Truly

by Carmel Rhodes

  “I’ve created a horny little monster.” He chuckles against my lips.

  I kiss my way down his jaw, biting his chin. “The only thing to do here is fish and fuck.” My hand slips under his t-shirt and my fingertips trace the planes of his abs. “I’d rather fuck.”

  “I hate to ruin the mood,” Ethan says, walking back to the car. Noah and I both turn to look at him. Judging by the look on his face, he isn’t here with good news. “They only have one vacancy, which means we’re all bunking together.”

  My heart sinks. I was hoping to spend the day locked inside a hotel room making out with Noah and eating my birthday Oreos. “Are you sure?”

  “Super sure,” Becca says, sauntering out. “I even tried flirting with the guy. He says there’s some pipeline crew working here for the next few weeks. They’ve rented out over half the rooms. We were lucky to get the one we have.” A jeep pulls into the spot next to us, and two men wearing dirt covered overalls hop out confirming their story. “The man at the desk said every hotel in town is the same, and that we could try our luck elsewhere, but we might lose our spot here.”

  “Fuck.” Noah rakes his fingers through his hair.

  “Actually, it looks like you won’t be fucking.” Becca takes my hand and drags me off the car. “On the plus side, we can have a best friend’s day!”

  I let Becca lead me to our room. Anything is better than fishing.

  Luckily, the murder motel has a pool.

  Since I can’t spend the day with Noah’s tongue in my mouth, I settle for the next best thing. Becca and I change into our bikinis, slip on our Elvis sunglasses and post up poolside. The boys go to Walmart to see if they can find camping supplies, giving us some much-needed girl time.

  The Texas sun beams down on us as Becca pulls a sparkly flask from her pool bag. She unscrews the cap, takes a swig, and passes it to me. “Should we be day drinking in this heat?” I ask eyeing the flask warily.

  “I’ve got water too,” she says pulling an icy bottle from her bag. “We’ll pace ourselves.”

  I nod at her logic and take a pull from the flask. I’m not sure what’s inside, but whatever it is burns like a bitch. “This isn’t so bad,” I tell her handing the flask back and settling into the ugly, green, and white striped beach chair. “Maybe the guys will let us skip camping and we can just stay here and swim and eat pizza and Oreos.”

  “Yeah right, I’m surprised Noah left you alone this long. I doubt he’d let you spend the night away from him.”

  I suck my bottom lip into my mouth. I should be concerned by that, right? I mean, I know Noah is possessive, but if it’s bad enough that Becca notices it too, maybe it’s a problem. “He doesn’t let me,” I tell her.

  She tips her shades down and levels me with a that’s cute face. “Truly, I love you deep.”

  “Oh, fuck off.” I rip into the Oreos and set them on the table between us. Whoever invented Carrot Cake Oreos deserves a Nobel Prize. “But seriously, he’s just…”

  “Crazy, obsessively in love with you,” she finishes.

  I cackle, nearly spitting cookie crumbs everywhere. “Have you been tipping into that flask when I wasn’t looking?”

  She twists an Oreo apart and licks the cream from the middle. I cringe inwardly because that is not the right way to eat them, but I don’t comment. “You can’t be that naive, Truly.”

  “It’s been less than a month since graduation. You don’t fall in love with someone that quickly.”

  “No, you don’t.” She says the words slowly as if she’s waiting for me to pick up what she’s putting down, but she isn’t making any sense.

  I munch on another cookie and turn to her. “Devin called me on my birthday.” It feels good to confess that to someone. Noah would lose his shit if he knew, so I’ve kept it to myself, but having these few uninterrupted moments with my bestie allows me to get it out.

  “What? I thought you blocked him?”

  “I did. He called me from someone else’s phone.”

  “Probably the skank he posted on his IG.”

  “He fucked her,” I blurt the words out then reach for the flask. I’m gonna need something stronger than Oreos for this conversation.

  “He told you that?”

  I nod and take another sip. “To be fair, I asked, and he answered honestly.”

  “How did that make you feel?”

