Later, after we’d cleaned up and dressed again, we met back in the kitchen. “So, you really liked last night?”
“Oh, yeah. I wasn’t certain at first. I mean there were four guys in that room with her.” I paused because he got this kind of ‘ah-ha’ look on his face but then I continued. “But it was hot. Kinky, yes, but hot.”
“Good. I’m glad you’ve decided to explore a little bit with me, then.” He leaned down and kissed me and that’s when something occurred to me. I touched his cheek and his jawline.
“I could have sworn you shaved this morning,” I said, and let my fingers play over the bristly stubble. “Oh well, I’m losing my mind. First I’m agreeing that I enjoyed our little voyeur session in the sex lair and now I’m forgetting things. I have to go before I lose any more of my mind. I have a test today.”
“Enjoy your day, my lovely. I’ll see you tonight.” A peck on the cheek, and then I left the house.
I could clearly remember his jaw being smooth this morning, but I guess my mind was playing tricks on me. I went to class, took the test with ease, and went on to work. I was doing well in class, at least, and didn’t have to worry about that. It was easy work. Some of it I’d even had in high school as a prep for my university courses, so for now, I was on solid ground there, at least.
I saw Becky in my afternoon English class, but we didn’t have a lot of time to talk. The prof had discovered one of the students had been cheating and spent the entire hour going on about how we could be expelled and about academic dishonesty. It bored me to tears, but I paid attention because she walked through the aisles and looked at each of us in turn, a little section of her speech directed at each of us.
She went on for so long, I was nearly late for work. Becky tried to beg me to stop, but I had to run across campus to get to the library. I pulled away from her as she’d grabbed my arm to stop me and raced away. “I’ll call you later.”
I tried not to see the disappointed look on her face or to feel too guilty for running away. I’d call her later, or maybe tomorrow. The weekend at the latest I promised myself. She’d reached out to me when I needed someone and I should be a better friend to her. I was just so busy now; I didn’t have a lot of time to call her. That was all.
I made it to work with seconds to spare and started my daily routine. I made my way back to that human sexuality section later in the day and picked out a book that didn’t look so clinical. Maybe I should read a little more about it even if it wasn’t erotica.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Colin
“Where the fuck did you take her last night?” I asked Keith when he came home later that day. “She caught me here when she came home early, and I had no idea what she was talking about.”
“I took her to the club. That club.” His grin told me all I needed to know about which club he’d taken Celia to last night. Well, that and what she’d said. I’d suspected it was the club, but I wanted to be sure and couldn’t exactly ask her, now could I?
“You need to tell us this stuff, Keith. It’s my day today, I needed to know what you did last night. Luckily, she kind of told me herself but if she hadn’t, I would have been clueless. Then she’d have figured out something was wrong.”
“Relax, Colin, I was going to tell you, I just didn’t have time to yet. By the way, she’s into it if you were wondering.” He had that smirk on his face, the one that made me want to punch him sometimes but this was good news. It meant we could tell her our secret when we were ready and maybe she wouldn’t freak out so much.
“The guilt is starting to get to me, Keith. I haven’t felt this before.” Grant came in then and sat down at the small table.
“It’s getting to you too, huh?” he asked and looked at us with an exhausted face. His gray eyes, so like mine and Keith’s, were dark and troubled. “I feel like shit, but it’s more than just a cold. She deserves better than to be lied to so much.”
“I agree. But how do we tell her, and when?” Colin asked and I leaned back against the fridge, not sure about the when part.
“I think we’ll just have to sit her down and explain it to her. Once she’s calmed down from the fact that there are three of us, then she’ll listen.” I said, but still, there was no idea of when even though we all wanted to tell her, I knew that we wanted to avoid it too. This little nugget of truth might send her running away.
“But when? When do we tell her?” Grant asked just as a sneeze exploded from him. Keith handed him a napkin and I waited to make sure he was done before I spoke again. I had a plan I hadn’t told either of them about.
“I’m surprised that she hasn’t found out already. Thank goodness for her not having any friends. I mean if she did, then she would know by now for sure,” I said relieved about the fact that we’ve lied to Celia this long and managed to get away with it. As if it was something to be proud of. “Halloween. I think we tell her then. We’ll all rent the same costume, take her out and when we come home, we reveal the truth.”
“That’s not too far away. You sure about this?” Keith asked, and that’s when I pulled the paper out of the pocket of the jeans I’d changed into once Celia left. “Yes, I’ve already rented the costumes for us.”
The paper was a receipt for three pirate costumes, the only things left in the store that would fit us all.
“Argh, ahoy matey!” Keith growled when he saw what I’d rented.
“No, seriously? Fucking pirates? Fucking hell. My head hurt already and that makes it worse.”
“Take some medicine and go back to bed,” I told him and picked the paper back up. “Don’t let her hear you coughing and sneezing either. In fact, you may need to go up to the third floor until you’re over that shit.”
“You’re right, even if that is a long climb. I’ll move some stuff and fill the fridge up there. Make it a little homier.”
“I’ll help you,” Keith volunteered, and I had to smile. There was nothing like a little brotherly cooperation, and Celia had inspired us all.
“That’s sweet, dude. Or are you just trying to get him out of the way faster?” I laughed at his face and patted his shoulder. “I’m only teasing, man. Let’s get him situated.”
We worked fast and by the time Celia got home, there was no sign of Grant at all on the first two floors. He was on the other side of the house too, so she wouldn’t hear his footsteps. It was my night, so I had dinner ready for her when she walked in, tired from walking so much today. And our little tryst earlier, I had to guess.