by Emma Nichols
“True.” She bit her lip turning my idea over in her mind.
“Just think about this. Do you think we should miss out now because I kissed you once when you were seventeen? You want to sacrifice your now for that?”
She looked at me, clearly still thinking. Her eyes were squinted, her head was tilted, and she was weighing things up. She could think on it a while longer.
“Let’s go. You can think about it over a burger while your happy friend talks about her happy life.” She always had the burger. Always.
She put the car in gear, and we drove in silence to the diner. Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed her. Maybe it was too soon, but I knew she liked it, and I knew she wanted more. There was plenty more where that came from, if only she’d let it happen. I couldn’t wait too long. I was down to twenty-four hours to turn this around, and I needed to use every single minute.
3
I took a seat on the old-style metal chair with the red vinyl cover. No way was I sliding into a booth with Jordan. Space was what I needed. Mandy was already seated on one side. She raised an eyebrow.
“The view is better here.” It was. I could see the street and my escape routes and watch Jordan. He didn’t seem bothered or flustered, but I was.
“How’s the groom?” he asked Mandy.
“He’s fine. His mother, who is the bane of my existence, was fixating on the flowers. I told him to tell her to take it up with my mother because she’s also obsessed, and they can fight it out.”
“Pistols at dawn,” Jordan teased.
“You joke but those society ladies take their flowers very seriously.” Mandy looked pensive. “Do you think I’ll be like that if I’m ever a mother?’
“Yes.” Jordan and I replied in unison.
“Oh my god, you were supposed to say no,” she practically shrieked.
“Look, you care. You’ll want the best for your child. It’s not a crime.” Jordan tried to placate her.
“He’s right.”
“I love it when you two get along,” she chimed. “It makes me so happy when people I know like each other.”
Jordan gave me a look that said, “I told you so.” Bastard.
The waitress came, and I ordered a cheese steak.
“No burger?” I’d lived on burgers throughout high school, which they both knew, but I didn’t want Jordan to be right about everything.
“We’re close enough to Philly that I should be able to get a decent cheese steak.”
Mandy looked surprised. Jordan looked like he knew I’d ordered it to spite him. Of course, he ordered a burger for himself.
“Am I the only one who thinks a pool party is a weird choice for a reunion?” I asked. Was I the only one who didn’t want to parade around in a swimsuit?
“Yes,” Mandy said. “And no, it’s not a weird choice when you consider who organized this shindig.”
“They are not my people.” I gave my head a shake and took a sip of iced water.
“We’re your people, right Jordan?” She gave him a pointed stare. “We’ll keep you safe won’t we? Just stick with us.”
“Yes stick close to us,” he said adjusting his leg so that our knees touched. “Nothing to be afraid of.”
Yeah. In my mind, it was obvious the guy next to me was more of a threat than anyone else because just the way he looked at me made me nervous. Not that I could ever admit that to either of them.
I steered the conversation back to the wedding and enjoyed my cheese steak when it came. It was surprisingly good. My therapist would be pleased I’d tried something new, not as pleased as she’d be if I let these people really into my life or if she knew I’d made out with Jordan, but it was a start.
* * *
Skittish was the best way to describe Sage when we arrived at the pool. It wasn’t news she wasn’t a fan of anything this part of the weekend represented, such as sunshine, swimming and crowds.
“You’ll be fine.” I whispered in her ear and rested my hand on the small of her back as we headed to the pool deck. “Believe me.”
“Define fine.”
“You will make it to dinner.”
“If that’s where the bar is set, then I do believe you.” She gave me a weak smile that tugged at my heart.
“How do you survive day-to-day life woman?”
“Barely.” Her response was just audible as we were mobbed by a throng of my old friends. I wedged her in front of me so she couldn’t escape as people high-fived me over her head. Some of these guys really had not evolved at all––or maybe they had regressed because of the occasion.
“Hey Sage, good to see you. I listen to your show. It’s creepy good,” Connor said, and she relaxed a little.
“Thanks man, what are you up to now?” He didn’t move away as she made small talk with him, and he spoke with a few of the guys. Then Mandy waved them over to some chairs by the pool, and they all headed over.
“You were almost like a normal person back there. Way to go Scoop,” I said softly in her ear as we crossed the pool deck.
“Almost being the operative word.”
“We all know normal is over-rated.” I rested my hand on her back as we walked. Any chance for contact, right?
“Says the most normal guy I know.”
It was intended as a compliment, I understood that, but she clearly had the wrong end of the stick. “Maybe I’m just better at faking normal than you.”
She let out a small laugh. “There’s no maybe about it, my friend.”
That word friend. It needed to be removed from the mix. I was not going to be friend-zoned by Sage. No way, no how.
“I’m not your friend Sage,” I whispered, my breath moving the hair clinging to her face. “I’m so much more than that.”
I’m pleased to say goosebumps pricked her flesh, despite the heat. Yep, so much more than friends.
