"For every truthful thing you tell me, I will remove one piece of clothing. And I'll know if you're telling the truth, so don't try and lie to me." He was fully clothed with his arms crossed stubbornly in front of his chest. I told him I didn't want to talk, I wanted to do other things, but he said unless I talked I wouldn't be getting any nice views tonight. He's so cruel to me.
"Alright, sounds good. How many truths I gotta tell until I get to shower with you?"
"If you tell me all of the ones I ask you, then I'll shower with you. Otherwise I will be showering alone tonight."
"That's fair. What's the first question?"
"Why did you try to grab my tongue?" He's starting out small I see. That's good I guess. I'm going in hard though, he said no boundaries so the hell with playing it safe. I took a step towards him, a smirk on my lips.
"Because it's sexy and I wanted it for myself. My bad."
He swallowed a little and backed up a step. "Okay then." He bent down and removed his left sock, and I laughed.
"Oh come on, socks count as one whole piece of clothing."
"Nope, they count as two. Next question. Did you really leave your jacket at Wags bar?"
I took a second slow step towards him. "Yessir I did. Take that other sock off, Mr. Sparklez."
He took another step back, and then removed his other sock. "Is that the real reason you had a panic attack?"
"Nope. Shirt off please." Another step forward.
"Nuh uh, I have a watch on." He unstrapped his wrist watch and let it fall to the floor with a small thud. "What did you do after you left the room?" Another step backwards.
"Went to my car, called Nade, then called Wag. Shirt now?" I took an extra big step and tried to touch the hem of his shirt, but he jerked away and sent me a mean glare.
"I undress myself." He removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor. "Why did you call them?"
I took a tiny step forward then, and he almost immediately took one back. "I needed some advice. Shorts." I made a down motion with my finger, still grinning and eyeing him like I was the predator and he was my next meal. He visibly gulped and slowly pulled own his shorts, stepping out of them with reluctance. I took the chance to take another step towards him, but this time when he tried to back up he couldn't. His back was pressed completely against the wall and I was centimeters away from his face. He took a shaky breath and continued to keep his eye contact with me.
"Tell me the truth. Did I hurt you when I told you about me having no dreams?"
"It did hurt. But I want you to be mine and I want you to be my husband one day, the one who helps me take care of our ten little kids and makes sure everyone's happy in the household. If you don't want that then...I will spend the rest of my life convincing you that a family is the greatest thing in the world until you want it just as bad as me. And I won't stop, no matter how many times you beg me to, until you realize that kids and marriage are the best things in life. Until then, I guess...we could focus on other things." I grabbed the hem of his underwear and slowly tugged it downwards, until they were on his ankles and my knees were touching the tile. He was shaking a little, but that's to be expected. I put a hand on his thigh and smiled, still staring up into his nervous eyes. "I'd relax if I were you. I've heard and experienced it's a lot better standing up than sitting down."
He nodded, grabbing at the wall for support while I tugged the last bit of clothing all the way down to the floor. Before I began, I sent him a smirk before saying one last thing.
"You're gonna need a shower after I'm done with you."
~
We ended up falling asleep on the bathroom floor. He was a shaking mess after, mumbling incoherently and trembling all over. We hadn't even gone all the way and we fell asleep faster than we could put our clothes back on. I don't usually do that but...Jordan's kind of exhausting in the sexy department. He's really demanding, and it seems like every moment we're going at it he wants me to do something new and it usually requires lifting him or pinning him against something for long periods of time. It's hard work, I'll tell you that. But I think I pleased him pretty well. He's curled up on the bathroom rug, clinging to my chest like a sleeping baby kitten. Sigh.
I shook him a little, making his nose scrunch up in discomfort. "Sparklez...you shouldn't be sleeping on the floor y'know. Your back is still healing."
"Shush...my back is fine you...party pooper."
"Seriously, come on let's get up. Your underwear's around your knees right now, you passed out on the floor before I could pull em' up last night," I laughed.
