"Yeah...and one other person."
Raina slams her wine glass down so hard I'm shocked it doesn't break. She throws her head back and cries. "Ohhhh to be that young and horny again."
I rush forward to cover her mouth. "Shhhhh. The girls are getting old enough to know what that word means now. Or at least Winnie is, and you know she'll tell Clover."
I remove my hand, and laughter starts booming out of Raina's mouth.
"And you're only eight years older than I am," I say. And what is she even talking about? She goes on dates with women just about as often as I do.
"But you might as well be in your early 20's the way you throw that thing around." She gestures towards my crotch, and I swat her hand away.
"Knock it off. You know I'm not as wild as I once was."
"Boy, do I ever. When you were going through it with Daisy, you threw your dick at anything with a pulse. Whatever would numb the pain of rejection."
The mention of Daisy kills any laughter that remains in my body. "Yeah...those were some pretty dark days."
Raina, having sensed my sudden melancholy, reaches her hand out to rub my thigh. "Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring her up. Sometimes I forget that she's actually gone and not just going through a phase where she's running away from her feelings for you."
"It's okay. I do too, sometimes." I take in a deep breath and let it out. "The other day I was making dinner, and I kept having the feeling that she was going to show up at my door to pick up Clover."
"That must have been hard."
"It's getting easier."
"Good. I know you haven't really gotten out much in the last two years since she passed. I'll gladly take Clover for the night if it means you get to have a little fun for both of us." She winks at me, and I feel a little bit of the tension in my shoulders release.
"Thanks, Raina. You're a great friend."
"I know I am. And so are you. We both know this give and take is going to go back and forth as long as we're both breathing. That's how true friendships work." She gives my thigh, which I forgot she was holding, a little squeeze before releasing it. "I love ya."
"Love you too."
"Now go get laid by two beautiful women. I wantallthe dirty details on Sunday when you come to pick up Clover."
"How do you know the third person is a woman?"
"Well, is it?"
"It is."
"Okay, then shut the hell up and promise me you'll tell me everything."
I shake my head and laugh, knowing there's no way I'm going to be able to keep any secrets to myself. "Deal."
Chapter Ten
KASS
B buzzed me through the front entrance of their building, and now I stand outsidetheirapartment door. Shortly after the group chat started, I learned that not only was Fia her friend, but she's also B's roommate. I couldn't decide if that made things better or worse that B is letting me hook up with herroommate.For someone who always speaks her mind, that woman is impossible to read.
I don’t know why I’m hesitating. I’m not nervous, I’ve done this before. It’s just been a little while, and usually I’m under the influence of something. I brought some edibles in my bag, but I wanted to wait and see what the vibes were before diving into that. From what little I know about B, my guess is that she’s already high.
Before I can even reach out to knock, the door opens.
“Hi.”
Fia stands before me, the girl from B’s picture. The girl I've been chatting with all week. I feel like I already know her, but this is the first time we’re actually meeting.
