Page 84 of Friends Like This

Doeseveryonesee something between Aaron and me that we don’t? Are they wrong? Or are we? What the fuck? This makes my brain feel like mush and my insides twist. I hate it.

I hold my hand up.

“Okay. That’s enough. I’ve had enough. No more of this Aaron and me crap. I’m with Davey and I will try to communicate my wants to him more and level-set my expectations going forward, so hopefully, I enjoy myself more next time.”

“Fine,” Mackie says.

“Yeah, sorry, Rae baby, we’ll back off. I promise.”

“I doubt it,” I say playfully.

She grins at me. “I want coffee. You guys?”

“Yeah, let’s run down to the bakery. My mom got this amazing French vanilla-flavored stuff in and I swear it tastes like ice cream. It’s so good.”

“I’m all right. I’m gonna head to Joel’s. I’ll meet you guys there.”

“Okay. We’ll see you at Joel’s in a bit,” Sarah says.

As Sarah and Mackie head downstairs, I walk through my bedroom, grabbing a coat on the way, and then head out my window and across the backyard to Joel’s.

When I get in the house, I listen for any indication of where Joel is. I hear voices coming from the basement. I get to the door and am about to start down the stairs when I hear Miles say, “I’m proud of you, man. How was it?”

I pause and quietly sit down on the top step. I know I shouldn’t listen to their conversation, but I love hearing how the boys talk when we aren’t around.

“It was… fine,” I hear Aaron say. “I mean, it was the first time for both of us.”

And at that, my mouth drops open. Because Aaron lost his virginity last night—at the same time I was losing mine. And that seems like some sort of weird, freaky coincidence.

“So, it wasn’t good?” Joel asks.

I hear Aaron sigh.

“No, I mean, it was good. Everything that was supposed to happen happened. I knew it wouldn’t last long, so I focused on her first, which she seemed to like. It felt good. I don’t know.”

“It was your first time. It gets better,” Miles says.

“It wasn’t that exactly. I don’t know. You guys are gonna call me a pussy.”

“Maybe, but tell us anyway,” Miles jokes.

“Dude, I’m still a virgin. I’ve got nothing to say.”

I’m not sure why it surprises me that Joel is still a virgin. Maybe because he’s so romantic, and he loves to be touchy-feely with whatever girl he’s seeing.

“I guess I always thought sex would mean something, feel like… more.” Aaron grumbles, sounding frustrated, maybe even defeated. “I always hear about, like, connection and shit like that. I physically felt stuff, but I didn’tfeelanything.”

“It doesn’t make you a pussy,” Miles says. “You care about that shit. Joel does too, or at least the romance stuff. That’s okay. It’s okay to want that. Just because I don’t give a shit doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”

Aww. Look at them supporting each other.

“What are you thinking?” I hear Aaron ask Joel. “You’ve got on a super serious face.”

“Nothing.”

“Joel,” Aaron says sternly.

“I—I don’t know, a part of me thought—”

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