For Crying Out Loud by J. Preston
15Two Birds One Stone
If we’re not meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the fridge?
– Jason
Aiden
I wake up smiling even though my back is killing me. After spending the night on the floor, that’s to be expected. Why do I even get myself into situations like this? Oh wait, my grandmother taught me manners, that’s why. Chloe’s gentle snores are coming from beneath the duvet, so quietly I sit up and stretch my aching muscles before standing up. I head out to the shower, hoping the hot water will ease the pain in my joints. As the water starts pelting on my back, my smile stretches from ear to ear. The thing is, I just can’t stop thinking about her. It’s impossible. I need to find her and tell her that no matter the consequences, I want to be with her. I need her. It’s that simple.
Will she want the same thing? I imagine her nodding back at me, a playful smile forming on her lips. She would wrap her arms around me and press her lips to mine, first gently, then hungrily. I can see it so clearly. I reach out with my hand and place it on the wall of the shower, panting. The water droplets slide down my face as I imagine her jumping into my embrace, legs wrapped around me. She moans as she rocks into me, feeling me harden at the motion through her jean shorts. I wrap my fist around my cock and start stroking it up and down as my imagination continues the ride. In my head, I pull away from her and bend down, trailing kisses along her neckline to her breasts. She’s not wearing a bra, so I take advantage, sucking her nipple through her thin, cotton shirt. She gasps, then arches into me, begging for more. I abide, moving to the other nipple, biting and sucking through the flimsy material until Jenny moans loudly and starts rocking against me frantically. The hand on my cock pumps faster as, in my head, my mouth goes back to her neck, then back to her lips. I fuck her with my tongue like I want to fuck her with my cock, my hand sliding down into her shorts, reaching her clit and rubbing it through her panties until she writhes beneath me, whining for release. When she comes, it’s loud and sexy and takes me over the edge. I grunt, spilling into my hand, my breath unsteady. Shit.
I soap up and rinse off, then turn the water cold. I nearly cry out as the freezing torrent hits my skin, but the wide grin on my face stays. She’ll be mine.
Everything is going so smoothly this morning, even my hair surprisingly looks okay, like it knows it’ll be a big day. I smile at my reflection. You’ve got this dude. All it takes is courage, just put yourself out there.
There’s just one more thing, or a person to be exact, I need to take care of. I walk back into my room to see Chloe sitting on my bed wearing one of my favourite t-shirts. What the fuck?
“What are you doing in my t-shirt?” I ask, grabbing clothes from my closet.
“Sorry. I woke up halfway through the night in that tight dress that I was wearing last night and… Shit. Sorry… I thought you wouldn’t mind…” she says sheepishly, a small blush spreading on her cheeks.
I wave my hand at her dismissively. “Get dressed. I’ll drop you off at your place,” I say, making my way back to the bathroom to change into my clothes. I look back for confirmation that she’s heard me but, to be honest, I don’t care. I’d drag her to my car while she’s wearing my t-shirt and drop her off wherever as long as we can make it fast. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can talk to Jenny.
Nothing can spoil my mood right now.
Nothing.
I walk back into the bedroom and see that Chloe is wearing her own clothes. She’s holding her heels in her hand and swinging them back and forth. She’s ready, that’s good. When she sees me, she starts stepping from one foot to another as if the floor is burning her soles. “Do you need to use the toilet or something?” I ask, squinting at her. She shakes her head. “What is it then?”
She drops her shoulders and looks down. Quietly, she replies, “Uhhhh, your little friend stopped by.” Okaaay… Jason? Carter? “The one from the restaurant,” she clarifies, seeing my confusion. My heart stops beating. Jenny was here. She saw Chloe. Was Chloe in her own clothes? Was she mid-change? Oh shit, what if Jenny thought—
“When? What did she say?” I ask. The panic in my voice is obvious.
“When you were in the shower.” Without a word, I turn on my heels and run towards Jenny’s room.
“Jenny!” I roar, opening her door. The room is empty, the window is wide open, the curtains dancing with the wind. I run to the window and look out, but Jenny is obviously not there.
I turn around and, trying to keep it cool, quickly walk back to where Chloe is. she hasn’t moved an inch. “What did you say to her?” I ask through clenched teeth, taking her by her elbow and gently guiding her to the front door. She doesn’t protest, she just silently walks next to me. Why the hell is she not answering? “What did you say to her?” I repeat calmly, trying to relax. I don’t want to scare her; it’s not like she knows she just might have messed everything up.
“I said you were in the shower. Then she ran off, slamming her door,” Chloe finally says as we walk outside. She’s studying my face intently, gauging my reaction as the world crumbles around me.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuck…
Of course Jenny would come to some awful conclusion. What was I thinking bringing Chloe back to the house? I could have just left her at the club…and do what? The voice of my grandma mocks me. Let her drunkenly try to find her own way home? Damn it, grandma!