  “Like an idiot, mostly. I mean, I was blindsided by our breakup, but maybe I had my head buried in the sand. Maybe he wasn’t okay with waiting, you know? Maybe he didn’t want to spend the summer hoping I’d let him fuck me?”

  “Tru.” Becca grabs my hand and her voice takes on that motherly tone she uses when she thinks I need talking off the ledge. “Sex doesn’t fix things. Even if you were having sex, that relationship wasn’t going to go the distance. You know that, right?”

  Pressing my eyes closed, I spill another confession. “I’m glad I didn’t sleep with him.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I like that Noah was my first, even though he’s a possessive asshole with major psychotic tendencies. It felt like it meant something to him. To have that. And if I’m being honest, I’m relieved that Devin had sex with someone else because now, maybe I don’t have to feel so guilty for sleeping with Noah.”

  “Babe.” She looks like she wants to say more, like she wants to lecture me about how the person I lose my virginity to, should be for me. How I should place my feelings and desires first, but thankfully, she bites her tongue.

  “I don’t know why I like him so much, but I’m done beating myself up about it.”

  We cheers with our Oreos and the conversation moves to lighter topics, like how she’s bastardizing my cookies.

  I’m drunk.

  Like, really drunk.

  By the time the guys returned from shopping, we’d polished off the flask, and sorta started an impromptu party with some of the pipeline crew. To be fair, Becca and I were minding our business when they came out with beer. One thing led to another, and a pretty intense game of flip cup ensued.

  A game we were winning until Noah and Ethan stormed over and not so politely gathered up our shit and dragged us back to the room. Noah has been in a shitty mood since.

  “Are you still mad at me?” I flutter my lashes up at Noah, doing my best to keep from laughing. He scowls at me and lifts his menu higher.

  Before we were unceremoniously plucked from our pool party, one of the pipeline guys told us the restaurant across the street from the hotel had the best ribs in town, and since all we’ve had to eat today were cookies, it was pretty much a no brainer. I also think Ethan and Noah didn’t want to be trapped in a hotel room with two obviously drunk girls.

  “So, what are we going to do tonight?” Becca asks, plopping her elbows on the table.

  “Fish or fuck.” I giggle.

  Noah grabs my thigh under the table. “Behave,” he grunts. His hand inches higher up the white dress covering my bikini and he brushes a knuckle against my slit.

  “Or else what?” I whisper low enough so that only he can hear me.

  “Or else I’ll drag your little ass to the bathroom and spank the shit out of you.”

  Fluttering my lashes, I say, “Promises, promises.” He slaps the inside of my thigh hard, but his lips slip into a smile. “I don’t like you getting wasted in the middle of the day with strange old men.”

  “I’m sorry.” I press a kiss to his chin. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. We were just bored and drunk.”

  Noah hooks his arm around my neck and gives me a chaste peck. “Apology accepted.”

  Our waitress, a girl who can’t possibly be any older than us, sashays to our table. Her hair, boobs, and smile are all gigantic. Her gaze lingers on Noah a little too long before she greets the rest of the table. “I’m Amber, I’ll be takin care of y’all tonight.”

  I roll my eyes, already annoyed. I know that Noah is six-three and his body looks like it was carved from
stone, but come on, I’m sitting right here.

  Her country twang deepens as she leans in. Her boobs smoosh together and nearly pop out of the V-neck t-shirt emblazoned with the restaurant’s logo. “Y’all must not be from around here.”

  Noah smirks at her. It’s that smirk. The one he shoots right before women get the urge to chuck their panties at him. “What gave us away?”

  “Your clothes, and the fact that I was born and raised here, and I’ve never seen you before in my life, and trust me, I’d remember seeing you.” She bites her lip in the cheeky way girls do in movies, and I hate that it makes her look even hotter. Amber oozes a sex appeal that I couldn’t imagine even in my dreams. I’m the good girl. Devin always said so. It’s one of the reasons I dyed my hair, to prove to him that I could be edgy. Watching Amber flirt shamelessly with Noah while his arm is around my shoulder is kicking up that old insecurity.

