Saturday
Picture 2
SnappleApple 450's Choice: both
Title:
“We’re friends with benefits.” I shrugged, browsing the clothes rack in front of me.
“Oh my god, tell me I didn’t just hear that,” Melanie blurted.
I ignored her and continued shopping, while she followed me.
“Ava, I said, tell me I didn’t just hear that, and you should respond with what you really said and not what my ears thought they heard.”
I chuckled. “Quit being a drama queen. Believe it or not it is possible to have sex with a friend.”
“No, it’s not! So…okay explain the rules to me. Do you go out for dinner and a movie first? Or does he just call you up and say, ‘Yo meet me at my place - I need to relieve some sexual tension.’” She mimicked a male voice.
I laughed at her. “No, it’s nothing like that, geez. We hang out like friends and if we both feel like it we…you know.” I shrugged. “You’re making it a bigger deal than it is!”
“Friends with bennies is a big deal! Ava, you are so stupid!” She groaned loudly. “Sex is never just sex. Ever.”
I scoffed. “Oh? Tell that to Miss Slut here. How many guys have you slept with exactly?”
She waved her hand. “That’s neither here nor there, the point is I’ve had feelings for every one of them.”
“Dan?” I said in a monotone, not believing her.
She cringed. “Okay, so I might have had feelings for the marijuana I was smoking, but come on. I’ve never done FWB.”
I laughed. “You’re missing out. We don’t have anything awkward between us. It’s just sex.” I repeated.
Melanie rolled her eyes. “Give it time, Ava.”
My phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out and answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Pirates of the Caribbean is playing at the drive-in tonight. You have plans?”
I looked at Melanie, whose ear was pressed to the other side of the phone trying to listen. “Oh my god, is this the guy?” she mouthed.
I batted her away. “No, I’m not busy. I wanted to see it, too.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t want to be the only one alone at the drive-in. You’re doing me a huge favor.”
I said goodbye and hung up. Melanie hit my arm. “Dude, that was totally a booty call! You’re his bitch!”
I glared. “No, I’m not! A booty call is calling late at night and not seeing each other otherwise. We hang out and not have sex sometimes. We’re not fuck buddies.”
“Name one time.” She put her hand on her hip.
“What?” I asked, wanting to be done with this conversation, but I knew Melanie was nowhere close to being finished.
“Name one time he called you up just to hang out, no sex,” she dared.
“Last week! We went out for coffee. No sex.” I defended myself.
“I don’t believe he sees you as anything more than a booty call. But hey, as long as you don’t mind and the sex is good.”
“The sex is great,” I retorted.
“Okay,” she mouthed. “So describe him for me. Paint me a picture.”
“Um…picture tattoos everywhere. But not ugly tattoos, like the really hot kind with tattoos. Messy hair, aaand he has holes in his ears. What do you call those?”
“Hot?” She tried to help.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. He’s your typical sexy scene boy.”
“What’s his name?”
“Skylar. We used to hang out all the time when he was dating this one chick. After she dumped him, he didn’t want any more relationships and I didn’t really want a boyfriend, so…one thing led to another and—“
“Friends with bennies,” she finished.
“Yes.”
“So you don’t have feelings for him?”
I hesitated on my answer. “I never said that.”
She hit me again. “See?! That’s why this won’t work!”
I rolled my eyes, but she grabbed me by the shoulders. “Babe, listen to me. Men are like dogs. Sex is like a treat for being good. No dog is going to magically roll over when it’s getting a treat for doing nothing. Just like no man is going to willingly have a relationship when you’re giving it up free!”
“You don’t understand, Mel. I think he likes me too.”
She shook her head. “Don’t assume, babe. All guys are in it for sex and they’ll make up whatever lie to keep that coming. Don’t go expecting a relationship from him.”
I pulled my skinny jeans up and threw on a t-shirt. Melanie’s words got to me. Was I just a booty call to him? I wasn’t so sure this was going to work out anymore. I liked him, and if he didn’t like me, then I would have to break it off.
