“Bed.” He drags me to the hall.
Before we’re out of earshot, I hear Dex mutter, “Love you, bye,” in that confused tone of his.
I go along with it, ignoring my guilt, but as soon as the door is closed to Oskar’s room, I shove him away from me.
“Mmm, like it rough, huh?”
“Oskar.”
“Yeah, baby, call me by my name.”
“While you continue with …” I gesture in his general direction. “That. I’m gonna duck into my room and grab my phone, seeing as you have banished us to this room for at least half an hour. Thanks for that.”
“Half an hour? I can go all afternoon.”
“I’ve never wanted to punch you more,” I say.
“Oh, I’ve never tried being punched during sex before, but hey, I’m up for anything. Do it.”
“We’re not actually having sex in here.”
“Yes, we are. Or, at least, we have to make it sound like we are. Hmm, how long is a suitable amount of time for foreplay? Like, if we start banging the bed into the wall now, they’ll think I haven’t prepped you enough.” He rubs his chin as if trying to work out a really difficult math problem.
“Why would you be the one to top me in this scenario?”
He waves me off. “Please. You’re a total bottom.”
I open my mouth to correct him that I go any which way, but that will only encourage him. I can see him now, yelling out, “Flip fuck! It’s like a plot twist for sex,” so loud everyone in this damn house could hear him.
It’s bad enough when he climbs on the bed and starts jumping up and down while making obscene noises.
I love my friends, I really do, and I might possibly be closest with Oskar out of all the Collective guys because he’s only an hour-and-a-half plane ride away. But this is a new development in our friendship … the urge to murder him.
If he makes it the next two weeks still breathing, I’ll be surprised. Relieved I won’t have to go to prison but surprised.
“I don’t think I want to do this,” I tell him.
“You’re the one who made the bet.”
“I know, but I thought I’d win.”
“Dex will be fine,” Oskar says, still jumping. “We might tease him a lot, but that man is resilient. Besides, look at it this way. By putting space between you two, we’re stopping him from hurting you, which we both know he’d want. I like Dex, but you’re my boy. If that means that I have to be the asshole here, then so be it.” He offers me a pitying smile. “I’m doing this because I care.”
I know he does. I can’t be mad at him when he really does think he’s doing the right thing. It hurts to be in love with Dex, and if I’m honest, I do want to get over it, but not at the expense of separating myself from him. I just want the feelings to magically turn off so we can be best friends. This is why I agreed to the stupid plan. If I can get over these feelings, that’s all our problems solved.
“Are you done yet?” I ask.
“Just what every guy wants to hear during sex,” Oskar says. He jumps higher, the bed creaking with every move. “Come help me. Bang your head against the wall.”
I take it serious time is over. “You’re ridiculous.”
“It’s why you love me.”
“I can say with no uncertainty that is not true. It might be your worst trait.”
He continues to jump, and the bedsprings protest under his weight. “You’re wrong. My worst trait is my penis.”
I cock my head at him.
“Which is damn near perfect. Just like the rest of me.”
“Careful, you’re sounding a hell of a lot like Ezra right now.”
Finally, he stops, but then he looks at me like I said the worst thing I could ever say. “Take that back.”
“Umm, no.”
Oskar springs off the bed and tackles me to the ground. We hit with a hard thud, and I grunt in pain. “Yeah, baby, I’m coming so hard.” He yells so loud I think they can hear him in Spain.
Then something presses against my thigh. “What the—are you actually hard?”
“Relax. It’s nothing to do with you and everything to do with the thought of them listening to us have sex.”
I shove him off me. “Are we done now?”
“Wait, we need recovery time. Ooh!” He stands and strips off all his clothes and then wraps a towel around his waist. “Be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
He opens the door and says loudly, “I’m thirsty from all that fucking.”
His footsteps retreat down the hall but stop abruptly.
“He left as soon as you started making sex noises,” Ezra says.
“And you couldn’t have come and told us?” Oskar exclaims.
“Nope. It was very entertaining. Over with a bit soon though, don’t you think?”
I drop my head back against the floor, tempted to check if there’s a flight home to Vegas later tonight.
Seven
DEX
When I said for them to do their couple stuff and that I’d hang out in between, I didn’t realize how much couple stuff there would be.
Ezra and Anton invite me on a whole bunch of things with them, but every time Oskar and Tripp leave to do something, Oskar makes it very clear he wants Tripp all to himself.
After a few days here, I’m beginning to feel a lot like a fifth wheel, and I’m starting to suspect this is worse than sitting around at home whining over a breakup.
Actually, no, it is worse.
Jessica pissed me off because of the things she said, but I don’t miss her. Tripp is literally right there, sitting across the table from me, and I miss him more than I ever have.
But he’s my best friend. And if my best friend is happy, that means more to me than some sulky feelings I’ll get over soon enough.
“What are we doing today?” I ask him, and of course Oskar takes that moment to pop up out of nowhere.
“We’re going up to that drop-off.”
“Can I come?” Maybe I can push Oskar off it?
The leer Oskar gives me makes it clear what he’s thinking. “You don’t want to see what we’ll be doing up there.”
He’s right about that. I really, really don’t. And not because of all the gay sex but because anytime Oskar gives Tripp any amount of affection, it makes me … on edge. Tripp doesn’t look like he enjoys it, and maybe that’s because he’s never been big on full-blown PDAs or because Oskar is so nonstop about it. Oskar isn’t acting all that differently toward me, but every time he touches Tripp, this little voice in my head insists he’s staking his claim.
On my Tripp.
I cross my arms and slump down in my seat. “You can kiss your … whatever he is. It’s not like I’ve never seen that before.” My words come out sulkier than they should.
“Come on, baby,” Oskar says, hauling Tripp to his feet. “Let’s go get dressed.”
Code for sex. I swear they go at it more than Ezra and Anton.