A Love Letter to Whiskey
Page 35
She was smiling so big, her and Ethan both waiting for my answer. I sucked my lips between my teeth before letting them go and clapping my hands on my thighs. “I think that sounds amazing! I need a drink. Be right back.”
I hopped up before either of them could say anything else and made a beeline for the keg. It wasn’t whiskey, but it’d do.
After I filled my drink, I wandered around for a while, deciding not to worry about Jenna. She was a big girl, and clearly she knew what she wanted to do tonight. Thinking about it just made me sick so I avoided it, prancing from group to group before finally making my way back over to Ethan.
Except Jamie and Jenna were at the same fire pit now.
Perfect.
I took my place in Ethan’s lap again and his hand found my hip, pulling me closer. “Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t want you to think I didn’t enjoy that kiss, because I definitely did,” he said, pressing his lips to my shoulder. “It’s just that Shayla was in the middle of that whole campaign conversation and I was worried she’d feel weird.”
“It’s fine, I probably should have taken a breath before mauling your face.”
He smiled, teeth bright even in the low light from the fire. “I kind of like when you maul my face.” He leaned in then, taking my chin between his thumb and knuckles and kissing me sweetly. My eyes flitted to where Jamie sat on the bench catty-corner to us, but his were on Jenna — focused, like he always was.
Ethan still held my chin as he pulled back, eyes searching mine. “Did you want to talk now?”
“What?” I asked, returning his gaze but still somehow acutely aware of Jamie’s movements.
“You wanted to talk earlier. Everything okay?”
Shit. Suddenly, the idea of telling Ethan terrified me — especially after the amount of Jack Daniels I’d consumed. Seeing his gentle face in the light of the fire twisted the knot in my chest. He deserved to know, and I still planned on telling him.
But not tonight.
“You know, it’s nothing really. Let’s just enjoy ourselves tonight.”
Ethan’s eyebrows pinched together. “You sure?”
Nodding, I leaned in for another kiss, silencing his worry with my lips. “I’m sure.”
Even with my heart breaking over what I was keeping from Ethan, I still wondered if Jamie was watching us kiss, and I almost couldn’t hide my disappointment when I pulled back from Ethan’s lips and discovered that he wasn’t.
I might as well have been dead to him.
Maybe I was.
“We should play a game,” I announced to the group, sipping from my cup.
Jenna clapped her hands together. “Oh! Yes! How about Never Have I Ever?”
“Classic choice, bestie,” I air-cheers-ed her and she winked, lifting her cup, too.
“We’re a little old for games, don’t you think?” Jamie’s voice boomed. He was finally looking at me for the first time since he and Jenna had walked away, but I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the fire.
“You don’t have to play. Tina just showed up, why don’t you go get her a drink and leave us kids alone?” I said it with a smile, but my condescending tone was evident.
Jenna eyed me before turning her gaze to Jamie. “Girlfriend?”
Jamie was frowning, but I kept smiling sweetly. “No. B has some weird obsession with my Economics project partner and can’t let it go.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Stay or go, I don’t care. Ethan, you go first.”
Ethan looked uncomfortable, his eyes wary as he glanced around the fire, but he conceded. “Okay. Never have I ever had a one-night stand.”
Jamie and Jenna drank, smiling at each other over the rims of their cups. Jamie’s eyes fell on me next, and I saw the challenge in them before he even spoke. “Not drinking, B?”
“Nope.” The word popped off my lips. “Your turn.”
“You’ve never had a one-night stand?” he questioned, leaning his elbows on his knees. One eyebrow lifted as he waited for the response stuck in my throat.
“I was her first,” Ethan said confidently, pulling me in close and kissing my neck. “Her only.”
Guilt rolled through my stomach like a rock slide and I hastily kissed him back, keeping my eyes off Jamie’s.
“How sweet,” Jenna cooed.
“Yeah. So sweet,” Jamie agreed. “So, my turn, huh? Hmmm… Never have I ever had a threesome.”
Jenna and I smiled across the fire at each other, thinking about the promise we’d made to each other years ago that if we ever had a threesome, it had to involve the other. But the smile slid from my face when Ethan took a drink.
“Wait, seriously?”
Ethan cringed, like a dog with his tail between his legs. “I was a freshman, I thought it was cool at the time. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Oh,” I replied softly, wondering why he’d never mentioned it before.
“Are you mad?”
It clicked then why Jamie had asked that question and I glared at him over the flames. He just smirked.
“Of course not,” I assured Ethan. “It was before me. No big deal.” I smiled to seal that lie and he pulled me in closer, kissing my neck as I took a drink and nodded to Jenna. “Your turn.”
“Oh! Never have I ever gotten a tattoo,” she said excitedly, scanning the fire. When none of us drank, she pouted. “Damn, we need a little excitement in our lives.”
I laughed, but then snapped my fingers together. “You know what? We should get tats before you leave.”
“Seriously?” she squeaked.
“Hell yeah! Why not? We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Oh my God! I’m in!” Jenna bounced as Shayla slid into the open spot next to Ethan, handing him a new beer and taking a drink of her own.
“What’s up?”
“We’re playing Never Have I Ever. Wanna play?” I asked.
“Sure!”
I waved my hand, tilting my cup to my lips. “Floor’s all yours.”
“Hmm…. Never have I ever had sex on the beach.”
I choked, beer filling my nose as Ethan rubbed my back. “You alright?”
