That was the question that set Serena off, and she saw red. Stalking over to the pair, she pulled her fist back and sent it flying for Ben’s face. He saw it coming, she knew. Thankfully he didn’t do much to avoid it other than make sure she didn’t hit anything important. His much larger form jerked, cheek already red from her knuckles even as she pounded his chest. Over and over again she struck him, sobs and grunts replacing screams that echoed in her skull. There was no reason for her aggression, but she didn’t stop and Paul made no move to help his friend.
“Fucker- douchebag- cunt... Ugh!” Pushing with all her might, Serena couldn’t see very well but easily made out the white of Ben’s crew-neck t-shirt as it blinded her blurry eyes. Everything she’d been piling up was spilling out of her, needing only the smallest smudge of kindness to break free. A body came up behind her, arms wrapping around her torso to render her own useless. Bare feet kicked out but hit nothing but air as she was lifted off the ground and carried, struggling, into the kitchen.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Screaming at the top of her lungs, Serena jerked every which way in an effort to get free but Paul was much stronger than she was. He held her back tightly to his chest, making it hard to breathe. As he moved her feet lashed out, knocking things off the table and overturning the trash can.
Forcing her head back as hard as she could, Serena felt the world turn upside down as Paul was sent crashing to the floor. Even that wasn’t enough to stop him from grabbing her arm in a vice like grip. It took him only a few moments to get on top of her, bearing down all of his weight and making it impossible to move. Wrists held above her head, legs useless as he sat on her thighs, her tears rolled fat and heavy from her eyes. A weak wiggle was all she could do in protest as her throat clogged and her sobs came out as choking gasps.
“Stop.” Repeating the phrase again and again, Paul held the hem of his shirt to his bleeding nose as Serena melted into a puddle underneath him. He could feel her quivers and struggles, as weak as they were. Absently he looked around, grabbing a towel from the oven door to staunch the blood spilling from his broken nose. When he was sure only seconds later she wouldn’t go on the fritz again he slowly released her hands. Instantly they covered her face, but her meltdown continued to gain strength.
There was no way they could leave her alone now.
Paul lifted some of his weight off Serena before turning to watch Ben enter the kitchen. The dirty blond was sporting an impressive black eye, and there was no doubt more bruises from her fists.
“What should we do?” Posing his question, Ben glanced down at Serena with a frown. She wasn’t even hearing him talk about her, too lost in her own depressing world.
“I don’t know. She’s just a girl, bro.”
“I’ll take her for a while. You clean that up.” Standing up, Paul knew his nose was swelling like a balloon even as he nodded. Serena didn’t struggle or even acknowledge that she was being picked up, but maybe that was a good thing. Ben might bruise a rib next if he wasn’t careful on his way upstairs.
*****
Sniffling heavily, Serena held Ben’s arm tightly to her chest as she trembled, slowly but surely calming down. For the first time in a long time she was laying in her bed, surrounded by her things and not bile-erupting family pictures. Her guest sat on the floor, only offering comfort without getting in her space too much.
“Tell me a story.” Ben was warm under her cheek, the hairs on his arms tickling her face as Serena voiced her request. On the floor he shifted his weight, silence weighing down on them. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes since she started hitting him, and now she was left with a sad kind of exhaustion.
“A story, huh. Okay. There once was a boy that lived in the woods all by himself. No one ever visited him, but many people walked by on their way from one town to the next. He drank water from a stream and ate whatever he could forage. He was a very lonely boy, and though he’d hide every time a merchant traveled by he wanted someone to befriend.” Puffy, red eyes glanced up at Ben as he spoke, and Serena listened with everything in her. He looked so serious, as if this wasn’t just a story he’d made up on the spot for her.
“One day the boy ventured away from his shambled hut and came across another boy. He was playing, and the first boy gathered his courage because he wanted to play too. Soon they became great friends. But one day the boy from the town didn’t show up, and the boy from the woods grew worried. Another day passed, and another, and another, until the boy from the town was just a bitter memory.”
