Since Summers

forty two : not since I met you

"But we can't let this happen again."

Her words cut my train of thought and my head snapped up instantly once she finished her sentence. "Pardon?"

"We are friends, right?" It would have been better if she offered a smile or said that with emotion instead, she had said those in a flat tone. "We agreed that we will maintain our friendship and having sex is not part of it."

I frowned. "I thought we having sex changed things."

"No," she dropped her eyes to the bed. "it was more of an accident."

"Accident?!" I pushed the sheets away and stood, ignoring the fact that I was in my birthday suit. "How can it be an accident? Maybe the first time, yes, it was an accident but not the second. Or third or fourth. And definitely not the fifth cos we both came together."

I watched her cheeks turn slightly pink. She took a deep breath and her eyes met mine when she said, "It will not happen again."

Her words sounded final but I was a stubborn guy. "Why the bloody hell not?"

"Because even though my actions recently showed otherwise," she paused and ran one frustrated hand through her long curly hair, "I am no longer that girl, Frazier."

I took a step forward. "What girl?"

"The girl who sleeps around. I am trying not to be that girl. Whenever someone I loved betrayed me, I always looked for an alternative. When my high school boyfriend Ashton cheated on me, I found Joe and used him to get what I could not get from Ash. I don't want this to happen again."

"Bullshit," I muttered. "If so, then why did you come here ten hours ago? Why did you have sex with me again and again and again for the last ten hours since you stepped into this room? Feck, why did you even come back here? Why didn't you go home?"

Silence fell between us and I knew she did not say anything because she did not have the answer. I walked towards the minibar and poured myself a drink. Autumn was still standing there, her hands fidgeting nervously in front of her stomach.

"Frazier," she called my name and turned to face me. "I'm really sorry. Trust me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You have done nothing wrong. It's just--"

"Yeah, it's not you it's me, right?" I cut her off, knowing full well what speech she was going to use. The classic one that people used when they got bored of their lovers but did not know what to say. "I have never used that before but I've heard it being used countless times. You don't need to use it on me."

"Frazier." Her expression turned to pity and somehow, it got me angry.

I flicked my hand, causing some whiskey to splash and drop on the table, and said, "Just go."

"But--"

I cleared the water from my eyes and closed them shut. I wished I could do the same with my heart because sometimes it was less painful that way. "Go."

A few heartbeats later, I heard her heels hitting the carpeted floor then the door slammed shut. I let out a pent-up breath and finished my drink in one go.

* * *

VINCENT

It was never the best sight to see your little sister gotten herself drunk and was flirting with a stranger who was twice her age in a hotel bar. I was never the brawling type of guy but even now, I wanted to punch the dude's face except my friend Luke was faster. He grabbed the guy by his collar and lifted him up.