Silver Lining Playbook

I wish I could take credit for any of the damage inflicted on him. His brush burned face, knees, and hands. His swollen, bloody, and oozing nose. His scrapped chin and fat lip. Any of it. I wanted to be the reason he was howling in pain, but no, I couldn't. In reality, the only time my hands touched Liam was to help pick him up off the ground and help carry his sorry ass back inside.

In his inebriated haze, Liam started running in the dark, without looking down. He missed a step and more or less belly flopped onto the gritty surface of the dock. I watched his face hit the planks and recoil from the impact. With the wind knocked out of him, he grunted and groaned like a wounded animal for the longest time. Finally, when he rolled over and exposed the blood dripping from his nose, it seemed to make up for everything he had done.

*****

Most of the lights inside the cottage turned on when Lauren's scream rattled through the place. She wasn't happy to see her husband bleeding, and the first thing she did was look down at my fist for the telltale signs of a brawl, but that wasn't the case. She knew I wasn't that kind of guy, yet she still checked.

Whistling a joyous tune, as I left poor, bloody, Liam to the women for repairs and happily made my way back to the boathouse.

The room was dark, but I knew Haley was awake. Wide awake.

I used the washroom to wash my hands and check myself for blood splatters, and I was good to go. Looking at the small clock on the nightstand, I realized that everything had happened in less than 20 minutes.

For the second time that night, I climbed into bed and covered myself up.

Minutes later, the touch of Haley's warm hand snaking itself under my arm made me jump. She kept moving until her palm came to rest on my chest. I could feel her body moving under the sheets as she got closer. With the lightest of touches, her lips kissed the back of my shoulder.

"My hero," came out of the darkness in a soft childish voice. "Saving me from the Big Bad Wolf."

"I guess we're even," I told her. Referencing the party where she told me that I owed her.

*****

Unlike Saturday morning, Haley was still in bed when I woke up.

I didn't wake due to her moving or snoring. It wasn't because she was hogging the blankets. There wasn't noise coming from outside or the lake. No, it wasn't any of those things. It was due to a couple of things. The first being that her head was using the same pillow as I was, and... well...I could smell her. I could smell the soft powdery scent of her soap or perfume. I could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo. I could even smell the traces of morning breath from someone who had some wine before bed. And I loved every second of it.

But the main reason I woke up, was the feel of her soft, warm skin touching mine. When Haley moved her head onto my pillow, her body must have shifted, and now it was touching mine from foot to shoulder. And it was naked.

The sheets and blanket had shifted. It now left my bedmate exposed. Her naked shoulder. Her naked back and backside. The sleek leg that rubbed against me. It was all naked.

I wanted it all, but I knew that I needed to leave.

So, not wanting to disturb my bedmate, I stayed motionless on my back. I tried. I tried as hard as I could. I thought of everything other than her or sex. I thought about every time a sports team had let me down. I thought about when I was young and found out that there wasn't a Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. I thought about it all, but nothing worked.

Her scent. The feel of her touch. Knowing that she was naked beside me. They all ganged up on me. They attacked my brain and sent every impure thought they could to my penis. And there wasn't a thing I could do to battle those forces.

In a matter of minutes, I was in bed with a hardon.

There I was, at the wedding getaway of my best-friend and his future bride. At her parent's cottage no less. And I was beside her in bed. Yes, I was once again in the same bed with his extremely crazy future sister-in-law, and I had a boner. Not just any boner. No, this one was screaming for and in need of attention.

*****

As stealthily as humanly possible, I pulled back the covers and climbed out of bed. I made it to the bathroom without disturbing Haley. Closing the door, I pushed the...nothing. There was nothing to push. No lock. No latch. No hasp. Nothing. The bathroom didn't have anything to secure the door against unwanted intruders.

Weighing my options, I quickly ran the numbers and percentages. It was worth the risk.

Turning the water to mid heat, I closed the heavy glass door of the shower and used the only bar of soap near me to lather up my still hard cock.

The powerful spray of water caressed my neck while my hand tugged my soapy shaft.

Every vision of her beauty, naked or clothed raced through my head. I could clearly picture her arched back, perky boobs and the lacy panties covering her firm ass as she watched Morgan and Alex. But that wasn't all. No, I was also captivated by her humor. Her wit. Her craziness. All of it. The entire package was what I was using to get myself off.

