Page 17 of Enough Isn’t Everything (Everything Trilogy #1)

Chapter Eleven

SPOONING

SEXPERT: Don’t stay mad at me, Lily. Make up sex is the best.

SEXPERT: What are you doing? Are you awake?

Please don’t stay mad, talk to me. *sad face*

I was confused. What did he want from me? It didn’t seem like the carefree arrangement he’d proposed when we were at the college.

Pink Lady: I’m taking a shower and going to bed.

SEXPERT: Oh, sounds good to me… can I shower and have make up sex?

Pink Lady: Definitely not. I’m pissed off, and I have a headache.

SEXPERT: #1 headache remedy *smiley emoji*

SEXPERT: Please, I don’t want to leave things like this.

Pink Lady: I’m so angry with you, you need to redeem yourself.

There was no denying his ability to get around me, even if he was the cause of my low feelings. How could he be the cause and the cure? I was already mad at myself because I knew I was going to cave eventually.

I’d never felt more alone in my life, and I didn’t want to stay on my own tonight, but I most definitely didn’t intend on having sex with him.

SEXPERT: How can I redeem myself with a door between us? I’d like to do my redeeming now.

Pink Lady: Where are you?

SEXPERT: PEEPHOLE?

My jaw dropped. Is he outside the apartment door? I wrapped myself in a towel and pulled on some boy short panties before going to check. As I looked through the peephole, my cell buzzed again, making me jump.

SEXPERT: Are you objectifying me through the peephole? *ninja emoji*

Although I fought it, a smile played on my lips. Even though I tried to stay mad, he was too cute for his own good. I was also aware that I was vulnerable to his charms. Sighing, I opened the door.

Rushing at me, he swung me around behind the door, and pressed his body flush to mine. Alfie’s hand was instantly sifting my wet hair, while his mouth came toward mine.

Placing my hand between my face and his to stop him, Alfie kissed my fingers.

His lips brushed against my hand, and I pushed him back.

“No, Alfie, this isn’t a game. This isn’t one of your sessions.

If you want to speak to me, stay. If you want more than that, then you need to go elsewhere. I’m truly not interested.”

“Thank you,” he husked.

“For… allowing you to apologize? For, forgiving you for being a pig?” I sounded annoyed and exhaled loudly.

Alfie nodded and smirked. “Okay, I deserved that.” His lips twisted to the side, then pursed before morphing into a half smile.

I turned, walking away, his glib attitude was making my temper rise again.

I was too close to him and wanted some space between us so that I could think, but he caught the end of my towel, and I walked straight out of it.

“Now, that’s better.” He grinned appreciatively.

“But you need to lose the underwear, it’s obstructing my view. ” He snickered.

Grabbing at my breasts to hide them, I spat out, “You’re unbelievable, Alfie.” I curled forward to hide myself. He tried to reach out, but I smacked his hand and took the towel back.

“Stay there while I get dressed. I’ll be back. Come near me and you’re back on the other side of the door, you hear me?” His smile was fixed, but then he realized I wasn’t playing, and it slowly deflated until his lips were settled back into position.

“Okay, I’ll behave,” he insisted, shaking his head low as if he knew he’d been defeated.

I quickly pulled on some sport shorts and a functional white cotton bra and finally a pink tank top, then went back to the sitting room. “You want something to drink?” I asked, walking around the edge of the counter and opening the fridge.

Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed myself a soda. “Water?” he asked. I pulled one from the door shelf and tossed it at him. He caught it in both hands and broke the seal, inhaling half of the bottle in no time.

I was careful not to sit near him, choosing to face him at one end of the couch. I curled up, hugged my knees, and he smiled.

Waggling my finger between us, I asked, “What is this, Alfie? What are we doing?” His eyes searched up into his brow, as if he was looking for the answer up there.

“Our arrangement?” he asked gnawing his bottom lip at the side.

“What are you doing with me, why are you doing this?” I asked bluntly, then took a sip of my soda. “I don’t understand why you hit me up for our little arrangement when you’re dating already.”

He shifted himself on the couch and looked uncomfortable. “I’m not dating her, and I never promised you anything, Lily.” This was true, he hadn’t.

