For Shits and Giggles [2024]

Chapter 19

"I can't believe you're enlisting," Gracie pouted.

"I won't do it," Felix smiled, pulling her on top of him. He lay back in her bed, Gracie straddling his lap now. They were in her dorm room; there were pictures of her and Paola, her and Fior, all three of them together, all over the brown pinboard on the wall.

She looked down at him, his head on her pillow, his chest bare. She ran her fingers along his smooth skin.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... I won't do it, I won't enlist. Just say the word."

"Oh?" She giggled deviously, leaning in to nip his earlobe with her lips. She kissed along the side of his neck, just the way he liked it.

"You'd miss me that much?"

She kissed down to his collarbone.

Goosebumps formed up his arms, but he pushed her up gently.

"I'm serious," said Felix, regretting the moment her lips left his skin. "If you ask me to stay, I'll stay. If you ask me to stop the wedding... I'll do it."

Gracie looked at him, looking more serious than she had ever seen him. She unstraddled him immediately and began to pull on her clothes—first her bra, then her shirt.

"Gracie," Felix sat up slowly, watching her as she sat on the side of the bed, facing away from him. "What is it? Say something."

"Are you crazy," she whipped her head around to look at him. "Stop the wedding? That would crush her."

He looked at her, annoyed by the indignance in her voice, "Right, and I'm sure what we're doing now would make her so happy."

Gracie narrowed her eyes and stood up, bending over to snatch her underwear from the rug. She slipped them on with a light bounce, Felix tried not to stare.

"We have to stop this," she said finally.

"That's not what I meant..." there was a subtle panic in his voice and he sat up fully at the edge of the bed. Felix grabbed her waist and pulled her close between his knees. She stood there, reluctantly.

"She's my best friend, Felix... you love her..."

"What if I don't... what if I love y—"

She slapped her hand over his mouth and kept it there, the sting of it bringing a tear to his left eye.

"Shut up," she said. "Shut. Up. Don't say that. You love Fior. I like Santiago..."

Felix nodded, her hand still over his mouth.

"This is just sex, okay? That's all this is."

Felix removed her hand, placing it on his chest, "What if I want more?" His voice was low, raspy—the way his eyes stayed locked on hers, it drove her crazy.

"Don't call off the wedding. Make Fior feel like the luckiest bride in the world, she deserves it."

She peeled herself away from him. Reaching for her pants, she made herself a promise—a promise she fully intended to keep—to only ever be happy for Felix and Fior. To only do what was best for their relationship. She wouldn't, ever, lust over her friend's soon-to-be husband again.

"Gracie, stop. Gracie... look at me."

Unfortunately, keeping promises was a skill Gracie had yet to master.

"Is that really what you want," he asked.

She turned to him, wearing a smile so eerie, so fraudulent, that it made the hairs on Felix's arm stand at attention.

"That would make me so happy."