“Years go by and the boy leaves the forest. He meets that boy that betrayed him, but something is different. They’re both older and wiser now. Together they decide to leave behind their small towns and forests and go out on amazing adventures. They planned and schemed everything they wanted to do, traveling to new and exciting lands and meeting all sorts of people, good and bad. They rekindled their friendship and the boy forgave and forgot. The end.”
Blinking slowly, Serena pursed her lips together and didn’t know how to feel about this story. Inching closer, she let out a small breath before opening her mouth.
“Did they live happily ever after?” Glancing over at her, Ben sucked in air through his teeth but she didn’t seem to notice how close she was. He could feel her along the length of his arm, soft and still trembling slightly despite the fact that her episode seemed to have passed. There was something oddly bonding about being punched in the face; it was his only explanation. She looked so vulnerable, too, as if she needed someone for her.
“I don’t know. I never got to the end. Maybe the boys met girls and fell in love somewhere on their adventures.”
“But what if she didn’t want to love anyone right now?” Squeezing Ben’s arm, Serena held her breath as his face neared hers. Eyes locked, her entire body waiting as if frozen in time for his answer.
“I don’t think that would stop him.” Ben’s mumble caused their lips to brush, and Serena realized exactly what she was doing. Pulling away with a jerk, her doe eyes widened even as she sucked a breath into her lungs. She sat up quickly, throwing her legs over the side of her bed with a rough snap of her head from left to right. It did nothing but make the room spin, but she stood up anyway.
“No. No- I’m going insane. Oh my God... I would never kiss yo- I don’t even know you.” Serena made to stand but Ben beat her to it, silencing her ramblings with his mouth. His mind spurted out many thoughts, but one of the clearest was that if she needed it, she needed it. People grieved differently. Taking the base of her head so she couldn’t pull away, he kept the kiss simple but long. She didn’t resist, sitting petrified as he leaned over her.
“Serena, your mom is dying right before your eyes and you have no one to help you with her. It’s okay to be a tiny bit of a slut.” Serena blinked slowly, staring listlessly into the white vortex of Ben’s crew-neck as his words processed in her brain. Tears fell ignored down her cheeks while she struggled to come up with some kind of reply. She didn’t want to be that person that buried their sorrow in a man. Then again, she didn’t see herself six months ago as the girl that became a solid rock from her own emotions. Sniffling heavily, her gaze flickered waveringly to the man standing over her before her mouth opened.
“B- but... I don’t want to be a slut...” Smiling down at her, Ben bent to her level and Serena stared at her hands. His fingers massaged the back of her head, ruffling her hair.
“You won’t be, trust me. If you want to I’m here, though. You’d be a girl I wouldn’t mind takin’ home to the folks if I had any.” The sad attempt at a joke made Serena choke out a harsh laugh, but no smile came to her lips.
“You don’t even know me...”
“Maybe not well, but I know some stuff about you. You’re strong, I can tell you that- the strongest woman I know. You love your mom enough to do this to yourself and that says a lot. I mean, you robbed a pharmacy, risked going to jail, fucked your credit and dropped out of college for her. Not to mentio
n you’re a great cook.” Heavier tears began to squeeze through Serena’s eyelids as Ben listed the things he knew about her. It wasn’t much; they hadn’t even known each other for two days. Still, it made her feel better. Once again he smiled at her, reaching with his free hand to nudge her chin with his knuckles.
“See? Getting help doesn’t mean going to sit in an office an hour a week and talk to someone that’s paid to listen. I’m sure if you asked Paul he’d say the same thing.” A second time Serena sniffled before reaching to up her face with her palms. Slowly she gathered herself, ignoring what had just happened in favor of putting on her big girl pants. For the first time she noticed the huge black and blue bruise that covered half of Ben’s face, but he seemed fine. There wasn’t much swelling and he was still smiling.
“I’m sorry for punching you.” Pushing himself up to stand straight, Ben shrugged off the apology and rolled his head a bit.
“It’s cool. You have a killer arm. Let’s go back downstairs and you can check on your mom, yeah?”
