by Claire Adams
“Well, there aren't any other girls out there who are like you. You are one of a kind.”
Then, to my surprise, he slowly brought his lips to mine and kissed me softly. Sparks went off in my mind, but not just there; my heart also sprang alive with his kiss. It was the softest kiss; there wasn't even any tongue, and yet it lit me up instantly. I couldn't remember the last time a kiss had that effect on me, maybe never. It not only made my mouth tingle in a delicious way, but it enticed heat to run through the length of my body. I gasped as it took my breath away.
He pulled away and stared at my trembling bottom lip, and then kissed me again, just as softly. But this time it was with a little more urgency as his tongue slipped into my mouth. Heat exploded through my body. I stopped myself from letting a moan escape my lips. I knew if I allowed that, it would be my undoing. He would not take no for an answer if he knew I wanted more from that kiss. I had no idea why he had such an effect on me, but I wasn't about to let him become aware of that fact.
I pulled away suddenly and saw confusion written on his face.
“Not now, Jet,” I said.
“What's wrong?”
I just shook my head. “Nothing. Is that all you needed, then?” I smiled before looking down at my feet when I spoke, knowing that my cheeks were flushed.
There was a moment of silence before he said, “I guess.” There was a certain sadness in his voice that I couldn't quite understand. I really just couldn't comprehend what I had that he wanted.
I looked up to watch him slowly walk away. He faced me at first, and then turned his back to me and walked down the sidewalk. I watched him until he disappeared, more confused than I had been the entire night.
I walked up the steps of my building and slowly unlocked the door. I trotted back up the five flights of stairs, and exhausted, I practically fell into my apartment. I slipped silently back into my room and bed, making sure not to wake Julie again. Although I was exhausted, and should have fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, I didn't. Instead, I lay there, staring up at the ceiling in the dark, and thought about that kiss. I thought about that kiss for hours.
Chapter Ten
Jet
There weren't many cabs in that particular area; most circled the downtown area to pick up the drunks, even on weeknights. There was always someone out having a good time. Never Natalie, though, she wouldn't know a good time if it hit her in the face. I could not figure that girl out if my life depended on it.
I had walked a block from Natalie's house before I saw a cab make a turn on the street I was on, and I stuck my hand down to flag it. The driver saw me and slowed until he pulled up right in front of me. I wasn't in the mood for chit chat, so I opened the side door of the van and climbed into the back. I gave the driver my address and he pulled away from the curb.
To avoid idle talk, I leaned my head back on the seat and closed my eyes. He probably assumed I was drunk, and would just leave me alone. On the entire drive home, all I thought about was Natalie. Was I wasting my time with that girl? She just wouldn't give in, not even a little bit. I hadn’t gone there with the intention of sleeping with her, but I wouldn't have turned it down. A kiss for sure, yes; a lot of kissing was definitely on my mind. But in the end I had hoped that she would warm up to me.
It had seemed like she really enjoyed the kiss. In fact, she had kissed me back. It had been intense, seductive, and God yes, arousing. Her lips, the taste of her, were like a drug, and I was hooked. I wanted more. I would have kissed those lips alone all night long, and still been satisfied. But she had once again thrown me for a loop. She had separated from the kiss, and looked like she even regretted it. I couldn't figure out why she kept pushing me away. Most girls knew my reputation, and they still came back for more; why was Natalie so different? And how could she not know by now that I thought of her differently? I most definitely wouldn't have continued trying so hard with her if I just wanted to sleep with her and toss her aside. There were plenty of other girls I could seek out at this point if that was all I wanted.
Why had she pulled away and sent me off like a dog with his tail between his legs? It had been marginally humiliating, and although I probably should have confronted her, all I could do was walk away to avoid further rejection. The girl had my nuts by a sling, and I couldn't seem to get them back. What could I have done at that point? I didn't know, but I was starting to wonder if I should consider bailing on her, the project, the pursuit, everything, because she was starting to drive me half mad.
I rubbed my eyes hard, frustration building up in me. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew I might have to, because there was a strong possibility that Natalie would never warm up to me, despite her lingering mouth on mine.
The cab pulled up to my apartment, and I sat up straight in my seat. I dug deep into my pocket for some bills. I handed him a twenty and a five, and told him to keep the change. He thanked me as I pushed open the van door and stepped out. I closed the door behind me and headed to my apartment door. What a night.
I opened the door to my apartment and walked inside to find my roommate on the couch drinking beers again. Kyle couldn't seem to curb his drinking, despite being on the MMA team. Some people just didn't have the discipline. He was young; he might grow up eventually, but right now partying was one of his priorities.
“Hey man, where ya been? Did you find that girl of yours? Was she primed and ready for you?” He laughed as he said those things to me. I just stared at him at first, unsure of what to say. I made the mistake of telling Kyle after my fight that I was going to go hook up with Natalie. I certainly thought I would have, in one form or another, and if not, then at least get her warmed up enough to go out on a date with me.
