Chapter 6

When I woke up, Ashton was sitting at the foot of my bed. Several weeks had passed since the party at which she and Lana got together, and, though their relationship had been thriving, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Ashton?" I croaked, forcing my eyes mostly open. "What's up?"

She paused to take a few deep breaths, seemingly holding back tears. "Lana is moving back to New York at Christmas. I just thought you'd like to know."

"Oh ... I'm sorry, Ash." I didn't know what to say, so I just sat up to give her a hug. Lana and I hadn't really been the best of friends, so I wasn't too torn up about it.

She burst into tears and leaned her head into my bare chest. "I didn't think our relationship was going to go anywhere, but then we got so close, and now she's moving away..."

It was true. She and Lana had been inseparable for the past few weeks, spending most of their free time together. Though, to outward appearances, they were just really good friends. I could understand that she was upset, but I didn't really know how she felt: like Nicole had said the night of the beach party, I used to get involved in brief flings with a lot of girls, not really staying with any one in particular for very long.

"Is there anything I can do?" I gently asked her once her tears had subsided a bit.

"No, not really." She sighed, shivering a little in her under-dressed state: she was only wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt and yoga pants. Although the house was pretty warm, my bed was right next to a window, so it could get pretty cold in that part of my room.

"Here, share the blanket at least, you're freezing." I offered, lifting up a corner so she could slide underneath.

"Thanks." She obliged, cuddling up to me. She wasn't really that cold, but she was clearly glad for someone to hold her.

I did just that, wrapping my arms around her tightly. Her slender frame fit snugly into mine, just as it always had. As we lay there, I thought about our friendship; we had ended the sexual part due to her relationship with Lana, but now that Lana was leaving, I wondered if Ash was going to try to start that up again. My relationship with Emily was also a little unclear. We hadn't had an opportunity to discuss whether or not our relationship was "exclusive" yet, but I had avoided having sex with other girls anyway. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

After a few minutes of cuddling like this, with her ass right up against my hips, my morning wood hadn't gone down at all. In fact, my erection had actually gotten quite a bit harder. I did my best to mentally scold it, telling my penis that now was not the time. Nothing worked. Ashton could obviously feel it, but it seemed like she wasn't going to bring it up.

Just a moment later, though, she had had enough. "Is this position a little uncomfortable for you?" The way she asked made it clear that she wasn't happy with my inappropriately-timed arousal.

"More like too comfortable." I muttered without thinking.

She turned to face me. "Nice to know I still have that effect on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I was bewildered. I knew it was an inappropriate time for an erection, but this seemed uncalled for.

"From what I hear, you're more into college girls now." She mumbled, seemingly regretting each word as it came out of her mouth.

"Oh." I sighed. "You've heard about that, have you?" Ashton was rapidly turning from calm to pissed.

"Yes, I have, and I don't know why you wouldn't share that with me, of all people." She said angrily, sitting up now and pulling away from me. "Are we only allowed to talk while we're having sex, or something? Because I thought I mattered more to you than that."

"You do!" I growled. "You know that; don't pretend like you don't. There's a good reason why I haven't told anyone anything about her."

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?" She shot back.

"I ... She-" I stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

Ashton took this as me not wanting to tell her and tears welled in her reddened eyes again. "Fine, don't tell me. We can talk again when you decide if you want to continue being friends with me." She stormed off.

"Ash!" I called, springing out of the bed to go after her. "Wait!" I grabbed her shoulder to try to stop her.

"Leave me alone, Aaron!" She shouted, tears now streaming freely down her face as she twisted to throw my hand off of her.

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist down on the dresser, watching her storm off and drive away.

I needed to let off some steam; I grabbed my MMA gloves and went down to the basement, where we have our workout equipment. I wrapped my hands and ankles with athletic tape and went to work on my punching bag. Despite it having a 300-pound base, I knocked it over several times, which was a testament to my anger.

After I finished my workout, ate, and showered, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't go to Emily; there was no way to explain the situation to her without her finding out about my more-than-a-friendship with Ashton. Before I left the house to go for a walk, I sent Ashton a text. I realized that the reason I didn't know what to do was that I usually came to her when I was having problems; she didn't always solve them, but she always made me feel better about myself.

Me: hey, you're right. I'm sorry. I'll tell you everything, whenever you're ready.

Eventually, I wound up at the park near our house. I ambled over to our favorite picnic table, the relatively secluded one near the large pond, hidden by some oak trees. My family used to go here all the time. My dad would bring his guitar and play songs for my mom, but Nicole and I would listen in. Afterward, he and I would play catch or soccer or whatever until mom made us stop for dinner. Those are some of my favorite memories, made even more special by the fact that I was having trouble remembering most of my other memories involving my father.

Whenever I felt that I needed guidance, I would come here. Although my dad obviously couldn't speak to me and give me advice, this was the only place at which I still had vivid memories of spending time with him, so it was as good a place as any to think. As crazy as it may seem, it usually made me feel better to talk to my dad, as if he were there.

