The Wrong Holidate

Memorial Day Weekend - Sunday

LAINEY

I never thought I'd be so thankful for an air mattress, but that thing saved my life last night. There was no way I would have gotten any sleep in just a sleeping bag on the hard ground. I barely slept as it was. Crickets, noises from other campsites, and my stomach rolling from the beer/s'more combination made for a not-so-great night. Plus, I've had to pee for hours but didn't want to trek to the bathroom in the dark. I don't think camping is for me. If it wasn't for the smell of coffee coming through the tent, I'd pack it up right now.

I get out to see Ben pouring some into a thermos from a French Press.

He glances up. "Hey, there's not much, but it'll do the trick. Hopefully."

"You're a godsend." I rush over as he hands me the thermos. I prefer it with some cream, but I'm not going to turn this away.

"No promises on how good it is."

I take a sip and moan. "It's coffee. It's wonderful."

He takes his own sip then winces. "A tad strong, I hope Josie doesn't want any, because I'm not making more."

"We'll just get rid of the evidence. "

"I heard that," Josie's voice comes from the tent. A minute later, she emerges and sits next to me, taking my thermos. “We'll share."

We take in the scenery. It really is beautiful. The river is running and fairly clear. It's almost as if time has pressed the pause button, it's so quiet and peaceful. Okay, at this moment, I get why people enjoy camping.

"It's so nice right now, I think I'll actually go hiking today," Josie says.

I glance at the guys' tent. "Eli's still sleeping?"

"Yeah. He was kind of restless last night," Ben says.

“Maybe I should check on him,” Josie says.

“I don’t know. He was finally sleeping good when I got up.”

His headache must have been a killer, because I have a feeling this is not Eli’s normal M-O.

Josie eyes Eli’s tent. “Okay, I’ll let him sleep and check after we get back.”

We eat a quick breakfast of protein bars, take restroom breaks, and get changed for hiking. Surprisingly, Josie doesn't complain on the hike even though the trail is rocky and has a steady incline. Once we get to the view, we take pictures and lounge around for a few minutes.

Thankfully, Josie didn't press me anymore about my relationship with Ben last night. I've told her enough that she knows we've kissed and that he's the reason my date didn't work out on Mardi Gras, but I didn't tell her how far things went. She also knows me well enough that this attraction, or whatever it is, isn't gone—despite my declarations that we're just friends.

We get back to the campsite and Eli is lounging in a camp chair with a bottle of water in his hand. He's in his swim trunks, and while I could tell Eli was a fit guy, I wasn't expecting the impressive chest and defined abs. Or the script tattoo on his ribs that I can’t quite make out what it says .

"Hey," I say. "How's your head?"

He gives me a small smile. "Not as bad as yesterday, but still lingering. I took some meds, so hopefully, it'll go away soon." He reaches out and takes my hand, and his is clammy. "Hey, I'm sorry I've been so lame so far. This isn't exactly how I wanted this weekend to go."

"It's okay. Glad you’re feeling better.”

Josie comes by and looks him over. “Do you get migraines often?"

He waves off her concern. “I’m fine. I can handle hanging in the water today.” He gives me a weak smile. “I really want to spend time with you."

I smile at him, but my stomach clenches. I don’t get it. The man is seriously hot, plus nice and funny. Even his grumpy side is kind of adorable. The thought of spending time with him shouldn't make me uneasy.

I don't even know why I question myself. The obvious answer is standing on the other side of the fire pit.

"Yes, let's have a fun day," I say and squeeze Eli's hand.

We eat lunch, then all get ready to swim, and when I get back to the campsite, the guys are standing next to each other as Ben shows Eli something on his phone. The sight of Ben in his swim trunks shouldn't send my body in a full-out tizzy, but it does. I've seen his chest before in his Bare-chested Bartender posts, but there's something about seeing it in person that's much more potent. Especially since now, I can see that sexy little V muscle at the band of his low-riding trunks. I ball my hands so I don't walk up to him and yank that string and fall to my knees.

As if sensing me, he glances up. His body freezes as he takes me in in my swimsuit. Josie’s is skimpier and revealing with lots of cutouts. I'm wearing a more standard bikini, but I will admit my halter top makes my boobs look fantastic—which is exactly where Ben's hot gaze is .

Ben suddenly turns and walks away, and I swear I hear him mutter fuck me .

I shouldn't get a little thrill from that, but it makes me ridiculously happy. We all make our way to the water. At first, it's a little chilly, but it quickly feels amazing since the sun is already blazing. We've attached our tubes to a nearby tree branch with some rope so we stay together and don't float away.

