Flaw (The Flaw Series)

by Ryan Ringbloom

I sink back into the couch. She went there. That’s not something we do. I’m quiet, staring ahead, pissed.

  Becca crawls into my lap and places her hands on my face. “I’m sorry. What are we doing? Why are we arguing about Josh and Jordyn? Me and you.” She kisses my lips. “Nothing else matters. We have each other. We love each other. We get each other. We’re gonna protect each other. Forget them. Okay?”

  I nod my head and let out a grunt. Becca relaxes and drops herself back down into our standard cuddle position.

  My jaw clenches, still raging over Josh’s play for my girl. Becca wants me to protect her and maybe I’m not doing such a good job of that. It’s time to forget about Jordyn. And it’s becoming clear that Josh’s days around here are numbered.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Josh

  Seeing Becca walk into the bar tonight is a nice surprise, but once again she stays quiet. Not the bouncy, silly girl I’m used to. I stick two cherries and a pineapple wedge through the toothpick of a tropical umbrella and place it in a tall glass of Diet Coke for her.

  “Thanks.” She pulls the toothpick out and scrapes a cherry into her mouth.

  Since that night under the blanket, since I’ve been home from the wedding, everything’s been off. Aidan stares me down as if he is going to kill me but says nothing. Almost like he knows and is just waiting for the right time to strike. I make sure and tread lightly when I’m around him, avoiding him as much as I can. When Becca is over she stays huddled up in my chair saying very little, which is unlike her. I know we need to talk. Finding the right words to start off has been tough.

  “Becca, I hope you’re not mad at me for what happened the other night. I can explain.”

  She sits at the bar, sipping her soda through a straw, and shrugs. No response. I take the cup away from her, holding onto it, so she can’t take sips to avoid talking to me. I think she’s finally about to say something when Jordyn walks over and interrupts us.

  “Is he telling you about what happened at the wedding? Sheesh. That was awkward.” Jordyn sighs.

  “Thanks, No. I was not telling her about that.” Nor was I planning on it.

  Becca breaks into a smile. “Oh, no, tell me. I didn’t hear anything about the wedding.”

  I give Jordyn a look that warns her to keep her mouth shut if she knows what’s good for her. The last thing I want is for Becca to know what happened at the wedding. I’m just glad it’s over and I survived. Something tells me if we hadn’t been at a big family wedding, I’d have been in a world of trouble.

  Jordyn holds her hands up and backs away to leave us alone.

  “You know you have to tell me now.” Becca smirks. “What did you do at the wedding? Hit on the bride?”

  “I just ran into an old high school friend.” I lean my arms forward on the bar to get closer and lower my voice so she has to lean in to listen. “I want to talk about the other night. The night on the couch.”

  Her body snaps back, eyes dart down to the bar. “Oh that, yeah. I’m over it. No big deal. We were watching TV. There was a hot girl on the show. Shit happens.”

  I reach across the bar and grab her hand. “There was a hot girl under that blanket. And I’m sorry I lost a bit of control.”

  Becca gives me a shy glance, then pulls her hand back, but a small smile gives away the fact that perhaps she’s flattered by what I just said.

  “If you weren’t with Aidan I’d hook up with you in a second. I sure wouldn’t have let you get up from that couch.” The words come out without thinking. I only meant for more flattery. Only it didn’t come out that way.

  “You’d hook up with me? What makes you think I’d hook up with you?” Her chest heaves and she stands up, pushing her stool away from the bar. “Guys like you are a joke. You’re a joke, Josh. You use girls and then toss them away like they’re garbage. And you know what happens to guys like that?” She smacks hers hands down hard on the bar. “Nothing. They wind up alone. Miserable. All the love they never gave, well, it comes back to haunt them, cause they never get love back.”

  Her hair wields around her as she storms out the door. I’m over the bar fast, chasing after her. “Becca, stop!” I catch up to her outside the bar, grabbing onto her arm. “That’s not what I meant. Fuck. I swear I did not mean it like that.”

