R. Lilley - Rock Bottom

“Tristan,” a breathless, all too familiar voice called my name softly, gripping my elbow.

I turned, giving Natalie an annoyed eyebrow lift in question.  The woman was becoming a real nuisance.  We’d gone years without so much as bumping into each other, but now that the old man had dumped her, she was everywhere I turned.  I didn’t think for a second that it was an accident, and I was beginning to think back on the years of no contact with genuine affection.  It was becoming apparent that even though we’d grown up together, we weren’t going to be able to be friends.  She was never going to let go of the idea of us getting back together, and there was a no percent chance of that ever happening again.

“What do you want?” I asked her, ill-tempered and making no attempts to hide it.

She smiled, unfazed.  She was a sly one, and for years I’d mistaken that slyness for intelligence.  It wasn’t that.  Over time, I’d realized that she was nothing but a dumb bitch.  “I had some things I wanted to talk to you about.  Can we go somewhere private?”

That was so crazy it was almost amusing.  “Fuck no we can’t.  My girlfriend hates your guts, on account of you being a fucking bitch to her, and the last thing I’m going to do is piss her off again because of you.  If you have something to say to me, you can say it right here.  And make it quick.”

She touched my arm, smiling up at me.  All I could think was that she wasn’t worth talking to for five seconds if it got Danika mad at me.

“Oh, Tryst, remember how it used to be?” Her tone was dreamy.  I felt suffocated by it.  “Remember the chemistry?  We were so hot for each other.  I’ve never felt anything like it, not before or since.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed.  It was not a happy laugh.  I was too sick of her walks down memory lane to indulge her.  Just over it.  “That’s not how I remember it.  I remember how you withheld sex to get your way.  And the chemistry was nothing special.  Frankly, I get better every night now.  World’s better.  No comparison.”

She gasped in outrage, but I wasn’t done.

“I hope someday you find someone you really care about, Nat, someone you really love.  Then you’ll realize that what you and I had was nothing but dumb puppy love.”

DANIKA

I abruptly stopped dancing as Tristan yelled something at Dean and grabbed his shirtfront.

Not again, I thought, cringing.  Those two were at each other’s throats every time I turned around.  Two men had never seemed less suited to be roommates, but roommates they were.  I wasn’t sure how long that could last, but I’d be more relieved than anyone when they parted ways.

“What the ever-loving fuck did Dean do now?” Frankie muttered behind me, tugging on my arm.

“I should go try to break it up,” I said, the very idea just making me feel exhausted.

“No, you shouldn’t.  You should come inside with me and let them sort it out.”

“I might be the only one that can calm him down,” I explained, but I followed her in.

“That is a very temporary solution to a much bigger problem.  That man has got to learn not to lose his temper without you as a crutch.”

I knew she was right, but I still couldn’t stop worrying, and looking outside every few seconds, trying to gage if the situation was going to spiral out of control.

I was beyond relieved when Dean strode through the door, whistling.  He even smiled when he saw me, as though the sight of me made him happy, when it never did.

“You,” he said, making it sound like an endearment.  “I was just looking for you.”

There was no way that was a good thing.  The bastard was looking for trouble more than me, I just knew it.  I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him.  “Why?  And what did you say to Tristan to get him riled again?”

“Let’s not pretend he isn’t always riled, yeah?”

I hated that he had a point.

“But that out there, that was nothing.  He was just having a jealous fit about Nat and me hooking up.  You have nothing to worry about, though.  I’m sure that doesn’t mean he still has feelings for her.  Oh and look,” he pointed out the window.

I turned to follow his stare, my body tensed up; my head messed up by what he’d said.  I couldn’t shake my suspicion that Tristan still had feelings for that bitch, and what he’d said just validated it.

Sure enough, Tristan was talking to Natalie, noticeably angry.

“I’m sure he’s telling her off for fucking me.  But it doesn’t mean he still wants her.  It’s totally normal to get pissed off about something that happened years ago with your ex-girlfriend, right?”

I hated that he spoke in my language, sarcasm, when everything he said pissed me off.

“Just go away, you little shit,” Frankie told him.

I was still staring outside at Tristan and Nat, watching how his face transformed as his scowl disappeared and a loud laugh escaped him that made my fists clench.  She’d just said something that he thought was funny, and I hated it.

“Just remember.  I’m always here if you want to make him jealous back.”

I ignored Dean completely until he went away, my eyes, every iota of my concentration on the couple speaking, and leaning close together outside.  She touched his arm twice.  I counted.

“I say we just leave.  Just get out of here.  You in the mood for some In-N-Out?  It’s good drinking food.”

“Yes.”  I turned decisively away from the window, done torturing myself with that.  If he wanted to talk to his ex, he could wonder where the hell I’d gone.  I didn’t particularly want a burger and I hadn’t had even a sip of alcohol, but that was not the point.

He’d texted me five times by the time we were ten minutes away.  I just watched the screen flash, not even reading them at first.

“Let’s talk it out, girl,” Frankie drawled, shooting me a sideways eyebrow lift.  “You look mad enough to spit.”

“I think he still has feelings for her,” just sort of fell out of my mouth.  I felt childish and paranoid, but I couldn’t shake the awful way it made me feel to see them talking to each other.  “You don’t get jealous enough to fight somebody because they hooked up with someone you broke up with years ago unless you still care about that person, right?”

