Page 78 of Last Round

I crack open one of my eyes. Sean is standing in the doorway with his nose buried deep in his phone as he rambles on. Hopefully he’s too distracted to notice his missing person is fast asleep in my bed. If he doesn’t look too closely, he might not and just assume she’s some random chick.

“Shit,” he says. “Sorry. Didn’t know you had company.” He turns away. “But I really need your help. I just need to know she’s okay.”

Molly tugs the sheet up. Whether to hide her naked body, conceal her face, or a mixture of both is anyone’s guess. Sean raises his phone to his ear while Molly’s cell vibrates on the nightstand at the same time. He turns around and notices the moment her screen lights up and dances across the surface. His eyes flick between the two devices as his expression slowly contorts from concern to rage.

“You have to be fucking kidding me,” he screams.

I sit up. “Hold on,” I caution him. “Let’s talk about this.”

“Talk about what?” He runs his fingers through his hair and tugs on the ends as he pulls them loose. “How you’re in bed with my sister?”

“It’s not what you think,” I start to say, then correct myself. “I mean, yes, it is, but it’s not like that.”

“You’re naked,” he dry heaves.

“How about we talk about this in the living room?” This conversation was never going to be easy. He was bound to flip. But not having it in a room that we were fucking in no more than a couple of hours ago would be better. Clothes would help too.

Sean marches over to the bed and decks me straight in the jaw. Molly screams as I collapse back onto the mattress. “You fucking bastard.” He punches me again.

“Sean!” Molly yells. “Stop it.”

“How could you?”Hit.

“Get off him.” Molly holds the sheet to her chest as she pushes Sean back.

He looks at her with pure disgust. “Seriously, Molly? We have an argument, and you decide to fuck my best friend to get back at me? And you…” He looks at me. “There is just no fucking excuse for you.”

“It’s not like that,” she cries out.

Sean decks me again, and this time, stars flood my vision and my ears ring.

“Stop it!” Molly screams at the top of her lungs.

“Not going to fight back?” Sean seethes. “It’s because you know you’ve fucked up.”

“I’m not going to hit my best friend,” I struggle to say. My head is spinning from his blows. Sean’s not holding back. “Especially not when he has all the right to be angry.”

“Ex best friend.” He punctuates with another blow. “Over the years, I’ve put up with a lot of your shit. One dumb thing after another. But this… this is fucked.”

“Killian is my boyfriend!” Molly wraps her arms around me, using herself as a shield.

Sean takes a step back. “Your what?”

“We’ve been seeing each other for a while now. This wasn’t just a one-time thing and it had nothing to do with you. I came here last night because, when everything felt like it was spiraling out of control and I was drowning, he was the only person I wanted to be with.”

“You’ve been sneaking around behind my back?” He frowns. I know my friend, and this new betrayal is so much worse than what he initially thought.

“That wasn’t our plan. We were going to tell you—but the timing gotfunny,” Molly is quick to clarify. “He wanted to tell you. I was the one who told him to wait until the right moment. So if you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.”

“Damn it, Molly.” Sean paces the room. “I almost expect this shit from him.” He points to me. “He’ll fuck anything with a pulse and not give it a second thought. But you…” He looks at her. “You know better. He’s not yourboyfriend. Killian is incapable of caring about anyone but himself. And even with that, he does a piss-poor job.”

Tears pour down her cheeks as I watch her heart break. In all the years I’ve known them, grew up with them, lived with them—they never once fought like this. And it’s all my fault.

“Grab your stuff. I’m bringing you home,” Sean orders Molly, like she’s a child.

“No,” she replies. She puffs out her chest as she narrows her gaze at him.

“No?” Sean crosses his arms and starts a staring match with her. “You’re going to stay here… withhim? Are you fucking stupid?”

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