I shouldn’t have pushed through, I know that. I should have told Mikey I needed to set the couch down for a minute, but I was determined to be useful and not wuss out, and I pushed myself too hard.
Mikey approaches. “Here, let me feel it.” I don’t want him to make it worse, so I keep my hand in place, guarding it until Mikey says, “Trust me.”
And I do.
I know even just from our sex that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.
He rests his hand on my neck and rubs his thumb in circles where it’s tender.
I grind my teeth.
“Sorry. Is that hurting?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s definitely tight. I don’t think you need to be lifting for the rest of the day.”
“No. I can do this.”
“Sorry, Scott. I appreciate it, but we got a lot of the big pieces. It’s fine.”
Once again, I’ve disappointed myself.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Mikey asks, his voice so soothing.
“Nothing. Just feel kind of useless.”
“No. You helped so much, and you didn’t even have to do this. This means a lot. Hell, most friends would have made up an excuse to get out of doing something like this for a friend.”
“No, they wouldn’t have.”
“Yes, they would have, and you know that’s true. It means a lot to me.”
I’m still looking at him, enjoying the feel of his hand on my neck, but then his gaze shifts to it and it’s clear that he didn’t realize it was there.
I figure he’s going to take it off, but he moves close and kisses me instead.
I enjoy the taste of his lips and tongue—greedy for them like I always am.
He sets his hand on my waist and I move closer to him.
Nearby footsteps catch my attention, and I pull away quickly.
Jordan rounds the corner of the hallway into the kitchen. He glances between us uneasily. It’s almost like he knows something is up, but his gaze settles on where I’m holding my neck. “You okay, buddy?”
“I pulled a muscle.”
“Fuck, that’s got to hurt.”
“Hey, Kate!” Jordan calls.
She enters wearing a tee and gym shorts, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her arms around a box. After the sitter arrived, she threw on some old clothes and started moving shit with Jordan.
“What’s wrong?” As soon as she sees where my hand is, she says, “Oh, no. I’ll get the painkillers.”
“You seem to need a lot of those,” Mikey teases, and I know he’s referencing the morning after I was hungover—the morning after we fucked for the first time.
“I know, right?”
