by J. P. Comeau
I tried not to go weak in the knees. “So, what’s up? Everything okay?”
“Here. Have a seat. Would you like a drink other than water?”
I shook my head. “Water’s fine for me. I haven’t even had coffee yet today, so maybe if they have some here?”
“One coffee coming up. Have you eaten?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Well, order whatever you want. Food’s on me.”
I nodded. “I appreciate that. But why am I here?”
He sat down in front of me. “What do you mean?”
“You and I never get together, just one on one. Is there something wrong?”
“Why would you think that?”
A waiter approached. “Can I get you two anything?”
I looked up at him. “A cup of coffee, if you have any?”
He scribbled on his notepad. “Sir? Would you like another whiskey?”
I paused. “Another one?”
Brenden chuckled. “Just water for me, thanks. Are you ready to order, Kelly?”
“How many drinks have you--?”
He turned his attention to the waiter. “I’d like a massive bowl of your cajun chicken pasta, with a slice of carrot cake for dessert.”
Something was wrong. “And I’ll take a large portion of your grilled chicken salad, with a side of bacon cheese fries and ranch to dip it in.”
The waiter nodded. “Anything for dessert?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
Brenden leaned forward. “You can split mine if you’d like some.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
The waiter walked away, and I watched Brenden settle back into his seat. But, his eyes wouldn’t quite meet mine. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. And I no longer enjoyed being in the dark.
“Spit it out,” I said.
His eyes found mine. “I heard about your predicament last night, and what the girls tried to talk you into with my brother.”
I sighed. “Fabulous.”
“I think I have a solution to your issue, though.”
“Oh, really now.”
He nodded. “Yep. A solution that doesn’t require Clint.”
“I have to admit, that’s a bit of a relief to me.”
He chuckled. “Clint has an acquired taste. He’s a good man. He’s got good morals. But, he’s rough around the edges. He’s got a lot of experience, and if he’s not careful, he could hurt you.”
“And that would be bad.”
“Very bad.”
I nodded slowly. “So, what do you propose? Even though I’m not sure how I feel about my virginity being the focus of everyone’s conversations lately.”
“I propose that I’m the one to solve all of your problems.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s never good coming from you.”
He gasped playfully. “Oh, Kelly. Your words wound me.”
But, part of me was curious. And a massive part of me hoped he was involved with that solution of his.
“So, are you going to spit it out? Or, are you going to keep me on edge through our whole meal?”
And when that mischievous grin of his spread across his face, I knew I was in for a world of trouble.
Trouble I just might willingly get myself into.
6
_____
BRENDEN
“I have something to admit, first,” I said.
“Oh, boy. You’re going to make this a whole big thing, aren’t you?” Kelly rolled her eyes.
“I am. But, that’s because what I’m proposing is serious. And I want you to really consider it.”
“Consider me, well, considering.”
I chuckled. “I intentionally got Clint wasted last night, so the plan couldn't go through.”
Her brow ticked. “Wait, what?”
“I know it’s sneaky and conniving, but I wasn’t comfortable with something like that. And something tells me you weren’t quite comfortable with it, either.”
“Why would you think that?”
I grinned. “Would you really have been comfortable sleeping with my older brother? Some dude you just met? Just to get rid of your virginity like the girls are trying to get you to do?”
“They mean well, Brenden.”
“Trust me, I know they do. I’m sure Roxy sees this as some kind of plot to get you to live life, and Karina wants you to gain some confidence.”
“Actually, it’s kind of the other way around. But, essentially…”
I held my hands out. “See? I know more than you think.”
She smiled. “Is this when you tell me the plan you have to get me laid? Because something tells me you’re not talking about dropping this topic altogether. Oh, and don’t think I’m not pissed off about last night.”
“Wait, what?”
She leaned forward. “You inserted yourself into this situation for me when I never asked you to. Even though the girls are a bit crazy, I was okay with the plan. Your brother made me comfortable, actually, and he also gave me an out. You butted into something that was none of your business.” Kelly shook her finger at me. “So, don’t think you’re off the hook for that.”
“Well then, I take it you’re not interested in making me part of your plan.”
Her eye twitched. “What?”
The waiter interrupted. “Here’s your coffee, and your food is coming right out behind me.”
Kelly looked up at him. “Oh, thank you. Do you have cream and sugar as well?”
“It’s coming with the food, ma’am. He should be--.”
Another waiter popped up. “Cajun chicken pasta and a slice of carrot cake?”
I raised my hand. “That’s me.”
Kelly reached for the cream and sugar. “The rest of it is mine. Thank you so much.”
“You two need anything else?”
She looked at me. “We might need a body bag. I’m still debating.”
The waiters both glanced at me and tried to bury their smiles.
“Well, if there’s anything we can do, just let us know.”
I nodded. “Appreciate it. Thanks.”
