Bryan watched as Jaelyn dunked, dipped and swirled another steaming fry into the mass of ketchup on her plate and unceremoniously popped it into her awaiting mouth.
"And another thing," she managed, before licking her lips and swallowing the remaining bite. "I can't believe he had the nerve to ask me if we were still on for tonight after I caught him with that – that tramp!"
"That's a frat boy for ya," Bryan responded noncommittally. Frankly Bryan was tired of hearing about the dude. He was just happy that Keith was dumb enough to get caught dipping his fingers in someone else's honey before Jaelyn could get hurt further. He watched Jaelyn's angry expression transform before his eyes.
"Oh Bryan I am so sorry, I'm sitting here yapping on about my problems, feeding my face and carrying on – I woke you up in the middle of the night – just go ahead and tell me I'm a horrible best friend." She was obviously hurt and guilt-ridden and damned if she hadn't read him like a fucking book again! He took a sip of his soda before replying. His throat had gotten dry for some reason.
"Sweetheart, if I didn't want to get up and be here for you tonight I wouldn't have. Keith is, and always has been an ass, and I'm just glad you two didn't go through with your little deal before you realized that." He hadn't quite meant it to come out that way and even to his own cynical ears it sounded harsh, but trying to fix it would just make it worse. He was pissed that she'd told Keith that she would sleep with him in the first place but he knew he didn't have the right to comment about it. He had to do something to remove the hurt from her eyes though. It was one thing if that asshole Keith caused it – even if he did want to beat his ass for it – but it was a whole other thing when he was the one to cause it.
"I said tell me I'm a horrible friend, I didn't mention anything about saying 'I told you so'," she pouted. That was it.
"Come on," he ordered, standing up and throwing a few bills on the table. When she hesitated, he walked over to her and grabbed her waist, tugging her up and towards him. He attempted to ignore the heat that flowed from that simple contact right down to his dick. What was wrong with him? He'd have to remember to keep the late night meetings with Jae to a minimum if he was going to keep her in the friend zone. It didn't help matters any when he heard her say:
"Ooh, I like it when you get aggressive Bryan," in a teasing but sexy tone. This new flirting phenomenon was difficult to deal with too. She was going to drive him crazy! If he didn't do so himself, he thought as he brushed imaginary dirt off the back of her ample ass with his hands and watched it jiggle in the sexy little number she was wearing.
"You're still in your party clothes and the party ain't over," he said nonchalantly, completely belying the fact that his favorite body part was about to wake up. From this angle he could look down and see her perky little 34C tits popping out of the v of her dress – yea she'd definitely had plans he didn't want to know about for tonight and he was only so happy that they were utterly ruined.
*****
Jaelyn didn't know what to say. She'd nearly forgotten what she'd been upset about just a few moments ago after feeling Bryan's hands brush casually across her derriere. Now he was looking down at her with a gaze she could only describe as "hot", his bright blue eyes a shade darker than they had been before. But that could be the shadows playing tricks on her, she reasoned. So she said nothing, simply followed him out the door waving goodbye to the only waitress left in the café.
She couldn't get over this change in him. Just last summer he'd been her tall, lanky, pale best friend that was just one step shy of having the fashion style of an emo. Yea, he was cute then, but seventeen letters and hundreds of telephone calls and emails over the break couldn't have prepared her for the Greek god that had come back in the fall. And the fact that he seemed blissfully unaware of this transformation just made it sexier. She pushed "sex" out of her mind while she stared at his back as they walked back to his car. It was clad in a dark navy t-shirt that gently hugged his body and barely outlined the muscles in his back, muscles that she would just love to massage...oops. She moved her gaze down to his butt that, surprisingly, filled his deep denim jeans quite nicely – even his butt looked firm and muscular...goodness, she'd done it again, the only thing safe to look at was his feet. Clad in some tan, suede boots, his large feet no longer looked awkward on his body; they looked perfect, and knowing exactly what they said about big feet, Jaelyn had to chastise herself again. She had just moved her gaze back up to his butt when he turned around and caught her staring.
"You looking at my ass Jae?" He asked in a false, accusing tone. "What am I going to do with you girl?" he asked, a mixture of laughter and playful teasing in his voice. Once again he grabbed her by the waist; this time gently pushing her in front of him in what she initially thought was a gentlemanly gesture. That is, until she heard him say, "My turn," in a mischievous drawl. Her stomach fluttered and she swore she felt his hot gaze on her behind as she continued to walk in the direction of his car. She knew exactly how her butt looked wrapped in the shimmering hot pink fabric of her dress but it didn't alleviate how self-conscious she felt. She wanted to take her hands and cover up his chosen target but she knew her tiny hands would do little to hide that part of her anatomy. It was part relief, part torture when they finally approached his jet black '98 mustang cobra - another part of his transformation - and he brushed sensuously past her to open the door for her.
"Thank you" she squeaked as she slipped in on the passenger's side. This was going to be a long night.
*****
Jaelyn could hardly believe how much fun she was having after finding her boyfriend fondling some chick in a dark corner at the club on their three month anniversary. She sipped on the strawberry margarita that an older man had bought her, taking a break from all of the dancing she'd been doing. She felt Bryan slip onto the stool to her right, and couldn't believe she was so aware of him.
"Hey, you're not over twenty-one yet," he whispered in her ear, his warm lips slightly grazing the sensitive tip, causing her to shiver.
"I will be in a couple of months and if you don't snitch on me, nobody has to know. And besides, you're perfectly legal, why weren't you the one to buy me a drink?" she countered, then slowly licked the strawberry flavor from her upper lip. She didn't know what possessed her to tease her best friend, but she knew she liked how his eyes darkened as he followed the path of her tongue. What was she doing? She cleared her throat and looked away from him, scanning the crowd for her next partner.
"I don't cater to minors," he finally replied, followed by "you wanna dance?" as if he had been reading her mind.
"Sure," she replied, hating that she was nervous. They'd both danced all night, just not together and considering the sexual fizz that surrounded them tonight, she didn't know if it would be a good idea to do so.
"Bring your glass, you wouldn't want that old fart that bought it for you to get any ideas," he said loudly.