by Mary Morano
With that he steps away, taking his warmth with him. My eyes follow him as he continues up the hallway, leaving me standing there gaping after him.
As soon as I stepped into the room behind him, I realized we had a problem. A really big one. There was only one queen size bed in the room. One. Bed. Where we were both supposed to sleep. Lucky for him, I was the one who had made the call to cancel the second hotel room, and I was the one who had checked in, otherwise he would be getting an earful right now. I know for a fact I asked for two beds. This was not two beds. This was one bed. After the last few days, my hormones were nowhere near under control, and I wasn’t sure I could make it through the night with him lying next to me.
Seeing the look on my face he quickly jumps into action and picks up the phone in the room to call the front desk. Unfortunately, from his end of the conversation, it sounds like they don’t have any other options. I listen as he thanks the person on the other end before hanging up the phone. He looks up at the ceiling, letting out a deep breath, before he returns his gaze to me.
“All they have left are single beds. I’ll sleep on the floor.” I stare at him for a second, hoping he gets the point that he’s an idiot. There is no way I am going to make him sleep on the floor, especially since he is the one who is doing all the driving. We are both adults and it wouldn’t be the first time we shared a bed. Granted, the last time we were probably five and still believed in Santa Claus, but still. We could do this. We have grown increasingly close the last few days, our connection tangible even now when we aren’t physically touching, so sharing a bed will probably happen sooner or later. Still, just because we’re sharing a bed doesn’t mean anything has to happen. We were both adults. We could make it one night in a bed without hooking up. Maybe if I keep repeating that like a mantra, I’ll even start to believe it.
“We can share, it will be fine.” I tell him, even though I’m not sure it will be. My eyes darted around the room looking everywhere but at his, as my fingers twisted around each other. He takes a step closer, placing his finger under my chin to raise it. My eyes still look away from him.
“Nic, look at me.” His voice commands, and they obey him. “Nothing, and I mean NOTHING happens without you feeling comfortable with it. I know we are feeling this out and things are happening quickly. We haven’t even talked about what is going on yet. But if you believe nothing else I ever say to you, believe this. Everything is on your timeline. Everything is your decision. You got me?” I let out the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding, and nodded. My body relaxes with his words. He smiles at my reaction and leans in to give me a peck on the lips, before walking over to the small table in the corner and setting out our burgers and fries.
We eat dinner slowly, while watching a superhero movie on TV. I know he loves superheroes; he always has. When I saw it on the guide, I put it on for him. I wonder if he knows there is a superhero land at Universal Studios. We could really have some fun and get some good pictures in that section. After dinner, we take turns showering and then slide into bed, both of us careful to leave space between us. The movie is still playing, but we have lowered the volume hoping to get some sleep since we plan to wake up around six the next morning.
I lay there staring at the ceiling. I thought he was already asleep, when I suddenly felt the bed move and his eyes on me. I roll my head toward him to find that he has rolled on his side and is staring at me. I’m not sure what he’s doing so I don’t say anything, just continue watching him. He chews on his lip like he does when he’s planning in his head. Anxiety starts to build inside me. I’m not sure what I think he’s going to say, but I know deep down, whatever it is, will change everything. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Before I have a chance to stop him, he speaks. His voice soft in the darkness.
“I’ve been waiting to say this until I thought you were ready to hear it, so I hope I’m right that you are ready now. I owe you an apology. I was such a dickhead to you growing up. I know it doesn’t mean anything now, and I shouldn’t have done it, but I was a stupid boy, who liked a girl, and didn’t know how to show it.” His words shock me more than I ever thought possible.
“Liked me?” I whisper. “You were constantly teasing me, telling all the other kid’s things to keep them away from me, starting rumors about me, you even tried to kill me by giving me shellfish in tenth grade knowing I’m allergic to it! You had me going home crying nearly every day over the things you started, and others continued. Are you trying to tell me you did that because you liked me?”
He closes his eyes for a brief second, before opening them back up and looking deep into mine. All I see in his eyes is pain and sorrow. When he tries to speak, his voice cracks with emotion, and he clears his throat before starting again.
“Nic, I am so fucking sorry. I never knew any of it affected you. That’s still not an excuse, but I never would have kept it up if I knew that. All I wanted was your attention, and it seemed like you were willing to give it to anyone but me. I was a stupid teenager who didn’t know how to handle what I was feeling toward you. I was jealous of every guy you talked to that wasn’t me, so I did things to keep them away from you. I would never have let you eat the shrimp fried rice, but I was trying to get any reaction from you at that point. You wouldn’t even acknowledge me anymore and I was desperate. You either had your nose in a book or were writing, blocking out the world. Blocking out me. Fuck, Nic. I never wanted to hurt you. I never would’ve wanted you to cry. I just wanted you.”
The truth behind his words echoes in the dark room. My head spins with the possibility. Could this be real? Could he really want me? “I don’t understand. You tortured me Brayden. You cut my hair, you threatened any guy that came near me, you even dropped soda on my gown at prom.”
