Bound Together (22 page)
Authors: Marie Coulson
Laughing, I shoved him on
the arm. “Ollie! Don’t be such a dick. You don’t want people
complaining about you to the Resident Advisor. You could end up out
on your ass.”
He shrugged. “Like I give
a shit what guys like him think. He and his little girlfriend make
a shit-load of noise every fucking night and I don’t go banging his
door down. I mean I even know her name and I haven’t even met her
yet. He screams like a bitch whenever they’re going at it. At first
it was funny but now it’s kinda pissin’ me off.”
I fell onto his bed and
laughed so hard my jaw ached. Sitting down next to me he chuckled.
“It’s not funny Layla.”
Tears were running down
my face as I sat up and leaned my head on his shoulder. “Maybe you
should bring a girl back and make some noise of your
own.”
Giving me a smirk he
draped his arm around my shoulders. “Is that an offer?”
I shoved him and he
shrugged. “Hey it was worth a try. So you heading back to
Pasadena,
huh? Thought
you might have been tied up all weekend with the
meathead.
”
I shot him a warning
look. Raising his hands in front of him in defense he recanted.
“Sorry. I am. But come on Layla. What is it you see in the guy?
He’s your boss, he lied to you, and he picked you up last night and
dragged you away from your friends. I mean who does that kind of
shit? Plus he’s like twenty-two. You’re only nineteen.”
Shooting to my feet I
turned and glowered at him. He was overstepping the mark and I was
beginning to lose my cool with him. “First of all Ollie he’s not my
boss, Lorraine is my boss. Jared just pays the bills and oversees
the finance. Secondly,
he didn’t drag me
away. I went willingly
. His age makes
absolutely no difference to me or the way I feel about him and not
that it matters but I’ll be twenty in a few weeks! I really don’t
know why you hate him so much Ollie. He’s never done anything to
you. Tell me what it is that makes you loathe him so much. What
exactly
is
your
fucking problem?!” I was fuming at him.
He stood in front of me,
grabbed my arms and stared into my eyes, his face so close to mine
I could smell the sweet fragrance of his cologne mixed with the
scent of his hair product. “Because I’m not him! And because for
all the stupid fucking luck, he got you first!”
My mouth fell open and my
chest constricted. I couldn’t breathe. Ollie’s words swirled around
in my head like a vortex. Letting go of my arms he turned his back
to me and ran his hands through his long black hair. The sleeves of
his t-shirt rose up and I noticed for the first time that he had a
tattoo. A snake wound its way down his thick bicep. Sinking onto
the edge of the bed, he sat with his elbows on his knees and
dropped his head into his hands. “Fuck!”
Lifting his head up to
look at me he sighed deeply. “Layla, could you go now, please? I’m
sorry I snapped and I’m sorry for everything I said. Your love life
is none of my business. In fact let’s forget the whole thing. I’ll
save you a seat in class on Monday.”
Letting out the tight
painful breath I’d been holding inside my chest, I walked over and
put my hand on his shoulder. “Ollie I…” Standing up he kissed my
cheek and hugged me tightly. “Don’t. I’d really rather we just
forget it. I’m fine. We’re good. I’m glad you’ve found someone who
makes you happy. And I’d rather have you in my life as my geeky,
funny, sarcastic friend than not at all. Ok? We’re cool?” I nodded
weakly and hugged him back. I really hoped we
were
ok.
The thought of losing
Ollie from my life filled me with dread. I cared about him deeply
and hated myself for hurting him. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done
to you Ollie. I never meant to lead you on.” Holding his finger to
my lips he silenced me. “Shhhhh. No. It’s not your fault. You have
never led me on Layla. I was the one who thought maybe we could be
more than friends but I was misguided, that’s all. It’s cool. I
mean it. Now go and pack your shit up and head home. I hope Amy
doesn’t expect me to be her wing woman again this
weekend.”
I smiled at him.