They both cast me a ‘we get it’ look before gathering their things. And while the food in front of me smelled good, I wasn’t the least bit interested in eating. Kelly didn’t look upset. Her face didn’t register anything akin to anger. So, was she really angry at me?
Or, really good at covering it up?
“Kelly, I--.”
She picked up her fork. “Spit out your plan so I can eat.”
I sighed. “Kelly, we’ve known each other forever. You, me, Zane, and Roxy. That’s how it’s always been, ever since college.”
She stabbed her lettuce. “I know.”
“So, why in the world would you be asking something so important from someone you just met?”
“Well, Clint did come highly recommended by two girls I trust.”
I felt my heart slide to my knees as she chomped away on her salad.
“Karina and Roxy told you to go for him?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep. They did.”
“And you trusted them with that?”
“Yep. I did and still do.”
“So, you’re still contemplating this with Clint?”
She sipped her coffee. “Honestly? I didn’t realize my virginity was such a prized possession to others. Now that I have choices, why not explore them?”
I snickered. “That’s not really like you.”
“Everyone else does it. Why can’t I?”
“Because you’re different.”
“Different, how?”
I shook my head. “You’re… decent, Kelly.”
She paused. “What?”
I pushed my food away. “You’re decent. You’re good. You’ve got a great head on your shoulders, and you’re destined to do great things with it. You’re more than what you put out. You offer more than good looks and witty banter.”
“
You think I look good?”
“Any man who isn’t blind thinks you look good. Men stare at you all the time. Don’t you see it?”
She cocked her head. “They do?”
I sighed. “Fucking hell, you’re serious right now.”
“I don’t get it.”
I scoffed. “Kelly, you’re a fucking bombshell. Why do you think I asked you out so many times in college? You’re smart and capable, and hot as hell. Which is why I’m putting my bid on the table, so to speak.”
She set her coffee down. “Say I’m considering it. What’s your plan?”
Bingo. “The plan is for me to do what Clint said he’d do. I’ll take your virginity. We can wrap it up on a date or on a vacation weekend. We can go anywhere, book a hotel suite in any place, or even do it in the comfort of your own bed. But, at the very least, you should entertain someone you know. Someone you trust. Not some random guy that comes recommended by Roxy and Karina.”
Her eyes studied me. “Do you know why I never said ‘yes’ to you in college?”
“What?”
“Whenever you asked me out, and I always said ‘no,’ did you ever figure out why?”
I licked my lips. “Actually, no. I never did.”
She sighed. “It’s because you were always surrounded by women, Brenden.”
“I mean, I’ve always been a handsome devil.”
“And a player.”
I almost swallowed my tongue. “What?”
“You’re a player, Brenden. A heart breaker. You cycle through women like popsicles, and when you’re done with them, they never hear from you again.”
“Kelly, you have my word that we’d remain friends. Nothing would change between us.”
“Except everything would change. That was the great thing about Clint. I had nothing with him, not even a friendship. So, there’s no getting awkward whenever he’s around because I’m not friends with him. So, he’d never be around.”
“He’ll be around now that he’s working with Zane and me.”
“But, we never hang out. And I don’t suspect we will. That was the allure of Clint. One night, very casual, as much bumbling around as I need to get the job done, and then we part ways.”
“Is that really what you want, though? Because this doesn’t sound at all like you.”
“None of this sounds like me, Brenden!”
She said it so loudly that the restaurant hushed to a low whisper. I looked around and saw people staring at us as Kelly locked her heated gaze with my face. I drew in a deep breath and forgot about my food. I reached for my water, wishing to God on high I’d ordered that whiskey instead. And after taking a small sip, I gathered my thoughts.
Don’t fuck this up. “Kelly, I--.”
“Save it, because I’ll make this really easy on both of us.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’d be too nervous with you, Brenden.”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
She took another bite of her salad. “Hooking up with Clint was the ultimate package. I didn’t know him, I’d never seen him, I didn’t have an established relationship with him. So, if I screwed something up or tooted on him in the process or did any number of things I’m sure will eventually happen, there’s no harm involved.”
I blinked. “Farting happens during sex, sometimes. It’s normal.”
She glared at me. “Let me finish.”
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded. “With you, things would have to be forced. I’d be too nervous with you because of our history and because of our friendship. And forcing sex for the sake of having sex doesn’t sound fun.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“I mean, I don’t get why it’s such a big deal anyway. I don’t get why guys can’t just go on dates with women and be okay with cuddling and heavy petting and making out. I don’t get why they have to have sex in order to establish a relationship with a woman, nor do I understand why they struggle to tell a girl ‘hey, I’m just looking for sex.’ That statement alone would’ve saved me a lot of heartache over the years.”
“I’m so sorry, Kelly.”
“My point is, I think Roxy is right. As much as I hate the idea of just giving this to someone for the sake of doing it, it would make me more comfortable around men. If I lose my virginity, I could start telling guys, ‘I just don’t have sex until later on in things’ instead of saying ‘I don’t have sex at all.’”
