More Than Forever

by Jay McLean

"Did you tell me that already?"

  "Yes," she laughs.

  ***

  I rush to my dorm straight from classes to get dressed for work. Lucy's sitting outside my door with earphones in and her e-reader in her hand. I kick her shoe with mine. She looks up and smiles. "Hey." She packs her shit in her bag and stands while I unlock and open my door. "I've missed you today."

  I shrug out of my clothes and look for my work ones. "Me too," I rush out, dropping to the floor to look for my shoes.

  "You have to work tonight?"

  She's standing in the middle of the room and getting in my way. I pick her up and set her on my bed so I can find my shirt. "Yeah, babe." I find the shirt under a pile of shit on my desk and sniff it. It'll do.

  "When do you leave?"

  "Ten minutes." I turn full circle in the room, scanning the floor. "Where are my shoes?"

  "Cameron."

  I stop what I'm doing, take a breath, and turn to her. "What?" I snap.

  She smiles sadly. "I'm sorry, I just miss you."

  My shoulders drop. I'm an asshole. I release the shirt from my hand. "I'm sorry, baby. Since they made part of the scholarship working at the firm, and classes, and actual paid work, I've just been busy. I'm sorry," I repeat. "I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

  My workload freshman year was fine. I had classes and I worked part time at a video game store. This year, they changed the scholarship to include unpaid hours there. I agreed because I didn't feel like I had a choice, but now we're months into the second semester and it's starting to kill me.

  Pouting, she gets off the bed to pick up my discarded shirt off the floor. She walks back and stands on the bed, opening the shirt for me to put on. She kisses me, leaning forward as she does. My hands move to her waist, my fingers digging into her skin. It feels like forever since I've touched her. "I miss you," I whisper, pulling back from her lips.

  She focuses on buttoning my shirt from the bottom up. I watch her eyes narrow in concentration. My hands move lower on her waist, down to her ass, and squeeze once.

  She chuckles and presses her body into mine. "You want me to drive you to work and pick you up? It's an extra ten minutes each way we can spend together?"

  "Yeah, babe. I'd love nothing more."

  She smiles and kisses me again.

  "I'm sorry," I say for the third time. Because she doesn't deserve the way I know I've been treating her lately. Like she comes second. And she doesn't. She'll always come first.

  "It's fine, Cam. You're stressed." She shrugs. "Also, you need pants."

  ***

  I speak to my bosses about that Roxy girl from my class. I don't have much to say, apart from the fact that she's in my class. They tell me they've already chosen her for the position, which is kind of cool, because everyone else that works here has a giant freezer sized rod stuck up their ass.

  I tell Lucy about it on the drive home. She has fifty questions about Roxy that I can't answer. The only thing I know about her is that her name's Roxy, and I could maybe guess her bra size. I leave that last part out.

  "So she just came up to you and asked you to put in a good word? What if she sucks, Cam? That's on you."

  I throw my head back against the car seat and settle my hand on her leg. "Don't worry about it, babe."

  I close my eyes, too exhausted to keep them open. She wakes me when we get to campus. "Your dorm or mine?"

  "Yours, babe." Mitch, my roommate, who everyone calls Minge—which apparently is British slang for pussy—snores like a freight train. Lucy's slept over a couple times while he was there. She kept threatening to get up and punch him in the dick. One time, she actually did. We now have a No Lucy Post Luna policy.

  ***

  My alarm goes off sooner than I'd like. She moans, rubbing her face on my chest. "Turn it off."

  I rub my eyes to wake them up. "I can't. I have an early class."

  "Skip it."

  "Sure," I say, trying to peel her off me.

  She holds on to me tighter. "No. It's so warm in here, and so cold out there. Just stay. Five more minutes."

  She's right, she is warm. But I need to get to class. I try to get up again but she moves, like a tiny ninja, and covers me, her legs on either side of me. She glances over at Rose's—her roommate's side of the room. The bed's empty. She chews her lip to cover her smile. "Five minutes?" And this is my favorite version of Lucy. Her eyes are still heavy from sleep, her hair's a complete mess, there's no make-up, just Lucy. The Lucy I fell in love with. The Lucy I can't say no to. "Five minutes," I tell her. It comes out a warning. I reach over and set a timer on my phone. When I look back, her shirt's already off.