This wasn't the first time I had jerked off in a shower. But knowing Haley was just a few feet away from me made it one of the best.

My curled hand could feel the pulsing of the blood that filled my cock. It could also sense the end was near. It knew I was about to coat the gray tiles in front of me with a load of white cream.

Putting my hand on the stone tile, I leaned forward and placed my forehead on the back of my hand. Four, maybe five tugs later, it was the end of the line.

Cum blasted out of me and coated the stone wall. A sustained grunt and groan were all I allowed myself. In any other place or in any other world, I would have screamed out in joy at the top of my lungs.

"Impressive."

When Haley spoke, I think I may have also shit in the shower stall.

She was still naked. Sitting on the toilet, she was peeing. I couldn't hear her over the spray of water coming out of the showerhead, but I knew what she was doing, and she wasn't at all embarrassed.

There was nowhere to hide. Even with my back to her, all she needed to do was lean forward to get a look at me.

"What the fuck, Haley?" I yelled out of pure embarrassment.

"What the fuck, what?" she said as she dabbed her pussy with some rolled up toilet paper. "Look buddy, don't be giving me any shit. I didn't tell you to come in here and do...well...what you were doing."

She stood up and stretched. I had the perfect view of her sexy slender body. There wasn't a single chance that my erection was going anywhere, anytime soon.

"Really?"

"Really, what, Tyler. I came in here to tell you to move your ass, but you were moving something else. And, well, I had to pee. So, here we are." She looked down at my crotch and smiled. "Move it. They called and said breakfast was in twenty minutes, and that was ten minutes ago."

*****

Filled with shame, I met Haley up at the house.

I was surprised that no one gave me any odd or weird looks when I walked in the door, so she must not have told anyone what had happened at the boathouse, or they were too consumed with the missing couple. Yeah, Lauren and Liam were nowhere in sight.

Making a plate, I headed for an empty spot near Doug. He smiled when I sat, then looked around to see who could hear us.

"Boy, do you ever miss the shitshow last night. Where are you sleeping?" he asked.

"In the boathouse. Why, what happened?"

"That dick comes in the house all bloodied up. I hear a blood curdling scream, and all of a sudden, the girls are crying because they think he got beaten up, but you can see by his knees, hands and face that he ate shit." He did another double take of the room to ensure privacy. "And just when they get the asshole cleaned-up, and things get calmed down, the real fun starts."

"Fun?" I was a bit puzzled.

"Yeah. I'm not kidding. Everyone got back to sleep, and the shit hit the fan. Bitches are screaming and fighting. Liam's on the ground holding his nuts, crying like a baby. I had to sit on Lauren. Man, I thought she was gonna kill him." Doug was trying not to laugh when he was telling the story.

"Okay. What the hell am I missing?"

"You remember Liz? Morgan's friend? She was at their engagement party."

"Yeah."

"She showed up here last night."

"No way!"

"Yeah man. Apparently, she's met with Liam before. Decided to crash the party. Drove in from Minni late last night, and..." He did another check for safety purposes and continued. "And, well let's just say that Lauren caught him balls deep in good old Liz." He spit a bit of his orange juice out because he couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "Yeah, they were doing it in the hall bathroom. Man, the fur was flying seconds later. All the screaming scared the shit out of Alex. He came bustin out of his room buck naked. When we broke everyone up, him, asshole Liam, and that Liz chick are all standing in the hall without a stitch of fucking clothes on. I kid you not. And I gotta tell yah, it was funny as fuck."

"Where are they now?" I asked through a laugh.

"Oh, they scrammed immediately. Lauren raced out of here screaming and crying. I'm not too sure, but I think that Liz and Liam left together, but like I said, I'm not positive."

Doug's story about the night before didn't make me happy, but it sure as hell didn't make me sad.

For Lauren, it appeared that the fickle finger of fate had turned upon itself.

*****

Nerves and tension had an effect on us all.

As the actual wedding date grew closer, Alex seemed to on edge. He was biting the heads off the people we work with, and that was never his style. By the time it was just days away, he was unbearable.

"What's up with you?" I asked, knowing I'd get an earful.

