by M Dauphin
“Lo?” I hear him call out and I crack my eyes open. It’s dark in here. Why is it dark in here? “Lauren, babe,” he says, and I think I hear a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Am I dead?” I whisper, closing my eyes.
“You’re very much alive,” he says, tugging down the blanket to just past my nose. “You’re also very much adorable right now too. And pitiful.” He grins then leans in and kisses my nose.
“Your lips are cold.”
“Well your entire body feels like a furnace. How about we get one of these seven blankets off you?” He lets out a chuckle as he pulls the layers off me. “There, one blanket. It’s summer out, Lo, you don’t need all that.”
“I was comfy.” I pout.
“I brought presents! Will that cheer you up?” He smiles at me and I grunt. “Come on champ. Sit up, I’m gonna grab the bags.”
Bags? What the hell is he talking about?
I scoot up to a sitting position, pulling the blanket with me and wrapping it around my body. Some months I’m totally fine. This month I just want to give up. Everything aches and I’m just tired. Of everything.
“Alright kid, here’s some movies to pick from,” Jett says, tossing a pile of Redbox movies on the couch next to me. I watch him as he carries not one, but six grocery bags into the room.
“What did you do?” I ask, trying not to smile.
“Well, I’ve never dealt with this,” he says, waving at me, “before. So I figured I’d be on the safe side. I probably overdid it, but Google said you’re maybe craving sweets? Or just junk food in general?” He starts pulling shit out of the bag and it takes every ounce of energy I have not to die of laughter over this man.
Cheetos, Pringles, cheesecake, a bottle of wine and a pack of beer come out first. Then come the ice cream tubs, the frozen jalapeño poppers. Then pickles, Nutella, crackers, and last but not least… a can of chicken noodle soup.
“Your Chinese noodles and rice and… well pretty much most of their menu… will be delivered shortly. There’s only so much I could carry up here on my own.” He smirks a sideways grin and I smile. “There she is,” he whispers.
“You googled… you did all this for me? How did you get up here?”
“Well, when you didn’t answer my first few calls and messages I talked to your brother.”
“Oh God,” I groan.
“Oh no it’s all good. We had a nice little discussion. I’m allowing him to kick my ass if I break your heart.” He smiles at me. “So I guess I better stay the good guy, right?”
“I mean, my brother isn’t that strong. You could probably take him.” I shrug, eyeing the box of poppers.
“I can assure you we won’t have to worry about that.” He winks at me and jumps up. “Shit, I almost forgot!” He takes off into the kitchen and comes back with a bottle of something and a glass of water. “You also need these,” he shoves the Midol in my hands and then the water. “Stay hydrated.”
“I’m not sick,” I protest, taking the pills anyway because they’ll hopefully help the cramps from attempting to murder me.
“No. But… I mean I thought it’d help.” He grins and I roll my eyes.
“Well it does. Why’d you do all this?”
“You needed me.” He states it so simply that it’s hard for me to fight it. I didn’t need him… but in a way I did. And I do. And I fucking will if he keeps this up.
“I just need the next three days to be over with,” I grumble, pulling the blanket around me. He picks up the movies and sits on the sofa, flipping through them. “How much did you spend on movie rentals?”
“Well, your brother said all you have is a blue-ray player-”
“You guys really talked didn’t you?” Astonished at his attempt to make my brother ‘ok’ with whatever we are, I can’t stop grinning.
“Yea. I told you, we’re besties now.”
I look at him and laugh.
“What? You girls say that shit right?”
“Who are you?”
“Well today I’m your best friend that’s going to make you feel awesome in your time of need. In a few days I’m out of the friend zone and back into the ‘you want to fuck me on every surface’ mode.” His quirked grin makes me swoon in ways I never thought possible.
“Even in my darkest times you wouldn’t be able to get out of the fuckable zone, Jett.”
He grins and nods. “Good.”
“So what are our movie choices?”