"You passed out first you dummy...you pulled them up n' I pulled them back down...they kept hurting me."
I sat up from the tile floor, wincing at the cramping pain in my neck and shoulders. Jordan was on my rug though, he actually looked comfortable while he laid there. I have to get him up though. He's got to go back to bed.
"Come on Jordan, get up." I shook him again and he groaned, swatting away my hand with annoyance. I fought against him until he finally gave in with a pout, and I carried him off to my room.
There was a slight problem.
Erin sat on the end of my bed, my messy and disgustingly dirty bedsheets, in another completely pink outfit with a child perched on her lap. And here I was carrying a half naked Jordan who can barely comprehend where he is right now.
Great.
Erin looked up at the sound of me coming in and her eyes went straight to Jordan, making her gasp. "Oh my god, what happened? Did he fall again?" She picked up the little girl and sat her on the bed, while she rushed over to look at Jordan. Well shit. What do I say?
"Um...he didn't fall again, he's just...tired. So what are you doing here?" I tried to move around her so she wouldn't touch Jordan, but she stepped in my way every time I took a step. I held in a groan when her hands went to his forehead, making him snort in his sleep and flinch away from the touch.
"I-I came to check on him, to see if he's getting better. Are you sure he's just tired? He looks like he's in pain..."
"Yes. He's tired. And you've checked on him, so...you can go now." I side stepped away and managed to reach the bed. I gently laid him down on the sheets and threw one of the furry blankets I had in the floor over him. He smiled, coddling the fabric in his sleep. Nerd.
"Well it's five in the afternoon, I wouldn't expect him to be tired. Why is he tired?" If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's accusing me of being responsible for Jordan's exhaustion. Which...I guess I am responsible. But I'm not the one who requested to be pinned against the shower wall while he was having his-
"Puppy!" The little girl hopped off the bed and made a beeline towards the small ball of black fur sat on a pile of my dirty clothes. Grizz yipped happily as she picked him up and cradled him like a newborn baby. I had to laugh. A little girl holding a little puppy like a baby. It was almost cuter than Jordan.
"Boo don't hurt the doggy, okay?" Erin told the little girl softly. "It's Mr. Toms."
Boo? That's the cutest name I've ever heard in my whole life. "Who is she?" I asked Erin a little more enthusiastically than I would've liked to. She looked up from Jordan's sleeping form and glared at me. It kinda scared me. She looks pretty damn terrifying when she's angry. I never would've thought the red headed pink fairy could get angry in the first place.
"What happened to Jordan?" She demanded, ignoring my question completely. I glanced over at Boo, who seemed totally entranced by rocking Grizz and giving him kisses. I guess it's safe to say quietly since she's sort of not listening?
"He's half naked and he's physically exhausted. What do you think happened to him?"
It took a moment to sink in. And then the realization dawned on her, and she grew ten times more furious. "Boo. Go in the living room."
Oh shit.
"Okie! Les' go doggy!" Boo skipped out of my room with Grizz still bundled in her arms. As soon as she left sight and I was sure my doom was coming soon, Erin grabbed the front of my shirt and shoved me against the wall with the force of a body builder. "What did you do to him?"
"Chill out! It's not like I killed him or something! I mean sure he's got a few bruises, but-"
"Bruises?!" She squeaked and gasped at the same time. "You bruised him?! What else did you do?!"
"Well I-I think...maybe he has a tiny sprain in his wrist, but I didn't m-"
"Oh my god!" She released me from her grip and backed away, sweeping up her purse and running out of my room. Oh no. Oh god, this isn't good. I followed her into the kitchen, where already she was picking up Boo and making a beeline for the front door.
"The bruises aren't from hitting him!" I defended weakly as she opened the door up. "They're from pinning him!"
She snapped her head back, only to scream out, "You're sick!" And then slam the door behind her.
I'm so dead.
