by M. E. Parker
Ben looked around the room. “Wait. When you say hook up?”
Cam looked at him. “Are you serious? The rules haven’t changed. Hook up means anything from kissing to fucking. Spill it, Benjamin Talbot, have you or have you not hooked up with a football player?”
Jordan interrupted, “Just so we’re clear, we’re talking about American football, right?”
Cam groaned loudly. “Yes. American football. Everyone’s hooked up with a soccer player.”
“I haven’t,” Andy said.
I looked over at him and grinned. “Yes, you have. I played soccer in middle school.” Andy rolled his eyes as the others laughed.
“Can we please get back to the game?” Cam asked impatiently. “Ben?”
Ben looked around the room and put the glass to his lips and threw back the shot.
Jordan’s eyes went wide, and Cam yelped. “Talk now, Ben Talbot. Details. Who, when, where, how, and why?”
Ben shook his head. “Freshman year.” He slammed down his empty glass and set it on the table.
Cam gasped and bent over to refill his glass. “Come on Ben. Is he on the Gilcrest team?”
Ben shook his head again. “He was. He was a senior. We were at a party. It wasn’t a big deal. He’s not out. So, I’m not giving his name. That’s all I’m going to say, so don’t ask anything else.”
“How the hell did we not know this?” Cam asked.
Andy spoke up. “You know, we don’t have to tell each other everything.” He must have seen what I saw—pain in Ben’s eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder who Ben was talking about. I mentally reviewed the roster from my freshman year, trying to remember all the seniors. I couldn’t imagine who it could possibly be. “Your turn, Ben,” Andy said, no doubt, trying to get Ben out of the hot seat.
He sighed. “Alright then, I’ve never shagged my boss.”
Jordan huffed and grabbed his shot glass off the table and looked at Ben. “What? You couldn’t think of something on Cam? He’s the one who started this.” He downed the shot and put it back down on the table.
A sheepish grin passed across Ben’s face. “Apologies. It was the first thing that came to mind.”
I looked around the room. Neither Andy nor Cam seemed surprised that Jordan had taken the drink. Everyone must have known. I wondered if Ben was talking about the man I’d seen with Jordan outside the studio a few weeks ago.
“Apology not accepted,” Jordan said, looking back and forth between Cam and Ben. “I’ve never had a three-way.”
Ben and Cam both slammed back shots and looked at me. It was my turn. I looked over at Andy. I was at a definite disadvantage in this game. Andy gave me a small, encouraging smile. “I’ve never kissed a guy other than Andy.”
Andy’s face turned red. Everyone laughed and slammed back a shot.
“Well done, Chance,” Ben cheered.
Andy looked at me and rolled his eyes. He was still smiling so I figured I’d done okay. He looked at Cam. “I’ve never gone down on my chauffeur.”
Cam’s face reddened. “Oh my gosh. That was one time. He wasn’t my chauffeur. He was just a driver from a car service. You suck, Maybury. I told you that in confidence.” Laughter flooded the apartment as he downed a shot of whiskey.
Andy shrugged. “What is it that you always said? All’s fair in love and ‘Gay I Never’?”
Ben nodded. “It’s true, you did always say that.”
I really wanted to hear more about him and the chauffeur, but Cam sat up straight in his chair and held up his bottle of beer. “Fine. I’ve never shared a sleeping bag with another man.” He was looking at Andy and me. My face heated. “Naked,” he added. I wondered if Andy had told him about that night, but when I glanced at Andy, I noticed that his face was probably redder than mine. He was gritting his teeth. I could tell he was trying to decide if he was going to give Cam the satisfaction he was looking for. Cameron didn’t know. He was guessing.
Andy finally looked at me and glanced down at the shot glasses in front of us. I shrugged. I didn’t care if they knew. He leaned down and picked up his glass and I followed. “I knew it. I knew it!” Cam exclaimed. “Oh my god. I was right. You lied to me, Andy.”
Jordan looked at us. “Now, you have to tell us the story.”
