Everything Changes

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Jamie’s laugh lacked some of its old flair and sounded forced. Alex watched him carefully and then pulled another cigarette from his pocket. He licked it, but didn’t light it, and he didn’t miss the way Jamie’s eyes followed every move or the way he ran his hand through his hair and practically levitated off the deck.

“You remember Ellen Haskins?”

Alex had to think for a moment, frowning, before the image of a girl with large melon tits and bleached blond hair popped into his memory. His frown eased into a smile. “Yeah. You wanted to ask her to Homecoming.”

“She went with you, ya fucker.”

“But she went home with you, brother. Parking, right? Didn’t you get two fingers deep in her that night?”

Jamie laughed. “I did.”

“What about her?”

Jamie’s laugh faded away. He paced. “You knew I liked her, but you went after her.”

Shit. Well, there was part of it, right there. Jamie didn’t need to know that after Ellen had dumped his ass and left with Jamie, Alex had gotten a couple of joints and some superior head from Chad Phillips beneath the bleachers.

“Jamie, Christ.” If there was something to come out it was best to do it now the way they’d done the other shit. “She’s your wife. You’re my best friend. Still my best friend. High school was a long time ago.”

Jamie stopped and went suddenly still. He turned, fast, to look at Alex and the pleasure on his face was unmistakable. He swallowed, the sound audible even from a few feet away. He took a couple steps closer. “Actually that’s not what I was worried about.”

Alex frowned. “You want me not to tell her I like guys, too? Dude, I’m not really in the habit of describing my sex life in detail to people just for the hell of it. But if you’re asking me to lie about it…”

“No. No, no.” Jamie put up his hands to fend off the words. He moved closer again. “Anne wouldn’t care about that, anyway.”

“Fuck, dude. Calm down. What the hell is the matter with you?” Alex watched him warily, then went against his better judgment and reached out to grab Jamie’s upper arms. “Stop dancing around like we’re at a fucking debutante ball. Tell me.”

“You’re my best friend, too,” Jamie said.

“Yeah? And?”

Jamie went still. Totally motionless. Under Alex’s hands, the muscles in Jamie’s arms leaped once and then tightened to stone.

“I want you to be with her.”

Neither of them laughed. This was dirty talk, but no joke. Jamie meant it, Alex could see it in every line of his friend’s face and in the rock-solid stillness of his body.

They’d talked about this, once or twice. The idea of sharing a chick. But it had been a long time ago, back when Jamie thought Alex only liked women. It had always been talk.

“You want me to fuck your wife?”

He should’ve felt guiltier for already having thought about it, but this was different. Thinking wasn’t doing.

Jamie hesitated, then shook his head, just barely. “Maybe not that. But other stuff. We could do other stuff with her.”

“Seriously? What the fuck.” Alex let go of Jamie’s arms. It was his turn to pace. He lit the cigarette, too, bringing in smoke and holding it in his mouth for a long time before letting it out.

“She wants it.”

Alex shot Jamie a glance over his shoulder. “She just met me.”

“I mean she wants to be with two guys at the same time. And you’re the only one I…trust.”

There was more to it than that, and they both knew it even as they both neatly skated over it. Alex groaned and let his head loll back on his shoulders to look up at the night sky. Jamie seemed to take this for an agreement.

“I want to make her happy.”

“I can’t screw around with your wife.” He said the words flatly to leave them open for no argument, but Jamie had never been one to let go of an idea once he’d grabbed it.

“What’s the matter with my wife?”

“Nothing…” With a sigh at Jamie’s inexorable will, Alex slanted a glance at his friend. “What about you? Can you handle it?”