“Hell no.” He laughed. “My dancing days are behind me.”
“We could do some twerking, Nicki Minaj style.” I grinned.
“I think I’ll keep my anaconda in my pants, thank you for very much.” Rhett laughed and winked at me.
“I cannot believe you know the name to her song, or that you even know who she is.” My jaw dropped as I stared at him. I felt warm and secure inside. I loved that Rhett could always push my worries aside so easily.
“I’m dating you. I know all the crappy musicians now.”
“She’s not crappy.” I rolled my eyes. “At least some of her songs aren’t crappy.” I conceded.
“I don’t mind if you want to practice your twerking though.” He pulled me towards him and squeezed my ass. “Preferably on my lap.”
“You’re disgusting Rhett.” I hit him in the arm. “I’m not about to twerk on your lap.”
“You weren’t complaining last night.” He licked his lips and playfully slapped my ass.
“Is everything about sex with you?”
“Is that even a question Clementine O’Hara? We’ve been best friends for years and that was never an issue, do you really think that’s all I want now?”
“I don’t know what to—”
“Seriously Clementine?” He cut me off and stepped back and his lips quivered. “Is that what you think of me?” I saw his eyes widen and he bit his lower lip. “Do you really think I’m capable of being that sort of man?” His eyes looked dolefully into mine and I burst into laughter.
“You’re such a goof.” I shook my head after my laughter subsided. “What am I going to do with you, Rhett Madison?”
“I’m going to plead the fifth as I’m not sure you’ll appreciate my answer.” He grinned and then winked at me again. “However, I can make it easy for you.”
“Make what easy for me?” I frowned as I watched him pulling his shirt off. I stared at his bare chest and tried not to burn my eyes out staring at his abs. I didn’t understand abs. How did they even exist? How did a stomach go from fat to a well-defined and chiseled piece of art? I ran my fingers down his six-pack and licked my lips. “You wish.”
“You do too.”
“Rhett, I already told you, Holden is coming over and we’re going to study.”
“I don’t know Holden and I don’t care about Holden. What sort of name is Holden anyway?”
“Rhett.” I frowned at him and ran to my phone when I heard it beeping. “I think that might be him.”
“He’s here already?”
“Yes.” I read my text messages. “Please be nice.”
“I’m always nice.” He looked at me with a surly expression. “Why wouldn’t I be nice to Holdy?”
“Holden.” I rolled my eyes.
“At least he’s holding and not grabbing.”
“Rhett!”
“I’d have to give him a beat down if he tried to grab you.” He cocked his head. “In fact I’d have to give him a beat down if he tried to hold you as well.”
“Will you behave?”
“Do you love me?” He asked me softly as I hurried around the apartment and grabbed every item that didn’t belong on the ground and threw it into our bedroom.
“What?” I paused as I grabbed up a pair of his boots and ran past him.
“Do you love me?” He stopped me from moving.
“You know I do.”
“Good.” He smiled and nodded. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
“You’re crazy, you know that right?”
“I’m crazy in love with you.” He whispered in my ear and my heart started thudding. How many years had I waited to hear someone say that to me? Not even I could have imagined that my Rhett would have finally grown up and fallen in love with me. I’d never believed that fairytales could come true before. “Never forget that.” He said quietly.
“I’ll never forget that.” I looked into his eyes. “You know that right?”
His eyes continued to stare into mine and I saw that lost look that sometimes took over his face. The look that told me that even though he was here with me, he wasn’t really here. He was thinking about something. He was in another place. A place where he was young, lost, scared Rhett. A place where all his bravado and charisma, was gone. It was a place I’d seen him in many times before, but it was a place we never spoke about.
“Be a good girl or I’ll spank you.” He joked finally and looked away. “You better go and let Holden in or he’ll start to wonder what’s going on.”
“I’m sure he’s already wondering that.” I laughed and kissed Rhett quickly on the lips. “Don’t mess the apartment up while I go down and get him.”
