“Sin?” he laughed. “Ahhh… You’re a stripper!” He yelled.
“You really are a dick.” I snapped back. Collin stood up straight and was glaring over at his roommate with an angry scowl.
“Just a joke guys” He stammered and walked out of the kitchen. Collin’s gaze turned to me and the corner of his mouth turned up in a proud smile.
“You just officially replaced Jake as my best friend.”
Chapter Four
Several weeks had passed since I had met Collin. We spent nearly every night together out at the local bars with Taylor, Jake and Beef. Beef was Collin’s taller blonde roommate. I had no idea what his real name was but I felt like an absolute fool calling him Beef. I giggled like a twelve year old every time it left my lips, especially if I had been drinking.
“Beeeeef!” I yelled down the bar, laughing my ass off.
“How are you going to be an effective wingman if you are falling down drunk?” Beef asked with a grin on his face. He hung his arm over my shoulder.
“So tell me, is Beef a family name?” I laughed again and he squeezed my neck with his arm playfully. Sometimes I think he forgot that I was a girl. “Oww!” I yelped and he immediately released.
“What the fuck?” Collin asked, putting his arm over my shoulder protectively. I laughed thinking in my head about Beef’s father having the same name. Would that make him Beef Junior. I do not know why this was so funny, but I doubled over, laughing so hard no sound actually came out.
“That’s nice. You let her get wasted? How is she supposed to be wingman if she’s wasted?” Collin scolded Beef.
“I’m fine.” I said shooting back up to a standing position, flinging my hair in Collin’s face. “Pick” I said, trying to decide which blurry image of Collin to look at. He rolled his eyes and shifted his weight on his feet. “Fucking pick.” He scanned the bar for woman.
“That one” he pointed to a petite brunette that had golden streaks running through her hair.
“Ugghh…really?” I asked. Looking at him with my face screwed tight. He sighed loudly like a child who had just been told they could not have their favorite toy. “Alright, alright. Calm down.” I slinked out from under Collin’s arm and staggered my way down the bar. “Beer” I called to the bartender who gave me a sideways grin but set the bottle on the bar. I should have been cut off hours ago but Collin was good friends with the owner. I grabbed my beer and spun around.
“God he’s fucking hot.” I muttered. The brunette next to me looked my way, then her eyes drifted passed me. “He has been eye fucking you all damn night.”
“Me?” She asked, surprised. I looked the other way and rolled my eyes.
“Yea. I tried to dance with him earlier but he just pushed me away.”
“He pushed you?” Her eyes narrowed and I realized I had said something wrong.
“No, no. Not like, literally. He has been turning down girls left and right. Honestly, I’m so fucking jealous of you right now.” I turned my head away again and pretended to gag. I saw Collin’s eyes light up as if he was holding back laughter.
“I’m going to go talk to him.” She said, pulling her top down and making sure your boobs were practically falling out of her shirt. “Thanks” She winked at me and I winked back, turning around to the bar.
“Wingman?” The guy next to me asked. He had a few tattoos scattered down his arms and his hair was a sandy color. Overall, he was decent looking but nothing about him particularly stood out.
“Yup” I replied, sipping on my beer
“Me too.” He turned around to face the floor and I followed suit. “My guys over there.” He gestured with his head to a guy across the room will black hair that hung down to his ears.
“That’s my guy.” I nodded in the direction of Collin.
“Uh oh” He said quietly.
“What?” I asked.
“Does he know that you’re in love with him?” he joked. I playfully hit him on the arm.
“It’s not like that.” I said, rolling my eyes and taking a long drink from my bottle. I finished it and turned back around to the bar, waiting for the bartender to get me another.
“So you’re single?” he asked, a grin spread across his face.
“Hey Sin, how you feeling?” Beef placed his hand protectively on the small of my back.
“Like a rock star.” I slurred. “Beef, I think the bartender is ignoring me.”
“You are probably right.” He cleared his throat and pushed himself between my new friend and me. “Collin wants me to take you home.” He said, bracing for an argument. I glanced down the bar at Collin. He was making out with the little brunette and oblivious to anything around him.
“No way. Where’s Taylor?” I asked, scanning the floor. I found her grinding on the dance floor with a person I had set her up with hours ago.
“She wants to stay. I can take her home.” New friend said from behind Beef. I nodded and held up my beer while Beef turned around and glared at him. He took his drink and headed out onto the dance floor.
“Fuck, Beef. Why did you do that?” I whined.
“You never would have gone home with him anyway. You never do.” He answered holding up two fingers to the bartender. She gave Beef a hard stare but set the bottles in front of us.
“Finally” I sighed, grabbing the bottle and taking a long drink. Beef looked at me sideways and shook his head.
“When I first met you we could barely get you to have two drinks. Now you drink more than all of us combined.” I did not respond. I liked being more outgoing, having more friends, people who wanted to spend time with me.
“Let’s go,” I said, sitting my bottle on the bar behind me. Beef nodded and looped his arm in mine, weaving me through the crowd.