"How are y'all not cold?" Eli asks, visibly shaking. "The water is freezing ."

We've been in the water for at least half an hour now, and the temp is perfect. "It feels great," I say. Ben and Josie agree.

"So....f-f-f-freaking....cold." His teeth are chattering now.

Josie is next to Eli, so she leans over and presses her hand to his forehead, then gives a small gasp. "Oh my God, Eli. You're burning up."

"No way. I'm freezing."

"Fuck! Get out of the water now." She immediately jumps out of her inner tube and starts helping him up. When Eli's knees buckle, Ben kicks into gear and helps support him back to the campsite. I make sure our inner tubes are secure and follow them.

"Get a blanket or towel and get him dried off. I'm going to grab my med bag." Josie rushes to our tent.

Ben helps dry him off and wraps a blanket around him. Josie returns and pulls out a thermometer. "Open up."

Eli doesn't argue. A few minutes later, it beeps, and Josie inhales sharply. "It's a hundred and four. Eli, how long have you felt this bad? I thought you were having a migraine."

"Me, too."

"What are your other symptoms?"

"I'm a little achy. Head fucking hurts. Tired. Cold."

Josie shakes her head in disbelief. "You might have the flu or pneumonia. I'm taking you to the hospital. "

"What? No. I probably just need to go home and rest."

"No. You need to see someone first. I saw an urgent care on our way in, we can stop there."

He groans. "It's Memorial Day weekend. Not flu season."

She rolls her eyes. "Germs don't have a season."

"I'll take him," Ben offers.

Josie looks at him as if he's said the most idiotic thing in the world. "I think it would be best if the nurse takes him."

"We'll all go. I can pack up real quick," I say.

"I'm taking him now. You need this for work, so y’all stay and enjoy. I'll call you when I know more and let you know when I can get back with the car."

Ben glances at me right as the realization hits. We're going to be alone. Possibly all night. With no way to leave.

Oh, shit.

It doesn't help that before Josie slips into the driver's seat, she gives me a knowing smirk. If I didn't know better, I'd think she planned Eli getting sick. We stand there and watch the dust kick up as they leave before we turn to each other. An awkward but electric silence hovers between us.

"What now?" he asks.

Suggesting we disappear into a tent and fuck our brains out is probably not what I should do with someone who’s supposed to be just a friend.

"Jesus, Lainey."

I jerk my gaze to him, realizing I was looking at my tent, with my thoughts probably playing out on my face.

He's looking at me intensely. Almost painfully. "I don't think you were having friendly thoughts."

Busted.

"Um, how about we tube the river? There's an entrance point down the road, and the park has a shuttle at the exit point that will bring us back. It's supposed to be a three-hour ride. "

"Perfect," he says a little too quickly. "Let's do it."

We jump into action to get everything ready so we're away from the campsite as quickly as possible. Tubing turns out to be exactly what we needed. It wastes the afternoon and we have just enough drinks to loosen us up and make friends along the way. When we get back to the campsite, we make sandwiches for dinner and devour what's left of the chips. Then we take our camp chairs to the river, staying as far away from the tents as possible.

A text pops up on my phone from Josie. She had texted earlier saying Eli had the flu. “Josie again,” I tell Ben. “She’s back home with Eli, and he’s resting. She’ll pick us up in the morning."

We pretty much figured that would happen, but now that we know for sure, the sexual tension we've been ignoring all day comes roaring back. It's dark enough I can't see his face fully, but I feel his gaze on me.

Unsure how to handle it, I look up at the sky. The sheer amount of visible stars is impressive compared to being in the city. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he says, and there’s something about the way he says it that makes me wonder if he’s still looking at me. But I don’t dare move to find out.

“I wish I could take a picture and it would show the true beauty of what we’re seeing, but I know it’ll just look black.”

“It’s awesome. I haven’t seen this many stars in a long time.”

I take out my phone anyway and mess with a bunch of the camera settings, but none of the pictures truly show what I’m looking at. “Oh well,” I say, giving up. “Would have been good for my post.”

“What are you going to do now that Eli is gone?”

I shrug. “Roll with it, I guess. It’s not like every other holidate hasn’t been a disaster. ”

“Have they?”

I know he’s looking at me now—what he’s asking. And the truth is, no. Every time I ended up with Ben…those have been my favorite days of the year. But I can’t confess that. Not when our parents are living together, and we’ve decided to be friends.

“Think we’ll see a shooting star?” I say, changing the subject.

