“If this dress doesn't make him want you, nothing will,” said my sister, Maria. She had been following the Victor saga since the beginning, watching my failed attempts to seduce him, so she knew how big of a deal that night was to me. It would be my last attempt, we agreed, for the sake of my sanity.
The dress was deep red, sequined, and hugged my waist in a way that showed the world I had hips for the first time in my life. And if that wasn't enough to get him interested, the side slit that showed my leg certainly would. I was proud of my hard-earned toned legs.
Victor showed up at my door wearing a black suit, white shirt, and a red tie that matched my dress almost perfectly. No, we hadn't set that up, but red was our favorite color, so I wasn't that much surprised... I was rather thirsty. His long hair was down and straightened, hanging heavily behind his shoulders.
“You look stunning,” he said with a sideways smile.
“Ha! Look who's talking.”
Not exactly the reaction I wanted from him, but I'll take it.
We took the bus, as a clerk and a struggling journalist couldn't afford to ride around town in a cab. On the way, he updated me on his latest articles, his progress on the pursue of a career in crime reporting, and I vented on some annoying customers I had to deal with earlier that day. Talk with Victor was easy, it flowed naturally. He was one of those people who were always so interested in others and their lives, as boring as they could get. I guess it came with his profession.
The venue looked like a dream. The ceremony was held on a restored house from the 19th century, the reception and dinner at the magnificently groomed garden. Fairy lights hung above the tables and dance floor, and the band played an array of beautiful songs about love. I'd never been in a place so romantic. Even Victor, being the most cynical person I'd ever met, couldn't help but smile at our friend Laura as she walked down the aisle, and had a dreamy look now as we heard the best man's toast.
“...and even though we didn't expect David to ever fall in love, this woman...” He moved his glass in Laura's direction. “This woman right here is impossible not to love. We welcome you to this family, Laura, and thank you for making David the happiest guy in the world.” He then raised the glass. “To Laura and David.”
Everyone repeated and toasted to them. The band announced the couple's first dance, and they took the floor, twirling around to the sound of Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, the most cliché song for two people to dance, although beautiful.
“Boy, that was cheesy,” said Victor.
I snapped my head at him. “Don't give me that s**t. You were smiling like a goof during that speech.”
“Well, I'm happy for them, truly. But the speech was bad, and you know it.”
I struggled with myself. I have to admit I was almost as cynical as him, and too much romance did make me cringe, even though I was expecting it to serve me that night. Perhaps that's why Aphrodite didn't seem keen on helping me lately.
We watched them in silence until the first chorus ended, and the band invited the guests to the floor. At least they weren't making us watch for the entire song.
“Then I suppose you wouldn't want to dance with me,” I just said, watching the people join the happy couple.
He seemed taken aback, at least, but, of course, he quickly recovered. “I actually would love to dance.”
Victor got up and took my hand. The two of us dancing to a song like that had to be the biggest irony in the world. We weren't exactly jerks... Okay, maybe we were. But a dark sense of humor and a realistic view on life didn't mean we couldn't feel things. I still had a crush on him, and I knew he had been in long-term relationships before, so he wasn't immune to feelings... maybe just to me.
“I suppose this is a nice song,” he caved.
“Yeah. It's just been overplayed, I guess.”
He spun me. “And the company is not too shabby.”
“Hey!” I laughed in spite of myself.
He pulled me back to him, and I nestled on his chest as he swayed us back and forth. I felt his chin rest on my head, arms wrapping around me. His heart was calm, chest rising and falling at a comfortable pace. The song ended, and we pulled apart, looking at each other. I wanted so badly to believe that my plan was working, but I was clearly the only one affected by the setting.
The song gave way to a quick-paced 50's tune. Before I had time to react to the abrupt change of genre, Victor led me around, his remarkable skill stealing my focus.
“Where the hell did you learn to dance like this?”
“My mother owns a studio back in my hometown; she's a teacher. I hung around watching and dancing, growing up. Guess I still remember some stuff.”
“You think so?” I said, letting him teach me the steps of the Rockabilly song, accepting that the spell was broken.
People looked at us curiously, some stopping to watch closely as Victor spun me too many times for me to keep balance. I nearly fell when the song was over, but he held me safely under the applause of the bride, groom, guests, and even some band members. We went back to the table so I could recover, but that wouldn't be our last dance.
***
My walk of shame wasn't exactly what I'd hoped. Instead of a sense of triumph and satisfaction, I went home with the stench of failure. I didn't know what had gone wrong. We flirted, we had chemistry, we danced. I looked hotter than a ghost pepper, and still, Victor didn't kiss me. He didn't give any sign that he was going to kiss me. I wanted to scream, but my throat was getting sore. I actually had a great time; I just didn't get what I wanted.
The sun was coming up, not in the least shy. The heat was starting to get to me, adding to my general frustration. Victor's stop was right before mine, so I walked the rest of the way by myself. As I went up the street, high-heels in my hand, I saw many neighbors were already up, fighting the heat together; the power must have gone out again. People showered with hoses and lounged on beach chairs; just another summer day. And then I saw Leo, talking to this girl who lived up ahead near us.