“Don’t be too long or I’ll send a search party down.” He called after me as I ran to the front door so that I could go downstairs to let Holden into the apartment building. I smiled to myself as I made my way down and tried to remind myself that I needed to speak to Rhett later about what was bothering him because something was obviously bothering him. I wasn’t sure if he was having cold feet about us. It was a weird situation that we were in, going from best friends to lovers and living together in such a short time. I felt like we’d never really gotten to experience what it was like to just date, without the pressure. We’d moved in together so quickly. We’d gone from Rhett and Clementine, best friends to Rhett and Clementine, serious boyfriend and girlfriend. There had been no in-between.
“Hey Holden, sorry about the delay.”
“No worries.” He grinned at me as I let him in. “I thought I had the wrong building for a minute.”
“No sorry, my boyfriend had clothes everywhere and I was just trying to tidy up before you came up.”
“Oh you didn’t have to tidy up for me.” He flashed his perfect white teeth at me. “I don’t mind a bit of a mess.”
“Oh I couldn’t have you coming over to a mess.”
“I guess it’s the Southern girl in you.” He laughed. “Most girls in Boston don’t care.” He winked at me and I could see that his green eyes were laughing. I stared at him and tried not to ogle him. Holden looked like a young Ben Affleck and I couldn’t stop myself from admiring his serious, studious expression. He was so unlike the guys I’d known back home.
“That could be it. Come on up. I’m sure Rhett’s wondering what’s taking so long.”
“And Rhett is your young man?”
“He’s my boyfriend yes.” I nodded as we walked up the stairs. “We were best friends for years and just recently started dating.”
“Really?” He seemed surprised. “And you guys are living together already?”
“Well, I know it seems fast, but we—”
“What seems fast?” Rhett stood at the front door and surveyed Holden as we walked into the apartment.
“Holden this is Rhett, Rhett, this is Holden.”
“I’m her boyfriend, Rhett.” Rhett held his hand out and his blue eyes narrowed as he took in Holden’s appearance. A part of me thought it was funny that he was acting so possessive and the other part of me was annoyed.
“Holden, her new friend.” Holden turned to me and gave me a smile. “At least, I hope you consider me a friend.”
“Of course I do.” I beamed at him. “You’re my first friend in Boston and at Harvard. It’s not easy being the new girl; especially being from the South.”
“What’s wrong with being from the South?” Rhett frowned.
“There’s nothing wrong with being from the South.” Holden said diplomatically. “I think there’s just an idea of what people are like who are from the South. Good ol’ boys and all that.”
“Good ol’ boys?” Rhett gave me a look and then turned back to Holden. “What does that mean?”
“Well you know.” Holden continued uncomfortably and I wanted to tell him to stop while he was ahead. “I think there are three sorts of people from the South: the rednecks or cowboys or whatever, the plantation folk that wish slavery was still around to pick their cotton and tobacco and the migrants from the North that wanted a slower pace of life.”
“Really now?” Rhett drawled. “I guess you just know your Southern boys well, huh? We’re all into Nascar, Country Clubs and going on about the good ol’ days.”
“Well, no.” Holden’s face turned red. “I didn’t mean to stereotype or say that was all that exists. I’m sure everyone doesn’t love Nascar and every guy isn’t into pickup trucks.”
“Rhett loves pickup trucks.” I grinned and punched Rhett in the shoulder. “And stop picking on Holden. He’s going to think we’re unfriendly.”
“No offense about pickup trucks.” Holden made a small face and Rhett rolled his eyes at me. I knew exactly what he was thinking, just from his expression. He thought Holden was an idiot. He thought Holden was a wimp and everything he disliked about guys from the North. Holden unknowingly was proving Rhett’s thoughts about how Northerners thought about Southerners and I knew that Rhett was going to let me know exactly what he thought as soon as Holden left.
“No offense taken.” Rhett muttered. “I don’t say nothing about you damn—”
“Rhett, why don’t you go and watch TV in the bedroom.” I glared at him to shut him up before he said something we’d both regret.
“I’ll go and call Tomas. You know he’s coming up tomorrow.” Rhett reminded me and then looked at Holden. “And yes, Tomas is a Hispanic fellow and there’s no need to be shocked. We are allowed to have friends of other races now.”
“Rhett.” I growled at him and he laughed as he sauntered to the bedroom. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” Holden looked a bit unsure of himself. “I hope I didn’t offend him.”
