Maria’s eyes slowly widen as she lifts a hand to her mouth. “Wait… are you…”
Carla clears her throat, voice careful but direct. “Okay, I’m just gonna ask this and if you get offended, I’m sorry… are youdatingSlade?”
My face goes nuclear. I look down at my drink, cheeks burning.
Carla gasps. “You are!”
Maria leans in, eyes wide with genuine curiosity rather than disgust. “Drew… how long?”
I manage a shaky breath. “Uh… just over five months.”
Carla playfully smacks Maria’s arm. “I knew there was something different about him!” She gestures at me like I’m not even sitting here. “Look at him. He actually looks like the twenty-year-old he is… sorting his life out, taking responsibility, starting college.ClearlySlade found a way to get through to him.”
I choke hard on my sip of frappe as the memory slams into me… Slade’s hand fisted in my hair, his voice low and commanding while he fucked me like a punishment. If they only knew that was exactly how Slade finally got me to listen… that the rough, filthy way he “punished” me was what actually made me straighten up and change.
Carla pats my back, laughing. “You okay, Drew?”
“Yeah, sorry… went down the wrong way.”
Maria narrows her eyes, smirking. “So… whatdidhe do to get you to man up?”
My face feels like it’s on fire. Carla laughs again. “I think I know the answer.”
Maria wiggles her brows. “Damn… must have really been something for you to change your whole life around.”
I look at my phone, suddenly desperate for an exit. “You know, I should really…”
“Oh hush, Drew,” Carla says, waving me off. “Don’t be shy. You should see some of the shit Larry and Maria do.”
“Carla!” Maria gasps, smacking her arm. “I told you that in confidence!”
Carla grins. “It’ll help him feel better, hun.”
Maria sighs but smiles at me. “Honestly, you should be happy you’re too shy to talk about it. Means it was good. Means it’s a memory you won’t be forgetting anytime soon.”
I nod, a nervous laugh escaping. “So…”
Carla leans in. “Is he your dad?”
I scoff. “What? Youknowhe isn’t.”
“Well, there’s my point,” she says with a shrug.
Maria looks at me seriously. “Look, Drew, I’m gonna be honest, okay?”
I nod, bracing myself.
“It’s alittleweird,” she admits, “but not for the reason you probably think. I think the fact he’s known you since you were young is the problem,notthe fact he used to be your stepdad.”
Carla nods. “But… it’s not like he’sdodgy, right? Like he never did anything to you when you wereundereighteen, right?”
I panic, shaking my hands wildly. “What? God no! No, absolutely not! He’s not…Jesus… he’s not like that!”
Maria laughs in visible relief. “I didn’t think he was. I’m just saying, that’s the only thing I’d be concerned about. But you’re twenty now, so… it’s okay.”
Carla shrugs. “Yeah. If you’d only just turned eighteen,thenI’d be worried. But this is fine. And perfectly legal.”
Maria perks up, eyes sparkling with that familiar “you’re not gonna believe this” look she always gets when town gossip is involved. “Oh, you know Sasha down the road? The loud one?”
