by Tabatha Kiss
“Yeah, no shit,” she smiles.
“What did he tell you?” I ask.
“He didn’t have to tell me anything, Piper.” She shakes her head. “Firstly, it was pretty suspicious when our plane took off from Paris and he wasn’t on it. Secondly, when he finally showed up at school a week later looking like an abused stray, it was pretty damn obvious who kicked him.”
“An abused stray?”
“Yeah,” she scoffs. “Whatever happened between you two over there really messed him up, Piper.”
“It did?” I sit back.
“Oh yeah. If it weren’t for me, I don’t think he’d say a word to anyone — except Shawn, of course.”
I eye the room around us. This isn’t what I expected. The fight we had that last day in Madrid before he left was a major one. I was sure he’d get back home and immediately be balls-deep in college girls starting from day one. Unlike myself. I’ve spent the last few months in a blinding sexual rut. The confident and seductive Piper Lynch fell off her pedestal. And she fell hard. “He said he loved me,” I admit.
“And you never said it back,” she says. It’s not a question. Score one for Mandy Black and her amazing perception skills.
“I couldn’t,” I say. “It never even crossed my mind…”
“But dragging him around with you to hotel rooms all over Europe was well within the realm of your capabilities,” she bites.
“Mandy…” I sigh.
“Piper, I love you…” she says, “but I’m siding with Kai on this one.”
“I never asked him to stay with me in Paris,” I argue.
“Did you ever ask him to leave?”
“No, but—”
“But nothing, Piper,” she interrupts. “You broke him. I’ve spent six months gluing him back together and today, I thought I made a little bit of progress… and then you showed up.”
It stings. A lot. “I’m sorry,” I say.
“Don’t say it to me, honey,” she says. “There’s someone else that deserves those words a little bit more.”
“If I had known it was this bad, I would have done something sooner,” I say.
“It was your idea to maintain radio silence,” she says.
I nod. I didn’t want her to know exactly where I was so that when my father inevitably grilled her about my whereabouts after she left Paris, she wouldn’t have to lie to him. I fall forward and rest my face against my hands. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?” I ask.
She shrugs. “No idea,” she says. “But you came all the way here, you might as well try and talk him into it.”
“I don’t want to talk him into anything…” I mutter as I sit back. “I just want to talk to him again. I can’t get him out of my head and I can’t go back to Europe until he’s out of my system.”
“So this wasn’t just a transatlantic booty call?” she smirks.
I shake my head. “Sex isn’t really on my mind much lately.”
“Well, that’s one thing the two of you have in common, I guess…” She looks around. “He spends all of his time either studying or working out. You can imagine how frustrating that is for Shawn the Party Guy,” she chuckles.
I give a small laugh. “Thanks for taking care of him.”
“Kai doesn’t need anyone to take care of him, same as you,” she says. “I’m just an ear when he needs one.”
“You’re more than just an ear to me,” I tell her. “I’m sure he feels the same way.”
“Maybe,” she says. Her eyes narrow for a moment before speaking again. “So, Kai finally confesses his love for you and you say… nothing?”
“What could I say?” I ask.
“‘I love you, too’ would have been a good start,” she suggests.
“But…” I take a breath. “I didn’t want to lie to him.”
“You don’t love him back?”
I close my eyes and think on it for the millionth time since he said the words in my mother’s apartment in Paris. “No,” I say. “I don’t. At least… I don’t think so.”
“Well, if you ask me…” She leans forward. “Folks, in general, don’t typically travel across the world to apologize to people they feel meh about. Especially when they could just do it over the phone. Just an observation.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I sigh. “Let’s just say, hypothetically, that I do love him. What happens then?”
“That’d be up to you guys,” she says.
“He’s here. At school,” I continue. “And I’m… anywhere else.”
“I think if you two really wanted each other, you’d figure that out. But if either of you don’t want to put forth the effort, well…” She lets the thought dangle in the air, but it’s pretty obvious what the alternative is.
“You’re right,” I say.
“Of course I am. I’m Mandy fucking Black.”
I chuckle at her. “So, tell me about this party Shawn’s all psyched about.”
Her smile stretches from ear-to-ear.
Chapter 4
Kai
Story of my life…
I thumb the button on the treadmill to increase the speed. I’ve already been at it for too long and my heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest, but it’s better than feeling the alternative. My feet push through the pain of blisters forming on my toes, forcing me to run faster and faster, although I’m locked in the same spot. I’d think it was poetic if it wasn’t so damn depressing.
The universe must be pretty fucked up to drop Piper Lynch on my doorstep today. I was ready to move on from her, ready to forget that I ever said those three little words to her and bury my face in the nearest pussy I could get. It reminds me of those old Greek myths of gods and goddesses hanging out in the clouds, watching mortals do their thing until one day, they drop some bullshit down just to laugh at the poor human while he tries to figure out what smells so bad.