“Remember the part about being a stupid guy? Those are the perfect examples. I was an idiot! Probably the biggest one in history. Now, I can tell you that I was jealous, all the time. But back then? I didn’t know what I was feeling or what it meant. I just knew that other guys looking at you, or God forbid touching you, made me madder than I had ever been before. I cut your hair because I heard some guys talking about how much they liked it and that pissed me off. I thought if it wasn’t there, then they wouldn’t pay you any attention. But of course, you came in the next day looking sexier than ever with your shorter hair. I punched 3 guys in the locker room for talking about you. When it came to the other guys, I just wanted them to stay away from you. I couldn’t focus on anything else when they were near you. It drove me crazy, so I told them to stay away, hoping that would solve the problem. It didn’t.” He runs his hand over his face in frustration, as my mind spins with all the new information he is throwing at me. “And prom, fuck. That night was one of the hardest of my life. I completely mean that in both ways too. You looked so fucking sexy in that light purple dress.”
“Lavender.” I interrupt, though I wasn’t sure why that distinction mattered at the moment. It was like my brain had shut down completely from information overload and could only focus on stupid details.
“Lavender dress.” He smiles shyly. “But, shit, Nic. All I wanted to do was feel your body next to mine, to hold you close. I wanted to punch the jerk you went with and take his spot. All night, all I could think about was you, and it pissed me off. Then I was in the bathroom, and there was a group of guys commenting on your dress and how good you looked, and I saw red. In my head it made sense that if I ruined the dress, it wouldn’t be an issue anymore.”
“Okay, but what about all the fake secret admirer stuff you left in my locker so the other kids would make fun of me?”
Now it’s his turn to look at me like I am crazy. “Fake? Nic, that wasn’t fake. That was from me. That was real. They were notes and things that I wanted you to have. I was just too scared of rejection to sign my name on them.”
“Oh.” Oh, wow! My mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. I don’t really know how to respond to everything he just told me
. All I know is that if what he’s saying is true, boys really are stupid, and for some reason I think it is.
“But wait, if you liked me so much, what about your date? Or any of the other girls you’ve been with all these years. I’ve heard the rumors and seen the girls. You aren’t a monk or anything.” I point out while watching his face for any signs that this is all just a joke to him.
“No, a monk I definitely am not. But as shitty as it sounds, none of those girls ever mattered to me. I told you before when we talked, they all just wanted to be with me so they could say they had. They didn’t care about me, and I didn’t care about them. They were placeholders, something to occupy my time until I had what I really wanted.” His eyes stay on mine the whole time he speaks. I can’t even find any signs that he’s lying, and trust me, I’m looking. “I really am sorry for all the stupid things I did, Nicole. Can you ever forgive me?”
Could it be true? Was it possible? I wasn’t sure. I don’t know if I really believe that he actually liked me as much as he said he did, but maybe I could give him the chance to prove it? Am I willing to give him a chance? I look deep into his eyes, seeing for the first time in a long time, the boy I have known all my life. The boy who was my best friend from birth, a teen who felt left out and jealous, a man who kept trying despite supposed rejection. The man who I could easily see becoming my everything.
“I forgive you, and I’m sorry for making you feel like you didn’t exist in my world. You always did, even when I didn’t want you to.” With that said, I scoot my body closer to his, and he pulls me into him while wrapping his arms around me as I lay my head on his chest. I look up at him, as he looks down at me. Our breaths mixed, lips crashed together, and silent words were exchanged. We’re going to let this play out, see where it leads us, and pray we don’t get hurt.
Slowly, my hands travel over his bare chest, rubbing along the muscles of his abs that I have been drooling over all week. His hands work their way under my shirt, pushing it up as they go. His tongue licks along the seam of my lips before pushing inside at the same time his calloused fingers tweak my nipples. I groan in pleasure, squeezing his arms as I try to move against him, looking for friction where I need it most. He pulls away and in a raspy voice asks, “Is this ok?”
Is he freaking kidding me? Of course it’s okay! “Yes, more, please,” I whimper out into the darkness before his mouth meets mine again. All my previous resolve to stay away from him has disappeared with his heartfelt apology. My hands slowly trail back down his body, rubbing over the giant bulge in his shorts. He hisses at the touch before pulling my hand away.
“No, love, this night is about you.” I start to pout before he rolls me to my back and latches his warm mouth on to my nipple. The words of protest dying on my lips.
Torturously slow, his hands skims down my stomach reaching under the band of my sleep shorts as he moves them down my legs, before removing them completely. The cool air hits my naked core and my nipples grow harder. Feeling the change, he lightly nips at them as his hand makes its way through my wet folds. The minute his finger grazed over my clit, I nearly bucked us both off the bed as my back arched in pleasure. I’ve never been as sensitive as I am at this moment, everything feels amplified with him. If that’s what a simple touch does, I can’t wait for the full experience. He gently enters me with one finger, then adds a second while his tongue still swirls around my nipples.
The sounds coming out of my mouth at this point are beyond obscene. I try to grab a pillow to muffle them, but he removes his hand from inside me, and throws it off the bed.
“Nah-ah, those are my noises. I earned them. I want to hear them all.” His possessive words cause my core to flood with heat, and he smiles up at me with approval as his fingers enter me again. This time at a more demanding pace. “You like that, don’t you?”