I heard the car horn beep downstairs. Quickly I grabbed my purse and shoes, running to meet him. “Hey!” I said once I got in the car.
“You ready for the movie?” He flashed a smile.
“You know it! I love a good drunk hot pirate any time.”
He rolled his eyes. “Jack Sparrow isn’t that hot.”
“Captain Jack Sparrow is ever girl’s reason for wanting to be a pirate when they grow up. We weren’t in it for the adventure; we were in it for the hot pirate.” I winked at him. “Let’s go, I don’t want to miss any of him.”
At the drive-in theatre, Skylar pulled up dead center and set his radio to the right dial. “You want something to eat?” He asked, taking his seat belt off.
I scrunched my face. “Yeah but I’ll get it. I have to use the restroom anyway. Do you want anything?”
He shook his head, and I got out, running for the concession building. Inside smelled greatly of popcorn and sugar. I inhaled, instantly craving the buttery goodness.
“Hi, can I help you?”
I looked up and saw a tall, dark guy behind the counter. He was beyond tall, dark, and handsome. I looked at his name tag - “Jeremy” - and back at him. “Hi,” I breathed.
He flashed a gorgeous grin. “Do you want to order something?”
I licked my lips subconsciously. “Yeah, but I doubt he’s on the menu, so I guess popcorn.”
He chuckled. “He might be. You want that smothered in butter?”
“I prefer oil or whipped cream.” I was lost in his smile.
He raised an eyebrow. “On the popcorn?”
I shook my head, trying to clear my dirty thoughts. “Um, butter is fine, thanks.”
“You here on a date?” He tried to make it sound casual as he got the popcorn.
“No, I’m just here with a friend.” I pulled out my wallet.
He turned around with a smirk. “So you’re single.”
I felt a smile grow on my lips. “Currently.”
He took out a pen and wrote something on the popcorn bucket, handing it to me. “Call me if that status doesn’t change soon.”
I took it, smiling. “I will…”
“Enjoy your movie.” He winked as I walked out.
Quickly I ran back to the car and jumped in, not able to wipe the smile off my face.
Skylar raised his eyebrows. “A smile that big better mean you got the popcorn for free.”
I laughed. “Yes, I did, as a matter of fact.”
“You flirted to get free popcorn?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Poor guy will never forget you. He probably thought he had a shot with you.”
I ate some popcorn, kicking off my shoes. “What makes you think he doesn’t have a chance with me?”
Skylar laughed louder now. “Well for one, he probably had zits all over his face, red hair, and a crackly voice. That seems to be all this drive-in hires.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, he’s nothing even close to that description.”
Skylar didn’t believe me. “Alright, fine. I’ll go look for myself. You forgot some cokes anyway.” He jumped out before I could stop him.
I ate my popcorn, thinking about Jeremy. Maybe this was exactly what I needed to get out of this with Skylar. Skylar didn’t like me other than as a fuck buddy, and Jeremy actually liked me. It was worth a shot, right?
A few minutes later, Skylar jumped back into the car with some cokes. “Wow.”
“Well?” I asked slyly.
Skylar handed me a coke and sat back. “I mean…you know, he’s alright.” He shrugged, sipping his coke.
The movie started to play and we stopped talking, turning the radio up so we could hear it. I passed the popcorn to Skylar, and he saw the number written on the box. “Oh my god, he wrote his number on your popcorn?!”
I shushed him. “In case I wanted to go out with him. Watch the movie.”
He grabbed a handful of popcorn aggressively and ate it quietly as the movie played. I was so engrossed in the movie, I completely forgot about Jeremy and Skylar and said hello to Jack.
“I don’t like him,” Skylar randomly blurted during the movie.
I laughed. “What don’t you like about him?”
“Okay for one, why is he single? A guy that good looking is never single unless something is wrong with him.”
