Slow Play

by Monica Murphy

  “Hey.” He kisses my cheek, his lips lingering. “You look good enough to eat,” he murmurs low so no one else can hear him.

  Gabe walks up behind him, making exaggerated kissy faces and rolling his eyes. I laugh, covering my mouth with my fingers when I notice how quickly Tristan tenses up. He glances over his shoulder, glaring at Gabe. “Knock it off.”

  “Aw, poor Tristan, can’t take it when we tease him.” Gabe ruffles Tristan’s hair, who ducks out of his reach. “He deserves it,” Gabe tells me. “He gave us endless shit, especially Shep.”

  “There’s nothing here to give me shit for,” Tristan says irritably. “We’re just friends, right Alex?”

  He called me Alex again. Another rare occurrence, though I’m not enjoying this one. And what the hell does he mean, we’re just friends? “If you define friends as two people who get naked and have constant sex, then yes. We’re great friends,” I say solemnly.

  Gabe starts to laugh, taking the twelve-pack Tristan shoves at him as he walks by, heading for the kitchen. “She’s a keeper, Tris. Any other girl would’ve nailed you in the balls for making a statement like that.”

  “Your friend is right,” I tell Tristan the moment Gabe’s out of earshot. “And I’m still tempted to nail you in the balls.”

  Wincing, Tristan grabs me, pulling me into his arms and squeezing me tight. “I’m sorry. I fucking panic every time anyone asks us what we’re doing.”

  I keep my face buried in his chest, breathing in his intoxicating Tristan smell. He’s wearing a blue and white plaid flannel shirt and the fabric is incredibly soft. Comforting. Sexy. Ugh.

  “You’re an asshole,” I mumble against his chest. I can’t let him get away with this, though I’m shocked he actually said he was sorry. That’s a word I rarely hear come from Tristan’s mouth.

  Yeah, okay. We haven’t defined what we are, but it’s still early days. We’ve only been seeing each other—AKA having actual sex—for approximately a week. We’ve been flirting and circling around each other for almost a month. He’s a guy who doesn’t do relationships. I’m a girl who was supposed to keep to herself. Somehow, we’ve ended up together.

  I’m not complaining.

  But Thanksgiving is this upcoming Thursday and we won’t see each other for a week. He’s going home to spend the holiday with his parents and I’m staying here. I’m not looking forward to being without him. What if he realizes he doesn’t miss me? What if he gets bored without me around and finds someone else to mess around with? Or worse, he fucks an endless bunch of girls and let’s me know in some typical Tristan asshole way that I was just another one he added to his list.

  I’m in too deep now. I know I’ll lose it if something like that happens.

  “I know.” He runs his hand over my hair. “You’re right. I’m a total asshole. I’ve said that from the very beginning.”

  He has. I can’t hold that against him.

  “But I don’t know what to tell people when they ask about us,” he continues, his voice low.

  Here we are standing in the entryway of my house having an important conversation with a bunch of guys screaming at a video game only mere feet away from us. And this is not the first time we’ve done something like this.

  “You don’t have to tell them anything,” I say when I pull away so I can look up at him. “It’s no one else’s business, what we’re doing.”

  “You really believe that?” He touches my cheek, traces my lower lip with his thumb. His gentle touch makes me shiver. Makes me want more.

  I nod. “I can’t even describe what we’re doing,” I admit in a whisper. “So I can’t expect you to either. Let them ask their questions. Let them speculate and wonder. We can be a mystery they’re desperate to unravel.”

  He smiles, running his hands up and down my back. “You make us sound a lot more exciting than we might be.”

  “Oh, we are very exciting.” I tip my head back just as he kisses my nose. “Wait until you see what I have in store for you tonight.”

  Tristan perks right up at that. “There’s something extra sexy under that shirt you’re wearing, huh.”

  I smile. “It’s going to blow your mind.”

  He slips his hand beneath my shirt, touching my back, his fingers hot on my skin. “I can’t fucking wait.”

