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“You’re off, I can feel it.”

“I’m fine, Oak. Really.” I don’t particularly want to talk about Kalon, especially not on the heels of accepting a kind-of-date invitation from another guy. I don’t want another opinion on the matter, either. It’s over. I’m done. He’s probably relieved, and now I have to move on. Just another bump on the road. “Do you want coffee or anything? I’m going to Starbucks, and then I’m popping into Macy’s to find a new bathing suit.”

Oakley folds her arms across her chest and tilts her head. “I’m fine, but you’re not, and you know I’ll figure out why.”

I huff out a breath. “There’s nothing to figure out, Oak. I’m fine.” I grab my wallet and leave the studio. It’s busy outside on the streets, and hot, too. I grab an iced coffee from Starbucks, and then find the swimwear section at Macy’s. The only bathing suit I own is the one I wore to Kalon’s house for our dirty weekend, so it needs to be tossed the fuck out and replaced, pronto. I make my way to the eighth floor and find a white crochet one-piece suit. I don’t put much effort into it, because right now, I don’t care. I agreed to go with Jamie because I had no other plans, and the idea of being alone all weekend seems sad to me. I pay for my purchase and go back to the studio. It might be a long weekend, but Oakley and I are slammed, and the rest of our week is busy. I don’t hear from Kalon, and it’s both a relief and a disappointment. I don’t examine why I feel that way, I just lose myself in my work, and brush Oakley off every time she asks about whether I’m seeing him or not.

When Friday afternoon rolls around, it feels like deja vu. I pack my bag, change into something more casual, and Jamie lets me know when he’s outside. I try not to think about Kalon, but when Jamie climbs out of his black Lexus LX SUV and greets me at the bottom of the stairs, it’s hard not to make a comparison. I shove it from my mind and follow Jamie down to the car. He’s dressed in a plain white t-shirt and washed stone chino shorts with a pair of Givenchy slide sandals on his feet. His toenails are neatly clipped, and everything about him screams ‘metro male.’ Why I notice, I’m not sure, but Kalon was a little more unrefined. Ugh. Another comparison I need to shove from my mind. I climb in and buckle up. Jamie puts my luggage in the back before climbing back into the driver’s seat.

“Music preferences?” he asks.

“Anything but One Direction and Justin Bieber.”

“Damnit,” he snaps a finger, “Those are two of my favorites.” The way he says it makes me laugh, and I know he’s not serious. “Tell you what,” he says. “Pull up your favorite playlist on Spotify, and connect your phone to the Bluetooth. We can listen to what you want.”

I like that. I pull up my newest playlist, and when Meatloaf’s You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth starts playing, Jamie raises his brows.

“Now that, I wasn’t expecting, but I like it.” He slides his shades on, puts the car in drive, and turns onto the street. Our conversation is easy, and superficial, which I don’t mind. I know for a fact that nothing with Jamie will be deep and meaningful. I exchange a few texts with Oakley, and they’re not far behind us. Just over four hours later, Jamie stops outside a two story shingle style beach cottage. The outside has shingle siding with white trim, shingle roofing, and dormer windows.

“This looks stunning,” I remark, noting the two cars already in the driveway.

“Wait until you see the inside.”

We climb out the car, and I allow Jamie to take my bag inside. “Honey, I’m home!” he hollers. Wait, what? He didn’t say anything about a ‘honey.’

“We’re out back!” comes a female voice. I look at Jamie. He shakes his head. “My friends,” he says. “I’m not seeing anyone, Channing.” He laughs when I exhale audibly. While he takes our bags upstairs, I take in the interior of his cottage. It has floor-to-ceiling windows and cathedral ceilings with a modern coastal kitchen that has floating shelves and a navy kitchen island. The kitchen area opens to a relaxed living room with a view of the ocean. It’s exquisite. The front door opens behind me, and I’m relieved to see it’s Oakley and Sebastian. My safety net since I don’t do well with people I don’t know.

Two guys and a girl walk in from the deck area outside. They all look young, younger than Jamie, actually.

“Yo, Bashster!” the one shouts. “Haven’t seen you in a while, bro!”

Sebastian steps forward. “Damien, been a long time, man. I had no idea you knew Jamie.”

Damien is tall, African-American, and has long dreadlocks. He gives Sebastian one of those half-hug things with a pat on the back. “Who are these two gorgeous women?”

Sebastian steps back and puts an arm around Oakley. “This is my girl, Oakley, and her best friend, Channing.”

“Nice to meet you ladies.” He grins wide, and I immediately get the sense that he’s trouble. The other guy steps forward and introduces himself. “I’m Gregg, and this is my sister, Taylor.”

Jamie comes down the stairs. “I see everyone has been introduced.”

Taylor squeals and throws herself at Jamie. She giggles, and he pats her on the back like a kid sister. It’s a little obvious she feels something for him and in my experience that only really happens when you sleep with someone and it meant more to them than it did to you, or vice versa.

Damien breaks any awkwardness there might be when he says, “We got the grill going, drinks are in the coolers, hot tub is on. We’re ready for the par-tay.”

Jamie steps away from Taylor, and closer to me. “Great. If anyone needs to change, bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs.”

Oakley grabs my hand. “I’m going to change, come with me?” She doesn’t give me much say, she just starts dragging me up the stairs. “I’ll meet you outside, babe,” she tells Sebastian. He nods and follows everyone outside. We find the first bedroom — there’s four in total — and she shuts the door behind us. “Okay, is it just me, or was that Taylor girl all over Jamie like a heat rash?” Of course she picked up on it, she’s a woman. We have a sixth sense about shit like this.

“Wasn’t just you,” I reply, watching her root around her bag. She pulls out a t-shirt and some high-waisted jeans. We could be twins because we’re wearing the same outfit. “Do you think they slept together?” I ask out of curiosity.

“Chances are high,” Oakley replies. “I grilled Bash about Jamie on the way here, and he said Jamie likes to keep things casual. Which now makes me want to know why you really agreed to come?”

Here it is. The moment of truth. I take a deep breath and say, “I called things off with Kalon this morning, and then you said yes on my behalf, so here I am.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about Kalon?”

“Because it’s not a big deal, Oak. I’d rather just move on, and if that’s something casual with Jamie, so be it. I’d rather be meeting people the way I met him, than meeting someone on a dating app that only gave me bad dates and even worse anxiety.”