Julie Piers had not changed since the last time he’d seen her. Her dark brown hair was still shoulder-length,perfectly styled in loose waves. Her almond-shaped brown eyes reflected her mother’s Asian heritage and were perfectly made up to accentuate their brilliance. She was wearing a dark red dress Lance had never seen before, carrying one of her matching, designer handbags Lance had never understood her obsession with. Despite her cover model appearance, he felt nothing more than superficial familiarity, like running into an old acquaintance at the supermarket. It seemed strange to be so completely detached so soon after their recent breakup. Nevertheless, there was no trace left of the feelings he’d once had for her.
“Just hey? That’s all you’re going to say to me?” she asked, disgruntled by his lackluster response.
“Uh—” was all he could manage as she stepped closer.
“Well, come on then, give me a hug,” she demanded, holding out her arms expectantly.
Lance hugged her politely then stepped back out of reach. He really didn’t want her manicured claws on him again any time soon. Better still, make that never again.
“How have you been? Business alright?” Her well-practiced, toothpaste commercial smile that he didn’t trust was firmly in place.
“Things are good, yeah,” he replied, looking down and then over at Tanner, deliberately avoiding her gaze and wishing with every cell in his body that she’d just disappear. Tanner, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease and smiled at the two of them.
“Eh—Julie, this is Tanner—Tanner, this is Julie, my ex.” He could feel sweat trickling down his back during the introduction. He didn’t know what to say or do about the elephant moseying across the courtyard.
“Pleasure,” Tanner said, extending a hand, which she shook briefly.
“Tanner, huh? I don’t recall Lance ever mentioning you. Did you go to college with him?” She examined Tanner—or maybe appraised was a better word for it.
“No, ma’am,” Tanner replied cordially, shooting Lance a quick look that asked,“What do you want me to say next?”
Lance had no idea where to go from here. And Julie was obviously waiting for him to speak up.
“So, Julie, are you here alone?” He was desperate to steer her away from the Tanner situation and, hopefully, leave posthaste.
“God no!” she replied, shaking her head vigorously and giving a shudder. Her reaction didn’t exactly surprise him. He’d never bring her to a place like this. If he had, she’d have skewered him and never let him live it down. That alone said a lot about their compatibility, or lack thereof. “It’s my nephew’s birthday and he begged us to come here,” she said, with the same measure of enthusiasm one might show when going to visit the dentist.
“It’s a cool place,” Lance remarked, feeling oddly protective of its casual, fun atmosphere even though it was new to him. “Tonight’s my first time. The wings are amazing!”
Julie looked him up and down, snorting like he’d said something patently ridiculous. Then her gaze sharpened with interest.
“Are you—” she looked around, realizing there was just the two of them, “waiting for some friends to join you or—?”
“We’re on a date,” Tanner said, smiling broadly, eyes twinkling with merriment. He seemed so relaxed, acting as if he always dated men, so there couldn’t possibly be a problem. He was so confident that it took every ounce of control Lance had to hold back his laughter.
Julie turned to Lance to say something, but Tanner kept going.
“So, if you wouldn’t mind—” his tonejokinglydismissing her, as he nodded towards the kids’ party table across the courtyard. He was authoritative yet good-natured as he smiled and casually waved his hand in the kids’ direction, encouraging her to move along. Lance couldn’t help but smile in open admiration, vastly enjoying Tanner’s unique brand of showmanship.
Julie gave a soft chuckle of disbelief as she assessed Tanner from head-to-toe. After a moment of deliberation, she turned back to Lance and nodded approvingly.
“You did pretty good,” she whispered, leaning towards him conspiratorially like they were old friends. “You boys have fun,” she added in a normal tone of voice, winking at them before she walked off.
Tanner relaxed back in his seat, laughing at what had just transpired. Lance smiled, loving Tanner’s straightforward, no-shits-given attitude. And he was reminded once more why he’d fallen ass over heels for Tanner.
“Was that okay?” Tanner asked.
“Fine, yeah—just—” he shrugged and gave a wry laugh, still a little dazed by how Tanner chose to handle Julie’s interruption of their date.
“I didn’t mean tooutus, but I also didn’t know—I mean—” Tanner struggled to find the right words.
“No, no!” Lance said, holding up a hand to stop him. Smiling, he reached for Tanner’s hand. “That was perfect,” he reassured him. Lance took a deep breath of relief as he thought about Tanner’s deft handling of her and his own sense of awkwardness when she’d first walked up to them. “You’re absolutely perfect.” He lifted Tanner’s hand to kiss the back of it gently. Tanner looked away, pretend-gagging at the sweetness of the gesture, but he couldn’t disguise his blush.
Lance had expected Julie’s sudden appearance to cast a shadow over their evening, but it didn’t. They carried on as if she’d been nothing but a fly, having buzzed in, and then, just as quickly, left again. They resumed their efforts to outdo one another in bowling, with Lance kicking Tanner’s ass repeatedly, as they sucked down more beer and snacked on wings. By the time they left, they were more than ready to head home and get naked.
As soon as the front door closed behind them, Tanner pushed Lance up against the door and began kissing him voraciously while tugging at his clothing.
“Too many layers,” he whined. Lance chuckled and tugged off Tanner’s shirt, before pulling his own over his head. Dropping their clothes along the way, they headed for the stairs. His hands worked Lance’s fly while simultaneously pulling his pants down and walking backwards. It was a glorious sight to Lance, if a slightly amusing one, as he watched Tanner’s features contort in concentration as he navigated the steps carefully while hungrily groping Lance’s body. They tripped a few times on their way up, giggling whenever they hit the wall or banister. By the time they reached the bedroom, Lance was down to his underwear, and Tanner was staring at him like a starved lion stalking a gazelle. Except the furthest thing from Lance’s mind was the urge to run away.
