Authors: Nora Flite
“
Good,”
I admitted, standing on tip-toe to reach his tempting lips. “Let's
go say hi, I haven't talked to Vanessa for a week. I have no idea
what she's been up to.”
“
True,”
he chuckled, following me along the walkway. “She could have
gotten into all sorts of trouble.”
“
I
know you're kidding,” I said, glancing up at the trees that
sported brown leaves from the cool weather, “but you never
know. She couldn't even call me, she doesn't know I have a new
phone.”
“
She
could have called me,” Deacon pondered, shrugging.
Reaching
for the door of the apartment I shared, I felt the knob resist. “Hmn.
Locked.” Digging in my pocket, I fiddled with my keys. “Maybe
she isn't even here,” I mused, pushing the door open. “I
guess she could be...” I never finished my sentence. Together,
Deacon and I stared at the sight before us. An image that stole our
voices away for a good solid set of seconds.
Vanessa,
nude and in the midst of tangling with someone on the couch, gasped.
Her hair was a mess, skin sweating from what was obviously a
passionate round of love making.
Under
her, a familiar head looked up. Tim's mop of hair was tangled, eyes
wide in shock.
“
The
door was locked for a reason!” Vanessa squealed, covering her
chest and breaking the frozen moment.
Squeaking,
I covered my eyes, yanking on the door to shut it. “I'm so
sorry! Oh god! Sorry!”
The
hard snap of the door closing shook the air, leaving Deacon and I
standing on the front step. Looking up, I saw his face reflected the
horror on my own. “Did I just see that?”
“
Yes,”
he whispered, rubbing at his hair with both hands. “Tim and
Vanessa, well. I guess maybe we shouldn't be
that
shocked?”
“
They
were having sex on the couch,” I mumbled, eyes shooting around,
so hard my skull hurt. “Oh god. The place I sleep, Deacon.
I
sleep there!
”
He
started laughing, a choked sound that his palms tried to muffle. It
became impossible, and soon, he was doubled over with echoing
guffaws. Frustrated, unsure what to do, I gave him a small shove.
“Stop that, this isn't funny!”
“
No,”
he shook his head, chuckling, “it's pretty hilarious,
actually.”
My
face was glowing, it only got brighter when I glanced at the door. “I
guess I should drive us to your place, then.”
Deacon
nodded, laughing too hard to answer. I wanted to be angry that he
found it all so humorous, but my mortification transformed to
sheepish giggles. “Fine. It's kind of funny.”
“
Right?”
He recovered, wiping his eyes but still grinning wide. “Okay,
yeah. Let's get out of here, just give her a call later.”
Sighing,
I hurried after him, heading to where my car had been left on the
street. I'd asked Vanessa to keep an eye on it, and luckily she had.
“No parking ticket, that's good.” Climbing in, I enjoyed
the familiar feel of the wheel in my hands.
The
engine clicked, starting up with a soft purr. “Do you think
they've been, you know, just hooking up?” I asked.
“
As
opposed to...?”
“
Dating.”
Glancing at him, I turned my car onto the road. “I'm wondering
if they're dating again.”
Deacon's
frown was subtle, but I noticed it. “Well, I talked to Tim
about a month ago or so. After everything with Greg and Vanessa went
down, they were starting to spend a lot of time together.”
“
I
know about that,” I mused, turning onto his street and pulling
up into am empty spot. “I just didn't think they'd ever try
again. You know about why they broke up, right?”
He
nodded slowly, hopping out of my car and shutting the door. I
followed after him, tucking my keys away. “Tim didn't want to
get married, have kids, all that pressure. Who knows, maybe he
changed his mind.”
“
Maybe,”
I mumbled, afraid of the alternative.
If
they get back together... if they are together, right now, even...
and he isn't taking it seriously? He's going to destroy her this time
around.
Carlo
seemed surprised to see us, looking up from the couch with wide eyes.
Our bags were on the floor by his feet, scattered a little lazily.
“Whoa. That was quick.”
“
Uh,
yeah,” Deacon shrugged, reaching down to grab our things. “We
didn't need much time.”
Nodding,
I turned, hurrying up the stairs. I knew my face was turning pink
again, thinking about what I had seen.
I
felt Deacon following me, but I didn't turn until I was in his room,
sitting on his bed. Drawing my hands over my face, I groaned. “I
don't know what to do.”
