Chapter Sixteen
A ugust was nervous. She’d been nervous since Tuesday night. If anything, the nerves had simply ramped up and up and up as she got closer to tonight—Friday night. The night she was meeting Piper’s friends.
When she’d first agreed to it, she’d been looking forward to it. Of course, she’d wanted them to like her, but she had no reason to imagine they wouldn’t. The meeting with Massima had been a little odd, but she’d been enthusiastic and sweet, and August had imagined most of Piper’s friends would be like that.
Now, however, it was also the first time they were seeing each other after… whatever the hell Tuesday night had been. A date? A flirtation? The night she finally couldn’t deny she was developing feelings for Piper? All of the above?
Whatever it was, they’d spoken over the last couple of days, but they hadn’t resolved the tension that August was certain they’d both felt as they danced together in her living room.
She wasn’t a fool. She knew you didn’t do that with your friends. Sure, you could dance in the living room and have it be completely fine, but you couldn’t dance like that in a dim—not dark —room and have it mean nothing. Or have either party be oblivious to what they were doing. And that wasn’t even including the soft way Piper had brushed her fingers over August’s neck.
And, with all of that bouncing around her head, she showered, and dressed, and did her makeup, and tried to act human.
Ford was sitting in the living room, ready and waiting to go when she finally stepped out of her room.
August eyed his polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers. “You don’t think you’re going to get cold?”
He laughed. “I’ll wear a coat on the way. But we’re going to a bar. It’s not going to be cold in there.”
August sucked in a breath. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true.” She started overthinking the sweater she was wearing—even after she’d tried on about five different outfits before settling on that one.
Ford laughed. “Don’t worry. You look great. Piper’s going to love it.”
August groaned, grabbed Ford’s coat, and threw it at him. “Please don’t say things like that tonight.”
“I make… some promises.”
“That’s not how that works.”
He shrugged. “Hey, if everyone else is making comments about the two of you, do you really expect me to say nothing? I’m the only one there representing your side of things.”
“And as someone on my side, don’t you think you should actually be on my side?”
“I am. And that’s why I want you to be happy. If you need a little help from your friends, I’m going to be a great friend.”
“You’re my brother.”
“And that stops me from being your friend?”
“No, but your actions might.”
Ford laughed and ushered them out the door, offering to do the driving since August was clearly so distracted. August shook her head but let him have it. She knew it was a little bit because he didn’t have his own car and loved an excuse to get some driving in. She could pretend to believe that was all it was.
He at least put on music while he drove, so August could try focusing on that rather than on her circling thoughts. She’d been on so many dates lately and not a single one had made her feel as nervous as seeing Piper did. Of course, she hadn’t liked any of them as much as she now knew she liked Piper. Plus, she’d been meeting complete strangers, not someone she’d been slow dancing with just a few days ago.
After they’d parked and walked most of the way to the bar where they were meeting Piper and her friends, Ford stopped and grabbed August’s arm lightly to stop her too. She shot him a puzzled look.
“You’re going to be fine, okay? No matter what happens tonight,” he said seriously.
August frowned. “What are you planning on doing?”
“Nothing! I promise. I just know you’re nervous and, you know, you’re going to be okay. There’s no way Piper’s not into you too.”
August glanced around. It was dark and cold, but it was Friday night and the street was lined with restaurants and bars, a theater at the bottom of it, so there were plenty of people around. Plenty of people who could easily be Piper’s friends. “I don’t think this is the best place for that conversation.”
Ford grinned slightly, shaking his head. “Okay. Let’s go in, then?”
“Sure. Why not?”
He laughed and led the way to the door, pulling it open. A wave of bustling bar sounds hit them along with a comfortable warmth from inside. August was still glad she’d worn the sweater, but she no longer doubted whether Ford would be warm enough.
They stepped inside, both looking around for Piper. August’s insides felt fuzzy and wrong at the thought of how Ford knew what she looked like—what she’d been doing the last time he’d seen her.
The place was nice. Emerald and gold, with an art deco style and interesting light features, but August could barely take any of it in for feeling like Piper was going to jump out from behind a pillar and, in surprise, confusion, and nerves, she’d scream, jump backwards into someone, and manage to knock somebody else’s drink all over Piper.
