Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
LOUISA
It's the 4th of July weekend. B and I were invited up to Evie's parents' cabin. Evie, Liam, and Iris arrived yesterday, but B and I are just getting here. Iris's boyfriend was supposed to be joining us, but he ended up taking a job as a camp counselor, so now they are doing long-distance for the summer. From what B tells me, it's not going very well. I've been warned not to bring it up.
Liam runs out to help us carry our bags and shows us our rooms. B and Iris are sharing one of the guest rooms, so I get a room all to myself. There's another room full of bunk beds that I'm told will be filled throughout the weekend as different people come and go.
After I unpack and change into my swimsuit, I make my way down the stairs and follow the sound of laughter. I've been here a few times before, so I know my way around, and I know that Evie's parents want everyone to make themselves at home. So before heading out to the yard, where everyone is hanging out, I grab a seltzer out of the fridge and crack it open .
I promised B I wouldn't talk or think about my exam until I got my results back. This weekend is a great way to get my mind off of it.
Outside, everyone is playing yard games, so I join the girls in a game of cornhole. I'm partners with Evie, and we are absolutely destroying B and Iris. By the time we're finished, a few more guys have arrived. All four of them are Liam and Evie's friends from college. I've never met any of them, but from what I've gathered, two are dating each other, and the other two are single. This should make for an interesting weekend.
Evie's dad and Liam are grilling dinner, and the rest of us are playing flip cup around a table in the yard. B is giving a demonstration and making sure everyone is familiar with the rules. I've played this several times, so I tune her out. Iris is on my right, and one of Liam's single friends is on my left. I still haven't gotten everyone's name down, and I can't remember which one he is.
The game starts, and B is first for our team, followed by Iris. It takes Iris several attempts to get her cup flipped. She's starting to sway, so I steady her with my hand on her back. Most of us have been drinking all day, so we're already pretty tipsy. Iris finally makes it, but the other team is already on their fourth and final person; it's one of the college friends. He is struggling just as much as Iris.
Once Iris successfully flips her cup, it's my turn. I chug my drink and successfully flip my cup in one try.
The guy to my left starts chugging his drink. Everyone is screaming as it's down to the last person on each team. Whoever flips their cup over first wins. I watch as our guy's Adam's apple bobs up and down with each gulp. Beer is pouring out the sides of his mouth and running down his shirtless chest. I know I'm staring, but he looks so hot right now. He slams his cup down and lines up, taking his time.
"Hurry!" B yells from the other end of the table.
He flicks his finger, and with one 180-degree rotation, the cup lands upside down, and everyone on our side of the table jumps up and screams. The guy to my left turns to me in celebration and gives me a high five that I'm pretty sure is going to bruise, then wraps me in a quick hug. I don't even mind that his chest is sticky from sweat and beer.
Through the celebration, I can hear Liam call for us. "Dinner's ready!"
Everyone calms down and quickly picks up the game so the cups don't go flying across the yard in the wind.
"That was very impressive."
I look over at the guy and smile. "Thanks. You as well. That was super clutch at the end. Once Iris got stuck, I totally thought we were going to lose."
One of the other guys yells from the house, "Hey Tony, can you grab me another beer on your way in?"
Tony, that's his name! Okay, I am now committing that to memory. Tony. Tony. Tony.
We all go into the house and scarf down food like we've been starving for days. Drinking all day will do that to you. I took down two brats and a burger myself.
After dinner, most of us go out on the pontoon for a midnight stroll. Out of the four guys who arrived later today, only Tony comes out with us. The other three were sicker than dogs and went to bed early.
Liam drives the boat to the sandbar and throws the anchor in. There are no cabins on the water over here, creating a private pocket of the lake. We brought a cooler of drinks along and plan to hang out here for a while. We all crack open a new drink and find seats in a circle.
"Alright, what are we playing first?" Evie looks around at us with a mischievous look on her face and sips her drink.
"My vote is for Truth or Dare," B pipes up before anyone else.
I roll my eyes; B would suggest that. She has loved that game ever since she realized the kind of power you can wield as the person giving out a dare.
Iris gives her opinion, "I want to play Never Have I Ever."
"Oh, I like that one." Tony smiles and takes a sip of his drink.
"Let's warm up with Never Have I Ever, then switch to Truth or Dare once our drinks have kicked in a little more."
Everyone agrees with Liam, and Iris starts since she is the one who made the suggestion. The agreed-upon number of fingers was five so we can at least all have one turn.
We all put up five fingers, and the game begins.
"Never have I ever...done cocaine." Iris looks around at us all.
Tony puts a finger down and drinks.
Liam immediately calls him out for the rule break. "Take another drink! Tony, you know you have to clap any time you put a finger down. No cowards on my boat."
Evie looks at Liam, annoyed. "This is not your boat."
Everyone laughs, and Liam whispers to Evie, "You know what I meant."
Tony claps once, then drinks again. "My bad, I forgot about that stupid rule you guys added."
