Oreos for Breakfast: Chapter 28

Oreos For Breakfast: Chapter 35
By the Paperbag Princess and Pumpkin Coach

A door opened, and I woke up. Where was I?

Anna's room. I opened my eyes and she was standing at the door with JC, smiling up at him.

Had I slept while they made out in the other bed? There was pizza, and talking, and another joint that just put me to sleep. What time was it?

JC hugged her, then left. She shut the door and started towards the bathroom.

"Did you have sex with him while I was sleeping?" I asked her.

"No," she said, not even looking at me. "We just talked. If you're awake, go back to your own room."

The bathroom door shut and I looked up at the ceiling, trying to wake up enough to leave. I checked the clock. 5:21. I wasn't sure when I'd fallen asleep. Three? Four?

She came back out and looked down at me. "Are you staying?"

A pounding on the wall above my head answered that question, and she shook her head. "Guess you are. I've got an extra toothbrush in there if you need it."

"Of course you do."

She ignored me, climbing into her bed and shutting off the light as I rolled out of bed and into the bathroom. When I came back to bed, she was on her side away from me, her eyes shut.

I pulled off my jeans and got into bed in my boxers and t-shirt. Only I was awake now. What had JC and Anna talked about for an hour or two or whatever it was? He'd probably told her all about breaking up with James. It was easy to talk to Anna. They looked close when he'd hugged her before he left.

Was she lying about not having sex with him? Wouldn't I have heard that, though? Maybe it was terrible. He was gay, after all. He probably didn't know what to do with a girl. That would suck for Anna. She needed a good boyfriend.

Had they talked about Rachel? When had he broken up with James? It could have been right when Rachel had left me, so JC might not know anything. He had to know about that date with Justin, right? Justin would have told him if Rachel hadn't.

"JC told me that he set up that date for Rachel and Justin," Anna said, and I looked over at her. She was facing me now, lying on her side.

"You just read my mind."

"I figured if you were lying there awake, you were wondering if he'd told me anything about her."

"Yeah," I admitted.

"He was there right after you broke up. Like, minutes later. She stayed in his room at your hotel."

Oh. She was in the same building as me while I laid there and cried? It was good that I didn't know that at the time. I would have found her, and she didn't need to see me like that. No one did.

"Then they went to went to his house in Florida for a few days and when she saw the pictures of you and Paris, they got the idea to set up a date with Justin."

"I thought so," I said. "But what about…"

"Recently?" she asked. Rachel had been at Justin's album release party, and I'd heard rumors that they were actually together.

"Yeah," I said, and Anna considered me for a minute.

"Justin really likes her," she said quietly. "But she doesn't want anyone to know."

"Anyone to know what?"

"That they're together. She won't go out in public with him."

Rachel was with Justin freaking Timberlake? And she wanted to keep it a secret? Was it so important that she didn't want the press to fuck it up?

This might be worse than seeing them in the papers together. Maybe it was real. Maybe he was able to give her everything I never could. I could never keep us out of the gossip columns.

Justin had tried to keep his relationship with Britney quiet. Maybe he was trying harder with Rachel.

"What… what about that lawyer guy?" I asked, my eyes closed. Was he just a cover?

I heard Anna get up, but I couldn't open my eyes. I didn't want her to see me. She knew me too well.

She crawled into bed with me, wrapping an arm around me and leaning her head against my back. "I don't know," she said. "JC and James broke up like a month ago. So he hasn't talked to James about it, obviously, and Justin is too busy to return JC's calls."

"Too busy with Rachel?"

"No," she said. "He's working, and he and JC keep missing each other. So, a few weeks ago, Justin and Rachel were together, but maybe that was the last time. There's an industry party next week in New York, and all of Nsync are supposed to be there, so JC will find out then. And Rachel's his neighbor now, so-"

"What?" I asked, rolling over to see her. I draped my arm over her waist. I liked being able to touch someone right now.

"JC bought an apartment in New York and Rachel bought the one next door. The penthouse units at some new Trump building on Central Park."

"She has a place in the city?"

Anna smiled a little. "Evidently a really swank pad, too. View of Central Park and Times Square, gourmet kitchen, poured concrete bathtubs, whatever that means."

"It's got to be good. Rachel loves baths."

Had she taken baths with Justin? Had she washed his hair? Not that he had any hair to wash, since he'd shaved most of it off. Did she like that? My hair had been really short when we broke up and she had hated it.

Anna stroked my hair. "You've mentioned that before. I'm sorry, Nick. I probably shouldn't have told you."

"No. It's good. I'm glad you told me. She's moving on, and I need to. I know that."

"JC said she was absolutely heartbroken after you'd broken up. He'd never seen anyone that sad. I told him you were the same way. Only where Rachel was sad, you were mad at the world. And she had James and you didn't have anyone."

"I had you."

She kept stroking my hair, shaking her head a little. "Not the same thing. I tried to be there, but you kept pushing me away. It's a boy thing. I know."

"I don't know what I would have done without you, Anna."

"You would have been fine eventually."

