Girlfriend.
I know we told our friends we were dating but it’s so weird to hear someone say it.
“Oh, no, that’s okay,” I say, ignoring the side look I get from Annica.
“You know what?” Asher smiles, digging his finger into the icing of his cake and smearing some onto his lips. “I should kiss my girlfriend.” He gets up from the chair and comes toward me.
“Asher, don’t you dare!” I try to run around the table but he’s faster as he grabs me around the waist and manages to plant a kiss to my cheek, covering it in blue icing. I grab a napkin from the table to wipe it off and Asher pulls up another chair next to him.
Wes gets up from the table.
“Your lips are blue now,” I say to Asher after he wipes away the icing on them.
He leans in a little so that our shoulders are touching. “Yours could be too.” Then he gets even closer and, oh my god, he’s going in for a kiss. In front of all our friends.
I pull away. “Later,” I say, in case anyone is listening.
Asher doesn’t pull away; he just leans in farther to whisper, “Speaking of later.” His voice in my ear raises goose bumps on my arms. “I’m coming home with you.”
My heart starts to beat wildly in my chest. Coming home with me? “For what?” I ask.
“There’s a girl I’m seeing that lives in your complex. She also has a birthday gift for me, one that’s a little less appropriate to give in front of my friends.”
I turn my head toward his so that our noses are practically touching. “You want me to drop you off at another girl’s place?” I say in a hushed, irritated tone.
The corner of his mouth upturns. “Unless you were planning on giving me this very particular gift—”
“I’ll drop you off.” I turn back toward the table, regretting coming here.
“Great.” He smiles. “Could you grab me another beer?”
“You have a full one,” I say, looking at the one on the table.
“Well, it’s my birthday, and I would like another one.” He nods toward the bar, and I turn to see Wes standing over there.
I give him a tight smile. “Of course, coming right up.” I walk up to the bar and stand beside Wesley.
“Hey, stranger,” he says. “Haven’t seen you around. Are you doing okay?”
I huff a nervous laugh. “Uh, yeah, just working a lot and... school.”
“Right.” Wes nods before turning to me. “Well, I miss you.”
I think of when I said that to him at Annica’s party and he looked like I had told him I loved him. Maybe I should have. I should’ve just told him I’m in love with him and he’d either have to accept or deny it. The games would be over. But I didn’t say it then, and I won’t now. “You do?”
“Yeah,” he says. “You know, as a friend.”
“As a friend, right.”
Wes leans in to talk over the music. “I’m super stoked you’re coming on the trip. I think you’ll love it,” he says with a small smile that elicits one from me.
The bartender hands him his drink as Asher walks over.
“You ready to go?” he says to me.
“What? No, I just got here.”
Wes looks at Asher and says, “Yeah, why don’t you guys hang out a little longer?”
