Harry Takes a Turn

The awkward silence lasted for thirty seconds before people started to move again. I didn't understand how serious Jack looked. It was hard to imagine that he actually cared about Harry's health, but why else was he making jabs at him? Harry's health. The guy I'd been spending so much time with was a secret cokehead. That was basically at the top of the list of dealbreakers, but tonight had been so insane already that it didn't leave much of an impression on me. And besides, a dealbreaker for what? There was nothing going on between me and Harry, and that was the way it should be. Because...

Tell that to Harry. He was looking my way, and he had a wild look. "Truth," I murmured. My tongue was a piece of lead at the base of my mouth. I didn't have the spine Lea did, apparently. It sure wasn't that I was smarter. Any intelligent person would see how crazy Harry was right now, all hopped up, and run in the opposite direction. My body was telling me to run closer.

"Do you play with yourself thinking about me?" he asked.

"Yes," I admitted. And now I couldn't stop thinking about it. The last few weeks, I had been spending way, way too many nights locked in my bed with my hand clenched between my thighs, thinking about how beautiful it would be to see that face looking down at me as he-- Stop! Stop! No, you should-- Too late. It was already out, as if anyone didn't know already from the way I mooned at him. To my horror, though, it wasn't Harry who responded.

"Wo-ho-hooo, Vi," said Jack, his eyes gleaming. He lurched his way to the very edge of the single bed he was sharing with Lea. "If I remember correctly, you’ve got a boyfriend back home, don’t you?"

My heart stopped.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

Two hands pressed together in my lap, fighting for the top position. Like by looking penitent I could explain away the bombshell that Jack had just dropped. Yes, it was true. This wasn’t my first rodeo any more than it was Paul’s, and unlike him, mine was still technically ongoing. Me and Tim had agreed we would try to make it work long distance while both of us went off to college. My ears burned. It wasn’t something I made a secret of, on paper, but it also wasn’t something I’d ever raised in Harry’s hearing. That wasn’t intentional at first. Then I’d noticed it, and never did anything to correct it. I lowered my head.

"Heard you talking on the phone with him a few weeks ago," said Jack. "'Oh, baby, don't worry, we're fine! I didn't pick up your call because I was hanging out with... Molly!' When she'd been out of town for days. You were with Harry and too scared to tell your dude, weren't you?"

All true. Why the fuck did he have to be shitty *and* right? "Fuck off, Jack! It's my turn! Truth or dare?" I demanded.