Moments in Time (33 page)

The breath I was holding huffed out of me as if I’d been underwater for too long and finally made it up for air. I’d meant to ask him the same question he’d asked me, “In you or on you?” but it was too late. I came hard and fast, pulsing deep inside him.

We collapsed on the bed in a tangled heap, and I eased out of Tanner, feeling him wince as I pulled the last bit out. The sound of panting filled the air as my heart continued to hammer, finally slowing down to a seminormal rate.

Tanner rolled toward me and our mouths met for a lazy kiss that grew deeper as we wrapped our arms around each other.

“Was that okay?” I asked.

He answered with a laugh that shook us both. “Okay? Uh, yeah, that was better than okay.”

He anchored his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me in for another kiss.

Pulling back, I waited until he looked me in the eyes. “I love you.”

“Good,” he said. The smile I hadn’t seen enough of lately tugged up one corner of his sexy mouth. “Because I fucking love you too.”

F
OR THE next twelve hours, we fucked, sucked, slept, showered, rinsed, and repeated until we were both sore in the most awesomely good way. I could have stayed in our new room forever and been a happy man.

We debated running out to grab breakfast but opted for cold pizza and Coke, the only things in our fridge. The perfect way to start our Sunday, especially since eating them didn’t involve putting on clothes or keeping our hands off each other. I was already thinking about going for—what would it be? Round five? I’d lost count—when a knock on the door interrupted us.

“Ignore it,” Tanner said, before kissing me in a way that could have made me ignore it if our room had burst into flames.

“Collin, Tanner, I know you’re in there. Open up. Please.”

Shit. It’s Wendy.

Tanner closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I could see him struggling.

“We’ve gotta let her in. Come on. She let us crash at her place this weekend. Besides, she sounds upset.”

He nodded and grabbed a pair of shorts off the floor. “Just a sec, Wen,” he yelled.

I tugged on jeans and tossed Tanner his T-shirt while I rooted around for mine.

His comforter was in a pile at the foot of the bed, and I pulled it up, covering any splatters that might be on the sheets. I knocked the bottle of lube into the drawer and pushed it shut, then nodded to Tanner.

He opened the door and gasped. “What the hell? What happened to you?”

I looked past him to see what had him so shocked. I’d seen Wendy in various states of dress and undress, with and without makeup, but I’d never seen her like this. Her normally bouncy blonde curls were straggled and wet, as were her clothes, including her leggings, which had a rip on one knee and what looked like blood on her leg. Black eye makeup ran in streaks down her face, smudged under both eyes like grease.

“Jesus,” I said. “Are you okay?”

She sniffled, shoulders rising in a shrug as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m kinda having a shitty weekend.”

Tanner reached toward her, and she flung herself into his arms, sobbing. He pulled her into the room, stroking her hair.

I closed the door. The last thing she needed was an audience, and someone was bound to walk by.

Tanner walked backward toward his bed. “Come on, sit down. Tell us what’s going on.”

His voice was calm and soothing, but I could see in his eyes that he was freaking out. So was I. Not knowing what else to do, I got her a glass of water while he settled her next to him on the bed. Her face was still buried in his chest, and she continued to cry.

I rubbed her shoulder. “Here, have some water.”

Sniffling she turned to peer up at me.

I handed her the water, and she took it, wiping her face with her other hand and smearing more eye makeup around.

“Drink,” Tanner said.

She nodded and took a sip.

I crouched on the floor next to her while Tanner rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was shaky, but the tears had let up. “I know you guys don’t have to be nice to me. Not after the way I’ve been treating you.”

Tanner took her hand. “Hey, we’ve been here before. I know the drill. You and I get pissed at each other for something, we don’t speak for a while, then something happens, and we know we’re still there for each other.”

Wendy nodded and sniffled loudly.

I still wasn’t sure what was going on. “You gonna tell us what’s got you so upset? And what happened to your clothes?”

Wendy took a deep breath. “I got home at 3:00 a.m., and my roommate was ‘occupied.’ The last thing I wanted was to spend the night listening to some happy couple getting it on. I’d been hoping to find the two of you there, but then I figured you must have moved in, so I came here.”

