by E. L. Todd
“I have a girlfriend and I’m happy. We’re over, Jessica. Nothing you do or say is going to change that.”
“What about when you break up?”
“We aren’t going to break up.” I didn’t think when I spoke. It just came out. When I didn’t have time to think my answers through, I said the first thing on my mind. “Forget about me and move on. You’re beautiful, Jessica. You can have any guy you want—except me.”
She nodded her head slowly, on the verge of tears.
Did I finally get through to her? “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Well…I hope you’re happy.”
“I am.” I wasn’t going to downplay that.
“I guess I’ll see you around.” She sniffed then quickly walked away. Her heels echoed on the sidewalk as she moved as fast as her legs would carry her without running.
I sighed before I turned back to Axel, waiting for his wrath.
He stood with his hands in his pockets.
“I ended it with her before Francesca.”
He raised his hand to silence me. “I know. I heard what she said.”
Thank god. “You still want to get that drink?”
***
When we walked into The Grind, Marie was there.
“Ooh…two beautiful studs at once. It must be my birthday.” She stood at the counter wearing a black apron.
Axel immediately cheered up. “And I didn’t bring you a gift.”
“The gift is you, silly.” She grabbed the pen and paper and prepared to write down our order. “What can I get you two?”
Axel leaned against the counter and gave her his best smolder. “What do you recommend?”
I rolled my eyes.
“I like the cinnamon frappaccino,” Marie said. “But I’m a fatass.”
“Fatass?” Axel asked in surprise. “You’ve got nothing but curves, sweetheart.”
I rolled my eyes again.
Marie blushed slightly. “So, what will it be?”
“I’ll take that,” he said. “And whatever this guy wants.”
“Black coffee,” I said.
“Coming right up.” Marie rang us up then got to work.
When she was out of earshot, I spoke. “Keep it in your pants.”
“What?” he asked innocently. “I’m just being nice.”
“You practically slapped her in the face with your dick.”
“Ooh…that’d be fun.”
I rolled my eyes for the third time.
“Here you are.” Marie set the drinks on the counter.
“Thanks.” I grabbed them so we could sit down as quickly as possible.
“You seeing anyone?” Axel asked.
“Just my vibrator,” Marie blurted.
Should I act like I didn’t hear that?
“Well, if you want an upgrade, you should give me a call,” Axel said.
“Maybe I will…maybe I won’t. Enjoy your drinks.” Marie walked into the back.
Thank god that was over.
“Fuck, she has a nice ass.” Axel sat in the nearest booth but kept glancing over his shoulder.
“I never noticed.”
“I bet she has a tight—”
“Anyway.” Marie and I weren’t close, but she was important to Francesca. I felt protective of her. “What did you want to talk about?”
Axel finally stopped thinking about Marie. “Oh yeah…”
I sipped my coffee then glanced at my watch.
“I’ve been thinking about everything…” He tried to organize his thoughts. “It’s really none of my business what my sister does. I was just looking out for her but I know it’s not my place. Honestly, my concern comes from a good place.”
“I know it does.”
“You’re a loyal guy. We wouldn’t be friends if you weren’t. If she makes you happy and you make her happy, who am I to intervene in that?”
“I appreciate that.”
“Just…don’t hurt her.” He gave me a serious look. “I know it’s an impossible promise to keep but…please try.”
“I won’t, Axel. I take care of her.”
He nodded. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say.”
“So, we’re good?”
“Yeah. I know you can’t chase tail with me anymore, but I miss all the other things we did together. Playing basketball by yourself isn’t fun.”
“Maybe you need to get more friends,” I teased.
“Shut up, asshole.” He laughed as he spoke.
“Francesca will be happy. She was getting tired of you being a whiny bitch.”
He rolled his eyes. “I was not a whiny bitch.”
I sipped my coffee and tried not to smile.
“I wasn’t,” he repeated.
“You sound like one now.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I can take back my permission, you know.”
“Permission?” Now I did laugh. “I didn’t ask for your permission, and I don’t need it. Your sister and I are happy together, and you can shut up and deal with it.”
Instead of being angry, he smiled. “I missed you.”
I smiled in return. “I missed you too.”
***
I walked through the door and saw Francesca in her jeans and sweater. “You look nice.”
“I look nice?” She turned around and showed me her ass in her jeans. “Or she looks nice?”
I leaned into her and placed both palms on her ass. “Both.” My lips found her neck.
She rubbed her ass into my crotch. “I just got them from Macy’s and they fit me perfectly.”
“They do.” I smacked her ass playfully. “But I bet they’d look better on my bedroom floor.”
“I think they would too.” She turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck. Whenever she looked at me, it sent a thrill through my body. Every time I walked through that door, her face broke out in joy. I was the only thing that mattered. “Missed you.”
“I always miss you.” I parted her lips with mine and kissed her slowly, feeling the heat creep up my neck. My hands started to guide her to the bedroom. “A quickie before we go?”
