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"What should we do next?" asked Tara, as the last of the dinner plates was carried into the kitchen. The Paris Squad was home for the summer from their respective universities. The group had managed to find a free weekend to spend together in celebration of old times before the group once again scattered across Britain and Europe. Just like so many times before, they were all at Nick's house for a sleepover. Sarah had kindly vacated the house, visiting her sister and giving them space to hang out like old times. Nick was thrilled to have the group back at his house again, at least for the night.
None of them sat idly at home all summer the way they used to in secondary. Sahar was working at the Tesco, while Darcy was a cook at a little restaurant and erstwhile bartender. Tara was teaching a toddler dance class at her old ballet studio. Isaac had plans to travel to a book convention in Dublin, and Tao and Elle were going to Prague before the next term. Nick and Charlie, always the homebodies of the group, still had plans for a weekend in Brighton, and of course, Menorca. But still, they'd found the time to spend together and forget about their impending adulthood for a while.
"We could play another drinking game?" suggested Darcy. "I still have another bottle of vodka."
"No!" chorused the group, already fairly tipsy. No one wanted a repeat of the Mystery Vase Vomit incident. Sarah had been… disappointed in them. It was worse than any time they'd ever been yelled at. No one wanted to disappoint her again.
"We could play a card game," said Isaac. "Poker?"
"What about strip poker?" suggested Charlie, looking directly at Nick with a mischievous grin. Nick took a big swig of his drink. Apparently Charlie was that kind of drunk tonight. Drunk Charlie came in many moods - maudlin, messy, amorous, mischievous… sometimes a mixture. Despite the games, Nick was still fairly sober, thanks to body mass and hand-eye coordination for throwing based competitions.
But after an afternoon of drinking games, everyone was in the right mindset to agree to Charlie's saucy suggestion. At least it wasn't truth or dare again, thought Nick. Isaac found a pack of cards while everyone else refreshed their drinks. Nick followed Charlie to the kitchen. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Is Nick "No Poker Face" Nelson worried about losing?" teased Charlie. "I didn't realize my boyfriend was so quick to give up."
Nick folded his arms, glaring at Charlie. "Is that a challenge?"
"Do you want it to be?" said Charlie, tracing his fingers down Nick's arms.
"Oi! You two quit flirting and get back here!" yelled Tao.
Everyone had settled into a circle, the group mingling and avoiding the automatic couples. After all, it was more fun to watch your partner get naked when you didn't have to turn to see them. They were all very competitive, even in this friendly environment, and the tension in the circle was palpable.
Isaac had taken position as the dealer, mysteriously producing a green transparent visor to wear from wherever he had found the cards in the first place. "So what game are we playing? Seven card stud, Texas Hold 'Em, 5 card draw?" asked Isaac.
"Five card draw is the classic," said Sahar, to general consensus. Tao and Nick shrugged. "I've never actually played strip poker before," said Nick. "And I've only played regular poker on a computer."
"Can't imagine why," snickered Charlie.
"Alright," said Isaac. "I'll deal everyone five cards. You can choose to fold, or you can trade in up to 2 cards and bet. Then there's a final round of betting and hands are revealed. And probably more. For the sake of preventing arguments, each article of clothing is treated equally, including individual socks. Everyone good with those rules?"
Nick looked down at his outfit. Shit. He wasn't wearing very much, just a shirt, joggers, pants, and his socks. Looking over at Charlie, his perpetually chilly boyfriend had his hoodie and two shirts on. Nick was going to have to be strategic. He could do this. It would be fine. Isaac dealt the cards out as Nick nervously chewed his lower lip.
Nick folded his first hand, all low cards of mixed suits. Next to him, Tara and Elle also folded. Charlie traded one card, betting his left sock. Tao called his bet, as did Sahar. Darcy made a series of ridiculous faces before ultimately folding. "Twos and sevens," she grumbled.
Charlie won the hand with two pairs of kings and jacks, over Tao's pocket aces and Sahar's lower two pairs. "Ugh, sitting here with only one sock on feels so weird," said Tao.
"Clearly you just need to lose the other one on the next hand," said Charlie.
Nick's next hand had two queens and an ace. "Oh, Nick must have a good hand," said Darcy. "Look at his face!" Nick tried to look serious, scrunching up his face.
"No, my cards aren't that good," he lied.
Charlie laughed. "I'm out." Everyone else except Tara folded, her face blank, giving away nothing.
"I raise you to two articles of clothing," said Tara, looking straight at Nick and putting one card on the ground. Oh no! Should he call? Should he fold? But he had pocket queens…
"I call," said Nick, trading in two cards. Isaac gave him and Tara their new cards. Hmm, an eight and a four. No help there. Tara looked appraisingly at her card.
