You're My Little Secret, chapter 2
January 15th, 2004
I sat at the bar waiting for my order and reeling from a bad day of classes. I glanced around at all of the college students occupying the bar and cringed; sometimes I hated college and my peers.
"Thanks Tony." I said to the bartender as he handed me my pitcher of beer and two glasses. I weaved my way back to the table and hiked myself up on to the stool, passing one across the table to Tre and keeping one for myself.
"I'm glad you called, Ava." Tre yelled over the racket of the bar.
I nodded and took a sip of my beer.
"I knew you would understand." I replied smiling and pushing my hair off my shoulders.
"How come Mike didn't show?" he asked after a moment.
"He has Estelle for the weekend."
Tre nodded in understanding and took a drink.
"I just figured Billie Joe had been bitching to you about Adrienne, and fuck knows Adrienne has been bitching about Billie Joe. I was hoping you could give me some insight from his side because Adrienne is giving me nothing."
I watched as he played with the ashtray on the table, moving it in circles with his hands. "I'm not sure I'm going to be much help, Ava." He finally said.
I was a little disappointed in his answer. "I know you guys have had some trouble over the past year but you've worked it out so why is he being such a dick? Why over this record?" I asked.
Tre's face soured a little. "You have to realize that you're automatically on Adrienne's side because you're her sister, and I realize that he is being difficult, but do you have to call him a dick?" he asked. "He's responding to all of the shit that has happened in the past year or two. That's how Billie Joe deals with everything; he writes about it, and yeah sometimes it's not very nice but that's who he is and Adrienne knows that. He's the same way he was 16 years ago."
I sighed and felt a little guilty. "You're right, I am automatically going to come to the defense because she is my sister, and I won't pretend to understand everything going on between them and I'm not trying to fix their marriage... but he's different, Tre. He's different around the kids and he's different to her." I replied. "He's always written out his feeling and I understand that's how he vents, but he's closing himself off and all they do is fucking fight. He just keeps pushing her, like he's trying to test her limits."
He nodded and frowned. "I know. I just think he needs some time to work through everything and get shit straight in his mind. Adrienne and Billie Joe will be fine. You know that both of them are alike in the way they piss each other off because they know they'll forgive each other, more so than anyone else would." Tre said, the reassurance in his words sounding a little faulty mixed with the tone with which he spoke.
I lit a cigarette and nodded. "I fucking hope so. It's giving me a headache."
He chuckled. "I'm going to get us another pitcher of beer." He responded standing up and heading towards the bar. I watched him go and smiled to myself. I really did have legit reasons for wanting him to meet me, but I also liked spending time with him alone. I wasn't lying when I said Mike's time was occupied, but I wasn't exactly sad that I had Tre all to myself. I felt something for him; the attraction between us was mutual, but he never made a move even after his divorce and I really wasn't sure why. Tre was the type of guy who went after what he wanted and I certainly wouldn't complain about a night dedicated to releasing some of our sexual tension.
He returned a few minutes later with a frown and a trail of beer decorating the front of his white t-shirt.
"Fucker at the bar bumped into me." He muttered dabbing at his chest with a napkin.
I giggled. "Let me help." I said picking up a napkin and wiping at a spot just above his bellybutton. I felt a flutter in my stomach when he tensed a little at my touch, his face turning a light shade of pink. I was also aware that he could probably see my down my shirt with the angle that I was bending over but I didn't care.
"Thanks." He muttered giving his shirt one last wipe before sitting back up on his stool.
"Crazy college kids." I said sarcastically.
He smiled. "You're almost done, right?" he asked.
"3 more semesters after this one." He nodded in acknowledgement of my answer and I smiled, letting a moment pass between us filled with nothing but thick smoke and the shouting of fellow bar hoppers.
"I like your hair by the way." He complimented letting his eyes sweep over my face.
"Oh, thanks." I said touching my hair out of habit. "Something new I guess." I shrugged nonchalantly but I was pleased Tre had noticed the change of my hair color, however subtle it was.
"You suck at taking compliments, do you know that? Just like Adrienne. You just brush it off." He teased.
I chuckled. "I know." I replied nodding my head. "We've always been that way."
He smiled before taking a sip of beer. I watched as he licked his lips and suddenly I wished I was the glass he was drinking from; at least then I would be pressed up against his lips. I also noticed upon glancing around that the bar was becoming increasingly busy and Tre was looking uncomfortable at some of the stares being directed our way; even though we were tucked away in a corner.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" I offered.
He looked a little relieved. "Yeah, actually."
I grabbed my purse as we hurried out of the club, thankful we received minimal attention.
As we walked to our cars I felt disappointed that our night was ending. He was telling me a story about how Frankito has discovered a love for dinosaurs and I chuckled at his exaggeration of how obsessed he really was. He walked me to my car and as I dug around in my purse for my keys I realized I didn't really want to leave his presence.
"Do you, uh, want to come back and go in the hot tub or something?" he asked casually running his fingers across the hood of my car.
I brought my head up and kind of smirked. "Don't want to get rid of me yet?" I questioned.
