5 comments/ 37674 views/ 36 favorites Breaking Code By: JimmySummers85 Bobby leaned backwards, pressing his back down into the soft brown fabric of the couch. He lifted his butt off the cushion, as she grabbed his pants by the front pockets and tugged them down. What are you doing? he thought as he felt his jeans hit the floor around his ankles. He took his eyes off of her pretty little face for just a second, just long enough to see that the only thing between his now obvious erection and his best friend's sister, was a pair of blue boxer briefs. That wasn't hardly enough, but what was a man to do in a situation like this? His brain had handed over control of the ship a while ago, it had clicked over to autopilot, nothing he could do now, except hang on and enjoy the ride. The harsh white glow of the computer monitor and the flickering of a slowly dying candle lay across her beautiful features, catching her eyes just right. He watched as she let go of his pants and stood up, she grabbed the bottom of her small white t-shirt and tore it off her body with ease. Next came the pants, they were almost skin tight, sliding off and being thrown to the floor beside her with just a little more effort than her shirt. Her body, fuck, it was like she was chiseled from stone, he had never seen a body that tight, that perfect in years... maybe ever. His best friend's voice started to sneak its way back into his head, at the worst possible time. He closed his eyes just for a second, taking a deep breath, hoping somehow that small pointless gesture would be enough to erase all the reasons this was wrong. It didn't, he felt his brain kick on for one last second, powering up just enough to send out one final emergency message, a message aimed for his mouth. WE..... CAN'T.... DO - and suddenly, she did something that short circuited the last remaining good judgment in his body. She grasped her tight baby blue panties on each side of her hips and slowly, almost painfully, pulled them down - revealing something no straight man could say no to, not even if it meant throwing away a once-in-a-lifetime friendship of over 10 years. One week earlier... Bobby clicked off his car, listening to its final gasps, before hearing it die out. He didn't immediately get out, instead, he peered out the passenger's side window, at the dirty white apartment building he was now parked in front of. It wasn't his apartment building, no, it was his best friend Jesse's - who was currently in Las Vegas, doing who-knows-what to who-knows-who. Lucky bastard, friends for almost 11 years and while Jesse was doing his best to find Doug, Bobby was stuck feeding his two cats twice a day. Oh well, on the bright side, maybe Jesse would owe him this same favor down the road, if Bobby ever got his own apartment... or cats. He opened the car door and got out, attempting to close the door gently failed, it slammed shut, echoing out into the almost too quiet night's air. Jesse lived on one of the quiet back streets, just off the city limits, it was probably the only one that wasn't covered in homeless people's "houses" and garbage - it was actually pretty nice, he had done well for himself. It's because he's single, Bobby thought as he walked around the car and onto the walkway. He stepped up on the porch, pulling the loan house key from his pocket and making his way inside. He clicked the light on and was immediately greeted by two cats that were probably seconds away from turning to cannibalism. He felt a little guilty, he was supposed to feed them once in the morning and once at night, and at 9:45 PM, he was making his first stop of the day. He had a decent excuse though, he had been dealing with ex-girlfriend drama all day and well, when that's happening, you tend to forget about feeding small animals, especially when they're not even yours. He grabbed the bag out from under the sink, pouring enough food for ten cats. "There you go, we're even, right?" he asked out loud, over the sound of small pieces of food raining down into the stainless steel bowl. He was greeted by a few 'meows' as he put the food back and filled their water dish. There, he thought, now he didn't have to worry about starving Jesse's cats to death or worse, or giving them a taste for one another's flesh. He kicked off his shoes back near the front door and walked down the short hallway to the right and into the living room. A 60 inch flat screen sat kitty-cornered in the decent sized room. Jesse had told him to make himself at home, and Bobby planned to make good use of that for the next few days, especially seeing as he was now technically homeless and all. He sat down on the couch and almost immediately felt himself melt away in it, it had been a long, stressful day and this is just what he needed. He now found himself struggling to dig up enough energy to reach for the remote. He did though, clicking on the giant television, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. The sounds of sports analysts were like music to his ears, he blinked, and then again, the next few longer and longer. Eventually, he stopped opening them altogether. Riiiiiiiing! Suddenly he was jarred from his brief nap, all of his senses rushing back to him at once. It took him a second to figure out whether it was the TV or the phone. Another loud ring and it was clear it was the phone. He hesitated, wondering if he should answer it or not. Knowing Jesse didn't have an answering machine, he decided he probably should. He jumped up and made his way back out into the kitchen, grabbing the small white phone off of the wall mount. He peered at the caller ID, not recognizing the number. "Hello?" he said, seconds after clicking the 'talk' button. "Hi... is Jesse home?" a girl asked, the voice sounding familiar. "No, he's actually in Vegas. I'm just house sitting," he replied, still trying to figure out who it was. "Can I ask who's calling?" "Is this Bobby?" the girl asked. "Yeah..." "You don't know who this is, do you?" she had got him, he didn't. Silence, as Bobby made a last ditch effort to pull the girl's name from his ass. Nothing. "It's Lacy, Jesse's sister," she said, he heard a small laugh come from the other line. "Oh shit, I'm sorry," he laughed as well, how the hell had he not recognized her voice? He felt like an idiot now. He had known her for years and had seen her practically every day until she had moved. He had heard she had just recently moved back into town after living with her dad for the past handful of years. "How's it going?" he added. "I can't believe you forgot my name! Has it been that long!?" she said jokingly. "It's going good. I was just calling because I was going to see if it was alright to come over and borrow something." "Sure." What was he going to say? No? "If it's okay? Are you going to be there for a while?" she asked. "Yeah... actually, I think I'm just gonna crash here tonight." Not like I have a choice, he thought. "Okay, well, I'll be over in a few... okay? If that's cool?" "Yeah, definitely." "Okay, see you in a bit," she said and he heard the phone click. He hung it up and made his way towards the front door. He flipped the blind open and looked out, he had no idea where she lived or when she'd be here. He clicked