Page 37 of How May I Please You

“Just trying to keep us on or ahead of schedule.”

“We understand, man. The crew loves you. That’s why we all work so hard for you. Once it’s all finished, we’ll go celebrate like we always do before we move on to the next one. Luckily, we have a good group of people working with us.”

“Which I’m thankful for,” says Trey. “After that whole Robin situation, I wasn’t sure how this would turn out.”

“Oh, that’s right. I had forgotten about that. Whatever happened to her?” I inquire.

“I guess she went back to where she was before she transferred here. I never heard from her again after the day she came into my office all bruised up and anxious. Luckily, everything is working out for the best.”

“Definitely,” I agree, but my brows are still stitched together as the details come back to me. “I don't like not knowing why she was acting the way she was, though. Especially when you mentioned my name.”

“Man, I can still see the look on her face to this day, even with those dumb-ass glasses she had on. I said the name Evan, and that girl looked like she was ready to run for cover. Unless my eyes were deceiving me, I’d swear she was terrified of you. But who knows? Either way, she’s gone and the crew is still rolling right along.”

I nod my head as concrete pours out of the chute, splattering at the feet of the men inside the forms as they rake it into place. I see them, but my mind wanders, wondering why Robin would act that way after we had a cordial, friendly day prior to her leaving. I know I didn't do anything to her, so what would make her act frightenend when Trey mentioned my name? It just doesn't make sense.

Unless …

“So, how’s Journey, bro?” Trey asks, cutting off my thoughts. “You moved in together a while back. How does it feel to be domesticated?”

The two of us laugh together before I answer, “Surprisingly, I like being domesticated. Journey and I are … we’re good. Living with her is a dream come true. To be honest, we’re learning a lot about each other.”

“I hear moving in together can be tough. It’s like realizing the person you've been in love with is actually a disgusting slob who throws their dirty drawers in the bathtub to let them soak instead of using the washing machine.”

“Bro, what?” I exclaim, laughing hard. “Is that your situation you're talking about? Because my Little One isn’t leaving her panties in the bathtub.”

Trey pushes me on the arm as he laughs. “That hasn’t happened to me, I’m just using it as an example. People are different when they’re at home. It’s a lot harder to keep secrets when you have to look at the person you're sharing your space with every single day. You start seeing them for who they truly are and it’s like you have to fall in love all over again, but this time with the added information of what they’re like in their private life.”

“What are you, a couples therapist in your spare time?” I joke.

“Nah, man. I watch TV and shit. Plus, me and Theresa are heating up, and I’m trying to learn as much about her as I can before I pop the question.”

“You’re going to ask her to marry you?” I ask with saucer-sized eyes.

“Don't look so shocked, Evan,” Trey says, his smile as wide as the whole job site. “I’m thirty-one years old, man. Even an old player like myself has to settle down sometime. Plus, I’m just following your lead.”

“My lead?”

“Yeah. You committed to your girl, moved in with her, and look at you now—the happiest guy on the job site. I saw the look on your face when I approached you just now. You looked like you were daydreaming about getting your hands on your girl.”

I laugh as I say, “I was definitely thinking about getting my hands on somebody.”

“See, there you go,” Trey says, nodding along, completely unaware of how wrong he is. “Alright, I’ll let you get back to work. But how about I treat you and your girl to dinner sometime soon? I mean, I was the one who brought you two together, remember?”

“Oh really? How do you figure that?”

“You told me. That night you and I went to the bar and she was jocking you from afar. I got up to go to the bathroom and that’s when she came over, remember? You didn't even want to talk to her, but I insisted. Hell, I could’ve peed at home, but because I left you at the bar all alone, she approached you and you two hit it off. You're welcome.”

We share another laugh. “Well, since you're solely responsible for us being together, I guess we can let you take us out to dinner. It’s the least we can do.”

“Cool. Okay, we’ll set something up. Now let me get back to work before all of this falls apart. Talk to you later, bro.”

“Alright, Trey.”

The only person I’ve ever considered a friend walks away, and I prepare to move into the concrete to help my crew. As easy as it is to talk to Trey and forget about my life's current status, the truth is that everything isn’t as peachy as he believes it is. I wish Journey and I were at our best right now, living blissfully in our world of kink, swimming in nightly multiple orgasms. Maybe by the time we have dinner with Trey, we’ll be a better example of what a happy couple looks like. For now, the only thing I’m swimming is in a sea of questions, and I feel like I’m drowning.

This is bordering on pathetic. Either get the answers you seek, or leave it alone. All of this back and forth is fucking annoying.

I want to get back to where we were when we first moved in together. Before Journey’s partner started asking questions. Before Andrea’s burned down and Journey struggled to keep herself from looking guilty. I want less nights like the one we had yesterday, and more like the night we sliced off a man’s tongue for disrespecting us—a night that ended in Shibari and great sex.

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