Lucy's Boo

Chapter 14

I can't afford another heartbreak. I'm not built for it. 

It is one thing to f**k and move on to the next. I have always been told that was a trait for guys, not girls. What can I say, it's the Leo in me. I want nothing more to love someone with all of my being, and they love me the same in return, but somewhere down the line, things get twisted. I start caring and doing way more than I should, and the next thing you know, I am at home. 

Waiting.

Nope. I refuse to do that to myself again.

Irv is an anomaly. Maybe it is because he is older. More experienced. Understanding of what I have been through. Either way, my feelings and emotions towards him are going way beyond physical, and that is scaring the s**t out of me.

I hear the water turn off, which jostles me out of my thoughts.

"Come. Let me smell you and make sure you are fresh." I giggle as I press my face against his meticulously man-scaped nether-region.

"Does it meet your standards, ma'am?" Looking up, our eyes meet. 

Love?

"I'll give it pass. A little too clean though. I need the next one to know that he and you have been well taken care of."

I rise to my knees, throw my arms around his neck.

"No need to worry. I told you."

"I know."

We share a passionate kiss, before he dresses himself. I put on my shirt.

"Got everything?"

"Yep. If not, just hold onto it for me. Gives me another reason to pop up."

My side eye prompted the "I'm just kidding" response no sooner than the words coming out of his mouth.

I walk him to the door, first stopping to grab him a water and Red Bull.

"Let me know when you make it, and you know you can call if you find yourself getting sleepy."

"Of course. I'll call you later."

One last kiss and he was down the hall.

I close the door. Gather my things from the floor and retreat to my room, like a puppy being left home alone for the first time.

I don't like this feeling. This feeling of emptiness and loneliness. What are these? 

    ***************************************************************************************************

My sadness turned into sleep. I wake up to my phone going off. 

It's Irv.

"Hello love. Make it back ok?" I am trying my best to get the sleep out of my voice and sound somewhat sexy.

"Aww. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok. I need to get up anyway. I'm hungry." I laugh.

"Well, you did have quite of an after-lunch workout. I ate on the way down here."

"I am glad you made it back. It's weird that I missed you as soon as I closed the door."

"That's not weird at all. I miss you everytime I leave you."

My heart skips a beat.

"Go back to sleep. We can talk about that another time. Don't forget to let me know how the fashion show goes. I'll be in a meeting, but you can text me."

"Ok. Have a good night. Get some rest." He makes my heart melt. Ugh.

"Good night."

I pull whatever energy I have together and drag myself out of bed. My leftovers are calling me. I can hear Laura roaming around. She usually makes a bunch of extra noise as her way to make me get up. I glance at the clock on the way to the bathroom. 

7:30p My word...that man put one on me for sure. I feel a giddy smile come across my face. The thought of him and I warms my heart, among other areas. I am sure that if I actually sat down, wrote out the pros and cons, then weighed my options, I would call myself a fool for not dealing with me on a more serious level. At the same time, every relationship (or what I considered a relationhip) ended with investing so much of myself. 

I shake the thoughts from my head. I come out the bathroom after washing up and redressing. I grab my phone off of the bed and head to the kitchen.

I see Laura sitting on the couch. I am startled by the sight of who is sitting next to her. Luna. She is more beautiful in person. I can see why Laura is attracted to her. Her hair pulled back into a sleek bun, paired with simple tshirt and jeans.

"Oh! Hey y'all." I try to hide my surprise. 

"Meredith!" Laura shouts as she jumps up from the couch, grabbing Luna's hand and having her stand with her.

"Luna, right?" I give her a big smile and a hug.

"I have heard so much about you. Finally nice to put a name to the face."

"It's nice to meet you, Meredith. Laura doesn't shut up about you." She rolls her eyes. Her are gently wrapped around Laura's neck.

She has a hint of tomboy in her, but nothing overwhelming. They are definitely cute together. Laura's face beams with pure unadultrated happiness.

My friend has found her person. Innocently clueless though.

I make my way to the kitchen. My stomach is in my throat. I get my food out of the refridgerator and place. Luckily, I don't have to fuss with heating it up since it is sushi.

