“Sixth.”
“Are things getting serious, then?” he wonders, closely studying my face.
“No, we’re just fucking.”
His eyes squint dubiously. “Yeah, right. When was the last time you were ‘just fucking’ with the same woman more than twice?”
“Why are you all up my arse this morning?”
“No reason in particular. Grubsy and I talked about it last night, and we’re happy to see you evolve.”
“I’m not evolving, Elijah. We’re fucking. That’s it.”
“Sure, sure. By the way, remember that hot model from the Court a couple of months ago? I think she came from Slovenia?”
“What about her?”
“I saw her yesterday. She’s back in town for a photoshoot, and you made an impression because she asked about you.”
I clench my teeth, aware that I have to tread carefully. “What did you do about it?”
“She’s coming in five minutes. Told her you could probably squeeze in a quickie in your busy schedule—before her shoot.”
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
We wage a silent battle there for a moment, our eyes locked into one another’s, waiting to see who’ll break first. Eli is a goofball, and he’s terrible at lying. Right now though, I legitimately can’t tell if he’s pulling my leg. Part of me knows where he’s going with this, and as much as I want that information to remain private, I know he’ll eventually find out.
Resigned, I let out a grunt. “I’m not fucking anyone other than Gen.”
“Why?”
“We’re exclusive.”
He explodes with satisfaction, smacking his hands together and pointing at me. “Ah-ha! I knew it! ‘We’re just fucking,’ my ass! You two are getting serious!”
“We’re not. This is just so we don’t have to use protection.”
“Right, how eco-friendly of you. Saving the sea turtles one condom at a time. Is there a Nobel Prize for saving the environment? I’ll submit your name for it.”
“You don’t have to be such a twat, Eli. We both work too hard for a relationship, and that’s it. Besides, we’re literally worlds apart. There can’t be anything serious between us.”
“Bullshit. This isn’t the nineteenth century anymore. Class doesn’t have to separate people.”
To that, I reply nothing. He wouldn’t understand, no matter what I’d say. Gen and I have a good dynamic in the sheets, and I enjoy her company out of them as well. But we’re severely mismatched and don’t have enough free time to sustain a healthy relationship. I know where I stand, even though I’m growing fonder of her every time we meet. There are no delusions in my head that this might lead to some epic love story, to a life together with kids, and all that shit.
Minutes pass, and Eli stays on the couch, looking at me with judgment. “Will you stay here all day?” I groan.
“I don’t know. Will you be a stubborn dick all day?”
I glare at him, unimpressed by his attempt at getting a confession out of me. There’s nothing to confess, so he’s wasting his time.
With dry and angered gestures, I open the cabinet below my desk and take out my iPad. “Enjoy the couch, mate,” I tell him, standing up.
“Where are you going?”
“The roof.”
I’m already in the hallway when he shouts, “Jake, you’re being a fucking coward about this!”