"Hey, dad. I'm not doing so hot right now." I put my face in my hands. "Ashton found out about Emily and she's all pissed at me. I guess I've been a dick, leading on two girls at once. Ashton just needed comfort, and I drove her away. I haven't been a very good friend to her recently ... The problem is, I don't know what she wants from me: I can't tell if she still just wants to be friends-with-benefits or if she wants something more ... God, I wish you were still around, Dad. I miss you."

I laid my head on my arms, which were folded on the table. After what seemed like a few hours, I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I thought I would find you here." My mom's voice came from behind me, soft and gentle. I simultaneously was happy that she had come and wished that she would go.

She sat down next to me, looping her arm through mine. "What's the problem, Aaron?"

"Girl problems." I muttered.

"Well, I'm a girl. I think I should understand."

My mom and I have always been able to speak candidly to each other; my dad disappeared before I was old enough for "the talk", so she had to handle all of that stuff. Being a lawyer, she was strictly no-nonsense when it came to Nicole and I being honest with her.

"Not this time, mom." I laughed bitterly and turned my head away.

"Hey." She gently grabbed my chin and turned me to face her. "I promise I won't be mad at you, no matter what."

"It's not me I'm worried about." I told her.

"Well, I promise I won't be mad at anyone, unless they've hurt you." She assured me, giving me a smile.

I hesitated before speaking, then decided to bite the bullet. "I've been in a relationship with someone who works for you."

"Emily? Yeah, I know. I was wondering when you were gonna tell me, though."

"You knew?" I asked incredulously. "For how long?"

"Since you two were in your room for about 45 minutes at the party." She teased.

I was more embarrassed then than I ever had been in my life. My face felt like it had been in contact with the surface of the sun.

Side note: I suppose I should explain my mom's "usual policy" in more detail now. She has a sort of realistic mindset about teen vices; she believes that, by trusting me to behave responsibly, I won't become addicted to alcohol or sex later in life. It's a sort of European approach: let the kids drink some wine when they're growing up and they won't become alcoholics later. I guess she realizes that it's better to try to guide me through, rather than stop me from, experimenting with sex and alcohol. She has a zero-tolerance policy on most other things, though, which is fine with me, because I find drugs disgusting. I digress; apologies for the fourth-wall break ... back to the story!

"I thought she would lose her job or something if you found out!" I exclaimed, my embarassment dissipating to make room for relief.

"No, honey. It would be very different if I were having a relationship with someone from the office, but I can't and won't fire Emily just because you two are together. And I trust you to be responsible with the physical stuff."

"That's the thing, mom. I don't know if we really are together. And there's this other girl, too, and I don't know what she wants from me."

"Is it Ashton?" She asked, almost lazily, as if it were obvious.

"Uhh..." I gulped. Apparently that was all the answer she needed.

"You may think that you're very discreet, Aaron, but every guy is an open book to his mother. I've got all kinds of dirt on you." She grinned mischievously, exactly like I do.

"Well, damn," I said, "I guess you know about the murder, then. The jig is up!"

She clearly didn't believe me for an instant. "Ha ha. Very funny."

"Ok, then, O Great Omniscient Mother, what should I do?"

"That depends." She declared magnanimously, but then switched to a more serious tone. "Who do you have stronger feelings for?"

I had to think about that for a while. "I obviously haven't known Emily for as long, but we have a lot in common and she's very easy to talk to. Ashton, though, she's always been there for me and I want her to feel the same way about me. We just had a big argument and she's pissed at me."

"Do you love her?" Mom prompted.

Jeez, mom was breaking out all the hard questions.

"I don't know, mom. That's sort of the problem."

"Well, you and Ashton dated before, right?"

I nodded.

"And that didn't work out, so maybe don't try too hard to make it happen again. Give Emily a chance; she's a great girl."

"You're probably right ... I don't want to make Ashton feel bad, though. How should I tell her?

"Aaron, what do I always tell you is the best thing to do? Just be honest, like you usually are."

"Ok. Thanks, mom. I'll tell Ashton how I feel."

We got up and walked back to the house, with her arm looped through mine again. I checked my phone. Ashton had responded.

Ashton: Come over now.

"Hey, mom, I'm gonna go to Ash's house to explain myself. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, honey, dinner should be ready at around six or seven."

I drove to the Williams's house and rang the doorbell. Ashton's dad answered.

"Aaron! Good to see you! Ashton said you were coming over."

I gave him my best fake smile. "Good to see you too, sir. How are Jack and the missus?"

He stepped aside to let me in. "The missus is as sassy as ever and Jack is still loving karate. He always talks about how his senseis aren't as cool as you were, though."

My fake smile became a genuine one. "I'm glad to hear that. Can you tell him I said hi?"

Jack was one of my favorite students; dedicated and passionate about learning karate, he still managed to have a good time and make everyone laugh.

"Course I will, kiddo. Ash is upstairs, in her room." He clapped me on the back and went back to his computer.

