“That should be good. It’s only sixty right now.”
Grunting, I turned back around to study myself in the mirror again. I pulled at the bottom of my shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.
In the mirror I noticed Milo snag one of the drumsticks from my nightstand. He twirled the stick—or tried to anyway—then cursed under his breath as it fell onto his phone on the bed. He tried twice more before I stole the stick from him and gave it a real twirl. He groaned and rolled his eyes, propping his chin up on his hand as he smiled at me. Without warning, I jumped on top of Milo, and he yelped as I shoved my armpit in his face.
“Do I smell good?”
He laughed and shoved me off onto my side, and I bounced on the bed. “Yeah, fucker.” He tossed the drumstick at me and missed. “If you sing, why do you have those?”
“I do both so Glow can sing a few songs as front man. Don’t you remember Born for Fear? I don’t sing that one.”
He hummed. “Oh yeah. Why do they call him that, anyway? Glow? What’s his real name?”
“No idea and wouldn’t share if I knew.”
He pouted at me. Milo looked good stretched out with all his tattoos on display in only a T-shirt and basketball shorts. There was no reason for him to be spending the night alone, but he never went after anyone, which left him at the mercy of people—like the neighbor lady—who decided they wanted him. I couldn’t imagine living my life that way.
“What am I forgetting? Oh—” I rushed over to my dresser and tugged open the top left-hand drawer. An assortment of fun things I would love to use on Micah were hidden in boxes, but I didn’t go for any of the toys or equipment. I snatched out two condoms, then shrugged and grabbed another one, along with a mini bottle of Wild Cherry lube. After a second, I switched it out for the Bubblegum Blast because I thought Micah might like that better, and for some reason the flavor seemed to fit his personality, though I couldn’t really base that on anything.
“Oh, it’s that kind of night?” Milo asked with an amused snort as I stashed the supplies in my pocket, then whirled around.
I used my hip to knock the drawer closed. “You are so nosy.”
He crossed his arms and managed to look offended, which had me chuckling. “Who are you going out with?”
“The luckiest guy in New Gothenburg.”
Milo sighed and flopped onto my bed again, face-first. I almost caved and told him because he looked so miserable, but I wasn’t about to start shit for Micah, and Milo was the best, but he had trouble keeping his mouth shut when he had a juicy piece of gossip. He checked out of the corner of his eye to see if I had any sympathy, but I only stared at him.
“Fine. Keep your stupid secrets. I don’t care.”
I snorted. “It’s eating you alive.”
He turned his head so he could glare at me, then flipped me off.
He yelped as I jumped toward the bed, but I was faster than him, since he was imitating a slug right now, and I slapped his ass hard.Crack!My hand stung, and he gasped, grabbing his butt like I’d murdered him. I was cackling as I rushed toward the door.
“Fucker!” he yelled.
Stopping in the threshold, I whirled around. He hadn’t moved a muscle to chase me. “I gotta go, but what are you doing tonight?”
Milo grunted and massaged his wounded asscheek. “I’m going to Void with Brisco.”
Apprehension powered through me, and I gripped the doorknob, leaning on it. “Don’t do that. I heard Void is rough. DeMarco got a tooth knocked out there in a fistfight, and he plays hockey, so you know that’s brutal. It’s also out in the boonies.”
“You think anything a mile away from downtown is the boonies. It’s not that far out.” Milo shrugged, obviously not giving a shit. “I won’t be alone. It’s fine.”
I knocked on the doorjamb. “Push the lock on my door when you leave. Kinsey has been stealing my clothes without asking because he’s too lazy to do his laundry, and I’m done with it.”
Milo laughed and nodded, and I was a few steps down the hallway in the house we rented together, along with four other guys, when he called my name. “My mom wants you to come over this weekend for my sister’s birthday party!”
“I’m down for it! I’m late. Talk to you later!”
I ran the rest of the way to the front door to avoid anyone else, leaping over a laundry basket of clean clothes at the bottom. Austin waved at me in apology as he walked toward me. He was a big blond bear of a guy who played football.
“Sorry, Yukio.”
“No worries!” I smiled at him, but then took the time to glare on purpose at Kinsey as I rushed past him in the living room because he deserved it after he’d been raiding my stuff. He only waved and smiled back. The dick. He flopped his head to the side and shoved his curly brown hair off his forehead. He closed his eyes and his heart-shaped face went slack with bliss. He was about my size but slimmer, and the lazy bastard was busy vaping something that smelled like cotton candy and was probably laced with THC. I didn’t think the weed juice had anything to do with him stealing my stuff—I smoked on occasion—he just came from a family that had even more money than mine and still hadn’t figured out how to live without staff kissing his ass.
