Chapter Twenty One

The “Booty Call”

My walk to Bret’s wasn’t long as I sprinted most of the way there, I’m really lazy most of the time but once I start running it’s like I’m an athlete. Life is strange. I hurried to the front door and knocked.

“Oh hello Beth. What do we owe the pleasure of your company this late in the evening?” Bret’s dad said as he opened the front door.

“Hi Mr Foster, I needed to talk to Bret so I thought I’d come round. Hope that’s ok. I know it’s quite late but I thought it would better talking face to face you know? ” I said smiling.

“Of course that’s ok Beth. Bret’s upstairs in his room I think. Go right up” Bret’s dad said. One reason why I loved being round at Bret’s instead of mine. Whenever Bret came round mine my mother would make us keep the door open and she’d pop up every fifteen minutes. She so didn’t trust us. I smiled at Bret’s dad then raced up the awesome staircase and knocked on Bret’s door. He opened it and I nearly fainted, honest to God fainted, he was standing there wearing a pair of worn gray sweatpants that hung loosely on his hip bones and nothing else, his dark hair was wet and he smelt deliciously clean, like soap and…sunshine. I knew I was standing there with my mouth open but I didn’t care.

“Hey, you caught me out of my shower. I’ll just get dressed.” Bret said kissing me on the forehead as I walked into his room. It was like heaven, every single wall space was covered in posters. One side of his wall was covered in a massive bookcase filled with books, CD’s and DVD’s, an acoustic guitar was propped up against the bookcase and it had that kooky jazz club feel to it as the walls were a deep warm colour. Bret grabbed a towel and quickly ruffled it through his hair. He picked up a black t-shirt and pulled over his head turned and smiled at me. I was still in shock to be honest. Bret raised an eyebrow and walked over to me.

“You ok?” he asked placing a hand on my arm. Was I ok? Hell yeah! My boyfriend is sexy as frigging hell! I flung my arms around him and kissed him fully on the mouth. After quite a long and totally hot kiss we broke apart and Bret smiled as he said “I’ll take that as a yes then?” I nodded also smiling. “So do you forgive me for being such an ass today?” Bret asked. I nodded.

“Do you forgive me for not telling you about Adam?” I asked, my voice breaking with the concern I was feeling.

“There’s nothing to forgive you for, you had your reasons. I was just over-reacting and I’m sorry.” Bret said hugging me, which is a great way to say sorry as it meant I could just stand and smell his lovely hot neck. Jesus I’m such a girl sometimes. His hand ran down my spine causing me to shiver with excitement.

“I just want you to know that that whole part of my life is over. I’m never going back to that life ever again. It was like hell. I’d wake up in the mornings somewhere, normally a bathroom, and not know how I got there and who I’d been there with. It was like there were cobwebs in my head the entire time and I never want to relive that feeling.” I mumbled into Bret’s neck.

“Beth look at me.” Bret said taking my chin in his hand and lifting my head so I could stare into his deep eyes. “I’ll never give you a reason to relive that life. I care about you so much. Hearing about what that…that bastard did to you was horrendous. That’s what made me so mad last night, I couldn’t believe that anyone could do that to you, you’re amazing don’t you see that?”

“Me? Amazing? Are you insane? I’m an overly sarcastic obsessive coffee drinker that is unreliable, late for everything, messy, scatty, loud and very argumentative. How could you ever love me?” I asked laughing. Bret shook his head and rolled his eyes. Oh those eyes…

“Beth all your…bad…qualities are part of why I love you, you’re not perfect in any way but you’re perfect to me because of those imperfections.” Bret said stroking me cheek. Can I marry him? Seriously. I mean it; I could marry him this second. If someone told you that you were perfect because you were imperfect then how awesome would you feel? Well I felt pretty damn good.

“That’s slightly messed up isn’t it?” I asked, I was smiling so much that the muscles in my cheeks hurt.

“Well is it just as good as diamonds and a poem?” Bret asked. I nodded, hearing that someone loved you are you was a lot better than a cold stone or rhyming words.

“It’s better” I said wrapping my arms around Bret again and going up on tiptoe (I’m tall-ish but he is tall) and kissing him deeply, he tasted like spearmint toothpaste which is the best toothpaste in the world. “So did you only want to see me to apologise?”

“No, I really wanted to see you as well. After Den had a go at me today I felt pretty crappy so I wanted to say sorry but to also see you, mainly to look at you if that makes sense…” Bret said mumbling the end of the sentence.

“What did Camden say?” I asked.

“Oh you know. That he was being a jerk etc but then again we already know he’s a jerk…” Camden’s voice floated through the doorway. Bret rolled his eyes at his sister then motioned for her to go away. “Oh yeah cause I forgot, this Beth’s booty call.” Camden said winking at me. I stared at her, thanks Camden, thanks. “Jack text me, was amusing.” Camden added when she saw my face.

“Den, do us a favour will you?” Bret said hugging me close.

“What’s that then dearest brother?” Camden asked rising an eyebrow.

“Go away.” Bret and I said in unison.

