note: Just want to say thanks for the reviews, everyone, and here you have ye old chapter three. :D

Don't own MSB or title.

Enjoy!

different names for the same thing
by, the ultimateSora

chapter three

Phoebe had erased the three missed calls from Arnold during that week, knowing if she talked to him it would just distract her from Archibald. She laid in bed beside him, his arm around her shoulders, and she heaved a sigh. "I don't want this week to end."

He kissed her head. "I don't either."

She turned on her side, the sheet falling down her hips a little more, and she kissed his neck. "The summer will be here in a little over two months. I want to stay here with you during the break."

He smiled and cupped her breast with his other hand, running his thumb over her nipple. "That's a long way away, Phoebe," he said.

She ran her finger along his chest. "I know it is, but I feel like we probably won't see each other as much...what with school and keeping this quiet." She kissed him and relaxed her head on his pillow. "Archibald...why haven't you touched me yet?"

He raised his brows, somewhat confused. "What do you mean? We just made love a few minutes ago."

She nodded. "I know, but you haven't given me oral or fingered me."

He shrugged, blushing from her use of words. "I've never seen the purpose when I can just make love to a woman."

She smiled and kissed him. "You're so old-fashioned...I love that about you." She took his hand and placed it between her thighs. "Touch me."

He kissed her back and grinned. "Guide me. Show me how you like to be touched."

She moved his fingers up within her folds, and he felt his heart pound when he felt how wet she was. He made her that way, and he loved that he got her to feel like that. She guided his finger to a nub, and she moved his finger around the nub in a slow circle.

"Keep going like that," she instructed, her voice soft. "Press a little harder."

He did. "Like this?"

She nodded, biting her lip. She pulled the sheet back, and he could see where his fingers were, the sight making him hard. She took his middle and index fingers, pressing them together and placing them at her opening. "Keep touching my clit with your thumb and put your fingers in me," she said, her voice raspy.

He did what she instructed, and he smiled when she arched her back from his touch. While his fingers moved in and out of her, he kissed her shoulder and moved his lips down along her skin, taking her nipple with his teeth. She moaned as he sucked on it. The feel of his fingers in her and his lips on her nipple had her come faster than she expected, and he felt her wetness cover his hand. Out of curiosity of how she tasted, he brought his fingers to his lips, licking them.

"I like the way you taste," he said.

"I want to taste you," she said, a look of lust in her eye he hadn't seen yet.

He knew what she was insinuating. "Oh, Phoebe, no...no, I don't think so. The idea of...having a mouth on me like that..."

She looked down to see his erection was a deep red, and she grasped it. "Let me relieve you." He was about to say no again, and she gave him a firm squeeze. "Please."

He decided to give in, and he nodded. She moved down in the bed, and she kissed his tip. "That...actually feels nice," he said, breathing hard.

She put his hand on the back of her head. "Guide me around."

She gripped the base of his hard-on, and when she put her mouth around him, he gasped and ran his fingers through her tousled, sweat drenched hair, guiding her around.

A couple of days passed. Phoebe was sitting at the dining room table of her and Dorothy Ann's house, doing homework, when there was a knock on the door. D.A. wasn't home, so Phoebe put her pen down and got up to answer it. She was surprised to see Arnold on the other side of the glass storm door.

She opened it to let him in, and he walked inside. "Hey, I've been trying to reach you all last week."

She blushed. "Oh...yeah, I was...in and out." She extended her arm out. "Come in, come in. Want anything to drink?"

He shook his head and made his way to the living room. "No, thanks. I'm good."

She followed him to the living room, and they sat down on the couch. "So, what's up?" she asked.

He scratched his chin. "Well, I was wondering if you would like to be my date to the Kappa formal. It's April seventh, but we're leaving that Friday since it'll be in Philly this year."

She got up and walked to the kitchen, which was divided from the living room by the counter bar. She got a bottled water from the fridge, and she stood at the counter as she took a big drink. "Oh, Arnold, I don't know."

He got up. "Well, if you don't want to, that's fine." He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "I just thought we'd have fun together. I wanted to ask a friend."

"What about Tiffany?"

He raised his brows. "What about her?"

She took a drink of her water. "I saw you two kissing at the party before the break."

He shook his head. "It meant nothing. It was just a random make out." He chuckled. "You thought she and I were dating?" When she didn't laugh, he stopped. "Sorry."

"No...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

He gave her a small smile. "So, you'll go with me?" When she looked down, he said, "Just as friends."

