Hurt You

At the airport, when Tyson grabbed Jade by the waist and kissed her, Nick felt a little surge of jealousy.

Get the fuck over it, he told himself. So you slept with him, big deal. That doesn't mean you should have some stupid crush on him now.

He was sure that he'd snap out of it once he got home and saw Ashley.

That is, if he could survive the car ride home.

Nick slumped unhappily in the back seat, listening to Tyson and Jade talking.

"I missed you so much, baby."

"I missed you too. I hate being away from you for that long."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, more than anything in the whole world."

Tyson was lucky. He didn't have to hide anything from his girlfriend; he didn't even remember that he'd had sex with Nick. Nick was the one who was stuck with the memories, the confusion, and the guilt. Nick was the one who had to go home, look his girlfriend in the eyes, and pretend that he hadn't cheated on her with his best friend.

Nick was glad when Tyson and Jade finally dropped him off in front of his house. He unlocked the front door and headed upstairs. He'd take a shower, and then, after he'd had a little more time to prepare, he'd go to Ashley's house.

He'd entered his room, his shirt already halfway unbuttoned, before he realized that the room wasn't empty.

Ashley was sitting on the bed, wearing nothing but a blue blouse, which was unbuttoned all the way, and a matching black bra and panties. She smiled sexily at him.

"Welcome home, baby."

"What are you doing here?" Nick blurted out.

Ashley pouted. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Nick forced himself to smile. "Yeah, of course I am."

She smiled, and pulled him down onto the bed. "Good."

Nick felt his fake smile turning into a real one. He had missed his girlfriend.

She finished unbuttoning Nick's shirt, and slid her own shirt off. As they started to kiss, Nick pushed her down onto the bed and climbed on top of her.

Nick woke up the next morning beside Ashley. His eyes took in her body - her long, wavy brown hair, her delicate, heart-shaped face, her pale skin, the curves of her body, her long, toned legs. Everything about her was beautiful, so why did he find himself comparing her to Tyson?

He got out of bed, too miserable and confused to go back to sleep. He needed to talk to someone. He needed to talk to his best friend. He picked up his phone and dialed Tyson's number.

"What's up, Nicky?" Tyson's voice answered. He sounded like he'd been awake for a while.

"Ty, can you come over tonight?" Nick asked. "I need to talk to you about something."