When my place my phone on the counter, I see the flash of a miss call.

Huh..thats weird. Didn't hear it...ohhhhh yea. I turn it to the side, removing the silent mode.

I have got to call Dillan. 

I take the plate, snatch a bottle of water off the counter, and make a mad-dash to my room. 

"Hey, where are you going? It's Friday." Laura says with a look of wonder on her face.

"I'll be right back. Just have to make a quick phone call. Did you forget Dillan was coming up for the weekend?"

Her immediate reaction is to cover her face with both hands. 

"Exactly! So imagine my level of shock when I bump into on campus...thanks to you of course.." 

Laura sinks her head into Luna's shoulder. She caresses her, while also letting out a little laugh.

"Aww, you f****d up huh?"

I laugh.

"f****d up, and got me f****d all at the same damn time. I'll be right back."

I walk into my room, closing the door behind me. I sit my plate and water on the night stand next to my bed. 

"Hello." Such a friendly voice greets me on the other end.

"Hey Dillan. How are you? Sorry about earlier today. I had something unexpected pop up."

Pleasantly unexpected.

"Hey! Yeah, no worries. Ive just been catching up with a few of the guys. Nothing major."

"Thats awesome. What do you guys have planned for the evening? With all thats going on, I didn't have time to get details on all of the hot spots for the weekend."

My heart begins to race a little at the thought of actually seeing him today. The one thing I can say, Irv made sure I was in no need of s*x this weekend.

"I think we are supposed to be going to RumRunners"

"Oh cool. That's not too far from me."

"Hold on." I can hear him yelling over the group in the background, asking for what time they were heading out. All the noise is a bit irritating, but I knew that had probably been drinking since lunch, so I won't hold it against them.

"10pm? Does that work?"

I look at the clock. Gives me about an hour to get ready.

"I'm sure I can swing it. I'll see you later."

"Great. I've been waiting to see your beautiful face."

"Aww, very sweet of you. I'm sure you say that to every girl." No sarcasm detected.

"Nope. Just you." Sincerity echos through the phone.

"Ok. Just text me when you guys are heading out.  See ya later."

Standing in the doorway to my closet, I survey to see what I have to wear.

"I need to do some serious shopping."

I search for my favorite pair of black skinny jeans. Top of my closet has all of my shoes, in boxes and organized. I reach for my dark brown/black leather Steven Madden booties. I decide on wearing a forest green long-sleeve knit top with an open back.

 I want to don't to mess his mind up too bad.

I take my selections and lay them across the bed. 

"Laura?" I shout as I begin to get dressed.

"Yea?"

"RumRunners. You guys going?"

I sound like I have been running up a flight of stairs. The dance required to get into these jeans is extreme. I wiggle and shake each leg, while pulling them up at the same time. But baby, they make my ass look phenomenal.

Laura comes and flings the door open. THankfully, I had just slipped my shirt on.

"What time?"

"Like 30min. I just have to throw something on my face and put some product in this hair."

"You up for it, Luna?" Laura turns to ask her. She smiles.

"Sure. I'm down for anything on a Friday night."

"Great! Now get out and go change. Im sure you can find something better than that."

"Shut the hell up, Meredith!"  She slams the door.

"SO DISRESPECTFUL!" I yell.

Takes me about another fifteen minutes to get my face put on. I toss my hair around, going for the messy curl look. Such a benefit in times like this.

I spray on my favorite perfume, put on my silver watch, bracelets, and earrings.

Walking out to the living room, I can see Luna standing in the doorway of Laura's room. Feminine, with a soft touch of rough. She seems like a really sweet girl and someone who is very attentive to my friend. I still have every plan to pull her aside and ask my most important questions. But for now, she can stick around.

"You guys ready?" I check my clutch to make sure I have everything.

"Yep. Got it all."

Laura comes running out of her room. "Yep! We're ready"

She is dressed in a simple black and white polka dot dress, with a hat and boots.

"See, so much better! You look gorgeous love!"

"She is always trying to tell me how to dress...works my nerves."

"Yeah, well let me work them some more. Yall come get these shots before we go."