I had met him through Victor, and since we lived closer, we'd gotten pretty tight pretty quickly. Another reason why we became such good friends was probably that there wasn't anything else there. He'd never shown any interest, and, even though he wasn't unattractive, I was just not into him like that. His shorter waves and baby face did nothing for me against Victor's strong features and hip-length tresses.
As soon as he saw me, Leo smiled his big, childish smile and greeted me. “Hey! How was the wedding? Did you guys have fun?”
I just agreed, omitting my real feelings. I hadn't told Leo about my crush on our friend. I knew he would never tell, but why put him in that position? I'd been stuck with a secret between two friends before, and I wouldn't wish that on such a nice guy like him.
“This is Jennifer,” he said. “Jen, this the friend I told you.”
I shook hands with Jen, wondering what Leo could have possibly said about me. There was nothing to tell. He was probably just being his nice self. We exchanged pleasantries, and when I turned back to Leo, he was looking at my dress.
“You look hot in that.”
I didn't have to think twice to know he was referring to literal temperature. His tone also made that clear.
“Tell me about it. This was not made for daytime.”
Leo looked at me suggestively, holding up a hose.
“You're not getting this dress wet,” I warned.
“Oh, yes I am.”
“Leo, no .” I stepped back.
“You're melting in that thing!”
We completely forgot about the girl as he turned on the water and chased me around. He finally dropped it when I got out of reach and, now running more freely, he caught me with ease. His clothes were soaked, staining my expensive dress. I yelled at him, but I couldn't hold back my laughter.
His arms were around my waist, pulling me against him. His body felt firm against mine. I stopped thrashing gradually as heat crept up through me. I looked behind to see his relaxed expression match mine. Our faces were close now, so close that I felt his breath on the side of mine. Was he feeling what I was feeling?
Leo let me go with no signs of flushing. In fact, he looked determined as he held my hand and took me down the street, away from everyone else. We entered his uncle's general store, which was closer than his house, and he guided me to the back. I didn't ask any questions, and he didn't care to explain.
We passed the stacks of non-perishables and such, and he finally turned to me, but not to speak. He leaned against the back wall and pulled me flush against him. Our lips collided, and I felt immense relief; I was kind of hoping he would do that.
His hands roamed my back, grabbing the fabric of my dress, and for once, I didn't give a s**t about it. Leo's lips were so soft and fleshy, and his cool skin was so soothing after my walk under the sun. I held the back of his neck to keep him close, to keep him attached to me like that. Our ragged breaths were the only thing to be heard in the deserted space of the storage.
His tongue ran across my lip, and we deepened the kiss. I got curious, so I touched his torso under his t-shirt. There was a hint of abs coming up. I didn't expect him to be this fit. I mean, the guy worked in TI. Before I could catch myself, I was pulling the fabric up until he broke the kiss to throw it over his head. He was back to me in a second.
What was going on? I never wanted Leo like this. I had a crush on his friend, Victor. But Leo was such a good kisser, and he was so... hot. Where was all that before? How did I not see it?
My thoughts were cut when Leo slid down the wall and sat on the floor. I came down with him, instinctively straddling him. I felt him getting hard under me, felt his palms go up my thighs, hiking up the silky skirt. His fingers curled on my flesh as he devoured my lips with aggression I'd never seen from him before.
I ground against his lap, my newfound desire growing and expanding. My s*x throbbed as he buried his face in my neck and nipped the skin there. I held back a moan; it was getting too intense, but I didn't want to stop; I just wanted to keep going to the finish line.
He kissed down my neck and collarbone, reaching my cleavage. I held him there as he breathed in my perfume. He finally looked up at me, his vivid blue eyes carrying a hint of surprise behind the passion that clearly burned through. I touched his face lightly. His eyes closed.
We heard movement on the front. I got to my feet and helped him up, feeling somewhat frustrated. Should I invite him to my place so we could continue? I certainly wanted to, but I wasn't even sure of what was going on. I was still stunned, especially now that we were off of each other, and my blood was rushing back to my head.
Leo put his tee back on and checked if the coast was clear. We left the store and headed back to our street without a word, an arm's distance apart from each other. I guess he was as confused and awkward as I was, the reality of making out with someone you've always seen as something akin to a sibling sinking in.
As we walked up, the absurd of it all started to overcome the nice feeling of pleasure and yearning that came before. Still, the aching in my core remained. The memory of his unexpected touch was recent. His taste was still in my mouth, the clean scent still in my nostrils. How could it feel so weird and good at the same time?
I noticed him pick up the pace as we approached his house, almost as if he was eager to be rid of me. Before he could go in, I gave a little sprint to chase him.
“Leo, wait.” I held his wrist. “What was that?”
He lowered his eyes, avoiding mine. “I don't know, Eva, I don't know what came over me.”
He made as if to go inside, but I held him. “Can we do it again?”
“I'm sorry. I don't think we should.”
“Why not? You seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.”
“I can't do this, Okay? Victor is my friend.”
In my surprise, I let him slip out of my grip. He went inside, and I was left to process the meaning of what he'd just said.
See you guys soon.