  Five minutes turns to an hour. Because five minutes with Lucy isn't enough. Forever with Lucy isn't enough.

  She laughs while watching me frantically dress. Her door opens and Rose walks in just as I'm pulling my shirt over my head.

  "Good fuck?" Rose asks.

  "Always," Lucy answers.

  I search around for my phone and wallet while they continue to talk about me.

  Rose laughs and kicks my phone from across the room. "O count?" she asks Luce.

  "I lost count after three."

  "I still say you lie about that."

  I freeze with my wallet halfway in my pocket. Why would she lie?

  "That's because you've never been with Cameron."

  She giggles while I kiss her goodbye. "Love you, babe."

  "Love you, too."

  Then Rose pipes up. "I could love you too, Cameron."

  I shake my head. "See ya, Rose."

  She slaps my ass as I walk past. "Later, stud."

  "Don't touch my boyfriend’s ass you whore."

  -LUCY-

  "I don't get it, Luce." Rose takes a hair tie from my dresser and starts pulling up her short blond hair. "Most girls struggle to reach a climax and you say Cam gives you multiples. How? Please. Tell me. I've been chasing an O for the last two months."

  "Maybe you should stop whoring around and settle down."

  She scoffs and looks at me like she's going to puke. "Un-fucking-likely."

  I laugh at her reaction. "I don't know." I shrug. "I think it's different with us. Some people, like you, get off on being with different people. We've been together since we were fifteen. We were each other's firsts. We kind of worked with each other. Does that sound dumb?"

  "No," she says seriously, taking a seat on her bed and crossing her legs. "Please, go on."

  "I guess we kind of just taught each other what we liked. We know each other inside out—"

  "Literally," she cuts in.

  I throw a pillow at her. "You know what I mean. We just know each other's bodies. We know what works and what doesn't. We take care of each other."

  She quirks an eyebrow. "I bet you do. Hey!" She sits up a little higher. "You know who I wouldn't mind teaching me how to take care of them?"

  I eye her suspiciously. "Who?"

  "Jake Andrews."

  It's my turn to scoff. "Good luck with that."

  "No chance, huh?"

  "Nope."

  Her shoulders sag, then they lift again and her eyes widen. "Logan Matthews? He'll do reaaaal good."

  I shake my head. "Nope. Officially off the market."

  "What?" she asks incredulously. "I screwed him twice last year, and he said he didn't do relationships."

  I shake my head harder. "Trust me, Rose. He's off limits. Amanda owns his balls."

  "Your friend Amanda?"

  I nod.

  "Wow. Didn't see that coming."

  "That's what she said."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  -CAMERON-

  I'm too busy working on my sketch that I don't see who places the cup of coffee next to it. "It's a thank you," a girl says from next to me. I don't need to look up to know it’s Roxy. Her voice has a huskiness that makes it unique.

  I lean back and glare at my work. Something's off but I can't pinpoint it. "For what?"


  "I got the job."

  I turn to her after a few more seconds. "You just found out? You spoke to me about it a week ago."

  "They called me this morning. Wait. Did you know before that?"

  I nod. "I've known since that day."

  Her smile is huge. "So you did put in a good word."

  Shrugging, I answer, "Yeah, but you already had it before I mentioned anything."

  "Oh." Her smile falters and her gaze drops. "Well, in that case, I didn't buy you that coffee. They made the wrong one and gave me two. I didn't want it to go to waste."

  I laugh and shake my head. "Well, thank you anyway."

  I lift the coffee to take a sip but her hand settles on my arm and a grimace takes over her face. "It's one of those choca mocha vanilla caramel things. I don't think you'd like it."

  Laughing again, I set it back on the table.

  "Who drinks that shit," she continues, sticking her tongue out and making a gagging sound.

  "My girlfriend, Lucy. She loves that stuff. I don't know why—"

  "Let me guess," she cuts in, eyeing me up and down. "I bet you're the kind of guy that's going to say 'I don't know why, she's sweet enough.'"

  My mouth clamps shut.

  She rolls her eyes and taps her finger on my sketch. "You have two light sources and your rendering's off."

