Avi Kaplan: A Collection of Short Stories

Friends With Benefits

You knew your arrangement would end horribly.

These situations always do.

+++

You come home to find Avi sitting on your couch. Sighing, you throw your purse on the floor and plop down on the couch, placing your feet in his lap. Wordlessly, he grabs your right foot and rubs along the arch and you stifle your moan.

"Bad date?" Avi asks, digging his thumbs on the pad of your foot.

"Ugh," you say, disgusted, "I am so sick of horrible dates with horrible men. I'm better off alone with my vibrator."

Avi just snorts and switches hands to your other foot. You lean your head back against the arm of the couch and close your eyes. Avi's fingers trail up your ankle and then pause. "Maybe we should just sleep with each other," he says nonchalantly, his fingers resting on the pulse point in your ankle.

You snap your head up and look at him, incredulous. "You're not serious," you say with a small laugh.

He shrugs and brushes the hair from his face. "You're clearly...frustrated," he says with a smirk," and I have needs, too. We've been friends for a while and I like and trust you, so why not?"

You pull your feet from his lap and sit across from him cross-legged. "Holy shit, you're serious," you breathe.

"Just a thought. I won't be offended if you say no," Avi clarifies and getting up, starts clearing the coffee table of the dishes he made.

You watch him clean silently for a moment, thinking. Avi disappears into the kitchen and pushing yourself up from the couch, you follow him. Leaning against the counter, you catch his eye and ask, "What would the ground rules be?"

"Well," he starts, licking his lips and throwing the dish towel over his shoulder, "for starters, we keep this quiet."

"Agreed. The last thing we need is Mitch knowing about this," you say with a laugh. "Also, no sleepovers."

Avi nods slightly and takes a step towards you. "Fair enough. We can still see other people." He takes another step closer.

"No dates."

"No jealousy."

"No kissing."

He stops in front of you, a small frown tugging at his lips. "No kissing?"

You look up at him, eyebrow raised in question. "You want to back out of no strings attached sex because I won't let you kiss me?"

"No."

"Well, okay then. No kissing," you say with finality.

"Alright. So, are we doing this?" he asks.

"Hell yes," you say, giving him a high-five. He laughs and responds in kind.

"Okay, let's go then," he says and you cry out as he lifts you and throws you over his shoulder. You grab onto his back and you're pretty much face-to-face (face-to-ass?) with his ass and he almost drops you when you smack it lightly.

You giggle as he throws you on the bed and after he's made you come twice before he even takes off his pants, you think this is the greatest thing you've ever agreed to.

+++

You watch him flirt with the vapid blonde across the bar and scowling, you toss back another shot. The liquid burns down your throat, but you barely notice over the swirling pool of jealousy swimming in your veins. Setting the shot glass down on the bar, you motion to the bartender for another.