Building Friction (Part Two)

Lilly was holding her lighter out towards me when I stepped onto the concrete patio. "What was that shit about?" she asked, after taking a long drag on her cigarette.

"Arrogant asshole, nothing new," I responded. I lit my cigarette and inhaled hard. "Why does everyone always assume that they know who would be right for me?"

Lilly shrugged. "But admit it. You're picky," she added, then flicked ash on the ground. Steph had been sitting in a deck chair, listening to our friend Sean play guitar. She jumped up after hearing Lilly's comment.

"Ah, Chloe!" She was in front of me now, jabbing me in the arm. "What's wrong with this one? He seemed OK!" She jabbed me twice more for good measure.

"Steph, come on! Did it ever occur to you that I don't NEED anyone in my life right now? That I'm OK just how I am?" I gave her a light shove in response to the poking.

"That's not what you write about." She took my pack of cigarettes and liberated one for herself. As she was lighting one, Sean stood and walked over, getting his own pack out.

"Yeah, the writing gives you away, Chlo,"  he said softly. "You certainly sound like you want someone."

"It's creative writing! I wish everyone would stop looking for deeper meaning in it!" I was a regular columnist for an online magazine, and the most common topics in my pieces dealt with relationship and sex matters. I wrote for an audience but tended to forget that my own friends had me bookmarked. No matter how light of a tone I would use for certain topics, they always read far deeper into it than they should have, and on the weekends it would come back to haunt me.

"They say there's always a grain of truth to every piece of fiction," Sean added. Steph nodded emphatically. Lilly was the least aggressive of the bunch and simply refused to meet my eyes as her form of agreement.

I sighed deeply. "Fine. Maybe I DO want someone in my life. That doesn't mean that I want or need you guys setting me up all the time. I can find someone perfectly fine on my own."

"Yeah, I can so see that happening when you're sitting on your ass in front of your computer every night! And when you're not doing that, you're here. So how else are you going to meet someone new unless we introduce them?" Steph snorted and then shot me a look that dared me to argue with her.

"Look... I...." I began to stammer.

Sean cut in. "You 'chat' with guys. Yes, we all know that. And you're a hell of a lot easier to get along with through instant messenger. But do you ever bother meeting up with these guys?"

My mouth snapped shut. He was right. I preferred digital contact with strangers than actually having to meet them and need to deal with the uncertainties of face to face interaction. Online, it was easy to be witty and charming, both for me and for my conversation partner. Then there was the added bonus of being able to do it with no make-up on, my hair up in a ratty ponytail and my attire consisting of not much other than underwear and a smile. Having an online social life was a lot less stressing than having a living, breathing one.

"I need a drink," I conceded and then went to sink down in a deck chair. There was a small fire burning in a ceramic encasement in the middle of the patio. I listened to the wood crackle and stared into the bright ball of light. Steph retreated to the kitchen and returned with cups and Jaeger. Lilly followed her, carrying Red Bull.

"Jaegerbombs all around?" Steph asked in more of a demanding tone than a questioning one. Shots were poured. She'd doubled mine. It went down smoothly and within seconds I was thrusting my cup out to be refilled. Sean began to sing again. After a few double shots, I began to feel as warm as the fire in front of me.

People began to filter outside. The fight was apparently over, and the majority of the viewers were stepping out for a smoke. My friend Joshua bounded up and then took residence in a cross legged pile at my feet. "Chlo, can I have a smoke please?" he pleaded and blinked his wide blue eyes up at me.

Joshua was young and dopey, but irresistably loveable and he knew it. I flipped open the top of my pack and he took a cigarette. "You missed a good fight, Chlo," he draped an arm over my leg and playfully traced his fingers on my kneecap. "Although... looks like you were going to have one of your own on your hands there for just a moment."

I ran my palm over his shaved head. He kept it cropped at 1/4 inch length, and the stubble tickled under my hand. "Whatever," I slurred softly. Joshua tilted his head back and looked up into my eyes. He had an uneven smile and thick eyebrows. At this angle, he was the most adorable thing that a girl would want to see at her side. I grinned back down at him. The Jaeger was whispering unmentionables to my brain.

"I don't think you could call it a potential fight when one of the participants walks away before the bell has been rung." The last note from Sean's guitar hung in the air. I tilted my head backward and saw Geoff's face looking down at me, his smirk now seemingly glued in place. His bright green eyes narrowed at me playfully, daring me to say something.

"Pssssssh," ended up being all that I could manage. I looked back down at Joshua. He began tracing his finger on my knee again. "Some people aren't worth the effort of a first punch," I said, mainly directed at the people in front of me. Lilly glanced off, Steph stifled a giggle against the back of her hand and Sean rolled his eyes and began playing his song again.

"Because a punch would require a certain amount of proximity. You really don't strike me as the kind of person who is capable of getting in close enough." He lit a cigarette behind cupped hands. He exhaled a steady stream of smoke and shook his head. "You're definitely not a De La Hoya, that's for sure."

"Ooooooo," I cooed drunkenly. "Sports references. That's impressive. I'm quivering all the way down to my knees. You feel that?" Joshua started laughing and nodded. "Geoff, my boy, you are the master of working a girl. You shock her, you drench her in beer and then you compare her in a non-favorable way to a sports figure that she could give two shits about. Should I just hand over my panties to you right now, or were you planning on yanking them off with your teeth later?"

The group around me burst into laughter. Several more of our friends drifted in closer and started asking what was going on.

"Chloe's offering me her panties," Geoff filled in. He leaned over and put his face in my ear. "But I'll take you up on option number two later tonight." His breath tickled my neck and sent a shiver down my spine that caused me to shake. "I'd like to see you let someone in that close."

He straightened up, tossed his unfinished cigarette into the fire and headed inside. Alex was calling him over for a round of foosball. From the angle that he stood, he had a clear view of me and my hanging open mouth.

"Fuck it," I replied to the multiple queries for an explanation. Steph poured more Jaeger into my cup. I gulped it back and looked towards the house. Geoff was staring right at me, causing him to miss a block and get yelled at by his teammate.

I smiled broadly and flashed him the finger. He smiled back and blew me an air kiss. Everyone else rolled their eyes knowingly.