Matchplay Page 15

  What little free time I had, I spent with Josh. Aaron had stopped walking me to class after the first week, so Josh and I got into the habit of meeting after my morning classes and going to lunch afterwards. Josh didn’t know much about art but seemed interested, so I told him all about my favorite artists. He told me about wanting to own his own engineering firm and it was nice to see the excitement in his eyes when he talked about his plans.

  I had been hanging out with Josh for about a month when he took me to the small Chinese restaurant off campus that Aaron first introduced me to. It was the first time Josh and I had gone to dinner off campus together and in some ways it felt like a date. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it because I still thought of Aaron nearly every moment of every day. I never led Josh on or told him that I was ready for anything more but I got the sense that he was testing the waters.

  After dinner, we stopped outside the restaurant. I thanked Josh and gave him a hug. Before we had a chance to let go of each other, I heard Aaron’s voice.

  “What the fuck are you doing to Rainy?” Aaron practically screamed at Josh.

  Josh quickly let me go and instinctively backed up a few steps. Aaron was glaring at Josh like he might kill him. I grabbed Aaron’s arm to get his attention.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed at Aaron.

  “What am I doing?” he hissed back. “What are you two doing?”

  Josh threw up his hands. “I think the two of you need some time to talk. I have some studying to do. Rainy, I had a great time and I’ll see you later.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” Aaron yelled as Josh walked away from us.

  “Look at me,” I said to Aaron. “You have absolutely no right to treat Josh that way.”

  Aaron’s expression quickly turned from anger to sadness. His eyes looked so vacant and empty it put a lump in my throat.

  “So, you don’t want to be with me but you don’t want me to be with anyone else. How does that work?” I asked.

  “Did you sleep with him?” Aaron’s tone was desperate.

  I glared at him. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  Aaron grabbed my face in his hands. “Did you sleep with him?” he asked again this time more forcefully.

  “How could I possibly be with anyone else when I’m still in love with you?” I didn’t want to admit that I couldn’t ever see myself with anyone else but Aaron.

  He completely devoured me, his mouth on mine, his tongue penetrating me. His hands grabbed my butt and he pulled me so close to him I could feel his erection through his jeans.

  “I’m so sorry, Rainy,” he whispered between kisses.

  Then the realization hit me that we were on the street in front of a restaurant and I was immediately embarrassed that we had gotten so carried away in public.

  We raced back to my dorm room in record time.

  Aaron sat me on the bed and got on his knees in front of me. He placed his head on my lap and squeezed my legs. When he looked back up at me, I could see a lone tear drop escape down his face.

  “I haven’t done anything the past few weeks but think about you,” he said. “I thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go but I couldn’t actually let you go. Every day after class, I’ve sat in my room, stared at the Mary Cassatt print that you gave me for Christmas, and thought about you. That’s been my life for the past four weeks. I haven’t even gone to any Clubhouse parties, which really isn’t cool for the President of the club. I just didn’t have it in me.”

  That surprised me. I had imagined Aaron hanging out with Evan and the rest of the guys, drinking and having fun. I didn’t think he was with other girls, though, or at least I hoped he hadn’t been.

  He continued. “I guess I just went crazy when I saw you with Josh. Thinking about him touching you. Thinking about him kissing you or being intimate with you nearly killed me.”

  “Josh and I are friends and it was just a friendly hug,” I assured him. “That’s all. I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”

  Aaron reached up and stroked my face with his thumbs. Then he gave me a soft kiss. “I love you so much, Sunshine.”

  “I love you, too.”

  When his gaze fell on my neck I knew immediately what he was going to say even before he said it.

  “You’re not wearing the necklace I gave you.” His words held so much pain behind them, my heart ached.

  “I wasn’t sure what was happening with us. I didn’t feel comfortable wearing it.”

  “I don’t want you to ever feel unsure about us again,” he said. “I’m going to make it my mission in life for you to trust me and trust my love for you.”

  I slide over to my dresser and removed the necklace from my top drawer. I put it on and turned so Aaron could snap it into place in the back. He smiled as he admired me wearing his gift.

  “Please don’t ever take it off again. No matter what.”

  “Okay, I won’t.”

  “Is it too much to ask to stay with you tonight? We don’t have to do anything else but I really want to hold you in my arms and wake up with you in the morning. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “But what if I want to do something else?” I suggested.

  “Really?” Aaron said. He genuinely seemed surprised. “You want to be with me?”

  I nodded. I missed the intimacy between us. I missed the closeness I felt having him inside me, making love to me. I wanted it back. I wanted Aaron back. All of him.

  I noticed a twinkle return to Aaron’s eyes. He kissed me then slid me up to the top of the bed and eased himself between my legs.

  He looked into my eyes and I could see him swallow hard. “You’re sure about this, Rainy?”

  “I want you, Aaron. I want you to make love to me.”

  He kissed me with such hunger and such desire, it immediately ignited a hunger and desire in me I didn’t even realize I had been suppressing.

  Aaron pressed his body against mine and I could feel his erection pushing hard against me. I immediately wanted to feel him inside me. I reached for him and slide my hand up and down the length of his hardness through his jeans.

