Win Some, Lose Some

CHAPTER FOUR

STARTED: October 24, 2013
FINISHED: November 13, 2013

A week and I half passed. I had won the Miami Sprint, and returned home to rest and add my new gold trophy to my growing collection. It was good to be back in LA, but not just for relaxation. Gabi had just texted me that she was on her way to my house, and her flight would land in only a short half hour. Call me crazy, gay, or whatever the hell you want to, but I was cleaning like crazy-especially the bedroom. I had cooked some pasta and meatballs earlier, which were two of the only things I knew how to make, and was now reheating them so Gabi could eat a meal. As the time for her arrival grew closer, I changed into clean boxers, jeans, and a button-down plaid shirt and sprayed a sexy scent of cologne onto my face, then sliced a loaf of Italian bread and pulled a butter stick from the fridge.

Just as I was setting the table, Gabi texted to tell me she was in a taxi and would be at my place in fifteen minutes tops. I adjusted my collar and took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. I went to pee. I came back. I paced the front room several times. Eventually, I heard the sound of the doorbell.

"Hey," I greeted, opening the door with a smile. "Wow, someone looks hot." As Gabi walked in, I pulled her into a deep kiss. "I fucking missed you."

"Missed you, too." Setting her bag of luggage down, Gabi wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Well come on in. I have dinner ready." Shutting the door, I led Gabi into my dining room. "Sit down, babe. Do you want some wine to drink?"

"Sure," Gabi accepted, taking a seat.

I poured wine for the both of us, then got into my chair. "Help yourself," I invited.

Gabi spooned some food onto her plate. "So...I got everything with my apartment worked out. My furniture is all in storage. I just gotta pay monthly on it and I'll be fine till I can get my own place again. Are you sure it's okay if I live here for a while though?"

"Absolutely." I piled pasta and meatballs onto my plate. "By the way, you staying in my room tonight?"

"For sex?"

"We don't have to. It would be nice, though." I twirled a strand of pasta around my fork.

Sighing, Gabi looked at me. "I feel guilty though. My boyfriend is in prison, I still love him, he still loves me...and he thinks I'm a virgin. Hell, the most he's seen of my body was me in a bikini."

"While I know what your boobs look like." I smirked, feeling some pride at being the first guy to see Gabi naked.

Gabi blushed. "That's some of a problem I'm having. You see, I love my boyfriend, but I also feel attached to you because I gave you part of myself."

"And I love it." Winking, I gently nudged Gabi's bare foot with my own.

"Shut up. I'm serious."

"Fine. Tonight we won't have sex." I rolled my eyes. "But can you still come in bed with me?"

"In pajamas, yes. Maybe we can have that movie night I wanted to have back in Florida. And I can give you that massage."

"Good. I can assure you that my bed is very big and comfy. You'll love it. Great for sex, too, when we get to that point."

Groaning, Gabi continued to eat her food. We were fairly silent for the rest of the meal. Once finished, I helped her unpack her things and organize them in the guest room. Although we would probably be sharing a bed, my closet and dresser were too full to have her share, and putting that fact aside, she wanted a private area to change in. I wasn't sure what the point was, since I had already seen her naked, but she'd insisted on it being a good idea.

After we got everything worked out, Gabi and I both changed: her into pajamas and me into just boxers, and climbed onto my bed.

"So...what are we watching?" I grabbed my remote and, turning on the big screen TV in my room, flipped to Netflix.

"Whatever you want," came Gabi's response. She arranged some of the many pillows I had and wrapped the covers tight around herself as she cuddled into my chest.

"Let's watch Neighbors," I said, selecting the movie. "And afterward we can see Ted."

"Oh, Ted's funny," Gabi remarked. "Scott and I saw that one in theaters."

"Now tell me, Gabi, did you share a bed with that dude?" I wondered aloud.

"Scott? Yes, of course. He's my boyfriend. We didn't have sex ever though. We'd just cuddle a little before we slept, then go to our own sides of the bed. He wasn't a fan of cuddling all night. But he'd do it for me occasionally. He's really a sweetie."

"Not a good thing. Then when you actually do have sex, he won't want to be close afterward. And no one wants to sleep naked, cold, and alone. I always want skin contact after sex is over. It's only natural."

"I'm sure he'll cuddle for a while then. He's not a jerk, Troy." Gabi sounded pissed.

"Has he ever asked what you looked like nude?"

"Of course not. He doesn't like me just for my body."

"But I'm sure he's wondered. If he hasn't, that's just gay. I imagined you naked the second I saw you."

"That's cause you're a pervert," Gabi scolded, slapping my arm.

"Shut up and watch the movie," I returned.

Gabi fell silent and laced her fingers with mine as the movie began.

"This is a dirty one," I remarked. "Lots of sex jokes."

"Oh gosh," groaned Gabi.

As the movie progressed, the scene came on where Chris Mintz-Plasse, better known as McLovin, was fucking a girl on Seth Rogen's lawn.

"Ewww, that's disgusting." Gabi hid her face in my chest.