“Don’t worry; it takes a lot to offend Rhett. He was just joking with you.” I smiled at him, trying to let him know that everything was cool. “The truth is there are many older folks that do wish that we were back in the 30s and 40s, but me and Rhett, we’re not plantation kids. Well, I’m not at least. I don’t come from old money and I don’t come from a family that thought those days were better.”
“I didn’t mean to insinuate that you guys were—”
“Ooh insinuate, such a big word. I guess he’s a Harvard guy.” Rhett mumbled out loud so both of us could hear. I knew he was doing it to make Holden uncomfortable and I shook my head.
“Excuse me please.” I walked to the bedroom and closed the door behind me. “Stop it, you’re being rude.”
“Who me?” Rhett looked at me with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean to be.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I didn’t.” He gave me a small smile and I sighed.
“You’re insufferable Rhett. You know I need to study.”
“You’re always studying.” He sat on the bed. “I hope you will be able to hang out with Tomas and me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I bit my lower lip and tried not to sigh. I knew he wasn’t going to like my answer.
“Yes, tomorrow.” His eyes narrowed.
“Well, Holden and I are meeting up again tomorrow to finish our project.”
“But you’re meeting now?” He looked upset.
“We’re starting it today and finishing it tomorrow.”
“What?” He sighed and lay back on the bed. “Fine.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”
“Yeah you will.” He rolled over and winked at me. “You’ll make it up to me alright, for about an hour and thirty minutes as soon as he’s gone.”
“Rhett.” I could feel my face growing warm as he licked his lips and winked at me. There was something so special about our connection. All he had to do was look at me in a certain way and I felt my body warming up.
“That’s my name.” He grinned. “I’ll have you screaming it out by the end of the night.”
Chapter Three
Rhett
“Dude, let’s go to a strip-club.” Tomas grinned as he walked out of the bathroom, his hair slicked back and wet.
“I can’t go to a strip-club.” I shook my head and laughed. Tomas was one of those guys that would never change.
“Don’t tell me, Clementine’s taken your balls and cut them off.” Tomas raised an eyebrow at me and looked around the living room.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Dude, you’ve always been down to go to see some big ol’ titties bouncing in your face, why can’t you go now?”
“You know why not.” I frowned, as I started to feel irritated at Tomas, and he’d only just arrived.
“Because you have a girlfriend.” He said in a singsong voice. “Where is she anyway?” He plopped down on the couch. “This living room looks like a hot mess. Doesn’t Clemmie like to tidy up?”
“Dude, I have spoken to her about the living room.” I could feel my face heating up.
“And she still hasn’t done anything.” He pulled a bra out from the chair he was sitting on and threw it at me. “Here you go. Maybe I’ll find your panties as well.”
“You’re a dick.” I grabbed her bra and sighed. “She’s at some study session with some prick from Harvaarrd.”
“Nah, I’m just a guy with a dick.” He paused and looked at me. “I think yours is gone.”
“So she cut my balls and took my dick?”
“Didn’t she?” He raised an eyebrow and then laughed. “Dude, come on, let’s go and have some fun. We haven’t done shit since I’ve been here.”
“We’re going bowling tomorrow.” I knew as soon as I said the words that they sounded lame. “And you’ve only been here for a day.”
“Yay.” He shook his head and he looked away from me. “We can go bowling and Clementine can go on her study dates.”
“Look if you really want to go to a strip-club, we can go to a strip-club.” I jumped up, feeling angry that Clementine was with Holden again and grabbed my wallet. “We just got to be back before Clementine gets home.”
“Pussy.”
“You want to go or not?”
“I’m coming, dude. I’m coming.” He jumped up with a huge grin. “Don’t let me make you change your mind. Let’s go play some real or fake.”
“You’re a pig.” I laughed as we walked out the front door. Real or fake was a game we’d played in South Carolina when we went to the strip club. We’d try and grab girls’ boobs and see if they were real or fake. I’d usually feel them up with my hands, but Tomas liked to try and grab them with his mouth - which wasn’t always accepted by the strippers. We’d been kicked out of several strip clubs in our time, but it had always been fun.
“So you don’t want to play?” He looked disappointed as I turned him down.
“No, I don’t want to play.” I frowned at him as we left my apartment building and I realized that I wasn’t just saying that. I had no interest in touching or seeing other girl’s breasts. I didn’t even feel excited about the possibility.