Crashing a party.

“You realize not telling us only makes us more curious, right?” Kevin said, smiling as he drank from his can.

“I get we barely know each other, but is it really something you need to keep a secret?” Ben asked. “You said it all turned out well, didn’t you? Or do they have some dirt on you or something?”

I flinched. Considering the rumors about them, this was something I had to nip in the bud immediately. “It’s not that, okay?” I said, maybe a little harsher than I intended, but coming from me, it didn’t sound harsh in the slightest. What’s more, given Ben’s own tone, it was clear he didn’t believe it himself. “It has nothing to do with blackmailing.”

“Then why?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t come up with anything to say. We had agreed to keep things a secret, and even though I very much wanted to lie my way out with time and regret it later, no convincing story came to my mind.

“It’s complicated,” Thomas started, speaking casually, leaning forward with his arms on the table. “I know some of the story, but in the end it’s their business. If they’re not ready to tell, they’re simply not ready.”

I had already told Thomas what happened in some more detail. He knew I was dating those three. When I told him, the idiot couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of it all, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Okay, okay,” Kevin raised his hands in defeat. “But you can’t blame us for being curious. As far as I know, Milana’s never had a boyfriend, but the other two haven’t broken up with their exes on the best of terms.”

Ben nodded. “Lukewarm at best, pure hatred at worst. But then again, breakups aren’t a pleasant thing.”

“We’re just worried about what Oliver might be getting into. Or has gotten into.”

“...Whatever comes of this, I’ll deal with it,” I said with a strain in my chest. “But for now I’m… satisfied.”

Thomas snorted involuntarily, and he had to look away from the glare I gave him, hiding his smirk behind his beer. Still, ‘satisfied’ was a bit of an understatement, I agreed.

Anyway, I didn’t want to be the topic of the conversation any longer, so I changed the topic in a very subtle manner. “So when does tournament season start this year?”

Yes, yes. Very subtle.

Nevertheless, Thomas’ and Kevin’s eyes lit up at that, and for the next 15 minutes, neither Ben nor I could get a word in as they told us of the schools they’d be playing against and the places the matches would be held.

Some 15 minutes after that and over a round of hot pizza, Ben was telling me of his usual training routine as a boxer after I asked. In the middle of it, we all stopped to look at Thomas after he exclaimed “oh” while looking at his phone.

“What is it?” Kevin asked him.

“So… Maybe it was a good thing we didn’t go to the party tonight. It’s apparently boring enough that Grace is asking if she, Mila and Sarah can come over.”

The eyes of the other two guys glided over to me, smirks widening. Trying to ignore them, I fidgeted uncomfortably at my own indecisiveness. On the one hand, I wanted to see them. Oh God how I wanted to see them. Somehow, them leaving the party to come here made me extremely happy. But on the other hand, Ben and Kevin would start making connections. And on top of that, it was Thomas’ house. The guy whose girlfriend recently broke up with him. And my girlfriends would be coming over. It felt like rubbing my good fortune in his face.

But really, I should’ve known Thomas better by now.

“I don’t mind, by the way,” he said, shooting me his own smirk. “It’s been a while since I hung out with them, and they’ve been worried about my break up with Lyla too. So if you guys don’t mind breaking the sausage fest…”

“Yeah, tell them to come over!” Kevin said, eyes glancing towards me while he faced Thomas. “What’s a party without some girls?”

“Even if any one of them may or may not have a boyfriend already,” Ben said, fooling no one as he also grinned towards me.

It was so clear I could smell it. All these guys cared about was getting info out of us. It almost made me want to shout it all. Almost.

“So, Oliver? What do you say?” Thomas asked me innocently. “Don’t worry about these two. We’ll leave it up to you. The last thing I want is to make a guest of mine uncomfortable, so if you prefer they don’t come over…”

“...” Dammit, I wanted to see them. “I don’t mind,” I answered with a burning face.

You know, I didn’t really think it through. When the girls asked if they could come, the desire to see them swelled in my chest so badly I had to say yes. The problem is that once I saw them, the desire to touch them swelled in me as well. A desire I had to hold back for many, many reasons.

“Hello boys,” Grace greeted us as she came out of the house to the backyard, followed closely by Sarah and Mila.

The three looked at me with smiles that made my heart throb, but I instinctively looked away from them. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed to see them, but more like I was worried I’d give us away.

Thomas came further behind, carrying two more chairs and going back in to get a third one.

“I hope we’re not being a bother,” Mila told him.

“Not at all,” Thomas answered. “I like having people over.”

“Beer?” Ben offered, raising a fresh six pack.

“I’m driving tonight, so something softer?” Sarah asked, looking at Thomas, who nodded easily.

“I’ll take one,” Mila said.

“Me too,” Grace joined.

They went to get their drinks, and while they did, Sarah took her chance to come close and elbow me in the ribs.

“Hey!” I complained, mostly at the surprise rather than the pain. It hadn’t actually hurt at all. “What gives?”

“You’re stiff as a board,” she said, smirking teasingly at me before turning to the other guys. “What have you been doing to poor little Oliver?”

“Trying to get answers out of him!” Kevin shamelessly admitted. “But he’s like a turtle. You poke him and he retreats into his shell! He won’t admit anything!”

“Hm? Answers to what questions?” Grace asked.

“What’s going on between you four,” Ben said.

“Oh God, you’re interrogating him, too,” Mila groaned, moving her chair to sit down next to me. With seven of us, the order went like this: Me, Mila to my right, Sarah, Grace, Thomas, Kevin, Ben, then me again to complete the circle.

Ben chuckled. “Is that why you left the party? Everyone was asking you the same questions?”

“Guys…” Thomas sighed in an admonishing and disappointed tone. “What did we just agree to?”

“It was one reason,” Grace said, taking a little sip of her beer and keeping the can close to her lips to hide her little grin. Her eyes glanced at me. “The other one was that it got a little awkward. The guys from the volleyball club asked us out on a triple date.”

I winced as my blood seemed to turn to ice.

“Oh shit, so they really did it…” Kevin mused.

“Wait, you knew?” Mila asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ben told us the other day,” Thomas explained, gesturing with his hand to all the guys around.

“Well, I’m friends with them,” Ben said. “I thought they might, but…”

“I see…” Sarah crossed her arms with a deep frown. She looked at me for a moment and then looked at Grace. “You’re fucking scary.”

“Thank you,” the brunette took the compliment with a toast to herself.

I didn’t know what that was, and I didn’t think I wanted to.