<b>Chapter Five</b>

 

<i>that it’s a lonely place that you have run to

morning comes and you don’t want to know me anymore</i>

 

Taegan looked up from her book when she heard giggling from the hall.  She rolled her eyes.  She was trying hard not to resent Adriana, but she was failing.  Miserably.  She loved Addy with all her heart, but a girl can only be second best so many times.  It had been three days since Aaron kissed Adriana and that was all Taegan heard about.  She was happy for her best friend, really she was.  But did they have to rub it in?  He was always around.  Taegan felt like she was a pity invite when they asked her to go places, but it gave her a chance to hang out with Michael.

 

Michael.  She had discovered the day before that she loved him.  They’d been in the Animal Kingdom, and she spent most of the day watching him, trying to get away from the fluff that was Adriana and Aaron.  She wanted to kiss him or talk to him for more than a few minutes at a time.  She couldn’t figure out why he was so distant.  She’d thought he liked her when they first met, but all the signs were pointing in a different direction now.

 

The door opened and Adriana and Aaron tumbled in, giggling and out of breath.  “Oh!” Adriana’s smile faded a little, and only for the briefest of moments, when she saw Taegan.  “Taegan.  I- I didn’t know you were here.  I thought you were going somewhere with Michael.”

 

“Nope.  But I was about to take a walk, so I’ll leave you two alone.”  She stood and left the room, pausing only to grab her wallet.

 

“Taeg,” Adriana said, starting to go after her.

 

“Adriana, stay here,” Taegan said.  “I need to be on my own for a while.  I’ll see you later.”

 

Adriana began to follow her best friend, but Aaron put a gentle hand on her arm to stop her.  She looked at him, confused.  “Let her go.”

 

“But she’s upset.  She needs me.”

 

“She’ll be ok.”

 

“Oh God,” she said.  She sat down on the bed.  “She’s mad at me.”

 

Aaron frowned.  “Why would she be mad at you?”

 

She nodded, more to herself than him.  “That has to be it.  Oh, Aaron, she’s jealous.  I’ve always been more popular, had more boyfriends than she has.  It never bothered her before because there’s never been a guy she’s really liked.”

 

“Until now,” he said, beginning to see where this was going.

 

“Until now,” Adriana replied.  Aaron sat on the bed next to her and put an arm around her.  She rested her head on his shoulder.  “And now I’ve got you and she doesn’t think Michael thinks of her as anything but a sister.  She’s in love with him, you know.”  She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.  “I have to do something.  Maybe we should stop seeing each other,” she said, her voice muffled.

 

Aaron held her at arms length so he could look at her.  “Who will that help?  Not you.  Not me.  And most likely not Taegan.  She won’t be happy if you break up with me for her sake.  She needs to talk to Michael.  Hell, I need to talk to Michael.  And you should talk to her.  If she’s really your best friend, she wouldn’t want you to be happy just because she is.”  It occurred to him that what he’d said might seem a little cold, but he figured it was the truth.

 

“I know.  She’d kill me if I broke up with you just because of her.  But I don’t know what else to do.”

 

“Talk to her.  Have a good long talk with her.”  Aaron rolled his eyes.  “And I’ll have a talk with that idiot Michael.  I don’t know what his problem is.”  He paused and took a deep breath.  “As much as I like Taegan and don’t like to see her upset, I’m more concerned about you.  I love you, Addy, and I hate to see you hurting.”

 

Adriana froze.  “What?” she whispered.

 

“I said I don’t want you to be hurting like this.”

 

“No,” she said.  She backed out of his embrace and stared at him.  “Before that.  What you said before that.”

 

“That I lo–”  He broke off.  He hadn’t even realized what he’d said.  It just came out of his mouth, like he’d said it before.  Like it had always been there.  A slow smile spread across his face.  “I said that I love you, Adriana.”

 

Adriana didn’t know what to say or do.  She sat, staring, dumbfounded.  He loved her.  “Oh,” she said.  She kissed him, hard, on the mouth.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and weaved the fingers of one hand into his soft curly hair.  “Show me,” she murmured against his lips. 

 

He pulled away.  “What?”

 

“Show me,” she repeated.

 

“Addy, I know you’re upset, but I hardly think–”

 

“It’s not for comfort, Aaron.  It’s not to make me feel better about Taegan.  I just want...”  She took a deep breath.  “I just want you.  I want you to make love to me,” she said.  Aaron looked into her eyes and nodded, pulling her to him and kissing her.

 

*

 

Taegan plunked herself down on a bar stool.  “Tequila, straight up,” she said to the bartender.

 

“You look like you’re having a rough time,” he said.  She downed the shot and he poured her another.  “Pretty girl like you should be out with your boyfriend, not in here getting drunk.”

 

Taegan laughed derisively.  “I don’t have a boyfriend,” she said.

 

“No boyfriend?” the bartender repeated, surprised.

 

“Nope.”  She drank the third tequila.  “It’s a long and pathetic story.  Keep ‘em coming.  I’m going for wasted tonight.”  The bartender obliged.

