Page 108 of Unfiltered
“Just forget this conversation ever happened.” Ricki picked up her beer bottle from the ground and drained it. “Too much beer has been consumed. It temporarily made me feel lonely.” Ricki shrugged. “I guess I miss a woman’s touch, but everything will look better in the morning. I’m going to bed.”
Blythe watched Ricki’s back as she walked toward the porch.
“If that’s all you’re looking for,” Blythe called after Ricki, “I have a trend for you.” Blythe wasn’t sure why she’d said it. Was it the beer talking or something else?
Ricki turned around. “Yeah. What’s that?”
Blythe pulled her phone from her pocket and approached Ricki. Abby followed. “It’s the big thing right now. I’m surprised you two haven’t seen it.”
Blythe’s hand shook when she held the phone out for Abby and Ricki to see, so she grasped it with her other hand to steady it.
Abby moved around beside Ricki so she could see the screen. Their shoulders touched as they leaned in.
Ricki must have understood what she was looking at before Abby since Abby still sported a puzzled expression.
“Is this a joke?” Ricki met Blythe’s gaze.
“No joke.”
Ricki’s eyes clouded, and Blythe could see thoughts racing through her mind.
Abby pointed at the screen. “Is this the hashtag we’re supposed to be looking at?”
Blythe leaned in. Abby’s finger was just under #3SomesWithFriends. Blythe nodded. “That’s it.”
“Oh” was all Abby said.
Ricki glanced over at Abby, and their eyes met. They held the gaze for several beats before Ricki looked away. “Joke or not, it’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
“I’m in,” Abby said in a low voice.
Blythe and Ricki’s heads both snapped around. Had Blythe misheard? If she had, Ricki must have, too.
In a louder voice, Abby said, “I’m in.” She took Blythe’s hand, and with her other hand, she grabbed Ricki’s.
Without another word, Abby led them toward the house.
CHAPTER 34
Abby’s heart raced.What just happened?She couldn’t blame the alcohol since she’d only had two beers. Though Blythe and Ricki could since they’d had more.Shit.Were they drunk? Was that why this was happening? Would they wake up with regrets in the morning?
Panic took hold of Abby, so she clutched Blythe and Ricki’s hands tighter as they walked toward the house. To calm herself, she focused on the contrast between the two. Blythe’s was cold and a little dry, while Ricki’s was warm and damp.
Maybe she could just tell them she was joking.No,that would hurt Ricki’s feelings. Ricki already felt like a joke, or pathetic as she’d mentioned earlier, so Abby wouldn’t do that to her.
Still, Abby could tell them she had second thoughts or that she didn’t want to damage their relationships. Or she could tell them the truth—she was terrified. But if she was being honest with herself, her terror was tinged with overwhelming excitement.
Jesus.What was wrong with her? She wasn’t someone who had had a threesome. Having sex with one person was nerve-wracking enough, let alone two.
Why not her? a defiant voice said in her head. She’d taken the plunge with Blythe and vowed to be more spontaneous and adventurous. Look at her now!
She fought the urge to laugh at herself since Blythe and Ricki would think she was losing it. It wasn’t like she was charging into the Congo with only a knife and canteen—naked. Nor was she riding a barrel over Niagara Falls. She was having sex.
Ricki’s hand had grown damper on the walk, so she squeezed it, and Ricki returned the pressure. That was it. She’d focus on Ricki and Blythe’s feelings instead of getting stuck in her own head.
Were they nervous or excited? Probably a little of both. Or had they done this before? Was it their schtick? Blythe met women online all the time. Hadn’t they said she’d dated four or five in the past two years?
