She smiled. “Ok……is it true that you went after AJ when you already had a boyfriend?”
In that instant I realized that my friends weren’t the only ones who’d heard rumors about Antonio and AJ’s altercation on Tuesday. AJ responded before I could. “Shut up. I pursued her. You know……the opposite of what happened with you and me.” There was dead silence in the room again as Leila snapped her mouth shut and looked at AJ like she could’ve killed him. He stared back at her emotionlessly.
Finally Karl interjected. “Ooookaaayyy. Sam it’s on you.”
I couldn’t wait to get her back, so I cleared my throat and tried to keep it together. “Leila. Truth or dare?”
She continued to stare at AJ when she responded. “Surprise me, Sasha.” I could see AJ’s body stiffen as he tried to control his temper.
“Fine. Is it true that you got dumped after you gave it up, which means that it couldn’t have been that good?” There was a smug grin on my face. I could tell by the way she shifted in her seat that I’d hit a nerve. “Don’t get mad. It’s just a game,” I added. I could hardly contain the laugh that was brewing inside of me. It was so quiet in the room that you couldn’t even hear anyone breathe, except for Leila who was nearly panting in anger. AJ stared at me in shock. The corner of his mouth was turned up slightly as if he were trying to hold back a smile.
After a few seconds Leila was finally able to speak. “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” was all she said in response to my question, but it was enough to make me uneasy. What was that supposed to mean? The implication that she and AJ’s sex life was anything but second-rate made me rethink my assumption. My plan had backfired a little, but I still got under her skin which made it all worth it.
Karl intervened again. “I think that’s enough for tonight. Let’s watch a movie.”
The next second he was on his feet setting up the DVD player. I glanced over at Leila and saw that her face was still twisted in frustration as Trevor rubbed her shoulders caringly. Poor guy didn’t have a clue. I leaned into AJ as he settled back on the couch and put his arm around me. Karl turned the lights off and started the movie. I tried to force myself to focus on it, but I couldn’t.
Two hours later it was finally over. Leila was still sitting in the same position as before, but I think she looked even angrier than she did earlier. Karl turned the lights back on and walked over to turn on the radio. Everyone was talking amongst themselves, but AJ and I were off in our own world. He lifted me from the couch and sat me sideways on his lap. “Are you glad you came?” He asked “Yeah, everyone seems pretty cool. Well…..almost everyone,” I amended.
He knew exactly who I was talking about. “I hate when she’s like that. Sometimes she alright, but then she ruins it and does something stupid. ”
“She’s probably just getting started, but I’m up to the challenge though,” I replied. He smiled at me as he rubbed his hand on my thigh affectionately. Goose bumps immediately rose up on my skin. AJ watched me become more and more uncomfortable as his hand wandered upward until I stopped him abruptly. His smile turned into a quiet laugh that didn’t call anyone else’s attention…..except for Leila who hadn’t turned away from us since the lights came back on. She was near her boiling point. Her face was almost as red as her crimson hair.
Leila and Trevor sat back and watched everyone else have a good time from a distance for pretty much the rest of the night. Her stoic disposition hadn’t changed as the evening wore on. Multiple times I’d caught her staring at AJ intently, but Trevor continued to coddle her despite the fact that she wasn’t responding. I actually felt bad for him as I observed him desperately vying for her attention.