And it was. She wouldn’t hurt me. She was my friend.
I raised my hand, and I swore every woman in the room held their breath in anticipation to see if I could do it. I made it all the way to where I could feel her body heat.
Then my arm locked. It wouldn’t go any farther.
“Dammit,” I said. “I can’t do it.”
Slumping over, I hid my face in my hands, cheeks burning as failure washed over me. I wondered if all the women were looking at me with pity, or thinking how sad it was that I couldn’t do something as simple as touch Jade.
“Piper,” Grace said softly. “Thank you for trying it. You got really close.”
“Seriously,” Wren added. “That’s closer thanIwould touch Jade.”
“Hey!”
“If I barely knew you! I’d touch you now.”
“Would you be my lover if you were single?”
“One night. For pity. But yes.”
“You’re so mean.”
Despite everything, I smiled. “I would be your lover for longer if I could.”
“See? Piper has taste. Fuck you, Wren.”
“You’re too strong-willed for me,” Wren said. “I’d need to mold you.”
“But we’d be explosive together!”
Wren went on to say she didn’t want explosive while I looked at Mollie and Grace. Mollie gave me a smile and Grace made a heart with her hands.
My chest loosened. There was no pity. No judgment. Just understanding.
I really liked all of them.
“Thank you, guys,” I replied. “I’m so glad I came tonight.”
“Even if we had to draw Hugh naked?”
We all groaned as we remembered him.
“Wait, naked?” We all turned to see that Marjorie had walked into the room. “He wasn’t supposed to be naked.”
Jade laughed. “Well, he was. Look.” She flipped around her drawing.
Marjorie immediately covered her eyes. “You guys go to that class. You know they’re supposed to be nude, but tastefully covered!”
“It’s Hugh,” Mollie said. “He’s never tasteful.”
“Can we talk about how big his dick was?” I asked. “Like, it’s very disproportionate.”
“That’s my cue to leave.” Marjorie looked green in the face as she turned around, but then she paused and looked back at me. “I knew you weren’t as quiet as you said you were.”
“I’m not.”
“Library closes in thirty, but I might make it an hour since I like you all.” And then she was gone.