the porch light on and made his way back towards the living room. He couldn't believe how much her voice had changed, or maybe it was just the phone. Either way, she definitely didn't sound like that a few years ago. She had been the typical annoying little sister, almost every family had at least one, luckily she was mild compared to Bobby's own version of that. He clicked the channels, half focusing on what was flashing on the screen, half focused on what it was she was going to borrow. He imagined it wasn't a cup of sugar. Exactly what did you come to borrow at 10 pm? He guessed he was about to find out, whenever the hell she showed up. *** He heard a knock about fifteen minutes later. He dragged his tired body out of what had to be one of the most comfortable couches in the world and made his way towards the door. As he opened the door, standing there was someone he would not have recognized, had she not just called him and told him who she was. Lacy had left an awkward, pale, 15 year old and had returned as something entirely different. She was... well, hot. A small burning feeling suddenly flared up from somewhere deep inside him as that thought ran through his mind. "Come in," he said, stepping back and gesturing her inside. She stepped passed him and placed her small yellow purse on the counter. An awkward silence suddenly clouded the room, the type of silence that is always present when two shy people were in a room alone together. It was like a game, who was going to be the first one to grow some balls and say something, regardless of how small or stupid it was. "So, do I look any different?" Lacy had won and had gotten extra bonus point for starting things off with such a loaded question. Wow. What was he going to say to that? He had definitely noticed a few areas she had changed in but he didn't think it would be such a good idea to bring those up at the moment. "You do... definitely... taller than I remember you," he responded half-jokingly. She had actually grown a few inches, but he knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for. "Want something to drink?" he added, hoping to derail this train of thought before it picked up anymore speed. She hesitated for a second, the beginnings of a smile at the corners of her mouth. "Sure, what does he have?" Bobby popped open the fridge for the first time. Jesse was definitely a single guy, beer and cheese was about all there was in there. At least there was a choice of beer, either Magic Hat or PBR -- you couldn't go wrong with either. He grabbed two PBR's and closed the fridge. "You twenty-one?" he joked, popping off the cap and sliding the bottle across the table towards her. He watched as she wrapped her hand around it, holding it there for a second, then lifting it to her lips and taking a sip. He twisted off his cap and followed suit. "So, how long is my brother away for?" she asked, she took another sip while running her finger along the ring of condensation that had formed on the fake gray marble counter. "He should be back in a few days. Sunday, I think? He didn't even tell you he was leaving?" "Nope. I guess baby sister isn't on top of his list of people to call. Oh well." A shrug of the shoulders, another sip. Bobby nervously played with his untouched beer on the counter, "Well, it was pretty hectic before he left..." A half-hearted excuse that neither of them bought. "So, I have to ask. What did you come to borrow? I mean, if you don't mind me asking." He watched as her face turned red. "Uhm..." Now it was her turn to nervously play with her half-empty bottle of beer. "W-weed," she replied with a stutter. She was definitely uncomfortable saying that to him. What did he look like? A cop? "Ohhh, okay," he said with a smile, hoping to ease whatever extra awkwardness she was feeling. "Do you smoke?" she asked. "Sometimes, yeah." "Do you wanna smoke?" Bobby took a second to think about it. "Sure, why not?" "Okay. Hold on, I'll be right back." She stood up out of her seat and headed down the hall to the left, towards Jesse's room. Bobby took this opportunity to take a large sip of his beer and then another. Was he breaking guy code? Was he supposed to be hanging out with his best friend's sister, alone, drinking beer and now about to smoke a little pot with her? He was suddenly feeling a little guilty, and even though it was completely harmless, it didn't matter, intentions weren't what got you convicted in Best Friend's Court, the verdict was always based on what it looked like. A system almost as unfair as the actual legal system. "Bong or pipe?" he heard Lacy call from the other room. "Pipe." He answered as she came walking back out into the kitchen, a multi-colored glass piece in one hand and a small bag of weed in the other. She sat back down in her chair and began to break the bud up and fill the pipe, taking small sips of her beer in between. Bobby quickly downed his beer and grabbed another, hoping he was able to drown whatever he was feeling -- guilt, he was sure of it. "You smoke a lot?" he asked, as he popped the cap off and watched it bounce across the floor, the smaller of the two cats pouncing on it like it was a wounded mouse. "Lately, yeah. I know, I know -- not good," she said, sticking her tongue out. "I don't judge," he responded with a laugh. She smiled without looking up from the pipe. "You?" she asked, still focused on her mission. "Not really. I basically only do it when your brother does it." Another sip. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Lacy busy readying the pipe, while Bobby continued to down the beers -- taking the final sip of beer number two. He weighed the option of having beer three, he wasn't a lightweight, but two beers in five minutes definitely had his lips feeling a little numb. He pushed his chair back and stood up, grabbing his two empty bottles and walking them towards the bin. "Do you want another one?" he asked. "Uhm..." she peered up for a second, noticing that only a small ring of beer remained at the bottom of the brown glass bottle. "... sure. We smoking in here or somewhere more comfortable?" she added setting the pipe gently down on the counter. Bobby grabbed two more ice cold beers from the fridge and took a step towards the living room. "We could smoke in there." Lacy nodded, grabbing the pipe and following Bobby into the other room. He headed straight for his spot on the couch, parking himself all the way to the right, closest to the TV. He slid two Family Guy coasters out from under a stack of magazines and placed the beers down onto them. Lacy walked around the opposite side of the coffee table and sat down only a foot or so away from. He adjusted a little, not knowing she'd be sitting so close, the Best Friend's Court thought sliding its way back into his head. She had come prepared, pulling out a small blue Bic lighter from her skin tight jeans. She took the first hit, sucking it in and holding it there as she reached out with the lighter and pipe in her hands. Bobby took a deep breath and convincing himself this was totally fine, for now, heck, they weren't even doing anything that Jesse hadn't already done with her himself. He took his first hit. They passed the pipe back and forth, smoking a couple