I trudged up the stairs, dreading the conversation I was about to have with her. Upon entering her room, I looked around at all the familiar posters and photographs that adorned her walls. I felt a twinge of guilt when I saw the pictures of the two of us from various years. Ashton was sitting on her bed, facing the wall opposite the door, so I knocked on the door frame.

"Can I come in?"

She waved her hand in my direction without turning around, so I came to her side of the bed and sat down next to her to begin talking without any real plan for what to say.

"Y'know, Ashton, after you left my house, I didn't know what to do or where to go. And ... I realized that that's because whenever I have a problem like this, I come to you. You've always been there for me and the one time that you wanted me to be there for you in return, I couldn't reciprocate. I know this isn't nearly adequate, but ... I'm sorry. I should have told you about my thing with Emily. You deserve to know stuff like that, no matter our relationship status."

She sighed heavily. "I forgive you. I shouldn't have stormed off like that; I should have given you a chance to explain yourself. I overreacted."

I put my arm around her and thankfully, she didn't shrug it off. Instead, she leaned into my side, like she usually would.

"Do you want me to explain the whole thing, Ash?"

"I guess so."

I told her the whole story, starting with how I met Emily and leading all the way up to the present.

"So, now, Emily and I are together, sort of."

She drew a few breaths. "I guess that that means we won't be having sex or doing anything like that for a while..."

"No," I confirmed, as gently as possible, "but make no mistake, Ashton, you are the best friend I've ever had and I will never let that go."

She smiled weakly.

I spoke again. "Do you want me to go?"

"Can you stay for a while?" She timidly requested.

"Of course." I hugged her tightly.

We laid down on her bed together, just like we always used to. After an hour or so, I knew I had to leave. I got up, said goodbye to Ashton and her dad, and started driving home. Then, it occurred to me that there was someone I hadn't told about the recent developments. I checked my car's clock: 3:45. There was plenty of time before dinner. I did a quick and illegal U-turn and started driving in the direction of the university campus. Emily needed to know, too, after all.

When she answered the door, I had a broad grin on my face.

Emily's face brightened immediately as she realized who was standing on the front porch. "Come on in, Aaron. What's up?"

I siezed her by the waist and lifted her up, twirling her around. "Guess what?"

"What?" She laughed.

"My mom knows about us." My grin never left my face.

"And you're still grinning like an idiot because..."

"She's fine with it."

Emily also broke into a grin before she leapt onto me and kissed me furiously. "I don't believe I've shown you my room yet, Mr. Moody." She winked suggestively.

"I don't believe you have, Miss Osbourne!" I winked back. Actually, it was sort of strange that I hadn't seen her room yet: we'd had sex in my room, in other people's rooms, in public locker rooms (well, one public locker room), but never in her room.

She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me up the stairs, giggling the whole way. We flew past her friends' rooms, waving through the open doors and laughing at the bewildered faces that stared back at us. When we got to her room, I took a half-second to look around before Emily flung herself at me, knocking me down onto the bed. Her room was simply decorated, spared from the girly garishness that infects most girls' rooms. She had sports posters, photos of her and her friends, some prints of paintings; it was nice.

"Oomph!" I grunted as my back hit the mattress. I quickly plugged my phone into her speakers and set it to play my favorite "sexytime" playlist, which follows a distinct pattern. It starts with about twenty minutes of slow, seductive music, like "Thinkin' Bout You" by Frank Ocean, then shifts to some faster-paced stuff for the main event (so to speak), and finishes with melodic music like "Paris, Tokyo", by Lupe Fiasco.

Emily was wearing her usual sweats and tanks top combination, but it looked sexier today than it ever had. She began gyrating in time with the music, slowly lifting the hem of her tank top to expose her defined abs. Before Emily lifted her shirt all the way off, she started on the sweats. Pulling them down slowly and turning her back to me, she exposed her incredible ass inch-by-inch. The curves of her butt made the tiny thong she was wearing disappear.

I thought about commenting on her affinity for g-strings, but chose not to; it would ruin the moment. Instead, I started stripping my clothes off, too. Emily kicked her sweats off, into the corner, and resumed removing her shirt, still swinging her hips rythmically, still keeping time with the music. When she had thrown her shirt into the pile by her sweats and unclasped her bra, I admired her body once again. In my opinion, the line down a woman's naked back is highly underrated and very sexy.

Emily turned to me, slid her bra down her arms, and climbed onto the bed, smiling as she did so. Having decided that she wasn't crawling to me quickly enough, I sat up, grabbed her neck, and locked lips with her, pulling her on top of me and reclining back on the bed as I did so. We kissed for a few minutes, with me caressing and squeezing her perfect boobs. Emily's lips were warm, soft. Her skin was the same way, smooth, silky, almost feverishly warm.

But, for me, it wasn't merely about feeling her curves with my hands and lips. I could feel her warmth radiating between us; I could hear her heavy breathing, slow and consistent; I could taste her spicy, citrus-y breath, hot and heavy; I could smell her lemon shampoo. The sensory experience of sex with Emily was entirely different from any I had had with other girls; it was fuller, more exotic, somehow more mature. I guess that's a testament to the value of the experience that comes with older girls.