November 20 #2
The bathroom trapped him in a time warp and he had no idea how long he’d been in there. When he finally found the will to face her, he was a bit calmer, but no less volatile. She had re-dressed and was sitting on his bed when he came out.
“Can we talk about what just happened?” she asked.
Her lips were still swollen, her face still flushed, and there were tiny red blotches down her neck. She had his markings on every part of her that was still exposed and he couldn’t look at her. “No.”
“We were moving too fast, that’s all and—”
“I know,” he said, still awkwardly avoiding eye contact. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I didn’t want you to stop…I just wanted to slow down a bit. I mean, we could still—”
“Jasmin, whatever you’re about to say, don’t say it.”
She let out a humph of frustration. “Can we stop this? Can we stop brushing these things aside and pretending like they didn’t happen? It happened.”
“I know! You…you caught me at a vulnerable moment. I wasn’t thinking straight, but…I shouldn’t have reacted, okay? Please, let’s just drop this.”
Bob: He’s really trying to let her down easy.
“Okay. Do you wanna tell me what got you so upset, what…made you feel vulnerable?”
He gritted his teeth. “No, Jasmin.”
“God, it must be so exhausting!” she shouted, growing more agitated. “To keep your guard up like that all the time. You don’t have to do that with me, Kevin. I’m…I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Dan: Ain’t she cute, Bob? She thinks he’s doing this to protect himself.
She was right. It was exhausting to keep pushing her away, but it needed to be done.
“Whatever happened tonight was a mistake,” he said. “I took advantage of the situation—”
“You didn’t take advantage of me,” she countered immediately.
She moved across the bed on her knees and placed both hands on his bare chest. He tensed. This was dangerous territory they were entering and he was on the verge of giving in.
Dan: Should we just give our viewers a quick recap of every reason why he should be backing off right now?
Bob: Great idea, Dan. So for starters, she comes with a lot of baggage and he doesn’t have what it takes to deal with that with the care and delicateness it deserves.
She’s a genius who’s got her whole life planned out and he’s a bum going nowhere who has absolutely nothing to offer.
Emotionally, he’s not ready for any kind of relationship, so he’s completely lacking in that department as well.
He’s also the biggest dick in the world and she would be better off with…
well, anyone else. This road trip is still going to last about another week and in that time, he could totally ruin her.
Oh! And her dad’s a billionaire. Did I miss anything?
Dan: Nope. Think that about “sums” (air quotes) it up. Get it?
Bob: It’s still not funny.
“You didn’t take advantage,” she said again.
“It’s not like I didn’t want it too. I may be inexperienced but I’m not as na?ve as you may think.
I don’t expect anything beyond this road trip, if that’s what you’re thinking, but that doesn’t mean that while we’re on it we can’t experience things together…
and have fun. You don’t have to keep shutting me out.
I’m not looking to get more out of this because, believe it or not, I am mature enough to understand that this is going to come to an end.
In the meantime, though, we could…we could have like…
those…friends with benefits sort of thing.
I know it won’t be anything…meaningful or serious. ”
Dan: Triggered.
“We’re not friends,” he said tersely, pulling her hands off his chest. He waited for it, that small brain-drain twitch. Faint, but it was there. “And I’m not your personal sex toy to use for fun.”
Her eyes widened in confusion. “What are you talking about? That’s not what I meant.”
“No? Isn’t that the experience you want? You want adventure, tick off your objectives, have some sex. That’s what you want, right? Nothing meaningful. Just a bunch of one-night stands between here and Georgia. It’s like jogging to you. I could be anyone.”
Bob: Great strategy right there. Manipulate the situation and turn it on her.
Dan: Pay attention, Bob! For once he’s not wrong. He genuinely likes her and all she wants is a quick roll in the sack.
“Stop twisting this,” she snapped and she sounded desperate to get through to him. “You told me you don’t want a relationship…or complications and I respect that, but what’s wrong with us having a little fun, you know…fool around a bit.”
“Fool around?” He sneered, clenching and unclenching his hands.
“You wanna fool around? Tell me how you see that playing out? You wanna experiment with me for a few days, learn a few tricks, wait until you’re comfortable and then go out and fuck someone else?
Does that sound like fun to you, Jazz? ’Cause it sure as fuck doesn’t sound like fun to me. Just the thought of another guy—”
Dan: Whoa! Did you catch that, folks? He almost let it slip. A few more words and she would know how much he cares about her.
Bob: And we wouldn’t want that, now would we? Telling her how he really feels would be way too mature.
“Kevin, what is wrong with you? When I say fun, I’m not just talking about sex.
I’m talking about you letting your guard down and allowing yourself to actually enjoy this trip.
It’s like you’re purposely trying to be miserable all the time…
but it doesn’t have to be that way. I want you to at least be willing to explore with me. Everything.”
Bob: I don’t think she realizes that that’s actually harder for him to do. And why is she still wasting her time on him? She really doesn’t know what’s good for her.
Dan: (Rolls eyes) Oh, all this back and forth and back and forth. I’m getting a headache. It’s time to end this.
Kevin took a few steps back, letting that distance be a symbol. “What happened tonight was a mistake. You caught me at the wrong time and I shouldn’t have done that. It won’t happen again.”
Dan: Walls going up.
“The fact that I indulged you in a pity make-out session before doesn’t mean I want to have sex with you.”
Dan: Gates locked and secured.
“I only fuck real women. Not little girls who are just pretending.”
Dan: (Grins) She’s out, Bob.
One brain-drain twitch. One heavy sigh. “Okay, Kevin.” And then the inevitable perky smile. “Okay.”
She got off his bed, switched off the bedside lamp and returned to her own bed.
Kevin got back into bed too even though he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep.
His mind was reeling. His chest was so heavy it was impossible to breathe.
He wanted to take it back, tell her he didn’t mean it, but she needed to stay away from him. He was poison.
He shut his eyes, but couldn’t shut off the voices, couldn’t stop them from reminding about every shitty thing he had done tonight.
Bob: What a brilliant finish (gives a slow clap). Absolutely brilliant. That just took him straight to the semi-finals.
Dan: It’s the comeback we’ve been waiting for.
Did you see her face when he said he only fucks real women?
She tried to keep it together, but she was so hurt, Bob.
Our boy did that (smiles proudly). Minimum effort with maximum results.
That look is the highlight of the competition so far.
I think we should just replay it over and over and over and over again.
Bob: You know what I loved the most?
Dan: Tell me, Bob.
Bob: I love how—with just a few comments—he managed to destroy everything they built over the last two weeks.
I mean, like a fucking earthquake, he just demolished it until there was nothing left.
That takes skill, Dan. All those jokes, the playful banter, absolutely every perfect moment they shared—it’s all gone.
Nothing but rubble now. And it’s killing him.
We gotta give this kid credit, though. No matter how much hurt and guilt he’s lugging around with him, he’s never afraid to take on more.