Friends & Lovers Trilogy (5 page)

Back when she’d the ability to touch him
whenever she wanted, she’d always loved to run her hands over his
back and feel the taut muscles underneath. She’d always thought his
body was amazing, thanks to the training he’d had to do every
day.

She looked around and realized that there
would be a lot of eye candy for the ladies today. Between Colin,
Kent, Rich, and Pete there wasn’t an inch of body fat. She couldn’t
wait until it was time to go swimming.

Maybe she would just enjoy the day and not
worry about Colin. The town was small, but it was big enough for
the both of them. Since they were bound to run into each other
often, she might as well make the most of it.

Kent started grilling the food as the rest
of the people started showing up. Everyone cracked open the beers
and malt beverages. Kara put on some tunes and everyone started to
enjoy the water and the company.

Briana was sitting on her blanket talking to
Pete, when they noticed Kara walking over to where Rich and Colin
stood talking.

“
Don’t take it personally,
Pete,” Briana said quietly to him.

“
I don’t,” Pete replied.
“I’ve known Kara a long time, Bree, and I know that she thinks that
she can’t have a serious relationship because her mother never
could. But she’s wrong.”

“
Her mother’s a bitch, and
Kara is nothing like her. But you’re right; she doesn’t think that
she’s relationship material.”

“
I’m a patient guy,” Pete
said with a sad smile as he watched Kara pull Rich towards the
water. “I can wait. I plan to be there when she realizes how much
she has to offer.”

Briana looked over at him and put her hand
up to ruffle his hair. “You’re the sweetest guy I know.”

“
I know,” he said with a
laugh, looking pointedly around. “But that’s not saying
much.”

She laughed with him and punched him
goodheartedly in the arm. “These guys aren’t so bad,” she
replied.

They watched Kara and Rich splashing in the
water until it became too much for Pete. He excused himself to go
help Kent with the food.

Briana laid back on her blanket, eyes
closed, soaking up the sun. After a few minutes she felt a shadow
pass over her, as someone sat down on the blanket next to her. She
knew it was Colin even before she opened her eyes. It was like her
senses were still attuned to him and every nerve in her body stood
at attention when he got close.

“
Hey, Bree, I hope you
don’t mind that Rich invited me here today,” he said in a quiet
voice.

She didn’t open her eyes. “It’s a free
country.”

He let out a deep sigh and tried to look out
at the water, but all he wanted to do was take in the sight before
him. Briana’s small frame was tanned and perfectly proportioned. He
felt his body tightening as his eyes wandered, and he forced his
gaze back out.

“
I realize that, Bree, but
I don’t want to ruin your party or anything. I haven’t done much
since I’ve been home and when Rich invited me, it sounded like a
good time. But I’m not trying to piss you off.”

Briana peeked up at him. Then, realizing he
wasn’t leaving, she sat up and turned towards him.

“
It’s a small town, Colin.
We’re bound to run into each other. We still have a lot of the same
friends. You should feel comfortable going and doing whatever you
want. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

“
Cool,” he said with a
small smile, his dimples flashing. “I’m glad to hear you say that.
I know I ended things badly Bree, but, shit I was just a kid. I’m
sorry.”

Briana looked out over the water. “Look,
Colin, I know we’ll run into each other, but that doesn’t mean that
I want to rehash everything that happened four years ago. I’m not
ready to be your buddy.”

With that said she stood up to leave. As she
walked down to the water she heard him say, “I’ve really missed
you.”

She ran and dove in, trying to swim as far
away from him and his damned words as she could.

Chapter Seven

Briana was sitting on the couch, drinking
coffee and watching E! News the next morning, when Rich poked his
head out of Kara’s bedroom.

“
Walk of shame, Rich?”
Briana asked with a chuckle, not looking away from the
TV.

“
Shit. I was hoping you’d
still be asleep, Bree.”

“
No such luck,
Romeo.”

