Page 53 of No Place Like Home

“I didn’t have time to check out the houses. Jess mentioned this one was dope—”

“And you bought it.” Gavin continued to grin at me. If he didn’t stop, I would punch him.

“Because I trust her judgment, Jess is cool. She’s not a bimbo.”

“And you want to fuck her,” Gavin added with a smirk.

“She’s afriend,” I emphasized.

Gavin stood up.

“Look what you’re going through…that shit ain't easy. Had it been me before Scarlett, that shit would have killed me.”

No shit. I was now a dead man walking. I didn’t say this because he already knew it.

“You just need to heal, but while you’re doing that, focus your energy on something else…or someoneelse.”

I flipped him off.

“You bought your house around the same time that prototype was made, didn’t you?”

I ignored him and was thankful when we were interrupted.

“Our taxi is outside,” Scarlett said from behind us.

“I’ll get our stuff, baby,” Gavin said, then squeezed my shoulder. “This is not the end of your road, bro. You’re a legend.”

That was the thing about legends. After a while, no one remembered them.

“Bye, Q.” Scarlett hugged me.

“Take care of him,” I told her.

“Always.” She smiled.

Scarlett was about to leave, but then turned around, and I could see mischief in her eyes.

“Your friend was walking your dog with another guy.” She looked at me in pity and waved.

This was fucking bullshit.

Knowing that they were leaving, I made an order for something to get delivered to the house.

A while later, I was still sitting in my backyard, and wondering why I hadn’t done this sooner. I had a prime spot and I never enjoyed it. Something about the breeze and the lake made me feel like everything was okay. I sat there watching the sun start to set when I heard my dog bark.

My head turned, and it wasn’t Simba who I saw, but Jess. It wasn’t even the fact that she was there with another guy, that bothered me. It was the smile on her face and the fucking dress she was wearing.

Granted, it was black like all her clothing, but I’d never seen her in anything other than jeans in all the years I'd known her.

She was fucking stunning. I was too starstruck looking at her that it took a second to register who she was with.

“Oh,hellno,” I whispered before I limped my way down there.

My traitor dog started to wag his tail as soon as he saw me. I bet he was happy I didn’t smell like I bathed in beer. As for Jess, the smile dropped from her face, which made me angry for some reason. The fucker next to her did not get to make her smile.

Imade her smile.

For fuck’s sake, what was wrong with me?

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