From somewhere deep in the house there was an outraged gasp. “You tell that fucker to get the hell out of here, Titus!” Connie didn’t sound like she was screwing around, and she peeked between Titus’s shoulder and the doorway. I saw one outraged blue eye. “I can’t believe you,” she hissed out before she disappeared back into the house.
My gut sank. “I didn’t do anything,” I called after her desperately. I felt like my entire life was shaking apart.
Titus grunted. “Go stay with a friend.”
Sighing, I tried my best little-brother smile on him. It used to work when I was begging for extra change to buy junk food in the cafeteria. What could it hurt?
His eyebrows lowered, and at last his brow crinkled in what I hoped was guilt.
“Mirandahatedmy friends because we’re all geeks when we get together. She hated me talking to anyone except her actually, even at work. Did you know she had my desk near her office at the call center? She was convinced I would cheat if I was more than ten feet from her, and I didn’t mind… that, anyway. All my friends from the gamers’ club are pissed at me for dropping out of game nights and our campaigns.” I brought my hands up under my chin in a steeple and mouthed “please.”
Titus’s face fell and he shook his head slowly. He pulled his wallet out and my gut shriveled. “Connie said that Miranda said you got fired for being lazy.”
“That’s not what happened!”
He shoved a wad of cash into my hand, and I wanted to give it right back, but I held onto it and pushed it into my pocket.
“Get a hotel room until Mom and Dad relent.”
“Ifthey do.Please, Titus?”
He glanced uneasily over his shoulder. “I have my own life to think about here.”
“At least tell me you believe me.”
He winced, and I knew the truth. Whatever bullshit Miranda was spreading around, everyone believed her, even my own family, and I wasn’t getting the chance to defend myself.
“Fuck you, Titus. You’remybrother.”
He slammed the door in my face, and I regretted letting my anger get the best of me—it probably just played into whatever lies Miranda was concocting—but I picked up my bags and headed back toward my car.
I tossed my stuff into the passenger side, then climbed behind the wheel of my old, rusted-out Toyota Camry. With a grunt, I slammed the creaky door, resting my head against the soft seat. My phone vibrated with an email notification and a quick glance showed me it was from YouTube. I got notes from people sometimes because of the stuff I recorded and posted—my ASMR videos. Usually people just told me I sounded nice. Sometimes they sent me a tip via YouTube or put money in my Kofi account. The spare cash was really the only reason I wasn’t completely fucked right now.
Unlocking my phone, I went to the email for the YourBoiFriend account. I must have missed the note when it was originally sent because the time stamp was from this morning, but I sat there stunned as I read it.
Someone wanted me to talk while he had sex with his husband? I laughed to myself, and even though I felt like I had a headache coming on, I sat there and thought about it. They were probably some old guys who needed a little help in the bedroom. Out of shape. Missing a few teeth. Hair springing up on their backs and everywhere else. But it was sweet they were still so in love with each other that they wanted to do it on their anniversary.
I ran my hand over my face.
Honestly, what this dude was trying to do seemed adorable to me, even though I knew he was probably worried it came off as creepy. It was a good bet that men who sent messages like this probably had a decent amount of cash. I sat there staring at the sinking sun. Titus’s money, probably about three hundred dollars if I had to guess, burned a hole in my pocket. Between the money Titus would inevitably tell me was a loan, and what I had in my bank account, I would be fucked fast.
An apartment wouldn’t be cheap. I had no job. The moderately crappy call-center position I’d worked at for a bank had been the only one I’d ever had, and I’d been there for six years. Miranda was my most recent supervisor.
I wasn’t just regular fucked, I was extra-super-royally boned.
My stomach squirmed with heat as I sat there thinking about two men blowing each other to me talking, and I laughed again. They had sex to my voice? I never even said anything too spicy. I purposefully avoided content that would get me a ban. But they liked it enough tocometo what I said.
My fingers trembled as I typed back my response.
Hi, I would potentially help out. I’ve never done anything like that before, and I might want to meet you first, if that’s okay. I have no idea how much I would charge.
There.I didn’t feel guilty for asking for too much money now, but I also hadn’t put a price on things. I groaned in frustration.
I waited for a response; none came. I started the engine on the Camry. I had nowhere to go. There was a small park by my brother’s house, which was nice enough to stare at, so I went there for a bit.
The cold began to get to me. There was no way I should waste money on gas, so I tucked my hands into my coat and hated my life. The afternoon crawled by and it was dark in what felt like no time at all. I went through a fast-food drive-thru and sat in their parking lot, eating as slowly as I could manage because I had no idea where my next spot to park in would be, and I really didn’t want to spend any of my money on a hotel without a plan. I pulled my coat tighter around my shoulders.
My phone buzzed with a notification and my heart leaped as I picked it up and thumbed the screen open.