bowls before eventually turning what was left of their attention to an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that had just come on. Bobby's mind was twisting in circles, thoughts of Guy Code and hot teenage sisters were long gone, replaced with a calmness and the occasionally sensation of his tongue falling off. As weird as that was, he much preferred it to what he had been thinking before her semi-planned visit. His mind sent out a message, he could almost feel it run down the back of his neck, taking the sharp corner and headed for his mouth. He opened it, smacking his lips a few times, damn was his mouth dry. No words exiting him. False alarm he guessed. It was way too quiet in there, why wouldn't someone just say something? "How long are you staying here?" It was almost as if she had read his mind. Wait, had he just said that all out loud? Oh man, he hoped not. That would be embarrassing. He took a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. "Uh, well, I kind of don't have a place to live. So, yeah, probably for a while." The words were not coming out of him like he had wanted them to. "Why don't you have a place to live?" she asked bluntly. "Long story," he replied with that terribly clichéd answer that everyone gives when they're too lazy to tell a story that isn't all that long. "Spill it. I'm all ears." She wasn't buying it. "Well, I had a place with my girlfriend -- well, ex-girlfriend and now I don't." And for no reason at all, he just started to laugh. He caught her face out of the corner of his eye. She had an eyebrow cocked up, a smile on her face. This is why he didn't smoke that often. A few seconds later she found herself laughing with him. The laughing died down a few seconds later. The house falling completely silent except for the ramblings of Charlie Kelly and the rest of The Gang. He glanced at the TV screen for a second, then towards Lacy. His night had definitely turned around. Had she not shown up, he'd be passed out on this very couch right now, drooling the night away. "So, where are you living now?" Bobby asked, breaking the silence. "With a couple friends, right down the road a little." "Nice. You like it?" "It's okay," she replied, reaching into her pocket and whipping out her pink cell phone. She clicked a button, looked at the screen and quickly set it back down on her lap. "I probably should get going though. I got a couple of classes in the morning," she added, slowly making her way to her feet. He did the same. "Yeah," he didn't really know what to say. This time he followed her as she made her way towards the kitchen, the pipe in her hand. She placed the pipe and bag of weed in her purse and slung it over her shoulder. A few steps and she was putting on her shoes or clogs, Bobby really couldn't tell. All women's shoes looked weird and ugly to him. "So..." she started, hesitating for a second and then another. "Can I give you my cell phone number?" Bobby took just a fraction of a second too long to answer. "I mean, if that's okay? Like, just in case I need to get a hold of you or something. You know," she said quickly, doing her best to back track and explain. "Yeah, of course. I know what you mean," he said, reassuring her and himself. That's the only reason she would give it to him. I mean, what else would need it for? Nothing. Right? "What is it?" he asked. "Do you have a pen or your..." Bobby reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which was black, not pink. He clicked a few buttons and was into the contacts menu. He looked up, catching Lacy's gaze, letting her know he was ready. "2-7-2, 1-9-9-0." He punched the numbers in and hit save. A small electronic beep and Lacy Givens was now in his phone. "Thanks," he said with a smile. "No problem," she returned it. "You gonna be okay to walk home?" he asked. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I can text you when I get there, if you want? Just so you know I'm safe and sound," she said with a laugh. "Yeah. Do that." "Okay, well... I'll talk to you later then. Have a good night," she said, grabbing for the door handle. He watched her step out on the porch, she gave him a small wave as she walked down the stairs and past his car. She made it as far as he could see, before he turned around and headed back inside. The warm breeze felt nice for this time of year, especially this late at night. He could smell the last remnants of nature, just a few months before everything would be choked out in a cold white blanket. He closed the door behind him and went straight to bed. *** The morning came quickly, Bobby could feel the sun beating through the window and down onto his face before he was even awake. He fought the feeling, rolling over and throwing the blankets over his head. Why should he get up now? It was his day off and he had absolutely nothing to do. Sleeping until noon or one o'clock sounded like a good idea to him. Although, now that he thought about it, the sun sure did feel a little too hot for the early AM. He threw the blankets back off his head and stretched out to grab his phone that sat at the edge of the coffee table, his eyes squinting from the beam of sun that landed smack dab on his chin. It was 11:45 and he had 3 unread text messages. Breaking Code "Shit," he said out loud. He slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes, a reddened imprint of the couch covering a good majority of his chest. He flicked his phone back open and clicked the okay button, the first unread text message popping open -- it was Jesse with a simple Yo dude. He clicked next, this one was from his ex, he let out a sigh as he read through it -- a half-hearted apology, surprise surprise. This time he clicked delete, the message disappeared and the last one popped up, this time he smiled as he saw the sender, it was Lacy, a simple smiley face -- he checked the time it was sent, 7:12 AM this morning. She must've sent it before she left for class. He hesitated for a second and then flipped the phone shut, lightly tossing it on the coffee table and standing up, he gave himself a quick smell, definitely time for a shower -- he'd figure out what was up from the rest of the day while he washed yesterday away. *** It turned out to be nothing, 6 pm had rolled around and he had only left the house once, a quick trip to the grocery store an few hours earlier. He had definitely not made the best of this sunny Thursday. He grabbed a few things from the fridge, it was about time to make dinner and eat by himself, something that was definitely going to take some time to get used to. His ex took this opportunity to break her way back into his thoughts for the first time all day, a sudden mental flashback to the grocery store, all the times they used to go there and wander the aisles for hours, trying to pick out the perfect meal... and the cheapest. A small, almost foolish memory that now left a sour feeling at the pit of the stomach. It was usually the small things that hurt the worst, or so he guessed. It was the worst time to be thinking about that stuff, after all he was sober and alone. Ehrrrrr! His phone suddenly came to life, shimmying its way across the counter as it vibrated. He set down the knife and wiped his hands on the towel that lay next to the cutting board, the smell of garlic had taken over the kitchen. 