“Please stop?—”
“—the condom came off inside me.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“It was the worst sex I’ve ever had. I was left fishing the condom out of my cervix.”
“How far up was it?”
“Much further than I expected his mediocre dick could reach.”
That’s an image I could’ve lived without.
Her shoulders slump. “Anyway, at least I got the book out of it.”
“Silver linings.”
The intercom buzzes and Gemma leaps up, rushing to let Anna in. She sweeps into Gemma’s flat, tote bag swinging on her shoulder. “Hiiiii!” she says, rushing towards me. She drops her bag beside the sofa and pulls me into a tight embrace, nearly crushing me in her arms.
“Hi, love,” I say with a smile, hugging her back.
Gemma eyes Anna’s bag. “You got the goods?”
“Yep,somany limes,” Anna replies with a grin.
Gemma grabs the tote and heads towards the kitchen, where I can only assume she’s about to make margaritas. Anna plops down on the sofa beside me, and I lean close to whisper, “Did she tell you about Evan?”
Anna throws her head back in a snorting laugh. “Ahh, yes,Ass-to-the-Wind Evan,” she says, shaking her head. “It’s one of her better stories.”
“It sounded fucking awful.”
“Ah well. You live and you learn. Speaking of—I can’t wait to hear about your evening, you promiscuous thing, you,” she says, giving my arm a playful poke.
“I’m going to need a drink for that.”
Her face falls. “Oh shit. What happened?”
“Let’s give Gemma a hand. I’ll fill you in once we’re all settled.”
Anna nods, and we join Gemma in the kitchen, slicing limes, salting glasses, and blending tequila with Cointreau, perfecting the margarita as we chat and catch up. We clink our glasses and take a sip. I fill a bowl with kettle crisps while Anna grabs hummus and crackers. With snacks in hand, we reconvene on the sofa. Gemma fiddles with her phone, tapping away until music flows through the portable speaker.
Both sets of eyes settle on me.
Excellent. I’m up.
I take a generous gulp of liquid courage, the tequila burning slightly as it goes down, before crossing my legs. I clear my throat.
“I’ll start off by saying that last night was, hands down, the best sex I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Way to rub it in,” Gemma huffs.
Anna slaps my thigh with a grin. “Atta girl.”
I clench my jaw, and the smile slips from her face.
“Alright,” she says, her eyes narrowing. “Tell us. Start from the beginning.”
I fill Anna in from the moment Gemma and I got home last night, all the way to waking up in James’s flat this morning. They nod, giggle, and laugh at all the right moments, fully engaged in the story. I can tell they’re both thinking the same thing—that James is adorable, thoughtful, and sweet. And he is, which makes me hesitate to share what comes next.
