by A. K. Steel
“I think you're going to be trouble, missy.”
“Trouble’s my middle name. Now come on, let’s play pool. I'm going to kick your arse and loser gets next round, and that's going to be you!” I say, nudging his arm.
“Ha, bring it on baby, I never lose.” He takes the cue, stepping up to break.
“Neither do I, baby,” I tease him.
Three rounds of pool later and Blake’s up two. Tonight’s going to cost me, he’s a lot better than my brothers and I'm out of practice. I used to kick their arses, but it's been a while, or maybe I’m just a little too tipsy to play. I’m having so much fun with him. It feels like before I moved to Sydney when I used to hang out with Drew and his best mate. Other than Indie, I always got on with boys over girls. There's no bitching or trying to outdo each other. Girlfriends are just hard work. I can just relax and have a good time when I hang with the guys.
He sinks the black to win the third game.
“Ha, not fair, you must be cheating,” I say, stomping my feet like a toddler having a tantrum.
“Sore loser, are we?”
“No, just not used to it, that's all.” I’m pouting now, normally pool is my game but he’s just too good. Think we might need to change things up a bit. “I’ll get this round, but no more pool. Let's play something else.”
“What? Are you going to make up a game so you can win?”
I shrug my shoulders, “Maybe?”
“I’ll get this round, I don't want to take all your money tonight. You go find us somewhere to sit.”
“Don’t get too cocky, you just got lucky. No more tequila, though, get something else.” I make my way over to a leather lounge in the back corner. I'm surprised I can get a seat, but it's quiet here for a Saturday night. At least compared to what I remember it being like when I was 18, anyway. Blake returns with two bright blue cocktails.
“What are these?”
“I have no idea. I got them because they match your hair.” His whole face lights up when he laughs. It's the most natural I have seen him. He's finally starting to relax around me. I think he’s getting kind of drunk too. I can't help but laugh back. I don’t even know why.
“I guess my hair is kind of ridiculous at the moment. I needed a change after... well, you know the story.”
“What made you go with bright blue?”
“I don’t know. I just wanted to be as far from what he wanted me to be as possible. When I was younger, I used to love experimenting with my hair. It was all different colours. Pale pink was my favourite. That's how it was when I met Jessie, but he soon talked me into stock standard blonde. I guess I didn’t even realise how much I changed myself to be who he wanted me to be.”
“I like the blue, it suits you. You're kind of different from any of the other girls I know. You could never be just another boring blonde.”
Now I can feel my face heating up. He’s too cute to be saying nice things to me. “Thanks.”
“So, what’s this game you’ve got planned?”
I sit up in my seat, crossing my legs, and clap all excited remembering the game. “It's kind of a getting-to-know-you game, called Two Truths and a Lie. You tell me three things about yourself. Two are true, one’s a lie, and I have to guess which one is the lie. If I get it right, you drink, and if I’m wrong, I drink.”
“Okay. Sounds interesting. Why don’t you go first so I can see how it works.”
“Okay, let me think... Okay, I’ve got it. One, I’m a twin. Two, when I quit my last job, I told my boss she was so conceited she should go fuck herself. Three, I wasn’t ready to get married and I’m secretly glad I walked in on Jessie and that girl.”
“Okay, well I know you have two brothers, though I’m not sure if they're the same age as you. You sound like the kind of girl who would speak your mind so I’m sure you ripped into your boss. I reckon it’s the first one, I can't see you as a twin.”
I’m laughing hysterically now, slapping my hands on my legs. “Wow, you must think I’m a mega-bitch if you think I told my boss to go fuck herself! I’m sweet and innocent. I would never say that,” I add, batting my eyelashes at him. “Not to her face, anyway! I have a twin, so you better drink up.”
“You have a twin! That must have been cool. Growing up, I always imagined what it would have been like to have a twin. I’ve only got an older sister; she's six years older and I don’t really know her. My family aren't all that close.” He skulls his drink. “Oh, this was a bad choice, it’s awful, so sweet. So, you're glad you're not getting married?”
