Fiancée’s Helping Touch for Her Nervous Male Friend

My fiancée, Scarlett, was throwing a birthday party for her childhood best friend, Dylan, and I went along. After a few too many drinks, Dylan grinned and spilled a secret: “One time, I went to the clinic to donate sperm, but I was so nervous I couldn’t get it done. Scarlett happened to be passing by and just…helped me out. Don’t get the wrong idea, we didn’t actually do anything.”

The air in the bar froze for a few seconds, then erupted into shouts. “Whoa!” A guy in a floral shirt slammed his hand on the table. “Dylan, that’s a creative alibi! Was it a VIP suite at the clinic, with a bed and everything?” “Screw off!” Dylan laughed, punching the floral shirt guy. “You guys just have dirty minds!” “We have dirty minds?” Another girl with short hair, Chloe, jumped in. “Then tell us, how exactly did Scarlett ‘help’ you?” Dylan pretended to cover her mouth, and they burst into laughter, playfully wrestling. Everyone else chimed in, their voices a chaotic chorus. “Scarlett, you’re such a good friend! To help with that! Wanna help me out next time?” I gripped my glass, my knuckles turning white. I glanced over at Scarlett. She wasn’t embarrassed at all. She was even smiling. She lifted a hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “What are you guys even talking about? I just happened to be going to the building next door to drop off some paperwork. How was I supposed to know Dylan was so useless?” The atmosphere in the private room reached a new peak of hilarity. Amidst the teasing, Dylan dramatically covered his face and wailed. I abruptly stood up. All the laughing and talking stopped. A dozen pairs of eyes turned to me, dead silent. Scarlett finally looked up at me, her brow slightly furrowed. “Alex, what’s wrong now?”