Page 5 of Collided

He puts a hand on his chest. “Tell me. You’re entitled to tell me everything.” If it isn’t obvious already, my best friend is dramatic.

“Don’t bullshit me. In no form of words, Ieverwant to hear you talk about fucking your girlfriend.”

Sebastian gasps. “I wanted to talk aboutmyfeelings.”

“Feelings? You told me the seven fucking ways you fuck her to Sunday.”

I was traumatized by those gruesome details. No one needs to hear them. Least of all me. I don’t need to be reminded of what action he’s getting when I get none. Not that I’m looking for sex. My hand does the job just fine. Besides, I might get addicted to it just to fill the emptiness in me and end up with a baby. Thanks fucking not.

“I mentioned howIfelt while doing it. So, it counts.” Sebastian shrugs like it’s no big deal that he injected explicit images into my brain.

“Just don’t talk aboutitto me ever again,” I warn him.

He sighs loudly. “I hope you get so choked up in feelings that you askmeabout sex and feelings.”

That would never happen.“Not a fucking chance.”

“We’ll see.” Sending me a smile, he snaps the hair tie on his wrist that his girlfriend gave him for anxiety. I often find him snapping it when he’s stressed, but occasionally, he does it out of habit. It helps him to not get lost in his head.

Only someone who knows him from the inside out can tell when it’s serious and when it’s not. Right now, it’s not serious.

“You didn’t answer, Heath,” Sebastian prods.

“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, earning a chuckle from him.

“C’mon tell me. It’s not like I’ll talk to her or anything.”

Strangely that idea lights fire under my skin

“Why the fuck would you do that?” I pin him with a glare.

With a smile he says, “I’ll figure it out.” That’s his catchphrase. Four words that mean trouble.

“Hey guys.” Marie, his girlfriend, skips up to him with a grin so bright it could compete with sun. She is a goddamn sunshine. If the light of a thousand suns was trapped in a human form, it’d be Marie Anderson. The five-foot-seven who’s got a six-foot-two wrapped around her finger so pathetically I wonder if she’s a witch behind all that light.

“That’s no way to greet your boyfriend, babe.” Sebastian wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her to him. “You know the right thing.”

“I do.” With a giddy smile, she stands on her tiptoes and kisses him.

One kiss turns into a make-out session. I have to clear my throat to pull them apart. “You’ll get plenty of time to continue.”

Marie breaks the kiss and turns to me. “Not really. I’ve got tons of homework. Also, we have a chemistry test next week. I barely understood the topic. The concepts are so weird. Like puzzle pieces scattered and nothing makes sense. I asked Mr. Carlie to explain to me again, but he said he couldn’t repeat a whole forty-minute lecture. But I really need the help. Besides—”

“You talk too much, Blondie.” After a year I still haven’t gotten used to her ramblings. How does she find so many words?

Marie beams. “I know, but Sebastian said it’s okay and you don’t mind. You just tell me otherwise.”

I shoot him a curious look and he pins me with a ‘you better agree with that, or I’ll kill you’ look. For her, he will.

“Of course,” I mutter and earn a smile.

Fuck. What’s there to smile about in life?

“You could ask someone to help you,” Sebastian suggests, caressing her cheek with his knuckles.

She blushes under his touch, and continues, “I did. Mr. Carlie said I should ask Hope. She’s extremely smart and offers help. I’ll look for her tomorrow.”

Hugging her from behind Sebastian kisses Marie’s cheek.Twice. As if once wasn’t enough.

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