"No it's not," I argued. "It's hilarious. McLovin is finally getting laid after seven years."

"Who's McLovin?" Gabi sounded confused.

"Come on, you've never seen Superbad? He's a twenty-five-year-old Hawai'ian organ donor who wants to drink and get fucked."

"No, I can't say that I have."

"I need to show that one to you sometime then."

"It sounds...disturbing."

"Oh, stop being so prude," I said.

"How about I massage you now?" suggested Gabi, changing the subject.

"Sounds good to me." I rolled onto my stomach. "Get my shoulders real good."

Gabi pressed her small hands against my bare skin, starting at the top of my boxers and traveling up toward my neck and shoulders. Her fingers dug into the top of my spine and slowly crept along my shoulder blades. "Mmm," I moaned.

The massage lasted for another five minutes. Gabi then asked me to turn back around. Upon doing so, she rested her head on my bare abs and gently took one of my arms. Winding it around her waist, she linked her fingers with mine. She then cast her gaze upward and smiled. Leaning down, I kissed her soft lips. "Tired?" I asked, rubbing her cheek with my free thumb.

Gabi yawned. "Yeah. What time is it?"

I glanced at the clock. "Quarter after nine."

She yawned. "I might fall asleep soon. I had a long day."

"Do you think tomorrow we could have sex? I don't know how much longer I can go without feeling your body." Smirking, I ran my hand along Gabi's curves.

"The girls at the clubs aren't good enough for you?" Gabi flirted.

"Their asses aren't as hot as yours. And-" I stopped before finishing the line, not wanting to ruin my reputation of being a one-night-stand guy.

"And what?" Gabi prompted.

"Never mind. I don't wanna say it."

"Come on. Tell me. Please?"

I didn't respond. Damn this was embarrassing.

"Troy?" She rolled over and, pushing the hair out of my eyes, kissed my forehead and rested her nose on mine, her dark chocolate eyes connecting with mine.

It was then that I cracked. "And your eyes are beautiful. Every time I'd try to fuck another girl, I kept trying to imagine she had your eyes and was staring at my face with the same look you give me. Like that look that you actually care and feel connected to me."

"I never thought I'd hear any of that come from you," smiled Gabi, snuggling back onto my chest. "Hell, even Scott never told me I had beautiful eyes."

"I thought you said he was a good boyfriend?"

"He is. He would take me on sweet, simple dates and tell me I always looked nice; nothing specific though. But I don't really mind the other stuff. He's just not the affectionate 'I have to say I love you every minute' type. And he respects me. I honestly do love him."

"But I'm your fuck partner, right?"

"I don't know. Like I told you at dinner, I really have mixed feelings about it. It's technically cheating."

"Think of it this way: he has your heart, I have your body. So tomorrow when we fuck, it won't seem so bad."

"Can we compromise?"

"What do you mean?"

"Here's the deal. Tomorrow morning we can shower together. No sex, though."

I sighed. At least seeing her naked was better than nothing. "Fine," I agreed. "But one more thing."

"What?"

"Sleep in your bra and panties tonight. It'll make us even."

"But I'll get cold," Gabi protested.

"Come on, you've slept completely naked with me before." I smirked. "Besides, I'll be here. I'll hold you."

"Sleeping in a bra is awfully uncomfortable for a girl, Troy," Gabi tried.

"Then sleep in just panties."

"And one of your t-shirts."

"Gabi..."

"You know what, we'll worry about it tomorrow. I just wanna rest. Night." Gabi took my hand in hers and closed her eyes.

"Sleep well, Gabi." I gently stroked her dark curls while pressing kisses onto her head, something I had never done to a girl before.

...

The next morning, as promised, Gabi showered with me. It was the type of shower that involved some touching and kissing; therefore, the type you didn't get much cleaner from. When we were finished, we dried off, dressed for the day, and then I went downstairs to find something to eat while Gabi blew her hair dry and put on some make-up. By the time she came downstairs, I was already in the dining room with some milk and cereal with coffee. "Help yourself," I invited. "Everything's on the counter."

"Thanks." Gabi poured herself some cereal and coffee and joined me at the table. "So what are the plans for today?"

"Well, I'm going to look at some new tires for my racecar. You can just chill here and maybe when I come back we can go to the casino or something." I took a bite of cereal.

"I'm not a big fan of casinos," Gabi disagreed, stirring sugar into her coffee.

"Well then what do you wanna do? I really wanna spend some time with you today." Because I was always on the road, I didn't have the chance to make many friends, and the ones I did have were back in my hometown along with my parents. Although I probably come across to many as a solitary guy, I really do get lonely having only Denny to talk to all the time. Of course the suggestion of a girlfriend had often been the advice of my father, my mother, and both sets of grandparents, but I didn't like it. However, since Gabi wasn't necessarily a girlfriend, and just a fuck buddy that I could hang out with while her boyfriend was serving his term in prison, I was cool with her.

Gabi smiled and blushed. "I wanna see the city."

