Chapter 15
By the end of January I was getting back to normal, and Micah was in a serious relationship with a mutual classmate of ours, Bryan Michaels. I was happy for him, but the more Bryan was at our place, the emptier my own bed began to feel. It was Valentine's Day when I decided to go out by myself, giving Micah and Bryan the apartment to themselves for the evening.
I decided to go to Fred's, using my fake ID to get into one of the most popular bars in the area. The band playing was surprisingly good, and I noticed that the lead singer was incredibly gorgeous. I watched their entire set from the bar, fascinated by the way he played his guitar, his black hair flying everywhere as he moved.
When they went off the stage, I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn't get to keep looking at him, but I decided to console myself by looking for a suitable look alike to flirt with. As soon as I moved to go to the dance floor, I turned and bumped into someone, their drink spilling all over my dress, and I was thankful that I'd worn black.
“Sorry. My mistake,” I said, not paying attention to the person I'd run into.
“No problem. Sorry about the drink, doll. I'll buy you one to make up for it.”
I looked up at his face and was shocked to see the same man I'd been watching on stage staring down my dress. I blushed an intense red, but tried to maintain my composure as I inched backwards. I stepped back up to the bar and took my seat back, silently thrilled when he sat down next to me, motioning for the bartender.
“So what's your drink of choice?” He asked, his smile already causing my knees to go weak. I smiled back, not really having an answer for him, so I gave the best one I could think of.
“Whatever it is that I'm wearing now.”
“Jack it is! Two Jack and cokes. Wait, make it four.” He ordered, slipping a twenty on to the bar, then turning back to me, grinning like a Cheshire cat. I had to look away, hoping that he didn't see me blushing again.
“Four? More people coming?” I asked, knowing that wasn't the answer.
“Nope, two for you, two for me. Unless you're a lightweight, or you decide to hate me in the near future. Then it'll be one for you and three for me.”
“Cool, but I'm not exactly a lightweight, and I don't see me hating you ever.” I said, leaning closer to him. The bartender set down our drinks, and he pushed a ten toward the man, indicating for him to take it. He waited for me to grab my drink before he touched his.
“Well, the night is still young.” He said, raising his glass in salute. I laughed, taking a sip of my drink, then another. I glanced over and was surprised to find him staring at me intently. I looked away for a moment, then looked back to find him still staring.
“What?” I asked, beginning to feel overly self-conscious as he stared. He laughed, realizing that he was making me nervous. He reached over and ran a finger up my forearm to my shoulder. I felt a shiver up my spine and I knew I was in trouble.
“So when's your boyfriend gonna come split this up?” He asked, throwing the question out as casually as possible. I shook my head, and before I even spoke I could see his eyes light up with possibilities. I noticed that those eyes were a beautiful hazel.
“Don't have one.” I replied. I could almost see him do his own little mental happy dance, and I really knew I was in trouble. And I just didn't give a damn!
“Really? But you can't be without a date on V-day! I've got the solution, though. I'll be your date.” He said, nodding to himself as though he were agreeing with someone else. I laughed, seeing where all this was going.
“Well, if I don't have a choice. . .” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him. He laughed as he grabbed his second drink, then downed it in one shot. He motioned toward my glass.
“Come on, lightweight! Let's do this, doll!” He joked, his hand tracing lightly against my back. He glanced at my face to gauge my reaction, and then slid his arm around my waist when I didn't object. I finished my first drink, then downed my second as he had.
“I told you. I'm no lightweight!” I said, laughing at his surprised look. He laughed as he stood up, and I thought our date was over already. I was surprised when he didn't walk away, instead holding his hand out to me.
“Dance with me, and I'll actually believe you!” He shouted, yelling over the music blaring from the speakers. I followed him to the dance floor, and he spun me around as soon we reached it. We spent the rest of the night dancing until the bar closed, when we walked to the parking lot together. After over a dozen drinks, I knew I was in no shape to drive, but I didn't want to hear the word “lightweight” again.
He hugged me and slipped his number into the crevice between my breasts, his fingers lingering just a moment too long for society’s sake. When he'd turned and walked away, I got into Micah's car and locked the doors, planning to sleep it off right there. I pulled the slip of paper bearing his number out of my bra, unfolding it so I could read it, hoping there was a name attached. Jared. I instantly liked the name as soon as I read it.
