Just Friends?

by K E Osborn

  I get dressed and make my way to the kitchen where Olsen and Dan are making their breakfast. I head over to the coffee machine and make mine extra strong. I’m exhausted from the lack of sleep, but more so I feel grumpy and on edge.

  “Yo, Will. You look like shit again, dude. Are you sick or something?” Olsen states.

  “Fuck off! I didn’t sleep well.”

  “Jeez dude chill out. I was just asking how ya are?”

  I rub my eyes and then run my fingers through my hair in frustration.

  “Sorry.”

  Olsen and I make our way to the vocals room. We walk in and she’s sitting with Charlie on the sofa. Olsen sits next to Charlie and I watch Kat. She’s so beautiful, her flaming long red hair is glistening in the light, and those eyes are piercing mine. My breathing hitches. She stares at me and it’s as if time stands still. Then she looks away, breaking the connection. The rest of the class looks over at me, standing in the doorway, staring at her like a lovesick puppy.

  “Will, would you like to take a seat?” Mom asks distracting me.

  “Sorry Liz.” I snap out of it and take a seat next to some brunette chick.

  With a bit of luck, this will make Kat jealous!

  “Good morning class. Today we will be pairing up for the duets task. One group will need to be a trio seeing as there are thirteen of you. Now before you go choosing I’ve already done so. When I call your name, please go and stand with your partner.”

  I really want to look at Kat’s face when she’s paired with me, but I know it’ll be too obvious.

  “Edmund and Jackie.”

  “It’s Olsen, thanks,” he declares and everyone laughs.

  “Okay, Olsen and Jackie.”

  “Your name is Edmund?” Charlie questions through a loud laugh.

  “No, it’s Olsen,” he snaps back.

  I can hear Kat’s gorgeous laugh, which melts me. I keep my eyes focused forward fighting every urge in me not to glance back at her.

  “Charlie and Peter.”

  “Will and Kat,” Mom finally says.

  I turn around and walk toward her, as I do she stands and crosses her arms. She’s looking down at the floor and sighs heavily.

  Great, not the reaction I was hoping for.

  “Hi,” I say quietly.

  “Hi,” she whispers so softly I almost didn’t hear her.

  Mom passes out the songs and we walk together to retrieve the music. I badly want to take her hand in mine, but I don’t. We reach Mom and she looks at Kat who’s looking down at her feet. Mom raises an eyebrow and gives me the ‘talk to her’ look.

  “I have high hopes for you two, and because you’re both more into general rock I’ve given you a duet by Fleetwood Mac, Go Your Own Way”.

  I give Mom a stern look. “Really?”

  “I think it’s appropriate,” Kat declares, she takes the music from Mom’s hand and starts to walk off.

  “What’s that about?” I quietly say to Mom.

  “Listen to the lyrics and I think you’ll know.”

  I huff and walk away to join Kat at the back of the room.

  “Kat, I’m sorry how things– ”

  “Don’t! Let’s just get on with the song,” she interrupts me.

  Shit, she’s really pissed!

  I take the sheet music and start to go through the verses so we can decide who’s singing what. I read the words of the song and I realize what Mom’s doing. She’s given us a song that’s so fitting for us right now.

  “I think you should sing the first verse and I’ll sing the second,” Kat says while she starts highlighting her sections in purple and mine in yellow.

  She laughs as she highlights her section and shakes her head.

  “Quite fitting don’t you think?” she spits at me.

  Well, at least she’s talking to me now.

  “Mmm,” I mumble taking out my guitar and starting to strum. She hums along to the chords and for the first time I hear her voice. Even though she’s humming, she sounds amazing.

  “Seems easy enough to play. You want to try and sing along this time?” I ask her and she nods her head. I start the song and sing the first verse. Then we sing the chorus of the song together. The song is so fitting and it’s like we’re singing about us. We sound awesome together and I see a glimpse of a smile when she sings. We finish the song and there’s a few tweaks we can make here and there to give it our twist. But we need to practice which is what I was counting on.

