Paisley sat down and brought the pizza to her lips. Her front teeth sank into the cold cheese and crust, as she leaned forward and reached for her phone. Her eyes closed as she reveled in the taste of three-day-old pizza before she looked down to see who was texting her.
ALISSA: How are you feeling?
ALISSA: Hungover? You were really wasted last night.
Paisley finished her mouthful and then took another small sip of water.
ALISSA: Are you ignoring me? Or are you still asleep? Call me when you get this.
Paisley took another bite and tried to force herself to remember last night, yet still nothing came to mind. It was all just a blur. Defeated by the fact that she couldn’t recall anything, she laid her head on the sofa pillow and covered herself with a blanket. She wasn’t ready to communicate with Alissa just yet so she ignored her texts.
Her eyes drifted closed several times as she tried to watch a rerun of Two and a Half Men. About halfway through, she couldn’t fight her desire for sleep and she happily gave in to the darkness, hoping that when she woke, her headache would be completely gone.
She was naked; her chest heaved quickly as if she’d run a marathon. She was straddling a form below her. The body had no face, just rock-hard abs and a dick so rigid it laid against what she knew to be a man’s belly. The length of his erection had the head almost touching his belly button. On instinct, she began to slide her wet core up and down the velvety soft steel, teasing herself into release. But it never came.
Darkness—she was alone. The naked body no longer beneath her.
“Touch me,” she said into the nothingness.
Lips, her lips, brushed softly against another’s. Then there was blackness once again.
She whispered the words, “I love you.”
A faceless male form stood before her. She flung herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands quickly untangled her, pushing her away. She squinted harder at the blurry figure, trying to make out who it possibly could be. She heard a masculine voice tell her to sleep it off. Then there was darkness once again.
She was naked in front of the blurry presence once more. She blinked a couple of times, and the blurriness disappeared. Braxton up right before her, shirtless. His lips were parted. “That’s what friends are for.”
Paisley’s body shot up on the sofa. Her legs kicked at the blanket to free themselves. As fast as she possibly could, she ran for the bathroom before dropping to the floor. And in a repeat of last night, she emptied her stomach into the toilet.
A sinking feeling overcame her. She cried, “Oh, my God. Please no.” Please tell me I didn’t say I loved him.
But she knew that it was true. Of course you did. Right after you tried humping his leg like a dog.
Paisley thought hard, questioning herself. He didn’t reciprocate my words.
Did you think he would? Has he ever shown interest before? It’s time to be honest with yourself, Paisley.
Paisley’s inner turmoil continued throughout the evening, and in the end, she wondered how she was ever going to be able to face him again.
Chapter 8 Graduation Day
Alissa sat three rows ahead of Braxton, her red hair flowing beneath her cool blue cap. The goldenrod sash with the word Berkeley on one side and the school crest on the other was draped over her shoulders
Braxton’s heart skipped a beat, she belonged to him and only him. He relished in knowing that he’d be the one who held her heart for eternity, just as she held his.
Braxton had never felt this way about anyone before. The closest thing he’d come to any sort of love was the way he felt about his two best friends. They’d always held a spot in his heart. So much so that there’d been little room for his own family. He cared about them, but they’d never put him first. Not like Paxton and Paisley had.
The sun was beating down on them from above, the wind blowing just enough so that Braxton was not sweating beneath his cap and gown. He wore jeans and a wife beater underneath the formal getup even though Northern California was cooler in May than Southern California, sitting in the sun was bound to cause him to perspire.
He took a moment to steal a glance behind him and his excitement stirred as Paisley smiled his way. She was beaming and he was so proud of her and all of her accomplishments. Paisley was graduating at the top of their class—something her brother hadn’t accomplished over at Stanford. Braxton couldn’t wait to see him and rub that little tidbit in. He had always enjoyed screwing with Paxton.
It saddened Braxton knowing that Paxton would be moving out east to conquer his dreams. New York wasn’t that far away, but it wasn’t like he could just jump in the car and be there for dinner. He’d always known the twins might not be in his life forever, but he had dreamt of them going into business together.
The microphone squealed, the sound reminiscent of fingers scratching down a chalkboard, and immediately Braxton’s attention was directed to the front.
Chancellor Pike’s voice boomed. “Welcome, proud parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters. More importantly, welcome, graduating class.”
Braxton tuned out the chancellor as the proceedings commenced.
When he’d landed his job with Axis Media back in LA, he’d been worried that Alissa wouldn’t come with him—that she’d stay here in San Francisco or worse, head back to New York. Her family had returned to the city after her grandmother had passed last year.
Braxton had always known she was homesick, which more than likely meant his time with her would be coming to an end. He would be heading