The last thing I wanted to have to do is tell Kyle that I had struck out. In his eyes, Natalie should have been an easy lay. If I couldn't get her to sleep with me, he would find it hilarious and it would spread like wildfire, and I would feel humiliation among all my teammates. I was a big shot amongst my friends, and although the embarrassing fact that I couldn't get her in bed wouldn't last long, it would sting long enough for my friends to begin to look at me in a new light, and I couldn't have that.
“Yeah, I found her.”
“Sick. What happened, man? Did you finally slay the dragon?”
I started laughing. I couldn't believe Kyle sometimes. “I don't know about that, but I got exactly what I wanted.”
“Did you fuck her?”
I paused, hating myself for saying it, but it's not like she would ever find out, “Yeah, I fucked her twice. She liked it so much that she asked for seconds.”
“Ohhhhh, you're the man! That's awesome. Was she any good?”
“Yeah, she was Grade A, man, a pretty good lay.”
“Did she try to get you to spend the night? I hate when they ask that. I just want to pump them and then get the hell out of there. Move on, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. After I banged her into the headboard twice she wanted to cuddle, and I'm like, naw, I gotta go, baby. But maybe next time.”
“Next time!” He burst out laughing.
I felt like a complete idiot telling that story, but there was no harm in it, and at least I wouldn't look like a complete fool.
“So are you gonna keep banging her?”
I paused, and thought about Natalie. I thought about how much I really did want to sleep with her, and stay with her as long as she would let me. “I don't know,” I said slowly.
“Hey, why not? If she's good, take a few more rounds out of her before you move on.”
“Maybe.”
“Unless you think she's getting attached. Then it might not be the best idea to keep her around.”
Attached? I almost laughed. I had gotten her to kiss me before she sent me packing, and that was about it. I wasn’t even sure she would ever let me get that close to her again. She couldn't be less attached to me. Despite her reaction to my kiss, I couldn't even tell if she lik
ed me. She could despise me. No matter what I did, I couldn't get that girl to warm up to me. It was heartbreaking, really. For me, at least, she didn't seem to care one way or another. What was I going to do about Natalie? The puzzle was still driving me mad, and I didn't know whether to drop her or keep trying.
“Yeah, she might be getting a little attached. She got a good taste of me, ya know. She may not be able to let me go.”
“You're kidding me? She did that? You lucky guy! She must be hooked on you. Usually a girl won't go down on me the first time. It always takes them time to warm up to the idea.”
I went around to the couch, grabbed one of his beers out of the refrigerator, and cracked it open. I took a long pull on the can and sat down beside Kyle. I had just lied through my teeth, and I didn't feel awesome about it.
“She's actually pretty great. Maybe I will see her again.”
Kyle helped himself to another beer. He laughed. “I probably would, too, if she did that to me. But maybe not; I like my variety. You should probably just move on.”
“Maybe you're right. We'll see.”
“Hey man, you wanna play some games?”
“In a bit. I'm going to jump in the shower first, and wash her off of me.”
“Okay, you know where to find me when you're done.”
I took my beer with me into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I undressed and got the shower started. I chugged the beer, feeling the cool liquid pour down my throat. I hadn't had a beer in a while, and it tasted glorious. It definitely had that relaxing quality to it that helped you feel better after the burn of rejection. I stepped into the shower and rinsed myself off. I quickly shampooed my hair, rinsing it just as quickly. I took the bar of soap and massaged my entire body, making sure I soaped up good everywhere before getting under the torrent of water and rinsing off.
I thought of Natalie, and felt a dull throb in my dick. Yeah, I wish more would have happened between us tonight. I had to get that girl out of my head. If nothing was going to happen between us, then I needed to stop obsessing about her.
I turned the tap off and drew the shower curtain aside. I stepped out of the shower and towelled myself off. I slung the towel over the shower rod, and got dressed in some flannel pajama pants. As I did that, I remembered Natalie's elephant pants, and I broke out into a smile. She really was something else. How I would have loved to have taken those pants off for her.
I walked back into the living room and sat on the couch with Kyle, who was in the middle of playing a video game. I cracked open another beer and said, “Okay man, let's get some gaming on.”
Kyle ended his game and tossed me a gaming remote. I decided right then and there to stop thinking so much about Natalie. Maybe it was time to move on to the next one.
Chapter Eleven
Natalie
Class had dragged on that day. I wasn't sure if it was the teaching, or if it was that I was still tired from the night before. It had taken me forever to get to sleep after Jet left, and I knew why. That kiss had moved like electricity through my body; in fact, it had such an effect on me that I had a hard time getting Jet off my mind the entire morning. Maybe that's why class seemed boring in comparison to thinking about Jet and that kiss. Shockingly enough, I even had the crazy notion that I might like to kiss him again. Imagine that. Maybe I had been too hard on him this whole time; maybe he did deserve the benefit of the doubt. There was no need to mistrust him until he gave me a reason to. And the fact of the matter was I kind of wanted to see what was behind that kiss; to see if there was more than lust there.
