Picture Trails

by Piper Frost

  She lets out this airy laugh and shakes her head. “That’s cute, Able.” She pushes the palm of her hand to the side of her head. “My head is killing me.”

  I scowl at her. “What’s cute? Are you thinkin’ you’re too good for me or something?” I try to laugh but I’m kind of pissed she’s going to just let it all out there that I’m beneath her. Even if I am.

  “No,” she snaps. “Of course not.” Her head shakes in annoyance “Able, you’re terrible at relationships. Over the last couple years I’ve seen you go on dozens of dates with girls. They either end with her storming out the next morning or threats of burning our house down three months later.” She’s laughing now. “I mean, honestly, I’ve never met anyone worse at dating and relationships.”

  She has a point. But it’s not the same. They weren’t her. Yeah, I’m a dumb fuck who’s fallen in love with his roommate but will never tell her because she’s way too good for me. Because I do suck at relationships. I’d somehow fuck it up and then ruin our friendship and that would suck even more.

  “I could romance the shit out of you, Annie. You’d get clingy. It’d get weird. That’s why we can’t date.” I give her a smirk while she glares at me. “And that’s also probably why we didn’t fuck. Even drunk as hell I knew not to give you hope.” I grin wide and walk to my bedroom door.

  She’s staring at me, not moving for the longest time. Who knows what’s going through that head of hers, but whatever it is it’s probably not pretty.

  “You think I’d get clingy?” she finally says, walking towards me. Getting close enough that I can smell the perfume she wore last night. I remember that much. I remember how hot she looked when the party started. “I don’t get clingy,” she whispers, slowly reaching around me for the door handle.

  “Hey.” I stop her from opening the door. “I didn’t mean that. It was a joke. You’re not clingy. At all. You’re a cool chic. And you’re right. I suck at dating and shit. Let’s just forget about the whole thing.” I smile. “Cool?”

  “Yes, cool. We’re so cool.” She pulls the door open and Jimmy’s standing in the hallway, texting someone. “Jimmy,” she barks. He pauses and looks up at her then back at me, smirking. “What the hell happened last night?”

  I groan and slide my hand through my hair. So much for forgetting about it. If Jimmy heard anything, he’s gonna tell her and she’s going to lose it and probably fucking hate me for this somehow. I just got her calm, but now he’s going to confirm what we both already know and she’s going to flip because not a secret.

  “You two fucked.” He shrugs and heads down the hallway. “Loud. All fucking night.” He grumbles something about it being about time as he moves into the kitchen.

  “We...” she lets out a laugh and turns towards me. “We fucked.” Her cheeks are pink and she’s searching my eyes for something. I don’t think she’s mad but she’s definitely disappointed. “I’m moving out.”

  “Moving out?” I blurt and run after her when she practically sprints down the hall. “Annie! Moving out?” I shout, following her into her bedroom. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Jimmy’s an idiot. Clearly. He was probably watching porn.” I chuckle but she’s not laughing.

  “Able!” she snaps, throwing her purse on her bed. A bed that’s still neatly made because she slept in mine last night... “I still have a year left of school. I’m in line to be valedictorian. I can’t be distracted by...” She waves her hand towards me and I smirk.

  “You’re distracted by me?” I lean against the doorframe.

  She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly and trying to force herself to relax. I’ve seen this look on her before. The look that tells me she’s either going to be able to calm herself down or completely lose her shit. I’ve only seen her lose her shit once. And I’d rather not have that happen today over this. When her eyes open, I fear the worst until her tone comes out cool, calm, and collected. Just like Annie.

  "Not by you,” she finally says. “I can’t get distracted by sex and relationships. I’m the first to go to college in my family. This is a huge thing and with all of my younger brothers and sisters doing shit with their lives back at home, I want to show that this wasn’t a stupid move. Spending college fucking random people isn’t a way to show that I know how to be a functioning adult.” She’s just rambling at this point but I watch as she paces her room. “There’s no way I would have let this happen,” she says, waving her arm between us. “I know better. And you're right, Jimmy’s a stoner who may or may not have actually heard us last night.” She stops pacing and throws her hands to her hips. “So what the hell actually happened last night?”