A hard tap on my window several minutes later scared the crap out of me, but I was happy to see my newly named guitar player standing there, making goofy faces at me through the glass until I laughed. I rolled down the window so we could talk.
“Car trouble?” He asked.
“No.”
“Damn. So then what's up?” He asked, truly looking disappointed that I wasn't broke down.
“Nothing,” I said, and he gave me a comically skeptical look. I didn't want to tell him the truth, but I could see that he was going to stand there until I told him the truth.
After the longest stare down of my life, I finally fessed up, “Too drunk. Can't drive. I was just gonna sleep here.”
He shook his head as he reached into the car, pulling up the lock before he opened my door, holding his hand out to me. I looked up at him, bewilderment crossing my face. When I didn't move, he smiled and asked, “My place? We can walk to it.”
“I don't really think I should. I'm not really the type to-”
“No expectations. No pressure. I'll be a gentleman, this time.” He replied, cutting off my protests with a wave of his hand. A sly smile played across his lips, telling me that he was probably lying about that last part. I was definitely in trouble, but I was too drunk and too interested to worry about it just then.
“Yeah, right,” I muttered as I finally got out of the car, stumbling enough to make him catch me before I hit the pavement. I staggered around the car, and I heard him laughing as he locked the car up for me, grabbing my keys and purse for me.
I almost made it to the end of the parking lot before I tripped over my own feet. He caught me again, laughing at my lack of coordination, and even I had to giggle to myself. Thankfully, his apartment was in Tigerland, less than two blocks away from the bar. He held me up most of the way there, but we managed. When we reached his front door, I told him that I wasn't doing anything with him, and that I'd sleep on the couch.
“OK. Couch or bed, same difference.” He laughed. When he opened the door, I realized why he was laughing. His apartment consisted of bare white walls, a tiny kitchen, a TV that sat on the floor, and a sleeper sofa that appeared to always be pulled out into a bed.
“Bathroom's the door in the corner. The one on the left wall is my closet, so please don't use that room.” He laughed as he pointed at each of the two doors in turn, and laughed even harder when I flipped him off, smirking at him as I walked through the door in the right corner.
I hid in the bathroom for a few minutes, examining my own pupils, then debated on whether or not to go back on my word. I decided to hold to it, no matter how sexy he was, or how close we had to sleep. When I walked back out, I felt just a tiny bit closer to sober, having collected my thoughts.
He was wearing a pair of black pajama pants and a smile when I looked up from my feet. He'd attempted to make the bed and turn down the sheets, I thought the effort was adorable. He'd also sprayed some type of air freshener that made the room smell like blueberries and citrus, and picked up all of the clothes and pizza boxes lying everywhere. I thought that was cute, too.
“You ok, doll?” He asked playfully. I nodded, breathless at that moment. He began to walk toward the bed, and I followed suit, unsure of what else to do. There was a tee shirt and a pair of boxers laying on the right side of the bed, folded and hopefully clean, as he offered them to me for the night. He went into the bathroom until I'd taken off my dress, and then walked to the bed and grabbed one of the two pillows, but leaving the blanket on the bed. He went to the corner by his closet and dropped the pillow, then stretched out on the floor.
“What are you doing?”I asked, wonderfully flattered by the gesture, but unwilling to push him out of his own bed when he'd gone to this much trouble for me. And all without even knowing my name, I realized.
“Being a gentleman, as promised. You should take this as a compliment, that gentleman bit's a promise I'd normally break. But I really like you, so I'm keeping my word.” He said, his smile almost making change my mind about going back on mine.
“Then you should like me enough to do it from here.” I patted the bed, then said, “If anyone should being sleeping on the floor, it should be me. Thanks for letting me stay here, by the way.”
“You're welcome. No way am I putting you on the floor. And yes, I do actually like you that much. That's why I'm here, and you're there, and I'm not doing anything about it. That means I really like you.”
“Then know that I like you enough to not be able to sleep in your bed without you, because there's no way I'm sleeping while you’re down there.” I stated, determined now. He looked up at the ceiling with a defeated expression, then grabbed his pillow up from the floor. As he walked up to me, he shook his head slowly, a smile playing at his mouth again.
“Ok, but just know that if I'm in this bed with you, I can't promise that I'll be able to show you the same iron willpower that I'm displaying right now. Just fair warning.”
