LWLU – Hooking Up
Time passed quickly during the rest of the evening. After Paul had taken the book to Sara’s room for safekeeping, he’d taken up residence in the spot beside Sara on the couch, his arm draped around her shoulders in a comfortable manner. Uncomplicated chatter – led by Nika – dispersed any lingering tension that might have remained.
Jane was the first to announce she was exhausted from the long drive and head off to bed. Veronica was the first to pass out on the floor, snoring softly. Either she’d had way too much or nearly four years of college still hadn’t taught her how to hold her liquor.
Sara twisted on the couch to burrow into Paul’s embrace. “So you’re really going to move to LA in a few weeks? That barely gives us time to put together a going away party.”
Nika hesitated. “That’s just when I need to have my current place cleared out. I’m…uh…I’m actually catching a flight out there on Sunday so I can check out the apartments and start getting things set up.”
“Oh. Wow. That’s really fast then.” She bit her lip. “How are you going to get all your stuff packed up in time if you’ll be out there?”
“Mike offered to take care of it all for me.”
“I didn’t exactly offer.”
She smacked him on the shoulder. “Well, you would have offered. I just sped up the process by telling you to take care of it.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “Didn’t your agent offer to hire movers to pack things up?”
“Well, yeah, but…Michael…” Terror flitted through her eyes. “You already know where my, uh…sexy goodie stash is hidden. I’d be mortified to have strangers pawing through that stuff.”
“I can see why. They might find out what an insatiable sex fiend you are.”
“Exactly.”
Did Sara really need to be hearing this? Knowing they were going at it like jackrabbits wasn’t something she needed to know.
Paul’s breath on her ear pulled her back from her unpleasant thoughts. “I can’t wait to find out how insatiable you are in bed, Tancredi,” he whispered.
She slid her eyes in his direction. “Why? Scared you can’t handle it?”
A sarcastic laugh rumbled in his throat and his lips played across his ears when he spoke. “Hardly. Part of me hopes it’ll take the whole night to satisfy you.” He nipped at her neck and she giggled. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind if I had to work over that sexy body of yours over and over just keep you purring.”
Sara was about to respond when she caught sight of the disgusted look Michael was tossing in her direction. “I’m going to bed.” He leaned over to whisper something in Nika’s ear before standing up.
“Ugh. Whatever, Mike. Just get out of here.” Nika shook her head at his retreating back and then met Sara’s questioning gaze. “Just more vintage Scofield.” She rolled her eyes and changed the subject. “So, yeah, he’s taking care of getting all my stuff packed up and out to me.”
Sara frowned. “So…when are you going to be back in town?”
“I don’t know. My character is getting introduced during the episodes leading up to the season finale and then I’m told I’ll be playing a really big role in the season finale. I think they start filming the next season right away so…” She shrugged.
Lincoln was the first to break the silence filling the room. “What’s your character anyway?”
“Oh, she is so beyond awesome. I’m going to be playing this sassy forensic scientist and…”
“Ha!” Veronica’s voice chimed in from the floor. “WonderSlut the scientist…Now I’ve heard everything!” She tried to roll over. “I’m going to bed as soon as the carpet lets go of me.”
Nika burst out laughing. “You are so totally drunk!”
“Not anymore I’m not. I just don’t understand why I can’t get up.”
“Drunkety drunk drunk!” Nika fell back onto the carpet, holding her stomach as she laughed. “I forgot how much fun you are when you’re drunk. If I could drive right now then I’d take you out so you could hook up with some hot guy like you did that weekend I came up to visit you.” She flopped over onto her side to give Veronica a serious look. “I don’t think I saw you the rest of the weekend after you left the bar with that Nate guy.”
“Nick,” she said into the carpet. “His name is Nick.”
“Whatever. How is Nick the stud doing these days, Roni?”
“We were studying for the LSATs.”
“Yeah…naked.”
“We weren’t naked.”
“Close enough. You forget that I had to track him down on campus to get the keys to your dorm. I don’t know what kind of studying you were doing, but Nick came to the door with your keys wearing only a pillow that he was holding in front of his, well…yeah. Great body, that one. You did good, grasshopper.”
“Oh, fuck…I forgot about that.”
“Oh fuck is right. I hope you’re still riding that train to Pleasure Town every night and twice on Sundays.”
“Someone make it stop.” She hesitated and rubbed her hand across the half of her mouth not buried in the carpet. “Why is there hair in my mouth?”
“The real question is why you didn’t bring the hot body this weekend.”
“I just want to go to bed,” she whined.
Lincoln stood up. “I’m on my way up, anyway. Come on, lush.” He scooped her up into his arms. “Let’s get you up to bed where Nika can’t bother you anymore.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She wound her arms around his neck and sighed.
Nika watched them head out of sight. “Huh?”
Sara frowned at her. “What?”
“Nothing. I just expected to get more of a reaction out of Linc when I was talking about Roni and Nick.”
“Why?”
Nika turned to Paul. “I really thought he was still in love with her. Hearing about her with another guy should have brought out the old jealousy.”
“I don’t know, Nika.” Paul shook his head. “Linc’s with Jane now. Why would he bring her around for the weekend if he was still in love with…”
“To make her jealous, maybe.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “Maybe he was trying to save face. If he showed up without any arm candy and Roni had a guy with her then he’d be the odd man out this weekend.”
“I think Lincoln would have told me if he was wanting to get back with her.”
“I guess.”
Sara sighed. “She’s over Lincoln, Nika. She got over him a long time ago.”
“No, she only thinks she’s over him. She just doesn’t know she’s still in love with him. But she’d realize it if he had one of his jealous snaps.” Her eyes brightened. “Sara, I need to borrow your boyfriend.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, if hearing about her with another guy isn’t going to do it then he’s going to need to see her with another guy.” She waved her hands in excitement. “This is so going to work. After all the talking we’ve been doing about Paul’s naughty skills, why wouldn’t she want to have a go at him? We’ll set it up so that Lincoln walks in on them…”
“No. No way, Nika. Lincoln’s my best friend. I’m not getting in the middle of one of your schemes.” He turned to Sara. “And why the hell is everyone discussing me so much?”
Sara shook her head. “All of us aren’t…It’s all Nika over there. You must have made…an impression.”
“Oh, yeah, big time, but Paul…you don’t actually have to sleep with Roni. We just need Linc to think the two of you were going to.”
“I said no. There’s only one woman in this house I want and she’s right here.” He gave Sara’s shoulder a squeeze. “Find someone else for your scheme.”
“There isn’t anyone else. I can’t get Mike to do that to his brother…especially after the right hook Linc gave him at that party way back in the day.”
Sara wished she didn’t remember that party so well. “This is crazy, Nika. They aren’t going to get back together. They’ve both moved on.”
“But Sara, I’m never wrong about these things. I can always tell when two people are still hot for each other. Always.”
For her own sake, she hoped her friend was wrong about that.
“If Paul’s gonna be a big spoil sport about this whole thing then you’re just going to have to help me come up with something else.”
Paul rose and pressed a kiss to Sara’s forehead. “Have fun with that, ladies. This spoil sport is going to bed.”
Sara caught his wrist to stop him from going. “Should I…”
He shook his head. “You should stay and talk to Nika. She’s leaving in a few days. We have time.”
“You’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” He leaned over to brush his lips against hers. “I love you.”
Nika moved to sit opposite Sara on the couch once he was gone. “You two are so cute together. I wish he’d proposed.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. You just haven’t seemed happy in a lot of years, Sara. It’s like something’s always haunting you, but whatever it is seems to fade away when you’re with Paul.” She tried to muster a smile. “All toe-curling comments aside, I think he’s good for you.”
As usual, her friend was right. “But…what if I’m not good for him?”
“You’d be good for any man, Sara Tancredi.” She took a sip from her drink. “So. What are we going to do about Linc and Roni?”
