Page 108 of What Are The Odds?
*
Grace had fallen asleep in the car. I’d left Lana at the party with the promise Will would drop her home later. He knew how to sneak her in. Not that he had to anymore. We were too grown up for that. After carrying Grace upstairs, I set her on my bed. I slipped off her shoes and jeans, then tucked the blankets around her chest. She looked so innocent asleep, her blonde hair fanning across the pillow. I went downstairs for some painkillers and water. I expect she was going to have a killer headache in the morning. When I walked back into my room, she was sitting up in the bed, the blanket pooling around her waist.
“Levi?”
The way she said my name caused me to freeze. I’d never heard her sound that way before. She was either about to vomit or cry.
“I don’t want to be part of your history.”
“Pardon?”
She fisted the blanket in her hands. “I don’t want to become another Serena to you. Or a Veronica. Or a Summer.”
I sat on the bed in front of her, setting the glass of water down on the side table.
“You’re nothing like them, Hughesy.”
God. How did she not know that? Those girls were fleeting moments of fun. A means to an end. Nothing more.
“I know we’re more now, but if we end things after graduation, then one day we won’t be. I’ll become some girl you used to hook up with in college. And you’ll become some guy I dated when I was overseas.” Grace inhaled sharply before lowering her voice to a whisper. “I don’t want to break up, Levi.”
Her admission caused my heart to crack. I cupped her cheek in my palm. She leant into it, closing her eyes. Drunk or not, her admission broke something inside of me. Drunken words were sober thoughts, right? This was more than she’d ever expressed about what happened next. It was a relief to hear her say she didn’t want to break up either. But that didn’t change what was coming. What decisions we’d have to make. What sacrifices one of us would need to make.
“Grace–”
“I don’t feel well.”
The change in mood gave me whiplash. She jumped from the bed and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind her.
55. Only people in the world
Grace
It was almost nine-pm, and my hangover was only just starting to diminish. I’d done nothing all day but eat and feel sorry for myself. Transitioning from the bed to the cinema room had been my main activity. Well, that and eating. A greasy breakfast. A greasy lunch. Two huge bowls of popcorn while Levi played a movie I’d slept through. Lana hadn’t been much better. She’d sat in the cinema room with us, groaning through every mouthful she tried to get down. Levi’s parents had left on a trip to Florida this morning. They’d mistaken the dates Levi and Lana were flying back to Philadelphia and Boston, and had booked their flights a day too early. I hadn’t minded given I wasn’t in my best form. If they’d been around, I would have forced myself to put on a front. When Lana had dragged herself to bed earlier, Levi had convinced me to test out the spa. Whilst the warm water wasn’t the best considering I was hungover and dehydrated, it was worth it considering how beautiful it was out here. There was nothing but darkness and an array of stars around us. I could faintly make out the mountains from the moonlight, but that was it. Not another person. Not another sound. Steam rose off the hot water. It was so cold outside, yet so warm in here. I was sitting in Levi’s lap, his big arms around me. He hadn’t brought up my admission last night, and I was glad. To be honest, I couldn’t exactly remember what I said. Only admitting to overhearing his conversation with his dad, and something cringeworthy about becoming part of his history. Unfortunately I remembered throwing up. A lot. As well as the smooth hand Levi had stroked up and down my back before helping me brush my teeth then carrying me to bed. I’d continuously apologised all day. Getting drunk and embarrassing yourself in front of your boyfriend was inevitable. I just wished Levi had done it before me. My body reacted straight away, my centre tingling on instinct, when his hand dipped beneath the water and toyed with my inner thigh. He moved all my hair over one shoulder before bringing his lips to the slither of skin behind my ear. My eyes fluttered closed. The hand beneath the water massaged my skin, dancing from one leg to the other, all the while ignoring the part screaming out to be touched. I wiggled in his lap. If he could tease, so could I. He instantly hardened beneath my ass. I couldn’t wait to take care of that. His fingers caressed the strap of material covering me, but he didn’t fully move it aside. I sunk my teeth into my lip to contain my frustration. His other hand danced up my stomach then slipped under the material of my bikini top. He squeezed one breast while nibbling on my earlobe. My focus returned to the hand that was now dragging my bikini bottoms aside. Though rather than put me out of my misery, he lazily dragged a finger back and forth over the folds.
“Levi.”
“Mmhm?”
“Are you going to make me beg?”
He chuckled deeply. “I’d love to hear you beg, Hughesy.”
I didn’t doubt he would.
“If you don’t make me come, I’ll do it myself,” I said instead.
He growled. “Now that I would love to see.”
He took my hand and moved it where his had just been. I froze. Of course he’d called my bloody bluff.
“Show me how you look after yourself.”
I was glad my back was to him. It helped hide my surprise. I tensed up. There’s no way I could do that. The thought was mortifying. Sure, I’d touched myself while we were doing other stuff. But not like this. Not solo while he watched.
“You want me to masturbate in front of you?”
“Fuck yeah. I’ve had fantasies about you doing it.”
