Chapter Five #3
“What?”
“The traffic circle on Demonbreun Street. You know—the statue of the anatomically correct dancing naked people.”
“And it’s walking distance from the Tin Roof. Geez. I can’t believe I didn’t figure that out myself.”
Christine was always shocked by the bigger-than-life bronze statue of naked people happily dancing on the circle at Music Row. Children rode past there. Naked breasts, vaginas, and penises were on display for all to see.
“Okay, I have to go get him,” Christine said, crawling out of bed.
“Is Austin dancing naked with them?” Julianna asked.
“God, I hope not,” Christine said.
“God, I hope so. I’ll meet you there,” Julianna said.
“No. Do not show up. Go back to bed.”
“No way in hell I’m missing this. See you at the naked people.” Julianna hung up before Christine could protest further.
Christine threw on her sweats and an oversized T-shirt and darted out the door.
The drive that took nearly an hour in rush-hour traffic only took fifteen minutes at midnight.
She parked her car on the side of the street and was running to the center of the circle when Julianna pulled up.
Together they found Austin passed out underneath the sculpture.
His left shoe was off, his white T-shirt was stained with dirt, drool fell from the side of his mouth, and he snored—loudly.
Julianna busted up.
“What is so funny?”
“He’s right under a huge naked penis. That was his last visual before he passed out.”
“And there he is. Heartthrob to tens of thousands of women.” Christine shook her head.
“I’d still do him,” Julianna said.
Christine opened her mouth to say something and changed her mind. Why bother? Stars had a greater appeal than mere humans. She stooped down next to Austin and shook him.
No response.
“Austin? Wake up. It’s Christine.”
Nothing.
“Julianna, let’s try to lift him.”
“Okay.” Julianna reached down for his feet as Christine lifted his shoulders.
He barely budged.
“He’s out cold,” Christine said.
“Ya think?”
Another car pulled up and parked at the circle.
The driver threw on the flashers and stepped out.
Christine’s stomach clenched as she recognized Matt.
Here she stood in oversized sweats, a baggy T-shirt, and no makeup.
Julianna, of course, looked like she’d just stepped out of Victoria’s Secret, still wearing her tight pink sweatpants and a black tank top.
Her hair was in a sloppy bun with just enough tendrils dropping down to shape her beautiful face.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” Christine said.
“Why?” Julianna asked.
Before Christine could answer, Matt walked up. “He called you, too?” he asked.
“Yep. I’m glad you’re here, though. We can’t lift him. He’s dead weight,” Christine said.
Matt looked at Julianna and then Christine. “And she’s here why?”
“Moral support?” Christine said, more as a question.
“There’s nothing moral about this,” Matt said with a derisive snort.
“I didn’t know you’d be here and didn’t want to come out alone,” Christine said, feeling defensive.
Matt nodded. “I’m so sorry you’ve gotten mixed up in all of this.”
“It’s okay. It’s been boring without him around. He adds excitement to my life,” Christine said, looking away from Matt and back at Austin.
“I’m sure he does. I get it. Kind of.”
“What do we do?” Christine asked.
“Let’s get him up.” He walked over to Austin’s left side and Christine went to the right.
“Can I help?” Julianna asked.
“Sure. Grab his hands and pull him up while we push,” Matt said.
Between the three of them, they got Austin to a standing position. They half walked, half dragged him the few feet to Matt’s car and dumped him in the back.
“Christine, would you follow me to his house? I’ll need help getting him in,” Matt asked.
“Sure.”
“We may have to stay over. I don’t think he should be left alone,” Matt said.
“Okay,” Christine said.
“I can come,” Julianna said with a spring in her heels.
“Thanks, but I think we can handle it,” Matt said.
Julianna crossed her arms and stood with one foot in front of the other. Her head was tilted and she looked at Christine with widened eyes. Christine saw it for what it was. She wanted an invitation. But Christine couldn’t overrule Matt. Christine mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
“Fine. See you tomorrow, Christine?” Julianna asked.
“Yeah, see you then. Thanks for coming.” Christine gave a brief nod, barely acknowledging her friend.
She was too focused on the fact that she’d be spending the night with Matt.
There’d be bedrooms, not just bus bunks.
And with Austin sleeping off his drunkenness, it would just be the two of them. The possibilities were endless.
They arrived at Austin’s house and Matt keyed in the gate code. After they parked in the driveway, Christine helped him get Austin into the house. He was barely able to sit up, but Matt suggested they not let him sleep for at least an hour.
“Let’s get some coffee into him and then put him in the shower,” Matt said.
“Okay.”
“In the morning, we’ll give him Pedialyte. But until then, let’s keep an eye on him through the night. The guy can drink a lot, but he may be drunker than I’ve ever seen him.”
“Pedialyte?”
“You’d be amazed at its restorative abilities,” Matt said.
“The things I’ve learned since being with Austin.” Christine shook her head.
“I’d rather not think about it,” Matt said.