“Fine, fine. But remember kiddies. Always be safe.” Camden said winking as she walked off, I felt my red flush red as Bret started to laugh.

“Gosh…she’s…so….embarrassing.” I muttered hoping that my cheeks would cool down.

“She’s Den, what do you expect?” Bret said sniggering. “What did she mean by booty call anyway?”

“Oh God. It was Jack making a joke just as I was about to leave. He said that the only reason I’d be coming round yours at this hour on a Saturday night was cause you’d want ‘booty’ that and he noticed I was wearing my skinny jeans.” I mumbled growing even redder, if that was possible.

“They domake you’re ass look pretty good to be honest.” Bret said sniggering. Ok it was then that I went as red as I could possibly go.

“Shush!” I said slapping Bret lightly on the arm. Bret then looked slightly confused about something.

“Beth….can you hear music?” Bret asked. I listened. It was Tigers and Sharksby You Me At Six which was my favourite song at the moment, it was also my ringtone. My ringtone…OH! My phone was ringing. I rummaged around my hoodie pocket until I found my phone. Home. Damn….that would be Mum.

“Hello?” I asked meekly.

“Elizabeth Bennet where are you?” My mother’s voice screeched down the phone. “It’s 10:50, what on earth are you doing out?”

“I’m at Bret’s…” I mumbled.

“Well get home this instant!”

“What’s that Mum, I can’t hear you?” I said faking that it was a bad connection.

“Elizabeth don’t you dare!” My mother yelled.

“Sorry mum can’t hear you!” I said hanging up. I rolled my eyes then glared at Bret who was in silent stitches. “It’s not funny, she’s going to kill me when I get home, and I knew Jack would tell her where I’d gone!”

“Why don’t you just stay here for the night then? She’ll have cooled down by the morning.” Bret said between his laughter.

“Yeah cause that will really impress my mum…still I’d annoyed at her at the moment so yeah! I will!” I said joining in with Bret’s laughter.

It was rather easy falling asleep that night. Bret and I had sat on his bed watching CSI repeats (I love that show!) until the early hours when I must have dropped off to sleep, it was very lucky that I had borrowed (AKA stolen) one of Bret’s shirts (He was not getting it back, it was too pretty and smelly in a nice way) though I’d sure that Bret must have caught sight of my pants which would be very embarrassing as they are (ironic) “I Love My Little Pony” boxers. Still it was a nice way to fall asleep.

When I woke up the next morning I had that amazing post sex haze about me even though me and Bret had clearly not had sex. I glanced at Bret and very nearly squealed as he was fast asleep looking very peaceful with his thumb in his mouth. Honestly, how often do you get to see an adorable guy sucking his thumb, snoring ever so slightly….and I swear he just mumbled something that sounded like “Pickles are evil” I rolled off Bret’s bed and went for a shower, then panicked as I realise I didn’t have a toothbrush. Oh….piss. You know how when you stop over at someone house or go on holiday you always forget something that’s highly important and it’s normally your toothbrush/toothpaste and you have that horrible feeling that your breath is really going to smell, well I now had that feeling. I grumbled away to myself in the shower and as I was towelling myself drying and changing back into Bret’s shirt (He really wasn’t getting it back) and my underwear Camden burst through the (seemingly) locked door grumbling to herself about some science coursework I had finished last week which she seemed to had not even started even though it was due on Monday. She then looked up to see me standing in the bathroom Bret and Camden shared in Bret’s shirt (seriously I owned this shirt now) and my underwear.

“Morning” I said cheerfully as possible when I didn’t have access to a toothbrush. Camden rolled her eyes behind her glasses (She’d obviously run out of contacts or she couldn’t be bothered to put then in) “You ok?”

“Hardly, since when was this coursework due in on Monday?” Camden asked grumbling.

“Since…three weeks ago when it was set.” I said rolling my eyes. Camden yawned loudly. “You look tired.”

“No shit Sherlock. I’ve been up since three writing out the introduction. How many words was it supposed to be?” Camden said once again grumbling. She reached out for her toothpaste and squeezed straight into her mouth, I doubt that was in anyway helpful.

“Five hundred. Why how many have you written?” I asked,

“One. Introduction.” Camden said with a mouthful of toothpaste so it was rather hard to understand her.

“You’re dead.” I said rolling my eyes.

“As are you when your Mum finds out that you came round mine just to have it off with my brother.” Camden said crudely.

“You know you and Jack, I can see it happening, you’re both as crude and as blunt as each other and for your information the only thing that happened last night was Bret and I watched CSI, feel asleep then I think Bret had a dream about pickles.” I said rolling my eyes at Camden who was now eating even more toothpaste.

“Whatever.” Camden mumbled rolling her eyes. “I’m off to steal Bret’s coursework” she added walking out the bathroom and into her brother’s room. Rolling my eyes once again I followed her, she was expertly (I’m guessing she’s done this before) tiptoed over to Bret’s desk, riffle through the paper-clipped pieces of paper and picked up his science coursework. “Easy as piss.” Camden said winking at me then walking out Bret’s room. Seriously what was I going to do with her?