~ 1 hour later ~
"Jordan! Wake up! For gods sake, are you dead?!" I shook him harder than I ever had before, but his eyes didn't budge. Why isn't he waking up? I know he's alive, I can see him breathing, but then why isn't he waking up? He's been sleeping for an hour now, sleeping through my screaming and shouting at him to get up. I don't understand it. Did he go into a coma?
"Jordan come on, I have to talk to you about something! Erin hates me, she thinks I hurt you something...I don't know what to do. I don't want her to think that I beat you up to the point where you passed out. I'm not that bad of a person."
He stirred a little, and by a little I mean he moved his arm to scratch his nose and then snort, before going lifeless again. He can't hear me. Ugh.
"I bet that little girl thinks I'm a monster now. Boo was her name. She was so cute, she loved Grizz so much. I wonder of Erin was babysitting or something...I'd love to baby sit that little girl. I bet you know who Boo is."
"She's Erins daughter...Boo. She s'cute..." He giggled in his sleep. Daughter? Erin has a daughter? But she's so...young. And Boo looks nothing like her.
"Wake up, I need help. You need to call Erin and tell her it was just a misunderstanding, I don't want her to think I'm abusive to you." I yanked the covers off his body, making him curl up and shiver against the sudden cold. He opened one eyeball and glared at me.
"Let me sleep. I'll call Erin later."
"No! Do it now, I want it to be cleared up as soon as possible."
"You'll be fine. I'm exhausted Tom, I need sleep."
"It's your own damn fault you're exhausted! You don't think I'm tired too? I was the one holding your fat ass up the whole time yesterday!"
He frowned. "Don't call me fat."
"You're fat," I said smugly. His eyes darkened a little. Did I imagine that?
"Tom I'm being serious, don't call me fat." Oh? Did I finally find something that gets under his skin?
"You. Are. Fat. Now call Erin."
I didn't even have time to blink before he was grabbing a cup glass off the nightstand and chucking it at my head. I ducked just in time for it to smash against the wall behind me, effectively scaring the shit out of me. I looked up to gape at Jordan, but decided against it when I saw the look on his face. "DONT CALL ME FAT!" He screamed demonically.
"Okay! Jesus, I was joking! You're thinner than a friggin' pretzel stick Jordan!"
He still looked as if he were plotting my murder inside his head. His eyes looked completely black and his mouth curled into an angry sneer. Damn, he's terrifying.
The doorbell rang, and I ran as fast as I could away from demonic Jordan to answer the door. Thank god for a distraction, I fell like he would've killed me if I stayed a second longer. I unlocked the dead bolt on the door and pulled it open. It was a guy, probably two feet taller than me with ten times the strength, wearing some black shorts and a navy blue shirt. With his arms crossed and a huge beard decorating his face, he smiled down warmly at me and it sort of made me feel like a little kid. Is this the UPS guy? He's huge and tan, unlike most of the scrawny and pasty guys they usually send. He looked straight into my eyes with his dark brown ones, and I could already tell he was an outgoing person who didn't give a shit about social awkwardness.
"Hey there. Are you Tom Cassell?" His voice matched his appearance perfectly. It was booming and friendly, it reminded me of the announcers you hear on TV during basketball games.
"Yeah...that's me. Um, who are you?" If he isn't the UPS guy then maybe he's one of my neighbors. I mean I have no idea what my neighbors look like, so there's no way to be sure. He kept smiling though and didn't move a muscle from where he stood.
"I'm Max, the guy who's about to beat your face in."
I had time to open my mouth and get out the first letter of 'what' before his fist collided with the side of my face. I hit the kitchen floor hard, I think I actually felt my brain vibrate inside my head. I groaned in pain, looking up long enough to see not one, but three guys come in through the front door. Oh shit.
"Maybe you should've asked about Jordan first. I mean I like this approach but we probably should've asked about it first." That voice sounded really familiar. Where have I heard him before?