“Actually I’ve decided to take her with me. I want her to meet
Mel.” He raised his eyebrow at me and shook his head. “That’s like
hurling gas on a fire if you ask me. From what you’ve told me about
Mel she’s a real firework and Amy is definitely a big ole tank of
gas. Toxic and lethal.” I laughed and pushed him away from me
playfully. “Whatever you say rock star. I’ll catch you on Monday.
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Which these days gives you an
awful lot of wiggle room.”
The men in my life
appeared to have developed an interesting habit of raising their
eyebrows at me. Jared did it frequently and now Ollie was doing it
too. I wondered what it was about me that provoked such a reaction
from them. Giving me a wave, Ollie closed the door after me and I
walked over to my own room. My heart was hammering in my chest.
What was happening to me? For Christ’s sake, I was completely
falling in love with Jared and yet Ollie had the ability to get
right under my skin. The simmering sexual tension between us was
electric and practically scorching with heat. My mind began to
wander back to his tattoo, his lip ring pinching into his pink
flesh and his delicious chocolate brown eyes. I felt a clenching
inside me as I thought about sinking my teeth into those plump lips
and running my tongue over his cool metal lip ring. What the fuck
was I doing!? I was with Jared and here I was mentally making out
with Ollie. I needed to get a grip on this and soon.
Entering my room I
stopped abruptly as I took in the scene in front of me. Sitting on
the floor, cross legged in what could best be described as the
lotus position, was Amy. Her eyes closed, she hummed quietly. “Uh
Amy, what are you doing?” Slinging my bag on my bed I sat in front
of her and tried to mimic her pose. It was useless. I was about as
flexible as a pencil and as graceful as a bull. My legs barely
crossed, I giggled. Opening one eye she smiled at me. “Ommmm…I’m
meditating. Omm… you’re home late. Ommmm.” Trying desperately not
to laugh I responded in the same fashion. “Omm... I stayed at
Jared’s. Omm…we had mind blowing sex on a dining table before
fighting and having sex again. Omm.”
Her eyes flew open and in
one swift movement she was on her feet. Rolling onto my knees I
hauled myself up. My body was still pretty sore from the sexual
adventures of the previous night. Her hands fisted on her hips and
her jaw almost scraping the floor, Amy gawked at me. I smiled back
at her. “What? We had sex. We had a little fight and then more sex.
Why do you have that stupid look on your face?”
Closing her mouth very
briefly she continued to stare at me in shock. “You had a fight?
What about?”
I wasn’t sure if I should
disclose the details of our disagreement to her but she was the
only girlfriend I had in college and I needed to get things off my
chest. “After we had sex on the table he carried me upstairs and I
assumed when he took me to bed we would be sleeping together. But
he said he couldn’t promise to keep his hands off me and that I was
already exhausted. I knew it was such a pile of bullshit so I got
really pissed at him and locked myself in the
bathroom.”
“
Serves him right! I mean
how he could be so cold to you is beyond me. How ridiculous! Can’t
keep his hands off you. Did you call him on it?”
I flushed and brushed a
lock of hair behind my ear. “No. I just kind of went off at the
deep end and slammed the door in his face. When I came out he had a
drill in his hand ready to take the hinges off to get me to come
out.”
She rolled her eyes at
me. “So for all you know, it could have been the truth? You’re
doubting him
and
calling him a liar. Now
that’s
cold girlfriend.” Peeved at
her for taking his side I crossed my arms over my chest and
scowled. “You’re taking his side now? He fucked me on a dining
table and then told me to sleep on my own! He was the one being
frosty!” Shocked by my sudden outburst she backed away and rolled
her eyes at me. “Oh come on Layla. You still fucked him again after
that didn’t you? So it can’t have been as bad as you’re making it
out to be.
Did
you end up sleeping alone?”
She was right, again but
I still would have liked her to have been fighting my corner rather
than defending him. “No, he curled up next to me. But I don’t know
if he stayed there all night because when I woke up he was making
breakfast.”
She flung herself onto
her bed and stared at the ceiling. “You know, Layla, you can be a
little overdramatic sometimes. I mean, I love you honey, but maybe
next time you could ask questions before you start throwing your
tantrums and exploding at him. Ok?”