“I'll take my chances.” I replied, happy that he didn't stand there being stubborn. He waited for me to get in bed before getting in himself. When we were settled in, I said quietly, “My name's Tabitha, by the way.”
“Jared Madorith. Always good to know the name of the person you're sleeping with.”He laughed, rolling on his side to face me.
“We're not-”
“Yeah we are. You’re in bed with me, and we're going to sleep. So, yeah, we are sleeping together.”
“Very funny,” I said sarcastically, and he laughed.
“I know.” He said, scooting a bit closer to me in the dark. I could still see his face, and I wanted him to kiss me so bad that it made me move a bit closer to him. He cocked an eyebrow at me, but he didn't move back. I moved another inch in his direction before he said anything.
“Alright, now you're pushing it. I'm only human, and I am a guy, so be careful, doll.”
Jared said it in a joking manner, but his eyes were serious, despite his laughter. I felt the urge to push my luck a bit more. I leaned over and kissed him, and he groaned in defeat. It was electrifying when our lips met, and my heart began to race a bit.
“I'm warning you, girl. You're teasing the wrong one,” Jared said when I pulled back a bit. I took a moment, wondering if it would be so bad if I did sleep with him. We both wanted to and we both knew it, anyway.
“You can break that promise now,” I said, pressing up against him and kissing him deeply, glad that he stopped resisting so much. I knew I was being fickle, but I didn't care anymore. I had overestimated my own willpower this time.
“Thought you'd never ask,” Jared said breathlessly, pulling me under him and smothering my mouth with his. He was so different, so new! It was intoxicating just to be this close to him. I was grinding against him before he even broke the kiss.
His hands felt warm and wonderful against my skin, and by the time we were undressed, I was glad that I'd changed my mind. He was completely different from Colin or Chris, and did things to my body that I'd never even imagined before then. And I enjoyed every second of it. We fell asleep tangled up with each other, and when I woke up in the morning, he was getting dressed.
“What time is it?”I asked lazily, stretching against the mattress for a moment, enjoying the exhausted and sore feeling in my muscles. He looked back at me and smiled.
“Ten after nine. I didn't mean to wake you, but I'm running a bit late.”
“Crap! I've gotta go. I'm gonna be late for class!” I said, jumping up and throwing my dress back on. I was looking for my shoes when he walked up behind me, laying his hand on my rear. I stood up straight, but his hand never moved.
“So are you actually gonna call me later, or is this the last time I'm gonna see you?”He asked, his hand reaching up just enough for him to pull me into a hug.
“I'm definitely gonna call you, but I've gotta get to class.” I said, knowing that my class started in less than twenty minutes. We both headed for the front door, and I became a bit curious when we both started off in the same direction.
“What are you doing?”I asked half a block later, when he was still keeping pace with me.
“Walking you to your car and then catching the bus. I'm late for class, too.”
“You go to LSU, too?”I asked. When he nodded, I had to smile. I offered, “You could ride with me, if you want.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
When we reached the car, he kissed me before walking around to the passenger side. We drove in relative silence, both of us nursing a hangover. We pulled up and it took me almost fifteen minutes to find a parking spot. We hugged and he went one direction, as I went the other.
“Sorry Miss Grenoux, but this class started ten minutes ago. Next time, try to be on time. Have a blessed day.”
Professor Tate, an evil old man that I'd hated since the first day of this class, pointed at the door that I'd just stepped through, gesturing for me to leave. I opened my mouth to explain when he looked at me and said, “You're still here? Well, you shouldn't be.”
Almost an hour later, my second class opened up, and I was the first one through the door. I was getting settled in and ready to listen to Professor Campbell drone on about the exploits of people that were long dead and gone when I heard someone walk up to my chair in the front aisle, their shadow falling over my open book.
“Tabitha?”
I looked up and was shocked to see Jared hovering over me, a shocked look on his features. I was no less surprised to see him. I'd never seen him in here before, and for a moment had a suspicion that he was only here for me. Egotistical, I know. But it didn't stop me from thinking it.
“Hey. Why are you in here?” I asked.
“I have this class. I never show up to it, but I figured today was as good a day as any to start.”
“Jared Madorith! If it isn't our resident rock star, gracing us all with his presence. Everyone, a hearty round of applause, if you please!”
