Chasing Red: Chapter 24

Other stuff? What the hell was I thinking?

I couldn’t just do “other stuff.” I wanted all of it. All of her.

Stop.

Damn, I hate that word. How the hell I’d stopped when she’d told me to a few minutes ago, I had no idea.

Alone in the shower, I lowered my head and braced my hands against the tiles, letting the cold water beat against my back. An image of her filled my head, and I groaned.

The sexy moans she made drove me crazy. She had a mole just above her left breast that I desperately wanted to lick. She was so…

Damn it all to hell. I needed to stop thinking about her. This was getting out of hand.

The water was cold, but I adjusted it to freezing.

Think of something else, moron.

I tried to imagine the smell of the locker room just after a game. Smells of sweat, feet, and piss. Yeah, that should calm me down.

Her long legs felt like heaven when they wrapped around me.

The freezing shower was not helping. Frustrated, I turned off the shower, grabbed my towel, and dried off. I headed straight to my gym room—a few doors down from her room—for a serious workout. It felt like I spent all day in there, not just two hours. Another cold shower in my gym bathroom and a quick hand job calmed me. But as I exited the shower, just the thought of her beneath me worked me up again.

Damn blue balls.

I had to get out of here before I did something crazy. Like take her against the wall. Or on the kitchen table. On the bathroom counter. In my bed. Anywhere.

It wasn’t just that I hadn’t had sex in a long time, or because I desired her so much it hurt. Making love with her was a way for me to express my feelings for her—and, if I’m being perfectly honest, it was also a way to mark that she belonged with me. I exhaled.

Slow. She wanted it slow. Slow was good. I could do slow. I was capable of waiting for her, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do my best to show her how I felt about her and convince her that we belong together.

Looking around the bathroom, I realized I didn’t have any clean clothes to wear. Wrapping a towel around my hips, I grabbed my phone and saw a text from Justin inviting me to a party at his place tonight. Ignoring it, I was heading back to my room when I stopped in my tracks.

I saw Red dressed in my bathrobe, her ear plastered to my bedroom door, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Was she trying to eavesdrop?

Damn if that didn’t make me smile.

The bathrobe was too big for her. It covered her from neck to toes, the hem trailing on the floor. She must have found the robe in her room. I had a few clothes in there.

I watched her as she straightened up, clutched her hands together, and took a deep breath. Raising her fist, she was ready to knock on my door, but she paused and shook her head. Then she pressed her ear against the door again.

“Anything interesting?”

She gasped and jumped as she spun around and saw me, her hand flying to her chest.

“Caleb!”

I laughed. Not just because I caught her, but because I was remembering the time Cameron caught me doing the same in front of her bedroom door.

Her eyes glazed over as she took in my naked chest. She was as affected as I was. Good. When she looked at me like that, I felt like I needed to go back to the gym and work out again for another two hours.

Damn. I really needed to stop thinking about worshipping her body for an hour or two. Maybe I should go to Justin’s party. I couldn’t stay here with Red when just the sight of her put me on edge.

“Look,” I started, raking my hair with both my hands. “I need to get out of here for a few hours.”

She dropped her gaze, but I caught the flash of hurt in her eyes. I closed the distance between us, lifting her chin with my thumb and forefinger. I couldn’t help but notice how big my hand looked next to her beautiful face. She looked delicate, vulnerable.

“Red, I can’t be here with you right now. It’s not because I don’t want to be with you. It’s because I really, really want to.”

Her eyes cleared. She understood. I wanted to kiss her right there, but I didn’t trust myself. I had to leave.

I got dressed quickly and texted Cameron that I’d pick him up to go to Justin’s party. I stopped when I passed the kitchen and spotted Red seated on one of the barstools, still wrapped in my robe. I loved seeing my clothes on her.

She was gazing out the window, her palms cupping her face. My hands fisted to keep from touching her. I must have made a sound because her head turned toward me.

Her expression was uncertain and a little sad. Her eyes were pleading me not to go. I really didn’t want to leave…but I craved her so much that it was better for me to go. I needed to clear my head.

“Are you feeling better?” I asked. When she looked at me in confusion, I added, “You had a nightmare last night. Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. “I’m okay. I don’t even remember it.” When she moved on her seat, the robe opened, exposing a shapely leg.

Damn. I have to get the hell out of here.

