Calm – The First Part of the First Part (or Hey Sherri!)
September 10th 1999
"A Friend"
It was hard to remember out how she ended up on her knees in her dimly lit room. This was so unlike her, her father would be surprised, and her mother would be ashamed, but she was loving it. The first wine cooler he brought was tasty, and second was even better, and when she leaned her body against his, the hairs on his forearms brushing against her skin, she couldn't help herself. His lips were just as soft as she hoped, his mouth clenched at first in surprise, but opening to hers after some hesitation. She didn't know what to do, she had never done this before, but his lips, and his stubble rubbing against her face, told her she should open her mouth and let his tongue slide in. They hadn't known each other that long she knew, it was all moving so fast, but she was elated. She wasn't sure if she should open her eyes. She remembered being told by friends to not open your eyes when you kiss a boy, but she couldn't resist the temptation to see him and gradually opened her eyes. His eyes were tightly shut, his face appeared scrunched in pain, his breathing growing more erratic. In a jerky motion she felt his hand slip under shirt and claw at her bra. Virginal in this activity she didn't know if this was how it was supposed to feel, but it wasn't what she expected. Instead" of the smooth creases she dreamed of, his hands poked and prodded, clawing at her bra.
He's told me he's been with girl's before...doesn't he know how a bra works?
Her body grew hot, her head fuzzy, dulled by the sudden burst of liquor and pleasure, and she helped him remove her bra, undoing the clasps from the back. Fortunately enough he knew how a shirt worked and ripped it over her head, doing the same with the green stripped polo on his body. Ever since she met him she couldn't help but fixate on him, wondering he really looked like underneath those adorable clothes he wore. His chest was toned, but not overly so, and her fingers tingled as they brushed against his flesh. He gently pushed her down to the floor and laid on top of her, and in the dark it was hard to make out his expression. She had yet to see his eyes, his beautiful eyes, but as he laid on top of her she dug her hand into his shaggy black hair. She loved that he had decided to grow it out as her fingers combed through it.
Their mouths mashed together, and she was still unsure what to do, but felt he was doing it wrong. His teeth clashed against her's as his tongue awkwardly moved in and out of her mouth, curling and weaving in an uncomfortable way. Curiosity again getting the better of her she opened her eyes to see his face, contorted in displeasure with his eyes still closed.
As they continued on the floor, she naturally found her hips roll against his in search for friction. There was some to be sure, but there was a expected hardness that was lacking. She began to worry she was doing something wrong, that this was all a huge mistake, as he abruptly pulled away from her, getting off the floor and sat on her roommate's bed.
"Did I do something wrong?" she meekly asked, instinctively covering herself as she spoke.
"No...no..." he whispered, not making eye contact in her dark dorm room. She moved closer to him, unsure what to say, and looked to her shirt and bra tossed to the side, considering putting them back on.
"Do, you think..." he mumbled, "do you want to..." he said, as his hands gestured towards his crotch. He couldn't say what he wanted but by his expression he knew exactly what it was.
"What?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, you don't have to, it's stupid." he said, blush filling his face.
They were moving so fast, faster than she ever thought possible, but has he turned his head towards her, and she saw his bright blue eyes, she knew the answer. "Oh, I'll, umm, give it a shot..." she said with a forced chuckle and stoney grin. She wasn't exactly sure what she was volunteering for but she would do anything for him.
"Okay," he said, his white teeth appearing for a moment for a smile. He stood up off the bed slightly, and undid his jeans, the garment slipping down his body, curly black hair leading down to his genitals.
His less then excited genitals...
Five minutes ago she had never kissed a boy, but now she was staring at a limp penis, resting against a muscular thigh. Her twitchy hands moves towards his manhood and began to rub it. She had seen pictures of this, her father's once when she forgot to knock on the bathroom door, and once when a boy streaked on Homecoming, but she had no idea what it felt like. The head was smooth against her thumb with excessive skin hanging under the tip. Unsure of what motion to do she, she wrapped her fingers around his...dick...and began to move up and down, which is what she was assumed was the custom. He small groan came from him and her heart fluttered as she felt it grow in her hand. She looked up to him but all she saw was his chin and his head tilted up towards the ceiling.
She began to move faster and tried to avoid the hazards she imagined, friction and her nails, and he moaned to her, "Can you...use your mouth?"
Seven minutes ago she had never kissed a boy, and now...that...was going to go in her mouth. The word "No!" floated in her head but wouldn't leave her lips, no sounds did. All she did was move her head down to and run her tongue against him. His entire body jumped against it, his hand making their way to her short blonde hair, and grasped her scalp tightly.
She took that as a good sign and continued to lick him, his member hardening all the while. When she had a chance she looked up, hoping to see his face, but his gaze was still averted up, mumbling and grunt, "Lurrrrrrlll..."
Was he trying to say love?
It was all to much, and she couldn't believe it was happening, that she was capable of doing this. But, she wasn't a little girl, she was never a little girl, she was at college and she was with a boy...no a man. This is what she wanted and even has his finger nails dug deeper into her head then she liked, he reached a peak of hardness and she placed all she could in her mouth.
"Oh, God!" he loudly moaned, his hips raising slightly against her, vigorously attempting to put more and more into her mouth. She fought against gagging and continued her motions. It got harder and harder in her mouth, and her neck tried from her motions. He was a million miles away at that moment, his face towards the ceiling, and for the first time since he suggested they hang out that night she felt truly alone.
She wasn't sure how long she had been going, five minutes minutes or maybe five hours. His body violently jerked as his head finally came down, and she again saw his eyes. He looked at her and yelped, "fuck!" his entire body convulsing as he came. It spurt against the back of her throat and she involuntary pulled away, his cum squirting onto the floor and on to him. She didn't know what to do with the remnants that remained in her mouth..it felt oddly uncouth to spit it out as soon as possible. He leaned forward, his hips and the floor in front of spattered with his cum. He panted as some sweat dripped from his brow. His eyes looked to her, sitting in front of him, and he looked away.
"I'm going to clean up," he said immediately, grabbing a nearby sock to wipe the cum off his body, pulled his pants back on and was out the door before she knew what was happening. The door slammed behind him, and she spit into the waste basket next to her. A box of Kleenex sat on her desk, and she grabbed a few pieces and began to blot the translucent goo off the floor. It was warmer than she expected and was difficult to get cleanly off her carpet.
