Page 14 of This I Promise You
“Shut up, Paul. Heeeeey, Easton!” Huxley comes over to me and gives me a big bear hug. “Easton’s friend.” She hugs Aidan too. It’s very Huxley. But her hair has changed since the last time I saw her. She’s a long, wavy blonde now.
“It’s Aidan,” Aidan fills her in.
“Well, nice to meet you, Easton’s friend Aidan.”
And then I see Paul. “Come to plow me over again?”
“That was a fucking accident and you know it. I told you the goose—”
“Plow?” Aidan asks like he’s about to burst out laughing at the same time Huxley says, “Paul, grab a cue. We’re playing pool.”
“We are?” Paul and I ask at the same time.
“Yes, we are. Paul and Easton against Aidan and me. Loser buys drinks this weekend. So get your shit together. You’re breaking.”
Paul scrunches his eyebrows. “I have no idea what the fuck that means.”
Goddammit he’s sexy.
“It means you hit the balls first, Paul. Isn’t that how it works?” Huxley asks, rubbing the little chalk cube on her cue.
I feel like I’m missing something here, but I’m not about to ask. I mean it’s pool, it’s pretty simple, besides the fact that I have to play with Paul. It’s been a few years since I’ve done this, but I’m not going to lose, not with him here.
“Think your dream just came true,” Aidan whispers behind me, and I swat him off.
“Yeah, you go first.” I nod at Paul, hoping it comes off equally sarcastic and nonchalant.
“Fine. Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” I swear Paul’s whining, but it’s sort of hot the way his voice drops even lower.
Huxley finishes setting the balls in their little triangle at the other end of the table and in pure Huxley fashion pulls away the triangle border with a, “Ta-da. It’s all you, boo.”
“Uh…” Paul looks at me. “Do you know how to do this?”
How do you not know how to play pool?is the first thing that rolls through my head, but I keep it to myself. I shake my head and hold back a laugh.
“You break the balls.” I fling my hand toward the green felt table as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Right. Break the balls. Like I’m supposed to know what the fuck that means.” Paul shrugs.
“You just…break the balls, like it’s that simple,” I try again. How else do I explain it?
“I don’t know what ‘break the balls’ means, dipshit.” Paul sounds really irritated. That didn’t take long.
“It means to break the balls.” My hands are moving about, trying to think of another way to say it, but I’m failing. “Like I don’t know what else you want from me. You—”
“Say ‘break the balls’ one more time. I dare you.” Paul narrows his eyes at me.
“OMG this is like watching a car crash,” Huxley says. “I love it.”
“Damn right.” Aidan shakes his head.
“You just—” I’m about to say again, this time on purpose, but Paul isn’t having it.
“You fucking do it then. You do it!” Paul throws his hands up and relents, moving to stand next to Huxley. Who has thebiggestsmile on her face.
“Don’t. Do not say any-fucking-thing to me right now.” Paul stops Huxley before she can even try.
“Gotta do everything for you.” I shake my entire body like I’m about to have a fit. It’s overkill, but I’m not letting him upstage me right now. Douchebags never win. Or they shouldn’t. “Move then.”