*****
A week had passed since the incident in her bedroom, and Serena sat at the kitchen table with her chin in her palm and a frown on her face. No one spoke about it; their kiss an ever-lingering shadow in her mind. Ben was the same as he had been before, not that she knew him very well in the first place. Even Paul somehow managed to ignore the tension even though he probably figured out what happened.
Really the only thing that had changed was her mother. Glancing into the living room, Serena let out a heavy sigh as she eyeballed the dying woman in the chair. She wasn’t eating at all now; it’d started yesterday. Eyes didn’t open despite the fact that her lungs took in shaking, rattling breaths. Serena couldn’t hold off any longer without killing herself out of guilt for making her mother suffer more than necessary.
All she needed was the courage, and not the liquid kind.
Instead of shoring up that courage Serena stood from her chair and headed for the stairs to take a shower. Procrastination was the devil her mother had once said. Equal parts of her were happy and sad she wasn’t going to get scolded for it. All day she spent in this house, doing nothing, thinking of nothing that had the power to lift her spirits. It was depressing and not even a shower could wash that away; but she could try.
Wrapping up her red-brown hair into a bun on the top of her head, Serena climbed into the shower and a shiver slid down her spine as hot water pounded against her skin. In this box things didn’t seem as bad as she knew they were. Turning her thoughts to the future, she wondered what would happen after her mother died. Her family would come back to bury their mother, sister, friend; nothing more. Once again she’d be alone without even a roof over her head.
Leaning on the hot tile, Serena let out a heavy sigh and swiped the water from her face. It was impossible to think of the bright side of all this negativity even when considering what hadn’t even happened yet.
“What’cha thinkin’ about?” Watching Serena’s distorted form jump from his voice, Paul sat on the toilet with a slight smile on his face. She was a hard nut to crack, but he didn’t understand what made Ben so interested in her. The swirling glass door cracked open and her red face appeared, stern but still aptly flustered.
“What the hell are you doing in here? It’s occupied.” Snapping in frustration, Serena covered her chest with her arm even though the glass did enough. Paul didn’t seem at all concerned, simply offering a shrug as he leaned his elbows on his knees. She glared at him hard and frustration swelled at his attitude towards her.
“You know Ben is all in a twist because of you. Maybe it’s because you’re super sexy in your little pajamas or you like to sleep on his lap. Which is it?”
“I’m not having this conversation.” Shutting the door firmly, Serena felt trapped inside the box when all Paul did was let out a chuckle. Rationalizing his words, she leaned on the wall again as she told herself Ben wasn’t ‘in a twist’. He was just being nice in offering her some relief. Furrowing her eyebrows, her hands slipped down her arms before she shook her head viciously.
“Come on, girl, it’s just a question. You like him, don’t you?” Huffing indignantly, Serena was glad there was glass and fog so Paul couldn’t see how red she was getting. It certainly wasn’t from the hot water streaming on her.
“Just about as much as I like you, which isn’t a lot. Like I told him, I don’t know either of you.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I kissed you?” Standing up, Paul pushed open the glass door with something akin to a shit-eating grin on his face. He wasn’t nearly as sensitive as Ben, eyeing Serena’s naked, dripping body even as she tried and failed to shield herself. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her away from the wall and crashed his lips on hers. Ever since Ben had let slip their little intimate moment he’d wanted to kiss her. A very tiny, minuscule part of him argued that it was to make her see that his best friend really had a crush on her. The rest of him was just an asshole, though.
For a second Serena fumbled through the kiss but somehow managed to push Paul away, not that he went far. Chest heaving, she wiped her mouth furiously and tried not to let her shriek of irritation bubble up from her throat. Glaring her hardest, she crossed her arm back over her bust as her face turned tomato red.
“You bastard. Don’t you ever do that again!” Before her Paul just kept that perverted smile on his face, and Serena tried her damnedest to move as fast as she could to right the glass door.
It wasn’t fast enough.