When she peeled down to her swimsuit to reveal a previously unseen body that would make a priest blush, ripe with promise and curves, I knew I wasn’t the only guy at that reunion who wanted to be more than friends with Sage. Sure there were some beautiful women sitting by the pool or taking a dip, but Sage wasn’t like most of them. She was oblivious to her own magnetism. She wasn’t primped and preened to within an inch of her life like so many other debutantes. She was real, and real is mighty attractive. I watched some of the guys inch closer. No way I was letting any of them near her. I knew these men way too well. So I did the only thing I could. I went to the top of the high diving board ready to make a splash.
* * *
“Is that Jordan?” Mandy shaded her eyes with her hand and tilted her head towards the diving board where a golden-skinned, chiseled Adonis stood ready to take the plunge.
“Man he’s hot.” Candace said from beside the pool where we were dangling our feet in the water. She and I agreed on little else, but I had to concede she was right about Jordan.
“God he’s a show-off,” Connor said with a laugh from beside Candace. He wasn’t wrong, but I could not take my eyes off of him as he moved to the end of the board, toes curling around the edge. He was beautiful and my heart was racing. What if something happened to him?
“Does he even know how to dive?” I asked Mandy.
“I’m sure he does. He wouldn’t put the money-maker at risk.”
“The money-maker?”
“That handsome face,” she replied as if it were obvious. She gave me a nudge. “He’s into you, you know.”
“What? No!”
She patted my thigh and gave it a squeeze. “It’s okay Sage. We’re all adults. He likes you, and I know you like him.”
I felt the color rise in my cheeks. “I…”
“You two would be good together…opposites attract and all that jazz.”
I looked at him standing up there full of bravado, the sun shining off his chest and all eyes upon him. It was true. We were definitely opposites. The way my stomach lurched when he dove and I held my breath until he emerged from th
e water with a big grin on his face told me she was right. I definitely liked him. Maybe it was just physical. But when he made a beeline for us and squeezed my calf, my whole body warmed with excitement and need, and my face broke into a rare smile, I knew it was more than that.
* * *
Is it wrong to want to high-five yourself? When Sage smiled at me as I reemerged, I really wanted to do that. A little ‘well-played Jordan high-five’, but because I’m a grown-ass man I didn’t do it. I just let myself soak it in.
“Man, you still got it,” my buddy Connor declared.
“Just having some fun,” I answered because I couldn’t actually say I wanted all of Sage’s attention on me and not you, my friend. Unfortunately, my antics drew over a few more people. Still as I hovered under the water I kept my hand on Sage’s leg. I made slow circles up and down her calf as I made small talk. I didn’t look at her again. I just made small talk and kept up the rhythm. I liked touching her and I wanted her to know that. The fan club, as she called them, were circling but my focus was still on her, and she needed to know that.
It was probably a long time since Sage had been the center of anyone’s attention. She chose jobs that gave her a voice but kept her invisible. She didn’t have family to shine a light on her. Her life was solitary. Conversely, I was constantly in the limelight. Everyone needs a little of that from time to time. It doesn’t have to be a television camera focused on you. It could be a friend or a relative or even a lover who lights up when they see you. That was all most people needed. I wanted to be that person, all those people, for Sage.
She didn’t comment or remove my hand, so I left it there for a good long time hoping my intentions were crystal clear but not overwhelming. Then she caught my eye and something passed between us. If I wasn’t mistaken, and I really hoped I wasn’t, she was on board with taking us to a new level.
Mandy broke my reverie by asking me a question about some lacrosse game from back in the day. I didn’t care about lacrosse then, and I certainly didn’t now.
I didn’t have to answer. It was Sage who recounted the story of our epic win over Chesterfield in our final year.
“Scoop, I can't believe you remember all that,” I said looking at her in awe.
“I remember everything,” she replied. The way she said it had me hoping some of those memories were good ones and I was involved.
* * *
I needed breathing space, so I did my usual trick of sneaking off to the ladies room. Needless to say, I was more than a little surprised to see Jordan there as well when I stepped out of my cubicle.
“Did you get lost?’ I asked heading to the sink to wash my hands.
“No.”
I looked at his reflection in the mirror. “This is the ladies room.”
“Correct, which makes it the perfect place to look for a lady.”
I shook my head as I dried my hands. “Jordan, what do you want?”
“You know exactly what I want. I want you.”
“In the ladies room?” I arched a brow.
“I want you alone, and it seems this is the only place to be alone.” He came up behind me and crowded in. I turned to face him, and he backed me against the wall.
The tiles were cold against my back, and his firm body was deliciously warm across my front. My hands were pinned over my head and his mouth claimed mine. Hot and wet and hungry. He bit my lower lip as he drew back to look at me. My bikini top did nothing to hide the fact that my nipples were pebbled in arousal.
He bent a little and blew across my chest, and I felt them get even tighter.
“You look very hot, Sage,” he whispered in my ear as he bit gently on the lobe, “very hot.”
There was no denying I was deeply turned on, and with his erection pressed up against me, it was obviously mutual.
“I’d like to strip that bikini top off right here and now.”
I wanted that too. I really wanted it, and I couldn’t help but squirm against him, needing to be closer. “Okay then.”