  Aaron moaned. “Oh, Sunshine, can you feel how badly I want you?”

  “Please, Aaron. I want to feel you inside me.”

  Aaron didn’t hesitate to remove his pants and shirt as I unbuttoned my blouse. Aaron then helped me out of my jeans and underwear in what seemed like one swift motion.

  Without taking his eyes from mine, Aaron eased himself inside me. “Oh, Sunshine, I missed you so much.”

  As he continued his slow and deliberate thrusting, he filled every inch of me. I felt as though a piece I had been missing the past few weeks, was back in place again. Even if we tried to fight it, Aaron and I belonged together.

  It didn’t take long for the two of us to join each other in an ultimate union and climax together. We stayed with our bodies entwined for several minutes, neither of us wanting to part.

  We feel asleep naked in each other’s arms. I was suddenly thankful that Marney’s roommate had dropped out and Olivia was staying with her.

  After our reunion, Aaron and I were nearly inseparable. When we weren’t in class or studying, we spent most of our time together. Aaron was so excited about my internship with Dr. Griffin that he helped me do research several times a week.

  Of course, I explained to Josh that Aaron and I had gotten back together. I could see he was disappointed but he said he was happy to see me happy again. I told him how much I appreciated his friendship and that seemed to put him at ease.

  ***

  One evening, Aaron took me out for dumplings and after spoiling me with all of my favorites, he said, “We need to talk about Spring Break.”

  I had just assumed that I would be staying on campus and doing work on Dr. Griffin’s book. “Okay,” I said hesitantly.

  “It’s been kind of a tradition to spend Spring Break at my parents’ cabin at the lake.
Evan and a couple of the other guys will probably be going with a few girls. I’d really like for you to come with me.”

  I gulped. “I’m not sure how I feel about spending a week with Evan and some of the other guys from The Clubhouse. And you don’t exactly have a wonderful reputation as far as the cabin is concerned.”

  He looked crestfallen. “You’re right. “I just can’t imagine being on Spring Break without you.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I said to appease him. But when I saw a glimmer of hope return to his eyes, I realized thinking about it was most likely going to be agreeing to it.

  I told myself I could deal with it. But I just couldn’t shake the nagging doubts I had. The only story he had told me about the cabin at the lake involved him cheating on Chloe. He knew that was a sore spot with me. But I also realized that he had been spending nearly every waking moment with me, which I knew was at the expense of his other friendships. I thought the least I could do was accompany him on a Spring Break trip with the guys from The Clubhouse.

  ***

  As I was packing for Spring Break, Olivia hurried into our dorm room. It felt like it had been weeks since I had seen her. She gave me a big hug.

  “Marney surprised me with a seven day Caribbean cruise for Spring Break. I’d better get packing!”

  I smiled. “That sounds awesome.”

  “Totally awesome,” she agreed.

  “So I guess things are going well with Marney.”

  She gave me a wicked little grin. “And how are things with Aaron? I heard through the grapevine that the two of you hit a bit of a rough patch.”

  “The grapevine being Josh and Lucas?”

  She gave me a look that said, “Who else?”

  “He invited me to his parents’ lake cabin for Spring Break,” I said.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “That sounds promising.”

  “Except that Evan and some of his other buddies from The Clubhouse will also be there with a few girls.”

  “Not as promising.”

  I nodded. There was a knock at the door and Lucas entered.

  “You’re both packing?” he asked when he saw our suitcases.

  “It’s Spring Break,” Olivia stated.

  “Oh, yeah,” Lucas replied. “I’ve been so busy with my internship, I kind of forgot.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes at her brother. “How does anyone forget about Spring Break?”

  “Where are you going?” Lucas asked. Olivia and I looked at each other because he seemed to have aimed the question at both of us.

  “Marney invited me on a Caribbean cruise,” Olivia said. “And Rainy is going with Aaron and his buddies to a cabin by the lake.”

  Lucas looked at me with concern in his eyes. “You’re going with guys from The Clubhouse? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “No,” I admitted. “But Aaron really wants me to go with him.”

  Lucas seemed to give this some thought. “I’ll be staying in town all week working. Please call me if you need to.”

  I nodded. “I don’t think Aaron will let anything happen to me.”

  “I mean it, Rainy,” he continued. “You have no idea what those guys are capable of. The lake is only a few hours from here. I’ll pick you up day or night if anything happens.”

  “Thanks, Lucas.” I really hoped I wouldn’t need to call him but a small part of me was glad he offered because I was afraid I might have to take him up on his offer.

  Thirteen

  The Foursome

  I had a bad feeling the entire drive to Aaron’s family cabin. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why but something just did not feel right. I knew we’d be spending the week with a few of the guys from The Clubhouse and several girls they’d chosen to invite. None of the guys had actual girlfriends, at least that I knew about, so I wondered if they were still going to be engaging in The Tournament while we were on break. The idea kind of repulsed me. I didn’t want to bring up the subject with Aaron. Things had been going so well the past few weeks, I didn’t want anything to ruin our break.

