by Abbi Hemp
* * *
He answered the door wearing swim trunks and nothing else.
“You always walk around the house half-naked?” I teased.
“Come in. I usually sleep in on Saturdays, but my phone woke me.”
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
“Tell me about it.”
“Someone called and woke you up?”
“No, not exactly.” I glanced over at two guys on the couch yelling at each other. “Can we go to your room and talk?”
“Sure,” he said.
I followed him up a staircase.
“Is that Curtis’ room?” I asked, nodding my head at a second door across the hall from the one he was opening.
“Yeah. Mine’s bigger. And better.”
I walked into his room, glancing around and trying to take it all in at once. A Radiohead poster on the wall above his headboard caught my eye, as did the fact his bed was made. Other than that, the room looked sparse.
“What?” he asked, closing the door.
“It’s bigger than my room but not as romantic.”
“We’ll just have to add some romance.”
He closed the gap between us, sliding his arms around me. The fight with Tabby slipped from my mind as his hand squeezed my ass.
Our lips touched, briefly at first then as if the world were about to be demolished by an asteroid. He moved us toward the bed.
Time slowed and sped up simultaneously. I swooned as he stripped my clothes off while I did the same to him. Naked, we faced each other.
I stared into his eyes as his finger traced a path from my cheek to my neck to my left breast. Over to the right as I put my hand on his waist to avoid fainting.
His finger slipped lower, moving slower as it made trails over my stomach. I breathed in, holding the breath as his magic digit moved over my pubic hair.
With my other hand, I tickled his balls, rolling them in my fingers. Occasionally, I brushed his cock, limp but getting harder. Emotions I’d neglected begged for attention.
The events of the morning rushed back – waking up with her face so close to mine. I let go of his dick and stepped back, turning my head away as a tear formed.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
He put a hand on my back as I attempted to control my runaway emotions.
“It’s this morning. Tabby…When she…”
“You need to move,” he said, stepping in front of me.
His strong arm rested on my waist. I peered up at him, trembling.
“Hey, now. I got you.”
I threw my arms around him, hugging tightly and never wanting to let go. He gently rubbed my back, calming me.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I ruined the moment.”
“Shhh…”
I put my cheek to his chest and let it out. Tears flowed freely as he comforted me.
“You need to move away from her as soon as you can. Do you want to stay here?”
“No,” I said, sniffling. “I’m not sure if we’re ready. I need to take care of this on my own.”
“That’s fine too.”
He smiled in a way that made me feel better. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
“We don’t just have to fuck all the time.”
“I had fun at your knight thing.”
“And you believe me when I say nothing happened after you left?”
I nodded.
“She’s so controlling sometimes. I mean, she wasn’t always this bad. We were good friends a year ago, but something changed.”
“I still say she’s in love with you.”
He stepped away, bending for his underwear.
“Wait,” I said as I walked over.
“Yeah?”
“Let’s start this Saturday off on a better note, okay?”
I leaned against his body and kissed him on the mouth. My hands roamed, touching, feeling and loving with every caress.
We moved to the bed without thinking about it consciously. Each time his skin touched mine, I thought I would lose my mind.
On my back, my legs spread, I wait for the moment of penetration. He crawls between them, kissing my face and neck.
Instead of poking me right away, his kisses move lower on my body. I closed my eyes and smiled as I felt his palm gently rubbing between the legs.
Blood flowed. Time slowed. He replaced his hand with his mouth, teasing me while occasionally peering up with this look of total devotion.
Nice and wet, I wanted him inside me. He sensed my needs and desires without me having to say a single word. His condom covered cock penetrated me.
I opened my eyes and saw his looking into mine, his solid facial features locked in a combination of concentration and bliss.
As he slid in and out, he kissed me again. I would never tire of his lips, so soft and wet, always knowing where to go and what to do.
He reached under my knees and lifted my legs higher in the air, giving him better access, a new angle of entry. I moaned as he pounded faster.
“James…”
I loved the way his name sounded on my lips, and the way his face reacted when he heard it. Another kiss as our bodies move together, a single unit.
The world faded away. In that moment, only the growing desire between my legs mattered. He filled me completely, making everything else seem trivial.
Sounds from downstairs filtered through the floor, but I didn’t care. He slowed down, switching angles again. I ran my hands up his strong, oaken arms to his face.
Cradling his beautiful face, I made a wish for us to never part, to have this much pleasure every day for the rest of our lives. We would live together forever.
My chest rose and fell as my breaths came faster. I moved my hands down to his chest, loving the feel of his muscles as they moved, such a beautiful biological machine.
“I’m close,” he hissed urgently.
I rubbed my clitoris as he sped up his thrusts.
“Come for me, baby,” I cooed, coaxing him on.