She didn't know what to do, what it meant. Were they dating now? Was that just a hook up? Was she the type of girl who had hook ups? If he caught her brushing her teeth would he think that's rude?
Frazzled, she stood up, and readied herself. She was eighteen, drunk, and had just had some version of sex. College was everything she afraid it was, but she was thrilled by that.
She walked out the door and the hallway was bright compared to her faintly lit room, the florescence irritating her eyes. Stumbling out into the hall she made her way to the bathroom. Luckily no one was there to see her redden, drunken, face as she brushed her teeth. Her jaw and neck sore from her recent activity. She couldn't help be a little proud, she had succeeded in her goal, and barreled though so many firsts in about twelve minutes. She had finally caught up to everyone else.
She exited the bathroom and saw him was nearing her room. Her pace picked up, as she felt herself skip towards him. Her heart dropped as she saw his face sullen, but an awkward forced smile trying to cover it.
Did I do something wrong?
She was about to speak up when a door opened next to her. The boy's name was Roger and she was loathed to have him as a neighbor. She heard indiscernible rap music ooze from his room as he closed the door behind him. He noticed the two in the hallway and asked, "Hey Big B, whose's this?" Condensing dripping from his words.
It was a good question and she didn't know the answer. Were they lovers? Was that love? Was he her boyfriend? She knew they were something else now though.
"Oh, I'm just a friend," he nearly shouted out with a second thought.
"A friend?" Brienne asked.
He doesn't even want to say his own name.
"Yeah," he said, his blue eyes darting away from hers. Roger stood staring at them and the silence was crushing to Brienne. Her stomach violent crunching and she thought of ripping out the hair that his fingers dug at before.
"Oh, I have a headache...do you think you could get going?" She asked, her voice quivering, failing at steadying at this moment and she could feel the tears form in her eyes.
"Oh, sure," he said, "bye," he said hastily and made his way down the hall. Roger was still leering at her, and she knew he would have a lot of things to tell his friends when she went in her room. She didn't care, she just wanted to be alone, she didn't want anyone else to see her like this.
September 18th 1999
"Sherri"
Sansa knew she would have to be careful going out tonight with Jeyne. Her mother had told her multiple times how dangerous college parties could be, and knew she would have to be vigilant. "Don't worry," said Jayne checking her make-up and perfectly curled hair in the mirror, "the party is at Renly's, so you'll know him, and Loras will be there too." Sansa was still worried as she examined herself in the bathroom mirror. Her long red hair was braided and twisted into a tight bun, which she smoothed before dusting more blush on her face.
Everything is going to be fine. You are going out with a friend and you know people there. You could maybe meet a nice boy. A nice boy who wouldn't trick you into hot tub sex, one who doesn't kick puppies. Maybe another nice blond boy named Loras.
The two girls left the dorm bathroom with very different expressions. Jeyne Poole, taking advantage of the warm weather, wore a denim mini skirt with a fitted brown halter top. What Sansa liked the most were the cute brown sandals with cream colored flowers on top. Not wanting to send the wrong signal, Sansa wore a much longer denim skirt along with a traditional brown blouse.
They exited Andal hall and began their trek to Renly's house off campus. Sansa had not ventured off campus much and was worried she would not be able to find her way back if she was separated from Jeyne. In the small black purse she brought with she had placed directions to and from the party on a piece of loose leaf paper.
It was only walk six blocks and take a right ...but I don't want to take a left...
The house was large and yellow, with green shutters, and black trim around the shutters. There was already a large group of people mingling on the porch of the house and the drive way to the right of the house. Sansa noticed that most of the people were already holding red cups that appear to hold beer or cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller Lite. Sansa had already decided that she was not going to drink tonight, but she was unsure of what Jeyne was going to do. Turning to her friend to ask her that question, she saw that Jeyne had recognized someone across the way, another junior or maybe another interior design major, and walked briskly towards the older raven haired girl yelling "Hey! Jenny!" and waving her arms frantically.
What a friend...she didn't even abandon me for a cute guy...
She began to look around the yard for anyone else she might recognize. The sun had fully set while she walked over to the house, and it was hard to make out people's faces in the dark. She moved towards the driveway, which was better lit, and instantly noticed two large silver kegs that sat on less than sturdy looking table. Walking closer she noticed that the tables in question were actually ping-pong tables.
Then, she then saw Renly standing next to one of the kegs. His back was to her, and she saw he was facing a blonde figure, someone who she didn't know. Renly usually wore more formal wear, like polos and khakis, but this evening he stood next to a blonde giantess in jeans and solid blue t-shirt. As she made her way through the crowd, she maneuvered through all sorts of very rude people. No matter how many times she quietly said "excuse me", they did not notice her. Sansa didn't think to try to make eye contact or try to raise her voice above the ever rising music, but she felt she shouldn't have to.
The blonde girl next to Renly turned around and made eye contact with Sansa as she approached. She was a good four inches taller than her, and was wearing a sky blue blouse and tan pants. Her hair hung a little below ears and was poorly combed. She had a plain face with little makeup on.
Some rogue and lipstick and she'd stand out more...which is odd to say considering she is taller than most of the people here.
The blonde continued to eye Sansa as she approached and reached for Renly's shoulder. "Hey Renly, nice party," she said in a fleeting voice. She only had a crush on Loras, and only saw Renly as a friend, but if the evening were to end with the two of them sitting on the roof looking at the stars and talking about their dreams, she would not be opposed to it.
The boy turned around and it was not Renly but another student she was rather familiar with. "Sansa?" Gendry asked, surprised to see the red head.
"Gendry! Hi!" Sansa exclaimed as her eyes popped open. "I thought you were someone else," she paused as she thought about what she just said. "Not that I didn't want to talk to you! It is very nice to see you here!" There was another pause as Sansa began to flush at the blank stares Gendry and the blonde looming above her gave her. "How you are doing?" she asked, moving closer to try to glaze over what she thought was a terribly awkward moment.
"Sansa, it's okay, and I am doing fine. You called me Stanley?" he asked.
"No, she called you Renly," the blond said flatly, continuing to give her a glare.
"Ohhhh, Renly," Gendry said nodding at the blonde. Realizing that the two girls continued to stare at each other without saying anything he interjected, "Sansa this is Brienne. Brienne, Sansa," he said motioning the his hand to each girl in turn.