  When Aaron mentioned his family had a “cabin on the lake” I guess I was expecting an actual cabin in the woods. I would never use the word “cabin” to describe this place. It was larger and more substantial than the home I grew up in and my parent’s had a pretty nice house. The secluded setting and the idyllic surroundings made the scene feel like one of the massively reproduced Thomas Kinkade paintings.

  Aaron grabbed our bags and we headed inside.

  Evan was already there and he greeted us at the door. “Hey, Rainy,” he said and gave me a forced smile. Then he gave Aaron a half hug that guys often give to each other. “The bar is stocked and we’re ready to party.”

  Aaron just nodded. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable with Evan and I was sure it was because of me. I wondered if he was afraid of something Evan would inevitably say to hurt me. Aaron sure did a great job picking friends.

  A few seconds later, a beautiful raven haired girl came from what looked like a bathroom and headed in our direction. She was stunning and she carried herself with such confidence, I was sure she turned the heads of both men and women wherever she went.

  As soon as Aaron saw her, he dropped our bags to the floor. When I saw how fast Aaron’s expression changed, I knew something was definitely up.

  The raven haired girl didn’t even seem to notice that I was standing right next to Aaron. Her steely gaze was planted firmly on Aaron as she marched up to him.

  “Hey, good looking,” she said as she threw her arms around him.

  I noticed that he embraced her and didn’t make any attempt to push her aside for my benefit.

  When she finally let Aaron go, I could see the expression on his face was now pained. “What are you doing here, Keira?” he asked quietly.

  I could feel all of the energy draining from my body. I suddenly felt like I would faint. Keira? The girl that Aaron’s family expected him to marry was standing right next to me. And she was gorgeous. And she obviously had a really big thing for Aaron.

  Evan butted in and said, “My fault. I asked Keira if she was going to the cabin for Spring Break. I just assumed she was invited just like she is every year.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” Keira said and gave Aaron a sexy little smile. She still hadn’t even acknowledged my presence.

  Finally, Aaron managed to take his eyes off of Keira and turned to me. “Keira, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Rainy.”

  Keira glanced at me for a quick moment and then turned away as if to say I wasn’t worth anymore of her time. She looked back at Aaron, “I hope you’ll take me to the waterfall again this year. It’s always my favorite part of Spring Break.”

  Aaron gulped. “Maybe Evan can take you this year.”

  Keira moved in closer to Aaron. “Maybe I don’t want Evan to take me. Maybe I want you to take me.”

  I glared at Aaron but he was too busy interacting with Keira to even notice. I’m sure Aaron had no idea how close I was to grabbing my bag and walking out the door. The only thing that stopped me was that I didn’t have a car and we were in the middle of nowhere at a cabin, that was really no cabin at all.

  Finally, Aaron glanced over at me. I was so angry and humiliated I was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of my ears. I wanted Aaron to grab my hand or put his arm around me or do something to show Keira that we were together but he didn’t.

  I wanted Aaron to stand up to Keira and tell her he didn’t want to be with her because of me, because he wanted to be with me and only me, but he didn’t. He didn’t say anything.

  I was disappointed. I felt like Aaron had completely and totally let me down.

  “Rainy and I have to unpack,” he said softly as he grabbed our bags from the floor where he had dropped them.

  He headed through the living area toward the back of the house and I followed. I could hear Keira yell after us. “See you later, Aaron.” Then she said with emphasis, “You too, Stormy
.”

  “My name’s Rainy,” I yelled back.

  “Whatever,” she replied and gave a fake laugh.

  “You didn’t mention that Keira usually goes on Spring Break with you,” I said as we entered the bedroom where we would be staying.

  “I didn’t know she was going to be here,” he replied without looking at me.

  He placed our bags on the bed, opened his and began unpacking.

  “I think we need to talk about this.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” he said as he continued to unpack.

  I probably should have pressed the issue but I let it go. He had made his choice and once again, he choice was not to defend me or our relationship. I was noticing a pattern and I didn’t like it.

  When Aaron was done unpacking his stuff, he walked into the bathroom attached to our bedroom. I threw my bag on the floor and decided against unpacking everything, just in case I needed to make a fast exit. I quickly texted Lucas: I may need to take you up on your offer to pick me up.

  He texted me right back: I had a feeling that might be the case. Just let me know.

  When Aaron finished in the bathroom, he said, “Everyone else should be arriving soon. We’d better go out to meet them.”

  I nodded and the two of us went back into the main room. I noticed Aaron hadn’t made any attempt to hold my hand or make any other displays of affection.

  Within a few minutes, two other couples arrived. Two guys from The Clubhouse, who I had never met before, Alex and Dan, and their dates, Monica Bellsworth, one of the pretty girls from my art class first semester, and Autumn Green, who looked about as uncomfortable as I did being there.

  When Evan and Keira returned to greet the newcomers, I noticed they were staying in the same room. I wondered if they were dating, just friends, or maybe friends with benefits? Why would Keira have a relationship with Evan when she clearly wanted to be with Aaron? Was Evan just a place holder until she could get her claws into Aaron? The way the guys from The Clubhouse interacted with women was confusing and quite frankly, a little sick in my opinion.