“What do you mean I’m going out tonight?” I ask Cici incredulously after the bomb she dropped in my lap. Evidently, Braden is picking me up at nine and taking me downtown to the nightclub that Eli and Sebastian own.
“You’re here for a week, and last time, you didn’t do anything but wedding stuff. I thought it would be fun for you to go out in the city.”
“If you were going, it would be. I’m here to visit you and Abby.”
“Abby and I will both be sleeping. Come on, you’ll love it. And Lucy’s going.”
“I didn’t bring anything to wear.” Which is true, but I’ve also never been to a club. I mean, we have bars in Bozeman, but nothing remotely close to a dance club. Unless a barnwood floor and country music count. I suppose we have a couple of places with DJs on the weekends, but the barnwood floor doesn’t magically disappear.
“Nice try, but I’ve got a closet full of clothes that have been gathering dust for months. I’m dressing you up, and you’re going so I canhear all about it in the morning. I haven’t gone dancing in ages,” she says wistfully.
I groan my acceptance, “Fine. But I can just Uber. Braden doesn’t need to pick me up. It’s not a date.”
“It was his idea to take you. He figured you’d want to do something other than hang out at our place every day. I thought you two were getting along,” she says suspiciously.
“That’s one way to put it,” I mutter, realizing too late I said it out loud.
When he dropped me off two days ago, I was so consumed with Abby that I barely paid attention while he was there. Our interaction was minimal other than a quick thank you for the ride before he left. Not that I didn’t notice him watching me the whole time.
“What do you mean? Is he still being rude and coming on to you? I thought he stopped.”
Should I fess up to Cici about what happened? She is my best friend. And now that her life is in order, maybe it’s okay to unload a little. It’s now or never.
Taking a deep breath, I lead into it. “Please don’t be mad for not telling you sooner, but I didn’t want to say anything to distract you at your wedding.”
“What? Just spit it out.”
“Braden and I… we… went to his room during the reception and did it.” I end up rushing the words out.
“Did it? As in, did it, did it? You lost your virginity? With Braden?” She’s screeching at this point.
I nod as I cringe, knowing I should have told her right away, but also extremely relieved not to hide it anymore.
“Holy shit, Poppy! I can’t believe you’re just now telling me. What the hell. How? Oh my God, tell me everything. This is huge.” She’s smiling now, which is a positive sign she’s not angry at me for keeping it from her.
“I don’t know. I guess he just wore me down. We messed around a couple times andhe—”
“Wait. What do you mean bymessed around? When? Start at the beginning because I’m lost on how he went from a douchebag during the flight to the guy you had sex withat my wedding. You have a lot of explaining to do.”
She listens over the next thirty minutes as I recount everything from the hot tub incident to stolen kisses to finally ending up in bed. Her interruptions are abundant, with embarrassing questions pulling more and more details from me. By the time we’re finished, she knows every detail, including how incredible it was.
“Wow, so now what? Are you going to do it again?”
“Are you sure you’re not mad at me? You specifically warned me away, not to mention you had a thing for him at one point.”
“Oh my God, that was ages ago and so lame. I was a baby back then. And no, I’m not mad in the slightest. He’s a charmer, all right, I’ll give him that, and a very good-looking one. I just can’t believe you went for it. I mean, I thought you had a five-date minimum? I hope you know he’s not the relationship type.”
“I do—100%. I think that’s one of the reasons I did it, plus it was with someone I’d never have to see again. That was my thought process, anyway.”
“Smart, except you are seeing him again. And it better not be the last time you visit.” She scrunches her face.
I shake my head and groan. “I know. I wasn’t thinking that far ahead at the moment. I was a little distracted.”
Cici laughs. “Obviously. Well, you could always go for round two. This way, your body count will stay the same.”
“Oh my God, you’re terrible.” Although the minute the words are spoken, my mind considers the possibility.
“Nope, just smart. I say go for it. If you end up at his place tonight, I won’t hold it against you.”