  I’m down in the dumps on a gloomy Monday morning, sad that Tristan has left for the week when I get a text from Kelli.

  Emergency. Need coffee. PSL preferred. Meet me in 20 at the SB closest to you?

  Why not?

  Twenty minutes later I enter the crowded Starbucks, spotting Kelli sitting at a small round table, two venti pumpkin spice lattes sitting in front of her along with a giant muffin that she’s currently devouring.

  Uh oh.

  “What’s up?” I ask as I slide into my chair, gratefully taking the cup she pushes my way.

  She doesn’t say anything, just pinches off part of the muffin and shoves it into her mouth, her eyes closing for a moment as she slowly chews, like she’s completely blissed out over a basic blueberry muffin. Then she grabs her coffee and chugs like, half of it before setting it on the table. “I had sex,” she declares.

  “What?” I grip the edge of the table. “When? Where? With who?”

  “Shh, keep it down.” She glances around, making sure no one’s paying attention before she resumes. “It happened Saturday night.”

  “But…” My brain is scrambling. “It’s Monday.”

  “I know.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She’s been sitting on this for what, thirty-six hours and is only telling me now?

  Kelli shrugs. “You were spending your last day with Tristan before he left. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

  We went back to his house after the video game fest and spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other’s arms. Then proceeded to do the same thing most of Sunday, locked away in his room. I didn’t want him to leave. He claimed he didn’t want to leave either, but I don’t know if he was telling the truth or just saying that to make me happy.

  “I wish you would’ve told me sooner.” I reach across the table and grab hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze. We haven’t really talked since she got so pissed at me Saturday night. “I’m here for you always, Kel. I hope you know that.”

  “I do, I know it, Alex. I was just a bitch Saturday and so frustrated. I took it out on you. I took it out on everyone, including that stupid fucking game that I hate with a passion,” she says bitterly.

  At one point, she was right in the middle of the guys, playing the new Call of Duty like a crazy woman. Shooting up everything in sight, screaming motherfucker over and over again, all while sitting on…Conrad’s lap.

  Oh. Freaking. No.

  I gasp just remembering it. “Don’t tell me you had sex with Conrad,” I whisper, leaning across the table so no one else can hear me.

  “Hell no.” Kelli shakes her head, furiously. “He wishes. I was just using him to make Steven jealous.”

  “Ah, Kel. That sucks.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I walked into the bathroom later that night and found Conrad and Felisha in there making out!” Kelli smiles, looking quite satisfied with her revelation.

  I’m gasping all over again. “Are you serious?”

  “Yep. He had his hands all over her. They were really going at it, hot and heavy.” Kelli smirks. “I think Conrad’s been using me to make Felisha jealous. Can you imagine?”

  No. I can’t. It’s a regular freaking soap opera at my house.

  “So wait a minute, let’s back track to you,” I say before I sip from my cup. “You haven’t told me who you had sex with. Was it…Steven?”

  Kelli nods, her face crumpling right before she bursts into tears. She covers her face with her hands, sobbing into them and I immediately leap to my feet, going to her side so I can wrap her in a comforting hug.

  I’m confused. She’s been after Steven for weeks and now that she f
inally landed him, she’s crying?

  “Was it that bad?” I ask.

  She removes her hands, baring her tear-streaked face. “Of course not. It was amazing.”

  When she starts crying again I push her face against my shoulder, patting her back and totally baffled. “I thought this was what you wanted,” I murmur.

  “It was. It so was.” She pushes away from me, waving her hand toward my empty chair. “Go sit down. This is ridiculous. I’ll keep it together. I promise.”

  “But…”

  “Sit,” she demands like I’m her dog.

  I do as she says, hoping she explains herself better.

  “Okay, let me tell you what happened.” She takes a deep breath and exhales shakily. “I was all over Conrad the entire night. And when I realized that he was hooking up with Felisha, I gave up on him. So I started flirting with other guys. I had a bunch of them to choose from, considering there were so many there, you know?”

