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I don’t see JD or Tenley around, so I drag Blake over to greet our hosts and the guest of honor before finding my principal and his wife. I notice a slight quirk in Mr. Soileau’s smile when he watches as Blake untangles his hand from mine, only to move it to the small of my back.
I have to admit, I’m lucky to be getting away with not having to introduce my date and inadvertently provide our relationship status, since the staff already know him as an assistant football coach. Not to mention, we live in a town small enough for me to work with some of our former teachers, including my boss. So far, most of them only dart their eyes down to the point of contact between us, probably taking note of Blake’s ease as he maintains some form of physical touch, and we simply allow them to make their own assumptions.
Mr. Soileau continues our conversation until Blake leans down and whispers an offer to fetch drinks for both of us. I reply with a smile and a nod, and he places an unexpected kiss below my ear before promising to return soon. My face heats up, and I swallow hard as I try my darndest to pretend there’s nothing to see here, folks. Blake’s lips making contact with my skin is just a regular, everyday occurrence, and certainly not one worth getting all flustered and bothered over.
“So, you and Blake Bourgeois, huh?” Mr. Soileau’s grin widens, and I force a smile in return.
“Well, yeah. Kind of.”
“I should call in an old teachers’ lounge bet, then. Pretty sure I predicted this before the end of the straw-bridge project. Opposites attract and all,” he says, nodding his approval and turning to his wife for reinforcement. “Right, Mona?”
“Definitely,” she agrees with a wink, wrapping her arm around her husband’s wide waist.
“I guess they do,” I reply, my smile more genuine this time. I attempt to focus on my admiration of the perfect example of true romance in front of me and purposefully ignore the way my old physics teacher shipped Blake and me back in high school. But I end up glancing over at Blake anyway, only to find him already staring at me, making my face flush again. He tilts his head in a gesture for me to join him, and I excuse myself.
I’m about five steps away when I hear JD’s voice booming from the side. “Hey, bruh, what the heck are you doing here?”
I freeze, unsure of what to do next. I survey my surroundings quickly, noticing Tenley at his side—hanging off his arm, naturally. I smile once we make eye contact, and my eyes dart back to Blake, hoping he’ll take the reins on this one.
“I was invited,” Blake says, his voice even.
“Wow, Ms. Sam called up the volunteer coaches too?” JD asks, referring to our secretary.
“Not exactly,” Blake replies, one side of his mouth curling up as he turns to me and shoots me a smoldering look. “I’m a plus one.” Then he holds out a bottle of water and gives me a short nod of reassurance.
I inhale deeply, trying to muster up the courage to take those last few steps to meet him, both literally and metaphorically. I’m finally willing my feet forward when I recognize that look of mischief in Blake’s eyes, and he hands my drink to me and uses his free arm to pull me in closer. He winks at me before he tugs my body against his, pressing his lips to mine for a short kiss.
Then he backs up just as quickly as he went in, leaving me with my head in a fog. I blink and glance over at Tenley and JD. She’s biting her lip nervously and watching her husband stare daggers at his brother.
“What the hell is this?” JD grunts. Tenley coughs and nudges him gently.
I look away as I bring my water up for a sip like the big old chicken that I am, but Blake’s hand returns to my lower back as he scoots in closer beside me.
“What the hell does it look like?” he replies, amused. “I told you I was here on a date, didn’t I?”
JD glares at him incredulously. “I can’t believe you, man.”
I furrow my brow. I hadn’t exactly expected this reaction from him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I add my own rhetorical question into the mix.
“Well, he’s been …” JD turns his head away, seemingly embarrassed.
“No, go ahead and finish that,” Blake demands, his voice curt.
“I didn’t realize it was Loren. I’m sorry.”
“You assumed I was seeing someone else, didn’t you? Because I couldn’t have been exclusively dating Loren for the past few weeks, since I’m only capable of messing around.”
He shakes his head quickly. “No, that’s not what I?—”
“And why couldn’t it have been me?” I interject, equally offended. “I guess if none of the other women were enough to keep him interested, then I certainly wouldn’t be able to hold his attention for this long, right?”
“Don’t you dare answer that,” Tenley whispers harshly, glaring at JD. “It’s a trap.” She stops abruptly, then shuts her eyes, gulps, and exhales slowly.
“Oh, no.” JD’s tone immediately softens, and he turns to fawn over her. “Do you need anything? Do you want to sit down? Should I find the bathroom?”
She pushes him away as she shakes her head quickly. “No. I’m fine. The nausea is passing,” she says, taking a few measured breaths. I hand her my water, and she takes a sip before shooting me a look of gratitude. Then she turns to Blake. “But I don’t care who started this. If you don’t kiss and make up, I’ll puke on both of you.”
My own stomach churns. I hope she doesn’t have to make good on that threat, because then I’ll probably be joining in.