“I don’t know, I wanted to. I mean, I thought he was the one, but the closer it got, there was this niggling feeling like something wasn't right. Maybe I wasn’t ready, or he wasn’t the one. I couldn't put my finger on it. Something was just off. You know? Man, that sounds so bad. I think it's the alcohol talking.”
“It doesn't sound bad. Sounds like your intuition was trying to tell you he wasn’t right for you.”
“Yeah, maybe? Anyway, it's all done now. Right, it's your turn. What exciting truths have you got for me?” I ask with my biggest smile. This game is fun. I almost want to pat myself on the back for coming up with the idea.
“Okay, I don’t know how exciting they will be. I’m not all that interesting, but here goes: One, I’ve never been outside of Australia. Two, I cheated on my final exams for high school. Three, I’ve had a threesome.”
“Oh, I don't know, there's no way you cheated on your final exams, you're too organised and smart for that. Hmm…”
He's raising his eyebrow at me now, trying to throw me off. “How do you know? I could have.”
“Hmm, I reckon you have never had a threesome.”
He throws his head back, laughing at me.
“What?” I say.
“Tricked you, now drink up.”
“What? Okay.” I skull the blue liquid. “Yuck, that is sweet. Wow, I can't believe you’ve had a threesome. Sorry,” I laugh, “but Mr Serious seems kind of vanilla.”
“You shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I’m more fun than you think,” he says with a wink.
I’m now sitting up giving him my full attention, he just got a lot more interesting. “I want details!”
He’s squirming under my gaze. “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got all night, baby. Tell me, I need a good dirty story. This is the longest I’ve been without sex since I was a teenager and I’m not coping.” I can't believe I just said that out loud! What’s this blue stuff, truth serum?
He raises his eyebrows at me. “Fuck, you're so forward, aren’t you!”
“What!” I nudge him with my arm. “I’m not really, I think I’m just a little tipsy. Come on, tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone.” I draw a cross over my heart so he knows I’m serious.
He laughs at me again, “You're like an excited little kid.”
“Now you're starting to work me out, but that doesn't get you off the hook. Tell me, I can beg all night.”
“Well, it's kind of a complicated story but I’ll keep it short. That girlfriend I was telling you about...”
“Yeah, the one that had a thing for your business partner. It was with your girlfriend? Wow!”
“Yeah, that one. Lexi’s her name. We had been together for a while and I was her first, so she hadn’t really... you know, explored sexually, at all. She kept telling me of these fantasies she was having of threesomes. I was imagining, you know, two girls, so I was up for it. But kind of thought it would never happen. They were just, you know, fantasies. Then one night we were hanging out with my roommate...”
I think I know where this is going. I bring my hand up to cover my mouth in shock. “You mean your girlfriend, your friend, and you?”
He clears his throat, getting annoyed with me, “Let me tell the story!”
“Sorry, go on, I won’t interrupt anymore.”
“Anyway, we were hanging out drinking one Friday after work and it kind of just happened. She started it a
nd we went along with it.”
“Did you and your friend?”
“Fuck no. We both did her.”
“Oh, okay, like at the same time? How does that even work?” He runs his hands through his hair getting frustrated with me.
“And you called me vanilla?”
“Ha ha, so funny. I just want the details.”
“I fucked her pussy, while he fucked her in the arse. Is that detailed enough for you?”
“I didn't even know that was a thing. I’m obviously watching the wrong porn,” I mutter, covering my mouth again, half mortified, half turned on. “And then what, how are you still friends? How on earth did you look at each other the next day?”
He runs his hands through his hair again. “I don’t know, we just kind of pretended it didn’t happen, didn’t talk about it again, until a few months later when she told me she was in love with him as well. She said she was in love with both of us and didn’t know what to do. I was in shock. I probably should have seen it coming. When I look back now, I can see the signs were all there, but at the time I had no idea. So I ended it with her and we moved here.