  “Party. Alcohol. Regrets.” I shrug. “Simple as that. Case closed. You want breakfast? Wait, what time is it?” I look around for a clock.

  She needs to let this go. She always has to get to the bottom of something to figure out why the human brain reacts the way it does. She doesn’t need to figure out why my brain reacted the way it did. Because if she figures out I’m in love with her, she’s neurotic enough about school she will actually move out and then I’ll never see her again.

  “I’ve drank my fair share to know that last night wasn’t just the alcohol.” She scoffs and heads to her dresser, pulling out a clean t-shirt. Without pausing, she pulls her tank top over her head and even with her back turned to me I stare. “Who else was at the party? Maybe we start with Jimmy. He was there, right?” She pulls the shirt over her head and tosses her hair into a messy bun. “Was Kate there?”

  “Hey, better idea. Let’s just do what we do every morning. We act like you woke up in your room alone. I woke up in my room alone. I make us something gross to eat like usual, you pretend you like it. Give me a hug, kiss on the cheek, then scoot out the door for classes. Or in this case, because it’s Sunday, to your room to study. Good plan?” I raise my hand for a high five.

  “No.” she pulls out a pair of black yoga pants before shimmying them up her legs and under her skirt, then pushing her skirt off. “I can study later. I will study later.” She shakes her head. “But I want to talk to people who were there last night. I don’t get it. Maybe you're right. Maybe you did save me from some asshole...”

  Yes, that you were fucking in my bed. Whatever she has to tell herself.

  “Just so we’re clear, I don’t remember anything from last night either. You’re not wanting to interrogate people because you think it wasn’t consensual, right?”

  She’s not really like that, but you never know. And if she thinks for a second I pushed her to have sex with me, I’ll be moving out of here. Last night I may have laid on the charm, but in the end she fell for it and willingly got into my bed with me. I’m not that type of guy.

  She walks over to me, her hands coming to rest on the sides of my face. “I know. I’m sorry, Able. I just...” Her eyebrows push together. “Don’t you want to know the details, too? I mean, I know you didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to do. But having all these grey areas are going to give me an anxiety attack. Is it not bothering you?”

  Not one bit, because there are a few obvious reasons we ended up in my bed. She’s hot. Sexy as fuck. Smokin’ body. And I like her. A lot. That last part isn’t so obvious to her thankfully. But of course, she’s confused why she’d sleep with me. Because she doesn’t like me. She’s not attracted to me. And Annie Kenshaw has her shit together. She doesn’t do one-night stands. She doesn’t sleep with guys she hasn’t been dating for four weeks or more. She isn’t jumping relationship to relationship trying to figure out her life.

  “I mean yeah. It’s weird ‘cause we don’t like each other like that. But my anxiety is okay. Come on, I’ll give you a massage. You know I’m the best with tension massages.” I offer.

  She rolls her eyes and steps back, cocking her head at me. “Let’s go talk to Jimmy.”

  Jimmy’s a stoner so his high ass will hopefully offer her a pipe and she’ll take him up on it and calm the hell down.
Let this go. And we can go back to ourselves. I can’t help but notice she’s kept five or more feet away from me since this all went down. Normally she’s right at my side, smiling, touching me, being my friend. Being Annie. I want that Annie back. Not this paranoid Annie that's determined to convince me, her, or someone else she doesn’t like me like that.

  She takes a deep breath and opens her door. “Jimmy!” she yells, stepping out into the hallway.

  I follow behind her with my hands in my pockets. Here’s how this set up would go if she weren’t in determined Annie mode. I’d sit on the couch. She’d sit next to me, maybe drape her legs over my lap, possibly even cuddle next to me. But she just plopped her ass into the La-Z-Boy that she refuses to sit in because she caught Jimmy having sex in it. She’s pulling away from me and our friendship is almost completely over. Next I’ll be carrying boxes full of her crap to her car ‘cause she’s moving out. I sit down and rub my eyes as my hangover gets worse by the second.

