The music isn’t quite as loud on the upper level, and it’s not nearly as humid or crowded. Beck leads the way to a section of unoccupied couches and plops down, pulling Maddy onto his lap.
“We should get drinks,” Caleb calls out to us. “I’ll be right back.” He heads for the VIP bar, as Beck kisses Maddy’s neck, causing her to giggle.
I stay standing, peering out across the dance floor below and feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves. It feels like I’ve leveled up both my relationship with my two best friendsandmy relationship with Maddy. But I’m still trying to wrap my head around what transpired on that conference room table.
That was incredible.
I just have no idea how the rest of the world will view the fact that Maddy belongs to all of us. I try to imagine that conversation with my parents, cringe inwardly, and then push it away.
Fuck that. I don’t need to think about that yet.
“Drinks!” Maddy squeals, and I readjust my focus.
“I’m back!” Caleb grins, holding up a tray of shots. Maddy claps, jumps to her feet, and grabs her tequila shot and a lime. I skip the lime, opting not to chase it. The four of us clink the glasses and throw them back.
It burns. But damn, it feels good as Maddy grabs my neck and brings her lips to mine. I kiss her, my tongue tasting the tartness of the lime on her lips.
“Fuck,” I groan as she brushes her ass against me. I’m thoroughly enjoying watching her bounce around with a kind of childlike joy.
“More drinks!” Beck stands to his feet, pumping a fist in the air.
I laugh at him, placing a hand on Maddy’s hips, as she sways in front of me, tipping her head back and meeting my gaze.
“You’re beautiful,” I kiss her once more, and then let her drift over to dance with Caleb. I watch the two of them interact, expecting to feel jealous again…
But I don’t. I just feel happy.
And the drinks keep coming. Maddy alternates between water and cocktails, which I respect. Meanwhile, Beck is on a mission to test the limits of his liver, pounding shots. Caleb sips his whiskey and watches everything, smiling and nodding along to the beat. It’s a strangely perfect balance between the four of us.
After a half hour of drinking, Maddy leans in, eyeing all of us. “I want to dance. Who’s going to join me?”
Beck bursts into a grin. “Fuck yes. I got you, Maddy Girl.” He’s up immediately, his hand out. Maddy takes it, and he leads her to the VIP dance floor, moving with a drunken, reckless confidence that draws stares in pure Beck fashion.
I stay perched on the arm of the couch, nursing a gin and tonic, watching them disappear into the strobe-lit mass. Caleb follows my gaze, his eyes narrowed as they meet mine.
“He’s good for her,” I say, realizing that Beck might be the only one out of the three of us who likes to have a drunken good time. Or even dance for that matter.
Caleb nods, then takes a sip. “Are you fighting the jealousy?”
I give him a look. “About what?”
“About Beck being the good time guy.” He turns the glass in his hand. “That we might not be fun enough for her.”
I watch the dance floor, where Beck spins Maddy, her laughter visible rather than audible with all the noise. “I thinkwe’re needed to balance out how much fun Beck is. He might betoo muchfun.”
Caleb snorts. “That’s the truth. He’s the fun one, I’m the sensitive one, and you’re the one who makes the decisions.”
“Damn,” I frown, “That makes me sound like a dictator.”
“Nah, you’re just the protective type.”
There’s a long silence, filled only by the club’s manufactured thunder of music.
I down the rest of my drink and set my glass down. “Maybe we shouldn’t be so uptight. Then we can be the fun ones, too.”
He shakes his head, but then pauses, gesturing to Maddy. “She looks happy.”
She and Beck have found a rhythm, not quite in sync with the music but perfectly attuned to each other. She throws her head back and smiles, and he dips her, not caring that his drink sloshes over his shoes.