“Will you be coming home tonight?” she asked quietly. So quietly that I barely heard her.

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Caleb…”

Jiggling my car keys in my pocket, I waited for her to finish what she was going to say. She just stared at me, biting her lip.

I wanted to bite her lip.

Instead, I gritted my teeth, nodded, and left.

I drove to Cameron’s house to pick him up and then headed to Justin’s party. It was at his parents’ cabin just a few minutes outside the city. His closest neighbors were miles away so he had the music cranked up high, obviously not worried about noise complaints.

Cameron and I headed to the basement, where it was considerably less noisy and less crowded. That’s where we found Amos sitting by himself, busily texting on his phone.

“Hey, bro, ’sup?” I asked, giving him a fist bump.

Amos’s clenched fist spread wide, fingers wiggling as I moved away.

I groaned and shook my head. “Bro, you do not explode the fist bump. How many times will I tell you this? It’s a sacred rule.”

He smirked in response and did the same to Cameron, this time with both hands.

“Asshole,” I quipped.

He grinned. “Cocksucker.”

“So where is everyone?” Cameron asked.

Amos swatted his bangs away from his eyes and leaned back on the couch. “Probably setting up a big bonfire out back. Justin’s getting laid or pretending he’s passed out on the floor again so he can peep up girls’ skirts. You know, the usual.”

Justin should really stop doing that.

I took the seat next to Amos, grabbed the two beers he handed me, and passed one to Cameron.

Amos gestured with his beer. “Haven’t seen you pussies lately. You been busy getting your eyebrows plucked or what?”

I laughed and answered, “Yup. Had my legs waxed.”

“Had his nails done too,” Cameron added, popping open his beer.

“Aw.” Amos winked. “You should have worn a dress tonight to show them off, bro.”

“I will once you ask me out on a date.”

He chuckled and cleared his throat nervously. “I would if I didn’t have a girl.”

I blinked. “What? You don’t have a girl.”

He cleared his throat again. “I haven’t told you guys till now because I wanted to make sure, you know?”

“You’re serious,” Cameron commented.

“Yeah. Been living with her for two months now.”

I had managed to move Red to the back of my mind, but Amos’s confession brought her straight to the front row. I grunted in answer, waiting for him to tell me more.

“Driving me fucking crazy,” he mumbled after a moment, his face looking tortured. “I can’t figure out what the hell she wants. What’s going on in a girl’s head, anyway? Seriously I want to know.”

Ditto, I thought. “What’s wrong?”

His eyebrows shot up. “That’s what I asked her. She said nothing. But obviously there’s something. I asked her if she’s okay, and she said everything was fine. So I thought okay, maybe she wants some space. So I told her I was going to see you guys tonight, and she said, Fine, have fun! But she didn’t sound like she meant it. She sounded like she wanted to chop my balls off. What the fuck is wrong with her? She’s driving me nuts.”

I handed him another bottle. “Here, drink more beer.”

“Thanks.” He popped the top open and guzzled like he hadn’t drunk in a week. After burping like a train, he continued. “Then I asked what she wanted for her birthday, and she said she didn’t want anything. I kept asking her what she wanted, but she said not to give her anything. So I didn’t.” His face mirrored bafflement. “She didn’t talk to me for a week. What the hell?”

Poor guy. Even I knew about that one. You should always give someone a birthday present no matter what they said.

“Have some Doritos.” Cameron handed him a bag.

Amos opened the bag, munching chips like a monkey. “Why doesn’t she just tell me what she really wants? I’m not a fucking psychic.”

I nodded. “It’s a trap, dude. It’s the same as when they ask you if they look fat in a dress, or if you think their friend is pretty.”

Cameron laughed. “Or what shade of color is on the wall.”

“Huh?”

Cameron shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Shit.” Amos hissed, looking frustrated. “Do you know how long I have to wait when she gets ready? She says five minutes, and five minutes in girl language could be half hour to an hour. I’m not joking, dude. What the hell do they do?”

“It’s a mystery,” Cameron replied, a small smile on his face.

Red didn’t take two hours to get ready, I thought, remembering our first real date last night. Less than half an hour, and she was done. I was pretty lucky.

Amos nodded and let out a huge breath. “But damn, I’m crazy about this girl.”

I know how you feel, I thought.