I rolled my eyes and
nodded weakly. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. He’s so hot headed though,
which actually brings me to my next question. Would you come
to
Pasadena
with
me for the weekend? Jared doesn’t want me driving alone on my first
trip and he kinda made a big deal about it. So I told him I’d take
you.”
Sitting up she gave me a
pouty look and frowned. “Oh I wish you’d said something sooner.
Daddy called last night and he’s coming to Long Beach on business
so were having dinner. Sorry Layla. Will you have to
cancel?”
Scrunching up my nose, I
shook my head. “Nah, I’ll still go. I just won’t tell him that I
drove alone. He’s working all weekend so he won’t even give it a
second thought. But for the record, if he ever asks, I was with you
the whole time.” Lying back on her bed Amy sighed, exasperated. “Oh
Layla you are playing with fire girl. He’s going to go supernova if
he finds out you lied.” I stared at her with a serious
expression.
“
Not if you don’t tell
him he won’t. And I definitely won’t be saying
anything.”
The drive to
Pasadena
had taken me a
little longer than usual due to me having to pull over twice when
Jared called to see if I was alright. It was sweet that he was
concerned for my wellbeing but it was also beginning to irritate
me. I was a grown woman who was perfectly capable of taking care of
herself. Pulling into the driveway, I noticed that dad’s car was
missing. He was aware I was coming home for the weekend since I had
called him before I’d left campus, so I assumed he’d run to the
store or that he’d been called into the shop. I opened the front
door and slung my keys onto the table adjacent to it. Grabbing a
handful of mail that was stacked on the coffee table, I kicked off
my shoes and sprawled myself out on the couch. My cell buzzed less
than a minute later. Seeing the caller I.D I rolled my
eyes.
“
Hi Mom.”
“
Don’t you ‘hi Mom’ me
Layla Jennings. I have been out of my mind with worry. Not one call
or text to let me know how you are or if you’re ok. It’s as if you
have no care for your safety or my nerves Layla. I’m guzzling
bottles of Pepto-Bismol like its milk! And your father isn’t much
help either. When I call him to see if he’s heard from you he just
lectures me on how I should give you space and trust you to make
good judgments.”
I let out an exasperated
sigh. This wasn’t going to be a short call. “Sounds like good
advice if you ask me mother.”
“
Don’t
take that tone with me Layla. I do trust you. I raised you well and
I know you can be a good judge of character as well as make sound
and rational decisions. But, it’s the other people I don’t trust. I
see the college kids coming into the hospital Layla, drugged to the
eyeballs, drinking till they can’t even see straight or form a
coherent sentence. Rapes, shootings, stabbings; the list is
endless. Don’t get me started on all the pregnancies I’ve had walk
in. I don’t want you getting hurt or knocked up. Would a courtesy
call to your mother be too much to ask Layla? I mean
really?”
She was over reacting
again but knowing this wouldn’t end until I caved in to her
demands, I gave her what she wanted “Ok Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t
call I’ve just been really busy with work and college and
everything, but I promise from now on I’ll text you a goodnight
message every day to let you know I’m tucked in safe and sound.
Alright?”
The line went quiet for a
moment and part of me hoped we’d been disconnected, but alas, no
such luck. “What’s everything else Layla? College and work I get
but what else could make you so busy you can’t call your mother?”
She gasped.
“
You’ve met a boy haven’t
you? I knew it. I knew this would happen. I’m too young to be a
grandma young lady. First thing Monday I want you to go see Dr.
Roberts and get on birth control. Do you hear me? Who is he anyway?
This prospective father of my grandchildren.”
Rolling my eyes I rested
my head back against the couch and pinched the bridge of my nose. I
could feel the beginning of a tension headache in my
temple.
“
First of all I’m aware
of how to practice safe sex mother. I’ve been on contraception for
weeks! And second, he’s not a boy, he’s a man. He’s twenty-two,
very successful, runs his own company and treats me like a
princess. So stop worrying.”
the arm. “Ollie! Don’t be such a dick. You don’t want people
complaining about you to the Resident Advisor. You could end up out
on your ass.”
