“Oh man, I feel like I should be taking notes. I cannot wait to hear this. No, Johnny, what’s the great thing about two girls instead of one? Outside of the obvious two vaginas to stick it in thing.”
He shakes his head. “It takes off the pressure. From everyone.”
“The pressure? Seriously? You poor thing. Performance anxiety? I knew it.”
“Think about it. You’re hooking up with someone, and it’s just the two of you. Every movement, every word is a back and forth trying to read one another and wondering how the other thinks or feels. Casual sex, especially when you get more than two people, is all about fun. No one calls the day after a threesome to see if you want to grab a coffee.”
I give my head a shake, but I can’t hide my smile. I understand what he means, though. It’s about expectations.
You take people at their word, and sometimes they disappoint you. They make you feel special and wanted, they say all the right things, but you don’t really know their heart. The upside? Eventually, people always show you their true colors.
And it isn’t just in dating either. We have expectations in all kinds of relationships. I learned this lesson at eighteen when a man that I trusted, my high school track coach, made me believe that I was a talented runner who had a bright career ahead of her. Maybe I did, but he never really believed that. He was saying and doing whatever he thought would get him in my pants. It’s kind of incredible the lengths some people will go to to keep you from knowing they only want sex. Expectations.
He grins back. “Besides, two chicks wanting me at once—so hot.”
“And there it is. I’m going to be single forever. I appreciate your honesty, though.”
We fall quiet. The only sound is Charli snoring.
“We should probably get some sleep.” I struggle to get on my feet from the awkward position I’m sitting. Mav hops up and takes my hands, lifting me with ease.
He’s so tall that he can’t quite stand all the way up without knocking into the ceiling fan.
“Thanks.”
He drops his hands but holds on to mine, lightly running his thumbs along the backs of my fingers. He smiles, the same friendly Maverick smile he always does, but my heart rate speeds up.
“Let me show you to the guest room.” I change my tone to speak to Charli. “Come on, girl.”
Why, yes, I am using the dog to get out of this situation. I’ve got images of Maverick with two girls stuck in my head, and I don’t hate the view. What is wrong with me?
“My room is the last door on the right. Dad is last on the left, and he does own a gun. You’ve been warned.”
He drops his bag on the bed, and Charli climbs right up, does a circle on the end of the mattress, and lies back down.
“Night, Mav.”
“Hey, wait.” He grabs my hand as I turn to leave.
“Oh right, the bathroom is across the hall. You can go first.”
“Thanks, but that’s not it.” He looks uneasy as he shifts from one foot to another.
“You’re making me nervous. What’s wrong?”
“You told me not to hit on you, or you’d bust a bottle over my head, so I’m choosing my words carefully here.”
I snort loudly then remember my dad is sleeping. I wiggle my hand free from his and then hold both up to show him. “No beer bottle. You’re safe. As long as you don’t invite me to a threesome.”
“Don’t knock it ʼtil you try it.” He grins then his lips fall into a more serious line. “You’re fire, Kota. You won’t be single forever. You could have any guy you wanted.”
I try to laugh it off, but he steps closer, and the bubble around us loses all the oxygen. “It’s good to keep your standards high, but people can surprise you if you let them in. So they don’t get it right over text, or they occasionally like to indulge in threesomes, it doesn’t mean they aren’t also capable of giving you the things you want.”
He stops, but I can’t find my voice to respond. I can’t move either.
“That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say.” He moves first and sits on the bed. Charli sticks a leg out in his direction, wanting to be closer to him but too lazy to get up. Johnny is kind of like that. People extend themselves to be near him.
I force my feet backward and hold on to the doorknob as I twist my lips into a friendly smile. “Thanks, Mav. I’ll see you in the morning.”
When I wake up the next morning, it’s to Dad’s and Johnny’s voices. I check the time, then get up and change into my running clothes. I make a quick stop in the bathroom to brush my teeth and put my hair up into a ponytail.
The smell of bacon greets me as I walk into the kitchen. Johnny is at the stove, shirtless, and Dad sits at the kitchen table with a bottle of Icy Hot and Ibuprofen in front of him and his back brace on.
“Oh no, what happened?”
“Eh.” Dad waves me off. “I tweaked it when we were loading the trailer.”
“Why didn’t you wait for me? Mav and I could have done it. It’s barely seven o’clock. Are you that eager to get rid of me?”
His smile softens, and I slump into one of the chairs and steal a piece of bacon off the plate in the middle of the table.
“These came for you.” Dad slides three identical envelopes in front of me.
I lift the top one, see the return address, and let it drop.
“Still bugging you to be in the school’s Hall of Fame?”
I nod and fill my mouth with another piece of bacon. For six months, the high school has been sending me invites for the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. I thought I’d successfully dodged them since the ceremony was last month, but apparently not.
Mav spins around. “That’s awesome.”
“It’s unnecessary and unwarranted.” I stand and drop them unopened in the trash. “I’m going for a run. Do you want me to take Charli?” I look around. “Where is she?”
Maverick’s lips twitch, and he points with the spatula to the floor. I lean down and see Charli next to Dad’s feet.
“You made a friend.”
Dad grunts a response but bends down and scratches behind her ears.
Before I leave, I glare at Dad. “No more moving things while we’re here.”
He holds his tongue, but the unimpressed look on his face tells me he’s going to do whatever he wants—stubborn old man.
I get only a few feet from the house when Mav falls into step beside me.
“Hey,” I say, surprised. “Need to get away from my dad?”
“Nah, he pushed me out the door and told me no respectable man lets a woman run by herself. Something about the neighborhood not being what it used to be.”
“Oh geez. I’m sorry. Also, I’m good. I can outrun most people.”
“It’s cool. I have to get back into the routine of it again anyway.”
I start down my old path toward the high school. The neighborhood is older, lots of retired couples live here, and the streets are quiet this time of day. At the end of the block, we turn right.
I take us up and down each street scoping out the changes instead of taking the direct route to the school. The morning air is heavy with humidity. The sky is clear, and the sun is already hot on my skin.