  I narrow my eyes, focused on my work. She's right. Sighing, I say, "Too bad I want to be an architect, not an artist."

  She raises an eyebrow. "Too bad I want to be an artist, not an architect." She pushes off the table and starts to walk to her station.

  "Yo, Roxy."

  "Yeah?" she says, continuing to walk away.

  "Congrats on getting the job."

  She turns now, grinning from ear to ear, and makes a show of dusting off her shoulder. "Thanks C-Money."

  ***

  Logan: Are you alive?

  Cameron: Barely.

  Logan: Want to hit the cages?

  Cameron: I have class till 2, firm from 2:30 to 5:30 and then store from 6-9.

  Logan: Fuck man, I don't pity you.

  Cameron: No shit. If you see Lucy at some point, tell her I love her.

  Logan: She's shopping with Amanda.

  Cameron: So you texted me because your girl's busy and you're needy?

  Logan: Shut up, asshole.

  ***

  Cameron: I love you babe. I finish at the store at 9.

  Lucy: I love you too.

  Cameron: I miss you like crazy.

  Lucy: I miss you too!

  ***

  I've been listening to Chris, the asshole I work with, talk about porn for the last fifteen minutes. "These two chicks, hot as fuck, are going down on each other..."

  I glance around the store and make sure no one's around. I don't want kids to be subjected to the shit he's saying.

  "And they're making all these noises. I'm sitting at my desk, rubbing one out. I shut my eyes, so close to exploding... and then this dude’s voice comes through." He makes a disgusted sound. "This dude walks into the room, butt naked, gut out..."

  I start to laugh.

  "The dude's like eighty. 'Hey babies' he grunts... and I'm staring at the screen, wanting to puke, feeling my dick shrivel in my hands."

  My head throws back in laughter.

  "It's not funny, asshole." He shoves me lightly. "What would you know? When was the last time you even watched porn? When was the last time you were alone so you could do it?"

  I'm about to answer, but Lucy does it for me. "We watch it together," she says from behind me.

  I spin quickly, surprised by her presence. I don't even try to hide my excitement. "What are you doing here?"

  "Dude," Chris says, "your eyes just lit up like a kid on Christmas."

  I ignore him and link my fingers with hers.

  "Rose wanted to borrow my car so I asked her to drop me off. Is it okay I'm here? I just missed you, but I didn't know if you were going to be busy tonight."

  "No." I shake my head and take her in from head to toe. "I'm glad you're here."

  She leans up and kisses me quickly.

  "It's dead," I tell her. "I'm just going through some pre-orders." I take her hand and pull her behind the counter.

  "I don't think non-employees should be in the exclusive zone," Chris says.

  I lift Lucy and sit her on the counter. She crosses her stocking covered legs, exposed by the skirt she's wearing. "Is that skirt new?"

  She nods, a smile taking over her. "I got it today."

  "I like it."

  She glances at Chris quickly. "I'll show you the other stuff I got later." Her cheeks redden, but she doesn't explain. I already know what she's talking about. She's starting to have a thing for those garter belt suspender set things. I haven't complained. It's sexy as all fuck.

  I bite my lip to stop a moan escaping and try to focus on the screen in front of me, but all I can think about is her bent over my bed. The last set she got was black and red. She rested on her forearms, with her ass in the air and told me to take them off with my teeth.

  My eyes shut tight as I try to adjust myself. I hear her giggle. When I open my eyes, she's watching me. She nods almost imperceptibly.

  "Chris," I snap. "There are a few boxes in the store room that you need to unpack."

  I hear his footstep fade, then a door open and close. I don't take my eyes off Lucy. Her eyes follow Chris to the store room, and when she knows he's gone, she slowly uncrosses her legs.

  I stand in front of her, my hands lightly touching her legs. They move from the outside of her thighs to the inside, where I push them apart. "Not here, Cam."

  But I'm too far gone to care.

  "There are cameras everywhere."

  I lean in and kiss the side of her neck. "Then they can watch."

  She snakes her arms around my neck as my hands go further up her thighs. I run my fingers under the suspenders, moving higher as I do, until my hands find where her thighs meet. I run my thumb over her panties. "What color are they?"

