“I’ve told you!Multiple times.”
“I would’ve remembered that!”
“I even have a family photo on my desk! You’re my roommate, dude.”
Walker squints at the screen. “Not gonna lie, bro. I thought that was your girlfriend from back home. The shorter one.”
Miles stares at him. “You thought my mom was mygirlfriend?”
“She looks young!”
“She’s forty-eight.”
Finn cackles. “You thought Miles was hooking up with a tiny MILF?”
“I mean, I would.”
Miles throws his phone at Walker, who barely dodges in time. “She’smy mother!”
“Okay, and? She’s still hot. No offense.”
“Guys!” Grant rubs his temples. “Can we finish the original announcement?”
“Right. My bad.” I sit up straighter. “So. Miles, Reid, and me. We’re officially dating.”
“So the doll is just... for them now?”
“The doll,” I say, loving how we’ve all accepted this nickname, “is operating under new rules from now on.”
Grant leans forward. “What kind of rules?”
“First,” Reid says. “The doll will be used only in controlled environments. Only with people we know and trust.”
“No more strangers,” Miles explains.
“Second. Anyone in this house who wants a turn gets tested every two months. Zero exceptions.”
Finn raises his hand. “Do I have to get tested? I’m not even fucking anyone else.”
“You’ll still be using the doll,” Reid says. “You’ll be exposed to the same things.”
“Fair.”
“Third,” Reid continues, and looks pointedly at Walker. “No more standby mode.”
“What?” Walker’s head snaps up. “No way. That was the best part.”
“We decided the nights belong to us,” I say quietly, for some reason feeling a little shy. “They’re for Kit, not the doll.”
Walker’s expression softens at that. “Yeah. Okay. It won’t change much anyway. Since I’m your boyfriend.”
“We haven’t agreed to that yet.”
“I’m wearing you down, babe. I play the long game.”
Grant looks over at me with pure pity. “Bro, you’ve created a monster.”
“I didn’t create anything. He came like this.”