"Well it's just that we got a new hot tub put in and I thought we could try it out." He answered casually.
Because I had known Tre for so long I knew it should have just felt like a casual and friendly invitation but my heart started racing anyway.
"Yeah, sure. Do you think Claudia would let me use one of her bathing suits?" I questioned.
He looked amused for a moment. "We could just go naked." He replied raising his eyebrows and doing a small dance in place.
I watched him for a moment and chuckled. "Not like I haven't seen your naked... well... everything before." I answered.
He grinned. "Well then follow me on home, baby!" he called before jogging over to his SUV and climbing in.
I knew he was only joking but I still liked the thought of sitting around naked with him. We arrived at his house and Claudia was more than happy to let me borrow a bathing suit. I changed quickly and wrapped a towel around my waist trying to tuck everything into the tiny bikini top she supplied me with. Jesus, she was a mom now, you'd think she would have at least ONE tasteful bathing suit. Deciding that I couldn't fit anything more into the top I walked downstairs to find Tre holding more beer with a few tucked under his arm. I watched him stare approvingly at me as I offered to take a few beers from him.
Minutes later we were settling down into the warm water, a sigh of contentment pushing it's way out of my body. I laid my head back and glanced up at the clear sky.
"What a gorgeous night." I remarked.
Tre nodded and watched me tuck some more pieces of my hair up into my clip.
"Adrienne wouldn't be happy about this you know." He suddenly confessed looking a little guilty.
I gave him a confused look. "How so?" I asked.
"She wouldn't like that I was spending so much time alone with you." He explained.
"Why would she care?" I questioned, still not really understanding what he was getting at. "You and I have known each other for forever."
He nodded setting his beer down and I tried my hardest not to commit to memory how his arm muscles flexed or how the water looked bubbling up around his deliciously toned chest.
"I probably shouldn't even tell you this." He muttered a little embarrassed.
My curiosity kicked in at his shy tone. "Tell me what?"
"When you came back from Paris 3 years ago Adrienne overheard me telling Billie Joe that I thought you were sexy, and she told me if I ever laid a hand on you or even looked at you in an 'inappropriate way' she would cut off my existing ball and shove it down my throat." He explained chuckling a little nervously.
I chuckled too. "I won't lie to you Tre, when we met up in Paris I felt something between us. And I won't deny that I'm attracted to you." I answered.
The Bud Light I was consuming just seemed to loosen up all of my need to hold back these semi-private pieces of information. I would regret this tomorrow.
He grinned. "I know, Ava, but I think I better listen to Adrienne on this one. She scares the fuck out of me."
I smiled through my irritation. "I'm not a little kid, it's not like I don't have say in whom I want to date and who I want to sleep with." I answered.
He started to look uncomfortable. "I'm not saying you're a little kid either, believe me, I KNOW. Fuck, it seems like you've been little for so long and then all of a sudden you're 23 and gorgeous and, uh, well developed and she knows how I am with women; she would fucking fillet me if something happened between us. She would put a wall between us if she could." He explained, his forehead creased in worry.
"This is the first I've heard of any of this." I answered; a little irritated that my sister was hell-bent on establishing who I was and wasn't going to bed with. "I mean I understand her concern because, well, it's YOU but if I want to fuck you then I'll fuck you." I remarked shrugging and taking another drink of beer.
His jaw dropped slightly and I would be damned if that wasn't the bluest I had ever seen his eyes look against the clear water.
"I'm not stupid; I know how you are with your relationships." I teased nudging his knee with my foot under the water.
He smirked. "Yeah, I like women, a lot." He responded. "I'm a bit horny."
I giggled at his infamous impersonation of Austin Powers. "To say the least, but I appreciate Adrienne's concern and honestly I'm amused that she thinks you're such a threat to my way of life. God knows she wants me to end up with someone like Mike." I replied fixing my bikini top.
His eyes automatically jumped to my chest and I pretended to be oblivious, enjoying the thrill of being able to screw with his mind a little.
"We'll just have to behave ourselves, then, right?" I asked.
He smiled slowly at me. "I guess so." He answered taking a long sip of his beer and quietly regarding me.
********
Awhile later we finally broke apart after a very satisfying and long awaited romp. I went downstairs first, casually grabbing a drink from the kitchen and made myself busy mingling with some of the long time friends and crew members the guys knew. I watched as Tre entered the kitchen a few minutes after I did to grab a beer. I felt a tingling in my stomach when I noticed how attractive he was in his post-sex flush. It also took me a moment to register that his shirt was inside out. I quickly excused myself walking over to him, letting my hand brush over his hip.
"Tre, your shirt is inside out." I whispered.
The fact that I approached him so soon after we parted ways surprised him and I could tell. We made quite an effort to keep our little secret; which meant finding the right balance of still talking enough to showcase our long time friendship, but not talking too much or being too friendly for fear of giving it away.
He recovered quickly and smirked.
"Maybe next time we shouldn't take off our clothes. You should just wear a skirt and crotch less panties." He replied. "Easy access."