We both looked to the front of the classroom when Professor Campbell said Jared's name. I was a bit mortified that everyone was now staring at us, but Jared just smiled and took a theatrical bow, actually earning the applause that had been mockingly requested. He took the empty chair next to me just as someone else was moving toward it.
“And he sits in the front this time! Wonders never cease!” Professor Campbell said sarcastically. After everyone had a quick laugh, the class began, and Jared kept passing little notes with doodles and vulgar jokes scribbled on them. We sat through a nearly two hour lecture about the armies of ancient Greece, and I didn't catch a single word of it. When the class was over, Jared grabbed my hand, holding me back from leaving.
“What are you doing?”I asked.
“Let's get out of here, I want you to come to practice with me.”
“I have another four classes to go to! I would, but I can't.” I said, though the prospect did tempt me. I had never skipped out on a day of school in my life, and apparently, he did it all the time.
“How many times this year have you missed those four classes?”
“Never.”
“Then it's well past time to start. Come on, it's not finals or anything. You can miss one day. The college police aren't going to come after you, I promise. They won't even miss you!”
“No, I shouldn't.”I said, determined to keep my flawless academic record. He shook his head sadly and then kissed me.
“You should, and you will. Come on,” Jared looked so pathetic like this, I had to laugh. He threatened me with, “If you don't, I'll have to call in a bomb threat.”
“Will there be a bunch of people there?” I asked, not really wanting to be stuck in a room full of strangers.
“No, but why would you care if there were? I mean, you must have been surrounded by people when you were with Colin Seaver.”
I froze in my tracks at the mention of Colin, and the look on my face must have told him how close I was to furious, and he began back-pedaling immediately.
“I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that. I just kinda assumed that you were used to the recognition. I really didn't mean anything by it,” Jared apologized, but it didn't help that much. It had been almost seven months since anyone had asked me about Colin, and I'd been thankful for every minute of it.
“How did you even know about that?”
“How does anyone not know about that? You do realize that your face was on the cover of every tabloid known to man for like, two years straight, right?”
“I'd hoped that no one remembered.” I said, cursing under my breath. I unlocked the car and jumped in, hoping he'd let this go. And of course, because I wished for it, he wouldn't.
“Well, sorry doll. My sister has the biggest crush on Seaver, so I've heard all about it. How did you end up here, anyway? Aren't you from Texas?”
“No. I lived there for a while, but I'm from here.” I said, noting that this was starting to feel more like an interview than a conversation. I pulled into his parking lot, throwing the car in park with a little more force than was necessary.
“Hey, I had read that you were like sixteen or something? Did I commit a crime at four this morning?” Jared asked me, his smile evaporating my anger faster than it could build.
“No. I was at the time. I'm nineteen now. Anything else you wanna know, Oprah?”
“Whoa there, girlie. I was just asking. Sorry, I'll drop it now. Come inside with me still?”Jared asked, a comically sad expression on his face. I gave up trying to be angry as I turned the car off and followed him into his apartment.
“Jared! Dude, where have you been?”
The rest of his band was already inside, setting up drums and microphones, plugging them into amps and a PA system. The four guys looked me over for a long, hard moment before one of them asked, “Dude, isn't that Tabitha Seaver?”
“Guys, don't-”Jared tried to stop it, but it was inevitable.
“Yeah. . . Yeah it is! Go, Jared! Hittin’ that Oscar-worthy tail!”
“Go to hell!” I spat, throwing open his front door and trying to keep myself from running as I went to Micah's car. Jared followed me, trying to apologize for his friends, but nothing was going to keep me here now.
“Wait, Tabby.”Jared pleaded, and my last nerve broke violently.
“Do NOT call me Tabby! I hate that!” I screamed, drawing the attention of everyone that was outside. I looked up and saw four heads poking out of Jared's door, all waiting to see what I was going to do.
“I'm sorry! I'll call you whatever you want, just come back inside, please.”
“No! Look,” I grabbed a pen and an old receipt out of my purse, jotting my cell phone number down on it. I handed it to him and said, “Call me later. Preferably when your friends aren't around. I just can't be here right now.”
I threw it into reverse and drove off before he could say anything else, knowing I'd give in if I gave him enough time to coerce me. I drove furiously, nearly hitting three different cars on my way back home. When I pulled into the driveway at home, I saw Micah and Bryan on the front porch, saying goodbye to each other. Micah saw something was wrong with me as soon as I got out, and he came running to me.
