“I always have fun when I’m with you, but don’t get your feelings hurt if I’m not as into it as the rest of you.”
“First, aww, that’s so sweet! I’m glad you always have fun with me. Second, I won’t get my feelings hurt, but you know you just issued me a challenge, right? This is going to be the best night of your life, Professor.”
He looked at me for a moment, with this expression I couldn’t read. Then, as if believing it just because I said it, Jameson simply said, “Okay.”
“That’s my guy.” I leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. His didn’t move, and when I pulled back, I realized what I said. “You know what I mean. Not my guy as in boyfriend or anything. Just like, my man. Guy I’m hooking up with or my friend. Like my bro or whatever.” My bro or whatever? What in the weird shit was wrong with me? Now I was rambling and being awkward. Jameson had my wires all mixed up.
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” he replied just as we arrived. Thank God. I could get out of this clumsy conversation before I said something stupid like, Wait. Why of course? You wouldn’t want to be my boyfriend?
We got out of the car. The bar was right in front of us. It was ten, and the line was already out the door to get in. I grabbed Jameson’s hand again, but then wondered if I should because, while it wasn’t probable, we could run into someone who knew his family. “This okay?”
“It’s perfect,” he replied, and my heart flopped around like a dying fish. Maybe that was a weird metaphor because dying fish weren’t sexy or sweet, but that was how I felt. All upside down and confused.
We got in line, which went rather quickly. It was crowded as hell inside the bar, the music making my chest vibrate. I felt Jameson tense up, so I tugged him to the side and said, “Do you want to leave? We don’t have to stay.”
“No, I’m fine. You don’t have to baby me. I just feel like I stand out.”
“Because you’re hot? That’s not a bad thing, Professor.”
He rolled his eyes, but I could tell he liked what I said. “Not because I’m hot—I mean, I’m not hot.”
“You’re sooooo hot.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. “Let’s go find Kira’s table. We have one drink, and if you want to go, you just…tug your right ear. I’ll make some excuse, blame it on me. Then we go home and you can thank me with a blowjob?”
I hoped he’d laugh, and he did. “Sure, but we don’t have to blame it on you, and I’ll still, you know, suck you off.”
“I love how embarrassed you get when you say sexual shit.” I leaned in and kissed him again, this time a little more slowly, with just a little tongue. Jameson melted against me, moaned into my mouth before I pulled back. “Unless you wanna go at it right here, we need to stop.”
I was surprised when he crossed his arms and pretended to pout.
“God, you’re adorable. I’m in so much damn trouble with you. Let’s go.”
Toward the back and side of the bar, there was a raised platform with two large tables and a small area to mingle. There was a short wall surrounding it, the height of the tables. Kira had reserved it so we were around the action but could easily congregate by ourselves too.
“We’re with the party,” Jameson told the security guard when we approached. It was a reminder that Kira and Jameson came from money in a way I would never experience.
“My boy is here!” I let go of Jameson’s hand as Kira threw her arms around him. She whispered something in his ear, and he looked at me bashfully. Ooh, it must have been good, and I wanted to know, but I didn’t ask.
There were a few people there I didn’t know, friends of Kira’s. They must have been safe people to be around because Jameson grabbed my hand again when his bestie let go of him. I liked it, that he sought me out for support.
Elijah and Shaw were there too, so we approached them. Danny, Elijah’s best friend, was with them, along with Brooklyn.
“What’s up, man?” I said to Danny. “This is Jameson—Professor, this is Danny.”
“Hey,” he said to me, then to Jameson, “Nice to meet you.” Danny’s eyes traveled down and landed on our twined fingers. “Goddamn it. You too?” he asked playfully.
“Maybe.” I winked, not wanting to say me and Jameson weren’t serious but not wanting to overstep either.
Someone came up and took everyone’s drink orders. He got a Midori sour, and I ordered a vodka Sprite.