Page 60 of The Tryout

The corner of his mouth lifts.

“My pleasure. Really.”

He gives me a wink and I feel blood rushing to my face.

“Hey Finn, are we good? Because you’re suddenly more quiet than the day I moved in.”

He’s right to call it out. In the time he’s lived here, we’ve come a long way, and he’s one of the few people in the world that I feel really comfortable with. Maybe the only one.

I meet his eyes, biting my lip.

“Just…a little awkward, coming back from an orgasm like that to just…shooting the shit with my roomie, you know?”

His smile grows a bit.

“An orgasm like what, exactly?” he asks, a devilish glint in his eye.

Struggling for words, I finally give up, settling for a gesture instead. My hands move outward from my head as I make a noise.

“Mind-blowing, huh?”

I nod, glad he understands.

“It was pretty mind-blowing for me, too, you know?”

Finally, I’m able to meet his eyes. I think this is at the heart of my worries; that Avery’s giving me all of this and not really getting much back, just like with the furniture and the food. Is this just another way I’m going to owe him?

“...yeah?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely. Grade A. Ten out of ten. No notes.”

I can feel a wide grin break across my face.

“Ok, good. Because I’d really like to be able to do that again sometime.”

“Well, you’re certainly not gonna have to twist my arm. But Finn?”

“Yeah?”

“Friends is a pretty essential part of friends with benefits. So if we can’t have this and be friends, we gotta stop, okay?”

I look in his eyes, pushing past the awkwardness of the moment.

“Ok. Friends.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

AVERY

The next day, I get a text back from Jamie.

Jamie Carter 9:04 AM

Hey, do you have a minute to call Ethan and I?

Preferably without Finn nearby?

I walk out into the living room to double check, but it looks like Finn is still out on his morning run. With a day off today, he’ll probably go for a longer one than usual, so I should have time now. I head to my room and FaceTime Jamie, assuming that Ethan will be within three feet of him at this time of day.