Double Dating

Chapter Sixteen

"Time? Time for what?" My voice cracked on the last word due to my heart constricting with panic. I thought I was ready, but boy had I been mistaken. And here they were assuming -based on my previous actions- that I would be ready at any say-so.

Nico burst out in laughter, the seat belt constrained him from rolling around in the cramped backseat but he did fall to his side as far as the seat belt would let him. "Look at her face! Look at her damned face! That was priceless!"

Cole couldn't glance back because we were currently on the thruway heading to my house, but he laughed, much less than Nico did though.

"Baby, let me explain. He means it's time to show you the new furniture and features that were installed in the house today while we took you out. Just a minor surprise, nothing too special."

My body relaxed with his words, "Oh. What is it?"

"You'll see!" Nico nudged my side. "That's the whole point of a surprise."

Laughter. That's what my life has been lacking of late. It felt so good to laugh and to hear people laugh, even if I was on the receiving end of the joke. The way these boys shared their happiness so openly with me... It felt like a lifetime of friendship. More than that though.

Ugh, only I would look so deeply into a laugh and read the fine lines.

Cole got off my exit and I knew we were close now. Moments later, we pulled up into the wrap around driveway and Cole parked it directly in front, not bothering with the three car garage.

I climbed out of the car and bounced up the steps to the massive double doors that were painted red with intricate glass panes in the center. The entire outside of the house was made of faded, distressed white brick and every window had black shutters. I fell in love immediately when I saw it for the first time yesterday and grew more infatuated with it each time I rested eyes on it.

Especially when I remembered that, once upon a time, my father chose this house for me. Why else would he buy a house, never live in it, and then put it in my name?

"Stop staring at it. The best part is now on the inside!" Cole said excitedly as he went past me to open the door all gentlemen-like.

I made my way in with both of them ushering me further until we reached the living room. Double pane sliding doors enclosed the spacious room, so Nico slid them wide open and Cole rushed in first to proudly display the new flat screen TV in a similar way that a game show host would. I nodded impressively at it and decided to put it into good use. We scrolled Netflix for less than a minute before we all agreed on a TV series that none of us had seen.

It was about a dysfunctional family that lived in the slums of Chicago but persevered through difficult events that I thought were so far-fetched, yet fit the characters perfectly. The show stuck to its name because every episode we saw at least five different pairs of boobs and saw three or more sex scenes. It changed the air in the room, anytime I bumped hands with Nico or Cole, or just brushed my leg against them on accident... Electricity sparked in the most sensational ways.

I wasn't the only one being affected. Nico would grunt when contact was made whereas Cole balled his hands into fists to restrain temptations.

We were all suffering.

Why should we be suffering? All because I'm some fragile virgin that deserves to lose it at the perfect moment? What even is considered perfect?

"Why are we waiting?" I looked up to Nico because I knew it was all him making us wait. Putting us through this torture. And I just wanted to know why..

He took a steady breath in, "Because I'm afraid for you. Everyone's first time should be special. Cole got lucky with a nice girl in our senior year of high school on Valentine's Day. I was... Slightly less lucky. It was my freshman year in college, I was holding out for a moment similar to his. Even though guys will say that it's nothing big, it sort of is. Standards are set high when you watch porn and hear other stories. My, ah..."