How My Boyfriend's Best Friend Broke My Heart

Chapter 3 (The Birthday)

September, 2021.

I curled up in a lawn chair next to the unlit fire. Keanan was adding wood and balls of crumpled up newspaper pages. We had already hung the pinata, and the trunk of my car was stashed full of the liquor we had spent the day scavenging for. What is your 21st for anyways, besides collecting various forms and flavors of liquid poison?

It was six pm, and the mid September days were still long, making the sky still blue. My stomach churned with nausea. I hadn't drank anything yet, but I felt so sick to my stomach for some shitty reason.

I stared at the fire as it danced. All I could think about was how soon I'd get to see Riley. This would be the first time since the break up. We snapped a lot, but it was always casual conversation. Well, maybe a little bit of flirting.

Keanan sat down in the chair next to me, holding his phone in his hand.

"Riley says he needs a ride over,"

My adrenaline spiked, but I kept calm, "Okay, but can you drive? I feel like shit."

I shuffled my way over to my car, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. I settled into my passenger seat, snuggled in the fabric like a cocoon. We began the two minute journey down the road. The sky was darkening through my windshield. We idled in Riley's driveway until he appeared around the corner of his house. I always get butterflies at the first glance of his presence. He opened the rear drivers side door to greet us.

"Hey guys!" he exclaimed.

I blushed at the sound of his voice. He's always so friendly. The car rolled into reverse once he had squeezed himself into my tiny back seat.

He peeked at me, my blanket wrapped around my head like a hood, leaning back in my reclined seat.

"How are you, Hannah?" he questioned.

"I'm so nauseous," I whined to him.

He furrowed his brow, "Nauseous? Why, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," I whimpered.

Maybe being a damsel in distress was cute to him. Or at least I hoped it was. Either way, one things for sure, I was in distress.

    Once back in the driveway at my house, we all piled out of my car. Keanan popped the trunk to take Riley through a tour of our liquor stash. I snagged a couple of strawberry seltzers and waddled back over to the fire side furniture.

Despite my tummy troubles, over the next couple hours we all got pretty crossed. I was finally feeling a lot better. Still snuggled in a cocoon next to the fire, we had positioned our chairs in a triangular format facing eachother. On the end of my lounge chair lay the cards to the drinking game we were playing. We had filtered through a couple of rounds already.

    Somehow, a topic from one of the cards had led into an adjacent conversation between the boys. During this conversation, or more so storytelling, Keanan accidentally referred to me as his girlfriend.

"Not your girlfriend," I interjected to remind him.

Well, maybe it wasn't intended so much as a reminder, but an invitation to Riley that he could absolutely extend his hand and take me to pound town.

    Riley frowned with concern, "What?? What happened?"

He flicked his eyes back and forth between the two of us, as if he were betting heavy money on who would muster up an explanation first.

    "We broke up a couple weeks ago," Keanan began, "It just wasn't working out. But we're still really close and everything. It didn't end on bad terms."

    Riley nodded, "Well, I'm sorry guys, but I'm glad you're still on good terms. That doesn't happen very often."

We all nodded in agreement before moving on back to the game.

The questions were dirty. I wondered what he thought of my answers and the intimate details I was revealing about my sex life. I liked to think he was picturing me naked.

    After a few more rounds and a couple more drinks, we decided it was time to call it a night. The only light left was the glow from the fire and the lamp attached to the utility pole illuminating the driveway.

    I twirled my drunk ass across the lawn to the car, setting my drink down on the trunk. I turned around to face the boys with a devious smile.

    "Okay, I may just be really drunk, but I wanna try being a cheerleader,"

Maybe I just wanted Riley to touch me, but I was the only one who needed to know that. He was unaware that every time we would touch, it was a calculated move.

    They both grinned curiously, intrigued by my antics. I shuffled in between them, instructing them on how to lift me from my feet.

    I placed an arm on both of their shoulders. Riley's black Carhartt hoodie felt soft and warm beneath my fingers. He smelled good, his cologne clinging to the air.

    "On the count of three," I giggled, "One, two, three!"

They hoisted me up, one hand under my shoe, the other on my thigh.

    My thigh. His hand was on my thigh. I wondered what he was thinking. Was he as focused on how it felt as I was?

    I struck a few poses before they lowered me to the ground. The sweet bliss of his touch coming to an end. I hated having to take my hands off of him.

    There had not yet been a man I couldn't pull. Even if he didn't take advantage of my single and ready to mingle status, I knew I could have him if I played my cards right.