Page 20 of Love Wasted

“Am I what?” I ask, once again losing my train of thought.

She speaks slowly, saying one word at a time. “Are. You. Serious?”

Well, there’s another thing that hasn’t changed about Cass—the way she talks to me is still on point.

“Yes, I’m serious. It’s no big deal.” Cassandra releases a big sigh, causing her breasts to heave, exposing a little more of them above the towel. I swallow hard. “See ya, roomie.” I smirk, turning before I reveal my true feelings about our little predicament.

Uncomfortable doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling right now. I’m so hard, it’s nearly impossible to walk. I need to remove myself from such close proximity to Cass. What the hell was Laney thinking when she suggested each of us stay at her apartment?

Picking my bags up, I make my way to the room I’ll be staying in.

As I pass through the living room, I can hear Cass moving around, slamming drawers and talking to herself. It brings a smile to my face, and I actually chuckle out loud. This is going to be fun, even if everything in me says it is a bad idea.

Tossing my belongings on the bed, I reach for the smallest one and retrieve my phone, tapping the troublemaker’s number. As it begins ringing, I start pacing.

“Hey big brother!” Laney’s voice echoes cheerfully through the phone. “What’s up?”

Shaking my head, I can’t decide if she knows the mess she’s created or if she is still so self-absorbed and clueless.

“So, Laney, is there something you maybe forgot to mention? Information I may have thought relevant when accepting your invitation to stay at your place for a while?” I keep my voice even yet insinuating.

“Not that I…oh, Cass is calling me…oh, fuck!” It’s like I can hear the light bulb flipping on in her mind.

“Yeah, oh fuck is right,” I say with a sarcastic edge. “I’m pretty sure you should let that go to voicemail and then delete it because whatever she has to say won’t be pleasant to the ears. Protect your ears and life, Laney, and definitely ignore Cass’s call.”

“Holy shit, I promise I didn’t do it on purpose.” I can hear the truth in her words. Being mad at her for very long never works; she can be so oblivious sometimes, and she just can’t help herself. “But damn if I don’t wish I could be a fly on the wall of my apartment for the next month or so,” she states, and my level of annoyance reaches its max.

“Dammit, Laney, not cool. Not cool at all. You know how things are between Cass and me on a good day—what do you think they’re going to be like on a daily basis?” I scold, running a hand through my hair.

I stand up and look at my reflection in the mirror hanging over the dresser, starting to really worry about how this is going to work. We both work from home. I have a hard time resisting the urge to aggravate her, and Cass has a hard time resisting the desire for me to get taken out by a bus.

In typical Delaney fashion, she accepts no responsibility for her self-absorbed choices. “Come on, Pax. It will be okay. You were like family once. I know you’ve been gone a while, but it’s not like you two haven’t practically lived under the same roof a huge part of your life.” Although she’s using the same so-called logic I used with Cass only ten minutes ago, I don’t like it, mainly because we aren’t like family…at all. I don’t get hard-ons when I look at my family, and I definitely don’t want to push them up against the wall and fuck them until they’re screaming my name. I groan just thinking about it.

“Don’t you dare huff at me!” Laney shouts through the phone. If she knew I wasn’t even thinking about my frustration with her any longer, she wouldn’t sound so indignant—she’d probably kick my ass, or at least try. “Seriously, Pax, I’ve been under a lot of pressure at work. It’s been months since I offered you a place to stay. I didn’t even remember when I made the same offer to Cass. It was an easy mistake. Is it really that big of a deal? I mean, it’s Cass. You both know one another better than most people, and as much as you drive her insane, you guys can play nice…right?”

I want to yell at her and say no, it won’t be okay, but then I would have to explain why. I’m not willing to do that, especially at this point, so instead, I say, “No, we don’t really know one another that well anymore.” Although that’s true, I’m only feeling this way because the image of Cass naked is so fresh in my mind. I can handle this situation. No problem. It’ll be fine. It’s just Cassandra. “Fine, you’re right. I just don’t think it will be as easy to persuade Cass to reach that same conclusion,” I concede reluctantly.

“Just don’t be…you. Be someone who doesn’t annoy her. Be…nice.” She giggles.

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” Her laughter is louder now. “Bye Delaney. Be safe, and don’t take any shit from the competition on this trip.”

She stops laughing abruptly. “Not a chance, big brother. He has no idea what he’s in for with this account. Anyway, I think I’ll wait at least twenty-four hours for Cass to get used to the thought of living under the same roof as you before I take her call. Love you.” She hangs up, and I laugh because she is smart to avoid her best friend, at least for the near future.

Now I need to figure out how I’m going to make this new living arrangement work.

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