Tanner looked at the clock. “You stood outside in the rain for seven hours?”

“No, I went for a walk and got a coffee part of the time. And tripped on the curb, hence the ripped pants.”

I ran my fingers lightly over the torn fabric. Her scrape was scabbing over but still needed to be cleaned. I was pretty sure I knew where the first aid kit was.

Tanner studied Wendy, then glanced at me. His look said, “Get ready.” “Wendy, why’d you come home early from the weekend?”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her entire face screwed up in an attempt to keep them from falling. She blinked rapidly, head tipped back, not looking at either of us. “Dex and I are over.”

Oh, jeez.

Tanner closed his eyes and took a breath. “What’d he do?”

“He told me to meet him for dinner, but I was running early, so I went to the film school. They said he was editing, so I went to the booth he’d signed out, and I opened the door.” A gulping sob made the tears start rolling. “I’d seen her before. He’d sworn to me that they were just friends, but he’s been with her for a whole year. The only reason he went to the beach house this summer was because she was in Europe, otherwise he said he’d have just dumped me before Fire Island.”

What a class-A fucktard. Jesus. Who treats people like this?
“I’m so sorry, Wendy. We didn’t know any of that.”

“I know you didn’t. He’s a master liar. And I’m really sorry I got so mad at you about the summer. He’s the one I should be mad at, not you guys. I love you guys. Do you still love me?”

She was rumpled and crying and bleeding and pleading. “Of course we do.”

“Always.” Tanner pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head.

Wendy burrowed her face in his neck. She looked so comfortable all cuddled up with him. It gave me major flashbacks to when we first lived together and she used to be Tanner’s Monday night regular. They fit together so well. Wendy looked up with more streaks of mascara leaving haphazard stripes all over.

“You too, Collin. I need a group hug from the two best guys I know.”

She kissed me on the cheek, then wiped off whatever makeup she’d left behind, and pulled me into a hug with her and Tanner.

I don’t know how long we stayed there, but it felt… nice. Wendy was still upset but seemed to be calming down, Tanner was in full protection mode, and I was planning what we’d need to eat since Wendy said she didn’t want to leave the room.

She was napping closer to dinnertime, so I pulled Tanner aside. “You think she’ll be okay?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s got us to get her through. Then she’ll meet someone or get involved in some new project. I’m not worried.”

That last bit was a lie. He was cracking his knuckles, and his brow hadn’t unfurrowed since she’d arrived. He was definitely worried.

W
HEN
I
returned with dinner, Wendy was awake and wearing a pair of Tanner’s sweatpants and one of his T-shirts. For some reason it made me bristle to see her in his clothes. It was silly, I know, but it seemed… I don’t know… intimate. And I didn’t particularly like it.

She and Tanner seemed more relaxed. We sat on the floor in a circle. I’d picked up Indian takeout. Tandoori chicken, tikka masala, pakoras, potato-stuffed paratha, and some dipping sauces. I knew Wendy loved Indian food, and the sight of it seemed to cheer her up.

“Oh my God, Collin, it smells so good. And you remembered that I like pakoras. Tanner, you’re so lucky—you have the best boyfriend ever.”

Tanner came up behind me and put his arms around me. “She’s right. I do.” He leaned over my shoulder, and I craned my neck to kiss him. He’d already managed to sneak a bite of chicken, and he tasted warm and spicy along with his own delicious flavor. I didn’t want to be mean, but I really hoped Wendy would be heading home to sleep and not crashing at our place.

When dinner was over, we packed up the leftovers and shoved them in the fridge. Wendy suggested we watch a movie, which meant she wasn’t leaving anytime soon. The minute she hit the Netflix list, some sappy chick flick popped up and she started crying all over again.

“No sad movies,” Tanner said.

Wendy nodded and wiped her eyes. “Comedy. Or action. Do you guys have any Kleenex?”

“I can get you a roll of toilet paper.” I headed for the bathroom.

“No, I think I’ve got some in here.” She dragged her ginormous purse up onto the bed. Out came two miniskirts, three pairs of patterned socks, a pair of shoes, and a flowered bag bursting with makeup. Then finally a tiny tissue packet. “Found them. Oh, by the way, Tanner, did you get one of these?”