“War, love, sex, robots, the future,” he mumbles.
“Just surprise me.” I snuggle next to him, laying my head on his shoulder as he wraps his arm around me.
He sighs and shifts so he’s more comfortable.
“How about no movie right now?” he whispers, his hand rubbing my back.
“Oh God that feels good,” I moan as he continues rubbing.
“So did you sleep all day?” I hear the amusement in his voice and I bet he’s smirking at me but I’m too comfortable to look.
“I had oatmeal today. And I read for a bit. I tried waiting up to hear from the few people I interviewed with but they never called.” I roll my eyes and moan again when his hand finds my lower back and starts rubbing.
“No luck with the job search?”
“None. I have to pee.” I groan and stand up, stretching. When I pause and look down at him, he’s staring at my tits and if I’m not mistaken he’s sporting a pretty big chub right now. I grin and spin, making my way to the bathroom.
Normally wearing no bra, boy shorts and a tank top would have me feeling all kinds of sexy, but right now I feel about as sexy as a hippo in a bathing suit that’s been teased all her life. No sexy here.
“Hey I have an idea,” he says from the other side of the bathroom door.
“Jesus, a little privacy Jett.” I huff.
“What? There’s a door here.”
“Go away!” I shriek. Gah, men!
I finish and walk out to the living room where he’s waiting with the Chinese food.
“Oh God that smells amazing,” I sigh. “Thank you.”
“So… about this brilliant idea.”
“Yes, please do tell.” I shove a forkful of orange chicken in my mouth and moan, then look up to him and cock my head.
“I need you to stop making those noises when you eat, Lo. I’m really trying to be comforting and shit tonight, but I have no problem taking you right here on this sofa.”
I stop chewing and stare at him.
“I’m on my period, Jett. You don’t want anywhere near this hot, gross mess.” I wave my arm around my body and he growls.
“You don’t tell me what I want. I see only perfection when I look at you right now.”
“Sure,” I laugh. “You wouldn’t be saying that once the layers come off.”
“Hey!” He boasts, reaching over and taking my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him. “Stop,” he whispers, his eyes flicking to mine. “I don’t care about periods, Lo. It happens. Monthly, from what I’ve learned in my lifetime. There’s nothing wrong with it and there’s nothing gross about you. At all.” He presses his lips to mine and ignites a fire in me I didn’t know was possible on a day like today.
When he pulls away I feel my cheeks flush.
“Okay then,” I whisper. “Please tell me about this idea of yours.” I stretch my feet across the gap between us and lay them in his lap while I eat my food. He’s so in tune with me I don’t even have to ask for a foot massage and he starts rubbing.
This man will spoil me for every man.
“Work for me,” he blurts, a brief look of worry crossing his face.
“Say what now?” I scrunch my nose at his random idea as he goes to work on rubbing my feet.
“I mean… we could always use help at the shop.” He shrugs and his fingers start pressing into my feet at all the right pressure points. Holy hell that feels good. Like, too good. A type of good I shouldn’t be feeling right now… not when I just… fuck. I
let out a sigh when his thumb presses just at the right spot and he grins at me.
“A bike shop?” I clench my thighs together trying to seem unfazed by this sudden desire running through me. “I know nothing about bikes… other than they’re super fun to fuck on.”
“Ha! Well, I’d prefer you didn’t fuck people on the clock, but I can work something out after hours for ya.” He winks and I let out a moan, closing my eyes and breathing through the tingling between my legs. How the hell can a foot massage feel this delicious?
“What makes you think I’d make a good… whatever it is that you need?” My voice is breathy and pretty soon I’m going to be soaking wet, if I’m not there already!
“Well you’d be working the front desk, so you’re definitely hot enough for that. I’m gonna have to order tighter tank tops, however, because those tits will need to be on display.”
I laugh a real laugh, something I’m starting to do more and more often when I’m around Jett.
