Boys and Girls, Part IV: Why I Love to Hate You

A/N: Just want to thank all my readers for all of your feedback. This story has, by far, received the most commentary from readers, and that's what I love! Keep letting me know what you think!

Chapter 7 – Uncertainty

“Where are you?” Jacy whispered into her cell phone.

“Uh…” Ewan’s voice hesitated. “With a friend? I tried calling you last night, but you didn’t pick up. I figured you were already asleep, love.”

Jacy sighed. “When are you coming back?”

“Probably this evening,” he answered.

“Evening!” Jacy hissed into the receiver. “Why not now?”

“Remember? Stephanie’s supposed to take me to Rodeo Drive today? We asked you to come, and you refused.”

Crap. That’s right. She had refused to accompany Steph and Ewan on their preplanned shopping excursion. On most days, Jacy would have gladly given an arm instead of go waste money on Rodeo Drive’s numerous boutiques, but today…

Today, she had a gorgeous hunk of a football player still asleep one room over. If she was going to go shopping, she’d have an excuse to kick Tristan out and go on with her normal life. Instead, Jacy was just going to have to get creative…or be downright blunt. Hmm, the first idea seemed more likely to succeed…while the second idea – well, considering Jacy’s personality – seemed more probable.

“Is that going to be all right, love?” Ewan asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jacy grumbled. “Go waste your money with Stephanie.”

“You know I love you, Jacy.”

She snorted. “I have no money to lend you.”

Ewan shrieked. “I was just being nice, but never mind!”

Jacy giggled. “Bye, Ewan.”

“Bye, darling.”

Jacy placed her phone on the coffee table and got up. She stretched, and her tan spaghetti strap nightshirt lifted up slightly, exposing her stomach. Jacy miserably approached the kitchen. As she got the Cocoa Puffs and milk out, she got to thinking.

What if last night had meant more to Tristan that it had to her? Sure, the sex was mind-blowing, but how could it not be, considering that it was Jacy’s first time? Jacy just didn’t want to be in a relationship right now…

Okay, that was a lie. She wouldn’t have minded a relationship at all, but she definitely minded a relationship with Tristan Carter. He was handsome, arrogant, and controlling. Jacy didn’t mind the first thing, but the second and third of his qualities bugged the hell out of her. In short, Jacy would never mesh with a guy like Tristan. The two of them would practically butt heads just by discussing the weather.

She heard her bedroom door open and a pair of bare feet shuffle out across the carpeted floor. Jacy took a spoon out from the drawer and stood on guard. She had to be prepared should Tristan want to jump her first thing in the morning.

“Good morning.”

Sweet Jesus. How could a person actually look hotter when they got out of bed? Tristan’s sandy blonde hair was rumpled and sexy. He rubbed his eyes, making him look so adorable as he smiled in Jacy’s direction. Okay, she hadn’t noticed it before, but Tristan Carter had the cutest dimples on his cheeks. Jacy’s gaze swept further south. Tristan hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt, so his golden pectorals and sculpted arms glistened in the morning sunlight that beamed through the glass door leading to Jacy’s balcony. Tristan also had a stunning set of six-pack abs. His jeans were situated low on his hips, and Jacy could make out the definition of his hipbones. Seriously, life was so unfair.

“Hey,” Jacy responded with mock composure.

Tristan casually crossed his bare feet and leaned against the kitchen doorway. A coy smile crossed his features. “Sleep well?”

Jacy feigned a smile as she dug into her cereal. “Fine.”

Tristan watched her eat. He regarded her choice of breakfast cereal curiously. “Cocoa Puffs?”

“Yeah?”

He regarded her questioningly before peeling himself away from the doorway. “You don’t strike me as a Cocoa Puffs-kinda gal.” He began pulling on her cupboards until he located the one with the bowls. He grabbed a bowl and rifled around the drawers until he found the silverware. He pulled out a spoon. Tristan then walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed a seat on the stool next to Jacy. Jacy added subtle distance between Tristan and herself. He didn’t seem to notice and reached over to grab the box of Cocoa Puffs.

Jacy tried not to look so fascinated by Tristan’s actions, but the boy made even pouring cereal sexy. Her eyebrows furrowed. “What kind of cereal do you think of when you think of me?”

Tristan poured some milk on top of his cereal. “I dunno…Kix?”

Jacy arched an eyebrow. “Kix?”

