‘We weren’t far off our pact, were we? What did we say, forty?’ He smiles. ‘I think everyone always thought we’d get married. I sometimes wonder if I thought that too…’
‘Time’s up,’ Tom calls out as he opens the door.
Andy steps back immediately, like he’s been caught doing something wrong.
‘Did you kiiiiiss?’ JJ jokes loudly.
‘No,’ Andy and I say in unison.
The game continues, because of course it does.
Eventually it’s my turn again – oh joy.
‘State your favourite hobby,’ JJ reads the card aloud. ‘Your partner too.’
‘Sitting,’ I offer up, giving a semi-jokey answer, because what trouble can that get me into?
‘Horses, I guess,’ Jake replies.
JJ cackles with laughter.
‘Combine them to make a sex position,’ she tells us. ‘Oh my God, so funny.’
There’s a beat of silence.
‘Oh my God!’ Cordelia blurts.
Andy practically freezes.
Tom claps. ‘Okay! Combine them! Sex position! Go!’ he commands.
I stare at Jake, horrified. ‘We don’t have to?—’
‘I actually have an idea,’ he replies with a cheeky smile.
He stands, sets his drink down, and then – without hesitation – lowers himself to the floor and gets into that stripper position where they lean all the way back, using their hand behind their body to hold them off the floor, crotch to the ceiling, usually so they can gyrate.
‘I’m your horse,’ he jokes. ‘Ready to sit?’
I snort with a laughter. Oh my God, he’s serious.
‘Okay,’ I reply.
And so I take my seat. I sit on him like I’m riding him, his body between my legs.
‘You know what they say, Whit, save a horse, ride a cowboy,’ JJ reminds me. ‘Ride that boy, ride him.’
‘I think publicly straddling him is enough,’ Andy suggests. ‘Don’t embarrass her, JJ.’
‘I’m not embarrassed,’ I insist.
Jake moves beneath me, inadvertently resulting in me grinding on top of him. So JJ gets her wish.
I start laughing because it’s ridiculous and I can’t process anything else. My laughter turns breathless. I tip forward, losing my balance, and I fall onto his chest, and we end up in a pile on the floor, me on top of him, our faces mere millimetres apart. His arms wrap around me instinctively, holding me close like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I could kiss him. I could swear he’s looking at my lips. Maybe he thinks it’s a good idea too, all for the act, of course.
Is he… is he leaning…? Wait, am I leaning?
‘I don’t feel too good,’ Andy says, breaking the moment. ‘Perhaps we should call it a night?’