Page 47 of Flipping the Script

“Fucking hell,” I muttered.

“I’ll tell her you’re not out here.” He glanced over his shoulder as she called my name again. “Get her back to the party so you can escape.”

“Thanks,” I said grudgingly.

He didn’t have to help me. He could just disappear into the night and leave me to deal with her drunk ass. Sober McKenna was a great person. Drunk McKenna had major issues with boundaries, and I wasn’t in the right headspace to treat her gently right now.

He upnodded me and disappeared the way he came.

A few moments later, I heard the muffled sounds of him talking.

“Are you sure?” McKenna asked in her too-loud voice. “Where’d he go?”

Jesse said something, the low rumble of his voice too low to make out any words.

“Why were you out here?” she asked, her voice sounding further away.

I tuned them out and closed my eyes.

Tonight had gone sideways in more ways than one.

At least this was a good reminder of why I stayed away from parties.

And why I stayed away from Jesse.

I had no idea what was going on between us or why we started it. But it was time to end it.

I won. Game over.

7

JESSE

“What the fuck?”Someone tugged on the neckline of my t-shirt.

I jumped a mile and bobbled my phone, nearly dropping it.

“Sorry.” Isaac didn’t sound the least bit sorry as he peered down the back of my shirt, his eyes alight with humor and surprise.

Fuck.

He’d seen the scratches Sebastian left on me after our little whatever the fuck that was in the woods.

“You really need to learn about boundaries,” Asa, our coworker, said, looking up from his phone.

Isaac grinned at him. “I know all about boundaries, but Jess and me are copacetic.”

“Copacetic?” The corner of Asa’s mouth curled up in a smile.

“Did I use that right?” Isaac looked between us.

“No clue.” I glanced at Asa. I’d never heard that word before.

He shook his head, his smile peeking through his attempts to hide it.

It wasn’t a secret that people thought I had good control over my emotions and expressions, but I had nothing on Asa.He could teach a masterclass on how to only show people what he wanted them to see. Even after half a year as coworkers and friends, I still had trouble reading him when his defenses were up.

“Damn it.” Isaac flopped onto the chair beside me and unzipped his coveralls. “Can you text Jamie and tell him I did? I’ll owe you.”

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