The silence between us feels heavy, and I wonder if he’s disappointed I didn’t answer his question, or if he understands why I didn’t.

“What would you wish for?”

I glance over at him and he’s now looking back at the sky. “I can’t tell you. It wouldn’t come true.”

He looks at me. “And all your secret birthday candle wishes have come true?”

“Maybe.”

He shakes his head at me. “Come on, Lainey. It’s a game. What would you wish for?”

You.

In this moment, that’s my answer—the one thing I can’t let myself fully admit and won’t now. So, I think of the next thing that frustrates me the most, that I struggle with the most: “I wish I could trust myself.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t seem to get anything right. I changed my major three times and still don’t know what I want to do. This will be the longest job I’ve had since graduating if I can see it through the year-long contract, which I already want to tear up. Every time a new opportunity comes up, I think this will be the one, and then it falls flat.”

I’m always wrong about men too.

But I don’t say that out loud.

“What if I keep making wrong decision after wrong decision? It’s like I’m constantly going up on a down escalator. It’s exhausting.”

“Lainey…you know you’re not alone in that feeling, right? Everyone questions themselves.”

I suppose. It’s still isolating. Frustrating.

“You’re only twenty-five. I think you need to give yourself a break. Lots of people our age are still figuring it out and making mistakes. And those who seem like they have it all together are probably just pretending.”

“Twenty-six.”

He leans forward in his seat, spearing me with an agitated look. “When did you have a birthday?”

“March first.” I want to say it was before we got close, but he’d already given me an orgasm at that point.

He practically growls. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I don’t announce my birthday to people. When’s yours? Were you going to tell me?”

His mouth tightens as if he sees my point but doesn’t want to agree. “June ninth. I expect a birthday text, at the very least,” he says with a teasing smile.

“Noted.”

He leans back into his seat. After a few moments, he says with a soft voice, “I get your frustration, but…I don’t think you realize how fucking amazing it is that you don’t stay in a job you hate. That you don’t yield to the pressure to stay in a life you don’t want. Do you know how many people stay in shitty jobs because they’re afraid to leave? Or in a bad relationship? I think as long as you can support yourself, go ahead and keep searching for what makes you happy. Embrace your tenaciousness, Lainey.” He holds my gaze then. “Because it’s not a fault. It’s admirable.”

My throat constricts and tears burn my eyes. That might have been the nicest thing someone has ever said to me. God, I want to launch myself at him. Soak up all his faith in me.

“What would you wish for?” I ask instead.

His gaze holds mine, his answer intensifying with every passing second. I blow out a breath and glance away. My body is practically vibrating with need.

I hear Ben shift back into this seat, and after a moment, he says, “I want to be a real businessman, not just eye candy.”

“What are you talking about? You are a real businessman.”

“Not the way I want to be.”

“Explain, please, because the bar is amazing.”

“I’m the pretty face who brings in the customers. The hot bartender who rakes in the tips. When I started Red Poppy, I never thought I’d be making viral thirst trap videos. I thought I’d be a respected bar owner, not social media porn. I don’t want to have to take my shirt off to make it successful. I want more. Maybe invest in another bar or a restaurant one day. Start a local chain. Ten years down the road, I don’t want to be a bartender who’s still flashing my abs.”

“Oh my God, Ben, what you’ve done with Red Poppy in less than a year is remarkable. You can’t attribute all that to those videos. That might lure some people in, but that’s not why they stay or come back. That’s all because you’ve created an atmosphere that’s both comfortable and exciting.”

He shrugs. “It doesn’t feel like that some days.” He studies his water bottle with a frown. “I don’t think I’ll ever outrun Frat Bro Ben.”

I have to admit that’s one of my fears, too. I got even more comments and DMs from women about him on my Cinco de Mayo post, and they’re not exactly kind about his college days. But this man before me—he’s so much more than a pretty face. More than a party boy.

What would it have been like if I'd met him in college? Would I have fallen for his charm? Been another forgotten one-night stand? Or would I have been the one who made him want to drop his fuckboy ways? I actually snort at that fantasy.

“What?” he asks.

"I was wondering what it would have been like if we’d met in college.”

I probably shouldn’t have voiced that. Could be asking for trouble.

His head dips and he twists the cap to his water bottle, as if he's giving it considerable thought. But he doesn’t say anything, which is probably for the best. Because the real answer is another frat boy would have broken my heart.

"It would have been explosive.”

His sudden, rough words have me jerking my gaze to his. That earlier intensity is back, and it’s impossible to ignore the heat between us.

