Page 50 of A Love Letter to Whiskey
“I was her first,” Ethan said confidently, pulling me in close and kissing my neck. “Her only.”
Guilt rolled through my stomach like a rock slide and I hastily kissed him back, keeping my eyes off Jamie’s.
“How sweet,” Jenna cooed.
“Yeah. So sweet,” Jamie agreed. “So, my turn, huh? Hmmm… Never have I ever had a threesome.”
Jenna and I smiled across the fire at each other, thinking about the promise we’d made to each other years ago that if we ever had a threesome, it had to involve the other. But the smile slid from my face when Ethan took a drink.
“Wait, seriously?”
Ethan cringed, like a dog with his tail between his legs. “I was a freshman, I thought it was cool at the time. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Oh,” I replied softly, wondering why he’d never mentioned it before.
“Are you mad?”
It clicked then why Jamie had asked that question and I glared at him over the flames. He just smirked.
“Of course not,” I assured Ethan. “It was before me. No big deal.” I smiled to seal that lie and he pulled me in closer, kissing my neck as I took a drink and nodded to Jenna. “Your turn.”
“Oh! Never have I ever gotten a tattoo,” she said excitedly, scanning the fire. When none of us drank, she pouted. “Damn, we need a little excitement in our lives.”
I laughed, but then snapped my fingers together. “You know what? We should get tats before you leave.”
“Seriously?” she squeaked.
“Hell yeah! Why not? We’ll go tomorrow.”
“Oh my God! I’m in!” Jenna bounced as Shayla slid into the open spot next to Ethan, handing him a new beer and taking a drink of her own.
“What’s up?”
“We’re playing Never Have I Ever. Wanna play?” I asked.
“Sure!”
I waved my hand, tilting my cup to my lips. “Floor’s all yours.”
“Hmm…. Never have I ever had sex on the beach.”
I choked, beer filling my nose as Ethan rubbed my back. “You alright?”
Nodding, I stood quickly, keeping my eyes off Jamie. I didn’t need to see his cocky smile to know it was sitting on his perfect face. “Fine. I’m going to get a refill.”
Ethan tried to tighten his grip on me but I slunk away from him, storming toward the keg. Jenna followed.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” I yelled. Jenna’s brows shot up and I huffed. “Sorry. Everyone’s been asking me that tonight and I’m just annoyed.”
She laughed. “Okay, note to self — you’re fine. Come on, let’s get drinks.”
Jenna led the way to the keg and filled up first, taking her first drink and looking back toward the fire pit as I filled mine.
“So, Jamie.”
“What about him?” I tried for indifferent. I wasn’t sure if I landed there.
“I just… I forgot how hot he was. He’s gotten even better with age. Like fine wine.”
Or whiskey.
“Yeah. He’s a stud,” I said flatly.
“I think he might be up for a little blast from the past action tonight. Would you be mad? If I maybe left with him?”
I dropped the nozzle on the keg, an ache burning my chest at the thought. Chugging half of what I poured, I started filling again, but didn’t look at her. “Of course not. Have fun.”
“Are you sure?”
I didn’t get to answer because Jamie had shown up, holding his hand out for the nozzle as I finished filling my cup. I thrust it into his hands.
“You girls up for a swim?” he asked, nodding toward the pool not even a hundred feet from the pits.
“It’s freezing,” I deadpanned.
He just shrugged. “So? Live a little.”
“Because that always works out so well,” I murmured, lifting my cup to my lips.
Jenna narrowed her eyes. “Why are you being weird tonight?”
“I’m not being weird,” I gritted through my teeth, my head swimming from the alcohol. I realized the longer I stood that I’d successfully fulfilled my plan to get drunk.
“I don’t know,” Jamie offered, standing up straight with his beer now full. “You are kind of being weird.”
I glared up at him then and he just smirked, taking a sip. I opened my mouth to pop off some sort of smart remark, but decided better, shaking my head instead. “I’m going to find Ethan. You two have fun catching hypothermia.”
Jenna called out to me but I ignored her, deciding at that moment that what Jamie and Jenna did that night didn’t matter.
But no matter how much I repeated that to myself as I finished beer after beer and the night turned to early morning, I couldn’t stop watching them. They were like a car wreck or a drunk guy preaching on the sidewalk. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t tear my eyes away for more than thirty seconds, and the more the night went on, the more they touched, the more they laughed, the more I wanted to vomit.
Even worse, Jamie’s eyes never found mine again. Not when I danced with Ethan, grinding my ass into his groin, or when I straddled him on the bench, kissing him with fervor. He didn’t glance over when I laughed loud or glare when Ethan’s lips found my neck and collarbone. It was like I didn’t exist, and the more I drank, the more that bothered me.
