Page 137 of Forbidden You

“Friends don’t sleep together every night. Friends don’t treat each other like shit,” I yell, the frustration wanting to burst out of me like an active volcano. My voice echoes through the hallway, and I’m pretty sure anyone who’s home can hear me, but I don’t care.

He exhales through the phone, and when I walk through the door, I flop my body on the couch with a heavy heart, my fingers pricking in my eyes to prevent my tears from falling.

“I’m sorry I was harsh. But we have to keep this how it is. We can’t blur the lines.”

“Newsflash, Bodi. The lines are already blurred as fuck,” I blurt viciously, clenching my teeth at this stupid conversation.

“I know. It’s why we need to set the boundaries again.”

“Set the boundaries again. Do you hear yourself talking? This is ridiculous. It’s too late for that, McKay.” I want to pull my hair out listening to him.

He can’t seriously think we can go back to how we started? Isn’t that the thing with relationships? You grow them. You can’t un-grow them. You can’t just sayhold up, I’m getting too many feelingsand then just expect your feelings to disappear. It doesn’t work like that. And I don’t even want to try.

“Look, I’m coming home. Let’s just talk when I get there, okay?”

“Fine.” Angrily, I hang up the phone before he can utter another word, pressing the button to get back to Rae.

“Are you still there?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’m still here. What did he say?”

There is a tremor in my hands as the anger rushes through my veins like an unstoppable train waiting until it crashes into a wall.

“ARGH!” I yell, wanting to throw my phone through the air.

“Are you okay, Keeks?”

“No!” I shout. “I’m not. He was talking all this bullshit about setting boundaries and all that nonsense.”

“Isn’t it a bit late for that?”

“That’s what I told him!”

“Look, just calm down.Breathe.”

I grind my teeth.

“Breathe, Keeks,” Rae orders, and reluctantly, I suck in a deep breath, then push it out before doing it again.

“Good,” Rae praises. “Now calm down. Is he coming home?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, take another deep breath, because yelling doesn’t make anything better. Chill. Call me after, okay?”

I nod, even though she can’t see me.

“Yeah,” I concede. “Yeah, okay. I’ll call you after.”

“Don’t bite his head off.”

“I can’t give you any promises,” I growl, then hang up the phone.

***

Fifteen minutes later, I’m fumbling with my fingers on the couch, waiting impatiently for him to get home, when the doorbell rings and I roll my eyes. Grunting, I set a slow pace toward the door, a little annoyed at him for ringing the doorbell.

It’s his condo, for crying out loud.

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