Two - Aaron
Why was she making me so nervous? She hadn’t done anything besides sit there looking more enticing than any woman I’d ever met. Oh. That was probably it.
I noticed her the second she walked in here. That shy twist of her hips, sending her beautiful dress twirling, immediately caught my attention. That was before I’d even caught sight of those hypnotic green eyes, long dark hair, or the killer cleavage on show.
Mavis directed her toward our table. Mindy shot me a look that said less ‘oh, here’s someone new’ and more ‘here’s a nice girl for you to ask out on a date.’ I smiled, shook my head, and looked away.
Mindy didn’t mean anything by it. She was a regular like me and knew my dating struggles. Or lack thereof, if I was being truthful.
I’d been going through the worst dry spell of my life, and questioning everything: my job, my ambitions, and my sexuality.
I was happy to discuss the first two with Mindy over a trick-taking game, but the last one was a secret I had to carry.
Not that I thought she would judge me; it was more that she would try to set me up on a date with men as well as women.
What scared me was the possibility she might actually make it happen, and then I would have to face my growing feelings toward men.
She sat across from me, smelling as good as she looked. Just a hint of vanilla, enough to be more than a little distracting. We made introductions, and then that was that. It was game time.
Or, it would have been, if Kevin hadn’t shown up too. Now I had two distractions.
I gave him the universally accepted head nod and watched him go to work on Paisley with that effortless charm of his. Any chance I might have had with her most likely died in that moment.
I couldn’t blame her; he was much more confident than me. What girl wouldn’t be taken in by his charisma and easy charm? Hell, it had taken me in, and I was still discovering this new side of myself.
I’d felt a connection with him the first night he attended. That was at least two months ago, and we’d had plenty of conversations since. I hadn’t figured out if he found me as attractive as I found him, but that hadn’t stopped my confusing feelings from intensifying.
And now her. Two gorgeous people, both right next to me, and both with probably less than zero interest in me. Sometimes it was lonelier to be with other people than to be alone.
Ruminating wouldn’t make it any better. If anything, it would make for a miserable time for all of us if I moped or revealed my attraction to either of them. It was time to put my head down, play the game, and have fun. That was it. That was all I needed to do.
So why would my palms not stop sweating? I was about to play a board game, not jump out of a plane. And it wasn’t the only thing I was struggling with. An old, familiar ache between my legs was something I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Talk about teenage behavior.
I was better than this. Or, I thought I was. I thought I was in control of my urges. Well, most of the time. Kevin had already made a few new ones appear that I wasn’t quite ready to address. Not yet, anyway, and definitely not with him.
He gave me a look that said it all when she leaned forward. He was more than a little interested, and brave enough to go for it. Dammit. It looked like I would be left to fantasize about the two of them together, rather than either of them with me. Even in my own fantasies, I was being left out.
The turns passed quickly and smoothly, taking me out of my head and into the game. It was so much easier than real life. There were agreed rules, structure, and goals. If only the chaos of my feelings could be so well organized.
Paisley was a sharp player, making optimal moves left and right, taking extra cards to tuck for more points, and laying eggs at the exact right time. It only made me want her more. Intelligent, curvy, and hot? I was in real trouble.
Mindy watched me struggling, smirking behind her cards but thankfully saying nothing. I was grateful for that small mercy, at the very least. Kevin had no such reservations. He openly flirted with Paisley and dragged me along for the ride.
“So, apart from your immaculate taste in bird-related clothing, tell us a little bit about yourself, Paisley.” He eased back in his chair, hooking his arm out until it was resting on the back of mine.
“What would you like to know?” She matched his confidence with a wry smirk.
“What brings you to our little club? What do you like to do for fun? If you’re single… you know, the basics.” He shot me a wink.
“Smooth,” I muttered under my breath. Paisley heard me and flashed a winning smile.
“I’m here to play board games, which is also what I do for fun.
” Her words dripped with sarcasm; she made little attempt to hide it.