“Yeah, but, Alfie, you did all that intimate stuff with me, and you are with another woman the same night? That’s just downright dog-like behavior.” I sighed. “Why are you still here? Why didn’t you go home? We owe each other nothing.”

Nervous eyes flicked up to mine, and he moved toward me. “I didn’t fuck her, only you, and it wasn’t intimacy between us, it was sex.”

I snickered at him. “Then that makes all of it okay. You didn’t fuck her?

No? Why not, Alfie… she wouldn’t let you?

I bet that pissed you off. You bought her dinner, and she didn’t put out for you.

Makes me a damn cheap lay, I only cost you an OJ.

” He started to move along the couch, and I held my finger up to stop him.

“Not unless you want to leave. Don’t come near me, I don’t want you to touch me. ”

Alfie sighed. “It was business, and she paid for dinner.” I glanced at his body language.

“Huh… so she paid, and you never got laid.” I giggled. “You don’t have the right idea about being a playboy, do you?”

Stretching out the tension in his neck, he moved his head from one side to the other.

I could see he was struggling with what to say.

His hand began rubbing one side of it to get the kinks out of his muscles.

“Can we just drop this, please?” He looked a little tired, and his eyes were pleading with me.

I sensed that I wasn’t going to get any answers tonight.

“Fine, it’s late, I need my bed. You can stay, but I want you gone first thing.” He smiled and nodded. “Oh, and you’re definitely not having sex with me, do you understand?” The smile died on his lips for the second time. “You try it and I never come near you again.”

“Can I lie beside you? I haven’t slept with a woman in a long time.” I think back to his comment about him doubting that we’d sleep together and smiled.

“Yeah, sure, it’ll be a novel experience for you, I’m sure.”

I brushed my teeth and changed from my shorts to some short PJs, then climbed onto the bed. It was too hot for sheets or the comforter, so I curled up with my back to the bathroom door, where he was getting ready for bed. He seemed to be in there for a long time, and my eyes began to droop.

Bright light streaked across the room as the bathroom door opened, then Alfie’s silhouette briefly moved across the drapes. Turning to look, he walked toward me wearing a towel low on his waist before the timer light behind him went off.

Rolling my head back in the direction I was facing as the sight and scent of him was too alluring, I felt a deep dip in the mattress near me as he crawled into bed.

Alfie smelled incredible, and the cold, satiny skin on the back of his upper arm brushed mine as he settled himself down beside me. “Are you awake?”

His voice softly echoed out in the darkness. I didn’t answer and tried to keep my breathing slow and steady so that he’d think I was asleep.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Lily, I truly am. I don’t ever want to hurt you,” he whispered softly. I lay pretending to be asleep until I heard his breathing becoming deep and even. Then, my own exhaustion overtook me and sleep washed over me.

I could hear music when I woke up. The room had a small hint of daylight as the heavy blackout drapes kept most of the light out. Alfie’s arm was tight around my waist. He was spooning with me, and his erection was digging into my back.

At first I just lay there, feeling his warmth around me, but I soon realized our thighs were actually stuck together with sweat.

Trying to move felt like I was ripping a band aid off, slowly. Alfie shifted and moved his arm, and I quickly rolled away from him. Softly bouncing off the bed, I stood and scooted into the bathroom, locking the door.

The force of the water in the shower struck my hand as I turned on the faucet. I stuck my hand in to test the temperature and stepped in. Alfie was tempting, lying in my bed, but I was determined to fight my feelings on this.

Alfie’s looks, charm, and magnetism were a lethal combination with my inexperience. I had no defenses against him. Alfie could make me do stuff I would have disowned friends for doing.

I could’ve reasoned with myself why a guy like him wasn’t taken. Alfie isn’t boyfriend material. He did warn me that he didn’t do emotional relationships, and from what I saw last night, he was definitely a player.

It’s a pity because the guy was a sexy, gorgeous mess for all his fucked-up-ness.

But I was afraid he was getting under my skin.

I opened the bathroom door and could hear the music again coming from the sitting room.

Someone was home. I groaned inwardly as I watched Alfie lying on my bed, still sleeping.

Sneaking out of the bedroom, I went to find Holly, who was sitting on the couch looking washed-out after her night shift, crunching on some toast. It smelled heavenly.

