Chapter 27 Oh Shit! It Happened Again #2
I internally cringe; of course she’s scared of heights. I should’ve put that together.
“Sorry. I should’ve known.”
“No, don’t be sorry. Sometimes it feels irrational because the bad thing didn’t happen to me. It happened to him, but I’m just so terrified that I’d fall and get hurt too.”
“I think if that had happened to Mitch or Bella, I’d feel the same way.”
“I bet you're not scared of anything.”
“Spiders,” I say, chuckling.
“You—the big, tall, Thor-like man—are scared of spiders?”
“Terrified. Anything creepy crawly really.”
“But they’re small. How could you be scared of something so tiny?”
“Are you saying you’re not scared of spiders?”
“Yes.”
I look at her, shocked, and my face heats.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met another human who isn’t afraid of them.
You should’ve seen Jacks and me trying to kill one when he was living here.
We ended up trapping it under a bowl and scooting it all the way across the apartment until we got to the door.
I swung the door open, and he kicked the bowl outside, and we didn’t bring it in for, like, three days. ”
“Men are such babies,” she laughs. “I promise to take care of all the spiders. Just call my name, and I’ll protect you.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
A loud moan comes from the TV, catching both of our attention.
Two people, who are definitely not actors in the movie, are on the screen. The man is leaned up against a wall, and the woman is on her knees, completely naked, sucking his dick.
“Oh, shit, it happened again,” I laugh.
“Happened again?” She cuts her eyes in my direction. “What do you mean it happened again?”
“Yeah, occasionally something like this will pop up in the middle of a movie on this app. I guess it’s the price you pay for it being free.” I begin to search the couch for the remote, but I don’t see it.
“Something like this? Tanner, this is fucking porn.”
“Well, yeah.” I shrug. “Do you see the remote?”
“No, I gave it to you.”
The camera angle zooms in on the woman’s red lips wrapped around the man’s cock.
“That’s it, baby; suck my fat cock,” the actor on the TV says.
“Oh, my god—turn it off,” Wren squeals.
“I’m trying, but it would help if you looked for the remote.”
She lets out a frustrated huff and starts tossing pillows and blankets onto the floor. “How did you manage to lose the remote?” she shrieks, right as the woman on the screen moans again.
“I didn’t lose the remote; you did.”
“Not true.”
The actors switch positions, so that they’re now fucking, and I pause my search.
“Are you watching it?” she shrieks.
“It’s actually not that bad. I mean, it’s definitely low budget, but I’ve seen worse.”
She lets out another exacerbated breath. “Turn it off!”
I walk over to the TV and search the edge for the power button. “I’m trying, but I can’t find the switch.”
“Four thousand dollar television and you can’t find the power button. Useless. Come help me look.”
“Oh yeah…that’s it…” the woman moans.
I turn and catch Wren watching the TV. “You’re giving me shit, but you’re into it.”
“Am not!”
“You can’t look away!” I laugh.
“Not true.” She flips back around and throws a couch cushion to the floor, causing Dolly to jump down. “I’m over here sweating and looking for the remote, and you’re the one acting like it’s just another normal Monday.”
“It is a normal Monday.”
“There is nothing normal about this.”
The moans and slapping of flesh against flesh start to get louder. “Is it getting louder or is it just me?” I ask. Flipping around, I watch as the volume control bar climbs to seventy.
Another moan.
“It’s definitely getting louder. I must have thrown a cushion on top of it,” she says, frantically moving the cushions spread all over the floor. Dolly lays down, looking upon the chaos unfolding around the living room, completely unbothered.
The volume continues to get louder, not stopping until it hits one hundred.
“Are you stepping on it?” I shout.
“I’d think I’d know if I was stepping on it,” she shouts back. “Fuck, is it broken?”
More moans come from the TV, and Wren turns around again and stares.
“You little nympho. You do like it. If you want we could just watch it. I’m sure it’s almost over,” I say because apparently I can’t help myself.
Blush crawls up her neck. “You’re unbearable!” she yells.
“There is no shame in liking porn,” I yell over the TV.
A loud banging comes from the apartment above us.
“Shit, you think the neighbors think we're doing it?” I laugh.
“No, I don’t think they think we’re doing it.”
There’s another loud moan, and then more banging from upstairs.
