“ASSCLOWNPIECEOFSHITSTALKER!”
Punch.
“Jonas—FUCKING O’DELL!”
Punchpunchpunch…
Bugles flew everywhere and my damp hair was scattered across my vision, blowing in and out of my face with my exasperated tantrum as I collapsed into my pillow. I’m so tired. Ofeverything. Did life seem better when the chaos was more simple at the Byrne house? Or am I just still in my feels about Daddy? I let my deep sigh relax me into the pillow and felt my body completely give. Just…fuck it right now.
“What is thatsmell?”
I leaned over the table towards Sev, sniffing and scrunching my nose. Her mouth curled in shades of dark lipstick and a new piercing Malek talked her into getting last month. It’s actually hot as fuck on her. I should consider getting a tattoo or something.
“It’s embalming fluid,” she snickered, snatching the lemon out of her sweet tea and cleaning her hands with it. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was that strong, I think I’m just used to it after all these years. Thanks for bailing me out today. We haven’t done this in a while.”
“Your brother taking care of the stiff?”
“Greg?Hell no. He’s not licensed for one, and two, bodies give him the ick…especially downstairs. He’s fine if they’re dressed and set up in a suite. Aside from that, he only comes down there to bother the shit outta me. You know…kinda like your idiot brother.” The lemon slapped on the surface of the nice table and she looked around. “Where’d our waitress go?”
“Seriously. You’d think a snazzy place like this would have better service. Dec’s been trying to take me here for weeks. Don’t tell him we came, he’ll shit a brick.” Her subtle smile and lack of eye contact says enough…she knows that’s why I dragged her out to play hookie today.
I woke up this morning alone and in a bed littered with broken Bugles and rage. I didn’t even know Declan had come home until I’d gotten up and dressed, ready to pester the shit out of Seven until she agreed to come out with me today. He was stretched across the couch on his stomach, tattooed back exposed and hair a sexy mess over his arms while they’d been wrapped around our throw pillow all night…instead of around me. I really don’t know why I’m pissed about it. Iwasthe one that bumped him down a few notches on my list of priorities. It’s just uncharted territory and more proof that he’s starting to get fed up with my shit.
Sev sipped from her glass, keeping her eyes on the splattered lemon still on the table. “I knew you’d crack at some point. You coulda just said you wanted me to kick Malek out of the house for a bit.”
“He would’ve known it was about this. I’m putting Mal in a weird place. There’s not a single thing he’s ever cared nor asked about when it came to my relationships, however short they were.” I rolled my eyes. “All he ever needed to ask was where they were and in what way I wanted him to butcher ‘em.”
“Bridge, I know this whole thing has been weird to get used to…but he’s changed a lot. We all have. He cares just as much about you now as he did when we were in that basement, taking up space in a house of horrors. I get it if you don’t feel right confiding in him, but youcan. If you don’t want to, nobody’s forcing you. That’s why you’ve got me.”
“I know…”
I fidgeted, twisting and tearing the corner of my napkin until she did her Seven Grey thing, and made it easier for me to dump all my shit on the table—literally.
“You wanna be pampered but not treated like a baby.”
“Yes!”I yelped, slapping my palms against my thighs. “He drives me crazy in every possible way, Sev. He’s like a hot, tattooed nanny that fucks hard, but also tends to let the four-year-old inside of him come out to occasionally play video games and tinker with morsecode.”
Seven’s head craned back. “Morse code?”
“Yeah, you know…the stuff he does on the computer.”
“…You mean…you mean HTML code?”
I’m starting to get a faint headache from eye rolling. “Same difference.” I let her laugh off my obvious mistake while I took my time complaining about every little thing that’s happened between us in the last several weeks, conveniently leaving out the parts about what I’m doing on the side. “So thenwhen I woke up this morning, I found him sprawled out over the couch, looking like an offering to the sex gods…and where in thefuckis our waitress?!”
“So, do you think Dec is cheating on you?”
“What? No. No, he usually goes out and eats an ass-ton of quinoa and sulks like a chained bitch until he gets over it. Then we fuck like rabbits and it’s good until I do the next pain in the ass thing.”
“So, what’s different this time?”
This time I’m hiding something worse than if I’d let some dude motorboat my ass cheeks.
I scratched my forehead and shrugged. “I’m just—last night I fucked up. I get that. As relationships go, missing Valentine’s Day is like…a big deal. Usually for the dude.Notfor the woman. When he left me in that shower, I don’t think I could have felt worse in my life. I even tried to vibe one out…and couldn’t. Like, actually buzzed my pussy sober, Sev.” She doubled over in giggles and I cocked my head, whining. “It’s notfunnyyyy. Come on, what the hellisthat?”
“That?” she snorted. “That sounds like love, babes. Good old-fashioned, his and her towels, vomit-inducing L-O-V-E.”
“Gross…” I crossed my arms.