“Sorry, Lily, I didn’t think anyone was home.

Saffy isn’t here, and I figured you had both gone somewhere last night after the gig. ”

Quickly glancing at the bedroom door, I spoke softly, hoping I didn’t wake Alfie. I didn’t want Holly to know he was there. “I know she hooked up with one of the new people I met at college yesterday.”

“Yeah? Tell me more, I’m missing out on all this sex, working night shifts.” She smiled tiredly.

“Well, really, it’s Saffy’s story to tell, but she’s with a guy called Will.” I told her about meeting Mandy, Neil, and Will yesterday and Mandy’s invite to the bar.

“And?”

I laughed softly. “Saffy was horny!” Holly didn’t need to be told anything else.

Holly got up from the table and walked away muttering, “All these orgasms.” She put on her thickest Texas accent and drawled, “I’m like Arizona here, hot and dry.” I couldn’t help giggling at her. “I’m off to bed. Maybe I’ll get lucky in my dreams.”

Disappearing through her bedroom door, I saw her kick it closed with her heel. It made a loud bang, and my eyes darted back to my bedroom door again. A sudden need to get Alfie out before she woke and before Saffy came home hit me.

After making some coffee I went to wake him, but he was already in the shower. “Alfie, we need to move, I have to be on campus in less than an hour.” I pulled on a green skater dress over some functional underwear and slid on matching pumps. I was ready to leave when he came back into the room.

“You look beautiful. Can I see you later?” he asked.

“Let me think about that. I’m not sure what’s happening today.” I was expecting some resistance, but I think that Alfie knew he was on thin ice after last night, and he let it go.

On the way to college, I was alone. He’d driven his own car. Something he said as we were walking to our cars made me think he wasn’t in the same year as me though. I had already thought he was a few years older, and maybe a mature student.

I was going to ask him about it, and about ignoring me when we got to the college, but a lawn truck shed a load of cuttings in front of me, and I got a fright. I was just glad to get to college in one piece.

We arrived there at the same time, and I parked next to him in the campus car lot. He got out, slammed his door, and locked his car. Without looking at me he muttered, “I’ll text you later,” and he was gone.

Taking a hold of my guitar and rucksack from the trunk, I headed off to find Mandy, who was sitting in the canteen nursing a coffee and a sore head.

“You were fantastic last night, Mandy, you’re very talented!” Mandy’s face immediately brightened. “Thank you, honey. I’m always pleased to get feedback from fellow musicians.

“Do you sing?” She looked at me in anticipation.

I nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, but I’m a bit worried about performing here, everyone I’ve heard so far are on a different plain from back home.”

“Nonsense.” She smiled warmly at me. “Listen, how about we do some jamming at lunchtime?”

“Writing and rhetoric is first up this morning, so I’ll be ready for some escapism,” I told her, rolling my eyes and Mandy smiled, nodding her head in agreement.

“It isn’t my one of my strengths,” she admitted.

“I don’t think there is anything stronger than your voice, Mandy.” I could see what I told her had meant a lot to her, and it was dawning on me that Mandy wasn’t as confident as she first appeared.

“You’ve got yourself a date for lunch.” I smiled, squeezing her hand before I dropped it and hitched my guitar over my shoulder. We turned and headed in the direction of our first class of the day.

The morning passed quickly and by lunch break, I felt that although there was a lot to take on technically, I was able to apply what I was learning to things I had written previously.

My appetite had left me, so I just pulled an apple from my rucksack, and I sat on the lawn, flicking through my notation pad for a score that I had been working on in the UK. I was deep in thought about how to improve this when I heard Mandy call out to me.

“Lily. honey, we’re just going to get started, are you coming?” I gathered my things and went over to join them. There were a couple of other people from Will’s class that had also joined us.

Will looked a little coy. I smiled at him, and he took my hand kissing my cheek. I squeezed his hand to let him know that I was cool with him hooking up with my friend.

I stupidly inquired, “Good night?”

Coughing at my question, Will blushed, and sputtered, clearing his throat. “Eh, yeah, it was, um, very cool.”

Blushing but feeling bold, I leaned forward and whispered, “Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me.” Will dug me in the ribs and grinned wickedly. I blushed again, and he pulled me in for a hug.