“Yeah,what the fuckis right,” she says. “You’re looking extra hot these days.”
“And extra like a flashy whore in my bathing suit. Ugh,” I say with a groan.
“You look lovely. Perhaps a bit…exposed.”
After much fussing, Mary Ann helps me find a suit that I feel okay about, and so we venture outside.
Jackson is already in the water and floating in one of the new tubes I bought. While the sloth floaties were fun, I thought it best to buy some that weren’t so outlandish.
“This weather is glorious. And the view is not too shabby, is it?” I ask.
“Not. At. All.” Mary Ann lowers her sunglasses and sighs. “Shirtless, ripped, tanned boys doing hard labor. It’s sexy as hell. Not that objectifying people is a good thing, but we’re human. We’re merely humans admiring other humans. And while they do happen to be pretty spectacular-looking, that’s not what makes them the most attractive, is it?”
She’s right. It’s impossible to ignore the physical appeal, but each of these people we’re gazing at have so many beautiful, alluring qualities that draw us in.
After we’ve all been chatting for a bit, I get us to paddle into a close group. “So, I have this lovely Mediterranean menu that I’m ready to make,” I start, “for Mary Ann and Slowski.”
Jackson gasps. “Ooh, exciting!”
“But onlyifshe asks him out. Otherwise, I’m tossing the ingredients and not making a thing.”
“Shut up! You will not!” she protests.
“Try me,” I dare her. “To add to this challenge, Jackson, you need to ask out Matteo.”
“What? What do you mean?” he stammers. “My shop needs some work done—”
“Yeah, blah, blah.” Mary Ann waves around a hand and gives me a look before she repeatedly points a finger at Jackson. “Matteo is a god, and you need to go there.”
“You both need to go there,” I say definitively.
“Like you went there with my best friend?” she asks me with a mischievous grin.
Jackson interrupts us when he makes a show of leaning back and soaking his hair in the water before trying to style it with his hands. “Does my hair look weird? Am I okay? Am I’m gonna do this? Yes, I am. Fuck it.” His shared inner dialogue is inspiring, and I hope Mary Ann is listening.
“If he says no, he says no. And I’ll crawl home and bake a hundred cannoli and pretend this never happened.” Then, he sits up and looks at Mary Ann. “Oh, and Callie and Danny? They definitely did it. They both bought condoms on the same night.”
And there it is.
“You both did what?” she squeals. “Holy shit! You and Danny had sex? I knew it!”
At least she looks delighted, but I raise my hand and stop them both before they say anything else. “I’ll tell you everything if you two courage up. Not a word otherwise. Go get your men!”
We all swim from our tubes and climb onto the deck, and I watch with glee as my friends breathe, brace themselves, and walk toward their love interests as they motion them away from their work. I catch Danny’s eye and wave my hand, begging him to rush my way.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asks when he reaches my side. “And also, fuck! How am I supposed to focus on anything but you when you’re half-naked and drenched?” He looks me up and down and runs his hand against my waist. “Paul’s going to throttle me if I don’t finish the porch today.”
I laugh. “You with no shirt, yet again, isn’t exactly horrifying, but this might also get your attention. Look.” I turn his head.
Mary Ann is standing in front of Slowski, her head down while she rocks back and forth. And Jackson is gesturing like mad and probably talking about supposed work he wants done at his place until he finally holds still and looks solidly at Matteo.
“God, my stomach is in knots,” I say. “I hope this works out.”
His hand embraces my waist. “Okay, now, you have me nervous too. Jackson and Matteo would be awesome together.”
Both of us cheer when Matteo and Jackson hug, and when Mary Ann reaches up for a soft kiss from Slowski, I almost scream, but I manage to merely grasp on to him and whisper, “This is all so damn cute!”
“Wait, what?” He looks to me. “Mary Ann and Slowski? She likes him? They like each other? I…I…what is happening?”