  What the hell does she want now?

  I went to bed at four after listening to those two fucking rabbits screw until the goddamn sun went up. Woke up at eight with a text and have been listening to those two bicker ever since. Don’t get me wrong. They’re cool roommates. Their parents pay for their rent and always have the house stocked with name brand food and shit. They’re cool to chill with. But I’m too tired for this shit this morning.

  “What,” I mumble, shuffling into the living room and heading for my chair. That is, until I see Annie’s sitting in my spot. I spin and look at Able, who’s anything but amused over this situation. “Why are you not in your spot? That’s my spot.” I say to her, pointing to my chair.

  “Sit. I have some questions.” She nods towards the couch and I glance at Able.

  I sit on the opposite end of the couch and reach toward the coffee table to grab a joint front my tray. “Want a drag?” I offer him.

  “Naw, man, I’m good.” He shakes his head, leaning his elbows on his knees and I realize this situation is kind of serious. What if they’re kicking me out so they can finally be together? But...it’s my house.

  “You two don’t seem like you’re in a good mood.” I take a drag. “I figured you guys would be on cloud nine this morning after a night like last night.” I chuckle and cough.

  “What happened last night, Jimmy. Everything you remember,” Annie snaps, leaning forward in her chair with her hands in a knot in front of her. Chick needs to relax a bit.

  “You guys fucked. I told you that.” I lean back on the couch and look over at Able. “Maybe you should fuck her again. Make her chill out a bit more.” Annie lets out a low growl and I laugh. “Or maybe you both should get high and then fuck. That’s a good time,” I say, nodding.

  “Man, shut the fuck up.” Able huffs and sits back, his eyes lock on her just like they always do when they’re in a room together, but this time he doesn’t have googly eyes. Then, this girl grabs a pen and notebook, looking at me like she’s some sort of reporter or something.

  “I need everything. Every detail.” She scribbles something down on the notepad and my eyebrow cocks.

  “Uh…okay.” I take my time recalling anything I can. “I don’t remember much. Not sure what you want from me.” I shrug. “You two came in loud while I was on the couch. Walked right by me, actually.” I chuckle, remembering how Annie threw her shoe at me and didn’t even know it. “I think you guys made it to the room before the clothes came off, but I don’t remember.”

  “Well, that’s good. At least I wasn’t walking around here naked.”

  “I’m not opposed.” I shrug and Able hits me with the couch pillow like it’s a boulder. “Ow, shit, dude.”

  “Don’t be an asshole.” He stands and slaps his hands on his knees. “So. That’s it. Hungry yet? I’ll make your favorite sandwich.”

  "You're always doing that,” I say, smiling at the two of them. “Looking out for her. Making her her favorite sandwiches.”

  He gives me a look like he’s about to pound my face in and I stop laughing. “I do it for you too,” he claims and I cock my eyebrow. “No big deal. We’re all just friends. Annie? Food, babe? You hungry?” He turns for the kitchen then pauses and turns back to look at me. “Uh, you too, Jimmy. Want food?” It looks like he physically hurt himself asking me that.

  “No thanks, dear,” I say, stretching out across the couch and I watch as Annie stands and follows him to the kitchen. She’s always doing that, too. Following him to whatever room he’s in. I don’t even know if she realizes what she’s doing, but the girl’s got it bad.

  Hell, I was thrilled when I realized what they were doing last night. Fucking finally.

  “On second thought, I’ll take some Cheetos!” I yell toward the kitchen. “I got the munchies,” I mumble to myself.

  I close my eyes and shortly after there’s a bag tossed on my chest.

  “Munchies. Bag number three for the week,” Annie says. “What else do you know?”

  I sit up and pop the bag open. God, these little devils are good.

  “Other than young pup in the kitchen has those googly eyes for you? Nothing.” I shove a handful of Cheetos in my mouth and moan. “Sometimes, these are better than sex.”

  “He doesn’t have eyes for me,” she snaps like she’s offended. But I’ve seen the way she looks at him. She’s not offended in the least bit. “We were drunk.”

