Becoming Us (COMPLETE)

*Thirteen*

Tre stopped beside me at a casual distance that made my chest ache. He never left space between us—if he didn't have an arm wrapped around me, he was taking my hand, or touching me somehow. The couple of inches separating me from him felt like a mile.

I moved to close the gap, but the hair Carey had twisted around his finger jerked me to a stop. I unwound it quickly, freeing myself, while he stood there immobile. His hand dropped with confusion as he and Tre sized each other up.

Stepping closer to Tre, I beamed up at him. "This is my friend Carey I told you about. The one who works at the gym."

Tre's eyebrows rose, and I continued with introductions. "This is Tre, my..." That was the moment I realized I didn't know what to call him.

The corner of Tre's mouth twitched as though he were holding back a laugh while my brain scrambled for a normal way to finish that sentence. My pulse raced. "Guy... I'm... dating?"

Why did that sound like a question? Get it together, Gemma! "He's my... Tre."

Tre grinned, and Carey's snicker showed off his deep dimples. Usually, I was overwhelmed by the boyish charm they added to his muscle-man appearance, but then he said, "Damn Gem, that was hard to watch," and I had to repress the urge to smack him.

My neck heated with embarrassment, and I considered walking away, starting a new life somewhere else, but Tre put his arm around my waist and hugged me to his side. "Good to meet you." He held out his fist and Carey bumped it with his own.

"You too. Gem told me she was seeing someone. We should hang out sometime."

I jumped at the chance for normal conversation. "Maybe we could double!"

Carey grimaced. "Yeah, I don't know."

"Did you and Tracy break up?" I frowned because I'd hate for him to be hurt, but it wouldn't be the worst thing if they had. I'd always thought he could do so much better than her. She was bitchy and never seemed to take his feelings into consideration.

"No. We're still, whatever, I don't know, living together." Carey scrubbed his hands over his face, then pushed his shaggy blond hair back. "I think it's about over."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It is what it is, and it's sucked for a while."

The guy behind the counter called Tre's name and held up our lunch. Tre waved to let him know he was coming, but turned back to Carey. "You should join us."

"Can't. I'm just picking up my order and headed back to work. Thanks though, maybe next time."

"Cool, man. It's a plan."

My eyes followed Tre as he paced over to collect our food. A gentle tug on my hair caught my attention and pulled me a step closer to Carey.

I flicked his hand away. "It's not a leash, you know."

Carey ignored that and wiggled his eyebrows. "So, you guys are dating?"

"Yeah, so?" There was something weird in his tone I couldn't place.

His slow gaze traveled over me, causing goosebumps on my skin. He shifted so close I had to tilt my head back to meet his eye as he spoke. "I've never seen you in some other guy's clothes."

The back of his fingers grazed my hip as he pinched the shirt. I was hyper aware of every caress, even the way his minty breath fanned over me. "You look great. Like he makes you happy."

"He does. It hasn't been long, but Tre's amazing."

The unique mix of soap, weed, and the lightest notes of sweat that combined to make Carey's scent filled the air as he leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Good. You deserve amazing."

My neck tingled as shock shot through me. Before I could react, Carey had taken a bag from the man behind the counter, and he tipped his chin at me as he backed out the door. "Later, Gem."

"Uh, huh." I waved numbly. What the hell was that? He'd never kissed me before.

I scanned the room in a daze, and spotted Tre at a booth waiting for me, watching. He didn't appear angry, but I wouldn't blame him. Carey behaved almost like there was something between us, but there wasn't. There never was. I crossed the room and scooted onto the bench beside Tre, but nerves kept my eyes glued to the table.

He brushed my cheek with the back of his finger and studied my expression. "I can't tell if you're confused or upset that your friend was hitting on you."

My jaw dropped. "He wasn't. Are you angry? Carey doesn't think of me like that, he—"

Tre's kiss stopped my words. My lips parted automatically for him, and his tongue dipped inside, tasting, teasing. I melted against him with a soft moan and felt him smile before he pulled away. "I'm not mad, baby."

"Good, because I don't know what that was. He's never like that. We're just friends. We've known each other since we were kids."

"Sometimes when you've known someone for a long time, you think of them a certain way and don't always notice they've changed." He wove his fingers into the hair at my nape. "Maybe he didn't realize how sexy you are until he saw you with this glow."

"What glow?"

He spoke against my ear, "This just fucked, multiple orgasm gleam in your eyes, that's making me wish we'd just stayed at my place."

I shivered, and he chuckled. Did I really look different? I felt different, but it wasn't just the sex—although that was pretty freaking fantastic—it was everything. Tre filled me with confidence and made me see myself as someone desirable.

"Leaving your house was dumb."

"I realized that a while ago, but then you called me your Tre, and that was worth it. It made me want to do dirty things with you." His low voice and heated gaze caused a throbbing in my center.

Warmth spread over my skin, and I knew I had to be as red as a firetruck. Hiding behind my hands, I took a slow breath, and glanced around the deli from between my fingers. No one was paying us any attention, but that didn't stop the fluttering in my stomach.

"Sometimes I don't know what to do with you." I giggled. "Clearly, I don't know what to call you either."

Peeking over at him, I found him smiling as he arranged our sandwiches and soups in front of us. "I kind of liked my Tre, but if you want to go with something more traditional, that'd be fine, too."

"Like what?" Embarrassment at having to ask flooded me, but I wanted to know. It was definitely more than a one-time thing, but was this dating or something else? New experiences with relationships ended in high school for me, and I didn't want to naively assume we were more than we were.

He popped a straw in my drink, then rested his palm on my thigh. "Do you want to date other people?"

"No!" I sighed at my speedy response, but the thought of him with someone else brought instant nausea. "Do you?"

"Nope."

I slumped with relief, and Tre kissed my temple. "I guess that makes you my girlfriend, if you're okay with that?"

"It sounds perfect to me." My nod felt a tad overzealous, like a bobblehead impersonation, but I didn't care.

Tre was my boyfriend!

Any first impressions of Carey? 👀

If you like him so far, hit the star! ⭐️