One hand kept mine in place. The other pulled the string and my top headed south, triangles facing down. He bent and blew again, and I squirmed again. Then he bent and took one nipple in his mouth and sucked. I tried to move forward, away from the wall and closer, but I couldn’t. His tongue circled and then he let my tit pop free before blowing on it again and repeating on the other side.
I was wet, I was needy, I was half naked in a public bathroom, and I didn’t care. A large hand lifted my leg so that I was angled just right for maximum friction. I couldn’t help but move against his impressive erection. My thin cotton shorts and bikini bottom felt oppressive. I needed to be naked, now. Not that I would say that.
“Are you wet Scoop?”
I didn’t answer. No way was I answering that.
“I bet you are. I bet you’re so wet right now. And if you could you’d take me right here in the bathroom.”
He was right. We both knew it. A door banged, and he stepped back, and like magic did up my bikini and vanished. Jessica Short must have wondered why I was pink faced and panting as I stood alone against the bathroom wall, but she didn’t bother to ask and I certainly didn’t tell.
* * *
Well, damn. I dove straight into the pool when I exited the bathroom. I needed to cool down and fast. That hadn’t gone exactly as planned. I mean it was more and better than planned, but my idea had been to go slow. That was not slow but she hadn’t seemed to mind.
The signals were mixed. It was clear that she wanted me even if she wished she didn’t. The question now was what was I going to do about it? Did I really want this to be a weekend fling, or did I want more? If I did, would Sage give it to me? We needed to talk, and we needed to do a whole lot more of what we’d just done, preferably somewhere we wouldn’t be interrupted, like one of those nice rooms back at the hotel.
Unfortunately I got dragged into conversation with a group of old friends, and even though I saw Sage both reappear and disappear, I wasn’t fast enough to stop her or her sweet sports car as they made their escape.
I’d come to realize that it wasn’t that Sage didn’t want me, it was more that she didn’t want to. If I gave her some space between encounters, she’d be easier to reel back in. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I could hear Sage’s voice telling me, It isn’t always all about you Jordan.
4
It was five hours since I’d seen Jordan. I still couldn’t believe that I’d made out with him, in a bathroom! If I was honest, I'd do it again.
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. Who was I? Mandy had done my hair and makeup so I looked like a different, much more together version of myself. I knew the idea of coming to the reunion was to change things up and try new experiences, but I felt like someone else entirely.
Mandy was next to me, applying highlighter and looking like a vision. In her blue dress with her golden hair and silver accessories she looked like a beautiful mermaid.
“Thanks for making me come Mandy. It all feels…” I waved my hands around searching for words, “surreal, but I really appreciate all you’ve done for me.”
“Pfft, don’t be ridiculous. You’d do the same for me.”
“No. Mandy, I want you to know I’d never drag you to a reunion and give you a makeover, but, you know, beyond that whatever you need.”
She turned to me, her face soft. “I need you to be happy, honey. I need nights like these and weekends full of people and fun, maybe a little romance or, heck, even sex, to be part of your regular life, not just a one off.”
I sighed. I wanted those things for myself too. “Well, your wedding is in a few months. Bridesmaids are always guaranteed sex, right?”
She laughed. “That they are. But come on, no need to wait that long when Jordan is here tonight.”
“Ah, what? We’re not…”
“Don’t be silly. Of course you are. Now let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” And she left me in a wake of Chanel as she headed in silver
heels toward the door. As always, I had no choice but to follow.
* * *
I thought I was ready to see Sage again, but I was wrong. She stepped into the Hilton ballroom in a red satin dress held up by tiny shoestring straps, blinking her doe eyes and taking in the room until her eyes landed on me. Damned if she didn’t rake them right up and down my body. I’d never been attracted to anyone the way I was to Sage, and this was glamour Sage. I’d never seen this version of her before, and I was pulled like a magnet across the room to her.
“You ladies look gorgeous,” I said.
“Please, you’ve hardly even noticed me,” Mandy said with a smile. “You two have fun. We’re on table three. See you there.”
I didn’t break eye contact with Sage, I just leaned in and took her hands in mine. “Subtle. You do look amazing Scoop.”
“You scrub up pretty well too.”
“This old thing?”
She laughed. “Yeah, you are to tuxedos as I am to sweatpants.”
“I like sweatpants,” I leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “but not as much as this dress. I bet it slides right off.”
I heard her take in a breath and when I pulled back, she was blushing. I didn’t date many women who blushed, and I liked it.
“I need a drink,” she said.
“Champagne?” She gave me a nod as we headed to the bar. As I broke free I saw she was cornered by Vixen Delau, dammit. Vixen was a total bitch back in high school, and she often targeted Sage. By the time I’d pushed my way to the bar, gotten the drinks and wriggled my way out of a couple of conversations as politely as I could, they’d been alone nearly ten minutes. There was a time Vixen could make her peers cry in under a minute. I was happy to see this wasn’t the case.
“Ladies,” I handed Sage her drink my fingers brushing hers, “what’s happening?”
