Sidney’s gaze drifted across the room to the TV again before returning to me. “I don’t think I’m taking it personally. Still, it’s a vulnerable thing, what you’re doing. I guess I feel...a little protective.” Their eyebrows drew down. “Of the show, you know. And you as an extension of that. Of how I feel about the show.”
Oh boy. Sidney felt protective. Of me. Like, that was cool. Even though I knew the Motherfuckers had no bad intentions, it was nice that Sidney was thinking about me as a person who was kind of risking something. “Um. Thanks.”
“I hope that doesn’t seem condescending or anything?” They were full-on frowning now.
“Oh, no, not at all.” I wanted to add more, but Mason cleared his throat loudly and said, “Silence in the peanut gallery, please.” He glanced around at everyone, all apparently frozen in place. “And, action!”
“I’ll never forget where I was when Dec introduced himself to the camera for the first time,” Ronnie intoned, half bent over the bowl of chips. “It was a magical moment.”
I hid my smile behind the bottle.
Mason raised his hand with the remote and let it hang there. “I’ll never forget where I was when Dec blushed bright pink on YouTube for the first time.”
Everyone giggled while I did my best not to blush bright pink in Mason’s living room. (Not for the first time.) Sidney’s arm shifted until it was barely touching mine, and if my friends being embarrassing meant Sidney comforting me, it was a small price to pay.
“My favorite part was when Declan told the whole world he hated the beach and the commenters collectively lost their shit.” Mia sighed in reminiscence. “It was a beautiful thing to watch.”
Oscar, ever the rule breaker, craned around to look at us. “So, you two. What’s going on there?”
Shouts of “Ooooooooh!” and “Oscar, dammit!” filled the room. I took this as a cue that we were allowed to sit down. I climbed over the back of the couch and slid in between Oscar and Ronnie, silently bemoaning the lack of places for Sidney and I to sit together, though when they sat cross-legged on the floor I wished I’d thought of that.
Ronnie patted my leg. “We’re just teasing, you looked good. I wasn’t sure what to expect but you honestly looked like yourself having a conversation. It was neat, you know? Seeing a Motherfucker on YouTube.”
“Let’s hear it for Mr. Big Shot!” Mason called, lifting his beer.
“To Mr. Big Shot!” the others cried. Sidney missed the shout, but lifted their Coke in a salute.
I slunk lower in my seat. “Oh, shut your faces.”
Oscar poked me. “I can’t believe you stepped out into the dating world for five seconds after six years and immediately found someone you liked. You dog.”
“I haven’t even been on a date yet!”
He rolled his eyes and did an incredibly unsubtle chin-raise in Sidney’s direction. “Hello.”
I elbowed him and Mia smacked the back of his head. “Quiet, Oscar.”
“It’s true, though.” Mason held out his hand to Oscar for a fist bump. “I’ve been out here the whole time and I can’t even get a third date.”
They shared mutual sighs. Desperately attempting to redirect away from my maybe not that imaginary having-found-someone-I-liked-ness, I reached for my phone to pull up the information about my actual first date. “Excuse me, this is the human I’m going out with this week.” I brandished my phone open to the email Sidney had sent as if it was a shield that could protect me (us) from my friends.
Then I realized I might be breaking a Love Study rule and did a wide-eyes silent question in their direction, but they smiled, so I figured it was okay. It was a moot point anyway, since the Motherfuckers were already gathered around my phone like it was a campfire in December.
“Oh, she’s cute!” Mia.
“She lists multiple Call of Duty games as her favorites, dealbreaker.” Oscar.
“She loves Sword Art Online, win.” Ronnie.
Mase grabbed the phone and read through the whole thing. “Okay, okay, I’m seeing it. Sidney, you think Dec will get along with this woman because she’s passionate and has a good sense of humor?” He looked up. “For someone who just met Declan, you sure seem to get him. He’s totally into passion and laughter.”
They nodded, not seeming too weirded out by the fact I’d shared their email with four people without explicit permission. “I’m glad that made sense to you. I wasn’t exactly sure how to phrase it.”
“Who’s not into passion and laughter?” I asked.
Oscar raised his hand.
“You don’t count.”
“Why? Because you don’t want to date me?” He pulled an Extreme Sad Face.
I punched him in the arm. “You don’t count because you try not to be into passion and laughter.”
“What? I am insulted, sir! Weehawken—”
“At dawn!” the rest of us—minus Sidney—cried out.
“Ugh, we’re the worst,” Mason muttered, falling back into the couch on the other side of Oscar. “How am I ever going to settle down with someone when no one can be expected to put up with the Motherfuckers?”
Mia and Ronnie looked at each other.
He waved a hand in dismissal. “Already tried it.”
I reached around Oscar to pat Mase’s hand. “Sorry again about that.”
“It’s fine. I just don’t see how anyone who’s not us could ever put up with this.”
Mia gestured at Sidney. “You’ve hung out with us a few times. We’re nice, aren’t we?”
“Sure...”
Dead air. We all looked around at each other.
Sidney laughed. I really liked their sense of humor. And that they were willing to troll the Motherfuckers a little even though they were only just getting to know us. They said, still smiling, “I mean, yes, of course I think you’re nice. Or I wouldn’t be here. It is hard for a lot of people to relax when getting to know the friends of the person they’re dating, though. Maybe the key is not to wait so long that it becomes A Thing?”
“Drinks Curse,” I said, nodding. “Truth.”
Their eyebrows arched delightfully. “What is the Drinks Curse?”
Mase leaned forward. “Right, here’s what happens, and I guess it’s basically all me now that these two are getting married and Oscar refuses to let us meet any of his beaus.”