Page 26 of One More Shot
‘That doesn’t sound embarrassing.’
‘Followed by about five of her friends.’
Her lips start to lilt into a smile.
‘And then there was the time—’
‘I get it,’ Eliott interrupts. ‘Just get to the point.’
‘My point is, “that time I had to fake an orgasm because the guy I was with was so bad I would’ve had a better chance at coming watching paint dry and he caught me” doesn’t have to be the humiliating experience you’re making it out to be in your mind,’ I say with a shrug. ‘It can just be a funny story. Life goes on, you know?’
She hums then bites her bottom lip between her teeth and chews thoughtfully for a few seconds. ‘You weren’tbad, you know? In bed, I mean.’
‘Your moaning definitely was,’ I say with a grin, choosing to ignore the unexpected compliment for now.
She gives me a smile, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. ‘Believe it or not, no one’s ever called me out on it before.’
I raise a brow. ‘Do you often fake it?’
She’s spared from having to answer right away by our waiter returning with our food and drinks. Our conversation lulls into a surprisingly comfortable silence as we pick at the tapas and sip our drinks. I notice how Eliott avoids anything with tomatoes in and I have vague memories of her telling me about her aversion when we first met.
‘Always,’ she says quietly. It’s the first thing she’s said in a few minutes and it takes me a second or two to remember what question she’s answering.
‘Always?’
She nods as she sips her cocktail. For the first time tonight, she’s avoiding all eye contact with me. ‘I always fake itbecause—’ She takes a huge gulp of her cocktail, almost finishing the drink, and slams the glass back down onto the table. Her next words come out in a flurry, like she’s forcing herself to get them out. ‘Because I can’t come. And sometimes it’s easier to just fake it and get it over with.’
‘You can’t come? Like at all?’ It feels weird to be having this conversation in the middle of a restaurant, but we’re far enough away from any of the other booths, there’s no danger of anyone listening in. I shake my head in disbelief. ‘Of course you can.’
She looks up at me and the expression in her eyes is something I’ve not seen before. A mixture of anger and pain. I don’t like it.
‘Ican’t,’ she says gruffly, leaving no room for argument. ‘Not with another person, anyway. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, and it just won’t happen for me. I thought that maybe,maybe, I could get there with you, but even that was a dud. And if I couldn’t do it with someone who looks like you—’ She waves a hand in my direction, looking halfway between pissed off and turned on. ‘Then there’s no hope. That’s why I faked it, and that’s why I was trying to avoid you at the party. You’re like a walking, talking reminder of everything that’s wrong with me.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with you, Eliott.’ And I mean it too. Where the hell did she get that from? Are these the words she hurls at herself in the mirror late at night, or isshe just repeating something she’s heard from someone else? I’m not sure why, but I really hope not.
I clear my throat. ‘I’ve heard that a lot of women find it difficult to—’
‘Oh God. Stop,’ Eliott groans. ‘Just stop.’ She picks up her glass again and downs the rest of her drink. ‘I don’t need to hear this from you of all people. Absolutely not. Don’t you even dare think about finishing that sentence.’
I mime zipping my lips shut and sit in silence until Eliott gives me a nod of approval.
‘Thank you. I’m not here for your sympathy or anything like that. I just wanted to explain.’
We lapse into another silence. Eliott picks at the remaining tapas between us, awkwardly avoiding my gaze, and I try to figure out something to say that won’t have her leaping across the table to choke me.
‘We could try again.’
She looks up and, for a second, I’m not sure I’ve made the right choice.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Let’s try again,’ I say, trying to sound as casual as possible. ‘Me and you.’
I think the noise that comes out of her mouth is supposed to be a laugh, but it doesn’t sound right. It sounds strained, like she’s forcing it out to try to keep the atmosphere between us light. ‘Yes, because that worked out so well last time.’
Fair point, but…
‘Last time, I didn’t know all the facts. We’re on an even playing field now.’
