DISCLAIMER: ALL HUSH HUSH CHARACTER RIGHTS BELONG TO BECCA FITZPATRICK
"HIS ANGEL – A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER"
"WHAT'S MY NAME"
Let me just start by saying I did not set out to seduce Patch Cipriano or to sleep with my best friend. In fact, the whole thing was totally his fault. How was I to know he would jump me? I mean, it's not like I hadn't entertained the idea during all those long winter nights alone. I missed him so much and he had absolutely no idea. Vee says I should tell him but I know better. He's... not interested. Even after the weekend, I know he's not interested. I'm just his beloved friend, his best friend who just happens to be attractive. Well... maybe someday I can convince him how perfect we would be together but for now I'm content with what we had this weekend together.
The sex was incredible. I know I have no frame of reference since you know... I was a virgin but still! It was the most amazing, magical weekend of my entire life. I wish I could just bottle up the memory and open it every time I thought of him with those other women. It's not like I could expect him to be celibate while I was back home and he was away at college. It's not like I was expected to be celibate either... I mean, we weren't even a couple.
I had wondered if perhaps I was going to be one of those women who didn't have sex until I was thirty. Thank goodness I had at least waited for the other night. A night of fondling in the back seat of a car would never hold a candle to the feeling of Patch's hands on my body. He was everything I'd ever wanted and the feeling of him cradled between my thighs has me trembling even now, hundreds of miles away.
To think it all started with a toothbrush, trigonometric identities and a pair of sweatpants which had somehow become tangled.
~P&N*P&N*P&N*P&N*P&N~
The drive to the campus was always uneventful on a Friday. The other direction was always packed with students rushing to leave the drudgery of college classes. Going into campus was super easy. Three rights, two stop lights, and one hard to find parking spot and I was staring at Patch's dorm.
It had been two months since I'd last seen him, when he'd come home for Christmas. I think he was sleeping with Macy then... or maybe it was Lisa. Either way we only spent about three hours together alone and even then he was distracted. Spring break was my first chance to spend a weekend with my best friend and I was going to enjoy every second of it. If our emails meant anything then he was really excited to see me too.
The sign-in was a little bit like a strip search since the two R.A.'s leered at me until I shivered with repulsion. I wasn't uncomfortable with men per se but I was used to two or three protective men hanging around. If it wasn't Patch then it was Rixon. If it wasn't Rixon being ridiculously protective then it was Scott Parnell. If Vee was around then Scott wasn't too far behind. But here and now, these men were sleazy.
"Cipriano, huh? Guy sure gets a lot of pretty guests coming in here," the beefy one said. He looked down at my signature and caressed his thumb over it. Fucking creepy. The other one came around to escort me past the locked doors. He slid his arm around me and I tensed. He seemed to notice my discomfort but he smiled.
"Not going to bite," he said. He nipped playfully and I gripped my bag tightly. He laughed as he led me to the door, his hand slipping down my back. As his hand touched my ass I slapped him, the sound echoing in the hallway. Then I shoved him through the doors and pulled them shut. Let him fiddle with the key while I navigated up the steps to Patch's room. By the time he caught up, I'd be perfectly safe with Patch.
I found myself smiling broadly as I marched past seven open doors. I was one more door closer to Patch every time I saw a higher number. I couldn't help but feel giddy as a wave of pure excitement shot through me. I was going to see my favorite person in the whole world. Plus he was going to love the cookies I managed to bake. So okay, it was supposed to be six dozen and I only had two. He'd love them anyway. Well, that or he'd break a tooth.
The door was plain which was kind of Patch-ish since everyone else had at least a dry erase board. Patch wasn't a fan of visitors or opportunities for things to be drawn on his door. I turned around and glanced at each of the surrounding doors. There were way too many drawings of penises on those boards. Were they compensating for something?
Alright, deep breath. He was expecting me and we'd have some sort of crazy fun like we always did. He would be all flirty with that signature face he only did with me and then he'd kiss me chastely because we'd done that since I was six. Well okay, he wanted to know what the big deal was with kissing and I was a convenient means of finding out. Suffice to say I became his very willing plaything when he wanted to learn how to french kiss later on down the road. That was a fun summer. I was almost thirteen but still. Patch's tongue was very... distracting.
