by Claire Raye
Opening the door, I find my roommate Alice sprawled out on her bed, and when she takes a look at my face, she knows something’s wrong.
“You okay?” she asks, dropping the book she’s reading onto the floor. “You look like shit. And why are you back here?”
Alice and I were placed together by the fabulous dorm room lottery system, and unlike most college roommates, we hit it off immediately, bonding over our old school names and love of the movie Clueless. I totally take no offense to her telling me I look like shit and asking why I’ve suddenly made an appearance after my constant absence.
“Will didn’t meet me after class,” I say, but it’s more a desperate whiny complaint.
“That is weird since he’s been up your ass since the skunk incident.”
I’m still standing in the doorway, phone in my hand, checking it for the millionth time just in case I missed something when it rings startling Alice and me. I actually toss it on my bed and scream out loud making Alice laugh hysterically.
“You better answer that,” she says through hiccupping laughs. “If it’s him you’re going to be pissed you missed his call.”
I scramble over to the bed and flip my phone open, answering quickly and far too out of breath.
“Ellen!” my sister Lauren shrieks and I let out a loud exhale making my annoyance fully known.
“Lauren, what?”
“When are you coming home again? I need you to come home,” she wails and I know this has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the cute Aussie boy who has been giving her a hard time since his arrival.
“Soon. I promise. I have to pick up my new skunk-free car and Dad said he’d book me a ticket when he gets it,” I say trying to placate her and distract myself. “But you’ve got me on the phone now so what’s the deal?”
“You’re never going to believe what he did.” And as bothered as she sounds I know she loves this attention. She’s fifteen and he’s the first boy to pay an active interest in her. It might all be out of convenience since they’re pretty much trapped at our parents’ vineyard, but it’s still cute.
“What happened?” I ask, an attempt to show I’m fully invested in this coming of age love story she’s got going on.
She proceeds to fill me on in on how Jack found a bucket of old grapes in one of the sheds and when she wasn’t paying attention he came up behind her and dumped them on her. She goes through all the emotions she felt and how Jack apologized and offered to take her to movie to make up for it. Yet somehow through all of this she has completely missed the point that Jack is head over heels crushing on her.
“What do you think I should do?” Lauren asks just as my phone begins beeping, alerting me that someone is calling on the other line.
“I think you should make out with him,” I quickly splutter out, trying to rush her off the phone as I hope the incoming call is Will.
“Ellen, no! He’s…”
I cut her off. “He’s cute and he likes you so at least kiss him.” I hang up before she can say another word and switch over to the other line. “Hello,” I answer, but of course I sound desperate.
“El, hey, sorry about today,” Will’s voice says and as soon as I hear his voice a smile pulls at my lips and relief washes over me. When I catch a glimpse of Alice’s face she rolls her eyes and pretends to make out with herself, her arms wrapping around her body as she opens her mouth.
“Hey, Will. No problem. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I had an exam today that I totally forgot about. It ran a little long and I meant to text you.”
“How’d your test go?” I ask, genuinely interested.
“Mmmm, I don’t know. Probably not so great,” Will admits and I find this hard to believe. In the short time we’ve been together I’ve noticed most everything comes naturally to him, especially school.
“Why would you say that?”
“Well,” he says, pausing a second and then he laughs a little and adds, “I’ve spent all my time with this insanely hot and very distracting girl. Not much studying going on.”
“Will,” I practically shout, suddenly feeling terribly guilty that I’ve monopolized his time. “You need to study. You can tell me to shove off…”
“Never,” Will interrupts and as much as I want to spend time with him, I don’t want to be the reason he fails a class. “How about you and me have dinner tonight?”
“Only if you don’t have any exams coming up that you need to study for.”
“Nothing coming up so your ass better be here soon.”
It takes me about two seconds to slip into my boots and bundle up for my walk to Will’s apartment. It’s freezing outside, but that doesn’t stop me from walking several blocks to get there and doing it in record time.
Before I even have a chance to knock on the door, Will’s opening it and dragging me inside, his arms slipped around my waist, his lips connecting with mine.
“It was weird not meeting you after class,” he murmurs between kisses.
I nod my head in response unable to form a coherent thought as Will’s fingers slide under my shirt and begin to unhook my bra. With our bodies still connected, we walk together to the bedroom, our hands groping at the clothes that still cover the skin we both long to touch.
We finally separate, both of us tugging off our clothes and I lay back on the bed. Will stands in front of me and removes his shirt and I take him in. His body is perfection, all well defined muscles of his chest and stomach and arms; all of it created by his time spent in the pool. Something I learned about him our first night together, and although he no longer swims competitively, he still finds himself in the pool on a regular basis.
Suddenly, he’s on top of me, sliding his hands underneath me. Will’s lips return to mine as his tongue slowly slips into my mouth. I move against him, but he slows everything down, kissing every part of me, my lips, my neck, my breasts. I need him inside me. Reaching between us, sliding my hand around him.
“Will,” I plead. “I want you now.” I’m desperate for him especially after the panic I felt when he didn’t show up after my last class. It’s only been a short time, but I can’t imagine my life without him.
