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“What did you just call him?”
My hand slowly lowers from reaching up to give Eric Washington, a fellow teacher at Summersweet High School, a fist-bump against the one he’s holding out to me, when Danny practically hisses at him.
“It’s okay. He’s a friend from work,” I tell her.
He’s not, actually. He’s kind of a jerk who always makes fun of me, whether we’re away from school or in front of students, but whatever.
Eric just laughs at Danny’s glare, and I reach over and give her shoulder a squeeze on our stools at the bar at Dockside Eddy’s, where we met for dinner after I got done with bowling practice, and Danny finished up a painting she was working on.
“Lighten up.” Eric laughs, making me feel really, really bad for the guy for the first time in my life when Danny’s shoulder tightens under my hand. “Ryan knows it’s just a joke. Don’t you, buddy?”
Danny slowly turns her head to look at me. “Jokes are supposed to be funny. Are you laughing,buddy?”
I think about all the comments Eric has made to me over the years about my choice in clothing. The number of times he’s passed me in the halls and held his hand up for a high-five, only to quickly snatch it away as soon as I go to smack it, then laughing about how stupid I looked. How he turns the lights off on me in the faculty bathroom whenever I go in there alone. And that one time at a pep rally, when he was trying to recruit people to sign up for the wrestling team, and said, “It’s pretty sad thebowlingteam has more members than the wrestling team. Am I right?”
“I am not,” I finally answer Danny’s question. Until she turns back to look at Eric, and I have to bite down on my lips to stop myself from laughing.
“You’re a special kind of asshole, aren’t you?” She continues to glare at him as Eric’s smile falls. “You’re a grown-ass man making fun of another man for something he likes. If youevercall him a nerd again, I will cut off your tiny dick that you feel the need to compensate for by picking on someone else and shove it down your throat until you choke on it.”
“Jesus, I’m sorry,” Eric mutters.
“Tellhim, not me,” Danny orders with a nod in my direction, while I try not to get a boner at how fiercely she’s defending me.
“I’m sorry, man. It’s cool you like bowling and shit.” Eric shrugs.
“It’s fine.”
“It’snotfine,” Danny growls, making my dick uncomfortably harder as she continues staring Eric down. “You teach children. Who are on Ryan’s bowling team and shouldn’t be made to feel less-than because they enjoy it. Do better.”
Eric just nods in embarrassment before scurrying away without even waiting for the drink order he placed when he first came up to the bar next to us.
“Was that too much?” Danny asks, both of us looking back over our shoulder as Eric hustles out the door.
“No. That was incredibly hot, watching you defend my honor.”
“No one’s allowed to call you a nerd but me,” she mutters, turning back around to look at me. “You know I’m not being mean when I say it, like him, right?”
Leaning forward, I press my lips to hers, then pull back and smile at her, wondering if my heart will ever stop racing whenever I’m around her. “I know. I like it when you say it.”
“Don’t put up with that shit, okay? I won’t always be here to threaten to choke someone with their own dick. It’s okay for you to do it yourself.”
A flash of panic works its way through me when she talks about not always being here, and I hope to God she just means in general and not that she’s planning on going anywhere. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, and just started sleeping together a few days ago, but I already know I would be a mess without her.
“I’m fairly confident I won’t use that exact terminology, but I promise I will stand up for myself next time,” I reassure her.
I’m rewarded with a smile before Danny turns back to face the bar and continue eating her dinner.
“Hey, Ryan! How’s the bowling team?”
“Choke on a dick, Chad.”
Danny’s the one who immediately starts choking on her turkey club when I respond to Chad Samuels, one of the high school football coaches who stops next to our stools, without missing a beat.
“Okay then, good talk.” Chad just gives me an awkward salute, then quickly turns and moves to the other end of the bar.
“Wow, I guess I was wrong.” I nod. “It really does flow right off the tongue.”
“Oh my God, Ryan!” Danny laughs. “I reallyama bad influence on you.”