She held up a fancy envelope with calligraphy writing.

Tanner shook his head. “Mail’s been all screwed up from the whole dorm thing. Why? What is it?”

“It’s an invitation to Sam and Tina’s wedding. We should go. We should all go. It’ll be so much fun, and we can get away from here for five days. Come on, guys, say you’ll go with me, please? I can’t go to this by myself. But I can definitely show up with two gorgeous men on my arms.”

Tanner picked up the card and examined it. “Jesus. I can’t believe they’re getting married. I mean, I guess I can. They’ve been a couple since, like, third grade.”

Wendy plucked the card back from Tanner’s hand. “There was a note here somewhere about how they’re getting married at a family ski resort way up north in Maine. It’s off-season, so they’re getting it free. Apparently the aunt and uncle who own the resort are the only family members who approve of the marriage.”

“I can relate to that.”

Tanner threw me a look complete with an apology and a reassuring smile.

Wendy pointed to the map. “Looks like it’ll be about a four-hour drive from here, maybe five. And it’s the whole Columbus Day weekend. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Away from here with nothing to worry about other than eating and drinking and seeing old friends?”

“And moose,” Tanner added. “Lots of moose up there. And no cell signal.”

“Seriously?” I mean, our local reception was crappy, but I didn’t realize there were still places with no reception.

“I went to this ski lodge with them once a few years ago. No one could get their phones to work. We got snowed in three days when the big nor’easter hit, and none of us could call our parents to say we were all right.”

“See?” Wendy said. “That’s what we all need. A secluded getaway in the woods. Come on, say you’ll go.”

“We’ll need to rent a car,” Tanner said.

“No, we won’t,” I said. “We’ve got the Batmobile.”

“Awesome. You can drive, and we’ll navigate.”

“Whoa, I didn’t say I could go. I meant I could loan you the Batmobile. I’d need to check with Gino first. I can’t ditch him if he can’t find someone to cover my shifts.”

Wendy gave a real smile for the first time since she’d arrived. “Well, then we’ll have to find Gino a replacement for a few days. ‘Cuz the three of us are goin’ to Maine!”

W
ENDY STAYED in our room that night and the entire next day, refusing to even go out to grab food. We brought her a sandwich and a box of Froot Loops from the cafeteria. She ate a few pieces of cereal but mostly just sniffled and hugged Tanner’s pillow. Her sadness seemed to come in waves, and when one hit, she was down for the count for at least an hour.

As I suspected she might, she slept in Tanner’s bed, wearing Tanner’s clothes. I was having flashbacks of the way things used to be with them until Tanner kissed me and pushed me down onto my bed. We didn’t do anything in case Wendy woke up, but having him spooned behind me was enough.

I loved feeling him behind me: strong, solid, warm. He wrapped an arm around me, and I could feel his breath on my neck.
Is he smelling me the way I sniff him?
Coconut lime filled my nostrils. I wondered what I smelled like to him.
Good, I hope.

“I can’t be this near you and not at least kiss you,” Tanner whispered.

Who could say no to that?
I shifted as quietly as possible. In our one night in the dorm, I’d already gotten used to sleeping naked again. Now I was in shorts and a T-shirt. With Tanner so close and his mouth on mine, our chilly room became an inferno. We kissed, soft and gentle, until we ran out of breath, and then we kissed some more. Tanner’s hand explored my back beneath my shirt while I wove my fingers through his irresistible hair.
God, I love kissing him.
Round and round and round our tongues spiraled until all the thoughts in my head were a big swirl of nothingness and all that was left was Tanner. I belonged with him. Hell, I belonged
to
him. There was no one else I wanted. For a second I was envious of the couple getting married. Jealous of strangers.
When did that happen? Me thinking about wedding bells? Jesus. I swear the coconut lime shit lowers my IQ every time I inhale it. Or maybe I’m just that crazy in love. Either way, fuck.

At some point we must have dozed off, because before I knew what was going on, Wendy was whispering and shaking me awake. “Collin, I’m heading back to my dorm, okay? I’ve got a ton of studying to do for quarter finals this week. Thanks for letting me crash here.”