Andy leaned his head back on the couch and launched into the story about hiking up to Black Bear and when he told them about falling off the rocks, Jordan gasped. “Holy shit, Andy, you were lucky Chance was there.” It made me sick to relive that night. On the one hand, I’d never regret what happened after, but the thought of something happening to Andy was unthinkable. I looked at Andy as he nodded his head in agreement with Jordan.
Ben was looking at us both, mesmerized by the story. “So, that doesn’t explain how the two of you ended up in a sleeping bag together. Naked, I might add.”
Cam was grinning from ear to ear. “Yes. Do tell.”
“It wasn’t my idea,” Andy said, looking at me with a mischievous grin.
I had to defend myself. “His clothes were wet. He was freezing to death. Hypothermia is a real thing. You can’t mess with that. Body heat was the only way.”
“Uh, huh. Sure, it was, quarterback,” Cam said, laughing.
The whole room was filled with laughter. Ben grinned at both of us. “Well done, Andy!”
“Are you seriously congratulating me for almost falling to my death into a freezing cold river?”
Ben shrugged. “I’m just acknowledging the benefits associated with your near-death experience. Hot football player on top of you. Naked. Worth the risk, I’d say, mate.”
Cam sighed and began to fan himself. “No kidding,” he said as he fiddled with his phone. Before I knew it, ABBA was blaring through the speaker across the room. Everyone but Andy began to belt out the lyrics to Take a Chance.
Andy covered his eyes and peeked at me between his fingers. “Did I miss something?” I asked.
Andy smiled and shook his head as we watched Cam, Ben, and Jordan dancing around the living room. “I’m not sure you want to know. But I’ll explain later.”
Cam fell back in his chair as soon as the song was over. “Your turn Ben.”
“Alright, let me see here. Ah. I’ve never faked freezing to death to get naked with a football player. Not that I wouldn’t do it, mind you. Brilliant, Andy, really.”
I couldn’t help but laugh with the rest of them. Andy’s face was an adorable shade of pink. “Oh my god, I wasn’t faking it.”
When he looked over at me and saw me laughing, he elbowed me in the side. I cleared my throat. “It’s true. He wasn’t faking it.”
“We don’t believe you,” Cam said, smiling. “This calls for a vote. If you believe Andy, raise your hand.” They were all messing with him, but it was obvious it was all in good fun. No one raised their hand. Andy elbowed me again and I raised my hand and kissed him on the cheek.
“Aww … that’s so sweet,” Cam said. “Now drink, Maybury.”
“You guys suck.” Andy drank.
All eyes went to Jordan. “I’ve never kissed Andy.”
I chuckled and grabbed my glass. I was happy to take that one. I was also glad to see that no one else had taken a drink. My eyes drifted to Ben. I cocked my head and raised my eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you drink, mate?” I said, trying my best to mimic his accent.
His face turned red. “Oh come on. That doesn’t count. A peck, between friends. That hardly counts as a kiss. Help me out guys.” His eyes roamed around the room. “Alright. A vote then. Who here thinks that I’ve actually kissed Andy?” I raised my hand immediately. I studied the smirk on Cam’s face as he raised his hand.
I turned to Andy. He shrugged. “Not an actual kiss.” I smiled at him. I was glad he felt that way, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to make my point, which was that I didn’t appreciate Ben’s cute British lips on my boyfriend.
I looked over at Jordan. He shrugged. “Sorry man, not an actual kiss.”
I shrugg
ed. “Last time I checked, the definition of a kiss includes lips touching lips. I distinctly remember your lips touching my boyfriend’s lips just a few hours ago.”
Ben’s face was bright red. “Let me say that I was just goofing around.” He glanced over at Cameron who still had his hand up in the air. “Oh, for christ’s sake Cameron, put your bloody hand down. You’re the one who started this.” Cam lowered his hand, but I could tell he was enjoying our little exchange. Ben looked back at me. “Also, when the non-kiss occurred, I did not know that Andy was your boyfriend. Had I known, I would not have done it. Mostly because, well, I value my life. There. Will you please accept my humble apology?”