I look at my car, then at Chloe. I’m going to have to be a dick. I need to find kitten and explain.
“Call yourself an Uber,” I say, running towards my car. “Sorry.”
“But Aiden…” Chloe whines as I jump inside the jeep and speed away. I feel a bit guilty for leaving her stranded, but not guilty enough to stay and listen to what she wants to say.
Now, where the hell could Jenny be? She must be pissed off at me for bringing Chloe and letting her stay over. God knows, she probably wants to scratch my eyes out if she thinks anything more than that happened... I rack my brain as I run red light after red light. She’s either at Hayley’s or Carter's. Those are my two best bets. Carter’s is closer, so I drive there first. I make an illegal u-turn and speed towards his apartment. I see them as soon as I’m on his street. Slowing down, I strain my eyes. I think…I think Carter is embracing Jenny, hugging her tight and kissing the top of her head. My knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel tightly. I breathe slowly, it’s just a hug. I’m almost at his place when Carter puts his hand under Jenny’s chin, lifting her face up to his.
I stop breathing when his lips connect with hers.
Agape, I sit in my car in a trance, not wanting to believe what unfolds in front of my eyes. But it’s hard, especially when Jenny doesn’t push him away. Instead, she wraps her arms around his neck as he pulls her closer to him, lifting her up onto her tiptoes.
I don’t notice that my foot pushes down on the accelerator. I don’t notice that I’m on the wrong side of the road. I don’t notice the cars parked around me.
I don’t notice anything.
All I can see in front of my eyes is the image I’m focusing on in my rear-view mirror. I take the first right, skidding on the corner and drive away as fast as I can. I fail to notice that I’m driving over the speed limit in the residential area, and I fail to notice the brown dog in the middle of the road, at least not until it’s too late.
I break like a maniac, pushing my foot to the ground and turning the wheel to the right. The car swerves and I’m driving into someone’s yard and over their pristine rose bushes. My hands shake and my heart thumps, all because of the nagging feeling at the back of my mind.
I felt the dull thump on the front bumper.
I heard the yelp.
Oh God, please let the dog be okay.
I run out of the car and onto the street.
The dog is there. Lying in the middle of the road, not moving but breathing steadily. I kneel and hear him whimper as he notices me next to him. His head lifts and soulful brown eyes gaze into my eyes. He is magnificent. A medium-sized boy with shaggy brown fur. He looks like he has seen it all, done it all, lived a happy doggy life. Until I came along hell bent on destroying it all. My heart breaks and my eyes fill with tears. Emotions swirl inside as breathing gets harder and harder.
“I’m so sorry, little buddy,” I whisper. A passer-by stops and gawks at us. “Do you know whose dog this is?” I shout at the man, trying to figure out what to do next.
He shrugs. “It’s a stray. He’s been running around here for the past two weeks. Serves him right for trying to screw my Minnie.” Rage fills me, and the only thing that stops me from getting up and beating the guy to a pulp are the eyes of the mutt in front of me. They are still intently looking into mine, filled with pain and trust. I need to get him to the vet. I need to do everything in my power to make sure he’ll be ok.
“Minnie is probably as stupid as her owner,” I whisper to him. I stroke his dark brown fur and he moves his head to lick my palm. He is laying it on thick. I’m already half in love with the thing, and everything he does just makes my heart swell even more.
“Hold on, buddy,” I say, ripping my jacket off and wrapping it around his body. Trying to move him as little as possible, I lift the dog up and take him to my car. He whimpers in pain as I set him down on my back seat.
After googling the nearest vet, I drive there, very, very carefully. The last thing I want is to cause the little guy any more pain. I snag a parking spot right outside the entrance and run into their reception, shouting at the first person I see to help me. I must look like a lunatic, but the receptionist is not phased and follows me to my car where I point inside. Her whole demeanour changes and she rushes back inside to get help. After what seems like way too long, they finally manage to move the dog into their examination room. Only when I see him disappear into an examination room do I dare to wipe the tears off my face. I stand like a loser in front of the door, too scared to move. The same receptionist who helped me earlier takes me by the hand and sits me down in the waiting room, handing me a glass of water. She pats my shoulder and says something to me, but I can’t hear her behind the buzzing in my ears. My gaze focused on those damn double doors. Finally, a man wearing scrubs comes out. I’m back on my feet before I notice.
“Is the brown dog yours? Did you fill out the insurance paperwork?” His voice sounds urgent, and a heavy weight settles over my chest.
“He’s not. I bumped him though. I think he’s a stray,” I reply. His face falls, and I can hear the whoosh of blood in my ears.