  Fucking yes! I’ll get to spend more time with her!

  “You have a gorgeous singing voice.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere Will.” She frowns, but at least she’s looking at me.

  “Do you want to come over to practice later? Or, I can come to your place if you want to?” I ask trying not to sound as desperate as I am to spend some time with her.

  ~ KAT ~

  “Um, I’ll come to your place,” I say, because that way I can leave when I want to.

  I can’t get over the song choice for us, Liz must be psychic. Will seems to be quieter than his usual cocky, arrogant self; I know he feels the strain between us. That pull of energy that ignites when we see each other is still there, but it’s followed by the sadness of knowing we can’t be together.

  I want to find out why. Maybe I’ll ask him tonight?

  “Can Brooke and Charlie come over as well?” I ask, knowing that I’ll feel better with some support.

  He creases is eyebrows and nods his head. “Of course they can. Come for dinner, and we’ll order pizza or something.”

  “Didn’t you have pizza yesterday?”

  “Yes, how’d you know?” he asks amused.

  “Brooke and Charlie told me they had already had dinner when they came home.”

  “Class, times up. Make sure you practice with your partners as much as you can to perfect your performance for the end of semester,” Liz says.

  Will packs away his guitar and the sheet music. He hands me my copy of the music and stares at me like he wants to say something.

  “I’ll see you tonight. What time?”

  He smiles a radiant smile. “Yeah, whenever is cool. You can come by any time,” he says still smiling.

  “I’ll see you later then,” I reply as I walk away from him.

  Chapter Six

  After my last class, I head home and change, then I make my way over to the guys place with Charlie and Brooke. They’re both excited about seeing Olsen and Dan. I’m torn between being excited to see Will, but then nervous about seeing him again. I wish I’d been given a different partner for the duets task. It would’ve made it a lot easier, but of course my luck would see me set up with Will.

  My main priority is to make sure we practice. After all, that’s why I’m going to his place. After the practice and dinner, I can go even if the girls want to stay. I’m going to make sure I leave because I know I can’t control myself around him. We reach their house and Brooke knocks on the door. Olsen answers.

  “Nice to see you here again, Kat,” he sneers with a smirk.

  What a dickhead!

  We walk to the living room to see Dan on his computer as usual, but Will isn’t anywhere to be seen. Dan gets up and hugs Brooke. They’re so cute together. They sit on the sofa and Olsen and Charlie stand in the doorway kissing. I look at them, roll my eyes and shake my head. The front door opens and Will walks in with a large box of Chinese takeout and some beer. He spots me and heads through to the living room, brushing past me. As his shoulder grazes mine, my breathing catches. I shake it off and walk with him.

  Charlie and Olsen sit on the sofa next to Dan and Brooke leaving the single seat spare. Will looks at me as everyone else digs into their dinner and he gestures with his finger for me to come to him. I sigh.

  “You can take the seat if you like.”

  “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

  “You could always sit on my lap,” he jokes with a boyish grin.

  “Ha!” I laugh a
t his suggestion. Look where that got us last time. “No, the floor’s fine.”

  He shakes his head and dishes up some food for himself. When everyone is done, I dish up a small amount; I’m not really hungry because my nerves are wreaking havoc.

  “So, Will, what song did you guys get for the duets?” Brooke asks.

  “Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac,” he responds.

  “Is that the song about a girl and guy hooking up and one wants more and the other doesn’t?”

  “Yes,” he mumbles hesitantly.

  “Oh, I’ll stop talking now,” Brooke says, looking down at her hands.

  “Quite fitting don’t you think,” Charlie sneers looking at Will.

  He gulps a lump in his throat and looks down at the plate of food that he’s hardly touched.

  I sigh and take a sip of my beer.

  “Okay, that’s enough picking on Will for one night ladies. Babe, how about you pick out a movie for us to watch?” Olsen asks.

