Oliver knew, without looking, that Kristy had arrived to the party.
He held two playing cards in his hand, a pair of queens. The remaining two hit the dining room table in quick succession. He was one bet away from taking the whole pot, his first win of the night, but when his turn came, he folded. He wanted to be close to Kristy, to bask in her presence, to exchange thoughts and ideas and hear her sweet voice. He quietly excused himself from the table, abandoning his four friends moments before Louis won with a pair of kings.
He found Kristy in the kitchen, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a light blue t-shirt. She was leaning against the counter with her back curved, her round ass swaying back and forth as he approached her from behind. His eyes traveled from the small of her lower back and down her thick legs, his imagination running wild with what was beneath the faded blue denim.
Rachel Cruz, a friend of Kristy's who accompanied her everywhere, saw Oliver's wandering eyes and exposed her white teeth as the corners of her lips curled, "I saw that."
Kristy looked over her shoulder as Oliver sidled up next to her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him close.
"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked, "do you think that we'll still be friends in ten years?"
Oliver scoffed as though the answer was obvious. "Of course I do."
"But we change as we age," Rachel said as she filled a glass with some cheap vodka and a discounted energy drink, "ten years ago we were different people, and ten years from now we'll be reborn again. Our likes and dislikes change. The things that we enjoy about people shift. I think that inevitably our memories of today will be all we have of each other."
"I hope not," Kristy said, wrapping her arms around Oliver. She pressed the soft flesh of her breasts against his chest. A rush of blood coursed through his penis, enough to make the tip jump. She kissed him on the cheek. "What would I do without Olly in my life?"
Rachel sipped her mixed drink and watched the pair exchange flirtatious glances. She could see the excitement in Oliver's face, his cheeks turning bright red, his smile unrestricted. "I only ask because I think that there will eventually be a time when we don't speak, when we don't see each other, and it makes me wonder, why don't we do whatever we can to make right now as great as possible, something that we'll always remember."
"What did you have in mind?" Kristy asked, grabbing the glass from Rachel's hand. She swallowed the last gulp and ran the tip of her tongue across her lips.
Rachel leaned against the counter and whispered. "We should go upstairs and fuck."
Oliver was speechless.
"The three of us?" Kristy asked, looking at Oliver with a nervous smile.
"I've seen you looking at Oliver. I know you're curious to see what he's packing," Rachel said with her eyes sparkling. She dropped the empty glass into the sink.
"What do you think, Olly?" Kristy asked.
Oliver was surprised that Kristy was so easily tempted. He let the idea run its course through his brain like a bolt of lightning.
Years ago, on a wonderfully warm autumn day, Oliver had sat beneath the stars with Kristy. He had tried to impress her with a beautiful view and two cans of warm beer. They were younger then, more innocent, and horribly awkward with their changing bodies. They were adults now, more mature, and their bodies had been exposed to sex. But aside from an intimate kiss at a party the year prior, Oliver and Kristy were romantically unfamiliar. He wanted to be with her, he knew that much, just for the sensation he felt when she was close, but he wanted her one-on-one, even though he was attracted to Rachel's big eyes and fit body.
The longer the idea lingered in his mind, the less confident he felt in the execution. I better not, he thought, it could ruin what we have now. Their friendship always came first. He laughed nervously, and an awkward silence followed for what felt like an eternity.
Kristy slid her hand down Oliver's bicep and intertwined their fingers, "what do you think, Olly?" --she bit her bottom lip -- "do you want to fuck me?"
That was all it took to change Oliver's mind. He breathed deep and said, "more than anything."