  “Let go of me,” Becca demands, staring down at my hand still wrapped firmly around her arm. The cold wind whips around us. Her voice lowers down to a shaky whisper. “I can’t be around you anymore, Josh.”

  The whispered words come at me like a punch in the chest. My fingers relax open and her arm drops back to her side. I want to keep holding on but I have to let her go. She hesitates momentarily then takes off, running down the road to get away from me.

  Dammit! My fist slams onto one of the parked cars on the road. I kick the tire, setting off the alarm. What just happened? Why did I say it like that? I made her think I wanted her for nothing more than a hook up. I am completely fucked up. Fucking clueless.

  What now? I pace the short length of the sidewalk in front of the bar. A guy comes out of the bar and clicks off his alarm from the doorway. The cold winter air stings the moisture in my eyes. The answer is obvious. I wish there was another way. A way to go back and fix everything, and I do mean everything. “They wind up alone. Miserable.” That’s what my future holds.

  Jordyn’s at the door waiting for me when I walk back in. “You want to talk about it?”

  “Jordyn, there’s nothing to talk about. The asshole lifestyle I lived – I’m paying the price. The wedding, this thing with Becca… it’s all karma.” I swallow a lump forming in my throat, choking out the next words. “Becca’s got it right. I am a joke.”

  Aidan

  My workout is taking a detour. Instead of running at the gym, I’m jogging down Tenth Avenue, two miles away from my apartment, looking for the upscale brownstone with the green front door. Jordyn sent me a text saying we needed to talk about something. She wouldn’t tell me what about, just said it was important and asked me to come over, giving me her address.

  Once I push the doorbell, I breathe deep, filling my lungs, preparing them for when I see her. The door swings open, her hair lifts and falls from the motion. Every single time I see her she’s got that super model effect going on. As if time slows down for a brief moment, so she can make the perfect entrance. Does everybody else see this when they look at her?

  “Thank you for coming over. Please come in.” The greeting she gives me is business-like. Her attire is as well, another white blouse with soft pearl buttons, a fitted skirt, and black high heels.

  I unzip my jacket, leaving it on, following her into the living room. She motions towards the couch and I take a seat. Jordyn remains standing, poised tall, her hands clasped neatly together in front of her. “Becca came into the bar tonight. The way she spoke to Josh … ” Jordyn stops and smooths her hands down the front of her skirt. “It was fucked up.”

  My head shakes with a startle. That isn’t princess talk. What had Becca said? She made me promise, swear on my life, not to say anything and then she goes and says something, anyway? I keep my mouth shut and let her go on.

  “Josh did not deserve to be spoken to the way she did. She referred to him as a joke. And I’ll tell you something - that guy may be a lot of things, but he is no joke.”

  “Hold up. Becca might have been rough on him but he also did something that warranted her being a little rough. Something you know nothing about.”

  “I know what happened. It did not warrant what she said.” Jordyn fixes her hair, moving it back off her shoulders. “It wasn’t done intentionally. He knows she’s unavailable.”

  “If he knows, he needs to back off.” I stand up from the couch, heat rising up my neck. Why did she say the word “unavailable” like that? “Are you trying to infer something about my relationship with Becca?”

  “You tell me. Are you and Becca really a couple?”

  “I love Becca,” I reply.
r />   “That’s not what I asked.” Perfect red lips pout at me, amber eyes blaze right through me.

  I don’t answer. I couldn’t even if I tried. The desires building up inside are holding me down, making me unable to move, to think straight… to breathe. Jordyn walks up to where my feet feel like they’re nailed to the floor. Her lips move but I can’t make out what she’s saying. A pool of lust forms inside me. Her fingers land on my arm and from that one small touch, I erupt.

  Before I can stop myself, I roughly pull Jordyn in, lowering my head, bringing my mouth down to meet hers forcefully. All control is lost. My tongue is in her mouth, my hands run up her sides, feeling her tight body through the soft fabric of her blouse. Her hands reach up behind my neck and I move fast, backing her up against the wall, reaching my hand up to tear away at the first pearl button. When my tongue traces down her perfect skin and reaches her neck, she cries out my name snapping me back to awareness from the trance I was just lured into.

