Page 28 of The Frathole

The thought catches me by surprise and throws me off-balance, and he steps on my foot again. As I halt, he practically slams up against me, face into my chest. After he recovers, he glances up at me.

“You good, man?” I ask.

As I study his face, I notice the pink in his cheeks. But my gaze settles on his mouth—those smooth, thin lips.

“Those are pretty lips.” I figured I was thinking that in my head, but it comes out of my mouth, and his eyebrows shift quickly, his forehead creasing.

“What did you just say?”

“I was only making an observation. I mean, you have some qualities girls would be attracted to, and that’s one of them.”

Yeah…that’s a good excuse. Not really sure why I was thinking it, let alone saying it.

“Oh…” he says, nodding. “Maybe we should call it a night on the tango lesson. That’s a good start, and we can practice some more until you get the hang of it.”

“Sounds good.” As he pulls his hand away, my thumb lingers against his flesh, caressing. He’s got nice, smooth skin too.

“So now you gonna give me a tip or a pointer or something?”he presses.

“Patience, young Jedi.”

His head tilts slightly. “You likeStar Wars?”

“You kidding? I used to watch them all the time as a kid.”

“Like…The Phantom Menace?” he asks, like that wouldn’t have counted.

“No, likeA New Hope,Empire Strikes Back,Return of the Jedi.”

“Hmmm…interesting.”

“What? Did you think a dumb jock couldn’t be a fan ofStar Wars?”

“You never bring it up.”

“There’s a lot of things we haven’t brought up since we’ve gotten to know each other.”

And it seems a stretch to even suggest we know each other.

“That’s a fair point,” he says, “but I just showed you some moves. What happened to the whole I show you something, you show me something? Is this the part where you say you duped me and piss me the hell off?”

“Relax. There’s a party on Friday, and there’ll be lots of girls around. I’ll show you then. In the meantime, maybe a couple of nights this week, you show me more of this.”

“Wait, a party? You’re gonna throw me into it like that? I’m not making you compete in a tango championship to start with.”

“I got you.” I rest my hand on his shoulder. “Where do you think Keegan got his moves from? Not to brag, but I know what I’m doing.”

“Yeah, I guess,” he says, as though still waiting to find out this has all been a prank.

“Come on, you gotta shower off, and I’ve gotta get to bed. We have a long, painful journey ahead of us if we’re gonna make you fuckable.”

“Shut the fuck up. At least I know you’re not gonna be any lessof a pain in the ass.”

“Apain in the ass? Excuse you. I’mthepain in the ass.”

This earns a smile from Marty, and I’m kind of proud I managed that much from a guy who’s usually barking away at me. It makes me think that despite our differences, he might not be as unbearable as he sometimes acts.

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