I slapped his arm and smiled.
"There you guys are!" a very drunk Billie Joe proclaimed ambling towards us. "You been off fucking somewhere?" he slurred.
I froze for a moment before rolling my eyes. He was joking, much to our relief.
Sometimes I felt like I was wearing a t-shirt that said "We're secretly fucking", but no one seemed the wiser. Except for Mike, I was pretty sure he was starting to catch on, but he hadn't said anything to me; and I knew he wouldn't dare tell anyone else.
"HELL YES!" Tre said slapping my ass with a painful whack.
"Owww." I whined. "That hurt." I stuck out my bottom lip and rubbed my ass. I watched the desire flash across his blue eyes for a moment before he swallowed hard and looked back at Billie Joe.
"Let's do some birthday shots, bitch!" Tre said grabbing Billie Joe around the waist and picking him up, playfully carrying him wedding style over to the bar where all the alcohol was.
Billie Joe laughed swatting at Tre, but I knew he didn't mind. I smiled to myself; I loved how close these three guys were. I watched as Tre loudly called for Mike to come over and take a shot with them; he gladly obliged.
I glanced across the room to see Adrienne chatting with Claudia. I inwardly cringed. It's not that I minded Claudia, we got along fine, but she was somewhat of an acquired taste. I'll never forget the first time Tre introduced us to her and we all kind of had the same reaction; he's going to marry another woman who looks like a Hawaiian Tropics Model and has shit for brains. Don't get me wrong Claudia is a nice enough woman and a wonderful mother, but she can be very ditzy and very materialistic. Having a conversation with her, in my opinion, is like shoving bamboo under your fingernails; painful and unnecessary.
But I was still jealous that this woman had been married to Tre at one point for three years and had given him a son. I chuckled to myself thinking how truly awful Tre is at maintaining his relationships. And it wasn't like he set out to screw everything up; it just seemed like everything always unraveled and his girlfriends couldn't wait to get out in the end. And it didn't help that he lived an abnormal lifestyle; being on the road for sometimes all but three weeks out of the year.
Adrienne looked over at me and winked as Claudia tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. She was probably talking about designer purses or something.
I winked back and glanced back over the guys who were intent on becoming more wasted than they already were. Cripes, Billie Joe was going to have a killer hang over tomorrow, but he deserved to have this time with his friends. They had just come back from a tour overseas a few days before, and they would be leaving to go back in another week or two. That was one of the reasons Adrienne wanted to gather everyone together; so they could have a few drinks and say goodbye again.
That thought made me cringe. I hated when they went away. Not only was there a strain on Adrienne and the boys but I missed Tre. Even though we had only been sleeping together since October I considered him to be one of my closest friends. I had met the guys when I was only ten; obviously Adrienne was much older. This was still when we lived in Minnesota and she had brought Billie Joe home to meet us after one of his gigs. It was weird how everyone just knew they were meant to be; I was only ten and I felt their pull towards one another. And of course you don't just get one member of Green Day, you get them all. Tre and Mike were also introduced to us; my parents welcoming everyone to stay.
Four years later Adrienne finished college, moved to California to be with Billie Joe, shortly after they were married and expecting a baby. I was only fourteen when all of this happened, and I felt rather excluded from her life because of the large age gap. We kept in contact as much as possible, but she was busy with raising a son, mostly by her self as Green Day's popularity blew up.
I graduated from high school in 1998 and moved to Paris for two years, accepting a job and studying French on the side. That was the same year Jakob was born. I talked to Adrienne less and less because of our conflicting schedules and different interests, but the guys came to visit me twice when they were in Paris to perform. The first time they came out I realized for the first time in eight years how much I liked Tre. I always had a little crush on him when I was younger, the same way a sister has a crush on her big brother's friend. But this was different; I was more mature now and I saw him in a new light. I wasn't blind; I knew he felt something too. We drank a lot of wine and we flirted but nothing really came of it, mostly because of the age gap and me being only 18.
And sadly when their tour ended overseas and they went home for a break and he met Claudia, and for the next six years she occupied his time romantically. I wasn't that upset; I had been dating off and on myself. I kept telling myself I just liked his free spirit and his ratty t-shirts. His blue eyes be damned.
In the spring of 2000 I moved to California, accepting a full ride to Berkeley for four years. I was set to major in Anthropology and minor in French. I moved into an apartment near campus and that's where I've been the last four years, this being my last year of college.
I shook myself from my thoughts and laughed out loud as Tre swayed a little bit, eyeing the drink in his hand with some difficulty. Billie Joe gave up trying to get the drink to his lips and just sat down on the floor with a thud, grinning all the while. Mike seemed to be in the best shape of the three; he threw a shot back and then looked around.
"Oh, come on you bitches. One more!" He said lining up three shot glasses and filling them to the brim.
"Can't." Billie Joe simply said, looking up at Mike from the floor. He was looking a little green.
Adrienne walked over and leaned down. "Had enough birthday boy?" she grinned.