“Or, and this is a novel thought, you could simply tell them you want more than sex.”
She snickered. “I do. And they lead me on anyway. Until they figure out they can’t get sex from me because I’m a virgin, and then they leave. And the cycle starts all over again.”
“So, explain to me why losing your virginity to some random guy rather than someone you know is going to help you with that situation.”
“Because throughout all of this, everyone seems to be focused on the fact that this is for someone else. When really, it’s for me.”
I paused. “So, you really do want to lose it.”
She nodded. “I do. But, guys never stick around long enough to prove to me whether or not they’re worth giving it to. And from the small interaction I had with Clint last night, he proved more to me in that regard than any man has. Including you.”
That hurt more than I wanted to admit. Her words cut deeper than I would have imagined. And I found myself swallowing a knot in my throat as I reached for my water glass to chug.
And chug.
And chug.
“You okay?” Kelly asked.
I shrugged. “I’ll get there, sure.”
“It’s not meant as an attack, Brenden. But, I also don’t think you understand how you come off to other people.”
“Well, I do now.”
She reached for her coffee. “The idea of having sex is petrifying to me. For anyone, that would be enough to go through with it. Just to get the fear out of the way and feel bolder proceeding back into the dating world. But, for me? It’s more. It finally feels like I’ve got control over that unknown part of me. I had control over it. Control Clint gave to me last night until you took that away. He gave me control, and you removed it.”
“I get it, Kelly.”
“Do you really, though? Because you don’t look like you do.”
I clenched my jaw. “I didn’t realize it would piss you off so much. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“So, who spilled the beans to you last night? My sister?”
“No, actually.”
“So, it was Karina? Or Zane? She told Zane?”
“I really don’t want to tell you who told me.”
She nodded slowly. “Clint said something.”
“I mean after we poked and prodded him, yeah.”
“How much poking and prodding?”
I closed my eyes. “We only asked him a question, and he answered honestly.”
“Ah.”
My eyes whipped open. “He is a good man. He’s an honest man. But, his honesty sometimes comes at an emotional cost to others.”
“I… don’t really know what to do with that information.”
“Kelly, you have to believe me. Last night wasn’t meant to hurt you. None of this right now is to hurt you, either. I just--.”
Her eyes found mine, and all I wanted to do was take her in my arms.
“I just wanted to give you time to make sure you were making the right call,” I said.
Her eyes grew sad. “What was your plan?”
“Does it matter?”
“More curious than anything. Say I went along and said ‘yes’ to you, what was your plan?”
I slumped back, defeated. “I was going to suggest that we make things as comfortable for you as possible. I figured that, if you really had waited this long, maybe the context of marriage might help things.”
Her eyes widened. “You were going to suggest--.”
“Not actually get married, Kelly. Come on.”
<
br /> “Oh.”
“But, there are plenty of chapels around here I could’ve paid to do some sort of a fake ceremony. Something to relax us and get us to laugh. Then, I was going to suggest we book a honeymoon suite for a long weekend. Have lots of comfort food, drink nice wine. Maybe enjoy the sun setting over the Vegas skyline. You know, make things romantic before we started exploring. And since we were in it for a long weekend, we could take it at your pace. If you didn’t want to get right down to things, we could take a night or two to warm up, so to speak.”
She sighed. “That… actually sounds kind of nice.”
I shrugged. “I thought so.”
Silence fell between us as my food officially went cold.
“Kelly, I’m not as cold-hearted as you--.”
“I don’t think you’re--.”
“Let me finish.”
She nodded. “Sorry.”
I drew in a deep breath. “I’m not as cold-hearted as everyone thinks. I just don’t enjoy being alone. It sucks, being alone. Waking up alone. Doing everything alone. Even more so, now that Zane has Karina. I know people see me as the party guy. As the one with no rules, or whatever. But, all I try to do is bring light and laughter to those around me. That’s all I want to do. That’s all I wish to do for a woman someday if she can ever look past my goofy demeanor and my checkbook.”
“I didn’t know, Brenden.”
I waved my hand in the air. “We all have our struggles and our demons. This is one of yours. But, just so you know, I’m still offering that plan.”
“You--you are?”
I nodded. “It’s still out there, just for you. It’ll be two friends making one another as comfortable as possible before I take your hand and usher you through something that’s beautiful, and magical, and sweaty, and bumbling, and filled with love.”
“Love?”
Her voice was so soft, and I wondered what it might feel like against the shell of my ear.
“The champagne in the honeymoon suite will also help.”
She snickered. “Really, Brenden?”
I grinned. “Hey, alcohol always helps any situation.”
“Or hinders, depending on what side of the fence you’re sitting on.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Her eyes fell to her lap. “Well, you better set it up perfectly because I’m not going to be stuck with you for an eternity.”