I crawled under the covers in Collin’s bed. The room spun around me and I grabbed at the covers trying to make the world stand still.
A few hours later, I awoke to the sound of Collin banging into the bedroom door and the tripping over his own feet as he pulled off his shoes and threw them on the floor.
“Fuck” I yelled throwing my pillow at him.
“Sorry” he mumbled and crawled under the covers next to me.
“Have fun?” I asked.
“Same as usual” He said.
“Man-whore” I joked.
“Prude” I could hear the smile in his voice.
The next day I managed to take myself to most of my classes. At lunch, we all met at Smokey’s for burgers and laughed about our fun from the night before.
“Here is to Sin! For being the best wingman this group could hope for!” Jake said, holding up his beer. I held up my diet coke, clinking it against his bottle as I adjusted my sunglasses.
“Fuck. It is so bright.” I mumbled. Collin put his arm around me and pulled me close to him.
“How about tonight we order in? Let our little matchmaker have a break.” He said kissing the top of my head.
“I’m supposed to meet that Derek guy again tonight!” Taylor protested.
“I’m fine.” I said, waving away their worries.
“How about tonight we find someone for our little Sin to take home.” Jake suggested playfully.
“No” I waved my hands again. Taylor snorted and the boys all turned their heads in her direction.
“What?” Collin asked as she drank from her cup, not meeting any of their eyes.
“She’s just not like us.” She finally answered.
“What? She doesn’t hook up?” Jake joked. Taylor took another sip from her soda as their eyes slowly went from her to me. I sank down lower in my seat.
“Sin, are you…a lesbian?” I threw a French fry at his face.
“No, Dick” I scoffed at him. They all began to laugh and joke around me but Collin stayed quiet, his arm wrapped tightly around me. It was not that I was against hooking up with someone, I just had a certain type that I was looking for and that kind of person did not hang out at Filly’s until all hours of the night.
Chapter Five
I stayed home with Collin playing video games while the rest of the group went down to the bar. We drank a few shots but kept it mild in comparison to the nights we spent out. We ordered Chinese food and as the night went on, we cuddle up on the couch watching a scary movie. Every time I jumped, he would laugh and make fun of me for being such a girl.
He poured us a few more shots and by the time the movie was over, I was ready for bed. We made our way back to Collin’s bedroom and settled in for the night.
“Collin?” I asked in the dark, hoping he was still awake.
“Yea, Sin?” He yawned as he said my name. I curled up tighter in the covers.
“Don’t fucking laugh at me, okay?” I waited for him to agree.
“Okay”
“I’m scared.” I waited for his response. He did not say a word. He slowly slid himself closer and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my tightly against him. I could feel his hard chest muscles against my back. I felt safe. I closed my eyes.
“Sin?” he asked.
“Yea?”
“What did Taylor mean with that whole thing at Smokey’s?” I held my breath trying to decide how to respond.
“What thing?” I asked, my voice small.
“I know you don’t hook up with people at the bar. I get that. But…” His voice trailed off and his body tensed behind me.
“What?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“Are you…” His voice trailed off again as he struggled to find the right words.
“I’m not a lesbian.” I said dryly. He chuckled, his hot breath on the back of my neck.
“I know. I just…never mind.” He snuggled in closer to me. I breathed out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.
The next day the sun burned through the windows. I tried to get off the bed but Collin’s arms squeezed tighter around me.
“Collin.” I tried to wake him.
“No” he responded, his grip not loosening. I pulled against him again.
“Collin.” I said a little louder.
Shh….” He responded, his hands circling my body and pulling me firmly against him. His breath was blowing hot into my ear. I wriggled against him again and his hips grinded into me.
“Seriously?” I yelled as I grabbed his hands and pried them off me. He rolled over, rubbing his eyes.
“What?” he asked, his arms outstretched.
“Nothing” I sighed and stalked off to the bathroom. I jumped in the shower and washed away the smell of stale cigarette smoke and liquor. The door opened and closed and I stood frozen behind the thin curtain.
“Collin?” I asked, afraid of what voice would answer.
“Yea?” He replied as he turned on the sink.
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” He responded as he continued to brush his teeth. After a few moments of standing completely naked and still just inches from him the door to the bathroom opened and closed again as he left. I quickly washed my hair and got dressed.
I made my way to the kitchen to cook everyone breakfast. I do not know how they ever ate before I showed up. I fried up some bacon in a pan as I prepared a large bowl of eggs to scramble. Slowly, everyone filed out into the living room.
“That smells fucking amazing!” Taylor said, stretching as she came down the hall and looking for something to eat while she waited.
“Get out of the kitchen!” I held up the spatula in a threatening manner.
“I’d listen to her, Tay! She smacked me good with that thing once. I still can’t eat without having flashbacks!” Beef joked from the couch. Caleb wandered down the hall, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Hungry?” I asked over my shoulder.
“It’s so early!” He complained, still half asleep.
“It’s one o’clock in the afternoon on a Saturday.” I rolled my eyes and went back to cooking. He came into the kitchen and grabbed my shoulders from behind, kissing me on the back of the head.