“Because I am,” he admitted. “You’re telling me that you’re not going to pursue what you clearly can see is the best thing that’s ever happened to you?”
I grunted.
“Romeo, seriously.” Apollo closed his trunk and crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s literally everything you could ever want in a woman. She adores you. Everyone can see that you adore her right back. Why are you hesitating?”
I snorted sardonically. “And what? Tell her nothing about the first three and a half decades of my life?”
Apollo punched me in the shoulder. “No one said you couldn’t give her something.”
I swallowed past the bad taste in my mouth. “She deserves it all from me. And I can’t give her that. Her family has done nothing but lie to her for her entire life. What kind of person would I be if I continued that trend?”
Apollo sighed. “When you put it like that…”
“I’m right, and I know I’m right,” I said. “I can be a great friend to her, though.”
“A friend that wants to fuck her brains out. A friend that’ll likely snap the moment that it gets too much. Then feel bad because you’ll have slept with her, liked it, but won’t pursue it because of some misguided idea that you have to tell her everything.”
I sighed. “I won’t fuck this up, Apollo.”
“Sure,” he scoffed.
I watched him round the car and then fall inside. Only when the vehicle was started and the window was rolled down did he add a parting comment.
“But think about this,” he suggested as he started to back out. “What kind of person does that make you to deny her you? It’s clear that she has feelings for you. It’s also clear that you care about her. You’re not a bad person, Romeo. Just because you fucked up once, doesn’t mean that you should pay for that the rest of your life. You both can live long, happy lives with each other while keeping this one secret.”
He was right.
But I still couldn’t do it to her.
“Drive safely, Apollo,” I murmured. “And give my sister a kiss for me.”
Apollo winked. “I’ll do more than that.”
I had a ball of snow aiming toward his face for that comment.
He had the window mostly rolled up, but still a little bit got inside.
Apollo laughed as he continued to back up.
He flipped me off, then whipped the vehicle around and took off like there wasn’t six inches of snow on the ground.
“I can do it,” I said to myself as I saw Mable sneak Shadow a second apple. “This will all work out just fine.”
Those were famous last words.
I couldn’t do it.
I didn’t do it.
In fact, it really was my subconscious at first doing all the doing.
I was sleeping rather soundly for the first time in what felt like forever.
I woke to the twist of a bottom against the curve of my lap.
And like it always did, my dick took notice the first thing in the morning.
At first, I wasn’t quite conscious of what I was doing.