"I'm sick of it. All this bullshit. Nobody has a fucking clue..."

"Not work. I don't give a shit about work. I mean you. What's up with you?" Alex looked at his shoes for the answer, but it wasn't there. I checked my phone. 11:15 am. It was a bit early, but the timing was right. "Harry, if anyone comes looking, tell them that Alex and I took an early lunch."

At our favorite lunch spot, we ordered a couple of iced teas and bacon cheeseburgers. The fresh cut fries came as a side, whether you ordered them or not.

Sitting in silence, I didn't push my friend, but finally, he opened up.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?".

"If you mean marrying a beautiful woman that you love more than anything in the world. One that loves you back even more, then yeah, you're doing the right thing."

"I don't know Tyler, what if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work, you fix it. You do whatever it takes, and you fix it. You and Morgan are meant to be together. Don't over think it. Just be happy you found each other and live everyday just like you have so far. Because I'll tell you right now, if you walk away from it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Our conversation lasted well into the afternoon. Neither of us went back to the office.

"Come on, let's go for a walk," I suggested.

Strolling downtown, we stopped at a few pubs and then a few more. Finally ending up at the ballpark, we went in to watch the last game the Twins would play at home while Alex was a single man.

By the third inning, Alex's suit looked like he had lived in it for months. Beer and mustard stains coated his jacket and pieces of popcorn were everywhere else.

I shot Morgan a text to let her know her man was safe. She was relieved and arranged to pick Alex up at my place when we got there.

As the game wound down, I came up with an idea.

"Hey, why don't you stay at my place tonight? We'll play some pool and have a couple beers. We'll call in tomorrow and go play a round of that stupid game you like. That way, you'll already be there for Friday."

Alex had made plans to sleep at my place the night before the wedding anyway, so why not add a few more nights. Plus, him staying at my place would give Morgan a break.

The alternative text was sent, and Morgan responded immediately. She was still going to meet us at my place, only now, she was bringing him some clothes.

*****

We didn't need to call an UBER. Taxis always lined the streets after a game, so we hopped into the first available one and made our way to my place.

I tried to explain to Alex that we were going there, but he kept insisting that we stop at a pub.

He wouldn't let up until we pulled into the parking area of my complex, and he smiled when he saw Morgan and Haley standing outside of her car, leaning on the hood. They were waiting for us.

"Baby..." he called out as he raced over to his future wife.

He embraced her. Lifting her feet off the ground and spun her in circles.

"How come you never do that to me?" Haley asked with a smile as I walked up to her.

"Because you'd probably punch me.".

"Maybe you should try sometime, just to find out."

With his girl at his side, Alex was suddenly feeling better about himself, so he suggested that we all go to Brit's Pub. The place where he and Morgan first met.

It was late, but I knew Alex and I were taking Thursday off work, so it didn't cause me any concern. But Morgan tried to talk him out of it.

"Baby, I have a full day tomorrow. While you're out smacking balls around, I'll be trying to get pretty for you. I want you to be proud of who you are marrying. Proud of how beautiful I am when you watch me walk down the aisle."

"Really? I'll buy the first round. Any more of that lovey dovey shit, and I'll puke before we get there."

Haley's chirp ruined the moment for her sister.

*****

Everyone ordered drinks. Mine happened to be pop, but it was a drink.

Even though he was full of lunch and ballpark hotdogs, Alex ordered Scotch Eggs and some other appetizers for the table.

With the Pogues and the Waterboys serenading us for most of the night, we spent our time together, talking and laughing. It was clear that Alex had forgotten why he was worried. He and Morgan were in love.

"Macallan's 18," he called out to our server and twirled his hand to indicate a round for the table. It was the infamous shot that started it all.

It was the first time just the four of us sat together. I was going to make a toast, but Alex beat me to it.

"To friends, family and everlasting love."

With the touch of glass to glass, we all tasted the overpriced whiskey.

Alex and Morgan took off to wander the bar, and Haley and I stayed behind, picking at the food.

"That was nice," she said looking at me. "Didn't hurt the 'Love you till the end' was playing in the background. Alex, that lucky bastard. He must have requested that tune."

"Nope. I think it was fate. He always has had impeccable timing."

"Right." she agreed.