"Hi," Brienne said, forcing a smile and reaching out her large hand. Sansa in turn daintily reached out and had her hand clamped. Feeling the blonde's gaze burn through her, with blue eyes that shimmered with rage, Sansa had to break the tension that dug into her skin.
"Hi Brienne, how are you doing? What's your major? Do you know anyone at the party?" Sansa gushed out rapidly and the blonde stopped gazing with wrath and looked befuddled but the rapid questioning.
"Umm," she began, "I am doing well, I am a chemistry major, and I know Renly."
"Yep, I met him in English class, he and Loras ended up sitting next to me." Sansa answered with a smile, happy that her charm offensive had worked on the blonde.
"Oh, you know Loras too?" she asked as some spite entered her cerulean eyes. Gendry's eyes darted between the two girls as he began to crack his knuckles in what Sansa assumed was nervous energy.
"Oh, yeah, I know Loras. He's nice," she answered.
"He's nice," Brienne responded flatly. Not knowing what to say, Sansa stood silently, as did Brienne. The music continued to blare around them as the two girls' eyes, which had been connected for the last thirty seconds of conversation, began to dart anywhere else.
Unable to bear the awkward silence Gendry broke in, "Did you come with someone or by yourself, Sansa?"
"No, I came with my friend Jeyne, but I think she went to talk to her friend," she said, motioning towards where she last saw Jeyne. She was no longer there and Sansa wasn't sure where to look. Like an confused and bewildered owl, Sansa's head began to swivel back and forth looking for her friend. As her head went back and forth, something finally entered her head.
Wait, Gendry is here...with a girl...
"I guess my friend went in to the house or something..." she mumbled, unsure of her fate that evening, but knew she had other topics to discuss. "Are you two here together?" she asked, pointedly looking at Gendry.
Gendry looked at her for a moment with confusion in his eyes. She turned his head to Brienne and then nodded, "Ohh, no...well yes...we are here together, but we are just friends," he finished, putting Sansa's mind at ease. Brienne in turn cocked an eyebrow at Gendry's odd answer. "Sansa is Arya's sister," he explained to Brienne, and Sansa could see the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place for the taller girl who must have been aware of Gendry's girlfriend. "I think I'm going to get a beer," he followed up, wanting to move away from the girls, even if it was only one ping pong table over.
They stood in silence as Gendry moved only a couple of steps away. However, a new song came up on the boombox that sat near the house, and Brienne moved closed to Sansa.
"He was telling the truth," she said under her breath so Gendry would not tell, "We're just friends, I talked him into coming with me, I didn't want to come alone," she said, blushing a bit as she admitted the truth.
Good. Because I didn't want to have to rat on Gendry. And I didn't want to see Arya try to kill him.
"Oh, good," Sansa said quietly so Gendry wouldn't hear, "my sister can be more than a little, um, territorial, would be the polite way to put it, I guess." She had another important question to ask. "Have you seen Renly? I thought I was getting his attention when I wandered over here."
Brienne looked away and said, "no, I haven't seen him yet," and continued to look away, possibly looking for the boy in question.
"You know," Sansa began, "I didn't think of it until now, but the two of them, they look a lot a like."
Brienne turned towards back to Sansa, "They do. Renly is starting too grow his hair out, and he's usually clean shaved, but they have a similar..." she paused as she struggled to find the correct word. "...stature. And they have the same blue eyes," she said, looking off again.
Ohh! Good! I really don't have anything to worry about because she's into Renly!
Gendry returned with not only a beer for himself but for his two companions. "Knowing you two, I wasn't sure either of you would partake, but I thought I would offer anyways," he said holding the two plastic cups awkwardly in his left hand. Brienne took a cup after a second of contemplation and not wanting him to have to awkwardly hold both, Sansa took the other out of his hand.
Mother wouldn't approve. But Gendry was so courteous...and got it for me...so it would be rude to turn him down. Right?
Sansa took the red cup and tasted a bit, it tasted bitter, and Sansa did not see the appeal. Her face recoiled in disguist and Gendry smiled. "Yeah, I know, not that tasty. But it grows on you. And the second one tastes better. And the third one tastes pretty good. I would not suggest any more after that point," he said as shrugged his shoulders. Taking his advice Sansa and Brienne took another sip. A minute or so passed as they sat in silence, each moment Sansa felt more and more out of place, with Gendry lazily looking of into space, and Brienne intensely scanning the area for something.
"I think I am going go take a look around for Renly," Sansa said nodding, her head to her drinking companions. "I will see you to around," she said with a smile, and two of them nodded back as she walked away. She walked back towards the front yard and again had a problem getting through the crowd that was mingling around the patio. It looked like an odd mix of college students and older people, all of whom were standing around having a variety of conversations, some proper and some very not proper.
I don't know what that snowballing is, but I do not want to listen to that large man sweaty man finish his story.
Sansa made her way into the house after three or four minutes of walking around drunkards and other ne'er-do-wells. She found it was wonderfully decorated and quite clean considering two boys lived there. When she stumbled into the kitchen, she found Renly with a couple of his friends, including his roommate Loras. Renly was clean shaven, wearing a black and white polo and tan cargo pants, which looked rather plain compared to Loras who was wearing a lovely lime green button-up shirt and dark beige khakis. It matched his hair and eyes so well.
Everything matches his eyes so well.
"Hi Loras!" she said from across the room, trying to get the blond boy's attention. He was standing close to Renly talking about something, and the two of them began to giggle slightly. Sansa made her way through more people to get to the pair standing by the kitchen counter. She caught Renly's eye and waved excitedly to meet someone she knew. He smiled back at her and stepped away from Loras to greet her.
"Hi! Thanks for coming!" he said, moving in for a hug. He wrapped his arms under her arms and held her tightly, jarring the beer she still held in her hand. She could alcohol on his breath, and could tell that he was probably very drunk.
"Hi! Thanks for having me!" she responded in kind, ignoring for a moment his current state. "Hi Loras!" she exclaimed to get the attention of the boy, who leaned against the counter with all of his weight. Different music played inside the house but it continued to drown out all noise and made conversation nearly impossible. She moved away from Renly and stood next to Loras again yelling, "Hi!" desperately to get his attention.
