Ten
Violet
Isat on my bed, staringat the wall as I replayed the words said in the kitchen a few minutes ago, when Enzo declared that they liked sharing women and that I couldplaywith them if I wanted to.I had no idea what to do with that information, just like I had no idea what had come over me.I wasn’t the kind of girl to say those kinds of things, let alone lead men on to think that I wanted more from them.Which, in all fairness, I wantedeverythingthey offered to give me, even if I had no right to.
I didn’t want things to get weird between us, which meant I needed to get my ass moving and find a job soon so I’d have a backup plan if I needed to leave.While I didn’t necessarily want to leave, I didn’t want to make things hard or uncomfortable for them either.I knew that they didn’t seem bothered by much, but that didn’t mean that they wanted me around all the time, keeping them from getting their work done.
It was still early enough in the day that I could head out and start looking for a job.I grabbed my brush and ran it through my hair to get the tangles out, then put it into a loose braid.It was going to be another hot day in Beaumont Creek.Still, I didn’t want to look inappropriate to a potential employer, so I changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that felt immediately too uncomfortable.
Brushing some lip gloss on my lips, I took one final look in the mirror, then grabbed my phone and purse.Asher and Enzo were in the kitchen, sitting at the table with their laptops out when I walked in.
“I’m going to head out for a little bit,” I said, not sure why I felt the need to report what I was doing to them.I quickly reminded myself that it was simply a sign of respect since I was staying with them, and that it had nothing to do with me being agood girl.More importantly, it had nothing to do with feeling obligated to do so, like I would have felt with Jared.I wasn’t allowed to do anything without his approval first.
“You’re welcome to take my car if you’d like,” Asher offered, looking up from the screen to smile at me.
“Oh, no.That’s okay, but thank you.”
“Where are you going?”Enzo asked, pushing the laptop away as he leaned back in the chair and folded his arms over his chest.
There was something about the way he looked at me that always made me squirm.I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, hating how the shorter pieces never stayed put.
“I was going to go out looking for a job,” I answered, the dread of their judgment already weighing on me.
“You don’t have to do that,” Asher said quickly.“We have zero expectations of how long you’ll stay with us, nor do we expect you to pay for anything around here.If you need something, tell us, and we’ll get it for you.”
“I appreciate that, but I would feel better knowing that I have a job with a secure paycheck, should I ever need it.”
I didn’t want to saywhenI need it because I didn’t want to insult them.But I also couldn’t just stay here andnotcontribute.That wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t like I was their girlfriend or their responsibility to take care of.
“I’m happy to drive you around if you’d like,” Enzo offered.
“Thank you.I was planning to catch the bus.”I pulled out my phone and looked at the time.“Which should be here soon, so I’d better get going.”
I smiled and adjusted my purse on my shoulder as I lowered my head and started walking.
“You’re not taking the bus,” Enzo said, his tone sharp enough to stop me in my tracks.
