Page 41 of Bonding the Band

“Hen, go shower,” Beckett ordered. “I’ll grab you some fresh clothes.”

Arlo held me closer while Hendrix sidled past. It kept me from catching a whiff of any scents still stuck to him, but my shoulders were tight up against my ears, tension making my muscles burn. Arlo’s purr rumbled to life, and that sweet primal sound worked overtime to dissolve my anxiety.

“Want me to burn his shirt?” Phin asked.

I did, but it felt so silly to say that out loud.

“She got super tense again,” Arlo told him. “Torch that sucker.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Phin collect a lighter, a mini bottle of vodka, and Hendrix’s shirt from the floor before taking it outside to flambé it.

“This is so dumb,” I whined against Arlo’s chest.

“Not dumb if it makes you happy,” he insisted.

It didn’t exactly make mehappy, but it did eliminate a source of stress, so that was close enough, I supposed.

Phin returned with a smile on his face. “You should drink more water. Stress is dehydrating.”

“I already have to pee a hundred times a day.”

“Well, let’s make it a hundred and one.”

I begrudgingly accepted the water and sipped at it. I didn’t make a single move away from Arlo, because even though it was weird to be snuggled up with a stranger I had very recently fucked, his scent was soothing, and it had the added benefit of me not having to look at anybody else.

“You’re so fucking cute right now,” Arlo told me. “Why don’t we sit down and wait for Hendrix?”

“Okay,” I said quietly. Arlo settled me on the couch and Phin sat on my other side, Beckett across from us.

“Would you like us to leave, so the two of you can talk for a while?” Beckett asked.

“Um, I don’t know how rational I’m going to be with him, so it’s probably best if you guys stick around.”

Beckett nodded. “Have you eaten recently? We could order something.”

“I could eat. Maybe some soup?”

“You don’t want something more substantial, princess?”

“Oh, I guess I could. I’m so used to accommodating the nausea, but that’s mostly gone right now.”

Arlo beamed at me.

“We can order soup as a backup,” Beckett told me. “What would you eat if you weren’t worried about nausea?”

“Kind of craving pineapple and fried rice, oh, and meatballs.”

“Do those even go together?” Beckett asked.

“Fuck yeah, they do,” Phin replied. “Find a Thai restaurant to order the beef fried rice with pineapple. Maybe have them take out the chilies, though.”

My phone buzzed and I checked the message.

Clover:

How’s it going?

Do you need backup?

---