His touch is driving me crazy in ways I never imagined. I shift against him until he’s between my legs and for a moment I find relief. But within seconds the need returns. “Will, please,” I beg again, my arms pulling him against me. Will stops, his fingers tracing down my cheek to my neck and between my breasts. His eyes are heavy, his lips swollen and when I open my mouth in one last attempt, he silences me with a kiss.
He pulls away, smiling softly. “You’re all I want right now. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you.” His words make me smile because I’m sure I was total wreck the night we met. I guess he could see through all of that.
He leans down and kisses me again, trailing his lips along my cheek, he stops at my ear. “I need to feel you. I need to hear you moan when I’m inside you.”
“Holy shit,” I mutter as Will’s mouth returns to my body. Will kisses his way down my body, stopping occasionally along the way and his fingers brush against me, yet never entering. I’m squirming again. I’ve never been so turned on like this.
He runs his tongue where his fingers just touched. My body is burning and the coolness of his tongue only makes the ache worse. He traces his tongue up my body, his teeth grazing my breast. I gasp, burying my hands in his hair and practically begging him to fuck me.
Reaching into the nightstand, he pulls out a condom and positions himself between my legs.
He waits and I want to cry out.
“Will, please,” I beg, grinding against him attempting to ease the need, and in that moment his hips move and he’s inside me.
He’s quick and deliberate and neither of us can hold out, coming together our labored breathing the only sound filling the room.
We’re lying together in his bed, both of us sated and exhausted, and knowing we can’t always go o
n like this, but enjoying the fact that we’re both so into each other.
Will’s hand is running up and down my back as I rest my head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat slowly playing in my ear.
Seemingly out of nowhere Will says, “Tell me about where you grew up.”
“What do you want to know?” I ask, not even sure where to start.
“Everything.”
“I grew up on a vineyard outside of Napa, California. It’s been in our family for generations. I learned how to make wine when I was like five years old and when I’m done here, I’ll more than likely go back there to take over for my parents.”
“What about your sister?”
“She’ll go to school too, but she’s always had more of an active interested in the winery and vineyard than I have. As of right now, I’ll work the admin side of things. Do payroll, bookkeeping. I’ll be the accountant.”
“It must be nice to know exactly what you’ll do when you finish school,” Will comments, but it’s not the usual snide remark about already being set up by my family.
“It is, but at times people make comments about not having to worry about finding a job. I don’t think they understand the reputation I have to live up to, all the people I could possibly disappoint.”
“I can’t see you ever disappointing anyone,” Will says, and my face grows warm, his compliment making me realize how much he doesn’t know about me.
“Have you ever been to California?” I ask, knowing Rhode Island is basically as far away from California you can get within the continental U.S.
“Just once when I was a little. We went to Disneyland. It’s a long way from Rhode Island.”
I know I need to go home soon to pick up my new car, and as much as I want to ask Will to come with me, it might be too soon. Take him home to meet my family? Drive across the country with me?
While it might be too soon, and it might just fuck up everything I’ve started with Will, I still ask the question that has been swirling in my head the second he started asking about my family. Sucking in deep breath, I let it fly.
“Hey Will, would you want to fly home with me to pick up my car? We’d fly to Cali and then drive my car back to Ann Arbor.”
There’s a lull in the conversation, a silence that stills in the air and hangs heavy between us, and all I can think is, why the fuck would I have asked him this?
Chapter Six
Will
It’s been two weeks since Ellen invited me home with her and even though it was her who was nervous back then, as the plane descends into San Francisco, I feel my own stomach start to churn with nerves.
This feels like a big step, meeting her family and while I don’t doubt my feelings for Ellen, I do wonder what they will all think of me.
“You okay?” she asks, as we grab our bags from the overhead compartment.
I offer her a smile. “Yep.”
Ellen stares at me for a second. “You sure?”
I force my smile wider. “Definitely.”
She laughs. “You’re so full of shit.”
“What?” I reply, laughing as I gently nudge her down the aisle.
“You are totally nervous about meeting my family, aren’t you?” she says.
“Not at all,” I lie. “I already know they’ll love me.”
Ellen gives me a funny look as I grab her hand and we walk off the plane. The terminal is filled with people and we traverse the crowd, heading to the baggage claim. As we are riding the escalator down, Ellen soon waves to a lady that looks like an older version of her, waiting at the bottom with a huge smile on her face.
“Mom, this is Will,” she says, hand on my back. “Will, my mom, Cathy.”
We say our hellos and then we are collecting our bags and heading toward the parking garage, Ellen and her mom chatting the entire time.
Not long after we start driving, her mom shoots me a look before saying, “So, Will, you’re the one who saved my daughter from a deadly skunk?”
Ellen immediately blushes even as a laugh escapes me. “Yeah,” I reply. “Something like that.”
Cathy smiles in the rearview mirror, a knowing look on her face as she continues. “And it’s safe to assume the whole incident was alcohol related?” she asks.