He needed little help or more time. A minute later, he slowed his strokes, making each one deliberately and with a sense of urgency.
I flew higher, closer to my orgasm as his face contorted, scrunching up around his eyes, those piercing windows to his soul. Go, go, go.
“Yes!” he shouted in victory as his cock throbbed deep inside me.
The look on his face pushed me over the edge. My body shook as explosions of pleasure raced throughout my body, lighting up pleasure centers I never knew I had.
His thrusts slowed even further than stopped. Still inside me, he bent his head and kissed me again. I tasted the salty sweat on his lips as I wrapped my arms around his torso.
“I’m never letting you go,” I said.
He chuckled, still breathing heavy.
I let my arms drop to my side. As he pulled out, I felt as if I were losing a part of myself. Am I going to have this man’s babies someday?
The thought terrified and excited me at the same time. He disposed of the condom then laid down next to me, his hands running over my body.
Contentedness blossomed in me for the first time in a long while. Is this love? As I stared into his eyes and enjoyed the afterglow, I wondered.
“Did you have plans for today?” he asked.
“This times ten? Maybe a pizza?”
He laughed.
“This is why I love you.”
“Because I’m so good in bed?”
“That and your sense of humor.”
“You think I’m funny?”
He nodded. I took a deep breath, real life rushing back.
“I can’t wait until I graduate,” I said.
“You and me both. Although it doesn’t stop. Hell, it will be even tougher in the real world.”
“Yeah, I know, but I wonder If all this hard work will pay off.”
“It will,” he said in a confident tone.
“You promise?”
“I do.”
He kissed me. The rest of the afternoon, we hung out together in the house he shared with the three other students. At lunch, he took me to campus for a couple slices. On the way back, I talked him into a stroll through the park.
That night, I stayed in his room. We made love again then fell asleep nestled against each other like we had been together for years. My dreams comforted me, confirming my thoughts about James being the right man for me.
TWENTY-THREE
James
I woke in the morning before her and once again decided to let her sleep. She laid sprawled on her back, long black hair messy but still so damn cute. As I stood next to the bed, watching her while stretching, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
She moaned as I snatched it and turned the volume down. Why do I suddenly have two dozen people sending me tweets? I wondered as I stared at the screen. Still in my underwear and nothing else, I went to my desk and sat down.
As I read one or two of the tweets, even more came in. My email inbox blew-up at the same time, with angry subject lines in ALL-CAPS. What the hell? Why are so many people hating on me all of a sudden? I had no answers.
The deluge stopped as quickly as it had started. I tapped the subject line of the final email and read, “You’re a dick, and we’re going to bring you down for your hate of the LGBT community!” That was it. Nothing else.
I immediately thought about Tabby. Was she taking her in-person threats virtual? The fake email address gave me no information. Glancing at a few of the other messages and tweets, a pattern emerged. Someone wanted me to get kicked off the football team.
“Looking at porn, are you?” Haley asked from the bed.
“What?”
I glanced over as she sat up and stretched her arms, breasts bare and beautiful.
“It was a joke. You’re not really looking at porn so early, are you? After last night?”
“No,” I said, frowning. “People are complaining about me online, saying I hate gay people.”
“Huh?”
She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood up, dressed only in purple panties. I held out my phone as she walked over.
“What am I looking at?”
“It’s your fucking roommate,” I said.
Her eyes opened wide before she turned to grab her shirt from the top of my dresser. I watched as she put it on, not saying a word.
“Well?” I asked.
She turned around to face me.
“Well what?”
“Your roommate has it out for me. This could affect my future career.”
“Is football all you care about?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“No, of course not, but this is bullshit. She has it out for me. I can’t believe you’re taking her side.”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I just woke up. Can you give me a minute to start thinking clearly? Tabby is my friend, and I don’t think she would do this. Did she use her name?”
“Well, no, she’s not dumb, but I’m sure it’s her. She threatened me at your apartment and I saw her talking to Coach on the field the other day.”
She took a deep breath, arms still crossed.
“I’m going to go,” she said.
“Why?”
“You’re obviously in a mood, and I want to relax before classes and work tomorrow. We don’t have to be around each other every single moment of the day.”
“No shit,” I snapped, standing up. “Maybe this is what we do.”
She tilted her head to the right, peering at me intently.
“What?”
“Fight or fuck. There’s no in between for us.”
“I’m leaving.”
Her arms dropped to her side as she grabbed her pants and began putting them on.
“Come on, Haley. Don’t be like this.”
“Like what, James? You got what you wanted yesterday, didn’t you?”
“You’re being ridiculous right now.”
“No, you are,” she snapped back.
“Whatever.”
I shook my head, watching as she looked around.
“Where’s my phone?”
“I don’t know.”
“Were you looking at my phone too?”