I knocked gently before pulling my hand back to tuck one of my unruly curls back behind my ear. I probably should try to look my best since he hasn't seen me in a while. I didn't want him to see me all sweaty and unattractive since I was constantly in competition with those easy, sorority girls. There was always a string of them calling during his breaks at home and I couldn't help the stab of jealousy coursing through me every time he answered one of those calls. Stupid man...
There was complete silence from the other side of the door and I groaned. I knocked a little louder but there was still no answer. Maybe he was sleeping? I pulled out my phone and dialed his number but he didn't answer. Maybe he was in the bathroom? I let my bag drop to the floor and leaned against his door. I was tired from the long drive and all I wanted to do was crash for a few hours.
"Dammit!" I whispered as I slid to the floor in a heap. He'd forgotten about me. I knew we'd been drifting a little since he started his junior year but... we were Patch and Nora. We were the freakishly close best friends who did almost everything together. Was he getting sick of me? Was I not enough anymore?
"Hey," a voice said from nearby. I looked up and found myself staring at a pretty young woman. Her voice was subtly accented and she was smiling brightly as she repeated her greeting.
"H... Hi," I stuttered. Was I going to be thrown out? I was supposed to go right to a room but I was locked out. "I'm sorry! I thought he'd be here but I guess he forgot the time or something..."
"Patch Cipriano?" she asked. I nodded quickly and she grinned slightly. "That little slut is probably off boning some little co-ed. If he could just keep it in his pants..."
"Ummm..." I managed to say before she grinned again. She lifted my bag off the floor and then reached into her bag. She pulled out two post-its and a pen, scribbling a note before sticking it on Patch's door.
"If he'd just get a dry erase board then I could leave actual notes occasionally instead of wasting all of MY post-its," she growled out. She turned back to face me. "Why don't you come down the hall with me and wait for Patch to stumble home?"
"I... maybe I should..." I stuttered.
"I'm Zoey by the way," she said as she carried my bag down the hall. "I'm in Patch's business class so he'll know where to find us and he better fucking have that marketing strategy done!"
"Um, okay," I said quietly as I followed her down the hall to a door decked out in concert stubs, pictures, and posters. She opened the door and shouldered herself inside before dropping my bag on a half-covered futon. There was a lot of stuff in her room, a real slob. I looked at all the posters and concert ticket stubs and some original artwork.
"Yeah, I paint in my spare time. Business doesn't leave a lot of time for it so I'm happy with the whatever time I get," she explained. "So are you one of the many or the few?"
"Many or few what?" I asked.
"The sluts of many or the special woman of the few," she explained.
"Oh, I don't sleep with him," I replied. "We're best friends."
"Oh my GOD! You're Nora?!" Zoey cried suddenly. She clasped my hands tightly and swung them lightly. "This is so cool! Patch is always talking about something you sent in an email or something you said on the phone. He is so into everything you are; it's amazing!"
"Oh," I blushed, "Patch has seemed kind of distracted recently so I... I thought maybe he was getting tired of me."
"Baby, seriously?" Zoey said as she gestured for me to sit on her bed. I climbed up on the high mattress and she jumped up to join me, the bed bouncing from the motion. "Patch is all about Nora-land! He's got pictures of you on his wall, which besides his mom, are the only pictures of girls on his walls. He even carries a picture of you in his wallet from when he took you to his prom."
"Oh yeah, I was the only freshman who got to go to the Senior Prom," I said wistfully. "It was so much fun!"
"I loved your dress. You look stunning in red," she said with a giggled. "Although Path is no slouch either." She leaned away and popped her mini-fridge open, offering me a soda as she opened on herself.
"Thanks. I couldn't believe he wanted to take me when for weeks girls were beating down our door," I admitted. "I was actually planning on asking him to take me to my Senior Prom but... after the past few weeks I was beginning to think he'd be too busy with the others."
"Baby, you are super sexy and if I swung that way...hell I'd do you," she said as she slammed her empty soda can down. "My boyfriend is too much of a handful for me to even think about other people but damn girl, I'd do you."
"Um... thanks?" I blushed. "So you and Patch never...?"
"Oh God no! He's totally not my type!" she exclaimed.
"What gorgeous and sexy as sin? He's also quite... talented," I blushed. Her eyes bulged at the implications before grasping my hands again.
"Have you two?"