She smiled. "Well, I guess I see no harm. I'll go."

He smiled, too. "Great! We're driving down with my roommate and his date. We can talk more about the plans later when they get more definite."

She nodded. "Sounds good."

He looked at his watch. "You done for the day?"

She nodded. "My last class was cancelled. Why?"

"You wanna grab a bite to eat with me?" She made a face, and he held up his hands. "Just two friends hanging out."

She giggled. "Sure. You pick the place."

Archibald wasn't saying anything. Phoebe reached across the table for his hand, giving it a squeeze. "If you don't want me to go, I won't," she said.

They were having dinner at a small seafood restaurant in downtown Providence. Archibald gave her hand a squeeze. "Phoebe, if you want to go, then go." He smiled. "You're in college...live like it. Don't let me stop you. We're not exclusive or anything."

She forced a smile, trying to pretend his "not exclusive" comment didn't bother her. She brought his fingers to her lips. "Believe me, Arnold is just a friend."

He nodded. "I understand."

"Phoebe?"

Phoebe let go of Archibald's hand, and she looked up to see Tiffany Woods walk over to her. "Oh, hi, Tiffany."

"I didn't get the chance to talk to you at the party. How've you been?"

Phoebe nodded, surprised Tiffany even remembered her name. "I've...I've been good. I'm at PC with Wanda, Ralphie, Carlos, and Keesha."

Tiffany looked at Archibald. "Is this your dad?"

Both Archibald and Phoebe blushed and looked down, and Phoebe shook her head. "No, no, this is a friend of mine. Archibald Seedplot, Tiffany Woods."

Tiffany shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Seedplot." She looked at Phoebe. "Nice to see you again, Phoebe."

She walked off, and Phoebe felt her neck grow hot. "Archibald...I--"

He held up his hand. "A simple and understandable mistake."

She slid her foot under his pant leg, and in hopes of changing the subject, she said, "What say we skip dessert and go back to your house?"

He shook his head. "You should go home."

He waved the waiter over for the check, and after he paid, she drove him back to Walkerville. She leaned over to kiss him goodnight, but he got out before she got the chance to. She drove back to Providence, and she was glad Dorothy Ann was out with her lacrosse teammates. She walked in the empty house, and she went to her room to put her pajamas on.

She walked out to the living room just as Dorothy Ann walked in. "Hey, Laverne."

Phoebe raised her brows. "I thought we agreed you were Laverne and I was Shirley."

D.A. shrugged. "To-may-to, to-mah-to." She put her Burberry purse on the dining table. "How was your night?"

Phoebe went to the kitchen to get her pint of Cherry Garcia from the freezer. "Same old, same old. Yours?"

D.A. crossed the kitchen, unbuttoning her shirt as she went in her room. "Charlsie drank too much wine and threw up in a ficus," she said, leaving her door open. Phoebe went to the door way and stood against the frame. "Needless to say, we got kicked out of the restaurant."

She put on her Tarvaris Jackson (the Minnesota Vikings quarterback) jersey, which was a children's size, almost skin tight, and stopped at her midriff, and she also put on some matching Vikings shorts. The shorts barely covered her butt, as they were old shorts from when she was ten. She got her pint of Phish Food from the freezer, and the two went to the living room to watch TV.

"So Arnold asked me to Kappa's formal," Phoebe said, laying head-to-feet beside D.A. on the couch.

D.A. swallowed her bite of ice cream. "Did you say yes?" Phoebe nodded, and D.A. smiled. "Well, that's great, isn't it? Maybe he really wants to get back together."

Phoebe shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know if I want to, though."

D.A. raised her brows and nudged Phoebe's ribs wither her foot. "What? But you've wanted to get back with him since he broke up with you!"

"I know, I know, but..." She tried to think of a valid excuse for not wanting to get back with Arnold that wasn't "I'm having sex with my second grade teacher". "I just worry that we'll get back together and then break up again."

"I doubt it," D.A. said, taking another bite of ice cream.

Phoebe shook her head, glad D.A. bought her phony excuse. "I still don't know. And besides, he might have just asked me so that he wouldn't feel obligated to sleep with me or anything. If he took a prettier girl or one he was interested in, he'd probably feel like he would have to be a romantic."

"I still think he wants to get back together."

"You think or you hope?"

D.A. smiled. "Well, Arnold was good for you. So I hope to God he wants you back."

Phoebe raised her brows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Arnold made you less, well, you."