“Tabs! What happened? Where have you been? I've been worried sick!”
“Well, mother, I went out last night and got too drunk to drive home.” I said, stomping up the stairs to our apartment. I knew he didn't do anything to deserve the attitude, but I just wanted to be left alone at that moment. I thought to apologize, but he dismissed it, ready to hear of my latest misadventure.
I explained everything that had happened, told him about Jared, and then went to take a shower, not wanting to talk about it anymore. I calmed considerably as I bathed, the hot water relieving the tension that had built up in me.
Micah had popcorn and ice cream ready and arranged on a TV tray when I walked into my room. He had picked out a few movies to watch, and was debating on which one to put on first. I threw aside my towel and began to get dressed in my pajamas. Micah didn't even seem to notice that I was stark naked, and I appreciated it immensely.
“Which one do you want to watch first?” Micah asked, holding up three different movies. One was a romantic comedy, one was a crime drama, and the other was a high school slasher. I picked the slasher flick, not really wanting to watch any of them.
We were four movies in and starting a fifth when Jared called me, apologizing again for everything that had happened. He asked if he could come see me, and I hesitated for a moment before giving him the address.
“Hi. I thought you wouldn't want to see me again after earlier. I am really sorry about that.” Jared said as soon as I answered the door an hour later. He hugged me before he came in, and Micah whistled as loud as possible.
“Shut up, Micah!” I yelled as we walked back toward my room, and Micah nearly fell off of my bed, he was laughing so hard. I introduced him to Jared and before I even finished, they began talking about the movie that was playing. I rolled my eyes and laid down, bored out of my mind. It was a few minutes before either of them noticed. Micah said goodnight and excused himself, surprising me by not making any lewd comments before going.
“Is he? What's the story with you two?” Jared asked as soon as the door was closed.
“Yes, he is. And no, you have nothing to worry about. He's my best friend.”
“Oh, that's cool. So, what do you wanna do?” He asked, looking around my room a bit uncomfortably. I had no suggestions, so I did the first thing that crossed my mind. I got up and took my pajamas off, answering his question without saying a word, blushing at my own forwardness.
“Alright,” He smirked as he closed the distance between us, grabbing me in a way that almost reminded me of the way Colin used to pull me to him. I shut that thought down before it had a chance to flourish and taint the rest of my night. I was with Jared, I reminded myself of that about a dozen times in less than ten minutes.
I forced myself to concentrate on just Jared, and with a little effort on my part, and the technique that he'd now patented and trademarked in my mind, I was able to forget about Colin for a while. But afterward, I remembered. All too well.
We were lying there in the dark when he asked me something that at one time I would have been thrilled to hear, but I was surprised to discover I had no desire to even indulge the thought.
“So, I don't really know how to ask this without sounding junior high, so bear with me, and don't laugh. I'm serious. Will you be my girlfriend?”
I laughed. Really, really hard. I couldn't help it, and he should have known better than to ask me not to laugh. I was a nearly twenty year old divorcee, how could he expect me not to laugh? I apologized when I could breathe again, and cuddled up to him to make this a bit easier on him.
“I'm really, really sorry. But I couldn't stop myself.”
“Yeah. Thanks for making me feel played, that's nice. So what do you think? Am I asking too much?”
“Well, to be completely up front about it, yeah. I'm sorry! That sounded mean,” I paused and took a deep breath, not wanting to tell him how I really felt, but knowing this was the only way it could be.
“The thing is, I really like you a lot, but I've had two really incredible relationships that both crashed and burned really badly, and I'm not really looking to be that serious with anyone yet. I just want to keep things casual for a while. I'm sorry.”
I felt so terrible for saying it out loud, but it had to be said right then and there. His reaction was completely different than what I'd predicted. I actually found it a bit refreshing.
“So does that mean I have to leave now and never call you again? Or can we at least still have sex?” Jared asked, a hopeful look beginning to dawn on his features. I laughed again, and he relaxed.
“No, you don't have to leave, and yes, we can still have sex. You're too good at it for me to kick you out of my bed.” I said, and I almost thought I saw him blush. We both laughed for a while but I could tell he was mildly disappointed. I had to say something.
“Look, all I need is a little more time. I really do like you enough to want to be with you, it's just too soon.”
“No, I get it. I didn't know it had been that recent. I'm sorry I asked.” Jared said as cheerfully as possible, but I could hear that dejected undertone in his voice.
