The Tribuo - 23. Part III, chapter 5

- V -

ERIC

“The belt was just a scheme to get me into the bedroom, wasn’t it?” I asked after an hour or so.

“Uh huh,” he said and pressed tighter against me.

“Never lost it, did you…”

“Nope.”

He started running his fingers through my hair and I closed my eyes.

“You think I should cut it?” I asked finally.

“No,” he said immediately. “Don’t change it…”

“Okay.”

I was about to doze off, but I knew that he’d just leave again the minute I passed out. Jesus, I didn’t even know why I cared so much. I mean, so he’ll leave, big deal! This whole thing means nothing. He is getting married in less than three weeks, so this is just an experimental fling, nothing more.

“Sleep,” he muttered, his breath warm on my neck. “Your eyes are about to close…”

“Nah,” I grinned. “I don’t…”

“I’m not going to leave,” he said and kissed my shoulder. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

I tried to snort at that, but instead, I just sighed, grabbed onto his hand, and closed my eyes. I fell asleep, thinking that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. No, scratch that. Not making. Made.

*****

I woke up because he was running his tongue over the tattoo on my shoulder.

“That’s good…” I muttered without opening my eyes.

“Wanted to do it since last night,” he said.

I didn’t say anything, I just enjoyed feeling his mouth on my shoulder.

“What now?” I asked finally and he sighed.

“Well… We could get up and go eat something, or we could stay in bed for a while…”

I turned around.

“That’s not what I meant,” I said and he just looked at me. “Cole, this whole thing is just… I don’t know. Bizarre?”

“You could say that,” he agreed bitterly.

“Look…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to…”

And then he started running his fingers through my hair again and I forgot everything I was about to say.

*****

It was around six in the evening, and we were wolfing down sandwiches and coffee at the Bean Stalk, a coffee shop three or four blocks away from my apartment.

“So, you are younger than Scott?” I asked, after swallowing a huge piece of bread.

“Mmm… Just by five months or so,” Cole said.

“So, that would make your birthday…” I paused to gulp down more coffee. “In January?”

“Yup,” he nodded. “January twenty third. When is yours?”

“November second,” I said, and he just stared at me. “What?” I frowned at his reaction.

“Jesus…” he muttered and his eyes darkened.

And then I understood.

“That’s your wedding date, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he said softly.

“Huh,” was all I said.

I still had at least a quarter of a sandwich left, but I wasn’t hungry anymore. Cole was turning his coffee mug back and forth between his palms.

“Eric…” He said finally, and I didn’t look at him. “Look…”

I don’t know what he was about to say. Maybe he would say that we needed to stop this insanity right now and never talk to each other again, or something like that. I guess I would agree with him, and that would be the end of it. Maybe that was what he wanted to say, except he never got a chance to go pass the word 'Look.' Because for some strange reason, Andy and Angie decided to go into the Bean Stalk, and of course, they immediately saw us, and of course, Angie immediately decided to run over and give me a huge hug.

“Well, well,” Andy said after I was trying to get Angie’s lipstick off my face. “What are you guys doing?”

He pulled two chairs to our table for him and Angie. I sighed when she grabbed my coffee cup. Angie was never a shy type.

“Talking computers,” Cole said a little bit too quickly.

“Fascinating,” Andy said seriously. “How’s Mary?”

Cole blinked.

“Umm… I don’t know,” he admitted finally.

“Uh huh,” Andy nodded. “Haven’t talked to her since last night, have you?”

“No,” Cole said and got up. “I need more coffee, be right back.”

“I’ll go with you,” Andy got up. “Anyone else needs coffee?”

“I’ll take a refill,” I sighed.

“I want Mocha,” Angie smiled, and he just nodded.

COLE

I was cursing in my head when Andy leaned on the counter and told the barista girl to “Take her time.” Then he just stared at me with his usual 'I know what you did' look in his eyes. I swear to God, sometimes I think he is psychic or something.

“What?” I asked finally, when he wouldn’t say anything.

“What are you gonna do?” he asked and I coughed.

I expected something like, “You and him?!”, or “Which one is better? Your girl or your boy?”, or maybe something like, “Are you kidding me?!” But I did not expect “What are you gonna do?”

I almost said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about” blah, blah, blah… But instead, I said:

“I don’t know.”

“Cole,” he sighed. “I am going to point out the obvious, okay?”

“I know what you gonna say…” I grimaced.

“Your wedding is in nineteen days,” he said and I closed my mouth. Again, that was not what I thought he was about to say. “And you'd better make up your mind soon. As in… Oh, I don’t know… Tonight?”

“Andy…”

He shrugged indifferently.

“I know you well enough,” he said calmly. “And I can see that look in your eyes.”

“What look?” I frowned.

“The trapped one,” he said, and I sighed. Captain Perceptiveness. “Look, I am not going to ask you anything or pester you with useless advice, but answer me just one thing, will you?”

I looked at him silently.

“How was it?” he grinned, and I rolled my eyes and smacked him upside the head. “Well, I am curious… Okay, okay, knock it off!”

I grabbed two coffee cups off the counter.

“Wait up,” Andy said. “Angie’s Mocha…”

“Right…” I muttered. “Andy, what do I do?”

He was serious again.

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I suppose, you have two options. One -- you marry Mary…” he paused and winced. “Right… Anyway, you marry her and you dump Eric, or the other way around. Now, ask yourself this…” he paid for his drinks. “Will you be able to dump Eric?”

I stared at him. He waited patiently.

“I don’t know…” I muttered finally, and Andy snorted.

“Yeah, you do. Just think about it. You don’t have all time in the world, you know.”

He grabbed his drinks and started to walk towards the door.

“No,” I said and Andy stopped and looked at me. “I won’t be able to…”

He looked at me silently, and then nodded.

“There is your answer,” he said and I followed him outside.