“Nah, just this. Emery gave me a copy.”
“We could buy more,” I mused.
“They’re expensive,” Taylor said.
“So what?”
He looked annoyed. “I’ve got a budget to stick to. I can’t be spending money on stupid stuff.”
“What about that collar?” I pointed out.
He stared at me for a moment, then curled his lip. “That was worth it.”
“Right,” I said skeptically.
“You can’t talk. How much did you spend on that dildo?”
I flushed. “Shut up. It was affordable, actually, okay?”
“Uh-huh,” Taylor said, eyes on the TV. Another match was about to begin.
“How’d you even figure out what I’d bought, anyway?” I asked.
“Do you know how sus you looked, clutching that package like your life depended on it?” he asked. “Then I read the shipping label. All I had to google was STGA group.”
“That’s a massive invasion of privacy.”
He made a noise, not sounding regretful at all. The game started, the umpire on the screen blowing the whistle.
“Besides, how did you know it was a dildo?” I asked as I jabbed buttons on the controller. “I could’ve bought anything. I could’ve bought lube, for all you know.”
“You can buy lube at the supermarket. And, like I said, I heard the thudding.”
“You creep. Did you stand right outside my bedroom door, listening —”
He elbowed me, shutting me up, then stole the ball in the video game, dribbling it away. I swore.
“I didn’t listen,” he said. “In fact, I played music very loud so I didn’t have to hear it.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said, narrowing my eyes on the screen. I had to mess with his head so I could win this game. “Admit it — you were jealous.”
“Of a piece of plastic?” he drawled.
“It’s silicone, actually.”
“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to distract me, because — ha!” he shouted as he scored another goal.
I gritted my teeth, then forcibly unclenched my jaw. “Admit it. You were jealous of an inanimate object.” I dribbled the ball down the field.
“Shut up, Archie.”
I laughed. “You were.”
“Be honest,” he said. “Is it as good as me?”
The question was so unexpected, I jerked my head to look at him. Frantically, I turned my attention back to the TV, determined to keep possession of the ball.
“You’re not answering, which means it’s a yes,” he said, a smug smile in his voice.
