Just Friends Read online

  She’d begged them to take her.

  “I should have known,” he said to himself.

  Mitch joined him several minutes later. The sombre look on his face was reflected in Mitch’s expression.

  “I can’t go back to being just friends, Chase. I love her too damn much.”

  He shook his head. “We can’t rush her.”

  “If I’d known she was too damn drunk.”

  Chase reached over and touched his friend’s hand. He knew what Mitch was saying. In all of their years neither of them had ever taken advantage of a woman in a drunken state. They’d never needed to. To think that Leah hadn’t been in control and yet they’d done what they’d done left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  “I need to get out of here,” Mitch said.

  “We need to talk to her first and get this settled. You saw the fear in her eyes. I don’t want Leah looking at me with fear.”

  The sound of the bathroom door opening invaded their conversation. They both remained silent as Leah walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing a robe.

  “I’m going to go and get dressed,” she said. Her voice was so silent, Chase struggled to hear it.

  Chase wiped his eyes to try to stop the tears from falling. He’d never cried, and he wasn’t going to start now. Getting up from his seat, he poured himself, Mitch, and Leah a coffee.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Mitch said.

  “We’re still friends, Mitch. Say what needs to be said.”

  Twenty minutes later, she came out of her bedroom. She wore a pair of jeans and one of Mitch’s old shirts.

  She took the lukewarm coffee from him and sipped. He watched as she sat down, wincing as she did.

  Chase looked away. He needed to look away.

  “I know what happened last night,” Leah said.

  Both of them turned to her.

  “I mean, I don’t remember what happened, but I know we did something.” She bit her lip, stopping herself from speaking.

  “We had sex,” Mitch said.

  Chase glared at him as Leah let out a gasp.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “We started playing spin the bottle, only we did it as truth or dare. The person who spun would ask either a truth or dare,” Chase said, trying to gain some control over the conversation.

  “How did that lead up to having sex?” She looked hesitant. Her hands were tight around the mug. “Who slept with whom?”

  “We all slept together. Mitch and I shared you.”

  Silence met his words.

  Leah looked like she was going insane. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at each of them. “Did I beg you?” she asked.

  Chase glanced at Mitch before nodding his head. He was going to be truthful.

  “I begged you to fuck me?” she asked.

  “Actually, you begged us to make love to you.”

  “And you did?” she asked, slowly.

  They both nodded their heads again. Chase saw the despair in her eyes.

  “I need to get out of here,” she said, standing up.

  “You don’t have to leave, Leah. Nothing has changed,” Mitch said, getting up.

  “Nothing has changed? I begged my two best friends to have sex with me. How can that not change anything? I need to go and do the laundry. I’ll be back later.”

  Chase watched as she grabbed the sacks that had been left by the door. Her body shook with the movement as she slammed out of their apartment.

  “We fucked up last night,” Mitch said.

  Not wanting to hear any more, Chase grabbed his coat and left the apartment. He needed to clear his head. Last night had been the best night ever. It was the night all of them should have been enjoying for years.

  He walked along the deserted street wishing Leah had woken up remembering. She’d told them both how much she loved them and that she’d never be able to pick between the two of them. How could someone not remember those words?

  Chase walked through the city park as people were just getting started with their day. He nodded to people he passed not seeing or hearing any response. His life felt like it was over before it had even begun.

  ****

  Mitch moved over to the sink to clean the mess Chase had left behind. Leah loved a clean kitchen, and coming home to the mess from breakfast wouldn’t leave her in the best mood. He rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning away the mess.

  Tears filled his eyes as memories of the previous night came to him.

  “Don’t think about them,” he said to himself.

  He washed each dish and saucepan clean before drying them.

  Once he was done, Mitch moved straight toward his bedroom. He’d not slept in his bed all night. Leah had been in his arms. He’d felt her soft curves against him and had thought he’d never have to be alone at night.

  The way she reacted this morning, he knew that was never going to happen.

  He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling for several hours. The desire to move wasn’t with him. He needed to clear his head, leaving the apartment wasn’t an option. If Leah came home before Chase got a chance to turn up, he wanted someone to be there for her.

  Reaching over the bed, he grabbed his phone. The only other person he knew to talk to was his father. In all the years his father had known about his and Chase’s feelings for Leah, he’d understood.

  Mitch dialled the number, waiting for his father to answer. It was early on a Saturday morning, and his mother usually went to yoga class, leaving his dad home on his own.

  “Hello,” his father answered.

  “Hi, Dad, it’s me.”

  “Mitch, it’s so good to hear from you. What’s up?”

  “What do you mean what’s up?” Mitch asked, feeling defensive.

  “Son, it’s a Saturday morning. You, Chase, and Leah are usually doing something, why are you calling me? Is everything all right?”