With great effort he craned his neck up to Sansa's face. "Hey-y-y-y-y, Sherri! How's it going?" He asked excitedly.
I could certainly be offended that he doesn't know my name...but I am looking at the glass as half full...so I'll be happy he is excited to see me.
Renly had moved closer to the pair and heard what Loras had said. "Sansa," he said with a firm voice, looking Loras in the eye as he spoke, "enjoying the party so far?"
"Yeah, Sherri! Having a good time?" Loras chimed in, as he had either not heard Renly, or did not care to correct himself.
"It's pretty fun!" Sansa yelled, fighting the noise of the party. "This is my first college party...so it is definitely a different experience!" Loras began to laugh at Sansa's statement, has hand slipping on the counter, as he shifted his weight and almost fell down.
Renly also looked annoyed at his friend. "Loras, I think you have had enough," he said curtly, moving his hand to take away the glass of wine that Loras was holding.
"No!" he said grabbing onto the glass and moved face inches away from Renly's. "You haven't had enough yet!" Sansa began to feel uncomfortable at how close the two of them were and Renly began to look bothered by the close proximity, but he did not appear to be surprised like Sansa was. She looked away as they continued to speak to each other in muddled breathes underneath the blaring music.
"Okay, I think I am going to take him upstairs to his room so he can get some rest," Renly said, grabbing Loras by the hand and leading down the hallway towards what Sansa assumed was his bedroom. Loras followed with no objection and looked excited as he passed by Sansa.
They make good roommates. They go together so well. Like Bert and Ernie. Hopefully next time Loras will be excited to see me and remember my name.
Sansa thought of leaving the party since she knew she wouldn't be seeing Loras anymore that evening and didn't expect to run into Jeyne again. Not wanting to abandon the party that early though, she took her beer and went back to the drive way and tried to fit in. Since she didn't know anyone, she wasn't sure what to do, so she tried to blend into the background.
Sansa wandered around for a couple of minutes, looking for her friend or anyone else she knew, then began to walk towards the front of the house and saw Brienne throw the front door open, almost hitting a party-goer relaxing on the porch. Sansa saw the blonde apologize to the man who almost spilled his beer, then stampede her way out of the house and towards the street. Someone followed closely behind her, careful not to knock the man who Brienne had just jostled. It looked like Renly, but she wasn't positive. Brienne and man sat down on the edge of street and began to talk. She still couldn't make out his face, but she thought maybe it was Gendry. Some people walked in front of her, blocking her view of the pair sitting on the curb. She tried to pop her head above the crowd, but couldn't see anything. She didn't want to move any closer and be caught spying on them. They were huddled together close, face to face, and she thought she saw them kiss. If they did it was only for a moment as he stood up and reached down his hand, helping Brienne off the ground. A car passed by and with it's highlight Sansa finally saw Gendry's face on the man's body.
She didn't know what to do, she didn't know what she saw. They were close together, but they could have just been talking, and she didn't want to assume anything. And even if she told her sister that she possibly saw Gendry with another girl, in the dark, that wasn't anything. Arya was having a hard time being apart from Gendry and she didn't want to upset her over nothing. She didn't know what to do, or if she would do anything, so she took a sip of her drink and found that it was growing on her. She noticed that Gendry and Brienne were about to walk away and with a sudden burst of energy she walked towards them and decided to find out what was going on.
"The Bachelorette"
November, 10th 2005
Arya knew she would have to put the book down soon but she just couldn't. The fifth installment was amazing, every word enthralling her more.
In fairness after the fourth book, anything would be amazing.
"But, my queen, I must ask, why don't we go?" her loyal subject wondered.
"What Jonat?" she asked, looking out on the morning sun rising over her kingdom.
"Why don't we go back to your homeland? You have been in this in land for quite some time. Your daily routine grows tedious at times, and your ferrets grow large and wish to feast on the flesh of your enemies..." he groveled, but she did not care, she had grown tired of him. Although he had pledged his undying love to her and promised to pleasure her until water spun counterways down the drain and his tongue was dry like the mighty Night-Lions of lore, in the end his odor bothered her.
"Jonat, are you questioning me?" she demanded, her voice growing cold. Since the death of her husband, who had been eaten by her largest and strongest ferret Fretos, her servant had become too familiar.
"Of course not Sapsady," he stammered, his voice quivering beneath her might.
"I am your queen! And you will address me with the respect I am due!" she roared, rising from her throne, "I am Sapsady Lunar, twenty-nineth of my name, bride of Plodder Sunggyrois, Mother of Ferrets, Daughter of the Purple Parrots, Guardian of the Great Oak Ocean, and Keeper of the Undying Flame of Eternal Ice!" she yelled, but then had to gasp for air, and regretted not taking a deeper breath before reciting her titles...
"She'll be here soon," she heard her husband say as he walked through the living room. He was wearing black hoodie and sweatpants, a outfit she wouldn't mind wearing on a Thursday evening she had off, but found herself in a tight pair of faded blue jeans and a fitted button up shirt, only buttoned half way up her chest, showing the light blue camisole underneath. She didn't want to look slutty, but she didn't want to look like a prude, and she didn't want Sansa to complain she wasn't dressed up enough.
"I know, I know, I'm almost done with this chapter," she said, not wanting to look away from the book. It was a wonderful coincidence that a Typhoon of Tridents had been released recently and she hoped to finish it on the trip to Minneapolis. They didn't have much money to spend on a honeymoon, but they did have enough to get away for a weekend.
And oddly enough vacationing in Minnesota in the winter is cheap...
It was going to be a great night. Sansa was in charge, and although her sister could be unbearable at times, if she was properly aimed and given a goal she was amazing at arranging parties and outings. The goal, she was told, was simple. Tonight, she and her sister would go out with Brienne and get as many free drinks as possible, then get her back home for a night of torrid fucking with her new husband. Gendry had made his way to the bedroom, and she placed down her book to talk him.
Arya sauntered into the bedroom and found him packing up his swimsuit. The traditional honeymoon suite was out of their price range, but they could afford to have a hot tub in their room, which would hopefully be worth the extra sixty dollars a night. "How's it going?"
Gendry looked up and smiled. "Pretty good, I'm almost done."
"That's good..." she said, sitting on the bed next to the black suitcase.
