Ondine woke up when she heard the main door buzzing. She turned on the hallway lights and padded to the speaker box.
"Hello?"
"Babe, it's Jay," he said using her nickname for him. "Please let me up."
"Jay, it's 2 in the morning," she glanced at the illuminated light from the microwave's clock.
"Please. I have to talk to you."
"Okay, come on up," she sighed. She couldn't keep him out there.
She pressed the button to unlock the main door and waited for him to climb up the three flights of stairs to her apartment. She opened her front door before he even arrived. She gasped when she saw his appearance.
"Jay, what happened? Who did this to you?" she gently touched his bruised cheek.
He leaned forward and kissed her lips, ignoring her earlier questions. He kissed her until he ran out of air, kissed her until she ran out of air. He leaned his forehead on hers.
"Do you like Ben?"
"He's my friend. Why are we back to this?"
"When I was five, I first learned how to ride a bike. I thought I was the best at it after a few months, so I tried to do this trick I saw on the TV. I flew off my bike and banged my knee up. You can still see the scar there if you look closely. My parents and I have a tense relationship right now. They didn't like the idea of me dropping out of college. Yeah, they're supportive, but you know they're dismayed, especially my mom. It's been putting such a stress on me lately. My favorite food in the whole wide world is chicken curry so if you ever decide to make it to my heart through my stomach, that will do the trick," he chuckled lightly at the last sentence.
"Jay."
"Your turn."
"What?"
"Your turn. Tell me three things I don't know about you. I'm so behind Ben already. I don't know anything about you."
"Are you freakin' serious right now?" She stepped away from him.
"Babe, don't get me wrong. I want to get to know you. He said how can I possibly like you if I know nothing about you?"
"Y-y-you l-l-like m-m-me?" Ondine stuttered.
"I don't know why I do, but I do."
"You like the sex, that has to be it, right? You like teaching me new things?"
"No! Gah, Ames!" he held her by the shoulders. "All I do is think about you. I go crazy when I hear Ben tell all these stories of things you've done together. I get jealous whenever I see you with him."
She stepped away from him and walked to the kitchen. She turned on the lights, got ice cubes from the tray, and wrapped them in the kitchen towel that hung on the fridge handle. She walked back to him and gently placed it over his bruised cheek. He held her hand that held the ice pack.
"Ames, did you hear me?"
"Yeah. I'm waiting for the punchline," she said, refusing to look him in the eye.
"Babe, these is no punchline," he tried capturing her eyes with his.
"You just said you don't know why you like me, you just do. I think you just find me attractive, the sex has been enjoyable, plenty of foreplay with our verbal spats...you like the challenge," she shrugged.
"That may be so, but..."
"But you don't want to lose to your friend," she finished his sentence sadly for him.
"Ames, babe, it's not like that. It's not even about that. It's about you and me," he removed the ice pack from his face. "It's about..." he didn't complete his sentence. He placed his lips on hers.
She dropped the towel of ice on the floor, the little cubes making a scaterring sound against the hard wood as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She returned his kisses, if nothing else, everything she listed as his reasons for possibly liking her her true for herself. Jared had been too busy wanting to admit his feelings for her that he couldn't even compliment how sexy and beautiful she looked in the short silk and lace negligee she wore. He helped her shrug off the matching robe then lifted the negligee over her head. She kissed the bruise on his cheek as she felt him lift her up and carry her to the couch. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't say no to him, her mind and body giving in every single time. This time had been different, though. Yes, he'd always been tender, but there was no rush to their coupling this time, like they were savoring each other, making each moment last for as long as they could. Thirteen.
***
"Jay?"
"Hmmm?" He asked her as they laid on the couch, her robe covering their private parts.
"This has to be the last time."
"What do you mean?"
"The last of our series of one night stands."
Jared looked at her, his eyes searching for answers. A part of him hoped that she meant because she liked him too, thay they were no longer just having sex just to have sex. "Babe?"
"If Ben has feelings for me, then we can't keep doing this anymore."
Her fingers stopped grazing his arm and his forehead creased.
"Do you have feelings for Ben?" he managed to choke out.
"He's my friend."
"You keep saying that! What does that mean?" his voice raised in anger.
"Where did you get that bruise?" She looked him in the eyes and saw his soften. "From Ben?"