He walked out with his pants slung around
his hips, still unbuttoned, and his shirt in his hand. Briana
looked back briefly and turned away when she saw his six pack
rippling and started to inadvertently follow his happy trail with
her eyes.

“
Can you put your shirt
on?” she pleaded.

He smiled at that and cocked his head to the
side as he strolled over to her.

“
What is it, baby? See
something you like?” Rich could flirt in any situation, no matter
how awkward or inappropriate. It was part of his charm.

“
Been there, done that,”
she retorted.

He sat down next to her on the couch, his
cocky smile gone, a serious look in its place.

“
About that. You never said
anything to Colin, did you?”

“
No. I haven’t talked to
him in four years, Rich. When would it have come up?”

“
I don’t know, but I never
told him, either. I don’t know if we should.”

“
Rich, I doubt it would
ever enter a conversation, but if it does, I won’t lie to him,” she
said, looking him in the eye. “It shouldn’t matter to him, anyway.
Don’t worry about it.”

He looked unsure for a minute, then glanced
back towards Kara’s door.

“
Does she know?” he
asked.

“
Yeah, she knows. She knew
before she met you.” Briana replied. “It’s no big deal, Rich.
Seriously, stop worrying.”

“
Alright,” he said finally,
then looked back at her, his cocky grin back in place. “You know
I’ll always love you, right, Babe?”

Briana smiled back, but her
look turned serious. “I know that, Richie. I’ll always love you
too. You’re one of my best friends.” She leaned in to give him a
hug, then realized he still didn’t have his shirt on. “I appreciate
the fact that you work out and your body is
awesome
, but can you please put your
shirt on? It’s hard to concentrate.”

Rich looked pleased at that. He stood up to
go into the kitchen for coffee, throwing his shirt over his head
along the way.

Kara came stumbling out moments late and
grunted at Briana on her way to get some coffee.

“
You’d better have left me
some coffee,” she grumbled at Rich.

“
Dang, girl, you’re lookin’
rough.” Rich stated with a laugh, running out of the kitchen to
avoid Kara’s wrath.

“
Shove it, Rich,” was
Kara’s reply. She walked in holding the warm cup up to her face
inhaling briefly, before taking her first sip. “Don’t mess with me
before I’ve had my coffee.”

“
Noted,” he replied, as he
sat back down on the couch with his mug.

“
So, ladies, what’s on your
agenda today?”

Kara was still waiting for the coffee to
take effect and didn’t reply, so Briana answered.

“
Nothing much. I’m off
today, so I’m planning to lie out in the sun and read. But Kara has
to work.”

“
Yeah, me too. I’ll be
serving up some delicious treats at The General Store if you guys
want to stop by,” he offered with a wink.

Kara looked at him blandly over her steaming
mug. “No, thanks.”

“
Yeah, I’ll pass, too,”
Briana said with a look of regret. “Sorry, but although I know I’m
going to run into Colin now that he’s back, that doesn’t mean I’m
going to seek him out.”

“
You’re not still mad at
him for what happened four years ago, are you?” Rich questioned
her. “Bree that was a long time ago. You guys have been apart way
longer than you were ever together.”

“
I loved him, Rich,” Briana
replied quietly. “He really hurt me.”

“
I know that. Believe me,
if anyone knows how much he hurt you, it’s me. But give the dude a
chance. It’s been a long time. He’s grown up, and I know he regrets
hurting you.”

“
I don’t know if I’m ready
yet. A lot of time may have passed, but I’ve only just started to
see him again. It’s like seeing him has brought back all of those
feelings of hurt and resentment, as if it just
happened.”

“
Just think about it.” Rich
stood up and took his cup back to the kitchen, then came back out
to give them each a hug. “Well, ladies, I hate to break it to you,
but I have to get going. Work is a’waitin’.”

“
You’re working at a soda
fountain,” Kara said, finally waking up enough to get snarky. “It’s
not like the city will crumble if you don’t get to work on
time.”

