“Here,” I finish for him. “Well, it’s both.” I can’t help but be rude to him. He’s still egging the media on, making statements and giving interviews about the so-called argument between the Pittsburgh Pilots and the Missarali Storks.
Riley sighs, taking another sip of his drink. “Look, you and I got off on the wrong foot. My girlfriend and I, we’re casual.”
“I think you’re missing the point of the term girlfriend.”
“I can’t lie, Mae, I do love a woman who—”
“Alright, you’re gone,” I order, taking his drink from him and pouring it down the drain. “Get out. I already warned you.”
His eyes narrow into slits, and he scrunches his nose. “That was my drink. I paid for that.”
“Oh, my bad. Here, let me pay you back in fucks I give.” I pull out my purse from my back pocket and open it, faking a gasp. “Oops, all out, sorry.”
A chuckle seeps from Riley, who’s smiling and holding his palms up defensively. “You’re funny. Alright, I’m going. Thanks, Mae. I’ll see you around.”
After a few minutes, Amber turns to me with a grin, laughter ringing out. “I fucking love the way you talk to assholes.”
It causes me to chortle, too, tilting my head to the ceiling and cursing under my breath.
For the most part, I’m going to miss this stupid little bar.
Things are still frosty between my mother and I.
Well, frostier than usual. She hasn’t apologised for spilling my secret, but luckily, none of the girls have asked me about it.
Poppy invited me over to Nathan’s house for another movie and snacks night. She really does like to take advantage of having a brother with a huge television—a television he rarely uses.
I talked to Poppy about my mom’s actions, feeling comfortable enough to share it with her, and she’s been trying to fill my spare time.
It’s a gesture I love her for.
I enter the house with an armful of food. “Did you even ask Nathan if it was okay for me to come over?” I whisper to Poppy as she flings the door open.
She has no idea that I was writhing underneath him in the middle of the forest just days ago, and a piece of me feels guilty that I’m fooling around with her brother without her knowledge.
But it’s more than just fooling around. Nathan makes me feel… enough. Wanted. Confident.
“I didn’t exactly give him a choice,” she snickers.
Nathan has arranged the living room with pillows scattering the carpeted floor and blankets draped everywhere, creating the ideal atmosphere for watching a movie.
He rounds the corner, and my mouth goes dry. He’s all grey sweatpants, wet hair and that fresh man smell.
“I’m surprised you don't have a home theatre,” I chuckle, trying to distract myself from how attractive he looks.
“Got rid of it. Turned it into my very own sex dungeon instead.”
Poppy gasps, slapping her brother’s chest. “Nathan!”
“What? I was just kidding.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine, I’m just so happy you two are getting along now. It makes things so much easier. We can actually sit in the same room without you wanting to kill each other.”
Nathan scoffs. “To clarify, I never wanted tokillyou.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say the same.”
His eyes shift, a smirk forming.
