Tessa had never been to a key party before--where men tossed their keys into a bowl, women picked out a set, and then everyone spent the night with a stranger.
It had sounded thrilling. Maybe even something she'd fantasized about.
But now that she was actually here, clutching a glass of cheap Pinot and wearing a dress that was too tight in all the wrong places, she felt like she might throw up.
It had been her best friend Sara's idea. "You're stuck," she had said. "You date guys who treat you like a side quest. It's time to shake things up."
And now, here she was, standing at the key bowl while the rest of the party had already paired off and disappeared into dark corners throughout the house.
Tessa took a deep breath and reached in, surprised to find two sets of keys sitting at the bottom.
She turned and discovered two men looking as awkward as she felt.
One wore a name tag that read Elliot--tall, bookish, and handsome in an unassuming way.
The other's read Mark--shorter, bearded, and wearing a Star Wars t-shirt stretched tightly across his chest.
"Well," said Tessa, "this is awkward."
Mark scratched the back of his neck. "You two go ahead, and I can just..." He gestured vaguely toward the door.
Elliot shook his head. "No, no, you two should--"
A naughty idea took root in Tessa's mind. "You both seem very nice," she began, letting the words hang in the air. "And this isn't anyone's fault," she added, "but perhaps we can make this work for everyone?"
Mark opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "You mean... both of us?"
Elliot adjusted his glasses. "Statistically, that's a very common male fantasy."
God, where have these two nerds been hiding, they were adorable, she thought. Tessa took each by the hand and led them down the hallway. "Less talk," she said, dragging them into an empty bedroom. "More action."
Inside, she stepped to the center of the room and let the nervous, electric energy radiate between them. Her pulse pounding with a mix of fear and audacity.
