Between Us (all of us #1)

E L E V E N

A U B R E E

I open my eyes and instantly realize I'm not in my bed. I'm on the couch in the den. As I slowly rise, I hear small snores below me and look down to see Trenton asleep on the floor. The memories from last night come to me in a big rush of visuals.

I made out with Trenton for hours. Hours. Not just a few minutes at a time like normal people do, we sucked each other's lips for literal hours. Mine are actually sore as I drag my tongue between them. Time just sped when we he was on top of me, or holding me. Tasting me so desperately, I almost did give myself to him.

I hang my head in my hands as the shame drops on top of it all like a cartoon anvil.

Honestly, it took everything for me to keep my robe on last night. His impulsive thrusts against me, his hands in my hair, his soft touches to my skin. Ugh, the desire I felt for this boy last night was unreal. And it's still there now as I look down at his sleeping body.

The front door opens and I panic. We're caught, red handed. I don't even stop to listen for hard or soft movements because I need to pretend like we didn't fall asleep in here together after laughing over episodes of sponge bob like we used to when he couldn't sleep at night.

"Mom?" says Diesel from the front room.

I tighten my robe like Trenton never loosened it to kiss my bare shoulders last night and drape the blanket over his body, but he opens his eyes, staring up at me with a smile like he didn't forget what went on last night at all.

I don't want to, but I melt over his sleepy gaze. His hair is a wild mess, but I believe that's more due to my hands coursing through it than a case of bedhead.

"Good morning, Mrs. C," he whispers.

"What...the hell?" Diesel appears beside us, frowning as he waits for an explanation as to what's going on.

"Hey Dees..." Trenton sits up, slowly. His smile hardly fading and I could kick him for being so obvious.

"Hey man, what are you doing on the floor? What are you doing here, period?"

"You know this is my second home." Trenton speaks it so confidently, I let out the breath I was holding. "I was waiting for you to come back. Thanks for ignoring me all day, dick."

"I wasn't ignoring you. I shut my phone off yesterday."

"Why?"

"In case my dad tried to call me." His mouth twists and he glances at me. "If he did, I didn't want to know, so I shut it off...but when I turned it back on this morning, I saw that he never did so I was just worried for no reason, wasn't I?"

I tangle my fingers together at my waist. I don't know what to tell him, and I was much too busy with my tongue down Trenton's throat last night to be a mother and decide on the words I was going to use to tell Diesel his father left aggravated without a real explanation as to where he was going or when he'd be back.

The thought of it is bringing a throbbing tension to my chest. He won't take it well, no matter how well I sugar coat it.

I glance down at Trenton who's staring up at me, biting down on his thumb nail with that same smile on his face. He's such an adorable idiot.

"Well? Where's he at? He clearly isn't here." Diesel's hands fall against his jeans. "I'm assuming you told him last night and he was so pissed, he walked out."

He knows his father best. By the way he says it, I'm sure he was expecting it to go that way and that's why he stayed away. Leaving me to take the brunt of the heat.

But I nod, leaving it at that. What else is there to say? I'm just as disappointed as Roger is, but I wouldn't walk away from our problems. We're supposed to come together on this. Be a unit. But who knows where Roger went that he thought was better than being home, discussing ways to get prepared for this baby.

"Of course he did." Diesel chuckles, scratching the side of his nose. "That's just classic dad, you know? Never fucking there for me when I need him."

"Diesel..."

"No." He holds his hand up, his lips tighten and I'd swear he's close to tears, but I'm not sure. "You know, I thought he'd come looking for me last night? I thought maybe he'd show up at Chloe's even if it was just to yell at me. I would have taken it, but fuck." He shakes his head.

Trenton finally stands up as he's probably realized he's no help sitting on the floor like a goofy idiot with a pair of swollen lips I'm sure he's proud of.

"It's fucking bullshit, mom. He doesn't give a fuck about us. I bet he's the happiest when he leaves out of town. What do you think?"

He stares hard at me, but after seeing that I'm not going to egg on his anger with an answer, he leaves the den.

"Diesel," Trent calls, brushing past me to go after him. I stand there a few seconds, shutting my eyes as I endure the head spinning brought on by the overwhelm of stress.

There's a lot that Diesel doesn't know about his father. That he doesn't know about me. That he can't know about either of us because we've hidden it so well and so long it'd wreck everything we barely have now.

A pair of fingertips grip me by the jaw and my eyes open right as Trenton plants his lips on me. I open my eyes to his sweet smile as he pulls back.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of him."

Trenton leaves me there, but I can still feel his touch even after he's gone. It's like a vibration on my skin. A vibration I've never felt before in my life and I'm not sure how to feel about it.

I drop my face in my hands as I hear the door to Diesel's room shut. I'm a terrible mother, but Trenton is such an angel.

An angel I need to keep the peace around here.