Free The Virgin Bet by Olivia Starke

making the effort, and in true introverted fashion, she shied away from the idea. She didn’t want to get involved with people—at least not yet. Not until she figured out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, and why she’d become so narrowly focused on whatever was going on with Brent. Once she had all of that figured out, she’d find new friends.
    The microwave dinged, and she grabbed out the popcorn bag, dumping the contents into a bowl. Instead of friends maybe she’d get a pet. Her allergies forbid anything with fur, but maybe a fish tank, or the likes.
    ****
    Three days later found her in an argument with Brent.
    “I’m not going.” She folded her arms across her chest to emphasize her point.
    “You’re going and that’s that,” he shot back, mimicking her action.
    “But I never got attached to high school, I haven’t talked to any of those people since graduation. Going to our ten-year reunion would be awkward at best for me. Especially if I showed up with you.”
    He propped up on his elbow, eyeing her. “Why would it be awkward showing up with me?”
    “Because….” She trailed off, not sure how to voice her feelings. She tapped her fingers against the comforter covering the two of them.
    “I’m not good enough for you?” he finished. His face had darkened, and his eyes glittered.
    She shook her head, surprised at the idea. “Uh, no. You were the popular jock. I was the dork everyone tried their best to ignore.”
    “But we’re adults now, Temperance, fuck what they think.”
    She wasn’t swayed. Their classmates would at best gossip, at worst laugh out loud when they showed up together. It shouldn’t bother her, but it did. She didn’t have a thick skin like Brent. “So what will we tell our old classmates, that we’re friends ?” she asked.
    He fell onto his back, and looked toward the bedroom ceiling. “I think we’ve gone beyond that, don’t you?”
    True, they lay in bed, her sore muscles, and backside a reminder of their rough love play just an hour before. Yes, she thought, they were beyond friendship, but what did she know about relationships?
    “Well, what are we then, Brent? Lovers? Fuck buddies?” she asked.
    “We’re….” A muscle in his jaw ticked. “A couple, Tippy. And we’ll show up at our reunion as a couple.”
    She frowned at the idea, imagining the shocked looks and snickering from his school chums. She couldn’t deal with that, even with ten years between her, and high school. “Go without me,” she said in a pleading voice.
    “Whatever demons you’ve dragged along the way since high school, you need to face them,” Brent said. “I don’t know what your high school experience was like, but I can tell you mine wasn’t all football and glory. I had a lot of pressure put on me to be the best football player my school had ever seen—both from my family, and from our coach who wanted to make a name for himself. There were times I wanted to drop out to get away from it.”
    Tippy blinked, surprised. She’d imagined high school to be his glory years.
    “I’m glad you didn’t drop out,” was all she could think to say.
    He turned over, threw his arm over her stomach, and drew her in close. “Plus, the guys will never believe the hot date I brought with me.”
    She snorted. “Oh yeah, I’m sure.”
    He braced up on his elbow again, and gave her a stern look. “No, I don’t allow that, remember,” he said.
    “Allow what?”
    “I won’t allow you to put yourself down. You’re a beautiful, smart woman, and you were a beautiful, intelligent girl back in school. None of the cheerleaders had a thing on you.”
    She wrinkled her nose then rolled her eyes. “Pimples, braces and all, eh?”
    He dropped a kiss on her lips. “And long legs, and amazing hair, and perfectly perky breasts.”
    He cupped one to emphasize his point, before flicking his thumb over its budded tip. She moaned, and arched into his caress.
    “So will you go with