  Breathless, panting, I step away from her, shocked by what I just did. Jordyn’s chest rises and falls, her eyes piercing into mine. She doesn’t say anything. I shouldn’t have done that. I stumble back, searching for the door I came in through, running to make a quick exit from her place. Wrenching the door shut behind me, I sprint down the cement steps.

  The night air that should be clearing my lust-filled haze doesn’t. At the bottom of her steps I look back up at the brick home. I can’t bring myself to walk away. The need for her is still so strong. She wasn’t saying no. My body makes the decision for me to climb back up. Standing in front of the green door, I will myself to knock.

  I don’t have to. The door opens. Wordless. Rushed. She grabs the front of my jacket, pulling me back into the house.

  We crash and bump our way over to the couch, her fervent lips locked onto mine. Her hands claw at my clothes, tearing off my jacket, kissing my skin, impatient fingers raising up my shirt. I finish lifting the shirt over my head and toss it, going back again for her buttons. With stumbling, trembling hands, getting her out of that shirt is taking too long.

  “Rip them,” Jordyn commands in a throaty whisper. There’s no hesitation. The shirt is torn from her a second later and the lacy bra she reaches up to unfasten gets thrown onto the floor next to it.

  My mouth moves down to her breast to take the first sweet taste, feeling her perk up against my tongue. “Oh God, I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” I moan, rubbing my hands up the back of her thighs, shoving her skirt up, my fingers slipping over the lace panties hidden underneath.

  “Me too,” she says, her words coming out like a soft breath. “I’ve wanted one night with you since the moment I saw you at the shop.”

  One night? She said ‘one night.’ That’s all this is. I know I should stop now. I also know that I can’t.

  We fall down onto the couch and my fingers slide over her body, teasing, afraid if I do anything more she’ll stop me. She reaches up, red nails digging into the cushions, her body arching. She lowers one hand down to mine, urging me to explore her deeper.

  Her teeth nip at my shoulder between loud moans, while my hands and mouth discover every inch of her willing body, wanting to feel all of her at once. My mind still tries to fight with me, telling me this is all wrong.

  “Aidan, I want you so bad,” Jordyn moans, tugging at my pants, lowering them the best she can.

  There’s no thinking anymore. The rest of our clothes are removed and once I’m inside her, she screams my name out. Our bodies move fast and wild. I feel her letting go quickly, her body tightening around mine.

  “Jordyn, please slow down, I need this to last.” The words catch in my throat through my deep ragged breaths. I know that once this is over, it’s over. They’ll be no more. And I don’t want this to end.

  It’s too late, her body quakes underneath mine, gasps and sighs of delight explode from her. I close my eyes and let myself go, clutching her in my arms. We collapse, my head resting on her shoulder, lips pressed up against her neck. I can’t bring myself to move away from her just yet. The scent of her, her taste, the feel: I try to burn it all into my mind. Her fingers run delicately down my back, gently, almost… lovingly.

  The intimacy of the moment forces me up. A moment like this will only make it worse. I reach for my clothes, placing them back on as quickly as they came off.

  Jordyn grabs a blanket from the back of her couch and wraps herself up in it. “Are you leaving already?”

  I nod my head, zipping up my jacket. Her hair is tousled and her eyes go dark looking up at me in question.

  “I never should have done that,” I say, letting my head drop down so I can’t see those eyes.

  “You don’t have to go.” Her voice is quiet. “Aidan, stay the night with me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?” She comes towards me. Her arm reaches out from under the blanket to touch me.

  “I’m not what you want.”

  She stays silent. The silence proves I’m right. I don’t want to be right. But the truth is she doesn’t want me. This whole flirtation and build up between us was all about a safe girl wanting some reckless fun. Just like the first night with the tattoo.

  “Listen, you wanted ‘one night,’ a night of slumming. You got it.” The same word I lit into Becca for saying comes flying from my mouth.

  Jordyn gasps before standing up straight to compose herself as best she can in the throw blanket she’s wrapped up in. She walks over to the front door, holding it open, waiting for me to leave.

  I step outside and the door closes behind me. The taste of her still lingers on my lips and every wrong decision I made lingers in my mind. I lost all control. I wanted her. She wanted me back. But she made it clear all she wanted was one night. I can’t be mad at that.

  One night with a girl like her should be enough. It’s not. Even though I knew better and Becca warned me, I let myself fall for her. Her beauty, her elegance, her kindness. I fell for the princess.

  The images of my hands all over her perfect body play back in front of me as I bare the cold winds, jogging back to my apartment. I stop short. I didn’t use anything. No form of protection, just a rushed passion. Reckless fun.

  I made so many mistakes tonight.

  Josh

  I hang up the phone with Jordyn and wait for him to come home. Wait for the guy who just cheated on the perfect girl and broke the heart of my close friend at the same time. For the guy who doesn’t know how fucking good he has it. I know what will happen when I confront him. But I don’t care. Let him kick my ass. I’ve had guys come at me before over things I’ve cared about far less.

  Aidan walks in, tossing his keys on the counter. His hood is pulled up and he leans an arm on the counter, running his hand down the front of his face in the darkness of our kitchen.

  “You were out late tonight? Anywhere special?” I ask, causing him to startle. I stand up from the leather chair in our living room walking into the kitchen where he’s standing.

  “What the fuck does it matter to you?” He turns to face me.

  “Asking you a simple question is all. Shouldn’t be a big deal. Becca know where you were tonight?”

  “You don’t need to worry about Becca.” Aidan raises his voice, shoving his hand into my shoulder, knocking me back a few feet. “I’m not sure why you can’t seem to get that through your thick fucking skull.”

  “Why? Is that your job? Are you worrying about Becca, Aidan? Making sure nothing bad happens to her?” I shout back. This guy could kill me but I don’t care.

  Aidan pounces on me. His hand goes around my neck, slamming me into the refrigerator with a loud crash. “What the fuck you getting at, Josh? Huh? Is this your way of finally telling me that you got a thing for her?” He spits out the words at me. “You think you’re better for her than me?”

  “Yeah, I think I am better for her,” I say and the grip around my neck tightens.

  “What did you say?”

 
“You heard me,” I manage to squeak out. “At least I’d never fuck another girl behind her back.”

  He releases his grip, sending me stumbling back, gasping for air.

  “What the hell did you just say?” His eyes go black. “What do you know?”

  “Enough.”

  “What did she say?” He makes a fist at his side, pacing over to the counter. “What the fuck did she say?” He’s shouting now, slamming his fist on the marble.

  I step up to him, my chest knocks into his. “Looks like I’m not the only one who can be an asshole.”

  The fists at his sides unclench. His head drops and he rubs a hand over his good eye. “I want you gone. Pack up your shit. It’s time you left us.” He pushes past me, grabbing his keys, and storms out of the apartment slamming the door behind him.

  I already knew it was time to go. It’s been time to go. Aidan… the situation with Becca, we’ve been a ticking time bomb ready to explode since the day I moved in.

  In my room I pack the essentials into a duffel bag. I can hire movers to come in and pack up the rest cause once I leave I’m not coming back. Giving one last look around the tiny apartment, I take a breath. This is it. I place the key from my key ring on the counter and walk out.

  In the hallway I pause in front of Becca’s door and roll my hand into a fist, lifting it up to knock. I should at least tell her I’m leaving and say goodbye. “I can’t be around you anymore, Josh.” My chest constricts replaying her words. I lower my hand back down. It’s time to just leave.

  Back home to my parents. They knew I’d be back, maybe not this soon, but I’m sure they knew. How could they not… I’m a joke.

  Part Two

  Chapter One

  Becca

  I didn’t sleep. I cried. All night.

  I’ve been struggling since the day he moved in. Instantly attracted to the spoiled rich kid; drawn to the guy who asked me to ditch a bimbo for him. Laughing with the guy who shared my obsession for chocolate chips; falling for the guy who expected his mother to carry in his laundry; lusting for the guy under the blanket.