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"You have GOT to be kidding me, no way!", Anton excited exclamation next to me makes me turn my head. I haven't heard him so animated off the ice or, well, outside the bedroom.
He pulls me by my hand over to the other side of the room.
We're at a party. Well, it's more like an event. For a party of my taste there are too many formal clothes, or clothes at all, and not enough dirty dancing. It's an event of the team in cooperation with a local sports club. It's supposed to get more kids into sports. Why we need to have a party at 9 pm in suits in a fancy bar for that, I don't know. The speech in the beginning was all about the fact that less and less kids have some type of sport as a hobby these days. So they're collecting founding to make the clubs cheaper and get the schools involved. Of course my good will boyfriend wanted to come.
But now he's not so interested in the cause but more into the guy that he pulled us towards. A good looking guy in a nice suit. Not as nice as my suit of course. And not as good looking as me of course.
Anton lets go of my hand to hug the man. They exchange some quiet words and smiles. Then Anton introduces me as his boyfriend with a bright smile. And then introduces the guy as his ex-boyfriend.
As in: "This is Jake, we used to date a while back. Man, what are you doing here?"
With that it seems like I'm not there anymore. With one ear I hear that Jake works for a board of schools or something. 'Jake', what kind of boring ass name is that.
Anton and Jake are deep in conversation, currently on "How's your family?"
So apparently they dated long enough to know each others family.
I wonder why I have never heard of this guy before.
"When exactly did you two date?", I cut in, but neither of them hear me.
"I'll go get a drink", I say and Anton nods in my direction. I keep watching them from the bar. They are obviously comfortable with each other, leaning towards each other and talking in each others ears over the noises in the bar. I scoff and turn to nurse my drink in self pity.
Anton and I have never really talked about exes. I mean we talked about West and what he meant to me. But that was it on my side. I don't think I ever asked about his past relationships. I know there were people, but he wasn't out, so it was all in secret. Now that he's out, maybe his old flames might be interesting again.
I mean I'm really happy, but I'm suddenly not sure if Anton is happy. I thought he was, but turning back to Anton and Jake and watching Antons big smile makes me wonder if he was happier with other people.
It's a fun game, when I pretend to flirt with people, and Anton gets angry and sexy and growly. But the other way around, or when it's serious? I don't feel so sexy right now.
I pull my phone out of my pocket, as a distraction. I see that West sent me a message. We call each other every now and then, and I visit him and the family every once in a while.
'Dude, save me', Wests text reads. 'All of the kids have a stomach bug. I'm dying over here.'
'Remember when we drank so much two nights before a game that we were still hungover and threw up during intermission?', I reply with a smile.
Wests response is immediate: 'ofc I remember, it's in my head every time I have margarita, because that's what we were drinking'.
I walk out the bar and press the call button.
"Ugh, I don't want to do this anymore, they're all puking, all day, everywhere", West answers the call with a groan.
I laugh halfheartedly. Family's nice and all, but this is not.
"What about you and Jasper?"
"We're still standing, but just", he says with a sigh. "What are you up to tonight? There's noise in the background."
"Sipping margaritas, what else?", I say and smile when West groans like I thought he would.
I tell him where I am. When he asks how Anton is, I tell him about the ex-boyfriend.
"I didn't know Anton has an ex, you never said", West say with a surprised voice.
"Well", I reply, "I didn't know either until now. He never said... or maybe I never asked. Anyway, there's this feeling, like, you know, doubt, in my head and it won't shut up. It's weird".
West is quiet for a moment. "I'd never thought I'd see the day. Ezra Palaszczuk has self doubts. Wow, congrats man. You've really grown as a person". I can hear West slow clap and laughs over the line. I scoff.
"Ezra, come on, this is you we're talking about. Get your head out of your ass. You're awesome and Anton is happy to have you. Ask him about the guy but don't make such a big deal out of it. That relationship is over for a reason and yours is not. Anton's a good guy- Yes, Rhys, what is it?", West is interrupted." Okay, it'll be fine, just do it in the---bathroom". West sounds defeated.
"Ezra, I've gotta go, the hallway needs cleaning. Sorry man, good luck".
"Alright, thanks, West, bye. Stay safe out there". I hang up.
"Why the hell are you calling West?", a sexy growly voice growls sexily in my ear. I shiver and turn around to look at Anton.
"The kids have some kind of stomach bug", I say and his smile vanishes.
"Oh shit, that sucks", he says, real empathy in his eyes. Damn, he's a good guy. He doesn't really mind that I'm friends with West, most of this is just play. It usually gets me going, but not today.
"Where's your...Jake?", I ask, sounding sour in my own ears. He frowns.
"what's wrong?", he looks at me with a confused expression that turns into a surprised one.
"Hold on a minute. Is it possible that you, the great and most egotistical person on this planet, is jealous?", he grins widely. "Now, that's a first", he says.
"Shut up", I grumble. "And yes, maybe I am. I don't know why you find it so hot, it's incredibly discouraging"
"That's because I know it's just a game. Just like you should know this with Jake is not a real reason to get jealous. You know that, right?", he says and strokes my cheek. "I mean have you seen you? And more importantly, have you met you? I want you, Ezra, just you. And if I want you to flirt with other people so we can get it on, that's fun and all, but in the end it's all you. It's us."
I grumble under my breath and look to the ground. If he puts it like that maybe this is fine.
"Let's draw the line for flirting with other people at the exes, okay? No unnecessary talking with the exes, alright?", I ask and look at him from under my lashes.
"Right, so no more West?", Anton smirks, as if he already knows what I will say to that.
"Well, except West maybe", I shrug. "He's a bestie turned ex turned bestie, I guess."
"What about Asher?", now Anton outright laughs at my expression. Asher's hardly an ex.
"Let's just say we can talk to whoever we want but we're upfront with each other if it's ever more than just polite conversation. Or just for my entertainment", Anton suggests.
"Sounds good", I say and hold out my hand. Anton grabs it in a tight handshake with an earnest expression and then grins and pulls me close to him to kiss me.
"Now that you got a taste of what you do to me every time we're out, are you gonna keep doing it?", he whispers, back to sounding sexy.
"Well of course" , I say as if its obvious. "We always have the best sex after that."
We look at each other until Anton says: "True"
"So", I say, "now let me get my flirt on with Jake. We only said no flirting with the own exes, not the exes of the other person."
Anton immediately pulls me by my hand away from the bar and towards the busy street to hail a taxi.
"Yeah, I don't even need the actual visual to get jealous. Time to go home."
We smile at each other.