Page 17 of Best Things in Life

“You talk him if you’re so hot—”

“He’s not going to listen to me because I’m not—” We’re getting loud and Dooley steps between us because heads are turning in our direction. Summer looks around and puts some distance between her and us.

“I’ll talk to him,” Dooley says. “I’ll appeal to his sense of brotherhood and his good conscience.” Dooley pauses. “I believe he does have one, but we’ll find out, won’t we?”

“That works for me,” Bane says.

Summer says, “Now that we’ve made BMOC House off-limits at least for tonight, let’s go dance.” She gives me a look. “The down and dirty kind.”

I look at Dooley and he nods, his signature grin of mischief in place.

“Let’s do this,” I say and lead us back inside to dance. We find Emily in the main room where the band is playing. And where Bigs and Sarina are still dancing. Shit.

“This is bold,” I say as Summer marches to the middle of the dance floor and I keep up. “Don’t get your heart set on a good outcome. It’s a long shot.” I grab her arm and stop her short of her target. She knows what I’m talking about. She wants to catch Bigs eye, somehow make him jealous. There’s not much chance I’ll make Sarina jealous dancing with Summer and less chance Bigs will even know she’s in the same room.

“I appreciate that you care enough to watch out for me, Nate. I really do.” A smile splits her face. “But if I don’t take a shot, there’s zero chance. Isn’t that what the guys say every time they take a shot on net at you?”

“Wiseass. What am I worried about you for?” Dooley catches up with us and Emily turns to see us watching her as the band finishes the song. They have one more set to go and then we’ll wind the party down. Emily’s smile is wary, as if she’s reading our body language.

“What’s up guys? Summer?” We surround her and start dancing as the band starts a new song. She laughs and I tell Dooley to find Bane. I end up dancing with both Summer and Emily and they body me up front and back, down and dirty as promised and I can’t say my dick doesn’t enjoy the attention.

We get all the attention we can handle, hoots and whistles from some of the guys and another girl I don’t know jumps in to make it a threesome, the kind of thing I fantasized about a long time ago, back when… before Sarina. I do a fucking bang up job of avoiding even a glance at Sarina since it’s all I can do to keep up the dance with the three girls gyrating around me, though I’m careful not to touch anywhere crucial. By the time the song winds down, I’m sweating and need a cold shower, sadly not because my dick is too hot. The attention was nice, but it wasn’t enough.

Fuck. Am I going to end up impotent at my age all because I can’t get past a fucking teen age love affair?

“That was fun,” Emily laughs, wiggling her eyebrows at me. “I’m beat now. I’m going to go. Sarina’s already decided to go home early. Says she has a headache.” She looks at me. “She’s going home alone.” She pats my chest and I want to hug her.

“You’re shitting me.” It’s too good to believe after seeing her with Bigs on the dance floor.

“Truth? I don’t believe her,” Emily says.

“Why not?” Summer asks.

Emily shrugs. “I think she just wants to be alone tonight. Call it intuition. Not that I’m a big believer in women’s intuition, but it’s a gut feeling and I have plenty of guts—or so I’m told.”

Summer snorts a laugh and I grin.

“Whoever told you that is right on,” I say, because I’m the one who told her that for hanging in with Bane and keeping in his line of sight. I think there’s still something there and he’s just scared as shit to go for it. On the other hand, Emily isn’t the least scared. The only question is, does she have enough guts for both of them?

* * *

In the next two weeks I work myself into the best shape I’ve ever been in, spending a lot of time at the gym in the basement of the rink to avoid both Sarina and Bigs, which is no fucking easy task.

But it’s the only way I can stay sane and keep my promise to Bane—not to mention the promise I made to Sarina and myself that I won’t interfere with their relationship. Aside from the no overnight rules that were recently instituted.

Whenever I’m at the gym, I finish whatever I’m doing the minute Bigs walks in. I eat at the dining hall every day and ask Bane to save me whatever he can from Majik’s dinner when I come home late from the library.

The Thursday before homecoming I get back to the house late as usual, but not late enough. Majik is waiting in the kitchen for me.

“Nate.” She nods at me, her arms folded like she’s the warden and I’ve been caught out of my cell. “What the hell’s going on with you? My food suddenly turn to poison?”

“No. I… just needed some space.”

“Uh-huh. Space or not, I expect you to be here for dinner tomorrow night.”

My gut twists and I wait for her to drop the anvil because I know there’s more.

She says, “Sarina will be in the kitchen with me and she’s worked hard on the menu. I won’t have you boycotting her big night here. It looks bad.”