Page 34 of Ballads of Lines Blurred

“Easier said than done.”

“You can do it. Give me your phone.”

I grabbed it from the arm of the couch and handed it to him. He was right. Dash also wouldn’t do anything that would upset me. Sometimes I needed this, an outside voice to help me maintain my focus on what mattered. I forgot when I was too busy worrying about what others thought of me.

Dash typed away on my phone, then went to work deleting apps. He handed the phone back. “There. I texted Flynn about handling your social media pages and got rid of anything that could upset you.”

“Everything upsets me.”

I’d lie in bed at night and remember something I said four weeks ago to a stranger. I’d think about how I could have said it better, while wondering what they thought of me. It could be a completely innocent conversation, and I dwelled over it like it was the only words I’d spoken in a year and my fate rested on them.

There were also the numerous times I’d gone over what I’d said to Cody that first night. How the words I said brought us onto this course, where I upset him.

“The people who judge you,” Dash began, “who say shit about you, they aren’t worth your time or energy. They have their own lives to worry about but instead of turning introspective, they take out their inadequacies on those they don’t know. They hide behind a keyboard, saying shit they wouldn’t to your face. They’re cowards who don’t matter. Now that I deleted the apps and you better not go to the sites through the browser, you won’t see them. Believe me when I say you’ll be better for it. Social media can be far too destructive to mental health.”

“My brother, the wisest man I know.” He was though. He knew what I needed and put the wheels into motion so I didn’t get more upset than I already would be when I read people’s critical words about me.

“Hell yeah, I am.” He grinned. “Don’t you forget it.”

15

CODY

Dash: I hear you’re on a date with Milo.

A smile bloomed on my lips. I was in the passenger seat of Milo’s car, and we were heading home from dinner. I had a great time with him. He was flirty and friendly. We kept dinner about us, not Slater. It gave us a chance to talk with no one interrupting us or us both focusing on Slater. Not that either of us minded doing so, but it was about Milo and me tonight. I wasn’t surprised Dash knew about our date.

Me: On our way home from dinner.

Dash: Home as in you’re sleeping over at his place?

Me: What’s up, Dash?

He had to be texting me for a reason, and that reason had to be Slater. I wasn’t about to tell Dash details about our date.

Dash: I don’t think my brother would mind if you stopped by his house.

Me: You asked him?

Dash: No, but he talked about you both tonight. He’d want to see you.

I turned to look at Milo. His pink mohawk lay on the side of his head facing me. His lip ring hugged his plump bottom lip, one I’d tasted and couldn’t forget.

“I can feel you staring at me, honey.”

“Honey, huh?” I grinned.

“You need a nickname and since I’m sweet on you, I’m calling you honey. Or do you want me to think of something else?” Had it been light out still, he would have been able to see my blush, which wasn’t a regular occurrence for me.

“You’re sweet on me?”

Milo took my hand, threading our fingers together. “It’s a new feeling for me. One that two men bring out. I had a lot of fun with you tonight and want to do it again. Maybe with Slater next time. What do you think?”

“How about we detour to Slater’s house now and bring him into our good mood?”

“That works.” He made a right at the next intersection to head in Slater’s direction. When Slater told me Milo was good with whatever happened between us, I wasn’t sure he meant it. The more I got to know Milo, the more I realized he was telling the truth. He went with the flow. If communication was open, he was good. But did that mean he dated others while he was with us?

“You’re not seeing anyone else, right?” I asked.

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