“So what you’re saying is just sit there and look hot? That’s all I’d have to do?” I raise an eyebrow at him, expecting him to mention the hot mess I am today but he just looks me up and down and nods.
“That, and schedule shit when people call in. So phone answering, scheduling, fucking me on my lunch breaks,” he shrugs and I bark out a laugh.
“I mean that sounds like the perfect job.” Too good to be true, really.
“I thought so too!” He lets out a laugh and I smile again, nervous that this whole thing is a joke. If I could get a job this easily… and get to see him every day? I’m down.
“You’re serious about this?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, if I end up having to go into Shuer more often I’m going to need someone running the place.”
“Don’t you have any other employees?” I ask, confused. I swore he said he likes to take random road trips. You can’t do that with a business unless someone else is there running it.
“Yea… but Dan’s really only good when it comes to working on the bikes. He’s not a front desk type of person.” He chuckles and stops playing with my feet. Thank God, because I was about to forget about the current situation between my legs and jump him anyway.
Let’s not talk about how gross that would have been.
“So when do I start?” I wiggle my toes on his lap and he grins.
“Monday?”
‘That’s perfect.” I sigh and shift closer to him, laying my head on his shoulder.
“You’re perfect,” he mumbles, his hand going to my hair and smoothing it down.
“You’re delusional,” I grumble, letting my eyes flutter closed.
My phone rings just past ten and Lo’s already fast asleep with her head resting on my lap.
“Yea?” I answer Paisley’s call in a whisper.
“Are you okay?” She sounds tired and I feel bad I haven’t been there for her more than I have.
“Fine, I’m good. What’s up, everyone alright?”
“Yea, everything’s fine. I was… well I wanted to ask what you were up to this weekend?”
I look down at Lo, my hand rubbing her back absentmindedly and sigh. Her talk of the weekend reminds me I’m just one week closer to having to work a job I hate just to support the family I love– my brother’s family… and all the while all I really want to do is stay with Lo in our own little world.
“Not much planned,” I whisper. “Need me to watch the girls?” Lo takes a breath in her sleep and I pause so I don’t wake her.
“Actually yea, if that’s ok? Just Saturday to Sunday…”
“Overnight?” Shit, I’ve never watched them overnight. I mean, I don’t know the first thing about a baby.
“Yes, overnight Jett. They’ll be fine and my parents are close to town if you need anything. Maybe I can just call and find-”
“No, I’m down. I mean, I think it’d be a fun time, absolutely yes I’ll watch them.”
“Oh awesome. Thank you so much!” she sounds relieved, reminding me she has no adult to help her anymore. She’s probably in dire need of a break.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” I whisper, ending the call.
The room is dark and I know I need to get home. Tomorrow morning is going to come quick at this rate.
“Hey, Lo,” I murmur, letting my thumb caress her cheek. She mumbles something in her sleep and curls up even harder on me. “Lauren,” I whisper, allowing my fingers to trace the outline of her lips.
She’s so peaceful; so serene. If I could stay here all night with her I would, but I can’t do that to her or her brother who should be getting home any minute now.
“Baby, I have to head out.” I manage to wriggle out from under her, not so gently but it doesn’t stir her too much. She’s out cold.
I’ll never be able to understand what women go through each month, but I’m happy I could be here with her tonight.
I write her a note on one of the napkins from dinner and clean up some of the shit I brought in. I more than likely overdid it, but I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know her all that well so I wasn’t sure what she’d like. I’ll learn. There’s plenty of time to learn.
On my way out of the lobby her brother comes strolling in and quirks an eyebrow at me. The blonde on his elbow looks me over once and I roll my eyes at her. Typical arm candy. Probably nothing in between those ears but some blood and bleach.
“Heading out for the night already?” he asks, letting a smirk rise.
“Yea. Work early tomorrow.”
“How’s she feeling?” He asks quietly as the blonde picks at her nail, like she can’t fucking hear him or something.
