Dinner was good and I had hoped that afterward, I could tell Tess about Eli and me but both she and Bennett were very tired and went to bed early. Seems like their romantic getaways really tired them out. 

The next morning, I was up bright and early but someone was earlier than me. Bennett was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. 

"Good morning, Benny." I greet him in a sing-song voice.

He looks briefly in my direction before turning his attention back to the stove.

"Morning, Romy. You're in a good mood."

"Yeah, I guess. How was your time with your 'friend'?" I ask him, my eyebrows wiggling in a suggestive way.

He laughs and shakes his head, a grin remaining on his face. "You noisy little shit."

"Heey! That's what Eli called me, too. Why are you guys so mean?" 

"We are not mean, it's the truth."

"Oh come on, just tell me, please. Have you told Tess already?"

"I have. On our way back in the car."

"And?! What did she say? Was she okay with it? Does she know her? Are we gonna meet her?"

"Why don't you just ask Tess?" Bennett asks over his shoulder.

"You know what, I will." With that, I make my way upstairs and knock and Tess's bedroom door. 

"Yeah?" Her groggy voice sounds through the door. I enter the room and jump on the bed. 

"How did you sleep?" I ask her. Her thick, brown hair is all over the place and she squints at me through half-closed eyes.

"Fine."

"So spill. How was it? Did you have fun with Simon and his boat?"

She instantly seems more awake at my question. "Oh my god, you have no idea. He is sooo good in bed. I don't know how he learned to do these things with his to-"

"Okay, okay, okay! Too much detail, buddy. Reign it back in, would ya?"

"You little prude. You were the one asking if it was 'fun'." She smirks at me.

"I am not a prude. In fact, I have something of my own to tell you." My voice gets quieter with every word. Tess's eyes start to sparkle and she immediately sits up, now facing me. 

"Go on," she urges.

"Well... Eli and I might've gotten a little closer over the past week." I admit to her. I can feel the blush spreading over my cheeks and my best friend picks up on it immediately. 

"Ooohh you're blushing. You dirty little girl, you fucked my brother's very old best friend. I can't leave you alone for the love of God, can I?"

"Oh my... Tess you are so crude, Jesus! I did not fuck anyone, mind you. And he's not that old." Her face falls in disappointment. "But," her eyes light up again, "we did make out quite a lot."

Tess starts laughing and hooting and grabs both of my cheeks in her hands, smushes them together, and plants a kiss smack dab on my mouth. "I am so proud of you!" she squeals. I groan in embarrassment and pull my head out of her - very strong - grip.

"You are too much, Tess," I tell her but I can't help the giant smile that creeps onto my face.

"What? I like seeing you all happy like this." 

"I was happy before all of this. Well, partially. But I am still partially happy."

She cocks her eyebrow at me. 

"Okay, maybe a bit happier than before." I give in and she nods enthusiastically. 

"Soo, are you gonna let him fuck you?" 

My mouth falls open in shock at yet another very crass comment from Tess and as an answer, I grab her pillow and whack her as hard as I can. 

After breakfast, which was just Tess and me since the guys had already eaten and are taking a swim in the lake, I ask her about Bennett and his new friend. She tells me that her name is Isabelle, she is a teacher and according to Ben, the most beautiful woman in the world. Tess tells me that, "obviously", she disagreed since that title, "obviously", belongs to her, making us both laugh at her antics. Nonetheless, she is really happy for him. She is not sure if it'll work out though because from what Bennett described, she reminds her a lot about his ex-girlfriend.

"The one that slept with his best friend?"

"Yup, that's the one. It's usually the ones you'd least expect, you know?"

"I guess I wouldn't know."

"Oh, yeah right. Well, she seems to be very similar in character but I didn't tell Ben anything about my suspicions yet. Don't want to judge her before I even met her."

"Smart idea."

Just then, the back door opens and Bennett and Eli come striding in. Both are still wet from swimming. My gaze falls on Eli's face, his tanned skin is slightly red, not sure if from the sun or exhaustion. His big hand is ruffling his hair and when my eyes meet his, he flashes me a lazy smile. His hand slowly lowers from his head to his torso. My eyes follow every move his hand makes. They settle on his broad chest where his hand went to pick a tiny leaf from his skin. Small water droplets are running down his smooth skin, collecting other drops on the way to form a slow stream of water running over his abs and soaking into the waistband of his swimming trunks. I swallow hard, my stomach tightening agonizingly and I have to force myself to look away. 

Tess's words jump into my mind. Would you let him fuck you? 'Yessss, 100% yes!' is what my hormonal mind screams at me but I shake those thoughts away.

"Romy?" 

"Huh...I mean, yeah, what?"

"Why are you shaking your head like a crazy person?" Tess questions with a very amused look on her face.

"I don't know. I didn't realize I was doing that." I sheepishly smile and start playing with my hair.

Fortunately, Eli has already left the room, probably to go shower. What just happened felt like a slow-motion movie to me but I think it was nothing more than a fleeting moment. Thank God for that, otherwise, I would've made a major fool out of myself, ogling Eli like that for a prolonged period of time. 

"You are so gonna let him fuck you," Tess remarks slyly and I waste no time slapping her arm. Hard.

"Ouch! That fucking hurt." She yells, rubbing her arm.

"Good," I smirk.

"Does Ben know?" Tess suddenly asks me.

