The boys had started playing poker in the living room a few minutes ago. They were laughing and cursing. I wasn't even sure if they knew I was home. Rory was definitely there. I recognized his laugh. I loved his laugh.
For some reason I was incredibly nervous to leave my room. I hadn't seen Rory since the shower incident. And now I needed to lie to him and say I had a hot date. Would they all be able to tell I was lying? "You can do this," I said to myself in the mirror.
I took a deep breath and walked out into the hallway. Rory, Jackson, and Connor were all sitting around the poker table.
"Hey, guys!"
All of their heads turned toward me.
"Damn, Keira, you look amazing." Connor pulled out the seat next to him. "I'll deal you in. We were wondering when you were going to show up."
"Oh, sorry, I can't join you guys tonight." I leaned against the armrest of the couch.
"But you were going to be our fourth. We're not stripping this time," Jackson added.
I laughed. "Well that doesn't sound nearly as enticing."
"We can play strip poker if you want," Connor said and winked at me.
"I'm really sorry, guys, but I completely forgot that it was poker night. I made plans."
"That's fine. Just invite them over here," Jackson said. "The more people, the more fun. Especially if we're switching to strip poker again. New meat!"
New meat? Sometimes the things Jackson said sounded awfully gay. "No, I mean I can't play."
"Why?"
"Actually, I have a date tonight." I smiled to myself, hoping that it would look like I was really excited to see the sexy man I was going on a date with.
"Well, a little heads up would have been nice," Rory said.
"I'm sorry." Rory seemed on edge tonight. He wasn't his usual calm, collected, self. But he was still sexy as hell. He looked cute when he was brooding. It actually seemed like he was jealous. He was probably just still uncomfortable from the shower incident, though. And he should have been. I still couldn't believe I had actually done that.
"Oh. Is he picking you up? Do we get to meet him?" Jackson asked. "I think we're all a little curious about what type of guys you usually date." He smiled at me.
"No, I'm meeting him at a restaurant downtown in a bit."
"He sounds like a dick," Rory said.
Connor pushed Rory's shoulder. "Chill, man." He had whispered it, but I still heard him.
Chill? Chill from what? "It's actually the guy I met at the bar the other night, Rory. Did you tell your friends about my awesome wingman skills?"
Rory laughed. But it wasn't his normal, cheery laugh. It was short and forced. "Yeah, you were okay."
"What? I was awesome! The last time I saw Rory that night, he was making out with the girl I introduced him to. And he didn't come home that night...so I can only assume that meant my services were a success."
Connor laughed. "You're awfully cocky. Next time Jackson and I will have to come check out your skills."
"And I'm extremely picky," Jackson said.
"I think I can handle it. I'm pretty much a pro now."
Rory laughed. This time it was his normal, captivating laugh. Whatever had been bothering him didn't seem like an issue anymore.
"Okay, well, I should probably head out. Sorry again, guys."
"Have fun, Keira," Jackson said.
"Don't play strip poker without me!" I said as I walked over to the door.
All three of them laughed as I closed the door behind me. Now I just needed to find something to do for a few hours.
***
I sat down in my favorite ice cream shop with a huge bowl of forbidden chocolate. My appetite had finally returned after reading in the park until it grew too dark to see. And this ice cream was the best. I needed to go on dates with myself more often.
I stared out the window, watching the people walk past on the sidewalk. Ice cream and people watching would definitely occupy me long enough. I wondered if they'd still be playing poker when I got home. It was silly, but I kind of wanted to play. I liked hanging out with them.
Rory and Connor appeared at the window of the ice cream shop.
Wait. What?
Rory turned and looked through the window as they walked by.
Shit! I quickly ducked down. Please don't see me. I got down on my hands and knees underneath the table. A few of the other patrons laughed. Shut up!
There was a ding as the ice cream shop's door opened, alerting the people at the counter that a new customer had arrived.
Please don't be Rory. Please oh please.
I saw two pairs of men's sneakers slowly approaching me. Shit! Maybe I can crawl by them. I'd be out of the door in no time if they were just heading to the counter.
"I could have sworn I saw her," Rory said.
Oh God, it's them. I felt my cheeks turn crimson. I cringed as one of the pairs of shoes stopped right in front of me. The familiar scent of cinnamon entered my nose. I had never noticed how big Rory's feet were before. Maybe that old saying about penis size and shoe sizes being correlated was actually true.
"Keira?" Rory said.
Part of me was hoping that he still couldn't see me. I closed my eyes tight, somehow thinking if I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me either.
"Keira, are you okay?" Rory put his hand down for me.
"Oh, hi, guys." I could feel my face turning an even brighter red. I grabbed Rory's hand and he pulled me to my feet. "I just dropped my earring." I laughed awkwardly.
Rory starred at me. "Both of them?"
"What?" I quickly put my fingers on my earlobes. Shit, I'm not even wearing earrings. "Yeah, I guess so. But they weren't on the floor. I must have lost them earlier at the park." Why the hell did I just say that?
"I thought you were going out to dinner?" Rory and Connor looked at each other.
"Right. I did. And then we went for a walk in the park. It was very romantic." I was completely flustered. I had been playing it so cool around Rory, but now I was spiraling out of control. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
"Does very romantic usually end with you eating ice cream alone?" Connor asked.
I laughed. "It's not like I was going to put out on the first date. I'm not a whore."
Rory pulled out the chair across from mine and sat down. "So you've never slept with someone on the first date?"
Why is he sitting down? I took another deep breath. I needed to keep my composure. "No."
His eyebrows lowered slightly. "Well now I'm curious. How many guys have you slept with?"
Connor sat down next to Rory. He seemed just as eager to know my number.
"A normal amount." I sat back down and took a huge bite of ice cream so I could think of something to say to change the subject. "Why aren't you guys playing poker anymore?"
"It's not as fun without you," Connor said and winked at me. "Seriously, though, how many?"
"Where's Jackson?" I asked, ignoring their question.
"Probably out making his number higher."
I rolled my eyes.
"He got a call and had to leave early," Connor said. "Poker isn't great with just two people. We were actually on our way to the bar down the street. Do you want to join us?"