I would have preferred a sudden snow storm or a car accident or a shark attack. Something — anything — would have been better than Piper fucking Lynch showing up at my goddamn door with that adorable hair cut and her perfect little half-smile. And you know what? For a second there, I was absolutely thrilled to see her face. Downright ecstatic. In that moment, I knew where she was in the world. I knew she was alive and thriving and not starving to death on the street somewhere in Moscow. That was never a possibility, of course, but when you care so much about a person, any and all horrible scenarios are within the realm of chance, no matter how ludicrous they may seem. Blissful joy coursed through me at the very sight of her… until the scent of pure and utter bullshit hit my nostrils.
Fuck you, Zeus.
My knee gives out beneath me and I grab the side rails to hold me up. I nearly slip off the damn treadmill, but I manage to balance myself on the sides until the track slowly comes to a halt beneath me.
“Jesus, dude…”
I look over and see Shawn staring at me. “Heuu—” I attempt to choke out a hello, but nearly every function in my body has put itself in time-out. My lungs burn with each little breath I take. My arms shake, far too weak to continue holding me up for much longer.
“You all right?” he asks. I shake my head and cough in both directions. “You look like you’re about to hurl,” he notes.
I swallow to coat my dry throat. “I might…” I whisper. He stands there next to the treadmill for a few moments until I catch my breath again.
“I need a spot,” he says.
I nod and stumble off the treadmill to follow him across the nearly deserted room to the free weights. He’s got a barbell set up with more weight than he’s capable of lifting, but I don’t like to crush Shawn’s spirit when he’s so full of confidence. He lies down on the bench and I hover my hands over the bar while I continue heaving new air in and out of my lungs.
“So…” he says as he grips the bar above him. “What’s the deal with you and the teenage runaway?”
I cringe, but mask it with a quick move t
o wipe the sweat off my forehead with my shirt. “What makes you think there is one?” I ask.
He brings the heavy weights down to his chest and the veins in his neck pop out through his skin. “You didn’t say a word to her,” he chokes. His arms quake as he struggles to lift the bar back up. I keep my fingers beneath it in case it slips and drops on his damn throat. “Hasn’t Piper technically been missing for months?”
I shake my head. “She wasn’t missing. Piper knew exactly where she was the whole time.”
Shawn does one more rep before maxing out and I grip the bar to easily guide it back to the top. He sits up and turns around to look at me. “No one else did though,” he argues. “Not even Mandy’s heard from her in months.”
“Really?” I ask. Of all people, I thought for sure she would have kept in touch with Mandy. I was even tempted to ask her about it a few times, but I could never bring myself to go through with it.
“Really.” He stands up and begins sliding a few pounds off each side to make it easier for him to lift.
“Let’s just say she and I didn’t exactly part ways as friends,” I say.
He laughs and lies back down on the bench. “What else is new?” he asks. “You two have never been friends, but I think a sibling at least warrants a hello or something.”
“She just took me by surprise is all.” I hover my fingers under the bar as he begins his reps again. It’s a little easier on him this time, but not by a lot.
He shrugs once between reps. “Whatever you say then.”
Luckily, he leaves it at that. He probably thinks it has something to do with our bet. Good. I’d rather him believe that Piper rejected me outright in Europe and I was just pissed at her because I lost. It’s strange how much things can change. I remember the days when I used to fantasize about finally being able to tell him I banged Piper. Now, I can’t even stomach the idea of anyone else knowing about what we shared together, with the obvious exception of Mandy. Mandy understands. She doesn’t judge.
“You good here?” I ask him as he sits back up.
“Yeah,” he answers.
“I’m going to hit the shower then.”
“Cool,” he says. “Then what do you say we grab a bite before meeting the girls for the party?”
I grit my teeth. This party is now the last thing in the world I want to go to, especially with Piper in attendance, but I’d already made a big deal about going. “She’s going to that, too, then?” I ask.
“Last I heard, yes.”
“Oh, what fun…” I step away and take quick paces towards the locker rooms. I stop by the doors and bend over the water fountain to take a long drink. It’s stale and warm, but it’s better than nothing.
Piper. What does she want? Why show up now? I knew we’d inevitably cross paths again, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. Piper was dead set on leaving this place and reuniting with her mother. It’s only been six months…
“Thirsty, Kai?”
I snap up from the fountain to find Nina Brock leaning against the wall next to it. Mandy’s roommate. I realize that I’m not even sure how long I’ve been hunched over this thing. She could have been waiting for a long time. “Oh — sorry, Nina,” I tell her as I step back.
She flashes a cute smile at me and her eyes jog me up and down. “Working hard?” She reaches up to hold her long, red hair back as she bends over to take a swig from the fountain.
“Yeah…” My eyes shoot down her body. Tight and athletically toned Nina Brock. Sure, I’ve thought about it once or twice.
She stands up and releases her hair. It topples down her shoulder and lands just above her breasts, locked tight against her beneath a pink sports bra. “You guys going to that off-campus party later?” she asks me. She traces a finger across her lips to wipe away any spare water on them and my cock twitches in my shorts.
“Yeah, planning on it,” I answer.
She smiles again. “Cool. Maybe I’ll see you there?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, definitely.”
Nina spins on her toes and pushes the girl’s locker room door open. She sends one last quick glance my way before disappearing behind it.