  I put my plate of uneaten food on the table and make my way to the bathroom. When I come out, Will is standing there waiting for me, making me jump when I see him.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay,” I whisper trying not to look at him.

  He blocks my way to the living room and my breathing hitches when he takes my hand in his, and I feel that magnetism pulling strongly between us again.

  Oh, shit, I have to get out of here!

  “Will, please,” I beg when he moves his hand to my chin and lifts my face up to meet his.

  Crap!

  I really want to kiss him as I stare into his bright blue eyes.

  Double crap!

  My heart is pounding a million times a minute and I all I can see in his eyes is that he cares.

  “Kat I– ”

  “Oh, fuck it,” I say and I lean in and kiss him, taking him and myself by surprise. He pulls me to him so our bodies are touching and then he turns and pushes me hard up against the wall, kissing me strongly. He tastes so good and then his tongue finds mine.

  “Wait! I can’t do this.” I push him away; everything is telling me this is wrong. “Will, I can’t.” I go to walk away, but he grabs my hand and pulls me back to him. He then pushes me back against the wall and grips my hands above my head and then kisses me strongly. His tongue finds mine and I can’t help but lose myself in him. I want him so badly that my heart overrules my head, yet again. We stumble to the bedroom at the end of the hall never letting our lips part. Will kicks the door shut with his foot and he pulls my top off. We take off each other’s clothing quickly and end up naked, lying on the bed kissing passionately. His kiss is soft yet full of want as we make out on his bed. His body hovers over mine and I can feel the edge of his rising erection against my leg. I move my hand down to his length and start to move up and down on his shaft. He moans through our kiss and I know he likes it.

  He moves his hand from the back of my head down to my breast and he caresses it while I stroke him. His breathing is staggered and fast. He moans louder while he continues his assault on my mouth kissing me with such passion and force. I can feel his cock growing harder in my hand and I know he’s getting close. He massages my breast teasingly and rolls my nipple in between his fingers.

  This feels so good and so bad at the same time. I know I should stop, but I can’t help myself as he moves his hand from my breast down my stomach. His fingers reach my clitoris and circle it gently as my breathing hitches at his touch. His lips are still on mine when he moves his fingers into a v shape and continues to stroke me a little harder. Our breathing has become heavy and the feeling of want and need is so very prevalent.

  I feel him start to jolt slightly and I know he’s really close. I deepen my kiss and he reciprocates as he places his fingers inside me. He moves in and out of me repeatedly touching that spot inside me that is craving him so badly. I moan in his mouth and his breathing is escalating at a rapid rate, he suddenly pulls away from my grasp.

  “If you keep going I won’t be able to stop and I want to be in you when I come,” he whispers while he continues his assault inside me. I moan and let go of him. He moves so our bodies are touching and there’s no room between us. My hands move to grasp his back as he continues moving his fingers and his tongue with the same rhythm. Then he starts to rotate his fingers inside me, heightening my pleasure, while he thumbs my clitoris. Moving in and out, in and out of me. And then it happens, I arch my hips and moan loudly into his mouth while I orgasm at his touch. I can feel him smile against my lips as I come down from my high, moaning and clawing at his back with such pleasure it knocks the wind from my chest.

  He reaches over to the drawer and pulls out a condom packet, rips it open and rolls it onto his length. He maneuvers himself over me and I feel his rock hard cock against my entrance. He comes back down to kiss me, his entire body engulfing mine. He kisses me so forcefully it takes me by surprise. He moves his lips from mine and looks at me intently. His smoldering hooded blue eyes stare directly into mine with such lust that it takes my breath away.

  “Are you sure?” he asks me quietly and for a brief second I think ‘no’ but I nod my head.

  He enters me slowly, and I moan at the fullness as he stretches me with his entire length inside me. His head falls to my shoulder and his arms pin mine above my head. My head tilting back when he starts his tempo. The feeling astounds me; the chemistry between us is galvanized as he thrusts inside me. He moves his head back up and kisses me while my hands grasp his. I wrap my legs around his waist so he can penetrate me deeply.