“Did your mate know how she felt?”
“Yeah, he’s my best mate, we tell each other everything.”
“Wow, that's crazy, Blake. I’m sorry I made you tell me, I feel bad now. I thought it was just some random sexy story.”
“Don’t worry about it. It kind of feels good to talk to someone about it, you know?”
“Yeah, I do.” I check my watch and it's after 1am.
“They're going to be closing up here soon. You want to keep playing while you walk me home?”
“You want to keep playing after that?” He laughs at me.
“Yeah, I’m making a new friend. I like hearing your stories. Makes me feel like I’m not the only one who’s got a shitty life.”
He laughs at me again. “You're a strange one, Elena. Come on, let's go.”
“Blakie, if we're going to be friends you need to call me Elly.” He nods his head, and we link arms as we walk out the front doors onto the beach.
“You're going to have to hold me up. I'm a little drunk,” I giggle. He’s gone quiet now, deep in thought. Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed him to tell his story.
“We can walk up the beach. I know a shortcut home.” We stumble over to the beach and both take off our shoes. Then I grab his arm again.
“Okay, I think I need to even up this game,” I tell him. “One, I’m allergic to peanuts. Two, in high school, I was secretly in love with my twin brother’s best friend. Three, I've had a threesome.”
He gives me a sideways glance. “Well, I know you haven’t had a threesome after our last conversation, ‘Miss Vanilla’, so that was a bit easy.”
I just laugh at him and nod.
“In love with your twin brother's best friend, that sounds complicated. How did you keep that secret? I bet that would’ve been hard.”
“It was so hard. He didn’t have the best home life, so he was around our place a lot, like every weekend, and sometimes through the week too. When we were younger, the three of us hung out, riding our bikes or playing in our yard making up games. We were even on the same soccer team until I got too good for them,” I laugh. “I’m not good at sports at all! Then once we got to year nine, Drew and his friend were popular with the girls so they would hang out with their girlfriends. It was awkward and didn’t help that I was in love with him, so I made some new friends.” We stop walking when we get to the front of my house.
He brushes the hair out of my eyes. “You never told him how you felt?”
“He knew. After our graduation, we talked about it, and swear you will never tell anyone?"
"I will never tell anyone whatever it is you’re about to tell me."
"We kind of slept together. No one back here knows, not even my friend Indie. My brother would have killed us if he knew. It was so hard. He said he felt the same way, but it could never be anything other than friends because of my brother. And that was the end of it,” I shrug. “What ya going to do? It was just a high school crush and I haven’t seen him since. Thanks for holding me up all the way home.”
“No worries, I promised your parents I would look after you, and had to get you home safe. Your dad’s kind of scary.”
I laugh, “Only to men who do the wrong thing by me. I'm sure you'll be fine. How are you getting home now?”
“I live the next street over, so I’ll just walk, all good. Go get to bed, sleep it off, and if you're a good girl, I’ll come to take you for breakfast in the morning.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I laugh at him and stumble backwards, falling into the garden, laughing hysterically at myself. “Whoops, Dad’s going to kill me, this garden is his pride and joy.”
Blake reaches down and pulls me up. “Thanks for a fun night. You made me forget.” He’s still holding my hands in his, and I look up into his eyes as he stares back at me. My head is spinning and I’m not sure if I’m reading this correctly or not. Should I just kiss him? Then he quickly lets go of my hands and takes a step back.
“You're a mess, get to bed.” My ego is a little bruised, but he’s probably right. I salute him then stumble to my front door, fumbling around for my keys. Thank heavens I'm not in heels or I’d be on my arse again. I make it in the front door, turn and wave goodbye. What a night!
Chapter Three
Elena
Oh, my head hurts. I try to open my eyes but the light burns. Why didn’t I close the blinds last night? I need something for the pain and fast. I slowly open my eyes and let the light sink in, then sit up and pull back the sheets. Why am I naked? Oh my God, I didn't bring him back to my parents’ place, did I? How mortifying.
