Ten

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When the motor of the bike finally died down, my fingernails had etched deep into Tristan’s jacket. Even once we were completely still, I refused to let go of him, still rather shaken from the fast ride over.

Here we were. At my parents’ house: A “Judgment Day” of sorts you might even say… Do or Die. In or out. This was it.

“Scared?” Tristan chuckled, delicately removing my strained hands from his torso.

“No.” I squeaked, patting down my hair and gulping nervously in the direction of my house. Typically, I began to have last minute worries… What if my parents didn’t buy the act? What if they forced me to keep my job?

Tristan was creepy, and at the moment, so was I. Shouldn’t that be enough for them to realize my job was a bad influence on me? I eyed the clothes I was wearing warily, starting to wonder if appearances really were key. What if my parents figured this was just a phase?

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Tristan mumbled softly when I still didn’t move from my spot on the bike.

“Sorry.” I breathed, dismounting the bike and grasping Tristan’s cool hand when he offered it to me. “Just nervous, that’s all…”

“Don’t be.” Tristan counseled, “If you’re nervous around them it will completely blow our cover. We’ve got to play it cool, got it?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Tristan’s comment, and I let out a long sigh, some of my initial nervousness fading away… Smoothing out the shirt I was wearing, I lead the way to the front door, Tristan trailing silently behind me. As I leaned in to ring the bell, he spoke.

“How I act from here on cannot be held against me, okay?” He attested, looking me in the eye, telling me he was serious.

“I won’t hold it against you.” I echoed, ringing the doorbell.

“Leah!” My mom trilled, grinning down in my direction. Her wide smile decreased in size as she eyed Tristan next to me, who was currently wearing an angry expression on his face. Her eyes darted back to me, widening as she noticed my attire. In an effort to withhold the smirk that was dying to come out, I put on an expression similar to the one Tristan was wearing, looking absolutely unfazed by my mother’s evident shock.

“Hi Mom.” I droned, pushing past her to get inside without her permission, Tristan stomping nosily behind me.

“Fuck.” Tristan swore loudly, and the hidden smirk on my face grew closer to being revealed as my self-control ran out, “The bike’s got a fucking scratch on it. I’m gonna fucking bust the stupid mother fucker who managed to get it scratched like that.”

Tristan’s voice was even lower than usual as he growled the threat, and then he pushed past my mother, catching up to me.

To my complete and utter surprise, my mother composed herself within seconds and planted a warm smile on her face. “Leah, why don’t you go wait in the living room, I’ll go fetch your father.” I began to panic as I noticed she didn’t sound even the slightest bit frazzled. Was Tristan’s incredible semi-speech about the bike not enough for her? I resisted the urge to bring my fingers to my mouth and chew my nails, my terrible nervous habit, as I watched my mother disappear down the hallway.

“Whatever.” I faltered, grabbing Tristan’s hand a little too tightly and leading him into the living room. I collapsed onto the couch and cast Tristan a fearful look.

“Tristan, they aren’t buying it!” I whined in a harsh whisper.

“Oh, I didn’t notice.” He commented sarcastically, “Look, she seemed surprised at first, don’t get your panties in a twist just yet.”

“Okay, okay.” I chanted, “You’re right. She did seem scared at first, I’m just overreacting.”

At that moment my balding father and overly cheery mother burst into the room, carrying all sorts of food. I tensed up, not quite sure whether or not to pork out on my mother’s delicious cooking like I normally did. Before I could let Tristan know I was worried however, he spoke.

“Sick.” He demurred, grabbing the plate of cookies right from my mother’s hands and dropping it in his lap, “I needed something to cover my munchies, I’m starved.”

I gleefully looked over to my parents to see their reaction. Neither seemed even the slightest bit phased, and I tried to hide my shock. Did they not understand what having the munchies meant?

“So exactly how big was the joint?” I cross examined, shooting Tristan a look that said ‘Help me for the love of god’.

