Not to mention, I’m the one who will feel the judgment from others. I’m too old for him or I’m not pretty enough, so I must be manipulating him to be in this relationship. It’s irrational to think that way, but I can’t help it. It’s exactly where my paranoid brain goes.
An hour later, we’re sitting around the table in a fancy Italian restaurant. The mood is light and happy. Across from me, Isabel is looking more and more uncomfortable as she adjusts herself around the bulging swell of her belly while Hunter and Drake both dote on her constantly. Next to me, Mia is clinging to the side of Garrett’s arm. On the other side, Beau sits in silence, clearly feeling uncomfortable in the current group of his father’s friends.
Whenever Charlie and Emerson break into anything remotely coupley, Beau looks away or down at his menu. The urge to comfort him is too much, and I find myself nudging my foot against his, where no one can see.
When no one is looking at us, I glance up at him for only a second, our eyes meeting like some sort of secret language that no one else can hear or understand. With one look alone, we can say so much.
His leg brushes mine in return. Then I feel his fingers brush the back of my arm, and suddenly, I’ve never wanted to be home and away from people more than I do right now.
“Maggie!” a high-pitched voice calls from across the table, and I jump in shock, tearing myself away from the one person I want to be with at the moment. Charlotte is staring at me with an expectant smile, and I wait for her to clarify why she just screamed my name.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re coming out with us tonight, right? For my bachelorette party!”
I immediately shake my head. “Oh, no. I’m sorry, but…I really have to get home.”
“Oh, I know why she won’t join us…” Mia teases with a wink.
Fuck.
“Why?” Isabel asks before looking at me.
“Maggie’s got a beau,” Mia replies, and my face drops, the blood draining all the way down to my feet as my skin goes cold. Next to me, Beau starts choking on his water.
“What? No!” I stammer, trying to look nearly everyone in the eyes as I defend my secret, but no one seems to be appalled. Instead, they’re all smiling.
“Is that true?” Charlie asks with eagerness, leaning her elbows on the table. “Maggie’s seeing someone?”
Mia nudges my shoulder. “Come on. Tell us about him.”
“Does he work at the club?” Emerson asks, and I meet his scrutinizing gaze.
“No,” I say, shaking my head.
“Does he go to the club?” Charlie asks with a wicked smile.
I shake my head again. “You don’t know him. It’s…nothing, really. It was…a fling.” I’m stammering uncomfortably, feeling all of their eyes on me.
“Hey,” Beau announces, drawing the attention of the table. I stare wide-eyed, expecting him to say something I’m not ready for. To my surprise, he loudly asks, “How can you tell the difference between a nerd and someone into BDSM?”
Wait…what?
My brow furrows as I stare at him. In fact, everyone is staring at him with the same look of confusion. The tension is growing uncomfortable as we collectively wait for him to explain what the hell he’s talking about.
Leaning one arm on the back of my chair, he looks up at the group with a proud smile as he says, “Ask them what a Dungeon Master is.”
A joke. He was telling a dirty joke…to take the attention off of me.
Garrett is the first to laugh. He claps hard as he howls in delight, the rest of the table following his lead. Everyone is cracking up and Beau looks pleased with himself as his left hand brushes my back casually before he pulls it back into his lap.