"The city?" I had admittedly never gotten to know my area beyond where the racing shops and the nearest supermarket were. "Okay. We can do that." I shrugged. How hard could it be to tour the city? I mean...it was only how big? Shit, who was I kidding, it was gonna be a fucking nightmare.

"Thanks." Smiling, Gabi began to eat.

I inwardly groaned. What was I getting myself into?

...

After choosing the tires I wanted, I returned home to find Gabi sitting in the living room reading a book. "Hey, I'm back," I said. "Are you ready to get going? Maybe we can grab some lunch then start heading...I don't know, I guess we'll just make a round of some of the city."

Gabi eagerly put her book away. "I bet you have all kinds of awesome places to show me. Let me just put my shoes on and we can leave."

"Okay." I waited for Gabi, who returned in a minute. "Let's go." I led her out the door.

As we climbed into the car, Gabi asked, "Could we put on some music?"

"Sure. Turn it on. And I don't mean by your pussy," I joked. "That's all mine."

"Oh, hush up." Slapping my arm, Gabi switched on the radio and began to sing along to Our Song by Taylor Swift. Dammit her voice was pretty. Hold on; scratch that. Everything about Gabi was pretty. Wait. I hadn't just thought that, had I?

"I think you'll like where we're going for lunch," I said. "It's a sandwich shop and bar. Not a heavy bar, though, but enough to satisfy my needs. And you don't need to drink anything if you don't want."

"You and your drinks," laughed Gabi. "You remind me of Scott. Always drinking." She sighed. "I miss him." I couldn't help noticing a tear falling from her eye at the memory of her boyfriend. The lucky bastard who'd get to fuck Gabi till he was dead. Asshole.

Why was I so jealous all of a sudden?

All throughout the meal, Gabi and I talked. She had ordered a turkey and cheddar sandwich with raspberry iced tea while I had gotten a double cheeseburger with fries and a beer. Once finished, we got back into the car. Where I was going to take her?

"So, where are we heading first?" Gabi inquired.

"It's uh...a surprise," I responded, unsure of what to say, but not wanting to let Gabi know I was completely clueless.

"Oh, good. I like surprises."

Fuck my motherfucking life, I thought, suppressing a groan. Now I really had to make sure I was taking her somewhere decent. Too bad I didn't know where any of the decent places around here were. My GPS was broken, too, so I didn't even have that to help me out.

Pulling out of the parking lot, I decided to turn left. That seemed like a good direction, right? I passed the tire shop that I had just been at that morning along with a few other stores.

"Troy," Gabi began.

"Yeah?"

"Let's play this or that. I ask you to choose between two things, then you ask me. Only rule is we can't make it dirty, so watch your mouth. And we also have to go in alphabetical order. Get it?"

"Sure," I shrugged. The game sounded childish, but oh well. I guess I could live with it.

"Alright. Apples or avacados?"

"What the hell is an avacado?" I questioned.

"That green fruit used to make guacamole. You never heard of it?"

"Nope."

"Well then I guess you're choosing apples," Gabi concluded. "Now ask me something starting with a 'B'."

"Boners or butts?" I smirked.

"I told you nothing dirty. My gosh Troy, can you turn off your sex mode for five minutes?"

"Fine, then. Babies or birth control?"

"What are you implying now?"

"That I think you should start taking something for a backup in case the condom breaks eventually. I mean, I do have strong cum." I turned to wink at Gabi as I pulled up to a red light.

"Okay, enough of this game. Let's just-" Gabi cut off as her phone rang. "It's Scott," she announced, checking the caller ID. "Hey, babe," she greeted.

I listened as Gabi chatted for the next ten minutes. Almost as soon as she hung up, I asked, "What was that about?"

"He said he earned twenty minutes of phone time per week, so he decided to call me. Basically he misses me and wanted to know if I found somewhere to stay. I told him I'm staying here with my cousin. She lives in San Diego, so even if I really was with her I'd still be in Cali."

"Are you embarrassed of me?" I felt a bit offended that Gabi was being so secretive about me.

"No. It's just that it's hard to explain that you're just a friend when first of all, you're a NASCAR rookie, and second of all, he's never met you before."

"A friend with benefits," I corrected.

"I really can't tell him that," said Gabi. "By the way, how far are you taking me?"

"Just...uh...it's just...it's right up here." I still didn't know where the hell I was going.

An awkward silence settled over us.

"Troy!" Gabi suddenly shouted. "What are you doing?"

I broke out of my trail of panicked thoughts to see that I was about to run off the road. Dammit, I forgot I wasn't racing, I said to myself. Get out of NASCAR mode, Bolton.

I tried to stop. The brakes wouldn't work. Before I knew it, the car was rolling off the road, and I was suddenly met with blackness.

...

I've been sick, so I had lots of time to write this past weekend. I needed something relaxing to do to take time off of homework tonight, so I edited this chapter and decided to post:)

So what do you guys think? Is Troy falling in love with Gabi? Is Gabi falling for Troy as well?

Also, please keep my Zac in your thoughts and prayers. He's suffering from a broken jaw.