This Doesn't Have To Be A Thing

"Rachel," I protest, "I'm serious."

She nods, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, "Oh I know you are."

"It's serious," I insist.

"Oh honey," she replies, "It really isn't."

I try to interrupt again but she reaches over and grabs my hand, squeezing it reassuringly and making me bite my tongue.

"Em," Rachel says, "I forget sometimes that this is all really very new to you. I mean you had that whole 'never been kissed' energy and it's still there, really, but it's also so different now because... well I've seen what you've done..."

"Alright I know-" I interrupt her, only for her to interrupt me in turn.

"You're not here to fall in love with the boy," she says to me, 'Hell you're not even here to date him. Jake is nice and if you wanted to do that then more power to you, but you were never supposed to want a future with him.

"He's hot, sweetie. You blow him. You let him go down on you. Maybe you even let him take you back to his place and you can have some real fun but you don't date him and you definitely don't wake up next to him in the morning.

"You two aren't compatible that way. I could see that from the moment you first said hello tonight. And while you two kids are so sweet and trying so hard to make it work, you don't have to.

"Just have fun with him. Just have some real no strings attached fun. And then say goodbye."

She leans over, bumping my shoulder and then leaning in close enough that she can whisper and I'll hear her.

"Oh and get his number, won't you?" she says, "Nothing better than a friend with benefits for a late night booty call. Trust me. You're going to want those digits."

Snapping back she waves at someone beyond me, smiling broadly and sliding in so there is barely any space between us at all.

"Welcome back, boys," she greets them, "You barely missed any of the movie."

"That's good," Blake, now within earshot, replies, "Care to catch us up on what we missed? What happened in the movie?"

"Who gives a shit?" Rachel cackles, "Now what'd you get for us?"

"Water and popcorn," Jake informs her, shrugging when she screws up her face in disgust, "It was all they had."

"Oh well," she pats the spot on the far side of her from me, "Well settle in boys, no sense in missing any more of the movie."

Jake drops down next to me and Blake moves forward, taking a half step towards my other side before he does the math and realizes that his place has been usurped.

"Come on, Blake," Rachel pats the spot next to her, "Sit down and give me my snacks!"

There is a moment where he wants to protest. His eyes flicker over to me and his mouth goes firm and straight and we lock eyes for just a single instant before I have to look away, darting my glance over at Jake and nervously plucking a few kernels of popcorn to distract myself.

"Right," Blake says, his tone difficult to discern, "Of course."

I try to fixate on the movie, try to distract myself with it. Plucking up the popcorn and nervously nibbling on it as I try to make sense of anything that is happening on the screen while my mind races and I reconcile with the fact that I've already missed the beginning.

So it's futile, is what I'm saying I guess. It's a futile pursuit.

But that doesn't stop me.

For a limited time you can join my Patreon for only $2 and get access to over a month's worth of new pages of My Second Chance as well as SEVEN FULL STORIES with a new one every month! Join here: https://www.patreon.com/SophiePert