"Bet," she said placidly.
"I'm only wearing 5 things!" said Nick.
"That's hardly my fault," said Tara.
He studied her face, trying to figure out if she was bluffing. There were a lot of hands that could beat his pair, though. "I fold," sighed Nick, removing his socks.
Tara lay her hand out on the table, laughing. Nothing. Even his ace would have beaten her hand. "I bluffed you!"
Nick groaned. "I can't believe I fell for it."
"You're just too trusting, my man," said Darcy.
Nick folded the next few hands, watching a very intense betting round between Charlie and Elle that wound up with Elle losing both socks, and taking her bra off from under her shirt.
"That's cheating!" protested Tao. "Girls have extra clothes!"
"You have a beanie," pointed out Charlie.
"And I am not taking that off!" said Tao.
"That sounds like a personal problem, then," said Elle.
When Nick next got good cards, three jacks, everyone instantly folded. "What? Why did everyone fold?" demanded Nick.
Sahar patted his arm. "You lit up like Charlie just told you it was time to go pet puppies and eat ice cream. I wasn't going to put my pair up against that. Besides, I already lost my socks and my first shirt."
"Seriously?" asked Nick. Everyone else nodded.
"I love you, but you have zero poker face," said Charlie, who so far had only lost his socks. Nick grumbled. He would just have to prove them all wrong.
He waited another hand, as Tara and Darcy both immediately bet their socks, and raised another two articles of clothing on the second round. Tara just barely beat Darcy, her full house just beating Darcy's flush. Grumbling, Darcy took her socks, hoodie and Tshirt off, sitting in her sports bra and shorts, with Tara the last person still fully clothed.
Nick decided no matter what happened, he was in on the next hand. He just had to think of something happy. Like his first beach date with Charlie. Yeah! This was going to work.
Isaac shuffled and dealt the cards. Nick took a deep breath, thinking of the photo booth as he looked at his card. He had four hearts and a club. This was workable. The betting started at Elle. "Fold."
Tara and Sahar also folded. Charlie's face was blank as he looked between his card and Nick. Nick watched as he bit his very kissable lower lip, remembering kissing Charlie in the photo booth. "I bet my hoodie," said Charlie.
"Hey! That's my hoodie!" said Nick.
"I'm the one wearing it right now," said Charlie, smirking.
Tao folded.
"I call," said Nick.
"Oh really?" said Charlie. "Are you sure about that?"
Nick nodded, not trusting his voice. He had a roughly one in four chance of getting his flush. Then he could only be beaten by a full house, four of a kind, or a higher flush. But Charlie knew his tells better than anyone.
They each turned in one card to Isaac. He focused hard on picturing Charlie kissing him as he looked at his card. He'd gotten his flush.
"I bet my other shirt," said Charlie confidently.
"But that leaves me in just my pants!" said Nick.
"Unless you have a better hand than I do," said Charlie.
Nick swallowed hard. He had absolutely no idea if Charlie's hand was any good or if his boyfriend was bluffing. But his cards were good. "I call," said Nick.
"Ok, let's see your cards," said Isaac.
Nick laid down his flush, smiling.
"Nice hand, Nelson!" said Darcy.
Charlie gave a wicked grin. "Sorry, honey, but I've got four of a kind," he said, laying his four jacks down. There was a chorus of oohs and groans.
Nick pulled off his shirt and joggers, glad he wore his nice pants today. "Well, I think Nick is out. I don't think anyone but Charlie wants to get him totally naked," said Tara.
"No!" said Nick, a bit too quickly. "I could bet…"
Sahar patted his shoulder. "It's ok to lose. Someone had to be out first."
"I'm pretty sure that was me," said Darcy to much laughter, as she mimed hitting two drums and a cymbal.
"Isn't there some way I could win back clothes?" asked Nick.
"That's not how strip poker works," said Tao.
"Besides, you were always going to lose against me," said Charlie.
"Because you're good at everything?" said Nick.
"No, because I could tell you had your "thinking about cute memories" face on until you actually looked at your cards and had your moderately hopeful face on. And then you had your thinking about kissing me face when you got your last card," said Charlie.
Nick hung his head. "I didn't realize I was that obvious."
Charlie smiled softly. "It's one of the things I love about you."
Isaac cleared his throat. "It's almost midnight. Maybe we should be done?"
Charlie gave Nick a hungry look that made his toes tingle and his face flush. "Umm, yeah, sounds good," said Nick, scrambling to gather his clothes.
"Try to keep it down this time, ok?" said Isaac.
"No promises!" said Charlie as he and Nick dashed up the stairs, the door to Nick's room slamming behind them. As Charlie pushed him against the wall in a fierce kiss, Nick thought that even though he lost, he had definitely still won.