Evie and Liam have a house rule that whenever you have done the thing, not only do you need to drink and put a finger down, but you also have to clap to own up to the thing you've done. Otherwise, people will sneakily put down a finger when no one is watching. Iris, B, and I have also adopted this rule and taught it to several other people. It's a crowd favorite.
B chimes in through the laughter, "Alright, it's my turn. Never have I ever...dated someone I wanted to marry. Like it never crossed my mind once during the relationship."
Evie and Liam obviously put a finger down since they are married. Iris and I put a finger down as well. Tony does not. That’s a bit of a red flag if you ask me, and yes, that includes B.
Liam's turn. "Never have I ever...totaled a car.”
Iris glares at him as she claps and puts a finger down. “You can’t target people.”
“It’s not targeting when anyone else could have also done that.”
Iris sticks her tongue out at Liam. And now, it's Evie’s turn.
“Never have I ever…had to go to detox.”
Iris, B, and Liam all clap and put a finger down.
Tony is up next; he doesn’t even hesitate. “Never have I ever…spent the night with a one-night stand.”
This one is hard for me to answer because I spent the night with Sam, but I’m not sure that counts as a one-night stand. Sure, we only had sex once, but we were talking for a long time. Since it’s borderline and I’m a rule follower, I clap and put down a finger, as does B.
It’s my turn, and I start with one of my go-to answers. “Never have I ever…fucked a teacher/professor.”
Tony claps and puts a finger down.
We’re now back to Iris. “Never have I ever…had sex on the water.” Everyone looks at her, waiting for clarification. “I mean, like on a boat, jet ski, I guess that could mean in the water too.”
Evie and Liam clap—no surprises there since she has a lake cabin. I’m sure they’ve had sex on this boat in this exact spot several times. I know I would have.
B must have had the same idea because she looks at the seat she’s sitting on with disgust and pretends she’s catching cooties. Once she gets everyone laughing, she sits back down. “Okay, okay. Settle down. Never have I ever…been in a long-term relationship. Let’s say more than a year.”
Iris, Liam, Evie, and I all clap.
Liam looks around the circle, contemplating what he should say next. “Never have I ever…injured myself during sex.”
B and Evie both clap. Now, that is a funny story. One time, when hooking up with a guy, B got a concussion. He was on top of her on the bed, and with every thrust, he scooted her a little further off the bed until, eventually, she fell off and smacked her head on the floor. She even claims to have blacked out temporarily.
Evie follows up her lost finger with, “Despite all my efforts, never have I ever…had sex on a plane.”
She looks over at Liam like he should feel guilty. And he does. Everyone laughs because this is pretty typical. Evie is definitely the more adventurous one who pushes Liam out of his comfort zone. “Tried to, but my husband here left me to wait in the bathroom for 20 minutes.
“I got nervous, okay.” He throws up his hands in defense.
I laugh super hard because I can imagine the earful Liam got when Evie returned to her seat after waiting.
Everyone agrees that joining the Mile High Club would be super cool, but no one claps, and we move on to Tony.
“Never have I ever…had a dad.”
Umm, that was dark. But everyone still laughs to mask the awkwardness in the boat .
The rest of us clap.
That leaves Iris, Liam, Evie, and I all with one finger left. Tony and B both have two. I’m shocked B is doing so well. Usually, she’s the first one out by a long shot.
It’s my turn, so I say another one I always use. “Never have I ever...had a threesome.”
B claps, which is only a little shocking to me since she hasn’t mentioned it. The bigger shock is both Liam and Evie clapping and losing the game.
Iris looks over at her brother and sister-in-law, shocked by this revelation. “Excuse me? Tell!”
Evie and Liam look at each other, trying to hold back their grins and laughter, failing miserably.
"We'll let you use your imagination."
All of us stare at them with wide eyes and our mouths open. They smile and shrug.
Breaking the silence, Iris chimes in. “B, tell us your story! I know you're dying to share the details. Was it recent?”
“It was on New Year’s Eve with this gorgeous man and another bi girl. It was very steamy.”
Iris leans in. “More details, please. Do I know either of them?”
“I don’t think you do. The guy was named Cam, and I honestly don’t remember the girl's name. I only remember his because she kept moaning it over and over. But god, I don’t blame her; he was so hot.”
B goes on to describe the guy in detail. Realization slowly creeps in, and I burst out laughing. All eyes are on me, questioning.
I finally get enough air in my lungs to speak. “B, I’m pretty sure we hooked up with the same guy.”
“No fucking way. Are you serious? ”
“Yeah, I met a guy named Cam on a dating app a few months after New Year’s. Oh my god, this is hilarious.”
Luckily, everyone else on the boat also finds it very funny. Some sisters might be grossed out by that, but I’m honestly not. We have very different tastes in men, so I never thought this would happen. But Cam is one of those people with a universally attractive face and a hot body, so it makes sense.
After we all calm down over the threesome, we remember that Liam and Evie both lost the game. They finish their drinks as punishment and crack another one for the next game.