"Did you want me to pack up anything?"
"No, I'm good," she said as she swung her legs off the side of the bed like a child. She peaked up and saw her ring, safely in the box Gendry had given to her, sitting on her dresser. She felt naked without it, having grown accustomed already, but she knew her plan wouldn't work with a wedding ring on.
"Something on your mind?" he asked.
"Kinda," she said, knowing where this led, but hoped her destination would be different this time.
"Okay," he said as he folded a couple of shirts and placed them in the case. After a long pause, he raised his head to look at her. "Want to tell me want it is?"
"Why did you kiss Brienne?" she asked, trying to hide any residual disdain in her voice.
"Arya," he sighed, trying to conceal any annoyance at her question. He wanted to answer her, to just tell her, but he was stubbornly keeping this promise to his friend. "You know I can't tell you that."
"Well, I'm going to ask her tonight about it...and I'd rather not do that. So I was hoping you'd save me the trouble."
"Don't do that!" Gendry snapped at her..
"Why not! You said I could!" she said, raising her voice as well.
"Okay," he said as he walked around the bed and sat next to her, then patted her leg. He didn't want to fight, and neither did she. "Just, maybe you shouldn't," he said calmly, almost whispering to apologize for raising his voice. "Just..." he said, trailing off, not wanting to say anything, his stubborn, stupid promise keeping him silent.
"Just, what?" she asked. "You said I could ask her what happened," Arya said, also keeping her voice down. They weren't going to fight over this, not even a little shouting match like they had had a couple times before. She wasn't angry, she trusted him, but she just wanted to know why he did it. There had to be a reason and she didn't see it, couldn't think of it.
"You can ask her, just you shouldn't..." he said, painfully trialing off, not explaining why, and she felt guilty for torturing him like this. The answer was so obvious and he wanted to tell her so badly, but couldn't.
"Why not?" she asked pointedly.
"Because, if you asked her about it, you're asking her about one of the worst moments of her life," he explained.
"Worst moments of her life?" she asked, her interest peaked by the detail.
"Yes..." he said, regretting letting the detail slip. Over the last couple of years she had ferreted out of him that it happened at a party, early in his friendship with Brienne.
"And..." she said, leaning in closer hoping for more.
"And...I think you should ask her if you must, but you shouldn't," he said, sitting up to continue packing.
"Why not?" she whined, putting all of her energy into producing the most powerful pouting face possible.
"If you ask her, and you're drunk, like I except you to be, and maybe she's drunk, she isn't going to react well. I know she feels so guilty about it, and knowing you know will just destroy her."
"It won't," Arya said flippantly. "It was what? Five, six years ago? We're married...and I just want to know why the most loyal man I know would kiss someone else."
"It just bugs you so much doesn't it?" Gendry quipped, a small grin on his face. He didn't like keeping a secret, but he did enjoy watching her eaten alive by her own curiosity.
"It does! Come on! Just tell me! I'm you're wife! I mean, really..." she snorted.
Gendry shook his head a little and chuckled, "if I had to tell you to save your life, or something important, I would. But just to satisfy your rabid curiosity...no."
"Please," she begged futilely.
"Ask her if you must, but I take dibs on saying 'I told you so' when it blows up in your face," he said.
She didn't like how certain he was things would go badly. Maybe there was more to this then he admitted, and she didn't like thinking that. He said he kissed her for a good reason, that she'd understand, and she believed him fully. But, she wasn't as well adjusted as she wished, and she hated Brienne a little. She was happy to have her at her wedding, but when she and Gendry hugged after the pictures she couldn't help but clench her fists in territorial fury. She had to know why it happened. Why he kissed her and why she let him. And then she reasoned could fully get over it.
The buzzer on their intercom went off and she assumed it was Sansa. She rose to answer the door, but paused and turned to him, "And the other part of the deal still stands?"
He paused for a moment, and then nodded, "just, avoid anyone with sores."
"Duh," she mocked, and walked to the living room and buzzed Sansa into the building. She opened the door and looked out to see her sister less dressed up than expected. She wore dark blue jeans with rhinestones on the sides and Arya assumed, the ass, and red sweater blouse than fitted her form very well. Arya's fears of Sansa dressing like she was going to prom were alleviated. Her red hair was down, coming to an end at her shoulder blades, and she surprisingly appeared to have only minimal makeup on.
"Hi!" she said, bouncing up the stairs, brimming with excitement. It was then Arya noticed a plastic bag in her sister's hand.
"Hi," Arya said with a grin as she moved her gaze down to the bag. "What do you have there?"
"Oh, yeah," she said, looking down as well, "just some stuff."
"Stuff?" Arya asked suspiciously as Sansa made her way into the apartment and placed the bag on the table. "What kind of stuff?"
"Bachelorette party stuff," she said with a shrug, trying to preempt whatever opinion Arya would have. Arya started to the bag and saw several items inside. The first to grab her attention was a large red sash with the words "Bride to Be!" written in elegant cursive.
"Sansa...what the hell?" Arya asked, using the same hushed voice she used before with Gendry, tamping down the urge to yell at her sister.
"What, you said you wanted to go out and have a Bachelorette party, even though you got married two days ago."
"I did, but there's a sash in here, and..." she trailed off seeing more in the bag.
"Well, there's more than a sash," Sansa said with a weak smile on her face. Arya examined the bag more closely and found several more surprising items: a box of suckers shaped like penises, package of neon straws with rounded penis-like tops, and most disturbing of all, a tiara.
Luckily with no penis on it.
"Sansa...what the fuck?" she asked as she took the tiara out of the bag, frowning at the rhinestones and large blue sapphire sparkling at her.
"What? You said Bachelorette party?" she defended herself.
"I did, but...a tiara?"
"How else do you expect to get free drinks? People aren't going to just buy you free drinks because you say you're going to get married," she explained. Arya thought she may have a point, as she craved the free alcohol she had seen flowing at so many Bachelorette parties at bars, though usually only for a few minutes, because she would get annoyed by the party and leave after about ten minutes. But still, she had a vision of what she wanted, a somewhat traditional Bachelorette party, with free booze and lots of laughs.
And getting information out of Sansa and Brienne.
"I guess," she groaned, admitting defeat. She looked down to the table and opened the bag of penis suckers. The stems were white and led up to a flesh toned sucker.
