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“Ha-ha!” I can tell that she’s waiting for me to cease my actions to add my last pair of sneakers. “You’re missing the point.”
“Then enlighten me,” she grumbles. “How many pairs do you need anyway?” Bending over to snatch the bag that won’t fit, she grunts and launches it across the room and through my cracked closet door.
I don’t comment on the accompanying thump that matches her mood. After all, I’m too drowsy to instigate a meaningless argument, and I’ll be leaving shortly. Antsy and exhausted, I’m hoping to catch up on sleep during the flight. A wry smile tugs at my lips as the culprit of my self-deprivation crosses my mind. You see, a tall, bulky, and handsome redhead named Jules has been keeping me occupied in the most delicious way possible. For once, modern technology didn’t play a part in our hookup that started in the bathroom of a local gay bar. In a few days, the rugby player will return to his hometown of Narbonne, in the South of France.
I’ll have to remember to text him from the airport and thank him for the orgasmic no-strings-attached agreement we had.
We’d been going at it like rabbits, benefiting from his vacation time and my in-between job status… To be honest, “it” consisted of a nonstop blowjob/hand job/rimming marathon, rather than screwing. Yeah, I’m more of the fast and furious type as far as releases go. Call me lazy if you want, but I won’t risk hurting my partner, stranger or not. On top of being messy (Pun intended!), fucking involves lots of prep, which takes time, dedication, and patience. I’m not ready for that kind of commitment. Hence, Jules and I engaged in plenty of fun and orgasms with an expiration date; the impending exodus heightens the feeling of urgency and that’s how I roll. The exception to the rule was Caleb. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret it, but it left a bittersweet taste that had nothing to do with his cum.
Garcia’s fingers snap in front of me, propelling me to the now, and I offer an innocent smile.
Thank God she can’t read thoughts!
“Lost inside your head again?” She chuckles. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately. I suspect thatyourblond surfer is to blame. Sorry for bitching; you’re making me nervous.” I shrug, ignoring how she called Ash mine. “Anyyyyway… Has it occurred to you that Ashton might hate surprises?” Her insightful question troubles me.
Plopping my denim-clad butt on the floor, I consider her question and busy myself with the zipper on my luggage.Did Ash ever mention disliking surprises? Not that I can recall.Dragging a hand across my face, I tilt in the direction of the nightstand and snatch my phone with my free hand. For the umpteenth time, I reread the text that Ash sent two days ago.
Ash
Something unexpected came up.
I moved to LA. I’ll explain later over video chat, not text.
“You’ve memorized it. Why do you keep staring at the screen? The words ‘Come over, I miss you, I want you’ or whatever you’re after won’t magically appear.”
“I know.” I can’t pry my eyes from the screen.
“So why not call him before taking a spur-of-the-moment trip? That is sooo not like you. Mister I-Think-Things-Through-And-Then-Some...”
“He and his boyfriend must’ve broken up.” I look up, ignoring the way that my heart pounds at the thought.
“And?”
“What do you mean, ‘and?’”
“I mean, I’m the impulsive one. I never thought you’d do something so… rash.” Right!
“I wouldn’t call the way you handle work impulsive. You are the epitome of the organized overachiever.”
She grins at that, tangling her fingers in her red hair. “True, but you know what I mean.”
I nod. “Wasn’t dropping everything to rush and save a total stranger impulsive?”
“No, that was the responsible thing to do. I’ve always known you had some Mitch Buchannon in you.” I’d rather be compared to someone else from theBaywatchcast, but I keep my big mouth shut, too busy grabbing my charger before I forget. “Knight in shining armor!”
“Ha-ha!”
“Damn, you’re gifted! You nearly got me sidetracked… again!” She cringes, as if I’m doing this on purpose! Okay, I might be; driving her crazy is my favorite pastime, especially when it results in her letting me off the hook. Nah, I can’t be responsible for her scatterbrained state. Maybe she’s hungry? We only had coffee before she suggested that she help me pack. “So if Ashton turns out to be single now, you’ll offer to be his rebound guy?”
My eyes widen. So many questions, so few answers. “Maybe.”
“Listen, Nino. You’re my BFF, but I’m afraid you’re setting yourself up for a world of hurt. From what you’ve told me about him, he sounds like a pretty decent guy, but…” In a swift move, she closes my suitcase and jumps on top of it so that she can wrench the zipper closed. At once, her gaze zeroes in on me and she frowns. “Let’s be real for a minute here… One: You don’t know the first thing about his current situation. Two: You keep telling me that you guys are friends, although I see how your eyes light up every time his name comes up, which is quite often, I must add. Three: You don’t do relationships, unless you’ve been lying to me all this time because of the debacle with my brother.” Considering this, I shake my head. “I don’t picture you as a rebound guy.”
“Where are you going with this? If that’s what he needs, I could totally be a rebound guy. Unless I’m mistaken, there’s no strings attached.”
“No strings attached, but a friendship on the line. Is it worth it?”
“There’s only one way to find out. Hence, thisimpulsivedecision.” She rolls her eyes at my sarcasm. “Also, if I don’t go and ask him in person, I’ll chicken out and never ask whether his relocation has anything to do with me.”
