When We Dance

She laughs again before she continues.

“Most of the time, anyway. It’s not for everybody, as I said. We try to keep up with them, but it’s not that easy. We’re as deadly as they are. Metaphorically speaking. And when that happens, chases like this happen a lot. You got them hooked on you.”

She’s nice, but no.

She has no idea what is going on.

“I doubt it.”

“Don’t. Yeah… It’s their egos and stuff. It always is. And then, one day, you’ll find out it’s much more than that. And you’ll be surprised.”

She doesn’t know… She can’t possibly grasp the true nature of this game without knowing about our agreement and the fight waged between our feelings and lustful sex.

I don’t even know who’s irritated me more. They all have. And regardless of what Kai said, he does it too.

“I’m not so sure it’s a good thing. Even if you find out that, it’s more than that.”

She straightens up and pulls closer to me, her hand holding mine.

“Hey… Look at it this way. I know you’re not working for them. I’ve never had a boss, let alone three furious males scouring place after place, looking for me. I don’t know exactly what is going on between the three of you. Excuse me…”

She clears her throat comically.

“Four of you. But that’s not work. Vile feelings might’ve flared up. So what? You know what I’ve learned? The best sex I’ve ever had…” she says quietly, her eyes diving deep into mine, “was with men I couldn’t stand. Or so the story went. We couldn’t see eye to eye. That was one time. And then there was another one I couldn’t be friends with, not for lack of trying, mind you. The sex was delish, though. Then there was the man I was friends with. Tried to hook up with him. Things no longer worked for us. And the one I had great sex with until we became friends and things got weird between us.”

I jerk my hand up.

“Okay… All right. I got your point. You’re saying you either have one or the other?”

I sound upset.

“I’m saying it’s a balancing act. And there’s a lot that goes into it if you know what I mean. Stuff that is often overlooked. Friendship is good, but not like the one between you and me… With them is more about being protected. And being able to rely on them. That works better… I think… In my opinion, anyway.”

She no longer seems convinced.

“Why are you single?”

“Why are you?”

A sly grin lines her lips.

I won’t fall for her setup, but it amuses me. At this point, I’m under the impression that she knows exactly what’s going on between the three men and me.

She keeps me guessing for a few more seconds before answering.

“I like good sex…” she says quietly.

“Sounds contradictory.”

“It does. And it is. I like the thrill of the unknown. It’s hard to find that kind of man…” she mouths to me. “They’re either too much of a player, doing dumb things all the time. Or too nice, and I’m not the girl for them. It’s just how things are. I want a man I’m not friends with, but I want him to linger for a while and show me a good time. Make sense?”

“Yeah… It does.”

“So…” she says in her normal voice. “I hope this helps you look at things a bit more realistically.”

Whatever she means by that.

“In the meantime, let me give you my number. We can talk more… When you have time. I’m always up for a chat.”

She asks for my phone, and I hand it to her before moving my eyes away and looking around the room. Fewer people dance now. Most of them are on the couches, drinking, laughing, or making out.

Isla gives me back my phone before leaving to join Em and the other women. I rise from my seat and go to the terrace.