"I don't know. Eli said he would tell him when he felt the moment was right. We agreed to take things slow and to not put any labels on it, though. So not sure when he decides the moment will be right for him to tell Bennett."

"Be careful, Romy." 

"What do you mean?"

"You know... you are not the most experienced, and I say that with no disrespect, but men can be, well you know how men can be I guess. And we are here for a limited time which will make things easy on him at the end, in case he is only after one thing."

"It's not like that. I think. I hope. I know what I am doing, Tess."

"I'm sure you are. I know you are not a rash person. Just, please, don't fall too hard too fast, okay. Keep it light and fun."

"Yeah, sure." I nod at her but if I am being honest with myself, I don't know if I am the person that can easily keep things light and fun. And Tess knows that, which is why she said what she said. I am really grateful to call her my best friend. 

"Don't let him pressure you into anything, either. Although, with the way you looked at him just now I am not sure if he would even need any pressure." She cackles away at her comment and I just shake my head at her. 

"Could you please lower your voice until we know for sure that Bennett knows?" 

"Oh, right. Of course." She then looks at me for a long time. "Listen, Romy. What I just said was because I care about you. I don't want to make you feel insecure and just completely stop what you were doing with Eli, I am happy for you and excited that you finally found someone you feel comfortable making experiences with. I really am. So, I guess my actual point was, to do whatever you feel comfortable with. And if you ever feel uncomfortable, you tell me, alright."

I nod and hug her tightly. "Thanks, Tess. The same goes for you, obviously."

"Obviously," She mumbles into my hair.

That evening, around 8pm, Tess and I are in my room getting ready to go to a club. I haven't been out dancing in a while and I miss it. I love dancing and just losing myself to the music. It makes me feel free. Similar to how I felt when I drove the Mercedes with Eli. Tess finishes curling my hair and I go over to the mirror to look at myself. I look good. Smoky make-up makes me look slightly mysterious. A figure-hugging, nude tube top and tight black skinny jeans accentuate every curve of my slim body. Well, my waist and my butt really, my boobs are a little small to create actual curves but I love them anyway. I smile at my reflection and turn back to Tess who's shoving a tequila shot into my hands. It's the third one of the night and I am sure there's more to come. We throw back the shot just as a knock sounds on the door.

"Hey guys, can I come in?" Bennett calls through the closed door.

"Yeah, sure," we shout back in unison and giggle at our synchronosity. 

"Hey, you two," Bennett begins, eyeing the shot glasses and tequila bottle on the bedside table. "Having fun I see."

"We're just getting started," Tess tells him with a proud grin.

"Alright, but be careful, please. If anything happens, call me and if I don't pick up right away call Eli, understood?"

Our heads nod up and down like bobbleheads. 

"I'll send you guys Eli's number." Bennett starts taking his phone out of his pocket when I quietly say "I already have it." He looks up at me in confusion and then just nods. "Okay, good. When will you guys be back?"

"God, Ben we don't know yet. Whenever we want to. I'll text you." Tess waves him off and looks at something on her phone. "Be careful," he says with a stern voice before leaving.

"I just ordered an uber, it'll be here in 20 minutes." Tess lets me know. 

"Perfect. I will go pee real quick, then." I say and rush out of my bedroom.

Before I can reach the bathroom door, a large hand catches me by the base of my neck and a strong body traps me against the wall. I gasp loudly in surprise but calm down quickly because I recognize the person's smell immediately. 

"Hi Eli," I greet him.

"Hm. Where do you think you're going?" His other hand comes to rest on my exposed waist. Goosebumps instantly cover my whole body at the intimate contact.

"The bathroom," I answer him with a smile.

"And after that?" His grip on my waist tightens and the one around my neck loosens.

"The club." I say, fluttering my lashes at him, before my eyes settle on his lips.

"You've been drinking," he states.

"Yep. I know you don't like that but you just have to live with it."

"I guess I do." He takes his hands off me and straightens up. I sigh at the loss of contact. I didn't want him to let me go. "When will you be back?" he asks me.

"I don't know yet," I whisper.

"Please text me when you are on your way back or if you need someone to pick you up." 

"Yes, Bennett offered the same. We will call you guys if we can't get an Uber." I offer him another smile but he doesn't return it. I frown, not knowing why he is in such a bad mood again. 

"You know, that little move you pulled this morning, don't do that again if were not alone." His jaw flexes hard.

"What move?" I innocently question.

"Eye-fucking me like that."

"God, why is everyone in this house so damn crude all the time?" I ask with a laugh. I feel brave today, maybe because of the alcohol in my blood so I ask "What if I do it again when we're not alone?"

A dark chuckle escapes him before he calmly says "I don't think you want to find out. So just stop it."

"Make me," I say without thinking, and seeing the devilish look on his face, I turn around in lightning speed and dart toward the bathroom. Suddenly, a loud gasp spills out of my mouth and I feel a stinging sensation on my right buttcheek when it dawns on me. Eli just slapped my freaking butt. How dare he?! I spin back around to give him a piece of my mind but before I can even open my mouth he lifts his finger and points to the bathroom door.

"Not a word. Get in there and have fun tonight before I give you more than just a taste." His words hold a promise and I choose to pick my battles wisely so I turn back around and slip into the bathroom. Stupid son of a bitch. That fucking hurt.