Phoebe laughed and kicked D.A. in the arm. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"He made you less squeaky and more outgoing. You actually started getting that flirtatious streak you had when we were kids back...though, you sadly haven't gotten any boy action since Arnold."

Phoebe smiled and kicked her again. D.A. slung her leg over Phoebe, scissoring her and keeping her arms together. D.A.'s legs were stronger than they looked, and Phoebe also realized D.A. waxed them when she didn't feel any stubble.

"Let go of me!" Phoebe giggled. "I can see all the way to France from this end!" D.A. let go of her, and Phoebe kicked her. "Seriously, D.A., go put on some panties that actually cover."

Phoebe told Archibald she was spending the weekend before formal with him. She just had to come up with a good lie to tell Dorothy Ann as to why she wouldn't be home for the weekend. She decided to tell her she'd be in Boston. Phoebe tossed her bag in her Jeep just as a pale, metallic green 1980 Mercedes-Benz 280SE sedan pulled in the driveway behind her.

D.A. got out, and Phoebe asked, "You're driving your dad's car?"

D.A. set the alarm and walked over to her. "Yeah, the 450 needed the tires aligned, so Dad gave me his car for the weekend since I have sorority duties and crew practice."

Richard Ewing fixed up old cars as a guilty pleasure hobby, and the 280SE had been fully restored when the gang was in junior high. He loved the 280SE, the pale green color the original color, and he didn't want to change it, saying it made it look "classic" (despite the XM radio and GPS system in it). Sue Ellen, D.A.'s mother, was the only one in the family to drive a newer car (2002 Suburban). D.A.'s three older sisters all drove old cars their dad fixed up, and D.A. drove a 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SL roadster (red with a removable hardtop). Evan wouldn't be sixteen until the fall, and she had a restored 1985 Firebird Trans Am waiting for her. The Trans Am was originally going to be for D.A., but Richard finished the 450SL first, which D.A. liked better anyway.

"You Ewings and your old cars," Phoebe laughed as they walked back in the house. "Though, I was always kind of envious. My car's old, but not cool-old like yours."

They walked inside, and D.A. sighed, "The 450 is kick ass, isn't it?"

"Shut up," Phoebe said, smiling.

D.A. looked at her watch. "Hey, let's go grab some dinner. I don't feel like cooking, and I'm sure you don't either."

Phoebe shook her head. "You go ahead. I'm not that hungry, really."

D.A. raised her brows. "Pheebs, I think you could use a little meat on your bones, you know."

Phoebe rolled her eyes when D.A. winked. "I'll be fine, thanks."

D.A. headed back for the door. "Well, I'm going to grab something light, then. Call me if you decide you want something."

Phoebe nodded, and she walked out. She waited about fifteen minutes, and she left for Walkerville. She parked the Jeep in front of Archibald's house, and she noticed his bike wasn't there. She knew he kept a spare key under the mat, and she used it to let herself in. The house was dark and quiet, the only sound being the surf and seagulls outside. She closed the door behind her, and she walked to the bedroom to put her bag down. She smiled, getting an idea, and she threw off her clothes, putting on one of his discarded Oxford shirts, rolling up the sleeves. She slipped her panties off, and she walked to the kitchen to make some tea. She went to the sink, smiling at the memories of having sex against it, and as she filled the teapot with water, she heard the front door open in the living room behind her.

"Phoebe?"

She turned around to see Archibald walking in with a reusable grocery bag in hand. "Hello. I'm just making some tea."

He walked in the kitchen, putting the bag on the table, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I wasn't expecting you until later."

"Thought I'd surprise you," she said, putting the teapot on the burner. She turned around and put her hands on his chest, her voice soft as she said, "Surprise."

He gave her hips a squeeze before letting go of her. "What would you like for dinner?" he asked, emptying the grocery bag.

She leaned back against the counter, unbuttoning some of the buttons on the shirt when he wasn't looking. "Doesn't matter to me, really."

He put the groceries away, and he turned to her, noticing the shirt was open to her belly button, the insides of her breasts showing. He felt the front of his slacks become tight. "Should...should we just skip dinner?"

She smiled and ran a finger down her chest. "If you want."

He crossed over to her, lifting her into his arms, and she giggled when she felt his fingers dig into the skin of her butt. He set her on the table, and she laid back as he unbuttoned the last buttons of the shirt. He took off his glasses before shedding off his sweater vest and Oxford shirt. Phoebe sat up to unbuckle his belt and unbutton and unzip his slacks. He kicked his shoes off, and he pulled his pants and boxers off along with his socks.