“No,” I said. “You left it on the nightstand.”
I pointed to it. She walked over and grabbed it.
“I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Maybe we should take a break for a few days.”
She glanced up from the screen of her phone, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“I want to go home and relax by myself and you want to take a break now?”
“I’m just saying I have a lot going on. With all this social media bullshit, I’m sure Coach is going to be up my ass. And you have class…”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, cutting me off. “Later, James.”
While I didn’t want her to leave angry, I said nothing as she opened my door and ran away. What the hell just happened? I wondered as I glanced around my room. Fuck her. Why am I still even messing with her when football is more important?
As I grabbed some clean clothes and headed to the upstairs bathroom, I told myself we were over. We’d had our fun, but it was time for me to move on.
In the shower, cold water rained down on my skin, cooling it. Images of her naked body flashed through my mind, but I pushed them aside. Football first!
TWENTY-FOUR
James
My steel determination not to ever talk to her lasted a total of thirty-two hours. On Monday evening, I called her, ready to say anything to get her to come back over.
“Hey,” she said after answering.
“Haley. How’s it going?”
“I’m fine. What’s up?”
“I miss you.”
“Funny, because I remember you saying you wanted a break.”
“I’m crazy, okay? You drive me insane. In a good way.”
“The cute kind of crazy, huh?”
“Exactly. You busy tonight? Everything going okay?”
“I’m fine. I have to work tonight. A half-shift.”
“Oh, bummer.”
“I can come over after work if you want.”
“Yeah, that’s good,” I said. “Tabby has backed off a bit.”
“I talked to her, and she said it wasn’t her that did it.”
“She’s lying, but I don’t want to argue about it.”
“I don’t either. I’ve missed you too.”
“Text me when you’re on your way over.”
“I will.”
“Talk to you tonight.”
“Soon…” she said then ended the call.
I put the phone down and glanced across the Quad, a grassy area with walkways between four buildings on campus. Students came to sit under trees and study or talk. Personally, I came to think about life and watch other people.
Resting my back against the trunk of a giant sycamore tree, I interlaced my fingers behind my head and wondered if Haley might be the one. She made me crazy in so many ways, but I hadn’t been able to go two full days without hearing her voice.
An alarm on my phone buzzed, letting me know it was time for class. I grabbed my backpack by the strap and stood up. Slinging it over one shoulder, I headed to class.
* * *
After practice that evening, I rushed home, wanting to make my room a bit more romantic before she came over. I’d never done anything similar for the many women I’d dated or slept with over the last two years in college.
Haley is special. The thought had started deep down in my mind, so silent, but over time it had risen in volume. Now, I found it hard to go even an hour without thoughts of her popping up. Our memories were few but intense.
When I walked in the front door, I saw Brian and Teddy sitting on the couch. What was unusual about the situation is that they were kissing. I wondered briefly if I should just go upstairs and mind my own business, but I staye
d and cleared my throat.
They stopped fooling around. Teddy stood up, a look of horror on his face.
“Hey, fellas. What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound normal.
“Oh, hey, James. You’re home early.”
“Yeah, Haley is coming over tonight. I want to do the room up right.”
“You need lights,” Brian said, surprising both Teddy and me.
We looked at him sitting on the couch.
“Christmas lights. They’re classic and set a mood. That and music.”
Damn, he does know how to talk!
“Thanks, Brian. You don’t happen to have any extra Christmas lights, do you?”
He smiled and nodded his head.
“Sweet.”
An awkward silence fell over the room. I adjusted the backpack on my shoulder.
“Can you get them for me now? She’s coming over soon.”
“Sure,” Teddy said. “They’re set-up in my room now.”
“Thanks, bro. I was thinking candles, but Christmas lights are even better.”
“Brian likes them. Don’t you?”
Teddy glanced down at him. Brian nodded, saying nothing.
I had to bring it up.
“Have you guys heard what they’re saying about me online?”
“Yeah,” Teddy said, making eye contact with me. “We know it’s bullshit.”
“I’m surprised that you two…I never thought…”
“It’s okay,” he said, smiling. “We’ve been talking about coming out. It’s hard.”
“I bet,” I said. “Know that I support you guys loving whoever you want.”
“Okay, this is getting weird,” Teddy said. “Let’s get those lights.”
“Thanks…”
I followed them to Teddy’s room where the lights were strung around the top of the wall near the ceiling. Everything about him and Brian suddenly made more sense to me.
“Those things aren’t true online,” I said after we finished removing the lights.
I stood near the door, holding the tangle of wires and bulbs.
“It’s cool, James. We know you,” Teddy said.
He put his arm around Brian’s waist.
I smiled, nodding my head.
“Well, I should get these up before she comes. Thanks again. I owe you guys one.”
