Page 4 of Stitches

It could have been worse.

It’s what I kept telling myself lately.

“I’m OK,” I muttered, biting into my own sandwich so I wouldn’t have to speak.

“It’s Friday,” Ashes continued.

I nodded and swallowed. “It’s your fire night. I know. I’ll be there.”

He exhaled and looked away, a sad look on his face.

He missed Sin just as much as I did. He didn’t need to say it. It was written all over his face.

But fuck Sin right now, wherever he was. He deserved to feel like shit. God knew I’d already been through it. It felt nice to sprinkle around the self-loathing.

Church and Sirena were still kissing.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I wanted to kiss her too, but I was too scared. Of what, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was because I’d failed her and didn’t feel like I deserved her now.

“Hey, stranglehold,” Cady greeted me as she flopped down next to us and opened a carton of milk.

I caught Sirena breaking away from Church to see her sister, but Church was quick to draw her lips back to his.

Cady raised a brow at the action and looked at me. “He needs to let her breathe. He’s aware of that, right?”

I shrugged and bit into my sandwich again.

“He just loves her,” Ashes said, offering her one of his gentle smiles.

“Yeah, but don’t you two? I never see you guys with her. It’s always that dipshit.” She jerked her thumb in Church’s direction.

“He’s greedy,” I muttered.

“No argument there,” Cady said, picking up her ham sandwich and eyeing it. “I fucking hate ham.” She bit into it and chewed quickly.

“Then why do you get it?” Ashes asked.

“Becausefuck ham. This is my punishment to it,” she said around a mouthful of ham and cheese.

He chuckled and shook his head at her. “How do you like your dorm?”

“Sucks.” She tossed the sandwich down and took a deep drink of her milk. “But I like it at the same time. You guys are getting the rest of Rina’s things today, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. That’s the plan.”

We’d moved Sirena in with us. Only a few items of hers were left in the dorm Cady now roomed in. She was hard to persuade at first, but once Ashes mentioned she could sneak guys into her dorm without the threat of Church running them off, she was keener on the idea.

She was angel’s opposite in every possible way.

“Good. The only thing that would make her room better is a bigger bed. You know. . . for extracurricular activities.” She ate more of her sandwich again.

Ashes snorted at her before he turned his attention to Church and Sirena. I watched as he slid in closer to her and pressed a kiss to her neck as Church’s lips moved to the other side of her neck and sucked along her flesh. Her eyes were closed, her pretty pink lips parted.

“She looks happy,” Cady mused. “Lucky sister.”

“You want Church and Ashes sucking on your neck?” I asked, raising a brow at her.

“Fuck no, but I wouldn’t say no to two hot guys up in my shit,” she said.

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