“Don't be sorry! I'm flattered and really happy that you did ask. I just can't give you my heart yet. But if you can be a little patient with me, I can promise you'll be first in line.”
“I can deal with that.” Jared smiled at me, then kissed me with enough passion to make me almost regret not saying yes. I pressed against him further and wrapped my arms around him, knowing the contact would help dissolve the awkwardness that the conversation had left.
“I can deal with this, too.” Jared said in a seductive tone. I felt my entire body light up with excitement, and when he touched me, that light turned into fire. I have no idea how long it went on, but I eventually had to beg him to stop, I was completely drained and exhausted.
“Alright.” He kissed me for a long, intense moment, then said, “Goodnight, lightweight.”
“Screw you.”
“Did that. You gave up,” Jared laughed, knowing he'd won.
“I'm too tired to wipe that smirk off your face, but when I wake up, you’re mine,” I said cockily. This was the last thing I remember before I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. The first thing I remember from the following morning, I woke up to him kissing my neck and nuzzling against me. It was one of the best mornings that I'd had in a long time.
“I've got class today, and a show tonight. Hey, you wanna come see us play tonight?”Jared asked when he was getting dressed to leave. I had absolutely no desire to meet any of his band mates ever again, and I didn't feel like doing anything that night anyway.
“No, I really can't.”
“It's because of yesterday, isn't it?” He asked, and he looked as though he were restraining himself from coming over to hug me to him in some protective manner. I was proud of him for knowing when to keep from acting like my boyfriend. I didn't want to admit that part of it was, in fact, what had happened the day before.
“No.” I lied.
“Really?” He asked, sounding a bit skeptical.
“Really. If you must know, I'm taking the next twenty-four hours to recover.”
“Oh. Well, then can I come see you after the show?” He asked, and I couldn't resist. I nodded and laid back again, determined to not leave my bed until at least mid-afternoon. He walked over and kissed me, then moved to leave, only to make it halfway to the door. He came back and kissed me again, then a third time before he finally left.
As soon as I heard the front door close, Micah appeared, bearing two cups of coffee, one of which he handed to me. He grinned at me for a moment, ignoring the irritated look I was giving him.
“So. Tell me. I need details, Tabs. He was so fine, I can't live without the details!”Micah looked almost giddy as he moved my legs over and sat down. He sipped at his coffee for a moment, then tapped my leg when I didn't start talking.
“Ok, fine. He's insanely hot, and he's great in bed, and he's not my boyfriend, but he'll probably be around a lot. What more do you need to know?” I asked.
“EVERYTHING!” Micah yelled. He almost spilled his coffee all over my bed.
“He's a guitar player in a band that I don't even remember the name of. He also happens to go to school with us. He has a really tiny apartment, and his band mates are jack-asses. I really like him. He asked me to be his girlfriend last night, and I turned him down. I still feel bad about it, but I really just don't want a boyfriend right now. I also just agreed to sleep with him on a regular basis until I do want one. And I plan on actually dating him when I feel better about the boyfriend bit. That's about it.”
Micah sat there wide eyed for a long time before saying, “Whoa. That's a good start.”
“What!?”
“Yeah sweetie, this is just the beginning. You need to elaborate on each point individually, so start from the beginning, please.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I am dying to know, and we've got all day together. You've got nothing better to do, and I'm not going anywhere. So, spill.” Micah demanded. I laughed at the desperation in his voice, and gave in.
We talked, ate junk food, and played video games all day. We ordered take out for dinner, and fell asleep watching TV somewhere around ten that night. Just after three in the morning, Jared was knocking on the front door. Micah got up and let him in, then retreated to his own bed for the night.
“Hey, sorry I'm so late. The set ran long, and then I couldn't get a ride, so I had to walk.”
I held up my arms, inviting him to come lay down with me. He quickly stripped down and crawled between the sheets, pulling me against him as soon as he got his hands on me. His mouth tasted like whiskey and cigarettes. And at that moment, I didn't care. It felt wonderful to be near him. I found every square inch of this man amazing.
I pushed him back against the bed so hard that the bed frame actually slid a few inches, a scraping noise issuing from the floor. He actually yelped a bit when I bit his shoulder, and he pulled my hair in return. His mistake, as that only made me wilder.
“So I should probably stop holding back then?” Jared asked when he tried to catch his breath. I looked down at him, surprised by the question.
