He cranked up the music a bit more, drowning out my chance to respond, but I had nothing to say. The words were said confidently, but sounded hollow. I let the silence between us linger until we parked at the lake and got out to walk down to the boat slip. I turned to check in with him before we boarded, but was pounced on from behind, nearly losing my footing on the dock.
“What’s up, brother! You ready to get your lake on?” Nate’s energetic shout rang in my ears as he clung to my back like a chimpanzee. I dropped him unceremoniously, but he just landed gracefully on his feet. Asshole.
“Hitting the sauce already, Nate?” I ribbed.
“I’ll have you know I’m as sober as a judge, Sir Rudeness. This is all God-given enthusiasm right here,” he grinned. “Hey, look at you bringing a date! Theo, right?”
I almost choked on my spit and saw Theo visibly blanch. His posture was rigid and he was regarding Nate with a mix of wariness and anger. I couldn’t understand where the latter was coming from. Nate definitely gave off unhinged squirrel energy, but he was harmless. But seeing it from Theo’s perspective, Nate was the best friend who had replaced him. My stomach curdled at the idea that Theo imagined he could ever be replaced.
Nate gave Theo a wide, genuine smile and held out his hand patiently. Theo finally shook it and gave a tight smile in return. “Nice to see you again.”
I nudged Nate to help me with the large cooler I’d brought, Theo tagging along behind us. The party boat was huge, a double decker monstrosity with a water slide attached at one end and a long floating mat at the other. It was already filled with at least twenty five people, half of whom I’d never seen before.
Kenji made his way to us and showed us where to drop our stuff. “Glad you guys could make it. Great timing too, we’re about to head out.”
We followed him onto the boat, and I quickly spotted Micah, Rhys, Fin, and Aly situated on one of the bench seats at the far end. They stood to hug me and Nate before turning their attention to Theo.
“Guys, you remember my friend Theo?” My emphasis on the wordfriendwas a signal that this was a fresh start for us all, and I saw their faces light with understanding.
“So glad you could make it!” Aly beamed, wrapping him in a huge hug while the others smiled and welcomed him. To my relief, Theo seemed to visibly relax at their warm greeting.
“Where are your men at by the way? Tossed them overboard already?” I teased once we’d sat down and the boat started to move.
“Captain Cal-drenaline decided to rent two jet skis to take out because the boat wasn’t enough,” Rhys explained with a dramatic eye roll. “So he and Bash took off a couple minutes ago to ‘test them out’, as they put it.”
Like clockwork, a buzz of engines and joyous shrieks zoomed by us, waves rippling in their wake. I could just make out Bash and Cal’s manic laughter as they raced away from us. By the time we reached the middle of the lake, they slowly maneuvered the jet skis to the edge of the boat and Kenji threw them each a tow rope.
“Fuck man, that’s the way to spend a day on the water!” Bash said happily as he climbed aboard.
“I wouldn’t know because my boyfriend ditched me before we even left the dock,” Micah jokingly griped. Bash snatched him around the waist and hauled him in for an obnoxiously sweet kiss that Micah melted under.
“Aw, don’t worry, baby. I’ll take you for a ride later.”
“We don’t need to hear the details of your bedroom exploits, Dupont. There’s not enough booze for that,” Cal smirked as he wrapped an arm around Rhys. He shook out his drenched curls like a dog drying off, all of us protesting as we got hit with the spray.
“You jealous, handsome?” Bash winked.
Their playful bickering continued as we were immersed in Kenji’s guests. I recognized a bunch of them from school, but most were from the lacrosse team. Of course, a good half of the crowd were girls in bikinis, so Nate was in heaven. I was amused watching Micah cling to Bash and shoot the evil eye at a couple of girls who attempted to flirt with him, but Nate was quick to swoop in for their attention.
“Your friends seem pretty awesome.”
I startled at Theo’s voice right behind me. He held out a beer bottle to me as he took a slow pull from the other one in his hand. There was a wistful look in his eyes that made me curious what he was thinking.
“Yeah, they’re the best. Do you have any friends back in Huntsville that you still talk to?”
“Not really.”
His tone said that was all to the conversation he was going to share. I couldn’t help wondering what had happened over there. We never really got into the reason he came home, but I could guess it wasn’t his idea. The thought made me inexplicably sad.
“Well, now that I’ve brought you around, these guys will suction to you like a squid. There’ll be no getting rid of them,” I joked awkwardly. Theo whispered something under his breaththat I couldn’t quite make out, but he plastered on that fake, bright smile before I could ask about it.
“Thanks for bringing me out by the way. Jet skis, drinks, and new squid-friends all in one day. Hell of a first date, Hayes,” he grinned cheekily, but his words threw me off kilter.
“Oh—well, you know, this isn’t…” I stammered, feeling my cheeks heat. Theo’s gaze dimmed and his smile slipped the slightest bit.
“Yeah, I know. Just friends,” he said dully. He drained his drink and pursed his lips. “I think I’m gonna go…mingle or whatever. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky and find myself an actual date.”
My stomach sloshed as I watched him walk away. Then it threatened to revolt as I watched him easily jump into conversation with a couple of the guys I recognized from the lacrosse team. I needed to get my shit together if this was going to work. I wasn’t going to lie to myself anymore and say that I didn’t still want Theo, but that ship hadn’t just sailed, it had crashed into an iceberg.
