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I looked down, fingering the head of the snake. “Yep. Bo, short for bo-a.”
“Cute wordplay.” He bopped my nose and took a seat. His legs slid in front of him when he sagged further into the beans.
“I wanted to see if you were alright.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
He tapped his mug with his thumb. “So, are you? Alright?”
I shrugged, settled the cup of coffee on my nightstand, and simulated choking myself with the boa.
“Fine, just fine,” I croaked.
“Uh, I don’t think he’d like for you to do that.” He came out of the chair to untangle it from my neck. “Please, don’t kill yourself with a stuffed animal.”
“Nah, I’m going to kill myself with a good time tonight,” I said, getting a little excited.
Though José was overall a little handsy, he made good use of himself by pulling me onto the dancefloor. Dancing made me lose myself. My mind silenced when my body took over.
I’d worked every night this past week, desperately trying to separate myself from people who reminded me of Ares while simultaneously scrolling down his Twitter account in the hopes he’d post a picture of himself for once. But luckily, today was a Friday. My night off was bound to be busy, giving me enough energy to enjoy a night out.
“Oh?” Rio draped himself back into the seat.
“Yeah, José suggested a night of booty shaking. His words, not mine.”
Rio’s smile didn’t falter, but it was forced. “José?”
“José,” I drily echoed.
Rio slowly tipped his chin. “And where’s this at? Salsation?”
I squinted my eyes, suspicious of his visit and the interrogation. “You want your booty shaken too?”
He pensively twisted his lips. “Maybe.”
“Maybe, my ass.” I slurped another mouthful of my coffee and cuddled up with Bo when I finished the drink. “You’re so full of shit, just like A—”
I rolled my lips between my teeth, my stomach still twisting when I said his name.
“Ares?”
I closed my eyes and rolled over, so Rio faced my back. “If you’re here to rub it in, I’m politely pointing out that the door is still right over there.”
The hollow clunk of his coffee cup echoed through the room and was followed by the ruffling of the Fatboy. To my surprise, Rio’s solid stomach settled behind me. He slung an arm around my waist, pulled me closer, and let the silence fall on us like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
My throat swelled up, and nothing helped to keep a tear from dripping down onto the mattress.
“If it makes you feel better—”
“Nothing makes this feel better.” I sniffed.
“Listen,” he instructed, lifting his head solely to plant a kiss on top of my head. “If it makes you feel better, Ares is a mess. And if it makes any difference, I’ll make sure he knows I got to cuddle with you.”
“Don’t get any ideas.” I laughed through the tears, remembering the way our lips had almost touched once. “But you’re allowed to be as merciless as he is.”
“Trust me, I don’t need to be,” he said. I sensed a meaning behind those words. “This twin telepathy sucks, you know?”
“I thought it was a myth.”