"Oh I like her, Laura." Luna is the first one to the bar.

"Oh, s**t. Let me find out I have a drinking buddy!!" I hand her a shot glass.

"Luna, better not. You will never be able to leave." They laugh.

"Come on, Laura." My phone dings.

"We gotta go!"

We toast to a safe and fun evening and rush out the door. The car was downstairs waiting for us.

All three of us climb into the black SUV and head to the bar. I text Dillan to let him know we are on our way. I call Irv.

"Hey baby."

"Hey. How are you?"

His voice is low. Sounds of the tv in the background.

"I'm good. Relaxing and prepping for tomorrow. How about you? Did you rest well?"

"I did. On the way to meet some friends at the bar for a few drinks. Just wanted to let you know before you feel the need to pop up again."

I would hate for that to happen with Dillan being here. Not saying anything is going to happen, but you know me. Always down for a good time.

"Oh yea. OK. What are you wearing?"

"Not lingerie, Sir." I shake my head. I scroll through my photos and send him a picture of tonight's outfit.

My phone dings. Message:

"$500 sent from Irvin Jones."

"Now why did you go and do that? I didn't need anything." 

"I figured, but now I know for sure."

"You spoil me. Thank you." He treats me so well. That I cannot deny.

"You're welcome. Have a good time. Text me when you get in. Be safe."

"Got it. Talk to you later. Bye."

I hang up just as we pull into the parking lot. It is a simple little bar, not too far from the city. Cool vibe. Great drinks. A nice place to getaway and hang out with friends. I let Dillan know we are outside. I can see a tall figure walking towards the three of us from inside the building. He talks with security and they signal for the three of us to come to the door. They check our bags and let us inside.

"Meredith Johnson. It has been entirely too long." Sultry and smooth as silk, the baritone voice greets me at the door. He is the only person that ever uses my full name.

"Dillan West." I fling my arms around him. He wraps his around my waist, picking me up off of the ground and spinning me out of the doorway.

"Wow! You haven't changed a bit." I take a step back to do a once over. Nice Lacoste shirt, with jeans and casual brown boots. Light khaki jacket to tie everything together.

"You must have a girl shopping for you out there in California. You look very handsome this evening."

His white teeth light up his face. "I have nothing on you. Exquisite."

I blush.

We walk over to a table adjacent to his group. 

"Dillan, meet Laura and Luna."

He gives them each a hug.

"Nice to meet you both. What are you guys drinking?"

"Wasting no time are we? I'll take Malibu and pineapple juice, with a splash of sprite."

"Got it. What about you two?"

They give him their drink order and he heads to the bar. There is a decent size crowd, but still plenty of space to move around. There is pool and darts on one side. On the other is the dj setup. He comes back with our drinks rather quickly. We sit and have our small talk. Catching up on life's events. He tells me that his mother and father split a few years back. That took me by surprise. He said he knew it was coming the moment his mother showed him pictures of his dad out with another woman.

"Oh my goodness. I never thought your dad would be that type of guy." Stunned.

With pain still in his voice, he replies "People change over time. Needs change, and I guess he needed something different." 

"Well, he is stupid for doing that and I am sure your mom is loving life." His face lights up when he talks about his mother. Dillan has always been and always will be a momma's boy. 

The entire night was a blast. Dancing, food, drinks. Lots of drinks. I know that I have met my max with alcohol when I start having trouble feeling my face. Usually that means I am one drink away from either throwing up or a killer hangover the next day. Dillan hasn't left my side all evening. Luna and Laura have been having s*x with their clothes on. 

Makes me so warm inside to see my friend happy and comfortable being herself.

"Last call." The bartender rings the bell, letting everyone know to get it in before it's too late.

"You ladies want anything else?"

I contemplate what the end result would be if I had one more drink. My horniness is starting to kick in and Dillan is ripe for the picking. He has been doing some exploration of my curves, taking full advantage of the easy access my shirt provides. 

"I can manage one more."

"Coming right up." The only break I get from him is when he goes to the bar. His frat brothers give him s**t each time he passes. I would hate for him to have done all of this to not get lucky. Something inside of me is keeping my Lucy in check. Maybe she doesn't like him like she did before.

