Page 48 of Lucy and Her Wicked Three

"I'm glad she has you two," he says sincerely, without looking at either of us. I get up and slap his back.

"Me too. Now, think I can sleep next to her or…?"

Both men glare at me, and I laugh. "Right, right… I'll ask her tomorrow. Hope you're ready for new roommates." I look at Noah. "We should take off, it's getting late."

He nods, climbing up out of the couch.

"Can you tell her well come by to see her tomorrow?"

Matty nods. On our way out the door, he calls out, "Pack a bag. If she's cool with it… I do miss you guys. I'm ready to try this again, for real."

I don't miss the look on Noah's face, and I definitely don't miss the tightening in my pants when I think about all this happening so fast.

Three weeks ago, Noah and I were still trolling Atrium, neither of us admitting the scene was getting a little old. That we were both looking for something different. Something new. Something with more meaning.

I follow Noah down the hallway, into the elevator.

We climb in, and he leans against one side, facing the front, while I lean against the opposite side, facing him. There's something different about Noah these days. I don't know what's changed. It's like I can feel his inner turmoil. But the words that come out of his mouth are still just as soft and docile as always.

Maybe it's Lucy coming into our lives. Mateo coming home.

The elevator dings and Noah steps out first. We flag down a cab and like at the bar, when he climbs in the back, I climb in after him, sitting a little too close.

At the bar, it was because I knew Noah was feeling a little left out. I had spent time with Lucy, so had Mateo, obviously. But I was clearly more comfortable with her. And I wasn't the onesilently freaking out. He's so easy to read, I could tell he was scared Matty would leave us behind—worse, that the three of us would leave him behind.

So I pushed him to sit closer to Lucy, and it worked. What I hadn't anticipated was getting wicked ideas pushed up against him like that.

I've never been interested in men, never really thought about it. Okay, that's a lie. There have been times—moments, really, nothing more—over the years where I found myself getting a little bit harder watching Noah pound into someone's ass. But I've always just assumed that was the same as watching porn. I like women. I fuckinglovepussy.

Noah doesn't move away when I sit too close. I can feel his warm thigh pressing against mine. I don't know what possesses me to push him further. I turn and look him in the eye. We've been through so much together. Everything, really. I can look him in the eye, there's nothing unusual about that.

Noah's hair is tied back, low at the base of his neck. It's messy, strands fallen out, likely from his adventures carrying Lucy. Though she fell asleep in his arms, she didn't at first, and she was playing with his hair, telling him how pretty he is.

Noah's jaw tenses, his five o'clock shadow looks soft to the touch. I shave pretty close, but for whatever reason, don't have to shave as often as him, my hair grows in more sparsely.

I get the strangest urge to touch his face, to see if it's as soft as it looks.

I should analyze this, right? That's what Noah would do. Matty, too.

Humming to myself, I turn away, dismissing the momentary spark of curiosity to keep looking, wanting to touch. My best friend and life partner would never judge me for it because he's not that kind of guy.

That's all it was. Momentary. Fleeting. It's Lucy's fault, too. She brings up a lot of big feelings for me. I think she might be the one… I feel it in my heart. So do they. It's a heady thing, the four of us together. I'm excited. Ready.

That's why I look at Noah, again, and he's still staring at me, like he does.

I picture Lucy and him together. Sitting on his lap, riding him while he shoves his tongue down her throat. I can't tear my eyes away from the imaginary image.

I shift a little further away, giving us some space. For some reason, that doesn't feel right either.

On our way back up to our apartment, Noah breaks the silence.

"Do you think whoever sent Mateo that picture is trying to fuck with him, or her?"

Keys out, I unlock the door and step into our apartment. Which suddenly feels too small. Too quiet. Too empty.

"I don't know, man. Best we stick together, because it's one of the two of them, right?"

Noah eyes me curiously. But he doesn't voice whatever's on his mind. He just nods. "Im' going to go pack a bag."

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