Page 42 of The Boyfriend Swap

Will cleared his throat. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

Red-faced, I pointed at the bar. “Drink?”

He nodded and as we approached the bartender, I intentionally avoided eye contact with James, who I could feel staring at me from somewhere to my right.

I accepted the bottle of Magic Hat Number 9 Will bought me, mostly as a prop to assuage the awkwardness I was feeling. I could take a sip when I was lost for something to say or when looking down the head of the bottle was easier than peering into Will’s green-speckled eyes.

A voice from behind said, “Come outside with me,” and before I could respond, James pulled me onto the bar’s empty outdoor deck.

Hugging myself to keep warm, I questioned, “Since when do you smoke?” even though I knew the outdoor-only activity had nothing to do with why James had dragged me outside on a cold December night.

James draped his coat over my shoulders and smiled. “Frostbite is a small price to pay to find out what’s really going on between my BFF and her new bae.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Snickering, I said, “With your cool lingo, you’d fit in perfectly with my students. Will’s not my real bae, remember?”

“You can fake being a couple, but you can’t make chemistry where it doesn’t exist.”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Your point?” When he glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was in earshot of our conversation, I braced myself for his response. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed something weird was happening between Will and me.

Facing straight ahead, he said, “There was some serious heat radiating off you guys when you were slow dancing.”

I shrugged. “He thinks I’m ‘cute.’”

“Cute is good, Rob.”

“Yeah, well,Sidneyis sexy.” I groaned. Jealousy was not an attractive trait.

Bumping my shoulder, James said, “You’re sexy too.”

Biting my cheek, I mumbled, “That’s what he said,” before jerking my head back when James was suddenly standing in front of me, his forehead almost kissing mine. Startled, I asked, “What?”

He smiled into my eyes. “Will thinks you’re sexyandcute. Will Thomas Bradylikesyou. And I think I saw an extra bulge in his jeans while you were dancing. How does it feel?”

A blush heated up my face as I instinctively imagined how Will’s bulge would feel. Certain James could read my mind, I said, “Stop it,” and punched him in the arm. We broke out into a fit of laughter until I regained my bearings. This time it was me who skimmed the area to make sure no one was listening. “Will is with Sidney. He seems to really like her. And I’m dating Perry, remember?”

James sat down on one of the black metal chairs and stretched out his long legs. “You said it wasn’t serious.”

I stood before him, too antsy to sit down. “Which couple are we talking about?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Let’s put aside Will and Sidney for now. Although if I were Sidney, I’d be a smidge worried about the way my boyfriend was looking at another girl.” He made atsk-tsksound.

My stomach rolled uncomfortably.

“Let’s talk about you and Perry. You’ve been with him almost a year. Shouldn’t you be ready to take it up a notch by now?”

I grimaced. “You sound like Will.”

James tapped a finger to his lips. “No comment.” He studied my face. “I worry you’re wasting your time with him. We’re almost thirty.”

“I never considered it wasting time if I was enjoying myself. Life is short. And I’m not going to dignify your last statement with a response.” I shuddered for emphasis even though his words had hit home. Unlike many of my single girlfriends, I wasn’t plagued by the “when” in terms of getting married and raising a family, but serious about Perry or not, I questioned whether I should be in a long-term relationship with one guy when I was clearly struggling with unresolved feelings for someone else.

“And then you die. Although I can list far worse ways of going than all tangled up in Perry.”

James always had a way with words. “I think you missed your calling. You should have been a writer instead of a teacher.” We were like twins from another mother. Both of us had music in our hearts but chose a career path in education. James taught English as a second language at the high school level. “Enough about me. How are things going with Spencer?” Spencer was James’s long-term partner.

“Spencer is splendid, thank you.”

“Glad to hear it.” Even though I desperately wanted to change the subject, I also genuinely cared about the status of James’s first serious relationship. But I was also freezing. “Can we go back in now?” When he nodded, I handed him his jacket and led the way inside and over to where Will and his friends were standing at the bar.

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