I nod, unable to speak anymore as he adds a third finger to the mix, curling them as they enter. His teeth gently bite down around my nipple. My core begins to tighten as he rubs the heel of his palm against my clit. My body takes over, riding against his hand.
“Don’t. Stop. Whatever you do. Don’t. Stop.” I pant out as my body suddenly reaches the point of no return. My eyes slam shut, and all at once all my muscles tighten and then relax. Electricity shoots through all my limbs and lights flash behind my eyes. Wow. I come back down and feel him gently pull his fingers from inside of me. My eyes flutter open and I watch as he sucks his fingers into his mouth, moaning in pleasure as he tastes me. Damn, that may be the sexiest thing I have ever seen.
With a quick wink, he lays down next to me, pulling me back into his chest. We don’t go any further that night, like he promised. I just fall asleep curled up in his arms, safe and content with the new twist in our relationship.
With her taste still on my tongue and my dick harder than it has ever been, I lay there listening as her breathing evens out. I’m almost positive she’s asleep, but I decide to lay there for a few more minutes, just to be sure.
Allowing my mind to wander back over what just happened between us causes my dick to harden even more in my pants. I know I need to get up and take care of this before I can put the rest of my plan in motion, but it’s so hard to untangle myself from her. Instead I replay the way she moaned my name, how she arched her back so her nipples were closer to my mouth, the way she gripped my fingers as she came. Just a few days ago, this would have been a pipe dream, but now here we were. Fuck. I was a lucky guy.
I look back down at her, her cheek rests over my heart, and there's a small amount of drool beside her mouth, something I know better than to ever bring up to her. Her brown hair is soft against my arm, and her breathing is shallow and measured, she’s definitely asleep. I contemplate taking the time to jerk off to ease the hardness in my pants, but know I need to get this done before it gets too late. With another sigh and a silent apology to my dick, I slowly remove myself from under her and reach over to the bedside table to grab my phone.
Perfect, it’s still a few minutes before ten, not too late to call Mom. Despite how much I hate getting out of this bed right now knowing she’s asleep in my arms, I have to make some calls and I may not get another chance. Making sure not to jostle her as I climb out of bed, I turn on the flashlight app so I can see. Slowly, I head into the bathroom making sure not to make too much noise or turn on the lights. Quietly closing the door behind me I hit the call icon next to Mom’s number.
“Brayden?”
“Hi, Mom.” I whisper into the phone.
“Brayden! What’s wrong? Is everything okay? Is Nicole okay?” Hearing the panic in her voice makes me feel like a vice is squeezing my heart. Shit. Maybe I should have waited to call her in the morning.
“Ma, calm down. Everything’s fine. I just needed to ask for a favor.”
“A favor? At ten o’clock at night? What could be so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I was waiting for Nic to fall asleep before I called. I want it to be a surprise for her.” She’s quiet and that should be my first sign that I am slowly walking myself to the gallows. She’s never quiet unless she’s up to something.
“You were waiting for Nicole to go to sleep? So, you’re sharing a room.” It’s not a question. Fuck. How did I let that slip? In the background, I hear rustling that I can’t make out. Is she getting out of bed? That doesn’t make sense unless she’s trying not to wake Dad.
“Uh… yeah. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Two beds or one?”
“What?”
“Two beds or one in that room you’re sharing?”
“Uh…” I feel the noose tightening now but it’s already too late.
“Brayden don’t play dumb. I raised you better than that.”
“Sorry. You caught me off guard. We asked for two, but there was a mix-up and they only had rooms with one bed left.” I’m giving away too much and I know it, but can’t seem to stop. Conversations w
ith her should come with a Miranda warning. Anything you say can and will be used against you. But there is just something about my mom, I can never get away with anything when it comes to her. “It’s really not a big deal. We’ve shared a bed before. Of course, that was before puberty. But it’s all good. It’ll be fine.”
“Mm-hmm.” Fuck. That’s her I just hit on some gossip noise. Juicy-type gossip. Nicole and Brayden gossip. My mind screams at me to just hang up the phone, but I don’t listen. Probably because I’m an idiot.
“Right. So, anyway, the reason I’m calling. I know the card you gave me is for emergencies and stuff, but I was wondering how you would feel about me using it to buy two tickets to Universal Studios?”
“Two tickets?” I swear her voice has some kind of magic attached to it that causes me to spill my guts.
“Yeah. See things are going really well with Nicole. Like really well. We talked and she forgave me for previously being an idiot. And I think I’m really getting somewhere. I really think this could go somewhere. So, I thought, if I could buy us some tickets, we could spend some extra time together. I really want to do it right though. You know how much she loves it there.”
“So, it would be like a date?” Now it sounds like she’s opening the front door. Is that the alarm beeping in the background?
“Yeah, exactly like that!” The words fly out of my mouth before I can even consider what I should say. Fuck. How does she do that every single time?
It’s then I hear her banging on a door and call out to Mrs. Miller while she tries to muffle the phone with her hand. I groan and bang my head against the wall as I realize the rustling was because she was running across the street to tell Nicole’s mom what she found out. Funny, now she doesn’t care about it being so late.