"Yes, take me home. I want to make sweet sweet love to you." Billie Joe slurred, which caused Tre to giggle.
Adrienne chuckled. "You're going to be making sweet sweet love to the toilet, babe... and that's about it." She responded.
"Well, that'll be fun too." He responded, his eyes closing a little.
I walked over and helped Adrienne get him to his feet.
"Are you staying here or taking him home?" I asked.
She groaned in pain as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, crushing her face in his shoulder.
"Oww." She muttered, shoving at his chest.
I chuckled. "Sorry Adi." He mumbled closing his eyes and swaying with her to an imaginary beat.
"I think we're staying here." She answered.
I nodded. "Good idea. I'll help you get him into one of the guest rooms." I offered extracting him from my sister and encouraging him to lean on me too. He giggled relentlessly as we half carried him, half dragged him down the hall towards the back of the house where there was a spare room with a bathroom attached. We figured that would be the best place for him, not wanting to bother with dragging him upstairs.
"Is he going to be ok?" I asked Adrienne after we let him drop backwards on the bed. He was looking pretty miserable right about now, and he was making some sort of weird gurgling noise.
She nodded and rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine. He's going to be hung over as fuck, but he'll be fine."
I chuckled. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm staying too; I don't trust myself to drive." That was a lie, I could have driven home but there was a certain party host I intended to take advantage of... again.
"Good idea. Get some sleep, kid, and thanks for all of your help." She replied kissing my cheek.
"You are most welcome." I replied walking to the door. "Night Bill." I called.
He groaned in response and I laughed as I shut the door behind me.
Everyone had pretty much departed except for a few people who were planning on staying the night. It was nearly 5 in the morning and I couldn't believe how much time had gone by. Claudia was walking around the living room covering people who had already passed out with blankets as I passed through on my way upstairs. I ran into Mike coming out of the bathroom and he cornered me.
"You staying, kid?" he asked.
"Yeah, I don't trust myself to drive back." I responded.
He nodded and I could see the suspicion on his face. "See you in the morning." He finally said, disappearing into one of the guest rooms without waiting to hear my response.
I glanced down the hall to Tre's room, which was open just a crack. The anxious feeling I always got when I was about to see him announced itself in my stomach and I smiled a little. Although I wasn't sure if it was excitement or guilt from sneaking around behind everyone's back; I decided it was a mixture of both.
I looked around; the coast was clear. I walked slowly and quietly down the hall, past the room Mike had disappeared into until I came to Tre's room. I gingerly pushed the door open a few more inches and stuck my head into the room. I smiled when I realized I could hear the shower running in his bathroom. I opened the door a little more and stepped in the room, shutting the door and locking it behind me. I took off my tank top and jeans and let them drop on the bedroom floor as I made way into the bathroom. The mirror was all steamy and it made my insides tingle as I watched through the frosted glass shower door as Tre rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. I stripped down and pulled open the shower door. Tre glanced up in surprise and then he smiled that slow sexy grin of his.
"Get in here." He demanded pulling me under the water with him. I fully wet my hair under the faucet and sighed as he stepped behind me and started kissing my shoulders and neck, wrapping his arms around my bare torso.
"Why are you taking a shower at this time anyway?" I asked.
"Jason threw up on me." He mumbled. "I figured you wouldn't want to fuck me if I smelled like vomit."
"How thoughtful of you." I replied, grimacing at the thought of being thrown up on.
He laughed and turned me around to kiss him. I liked the way the water made his skin slippery and warm under my touch. I felt him back me up against the cool shower wall and lift me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist.
He stopped kissing my neck and looked up at me, his eyes gentle.
"You're beautiful." He whispered searching my face.
I felt my heart lurch in my throat as I leaned down and kissed him softly.
When it was over we spent another few minutes in the shower kissing and giggling as the warm water finally ran out, leaving us to wash up in cold.
When we stepped out of the shower he wrapped a big fluffy towel around me and tucked my hair behind my ears.
"I should probably head back to my own room." I said laughing as Tre slipped on a patch of water and stumbled into the counter.
He looked disappointed. "Do you have to?" he whined jutting out his bottom lip.
I watched as he ran a towel through his hair quickly, taking time to observe the small water droplets that still clung to his skin as he stood naked in front of me.
I snapped back to reality to answer. "Yeeesss. We don't need Mike or someone catching me coming out of your room in a few hours; he's already suspicious." I replied putting my underwear and bra back on.
"Stay with me tonight." He quietly begged ignoring my worries about Mike.
"You know I would love to, but I can't." I walked back into his bedroom and pulled on my jeans as he walked up to me and pulled me by my belt loops to kiss him.
"Just five more minutes." He mumbled trying to pull me towards the bed.
I giggled and resisted the urge to let him have his way. "No way, I'm not getting you fired up again."
"I'm always fired up around you." He answered kissing my shoulders, trying to take my shirt out of my hands.
I broke away chuckling. "Well, you have a spare key to my apartment. Use it." I grabbed his bare ass one last time for good measure before cautiously opening his bedroom door and slipping out into the quiet hallway.