  “You did smell like cigarette smoke, too.” I take another handful and she writes something down on her notepad. “Oh, and your phone was going off all night. It fell on the floor by the front door when you two stumbled in here around midnight.”

  “My phone!” she shrieks and runs to the foyer. “I can’t believe I forgot about my phone. There’s probably proof there.”

  Able walks back into the room with two sandwiches in his hands. He glances around noticing she’s not in the room and rushes toward me.

  “Dude, just don’t freak her out with anything stupid like telling I like her or something, okay? You know how she gets,” he whispers and I just nod because it’s a little late for that.

  “Thanks for my sandwich,” I say, taking one of the plates from him. I bite into it and he glares at me. “What?”

  “That was Annie’s,” he says as she walks into the room. “You said you didn’t want one.”

  “Oh my god, thank you,” she says, taking the second sandwich from his hand and biting into it.

  “You made noises like that last night. And a lot of other ones, too.” I take another bite and get whacked on the head by Able. “Fuck, dude, lay off.”

  “Don’t fuckin’ talk to her like that. I’ll beat your ass, Jimmy.” He storms to the kitchen, grumbling the whole time.

  “He’s always gotta protect you, Annie. I don’t know how you don’t see it.” Aw shit, I shouldn’t have said that either. Because the way she’s looking at me right now is like she might actually bolt. “I mean uh...like...” I curse and take another bite of my sandwich. “This is good,” I say around a mouthful and start shoving Cheetos between the bread.

  “There’s nothing on my phone but a few missed calls and a text of a picture from Kate.” She’s looking at her phone and when Able walks back into the room I watch him step up behind her and she instinctively turns to him.

  “And the two of you are hooked on each other, too.” I shove the rest of the sandwich in my mouth. “Always touching. Always in the same room together. In sync, you know? Like that band from the nineties. What was that song of theirs?”

  “Focus, Jimmy!” Annie snaps, pushing my phone out from in front of my face while I Internet search an Nsync song. “Anything else? At all about last night?”

  “Nope.” I bring my phone up again. Were they rock? Pop?

  “I told you talking to him would be pointless. He’s in his own world.” Able reaches to her shoulders and starts to rub. “You feel better? Got food in you now. You good? We had sex because of alcohol. No big deal. Just a one night stand.” />
  When Annie gasps like he definitely shouldn’t have said that, Able’s eyes go wide and I focus on them again. This might get good.

  “They happen! It’s not a big deal! Doesn’t make you a whore or anything!” Annie tries to run out of here, but he grabs her waist and pulls her into a hug. Case and point right here, people. “It’s better that we’re friends and it was with me. Ya know?”

  “A one night stand doesn’t make me a whore?” she shrieks, pulling out of his grasp. “I don’t do one night stands, Able. A friend would know that.” Her eyes go wide when the words come out and I nod. She’s got a point. But they both reeked of alcohol and Able came in here stumbling over his own feet. He may have been more plastered than she was. “I’m sorry.” She steps closer to him, closing that gap between them that I'm not used to seeing.

  “It’s cool.” He steps back with his hands up. “But if you got shit you want off your chest, now’s the time, Annie. Don’t let this go a few days then come in swinging. I get it. You can’t fathom fucking me, but if even a part of you thinks I pressured you or anything.” He stops and drops his head and my mouth drops open. These idiots. He thinks she thinks he took advantage of her. And she still isn’t even believing that they fucked?

  “Sit down, both of you,” I bark over their stupid ass battle. They pause and look down at me and I stand from the couch and step over to my chair. Sighing as I sink into the leather, they look at me and I point to the couch. “Welcome to my office.” When they don’t move I snap my fingers. “Sit, I don’t have all day.”

  I do have all day. But they don’t have to know that.

  Annie sighs and falls to the couch. When Able does he sits a normal distance from her and glances over at her. I pause to see what happens next but when she doesn't move and doesn’t snuggle into his side like she usually does I narrow my eyes at her.

  “Annie,” I start. “You were ripping the buttons off this man’s clothes last night as you fumbled your way through the apartment.”