“What else is there to do? I’m bedridden. Now tell me all about your date before I have Mick strangle you.”
My brother, who is sitting on the cement next to Bells’ lounger, nods silently. He probably would kill me. Once he met Bells, all notions of brotherly loyalty got trampled on his way to her side. I don’t mind, though. Their bond is something to be envied. I’d like that for myself.
“She’s got a roommate.”
“Cece,” interjects Bells.
“Yes, Double C.”
“She has a nickname?” Mick turns to his wife. “Does Joy use that?”
Bells scrunches her face and tries to remember. “I don’t think so.”
“I made it up.”
“You did what?” Bells is appalled. I can tell she’s serious by the way her face has gone totally blank. She struggles into an upright position, which causes Mick to send a scowl in my direction. Confused, I get up to check on the pork.
“I made it up. What’s wrong with that?”
“What’s Joy’s nickname?”
“I didn’t give her one. Her name is perfect.”
“And Cece’s isn’t?”
This conversation sounds vaguely familiar. I plate up the pork and bring it over to the low table situated by Bells’ lounger. “Okay, tell me what I did wrong.”
“You gave the other woman a nickname but not Joy. Was she mad at you?” Bells takes a plate of cut up meat from her husband.
“She didn’t act like it. In fact, she gave me a pretty happy kiss good night and things might have gone further if I didn’t get a call to pick up a skip.” Happy kiss good night was downplaying it. She came in my arms, and it was a beautiful thing. I look forward to repeating it again and again. In fact, there will be a time soon where I won’t start the day without her coming on my fingers, tongue, or dick. I smile before taking a bite of my meat. That’s not too far off in the future, either. Like tomorrow, maybe.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t like it if Mick made up a name for a woman but not for me. It would mean he liked her more than me.”
The pork suddenly tastes dry. “How does that compute?”
“It just does, and don’t say I’m being irrational.”
“Don’t insult my wife, asshole,” Mick pipes up.
“I didn’t say anything!” I set down my plate and lean forward. “Bells, come on, are you really suggesting because I made up a nickname for her roommate that Joy thinks I’m into Double—I mean, Cece? Neither of them acted like that last night.”
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d keep an eye out for that.”
I pick up my plate again. “Easy solution. I just won’t talk to the roommate anymore.”
“No, no, no.” Bells shakes her head. “You can’t do that. You have to strike the right balance between being nice to the roommate and not making Joy jealous. Unless…” She pauses. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”
“Why would I do that? Seems complicated. I just want to be a good neighbor by supplying everything that Joy needs.” I wiggle my brows. “I don’t have to spell it out for you, right?”
“Please do not,” Mick inserts.
“No, actually, tell me all the details,” Bells teases.When I return home after dinner, I pause in the driveway and glance at the darkened windows of Joy’s home. The earlier conversation about how my actions with Cece might have planted a seed of doubt in Joy’s mind bothers me, but I don’t really know what to do about it now. The past is past. Joy has to know that it’s her that I’m interested in. I wasn’t interested in any other pussy than Joy’s, and she’s got to know that by now.
I heft the bag that holds the supplies I bought at the party store. If Joy had doubts before about where my feelings were, this should resolve them. She wants a prank war because she thinks it’s fun and it’ll give her good content for her social media account. Quietly, I climb onto the front porch and then get to work. The small rubber spiders are placed in a net above the doorway. A string tied in a release knot is attached to the doorknob. Theoretically, when she opens the door, the spiders will rain down on her head. The instructions on the web said I should be sure to catch this on camera, which makes perfect sense because how else will she have the content for her feed?
Once I’m done setting everything up, I head to my house for some shut-eye. I want to make sure I’m up early enough so I don’t miss any of the action. Everyone has a different love language, and pranks must be Joy’s. I hope she gets the message that it’s her I’m interested in and not Cece.EightJoyI stare at my phone, willing Dane to text me. I haven’t heard a peep from him since last night. He had kissed me as though he were starved for me, made me come, and then left. From what I overheard, it sounded as though he got a call from work. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but I understood. I had thought that he’d at least send a text once he got home. Or that maybe he’d call today.