Chapter 25: Caught Red-Handed

"Come on, talk to Uncle Gabriel." Gabe says, smirking at me through FaceTime.

"Shut up." I grunt, setting the spoon on the counter.

"No, seriously Nate, what's wrong? Why do you have a black eye?"

I huff.

"Brenda kissed me three days ago." I inform him.

"What?" He gapes at me. "No! You're lying!"

I start stirring my noodles again, scowling at him.

"I'm not lying. She basically forced me to kiss her and Harper, Mason, and Odette were over. They were sleeping but when she kissed me they walked in. Mason punched me twice, and then Brenda lied saying I came onto her."

Gabe scoffs loudly. "As if you'd come onto Brenda. You fucking hate her."

"Thank you!" I exclaim, lifting my spoon from the boiling water. It splatters onto my arm and I hiss, running it under cold water.

"So what happened?"

"I got them to believe me, Odette cleaned my face up and gave me an ice pack, and then she left with Harper saying she had to work. We're official, by the way. Or we were. Now she won't talk to me and I went to her apartment and she won't let me in. Mason said he was going for a drive to 'clear his mind' after Odette and Harper left and he's been gone for three days and he won't call me or text me."

"They're all ignoring you?"

"Brenda is ruining my fucking life, Gabe." I practically growl. "I'm going to lose Odeletta and Mason in one sitting."

"Well, did they believe you?"

"They said they did." I huff. "But I don't know. Gabe, tell me what to do."

He sighs.

"Call Harper. She probably knows about Odeletta."

"Tried that." I mutter. "She sent me to voicemail...six different times."

"Fuck." He says. "Well I don't know dude. So you're all alone?"

"Pretty much." I say, picking up my pot of noodles and dumping it into the strainer. I shake it around until all the hot water cascades down the drain. "I can't lose them, Gabe. They're all I have. Odeletta..." I trail off, thinking about her brown eyes, her gentle touch. I dump a splash of milk and a scoop of butter into my noodles, mixing it until the butter is melted. "I can't do this, Gabe."

I tear the macaroni cheese powder and dump it into my noodles.

"She's probably taking time to wrap her head around it." Gabe says as I pick up the spoon and start mixing the cheese into my noodles. "And Mason is heartbroken."

I know he's right, but still. Mason tells me everything. If he was heartbroken, I'd want to be there to be the brother he doesn't have.

"I should be with him, man." I say seriously. "I mean, what the hell am I going to do?"

"Well, for starters-"

The front door slams and I jump, pausing my mixing.

"Is somebody there?" Gabe whispers.

I whip around. I hear footsteps, and then Mason walks into the kitchen.

"Hey brother." He says, slapping my back. He glances into the pot and at my phone. "Gabe." He nods. He has two twelve packs of beer.

"Mason." I say, slowing starting to mix again.

"I went driving and I ended up at a 7-11 off of I70. I got a scratch off ticket and one a hundred bucks! Great, right? Brenda always said they were a waste of time, but I won a free hundred dollars! So I bought two twelve packs and a full tank of gas." He's grinning. "And then I got a hotel in Denver and hung around a few coffee shops and whatnot the past few days. My food at Chilis took a while, so they gave me three free tickets to the movies! Then, the next day, I was the third caller on the radio and I won a five day, four night vacation for three in Hawaii! It's fucking free! Free shit, man! And I was on the radio, and then Brenda called me, probably because she'd heard about my luck on the radio, right? I thought losing that girl would be the death of me, but it's my salvation! Anyways, I have three free tickets to Hawaii, I need two more people! Guys trip! On me! Hell, I'll go buy another scratch off and probably win a grand or ten!"

I stare at him like he's on crack cocaine, and he grins, clapping me on the back.

"What do you say? Guys trip?"

"Fuck yes." Gabe says. "I'll get a flight to Colorado right now."

"Nate?" He questions. "Wanna come?"

I could use a vacation.

"Sure, why not, right?"

I guess we're going to Hawaii.

_____

When Gabe arrived the next day, I couldn't be happier. I'm excited for this trip, but I'm stressed about my girlfriend.

So I bought a sleeping bag and planted myself outside her door.

After six hours of waiting, she walked up.

"Nathan?" She asks, shocked. "What are you doing?" She looks at the sleeping bag.

"You are avoiding me." I accuse, trying not to stare at her or outfit.

She's a paid intern for a business office. She has black slacks that grip her ass in incredible ways, and a white blouse. She looks beautiful, her brown hair curled.

"Uh..." she hesitates, sticking the key in the door.

"Please can we talk?" I ask.

She sighs slowly, pushing open the door to her apartment. She nods.

I grab my sleeping bag and tug it inside. It's going to rain anyways. She shuts the door behind me.