Next, we move on to Truth or Dare. This game makes me nervous, but I’m tipsy, which helps.
B starts off by asking Liam, and he picks truth. Safe way to start.
“What is the kinkiest thing you and Evie have ever done?”
He thinks about it for a moment. “I guess maybe that ropes course we took last year.” He’s looking at Evie, waiting for her to correct him if there’s something else he’s missed. She doesn’t correct him. “Yeah, probably that. We went to a local adult store and took a little course on how to tie people up. It was actually really fun.” Evie nods in agreement.
Liam turns to me and asks, and I pick dare. Why not spice things up a bit?
“I dare you to kiss Tony.”
I look over at Tony, and he nods, indicating that he’s fine with it if I am. I crawl across the cushioned seat and grab the side of his face, angling it toward me. I brush my lips on his, and he kisses me back. It’s brief but long enough for me to realize that I didn’t feel a spark at all. You know when you kiss someone, and it just feels wrong? Or when they touch you, and it almost annoys you instead of making your skin feel like it's on fire?
I’m not sure if some of the things I’ve learned about him tonight are causing it, but I have officially decided that I’m not going to pursue him in any way. I can’t tell how he feels about it.
I ask Iris, and she chooses dare.
“I dare you to shotgun a beer.”
She obliges and downs it faster than I was expecting her to, and everyone is impressed. Especially Liam. “Where the hell did you learn to do it like that?”
“I learned from the best.”
At first, Liam thinks she’s talking about him since she’s looking his way. “Awww, thanks, sis; I’m glad I could be such a great role model for you.”
“Not you.” She smirks and turns her head to her left. “I was talking about B.”
Liam puts his hand on his chest, acting as if the insult were a dagger to his heart.
Iris asks Tony, and he picks dare.
“I dare you to take a body shot off of B.”
After B agrees to let him do it, she lays on her back and lifts up her shirt to expose her navel. Iris fills her belly button with cinnamon whiskey since it’s the only hard liquor we brought on the boat. Tony bends over her and sucks it up, then licks her a little more than what I would deem necessary.
Next, Tony asks Evie, and she chooses dare.
“I dare you to show us with your hands how big the biggest dick you’ve sucked was.”
“First off, I'm not telling you who it is. For all you guys know, it could be Liam.” He gives her a side eye and holds back a smile.
Evie adjusts her hands until she’s satisfied with the eyeballed measurement. “He’s about this long.” She leaves both hands up and makes a circle with her fingers overlapping. “And about this thick.”
B starts clapping. “Bravo, Evie. Good for you.”
Evie asks B, and she chooses dare.
“I dare all the girls to go skinny dipping; no boys allowed!”
Tony raises his hands in the air to question her. “Hey, that’s not fair; you can’t dare the entire group and then exclude people. I want to come.”
“My boat, my rules. If you don’t like that, then you can swim back to the dock.”
The dock is a long way away, so Tony keeps his mouth shut.
As we girls run around the boat all giddy, taking off our outer layers, Liam gets up and joins Tony on the back of the boat.
Once we're stripped down to our swimsuits, we all jump off the front of the boat together. We opted to wait and take our swimsuits off once we got in the water. So now I’m treading water while undoing the back of my swimsuit top and sliding off my bottoms.
There’s something so freeing about being naked in the water when no one can see you, the cool water running over your skin, uninterrupted. I can only see vague outlines of the other girls, but I can hear them. It sounds like B is trying to drown Iris, but Iris is putting up a good fight.
We all laugh and float for a while until I hear Liam. “Hey Tony, don’ t do that.”
Before Liam can stop him, Tony pops his head over the edge of the boat and shines his phone flashlight at us.
“Hey!” we all scream.
Liam grabs Tony’s phone, and the light goes away. “What the fuck, Tony?”
"I just wanted to see some hot naked chicks.”
“One of those hot naked chicks is my sister, and another is my wife, you pig. They clearly don’t want to be seen, or they would have invited you.”
Tony tries to save himself from Liam’s wrath with a fruitless excuse. “Sorry, man, beers went to my head.”
“Uh-huh.” Liam doesn’t change his stance.
I can’t see Evie, but I hear her. “Liam, can you put some towels on the edge for us so we can get out.”
I hear towels slap the floor of the pontoon, and we start making our way to the edge. The boat is visible only from the moonlight reflecting off the metal, but I make it there with no problem. The other girls beat me there, so I’m the last one out. I grab a towel when I’m halfway up the ladder and wrap it around my chest, letting it slide over my butt, and I climb up the rest of the way.
We locate our wet swimsuits and put them on. The mood has definitely shifted, and we use the excuse of being wet and cold to go back to the cabin.
Liam turns the boat lights on, pulls up the anchor, and makes his way back to the dock.
Since I was the last one up, I sit in the only remaining seat, which is next to Tony. It’s not where I would have chosen to sit, but the dock is only a few minutes away. I don’t want to make a scene, and I’m too drunk to try and stand while we’re moving. So next to Tony it is.