“Well,” I say, stalling a little as I glance at Ellen. “I’m not sure I’d say that.”
“Ugh,” Ellen groans shaking her head. “Of course it was,” she admits. “The hangover part anyway,” she adds.
Ellen’s mom laughs, seemingly cool with the fact that her daughter has just admitted to underage drinking. “Well, we won’t be telling the insurance company that part,” she says.
The rest of the drive is filled with talk about college and how our courses are going. Her mom asks a few questions about my family and where I’m from and everything about it feels relaxed and friendly, and nothing like the interrogation I was half expecting.
By the time we pull into a winery, driving past a sign indicating Somerville’s, I’m feeling completely relaxed about the idea of meeting my girlfriend’s family.
We eventually pull into a drive that takes us to the back of the property, stopping in front of a pair of cottages. On the steps of the larger one, a young girl sits, waiting for us.
Cathy chuckles. “Just to warn you,” she says, motioning to the girl, “she’s been in a terrible mood ever since Jack left.”
Ellen smiles. “Misses him, huh?”
“Oh yeah,” Cathy replies. “Won’t admit it of course, but she definitely misses him.”
Ellen laughs as she hops out of the car, the grin on her face only getting bigger as she walks toward her younger sister.
“Hey Lauren,” she says, tugging on her sister’s hair as she sits down beside her. Their mom just laughs, as she walks past them and disappears inside the house.
“Hey,” Lauren answers.
“What’s up?” Ellen asks.
“Nothing,” Lauren replies, shaking her head.
“You sure about that? You seem a little sad?”
“No,” Lauren replies, a stubborn tone in her response.
“You sure?” Ellen repeats. “Maybe you actually miss him?”
“I don’t!” she shouts, standing, hands on her hips.
Ellen laughs again, reaching for her sister as she pulls her back onto the step. “It’s alright if you do, you know? I get it,” she adds, gesturing toward me.
Lauren glances up now, seemingly noticing me for the first time.
“Hey,” I say, offering her a smile.
“Hi,” she replies.
“I’m Will.” I step over to her, hand out.
Lauren stares at my hand before looking back up at me. “Lauren,” she finally says, shaking my hand.
“You want to give me a tour of the place?” I ask.
Lauren glances at her sister now, who shrugs at her before she turns back to me. “Okay,” she replies.
I nod, glancing at Ellen who gives me a strange look. I wink before pulling them both up.
Lauren leads the way, taking us back up to the sheds we passed on the drive into the property. I grab Ellen’s hand as we follow her, smiling when she squeezes it in thanks. Our tour is filled with references to Jack, the boy from Australia and all the annoying things he apparently did to her at each location we walk past. It makes Ellen and me smile, even if we both try to put on a serious face for Lauren’s sake.
Ultimately we end up in the grapevines, Lauren scowling as she points out the huge puddle of mud that Jack pushed her into only days ago.
“You know,” I say, hands on her shoulders. “It actually kinda sounds like he likes you.”
Lauren shakes her head. “No,” she says, stubbornness back. “He was a jerk. All he did was annoy me.”
I laugh. “Yeah, but that’s what boys do,” I tell her. “We act like jerks when we like someone.”
Lauren looks up at me, a questioning look on her face as though she’s trying to figure out if I�
��m being serious or if I’m really just giving her shit like her sister’s been doing.
“Seriously,” I add. “I mean, I totally gave your sister shit when we first met.”
Lauren cocks an eyebrow now, glancing sideways at Ellen before looking back at me. “How?” she asks skeptically.
I grin. “Well, she did totally get nailed by a skunk, remember?” I say, giving Ellen’s side a pinch, teasing her a little. “While she was completely hungover and doing the walk of shame back to her car. I mean there was so much material to work with.”
Ellen shakes her head, a smile on her face even as she buries her face in her hands in mock embarrassment.
Lauren turns to her. “Is that true?” she asks.
“Yep,” Ellen says, looking up. “It is. He still doesn’t let me live it down, even now.”
“And you’re okay with that?” she asks, still doubtful.
Ellen looks over at me and I grin, winking as she stares at me as if seriously contemplating her answer. “I am,” she eventually says.
“Why?” Lauren asks.
My grin widens as I step closer and pull Ellen into my arms. “Because she’s crazy about me,” I say, kissing her cheek. “Like I am about her,” I add. “And, like Jack is about you.”
Lauren blushes now, turning on her heel as she stares off into the distance, watching the sun slowly setting over rows and rows of grapevines.
“You know, you could write to him,” I suggest. Lauren glances at me over her shoulder and I smile. “I’ll bet you anything he’s missing you just as much as you’re missing him right now.”
She swallows hard, her face a mix of confusion and embarrassment as she takes in my words.
“Go on,” I tell her. “What’s the worst that could happen? He never writes back? So what, it’s not like you’ll ever have to see him again.”
Lauren says nothing as Ellen and I stand here watching her. Eventually she nods once, before turning and walking back toward the cottages.
I turn to follow her, but Ellen grabs my hand, stopping me. “You okay?” I ask.