“Dude, we’re family. Could you not go there?” Hunter laughed because it’s rare he ever says anything objectifying about Taylor. Even if she heard him, he could probably get away with it pleading the fifth. Me? Not so much. I guessed that’s the problem when you build a carefree and reckless reputation, damn thing stuck like glue… and glitter–lots of irritating glitter. I was going to have to get Kristen to stop doing that to my mail. It ceased being cute after the second letter exploded in my eye necessitating a trip to the ER for an eye flush. The nurses on duty had a nice little chuckle over that while my place was becoming quite the fairy shit show. I dared not bring any females over for fear that Kristen would pop out of the closet to stab one. For frenemies she was particular and possessive about who hopped on the Demon Train to Hell even when she was throwing me back in the pond every opportunity she got.
“Man, I haven’t heard this band play live in years.” We listened to them play an original song called Lost and Found followed by another called Serendipity. For a band that specialized in covers they had something special with their original tracks. What I wanted was staring me right back in the face, but I held back from going after it because there was still the sting of all the years in between. Kristen blew hot and cold like bipolar weather. What we had right now was safe, but it wasn’t what I wanted in the least.
Hunter took a flying leap going for Taylor and they were happier than pigs in shit. Kristen changed her mind about as often as she did her panties. There was no way she’d go all in on something with me. She barely trusted me for something that happened when we were twelve and she’d been making me pay for it all these years. I tried to explain what she thought she heard and saw, but it fell on deaf ears and I couldn’t keep defending myself for something I wasn’t guilty of doing. Sure we hooked up secretly over the years and it was good for a while until one of us inevitably screwed it up. Okay, until I screwed it up, but still.
“Time to dance!” The girls must have gotten bored and finally pulled us out onto the dance floor. Taylor and Hunter paired off and suddenly I was left staring at a breathless Kristen.
“What? No cop tonight to haul my ass off for looking at you?” I husked. She nodded no as her skin glistened under the dim bar lights and time slowed down. If a camera panned around us they would have seen me clenching my fists afraid to touch her. Kristen was my unicorn. Elusive as hell and yet she magically pulled me in like a magnet. What she didn’t realize was that I would have done anything for her. Buy tampons, save the last bit of hot water from the hose for her, anything.
“Come on plumber, show me some crack.” Her eyebrow arched challenging me. The gauntlet had been thrown long before tonight and I was picking it up.
“Aw,” I chuckled sipping the last of my beer planting it on a bar top table near us. “Is that a compliment about my ass, Pebbles?”
“You wish, Demon.” She glared at me, but you couldn’t miss the twinkle in her eye that seemed much more than any alcohol she consumed before my arrival with Hunter.
“I don’t know, Pebbles,” I stood taller crossing my arms over my chest looking down on her, “Cause that sounded a whole lot like a compliment to my ears.”
She snorted rolling her eyes and spoke, “Well, you ought to clean them out. Come on let’s dance.” She shocked me with her next word that slayed me as she dragged me out to the floor next to my cousin and her best friend. “Please.”
“Alright.” I teased her, but I let my hands find her hips and danced in time with the beat while I pulled her back against my chest and rested one hand against her flat stomach that curved in when I touched her. I felt her shiver and waited for the push back, but this time none came and I rolled with it. We were all caught up in our own little worlds and I left caution to the wind against my better judgment and hoped this was it.
“Didn’t realize you could dance so well.” Her body moved in rhythm and I kept pace happy to have this moment for what it was.
“Did you forget prom already? We danced all night.” It was amazing the parts of our shared past she chose to remember and the ones she selectively forgot.
“Pfft, that was so you’d keep your hands to yourself.”
“Right…. So you want to come over later and watch Ghost Hunters with me?”
“If that’s code for fuck, then no, not tonight. I’m busy washing my hair.”
What I wanted to say was more like, ‘I want to wrap your hair around my fist and fuck you for hours into tomorrow,’ but it ended up coming out lame instead.
“Uh huh, well I should warn you Pebbles, I’m not that easy.” She rolled her eyes egging me on. The band went back to covers and a male voice belted out a well-known song by Beyoncé. “You better not introduce me to your parents unless you plan on putting a ring on it.”
“You’re crazy Demon.”
“No, I’m realistic, babe because once I meet them, they’re going to love me and ask about me for the rest of your life.” I tapped her nose watching it wrinkle with irritation. “You’re going to get sick of having to talk about me all the time with them and what could have been.” I lamented.
“Yeah, well, newsflash Neanderthal, we’ve been neighbors for over twenty years, I think they already know you playing football on dad’s team, and not once have they encouraged a relationship between us.”
“Pity. You’re all missing out.” I clenched my stomach anticipating the blow she’s going to sucker punch me with and I’m rewarded instantly.
“Do you think we can get through tonight without you getting drunk and trying to show me your penis for once?” She said grinning.
I held her in my arms swaying and maybe grinding my semi-hard-self into her hips chortling. “Seems highly unlikely, Pebbles.”
She leans back into me and looked up into my eyes, “Are there any episodes of Ghost Hunters left?”
“You wanna Netflix and chill?” I said wondering why she never asked me straight out what she wanted.
She snorted, “I was thinking we could hash out those bachelor party plans back at your place.” I had a feeling both Hunter and Taylor would be less than thrilled with us collectively but I was more than happy to give my cousin a sendoff into marital bliss.
“Sure.” I shrugged. I would take anything she was willing to give me. “Why are you still eyeballing my face?”
“No reason, except you have pink glitter right here.” She used her fingernail to brush off the offending sparkle.
“Yeah, can we talk about my mail too?” I thought about getting a post office box, but I was afraid I would actually miss out on her surprises if I did, however, something had to give if we weren’t going to be together and neither of us moved on.