"Well he probably would've lied about it anyway. You remember he lied last time something like this happened, the damn coward got away because Jordan covered for him. I'm fine with this plan."
Jordan? These guys know Jordan? I guess they aren't here to rob me then. At least they won't hurt Jordan.
Something grabbed me by the collar and pulled me to my feet, only for me to be punched even harder than I had been before. I couldn't fall this time, he held me up firmly by my collar and continued to throw hard punches at me. By the time he stopped, I could feel blood pouring down my nose and my heart beat inside of my ears.
"Pass me the duck tape," I heard Max say. Oh god. I would've begged for mercy and my lips weren't swelled together and my brain wasn't slush. I heard the sound of the tape, and then shortly after some of it was put across my mouth. I'm going to die. They are going to beat me to death, throw me in a ditch, and I'll never be found again.
"Do we really have to tape his mouth?" The familiar voice asked. "I feel like we're going too far."
"Erin said he practically admitted he raped Jordan and broke his wrist. What do you want to do with the bastard Nick?"
Nick! The guy I called over the phone, that's who the voice belongs to! Wait a second. I didn't rape Jordan or break his wrist! What the hell Erin?
"Fine. But we aren't breaking anything except his nose or wrist, I think that and being taped to a street lamp in the middle of LA butt naked is punishment enough."
Oh god no. I would've tried to get away, scream for help through the tape, fight my attackers, but...it's hard to think when my brain just hit the side of my skull.
"Alright. Evan get his ankles, I'll tape his wrists. And if you try to get away Tom, don't think I won't break your arm in half. I'd murder you and feed you to the sharks if I wouldn't get arrested for it." It was at that moment my vision cleared and I finally got a look at my captors. Max no longer wore a smile, he looked pissed and angry as a bull as he jerked my hands behind my back and taped them tightly together. Another guy, just as built and tan as Max, was taping my ankles together with a slightly irritated look on his face. And then there was scrawny looking Nick, who was standing off to the side and staring at me with pity. He knows I wouldn't hurt Jordan, why isn't he saying something?
"Max?"
The voice made all four of us turn our heads to my bedroom door, where Jordan was standing still half naked with horror written on his face. "Wh-...what are you doing to Tom?"
"Look man, we're just doing what's best for you. We don't want you with another damn maniac who likes to break your bones and strangle you." Max continued to tape me with no mercy while Jordan stared at me, horrified at my appearance.
"What are you talking about?! He's not a maniac!" He tried to come over to me, but the Evan guy stood up and lightly shoved him back to his spot. It made my blood boil. I tugged on my restraints angrily and tried to head butt Max, but it was useless. He punched me in the side of the head and I fell limply against the floor, my vision going completely blurry again. Great.
"Stop it!" I heard Jordan cry. "Leave him alone, he didn't do anything!"
"Erin said he raped you and broke your wrist. Did he?" Nick asked.
"No! He would never do that to me!"
"Well Erin's never lied to us before and you have. A bunch of times actually, about abusive boyfriends. So really who should we believe?" Max asked.
"It was a misunderstanding! He didn't rape me, we didn't even have sex! He just...gave me a bunch of oral and hand jobs..."
There was a long silence after that. I knew Jordan was blushing and I felt terrible for causing him to be so embarrassed.
"Then why do you have bruises all over you?" I think Evan asked. "And your wrist is broken?"
"I have bruises because I told him to pin me against things while we...you know, did it. And my wrist is sprained because...because he did some things that required me to be held up in an awkward way."
I heard Max sigh. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"
"Because I am. I'm not like that anymore, I don't go out with those kind of guys anymore. You know that. And it isn't your right to storm into whatever guy I'm interested in's house and try to kill him. I can take care of myself."
"Well I don't believe you and we're going to finish up if you don't mind. Do you wanna help us or what? If you aren't then Evan you're in charge of keeping him here while we go."
