Getting Through Italy

|22| Tagliatelle

"Jack probably thinks I'm really rude. I didn't notice him there with you at first else I wouldn't have opened the door in the state that I was."

I chuckled. "And there was me thinking you were serious about that threesome and were hoping to start planting seeds in Nathan's head."

That seemed to relieve her worrying somewhat as she let out a short laugh. With the zip fully up, I stepped back and let Jess adjust the dress herself.

"You look amazing," I told her. And that was completely true.

The strapless bodycon dress hugged her, accentuating every curve in her petite body. It was intended as a statement, I could tell, backed up by the towering shoes that she slid her feet into.

"If you can't dress up on New Year's Eve then when can you?" she said.

Nathan and Jack were chatting in the kitchen when we re-joined them, and Jess wasted no time in striding over to greet them properly. Confidence oozed from every pore of her body and I felt proud of my best friend for putting on such a brave face during such a difficult time in her life.

"So that's what it's supposed to look like," Nathan said as he returned her hug. "Quite a difference, but I think I prefer it this way."

"Oh, shut up," she said, but she failed to hide her amused smile. "If I'd known there was a whole audience outside then I wouldn't have opened the damn door."

After releasing Nathan from her embrace, she immediately reached to hug Jack. His hand rested on the small of her back, but his tense body language told a different story to hers.

"Sorry for what I said," she told him as she stepped back and tugged the hem of her dress down. "I didn't mean for it to come across as me not being happy to see you. It was just because of the dress."

He forced a smile which didn't reach his eyes. "It's fine. No offence taken. Nathan's right; you look amazing."

Because Nathan completely lacked tact, he was quick to refute Jack's comment. "That's not quite what I said, mate."

I glared at him, but Nathan didn't seem to notice that he wasn't helping the situation between our two close friends.

"Anyway," Jess said in a bright and breezy voice. "Who wants a drink? Because I've had a shit year and I sure as hell need one."

Jess had always been bright, and this was no exception. She knew she couldn't ignore the elephant in the room, so she'd decided to address it directly instead.

A couple of her university friends were the next to arrive, and Louisa was fashionably late. Jack latched onto her like a child who'd been reunited with his mother after a stressful episode of getting lost in a supermarket. She didn't seem to mind.

As the drinks flowed, everyone relaxed into the evening. Jess tipped back shots with Katie and Helen while Louisa and Jack engaged in some deep discussion about something that one of them had seen on Instagram.

Nathan and I were cuddled in a large armchair, still enjoying the honeymoon period that came with making up after an argument as we kissed and flirted. Then I engaged him in a deep discussion of our own.

"Have you ever had a threesome?"

He nearly spat out his drink, his eyes widening as he gaped at me. The hand that had been sliding along my thigh froze just beneath the hem of my skirt, as if forgetting its purpose.

"Are you asking because you're curious or because you want one?"

I laughed and ran a hand through his hair, enjoying that I'd caught him off-guard when he was usually so calm and collected. Keen to see how far I could play along, I continued.