"Whatever it would've been...” he says. “It would have been explosive."

I swallow, feeling his answer all through my body. It's not specific, but I feel the truth in it. He's right. I wouldn't have been some random girl to him, even if it had been only one night. No, our acquaintance would have become a core memory. Just like we can't seem to escape the explosiveness between us now.

There’s a crunch of plastic as he crushes his water bottle in his hand, then stands. “Guess we should head to bed.”

“Yeah, I’m tired.”

I’m not, but we need to get away from this conversation. We both go to the bathroom, but I stay there long enough that Ben’s already in his tent when I get back to the campsite. I slip into mine and it takes a bit to get comfortable. Every little rustle and sound have me staring at the tent flap to see if someone’s trying to get in. I toss and turn, finally flipping on my back and willing myself to go to sleep. That's when I feel it. A distinct tickle of something moving up my leg.

I scream, jerking my leg, then scramble toward the door, trying to work the zipper as fast as I can. I can hear Ben calling my name, but I'm still squealing. Finally, I burst through, immediately falling into Ben's arms.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"There's something in there. It was...it was crawling up my leg. It..."

"Okay, okay. I'll take a look."

He goes to his tent and comes back with his phone flashlight on. He pulls back the flap and moves the light around, heads inside and looks under the covers and mattress. After a few minutes, he says, "It's a spider."

"Nope," I say taking several steps back. The only worse thing he could have said was snake.

He comes out and goes to our supplies and grabs some paper towels then returns to my tent. When he comes back out something is clearly in the paper towel, I back up another ten steps. He goes to the edge of the campsite and tosses the paper towel, retreating himself. I see him shudder before he looks at me. "I fucking hate spiders."

"Well, you put on a good show." I put a hand over my heart. "My hero."

"Yeah, well, I can't have you sleeping with those eight-legged fuckers."

"Oh, I'm not going back in there. What if there's another one?"

The side of his mouth quirks up. "Is this your way of trying to sleep with me, Lainey?"

"I'm not trying. I am sleeping with you."

His smile is full out now.

"Sleep," I say pointedly .

His expression deflates a bit. "Is this a friends let friends sleep in their tents kind of thing?"

"Absolutely. Especially when spiders are involved."

He laughs softly then gestures with his arm, "After you."

I slip into his tent and immediately stop when I don't see an air mattress. "Wait. Where's your air mattress?"

"Don't have one. We have these padded pallets."

I whirl around. "That's it?"

"The air mattress is in your tent. You're welcome to go back."

I shudder. "No way." I turn back to the pallets. "Which one is yours?" Ben points to the one to my right so I sit down on it.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

"I'm not sleeping on Eli's germy blankets."

"I'm not either."

"Then it looks like we're sleeping together."

His eyebrows pop up as an interested gleam lights up his blue eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Sleep. Friends."

"Sleep friends, huh? I did enjoy the last time we were sleep friends. Are you going to sneak out of my pallet in the morning again?"

"I didn't sneak."

I totally did.

"I watched you. You tiptoed out of my room like you were doing the walk of shame. Meanwhile, the most shameful thing that happened was the fact that we didn't get naked."

I raise my brows, ignoring him. "Are you coming down here or are you going to take your chance with the flu germs or the spiders?"

He smiles as he bends to his knees. "Oh, I'd much rather be sleep friends with you than germs or spiders."

"I'm flattered," I say with a laugh.

"If you want to be more than sleep friends, just say the word. "

I swat his chest. "Behave, or I'll smother you with Eli's blanket."

He laughs and we try to get settled and find a comfortable position that works for both of us. The good news is his pallet is more padded than I expected and large enough to hold both of us. The bad news is it's still not an air mattress. Or a real mattress. We shift around until we finally end up on our sides with him spooning me, much like Mother's Day. That night it had been comforting. Tonight, it feels as if I'm surrounded by electricity. Every inch of his skin touching mine is sending fiery signals all through my body. My nipples are hard and tight. My pussy is throbbing and practically begging to be touched. The need to wiggle my ass into him is hard to resist.

I will myself to be utterly still. I'm not even breathing, which makes it easier to hear Ben's harsh breaths. His hand flexes where it rests near my stomach as if he's trying hard not to touch me. His forehead presses into the back of my head, and all I want to do is expose my neck so he'll press those talented lips to my skin. I want him to kiss and suck until he's marked me as his. The thought only makes the throbbing between my legs more insistent. And before I can stop myself, I press my ass into him and his cock, hot and hard, presses right back. Ben hisses and buries his face into my neck, but he still doesn't kiss me.

