Rae: Fuck it. I’m posting it. We can have the whole Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively thing where we post bad photos of each other.
Me: Good luck getting one of me. I don’t take bad photos.
Rae: My eyes actually rolled all the way back.
Besides, not talking about it came easy when our bantering friendship still remained the same. Now I just knew what she tasted like—what she felt like. Days later, I still couldn’t get the taste of her cum out of my mouth—and I hoped it never left.
“What has you smiling like that?” King asked the next day.
I looked up from the screenshot Rae just sent of a comment on her Instagram post about us being a fun couple.
“I’m just happy,” I answered easily.
“I take it the weekend went well.”
“Yup.”
“And? Spill, bro,” King demanded.
He’d messaged me the night we got back, but I told him we’d talk over lunch instead.
“What are you? Some kind of gossipmonger? Do you need me to spill the tea?”
The waiter delivered our food just then, and King stared me down the entire time, apparently not appreciating my Valley girl voice.
“Ha! No,” he said as soon as we were alone. “I just need to know if things are blowing up in your face yet.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Okay. So, what’s happening then?”
I bought myself some time with a bite of my burger, earning me another knowing stare from King. For a moment, I considered not telling him—keeping these moments to myself, but honestly, other than Rae, all I had was King. I wasn’t close with my brother, and I was the kind of guy that had quality over quantity with my friendships.
And this whole experience left me feeling like I was guessing the right move at every turn. I needed someone to hear me out. I sure as shit knew Rae had probably already gone on and on to the girls. So, as soon as I swallowed, I spilled.
“We slept together.”
“It’s about fucking time.” He slapped the table before throwing his hands up, drawing more than a few stares.
“Dude,” I reprimanded.
He didn’t care. He patted his chest and smiled like a dad proud of his son losing his V-card or some shit. “Well, was she everything you imagined?” he asked.
“So much fucking more. She’s…” I struggled to find the words to describe our night.
“Oh, fuck.”
“What?”
The smile vanished from King’s face. “You’re so fucked.”
“So, you’ve told me before,” I deadpanned.
“No, that was just me bullshitting about being pussy-whipped. Now, you’re truly and genuinely fucked.”
“I don’t understand.”
He took his time studying me, shaking his head like I’d told him I had two weeks to live unless I could produce a billion dollars, and he knew I was a goner.
“What the fuck, man?” I pushed again.
“She’s going to break you.”
“What? No.”
“C’mon, Austin. Have you guys even agreed to be together for real? Did you guys end up planning some future this weekend? Is she as happy as you, or is she being typical Rae and looking for an exit?”
“I…I don’t know what we are right now.”
His face screwed up. “How do you not know?”
I looked down at the scarred wood of the table, bracing to receive more shit than ever and searching for my own exit, knowing damn well there wasn’t one. “We haven’t really talked about it,” I muttered.
“I’m sorry, what?”
I rolled my eyes, knowing he heard me.
“Jesus Christ.” He fell back in his seat. “Seriously?”
“Listen, it just didn’t come up.”
His jaw dropped as he continued to stare.
“I know. Okay? I know,” I defended. I should have just kept it to myself. Now, I had to sit there under his incredulous reaction and face all the plot holes around me. “I just…I don’t know what she thinks, and I…I don’t want it to be a one-off.”
“Austin, Rae doesn’t do relationships.”
His softened tone had my hackles rising. It was like he was already counting me out and preparing for my downfall without even hearing the details.
“She doesn’t like to be chained down,” I corrected. “I can show her a life without boundaries. I can show her how good a marriage can be without her feeling trapped.”
“Bro, what are you doing?” he asked softly.
“I’m trying.”
“To get your heart ripped out?”
“No, of course not.” I took a deep breath and rubbed a hand over my forehead where the beginning of a headache pulsed. “I know it sounds crazy right now, but this weekend was crazy. Things changed. I saw a side of her I don’t think she even knew existed.”
“What does that even mean?”
“She was jealous. She saw Aubrey and—”
“Your ex-fiancée was there?” King shook his head like he was trying to rattle all the pieces into place. “What the fuck?”
I huffed a laugh. “Yeah. Like I said, crazy.”
“Okay, start from the beginning.”
By the time I reached our apologies in the car on the way home, King had switched from water to beer, and his eyebrows were about to become one with his hairline.