Like he said-people change.

"Here you go. How are you feeling?" He sits next to me, placing his hand on my thigh.

No reaction at all. That's bad.

"I feel like I am going to sleep like a baby tonight. It was good to get out and let off some steam. It's been a stressful couple of weeks." I throw back the rest of my drink.

"Whew!! That did it for me."

Just then one of Dillan's frat brothers comes over to the table. I have seen him around campus before, but know nothing about him.

"I hope you are treating my brother right. He's a good guy."

Immediately offended.

"I have been treating my friend right for years." I scoffed.

"Meredith is one of the coolest chicks I know." Dillan leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

Feeling anything yet down there? Nope.

I lean over to Laura and let her know that I was getting ready to order the car to go home. She isn't much a drinker, but I could tell she was feeling nice.

"Where's Luna?"

"She had to head home. Work in the morning."

"Dang. I like her. You did good friend." I give her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Where are you ladies headed after this? We are continuing at my place. Yall should come by." 

Dillan waits for my answer.

"We are going to head home. The fashion show is tomorrow."

Dillan pouts.

"Don't do that." I push his bottom lip back in. He takes my finger, then my hand. A kiss.

Very soft. Gentle. Pure. Disappointing.

"My. Ok. Wasn't expecting that." I slouch back into my chair.

"I have been waiting, wanting to do that all night."

My phone goes off.

"The car is here."

I stand up. Dillan helps me put on my jacket and walks us outside. Those first few steps are tricky ones. We make it outside. He opens the car door. I give him a hug.

"It was so great to see you. I'll see you tomorrow at the show, right?" I climb into the truck.

"Wouldn't miss it. I appreciate you hanging out with me."

"My pleasure. I'll text you when we get in."

He closes the door. The ride home is about ten minutes. Not even two minutes into it, I receive a text from Dillan wishing he could have come home with me. It was great seeing him. The spark is no longer there. I still feel our chemistry as friends, but I don't know, I guess crushes can die over time even if they have never been fully explored.

We make it home. By this time, Laura and I are both out of our shoes walking to the door of our condo. Giggling quietly, trying not to wake the neighbors, we make it inside. I throw my keys and clutch on the table and make a mad dash for my room...stripping in the process. Takes me about seven minutes to have my hair pulled up and throw on an oversized tshirt. I grab a bottle of water and lay out on the couch.

"Tonight was fun! I am so glad you came out with me." I yell Laura. I can hear the water running so I am sure she did not understand anything I said.

"Huh?"

See. Told you.

"I said, I had fun and we should hang out more often."

"I agree. I need to start getting out more."

"That is by far the wisest thing you have said all night ma'am." I sit up. Bracing myself for the spin that follows.

"That is my que to go to bed." I stand to go to my room.

"Alright. I will be up for a few. Sweet dreams."

"Ok hun."

I turn on the lights that frame my window, then crawl across my pillow top, burrowing myself in the sheets.

I let out a sigh of relief. This bed feels amazing.

I remember that I need to text Irv and let him know that I made it back safely. I plug my phone up after sending the message. I close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and review the images of the day playing on my closed eyelids. From leaving class, to being tossed around my room by Irv, this has been the best start to a weekend. 

I can feel what seems like a hand rubbing up the side of my leg.

Damn these memories are vivd.

Then I realize that what I am feeling is real. I pop my eyes open to see Laura sitting on my bed next to me.

"Laura?" I go to sit up, and she stops me. She climbs onto my bed, and repositions herself, straddling me.

"What are you doing?" 

She ignores me. She leans down. Her lips are hot. Taste of honey and vanilla.

My mind is a flurry of thoughts midst confusion. Is this her having a little liquid courage in her system? Is this her forcing my hand into showing her what it is like to be with a woman. Am I that drunk that I can't pull myself away from her.

I sit up with her still sitting across my lap. I take my hand, placing it on the back of her head, playfully grabbing her hair. The same thing Irv does to me. She responds in the same way.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her. She kisses me.

"If you insist."