“Whatever happened tonight was a mistake,” he said. “I took advantage of the situation—”
“You didn’t take advantage of me,” she countered immediately.
She moved across the bed on her knees and placed both hands on his bare chest. He tensed. This was dangerous territory they were entering and he was on the verge of giving in.
Dan:Should we just give our viewers a quick recap of every reason why he should be backing off right now?
Bob:Great idea, Dan. So for starters, she comes with a lot of baggage and he doesn’t have what it takes to deal with that with the care and delicateness it deserves. She’s a genius who’s got her whole life planned out and he’s a bum going nowhere who has absolutely nothing to offer. Emotionally, he’s not ready for any kind of relationship, so he’s completely lacking in that department as well. He’s also the biggest dick in the world and she would be better off with…well, anyone else. This road trip is still going to last about another week and in that time, he could totally ruin her. Oh! And her dad’s a billionaire. Did I miss anything?
Dan:Nope. Think that about “sums” (air quotes) it up. Get it?
Bob:It’s still not funny.
“You didn’t take advantage,” she said again. “It’s not like I didn’t want it too. I may be inexperienced but I’m not as naïve as you may think. I don’t expect anything beyond this road trip, if that’s what you’re thinking, but that doesn’t mean that while we’re on it we can’t experience things together…and have fun. You don’t have to keep shutting me out. I’m not looking to get more out of this because, believe it or not, I am mature enough to understand that this is going to come to an end. In the meantime, though, we could…we could have like…those…friends with benefits sort of thing. I know it won’t be anything…meaningful or serious.”
Dan:Triggered.
“We’re not friends,” he said tersely, pulling her hands off his chest. He waited for it, that small brain-drain twitch. Faint, but it was there. “And I’m not your personal sex toy to use forfun.”
Her eyes widened in confusion. “What are you talking about? That’s not what I meant.”
“No? Isn’t that theexperienceyou want? You want adventure, tick off your objectives, have some sex. That’s what you want, right? Nothing meaningful. Just a bunch of one-night stands between here and Georgia. It’s like jogging to you. I could be anyone.”
Bob:Great strategy right there. Manipulate the situation and turn it on her.
Dan:Pay attention, Bob! For once he’s not wrong. He genuinely likes her and all she wants is a quick roll in the sack.
“Stop twisting this,” she snapped and she sounded desperate to get through to him. “You told me you don’t want a relationship…or complications and I respect that, but what’s wrong with us having a little fun, you know…fool around a bit.”
“Fool around?” He sneered, clenching and unclenching his hands. “You wannafool around? Tell me how you see that playing out? You wanna experiment with me for a few days, learn a few tricks, wait until you’re comfortable and then go out and fuck someone else? Does that sound likefunto you, Jazz? ’Cause it sure as fuck doesn’t sound like fun to me. Just the thought of another guy—”
Dan:Whoa! Did you catch that, folks? He almost let it slip. A few more words and she would know how much he cares about her.
Bob:And we wouldn’t want that, now would we? Telling her how he really feels would be way too mature.
“Kevin, what is wrong with you? When I say fun, I’m not just talking about sex. I’m talking about you letting your guard down and allowing yourself to actually enjoy this trip. It’s like you’re purposely trying to be miserable all the time…but it doesn’t have to be that way. I want you to at least be willing to explore with me.Everything.”
Bob:I don’t think she realizes that that’s actually harder for him to do. And why is she still wasting her time on him? She really doesn’t know what’s good for her.
Dan:(Rolls eyes) Oh, all this back and forth and back and forth. I’m getting a headache. It’s time to end this.
Kevin took a few steps back, letting that distance be a symbol. “What happened tonight was a mistake. You caught meat the wrong time and I shouldn’t have done that. It won’t happen again.”
Dan:Walls going up.
“The fact that I indulged you in a pity make-out session before doesn’t mean I want to have sex with you.”
Dan:Gates locked and secured.
“I only fuck real women. Not little girls who are just pretending.”
Dan:(Grins) She’s out, Bob.
One brain-drain twitch. One heavy sigh. “Okay, Kevin.” And then the inevitable perky smile. “Okay.”
She got off his bed, switched off the bedside lamp and returned to her own bed. Kevin got back into bed too even though he knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. His mind was reeling. His chest was so heavy it was impossible to breathe. He wanted to take it back, tell her he didn’t mean it, but she needed to stay away from him. He was poison.
He shut his eyes, but couldn’t shut off the voices, couldn’t stop them from reminding about every shitty thing he had done tonight.