  He moans quietly, the warm feeling of him inside with his persistent rhythm feels amazing. With each stroke, he pushes a little harder. He changes rhythm, circling, and pulling back slowly, then slamming into me again. The feeling of him is heightened incredibly. I cry out loudly while he pounds into me relentlessly. His mouth slants to mine, kissing me ferociously. His tongue stroking mine over and over again.

  “Oh Kat,” he mumbles through our kiss. The mention of him saying my name does something to me and with another swift thrust, I come apart again beneath him. I don’t even care if the others can hear me. I’m so engulfed with pleasure as I scream out his name.

  I hear Will chuckle slightly through our kiss while my orgasm continues to rip through me. With each thrust, my fingernails dig into his hands. My legs feel weak. I unwrap them from around him and in one swift motion; he pulls me so I’m on top of him. I rest my hands on his chest as I straddle him breathless. His blue hooded lust filled eyes stare into mine and he smiles that gorgeous smile. I start to move. My insides are still tingling from my longer than normal orgasm and the feeling of him deep inside me is sending me close to the edge once more. His hands move to my breasts caressing them and his hips move in synch to mine.

  This is so hot!

  My head falls back while I ride him. His breathing starts to become erratic and I know he’s close. I move down, chest to chest to kiss him and he kisses me back strongly. I feel another wave hit me and I climax clamping down on him while he unloads into the condom inside me.

  His hands find their way to the back of my head and he caresses my lips with a much softer kiss. Our breathing steadies while we slowly kiss each other. I move myself off and lie on the bed next to him. He pulls me to cuddle him and holds me tightly to his side. I rest my head in the nook between his arm and his chest, my safe place. It feels like home, it feels exactly like where I should be, exactly where I want to be.

  “That was amazing. You’re amazing,” he whispers in my ear.

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” I reply making him laugh.

  He moves so I’m lying on the bed and he’s hovering over me. We kiss passionately for what seems like hours.

  ~*~

  I wake the next day to Will holding me tightly from behind. His arm is lying under my neck and the other is over the top of me around my stomach. I slowly move my hand to meet his and I entwine our fingers. He stir
s slightly as I move his hand to my chest. He raises his head and gently kisses me behind my ear. I smile and turn my head and he leans in and kisses me softly.

  “Morning,” he whispers quietly.

  “Good morning,” I say back just as quiet.

  He tightens his hand around mine and brings it up to his lips and kisses it tenderly. I start to think maybe I can do this whole ‘friends with benefits’ thing if it means I am with him.

  Do I really need to have a label attached to our relationship anyway?

  “Okay,” I say to him.

  His forehead crinkles in confusion. “Okay?”

  I turn my body to face him. “I’ll do it.”

  He looks at me frowning and rubs his forehead. “Um, you’ve lost me?”

  I take in a deep breath and gaze into gorgeous blue eyes. “Okay, I’ll do this,” I say, gesturing with my hands.

  His eyes light up and he smiles widely and then kisses my lips softly. “So you’re agreeing to being with me monogamously, but not as my girlfriend?”

  I nod through our kiss and he holds onto me tightly. “On one condition.”

  He nods.

  “That you’re only with me and no other women while we’re in this… whatever this is.”

  “Of course. I already said that I want to be with… sleep with you and no one else. There’s only you Kat.”

  “Okay, then we have a deal,” I say and put out my hand.

  He crunches his eyebrows and shakes his head but takes my hand and shakes it.

  I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but to have him in some way is better than not at all. Trying to avoid him simply isn’t working. This is the best option that I can see, for now anyway. He leans in and kisses my lips moving his weight on top of me and I feel his erection. I know he wants me as much as I want him.

  I pull his chest to mine, my hands in his hair and we kiss strongly. He reaches for the bedside drawers and pulls out a condom packet, rips it and rolls it on. I smile at him as he looks at me for reassurance that this is what I want. I nod and with that he leans over me and is swiftly inside me again.