“August!” a voice called. It wasn’t Piper’s.
August turned. At a high table in the window, Massima was raised up—presumably on the foot bar from her stool—waving August over.
Well, at least she could now identify Piper without throwing a drink all over her.
August gestured Ford in the direction of the table and her pulse raced as she walked over.
She tried to look around the table at everyone gathered there, but her eyes pulled back to Piper, smiling sweetly at her.
“Hello,” August said, mostly to Piper, when they made it over.
Piper smiled wider. “Everyone, this is August and her brother, Ford.”
They went around the table doing introductions, but August’s own introductory conversation with Shea was interrupted when Hermes’ first question to Ford was whether he was straight.
Ford laughed as August looked at him. “Bi, actually. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, of course. I was just curious whether it’s possible to be the sibling of someone so ridiculously sapphic and pining while being straight,” Hermes said, shooting a look in August’s direction.
August felt like the room had flipped her upside down. And a little like she might throw up.
Shea chastised Hermes, but he simply shrugged and said, “What? Like we don’t all know?”
“That’s not the point,” Shea replied, her voice hushed and razor-sharp. “And you know it.”
Hermes rolled his eyes before looking back at Ford. “It’s very nice to meet you. How’s the roommate situation?”
Shea glowered at him for a second before turning back to August. “Sorry about him.”
“That’s fine,” August said, her tone more than a little off.
Shea shot her a look. “He’ll… Well, relax isn’t the right word for it, but he’ll calm down as he gets to know you both.”
“It’s really okay.” August cleared her throat. “Ford might have made similar comments to me before we left.”
She wasn’t sure why she was admitting to that. At all.
Shea quirked an eyebrow. “Did he indeed? Well, I guess none of us are skirting around the topic, then?”
“Um. I don’t know why I said that.”
Shea laughed. “That’s fair. Meeting the friends is a big deal.”
“Piper and I are just friends.”
“For now.”
“Oh, I don’t know—”
“I do.” She grinned.
August blew out a breath, her cheeks puffed. “I don’t really know what to say to that.”
“I can see why she likes you.”
“Can you?” August stared. “I’m pretty sure I was cooler than this the first time I met Piper.”
“Like I said, meeting the friends is a big deal. People act awkwardly, they feel self-conscious, but they’re still them. And, believe me, I’ve heard plenty about you.”
August breathed a laugh. “Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“Not necessarily.” She flashed a dangerous grin. “Kind of depends on how much you want to talk about how ridiculously sexy it is to slow dance with a woman in your living room…”
“Ugh. Very, very little.”
Shea cackled. Despite the teasing, August liked her. She was easy to talk to, relaxed. August got the feeling that, with Shea, what you saw was what you got, and that was comforting in a way, especially when there were so many complicated emotions swirling around inside of her.
“So,” Shea said, turning slightly away from the rest of the group, “are you stopping your other dates or are you looking for something more open?”
A ridiculous laugh burst from inside of August. “You don’t think I should have a conversation with Piper before I start committing to taking myself out of the dating scene?”
“Why would you need to do that?”
“Because she and I haven’t even talked about anything romantic happening between us?”
She bobbed her head in reluctant acceptance of the answer. “Fine. I’m just glad neither of you is holding onto pretending not to know the other is interested.”
August opened her mouth to respond, but that was the moment Shea’s comment fully registered. “Piper said she was interested?”
“Did she have to?”
“Yes.”
Shea smiled. “Do you want me to tell you, or do you want to hear it directly from her?”
“Which is basically confirmation that she said it.” August was glad her mind seemed to have finally figured out how to function in the middle of chaos.
“For what it’s worth, I’m happy for her. She’s been dating for a long time and it’s nice to see her actually feel something.”
August nodded, certain she was blushing. She couldn’t help but wonder what Piper had been saying to her friends that made them all so ready to make comments about the two of them.
As if on cue, Piper approached, her hands coming down on Shea’s shoulders.
“Speak of the Devil,” Shea laughed.
“Tell me you’re not tormenting poor August too much,” Piper said, shooting August a slightly shy smile that did things to August’s stomach.