“Yeah,” he answered, digging into the Puffs. “Wait…” – he began through mouthfuls of cereal, shaking his head and pointing his spoon at her – “…no, you’re more like…Cinnamon Life.”

The look of confusion remained on Jacy’s face. “How?”

Tristan swallowed his cereal and regarded her earnestly. “How what?”

Now she looked mildly irritated. “How am I like Cinnamon Life cereal?”

Tristan shrugged his shoulder. “I dunno. You just are.”

Jacy scoffed. “That’s not an explanation!”

“I didn’t say I was good at explaining my thoughts, Jacinda.”

Jacy snorted. “Yeah, no kidding.”

Tristan frowned as he placed his spoon on the counter. “What’s on your mind, Jacy?”

She huffed. “You’re comparing me to boring, brown, square-shaped cereal! How’s that supposed to make me feel?”

Tristan chuckled in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Jacy didn’t answer. Instead, she angrily grabbed her bowl and got up from her seat. She stomped over to the sink and poured her uneaten cereal down the drain. She made a move to leave the kitchen, but Tristan caught her arm. He pulled on her arm and stood up. When Jacy wouldn’t face him, he forced her to look him in the eyes. “Don’t ever walk away from me angry, Jacy,” he cautioned. “I just had the most amazing night of my life with you. I don’t want to fuck things up over a stupid conversation about breakfast cereal.”

Jacy continued to pout. Tristan continued.

“You wanna know what I really think about Cinnamon Life, darlin’? I think it’s damn good cereal. I think the packaging is misleading…you know? The way it’s dressed up and presented doesn’t do justice to just how good it really…” – he looked her up and down – “…tastes. Get my drift, sweetheart?” Tristan capped off his explanation with a huckster’s grin.

Jacy tried to keep her face as composed as possible in response to Tristan’s strange explanation, but she slipped and a snort escaped from her.

“You’re such an dumbass!” she responded through fits of laughter.

Tristan smiled. “Like I said…I have a difficult time explaining my thoughts. But…” – he brought his hands up to Jacy’s face and stroked her skin with the pads of his thumbs – “…I’m pretty sure I can show you how I feel.”

Something sizzled in the air. Jacy wanted to avert her eyes from Tristan’s uber-hotness – she didn’t know how to react to her sudden emotional draw towards him – but her stupid body wasn’t cooperating. Tristan’s blue eyes bore into her, and Jacy barely had enough time to react to his sudden assault on her lips. Jacy gasped when Tristan lightly tugged on her lower lip with his teeth.

“Mmm,” he groaned. Tristan pulled back lightly and stroked Jacy’s hair. “Cinnamon Life sounds real good about now.”

Jacy gulped. “I d-don’t have a-any.”

Tristan chuckled before planting another quick kiss on her mouth. “You know what I mean, Jacy,” he whispered into her lips. He pushed his body into hers, and Jacy felt his raging hard-on. She should have stayed calm and just let Tristan have the truth, but – being Jacy – she mentally panicked.

“Oh no,” she complained, as she pulled back. A hand flew to her head.

“What?” Tristan asked, concern crossing his handsome features.

“I’m supposed to help my friend, Stephanie, with a project,” she continued.

Tristan looked shocked. “Now?”

Jacy nodded regretfully.

He looked down at the tent in his pants, then looked back up at her incredulously. “I’ve got a serious problem with that, baby.”

Jacy scrambled her mind for excuses. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…I promised her over a week ago.”

“Well…” – Tristan scratched his head – “…what time have you gotta meet?”

Jacy’s eyes darted to the clock on her wall. It was a quarter till eleven. “Uh…eleven o’clock.”

“You’re gonna be late anyway, Jacy.” His was so adorable. Tristan wanted to get laid so badly, but Jacy could not let that happen.

“Not if I get ready right now,” she informed him.

Tristan looked torn. On the one hand, he was sporting a very hard, very painful erection in his pants and needed some instant gratification. On the other hand, he didn’t want to upset Jacy by not heeding her wishes. Finally, Tristan closed his eyes, threw his head back, and sighed.

“Goddamn.”

Finally…something was going in Jacy’s favor.

****

Tristan was not pleased to be leaving Jacy’s side before they had had a chance to do the deed one more time. While Jacy went to wash up in the bathroom, Tristan had taken the opportunity to calm his stiff-happy dick. When all other thoughts failed, Tristan allowed his mind to drift back to the scene of male-on-male he had witnessed last night, and his erection instantly disappeared.