"I'm still not fine, but I'm so glad you're here. You're an amazing friend."

She smiled. "I know."

I kissed her. Which was supposed to just be a friend thing, but… I don't know which one of us made it more. It just suddenly was. Why had I never kissed Anna before? I'd known her since we were kids, and I'd never kissed her. Not like this.

She felt amazing. Her lips were soft and warm against mine, and I slipped my hand under her t-shirt, caressing her skin. Her breasts pressed against my chest as we kissed, and I wanted to touch them, moving my hand higher.

She took my hand and moved away, breaking our embrace. "No," she said.

"Yes," I answered, reaching out for her again, and she rolled out of bed, standing up and looking down at me. She was breathing heavily, and I ran my hand down her leg, loving the feel of her skin. How had I never realized how pretty she was before? I always knew that she was pretty, in a sort of abstract way, but it had never meant anything to me before.

"Nick. It's Anna."

"I know," I said, still just looking up at her, enjoying the view. She hadn't moved away from my hand on her leg.

"Anna," she stressed. "Your best friend. Not one of your one-night stands. Certainly not Rachel."

"My gorgeous, sexy best friend. I know. Come back here," I said, pulling on her leg to bring her back into bed, but she stepped away from me.

"Don't say that when you don't mean it."

"Mean what? You're beautiful. And… just… amazing. You're Anna. You know me better than anyone. I love you."

"Not that way," she said, going to sit on her bed, and I sat up, watching her.

"It could be that way. It's perfect. You already know me."

"And you've already broken my heart about a million times."

"What?"

She looked away from me, shaking her head. "Do you think I'm not in love with you? Of course I am. But I know you will never love me."

"I could."

She met my eyes. "You can't. I don't even really want you to anymore. I just want you to be happy, and I know I am so much better for you as a friend. You listen to me now. If we have sex, that's all over."

"No-" I tried to protest, but she interrupted me.

"Don't even," she said. "I know you better than anyone, remember? The only reason you kissed me is because you're upset about Rachel. The last thing I'd ever do is be your rebound girl from Rachel. I'm not happy being 'Rachel Lite.'"

"I was high when I said that."

"I know. Which is the only reason I'm forgiving you for it."

"It wasn't supposed to be an insult."

She shrugged. "I know. But it means I'll never live up to her. No one ever will."

"Rachel's over. It's done. I'm not..."

"Nick. Just stop talking. I'm not going to fuck you."

"It wouldn't be..." I stopped talking when she raised an eyebrow at me. Sighing, I fell back onto the bed. "You're too smart for me."

"Most women are."

"Shut up!"

That made her laugh a little, and I could hear her settling into bed. "We are, though."

"Candy's not."

"She's with Vinnie. She's an idiot."

"You were with Vinnie for two years," I reminded her.

"And I was an idiot."

"You sorta were."

"Go to sleep now."

I tried, but I was wide awake. Anna was in love with me? Really? Shit, I almost had sex with Anna.

I was still okay with that. It wasn't like I had been blinded by lust and high and didn't know what I was doing. Sex with Anna would be good. Maybe even great.

"You're in love with me?"

"I loved Vinnie, too. I don't fall in love with good guys."

"Hey!"

"You're a good guy," she admitted. "And I'm not really… it doesn't matter, Nick. Let's just say that part of me is kicking the other part for not fucking you when I had the chance."

"You still have the chance."

"No," she said. "Go to sleep."

Was this going to fuck everything up? Now I was thinking about sex with Anna, and I'd never thought about that before. That meant she'd moved out of the 'friend' category and into the 'I'd do her' category.

I didn't have many girls in the 'friend' category. None, actually.

Shit. I'd fucked everything up.

"Don't fire me," she said, and I looked over at her to find her laying on her side, staring at me. Even in the dark, I could tell she was nervour or scared or... somthing.

"Why would I fire you?"

"Because I've fucked everything up talking about love and shit."

"No. Don't worry."

"Because this has been amazing. I never thought I'd get paid to play music. And I know it won't last forever, but I really want to do the tour with you. I'll never forgive myself if I just lost that opportunity."

"I promise. You're not fired. Calm down," I tried to reassure her.

"And I don't want to ruin our friendship, either. You're too important to me." Her voice was still shaking a little and I wanted to go over and hold her or something, but I knew better than to leave my bed.

"We're good, Anna. Although I reserve the right to hit on you once in a while."

She laughed, and I smiled at her. "I reserve the right to turn you down."

"It's a deal." I held out my hand and she took it. "Let's make a pact."

"What?"

"If neither of us is in a relationship when we turn thirty, we get married."

She laughed. "Didn't they make a movie about that?"

"Probably."

"If neither of us is in a relationship when we turn thirty, we go away somewhere and have a lot of sex." She offered.

I smiled at her. "Twenty-five?"

"That's only like two years away."

"Exactly."

She laughed. "Sex at twenty-five, marriage at thirty?"

"Works for me. That way we'll know if the sex is good before we get married."

"Very important," she agreed.

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