1 New Message was displayed in small yellow text across the black background, probably just Jesse, he thought, remembering that he had never gotten back to him earlier, hadn't text anyone back for that matter. But it wasn't him, it Lacy again, this time just a Hey. What's up? he replied in perfect punctuation, something Jesse was always giving him shit for. 'Who does that?' he would joke. Not 2 much, u? Lacy didn't suffer from that same problem. Cooking dinner. What r u doing after? He took a second to think, nothing was the only thing he had planned for the night, so he sent it out - adding a you? at the end of it. Same. He hated that response. What was he supposed to say back to that? Cool? Was he supposed to invite her over? His Guy Code siren was flashing, that seemed like something he shouldn't do. He still didn't know how to feel about last night, that was definitely on the line, at least to him. He had never had the "is your sister off limits" conversation with Jesse, so he couldn't be sure, but usually those kind of talks were only brought up as a last resort -- after you had already committed the crime. Want some company? Sure. He played it cool. In all honesty, the whole Guy Code thing aside, he couldn't think of any reason he'd rather sit alone in an empty house. U Sure? Yeah. When are you coming over? He placed the phone down, still open, as he quickly chopped the rest of the garlic and threw it into a pan -- butter following it in. He clicked the stove on medium. When do u want me? Anytime. he replied, completely aware of the subtext. Have you eaten yet? he quickly followed it up with. Nope. Dinner should be done in 30 minutes. He glanced over at the pan, the sound and smell of garlic cooking continued filling the kitchen. Okay. :) He placed the phone down and got back to work. Dinner was just coming off the stove as their was a light knock on the door, and then it opened, Lacy stepped inside wearing a cute pink hoodie and gray sweats, definitely going for the comfortable look. He liked it. He noticed she had a Redbox DVD in her hand. "Good timing." "Smells awesome," she replied, kicking off her shoes and walking towards him. He grabbed a couple of plates from the cupboard and plated some food. It had turned out better than he thought it was going to, considering he had rushed it a little. But he had always liked cooking, ever since he was a young kid. He was always trying to come up with a great recipe from scratch, usually just burning a bunch of random stuff in his mom's favorite pan. "So, I grabbed a movie on my way. Thought maybe we could watch it?" She slide the small see-through case across the counter. "I hope you haven't seen it?" she added. He peered down, seeing Zombieland 2 written on the disc in large bold letters. "A girl after my heart," he said with a laugh. She shared the laugh. "I take that as a no?" She was anxiously biting her bottom lip. "Nope. I have definitely been meaning too, though." "Okay, good," she smiled again. "Wanna eat this in the living room or....?" he asked, grabbing out some silverware. "Wherever. Living room is fine." "Living room it is." He slid her plate towards her and grabbed his, along with the forks and knives and followed her into the living room. *** "That... was... amazing." Lacy said, just before sprawling out on the couch, rubbing her flat stomach slowly. "Thanks." "Where'd you learn to cook like that?" she asked. "You ever heard of Alton Brown?" "No." "What!?" he asked in mock-shock. "Am I supposed to?" she asked with a grin. "You've never just watched the Food Network for like four hours straight?" He was laughing. "What's wrong with you?". "What's wrong with me!?" Now it was her turn to play shocked. They both laughed. Bobby grabbed the plates and headed for the kitchen, still shaking his head. So far, so good, he thought -- if it wasn't for her, he probably would've been passed out on the couch, killing another night -- something he seemed to be doing too often lately. He quickly rinsed them off, the clatter of metal and glass cutting into the peaceful quiet of the house. "Ready for the movie?" he hollered out into the other room. A few seconds passed. "Yeah." He grabbed a few beers from the fridge and the movie off the counter and headed back in. Lacy was sitting back up, her phone in her hand, most likely texting someone. He heard the phone shut off and watched her putting it back into her purse. Nope, guess he was wrong again. He placed the two beers on the coffee table and put the movie in. He quickly sat back down, kicking his feet up and accidentally kicking his cell phone a few feet across the coffee table in the process. He felt Lacy move a little closer, getting comfortable for the movie. He reached back and clicked the light off as the blue FBI warning popped up on the TV screen. The movie rolled along and the beers emptied as zombie after zombie was killed. It was nearing the tail end of the movie when Bobby leaned forward and grabbed his beer, taking its final sip. He placed it back, accidentally clanking it against hers. When he sat back, he lay his arm across the back of the couch, and adjusted to get more comfortable, as he did this, Lacy inched her way closer, resting her head on his shoulder -- her hand resting on the couch cushion, a few inches from his leg. THE END splattered onto the screen in bloody special effects and the credits began to roll. Neither of them moved, neither of them said a word. Minutes ticked by, Lacy broke the nothingness by slowly moving her hand, running it along the outside of Bobby's pant leg. He noticed, but didn't look. He felt her hand slowly move from the outside of his jeans to his knee, she slid her slender fingers up his leg, towards his thigh, stopping before she got too far. Goosebumps ran up his right arm as some hard rock song blared over the end credits. What do I do? He was being torn by two different givens. On one hand, Lacy was definitely giving him a sign -- exactly what that was, he didn't know, but it was something. And on the other, Jesse shaking his head in disappointment was an image that Bobby was having a hard time shaking himself, which was surprising given the circumstances. As a guy, could he really pass up this opportunity, but by the same token, as a guy, could he really do his best friend dirty like this? While he was having yet another inner-struggle, Lacy had definitely made her mind up. As he glanced down at her, he saw she was looking at him. Their eyes met for a second and she leaned in, her eyes closing, her lips opening, coming in for the kill. He reached out and gently held her chin, he began to slowly lean his head towards her, their faces coming together. Bing-dinga-ding-ding! His awful ring tone was like a gun going off in library. It was froze both Lacy and Bobby. Bobby wasn't going to answer it, wasn't going to be that rude, especially with what was just about to happen. But it had the opposite effect on Lacy, she backed off, a warning light suddenly flashing in her face. "You can... go ahead, answer it." She said, her worlds kind of jumbled. She scooted back away from him, staring off towards the now blank