And suddenly I could hear Grizz. I felt paws on top of my stomach, and then loud angry barks towards the people around me. Aw. He's being protective. My vision cleared again to see a small angry ball of fuzz in an attack position, glaring at Max with his small puppy eyes. I think I'm liking this dog a little better now.
"No! Leave him alone! Nick I told you about him, I told you about how nice he is to me and how he treats me! You know he's not abusive, tell them!"
Jordan talks about me?
Nick fidgeted nervously at the sudden mention of himself. "Well...Max, he did say Tom sort of nursed him back to health when he broke his back. And I talked to Tom once over the phone. He seems really nice."
"Yeah I don't think this guy is abusive," Evan admitted, stepping away from Jordan. "He's scrawny as hell and he owns a puppy, and the dog obviously likes him a lot. I think this was a bad idea after all."
Well thanks.
Jordan took that opportunity to run over to me. He took the mouth duct tape off first, effectively ripping off my lips, but I didn't utter a sound because of it. He's worried, the last thing I need to do is scream out in pain.
"Are you okay? Is your nose broken? Oh my god, you already have black eyes...can you see? Are you in pain?" He was touching every part of my face and his mouth was going eighty miles an hour. I forced a laugh and shrugged away his nervous hands.
"Calm down mum, I'm fine. It's not as bad as it looks." It is as bad as it looks. My whole face feels like it's been smashed into solid concrete fifty times. He looked a little relieved by my reaction but he was still worried. His fingertips brushed against my bruises with gentle care. I relaxed against his touch. His skin is so soft...
"I'm gonna undo your hands, okay?"
I nodded. He turned me over on my side and undid the tape, while Evan walked over to my ankles and began to take off the tape there too. Once I was free, Jordan attacked me with a hug and buried his face in the crook of my neck. "I'm sorry I threw a cup at you..." I heard him say into my shoulder.
"It's okay. I'm sorry I called you fat. You're a sexy toothpick, I promise." I still don't know why he freaked out when I called him fat. I've called him worse things. Why didn't he freak out then?
"Uh, should we go or-?" Max asked awkwardly. Jordan snapped his head in the direction of his friend and glared at him.
"Yeah and don't ever talk to me again until you apologize for hurting Tom and snooping into my business."
"I'm sorry Jordan," Nick and Evan apologized at the same time. Max kept silent.
"I'm not apologizing for looking out for you. I didn't want somebody else destroying your life again, we barely got you back last time."
"I understand that," Jordan replied a little softer. "It's not gonna happen again, I swear. I've learned my lesson."
"It better not happen again. Next time I'm throwing the guy in the middle of the freeway. I guess we'll go now, but if I find out you're lying then seriously, Tom is dead. You got that buddy?" Max glared at me. I nodded without a word, but on the inside I was ripping him apart. He's the one who broke in and beat me to death! I didn't do anything!
"I'm gonna go ahead and go start the car. Bye Jordan." Evan waved awkwardly towards the man kneeling beside me, and Jordan waved back just as awkwardly. I'm guessing they don't know each other that well.
When Evan left, Max patted Jordan on the back one last time and followed after. And then it was just Nick and us.
"I tried all the way here to get them to stop," he said quietly. "They wouldn't listen to me though. I'm so sorry Tom."
I shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "It's fine. I'm just glad I'm not strapped naked to a street lamp in the middle of LA."
"Yeah...I'm gonna go. Uh, can I talk to you outside for a bit?" He asked Jordan. He nodded and together they left out the front door, leaving me alone on the kitchen floor. I took that opportunity to let out my groans and pathetic whimpers of pain I'd been holding in. God, my face feels so broken.
I could see through the window of the kitchen Jordan and Nick on the front porch talking. I wonder what they're talking about. Me? Or maybe about some of Jordan's ex boyfriends? Huh. Maybe I should spy on them a little.
The walls of the entire house are pretty thin, so really any room you're in you can hear what's going on in the next room over or even what's going on outside. I went over to the wall connecting to outside and pressed my ear against it. It was muffled a little but I could make out a conversation.
