Page 14 of Flash

“The guy you didn’t call?” Rowan clarifies.

I bite my lip and nod. “Yeah, that part was a little awkward.”

Rowan laughs unsympathetically, then gives a low whistle. “Shit like that makes me so fucking glad I’m demi.”

“You have to be nice to me, I had a hard day,” I whine, putting on an exaggerated pout.

“Come on, Lewie, this is hardly the first time you’ve had an awkward run-in with a guy you hooked up with. Remember your cousin’s wedding when you realized you’d been tag teamed by two of the groomsmen the night before?” He chuckles again and I join him this time. Okay, that one was kind of funny in hindsight.

“He didn’t seem too mad about it, at least.” I let a suggestive smile spread over my face.

“I’m guessing there wasn’t a whole lot of talking?”

“Plenty of verbal foreplay, absolutely no baring of our souls. Just the way I like it.”

Rowan pauses with his glass halfway to his lips again and pins me with a look.

“Liar.”

That one word is all he needs to call me out in a way only a best friend can. I can pretend all I want that I don’t need romance and butterflies and all those dangerous, mushy feelings, but we both know how hard I fall when I actually let myself. I bristle and set my glass down, turning my attention to stirring the veggies.

“I can’t remember the last time I was this attracted to someone,” I confess. “The man has some kind of gravitational pull, and I am fucking weak for it.” I drag my fingertips over my lips absently, thinking about how Arrow’s mouth felt against mine.

“It sounds like the feeling is mutual.” Row shrugs. “What’s the problem?”

“Come on, Row.” I click my tongue against my teeth and empty the cooked vegetables onto a plate so I can use the pan to heat up the tortillas. “You know how I am. It’s already happening, and I don’t even know the guy. I get all fluttery and stupid.” I wave my hands in the air. “And I always end up coming on too strong, all needy and pathetic. The only guys who don’t go running the other way are the ones who think they can use it against me, doling out affection in a steady drip to fuck with my head and string me along.”

The feeling in my stomach leftover from the encounter with Arrow sours. I’m glad my back is to my bestie as I reach up to discreetly dab a tear away from the corner of my eye. None of those assholes are worth the puffy eyes or dehydration. There’s no warning before Rowan’s beefy arms wrap around me and he places a wet, smacking kiss on my cheek. I let out a watery laugh and lean into his embrace.

“I know you’ve dealt with your fair share of assholes, but Arrow could be different. You never know.”

He lets me go and I clear my throat to dislodge the lump, then start to assemble our fajitas.

“Right, because hot bikers are famously all about commitment and mushy feels.” I chuckle and stick a slice of pepper into my mouth, then turn to hand Row his plate.

He gives me one of his stern looks, his bushy ginger eyebrows lowered and his lips pursed.

I huff at him. “‘You’re judging him without bothering to ask. You have to give people a chance.’” I deepen my voice to mimic what I know he’s about to say.

“Wow, that’s a really thoughtful and mature perspective, Lew,” he deadpans, and I stick my tongue out at him just to show him exactly how thoughtful and mature I am.

We carry our plates and drinks into the living room, and I put on Umbrella Academy. We’re late to the party, but on the bright side, it means we have multiple seasons to binge watch.

“That asshole tattoo artist next door has such Klaus energy it’s not even funny,” I mumble around a mouthful of food.

“Is he hot?” Rowan asks.

“Absolutely not,” I lie. He’s objectively fuckable, but no way am I paying him that kind of compliment when so far he’s been nothing but a grade-A pain in my ass. “Besides, you’re demi, what do you care?”

“I can appreciate the aesthetics,” he says, polishing off his food and then reaching for his daiquiri to drain it. “You want another drink?” He nods towards my half-finished glass.

“Sure.” I pick it up and gulp it down so I can hand him the glass for a refill. The rum and the icy temperature go to my head and make me a little dizzy.

While the blender whirs loudly from the kitchen, I set my plate down on the coffee table and slip my phone out of my pocket. I pull up the contact info Arrow added last night before we parted ways and stare at it, my heart hammering and my stomach twisting with nerves and excitement.

The smart thing to do would be to delete it and let our two incredible hookups live in my fantasies where they can’t hurt me. He’s perfect there. He’s safe there.

But he did say he was fine with keeping things casual.

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