Page 123 of Old Acquaintances

My chest hurt, hearing those words and seeing his sober face when he said it. “I missed you too,” I responded.

“Why don’t we talk?” he muttered.

I sunk into myself. “I don’t know. We’ve just never been friends like that.”

“Why not?” he asked. “Why aren’t we like you and Johnny?”

Avoiding his eye, my cheeks warm, the hairs prickling onmy neck, I tried, “Youknowwhy. It’s the same reason Gracie doesn’t want us photographed together.”

He started, “Speaking of…I have an idea.” He glanced at the photographer before leaning to give me a soft kiss on the mouth.

I bit my lip. “What was that?”

He cackled, “She’s going to be somad.”

I thought of what our family might have seen, how they could have interpreted that.

Tucker said, “She thinks we’re going to be a distraction anyway, we might as well fuck with her, right? What do you think?”

I thought of how much I liked the feel of his lips against mine. Warm from champagne and his body heat, worries about my families assumptions fading away, I agreed, “Okay.”

When we walked off to get a drink, he put his hand on my butt, and I heard another camera click. As the night progressed, we continually did things that would embarrass my sister, most of which she didn’t see, but all of which the two photographers captured. They waved at each other and pointed to us, like people working a haunted house identifying the easiest kid to scare.

Every photograph of the two of us would be provocative and stupid and there would be a lot of them. Tucker dipped me and kissed my mouth, short and chaste. He ran his hand up my leg. We collected every half-empty drink and placed them at our table to look like we’d single-handedly drunk all the booze my dad paid for. I danced barefoot. He gave me a piggyback ride. He copped a feel and squeezed my butt and Hattie growled, “I told you not to let her drink so much!”

I wasn’t drunk at all. I was having too much fun angering my sister and playing with Tucker, pretending that his kisses and touches were just part of the game and I didn’t enjoy it at all. I wondered if the photographers were good enough to catchthe truth. I know I had enough to drink that my cheeks were pink, and I felt relaxed. I couldn’t monitor my expression when he whispered in my ear, “God, you smell good.”

At the end of the night, we sat beside each other at the table and his hand went to my neck. He pulled me in for a kiss but deepened it this time. His tongue slipped out and tasted mine. I flinched. He pulled back.

“Sorry…too much?” he worried.

I pressed my lips together. “Did anyone see?”

He searched my face. “I don’t know.”

Our families were aware that we were messing with Gracie. They knew it was a stupid game, that we were playing, but I didn’t want to tip the line and allow them to think it was real.

I inhaled. “I think I’m ready to turn in.”

“They haven’t left yet.” His hand slid off of me.

I stood up. “I know, but I’m tired. If we go now, we won’t get stuck having to help clean up.”

“We?” He brightened.

I slipped my shoes back on and said, “Sure. We can watch a movie or something.”

“Okay.” He stood up, frowning a little, some confusion in his brows.

We had spent very little time alone in our twenty-two years together. On the cruise, I was surprised when he asked if I wanted to get breakfast with him on our second day. I was glad, though, because he only asked to get away from our siblings making kissing sounds at us. At first, we didn’t say much to each other when we laid by the pool or ate meals. Then, we started talking about our mutual friends and then we were just talking.

I got to know more about his interests in renovating furniture and fixing old things. I told him about ballet, about my dreams for the future. I learned that his favorite drink was Dr. Pepper, his favorite movie wasGhostbusters,and he didn’t caremuch for sweets.

I also learned that he knew everything about me. He got me the drinks I liked and the dessert I wanted. I didn’t have to tell him when I was tired or when I wanted to get out of the sun. He’d suggest going to our rooms before I said a word. I didn’t have to tell him about my favorite television shows and the names of my friends at ballet. He already knew.

I had fun with him that day he surprised me at my dorm and the day we spent at the ski lodge. I knew I would always have fun with Tucker. We walked quietly back to our hotel rooms. I reached my door and said, “I’m going to change. Give me, like, ten minutes.”

I slipped out of my dress, took off my bra, and put on an oversized t-shirt. I planned to sleep in that, I didn’t have anything else but jeans and a tank for the car tomorrow. I figured it would be fine, the shirt came down mid-thigh and Tucker was well-acquainted with the sight of my nipples by now. I washed the makeup off my face. He knocked on the door.

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