“We’re going to be late.” But she kept walking backwards.
“You don’t understand just how fast I can be.” I got her into her bedroom then undid her jeans.
“Are you going to fuck me hard and fast?” she said into my mouth.
“I never fuck you.” I yanked her jeans and underwear off.
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
I got my jeans and boxers off. “You’re a dirty one, aren’t you?”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Maybe…” She got on her hands and knees at the end of the bed.
I stared at her ass and felt my cock twitch. She had the sexiest body I’d ever seen. Now I didn’t want to go to dinner at all. I just wanted to stay here all night. I positioned myself at her entrance then slipped inside her. Her pussy was always so tight, the tightest I’d ever had. As soon as I started thrusting, her headboard banged into the wall. I gave it to her good and hard—and kept my word.
***
“Okay. Now we really need to leave.” She quickly pulled on her panties and jeans.
I was moving slow because I was tired and satisfied. I wanted more of her because it always felt so good. “Can we do a rain check?”
“No.” She checked her hair in the mirror.
I watched her as I put my shoes on. “I talked to Axel today.”
“His name is Whiny Bitch. Get it right.”
“He’s not a whiny bitch anymore,” I said. “He apologized and we worked it out.”
“He finally got over himself?” She turned back to me.
I nodded. “We’re good.”
She released a sigh of relief. “Finally, that drama is over.”
“Well, there’s more on the horizon.”
“How so?” She put her hands on her hips.
“Axel and Marie are doing the
dance…”
She shrugged. “If Marie wants to get her heart broken, there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I warned her, but she can do whatever she wants.”
“Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.”
“No, I’m sure it will be.”
I wasn’t sure how to talk about her brother in the way I knew him…because it was awkward. “He’s always honest about his intentions. At least Marie will understand what she’s getting.” And hopefully, she’ll understand that’s all she’ll ever get.
Dinner
Francesca
I stepped inside and hugged Yaya. “Yaya, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend…” I grabbed Hawke’s hand from outside and pulled him through the door.
Yaya’s eyes widened to the size of melons. “Oh my god, how wonderful.” She immediately hugged Hawke and kissed him on each cheek. “You’re such a handsome man. My little girl deserves the best and you’re it.”
Hawke returned her embrace with a touched look on his face. “Thank you…”
“You two will have such beautiful babies.”
“Okay, let’s not get carried away,” I said with a laugh.
Hawke didn’t seem uncomfortable by what she said. “Thank you for having me for dinner.”
“Oh, dear.” She patted his shoulder. “Always so polite.”
I loved seeing them together. I wanted to always bring him along when I visited Yaya. A quick daydream of us walking inside with children of our own gave me a quick thrill. But I pushed the thought away because I knew it was so far into the future.
“This is so wonderful.” Yaya turned to me then lowered her voice. “He’s one fine man. Good job.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yaya…”
Hawke laughed it off. “Thank you for the compliment. But I believe I’m the one who found the buried treasure.” His arm moved around my waist and he gave me an affectionate look.
Axel appeared from inside the kitchen. “You guys are late.”
“What are you doing here?” I blurted.
“Yaya invited me,” Axel said. “And hello to you too.”
I didn’t realize how rude I sounded until then. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you.”
Axel mumbled under his breath. “Brat…” Then he approached Hawke. “Good luck with her.” He fist-pounded him.
“Thanks.” Hawke released a chuckle.
“Let’s sit down and eat.” Yaya ran into the kitchen and set the table. Then we gathered around and shoveled the mounds of food onto our plates.
“Everything looks good,” Hawke said politely. “Thank you.”
“It was no trouble.” Yaya waved off his words.
I smiled because I knew she was happy just to have us there.
“What’s new with you, Yaya?” Axel asked.
“I got a moose,” she said before she took a bite.
Axel stilled. “What?”
“He just came around and never left.” Yaya pointed to the back door.
Through the window, a large moose stood there. His antlers were humongous and probably weighed as much as I did.
“Whoa…” I stopped eating and just stared at him. “He’s enormous.”
“And so cute,” Yaya said. “I got him a nice blanket so he’ll stay warm.”
“Yaya…” Axel struggled to find the right words. “You don’t let him in the house, right?”
“No, of course not.” She quickly looked down at her plate.
“He’s…” Hawke struggled to find the right words. “Majestic.”
“He could run down the house with those antlers,” I said.
“Bambi would never do that,” Yaya said as she kept eating.
“What?” Axel asked. “You named it Bambi?”
“Isn’t that a deer?” I asked.
“Is it a girl?” Hawke eyed the moose through the window like he was trying to figure it out.
“It just fit,” Yaya said. “When I call him Bambi, he responds.”
“He probably responds because you have food in your hand,” Axel said.
“He’s very sweet,” Yaya said. “And stays around the property all the time. I want to build a little barn so he can stay in there when the snow falls.”
“You can’t have a moose for a pet,” Axel said.
“He’s not a pet,” Yaya argued. “He’s my friend that lives outside.”