We stay like that, pressed tightly against one another, for I don't know how long. I want to cry I want him so badly. I want him to ignore all my protestations and just take me. Take the decision out of my hands. I want him to fulfill this ache that I know only he can. But he won't. This isn't like the times before when he's waiting for me to say the safe word to stop things before they start.

No, this is five months of built-up sexual tension coming to a head.

Suddenly, Ben rolls away, taking his arm around my waist with him until we're not touching anymore. I squeeze my eyes shut against the pain of the loss. And yes, it feels painful. All the electric feelings that were coursing through me seem to be reaching for him. Begging for him. Begging me.

I turn to face him. He's on his back, one hand over his chest and the other behind his head. His eyes are closed, but he looks far from peaceful.

"Ben?" I ask in a small voice.

It takes him a beat to answer, but finally, he opens his eyes and looks at me. "Yes?"

"Can we not be friends for just a minute?"

He immediately turns back over, pulling me to him. "Abso-fucking-lutely."

His lips crash over mine. The kiss is instantly frantic and fiery. He shifts, rolling on top of me, and I spread my legs, and his thick cock presses into me. I arch into him more, moving my hips against him. He groans, trailing kisses down my throat.

"Maybe another minute," I gasp, as I give him more access to my neck. I don’t care if this is wrong. If I’m wrong. I’m running on pure need.

He moans his agreement. "Five more minutes," he says as he nips and sucks along my neck, exactly like I wanted him to. I'm on fucking fire. Every ounce of my body needs more. Nothing less than everything will do.

I reach down between us and grasp his cock through his pajama pants. "I want this. Now."

"Fuck, Lainey."

"Hurry. We only have five minutes."

Suddenly, he's shoving down his pants, and I'm pushing down my sleep shorts and panties. I spread my legs, and he settles between them again, his cock pressing into me just enough to feel how wet I am .

"My God. Lainey..." His head falls so our foreheads are pressed together. "I have to stop. I don't have—"

"Don't stop. I’m safe. IUD. As long—" He thrusts inside me, and we both cry out.

Finally.

Finally .

I knew it would feel good, but I’ve never loved the feel of a cock inside me more than having Ben’s thick one filling me.

He fucks me fast and hard, grinding on me in that perfect spot that has my orgasm building higher and higher. I move my hips with him, grip his ass in my hands, demanding more. “Yes, God, don’t stop. I'm going to come. Please...don't fucking stop."

"Never," he growls. "Come, Lainey. Come all around my cock. Let me feel you."

And I explode.

It has to be the most intense orgasm I've ever had. It's so overpowering I can only scream out and let it consume me. Ben doesn't stop fucking me. He slams into me over and over, groaning into my neck. "Your pussy is the best fucking thing I've ever felt. So fucking good."

His cock suddenly feels like steel inside me and I clench around him. "Lainey..." He shudders and moans as he finds his release, fucking me with long, hard strokes until he collapses on top of me.

After about ten seconds of only our labored breaths filling the air, applause suddenly breaks out, as well as some cheering and crude jeering that has both stiffening. Oh, no. Oh, shit. Our words might have been hushed, but our other sounds were definitely not. I can't believe the whole campsite just heard us have sex.

Ben is still on top of me. Inside me. He maneuvers so he's resting on his elbows and not crushing me. Our gazes meet in the dim darkness a second before we both start laughing .

"Shit, you can't laugh while I'm still inside you. Fuck, that hurts so good," he says as he rolls off me and onto his back. "I can't believe the whole park heard me come faster than a speeding bullet."

"I think we still have time left in our five minutes."

"I know we do."

We both softly laugh as we continue to lay there in our post-sex bliss. Ben props up onto his elbow. "I've never not used a condom, just so you know."

"Me either."

I've never been so far gone with a guy that I wanted to forgo a condom, but I wanted him too much. I liked that there were no barriers between us. And I don't even want to think about the significance of that thought.

He smiles and leans in, placing a soft kiss on my lips before he takes off his shirt. He reaches between us and gently cleans me, then himself, before tossing the shirt away. I pull my underwear back on, and he puts on his pants before he pulls me to him and spoons me like earlier.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to fall asleep as fast as I came."

I laugh softly, feeling sated and sleepy. "Me, too."

After another couple of moments, he says, "Lainey..." His voice is already thick with sleep. "I really liked not being friends with you."

My throat tightens and tears suddenly threaten. I close my eyes and burrow closer to him, taking his arm so it tightens against me.

Me too.