Tristan sighed. He hadn’t been lying when he told Jacy that last night was the most amazing of his life. He was keenly aware that men of his ilk spouted bullshit like that all the time, but he also knew that this time, he had meant it.

Tristan hadn’t been in a long-term relationship since high school, and high school relationships never meant jack shit anyway. His previous relationship during his senior year in Trinity Falls nearly buried him before his time, and said relationship had put Tristan off from serious dating for a long time after.

Until now. Now, he wanted to commit to Jacy and be able to have twenty-four/seven access to all her soft, womanly parts. He loved the way she had melted in his arms the previous evening, despite still retaining her typical Jacy attitude. Furthermore, Tristan had never been with a woman who had fallen completely apart in the bedroom before…that climax of hers had completely taken Tristan by surprise. He wanted to hear her scream for him and look at him as if she wanted – no, needed – him, just like she had the previous night.

He found his shirt and threw it on. He grabbed his wallet and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans before heading out of Jacy’s bedroom. He stopped briefly to grab the roll of condoms that remained on her bed but realized that he’d be back here anyway, so he abandoned the thought.

Jacy had already changed into a pair of olive green Capris and a white baby doll top. Her hair was tied back into a simple ponytail. She wore simple white flip-flops on her feet. She looked so damn pretty, and Tristan smiled.

“I can’t believe you’re choosing school over me,” he joked.

Jacy grinned. “Well…unless sleeping with you is going to help Stephanie get an A in her class…

Tristan laughed. “All right, all right. I fold, baby.” He leaned forward to give her a hug. Jacy seemed to freeze in response to Tristan’s gesture, and he had to hide his disappointment. She sort of moved her arms awkwardly until she finally decided to circle her arms around his neck. Tristan just plastered a smile on his face and savored the hug. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled that sweet vanilla scent again.

Something felt right about that moment to Tristan. He had never been a truly affectionate guy, but Tristan wanted to stand there embracing Jacy forever. Something about hugging this particular woman…felt so damn good. It felt so…right.

Jacy pulled back first, and Tristan reminded himself to act composed. She shyly tucked a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “I-I…should be going.”

“Okay, baby,” Tristan answered, chucking her playfully under her chin.

Jacy opened her door. Just as Tristan stepped out, he remembered something and abruptly turned around. “Phone number,” he said. “I need your phone number, honey.”

“O-oh,” Jacy stammered. “Well…why don’t you give me your number, and…I’ll call you.”

“Well, where’s your phone?”

“I can remember if you tell me.”

Tristan sensed that Jacy was lying. He didn’t understand why she would, but he sensed it nonetheless. “Just give me your phone number Jacy.”

She sighed but eventually surrendered. “112-555-2200.”

Tristan programmed it into his phone. Just as he flipped the cell shut, a look of suspicion crossed his features. He flipped it back open and called the number, keeping his eyes on Jacy the entire time.

Within seconds, “Three Little Maids” rang out, and Jacy’s phone began vibrating from its place on the coffee table. Tristan looked appeased and leaned over to kiss Jacy one last time.

“You’ll be hearing from me soon.”

“Can’t wait,” she answered nervously.

Tristan looked at Jacy one last time and smiled before turning around and leaving.

****

As Jacy shut the door, she allowed her smile to fade. The man was way too sharp when it really mattered. She had contemplated giving him a fake number but realized that once he found out, he’d be really pissed off and track her down again anyway.

In a sense, giving him her real cell number was smarter. First, it reestablished some trust in their makeshift relationship…well, from Tristan’s point-of-view anyway. Secondly, if Jacy didn’t answer, she could chalk it up to being really busy. The obvious loophole in all this would be that Tristan would eventually realize that Jacy wasn’t going to answer any of his calls. All Jacy could count on was his patience. How long would Tristan endure Jacy’s freeze-out?

The phone rang. Jacy slowly walked over to her cell. She flipped the damn thing open after two rings and looked at her caller ID. The number wasn’t a California number, for sure. It was an out-of-state number. Since Jacy was sure that her cousin Meredith from Ohio wasn’t calling her at eleven on a Saturday morning, she realized who it probably was.

Shit, she thought.

****

A/N: Don't mean to toot my own horn (is that right?), but I kinda like my cereal analogy and how Tristan explains it. What do you think?