He ordered three beers and turned to Gemma. “Now what were you saying?”
“I was saying that if both of us are still not married at thirty-five, we should get married to each other so we don’t have to grow old alone.”
“Will I be able to have flings with dudes on the side?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, I’m in.”
“That sounds like a great arrangement,” Jordan added with a laugh. “But, Neil, just in case you forgot, Gemma has an insatiable sexual appetite, which I don’t think you’re capable of fulfilling.”
“She’s right, Gem. You’ve got tits and I’m scared of vaginas. They have teeth. I’m not sure if I’d be able to get it up for you.”
“Neil, you’re gay,” Gemma argued, “so being sexually creative is part and parcel of who you are. I’m sure we can find other things to do.”
A waiter came to the table and placed a beer in front of each of them. Neil cracked it open and took a sip. “I ain’t muff-diving. I don’t even know how to do that shit.”
“Well, you gon’ learn!”
Jordan choked on her beer at Gemma’s adamant response. Conversations with these two were always so bizarre yet so entertaining.
“What time is Tyler coming?” Neil said, shifting his focus to her.
“He should be here any minute. And will you guys please try to behave yourselves.”
“Impossible,” Gemma chirped.
“I like him,” Neil continued. “He passed the test.”
Jordan smiled to herself. Neil did that with all her boyfriends, put them through rigorous tests of awkwardness. Not necessarily flirting like what he’d done with Tyler. Mostly it was just inapt banter to see if Boyfriend X would fit into their little circle of friends. Brian, the douche-face, had failed hopelessly. He couldn’t stand Neil and hated Gemma from the second they’d met. That should have been the first clue that the relationship was doomed for disaster. Tyler, however, had surprised her. His reaction to Neil was just so…Tyler.
Honest and weird. And oddly enough, Gemma and Neil seemed to like that about him. Shereallyliked that about him. The way his awkward personality blended so perfectly with everyone around her, her friends, her family, her pets and most importantly, he clicked with her.
She had worked for him for two years and not once had she imagined that this embodiment of weirdness would ever appeal to her. She’d dated a few men before him and with everyguy there’d been compatibility on the surface and no substance beneath. On the surface, she had nothing in common with Tyler, yet she felt a connection to him far deeper than anything she’d experienced before.
“He really is something,” Gemma added. “And funny…though I don’t think he means to be. Best believe, we’re gonna be asking him to come out with us again.”
“Let’s first see how tonight goes.”
She looked up and saw Tyler coming through the door and he’d brought Matthew along. The fact that Matt was there meant he was more afraid than he’d let on.
Tyler in jeans was just as sexy as Tyler in running gear and the black shirt he wore exposed that lickable spot on his neck. Thoughts flashed through her mind, thoughts of that chest against hers, those hands on her body, those hips between her legs… Did it just get hot in here?
“Who’s that with Tyler?” Neil asked as they made their way through the crowd.
“That’s Matthew. His best friend. They’re sorta like brothers.”
“I call dibs,” Gemma yelled.
Neil gritted his teeth. “Jordan, you’re a selfish cow!”
“What?” she snickered. “What’d I do?”
“So he does kinda have a brother, who, by the way, is also super cute, and you don’t tell me about it. Now Gemma’s called dibs.” He slumped back against the seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Guess I’m the fifth wheel tonight.”
“Matt’s not gay either, Neil.”
“Most guys aren’t gay until they meet me.”