"You know you're the first woman I've made love to outside of the bedroom and bathroom?" he asked when she pulled him closer.

She kissed him as she laid back on the table top. "I'm flattered," she giggled. She gasped when she felt him push into her. "Slow...slow..." She smiled and closed her eyes, and when he was in as far as he could go, she grabbed his butt with her fingers, holding him in place. "Stay...don't move yet. Please."

He pulled her closer to the edge of the table, and he stood up, running his hands up her belly to her breasts. They were nearly flat when she was on her back, so he ran his thumb over her hard nipples. She let out a sigh and whispered he could move as she stretched her arms up above her head. He moved his hands down to her hips, and he held her with a firm grip as he moved his hips in a smooth motion. She bit her lip, whimpering while smiling with each thrust. He eased his rhythm to a faster one, and he smiled down at her. Her freckled body was flushed, and she tilted her head back as she let out a long sigh.

He kept one hand holding her hip, and he ran his other hand back up her belly, his fingers then brushing her ribs. He sped his rhythm up, feeling himself ready to climax, and he knew he would lose it soon when he watched her arch her back and grip the sides of the table. Just as he released himself in her, they realized the teapot was whistling. He pulled out of her, and he turned around to turn off the burner. He moved the teapot off of the hot burner, and he felt Phoebe's hands on his back.

"That was wonderful, as always," she said, kissing the back of his neck.

He turned around. "Did you...?"

She shook her head. "No, but it's fine." She grinned and ran her fingers along his chest. "There's plenty of time for that."

Phoebe woke up at the sound of a phone ringing, and she rubbed her eyes, turning her head to her right to see Archibald sitting up to answer it. She ran her fingers down his arm as he hit the "TALK" button, but before she could sit up and kiss his neck, he got up. She watched him walk to his dresser to get a fresh pair of boxers out.

"Oh, hello...yes, I had a nice time yesterday, too...today? Today should be fine. Say around eleven?...Great! Okay, I will see you then, Cecilia." He hung up the phone and slipped the boxers on.

Phoebe sat up, wrapping the sheet around her chest. "Who was that?"

He walked to the bathroom, leaving the door open as he said, "Just a colleague."

She got up and walked in the bathroom to draw a bath. "Are you going out with her today?" She turned to see him brush his teeth.

He nodded and spit in the sink. "Yes." He rinsed out his mouth and picked up the can of shave cream.

Phoebe poured in some of the bath salts she left the last time she was over, and the water turned an opaque, pale green. "Is it a date?"

"Does it matter?" His tone was soft, not harsh or snippy.

She got in the water and turned her head towards him. "Well, I'm just curious. Are you in love with her?"

He started to run the razor up his neck. "Phoebe, I told you that you and I were not exclusive."

She cupped some of the fresh water coming out of the faucet and washed it over her face, cleaning the sleep from her eyes. She turned it off when the water was just above her breasts. "Are you having sex with her?"

"No. And to be perfectly honest, Phoebe, it wouldn't be your business if I were." His tone was still soft and calm, not a trace of maliciousness.

Phoebe leaned back and brought her knees up, swirling the water with her finger. "Well, I dunno, I mean...we've been seeing a lot of each other lately, and I told you I was falling in love with you." She looked down at the water. "Does she know about me?"

"Of course not. We agreed to keep this quiet." She watched him finish shaving, and he turned around after he rinsed his face off. "I care for you, Phoebe, but I'm not ready for us to keep this exclusive."

She looked up at him, her eyes a little droopy. "So you're going to lunch with her?"

"Yes."

She looked back at the water. "Well, I thought you and I would spend the day together."

His face softened to an apologetic expression. "You're welcome to stay here if you want, but I cannot drop a lunch date. She would be suspicious."

Phoebe nodded, still looking at the water. "I suppose."

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, and she watched him walk out into the bedroom. She slid down further in the water, and she perked up when Archibald walked back to the doorway, buttoning a pair of slacks. "Would you like your phone near you?"

She nodded and looked down. "Sure."

He walked in and set her phone on the chair near the tub. He put a fresh towel on there too for her, and he kissed her on the head again before walking out. She slid back down in the water, and she heaved a sigh. She didn't want to leave the next weekend on bad terms with Archibald, and she let her mind drift off to this Cecilia woman. She wondered if she was beautiful. She bet she was smart...smart and beautiful. She snapped from her thoughts when Archibald walked in the bathroom, fully dressed.