I just hope it isn't penis flavored.
She popped one into her mouth and was happy to find it tasted like strawberry, then picked up the tiara and looked over it again. "Please tell me you are going to get a picture of her in that," she heard her husband say from behind as he came out of the bedroom.
"Of course," Sansa answered with a smirk.
"Don't you fucking dare," she threatened Sansa, who only cocked an eyebrow.
"If you get as drunk as you want, you won't care if I take a picture of you." He sister retorted.
"If she gets as drunk as she wants, she will forget how to speak English," Gendry laughed, stepping behind her and snatching the tiara to look at it.
"Hey!" she yelped, surprised by the sudden movement.
"I like it," he said, running his finger over the silver wire.
"Gendry, be honest," she asked, "do I have to wear the sash and the tiara to get free drinks?"
"Of course not," he said with a laugh, "you're a hot, twenty-three year old girl, you never have to buy a drink. As long as you are willing to put up with the implication that each drink gives the guy a shot to fuck you."
"And," Sansa continued, "the tiara will deflect all that. They'll still buy you drinks if you ask and not hit on you. It's like magic."
"You make good points," Arya admitted, the blue gem in the tiara growing on her. She was very happy with how they got married, but a tiny part of her wished for more. To get dressed up and have her family there, to have a big party, see Gendry in a tux, watch Sansa rip through other girls to catch the bouquet.
Of course in this alternate universe, I have seen my mother sometime in the last three years, someone else pays for all of it, someone else plans it all, no one tries to pressure us into doing it at a church, I don't have to be in a wedding dress for more than twenty-five minutes, and no one bangs their spoons against glasses to watch us kiss. I fucking hate that.
"So you're saying if I don't wear the tiara, guys will expect to fuck me if I get drinks from them?" she asked her groom and 'maid of honor.'
"At least some action in the bathroom," Gendry winked.
"Shut up!" Arya yelled in a shrill tone.
"Action in the bathroom?" Sansa asked, unfortunately not nearly as dense as she used to be, picking up on the implication.
"Not important," Arya sighed, then flipped her hand at her sister and sighed deeply. She walked over to Gendry and placed her hand out, silently asking for the tiara back. He chuckled under his breath as he lifted it above her and placed it gently on her head, then planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Okay, stop, you're too freaking cute," Sansa said, averting her eyes.
Gendry laughed and reached down for a penis sucker, examined it for a moment, then unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth.
"Strawberry, yum" he said. "So, did you want me to drive you?"
"No, it's a girl's night, Sansa can drive," Arya answered, deciding to commit to the Bachelorette party motif. Besides, they were going to pick up Brienne on the way there, and considering what Arya had in mind, she didn't want Brienne seeing Gendry tonight.
"And what happens when Sansa gets too drunk to drive home?" he asked, taking the penis out of his mouth and pointing it at his wife.
"Oh, I won't drink tonight," Sansa answered with a grin.
I bet you will...
"Uh-huh. When you guys need a ride, I'll be here," he said with a wink, popped the sucker back into his mouth, before heading back to the bedroom.
XXX
"Woo!" the bachelorette screamed after the Jagermeister slid down her throat, which was still burning from an earlier shot. The party was going well, people had complimented her tiara, the bar was just as ruckus as she excepted, but her bridesmaids were still frustratingly sober.
They had been at Whiskey Dick's for over an hour now, and Sansa and Brienne were both patiently nursing the Long Island Iced Teas they had received on the house from the bartender. The college bar was heavily populated, but not nearly as crowded as the last time Arya was there.
And far less terrifying without people dressed in costumes and without me tripping on acid.
Currently two dudes, named Bryan and Dwayne, or something like that - it didn't fucking matter- had bought the bride a shot and were chatting her up. She had already finished her Long Island, and had had a Kamikaze twenty minutes earlier, purchased by two other dudes called Eric and Steve, so Arya was very lively. She always knew men found her attractive, for reasons the short girl with small tits could not understand, but never before had she flirted so much. It was all very tame though, the guys barely trying, knowing some other 'dude' had dibs on her. And, in truth, after about five minutes she was hardly the topic of conversation. Normally, Bryan or Dwayne or Eric or Steve would try to chat up Sansa, who oddly enough rebuffed them all. Sansa was a flirt by nature, so seeing her aggressively push back against a guy was peculiar.
"Hey did you want a drink?" Steve or Bryan would ask.
"Nah, I'm good," Sansa would reply with a stiff smile. She clearly didn't want to get drunk, and for the first time ever Arya saw her sister not enjoy getting hit on. Her entire life she watched her beautiful older sister carefully plan out how she could get the attention of men, and then relish it when they noticed her. But now, she was here tonight with her sister, sipping one drink, and just barely making polite conversation.
Brienne wasn't much better. Like the Stark sisters, was dressed in faded blue jeans and a black top that Arya thought looked really good on her. Fewer guys were also hitting on her, with the same results, curt smiles and declines for further drinks. She continued to sip from neon purple penis straw Sansa had given her for her Long Island, and absent mindely chewed on the tip.
Unlike Arya, who was about to go on a weekend trip, her wedding party actually had work tomorrow, which was really ruining her plan. It was all so simple, go to the bar and get free drinks. Check. Get Brienne to explain the kiss and have Sansa gush about the boyfriend she was clearly hiding, then go home and have drunken monkey sex with Gendry. It wasn't that complicated, but her prudish companions were not being accommodating.
Of course, there was another thing Arya could do if she wanted. She and Gendry struck an arrangement earlier in the day; Arya could ask Brienne about the kiss during her party, and she could kiss another guy if she wanted. She expected him to be nonplussed by the very idea of it, but he simply nodded. "That sounds fair. Just don't get herpes." She really didn't want kiss someone else, she just needed him to be okay with it. But now, with liquor flowing through her, the idea seemed a little more fun, but Brad was stupid, Steven was a douchebag, and Kyle had put on enough Axe body spray he was probably flammable.
The three girls sat at the bar after Arya had her shot, Brad, or maybe Kyle, had just finished hitting on Sansa, and after sharing a quick glance with his friend Jedediah...
You remember people named Jedediah...
...and they said their goodbyes and slowly walked away. Arya was could feel her face heat up and knew she had to do something to put her plan into action.
"Hey! Let's do shots!" Arya exclaimed.