“She’s sleeping on the couch.” I say it as a warning not to fucking wake her up with his fuck buddy, but his place is so big they shouldn’t even come in contact with her.
“My sister’s one of the good ones, Jett,” he says, walking away. “I want her to stay like that.”
I roll my eyes at him and walk away, waving off his final comment.
I wasn’t lying when I told Lo I had a conversation with her brother. When she didn’t answer I texted him to make sure she was okay and got the rundown on her situation… and an earful of protective brother syndrome. He hasn’t been mean about it, and I have to say it makes me respect him more in a way because of how protective he is with her. ‘She’s been through too much,’ he said. ‘I can’t see her break again. I won’t stand for it,’ he warned. There were threats and a final understanding that I have no plans on hurting her. He still doesn’t think too highly of it, but at least he won’t give her a hard time about it anymore.
Hopefully.
I don’t know what Lo and I are, honestly, so answering that question when he asked me was difficult. We enjoy each other immensely. I think about her constantly. Hell, I can think about a future with her in it years down the road… but it hasn’t been long enough for that shit to surface yet. She seems like the type of girl that if pushed too hard and fast she’ll run.
That would ruin me.
“Uncle Jett!” Emma comes barreling into my kitchen as I hear the front door close.
“Ems!” I scream back at the same decibel and tone. She laughs as I pick her up and swing her around. That carefree smile of a child you can’t get anywhere else warms my heart. “God I missed you,” I murmur, bear hugging her.
She squeals and attempts to wriggle out of my grasp.
“Uncle Jett let me down!” She laughs as I start to tickle her.
“You’re getting her all wound up… you know she’s going to stay that way all night,” Paisley says, walking into the room with a baby carrier in one hand and overnight bags in another.
“Good!” I boast, setting down Emma so she can run free and head straight for the baby.
“You sure about this?” I glance up at Paisley and she looks worried… and absolutely worn down.
“I’m positive Paise. You bring the gate-gismo-crib thing?” I grin when her eyes go
wide.
“Oh God Jett,” she murmurs worriedly. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. I’m not sure what I was thinking, I’m just so tired and need sleep.” She looks up at me. “I just need some sleep.”
“I know, Paise. And I got this. If it makes you feel any better my girlfriend’s coming over later. She’s a whiz with kids.” The lie rolls off my tongue with a terrible taste but I’d rather Paisley feel comfortable about all this. I love my nieces, but they’ve never spent the night here before…. This could honestly get interesting.
“Girlfriend, huh?” She grins. “You didn’t tell me about this.”
“It’s new,” I say, switching my attention to Addison.
“Is it serious?”
I grin again and nod at her bags, changing the subject.
“Everything I need in there?”
I want to rave to the world about how I feel for Lo… but honestly how I feel this early in the game would cause all kinds of drama in the family. I’d rather not get a phone call from my mother reprimanding me for thinking I ‘love’ a girl just because she’s pretty and to watch out for her stealing our money and blah, blah, blah.
Fuck that noise.
“Yep,” she sighs, taking my subject change as a sign. “Addison was just fed and changed so she’ll be good for a few hours. Naptime for both kids is around two so you’ll have a break pretty soon, just throw a movie on and chill on the couch. Uh, let’s see… Emma likes cheese roll ups, pizza, pizza rolls, hotdogs, Mc Donald’s-”
“Hey Paise?”
“Hmm?” She looks up from unpacking the bags and I grin at her.
“I got this. Now shoo. Go get a massage or whatever shit it is you moms do to relax.”
She smiles at me.
“Thank you. I appreciate it. Text if you need anything, okay?” She’s talking on her way to the door and I can’t help but laugh.
“Go! And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“That’s not saying a lot, Jett!” She yells from the car. I shut the door after waving goodbye and lock it tight behind me.
Somewhere in the house I hear Emma screaming and laughing and soon her footfalls come barreling towards me.