The Fundamentals of Friendship Pt. 03

I chased a feeling, gridding my hips against his length. Our pants were a frustrating barrier between us. Riley fought with the button of my jeans, but I couldn't stop kissing him long enough to be of assistance, as much as I wanted his skin on mine. He winced suddenly, and an alarm sounded on my brain. I pulled away from him immediately.

"Your wrist-"

His hand on my neck pulling my mouth back to his interrupted me. "Fuck my wrist."

He turned us over, pinning me under his body. His eyes went my naked, heaving chest. Just his gaze was enough to have my nipples puckered. Two dark hard peaks. Riley rained kisses down my neck, following south to my sternum. His touch brought life back to me. He woke something dormant in me. I slid a hand under his shirt, inside the waistband of his pants. I could feel his pubic hair brushing against the back of my fingers.

He pulled a nipple into his mouth and his groan resonated through me. He knew how sensible my breasts were. He bit ungently on one nipple, pulled it between his teeth, then soothed it with his tongue. I arched my back from the bed. The sensation went down my belly to pool in between my legs, where my pussy pulsed, slick, for him.

I started unbuttoning my jeans and pulling it down my legs, desperately wanting to free skin for his touch. He moved his kisses down, to my bellybutton. He took my hands away and pulled my jeans down so slowly, even the friction of the coarse fabric against my thighs raised little bumps on my skin.

Riley threw my pants away and came back to me, retracing his kisses back up to my belly. His lips hovered just on the edge between skin and the waistband of my panties. I grabbed his air, weaved my fingers through it unable to keep still. He moved further south still until he nuzzled the damp spot on my panties. The touch was soft, but so sudden I cried out.

"Oh God, Ry!" I'd missed him so much. I had denied him to myself for so long.

If he stayed there for a few more seconds I'd come. As if reading my mind, he came back up. Kissing every inch of me in his sight. There was a hunger to his fingers, to his mouth, like he was afraid I might disappear right in front of him.

When he kissed me again, Riley pushed his erection against me. With only the flimsy fabric of my panties covering my pussy, I felt electricity shooting through all of me. The friction was at the same time wonderful and torturous. Not enough. He drove me insane. I wanted it tougher. He was gentle, slow. He pinned my hands above my head so I wouldn't act on my wild impulses. I started grinding on him like my life depended on it.

His hand travelled down my body slowly, tasting my skin. When he reached the spot where I was warmer and wetter he slid two fingers inside my panties. The most delicious groan rumbled in him when he met the slickness that signified my need him.

I put my hand down to where he was hard and wanting me. My fingers fumbled with the fly of his jeans. I couldn't wait anymore. I wanted him naked and inside me. I had waited too long. We had waited too long.

"Ry, please!" I begged him.

He pushed himself to his, his fingers flew to the buttons of his shirt and-

"Riley?"

Ry and I both froze at the sound of Florence's voice coming from the top the stairs. "Shit. It's my mom," he hissed. His dark eyes became two dark marbles, reflecting his surprise.

"Are you in there?" Florence asked. "The lights are on."

Normally, I'd be in panic, dreading discovery, but I started giggling, an inconvenient laughter was trying to bubble up my throat. Riley gave me a horrified look. He put a hand over my mouth to muffle any sounds I might make.

"I'm changing, Mom!" He lied. My naked chest heaved with how much fun I was having at the expense of Riley's panic.

The old stair creaked as Florence clearly descended one step. "Is Laura there too?"

His fingers were wet from me. I licked them. He groaned, managing to look apprehensive and horny at the same time.

"No!" Riley nearly shouted, sounding too desperate.

I wiggled under him in protest.

"Has she left? I can't find that girl anywhere..."

"Look, Mom. I'm naked here. I don't know where Ells went, I'll go look for her when I'm done changing."

Florence was silent long enough that even I felt a flutter of fear. We both kept our ear attentive to any creaks from the stairs. "Okay, honey," she said, finally. "Be quick, please. We're about to cut the cake."

We held our breaths until we heard the door closing. Riley's body wilted in relief and he dropped his hand from my mouth. As soon as I was free, I let out the loud guffaw he'd been holding back.

"Are you insane?" He asked me. Clearly terrified, but on the edge of laughing himself.

"I feel like a teenager all over again!"

"Jesus, Ells..." He ran a hand over his face.

I pushed myself up into a seating position. "Relax, Ry," I said, lips twitching.

"It's not funny, Laura!"

"It's hilarious!" I took his face in my hands and kissed him briefly. "Why did you lie, silly?"

His expression said that should obvious enough that I shouldn't have to ask. "It's my mom!"

"Yeah. Your mom who's always known we fucked like rabbits down here. She used to leave condoms on the nightstand drawer, you remember that?"

He loosed, his whole body relaxing as the memory came to him. "They're probably still there," he said.

"Oh god, they are?!"

He leaned over the bed, causing me to lie back down, and opened the drawer to the nightstand. Inside, there were at least 20 packages of condom.

"Oh I can't believe these things are still there!" I marveled.

There were a lot of condoms in there. His mother used to stock that drawer with condoms for us. It was an unspoken thing. She knew we used it, we knew she put it there. She never said anything and Riley and I pretended we didn't even know those things were there. Florence was happy knowing there were actually being used and she wasn't in risk of becoming a grandmother too soon.

