the first one • j. hughes

32

Me and Luke are no strangers to convenience dates. We've probably been each other's plus ones a million times before. This is the first NHL thing though. It's not even necessarily an official thing. Some team thing they planned themselves I guess. I don't know. Luke isn't a details guy when it comes to me.

"Hey, baby," I joke.

Luke rolls his eyes. "Don't you own a longer dress?"

A gasp rips through me and right through my fingertips as they smack his chest. "This is Kiana's dress, thank you very much."

"That explains it," he says. "You do realize she's way shorter than you and a normal length dress on her turns..."

"Slutty on me? Seriously?"

"Scandalous was what I was going to say but hey, if you—"

"Warren," I snap, the word feeling foreign on my tongue.

Luke frowns. I do too. We both know that was wrong. That I don't snap his middle name, I snap his brother's and that's it. It's not mine and Luke's thing. It's mine and Jack's.

Avoiding seems to be a me and Jack thing too. Since he's switched our roles and has started avoiding me and talking to me. I deserve it but fuck, I had my answer. My yes was there. He didn't want a yes. He doesn't want anything from me.

"C'mon, let's get going," Luke says.

* * * * *

At events when we were younger, Luke and I would be attached to the hip. It was no secret that if you wanted to find one of us, you'd find the other. Occasionally we revert to that habit. House parties, barbecues, and more. Tonight we've been glued to each other's side.  I don't know if it's more me being introduced to a lot of people or Luke wanting to make sure I don't feel out of place.

But at some point, he went to the bathroom and I got swept away by one of the wives, the one whose home we're in, that we were talking to earlier. Right into a conversation with Nico and Jack. Jack. Who, as I said, has been giving me a taste of my own medicine. So I've stayed mostly quiet. Only answering things directed explicitly toward me.

Someone asks where they can get some more ice and our hostess whisks away to show them. I officially feel the heaviness of being in the same conversation as Jack. It's as if I can feel my bruise from that night despite it being long healed by now.

"So, you guys grew up together, yeah?" Nico asks.

"Yeah," Jack and I say at the same exact time. He sends me a lingering look that could almost be a glare. Almost.

"Our parents are good friends," I add.

"Best friends," Jack corrects. It's my turn to send him a lingering look.

Nico clears his throat. "That's cool."

"I guess," we both say, again at the same time.

"Uh." His teammate stumbles for something to keep the conversation going. He smiles at me. "You're closest with Luke, yeah? That's why you're his date tonight?"

"It's a convenience date," Jack cuts in before I can even think of an answer. "Not a real date or anything. They're best friends. Always have been."

This time, I think I really do glare at the Hughes boy. "There were about 424 days where he wasn't my best friend. Remember? You always make a point that you were my best friend before he came along."

"That hardly counts. It's not the same kind of friendship."

"Well, I know our friendship isn't the same kind as mine as Luke's because Luke and I don't—"

A hand coming to rest between my shoulder blades cuts me off. The towering presence of Luke cutting me off. "Thought I lost you, Kens."

"Luke and you don't what, Reed?" Jack asks.

"I think..." Nico looks over his shoulder. "Think someone's trying to get my attention. Good meeting you, Kennedy."

"You too," I mutter.

That leaves the three of us. Jack and I staring at each other with those almost-but-also-pretty-much glares. Luke probably doing his thing whenever he witnesses an argument of looking back and forth between the people with the slightest of frowns. All of us almost showing how we feel on our faces. Trying to keep how we feel undercover like our parents drilled into us.

"Luke and you don't what?" Jack shoots out.

I shrug and Luke readjusts his hand. "Forget I said anything."

"You're the one saying our friendship is different than yours and Luke's—"

"Everyone knows they're two different friendships," I say. "That's how it works."

He copies my shrug. "How is it different? I'm curious."

"Guys, maybe not here," Luke tries. If anyone knows how much Jack and I can rile each other up, it's Luke.

"Just saying, it can't be the whole kiss thing because you guys have kissed—"

I cut Jack off. "Those two are not the same and you know it, Rowden."

"Like the friendships, yeah. I know." He shakes his head. For some reason, it makes me feel the same way I felt when my mom would lecture me.

"Seriously, save it," Luke tries again, more forceful this time. "People don't want to hear your stupid argument."

"It's not stupid," we snap at the same time.

My best friend groans quietly. "This is an in-private argument to have."

"We're not even arguing," I lie. "We're calmly discussing the differences between my friendship with you and my friendship with him."

"We must not think calm means the same thing," Luke says.

Jack is making it really difficult to stay calm. "C'mon, Reed, spit it out. Tell me the difference."

"You know the difference," I state.

"It doesn't ring any bells."

"Oh fu—" Luke clamps a hand over my mouth. I still try to talk through it.

Jack smiles. It's a truly sinister smile. He won. He knows the difference and somehow I still lost the argument. I'm so pissed with him. He stabbed me in the stomach and is fucking with me. If it wasn't kind of funny, I might be a bit more livid. It's kind of funny though.

"Jack!" Someone calls out. In an instant, Jack's walking off to wherever the voice came from.

Luke drops his hand from my mouth. "You okay?"

I shake my head. Then shrug. Then nod. The shake my head again while shrugging. "I think I need to tell him it wasn't just a kiss to me. That no kiss with him involved could only be a kiss."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

***********
a/n
they're so embarrassing i love them