Page 30 of Perfectly Us
“Not if you know what you’re doing.”
“Yeah? How would you know?” Ruben lightly shoves my shoulder. “You’ve never fucked a chick. They’re more complicated than dudes.”
“Guys can be that way too. Gotta find that right spot.”
He looks puzzled.
“I’m talking about anal sex, Ru. Anal sex.”
“Okay, I get it.” He cringes. “Stop saying anal sex so loud.”
An old lady snaps her head toward him, shocked.
I bust out laughing. “Oh my god, I think I’m gonna piss myself.”
Ruben laughs too, and we continue down the boardwalk.
“How are things going with Shiloh?”
“Good,” I answer, smiling at the mention of Shiloh. A few weeks have passed since we started talking again. I can tell he’s still awkward around me, though he seems to be loosening up a little. “We haven’t hung out much, but we text a lot. Why? You jealous?”
Ruben scoffs as I wiggle my brows at him.
“Not even a little bit,” he answers before becoming serious. “I just… I want you to be happy, Al. You of all people deserve it. And I can see you really like this guy.”
“He doesn’t feel the same way.” I look up as a jet flies overhead, leaving streaks of white in the sky. A military base isn’t too far away, and when the weather’s nice like this, sometimes they practice, the jets flying in synchronization. “I mean, he likes me, but only as a friend. Not how I like him.”
“I’m sorry.” Ruben offers me a sympathetic smile.
“It’s cool.” I shrug it off. That’s all I can do. No sense in being upset about something I have no control over. You can’t force attraction. “I still like hanging with him. I had a crush on you too at one time, remember?”
“How could I forget? You got wasted and fucking kissed me.”
“Oh, Ru.” I loop my arm through his. “You’ll always be the one who got away.”
He laughs. “If it means anything, I didn’t hate it. It just didn’t do anything for me.”
“I know.” I pull away with a smile. “You goin’ to see Melody again?”
I love my best friend, but he can be a player. He has a habit of chasing girls, and then once he bangs them, he moves on to the next one. He’s only ever had two serious girlfriends in his life, and those relationships only lasted a few months each.
“Yeah,” he responds. “We’re going to dinner tonight, then probably a movie. I think I really like her, Al.”
We reach the dock on the other side of the shopping promenade. The lake is one reason the area is so popular. It’s fucking gorgeous. The water sparkles under the sun, and green hills rise behind it.
“Here’s a question for you.” I lean against the railing. “Amazing sex for the rest of your life, but the catch is you can’t fall in love. Or. Fall in love and spend every day with the girl of your dreams, but you can only have sex with her once. You can’t cheat on her either, so don’t think of adding in a loophole.”
“What kind of question is that?”
“A good one.”
“Okay.” He worries his lip as he thinks. “Easy. I’d choose the amazing sex.”
“Even though you can’t ever fall in love? What if you meet someone you really like?”
Ruben scrunches up his face. “Right now, I’m all about the sex. But it poses an interesting dilemma for when I get older and want to settle down. I’m stumped. What would you choose?”
“I think I’d choose love,” I answer with a small nod. “Don’t get me wrong. I love sex. A dick up my ass is one of my favorite ways to pass the time. But I don’t know.” I look out over the water, seeing areas of it ripple as fish nibble at the surface. “At the end of the day, I just want someone to love me, ya know?”