They forced coffee into Austin, and when it seemed like he could stand without falling, Matt decided to get him into the shower.
“Can you help me get him out of these jeans?” Matt asked.
“I think I’ll let you handle that yourself.”
“Three’s a crowd, huh?”
Christine wasn’t sure what Matt meant, but when he started unbuttoning Austin’s pants, she didn’t stick around to find out. She headed down the hall.
“If you need me, I’ll be in the bedroom to the far right of the hall,” she said.
“Got it.”
The sound of the shower filtered down the hallway before Austin started yelling, probably due to the cold water hitting him.
Matt was yelling something back. Eventually, the noise abated.
It had been an hour since they’d arrived, and between the coffee and the shower, she figured Matt would feel comfortable letting Austin go to sleep.
Christine got ready for bed and tried to relax.
But she couldn’t. Matt was right down the hall.
Should she go into his room and make a move?
Would he reject her? Was it worth the risk?
Had he remembered her drunken night fondly or had she disgusted him with her come-on?
So many questions she didn’t know the answers to.
With him right down the hall, she needed to know, and there was only one way to find out.
She got out of bed full of confidence, but it dissipated a moment later, and she crawled back under the sheets.
She wasn’t prepared for something like this.
She imagined all the seductive things she could say.
“As long as we’re both here, would you like some company?
I can think of a few ways to occupy our time.
” Or maybe, “Is that bed big enough for two?” Ugh.
Even she could tell how stupid that would sound.
It wasn’t in her nature to be bold or aggressive toward a man.
She needed to channel her inner Phoebe, but she didn’t have an inner Phoebe. Not without weed cookies, anyway.
Thoughts kept running through her mind until she couldn’t stand it any longer. She got out of bed and, as quietly as she could, made her way down the hall to where Matt was sleeping. His door wasn’t closed tight, and she pushed it open far enough to peer in.
“Christine?” Matt propped himself up on his elbow, the sheet falling away and exposing his bare chest. Christine’s vocal cords seized up and she couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Come in,” Matt said.
She walked into his room and stood in a pose that she hoped was sensual. But she knew she looked ridiculous. She tried a hair flip, but her fingers got tangled in her curls.
Matt stared at her. It was now or never.
All the things she had wanted to say suddenly refused to come out of her mouth. She stammered while Matt looked at her with squinty eyes. She assumed he was trying to make sense of why she was standing in his bedroom. Hell, she was trying to make sense of it.
“I’m sorry. I thought I heard something. I worried Austin had gotten up and fallen.” Christine could hear how lame that sounded. Even to herself.
“I didn’t hear anything. Do you want me to check on him?”
“No, I’m sure he’s okay. I may have dreamt it. It’s been a strange night.” She felt foolish.
“Kind of the norm with Austin,” Matt said with a chuckle. The moment was quickly sliding down into being awkward. Too awkward.
Christine took a step toward the bed. She was trying to muster all her confidence when she blurted, “Okay, then. Good night.” She turned and practically ran out the door.
“Uh, good night, Christine.”
She sprinted to her room, closed the door, leaned against it, and silently screamed.
I’m such a dork , she thought. She climbed into bed, then tossed and turned and stared at the clock as it laboriously made its way around the night.
Damn it. Why can’t I be the type of woman who takes what she wants?
She punched the pillow, beating it like it was an assailant who had attacked her.
Slamming back against the bed, she drifted to sleep around four, only to find herself wide awake three hours later.
She met Matt in the kitchen, and without saying a word, he slid a cup of coffee in her direction.
“How’s Wonder Boy?” she asked.
“Fine. I checked on him half an hour ago and gave him some Pedialyte. He thanked me, told me to thank you , and now is sleeping it off.”
“Lucky him. I think I slept a total of three hours,” she said, not able to look at him.
“I worried about him, too,” Matt said.
“Huh?”
“You couldn’t sleep for worrying about Austin, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course. What else would it be?” She looked down at her coffee mug and hoped her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.
Matt walked to the sink, rinsed his mug, and set it in the dishwasher. He reached for Christine’s as she drained the last few drops and handed it to him.
“I’ve got a meeting at the management company in an hour, so I’ve got to run. Are you okay?” Matt asked.
“Yeah. I have to get going myself.”
Matt stared at her for a moment, causing her to raise her eyebrows at him.
“Aren’t you going to stick around?” Matt asked. “Make sure Austin doesn’t need anything?”
“Hell no. I think we did our time, don’t you? Like you said, he’s fine. Trust me, texts will blow up if he needs me,” she said.
Matt continued to stare at her, his expression blank.
“I’ll see you around, then, huh?” he said.
“I hope so.” Christine watched him leave.
This moment had played out in her head numerous times during the night.
They’d meet in the morning and joke about parenting Austin.
He’d reach out and touch her hand, thanking her for being such a good friend.
The touch would become a caress, which would lead to a hug, followed by a long, slow kiss.
Christine stamped her feet in frustration.
She trudged up the stairs, grabbed her purse, hastily made the bed, and headed home.