  I nod, slightly horrified by what she’s saying. She was putting herself in a sketchy situation, especially because she was drinking.

  “Don’t give me that look. You took off with Tristan to go fuck around so Gabe was watching over me, I promise. He even got in one dude’s face and told him to back off.”

  Thank God for Gabe.

  “Anyway, Steven was watching me the entire night but he never said a word. Never spoke to me, never did anything. Let Gabe be the macho man and bail me out and that pissed me off, you know? He should’ve stepped in.”

  “Maybe he was scared,” I say in defense of poor, quiet Steven.

  “Please. I don’t know what his deal was but I finally decided to give up on all of them. Told everyone I was going home. Gabe was like, oh hell no, and was going to give me a ride but Steven stepped in and said he’d be the one to take me home.” Kelli finishes off her drink and looks toward the counter. “I want another PSL.”

  “No, you don’t.” I snap my fingers in front of her face. “Focus. What happened next?”

  “So we get into his car and he said he was driving me home but he lied.” She presses her lips together and ducks her head. “He took me back to his place instead. And…attacked me in his car.”

  “Wait,” I interrupt. “Attack in a good way, or a bad way?”

  “In the best way possible. My God, the boy can kiss.” Kelli’s eyes go hazy as she remembers and I recognize the look. I bet I wear the same expression every time I think of kissing Tristan. “The next thing I know we’re walking into his house, our lips still attached and we end up in his room. Where he proceeded to strip off my clothes, push me onto his bed and give me the best orgasm of my life.”

  “Sounds hot,” I tell her, unable to imagine Steven actually doing everything she just described, which is probably best. “So why are you crying and down in the dumps?”

  “Because I left his house in the middle of the night and haven’t heard from him since! Why hasn’t he texted? Called?” She throws her hands up into the air. “He hated having sex with me. I’m sure of it.”

  “Please. He likes you. Why would he hate it? He gave you the best orgasm of your life. That means he was into you,” I reassure her.

  “Has he been at your house since Saturday?” she asks.

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t home yesterday. I was with Tristan.”

  She sighs, looking so incredibly down I want to get up and give her another hug. “You’re lucky. At least you’re with a guy who isn’t afraid to let you know how he feels.”

  “Are you fucking serious?” I start to laugh, like uncontrollably. She watches me oddly, not laughing at all. “We’re talking about Tristan Prescott.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “He told Gabe we were just friends Saturday night,” I say.

  Kelli frowns. “What a jackass.”

  “I know. He’s not comfortable with letting me know how he feels at all. So don’t think I have it easy with Tristan just because we’re having regular sex.” What we have is good but it also feels shaky. Like one tiny mistake will cause it to collapse beyond repair.

  “Regular sex sounds pretty dreamy right now,” Kelli says, making us both laugh.

  “It’s great, but it’s not everything.” I can’t believe I just said that, but it’s true. I want more from Tristan. I know we haven’t known each other very long and this is all shiny and new, especially to him, but I can’t help the way I feel. I want a commitment.

  I want to call Tristan Prescott my boyfriend.

  “I think you should call him,” I tell Kelli.

  “Who? Tristan? What am I going to say to him? Stop being a jackass to Alex or I’m going to kick your ass?” she asks, smiling.

  Seeing that smile is such a relief. I don’t like it when Kelli’s upset. She’s our cheerful, always funny, always sarcastic girl. “You need to call Steven.”

  “Oh.” Her smile fades. “I can’t call him.”

  “Then text him.”

  “I don’t want to do that either.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re being ridiculous. Just bite the bullet and do it. Unless you enjoy sitting around in misery wondering why he won’t reach out to you.”

  “Fine.” She sighs heavily. “But what should I say? ‘Oh hey, Steven, had a rockin’ good time with you Saturday night. Had no idea you knew all those tongue tricks and that your dick is so big.’ I’m sure he’d just love to hear that.”

  I blink at her. “Um, I’m fairly certain he’d definitely love to hear that.” I didn’t need to, but too late.