I sat at the bar waiting for my order and reeling from a bad day of classes. I glanced around at all of the college students occupying the bar and cringed; sometimes I hated college and my peers.
"Thanks Tony." I said to the bartender as he handed me my pitcher of beer and two glasses. I weaved my way back to the table and hiked myself up on to the stool, passing one across the table to Tre and keeping one for myself.
"I'm glad you called, Ava." Tre yelled over the racket of the bar.
I nodded and took a sip of my beer.
"I knew you would understand." I replied smiling and pushing my hair off my shoulders.
"How come Mike didn't show?" he asked after a moment.
"He has Estelle for the weekend."
Tre nodded in understanding and took a drink.
"I just figured Billie Joe had been bitching to you about Adrienne, and fuck knows Adrienne has been bitching about Billie Joe. I was hoping you could give me some insight from his side because Adrienne is giving me nothing."
I watched as he played with the ashtray on the table, moving it in circles with his hands. "I'm not sure I'm going to be much help, Ava." He finally said.
I was a little disappointed in his answer. "I know you guys have had some trouble over the past year but you've worked it out so why is he being such a dick? Why over this record?" I asked.
Tre's face soured a little. "You have to realize that you're automatically on Adrienne's side because you're her sister, and I realize that he is being difficult, but do you have to call him a dick?" he asked. "He's responding to all of the shit that has happened in the past year or two. That's how Billie Joe deals with everything; he writes about it, and yeah sometimes it's not very nice but that's who he is and Adrienne knows that. He's the same way he was 16 years ago."
I sighed and felt a little guilty. "You're right, I am automatically going to come to the defense because she is my sister, and I won't pretend to understand everything going on between them and I'm not trying to fix their marriage... but he's different, Tre. He's different around the kids and he's different to her." I replied. "He's always written out his feeling and I understand that's how he vents, but he's closing himself off and all they do is fucking fight. He just keeps pushing her, like he's trying to test her limits."
He nodded and frowned. "I know. I just think he needs some time to work through everything and get shit straight in his mind. Adrienne and Billie Joe will be fine. You know that both of them are alike in the way they piss each other off because they know they'll forgive each other, more so than anyone else would." Tre said, the reassurance in his words sounding a little faulty mixed with the tone with which he spoke.
I lit a cigarette and nodded. "I fucking hope so. It's giving me a headache."
He chuckled. "I'm going to get us another pitcher of beer." He responded standing up and heading towards the bar. I watched him go and smiled to myself. I really did have legit reasons for wanting him to meet me, but I also liked spending time with him alone. I wasn't lying when I said Mike's time was occupied, but I wasn't exactly sad that I had Tre all to myself. I felt something for him; the attraction between us was mutual, but he never made a move even after his divorce and I really wasn't sure why. Tre was the type of guy who went after what he wanted and I certainly wouldn't complain about a night dedicated to releasing some of our sexual tension.
He returned a few minutes later with a frown and a trail of beer decorating the front of his white t-shirt.
"Fucker at the bar bumped into me." He muttered dabbing at his chest with a napkin.
I giggled. "Let me help." I said picking up a napkin and wiping at a spot just above his bellybutton. I felt a flutter in my stomach when he tensed a little at my touch, his face turning a light shade of pink. I was also aware that he could probably see my down my shirt with the angle that I was bending over but I didn't care.
"Thanks." He muttered giving his shirt one last wipe before sitting back up on his stool.
"Crazy college kids." I said sarcastically.
He smiled. "You're almost done, right?" he asked.
"3 more semesters after this one." He nodded in acknowledgement of my answer and I smiled, letting a moment pass between us filled with nothing but thick smoke and the shouting of fellow bar hoppers.
"I like your hair by the way." He complimented letting his eyes sweep over my face.
"Oh, thanks." I said touching my hair out of habit. "Something new I guess." I shrugged nonchalantly but I was pleased Tre had noticed the change of my hair color, however subtle it was.
"You suck at taking compliments, do you know that? Just like Adrienne. You just brush it off." He teased.
I chuckled. "I know." I replied nodding my head. "We've always been that way."
He smiled before taking a sip of beer. I watched as he licked his lips and suddenly I wished I was the glass he was drinking from; at least then I would be pressed up against his lips. I also noticed upon glancing around that the bar was becoming increasingly busy and Tre was looking uncomfortable at some of the stares being directed our way; even though we were tucked away in a corner.
"Do you wanna get out of here?" I offered.
He looked a little relieved. "Yeah, actually."
I grabbed my purse as we hurried out of the club, thankful we received minimal attention.
As we walked to our cars I felt disappointed that our night was ending. He was telling me a story about how Frankito has discovered a love for dinosaurs and I chuckled at his exaggeration of how obsessed he really was. He walked me to my car and as I dug around in my purse for my keys I realized I didn't really want to leave his presence.
"Do you, uh, want to come back and go in the hot tub or something?" he asked casually running his fingers across the hood of my car.
I brought my head up and kind of smirked. "Don't want to get rid of me yet?" I questioned.