  Noah pulls at his bottom lip with his teeth, and I think I’m going to be sick. The bastard is flirting back after he gave me shit for playing a super platonic game of flip cup.

  I shrug out of his grasp, and my heart sinks a little when he lets me.

  “Can I get y’all something to drink?”

  “Actually, we’re ready to order,” I interrupt. I’m fully aware that the alcohol swimming in my veins could be affecting my emotions, but either way, I’m hangry and I’ve had enough of Amber’s southern hospitality.

  She takes down our order and promises to be back soon with our drinks. No one at the table seems to notice the shift in my mood, so maybe I’m overreacting? Maybe Noah was just being friendly?

  Ethan launches into the plan for tomorrow. He’s excited about our excursion into the woods, so Becca and I try to muster the appropriate levels of enthusiasm, even though he keeps throwing out words like tent and campsite and mother nature. As promised, Amber comes back with our drinks. Thankfully, she doesn’t linger too long. With Ethan’s excitement and the promise of food, I feel myself starting to relax. Maybe I imagined the flirting.

  Our food arrives and we devour it. Pipeline guy was right, the ribs are amazing. Just what I needed after spending the day drinking under the hot sun.

  Once our plates are cleaned, Amber returns with the bill. Noah pulls out his credit card and slides it to her. “What’s there to do for fun around here besides fish?”

  “Fish.” She giggles shamelessly. “Or get drunk down by the lake.”

  Noah leans in, giving her his full attention and my jealousy returns tenfold. “Sounds like fun.”

  “It is.” Blondie McBoobie nods. “A bunch of us are meeting there later tonight. Y’all can come if you want?”

  Noah grins again, his dimples on full display. “We’d love that.”

  As if remembering she has a job to do, she grabs his credit card and scampers off.

  “What the fuck was that?” I blurt out as soon as she’s gone.

  The table descends into an awkward silence. Ethan and Becca stare at me like I might explode at any second while Noah sits there with a stupid fucking look on his face. “What?”

  I elbow him with as much force as I can muster. “Can you move? I need to pee.”

  “Yeah?” He looks confused by the shot to the ribs and scoots out slowly, as if he’s waiting for an explanation. Fuck that. If he doesn’t know why I’m pissed, then I’m not going to waste my breath explaining it to him.

  “I’ll come with.” Becca jumps to her feet and follows me to the back of the restaurant.

  “What a dick,” I seethe once we’re alone. “I might still be a little drunk, but I’m totally justified in being pissed here, right? He was flirting with her.” Becca’s bottom lip pops out and I narrow my eyes at her. I can see the but dancing on the tip of her tongue and she can save it. I’m so sick of everyone always defending Noah to me.

  “I’m just going to play devil’s advocate.”

  My hands find my hips and I turn to face her. “Best friend bylaws state you don’t get to advocate for him. You are Truly’s advocate. Period. The end.”

  “I am. I totally am. In fact, if you want to ditch them and head back to the room, I’m down, but before we do, I’m going to say something because I love you deep.”

  “I reserve the right to ignore whatever advice you’re about to give, but deep, deep.”

  “He’s crazy about you. He just doesn’t know how to be a couple because you’re technically his first girlfriend.”

  “I’m not technically his anything. He’s never made the distinction. I’m just the dumb bitch who lets him fuck her without a condom.”

  “Truly.”

  “He may have never been in a relationship, but we aren’t five. He’s crazy if he thinks flirting with the waitress IN FRONT OF MY FACE is acceptable boyfriend behavior.”

  “He wasn’t really flirting with her,” she says as if it were obvious.

  “Don’t,” I snap. “Do not defend him.”

  Becca holds up her hands. “I’m just saying. I’ve never seen him act the way he acts with you with anyone else. He’s obsessed with you, and while I’m not saying it’s right, Noah only knows how to use his charm and his money to get what he wants. You complained about being bored and so it became his mission to fix it.”

  “By flirting with another girl.”

  “If you want to go back to the room and let them sleep in the car, I’m perfectly okay with that. I’m just offering you some perspective.”

  “Fuck your perspective,” I say crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Fine, it’s fucked.” Becca holds the door open for me and Noah is standing there, leaning against the wall, looking like a modern-day James Dean. A modern-day James Dean that I’m going to punch in the face. “You want me to stay?” Becca asks.

  “No.” I shake my head. “I’ve got this.”

  “You’re mad?” he asks.

  “Ya think? You ripped me a new one for hanging out at the pool with guys who were my dad’s age, and yet it’s okay for you to flirt with another girl right in front of me?”

  He takes a step back like I slapped him. “I was not flirting with her.”

  I jab a finger into his chest. “You were flirting with her.”

  “Okay, maybe, but I’m not attracted to her.”

  “Yeah, right, because her big boobs and blue eyes are so hideous.”

  Noah chuckles and it makes me want to draw blood. I push him back, desperate to put some space between us, but he is unmovable. “She’s pretty,” he admits, “but she has nothing on you. When you’re in the room, you’re the only person I see. I didn’t mean to flirt with her. I didn’t even notice how big her boobs were. I just wanted to have fun with my girl tonight.”

  “If we had a guy server and I was all smiley with him, how would you feel?”

  His eyes darken and his grip on my hips tighten to the point that it hurts. “I’d rip his fucking tongue out and you know that.”

  “So, imagine how I feel right now.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  SORRY! I want to scream the word over and over again, but does an apology really mean anything if I have to force it out of him?

  We are silent for a beat. Obviously, he doesn’t get it, and I’m done trying to make him understand. “Nothing. Say nothing.”

  I shoulder past him and head back to our table. Big boobs Amber is there, waiting, sans apron. She’s also changed out of her t-shirt with the restaurant’s logo on it into a white tank top. “Y’all ready to go?”

  “Yes,” Becca and Ethan say at the same time, probably eager to escape the building tension.

  We make our way outside. Amber follows us across the street to the motel. Ethan and Noah head for the car, while Becca and I make a beeline for the stairs.

  “Where the fuck are you going?” Noah growls.

  “To bed. I’m tired after spending the day in the sun.”

  “No.”

  I chuckle, lifting my middle finger and giving him my back. Before
I make it another step further, a hand wraps around the back of my neck and I’m pulled back with so much force, I nearly fall. “I’m sick of your fucking pouting. Get your little ass in the car.”

  “Screw you, Noah.” I struggle to free myself, but his grip is too tight.

  “I tried being nice and you’re still acting like a fucking brat. I’m not asking anymore. Get in the fucking car or I’ll put you in the fucking car. Either way, you will be in the fucking car.”

  “Noah, chill,” Becca says, tugging his arm.

  Ethan comes around and grabs her by the waist. “Let them work it out, babe.” He pulls her to the passenger side of the car and shuts her in before making his way to the driver’s seat.

  “You can’t make me go anywhere.”

  “Watch me.” He lifts me up, carrying me over to the door, and I want to cry at how helpless I feel. Once we get close, he shifts, all but throwing me into the backseat and sliding in behind me, slamming the door. “Drive,” he grunts to Ethan, reaching over to strap me in.

  “I hate you,” I spit, as he clicks the buckle in.

  “I don’t give a fuck,” he spits right back. “The pussy is just as good when you’re pissed as it is when you’re happy.”

  Twenty minutes later, the cars roll to a stop in a clearing.

  Amber gets out of her car. “Party is down by the lake.”

  We follow her through a thick brush of trees. Becca comes up beside me and whispers, “Are you okay?”

  I huff, my flip flops crunching on the ground beneath us. “He’s a fucking jerk.”

  “Yeah, but like, that was intense.”

  “Aren’t you the same girl who told me to be patient with him?”

  “Yeah, but that wasn’t just a little fight. You guys went to war. The way he grabbed you…”

  I shake off her concern. Noah is rough with me, maybe rougher than I should be okay with, but all things considered, I’ve seen him a lot scarier. “It’s fine, Becca, drop it.”

  The deeper we get into the woods, the sparser the trees become until we reach another clearing, this one just off the river.