Frankie shook her head, sighing loudly and dramatically.  “I don’t know.  Those guys do have a rule about that.  They don’t hook up with each other’s girlfriends, ex or not.”

“Yet they’ve slept up with the same women before.  Makes no sense.”

“I doesn’t make any sense to me either.  That is definitely a guy thing.  Somehow calling a chick your girlfriend changes everything.”

My phone dinged with another message, and I had the strong urge to chuck it out the window.  “I need to stop going to these stupid parties with him all the time.  They’re pure drama.”  If I was honest with myself, I was terrified for him to go to one without me.  Twatalie seemed to be lurking everywhere, just waiting for her chance.

“That’s not a bad idea.  You have enough on your plate without dealing with Dean’s instigating ass.”

“I could have gotten some studying done tonight, or even just helped Jerry with the boys.  Anything would have been better than going out and watching my man get chummy with his ex.”

“I know I’ve said it before, but if it helps I’ll say it again; I don’t think there’s a chance in hell he’d ever touch her with a ten foot pole.”

It did help.

We ate burgers and skipped the fries.  We’d decided that the fries were the fattening part, and the burgers were just good solid protein.

We were heading back before I checked my texts.  I rolled my eyes when I saw that there were thirteen of them.  The last one told me all I needed to know about his mood.

Tristan:  Where the fuck did you go?

I made a face at my phone for that one, and my reply was short.

Danika:  Left with Frankie.

His answer was immediate.

Tristan:  Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?

That was all the invitation I needed to vent.

Danika:  I would have, but you were busy talking to Nat.

My phone started ringing, and I cringed inwardly before answering.

“Hey…” I began.

“She fucking walked up to me!” his angry voice was loud enough that I held the phone away from my ear.  “I wanted nothing to do with her.  I never do.  Where are you?  I’m coming to get you.”

“We’re driving back to the party now.”

“We’re ten minutes out!” Frankie called loud enough to be heard on his end.

“Are you mad about this bullshit?” Tristan asked, his voice low and mean and just his tone would have had me mad if I wasn’t already.

“I don’t know.  Are you mad enough about Natalie sleeping with Dean after you broke up to fight him over it?”

He cursed on the other end.  “That is not what happened.  Dean is just trying to start shit, as usual.”

“Answer me this then:  Are you upset that they slept together?”

“I’m not mad at Natalie.  Believe me when I say that I couldn’t care less who she hooks up with.  I’m upset with Dean.  He’s crossing boundaries we set up fucking years ago, and he’s starting shit between you and me when there’s no call for it, and it’s none of his fucking business.”

He both had and hadn’t answered my question, but I suddenly felt silly about the entire thing.  He’d only been talking to her, and it wasn’t like they’d gone off alone.

His voice suddenly got very soft and from the first word, I knew I was done for.  “Let’s not fight, sweetheart.  You know you’re the only one I want.”

Did I know that?  The man had gotten around before he met me.  Hell, he’d been getting around even after that.  But he had been on his best behavior since we’d become exclusive.  I should know, since we were practically attached at the hip.

“I don’t want to fight either,” I conceded.

I glared at Frankie as she sent a smirk in my direction.  Everyone knew that Tristan had me wrapped around his little finger.

“Does this mean we skip straight to the make-up sex?” Tristan’s low voice rumbled across the line, making things low in my stomach clench.  “Want me to pull your hair and give you a rough ride, sweetheart?  Fuck the angst out?”

I snuck a peek at Frankie, and by the irrepressible grin on her face, she was hearing every word he was saying.  “I’ll see you in a minute,” I barked at him, hanging up.

“You’re blushing,” Frankie observed with a laugh.

“That man is shameless,” I grumbled.

DANIKA

Tristan was standing in the middle of the street, arms crossed over his chest, as we drove up.  He looked ready to fight…or pull some hair and do some hard fucking.

“Man, he’s got some impressive arms,” Frankie remarked.

Did he ever.  They were bulging and tatted up and looking ready to bust the seams of his black T-shirt.

He looked mean, and gorgeous, and his glowering expression did contrary things to my libido.

God, I wanted him.

“I’m not gonna lie, he is fucking hot, if you’re into that kind of thing, which it’s apparent you are.”

I barely heard Frankie as I watched Tristan stride around to my side of the car, pulling the door open before we were even fully stopped at the curb.

“Relax, loverboy,” Frankie called to him, “we were only gone an hour.”

He barely answered her, just giving her the most perfunctory wave before he tugged me out of the car.

“Let’s go home,” he growled, pretty much dragging me after him down the sidewalk.

“Goodnight!” Frankie shouted loudly.

“Call you tomorrow!” I yelled back, suddenly just as anxious as Tristan to get us to his car.  All it had taken was one smoldering glance.

“You like fighting,” I accused him, my voice low.

“Hardly.  What I like is fucking you, and I can’t do that when you’re ditching me at parties.”

I just glared at him, no comeback coming to mind.  It didn’t help that he was making me equal parts horny and mad.

“We grabbed a burger.  You were busy, so I don’t see how you can complain.”

“What do you want me to do, run when she comes near me?  Should I have shoved her in the pool?”