  She stares at her clenched hands resting on the table. “I’m nervous.”

  “Have you ever considered that he’s nervous too?” I ask her gently.

  Her head lifts, big eyes staring at me. “He probably is huh.”

  “Totally.” I nod. “This is Steven we’re talking about.”

  “He said he hated seeing Conrad’s hands all over me.” She makes a face. “I felt bad for making him jealous. He said the sweetest things to me. How beautiful I am, how I always make everything fun whenever I’m around.”

  “That’s sweet. And true,” I tell her.

  Kelli smiles though it’s tinged with sadness. “I’m not just nervous, I’m scared. I really, really like him, especially after everything that happened. I think we could be something amazing, if he would just give us a chance.”

  I reach out and grab her hand again, giving it a firm squeeze. “Text him. Just say hi. See what happens next. It can’t hurt.”

  “You’re right. It can’t.” She glances over at the counter again. “I really want another PSL.”

  “You do not. You’re jittery enough. But you can sit here and watch me finish mine.” I smile, taking another sip and she sticks her tongue out at me. “Listen, you need to make this right with Steven so we can all go to his parents’ house for Thanksgiving and it’s not all awkward and weird.”

  “Oh, it’s already going to be awkward and weird, trust me. I’m going to meet his parents, Alex. I’m going to have to sit at a table, smile and make nice with them while I’m eating their yummy turkey and stuffing. All the while I’ll be thinking, ‘I’ve had your son’s dick in my mouth.’ Now that’s fucking awkward.”

  “Kelli, God. Please.” I did not want that particular image flashing in my brain.

  “Tell me you won’t have the same issue if you ever meet Tristan’s parents one day. Talk about uncomfortable,” Kelli says dryly.

  Just thinking of Tristan and his family leaves me feeling melancholy. Which is silly. We’re only apart for a week—less than that really. He’s coming home late Friday night so technically it’s five days.

  The five longest days of my life, I’m sure.

  “I don’t even think Tristan has parents,” I joke. “Maybe he was hatched. I mean, who created him?”

  Kelli laughs. “He’s such a perfect male specimen, maybe God created him, you know? Just pointed his finger and said, ‘And on the eighth day, God created Tristan.’ What do you think?”r />
  We’re both laughing now. “You two make a cute couple,” Kelli says, silencing me. “I’m serious. I think you’re good for him.”

  “You really think?”

  “Yeah.” Kelli nods. “He needed someone to ground him. Make him less of an asshole. I think you’re doing a pretty good job of that.”

  “Oh, he’s still an asshole. Don’t think he’s changed that much,” I say, because seriously it’s the truth. A leopard really can’t change his spots.

  “Yeah, but now he’s your asshole. And it’s super adorable.”

  We chat for another half hour before I leave and walk back to the house. Kelli promised she’d text Steven as soon as she got home. I told her she should come over later tonight but she gave me some vague “we’ll see,” as an answer.

  I figure she’s already made mental plans to spend the night with Steven, which is a good thing. I like thinking of the two of them together. They deserve happiness.

  Everyone does.

  Minutes later I’m entering the house to find Conrad and Felisha cuddled together on the couch. Felisha is tiny, with long dark hair and matching dark brown eyes. She’s tucked neatly in Conrad’s lap, her head resting on his shoulder as they watch a movie.

  “So.” I smile at them. “You two are together now?”

  “Yeah.” Conrad gives me a look that says get the hell out of here from over Felisha’s head. “So stop flirting with me, Alex. It’s embarrassing.”

  Felisha laughs and I leave because holy shit, what was that all about? I’ve never flirted with Conrad a day in my life.

  Thinking of flirting with Conrad makes me think of condoms. Specifically Conrad’s massive condom stash Kelli discovered in his closet…but how?

  What were you doing in Conrad’s closet when you found his stockpile of condoms?

  I send the text while I’m standing in the hallway by the bathroom. Kelli responds immediately.

  Kissing Steven. I just didn’t want to tell you. Why do you ask?

  Ha! Figures.