"NoPe," I said popping the 'p', "I was his test subject when he learned how to kiss and all that other stuff."
"Lucky, lucky girl," she smirked. "I've heard the stories."
We got quiet after that as I sipped the soda slowly. Where was Patch and who was he doing? Was it okay to be jealous? Was it okay to want to go home and just be mad at him? It would serve him right to finally realize I was missing and worry. I knew just what he'd do. He'd call my cell five or six times before calling his mom in panic. Once he realized I was okay he'd freak and call a few more times, leaving messages begging for me to call him. He hated it when I was mad at him.
The last time I was angry with him he had camped outside my bedroom for two days until I finally let him in. He had this adorable five o'clock shadow/fuzz on his cheeks at the end. It had scratched when he kissed me in apology. That could be considered weird by most people but we'd kissed for years in private. It was in public that we'd hold hands or hug since most of our other actions were too... intimate.
"So... do you want him?" Zoey asked quietly. "I mean, he's super-hot." Zoey jumped off the bed and took my empty can before whirling around to stare mischievously.
"Um... well... I mean," I stammered.
"Hey, just so you know those of us not sleeping with Patch... we're all rooting for you two," she offered. "You always sound so amazing in his stories and he's so totally into you even though he's being completely stupid."
"Thanks, but I'm not really his type," I said softly. A knock sounded at the door before Zoey could say anything. I slumped back on the bed, laying down completely and closing my eyes. Patch was sort of like a time bomb mixed with heroin. Every so often he would explode and you didn't want to be near him but at the same time you couldn't stay away. Who was I kidding anyway? I wasn't going to go home and have him panic. I was going to stay and get my Patch fix and then cry when he ditched me to sleep with some blonde chick from the student center. It was my curse to love him.
"Is she here?" I heard Patch ask from the doorway. He sounded worried and/or upset. It was hard to tell without looking at him but sometimes I got lucky. "Zoey, is she here!" Definitely worried.
"Keep your pants on Cipriano. I mean it, pants on! I don't need nightmares!" Zoey said furiously. He laughed then with a deep, throaty sound that made me shiver. He had a voice like melted sex. He had that effect on most women but combined with his vibrant midnight black eyes, raven black hair, and that little playful smirk, well we were all goners. Not to mention that perfectly sculpted body of his.
"Zoey, you wouldn't be saying that if you knew what I looked like without them," he joked. "Now please tell me she's here!" He sounded upset now.
"You forgot about her didn't you," she asked with that trilling accented voice. I loved the foreign sounds and I smiled in happiness.
"Look, I got held up," he tried to explain. "I had to talk to my professor about one of the assignments."
"You mean, Dabria wanted to have sex and you decided it was more important," Zoey replied. "Shame on you for making her sit outside your door. Max was on desk duty tonight. Imagine if he'd found her and taken her down to the office?" Which one was Max down there? Was he the one I shoved?
"Look, I'm sorry Zoey but please let me in..." he pleaded. I'd never met a woman who didn't back down from a Patch Cipriano beg but Zoey seemed to be holding her own. I peeked through my lashes to see her blocking the door before finally sighing and letting him through. I had about two seconds before I was plastered to Patch's front, furious apologies murmured against my ear.
"I'm sorry I forgot," he whispered. I sighed and reached up to hug him gently. I felt the tension leave his body as he lifted me up to stand in front of him. He cupped my cheek softly before pressing a kiss to my forehead. It was sort of brotherly, like Rixon, but it made him feel better so I let it go. Frankly I didn't want him acting brotherly with me.
"It's okay. It was nice meeting Zoey," I replied. He pulled back and stared at me. He was keeping secrets from me and he was worried she'd spilled the beans. What could be so bad? Why was he even keeping secrets from me?
"Yeah well, knowing her..." he trailed off. "How about dinner?"
"Sure, but can we get a pizza or something? I'm kind of tired," I explained. He nodded knowingly. The car ride was long and hot since my car didn't have working air conditioning. "Thanks Patch."
"No problem Angel," he replied. "The usual?" I nodded and he smiled broadly. He grabbed my bag and we both said our goodbyes to Zoey. She whispered something to Patch and he nodded quickly. I didn't like this at all.
"What did Zoey say?" I asked as he pulled me towards his door. He slipped his key in the lock and then grimaced. He sighed again in a way that showed exactly how ashamed he was of what he was about to tell me before tugging me into the room behind him.
