Title: Affection Multiplier App: The Boyfriend
By: BreaktheBar
Chapter 217
“Hey,” I said, holding my plate in one hand as I considered sitting down. “You, uh—”
JC looked up from his plate at me, obviously uncomfortable. He was sitting at the back of the top deck on the Couples Boat, alone.
“Uh, hey,” he said.
“Look—”
“It’s fine,” he said. “Well, maybe- I dunno.”
“I feel like I should be apologising.”
“I don’t… think you need to.”
“OK,” I said. “Um. How did talking with her go?”
“Short,” he said. “I was hoping she’d come eat with me.”
“Do you want me to find her?” I asked.
“.... no, it’s fine,” he said.
“OK. Well… I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
I left JC where he was and went back across to the top deck of the Singles Boat where Cassidy was waiting for me with Becca, Zenya and Wanda.
“How did that go?” Cassidy asked me.
“Awkward as hell,” I said.
“Told you it would be,” Cassidy said.
“He had to do something,” Becca said. “What did he say?”
“I don’t think he’s pissed at me,” I said. “He was hoping that Terra would eat with him and they could talk more. Or, I guess he wants to talk. He just thought she would come find him.”
“I’ll go get her,” Wanda sighed, setting her plate aside and standing up from her chair. “She needs to talk to him, too.”
“Want me to come help?” Cassidy offered.
Wanda hesitated and then nodded. “She’ll need encouraging.”
“We’ll be back,” Cassidy said. “Take my seat, Tiger.”
Cassidy gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she headed down below deck with Wanda.
“Jesus, you guys know how to make a good time turn awkward,” Zenya said, smirking a little and shaking her head.
“Didn’t mean to,” I sighed.
“Oh, I know,” Zenya assured me. “You could have stuck to single girls for your sex-a-thon though.”
“Jealous, Zee?” Becca asked with a little grin hidden behind her raised cup as she took a sip. She reached over for my hand as I sat in Cassidy’s chair beside her, and I gave it to her.
“Of the chaos? Not a chance,” Zenya said. “Of getting some private time with him? Definitely.”
“You could always just get on your knees and start blowing him right here,” Becca teased the curvy redhead.
“Don’t tempt me,” Zenya laughed. “But I don’t think the sad golden retriever would appreciate that.” She gestured with her head over towards JC.
“Neither would some other folks,” Becca sighed, looking towards the far end of the Couples Boat where the dull sounds of voices were coming up from the back porch area. Heather, Sherry, Ginnie and Heels were eating back there after they’d gone for a quick swim right before dinner. I wasn’t sure where Cattie, Leia or Ami were.
I was about to ask Becca and Zenya about how they met, since the two of them knew each other fairly well, but I didn’t get the chance as Terra came up the back stairs followed by Cassidy, but no Wanda. Terra shot me a nervous look as she walked purposefully across the boats towards JC and slid down to her butt next to him and started to talk.
“Where was she?” I asked Cass as she came back and sat in Wanda’s seat.
“Downstairs talking with Cattie,” Cass said. “Wanda stayed down there with Cattie to talk. I would have too but we’re part of the problem so I just told her we loved her.”
“OK,” I sighed and then looked over to Becca. “I hope your field trip is going to be fun because I think we need something to raise spirits before we’ve got a mutiny on our hands.”
Becca cracked a little smile and nodded. “Yeah, it should be fun. Or, worst case scenario, it will let people drink. I’m going to need a couple of DDs though, and after dinner I need you piloting the boat ’cause we need to go back to the docks. We’re driving into town.”
“I’ll be a Designated Driver tonight,” Cassidy offered, shooting me a look that said not to argue. Usually, I was the responsible one, but clearly she wanted me to let loose after the emotional stress of everything that was going on.
“OK,” Becca nodded. “I’ll ask Ami, too. She’s not a big drinker.”
“Any chance of us getting a hint of where we’re going?” I asked.
Zenya snorted and shook her head with an eye roll and a grin. “I haven’t been able to get it out of her.”
“It’s a secret,” Becca laughed. “But I promise it’ll be fun.”
I looked back over towards Terra and JC and saw that they were talking more. That was good. They needed to figure themselves out again.
Or, that little part of me wondered, they needed to figure out that ‘them’ wasn’t happening.
God, why did I feel so… possessive wasn’t the word. Neither was jealous.
“You OK, Tiger?” Becca asked me with a little concerned furrow on her brow.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, shaking my head. “Just thinking about stuff.”
She gave me a soft frown and nodded, glancing over towards Terra and JC as well. When I glanced over at Cassidy she was smiling, and it took me a moment to realize why. Becca had known what I was fretting and stewing about. She could read me that well, that fast.
“God, you guys are annoying,” Zenya said. “Fuck, you’re like an old married throuple or something and there aren’t any of those yet so what the fuck?”
It was the look on Becca’s face, more than Zenya’s teasing, that made me snort hard and slap a hand over my mouth to stop from barking a laugh. Cassidy, of course, didn’t bother suppressing herself and leaned forward as she started giggling hard. It took her a second but Becca started laughing too.
“We’re not a throuple,” Becca chuckled. “We’re- we don’t even know.”
“Fucking,” Zenya said. “Or whatever. Or an orgy-lationship.”
That one did get me giggling at the absurdity of it and I had to bite my fist because I didn’t want to draw the attention of Terra and JC while they were having an important, serious conversation.
Becca sighed and rolled her eyes. “Hurry up and eat, babe,” she said to me. “We need to get the boats moving.”
“Will do, sugar,” I said.
“Sugar?” Cassidy asked.
“He picked a nickname for me,” Becca said. “I’m hot and cold on it so far.”
“I like it,” Cassidy grinned. “Even if it makes you sound like you’re an old man from the South, Robbie.”
“Yeah, come on, Sugar,” Zenya said, putting on a ridiculous, gruff Southern accent. “Let’s get buttercup and sweet tits and mosey on out of here.”
I had to bite my fist all over again and got tears in the corner of my eyes as I swallowed down another laugh.
* * *