Reaching over, I swapped my glass of Scotland's best with Alex's. I didn't think he needed anymore, but it was a waste on me.

"I didn't know that you drank," Haley said.

"Not lots. I keep it down to a couple. And only when I want one. I had a few beers at the game today." I looked at her and basically said the same thing. "I didn't know you drank either."

"Yeah. I like some things. Not this shit." She held up the shot glass. "But I drink. I mean, I've never not drank, but just not too often."

"I see."

Haley did the same thing to her glass as I did to mine. Then she turned Morgan's empty shot glass upside down on the table.

Last call came and went.

No one would be driving. So, we called our old standby.

The UBER dropped us off, and there were no questions or discussions about the sleeping arrangements. Everyone loaded into the elevator, and we headed upstairs.

Alex opened the fridge, opened two beers, handed me one, and broke the triangle of colorful balls, spreading them across the smooth black felt. We were going to play a bit of 9-ball before bed.

"Fuck buddy. You came to my rescue today. You really saved my life," he said as the lined up a striped ball.

I grinned and shook my head. I could do the same thing for him over and over for the next ten years, and still not pay him back for what he'd done to save me.

A pair of games flew by. Alex cried foul, claiming I won by home table advantage. He wasn't wrong, but he had always sucked at pool, and I took pleasure in reminding him.

"Night boys." Morgan came down the hall. Her hair still damp with her body wrapped only in an oversized towel. She kissed Alex on the lips, and me on the cheek. Turning back to Alex, she said the words that I knew would end our night of pool. "Don't keep me waiting too long, or I might fall to sleep."

Alex tipped back his bottle and drained it. Looking at me he smiled, put his cue in the rack, and said, "Sorry buddy. As much as I love you, I just got a better offer."

Indeed, he had.

There wasn't any guessing to be had. There was a lump under the covers of my bed. The shower was still wet, and a damp towel hung over the drying peg. Haley was already in bed.

My shower was quick enough. I rinsed off the long day of sweat and beer, then brushed my teeth.

Switching off the light to throw the room into near total darkness, I climbed into bed and chuckled at the noises coming from next door.

"They're like rabbits. That's three times in a row when we're together. We must be their lucky fuck charms," Haley said from her side of the bed.

"Seems like."

Her long hair was like that of her sister's. It was still damp, and splayed out over her pillow and mine.

My finger found her shoulder and poked her.

"Just so you know, you're on my side," I told her.

"It's my side tonight buddy," she said happily.

"Oh yeah? Let's see how that works out for you. I always lay on my left side and hug a pillow with my right arm. So, if you plan on sleeping in my bed, on my side, then you should be made aware that you're in the hug zone."

I could feel her ass and body wiggling and adjusting. I thought she was about to move to the other side of the bed, but no, she was making herself more comfortable.

"Hug away big boy."

There was no way I would ever win this battle, so I pulled the spare pillow between us. Leaned forward in the dark and dropped my arm over her belly as a joke. I moved my head and planned to kiss her shoulder, but I misjudged, and my lips fell upon her neck.

The kiss was quick and simple. It only lasted two seconds and it was over.

Retreating back to my "new" side of the bed, I let my arm retreat, so it was hugging my pillow and closed my eyes.

"That was nice," came out of the darkness.

*****

"Tyler." I awoke to a small hand shaking me. "Tyler."

Haley was standing at the side of my bed. She was fully dressed and had a mug of coffee in her hand. She told me that it was for me before she set it on the nightstand.

"Morning," I said, looking her up and down.

"Very observant. Yes, when the sun comes up, it's usually morning." She grinned the sexy grin that I was becoming used to and shook her head. "Anyway, Morgan and I are heading out. Thanks for last night. I had a really good time."

Her hand was nervously touching the corner of the pillowcase as she spoke to me.

In that moment she looked very vulnerable. Her normally hard, crazy, exterior was hidden away. It was replaced with a sweetness I had rarely seen.

I don't know what came over me, but for some reason I couldn't explain, I reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her into bed. With a very loud squeal and grunt, she landed on top of me.

I didn't hesitate or give her a chance to decline my advances.

My hand touched the side of her face, and my lips pressed to hers.

If I doubted my move, or for even the slightest of seconds thought she might object to my advances, I was wrong.