool hair, which you do."

  He kissed me. He kissed me lots of times that night, actually, and I was pretty sure I'd never get tired of the feel of his lips.

  ****

  The next morning, Josh and I went to Mel's Diner to meet Trevor on his way out of town. Josh and Trevor seemed to be getting along great, and I figured it all stemmed from Trevor offering to babysit Arlo. Whatever it was, they exchanged friendly banter, and it made me feel happy to see them getting along. I sat next to Josh in the booth, and couldn't help but cuddle him a little. I wanted to touch him constantly, and he didn’t seem to mind.

  Near the end of breakfast, Josh got up to take a phone call from his boss.

  "Looks like things went good last night," Trevor said, commenting on how touchy-feely I'd been.

  "Oh, stop," I said. "I'm sorry if it's too much, he just makes me really happy."

  "I can tell," he said with a sweet smile. "And I'm happy for you, I really am."

  "How's Arlo?" I asked.

  "He's great," Trevor said, he went on to talk about something Arlo did the previous evening, but I was only half-listening because I was looking at a text I'd just gotten from Emily.

  Emily: "What would you do if one of your friends was about to make a huge mistake? Try to stop them? Or let them live their life?"

  I apologized to Trevor, and to
ld him I needed to take a second to text. It was no skin off his back. He dug into his stack of pancakes.

  Me: "That's deep. Who's in trouble?"

  Emily: "It's Collin's little sister Meredith. You know she and I are friends. She's not in trouble, but she's telling me this plan of hers, and I'm not sure it's a great idea."

  Me: "Now I'm curious. Robbing a bank? Stealing a famous painting?"

  Emily: "Nothing like that, and I probably shouldn't be telling you, but I knew everybody else would tell Collin. You can't tell Collin. Apparently Meredith's a virgin, but she doesn't want to be. She said she wants to learn how to do it properly, and she wants to ask someone who's experienced teach her."

  Me: "What's that got to do with you?"

  Emily: "She said the guy she's asking is one of our friends and I'm gonna need to put her in touch with him."

  Me: "WTH? Who?"

  Emily: "I asked, but she hasn't text me back. I don't know what to do. I don't want to get one of our friends killed, but that's exactly what would happen if Collin found out someone slept with his virgin little sister."

  Me: "Oh snap girl, I don't know what to tell you. Just try to talk her out of it. Tell her she'll have plenty of time for all that when she finds a man she likes."

  Emily: "I'll try. Wish me luck."

  "What's so funny?" Josh asked, walking back to the booth. Trevor was finishing off the last bite of pancakes as he looked up at both of us smiling.

  "I was just texting Emily. She's got some drama with one of her friends," I said.

  Trevor and Josh both looked at each other and shrugged as if that was a good enough explanation and they didn't really care to hear any more. I was glad to be off the hook about explaining any further to the boys, but I was extremely curious to hear about what was to come of Meredith and her plan.

  I wondered which one of our friends she had her sights set on exactly. I considered a couple of possibilities, but they were just guesses. I figured I'd just have to wait till later to find that out. I put my phone in my pocket and snuggled up next to Josh. I kissed him on the cheek, glad that I had him securely in my grasp without having to do any planning or scheming.