I check my phone. Ahh, it's 11:30am. I’ve missed half the day already. I haven’t slept in that long in forever. This room is doing things to me. Could be the paint fumes mixed with alcohol, though, I guess. What on earth did we get up to last night? I remember dinner, playing some pool, losing, drinking a lot of shots, then it's all a bit hazy. I pull on my PJs and dressing gown and tiptoe down the hall. The timber floor is cold under my feet, but I can’t find my slippers, so I’ll have to just suck it up. Painkillers are more important right now.
Luckily there's no one in sight. My parents must be out. Thank heavens! I don’t want Mum and Dad to see me like this. I grab the painkillers and a glass of water and head straight to the bathroom. I need a shower.
I throw back the painkillers and jump out of my robe. Turning on the shower, the hot water hits my back, and my body slowly returns to the land of the living. After an extra-long shower, I head back into my room. My head’s still pounding but it's bearable now. I need clothes. As I stand in my wardrobe trying to decide what to wear, my tummy rumbles loudly. I need food, I’m starving!
A message pings on my phone and I check to see that it's Blake:
Blake: How’s my drinking buddy holding up this morning?
Elena: Better after a shower and some painkillers. What about you?
Blake: Never been better. I feel kind of bad you got so smashed on my watch. I’m coming to take you for coffee to make it up to you.
Elena: You don’t have to do that. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. Plus, pretty sure this was all my fault anyway!
Blake: Ha ha, definitely was, but I’m out the front already so I’m taking you out.
I look through the blinds. Shit, he’s here!
Elena: Okay, give me a minute, I’m still in a towel.
Blake: No worries, I’ll wait for you out the front.
I need clothes quick. I pull on a pair of denim shorts, a bra, and T-shirt, grab my thongs and bag and run to the bathroom. I quickly chuck on some foundation and lipstick then pull my hair up in a messy top bun. I’m out the door within five minutes. That's pretty good for me.
Blake’s standing by the mailbox looking way too good after a night out drinking. He's going to think I’m a total mess.
“H
ey,” I say, feeling a little shy after last night and having blurry memories of what we actually got up to.
“Hey, yourself. You look good for someone who got home at 2am and drank the better part of a bottle of tequila.”
“Thanks, I think. Was it really that late? Maybe you can remind me how I got home? My memory is a little blurry after we started playing pool.”
“That bad, hey? Well, it was your idea to wipe your memory. Don't worry, you didn’t do anything to embarrass yourself. I’m sure your Dad's plants will be just fine.” He points to the mess in the front garden. “You took a tumble.”
I slap my face. “Oh no, how embarrassing." I pause for a minute trying to think of how I ask this next question. "Did we…?” I gesture between us.
“I was a perfect gentleman. I’m not into taking advantage of girls when they're fall-down drunk.”
“Oh, okay, that's good. I mean, I would want to remember, that's all." My tummy rumbles again, so loudly I'm sure Blake heard. "Where are you taking me for breakfast?”
“I haven’t noticed it before but there's a café on the corner up the road. Do you want to give it a go?”
I chuck my thongs on the ground and wiggle into them. “Anywhere. I need coffee and food ASAP.” We start walking up the hill to the café. “So, anything I should know about last night? Did we just play pool? How did we get home so late?”
Now he’s giving me a mischievous smirk and I know I must have done something. “We played pool and some game you made up, Two Truths and a Lie or something?”
“Oh my God, what did I tell you?”
“Well, I know all your long-lost secrets now. You're very chatty when you're drunk. Something about a peanut allergy and that you're a twin.”
“I’m very chatty all the time. Well, that’s not so bad.”
“So, is your twin still living at home as well?”
“Ha ha, you're so funny. I get it. I'm a loser living at home. And no, he's off living the dream life. On the world surfing tour, he’s currently ranked number eight. Definitely the more successful twin.”