Andy elbowed me in the side again. I assumed that he wasn’t enjoying our little exchange. “Fine. Apology accepted,” I said, standing to offer Ben my hand. He shook it and I tightened my grip a bit at the end just as a reminder for the future.
I let go and he shook his hand and moved his fingers back and forth. “Well then, happy that it’s all sorted. I believe it is your turn, Jordy.”
Several hours later, I found myself lying next to Andy in his bed. He turned to me. “So, what’d you think?”
I smiled. “I loved them. I could’ve done without the part where Ben kissed you, but other than that, they were great.” I propped my head up with my fist and looked down at him. “Cam was right; it was nice not having to pretend with them. It felt good to be myself. It’s been a long time since I felt that way in a group setting.” I laid my head back down and turned towards Andy. “Do you think they liked me?”
He leaned in and kissed me. “How could they not?”
Chapter Thirteen
Andy
Nearly two months had passed since our first appearance as a couple in front of my friends. Things were still really great between Chance and I. We’d spent as much time together as we could. Sam, the owner of the bakery where I worked, had been taking a lot of time off, which meant I was getting a lot of extra shifts. I needed the money, so I couldn’t turn them down. So, between work and my classes, and Chance’s classes and football, there wasn’t that much time left. But we’d spent nearly every night together. On Fridays, he went out with his friends and I went out with mine. On Saturdays, we joined Ben, Jordy, and Cam for game night.
I looked out the window of my classroom. My professor was going over what was going to be on the next exam. I should have been paying closer attention, but all I could think about was Chance.
“Okay, that’s it. See you on Monday,” I heard my professor say.
I looked down at my watch. I still had a couple of hours to kill before my next class. I threw my backpack over my shoulder, trying to decide if I should head back to my apartment or just hit the library and study. When I stepped outside the Science Building, I felt the sun beating down on me. It was warm for a February day, so I decided to enjoy the sun for a moment. I walked over and sat down on the closest bench.
I sighed out loud. The truth was, I missed him. He’d spent every night in my bed up until the last couple of nights. He had a big project due and he’d been working on it non-stop, which meant that he’d locked himself in the Architecture Studio, for most of last night and the night before. He hadn’t wanted to wake me, knowing that I had to be at the bakery at 5 a.m. I tried to tell myself that it would be like this for any couple. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t out. But the truth was, there were times when we could have seen each other, but I hadn’t dared suggest it. I’d desperately wanted to show up at the studio last night with dinner, but that wasn’t possible. I’d wanted to meet him for lunch at least a dozen times, but I wasn’t sure he’d want to eat in public with me.
Friday nights sucked. He was still meeting his friends at End Zone. I was meeting mine at Wild Orchid. Sure, we’d eventually meet up at the apartment, but I couldn’t help but hate that part of it.
He’d skipped game night last Saturday to go to some awards banquet for football. His parents had come to town for it. I rubbed the back of my neck. It wasn’t like I had really wanted to go. I told myself that he wouldn’t have invited me even if he were out. It had only been a couple of months that we’d been officially dating. I closed my eyes and cursed myself. You knew what you were getting yourself into. Just appreciate what you have. No relationship is perfect. You’ll never find anyone you love as much as him.
I leaned my head back and tried to enjoy the warmth on my face. You’re being too needy. You’ll see him tonight. I heard my phone vibrate in my backpack. I unzipped the pocket and pulled it out. My face lit up when I saw it was a text from Chance.
Chance: I turned in my project. I’m officially FREE!! For at least a couple more weeks.
Me: Awesome! Congrats.
Chance: I miss you monkey.
Me: Miss you too. At least we can see each other later tonight, right?
It was Friday night. So, it would definitely be later. God, I missed him. At least he was feeling the same way. I looked down at my phone watching the typing dots.
Chance: Where are you?
Me: Outside the science bldg.
Chance: You wanna grab lunch?
Me: Sure, meet you at the apartment?
Chance: How about the student center? I have a meeting this afternoon.
I stared at the texts for a moment. The student center—really? He’d see a million people he knew there. Was he crazy?
