“Hey!” she protested while Ben captured her hand, kissing the back of it.
“… always asking questions and wanting to be a part of the action. She was only fourteen, then. Two years later, she started tutoring Adam, Ben’s younger brother.”
“Two years later, she’d changed a lot. I noticed. She could still talk the leg off a chair,” Ben joked.
I barely said a word, but I drew it all in. They’d known each other since they were kids. What would it be like to have someone who knew you that well, and still wanted to spend time with you, despite having no shared blood?
A fresh sheen of sweat broke out on my skin when Letitia joined our group. The muscles in my neck stiffened so my head wouldn’t follow her movement. Words drifted through the air as the conversation continued, the staccato of laughter breaking the flow intermittently. My gaze remained fixed on Andrea’s plate across from me, but my attention was firmly on my peripheral vision. If she was aiming to throw me off, it was working. Some friend she was.
Andrea asked about the mural, as Letitia spoke up. “You’re being super rude.”
I scratched my temple with my middle finger, hoping she’d get the hint, before focusing my ears to catch those floating words.
“About four months ago. I was hit with inspiration.” Brad gave me a strange sideways look. He lifted his beer bottle to his lips, taking a sip. They were coated with moisture when he put the bottle down, before he licked it off. I couldn’t help it; I did the same.
“Well, isn’t that interesting?” Ben’s voice barely drifted through the fog of lust crowding my senses.
The prominent veins in Brad’s forearm travelled all the way to his elbow. I watched them shift with his muscles, as he rubbed the back of his neck. What was he so uncomfortable about? I was the oddball here. His arm retreated below the table and I focused back on the guests. Who were staring at me again.
“Is it my turn to speak?” My eyes were wide in alarm. Fuck, I was so bad at this socializing shit. Brad laughed beside me. That sound.
“Lee tells us you’re a librarian.” Ben’s white teeth flashed, obviously amused by my social ineptitude.
“Yes.” What else do they want me to say? I scanned the seats. Letitia had gone.
“That’s pretty impressive at your age,” Ben added.
I shrugged. Another statement that didn’t require a response. I just hoped they didn’t ask me to explain why I finished so young.
“How is your sister, Andrea?” Coming to my rescue again, Brad noticed my discomfort and steered the conversation away. His head tilted towards Andrea, but he snuck a glance at me, winking. The rave party fired back up in my stomach, and I parted my lips in a shaky smile, feeling a little woozy. His eyes locked onto my mouth. Heat crept up my neck, and down to other long forgotten places. My smile slipped at the expression on his face.
Wet lips. Veins on his arms. Freckled face. Hazardous Brad.
I turned away when Andrea spoke. “Earth to Lee.” Andrea waved her hand up and down in front of Brad’s face. “He’s not even listening to me. Bree turned eighteen and has decided to become a prostitute. We’re so proud. Her favourite client is a seventy-two-year-old, retired trucker, named Bazza. Oh, and Ben and I are contemplating becoming swingers. You interested?”
Ben started coughing uncontrollably, dribbling beer down his chin. Andrea and I watched as Brad returned from his mental trip, jumping up to get some paper towels.
“What the hell, Ben? I just cleaned the table this morning.”
My laughter joined Andrea’s girlie giggles, and I felt like maybe I didn’t suck at this as much as I thought.
“What? What’d I miss?” Brad’s head swivelled like a bobble head, looking for answers.
“Never mind.” Andrea’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
She continued telling Brad about her little sister, Bree, and about her job as a childcare worker. She was so animated and energetic. She clearly loved children. Ben fixed his eyes on her, watching in rapt fascination. I watched them like they were under my microscope. He maintained contact at all times, whether it was a hand on her leg or fingers playing with her hair. Although she chatted almost non-stop to Brad, she frequently turned to Ben with a smile.
I had no idea about relationships. I’d never observed a couple before. Did every couple behave like that? I didn’t know if I was capable of being that close with someone. After watching Andrea, feelings of inadequacy swamped me. I slid down in my chair, wanting to disappear under the table. She was very comfortable in social situations. If she were the interloper, she’d still be the life of the party. I’d rather be in my room.
“Would you like another drink, Veronica?” Brad asked me for the fifth time. Every time he said my name, I felt the magnet between us strengthen. Every time he looked at me, it sent sparks of electricity through my heart and down to my core. When we touched … I squeezed my thighs together. Craving it more than anything and not knowing how to stop it.
“No thanks.” I kept my eyes on the empty plate in front of him. “I thought I might get the dessert sorted. Is everyone ready for some sweets?”
A chorus of, “yes, yeah, yep,” rang out simultaneously.
“Okay then. Back in a tick.”
Gathering all the dirty plates, I made a move. The thumping of my hurried steps on the deck mimicked my pulse