“Oh, it was quite big indeed,” Tristan claimed, stuffing the cookies my mom had baked into his mouth, “I mean, it was my second blunt of the day – but you know, what’s a little pot compared to say, crack? I haven’t had any of that in a little while, I think I’m due…”

Once again, I glanced over to my parents to see their reaction and was absolutely horrified to see they still looked as calm as Hindu cows. Did they not understand what Tristan had just said? He just confessed, albeit casually, to taking all sorts of drugs, and they didn’t mind?!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…

“So, Leah, who is this interesting character you brought home?” My dad asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

He thought this was funny? For all he knew, Tristan was potentially exposing me to all kinds of horrendous drugs!

“This is Tristan.” I announced, trying to sound calm and collected, “He’s my co worker. At Lucky Mart. Yeah.”

I mentally scolded myself for sounding like such an idiot but looked to my parents once again for their reaction. And once again, they seemed unbothered. In fact, my dad went so far as to smile.

“That’s great!” He exclaimed, “You’ve been making friends! See, I told you this job was going to be good for you! I can’t believe you complained about it before…”

Tristan chucked extremely softly beside me. So quiet, that I barely even heard it, and I even thought I might have imagined it…

“Wow. Shouldn’t have drunk so much before, I’ve got to go to the bathroom like mad!” I exaggerated, dashing out of the room before anyone could interject. I leaned against the wall in the bathroom, staring at my reflection uneasily.

This wasn’t working. They weren’t buying any of this, and I just looked like someone who was trying too hard. What had I been thinking? I wasn’t going to succeed, and Tristan would be furious that he wouldn’t get the promotion that I promised him…

“Leah?” Tristan whispered softly from the other side of the door.

“Yeah?” I replied, opening the door and taking in his usual appearance. I had never seen Tristan dressed like normal guys his age. In fact, I wondered if he would even look good if he dressed that way. He managed to pull of this look perfectly, peculiar as it was, so maybe he could pull off other looks just as easily?

“I have a plan.” He delivered confidently, “But you might not be a hundred percent okay with it.”

“Shoot.” I challenged, out of options at that point.

“If we act all perverted for each other, that will freak them out.” He began, “Your parents probably don’t like feeling old, and nothing will make them feel older than say… a potential grand child?” He stopped to green cockily at that point, then continued, “And then when they ask if we’re dating, you tell them that we are merely friends with benefits, because that, my dear, is the kiss of death. And if none of that works, we go outside and smoke thirty cigarettes in front of them and they freak out.”

“How are we supposed to act, how did you word it? ‘Perverted for each other’?” I questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

“Simple.” Tristan chided, grin widening, “We do a little kissing and a little touching and-”

“Um, no.” I dictated, “Not happening.”

“Fine, stay at your beloved job.” Tristan contested, grin widening even more.

“If you go too far I will castrate you.” I seethed, grabbing his hand and dragging him back downstairs.

Tristan sat down first, and as I leaned down to sit too, his hand came crashing into my ass making a loud smacking noise that could be heard four streets down.

My mom’s eyes widened so that they were as large as saucers as she started at Tristan’s hand like it was made of venom. Now this, she couldn’t be used to.

“Sorry.” Tristan growled flirtatiously, “But Leah, you can’t hang your ass in my face and not expect me to give it a good little smack can you?”

I tried and failed miserably to hide the blush that began creeping across my face and up my neck. I let my hair hang in front of my face so my parents wouldn’t see my embarrassment, and spoke once more, not missing a beat.

“Tristan.” I giggled obnoxiously, “Not in front of my parents, gosh, don’t give them the wrong ideas!”

“Wrong ideas?” My mom repeated immediately, worry seeping into her tone.

“I don’t want you to think we’re dating,” I cautioned, “that would be ridiculous. Tristan and I … we’re more like… friends with benefits you could say.”

“Friends with benefits?” My dad chipped in, raising an eyebrow, “What’s that mean?”