“Dude, you’re single,” I pointed out.
He mumbled something and went back to the movie. He wrapped his arm around me to reach the popcorn and I felt a little uncomfortable being in this position.
“Maybe he’s on drugs. That could explain it.”
I sighed. “Skylar, you smoke weed.”
“Weed isn’t a drug. Drugs are addictive.”
I turned the radio down. “Okay what is this really about?”
He shrugged. “Something about him is off. Maybe’s he’s a player and he’s got like two other girls.”
“Skylar stop. Maybe he’s on meth, maybe he’s a convict, maybe he has multiple baby mamas.” I slid away from him. “But you know what, maybe he’s a good guy. So lay off and let me find out for myself.”
He pulled out a blunt and lit it. “Alright, I’m sorry. I’m just paranoid. Friends?” He held his arms out and turned the movie back up. He blew the smoke out the window and I faked a cough.
“You know that makes me sick.” I coughed again.
He shoved it in my face jokingly. “Just try it! You’ll love it! Jack Sparrow actually makes sense!”
I shook my head, pushing it out of my face. “No thank you.”
We finished the movie in somewhat silence with the occasional comments. After it ended we started to leave, but Skylar stopped in front of the building.
“Do you want to say hi to your boyfriend before we leave?” Skylar teased.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend…yet.” I wrote his number on my arm and threw the bucket away.
Skylar laughed, pealing out of the parking lot. “I still can’t believe you picked up a guy while we were watching a movie.”
“I told him I was here with a friend.”
Skylar nodded, turning onto my street. “You’re right. Well thanks for going to the movies with me. See you later, friend.” He emphasized the word at the end.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “See you later.”
The longer I was around Skylar, the weirder he acted. He was upset about the guy, but I couldn’t figure out what was going through his mind.
“He’s upset he’s losing his fuck buddy, that’s all it is,” Melanie said over the phone. “Trust me.”
I sighed, finishing my toe nails. “I don’t know…”
“Have you called the other guy yet?” She squealed. “He sounds dreamy.”
“He was so hot! Dude, if you heard what I was saying to him.”
“Call him!”
“No, it’s too soon. I’ll call tomorrow,” I argued.
“If you don’t, I will,” she threatened, and I knew she meant it.
The next morning, I was woken up by a loud banging on my door. “Go away!” I groaned.
“I brought coffee!” I heard Skylar’s voice.
“This better not be an early morning booty call,” I complained, unlocking the door after I threw on a jersey over my boy-shorts.
“A booty call?” he asked. “When have I ever come to you for a booty call?”
I wiped my eyes and yawned. “I’m sorry, what I meant was—“
“That I only use you for sex,” he sounded a little hurt.
“Melanie said, that to a guy, friends with benefits just means fuck buddy.”
Skylar set the coffee down on the side table. “Is that what I am to you? Just a fuck buddy?”
“Skylar relax, you know I didn’t mean it like that.”
“What about last night at the movies? Did you go just to have sex, and I didn’t do it, so you find another guy?” He was trying not to sound too angry.
“Dude, you’re being ridiculous. I wouldn’t care less if we had sex or not! I liked you before any of that! Sex changed nothing!”
Skylar’s face went blank with shock. “Wait…you like me?”
Internally I was cussing myself out for letting that slip. “You know, you’re my friend…of course I like you,” I corrected.
He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a little tired. Enjoy your coffee.” He walked out, shutting the door on his way, leaving me confused as hell.
I drank the coffee and went to take a shower. Anyone would say Skylar was jealous, but I thought he was just about the sex. Maybe Melanie was wrong about him. Once I got in the shower, I saw the fading numbers on my arm. I had them written down by the phone, so I scrubbed them off. Maybe I would call Jeremy after I got out. Why not?
“Hey is this Jeremy?” I asked hesitantly.
“Depends.” I recognized his voice.
“On?”
“If this is the girl I met at the movies last night. Is it?”