"I've been... sleeping with a professor," he offered quietly. I pulled away from him and stood my ground.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because she's hot and it's getting me an 'A' in biology," he replied. "I know it sounds bad but, well, it works and the sex isn't that bad. Plus, she's hot."
"Well I guess... that's good?" I replied. Just how pretty was this chick? Could I take her in a fight? That was very important since I had to protect Patch's virtue... well, the thread of it that was left. I reached up to touch his cheek and his eyes fluttered. He looked tired.
"How's school?" he asked finally.
"Blech," I told him with narrowed eyes. "It's almost over though and then I'll be heading off to college. I'm so excited!" He lifted me up and fell down on the bed with me still in his arms. We crawled up to the pillows and rolled to face each other. We always did this and it felt so normal. His hand was on my hip as he pulled me closer until we were almost nose to nose.
"You should come here," Patch said softly. We'd been fighting about that for months. He wanted me to come to school here with him but it didn't have the program I wanted. It was to far away from the local Kid's Center where I volunteered. There was a new group of children there and they needed all the help they could get. While being with Patch all the time would be amazing, I couldn't leave the kids. I hoped he understood.
"Yeah, but the kids..." I murmured. He nodded and then reached out to push some hair behind my ear. I reached up and pulled him in for a kiss. His eyes widened in surprise but he let me kiss him. This was us. Other people thought this was weird but we could do all this and still be best friends. Kissing and stuff wasn't weird with Patch. It was heaven.
"Mmm... Nora," he whispered as he rolled me over on my back. He kissed down my neck. This was new. It was usually just a quick make-out session if we were in the mood and then we would go back to talking. Sometimes I wished he would just... take what I've been offering him. Only one person would get my virginity and I'd always wanted it to be Patch. I didn't want to give that gift to anyone else.
"Patch..." I whispered softly. For once he didn't seem to be stopping as his hands roamed down and under my t-shirt. Ahh the wonders of second base...
His hands were strong and gentle as they slid over my lace bra. The rough pads of his fingers teased along the cloth, brushing over my skin in tantalizing sensations. His tongue joined the onslaught and I arched up against him as he licked and nibbled along my collarbone. My hands tangled into his hair as I tried to get him to continue his motions. Inevitably he would always stop and then I'd be hot, bothered, horny, and slightly pissed. Then we'd fight until we pretended it hadn't happened.
I could feel him pressed against me and I had to suppress the urge to start panting in need. My body always reacted to him no matter what was going on in our lives. We could be so angry with each other and he would slide behind me and I would want him like a junkie needing a fix. While it was nice to know how much he affected me, it made it way too easy for him to win fights now.
His hand slid down over my stomach suddenly and I felt my jeans give away as he unbuttoned them quickly. Well we'd never done this before! I stiffened for a second but thankfully he didn't notice. His lips moved up to mine as I felt his hand slide under my panties in a teasing fashion. My hips arched when I felt one finger slide against me. Eyes closed, I sighed in contentment as his finger moved with purpose.
"Dabria..." he murmured. My eyes shot open at the sound of another girl's name rolling off his tongue. His fingers were insistent as he continued kissing me and pressing his fingers against me. I grasped his shoulders and pushed him away fiercely. He stumbled over onto his side as I reached down to button my pants fast as I could. Okay, so maybe when I said I wanted Patch to have my virginity I also meant I wanted him to want it. Saying another girl's name was sooo not cool.
I pushed myself to my feet and smoothed out my clothes as I listened to him breath deeply. I couldn't look at him so I moved towards my bag, pulling my purse up over my shoulder. I pushed my curls back and sighed as I walked towards the door.
"Nora! I'm sorry!" Patch finally said as he tried to stumble to his feet. "I was just with Dabria and I just... I mean I..."
"Save it, Patch," I snapped cuttingly. I turned to face him and tried to push back my tears. "Sometimes I wish you'd actually just want to be with me instead of wishing you were somewhere else or with someone else!"
I didn't wait for his answer as I opened the door and fled his room. I'd venture back once I felt a little better and maybe he'd be ready to really apologize.
Did you see that coming? :)~ Poor Nora! There are two more chapters in this part of the 'His Angel' "prequel
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