Page 199 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

‘cause I couldn’t let him go.

And now the game’s done.

Contract’s built.

After two signatures,

I’m his and he’s mine.

Why does it feel like I got everything I wanted by handing over everything I swore I’d never give?

Monogamy.

Blehhkk.

I pluck a solid from a pocket, toss it up, catch it. “Guess that means Baby Contract’s out. Boy-Toy Contract’s in.”

“Nope. The Only-Us Contract.”

He points at me.

“That’s the one, aight?”

I roll the ball across the felt.

“The One-Dick Deal.”

He catches it.

“The My-Pussy Papers.”

I arch a brow.

“The Fuckin’-A Agreement.”

He laughs. “The Best-Decision-You-Ever-Made Contract.”

Our voices die.

Only silence left,

his eyes keeping mine

until he cracks into a smile.

That happy, real, dizzy-ass smile.

Then my smile follows, stupid, reckless.

He tries to talk at the same time I do.

Both of us miss the moment,

And we laugh over the top of each other.

He shakes his head, pushing a hand through his hair. “Yeah, aight, twin. Get your ass over here and sign it.”

I rest the cue on the felt, boots peeling off the sticky floor as I take the stool.