“I’m here to put my disaster of a life together! And I’ll tell you another thing … I’m sick of men. Your gender sucks, and I want nothing to do with any of you.”
I scoff again. I guess whatever happened in Boston involved a useless pussy.
“Stop dealing with boys,” I say.
Her head rolls back as if she’s offended. “I want you to go. Like I said, I’m flattered, but I’m not interested.”
I raise an eyebrow, but don’t answer.
“I’m not trying to get involved romantically with anyone right now.”
“Neither was I,” I state. “Want to watch something?” I lean down and take off my shoes. “I don’t want to watch any girlie show about love, but I can go for some science fiction or dystopian society.” I spread my arms on the back of the ugly couch.
She doesn’t answer, so I take the remote and turn on the television. Of course, she doesn’t have any streaming services, so I use my accounts and start searching Netflix.
She huffs, but she sits next to me, totally focused on the phone. Even in those ugly pajamas, she’s sexy.
What are you doing, Rip? You can’t do this. She is not for you. She’s the sheriff’s daughter.
But I ignore those thoughts. Why not? Why can’t she be for me? Why can’t I have someone like her for once? And I don’t give a fuck whose daughter she is. He’ll have to accept it just like he’s had to admit that he has no power in this fucking little town.
It’s his damn fault for having such a beautiful daughter.
She types something on the phone, and seconds later it vibrates. Then, she gives me the side-eye.
“If I find out there are stalking apps on this, you’re going to live to regret it,” she warns, and I laugh so hard I snort.
“Yeah? What are you going to do? Kick my ass? Tell your sheriff daddy on me?” I scoff and pick up the remote. “And I had nothing to do with that damn phone,” I lie.
“Liar,” she says back. “But whatever, I don’t care.” She puts the phone down and stares at the television.
I chose an old movie about a post-apocalyptic world. She leans back and watches. After a few minutes, she picks up the pathetic blanket that I folded and covers herself with it.
She falls asleep immediately. I wait a few minutes before slowly taking her legs and placing them on my lap, where I rub her feet. She moans softly but doesn’t wake up.
I consider carrying her to her bed, but I like having her feet on me, so I stay. She snores softly, and it’s like music, until the loud ringing of my phone disrupts everything. Her eyes fly open and lock with mine. It must take her a moment to realize what’s happening because when she does, she pulls her legs away as if my lap is on fire.
We stare at each other until the ringing stops. I move closer to her, close enough that our bodies touch. She sits there frozenlike a deer in headlights. Her eyes widen with each second that passes. I reach for her and stroke her cheek. She swallows, but she doesn’t move away.
Deciding to surrender, I finally taste those sweet full lips. She gasps but doesn’t move. Just as my mouth is about to land on hers, my phone rings again. That must jolt her out of this daze, and she practically jumps off the couch.
She stares down at my phone, then back at me. She sighs as if she’s been betrayed somehow, and when I see who’s calling, I know why. Lex flashes across the screen. The ringing stops, but a text comes through immediately.
Lex:I KNOW YOU WANT THIS PUSSY!!!!
She adds about a dozen cat emojis.
I grab the phone and put it in my pocket. By the time I do, she’s as far away from me as possible.
“I want you to go,” she says.
“She doesn’t mean anything.”
“I said go,” she says again, firmer this time.
“It was an arrangement, and it’s over.”
She doesn’t answer, but she walks to the front door, opens it, and gestures for me to leave.