“You know, like friends that just screw around together,” I appeased, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze, “No hassle of a relationship… just… screwing around.”

“It’s perfect for people like me who have problems with commitment,” Tristan elaborated, “I find girls these days are so much work… So with Leah I don’t have to worry about making her happy or what’s right for her – I get the action I want when I want it – no strings attached.”

“The action you want when you want it?” My mom repeated.

“You heard him right.” I confirmed, watching as my mother retrieved the now empty tray of cookies from Tristan and dragged my father into the other room.

“We. Are. Incredible.” Tristan whispered into my ear as soon as they were gone. “I think they’re starting to get a little freaked out.”

“I know!” I whispered back giddily, an adrenaline rush sweeping over me, “This is so going to work out-”

I was cut off when Tristan literally forced himself on top of me, his mouth crashing onto mine, and his arms clashing together around my shoulders. Before I could pull away and question his motives, he pulled me even tighter, so that I was pinned between him and the couch. My head was working on overdrive thanks to my adrenaline rush, and I realized immediately that my parents must be across the room watching in horror. So I removed my hands from around his shoulders and placed them in what I hoped to be a heated manner across his chest and let out a little sigh.

“Ahem.” My mother coughed loudly, immediately informing me that I was right to have assumed Tristan’s motives were for my parents to see.

We broke apart, me looking flustered, and Tristan looking beyond amused. “Sorry Mrs. Hanson,” Tristan said, “I said before, she makes me do crazy things, this one.”

My mother laughed uneasily, my father coming in behind her with a tray of coffee and tea. I eyed it warily, not in the mood for coffee, and not in the mood for more conversation either. I wanted them to tell me I had to quit my job already!

“I have to… to…” I trailed off, unsure how to get out of the conversation that was going to make me sound like an impatient idiot…

“Take a smoke?” Tristan suggested, pulling a pack of cigarettes expertly out of his pocket.

If I wasn’t supposed to be acting like I hated life, I would have hugged Tristan and told him I loved him, because he saved me and he helped the image I was working at…

“Thank you.” I exhorted, grabbing the pack from him and rushing outside. My parents remained seated, merely watching us leave, as wide eyed as ever.

As we walked out onto my porch and shut the door behind us, Tristan took out two cigarettes and handed me one.

“They’re so freaked out.” I decided confidently, lighting my cigarette and taking a long drag so my parents would see.

“Great.” Tristan replied between puffs, “I think both of us are starting to lose patience with this little act we have on anyway.”

“No kidding.” I breathed, “I hate how we still have to go on that double date with Bella and Jake tomorrow…”

“Forgot about that,” Tristan croaked, taking more and more fervent puffs at his cigarette, “that could be fun mind you, that Jake is a real character, I can’t wait to see him fuck up.”

“Fuck up?” I questioned, finishing the last bit of my cigarette and dropping it to the ground. As I crushed it with my toe, I felt my lungs yelling at me angrily, and ignored the strange feeling.

“Leah?” My mom asked timidly, from the entrance to the patio, “Can we talk a sec?”

“Yeah sure,” I said, “Give me a minute, I’ll be right there.”

“Okay.” She said even more quietly than before, shutting the door silently and walking back inside.

“Well done.” Tristan said, following me as I headed inside.

“Thanks.” I replied, smirking. Sitting down on the couch where we had spent the entire morning, I prepared to hear the magic words; “Leah, you can quit your job”, which I had been longing to hear for so long now…

Only the magic words never came.

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A/N: Wow! I am insanely slow at updating! Sorry guys! My excuse? First I went on a trip to Virginia (17 hours from where I live) for a week, then I had end of term (cramming!) and finally I had a lot of fun (not) relationship stuff to deal with… Anyways, I’m alive and I’m back, and you can expect the next update much sooner. Please review, the more your review, the faster I will update, and that is always true! (Check that out, I just rhymed. I know… I’m so cool.)

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