But Jake was a good soul and proving to be an even better friend. The last thing I wanted to do was mess up the solid connection we were building, which meant the kiss would need to stay in the past, confined to my daydreams and spank-bank fantasies. I had to think about him in the same way I thought about Tristan and Eric. They were practically brothers to me, which meant any kind of romantic interaction was completely off the table.

Speaking of, I could still see Eric and Tristan through the window, both of them currently trying to teach Jess and Tia some kind of viral dance, their hips swaying and hands clapping in unison. I chuckled to myself as I got out of my car and walked over to the already unlocked door. I stepped inside, the sound of music and laughter greeting me before any official hellos had been traded.

“You’re the last one to get here,” Yvette said when I turned the corner into her living room. She held up a shot glass, bright blue liquid filling it up to the brim. “That means this one is yours.”

I gave her a playful glare and took the shot. Blueberry and vodka swirled down my throat and earned a shoulder-shaking shiver from me. She took the shot glass back and went to the kitchen, leaving me to make my rounds, ending the hellos with Jake, who stood up from the couch and wrapped me up in a tight hug. A good one, where our bodies just kind of fit perfectly together and I could sort of feel the slight rise of his crotch.

It was a really good hug. “Mmm, you smell great,” I said as we separated, unable to help myself.

“Thank you. It’s a new cologne.”

“Well, keep buying it.”

“I will,” he said with a smooth wink.

Yvette’s living room was cozy and well decorated, the main sitting area compromised of seven modular couches that were cloud white and just as soft. They were able to be rearranged however Yvette liked, so there were three love seats and one singular seat, where Yvette came and sat cross-legged, book in one hand and wineglass in another. Jess and Tia were on one of the love seats, and Eric and Tristan were on the other, so I plopped down next to Jake. He was also double fisting a book and a colorful can of beer, matching the colorful blue and pink stripes of his polo shirt, a pair of black shorts tying it all together. His light brown hair looked like it had just been cut, cleaned up down the sides and trimmed at the top.