“I love her hair. It’s down to her ass,” Amos continued. “Sexy as hell, but she sheds hair more than my dog does.”

I laughed. I’d found a strand of hair on the couch that could only be Red’s. I remembered picking it up and placing it between the pages of my book.

God, I’m such a creep.

Four hours later, I’d lost count of how many bottles I’d finished and was feeling drunk. Red had moved to the back of my mind again. Thank God. The other guys had joined us, throwing around insults and fake sex stories to make them look good.

“Hey, baby, come back for more?” Justin slapped a girl’s butt as she walked past him. I thought I’d seen her with him earlier.

“Hey!” She slapped him in the face. “Asshole.”

We hooted in laughter as Justin turned red, before a drunk, goofy smile appeared on his face. “She loves me,” he declared, watching the girl walk away.

Amos threw a piece of food at him—pizza maybe. “Sure she does, buddy,” he hollered.

Justin shrugged. “She’s clingy anyway.”

I stared at the beer bottle in my hand, my vision getting hazy. I was drunk. I really couldn’t remember how many bottles I’d had so far.

“Hey, Caleb.”

I looked up when I heard my name and saw…Red?

What the hell was she doing here?

She was just a blur in front of me. I blinked twice to focus.

“I was wondering if you want to take a drive with me. It’s nice out.”

The voice was wrong… Red’s voice wasn’t that high. I blinked again, shook my head. It was Claire, batting her eyelashes at me. I must be solid drunk to mistake her for Red.

“He’s in no shape to take care of you, babe. I’ll do it for him if you like,” I heard Justin offer.

“Kiss my ass, Justin.”

“Hit me, baby, one more time,” he sang. He must like getting slapped by different girls. He didn’t get his wish since Claire huffed and left.

Okay, bye-byes, I thought. I wasn’t interested in any girl except for one. But I silently praised Claire in my head for rejecting Justin. Last I heard, his girlfriend had broken up with him when she caught him on top of Lydia with his pants down.

Justin could be a real douche when it came to girls. If he couldn’t make one girl happy, how did he expect to handle two or three at the same time? Moron.

Beside me, Cameron was slumped in his seat, his head resting on the back of the couch. He must be drunk too.

“What’s the deal with you and Kara?” I asked, not expecting him to answer, so it surprised me when he did.

“She kills me. Just one blow.” His hand fisted as if he were holding a knife and stabbed it in his chest. “And I’m dead. Fucking dead.”

Amos shook his head. “What’d you do, bro?”

“Tried to save her.”

“If I’ve learned one thing from living with my girl, it’s that sometimes girls don’t want to be saved,” Amos said. “They want to do the saving.”

Cameron chugged an entire beer. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and rubbing his hands on his face. He looked tired but remained quiet.

Hours had passed in a blur. I knew it was past midnight, and I had to go home. I didn’t know if Red was waiting up for me, but I’d told her I would come home tonight. I’d given her my word, and I would not break it.

Driving was impossible. I needed to phone a cab, but I couldn’t remember the number. In fact, I could barely hold my phone.

“I’ll drive Caleb home.” Was that Claire again? I wasn’t sure, but the voice was squeaky…kind of reminded me of a mouse.

Wait, she was going to drive me home? No. Not her.

“Leave him alone,” someone said.

Thank God.

The next thing I knew, Cameron and I were in the back of my car with Justin behind the wheel. He dropped off Cameron at home, and then headed to my place. Thinking about walking into the building and riding the elevator exhausted me. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I felt happy.

Justin helped me inside, and we sang in the elevator, my arm around his shoulders as he tried to keep me from falling on my face. He could be a moron most of the time, but he had his good moments.

I blinked slowly at him. Had he said something? “My what?”

He sighed heavily. “The code, dude. To get into your apartment. You weigh a ton. Tell me the fucking code so I can dump you inside.”

“Gotta get home to Red. Gotta get home. I told her I would. Obsessed with my girl Red.”

“Yeah, yeah. When were you ever obsessed with a girl?”

Seconds later, the door was pulled open and a shocked Red stood in front of us. She was so beautiful and I was so happy to see her that my smile felt like it was splitting my face.

“Caleb!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock as she took in my drunken state.

“My girl Red. I promised I’d come home to you. Always.”

The last thing I heard before passing out was Justin’s confused voice as he stared at Red and said, “What the fuck?”