TV. Bobby sighed as the phone went off again, the ring tone even more irritating this time. He leaned over, fumbling through the mess on the coffee table and grabbed his phone. As he brought it to his face and looked at the caller ID, a lump grew in his throat. It was Jesse. Shit. Apparently you could see it on his face, because as he looked at her, he saw nearly a mirror's image. He clicked talk, "Hello?" "Dude, where ya been? I tried texting a few times." Jesse sounded drunk. "Sorry man, didn't have my phone on me." Jesse hesitated, almost as if he knew that was only half true. "Oh. Well, what's up? Everyone still alive?" he asked, referring to the cats Bobby assumed. "Yeah, everything is going fine. How's Vegas?" "Nice, nice. It's awesome." Bobby peered over towards Lacy, she mouthed 'I'm gonna go.' "Wait." Bobby accidentally said out loud, he cringed. "What?" Jesse asked. "Nothing." A small patch of silence, which at this time could definitely be considered awkward. "Dude, did my sister ever stop over the other night?" "Yeah, for a few minutes. Why?" Bobby replied, Lacy was now on her feet and heading towards the kitchen. Bobby waved for her to stop. "Just making sure. Forgot to tell her I was leaving," Jesse laughed. "Well, I'll let you go, man. You seem busy. Just calling to check in." They exchanged goodbyes and hung up the phone. Bobby flipped his phone shut and threw on the couch. "Wait!" he hollered out, as Lacy had made her way into the kitchen. "Where you going?" "Home. I forgot I have homework to do." "Bullshit. Don't give me that fake line." Bobby wasn't buying it, that was stuff that happened in terrible romantic comedies. "Sorry." She was putting on her shoes. "I just think I should go. I'm not mad, don't worry. I should just go." What could Bobby say? Nothing. She was right, the best thing for her to do would be to leave, get out of there before things went any further. But he didn't want her to, not now. "You sure?" Was his weak attempt at stopping her. "Yeah. I'll text you tomorrow or something." Things had definitely taken a nose dive and quickly. Kind of funny that it was all because of her old brother, Bobby's best friend, calling. "Okay." Bobby didn't know what to say. He was still in shock. That might've been a new personal record for things going from really good to shit. Lacy gave him a half-hearted wave goodbye and walked out the door. He stood there, knowing why she had done it, part of him glad she had, but part of him wishing she hadn't. *** An annoying Hawaiian-themed alarm woke Bobby from a pretty crazy dream he was having. He just lay there for a moment, half confused as to why he had even set an alarm, half dead from sleeping on a couch for the past week. Why he had slept there instead of the comfortable bed that was less than twenty-five feet away was beyond him. Actually it wasn't, that was just another chapter of Guy Code. You didn't sleep in another man's bed when he wasn't home (and especially if he was home), no matter if you changed the sheets or not. Just not cool. Finally, after taking just about as much ukulele as he could, he reached over and grabbed his phone, clicking the off button. That's when he noticed it was Sunday, the past few days going by in a haze of cheap beer and Playstation 3, and realized the reason he had set the alarm was to pick up after the bomb that had gone off in the apartment. He glanced back at the time, 3:00 PM, who sets an alarm for 3 in the afternoon he thought, Jesse would be home in three hours -- time to bust out the broom and get his lazy ass to business. Visions of those cleaning montages from movies, complete with terribly corny music played through his head as he cleared the coffee table of the dozen or so beer bottles, each crying out in a loud glass-to-glass scream as they crashed into the bottle bin together. Vacuuming was next, this involved sucking up a large pile of Cheetos dust and a few swipes at the cats, who just couldn't understand what the hell was happening and what-in-the-fuck was making that God-awful noise. With the living room done, he moved onto the kitchen, which was by far the worst room -- this had it all, old smelly dishes, over-flowing trash and what he believed was a pile of cat puke a few feet from the oven door but wasn't one-hundred percent on that. "Seriously?" Bobby asked the cat that was currently sniffing. Please don't eat that, oh wait... the cat caught one whiff of it and ran off. Bobby busted his ass, trying to get the rest of the apartment clean, time was running low and so was his motivation. He cruised through the dishes, trying his best to not think about Lacy as he washed up from the night she had come over. He didn't know if it was sweet that he thought of her over something so minor or just gross that it had been three days and he still hadn't washed those plates yet. Probably the latter, he thought, shaking the thoughts from his head as fast as he could and continuing on. A quick glance at the stove's clock revealed it to be 5:29, quite possibly the fastest two and a half hours of Bobby's life. Jesse would be arriving in thirty minutes, give or take a few, which gave Bobby time enough to take a shower and maybe throw in a load of laundry. As he dried off his hands and headed towards the bathroom, he felt like he was Jesse's stay-at-home girlfriend, a thought that caused him to laugh out loud as he grabbed for a towel and turned the water on. As the hot water rained down, pelting his skin, the sound of the water hitting the shower floor was the only thing that separated Bobby from total silence. That, plus lack of TV or music caused his mind to wander. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what road it was heading down and at what speed. Lacy. He hadn't thought too much about it since it happened. And by that, he meant he had only thought of it a handful of times a day, the rest of the time was spent drunk and roaming through LittleBigPlanet with his black video game controller. He understood why she had done it, a moment of weakness, rocked back to reality when her big brother called his best friend and stopped things cold -- but he was a little shocked she hadn't even texted, not even a "hey". No calls or live appearances was understandable -- but a texting was about as least personal as communicating got, right there with email, no reason she couldn't have done that. He hadn't because, well, he was waiting for her to. The shower finished up, his mind still stuck in her neighborhood, he dried himself off, wondering what he should do, if anything, about it. "I'm home!" A loud voice called from the kitchen. It was Jesse and that was the second time he had interrupted Lacy and himself. Maybe that was a sign? "Hold up!" He called back out, throwing on some clothes and heading out of the bathroom. Jesse stood at the door, a large suitcase at his feet, one of the cats in his arms as Bobby rounded the corner. "What's up man, how was your flight?" Bobby asked, running his hand through is short, still-damp hair. "Too long. You know. Lacy not here?" Jesse seemed sincerely surprised by that. "No.. why, was she supposed to be?" An uncomfortable feeling crawling its way up Bobby's spine. "Nah, just thought she'd wanna welcome