“You've been holding back?”
“Oh yeah. Way back.”Jared laughed. The next moment I was on my back, and he showed me just how much he'd been holding back. Micah ended up kicking my door in aggravation when I wouldn't stop screaming, and came back nearly twenty minutes later, yelling through the door for Jared to shut me up. Jared kissed me as he slowed the pace, and I ground against him to try keeping him from slowing down.
“Calm down. We've got all night.” Jared whispered, and I grabbed his hair and pulled his mouth back to mine. I wasn't worried about the time, or anything else for that matter. I just didn't want him to stop. When he tried to, I clawed into him, making him groan a bit, and I wasn't sure if it was pleasure or pain that caused him to do it.
He rolled, pulling me over, but the momentum sent both of us to the floor. Considering how high my bed sat, it was amazing that neither of us got hurt. My downstairs neighbor hit the ceiling with a broom for a few minutes after that. We just kept up until we heard someone pounding on the door.
Before I could find anything to wear, someone was shouting, “POLICE!”
I grabbed his shirt, throwing it on as I ran for the door, throwing it open to find three police officers standing in the hallway, their flashlights aimed directly at my face.
“Are you alright, Miss? We received a domestic disturbance call. Do you need assistance?”
“No. No. Nothing's wrong. We're fine here.” I said quickly, feeling myself blush. I never knew true embarrassment until then.
“Mind if we come in and take a look around?”
“Sure.” I said, even though they were pushing their way in before I even spoke. I followed them, overly aware that I was only wearing Jared's shirt, and I was covered in a thick sheen of sweat.
“Tabitha, what's going- Hello, there.” Jared looked nervous as soon as he saw the police standing in the living room. He looked like a deer in headlights, wearing only his pants.
“What are you doing, son?”
“I was coming to check on my girlfriend, officer.”
I normally would have corrected him right then and there, but in the current situation, I was willing to pretend I didn't hear it. The cop that spoke to him walked toward my bedroom, obviously smelling the air. He was almost laughing when he came back into the room, shaking his head.
“Guys, we're not needed here. You two keep it down, and don't forget that you have neighbors. It's almost six in the morning.”
“We're very sorry, officers. We'll keep it quiet. We're so sorry! Have a good day.” I said, walking them out to the hallway, blushing so hard my cheeks felt like they were on fire. As soon as the door closed, Jared was laughing, then rolling on the floor.
Micah walked out of his room just long enough to say, “You guys are jerks.”
“Sorry, Micah!” I called out, blushing even harder. I'd known we were being a bit loud, but I didn't realize that we were being that loud! Jared picked himself up, then came to me, still laughing as he hugged me tightly.
“Come on. It's still early enough to break a few more laws before we go to sleep.” Jared said, gesturing for me to come with him. I followed him back to the room, where we resumed our prior activities with a bit more consideration for the people around us. The following day, we met up at his house, where the neighbors didn't care as much, and there was no one under us.
We kept up this pattern of behavior for the next year and a half. Then one day came the inevitable conversation that I'd managed to avoid up to that point. I knew something was wrong when he walked in my room, slamming the door behind him.
“We need to talk.”
“Obviously.” I said, pointing at the door to emphasize my point. He dragged the chair in the corner to the foot of my bed and sat down, the angry look on his face something completely new to me. I took a deep breath before asking, “What's wrong?”
“This entire situation. You told me that when you were ready for more, I'd be first in line. Is that day ever going to show up? Or are you just playing me?” Jared asked, and he looked like Colin when he ran a hand through his hair.
“Ok, what made you so impatient all of a sudden?” I asked, not realizing the chain of events that would set off. I'm not entirely sure that I can say now that I would have said it, had I known ahead of time what would come out of it.
“Impatient? I've been waiting for almost eighteen months. If that's not patience I don't know what is. I love you, Tabitha! And I've been keeping that to myself all this time. For you! I've given you all this and what have you given me other than a steady lay? Nothing. I need you, and I need to know that you need me, or I need you to let me go. You call me when you've decided what you want.”
He stormed out the same way he came in, leaving me sitting there with a shocked look on my face. Had I really been that selfish? Yes, I most definitely had. I felt terrible, but I was really surprised to discover that despite the amount of time that had passed, I still didn't have an answer for him. I spent the next two days thinking about it very carefully.