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"My body is so sore but tight from Pilates. Like my legs are firm but they feel good. I think I'm going to try hot yoga next. You should come with me."
Natalie takes a sip from her glass then licks her lips. "My body is like coconut oil. Thick and solid on the bottom, silky and wet on the inside."
I almost choke on my drink and start laughing. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"
She taps the side of her head and I laugh again. "You know I resort to sarcasm when I’m uncomfortable. I don't even think that made sense."
"Who cares? I thought it was funny," I say, smiling. I feel my phone vibrating in my purse and I know who it is before I reach for it.
"Danny boy?" Natalie asks.
I look down at my screen and nod. I read the text, then hold up the phone for Natalie to see the flowers and chocolates he has waiting for me with a candle lit in the background.
"Still stringing him along?"
My stomach drops slightly with guilt. I really should break it off soon. But even knowing I’ll never be the faithful woman he wants, I can’t bring myself to let him go just yet.
"I'll stop by his place later and give him a happy ending." I slip my phone back into my purse.
"You don't have to whore yourself out for him, you know. He is your boyfriend, after all."
I purse my lips. Natalie gives me a knowing look, but dives back into small talk about school and this being our final semester.
Just when I think she's back to her normal self, her shoulders pull back and her gaze fixates on something behind me.
My back tingles with awareness and I can’t tell if it's in warning or because I'm wearing my favorite bare-back dress that I only got to wear one other time before. My heart clenches at the thought of that day spent drinking and laughing and touching the one man I’ve ever truly wanted but could never have.
Holding the glass to her lips, she says quietly, "Incoming. Parentals. Act normal."
I chuckle, feeling the tequila swimming happily in my blood stream. "You act normal, you nut."
Natalie places her glass down on the bar countertop and I do the same as her parents stroll up. She exhales and I want to tell her to wipe that expression off her face because she looks constipated.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like to introduce you to my roommate and best friend, Aubrey Abrams."
Swallowing, I inhale and turn to face them as they close around us in a small circle. My nerves are a little wired now and I feel like I'm on a blind date.
My eyes lock with her mother's first, but I freeze when I catch the scent—a too familiar scent—of lemon and bergamot.
No fucking way.
I can feel the weight and shock of his gaze on me, and a chest-crushing wave of anxiety slams into me. I struggle to form some sort of composure and extend my hand out to greet her mom. I blink and focus on her, hoping I don't look as pale as I feel. I keep my expression neutral and force a smile, praying I give nothing away. Her mom's gaze is tenderhearted, and she looks so identical to Natalie that it’s starling.
"I've heard so many wonderful things about you, Aubrey," she says, her voice refined. "I'm Katherine, and this is my husband…"
But I already know her husband's name before she says it.
I know what he tastes like, what he looks like when he's naked, the length of his cock and how he strokes it, every colorful tattoo on his chest and the meaning behind each. I know how his strong hands feel on my body when he's about to come, how his tongue feels when he licks my pussy.
I know him in ways that no friend should ever know her best friend's dad.
My eyes shift up to his, and my heart slows to a stuttering rhythm. He gives absolutely nothing away and that somewhat eases the tightness in my chest.
I thought I was good at playing the game, but he's better than me. There isn't a look on his face that would hint at us knowing each other before now.
"James Riviera," he says, making the first move by putting his hand out. I hesitate for the briefest moment, then tentatively put my hand out to meet his. My palm slides against his large one and I feel a spark pass between us, the same spark that's been there since the first day we met.
"It's nice to finally put a face to the name," he adds, eyes boring into mine.
