Closer

“Amy’s sick,” I say, starting to turn to let Janie into the conversation.

“What? How do you know that?” snaps Hillary.

“This is Janie,” I say, gesturing to Janie, who waves awkwardly. “She’s here instead of Amy.”

“Hey,” she says shyly. Hillary blinks, not understanding.

“Sorry, who are you?” she asks Janie. A little impolitely, in my opinion.

“I’m, um, Janie. Amy couldn’t make it because she’s sick and asked me to come instead?”

Hillary looks her up and down, saying nothing. I watch Janie swallow nervously.

“She didn’t tell you, did she?” Janie says softly, cringing a little. I feel a surge of affection for her.

“No, she didn’t,” sighs Hillary. “But whatever. It’s just a movie. This is my boyfriend, Randy,” she adds, indicating the boy at her side.

“Hey,” he says with a leering grin. I’m annoyed to see his eyes wander down to Janie’s ample cleavage before feasting on those lush curves.

“Hey,” she says back, not noticing his creepiness.

“I see you’ve met Brent,” Hillary adds coldly.

“Um, yes!” answers Janie good-naturedly, not rising to Hillary’s tone. She and I smile at each other, which for some reason irritates the blonde.

“Randy, get the tickets,” she snaps at her boyfriend. And when he whips them out of his pocket, the four of us move towards the theater. I hold the door open for Janie, and as she brushes by me, I swear those big boobies sweep against my chest ever so slightly. I wish I could have her all to myself in a locked room somewhere. Desperation surges through my veins.

Stop being such a fucking dog, I think to myself. You haven’t been with a woman for a while, so get a grip. You’re gonna overwhelm the sweet girl with your fucking hungry ways. But that’s the thing. I’m ravenous for female flesh after a long tour abroad … and nothing’s gonna stop me from tasting this beautiful brunette.

Chapter 5

JANIE

There’s so much electricity in the air that I can hardly breathe. Can Brent feel it too? But I can’t exactly ask him, so I bite my lip as we file into the theater. We sit in a row: Hillary, Randy, me, and Brent. I’m so glad that I’m not sitting next to Hillary. The blonde is such a bitch, like I’m a C-grade substitute for her friend Amy. Get a grip, lady. Life doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to.

The movie theater is almost empty, and I wish Brent and I could just sit in a different row altogether. But oh well. Like I said, life doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to. Besides, we’re meant to be on a double date, so it’d be a little weird if Brent and I took ourselves off.

The film begins and I recognize it as a well-known part of an action franchise, but I couldn’t care less. The only thing I care about, or am aware of, is Brent’s intoxicatingly masculine scent on my left. I’m still stunned at the incredible chemistry we had in front of the movie theater, waiting for the others to show up. Never have I connected with a guy in this way before. Especially not in such a short period of time. And especially not a guy like this! I’ve dated some guys in college, even slept with a few, but they don’t seem to be very interested in buying the cow after they’ve already gotten the milk. It sucks, to be honest, and I don’t want to do that again.

So yeah, it’s been a good few months since I’ve had any dates and instead, I’ve been throwing myself into my studies, even carrying extra credits. But it’s all getting a bit stressful. It’s the main reason I’ve had such a hellish week and I’ve wanted to shut myself in my room with Netflix and cheesecake. But instead I’m here in this movie theater, sitting next to the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. And certainly the most gorgeous guy who’s ever even looked at me, let alone shown interest in me. Unless Brent’s just being polite? But surely not. Not with how much he’s been sharing with me, how earnest he seems.

I can feel the soldier breathing next to me, the warmth of his arm just half an inch away from mine. His leather jacket is off, draped over the back of his seat and I’m painfully aware of the size of his biceps and pecs, even though I’m not even looking at him. My eyes are watching the moving images, but not seeing them. Suddenly I feel fingertips on leg. My heart beats fast until I realize it’s my right leg. Fuck! Is it Randy? Horrified, I look his way in the darkness, and of course, the dirty dude is watching the movie like nothing’s wrong. Gross! How can he do this? His girlfriend is mere inches away on his other side.