“And as for single…” She let it hang for a moment, just long enough for Kevin to be ready to burst. “Yeah, I’m single.
Said goodbye to my terrible husband six months ago. ”
She sat a little taller, not looking at either of us, but happy to get the words out.
“Good for you. Men. They’re no good.” Mindy’s comic timing was perfect, as always.
“I’m sure your husband would love to hear you say that.” Kevin parried. Mindy waved him away. “Any reason your marriage didn’t work out? If that’s not too personal a question?” He spun that searchlight of his right back to Paisley without missing a beat.
“Oh, there are plenty. You want the long version or the short one?”
“Short.” Kevin took his turn. She narrowed her eyes at him. I couldn’t tell if it was hate or lust, or some strange mixture of the two.
“In the end, he wasn’t the man I married. He was unsupportive, unkind, and petty. And he couldn’t keep up with me in the bedroom….”
My eyes widened. She held my gaze and pursed her lips. If I wasn’t in love before, I was now.
Kevin was as stunned as I was. He thought he was controlling the conversation, that he was asking the questions. It turned out that Paisley had plans of her own.
“That’s….” Kevin blew out a sigh and shook his head.
“Hot.” I finished for him. All eyes at the table turned toward me.
I froze. I didn’t know why the word had slipped out, but it was out there now, hanging in the air between us and demanding someone address it.
Paisley shifted in her seat, her eyes searching mine. What was she looking for? I glanced around the room, hoping to stumble upon a hidden trapdoor situated directly under me, despite how futile that sounded, but she was looking for something else.
“I’m guessing you think you could rise to the task?” She pursed her lips. I swallowed hard and remained frozen.
What to say? Claim I would fuck her non-stop until we were both struggling to breathe? I wasn’t one to boast. Slink back and apologize? I wasn’t sorry for what I said, just that I’d said it without thinking.
“I could,” Kevin interjected, answering for me.
“Every man thinks that. Then he meets a woman with a high sex drive, and then he finds out how wrong he is.”
“Yeah? How so?” Kevin was riled up now, his pride insulted. I was simply glad to have been taken out of the equation to watch their back-and-forth.
“Two words. Multiple. Orgasms.”
“Ha!” Mindy offered her palm, and the two of them high-fived over her winning blow.
“They are two very persuasive words.” I found my voice again, shook my head at Kevin, and got ready to admit defeat.
“See. He knows. He must have been with a woman who actually likes sex.” Paisley flashed that smile again, and I was ready to propose.
“Not in a long time.” For the second time, I opened my mouth and immediately regretted it.
Paisley chuckled. Mindy gave me that sympathetic head tilt she always did when I complained about my lack of success with dating.
That wasn’t how Kevin reacted, though. He was already shifting, his arm lifting from behind my chair as he sat forward like he was about to interrogate Paisley or me.
I really hoped his attention would go to her.
“Aaron? He likes guys. Don’t you?” Nope. His searchlight found me.
I didn’t know what to say. Deny that I was into him, or deny I was into Paisley? To say I was into both of them felt not only greedy, but ambitious on a level I wasn’t.
“You’re embarrassing him. Stop it, Kevin.” Mindy jumped to my rescue.
I gave her a weak smile, played my move, and shrank back into my chair. Play passed to Kevin, and the spotlight moved away from me.
Paisley kept stealing coy glances at me, each one conjuring a new date, a new fictional scenario where we were together, or an entire relationship.
Kevin turned his attention back to the game, too. I wasn’t sure whether he’d accepted that Paisley had beaten him or was simply plotting his next move, but I was glad for the respite to try to get my head together.
I’d already put my foot in my mouth twice and needed Mindy to rescue me. Things weren’t going well, as far as first impressions went. Even if Kevin wasn’t showing an interest in her, I was pretty sure I’d blown it.
Nothing left to do but enjoy the night and resign all thoughts of her and me—and now possibly me and Kevin—to the realm of fantasy.
At least I was winning. Small potatoes, but I would take any win I could.