First
‘And you are being a spoiled brat.’
We glare at each other. Finally she breaks the silence with, ‘And what if I wanted a Prince Charming?’
My heart stumbles painfully over that. ‘Too bad. I’m going to Arizona.’
‘You could stay.’
‘No, I can’t.’ I turn and go into my room, closing the door in her face.
We’ve lived together too long. Like me, she doesn’t view closed doors as an obstacle. She follows me into my room, crossing her arms and tapping her bare foot on the floor. ‘Why not?’
‘Because I want to take over my uncle’s shop. I want a clean start after being stuck in neutral all these years. And I sure as fuck want more than to be a desperate virgin’s one night stand!’
Hurt flashes across her face and my gut pitches.
‘Oh, shit,’ I mutter. ‘Cat, I’m sorry—’
She’s already gone. Her door is closing softly when I make it out to the hall. I knock lightly, but don’t go in. She’s crying inside.
‘Brown eyes, let me in,’ I whisper, pressing myself against the door, desperation rising.
In all our years together, I have never made her cry. After she lost her parents, I vowed I’d never let myself cause her the same kind of pain.
Oh God, I’ve fucked up.
‘Cat—’ I knock again. My voice cracks. ‘Babe—’
Nothing. I twist away and face the other wall, squeezing my eyes shut, settling my hands behind my head so I don’t start punching the sheetrock. The only sound is my ragged breathing. The sound of her door opening has me spinning back, praying for salvation—
The box of condoms hits me square in the face.
‘Screw you, Dally!’ she snarls in a vicious whisper. ‘You and your giant dick!’
I swear and stumble back as the second box flies and hits my chest. She aims at my balls when she lets the lube fly, but I manage to deflect that hit. Her door closes again. This time she presses in that stupid lock on the knob.
She knows I could easily break the lock. But the symbolic gesture is received loud and clear.
I silently collect the condoms and the lube from the hallway. I decide I like this new sensation. Numb is good.
I dump everything on my bed and look around my room. I’m mostly done packing. I’m sure if I asked Jake would ship the rest of it to me later.
I drag out the duffel I use for road trips. Arizona, here I come.
Day 4 — Early-Evening
Jake got called in on a building fire a few hours ago, which is highly unfortunate since Dally and I are in a silent impasse. He’s spent most of the day in his room doing only God knows what, while I’ve miserably skimmed a few more articles about ways to have a perfect first time. Too bad I couldn’t care less about losing my virginity any more. Especially since I only want to give it to the one man who told me to my face that he doesn’t want it.
Why did things have to become so complicated?
A muffled thump and low curse have me looking up from my laptop. Dally’s in the hall with a duffel bag. I cross my arms and watch as he inspects the bag that’s spilled open.
‘The zipper came apart,’ I observe.
He glances up and our eyes meet. The sizzle of our connection shakes us both and we look away. How could I have possibly believed Dally was nothing more than a one night stand? After everything we’ve been through …
His words from last night echo in my mind. Maybe he had a point.
‘Let me help,’ I offer.