Page 14 of Used

I take my time to shower and get ready to face the ferocious Elsie, trying to think of what could have pissed her off so much to get her to the point where she’s breaking into my place and tossing cups of water on me.

Working on an offshore oil rig means working 28-day shifts, leaving me with very little reason to rent my own place. I used to live with my mother at my childhood home because I could not justify the cost of an apartment, I only used half the year.

But a year into dating, Selene and Gunnar bought a house together, and while we were only friends from the club at that point, they heard of my unfortunate living situation and offered to let me move into the pool house behind their new home about a year and a half ago.

The place is perfect for me, but it’s not really home.

Home isn’t really a place… it’s people.

It’s family.

So, for now, outside of my blood relatives who I’m close with, Selene and Gunnar are the closest thing I have to that dream.

In terms of a place to live, though, I only really need a fridge for takeout leftovers, a couch, and a television to watch my teams. There’s a bed to sleep away my days and fuck away my nights. It even has a hot tub out back, which is the perfect way to get my multitude of guests naked.

So many good memories here.

Once I’m done getting ready, I walk into the kitchen to find the counter piled high with containers from my fridge, which stops me in my tracks.

Elsie is bent over, rooting through my freezer drawer, and it’s the best memory I’ve ever had in this place.

“Elsie?” I ask, mirth in my voice.

She spins around. “Why don’t you have ice cream? There’s sorbet but no ice cream. Who the fuck doesn’t have ice cream? Who even eats sorbet!”

“A man who’s lactose intolerant?” I try with a laugh, rounding the counter to where she stands.

The glare she gives me stops me in my tracks.

“Any particular reason you’ve emptied my fridge?” I ask.

“You take for-fucking-ever to get ready, and I had a craving.” She shrugs.

“So, you took everything out of my fridge?” I chuckle.

“No. I threw out half of it, though. It smelled awful, and I’m pretty sure there were a few blocks of cheese growing mold.”

“Elsie, that’s not…” I sigh, reaching over to grab a few containers and put them back in the fridge. “Let’s try this again. You got hungry. So, you were looking for something to eat?”

She rolls her eyes at me in confirmation.

“What do you want if I don’t have ice cream?” I ask simply, turning to the pantry to see what I may have there.

A sniffle has me stopping and turning back to Elsie.

“I don’t know.” She whines in a voice which I’ve never heard come from the small woman. “I can’t… I’m just… Marshall, I’m falling apart.”

“Oh, baby,” I say, putting down a bag of bread on the counter.

This woman has no idea the power she has over me.

I’ve been absolutely enraptured by her for a year, but every flirtation and hint I threw her way was shrugged off. It wasn’t until Selene and Gunnar’s engagement party that I finally had my chance with her.

Since that magical night, I’ve done everything in my power to get her attention and really make an effort, but I was brushed off while I was in town. Which meant there was no real reason to try while I was gone for work.

I told myself when I got back that I would try again, I had to.

But first, I needed to sleep.

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