  She tilts her head back, allowing me to kiss her neck better.

  If a customer walked in right now, I'd probably punch them. Kid or not.

  She pulls my face away from her neck and looks me in the eyes. My mind's too filled with lust that my gaze is unfocused. She licks her lips before speaking, "Maybe we should tell Chris not to unpack those boxes in the store room and go do it ourselves."

  I kiss her once and help her off the counter. Then I take her hand and lead her to the store room where I open the door. "Yo, out."

  Chris laughs and shakes his head mid unboxing. "I can't even rub one out to porn." He pats me on the back as he walks past.

  Once we're inside I close the door and turn to her. "Show me."

  She eyes the room quickly and then points to the camera. I stand so I'm in front of her, blocking its view. "Show me," I say again.

  Her hands brush down the side of her skirt and her fingers slowly curl, bunching the fabric. With each second she makes a show of lifting it higher and higher, my dick gets harder and harder. I start bouncing on my toes, waiting for the reveal. She starts to laugh before lifting it up. Up. Up.

  Purple.

  "Fuck, Luce."

  She laughs again and straightens her fingers, dropping the skirt back in position. She starts to make for the door, all the while I'm thinking about bending her over and me peeling them off with my teeth. Hearing the doorknob turn has me coming back to reality. I slam my hand against the door, stopping her from opening it, and pull her back to my chest. She moans when she feels my raging hard-on against her back. "Cam," she whispers, her body tensing. "The cameras can see everything."

  I flatten my hand against her bare stomach and flick the light switch next to the door. It's pitch black now, the only light coming from under the door. "I need to feel you, Lucy."

  Her body relaxes against mine. I settle my hands on her legs, trying not to rush things, but I want inside her. Bad. She moa
ns again when my hands reach higher and skim her ass. I pull her panties aside and run my finger across her warm center. She's already wet, making it easy to slide my fingers inside her. She's breathing heavy. Almost panting. "Fuck, Cam."

  I work my fingers in and out slowly; the way I know she likes it. She drops her head forward, banging it against the door.

  "Don't stop," she moans. But I wouldn't dare. She starts to tighten around my fingers and I know she's close. I shut my eyes and imagine her face, her eyes widening and rolling higher. A bead of sweat across her hairline and her bottom lip between her teeth, the way she does when she's about to come.

  "Please don't stop," she says again, a little louder this time. I reach my free hand up and pull her top down to release a breast. I palm her nipple softly.

  "Fuck, Cam."

  My breaths are short, coming out in spurts, just like hers.

  "Make me come, please," she begs. "Please."

  I release her breast and unzip my jeans.

  "No," she squeaks. "We can't fuck. I don't want to run through the mall to clean up with cum dripping down my leg!"

  I let out a frustrated grunt and try to think. "I'll pull out," I tell her. I look around, my eyes more used to the dark space, and reach into a box on the shelf next to me. I grab a promo shirt from the pile and set it aside. "I'll blow into a shirt." I kick a full box of games against the door and tell her to stand on it. She's too short for me to take her this way. It's the reason we have a footstool in her shower back home.

  She steps on it, no questions asked.

  "Hands against the door, baby."

  The entire time, my fingers continue their work inside her.

  "Yes, babe," she obliges. I don't know if it's a game for her, but I love taking control. And I know that she gets off on it when I do.

  She stands with her legs spread, her hands flat on the door and her ass sticking out, waiting for me.

  I pull down her top and free both of her breasts, touching and grabbing them rougher than before. And then I pull my fingers out and let out a groan when I'm inside her.

  I try to go slow, try to take care of her first, but she's moving herself on me saying, "Harder, Cam, faster. I need it."

  So I give it to her. Harder. Faster.

  Within minutes she's trembling, panting 'I love you' over and over. I can feel her sweat forming on her tits. As soon as I know the last wave has taken her, I pull out and furiously jerk off into the shirt I prepared earlier. I start to feel it building and let out an uncontrolled sound. She turns and pulls my face to hers, knowing that nothing gets me off quicker than her kissing me. I laugh into her mouth as I come, trying to remember the last time I jerked off into an item of clothing.