"-just for safety. You just met this guy, right?"
"Yeah, just a few weeks ago."
"Well no offense J but do you really think you should be getting this close to him when you barely even know him?"
"...I trust him."
"I know you do. I'm just worried you're rushing into to his world a little too fast. You've never even had a blow job before and you let him do one? Some guy you met at a bar three weeks ago?"
"I don't regret it. He treats me like royalty. Nobody has really ever done that to me before."
"Is that the only reason you're here? He treats you like royalty?"
"No! There are literally a thousand reasons I'm here."
"Name two of them."
"Well...I'm taking a vacation for one, a little break away from YouTube and all of that stressful stuff."
"Okay. Name the other one."
"I-..." Jordan went quiet. He can't think of another reason why he's here? Just for the fact that I spoil him and keep him away from work?
"Come on, spit it out. Don't hold back. I'm not telling anybody, you know that."
It was few seconds later until Jordan finally said something. "Nick, I-...I love him."
My heart sunk. No. No no no, shit no. He's in love with me. Oh my god, how could I have let this happen?
"I've said 'I love you' before to other people and...I really did like those people, but...with him it's different. Anything he does, even if he's just fixing his hair or scratching his arm, I die on the inside. He's so good to me too. He worries about me, he holds me in my sleep, he tries all the time to think about what's best for me. He doesn't force me into things, he always asks first before he even does a single thing to me. He makes sure I'm happy and when I'm not he's always trying to cheer me up...I have dreams about him all the time. Even when I'm not awake I think about him. I don't know if I can go back home after being here with him for so long. And that times probably short to you guys, but it feels like a really long time to me.
"I wish I wasn't so awful with commitment or else I would've already-...he wants marriage and kids. I can't give him that. What if we start dating and we're still dating seventy years later because I won't commit to anything?"
"Jordan you're gonna change eventually. I used to hate kids and the idea of being married to some bitchy chick forever, but...now it's all I can think about. Dude you aren't gonna be a Youtuber seventy years from now. Tom isn't gonna wait seventy years anyway. If you don't commit to anything he wants, he'll find somebody else. I'm sure there's another guy in his life that he's got as a second choice."
"Yeah...this guy named Nade he hangs out with all the time. He loves kids and he probably wants to get married one day..."
"And that's probably his second choice. If you love this guy like you say you do, I'm telling you now that love requires a lot of sacrifices. He has to give up some of his life and you have to give up some of yours. It's just how things work."
What? Jordan doesn't have to give up anything for me. I'll be with him for seventy years. I don't mind that. At least we'll be together, right?
What am I saying. I told myself I didn't want love anymore. But who am I kidding? I know I want him in some way that's more than platonic. I want to throw him on a table sometimes and totally destroy him, but at the same time I want to coddle him and kiss him and protect him from plastic people. Maybe I love him too.
And maybe that's not such a bad thing.
"I can make sacrifices if that's what he wants..." I heard Jordan reply in a small voice.
"Good, because that's what you're gonna have to do. I gotta go, Max is blowing the car horn. Which reminds me, you need to start doing favors for Tom now."
"W-What favors?" Jordan asked in an even smaller voice.
"Sexual favors, like the ones he's been giving to you. He's gonna want some payback one of these days. You might as well start now. But anyway, I gotta go. Bye J."
Trailing footsteps and then complete silence. I peeked out the kitchen window to see Jordan standing there, all alone, with a horrified expression on his face. I can't believe Nick told him that! I don't need pay back for favors, I get payback watching him receive my favors. His blissful facial expressions are literally enough to get me off.
He turned to go back in and I quickly shuffled back to my place on the floor, laying down and pretending I hadn't moved yet. He came on with a different expression, a puzzled one. He looked over at me and sighed. "I'm so sorry Tom. I have to leave."
~~~
TWO MORE UPDATES :3
- Lee