"You just had a shot," he sister said with a giggle, a neon green penis routing her drink to her mouth.
"Well, you girls haven't had any yet! You have to catch up." Arya yelled, gaining more attention from less lively patrons and more derision from the bartender who was growing weary of her outbursts.
"I would," Brienne said calmly, "but I have work tomorrow. We all can't spend the day with Gendry in a hotel suite in Minneapolis." She clearly didn't mean anything by it, but given what Arya wanted to talk to her about, she couldn't help but angrily groan at Brienne, who looked surprised by the noise.
Arya turned and looked at her sister, who also looked confused. It occurred to her that she needed to include Sansa in her plan, who at times even more devious then Arya. Arya had to two problems. The first was that Brienne wasn't going to get drunk if she continued to sip on that damned free drink. The second was that she needed Brienne to leave for a minute so she could talk to her sister. Luckily, both problems had the same solution.
She whipped around, and felt her sash jostling and her tiara shift on her head. Her elbow knocked into Brienne's tall glass with purple chewed up penis and having not drunk a majority of the liquid, it all spilled out down the table and onto her lap.
"Ah!" she squealed, trying to move away, but the drink washed over her legs and soaked into her jeans.
"Sorry!" Arya screamed, trying her hardest to fake surprise and regret. The bald bartender, who was growing more annoyed by the second, walked over with a rag and began to clean up the mess, trying to hide his glare from Arya.
Flustered, Brienne said, "I'm going to go to the bathroom," as she blotted a napkin against her damp thigh, then walked through the crowd towards the restroom. A smile came over Arya's face as she watched Brienne walk away, she tried to hide it when her Sister's attention turned from Brienne to her.
"Why did you do that?" Sansa asked, leaning in so no one else could hear her.
"What?" Arya said, avoiding her sister's accusing eyes, sipping her drink through a bright green penis.
"You tipped over her drink," she whispered harshly.
"Maybe," Arya shrugged, feeling the effects of her solo shot coursing through her body. Part A of the plan, 'get drunk' was working at least.
"Why?" she asked again, bewildered by her sister's actions.
"Because, because...she..." Arya stammered.
"She?" Sansa repeated, prodding her sister to finish her sentence.
She can help.
"Because, Gendry kissed her," she finally admitted for the first time to someone else.
"What?" Sansa blurted as shock blanketed her face and her pink lips hung open.
"Gendry kissed Brienne," she said flatly, taking a large sip from her drink, the tip of the green cock tickling her lips.
"Geez," she said staring at the bottles behind the bar, "when?"
"I don't know," Arya answered with little affect.
"Okay," Sansa said wearily, "why? I mean, were they drunk or something?"
"No," Arya said with certainty.
"Okay...Arya...what...the...fuck?" she said pausing with each word.
Arya looked around the bar quickly and Brienne was still nowhere to be seen. "Goddamnit," she moaned knowing she had a tale to tell. "Okay, here's the deal. A couple of years ago, when he was sick and high on NyQuil, Gendry told me that he kissed Brienne." Sansa nodded intently, absorbing the words. "And when I asked about it, he said he did because 'he had to' and that he only did it once because he was her friend.'"
"Her friend? Why would he have to kiss her?" Sansa asked.
"I know!" Arya howled, startling the elderly man next to her, who walked away from the bar with his drink. "It's been bugging the hell out of me for years!"
"He never told you when he kissed her?" Sansa asked.
"Nope," her sister responded.
"Huh," Sansa said, her left hand taking her drink one hand and the other fiddling with the purple penis.
"What? I know that look," Arya said, recognizing that her sister had something to say. Sansa's right leg began to twitch nervously and Arya leaned in closer, "C'mon, you're my maid of honor."
I was going to use that line to get the boyfriend information out of her, but it will suffice here.
"So," she said, looking her sister in the eye for a moment before taking an enormous sip of her drink. "I remember this party, my freshmen year, at Renly's house."
"Okay," Arya said, satisfied to at least know it was at a Renly's house that Professor Plum kissed Mrs. White.
"And it was really loud, and there was drinking, and..." she said, lingering on her words, and taking another sip, this one fully hitting her sister.
"And..." Arya prompted her sister.
"And, before I left, I saw Gendry and Brienne sitting close together on the front porch, and I thought I saw them kiss."
"You saw it?!" Arya yelled, looking quickly behind her afterwords, making sure Brienne wasn't nearby.
"I thought I saw something, maybe a kiss," she clarified, "and when I asked them about it, they denied it."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Arya demanded.
"I thought about it, but what would I have told you? 'I thought I maybe saw them kiss once?' Would you really believe me?"
Her sister had a point. In past conversations Sansa thought third base was holding hands, and a handjob was something done by manicurists. If she had told Arya she saw them kiss, she wouldn't have believed her. "You might have a point," she shrugged.
"And besides, I really believed them when I asked them about, and I didn't see anything else weird after that. I mean sometimes they hung out alone in his room..."
"They did?" Arya squealed. She already knew that but she didn't need to be reminded of that right now.
"Yeah, they hung out a lot freshmen year. Their really good friends. I mean I even hung out with Gendry along in his room" Sansa explained flippantly.
"Okay, you made your point, Gendry could have fucked dozens of girls in his room," Arya said abruptly to stop her sister.
"That's not what I said," Sansa shot back.
"Well, that's what I heard," Arya growled and looked at her sister, sizing her up. Based on her whimpering tone and horrible posture, she felt sufficently guilty. "So, that's all you know?"
"Yep," Sansa said, still trying to accept all this information.
"Well then," she said, and turned around one last time to see Brienne making her way through a group of men, "help me get her drunk so she tells me what happened."
She nodded quickly as Brienne and sat next to Sansa, her seat probably still wet from the spill. "It didn't stain did it?" Sansa asked as Brienne sat down next to her, the wet spot on her leg covering most of her crotch.
"I don't think so," she said with a shrug.
"I'm sorry," Arya apologized again, slightly more sincerely this time, noticing the brown stain between Brienne's legs.
If it did stain, I'll buy her new jeans, after she tells me how she tempted Gendry into kissing her.
A moment passed and Sansa gave Arya a knowing look and a small nod, which went unnoticed by Brienne. "Okay, as the Maid of Honor, I think we should do that shot Arya wanted to do."
