Pretty Boy D: Chapter 18

Joss

Sitting poolside with a fruity drink in hand feels like the perfect time to spill the beans.

Blue and I have spent a better part of the day together, hanging out at her place, and I still haven’t shared the latest development between me and Dane. Not that she hasn’t asked how things are going, I just didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to tell her.

So, I’m just gonna blurt it. Why the hell not?

I glance to my right and stare at her from beneath the brim of the plaid bucket hat Dane bought me as a joke. It was a souvenir from when his family vacationed in Fiji a few years ago, but I pop it on every now and then when I’ll be out in the sun.

Blue’s completely relaxed in her lounger, and possibly asleep. It’s hard to tell with the dark, oversized sunglasses covering her eyes, looking all glamourous and shit. She won’t mind if I wake her for this, though.

“So, Dane and I kissed,” I say casually, to which Blue responds by nearly leaping out of her skin. Those sunglasses are ripped off and she’s staring right at me.

“No. Way.”

I nod, holding in my smile.

“Joss! You’ve been keeping this to yourself all day? I can’t believe you! Tell me all the things,” she gushes, turning to sit on the edge of her seat.

I breathe deep and imagine everything I felt last night.

“Well, he came in from his date and the plan was to just hang out and watch a movie, but… it didn’t end that way.”

“OMG! Did he initiate? Or was it you? I’m dying!” she squeals.

“It was him, I guess you could say? But I definitely wanted it to happen. And by the end of it, we… kind of made a deal.”

She doesn’t miss how I trail off there. In fact, her eyes narrow with suspicion.

“A deal?”

I nod first, gathering the courage to say more. “We’ve… officially shifted to a friends-with-benefits situation. The only two rules are that neither of us will fool around with other people while we’re involved in said situation, and we swore to keep emotion out of it.”

She was with me right up until then. I know as much because her expression just went from elated to deflated.

I’m almost afraid to ask why that is, but when she cocks her head to the side and raises a brow, I may as well.

“Ok, what’s the look mean?”

“Do you even have to ask? No emotion?” she scoffs. “Are you two seriously denying that that ship has already sailed? I mean, it’s already gonna be a push to compartmentalize this whole thing, but now you’ve closed the door to honesty, put both of you in a box where you’re allowed to fool around but not express how it makes you feel,” she reasons. “Just my two cents, but I think you might want to reconsider that rule.”

I hear her, but I also know my limits. I’ve already crossed the line that I, myself, drew in the sand when it comes to him. If we’re going to keep things in perspective, if we’re going to avoid the drama that befell my parents and preserve our friendship, we have to stick to the plan.

She must see me overthinking things, because she places her hand on mine and her expression has softened.

“Listen, I’m all for this deal between the two of you,” she assures me. “I just want you both to be openminded about where it could lead. That’s all.”

I exhale my anxiety and nod. “I get it.”

She smiles, then sweeps both feet back onto her lounger. To keep things from getting awkward, I change the subject.

“You guys are really settling in here. Does it feel like home yet?”

She glances over and there’s so much contentment on her face it’s overwhelming. If happiness were a drug, she’s high as hell right now.

“Pretty sure I could be anywhere with West and it’d feel like home,” she answers.

Their love was hard won, so to see them stable and head-over-heels for one another is incredible. Not so long ago, the pair shared a hatred for one another that ran bone-deep. It was ugly to witness from the front-row seat being West’s friend provided me, but I can imagine it was even uglier to live through. So, if they were able to sort things out, there’s hope I could be as happy as she is one day.

Maybe.

She reaches for her phone when it vibrates on the table between us. Lifting her sunglasses again, she glances at the screen for half a second before returning a text.

“Speaking of West,” I tease.

“Actually, it’s not him,” she says with a laugh, pausing to finish her message. “It’s Detective Roby’s daughter, Dez. We used to be tight a long time ago, back when our dads were partners on the force. Roby filled her in on everything that’s happened this year, and after she reached out to see if I was okay, we just kind of kept in touch. She’s even planning to join in on our girls’ night in a couple weeks, so you, Jules, and Lexi can all get to know her, too.”

“Well, I’m open to meeting new friends, so it should be fun.”

“I get the feeling she’s had some personal shit going on, but she doesn’t talk about it much. She’s back home for a bit, though, so more friends is probably a good thing,” Blue reasons.

There’s a story there to unpack, but I’ll mind my business. “Well, if she’s got drama she’s trying to outrun, she’s found herself the right crew.”

The comment makes Blue laugh, but she doesn’t deny that it’s true.

“Speaking of outrunning trouble, how’s Ricky?” I face her again after asking.

“You’d have to ask West,” she answers with a laugh. “For every one time I hear from him, West has heard from him three times that. Never thought I’d have to compete with Ricky for my boyfriend’s attention.”

My, how things have changed. There was once a time when Blue’s ex, Ricky Ruiz, was the thorn in West’s side. But due in part to it coming to light that the duo’s fathers are actually half-brothers, they’ve managed to work things out.

“Any idea when it’ll be safe for him to come back?”

There’s a hint of sadness in Blue’s eyes when she shakes her head, because before Ricky was ever her ex, he was a friend.

“Not any time soon, I don’t guess. The Ruizes and Navarros have had more drama between them than usual—beef over turf or some shit like that—so I think Ricky’s planning to stay where he is for a while. Can’t blame him,” she adds.

Apparently, everyone in our circle is running from something—the law, a bad reputation, feelings.

“Ok, not to keep jumping subjects, but I have to ask. What’s the deal with this Shawna chick?” Blue snatches off her sunglasses again and I shrug, smiling an uncertain smile.

“What about her? I mean, Dane hanging out with her is work, so… I guess that’ll continue.”

Blue keeps staring and I’m almost as good at reading her as she is at reading me. She doesn’t like that whole situation between the two of them, but it is what it is. He only agreed not to be physical with a girl, not that he wouldn’t date.

When she takes a deep breath and settles into her seat again, she keeps her eyes trained on me.

“If you need me to take my baseball bat out of retirement, I’m willing to do that for you. And I know for a fact that Lexi would be down.”

I laugh, knowing from experience that those two aren’t shy about swinging bats.

“Noted. If Shawna becomes a problem, you’ll be the first one I call.”

She smiles and puts her sunglasses in place on the bridge of her nose. Her question has me thinking, though. Not that this is the first time Dane’s obligation to continue things with Shawna has come to mind, but I guess I’m trying to keep my word about checking my emotions at the door.

Despite the potential for complication, I have to believe that if any two people can navigate these uncharted waters, it’s me and Dane.

Hopefully.

Maybe?