Page 44 of All That History
It’d been flirting, and not just on my part, I was sure of it.Even if his erection had been an entirely physiological reaction to our kiss, no conscious thought behind it whatsoever, there was only one way to describe what’d led up to it.Our conversation over drinks, in the restaurant.The things we’d talked about, even if his boyfriend had been part of them.
The slightest gap in my armor, and suddenly I couldn’t think of him as some two-dimensional enemy any more.Not after that kiss, or that erection; not with how easy he’d been to talk to, once my resentment had abandoned me and taken my defenses with it.
“That’s not how it works,” he’d said, as I squeezed him through his jeans.And instead of asking him to explain, to put into words the context of the hard inches I was groping, I’d walked away like a frustrated child told he couldn’t play.
I fell back onto the comforter, with a grunt of annoyance.
The phone buzzed next to my ear.Kyle’s name on the screen.
“Drinks tonight?”
The alternative, I knew, was stewing in my ire.Interspersed with my parents trying to make conversation.Suddenly, the thought of treating what of my hangover lingered with a few more beers seemed like an excellent idea.
#
There were other bars, other pubs, in our town, but we only went to one.First, because it’d been the only one that served us with our less-than-convincing IDs.After that, from a sense of loyalty, perhaps.
I grabbed the two beers, for Catherine and I, and the cider for Kyle, and manhandled the three drinks back to our usual table.
“You realize you can just order apple juice, right?”Catherine grinned at Kyle, who promptly flipped her off.
“Now now, children, play nice,” I mock-scolded.
It was easy, familiar.Their sniping good-natured, but with the precision aim of people who’ve grown up together.Who’ve seen your weak spots, and know just the right threads to pull.
I should’ve known, then, that calling an end to Catherine’s teasing of Kyle would only bring the crosshairs around to me.
“So, did you have fun?”
I figured Kyle’s wink was meant to be suggestive.“You mean you didn’t get the invite to the photo album I shared?”
He made a face.“Like I want to see your spotty naked ass.”
“Hey, my ass hasn’t had a spot on it since high school gym class.”
“I didn’t want to see it then, either.”
I chuckled into my beer.“There’s no accounting for taste.”
“Boys, boys,” Catherine gestured at us, like a teacher pacifying unruly students.“So, was he worth the trip?”
I threw her what I hoped was an innocent-looking glance.“Was who worth it?”
If she was the teacher, then I was the student who’d just given the most ridiculous answer.
“The guy who you drove all that way to see, idiot.Or aren’t we meant to have worked out what prompts these little cross-state jaunts, yet?”
It wasn’t like it was a secret, inasmuch as something I felt a bit sheepish about.Self-conscious, that my physical needs were so pressing, I had to jump in my old truck and drive for hours just to get laid.Even though Catherine and Kyle both knew how few my options were locally, I still half-expected them to judge me, somehow.
“That didn’t work out,” I admitted, grudgingly.
“His loss,” Kyle said.
I raised my bottle to him, in appreciation of the moral support.
“And yet...”Catherine sounded curious, bordering on suspicious.“You don’t look disappointed.So, what happened?”
“Surprises happen,” I said, with a shrug.