He shrugged. “Like I give
a shit what guys like him think. He and his little girlfriend make
a shit-load of noise every fucking night and I don’t go banging his
door down. I mean I even know her name and I haven’t even met her
yet. He screams like a bitch whenever they’re going at it. At first
it was funny but now it’s kinda pissin’ me off.”
I fell onto his bed and
laughed so hard my jaw ached. Sitting down next to me he chuckled.
“It’s not funny Layla.”
Tears were running down
my face as I sat up and leaned my head on his shoulder. “Maybe you
should bring a girl back and make some noise of your
own.”
Giving me a smirk he
draped his arm around my shoulders. “Is that an offer?”
I shoved him and he
shrugged. “Hey it was worth a try. So you heading back to
Pasadena,
huh? Thought
you might have been tied up all weekend with the
meathead.
”
I shot him a warning
look. Raising his hands in front of him in defense he recanted.
“Sorry. I am. But come on Layla. What is it you see in the guy?
He’s your boss, he lied to you, and he picked you up last night and
dragged you away from your friends. I mean who does that kind of
shit? Plus he’s like twenty-two. You’re only nineteen.”
Shooting to my feet I
turned and glowered at him. He was overstepping the mark and I was
beginning to lose my cool with him. “First of all Ollie he’s not my
boss, Lorraine is my boss. Jared just pays the bills and oversees
the finance. Secondly,
he didn’t drag me
away. I went willingly
. His age makes
absolutely no difference to me or the way I feel about him and not
that it matters but I’ll be twenty in a few weeks! I really don’t
know why you hate him so much Ollie. He’s never done anything to
you. Tell me what it is that makes you loathe him so much. What
exactly
is
your
fucking problem?!” I was fuming at him.
He stood in front of me,
grabbed my arms and stared into my eyes, his face so close to mine
I could smell the sweet fragrance of his cologne mixed with the
scent of his hair product. “Because I’m not him! And because for
all the stupid fucking luck, he got you first!”
My mouth fell open and my
chest constricted. I couldn’t breathe. Ollie’s words swirled around
in my head like a vortex. Letting go of my arms he turned his back
to me and ran his hands through his long black hair. The sleeves of
his t-shirt rose up and I noticed for the first time that he had a
tattoo. A snake wound its way down his thick bicep. Sinking onto
the edge of the bed, he sat with his elbows on his knees and
dropped his head into his hands. “Fuck!”
Lifting his head up to
look at me he sighed deeply. “Layla, could you go now, please? I’m
sorry I snapped and I’m sorry for everything I said. Your love life
is none of my business. In fact let’s forget the whole thing. I’ll
save you a seat in class on Monday.”
Letting out the tight
painful breath I’d been holding inside my chest, I walked over and
put my hand on his shoulder. “Ollie I…” Standing up he kissed my
cheek and hugged me tightly. “Don’t. I’d really rather we just
forget it. I’m fine. We’re good. I’m glad you’ve found someone who
makes you happy. And I’d rather have you in my life as my geeky,
funny, sarcastic friend than not at all. Ok? We’re cool?” I nodded
weakly and hugged him back. I really hoped we
were
ok.
The thought of losing
Ollie from my life filled me with dread. I cared about him deeply
and hated myself for hurting him. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done
to you Ollie. I never meant to lead you on.” Holding his finger to
my lips he silenced me. “Shhhhh. No. It’s not your fault. You have
never led me on Layla. I was the one who thought maybe we could be
more than friends but I was misguided, that’s all. It’s cool. I
mean it. Now go and pack your shit up and head home. I hope Amy
doesn’t expect me to be her wing woman again this
weekend.”
I smiled at him.
“Actually I’ve decided to take her with me. I want her to meet
Mel.” He raised his eyebrow at me and shook his head. “That’s like
hurling gas on a fire if you ask me. From what you’ve told me about
Mel she’s a real firework and Amy is definitely a big ole tank of
gas. Toxic and lethal.” I laughed and pushed him away from me
playfully. “Whatever you say rock star. I’ll catch you on Monday.