"Yeah!" Arya excitedly agreed, clapping her hands together, delighted that Sansa was helping.
"But, I have work tomorrow..." Brienne said quietly, "I would, but I don't want to be hung over."
"Oh come on!" Arya yelled, and realized there was an important point she had not brought up, "I'm getting married soon! I have a tiara!" She yelled pointing to her head.
Brienne and Sansa both chuckled a bit, and Sansa happily grinned at Arya.
"Okay," Brienne relented, "I'll do one shot."
"Good," Sansa said with a determined nod and yelled to the bartender, "Can we have three Lemon Drops please?"
"Sure," shrugged the bald man, who looked like a depressed Mr. Clean, as he prepared the shots.
A minute later three shot glasses filled with golden liquor were placed in front of them, each girl daintily taking her own glass. The liquor was pungent, lemon and sugar wafting up to her nose.
"I propose a toast to Arya and Gendry!" Sansa said, raising her shot glass in front of her. Brienne joined with a smile, as did Arya, and after a moment, without hesitation, Arya knocked her third shot of the evening back. The lemon juice danced on her tongue and she moaned happily.
"Good shit isn't it!" Arya yelled.
"It is," Sansa agreed, placing her hand on the bar.
"Pretty strong too," Brienne commented, looking at the empty shot glass. Sansa and Arya both knew that Brienne was a cheap drunk, a lush, a lightweight, and would probably be drunk shortly from the shot and the third of the Long Island she drank before.
"Okay, now, I have a fun game I think we should play, and it's pretty simple...Truth or Dare."
Arya couldn't help but grin and could actually feel a twinkle in her eye. Her sister's plan was so stupidly simple it would probably work. "That sounds like fun, let's do it."
"I've actually never played," Brienne said, propping herself up on the bar, the shot already effecting into her.
"It's simple. When it's your turn, you pick someone else to either answer a question or do a dare, and they can't refuse," she explained. "So, since it's Arya's party, she'll go first." Sansa said.
Arya smiled and looked to Brienne, "Okay, Brienne, truth or dare?"
"Don't go with dare," Sansa spat out before Brienne could speak. "She's drunk and encourage-able. You don't want to know what weird dares she'll have you do."
"Okay," Brienne said with a laugh, "True."
Fucking love my sister.
"Okay," Arya gradually said, not sure how to phrase it, and wanting to do it carefully. "Brienne, Gendry told me that he kissed you..."
"What?" Brienne blurted, as her eyes bugged out of their sockets and her face began to flush further.
"He was sick and delirious and he kind of spouted it out by accident." Arya explained, keeping her voice low and calm. "And it's okay," she said, and lied a little, "but he never explained to me why."
"Ohhh," Brienne said quietly, as a vacant stare began to replace panic. "Excuse me," she said weakly to the bartender, "could I have a gin and tonic?"
"Huh?" he asked, looking up from a few feet away, where he was drying some glasses.
"A gin and tonic?" she meekly repeated.
"Sure," he nodded.
"Add it to our tab," Arya nodded to the bartender. They sat in silence as he made the drink and slid it in front of the tall blonde. She quickly took it into her hand and took in half the drink in huge swig.
As Brienne appeared to gain some more composure, her hysteria replaced by depression, Arya leaned in front of Sansa, who sat in the middle, and whispered, "hey, it's okay...I'm not angry," she lied, wanting Brienne to feel at ease "I just wanted to know why."
Sansa, who had been sitting quietly after she suggested they play Truth or Dare, chimed in, "Was it at Renly's party freshmen year?"
"Yep," Brienne sadly said, lowering her head towards her companions. Sansa winced, realizing she missed something obvious and important.
"Okay, so it was that day..." Arya said, still not happy with that answer. "Why? Why did he kiss you?"
"Because," Brienne whimpered, raising her head and taking a deep breath, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Because I gave him a blow job!" she loudly and bluntly confessed.
"What!?" Both Arya and Sansa yelled at the same time.
"You gave Gendry a blow job!?" Arya demanded, standing up from her chair in anger. She almost lost her balance, and drunkenly staggered to Brienne, her face inches away from the blonde's. "Did you!"
"No! I mean...I'm sorry, I need to go," Brienne sobbed, backing up from her chair and made her way towards the bathroom, bumping into people in her rush.
Arya was shaking in anger and betrayal, unsure what she just heard. Brienne's drunk declaration was hardly clear and now she had more questions.
And worst of all, Gendry was right...she freaked out when I asked her.
AN:
Thank you for the nice reviews, lately they have been very kind. It means a lot.
To make one thing clear – Gendry, Robert, and Edric are the only Baratheons. When I started this I knew I wanted Robert as his father and would just ignore the other Baratheons. But now I have Joffery and Renly floating around which can be confusing. They are just Joffery Smith and Renly Smith. As you can tell my intense commitment to Canon runs deep.
This chapter was written in three parts – the blowjob part was written listening to Daft Punk, the Sansa part was written during two episodes of Jeopardy!, and the last part was written while I re-watched Team America: World Police.
Not many references in this chapter, the only one I can I remember is Legends of the Hidden Temple and Sesame Street.
My writing style has me doing a first draft of a chapter and revising. Then, after my first pass, I usually leave notes on things I should add or take away. Normally the notes are "focus more on Arya being alone," or "avoid saying the word 'quickly.'" One of the notes in this chapter was, "more blowjob imagery."
Thanks again to my beta thursdaynext88, who is still my beta and surprisingly still my wife. She does not endorse the next joke.
Less notes this time - work ate my soul this week. I've been having to work a lot with Excel spreadsheets, and well it is a good program, it only works great if you're familiar with it. It keeps on skipping around the page and I spend half the time cleaning up my mess. So, I guess it's like anal sex: "it seems simple enough, but should be left to professionals, or else you'll spend the day cleaning up shit." I think that's an old Amish saying.
Next time – Arya gets 'even' with Gendry and makes a startling discovery in Calm – Second Part of the First Part (Or I don't know yet, I haven't written it yet nor can I think of a pithy filler, so you'll just have to find out when you read it. Probably Thursday or Friday of next week, it will be a longer chapter, and I have a busy week, with some friends coming into town for Halloween, but it will be funnier then this chapter, and I promise a conclusion to the whole Gendry/Brienne situation.)