"I told him I liked you, that I was willing to fight him for you, punches flew...don't worry, he looks much worse," Jared managed to joke.
Ondine didn't laugh. "I'm not getting in between the two of you. If he does tell me he likes me, I will tell him that we should remain just friends, just like you and I should just keep on being at odds."
"Ames..."
"Please don't fight me on this. You're not looking for a relationship, you're looking for a victory."
"You make it sound like I'm not being honest with you about how I feel."
"Because that's easier to believe than you having these feelings for me. Anyway, I'm not ready for a relationship, either, anyway. I'm still broken. I'm still in a lot of pain. Even if what you are saying is true, I couldn't give you what you want. I'm not emotionally ready, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too."
"I'm sorry if I used you. You seemed liked the kind of guy who didn't mind casual flings."
"I didn't."
She smiled at him.
"Until I met you."
"Shhh, don't say any more please. Later today, you're headed back to LA, back to the grind, and I'll just be one of your girls in the tell-all book you'll write one day when you're old and gray, reliving your glory days as a rock star," she laughed and stood up. She put her robe on and picked up his boxers, shirt, and jeans. She handed them to him. "Your turn to disappear before sunrise," she smiled at him again.
He nodded and put his clothes on. He should be used to this; it was usually what happened. He would sleep with a girl, then leave right after, no cuddling, no talking, no wanting to stay longer. But he wanted to stay. He wanted to be with this woman who stood before him, this woman who looked small and vulnerable, this woman he was falling for.
"You never told me three things I don't know about you."
"The less you know, the better."
***
"Hey, dude, Jare, I'm sorry, man," Ben said as he sat down next to his friend on the plane.
"That's alright. You look worse than me," Jared tried to sound upbeat.
"I just...Ames is very important to me. I just couldn't believe you liked her...you guys are always at each other's throats. If anything, I didn't even punch you for me; I punched you for her; to defend her from the likes of you. I just didn't want you to start something with her you couldn't finish."
"You're right. Maybe I just said that I liked her because we had unresolved sexual tension. How could I have thought I would like a lunatic like her?" Jared said, denying everything he felt for Ondine, all the feelings he had to suppress now per her request.
"See? I think your interest only lies in the fact that she intrigues you, that's it. I really, really like her, dude. I mean, I wanted to tell her how I felt, but I didn't think it was right to do it with you being the third wheel," Ben chuckled.
"Yeah, the third wheel," Jared scoffed.
"Do you think I have a chance with her?"
"With that lunatic?"
"Yeah, that beautiful and lovable lunatic," Ben smiled.
"I don't know. Don't be so chicken. Just tell her."
"Thanks, dude. Sorry again for that shiner."
Jared waved him off. He touched his cheekbone, still felt Ondine kiss the spot one last time before she opened the door for him to exit. He closed his eyes, tried to sleep on the flight, but all his thoughts kept wandering back to his beautiful lunatic. When he finally liked a woman, liked enough to entertain thoughts of a relationship with, why did it have to be someone like her? Why did he have to like someone who had a brain and used it? Why couldn't she just be a vapid, disposable, a dime a dozen girl? Someone who didn't come with complications, someone who didn't have to see the bigger picture and worry about other people's happiness?
He tried to understand where she was coming from. In all honesty, she was right. They didn't know much about each other. He just wished she didn't shut him off like that. He may have been friend zoned, but he would see it as something positive, as a chance to get to know her better.
He got Ondine's phone number from Emily Jane, saying he forgot something in New York and would like to ask her to hold it for him. Emily Jane made fun of her brother, saying that if he wanted her number, he didn't have to make up a silly excuse and just ask for it.
Jared chuckled and shook his head at his sister, but she was right, of course. He couldn't hide anything from his sister. He went in his room and shut the door. He stared at the new contact on his phone. He was about to send a new message when he got a message from Ben.
"Have you heard from Ames? Haven't heard from her in a while."
"No, what makes you think I have her number?" he texted back.
"You're right. Anyway, I was thinking of asking her to be my date for Lizzie's wedding. I didn't want to step on any toes."
"I'm over it, that momentary lapse of sanity," he lied.
"Okay, I'll ask her."
Jared opened up a new message. He typed up a quick text and hit send.
"Hi. Would you like to be my plus one for a wedding?"
"Hi! Sure thing, lover."