"Tell me about her," Phoebe said, not meaning to blurt it out.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, raising his brows.

"What is she like? What does she look like? That sort of thing."

He thought about it. "She's maybe about your height, maybe a little shorter. She has curly brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin. She's an American literature professor at Brown. I met her the first time I came to talk to the education students."

Phoebe sighed. "She's a professor...is she your age?"

"Around, yes."

She nodded and tried to keep the tears back. "Well, I hope you two have fun." He nodded and turned to walk out. "I'll head back to Providence today."

He stopped. "You don't have to."

She shook her head. "I'll see you later, then."

He gave her one last contrite look before walking out. Phoebe moved her knees side to side, making small waves in the water, and she leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. She heard her phone vibrating, and she grabbed the towel to dry off her hands before reaching for it.

She flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey, Pheebs." It was Arnold, and he sounded cheerful.

She scratched her brow. "Oh, hey. What's doin'?"

Used to the occasional Bostonisms she would pop out, he went on, "So hey, we're leaving probably around three on Friday for Philadelphia. Is that good for you?"

"Yeah, yeah, that should be fine."

"So what're you doing today?"

She leaned her head back against the tub. "Nothing that I know of. Why?"

"I don't know...maybe we could hang out? Catch a movie or something."

She looked down at the water, thinking Archibald did leave to meet another woman, and besides, Arnold only saw her as a friend. She nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Half an hour later, the two decided to go to the Walkerville Zoo. They walked around the small, urban zoo, sharing a pink colored cotton candy (supposedly it was cherry; Phoebe thought it just tasted like sugar), and Arnold stopped when they came to the fox habitat. They walked to the edge and looked down to see a family of foxes, the kits playing around and snapping at one another.

"You know, I can't look at a fox without thinking of you," he said with a small smile.

"Tim was a fox, too," she pointed out.

He chuckled. "Yeah, but he's a dude." He tore off a piece of the cotton candy as they watched the kits play. "Remember the times we'd have sex and start barking and biting one another?"

Her cheeks turned pink, but she laughed. "I do. You left a massive bruise on me right here." She ran her finger along her shirt over the spot between the base of her neck and her shoulder.

"I guess it's one of the effects the Friz turning us into animals...we get the animal instincts." He laughed. "Sometimes when I'd be at swim practice, I'd feel the urge to migrate."

"Oh, that's nothing. Sometimes I try to open my leaves to let in the sun and air so I can photosynthesize."

"I think our fox instincts coming out during sex was the best though," he said with a smile.

They both laughed, and Phoebe felt awful. Here she was, having a good time with her ex, talking about their former sex life, and she didn't care if Archibald said they weren't exclusive, she felt like she was cheating on him. Though, in an odd way, she was comfortable talking about their old sex life with Arnold. It almost didn't feel weird to her. Maybe it was because, despite not being together anymore, she still felt comfortable with him. Arnold had a way of letting Phoebe's guard down, and she knew it.

"You still have the scar on your butt from when I bit your tail?" she asked.

"Of course." He patted the right side of his butt. "I remember a throbbing pain when we turned back into kids, and I saw a deep bruise with even deeper teeth marks when I got home to inspect the injury." He laughed. "Phoebe Terese bit me on the butt when we were eight."

She grinned. "You know what would have been funny?"

"What?"

"If you and Tim had fought over who was going to mate with me."

He laughed. "And then you would have turned us both down after we made asses of ourselves."

She took a piece of cotton candy and nodded as she put it in her mouth. "Of course."

They walked around the other habitats, and when they were done, they walked out into downtown. Arnold had parked in a parking garage near the little restaurant they had lunch at, and Phoebe felt her heart fall when she saw Archibald and his professor woman-friend walk out of a bookstore. Arnold hadn't seen them, his attention on her, and she was relieved Archibald didn't see her. Her assumption had been right; Archibald's companion was gorgeous. She was dressed in a modest pant suit, her curly hair shiny and smooth, and Phoebe looked down.

"What is it?" Arnold asked.

"What?" She shook her head. "Oh, nothing. Nothing."

He shrugged. "Well, I don't believe you, but that's fine." He nodded to the Cold Stone Creamery they were walking closer to. "Hey, let's get an ice cream."

She forced a small smile, trying to get the image of Archibald and the woman out of her mind. "Sure, that sounds good."

note: Oh, Phoebe and your angst. Stick around...more smuts and angst ahead. :D

reviews are always nice.