The Boy Next Door > jariana (ON HOLD)

sixteen

Justin and I woke before dawn. He scooted over, spooning me, and held me lovingly. He kissed my shoulder and neck tenderly. An intense ache pulsed through me, a longing like I'd already departed, even though his warm body was pressed against mine. Desperation began to flame, knowing I'd be on a plane home sooner than I'd wanted. I held his arms tighter to me, like it would change something. His hand cupped my cheek, forcing my head back and my mouth to his. I felt him grow harder between my thighs. I rolled to face him and wrapped my leg around hip, pulling him on top of me.

Soft, wet kisses moved over my neck and down my side over my ribs. The warm magic of his mouth and his velvety tongue sucking at my nipples and every other inch of me sent me over the edge. His caring words filled my ears as we laid gratified, entwined for the last time for the foreseeable future. I ran my fingers over the perspiration on his forehead, taking in his features and kissed his cheek.

"Fuck, Ari." He squeezed me. "This is killing me."

"Me too," I murmured, looking up to the ceiling. The soft light of dawn began to fill the room. "All I'm feeling right now is despair." I chuckled sadly.

"That's exactly how to describe it. It's fucked." He smiled down on me and kissed the tip of my nose. "Is what it is, just look forward to New York. It's only a few short months away." Justin pushed himself up and away from me, getting out of bed. I watched his perfect ass and legs as they carried him into the bathroom.

We plodded around slowly, getting ready for my inevitable departure. I packed my luggage and laid my travel attire out on the bed. We had coffee and biscuits as Justin read and answered business emails. He was making Dump's situation known to the Powers that Be. His forehead crinkled, and loud sighs of irritation came out from time to time. His eyebrows knitted together in frustration when the chime of new IM's came over.

As I watched him, I thought about my plan of moving across the country. I'd really only need my clothes and maybe a few other things. I thought that maybe I could ship some things earlier, before my arrival. This plan made me feel better inside, kind of like an official commitment. If my stuff already sat in his apartment, it would seem more real for the both of us.

"Hmmm," I hummed, getting Justin's attention. He stared at me, expressionless, still caught in his own train of thought. "I was thinking that maybe, you know to get ready for my move, that maybe I could ship some stuff to your apartment in New York, early." I smiled happily because it was a perfect idea, but his expression slapped the smile from my face.

He slouched and rubbed the back of his neck. What the hell? My insides tumbled with unease. "Is that a problem?" It was obvious to me that it was.

"Uh, I was planning on moving."

And? My eyes suspiciously narrowed in on him because of his reaction. "Really? Why?" My thoughts dashed around, thinking that maybe he was living with Sophia after all and wanted to save me from heartache.

He tilted his head. "Don't look at me like that."

I tried to pacify my irrational thoughts by staring at the ring. "Well what do you expect? You looked like you got caught red-handed when I suggested it."

He sighed, dejected. "Look, I wanna start fresh when I get back." He grabbed the pieces of paper that lay in front of him, straightening them out. He was thinking of what to say next and all I wanted to do was grab the papers and slap him with them. "I've been subleasing the place to some foreign guy, and who knows what it looks like now."

I was guarded. My insides were telling me there was more to it, but I didn't want to argue my last two hours with him. "I see."

"Hey." He reached over rubbing the top of my hand. "Let me get back there and get shit situated, find a new place, and I'll send you the address as soon as I have it." He waggled my pinkie finger. "I'll even let you help me pick the place. I'll send you pictures or video and we can choose together."