23
Ginny
The following weekend the guys are gone for two away games. I sit on the floor in Reagan and Dakota’s apartment. Reagan brings two bags of chips and a platter of dips and sets it down between me and Dakota.
Dakota stands. “I’m going to grab the bottle of wine so I don’t have to get up again. You’re staying over, right?” she asks.
“Yeah, might as well. Ava’s out of town visiting Trent,” I say before digging into the queso.
She grabs the wine and we all settle in.
“Does Heath stay with you then on the weekends or are you two getting it on with your brother on the other side of the wall?” Dakota asks.
I make a face and toss a chip at her. “Gross, and Adam isn’t on the other side of the wall, thankfully. Maverick is always hanging in the living room, though, and sometimes has girls with him. I have no idea why he doesn’t go to his own place.”
Reagan scrunches up her nose.
“Yeah. I’ve heard entirely too much of his sex talk for my liking.”
“Dirty talk? Maverick?” Dakota asks. “That surprises me for some reason.”
“Not dirty exactly. And I think he might be talking to himself.” I make a face. “He’s a weird dude.”
“Come on, give us something. Anything. We’re dying for details. You’ve barely said anything about this new hot thing between you and Heath.” Dakota pulls her red hair over one shoulder.
I look between my friend’s eager faces. “There’s not much to tell.”
“I don’t buy it,” Reagan says. “You two looked like you were gonna rip each other’s clothes off playing video games last night.”
“Some clothes have been ripped off, but we haven’t had sex yet.”
“Interesting.”
She says it like “interesting” means bad or weird. Is it? We’re making out every chance we get. He’s given me more orgasms fully clothed than I would have thought possible. Technically we haven’t slept together yet, but it’s been fun and hot. None of it seemed odd before, but now I’m nervous that maybe he thinks it’s weird too.
“Is that bad? Should I be worried?”
“Sounds sweet,” Reagan says.
Dakota takes a sip of her wine. “Sounds very unlike Heath.”
“Dakota,” Reagan says in a shrill voice.
“What?” She looks to me. “You know he’s not some innocent guy, right? I mean, I wouldn’t call Heath a slut because I’m not into label shaming, buuut… he’s not been shy about hooking up with chicks. And by hooking up, I mean sex.”
“No, I know.”
Reagan places a hand on my knee and squeezes. “But he hasn’t dated anyone else as far as I know.”
“When did dating become more romantic than sex?” I ask and then, “If I tell you guys something, will you promise not to laugh?”
“Yes,” Reagan says at the same time Dakota says, “No way.”
“Kota,” Reagan admonishes.
“What? If it’s funny, I won’t be able to hold back. I will try.”
“Good enough, I guess.” I take a drink of the wine. “My last boyfriend, Bryan, broke up with me after.”
“After?”
“After we’d had sex. Like still inside of me.”
“Oh shit.” Dakota’s eyes widen.
I hide behind my hands stretched out over my face. “Now I wished you’d just laughed.”
“Wait, wait, wait. We need the full story,” Reagan says.
So, I tell them. How Bryan and I had planned to go to Valley U together, but then he’d received an offer to play football in Boise and how he’d broken the news to me after we’d had sex for the first time.
“What an asshole.”
“He really isn’t though. It was my idea. I was ready, and I thought it would bring us closer before we headed off on this great adventure together. After, he told me he wasn’t going to Valley and that he thought it would be better if we broke up instead of trying to make it work.”
I’ve gone over that day a million times looking for cues I missed, but I was ready and excited, and I think he could have shown me a million red flags and I would have ignored them.
“Sorry, babe.” Dakota rubs my arm. “For what it’s worth, even Heath’s not that cold.”
“No, I know. And I’d had sex before Bryan. Just one other time with a guy I met at summer camp. It was right before Bryan and I started dating. Neither were great. I made Bryan wait because I wanted it to mean more than the first time. And, I think I’m doing it again with Heath. Does that make me too idealistic?”
Reagan shakes her head. “No, of course not, but holding out doesn’t mean that it will mean more… it just means you build it up to an impossible standard.”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that,” I admit.
We go through two bottles of wine and watch a movie before calling it a night.
Reagan brings me a blanket and pillow from her room. “Thank you.”
The TV is muted, but I lie down and watch Golden Girls reruns with subtitles. I’m just about asleep when my phone buzzes.
Hottest guy on campus: You awake?
Me: No
Hottest guy on campus: Me either.
Me: Don’t you have a big game tomorrow or something?
Hottest guy on campus: Maverick snores.
Me: I don’t snore, and I miss you.
Hottest guy on campus: Now I really wish you were in this hotel room with me instead.
Me: Oh yeah? Need a cuddle buddy?
Hottest guy on campus: Yeah, just don’t tell Mav – he thinks I only cuddle with him.
Me: Your secret is safe with me.
Hottest guy on campus: What’d you do tonight?
Me: Hung out with Reagan and Dakota at their place. You’ll be back tomorrow night?
Hottest guy on campus: Yeah, but it’ll be pretty late.
Me: Can I come over and stay the night?
Hottest guy on campus: You never need to ask, baby.
I smile and close my eyes. My phone buzzes with another text.
Hottest guy on campus: Hat trick?
I type out a dozen different responses trying to decide if I should go along with
