That’s what I said! They’re pretty chill until you open the fridge. Then they scream.
Holloway
They scream?
Me
Yep. Like Pavlov’s dog. They squeal at the top of their lungs. It reverberates around my apartment. I made the mistake of giving them some raspberries, and now they look like they’ve committed a gruesome murder and eaten the body.
Carter
Death by tiny pig.
Holloway
Hold on.
Russo
The fuck he telling us to hold on? It’s a text conversation. We don’t have to hold.
Me
God dammit. He’s going to show up here, isn’t he?
Bennett
Oh, absolutely. Good luck.
And when my doorbell rings only seconds later, I shake my head in disbelief. I keep to myself enough that I forget a chunk of the team lives in the same building. Still early on in his career, Jake’s salary is much smaller than mine, and his apartment follows that trend. So, when he bounds into my space, his mouth drops open in shock. “Why are your ceilings taller than mine? And you have more windows! Holy shit, your fridge is twice the size of mine, too! This is bullshit!”
“Tell me that in ten years, kid,” I mutter. “Why are you here, Jake?”
“Oh, I want to meet the piglets!” he answers gleefully, a massive smile covering his face. Jake is kind of like a golden retriever. Happy most of the time, has never met a stranger, and responds well to treats. I’m not entirely sure if he’s fully housebroken yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed he doesn’t go piss in the corner to mark territory.
“They aren’t piglets. They’re guinea pigs.” I pause. What the hell are they called as babies? “Fuck, I don’t know what they are. I’m not sure of their ages either. Maybe they’re full-grown.”
Jake strides over to the cage. “They look full-grown. What are their names?”
“Marilyn and Muriel.”
He snorts. “Those names absolutely suit Layla.”
They really do.
“So, how long have you been banging their mom?” he asks nonchalantly. Opening the cage, he wastes no time grabbing one of the pigs. “Which one is this?”
“I have no idea,” I answer irritably. “And I’m not banging their mom.”
Jake looks up, raising an eyebrow. It’s clear he doesn’t believe me. “That’s the story you’re going with?”
I sigh, scrubbing a hand across my face. “I’m notcurrentlybanging their mom.”
He smiles triumphantly. “I knew it! I could feel the tension between you two. So have you in the past, or are you hoping for the future? Is that why you moved her in here? Are you hoping you can convince her to stay? Management will be pissed. I wonder if we can get them to change the fraternization rule. Of course, if you’re going to ask for a trade, this is all moot, right? Or is Layla enough to keep you here? Then we’ll definitely have to come up with a plan.”
Christ. He’s like the Energizer Bunny.
He brings up some good points, though. What happens if I convince Layla to give us a real shot? How will it impact her job? If I get traded, will she want to come with me, or will that effectively end our relationship? Do I even want a stable relationship? Does she?