“I’m not tormenting her at all,” Shea insisted. “Just getting to know the important people in your life.”
Piper spluttered slightly and cleared her throat. “Right.”
Shea smirked at her before turning back to the table on her heel. “I’ll leave you two to it.”
“Sorry if everyone’s coming on too strong,” Piper said as August watched Shea slide back onto her velvet bar stool.
August smiled. “Everyone’s lovely.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You can tell how close you all are.”
Piper laughed. “That sounds… interesting?”
August grinned and shook her head. “Everyone’s just very open and upfront. It’s a testament to how close your friendships are, I think.”
“Hm. I’m not completely sure they should be dragging you straight into that, though,” she said, and something about their usual dynamic slipped back into her tone, relaxing August immediately.
She laughed. “Maybe not, but it’s nice to be welcomed into the group.”
“More like an initiation, I suppose—depending on what they’ve been saying.”
August flashed her a look. “Do you want to know, or is your imagination sufficient to fill the gaps?”
“Ugh. If you’re saying it like that, I think my imagination is more than sufficient.”
August laughed, grateful that their late-night dancing and comments from all of their friends and family weren’t throwing off the dynamic when it was just the two of them.
“But,” Piper said conspiratorially, “do you want to know something interesting about one of them? Mostly, I just want to share with you, but it might also help you feel like you’re getting to know them too.”
“Sure.” August stepped closer, deeply curious about what Piper was so desperate to share with her.
“Your date from Tuesday night at the dance class?”
“Yes,” August said, her heart racing again as she wondered and worried about where this was going—right as she’d mostly calmed down.
“Guess who knows her.”
August glanced around the group. “Someone here?”
Piper hummed and took a sip of the drink she’d brought with her.
None of them were dancing, or even really bopping along to the music, so there weren’t any obvious clues there.
August shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“Shea.”
“Shea?”
“Shea.” She nodded. “Want to know how?”
August laughed. “I don’t know. Do I?”
“Oh, I think you already know.”
August nodded slowly. “Shea and Eva, huh?”
“Is that her name?”
“You know they’ve slept together but not her name?”
Piper laughed. “I know you’ve dated her but not her name too, so here we are.”
“I guess, but one random app date isn’t quite the same as having slept together.”
She waved August off. “Shea just really likes sex. There isn’t anything serious in it.”
“Oh, okay. Less weird for you not to know her name, then.”
“Exactly.” Piper shot her a teasing look. “Shea says she’s amazing in bed, though, so maybe you missed out.”
“Oh, my god. You think I’d want to do this evening being able to compare notes with your friends on who I’ve slept with?”
“Shea would love it.”
“Noted, but I would not.”
Piper laughed. “Yeah, this way is probably a little less loaded.”
“Indeed.” August looked away. “Besides, I like how Tuesday night turned out without Eva’s involvement.”
In her peripheral vision, she saw the moment Piper’s breath caught. She couldn’t help but want to smile at catching Piper off guard like that.
It took a moment before Piper sucked in a measured breath and said, “Me too, as it happens.”
August let herself smile freely. “I’m glad.”
“So… next Thursday?”
An actual date. With Piper. And she was the one asking. August could hardly believe it. “Um. Yeah. I can do… rumba class. With you.”
“Fantastic.” Piper held August’s gaze for a moment, acting as if the world around them didn’t exist, and she stepped a little closer. “Shea’s got a whole theory about dancing.”
Something about her tone and her proximity had August’s heart racing, her stomach dropping, and all of the moisture leaving her mouth. She cleared her throat, trying desperately to muster the physical ability to speak. “Does she?” she eventually managed to utter.
Piper grinned, her eyes gleaming. “She does indeed.”
“Should I ask?”
“Oh, you definitely should.”
“Okay. So…?” August’s heart was beating so hard she could hear it pounding in her skull.
“Oh, not me. You should ask Shea.”
“That’s a genuinely terrible idea, isn’t it?”
“Where’s the fun without a few terrible ideas?” Piper asked, stepping even closer, almost pressing into August, and all August could think was that she’d go along with any terrible idea if Piper was the one inviting her.