Suddenly, I don’t really give a fuck why the hell Piper Lynch came back to town.
***
The party sits about a mile off-campus in a big, old house owned by a handful of upperclassmen. We decide to walk because it’s so close, but also for the more obvious reason of no one wanting to be the evening’s designated driver.
Mandy and Piper walk ahead with their arms linked together. Their voices dance in the air ahead of us and I realize how much I missed hearing them mix about. Mandy’s voice is high-pitched, not too far away from a small child’s sound, but Piper’s is deep and feminine, a perfect compliment. I remember the long hours of sitting on trains with them, listening to their voices firing back and forth about absolutely nothing at all.
Ugh. Can I please go an hour without getting nostalgic about Europe?
My eyes linger down to peak at their legs. Piper must not have brought much with her other than the clothes on her back, because I recognize the dress she’s wearing from Mandy’s vast collection of vintage outfits. It’s sapphire blue with the sleeves cut off at the shoulders. Tight-fitting. The skirt stops a few inches down her white thighs. My eyes travel up her back, guided by the black zipper trailing up from her ass to her neck. Oh, that ass. What I wouldn’t give to feel my cock resting between her cheeks again—
I bite my inner lip and taste blood. I shove my hands in my pockets and force myself to look elsewhere.
Music hits our ears about a block down the street. Shawn cracks his knuckles in sweet anticipation. “I am so pumped for this, man…” he says.
“Should be fun,” I say.
He slaps a hand against my shoulder. “And hey— thanks a lot for coming. It’s about time you mingled.”
“Yeah…” I notice Piper peak over her shoulder at us. Her hair flips with her head and the ends get caught between her smiling lips. “I wouldn’t miss it,” I tell him.
Her eyes continue to linger on us. “Have you guys been here before?” she asks.
Shawn shakes his head. “Nope. We missed the first party last semester. Apparently, it was a doozy.”
I keep my mouth shut. The less I say to Piper, the better off I’ll be. Talking to her means falling into old habits. My tongue isn’t nearly as trained as it used to be and I don’t think I’d keep up with the quick-witted banter with her anymore.
“Well,” she continues, “it looks like it’ll be interesting.”
I glance up at her to find her staring back at me. Something isn’t right here. Piper never says shit like this. Unless the words are absolutely necessary to a given situation, she doesn’t speak them. Period. Small talk, to Piper Lynch, is complete horse shit, a waste of perfectly good energy. It’s one of the few things I really respect about her. So, what the fuck is she doing right now?
She wants me to talk to her.
I blink back at her. Her dark, expectant eyes are practically begging me to speak to her. Soft, warm, without a hint of malice or grief. Just bright, blue oceans, strategically lulling me in for a late night swim.
I lick my lips. For a second, I think I might throw doggy a bone. Maybe I’ll tease her with a slight grunt of acknowledgment, but no. I don’t think so. I press my lips back together and glance away. From the corner of my eyes, I catch her turning around and she continues walking towards the house.
It’s childish, I know, but I’ll take whatever small victory I can get. Giving in to what Piper wants is the last thing I want to do right now. It’ll torture her for awhile, and she’ll no doubt try again, but it’s not often one manages to be one step ahead of Piper fucking Lynch.
I grin to myself as we walk up the porch stairs.
The entire house is already shaking with life. Faces both vaguely familiar and completely strange fill my vision as we step inside. It’s your basic house party, the kind S
hawn and I used to throw way back in high school when either of our parents were out of town, but multiplied by a thousand. The party has to be only a few hours old, but the house is already trashed with empty red cups and inebriated co-eds.
It’s the perfect setting to get lost in and ignore Piper’s begging eyes.
Chapter 5
Piper
I spent years — years — avoiding Kai Casablancas.
For so long, he was my least favorite person in the world. He was a dog. A simple jock with a cock. He blazed through our class at Belle Academy, bedding every girl he could to win a bet, of all reasons. I knew that eventually, he’d come sauntering down the hall and knock on my door as well. After all, a complete set isn’t a complete set without every piece and I was determined to be the missing piece of his disgusting puzzle.
Then Europe happened.
Then that night on my mother’s couch happened.
Look at me, Kai.
He’s standing across from me now in some stranger’s house, surrounded by people he and Shawn seem to know. A red cup sits limply in his fingers, filled to the top with his third helping of beer. He’ll shoot me the occasional glance, but it never lingers long enough to make me feel any better. He’s determined to make this as difficult as possible, but I came all this way and I’m not leaving until he talks to me.
Shawn cracks a joke and the group laughs, Kai included. His chuckle echoes in my mind, pulling me back to that place in time when he used to laugh with me. My eyes wander down his body. Mandy said he spends his time studying and working out. The latter is especially obvious. He was a stunning specimen before all of this and now, my knees quiver gently as I steal glances at his tight, black shirt.
When I finally look up again, we lock eyes.
I jolt slightly, embarrassed that he caught me gawking at him. I expect him to turn away, but he keeps his focus on me. Little hairs ignite on the back of my neck and goosebumps travel along my limbs. My heart races. I bring my cup to my lips and take a quick sip of the cheap American crap these college kids could afford.