  As his father continued to ask him questions, Mitch stared at the photo he kept of their graduation. It had been a day filled with a lot of laughs and celebrations. They were all going to the same college with their futures ahead of them.

  “I’ve done something awful, Dad,” he said.

  Silence came over the line.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” his father asked.

  Mitch stared at the photo then allowed the night’s memories to come back to him in a flood. “I need to talk to someone.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Chapter Five

  Leah walked down to the laundrette. It was several streets away from their apartment. The cost was good, and the quality of the shop was wonderful. She nodded her head to the owner before dumping the sacks of clothes onto the bench in front of the washing machine. Leah paid for the detergent then began sorting through the bags making piles of light, dark, and white clothing.

  Her mother had taught her how to wash her clothes so she didn’t ruin any of her stuff. There really was a secret to it. She placed the whites into the washing machine, poured the detergent inside, put her money into the coin slots and closed the door.

  She took a seat opposite the washing machine. Other days she’d bring a book to read as the washing was sorted through. Her rush out of the apartment meant she’d left empty-handed. She folded her hands under her breasts, keeping her hair down. Covering the bites on her neck was essential. For the next week or so at work she’d be covering her love bites with some scarves. She hoped no one noticed. There would be no easy way of explaining them.

  The washing machine kept spinning ‘round, and Leah watched it do the cycle again and again. The rest of the patrons continued to work through their washing as she just stared at the washing machine. The constant turning reminded her of herself. The feeling of being pushed ‘round and ‘round felt familiar to her.

  If only she could remember what happened the night before. Her body showed all the signs of lovemaking, and the guys had even admitted to them making love. She wanted to remember every little detail. What had they done? What had they said?

  Was there something important she was missing?

  She was never drinking alcohol again.

  A woman sat next to her, and Leah ignored her, watching her washing machine. Her cell phone buzzed inside her pocket. She pulled it out to see her mother had left her a message about the barbeque. Leah didn’t even know if she was going to make it now. For the first time in their friendship, Leah felt uncertain.

  Her phone buzzed again as the washing machine finished. She answered the call from her mother as she emptied the clothes into the basket.

  “Leah, what’s wrong?” her mother said.

  “Nothing. Can I call you back? I’m doing the washing.”

  “Again. Why don’t you buy a washing machine for that place or better yet, start looking for a house to share.”

  “It is a little early for that, Mom.”

  Leah rested the cell phone between her shoulder and ear as she moved to the spinner. She paid the money then went back to the washing to load up the machine.

  “Are you going to keep those men waiting forever?”

  She’d confessed her feelings to her mother a few years back, swearing her to secrecy.

  “Something happened last night, Mom. I don’t know what.”

  “What do you mean? I need details, honey.”

  Leah raised her hand out in front of her. “Please, Mom. Give me a few minutes. Let me finish loading this up in the washing machine, and I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  She finished the call, loading the washing machine then putting the clothes from the spinner into the dryer.

  After she was done, she noticed the woman who’d been sitting next to her was gone. Shaking her head, Leah walked out of the front door and dialled her mother’s number.

  Her mother listened as she told her everything she knew happened last night. By the time she had finished, tears spilled down her cheeks, and her hand was gesturing all over the place.

  “I don’t know what to do. I feel everything has changed,” Leah said.

  “Everything has changed. You’ve crossed a line with your friends. You can’t come back from that. Do you still love them?”

  “With all my heart. I just can’t bear the thought of them sleeping with me because they felt sorry for me. I begged them, Mom.”

  “Mitch and Chase will not hold it against you. I think you and the boys need to take a long look at your life together. It will only be a matter of time before this goes wrong.”

  Leah looked through the window. “How do you know it will go wrong?”

  She heard her mother sigh over the line. “You’ve slept with your two best friends. The two friends you’ve known most of your life. What would you say to another woman in that situation?”

  Leah stared at her reflection hating her own answer. “That she’d need to make a choice.”

  “What choices would those be?”

  Closing her eyes, Leah answered her mother. “Either to stay and work it out, or to realise it was a big mistake and leave.”

  “I’m sorry you have to make these choices, baby. You’ll figure it out in the end.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  Her mother sighed. “Do you really have much of a choice?”

  Leah shook her head. “No.”

  “I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Good luck, honey.”

  She disconnected the call and then made her way back into the laundrette. After a couple of hours, their clothes were washed, dried, and neatly folded. When she got back to the apartment she’d iron them for the guys.

  Leah was careful with the washing as she loaded them back into the now cleaned sacks. She waved goodbye to the owner then made the walk back to the apartment. It no longer felt like her apartment but a thing. A place she slept in. Leah knew she was more hurt about begging them to take her. What if she hadn’t begged? Would they have still taken her?

  Her face was red as she got back to her apartment. The doorman nodded at her. She smiled even though she didn’t feel there was much to smile about.

