Spinning Circles

Chapter 11

Rigs was finding the 'non-friends' label interesting. They would talk on occasion, kiss on occasion and fight pretty much all the time. Arguing seemed to be their way of releasing their pent up sexual frustration or something similar as it always resulted in them breathing heavily, being flushed, bodies tense like piano wire and staring at one another like nothing could distract them. It wasn't a public thing though, they would find each other in quiet spots where voices could be raised without interruption but unlike previous encounters the verbal strikes never become pointed or intentionally hurtful, more teasing and ridiculous.

A few days after their meeting in the stands he managed to steal a moment with her in the janitor's closet. He kissed her soundly until they were both gasping for breath, their foreheads touching and breath mingling.

"So this whole 'non-friends' thing? What are the parameters exactly?" he detested his voice, he sounded a little unsure and he wanted to sound assured, large and in charge.

She leaned in, keeping their foreheads together and touched their lips together briefly as if to comfort him.

"Parameters huh? Well I like the pashing and dashing, that should be condition one. I like my kisses to take away," she laughed and he smiled at the sound. He was liking the kisses-to-go too but he really needed to establish some ground rules with her. He wanted to have his options open, he wasn't a one gal guy.

"How about non-exclusivity?" she stopped laughing at that one. Her face sobered and she drew her face away from his.

"Okay," she agreed. Okay? Well that was easier than he imagined, he always got the impression that girls were clingy. "What else?"



"How about we don't make plans? Whatever happens happens," she considered it for a second and then started nodding.

"That's reasonable." What was happening here? Had he found himself the coolest chick in the freaking universe? "And I have got one."

"Okay hit me," he joked.

"No jealousy," she said it plainly and he wondered if it were for his benefit or her own. Obviously she was worried about herself. He was known as the man-whore of Dillon for good reason, so she was probably setting herself some parameters to maintain some control. Not that anyone knew they were together for lack of a better word, Strete may suspect but they had agreed to keep it on the down low. Casual.

"Deal," he grinned at her and she smiled back. He couldn't resist, he gently pushed her back against the cleaning products and kissed her, pushing his body up against her own and delving her mouth with his tongue. She giggled into his mouth and grabbed his butt, pulling him further against her. Julie Taylor had just grabbed his ass. He chucked heartily into the kiss until they broke it off because they were both laughing so hard. Neither of them spoke but their bodies were still touching, his legs between hers and her arms wrapped low around his waist.

"So what happens if we break the rules Rigs," she asked biting her lip. His name sounded foreign on her lips, like it didn't belong.

"If we break the rules then..." he really didn't feel like finishing the sentence, it cast a pall over their interlude.

"...then it's all over red rover?" she looked at him with an assessing glance. "Right?"

"Yeah no ties, no guilt," he said. His mouth was dry, like he had been chewing on wood shavings.

"Deal," she agreed leaning in for another kiss, just lips touching lips. "And now I've gotta fly, while we have lots of chemistry I have to go a study some," she waggled her fingers at him in goodbye and passed him, tapping him on the ass as she snuck out of the closet.

Once she had left Rigs was silently contemplative of their conversation. It had been the first time in their non-relationship that something had been easy, it didn't sit right.

/-/-/-

Rigs walked out of the locker room after his first game back. He had played what could possibly be considered the best game of his life, he had been on fire. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was he wanted her to be impressed. Julie had watched heaps of his games previously but never for him. Her presence had spurred him on and the frequent glances at her section of the stands reaffirmed his belief that she was watching him. She had even snuck him a wink when her mom hadn't been paying close attention. Walking out he wanted to see her but like their agreement stated, they weren't to make plans.

He walked to the field where he saw her wrapped in a tartan rug alongside her mother. They were obviously waiting for her father to depart. There was another person with them, Saracen. Sure he was on the team but he hadn't played. He was shy and inoffensive and Mrs Taylor seemed to be talking with him quite easily. Julie's gaze moved back and forth between her mom and her friend in amusement, her eyes alight and a smile beaming. His stomach clenched, Saracen was talking to her mom? He should be talking to her, he was her b... he stopped himself from saying it. Non-exclusive. No expectations. No ties. No plans. But Saracen had no business with her mother.

Julie looked over and caught his eye. It wasn't hard for her to tell he was looking at her, he'd been standing there staring for at least a minute. Her smile didn't change, no brighter, no dimmer and then it returned to Saracen's face. There was a clap on his back and he turned around to see Street with his arm carelessly tossed around Lyla's shoulders.

"We're going to hit the Alamo Freeze, you coming?" Street followed Rigs' gaze and smiled. Rigs was definitely going to get some grief for this later. He looked at Street's hand and for a moment felt envious, not for Lyla but the freedom to be together. It was such a contrast to what he had been previously thinking in terms of retaining his freedom by seeing other people that it left him shocked for a moment. A hand waved in front of his eyes.

"Rigs, Alamo?"

"Uh yeah sure." He walked towards the car park with the couple and couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder at the tableau before him. The perfect set – the hot mom, the gorgeous, girl next door and the perfect student. And he knew he didn't, wouldn't ever, fit in that picture.

/-/-/

Rigs hadn't seen her over the weekend but then again they didn't make plans, them's the rules and all that. It was a stupid rule. How would they ever have time together if they didn't make plans? He had no one to blame but himself, he was the genius who had devised that one.

He found himself hanging out in the library a lot more and loitering outside the janitor's closet just in case. He never got more than two (and on a rare occasion three) encounters with her each week. It wasn't enough. It wasn't enough when he spied her hanging out with Stutter-boy more and more. It wasn't enough when she spent more time with Saracen then him. He didn't mention it though. Non-exclusive. No ties. No expectations. If he said something they would be done and a little Julie was better than nothing he figured. But it still didn't stop the nagging feeling that his grasp on her was slipping, that their 'non-relationship' was tentative and temporary at best.

Rigs walked into the library towards the studying area, hoping to get a few minutes in the privacy of the stacks. It had been nearly a week and he was craving the sound of her voice. He had even contemplated calling her on the phone but he had bailed at the last minute. Billy had caught him settling the phone handset into the cradle and had called him a freaking girl.

He turned around the corner and there she was. She was seated at a table with Matt Saracen. The light from the window casting an orange hue over both of them and they actually looked like a golden couple. Their heads were bent over a book and they were laughing softly together. Her hair felt forward onto the table and Rigs resisted the temptation to rush forward and sweep it behind her ear. To touch that soft hair that was felt like silk. But he was unnecessary. Saracen had obviously had the same thought as he raised his hand, letting his fingers brush her blonde locks and tucked them gently behind her 

shell-like ear. Rigs felt a buzzing in his ears, he felt disorientated. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to want to be with him while he did his own thing. Not visa versa. He had officially become Julie Taylor's bitch.

Author's Note – I love writing each chapter at the moment and I feel like this is one of my better ones. Thanks my peeps, obviously snot is a great creative device, long live the common cold! Hurrah.