Once class ended, I decided to take out some of my stress and frustration at the gym. I hadn't been there in a few days, due to my course load and assignments. However, I had a few free hours, so why the hell not? It might actually help me to fall asleep that night. I usually preferred to work out early in the morning, as I was usually too tired later on to get in there, but that day was an exception.
The campus gym was pretty exquisite. It was one of those state-of-the-art facilities that had everything you could possibly need to work out with, all in one place, with numerous makes and models. Although there were times where you still had to wait for a machine, it was a rare thing. Usually there was more than enough available for everyone.
One of the other reasons why I enjoyed working out early was because there was typically no one there that early. Most students were either hungover from the night before, or in class, and didn’t bother with early morning workout sessions. By mid-morning, the gym was a lot busier than it was when I generally came in.
I headed to the treadmills and stepped onto one. I entered all the requirements, and set the speed to allow for a slow jog at first, and then I would increase the speed as I went. I put my headphones on, and got my iPod rolling with some good jams.
I spent those 40 minutes in my own world; this was the time for me to fix all the problems that had been plaguing me lately. I felt at that point that I had my art project under control, and the first month was already complete. At the moment, I didn't have any other big projects coming up, so I could probably spend some time on my own art to get ready for a new show. I wasn't sure when the next one was coming, but it was always good to have a solid collection ready to go at the drop of a hat.
Now, what to do about Jet? The thought of letting him into my world gave me a touch of anxiety. I wasn't entirely sure I could trust him, but that kiss had sparked something inside of me that I wasn't sure I could continue to deny much longer. I was curious about why the kiss had moved me so much. Maybe there was more there to examine between us than I had realized. I didn't want to miss out on something spectacular if it was there for the taking.
The 40 minutes flew by, and my cool down began. I slowed to a fast walk and wiped the sweat off my brow. I pulled my headphones out of my ears, and took a quick look around the room. I had a minute and a half left before the treadmill stopped on its own.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of people, guys and girls, clustered against the wall. It wasn't an unusual thing to see. There were always groups of people lurking around, some with no real interest in working out, just there to try and get with a guy or girl. The unusual thing about this group was that they all seemed to be staring at me. They would glance over, and then whisper amongst each other, and then glance over again. I had never seen anything like it before, and I raised an eyebrow at them.
Although I was known around campus as an art student, I was never considered unpopular. I had never been the victim of bullying, nor had anyone tease me or make fun of me. In fact, a lot of people had known my ex, and liked him a great deal. For the most part, people liked me as well, but being shy, I just never immersed myself within a large group of people. That's why I found that little clique’s behavior to be highly unusual.
I gave them an obvious and pointed shrug, as if to say, Hey what's with all the staring? I brushed it off, and started heading toward the free weight area. I could still feel their eyes on me, and my stomach began to turn, as if I knew that they had a clue to a secret that I knew nothing about.
There was a girl lifting weights when I walked over, and she already had her eyes on the group of people as well. She had a quizzical look on her face, and I hoped she didn't think that I was some loser, too. The whole thing struck me as a little bizarre, but maybe I was just having one of those days.
The girl turned to me when I approached, and smiled awkwardly. Yup, she thinks I'm a loser. Wonderful.
I picked up some 15 lb. free weights, and sat down on a bench to do bicep curls. I never lifted heavy weights, I mainly did free weights just to add a little muscle to my body, but I didn't want anything crazy.
“Don't worry about them.”
Surprised, I looked up at her. “Excuse me?”
She pointed to the group, which was kind enough to turn away. “I'm talking about those nitwits. Really classy bunch over there that can't stop staring at you.”
“Yeah ...
I'm not really sure what that's about.”
“You don't know? Really? Well, I know we like to think that guys keep their mouths shut, but it's rarely the case. Sorry,”
I dropped the weights as I grew a little annoyed. Was this puzzle day? If so, I had no idea what the hell was going on. “I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“It's ‘cause you slept with Jet.”
“I did what?”
“Jet's roommate has a fairly large trap, and he was talking about you and Jet getting it on pretty hot and heavy last night after he stopped over at your place. After that, it spread, which is why you seem to have caught the interest of that group over there.”
“I've never met Jet's roommate.”
“It doesn't matter; Jet obviously filled him in on the two of you, and Kyle spilled the beans. It sucks, I know. Guys can be such pigs.”
I stared down at the weights I had dropped, trying to process the information I had just been given. I looked back at the group, which at that point had moved on to more interesting things. They thought I had slept with Jet. That's why they had been staring at me. They were probably wondering why a guy like Jet would sleep with a girl like me.
“I didn't sleep with Jet, though.”
“You don't have to hide it, girl, we aren't in high school anymore. Everyone does it.”
I laughed nervously. “No, that's not it. I seriously have never slept with Jet ever, nor do I intend on it.” The girl looked me over carefully, so I added, “I honestly don't know why those people think I did.”
“Well they think that because Kyle told them. Kyle isn't the kind of guy that goes around telling lies, so I'm guessing that for whatever reason Jet told him you guys did the nasty, and Kyle exposed it.”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Some guy I had never met was going around campus telling everyone that I had slept with Jet last night. I was going to strangle Jet when I got my hands on him.