I shot Axel a glare that told him to be quiet. If Yaya wanted to be friends with a moose, she could be friends with a moose.
“So, how did you two fall in love?” Yaya asked.
Hawke turned to me and silently asked if I wanted to tell the story.
“Well, do you want the short version or the long version?” I asked.
“Long,” Yaya said. “I always want the long version.”
***
One the drive home from school, a loud explosion came from the right side of the car. My car shook as it started to skid across the icy street. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I knew I needed to stop the car as quickly as possible.
Just as my father taught me, I didn’t slam my foot on the brake. I pushed it down at a slow pace until the car stopped. On the icy streets of early spring, the car could skid and crash into a tree.
When I got out of the car, I realized my front right tire was flat. I must have run over a frozen branch or something. I examined it and realized I couldn’t patch it. Besides, I didn’t have the materials anyway.
It was freezing cold and my breath escaped as vapor. My thick jacket kept my body warm but I doubted it would keep me warm forever. I examined the tire again before I popped the trunk and pulled out the spare tire. A jack was inside and so were a few tools.
I’d never changed a tire before. I knew how the jack worked, and I knew how to use a screwdriver, but the rest was lost on me. But I knew I could figure it out if I just thought it through.
I put the jack under the car and pumped it up until the tire was off the ground. I used my palm to spin the tire, getting dirt all over my hand. The last thing I wanted was to get my new jacket dirty so I took it off even though I was freezing.
Okay…now what?
I grabbed the tire iron and turned the bolts on the rim to get the tire loose. After turning it wrong, I cranked it back the other way. It took me nearly ten minutes to loosen them all and pull the tire off. The tire was a lot heavier than I expected and it almost knocked me over.
Then I spent forty-five minutes trying to get the new tire on. No matter what I did, the alignment was off. If I kept it that way, I’d drive off the side of the road. Night had descended and it was dark, so I had to use the flashlight on my phone to see what I was doing.
Damn, who knew changing a tire would be so difficult?
I was supposed to go to Hawke’s for dinner but it completely slipped my mind in light of the task before me. The easy answer would be to call AAA but I refused to do that. If I just focused, I’d be able to figure it out. I always succeeded at anything I put my mind to.
My phone rang and Hawke’s name was on the screen.
I forgot to call him and tell him I’d be late. “Hello?”
“I know you’re late to everything but…a phone call would have been nice.” He was half teasing me, half being serious.
“I’m sorry. I got a flat tire, and I’ve been trying to change it.”
“What?” he barked.
“Dude, this is really hard. I’ve been out here for an hour and a half.”
Instead of laughing, he growled. “Are you kidding me right now?”
Did I miss something? “What?”
“Why didn’t you call me? I can change a tire in two seconds.”
“I thought I could figure it out until…I realized I couldn’t.”
“It’s freezing outside and it’s dark. Are you stupid?”
Now I growled back. “You don’t need to be a dick.”
“I’m going to be a dick when your head is shoved up your ass. Now where are you so I can come and g
et you?”
“I can change the tire on my own.”
“Clearly.”
“How will I ever learn if you don’t let me figure it out?”
“I could teach you. Did you think of that, smartass?” He was practically screaming at me over the phone.
“If you’re going to throw a hissy fit, I’m going to hang up.”
“You better not—”
Click.
I set my phone down and got back to work.
He called back in two seconds.
I sighed then answered. “What?”
“Tell me where you are.”
“So you can come down here and yell at me?”
“So I can change your tire. Now spit it out.”
“I’m almost done. I can figure it out.”
“You’re really pissing me off,” he snapped. “Tell me where you are or—”
Click.
He called back immediately.
He was such a drama queen. “What?” I yelled.
“HANG UP ON ME AGAIN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.”
I rolled my eyes and stayed mute.
“Now tell me where you are before I search the streets.”
I looked around and tried to find a street name. “I’m at Gettysburg Park. I’m right at the curb.”
Now he hung up on me.
Click.
***
He parked his truck in front of my car, facing the opposite way of traffic. He kept his lights on so it shined on the front tire. When he got out, his shoulders were rigid like he was restraining himself from tearing my car to pieces. The threatening look in his eyes would scare anyone else but me.
“Where. The. Fuck. Is. Your. Jacket.” He breathed hard like he was about to snap.
“In the car. I didn’t want to get it dirty.” The tire iron was still in my hand.
“And you’d rather get pneumonia?” He sat on the curb beside me and yanked the tool out of my hand. “Put your jacket on now.”
I sat still and didn’t move. I was stubborn and didn’t like being told what to do.
He turned to me, his eyes boiling. “Put it on, or I’ll take off my shirt and throw it on you. What’s it gonna be?”
“You’re overreacting.” I grabbed the jacket and threw it on.
“I’m not overreacting. You’re naïve, stubborn, and frankly, stupid.”
“I’m stupid?” I poked myself in the chest with my finger. “For trying to do something myself before running for help?”