"Goldie, it's not a big deal at all, I swear. You can thank my grandma later. I want you to come with me to L.A. It'll be your early birthday present," he sighed. I caught onto the fact that he mentioned my birthday, and I knew for sure I'd never told him when it was. I figured I'd ask him about it later because all I could focus on was that he was really trying to get me to tag along. "We can go to Disneyland if you want or go to that museum with the tar—"
"The La Brea Tar Pits?" I asked.
Tristan nodded at me slowly, knowing I was falling for his reasoning. I mean,shit, the porn had been what made us meet, and I'd have to live with the idea that there were videos of him with other females all over the internet for however long we were friends, or whatever it is that we were. Would it be so wrong of me to at least take advantage of this last trip? I knew my dad would tell me it was too soon to go on a trip with a guy who wasn't exactly my boyfriend and let him pay, but fuck it. The La Brea Tar Pits? Disneyland?
I chose to ignore the fact that I'd be forced to probably look from afar as a bunch of women threw themselves at Robby Lingus one last time.
Plus, I couldn't help but get a little excited that he was inviting me to go somewhere away with him. I think my vag screamed in excitement.
"Make it Universal Studios and I'm in."
Chapter46
Before I knew it, it was Thursday of the following week, and I was sitting on Tristan's bed, watching him pack to go be Robby Lingus one last time. According to him, for the very last time. I'd been so busy finishing up my book over the course of the last week and helping Nicole choose her wedding dress, that time flew by. My mornings were spent with Zoey at the gym or in yoga class, my afternoons at the apartment writing, and my evenings and nights were a solid mixture of Tristan and my three closest friends.
My relationship, or whatever it technically was, with Tristan made me beyond happy. Friendship with him was easy and seamless to begin with and now with the addition of welcomed touches and kisses, our time together was just that much better. Our words together were the same, it was just our interactions that were different. He never asked for more than my mouth. My mouth on his mouth to be specific and I kind of liked it a lot.
It made me feel special to know that he wasn't just trying to get into my pants. For someone who hadn't been in a real relationship in maybe six years, I had to be a little wary of his intentions with me. The last two girls he 'dated' weren't exactly girlfriends I liked to think, because you couldn't be in a real relationship with someone if they didn't know your real name, right?
I also wanted him to know in case he didn't already, that I liked him for his personality; I liked his laugh, his snort, his hands, his humor, his stupidity, his love for Yoda, and most days it seemed like the list was endless. I'd never had a boyfriend that I liked for reasons other than enjoying their personalities. One of my boyfriends, Christian, was a devout Catholic. Raised in a home with a father for a deacon, I knew from the beginning of our relationship that he was waiting to have sex until marriage. What's funny is that only three months later, he broke up with me because he thought we were getting too serious, and by that I mean that he came in his pants twice while we were just making out.
Something told me that if Tristan came while we made out, I would probably like him just as much if not more.Ha.
"Am I going to need a bathing suit?" the velvet voice asked me from across the room.
I was lying across his bed, belly down with my face cradled between my hands, watching him pack up for our trip the next day. Unlike the last minute mess that was getting ready before me, I had Nicole come over and help me pack the night before. According to her, I wouldn't have chosen the right thing to wearto get my ice cream sandwich eaten. To think that she was the most highly educated person I knew.
"Unless you're planning on going to the pool with me naked, then yes," I told him, trying to talk myself out of imagining him naked.
"No bathing suit it is then," he laughed, tossing the black board shorts onto the bed a foot away from me. He rifled through the drawers in the infamous condom dresser and pulled out a handful of t-shirts, making a strange noise deep in his throat with his back still turned to me. "Should I bring earplugs?"
"Why would you need them?"
He snorted and I should've known he was setting me up. "For your snoring, Sleeping Beauty."
"Shut up, jackass. I don't snore," I told him, throwing the board shorts he'd just tossed onto the bed on the floor.
Apple green eyes looked at me from over his shoulder, his mouth pulled back into a smirk. "You sound cute, it's fine. I just need to make sure your chainsaw noises won't keep me up all night," he snorted again. A few minutes of comfortable silence later, he spoke. "On a scale of one to ten, how excited are you about going to LA?"
"An eleven," I said, petting Yoda's thick coat. The big beast lay right next to me, belly up with his gigantic balls on exhibition. I really was beyond excited to go. I hadn't gone on vacation since Spring Break, when Josh and I went to visit his parents in New York, and it'd been years since the last time I'd gone to California. Pair that in with sharing a room with Tristan, and it was any woman's dream come true. Nikki had suggested I not bring pajamas so I'd have an excuse to sleep in my birthday suit, but yeah, no.
"Me too," he said with a smile before throwing one of the t-shirts at my face. He came over and sat on the bed right next to me, pulling on my ponytail. "I used to dread going but now I'm looking forward to it."
"Why?" I asked, looking at a dark spot on Yoda's coat instead of looking up at my human friend instead. The potential answer to my question made me nervous, there was so much I wanted to know but also didn't.
Hot fingertips stroked the shell of my ear sensually. "I'm done after this, goldie. I can quit buying hair dye, I don't have to lie to my parents anymore..." his silky voice trailed off, and my heart clenched just the smallest bit.
I didn't know what I was expecting him to say, what I wanted him to say. Confess his unconditional love for me? Credit me for being the sole purpose he was leaving behind the sexing up of God knows how many women a year? I should be glad, ecstatic even, that he was leaving the porn behind regardless of the reason, but I could only blame myself and Zoey for building up my expectations. I couldn't be upset with him for being honest with me. The smile on my face was forced, but I hoped he couldn't tell.
"I'm happy that you're happy," I said a little too weakly.
Tristan sighed, exhaling so deeply the warm breath washed over my face. "I've been very happy for the last two weeks."
There was no way that those words weren't genuine and almost enough to make up for the disappointment I'd felt seconds before. "Me too."
"Why's that?" he asked, trailing a long finger over the skin under my ear.
I snorted. Tristan was too much. I swear sometimes I thought he was just as insecure as a teenage girl when it came to certain things, and I sure as hell wasn't going to fall into that. "I bought a new hummingbird," I said in my most even voice.
