Pouting, I wished I could eat Creole food. The only time I was capable of tolerating spice was during my first two trimesters.
“Come get me, so I can eat with you,” I texted just to annoy my cousin.
“No, but we’ll bring you a to-go order.”
“Won’t it get gross on the ride home?”
“Let me ask,” Sabrina texted. A minute later, she added, “They said it reheats well.”
Turning to Zodiac, I asked, “Do you want any Creole? Sabrina will be here to pick me up in an hour, and she can bring you something.”
“You aren’t leaving,” Zodiac said without looking away from the TV. “I have my own Creole place.”
“He’s acting weird,” I texted to Sabrina.
“Give him a blowjob. Rowdy swears a man will put up with anything if a woman sticks his dick in her mouth. That sounds like solid advice.”
Glancing at Zodiac’s crotch, I wasn’t sure I wanted to break my dick-free mouth stance.
“No, I’m good,” I texted Sabrina.
“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t put one of those things in my mouth, either.”
Rolling my eyes, I wondered if a lesbian was the best person to give me advice on how to seduce a man. Maybe I should text Vanessa, who was known to enjoy sex.
During a commercial, Zodiac swiped my phone and frowned at the conversation.
“I don’t want your mouth on my dick.”
“Because you’re in a bad mood or because you know I might bite that thing off?”
Grinning, he returned my phone. “You can stay here tonight. Tell your cousin and her harem to get a hotel room. I’ll drive to Little Memphis with you tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to stay here overnight,” I lied. “Sutter will miss me too much.”
“Don’t coddle the boy.”
“Sutter has his entire adult life to struggle alone. Why not coddle him until he’s at least shaving?”
“No one coddled me, and I turned out fine.”
Frowning, I asked, “You’re being sarcastic, right?”
“Not at all.”
“Zodiac, you’re a weirdo. Everyone says so.”
“By everyone, do you mean Exile?”
“No, I mean Clint. He says you’re awful.”
“Doubtful.”
“Well, I want you to know I genuinely pity you.”
“Oh, sure,” Zodiac said, chuckling. “You’re crying yourself to sleep tonight over my rough childhood.”
Crawling closer, I explained, “My dad had it rough, but he also had Pax. When no one loved them, they could love each other. You never had that.”