"Well it's just that we got a new hot tub put in and I thought we could try it out." He answered casually.
Because I had known Tre for so long I knew it should have just felt like a casual and friendly invitation but my heart started racing anyway.
"Yeah, sure. Do you think Claudia would let me use one of her bathing suits?" I questioned.
He looked amused for a moment. "We could just go naked." He replied raising his eyebrows and doing a small dance in place.
I watched him for a moment and chuckled. "Not like I haven't seen your naked... well... everything before." I answered.
He grinned. "Well then follow me on home, baby!" he called before jogging over to his SUV and climbing in.
I knew he was only joking but I still liked the thought of sitting around naked with him. We arrived at his house and Claudia was more than happy to let me borrow a bathing suit. I changed quickly and wrapped a towel around my waist trying to tuck everything into the tiny bikini top she supplied me with. Jesus, she was a mom now, you'd think she would have at least ONE tasteful bathing suit. Deciding that I couldn't fit anything more into the top I walked downstairs to find Tre holding more beer with a few tucked under his arm. I watched him stare approvingly at me as I offered to take a few beers from him.
Minutes later we were settling down into the warm water, a sigh of contentment pushing it's way out of my body. I laid my head back and glanced up at the clear sky.
"What a gorgeous night." I remarked.
Tre nodded and watched me tuck some more pieces of my hair up into my clip.
"Adrienne wouldn't be happy about this you know." He suddenly confessed looking a little guilty.
I gave him a confused look. "How so?" I asked.
"She wouldn't like that I was spending so much time alone with you." He explained.
"Why would she care?" I questioned, still not really understanding what he was getting at. "You and I have known each other for forever."
He nodded setting his beer down and I tried my hardest not to commit to memory how his arm muscles flexed or how the water looked bubbling up around his deliciously toned chest.
"I probably shouldn't even tell you this." He muttered a little embarrassed.
My curiosity kicked in at his shy tone. "Tell me what?"
"When you came back from Paris 3 years ago Adrienne overheard me telling Billie Joe that I thought you were sexy, and she told me if I ever laid a hand on you or even looked at you in an 'inappropriate way' she would cut off my existing ball and shove it down my throat." He explained chuckling a little nervously.
I chuckled too. "I won't lie to you Tre, when we met up in Paris I felt something between us. And I won't deny that I'm attracted to you." I answered.
The Bud Light I was consuming just seemed to loosen up all of my need to hold back these semi-private pieces of information. I would regret this tomorrow.
He grinned. "I know, Ava, but I think I better listen to Adrienne on this one. She scares the fuck out of me."
I smiled through my irritation. "I'm not a little kid, it's not like I don't have say in whom I want to date and who I want to sleep with." I answered.
He started to look uncomfortable. "I'm not saying you're a little kid either, believe me, I KNOW. Fuck, it seems like you've been little for so long and then all of a sudden you're 23 and gorgeous and, uh, well developed and she knows how I am with women; she would fucking fillet me if something happened between us. She would put a wall between us if she could." He explained, his forehead creased in worry.
"This is the first I've heard of any of this." I answered; a little irritated that my sister was hell-bent on establishing who I was and wasn't going to bed with. "I mean I understand her concern because, well, it's YOU but if I want to fuck you then I'll fuck you." I remarked shrugging and taking another drink of beer.
His jaw dropped slightly and I would be damned if that wasn't the bluest I had ever seen his eyes look against the clear water.
"I'm not stupid; I know how you are with your relationships." I teased nudging his knee with my foot under the water.
He smirked. "Yeah, I like women, a lot." He responded. "I'm a bit horny."
I giggled at his infamous impersonation of Austin Powers. "To say the least, but I appreciate Adrienne's concern and honestly I'm amused that she thinks you're such a threat to my way of life. God knows she wants me to end up with someone like Mike." I replied fixing my bikini top.
His eyes automatically jumped to my chest and I pretended to be oblivious, enjoying the thrill of being able to screw with his mind a little.
"We'll just have to behave ourselves, then, right?" I asked.
He smiled slowly at me. "I guess so." He answered taking a long sip of his beer and quietly regarding me.
********
Awhile later we finally broke apart after a very satisfying and long awaited romp. I went downstairs first, casually grabbing a drink from the kitchen and made myself busy mingling with some of the long time friends and crew members the guys knew. I watched as Tre entered the kitchen a few minutes after I did to grab a beer. I felt a tingling in my stomach when I noticed how attractive he was in his post-sex flush. It also took me a moment to register that his shirt was inside out. I quickly excused myself walking over to him, letting my hand brush over his hip.
"Tre, your shirt is inside out." I whispered.
The fact that I approached him so soon after we parted ways surprised him and I could tell. We made quite an effort to keep our little secret; which meant finding the right balance of still talking enough to showcase our long time friendship, but not talking too much or being too friendly for fear of giving it away.
He recovered quickly and smirked.
"Maybe next time we shouldn't take off our clothes. You should just wear a skirt and crotch less panties." He replied. "Easy access."