“They totally think we’re doing it,” I say, smirking. She chunks a pillow at my head.
“God, where is the fucking remote?” she shouts, grabbing a blanket and tossing it across the room, barely missing Dolly, who jumps out of the way.
The sounds of clapping skin echoes through the apartment.
I bend down on all fours to look under the coffee table, and see something on the other side.
Crawling around the base of the table, I continue to check, but Wren must not see that I’m on the ground.
At the same time that I reach under the table to grab for what I think is the remote, she steps backwards and trips over my body.
I grab for the object, but it’s just a cat toy.
“Shit,” she yells, as she tumbles to the floor, causing me to lose my balance and fall with her. We both roll to our backs and burst out laughing as another dramatic moan comes through the TV.
“Are you okay?” I ask, turning to face her.
There’s only a few inches between us, and she looks adorably annoyed with me and the situation.
She turns toward me, and her hair covers her face.
Without thinking, I move it behind her ear, and her breath catches.
Alarm bells start going off in my head, and I’m certain that the look she’s giving me is the look of a woman who wants to be kissed.
My body takes over, and I begin to close the gap between us, but before my lips can find hers, she rolls onto her back, and my heart deflates.
“I’m fine,” she says, smiling. “This is absurd.”
“I think it’s pretty funny,” I say, trying to shake the feelings I’m having. We both sit up. “Honestly, you have to give it to them. They’re still going at it,” I laugh again and gesture toward the TV with my hand.
She stands, frustrated, and starts flipping over pillows again. “It has to be here somewhere.”
I stand, and grab the blanket. “Found it!” I yell, picking it up and laughing hard.
“I’m coming,” the woman says, as the man pumps into her harder.
“For the love of god, use it then,” Wren screams. I click the TV off, right as they both climax.
Laughter bubbles out of both of us. “It’s a mess in here,” she says, looking around the space.
“Hey, at least we found the remote,” I shake it in the air and then set it on the table.
“Watching a porno with you tonight was not on my BINGO card,” she says, laughing.
“Mine either, but you have to admit it was funny. Do you want to try a different movie?”
“And risk being assaulted by another seventy-five inch dick? No, thank you.”
“His dick didn’t take up the whole TV.”
“Regardless, I’ve seen enough. Maybe we can just hang out until bed,” she says as she giggles.
“I’d like that. Want another drink?”
“Definitely.” She hands me her glass, and I stand to walk back into the kitchen as she begins to pick up the living room.
While I craft the drinks, I do my best to sort out all of the mixed signals and conflicted feelings I’m having, but it’s no use. My head is telling me I’m not good enough. My heart is so fucking gone for her that I feel pathetic. And my dick gets hard every time I see her.
Finishing the cocktails, I decide it’s best to listen to my head because it’s not about what I want. It’s about what she wants, and what’s best for her—and that’s not me.
The couch is put back together when I emerge from the kitchen. Sitting down next to her, I hand her one of the cocktails and then take a long pull from mine.
“So, where were we before we got interrupted?”
“I was promising to rescue you from any spiders that might find their way into the apartment.”
“That’s right. What am I ever going to do without you when you move out?” I chuckle.
“Oh, um, I’ve been meaning to mention that. I haven’t started looking for a new place, so I might be here a little longer than I initially planned.”
She doesn’t look at me when she says it, and hope expands in my chest. I mean, she keeps saying this is temporary, so I fully expected her to pull out a list of potential apartments when I asked that question, but she didn’t.
The almost kisses and the shared dances pop back into my head, and my heart rate quickens.
“You haven’t?” I ask, a little too excited.
Her eyes find mine, and I want so badly to know what she’s thinking.
She opens her mouth to say something but then sips her drink. Our eyes stay locked on each other, and then she clears her throat.
“I’ve just been busy,” she says. “So, I know I was hoping to be out in three months, but it might be closer to six.” She shrugs. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah, of course. You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”
Busy. Of course it’s just because she’s busy.
She offers me a hesitant smile. “You want to watch TV? Just regular cable this time, though.”
“Sure,” I say, grabbing for the remote. “This okay?” I gesture toward the screen where a rerun of The Office is playing.
“Perfect,” she says, setting her drink down and tucking her knees to her chest.
For the rest of the evening, we watch TV, and I wonder if a universe exists where I’m worthy of her choosing me.