 

“I’m willing to listen if you’re willing to talk,” he said.  The bar, located in downtown Orlando, was relatively empty since it was a Wednesday, and he knew he’d have plenty of time.

 

Taegan launched into the story of the last week, including her friendship with Adriana.  She left out the names of the guys and the details of how they met.  By the time she was nearing the end, she’d had enough shots that she’d probably be willing to go home with just about anyone in the bar.

 

“So they’re all cute and all over each other and I’m left alone.  Again.  Because the asshole I fell for hardly knows I exist.”  Taegan swayed and nearly fell backwards off her stool.  A patron who’d been listening to her story caught her before she hit the ground and straightened her on the stool.  “Thanks,” she slurred.  “Am I a horrible person to hate my best friend because she’s prettier and smarter and funnier and better than I am and I’m a huge loser?” she asked, putting her head down on the counter.

 

The bartender gently lifted her head.  “No, honey, you’re not a horrible person.  And you’re not a loser.”

 

Taegan snorted and stood up.  Wobbling, she reached for the counter to steady herself.  “You didn’t listen to a word I said.  I’m going to go find Mike and tell him,” she announced, looking at the clock.  It looked like it said one thirty, but she couldn’t be sure.  She tossed some money on the counter; it too much for her drinks, but she was in no state to count.  She staggered out of the bar and hailed a taxi.

 

“Where to?” the cabbie asked.

 

“Disney Dolphin,” she slurred, climbing in the backseat and almost falling over.

 

The ride felt like one of the longest rides of Taegan’s life.  She was, admittedly, drunker than she’d ever been in her life, but she decided that that wasn’t the reason.  When the cab finally pulled up to the hotel, she handed the driver him some money and stumbled out, going into the hotel.  She managed to find the elevator and took it to the fifth floor.  She ran a hand down the wall as she walked down the hallway, so as not to fall over.  She stopped in front of what she hoped was the right door and banged on it.  She continued banging until the door opened and she fell on top of the occupant.

 

“Taegan?” Michael asked in disbelief.  He rubbed his eyes.  He had been asleep, and the constant banging on his door had woken him up.

 

“Michael,” she said, a grin spreading slowly on her face.  “So nice to see you.”

 

He leaned a little closer to her and took a breath.  “You’re drunk.”

 

“Nooo,” she said, waving a hand.  “I’m just seeing clearly for the first time in a very long time,” she said, just before she pitched forward.  Michael caught her before she hit the floor.  He carried her to the bed and lay her down.

 

“You’re completely smashed,” he said.

 

“I’m not.”  She tried to stand up but got dizzy.  She grabbed his shoulder for support and noted, for the first time, that he was dressed in a pair of boxers.  “I see you’re ready for me,” she said, trying to sound seductive over her slurring. 

 

“Ready for you for what?” he asked, confused.  She smiled and ran a finger down his chest.  Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

 

“I want you, Michael.  I want you so bad,” she said when she pulled away.  He was too stunned to move, and he merely watched her as she began to undress.

 

“Stop!” he said once he regained his senses.  “Stop it, Taegan; you don’t know what you’re doing.”

 

She glared at him and put her hands on her hips.  She was standing there in just her underwear, looking like she’d never been angrier.  “I know exactly what I’m doing, Michael Phelps.  I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do since you bought me a tank top.”

 

“Taegan, please stop.   You’re drunk; you won’t remember anything in the morning.  This is a huge mistake.”

 

“What’s the matter if I won’t remember?  I can’t regret something I don’t remember, can I?” she asked.  She put a hand on his chest and raked her nails down it softly, until she reached below his stomach.  She smiled when goosebumps erupted on his skin and his eyes went wide.  “And you know you want it.  I know you want me, Michael.”  She kissed him again and grabbed one of his hands, placing it on her breast.

 

Michael was having some major difficulty.  He couldn’t deny that he wanted her.  He’d wanted her almost since he’d met her.  But she wasn’t like any other girl he’d met and he wanted to get to know her a little before jumping into anything.  And here she was, drunk enough to not remember anything in the morning, trying to seduce him.  The worst part was that he wasn’t sure it wasn’t working.

 

“Taegan,” he said, pushing her away.  “What happened?  What’s gotten you to act like this?”

 

“I just got sick of never having anything I wanted because I was too afraid to go for it.  So I’m going for it.”  She unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor.

 

<i>Dear God</i>, Michael thought.  He was trying so hard to do the right thing.  He didn’t want to take advantage of her while she was drunk, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could not touch her.  Unknowingly, he let out an “oh.”  Taegan stepped toward him again, pressing her chest to his and kissing his neck.  “Oh God,” he moaned.  She trailed a hand softly up and down his back, and Michael could feel his resolve cracking.

 

“Make love to me, Michael,” she whispered against his ear, her breath and tongue tickling him.  She trailed kisses across his face.  “I want to make love with you,” she said softly against his lips.

 

Michael was through being the good guy.  He put a hand to her lower back and pulled her into him, finally giving in to what he’d been trying to avoid for a week.