[ idk if post notifs are going out but here ya go ]

☁︎

WHY ARE YOU WHISPERING?

CAROLINA WAS BY NO MEANS A LIGHT SLEEPER. So, her attuned ears heard the light buzzing of her phone on the nightstand, the soft sound waking her.

Thankfully, the two men whose limbs were tangled with hers slept like the dead and were completely lost to the world as she slowly began freeing herself from their constricting hold. Carolina managed to crawl over Boone's body and then slide off the bed, grabbing her phone that was in serious need of charging.

And Carolina was glad she got out of bed, because it was Javi Rivera calling of all people, which made her smile. They didn't contact each other much — after what happened to Kate and him five years ago, they'd all grown apart and he had no reason to contact Kate's baby sister.

But they'd reconnected just the week before when he and his new business, Storm PAR, were in town, tracking a storm just south of the college. She got to see Javi and meet his handsome but not exactly charming coworker, Scott. They all had dinner together, Javi catching up on the girl that he hadn't seen since she was fourteen.

He was impressed by how much she'd grown and how well she was doing in school, joking that she was turning into a mini Kate. Of course, he wasn't serious. Carolina was far too shy and timid to be like Kate, who was bold and fearless when it came to storms.

Then again, if Javi knew what she'd been doing the night prior, the words shy and timid wouldn't have crossed his mind.

Before answering her phone, Carolina looked back at the bed, biting her lip from the sight. Other than their underwear, both men were completely bare, their legs intertwined and missing hers. Boone's hair was a mess, making her giggle softly.

Then she finally answered the phone, speaking in a soft whisper as she sought out her clothes — she'd gone to bed in Tyler's flannel shirt and her underwear. But she'd need a bra and shorts if she were meant to go outside. And ideally, her own sweatshirt.

Her goal, of course, was to sneak out before either man woke up. She didn't think she'd be able to look either in the eye after what happened between them, which made no sense, as they'd both been inside of her. But that usual shyness and anxiety was creeping back up on her now that the bliss was over.

"Javi?" she asked, her voice low as she grabbed her bra. Keeping the phone cradled between her cheek and shoulder, she unbuttoned Tyler's shirt and started the process of getting dressed.

"Why are you whispering?" Javi asked her, frowning.

"I'm, uh," she stuttered, blushing a bit. "I'm trying not to wake someone up."

"Are you with a guy?"

Carolina froze when she heard her sister's voice on the other end of the phone. Her sister who she hadn't spoke to in months because she never picked up the phone or came home anymore.

What the hell were Kate and Javi doing together?

"Um, yeah, I'm sneaking out in a sense," she answered numbly. "Gimme - just hold on, okay?"

With her phone in hand and away from her ear, she couldn't hear Javi and Kate making jokes about her predicament. She managed to find her shorts and slip them on along with her sneakers. But for the life of her, she couldn't find her sweatshirt. She looked high and low before surmising that it must've been somewhere on the bed, underneath one of the guys. And with Kate on the line, she sure as hell definitely couldn't risk waking them up now.

"Sorry," she whispered to Tyler's sleeping form before snatching his flannel shirt and putting it on. Then, she grabbed her bag with her textbook and notes and slipped outside, finally focusing back on the phone call. "I've escaped. Now, what the hell are you two doing together? I thought you were still in Oklahoma, Javi?"

"Well, I'm heading back there," he told her. "But, uh, I figured Storm PAR needed a professional to help us during this outbreak."

"And Scott and the rest of the PhDs on your team aren't professionals?" she asked sarcastically. Then she addressed her sister. "Kate, are you seriously leaving New York?"

"Only for a week, Carolina," she told her softly. "I'm just... helping him find the front path of a storm to put down one of Javi's PAR units. But then I'm heading back home."

Carolina frowned at the ground as she walked back to the campus. She remembered when Oklahoma used to be Kate's home. "Well, why are y'all calling?"

"I thought it might be nice to see you while I'm there," Kate said. "I know it's... been a while."

"Sure as hell has," she said, swallowing back the hurt she felt. Even though she was angry, she still wanted to see her older sister more than anything. "I mean, are y'all gonna swing by here before you get to where the storms are?"

"Well, we were hoping you'd hop in the car and come meet us," Javi admitted. "Come on. You ain't never chased before. Who better to start with than Kate? Just take a week off school."

Carolina's eyes went wide. "I - I got finals coming up, Javi. I can't just leave for a week."

"Sure you can. And you'll have time to study while you're here," he told her. "Please. I mean, you told me last week that you wished you had more real-life experience other than just the storms you grew up with. Working on this experiment with Storm PAR is something you can even put on your résumé."

"He's right, Care Bear," Kate said, using her weakness — her childhood nickname. "Grad schools love stuff like this."

Carolina just hummed, unimpressed. "I think you're just too much of a coward to step back into Oklahoma by yourself."

"Maybe that too," Kate admitted quietly. "So, what do you say?"

"Fine," she sighed, hiding a smile. She couldn't wait to see her sister. "But I want all my meals paid for if I'm missing out on the cafeteria meal plan I paid for."

"Oh, I'm sure my wallet can handle you," Javi said, chuckling. "Storm PAR got that cash money in my pocket."

It made Carolina groan, thinking he was incredibly embarrassing, almost like an older brother. "Never say that again."

"So," Kate then said. "You sneak out of boy's rooms now? I've really got to catch up with you."

"I don't make habits of it," she said, blushing. "Like, I never do. This was kind of the first time."

"Right," Javi said, walking away. "I don't want to be part of this conversation."

Kate snickered before continuing. "Was he at least nice?"

Boy, Kate had no clue, Carolina thought. "He was... very attentive. But I'll leave out the details."

Again, Kate laughed, and Carolina missed the sound of it. "Thank you for that. But if it was so good, why're you sneaking out?"

Her cheeks heated up, unable to explain that she couldn't physically handle the awkwardness of facing the fact that she'd had a threesome with two strangers that she didn't know very well at all. Like their favorite colors or what they did for a living — though she assumed Tyler did something with meteorology.

"Well, he's from out of town and leavin' today," she said, simplifying it and leaving an additional person out. "It's just easier this way. I think I liked him too much to face saying a goodbye."

"Well, that sucks that you liked him," she said softly. "Maybe you'll see him again."

Carolina grimaced, torn in two. Part of her wished they'd just stay in town and the other part never wanted to face the two men again because that meant facing the awkward consequences of her actions. Besides, clearly, the two men were together and she was just a short time amusement while they were traveling.

"Naw, I figure I won't," she said, shrugging. "But I don't want to talk about some guy when I haven't heard from you in months, Katy Bear."

"Sorry about that," Kate mumbled.

"It's okay. I know it's... hard," she told her softly. "And I know coming back will be hard."

"Well, it'll be easier with you. Thanks for coming for me."

"Hey, who said it's for you?" Carolina asked as she stepped officially on campus grounds. "Javi has a hot friend named Scott. I could be coming for him."

Kate laughed heartily. "The boy you're leaving's heart just broke hearing you talk about another man already. He must've not been that good."

Carolina bit her lip hard, thinking back in the night. "No," she said, her voice going up in pitch. "No, he was life changing, and something tells me a storm dork like Scott couldn't compare."

But Scott wasn't accompanied by the complexities that Tyler and Boone were.

"But seriously," Carolina said, shaking her head. "No boy talk. The next week is just gonna be me and you taking the world by storm — pun intended."

☁︎

Tyler was the first to wake, his head sort of aching given how much beer he'd drank the night before. He wasn't looking forward to a day of driving in the bright sunlight.

He could feel one set of legs intertwined with his but frowned when he noticed one missing. His eyes snapped open and he instantly noted Carolina was missing, her clothes and bag gone as well. So, Tyler smacked Boone's chest, waking him up.

"What? I'm up!" Boone slurred, sitting upright with his eyes still shut.

"Carolina's gone," Tyler said with a frown. Something in him didn't like the fact that she'd snuck out while they were asleep.

"M - Maybe she has class," Boone said, rubbing his tired eyes.

"It's Saturday," he said flatly.

With a sad frown on his face, Boone looked around the room. Then he laid back down tiredly and noted that the pillow still smelled like her cherry-scented shampoo.

"Damn, Ty," he muttered. "She was..."

"Yeah," Tyler said, leaning against the headboard, scratching the underside of his jaw. Neither had to put it into words, both understanding each other so well. "Yeah, she was."

"Think we could find her before we head out?" Boone asked, putting his hands behind his head. Then he let out a big yawn. "I mean, how many Carolina's could go to the University of Oklahoma?"

"Verging on stalkin', Boone," Tyler joked. But deep down, he sort of wanted to look for her too, wanting to actually get to know her better and not just know her body.

Her perfect, tight body that felt like it was made to be wrapped around his cock. Fuck, just thinking about her had him twitching, knowing the memory of her would be stained on his brain forever — that felt like it would be some form of punishment.

"Well, why'd she leave?" Boone asked with a frown. "You don't think she was, like, ashamed or nothin'?"

All Tyler could do was shrug wordlessly.

"I mean, she had a good time, right?" Boone asked, worrying even more. "We paid enough attention to her, right?"

"Boone, she had a good time," Tyler reassured him. Then he groaned and rubbed his shoulders, feeling scratches that were put there the second time he'd fucked her, that time against the shower wall. "It was a real good time."

Both were kind of expecting it to continue come morning, so Carolina's absence was a bit of a let down. Especially after they'd done more than just sex.

In between rounds, they'd took turns holding her in their arms, getting to know her more. They'd laughed at her funny stories and asked her all kinds of questions. What was her favorite color? Dark green. Where'd she grow up? Sapulpa. Did she like animals? She had horses, cows, and a dog back home. What kind of car did she drive? A green Chevy Silverado that was so old it didn't even have a back seat.

Carolina thought it was incredibly sweet that they showed such interest in her outside of sex, which just added to her reasons for leaving, unbeknown to Boone and Tyler.

And funnily enough, they'd never asked her age. But they knew she was at least twenty-one, as she'd gotten in the bar.

In that time, they also didn't really give her a chance to get to know them. Between the two of them, they just had so many questions for her. By the time it was getting around to their turns to open up, they were also recovered and ready to go for another lengthy round that had Carolina's head spinning.

"Would it be creepy to come back and try to run into her again when this outbreak is over?" Boone asked Tyler, tilting his head.

Tyler thought it over, his mind reeling with thoughts of her soft skin and gentle touch and perfect, pouty lips. And apparently, much to his embarrassment, he was weak when it came to Carolina, who he hadn't even been around for more than twelve hours — and he was asleep for some of those hours.

"Well, Boone, I figure it can't hurt."