“
Hey, Ms. Grumpy Pants,
this is my last summer before I’m a college graduate and have to
get a real job, with all of the stress and long hours that come
along with it. I plan to make the most of my time at the counter,
and vow to have the happiest customers in town,” he declared with a
wink and a smile. Then he walked out the door.

Briana couldn’t help but giggle at his
dramatic exit.

“
You shouldn’t encourage
that clown.” Kara said dryly.

“
Hey, that clown is one of
my best friends. Be nice.”

“
Sorry. Didn’t get a lot of
sleep last night,” Kara said with a satisfied smile.

“
Please, spare me the
details about two of my best friends’ night of passion,” Briana
begged her. “This situation is strange enough without getting the
play-by-play.”

“
Yeah, you’re probably
right.”

“
You gonna see him
again?”

“
Nah… We talked it out last
night. It was just a casual thing between friends, no big deal.”
Kara got to her feet and walked out. “Gotta grab a
shower.”

Briana knew that it was hypocritical, but
she couldn’t help but wish that Kara would give a guy a chance. She
had so much to offer and Briana knew that Kara would be a wonderful
girlfriend for any guy, but Kara didn’t see it that way. Her mother
had spent her life telling her that she would never be good enough
for anyone, and Kara believed every word. She figured her mother
knew her better than anyone, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.
Kara was the most loving, loyal, and funny person that Briana had
ever met, and she wished that she would allow herself to fall in
love.

Although Briana would be the first one to
say that love really did hurt, and that hurting really sucked, the
love part really made it all worth it.

Having someone who listened to you, really
listened. Who cared what happened to you. Who offered you comfort
when you needed it. Someone you could laugh or cry hysterically
with, someone who would allow you to just be yourself, no matter
what. There was nothing like kissing someone that you truly loved.
It made her sigh just thinking about it.

That was really the reason why Briana hadn’t
had a serious relationship since Colin. No one else made her feel
the way that she had when they were together. She worried that no
one else ever could.

Chapter Eight

Colin knew that it was a thinly veiled
excuse to stop by and see Briana, but a guy had to eat, didn’t
he?

He’d talked Rich into heading down to the
Bar & Grill after work. It didn’t really take that much
convincing; Rich was always ready to eat. He seemed especially
after the work out he’d been treated to that morning.

When they walked into the crowded
restaurant, Colin scanned the room for signs of Briana. He knew
she’d more than likely be in the back, but he still hoped for a
glimpse. He hadn’t seen her in a few days, and he’d missed the
sight of her.

He realized that he wasn’t going to get to
see her yet, so he walked up to where Rich was chatting up the
hostess.

“
C’mon, sweet Nicole. I’m
sure you can find us a table somewhere in this place. There are
just two of us.”

The blonde hostess turned red at Rich’s
flirting and said that she’d see what she could do to find them a
table right away.

“
Leave that poor girl
alone, Rich,” Colin said as Nicole scurried off in search of a
table. “She looks pretty sweet. I don’t think she knows how to
handle the likes of you.”

“
No harm,” Rich smiled.
“And see? It worked. She’s fixin’ something up for us right
now.”

Colin couldn’t help but chuckle softly as
they were led to their seats. Rich could charm the pants off
anyone, and very nearly had.

They thanked Nicole, and she flushed again,
murmuring, “You’re welcome,” as she walked back to her post.

They didn’t need to look at the menu. It was
Wednesday after all, so wings were pretty much a given.

“
Well, lucky me. Two of the
most eligible bachelors in town, sitting at my table,” Kara drawled
with a sexy grin.

“
Hey, Kara,” Colin said.
“How you doin’?”

“
Can’t complain,” she
replied. “Can I start ya’ll off with a beer?”

“
Yes, ma’am.” This was
delivered by Rich, with a sexy grin of his own.

“
Comin’ right up, Sugar.”
They both took a moment to watch Kara sashay to the bar. “She’s the
female version of you,” Colin said shaking his head and turning
back to Rich.