“I’m sorry, but if that’s the case we cannot help him here, his injur-“
“He’s mine!” I interrupt him too loudly. “He’s mine. I don’t have any insurance, but I’ll pay for whatever you need to do.”
“Thank you,” the guy nods at me, relief palpable in his voice. “I’ll charge you only the absolute minimum. I won’t charge my fees.”
I nod in agreement as he walks away.
“Wait,” I stop him, my heart beating loudly in my chest. “Is he going to be okay?”
“He’s got a couple of broken bones, which we need to set. We’re taking x-rays to check if his lungs are punctured since he’s wheezing a little, but I think he’ll be okay. Come back in a couple of hours.” The vet disappears behind the same door he came out of. I pace for a while, then go to the reception to leave my details. My father won’t even notice the charge on the credit card. Instead of leaving, I stay in my spot in the corner, not daring to leave the reception area in case the vet comes back with any news, my gaze not wavering from the door. I wait. And wait.
And wait…
Two hours go by and finally the door opens. I get up from my seat and look at him hopefully, praying that the brown dog is ok. The guy nods at me, smiling, and my shoulders relax a little.
“Is he okay?” I ask.
“We set the broken bones in his leg. Fortunately, there were no further injuries. You’re very lucky. He's in shock, so you’ll need to be extra careful,” he says. “He’s going to wake up soon, then I’d like to observe him for the rest of the day.” A puff of air leaves my lungs in relief. I didn’t realise I was holding my breath. “I’ll make sure he gets all the required vaccinations. In the meantime, why don’t you go get supplies? You’ll need a bed, food, and a leash.”
“I’ll do that,” I say, nodding. That’ll give me something else to do except for just sitting here and slowly going crazy.
“You’ll also need a name for him.” The vet smiles at me kindly. I guess The Brown Fur Ball is not acceptable. “Come back at five. He should be ready to go home with you then. I’ll have his antibiotics and pain meds ready for you.”
I go back to my car and sit there aimlessly before starting the engine. Not really sure where I’m going, I drive around until I find myself in front of Carter’s house. No one’s outside, so I walk up to the front door and ring the bell.
Kennedy opens with a smug look on his face. “Came back for mo-“
I shut him up with my fist.
“Shit! Ouch! Hello to you too, Aiden,” Carter mumbles, holding the side of his jaw. “Come on in, we need to talk.” He opens the door further to let me in, then walks to the fridge/freezer in the corner and fishes out a bag of frozen peas, putting it to his face.
“What the fuck was that?” I ask.
“I’m assuming you’re referring to the fact that you slept with Chloe Price, while grasshopper was in the room next to you?” the bastard has the audacity to ask.
“What the hell? No!”
“Aaah. Okay, well, that’s not what Chloe said to Jenny this morning…”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope,” Carter replies, sitting down on his couch. I follow behind.
“Shit…”
“Yes. Jenny was royally pissed, to say the least,” he continues. I can just imagine, but it didn’t take her long to seek comfort with Carter…
“And you took advantage of that?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“Well…no. You were being a sad asshole who couldn’t make up his mind about her. You told her that you two can’t be more than friends, kissed her, then told her it was a mistake. I needed to show you that you can’t stand seeing her with anyone else, and that was the only way I could think of.”
“What are you saying, that this was all for my benefit? How was I supposed to find out?”
Carter shrugs his shoulders. “You saw us, didn’t you?”
“You knew I saw you?”
“Who else drives a black Jeep like a maniac in a residential area?”
“So the kiss…” I wince, remembering it vividly, too vividly.
“Jenny was horrified that she’s a bad kisser and that you moved on to the next girl, so I killed two birds with one stone. She’s a great kisser.”
“She thought that she was a bad… Wait! What did you just say?”
“You need to stop being a self-centred prick and go find her, talk to her. I know you like her, you know you like her. Hell, everyone knows you like her. Go do something about it.”
“You’re right.” I nod.
“Oh, and if she doesn’t want your sorry ass anymore, send her my way please. That girl is something else.” Carter looks down at his hands.
“What the hell, man?”
“Nothing, nothing,” he mutters. “You know what? Not nothing. Jenny is incredible! She’s funny, she’s clever, and for some unbeknownst reason she likes you for the time being. But if she ever changes her mind… Aiden, I will fight for her. I mean it. So get your ass out of here and go set things straight while you still have a chance. ”
Nodding, I dart out of Carter’s. He’s right. He’s so damn right.
I drive back, carefully this time, to our house. Jenny’s car is parked up front. I park next to hers, then run up the porch steps and into the house. I scan the living room first, then the kitchen, and finally make my way to her room.
I don’t knock, I just open the door and go into her bedroom. She’s in the bathroom having a shower, so I settle myself on her bed and wait.