“Let me go or I’ll break your fucking nose again!” Jerking her arm, Serena practically snarled but Paul ignored her threat. With a jerk of his own she was suddenly facing away from him, body flailing as she half-fell, half-sat on the edge of the tub. One strong arm wrapped around her torso, rendering her unable to move while his free hand landed forcefully on her upper thigh. Pressed against her back, he breathed in her ear before actually speaking up in an annoying, mocking tone.
“Now, now. Relax and enjoy. I bet it’s been a long time since someone went knuckle deep in you. I can’t promise it’ll be amazing, but maybe you can compare with Ben later. Now be a good little tiny bit of a slut, yeah?”
“You’re not making a very good case for Marines, you know.” Harshly Serena spoke the words and finally got a rise out of Paul as he stiffened against her back. Her skin prickled at the irritation that poured off his skin at her jibe and the almost growl that built in his throat.
“It’s a good thing we got put in the reserves, then, right? No more tours for us for a while so you’re going to see a lot of me.”
“I’m going to ki-” Gasping as Paul cupped her mound, Serena’s threat didn’t have an ending as she tensed. Thighs struggled to close but his was rubbing his finger against her clit, his other hand groping her breast. As much as she didn’t want to give in, her legs opened of their own accord just enough for him to notice. In her chest her breath caught and stuttered, heart rate increasing even as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Enjoy it, Serena.” Mumbling, Paul smirked against her ear but Serena ignored it as he applied more pressure to her most sensitive spot. Pinching and pulling her rosy, hardening nipple, his thumb continued to circle her as his middle finger swiped up her slit. Her skin grew hot, face flushed while her abdomen tightened in desire. Holding the side of the tub tightly, she couldn’t hold back her soft groan as he teased her entrance.
“I hate you...”
Behind her Paul’s chest shuddered in an inaudible laugh, and Serena parted her legs fully. Tiny shock waves traveled down from her breasts to her core, causing a thick wetness to coat her entrance. Spreading the moisture around with two thick digits, the man teasing her switched his left hand to her left breast and squeezed tightly. The pressure sent her back into an arch, and he chose that moment to enter her.
“Oh-h-h-” Moaning softly, Serena rolled her hips automatically as Paul reached deep inside her. It’d been months since she’d gotten any kind of action but his fingers were
long and nimble. They didn’t stretch her insides. Tweaking her nipple, he pressed his knuckles against her pelvis before slipping out of her.
“Yeah-h... You’re so wet. I bet you get turned on easy.” Another insertion as Paul breathed against her ear and Serena took in a sharp breath, palms straining against the plastic under them. She could feel the muscles in his chest moving against her back, and his words came out harsh as he exited and re-entered. Pursing her lips together, she reached up to grasp at his shoulders and lift herself off the side of the tub. Inside her he wiggled his fingers, curling and scraping and twisting. His hand squeezed her breast, causing her back to arch sharply as another moan tore itself from her throat.
“Shit-” Biting down hard on her lower lip, Serena squeaked out her slur as her body got hotter and hotter. Paul set a rigorous pace, knuckles banging hard against her pelvis with each pump of his hand; his dry fingers fondling and teasing her nipples with equal attention. Hips rolled to keep up, fingernails digging into the fabric of his shirt as she ground her teeth together. Quickly the coil inside her became taut, ready to spring at any second with any provocation. In this she became mindless, forgetting she didn’t actually want this to happen with him.
All of it came rushing back to Serena when Paul suddenly stopped. In her ear his breath was ragged, and the hand that once groped her breasts was on her shoulder. Pushed down in a daze at such a sudden turn of events, she didn’t try to protest as he pushed her to sit down under the spray of the shower.
“Why did you stop?” Hating how whiny she sounded, Serena clenched her hands into fists but Paul had his eyes closed when she looked up at him. There was a grimace on his face, and the bulge in his pants deflated faster than she thought possible.
“Ben is back, in case you didn’t hear him opening and closing the front door. Have fun with dealing with that. Later.” Just like that Paul left as if he hadn’t just been touching her, and Serena crossed her arms over her chest.
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