Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sierra
“What’s up with me coming over and taking you to the mall?” Ellie says as she minces her way into my home. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she’s wearing a tight T-shirt and denim shorts. Her feet are in flip-flops, and she’s walking gingerly. She does it every time she has a pedi, trying not to damage the work done on her toes.
“Cute daisies! Love ’em,” I say, looking at her toenails.
“Thanks.” She points at the driveway, where Griffin’s car was parked just moments ago. I told him she was coming and shoved him out of the house so he wouldn’t be late to his brunch, lest he have to hear some lecture about time and money. She just missed him. “And what was that hottie professor doing here? Did he stay the night with you?”
“He did,” I say, since she has the tenacity of a starved bear on the hunt when she’s onto something.
Her eyes light up, and she leans forward. But before she can start her interrogation, I say, “Thanks for coming over.”
“No problem. You said it was a major crisis.” She sits down in Grandpa’s armchair. It’s become Ellie’s favorite seat in the living room. “So what’s the crisis? Does it have anything to do with the hottie who just spent the night? Was it good? Was he good? And I guess this means you’ve found a new guy to fantasize about, now that the Midnight God is out of reach?”
“No.” I sit down. “It’s gotten super complicated since yesterday.”
I tell her what happened with Todd and Linda and Griffin. Ellie listens with her eyes wide. Then, when the story reaches the part about how Todd conked his head against the tree, she pumps a fist.
“Yes! I knew I liked that tree.”
“Anyway, Griffin decided to continue the dating rumor and move in here for a few weeks until Todd gives up. He’s worried about Todd’s behavior, although I doubt Todd’s really going to get super dangerous or anything.”
“What if he never gives up?” My best friend’s eyes are too sparkly. “Does that mean Griffin will never move out?”
I shake my head. “No. I’ll get a restraining order and a mean dog or something. Griffin wants to be gone as soon as he can.”
“How come?”
“He knows I have feelings.”
Ellie’s eyes go wide.
Before she jumps to conclusions, I add, “For his body.”
“Tell me more about these feelings,” she says, then moves next to me on the sofa. Giving up her favorite seat means she’s really into the story now.
“Well… He’s gorgeous. And I’m not dead, and…” I lower my voice, like I’m telling her my biggest secret. Well, it is my biggest secret since the Midnight God. “I used the bullet last night.”
“So? You’re an adult.”
“Yes, but I kind of moaned out his name when I came. And he heard.”
Ellie’s jaw drops. “Oh my God. Did he come over to give you a real O from his real body?”
My cheeks heat. That would’ve been amazing, but… “No. But it was a little awkward this morning.”
She gives me a long, hard stare. “It wasn’t just awkward. Come on. What else happened?”
“He was really hot.”
“You said that.”
“No, I mean because he was all sweaty from exercising. And topless.”
“Aaaand…?”
“And the feelings I had for his body last night came back.”