"They must be way past their expiration date," Ry said.

I gave him a little smirk. "Didn't you use them?"

He gave me a roll of his eyes. "You mean did I have sex with anyone in my childhood room after I moved out my mother's house? The answer is no, Ells. You're the only girl I ever fucked in this bed."

"Oh, I feel so honored," I joked, pulling him over me. "You know, she would've been happy if she'd know we were down here making out."

Florence had always made it clear she wanted Riley and I to be together. She told me, more than once, we were soulmates and one way or another we'd find our way back to each other.

Riley brushed my hair back with one warm hand. "Are you happy, Ells?" He asked, and I detected a twinge of doubt in his voice.

"I'm stupidly happy, Ry," I said. The smile my answer earned me reminded me of what we should be doing. "Come back here." I pulled him to kiss me again, but he pulled away. "Riley?!"

"We have to go back to cut your cake before Mom comes back," he said, to which I pouted in protest. "Believe me, I'd rather stay here with you, but you know Mom. She won't rest until we reappear. We'll finish this later. I promise you."

"Okay." I agreed with him, reluctantly. Florence would raise hell if her son didn't show for the cutting of the cake.

I got up to put on my clothes, leaving Riley sitting on the bed. I could feel his eyes following me. "Don't start what you can't finish," I told him, buttoning up my jeans. He was looking at me in such a warm and lustful way I didn't resist walking back into his arms.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered against my breasts, his tongue lavishing a taut dark nipple. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ry," I said, and it felt so good to finally allow myself to say it back.

***

WE TOLD Florence Riley fond me outside, making a call. Afterwards, a chorus of guests sang her a happy birthday, and my cake got lots of praises. I waited until most of aunt Florence's guests were gone. I did the dishes Traditionally, Riley and I did every year, but tonight he was made to drive one of his mother's eccentric friends home.

It was well past midnight and he wasn't back yet, so I went down to his room to wait for him. I didn't even realize it when I fell asleep. I only knew I did because Riley woke me up when he returned. He lay beside me, lending me the warmth of his body. "Ry?"

"Shhh. I'm here. Go back to sleep," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I obeyed, content to have him by my side. I told myself we'd have time to be together. No need to rush.

***

I WOKE up again to an empty bed. I touched the vacant spot beside me to find it cold. He'd been gone for a while.

I went back upstairs, looking for him in almost every room in the house. Finally, I found him in the garden, sitting on his old swing. "Ry?" He looked up at me, eyes red rimmed. Even before I got close enough to touch him I got a whiff of the unmistakable scent of alcohol. He hated drinking. I was suddenly filled me dread.

"What happened?" I asked.

He pulled me to him, his arms around my middle. He held me so tight it almost hurt. "It's Suzanne," he whispered against my stomach.

A breath got caught in my throat. That foreboding caught up to me. "What about her?"

He looked at me, eyes dark and deep. "Ells..." He trailed off, got up suddenly and walked away from me.

I didn't follow him. I stood where he'd left me, my back to him. I had a feeling my life was hanging from the edge of a precipice. "Tell me, Riley."

"She's pregnant."

***

14 years ago

Sophia is holding the phone, trying to make me take it. "You have to tell him, Laura. He deserves to know."

I shook my head at her. How could she make me do it? "He'll be broken, Soph! He'll come running back here!"

"He has to know. It's his right," she says, shoving the phone into my face.

"Soph, I can't..." I beg her.

"Call him."

M tears make tiny pools on the cold floor as they fall. I hold the phone, press Riley's number and wait.

He picks up too son. "Ells!" He sounds so happy.

I take in a breath. "Hi, Ry!" I say, forcing a smile into my words.

"I was thinking about you this very second, can you believe it? I miss you," he says. "How are you? You sound funny."

"I'm okay. Just a flu," I lie.

"I miss you," He says again. I miss him too. So much I can't breathe.

"How are you?" I ask him. I look up at my sister, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. She's trying to look fierce, but I know her. She's in pain for me.

"God, it's incredible in here, Ells. I wish you could see it." Riley's voice is full of wonder. "It's even better than I imagined. The boss says there's a good chance they'll give a better position."

I hear him across the line like I'm under water and he's screaming at me from the surface. "That's great, Ry." I tell him doing my best to sound joyful.

He sounds so happy. Everything is going so well for him. Everything he dreamed of, everything he worked for, is coming together. How can I ruin that for him?

"Tell him," my sister whispers.

I make a decision right there and then. I's my life. My mistake to make. Sophia has no right to push me.

I clear my throat. My breaths come through the line irregular and heavy. "Listen, Ry. I called because..." I trail off, the weight of my sister's eyes on me. "I called to- to hear you voice. But I have to go now."

"Laura!" Sophia chides me, but she makes no move to take the phone from me.

"I'll be back soon. I can't wait to see you, Ells. I love you."

"I have to go," I say and hung up the phone before Riley can hear my sobs.

Sophia kneels on the floor beside, cradling me against her. "Why didn't you tell him, honey?"

"I can't, Soph. I can't," I say, fighting to breath under the weight of my tears. "It's my burden to bear. Mine alone."

***