  She used the stairs to walk up to their floor. The door was not locked, and she let herself inside with ease.

  Chase and Mitch were sitting in front of the television. She tensed as they turned to her.

  “I wondered when you were going to make it back home,” Chase said.

  Mitch looked up and down her body. She felt an instant bolt of lust straight in her cunt. Leah licked her lips, looking at the pair of them.

  “I did the washing. You had a lot of clothes to sort through.” She put her key on the hook they put by the door.

  Mitch came over taking the sacks from her.

  “I’ll iron them,” she said.

  “All right.” He lifted them up. She noticed the strain on his muscles even though he didn’t complain. A memory of her nails sinking into the flesh of his arm flashed across her mind. The memory was gone as quickly as it had come. “You’re still on for making dinner tonight. I’m starved.”

  Leah smiled feeling the tenseness ease out of her. “Sure. Anything you want.”

  She moved toward the cupboard where she kept the iron and the board. Mitch put the sacks on the chairs and went back to the television.

  You’re a coward.

  She knew she should be talking to them about what happened, but she couldn’t bring herself to destroy the peace around them. They both seemed happy to her. Bringing up last night was wrong.

  You’re going to regret it.

  No, I won’t. They don’t want to talk about it, and I seriously don’t want to talk about it.

  This is your chance with them.

  Leah knew she was in love with them. She didn’t know why she was holding herself back from them. Being with them was a dream come true.

  It would be a dream if you remembered what it was like to be in their arms.

  Shutting off the thought process, she picked out each item and made sure to make it crisp before putting it onto their pile.

  ****

  Mitch’s dad’s fabulous advice had been to ignore the night before. Until Leah was ready to talk about what happened or even begin to remember what had happened then, the best solution was to make it easy. Don’t talk about it; don’t make a big deal about, and carry on with life as if nothing had changed.

  The biggest problem Mitch was having was the fact he wanted to talk about it. He didn’t see why not talking about what happened would work. They’d made love last night. He’d been deep inside Leah’s body as she climaxed around his shaft. She’d called his and Chase’s names. Leah had confessed to being in love with them, and they were supposed to pretend it wasn’t happening.

  Leah was in the kitchen cooking their dinner. He kept looking behind him to watch her. She’d been ironing for the past couple of hours, and he hated it.

  Mitch wanted to take her in his arms and show her how much he’d loved last night. Her honesty and passion had been so worth the wait.

  “Stop looking at her,” Chase said in a whisper so Leah wouldn’t hear.

  “I don’t know how you can stand this.”

  Chase glared at him. “Do you really think this is me standing it? I can’t fucking breathe. I feel wound up that tightly.”

  The other man glanced back at Leah. “I know what it feels like to have her come apart in my arms, Mitch. I’m taking your old man’s advice because it might fucking work. I want her to come to us on her terms, not the other way around.”

  Chase drained his can of beer and threw it into the trash can.

  The rest of the movies were waiting for them to watch. The scent of garlic and chicken filled the air.

  “I’m starting to think my father is fucking useless.”

  His friend nodded in agreement. How was this helping them?

  They knew Leah better than anyone. If they didn’t talk about it then she wouldn’t mention it again. Last night would remain a memory in their minds but not in hers.

  Mitch knew he couldn’t handle another man walking through that door. If it got to that, he was gone. Mitch knew it was extreme of him, but there was no way he was watching Leah with another man. He’d watched her with other men and hated every second of it.

  She came through and placed their food on their laps. He watched her bend forward and slide in another movie. His cock pulsed inside his jeans. He’d taken her from behind. Mitch knew what it felt like to have the curve of her ass pressed against his body, to feel the tight clutch of her cunt wrapped around his cock as he rode her body.

  He rubbed a hand over his face and saw Chase was doing the same. Less than twenty-four hours ago, Leah had been between them, the passion inside her shared equally. She’d reached for both of them at the same time. Their names had been screamed from her lips.

  Chase put a pillow over his lap and then his plate on top of the pillow.

  Leah sat between them with her food on her lap.

  The movie started up.

  He ate his food and didn’t taste any of it. Leah sat tense for several minutes before she lay back and finally relaxed.

  Mitch ate his food, watching the movie. None of it sank in.

  Once their food was finished and the movie ended, she left to do the dishes. Mitch helped her clean away as Chase set up another movie.

  The rest of the weekend was like that. The tension was not talked about. Friday night was never mentioned. It was like their time together no longer existed. Mitch didn’t know how long he could go one pretending they hadn’t been together.

  He was in love with Leah.

  ****

  Chase went back to work on Monday hating the weekend. The advice Mitch’s father had provided sounded good at the time. Leah was avoiding the conversation and looked more than happy to let it go. He continued working through his clients, advising them on security systems and explaining how each of them worked. Mitch spent most of his time in the office filling in paperwork.

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