“Depends.”
He chuckled. “On what?”
“What would you say to her if it was?”
“I would ask her out, of course.”
I laughed. “What did you have in mind?”
“How about a movie? I know this great guy that works at a drive-in,” he hinted.
“Well I did just see a movie…”
“With your friend, right?”
“Right.”
“Okay, then, restaurant, it is.”
“Sounds good. What time?”
“7:00?”
“Alright,” I smiled.
“Oh wait! I never got your name!”
I laughed. “It’s Ava.”
“See you tonight.”
It was 6:30, and I was getting dressed when I heard the doorbell ring. “That can’t be Jeremy,” I mumbled, looking at the clock. “It’s open!” I yelled.
A few seconds passed, and Skylar walked in. “Hey, I wanted to apologize for this morning. I was out of line.” He opened his arms for a hug, and I smiled, wrapping my arms around him.
“So was I. I’m sorry.”
“I brought a classic for us to watch tonight.” He held up The Lion King and smiled.
“Ooh.” My mouth turned down.
He looked at my clothes and gasped. “You’re going on a date!”
I flinched. “Nooo…well yes, but—“ I sighed.
He threw the DVD on my bed and laughed. “When’s he coming?”
“Half an hour.” I looked at the clock and went back to getting ready.
“I’m gonna grab a beer.” He walked out.
“I’m all out of beer, but help yourself to some orange juice!”
He laughed. “Orange juice is so much better than beer!” A few seconds later, I heard him yell, “With pulp! We’re hardcore!”
I laughed to myself, putting on my mascara.
“Oh shit!” I heard Skylar cuss.
“What?” I walked in to see his shirt soaked with orange juice.
“You better get that off before it gets sticky,” I told him.
He stripped his shirt off and let it drop to the floor with a sloshing sound.
“I’ll throw it in the washer.” I picked it up and carried it at arm length. The doorbell rang while I was in the back. “Can you answer that, Skylar? I’m almost ready!” I yelled.
Skylar finished drying off his chest before answering it.
Jeremy stood on the other side. “Um…is this the right address?” He checked his phone.
“Yup. Come on in, she’s almost ready.”
“Hey, I know you,” Jeremy followed him inside. “You were at the drive-in last night. Do you know her?”
“I’m the friend that went to the movies with her.” Skylar sat down, lighting a blunt.
Jeremy looked confused. “She told me she was single.”
Skylar blew smoke out, making Jeremy cough. “It’s okay, we’re just friends,” he shrugged, frowning.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Just friends?” He didn’t believe it as he took in Skylar’s shirtless body.
Skylar blew out more smoke. “Hey man, whatever you want to think. I’m perfectly fine with sharing. My mama raised me right.”
“Is there something going on between you guys? Look, if she’s yours I’ll back off.” Jeremy raised his hands.
“What?” I walked in.
Skylar leaned back and shook his head. “No, she’s not mine.” He stood up and headed to the back of the place. “She never was…”
Jeremy looked at me, a little confused and shocked. “Um, I feel like I’m getting into something here, and I don’t want to start drama.”
I shook my head. “No, there’s no drama here. Skylar is just a friend to me.”
“Well, you obviously don’t see you’re more than that to him.” Jeremy apologized and left.
I sat down, trying to make sense of what had happened while I was in the other room.
“Did he leave?” Skylar asked softly.
“Yeah…he did…” I replied.
“That was my fault,” he apologized. “I’ll go catch him and explain it to him.”
“Do you like me?” I stood up, turning around to face him.
He looked at me for a second, before chuckling. “Why…do you?”
I hesitated on my answer, finally nodding.
Skylar’s smile faded. “Really?”
That wasn’t exactly the response I wanted to hear. I tried my hardest to keep the tears at bay. “Just go,” I whispered, opening the door to him.
He walked over to it, never breaking eye contact with me, he closed the door. “But…I like you, too.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment