by Jolie Day
“So do you. Am I crazy, or have you actually tanned?” I chuckled, as her normally dark-brown skin seemed like it had turned an even darker shade.
“You’re not wrong. I think even my ass crack has somehow tanned.” She flashed her perfect white smile as we sat down across from each other at the small table.
Her ass crack? She was freaking hilarious!
I missed that smile and her flawless ability to own every part of herself with grace. It was the thing about her that I hoped would rub off on me.
“So, when did you land?” I asked before chugging down a big gulp of ice water.
“This morning. And girl,” she groaned. “I swear I couldn’t get away from Chad fast enough.”
Just then, a sheepish-looking waitress with thick, black-framed glasses approached our table. “Can I interest you ladies in—”
“Alcohol. Quick. Please,” Lisa told her immediately, laughing as she did so. She had a way of being blunt without being off-putting. “Two Bloody Mary’s. And two Buddha bowls.”
“Dressing?”
“House,” I said, and Lisa nodded.
The waitress smiled sweetly and hurried off.
“Oh, that actually does sound good.” I sighed. “Anyway, what happened with Chad? Was it that bad? He didn’t, you know, propose?”
She twisted her lips to the side. “Let’s just say…two weeks in another country, being around a guy nonstop is very different from a few sleepovers a week at home. You see a whole new side of each other. Take it from me, if you find someone you think you can spend every freakin’ day with, without wanting to murder them—you’ve found the one.”
“What did he do?”
“Trying to control what I drink and eat.” She rolled her eyes. “He kept asking me, ‘Do you really want to have that?’ and when I said, ‘Hell, yes, it’s freaking vacation!’ he wouldn’t say anything, but that look! You know, at my stomach and thighs, just to make his point.”
I couldn’t believe it. “What a dick!”
“Right? Screw that shit. Nobody’s gonna tell me what I can and cannot put into my body. But that’s not all, girl. No. He also wanted to tell me what to wear. Nuh-uh. Not with me, mister.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Damn. He’d really screwed up. Nobody messed with Lisa’s wardrobe or her food.
The waitress returned with two Bloody Mary’s and two salad and veggie bowls. I quickly shoved a fork into mine, pushing around one cherry tomato with a frown, trying not to let her words bring Oliver to my mind.
“What?” Lisa stared at me. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled, putting on my best smile. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Uh-huh,” she replied in a skeptical tone. “So…how did celebrating with Oliver go last night?”
“I wish you’d been there,” I said earnestly, trying to block the images of the night before out of my mind. I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid the topic with Lisa. It was part of why I was so excited to see her…and also why I was dreading it.
“You’re not telling me somethiiiing,” she sang back as she took a big leafy bite of her salad.
I let out a heavy sigh and took a big sip of my drink. The spiked tomato juice was even better than I expected it to be as the thick, spicy coolness slid down my throat. I tried not to think about Oliver’s sculpted body or how perfect he felt inside of me. I didn’t want to give it away, but really—who was I kidding?
Lisa didn’t miss a beat in picking up on my sly grin. “Wait! Did you—” Her words were cut off with a sharp gasp. “Oh, my God! You didn’t! Did you two sleep together?”
I sank down in the chair, shielding my face from the customers at a table nearby who were glaring at us. “Shhhh, keep it down, will you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I’d be expected to keep quiet when my friend just told me she finally gave up on that V-card with the major hottie she’s been crushing on for twelve years!” She stomped her feet under the table with a giddy little dance and erupted into a series of yelps, which certainly didn’t make the surrounding tables stare any less.
“Oh, my gosh, will you calm down?”
“Laney lost her V-card,” she sang.
“I think you’re more excited about this than I am.”
“Exactly. So, please tell me what’s going on here? Why are we not celebrating?” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, my god! Was it bad? Is his…you know…too small?”
“Oh, no—no problems there,” I shot back bluntly. My cheeks burned from the memory of just how nonexistent of a problem that was.
“Honestly, it can only be one of those then. “She lifted a finger. “Too painful?” Her second finger. “Too big?” And the third finger went up. “Too boring?” At that, she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “So?”
“No, it was actually…quite nice. Really nice, in fact.”
“Damn, girl. What got into you while I was gone? Besides that popsicle, I mean. I knew you two shared that little accidental kiss, but I can’t say I was expecting for the night to evolve into all that!”
“I hear you.” I pressed my hands to the table, trying to ground myself. It had been amazing and wonderful and everything I’d ever wanted…
“You burn down a girl’s apartment and throw her into the lion’s den…I guess these things are bound to happen,” Lisa said with a shrug.
“I’m just as surprised as you are. Believe me.”
“I need a full report, missy. Don’t leave me hanging. How did this happen?” She stared back at me, eyes wide, with bated breath.
God, I loved her.
“Well…we went out. We were dancing,” I began slowly. “I was having a good time and feeling really good about myself. I guess I kind of let my guard down. A lot. I felt like he got sort of jealous over this guy that was hitting on me. And then we danced slow, Oliver leaned in, I thought he was going to kiss me, and the song ended. But yeah…”
Lisa pointed her fork in the air. “The other guy, who we will definitely come back to. Especially if this whole Oliver thing turns into a shitshow. Jealousy is a great motivator, though. But please. Continue. The almost kiss…”
I lifted my shoulders, my mouth gaping. I struggled to find the words, even though I’d lived it firsthand. “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”
“That’s never good.”
“No. Not that part of it,” I assured her. “We got back home, and my adrenaline was still racing. I wasn’t ready for bed. So, we played this game of Truth or Dare, but without the dares. It’s not like we drank an ungodly amount of Jäger shots, no, but apparently, I don’t tolerate anything.”
“Blaming it on the alcohol doesn’t work this time.”
“And then…well, I asked if he had ever wondered about what it would be like if we hooked up.”
“Phew, damn.”
“I know.”
“That was a ballsy move.” She raised her glass at me, and we clinked. “So, let me guess. He totally had. I’m not surprised. No way a guy and a girl are friends for that long without letting their brains go there and do all that kinky shit at least once.”
“Actually…he said he hadn’t.” My heart dropped just saying it—the same way it had in that moment with him on the couch.
“Oh?”
“It was just a harsh reminder that no matter how perfect Oliver and I may be together, he’s always going to write me off because I’m not.”
Her brow wrinkled as she chewed a bite of her food. “Where’d that come from? I haven’t heard you say shit like that in years, but we’ll return there in a minute.” She eyeballed me. “I’m confused about where the sex comes in.”
“Well, I might have told him that I wanted him to be my first.”
Lisa’s mouth fell open. She raised her glass, again, this time wordlessly. We clinked again. “You go, girl.”
The smile returned to my face against my will. “I got upset and tried to storm off to my room. He wouldn’t
let me go and then…he kissed me.”
“Ohhh, how romantic. He’s a prince!”
My eyes glossed over, as if he was right there in front of me—doing it all over again. “Yes.”
“And then y’all accidentally stumbled into your bedroom.”
I nodded. “I’ll let you piece the rest together from there.”
She started fanning herself with one hand and clinked her glass at mine a third time. “Sounds hot.”
“It was when it was happening,” I said, “but the thing is…when I woke up next to him this morning…I felt different. I saw him sleeping there, and Lisa, it made me so happy. I can’t describe it. It was everything I’d been dreaming of for so long, but…I think…I think he only did it because he felt sorry for me.” I shrugged.
“Bullshit.” Lisa glared at me with disapproval. “Uh-uh. No. I’m not having any of that kind of thinking at this table. You have to stop that. He’s your friend. He respects you. He thinks you’re his princess. And obviously, he has some kind of feelings for you, too, or else y’all wouldn’t have gone tumbling off into those sheets together. Hell, maybe that’s what he’s been hoping for ever since he asked you to come stay with him.”
Hmm. I considered it for a moment.
It sounded so nice.
“He was being all weird about me not hanging out with him and stuff,” I thought out loud. “But no. I don’t think that’s it. I think he respects me about as much as any of his other conquests. I love him and all, but he doesn’t exactly have the healthiest habits with women. For all I know, in his brain, he gets some kind of bonus points for sleeping with his best friend. Maybe even more points if she’s a—” I made airquotes, “chubby chick. Like he’s probably just crossing stuff off his sexual bucket list.”
“You really think that about your best friend?” she asked, not seeming convinced. “Hell, I hope you don’t think like that about me.”
“Oh, no, I—”
“Be careful, girl. In all that talking down about yourself, you’re starting to talk down about Oliver, too. Give the guy more credit than that. He’s hot as fuck. Not my type, by the way. I like alphaholes, obviously, who make me feel bad. Has Oliver ever made you feel bad about those curves?”
“Hmm, let me think.” He hadn’t. Not even once. Ever.
“Oh, you’d remember,” she said, raising a brow. “And I’d have heard about it. Not even once, am I right?” Okay, was she reading my mind?
I shook my head. “You’re right. Never. I guess you have a point.”
“Sure, he’s a ladies’ man. But be honest. That’s the reason why you like him. No woman likes the boring-as-shit looser brat. But it’s not like he’s out there lying to these women or pretending these little flings will be any more than that. Which is more than I can say for a handful of my exes.”
“I guess you have another point.”
“So, what about this morning? Did you guys talk about it?”
“Ugh, this morning,” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “It was so awkward. I just couldn’t bear to hear him give me the whole ‘that was a mistake’ speech. So, I beat him to the punch.”
“You ran out?”
“I know, real mature.”
“What if he wasn’t going to say that?” She stared at me. “Do you even know?”
“Oh, he was.”
“But you don’t think it was a mistake.”
“Maybe it was. I mean, if it messes things up between us…I definitely don’t want that.” I pushed around the clumps of carrots drenched in the leftover dressing at the bottom of my bowl, feeling like the sky was getting even darker. Or maybe it was just how I felt inside at the prospect of losing Oliver as my friend.
“Or…maybe, it was inevitable?”
“Huh?” I snapped back from my thoughts. “What do you mean?”
“Come on. You know I’m not some crazy believer in fate and destiny, but sometimes things do happen for a reason,” she argued. “Oliver was the popular jock with a rich family in high school. You lived in the suburbs with your dad, and everyone bullied you. What are the odds that you two would not only become friends, but that you’d stay friends all this time? Don’t you think it’s possible that this kind of thing has crossed Oliver’s mind a few times, even if only subconsciously? Maybe he’s just so scared of commitment he doesn’t want to admit to how he really feels about you. Because with you, he knows it’d be different than all his meaningless flings.”
“No, it’s not like that.” I shook my head. “I know better. Look, I just need to put things back to normal. I can go out and find a ton of other guys to fool around with and date. At least I’m not a virgin anymore. But Oliver…I can’t risk losing him. So, if we just have to be friends, then that’s what we’ll be.”
“Suit yourself.” She tilted her head with a doubtful expression. “But once you open that can of worms, it might be kind of hard to put everything back in.”
Her words sounded ominous. Maybe because I knew they rang true. But I didn’t want to lose hope that everything could just go back to the way it was with Oliver. As much as I thought all those years of unrequited love and lust were torture, nothing compared to the sickness I felt inside at the thought of losing him as a friend just because of one dumb mistake. Suddenly, everything before last night seemed incredibly simple. I kept everything bottled up inside. No one got hurt. Well, maybe I did a little at a time. But Oliver didn’t know that or do it on purpose, and he usually found ways to unknowingly make up for it.
I turned back to Lisa, desperate for an escape.
She leaned forward, clearly noticing something was up. “Honeybun, speaking of a can of worms, you better not think of running and moving in with me.”
“Well, I was wondering about that, but I don’t know if that would be the right move now.”
“It wouldn’t,” she said. “Your ass better stay where it is, or you can kiss that friendship goodbye.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “All jokes aside, Sug. If you need a place to stay, you can come knocking anytime.”
I wanted to think about literally anything else other than Oliver and me. “Hey, are you up for some shopping?” I asked. “I’ve gotten pretty good at trying new things after this whole ‘wardrobe being burnt to a crisp’ fiasco. Oh, and this is for you!” I reached inside my purse to get Lisa’s giftbag and then handed her the pink shirt.
She opened the gift and belly laughed when she read the letters printed on it. “Bra off. Hair up. Sweats on.” They were bold and white and freaking hilarious.
“Oh, my goodness!” she shrieked, holding the T-shirt up to her chest with a beaming smile. “That’s so me. I’ve been wanting this one. Thanks, girl!”
“Wait, I’ve got something for you, too.” She winked and produced a gift from beneath the table. Sneaky, sneaky. “Hurry up and open it!”
I tossed the paper from the giftbag only to find a brand-new notepad and matching pen (she’d clearly gotten on her mini vacay) with Aruba’s logo and the words, “Sun of a Beach.” I burst out laughing and reached over and hugged her.
“I love them. They’re perfect! Sun of a Beach. I’m dying…” I couldn’t stop laughing, and it was infectious. She cracked up, too, to the point people were staring. Who cared?
Once our cackling asses calmed down and put our gifts in our purses, I had to tell her about my new fashion ideas and get her expertise.
“I’m dying to get your opinion on some new looks I’ve had my eye on.”
“Girl, you know I’m never gonna say no to shopping,” she quipped, waving down the waitress for the checks. “But you have to do just one tiny little thing for me in return.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Her eyes lit up with a devilish spark. “How big was it?”
“How big was wh—oooooohhhhh?” I giggled and rolled my eyes. “Let’s just say…if I was a man, and I was packing that kind of heat, I’d be a total slut, too.”
Lisa seemed pleased with a dre
amy look in her eyes. “Yeah, men should be obligated to share that gift with as many people as possible before they settle down. Good thing he was your first. I don’t even want to think back on Shrimp-Tom.”
“Shrimp-Tom?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t remind me.”
“How big is Chad?”
“Oh, his is seven inches and a quarter. Soft.”
“You measured it?”
“Of course! How else would I know? You haven’t measured Oliver’s?”
“Um, no! Can you imagine the look on his face?” I asked and then added my mock-conversation, “Hey there, Oliver. Hang on. Stay still and don’t move. Yeah, stay vertical. I’ve got to get a measuring tape. Be right back!” I almost fell out of my chair fighting a case of the giggle-snorts and continued in my best Oliver impression:
“What, why?”
“Well, you know, need the details—people are gonna wonder!” I finished and held my belly as I giggle-snorted.
Laughing, we signed our checks and threw down some cash for a tip before walking down the sidewalk together, arm in arm. I couldn’t resist gushing about everything else I’d learned while she’d been away.
“Speaking of which, I totally found out his number. Like the number of people he slept with.”
“Thank the heavens!” She tossed her head back and squealed. “If I’d known you had all this juicy tea waiting for me, I would’ve made you pick me up from the airport just so I could get it all that much sooner. So…how many?”
19
Oliver
The rush of riding my bike down a long stretch of open highway was exactly what I needed to clear my head. For three blissful hours, all I could think about was the scenery around me and the ice-cold beer that waited for me at our destination.
I was relieved and ready for air-conditioning by the time the big red-and-white sign appeared on the horizon. Miles and Damon pulled into the parking lot with me following close behind. But the moment the roar of my engine cut off, I was met with that same sinking feeling in my gut. Fuck. Laney. I took off my helmet and raked a hand down my face. I needed to try and take my mind off her for a while, hang out with the guys, and maybe—Nah, fuck that. I wouldn’t be talking to Miles about this shit. It’d be nice if I could, though. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and walked toward the door.