Nodding, I stood quickly, keeping my eyes off Jamie. I didn’t need to see his cocky smile to know it was sitting on his perfect face. “Fine. I’m going to get a refill.”
I hopped up before either of them could say anything else and made a beeline for the keg. It wasn’t whiskey, but it’d do.
After I filled my drink, I wandered around for a while, deciding not to worry about Jenna. She was a big girl, and clearly she knew what she wanted to do tonight. Thinking about it just made me sick so I avoided it, prancing from group to group before finally making my way back over to Ethan.
Except Jamie and Jenna were at the same fire pit now.
Perfect.
I took my place in Ethan’s lap again and his hand found my hip, pulling me closer. “Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t want you to think I didn’t enjoy that kiss, because I definitely did,” he said, pressing his lips to my shoulder. “It’s just that Shayla was in the middle of that whole campaign conversation and I was worried she’d feel weird.”
“It’s fine, I probably should have taken a breath before mauling your face.”
He smiled, teeth bright even in the low light from the fire. “I kind of like when you maul my face.” He leaned in then, taking my chin between his thumb and knuckles and kissing me sweetly. My eyes flitted to where Jamie sat on the bench catty-corner to us, but his were on Jenna — focused, like he always was.
Ethan still held my chin as he pulled back, eyes searching mine. “Did you want to talk now?”
“What?” I asked, returning his gaze but still somehow acutely aware of Jamie’s movements.
“You wanted to talk earlier. Everything okay?”
Shit. Suddenly, the idea of telling Ethan terrified me — especially after the amount of Jack Daniels I’d consumed. Seeing his gentle face in the light of the fire twisted the knot in my chest. He deserved to know, and I still planned on telling him.
But not tonight.
“You know, it’s nothing really. Let’s just enjoy ourselves tonight.”
Ethan’s eyebrows pinched together. “You sure?”
Nodding, I leaned in for another kiss, silencing his worry with my lips. “I’m sure.”
Even with my heart breaking over what I was keeping from Ethan, I still wondered if Jamie was watching us kiss, and I almost couldn’t hide my disappointment when I pulled back from Ethan’s lips and discovered that he wasn’t.
I might as well have been dead to him.
Maybe I was.
“We should play a game,” I announced to the group, sipping from my cup.
Jenna clapped her hands together. “Oh! Yes! How about Never Have I Ever?”
“Classic choice, bestie,” I air-cheers-ed her and she winked, lifting her cup, too.
“We’re a little old for games, don’t you think?” Jamie’s voice boomed. He was finally looking at me for the first time since he and Jenna had walked away, but I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the fire.
“You don’t have to play. Tina just showed up, why don’t you go get her a drink and leave us kids alone?” I said it with a smile, but my condescending tone was evident.
Jenna eyed me before turning her gaze to Jamie. “Girlfriend?”
Jamie was frowning, but I kept smiling sweetly. “No. B has some weird obsession with my Economics project partner and can’t let it go.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Stay or go, I don’t care. Ethan, you go first.”
Ethan looked uncomfortable, his eyes wary as he glanced around the fire, but he conceded. “Okay. Never have I ever had a one-night stand.”
Jamie and Jenna drank, smiling at each other over the rims of their cups. Jamie’s eyes fell on me next, and I saw the challenge in them before he even spoke. “Not drinking, B?”
“Nope.” The word popped off my lips. “Your turn.”
“You’ve never had a one-night stand?” he questioned, leaning his elbows on his knees. One eyebrow lifted as he waited for the response stuck in my throat.
“I was her first,” Ethan said confidently, pulling me in close and kissing my neck. “Her only.”
Guilt rolled through my stomach like a rock slide and I hastily kissed him back, keeping my eyes off Jamie’s.
“How sweet,” Jenna cooed.
“Yeah. So sweet,” Jamie agreed. “So, my turn, huh? Hmmm… Never have I ever had a threesome.”
Jenna and I smiled across the fire at each other, thinking about the promise we’d made to each other years ago that if we ever had a threesome, it had to involve the other. But the smile slid from my face when Ethan took a drink.
“Wait, seriously?”
Ethan cringed, like a dog with his tail between his legs. “I was a freshman, I thought it was cool at the time. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Oh,” I replied softly, wondering why he’d never mentioned it before.
“Are you mad?”
It clicked then why Jamie had asked that question and I glared at him over the flames. He just smirked.
“Of course not,” I assured Ethan. “It was before me. No big deal.” I smiled to seal that lie and he pulled me in closer, kissing my neck as I took a drink and nodded to Jenna. “Your turn.”
“Oh! Never have I ever gotten a tattoo,” she said excitedly, scanning the fire. When none of us drank, she pouted. “Damn, we need a little excitement in our lives.”
I laughed, but then snapped my fingers together. “You know what? We should get tats before you leave.”
“Seriously?” she squeaked.
“Hell yeah! Why not? We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Oh my God! I’m in!” Jenna bounced as Shayla slid into the open spot next to Ethan, handing him a new beer and taking a drink of her own.
“What’s up?”
“We’re playing Never Have I Ever. Wanna play?” I asked.
“Sure!”
I waved my hand, tilting my cup to my lips. “Floor’s all yours.”
“Hmm…. Never have I ever had sex on the beach.”
I choked, beer filling my nose as Ethan rubbed my back. “You alright?”
Nodding, I stood quickly, keeping my eyes off Jamie. I didn’t need to see his cocky smile to know it was sitting on his perfect face. “Fine. I’m going to get a refill.”
