“It was—” I trudge into my bedroom and collapse onto the bed. “I slept with Jocelyn.”
A distant feminine voice shrieks over the line: “What?”
“Fuck, man,” Geoff says, voice far clearer. “You’re on speaker. Should have warned me.”
Morose laughter is the only response I can muster. Becauseof courseYayoi was within hearing distance of that.
“Ask him how it happened,” comes Yayoi’s voice, to which Geoff hushes her.
I dig my index finger and thumb into my closed eyes until colors spark in my vision.
Geoff’s tone softens. “I assume something is wrong by the way you said it.”
I clear my throat. “No. I mean, it’s not a big deal. She just... wants to stay friends. Easy enough.”
“I take it you want more than that?”
“No, I’m fine.”
He pauses a moment. “Then... why do you sound like a kicked puppy?”
I scowl at nothing and strengthen my voice. “Fuck you. I do not.”
“You didn’t call me to announce you slept with her, then hang up.”
“Maybe I called to brag. I got laid last night. Did you?”
He laughs. “The constant throwing up kind of gets in the way of that.”
“See?”
“Asher.” His voice takes on a serious cast. “Come on, man. Why’d you really call?”
My ceiling fan needs dusting. Should take care of that.
“Asher?”
I sigh. “Sort of... hurt. I guess. Normally, I’d talk to her about it, but—”
“I get it,” Geoff says. “Need anything?”
“Tranquilizer?”
He chuckles at the dumb joke, bless him.
“This is the best of both worlds, right?” I say. “She letme have sex with her with zero accountability. Every man’s dream.”
“Sure. Good way to look at it. You put it out there. She said no. Now you move on.”
“Yeah. Simple enough.”
Sounds simple. Probably isn’t. Suspect it will be quite hard, actually. Life altering. I haven’t just lost the girl I’m in love with; I’ve lost my best friend, too. There’s no way we’re going back to normal after this.
“Want to grab a beer tomorrow?” Geoff asks.
“Abso-fuckin-lutely.”
On my OR day, I arrive at the hospital an hour early to catch Cassie before she makes anesthesia room assignments. We’re okay, Cassie and me. She apologized for her behavior at my house a couple weeks ago, and I’m incapable of staying mad at anyone for anything.
