With a nod, he relaxed back in his chair. Twirling a finger to indicate the room, he told me, “Score a chick. That’ll wake you up.” Twisting my lips, I lifted an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes. “Right…monogamy.” He shook his head as he rolled his eyes…again. Then he slapped his hands on his thighs. “Well, I’m gonna score a chick. See ya.”

Because I couldn’t help myself, I tossed out, “Make sure it’s a chick.”

Griffin gave me a confused look, like he thought I was mental. I bit back a laugh. Matt had told me Griffin had never found the two guys I’d chased away from him that fateful night; he still had no idea he’d been making out with men. That was something I’d confirmed while playing that stupid drinking game with him. Griffin was utterly clueless. A fact that brought Matt an endless amount of joy; he broke down into hysterics every time he thought about it.

Smiling, feeling better, I set down my beer on a nearby table. A girl dropped down on the couch beside me. “Hi,” she said, her eyes scanning my face.

“Hello,” I politely returned.

She bit her lip and giggled. There was something about the gesture that really made me miss Kiera. We talked a lot, several times a day, but it just wasn’t the same. It was March now, our anniversary month, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to see her. Our first year together…and we’d spent so much of it apart. It killed me.

I suddenly wanted to call her, talk to her until she unknowingly changed my mood, but the girl beside me suddenly became emboldened…maybe because I’d just been staring at her the entire time my mind had spun.

“Fuck it,” she said, then she flung her arms around my neck and leapt onto my lap. I was so shocked I barely had time to stop her from attaching her mouth to mine.

My eyes were wide as I gently—but firmly—pushed her shoulders back. She was still straddling my lap, breathing heavier as she stared at me. She didn’t seem to notice that I was completely rigid, or that I was holding her back. She strained against me, her head leaning forward, angling in, searching for me.

“Stop!” I snapped, my eyes narrowing as I pushed her further away.

That was when she seemed to wake up. Her eyes widened as she stared at me, and all the blood drained from her face. “Oh my God…I’m sorry,” she said.

She seemed frozen in her embarrassment. I really wanted her off my lap, but I didn’t want to make her feel any worse. I softened my expression and let out a soft laugh. “It’s fine, but…could you get off me?”