Gina and Max laugh easily with each other and I shake my head at Gina’s ability to make friends wherever she goes. She has a gift. People are naturally drawn to her. It’s just frustrating that she hasn’t been able to find a guy who values her the way she deserves.
I turn to look at Jack to get his take on our friends’ flirty banter and notice his attention is elsewhere. I follow his gaze and see Will walking toward us, his expression stoic but also slightly pissed off. As he gets closer, his body seems to be vibrating with frustration.
As if Gina can sense a change in the energy around us, her eyes turn straight to Will, while Max continues talking. I look back and forth between Gina and Will as if I’m watching a tennis match. Their gazes stay locked on each other, and I swear you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.
Oh yeah, there is definitely something between these two.
I smile and sip my drink, wishing I had some popcorn so I could thoroughly enjoy the show in front of me. I look at Jack and see him shooting glances between the two like he’s trying to work out what’s going on here.
Finally, his eyes land on mine, and I arch my brow, shooting him a look that says I told you there was something between them.
He reads my expression accurately, a small smile gracing his full lips, and shakes his head.
Max finally picks up on the fact that he’s completely lost Gina’s attention and looks between her and Will, his shoulders dropping slightly before his look turns calculated. He glances at the two of them again before stepping closer to Gina and sliding an arm around her shoulders. If he notices her body stiffen, he doesn’t let on.
I watch, enraptured by the display in front of me. Things just got even more interesting. I mean, hell, at this rate, these guys are going to have to whip ’em out and measure them right here if the macho display that’s starting is any indication of what’s to come.
Will’s gaze turns dark as he eyes Max’s arm draped around Gina’s shoulders, holding her close to his body. Gina’s cautious gaze never strays from Will.
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” Max asks Will casually.
Will’s jaw clenches.
I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how he reacts.
Come on, Will, fight for her. You know you want to.
Will looks at Gina closely and his mouth opens, but no words come out. He briefly glances down to the floor, but it appears that’s all he needs to fortify his usual expression of casual indifference. When he looks back up, his typical mask is firmly in place. Finally, he answers Max’s question. “It’s going. Mind if I join y’all?”
My ears perk up at the slight southern accent that I’ve never heard from him before. Huh, I wonder where that came from.
He clears his throat, and when he speaks again, there’s no hint of an accent. “Nice to see you again, Gina.”
My journalistic instincts have reared their head, and now I’m more curious about Will than ever. Especially if he ends up being interested in Gina, although the jury’s still out on that one. He’s so hot and cold. I was convinced when he walked over here that he was going to make a move on her so Max would back off, but now he’s back to acting casually indifferent.
“Good to see you too, Will,” Gina responds with a soft smile. Her eyes rove over Will, and I can’t help but notice this is a very different reaction than the playfulness she threw Max’s way. I know Gina well enough to recognize that she genuinely likes Will.
Max watches Will closely as he asks, “So, Gina, you got a boyfriend back in San Francisco?”
If looks could kill, Max would be dead right now from Will’s stare. I have to fight back an awkward laugh as I watch Max fuck with Will. It’s clearly working, and Max knows it as Will’s faked indifference immediately disappears. Max smiles wide, watching Will’s jaw clench and his fingers grip the beer in his hand until they turn white. I’m honestly a little worried he might break the glass.
Gina looks between the two guys and picks up on what Max is doing. She probably would’ve caught on to it a lot sooner if she wasn’t distracted by her own response to Will.
She turns to Max, a playful smirk on her face. “Actually, no. I’ve yet to find someone man enough to handle me.” She winks at him just as he’s about to take a drink and adds, “Do you know anybody?”
Max chokes on his drink, his eyes going wide as he looks at her. Her smile is sweet, but her eyes are teasing. “I know what you’re doing,” she says quietly enough that only Max and I probably heard her.
He shoots her an innocent expression. “Who, me? I’m not doing anything but trying to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman.”
Max is really starting to remind me of Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver
. I bet he’s used to talking his way out of anything, but he’s clearly met his match with Gina. I glance at Will, who’s watching them closely, and I decide to give everyone a break from this standoff.
“Gina, I need to use the ladies’ room. Come with me?”
She quickly tosses back the last little bit of her drink and then slides her arm through mine. “Gentlemen, don’t kill each other before we get back.”
As soon as we get into the bathroom, Gina walks straight to the sink, bracing herself against the bright white ceramic.
“Thanks for the save out there.”
“Anytime. That’s what friends are for. I could tell you were ready for a break from all that testosterone,” I reply.
She turns to me, resting her hip against the sink and crossing her arms. “What was that out there anyway?”
“Beats me. I can’t tell if Max is genuinely interested in you or if he was just trying to fuck with Will.” I lean my head side to side, replaying the whole scene. “Honestly, I think he was trying to get to Will.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I’m not sure.” I wonder if it has to do with Will’s obvious reaction to Gina. Jack said that Will hasn’t been interested in dating since his fiancée died. Max must know that too. Unfortunately, I promised Jack I wouldn’t tell Gina about Will’s past. Maybe I can tell her some things.
“I think it’s been a long time since Will dated. Maybe they’re just trying to get more of a reaction out of him, or simply messing with him because they’re getting a reaction at all.”
Gina looks off at nothing. “Yeah, I suppose. Do you really think Will was reacting, though? He seemed more annoyed.”
“I definitely thought he was reacting.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s so hard to read sometimes. He’s so hot and cold,” she voices out loud my thought from earlier. “When we had that dinner with the four of us, he’d have moments where he pulled away. Then, he’d be warm and flirty. It’s so confusing.”
I’m about to speak when she straightens, turns to the mirror, and slides her hands through her hair, fixing the few flyaways present. “You know, it doesn’t matter. I live in San Francisco and he lives in LA. I don’t know why I’m even worrying about this. It’s not like we’re ever going to be a thing anyway.”
With that, she turns back to me, standing tall with her shoulders back. “You ready to go back out there?” We’ve barely been gone five minutes, but I can tell by her stance and determined expression that she’s ready to get back out there and prove she’s not affected by him.
She’s doing her tough girl thing. It’s something I’ve noticed she does a lot more since her ex cheated on her. It’s her armor—her way of protecting herself—so I’m not going to push her.
Not yet, anyway.