big brother home." The cat leaped from his chest and onto the floor, scurrying its way towards the living room. "Probably would've helped if I told her I was leaving in the first place," he finished with a laugh. "Yeah." Bobby was hoping the subject would change and do it quickly. "Anyways, dude, what are you doing tonight?" "Nothing..." Bobby never had plans, well not recently. He knew where this conversation was headed. "Me, you.... Rocky's. You down?" Jesse asked as he grabbed his suitcase, walking passed Bobby and towards his room. Yep, he was right. Jesse practically lived at the bar. It definitely wasn't in Bobby's top ten, but what was going to be his excuse for saying no? He followed behind Jesse, stopping at the edge of the living room as Jesse passed and stepped into his bedroom. "Come on, man. You don't have an 'ole lady anymore... no excuses, dude," Jesse yelled out from his room. Asshole, Bobby thought jokingly. He got him, there wasn't a damn thing he could say to stop this from happening. Jesse was one of the most persuasive people he had ever met, sometimes he wondered if he even wanted to be friends with him in the first place, or had he just convinced him of that too? Bobby smiled to himself, it quickly fading as Jesse stepped back out of his room, this time dressed in something completely different. Damn, that was fast. "So, what's it gonna be?" "What do you think?" Bobby answered sarcastically. "That's my man, right there." Jesse headed for the fridge, cracking a "warm up" beer. You say that now... "I'll take one of those, let me just go freshen up." Bobby said, killing off his thought and heading off towards the bathroom. He slapped on a quick layer of deodorant and a couple squirts of whatever the hell the cologne in the medicine cabinet was. He smelled okay, that's all that mattered. Bobby was back out in the kitchen in a few seconds, cracking his beer open and taking a large sip of it. He needed to drink a good dozen or so of these to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling he still hadn't been able to shake, no matter how hard he tried. He also couldn't get Lacy off his mind again, which was definitely what was causing the first problem. Another big sip, and then another. He glanced over toward Jesse to see him messing with his phone. "When we headed out?" Bobby broke the silence. It took a few seconds for Jesse to look up from his phone, "Uhh... I don't know, half hour or so. Might as well start early." He gave a half-hearted laugh before returning his attention back to the phone. "Okay..." Bobby started, an idea popping to his head, a completely stupid idea that was sure to only make things worse. "... I'll meet you there, I gotta make a quick run." He finished, hoping Jesse would go along with it, knowing he would. "Yeah, sure. Thirty minutes, Rocky's. See you there." It helped that he was only half paying attention. Bobby kicked on his shoes and grabbed his hoodie from the coat rack, sliding it over his head and he exited the apartment. It was definitely cooler that night, he could almost see his breath as the day began to turn to night. He walked down the walkway, his pace a little higher than normal, the idea hanging in his head like a broken wind chime. Why was he about to do this? Should he text first? These are questions you'd usually like to have definite answers to before just driving over to a girl's house and finding out where things stand face-to-face. But that wasn't Bobby's style, well thought out, planned, never. He fired up his car, a quick shift to drive and he was off. Luckily she had mentioned her address the night things went south, before they had gone that way -- it would've been pretty awkward to have to ask now 'where do you live',' oh why you ask,'' well I'm headed there now, that cool?'. Breaking Code It was a short drive, just a couple of streets from Jesse's house -- a right, a left and another right to be exact. He saw 251 in black letters next to the door, green siding with black shutters just like she had said. He felt his heart race, a light shaking sensation in his arms and legs. He was actually nervous, for what had to be the first time in years, especially when it didn't involve public speaking. He had hoped the days of girls turning him into a nervous little school girl had passed with high school. No such luck, he guessed. He clicked off the car, wondering if she had heard him pull up, wondered is she was looking out the window right now. He didn't see anyone. He took a couple of deep breaths and got out the car, no game plan, he was just going to wing it. The walk from the driver's side door to the front door of the apartment felt like a million miles -- all sorts of weird scenarios came crashing into his head. What if she had a guy in there with her? What if her mom was paying a visit? How would he explain that? What about her friends? Surprisingly none of these crazy thoughts caused his feet to stop moving. Plus, he didn't notice any cars in the driveway, always a good sign. He finally arrived at the front door, two more deep breaths, it was now or never. Knock, knock! He waited, his mind racing. Seconds passed, nothing. Come on, PLEASE be home. Another few seconds, he exhaled, a small puff of white floating out in front of him. The door handle turned, the sound echoing out into the night's hair, a fraction of a second and the door was opening, he saw Lacy standing there, she was definitely shocked to see him. Good shock, bad shock? He was about to find out. "Bobby..." her tone was unreadable. "Hey..." She took a step out the door, shutting it gently behind her. "What are you do...." And without a second thought, he leaned in and kissed her, catching her totally off guard, a small whimper jumping from her mouth. Their lips touching for the first time. He gently grabbed her lip with his, and then what he had hoped for, happened. He felt her lean in and kiss him back. Their lips wrestling with each other for a few seconds, their eyes shut, he brought his hand to her face, gently holding it, before pulling back, a look of shock on her face, her lips still slightly parted. "I've gotta go... TEXT ME LATER!" he said, yelling the last part as he darted off the steps and back towards his car, leaving Lacy completely speechless. He gave her a smile and a quick wave goodbye as he ducked his head into his car and started the ignition -- the car roared to life. He did a quick one-eighty, heading back the way he had came, back towards the bar, back to Jesse. A slight cringe at that thought, he snuck a peek out the driver's side window as he drove off, Lacy still standing there -- shocked, confused and hopefully a little tingly. The last part was a long shot, but a guy could dream, right? He made it to the bar a few minutes late, forgetting that he had left his wallet on the coffee table at Jesse's. He opened the door and stepped in, the smell of sadness and shame suddenly wafting over him -- yep, it smelled like a bar alright. Some loud, unrecognizable song blared over the sound system as Bobby eyed around the bar for Jesse. As he looked around, he saw a few regulars but considering it was a Sunday night, the place was kind of dead -- just the way he liked it. A few more steps