There are moments when someone does something intentionally, but plays it off as if it were an accident. Jensen pulls one of these moves and nudges his head against mine so that I roll onto my back. He pretends to be asleep as he groggily lowers his head onto the space between my neck and my naked breasts.
I don’t know why, but I run my fingers through his hair, stroking him with gentle brushes as I stare at the spinning ceiling fan above us. There’s an unfamiliar tear in my heart, a feeling I forced myself to forget long ago.
19
My head thumps as I awake. Hangovers and I do not get along. That’s why I stick to mimosas, and they weren’t serving them at the club last night. I caress my forehead with my palm and slide my feet to the tile floor.
I slip into my shorts and pull a tee over my head.
I stretch my arms over my head and step to the sliding door. When I open it, I’m met with the warm afternoon breeze. The air smells of salt and ocean water, the absolute best scent to wake up to.
I turn to the bed to awake Jensen, but he’s not there. The bathroom door is open and the deadbolt is unlocked. He’s gone.
My stomach drops and if I wasn’t feeling queasy before… There’s a note on the bed, folded like the note I found on my bed after high school prom. I chew into my cheek, and my face flushes with anger.
I think I stare at that fucking note for a good ten minutes before I rush to the bed and snap it up.
Apple,
I’ll be gone for a few hours. There are a few things I need to take care of in town, and I figure you’ll be asleep for a while. Get your sexy ass ready, because as soon as I come back, we’re going to spend the entire day on the beach. Can’t wait to see you in a bathing suit.
Your favorite fuck buddy,
Jensen.
P.S. Don’t keep this note to use as evidence against me if I ever piss you off lol
I sigh out of relief and an inexplicable smile cracks across my face. I take a quick glance in the mirror behind me to see that I look like a fucking chipmunk when I’m this happy, so I knock the smile off my face real fucking haste.
Knock Knock.
I divert my attention to the door. “It’s unlocked,” I call out. The door opens right away and my jaw drops. “What the fuck you doing here?”
Brick yawns and plops down onto the bed without having the decency to close the damn door. “I came to see you,” he says, followed by another obnoxious yawn. He’s wearing board shorts and a grey hoodie. His hair is tussled and his eyes are heavy.
I rush to the door and slam it shut. “How did you know where I was?”
“I always know where you’re at.” He waves his phone at me. “I track you with my phone.”
“Creepy, and probably illegal.”
“Not if you gave me permission to do it.”
“I didn’t.”
“Haven’t you ever wondered what the app FINDR is on your phone?”
I scoop my phone off the dresser and scroll to the first screen. There’s a green icon with the misspelled word FINDR underneath it. “I thought it was an app to find your phone if it was lost.”
“Nope.” He shrugs and lies down on the bed, cradling his head in his hands. Because he’s an inconsiderate asshole, I’m not going to inform him that Jensen’s naked, sex-drenched body laid in that exact same spot last night.
“I’m deleting it.” I hold down the FINDR app on my phone and swipe to delete it. “Now tell me, what the hell did you travel four hours down here for?”
“I told you.” He laughs. “I wanted to see you.”
“You’re obsessed.”
He sits up in bed and stretches his legs outward. “I had to get away from Cece.”
“You’ve known her for two days,” I snap.
“She won’t get off my dick.”
“I would think you would take that as a compliment.” This has been my plan all along. I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist him—he’s the perfect model of a bad boy, and we always want what’s bad for us. “Did you record it?”
“You know me too well.” He reaches into his pocket and retrieves an SD card. I rip the card out of his hands and shove it into the pocket of my shorts. “What the hell?”
“You did your job, and I assume you did it well, but I’ll take it from here.”
“You’re going to send it to this Rafe guy?”
“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with it.” I’m lying, but I need to keep Brick at a distance when it comes to my plan.
“By the way, no more virgins for me. I’m done.”
“What about Tyra?”
“Oh, yeah…”
“You’re a fucking idiot.”
“After her, I’m done.”
“She’s nothing more than a pipe-dream, so I’d say you’re done already.” I flip my fingers through my hair and shake my tee. This hangover is making me sweat like a whore in church. “If I didn’t know you better than that, that is.”
“You’re probably right.” His acknowledgement is a rare treat.
“I know I am.” I grab him by the arm and show him the door. “Now, Jensen could be back at any moment and I’m going to need you to be gone when that happens.”
“I was thinking we could hit the beach or something.” His teeth sink into his lips. “Maybe have a quickie in the lifeguard hut.”
“The only way you’re getting close to my pussy is if you win. Only then, can you have your quickie.”
“Oh baby, it won’t be quick.”
“Yeah, whatever you say. Three strokes and your done.”
“That happened one time.” He throws his pointer finger up to me. “You wound me up for hours.”
“And I’m going to wind my foot up your ass if you don’t get gone real quick.”
“Okay, okay. Easy babe.”
I shut the door on his face, fetch the SD card out of my pocket and let out an exhausted sigh. I don’t know if it’s the hangover or if I’m having a change of heart. All I know is that everything is muddled and I can’t think straight.
I lay on my stomach, my feet kicking in the air behind me. The afternoon local news is depressing. Someone was shot last night at a gas station about three miles from the motel. I grab the remote and flip through the channels, deciding, against better judgment, to watch reruns of The Rules Of Innocence.
It’s surreal to watch something on television that’s filmed in places you’ve been. I like to call it the, hey, I’ve been there phenomena. Before I can get too interested in the lives of the rich and famous for being famous, Jensen pushes through the door. In his arms is a large brown paper bag.
“Where have you been?” I roll out of bed and confront him. “I’ve been waiting here for hours.”
His face twists. “Didn’t you get my note?”
“Yeah.”
“I had to take care of some things.” He dumps the bag onto the bed and two bottles of whiskey plop against the mattress. “I’m back now, and I’m ready to party.”
“That’s a lot of alcohol for two people.”
“Well,” he says and places his hands on my hips. “We have all day.”
“Party for two on the beach?” I pull my hair above my head, not sure if I want to spend my day getting drunk on anything other than mimosas. This is one of those, hair of the dog things, I guess. “Sounds perfect to me.”
20
Sand beneath our toes.
Waves crashing along the shore.
Skies that are Toy Story blue.
A sun that glistens against our skin.
Wind that curls through our hair.
It’s the most romantic imagery I could ever imagine, but it’s all a façade. I know I’m playing him, but I’m starting to question if he’s playing me.