500 Days

by Jessica Miller

  Casper sat back and I suddenly felt cold in the empty space behind me. “You’re pretty good at this. You sure you haven’t been here before?” he asked suspiciously.

  I slid down my leg to put both feet on the floor. “I’m a quick study.”

  We spent the next hour guessing what everyone’s back story was and the more we drank the more ridiculous was the story we made up. I never laughed so hard in my life. My phone vibrated in my pocket, distracting me. It was Declan. “Hello?” I answered.

  “Where the hell are you? You missed class today.”

  I turned to Casper. “Shit, what time is it?” He looked at his watch, squinting. I laughed and pushed his hand down, trying to steady it so I could look myself. “Wow is it really twelve?” Casper nodded, signaling for the waitress to bring us more beers. “Oh, and some of those shot thingies.”

  “Are you drinking? Alex, it is twelve o’clock in the afternoon.”

  “We’re on a field trip,” I giggled and then hiccupped.

  “Are you drunk?” she yelled, making me hold the phone away from my ear.

  “No,” hiccup. “Okay, maybe.” Hiccup.

  “Jesus Alex. Who are you with?”

  “Casper.”

  “Put him on the phone, now.”

  I held out the phone to Casper. “She wants to talk to you and she doesn’t sound too happy.” He waved it off, not caring and took the phone.

  “Declan babe, you should –” he was cut off by the loud screeching on the other end. He held the phone out. “It’s for you.”

  I mumbled, ‘wuss’ under my breath and took the phone back. “I’m sending Jacob to come get you two.”

  “Nooooo, you can’t send him. I’m supposed to be the sample. I mean example, good influence. He can’t see me drunk,” I whispered the last sentence as if he was standing right next to me.

  “I have no other choice. He’s the only one who doesn’t have any more classes today and neither of you can drive. It’s either him or Jasper.”

  I sucked in a breath and let out a dramatic, “Nnnoooooo. You can’t send him.” I turned to Casper, wide eyed.

  He waved for me to give him the phone. I handed it over. “No worries my love. We’ll take a cab.”

  “Oh, good idea!” I cheered, thinking that was the best thing he could have ever thought of.

  “Bye D.” He hung up the phone and tossed it on the table.

  “She is going to be so mad you hung up on her.” He shrugged, not caring.

  “Pool table is open.” I jumped up excited. I racked the balls while Casper grabbed us two cue sticks. “You break.” I bent over and tried to line up the ball. The more I concentrated the harder it was. I slipped and missed, cracking up hysterically. “You’re horrible,” he laughed.

  “Okay, let’s see you do better.” I watched him concentrate. His face scrunched tight and he looked so cute as he tried to take the shot. The ball barely broke the triangle. He put his head down on the table, laughing.

  “Let me try that again.” His second attempt at least broke up the balls, but he got nothing in, leaving the table open. I walked around looking for the best shot. Although I was pretty sure I could take the easiest shot and still miss. “Go for the thirteen,” Casper suggested.

  I missed the shot. Trying to play pool became more challenging than I thought. Casper walked over to me and stood behind me. The rush I felt when his body pressed against mine was unlike anything I had ever felt. I had to steady myself which was hard to do in my current condition. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing his fingers into my hip, and pulled me back gently. I leaned forward as he leaned over, holding the cue stick with me. “Okay, line it up, right, here.” He was so close I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. “Pull back, and hit it hard.” I could feel the excitement in his pants as he pushed in closer behind me. I was so turned on I was gripping the stick tightly in my hands, unable to move.

  “Ready?” he asked, voice strained. I nodded, pulling the stick back with his arms still guiding me. I could feel him shake behind me. He pushed himself into me causing the stick to shoot up. The ball went flying off the table and onto the floor near our waitress. Casper fell on top of me laughing. The waitress came over and placed the ball back on the table. “Another round Betty,” Casper slurred slightly.

  “I think you two had enough,” she glared.

  I pouted. “No worries. I got beer at my house.” He threw an arm over my shoulder.

  “Casper, I don’t think you should drive.”