"I didn't kiss her." I say seriously. "She came onto me, I never wanted any of it, and I'm sorry for hurting you, but I couldn't control the situation. If I could have, it never would've happened. Please don't leave me, Odette."

Her eyes study mine for a long time.

"I am sorry I've been avoiding you..." she trails off. "Just..." she laughs nervously. "Seeing you kiss her...we hardly kiss, I do not remember what sex with you felt like, and she was kissing you while you were shirtless, and it just...I feel like she got more than I have, and...I keep replaying it in my head." She presses her lips together and gives me a guilty look. "I am sorry, Nathan."

"You have every right to be upset about this, Odeletta." I whisper. "I'm sorry for making you feel like she got more of me than you. You have me though, all of me."

"All of you?" She repeats.

"Yes." I nod. "I'm sorry." I add. "For-"

"So I have all of you? And you are mine, right? You are my boyfriend?"

I let out a nervous laugh.

"Um, yes." I nod.

She bites her lip.

"Nathan?" She whispers.

"Yes?"

"You walked in there the other day in those black slacks and a white button down...why?"

"Oh." I hesitate. "I got a new job at a psychology office. I'm just the guy who handles the paperwork, but it's a college job. Why?"

"Because..." she swallows. "You have been driving me crazy."

"What do you mean?" I ask. She starts untucking her shirt. She reaches down to undo her heels.

"I mean first with the button down and the slacks, the way the buttons own with straining with your muscles, much like the one you are wearing now did..." I trail off, looking him up and down as I toss my heels on the floor. "Did you come from work?"

"Yes." He looks confused. "What are you doing?"

He's wearing khaki pants and a brown leather belt, brown dress shoes, and a blue button down tucked into his pants. The arms of the shirt strain against his muscles, his back muscles, too. His hair is styled perfectly, his hair is unshaven but groomed perfectly, and the kahaki's grip his butt in the right ways, and even his groin area looks tight.

I swallow, my mouth turning dry.

I have wanted this. Ever since he walked in here, all angry and sexy, and then at the pool, all shirtless and wet.

I want this.

I walk over to him and start pulling at his shirt, untucking it.

"Odette." He says, laughing anxiously. "What are you doing?"

"Do you want me to stop?" I ask, reaching for his belt. He looks down at my face, and then at my outfit, and then at my hands.

Then, pressing his lips together, he shakes his head.

I undo his belt, pulling it off of him.

I'm pretty sure we're about to have sex, and I couldn't be more excited. She unbuttons my top button, her hands steady but quick as she moves all the way down. Undoing the cuff links, she pulling my shirt off in one fluid motion.

She lets out a sharp breath, her eyes landing on my toned chest. She reaches out slowly, putting her hands on my pecs, running down my abdomen. She's biting her button lip, and I feel my pants getting tight watching her.

"Is anyone coming over?" I ask, my voice low and deep. She shakes her head, her hands trailing all the way down to the button of my pants.

But she's still fully clothed. I open my mouth to protest, but she's already undone my button and my zipper, slowly pulling them down.

I sigh at the relief of my erection no longer being squished by my pants. It's still straining in my briefs, but her eyes move down to it, and she swallows.

"C'est tellement gros." She mumbles, her voice strained.

I have no idea what she said, but when her hand comes down to wrap around me through my boxers, I feel every muscles in my body tighten, and I start backing her up to the couch, falling on all fours on top of her. My lips connect with hers frantically, my hands covering her breasts through her clothing, my mouth frantically trailing down her jaw to her neck, nipping and sucking gently. I suck lightly on her collarbone, kissing my way down until the fabric of her shirt stops me.

I pull back, reaching out with two hands, and yank.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft

The little white buttons go flying around the living room, and I look down at her white tank top. I pull her so she's sitting up, slipping the button down off of her body, yanking her tank top off in one fluid motion, coming face to face with her maroon lacy bra.

Jesus fuck, she's so attractive. I start unbuttoning her slacks, pulling them down her legs to see her matching lacy thong. My lips crash back onto hers, feeling her hands run up and down my chest, tangling in her hair, gripping at the muscles on my back. I rub her through her panties and feel her breath shallow, letting out a small noise of pleasure. My mouth moves down to her breasts as I pull her panties aside with my right hand.

Just as my fingers slip inside of her, the front door opens.

"Odeletta, I forgot my wallet last-oh Jesus fucking Christ!" Harper shrieks loudly. I grab the sleeping bag quickly, covering us, lowering my body on top of hers, careful not to crush her small body.

I can feel her chest heaving beneath me, and she shifts lightly.

"Um...Harper, you might want to come back..." Odette trails off, and I start laughing into her shoulders, mortified. I feel her let out a small chuckle.

"I think you guys just burnt my irises!" She says. She snatches her wallet off of the coffee table. "Next time, lock the door!"

_____