I slapped his arm and smiled.
"There you guys are!" a very drunk Billie Joe proclaimed ambling towards us. "You been off fucking somewhere?" he slurred.
I froze for a moment before rolling my eyes. He was joking, much to our relief.
Sometimes I felt like I was wearing a t-shirt that said "We're secretly fucking", but no one seemed the wiser. Except for Mike, I was pretty sure he was starting to catch on, but he hadn't said anything to me; and I knew he wouldn't dare tell anyone else.
"HELL YES!" Tre said slapping my ass with a painful whack.
"Owww." I whined. "That hurt." I stuck out my bottom lip and rubbed my ass. I watched the desire flash across his blue eyes for a moment before he swallowed hard and looked back at Billie Joe.
"Let's do some birthday shots, bitch!" Tre said grabbing Billie Joe around the waist and picking him up, playfully carrying him wedding style over to the bar where all the alcohol was.
Billie Joe laughed swatting at Tre, but I knew he didn't mind. I smiled to myself; I loved how close these three guys were. I watched as Tre loudly called for Mike to come over and take a shot with them; he gladly obliged.
I glanced across the room to see Adrienne chatting with Claudia. I inwardly cringed. It's not that I minded Claudia, we got along fine, but she was somewhat of an acquired taste. I'll never forget the first time Tre introduced us to her and we all kind of had the same reaction; he's going to marry another woman who looks like a Hawaiian Tropics Model and has shit for brains. Don't get me wrong Claudia is a nice enough woman and a wonderful mother, but she can be very ditzy and very materialistic. Having a conversation with her, in my opinion, is like shoving bamboo under your fingernails; painful and unnecessary.
But I was still jealous that this woman had been married to Tre at one point for three years and had given him a son. I chuckled to myself thinking how truly awful Tre is at maintaining his relationships. And it wasn't like he set out to screw everything up; it just seemed like everything always unraveled and his girlfriends couldn't wait to get out in the end. And it didn't help that he lived an abnormal lifestyle; being on the road for sometimes all but three weeks out of the year.
Adrienne looked over at me and winked as Claudia tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. She was probably talking about designer purses or something.
I winked back and glanced back over the guys who were intent on becoming more wasted than they already were. Cripes, Billie Joe was going to have a killer hang over tomorrow, but he deserved to have this time with his friends. They had just come back from a tour overseas a few days before, and they would be leaving to go back in another week or two. That was one of the reasons Adrienne wanted to gather everyone together; so they could have a few drinks and say goodbye again.
That thought made me cringe. I hated when they went away. Not only was there a strain on Adrienne and the boys but I missed Tre. Even though we had only been sleeping together since October I considered him to be one of my closest friends. I had met the guys when I was only ten; obviously Adrienne was much older. This was still when we lived in Minnesota and she had brought Billie Joe home to meet us after one of his gigs. It was weird how everyone just knew they were meant to be; I was only ten and I felt their pull towards one another. And of course you don't just get one member of Green Day, you get them all. Tre and Mike were also introduced to us; my parents welcoming everyone to stay.
Four years later Adrienne finished college, moved to California to be with Billie Joe, shortly after they were married and expecting a baby. I was only fourteen when all of this happened, and I felt rather excluded from her life because of the large age gap. We kept in contact as much as possible, but she was busy with raising a son, mostly by her self as Green Day's popularity blew up.
I graduated from high school in 1998 and moved to Paris for two years, accepting a job and studying French on the side. That was the same year Jakob was born. I talked to Adrienne less and less because of our conflicting schedules and different interests, but the guys came to visit me twice when they were in Paris to perform. The first time they came out I realized for the first time in eight years how much I liked Tre. I always had a little crush on him when I was younger, the same way a sister has a crush on her big brother's friend. But this was different; I was more mature now and I saw him in a new light. I wasn't blind; I knew he felt something too. We drank a lot of wine and we flirted but nothing really came of it, mostly because of the age gap and me being only 18.
And sadly when their tour ended overseas and they went home for a break and he met Claudia, and for the next six years she occupied his time romantically. I wasn't that upset; I had been dating off and on myself. I kept telling myself I just liked his free spirit and his ratty t-shirts. His blue eyes be damned.
In the spring of 2000 I moved to California, accepting a full ride to Berkeley for four years. I was set to major in Anthropology and minor in French. I moved into an apartment near campus and that's where I've been the last four years, this being my last year of college.
I shook myself from my thoughts and laughed out loud as Tre swayed a little bit, eyeing the drink in his hand with some difficulty. Billie Joe gave up trying to get the drink to his lips and just sat down on the floor with a thud, grinning all the while. Mike seemed to be in the best shape of the three; he threw a shot back and then looked around.
"Oh, come on you bitches. One more!" He said lining up three shot glasses and filling them to the brim.
"Can't." Billie Joe simply said, looking up at Mike from the floor. He was looking a little green.
Adrienne walked over and leaned down. "Had enough birthday boy?" she grinned.
"Yes, take me home. I want to make sweet sweet love to you." Billie Joe slurred, which caused Tre to giggle.
Adrienne chuckled. "You're going to be making sweet sweet love to the toilet, babe... and that's about it." She responded.
"Well, that'll be fun too." He responded, his eyes closing a little.
I walked over and helped Adrienne get him to his feet.
"Are you staying here or taking him home?" I asked.
She groaned in pain as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, crushing her face in his shoulder.
"Oww." She muttered, shoving at his chest.
I chuckled. "Sorry Adi." He mumbled closing his eyes and swaying with her to an imaginary beat.
"I think we're staying here." She answered.
I nodded. "Good idea. I'll help you get him into one of the guest rooms." I offered extracting him from my sister and encouraging him to lean on me too. He giggled relentlessly as we half carried him, half dragged him down the hall towards the back of the house where there was a spare room with a bathroom attached. We figured that would be the best place for him, not wanting to bother with dragging him upstairs.
"Is he going to be ok?" I asked Adrienne after we let him drop backwards on the bed. He was looking pretty miserable right about now, and he was making some sort of weird gurgling noise.
She nodded and rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine. He's going to be hung over as fuck, but he'll be fine."
I chuckled. "If you need anything, let me know. I'm staying too; I don't trust myself to drive." That was a lie, I could have driven home but there was a certain party host I intended to take advantage of... again.
"Good idea. Get some sleep, kid, and thanks for all of your help." She replied kissing my cheek.
"You are most welcome." I replied walking to the door. "Night Bill." I called.
He groaned in response and I laughed as I shut the door behind me.
Everyone had pretty much departed except for a few people who were planning on staying the night. It was nearly 5 in the morning and I couldn't believe how much time had gone by. Claudia was walking around the living room covering people who had already passed out with blankets as I passed through on my way upstairs. I ran into Mike coming out of the bathroom and he cornered me.
"You staying, kid?" he asked.
"Yeah, I don't trust myself to drive back." I responded.
He nodded and I could see the suspicion on his face. "See you in the morning." He finally said, disappearing into one of the guest rooms without waiting to hear my response.
I glanced down the hall to Tre's room, which was open just a crack. The anxious feeling I always got when I was about to see him announced itself in my stomach and I smiled a little. Although I wasn't sure if it was excitement or guilt from sneaking around behind everyone's back; I decided it was a mixture of both.
I looked around; the coast was clear. I walked slowly and quietly down the hall, past the room Mike had disappeared into until I came to Tre's room. I gingerly pushed the door open a few more inches and stuck my head into the room. I smiled when I realized I could hear the shower running in his bathroom. I opened the door a little more and stepped in the room, shutting the door and locking it behind me. I took off my tank top and jeans and let them drop on the bedroom floor as I made way into the bathroom. The mirror was all steamy and it made my insides tingle as I watched through the frosted glass shower door as Tre rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. I stripped down and pulled open the shower door. Tre glanced up in surprise and then he smiled that slow sexy grin of his.
"Get in here." He demanded pulling me under the water with him. I fully wet my hair under the faucet and sighed as he stepped behind me and started kissing my shoulders and neck, wrapping his arms around my bare torso.
"Why are you taking a shower at this time anyway?" I asked.
"Jason threw up on me." He mumbled. "I figured you wouldn't want to fuck me if I smelled like vomit."
"How thoughtful of you." I replied, grimacing at the thought of being thrown up on.
He laughed and turned me around to kiss him. I liked the way the water made his skin slippery and warm under my touch. I felt him back me up against the cool shower wall and lift me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist.
He stopped kissing my neck and looked up at me, his eyes gentle.
"You're beautiful." He whispered searching my face.
I felt my heart lurch in my throat as I leaned down and kissed him softly.
When it was over we spent another few minutes in the shower kissing and giggling as the warm water finally ran out, leaving us to wash up in cold.
When we stepped out of the shower he wrapped a big fluffy towel around me and tucked my hair behind my ears.
"I should probably head back to my own room." I said laughing as Tre slipped on a patch of water and stumbled into the counter.
He looked disappointed. "Do you have to?" he whined jutting out his bottom lip.
I watched as he ran a towel through his hair quickly, taking time to observe the small water droplets that still clung to his skin as he stood naked in front of me.
I snapped back to reality to answer. "Yeeesss. We don't need Mike or someone catching me coming out of your room in a few hours; he's already suspicious." I replied putting my underwear and bra back on.
"Stay with me tonight." He quietly begged ignoring my worries about Mike.
"You know I would love to, but I can't." I walked back into his bedroom and pulled on my jeans as he walked up to me and pulled me by my belt loops to kiss him.
"Just five more minutes." He mumbled trying to pull me towards the bed.
I giggled and resisted the urge to let him have his way. "No way, I'm not getting you fired up again."
"I'm always fired up around you." He answered kissing my shoulders, trying to take my shirt out of my hands.
I broke away chuckling. "Well, you have a spare key to my apartment. Use it." I grabbed his bare ass one last time for good measure before cautiously opening his bedroom door and slipping out into the quiet hallway.