  “There’s a cab already waiting out front for you.” Betty gestured to the door.

  “Thanks Betty,” Casper smiled. He grabbed her and planted a big fat kiss on her cheek. She tried to hide her smile. She pushed him away, frowning again. Casper pulled me out of the bar and to the waiting cab. We slipped into the back and Casper gave the cab driver his address.

  I turned sideways, pulling my legs up on the seat, and sat back, just staring at Casper. “What?” His cheeks were bright red.

  “You’re a bad influence.”

  “I didn’t force the booze down your throat. You were more than a willing participant.”

  “True, but it was your idea. Therein lies the bad influence.”

  “You got me,” he said, laying his head back. The meaning behind his words felt deeper than what they really were from the way his eyes searched mine. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. That tiny gesture ignited a small spark down inside of me. I sat up, suddenly feeling a strange flutter in my stomach.

  “You okay?” he asked concerned, reaching for me.

  I pulled back, afraid of what his touch would do to me. “Yeah, sorry. I think it’s all just hitting me. I should probably eat something.” He smiled, digging in his pocket to pull out his phone. He placed an order for a pizza to be delivered at his place.

  When the cab pulled up, Casper paid him, and then took my hand pulling me out with him. I gripped on his arm tight to keep myself from falling over. We laughed all the way up the stairs, leaning on each other for balance. I fell down on the couch, kicking off my shoes, and stretching my legs out on the small brown coffee table in front of me. Casper retrieved two bottles of beer from the fridge and handed me one before plopping down on the couch next to me. He pulled my legs up over his and I leaned onto his shoulder. He slipped his arm behind me and tugged me closer, resting his hand on my hip.

  I was so comfortable sitting here next to him that it scared me. I never felt this way around anyone and I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to act. There was a knock on the door distracting me from my inner ramblings. I looked at him wondering who it could be and for a second I thought maybe it was one of his lady ‘friends’. “Pizza guy,” he said, sensing my skepticism. I totally forgot. I slid my legs off of him and put my beer down thinking I should take a break – at least until I get something to eat.

  I scarfed down three pieces before Casper even finished his second. “Hungry?” he asked.

  “Yeah, sorry,” I said through a mouthful.

  “I’m getting used to it.” He smiled and took a swig of his beer. “You feel better?”

  “I do yes, thank you.” I crumpled up my napkin and threw it on the empty plate. Then I picked up my bottle and finished off my beer in one big chug. Casper looked at me wide eyed. “Thirsty,” I smiled. He just laughed and shook his head. “What?”

  “Just when I think I have you figured out you surprise me.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No, not at all.” He threw his bottle into the recycling and then leaned forward on his elbows. “What do you want to do now?” I placed a hand over my full belly. “You wanna lay down?” I nodded. He got up and helped me off the stool. When we reached the hall, I paused. He looked at me nervously. A smile twitched at the corner of my lips.

  “Race ya?” I took off before he could even answer. He grabbed my arm to pull me back. I smacked him in the chest and he wrapped an arm around my waist pulling
me into him and back against the wall. I squealed as he struggled to get past me. He picked me up and swung me behind him, taking off. I reached for him but at first I grabbed air. I stretched a little further and managed to grip a small section of his jeans by his foot. I yanked, jerking him back and causing him to fall to the floor. I did a little victory hop as I jumped over him.

  His long fingers curled around my ankle, pinning me in my spot. I was so close to the door. The tips of my fingers brushed the door knob. Just a little more and I got it. I slipped out of my shoe. Casper threw it aside and got up. I ran into the room jumping up and down, celebrating my victory. He tackled me down onto the bed. I squealed, laughing hysterically.

  “You cheated.”

  “How did I cheat?” I stood up and started bouncing up and down on the bed. “You’re just a sore loser.” I stuck my tongue out at him. He gripped the back of my knees, knocking me back on the bed. I couldn’t stop laughing. He wrapped his arms and legs around me, trapping me against him. I pushed the hair out of my face. He looked at me like he was lost.

  “What are you thinking right now?”

  His eyes darkened. He ran the back of his hand across my cheek and I closed my eyes. “How bad I want to kiss you right now.”

  The air caught in my chest. I looked up to see a storm brewing in his beautiful blue-gray eyes. I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “What’s stopping you?” I could see him struggle with the decision of his next move. He slowly slipped a hand behind my neck, tilting my head upwards, and bringing his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and gentle, not forced. I kissed him back, loving the feel of his lips on mine. He pushed himself closer to me, slipping his hand down my back. My body instantly reacted to his touch. I hooked my leg behind his knee and rolled onto my back, pulling him on top of me. Pressing his hips into mine, he deepened the kiss. I could feel his erection pushing through his pants as he rubbed himself against me, making me gasp. Wanting to feel his bare skin against mine I slipped my hands up his back and pushed up his shirt.

  Lifting his arms over his head he tugged off his shirt, throwing it to the floor. I did the same with mine and pulled him back down on top of me. His lips crashed back into mine. The friction from our bare skin burned, but in a good way. I dragged my nails down his sides and over the front of his stomach, making him shiver. Then I unbuttoned his pants and slipped my hand over his enormous bulge. Casper moaned in to my mouth pressing himself into my hand. I massaged the tip of his penis as he slipped his tongue inside my mouth, exploring. I sucked on his tongue lightly before he moved his lips to my jaw, down to my neck, and then across my collar bone. Having no patience, he tore off my jeans along with my underwear. Pressing my knees apart he ran his fingers down the inside of my thighs. I gripped the sheets to keep myself from shaking, but I couldn’t contain the moan that escaped my lips. He slipped in a finger and then a second and I knew when he pulled them out they would be drenched. He pressed his warm tongue against my clit and I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted him inside me. I needed to feel him.

  “Casper,” I gasped. “Casper.” I ran my fingers through his hair and tugged lightly, sitting up. He looked up at me with hungry eyes. I devoured his lips as he pushed me back down on the bed. Struggling to get his jeans off, Casper sat up and kicked them off the rest of the way. Then he reached into his nightstand for a condom. He slipped it on and teased me by rubbing the tip over my clit. Carefully easing his way down on top of me, Casper pulled down the straps of my bra and exposed my breasts. With his one hand he gripped it hard and nipped lightly on my nipple before running his tongue around in circles. Not able to take it anymore, I reached down and tried to guide him into me, but he pulled back.

  “Not yet.” He unhooked my bra and tossed it to the floor. Casper explored every inch of my breasts with his mouth, sucking, licking, and making my head spin.

  “Cas, please,” I begged. Positioning himself so he was right above me, he kissed my lips. Without any warning he slipped inside and I let out a tiny cry. His movements were slow and deliberate. Pressing my heels on the bed I pushed up, wanting to feel him deeper. My fingers glided over the shortest part of his hair loving the soft texture. Our lips moved fluently together as he moved in and out painfully unhurried. Needing to feel the rush I got when our bodies collided, I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him down. Casper propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me. “I need you here,” I breathed, placing my hands securely on his lower back and pushing him into me. He growled, covering my mouth with his. Then he let his weight sink on top of me, gripping my shoulders tight from underneath, tugging with every thrust.

  “Faster,” I whispered. He picked up the speed a bit. “Harder,” I moaned, biting his shoulder.

  “I can’t. If I do I can’t guarantee that –”

  “I don’t care.” He stopped and brushed a piece of hair off of my face. “Don’t stop.” I tried wiggling beneath him, making him smile. He kissed me hard and deep, making my lips swell. He buried his head in my hair and drilled into me. My nails dug into his back and neck as my body exploded with pleasure. I cried out not caring who heard me. Casper pumped into me a few more times before he groaned loudly and crashed down on top of me. We were both panting, overexerted from our little work out session. He lay there, not moving, and I wondered for a second if he fell asleep.

  He picked up his head, gazing at me adoringly. He brushed his hand over my flushed cheeks. “You were nothing I expected, but everything I wanted.” He kissed my tender lips before he rolled off of me and headed into the bathroom. I sat up, freaked out by his words. He came back out of the bathroom and crawled across the bed to me. “Hey, you okay?” He sat behind me with his legs on either side, his arms wrapped my waist. Instinctively my body reacted and I leaned back into him, but my head was screaming to run. He brushed my hair forward and started to kiss my shoulders. “Did I ever tell you how good you taste?” His arms slipped from my waist and his hands tickled my arms. I could feel the goose bumps all over my body. My head was dizzy. I panicked and stood up abruptly, which turned into a bad idea because I stumbled.

  Casper jumped up to catch me. “Alex, you’re scaring me a bit here.”

  “Sorry, I think it’s just all the booze getting to me.”

  “I think you should lay down.”

  I eyed him warily. “That didn’t work out so well the last time we tried that.”

  He didn’t even try to hide his cocky smile. “I promise just sleep this time.” He pulled me back into the bed with him. I climbed under the blankets and when his body pressed close to mine, I relaxed into him, resting my head on his chest. I never felt like this with anyone. Sex with Casper was amazing. There was no denying that, and when I was with him I felt safe. I felt like I belonged, but I knew this could never be anything more than what it was. Casper wasn’t the type to settle down and I wasn’t going to spend my time trying to make him. I liked Casper, more than I wanted to admit, but I also knew a relationship with Casper would never work. I’ve been down this road before and been burned enough to know better. I needed someone who was stable and had ambitions, not someone who lived his life day by day.

  I ran my thumb over his cheek. He was so beautiful when he was sleeping peacefully. I wanted to stay in his arms forever, but I couldn’t. I waited a while until I knew he was sound asleep. Then I snuck out of bed and got dressed. I kissed him goodbye, careful not to wake him. Then I walked a few miles before I called a cab to come get me to take me home. I crashed the second I got to my room. I did it again. I slept with Casper and loved every fucking minute of it. I was screwed.

  I slept soundly through the night and made it in time to my first class. I bumped into Casper on my way to lunch. He stopped me outside the library. I was a little nervous to see him after sneaking out on him. “Wanna grab some lunch?” he asked, nonchalantly. I looked at him skeptical. “I promise just lunch. We can even get something here.” I agreed and followed him to the cafeteria as he threw his arm over
my shoulder. His reaction was the perfect example of why Casper would never be boyfriend material. To him sex was just a pastime. Something he did for fun. There was no intimacy, no thought, just sex. I sighed and reminded myself when it came to Casper I needed to think with my head not my heart. We would never be anything more than friends with benefits. And the benefits part was killing me. I needed to be stronger around him. I blamed it on the alcohol again. That was the problem. I did bad things when I was drinking around Casper. I did bad things with Casper, but they felt so good it was hard to resist.

  “Hey, you okay? You seem somewhere else.” Casper paused right outside the cafeteria.

  I should say something. I should ask him about yesterday, but wasn’t that the point? Casual sex was just that, casual, and something you didn’t talk about. No feelings involved. The only question was, what we were doing? I opened my mouth but no words came out. He looked at me funny. “Nothing, sorry.” I shouldn’t be upset by this. I bailed, not him. If anyone should be mad it should be Casper. But he wasn’t and that’s what upset me. I prided myself on being the stronger one. I was the girl who could sleep with a guy without emotions getting in the way. I decided to leave it be. If he could pretend that nothing happened then I could too. I knew the game and I played it well. I turned off my emotions, just like I had every other time. I gave him a faint smile and opened the door to go inside.

  I was just about to sit down when I ran into Reece. “Hey,” he smiled.

  “Hi,” I blushed back, my mood instantly changing.

  “I got to jet, but I just wanted to tell you I’m looking forward to tonight.”

  “Me too.” And I was. I sat down not able to remove the smile from my face. Declan and Colton had joined us. Casper had a sour look on his face and I wondered what had changed.

  “Was that….?”

  “Reece,” I smiled.

  “I forgot how cute he was.” Colton frowned at Declan. “Not as cute as you baby.” She kissed him on the lips and his smile returned. Colton looked over at Casper and his smile faltered. I looked up to see Casper’s lips pulled in to a tight thin line.