Sanctuary

It was three A.M., and Taryn was insanely and utterly...gone.

"No, that's such bullshit," she giggled, falling into another laughing fit as she lay on the floor. She was staring up at the ceiling, listening as Matt told her how he had felt during their coffee date months earlier. Bailey had long since retired to sleep in the doggy bed in the corner of the living room. Occasionally her head flew up whenever Taryn or Matt made too much noise and woke her up.

"It's really not, but you won't believe me either way," he scoffed, tipping back his bottle. "So let's not talk about that anymore. Let's talk about Alex."

She sat up with a pout, pausing as her head violently spun. She waited for her vision to adjust. "You little shit. Who told you?"

He laughed as she slid closer to him, squinting as she studied his face. "No one. It's not that hard to figure out."

"You're lucky I don't hate you," Taryn said, leaning against the couch next to him. "You can't judge me for that whole thing, okay?"

"Hey, I told you how I slept with a girl in the backseat of her car. And then left before she woke up. So I really have no grounds to stand on in terms of judgment."

"Damn straight," Taryn giggled, pushing her messy hair back over her shoulders.

"Just tell me, was he good?"

She looked over at him. "You're pathetic."

"Seriously, I have to know what I'm competing with."

She scoffed. Like he even had a chance. "Yeah. He was."

"Really." He looked dubiously at her. "He's a pretty tiny guy."

"Don't let it fool you," she said, playfully kicking his foot. She leaned to whisper in his ear. "It was mind-blowing."

He didn't say anything, placing his empty bottle on the table next to the couch. He seemed uninterested, but Taryn could tell he was just trying to hide his discomfort. He leaned back again, resting his head on Taryn's shoulder.

"He was pretty special," she giggled, marveling in his silence. "He knew my sweet spot. Like, right away."

He turned his head suddenly, gliding his lips along her neck. Her eyes closed in ecstasy. Okay, so maybe he did have a chance.

He kissed her, leaning closer and gently nibbling on her delicate skin. Her heartbeat accelerated, and he felt his pinky finger brush against hers on the floor between them.

"Yeah, he must have been pretty special." He suddenly pulled away, sitting up straight as she squirmed in confusion.

"He was. And I'm sure you've had a girl like that, right?" she said with a sad smile.

"I mean, yeah. She was a fucking bombshell. She used to do this thing where she would, like, straddle my waist and it would turn me on and it was so hot," he rambled obnoxiously. He kept glancing at her, gauging her facial expression. "But that's too risqué for a good girl like you."

"Wrong. Again," Taryn argued. "Ask Alex. He likes that stuff, too." She giggled hysterically as Matt watched her, intrigued.

"Really." He spoke slowly, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Yes! What do you want, a demonstration?!" Taryn laughed, throwing her head back with a grin. She didn't know why he was finding it so hard to believe that she slept around.

He shrugged, his cocky grin challenging her. Oh, well. She hated the thought that she once believed he would be good for her. Deep down, she should've known he was just like the other ones.

She turned, lifting herself up and raising her leg to straddle his waist. He sat up straighter, placing his hands on her slim hips as she rested herself on him.

"Just like this?" she whispered in his ear, reaching up to turn the lamp off. The room was shrouded in darkness, except a dim glow from the moon hitting the wall above the television on the opposite wall. In some weird way, she liked it better when she couldn't see what she was doing.

"Almost," he said, pulling her up against him. He looked up, licking his lips in anticipation. She leaned down, smiling as she kissed him lightly. She didn't know how long they were sitting there, making out against this stranger's couch. She remembered having wondered what it would be like to kiss Matt, and here she was actually doing it. It was sort of surreal, but after recent events, she wasn't exactly surprised.

A familiar want was building in the pit of her stomach, and she gripped his hair forcefully. Her own hair was a mess, and her breathing was growing increasingly shallow. God, he was attractive. And polite, too. He looked up at her, waiting for her to make the next move. His eyes were drooping in exhaustion, only making him look cuter than Taryn already found him. She reached for his hand, locking her fingers in between his and planting a soft kiss on his lips.

She stood up, bracing herself as a wave of nausea hit. He joined her, following as she pulled on his forearm. With the other hand, she stumbled along the wall, reaching for the unfamiliar doors in the hallway until she found a suitable one.

"You don't think your friend will mind, do you?" she slurred, giggling to herself. She stumbled, tripping into Matt's arms as he caught her on the way to the bed. She turned to meet his lips, pulling him on top of her as they fell onto the mass of pillows. Her stomach lurched, but she tried to ignore it as he kissed her collarbone. She couldn't even find him anymore, the room a blur as she fumbled for him in the dark. She moaned as he nibbled at her stomach, her shirt gone. Her eyes closed as she desperately tried to control her nerves. Okay, so maybe she had had too much to drink this time. Just a little.

Her head spun fiercely as Matt met her eyes and she tried to focus.

"Taryn?" he whispered. Her eyes closed, loving the way her name sounded as it left his lips. Her head fell to the side as she fought a wave of exhaustion.

"Taryn," he said, taking up her line of sight. "What's wrong?" He cupped her jaw, keeping her head straight and trying to force her to make eye contact.

"Come on," she whined, grinding her hips against his as her stomach lurched again. "I want you." She reached for his jeans, fumbling with the belt buckle.

"Taryn," he whispered. "I can't….I can't."

"Please," she whispered faintly. Her eyes were still closed as she felt his weight shift.

"….I just….I can't. You need to go to bed."

"Matt," she whined, her chest feeling heavy. Why didn't he want her?

"Taryn," he said, re-buttoning his shirt as he stood up. He ran his hand along her bare side, scanning her body. "I'll never let myself live it down. You're wasted."

"So? Trust me, it's…it's not unusual…I-I'm fine." She blindly tried to pull him down to meet her lips again.

"You're not," he said. "I…I'm sorry. I just…can't do this."

"Fine," she declared, trying to stand up off the bed. Her vision shook, and she grabbed the bedside table for stability. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, I guess."

"No," he said, grabbing her thin waist. His hands were cold on her heated skin. God, it was hot in that room. He gently nudged her back toward the bed. "Taryn. You need to sleep it off."

"No, I need to fucking pee," she fought, batting his arm away and stumbling for the bathroom across the hall. She slammed the door, with a final stomach lurch before she fell to the ground in the nick of time, the contents of her stomach making a reappearance in the starch white porcelain of the toilet bowl. She coughed, tears filling her eyes as she reached up and ran the sink faucet.

"Taryn?" Matt called through the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just…go to sleep," she called, trying to make it sound like she wasn't currently dry-heaving. It was more than twenty minutes before her stomach calmed itself enough to let her stand. She glared at herself in the mirror, still shirtless and her makeup smeared all over her eyes. She rubbed her hands across her face in exasperation, taking a breath and trying to control her breathing as she pushed thoughts of what had just happened from her mind.

Fuck.