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Which these days gives you an
awful lot of wiggle room.”
The men in my life
appeared to have developed an interesting habit of raising their
eyebrows at me. Jared did it frequently and now Ollie was doing it
too. I wondered what it was about me that provoked such a reaction
from them. Giving me a wave, Ollie closed the door after me and I
walked over to my own room. My heart was hammering in my chest.
What was happening to me? For Christ’s sake, I was completely
falling in love with Jared and yet Ollie had the ability to get
right under my skin. The simmering sexual tension between us was
electric and practically scorching with heat. My mind began to
wander back to his tattoo, his lip ring pinching into his pink
flesh and his delicious chocolate brown eyes. I felt a clenching
inside me as I thought about sinking my teeth into those plump lips
and running my tongue over his cool metal lip ring. What the fuck
was I doing!? I was with Jared and here I was mentally making out
with Ollie. I needed to get a grip on this and soon.
Entering my room I
stopped abruptly as I took in the scene in front of me. Sitting on
the floor, cross legged in what could best be described as the
lotus position, was Amy. Her eyes closed, she hummed quietly. “Uh
Amy, what are you doing?” Slinging my bag on my bed I sat in front
of her and tried to mimic her pose. It was useless. I was about as
flexible as a pencil and as graceful as a bull. My legs barely
crossed, I giggled. Opening one eye she smiled at me. “Ommmm…I’m
meditating. Omm… you’re home late. Ommmm.” Trying desperately not
to laugh I responded in the same fashion. “Omm... I stayed at
Jared’s. Omm…we had mind blowing sex on a dining table before
fighting and having sex again. Omm.”
Her eyes flew open and in
one swift movement she was on her feet. Rolling onto my knees I
hauled myself up. My body was still pretty sore from the sexual
adventures of the previous night. Her hands fisted on her hips and
her jaw almost scraping the floor, Amy gawked at me. I smiled back
at her. “What? We had sex. We had a little fight and then more sex.
Why do you have that stupid look on your face?”
Closing her mouth very
briefly she continued to stare at me in shock. “You had a fight?
What about?”
I wasn’t sure if I should
disclose the details of our disagreement to her but she was the
only girlfriend I had in college and I needed to get things off my
chest. “After we had sex on the table he carried me upstairs and I
assumed when he took me to bed we would be sleeping together. But
he said he couldn’t promise to keep his hands off me and that I was
already exhausted. I knew it was such a pile of bullshit so I got
really pissed at him and locked myself in the
bathroom.”
“
Serves him right! I mean
how he could be so cold to you is beyond me. How ridiculous! Can’t
keep his hands off you. Did you call him on it?”
I flushed and brushed a
lock of hair behind my ear. “No. I just kind of went off at the
deep end and slammed the door in his face. When I came out he had a
drill in his hand ready to take the hinges off to get me to come
out.”
She rolled her eyes at
me. “So for all you know, it could have been the truth? You’re
doubting him
and
calling him a liar. Now
that’s
cold girlfriend.” Peeved at
her for taking his side I crossed my arms over my chest and
scowled. “You’re taking his side now? He fucked me on a dining
table and then told me to sleep on my own! He was the one being
frosty!” Shocked by my sudden outburst she backed away and rolled
her eyes at me. “Oh come on Layla. You still fucked him again after
that didn’t you? So it can’t have been as bad as you’re making it
out to be.
Did
you end up sleeping alone?”
She was right, again but
I still would have liked her to have been fighting my corner rather
than defending him. “No, he curled up next to me. But I don’t know
if he stayed there all night because when I woke up he was making
breakfast.”
She flung herself onto
her bed and stared at the ceiling. “You know, Layla, you can be a
little overdramatic sometimes. I mean, I love you honey, but maybe
next time you could ask questions before you start throwing your
tantrums and exploding at him. Ok?”
I rolled my eyes and
nodded weakly. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. He’s so hot headed though,
which actually brings me to my next question. Would you come
to
Pasadena
with
me for the weekend? Jared doesn’t want me driving alone on my first
trip and he kinda made a big deal about it. So I told him I’d take
you.”