“
There's
nothing to do,” he responded, setting our bags on the ground.
Catching the way I squinted, he softly closed the door behind him.
“
There
is,” I muttered, flopping back on the blankets and eyeing the
ceiling. “If they're dating again, don't you know what that
means for me?”
“
No,
what?” He sounded amused, the mattress creaking as he sat
beside me.
Turning,
I looked up into his thoughtful face. “They're together, that
means they're going to want to spend their
time
together.”
His
stare was blank.
“
Deacon,”
I said, sitting up so fast it made me dizzy, “they were having
sex on the couch! Where I sleep! They're going to have sex in her
room, too. They won't stop.”
He
smoothed my hair, fingers fiddling with the strands. “How
awful.”
“
Listen
to me, please,” I frowned. “I don't know if I can handle
sleeping there, being in their way. I'm going to become that person,
who like, wakes up to her roommate going at it in the shower, or
sitting right nearby at the table eating breakfast together. It's
just going to get weird.”
Tilting
his head, Deacon watched me curiously. “Did you not deal with
any of that when Greg was with her?”
“
No,
she and him were on rough terms when I got in the picture.”
“
Leah,
if Vanessa and Tim start doing all that together, it's a good thing,
right?”
“
For
them,” I said, looking away, “yes. It's very good. But
not for me, that place is too small to handle three people.”
Laying
back, he folded his arms behind his head. “You had to expect
this would happen eventually.”
“
What
would?”
“
That
Vanessa might start dating someone?”
Crinkling
the bridge of my nose, I stared down at my lap. “I don't know,
I guess I didn't.”
Inhaling
loud enough that I could hear him, Deacon adjusted on the bed.
“You've been spending a lot of time here. Maybe you won't even
notice.”
He
wasn't wrong, I
had
been spending most of my nights sleeping over at his place. “I
guess so, yeah. But what am I supposed to do,” I chuckled,
peering down at him from where I sat. “Move in?”
His
eyes twinkled, that mouth shifting into a serious line. One hand
lifted, guiding me down to lay beside him. Our faces were inches
apart, I could feel his breath tickling my nose. “Well, why
not?”
“
What?”
I blurted, not sure I'd heard him right.
“
Why
not move in with me?”
“
You're
not kidding, are you?” I whispered, trying to meet the
intensity in his honey eyes.
Those
hands, so familiar, pulled me closer. “Leah, I
love
you. If anything, this trip showed me that. You can't keep living on
Vanessa's couch, so why
not
move in with me?”
My
heart throbbed, unable to keep pace with my rushing thoughts. “Move
in here?”
“
No,
we should get our own place, I think.”
“
I—but
what about Carlo?”
“
What
about me?” The voice came from the doorway. Carlo was leaning
inside, a mischievous twinkle in his inky eyes. “Sorry, you
guys have company, so...”
We
sat up quickly, noticing Vanessa peeking around Carlo in the doorway.
“Sorry,” she said in a rush, looking extremely
uncomfortable. “Uh. I just came by to... to talk to Leah.”
“
Vanessa!”
Jumping to my feet, I pushed past Deacon's roommate and gave the girl
a tight hug. Leaning back, I saw her mirror my smile. “Hey, uh,
about that whole—”
“
No,”
she cut me off, pink roses blooming on her cheeks. “Uh, come
on, let's talk about that somewhere private.”
Blinking,
I turned towards Carlo and Deacon. “You guys, can you give us
some space?”
My
boyfriend didn't argue. Standing easily, he grabbed Carlo by the
shoulder, leading him down the stairs. “All yours.”
“
I—hey,
wait!” I heard the coffee colored man argue, struggling as he
was towed.
Motioning
with my head, I led Vanessa into Deacon's room, then out on his
balcony. “This should be good, right?”
The
taller girl strolled out into the air, letting me close the door
behind us. It felt refreshing, a welcome breather with how heated
both our faces were.
We're
both so humiliated about this whole mess.
“
Listen,”
she started, rubbing her upper arms. “I'm sorry about what you
walked in on back there. I would have called you, warned you, but...”
“Oh, my bad, really,” I laughed, trying to convince
myself. “Deacon got me a new phone for Christmas, I really
should have called you ahead of time.”
“
Still,
I'm sorry.”