I can’t help it. I laugh. “You’re drunk.”
“No! Wait, am I? I’ve never been drunk before.”
“Never?”
Shaking her head, she begins to fall sideways off the chair, and I grab her arm to catch her before she falls hard onto the ground. “Bad things happen when you drink with strangers.”
“You drank with Nan.”
“She’s not a stranger. I’ve talked to her before. And I’m here with you. I trust you. Plus, you’ve already ground my corn, so…”
I snort, thankful she’s actually talking again. “Ground your corn?”
“I grew up in Iowa,” she says and fans her face with her hand. “I’m really hot.”
“You sure are.”
She beams and looks up at me. “That’s so nice of you.”
“Yellow Crayon, you’ve been lying to me.”
Phoebe’s eyes widen, and her smile immediately drops. She looks like she might burst into tears. “About what?”
Damn, I feel guilty now. I’ve never seen someone crestfallen before, but she is. And it’s because of what I said. But I have to know. “When you cry out in the bedroom at night.”
“That’s not lying. I want you to feel good.”
“I’d like to reciprocate. Why aren’t you getting off?”
She purses her lips. “Re-cip-ro-cate. That’s a funny word.” Just when I think this play may have completely backfired on me, she sighs. “When I’m at work during the day, are you going out and screwing your other girl?”
Wait, what? Is she jealous of Queenie? “We’re not a couple, Yellow Crayon. We can see other people. Staying at my house is only temporary.”
Fuck. She’s getting attached. This was a bad idea.
“Everything in my life is only temporary.”
“Baby, I hate to break it to you, but life is temporary.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “I can’t have anything that stays.”
Yep, she’s not happy anymore. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve just made everything worse. Whatever’s happening between us has to stop, and I kick myself for it.
I’m the biggest jackass in the world. “Yellow Crayon—”
“I like you, and I’m only temporary. Don’t worry about me. It’s the story of my life. I’m used to it. Excuse me.”
She makes a beeline for the bathroom, and I sigh in exasperation. I really should have expected this.
Nancy locks eyes with me—a very unhappy expression on her face—and says, “I’ll go check on her.”
What the hell am I going to do? This was always supposed to be temporary. And I obviously can’t keep fucking her now that I know she caught feelings. It wouldn’t be right.
Fuck me.
Maybe I should have her stay with Capone. He probably won’t fuck her. Or even try. Just like he knows my past, I know his.
Bowling still plays on the screen in front of me, and I check the time. After ten minutes, I start to worry that I haven’t seen Phoebe or Nancy.