in and he saw Jesse taking a shot with someone he had never seen, a cute little Puerto Rican chick, who had a cute little blonde friend to match. He walked over and plopped down on the stool next to him. Jesse downed the shot and then slapped his hand against Bobby's back. "Dude. This is Laura," Jesse said, pointing to the blonde, she mouthed 'hi' and Bobby jutted his hand out, which she took with a quick shake and then he was introducing the other one. "And this is Isabel." He gave her the same routine. "Shots!" Jesse hollered out and the bartender brought four shots of something brown. Bobby didn't care what it was, he grabbed it and slammed it down, the shot glass following suit against the wooden bar. He sucked in, the oh-shit face smeared across his features. Whatever that was, it was definitely high-proof. He looked over at the girls, who surprisingly were taking them well, he felt like such a light weight. Jesse ordered another round -- wham, bam and holy shit. He was not built for shots, not anymore, not after the long dry period he liked to refer to as the "Rachel experiment". She was a sweet girl, but him plus her plus drinking was a bad idea -- someone was more than likely taking a trip to the ER or Planned Parenthood after one of those nights. Thankfully that was all over now and his liver had paid for it dearly. "Another!?" Jesse hollered out, Bobby only half hearing him. That didn't matter, another one was slid his way. He downed it, his lips were numb by now, intoxication had definitely begun to coil around him like a large snake. He shook his head, looking over at the happy threesome, surprised that he couldn't care less that he wasn't getting any attention -- something that usually bothered him greatly in situations like this. But there was a reason he was fine with it, a cute little brunette reason. He ordered a beer, hoping Jesse would see it and stop with the shots nonsense. As he took the first sip, he felt a tap on his should, it was blonde girl -- Laura, he believed -- she leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Wanna dance?" As cute as she was, those words sounded like 'Wanna eat shards of glass?' to him. He HATED dancing, well, he couldn't dance and that made him hate it, was more like it. "I'm good, thanks..." Bobby replied. She gave him a fake sad face, not happening hunny, sorry. He turned around and took another sip of his beer, still feeling the alcohol from the shots coursing through his veins. "Dance with the nice lady!" Jesse hollered out, drunk, his words just beginning to slur. Mr. Persuasive was at it again, what the hell, he took one last swig of his beer and stood up. Blonde Laura grabbed his hand and walked him out towards an empty spot on the dance floor, at least there's not too many people he thought as he looked around, a good number of the people that were there when he had arrived had left and not many new people had shown up. As she began to dance he did what all guys should when dancing at a bar, not much. He let her do the dancing and did the least he possibly could while still maintaining motion throughout. He watched and felt as she grinded on him, the smell of her rising into his nostrils, the feel of her felt nice but something was amiss, something just wasn't right. And everyone knew it, probably even Jesse, who had joined them out on the floor with Isabel, he just couldn't know why. Thankfully. Bobby's mind wandered as Laura's hands did the same, some terrible song playing louder than it should ever be allowed to. The song ended and the four of them made their way back towards the bar. Jesse stopped Bobby a short distance away, looked like it was time for drunk guy talk, he usually enjoyed drunk guy talk. But, under the current circumstances, it did give a weird tingling in his stomach. "What do you think of Laura? Hot, right?" Jesse said quite a bit above a whisper. "Yeah, definitely cute." "Ready to bring 'em back? Have some real fun." Jesse shot a glance back to make sure they couldn't hear, probably not caring either way. "I dunno, man." How was Bobby going to explain his hesitation? "Dude, she ain't coming back. You're free. Do you. Like old times, man," Jesse stated bluntly. Like a hay maker to the ego, Bobby was stunned. "I'm good. Bring 'em both back, do YOU," Bobby replied with a laugh and headed towards the bar. "Shots!" It was Bobby hollering it out this time. And the shots came, lots of them. Monday morning afternoon came way too early for Bobby and he assumed Jesse as well. He was ninety percent sure that if he tried to piss, a puff of dust is all that would exit the end of his dick. He could feel his skin tight to his bones, feeling leathery like the face of the older ladies that still, for some reason, trolled the bars for guys. Not a pretty sight. He attempted to push himself to his feet, instantly feeling wobbly and collapsed back down on the couch. He gagged a little, fuck, he needed some McDonalds and he needed it fast! He could also use a cup of orange juice, but the fridge was so, so far away at the moment. He threw the blankets back over his head and closed his eyes, hoping the headache would eventually go away. He quickly fell back asleep. Bobby woke up a few hours later, still dry as week-old dog shit but the headache had waned a little. He was able to sit up much easier this time and stay there, the wooziness kept at bay by the large amount of sleep he had just enjoyed. He looked for his phone on the coffee table, not there, uh oh, he grabbed his pants off of the floor and checked the pockets. Phew. There in the right front pocket was his phone, complete with the incriminating texts he still hadn't deleted. He flipped it open, holy shit, 14 new text messages. He started reading through them. The first few were from the Laura chick, who was obviously drunk texting, from where he had no idea. He didn't see her sleeping anywhere. They were dirty, poorly written text messages. He shook his head and laughed and then quickly deleted them. After a half dozen of those he finally ran into one he had hoped would be there. Lacy had texted Hey, r u up? - he checked the send time, 7:45 AM. It was now 4:42 PM. Shit. He clicked next, another one from Lacy -- Text me please. :) - that one at 8:12. The next two were from Laura, apologizing for the first texts and one from Jesse that just said he. Bobby laughed again. He clicked back to Lacy's second text and responded with a Hey :) - breaking the man rule of never texting anything with a smiley attached. But it could be their little secret, no one had to know. Bobby put the phone down and jumped up, nearly running to the bathroom. He picked up the toilet seat, unholstered his little friend and let loose. He was surprised when he actually heard liquid hitting the water below. A flush, a quick wash of the hands and he was headed back towards the couch, the message tone going off before he could make it back. Where r u? Your brothers. Can I see you tonite? It didn't matter that she had ended "tonight" with an "ite", he was just so happy she spelled out 'see' instead of just using the letter. That was almost enough to make him tear up, almost. Of course. Your place? Knowing damn well it couldn't be here. Yes. 9ish? See you