O

ne of the things I liked best about Justin and Camden was they weren’t pretentious jerks like one might assume by just looking at them. Sure, Camden drove the nicest fucking car I’d ever seen, and they both showed up to the sports bar I’d suggested in suits and ties, but once the jackets came off and the collars were unbuttoned, they were just as laid back and friendly as any other blue-collar worker in that bar.

Not once had I ever felt like they looked down on me because I worked with my hands or didn’t spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on college. They couldn’t care less about those things.

In fact, just the idea that Justin was now a buddy of mine was a testament to how cool he really was, seeing as how the first time we met I was trying to date his wife. Of course, I hadn’t known they were married at the time, but still. It wasn’t every man who could look past a first impression like that.

“So,” Camden said just before taking a sip of his Guinness. “What do we think the women are talking about this evening?”

“Not a clue,” Justin replied. “But every time Hadley spends the evening with Riley and there’s wine involved, she comes home happier than when she left and a little tipsy. And let me tell you, tipsy Hadley might be one of my favorites.”

“You like every version of Hadley,” Camden said while he rolled his eyes and laughed.

“Not going to argue with that.”

“I have a feeling I may be a topic of conversation,” I threw out there. Both gave me questioning looks. “Rose and I sort of started seeing each other.”

“Is that what Riley was going on about earlier?” Justin asked, leaning over the table between us a little more. “She was talking really fast and moving her hands a lot. I caught a few important notes, but couldn’t keep up entirely. She mentioned Rose and I figured it was work gossip.”

“Pretty sure the impromptu girl’s night is because I may have kidnapped Rose yesterday and taken her on a date without her consent.” I used my fingers to put quotation marks around kidnapped.

“What, now?” Justin asked, one eyebrow arching, his demeanor becoming a little threatening.

“It wasn’t anything bad. She fell asleep in my car and instead of waking her up I just kept driving. We ended up at the beach. It was a great day. She was a little surprised when she woke up by the ocean, but she got over it.”

“Just maybe don’t tell anyone else that story in those exact words,” Justin grumbled, taking a pull from his bottle of beer.

“Noted.” I laughed. “But, in all seriousness, what can you guys tell me about her? You’ve known her a lot longer than I have.”

They both simultaneously took in deep breaths and their faces went blank.

“She’s not really an open book,” Justin finally said. “I’ve only met her once or twice, and she seems nice, but I don’t really know anything about her.”

“I can tell you she’s a great boss and she cares about her company,” Camden added. “Riley never has anything bad to say about her. She raves about her, in fact. But nothing personal, just how impressed she is with her drive and how much she’s accomplished.”

“She is impressive,” I agreed. “She’s turning out to be a tough nut to crack. And unlike a lot of women I’ve encountered in the past, she doesn’t really seem eager or interested in dating.”

“Hadley wasn’t really one to date either,” Justin offered. “She was a casual relationship kind of gal. Pissed me the hell off in the beginning, but in the end it didn’t matter much because there’s nothing casual about a marriage certificate.” He winked at me and I had to laugh because, seriously, Justin and Hadley’s story was ridiculous. I’m sure it was confusing as fuck for them when they were going through it, and trust me, I was witness to one of the first major milestones of their marriage, but it worked out for them in the end.

“That’s not it either,” I continued. I shifted in my seat, leaning forward and lowering my voice. “She doesn’t date. Like, at all.”

“She’s kind of got a full plate.” Camden shrugged.

“We have this weird and amazing chemistry, like I’ve never felt with someone else, and I know she feels it too, but it’s like she’s purposefully trying to ignore it, or pretend she doesn’t feel it.”

“When Riley turned me down, multiple times, I just didn’t give up, but she was clearly into it. Her issues had nothing to do with me, really. The attraction she felt was just a catalyst for some sort of inner-self, reflective, quarter-life crisis thing she had to get past to realize I was perfect for her.”

“Maybe it scares her.”

Justin’s surprisingly profound comment gave me pause. They didn’t know what I knew about Rose, that she’d never had sex with anyone before. Her lack of sexual experience wasn’t a big deal, but at the same time, it was a huge deal. As much as she tried to play it off as insignificant, there had to be more lingering under the surface.

I lost my virginity at sixteen to a girl I’d been on a handful of dates with. I was just like any other sixteen-year-old guy, eager to finally experience what had been consuming my thoughts for so long. Did it matter who the girl was? Not really. It helped that I liked her, but the main reason it was her was that she was willing. Sounds crude, but it was true.

I may have been a man, but I wasn’t stupid, and I knew it was different for girls. But I didn’t know if I had the mental capacity to conceptualize what it would be like for a woman like Rose to still be a virgin.

Justin was right.

It had to be scary.

Regardless of whether Rose wanted to admit it.

“She does put on a tough front sometimes.” Camden sipped his beer.

“I’m not sure it’s an act, though,” I added. “She is tough. Maybe she thinks she has to be. I’ve just got to find out why.”

“Either way,” Justin said, eyes glued to the TV with the basketball game replays, “don’t hurt her. If she’s friends with Riley and Hadley, she’s good people and probably doesn’t deserve it.”

Justin had no idea how true his words were.