Sitting up she gave me a
pouty look and frowned. “Oh I wish you’d said something sooner.
Daddy called last night and he’s coming to Long Beach on business
so were having dinner. Sorry Layla. Will you have to
cancel?”
Scrunching up my nose, I
shook my head. “Nah, I’ll still go. I just won’t tell him that I
drove alone. He’s working all weekend so he won’t even give it a
second thought. But for the record, if he ever asks, I was with you
the whole time.” Lying back on her bed Amy sighed, exasperated. “Oh
Layla you are playing with fire girl. He’s going to go supernova if
he finds out you lied.” I stared at her with a serious
expression.
“
Not if you don’t tell
him he won’t. And I definitely won’t be saying
anything.”
The drive to
Pasadena
had taken me a
little longer than usual due to me having to pull over twice when
Jared called to see if I was alright. It was sweet that he was
concerned for my wellbeing but it was also beginning to irritate
me. I was a grown woman who was perfectly capable of taking care of
herself. Pulling into the driveway, I noticed that dad’s car was
missing. He was aware I was coming home for the weekend since I had
called him before I’d left campus, so I assumed he’d run to the
store or that he’d been called into the shop. I opened the front
door and slung my keys onto the table adjacent to it. Grabbing a
handful of mail that was stacked on the coffee table, I kicked off
my shoes and sprawled myself out on the couch. My cell buzzed less
than a minute later. Seeing the caller I.D I rolled my
eyes.
“
Hi Mom.”
“
Don’t you ‘hi Mom’ me
Layla Jennings. I have been out of my mind with worry. Not one call
or text to let me know how you are or if you’re ok. It’s as if you
have no care for your safety or my nerves Layla. I’m guzzling
bottles of Pepto-Bismol like its milk! And your father isn’t much
help either. When I call him to see if he’s heard from you he just
lectures me on how I should give you space and trust you to make
good judgments.”
I let out an exasperated
sigh. This wasn’t going to be a short call. “Sounds like good
advice if you ask me mother.”
“
Don’t
take that tone with me Layla. I do trust you. I raised you well and
I know you can be a good judge of character as well as make sound
and rational decisions. But, it’s the other people I don’t trust. I
see the college kids coming into the hospital Layla, drugged to the
eyeballs, drinking till they can’t even see straight or form a
coherent sentence. Rapes, shootings, stabbings; the list is
endless. Don’t get me started on all the pregnancies I’ve had walk
in. I don’t want you getting hurt or knocked up. Would a courtesy
call to your mother be too much to ask Layla? I mean
really?”
She was over reacting
again but knowing this wouldn’t end until I caved in to her
demands, I gave her what she wanted “Ok Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t
call I’ve just been really busy with work and college and
everything, but I promise from now on I’ll text you a goodnight
message every day to let you know I’m tucked in safe and sound.
Alright?”
The line went quiet for a
moment and part of me hoped we’d been disconnected, but alas, no
such luck. “What’s everything else Layla? College and work I get
but what else could make you so busy you can’t call your mother?”
She gasped.
“
You’ve met a boy haven’t
you? I knew it. I knew this would happen. I’m too young to be a
grandma young lady. First thing Monday I want you to go see Dr.
Roberts and get on birth control. Do you hear me? Who is he anyway?
This prospective father of my grandchildren.”
Rolling my eyes I rested
my head back against the couch and pinched the bridge of my nose. I
could feel the beginning of a tension headache in my
temple.
“
First of all I’m aware
of how to practice safe sex mother. I’ve been on contraception for
weeks! And second, he’s not a boy, he’s a man. He’s twenty-two,
very successful, runs his own company and treats me like a
princess. So stop worrying.”
Other books
Exorcising Hitler by Frederick Taylor
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde
Blowing Smoke by Barbara Block
Berlin Burning by Damien Seaman
Savvy by Law, Ingrid
Grand Thieves & Tomb Raiders by Rebecca Levene
No Quarter (NOLA's Own #2) by Kelli Jean
Alien's Princess Bride by Sue Mercury, Sue Lyndon
Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs