“I’ll have a large chai latte, one blueberry muffin, and two croissants. Thanks.”
I took the cash and slipped it in the front of my black apron as the woman juggling two little kids at her feet placed her order. I felt a tug in my heart as I smiled down at them before hastily starting on her coffee.
With a killer migraine coming on, I really could not wait to knock off and head home. We were going out to friends for barbecue and drinks.
“You’re leaving already?” Harvey came over as I was in the back room grabbing my coat. “I thought you worked until five?”
“I changed it so I could head home early.” I slipped my arm into the long, thick, grey sleeve and started doing up the buttons. “We’re still on for next week, right?” He and I were swapping shifts. I had something planned for Griffin’s birthday and wanted to surprise him. Really surprise him.
Harvey smiled, leaning against the wall. “Yes. You know…” That cheeky grin of his spread across his face, and I too smiled back. “You could give me something for helping you out.”
Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not sucking your cock.”
“Jesus!” he snorted, clearly not expecting that as he brushed a hand through his dark hair, laughing. “You think that’s all I’d want off you?”
“Well, who knows with you?” I winked.
He just laughed and shook his head. Taking a step towards me, he placed a soft kiss on my cheek, very close to my lips, and whispered. “Don’t stay up too late.”
I was unprepared for that
My heart was racing as he shuffled backwards, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. I was stunned, unsure whether it was just a normal friendly kiss or intended to mean more. I quickly reached for my bag, grabbing it and slinging the strap over my shoulder. I spoke to no one in particular. “I’ll see you later.”
I never uttered a word of what happened to Griffin. How could I? He would assume the worst and make me feel as if I had done the wrong thing. It was not intentional. I had come to the decision that it was not anything more than just a friendly kiss.
Kicking off my boots as I walked into the house, I noticed it was dead quiet. It was unusual.
Well, not quite since the boys were over at their mother’s and Griffin would normally just lie in bed waiting for me. He would usually send me a couple cock pics now and then to let me know he was hard and ready for me. When was he not?
“Baby?” I called out.
I internally wanted to smack myself in the face at that word—a word I would love to transform into an actual baby. That promise I made him was still heavy in my stomach, swirling around with regret. Stupid was I to promise that. I was weak and gave in.
I should not have said that.
I could not help but think that perhaps he would change his mind and that later down the track, we would have that together.
He lied to me. He knew I wanted a family of my own, and I deserved that. But I loved him, and love made people blind. We have the boys: Toby and Mack. I loved them, but I have never had the chance to experience being pregnant or holding my own child in my arms.
Why was I craving babies all of a sudden? Last week, I was happy to wait a few years for them, but ever since Griffin had taken that future away from us, it had been on my mind quite a bit.
No babies, and no ring on my finger.
My mother will just love this. I could not tell her. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone that my boyfriend did not want these things with me. Maybe it was an age issue, and he just did not want to admit it.
“You know I hate it when you call me that.” I heard him grumble from outside.
I followed his voice to where he was leaning against the open door and watched him bend down to pick up one of my pink bras, pegging it on the line. “I don’t care.” All other thoughts left my mind as I walked over, snaking my arms around him from behind to engulf him in a tight hug. “You’re all mine, and I find you sexy.”
He smelt like home as I inhaled his scent, still holding him close. Turning, he brushed his forefinger and thumb through my hair and smiled. “I missed you today.”
I honestly was not sure if he was mine or not. “I missed you. What time are we leaving?”
“Once I finish these,” he answered. “Ayla,” he said immediately after. My arms were raised above my head when I caught his worrying stare. “Are we ok?” He asked as I pulled away, picking up a black pair of socks to peg out.
Clipping down the peg, I forced a smile. “Course we are. I need to shower, though. I smell like coffee.” I moved away quickly.
“I’ll just finish up out here. She wants their uniforms washed, dried, and folded for tomorrow.”
I paused, turning with a frown and glancing over her way. At least he was smart enough to build a privacy wall between the two houses for when we were outside. “Tomorrow is Saturday. Why does she need them then?”
“I don’t know. You know how she gets.” He sighed heavily.
***
We did not miss the movement from her bedroom window. Karen was peeking through the curtains as Griffin reversed out the driveway, gawking at us both with curious and prying eyes. It would kill her not knowing where we were off to. She always needed to know if it was a date night or just for a drive.
I could see the bonfire up ahead when we pulled into the front driveway of Charlie’s house. I was excited for a fun night, needing to enjoy a night out and forget the weeks’ stress that was weighing down on my shoulders.
Charlie and Griffin had been friends since high school. Their group of friends had grown up together and remained close. It was a little weird at first meeting them since I was the odd one out and Karen was no longer hanging around. From what I could tell, they did not go too much on her, but the girls were still friendly with her.
Maggy waved over at us with a pair of tongs in the air as she held a plate full of steaks and burgers. I waved back. I was slowly easing into new friendships with the people Griffin had grown up with. They were nice enough to me. They were polite because they had to be.
Griffin was already in for a big night as he cracked open a Jack Daniel’s can, swigging a large mouthful. His other hand was firm on my ass as I carried our cooler bag of drinks, and by drinks, I meant my coke and his alcohol. I would have to drive us back home afterwards.
“I see you’ve finally learned how to use a grill,” Griffin called out, giving my ass a squeeze as we walked over to Charlie.
“Yeah, sure is. Don’t worry. I’m keeping an eye, so we all don’t get food poisoning.” Maggy turned to me, wearing a smile, but it wasn’t genuine. “Hi, Ayla, how are you?”
“I’m alright. Thanks.” I found myself shy around his friends, knowing that all of them were judging me. How could they not? I was years younger, and their other friend loathed me.
The guys? Not so much. Bryan was the only single one, and he was coming back to ours tonight to crash with us. The poor fella was in for a loud awakening if he does not sleep deep enough. Then again, maybe Griffin would be too drunk to perform. It has happened before. He literally passed out and left me naked and spread with his head resting against the inner of my thigh.
“Aw, you didn’t bring the boys?” Maggy asked, brushing her blonde hair to one side and pulling open her own drink of a vodka mixed with raspberry drink as Charlie joined us. “Stefan and Ethan were looking forward to playing on the trampoline with them.”
“It’s not our weekend,” Griffin mumbled. He could have brought them. Karen was just being a dog about it, saying she already had plans with them.
“Where are they?” I asked, looking around until I spotted them jumping and playing wrestling. They were also twins, nine years old, and god could they be rough with each other! They were always wrestling and pushing just to agitate the other.
Griffin gave them a wave, calling out loudly, “Hey, boys! Ayla wants to get on with you and fight too!”
I laughed, nudging him in the side. “Liar.” I did love trampolines and bouncing. Well, on something else that was more pleasurable.
“Please, Ayla! Come and jump with us!” Stefan called out, waving with both arms in the air. He was trying to look over the black netting around the trampoline, but he was too little to see above it.
“Soon,” I called back out with a promise.
“Charlie wouldn’t let me invite Karen…” Oh, boy. Maggy sighed. “I didn’t see the problem since you live so close and get along well.”
I clenched my teeth. Breathe. Just breathe.
Griffin shrugged and pulled out a lighter for his cigarette.
“I don’t think it’s any of your business, Maggy.” Charlie frowned at her, shaking his head. “It would have made things awkward for Ayla.”
“She’s my best friend.” She countered.
“And he’s been my friend longer. Now, stop this crap and quit bringing up unwanted shit none of us want to talk about…”
I just got up and left them to their lover’s quarrel. Griffin followed closely behind, letting out a whistle every time I wiggled my backside at him.
This was what it was often like between us—playful and fun. I missed it terribly.
Laughter bubbled inside of me as I giggled hysterically, bouncing up and down, trying to catch and jump up with them. Ethan was the smallest, and would just fly into the air whenever I got close enough near him. I jumped until my legs began to hurt, and that did not take too long. I was puffing hard when I collapsed on my back with both boys jumping around me. I let out a yelp as one stomped on my hair and pulled on it.
It turned into a game of try-and-jump-on-Ayla’s-hair, which then turned into catch-the-boys-and-put-them-to-bed.
“See ya, Ayla! Goodnight!” Stefan grinned, coming over and hugging me after I sat back down on one of the cloth-covered hay bales.
“Night, boys.” I hugged them both back and leant in to snuggle against Griffin, trying to keep warm. “That wore me out big time.”
“You two need to get your arses into gear and have a baby. I bet the boys would love a little sister running about.” Maggy’s other friend, Helena pointed out as she walked by us, nudging Griffin in the side. She and I actually did get along.
Crickets. The crackle of the fire burning was the only thing everyone could hear. It was one of those awkward moments where you just laugh and roll your eyes because deep down, you’re actually dying of heartache about the topic.
I could not look at Griffin. If I did, he would know that I lied to him about it. Picking up my can of soft drink, I shook my head with a smile. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re great with kids.”
“And other people…” I corrected her, looking for a distraction while Griffin sat stone cold beside me. “Oh, yum. Food!” I jumped up and went to help Maggy bring over the cooked meat, trying not to trip on anything in the darkness.
“Charlie, you sure this is cooked? You’ve never used a grill before, have you?” Bryan looked at the tray of meat and tried to light it up with the flashlight of his phone.
I was already taking a bite of my chicken kebab and pulled it out, trying to inspect it closer. “It looks okay to me.”
Clapping his tongs together, Charlie defended himself. “I cooked them all long enough, and you’d be able to tell if the chicken was raw.”
I ate too much and was going to dig into the dessert when Griffin grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me to a stop. “Come for a walk with me. I need to take a piss.”
Ah, charming as ever.
“And I have to come because? Do you need me to hold it for you?” I smirked, teasing him as I poked his hard stomach with my finger.
He smiled a little, raising his brow. “You can hold it if that turns you on.”
Flirting back, I whispered. “In your dreams. I’m not holding it unless you’re hard and going in deep.”
We walked for a few minutes, and I heard Griffin starting to unzip with his smoke still hanging out his mouth. I just stood there, not watching as I leant against a tree and waiting for him to finish. I pulled out my phone. It was nearly two am, and the cool air was picking up.
“Are you ready to leave?” he asked, zipping back up and stumbling a little. The booze was kicking in.
“When you’re ready, we’ll go.”
“I fucking love you.” He grinned, coming towards me like a predator and trapping me with his larger frame. “God, you’re so sexy.”
Mm, keep going. “You’re not too bad yourself.”
Quickly, he had my jeans unzipped and pulled down. With my one leg out, he lifted me by the ass, and I wrapped my thighs tightly around him. His cock thrusting in dry had us both hissing with uncomfortable pain. That bloody hurt.
“Sorry. I should have licked you out first.” Yeah, ya think!
After our quickie in the paddock, we made our way back and tried to act like we had not just done what we had done. Spontaneity was one of his best qualities. That, and his random love notes that were placed in the fridge if he left for work early.
“What did you two get up too?” Charlie grinned, breaking out in roaring laughter. “Ayla, your cheeks are a bit flushed. Bit out of breath, are we?”
“I told you they’d be able to tell!” I slapped Griffin’s stomach, and when the guys laughed even more, I knew I had just given myself up. “It’s dark, and you can’t see my cheeks. Ha ha.” Yep, I had given us away.
Charlie smirked. “How many times a day do you two fuck?”
And so began the uncomfortable questioning about our sex life as Griffin happily bragged about our twice a day sessions at the very minimum while looking down at his phone. I could not help but think it was her, and jealousy roared its ugly head inside me at once, making me feel ill. I hated that I just assumed he was texting her when it could easily be someone he played poker with, someone wanting a tattoo, or some client he was designing a house for.
“Try having kids, then the sex goes.” Maggy pointed out. “That’s what happened once the twins came along, and you decided to leave Karen over it.”
The liquid in my mouth was almost spat out as I sat back on the hay bale. “Can we not talk about that, please?”
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “It’s just the truth, Ayla. You need to accept Karen.”
“Karen and I haven’t fucked since the night she fell pregnant,” Griffin muttered, shoving his phone back inside his coat and pulling me closer to his side. “A night I’d much rather forget if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, but that was one night, compared to how many times?”
His voice was cold, and I could tell he was growing annoyed by her questioning. “I screwed her once and barely remember it since I was stoned out of my mind.”
“Who’s better?” Charlie asked, drunk and with no filter whatsoever.
Griffin smirked. “Well, Ayla doesn’t lay there like a dead fish.”
“Can you just stop talking about this, please?” I asked quietly. “I don’t want to know about you and her.”
Looking down at me, he closed his eyes and sighed, his breath smelling strong of bourbon. He then smiled. “It’s just you and me baby. No one else since her. Just you. I mean it.”
“Good, because I like to think that I taught you all those hot moves.”
His smile grew, and he began to laugh loudly. “Oh, baby, you did. Trust me. I’ve never had sex like the way we do. It’s fucking incredible to share that kind of passion with someone else who feels the exact same way.”
“You’re making me wet.”
He took my hand and placed it over his jean clad groin. I could feel the outline of his arousal as his dick was thick, hard, and ready. Leaning in for a deep kiss, I pulled back instead and nuzzled my nose against his. I could not wait to get home.
And so, the next topic was about cars, and it stayed that way until Charlie and Maggy began to make out in front of us all. I knew it was time for us to leave then. Helena and her husband, Travis, were also getting frisky. The baffling part was when Helena had her hand slyly moving up and down Charlie’s lap while being obviously fingered by her own husband.
“I need a fucking girlfriend.” Bryan yawned, falling into the backseat of the car. “Were they having a group thing back there?”
“They share and care.” Griffin grinned, opening another can and doing his belt up, while I started the car.
“They, swap partners?” I asked. “Did you ever…?” If his friends were into that, then did he and her had a go at it too?
“No. Not on my part, anyway.” His answer was firm, referring to when Karen would fuck other men once he left for work. “And I’d knock another man out if he even hinted at taking you.”
I had to smile. I loved his possessiveness.
Not on his part? Did that mean Karen had done stuff with the four of them behind his back? I really did not want to know.
“So guess the three way’s out of the question then,” a slurring voice spoke from behind us.
His hand dropped to my thigh possessively. “You can use your hand. Ayla’s not for sharing.”
Walking behind the two drunken men who were stumbling and singing loudly as they made their way up the steps to our front door, I pulled my phone out of my bag and saw I had a message four hours ago from Harvey.
My heart raced as I quickly walked down to our bedroom, opening it.
I hope he realises just how good he’s got it. You deserve better.
How could I respond to that? Hearing Griffin come into the bedroom, I turned my phone off and placed it on the bed. He cocked his head to the side, raking his eyes up and down my body to the point that I began to shiver with anticipation. Walking closer, he easily skimmed both his hands over my hips. “I want you.”
“Bryan will hear.” I giggled, trying to pry his drunken lips from mine. Once his hands slid between my thighs and rubbed that spot I loved, I was his. Clasping his shirt and clamping my thighs around to grind more pressure against me, I moaned. “God, just fuck me… and don’t stop.”
“Planning on it, baby. Get on your knees.”
And down I went.
***
I woke with what anyone would assume was the worst hangover from hell and a pounding in my head that would not go away. As my eyes fluttered open, I realised that it was not just my head pounding but the front door. My phone was somewhere tossed around the room, so I peered at the wall clock. It was not even nine am. I wanted to sleep in and sleep most the day away.
Yawning as I sat up, I winced. I grabbed my stomach and slightly nudged Griffin with my foot. “I’m going to throw up.” I barely got the words out before I was indeed throwing up in the middle of our bed.
Yes, that was right. I did not so graciously make it to the bathroom. Nope. I, Ayla, spewed right in the middle of our freaking bed. Once I had realised what I had done in front of Griffin, I automatically burst into tears. I had peed in front of him before, and he farts like a maniac in front of me, but spewing? That was not for his eyes to see.
“Hey.” He soothed me by rubbing my back in slow circles. “Are you okay?”
Shaking my head, I buried my face in my hands. “How could I be okay after that? I’m so embarrassed.”
“It’s ok, Ayla. I’ve got morning wood, so you feel like…” Yawning loudly, he rubbed his neck. “Jesus Christ, my head is throbbing.”
“It’s the door, and I’m definitely not in the mood.” Shit. I almost forgot about that. “Someone’s at the door.”
Confusion swept over his face as he looked around the room, tossing the covers off and grabbing the doona in a big ball. He then dropped it while putting on some boxers. “You grab the door. I’ll get this washed up.”
Major crushing on him right now. “You don’t have to do—”
He cut me off with a kiss to the mouth and shut me right up.
The banging kept going, and he groaned, yelling towards the open bedroom door. “We’re fucking coming!” he bellowed out. We were both assuming it was she who lived next to us. “I’ll clean this up for you.” Making his way to the door in a pair of boxers and the doona cover, he popped his head back in with a slight frown. “You weren’t drinking. How come you’re throwing up?”
Stepping into a pair of boy short panties and grabbing a bra, I looked at him. “No, but I did eat the chicken.”
“I told him to cook those kebabs for longer. Fucken oaf,” he muttered and walked off again.
Tying my hair up, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror as I walked to the front door. Ugh, he had left a huge love bite on my neck. I almost pulled my hair down but stopped. Screw Karen. I just had on my underwear and an oversized jumper of Griffins. She can look at me and see that we had spent a better part of the night fucking each other’s brains out.
I got to the door looking like a hot mess and turned the handle. I almost rolled my eyes at the two elders standing in front of me. A woman, dressed immaculately in all grey and a mauve dress scarf, and a man, also in a neat shirt with pressed slacks, stood at our door.
Great, people trying to sell us something or preach about religion.
“Uh, no thanks,” I mumbled, beginning to close the door, until Griffin ran up behind me and flung it back open, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Mum, Dad! Wasn’t expecting you.”
Oh, dear. Not good. Really not good.
“Well, we tried calling.” Her eyes looked at me up and down, showing instant disapproval. “But I see you’ve been busy.”
“Umm.” I tugged the bottom of the jumper, trying to cover more of my thighs as I felt like a low-class hooker getting sprung for giving a freebie. “I’m Ayla.” You know, the girl crazy about your son and living with him and your grandchildren. She should know this by now, but now was as good as ever.
“I don’t care who you are, dear. Get some clothes on and leave my son’s house.” She scolded curtly, making me feel like an ant about to get squished by someone’s finger.
Griffin’s groan was auditable as he rubbed a palm over his face. “Mum… She’s, uh…” I waited and waited for the girlfriend part, but what came was something even more disappointing. “She’s Bryan’s girlfriend.”
I was like a punch to the gut, and I was ready to throw up again. I could not look at him. I just stood there, trying to make sure I heard it right. “Yeah. Bryan’s girlfriend,” I mumbled and turned away as tears sprung to my eyes.