Josh and Elena let the music move them, their asses bouncing and shaking with the beat, and Riley couldn’t help but be completely mesmerized by the movement of Josh's body, not even noticing Elena.
How does he move like that?
Riley had always been an ass man, but he’d never expected to be so enthralled with Josh’s. His margarita must have been getting to him faster than he thought.
After the song, everyone voted and it was a tie. The downside of having an equal number of people.
“Bullshit,” Elena grumbled as she sat next to Cole.
Josh slipped under the water to take off Abby’s bathing suit and put on his own, and Riley did his best to keep his eyes turned away.
“Hailey, truth or dare?” Cole said.
She looked at Avery, his dirty blond hair matted to his forehead, and he gave her a nod, offering her some much-needed confidence.
“Um, okay, d-dare,” she said nervously, fidgeting in her seat.
“I dare you to make out with Elena.”
Hailey’s jaw dropped and she looked at Avery again. They were a team, like Riley and Josh. Wait, no, not like him and Josh because they weren’t a real couple.
His mind raced, and he lost track of everything. The next time he returned his focus to the game, Hailey and Elena were kissing, Hailey’s hand trembling as she started to caress Elena’s shoulder, Elena’s hands sure as she moved them across Hailey’s back.
Riley managed to avoid getting hard over his friends, until he heard a small whimper come from Josh. That sound had his brain crashing. He had to get out of here before he did something he’d regret. Everyone was distracted and didn’t notice him climbing out of the hot tub, but he heard a splash of water and footsteps closing in behind him. He made it all the way to their room before Josh caught up.
“Ri, what’s going on?” Josh said, panting from running after him, both of them dripping everywhere since they hadn’t even bothered to grab a towel. “Are you okay?”
With each heaving breath, Josh’s abs flexed and Riley cursed himself for noticing. He shouldn’t be getting turned on by his best friend. It wasn’t right.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he said, his voice breaking. “It was getting a little too intense for me. I think I’m gonna crash. Alcohol is starting to hit me hard.”
Josh nodded supportively and brightened. It was the look he got every time he had a fun idea.
“I think it’s a good night for a pillow party!” he shouted.
That was exactly why he couldn’t lose Josh as his best friend. They were practically brothers.
When they were kids, they invented this game to play every time one of them was feeling off. They’d get in bed and pull the blankets over the headboard, making a little fort. Then, they’d settle on their pillows and spend the rest of the night brainstorming ways to ruin movie, television show or book titles by replacing the last word withpoop.
Yes, it was immature. Yes, it was stupid. But it always got them out of their heads and laughing, making them nostalgic for when they had way less worries as kids.
Once they were dried off and in their pajamas, which were T-shirts and their underwear, they settled on their pillows under their tiny fort and took turns spouting ridiculous titles.
“Monty Python and the Holy Poop,” Riley said.
“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Poop,” Josh joked.
“A Midsummer Night’s Poop.”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Poop.”
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Poops.”
It wasn’t long before sleep chased away all their worries.
8
MY FAVORITE SONG PLAYED on the radio and I danced in my carseat to the beat. It wouldn’t distract me for long though, because we were on a mission.