Chance: You still there?
Me: Yeah, that sounds good. Where?
Chance: The Asian place?
I sent him a smiley emoji and a heart and threw my phone back in my bag before starting towards the student center. I was nervous when I opened the door to go inside. As I made my way through the sea of people in the lobby and waved at a few familiar faces, my stomach flipped. I spotted Chance standing outside of Panda Express. When he ignored the redhead standing next to him, clearly trying to get his attention, and smiled and waved at me, I felt better. Before I even reached him, he’d managed to get rid of her. I put my hands in my pockets, so I’d remember not to touch him.
When I finally got to him, I noticed his hands were in his pockets too.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at me.
“Hi,” I said, trying not to stare for too long. We’d only been apart for a couple of days, but it felt like an eternity.
“It feels good to see you, monkey,” he said in a hushed voice.
I nodded, wishing more than anything I could hug him. “You hungry?”
We went through the line together and when it was time to pay, Chance handed the woman at the cash register his card. “These two,” he said, motioning to my tray.
“Oh, I can …” I reached for my wallet in my pocket and Chance shook his head. I wanted to argue, but I didn’t want to draw any attention to us. In the time it took us to get our food, at least ten people had stopped to say hello to Chance. It was fine though, no one paid any attention to me. At least five more people called out his name as I followed him through the restaurant looking for a table. He found us a two-person booth towards the back. I slid in across from him, feeling uneasy.
“You okay, monkey?” he asked as I took my food off the tray.
I looked up at him “Yeah. This isn’t weird for you?”
He smiled. “Not so far. Is it for you?”
“A little,” I admitted, looking up at him.
He shrugged. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t wait to see you.”
I felt my cheeks burning and hoped that no one was looking at us. Before I could answer, I heard a deep voice bellow across the restaurant.
“Yo, Wyrick. Where you been?” I looked up and recognized him immediately. It was Travis James, Chance’s best friend. I sucked in a breath as he walked towards our table. He grabbed an empty chair from the table behind us, slid it over, and sat down, straddling it backwards. “Seriously, where you been, man?” Travis asked, smiling at Chance. His dark eyes sparked with laughter. He had a kind face.
I looked at Chance’s face. It
had been bright red, but it was quickly losing its color. I hadn’t seen that look since we ate Christmas dinner at his parents’ house. He was in panic mode. He grabbed the back of his neck and rubbed.
“What are you talking about? I just saw you at weight training this morning.”
“Yeah and you took off right after.”
Chance’s jaw tightened. “I had a big project due today. I’ve been working on it.”
“It’s all good, man. Did you get it finished?”
“Yeah, I turned it in today.”
“Cool.” Travis’s eyes finally drifted towards me. “My bad dude. I don’t think we’ve met. Travis James.” He held out his hand.
I smiled at him and shook his hand. “Yeah. I know. Andy Michaelson.”
“What? Has Chance been talking shit about me?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
I felt my cheeks burning. “Oh, no. I mean, I know you from football.” I stumbled over my words, feeling like I was making things worse for Chance.
“I figured. I’m just messing with you. So how do you know this loser?” he asked, hooking his thumb towards Chance. “You in the Architecture Program?”
Thankfully, before I could answer, Chance cleared his throat and spoke up. “Andy’s from Wytheville. We grew up next door to each other.”
I nodded my head and looked at Travis. “True.”
Travis laughed. “Totally cool. I can’t believe we haven’t met sooner. I bet you could tell some embarrassing stories about this guy.”
I grinned and nodded again.
Travis turned to Chance. “Tell me again, why you haven’t introduced us?”
Chance shrugged. “I, uh. We uh … we lost touch … and uh …” I slid my foot under the table and gently tapped his toe with mine. He jerked his foot away. I felt like shit. It was meant to calm him down. But I clearly made it worse. He was losing it.
“We don’t really run in the same circles anymore,” I explained to Travis. “I ran into him and we decided to catch up over lunch. But you’re right, I do have some embarrassing stories.” I was trying to distract Travis from Chance’s mini nervous breakdown.