then. :) He broke the rule again, he was either catching feelings or the hangover was making him especially girly this Monday afternoon. K. :* It took Bobby a second to figure out what the hell that was, before guessing a kiss and sticking with it. He had seemingly left the impression he had hoped for. It was now five, he had plenty of time to get showered and dressed -- but how was he going to leave without causing suspicion? Hopefully Jesse had hit it twice as hard as he had and wouldn't be getting up until Tuesday. That was known to happen around this place. Bobby shit, showered, shaved, dressed, got something to eat, took some Tylenol and drank a half gallon of water -- almost in that exact order and with time to spare. He dolled himself up a little with deodorant and the same stuff he had sprayed on himself before hitting the bars the night before. He looked like a million bucks, or a crumpled up twenty dollar bill. He couldn't be sure. Breath check and it was time to go, he was a little early but that was probably a good thing. Best thing of all? After all of that, he still hadn't heard a peep from Jesse's room. Which, as he got into his car and started it up, made him wonder if he should run in and check for a pulse? He shrugged it off and pulled away, his destination Lacy's apartment where he'd be breaking code, no doubt. He pulled up in the same spot as the night before, with similar intentions and smelling exactly the same -- Déjà vu. He popped out of his car, nervous but definitely a toned down level from the night before. At the door he gave himself a final breath check and knocked on the door. Lacy answered it in half the time as before and looked amazing -- having definitely dolled herself up a little as well. She gave him a huge smile, that could easily light up the dark side of the moon. He stepped in, looking around, taking in everything. It was a cute place, much more girly than Jesse's and it smelled a hell of a lot better. He was guessing she didn't have cats, smelly little fuckers. "Hi," Lacy sounded nervous this time. Bobby liked that the tables were turned for a change. "Hey," his voice coming out smooth. "I just wanna say I'm..." "No need. I understood," he said, interrupting her. He made his way a little closer. A nervous laugh. "Do you want something to drink?" "Yeah. What do you have?" Bobby asked, following her out of the main room and into the kitchen. She opened the fridge door, leaning down to take a look. "Uhm... Pepsi, Sunny-D and... iced-tea. Sorry, no beer." Another cute little laugh. She stood up, the fridge door slightly ajar, waiting for his response. He didn't answer, he took advantage of their close proximity and leaned in to steal another kiss. He was becoming a pro at this now, and his timing, never better. Their lips met, she closed the fridge door with her free hand, the other grabbing at the front of his shirt. He gently pushed her backwards so that she rested against the fridge. This time the kissing was stronger, longer, something else behind it that wasn't there before. Privacy? Time? It didn't matter at that moment. Bobby pulled back, grabbing for Lacy's hand and leading her out of the kitchen. She squeezed his hand tightly as they rounded the corner, passing back through the main room again briefly, he walked down a small hallway, hoping it lead to somewhere comfortable. A small living room, good enough. He sat down on the couch and pulled her down on top of him. This time she was the aggressor, bringing her lips to his for just a second, before letting them wander towards his ear lobes and then his neck. A tingling sensation ran down his spine, causing goosebumps to cover his entire body. Pressure began to build. He reached out, grabbing the zipper to her hoodie and pulling. It undid with ease, revealing a cute white top, a strong burst of her sweet smell coming out as he did this. She stopped kissing and removed the hoodie, tossing it blindly behind her. Bobby watched as it narrowly missed a burning candle, landing a few feet away on an old PC. The screen flashing bright, the screen saver having been interrupted. Bobby grabbed the waistband of his boxer briefs and tugged them to the floor, kicking them and his pants free from around his ankles, never taking his eyes off of her. Lacy quickly removed her bra and straddled him, licking her fingers a few times, rubbing the wetness around the head of his penis. She then grabbed him with her soft hand and positioned him just right. His eyes were locked onto her face, he watched as she closed her eyes, her mouth opening slightly as she slid down onto him, a soft moan escaping her lips. It was like a vice, he struggled to get all of himself into her. She moaned again, this time following it almost instantly with a kiss. Their lips coming together, a few soft kisses before she grabbed his lip between her teeth, gently pulling on it as Bobby ran his hands slowly down her sides. His hands came to rest at her hips, he squeezed them -- pulling her up and then back down again. He continued this, each time pulling her a little higher up and pulling her back down a little faster. Her hands made their way to Bobby's shoulders, where she squeezed, taking control, slowing the pace down. Long, slow strokes. Bobby placed his hand on the nape of her neck and pulled her closer. He began to kiss her again, his tongue dancing with hers. He pulled back for a second and smiled at her. Her face was reddened and sweaty but still incredibly beautiful, she bit her bottom lip as she continued to ride him. He brought his lips back to her, this time on her neck and was rewarded with another small groan, she sucked the air between her teeth. He worked his way down her neck and across her collar bone, her skin tasted sweet and smelt like her coconut body wash. Bobby's mouth found one of her nipples, he took it in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it as he gently sucked in. He did the same to the other. She bucked her hips, her wetness running down his thighs. He leaned back, watching her as she fucked him, her hard nipples jetting out at him, her toned stomach tensing and relaxing with each thrust. "I'm close," she breathed in his ear, leaning her chest against his. His hands found a familiar position at her sides and, again he squeezed, meeting her thrusts with his. Her moans and the sound of their bodies coming together filled the small room. He pulled her nearly weightless body above him, pulling her so just his head remained in her and then brought her back down with force, burying himself inside her. He did this again... and again... again. "I'm... I'm coming," she gasped, her voice strained, her breaths heavy. He felt her insides tighten around him, her body tensing, her breathing erratic - she screamed out. As she did so, she leaned in and clamped her lips around his, her moans filling his mouth. Her movements slowing, eventually stopping altogether. "Are... you close?" she asked in between deep breaths. Bobby opened his mouth to answer... And suddenly they could hear the front door open and footsteps. "What the fuck!?" he heard someone yell from behind him. Bobby saw Lacy's face, knew who it was before he even turned around. Standing in the doorway was Jesse.