Phil tells his friends who is who

[NOTE: This chapter happens in parallel with Abbie's narrative.]

Phil got everyone's attention. "Okay, there's five women over there. On the left is Melanie. She went to college with Staci. She's a teacher. Math, I think."

Arthur sneered at Danny, who was silently staring across the room. "You're trying to think of a stupid math sex joke, aren't you?"

Danny looked back at Arthur. "Me? No," he muttered, though it was obvious that he had something on his mind.

"Sure you are. Something like, 'oh, I'd like to calculate her surface area' or something stupid. Except you don't know any math."

Rick laughed. "That is exactly what you're doing, Danny."

Phil chuckled. "Too bad. No math jokes, she'll never go for you."

"Is she single?" said Danny.

"I think so," said Phil. "Not sure. Didn't bring anyone here, though."

"Single enough," Danny replied.

"Anyway," Phil continued. "Then that's Emily next to her. She went to high school with Staci."

Jake watched Abbie take a sip of her drink, and then happened to catch her eye. She winked at him, and then sipped her drink before bringing her attention (and a bit of hushed conversation) to Melanie. Jake felt himself blushing, as if he had once again been caught doing something. But it was just Abbie, looking at him. Am I embarrassed to be in this kind of objectifying conversation? he wondered. What are these guys going to say about Abbie? Jake was unsure if they even realized he was her date at the party, despite having met them earlier in the morning.

"What else do you know about her?" asked Arthur.

"She's cute, right?" said Phil. "You should go talk to her."

"Oh please. Picking up a girl at a wedding. So cliché," Arthur scoffed.

Danny snorted. "Okay, but if you don't do it at a wedding, or a club, or at work, or online, or whatever ... that's why it's been six months since you were with a girl."

"Yeah, but if I do it at a wedding and at a club and at work and online and literally everywhere I go, then I'm you, and I'm a total sleaze."

Danny smiled. "To each his own."

"Arthur, she's cute. And single. But ..." he trailed off. "I guess I probably shouldn't say anything else."

"Like what?" said Arthur.

"Well ..." Phil said slowly. "I think she might be bi."

Danny sat up, all ears.

"Fuck you, Danny," said Phil. "But I think she might be bi. She had a boyfriend last time I saw her, like a year ago, but I think that's over. But she's also ... No, I can't."

"Come on, Phil. What's the story?" said Danny.

"Okay. I mean, they told me about this last night in front of other people, so I guess it's not a secret, really. But Emily and Staci kind of messed around with each other in high school."

Danny howled. Rick noticed the entire row of women at the bar turning to look at the noise.

"Shut up!" said Phil.

"You fucking fuck!" said Danny. "Your wife is into girls?"

"No," said Phil flatly. "Ten years ago, she messed around with a girl. It's totally normal, even for straight girls to do that sort of thing. Experiment."

Jake thought of Abbie again, and how just this morning, he had been part of two escapades with Abbie and other women. Abbie's sexuality was more than straight or bi or gay -- she was adventure and excitement, a sexual thrill ride for whomever she was with. Jake wondered if people like Kelsey or Megan or Phoebe, or even the people they met yesterday, were they all as sexually promiscuous and outgoing in their own lives, or did Abbie somehow lure it out of them?

Everywhere he went with Abbie, they seemed to find epic sexual adventures, far beyond anything Jake experienced in his life before. He wondered if he was some kind of a locked box ... and if Abbie was somehow the key.