AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It helps if you brush them,” Mr. Baxley says, admiring the photo.
“I’m probably the only one who could get close enough. Hugh tolerates me okay, but he’s declared open war on the rest of the house. Lee’s entirely abandoned him at this point. Threatened to toss him on the street the other day when he stepped in one of Hugh’s cold hair balls he’d coughed up overnight.”
“The brushing will help with that too,” Mr. Baxley informs me, regaining his aura of superiority. “They make certain food and treats that can decrease hair balls. It’s important he get sufficient moisture content in his food as well as fresh water.”
And then, as I sit there agape, he proceeds to share a plethora of cat-rearing resources with me, going on about general cat maintenance and using more words than I’ve heard him speak all semester.
It appears I’ve found Mr. Baxley’s true passion.
After the library, I swing by the pub to grab a drink with Celeste for happy hour. It’s a big crowd for a weekday, but we manage to snag a couple stools at the corner of the bar and order some chardonnay.
“I’m knackered,” she says, slumping against the bar. “Last night, I was up till four in the morning reading for a two-hundred question exam only to realize I read the wrong book.” She takes a swig of wine and wipes her mouth. “Please, Abbey. If you value our friendship, stab me through the eye with the stem of this glass.”
I hoot out a laugh. Celeste is clearly at her wit’s end, her untouchable composure long since abandoned. It’s a condition we’re all suffering from with the semester coming to an end.
“You’re brilliant,” I remind her. I don’t think she’s seen less than ninety percent on an assignment since coloring inside the lines and writing her own name. “Chin up. It’s almost over.”
She takes another big gulp and waves for the bartender to top her up. “I’ll remember you abandoned me in my time of need.”
“Speaking of which, we’re getting everyone together for a small dinner at the house on Friday before we all scatter for the holidays. Nothing fancy. Just some takeout and drinks.”
She pouts. “Are you truly going back to America for the whole winter break?”
“Yup.”
“Come back early. You can spend a few days with me and Lee at our parents’. They’d love to meet you.”
“I would, but my dad is really looking forward to having me home.”
I’m excited to be home too. This is the longest Dad and I havespent apart since I was little. I’d been in such a rush to get out on my own, it didn’t occur to me I’d reach the point when watching football and cheesy holiday movies on the couch together is my idea of a perfect evening.
Besides, putting an ocean between myself and Nate and Jack is the best recipe I have for getting some perspective on everything.
I’m too close to the situation. To them. I’m too addicted to Nate’s adventurous, mysterious ways and Jack’s cocky grins and rampant sex appeal. And I feel guilty for being addicted to them both.
To make matters worse (or better, whichever way you want to look at it), I don’t know if this is solely about sex anymore. With either of them. Nate’s still in Dublin, but we text frequently throughout the day, exchanging more than just flirtatious words and pictures.
And Jack is being extra affectionate. Stealing me away for clandestine kisses at every opportunity. Watching TV with me even when I know he hates my shows. It’s sweet and demonstrates effort on his part.
To show some reciprocation, I decide to cook dinner for the flat when I get home from meeting Celeste. Well, I reheat some takeout and make a salad. But still. It’s the thought that counts.
“Is this when you tell me you’ve been joyriding in my car and tore the mirror off?” Jamie inquires during dinner, swirling his third glass of wine.
“Would this get me off the hook if I did?” I ask sweetly.
“Certainly not.”
“Then no, that mirror’s always looked like that.”
“I can’t get over these cucumbers.” Lee holds up a piece out of his salad. “It’s like each one is its own little adventure into avant-garde.”
“Hey.” I point my butter knife at him. “When you’re making dinner, you can cut your veggies any way you like. Besides, they’re mostly all the same shape.”
“That is not a shape known to science. Did you have to wrestle it out of the cat’s mouth?”
Jack all but licks his plate clean and sits back with his arms resting on his abdomen. “You aren’t about to tell us you’re dying, right?”
“Afraid not. I’ll be back to leaving dishes in the sink for a long time to come.” I glance at Lee. “How come you didn’t invite Eric? I told you he was welcome to join us.”
